AN: Hey y'all, just a heads up, there will not be a new chapter on Monday (the 25th). I've been pretty far behind writing wise, and I've had to really rush out the last couple of chapters. In the meant time, here's a somewhat longer than average chapter. See y'all next Thursday (Updates will continue as usual after next week).

.***.***.***.***.

Mitaka hadn't seen another person in nearly two days.

He'd only left the cockpit a handful of times, either to sneak into the crew compartment to quickly grab food from the kitchenette, or to slip down the hall to the nearest fresher. Every time he'd gone into the crew area, he'd found one of the bedroom doors firmly shut. Whether it contained Lori, or Brixie, or even the general, he wasn't sure.

He wasn't sure of anything at this point. Nearly a day ago there had been an emergency transmission, broadcasted over every comms frequency he'd turned to.

The short and frantic thing had been a rallying cry, a call for a defiant last stand against the First Order on Exagol.

He'd ignored it and begun traveling in the opposite direction.

They were somewhere near the edge of Hutt space now. The deathly silence of space was almost as grating as the silence on the ship. Mitaka hadn't seen another ship pass by him since the transmission. Not a pirate, nor transport, nor even Hutt security had come within a lightyear of the stolen freighter.

Mitaka didn't dare to transmit any messages. Whatever had happened, Mitaka was sure that he didn't want to be boarded. He didn't have a final destination in mind either, as a result he had let the ship drift at sub-light speeds for the last day.

Staring into the void, Mitaka tried to distract himself from the difficult situation he'd found himself in.

The freighter had only been unloaded half way when Lori took it. Since there were only four people on board, they had enough supplies on the ship to last them for weeks, if not months. There was enough room for everyone to keep to themselves.

For now, Mitaka found himself sourly thinking, It's only a matter of time until-

As if in time with his thoughts, a harsh and sudden whoosh came from the cockpit door.

Violently jumping in his seat at the unexpected sound, Mitaka barely avoided mitting the many buttons and levers that sat within easy reach of the pilot's seat.

Pulse thundering as he turned, he was met with relief when he found Brixie in the doorway rather than Lori or the general.

"Brixie," he breathed, in part to assure himself that it was just her, "I wasn't expecting you."

The medic had spent a long time thinking of what she was going to say to the supposedly-former First Order lieutenant. She didn't think for a second that Mitaka didn't know about Lori. She'd come to demand an explanation, knowing full well that she couldn't look Lori in the eye anymore.

Brixie's hand balled into a fist, at once angry with herself while still betrayed and in pain. She knew that Mitaka had been First Order, and she'd defended him to the rest of the Resistance.

She had saved his life too, and he'd repaid her with the same lies that Lori had.

"Err… Brixie?" Mitaka spoke again, set even more on edge by the uncharacteristic silence.

He knew what was upsetting her. He would have to be a fool to think that she just blindly accepted General Hux's presence. What he wasn't sure of, was how much she knew. The general had arrived with a deadly wound, Mitaka assumed that Brixie had been called on to save him. He assumed that Lori and Brixie had a difficult conversation. He assumed that they hadn't spoken since.

"You knew." She barely managed a general accusation.

Already shirking away from the conversation, Mitaka tried to look anywhere other than at Brixie.

She took that as an admission of guilt, "You did. You knew about Lori, and Ardis, and…"

Ah, so she knows everything.

"I-it's a long story…" Mitaka tried to stall while he found a way out of the conversation.

Brixie stood firm in the doorway, "We've got time."

"I d-don't think I should be talking about this. It's err… Very, very co-complicated." He wasn't lying. He feared what Hux or Lori might do to him far more than what Brixie would. And, he knew that the truth wouldn't paint him in a flattering light either.

At this point, all Mitaka wanted was to have a quiet life living under whatever government had claimed the galaxy. Whether that meant eking out some semblance of stability under a chaotic republic or living under the heel of an authoritarian empire, he didn't much care. What he didn't want was to return to any sort of life that brought him into the path of overly ambitious leaders.

"If you don't say anything, I'm going to assume the worst." Brixie tried to goad him on.

Oh, I don't think you can imagine anything worse than being Hux's personal aid.

Left with silence, Brixie talked on, "So, you knew about all of this. You were planning on double crossing us the entire time, weren't you? I'm surprised you haven't tried calling the First Order yet. Or maybe you did, and they just didn't come."

"I wouldn't-"

"You wouldn't? Really?! I'm supposed to believe that? Is that what Lori told you to say?"

Trying to back peddle, but finding that the truth might come in handy, Mitaka spoke quickly, "Sh-she said to shut up and play along, so I did! Th-that's it."

Brixie crossed her arms and didn't have to say that she didn't believe him.

