I, Tegama'Arani of Ryloth, do solemnly swear by my honour, to serve and protect the Republic, all its member worlds, all its citizens, and all its ideals.

Many times in the past few months she had laid there in bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what it had seen, who had been in her position before she had taken ownership of what was now the Distant Star. Who had flown her? Where had she flown to? Was she just a metal machine, a means of transport and nothing more to them? Or did she hold more significance than that? Had she ever been a home?

I take this oath as a duty-bound soldier of the Republic. May my word, my presence, my name carry the weight, respect and authority as so deserving.

She tilted her head around, brushing a lekku up out of the way, until she was able to stare at the Imperial badge she had pulled off hours earlier. Whomever it belonged to was probably dead, or else no longer in need of it anyway. Just another enemy officer.

My loyalty is to the people. May I gladly give my life in service of them should the need arise. May the Force be with us all.

Her lungs emptied in a very long exhale. Three squares of blue, three squares of red. A perfect symmetry of the two. More fitting ironies, or coincidences, or whatever it was that fate had decided to tell her about her destiny. She didn't know herself, in all the meanings of that phrase.

On a whim, she reached her hand up towards her lightsaber nearby, hoping on a whim that it would fly into her hand and spare her the agonizing notion of continuing to let that stranger who violated her mind hold his victory.

When no such thing happened, she rolled her eyes and twisted onto her back once more, her hand dropping onto her breast. A needed reminder of the message she had been handed. A message that she had been afraid to open, afraid that it would leave her disappointed when she didn't get the answers she wanted.

She chose that moment to remove it from the pocket all the same, turning it through her fingers until she was satisfied.

"Here lies Maarani, the biggest schutta bitch this side of the galaxy, wallowing in her own misery."

A few shuffles of her shoulders back had her head resting against the wall behind, enough to stare down mostly comfortably at the communicator once set on her stomach, even if it was at the expense of proper neck posture. With a few taps, she brought it to life at last, bringing up the hologram of a figure in full robes and hood, no identifying features whatsoever to be seen.

"Great Lady, in receiving this message, you've been contacted by one of our recruited agents, because we feel that the time has come for you to be made more readily aware of the extent of our activities. The last transmissions from the droids we reprogrammed to ensure your safety indicated that you escaped Telos unharmed, and your presence on Ketaris confirmed as much."

Maarani tilted her head. The voice was feminine, and yet there was something unusual about it she couldn't quite pin down, as if it wasn't entirely natural.

"While I and others would prefer to give you the full explanation in person, where we can provide comforts, rest and answer any questions you have properly, it has been agreed that the changing landscape of the galactic powers means we cannot wait until you are ready to meet us properly. So I will try to cover as many of the important details and potential questions in this message."

"I suppose I can just pause this message when I get tired of the rambling and pick back up later."

"I am the Voice, it has long been my duty to discern and speak for the Lady of Balance in guiding the Following since our awakening. Our numbers are not significant, those of the original number less than fifty. We were barely a hundred before the Fallen chose their path and left us. But we have many allies in the galaxy, including some in the ranks of the Jedi, one on the High Council, as well as amongst the Sith. Even one of the ranking sorcerers is sympathetic to our cause."

"If it's Sloane of all people, you'd better fire your damn evaluation psychiatrist."

"Our goal as laid out by the Lady is simple. We wish to achieve a lasting peace in the galaxy through mutual understanding and settlement of grievances between the Jedi and the Sith. One side destroying the other has shown time and again that resurgence is inevitable, and the cost is mounting higher and higher towards trillions of innocent lives. We believe that once the ancient, and fundamental divergence between the two descendents of the Je'daii is resolved, resolving conflicts with other galactic powers such as the Hutts, and ensuring peace continues with those such as the Mandalorians will be far easier to accomplish."

"Yeah how's that working out? Seems like they're both quite happy to go about killing the other when it suits."

"The Lady tells us that people such as your parents have laid the first steps towards achieving that peace, that your conception goes beyond a physical act-"

"What a surprise, the Voice doesn't know what too much information is."

"-and extends into the realm of great potential that has not blessed the galaxy in a long time. Your gift in having inherited your father's empathic powers is crucial to resolving this conflict without more bloodshed, to ensuring that both sides can finally be heard by each other. The self-righteous nature of the Jedi, and the egotism of the Sith must both be brought under control. Both have much wisdom to offer, but both continue to misuse their knowledge and beliefs despite knowing better. You are one of an incredible few who have the potential to appreciate, utilize and manipulate both sides of the Force to its fullest degree."

"Funny, seeing as I can't even gesture at a lightsaber half a metre away and have it whisk into my hand. Can't say I see myself channelling the great powers of the Force and stopping wars by making everyone join hands and sing some crappy song about peace anytime soon."

"I realize this is all a lot to take in, all I ask is that you take the time to reflect. We serve the Lady, and she has instructed us to provide whatever aid we can to you and your friends. Please, think on all I've said, all that I have yet to say. And do not give up hope. However impossible some situations in the near future may seem, however difficult you believe it will be to achieve particular outcomes, know that you are far from alone in your struggle. Together, we can bring much needed change to the galaxy. And, we will do everything in our power to see that you are justly rewarded for everything you have endured. Your time of anguish will end, you will find the happiness you desire."

The hologram closed down at that, leaving Maarani to breathe in and out slowly for a full minute before sliding back down to a more comfortable position.

"And here I was thinking I was already happy all the time. Oh right, wrong gay."

Despite her sarcasm, something that had seemingly resurfaced more prominently, there was indeed a great deal to think about now. Beyond just having a group ready to assist her, a purpose to go forward with that she had wanted for so long now. And she was still working towards overcoming the biggest obstacle between herself and that, provided she could discern some useful way to track down Yuthura at last.

"It's funny, I kinda miss hearing your voice in my head Kiarna. Or Azera. Whatever you're going by these days. Seems we've got indecisive names in common."

She drummed her fingers on her stomach while she stared at the ceiling again. "All this anger between us, because I mentioned my mother's name and you flipped out, then tried to kill me several times. And then you go and save Jayden's life, spin this whole story about aiming for better ideals to her."

There was perpetual silence in her mind.

"Where are you now? Are you looking for me? Do you want to kill me? Or do we finally get to kiss and make up? One bloodthirsty murderer to another. Two near-humans, if you count blue skin and tentacles growing out of my skull as being close enough to a human. We're practically a match made in however the cliche goes."

Still no answer.

