CHAPTER NINE – YES
STEELA
"It was your fault!" I yell, pointing at Sierra.
She's affronted. "My fault? How is it my fault?"
"You're the one who brought her on in the first place."
"It's not my job to babysit her either! Last I checked, you were responsible for keeping security over the hauls!"
"And you're the one who keeps security over the outside shills!"
Sierra pauses, and I can practically hear her response before it comes. Okay, so maybe you have a point.
But she doesn't say that. She says "Hitter duty means security duty, Steela!"
"Okay, both of you stop it," Ahsoka orders. "It's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal. She -!"
"Just get back in the speeder and let's go home. I've had enough drama for today."
…
What were Sierra and I arguing about, you ask?
Simple: fire rubies.
It all comes down to the kriffing fire rubies, doesn't it? The guys got into a car accident after stealing them, Jenn continued to blackmail us because she wanted them, and Black Sun went on a crazy quest to get them back. Well, we intended to do right by them.
We take the pouch back to the mark's staff building and walk around as a group, surreptitiously leaving the stones on secretaries' desks, on custodians' carts, and anywhere we think a stray employee might find them without the mark catching on. I've broken out my pickpocketing skills to slip rubies into people's pockets or wallets.
I feel like an elf from the children's stories about Father Life Day. Heck, I feel like Father Life Day himself, giving some of our score away.
When a woman shouts "Oh my force! Look at the desks!" we know it's time to go.
"You know what? I feel great." Hero says as we look back at the building full of people trying to mask the joy at finding their fire rubies or completely lose control and call relatives, hug their colleagues, or simply celebrate by themselves.
"There's no feeling quite like helping people." Ahsoka agrees.
Jenn shrugs, but I glimpse a little sparkle in her eye.
"Look, while they shouldn't have stolen it in the first place I'm glad we got to make all these people happy," Sierra says. "And we have plenty of credits for Jenn and the Alliance."
"For sure," Jenn leans on the speeder, approximately where I was sitting. "So now that we have that out of the way, let's talk payment. Specifically, my payment."
"We'll give you the stones when we drop you off at the hospital," Ahsoka says and turns back to Hero. "So, should we call the guys?"
"Considering who we're talking about, it can't be a bad idea." Sierra pulls out her comlink and calls her mother, using speakerphone. "Hi Mom. How's everyone doing?"
In the background, I hear a child's gleeful shriek.
"Oh, we're fine." Mina says. "I took Tav outside to run off some steam, and I'm pleased to say the caffeine is wearing off. Hero, Katooni got Molly to drink her normal juice."
Hero sighs in relief. "Thank goodness. How are the guys?"
"They're resting. They're just -."
"Grandma, let's play hide and seek!"
"That sounds great, Tav! Ladies, I'm going to have to let you go."
"We'll be home soon, Mom," Sierra says and hangs up. "Okay, so all we have to do is drop Jenn off at the hospital and – where's Jenn?"
I spin on my heels, checking first the speeder, then the nearby sidewalks, then behind me. But it's no use.
A hovertaxi speeds down the road.
Jenn's gone.
A possibility smacks me in the gut. "Oh my force, where's the bag?"
"Calm down Steela, the bag's right here." Ahsoka snatches it from its place on the console. "See? She must have had a change of heart after seeing all the happiness she caused. Now, let's see how many rubies we have for the Alliance!"
She upends the bag into her hand, and a small handful of breath mints spill out.
We stare at them.
"Well…" Hero trails off.
Ahsoka closes her fist, crushing the mints into dust.
"Kriffing schutta."
…
"See you later, nerfherders."
In the backseat of a hovertaxi pulling away from the mark's workplace, Jenn examines her breath mint container, now filled with something much better than peppermint.
"Where to?" the cabbie asks.
Jenn gives her apartment address and dials her comlink, reveling in her latest victory.
Donating the rubies to the Rebel Alliance? That's a joke, she thinks. You don't get to be president of a sorority without having a big ambition. I don't like missing out on a big score.
"Hello?"
"Rani!" she greets her roommate with a cheer unknown since they graduated from the university and left Phi Kappa Lambda in the hands of a few trusted juniors. "Rani, tonight we're going to pay off our student loans."
…
Cue the argument between Sierra and I, which winds on and on and steadily gets louder until Hero and Ahsoka shout "For the love of the force, you two!" and effectively shut us up.
Ahsoka tries to be neutral. "I don't care whose fault it was, and honestly- -."
"It was both of your faults," Hero interjects.
Ahsoka goes on like Hero isn't even there. "I'm too tired to handle anything else. We are going home to say hello to the guys, and then I am putting Tav and Kiara down for their nap and going to bed."