"I didn't want t-to hurt anyone. All I wanted was to go home." He tried to clarify before realizing that it just made him sound worse. Trying to correct from that, he went on, "At first! Only at first. But you were all s-so nice, and the First Order did nearly shoot us. And Hux did bomb the planets that helped us. A-and, well… I didn't know what to do, but I couldn't just pull you or anyone else aside and tell them all of this. Lori would have killed me! And I don't think you would have believed me."

The end of Mitaka's comment cut deep.

Brixie wouldn't have believed him, and she knew it. She'd been completely and utterly convinced of Lori's lies, and even now that she was faced with the terrible truth, she was still looking for reasons not to believe it.

Mitaka watched something pained cross over Brixie's features. With so many possible triggers, he wasn't sure what exactly had caused it.

"I'm sorry," He tried for a blanket apology, "R-really, I am."

All the sorrys in the world wouldn't change the fact that Brixie had been betrayed. As painful as it was, she still needed the truth, and one way or another she would get it out of Mitaka.

In the meantime, a sharp sting came from the edge of her eyes, and she bit her tongue in an effort to stop the tears.

Despite the underlying fear for his safety, Mitaka felt terrible for the lies they had told to the rebels. Brixie in particular had been nothing but kind to him, even when the other rebels had thought of him as a First Order member and nothing more.

He'd been alone. Fearful of Lori, and of the rebels. Trapped in a strange place that didn't want him. As time went on in the rebel camp. Mitaka came to realize that he had always been a man in the background. Always working day in and day out, climbing to the top of his small little pile, only to be disregarded by those that would always be above him. He'd done more than a few questionable things, mostly at the behest of those above him. Acting form himself was terrifying and strange, and oddly reassuring.

He was sorry, for many of the things he had done in life. He knew there was nothing he could do to erase the mistakes of the past, but he thought that he might at least try to make less mistakes in the future.

Mitaka knew the answer, but he asked anyway, "Are you okay?"

"No."

.***.***.***.***.

Lori had only left the cargo bay a handful of times in the last two days.

Besides the first time, Armitage had only woken up once or twice. Painfully weak from the partially healed wound in his chest, he'd spent most of his time drifting in and out of consciousness.

Though Lori was no doctor, she'd spent more than enough time treating non-fatal wounds. Replacing the bandage over Armitage's chest was simple enough. The bacta infused patch seemed to have worked well enough, with the top of the hole below being mostly healed. She had no idea how deep the medicine had seeped, but Armitage's breathing sounded less ragged with each passing hour.

Though the fact that Armitage was going to live had lifted Lori's spirits, she was still troubled by worries of what might happen next. She knew nothing of the galaxy outside of this ship. She knew nothing of the ship outside of this room.

She assumed that Mitaka was still in the pilot's seat, but for all she knew Brixie could have steered them straight back to Ajan Kloss and into the Resistance.

Assuming there still is a resistance, Lori found her thoughts drifting.

Armitage had leaked that report about Palpatine's supposed plans to take over. The stated time for that had come and gone yesterday. She couldn't help but wonder how it had all ended. Of course, the only real difference for them would be whether they were running away from X-Wings or TIEs.

Knowing that she didn't know enough to even begin to plan on what to do next, Lori turned to Ardis.

The little girl had been just as adventurous as ever, trying more than once to climb on the several boxes that lined the cargo bay. She'd gotten impossibly close to taking her first steps without needing something to hold onto for support. While Lori would have preferred for Armitage to be awake and back in once piece for the occasion, she was content enough just to have him around.

Ardis stood about ten feet away from Lori. She'd made occasional laps around the room, firmly gripping crates for support where she could, and then crawling past sections of wall where there was nothing to hold onto. Lori had held the infant up by her arms a few times, occasionally letting Ardis walk around the center of the room.

She was about to do so again before she was distracted by a slight but deliberate movement from Armitage.

Knowing that Ardis would put up a fuss if she were taken away from one of her adventures, Lori let the girl play as she knelt at the side of the stretcher.

Armitage didn't wake up to the same foggy world that he had found himself in two days ago. Still distantly aware of the deep ache that came from his chest, he wasn't floating in and out of consciousness like he had been.

This time when he woke up to find Lori peering down at him, he didn't have to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming.

"Morning," Lori told him.

"Is it?" Armitage asked, still short on breath.

"I don't actually know." Lori admitted, "but I'm glad you're awake."

Only a little groggy, Armitage did what he could to crane his neck around and get a look at the room. Though he had woken up a handful of times before, he hadn't held onto the details of what was around him. He knew that they were on a ship that Lori stole from the rebels. He knew that they were probably on the run from every namable power in the galaxy. He knew that there were other people on the ship: a rebel doctor and, somehow, Mitaka.

Anything beyond that, he hadn't retained.