"Girlfriend number four? Can't be that upset that I did some catching up with Nurrina after all those years apart, not like either of us wanted to rekindle things for real. And well, if Zariba and I did anything, it was while I was completely unconscious and thus I'm not responsible. Not like you can be unfaithful to a soulmate when said mate has been trying to kill you for a while now, fair's fair."

Not even a whisper.

"I don't even know you, and you don't know me. What do Miraluka eat? I mean, I'm not that fond of fungus, that's something different about me from Twi'lek in general. I've told you something about me, when do I get to hear about what you want to eat on our first date? Do we even bother with dating?"

Someone walked past the door outside, presumably Dana given she was the only other occupant of that wing.

"Since you're all set on the whole 'Empress-to-be' schtick does that mean I inherit the throne of the Empire if you bite it for whatever reason? Or do I get to be a special person in a harem? What about a secret mistress? I hear that happens on Alderaan a lot. All those noble families playing politics, marrying off children to people they don't love, sometimes even against their own preferences. Some make an absolute fortune sneaking around just to give the unhappy husband the touch of another man for once I hear."

The hum of the ship sounded louder than ever with nothing else overtop it.

"Forget I mentioned politics then. Maybe use your fancy Miraluka sight to peek around, let me know if my butt looks fatter than usual in these pants. Black is supposed to be slimming, but I'm not feeling thinner in this getup. I mean I've only ever seen you in that white with red trim coat and vest, can't comment on your butt can I? You looked pretty thin if that helps any. Not like I've done much to keep the muscle all toned and that, don't have to worry about breaking any bones when we go at it. If it comes to that. Guess its better that I don't know if you're turned on or off by that now. If you're even listening."

She sighed in defeat and pushed herself up to a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

"Oh right, you think because I'm a Twi'lek that I'm prone to groping myself and gyrating, forgot about you being a racist bitch there. The wedding is cancelled, I want my engagement dowry back, and you can forget I ever had a nice thought about you."

Despite being very much alone all that time, she still somehow felt even more isolated after that declaration. How long would it be before she kicked Izan off the ship, and told Jayden to go back to Mandalore?

The only thing keeping Dana on board was that they had yet to get near a spacefaring planet.

It led to her thinking back to the last 'pleasant' conversation between them all back on Ketaris. The last time she felt like they weren't dealing with yet another crisis. And if she were to go it alone, mercenary work seemed very much like her only real option.

"I'd need a good codename, something memorable…"

Her idle glancing around brought her attention back to the flight jacket at last, specifically the Blue Squadron patch that was oh-so-conveniently facing right at her.

Another long sigh came and went. She didn't want to think about Tebahney.

I'm gonna keep asking until you tell me. Why Wildfire?

It was too late to shut out that memory, so she relented into playing along with it instead.

"It's a stupid superficial joke, just like every other pilot's callsign."

Yeah, so what's the joke then?

"I'm Wildfire, because I'm a flaming homosexual. You satisfied? The big secret is out there, except it's not actually secret because that would go against the whole point of being flaming!"

She forced a bemused smile. "And the rest is history. Just like your ashes over Mandalore Tebah."

After a slight sniff, she rolled her eyes and got up to retrieve both the jacket and her vibroknife from the nearby table. Once back on the bed, she got to work with the fine task of cutting the threading that stitched the patch to the jacket.

"I'm done being Wildfire. I stopped being Blue Six a long while ago y'know. Now I'm just another Twi'lek gun and illegal lightsaber for hire." Her eyes glanced over at the shoddily made weapon in question. "Maybe that's my trademark. Blue skin, red blade, broken inside and out. Shambles, baddest tailhead anyone's ever seen. I can get used to being called Shambles."

The patch came free with a few snaps of what thread remained. The light brown, near pristine fabric below practically glowed in how deeply it contrasted with the rest that had been through all kinds of hell and back.

She tossed the patch aside with a roll of her eyes, and began to unbutton her coat. "Enough symbolism for one day. Or one year. However long."

The eventual return to the cockpit was with her usual attire back on at last. No more scent of blood, or alcohol, or misery in general around her.

She couldn't say the same for Dana. Hunched over the controls, hands clenched together, thumbs pointing down over the bridge of her nose while her index fingers provided support for her forehead. Praying, thinking, trying not to cry she couldn't tell.

"I used to think the Goddess was just a myth, based on some ancient Twi'lek woman with Force powers, spiralling out from the truth like all myths, until she transcended by reputation alone. But then, your goddess is very much real, isn't she? Does Vahl still answer your prayers?"

"Is this going somewhere, Maarani?"

"You tell me."

The pilot's seat felt unusually cold when she sank into it, tight fabric against leather, the loose buckle on her jacket catching for a moment in the exact same spot it always had, only she had never consciously taken notice of until that moment.

"Nothing to say. I promised to train you in the ways of the Jedi, not of the Sith. Or the Vahla for that matter. It's a dead culture, I am the last remnant of it, you only have a fraction of that remnant. We are not bringing it back."

Maarani shrugged, twirling around in her chair for a full circle while drumming her fingers on her thighs. "And what if I don't want to become Sith, or Valha? What if it's just that I don't feel like spending years and years as a padawan, not because I'm impatient, but because there's just nothing to be gained from sticking to tradition? What then?"

Dana took a long breath, then lifted her head from that posture so she could stare out across the empty void ahead. "You don't get to make that call, Maarani. Grand Master Pala decided you weren't ready to train alongside the Jedi, and she had every damned right to make that call. Just like I had every right to refuse her order to return when I knew it was for the wrong reasons, when she didn't have your best interests in mind. You are the last person who gets a say in where you place in the ranks of the Jedi."

"Oh I see. You're trying to pitch it like a military matter, only it's not because you don't get to defy orders just because you don't like them." She grabbed at her sleeve and twisted the now bare shoulder towards Dana for her to see. "That's my last tie to the Starfighter Corps gone, Dana. I'm not a soldier anymore, I'm not Wildfire, I'm not Blue Six. I am Maarani. I am freaking Shambles the hired lightsaber now."

Dana paused in her breathing, thought about it for close to a minute, then twisted her head around. "Shambles? Really?"

Maarani's teeth came down on her lip. "It sounded better five minutes ago when I was in my room ranting at voice-in-my-head Kiarna. Not that she's answered back yet. To be honest I'd be happier if I never hear-"

A fierce explosion from far behind rocked the ship itself about violently. Alarms began to blare crucial seconds later than they should have. Both women had to push themselves off the control panels to overcome the inertial forces that had catapulted the ship out of dead stillness.

"What the hell was that!?"

