On the trip back to Nar Shaddaa, Alico ignored Corso's attempts to get her into a kolto bath and settled on a few kolto injections. Truthfully, she didn't want to completely erase the pain. She deserved to feel like druk. To avoid wondering if Skavak had made it back onto her ship and into whichever smuggler's hole he had crawled out of, she poured herself half a tumbler of Corellian whiskey and camped out in the cockpit, counting down the kilometers between jump points, then to the Y'Toub system, to Nal Hutta, and finally to Nar Shaddaa.

When they landed at the medical facility where they had left Risha, Alico was annoyed to find that everything looked the same as when they had left, as though no time had passed. Like she was just starting her journey to the Long Shadow and maybe things would play out differently. But the aches in her body, the bruising on her cheek, and the seared flesh on her leg were a poignant reminder that there was no going back.

"Come on," she said, and headed down the boarding ramp, Corso and Bowdaar in tow with the treasure case between them. Scraps rolled along at her feet. They rode the elevator to the only accessible floor and entered the medbay, quiet save for the beeping of a heart monitor and the soft gurgling of a kolto tank.

"There is nothing more I can do," Dr. Chelah said from the other side of the room. "The disease has spread to your heart."

"I wasn't using it anyway," Nok rasped as the crew rounded the machinery to find Nok lying where they had left him, Risha sitting by his side, and Dr. Chelah hovering nearby.

Alico motioned to the men behind her and they dropped the crate. It smacked the ground with a loud thud that caused everyone in the room to start in surprise. Risha jumped to her feet, eyes wide. Surprise became joy that turned into concern.

"Captain—" she started, on the verge of asking the likeliest question—what the hell happened—but Nok interrupted her.

"Bring me the reliquary," he coughed, barely able to lift his hand and motion them closer. "I want to see these treasures before I die."

"You mean your family heirlooms?" Alico retorted, folding her arms over her chest. Nok smirked as Risha's face became grave. "You see, this treasure belonged to someone named Aric Drayen," she said then added, "King of Dubrillion."

"My grandfather," Nok explained, voice strained as Dr. Chelah helped him into a sitting position. "A usurper stole his throne, but he got the last laugh." He wheezed what Alico thought was supposed to be a chuckle. "Drayen's always do."

Risha nodded firmly when her father looked at her. Alico rolled her eyes and signaled to Corso and Bowdaar, who immediately hefted the case and brought it to Nok's bed. They set it on the end where Nok gazed upon it reverently, his hands ghosting over the casing in awe. Then, he punched a code into the keypad and the lid clicked open.

"Such a simple act," he rasped, "to fulfill a lifetime of effort…"

Risha was beaming. "Congratulations, Captain," she said, her voice full of excitement. "Nok Drayen's lost fortune is yours."

"With one exception…" Nok coughed, taking hold of the lid and lifting it up. He dipped his hands inside and drew out a simple but shiny circlet. "Take the crown, Risha. Claim your birthright." He reached out to her and she stepped toward him, bending slightly at the knee and bowing her head. "Restore the Drayen dynasty as rulers of Dubrillion." He set the silver circlet onto her head, a stark contrast to her dark hair. "Wear the crown and rule that world."

The whole exchange felt ceremonial, but was so ridiculous that it bordered on parody—a dying ex-gangster placing a crown on the head of his mechanic daughter in the middle of a private hospital on a Hutt world and telling her to rule their lost planet while the current monarchy was still in place.

Bowdaar shifted behind her and rumbled something about waiting outside. She could hear the exasperation in his tone, which wasn't usually easy to detect in Shyriiwook. Corso, on the other hand, appeared fascinated. He stepped toward them.

"I can't believe you're royalty, Risha," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"The less people who knew the truth, the better," she replied, looking at him with misty eyes. Her voice held an unusual amount of emotion. "I've had assassins come for me before…" she explained. "It's endangered people I care about, and they didn't know anything."

