She'd always had nightmares since she was a child. She was used to them, in fact: used to waking up with shakes in her hands, to sweat on her forehead and tears in the corners of her eyes. The nightmares were more or less the same. She always felt like a heavy weight was sitting on her chest, like she couldn't breathe, and her senses were blocked to the world by thick smoke and the heavy smell of it. She could hear screaming, crashing, the ringing of her eardrums. She could taste blood and ash on her tongue. And then she would wake up and the deep memories of the nightmare would be gone. Over the years, she had grown used to sleepless evenings or sleep that was disturbed by harsh images. They never got better, but she learned to ignore them.

She stared up at the metal ceiling over her head before she remembered she wasn't sleeping in the ruins of a temple or under a canopy of trees. The small room aboard the ship – if it could even be classified as that – was something she hadn't grown accustomed to yet. It was more of a closet, but she couldn't complain. The cot she slept on with a real blanket instead of the green cape was a luxury. If she could, she would stay there all day just soaking up the space.

Instead, she stood up and left the small space. She could feel the cold floor through her socks but she didn't mind as she made her way down the hallway towards the cockpit. She could tell from the lull of the ship that they were airborne. A week aboard the ship was all it took for her to know when they had landed and when they were still in flight. Per usual, the cockpit doors remained open and Lili stepped into the cockpit. She sat down at her favorite spot – to the left – and looked at the man sitting at the controls with his hands on the control stick.

"Have you slept at all?" Lorian didn't respond. Lili was somewhat worried, as she had gone to bed hours prior. She assumed he was ignoring her. "You have to sleep sometime, you know. Life doesn't have to just be about the next bounty."

She crossed her arms and looked down at her legs with a frown.

"What kind of things do you like?" Silence. "Do you like animals? Food?"

The frown deepened on Lili's face and she continued staring at where he was, unmoving.

"You really don't like to talk, do you?" She stood up and carefully approached his side. She hesitated for a moment, then laid a hand on his shoulder. The moment she planted it there, his hand shot out and grabbed on painfully tight. He stood up and when he turned, he froze.

Lili was wide-eyed as she tried to pull back, looking scared. When he realized he was hurting her, he immediately released her and she ran out of the cockpit. He listened to her feet retreating for a few seconds before he walked after her.

He stopped in front of the closet door where she had run, but didn't hit any buttons to open it.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. Or scare you. You caught me off-guard." The doors slid open and Lili peered around the corner she tucked herself into.

"You were asleep?" He watched her slowly retreat from her hiding space. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I slept long enough." He turned on his heel and walked away, and Lili followed silently. She knew Lorian was a very quiet, private individual who spoke in short sentences. He was stoic and professional, and when she thought about it, it didn't seem at all likely they would be crew mates. But she liked his company – it was definitely better than being alone, like she'd grown accustomed to. It was better than running spice, or smuggling parts. She was beginning to think that it was better than scavenging.

She followed him into the cockpit and returned to her seat. For a few seconds, there was silence.

"Since you travel all the time, do you have a home?" she asked.

"The Razor Crest is my home."

"But didn't you have a home before the ship? How did you come to get it?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"You haven't spoken much since the deal," she pointed out. It was true: while he was out catching bounties, she was given instructions to stay with the ship. Only on one occasion had she been allowed out, but what he didn't know was that she was always following him. "I'm just curious. I want to know you better."

There was a pause.

"My mentor gave me his ship. I was his foundling."

"So your dad was a Mandalorian, too? Did you see his face?"

"No, he wasn't my father." His tone was defensive and Lili fell silent. From his tense appearance at the controls, she could tell she'd asked too much.

"I was from a small planet. Ruisto. It's gone now." He could feel her staring at him, but she didn't speak. She was quietly observing him, and he waited for her to speak.

"I'm sorry." He was relieved when she changed the subject, as if knowing he didn't wish to speak of it further. "Doesn't it get hot under the armor on warm planets?"

"What?"

"Logically, you have to get hot. So . . ." He shook his head. He knew she was talkative, knew she asked more questions than the average person, but this wasn't the direction he had expected the conversation to go in.

"Yes."

"Why doesn't your helmet have an antenna on it?" she asked.

"I don't need it."

"The same applies to a jet pack?"

