Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Defeat. That’s how the war between the Resistance and the First Order could be described. A bitter aftertaste was the only thing everyone could feel after the failed attempt at blowing up the Starkiller base. Not that anyone was surprised, frankly, how could they be? The Resistance’s luck ran out the moment Snoke’s fleet arrived and wiped them out. A somewhat sad display, given all the hope this war had brought forth. All in vain.

The outcome was broadcast in several systems, portraying the First Order as the superior and only power in the galaxy. Snuffing out the remaining Resistance forces was only a matter of time, especially since they lost all their support. With their most trusted Generals, all soldiers, and worst of all, General Leia Organa dead, the Resistance simply ceased to exist, the remaining members potentially hiding in the Outer Rim. The ever-present domino effect took place, as one by one, all of their allies switched allegiance, funding new weapons and ships for the First Order. Fear and obedience triumphed over hope and freedom. The only thing the galaxy lacked was disorder and after the failed assault it’s exactly what it received.

Mercenaries, pirates, smugglers, bounty hunters, or simple scum, whichever you named, there was definitely a higher chance of running into those these days. Travel became unsafe for many reasons, including but not limited to getting shot at by First Order’s turbolasers under suspicion of being a Resistance cruiser, or simply running into galactic filth. It almost seemed ironic, the way the First Order was supposed to bring balance to the galaxy once and for all when their crushing victory only seemed to strengthen the ever-present chaos.

Rumors spread like wildfire, some more gruesome than others. It was speculated that now that the Starkiller base was fully operational one wrong move could cause the trigger-happy Knights of Ren to give the order. Or one of the Generals for that matter. One word and an entire planet could get blown to pieces. Or a system. How quaint. Not only that but anything resembling insurgency would be seen as treason. The Resistance members, who were once seen as heroes, were now proclaimed as dangerous fugitives, and aiding them would result in imprisonment. Or worse.

But those were the problems of common people, rebels, trouble seekers who dared defy the First Order. Her bunch of misfits wouldn’t have those issues.

Vivian stared into the ultramarine corridor, deep in her own thoughts. Notoriously swinging one of her legs, her need for motion slowly became an irritating quirk for everyone onboard. But to her, it was simply a way of relieving stress. Her eyes wandered between the blues beyond the glass and the metallic colors of the shuttle’s insides. It almost felt laughable how nostalgic and hopeful she could become while sitting in this minuscule spot.

Piloting had been in her veins ever since she got her hands on the controls of that first ship, which she ultimately wrecked. The colorful panels, and the many flickering lights, each one indicating another variable, illuminated the everlasting darkness, creating a soothing atmosphere of peace. Something she craved every time she was alone on deck. Day and night were practically the same in space, and yet she didn’t seem to mind too much. During those quiet hours, she’d cherish the calm moments, simply staring into the abyss. But when everyone else was awake it all vanished, the peace being replaced with duty. Her main goals were obvious: fly the ship, don’t crash it (optionally), and make sure to steer clear of trouble. And each and every single time she promised to abide by set goals, she failed. Miserably.

“Are you done daydreaming?” A female voice rang out in her earpiece. The pilot groaned, clearly annoyed that someone had interrupted her train of thought.

“For once, could you let me fly in peace?” She snapped back, flicking her blonde hair to her back. Irritated, she asked. “Demo, have you checked the navigation charts? Are we on the right course?”

All eyes landed on a tall girl in the co-pilot’s seat. Her smile radiated with confidence and certainty. “Yeah, nothing seems out of place, we should be there shortly.” She turned to face us, her brown eyes sparkling with pride. “Anything else, Lorvin?”

The blonde smirked at the use of her codename. Everyone on the ship had one due to privacy reasons. It was for the best in case one of them got captured. Or worse. “No, that’s about it. Keep me updated though.”

Vivian watched the monitors, focusing on any signs of impending objects. Fortunately, they would be out of hyperspace in a few minutes, so there was nothing to worry about.

Her peace was soon disturbed when two figures approached, the distinct clicking of armor echoed across the cockpit, followed by more timid-sounding footsteps. Closing her eyes she braced herself for a very long pep-talk about discipline, responsibility, and–

“For once you’re actually doing something productive.” A tall, armored female entered, her black hair clipped in a bun, a remnant of her previous position. “Hey, Demo.” She added, greeting the co-pilot.

“Hey, Sasha,” Demo replied, keeping her eyes on the radars.

Vivian spun around and took notice of the two crewmembers. They were almost inseparable, spending most of the time talking about machinery and weapons, avoiding the crew like the plague. It was their thing and no one seemed to question it. Ultimately they were still on the same side, fighting together, sleeping together, arguing…

“Iggy.” She nodded toward the young blonde man and he replied with a slight nod, even though a smile could be seen tugging at the corner of his lips. Then she turned toward the woman. “And you.”

“No codename for me? How refreshing.” She sneered as she crossed her arms. “Here I thought I’d get a warmer welcome.”

“What can I say? I am not exactly thrilled to see you here.” Lorvin stated as she took the earpiece out, fully focusing on the two intruders. “It always entails disaster. And long talks which I am too annoyed to listen to right now.”

“Oh so you know you fucked up. Glad we got that out of the way. Makes my job easier.” Sasha glanced around the monitors, spotting the one with fuel management. “Care to explain this?”

Tapping at the monitor the holographic calculations and charts lit up the cockpit, including the graphs showcasing the usage of fuel – which was high – and the quantity of it – which was very, very low.

“We didn’t have time to refuel.” Vivian defended as she stood up from her seat. Towering over the blue images she flicked her hand above the needed graph, zooming in. “This should last us until we dock on the next planet. And it’s not that far.”

“You said that the last three times.” Iggy butted in, “We’ll lose our shields soon if this keeps up. And the engines might fail. We’re already running on scraps, barely maintaining the course.”

“I am aware that it’s critical but it’s not the end of the world. It could be far worse.”

“Of course, we could suffocate to death, get blown out of hyperspace, crash land on the planet.” Sasha replied, “Should I go on?”

“You’re overreacting.” Vivian scolded, pulling out the hologram for the chart of their course. “We’re almost there, if we won’t collide with anything, and we won’t, we should land smoothly.”

“Says who?”

“Me.”

“Well then, we’re fucked. Just like we got fucked over every time you take charge of refueling.”

“If I had a dime for every time you told me that I’d be richer than the entire New Republic” Vivian replied, which only earned her a scoff from Sasha. Both of them always bickered but this time it went further than a simple exchange.

“If I had a dime for every time you said something stupid I’d never consider coming back.” The brunette rebutted, her stoic expression never changing. Yet underneath that cold facade, her frustration seemed to boil over, toward the tipping point.

“Well then leave, no one is keeping you here.”

“Maybe I will.”

“Be my guest then!”

Iggy and Demo looked at each other as their faces expressed worry. It wasn’t uncommon for these two to watch their respective mentors fight, but this dispute was getting more and more personal. The tension could be cut with a knife at this point, as both women stood straight, glaring at one another. If it wasn’t for Sasha’s armor, they’d be at the same height level, but alas, Lorvin could only look up, while the brunette looked down on her.

“You wouldn’t last a day without me.”

“Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you,” Vivian stated, her fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly. “We didn’t need you when you decided to ditch us. How did the mercenary life treat you?”

It was Sasha’s turn to intensify her glare. She took a step closer to Vivian but didn’t utter a word. The prolonged silence didn’t last long, however, as the two started throwing petty insults almost simultaneously.

“Do you even know the rules?” A young female asked, eyeing up the two players. She carefully observed the occurring battle, holding her breath as she watched the young man take on her guardian if she could call the female that.

The three of them were a part of the crew as well, each individual had striking qualities about them. Kind of.

“Of course I do! It’s like the equivalent of blackjack! I used to dominate everyone in it!” The young man beamed, keeping his hand close to his chest. “Now watch the master at work.”

The girl opposite him laughed, probably because she knew he was just boasting, exaggerating the truth, but she didn’t comment on it. Her blue eyes scanned the cards currently in her possession, carefully calculating each possibility with a quick flicker here and there. Adjusting her glasses, she eyed the two with a smirk.

“Okay, I’m gonna draw,” she announced, hitting the table.

“I’ll draw too.”

“Uh, Shogun… You already…” the petite girl started but he quickly motioned for her to stay quiet.

“Don’t tell me what to do, woman. I know what I am doing.” Shogun replied, furrowing his brows.

“Hey! No one speaks to Pers that way! Maybe except for me.” Leaning on her elbows, the redhead brought him back to reality. “So knock it off.”

“Fine.” He rolled his eyes. “Go make me a drink or something, because clearly you suck at playing Sabacc.” The silence engulfed them for a split moment before he eventually added: “Not that I’m surprised.”

It was more than enough to irritate the young bartender. This wasn’t the first time, but it also wouldn’t be the last. That’s just how things worked between them – unless someone scolded him for his insufferable behavior he had free reign. Funnily enough, he even came up with a term for it, but she refused to use it. Out of respect for his rank on the vessel and as a person, both of which she was slowly losing.

“Fine! Do it your way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Pers replied and with a scoff, she scurried off to a small bar stool nearby. Grabbing a handful of glasses, she decided that cleaning them was the best course of action. Either that or hitting the arrogant jerk in the face.

Shogun smiled before returning his eyes to the ongoing game. He stared his opponent down with newfound confidence, his gaze flickering to the table and the whole pot. There wasn’t much to win, just a couple of credits and a business card. This was a practice game after all.

“Ready to get crushed?” He announced cockily, gauging the redhead’s reaction.

“Shogun, please. I’m a professional player. There’s no way you’ll beat me on the first try.” Brushing a strand of hair from her view, Milia put her cards down. “I’m standing.”

“I’ll hit.” He announced and grabbed another card. But his scowl said it all: clearly, he had a very bad hand at the moment. His skills as a gambler were already… questionable… Not to mention he was a terrible liar, both inside and out. Reading him was a piece of cake.

“I just want to know what the thought process behind that move was.” Milia closed her eyes in disbelief. Such a trivial mistake, a rookie one. Was it caused by bravado? Overconfidence? Both?

“Well… I…” Shogun’s cheeks flushed a bit as he placed his cards down. Milia glanced at them and had to stifle a laugh. “Don’t you dare laugh at me.”

“Okay, Master.” She jabbed back, as she took in his hand. “Clearly you failed math, we were supposed to tally up to twenty-three. Not whatever this is.” Pointing at the cards, she started counting silently.

Shogun had no rebuttal for that, embarrassed by the whole ordeal. His eyes wavered between the floor and the ceiling, anywhere to avoid looking directly at his humiliating defeat. In his carelessness, he forgot the game had an objective and that it wasn’t collecting cards.

“Forty-two?!” Milia suddenly screamed, slamming her fists onto the table. Both Pers and Shogun flinched in their respective positions. “How did you manage to get forty-two!?”

“Well, Lorvin always told me to hit it…” He tried to defend.

“Yeah, because she’s an idiot! She doesn’t even play Sabacc!” His defense was met with an even harsher response from her. “I can’t, I just can’t. You’re irredeemable.”

Milia stood up abruptly, turning the holographic board off. Gathering the cards she snatched his hand, placed them all back in the deck, and put it back in her pocket.

“I need a drink. Pers.” She turned towards the bar and dropped the few credits she won on the bartop. Not like Pers would actually accept them, but it was a force of habit. They were running short on everything – from credits to fuel, but most importantly: beverages. The only thing that seemed to sharpen Milia’s senses in a time of crisis was good, old-fashioned alcohol. Nothing that a shot of gin couldn’t fix.

“I swear, this day couldn’t possibly get worse.”

[BACK IN THE COCKPIT]

“Hey, calm down. It’s not worth it. We’ll get the fuel soon and we’ll forget all about it.” Iggy interjected, trying to defuse the tension. But it fell on deaf ears, the two were too preoccupied with their spat.

Sasha pushed forward, her gaze unwavering, until she dignified this provocation with a proper response.

“I was doing just fine until your blasted ship crash-landed into my roof.”

“At least you got some sunlight in that hellhole of yours, you’re welcome by the way.”

“Oh, thank you, Captain Kamikaze! Now I’m homeless.”

“Anytime, darling.” Vivian smiled, clearly enjoying how agitated Sasha had become.

“You little cu…”

“Language. We’re in the presence of children.”

“... runt.”

“That’s offensive.”

“I’m going to slam your head into that panel if you don’t shut it. That’s offensive.”

“You’re paying for the repairs then.”

“At least I can afford them, unlike you. How’s AH2512?”

“Still lodged in your rooftop I suppose.”

This back-and-forth lasted for a few more moments, each comeback more absurd than the last one. In truth, both of them were closer than anyone else onboard. Having known each other for seven years they grew attached to their mutual existence aboard the infamous Saturnine.

“Do you think you’re funny?” Sasha barked suddenly, her armor making distinct clinking noises. The room grew tense again.

“Yes,” Vivian replied, crossing her arms. Her foot continued swinging back and forth, the stress getting the better of her.

“You’re insufferable.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Worse than Shogun.”

Vivian scoffed, feigning a hurt expression. Her eyes flickered between everyone in the room, halting the banter momentarily. Would they agree? Obviously, it was a joke, a cruel jab at her own ego. And a successful one at that. Letting it slide was simply unacceptable.

“Says you, a commando wannabe.”

“Listen here you–” Things escalated quickly, beyond playful banter. Each woman had her own agenda in mind. In the brunette’s case, it was wiping off that smug grin off her friend’s face. Lorvin’s goal was simpler: piss her off. And she did. So much so, that neither of them noticed the ship jumping out of hyperspace. They were too focused on each other's features, one recoiling in disgust, the other raising an eyebrow at the sudden display of emotion.

“Lorvin watch out!” The shout from Iggy broke their spat. Both of them turned their heads to see a giant flagship, which they were about to crash into.

Vivian didn’t waste any time, she bolted straight for the control yoke. Grabbing it she took a very sharp turn without as much as a warning, knocking everyone onboard off-balance. Unfortunately, a sharp screeching noise, followed by a violent thrust forward was enough of an indicator to tell that the ship didn’t fully avoid collision.

“Son of a…” She muttered as she glanced at the monitors. “What the hell did we just hit?”

Demo checked the monitors as well, anxiously flickering her gaze between emergency lights and the screens. Upon further inspection, she sighed in relief.

“It looks like Saturnine didn’t sustain any heavy damages. We bent our right wing a bit…” She concluded, glancing at Vivian with a worried expression. “But they…”

She was promptly cut off when Lorvin started viciously typing, putting an earpiece on. Everyone in the cockpit held their breaths as the blonde started muttering curse words to herself, her leg bouncing up and down. To say she was angry would be an understatement.

However, her rant was interrupted briefly, as a blue flicker emanated from one of the screens. It was an incoming call, obviously from the huge metal junk that kindly decided to stay stationed in that spot. Putting the thrusters to a halt, they loomed in space, just a few paces from another collision. The tension was palpable, especially for the other members of the crew.

“Uh… Lorvin. We got an… Incoming call. From the–”

“Patch. Them. Through.”

The monitor quickly switched to wavelengths as the speaker from the hit ship began his speech. He sounded authoritarian and very commanding. Almost agonizingly polished. Iggy let out an audible groan, visibly upset that they broke the law. Again.

“Attention. This is Lieutenant Mi–” the male started, but not even his full title made it past the aggression he was faced with.

“Listen here, you absolute moron. How. Dare. You. Park. This. Giant. Piece. Of. Metal. Shit. In. My. Fucking. Way!” Every word was punctuated with growing resentment. “You think you are so high-and-mighty, piloting junk that’s long, wide, and takes up space? Do you think you’re entitled to float wherever you please? Well, tough shit! I had this course charted first! I swear to…”

[ON THE FINALIZER…]

“... I demand compensation for bending my fucking wing, you stupid cunts! There’s no such thing as a warranty in space! I’m gonna come down there and take the money myself! I had such a good streak too, no fucking accidents for a week! Thanks a lot, fuckers!” The vibrant, aggressive voice of a presumably young female echoed all over the bridge of the Finalizer. All officers listened in shock, as the vulgar display continued. The sheer audacity of this act struck them all to their cores. Did this girl not know who she was addressing? Maybe it was a stupid prank. Who in their right mind would defy the First Order? And most importantly him.

Before they had been hit, he was barking orders left and right, gazing into the quiet space. The Finalizer was about to refuel on the planet below, so all navigators and officers responsible for parking were making the necessary calculations to make the landing.

But then something did hit them.

The shock was the initial reaction at first. The scanners detected little to no debris when they jumped out of hyperspace, so what happened? Officers froze, terrified of what their superior would say. Making mistakes in the First Order was one thing, punishments were different. Severe in every case, no matter how light or bad the error was. All eyes were set on the highest person in command. But he remained eerily silent. His cold eyes surveyed everyone, his disdain evident.

“What was that?” He asked, marching down the bridge, intimidation dripping from every pore on his face.

“It… appears we’ve been hit by something, sir.” An officer announced, doing a quick scan of the area. “Our communication antenna has been damaged.”

“Who was in charge of setting our course?” The redhead snapped, yet did well to maintain his composure.

“We’re sorry General, we…”

“Incompetence will not be tolerated among our ranks, Officer Henderson. If you cannot trace a simple path to avoid any collisions, you should reassess your position. Or I’ll do it for you.”

Armitage Hux was a man of many qualities: Intelligence, ruthlessness, status, authority, patience…

And yet his patience was running thin as he listened to the barrage of obscenities directed at him and his starship. The General stood still, his hands firmly placed behind his back as he watched the small ship through the glass. It was puny, insignificant in the eyes of the First Order, it could be crushed with a single strike of his cannons. Or better yet, he could make an example of them by bringing the arrogant wretch aboard the Finalizer, to torture them, and slowly break them. Or perhaps her. He wasn’t aware of how many people were onboard the tiny vessel, and frankly, he didn’t care. He would not be messed with.

“Dispatch our squadrons and bring that insolent wench aboard.” He ordered, his fists clenching as one of his most trusted officers couldn’t control the call. Despite this absurd situation they obeyed, dispatching TIE Fighters to engage. This wouldn’t take long.

“... And to top it off, I bet your precious Captain is a virgin, touching himself to the sight of his majestic starship because no woman would ever glance his way!” The voice echoed again and this brought Hux back to reality, as he snapped his gaze toward the monitor. Mitaka sat in front of it, his jaw clenched, sweat dripping from his forehead.

“On second thought… Lieutenant, order the TIEs to fire at will.”

[SATURNINE]

“Kiss. My. Ass!” Lorvin shouted, while everyone in the cockpit just stared at her in a mix of disbelief and shock. All that pent-up frustration resulted in a fiery display of vulgarisms, defiance, and fury, directed at someone far too powerful to not be met with retaliation.

“You better have a good explanation as to why my gin had to suffer just a few minutes…” Milia entered the cockpit, all soaked, but upon seeing Lorvin in a daze of insults she opted to not disturb her further. However, the male who tagged along with her didn’t seem to share the same sentiment.

“Why did we suddenly halt? I can’t concentrate in these conditions!” Shogun exclaimed so loudly that everyone snapped their heads in his direction. His booming voice was probably heard over the comlink as well.

“Shut the fuck up!” Vivian spun around, clearly agitated. “I’m in the middle of something here.”

Sasha rolled her eyes and sighed. This wouldn’t end well, not in a million years. She observed the starship, taking in its massive form. Many cannons… Turbolasers… A whole bridge with many kinds of technologies, probably a lot of troopers on board and to top it off – a very powerful fleet as backup. That was a flagship designed for war, while their small vessel was barely sustaining them thanks to Lorvin’s reckless abandon. They were already walking on thin ice, and her friend’s brazen attitude didn’t help in the slightest.

Opting to do nothing, Sasha stayed silent, crossing her arms and glaring at the blonde with disapproval. That, however, quickly changed when she heard a very distinct and oddly familiar noise. Glancing through the window her eyes widened in shock and perhaps a hint of nervousness. Around twenty, maybe more TIE Fighters were heading their way and by the looks of it, they wouldn’t have their best intentions at heart.

“Lorvin.” She warned, but the girl didn’t listen, still occupied with the call. So she took more drastic measures. Without hesitation she quickly smashed the button and ended the conversation abruptly, leaving no room for doubt regarding their drastic situation.

“Hey! I wasn’t finished yet–” Vivian protested, trying to call them right back. Suddenly a hand yanked her by the collar and tilted her head to see the approaching TIEs. Only then had she realized the mistake she had just made and who they crossed.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck, oh fuck, OH FUCK!!” She started screaming around and viciously grabbed the yoke. “Everyone get back to your stations, we’re leaving right this instant!”

The crew scattered to their designated spots, immediately bracing themselves for an upcoming fight, the low fuel still lingering in their minds. Just how long would they hold on if there was nothing they could protect themselves with? Everything was about to turn off, the shields were barely up and there was an entire squadron on their tail.

Vivian turned the hovering mode off and immediately activated the thrusters. The engines roared to life, or they would if they weren’t on the brink of turning off again. The pilot couldn’t decide what was their biggest problem at the moment: being shot at, dancing on the edge of suffocation due to the ship's imminent shutting down, or maybe lack of any resources to fully escape the wrath she had accidentally provoked.

The starfighters gained on them rapidly, and given the order to fire at will, that’s what they did. The lasers flew around the triangular ship, barely missing it.

“Get to the damn turrets already! I’m about to start spinning any second now!” Lorvin ordered, putting the earpiece back on her head. “Iggy, keep me updated on the state of the engines. Sasha, take out as many of them as possible. Pers, be prepared to evacuate. Milia, make sure the second turret is operational…” She paused for a moment before sighing. “And Shogun… Just try not to die.”

Turning toward her co-pilot she started assessing their position, evaluating their escape options.

“Can we jump to hyperspace?” The question hung in the air of uncertainty and panic, as Lorvin maneuvered between TIE blasts and the debris.

“No fuel” Demo replied, her eyes flickering between various consoles and her partner.

“Shields?”

“No fuel.”

“Who the fuck was in charge of refueling?! I’m going to strangle them in their sleep!” Lorvin shouted into the coms. Silence greeted her as no one responded at first, too stunned at the sheer audacity of her comment. As the prolonged noiseless break continued it suddenly dawned on her. “Oh… Well, never mind that.” She blurted out after a long pause.

She turned to Demo in hopes of stabilizing the ship, but there was little both of them could do. They were losing power quickly and every second of exerting the engines used up what little fuel they had left. The TIE fighters were gaining on them and outflying them forever wasn’t an option. Sooner or later they’d be hit.

“Shogun, what in the bloody hell are you doing?!” Milia shouted, her voice echoing in the earpiece. The panic, as well as anger in her voice, was palpable, she couldn't contain herself. Not that anyone blamed her. First, her drink had splattered all over her and she couldn’t get wasted, then Shogun was… Well, what exactly was he doing?

“What is he doing?” Lorvin called out, curious herself.

“I, Shogun, am meditating.” He replied.

“Oh fuck me…” The pilot muttered, not sure if she wanted to cover her face in shame or if the TIE’s should just finish them off at this point.

“Wait, what the fuck is he doing?” A robotic voice called quietly in disbelief. Presumably belonging to Sasha. Her helmet often modulated her voice to resemble that of a droid, but it served a purpose. Even if it was scaring everyone onboard.

“Meditating.” Shogun cleared his throat. All of them could only imagine what Milia and Pers saw. The image of an adult male, sitting in a cross-legged position, fingers crossed, in deep thought… It seemed almost laughable to imagine, let alone witness it firsthand. Lorvin chuckled at the mental image.

“And what are you meditating about?” Demo taunted, not hiding her disdain. Every opportunity to taunt Shogun couldn’t be wasted, after all. Before he had the time to answer a loud commanding scream came through the comlink.

“You fucking moron… Get your ass to the fucking cannon and help!” Sasha exclaimed as she shot down another TIE Fighter. “Take that, you whore!”

Shogun groaned and was about to get up, but a loud thud was all the crew heard through their earpieces.

“I’ll handle it. Sit your ass down and do… Whatever it is that you tried to do.” Milia interjected, before taking a flask out of her pocket. Taking a few big sips, she exhaled and slipped it back. “I’m a way better shot when drunk anyway.”

With that, she stormed off toward the second cannon, her step slightly wobblier than before, but still commanding. Vivian chuckled slightly before turning her attention back to the main objective: surviving.

“AS I was saying.” The male finally addressed, “I was meditating to see if we have a chance of escaping. That, and I’m channeling my force ener–”

“Yeah yeah, sure, your ghost-like bullshit, we get it,” Lorvin interjected. “I am more interested in how our chances are at the moment.”

“Uh… From my visions and how the ship is shaking, I would say… Zero.”

What. She thought. Is he actually nuts–

And just as she thought about it, the ship shook violently. They’ve been shot, the question was where. Judging by the turbulence the First Order had to have shot a major part.

“Iggy, do you copy?” She called out into her earpiece. Soon enough his voice rang out in response.

“Loud but not really clear.” He replied. “They hit the main shuttle from what I can see on the screen. If we don’t get out of here quickly, we’re toast.”

“Damn it,” Lorvin muttered. “Get out of there, we’ll figure something out later.”

Soon enough the ship shook again, taking another hit. The red lights were blaring all over the cockpit.

“Another one and we’ll get blown to smithereens!” The co-pilot exclaimed as she tried to turn off the alarm. Time was quickly running out for all of them. She had to do something.

Then suddenly an idea popped into Lorvin’s head. She grabbed her earpiece and called everyone away from their stations.

“Strap in, I guess we have to escape the old-fashioned way.”

A loud collective groan echoed in response. The blonde smirked as she stirred the ship again, the course set to the planet below them. The old-fashioned way never ceased to amaze them all, especially since every time it was mentioned they required a new ship. And as much as Lorvin loved Saturnine, she wouldn’t be opposed to getting a Saturten.

[FINALIZER]

The General watched as the puny cruiser sustained damages, his stoic facade unwavering. This display wasn’t even close to what he could’ve done, and he knew it. He could’ve gone overboard, but decided against it, opting to use his influence and power on more important tasks, such as tracking the remaining Resistance forces.

Yet there was a nagging feeling in his gut, something told him that despite taking care of this nuisance they were far from done. He did watch the entire battle unfold, taking in the reckless turns that girl made, but in the end, it didn’t matter. Just a distraction in his way to taking control of the galaxy…

“General, the spacecraft escaped.” Officer Henderson announced, her voice trembling. Someone had to deliver the news. All eyes landed on the General as he furrowed his brow.

“I beg your pardon, Officer?” He asked, stepping closer. “Could you repeat that? Because I am certain I just witnessed it get blown to bits.”

She gulped but remained composed. “That ship sustained heavy damages, but our TIE’s couldn’t pursue it.” Henderson’s hand shook as she felt the gaze of her superior burn into her back. “It’s set to crash on the planet below, Sir.”

Hux exhaled sharply, almost sneering. So that’s how it was gonna be… He marched back to the glass, eyeing the planet from above. If they survived he’d be slightly impressed, considering their blatant disrespect. However futile their attempts would be, he’d have them executed in the name of the First Order. No one would mock him and remain unscathed…

“Prepare to land and refuel, send out our troops to search for the debris. Alert the facility below and order them to search the area–”

“Sir, the antenna is damaged. We cannot contact anyone long-range. We barely managed to call the assailants.” Another officer exclaimed, “The repairs should take a few hours.”

The redhead clenched his fists. Nuisance. Just a nuisance… He thought as he tried to compose himself. For a simple distraction, it certainly did more damage than he had originally suspected.

His anger quickly turned into amusement, however, as he replayed the images of the spacecraft getting bombarded with TIE blasts. How little it mattered in this universe… A bug, ready to be crushed, an insignificant speck of dust in the grand scheme of things.

Truly, and utterly pathetic.

Chapter Text

The wailing of the alarms was constant, the red lights flashing with mild aggression. People were stampeding over each other in every possible way, pushing through to get to the ship first. Soldiers were escorting the civilians onboard, as they barked orders. Confusion, doubt, anxiety, and worst of all, fear, ruled over those still in the queue.

Vivian was agile, always had been, pushing through the crowd swiftly as the doors closed rapidly. With no one to stop her, she jumped in at the last second. The spacecraft hovered above the ground, slowly lifting into the air. They couldn’t save everyone. No one can ever save everyone.

She looked at the countless citizens she would once call strangers, now she’d be forced to call them survivors. Or worse, a family. Vivian looked around to see if any of her friends made it, but alas, she didn’t recognize a single person. Her father surely was onboard, she could feel it in her bones, but she wouldn’t really look for him now. All in due time.

While the military tried to seize control over the chaos that ensued, she heard a soldier shout in the crowd. A young, black-haired woman, not much older than her, if not younger, was barking orders to everyone.

“Step away from the windows! Everyone, gather in the main hall!”

As people began to follow the military lead and came closer to the center of the ship, one man in particular had a different idea. Armed with nothing more than two… Katanas? He rushed towards the exit but the metal didn’t budge under his assault. Apparently, he thought he could save the world. Idiot.

“Oi you! Shogun! The one with the wasabi knives! Step away from the doors!”

It all went down so fast, so much so that between the commands, the turbulence of the ship, and constant screams, the only sound shattering all of that was the incessant ringing of the red alarms.

Wee…wooo….weeee..woooo

“I don’t think it’ll hold any longer!” Demo exclaimed, trying to stabilize Saturnine’s altitude. The red alarms continuously blared, their infuriating sound made Lorvin lose her focus. Lighting up all the consoles she just kept getting lost in her head, reliving the same flashbacks over and over. Every single time.

“Lorvin!” Sasha shouted, attempting to stand up and walk to the cockpit but ultimately getting blocked by flying junk, cups, and devices. She barely dodged the flying black box which hit the floor with a loud thud. That seemed to snap the pilot out of her thoughts.

“Was that my boombox?!” She screamed as she took control of the yoke and pulled it towards her in hopes of reaching the right altitude. A moment later, however, there was nothing she could do. The thrusters turned off, as did everything in the cockpit. “Oh-oh,” She sunk in her seat, mumbling quietly.

“That’s what you’re concerned with?!” Grabbing the black box, Sasha secured it in a seat that would normally belong to the blonde. She gave it a quick glance, hoping it hadn’t been damaged or they’d never hear the end of it. Luckily enough it seemed to stay intact. Having no time to give it a thorough examination, as if she actually wanted to in the first place, she quickly sat back down, fastening her belt and watching the chaos unfold.

Putting her helmet back on to avoid getting hit in the face, her gaze lingered on everyone around, making sure they fastened their belts properly, ready to spring to action in case they hadn't. Glancing at the seat opposite her she saw Milia casually talking to Pers, who clung to her dear life, ducking her head from an incoming bottle of alcohol. The redhead caught it in time and checked it, grinning.

Sasha sat between Iggy and the accursed box, crossing her arms as if the events didn’t affect her. To be fair, this sort of thing was starting to become a regular Tuesday for them, especially for her. Years spent with Lorvin as their pilot taught her immense amounts of patience, as well as proper balancing. And agility. And a lot of things now that she was thinking about it. Maybe her reckless flying wasn’t such a bad thing after–

Before she could finish that thought her eyes caught wind of Shogun’s form, colliding into walls, being manhandled by the sheer force of gravity. Left, right, up, down, diagonally… He let out yelps and whines of pain as his face slammed into hard surfaces from top to bottom. Additionally, he got hit by a bottle or two, as well as the Sabacc deck. Someone’s gonna have a very rough landing.

“What a tragic turn of events,” Pers stated, smirking as she watched the jerk get what he rightfully deserved. Not that she enjoyed it. Scratch that, of course, she did. “I like a tragic turn of events.”

“Shogun, I thought you were meditating? Thousand visions of the future and you haven’t felt the need to strap in in a single one?” Milia added, her eyes following the man’s body finally stopping on the opposite wall, grunting.

“Maybe we should help him,” Iggy stated, watching the others' reactions. When no one seemed too eager to go, he began unfastening his belt but Sasha stopped him. Putting a hand on his lap she secured it right back.

“He’s paying for his lack of brain cells,” She tutted. “There’s no place for the weak in this squadron.”

“But he’s trying his best.”

“Then he should try harder. He’s a Shogun, he should act like it.”

“He’s clearly in pain.”

“A wise man once said: Every action has its consequences. His would be…” As she explained he flew again, toward the back of the ship. “Learning how to defy laws of physics.”

Iggy rolled his eyes in disapproval but decided against further arguments. Looking down at the floor he felt slight disappointment at how Shogun was treated, but then again he was a very… Strange individual. In his own way, he was respected and tolerated aboard Saturnine, however, no one expressed it that much. All this time on the ship made them immune to his constant mood swings, attitude changes… And many career paths he claimed to pursue.

Seeing his pitiful expression, she sighed and cursed under her breath before swiftly unstrapping herself. Taking careful steps she noted that the ship was going to crash soon, so time was essential here. Grabbing Shogun’s collar, she dragged him and pushed him down right next to Pers. His face was slightly bruised and he might’ve had a cut on his lip, but she didn’t pay that much mind. She had seen much worse back in her solo days.

“Don’t let him slip out of it,” She ordered and for a split second she lost her balance, almost falling over. Whatever was happening in the cockpit couldn't be good. Lorvin’s voice finally patched through their respective comlinks, alerting them of possible turbulence. Thankfully, they didn’t need fuel to use those.

“Prepare for impact, and as usual, if we don’t make it just know that I loved my boombox more than any of you sad people.”

“Fuck you, Lorvin,” Sasha muttered under her breath. It didn’t stop the blonde from hearing it. A smirk formed on her lip and for a moment. She almost forgot what was about to occur.

“If we’ll survive, I’ll think about it,” Vivian replied and with that, she hid the device back in her jacket.

Charming. The mercenary thought as she braced herself for whatever twisted plan their pilot came up with this time. Pulling the belt for who knows which time already, she glanced in the direction of the cockpit. Her seat allowed her to steal a peek, and when she noticed trees she frowned. Recoiling her head back to watch the ceiling she counted the seconds before they crashed. Five, four, three, two…

Time seemed to slow down for that one split second before thunderous screeches, followed by the sound of something breaking filled the entire vessel. Saturnine began shaking violently.

One.

[ON THE FINALIZER]

General Hux watched with his hands firmly clasped behind his back, his mind already racing with many thoughts, plans, and possibilities. He walked down the bridge, his incompetent officers already yapping and mouthing off some nonsense regarding the situation at hand, further fueling his already dwindling anger.

“Sir, the antenna is unresponsive, it might take a few hours to fix.”

“There’s no way of contacting the base, general.”

The reports were coming in but all he was focused on was thinking how to cover this embarrassment up. How to make sure that Supreme Leader Snoke never catches wind of the situation. He knew how ridiculous it sounded, especially when he kept repeating it in his head. The First Order general got hit by a small ship and the communication went dead. What kind of leader would let such a thing even happen in the first place? He was supposed to be flawless, fearsome, not to be trifled with. Starkiller Base has proven it already, the Hosnian Cataclysm was his greatest success up to date, as well as the destruction of The Resistance.

Yet doubt crept into his mind for a split second. What if the ship in question was a Resistance vessel? What if his claim of destroying both the Republic and the plague that was the rebellion didn’t hold because of this stunt? He wasn’t sure what to make of it, right now he just needed to think. And find someone responsible for this catastrophe, no less.

“Enough!” He shouted and the whole bridge went silent. “Who was in charge of setting the course?” He demanded, looking around with a cold, stern glare.

No one dared to speak up, save for the same officer he berated a moment earlier. She cleared her throat. “It was Officer Norey, general. She was charting the course. Perhaps she miscalculated.”

“General, it wasn’t my fault! The ship was not a part of–” She protested, trying to defend herself from the general's scrutiny. In vain, of course.

“Enough. Report to the reconditioning chamber at 1500. That’s an order. We’ll ensure you never repeat your mistake.” He barked and the poor female was escorted away from the bridge. He scrutinized everyone around before giving a sharp glare to the young officer. “You, scan the planet’s surface and keep me updated on the antenna’s condition. Fail to do so, and you’ll face a fate worse than reconditioning.”

“Yes, general.” Henderson lowered her gaze as the fearsome general stepped out of the command bridge and disappeared in the hallways of the Finalizer. She looked at the screens and began assessing the damages, as well as issuing the scans below. This would be a busy day…

[ON THE SURFACE]

Lorvin lazily opened her eyes, not sure if she wanted to see the condition of her prized ship. Everything around her was turned off, the usually bright cockpit was consumed by utter blackness, void of any vibrancy it once harbored. The glass was intact, surprisingly, so she didn’t have to worry about getting new windows.

Groaning, she rubbed her head, trying to ease the pain she was currently experiencing. Clearly, no matter how many times they’d crash, she’d never get used to the pain and dizziness that followed afterward. Upon further inspection, she realized that somehow she got out of this unharmed. Huh, miracles do happen. Glancing at the co-pilot seat she noticed Demo’s unconscious form. Her chest kept rising and falling in a steady rhythm, almost as if she fell soundly asleep instead of crashing in one of the most violent displays up to date.

She attempted to stand up, albeit wobbly, and took a peek outside. This was probably the smoothest landing she pulled in a while, as they were docked on the ground. The trees softened their crash and now they were providing protection from any fighters that pursued them or would pursue them in the future.

Everything was abnormally green, from the trees to the dirt, it almost looked like…

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Right now she had to focus on other issues, there was no time for feeling nostalgic. Taking a step back her body slumped back into the pilot’s seat. Her back slightly arched from exertion, but she paid it no mind. Moments later she reached into her pocket and pulled her comlink. It looked slightly perturbed but still usable. Dusting it off she smiled to herself. Another happy landing, the blonde thought, making sure to stay optimistic. Just as planned.

“Is everyone okay?” Vivian asked, hoping to hear a response. Anything at all, from a fully coherent sentence to even the faintest of groans and whimpers. To her relief, she heard a reply.

“Define okay,” came a rather rusty voice on the other end.

“Alive? Optionally in one piece?” She chuckled.

“Say that again and look at Shogun.”

“If he’s conscious then he’s fine. Demo’s out like a lightbulb though.” Vivian glanced at her again. “She might be out for some time too. Must’ve hit her head or something.”

“At least she didn’t have to dodge your blasted boombox.”

Vivian instantly snapped her head towards the main hull. Granted she cared about her crew, she’d kill people for even remotely causing them harm, but there was just no way of competing with her compulsive obsession with the black box. Stealing one last glance at Demo she pulled herself together and got up, striding carefully through the dark ship.

Upon arrival, she saw that everyone was unharmed, save for a few minor concussions and bruises. The air crackled with tension and sparks from the impact, the pipes were damaged, and some circuitry got cut in the process. Lorvin quickly ducked to avoid the electric current and swiftly entered the chaotic space. It was a mess.

Most objects were misplaced, some were broken beyond repair and others just got perturbed. Additional costs, how lovely, as if they weren’t already low on everything. Shogun was limply hanging from his seat, clearly exhausted and knocked out by the landing. He wasn’t the only one, but he was far more dramatic than Demo. Again. Rolling her eyes, Vivian moved past him, checking on Pers and Milia.

“Are you alright?” She asked, slowly making her way through the broken glass and spilled alcohol.

“Never better,” Pers shot back, obviously annoyed, “as always, we nailed the landing. Thanks again, Lorvin.”

“At least you’re in one piece!” She replied, putting a hand on her hip to emphasize the one piece. “Some aren’t as lucky as you to have such a skilled pilot.”

“Skilled.” Came a voice from behind her, more like a scoff than actual praise. “You’re the worst pilot I’ve ever seen.”

“Try to fly the ship with no fuel, we’ll see how you manage.”

“And whose fault was that?”

Vivian raised a finger to protest, her mouth opening to counter that argument, but then she fell silent. There wasn’t really anything she could say in her defense that wouldn’t make her seem desperate or stubborn to hold up her point. So with a heavy sigh, she chose to stay quiet, swallowing her pride. “Fine. I should’ve refueled.”

The mercenary scoffed and unfastened her belt. “For once you have some common sense. Maybe you hit your head too hard while landing.”

“Oh piss off.”

The silence hung in the air for a few moments before Milia unfastened her seatbelt and stretched. “I give it a solid seven out of ten. Wasn’t that bad this time.”

“Yeah, we only have two unconscious members, three concussions, and a sassy, delusional pilot. We should keep a track record of our impeccable emergency landings.” Sasha stated as she unstrapped Iggy. He wobbly stood up and quickly rushed off to his quarters, presumably to check on his companion.

“I didn’t know they would open fire, okay?” Vivian rebutted, her eyes following the young man as he left.

Iggy stepped into his quarters, the anxiety slowly creeping up his spine. The room was a mess, just like the rest of the ship, with his clothes lying about, his datapad cluttered in the corner and the cage with his companion secured in its own straps. He quickly marched in and checked the enclosure, sighing in relief when he heard a soft squeak from inside.

“Malik, thank the stars,” he whispered as he opened the cage. A small rat immediately rushed out onto his arm, clinging to him like a lifeline. He gently patted it with his finger and pulled out a small piece of cheese to feed the little survivor. “I swear, one of these days you’ll give me a heart attack. Faster than Lorvin will.”

The rat squeaked again and ate the food in haste. Iggy chuckled and put him on his arm as he returned to the main room. Upon his arrival, he quickly took notice of the tension and the heated argument that was taking place in front of him. A typical day on Saturnine, he thought as he avoided the commotion and made his own way to the cockpit.

Slowly stepping beside the knocked-out co-pilot, he took out his toolkit and examined the console for any damages. Luckily nothing major happened, save for a few fried wires and one or two blown fuses – something he could fix quite easily if he had to. Kneeling before a panel he got to work, focusing on what was ahead of him instead of the shouting that took place behind him.

“It doesn’t matter anymore! What matters is that we should take off as soon as possible!” Lorvin shouted in the background. “And we can’t do that if our ship is not operational.”

“You’re worried about the ship?! You should’ve been worried about it before you started mouthing at a fucking destroyer!” Sasha replied, her tone leaving no room for resolve.

“Why does it matter? It was just a huge metal ship, a few cannons, and a few soldiers, big deal.” The blonde remarked, throwing her arms in the air as she paced around the cramped space.

“It matters because that metal ship is part of an entire armada that will stop at nothing to wipe us out without a care in the world – all thanks to your impulsive mouth.”

“I was frustrated, okay? I needed to vent–”

“Like you always do? So far it has caused us nothing but trouble.” The mercenary interjected yet again, her words unforgiving and laced with an undertone of venom. “How many more crash landings will it take before you realize that sometimes you should keep your mouth shut?”

“A thousand more and then some.”

“Enough! Both of you,” the redhead snapped, finally having enough. Refusing to stand this any longer she stood up and firmly interjected, “It’s not the time nor the place for this. Instead of petty arguments, you two should focus on getting us off this… What even is this planet?”

Both Lorvin and Sasha exchanged glances and with a sigh, the pilot answered: “As far as the navigation went, the planet is called Scariff. Not sure what else I can tell you.”

Another pause stretched in the air, followed by deducing and coming up with solutions. Lorvin stayed quiet and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, deeply offended by everyone lashing out at her for no apparent reason, at least from her perspective.

She landed the ship, albeit crashing it, but everyone was alive, in one piece. Sure, they sustained heavy fire and many belongings got damaged, but other than that they survived. Which was the main objective.

“If that destroyer was here, that means there’s some sort of base nearby. They wouldn’t be here without a reason.” Sasha added, her thoughts scrambling with a plan. “If there’s a base, there must be people. If there are people, there must be resources…”

“That includes fuel.” Pers finished the thought.

“Right,” Milia stated. “So what’s the plan?”

As the tension dispersed slightly, Iggy came back from the cockpit.

“The cockpit is functional, save for some wires. I can fix that easily.” He stated, his pet rat squeaking on his arm. “But the engine and the wing might be in dire need of repairs. Not to mention refueling.”

“If there’s a base nearby, we need to know what to get.” Milia made her way towards the ramp and with a swift kick it fell open, bouncing on the ground. “After you.”

“Really?” Lorvin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hell no, I hate the sun. But good luck.”

“Get a move on.” Sasha suddenly stepped up and pushed Milia outside, despite the latter’s protests. Lorvin shook her head and with a faint smile walked outside.

Milia grumbled and almost instantly covered her eyes, squeezing them at the sudden light. She rarely left her quarters, let alone the ship. The sun blared mercilessly through the leaves, the temperature was scorching.

The three women, followed by Iggy, made their way around the vessel.

“How the hell can you walk in that thing?” Milia asked as she eyed Sasha’s armor. “I’m melting just from watching you.”

“Ever heard of something called “cooling control system”? Or ventilation in short?” She answered somewhat bemused.

“When did you get the credits for that fancy armor anyway?” Lorvin chuckled, swiping some sweat from her forehead. “God it’s hot…”

“Definitely not when I was tagging along with you and your profound piloting skills.”

“At least you don’t have to worry about crashing the ship.”

“Don’t I?”

“Not by yourself you don’t.”

“You’re not making a better case for yourself.”

“I can’t hear you over the sound of your small air conditioning fans.”

“Jealous?”

“Piss off.”

[ON THE FINALIZER]

Henderson hurriedly walked across the halls of the Finalizer, a holopad with the freshly received reports on the antenna and the shot-down vessel tucked away in her hands. Her anxiety was skyrocketing with each step as she glanced over her arm, watching the stormtroopers walking by. Their armors always gave her the creeps, even if she was higher ranked. Nevertheless, she continued on her way, trying to look aloof and confident. She was an officer now for stars’ sake, she wouldn’t be intimidated by a few lower-ranked soldiers.

Upon reaching the corridor where the emergency meeting took place she shrugged her arms loose to appear less tense, took a deep breath, and marched towards the door. Her expression left a lot to be desired, however, that didn’t deter her from looking relatively composed. That, however, shattered pretty quickly upon hearing the angry shouts of the ginger general.

“That was a direct attack on the First Order! It must’ve been another pathetic attempt to destroy our forces, coordinated by what’s left of the Resistance supporters no less. We must act immediately–” The door swiftly slid open, revealing Henderson with her cap covering her neatly tied-up hair. Hux and the other higher-ranking officers looked at her, the former looking annoyed and expectant, his face stone cold.

“General, sir.” The officer stood at attention, waiting for permission to speak. He waved a hand.

“At ease, Officer.” He remarked. “Report.”

She cleared her throat and pulled the holopad out. “General, the antenna is in the middle of major repairs, it should be fully operational in two hours at most.” She announced. Hux regarded her with his green eyes for a moment and nodded. The tension in the room seemed to disperse if only for a brief moment.

“And the vessel?” He inquired further, tapping his gloved fingers against the table. He was already on edge with the antenna situation, the last thing he wanted to hear was that somehow the ship happily made it away from his grasp.