"Don't concern yourself with the fates of others," Nok rasped, his skin slick with sweat. Sitting up seemed to have taken its toll on him. "You have more important things," he coughed, "to worry about." Then he lost himself to a coughing fit. Dr. Chelah reached out to help him lie down but he swatted him away even as his face turned red. He hunched over, gasping for breath. "If you are going to rule…a world, Risha…you'll have to do…questionable things," he wheezed. "This is my final lesson to you…" Nok turned his dark eyes toward Alico. "The spacer has fulfilled her purpose… Dispose of her and keep the reliquary treasures for yourself."

Corso bristled and began protesting but Alico just stared. Not at Nok—he was nothing more than a dead man talking—but at Risha, who looked at Alico with that regretful expression like she had known this request was coming. Of course, it was coming. It was why she had hired Skavak all those months ago… Because she could pull the trigger on a scoundrel she thought no one would miss.

No one but Alico, as it turned out…

Alico and Risha stared at one another for a long moment, unspoken words flying between them. Here they were at their inevitable confrontation—a crossroads for both of them. Risha, stuck between who she was and who her father wanted her to be, and Alico, trapped between what she had said and what she felt. As they stared at one another, Alico realized that, just like with Skavak, she didn't want to have to kill Risha. And in Risha's eyes, she saw that, crown or not, she was still the same woman she had been when she offered Alico her hand and asked to be friends.

Suddenly, she was sick of Nok and his stupid treasure and this ridiculous vendetta. Sick to her stomach. And she was tired of these games, of distrust, of deception. She was exhausted by pride and arrogance and pretense—hers and everyone else's. She needed to get away from there. So, Alico turned her back on her and headed for the exit. If Risha was going to try to kill her after all, she would have the perfect opportunity to try.

"No, Father," Risha said while Alico could still hear. "I won't kill her." She spoke a little louder when she added, "She's my friend."

Alico smiled faintly as she stepped into the elevator. Nok began coughing uncontrollably.

"You…useless child…" he gasped between coughs. "Spent too many years without my guidance… You're weak, powerless—"

The doors closed on his rant and all Alico could hear was the woosh of the elevator as it zipped upward. When the doors opened, she made her way around the walkway to the left until she found a nice, quiet balcony to watch the city bathed in orange light and rippled with neon. Her palms wrapped around the cold, metal railing and she leaned into the wind, inhaling a lungful.

I'm glad you took my ship. What a fool she had been. She liked to think she knew herself better than this… She was her father's daughter, full of good looks, natural talent, honed skill, and absolute confidence, and she was not to be crossed. Wasn't she? But she hadn't felt very much like herself lately and it had terrified her. Made her act stupid. Because deep down, she had been afraid of not being "Mal's daughter" even as she tried so hard to escape that definition. Just like— Alico snorted as she realized that maybe she had been just as lost as Risha had been… And it took falling over herself to find out who she was.

Alico breathed in deeply again and slowly exhaled.

Yes, she was her father's daughter, but she was also Alico Starwind. There was part of her that would always be a Starwind, would always be Mal's daughter, but she would also always be Alico. Arrogant. Prideful. Confident. Full of good looks and natural talent and honed skill. A smart-ass. And also, a sucker for people in need. Soft-hearted. Afraid to disappoint her father… And with terrible taste in men. She was none of these things taken separately, for good or ill. And that meant she was the idiot who disappointed her father. The softy who kept giving a spoiled princess endless chances to make mistakes. The fool who fell for a womanizing, ship-stealing, son of a kath-hound…

Too late, she could finally admit that she had wanted to be with Skavak. She had no idea where it would have gone—probably right back to where it had begun: with them wanting to kill each other—but who really cared about what ifs?

I'm glad you took my ship.

Alico reached up and quickly swiped at the tear forming in her eye. If only she hadn't been so gutless and just said what it was that she had wanted. If only it hadn't taken her so long to figure it out.