"How do you know all this?" He turned his chair around to face her and she froze, her eyes slightly wide. Her long, brown hair was released from its braided hairstyle. She was in the process of pulling parts of it back when he caught a dark scar from the far side of her neck, disappearing in the thick waves of hair. She quickly lowered her hair back down and dropped her gaze.

He looked at her for a second longer before he turned his chair back around. The scar he had briefly seen looked like an old wound, but one that had healed over a long time ago. From the insecure way she quickly hid it, he knew it wasn't something she wanted the public to see. He didn't ask her about it.

". . . I had friends," she answered at last, her voice quiet. ". . . How long have you been a bounty hunter?"

"Years."

"Do you like it?" He froze in his spot again as he focused on the flight display, watching as the planet of Pasaana. He'd never considered if he liked bounty hunting. He never spoke aloud of his feelings and opted to push them down instead. It was easier that way, to pretend not to feel. And it was true: he typically didn't care about his bounties. It was his living and nothing more.

He'd been trained to fight and to fly, never ask questions. It was the Way. Yet, he was finding that he was beginning to question just how cold he had become. He'd never been that way on his home planet – in fact, he had many memories of laughter and love. He never knew the dangers of the war on the horizon, and especially didn't expect for things to play out as they did. The memories came to him every time he saw or heard fire, or guns, or screaming. It was haunting.

"Do you like candy?" He was brought from his reverie. It sounded as if Lili had moved on from her serious questions.

"No."

"What? Everybody likes candy." They flew closer to the desert planet of Pasaana and Lili trailed her eyes out the window.

"We're getting ready to descend. You should put your shoes back on."

"Right." She stood up with a little 'hmph', heard her hesitate and them approach his side. She reached out one hand and dropped a small, white candy onto his dash. It was in the shape of a bird.

"It's from that one planet, the one the mythrol was on. I don't remember the name. I'm gonna change your mind about candy."

"I doubt that." She broke a little smile and she left the cockpit, going back to her little space. She tied up her boots and gathered her shoulder bag excitedly, ready to leave the space in favor of exploration. She was practically trembling with joy as they landed on the arid planet.

"Remember," Lorian said, as he dropped the hatch down, "Don't attract any attention. We aren't on the outer rim."

"Okay." She was already halfway down the ramp when he put a hand on her shoulder, slowing her down.

"And stay close. Don't wander too far." Her eyes were already darting around the town ahead of them, at the little markets along the street and the aki-aki walking around. They were wearing bright robes over their bodies. Children played in the distance and Lili smiled. "Lili."

"What?" She looked up and Lorian was staring down at her. "How close do I have to stay?"

"Seeing-distance." She looked deflated.

"Why? I can handle myself! Besides, I've heard they make this taffy out of thistlebuzzer—"

"We're here for a reason, and it's not for candy." Lili crossed her arms and looked at him with a glare before walking behind him towards the town. She wrapped her hands around the strap of her bag and they moved closer to the town. When they reached the outskirts after the short walk, Lili smiled brightly.

"Please?" she asked, looking up at him for permission to go. He sighed, gestured his hand out, and in seconds she had run into the town to explore, while he checked his fob.

Lili dashed around the markets, taking in everything with a bright smile. She noticed townspeople staring in interest, but she barely caught the glimpses. Her eyes danced around the scenery, soaking in the colors, the languages, and everything in sight. She was so caught up in her wandering, however, that she tripped right over a droid near a food stand.

Lili fell to the ground and sat up, brushing the sand from her clothes. She looked up to see a droid bleeping in annoyance as it looked her way.

"I'm sorry. Hi," she said with a smile, and the droid whirred again in glee. "I'm Lili. It's nice to meet you, R2-CR8. You're waiting for your master to return?"

There was more whirring and she smiled.

"I'll have to go look for myself. The jewelry is in that direction?" The droid confirmed with a few more noises and Lili stood, looking over the droid. "And your master is buying something for his wife? That's so sweet. Who's your—"

"Get away from her!" Lili jumped and the droid let out fearful beeps as it zoomed off through the crowd. She turned and looked up at where Lorian stood, his weapon drawn.

"He was nice! You scared him," Lili said, and Lorian still looked tense as he put the weapon away.

"Good." He turned and she followed after him.

"The poor little thing. He was telling me about—"

"Don't trust droids." There was silence and he busied himself with the fob while she followed. She was still angry as she looked around the markets. She looked at the back of his helmet, then to the nearby jewelry stand the droid had mentioned. She silently dipped off and watched him disappear within the crowd.