“Our sensors detected…” The officer paused, taking a deep breath and glancing around the other officers. They all looked at her expectantly, even though she didn’t bring good news. “... no explosions, sir,” she finished her sentence with a small gulp. “It appears the ship has… Successfully landed, albeit crashing on the surface.”

Hux’s eyes twitched in frustration, a nervous tick that surfaced only when he was at wit's end. He clenched his fists, the leather squeaking from the force. He looked around the table, contemplating what to do regarding the situation. It already made him look incompetent, let alone foolish.

“General, should we–”

“Send out all patrols and find this ship, now!” He practically shouted, narrowing his eyes at the young officer. “Dispatch troopers and contact the settlement below, by any means necessary.”

Henderson nodded, writing new directives for people at the command bridge and quickly sending them. “And the survivors, sir?”

“If they somehow miraculously survived that landing, they’ll wish they had not.” He replied coldly. “Dismissed.”

[ON THE SURFACE]

“Okay… The repulsorlifts are damaged…” The part flickered and sparked in Iggy’s face, further blowing up. Not enough to hurt anyone, but enough to indicate that they were in fact in worse condition than simply being damaged. “Scratch that, they’re completely fried. We need new ones or a new ship.”

“What?!” Lorvin shouted, kneeling to inspect it herself. However, she just saw what confirmed the young technician's suspicions. “Oh come on…”

“So we need new repulsorlifts. Anything else?” Milia asked, covering herself up with Lorvin’s jacket to avoid the sun. She’d rather get sweaty than sunburnt.

“Well… The artificial gravitation system is also damaged.” Iggy stated as he rose from his knees and swept some dirt off his pants.

“Wow, I wonder whose fault is that,” Sasha interjected, crossing her arms. “A shame someone didn’t warn him earlier, otherwise our problem wouldn’t be a problem, to begin with.” To emphasize her point she turned her head towards Milia, glaring underneath it. The accusation, laden with a hint of sarcasm, hung heavily in the air, however, the gambler smiled and shrugged.

“He should’ve sensed it coming,” she chuckled and glanced at Iggy again. “So just those two, right? Should be easy to find the parts and fix them. I nominate Lorvin to go.”

“Why me?!” She protested, her gaze immediately snapping at the redhead.

“I’m with Milia on this one,” Iggy added, “sorry Lorvin, but it was your fault we crashed. The least you could do is go find the parts.”

“Great! So it’s settled then,” Milia patted the blonde on the arm. “Good luck, pookie.”

“You’re going too,” Sasha commented suddenly, and the redhead's smirk faltered. “You really think I’d send this idiot alone off into the wild? She can barely tie her shoelaces, let alone get us the necessary parts.”

“Ha! Suck it,” The smirk on the pilot’s face was met with a scowl from the gambler.

“Pers!” She called out and the girl quickly rushed out of the ship. “You’re coming with us. I need my bargaining chip.”

Lorvin sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow, visibly frustrated. “This will be a disaster,” she stated, adjusting her glasses back on her nose.

“Remind me again why can’t you go?” Milia asked skeptically, crossing her arms expectantly.

“Someone has to guard the ship, Iggy can’t do it alone and Demo and Shogun are unconscious. So if you have a better idea, I’d be more than happy to hear it,” Sasha pulled her blaster out to emphasize her point. The weapon glimmered in the sunlight, freshly polished.

“Right,” Lorvin stated. Something didn’t sit right with her, but she wouldn’t ask further. It was neither the time nor the place for that. Right now all they had to focus on were the parts and getting them by any means necessary. Hopefully without sacrificing any crew members, “Well, we should get going.”

And so the trio ventured on an epic adventure. Sasha watched them disappear between the trees and ran a hand through her helmet. Just like that, all her main problems vanished. All except the one that was blissfully unconscious in the back of Saturnine. She sighed and turned to Iggy, “Try to fix it as soon as possible. I bet a pack of cigarettes that they’ll fuck this up somehow.”

[EXPEDITION]

“I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you need my jacket,” Lorvin stated as the three of them made their way through the bushes.

“It’s temporary,” Milia replied, holding the jacket above her head, shielding herself from the sun's rays. The trees covered them, but the further they ventured, the more scarce they became. Soon enough they found themselves at the edge of the forest, with a giant base looming about. It looked rundown due to time, but other than that seemed to harbor life and, more importantly resources. First, however, they had to walk across a giant beach, long enough to rival those back home, to be certain of that assumption.

“Jackpot,” Milia grinned as she tossed Lorvin’s jacket back to her, “Come on Pers, get a move on. We’ll talk, you stay silent.”

“And what? Why did you even take me then?” The blonde scoffed as she put her jacket back on and for the third or fourth or who knows which time wiped her brow. God, it was hot here.

“As a punishment? Or perhaps as a hired gun, depends if you can use those peashooters or not,” Milia shrugged and made her way to the compound, “Who knows, if things go south we might need someone capable with a gun.”

“You’re capable with a gun.”

“Only after a drink. Do you see any drinks?”

“You always have one in your…” Lorvin paused. The redhead didn’t have her jacket with her.

“Exactly.”

The closer they had gotten, the more turrets aimed their way and stormtroopers were positioned at the entrance. Pers clutched her small knife, hidden just beneath her dress, around her thigh, clearly anxious. Milia and Lorvin marched beside each other, trying to not look stressed. The redhead seemed eager to try and persuade them all, while the blonde was almost reluctant to come closer.

“This will be a disaster,” she murmured, watching as everyone was ready to open fire, “now would be a good time to speak up…”

“Hold your fire!” Milia shouted, “We mean no harm! We need assistance! A parlay of sorts!”

Parlay? Seriously? What was this, Pirates of the Caribbean? Lorvin groaned audibly and Pers just snickered behind her. For crying out loud…

“You really think this will persuade them?”

Milia stood still and watched the base with anticipation. “It’s a gamble.”

And just like that, a loudspeaker boomed across the beach. “Come forth, slowly.”

The three of them exchanged glances, Lorvin with disbelief, Milia with a smirk, and Pers with amusement.

“This is a joke right?” The pilot asked, her face showing an expression of utter bewilderment.

“This is the art of persuasion,” Milia patted her back again, “Welcome to the diplomacy life.”

Chapter Text

“Come on Louis! Get on the ship!” A male voice called out somewhere in the rushing crowd. The sky turned red, maybe orange? Whatever was happening it wasn’t good. People were rushing left and right, trying to get a place aboard the giant spacecraft. Was this Elon Musk’s doing? Was this a prank?

Louis was on vacation in the U.S., with his boyfriend. They just returned from their romantic trip to Japan and wanted to wrap it up with a little Hollywood drama, burgers, and a small detour in the fifty states. However, it all changed so fast… First the rumors of World War III… Then the podcasts, news broadcasts, and fake alarms in every country… He thought that it was just a drill, like all previous drills in the past few months, however, this time it was real. All of it.

He managed to get onto the ship, along with hundreds if not thousands of people, none of whom he recognized. Louis looked around, but his boyfriend was nowhere to be found. Turning around he was horrified to see the door closing just seconds before his beloved boarded. He rushed back, tears welling up in his eyes, but it was too late.

“Louis!” Was the last thing he heard before the metal doors sealed shut. His fists collided with the cold surface, banging furiously but to no avail, they remained closed. He felt the ship shake, almost as if it was about to take off. Desperate, he pulled out his two katanas, the gift he received from his lover back in Kyoto, and rushed towards the glass window, intent on shattering it. It was a stupid plan, but he couldn’t care less. Driven by grief and despair, he raised his weapons and with a fierce cry, he hit the window. It didn’t even scratch it.

Soon enough people had gathered around the main hall of the giant ship, ordered around by the military. Louis’ heart pounded mercilessly as the spacecraft loomed further and further away from the ground, his eyes scanning the crowd that had been left behind. Why couldn’t they save everyone?! There was always a way, right? The alarms that blared did nothing to ease his heartache, as he put a hand on the glass, trying to catch a glimpse of his boyfriend. With determination he tried again, rushing towards the flat cunts that separated him from his happiness. In this case, those were the doors.

“Oi you! Shogun! The one with the wasabi knives! Step away from the doors!” A sharp order came from one of the soldiers. Louis flinched and turned around, spotting a soldier, a short one, with a gun aimed directly at him. Defeated, he lowered his swords and reluctantly turned away from the window. Suddenly he heard a nerve-wrecking sound that would haunt him for the rest of his life…

[...]

“Wake up, Samurai,” A sharp slap to the face worked wonders on the knocked-out Shogun. He groaned in pain and lifted his hand to rub the sore spot.

“Ow… That hurt,” He whined, opening his eyes. He was met with a cold glare from the ship’s mercenary, a cigarette, already half-smoked, between her teeth.

“Not as much as the landing in this hellhole,” She commented and unstrapped him from the seat. Weird, he didn’t even remember ever getting secured like that. It made him feel warm, knowing that at least someone cared enough to keep him safe.

“Thanks,” Shogun mumbled and tried to stand up, albeit failing miserably, and he quickly grabbed the seat for support. “Did we crash again?”

“No, we had a princess landing on a bunch of cushions,” Sasha rolled her eyes before examining his battered body. With a flick of her fingers, she tossed her finished cigarette and knelt before him, “I’ll take a look at your wounds.”

“What are you, a surgeon? Should I call you Nurse Sasha, or Doctor Lu–”

“Shogun,” She sent him a death glare that spoke volumes. They weren’t alone, and even if they were, she didn’t want to risk exposure. Despite tagging along with the crew for a long time she still didn’t trust them enough to open up about their identities. None of them were, except for the samurai wannabe, as she liked to call him out of pure spite, “You’re not funny.”

He blinked a few times, trying to process what he did wrong. Again. And then the realization hit him, his lips forming a small “o”, as he smiled sheepishly, “I’m something of a comedian myself.”

“More like a clown,” She jabbed right back before reaching for a small medkit. She was baffled that Lorvin accounted for that, given the state of everything else. An overthinker through and through, even if her concerns were often misplaced. A pleasant surprise, this one, that’s for sure.

“Hey, you’re laughing,” He smirked and watched, as she took out a few bandages, bacta tanks, and stuff she got used to using back at her old place of employment. She raised her eyes to meet him, her face devoid of any particular emotion, save for annoyance. Clearly, his assumption was misplaced, but he wouldn’t give up, “You’re suppressing a smile, admit it.”

“... I need a cigarette,” She sighed and pulled out another one from her pocket. Shit, the pack was slowly depleting, they’d have to stop by some market for new ones. Maybe if they were lucky they’d find the ones from back home, although given the state of the planet and what happened… Those chances were slim to none.

She started patching up the young male’s wounds, not being gentle with him. He hissed and whined constantly, but it was all drowned out by the smell of the freshly lit cigarette. She took puff after puff, letting her mind wander back to the good old days of serving in the Bounty Hunter’s guild. The good ol’ days of working solo, with no pressure and no commitment, except to the job. Now she had those morons to take care of, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, sometimes it was too much. Good thing she had her savior constantly on her, whether it would be in her pockets, her room or hidden in some stash on a random planet.

A cigarette was still a cigarette, no matter what brand, and that’s what mattered in the end.

“Could you stop puffing so much? I can’t breathe!” Shogun whined again as he coughed through the smoke, swatting it away with the wave of his hand. The mercenary looked at him, finally breaking into a small smirk before she took a long, heavy drag and puffed out straight in his face.

“Better?” She asked sarcastically, wrapping his arm with a bandage.

He started coughing violently and wheezing for fresh air, which only earned him a scoff from Sasha, “You’re such a baby, it’s not poison you dumbass.”

“It’s…Mutagenic!” He coughed out.

“You’re mutagenic, shut the fuck up.”

[EXPEDITION]

“Hel-” Milia started and immediately got silenced by at least a dozen blasters aimed directly at her, “-lo.”

“State your name, occupation and remove all your weapons, intruder,” the man, who they assumed was the commanding bozo of this base, ordered and there was no sign of relenting on his part.

“The name’s Elizabeth Swan, I’m a… farmer, and these are my companions–” She paused, cogs turning in her head to think of some names for the two. “Carina Smith and Tia Dalma.”

Lorvin blinked a few times, not believing the desperation. The sheer insanity of such a move was not lost on Pers either, given that she had zero idea who was who or who those characters even were, to begin with. Not to mention this couldn’t possibly work, these men were supposed to be fearsome and smart and…

“Alright, Miss Elizabeth. Give up all your firearms and provide us with identichips.” The man folded his arms with a stern expression. There was no room for debate, only for obedience.

With a frown, the redhead shrugged. “Sorry, we left them on our ship, and it would be utterly pointless to go all the way back there, it’s very far. So how about you just take our word for it? Hm?”

“Your word means as much to me as the word of a rebel, civilian,” He motioned for two troopers to come closer. “You two, search the database for these three women, make sure that no line is missed,” He then turned to the women again. “Final warning, drop your weapons and stay still.”

Reluctantly, Milia gave her weapon away as a sign of peace. Sort of. Lorvin wasn’t so keen on doing the same.

“Carina,” Milia began using the fake names, hoping that they’d play along.

“No.”

“Give them the blasters-”

“Fuck off.”

The stormtroopers raised their blasters again, the red dots on the hilts indicating that they were ready to open fire at any given second. With a scoff, she pulled her blue beautiful blasters out of their holsters and tossed them to the ground. Finally, it was Pers’ turn and she sighed, unsheathing her knife and tossing it down as well. Milia sighed in relief, “See? No bad intentions here mister…”

“Lieutenant Meanus,” He corrected with a scowl. The stormtroopers picked up their weapons and took them away.

“Right, right, Lieutenant,” The redhead smiled politely, “Easy, we don’t mean trouble. We’re in dire need of assistance and perhaps we could… Come to some sort of arrangement? I’m sure we could strike a deal or two… Or a few more if you get what I mean.”

The stormtroopers looked slightly baffled, glancing at each other with confused postures. The lieutenant raised his eyebrow, half-mockingly, half-curiously, “And what exactly, pray-tell, would you want? Three unidentified women, barging out from the forest… For all we know you could be the locals, trying to infiltrate the premises.” Once he finished he nodded towards his troops. They instantly aimed back at the three women.

“Ah, but would we willingly give up our weapons?” Milia countered, crossing her arms, “I don’t think so.”

“Could be a trick. Or perhaps you’re just biding for time,” He remarked and narrowed his eyes, “Search them.”

What ensued was a rough display of patting the three women all over their bodies for additional weapons, however, none were found. The soldiers didn’t bother with being gentle or respecting any boundaries. Their hands were making all of them uncomfortable, but some elected to show it less than others. Milia smiled at the Lieutenant, further proving her lack of hostility. Keyword: Her. Lorvin and Pers were fighting against the soldiers, shrugging violently to break loose, Pers even attempted to bite one of the soldiers. Judging by a yelp he made, she most likely succeeded.

“OW! You little skank-” He growled and was ready to hit her in the occipital when Lorvin interjected.

“Touch her and you’ll regret it,” She barked right back and looked at the lieutenant with a disgusted look, “We don’t have any weapons on us, so can we already talk? Fucking hell.”

Between the violent examination, a shoving contest and lots of cursing and intimidation tactics the two stormtroopers returned with the search results. Meanus looked at them, his brows furrowing with skepticism and reservation.

“The names match… But it says here that one of you should be… Darker toned.” He stated, glancing at the three white girls.

“Are you saying one of us doesn’t look black enough to you?” Lorvin barked. “That’s racist. We can identify however we please.”

“Hmph… You should work on your attitude girl,” He wasn’t amused, not by a long shot but with a nod the two women were released. Judging by his reaction, he was too tired to argue further and just wanted to get things over with, “Very well, follow me.”

The four of them made their way inside and Milia shot a dangerous warning glare at the two. Coming closer she whispered aggressively: “Are you two braindead? I expected that from Lorvin, but Pers for the love of god, control your mouth.”

“What did I do wrong again?” The blonde whispered, obviously insulted, “So far I’m the only one who stands up for us!”

“Yeah, and that will get us in trouble,” The redhead replied and glanced at the lieutenant’s back. He was steadily walking deeper into the settlement, like a lion ready to jump its prey, “They haven’t figured anything out yet, I don’t know if that’s good or bad. Chances are, they don’t know about what happened.”

“Do you think we hit their antenna or something?” Pers asked quietly, following them closely. They were stuck between a bunch of stormtroopers and the angry lieutenant.

“That’s a possibility. Let’s just hope they won’t get informed about it while we’re here,” Milia stated before faking a charming, almost addicting smile once the man turned to look at them. It was all about acting and keeping up the innocent appearance, something these two twats were unable to do. She had to come up with a perfect cover-up story…

[ON SATURNINE]

Demo quietly moaned in pain as she slowly came back to her senses. Lazily opening her eyes she felt a pounding pain in her head, her temples were throbbing rhythmically. She glanced to her right only to find the pilot seat empty. No blood, no signs of struggle, or maybe there were. She couldn’t tell, her vision was still blurry from the impact.

“Hey,” Came a sudden soft call behind her. Unable to turn around, the co-pilot stiffened, prepared for the worst, however, to her surprise, it was only Sasha with a cigarette in her lips, “You finally awake kid?”

“Ugh… Did… Is Lorvin…” She mumbled, rubbing her temple in an attempt to ease the pulsating sensation.

“She’s fine, unfortunately,” Sasha shrugged and sat down in the pilot’s seat, “She went to get some parts with Milia and Pers.”

Demo exhaled rapidly, the tension in her muscles disappearing with the affirmation. “Okay… Sorry for crashing us,” she apologized.

“Not your fault kid, I blame that donkey for this,” The mercenary pulled out the same kit, and this time, she crouched in front of Demo and assessed her injuries with care and gentleness. “Does anything in particular hurt more?”

“Don’t think so… My head hurts, my spine feels like I dislocated a disc… So it’s not bad,” the girl smiled a bit, despite clearly being in a lot of pain. The black-haired woman cracked a full-blown smile and shook her head, before reaching for a small bacta sample.

“You’re taking this far better than some other members. I admire that. You’ve got balls kid,” she commented as she applied the bacta to all bruised places. The girl sighed in relief, feeling the cold, oozy liquid spread all over her legs, arms and soon enough her head as well.

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“You better. You already heard more praise from me than Lorvin ever has throughout our entire partnership.”

Demo chuckled and closed her eyes for a moment to savor the sensation of her aching pains easing with every moment. However, the back pain remained, causing her to grimace every now and then. Sasha noticed the discomfort and applied some bacta to her hands before ordering:

“Roll your robes up, I’ll check your back.”

Demo did as she was asked, albeit reluctantly and slowly, still a bit dazed and tired from the impact. Slowly she revealed her back to Sasha, hoping the merc wouldn’t comment on its state. It left a lot to be desired and looked even worse. If she popped a disc, that was the least of her worries.

Sasha on the other hand hid her surprise behind a mask of stoicism. Flinching a bit she came closer to inspect the bruises. Sure, there were fresh ones all over the co-pilot’s back, especially near her lower back. But that wasn’t the most disturbing part. Countless scars decorated Demo’s back, most likely acquired by a whip or something sharper… Dozens of them, some deep, some light, most of them were already healed.

Without a word, the black-haired woman began applying bacta, gently rubbing it in, targeting the most swollen and purple spots. “Still not used to Lorvin’s piloting?” She asked, trying to lighten up the mood in the cockpit. So far it wasn’t working, so the two just sat in awkward silence, one that stretched for a long while. Eventually, Demo decided to reply.

“She helped me understand the basics.”

“Is crashing the ship at least ten times a month considered as basics?”

“Maybe,” The girl chuckled and her expression grew more relaxed, “she has a knack for flying. I know you aren’t familiar with this galaxy or how it operates but… That’s some raw talent.”

“Yeah, raw talent for causing me severe migraines, that I can agree with,” The merc smirked and took a drag of her cigarette before puffing in the opposite direction to avoid the girl’s lungs. “Admit it, you don’t really mean that.”

Demo paused and sighed. “Not really,” she smirked, “but Lorvin really knows how to fly, she just needs a… well…”

“Tutorial, because piloting like a reckless lunatic is not considered piloting.”

“Yeah, that. But the only good pilots left are those of the First Order and well… Whatever’s left of the Resistance anyway,” Demo huffed and looked down at the floor.

“Funny, talking with you for five minutes eased my morning migraine. You’re smart, kid,” Sasha stated and pulled her hands away, “That should do it for the bruises. Now go to your room and rest up, you earned it.”

Demo finally stood up, still aching, but content, and went back to her quarters. Sasha however, didn’t rest, she plopped into the pilot’s seat and opened the panel, intending to fix anything that could’ve been broken during the crash. In the back of her mind, she wondered if perhaps the co-pilot was right, and Lorvin could learn anything with the right guide. First Order wouldn’t be suitable for that and as far as she knew the Resistance was no more. Sighing she fumbled with the wires, keys, and buttons, slowly coming to terms with that no matter what they would do, they’d be stuck with Lorvin: the reckless self-taught pilot with big dreams and a tiny brain.

[EXPEDITION]

“So you’re saying that your ship has crash-landed somewhere in the forest because you had no backup fuel?” Meanus looked mildly distrustful, stippling his hands behind his back, “I find that very hard to believe. You must have a very incompetent pilot then.”

Lorvin clenched her fists, but remained silent, refusing to cause yet another scene. Angry at the lieutenant, she averted her gaze and crossed her arms, her knuckles tightening around the fabric of her leather jacket.

“Yes, well, I’m sure that they’d disagree,” Milia remarked and shrugged nonchalantly, earning a firm scoff from the First Order officer.

“I can’t imagine such a person among our ranks, a disaster to be sure, and not a welcome one,” he retorted before coming closer. “I’d highly recommend getting a new pilot instead of begging us like worthless vermin. It’ll save you the trouble in the future.”

“Noted,” The redhead replied and crossed her arms. “We’re willing to pay for the parts and the fuel if you could provide us with such luxuries.”

“And why pray-tell would we want money? The First Order is not struggling with finance matters, let alone economic issues.”

“If that’s the case, then why is this facility looking like a rundown whore house?” Lorvin finally interjected, unable to keep up with the formal tone of the conversation. Especially when a man was straight-up insulting both her and her companions.

“I beg your pardon?” He snapped, looking directly at the short blonde, “How dare you–”

“Forgive my friend, she lacks tact in more situations than simple negotiations.” Milia tried to ease the tension. “So ignore her, the ability to speak doesn’t make her intelligent.”

“Hey–” Lorvin shouted but a sharp slap from Milia interrupted her. She rubbed her cheek and scoffed, averting her gaze. It stung like hell.

“Now, where were we?” The redhead pondered before clicking her tongue. “Right, the deal. Why don’t we sit down and discuss our terms over a nice game of Sabacc? Surely you know the rules.”

All present First Order personnel looked around, awaiting Meanus’ answer. His brow furrowed in confusion as he assessed the offer, all pros and cons ran rampant through his mind. He could exploit it to his advantage, and he opted to do so. Clearing his throat he sat down on the opposite end of the table and pushed a few buttons.

The table lit up, the cards and chips being displayed on equal sides, however, the chips were soon discarded, replaced by a “BET” bracket and a small keypad. The trio watched as the Lieutenant wrote his demands in Basic, a language that only Pers understood perfectly. Lorvin tried to learn it and she was pretty good, but not on the same level as the young girl.

Groaning, Milia beckoned the barkeep closer, “What has he written?”

The brunette leaned down and read over it. “A few barrels of fuel and newly acquired repulsorlifts,” she murmured. So the lieutenant intended to play along. Good.

The redhead nodded and pulled the keypad closer. Originally she wanted to type up a few thousand credits, not really bothered with the fact that they were broke, but as she looked up at the man in front of her she was painfully reminded that he was not remotely interested in money or resources.

“So… Lieutenant…” She started casually, “What’s something you’d like? I’m all for fair trades after all.”

He chuckled before glancing at the two women who weren’t participating in the game. He eyed Lorvin with clear distaste, she glared back at him with a scowl. “That one’s too mouthy… But your other companion,” he stated, glancing at Pers, “That’s a different story.”

Milia tensed up, but otherwise kept her charismatic facade, “Oh? Is that so? You think our crew member is worth a couple of repulsorlifts?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. I’m a simple man you see, and so are my soldiers.” He continued, eyeing the already uncomfortable girl from top to bottom, almost as if he was undressing her with his gaze. Milia could feel her anger spike a bit as she observed his hungry gaze. The stormtroopers in the room weren’t any better. “It’s been a long time since we had access to some well-needed stress relief if you get what I’m saying. Money can’t buy you something as sweet as that, not with the higher-ups anyway.”

“Your code of conduct surely doesn’t allow such… Primitive distractions, does it?” The redhead countered, her fingers hovering above the keypad. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead, her hands nervously twitching from dread.

“I agree, it doesn’t allow us any interpersonal relationships with other members of the Order, or anyone for that matter. It’s a distraction and could disrupt our work,” Meanus nodded, stippling his fingers on the table. “But who’s going to check that? The High Command rarely visits us, they aren’t really interested in a backwater planet with no further use than simply harboring a military station and the reports? One could say they only cover half-trues.”

The reality sunk in the second he smiled and glanced at his soldiers with a knowing look. The gambler did the same, looking back at her teammates with a mix of apprehension and worry. There were only a few ways out and none of them seemed easy or pleasant.

“So, do you wish to proceed?” He smiled, awaiting their unanimous decision.

With a sigh, Milia pressed the Aurebesh letters: Peth, Esk, Resh, and Senth. It all spelled out one word, that sealed their gambling fate. Unconsciously she typed the only name she shouldn’t have, but at the same time, no one seemed to notice. Meanus looked like a man who’d willingly agree to name a slave that way, so there was no reason to change it. Finally, she looked him directly in the eye and declared, “Fine, let’s play.”

[ON SATURNINE]

“So how are the repairs going?” Sasha asked as she stepped outside, smoking yet another cigarette. It was the sixth one… Or maybe the tenth… She lost count after the fourth. Glancing around the trees she took in the peaceful scenery. The heat was too much for her, even with the armor on, so she ditched it back in her shared quarters.

“Smoothly,” Iggy replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead. His blonde hair stuck to his skin, much like the oil, grease, and dirt from constantly working on the ship, “The wing is already repaired, the wires are connected and I did what I could with the artificial gravity systems. We just have to wait for them to bring the parts back.”

“You put too much trust in people, you know that?” She stated, taking a rather generous drag from her cigarette. Looking at the clear sky she huffed out a small smoke circle. However, it came out a little deformed, so she tried again. And again. And her annoyance grew with each failed attempt. “Fucking…”

“You know, you should go easier on them. They’re capable, you know?” Iggy began, delving deeper into his monologue about treating everyone fairly and nicely and that it somehow will benefit them all in the end if they just ditch the horrible attitudes… But Sasha ignored ninety percent of it, focused solely on puffing out a perfect circle. After two cigarettes and around twenty attempts, she finally did.

“There we go, that’s a perfect circle… What were you saying?” The mercenary looked rather satisfied, which was a clear contrast to Iggy’s sour expression. He was used to being ignored, but still, it annoyed him to no end.

“Just try to be nicer to Lorvin is all I’m saying.”

“... Are you high? Did the fumes alter something in your brain?”

“... No.”

They stared at each other, Sasha was staring more intently, trying to gauge if his reaction was genuine or if she was supposed to start laughing. The awkward atmosphere was prolonged by the eye contact the two shared. Finally, with an awkward cough, Iggy added: “I was being uhm… honest. Genuine? It wasn’t a joke.”

“A piece of advice then,” her expression turned serious, “never take the side of someone who would rarely do the same for you.”

“You think Lorvin wouldn’t?”

“I know so.”

The silence between them was only disrupted by the whizzing sound of starfighters from above. Sasha instinctively tilted her head up and was displeased to catch glimpses of TIE Fighters from between the leaves. She quickly tossed the last cigarette aside so as to not create more smoke and went back inside to gear up. These three better hurry it up…

[EXPEDITION]

It wasn’t looking good, not in the slightest. So far the game was tied, Milia and Meanus going head to head, however, the scores seemed to shift heavily in favor of the First Order lieutenant. He chuckled sensing a small frown on the redhead’s face.

The gambler assessed her cards again. A three, a two and she could hit another card with no problem, there was still a long way to twenty-three. The thing was, Meanus looked pleased with cards, likely having drawn a clear Sabacc already or something close to it. The stakes were high, either they would leave with new parts or without a member and with no parts, eventually getting caught by the First Order and facing gruesome and painful torture and potentially death. But that outcome was far from becoming a reality, at least in the back of Milia’s mind.

While they played their psychological games, Lorvin and Pers walked around, checking the station from every angle. Both of them were incredibly bored, not to mention nervous and annoyed at the slow pace. Tiptoeing around, both of them had picked up a few loose items: a pack of cigarettes, a screwdriver, a new comlink, some wires… No one paid attention to them, all eyes were focused on the two gamblers to ensure no unsportsmanlike behavior took place.

“I’ll check,” Meanus finally announced, giving Milia a choice to either withdraw or hit for another card. A frown formed on her face, a clear facade to confuse her opponent.

“Carina.” She called and the short blonde groaned, coming closer. The redhead had quietly consulted her, showing her hand. She had a two and a three, which were far away from any Sabacc. Both of them knew it, so the gambler whispered: “I have to hit, otherwise we’re screwed.”

“Well then do it, what do you need me for?” The blonde scoffed and crossed her arms. Perfect.

With a sigh, Milia adjusted her glasses and announced. “I’ll hit.” The movement was too quick and in a flash she received a new card. Now that both of them had three cards it was time to check. The lieutenant smiled and threw his hand on the table, two Dark Jedi’s and a one. A Sabacc, just the negative one.

“I believe I won, such a shame…” He smirked and awaited the woman’s hand with mild amusement. To his utter shock and horror, however, she appeared almost relaxed.

“That’s a nice hand,” she commented before revealing her own, “but I believe mine’s better.”

What was thrown on the table was the combination of a two, a three, and the Idiot. The second-best hand in the game. Everyone in the room looked at the table in disbelief, it was such a rare occurrence to see both players hit Sabacc, but to see the Idiot combination was even rarer.

The First Order lieutenant let out a scoff, slamming his hand down the table. The winner was clear and the small bruise that formed under his glove would be a painful reminder of that. The hologram turned off and they were left with nothing except the sour taste of defeat. Tension rose in the room before Meanus suddenly gave a sharp order: “Seize them!”

Milia stood up from the table as Lorvin and Pers lunged for the stormtroopers who held their weapons. Chaos ensued, as blaster shots were fired left and right, hitting a few lamps, stormtroopers, and chairs. In the crossfire, Pers saw a glimpse of the parts they were supposed to receive and when no one was looking she snuck away to roll them off with a small cart.

“Graceful as ever, Lorvin!” Milia shouted amidst the raging fight, shooting anyone who tried to get too close. In hand-to-hand combat, the two of them were outmatched, not to mention outnumbered, but they held their ground firmly. Pulling the trigger a few more times than necessary the room was soon plunged in darkness. “Crap.”

“Nice shooting. Get going!” The order was firm as if the earlier slap was completely forgotten and forgiven. They ran out of the station, rushing through the corridors as fast as possible. The blonde dreaded the moment the alarms would turn on, so they had to leave.

The rundown hallways were a bit repetitive, but as they neared the exit they noticed a small pattern: the halls leading outside were in better condition, almost as if they were prepared for a visit. That only sparked their sense of urgency and the need to simply get out of there.

“Wait, where’s Pers?!” Milia stopped in her tracks just before the main gates.

“Pers?! Oh for the love of… Where did she go?!” Lorvin looked around frantically and then noticed the small cart being wheeled all the way from the back of the hallway.

[ON SATURNINE]

Shogun, Sasha, and Iggy all sat in the main hull, looking around. Shogun toyed with his small braid, while Iggy attempted to get the grease off of his pants. Sasha was patting her armor for any loose cigarettes, but unfortunately, by the time everything was repaired and there was nothing more to do, she smoked the entire pack.

“It’s hot in here,” Shogun stated briefly.

“... It is,” Iggy agreed.

“I need to smoke god damn it,” Sasha interjected and looked at them both. “Either they’ll be back soon or I swear I’ll tear this planet apart, tree by tree.”

“I wonder how they’re doing so far,” Iggy put a hand on his chin as if considering all the options.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Shogun added with a confident smile.

[EXPEDITION]

“Jesus Christ!” Lorvin shouted as they ran through the sand, the cart hovering beside them, as all three women ran for their lives. The turrets were aiming either slightly beside them or directly at them, and every shot so far had missed by no more than a few inches. The explosions raged all around them, their sense of hearing disrupted by constant bangs and laser noises swirling past them.

“I swear, I am never leaving the ship again!” Milia rushed, her legs barely held her up, the excessive running taking a huge toll on her poor condition. The last time they were forced to run was a year ago when Sasha forced them through ‘standardized military training’. Running laps had never been more painful before.

Another blast blew up a giant hole in the sand just a few feet behind them. To make matters even worse, TIE Fighters from above loomed overhead, taking their positions to open fire. Alarmed, Lorvin slowed down and helped Pers in pushing the cart forward. The sudden motion of pushing her arms up caused the jacket to ruffle. A small card flew out of the blonde’s pocket, a Lord of the Sith one.

“Seriously?!” She yelled, glancing at Milia with an angry scowl. The redhead panted but shrugged. Stealing those parts now didn’t feel so good anymore, but given that they lost either way was depressing.

“You win some, you lose a few hundred!”

“You are such a dumbass! Wait til’ Sasha hears about this!”

“Oh, I bet she’ll have a good laugh, Ms. Carina.”

“I hate you!”

And so the three of them barely avoided the TIE’s rainstorm of laser bolts and rockets, safely booking it into the forest. The trees once again harbored them and sheltered both their bodies and stolen goods. In their exhausted state, none of them seemed to grasp the dark omen, that got left behind in a sandy ditch. Catching their breaths, they waited until the starfighters flew past them before continuing their journey.

“I have to add sand to the list of things I despise,” Milia breathed out, feeling her whole shoes crunch with sand grains. Lots of them.

“Would it be below or above sunlight?” Lorvin asked, her tone mocking, “fucking vampire.”

“Vampire on ice is more like it.”

“You’re not funny. Now help us with the damn cart already.”

Chapter Text

Imbeciles, all of them, the general thought as he walked through the hot sands of Scariff. A platoon of troopers followed behind him, ensuring he was protected from any sudden ambush or assassination attempt, even if they were surrounded by First Order personnel. He kept track of the footprints imprinted in the sand, lots of them, as he envisioned the escapees running for their lives toward the lush forest, with their resources no less.

“Ah! General Hux!” Meanus was sweating profusely, collecting himself in front of the general. His lieutenant cap kept falling off due to his heat, his hands trembled with anxiety as he stippled them behind his back. He stood at attention, looking into the distance, narrowing his gaze to a singular spot where he saw the vermin thieves escape with his cart, full of fuel and spare parts. He could’ve given the order to pursue, but he refrained, simply out of laziness. After all, he wasn’t aware that The Finalizer was hours away from docking, otherwise he would’ve put more effort in.

“Lieutenant…” Hux narrowed his eyes as he came forth, inspecting the man’s frown. This happened too often for his liking, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember the damned officer’s name. If he concerned himself with every singular soldier in the galaxy, he would’ve gone insane, thus he only opted to remember people who actually mattered or could be potentially exploited: ally or not, “I assume you’re the commanding officer of this base?”

“Yes sir,” Meanus replied, blowing his chest proudly.

“Excellent. Then you won’t have any problem explaining to me how three people not only infiltrated this facility but also stole supplies from the First Order. Right under your careful gaze as well.” Hux’s tone was without a doubt cold and condescending. He hated failure because it posed a threat — a weakness he couldn’t afford to roam without proper punishment. “You also allowed our men to either be injured or killed. You better have good reasons for such irrational actions, Lieutenant.”

The officer gulped visibly, trying to find his words. He fiddled with his words, spewing lies and excuses for his lack of responsibility and proper leadership. However, the general wasn’t swayed by his clear avoidance.

“Sir, I did what needed to be done, these savages–”

“Enough, Lieutenant. You’ve said enough.” The redhead beckoned two stormtroopers from Meanus’ division and took a swifter, much more clarifying approach: “You two, show me the recordings. It’s imperative that we establish if these intruders are connected to a rebel cell we discovered or not.”

That was a lie on his part. He couldn’t just outright confess that Finalizer got damaged because of a tiny ship with no guns or shields. At least not to his underlings…

“Sir, the antenna has been successfully repaired.” Henderson gave him another update which he was very pleased with. He stippled his hands behind his back, his posture resonating with confidence and authority as he looked down at the planet.

“Excellent, prepare for landing, we’ll be docking soon,” He gave the order and stoically looked at the endless space. “Inform the settlement below of our arrival, I shall inspect the facility myself.”

He was so close to ensuring peace and order again, so close to his ultimate goal as a military leader. For years there was nothing the galaxy could offer him other than the title ‘Marshall of the First Order’, a rank he had come to crave more than anything. He couldn’t care less how many people suffered or died, how much resources and effort would be wasted by pursuing the seemingly distant role. At first, it was just out of spite, but with time, he had become a power-hungry maniac, hoping to win favor with Snoke, since Kylo Ren was nothing but a petulant child that could not be reasoned with.

“Supreme Leader Snoke has attempted to make contact with the ship, general,” Henderson added, flipping through her holopad. “Shall we establish communication with the Supremacy?”

Hux snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at the young officer. There went the idea of sweeping everything under the rug… He cleared his throat and composed himself, nodding in approval. “Establish the connection, I shall deliver the news myself.” He turned around, his back now facing the window and waited for the call to begin. The general’s coat ruffled against the floor as he felt a rush of something akin to nervousness, bordering on anxiety, rise in his chest. How long has it been since he messed something up? He had hoped to avoid potential mishaps or misjudgments, but fate seemed to taunt him and his very existence at every step.

The blue holographic head appeared in the command bridge shortly, the eyes of Supreme Leader Snoke looked less than pleased, more likely annoyed by the lack of response. “General.” He boomed, his tone displeased.

“Supreme Leader–”

Suddenly Hux’s frame was dragged closer against his will until he was face to face with the holographic display. He looked at it and it looked back, the facial features now more prominent and realistic than before.

“I take it you have a reason that would validate your lack of response when called upon.” The humanoid continued calmly, which only added to the tense atmosphere. He was known for his short temper and officers on the bridge couldn’t tell what was worse: the agonizing stillness and monotony in his voice, or the rage that would follow if the general’s answer didn’t please him.

“We have encountered difficulties with the ship, Supreme Leader,” Hux assured. “It has already been dealt with.”

“Difficulties,” His voice echoed throughout the command bridge, glancing around the faces of other officers before looking back at the general, his tone full of contempt and scrutiny. “Who would you blame for such incompetence? Yourself, the ship, or our loyal soldiers?”

Hux clenched his fists, hiding his anger under an aloof expression. He couldn’t be blamed for something out of his control! He wasn’t the one who smashed into another ship, nor was he responsible for setting the course. He was a general, not a psychic, the power of foresight was merely a tool all force users used and he wasn’t one of them, nor he wanted to be. Just the thought of becoming as entitled and force-dependent as Ren made him sick. He was a brilliant mind, not a space wizard with anger issues.

“Supreme Leader, this was a minor inconvenience at best, and the person responsible has already been dealt with. This will not happen again.” Hux replied after a moment of consideration, the loathsome part of him satisfied for now. He had a ship to command and responsibilities to attend to, as well as figuring out who was stupid enough to have attacked his beloved Finalizer.

“It better not, General.” Snoke narrowed his eyes. “If you cannot lead with an iron fist, perhaps your leash should simply be tightened yet again. Perhaps you’re unfit to lead my fleets.”

“Supreme Leader, I assure you, this inconvenience was nothing more than a simple engineering error. Nothing more.” He lied and he knew it. He could only hope that it would be convincing.

Snoke carefully assessed him with a cold glare, trying to glance into the General’s soul. Or mind. He knew that the young general’s facade of stoicism wasn’t easily crumbled, he learned that many times throughout their association with one another, and yet there was always something behind his eyes that begged to be exploited. His dormant ambition and lust for power.

“Very well. Then we shall proceed as intended.” Snoke relented and the force that held Hux tightly dispersed, allowing the general to move freely. “After the ceremony on Aris, we shall discuss your… Various concerns, general.”

Hux’s eyes lit up, but as quickly as they did, they returned to his usual coldness. Could this be happening, or was this just a ploy to let his guard down? Regardless he nodded firmly, clasping both of his hands behind his back. “Yes, Supreme Leader.”

“As you can see, general.” Meanus stuttered out, his confidence gone as soon as they entered the base. The smell of burnt metal, cut pipes, and sparkling cables was beyond revolting, and Hux couldn’t help but scrunch up his nose. To make matters worse, this place was far below First Order standards, it looked more like a dump, or… A brothel if he dared voice that complaint. The redhead decided to keep that to himself, making sure to add that to a long list of breaches of protocol he would file after his visit.

“The thieves were heavily armed and left us vulnerable to attacks. We are still trying to determine–”

“Ah, so you were ambushed?” He asked, sarcastically too.

“Er, well, no, not exactly–” Meanus felt smaller than ever before as Hux glared at him expectantly. “If we were better funded, general, perhaps that issue wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

Hux scoffed, not quite sure if he heard correctly.

“Ah! I see. So the best equipment the First Order has issued for your backwater base wasn’t enough to stop three pathetic thieves?” He asked, amused and insulted at the same time. “Tell me, Lieutenant, what’s the point of funding this remarkable facility, if even the fanciest of weapons couldn’t stop those elusive…” Hux paused to find an appropriate term. “... rebels.”

Before Meanus could reply the two stormtroopers reported back to them both. “General, the video recording had been corrupted during the attack.” One of them stated.

“We have managed to retrieve the audio recording before the system was damaged.” The other added. Meanus looked mortified that they managed to recover anything at all. He shot the two stormtroopers a death stare, mixed with anxiety. Hux pondered over their words, wondering if it was truly the thieves’ fault, or perhaps the slippery Lieutenant decided to get rid of any evidence whatsoever. Then again, he could never be too sure of what their intentions were, they were stationed on the outskirts of their galaxy, and he wouldn’t be surprised to discover disloyalty.

“Very well, it’ll have to do. Show me the audio recording.”

“Fuck me…” The pilot panted as they had finally reached the crash site, “That was a complete disaster.”

“Oh really?” Pers added with a scoff, glancing down at her robes. They were muddied, torn by the blaster bolts, and had a few strings sticking out from constantly bumping into the crate they had stolen. She'd need new ones after this trip and the idea of going on a crusade to a decent market already filled her mind with dread. She didn't voice the concern for now though.

“At least this time it wasn't my fault,” Vivian added, finally catching a breath, resting her hands on her knees, and bending over. “Fucking hell…”

Milia would've added something to the conversation, had she not passed out on the way to Saturnine due to overexertion and it was Pers’ duty to wheel her back to the ship. For someone younger than them she had a lot of strength in her arms. Still, no one spoke of the incident further as they approached the vessel.

Upon their arrival, Iggy peeked his head out of the main hull. “Oh hey! You're back! And you got the parts!” He was more than happy to finally do his work, considering he was stuck with Shogun for the past two… maybe three hours. “I'm surprised to see that a mission led by Lorvin was mildly successful.”

“Piss off.” She grunted in response, not bothering to act civil. Exhausted, she sat down on the ground, still feeling unsafe. “We need to get out of here as soon as possible. They aimed to kill, probably alerting their troops too. And they are definitely going to search the forest soon.”

“Why? Did they open fire before or after you opened your mouth?” Sasha’s voice broke through the air as she descended the ramp. “And why is Milia unconscious?”

“Not my fault, bastards lost, albeit by cheating, and they just went ballistic.” The pilot replied, however, that only earned her an eye roll and a fully unconvinced face from the mercenary.

“Th, wow. Your cover was blown, one man down, and the crate is not marked. Amazingly executed, Lorvin.” She taunted, helping Milia back on the ship.

“Well, if it's any consolation, I have a gift for you,” Lorvin stated, running a hand through her messy hair. “Should make up for the rough landing and my recent accidents.”

Sasha tilted her head, her expression intrigued. “You think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap gift? What did you get me, a stick? A rock? Or maybe some other sentimental crap.”

“Well, now that you mention it, it'll be useful for you! To decompress.” She smiled triumphantly as she reached into her pocket. Only to find it empty. Startled, she dug into it a couple of times before her face paled. “Not to mention it probably fell out… While we were daringly avoiding danger.”

“You mean running away?”

“... Yeah. It fell out while we were running away.”

The silence that followed had never been this loud before. The scrutiny on Sasha’s face, the boiling frustration and anger hidden under her cold stare were more than enough to send shivers down Pers’ spine, not to mention Lorvin’s. And she didn't say a thing, she dragged their fellow gambler back inside, refusing to acknowledge the pilot’s incompetence.

“We… Probably shouldn't mention what it was.”

Iggy looked confused when Pers nodded but refused to question it. He had a ship to fix and he just hoped these three… Well, one idiot and two somewhat reasonable individuals, gathered the necessary parts.

“Alright… Let me just…” Iggy cracked his knuckles and slowly opened the box with unmatched precision. Taking off the lid, he smiled widely. “Well, I have to hand it to you, these are marvelous. Brand new as well.” He looked at the two of them and for the first time, he wasn't faking his praise. “Job well done. I'll install them quickly and we should be ready to go in fifteen minutes. We just need to refill our fuel tanks.”

“I'll take care of it in a minute–”

“No. No, you're not. You're doing it now.” Pers interjected, folding her arms across her chest in irritation. She went through too much today to put up with more inconveniences now. “I refuse to crashland again because of your laziness.”

“You could always do it yourself, you know.” Lorvin countered and looked at her with a tired expression. “I'll be in the cockpit, I'll tank in a few minutes. The repulsors won't be ready in another fifteen anyway.” The blonde waved her hand in the air as she ascended the ramp and made a bee-line straight for her beloved seat.

Pers sighed and looked at her robes again, meanwhile, Iggy got to work. The two stayed outside, not really talking that much, they preferred the silence for once. But all good things come to an end.

“Hey! I could help if you'd like! I was pretty good with fixing my bike back on–”

“Shut the hell up Shogun, no one asked.”

The gray walls of the cockpit were as lifeless as ever when Lorvin arrived. The seats were in less disarray than before, but still needed moderate fixing and adjusting. Instead, she just plopped down, practically twirling in the chair as she sighed. So much for appeasing the Austrian merc…

Suddenly panic struck her. If she lost the gift on her way back, could she have possibly dropped something else? Lorvin frantically dug through all her pockets, pulling them out and patting herself all over, from the bottom, all the way to her jacket. On the verge of letting out a long tirade of slurs, followed by uncontrollable sobbing she checked the last one. Her fingers deftly ran through the fabric and to her utter delight it was still there, in one piece too.

