This has taken me two years to finish, sorry! But it is done now, just undergoing final edits. I should be able to post once or twice a week so I won't leave anyone hanging. :)

Thanks to everyone who has read, liked, and commented on my stories for encouraging me to finish this, and a huge thank you to Clicketykeys for being the best sounding board for bouncing ideas off of. This story is way better because of her help.

Unbetaed, so all errors are my own.

Rian leaned back in her chair, lacing her hands casually behind her head, and smirked at her opponents. The grizzled Human spacer across from her scowled back, but the two Rodians beside him were too busy casting worried glances at their cards to notice. She had already amassed a nice pile of credits, and it looked like this hand might increase that. To her left, the dealer droid whirred to life, turning to the Rodians and asking for their wagers.

Suddenly, the noise level in the small, dimly-lit space increased sharply as the door to the back room swung open. Rian jerked her head up, hands dropping instinctively to the blasters on her hips. She was unsurprised to see the same reaction from everyone else at the table.

Corso was framed in the doorway, wearing casual clothes with his dreadlocks loose around his face, though he still had a blaster pistol on his belt. Nar Shaddaa could be a dangerous place. "Captain?" he said, not looking the least bit apologetic. "We've got something you'll need to hear."

She cast a longing look over the table, but Corso looked impatient so she sighed and stood. "I fold," she told her opponents. "Keep your credits until the next time I see you." She scooped up her neat stacks of credit chips and winked at the irritated-looking Human before strolling across the room to meet Corso.

"Sorry to interrupt your game," he told her, holding the door for her while she tucked her credits away.

"This had better be good, Farm Boy," she said. "I had a winning hand."

The Event Horizon was docked at one of the smaller spaceports on Nar Shaddaa, one that Rian had frequented for years. Her old captain had introduced her to it, and it was still run by the same family. They had never tried to fleece her and always took good care of her ship, so she didn't mind that it was a little out of the way of the city-planet's main attractions. There were taxi stands everywhere, so it wasn't exactly hard to get to where you wanted to go.

She keyed the lock open and slipped through while the airlock was still cycling. Corso had been stubbornly quiet about just what it was she needed to hear, and she had finally given up asking. But now that they were back on the ship, she turned to her first mate impatiently. "Okay, spit it out. What's going on?"

Corso jerked his chin towards something behind her. "Ask him."

She turned just in time to catch Lomning's grin before he swept her up into a hug. It had been close to two months since she had seen the Jedi and she wrapped her arms tightly around him in return. Shortly after leaving Taris with a hold full of artefacts and data chips to be delivered to Republic historians and researchers on Coruscant, Lomning had gotten a call from his master. He had been ordered to Coruscant to report to the Jedi Council.

"I do not know how long this will take," he had told Rian as they dropped out of hyperspace and coasted towards the planet. Rian had hoped it would have been longer before she had to see the ugly place again, but a job was a job, and while the credits Torve had given her after the debacle on Taris were enough for now, it was expensive to keep a ship flying. She couldn't afford to sit idle for too long.

"A couple of days?" she had asked, hands light on the controls as she plotted their course. "Or longer?"

"Longer," the big Twi'lek had told her. They had been alone on the bridge. Rian had promised at least one day of shore leave and everyone else had gone to pack their bags. She had already called ahead to book rooms at one of the more reputable hotels in the Undercity. It would be nice for the crew to have some space to themselves after sharing quarters on the ship. "Long enough that I believe you should move on without me, and I will catch up when I can."

Corso and Viggota had protested, and even Jorgan had looked disappointed, but Rian had just shaken her head. "We knew this could happen, guys. Lomning has obligations to the Jedi Order. We'll see him again when he's able to come back."

"You are going to come back, right?" Xirra had asked, looking upset.

"That is my plan," Lomning had reassured her. "If I am not able to return right away, I will let you know."

Even with weekly messages, Rian and the rest of the crew had missed Lomning. She hadn't realized how much of a calming influence he had had on all of them. His last message, a little shy of a week ago, had been short and cryptic, with a reference to a meeting and saying he would see them soon. It seemed that Jedi weren't above being sneaky sometimes, because Rian had expected a little more notice that he was returning.