"We're getting close. Stay back. Don't get—" He stopped walking as the sound got louder, then turned. He looked at the empty space as he shook his head. "Damnit."

He looked around for a few seconds and when he spotted her at a stand nearby, cooing over a small child that a woman held, he decided to go after the bounty. Lili glanced back and upon seeing him continue on, returned to the stand where beaded jewelry was. She smiled as the Aki-Aki woman said something in a language Lili didn't know. She smiled, her eyes looking around the different options before her.

She pulled out two credits as her eyes fell on two pieces, each made of the same materials. Her smile broadened, she picked up the necklaces, dropped the credits into the woman's hand, and turned to go in the direction of Lorian.

She took a few steps before she saw fire in the distance, shooting up into the sky. She heard screaming and before Lili knew it, she was running to the other side of the market and crouching between two stands, hands over her head. Her heart beat loudly and she felt the nightmare returning to her memory, her nostrils filling with thick smoke and her eyes watering.

She heard the language being spoken again and looked up, seeing a male looking down at her curiously. It was then that Lili realized she wasn't in danger. There wasn't any trouble, or explosions. When she looked back, she realized it was Lorian, who had just captured his human bounty: a man who had tried disguising as one of the locals.

She took a few deep breaths, working through the fear she felt in those few moments. When she was sure she'd calmed down, she moved back through the crowd towards Lorian and the bounty, who looked put out.

"I bought you something." He looked over as she joined his side. She became aware of the locals staring at them as they passed.

"Where did you go?"

"Exploring. It's a neat planet." She caught the bounty look over at her with furrowed brows and a confused look.

"What is this? Bring your kid to work day?" he asked sarcastically, earning a hard hit over the head and a rough tug of the shoulder from Lorian. Lili frowned, ignoring the comment.

"There was a nice lady selling beads. The droid told me they're meant to bring good luck."

"How nice," the bounty mumbled, and Lili glared over at him.

"I'm not the one in cuffs, skocha-kloonkee," she responded with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean, you little brat?" As the bounty made to leap towards Lili, Lorian pulled him back and continued walking casually.

"Come on." They reached the outskirts of town and Lili continued to smile, noticing the bounty watching her closely.

"So, is she your kid?" Lorian was silent. "Guess that means there's a human under that helmet. Tell you what, I can pay you double the price on my head. I'll make it worth your while."

"Not interested."

"Look, I'm sorry. We got off on the wrong foot." They reached the ship and Lorian lowered the hatch, and as the bounty made to swing, he landed a punch on their cheek. The bounty fell, clearly knocked out as Lorian pulled him onto the ship. They both stood back and watched as he was frozen in the carbonite.

"What did you call him? What language was that?" he asked, clearly annoyed. Lili shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true. I just said it in a different language."

"Which is?" She glanced back at Lorian, then turned to her satchel. "Well?"

"Huttese," she said quietly. "I only know a few terms. I'm not fluent."

He looked at her and tilted his helmet.

"Here." Lili held out her hand and in it was a beaded necklace, made from mostly wood and some stones. She had a small smile. "I got one, too."

She clasped it around her neck with pride.

"Where'd you get the money for it?"

"I had old credits from when I was in hiding. Never knew when I'd need them."

"So you spent them on beads?" Lili looked at the ground as her smile slowly fell.

"I thought they were nice." As Lorian watched her expression drop, he felt pity for the girl. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh.

"Thanks, kid." He took them from her extended hand, placing it in his pocket. She smiled a little, but still looked somewhat sad.

"They reminded me of something from when I was little. A necklace my mom used to wear."

Lili's face shifted as if trying to remember a distant memory. It was something Lorian hadn't considered before: he hadn't considered where her parents could be. He had wondered about them, but never thought of taking her to them. If they were around. And if they were, he would have questions about why they would let their daughter get involved in spice running.

"Where are your parents?" She looked slightly troubled and she lowered her gaze.

"I don't know," she said softly. "I don't remember what happened to us. I can remember a few things about my mom, but . . . that's all. And my dad, I haven't seen him since—"

She looked incredibly sad and she bit her lip.

"Since I was a little girl. Sometimes I wish I could forget about him." Silence fell between them and Lili quickly perked up, reaching into her bag. "Well, on the bright side, I found the taffies I mentioned earlier. I'm a little scared to try them, but . . ."

As she carried on talking, he watched quietly.