Sighing, she relaxed in the seat again, pulling the small trinket out by its chain. The small metallic object reflected the sunlight, almost glowing in the dimly lit room. Vivian smiled as she twirled it between her fingers, recalling the circumstances in which she received the gift.

“Thank God I didn’t lose you, buddy,” she addressed the small bullet, her tone sweeter and gentler than usual. It was almost habitual for her to talk to objects instead of people. Creepy, but no one questioned it, there were far worse things the crew could catch on to. She would never admit to any of them though. Secrets weren’t meant to be shared.

“Do you think she’ll ever say something nice to me again? It’s been… A couple of months at least,” she continued, trying to recall any moment when Sasha was not rude. Or sarcastic. Or sarcastically rude. It was hard to imagine such moments.

The bullet remained silent, obviously, as it listened to her constant complaints, sorrows, drunken slurs, and joyous tales of successful, or less successful missions. Of the fortunate crew that could witness her aerial abilities, of troopers she had killed today, talking to it non-stop, consistently for the next few minutes. Some would’ve accused her of being a lunatic, but she preferred the term autistic.

“I wish I didn’t lose those cigarettes, you know?” With a sigh, Lorvin closed her eyes. “Guess I’ll buy her a different pack somewhere else.”

With those final words of wisdom, she hid it back in her jacket, stuffing the chain back inside so it wouldn’t tangle and closing it securely to prevent any accidents. The ship shook slightly, and soon the consoles all powered up. Lorvin stood up, fixed her jacket, and left the cockpit to investigate. However, she had a suspicion that someone took matters regarding fueling into their own hands…

“Uh… Are you sure you know how to do this?” Iggy asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he watched Pers handle the fueling tube. Shogun tried to help as well, but his help lasted about twenty seconds before he got oil all over his clothes and face.

“You heard it rumble right? Rumbling is always good,” The girl replied as oil smeared her face. She squeezed her eyes and tried to pump the fuel.

“Well, I don’t want to sound pretentious, but actually rumbling usually means you’re–”

“What in the nine circles of hell are you doing?!” Lorvin shouted as soon as she descended the ramp. She rushed forward and looked at Shogun, who was coughing and trying to spit the oil out, and then her eyes landed on Pers who held the tube. “That’s the wrong hole!”

Everyone was quiet before a chuckle was heard from behind them. Sasha, hearing the commotion outside, decided to check on how the repairs were going. To no surprise, she found the golden duo in a peculiar situation. She rarely chuckled, but if she did, that meant only one thing.

“That’s what she said.”

“It’s not a joke! My ship is being vandalized by children!” The pilot exclaimed, waving her hands in protest. “They’re sabotaging my engines!”

“Should’ve done it yourself then. At least someone took the initiative,” Sasha folded her arms across her chest, allowing her companion to back off and not argue about it.

“I was about to.” The blonde sneered and walked up to Pers. She forcefully yanked the tube away and opened the second socket. “For future reference – this is the correct hole. Always aim at the rear.”

She heard a snicker and turned to look at Sasha again, only this time it wasn’t her. It wasn’t Iggy either.

“Is something funny, Shogun?” Vivian asked as she turned around to find his smirking, black face staring back at her. “Do you find my words amusing? A little back-to-back? Gentle applying? Come on, what’s so funny? Surely you can’t be this childish to laugh at the word rear, can you? You’re so used to seeing it all the time, in every sense of the word, I would think you wouldn’t be fazed.”

“Well, I’ve seen my fair share of rears you know–”

“No, no I did not know. And I didn’t need to know.”

“You wouldn’t know what a rear is if you didn’t turn your head around.”

“You only know a rear with one hole and a fucking joystick.”

“You’re jealous because I have more bitches.”

“I pity you if you think I’d ever be jealous of your black ass face.”

“It’s not black it’s just–”

“Another one of your failed attempts at helping. Yep, been there done that already Shogun.” Vivian rolled her eyes before glancing at him, still keeping the tube intact. “You know, I’ve heard that if you don’t remove it quickly it’ll stay like this for a long time.”

Shogun frowned immediately. “How long?”

“I don’t know. A month? A year? Forever? It’s alien fuel and might be radioactive too. Works differently in every galaxy apparently.”

He immediately got up and ran inside to wash his face, scratching at the already-drying oil.

“Idiot,” the pilot chuckled and continued to fuel the ship. Luckily they had more than enough to fill up the entire engine and then some, so they wouldn’t have to emergency land anytime soon. While she removed the tube from the socket, she noticed Iggy giving her a disapproving look. “What? I didn’t do anything this time.”

“I hope you realize that the only reason he still trusts you with anything regarding the ship is because I didn’t tell him you’re making all that stuff up to scare him.” Iggy folded his arms, clearly not content with the constant abuse of Shogun.

“And I cherish you for that every day, my good friend.”

“Don’t you think he has a breaking point? That he would snap one day?” Iggy raised his concern quietly, his eyes drifting from the ramp where the young man had just run off, to Lorvin, back and forth.

The pilot exchanged a glance with Sasha and the silence that followed seemed tense. But then the two broke into a wholehearted laughter, the mere idea of Shogun rebelling or snapping seemed like a fever dream after drinking Corellian whiskey. To put it simply: Unbelievable and very unlikely.

“We really have nothing to worry about, trust us,” Sasha joined in, shaking her head to stop herself from chuckling again. “Shogun doesn’t do threats, he barely holds himself in battle. The only person he could threaten is himself, with a mirror reflection.”

“Besides, we know him longer than you and Pers. And Demo now that I think about it. But still, he’s like a… A crippled puppy. He needs others to survive.”

“This reminds me,” Sasha interjected, “of that one time back on UN1TY.”

“The one with the camera?” Lorvin asked just to be sure.

“The one with the camera.”

“Remind me, why are we doing this?” Milia asked, rolling her eyes as she watched Lorvin set up the camera set.

“Because,” she replied after setting up the tripod for the camera. “If he wins, we’ll have access to the juicy stuff from all over this metal behemoth.”

“We kinda already do? I mean, isn’t your dad…”

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.” Lorvin happily replied and finally straightened herself. “Alright, it should be good to go. Now, where is our future politician?”

“Right here, ladies!”

They both turned their heads and immediately wished they hadn’t. Shogun entered the room in his brand-new pink suit, his hair was curled to seem shorter, and his glasses were absent, instead, he wore heavy makeup.

“... The fuck are you wearing.” Lorvin broke the silence, while Milia buried her face in her hands, praying for it to be a joke.

“It's my revolutionary outfit! One of the creations from my politician collection,” He happily replied as he sat down before the camera. Fixing his tie and hair, he put his hands on the pink suspenders, smiling widely. “I'm ready!”

Lorvin looked at Milia and then back at him. She had half a mind to keep the cap on, not recording a damn thing. “Do you even know what you're gonna say?” She asked, adjusting the camera to fit him in the frame.

“I swear, mention anything about Japan and I'll leave,” Milia asserted, her hands muffling the impending groan that followed.

“That would be bingo, right?” Lorvin chuckled, finding a moment of respite in this situation. Commonly, they'd keep tabs on their quirky behavior, whenever someone acted a certain way, the word ‘bingo’ would just pop out of their mouths. And so it became an irksome tradition to keep track of how many bingo’s each person got.

“Don't get me started you goblin. You just call everything a bingo now!” Milia protested.

“And that's another bingo!” Lorvin smirked.

Through the groans and arguing, Shogun cleared his throat. “Ehem.” The two women looked back at him. “I believe we have a video to film, right?” He said, batting his eyelashes. They looked unnatural on his face, mainly because he attached them wrong.

“I don’t think anyone will take you seriously…” Milia pinched the bridge of her nose, her tone full of resignation.

“Well, look at it this way, he might get the liberal votes.” Lorvin shrugged, to which Shogun just smiled a bit wider. “No offense, I am not voting for you though.”

He scoffed, painfully offended, his hand shot to his chest, tugging at his neat white shirt. “How dare you!?”

“Shogun, none of us will vote for you. Just be glad we agreed to help you,” Milia added and checked the lens again.

“You two just don’t understand the art of politics like I do. You need passion, determination, and abilities to make the world… Er… Well, ship, a better place!” The man pouted and quickly pulled out a list of things he wanted to go through in his campaign spot.

“Alright, how about you read us the issues you want to tackle as a member of the Galactic Council?” Lorvin asked, and immediately regretted her decision as the young pink wannabe politician began to read from the crumpled paper.

“First, and foremost, we should legalize melee weaponry on the ship, because it’s harmless and-”

“You just want to walk around with katanas.”

“... Second of all! We should fight pollution on the ship by reducing the usage of unhealthy fuels, replacing them with environmentally healthy ones.”

“Shogun, we’re in space-”

“Environment always sells! Third of all, all products like alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, etc. should be banned and prohibited, and people indulging in such addicting behaviors shall be penalized and later jailed.”

“You’re trying to speedrun losing this election? Because you have high chances with that program.” Lorvin replied, absolutely bewildered, but Shogun paid her no mind as he skipped over his list.

“Finally, we should abolish the parliament and instill a monarchy. That way, titles would be passed down from son to son!”

“... What about women?” Milia asked.

“What women? They aren’t fit for high-ranking positions, are they?”

Milia was set off by the comment and instantly jumped him. The two started getting handsy really quickly and what was supposed to be an innocent campaign spot rapidly turned into a domestic violence case. All because Lorvin had the common decency to record the entire thing. Authorities were called right after Shogun got his nose broken.

“Case in point, I was called to interrogate him, since it wasn’t his first offense,” Sasha rolled her eyes, “that’s how I learned of the camera incident.”

“The funny thing is that Shogun used that as his ad,” Lorvin couldn’t hold her laughter, the giggles spilled from her lips as she recounted, “he asked me to edit it too. If only I had it on record… He obviously didn’t win and became a laughing stock for losing to a woman, but it was still funny.”

Iggy and Pers glanced at each other. “So… What happened to the camera?” Iggy asked, raising his eyebrow.

The blonde immediately frowned and then narrowed her eyes. “Well, let’s just say someone had to confiscate it as evidence in the case,” She scoffed and shot Sasha a glare, which she didn’t even acknowledge. “So I’d ask the person responsible for leading the case.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sasha shrugged.

The lighthearted conversation was broken by the sound of troopers in the distance, following orders and securing the perimeter. Soon, TIE Fighters loomed over the sky, flying above them in search of the wreckage.

“We should get going, any longer and we might not leave at all,” Iggy suggested and boarded the ship.

“Since when do we run away from fights?” Lorvin asked. Then, in the distance, she heard a tree falling. Then another…

“If you want to stay and fight whatever machines they’re using, be my guest. You’re on your own though.” Sasha stated as she boarded the ship, following Iggy inside. Pers scurried inside as well, and it didn’t take the pilot long to follow suit.

“You wouldn’t take off without me anyway,” She grumbled as the ramp closed behind them, setting their fate for another journey.

The engines roared to life again, the panels flickered with lights as Lorvin put on her headset again and with a wide grin gripped the yoke again. “This is your Captain speaking, thank you for choosing Saturnine Galactic Lines, we hope your journey will be a remarkable one!” She stated, her tone humorous, modulated to sound professional and serious. She couldn’t be bothered to act like that, not once.

Pulling a few levers she noticed that Demo finally joined her in the co-pilot's seat. Putting on her own headset, the girl smiled a bit before preparing to take off. Soon enough the stormtroopers busted down the remaining trees, but what greeted them was a fully functional ship, flying off into the distance. Some got knocked back by the force of the engines, and some opened fire, but it was pointless. The ship was already gone, and without the General’s orders pursuit was impossible. He wouldn’t be pleased with the results…

Meanus has never been paler in his entire career than right at that very moment, with General Hux finishing the recording. Every vile thing that was said, every insult directed at his employer and the organization he despised, bared before him in the image of Hux’s cold-faced fury.

Hux couldn’t care less though, not when the voice in the recording matched the pathetic goblin. He clenched his fists as he listened, trying to pinpoint all the voices, but they all sounded the same. Almost. He could make out the curse words anywhere, such vile language must’ve been her. According to troopers in the base at the very least.

“Sir- I- I can explain!” Meanus finally interjected when the recording wrapped up, but Hux had none of it. He turned to the lieutenant with cold fury behind his green eyes, saying nothing more than a few simple words.

“I suppose I should thank you, lieutenant. Your services, however, will no longer be required.”

Meanus gasped and didn’t react quickly enough. No pleading for mercy, no screams, he just collapsed to the ground, with a giant hole in his chest. Hux hated using such means, but treasonous behavior, disrespecting your superiors, and letting vermin on the loose warranted such actions. How else was he supposed to keep everyone in line, if he was undermined by mere cogs in a grand scheme of things?

He hid his blaster back in his coat, scoffing at the lying corpse before glaring at the two stormtroopers. “Get rid of it, the stench will make this facility even more unbearable than it already is.”

As they obeyed he stood near the monitor, listening to the tape again. He could only hope those peasants wouldn't cause him any trouble in the future, since catching them was highly unlikely. The voice in the recording seemed to taunt him, his blood boiling at the condescending tone. If they’d ever cross paths again, he’d annihilate them.

No matter the cost.

Chapter Text

“Okay so let’s review.” Milia stood up and pointed at the giant table with the whole plan displayed. “We barely avoided death last week, and now you lunatics want to blow up their new factory?” She asked, not even hiding her obvious dislike of the idea. Her tone said it all: This was practically suicide.

“They almost blew my ship up!” Lorvin stated, “That calls for a little payback.”

“You absolute imbecile!” Milia protested. “These guys are heavily armed, they’re rich and if we step out of line again they’ll hunt us down until they kill us off! It’s like signing your own death warrant willingly.”

“... Okay, that is a terrible vision. But!” The blonde smirked as she tapped the table. It zoomed in on the key points of the new facility. “As far as I’m aware, they have yet to install surveillance. So it’ll be monitored by stormtroopers only.”

“How does that change anything?” Pers crossed her arms, watching the projection.

“It’ll be easier to move around if we stun the troopers, steal their armor, and plant the bombs.”

Everyone looked at one another with mixed reactions. This plan was utterly ridiculous, not worth the trouble, and ultimately served only to further the pilot’s weird vendetta against their assailants.

“You don’t even know how to plant a bomb, let alone arm it,” Sasha interjected as she pushed Lorvin aside. The only photo they had of the new facility was the one they found on the Holonet, so it was rather scarce intel for this type of mission. “Chances are you’d blow yourself up before leaving Saturnine.”

“That’s not true!” The pilot protested, her arms flailing around as she tried to defend herself against such accusations. “I can handle a lot more than you think–”

“You can’t even handle a red alarm. We had to swap it for another color because it hurt your tiny brain.”

“... I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“After the explosion, the alarms will go off. Red alarms, because I doubt the First Order would invest in different colors.” Sasha crossed her arms, pausing for a moment as if considering something, before addressing the others: “I’m fine with blowing those sons of bitches up, but I am not letting Lorvin set a single bomb. If anything, Shogun is more capable.”

“Sorry Lorvin, I’m with Sasha on this one. You should definitely sit this one out–” Demo slid a hand through her hair, trying to come off as polite as possible, which in this case was a rare commodity.

“I can handle it! It’s just some stupid red light!” The blonde snapped as she turned the hologram off. With a deep sigh, she looked around, her nerves getting the best of her yet again. “We’ll discuss this later.”

She left abruptly, going back to the cockpit. Finally, alone, she plopped down into the seat and started staring at the stars in front of her, wondering when the weird flashbacks would end. It’s been a recurring problem, a constant in her life, ever since the accident. Or at least ever since the first crash landing. Glimpses of her past, of the way the alarms blared on their ship years ago. She wanted so badly to let it end, to not get distracted. But closure was not an option anymore. She made her choice a long time ago, abandoning the fleet, now Vivian had to face the harsh reality…

“Hey.” She heard a familiar modulated voice and sighed. Not bothering to cuss her out, Lorvin stayed quiet, motioning to the co-pilot's seat, which was usually occupied by Demo. Sasha sat down and took her helmet off. She said nothing at first, just looked out the window, gazing at the stars.

They sat in peaceful silence, which to most would seem almost awkward, but in these rare moments of solace, they found comfort in another’s presence.

“I am not good with feelings,” Sasha stated bluntly.

“I know,” Lorvin replied, used to the feeling.

“But you have to believe me, I am not doing this because I’m an asshole, which I sometimes am, point taken.” The brunette continued, “But this… You’re reckless, stupid even, and I can’t keep up with your insane and downright disrespectful attitude most of the time.”

Vivian rolled her eyes, a soft smirk tugging her lips as she silently listened.

“And yet I just don’t want you to get hurt because of your poor choices. Not that I care, but you’re ambitious. And you’re cunning when you really try.” Sasha sighed. “I don’t know what it is that’s plaguing your mind and making you freeze. I can only assume it’s–”

“Boarding. It’s always the boarding flashback. When everything went…” Lorvin used her hands to imitate a grand kaboom. “... And it’s always the same sight. I don’t know, I think it might be some repressed memory or PTSD. Not a psychologist, I wouldn’t know.”

Sasha didn’t answer, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. She was trying her best to help and she couldn’t even get her point across. Rude.

“The point is, whatever it is, you are a danger not only to yourself but to the crew as well. And you have to find a way to get it under control.”

“I’m trying. I really am. But how can I control something I can’t get closure for?”

“I’m not a therapist either, don’t ask me.” Sasha shrugged. “But you could always ask Shogun, he’s into that meditation and yoga stuff.”

The idea seemed so ridiculous that both of them shared a soft giggle, before bursting out laughing. This day was full of surprises after all. After their fit subsided, they finally looked at each other, amused by their newfound camaraderie.

“Thanks, now I feel much, much better.” Lorvin’s lips formed a thin line that curled up into a genuine smile. “But you might be onto something here.”

“Please, it’s bad enough that we have one monk aboard. Don’t become the next one.”

“Would you freak out if I did?”

“I would abandon ship.”

“Come on… Imagine the endless talks about our matching energies and chakras or other stuff.”

Sasha cringed at the thought, her body jerking and shivering. Two Shoguns… The true definition of hell.

“Sir, Finalizer is ready to make the jump to Aris,” Henderson reported, handing Hux the holopad containing the necessary charts and calculations. “It’ll take approximately thirty-six hours.”

Hux glanced over the screen with a stoic expression, looking for miscalculations and errors in the course. Upon finding none he nodded, before handing her the holopad back. “Excellent. Anything else to report, officer?”

“No sir,” Henderson shook her head, still standing at attention. “Our soldiers on Aris have successfully dealt with the insurgents that could’ve disrupted the event, we’re confident the ceremony will proceed without any complications.”

“Insurgents? Why’s this the first time I’m hearing of any insurgents on Aris?” Hux raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. Insurgencies were common among the First Order territories, especially before the Resistance was defeated. However, after their humiliating extinction uprisings were nothing but rumors, a few words in various reports, squashed before they even began. It’s been a long time since anyone dared to rise against their new rule, and it sparked a hint of uncertainty in the general. He wasn’t superstitious by any means, but the recent events were leading him to believe that perhaps something sinister and dangerous hid behind the facade of mere ‘coincidences’. Regardless, he couldn’t allow himself to take such risks, not with the Supreme Leader and the entire galaxy watching.

“Sir, the insurgents were dealt with accordingly weeks ago, our forces have just finished off their remaining cells.” Henderson looked forward, trying to show no fear in the face of his scrutiny. His gaze, unrelenting, bore into her, awaiting further explanation, answers she didn’t possess at this moment. “I… I wasn’t in charge of the Aris reports until recently, sir.”

“And who, pray tell, was in charge then? Clearly, it’s too much to ask an officer to report crucial information, including disturbances.” He scoffed, puffing his chest.

“It was Officer Norey’s job, sir.” If Hux didn’t frown before, he looked utterly disgusted now. He was more than aware that the incompetent officer was new, but that error just begged for punishment or reconditioning. Too bad he already did both.

“Of course, leave it to the incompetent officer from Denon Academy.” He scolded, turning to Henderson with an annoyed expression. “Tell me, officer, are all individuals from your division this useless and dense, or is that just your homeworld’s trademark trait?” He pressed, his gaze turning harsh, almost mockingly condescending.

“I-” She stuttered, her composure cracking.”I’m not responsible for other people, sir. I’m doing my duties as efficiently as possible, and I will continue to do so in the name of the First Order.” But as soon as the composure slipped, she quickly recovered. “If that’s not sufficient enough for you, then I suppose you could find another officer who’ll do everything without batting an eye.”

The tense silence that followed made Henderson’s skin crawl. She gambled, mouthing off, yapping to her superior officer. Norey was sent to reconditioning for less, that’s what terrified her. She just prayed the general was in a good mood and would let it slide.

Hux glared daggers at her, waiting for an apology, or a sign of cowering. They all did at some point, it was inevitable among lower personnel. He walked up, his steps deliberate and confident, and soon he towered over her, still maintaining his expression. “Care to repeat that, Officer?” His tone was calm, the emphasis on her rank a clear indicator of his superiority. He silently waited, wondering if she’d continue undermining his authority or not.

She stayed silent, choosing the safest option to just not engage. He scrutinized her again and narrowed his eyes. “Are you disobeying a direct order from your superior?” He asked, his voice echoing firmly in the bridge. She had nerves of steel, he could at least admit that. Not out loud of course.

“I’m choosing self-preservation over dignity, sir.” She responded swiftly. Finally, he huffed and stepped back. Straightening his posture, he sized her up one last time, his eyes narrowing at all inconsistencies in her uniform, before reluctantly walking towards the monitors.

“You’re useful, Henderson, but don’t let it go to your head. Question my authority again and I will dispose of you.” He warned her, his eyes leaving her to oversee the galaxy through the vast, holographic windows. “Now, prepare the ship for lightspeed.”

[SATURNINE]

“I’d say we should leave a message. So they know that it wasn’t an accident.” Demo requested, tapping at the building.

“I’d say you’re delusional and we should definitely make it look like an accident,” Milia replied, leaning towards it. “The sooner they figure out it was us, the worse it’ll get. We should make it look accidental so they don’t follow us-”

“Cool! What should the message be?” Pers asked as she eyed the hologram, checking the building's layout.

“I say we should do something poetic, something that would strike fear in their hearts!” Shogun exclaimed as he finally made it to the table. “Maybe something in Japanese! I can come up with a few words for that…”

“Japa-what?” Demo asked with a grimace, Iggy and Pers also frowned. The word seemed so hard to pronounce, it almost felt odd to even say it. “Is that some form of Aurebesh?”

“Oh, right. You don’t know what that is or, to put it in your simple alien terms, you’re too ignorant to know and learn.” Shogun crossed his arms, huffing under his breath. The five of them stood around the table, checking out the hologram from many different angles.

“We should vote,” Iggy recommended after a moment. “All in favor of leaving a message?”

Pers, Demo, and Shogun raised their hands almost immediately, outvoting the rest.

“Pers…” Milia groaned.

“What? It’s not you who almost got molested.”

“I thought you’d back me up here when I said this is a bad idea.”

“What’s a bad idea?” The sound of Lorvin’s voice turned heads almost unanimously, as both the pilot and the mercenary came back from whatever they were up to.

“Nothing. We didn’t have enough votes anyway-” Milia tried to cover up the ridiculous and quite pointless voting. Not even a second later, however, she got sold out – by someone, she expected to spill the beans.

“We’re voting whether we should leave a message when we blow up the factory or not,” Shogun stated, as proudly as ever.

“Oh, so we do in fact intend to blow it up? Good to know.” She smiled, scooting closer. “I am all in for the message.”

“I’m not. That’s not necessary.” Sasha stated, standing between Iggy and Milia.

“Well… The votes are… Four to three.” Iggy counted, crossing his arms.

“Good. Glad we got that ridiculous idea-” Sasha began, but the boy quickly interrupted her.

“It’s in favor of leaving a message.”

“... Pardon?”

Lorvin immediately high-fived her co-pilot, then Shogun, and finally, her eyes landed on the quiet brunette who stood on their side of the table. “Pers?”

“Seriously Pers?” Sasha inquired, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Did Milia impose the opposite day again?”

“I’d love to right now,” Milia grumbled, reaching for her flask. “I already had a massive headache, this just escalated it to a bloody migraine.” She declared, downing her flask down to the last droplet. “Man…”

“Hey, we don’t always have bad ideas, right Demo?” Lorvin nudged her with a wide, foolish grin on her face. The co-pilot looked at her and rolled her eyes. “Come on, what’s with the eye-roll?” The blonde asked.

“I don’t usually have bad ideas. You do.”

“True, but I didn’t voice this one.”

“That’s just your bad influence rubbing off on me,” Demo shrugged. “I’m just passing it around.”

“Maybe you hit your head too hard this time.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“If only we could point fingers…” Lorvin exhaled dramatically. “Anyway, since we won the vote, for once, I think we should brainstorm some ideas.” The pilot crossed the room to grab a holopad. It was barely working, stolen a long time ago from a rich man back on Dantooine. She waved it around and gave it a gentle pat or two before the screen lit up. It was slightly cracked too, but other than that it worked almost flawlessly.

“I’m open to ideas.” Vivian proudly announced, sitting down and crossing her legs, her hands at the ready. Before Shogun opened his mouth she added: “I am not writing down anything connected to sex.”

“Why would you even assume I’d say something like that?!” He shouted, offended.

“Shogun, we haven’t met yesterday, there are things that never change.” Lorvin rolled her eyes and gripped the holopad. “Now let’s get it moving.”

“Suckers.” Pers shot out. Milia was close to slamming her head against the nearest wall.

“Too generic.” The blonde tutted, but wrote it down regardless. “Anyone else? Sasha? Iggy?”

“Nothing,” Sasha commented. “I will not grace this ridiculous farce with any response. We shouldn’t write a damn thing. Just blow the building up and be done with it.” She muttered additionally, her thoughts elsewhere. Luckily for her, the helmet successfully hid her expression.

“Harakiri!” Shogun interjected. The silence that followed was deafening.

“Okay… From now on Shogun is prohibited from ever participating in brainstorming activities.”

“Hey! That sounds dangerous! It can also be interpreted as a suicide of the soul and spiritual–”

“Next!”

“Honestly I feel like my brain cells are committing Harakiri one by one when I listen to you all…” Iggy muttered, shaking his head.

“Justice. That’s spooky.” Demo added. “I’d say law, but I don’t think anyone would get the context.”

“You’re onto something there. We could be like Justice Leauge.” Lorvin smirked as she wrote down the suggestion, drawing a small bat next to it.

“I need more booze, I can’t listen to you morons any longer.” Milia finally gave up, perhaps the vision of becoming the next Flash startled her too much. She left the room to fill her flask up.

“For fuck’s sake Lorvin, this theatrical bullshit is getting old, obnoxious, and ultimately downright pathetic. So stop wasting our time with this nonsense…” Sasha, unable to contain her annoyance any longer, went on a long, tiring rant. However, Vivian stopped listening as soon as the word pathetic came out through the robotic filter. Her cogs started slowly grinding as she recalled one instance when they were indeed called that…

***

“Run!” The blonde shouted as they pushed the cart through the maze of corridors, turns, and twists. Not far behind them, hot on their trail, stormtroopers led by Lieutenant Meanus shouted obscenities.

“You ungrateful whores! Pathetic vermin thieves! Open fire and gun them down like the pitiful insects they are!” He screamed, his tone bordering on unhinged. “Faster! Don’t let them get away! I swear when I get my hands on you, you cheating rats I will subject you to tortures worse than anything the Supreme Leader could do! You’ll be begging for mercy like pathetic bugs, and I’ll squash you! You hear me?! I’ll erase you from exsitence!”

“Milia get onto the cart… Where the fuck did Pers go?!” Lorvin looked around. They lost Pers. Milia just laughed at that point, not even bothered that they were chased because of her cheating. Mostly because they stole from them, but who was counting?

“I swear, that kid is going places!” Milia exclaimed as she drew her blaster and fired back…

Pathetic. Huh.

***

“Were you even listening to a word I said?!” Sasha slammed her hand on the holotable, the whole thing shaking violently as it turned off from the impact.

“Huh? Oh! Yes. I did. And you just gave me the best idea ever!” She smiled and uncrossed her legs, leaping forward. “Pathetic.”

“Yes, this is pathetic-”

“No no. That’s gonna be the message. Pathetic. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t link us directly to the accident, and is short enough to cover the entire wall. I say that’s an amazing suggestion, thanks, Sasha!” Vivian smiled widely, watching as the mercenary stared her down. Fuming, Sasha retracted her hand and stormed out of the room, too frustrated to deal with this. The sound of the sliding door only confirmed that the war machine went for a quick smoke break.

“It doesn’t sound bad.” Pers agreed.

“And it has a lot of meanings too.” Shogun approved. “It can reflect both on us and on them.”

“Iggy? What do you say?” Demo asked, her eyes pleading with the young blonde boy to agree to it. “Please?”

Left alone to fend for himself against four obviously mentally unstable people, Iggy resigned. “Fine. We can go with that. But it’ll be a quick in-and-out action. They can’t spot Saturnine.”

“Oh don’t worry about it. I’ll land so smoothly they’ll have to find the tracks with a magnifying glass.” The pilot announced as she stood up. “I’ve learned a lot since last time.”

“Yet proper landing techniques still elude you.” Shogun retorted. Vivian looked at him incredulously, before ignoring it altogether. She’d show him proper landing next time he forgot to strap in. Just you wait, you Samurai wannabe, she thought as she took her seat back in the cockpit, tempted to play some music. They would have to visit a few places to maybe snatch a pair of headphones. She couldn’t bear another tantrum from her crew regarding her… Music taste. For now, her beloved boombox collected dust on the shelf, barely touched, save for their last happy landing.

A soft knock on the panel snapped her out, making her turn her head. In the doorframe stood Iggy, with his pet rat on his head. “Hey.”

“Hey Iggy, need anything?” She asked, focusing on various levers and buttons.

“Actually, yeah. We need to make a stop on our way to Aris.”

“Why?”

“We need materials for the bombs. Plus last time I checked, Sasha was running out of cigarettes.” He started as he stopped by her seat. “Malik could use new food too, and I’m sure Pers needs new clothes since she tore her robes.”

“So, we need the bomb parts, but we need to acquire them discreetly.” She summed it up. “Fine, we can stop by any planet on our way. Last time I checked Aris is what… Twenty-four hours away? Less?”

“It can be on Aris too.” He suggested leaning against the co-pilot’s seat.

“We checked the Holonet with Demo, that planet is full of First Order degenerates. It’s like… Controlled? Is it their outpost? I don’t know, I’m not that fancy with the military talk.” Lorvin admitted grabbing the yoke. “It would be too dangerous to shop there for bomb parts and blow up the fabric the very next day.”

Iggy looked somewhat surprised. “Not gonna lie, that’s one of the smartest things you’ve said so far.”

Vivian smiled as she finally glanced at him. “I do have my moments. What was that thing Sasha once said? That there’s a thin line between being a genius and being an absolute moron, and I’m using it like a jump rope.”

Iggy smiled, but there was a hint of awkwardness in his expression. The pilot swiftly caught it and smirked. “You have no idea what that is, do you?”

“It’s that obvious?”

“More or less.”

He huffed and got up to leave. “I’ll go get Demo.”

“Great! Tell her to bring the charts too!” Lorvin called out and turned back to observe the sky. And so the countdown began, for what could be considered one of the worst plans in the history of Saturnine…

[FINALIZER]

“General, we have run a background check on Aris, the reports just came in.” A small hologram of an officer announced. Hux sat in his quarters onboard the Finalizer, tapping his fingers against his polished, metal desk.

“Send me the report, officer.” He huffed, clearly tired. He couldn’t rest, not yet, not until he knew everything was running perfectly. In his case, that meant literally never. Sleep eluded him as effectively as the remaining Resistance cells, and even though he sometimes barely functioned, he still maintained his aura of authority. For a man of his status, rest was a luxury, the only one he couldn’t seem to afford.

The reports were forwarded and the officer saluted him before disconnecting. The blue images and texts flashed before his eyes, illuminating his face as he carefully scanned each piece of information, looking for holes, for any inconsistencies. Anything to somehow explain his growing discomfort. He couldn’t let down the Supreme Leader again, not when he was so close to his greatest achievement yet.

Scrolling through documents Hux couldn’t find anything incriminating that the Order hadn't already dealt with. Just countless icons of insurgents, rumors of riots, and discontentment of the planet’s residents. He couldn’t care less about those, they were no match for his Empire’s might. Empire.

He scoffed inwardly when the thought of the old order crossed his mind. He wasn’t one to reminisce, like most who worked for the First Order. He had heard enough tales in his life to know which ones to believe, which ones to learn from, and which ones to discard. Many of the Imperial ones fell into the latter categories, his predecessors' failures served him as a way to learn and grow, build something new, something everlasting.

Admittedly, what happened back on Starkiller base was the first time he came close to experiencing real fear. Not because of his close encounter with death, but rather what would happen if the station was indeed destroyed. How different his life would be now… As soon as he thought of it he scrolled again to occupy his thoughts. It didn’t happen, wouldn’t happen and he would ensure that when he finally ruled over the galaxy with an iron fist. He’d cleanse the universe of filth, and rebels and restore the proper order, one that the Galactic Empire had failed to instill.

Right now, however, he had more pressing matters to figure out, his long-term goal never too far from his mind. Sighing he closed the tab and made the necessary call.

“Captain Phasma.” He said his usual poise on full display.

“General.” She replied, her small figure appearing in the same spot as the officer’s just minutes ago.

“Triple the patrols on Aris and ensure all security measures are met before our arrival.”

“Yes, General,” Phasma affirmed immediately. “Shall I inform Commander Ren-”

“That won’t be necessary, Captain.” He quickly shot the idea down. “It’s a safety precaution in case the insurgents plan to perform terrorist acts. It’s also a matter of… discrete nature. I hope that’s clear enough.”

Hux waited for the reply, knowing that Phasma was perhaps one of the few people he could trust on this ship, if not in the entire Order. She wouldn’t let him down so easily, compared to others…

“It will be done, General.” She confirmed coldly and the hologram went dead. He let out a long breath. Even though he was supposed to feel lighter, he didn’t. Something was lurking in the air, a sense of tragedy and perhaps even failure. He shook his head, dismissing his thinking as paranoia. Nothing could ruin this, not even his baseless superstitions.

[SATURNINE, TEN HOURS LATER]

“Buckle up everyone! We’re approaching our first stop!” Lorvin announced through the speakers. Preparations for landing were done in advance, surprisingly, this time around she made sure to not crash upon impact. Gently descending, she held the yoke with precision, finally spotting a good enough chunk of rocks to land safely.

“Prepare the landing gear.” The blonde pulled a few cords and pushed a few levers, navigating the cockpit like a second home.

“We have that?” Demo looked at the pilot with wide eyes, almost like she was presented with a gift too early, her hands halting in their movements.

“What? Just because I don’t use it often doesn’t mean the gear doesn’t exist.” Vivian huffed and rolled her eyes. “God, have a little faith in me, people!”

Once the ship shook and the gear hit the ground, for the first time in a long time they had actually made it to the ground without the whipping sound of blaring alarms or obnoxious comments about loving material objects. Or injuries. Lorvin wiped her brow with a smile and quickly extended the ramp outside. However, before all of them could leave, they still had one matter to settle: credits.

The Saturnine crew huddled together around the large table, expectantly, waiting patiently for their fair shares.

“Come on people, empty your pockets, hop to!” Vivian clasped her hands and initiated the pile by pulling out an astounding amount of thirty-four credits.

Sasha scoffed and put around a hundred credits on the table, as well as some metal parts she no longer needed.

Soon enough, everyone began pulling out their savings, or rather stolen goods for sale or trade, as well as actual credits. Pers attempted to toss in Shogun’s katana, but he quickly caught onto the fact and scolded her for it. She shrugged it off.

After the lot was full, Iggy started calculating the total and how much we needed for the bombs, since he’d be going around, asking for materials.

“Okay, so… Baradium is usually sold around ₹750… We have…” Iggy looked down at the credits. “... ₹420 and a lot of junk.”

“Hey! I gave up my old robes for this!” Pers huffed, while Demo rolled her eyes.

“So in other words, we’re broke.” Milia summed up. “Well, we tried, good luck next time–!”

“This planet is so far off the trading route, plus it’s more or less a backwater world, so I’m willing to bet that everything here is cheaper. Or has more kick.” The boy looked outside, noticing the rocks and the amount of sand. The sun was scorching yet again, even if they landed in a rocky area. “I’d say that these people even have bombs of their own. We might buy those.”

“Worst case scenario, we steal. Again.” Lorvin shrugged. “So let’s have a look around. Iggy will take all the credits and we will see what we can find.”

“Not all.” Sasha boomed. “I need twenty.”

“For what- Oh. Right.” The pilot groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fucking addict. Fine. Take twenty and go.”

Sasha wordlessly took the credits and left the ship without further ado. Vivian sighed and looked at all the other stuff. “I’ll try to sell these unless someone else is willing?”

“I’ll go!” Shogun already took half of the things displayed on the table. No one seemed to protest, it’s been a while since he did something and honestly, there was no way he could fuck up something this simple. Right?

“Alright, but someone has to go with you, I’m not letting you go alone.”

“Why?! I’m capable!”

“It’s a health hazard to leave you alone for five minutes, let alone with all our stolen goods. What if, I don’t know, someone robs you?”

“I have high hopes that they won’t. If they do try, I have the Force on my side!” He said proudly, puffing his chest.

All gathered just blinked in unison and refused to say another word. This imbecile couldn’t be less serious, and here he was, flaunting some made-up magical tales. What a muppet, Lorvin thought as she glanced around. No one would happily join him in his salesman escapades, let alone willingly, so they had to make do with what resources and trust they had. The blonde ran a hand through her hair and decided on the following:

“Fine. Pers and Demo will sell one half, I’ll go with you to sell the other. Milia will stay and guard the ship. Satisfactory enough?”

As the crew disembarked on another chaos-filled journey toward the marketplace, every single one had to make a deliberate comment about the landing gear, further aggravating Vivian.

“We actually have landing gear? Since when?” Pers asked, a subtle smirk gracing her face.

“I wasn’t aware that Iggy was a miracle maker, not only has he repaired our ship, but he magically granted us the ability to not crash and burn every time we land!” Shogun quipped as he made his way down the ramp. “They’re a bit dusty though…”

“Will all of you shut up?!” Lorvin finally boomed. “Just because we never use them doesn’t mean we don’t have them! I wonder how you’d like our gears to be ripped apart whenever I land. Maybe next time we crash I’ll pop them right out, you all do love the sight of barrel rolls and looping around!” She ranted, her temper getting the better of her. “Unbelievable. Just go. Fucking hell man…”

They didn’t have to be told twice, quickly dispersing into the not-so-busy marketplace. The pilot was left with Shogun, and that didn’t make things any better.

“Come on. We have to sell all of that…” She sighed in defeat, gesturing to the useless metal junk he hoarded in his arms.

“Don’t worry, I have experience in selling things!” Shogun brightened, for once he wasn’t shunned. It almost felt like heaven whenever he could get along with the rest of the crew.

“Do you?” She asked with a hint of disbelief. He quickly caught her gaze and slouched slightly.

“Well… It’s not entirely different from pretending to be someone you’re not. You just smile, wave, and try to get rid of your items.”

“Huh. Depressing.” She tutted and beckoned him to follow her. “I do hope you didn’t bring it with you-”

Shogun halted and raised an eyebrow, to which Vivian added: “The glow stick.”

“Oh, right. No no, I left it on the ship.” He assured patting his pants and jacket, just in case. Upon finding no deadly glowing weapon on him, he gave a short thumbs up to proceed. Lorvin chuckled and shook her head.

“Good. Let’s just go.”

The marketplace was quite small, consisting of not many booths and even fewer customers. Everything was bathed in sunlight, the temperature getting downright scorching, as many people hid under various tents, some providing more cover than others. Perhaps it was more lively during the evening or night, but they wouldn’t have the time to check that. The mission wouldn’t complete itself after all.

Various produce was displayed in each booth, from fruits of labor and hard work from local farms, through clothing and hygiene products, all the way through metals, weaponry, and utilities commonly used across the galaxy. All of them were being sold by desperate merchants, each one trying to lure as many customers as possible with their intoxicating smiles, foreign accents, and even demonstrations of skill. Each one had a glint in their eye, silently pleading to choose their stand.

As Lorvin and Shogun navigated the stands both of them often caught one another’s gaze in a silent agreement to not speak a word to some of the sellers. Through the six years they traveled together they got scammed more times than they could count, today couldn’t be one of those days. The two of them walked around, discarding many stands, passing by the obviously fabricated goods, looking for someone honest.

“This place is a dump,” Shogun murmured, his eyes always on high alert. Even though mugging around here was unlikely, he was used to getting tackled and threatened constantly. Years of experience make one person paranoid. In Shogun’s case, he just never learned from his mistakes.

“It’s a backwater world, far off the trading route. I’m not entirely surprised.” The blonde replied, her gaze falling on Demo and Pers who already managed to rile up one of the merchants. She sighed and tried to find Iggy, but the boy was nowhere to be found. He was probably in one of the tents, trying to strike a bargain with one of the sellers.

“Do you even know the law?! Have you ever read a document in your life?! I highly doubt it! It’s against the Galactic Trading Law to sell forged goods! I could have you arrested–” From afar everyone present could hear Demo’s threats, as she argued with the man behind the stand. He seemed more amused than stressed as the girl ranted her frustrations. Shogun and Lorvin stopped for a moment to watch as the co-pilot dug out an outdated Galactic Law Book and proceeded to recite paragraphs from it. The two snickered and decided to leave it at that, knowing both Pers and Demo could handle themselves.

As they walked around, they bumped into Sasha, who was making her way back to Saturnine. A bag hung loosely from her belt.

“Uh… Got everything you need?” Shogun asked, eyeing down the bag.

“How many packs have you bought?” Lorvin asked, her eyes narrowing in silent judgment.

“None of your business. Did you sell anything yet?” She asked, cocking her helmet to the side as she judged them back.

“Not yet. We’re trying to find someone who won’t try to scam us.” Shogun answered and looked at all the items he was holding. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was starting to get tired of walking around with that much weight.

“Typical. Good luck selling all that. Work that charm of yours, I’m sure it’ll work.” Sasha replied, huffing through her helmet. Without another word, she pushed past them and made a beeline for Saturnine.

“... Did you notice how many packs she bought?” The man asked, stealing a glance at the receding form of the mercenary.

“My guess? At least ten.”

Chapter Text

“Now you have to connect these two cables… Demo, are you even listening?” Iggy asked, his patience slowly eroding. The tension on the ship reached an all-time high, no one was willing to talk with one another mainly because no one around the table could focus on the task at hand.

“You’re sitting too close,” Demo hissed at Shogun, still applying a pack of bacta to her cheek.

“Should’ve sat somewhere else.” He barked back, occasionally taking a sharp inhale due to his black eye. Every time he tried to roll his eyes he winced, his lip quivering.

“As if anyone would voluntarily sit next to you,” She shot right back, rubbing her purple patch of skin, as if that would make it any better.

“You should be glad anyone’s sitting next to you, you spoiled, arrogant-”

“Enough!” Milia interjected. “Can someone finally explain what the hell happened?”

“It’s a bonding exercise,” Lorvin answered, her hands shaking with barely contained frustration. “I figured we need to bond with one another, since some people,” she glared at Demo, Pers, and Shogun, “can’t seem to get along.”

“You think?” Shogun and Demo interrupted simultaneously, before practically barking at one another: “No one asked you!”

The pilot groaned and ran a hand across her face. “This is off to a wonderful start…”

***

“Okay, so that’s… Two hundred and twenty-eight credits. Not bad.” Lorvin hummed, playing with the pouch in her hand. “To think we actually got some good deals out of that too. I’m honestly surprised.”

“Well, what can I say, this face can still sell a good performance.” Shogun bragged, boasting and puffing his chest out. “I was planning to become a politician for a reason.”

“I reckon you got last place? There were worse candidates and even they got a position on UN1TY.” She replied, her tone more teasing than complimenting.

“I… Well, that was an unlucky situation. But it never happened again!”

“Maybe because you never ran for the office again, dumbass.”

He wanted to retort, but she did have a point, so he stayed silent. He huffed in annoyance and marched forward like an entitled child, dramatically swaying his hips.

Lorvin rolled her eyes and adjusted the grip on the pouch. The credits jiggled in her pocket, clinking against one another with every step. It wasn’t much, but it was… Not so honest work. Since they finished their tasks, she opted to have a look around the market, maybe treat herself to some food, drinks… Maybe they’d have a headset.

Vivian began her stroll across various booths, stopping to talk with the locals. She couldn’t understand a word of what they were saying so she was quick to leave whenever they tried to have a meaningful conversation. Some, however, spoke Aurebesh, which was an equivalent of her native American English.

“Come, come! Brand new technology, high quality surpassing even that of the First Order!” With a charming smile, he beckoned the blonde closer. “Ah! A foreigner! Tell me, where are you from?”

Lorvin quickly felt her stomach twist, leaping toward her throat. “You wouldn’t know anyway.” She shot back and smiled, though it was more forced than real. The merchant didn’t seem to mind.

“Ah! A shy one! Good, good. Come closer darling, I have just the thing you’re looking for!” He quickly started showing off various holopads, tools, and cables, praising each one with utmost charisma. Soon, offers of discounts, designed to lure customers in, began to flow from his mouth like sweet honey. “This will help you securely navigate through the countless restricted sites on the holonet, for only fifty credits!”

The pilot glanced at every item, her pockets suddenly feeling empty and loose as she contemplated what to buy, if anything at all. Chances were that most of these items were useless, defective, or shown off as a way to scam unaware, honest men.

“Uh… Do you have a headset?” She asked, looking around his display. Her eyes scanned the electronics, narrowing in focus to fetch at least one pair of headphones amidst the sea of pads, commlinks, and lockpicks.

“My, and why would such a pretty thing like you need a headset?” He asked with a cheeky grin, eyeing the young woman from top to bottom. “Last time I checked, they sell on the market for hefty prices. Not to mention how hard it is to obtain them. Women shouldn’t be anywhere near those.”

“If I wanted to hear your opinions I would’ve said so. Now can I see the set?” She huffed and crossed her arms, a vein starting to throb in her forehead. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard something like that, and typically she didn’t care. It wasn’t her greatest ambition to feel empowered. She just wanted a headset.

“Feisty. Fine, I have just the thing you need.” Soon enough he pulled out a damaged headset, she could see the ripped cords from a mile away. “Just for you, I’ll give it to you for two hundred credits.”