"I wanted to surprise you all," Lomning said with a smile when he released her.

"Well, you did!" Rian said, laughing. "It's good to see you again, Jedi. We missed you."

"Everyone else is in the common room," Corso said. "Lomning said he had something to tell us all," he clarified at Rian's raised eyebrow. "We've just been waiting on you. You weren't answering your holo."

"It's rude to take a call in the middle of a game," Rian said primly, though she gave Corso a wink. Truth be told, the back room of that cantina had terrible holonet reception on purpose. It was one of the draws for people who just wanted a quiet evening. Not that she was trying to get away from her crew, but sometimes it was nice to have a night where no one else was making demands on her time.

"I have a proposal for a job," Lomning said, though there was a careful note to his voice that led Rian to suspect that he thought they might not like what he was going to say. The big Twi'lek just shook his head at Rian's questioning look and gestured down the hall towards the common room.

She let Corso herd her impatiently deeper into the ship, though she admitted that she was just as curious as her young first mate - she was just better at hiding it. While it was true that the last job Lomning had gotten for them had led indirectly to the debacle on Taris, it had also ended up being quite profitable. Not that Rian wanted to risk being turned into a rakghoul again, but she would listen to his proposal.

In the common room, Viggota and Jorgan had taken over the two couches near the holoviewer. Xirra was leaning against the wall beside the kitchen, checking over one of Seetoo's arms. The droid was flexing his elbow back and forth while the girl bent close to peer at the joint. She made a minute adjustment with a tool so tiny that it was nearly hidden even in her slender fingers. Regular meals had finally put some weight back onto Xirra's scrawny frame and she was starting to develop some curves that Rian was sure that Corso had already noticed. The two of them were practically living together in the cargo hold that had been converted into Xirra's quarters during their off-hours, though Rian was fairly sure that Corso was back into his own bed every night. Not that it was any of her business, but he seemed the sort to want a proper courtship and maybe even marriage before starting a physical relationship.

Corso went to stand with Xirra while Rian settled into the chair at the head of the dining table. It had quickly become her regular spot with this crew. Before they had come on board, she had been in the habit of eating on the bridge, in her quarters, or standing over the sink in the kitchen. It was a surprisingly nice change to have regular group meals, and not just because Lomning was an excellent cook. They had definitely missed that while he had been gone.

Lomning pulled out his usual chair, which had sat empty for the past two months. He turned it so that he could see everyone, and folded his hands across his stomach. "First, allow me to apologize for being gone so long. I had not anticipated it, but some things came up and my master asked me to stay. But that is also the reason why I am back, and it is what I need to discuss with you." The big Twi'lek took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. "I fully expect that you will not all like what I am going to propose, but I ask that you listen to everything that I have to say before making your decision."

Rian arched an eyebrow curiously and looked around at her crew. Everyone else looked just as intrigued, though Jorgan's perpetual scowl had already made an appearance. "You said you had a job for us," she told Lomning. "I promised that everyone would have a vote on any jobs we took. So, spill, and we'll discuss it."

The Jedi paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "While I was on Coruscant, another Jedi received a message from an old friend who was seeking his help. She had learned of a compound that is being developed by the Hutts that has a devastating effect on Force-users. It can permanently blind them to the Force, leaving them mentally crippled." He shuddered delicately, and even Rian shook her head. She didn't approve of the drug trade in general, but having spoken to Lomning a few times about his connection to the world around him through the Force, this drug just sounded cruel.

"Currently, the drug must be administered directly through injection," Lomning went on. "However, the Hutts are trying to change that. Their research is apparently getting very close to a working airborne delivery system."

Corso hissed in a sharp breath. "We can't let that happen!" he exclaimed. "Why is this even up for debate?"

"Because I have not yet finished the whole story," Lomning said mildly. "The drug also has negative effects on those who have no Force sensitivity at all. It is incredibly damaging. So naturally, the Empire wants it as a weapon."