How she's going to do that when they're jacked up on caffeine I have no idea, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ahsoka's eyes were turning yellow right now. I clamp my lips shut and Sierra does the same, except to say as we dock the speeder, "I'm going to check on Lux."
…
When I slip in to check on Tandin he's already snoring softly. I tiptoe to his bedside and reposition a folded-down blanket on his chest.
"Good night, Tandin."
Tandin snores.
Besides him, my other two responsibilities are housed in the same bedroom, which makes my life a whole lot easier. I nudge the door open.
"Saw? Rex? How are you doing?"
Rex looks up from his datapad. "Hi Steela."
On the other side of the room Saw is asleep, and I know from personal experience not to wake him unless I have a death wish. "Hi Rex. Are you feeling better?"
He nods. "Much."
"And what are you doing with the 'pad?" I sit on the edge of his bed and get a look at what Rex is searching.
Results for: "Moons of Rion Wedding Chapels"
"These are some long-lasting pain meds, aren't they?"
He ignores that last bit. "Look at this one. They have a Sy Snootles impersonator to act as a witness!"
I facepalm. "Rex, do you have any idea what Tandin would do if he found out we got married in a moons of Rion wedding chapel?"
"I have others," he opens a second tab. "Look, this one's in Iziz and they do a Unifras ceremony. You're Unifras. Would you like this one better?"
"I am Unifras -."
"Steela, please elope with me," he begs. "It doesn't have to be one of these chapels. I'll steal a cathedral! I don't care if it's out of the back of a speeder or in the Imperial Palace," he looks up at me. "I want you to be my wife."
"We'll finish this conversation when you're not high on pain meds."
"But -."
"Rex, I want you to be able to remember how you proposed to me, and that's not going to happen if you're high." I cross my arms. "Sit back, relax, and wait for the meds to wear off."
"How was the job?' he asks, changing the subject.
"Well, we lost the score."
"What? How?"
I comb my hair back with my hands. "We brought you guys home and that's all that matters, even if Jenn did steal the fire rubies."
"She didn't get all of them," Rex says.
"What? Yeah Rex, she did. She emptied the bag."
"My snack pack," he holds out the paper bag from the hospital, beaming. "I told Ahsoka it was important we held onto it, and there was a reason why."
He reaches into the bag and pulls out his cherry Jell-O, the Jell-O he whined about wanting but never opened or ate.
And with a hand made steady from years upon years of holding blasters and working at dangerous tasks, he pulls back the foil on the top of the cup to reveal that the gelatin has been carefully hollowed out, leaving just enough along the sides to keep up the appearance of a full cup.
And the cavity is filled with fire rubies.
I can't speak. I can't breathe. All I can do is stare at the most expensive Jell-O the galaxy has ever known.
"A captain," Rex announces, "Never puts all his troops in one place."
…
The pain meds wear off two hours later, when Rex's childish complaints stop like a speeder slammed by a laundry van.
I pop my head back into the room. "Do you have your head again?"
Rex sighs. "Steela, you are a sight for sore eyes."
"Good to see you back in the land of the sane."
"What did I do?"
I wince. "Well, you forgot who I was." He cringes. "Once you heard I was your girlfriend you proposed marriage a few times, we kissed once or twice…" The cringe disappears. "And you pulled off the most creative fire ruby heist I've ever seen."
He blinks. "Excuse me, fire ruby heist?"
"Probably the first and last time in history someone's smuggled gemstones in a Jell-O cup."
The memory pokes through the dusty places in Rex's brain. "I remember something about Jell-O."
"I'll fill you in later, but I have water on the stove and if it boils over Ahsoka will roast me alive. Oh, and Rex?"
He sits up, eyebrows raised. "What is it?"
"Yes."
Rex's face falls in confusion. "Yes? Yes to what?"
I just smile and turn to walk down the hall. "When the Empire falls, yes."
Then I walk away.
"Steela? Steela, what do you mean? Can you come back and explain?"
And then: "Are you saying yes to what I think you're saying yes to?"
There's a rustle of the blankets being thrown off the bed and Rex's feet hit the ground, followed by the rapid opening and shutting of drawers. "When the Empire falls? I can live with that. I will happily, happily live with that! Do you want to go to the jewelry store now, or when the Empire falls?"
My smile only grows.
Rex is still asking, all right.
And I'm still saying yes.
So, who saw that coming?
I do have something in the works which would follow up on this particular "Yes." It would take the form of two to three oneshots, posted to the existing story "Dating In The Dark Times." If that sounds interesting to you, then just let me know.
Thank you to julyza, MusicKeeper, and Starwarshobbitfics for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review your thoughts on this story and about the potential shorts mentioned above.
Until next time,
LS