For a moment she hesitated, torn between pulling her blasters out and actually playing it civil. Choosing the latter she smiled, acting cluelessly. “Wow! These look fresh. Do they work?”

“Of course they do! I have the highest quality merchandise after all!” He remarked, offended.

“You won’t mind if I give them a listen first, do you?”

“Be my guest.”

She took the headset and put it on cautiously. It was static at first, and then some pre-recorded messages started playing. “All remaining systems will bow to the–” It started corrupting and Lorvin had to punch it a few times. It eventually played the rest of the recording, in really poor quality, skipping through some parts of the sentence. “As the last day of the Republic!”

Huh. Sounded totalitarian. Lorvin shrugged and tossed the headset back. “Sorry, no deal. These are atrocious.”

“Your loss, stardust.” The merchant grumbled as he fumbled with the headset, hiding it behind the counter again, waiting for another poor soul to approach his booth.

While returning to the ship, she heard a commotion at the main square. Turning her head to see what was going on, she was met with Shogun, pinning some girl to the ground. Not long after, she realized it was Demo, in new clothes. Pers tried to pry him off of her, while the co-pilot struggled and flaunted her arms frantically. One hit Shogun directly under his eye, making him cry out in pain.

The rest was just history.

***

“I still can’t believe you mistook Demo for a mugger.” Pers scoffed, crossing her arms as she connected two circuits together.

“She looked like one! I swear, back in Tokyo I almost got mugged by a man who wore similar robes!” He protested and winced because his eyes shot up. Again.

“I’m not a man! In what twisted fantasy am I a man to you?!” Demo argued and immediately backtracked, “Actually don’t tell me! Stars, I’m gonna be sick…”

“Why did you even dress like that?!” He continued. “You look like a monk.”

“And you look like a hairless Bothan, for kriff’s sake.” Demo shot back and aggressively screwed a bomb component, almost arming the explosive in the process. Iggy had to yank the bomb away from her to safely finish its construction.

“Oh yeah? I bet they’re fucking handsome!” He defended, albeit weakly, two separate worlds crashing against one another.

“At least they exist, can’t say the same for your drukhole of a planet-”

“That is enough! Both of you!” Lorvin smashed the implosion damper on the table, breaking it in the process. “If you can’t work together, then stay quiet. Demo, go sit by Iggy and quit it.” She then turned to Shogun. “One more word from you and I’ll eject you.”

“We’re in the atmosphere, you moron.”

“Then I’ll wait until we’re in space and then eject you. I won’t tolerate your stupidity on my ship.”

“Who said Saturnine is yours?”

“I did. Just now. Now shut it and get your peanut-sized brain working and fingers connecting.”

“Better a peanut-sized brain than Chinese size hands…”

If looks could kill, Shogun would have been found dead on the spot, with a few crewmates circling him. All would wonder who did it, and probably point fingers at Demo, in reality, the impostor would still be among them…

“And then they kissed,” Sasha added, hiding her smirk with a cigarette in between her lips. Her armor reeked of tobacco and alien nicotine. She attempted to light up another one, but her lighter ran out. “Fuck, one second.”

Without further ado, she grabbed her helmet, put it on her head, and ran out of the ship, probably to buy a lighter for the road. No one stopped her, as they were busy assembling the first step of their “Handy Dandy Three Bomb Plan.”

After three or four hours they were finally finished with the grueling work. Many fingers lost the fight against the circuits, and many suffered internal injuries, such as swelling, soreness, and even cuts. But the bombs have been crafted, most looked quite decent, some… Less so.

Lorvin smiled and pulled her holopad up. The plan, constructed in full sentences carefully detailed every step they should take for their endeavor to work. It read as follows:

Thankfully only the pilot had access to it, otherwise, it would get altered with random steps, side steps, drawings, better sentences, and so on. After all, no one could come up with an equally brilliant plan, right? Right?

[FINALIZER, TWENTY HOURS BEFORE THE OPENING]

“The whole factory has been secured, the surveillance won’t be operational by the time we arrive…” Henderson reported, trying to keep up with Captain Phasma. One thing she had in common with Hux was that she didn’t stick around for too long, another was that she was swift and efficient. The young officer could barely keep up with the tall woman but she tried her best to not fall behind.

“Make it operational, officer,” Phasma replied coldly. “General Hux has requested that all security protocols are to be upheld during the festivities, you better make sure that happens..”

“Captain, with all due respect, you’re asking me something impossible-”

“Then you better start performing miracles, Officer Henderson. Is that clear?”

“... Yes, Captain.” She replied and scurried away.

As Henderson navigated the black corridors she couldn’t help but feel her frustration mount up. Work on the Finalizer was nothing like she thought it would be. What started as a promising career, blindly pushed forward by her parents, ended up making her a marionette at the bottom of the military hierarchy. Honestly at this point probably stormtroopers were treated better than lowly officers, and that said a lot.

Dropping in her quarters, she sighed as she punched a pillow. This wasn’t all she was good for right? Just taking orders and being a punching bag wasn’t her life’s greatest ambition, she knew it. She didn’t graduate at the top of her class, spending additional years in the Academy to be bossed around for the rest of her life.

Henderson grabbed the holopad again and sighed. On one hand, she wanted to quit, on the other her parents wouldn’t let her. They were loyalists, through and through. They used to serve for the first Galactic Empire, now that the First Order rose to power, they supported the organization wholeheartedly, even though their name meant little to the progressive regime. Old names faded, and new ones rose to power, dismissing ideas from the past for the sake of a more prominent, advanced future. And the young officer was their last chip to change the fate of their family, to prolong their long tradition of serving the keepers of peace and order. No matter who it was.

A knock on the door suddenly startled the officer to her feet. She fixed her blonde hair and put the cap back on, before answering the door. On the other side stood a tall, expressionless stormtrooper.

“Captain Phasma has requested additional reports on the surveillance installation.” He affirmed coldly, almost artificially. Without letting her respond, he turned on his heel and walked away, his weapon firmly clinging to his chest as he patrolled the black corridors.

Right, she couldn’t even get five minutes alone without getting called to do their dirty work. Bunch of degenerate, vile cu-

[SATURNINE, FIVE HOURS BEFORE THE OPENING]

Aris was never called an ugly planet, but its recent state contradicted that statement. The surface was as gloomy as a thick, dangerous jungle, the streets were dull, empty, and abandoned, not a single soul could be seen anywhere, and whatever light could get through the windows was promptly shut by blinds. Everyone would rather hide in their four walls than witness any festivities regarding the opening.

Saturnine made a soft landing at a nearby vantage point, overseeing the factory from the east side. As Lorvin turned the engines off she watched the building. It felt almost eerie how quiet and abandoned it looked from the outside. The walls were laid out like any other building, nothing too fancy. Construction bots hovered near the gates, adding finishing touches to an already good-looking military facility. Large pedestals were placed in front of the construction site, the only thing lacking so far was a stable lectern. Whoever was opening it must’ve wished to have it removed. Across from the podium, a larger prototype of the X-0X unit hovered in the air, ready to take photos and broadcast the ceremony across several systems.

To think that in just a few hours it'll all turn to rubble. Too bad.

"Lorvin." Demo nudged the pilot, making her flinch, "Sasha wanted to speak with you."

The blonde disembarked the ramp to find the dark-haired woman already in full suit, holding binoculars like she was about to crush them.

"What's up?" Lorvin raised an eyebrow, observing the factory from afar.

"What's up?" Sasha snarled. "See for yourself." She practically shoved the bent binoculars in her chest. The blonde picked it up and noticed a small dent. Whatever has caused this, it wasn’t good. An angry war-machine was a bad war-machine.

She looked through them, her expression cold as she assessed dozens of stormtroopers. Among them was a woman who looked similar to her, the resemblance was almost uncanny. To her right stood a two-meter-tall behemoth, the silver armor made the soldier look like someone not to be trifled with.

"Oh." She summed up, pulling the binoculars away.

"You just signed our death warrant and all you can say is oh?"

"Look, I didn't know they'd guard the damn thing so heavily!"

"You never know anything, that's the fucking point."

“Just let me tag along with you then and I’ll help…”

“No, you have helped enough.” Sasha cut Lorvin off, fury slipping into her tone. “The best thing you can do right now is sit here and let us do your dirty work.”

“I didn’t mean to put you in any danger, and you know it.” She rebutted, crossing her arms on her chest, but a faint sign of insecurity lingered in her lowered gaze.

“Funny, because you always do. That’s your trademark trait, chaos.” Sasha gritted her teeth, clenching her fists. “Maybe a few hours alone will allow you to rethink some of the choices you continuously make.”

Lorvin narrowed her eyes, both hurt and angered by the statement. “Those choices allowed us to survive when you turned tail and ran away. Don’t presume to know what it’s like to live with the consequences of your actions.”

“And you do?” The merc countered, “You’re always lucky enough to avoid any consequences, you don’t even know what those are.” She sized her up and let out a sharp tut. “Better pray that luck doesn’t run out.”

“Same goes for you. There’s a line you don’t want to cross.”

That made Sasha let out a scoff-like laugh, the sound mocking in every possible way. “I don’t think I have anything to worry about.”

With that she pushed past the pilot, almost pushing her to the ground with brute force as she walked back onboard, leaving the blonde to ponder her words.

She sighed and glanced at the factory again, now having a million thoughts racing through her head, worried about what could go wrong. How many things could go wrong? And the worst part would be that all of them would indirectly be her fault. She started this mission, and it all circled back to her, like a vicious cycle of violence. Or worse.

Lorvin suddenly felt a pit in her stomach slowly form. Only now had she realized that this mission was far more dangerous than their usual endeavors, with real stakes on their side, and practically none on the First Order’s. Was justice for a petty inconvenience really worth it? As she turned her back on the factory she already made up her mind. They could always sell the bombs, leave, and never come back, First Order could be nothing more than a speck of dust in their long journal of stories and adventures, some epic and some really dull.

There was no backing down now. It wasn’t a matter of the ship or the crew anymore, not life, death, health, or wealth. The moment they set foot on Aris she knew the matter was settled and there would be no turning back. This quest became nothing less than a matter of pure, unshaken pride. And sometimes emotions have a way of controlling people’s irrational tendencies more than they would care to admit. In Lorvin’s case, her mind and heart switched places, her heart residing in her head, and her brain going on a field trip straight to her ass.

Collecting herself she braced herself for what was to come, which in her case was overlooking the operation from the cockpit.

***

Sasha looked at the factory, her hands clenching. Not from anger, but rather worry. It has been a year since she last saw him, not to mention news got around quickly. When Lorvin crashed into her home everyone assumed she was missing in action, and then they just pronounced her dead. That’s what she got for not taking any jobs or requests, especially after the First Order was getting used to having her around.

She wondered if he missed her, not sure why anyone would miss such a stone-cold son of a bitch, if he really believed she died in something so trivial as a ship crashing into her home. She imagined he visited the site under some pretense of investigating, pulling all his strings to get there and check if the rumors were true. She used to think that perhaps he hadn’t forgotten about her. He was too smart to even let a thought like that cross his mind, she knew it. Or did she? It was nagging at her mind, just like the thoughts of better times…

Sasha shook her head, trying to not imagine his dark hair, his neatly cut beard... She had high hopes he wasn't here today, but if Phasma was... Chances were he might be nearby. She wanted to abandon this idiotic mission at once, but if their reckless man-child of a pilot got the proper intel, she wouldn't have to worry. If surveillance had not been installed yet, she'd get away with it. Much like she got away with lying for over a year to everyone. But she digressed. They had a building to blow up.

Saturnine was more lively than usual, with everyone present running around, checking their inventory, tweaking the bombs, and waiting for the signal to move. The merc’s frown deepened, the memory of Phasma still fresh in her mind. There was no way any of them could face her, no matter the numbers. Rumors had it that Phasma’s armor was bullet-proof, making her a bigger threat than a regular stormtrooper. Despite never seeing it in action, Sasha wasn’t going to delude herself into thinking it wasn’t true. The First Order had enhanced technologies and diverse equipment, something she had learned over the past few years, and they were more than capable of creating weapons of mass destruction, wide-spreading malware, spying tools… Let alone protective gear.

“Alright, everyone gather around,” Sasha called, halting all preparations that had been made. “We need to establish our course of action.”

“What about Lorvin?” Iggy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She’ll stay behind and be on the lookout for any unwanted attention. And she’ll take care of the ship I suppose.” She shrugged, before glancing at the table. “Any questions?”

Pers immediately raised her hand, as did Shogun.

“Pers?” Sasha asked.

“How screwed are we?” She asked without hesitation, immediately addressing the elephant in the room.

“From what I’ve seen? Badly.” The merc replied curtly, cutting straight to the point. “We just need to follow the plan and it should work.”

That was a lie.

“Wouldn’t it be more safe to do it in a group?” Shogun claimed, trying to be a productive member of the team.

“It would’ve been if Lorvin had anticipated a few dozen stormtroopers guarding it, and another few hundred attending the ceremony.” Sasha rebutted, her blood starting to boil over yet again. She grabbed the edge of the holotable tighter and continued: “That’s why we need to split up into smaller groups. We’ll cover more ground quicker, we’ll draw less suspicion and it’ll be easier to plant the bombs.”

“Cool, so do we go in pairs?” Demo raised the question, already stealing a not-so-subtle glance at Pers.

“I would’ve suggested it, if it weren’t for the fact that more than half of you don’t have any experience with a blaster. Or any other weapon.” She gave another even less subtle glance at Shogun, Pers, and Demo, one full of barely contained disdain. “That’s why we’ll go in groups of three.”

“I am not going with Shogun.” Pers glared at the man.

“Not your call,” Sasha replied firmly, looking around the room. She spotted a few breadsticks they bought back on Reynon. In three smooth strides, she picked them up and broke them into uneven halves. “Pick. Longer halves go with me, shorter go with Iggy.”

“You’re not going with Iggy?” Milia inquired her expression a mix of shock and apprehension. It was unlikely for Sasha to randomly ditch her favorite child.

“If I went with Iggy I’d leave one group without any knowledge on how to arm the bombs. I’m not risking Shogun blowing himself up like a damn Kamikaze.” Sasha concluded with a sharp exhale. “We need to split up for this to work.”

She extended her hand and waited for people to pick their poison – or in this case, breadstick – from her palm. Forming a line, one by one they pulled out a shorter or longer end, mixed emotions accompanying them.

“No. No, I refuse.” Demo pleaded as she looked at anyone, hoping to switch teams.

“Finally something we can agree on.” Shogun scoffed, eating his breadstick like a rabid animal. He wasn’t starved, he was just hungry. Or hangry. Whatever it was, he looked stupid, not that he ever looked clever.

“You two are coming with me, whether you like it or not. I’m actually glad that for once I can have a proper outing with the two of you.” Sasha said in a mocking tone. “Alone.” She added, with annoyance.

While Iggy, Pers, and Milia happily returned to their preparations, Sasha dragged the two to have a less-than-friendly chat regarding countless interactions between the two. What a long day it would be.

[FIVE HOURS LATER]

“Alright then, can everyone hear me?” Lorvin spoke through the comlinks, a full-blown-out grin gracing her face. She never got the opportunity to use them for more than mere crash-announcements, so it was a fun strain from the norm.

“Loud and clear” Iggy replied, his voice distorted by the stormtrooper helmet he wore. He was leading one of the teams deep into the building, responsible for setting PETH, AUREK, and TESH.

“I fucking hate you,” Sasha growled into her comm, forced to endure not only Shogun and Demo’s constant arguments but setting bombs to form ESK, TRILL, ISK, and CRESH. She shouldn’t have let Iggy choose the word’s half, she trusted him and as always he turned out to be nothing more than a mere troll.

It wasn’t surprisingly difficult to knock out six stormtroopers and steal their armor. What was surprisingly hard was fitting people into the bloody things, especially since Iggy, Pers, and Demo were tall. Too tall even. After two hours they managed just fine, cutting the gear into pieces and putting them back together to fit the wearer. Now it was just time for the fireworks.

“Well, you guys have fun, I’m tuning in on what’s going on in the frontlines.” Lorvin smiled, putting her legs on the panel before her as she watched the podiums. People gathered around the podiums, more coerced than willing, and waited with bated breath to leave as soon as possible. Stormtroopers surrounded the area outside, ready to act on command.

The recording units were all set to oversee the podium, on which stood a few figures now. Among them were the silver-armored soldier, the blonde petite woman, and a few other people, looking more out of place than the citizens. Lorvin assumed they were some higher-ranking officers, which in her eyes was laughable.

“Off to a great start…” She muttered as a neatly dressed woman entered the podium, tuning in to what she was saying…

***

“Shogun, that’s not how you do it! Didn’t you listen to a thing Sasha said!?” Demo half-shouted, pulling the bomb out of his grasp. Given how loud they were it was a miracle they didn’t get caught yet. They bumped into a few patrols, but nothing seemed out of place, they didn’t even talk to them.

Sasha was at her wits end, the only thing that saved her sanity was the fact that the First Order had dumber and dumber units every year. Otherwise, they’d witness the opening from behind bars, if not from below the ground, by now.

“I understood perfectly, thank you very much. I’m not an idiot, I know how explosives work.” Shogun rebutted, his frustration rising. “Who do you take me for?”

“An idiot.” Demo immediately jabbed.

“I just said I’m not you little…”

“Says the man half my size.” She countered, venom practically spilling from her lips. If it wasn’t for the helmets, the glares would blow the building faster than any bomb would.

“Say that again and I will show you that I’m still a man.” He threatened.

“What are you gonna do, jump up?” She taunted as she pushed him to stick the bomb to the wall.

Sasha wasn’t even paying attention anymore, she just hoped that Iggy was having a blast with his team. Deep down she contemplated shooting them both and making it look like an accident, but she decided against it. One of them could not bleed out fast enough and tell on them, and that would place Saturnine in a compromising position. She’d rather avoid it.

“Don’t push me around, I’m not your bitch!” Shogun yelled as he threw the unarmed bomb at Demo.

“Shogun, what the kriff!” Demo squealed as she barely caught the bomb. Unfortunately for them, the explosive started beeping, signaling that it was armed. Or worse. “See what you’ve done?!”

“That’s your problem, not mine. Someone your size will surely handle it.” Shogun scoffed, crossing his arms. If someone saw them now, three stormtroopers acting like this would raise more than red flags.

Sasha stepped up and forcibly took the bomb from Demo before she found a window and tossed it outside, as far as she could.

“Why did you do that, it was completely harmless-” Shogun started arguing, but moments later, a loud explosion was heard in the city streets. The three of them glanced out to see the magnitude of destruction those homemade bombs could bring.

“... Do you think anyone heard that?” He asked a second later.

***

“Sasha, what the fuck was that?!” Lorvin shouted from the comms, “The whole fucking ground shook! What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Why did you even assume it was me?” She grumbled in response.

“Because I was just talking with Iggy and I would’ve heard a giant whooping explosion over his device!” Lorvin barked, her gaze flickering over to the podium. “They’re sending more stormtroopers your way, that silver mountain moved as well. I think they’re heading to check what blew up.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Then whose?!”

“Do you want to take a guess?”

“... Can you execute rule 46?”

“... What?”

“I meant order!”

“Lorvin, what the fuck…”

There was a long pause, followed by a sharp yelp from Shogun. Then another. Another pause and a sharp scoff followed.

“The last one was Demo,” Sasha stated.

“Fuck you all! Not in the groin…!” Shogun whined and winced, as Lorvin pictured him sprawled on the ground. Good.

The comlink came back to life with a crackle, Iggy’s voice coming through. “We got company, we finished setting the explosives and Pers even decorated them. Milia hid them too, but there are tons of stormtroopers coming through.”

“Just hide. They’re investigating the explosion that someone kindly set off. I can see the smoke all the way from Saturnine.” Lorvin answered and the line went dead.

“What the hell did you blow up anyway?” Milia asked as the three of them hid in an empty office.

Sasha glanced outside, the smoke prohibiting vision. These dinky helmets… She thought, trying to zoom in on the source of the fire.

The bomb hit a nearby restaurant, luckily for them, it was empty, or at least she’d tell herself that. Even if it wasn’t, they would’ve died old, lazy, and probably unfulfilled. Or worse, they’d get imprisoned or falsely executed. Dying in an explosion seemed rather merciful in comparison.

“Sasha, you just blew up a building.” Demo muttered under her breath.

“Nothing new.” The merc replied, getting a hold of the bombs. “Hurry up, we might get company soon and we still need to finish a letter.”

“Isn’t that a crime?” The girl inquired, stepping past the man currently lying down in agony, groaning under the helmet as she helped with setting the rest of the explosives.

“And blowing up a factory isn’t?” Sasha countered as she armed all the explosives they had already stuck to walls.

“It’s different when innocent people are affected, right?”

“Would it calm you down if I said that building was empty?”

“... Yes.”

“Then it was empty.”

She didn’t really know, but if they found any skeletons, they’d go straight to Sasha’s giant closet collection, since one wouldn’t fit all of those she had already claimed in the past. But she wasn’t about to confess to it now, was she?

“Get a move on. And you,” she glanced at Shogun, “get your flat ass from the floor.”

***

Lorvin watched as the prime minister of Aris fumbled over her words, people growing uneasy, even panicked.

“Please remain calm, I’m sure it was nothing to cause major concern.” She tried to smile, though her composure was quickly shattering. Not only was she in the presence of the First Order, but she was basically on the chopping block if anything went wrong.

Five minutes later stormtroopers returned, along with the silver-armored tall soldier. The pilot couldn’t hear what they were saying from this far since it wasn’t transmitted, but it certainly brought some sort of relief to the woman on stage.

“As I suspected, we have nothing to worry about! Let us proceed with the ceremony. As I was saying…” The minister continued, and Lorvin’s attention span ended right there and then.

“God, it couldn’t have been more dull.” She murmured, about to call Iggy and check in on them. However, moments later something caught her attention right back. Flaring red hair on the podium.

Curiosity piqued, she tossed the comlink away and focused all her attention on the man who stood on stage, his imposing presence sending shivers down her spine. He was well groomed, his icy eyes focused on the drones in front of him. He ignored the masses, focused on anything that was in front of him, standing at attention with his hands stippled behind his back. But what caught her attention the most was his voice. She swore she had heard it somewhere before…

“Citizens of Aris, onlookers from every corner of the Galaxy, we have gathered here today to witness a new era in our history. An era of advancement, revolution, and order…” He began his speech, his voice passionate, carrying over from the stage all the way to Lorvin’s ship. She could just turn the monitor off and she’d hear it loud and clear regardless.

“I suppose none of them will mind if I just… Tune in for a minute.” She muttered to herself as she watched from afar, from a spot that felt like the best eavesdropping place. And so she listened intently, a bit captivated by the speech, even if it was full of lies and fake praises. It certainly didn’t lack conviction…

***

“Thank the maker she didn’t call.” Milia sighed in relief. She peeked her head out of the empty office, seeing a group of stormtroopers round the corner, disappearing from view.

“You think she would?” Pers asked as she looked in the opposite direction to see if more patrols weren’t coming their way.

“That’s Lorvin we’re talking about.” Milia rebutted. “She has a habit of making things difficult by accident.”

“You have a lot of experience then?” Iggy asked, arming the bombs. He wondered how Sasha was doing with her team, the smile on his face never wavering as he imagined the chaos that ensued after their previous call.

“Iggy, we’ve known each other for five years now and somehow she can still surprise me with her reckless ideas.” Milia recounted, a shiver running down her spine as various moments from their shared adventures flashed before her eyes.

Iggy and Pers exchanged a look. In truth, they’ve known the roaming four for less than a year, each of them becoming a member of their dysfunctional… crew? Family? Hard to tell what they were, since almost every day started with petty arguments and resulted in hurling insults. But after a while you could get used to it, slowly succumbing to the oppressive love language.

“But I manage. We all do. She creates trouble, but as it gets resolved we usually go about our lives unscathed. And it’s funny to talk about it afterward.” Milia added with a shrug, grabbing the comlink. “Lorvin, we’re ready on our side.”

There was no answer.

“Lorvin?” She repeated.

“She’s not answering?” Pers came closer.

“Maybe she’s with Sasha on the line,” Milia called the other team, immediately receiving a sharp grunt. “Sasha?”

“What? If Iggy wants to boast about your bomb decorations then politely fuck off.”

“No, nothing- Wait, did he?” Milia smirked, thank god the merc couldn’t see the look on her face.

“You think you’re hilarious, don’t you?” Sasha grunted into the com. In the background, another argument could be heard, this time regarding Shogun’s ascent from the cold floor and Demo tirelessly trying to collect him to get a move-on.

“Yes.” She responded proudly, “But I digress. Did Lorvin call any of you?”

“I was under the impression she called you and forgot about us. Wouldn’t be the first time that son of a bitch did.” Sasha complained, her voice laced with unrivaled animosity.

“She didn’t.” Pers cut in. The call went silent for a split second, everyone waiting with bated breath.

“... Everyone back to the ship.”

***

Lorvin’s eyes were glued to the window, processing everything that was said. It was complete bullshit and she knew it, the empty promises of peace, of order… The only thing this organization could bring was trouble, which wasn’t entirely different from what she would do on a daily basis. Yet to captivate her attention like this… She didn’t remember the last time she got invested in a speech this much.

So much so, that her comlink could be bombarded with worried calls and she couldn’t care less. She’d watch, with bated breath, leaning on her elbow, listening to his words. Was it considered a crush? No, she didn’t even know his name. Was this an aesthetic attraction? Certainly, he looked great in the way he presented himself.

“Together we have crushed the lying rebellion, and together the First Order will continue to thrive, and nothing will stand in the way of our common goals. Peace and order will prevail and we’ll continue to wipe the filth from the galaxy!” He yelled, his soldiers saluting him at every finished sentence. The crowd was far less enthusiastic, but still cheered under the threat of swift retaliation.

“Half a year ago we destroyed hypocrites and liars of the New Republic, who aided traitors and rebels. We secured the galaxy from harm and oppression, from rising against what’s right: advancement and order. And with this new factory, we will continue to do so, ensuring no harm comes to those who devote their lives to support the First Order…” The speech continued, the intensity only growing in momentum.

“Lorvin! You’re not dead!” Demo rushed inside and immediately hugged the pilot. “You kriffing idiot! Never scare us like this again!”

“Why weren’t you picking up?!” Milia shouted. “I swear, we thought you got captured!”

“Why would I? I parked in a remote spot, no one even noticed.” Lorvin smiled. “Aw… Never knew you all cared.”

Sasha was far less relieved and more pissed at the situation. She glanced down at the comlink on the floor. “Was someone here?”

“No.” Lorvin quickly answered. “I was alone the entire time.”

“Then what… No.” She glanced out the window, her eyes landing on the redhead. “You fucking simp.”

“No! That’s not- Look, I just got curious, I didn’t-”

“Do you even know who that is?!” Sasha barked, pulling off the stormtrooper armor, glaring at the pilot this entire time.

“Er… no.” She replied, glancing at the redhead man again. “But it’s nothing serious, is it?”

“I can’t, I’m this close to just doing an order 46 on you instead,” Sasha growled and almost crushed the comlink.

“Forget it,” Lorvin grumbled. “Did you plant everything?”

“Yep,” Iggy stated and began to disrobe as well.

“Well then, turn up the volume a bit and we’ll blow it up as he ends the speech.” Lorvin chuckled and glanced at the man yet again, dressed in all black, his flaming hair catching her attention yet again.

Demo stepped up and turned up the volume. “There is no place for depravity in this galaxy, and this system shall be the first step in utilizing our technology to maintain order. This factory, built from the very stones of this planet, will forever remain a symbol of devotion and protection which the First Order will provide to those in need.”

“He sounds like a Nazi,” Shogun murmured.

“I know right? What is he, some space fascist?” Milia added, further confusing Iggy, Pers, and Demo.

“The First Order resembles some similarities to them, but they’re more ruthless,” Sasha interjected, rolling her eyes.

“You act like that’s a bad thing, maybe he’s just trying to inspire his troops!” Lorvin defended, a bit flustered. “Besides, he’s really passionate.”

“Lorvin, what the fuck are you on about?! Did you already forget they tried to kill you?” Sasha argued, clenching her fists. “You’re either on something or you’re the most narrow-minded, selfish, short-sighted, delusional, mentally impaired, and downright retarded individual I have ever had the displeasure of meeting.”

“...” Lorvin didn’t say a thing, thinking it was their usual banter. “Let’s just blow it up.”

Sasha scoffed, unable to contain her disdain any longer. She fumbled with her pants, pulling out a cigarette, and left the cockpit to not smoke inside. Even if she desired nothing more than to make the pilot gag on the fumes, she had others in mind.

“Alright, everyone grab a detonator!” The blonde smiled and grabbed the box with seven detonators. They were labeled, with each letter engraved on the metal tin.

“Sasha?” Iggy called. And reluctantly the merc grumbled something under her breath, took the detonator from his fingers, and continued about her day, leaning against the wall.

“Alright. On three.” Lorvin commanded. They turned to witness the explosion, everyone staring in anticipation. “One…”

“This day will be remembered…” The redhead boomed on stage, about to finish his speech.

“Two…!”

“For generations to come…”

“THREE!”

“As the new dawn of the First Order!”

With those words, everyone hit their detonators. Six letters simultaneously set off, the explosion causing everyone to panic. Wait…

“Why does it spell PATHETC?” Demo asked, glancing around the room. One didn’t go off.

“What word is that? I can’t even pronounce it!” Pers exclaimed, distraught.

“No fucking way.” Lorvin groaned, immediately assessing everyone. Shogun was struggling with his detonator. “Oh come on… Shogun, we agreed on three!”

“I know! My detonator doesn’t work!” He shouted. Chaos ensued outside as rubble fell left and right, people were stampeding over one another, stormtroopers running left and right and the man on the stage lay on the ground, barely avoiding a massive chunk of the building. The stormtrooper that pushed him out of the way wasn’t so lucky. “Maybe we didn’t arm the bombs in ‘I’?”

“You fucking donkey, give me that!” Sasha yelled and snatched it away before unscrewing the surface. “You moron… You didn’t connect the cables to the fuse. Oh my god…” She groaned. I’m surrounded by idiots, she thought.

She connected the two and pressed it. The ‘I’ appeared right in the spot in which it was missing. “There, Jesus Christ, you and Lorvin fight for the first place in incompetence.”

***

Hux was breathing heavily, saved only by the selfless soldier, no doubt he’d be forgotten in a few days. He got up, his hair disheveled and his coat ruined by the attack. Everyone was running around aimlessly, but he focused on watching, trying to gauge what, no, who did this. His eyes darted to Phasma, who was already barking orders. Henderson and other officers were escorted to safety, and he was left alone. His stormtrooper got squashed by a rock, no wonder he stayed behind.

He wobbled a bit and glanced up at the holes. As the smoke died down he narrowed his eyes, his teeth clenching, his jaws grinding. Was this an assassination attempt? Was it the Aris insurgents? And what the kriff did PATHETC even mean? Unless of course, the terrorists who did this were illiterate and tried to spell pathetic, but that was unlikely–

Suddenly another explosion went off and this time Phasma rushed in and tackled Hux yet again. This time, however, he felt a stinging sensation of humiliation. He was a First Order General, and he had to be saved twice on some backwater planet. It stung, especially now, that the entire galaxy witnessed his shaken composure. His ears were ringing, and his eyes were a little dusted, almost like seeing through a thick mist. Phasma was telling him something but he didn’t reply, he just stared into the distance. To the east.

He was met with the shiny, blue vessel. He recognized it in his haze, how would he not? The same ship that eluded him back on Scarif, the same one that dared to mock him through communication, and now, the one that almost assassinated him in front of the entire galaxy.

There was no hesitation in his voice, no sense of preservation. He pushed up and with as much air as he could, he yelled: “Fire on that cruiser!”

***

All covered in sweat, Sasha retired to her quarters earlier. As the door slid shut, she leaned against it, closing her eyes and taking shaky breaths. The pit in her stomach grew ever since they escaped the carnage on Aris. She had never seen the First Order in such a state, practically massacring civilians, firing at will… Wobbling to her bed she fell with a soft thud, bouncing on the mattress.

Lorvin’s celebration was mixed with Shogun’s singing, the boombox blasting loud music across the entire ship. Thank god the walls in her quarters were reinforced with muffling materials. She couldn’t stand either of them right now, and listening to “I’m still standing” at full volume was a punishment designed by Lucifer himself. As if fate taunted her more, the more she tried to ignore it and cover her ears, the louder Shogun’s singing got. Not to mention that every third or fourth note was off.

She opened her eyes, staring down. The shaking didn’t ease up, it only seemed to grow stronger with every moment, more reckless. Of course, she cared, but not for the civilians, or stormtroopers, or some buildings. She cared for herself, a bit for the crew, because who wouldn’t? Even if the leading members were braindead, she still cared for them. But now, she felt stuck, lost… Even frightened.

She didn’t expect that over the last year, they could become even worse, more powerful, corrupted, wretched… It scared her to think what would happen to them if they made a single mistake from this point on if their luck would run out.

But more than that, she was terrified of what would happen to her, once the truth finally reached the light of day. What he would think, and most importantly, what they would put her through to prove to them once and for all just where her loyalty truly lay.

Chapter Text

Metal clicking, people laughing, drinks pouring. The first few hours aboard Saturnine were filled with unbridled joy, with crewmembers being none the wiser to the grand scheme of things unfolding around them. Their vessel was a small sanctuary during the galactic crisis that emerged along with the recent attack. Holonet was bombarded with articles and theories, all under the watchful eye of the First Order’s Cyber Security Bureau, ensuring no article depicting the attackers as heroes was published. Days following the incident were tense, leaving the galaxy in shambles, and threatening another galactic war. All of this eluded the unlucky vessel, as they roamed through the endless night of the universe, guided only by the stars… And Lorvin’s half-assed navigation charts.

“So… By the looks of it if we continue forward… We will… Make a full circle.” Lorvin muttered.

“... You do know where we’re going, right?” Demo asked, studying the more-than-ancient papers.

“Not a single clue. But I can’t really tell everyone we’re lost.”

Around ten minutes later both pilots emerged from the cockpit.

“I declare… Saturnine’s astray!” The blonde shouted.

“... Did you really copy ‘The Office’?” Sasha asked, not even fazed by the prospect of getting stranded somewhere with no sense of direction. She was far more offended by the fact one of her favorite shows was being publicly defiled.

“What of it? It’s a nice quote.” Lorvin shrugged, glancing around the empty room. “What are you up to anyway, it’s late.”

“Do you have a clock?” Sasha narrowed her eyes.

“Not here, no. But you’ve been sitting here for hours doing…” The blonde tilted her head, watching the merc carefully scrape the green paint from her armor, “... this. I’m not sure why.”

Sasha’s expression turned into a scowl upon hearing the last part leave Lorvin’s mouth. With a stern look, she stopped scraping, putting the borrowed knife down before rising to her feet. “You’re not sure? Then how about you look at this.”

Pushing a few buttons, the holotable displayed the variety of articles you could stumble upon while surfing through the Holonet. Most of the crew was very aware of the impact their actions had caused, but they tuned out after a few pictures and interviews, blatantly dismissing the consequences and actions that would follow their sudden growth in popularity.

“You’ve been keeping track of all this?” Demo looked rather impressed, crossing her arms as the blue hue resonated in the room.

Sasha looked at her with a stoic expression, but deep inside she was mortified. Yes, she has kept up to date. Yes, she has…

“That. Was. Fucking amazing!” Shogun shouted. “Lorvin, get the boombox ready, we’re gonna party!”

“Relax, we still need to leave the system,” She rolled her eyes. She tightly held the steering yoke, her palms sweaty and shaky. Breathing raggedly, she looked at Demo with a pleading gaze, “Can you… Input the coordinates?”

“Sure.” Demo shrugged and started preparing the ship for another destination. “Where are we going, exactly?”

“As far away from Aris as possible.” The blonde replied, trying to take her hands off the yoke. Her eyes were glossy, her heart thumping. Adrenaline was slowly leaving her system, the near-death experience making her stiffen. They almost died. Shogun was blissfully unaware, much like everyone who didn’t have a window to peek through. Not to mention the civilians…

She’d have nightmares, no doubt, if she could get to her room first. Or relax and play some music. She’d kill for those headphones now.

“Did you see me?! I was like pew-pew! And they almost shot us down but I just-” Shogun boasted, excited like never before, specifically because he shot down one ship that followed them in between the city-scrapers.

“Wow, Shogun actually managed to land a hit. And it wasn’t in the bedroom.” Milia hit his elbow.

“Can someone please get me a glass of whisky? I’m gonna be sick.” The pilot muttered as she shook her head. This was by far the worst combination, seeing dead civilians and an explosion brought back far too many painful memories to count.

“I think we all deserve a glass of whisky,” Iggy remarked and Pers clasped her hands with a smile.

“Finally, a worthy occasion.” She mused, speeding off to the bar.

“Come on, Lorvin, lighten up. You did a good job.” Demo reassured, placing a hand on the pilot’s shoulder. “Even though we barrel rolled… I’m still glad we got out safely.”

“Yeah… Yeah, you’re right.” She muttered, not entirely convinced. Demo didn’t try again though, one time was more than enough. She got up and joined the celebrations in the common room, leaving Lorvin to her own thoughts.

Sasha had listened to all of it, sick to her stomach. If she could puke, she would, but there was no guarantee someone wouldn’t notice. She stood there, de-armored, crossing her arms. Her black t-shirt clung to her body, soaked in sweat, the male size shrinking in anyone’s eyes due to the level of stress she felt. Her hair was undone, and more disheveled than usual. She didn’t say anything, as a matter of fact, she was suffocating. She only gasped for air when someone called her name.

“Sasha!” Milia called. “Do you want to join in?”

The merc looked at her, caught like a deer in the headlights.

“Is… Everything okay?” The redhead added, fixing her glasses as if to assess her more clearly. “You look a little pale…”

“I’m fine,” Sasha replied, but her tone lacked her usual spunk. “I’m just… tired.”

Milia looked past her shoulder, noticing that everyone else was putting up a toast, cheerfully celebrating their recent victory. “If you want, we can keep it on the down-low and-”

“I said I’m fine, fucking christ.” She replied relentlessly, her dark hair covering her eyes for a split second, hiding the growing panic attack that began to form. “I’m going to sleep for a while.”

“Alright, if you say so.” The redhead sighed, pulling out a flask. “Here, this helps me sleep whenever you idiots bicker.” She handed her the liquid and smiled invitingly. “Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.”

“I wouldn’t have assumed it is.”

“Well, we’ll never know, will we?”

With a scoff, she accepted the flask and stuffed it in her military, baggy pants, deep inside her pocket. If she didn’t forget in the next few minutes, she’d probably drink it, not that she wanted to. She preferred cigarettes to alcohol, but every once in a while, she wouldn’t mind it. As long as it wasn’t some piss concocted by the MasterChef Shogun…

[LATER…]

It was quiet, too quiet. The last thing she remembered was Shogun’s failed solo, or maybe it was Iggy’s already… They got so incredibly drunk she couldn’t tell who was who, not in her state. She was still sweaty, something she had to fix. Getting up from her confines she noticed Milia soundly asleep to her left. Without waking her up she quietly made her way out of the room, sliding the door with a soft click.

The main room was dark, save for the blue hue emanating from the cockpit. It was simple things that she rarely found herself appreciating about Lorvin – for example the way she tried to keep the homely vibe around the ship. Perhaps they didn’t invest in plants, since no one knew how to properly take care of them, but the small gestures like shutting down lights or playing music that surprisingly wasn’t pop were often a sign of the deeper care the pilot had for her crew.

While making her way to the table, Sasha peeked inside the cockpit, just in case. Brown sleeves hung loosely around Lorvin’s sleeping form, covering her body in case the temperatures dropped. Her glasses lay soundly in the space between the panel and the windows. The glass reflected her face, a mixture of discontent and perhaps unease etched on it. Nightmares…

Sasha’s mind was torn between comforting her and letting her be. Ultimately, she chose the former and stepped back, towards the giant holotable. The blue holographic images displayed across the entire room illuminated the darkness the mercenary had grown so fond of in the past year.

Her blue eyes narrowed, unblinking. She had to re-read it. A few times to be sure. Then she clicked the link and a news report popped up.

“Authorities have retrieved the camera footage from the ruins of the freshly opened factory on Aris. The culprits couldn’t be identified, however, their plan, at first speculated to be an attack on peace and order from local protesters now is confirmed to be a planned and coordinated attack from presumed terrorists – here are the recordings.”

The news flashed brighter, zooming in on Sasha’s elusive figure as she dragged a knocked-out stormtrooper, just out of view. Ten minutes later, fast-forwarding the footage, six stormtroopers, who didn’t act like stormtroopers, stormed the factory entrance, posing as common soldiers. What followed was footage of Shogun getting kicked in the nuts, mingled with Pers’ decorations on bombs, minutes before detonation.

Sasha’s heart raced, her breath becoming labored as she watched the presenter intently. It was fine, it was still fine, it could’ve been anybody, they could just get rid of the ship and start a new life, away from the First Order’s eyes–.

“Here’s a probable reconstruction of the armor one of the assailants wore during the attack.” The presenter smiled widely, almost as if the image itself could sense the merc’s despair, mocking her through the screen with how uncanny she smiled. That smile etched itself into Sasha’s mind that night…

Demo and Lorvin both watched as the reconstruction flashed before their eyes. The resemblance was there, although a few key parts were missing. The helmet was completely off though, but they unfortunately nailed the color down to the minuscule detail.

“So what, they know the color, but the design is off. By a longshot.” The blonde stated, crossing her arms.

“How many mercenaries or bounty hunters have you known to wear green armor?” Sasha asked, her voice firm and snarky, even though she was back to scrubbing the paint off.

“I don’t know any.” She conceded, placing a hand on her hip. “Though I doubt there aren’t many out there. Green is a popular color.”

“Actually it’s not,” Demo interjected. “It’s been used in the past, mostly worn by Jedi or used as a form of camouflage.”

“And where did you learn that, some galactic wiki?” Lorvin jabbed, rolling her eyes.

Demo narrowed her eyes. “Even if I did, it’s still true. Though I suppose some six-year-old alien wouldn’t know it even if it hit him in the face.”

“I’m twenty-six.” The blonde corrected.

“Big difference, you’re like a newborn in our galaxy.” Demo huffed. “You’ve been here how long exactly?”

“Six years.”

“So I’m correct then, you’re six.”

“That’s not how aging works!”

“Shut the fuck up both of you!” Sasha boomed. “We have more pressing issues! We need to find a way to–”

As Sasha began to lay out her carefully considered (or rather overthought) plan on how to tackle their newest issues, the door slid open. Milia was grumbling under her breath, her red hair in disarray.

“Sasha… Something’s been pinging like crazy, how the hell can you sleep with that?” She muttered, tossing a device straight into Sasha’s face. The merc swiftly caught it, her muscles tensing at the contact, creating the illusion of flexing.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the familiar ping, the red hue unmistakable. Without a word she stood up, dropping her armor, and pushed Milia aside.

“Hey, knock that out” But before the redhead could finish, the door slammed in her face. It started becoming a habit lately, one that left the gambler even more annoyed than usual.

As Sasha entered their shared quarters, locking the door, her eyes darted around before stopping at the device. The red ping was echoing in her ears, ringing just like the first time she used it. It has been a while since she contacted anyone, which led her to wonder if anyone wanted to contact her because of the news or the news. If they recognized her… But the bounties weren’t stated yet, so maybe it was just a false alarm. Right?

With a heavy mind, she pushed the button and the red text message popped up in a holographic display. The text in Aurebesh, the familiar mythosaur symbol stamped right in the corner. This wasn’t a mistake. This was a call to arms. One from an old acquaintance that Sasha had hoped to never hear from again.

“These… Uprisings are concerning, General.” Snoke’s hologram was far worse in its full form, compared to the floating head, “but what’s even more concerning is how you’ve allowed a spark to slowly rekindle… And how you decided to falsify information.”

“Forgive me, Supreme Leader, the matter was dealt with at the time…” Hux started but only received an angered expression. The hologram rose.

“General!”

Hux went silent, his face aloof and devoid of emotions. His fists clenched at his sides as the giant humanoid stared daggers at him, before sighing. “Perhaps it’s time to evaluate our strategies.” He looked down. “Your promotion shall be postponed, General, until you can prove to me that you’re capable of delivering results.”

“We caught their trace, Supreme Leader, they won’t evade us for long.” Hux

Snoke’s glare only sharpened, but the humanoid sat back down, his expression being one of contemplation.

“Do not let them get away unscathed, General. We cannot allow such… defiance to last.” He seethed. “All it takes is one flicker. Soon, the rumors will spread of another organization, a threat to our cause, our rule. Whispers in the streets, about insurgents, rebels, colluding together to undermine peace and order. And when they’ll rise…” Snoke clenched his fist around the armchair. “See to it that this flicker dies down before it sparks any more resistance.”

“Of course, Supreme Leader.” Hux nodded, slowly relaxing under his superior’s scrutiny.

“Don’t fail me again, I expect results to be… at the very least promising,” Snoke added, his face contorting in a smile. “Were you to fail me again, I shall deploy more… lethal forces to take care of this problem.”

He clenched his fists, the thought of his long-term rival getting involved made his blood pressure rise. Not in a good way. The general just nodded, hiding his true feelings, even if he knew Snoke could read him like a book. He always has, but they both chose to pretend like he didn’t. Curse the Force and useless magic these two possessed.

With a final bow, he muttered a quick “Yes, Supreme Leader,” and turned on his heels to leave. He had a lot of explaining, fixing, hunting, and managing to do. Everything was delayed, reports kept flocking in and he had no time for anything. First things first, he had to find his officers and take a course of action regarding the pesky pirate vessel.

His footsteps thundered through the corridors of the Finalizer, his gaze sharp and set on quickly correcting his misjudgments, swiftly barking out directives to stormtroopers, lieutenants, and everyone who got in his way.

“Henderson.” He called as he arrived at the bridge. Storming to the front, the young blonde followed him, writing down everything he demanded. Through her time on the ship, she came to realize just how much her position had changed – from a promising career and climbing the ranks she had been reduced to a mere officer, an assistant for a ruthless, cold man who didn’t value her enough. To be fair, he didn’t value anything except efficiency and advancements. After all, his soldiers, even if trained from birth, were nothing but that, soldiers.

“Contact Captain Phasma and scour the network for any usable videos or images of the ship. Send word to our fleets. I want every vessel at our disposal to track and hunt down these rebel scumbags.” He ordered, his words spewing out of his mouth faster than the speed of light.

“Shall we set up bounties–” Henderson inquired but he quickly turned around, his gaze murderous.

“Absolutely not. We cannot rely on some whimsy pirates and vermin to do our tasks for us. We are not incompetent.”