"Of course," Jorgan snorted. He had shifted to lean forward intently on the couch. "So what's the catch? If that's all there is to the story, the Republic would have already sent people in to wherever it's being manufactured and dealt with it."

Lomning paused, and then spread his hands wide. "The woman who provided the information wants to destroy the drug, but lacks the resources. She does not want the Empire to have this weapon so she cannot work with her usual contacts." The Jedi hesitated a fraction of a second, just long enough for Rian to notice, before continuing. "She is a Sith Lord."

There was an explosion of sound as everyone tried to talk at once. Jorgan's face was twisted with distaste, and Corso looked like he had swallowed something foul. Xirra looked unsure and scared and even Seetoo was twisting his torso back and forth in distress. Viggota looked thoughtful, rubbing a thumb absently along the line of his jaw, and Lomning sat patiently waiting for the outburst to end. Rian raised her hands for quiet but when that didn't work she stuck two fingertips into her mouth and whistled as loudly as she could. There was a breathless moment of silence as everyone whipped around to stare at her.

"We need to know more," she said calmly, turning back to Lomning. "Who exactly is this Sith, and how is it that she's friends with a Jedi?"

"You can't really be thinking about working with a Sith, can you?" Jorgan asked before Lomning could reply. The Cathar looked betrayed. "They're evil! They revel in chaos and destruction!"

"I want all the information before making a decision," she told him. "I've never met a Sith before, but they can't all be like that." She glanced at Lomning curiously. "Can they?"

"That is what the Republic and the Jedi Council would have us all believe," he said calmly. "It is easy to stir up hate for an enemy that everyone believes is universally evil. But there are all kinds of people in this galaxy. If a Jedi of good standing befriended this woman and believes she is worth listening to, I am willing to give her a chance." Jorgan scowled blackly, unconvinced, but waved for Lomning to continue.

Lomning folded his hands across his stomach. "The story that he shared with us is that he met her some years ago, by chance. She had been working with her master to expand the Empire's influence here on Nar Shaddaa. Her master was being thwarted by the efforts of the Jedi, and he set a trap - a bomb on a crowded promenade. When the Sith woman realized that her master's trap would kill or injure many innocent civilians in an attempt to stop a single Jedi, she tried to stop it. The explosion left her badly wounded, but she had been able to save many of the innocents that would have otherwise been harmed by her master's plot. The Jedi found her in the wreckage, and learned from the survivors what she had done. He helped to nurse her back to health, and they slowly became friends."

"I'm surprised the Council is okay with that," Viggota said. He was still in a relaxed sprawl on the couch, a sharp contrast to everyone else's tense postures.

"The Council does not dictate every aspect of our lives," Lomning said, waving a hand to indicate his surroundings, and Viggota nodded in acknowledgement. "But yes, it is unusual and he has been under close scrutiny since he told the Council of their friendship. Neither he, nor she, has given anyone any reason for concern. The Council has even spoken of trying to recruit her, but she is not interested. She loves the Empire, though she recognizes that it is flawed. But she believes that she can make a difference from within, so she stays."

"And the Republic believes her?" Jorgan asked, voice as tense as his body. "They do know she's a Sith, right? She's probably just playing them."

"I've worked with people that live inside the borders of the Empire," Rian interjected. "They're not all soulless monsters. Most of them are just regular people. They just happen to live on an Imperial planet, instead of a Republic one. Now, a Sith would be somewhat different, I assume. They'd have been raised with a certain code. But if what Lomning says is true, it sounds like not all of them are bad either."

"If it's true," Jorgan pointed out ruthlessly. "The Imperials that I've met are pretty consistently bad."

"We've mostly only met soldiers across the battlefield, though," Viggota said. "They're just doing their jobs. It's the people giving the orders that I'd question."

"She is one of the ones giving the orders!" the Cathar snapped. "The Sith are the cancer at the heart of the Empire. They're the ones trying to destroy the Republic."

"I'm with Jorgan," Corso said, face hard. "I don't want to work with a Sith."