"Dad," she murmured into the wind. "There's something seriously wrong with me."

Alico wasn't sure how much time had passed before she heard footsteps approaching, but it was long enough for the sun to sink a little on the horizon and the wind to turn nippy. Risha's perfume announced her presence before she did. She sidled up next to Alico, long and thin and bejeweled fingers gently wrapping around the railing, and stared out at the city.

"My father's dead," she said solemnly, but there was surprisingly little sorrow in her tone. Alico thought about how to respond—"My condolences," at least, or "Thanks for not trying to kill me."—but nothing came out. So she just nodded. "Corso told me what happened at the Long Shadow." There was a pause. "It seems we're both mourning someone."

"What?" Alico blurted, turning to look at her. The crown was still on her head, glinting in the fading light. Risha smirked.

"I may not be as clever as I think I am, but I'm not as obtuse as you seem to think," she said. "I knew about you and Skavak."

Alico was so shocked, all she could choke out was, "How?"

Risha snorted. "Please. Your comm is linked with the ship. I saw the holo registration. You and he had a lot to talk about over the last few months. It did occur to me that you might be double-crossing me…until Tatooine, when you came back from Anchorhead smelling of his cologne. Then I knew for sure what was between you two." She flicked her brown gaze at Alico. "Besides, from the beginning, you two argued like scorned lovers who were still ridiculously into each other."

Alico opened her mouth to argue but Risha kept going.

"I knew the hate was legitimate back then. Let's just say it was a sign." She chuckled. "Can't say anything for your taste in men, but…in a twisted way, you two were actually perfect for one another. If anyone could tame that bastard, it's you, Captain."

Alico huffed and rolled her eyes.

"I meant it," Risha continued, "when I said you were tilting his galaxy." Risha looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry things ended the way they did… I know I'm partially responsible for that—for everything that's happened to you since Ord Mantell. And I'm sorry."

Alico just nodded, somberly casting her eyes back out to the city. She didn't know what to say. What could she say? She had quite probably killed the man she—someone she cared for. "No problem," wasn't even on the spectrum of acceptable responses, and it was way too soon for "I forgive you." So she said nothing, and she and Risha watched the speeders fly by in silence for several minutes.

"You're a wealthy woman, Captain," she said. "That reliquary holds more than just family heirlooms. Merchants will be killing each other to buy what you're selling. I can handle the sales, if you don't mind. I have a list of preferred buyers who won't lowball you, and I know they have the credits. Everything will be squared away before you're ready to leave." She took a deep breath. "I'll make sure all the right people hear what you did today, Captain. It's the least I can do."

Alico quirked a brow. "Feeling guilty, your Majesty? Because your dad wanted you to kill me?"

Risha huffed. "Of course not. I just don't like leaving a job half-finished." She clicked her tongue. "You've been calling me that for a while now, but it feels weird to hear it with this thing on my head." She reached up and pulled the crown off of her head. She looked at it, her mouth twisting into a wry smile. "Is this what it was all for…?"

Risha had, in essence, traded having a father for a crown. But it was a choice Nok had made for her and something Risha clearly hadn't wanted. A piece of metal, no matter how shiny and symbolic, was a poor substitute for a father's love.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now," Risha continued. "Everyone I've met from Dubrillion has tried to kill me." She shook her head. "I don't have an army or a Starfleet. I don't have any money. I'm supposed to take over a whole planet with just a crown?"

"You asking for loan? Because, as it turns out, I just came into a large sum of money."

Risha chuckled. "I wouldn't take a single credit of that treasure even if you gave it to me. I don't want it…" She looked at the crown again like she might pitch it over the railing, but her fingers were wrapped so tightly around it that her knuckles were white. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Alico thought about telling her to stop trying to be the queen her father wanted her to be and just be the woman she already was. But such advice felt self-righteous after figuring it out for herself only recently, so instead she said, "I think you're supposed to wear it."