“But sir, we could use the help. Additionally, we could contact our loyal, regular contractors, so as to not arouse any suspicion and stay inconspicuous.”

He looked at her, contemplating. The girl was sharp, which was good, he commended her on it quite often, that was, whenever he didn’t berate her first. With a reluctant sigh, he nodded.

“Very well, officer. Send the word to our most trusted assets in the guild. But be discreet about it, we don’t need rumors to spread and undermine our image. If the First Order is to thrive and keep the galaxy unstained, we cannot allow for these rebels to persist…” He continued, clenching his gloved fists so hard the sound reverberated through the bridge.

Henderson stopped listening after a while, obviously zoning out and pretending to listen. She couldn’t care less about another boring lecture from the man. As much as his eloquent language didn’t bother her, it was his power-hungry, monotonous tone in which he always addressed his soldiers, often treating them like inferior beings. To be fair, he probably treated his superiors with the same level of snobbishness.

“Did you get all that, Officer?” He finally asked, his voice sharp, eyes piercing.

“Yes, general.” She affirmed and noted down everything, not brave enough to interrupt him and also not brave enough to mention that she got distracted halfway through his rant.

"I'm hungry," Shogun whined, resting his head on his elbows.

"Maybe if you ate more, you wouldn't have been hungry in the first place," Pers remarks as she prepares a fresh pot of soup. "But nooo, all you do is complain. That's too spicy, that's too salty, that's underseasoned..." She grumbled, stirring with renewed vigor.

"Well, if you must know, I'd feel less hungry if we ate normal food every once in a while." He retorted, crossing his arms.

"And what does our sous chef see as normal food?"

"Something edible. Like... Potatoes." He announced, his finger pointed up. "Everyone knows you can't go wrong with potatoes."

"And where will you find potatoes anyway?! We're in another galaxy, potatoes are not likely to be here–" Milia began to scold him, but to her surprise, Pers interjected:

"Actually, you can buy potatoes. But they're really expensive. You can also harvest them from local farms on Kinyen.”

Feeling thrilled for the first time in forever, Shogun jumped up excitedly, rushing to the brunette.

“Really?!” He exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear.

“Yeah, they’re called the Three-eyed-potatoes,” Pers explained and took a cautious step back. “They’re really healthy as far as I have heard.”

“Good enough for me.” Shogun smiled. “Get Lorvin and Demo to chart the course to Kanyien, or whatever it was called, we’re finally getting some good fucking food.”

Iggy and Demo exchanged a knowing look, absolutely baffled by the idea.

"Aw hell nah," Iggy whispered.

"Over my dead body," Demo confirmed.

Neither of them was willing to travel far and wide for the sake of Shogun's craving.

Suddenly, the door slid open and Sasha emerged, now fully armored.

"Ah, Sasha, just in time for the fireworks." Lorvin smiled, crossing her arms.

"... Do I even want to know?" She asked, her tone mundane.

"I am officially setting out on a cooking expedition to retrieve the most delicious food there is!" Shogun exclaimed. "We're hunting for potatoes!"

Sasha looked at him, her incredulous expression hidden under her helmet. However, her reaction was quite predictable.

"Aw hell nah."

“What do you mean you’re not going?!” Shogun was baffled, hanging onto Sasha’s arm like a lifeline. “Pleaaaaase! We need you!”

“You’re acting like a child, you’re older than me, you’re a man and recently you were thrilled with your brilliant achievements.” She scoffed, grabbing his hand and pushing him away. “You’ll manage.”

“But why can’t you go?” He inquired, pestering her further. “I would feel much safer with a strong woman by my side…”

“Get your gay ass away from me you clown.” She barked and marched towards the cockpit. Her steps were measured as she found Lorvin already charting courses. Demo was already browsing through the star systems, visibly displeased.

“Anything you need my little nicotine addict?” Lorvin asked with a smirk, her gaze never shifting from her notes.

“We need to talk about ships.” The merc stated coldly, standing between the two women. “More specifically – who’s taking Saturnine.”

“What do you mean who takes- You’re not ditching us again, are you?” The pilot's attention was piqued, especially at the prospect of being left alone. Again. Lorvin always thought that Sasha’s behavior resembled that of a cat: always walking her own paths, seeking opportunities and ways to come out on top.

“No you idiot, I have a meeting back on Takodana.” She replied curtly. “And I need a pilot for that.”

“I’ll go!” Demo shouted almost immediately, her head perking up.

“And here I thought you’d be more than happy to accompany us to Kinyen.” Lorvin chuckled, crossing her arms. “But fine, you can take Saturnine-”

“Absolutely not,” Sasha interjected, her tone leaving no room for argument.

“We need a fast ship, I am not letting you go with Metcur.” The pilot argued regardless. “Besides, it’s not fully operational, what if it malfunctions during the trip?”

“Then we’ll take Iggy with us in case of emergencies.” The merc stated, unfazed by the protests.

“And what if we encounter issues?” The blonde pressed, clearly annoyed.

“That will be a you problem so cry me a river.” Sasha rolled her eyes and turned around. “We’re taking Metcur, end of discussion.”

“Saturnine is wanted and we don’t know how to defend ourselves! What, you expect us to fend off this First Order bullshit with Shogun? Come on…” Lorvin raised her arms in a pleading gesture.

“And how are we supposed to crew Saturnine with three people?” She countered.

“Take Milia with you!”

“And risk alcohol poisoning? No, thank you.”

“And you couldn’t tell me earlier?!” Lorvin barked as Pers and Milia laughed in the background.

“You were asleep! How was I supposed to know that they weren’t doing a simple check-up!” Shogun blurted out, his robes clinging loosely to his body. “I didn’t want to bother you and they wouldn’t lie to me!”

“They just did!” Lorvin shouted.

Metcur was gone, along with Iggy, Demo, and the always two-step-ahead control freak, Sasha. Slipping through the cracks in security – or in other words, Shogun’s cubicle – they managed to get the secondary ship engaged and cruised away on some unknown adventure all the way to Takodana. Presumably. They wouldn’t lie about that, would they?

The blonde’s nostrils flared and she was inching to throttle Shogun where he stood. Had Milia not interfered, she probably would.

“Let them have the ship. We’ll be fine on Saturnine.” She stated. “We’ll sell it and buy a new ship.”

“This junk is considered half a ship after all those crashes Lorvin performed.” Shogun butted in, crossing his arms dramatically.

“Eh, then we’re still flying half a ship.” Milia shrugged. “The point is, we can do something productive with the ship, while they took the small junk.”

“Size doesn’t matter,” Shogun interjected. Upon realizing what he sounded like he quickly added: “Of the ship, of course. We just need a skilled pilot, so thank the maker Demo went with them.”

“I swear if you don’t shut up I will slap you.” Lorvin threatened.

“Ignore him.” Milia sighed.

“Please don’t, I want to watch.” Pers hummed humorously. “I always wondered what a fight between two women from your planet would look like.”

“No.” Milia scolded. “No, you don’t.”

“Excuse me?! I am in fact not a female!” Shogun scowled, offended. “I am-”

“Yapping too much. Everyone just go back to sleep, I’ll get us to Kinyen and trace Metcur.” Lorvin stopped him and groaned. “Hopefully Demo didn’t turn off the tracking system.”

“Give me that,” Sasha stated as she scooted over to Metcur’s control panel. With one swift kick, she opened the lower compartment and began digging through the wires and various fuses, not even bothering to be careful. Iggy would fix it either way.

Her hand clasped around a metal handle, buried behind the fuse box. She pulled it out and revealed a bar of diodes, flickering vibrantly. Sasha narrowed her eyebrows, concentrating on pulling out the right cords.

“Isn’t that necessary for tracking?” Demo inquired, watching the merc meddle with the ship's tech.

“Yes. But it also tracks us. I’m rewiring it so it only tracks others and masks our signature.” She answered, juggling with the cables, one after the other, with a military level of precision.

“Is that legal?” Iggy asked, his brow furrowing.

“Is anything we do legal at this point?” Demo sighed. “That’s a rhetorical question.” She mumbled after a moment.

“Thank you. I’m glad spending time with Lorvin didn’t fry your brain cells.”

Iggy sighed and sat down at one of the benches that hugged the wall tightly. Metcur shook violently, alarms blaring. Demo grew anxious as she watched Sasha curse, words that sounded so foreign and yet so familiar. Imagine what a few months with aliens can do to significantly expand your vulgar vocabulary.

“State yourself, otherwise I’m flying over there myself!” An automated voice boomed, undoubtedly belonging to the blonde menace herself. It was pre-recorded.

“What in the flying fuck is this?!” Sasha barked as she slammed down the controls, the panel just turned red in response.

“Uh-uh-uh! You can’t use this until you put the tracker back!” Lorvin’s automated voice rang out. Every five seconds, the message repeated, creating an agonizing melody of the pilot's cheerful, high-pitched voice, taunting everyone on board.

“How did she even install this?!” Sasha roared, pulling out her electrostaff, and started beating up Metcur’s controls.

“Stop! You’ll damage the ship!” Demo cried out and held the merc by the arms, attempting to pull her away. She swiftly broke free and turned to the speaker.

“Uh-uh-uh! You can’t use this until you-” With one swift swing, she smashed it into pieces. That didn’t solve their problem in the long run, but at least she didn’t have to listen to Lorvin the entire time.

“I swear, I will bury her alive one of these days. How the hell did she manage to upload that message anyway? She can hardly navigate the holonet, let alone tinker with the ship's logs. That would require…” She looked at Iggy with an annoyed expression. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“She asked for help, she didn’t tell me what it was,” Iggy replied with a shrug.

“... You totally knew what it was, you little troll.”

“... Yeah, I did.”

For a while, Lorvin observed the ship on the screens. Metcur appeared, disappeared, reappeared again, reappeared in several different locations at the same time, cloning its signature and spreading like a virus. Soon the entire screen looked like a jumbled crossword of Metcurs, crossing each icon in a different spot. The charts got corrupted to the point that the blonde had little to no idea if they were actually flying in the right direction.

That, however, got quickly fixed, roughly an hour later, when the Metcur’s tracing rounded down to three separate ones, two of which were somewhere in the void.

“Would you look at that… The tracker is back in its rightful spot.” Lorvin mused as she steered the ship toward the atmosphere.

“Didn’t it get ripped out a while ago?” Milia asked, pushing buttons and coordinating the lower engines for landing. Of course, she had no clue what to do so instead of asking she just pressed random keys, pulled levers, and held buttons.

“It did. But let’s say that I left a very pleasant surprise for anyone who’d ever steal Metcur.”

The redhead glanced at the pilot with a bemused expression. “Actually, come to think of it, how did Metcur even get its name?”

The blonde smiled smugly, staring into the distance. “Oh, that’s a story I’m sure Sasha would like to tell. Since she’s absent… I suppose I have to fill you in–”

There were slight turbulences, Saturnine shook violently the closer it got to the ground. The gravity made it difficult to navigate. From above it was hard to even land, the terrain was filled with agricultural fields, forests, mountains, rocks, rivers… It felt like their home, in a way, only far more peaceful. “Look at that. Almost like Canada.”

“Or Alaska,” Milia commented.

“... I’d rather not think about Alaska right now.”

“Why?”

“I had beef with Alaskan people.”

“Now I’m curious, what did you do?”

“It was back on UN1TY…” The ship shook for the second time, bordering on activating emergency lights. “Jesus, what the hell…”

“I swear, that wasn’t me, I didn’t touch anything.” Milia raised her hands in mock surrender, her eyes roaming around the cockpit in exasperation.

“I know… I guess we’ll have to land in the field and fast.” Lorvin quipped and withdrew her comlink: “Ladies and one gentle-not-sure-what, we are arriving at our destination and as always, we’ll have–”

Halfway through her announcement, the ship bounced off of the ground and violently rocked forward and backward. This repeated a few times before they finally settled.

“A very smooth landing.” She finally finished and rubbed her nose, as blood leaked from it. She managed to hit her head too hard on the control panels, particularly the landing gear switch. “My nose has never felt better.” She muttered, massaging it slightly, her tone more sarcastic than ever.

Pers got to the cockpit, unharmed as always, and Shogun followed right after. “Is the ship okay?” They both asked in unison.

“Ow… Yes! How about you ask if I’m okay for once!” Lorvin jabbed and groaned in discontent.

“Stop whining and let’s just get what we came for. Up up, Captain.” Milia patted her arm and walked out of the cramped space. The ramp slid down, right into a stash of wheat and potatoes. “Oh crap.”

Once they disembarked the ship, they were surrounded by aliens. All four of them flinched at their appearance. Three separate eyes stared at them, with weird-looking horns pointing upwards. It looked sentient, though bizarre and disgusting.

“Yaafganaa!!!” One shouted, clearly anxious. And furious, but that's beside the point.

“Did… Anyone understand what the monstrosity just said?” Shogun asked, looking at Milia and Lorvin, who looked back at Pers.

“Don’t look at me, I don’t speak this language! I just know Aurebesh.” She held her hands up.

“Shogun, what the fuck did you get us in this time…” Lorvin whined again, as the aliens closed in, shouting things none of them could understand. This was going to be a long day…

Chapter Text

“We’re approaching Takodana, preparing for landing,” Demo announced, as she piloted Metcur into the atmosphere. The ship rocked lightly, a great contrast to their usual ventures that ended in barrel rolls.

In the distance, they could see the vast forests and beautiful lakes that covered the entire planet. Trees stretched far and wide, undisturbed by neither the war nor the First Order’s influence, a safe haven for those who wanted to disappear off the face of the galaxy. Those who wanted to start a new life, make deals, or get summons were often called here to collaborate or settle their debts, Something Sasha knew all too well.

She watched through the window, her gaze expressionless, but the dimmed look in her eyes spoke of many horrors she witnessed: scams, executions, cheating, desertion. Takodana was a planet of bounty hunters, mercenaries, and pirates, whose allegiance could be brought down to the highest bidder. Paid guns often had no moral codes — that’s how this line of work operated.

“Where should we land?” Demo inquired as she circled lower and lower, searching for a good, semi-immersive spot.

“There’s a landing spot that is unused,” Sasha remarked. “Here.” She pointed to a plant-infested landing pad.

When they finally landed with a quiet thud, the ship went into stealth mode, camouflaging itself with the growing vines. Demo shut the engines off and quickly got up to get ready for a checkup. Leaving Metcur, Sasha remained alone with Iggy, who grew slightly skeptical.

“How did you know to land here?” He asked, eyeing the merc warily.

“It’s called intuition, Iggy. When you’ll be on your own you’ll learn how to navigate the galaxy based solely on your senses.” She replied. “Now let’s get going, my contact is waiting.”

She wanted to get it over with without further questioning. After all, she wasn’t about to reveal that she’s been on the planet more than once already, let alone dive deeper into her life between working for Saturnine.

“And who exactly is this contact of yours? And why did they want to meet you here?” He probed, his pursuit for knowledge not easing, but only growing. He was perceptive, that was obvious, and when something didn’t add up he would either press further or drop it. Then someone would find him in his room, using his hanging board to connect the dots like a maniac.

“Why do you need to know?” She asked, getting annoyed at his line of questioning.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. But uh… I don’t trust a lot of people at the moment.” He blurted out. “I’ve never been wanted before, let alone for arson, homicide, attempted murder, treason, and acts of terrorism.”

“Huh, first time?” She smirked. “Trust me, those are baby charges.”

“Baby charges? You didn’t have worse ones right?”

A long pause enveloped them.

“Right?” He asked again.

She didn’t reply, the metal shoes just stomped down the ramp without another word, leaving Iggy squirming and wondering. What else did the merc hide behind those blue eyes? What was going on inside her head?

[SATURNINE, KINYEN]

“Deux caisses de pommes de terre.” Lorvin deliberately showed two fingers, trying to explain what they needed. Obviously, the aliens didn’t understand French. “Deux caisses! FUCKING DEUX CAISSES!”

However, the Grans didn’t understand a word, they kept screaming in their language, which frankly didn’t sound like a language to begin with.

“Yaaaa! Kungoo un wantaaa wii!!!” one of them spoke, and no one knew whether that was a threat, a promise, a greeting, or something else.

“Oh for fuck’s sake…” Lorvin groaned, her hands instinctively hiding her face from further shame and frustration.

“Allow me.” Shogun stepped up and cleared his throat. “こんにちは！ジャガイモを2箱貸してくれませんか?”

The crew just stared in disbelief as the man tried to communicate, and they weren’t the only ones. Grans looked at each other looking almost scared at the sudden noise. Some of them even grabbed nearby spikes to defend themselves. Seeing this, Milia immediately rushed in and pulled him away. “Let me handle this.” She urged and stood before the aliens, analyzing them.

They had three eyes, they looked like people, and were average size. Their clothes were traditional, hugging them warmly. She couldn’t tell if those were males, females, something in-between, or something completely random. Did aliens even have gender? She wouldn’t worry about that now, she just wanted to get it over with.

“Ciao fratelli, avete due cartoni di patate?” The redhead put on her best salesman accent and began speaking Italian. Again, the aliens didn’t understand a bloody thing, which should’ve been obvious from the beginning. Then again, it’s the Saturnine crew we’re talking about here…

Pers watched from the sidelines and couldn’t contain her embarrassment any further.

“Do any of you actually know Gran?” She asked, eyeing all of them with contempt.

“Uh… What’s Gran?” Shogun asked, blinking.

“Their language?” Pers answered, more concerned than before. “You… do know that not every alien speaks Basic, right? And that they most certainly won’t understand whatever sithspit you just vomited out, right?”

Lorvin looked at Pers in embarrassment, Milia in contemplation, and Shogun in mild exasperation. “What do you mean they don’t understand Japanese?! What uncultured swine wouldn’t know the language of the cherry blossoms?”

“You’re the only one who knows it.” Lorvin scoffed.

“That just goes to show I’m the most educated out of all of you.” He replied.

“That’s why they wanted to put your head on a spike. Speaking in bush language surely gave them a scare.” Milia remarked and crossed her arms.

“Just let me handle this.” Pers pleaded. “I know basic Gran, my father forced me to learn it when I was younger. I don’t remember much, but it’s better than letting… well… Shogun do anything at all.”

“Deal.” Lorvin agreed immediately, much to Shogun’s dismay.

“Hmph!” He huffed and pouted, disappearing from view upon returning to Saturnine. The audacity!

He sauntered back to his small cubicle, shared with Iggy and his pet rat. Malik squeaked as Shogun entered, but he paid him no mind. With an angry determination he pulled out a small box from under his bed, rummaging through various garbage he collected over the years. Trinkets, rings, broken blasters, swords, a sandwich from his home planet that grew mold, if it was still mold and not a mini-colony.

For a long time, he felt like he was stuck in this constant circle of mockery and ridicule like he didn’t really matter. Ever since his boyfriend died, everything went to shit, to say the least. His hopes, dreams, status… He became something he dreaded – nothing. No one. He fought for scraps, his abilities didn’t shine, and he felt unappreciated and lost. Rejected by the crew and by his people, every day was another struggle.

What did I do wrong? He thought every night. In the back of his mind, he knew the answer, but he was far from ready to actually acknowledge it. Not yet, when some people actually depended on him.

There were times when he felt happy, but with Saturnine it was always a gamble. He tried to mask his inner turmoil, hiding behind pouts, huffs, and fake smiles. After all, Japanese warriors didn’t show pain, they fought with honor against all odds. Even if he was an American, he valued the culture of a superior country.

Finally, his hand lightly grazed the familiar metal. Bingo. Shogun grabbed the weapon and pulled it out. The delicate hilt seemed to merge with the palm of his hand, like it was made only for him and wasn’t just another stolen object. He couldn’t quite remember where he got it, hell, he barely remembered what he did that night… Or day… but what he did know was that this would help them a lot with the art of persuasion. If those inferior creatures didn’t understand words, they’d surely understand force. Brutal force.

With a joyful step, he left the room and proceeded to get back to the group, which had already traversed a certain amount of distance.

“Hey! Wait up!” He called as he hid the item in his robe and quickly rushed to catch up.

The good ol’ tavern-like interior, the roars of laughter, and lots of alcohol. Takodana alright. Crowds of people, aliens, and anything in between sat around dirtied tables, littered with glasses and cards, chips even. Bottles were brought forth left and right, keeping all guests equally intoxicated. The music was just the background to what really took place here, quietly soothing the customers while crime lords indulged in the everlasting pleasures of their shady businesses.

Sasha pushed through waitresses, patrons, and droids, followed by the two younger crewmembers. For her the debauchery wasn’t new, it was familiar, nostalgic even, as she navigated through the interior. Nothing has changed, except the dampening ceiling and a couple of new faces. Then again, it was only a year since she visited, and the place seemed to only grow moldier each time she came here.

The bartender noticed a blink of the familiar armor, one he couldn’t easily forget. He leaned against the counter to get a better look, and his eyes widened with familiarity. He’d recognize that devious walk everywhere, only one bounty hunter waltzed around the joint like she owned the place. A harsh bark of laughter, rumbling from his throat echoed throughout the entire saloon, followed by a thunderous call.

“Ahaha! Prohov!”

Upon hearing that name, the bar fell silent, save for the music that played in the background, a melody turned haunting at the sudden revelation. Iggy and Demo raised their eyebrows, the nickname completely unfamiliar, but Sasha glared from behind her helmet as she made her way straight to the bartender. People cowered and parted ways as the merc drew closer.

“Voytes.” She called coldly. “Still dating that ugly hag?”

“It’s a he now.”

“And here I thought you’d be the last bastion of common sense.”

“Some things change. I became more… open-minded.”

“What happened to being supportive of the First Order and their nationalistic views?” She asked as he slowly started pushing a glass of Corellian whiskey toward her. “I was under the impression your cock didn’t do your thinking for you.”

“It doesn’t, it just expands my horizons.” He rumbled charismatically and waited for the merc to grab the drink. However, she was less than interested in the drink and more in his words, an invisible scowl forming on her face, beneath the cold visage of her helmet.

“Spare me the innuendos, Voytes, I don’t have time to sit here and listen to your adventures. I already heard enough to last me a few lifetimes.” Sasha rebutted, her skin crawling with countless stories Shogun claimed to have experienced. She doubted he ever slept with anyone, but his imagination could picture vivid stories and morph them into reality. For some reason, he sounded believable and unbelievable at the same time.

“Of course, business comes first, unless it’s me.” He joked and took the glass away, downing it in one go. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and slammed the glass down, his eyes assessing the shorter woman. He seemed to bore into her helmet as if he could decipher what was going on beneath it.

When the patrons realized it was clear, they went back to their usual conversations, albeit warily. Unease and uncertainty lurked between them, like a snake in a blissful garden, ready to strike, yet biding its time. Sasha was an enigma, a variable they didn’t account for, much like the two individuals who accompanied her.

“You know… We heard rumors, countless of them, both First Order and not.” Voytes started, his smile fading as he leaned closer. “Rumors of your untimely demise, your home being found in ruin. Of your body scorched beyond recognition. For a moment I thought you were really gone, which would be a huge shame. After all… What would my bar do without its favorite bounty hunter?” He murmured, with a chuckle. “Who would kill my patrons, drink all my booze, and entertain the locals with shitty stories and violence?”

“Someone else would.” She started loudly, not bothering with secrecy. She never did, did she? “It’s not like I’m irreplaceable, I’m aware of that. And your dependency on me has always been an annoyance, as well as a mild inconvenience.”

“You say that as if you didn’t miss me at all.”

“I didn’t. If you thought I did, you’re even dumber than I assumed.”

Voytes scowled and huffed in annoyance. “What do you want then? Didn’t come here to rob me, did you? Or is that what great Prohov does now?”

“Tell me where Bianco is.” She asked, her altered voice leaving little to the sort of question it was.

“You think you can just barge in here, insult me, insult my bar, and shit on me like you own the place?” He snarled his fists clenching around the edges of the counter.

They stared at each other for over a minute before Voytes relented and laughed, diffusing the tension between them. Still, Sasha kept her hand hovering over the blaster rifle she carried with her at all times. As much as the bulky man annoyed her, he was still useful. In a way. Can’t really control the neutral ground without a gossiping, drunken fool running it, can you?

“You haven’t changed a bit, my little spitfire.” He complimented and nudged his head. “Bianco is waiting for you upstairs, same as usual. Though I suppose he didn’t account for your… companions.”

Iggy and Demo stood there awkwardly, already feeling like they were assessed by everyone in the joint. They’d ask questions later, right now they wanted nothing more than to leave this place.

“He’ll either accept them or he can kiss my ass. They’re with me and only I can torment them.” She replied and turned away, addressing the two. “Come on, follow me. This probably won’t take long.”

As the three went upstairs, Voytes smiled to himself, cleaning the glass he downed a while ago. He hummed, deep in his thought, wondering if maybe, just maybe, Sasha changed. After all, she used to work alone, and now she showed up with two youngsters. Maybe they all go soft at some point…

“Hope you didn’t go soft on me, Prohov.” He murmured to himself, watching the last shadows disappear from view.

[SATURNINE, KINYEN, VILLAGE CENTER]

“God… How long were you running after us?” Lorvin grimaced as Shogun panted directly at her neck, the taller man doubling over from exhaustion.

“About… Twenty minutes…” He huffed out quietly, careful not to disturb Pers in her crude negotiations. Her Gran was lacking, but it was enough to tell them what they wanted.

“And you couldn’t just walk?” Milia asked. “You know, like a normal person?”

“Is he a normal person though?” Lorvin quipped, pushing the long-haired wannabe warrior away, “Just… look at him.”

“What’s wrong with me?!” He shouted, getting the attention of the farmers nearby.

“It would be easier to list what isn’t.” The blonde rolled her eyes and her gaze left him for a mere second.

He tightened his fists around the robes and stared dangerously at Lorvin. Despite his efforts to calm down the three-eyed aliens didn’t help, their eyes watching him with confusion. Shogun felt something in him churn at their sight, almost like they emanated condescension and malice. Even if they looked at him with innocence.

“Guys, he said we need to pay for the crates.” Pers finally stated. “Plus he said our ship is wanted and we have to surrender since the reward money would help expand their village and plant more crops.”

All of them fell silent, Shogun’s brows furrowed and Milia let out a bark of laughter.

“You can tell him he can kiss his ass.” Lorvin jabbed, crossing her arms.

“I don’t think there’s an adequate translation…”

“I’ll show you an adequate translation. Watch.” She popped her knuckles and showed two middle fingers to the leading farmer. He looked confused.

“Lorvin, that’s a sign for praying,” Pers said, her hand connecting with her face.

“Eh, it’s better than signing peace.” Milia shrugged, making Shogun laugh. The young man laughed so much in fact, that the lightsaber just fell out of his jacket.

Suddenly panicked aliens started screaming, hugging kids, and dispersing. The leader shouted something in a language they couldn’t understand and people raised their spears and pitchforks.

“Alright, new plan. Steal the crates!” Milia shouted and snatched a crate, Pers taking another one. “Get to work, Lorvin!” She added, passing the crate to the pilot and running away.

“Shogun!” Pers shouted. “What the kriff!”

“Don’t worry! I figured out how to use it!” He stated and as one of the angry mob-farmer rushed him, he activated it. The blue laser shone brightly in the daylight, stunning everyone with its beauty. One Gran quickly pulled out a remote camera, but got pushed aside. The picture was taken regardless, showing Shogun’s form with the lightsaber in hand.

The young man swung his weapon violently, trying to scare them away. “Take that! And that, you savages!”

“Shogun, move!” Pers called. “We got everything, come on!”

With a determined look, he slashed the air, grazing one of the aliens. Or so he thought. The lightsaber felt heavy in his hands, slow, and therefore his cut hit even harder. A lone arm fell to the ground as the human man rushed back to the ship. In his mind he tried to replay what happened, the adrenaline making his head spin. He just decapitated someone’s arm. Just what was this weapon made of?!

All four booked it to Saturnine, safely. Pitchforks hit and made small dents in the metal, but other than that the ship was unharmed. Lorvin turned the engines on and saw a flash of light zoom at the hull. Someone took pictures!

“No photos!” She shouted as Saturnine zoomed up. They were almost out of reach, almost–

Suddenly they halted, even though the engines were on. Whatever stopped them didn’t spell good news. “What the hell is going on?! I can’t move!”

Pers looked through the small window and her face paled. Milia joined her and her expression turned sour too. “We might have a small issue…”

“I’d say slimy…” Milia added.

“Oooh! Is it Octodaddy?” Shogun asked, peering through the small window. His eyes widened in shock. “I take it back!”

[METCUR, TAKODANA]

The stairs dragged on forever, up to the highest room in the entire building. Iggy and Demo followed closely behind, not really sure where the stairs led, but putting their trust in Sasha regardless.

“So… your last name is Prohov?” Demo asked, raising an eyebrow. Someone had to defuse the tension and her ever-hungry mind couldn’t help but crave the knowledge. After all, keep your friends close, enemies closer, frenemies on a leash, right?

“What do you think?” Sasha replied in a monotonous tone as she finally ascended the final floor.

“Is that a yes or a no?” Iggy inquired, clearly invested as well.

Sasha glanced over her shoulder, didn’t say a word, and just walked into the enormous chamber.

“I think that was a no,” Demo whispered, following close behind. The two sighed in unison and decided not to pry further, since the stubborn merc wouldn’t tell them regardless. But somewhere in their mind, a hint of something akin to acknowledgment took root, that perhaps she was, in fact, a Prohov. Whatever that meant.

“Sasha!” A cheerful male voice snapped them out of their thoughts as they watched a white-haired man hug Sasha. She didn’t respond to it, furthermore, she stiffened in his arms. “It’s so good to see you alive and kicking. I knew that explosion didn’t kill you!”

“... Bianco.” She retorted, not bothered with civility. “I trust you didn’t summon me without reason?”

“No, of course not! And who are these gorgeous… Specimens?” He asked, pushing past her to examine the two crewmembers. “My my, a tech boy and a slave? You really assembled quite the… entourage.”

“Those are my teammates.” Sasha barked, snatching him away from the unsuspecting and fully offended teens.

“Teammates? You and teamwork? Maybe you really got hit in the head in that crash!” He laughed, patting her back. “Nevertheless, I am thrilled to see you! And I’m sure our good friend will be as well.”

Sasha stiffened further, knowing full well who was waiting just behind the next door. “Is he here?” She asked quickly. The last thing she wanted was to meet him in person, she wasn’t ready to explain how she survived and turned into a wanted criminal.

“No, you know him. The pompous bastard doesn’t have enough time to mingle with us… Personally, if you catch my drift.” He nudged her arm, a smirk plastered all over his face. “We both know he has a taste for finer things in life, such as credits, loyalty, and pus–”

“If you value your tongue, keep your mouth shut, will you?” Sasha growled and stepped up to the door. She exhaled, even if the helmet prevented her. Behind her Iggy stood casually, cross-armed, while Demo was still trying to cover their disgust and shame, the same feelings that radiated from the merc. She clenched her fists and pushed into the room.

It was just like she remembered, Bianco didn’t change it too much. The emblems on the walls, the giant holo-projector in the middle of the room that used to collect dust. Neither of them wanted to clean it, but then Sasha always folded, since she hated disorganization. Plus it was always a way to exercise proper discipline.

With a few clicks and a final push, the call connected, and a giant blue hue filled the room with a peaceful glow. Seconds seemed to slow down as he appeared, in all his glory. He didn’t change much, still the same beard, still the same cold expression.

Placing his hands behind his back, he stood there, silently gazing at her as she was looking at him. His eyes softened for a split second, doubt, confusion, joy, and aversion battled within him. Mainly recognition, until finally, he spoke:

“So the rumors are true.”

“They were.” She replied, as usual, coldly.

“I knew the reports were too vague to be considered enough proof.” He said a bit softer.

“You say that like you missed me.” She crossed her arms, not bothering to show her face.

“Who wouldn’t, you were the best out there. Such loyalty, fire… Obedience.” He praised with a smile, his mustache furrowing slightly.

“I was in it for the credits.” She stated with a nonchalant shrug.

He chuckled. “Then you’ll be more than happy to hear what I got for you this time around.”

She tensed up. She got a nasty feeling in her gut that she knew what this would be about. Regardless, she squared her shoulders, ready to hear what he had to say.

“You see, recently the First Order has prevailed against a very… brutal act of terrorism. An attack on all our values, core members, and infrastructure. The damages were severe, along with the casualties.” Agnon stated, his gaze boring into her. “We need these people found. Alive. And since you decided to show up again, after a year, we need your assistance.”

“How much are we talking?” She asked, playing along for now, though her brows were tightly knitted together. Sasha knew she wouldn’t take the job, no matter what the sum would be.

“Handsomely rewarded, as always, Prohov. Have I ever done you wrong?”

“I could name a few times.”

“I’m talking about business-related altercations.”

“... Nothing comes to mind.”

“Hmph. Nothing comes to mind. That’s all you have to say?”

“What else would you have me say, Lieutenant?”

Agnon smirked. “It’s Captain now, bounty hunter. Respect goes both ways, as I suppose you already knew.”

“Someone should fix your ranking system.”

“I think someone should fix your mouth, you didn’t get punched a lot lately.” He scoffed. It felt familiar, almost too familiar, like a spark had been reborn. Except in these circumstances she’d usually take the helmet off… “I wonder, when have you changed the color? You always liked wearing green.”

“Got into a situation recently, and I had to change it.” She replied. “You know how much I love changes.” She added, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

“Of course, that’s why you came back to us. Straight to the hand that feeds you, like the good lapdog you are.”

“Don’t push it, Captain.”

“Don’t make it so easy to push, bounty hunter.”

The silence stretched for a moment, so much so, that she could physically feel his frustration, that for once he didn’t show up. The stinging feeling of seeing him again, of having this effect on him. Sasha missed it, and she would give a lot to just feel him again.

“Here are some photographs we have received from the planet of Kinyen, the last known location of these rebels.” He said his tone firm. It was like a bucket of cold water just got splashed onto her, blood running cold and heating up as she saw the pictures. Her fists clenched involuntarily.

The first one showed Shogun, his face was a bit distorted. The second one portrayed Saturnine leaping off the planet…

“Put us down, you hentai wannabe! Down!” Shogun exclaimed, flailing the lightsaber left and right as the large tentacle wrapped further along the hull.

“Cut it already!” Milia shouted, grabbing Pers so she wouldn’t fall off the edge, all the while Lorvin tried to get out of the ridiculous hold.

“I’m trying!” He screamed and hit the tentacle. The monster roared and swung another one to knock him off the ramp. He jumped above it and kept slashing. “I’m gonna sashimi you, let go!”

“I’m pretty sure it’s inedible!” Pers shouted, covering her ears.

“I’m pretty sure it’s not native!” Milia doubled down.

“I’m pretty sure it’s gonna fry our engines soon unless Shogun decides to actually save us for once!” Lorvin screamed from the cockpit. “Shogun, aim for the skin, not the air!”

“Pretend you’re cutting the potatoes!” Pers instructed.

“I never peeled a potato in my life!” Shogun confessed and swung the lightsaber again, accidentally hitting the tentacle exactly where he should. The tentacle surged forward, grabbing Pers and pulling her out of the ship.

She screamed in terror as the monster hauled her around.

“Hold on! I’m coming to get you!” Milia shouted, trying to climb the ramp. However, Shogun halted her efforts.

“I will do it. In the name of Shogun the First, I shall save this poor soul from experiencing the darkest pits of life – death!”

“Are you done?” Milia asked as she shot at the tentacle, nearly hitting Pers.

“... I can’t do anything around you people…” He grumbled in response and slashed at the tentacle until it finally fell to the ground. Pers hit the ground with a loud thud, air being knocked out of her lungs. She wheezed a lot until she was safely brought back onto the ship.

[METCUR, TAKODANA]

Sasha watched, cold fury washing over her as the photos loomed in the air.

“They're even more dangerous than I anticipated…” Agnon muttered. “Regardless, your job will be to secure them, bring them to us, and make sure they don’t face their early demise.”

“And what exactly are they charged with?” She asked, her voice shaking a bit.

“Terrorism. In truth, General Hux requested this after our factory on Aris was destroyed. I’m sure you’ve heard and can understand the importance, as well as the delicate situation we’re in.” He responded.

“And were there any other instances?” She dug deeper, taking a risk.

“Not that I have heard of, though I suppose mouthing off over communication units counts as disrespecting authority. We both know how the General reacts to such… Gestures.”

They fell silent again.

“I can’t take this job. I still need to finish my old one.” Sasha commented. “I’m sure you understand.”

Agnon frowned.

“You’re turning down one of the most sought-after jobs because of… Another? I thought you said you were in it for the credits.”

“You as a soldier know what a pledge is.” She started. “And I made one. Until I get out of it, I can’t take other jobs.”

He looked at her skeptically, his eyes narrowing. “Very well. But if you ever change your mind… You know what to do.”

“I do.”

He turned the comms off, cutting the call without saying a single word. It stung. Again.

As Iggy and Demo sat outside, waiting for Sasha and speculating what was going on inside, their eyes darted to Bianco every now and then. Every time Iggy looked at him, he held a hand to his temple as if he was deep in thought. He felt that something was off, no one daydreams this long.

“Did you notice that Bianco… Often holds his head in a weird angle?” Demo pulled him out of his speculation.

“Yeah, it’s weird. Almost like… He’s listening to something else.”

“You think?” She asked just to be sure.

“Maybe he has an earpiece? I don’t know, just… Stay alert–”

In a flash, Iggy’s jaw got punched with a loud crunch. He fell to the floor and tried to get out of his daze but to no avail. Demo dropped right beside him, trying to get him up, to help him but soon she got kicked as well with the sharp reflexes of the notorious bounty hunter.

“Clever kids.” He chimed. “Though I must say, next time keep your voices down, will ya?” He chuckled, pulling out a new, shiny blaster.

“Why are you doing this?!” Demo shouted trying to get up, but Iggy stopped her. He looked at her and shook his head as if to warn her and keep her safe too.

“And here I thought it was quite obvious. Every bounty hunter in the galaxy is looking for ratlike terrorists from Aris, their ship, and their crew, and only one thing keeps them going. Credits. All of us are in it for the credits, some even like it for the thrill of the hunt.” He explained with a smile. “And now that I confirmed my suspicions, well, it’ll make it all the sweeter.”

“You eavesdropped.” Iggy coughed out.

“Get this guy a shot of Corellian whiskey! Of course, I did. You think I’d allow that self-absorbed cocksleeve to show up and snatch my reward? No no no, I would rather eat womprat durk than let that happen!” He snarled, pressing a foot on Iggy’s back. “Then again… The bounty did specify alive, not untouched. Maybe I’ll have fun with you first, then catch the rest of those idiots you call friends. Seriously, potatoes? Even I wouldn’t stoop that low.”

“So that’s what this is about? Petty jealousy? I thought.” Iggy grunted as Bianco increased the pressure. “I thought bounty hunters had… Honor… Not whatever… You do.”

“Honor? In our line of work? Right kid, you saw too many holomovies.” He sneered. “But don’t worry, we’ll fix that.”

“Yep, he’s totally jealous.” Demo commented, “It’s honestly kinda pathetic.”

“Pun… Intended… Argh Kriff!” Iggy added which only earned him a kick, landing right beside Demo.

“You know what? Screw it, I’ll just kill you both, you’re more annoying than a protocol droid.” He cocked his blaster. “And after I’m done with you I’ll deal with that Nazi bitch and the rest of her minions–”

Before he could finish his body jerked. There was a new fresh hole manifesting between his eyes, still fresh after the shot. With a few more ticks he fell to the ground, motionless, surprise etched forever on his dead features.

“That’s Austrian Bitch to you, mate.” She remarked, hiding her blaster back in the holster. “You good?”

“Yeah, could’ve been worse,” Iggy muttered as he got up. “I’m gonna have backpains for days.”

“Wasn’t he your friend?” Demo asked.

“Eh, a mere parasite. I did most of our work anyway.” Sasha shrugged. “Come on, we’ll get you a drink and then we’ll meet at the rendezvous.”

“And the meeting?” Demo inquired.

“Went good, didn’t take the job. Any more stupid questions?” She glazed over the stumbling teens. “Good, move along.”

Demo and Iggy looked at each other, then back at Bianco, and then back at Sasha’s receding form. Leaving the guy behind, they went for a drink.

***

“You did what?” Sasha’s eye was twitching with barely contained rage.

“I just went whoosh, slush, slash! And I sashimi’d the shit out of that tentacle!” Shogun said proudly. “I even saved Pers, which she still has to thank me for.”

“You almost killed me.” Pers intervened, crossing her arms.

“But did you die?” Shogun smiled.

“I think I’ve misheard you. You did what? That’s your last chance to rephrase what you did, Shogun.”

“Well I used the lightsaber, decapitated–

“You’ve used what?”

“A lightsaber. And I decapitated an alien, fought off giant tentacles–” As he continued his story, Sasha covered her face in defeat, her breathing coming in slow, shallow inhales. Keep calm and we’re fucked, as the old adage goes.

“Smartest fucking man in the galaxy.”

***

“A Jedi in their midst… This is rather unheard of.” Snoke boomed. “Nevertheless… It opens… opportunities for us. General, I shall send you the reinforcements you have requested, in the form of the 709th legion.” With that, he turned towards his apprentice. “As for you… I want that Jedi alive, brought before me. I expect nothing less from you, Kylo Ren.”

Chapter Text

“Shogun, get moving!” Milia shouted, pulling the trigger. Of course, the first few shots missed their targets, she was too sober.

“I’ll hold them off!” He declared as bolts flew past his head. Turning around he pulled out the metal hilt and grasped it firmly. The stormtroopers stared at him in disbelief as he ignited the weapon. The blue blade illuminated the dark hangar bay as Shogun took an offensive stance.

“You donkey! Get back here! You don’t even know how to use it!” The redhead shouted and tried to cover him.

The Saturnine crew watched from afar, both in contempt and trepidation. The stormtroopers opened fire and he swiftly deflected their shots. They flew in multiple directions, without a single care in the world, one almost hitting Pers in the head as it flew past her. Obviously wielding a lightsaber like a katana wouldn’t help them in the longshot.

“Guys, what’s the damn holdup?!” Lorvin shouted through the comlink, ready for takeoff. She held the yoke and engaged the thrusters. The engines roared to life with a newfound force, god how she missed hearing that. Now that they had fuel and functional systems the game was on. Come to think of it, they were faring far too well so far, despite being wanted criminals.

Outside the ship the supposed Jedi continued swinging his weapon, luckily sending blaster bolts back at the stormtroopers. But it was undeniable: he had no clue what he was doing. The hilt still felt heavy in his hands, unlike the metal blades he was accustomed to. One wrong swing could cut both his lifespan and height short. Enemy soldiers fell slowly, and some of them backed off.

Those who watched his display were somewhat impressed that he didn’t screw it all up yet, assessing him with a new level of respect. Milia ushered the younger members inside, urgently boarding the ship. “Shogun, come on!”

Suddenly everything around them felt… cold. A strange aura arose around them, almost like all warmth had been drained. The young self-proclaimed blade master turned again and saw a figure slowly approaching. Dressed in charcoal black robes, he advanced menacingly towards Saturnine, his face covered by a black, robotic, soulless mask. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that this guy meant trouble.

Shogun raised his lightsaber again, clearly trying to intimidate the stranger, while Demo rushed to the cockpit to help with the takeoff. The ship was already hovering slightly, ready to zoom away if necessary. “Shogun’s in trouble,” she remarked upon entering the cramped space. Lorvin shot right up from her chair with a scowl.

“Take over, I’ll go get him.”

As she got to the ramp she witnessed a very pitiful display. The dark figure watched Shogun with great intent, walking through the corpses of stormtroopers as if they were mere ants in his way. He shot her a glance when she appeared in view, or that’s how she felt. She couldn’t tell because of the mask he wore. Assuming it was a he.

“Back off pal, or face the wrath of a true fencer!” Shogun flicked his ponytail back and eyed the man with new determination. Was he really that confident?

The masked man let out a low, robotic yet ominous chuckle as he suddenly brandished his own hilt. Lorvin’s eyes widened when he ignited it—red. Red. Her eyes immediately clouded at the sight.

“You’d be wise to surrender,” he finally stated, pointing the lightsaber straight at Shogun, “and spare yourselves a slow and painful death.”

“Ha! I’m not scared of a black, ninja space-mage wannabe!” Shogun’s cockiness was enough to spark a fit of rage in the masked man, he swiftly advanced toward them.

And this time, the young fencer advanced as well, ready to swing it and wing it. As his lightsaber clashed with the red one, he immediately felt outmatched. This was nothing like the katanas he proudly brandished back home. His attack got swiftly parried and followed by a strong cut-down. Shogun barely parried the strike, the force of it sending him toppling down on his ass. The blue lightsaber was deactivated instantly.

“I imagined you’d be a… fiercer adversary,” the masked man commented as he raised his red blade, “but perhaps I overestimated the notorious reports, Jedi.”

“Guys, I think I need some backup!” Shogun exclaimed as he rolled over and barely avoided the strike, “Preferably right now!”

That’s when the pilot blinked a few times snapping back to reality. “Hey, black monk!” She yelled, trying to draw attention to herself so Shogun had time to run back to Saturnine. The masked man raised his head and tilted it, the mask clinging to him like a lifeline. Mentally, she cursed it for not showing any expression, then again, it wasn’t any different than the stormtrooper ones. Just more… Dark and ominous.

With new courage, she continued: “How about you pick at someone your own size!”

As soon as those words left her mouth she pulled out her two blasters and opened fire. However, that ended about ten seconds later when the first two bolts were swiftly deflected and the third and fourth were stopped mid-air. Lorvin tried to pull the trigger again, but couldn’t. In fact, all her movement halted.

“What the…” She mumbled trying to pry away from the invisible hold. The masked figure came forth, holding both Shogun and the pilot within his grasp. His red hilt glowed ominously with each step he took. The air felt even tighter as Lorvin struggled to break free, not looking so smug when the dark warrior was right in front of her. “What are you, 6 feet and then some? I’ve seen taller women than you, emo boy.”

The masked stranger didn’t respond, standing still and watching the pilot in absolute silence. She felt something in her head but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. With no hesitation, he raised his lightsaber. She flinched visibly, her eyes widening in fear. Her legs still refused to budge, despite her internal begging for them to move her out of harm's way. “I was just kidding about the ‘your own size’ part.” She chuckled nervously, trying to defuse the tension.

Given she was about to die, it was quite a commendable effort.

“I think it’s hardly the time to crack jokes, Lorvin,” Shogun remarked. “Frankly, can you hurry up? My ass hurts from this position.”

“I literally rushed to save you and all you do is complain about your ass?!” Lorvin shouted, the tension completely ruined now. “Please, once you kill me stab him through his disgusting-”

“How about you just cut her head off!” Shogun protested. “She’s been nagging me for weeks!”