"Why us?" Rian asked, turning to Lomning. "They had to know that we'd object, so why did they come to us anyways? Why not send a bunch of soldiers, or Jedi, people they can give orders to?"

Lomning nodded approvingly. "That was exactly what was proposed, but the Sith naturally did not like that plan very much. She did not come right out and say it, but I imagine that she did not like the idea of working with a contingent of soldiers and Jedi who may very well have orders to capture her at the conclusion of their mission."

"I can understand that," Rian said with a shrug. "I wouldn't be keen on working with a whole squad of Imps either."

"But you're okay with working with a Sith?" Corso asked, looking betrayed.

"I haven't decided yet," Rian told him. "I want all the information before making a decision. It's the only way to make an informed one, after all. It's something you guys should all think about too."

Corso had the grace to look abashed, but Jorgan's scowl deepened. "Fine, tell us the rest of it," the Cathar said to Lomning. "Then we can move on."

"My master is the one who suggested us," Lomning said. "We have close enough ties to the Republic that no one would question our loyalty, but we are independent enough that the Sith should have no objections to working with us in this case. I told my master that I would propose it, but that I could not promise that you would all accept."

"Blasted right," Jorgan muttered.

"I have some questions," Viggota said, sitting up from his sprawl. "For example, if the Republic knows about this drug, why haven't they sent a team in already?"

Lomning chuckled. "Because the Sith did not give them the location of the lab that is manufacturing it. She seemed to think that the Empire are not the only ones that would like to get their hands on it, and she was very firm in her insistence that it be destroyed. She said she would only provide the location once we have met up with her."

"There's no way the Republic would use something like that," Corso said, shaking his head.

"Don't be so quick to say that, Farm Boy," Rian told him. "You don't think they would love to get their hands on something that can neutralize any Sith they come across?" Corso opened his mouth to deny it, then paused and slowly closed it again. Jorgan rumbled irritably, but he didn't argue either.

"So what's the plan, then? Assuming that we even agree to this?" Viggota asked.

"The Sith will be on Nar Shaddaa in three days," Lomning said. "If we agree, a meeting will be set up between us. Somewhere public, of course," he added before anyone could interrupt. "We can decide then how to proceed."

"Well that's not so bad," Rian said, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. "I agree that we need to shut down production of this drug, but I like the idea of a face to face meeting before making a final decision."

"Why are you even considering this?" Jorgan snarled. "She's a Sith. I can't believe you would even think of working with her."

"And I can't believe you won't even consider it," Rian said, keeping her voice level. She and Jorgan had argued over jobs before, and she was trying to learn to keep a rein on her temper. As Captain, she figured should at least make an attempt to be the voice of reason, especially when Lomning wasn't around. "Assuming her story is true - and I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt at the moment - this drug could be a huge threat. If the Hutts are able to figure out an airborne delivery system, anyone who can get their hands on it could decimate whole cities, or even entire planets if they can get it into the atmosphere. You were pretty keen on helping until you found out we'd have to work with a Sith, and now you won't even consider it."

"You're assuming she's even telling the truth," Jorgan said, standing to pace the confines of the common room. "This could just be a trap."

"Seems pretty elaborate," Viggota pointed out. "And besides, what does she benefit from capturing us?"

Corso tugged absently at one of his dreadlocks as he considered that. Viggota made a good point. If the Sith was willing to work with Rian and her crew, none of whom would have any strategic importance as hostages, it lent credence to the idea that she might be telling the truth. Even Jorgan had stopped pacing and looked thoughtful.

"Lomning, when does the Council need our answer?" Rian asked.

"The sooner the better, obviously," the big Jedi said. "They will need to contact the Sith to arrange the meeting."

Rian nodded and stood. "Okay, guys, take an hour. Think about it, discuss it, ask questions. We'll meet back here to vote on it."

"I will answer any questions that I can," Lomning said.