Maarani went right for the engines, assuming that either they were still functional and thus would overcome the death tumble they were trapped in, or confirm her current fear that they had in fact exploded without warning and they were now stuck in deep space.

The feeling of a sudden rush forward was never more relieving, but it still highlighted her to an equally catastrophic problem.

"The hyperdrive is gone!"

She scrambled across the controls while twisting around to look down the corridor all the way to the engine room several metres away. The hatch had sealed shut automatically.

"What do you mean gone? If the hyperdrive itself blew we'd be scattered across lightyears of space right now!"

"I know!"

A second terrifying explosion on the starboard hull caused both Jayden and Izan to slam into the wall in their race to the cockpit. It sounded as if every alarm was going off by then, adding to the mayhem.

In that time, Maarani had regained enough control over the thrusters to re-orientate back to the galactic plane and thus get her bearings in order. The ship's status readout was signalling full decompression in the engine room.

Sensors were only just picking up five ships circling them in attack formation. Somehow, they had evaded detection until two missiles had already found their mark.

"It's Seradan! He knew exactly where to strike so we couldn't jump away the moment the attack began!"

A hard roll to the right saw a third careening off the port hull before detonating some distance away, enough to be of little concern.

"We have to win this fight, but until then there's probably going to be a lot of holes opening up in the hull! Get the EVA suits and be ready to use the pods!"

"You serious? If we abandon ship, the next nearest people to us are literally the Imperials we just went and slaughtered!"

"That's our tough luck Izan! Go!"

The third strike landed somewhere on the underbelly of the main hull, causing quite a few lights in the flooring to explode as the ship rocked yet again.

"Now would be a really good time for fancy Force Missile Deflection powers Dana. This isn't orbital artillery in the middle of a thick snowstorm."

"I'm saying it again Maarani, that is not how the Force works! I can't keep track of where the ship is moving as well as where the missile is going at the same time to push it in a direction that'd be enough to make it miss in the two seconds I'd have." The ship shook as yet another landed on the port hull towards the back. "That and blaster shots don't have guidance systems in them to fight back against anything I do."

"It'd be something! Auto-cannons aren't even getting a chance to lock-on, so unless you have any other ideas for point defence we are screwed!"

Izan and Jayden stumbled back in not long after, hauling the other two suits and respective helmets, yet to put on their own.

"We can't find Cecile!"

Maarani's lips tightened down. She had already concluded the answer, putting it aside to spare the distraction. Now that was no longer an option. "I told her to double check the engines when we came to a stop. She's long gone."

She gripped the controls briefly, pulling another hard turn to try and evade the next missile with little success as it detonated just off the port hull to her direct left, casting a spray of metal shards across the window. "Alright, Jayden, swap with Dana, take over piloting until Izan swaps with me, then get on manual targeting with the cannons! Shoot anything you see!"

Once they had switched, she waited until the system flashed a confirmation on switch to lift her hands away, wildly spinning in her seat to leap up out of the way.

"Dana, when I've got the suit on and I'm back in the seat, I need you to get my helmet on. We don't have time for me to fumble around because getting lekku into tight spaces is a lot harder than it has any right to be."

By then, Dana had hastily kicked off her boots and taken her outer robe off to hastily fit herself into her suit while also trying to keep track of her helmet while the ship continued to tremble from the strain on the engines. "What if the comm system blows? We can't use the holo-communicators in a vacuum."

Maarani had also taken off her boots and tossed her jacket into the corridor, hanging onto one end of her specialized helmet while she tugged her suit on in spite of how uncomfortable it was over her remaining clothes.

"Izan!"

The next strike scored the main hull towards the back, causing alarms to blare as hatches sealed themselves shut automatically.

"Learn to read lips! Jayden, shut off the pressure containment system before we get locked out of the rest of the ship! And don't forget your helmet!"

"Give me a minute!"

"Oh yeah, I can keep this up for a minute alright!"

"Get ready to switch it again, I'm almost done!"

Once her hands were working their way into the sealed gloves, Maarani twisted around to face Dana. "Check the seals quick, then Izan can check yours when we swap back."

Dana rolled her eyes while awkwardly feeling over the seams in Maarani's suit with her bare fingers, having struggled to get her arms in the sleeves herself. "Not feeling any gaps."

A strike on the starboard hull tore open the outer airlock hatch, thankfully one of the few areas of the ship that was always sealed off. The reminder of the pressing danger was nonetheless prevalent. Any further strike could breach the armor plating and start cracking the hull itself.

"Ready?"

"Controls switching…" Izan's eyes were flicking between the view ahead, the scanner readout and the indicator light multiple times a second, waiting for that signal.

As soon as it lit up, he shoved himself out of the chair to his left, allowing Maarani to come down from the right and have the controls switched back again within seconds.

The momentary delay from the switch resulted in a third strike to the main hull, this time on the underside that had so far remained untouched. It was a small stroke of luck in an increasingly bad situation.

"Jayden, I'm gonna start pulling some hard turns. I need you to be ready to track whatever ship that comes into view with your eyes and gun them down as much as possible before they break off. You'll have seconds at most."

"Alright, not too different from hanging underneath a speeder and picking off cannocks I take it?"

Maarani tried not to turn her head at that, and failed, putting the ship into a firm roll while she did so. "Is that what Mandalorians do for training?"

"I was twelve, we got bored."

"Oh good, well I'm glad you being bored-"

A blast on the port hull right at the front blew off a shard of the armor plating, sending it flying right at the window ahead until it speared through in terrifying fashion. Stress contortions were already starting to spread through the transparisteel as the pressure from inside the ship itself weighed down on the introduced weakness.

"Helmets! Helmets now!"

Not being able to take her hands off the controls for even a moment only heightened her own growing anxiety as she watched the contortions spread further and further, warping the view into various colours as the metal lost its true transparency. Dana was still fumbling her lekku into the back portion of her own helmet, which she still had to seal to the rest of the suit as well.

The actual sound of the groaning, twisting metal grew louder as it reached the frame and began to bow outwards. It was then that she noticed just how hot the shard of plating itself was, further weakening the window as it warped more and more.

"Almost got it!"

"Dana!"

There was a hiss of air rushing out as a gap began to form, before the whole section ripped out into a gaping hole.

Never was Maarani more relieved than when the front of her helmet finally came down and clicked into position thanks to Dana's frantic efforts.

It still highlighted all too well just how outmatched they were.

While the air continued to rush out, a warning meter showing the rapid drop in pressure, she forced herself to avoid looking at it and keep her attention on finding that firing solution on the nearest Hidden Hand ship.