Risha snorted. "Seriously?"

"You're in trouble if you already need this much instruction, your Majesty."

"Maybe you shouldn't call me that anymore."

"I call you that because you act like a queen, not because you are one."

"I don't know the first thig about being a queen."

Alico had the feeling that wasn't entirely true. She had said Nok had left her holorecordings dispensing his wisdom, and she was sure some of them included lessons on monarchies. Risha's hatred of nobles suddenly made more sense… This had been the destiny Nok had chosen for her and it was the future that Risha felt like she had to seize, but there had been no spark in her eyes when Nok placed that crown on her head. Not like when she talked about being the daughter of the galaxy's most fearsome gangster. Risha was somehow both a starship mechanic and a high-class criminal, and she was happy that way.

Alico pushed away from the railing and said, "Want a job fixing my ship while you work out the details?"

Risha stifled a smile. "Your engines probably need a good tuning after that last trip," she noted. "But even you could do that much. Are you pitying me?"

"Nope. Just helping out a friend," Alico said and held out a hand to her. For a moment, Risha looked like she might cry, but then she swiped at her eyes and laughed.

"I'll take the job," she said and grasped Alico's hand. "Captain."

...

The next few days were comprised of ship repairs and Risha on holocalls, spreading the word about the recovery of Nok Drayen's treasure, Alico's part in it, and setting up sales. Reporters, galleries, historic societies, and treasure hunter guilds flooded the comm, all wanting to know how she did it and if she would consider donating or join their organization. By the third interview, the novelty had worn off. When both polite and sarcastic refusals hadn't worked, she moved on to shouting and outright insults until Alico had to resort to hiding to avoid the vultures.

And that's where Corso found her… Risha had left the ship to make a sale, Bowdaar was fiddling with something in the cargo hold, and Alico had been moving from the cockpit toward the lounge when the comm started beeping again. Heart racing, she immediately ducked against the wall, as if she could just melt into the ship and disappear if she tried hard enough. Just as she was considering putting a blaster bolt into the wiring, the ringing stopped and Corso's voice rang out in the holoterminal bay.

"She's not interested," he said and hung up. Alico let out a slow, quiet breath. A second later, he appeared around the corner, grinning at her. "You can come out now, Captain," he teased.

"Thanks, Corso," she muttered, ducking between him and the threshold, heading for the lounge. He followed her. "This is ridiculous. I'm about this close—" she twisted at the waist to look back at him, motioning with her forefinger and thumb "—to shooting my reputation down. Literally."

Disbelief stole over his face. "You know, I just argued with some idiot on the HoloNet who was telling people plasma-based blasters have more stopping power than particle beam models?" he exclaimed as they turned into the lounge, clearly side-tracked by the mere mention of shooting anything. "I'm betting this guy's never used his blaster on anything bigger than a gizka."

"Uh huh," she mumbled as she slipped behind the bar and began pouring herself a drink.

"Can you imagine surviving any of the things we have without particle beams?"

"Uhn-uh." She shook her head.

"That reminds me—I should give all our blasters a thorough cleaning." He leaned against the bar, shaking his head when she held up the bottle of whiskey in offering. "I saw a guy once who got his heter valve jammed up with dust. His face looked like one of those cheap Nar Shaddaa plasteel dolls of the Supreme Chancellor after it's been left out in the sun."

She grimaced just a second before she sipped her whiskey.

"Yeah," he murmured, nodding. "It's that bad."

"Clean away," she said absently, taking another sip of her drink and leaning on the other side of the bar.

"Captain," Corso began hesitantly. "I know I told you I'd always be at your side, but…"

She froze, wondering where this conversation was about to go. She wasn't ready to have it—not this soon after Skavak had—well, she had no idea but—damn it… She had been trying so hard to suppress her depression and now it was leaking out of her like oxygen from a ruptured vac-suit and she couldn't stop it.