"So will I," Rian added. "I know you don't all agree with working with a Sith, and I've never done it before, but I'm willing to give her a chance if it means we can help get rid of this drug." She glanced around. Xirra still looked scared but she was nodding slowly. Corso heaved a sigh and tucked his arm around Xirra, who leaned closer to him. Jorgan was still scowling angrily but Viggota nodded when she met his eyes. "I'll be on the bridge, if anyone wants to talk to me."

Rian was unsurprised when she heard footsteps following immediately behind her as she left the common room. She turned her head to see Corso and Xirra, and waved for them to follow her onto the bridge. She settled into her chair with a quick glance over the readouts, and turned to face the others.

"Captain," Corso began hesitantly. "I don't know what to say. I mean, I understand where you're coming from. I want this drug gone too. But... I don't much like the idea of working with a Sith."

"Me neither," Xirra said, voice quiet. "What if she turns on us?"

Rian waited for both of them to sit down before speaking. "Well, assuming she's by herself we'd outnumber her quite a bit, and I trust Lomning's abilities to keep us safe from any mind tricks or whatever she might try. I think we'll be safe enough. But it's a good point, and I'd want to make sure we have some plans in place just in case. I wouldn't want anyone alone with her, for example. But we can discuss that as a team, if we decide to take this job."

"And what if she's lying, and it's a trap?" Corso asked.

"We'll have plans for that too," Rian said. "I won't walk into this blind. I'll want all the information the Council has on her, and we can figure out the best way to protect ourselves. But I agree with Viggota - none of us are particularly interesting hostages. I doubt that we'd be in much danger."

"I guess that makes sense," Corso said slowly. "But... all you hear about Sith is that they're evil, and crazy. I still don't like it." Xirra nodded her agreement, and Rian noticed that she shivered slightly, as if she was scared.

"I take it you guys grew up with stories about Sith bogeymen?" Rian asked with a smile. She could vaguely remember her parents telling her similar stories, presumably to scare her into behaving. There hadn't been much occasion for that sort of thing after she had been taken by the slavers - there had been enough nightmare fuel in her new life that no one had had to resort to stories of bloodthirsty Sith to frighten the younger girls. Corso and Xirra both nodded, and Rian pulled her attention back to the present. "I'm sure there's truth to some of it, or the stories wouldn't exist. But I believe in letting a person's actions speak for them. I'm not about to paint this woman with the same brush as the Sith in those stories. From what Lomning said the Council knows about her, I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"So you're thinking of accepting the job?" Xirra asked, lacing her hands tightly together in her lap.

"I'm thinking of voting that way," Rian clarified. "I meant it when I said that everyone gets a vote."

"I don't think you'll be able to convince Jorgan," Corso said. "What will you do if everyone agrees except him?"

"I'm not sure," Rian admitted. "It's never happened before. This is the biggest crew I've ever had, and the most diverse. I've never had to work with soldiers or Jedi. I don't want to force someone into a job they're not comfortable with, but I also don't want to turn down jobs just because one person objects to it."

"What about saying that person doesn't need to participate?" Xirra offered tentatively. "Like... Jorgan doesn't have to come meet the Sith if he really doesn't want to. Would that work?"

"It could," Rian said with an approving nod. She liked that Xirra was getting more comfortable with speaking up. "I'm not sure he'd be a big fan of staying on the ship, though. He's more the type to want to be in the middle of the action."

"That's true," Jorgan's voice cut in. Rian looked up to see him standing in the hall, just barely visible from the bridge. Xirra jerked her head around, blushing furiously at having been overheard. The two of them got along much better now than they had when Xirra had first come on board, but Rian could tell that she still wasn't completely comfortable around the stern Cathar. "There's no way I'd want to stay on the ship and worry."

"Come on in," Rian said, waving Jorgan onto the bridge. He looked uncomfortable, his shoulders tight and his arms drawn close to his sides. "I take it you have questions for me as well?"

"If you're done here," he said, still hovering in the hall, though he did take a step closer to the doorway. "I can come back later."

Rian glanced at Corso and Xirra. Corso just shrugged. "I think I've got all the answers I needed. I just need to think about it some more."

"Me too," Xirra said, throwing a quick glance over at Jorgan and standing hastily. "Thanks, Captain."