"Alright, any of you hearing me?"

The silence that had settled in thanks to the vacuum around was particularly uncomfortable as her only way of telling when they had been struck was when the controls and chair shook about. There was no longer any deep rumbling from inside the ship itself.

"Yeah I hear you."

"Crackly, but it's there."

She tightened her grip as she slowly closed the arc on one of the circling ships, motioning for Jayden to be ready. "Dana?"

It took a while longer for her voice to come through to the relief of all the others. "I'm here, barely."

"Good, hold on!"

Maarani brought the afterburners to full throttle, hurtling them forward until they curved around right behind her targeted ship in question.

"Jayden now!"

"I got this."

A blare of blaster shots flew from every auto-cannon array, pelting the attack ship with volley after volley while the ship itself shook from the strain being placed on it.

"Come on, those shields have to break at some point."

It took several more seconds of sustained fire before they finally went down, allowing several shots through before it finally made the escape to hyperspace. Not an ideal result, but they had at least narrowed down the odds slightly.

The result was four simultaneous strikes all across the ship, shaking it more violently than ever with the combined blast.

"So much for making them back off!"

Maarani rolled her eyes while throttling back the afterburners to return to maneuverability. The one advantage of the decompression was no longer having to listen to all the blaring alarms. It also meant she wasn't aware of the hull integrity warning until she glanced up at it specifically.

There was no way they could last long enough to drive off all of the other ships, let alone for long enough to get out of the area.

"Get to the escape pods. Launch the two spares first, and if they don't go for them, take the next three. Leave the one up here for me."

All of them looked to her in surprise, none liking just what it meant for her. Something she was all too aware of.

"Don't argue, just do it! I'll figure some way to block scans for the last pod and hide in there until they're gone or something! Now go!"

Dana gripped onto the chair briefly, ready to try arguing anyway, then rolled her eyes and got to her feet instead.

"The only arguing is telling Jayden to not tell us she was right all along. And we don't want to hear 'told you so' either."

"Classy."

While they all hurried out, with some stumbling thanks to the unusual notion of no longer having air resistance inside, Maarani was racing her hand over the comm system to ensure it was still running.

"I've got another idea to buy us some time, but it means cutting off contact for a bit once those first pods are cleared."

"I don't like the sound of that Teegs."

"Well, good, because it's a bad idea."

"Launching spare pods. Don't get yourself killed."

"I'll try." While preparing to switch frequencies, she kept an eye on the scanner readout. After at least a full minute, there was still no sign of any attack on the empty pods. "They're not firing on them, guess they're waiting for me to jump in one. See you three in a while."

After the latest strike caused the engines to flicker briefly, resulting in a far heavier rock of the ship, she put her plan into action and began broadcasting to their pursuers.

"Hey! I want to talk with Seradan! Before you waste even more missiles trying to get me!"


"Attack leader reports three lifesigns departing the ship. First two pods were decoys."

Seradan smiled a little while pacing the control room. "She's afraid of us. No longer able to limp to safety, or put up a fight, all she can do is test our code. Predictable." He glanced to Aruga, humming with a nod. "What about the witch?"

"We can't distinguish her from the Mandalorian. Not without a detailed scan."

"She'll get what's due another time then." While Aruga relayed those orders, Seradan turned around and extended a hand for invitational gesture. "You don't mind, my dearest?"

Zariba glared at the relayed scans of the battle for quite a while, then closed her eyes with a small headshake.

"We'll have time enough to draw her out once Maarani is out of the picture, do not fret."

"Speaking of which…" Aruga looked up from the station he had moved to. "She wants to talk with you."

Another glance was cast to Zariba while Seradan moved towards the nearest communicator. "This should be interesting. Attack wing is to hold fire, for the moment anyway. It wouldn't do to cut her off before she's made her plea in full."

Feeling more confident than ever, he straightened up and brought his hands behind his back. It was too far to carry a holo-signal, but simply adopting the authoritative posture reinforced the sense of his control over the situation, something he wanted her to understand as clearly as possible. He held all the cards.

"You bastard!"

"I forgot how grating your gravelled voice is on the ears. But let's dispense with the petty insults, seeing as you don't have any pleasantries in the first place."

"Oh, so blowing my ship apart is your idea of a petty insult? What does shooting an innocent woman in the back constitute as then? A backhand slap?"

"Still hung up on Aiyek's death then? With your body count, I assumed you would have forgotten her by now. Names and faces tend to blur together after the first dozen or so."

"Heard that exact one before, I'm getting sick of it!"

Seradan shrugged in the most unconcerned way. "If you're trying to waste my time, don't bother. No-one could possibly reach your shipmates before my attack wing blew them out of existence if I asked them to. I'm simply entertaining the notion that you might just beg for your life before the end."

The silence that followed made him smile more. Another point to him.

And yet, when she did finally speak, it was to ask a question that still managed to catch him off guard.

"Is Zariba there?"

He looked to his daughter once more, who looked more shocked than anything herself.

"I couldn't think of a better gift than to bring her to the moment where your death is confirmed."

"Seradan, I never touched her. She was never in any danger."

"Oh, this'll be good."

"That bit with the lightsaber was a bluff. I wouldn't have put it to her head if I even thought for a moment that it could actually harm her."

"And yet you not only threatened her life with enough conviction to trick a room full of interrogators and spies into taking it seriously, but you also left her in the hands of a Force witch posing as a Jedi to toy with whenever she tried to escape. You may not have harmed her physically, but psychologically, and through the actions of others…"

"What do you want from me? Why are you giving me all this crap and spiel instead of just finishing it?"

He gave that question thought for all of a fraction of a second before shrugging again. "Perhaps I'm growing sentimental, perhaps I'm still trying to see potential in you. You still haven't begged, headstrong and proud as ever I see, despite your shaming to the galaxy. But, you still wronged me, and I'm afraid there is only one person who could convince me not to exact punishment for that misdeed."

His hand signalled for the communication to be cut off while he turned around to meet Zariba's gaze once more.

"Shall we be merciful and leave her to her ruined ship, dear?"

Zariba thought about it long and hard, of all the time spent with Maarani, both good and bad.

When her decision was made, she raised her gaze back up, looked her father right in the eye, and gave a small shake of her head.

"That's my girl. Attack wing, finish the job."


The barrage resumed right after the signal was cut altogether. Maarani cursed wildly while trying to wrest control of the ship out of the increasingly reckless sways it had fallen into.

"Dana! I'm sorry! I couldn't stop him! Just hold out…"

In her moment of desperation, she had failed to notice that the relay itself had been destroyed.