The room around him was dingy. More than a little dirty and nearly filled to the brim with disorganized crates, he wondered how he hadn't picked up an infection. At the far edge of his vision, along the wall that ran above his head, he could just make out Ardis. At first taken off guard by the standing child, he immediately began to wonder how much he had missed.

"Can… can she walk?"

Lori looked to Ardis, and then back down to Armitage, "Not quite. How are you feeling?"

Fairly certain that he should stay laying down, but almost painfully tired of the position, Armitage struggled and grunted as he tried to sit up.

Lori was about to tell him to stop, but he had already forced himself halfway up, and making him lie back down would probably be just as difficult as helping him sit up. Putting a hand against his back and keeping the other one on his shoulder to hold him steady, Lori helped lean Armitage against the wall.

"Well, I don't think you're about to die anymore." Lori tried to calm herself by turning a relieved observation into a blasé comment.

"Lucky me." Armitage recognized the attempt and came back with an equally dry remark.

Lori gave him a small smile as a silent thank you for playing along.

"Speaking of near brushes with death," he shifted slightly against the wall, sure that he would never find a comfortable position, but trying for something less grating, "Tell me everything that happened. Did the rebels hurt you?"

She saw him wincing as he spoke, but she didn't point it out. Instead, Lori moved to sit next to Armitage, rubbing one of his hands in hers once she came to a comfortable position.

"No, they have no idea about us. Mitaka didn't say anything either. The only one that knows anything is the medic."

Armitage found some comfort in leaning against Lori, though he watched Ardis teetering along the crates as he spoke, "The mercenary from Bastion, you've mentioned her."

Lori hummed in acknowledgement, "yeah, I'm afraid she's taken this personally. She ran off to the crew quarters a couple of days ago, haven't seen her sense."

"It sounds like she's throwing a temper tantrum."

A sharp tinge of guilt cut at Lori, she tried not to say or do anything for it, "Could be. At least the only comms array is in the cockpit."

Though she hadn't said anything for it, Armitage heard a wounded edge on Lori's words. He had no sympathy for the rebels, but Lori seemed to care about the medic. For her sake, he made an effort not to be so dismissive.

"Yes, that is a good thing. How long have we been here? It was only a day later last time I was awake."

Lori was glad to know that Armitage had remembered at least a little of what she had told him, "Two days now, maybe a little longer."

Armitage tried to give a knowing hum, but the vibration sent a sore wave through his chest. Lori raised her free hand, worried but unsurprised at his sudden tensing.

"I don't know who won." Lori headed off Armitage's next question, "I figured I'd handle one problem at a time."

"There's always more than one problem," he recovered from a wince, "we need to make a plan."

For a brief second, Lori thought that Armitage might try to force himself to stand. When he didn't she was still sure that he was going to work himself back to near death.

"You're not doing anything besides sitting still and healing." Lori seldom tried to tell Armitage what to, but she was adamant about this.

Armitage heard that there was no room for negotiation. As much as he hated being told what he should and shouldn't be doing, he knew that Lori had his best interests at heart. He knew that she wouldn't try ordering him around unless she truly thought that it was the best thing for him.

Begrudgingly, Armitage took the deepest breath he was capable of. It was still shallow and he couldn't relax much as he said, "Very well. But that doesn't change the facts. We need a plan."

"I know," Lori admitted, "I'll think of something. I just got you back, I'll make damned sure nothing is going to separate us again."

Armitage heard his own thoughts spoken back to him. Having Lori's unflinching support at his side once again lifted his spirits just as much as seeing his daughter purposefully teetering around the edge of the room.

Still sore and nearly broken, Armitage slowly turned his head to face Lori. Leaning forward to place a soft kiss on the side of her face was a tremendous task, but he was more than happy to do it, "As will I."

Letting the moment linger, tried to pull herself closer to Armitage, careful not to push against him so hard that he was hurt or struggling to stay sitting up. Just as she finished adjusting to a more comfortable position, she felt a gentle pressure coming from Armitage's hand. First looking towards him, and then following his line of sight across the room, Lori was left to watch Ardis.

Ardis unsteadily shifted her weight away from the box she had just been using for support. Barely managing stand unaided, she held her arms in a half-raised position to try to gain some semblance of balance

Releasing tension that had been there for months, Lori beckoned to Ardis, "Come on."

The infant swayed as she looked up to her mother. Boldly taking an unsteady step forward, Ardis gave a high-pitched laugh and grew a broad smile at the new skill. Quickly growing overconfident, she took another step. This one too long and too quick, Ardis' knee buckled under the sudden motion, leaving her to quickly crumble to the floor and roll to the side.

Not registering that her attempt had ended in failure, Ardis giggled more as she turned the fall into an excuse to tumble and roll around on the floor.

For the first time in a long time, Ardis' laughter didn't feel like a reminder that she was missing something. Blissfully unburdened she turned to Armitage while their daughter played in the background, "She's working on it."