"You're welcome," Rian said, leaning back in her chair to watch the two of them leave. Jorgan stepped back out of the way to let them pass, but hesitated before entering the bridge.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," he said, finally sitting down gingerly in Lomning's usual chair. "I probably should have turned around when I realized you were still talking to them."

"It's all right," Rian said. "I think we were pretty much done. How much did you overhear?"

"Just the last bit, about me staying on the ship," he said. His posture was stiff where he was perched on the edge of the chair.

"It was a hypothetical question," Rian explained. "Xirra wanted to know what would happen if everyone voted to accept a job except for one person. I told her I wasn't sure how I'd handle it, since it's never happened before, but that was one option. I wouldn't make anyone do a job they objected to, but I think it would have to be on a case-by-case basis. Obviously having someone just stay on the ship wouldn't always work, if the job wasn't planet-based like this one."

Jorgan had relaxed slowly as Rian spoke and he realized she wasn't about to confine him to the ship for the duration of the mission. "I guess that makes sense. But you've really never had this happen before?"

"I usually work solo," she told him. "I had a crew once, a couple of years ago, but it was only two people. And there weren't any soldiers or Jedi on board. You'd probably have called them scoundrels - if you were feeling polite," she added with a laugh and was gratified to see a flash of a smile on Jorgan's face. She hated that this had made him so uncomfortable, but her gut was telling her that they should take this job. She trusted Lomning's judgement and if he thought that they would be safe working with this Sith, she would do it. She didn't want that drug in anyone's hands.

"I won't apologize for being the only dissenting voice," Jorgan rumbled, leaning back in Lomning's chair.

"I'm not asking you to," she told him. "I'm not expecting all of you to agree to everything I suggest. That would be boring."

He chuckled. "And we wouldn't want to be boring," he said. He leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees. "I talked to Lomning some more. I still don't think this is a good idea, but if we do this, we'll need contingency plans."

"I'm not going to force you to do this, Jorgan," she said. "Don't just agree because you feel like you have to."

"I'm not," he replied. "I'm just trying to make sure everyone stays safe if we do this."

"I appreciate that," said seriously. "I told Corso and Xirra that we'll have plans in place before we decide to accept the job."

"I'm glad to see that you don't always just make things up on the fly," he said with a snort.

"Hey!" she yelped, though she gave him a grin. "I don't always do that! I have plans sometimes!"

He laughed, sharp teeth flashing. "I'll believe that when I see it."

She pretended to grumble, ducking her head to hide a smile. She was glad to see Jorgan relax, though she still didn't know if he was going to vote in favour of the job or not. "Did you have questions for me?"

"I mostly just wanted to talk about it," he replied. "I'm really not in favour of this."

"I can tell," she told him. "What exactly are your objections?"

Jorgan leaned back, looking thoughtful. "Well, firstly, I don't trust that this isn't a trap."

"That's a possibility. Like I told Corso and Xirra, I would want to make sure we had some contingency plans in place. We'll have to see if the Council has any more information on her - like, does she usually work alone? If she does, we've got her outnumbered. If not, we'll have to plan for that." Rian paused to see if Jorgan had anything else to add before continuing. "And I do want to meet her face-to-face before making my final decision. If it just doesn't feel right, I won't risk endangering you guys."

"Even if it means letting the Hutts go ahead with their research?" Jorgan asked skeptically.

"Even then," she replied firmly. "I want to stop them, but sometimes the risk isn't worth the reward." She cocked her head to the side to study Jorgan closely. "What about you? You seemed pretty keen on helping, until you found out we'd be working with a Sith. Does that really trump the chance of destroying that drug?"

He sighed heavily, looking away. "I don't know," he finally admitted.

"Why exactly don't you want to work with her?" she asked quietly.

"Because I can't trust her," he growled, and his hands tightened in his lap.

Rian leaned back in her chair, watching Jorgan out of the corner of her eye. He didn't seem to want to meet her eyes. "Because she's a Sith, or because she's Imperial?" she asked.