"Lady of Balance, if you're listening still, I could really use a way out right now."

Circuitry began to explode, power failures taking control of the ship away from her altogether. Through her feet, she could feel the hull itself starting to contort under the growing stress placed on all its weakened joints and regions.

One of the attack craft flew overhead, turning around after overtaking by a few hundred metres, and fired a missile right towards the cockpit.

Her eyes closed. Inhale. Hands gripping onto the chair.

Her eyes opened. Exhale. Twisting around, pushing herself towards the corridor.

As it spiralled in, she flew for the hatch controls, desperately sprinting through the last flickers of light in the ship, not daring to turn around to see if the doors actually had any power left to shut with.

The missile snagged a fin on the contorted window, causing it to twist right into the back seat on the left.

The blast that tore the cockpit wide open had a cascade effect through the rest of the ship. Tears snaked out across the main hull. The starboard hull's connecting corridors pulled free of the main segment altogether, spiralling out into the void. The port hull was crushed by the peel of the rest as it ripped open from the stem corridor all the way to the gutted engine room.

The Distant Star had met its end.


"Scans report complete destruction of the vessel. No lifesigns remaining."

"Good. I want a pass-over search for the body, confirm that there is in fact one. They can recall once that's done."

Seradan broke from his pacing at long last to move to Zariba's side, firmly holding her shoulders in a supportive manner. "It's over. You need not trouble yourself over her anymore."

She nodded in the most solemn way, turning her head to rest her cheek against his chest. "Thank you father."

"Sir! Attack wing is reporting another vessel!"

The embrace was broken as Seradan released the hold on her to stride over to Aruga's station. "Identification? Who else would be coming after them?"


In the waning minutes that followed, Maarani was barely conscious, only able to make out vague shapes of debris, the green of the attack craft, and a bit later, a big white shape drawing closer towards her. Lights flashed from it, until the green was no longer visible.

If it weren't for the shard of metal that had torn through her abdomen, she might just have had the strength to crack a smile, and even a sarcastic remark about the fitting end approaching her. The last light before the darkness, before her heart gave out at last.


The white was everywhere when she regained consciousness again. Her EVA suit was gone, the air was sweet, and she felt surprisingly fine. Not even an area of soreness where she had been impaled.

"So this is it, huh? All those years knowing it didn't exist, and here I am…"

She twisted her head to one side, seeing a blank white wall with a simple stool between. The other revealed an empty side table, and to her surprise, a mirror above it.

"Not exactly what I expected from-"

At that point, she had tilted her head forward to look down over herself, only to find Azera standing there at the end of the bed she was laid out on. It was then that she realized her hands and ankles were once again bound, though she did at least still have her clothes on.

Not that it was any comfort.

"Are you serious!?" She began to frantically struggle against the bindings, teeth grinding against each other as she nearly screeched in terror. Yet again she was helpless, and even it wasn't an afterlife in which her worst enemy had come to torment her to the end of time, it was still very much a bad situation.

When her wrists began to bleed, she screamed more out of defeat than pain. "Why! Why why why!?"

Azera tilted her head. "You're my guest?"

While Maarani began to cry, that time out of pain as she continued to thrash about in a last ditch effort to escape, Azera made her way over to the table.

"Try to remain calm. I can heal those wounds you're inflicting on yourself. Easy enough, compared to bringing you back to life."

Through the stream of tears, Maarani watched Azera move up to the table, facing right into the mirror away from her directly, then reached up to her head.

"Kill me! You want that satisfaction to yourself? Kill me!"

There was a soft gasp from Azera's direction. The mask was in her left hand, which she left to rest on the table itself.

Her natural voice came out at last. A raw rasp that sounded like the one associated with Azera, only without the metallic sound.

"There is much to explain, Maarani."

She turned around at last.

Kiarna, the White Terror, Shadow Hand of the Sith Empire, and its future Empress, was finally unmasked to her.

Where there had once been a nose remained the bare nasal cavity, surrounded by contorted sinew that covered the rest of her eyeless face. The lips, what remained of them anyway, were discoloured into a nasty red, and were too thin and withered to close over her pristine white teeth properly.

"You have to understand, a lot has happened since-"

There was a deflated sigh as Maarani fainted altogether, leaving Kiarna to rest her hands on her hips in frustration.

"Some stomach you have Maarani."


She remained on the nearby stool until Maarani finally woke up again, having healed her wrists and ankles after removing those bindings, and put her mask back on to be sure.

When the Twi'lek sat up in a start, she remained calm and controlled, keeping her posture very passive to avoid upsetting her. "Shall we try this again?"

Maarani's hand went to the large hole in her shirt to feel the scar left behind on her abdomen. The wound had been there, and it had been healed. A quick look at her bare ankles showed fainter scars, and then finally her wrists which had been spared that altogether.

"What the hell is going on Kiarna? Where are the others?"

Azera very cautiously gestured to the open doorway. "They're in holding cells, non-harmful ones. I even retrieved your droid, it wanted space to perform self diagnostics so I left it to that."

"She. And somehow I'm having a hard time buying that you're just going to let me walk out of this room."

After a sigh, Azera stood up from the stool, keeping both hands in full view, and far from pointing at Maarani. "If we're on the subject of corrections, I no longer go by Kiarna. I did say there is much to be explained." When she got a dark look in response, she rolled her shoulders into an exasperated shrug. "Starting with the fact that I am no longer a racist bitch, as you so colourfully put it."

Maarani rolled her eyes and got off on the other side of the bed, making for the doorway.

Azera took that moment to get her point across. "Your butt does in fact look fatter than I recall, since I last peeked at it with my fancy Miraluka vision anyway."

The sound of Maarani's hand hitting the frame of the doorway with a shudder made her smile beneath that mask. The way she tried to shrug it off proved more amusing still.

"Why didn't you say anything? And how much did you hear?"

"You didn't want me to respond, and all of it. I came directly from Katarr to find you, I had to keep my mind open and try making contact telepathically before arriving and potentially scaring you off."

She moved around the bed and began to approach, keeping it slow and steady to avoid startling her more. "I'm sorry to admit I didn't foresee the attack, I would've tried to get here sooner."

"Alright just shove it with the apologizing and niceness. It's freaking me out. And on that subject don't take your mask off again!"

"Whatever you say, my secret mistress."

Maarani turned around with her finger pointed and ready for a rebuttal that came out in grumbles through gritted teeth.

"Nothing of what I said there comes out. You hear me?"