“I’ll cut your head off one day, you stupid bastard!”

While the two bickered the warrior froze again, looking between the two with a hint of frustration. He wasn’t one for dramatic moments either, but to ruin such momentum with pointless bickering and insults… It reminded him of his own relationship with a certain red-headed nuisance, known more commonly as General Hux. He memorized their faces already, and he only needed the Jedi alive.

“Silence.” He huffed through the mask and Lorvin felt her throat tighten. “Supreme Leader Snoke only wishes for the Jedi to remain alive. However, he never specified in one piece.”

“Supreme who? Isn’t that a pizza type?” Shogun raised an eyebrow.

“It was a popular streetwear fashion, you imbecile.” Lorvin quipped.

“No one actually wore it.”

“I swear I saw you sneak out of one of the bedrooms on UN1TY in a pair of Supreme boxers-”

“Blasphemy!”

“Yeah, your ass surely had a blast. A Supreme one.”

“Enough!” The warrior roared, his anger reaching a boiling point. His fists clenched around the lightsaber, the fabric of his gloves squeaking with effort to hold his frustration at bay. He was so focused on the two man-children that he failed to realize he took too long to fulfill his mission.

Sasha already sat behind Saturnine’s cannons, glancing at the scene through the thin tinted glass. She’d have to sit through this one for quite a while and wonder how in all that she knew and cherished these two didn’t die with their unique and charming personalities on full display. Her fingers brushed the triggers, aiming directly at the force user before she spotted a fuel crate nearby. It could cause a better distraction than taking a direct shot. And so she thought, weighed the pros and cons, and executed her carefully structured plan.

The explosion was deafening, enough to make the warrior stumble and let go of Lorvin and Shogun. His lightsaber narrowly scratched her jacket, leaving a nasty gash on her arm, but it was something she’d worry about later. The cannons kept firing at him afterward, allowing both of them to securely get back to their ship.

With the ramp hidden and death avoided, Saturnine leaped off and into the sky, fleeing from the grasp of the First Order yet again, albeit narrowly this time.

As the masked man watched the sky, deactivating his lightsaber, a sickening feeling washed over him. He couldn’t discern which one of them he was supposed to hunt. There were multiple people onboard that resonated with some foreign energy, one that wasn’t like something he felt before. However, every thought he had had to wait, suffocated under the amount of anger and frustration he felt at the thought of failing. Something he mocked Hux for would be the source of disappointment for him and the Supreme Leader. He almost had them, too…

“Commander Ren.” A stormtrooper approached. “General Hux demands a full report on the success of the operation–”

“General Hux can demand something from his subjects, not me–”

“He also requested to remind you, that by the laws of the First Order, no matter your ties to the Supreme Leader, militarily speaking – he outranks you.”

Ren clenched his fists further, his gloves tearing at the seams. He’d have to get new ones again, and he had them made last week too. Hux must’ve felt way too smug and confident, to keep predicting his words and opinions. Or maybe Kylo Ren was easier to read than he thought. Regardless, the redhead's words irked him to no end, resulting in a deep revulsion towards the man.

“Report back to the General that the operation was not successful. We’ll discuss the details in person.” He replied, hoping the stormtrooper would give him a reason to blow up some steam. At least a single one.

“We have also… Failed to place the tracking device–”

That would most certainly do.

[SATURNINE]

“Who was that guy?” Lorvin asked, rubbing the nasty gash as Pers tended to her wound. She hissed and squirmed as it was being disinfected.

“I only heard rumors about an organization inside the First Order, recently, in a bar.” She mumbled, peeling off the fragments of fabric from the pilot’s open wound. “Not like I’d have anything better to do anyway.”

“Right, not a drinker.” Lorvin sighed and flinched again.

“Can you stop squirming so much?”

“Sometimes I wonder how you and Milia get along. Then again, opposites attract I suppose.”

This time she yelped in pain, as the girl squeezed the clippers too tightly. “Oh, sorry.” She rolled her eyes and continued about.

As Lorvin was tended to, Sasha stood in the corner, her eyes devoid of light, as usual, listening to all the theories being thrown left and right about the mysterious dark knight. She decided to refrain from speaking, especially after her latest encounter with Agnon. It was imperative that she stayed low and out of sight, given that she lied about her whereabouts and jobs. If Agnon found out… She felt a shiver run down her spine, a first in a while. Was it dread or a tinge of excitement? It’s been about a year and then some since the two were in the same space together.

She battled internally, knowing that despite being loyal to her friends, she was lying to them. Just as she was lying to him. It was hard to keep loyalty when you could be so easily caught up in a web of your own deception. But if everything fell into place, would it really be considered a lie? Not in her head. She was just loyal to the highest bidder, as always, and right now her highest bid was with the people who kept her afloat and wouldn’t execute her for former affiliations with their enemy.

Or would they? She pushed the nails harshly into her skin, debating. What if they actually turned on her? Threw her out? She’d have nothing, not even Agnon could get her out of this mess. For now, it was either fighting against someone she… considered good enough to be around, and losing everything. Granted she’d feel better alone, but it wouldn’t be as secure in opposition to being in a group. After all, the more people to sacrifice, the safer it’ll be to just disappear in a puff of smoke when the time is right.

“Shogun, are you alright? You look a little pale.” Milia inquired, and the attention shifted.

Shogun wasn’t exactly pale, he looked like his soul left his body and went on vacation to Miami. He seemed detached from everything around him, filled with dread and a sense of void. He almost died, he was outmatched, outpaced, and out everything. His eyes were absent, the light in them dimmed even though he was still there, still breathing. He would’ve been at least a bit concerned for Lorvin if it wasn’t for the fact that he was struggling with the sheer idea that there was some… Beast, under a mask, that would devote their time and effort to hunting him. Him. Of all people.

He struggled to say anything, his lips parting and closing repeatedly, his lightsaber dangling in his belt. It wasn’t even his, and yet it caused nothing but anxiety, fear, and anger. Shogun was tempted to just throw it out, turn back time, and toss it in a dumpster, hoping the owner would find it. Better in the trash than on him.

***

“Another round for the best crew in the galaxy!” An alien shouted as Pers coaxed him into buying another one. Milia sat right beside her, patting her on the shoulder, a mentor being proud of her pupil’s skills. They were just starting their persuasion and charisma course, but it already yielded results, since Pers was a natural-born actress. Smiling there and winking playfully at everyone, she could change her colors on demand.

Milia would often wonder if it was a coping mechanism of sorts, to fit in with every group she grew attached to. She knew about her problems, the long nights spent in the bar tended to be very knowledgeable, breaching boundaries and extending bridges into new territories, that neither Milia nor Pers ever expected to uncover. They bonded, Milia always recalling her stories over a glass of good rum, and Pers slowly opening up to the gambling redhead, piece by piece, boldly assuming she wouldn’t remember what they discussed the next morning.

As more time passed, she got hit with the cold truth, that despite the endless alcohol consumption, Milia’s head was tougher than beskar. Despite this, she continued to reveal more about herself, and thus, she found her comfort in the alcoholic’s company. Of all the people on the ship, she always looked up to her the most.

“Promise you’ll have a glass with me one day?” Milia slurred, a sheepish grin spreading all over her drunk face. Her glasses fell down her nose, painting a vivid picture of her state. She quickly placed them back up, attempting to save the shreds of her already shattered dignity, but her messy hair fell down her face in single strands.

“Maybe one day. Not today though.” Pers shrugged and leaned on one elbow, smiling as Milia downed another glass. She glanced around the room, noting how everyone seemed to find their corner. Iggy and Demo talked near the door, probably planning to leave the bar and go back to Saturnine. Sasha was arm wrestling with another alien for extra credits, and so far she was winning. When a tougher opponent came forth and Sasha started struggling, her arm began to twitch in discomfort and strain, Milia laughed audibly.

“Hey Sasha! Remember that time Lorvin used your helmet as a vomit bucket?” She called over the crowd. The memory was still fresh and vivid inside the merc’s mind and with a roar she smashed the alien's hand down, claiming victory.

Lorvin wasn’t with them this time, claiming she had somewhere else to be. Pers didn’t know exactly what and where, and neither did Iggy and Demo. The rest of the crew knew, but for safety and comfort reasons, pretended like they didn’t. At least that’s how the bartender felt, judging by the scowls and quick topic-swaps they performed every time someone asked where Lorvin went. They would just brush it off as an annual thing, and never speak of the matter again. She wondered what it was all about.

The last person she had yet to catch in her sights was Shogun. Admittedly, the dumbest of them all. At least Lorvin made up for her mistakes with her flying skills. But Shogun? He had no skills, just flukes, no talent, just claims, and a lot of wasted potential. It was tolerable at first, but ever since he started asking Pers about all this Force stuff and the Jedi, she found his company remarkably annoying. He just wouldn’t shut up about becoming a knight of the Jedi Order, no matter how many times he was told that it didn’t exist. His excuse? He’ll rebuild it from scratch. As if people haven’t tried that already…

She tried to find him, her gaze moving from patron to patron. Bounty hunters, random locals, a few grunts in the crowd, aliens… Shogun trying to steal a lightsaber- Wait a minute.

Pers’ eyes widened in shock as she spotted the drunk male, his cheesy lips spewing random nonsense to an even drunker man, his hand reaching for a metal hilt around his belt. She had half a mind to step in and drag him back, but the whining she’d have to endure… She’d rather not think about it, or experience it.

Shogun flipped his hair over and grabbed the hilt. Of course, as a distraction, he decided it was best to kiss the man as well, his lips pushing into his with drunken sloppiness. He put the lightsaber in his bag, closing it quietly amidst the roars of approval at the scene. All eyes were on them, especially Sasha’s who recoiled in disgust, losing the arm-wrestling match. She cursed under her helmet, slammed her fists into the table, and stormed over to Shogun, determined to tear apart the cause of her loss.

However, he was having the time of his life, not sure where the line between distraction and seduction blurred, but it sure did disappear when the man pulled him closer, his hips grinding against Shogun’s as the kiss deepened.

All he was left with was what could’ve been after Sasha violently pushed him off of the man, dragging him back by his collar. “You’re under arrest. You’re staying with Pers, you disgusting pervert.”

“Sasha…!” He whined, his hands falling down to his sides as she dragged his limp legs across the floor. He winked at the man and made a ‘call me’ gesture, before she violently threw him onto the stool beside Pers, that now conveniently emptied.

“Sit. Move and I swear I’ll cut your damn testicles off.”

“Kinky. Keep talking dirty and I might actually become bisexual.”

“Sit your ass down, you degenerate.” She growled and walked off, wiping her hands against her armor, as if they were covered in filth.

“Aw… And I just started sensing a connection…” He mused and sighed, turning to Pers. “Hey.”

“Hi.” She replied curtly.

“Say… Can you tell me what this glow stick does?” He asked, pulling out the lightsaber. “If it’s a toy, I don’t want it. I already have enough stolen goods.” He chuckled at his own lame joke.

She quickly grabbed his hand and stuffed the lightsaber back into his bag. “Don’t wave it around.”

“Why? Is it enchanted? Like a wand?” He smirked. “Vibrating wand?”

Pers scoffed in disgust and excused herself to the bathroom. She had to rearrange her tier list of Shogun’s unbearable states. The drunk one would take the top spot after this dreadful conversation…

***

Shogun shivered, still recalling his disgusting behavior. Noted that he hated it since he clearly preferred men, but it irked him nonetheless. The memory sparked some feelings he’d rather forget about, mostly embarrassment.

“I’m fine, just… Thinking.” He replied, crossing his arms with an air of vulnerability.

“Well then stop, you’re not good at it.” Demo huffed and rolled her eyes.

“As if you knew what thinking even is, you little whelp.” He jabbed right back.

“Don’t start.” Milia huffed. “We need to figure out what to do. We’ve been on the run for about a week and it already feels like years.”

“Clearly, they didn’t forgive and forget,” Pers added, glaring at Lorvin.

“Look, they will drop it the longer we evade them,” Lorvin commented, fidgeting nervously with the bullet inside her jacket. “We could always lay low for a while.”

“I don’t think you understand the capacity the First Order will go through to ensure we’re eradicated.” Sasha finally interjected. “I warned you what this will entail. And what did you do? Ignore me. If only this was the first time.”

“Alright it’s my fault, I am to blame for this, fine. But I’ll fix it.” She replied with a huff. “We’ve been in worse situations.”

“Were we?” Iggy asked. “I am not here to push the blame around, we’re all partially responsible, mainly for following Lorvin’s lead.” He subtly jabbed but continued, “So I suppose this is the worst possible scenario we’ve been in, but it’s stable for now.”

“You know what I would say in this situation.” Sasha addressed the situation with cold indifference.

“Yes, you said so at least a hundred times since we met.” Iggy rolled his eyes.

“I’d make it a hundred and one then, but I won’t. Today.”

“We sparked hope.” Pers cut in. “We fought against the oppressor, the big bad wolf that controls everything. We showed the galaxy that they can rise again and fight back.”

“We just blew up one factory, that could’ve been anyone,” Lorvin stated. “It wasn’t meant to be a symbol.”

“But it became one the moment we pushed those triggers.” Pers continued. “Look, before you arrived, this place was already bad. Now it’s just getting worse and people are tired. Deep down everyone is. So whether we like it or not, we are a symbol.”

“Well count me out then.” Lorvin huffed.

“For once we agree.” Sasha agreed, “I sure as shit ain’t gonna be running around like some superhero in a red cape, busting my ass to help random aliens.”

“Those are not random aliens! Those are our people!” Pers shouted. “This galaxy is our home! And now it’s yours too, whether you like it or not. So we have to help.”

“Have fun making us.” Sasha rebutted.

As the argument broke out, Shogun quietly slipped away, his mind consuming him. He seemed too calm, too certain of the death that followed his trail now. He shut the door behind him and sighed. Letting his robe loose he sat down on the floor, away from all the conflict and negative energy, crossed his legs, and evened his breath. His eyes closed shut as the silence enveloped him.

He listened intently, breathing, not daring to call this time. He always called out, searching, looking for answers that always eluded him. Now he has switched his approach. He sat quietly, the soft whirring of Saturnine’s engines mixed with muffled voices outside until there was nothing but silence. And then, whispers. Soft murmurs tickled his ears, entering his brain, and his heart, enveloping his entire being. He felt like a part of something and something as one simultaneously.

Not daring to interrupt he allowed the murmurs to speak to him, growing louder with every breath. He was actually doing it, for the first time in his life he wasn’t faking it or bluffing. He heard it all, loud and clear. Suddenly, his hands felt cold, almost like he got launched out of the ship and straight into the dirt.

Shogun opened his eyes and gasped. The terrain around him was rocky, full of mountains and vast, empty spaces. His breath was visible in small puffs in the cold atmosphere, his hands freezing and shaking. The red skin was proof of that. He looked around, searching for Saturnine, but he was all alone there. No ship, no Lorvin, or Sasha, or Demo, or Milia, or anyone… It was just him, the rocks and the frostbite he was experiencing.

He took a few steps in one direction but it didn’t seem to do anything, the distance between the mountains and himself was not shrinking. Not only wasn’t it shrinking, but it grew more distant. As if it was pushing him away. Shogun struggled against the current, desperately running towards the source of the whispers. Calling, screaming, begging for guidance, for any hint or clue. But the voices fell silent, as the darkness swallowed him whole, pushing him towards another destination.

It was hot, painfully so, as Shogun dropped in a dark throne room, adorned with red, white, and black stripes. On the throne sat the masked stranger, looking down at him with his ominous mask. He didn’t say anything, instead, he pulled him closer. Panicked, Shogun struggled to break free, to resist the pull, but it was futile. The knight rose from the throne and wrapped his hand around his neck, his red lightsaber hovering just inches away from his face.

“You can’t outrun me forever.” He finally said, his robotic filter making the statement sound all the more ominous, threatening, almost like a fate you couldn’t escape.

“This isn’t happening., Shogun muttered. “You’re not real.”

“This will be your reality soon, Jedi.” The warrior hissed and pushed Shogun all the way out of the throne room.

When he landed, his eyes were glazed over, his heart racing. He was back where the mountains were, and the fog that clouded his mind had cleared. There, upon the highest peak, was a sign he didn’t recognize, a platform. And his friends, waiting for him, calling his name. Louder and louder… The whole area shook as the screams became almost unbearable.

With a sharp gasp, Shogun awoke, his mind racing. Iggy and Sasha were holding him down by his arms, while Lorvin and Milia looked confused and worried. He panted heavily, his forehead dripping with cold sweat, for a second he checked his cheeks to see if he cried. Thank god he didn’t.

“We wanted to check on you and you were Hovering in the air,” Milia stated. “For a second we were worried you hung yourself.”

“No- No, I didn’t. It’s fine.” He replied in a breathless whisper. He tried to balance on his own feet but barely walked, so Sasha and Iggy sprung into action, holding him up and about.

“Easy,” Iggy said in a warm, reassuring tone. “We got you.”

Sasha for once didn’t say anything. Once they all gathered in the main hull she waited patiently for Shogun’s explanation, even though she knew what probably happened. She’d seen it once or twice to be sure it wasn’t made up this time.

“I saw something. A symbol.” He claimed, his voice a bit raspy. “I didn’t recognize it at all.”

“Can you recreate it?” Lorvin asked.

Shogun nodded and drew the symbol on the holoprojector they had. The lines blended into one and created an insignia of sorts, one that looked foreign to Lorvin and Milia. Others were familiar with it, falling silent as they stared at the symbol of the once glorious and now fallen Jedi Order.

“I saw us there. We have to go there.” He added and sighed.

“Do you know where this is?” Lorvin asked, crossing her arms. “Because so far, all you explained was that weird symbol, some mountains and rocks. That’s not much to go by.”

“I know.”

“Great. So where is it?”

“... I don’t know.”

Lorvin groaned and paced around the hull.

“But I have a feeling where it is–”

“Oh hell no, I am not trusting another one of your gut feelings again–” Lorvin cut in, but Sasha moved a hand in front of her mouth, ordering her silence. As she closed her mouth, she felt the urge to slap the hand away, and she did, defiantly so, but otherwise remained quiet. She hoped that the merc would shut this ridiculous idea down.

“Alright. Lead the way.” She finally asserted. “Lorvin, put in the coordinates, we’ll go rock-hunting.”

“You can’t be serious…” Milia stepped in, but it too, didn’t matter.

“Set the course and let’s get this junk moving. End of discussion.” She growled and with that, she dragged Shogun to the cockpit. Lorvin followed them to ensure they didn’t destroy her ship.

“... This is off to a great start already.” Milia sighed.

Indeed, it was.

Chapter Text

“Ren, we cannot send fleets based on some hunch–”

“You dare to question my integrity, General?” The knight replied, followed by General Hux, step after step.

The two marched down the bridge as equals, even if they were not. Hux outranked him, while Ren outperformed his rival — two separate sides of the same coin, yet so different. One was short-tempered, aggressive, and chaotic, one was calmer, focused, and disciplined, the differences were striking if you were to pick them apart piece by piece. So were the similarities, both striving to gain control, hungry for power, knowledge, and superiority that only one being could grant. Both were etermined to avoid further disappointment. After all, a discontent leader is a creative one, and his means of punishment would venture beyond mere physicality.

“I question your impulsiveness and jumping to conclusions that often prove misleading.” The redhead responded, his eyes flicking momentarily towards the masked warrior before receding to watch the monitors, “We cannot allow this filth to evade us further.”

“The ship we’re looking for is headed towards the Outer Rim territories, General. Unless you want to personally inform Supreme Leader Snoke why the pirates we’ve been chasing for weeks keep slipping from our grasp, I suggest letting me handle the mission from now on.” Ren boomed as he looked at Hux. In a flash the General felt a sharp sting in his head, no doubt Ren tried to peer inside his mind, to make him concede. Hux was all the more prepared, despite the unpleasant sensation that felt suffocating, a high pressure that consistently throbbed in his brain, he refused to budge.

“As much as the vision of your mediocrity would please me, I cannot allow you to spread a mocking image of every value we stand for. Neither would Supreme Leader Snoke.” The redhead replied, his gloved hands clenching, fingers digging into the palms despite the stone-cold detachment painted all over Hux’s face.

The two were at a standstill, too pent up to back down. Ren quietly stared, his muscles tense beneath his dark, thick robes. It was difficult to tell if he was even breathing beneath that mask. Hux on the other hand was easier to read, not from his face, but from the way his confident body faltered every now and then. How his shoulders slumped ever so slightly with each forced intake of air, how his lip begged to scrunch up in disgust. Ren tapped his foot, but it was almost unnoticeable, his fingers twitched as if prepared to lunge at the seemingly composed General. Two sides of the same coin after all…

“General Hux.” Officer Henderson’s appearance was a surprise, startling Ren. However, the calmer man just huffed, he’d smile if he still knew how to do that.

“I believe we have acquired the last known location of the ship. Its trajectory suggests the pirates are headed towards the Malastare system.” She added as she handed the datapad over.

“Malastare” Ren questioned, though it came out more as a statement.

“In the Mid-Rim territories. Excellent work, Officer.” Hux praised, handing her the datapad, and immediately turned to the navigators. “Set the course for Malastare system, if any other ships are nearby they have orders to intercept any vessel they come across.”

Inside he was as happy as one man could get when proving his rival wrong. “Malastare used to be the base of operations for the forefathers of the First Order.” He mused as he looked out the window. “Fools. They’re playing right into our hands.”

Ren stood quietly, his anger boiling hot. He never once read the force wrong, he had always prided himself on his skills as a force user, and he felt where the ship was headed. So why did the report say otherwise? And why was Hux so smug about it, smiling subtly as he gazed at the vast space? The knight said nothing, storming out of the bridge instead.

[SATURNINE]

“Shogun… I hate to break it to you, but this is like… The tenth planet we’re going to visit.” Lorvin yawned above the control panels, lazily tracing their routes on the floating charts. “I admit, it was fun the first few times and I got some awesome pictures taken, but I’m starting to think you have no idea where we’re going.”

She glanced over her shoulder, watching as he meditated and tried to bring back his vision of the place. He tried to do so for the past couple of days since they jumped from planet to planet only to be attacked on sight by either stormtroopers, locals, or wildlife. It didn’t paint any bright pictures for the future, certainly not for the tired pilot.

“Shogun.” She called again, but he either fell asleep or blatantly ignored her. So, without thinking, she grabbed the nearest trinket she could, a half-finished grenade, and tossed it at him with as much force as her strained muscles could muster. Her entire body ached for sleep, but it was hard to come by when during the day she was constantly teaching Demo how to fly a ship, showing her tricks and assisting her whenever she needed, and during the night she had to fend everyone else off, especially Shogun who recently had problems with sleeping.

“Ow! What was that for?” He grumbled, massaging his forehead.

“You fell asleep on me?” Lorvin asked with a huff, rubbing her eyes, feeling the exhausted eyelids just close. It was a nice sensation, to finally grab some shut-eye.

“No, I hav…” He yawned halfway through. “I have not.”

“You’re still a terrible liar.” She chuckled half-heartedly and rested her head against the pilot’s chair. “Go to sleep. You won’t find the answers unless you rest.”

“Someone has to make sure you don’t fall asleep. Who’s gonna steer Saturnine then?” He challenged and pouted like a child who had just been told it was nap time.

“The auto-pilot?”

“...”

“That’s what I thought. Out.” She shooed him away from the cockpit and finally locked the door. At last, she could get some rest.

The pilot slouched into the warm, comfortable chair, her body finally getting some rest. A content sigh left her lips as she reached for the headphones she bought on the market, and put them on. Normally she’d listen to her music, or simply fall asleep without any sounds, but she felt really tired. In need of company, one that wasn’t Shogun. So carefully, she pushed the button, replaying the message she first heard upon buying them.

His voice was rough and commanding, some kind of speech about traitors, liars, destruction, and loyalty. Ending the New Republic. Her body relaxed and her eyes fluttered closed as she listened in, imagining that voice in a different setting. Maybe smoother, much less tense. Timid? No, that was too far. Still commanding… It was her nightly guilty pleasure to listen to it, when no one else was around, just visualizing. It wasn’t an obsession, not a crush either, just a sense of… Curiosity. An intrigue she felt when she saw him back on Aris. It wasn’t close and personal, but it was surely something.

She lazily took care of her glasses, tossing them aside as her hand ran up her face. The additional darkness helped her concentrate, and picture his face, attire… She would have to see him again, which was highly probable if they weren’t careful enough. That’s what she was an expert in after all – taking risks that weren’t necessary. Lorvin’s head slumped against her shoulder, the headphones slipping slightly as she fell into a shallow, long-deserved sleep.

***

She walked through Saturnine, looking at everyone there. They all seemed happier than usual, more carefree, and less constricted by any norm or rule. Laughter filled the air, its sound too sweet to be real, and yet Lorvin drank it all like the catchiest tune she’d heard in a while. Demo, Pers, and Iggy all sat in the main room, hell, Iggy even had a drink on him.

“Where are the others?” She asked as she sat down, her legs surprisingly loose, instead of her standard crossed and twisted posture.

“What others?” Demo asked. “There’s no one else here. Just us.”

“What about Sasha, Milia, and… Shogun?” She spat the last one with a tight throat as if the very word was repulsive.

Demo fell silent, and Iggy coughed a bit, his hand covering his mouth in a secretive gesture. Pers looked at her with a slightly puzzled and condescending look, not sure if she should laugh or actually take the captain seriously.

“Well?” Lorvin pressed on, her hands tightening around the table. “What happened to them?”

“We’ve been through this, Lorvin. They’re gone. They’re not here. There’s just us five.” Pers shrugged, her robes dangling loosely around her arms.

Demo averted her gaze with a huff, “I’m not a fan of your latest addition, but whatever makes you happy I suppose.”

“Latest addition? Five of us? What are you talking about?” The blonde frowned, not sure what to believe. She was aware it was just a dream, but it felt so real, the voices, the robes, the faces, the ship, it all looked too real to be a dream.

Just then, from the cockpit, emerged the tall figure dressed in a charcoal coat, his hair smoothed out with something akin to gel, his gaze just as sharp as his cheekbones, cold and icy behind his emerald eyes, as he stepped closer. Lorvin jumped out of her seat, taking her guns out. At least attempting to, because upon reaching for the holsters she found them agonizingly empty.

“Chill, it’s just our new member.” Demo chuckled. “Fun, right?”

“Why is he here? He tried to kill us!” The pilot protested as the figure advanced on her, the memory of his face twisting and turning. No longer was his visage handsome and sharp, the closer he had gotten, the more distorted it looked. His eyes fell, and his lips twisted in a sneer until they disappeared altogether. His limbs constricted and turned, reducing the menacing General to a mere blob on the ground.

“You chose this, you know,” Iggy commented, his eyes mundane and distant. “You made him come here. It’s your fault.”

“Your fault.” Demo repeated.

“Your fault, Lorvin.” Pers chanted.

And as all three chanted in unison, Lorvin started screaming but it bared no sound. She ran from the main room all over the ship but it did nothing. The agonizing two words kept repeating in her head, overlapping with that accursed audio feed.

“Last day of the Republic!”

“Your fault!”

“Stop!” She screamed as the dream moved on, to the same nightmare that plagued her nights. The explosion of their homeworld. The destruction of their home. The beginning of their journey through space, with no real destination. Becoming homeless pilgrims, moving from one rock to the next…

And in that instance, a distant, light echo rang out in her ears, quietly amidst the other voices,

“Lorvin…? Lorvin…”

***

“Lorvin!”

The pilot jumped with a sharp inhale, her forehead dripping with sweat and post-sleep tremors. Her heart thundered in her chest, fists clenched tightly around the arms of her cockpit chair. It was just a dream, a nightmare.

Her headphones hung loosely from her neck, dangling on the cable with gentle tilts of her drowsy head. The pilot rubbed her eyes, feeling the stretched, almost glued-together eyelids relax under the soft pressure of her knuckles. She wasn’t in a very comfortable situation, but it was better than crying in her sleep.

Finally picking up her glasses, she looked over her shoulder, and to her surprise it was Demo. Alone, in different clothes. A red, torn t-shirt, far too large for her, let alone for Lorvin, who’d be covered from head to toe in it, worn-out shorts that hid her thighs, and two flimsy flip-flops, found on one of the Dantooine’s streets. Lorvin smiled at the memory, remembering how happy the young girl was when they trash-dived and found them. They’d have to go back there soon.

“You were whimpering and whining in your sleep.” Demo huffed and crossed her arms. Her dark hair was messy and her brown eyes slightly dulled in the dark. She looked more like a tired cat than an annoyed crewmate, but Lorvin wouldn’t say that out loud. Then again, in her mind, there were multiple things she would never dream of saying.

“And you heard it?” She inquired instead, slumping back in the chair. She could feel the heat and moisture in the chair, how it already cooled down, sending shivers through her still-hot skin under the jacket. It must’ve been more intense this time if she drenched leather…

“I hate sounds. Especially annoying, unnecessary ones.” She remarked.

“You never mentioned that.” Lorvin quipped.

“I thought it’s obvious given my distaste for your… boombox.” Demo rebutted and leaned against the hallway frame.

“I just thought you have a different taste in music.”

“Oh, I do, because yours is atrocious. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only reason.”

“So… Loud noises, or all noises in general?”

“All.”

Lorvin bit her tongue. She wouldn’t call her autistic out of the blue. She wouldn’t understand what that was either, and they didn’t have time to delve into that.

“Fine, I’ll make sure to remember that.” The pilot finally conceded. “Go back to sleep, we still have a long way to go.”

“That’s another thing I’m here about.” Demo huffed. “Our Jedi… Not going to call him a friend… That man had been whining about being kicked out of the cockpit under my door for an hour now.”

“And what do you want me to do about it?” Lorvin rubbed her eyes again, grasping at the last straws of her unpleasant sleep. She wouldn’t find respite again, not with everyone waking up one by one. Typical, expected, and unwelcome experience.

“Fix it.” She shrugged and left, leaving the captain to her own thoughts.

This would be a very, very long flight…

[FINALIZER]

“Any news on the pirate filth?” Hux asked as he marched down the bridge, Lieutenant Mitaka following close behind him.

“We have managed to intercept the ship, sir. The crew has been taken into custody.” Mitaka reported, reading from his datapad. “Their profiles match the descriptions we’ve acquired from Commander Ren and camera feeds.”

“Excellent. Prepare the shuttle, I want to assess them myself.” Hux remarked, a smirk of superiority flashing across his face. Finally, he thought, they’d put this ridiculous notion behind them, and wipe out anyone who’d dare to oppose them.

The Finalizer jumped out of hyperspace straight into the orbit of Malastare. The planet looked bleaker than it had in the past. Less vibrant and dusted, a relic of a bygone era. Other destroyers from the fleet orbited around, forming a blockade above the atmosphere. No ship would get in or out without the First Order’s approval.

It brought Hux immense satisfaction, knowing that he led one of the most prominent, reliable, and powerful armies the galaxy had ever seen. And now he’d get another chance to prove it, by dealing with the filthy troublemakers who dared to challenge his might, his very legacy, not to mention make an attempt on his life.

“Sir, the shuttle is ready.” Henderson’s voice snapped him out of his daze, of his countless schemes and daydreams about leaving the galaxy trembling under his feet. He turned towards her and scoffed.

“Finally.” He remarked bitterly and strode out of the command bridge. The petite officer followed close behind him, like a lost dog that waited for at least a bit of praise from her superior. Most of all she wished to avoid further scrutiny. Everyone onboard feared him, and even fewer had ever refused him. She didn’t know of such anomalies, but the less she knew, the better.

The whole ride to Malastare had been a tense experience, filled with prolonged silences, stern glares, and arguments between the general and the knight of Ren. Throughout it all, Henderson sat on the other side, tucked away with belts, working tediously to take her mind off of things. Ever since the attack on Aris, she noticed changes in the redhead's behavior, starting with a shorter temper, and ending with slightly widening eyes whenever he anticipated good news. The subtle clench in his jaw at the bad news and the fierce determination coloring his green eyes whenever he caught her staring at him, or talking about another failed attempt at capture.

She glanced out the window, taking in the dilapidated buildings and abandoned forts. A lot of scrap metal and unused equipment lay around, rusting and slowly becoming one with the planet’s surface. It didn’t take long for the First Order to seize control over the planet once the New Republic had been dealt with. It became a prison, a reminder to those who dreamed of a brighter future, that the Order was the future, the only way to achieve true peace.

When they landed, Ren almost instantly leaped forward, marching down the ramp with dangerous, rapid steps. Hux, ever the sophisticated commander, stepped out cautiously, followed by his escorting stormtroopers and Officer Henderson.

“General! Commander Ren.” A female lieutenant stepped forward. Henderson immediately noticed her buff exterior, the way her muscles flexed under her uniform, a sign of commitment and countless hours of training.

“Lieutenant Libera.” Hux greeted, his stance poised and commanding. “Not often am I pleased to set foot on Malastare. I do hope this visit will be… fruitful.”

“Definitely. We have managed to intercept and capture the pirate cell without much trouble. They’re in the holding block, ready for intense interrogation.” She confirmed, pride swelling inside her and spilling in every word. To her, this was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion to prove herself. To Hux, it was just a formality, a hunt well executed.

“Lead the way, Lieutenant,” Ren interjected. “We’ll interrogate them separately, and we’ll make an example out of them. Except for the Jedi.” He added, making everyone raise their eyebrows.

“I’m confident that we have not apprehended a Jedi, commander.” She stated, but upon a faceless stare-off, she backed away from her smart remarks. “But I’m not as knowledgeable as you, sir.”

Turning on her heel, Lieutenant Libera led the three ambassadors from Finalizer into a rundown facility, in the middle of renovations. All corridors were overrun by the wild flora, leaving the base in rough condition. Henderson concluded that perhaps this planet was destined to be destroyed, abandoned, and forgotten, a bleak page in cards of history. Everything here was either decaying, destroyed, or in the middle of doing so, what else was left here? And why would pirates fly all the way here?

“We haven’t managed to extract much information, but I believe you’ll be able to do much more than us,” Libera commented, as she finally stopped in front of a few holding blocks. Inputting the right codes to the doors she gestured for the trio to enter.

“Which one is the pilot?” Hux demanded, his eyes glinting with malice and promise of firm retribution for the stress, damage, and mockery caused.

“The blonde woman, sir.” She replied and gestured for him to enter. Hux gladly accepted, his boots thundering across the polished stone.

The prisoner was restrained, thrashing in her binds as he entered. The general smiled wickedly, seeing the pilot, the wench that dared to insult him, sat in front of him, bound and helpless. A helmet covered her head, obscuring her vision of him.

“I have to admit, pirate, I didn’t expect you to be captured so easily. Not after all the stunts you have pulled.” He remarked, shedding his coat and coming closer. “I can’t imagine what would drive you to stand against the might of the First Order, against me but this ends now.”

With a violent tug, he ripped the helmet off, revealing a face that didn’t feel right. He snarled, as his eyes gazed over the beaten blonde.

“The kriff you’re on about?!” She replied her accent, her voice nothing like the one he heard over the comms. Full of rage and denial, he violently slammed his fist into her face. This couldn’t be happening. Not again… If this wasn’t the pathetic worm who almost blew him up, then where were they?

[SATURNINE]

“No, that’s it, I’m done.” Lorvin finally snapped as they landed on the latest planet. “We are taking a damn break.”

“Lorvin, this isn’t the right place, we can’t…” Shogun started, looking out the window. The pilot groggily stood up and emerged from the cockpit. Bag-eyed, pale, a wreck of a person, pushed far beyond her usual limitations. She looked at Pers and begged for some tea to soothe her dry throat.

“You look like shit,” Milia stated, sipping on a rare type of rum, found during one of their adventures.

“No shit,” Sasha remarked, pulling a long drag from her cigarette. “Did you sleep at all?”

“I’ve been awake for the last…” Lorvin rubbed her temples, trying to concentrate and recall the events from the last few days. “... Forty-something hours, with short naps in between…”

“At least you could sleep in a chair.” Shogun rolled his eyes, pouting.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t have a bed on this ship.” Sasha shut him down.

“A Jedi can never know the luxuries of comfort.” He answered, his pout only growing.

“Shogun, if it makes you feel better, we could put rocks on your bed,” Iggy suggested, instantly making the merc smirk. Subtly, but surely.

“That’s not what I meant.” Shogun huffed. “I figured I have to be always tired and uncomfortable to see the destination. If I slept I wouldn’t see it.”

The silence was deafening.

“You were snoring for three consecutive nights, on the fourth one you deliberately woke me up to complain about being kicked out of the cockpit.” Demo recounted with mild annoyance, breaking the tension.

“He failed the task successfully.” Milia chuckled and glanced at Pers who was just handing Lorvin her tea. “Personally I think it would be nice to settle down for more than twenty minutes.”

“We don’t have time for that!” The Jedi protested. “We have a mission to fulfill, we have to find that mountain-”

A loud slurping noise broke through his outburst and everyone looked at the pilot. She made sure to drink every drop and make the loudest of sounds, gulping in slow motions. Once she was done she exhaled in contentment, putting the cup down.

“Maybe I’ll just show you where we’ve been so far.” She cracked her knuckles and turned on the holomaps. “So we’ve been to Rion…”

“I still have sunburns, not cool.” Milia scoffed and shivered.

“The beach was a nice touch though,” Pers added.

“... Then we went to Sevarcos.” She put the picture of hundreds of canyons and rocks.

“Hey, I thought that was it, I swear,” Shogun interjected.

“Yeah, no. Canyons are not reverse mountains.” Iggy corrected.

“A rock is a rock.” He replied and crossed his arms. “Doesn’t matter if it’s upside or downside. If it sticks out at some point it’s good.”

“... Don’t ever talk to me again,” Sasha answered, taking another puff.

“I’m sure you’ll change your mind with a rock-filled bed.” Iggy shrugged, not bothering to argue with him further.

“... After that we visited Hinari, because, and I quote, Shogun felt the Japanese energy from there. Not sure how that’s force-related, but alright.” Lorvin sassed and quickly grabbed her mug, with the “#1 Pilot” written on it in bold letters.

“I swear, that’s more connected than you think.” Shogun defended yet again.

“Yeah, I’m sure your Buddhist crap or spirituality of Japan connects to another galaxy’s religion. Sure.” Lorvin sipped on her tea.

“Don’t say that, you’ll hurt his religious feelings.” Sasha snorted.

“Buddhism is not even a part of Japan, or was for that matter.” The man asserted and sighed. “Okay, I admit, my first few picks weren’t really… Uhm… Accurate.” He finally conceded, pushing a hand through his loose hair.

“Oh, you wanna talk about accuracy?” Lorvin snapped and pulled up the entire navigation log. “Since your ‘hunch,’ we have visited twenty different planets. Newsflash, not a single one had mountains. And this one doesn’t either.”

“Fine. Fine, I admit, I don’t really know where it is. But I feel it, and I’m the only one here who does.”

“Maybe you’d be more accurate if you actually rested.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t need an auto-pilot if you rested.” He bit back.

“Dumbass, auto-pilot only works in hyperspace, other than that it’s my sorry ass who actually keeps us safe from the First Order fleets. So maybe show me some goddamn respect every once in a while, because I doubt any of you would have the balls to pull half the shit I pull.” Lorvin slammed the mug on the table and the tea spilled on the floor. “Now I am going to finish this mug, sleep, and we’re staying here for at least one day.”

[MALASTARE]

“I don’t understand–” Lieutenant Libera choked on her own words, her throat suppressed by Kylo Ren’s relentless force choke. His fist squeezed ever so slightly as she hovered in the air. Her strangled noises filled the air, mingling with sharp questions from the masked warrior.

“You have made a grave error, Lieutenant.” He remarked, his hand tightening in an invisible grip. Visible bruises began to bloom around her neck, reddening in the form of fingertips.

“Ren, that’s enough.” General Hux boomed, containing his anger, but Ren didn’t listen.

At that moment as Henderson watched the fate that befell the higher-ranking officer, she felt dizzy.

“The model… was right…” Libera choked out, her eyes slowly rolling back due to lack of oxygen. Ren was deliberately cutting more and more of her airways, taking sick enjoyment in watching as life slowly drained from her eyes.

“The ship was correct. The color and the crew weren’t.” Hux cut to the chase and glared at Ren. The knight reluctantly let her go, allowing her to drop to the ground, a disheveled, panting mess. Her breathing was labored, and greedy as she inhaled sharply.

“I didn’t… realize…” She started, but Hux abruptly cut her off with a hand motion.

“You’ll be dealt with in due time, Lieutenant. In the meantime, I suppose this situation could perhaps be… mended.” Hux stated and his scowl slowly turned into a contemplating smirk. “Prepare the prisoners. They might be of use to us after all…”

[NAR KANJI]

“I’m not comfortable with the looks we get,” Pers stated, glancing around the brooding bar. It was filled with criminals, trading merchants, bounty hunters, and gamblers.

“I’m not complaining,” Milia replied, her muscles relaxing on the sofa. For a change, she drank some traditional juice, served to first-time guests. “It’s cozy. And they have slot machines that aren’t rigged. We should come here more often.”

“The people here don’t look too friendly.” The girl persisted, as she huddled closer to Lorvin.

“We don’t look friendly either. We look like homeless people… Or in your case planetless.” Demo jabbed, taking a sip of the juice. “Kriff, this is some good stuff.”

“Reminds me of lemons.” Shogun smiled as he held the veil up. “Sour and delicate, just like the first time I wrote my poetry.”

“You were a writer?” Iggy inquired, curiously glancing at Milia and Sasha. The merc kept her head low, staring at the full glass.

“Yeah, and a damn good one. I had five stars on Wattpad.” He answered with pride, before noticing the beverage that Sasha refused to take. “Are you going to drink that?”

“No.”

“Ah well, can I take it?”

“No.”

He stilled slightly and slumped in his seat. “Eh, bummer.”

“Lorvin, you mentioned back on UN1TY that you wrote something too,” Milia stated as she finished her glass, before sneakily attempting to snatch Sasha’s. She was met with a hard slam into the table. Wincing, she retracted her now bruised hand back.

“Well, in between my driving exams I had some spare time-”

“Driving exams? What’s that?” Iggy asked. It was the first time in a while when they could just enjoy a cup of foreign alien juice, spiked or not, and share stories. A moment of brief respite from their chaotic life, especially those last few weeks.

“Maybe we should come back to this subject later.” Lorvin shut the topic down and sipped on the lemon juice with a scowl. “If it wasn’t the only thing we could afford I… Eh, forget it.”

“Oh no, you started, now you must finish.” Demo stated. “What are those exams and what exactly is the story behind them?”

“That’s what she said.” Sasha and Lorvin said in unison. Looking at each other, Lorvin smirked and Sasha scoffed. “Some things never change.”

“Fuck off,” Sasha muttered.

Lorvin just rubbed her tired eyes and smirked, before putting the glass back down. “Well, since you asked nicely, it all started–”

A sudden broadcast from the First Order authorities had snapped all conversations held in the bar. Everyone present gazed at the screen and the barkeep turned the volume up.

“We interrupt this broadcast with urgent news. Live from the planet of Malastare.” The presenter said before the image switched to a couple of people on their legs, nooses tightly secured around their necks. Enticed by the imagery, the patrons sat tightly, with clenched jaws as they watched the gruesome sight.

Saturnine members, in their undercover outfits, which mainly consisted of hoodies and cloaks, watched too, with trepidation and uncertainty.

“What’s going on?” Shogun whispered.

“Looks like a power show.” Milia asserted, her eyes scanning the imagery. “They look oddly familiar.”

“Wait a damn minute…” Lorvin squeezed her eyes, squinting at the holographic livestream. “Is that…?”

The show started with General Hux, giving a grand speech about power, unity, peace, and order. In the background stood the tall, dark knight from earlier, as well as some officers. Looking more meaningless and overshadowed than usual. Around them, stormtroopers gathered, yet they weren’t in an executing position. Lorvin finally noticed the similarities, as the holodroid zoomed in on the captives.

One by one, they began to take off their face covers, revealing the faces of those they condemned.

“Oh. My. God.” Lorvin snickered as she saw her look-alike used for this play. “Is that- pfttt! Haha! Okay, I give them credit where it’s due, they almost got it right.” She instantly felt better. “Better luck next time though.”

As the camera zoomed at the figure in the armor, the face cover fell off. And it revealed a burly, bald, scarred man. Everyone at the table burst out laughing, as he started cursing and thrashing in his binds. Sasha gripped her glass tighter, cracking it in a few places.

“Look at you, Mr. Sasha. Ain’t you a handsome chap.” Iggy teased, nudging her arm playfully. If it wasn’t him, she’d probably dislocate his fingers at this point.

“Come on, where’s your sense of humor?” Shogun smirked and then to his horror, the next mask fell off, revealing a hairy beast.

“Look! That must be Shogun!” Pers snorted.

Another wave of laughter echoed throughout the bar, grabbing the patrons' attention. Demo had never before laughed so hard in her life, as a Bothan man was shown on the feed. The irony wasn’t lost on any member of the crew, especially the young, embarrassed Jedi. He felt his cheeks redden with anger and humiliation.

“I look nothing like that!” He screamed and got pulled right down to the table by Milia. They had to remain undercover after all.

As more masks fell off, there were no further surprises, other than Iggy being a tall woman and Milia having brown hair. Neither one was funny enough to continue egging others. When the atmosphere calmed down, they finally tuned back in on the video.

“These filthy pirates have damaged the peace and lawful conduct, the order and harmony we’re trying to maintain. Such acts are considered treason against the First Order, vile and reckless… And punishable by death.” He exclaimed and stood at the podium, giving a silent nod to the executioner to the side, he smiled. “As such, your kind will not be shown mercy or dignity. Such is the way of the galaxy, the only way for security and prosperity.”

Lorvin stared at the screen and seconds ticked by slowly, her heart thundering as he stared directly at the droid, almost like he stared right at them. His eyes pierced into their souls, their bodies, and for a split second, she felt watched, seen, even if she was not. She heard people rise, all eyes glued to the screen.

She blinked, then blinked again, unable to say anything. The bodies hung from the ropes, their heads barely out of the frame. Two of them struggled for breath, their nooses probably tied incorrectly, as the last vestiges of life and tremors claimed them. At the front, the redhead stood tall and proud, his face stern and unforgiving. His conviction seeped from every pore, his hands tightly placed behind his back.

“This is a warning to any remaining terrorists. The First Order does not tolerate your misconduct. Failure in complying to the laws bestowed upon you will have consequences. Today marked the beginning of the end for your pathetic cause. You will be hunted, tortured, and executed for your transgressions against the united galaxy. There’s nowhere you can go, that we won’t find you, and find you we will. Submit or be destroyed, the choice is yours.” With that last ominous warning, the feed cut off, and the First Order emblem displayed on the screen.