"But I never considered what you would want."

Wait. Alico held her breath. What…?

"Before Skavak stole those blasters, it was just you and Scraps. Suddenly, you have two crew mates you didn't count on having, and a world of trouble. I could understand if you wanted things to go back to the way they were, Captain… We've been through—you've been through a lot, and if you need your space, well, you just say the word and I'll leave." His mouth quirked in one of his boyish grins but there was something guarded in his eyes. "You know, I've been meaning to visit my cousin Rona. I hear she's on Coruscant."

Alico felt her face tightening with emotion. He wasn't making demands or trying to guilt trip her, just trying to understand her. Corso wasn't forcing her to make a choice, he was offering her one.

She shrugged one shoulder and looked down into her whiskey. "I can take you to Coruscant," she said. In her peripheral, she saw his face fall.

"Oh… Right."

"And you can just call when you're done," she continued. His head snapped up.

"Captain…?"

"But before you go, we should get the terms of your contract settled." She swirled the drink in the glass. "Official percentages, vacation days, assigned duties, obligations and provisos—the usual list of wills and won'ts. You know…" She knocked the rest of the whiskey back. "To make sure I won't cheat you or anything."

"Captain…" he murmured. She finally looked at him to find a big grin on his face, affection and excitement shining in his eyes. "You know I trust you, even if you do cheat me on occasion." His grin softened into a smile. "Thank you, Captain."

She smiled briefly but genuinely and then set her glass on the bar. "Well, if Risha's signing up, I'm not gonna turn you down."

He chuckled. "Figures Risha would be sticking around," he said. "She's like a mynock that way."

Alico laughed. "Don't let her hear you say that…"

He held his finger to his lips. "Not a word."

"Are you sure?" she blurted.

"Hm?"

"You want to be doing this?" She didn't have to say "smuggling" for him to understand what she was getting at. "You strike me as the type of guy who prefers wide open spaces and fresh air and an honest living."

"Captain, I learned a long time ago that breaking the law has nothing to do with being a good man," he said. Her eyebrows shot up and he grinned. "And I already know you're a good woman. I'll let you know if there's a line I can't cross. And I'm sure someday I'll retire to a ronto ranch on Dantooine or a farmstead on—wherever." He chuckled. "But until then, I'm your crew."

Alico nodded, shuffling once before she said, "Then I guess I'd better teach you how to play sabacc."

"You mean it?" he asked, following her out toward the crew deck.

"Captain," Risha said, appearing suddenly.

"Aw," Corso groaned. "Back already?"

Risha gave him a brief but withering look then said to Alico, "There someone looking for you."

"What else is new?" she threw out flippantly.

"I finally understand the name of your ship, Captain…"

"Why? Who is it?"

"The Captain of the Elsewhere," she replied quietly. "Malcolm Starwind."

Alico's smile instantly faded. She turned to look at the holoterminal when Risha touched her arm then nodded toward the spiral. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Alico hurried toward the exit and raced down the boarding ramp, heart picking up its canter as urgency overtook her. She slowed to a stop on the open-air loading walkway connecting the landing pad to the docking station.

There he was, halfway across the walkway, with his dark brown hair and reddish-brown duster. Her father. He looked at her with his deep, blue eyes and she was overwhelmed by the love and relief shining in them.

"Dad," she said, and she was running before she realized it. The next thing she knew, she was swept off of her feet into a tight hug.

"Alleycat," he rasped into her hair, squeezing her as though she might slip away. "I thought something had happened to you until I saw the report on the HoloNet." He pressed the side of his head against hers as he gave her another squeeze and then lowered her to her feet. "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"I'm sorry, Dad," she whispered. "I wanted to tell you, I just…"

"Alico," he said in an unusually serious tone. She slid out of his arms and met his gaze. "What happened?"