"Fine, somehow I doubt you'd want to kiss and make up after seeing what's left of my lips anyway."

"I hate you."

"Figured."

Maarani got out into the corridor, stopped and looked around the ship for several seconds, then brought a hand to her face. "Where are they exactly?"

"See? You need my help after all." Azera led her there with ease, trailing her right hand along the walls while she did so to maintain her bearings until they reached the room itself at last. Three of the five cells were occupied, and all three occupants, still in their EVA suits sans helmets, looked far from happy to see her.

That changed when Maarani entered shortly after, causing confusion instead.

"Do try to restrain yourselves from attacking me once I turn those fields off. Had to play it safely."

Dana was silently fuming, possibly more at Maarani than anything, while Izan felt it best to not complain at all on the vague hope that Azera was actually going to free them without any sudden fake-out attack.

Jayden for once was the most hopeful of them, simply watching Azera while she moved to the controls. "I had trouble believing that the White Terror was also Azera Vass, even after what Maarani told me after that battle between you two. Then again, I've never seen you in person looking like this."

"Believe it or not, that is something I am in fact grateful for. There are very few times I can recall where Kiarna was not the dominant persona that I played to." After waving her hand over the controls, all three fields deactivated, allowing the trio to step out at last. "Most of what I told you in that hospital was a lie. One exception being the part where I was glad that it wasn't a rib higher up that needed healing."

Immediately on instinct, Jayden's hand went to that rib just below her left breast, pressing into the flesh over it a little. "You know, I actually forgot it was even broken. Hasn't been sore since you fixed it."

"Really? I recall only intending to heal it just enough to make you stop coughing up blood."

"Alright enough." The fuming reached its peak for Dana, who very deliberately stepped between Jayden and Azera while glaring at the latter. "I haven't forgotten how vicious you were when you electrocuted me so you could take down Teegs yourself. Whatever this new scheme you're up to is-"

"No scheme Dana. I'm a different person from the one that fought you back on that planet. Now if you'll stop acting like I'm ready to murder you all, I do have a common room that is more comfortable for sitting through all I have to say."

There were many exchanged looks, most between Maarani and the others. When it was all said and done, she was standing beside Azera, and hadn't once raised an objection. The real argument would be with her.

"For the record, I have a pretty clear memory of floating in space after the Distant Star blew, and of actually dying. I was a bit..." She chewed her lip and glanced to her left at Azera. "Scared, but being brought back to life isn't something you can just shrug off. That and she's the only way we're going anywhere."


The Vastes' common room put that of the Distant Star's to shame, something that quickly became a recurring notion. Where they had gotten used to cracked covers, dull lights, a dented and faded central table, and a mediocre kitchen area, they were now sitting in what felt like the reception of a high profile business office. And it was all white, instead of a dull metal grey.

Of course it was all familiar to Jayden, who seemed to be the only one not visibly uncomfortable under those circumstances, especially since she had been first to take off her EVA suit and settle in with the underlay for her armour alone. Even Maarani was twitchy in her spot leaning against one of the many doorways leading to other parts of the ship.

Azera herself had a lot of uncertainty and lack of direction to contend with herself before she even began to speak.

"To keep things brief, I travelled to Katarr under direction from the Lady of Balance, encountered Sereti and Visas, defeated Darth Nihilus after he tried to break me, and chose to heal and set him free instead of binding his power to my mask permanently like any other Sith would. My plan going forward is to prepare to reform the Sith towards a more peaceful way of thinking, and I need Maarani's help to achieve that, so here I am."

Aside from Maarani sniffling, the next sound was Dana giving the most sarcastic clap she could muster up, with a face to match just how she was feeling.

"Congratulations, I don't think I've ever been so utterly unconvinced in my entire life. I'm not even giving points for trying, let alone effort."

Azera's hands went back to her hips, having given up on the unfazed facade. "I don't have to have my mind completely destroyed and rebuilt to be given a second chance like Revan you know."

"Topical."

Both Azera and Dana looked to Jayden, who tilted her head awkwardly at her momentary lapse of judgement. The most she could do was lift her hands in defeat and go back to being quiet.

"Regardless, I didn't expect this to be an easy transition. It was hard enough convincing Sereti especially that things would be different, and she watched me make that key choice. As much as I want to see things through, if you all are that closed-off to the idea of trusting me even a little, I'll take you to a neutral world nearest to wherever you want to go. I won't force the issue."

Another round of looks to each other. Every one of the four had a different opinion on how to proceed, different reasons to back their viewpoint up. It was by no means an easy discussion ahead.

Maarani was the one to make the first move, still keeping to her lean while rolling her eyes. "Give us a bit to discuss it? Already got enough I need to settle with you one on one. And I don't just mean the soulmate business."

"Fine. I'll be in my quarters. You'll know they're mine because they're on the deck above, all the rest are down here."

Azera leaving the room after that without so much as a flinch for any kind of security measure was just another surprise by then.

It still did little to ease Dana's sarcastic mood. "You do realize she probably doesn't have a bed in there Teegs. Guess you'll have to invite the gracious Empress down to your chamber instead."

"Just because I'm willing to hear her out for saving my life doesn't mean I've forgotten that not too long ago she ripped the Lady of Sorrows out into the open after brutalizing me. So no, I don't think there'll be any eating out anytime soon thank you very much."

The mental image made Izan grasp at his head in an attempt to make it go away, all while grumbling to himself and taking to pacing. There was still a lot of conflict in his mind about the details, but his own personal opinion had been reached.

"We're not seriously going to take her with us on that search for Yuthura, if you're even still looking to fulfil it Maarani? I mean from what I recall, the only time they met was at the Jedi massacre. And oh yeah, working with her means we're directly tied to the number one name on the Republic's wanted list might I add, a list I've very much wanted to avoid!"

"She's still right about one thing. Doesn't matter what you did in the past, so long as you convince enough Jedi you're a new person and you save the galaxy, all is forgiven. I don't think the list will matter if we help her take out Lasidia and get the Empire under control."

"Oh that's exactly what I tagged along for Maarani, slaying Sith Lords and reshaping galactic powers is just part of the routine."

He made for a different doorway at that point, going off the vague chance that he would indeed find one of those supposed rooms to bunk in. "Tell your girlfriend that I only have one gesture and two words for her if she tries speaking to me. I've seen more than enough of Sith scum."

The only one not particularly sorry to see him go was Maarani herself. Presumably the only reason Dana even cared was because he was agreeing with her for once.

"Yeah I have a pretty good idea about what she needs to expect. And you've made it pretty clear how you feel Dana."