The consequences were indeed hard to swallow…

Chapter Text

Amidst the noises of the drunken men outside, the motel was relatively quiet. It was the first time in a few months when they had enough savings to afford a room, or just happened to have stolen enough credits to compensate for it. Barely communicating with the staff, they transferred one additional bed and settled down.

Three bunk beds were placed in separate corners of the room, hugging the walls tightly. In the middle stood the lone bed, which they had moved from another room. It took a little more convincing, but eventually the owner agreed. In the corner was a small liquor cabinet, locked away by a code. Per Milia’s request, Iggy managed to crack it without notifying the owner.

No one was in the mood to celebrate this time, though, too distracted by the fate that awaited Saturnine outside the sanctity of this planet. The brown liquid swirled in Sasha’s glass as she warily looked out the window, her face displaying little to no emotion.

The concrete building across their small unit had no windows; ironically, neither did they. Unconsciously, she grasped at her neck, feeling a sharp, ghastly noose tie around her windpipe. Her hand fell by her side, clenching to test if she was still thinking clearly. Sasha refused to get thrown off by distractions. She was a soldier, not a quitter. And yet as the bitter drink swirled deep in her stomach, she felt nauseous.

To think that every action we all take has consequences. Her fingers deftly reached for the lighter, but no fire came out. She waved it around before giving it a firm smack. It didn't help at all.

“Fuck me…” She scoffed and tossed it out into the streets. It fell with a sharp clank, cluttering the ground below. Maybe someone would have more luck with it.

Demo, Iggy, Milia, and Shogun fell asleep rather quickly, either drunk or just tired. Sasha sat on her bed and took her armor off before covering herself with a thin blanket. The heat was the least of her worries, compared to what was going on in her mind. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and she could make out Lorvin’s bed on the opposite end of the room.

The blonde stared at the ceiling, tired but too overwhelmed to simply close her eyes. Thoughts raced through her head, a confusing whirlwind between surrender and reluctant peace. In theory, they were free, weren’t they? The entire galaxy had witnessed the hanging of their crew; now all that was left was for them to disappear. So if it was so easy… Why did she feel so guilty?

Lorvin tossed on her bunk, a nagging sensation creeping around her body in tingling sensations, oppressive and tight in her chest, squeezing her heart. For a second, she considered her past and made a bold theory that it was her undying empathy, a chilling guilt for the fallen, cruelly executed pirates. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of their bodies, both wiggling and still.

Unable to rest, she stood up and covered herself with a jacket. She jumped down from her top bunk and cursed quietly as she realized her boots made a lot of noise. But to her surprise, the bottom bunk was empty. It was too dark to tell who was where and if she woke anyone up, so without a word, she crept out of their room.

Sasha considered going after her, but decided against it. Babysitting Lorvin was one thing, comforting her was another; not to mention it had proven ineffective in the past. Sometimes being alone was more beneficial than one’s company.

[***]

The thing was, Pers could sleep, and she had everything to do so comfortably. She simply wouldn’t. She sat on the cold, concrete roof, her legs dangling loosely over the edge, as she shivered in the dead of night. Rubbing her forearms, she tried to stop the chattering of her teeth.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep by now?” Pers’ heart skipped a beat as she heard the familiar voice. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Lorvin slowly approach, huddled in shorts and her leather jacket.

“I could ask you the same thing.” She replied quickly.

“I couldn’t keep my eyes closed, I needed a breather.” Lorvin shrugged, her eyes assessing Pers’ face. “You look tired.”

“Funny, I’m not.” She chuckled. “I’m just… Not sleepy.”

“Kid, as much as I’d like to believe that, I don’t.” She sat down beside her and immediately noticed her shivering. Without asking for permission, the blonde took off her jacket and draped it over the younger girl. The leather was warm, smelled of sweat and metal, but had a comforting aura to it. Gratefully, the brunette accepted it with a soft smile.

“So…” Lorvin started. “What’s keeping you up?” She probed, staring into the horizon. The sky was black, the planet had no moon, no natural source of light. More often than not, the streets were lit up by low, neon lights or artificial lamps; however, on Nar Kanji, the stars were reliable enough to keep the space lit up, at least during the day.

“Nothing serious.” Pers huffed out, averting her gaze into the dark pit below.

“Really? Then what unserious thing would keep you here, out in the cold, in the middle of the night?” Lorvin scoffed, crossing her arms. “Nothing serious my ass.”

Pers laughed, but kept her composure. “Very funny.”

“Come on, spit it out. I won’t go until you do.”

“Won’t you get a cold?” She asked.

“Trust me, where I come from, we were never cold,” Lorvin responded and relaxed as they changed the subject for a moment. “Do you know what snow is?”

“Snow?”

“Right. In your terms, it would probably be called something stupid, like cold liquid, white powder, or-”

“No, no, I do know what snow is.” The girl stated, but her voice grew tighter. Her fists clenched around the fabric as her eyes glistened slightly with vulnerability.

“I see. A touchy subject, then.” Lorvin glanced at the stars. “I suppose many subjects are touchy for you.”

“Save it, I don’t need your pity.” Pers bit back, suddenly getting defensive. “Or your mockery.”

“If I were mocking you, you’d know it.” On cue, the pilot lay back and got comfortable. “I respect your tenacity in thinking I would be as cruel as you believe me to be.”

“Nothing is stopping you from bullying Shogun.” She argued.

“Everyone does it, it’s nothing special.”

A long silence followed, while the two sat and decided that further conversation was pointless. Lorvin had other plans, though. She turned to Pers, her expression one of contemplation, as she began:

“You know, none of us had a nice upbringing. I understand that sometimes life throws a lot of rocks your way, and it’s hard to dodge all of them. But what I learned from all my experiences is that sometimes those rocks shape you up and help you become a better person.”

Pers listened, her gaze stuck on the blinking lamp across the street. For once, she felt almost vulnerable around the reckless pilot, which didn’t happen often. They didn’t interact often, since they had their respective duties to fulfill.

“That’s your deep wisdom?” She asked after a while, turning her head to finally notice the blonde hair and that dumb smile.

“Nope. I’m just quoting HoloQuotes.” The pilot smiled and laughed out loud, a rich, deep sound that often grated on Sasha’s nerves. And yet it sounded about right, a natural criminal laugh, lacking the malice and making up for it with mischief.

Laughter was an infectious thing, no matter which galaxy people were in, and naturally, the cook giggled along, the night becoming more bearable than before. She didn’t really know how to thank Lorvin for this, and didn't think she had to. And Lorvin didn’t need any words or gratification, as long as her crew kept smiling, breathing, and living. Optionally, in one piece.

[???, NAR KANJI]

“Are you sure?” The first man asked, his fingers tapping against the reception desk.

“Of course. Send the word to those First Order dogs. Tell them their birds have settled down here and won’t be moving anytime soon.” His partner snickered and placed the holoprojector on the surface. It displayed a few faces with no names, mainly a girl with a long ponytail, a man with a cybernetic eye, and another woman with strange-looking goggles.

“We shouldn’t be mingling with them to begin with. They’re just trouble.” The receptionist sighed, weighing the pros and cons of ratting out his clientele.

“Our business is running low; that’s our only chance to get out of the gutter. Not to mention, those pirates didn’t pay.” The man persisted, his brows scrunching in disgust. “Just let me handle this, and I promise, your motel will become a tourist hotspot in no time.”

“What if they find out?”

“They must have a thousand enemies and then some, spies and bounty hunters on their trail. Who would suspect a meek receptionist?”

“... fine, just do it.”

With a smile, the burly man shut down the small holoprojector and sent a distress call to the First Order satellite. The message was simple: “Found your bounty, sending coordinates.”

[NEXT DAY, NAR KANJI]

“Sasha. Sasha, wake up.” Shogun gently poked her, pushing her shoulder. “Sasha. Sasha!” His voice rose.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, partially annoyed, but mostly ready for the day. More often than not, she wasn’t allowed to lie in bed this long, or her mind just refused to waste daylight. Pushing him aside, she scanned over the room. Everyone was accounted for. Almost everyone.

“Where’s Milia?” She demanded, her voice still rough and deep from sleep. She ran a hand through her hair as she blinked the drowsiness away. Demo still lay on her bunk, Iggy was fast asleep, Lorvin was deep asleep, Pers was already cooking them something, and Shogun was lying on the floor. Apparently, he was lighter in the mornings.

“I thought she went to the bathroom,” Pers remarked, flipping something in the pan. “She was gone when me and Lorvin came back.”

“You were gone?” Shogun asked.

“Yes, you were snoring all night,” Demo interjected, turning to face all of them. “I couldn’t sleep at all because of everyone moving around. And your snoring made it worse. I wanted to get Lorvin to shut you up, but she was gone.”

“Wait, that was him?!” The cook’s eyes widened in surprise and agitation. “I couldn’t sleep because of that, too, so I went to get some air.”

“Look, even if I snore, which I don’t, it’s a medical condition!” Shogun defended. “And why is no one at least a tiny bit concerned as to where Milia is?! I’m the least of your problems right now.”

“Unfortunately, the monk is right.” Sasha begrudgingly agreed, grabbing her tools and assessing them. “We’re still wanted, someone could report seeing her, or worse, capture her.”

Five minutes later, the door swung open, and the familiar sight of red hair caught everyone’s attention. Her clothes were a bit ruffled, her belt hanging loosely. The pocket containing their credits was lightly dangling from her hip, and no clinking could be heard from inside. She smiled from ear to ear as she stumbled in.

“Holy fuck guys… Tonight was epic! I went out, and they have those awesome pit fights…!” She claimed proudly and quickly collapsed on the first empty bed she found.

“Problem solved.” Pers snickered and stepped aside to plate breakfast.

The displeasure Sasha felt was immeasurable as she stormed over to Milia’s relaxed body, snatching the credit purse. She folded it upside down, only to find a few business cards and a few chips from a betting table.

“Are you fucking serious?” She asked calmly, violently shoving the empty bag in Milia’s face. “Where are our savings? And don’t say you don’t know or that wild beasts stole them. I have witnesses that say otherwise.”

“I might’ve spent them all on the pit fights.” She blurted out and waved her hand dismissively. “No biggie, I’m sure you guys have your shares in your own purses. My money, my choices.”

“That was all the credits we had left.” Sasha bristled through gritted teeth, her eyebrows practically twisting in an impossible angle to manifest her disdain. “We don’t have anything thanks to you.”

“It wasn’t signed.” Milia shrugged. “But fine! I’ll get that money back, I promise.”

“You better do, otherwise I swear I’ll make sure you don’t drink a single drop of alcohol for a month. Or I’ll make you run laps on the first sun-bathed planet we stumble upon.”

“Jesus, fine, fine! Calm down, pookie.” She rolled her eyes and sat up. “I’ll go back there and just get it all back, these guys were nice sports, I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement.”

Sasha straightened and, with a huff, sat down and ate her portion. The rest of the crew followed along and ate in tense silence, the sound of utensils and glass clinking on the table being the only noise in their close quarters. Shogun cleared his throat and was the first to break the silence.

“Can you pass me the salt?”

“That’s not salt,” Pers replied.

“Whatever, just pass it over.”

The bottle went through the entire table as Shogun spiced his dish up, before putting the mysterious spice aside. He took a mouthful and didn’t say anything. He swallowed hard, clearly in pain, but decided to take it like a champ.

When everyone was finished with breakfast, the dibs on the morning hygiene started. Sasha went first, just in case the building ran out of water. As she entered the communal bathroom, she undid her hair and looked at herself in the mirror. Looking like shit suddenly had another meaning. Disrobing from her pajamas, she hopped inside a dimly lit, disgustingly dirty shower. Better this than nothing.

The water was slimy, despite being warm. She brushed her hair, her body, with deep care. Her shoulders relaxed, and for the first time, she sighed in contentment. As the soap ran down her thighs, she began to form new plans, new tactics, new ways to avoid face-to-face confrontation. Her eyes fluttered closed as if on instinct. A ghastly feeling ran down her spine as she remembered her past encounters with… No, not now. Focus.

But it was so hard to ignore the way his hands would smooth out her back, the big hands running down her sides in a gentle caress. How he’d stand there, watching, never quite joining her. She never allowed him to, a poor attempt to remain impassive and professional. A bit hypocritical considering their late-night trysts. He’s already seen her bare more than anyone else, but she drew the line at showering together. A bit pathetic, from a certain point of view.

After she turned the water off, her mind cleared, and all that remained was the fog. She draped a towel around her body, drying off her hair and her legs. She stared at her reflection and washed her face with cold water. It heightened her senses and made Sasha aware of her surroundings. The mist that settled on the mirror was thick, so with a huff, she ran her hand over it. For a split second, she saw his reflection, his smile, felt the ghost of his neatly shaved beard on her shoulder, as if he was looking into her soul. Startled, she dove again and splashed more cold water. The image was gone, the sensations lingered, but not for long. She took shaky breaths and gripped the sink tightly.

“You…” A yawn came from behind the closed door. “Are you good? I wanted to use the restroom.” It was Iggy, of course, at the most inconvenient of moments.

“I’m not done yet,” Sasha replied. “Come back later.”

“You’ve been there for half an hour. Can you do whatever you’re doing quicker?” Iggy complained.

“How about you quit whining and wait.”

“Sure, I’ll wait quicker, that’s a practical solution.”

There was a long pause before he finally announced. “If you won’t let me in, I’m peeing in the sink.”

“Go ahead.”

“I mean it.”

“Same.”

Irritated, Iggy went back, and the only indicator that he had actually left was the loud door slam at the end of the hallway. Sasha smirked and began to brush her hair. She’d check later if he had the balls to actually do it. Or if he had balls at all. Rumor had it that his species didn’t possess the natural ways of reproduction. But was it true? Was she about to seriously ask a man for his balls? She wouldn’t stoop so low, but then again, a little teasing wouldn’t hurt…

[***]

“You mean to tell me you lost all the credits? Just like that?” Lorvin was still bewildered after everyone filled her in. “I’m surprised you got away with it, I’d be doubling over in pain by now.”

“It’s my natural talent,” Milia smirked as she ate. “But don’t worry, I’ll get it all back.”

“Stealing doesn’t count.” The blonde huffed. She wanted to scold her further, but Iggy stormed in.

“It didn’t work.” He huffed. “Move, I need to use the sink.”

“Ew.” Demo instantly protested. “No. Ew, ew… ew.”

“Sit down,” Lorvin commanded. “Or use the bathroom on a different floor.”

“No, this is not just a matter of the bathroom anymore. It’s a matter of pride. Of my dignity. Perseverance. And most importantly, I refuse to let her see me in this state. So I’ll hold it in.” He stated and crossed his legs to feel more comfortable.

“... That’s kinda stupid,” Demo remarked. “Why do you care that much?”

“I understand him perfectly. It’s a male thing.” Shogun added and slid an arm around Iggy’s shoulders. “Right, partner?”

Iggy tensed and immediately stood up. “Oh hell nah.” And just as soon as he entered, he ran with a jump in his step, rushing to the nearest bathroom on another floor.

“Did I say something wrong?” Shogun quirked an eyebrow.

“I think he just gained new wisdom that he decided to use.” Lorvin shrugged, and Pers snickered.

Just then, Sasha returned, already armored and ready for the day. “Has anyone seen Iggy?”

“I’m sure he’s around. He looked quite jolly when he left.” Milia chuckled. “So what’s the plan?”

“The plan is that you move your ass back to the pits and get our credits back.” Sasha declared. “And you’ll take Iggy with you. I trust that you two can’t possibly fuck this up.”

“... Okay, fair.” She shrugged.

“As for what we will be doing…” Sasha was a bit hesitant as to what she could do with a team that consisted of a cook, a pseudo-jedi, a hyperspace menace, and a rookie pilot.

“We should chart the next course,” Lorvin suggested. “And please, this time let’s visit a communication center…”

[FINALIZER]

Pristine corridors were bustling with stormtroopers, formations speeding left and right to prepare for deployment. Hux was sceptical at first, the message having no other details, encrypted by local hunters, leading to a planet full of filth and gang members. Smugglers, debauchery, chaos. Tempted to reject the message, he almost dismissed it. Almost.

When the recording played, showcasing their faces, he saw the resemblance. The striking similarities are from the footage he managed to retrieve in various locations. But most of all, the language differences, the body language… And that carefree defiance all of them displayed, the bond of criminals, savages. An obstacle in his way.

Long hours had passed since he gave the order to set a course for Nar Kanji. He sat in his quarters, the smooth black desk filled with reports, disks, and countless devices. He worked tirelessly, day and night, following trails, accounts of vandalism regarding the pirates, as well as his daily tasks in securing beneficial partnerships for the glory of the First Order. His correspondence with various planet senators and leaders lay forgotten on the side, either signed or waiting for a translator to work through them.

He huffed, his nostrils flaring and resting as he tried to piece together a story, motives, profiles. He shouldn’t be doing that; it wasn’t his job, he had people for it, yet something nagged him to continue down this trail. Perhaps it was a sense of pride, or there was something else, a deeper feeling of uncovering something dangerous, something that refused to be put down. A wildcard, rabid dogs, that could be useful in his hands.

Hux ran a glove over his face and closed the tabs with documents, focusing once more on the video footage. He analyzed them one by one, but the angle allowed only to see only a couple of faces. Some of them were turned back to him. He squinted his eyes and noticed the armored man. The image scratched his memory in some way. Had he seen them before? The armor looked familiar, but different at the same time. No matter, he’d figure it out sooner or later, right now he wouldn’t waste resources on an enigmatic warrior, when he had four people to assess.

A knock on his door annoyed him, but he made the effort to greet whoever thought it necessary to disturb his work. He groomed his hair and straightened his coat before sliding his palm over the scanner. The metal slid open, revealing a smaller frame of his officer.

“Henderson. I suppose you have a more than valid reason to disturb your commanding officer?” He asked obnoxiously, frustrated with the disruption.

“General, we’ve reached our destination, and the ship is ready to enter orbit.” She replied and handed him a datapad. He looked it over and, out of habit, he scrolled down. He noticed small doodles in the corners of the report, ones that were made in haste. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at the young rookie officer.

“And I suppose these represent your contributions to this mission, officer?” He asked coldly as he showed her the drawings. Her skin grew slightly paler, her shoulders squared, and her breath hitched.

“Sir, you… uhm… weren’t meant to see those.” Henderson muttered, averting her gaze. “It’s best to delete them…”

“Oh no, why would I waste such potential. Perhaps we should acquire supplies for your creative output. Crayons, maybe?” He sneered, his tongue dripping with sarcasm as he roughly shoved the datapad back into her hands. “Get out of my sight. Pathetic.” He remarked and went to the control bridge. What a disappointment.

[NON-TOXIC SWINGER’S CLUB, NAR KANJI]

“I am not going there.” Iggy stood his ground, his arms crossed in protest. “There’s not enough credits in the entire galaxy that would ever condemn me to set foot… in there.”

“I thought so too, but turns out they have very cheap drinks and a lot of slot machines.” Milia shrugged his hesitation off and stepped forward. During the day, it didn’t look spectacular, just a dull concrete building with red beads draped over the gloomy entrance to the basement. However, Iggy could only imagine what drew the redhead in: the red neon lights, the whispers of the unknown pleasures, whether physical or emotional. Clubs often provided relief to those who sought it, hooking in and assisting poor men in succumbing to their greed, lust, and sloth.

“Ever thought about avoiding places like that?” Iggy questioned, as Milia almost disappeared in the sea of beads.

“Iggy, I’m really low-maintenance, if it’s cheap and sustainable, and it doesn’t kill me, then why not?” She called, even though her voice grew distant in the noise coming from the inside. “Are you coming or not?”

Iggy patiently waited for the disgusting punchline that never came. He often forgot how similar and yet strikingly different these people, from a system way off the charts of their known universe, were. If only for a moment, his shoulders relaxed. This idea was stupid, reckless, and definitely not something he’d normally subject himself to. But it was Milia and not Lorvin or Shogun, and with a reluctant groan, he willed himself to move, to give this a chance.

“Just please, let’s make it quick. I’m already uncomfortable and we haven’t even–”

“Relax! Man, no wonder you only hang out with Sasha, you’re such a strict guy. Get that stick out of your ass for once, Sasha’s not here.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It means she won’t know if something goes wrong, and you don’t have to answer to anyone,” Milia smirked as they descended into the lower part of the club. “That also includes letting loose and not using your brain for a while.”

“... Alright. But just for ten minutes, before we start looking for a way to get those credits back.”

“Great!” Milia chimed and grabbed his arm, dragging Iggy through the interior, various sex stars and exotic dancers, across the entire floor, straight to the bar. “Oi! Hit us!”

[COMMUNICATION CENTER, NAR KANJI]

“Keep looking, there has to be something useful in here.” Lorvin pointed to another database, and whoever finished looking through a chart quickly hopped onto the next, all while Sasha held a worker in a chokehold. “And please, we need him conscious.”

“I’m not even squeezing,” Sasha replied, and for a second, Lorvin could practically sense the eyeroll behind her armor. Just to prove a point, she loosened her grip, and the worker gasped for air.

“Of course not.” Lorvin jabbed. “Watch out for those claw marks, we wouldn’t want to stain your pretty silver metal.”

“Watch it, or you’ll be next.” She barked back and gripped the man’s neck again. “Go on, give them the codes.”

“Please, don’t hurt me!”

“You want to test my patience? Fine.” She glanced at Demo. “Try it, if it doesn’t grant you access, I’ll snap his fingers–”

“No! No, no, okay, fine! Fine! Stars, I’ll lose my job-” He stuttered and thrashed in her grip.

“Codes. Now.” Sasha hissed and squeezed a bit tighter.

“Alright- Fine! Fine!” He panted and recited the sequence of numbers and letters, slowly. The monitor flashed a white light, and soon enough, dozens of planets were displayed.

“That’s gotta be the worst database I’ve ever seen,” Pers commented, scrolling through the scarce data they had access to.

“So it would seem,” Shogun added, with a smile on his face. The reference hadn’t escaped Lorvin’s scrutiny, even though it landed well.

“Jokes aside.” She narrowed her eyes at the young man before turning to the holotable. “This doesn’t give us much… Actually, this gives us nothing.”

“Outdated?” Sasha asked.

“Pretty much.” The pilot shrugged and leaned against the table. “I have no idea what to do. I don’t want to wander aimlessly.” She added. Her focus attempts were often proven futile by the whimpers and constant thrashing of the man in the merc’s grasp, annoying her without end. “For the love of God, can someone shut him up?”

More than happy to do it, Sasha slammed her fist against his occipital nerves, knocking him out within seconds. He slumped to the floor in a tangle of limbs. For extra precautions, the mercenary tore some cables away from one of the databases and tied his hands. Once that had been secured, she threw him into a tight and small compartment, closing the lid.

“These computers are ancient.” Demo huffed as she tore apart various cords. “I swear, some people should invest in newer technologies. It’s completely inoperable.”

“I’m surprised you know how to access these.” Pers stepped closer.

“I don’t. You know who would?” The co-pilot asked rhetorically.

“He’s probably having the time of his life right now,” Lorvin interjected. “Imagine all those sexy women just dancing, half-naked, or butt-naked, waiting to be ogled.”

“Save your fetishes for yourself next time.” Shogun rolled his eyes, disgusted.

“Don’t pretend you wouldn’t find the idea attractive if I said men.”

“But you didn’t, so my point still stands.” He remarked and clasped his hands, popping his knuckles. “But enough about that, time to work my magic.”

He breathed in and extended a hand towards the computer. All energy focused in one spot as Shogun attempted…

“What is he doing?” Pers whispered to Demo.

“Let’s pretend he’s summoning the Force.” Demo quipped, glancing at him with hesitation and second-hand embarrassment.. “Key word, pretend.”

“The black warrior did this, which means it’s an important step.” Shogun huffed and started straining, his temples bulging in exertion, as he waved his hand in front of the screen. If the screen could talk, it would probably tell him he would shit himself faster, but his reflection had already shown him how he looked.

As everyone focused on Shogun’s powerful display of ancient arts, Sasha looked out the window. Somewhere in there, in this jungle of smugglers, hunters, fighters, gamblers, Iggy was caught in the crossfire of her decision. She wasn’t worried; he knew how to handle himself. What she was truly worried about was his company. Milia rarely saw her decisions as rational, more often than not relying on intelligence and what little luck she possessed as a gambler. Would luck be enough this time around?

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the unmistakable silhouette of The Finalizer, orbiting the planet. Her breath hitched under the helmet, hand instinctively reaching for the rifle she carried with her. Luck wasn’t on their side at all, evidently so.

“Look alive, we have company.” Sasha gripped the rifle, and the others quickly looked out the window as well.

“How did they find us?” Pers questioned, her shoulders squared.

“Someone must’ve tipped them off and sold us. This system is not within their reach.” Sasha’s mind already ran circles, trying to think of anyone who would have betrayed their location. Chances of finding the culprit were slim, considering the colorful locals and their habits, not to mention the crew’s behavior throughout their stay. They should’ve been more careful.

“How long was that thing there?” Lorvin looked at Sasha, assuming she knew the answer to the question no one could possibly answer.

“Long enough to secure all airports. We need to leave.” Sasha barked. “Get to Saturnine, I’ll go get Milia and Iggy and–”

The door slid open, and three people entered the floor. Two stormtroopers, armed with blasters, and among them, a short, blonde officer of the First Order, her thoughts stuck on the datapad in her hands. Brushing her locks from her face, not even gazing up at the troopers, she addressed them with the same arrogance her higher-ups did. Or she tried.

“Secure the perimeter and report if anything is out of the ordinary. We need to assess why the communication tower’s response never…” She looked up, and her face paled. “... came.”

Chapter Text

It was over before it had even begun. Amidst the blaster bolts and chaos, the young officer was subdued quickly. Sasha had seen to that. Of course, she didn’t mean to knock her out, but one punch led to another, and eventually Henderson was out cold, cuffed on the floor.

“I don’t think she’s going to move, you know.” Lorvin crossed her arms and watched as the merc sat on top of the First Order officer, legs crossed as if to ensure she wouldn’t damage the girl in any way.

“Trust me, you’ll be thanking me for taking precautions when she tries to shoot you between the eyes.” She replied, glancing over at her waist. The belt had already been removed, and the holster with her weapon lay on the empty panel nearby. The commlink was quickly disabled, and in this case, disabled meant polarized by a swift laser bullet.

“You’ll hurt her legs,” Pers noted, a silent plea for softer treatment creeping into her tone. “You could be more considerate–”

“By the time they’ll find her, she’ll be of no use. One officer like her has around ten replacements ready to serve and swoop in at any moment.” Sasha nudged Henderson’s unconscious form, looking for any insignia that would prove her claim.

“And you know this… how?” Lorvin questioned, raising an eyebrow. It wasn’t new that Sasha was knowledgeable, even if sometimes her information was a little too specific to be an anecdote or research material.

“Observation.” She gruffly responded after a tense silence. “Any other questions?”

“Uh, yeah. Why are we even sticking around?” Shogun demanded, a bit on edge from the sudden danger. “Shouldn’t we be on our way, getting the hell away from here?”

“If it was that easy, we would’ve done so already.” Demo rebuffed and scoffed. “Besides, we can’t leave without Milia and Iggy.”

“Debatable.” Sasha shrugged nonchalantly. No one could see the slight concern she felt about Iggy. Then again, he didn’t notice it either, so perhaps it was just dumb luck that she had gotten away with her freaky behavior for so long.

“I’m not going anywhere without Millia,” Pers stated, immediately getting defensive.

“Fine, we’ll leave you behind, too.”

“Sasha!” Shogun gasped. “You can’t just cut people off whenever you feel like it!”

She smirked under her helmet. “Watch me.”

As Shogun and Sasha bickered, Lorvin looked around once more. Some of the panels were still letting out smoke from burnt circuitry. They got shot in the crossfire, likely having no further use for them. The pilot tried pushing a few buttons, but nothing happened.

“Guys, the panels are fried.” She remarked and shielded her face when one flickered with sparks. “Yeah, no, we’re not getting anything out of those anymore.”

“Okay, so let’s review; we have no intel, no way of calling Iggy or Milia, no way of getting out of here… And now we might have no time, because some of us can’t seem to let people go.” Demo listed and rolled her eyes in frustration. “Not to mention, we had no plan to begin with, because someone decided to listen to the force-junkie.”

“I’m not a junkie! At least not- well… Not a…” Shogun started sweating while coming up with a clever quip, a comeback so powerful it would shut the younger co-pilot's mouth. “Look, kid, how about you let adults handle the situation?”

“All adults around me are incompetent idiots,” Demo replied, before glancing at Sasha. “With some exceptions.”

“You little-” Shogun threatened, when suddenly Pers stopped them.

“Look! She’s waking up!” She pointed as Henderson’s form began to shift under Sasha’s weight.

“Told you. They love to fake being unconscious. Or dead. Or both.” She sighed and held the officer by the back of her neck, pressing her cheek-first against the cold metal tiles. “Any ideas?”

“Well, since the systems are down… We might as well ask her a few questions?” Lorvin suggested, but it came out as more of a question than an actual suggestion.

Sasha raised an eyebrow under her helmet and shrugged reluctantly. “Not bad, for someone with the brain capacity of a peanut.”

“Is she talking about me?” Shogun asked quietly.

“... Definitely,” Lorvin confirmed and patted him on the arm.

“I don’t even like peanuts.” He huffed back while Sasha prepared the interrogation chamber, which, in their case, was a poorly assembled chair, built from metal scraps found in the control center.

While Sasha and Demo were working on securing the First Order officer to the contraption, Lorvin watched them with a hint of dread. They’ve had so many close calls in the past few weeks, and it felt as if it was just the tip of the iceberg, a rabbit hole with no end. Escaping the galactic regime seemed hopeless now, after everything they’ve done.

And a part of her also seemed to enjoy the chase, the adventures—the thrill of the hunt.

[NON-TOXIC SWINGER’S CLUB, NAR KANJI]

“And then I… I told her…” Iggy slurred his words, giggling a bit after a few heavy drinks. “I’d piss in the sink!”

Milia started wheezing and laughing, gasping for air as they downed another bottle of Correlian booze. How long were they there? Hours? Minutes? Days? When was the last time Iggy went to the bathroom? Milia couldn’t exactly wrap her head around their circumstances, not when she carelessly drowned all her worries with a flask or two… hundred. It’s gotten to the point where she ultimately forgot that they were here to get the money back, not waste whatever they had left.

“Of all the people in the galaxy… I’ve never seen someone as humorless as you.” She stated and hit his back harshly, making him choke on the bottle. He spat out some of the drink and coughed roughly, before looking at her with glassy eyes.

“I’m… I’m super funny.” He huffed. “I won a… Sabbac school championship… With my charisma…”

“That’s the best joke you said today.” She replied and rubbed her temples. “God… I’m wasted. Do you have a way to pay for all this? I think I’m broke.”

“Weren’t we supposed to…” He hiccuped mid-sentence. “Sorry… weren’t we supposed to get the money back?” He asked, slowly feeling the world slow down, as if in slow motion.

“Oh. Fuck.” The redhead blinked a few times and even slapped herself before she stood up. “Don’t move an inch, I’ll be right back.”

Iggy watched her rush off through the crowd, still smiling. He leaned his head against the bar stool and felt his eyes grow increasingly heavy. A nap, just a few minutes, would be nice. The noises turned from loud and annoying to soothing, almost melodic in a way. He could hear his own breathing, getting louder, and louder…

“Hey, what’s a guy like you doing in a place like this? Aren’t you too young to be here?” A woman came by and wrapped her hands around his shoulders. “Maybe you snuck in here… I like bad boys who break the rules.”

“I… I’m a mechanic…” He murmured, not even feeling a little drool in the corner of his mouth. He was dizzy and confused.

“A mechanic, huh? Well, maybe we should see if your engine doesn’t require… Refueling.” She purred into his ear, trying to get him up and away from the bar.

“Lorvin was supposed to refuel…” He slurred and didn’t budge. Her eyes widened, but only briefly, before she redoubled her efforts.

“A bad mechanic who not only sneaks around, but also cheats on his girlfriend? You’re a tough nut to crack.” She replied. “I like tough nuts, just like I like that toolbelt around your waist. You’d look even better without it.” She ran her fingers across his spine, tiptoeing on it to lure him in.

“I like my belt.” He said slowly. “I like when she grabs it to… stop me from falling.”

He smiled and continued. “She’s so protective… It’s cute. She’s… a bit less cute. All that gruff and bite… Like a violent dog. She bites.”

“When you want her to?” The woman asked, trying to match the girl he was describing.

“As she pleases. She told me to…”

“Iggy! You harlot, get away from my kid!” Milia finally came back, shooing the prostitute away. “Man, get your ass up. And sober up, I need you for uh… A quick cash-grab.”

She grabbed him by the hem of his shirt and slapped him. Once. Twice… Three times, for good measure, before taking him to the bathroom and putting his head in the sink. “Wakey wakey, no hangover on my watch!”

Safe to say, he almost drowned, and all the thoughts of the enigmatic crush he had disappeared, replaced by shock, outrage, and a hint of gratitude. Gratitude that he didn’t have to battle some imaginary feelings he had begun to develop. Or maybe that was just the alcohol taking over his brain. Love. A word that wasn’t familiar to him at all, especially to him, as a lowly mechanic from a backwater world. Lorvin once played a song, something about a small boy in a big arcade. He felt similar now, surrounded by notions and feelings that were too overwhelming to decipher. So, as always, he let them go and buried them deep, never to be seen again.

[INTERROGATION ROOM]

Henderson had never felt a pain as annoying as this one. A throbbing ache deep in her skull that refused to leave. She knew that it would likely get treated back on the Finalizer, once she returned…

Her eyes flickered open for a moment before a harsh light focused on her face, making them water. She tried to move her hands, but they were bound by a rubber line… A pulled-out cord, maybe? Or a couple of wires mushed together… Whatever it was, it cut her blood flow in both of her wrists. Secondly, Henderson tried to move her legs, but they wouldn’t budge either. Luckily, they were a bit loosened up, so there was space to move.

“Name and rank.” Someone asked, but she couldn’t tell who, the light obscured her vision.

“Go to hell, Resistance scum.” She grunted, chanting the mantra they learned in the Academy like an anthem, with conviction and determination.

A sharp slap followed soon enough, making her head tilt to the side. That would leave a bruise.

“Name. And. Rank.” The person said, before pushing the light closer, making Henderson blind for a moment. “I won’t ask again, I’ll just start snapping your bones. And trust me, I won’t start with your fingers. There are 206 bones for me to choose from, and I’m very creative in that department.”

That was all it took to make the young officer cave. “Officer Henderson.”

“Good job, Sasha. You scared the shit out of her.” Another woman scolded and pushed her aside. “What does officer mean?”

“It means she’s a shrimp in the sea of big fishes, idiot.”

“Oh, pardon me for not knowing some fancy military hierarchy like you do!”

The two bickered verbally, with one of them standing still, coldly, and the other gesturing vividly. One of those sharp movements knocked the light out of the stand and revealed all of them, standing before the young officer. Glancing at all their faces, her eyes kept widening.

“Y-you… You’re wanted by the First Order!” She exclaimed as she took in the armored mercenary, the two girls in the back, the leather jacket of the pilot with weird eye-sensors, and lastly… “Oh god, is that- You’re that Jedi!”

Shogun charmingly agreed before everyone in the room exchanged a glance, the prolonged eye contact resulting in all of them snickering.

“At least she had the decency to agree!” He scolded them. “Look at me and tell me I’m not a Jedi.”

“Yeah, no, you’re a monk.” Lorvin quipped.

“Totally a force-junkie,” Demo added.

“Your only force abilities are being forcibly removed from the bar.” Pers shrugged.

Lastly, Sasha just looked at him, not dignifying his question with a response. Sometimes silence was louder than words.

“So… He’s not a Jedi?” Henderson asked again.

“We’re the ones asking questions here!” Shogun interrupted and came forth. “Now start talking, or things will get ugly for you.”

“What are you gonna do? Meditate her to death?” Demo remarked and crossed her arms in annoyance.

“Can you stop? I’m trying to be intimidating. Like a bad cop.” He replied and cracked his fingers. Once the bones clicked, he had to wave his hand because it actually hurt. He even let out a quiet ‘ow’ and a moment later sharpened his glare.

“Oh yes, really intimidating. I’m sweating back here.” Pers joined in and rolled her eyes.

Despite the circumstances, Henderson stopped struggling in her binds, instead observing the group with curiosity and disbelief. She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that these were the people who were wanted by the First Order. They accomplished feats that even the Resistance couldn’t, and yet they were a bunch of… What was she supposed to call them? Pirates had no morals, and mercenaries got paid. They were just… Lucky? Favored by the Force? It was beyond her how they were still alive, but maybe she was missing something. A bigger picture…

“That’s enough!” Sasha boomed and grabbed the officer by the shoulders. “You’ve had your questions, now you’re gonna talk. Or we can just skip that part and torture you to death. Your call.”

“I’m- I’m not scared of a walking metal can!” Henderson replied, her hard-learned decorum evaporating in the face of Sasha’s intense interrogation techniques. Or rather, her casual charm.

“Now, now, how about we take over and you can give it a rest,” Lorvin suggested, sensing that the mercenary was about to lash out at the girl. “Take a breather and we’ll figure this out.”

“You won’t get away with this! G-General Hux will be here soon, and you’ll be publicly executed!” She struggled again, acting tough.

The group looked at each other in worry. Their situation just got a lot more complicated…

[SWINGERS ARENA, NAR KANJI]

“You’re not serious.” Iggy groaned as he finished drying up his hair. Not only was he forcibly sobered up, but Milia also made him puke up the alcohol. That way, he was sober and unhappy.

“Those are the rules. One on one in a cage, the winner takes all.” She shrugged. “I know I lost our money, but the male division has bigger wages. Patriarchy, right?” She nudged his arm and tried to loosen his shoulders.

“I have never fucked anyone in my life!” He protested and pushed her off.

“Dude, it’s a fighting pit. What did you think it was?” Milia stood still and sighed in embarrassment. “Forget it, I don’t want to know. I’ll let Shogun know, though, he’ll be dying to know what his secret homo-commando thinks.”

“I’m not–”

“Everyone is confused from time to time. Hopefully, today you’ll discover your new self. That, or you’ll lose all our money and get punched to death. Either way, I’ll be cheering on the sidelines.” Milia smirked. “Good luck, pookie!”

He stood there, amidst the lights, feeling his heart thunder in his chest. Screams tore the arena apart, and the chaos and noises reached a fever pitch as he stepped out onto the ground. It was a circular cage with a few floors to watch. He spotted Milia, way up on the last floor, stuck between two men. She looked a bit grossed out, but still cheered for her champion, their only way to get the lost credits back.

“Gentlemen and a few lovely ladies we have!” The intercom, presumably the commentator, announced. “Let me introduce you to our fresh meat for the grinder! Give a hot welcome to… uh…”

A short pause was followed by the rustling of papers. “Who is that guy? What the- What do you mean you didn’t get a name? Ah, forget it. People watch this to see the champion, not some skinny boy with a screwdriver and a dream!”

Whether leaving the microphone on was deliberate or not, the announcer just kept going. “And now, make some noise for the two-hundred-time champion, the unbeatable, the one who cracked skulls open and tore tongues out. The one who switched positions at the last moment! Give it up for our champion – Ka-Kitch!” He prolonged the last syllable as a half-giant man entered the arena.

He stomped into the pit, his chest covered in cloth and armor. For a man his size, he was surprisingly agile; his muscles were more toned than buff. However, the look in his eyes said it all – a crazed man looking for blood. Confident, unstoppable, dangerous. From what Iggy had gathered in the limited time he spent inside, there were no weapons allowed, except the debris that was scattered around the floor. There were also columns embedded into the ground, making it easier to get a high ground. That is, if you could consider it high ground compared to a half-giant.

As Ka-Kitch stopped and flexed at the mechanic, his hands clenched and cracked under the pressure. Perhaps there was more behind the champion than a lack of muscles.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do great!” Milia shouted from above.

Ka-Kitch glared at Iggy and grabbed a nearby brick before roughly chomping on it. He munched on the lime rock, letting the chunks fly out of his mouth, before finally swallowing the crunched brick.

“お前の頭を壁に吊るしてやる。” He said in a deep rumbling voice. Iggy stood confused, as he didn’t understand a single word of what the man said.

Milia asked for a translation, and when she learned that it was a threat, she smiled, though inside she was already panicking. “Scratch that, just stay alive!”

“What did he say?” Iggy asked as the bell rang. Ka-Kitch roared and rushed at the mechanic. “Milia?! What did he say?!”

[INTERROGATION ROOM]

“Lorvin, did you manage to send that message?” Sasha asked as she secured a stormtrooper’s helmet around Henderson’s head.

“Almost got it. I’m not sure if I should add ‘Best regards’ or ‘Henderson out’ at the end.” The pilot walked around, tapping on the holopad. “What would you choose?”

“I’d immediately go with ‘Sup, it’s Lorvin, kisses’” Demo sassed further and snatched the device from Lorvin’s hands. “Do you have the slightest idea how to write messages?”

“Do you?” Lorvin quipped and crossed her arms. “I did well with most of it, only the ending is troublesome.”

“Clearly. Just let me handle it.” The co-pilot replied and stepped away to correct the text they were about to send. The atmosphere in the communication center was tense, filled with urgency and a tinge of nerves.

Shogun peeked through Demo’s shoulder, watching as she corrected the message and added a bunch of jargon that sounded way too professional for any of them to use. “You never said you were good with words.” He appraised and looked at her. “Hidden talent?”

“More like a missed opportunity. My family wanted me to work for a fancy organization, a corporate job. My siblings had it easier, since all the responsibility fell onto my shoulders most of the time.” She replied as she hit send. “That, and a couple of weirdos snatched me while I tried to rob them.” She added with a glare toward Lorvin. The pilot just smirked and shrugged.

“Are we done here?” Pers asked. “That Destroyer seems to be looming closer.”

“It’s just your paranoia, Pers. They’re designed to induce that feeling.” Sasha commented and finally stood up. “If you’re done playing around with the First Order, we can go.”

“Nice, then let’s go,” Lorvin stated and rushed everyone out before glancing around the room one last time. She checked her pockets, and sure enough, the bullet was still there. Gently twirling it, she scanned the metal tables for anything they left behind. Seeing that everything was in order, she left to catch up to the rest of the group.

Henderson didn’t know where they were going, but she complied regardless. It was part of her training to comply when the enemy had you at gunpoint. Guns weren’t drawn yet, but if they met anyone on the way, they’d surely pull them out. No one would question her if she managed to lead them into a trap; she’d probably be promoted for it. She just had to find an opening to run…

As they stalked toward the lower levels of Nar Kanji, the officer took her shot. She stopped and stomped on the mercenary’s shoe. That, however, ended up with a painful whimper, since the pants were reinforced as well, making it impossible to physically hurt anyone.

“... Need I comment or shall we carry on?” Sasha asked, amused and entertained by that pathetic display.

“... Worth a shot,” Henderson answered, embarrassed and surprisingly amused as well.

“You’ll have plenty to laugh about once I stomp on your feet. The only reason why I haven’t done so is because I refuse to carry you back to the ship.” Sasha dragged the bound officer forward. “Now move.”

Shogun grimaced and leaned toward Lorvin with a conspiratorial whisper: “I do hope Iggy and Milia are having a better time than we do. Do they even know where the ship is?”

“Yeah, they just need to get the credits back. It shouldn’t be too difficult.” Lorvin replied with a soft smile.

[SWINGERS ARENA, NAR KANJI]

Duck and move, duck and move, that was a mantra Iggy mastered to perfection in the span of the last ten minutes. After the first few hits he took, he no longer had any will to fight. He supposed he could wear him out for a while, make him tire and then strike, but the damn slant-eyed beast refused to tire. At one point, he almost rammed the poor mechanic into one of the columns, which would end with a broken or possibly severed spine.

The arena roared with excitement as small weapons were dropped down, of course, melee ones. A few sticks, swords, spears, anything to speed up the process. Iggy grabbed the first object he could and smacked Ka-Kitch in the face. The stick broke, and the half-giant flinched only slightly before looking at him with a murderous glare.

Reaching out, he snatched Iggy’s jacket and spun him around with all his might, until he finally tossed him like a ragdoll. The blonde flew through the arena and smashed into the wall. His vision swam, and he could feel blood pooling on his tongue. He spat it out and barely got out of the way before Ka-Kitch landed a finisher on him.

Rolling to the side, he ran again, ignoring the shouts, the warnings, the threats. He just had to stay alive long enough for someone to intervene. Those weren’t fights to the death, right? Right?

As he ran around and climbed one of the columns, Milia watched from above, trying to look for anything to save him from the distress. His grenades got plucked out of his belt, and any weapon he could smuggle in was already lying on the floor. There wasn’t much she could do, except watch as he ran like a helpless chicken.

“Ha! The kid is gonna get stomped to death!” One of the men beside Milia sneered.

“Poor kid, shouldn’t have dealt with the Kanjiklub. Not sure what they offered, but even if he leaves the Arena, he’ll get a bolt to the chest.” The second one grumbled and waved his hand. “Forget it, it's not worth watching. It’s garbage.”

The commentators, noticing the sudden disinterest, pulled the levers to lower the railings. Now, spectators could throw whatever they wanted to into the arena. That gave Milia a brilliant idea. Pushing through the excited crowd, she looked for anything with high pressure. Despite the slight intoxication, she recalled that Iggy was a demolitions expert first and foremost, and given enough resources, he’d win the fight.

Iggy got hit with a wild fruit, almost falling off the column. He had been jumping between them, as Ka-Kitch destroyed each one with his head, riling the crowd up into cheers. Finally, in the last column, Iggy almost got smashed with a canister of sorts. He looked up and saw Milia, who shouted something, but he couldn’t make it out. It was just him and the gas tank he had just received, and he knew exactly what to do with it.

As Ka-Kitch got ready to demolish the last column, he lifted the gas tank and threw it with all the force his small muscles could muster. It got impaled on his helmet and made him pause. Not long after the gas shot out, creating a fiery explosion, engulfing everything in a two-meter radius. Iggy jumped off the column and bit the sand, coughing as the explosion subsided.

Ka-Kitch was no more; the only memento left after him was a half-helmet that came dangerously close to impaling Iggy. The crowd was silent, as no one had expected the wimpy mechanic to actually pull this off. The only cheering came from Milia, who almost fell through the railing.

“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about, pookie! Now pay up motherfuckers!” She screamed, as the odds were 1 to 100. Iggy only groaned on the ground before his head fell back into the sand. He needed a few minutes…

[LOWER LEVELS, NAR KANJI]

“Can anyone understand this guy?” Lorvin asked, as she wrestled with a guard. “I swear, he wasn’t here when we landed!”