Alico glanced back at her ship then motioned them toward the station. They walked side by side to the far end of the walkway where they claimed a sunny bench in the landing pad's waiting area.

"I took a job for Rogun to deliver some blasters to a guy named Viidu on Ord Mantell. Simple, safe, easy money." She shook her head in exasperation. "But I was set up by one of Viidu's employees. The blasters were stolen and sold before I could get them back."

"Why didn't you tell me you were in trouble?" he blurted. "A bounty with Rogun is serious—"

"I know. I just…" She took a deep breath. "I didn't want you to know I messed up. I didn't want to disappoint you."

"What? Alleycat—that could never—" He sealed his lips and folded his hands together, pausing to gather his thoughts as he looked out at the city. "You know what disappoints me? That you thought more about letting me down than what it would do to me if you died." He pinned her with a hard stare. "You can never disappoint me in any other way. Mistakes are made. Accidents happen. And, sometimes, things just go wrong. You can't do everything alone." He shook his head. "Why do you think I have a crew?" He gripped her shoulder when she started to look down, bent forward to hold her gaze. "Everyone needs help from time to time—even me. And when you really need it, I expect you to call."

Alico nodded, thoroughly cowed. She was a grown woman, but she might as well have been a child again for how scolded she felt.

"I will," she said quietly. "I promise."

He smiled. "Good."

He wrapped his arm around her and slid her across the bench to press against his side, giving her another hug. He tried to hide it, but she saw how the hand that held her was trembling and was struck with misery at her selfishness. It hadn't even occurred to her how terrified he must have been.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He just nodded, lower lip curling into the upper as the corners of his mouth tilted down in an effort not to cry. The sight shredded her heart to ribbons. She had never seen her father cry…

When the emotion passed, he cleared his throat and put on a smile. "Now, are you going to tell me about this treasure hunt or do I have to read about it on the HoloNet?"

Alico chuckled and told him the whole story, careful to leave Skavak's name out of it. He listened, he laughed, and he asked questions, but he never once judged her choices or scolded them. He shared in her adventure with all the mirth and love that he had always shown her, and she wondered how she could have possibly thought he might do otherwise. Because it had been her first real adventure without him? She had been so focused on striking out on her own that that she had unwittingly drawn lines in the sand and pushed him out. But it felt good to bring him back into her life. They weren't crew anymore…but they were still family. They always would be.

She wouldn't lose sight of that again.

"That's quite the story," he said when she was finished, "and quite the score. I'm proud of you, Alleycat."

She smiled wide, unable to stop. Her father looked out at the city again, the sunset washing him in an orange light.

"I understand why you didn't call me when your ship was stolen," he said at length, "and I respect you for it. You were never the type to chase handouts, even when you were a little girl. It was hard on me, as your father. I wanted you to need me more. It's my job to protect you and you never let me do it much, but…it makes me happy when I can."

"I always thought I needed you too much," she admitted. "That maybe I was too spoiled to make it on my own. Or…as a Starwind."

"Is that why you left?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah." She nodded, feeling a weight lift off her chest. "I wanted to prove to myself that I have what it takes. You have to let me make my mistakes, Dad."

He shifted on the bench to face her. "I have, and I will," he promised, "but I won't let a mistake kill you just to teach you a lesson."

"I'm sorry, Dad… And I promise to start opening up more about what I'm doing."

He suddenly laughed. "Oh, I'm afraid we're past that. You can be sure I'll be keeping tabs on you from now on."

"Dad—" she began to protest but he held his hand up to silence her.

"Hey, you lost your right to privacy when you let Rogun put a bounty on your head and didn't tell me," he said, straightening on the bench. "I may not be able to send you to your room anymore, but you bet your ass you're on restriction."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't find it in herself to be angry. In fact, she was relieved. "Fine," she snorted in mock indignation, folding her arms over her chest with a huff. They watched the sun sinking behind the buildings for a moment before Alico realized she hadn't told him everything. "I met someone."