"Not clear enough apparently, seeing as you're actually considering going along with her plan."

Another eyeroll followed. "It's also a future concern that's ultimately my business alone, something Izan apparently doesn't understand. We're still stuck without a ship otherwise, with Seradan probably waiting for us to show up looking to buy a new one in this sector, not to mention the fact that we're still in Sith controlled space anyway. I don't trust Azera enough to let my guard down by any means, but at this point I don't see any better alternative to get back on the search. And keep in mind this is not a democracy, I will go with her alone if everyone else decides to leave. It's that simple."

Jayden finally felt ready to speak again, though she remained cautious and kept it brief. "Might as well have gotten him back to save saying all that again, just a thought."

"Oh, he'd probably complain about being even more of a minority in the crew if it becomes four women and a droid. Besides he's not in this for selfless reasons, no point bothering him about the bigger picture he doesn't care about."

A small shrug later, and Jayden was on her feet as well, though she was not nearly as eager to leave. "For what it's worth, I'm not leaving over this. Maybe it's because I only ever met her when she was in a good mood, but so far I'm willing to give her a chance as well. And I'd feel a lot better knowing you've got someone watching your back throughout this."

After the near constant arguments, the warm show of support actually brought a bit of a smile to Maarani. "And to think, you practically hated me when we first met. Pretty sure it was to do with the tattoos"

"I didn't hate you." Her hand clapped against her thigh in an expression of her loss for words. "I just wasn't in the best state of mind. I was all over the place after losing the leg. But you know what? I've stopped noticing it's not really my leg anymore." Her hand clenched up along it, feeling that synthetic skin beneath the fabric of the leggings. "I think it's because I actually have a purpose beyond taking assignments for a change. I'm not giving that up just yet."

"Good, self-diagnose yourself more instead of actually asking for a sit-down-and-talk session with me, it'll mean I don't have to stick around until Kiarna stabs you both in the back."

Maarani's smile was gone faster than anything she could think of. So much for lightening the mood. "Is that it then, Dana? What do you want from me? A bigger apology for dumping you two on that planet? For going mad after days of being tortured and threatened with degradation? For pissing off the wrong people and getting the ship blown to pieces? Or are you really this bothered that I'm not grinding my teeth and having to use all of my mental will to not go up there and blow that woman's brains out? Because I'm not getting the urge to shoot a blind woman in the back of the head. Not anymore."

"She's far from blind…"

"I was referring back to when I first met her okay? I knew almost nothing about her and I still had no problem gunning her down before she had even seen me. I'd like to think that I've changed since then."

She came off the doorframe at long last, leaving her arms to hang loose while she began walking the circumference of the room. "Like I said, I haven't forgotten just who we're dealing with here. But quite frankly, I don't hate her. I hate my own sister but not Azera. And if the Lady of Balance is doing something to make me feel this way, well to be honest I don't care. She protected me from Sloane, if she can make some of the pain of losing my family go away as well then I'm not gonna argue. I want to move on."

Dana rolled her eyes, then made a very deliberate point of getting up belatedly, all so she could look Maarani right in the eye with a momentary lavender glare.

"I really do hope you don't get burned for this. You're really good at making your feelings on a matter clear, at least when you're pushing unwanted people away. If you want to start trusting a mass murderer over your Jedi Master and former close friend, that's your choice. I'll stick around until you find Yuthura, but after that I'm done with this."

Maarani did her best to shrug that off in a casual manner in spite of just how much it was starting to pain her inside. After all they had been through, hearing Dana in such a closed-minded tone…

"Dana, I'm not putting my trust in Azera, I'm putting it in a cosmic being that has helped me out of awful situations and made good things happen time and again. She even tried to warn me about Zariba from the first night. But that doesn't mean I'm not ready for things to take a bad turn, okay?"

She made a point of leaving to end the conversation then and there. Undoubtedly there would be more arguments, but she felt her case and stance had been established well enough to them. Reasoning based on Azera's past behaviour as Kiarna was no longer wholly applying to the situation, and nothing said would change that.

There was more than enough time to mull it over anyway as she wandered the Vastes in search of the way to the upper deck. The fact that it also had a lower section for cargo, droids and even a speeder vehicle was daunting to wrap her head around. For a personal vessel, it almost classed as a corvette on its own, and she hadn't even gotten to look at the weaponry yet.

It was some time after finding a stairway up that she finally came across the cockpit ascent as well, right at the stern of the ship. The sight of bloodstains on the walls, as well as lightsaber gouges was rather concerning, especially when they continued up that stairway into the cockpit itself. A larger gouge in the top of the pilot's chair made her uneasily reach for her neck.

"I had a bit of an argument with Carudan. The man I pretended was my husband. Jayden met him twice I believe."

Maarani's lips went tight. Azera was slouched in a far fancier seat to the right, presumably the one she usually sat in when not piloting the ship herself. "So I take it he's dead?"

"Possibly. He survived cutting off his arm and lower jaw, as well as his left eye. Rakata freak just regrew all those parts in seconds, wouldn't be surprised if sucking vacuum hasn't finished the job."

"Rakata? How the hell did you pass off a big lizard as your husband?"

Azera sat up in her seat with a shrug, then motioned to the pilot's chair. "He didn't look like one. Probably imitated the facial and bodily features of people he ate, I don't really know how he pulled it off."

"Oh that's a comforting thought." To take her mind off just that, Maarani brushed her lekku forward and leaned back into the chair as best she could to become acquainted with the feel of it before starting her examination of all the controls laid out before her. "This is pretty advanced compared to what was on the Distant Star. I can figure out what most of this does contextually…"

By then she had started passing her hand over the controls themselves. Given Azera was constantly masked, it was far harder to watch and see if anything made her react in a particular way, indicating hidden importance.

Of all systems, it was the communications that made her breathe sharply, something that came as a surprise to Maarani. Not that she wasn't smart enough to take time to consider her next words before inquiring.

"What? Afraid I'll call for Darth Lasidia by mistake?"

While having mild regrets at her signalling, Azera remained very calm in her position all the same. "You can't make contact on any Republic signal. It's very specifically designed to work solely with Imperial codes and frequencies. And no, I am not giving any of you access to them."

"So much for building trust."

"Giving away military secrets that you know the Jedi and Republic Navy will exploit at the expense of thousands of Imperial lives is a step beyond helping one woman reconnect herself to the Force. I can't bring reform to the Empire if they know I've actively betrayed them. And there really is no covering up a leak of that scale. You would know."