"Both," he admitted. "I've never known an Imp to not have an agenda."

"Do you think you'd be willing to give her a chance?" she asked. "Would you be okay with meeting with her to see how that goes?"

"I don't know," he said with another heavy sigh. "I don't like the idea of any of us being around her."

"She might surprise you," Rian said. "You gave me a chance, even though you didn't want to. I hope you don't regret that."

He looked up quickly to meet her eyes. "I don't," he said, leaning forward urgently. "You know that, don't you?"

"I know," she said. She leaned forward too and rested her hand lightly on his shoulder, warm and solid under her palm. She could feel the strain in him just with this slight contact. If he had been Viggota or Corso, she wouldn't have hesitated to dig her fingers in to the tight muscle, but she wasn't sure he would welcome anything more than a casual touch. She was still a little tentative around him, trying to find his comfort zone. "I'm just giving you an example. I assume that you wouldn't usually have given someone like me a chance if you hadn't been forced to work with me. You can't always judge someone on your first impression."

He snorted, but smiled reluctantly and she could feel some of the tension draining out of him as his shoulder relaxed under her hand. "You're trying to manipulate me."

"Is it working?" she teased, daring to give his shoulder a quick squeeze before sitting back upright. He didn't seem to mind, and she filed it away. She liked physical contact, which might be odd for an ex-slave, but she suspected it was her way of keeping control. If she was the one initiating it, she didn't have to fear it. But she didn't want to make any of her crew uncomfortable either. "Just think about it, is all I'm asking. She came to the Republic for help. She may not be the monster you're imagining."

"All right," he agreed, giving her a reluctant nod. "And you can probably come back to the common room. I think we were the only three who wanted to talk to you about this."

"Sure," she said, standing and moving towards the door. "We're okay?"

"Yeah," he said, following her out into the hall. "Thanks for taking the time to talk to me about it. I've just got some thinking to do now."

"Thanks for listening," she said, turning to face him. "I mean it. I know this is a new situation for you and Vig, and I really appreciate that you guys have been so open to all of this."

Jorgan shrugged nonchalantly, though he looked pleased. "I'm just glad you're willing to put up with us."

She chuckled and shook her head. "It's been worth it, believe me. It's nice, having a crew on board." She was finally starting to admit to herself just how much she liked it. After Joro and Lia had left she had managed to convince herself that she was better off on her own, but Taris had shown her how much she had grown to rely on her crew. Having Lomning back filled an empty space that she hadn't even realized he had left behind. She selfishly hoped that he, and the others, would stay with her, but she didn't want to push.

He studied her closely for a moment and she resisted the urge to duck her head under his scrutiny. He had a sniper's focus and it was disconcerting to have that intense gaze directed at her, especially when she couldn't read his expression. "It's been a good crew to be a part of," he admitted quietly. "I'm glad I gave you another chance."

Rian smiled up at him, feeling pleased. "I'm glad I gave you one too. You ended up being pretty tolerable once I got past the scowl." She grinned at his affronted look, which slowly melted into a tentative smile. She still erred on the side of caution when it came to teasing Jorgan, but he generally seemed pleased when she did. Given some of the stories he had told about his time with the Deadeyes, she wondered if she shouldn't be pushing him harder. He must have a sense of humour under that stern exterior. "Go," she told him. "Think about the job. I'll be in the common room when you're ready to vote."

"Thanks," he said. He hesitated and then patted her awkwardly on the shoulder before turning and making his way along the curved corridor. She could barely hear his light tread on the stairs heading down to the lower ring.

Lomning was gone but Corso and Xirra were back in the common room, sitting together on the small couch that Jorgan had been using earlier. Viggota was still sprawled on the other one with a datapad, though he moved to let Rian sit with him when she tapped his ankle. "Everything all right?" he asked.

"I think so," she said. "He said he'd think about it." She shrugged when Viggota gave her a searching look. She honestly didn't know how Jorgan would vote. She was fairly certain that Corso and Xirra would be willing to at least meet with the Sith, but the Cathar was still an unknown quantity.