His eyes grew wide as he swiveled to look at her. "You met someone?"

She pursed her lips to stifle her laughter. "Yeah, when he stole my ship and tried to kill me."

"Oh, honey, that's how all the great Starwind romances begin," he said and she snorted.

"Yeah, well, I left him for dead orbiting a black hole."

He nodded once. "And that's how they all end, too."

She couldn't stop herself from laughing that time. "Orbiting a black hole?"

"Well, that part is optional."

She snickered and then nudged him with her elbow. "Is that how you met mom?" she asked, and the words felt strange on her tongue. She had never asked him about her mother before. "She tried to steal your ship?"

If her father was surprised by the question, he didn't show it. He just shook his head and replied, "No, actually." He grinned. "I tried to steal hers. Your mother was a freighter captain back then, very upright and respectable." He took a deep breath and his smile faded. "If it weren't for me, she probably would have stayed that way." He shook his head. "Your old man…he isn't perfect."

"Yes, he is," Alico said immediately. Her father met her gaze. "And to his only daughter, he always will be."

His smile returned. "And he will always be proud of her, no matter what mistakes she makes."

She smiled, too, and, for the first time in a long time, Alico felt like herself. They chatted until the sun fully set. He offered to take her to dinner and so she returned to her ship for her holocom and a jacket. When Alico boarded, Risha, Corso, and Bowdaar were gathered in the common area. The moment Alico walked in, Risha threw herself at her.

"Did you tell Drooga the Hutt that I was on Nar Shaddaa?" she exclaimed, her holocom still in her hand.

"No," Alico replied innocently. "I told him you'd been feeling down lately and needed the kind of pick-me-up only his pleasure barge could provide." She tapped her chin. "If I remember right, didn't you promise that Hutt a dance next time you were on Nar Shaddaa?"

Corso snickered as Risha's jaw dropped open.

"Here you are playing games—" she sputtered. "I thought you were in mourning!"

Alico walked by her. "I am."

She spun to face her. "And does this make you feel better?"

She started nodding. "Yeah, a little bit." And then she flashed Risha a grin.

The future Queen of Dubrillion screamed.

...

Alico stared at the number that had been deposited in her bank account. It had taken two weeks for Risha to finish selling Nok's treasure but she had finally delivered everyone's cut. It was such a gross sum that, for two days, Alico kept counting the ridiculous number of zeroes just to make sure she hadn't miscounted. And then she did a little investigating, got Skavak's account, and transferred the full sum. She didn't know if he was alive or not…but either way, the credits were his. Like Risha, the treasure had cost her more than she had wanted to pay. She didn't want a single credit.

Scraps beeped at her feet as she cut through her ship toward the cockpit.

"What else is new," she said. The mouse droid beeped some more. "You have a taser. You sort it out." More beeps. "You don't need my permission."

Scraps then cut a U-turn and rolled away. A few seconds later, she heard a yelp and a roar and grinned. She poked her head into the engine room where Risha was inspecting some equipment. Hung up on the wall beside her various tools was a sparkling, silver crown.

"We're headed to Balmorra," she announced. Risha whirled around.

"Balmorra? Why?"

"Got a job."

"A job? Captain, you're rich. You can relax."

"Not rich anymore."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what?"

"It's gone."

"Wh-gone? All of it?" she exclaimed. Alico nodded. "What the blazes did you spend it on?"

"Scraps needed a new motivator."

"And the rest?" she practically shrieked.

"High-stakes sabacc," she lied. "C'mon, we've been idle long enough. I'm bored. Besides," Alico grinned, "I thought you needed the money so you can take over your lost planet someday. And don't think you can just stay with the ship while I do all the work this time!" She smacked the doorframe as she headed back out into the hall then added, "Prepare to get your hands dirty, your Majesty."

Behind her, Alico heard Risha huff indignantly.

"Yes, Captain," she said, and there was a smile in her voice.