That stung Maarani hard, though it was also a pretty damn solid point. And it made her aware of the fact that Azera knew of her history on Mirial, something that still felt important to keep in mind. Enough for her to relinquish her hand from hovering over the communication controls.

"Would you at least let Cecile take a crack at rigging up a second comm unit for Republic signals sometime, just using the mechanical stuff but none of the computerized components? If we need to call the Jedi for help or tell a Republic warship to stop firing we are out of luck right now."

"Once I'm assured that she won't cause any permanent damage to the ship. It will be a while before I can return it to the care of my maintenance crew you know."

Maarani chewed her lip to avoid pouting instead at that. "Meanwhile we were scrounging around trying to find reputable mechanics, and had to buy most of the parts elsewhere ourselves. And you get your own crew all to yourself."

"Are you going to keep complaining and doing nothing, or shall we get moving to your next destination so you can at least be going somewhere while complaining."

"Fine. We were headed to this planet off the Corellian Run. Sloane helped me remember what happened there, I need to see if there's any trace left of the man who cut me off from the Force before I go back to wondering how to find Yuthura. That okay?"

"Oh, the one you landed on after a Rodian merchant traded ships with you?"

That time, Maarani was dumbfounded beyond belief. She had told those who had come to investigate the incident about how she ended up with that vessel, but as far as she was aware they had never actually gone after the Rodian in question. And out of nowhere, Azera seemed to be well informed about that.

"I may have interrogated him not too long after we first met. He told me that a hooded man paid him to rig the ship with an explosive that would cause you to crash on the island, then the HK-50's showed up to his rescue and I got hit in the shoulder by the end."

There was a pause while Maarani thought that over. "Well that doesn't make sense, I clearly remember landing on the island. And the man who supposedly hired him can't have known about me before I landed there to arrange all that beforehand. Why would he lie in such a blatantly wrong manner?"

Azera tilted her head downwards slightly. "I don't think he expected you to ever remember those events, there is literally no-one else who could cast doubt on the version he gave me. I don't know why he'd make it seem like it was something planned ahead if it wasn't at all though."

"Guess we know where we're going after that planet, if he hasn't gone into hiding by now." Maarani got to setting their course for their end of the Corellian Run when she paused for further thought. "Is he actually even alive still?"

"Probably. All I did was disintegrate one of his fingers, and then gave him some spiel about Miraluka and Sith before the HK-50s arrived to save him."

Maarani looked at her with great confusion.

"I'll admit I wasn't making the best judgement calls in giving away my identity, even if I planned to kill him after, at the time anyway."

That earned an eyeroll while Maarani readied the ship's hyperdrive.

"If we do find them you have my word I won't resort to inflicting pain on him. Again. I'll also refrain from making a joke about pain being a method of information extraction you're already familiar with. Oh wait..."

"If he's stupid enough to stay at his job, we'll get the information clean. Enough people have been hurt. At least this time we'll have others watching our backs if the droids are still around. Jayden has a score to settle with them for her leg after all."

"Yes, I expect that will be quite the spectacle. The Mandalorian Jedi versus the Force immune, lightsaber and blaster resistant armored HK-50. The droid leader I encountered on Dalchon took a volley of blaster shots from this very ship without more than a stumble. But I'm sure we'll find a way to take them down."

"Back on Citadel Station, a pair of droids reprogrammed by the Following to rescue me just chucked a droid popper at their leader. Knocked it flat on the ground."

Azera hummed in a hint of disappointment. It was really quite a demeaning moment to hear such vastly different experiences with them back to back.

"I'll remember to keep one in my vest then. Though I wouldn't be surprised if they've upgraded against that particular problem by now."

"Great, just had to say it, so now that's exactly what we'll find out has happened. I told the others not to tempt fate, but I guess you didn't get that memo."

"If you think being prepared for probable outcomes is a bad idea, no wonder your ship got blown up. And by the way, you're welcome for the rescue, and the retrieval of just about everything salvageable that the worker drones could pick up."

As comforting a thought as that was, something she didn't expect to feel under the circumstances, it also reminded her of certain items that were more than likely gone for good.

"Right, well I'm sure I'll have fun picking through all the junk we really didn't need to keep anyway. And besides, with so many things left loose…"

She watched Azera reach into her vest, and draw out a circular piece of fabric. It wasn't until she flipped it around that she realized it was her flight patch, which she took hold of softly, almost with a bit of renewed reverence.

"I did wonder why you were sometimes referred to as 'Wildfire' when looking through Republic files we had in storage. I can also apologize for being rude about your sexuality if that's still a problem."

"I'll pass on that, actually." Despite her bemusement, there was something of a real sentiment behind the fact that Azera had kept it on her person to hand over. "Thank you. I guess I still need to go through and-"

Azera had gestured over her shoulder by then, bringing Maarani's lightsaber from a secure compartment and setting it down in her lap with an effortless use of the Force. "When you have the time, come by my quarters. I've only made a cursory examination of your lightsaber, but I believe there's some insights to be shared. That, and both you and Jayden have long wondered why mine is purple. I think there's plenty to discuss on the way over to Dalchon."

After a single nod, Maarani went back to making the final preparations, which boiled down to bringing the ship itself around to the calculated vector. Just past the cold husk of the Distant Star.

The sight of it floating dead in space gave her real pause. There she was, sitting comfortably on the bridge of the Vastes, while the ship she had lived in for months drifted by in silence. This would be the last time she would ever see it.

"I bought it from a grey market droid merchant in Coruscant's depths, just hours after I first met Dana, and asked to be released from my commission in the Starfighter Corps. And this is where it ends. Out in the middle of nowhere…"

They slowly moved past, lingering bits of shrapnel and useless metal gliding over the deflection shields, until the main hull was out of view altogether. She took a long breath after that.

"I've heard some people getting jumpy about their ships, feeling like they'll never see her again or some such. I didn't get that feeling ever, even before the attack began. Funny how that works out huh?"

The navigation computer lit up an all clear for the hyperspace jump at last.

"It was nothing pretty to look at, and it was loaded with crap I was never going to use. But, it got us all through a lot. I liked it a hell of a lot more than my A-wing."

Azera remained quiet, though did very gradually reach a hand over to her shoulder.

The further sentiment made Maarani smile in more bemusement. "That's what I get for picking an explorer ship, and not a combat one. I should never have put it through the kinds of hell I did just to make a getaway."

She took one last breath, then engaged the hyperdrive. The sharp jump of their departure caused a few bits of the hull to drift towards where the Vastes had been moments earlier, almost as if chasing it off, or trying to follow.