“I don’t understand his language…” Pers rubbed her arm. “Sorry, not gonna help this time.”

“Can someone shut this monkey up before I lose my patience?” Sasha barked and kicked the shorter man back. “Just like animals. For fuck’s sake.”

In all the chaos, Shogun tried to make out what the guards were saying, and his eyes widened.

“Wait!” He shouted. “I can talk to them!”

Sasha raised an eyebrow in her helmet, but she stepped aside and gestured for him to take over. Once he got into the zone, his tongue did all the talking, and miraculously, he communicated with them.

“Monkey see, monkey do, I suppose…” Lorvin crossed her arms and smiled as the guards regarded Shogun again and let him pass. However, they immediately raised their weapons once he passed, not letting the rest of the group through.

“Oh, pardon, they said they want me to go. Nothing about the rest of you.” He shrugged and tried to reason some more. The Kanjiklub members reacted with aggression and pushed the crew back.

Sasha had had enough of it after constantly putting up with the bratty officer and pulled out her rifle, shooting on sight. The two guards dropped dead, and she quickly hid her weapon, pushing past the corpses and brushing against Shogun.

“Well… That’s also a way to handle the situation.” He murmured and followed them back to Saturnine.

Aboard the ship, they all sat in the main room, pushing Henderson into a metal chair, this time an actual chair. She hissed in pain and glared at them all. All except Sasha, who was too dangerous to even attempt a standoff.

“You won’t get away with this!” She threatened and watched as two more crewmembers boarded Saturnine.

“Guys, I told you we had it under control- Who’s that?” Milia asked as she held both the credit bag and the limping Iggy.

“A pest.” Sasha jabbed the gun at Henderson’s temple. “Any ideas?”

“I may have an idea,” Lorvin suggested and took off Henderson’s cap. She inspected it and then put it on. She also took her glasses off and pushed her hair to look like the officer’s. “How about the ol’ switcheroo? The cap covers my natural color, and we look… Similar.”

“Like hell we do!” She protested and thrashed.

“See? Perfect match.” Lorvin smirked.

And for the first time in forever, Sasha actually found the idea somewhat smart. Smart enough to pull the blaster away and turn to the pilot with a simple statement.

“If you’re gonna do it…” She began and crossed her arms. “Then you’ll need to act like a soldier.”

Chapter Text

“It hardly fits,” Lorvin whined, putting the tight uniform on. “You’d think for all the shiny decor these were flexible, not whatever this is.”

“You’d better fit, or this whole plan will be for nothing.” Demo remarked, trying to zip the upper half on the pilot’s back. “I still think it’s stupid, everyone will realize you’re not from the First Order in the first five minutes. Ten tops.”

“You give me too little credit for my acting skills- ow! Too tight!” The blonde yelped and had trouble breathing as the zipper finally gave in and got pulled all the way up. “How do you breathe… In this thing?”

“Suck up the stomach for one.” Sasha grumbled and stood near Iggy, making sure he didn’t collapse. She would’ve torn Milia a new one if anything happened to him, more than it already had that is. She couldn’t deny that taking down a half-giant with an explosive was a feat that impressed her in many ways. Especially considering it was done by someone of his stature.

Milia, Shogun and Pers stood guard around the bound officer, asking her a variety of questions. They ranged from First Order anecdotes to oddly specific space inquiries. Some were deeply personal.

“If you had to fight a thousand stormtroopers the size of a pigeon or ten pigeons the size of a stormtrooper, which would you choose?” Milia asked, poking Henderson’s arm.

“For the last time, I have no clue what a pigeon is! Stop asking!” She lamented.

“What’s your standard nap time?” Shogun asked, rubbing his chin.

“Why is that relevant?” Pers glanced at him with a confused expression.

“Sleep schedules tell you a lot about a person. I read that in a book once.”

“You know how to read?”

Shogun seemed baffled and stopped rubbing his chin, just to twirl his hair between his fingers. A habit he picked up on UN1TY when he was in the presence of other queer people. Responding to stress often meant doing something with your hands and not your face – for the sake of confidence and composure.

“I’ll leave that without an answer.” He retorted, and with a huff he walked back to the bar.

Meanwhile Sasha was helping with the preparation of the disguised commlink, so Lorvin could successfully infiltrate the star destroyer without detection. Though she knew with a deep certainty that Iggy could’ve done this on his own, she still stood by, pushing wires and securing the straps. They’ve done a quick shopping spree with the money he won, getting new clothes and equipment, including fresh commlinks.

“Are you alright? You look like you’ve been comatosed for a decade.” Sasha asked, her voice distorted by the helmet she couldn’t remove. Not with Henderson still aboard the Saturnine, risking exposure. On the other hand, she’d probably end up dead after her usefulness reached it’s end but that was a problem for later. Right now it was bad enough that she knew her codename, the same one she used in the past for more… opportunistic jobs.

“Aside from being ragdolled I feel fine. Don’t worry.” He replied and fixed his eyes on the small wires. “If it wasn’t for Milia I’d be dead.”

“If it wasn’t for Milia, you would’ve been safe and sound, not injured.” Sasha fired back a little too soon.

“Well, yes, but we would’ve come back empty handed.” He continued calmly.

“It wasn’t your job to get the credits back. You didn’t lose them.”

“But I was there to help, so I did. Besides, female wages were lower than male ones.”

Sasha slammed the tool to the table and turned her head to face Iggy. Luckily he couldn’t see the stare she gave him, a furious, frustrated glare that spoke of anger and a sense of leadership.

“I don’t know why you’re suddenly acting tough with me, but it won’t fly. You’re an integral part of this crew, whether you like it or not, and I refuse to see one of my best men get killed over some stupid credits.” She snapped at him, and Iggy raised an eyebrow.

“Okay? I didn’t know I was your best man.” He smiled. “You worry too much. I’m fine, that’s what matters, right?”

Despite her frustration Sasha backed off slightly and focused on the commlink again. “Right. Keep my words in mind though, I won’t repeat myself.”

“Okay.” He replied nonchalantly and continued his work in relative peace. As much as he wanted to lie down, he knew he couldn’t. Not yet at least. So he allowed his thoughts to wander off, connecting the last wires almost automaticaly. “Alright it’s done.”

Lorvin brushed her hair and made it look to at least partially reflect the hairstyle of Henderson. She couldn’t grasp the curls, but that was just another part of the challenge. “Perfect! Now for step two…”

[FINALIZER]

“Status report.” Hux boomed as he read over the message from Henderson again, and again. She cleared the perimeter, but they haven’t received a signal from the communication center yet, except her cryptic message. He strongly felt that something was off. The message was too clean, even if the level of incompetence perfectly matched the personality of the lousy officer. Not to mention he had never seen her use “affirmative” in any of her documents, at least not without a typo.

“Sir, the Finalizer is fully refueled and soon we’ll be ready for take-off.” A navigator confirmed and followed the lines on the screen.

“Any signs of the rebels?” He double-checked, stepping closer to the monitors. Hux watched with sharp focus as the reports flooded in, each one a negative on their search. Buildings were rummaged through, citizens questioned and yet no one found anything or anyone suspicious. The first sign of rebel activity came from a local bar, however, Hux had no intention of coming into contact with even more filth. Nar Kanji was already a backwater, disgusting world with no lawful conduct. A disorderly domain with illegal fights, soliciting, trafficking and who knew what else. To him it was a disorderly dystopian plague – a clear picture of everything the First Order stood against. He swore he’d deal with Nar Kanji, as well as the Kanjiklub, in due time, right now he had more pressing matters that required his undivided attention. One of which was catching the rebels who dared to mock him openly and brazenly.

“Negative, sir. Should we recall the patrols?” Lieutenant Mitaka asked, his gaze lingering on Hux for a while, seeking guidance.

General’s hands clenched behind him; another defeat, a dead end. Not only that, but Henderson remained unresponsive, further raising his growing suspicions that something went wrong. Nevertheless, he couldn’t let his composure slip, so with a gruff nod he gave the order to recall all remaining patrols.

“Order all patrols to fall back, this journey had been nothing except a waste of time and resources,” he scoffed audbily and turned on his heel toward the giant window, overseeing the city. Somewhere out there, the scum group of pirates roamed the streets, wheter it was days ago or mere hours, he didn’t know. They were on their trail, that’s what truly mattered.

“Sir, Officer Henderson is on her way to the Finalizer.” Mitaka announced as he received a signal from her transmittor. “She should be arriving in a few minutes.”

“Finally, her report was lacking. Notify her that once she’s onboard, she’s to see me in my office for a full briefing.” Hux commanded and looked out the window again. What was he missing?

[SATURNINE]

“Okay, you’re close to the ship. Do you hear me?” Iggy asked as the feed cut to the surroundings of Lorvin. They installed a small camera in her earpiece, just in case things went south or no information could be retrieved. Or in case she got caught, like the actress she was.

“Loud and clear. Maybe too loud, does this thing have a sound regulator?” She asked, fiddling with the earpiece.

“Why would an earpiece… Oh whatever, no it doesn’t.” Iggy replied.

“Just focus, idiot. Or this whole operation will end with us being dead. Or worse.” Sasha stated, to which most of the crew turned to face her. “What? Death is a mercy compared to hours of torture or brainwashing.”

“Actually it’s called conditioning,” Henderson interrupted, still bound to the chair.

“Who cares what it’s called,” Pers rolled her eyes. “It’s still bad, isn’t it?”

“We take it very seriously,” the officer huffed and looked at the screen. “At least the First Order does.”

“And you don’t?” Demo asked, raising an eyebrow at the young officer.

“I’ve been assigned to the Finalizer for a couple of months…” She admitted after a moment, her eyes darting around the Saturnine, “and I wasn’t exactly happy with my position.”

“And your position was…?” Milia asked.

“I was an assistant for uh… General Hux of the First Order. Sort of.” She stated with a small smile, which left the crew mortified. Especially Sasha, since she realized how fucked Lorvin was. She knew that Hux wasn’t stupid, he’d instantly catch that the person boarding his vessel wasn’t Henderson. He was way smarter than Ren anyways…

“Lorvin, do you copy? Turn back, abort mission, abort–!” Iggy called, but they only heard static. The display showed that the pilot muted her microphone, as she tried to talk to the stormtroopers at the loading dock.

[FINALIZER]

Lorvin took a deep breath, fixed her hair and in long, confident strides approached the stormtroopers guarding the loading dock.

“... Morning. I have to get back on the uh… destroyer.” She ordered, with hands clasped behind her back. The stormtroopers looked at each other and then back at the blonde, their grip on the blasters tightening briefly.

“Provide identification, ma’am.” One responded, almost robotically.

Lorvin paused and her heart skipped a beat. What identification? She didn’t even know her name, let alone anything they would require, not to mention that asking what they meant would sell her out as an infiltrator. So with quick wit she began to search the pockets in search of an ID she could provide. It would buy her some time.

In seconds her earpiece crackled back to life and she heard Iggy’s voice over the line.

“It’s E7H420. Just say it as I did.”

“Uh… I7AH…402.” She said with a smile on her face. Back on Saturnine the entire crew groaned in frustration, spewing insults that would be better left unmentioned.

The camera captured the stormtroopers' hesitation, how they tilted their heads and looked at each other with genuine confusion. One shrugged at the other and Lorvin watched them with a smile on her face, unaware that it was common courtesy to refrain from showing too much emotion in the First Order. Their helmets flicked back to her and they instinctively raised their blasters to their chests.

“Do you have your ID card ma’am?” One asked, pulling out a scanner from his belt.

“Oh. Yes, I do.” The pilot replied politely and patted the stolen uniform for any plastic card. It must’ve been in there somewhere… For such a tight fit the upper half had way too many pockets to explore. Maybe she’d use it to her advantage later.

Clumsily, she pulled out a small metal card, which turned out to be the identificator, and handed it over for control. It slid through the scanner smoothly, lighting up white before a single dot appeared. In a way that system was foreign to Lorvin, not to mention annoying; she couldn’t tell if her verification was successful or if she was about to receive a bolt between her eyes.

The two stormtroopers pulled aside and didn’t say another word, letting Lorvin through. For the first time being among soldiers, she thought she didn’t do that bad. Come to think of it, it boosted her confidence, and so with her head held high she marched toward the unknown corridors, waiting for further instructions.

“The eagle has landed, I repeat, the eagle has landed.” She murmured discreetly, and by discreetly it meant obnoxiously out of character, giggling like a schoolgirl on her last day at high school.

[SATURNINE]

“The smartest agent ever.” Sasha slammed her helmeted head against the console. “Please turn it off, I can’t listen to this anymore. Do something Iggy.”

“I wonder how the Force created an intelligent lifeform out of… that.” Demo inquired, staring at the camera-feed. “She’s either extremely stupid, or extremely lucky.”

“Probably the latter,” Milia added, trying to stifle her laughter. “You can’t possibly be this stupid and get away with it.”

“Are we talking about the same Lorvin?” Shogun asked, his eyes darting across the screen. “Shouldn’t we respond?”

“No, give me another minute, I have to digest this properly.” Sasha slammed her head again, a small dent forming in her helmet. “I swear, I’m gonna kill myself one of these days. She’s my thirteenth reason.”

“Honestly, I would’ve done it the exact same way… If that helps.” Henderson interjected, watching the feed with resignation rather than amusement. She already accepted the fact that as long as she cooperated she’d be safe.

“... Don’t encourage her.” Pers insisted, watching Sasha moan in embarrassment and disgust. Soon after she began her rant.

“Who the hell hired you people?! What sort of training did you go through if that’s how you– You know what, no. No, I won’t question. I need my chakras intact.”

“Oh, so you followed my advice? I’m glad we reached an understanding!” Lorvin’s voice came through the earpiece.

“Who the fuck turned the microphone on! Iggy!!!”

[FINALIZER]

“Relax, I’m only teasing. Now, can anyone tell me where I am supposed to go? Also people are giving me weird looks and I don’t like it.” Lorvin murmured, walking through the black, pristine corridors.

“Maybe because you’re talking to yourself, you donkey! Just focus on getting to the data terminals and please, for the love of… Don’t get sidetracked.” Sasha instructed. “We’ll give you directions. Don’t talk to anyone, don’t look at anyone weirdly… Just don’t.”

“Roger that, Captain Bomb.” Lorvin smirked and continued forward, passing a group of stormtroopers and technicians alike.

“Use that reference again and I quit.” Sasha replied after a moment of tense silence.

“Come on, admit it, it was funny. Like many of my jokes.”

“I wasn’t laughing. No one was.”

“I did, so it counts for something.” Lorvin was about to cut a corner before she bumped into another officer with a datapad. She brushed off and glared at the guy who bumped into her.

“Ah! Henderson, good. Hux was just asking for you. You’re requested in his office for a briefing.” He said and fixed his brown hair, watching the officer with a slight curve in his eyebrows. He was assessing, picking up hints. Lorvin could tell he didn’t work directly with Henderson, but still managed to distinguish some features. “Better not be late, the General doesn’t tolerate tardiness.”

He sped off just as soon as he had appeared, leaving the pilot dumbfounded, but most of all – petrified. She could hear the ringing in her ears as someone instructed her through the earpiece. Lorvin gulped nervously, ignoring the protests and common sense. She could’ve easily run to the terminals, gather all the data she needed for their exploration, and make a run for it. It was dangerous to walk around enemy territory, and maybe it was reckless but the danger was partially what motivated Lorvin to suggest this mission in the first place.

“Lorvin, whatever you do, don’t go to Hux.” Sasha boomed through the earpiece, her tone dead serious. “Just hurry up and book it back, they’re about to take off soon.”

The pilot frowned and looked around, before muting the earpiece and taking a moment to breathe. The choice was hard, and despite the circumstances she felt as if it was some sort of trap. A premonition of sorts, designed to warn her of the dangers to come. Even if the logical thing to do would be the easiest route, she didn’t think it was necessarily the best one. After all, better is often the enemy of good.

***

Hux’s office was anything but plain, though most would call it that. It was simplistic, sharp, straight to the point – just like the man himself. Black, devoid of any colors, save for the white light in the ceiling. One grand desk stood in the middle, full of datapads, documents and empty tea cups. He had specifically requested for more caffeine during the following period, however, his request was quickly denied through the interference of his rival. The force user constantly found new ways to undermine Hux’s authority, and in return the ginger simply cut him off from intelligence.

The whole office once belonged to another officer, which Hux quickly disposed of during his ascension to power. Now it was remade in his image; gone were the tacky awards and shining medals, replaced by small trophies. Exotic souvenirs that reminded him of all his escapades. The rarest items to obain in the galaxy that lacked order. Various parts from endangered species, a lightsaber of a renowned Jedi, countless holocrons with hidden knowledge of the past, even a head of one of the traitors from the Imperial Era. Of course he couldn’t keep them all, some he had to let go off, like Darth Vader’s helmet. It was perhaps the only act of kindness he ever made for Kylo Ren, but that earned him enough respect to ignore one another until duty would call again. But that was long ago, before he had even started his disturbing collection.

His main focus remained the same; duty above all else. Working day and night to ensure his favor with the Supreme Leader, to innovate and rise above all who would dare to defy the new order. His resolve was as unshaken as his grim, sour expression when dealing with his subordinates, one of which should be arriving any moment now. Hux couldn’t wait to confirm his suspicions, to play his mindgames and claim victory. In the end he always did, that was his true purpose.

He was patiently waiting for Henderson, because he knew she’d come. She had to, she was coded that way, programmed from birth to serve her betters. In reality her contributions were mediocre at best, and the only redeeming quality about her was her imperial heritage, in addition to her family’s funding of the First Order. Their only condition was that Henderson became a soldier, a harbinger of a new era, and Hux reluctantly agreed; after all, money was money. Every credit counted in the quest of galactic domination, and you could never have enough of them during a war like this.

The door opened with a quiet hiss, yet despite that Hux was still engrossed in work, not bothering to spare a glance at the intruder. Instead he checked the clock on his screen. 1807. Late.

“I presume you don’t understand what punctuality is, officer…” He gazed up and was met with a figure in the door. “... Henderson.”

The girl looked different, somehow older. Her uniform felt tighter around her, her hair was out of regulation, as if she just ran here. Good, she knew his dislike toward tardiness, she was trying to please him. Pathetic. He wasn’t easily swayed, least of all by a worm of her caliber.

“The doors don’t require your support to close, step inside so we can properly discuss your assignment in the communication center.” He stated aloofly, watching her every step.

Hux wasn’t a fool. From what little time he spent around Henderson, he could read her like an open book; knowing which words to pick to make her obedient and scared, which weaknesses to exploit to get what he wanted. That’s why he immediately noticed the confidence in her step, the slight jump even that wasn’t there before. Either she had hit her head badly on her way back or this wasn’t Henderson.

Hux held his stoic expression as the officer approached. He could see it now in plain sight, the differences would’ve slipped past any other person. Not him. On the other hand he could’ve been paranoid. He knew behaviors, however, looks often eluded him. She could’ve had one of those “makeovers” while on the surface, it would explain her long return too. Still, it was worth investigating.

“Maybe you’d like to sit down. Have a glass of water?” Hux sneered sarcastically, his eyes shining with mild irritation. “Because I assure you, we’ll be here for a while, discussing your improper conduct, your lack of coordination, not to mention that ridiculous violence of regulations by doing… that, with your appearance.”

“I’d imagine it would be quite the shock to see one of your subordinates actually care about their looks.” Lorvin replied, without ever breaking eye-contact. Hux’s eyes widened briefly, before going back to their original size. His lips thinned as he stood up and circled his desk, his shoes making no sound on the freshly polished floors.

“Blatant disregard and mockery of authority will not be tolerated, officer.” He replied coldly, towering over Lorvin.

“Abuse of power is also an offense, General.” Lorvin replied, meeting his gaze. That’s when he realized there were only two options left: Henderson finally grew a spine, or the woman standing before him wasn’t his assistant, but a doppelganger, a spy.

“I don’t think you realize who you’re talking to.” His tone bit into her skin, as he suddenly tangled her hair to rip it off. It didn’t budge, so the color must’ve been natural, and it wasn’t a wig. He crooked her neck to see her ear, only to find nothing.

Meanwhile Lorvin prayed that she muted her crew from the earpiece that neatly rested inside her inner-pocket…

“The ship is taking off!” Pers announced, looking through the glass window as the Finalizer took off into the air.

Sasha slammed the earpiece against the rough metal table and turned to Henderson. With enough strength she hoisted her up, along with the chair, and slammed it into the wall. “Where are they going?!” She screamed through the helmet. Partially she was worried about Lorvin, mostly she was worried about her cover getting blown, about the bounty on her head that would surface once Hux tore the information from the pilot’s mouth.

“Put me down! I won’t tell you until you put me down!” Henderson squirmed and tried to break loose from the chair, but Sasha’s grip was relentless and firm.

“I have a better idea.” The merc hissed and pulled out a blaster, pushing it directly into the officer’s mouth. “Either you tell me where that destroyer is headed, or I will make a mess out of your non-existent brain. You have until three to decide.”

Henderson gagged around the barrel, tears streaking down her face as the fear, adrenaline and agony settled in. The crew was too startled to move, never before experiencing such violent displays from the usually cool-headed Sasha. Milia looked at Shogun and shrugged, refusing to risk her health or limbs for a person she knew for roughly half an hour. Not that others had known her longer.

“Sasha, maybe you should calm down, take deep breaths–” Shogun tried to appease the bounty hunter god.

“One.” She started, pulling the safety off. Henderson whimpered and struggled to spit the blaster out.

“Sasha, stop–” Pers tried to argue.

“Two.” She put her finger on the trigger.

“Sasha, that’s enough.” Iggy finally intervened, taking the headphones off. “This won’t solve the problem. Besides, she can’t even answer, you're stuffing her throat with a gun.”

Sasha paused and started thinking, contemplating the pros and cons. Finally, she released the officer onto the ground and stepped back. “Pardon, I got carried away.”

“Master of understatement. As always.” Demo huffed, and for good measure hid behind Iggy as a human shield.

“Fine, let someone else do this, I don’t care.” With another huff she hid her weapon and left the room, retiring to her quarters.

“Remind me to find her an anger management counselor.” Shogun quipped, while Milia kneeled down before the mortified officer.

“Let’s start over. Hi! I’m Milia. Since you didn’t answer my pigeon question, riddle me this; where is the Finalizer headed to?”

Henderson lifted her head shyly, her eyes puffy from tears, her lips swollen and quivering from the barrel. Despite this traumatising experience, she muttered out the location.

“If this lead was to be a dead end… Finalizer was meant to return to Starkiller Base.”

Chapter Text

Hux huffed efficiently, almost unnoticably, as he checked Lorvin’s ear. Empty. He would’ve assumed she had an earpiece. But alas, nothing.

“Are you done inspecting me, as– sir?” Lorvin corrected herself quickly, determined to refrain from angering him further. “I was told you wanted a full report of my mission.”

“I would hardly call it a mission, officer,” Hux replied gruffly and looked into her eyes. Still waiting for her to slip up and reveal her true colors. It felt like a game of chess to them both, where the outcome could still change. 

“An assignment, then. My mistake, General.” It rolled off her tongue with a hint of an accent. One he didn’t recognize, and yet it sounded… surprisingly pleasant. Not that he’d show it. Fraternizing with his subordinates was the last thing on his mind, given how distasteful it was. Not to mention disgusting. He was a man of power and pride, not sexual desires or romantic notions. He often caught his soldiers engaging in… inappropriate activities, and most of the time, he swiftly punished that behavior. 

“Watch your tongue, officer,” he warned before checking her other ear. Empty as well. Hux felt as if his touch was straining from professional already; too long and too intimate. He was just checking for hidden metal, a slight dent in the hair, anything to convict this… creature that stood before him. He knew it wasn’t Henderson; he just didn’t have enough proof. 

Lorvin realized during this exchange how easy it would be to get shot, condemned, prosecuted, not to mention executed, by him. She felt a deep sense of acceptance, like she knew he saw through the disguise. His face scrunched just slightly, his green eyes bored into the side of her head. If he took off her cap, he’d have his proof. It was a matter of time, and perhaps luck.

“I located and secured the communication center; my assigned stormtroopers had disappeared by the time I sent you my brief message.” The pilot stated, trying to sound as professional as possible to appease the redhead. 

Hux briefly glanced at her eyes and retracted his lingering hand. Then he wiped it against her uniform, with disgust etched in every pore of his face. Walking behind his desk again, he picked up the datapad and decided to play along with her game.

“Secured? Was there any resistance from the locals?” He inquired, displaying her message. “Or was there someone else who helped you write it?”

The displayed message read:

“COMMUNICATION CENTER SECURED, NO THREATS ENCOUNTERED, THE SURFACE SHOWS NO SIGN OF THE FLEETING REBELS.”

“From my understanding, you had a simple assignment, and yet your results are… inadequate.” Hux continued, “You went out of your way, lost two of our men, all in the name of a purely irrelevant makeover, which breaks First Order regulation. Tell me, officer, what punishment would you deem fit for such transgressions?”

Lorvin fell silent, contemplating whether it was a trap or if he was just toying with her by asking a subordinate's opinion. She stood tall, despite the nervousness and fear that surged through her; she locked her eyes on his.

“I can’t begin to imagine what your superior mind could come up with, sir.” She replied, and Hux’s eyes shone with a realization for a split second. Lorvin’s heart pounded in her chest as his eyes roamed over her, analyzing, predicting her patterns. Cataloging her escape routes.

“I’m sure you know what comes next,” Hux stated, turning his gaze toward the space. He looked at the vast darkness and smiled. “The galaxy is a place of chaos, destruction. It lacks conviction and a strong hand to lead it. We are meant to instill order, to purify both the civilized planets and the wretched rocks surrounding them. Think of it as… exterminating filth, eroding weakness and incompetence. In order to establish a safe and prosperous galaxy under our jurisdiction… Certain flaws and weak links have to be removed first.” 

With a cold, mocking smile, he turned around to face Lorvin again, waiting for her reaction.

“I will personally oversee your reconditioning, Officer. A standard procedure for breaching protocol…” He paused as he noticed that the spot where she once stood was empty, and the door to his office barely closed. His eyes widened, and then a ruthless grin spread across his face. He walked up to his desk, pressing a button and contacting his most trusted unit. “We have a spy aboard the Finalizer, posing as Officer Henderson. Hunt her down and bring her to me, alive if possible. Proceed with caution and discretion; we’ll deal with the interrogation later.”

Lorvin rushed through the corridors, unaware of the silent alarm. She fumbled with the earpiece, putting it back in her ear, attempting to reach her crew. 

“I'm never gonna hear the end of it…”

[SATURNINE]

“Can you stop breathing right above my ear? It's annoying.” At first, Demo tried to be somewhat respectful, but with every purposeful sigh or grunt Shogun made, her self-control slipped further away.

“Maybe you just want me to stop breathing. Maybe I should disappear altogether!” Shogun’s demeanor changed drastically over the span of the last hour.

Back in the main room, Iggy and Pers sat together in silence, which was only broken by the hum of engines and machinery that surrounded them. He looked at her with a calm expression, gauging if he should initiate contact or not. Finally, he decided that small talk would be the best approach.

“So… What's up with Shogun? He's been down ever since we took off.” He asked, showing concern for his roommate.

Pers looked at him and rolled her eyes. Her fingers fiddled with the dress she wore in contemplation, unsure if she should indulge him and answer or just stay silent. Ever since her parents stabbed her in the back, she hadn't talked to people much outside of missions. Small talk wasn't her thing. Come to think of it, her only trusted people were Milia and Lorvin, two of whom were absent at this moment.

What could she even say, besides making a snarky remark? Gathering her thoughts, she glanced at Iggy, ready to talk.

“He's having a tough time coming to terms with leaving Nar-Kanji.” She started with a shrug, watching him like a hawk for any sign of judgment or mockery. Once she made sure there wasn't anything that could provoke her, she continued, “Plus, he had been whining forever about how much of an actor he was and that he'd be a better choice than Lorvin.” 

“But he's not even a woman,” Iggy argued, and glanced at the cockpit corridor again, where Shogun was seen sulking and sighing.

“Well, you just tie his hair up and he looks feminine enough to me.” Pers jabbed and looked at Iggy for confirmation, for any flicker of pride or praise at her words. But he seemed to scowl at her, berating her. His face didn't say it, but she knew that deep down, he didn't accept her. None of them have, except for the drunken gambler and the flimsy pilot.

Standing up swiftly, she reached for her glass and marched toward her room. “Forget it, I'm gonna go.”

Iggy blinked in confusion when she disappeared, unsure what caused that outburst. He didn't say anything, did he? If he weren't so tired after his… eventful day, he would've investigated. 

They weren't that close in his opinion, and to this day, he barely knew her. He knew she got here before him, that she was good with food and drinks, that her codename was Pers. Aside from that? Pure speculation, if he decided to indulge in speculations, of course. Managing this scrap pile, Lorvin called a ship was already a demanding job, and considering her natural talent for causing damage, he additionally had to walk around with an emergency medkit.

Grunting, he stood up and limped toward his shared quarters, glancing at the room where Milia and Sasha interrogated the First Order officer. He wanted to let them know he would lie down, but decided against it and locked the door behind him.

Malik squeaked in his cage as Iggy let him out. He ran up his owner's arm and quietly settled on his chest as they lay down together. 

Iggy smiled and petted his rat companion on the head, feeling the soft fur under his fingertips. It felt almost like home… Home.

He looked at the ceiling and realized just how long it had been since he was home, saw his parents or friends… How much had changed over the last couple of months, with one choice. 

No matter how he looked at it, he always knew that he had agreed to be here and support these people. In a way, they were his friends now, and some he could consider close enough to slowly reach family status. But he missed his own folks, too. Probably like everyone aboard.

He wondered what his siblings were doing, if the planet had already fallen under First Order jurisdiction, or if it was still independent. A normal person would be terrified of the fate that would meet them. Instead, Iggy just smiled softly and sighed. He couldn't stress over that now; he couldn't do anything about it from where he was at this moment. Besides, his family was capable; he wouldn't have left them if they weren't.

When the drowsiness finally caught up to him, the technician fell into deep, much-needed sleep. With Malik’s soft chirps and the constant quiet beeping of diodes in the walls, he found a sense of peace and security that he hadn't felt in a long time, not even on Nar-Kanji. It felt like home.

***

“Why haven't you killed me yet?” Henderson asked, looking from Sasha to Milia, and from Milia to Sasha, stopping by the redhead. “And what is this lunatic doing here?”

“I'm still waiting for your answer. Pigeons or stormtroopers?” Milia shrugged with a grin.

“You're not helping.” Sasha scolded, before looking at the officer with one of her judging looks. “And we're asking the questions here.”

“I don't want to talk to you,” Henderson replied instantly and averted her gaze. Sasha sighed and pulled back, running out of options.

She didn't want to choke the life out of her, but at the same time, nothing so far had worked. Not to mention she promised Demo to be on ‘good behavior’, whatever that meant. She couldn't expect her not to throw punches; this was an interrogation, not a tea party.

Milia took a deep breath and crouched down before the officer. “Listen, kid, we got off on the wrong foot.” She stated, and Henderson gave her an exasperated look. “I know. But maybe we can start over.”

“No stupid questions?” She asked hopefully.

“No promises,” Milia smirked. “But we'll start simple. What's your name?”

“Henderson, I already told you.” She spat out, irritated.

“I was asking for your name, not your last name. What do they call you?”

“... Why would you want to know?” She was a bit troubled. 

Sasha watched the interaction, noticing how Milia’s approach, albeit soft, disarmed the girl. Slowly, but surely, her face softened and her gaze no longer held venom. Her posture relaxed a bit, too. For a moment, the merc felt a bit more compassion than usual, before she buried it under a cold, stoic expression.

“Well, maybe we would have a nicer chat if I knew who I was talking to.” Milia continued buttering her up. “No one's using your name where you work?”

“...” Henderson remained quiet, the sudden show of kindness triggering something in her body. A sort of defense mechanism, a need to spill her guts out.

In truth, she had nowhere to go after this anyway; she'd either be pronounced dead or a traitor. And even if they did hire her back, she'd be the laughing stock of the entire Galaxy for generations to come. She could already imagine Hux’s smug grin as he mocked her, rubbing her failures in. How each individual she met in those black and soul-shattering corridors would look at her, like the filth they were trying to erase.

She didn't even register when her eyes glazed over, and tears threatened to spill down her face like two small waterfalls of pure desperation.

“Hey, are you okay?” Milia gently brushed her arm. “I hope it's not because of me asking about the pigeons again…”

“Miriam. My name is Miriam.” She said and looked at the redhead with a soft smile.

“Huh. Well, I'm Milia, but you already know that.” 

“What's your real name?” She asked and tilted her head. Milia just laughed and stood up.

“If you ever guess, I'll order you the finest beer I can find.”

“If you two are done coddling one another…” Sasha scoffed and turned to the screen. “The image is back on.”

The three of them stared at the screen as Lorvin frantically navigated the corridors. “This is Eagle. I have crippled my wings.”

“Stop. Just plain English, please.” Sasha replied, watching as stormtroopers passed by Lorvin, unaware. Patrolling the area as per protocol.

“I think he knows I’m not the officer.” She summed up bluntly. “And I didn’t stick around to find out.”

“Who knows?” Milia asked, leaning closer.

“Uh… Red hair, a shitting-cat face, tall? Something with H…”   

“Wouldn’t it happen to be General Hux of the First Order?” Sasha inquired, already at her wits' end.

“Yeah! That one.” 

“The one we specifically told you not to see.” 

“... Maaaaaaaybe? In my defense, though, not showing up at all would be even worse, because he would start…”

Sasha’s temples bulged slightly, and she couldn’t soothe the pulsing, not without pulling her helmet off. For a moment, she regretted sending Lorvin instead of Shogun, but only for a brief moment. The images of the young monk flirting with the First Order higher-ups made her stomach churn, both in revulsion and dread. 

Counting to ten, she took a deep breath and remembered her promise. “Please, at least tell me you didn’t talk to him.”

“...”

“Well, she didn’t insult him, right?” Milia jumped in. “Right?”

“Hehe.” Lorvin chuckled nervously. Sasha slammed her fists against the table before thrashing the entire surface, knocking all things down. She muted the microphone on her side and glared murderously at the screen. Thank God for the helmet, or she’d rip her hair out. 

“I imagine you’re not in a happy place right now,” Milia smirked, leaning on Sasha’s armor. 

“Once she’s back here, I demand a happy hour,” Sasha growled and stepped out of the room to cool off.

Milia turned to Henderson and shrugged. “Trust me, it’s not what you think. It’s more of a… Scooby-doo aah chase sequence.” She stood still for a moment and then sighed. “... You have no clue what that is either… Aliens, am I right?”

[FINALIZER]

Lorvin walked around, a bit more confident than ever. If she didn’t, she’d just look odd, get caught, and be brought back for what seemed to be endless solitude mixed with torture. Goosebumps riddled her skin at the thought. 

The ship overall looked way better from the inside than outside. Every corridor was either black or red; artificial lights made it look all the more ominous. Soldiers walked left and right; the whole hierarchy looked like a nervous system; each member had a designated role, space, and tasks, working like clockwork. No mistakes, constant judgment. A toxic work environment, especially for freedom-seeking souls, for artists and intelligent people. 

She wondered why these people were working here, what made them choose this life over anything else. They looked stable enough, with a constant source of income. It reminded her of jobs back in her homeworld, the way people would create various chains and brands, working as a family. The difference here was that you were expected to obey those higher in the food chain, or you’d get swallowed alive. 

Just then, she noticed someone looking at her, another officer. He seized Lorvin from top to bottom and sneered, checking his datapad again. 

“You got a problem?” She asked and crossed her arms. At this point, she just didn’t care about protocol any longer. The man startled a bit and glared further.

“You’re not at your post, officer, so yes, I do have a problem as you so crudely put it.” 

“Sounds like a you problem then.” Lorvin jabbed back, before an idea struck her. “Considering I outrank you, you’re taking my place.” 

He laughed, a single syllable leaving his punchable face, amusement written all over his features. “You outrank me? You ? Of all people, I doubt the General would even look at you, let alone promote you.”

“You’re looking at Lieutenant Henderson, and if you don’t want to be court-martialed for insubordination, I suggest you take over my post.” She replied harshly, half-hating herself for it. The words just sounded wrong and douchey on her tongue, like a dictator. “Unless you want to take this matter to the General himself. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to have his time wasted.”

The officer’s expression soured immediately, doubt creeping into his eyes. He analyzed her again; the conviction and determination were out of character for the usually humble and quiet officer. He knew he should’ve stood his ground more, and yet facing the General’s wrath was not worth the risk. 

“Fine. I will.” He huffed and quickly took off to Henderson’s supposed post. 

For a brief second, Lorvin considered asking him for directions to the terminals, but she bit her tongue just in time. Perhaps it would be best to find a map or navigate there by luck.

As she slipped into an empty conference room, her hand flew to the small earpiece. “Uh, guys. I need a little help.” 

The comms were dead for a while, until someone finally answered.

“I should snap your neck, and I will, given the chance.” Sasha boomed. 

“Yeah, well, you’d have to get me back first, and I can’t come back without any plans.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Go get them.” 

“I… May have gotten lost. I can’t ask anyone because it’ll look suspicious. What kind of officer doesn’t know the full layout of their vessel?” Lorvin stated, and just then a loud bang echoed behind the wall. 

“We listen and don’t judge.” Lorvin heard Milia through the earpiece and sighed, leaning against the door. 

“We do judge.” Sasha objected.

“And not in silence,” Lorvin muttered and decided to investigate the perimeter. At the far end of the corridor was a single stormtrooper, except they had a different flair to their armor. A more polished, silver-toned piece, covering the tall figure. Their red cape billowed as they walked, their steps pronounced and urgent. In their hands was a blaster, not an ordinary one, though. A bigger model, looking more malicious than regular blasters. Perhaps an auto weapon, capable of shooting multiple projectiles at the same time. Like guns back on…

“That’s Phasma, Hux’s confidant and closest ally. They’re inseparable.” Henderson managed to call through the comms. Initially, her voice was quiet and distant, but a moment later it was loud and clear. “She usually works quietly for Hux, under his direct command.”

“She looks dangerous.”

“She is. Listen to me this time when I say ‘don’t go near her’, understand?” Sasha added, her voice tight through the earpiece.

“You think she’s looking for someone?” Lorvin asked, watching the tall woman stop beside an empty conference room at the far end of the corridor. With a brutal motion, she slammed her blaster into the door and entered the room.

“If Hux knows, then she’s surely looking for you, Henderson spoke. “I can guide her to the terminals-”

The microphone went mute for a while, and Lorvin suddenly realized that she couldn’t stay here any longer. If Phasma was indeed searching for her, then she had to act fast and get out of there as soon as possible. Waiting for the opportune moment, she prepared herself to run, hoping that she was faster than the blaster bolts that would surely follow.

[SATURNINE]

“Okay, I managed to set the autopilot to tail after the Finalizer just out of reach… Sasha, what did I say about manhandling her?” Demo asked with disappointment. Her tone sounded like that of a parent.

Sasha, on the other hand, held Miriam by her throat, pinning her against the chair. She glanced at the co-pilot, her helmet almost pleading with her to let it go this one time. Upon seeing no reaction, she sighed and let her hand drop down to her side.

“We’re just talking,” Sasha stated. “Politely.”

“That’s the second or third time you almost choked me to death.” The officer quaked out. “You’re a brute!” 

“Oh, come on, you looked like you liked it.” Sasha rolled her eyes, the sarcasm rolling off her tongue like poison. 

“Ooookay, that’s too far.” Milia reacted instantly and covered Demo’s ears in time. “Try to control yourself, would you?”

Sasha huffed and crossed her arms, turning back to Henderson. “You said you can help. How?”

Henderson took a deep breath, gulped down her own saliva, her throat bobbing generously, and looked at the terrifying merc with quiet composure. “I essentially worked as Hux’s assistant. He often sent me to run errands or bring him data from the information bank. I know how to get there.”

The Saturnine crew looked at one another, a silent understanding passing between them. Sasha looked at the microphone and then pushed it toward Henderson’s mouth with a sharp tug.

“I’ll only warn you once; whatever happens to her, will happen to you tenfold. Got it?” The merc asserted coldly, before unmuting. “Lorvin, do you copy?”

“I feel missed, good. Yeah, yeah, I copy.” The pilot remarked gleefully. “I was today years old when I learned I can, in fact, sneak past two-meter-tall women.”

Demo raised an eyebrow, confused, and Milia signaled her to drop it. They’d discuss it later, as always. The co-pilot folded her arms and quietly listened without input. She was too tired to deal with another one of Lorvin’s schemes.

“Okay, from what I see, you’re in sector B. The databanks are located on the lower floor of sector E, so you’ll have to take the elevator down.” The tied officer stated. “The nearest one is down the hallway.”

They watched as the pilot moved quickly through the halls. Sasha had to keep in mind that they sent her in there unarmed, to sell the look better, but now it could backfire if she were to get caught. With her hands clutching the desk, she couldn’t do anything other than watch. It all rested on the blonde’s shoulders, as much as it pained her to admit. Maybe Shogun would’ve been a better pick after all…

Demo took the room in, quietly assessing everyone. She could see the tension in the merc’s form, the way she stood slightly less confident than usual. It could’ve been from the stress, but then again, this was Lorvin. Unless she had a real reason to feel threatened, she never showed any signs of hesitation or anxiety. Until today it seemed.

“Good. Now, I know these are hard to operate, and someone will likely ride alongside you. Just keep your head down or straight and press the button in the fifth row, third column.” Miriam further instructed, feeling the gaze of everyone in the room on her. One wrong move could’ve spelled her death. Loyalty meant nothing at this point; it was just the will to survive that kept her going. Escape this horrible situation.

From the footage, everyone could see Henderson’s predictions come to life, as another man entered the closed space. Sasha’s grip tightened reflexively, and she immediately muted the mic.

“Why did you mute us?” Milia asked, and Demo slightly squinted her eyes. She found it odd as well.

“I don’t want anyone to hear us.” She quickly replied, crossing her arms. Almost defensively. Demo felt something was off about their usually stoic gunwoman, so she kept a close eye on her. For now, at least.

[FINALIZER]

Lorvin glanced at the man from time to time, noticing his black hair and beard. He was taller than she, and his eyes were focused on the datapad. He pressed a different button, luckily. It would be awkward if both of them went to the same floor. 

Her eyes wandered from his form to the datapad at hand. She noticed that the man was reviewing posters for criminals; likely Nar-Kanjians, who were wanted by the First Order. He flicked his wrist, scrolling through countless wanted men and women alike, as well as aliens and monstrosities that were not from this galaxy. Then, he paused over a picture of a figure in armor. Only it wasn’t a wanted poster. 

Before she could get a better look, the man snapped. “It’s rude to stare, don’t you think so, officer?” 

“I… I’m sorry, sir.” She mumbled out, looking straight as an arrow.

“That’s Captain to you.” He muttered. “Incompetent recruits…” 

Before she could retort, the elevator stopped, and he left on his designated floor. After that, it continued downward before reaching the databanks. Lorvin made a note to ask others about it later, maybe she’d ask the officer they kidnapped.

“Okay, I’m out. Where now?” She called in. 

“Okay, now you have to go forward–” Henderson answered, but soon enough, Sasha jumped in.

“Cut a corner, it should be faster.” 

“Uh-huh,” Lorvin hummed. “So what do I do? I can’t stand here all day.” 

“Just do as I say. Who’s in charge here, the captive or the captor?” Sasha remarked, and the line went dead. 

Lorvin sighed and ventured forward, cutting a corner like she was told to. At least once during this mission. Turning right, she noticed a lot of cables along the walls and followed them accordingly. The rooms were darker than most places on the Finalizer, the walls felt smaller, more confining, and the colors were toned. Shady. No cameras anywhere. 

Then they all connected to a single door, elegantly embedded in the walls all around the entrance. 

“Alright, I hope your hunch was right.” 

“It wasn’t a hunch,” Sasha replied. “Although you may call it that, whatever.”

Lorvin pressed the control panel, and the door slid open with a hiss. Inside, there were numerous terminals, each one corresponding to at least a dozen wires and cables. In the middle was a circular holoprojector, deactivated for the time being. The entire room was spacious, orderly, and nothing was labeled. “Fuuuuck…” 

“There are datacards in the bottom drawer. You can use them to carry out a large amount of data… And whatever you need from there.” Henderson said. “What do you need it for anyway?” 

“Complicated business, trust me. The things I do for men…” Lorvin groaned and picked a datacard. It looked small, fragile. Immediately, she picked up a second one, in case something happened to the first one. Better make copies than do this all over again.

“I can… imagine.” Henderson said, and followed up: “In any case, you’ll have to hurry; every unauthorized withdrawal of information is recorded and then sent to the highest-ranking officer onboard.”

“... Great. Let’s get to work then.”

“What do you mean she’s gone ?” Hux raised an eyebrow. “Our ship is a finite space, and no pods or ships left the hangar due to the silent lockdown.”

Phasma stood in front of his desk and reported: “In such a short time, she couldn’t have gone far, not without aid, General. If you wish to apprehend her, perhaps it’s time to dispatch additional troops.” 

Hux sighed, straightened his uniform, and looked at Phasma with an unnerved expression. “Send word to all available units that there’s a fugitive aboard. Whoever that girl is, it’s not Henderson–” He paused, irritated, as a red beep continued blaring on his desk. Then realization hit him; that was his escapee, stuck amidst countless terminals. Angered, he looked at Phasma with finality. “Seize her, use brute force if necessary. Do not let her escape again.” 

He looked at the window to calm himself, his jaw clenching and unclenching. “I believe I know who this little parasite is.”

[SATURNINE]

“Any idea how long this will take?” Lorvin asked as she watched multiple planets, star maps, and charts get slowly uploaded to the datacard.

“I guess around a few minutes at most,” Henderson said with uncertainty.

“Great! The most advanced technology I’ve ever seen, and it works worse than Windows XP.” Lorvin scoffed.

“Just get it over with, then we’ll figure out how to get you out of there,” Sasha added, watching the screens with concentration.

“... Man, it sure is quiet here,” Lorvin said with a chuckle, making Sasha and Milia spiral out of anxiety. They knew what this phrase entailed, and neither of them wanted any trouble. It felt too smooth, true, but that didn’t mean they wanted to change that.

As they shouted through the comms, Demo stood to the side, arms crossed. Watching, always watching. Not the screens or their captive, but Sasha. Some things didn’t make sense to her. Perhaps it was her paranoia, or maybe the merc just didn’t seem who she was. She knew things that neither of them should know, not to mention the secrecy. Something just didn’t click in her mind, but she didn’t have enough proof to tell what. Her fists clenched and unclenched, and she bit her lip in thought.

What was the merc hiding behind that mask?