Four years later...


"Ensign Lou, power down the engines and raise our deflector shields," Captain Kane Lindsey ordered the newest member of his crew.

The blue-skinned female's hands flew across the control panels in front of her much faster than any of Lindsey's more experienced crewmen. "It's done, Captain," she informed him, turning soft, orange eyes on him.

"Are you sure you're an ensign, Lou?" Kane always ribbed her about her rank.

"Until the Academy decides that I've had enough experience, Sir," Lou gave her Captain the same answer she always had.

"Well, when I rule the galaxy, I'll make you a commander on my private frigate."

This was a new one. "Frigate, Sir?"

"I have great plans for an Alliance frigate," Lindsey grinned at her. "I'll have to show you my blueprints sometime."

"Not while I'm serving under you, Lindsey." Lou went back to monitoring her station.

Lindsey smiled at the back of her head. Lou had only been serving on his ship, the Angel, for a little over a month. He had liked her immediately upon meeting her, not just because of her strong work ethic as demonstrated in her marks in the Alliance's Officer Training Academy, but because of her warm smile and friendly manner. Most of the young ensigns Lindsey had encountered over his four years as captain of the Angel had been stuck-up due to their heightened sense of importance. Lou was different, though. She accepted that she was now an official working officer onboard a starship, but it did not go to her head.

"Captain Lindsey!" Lieutenant-Commander Mortimer Park exclaimed suddenly from his communications station. "Our presence is requested immediately," he paused waiting for the rest of the transmission. Everyone on the bridge waited for Park to continue, tension in the air. "In the Nairn system." He looked up. "That's all it says."

"Park, send Lou the coordinates. Lou, set course, and get us into Hyperspace." Lindsey stepped down from his Captain's Platform, and strode over to Park's station. "Does the transmission say why?"

"No, Sir." Park shook his head. "Seems like an emergency, though."

"Jenkens, get the next shift up here before we reach Nairn."

"Yes, Sir." Jenkens began typing in a wake up call for the next bridge shift.

"Captain," Lou rose from her station, and turned to face Lindsey as he returned to his Platform.

"What is it, Ensign?"

"I would like to stay on for the next shift. You may need me up here."

Lindsey looked at her for a long time. Breckin, her relief, was a good officer, but did not possess her skills. At last he nodded, saying, "If you think you can make it through the next shift, I'd be happy to have you on the bridge."

Lou smiled, then reclaimed her seat.

"Lucky duck," Jenkens grumbled in Lou's ear.

"Have you been to the Nairn system before?" she asked him, orange eyes shining.

"Only one, to Nairn Prime. It was beautiful. That's where I picked up Stoof." Jenkens grinned at the mention of the strange furry creature he kept as a pet. "Maybe you should pick one up, too. It could ward off evil-doers, people you don't want to talk to, and," he chuckled, "Captain Lindsey."

Lou laughed. That was an ongoing joke among the crewmen that shared her shift. "There is nothing between me and the good Captain."

"Oh, yeah? How good?"

"Drop it, Jenkens. Drop it, now," she shook her head, still smiling. Lou liked Lindsey, but she didn't want a relationship other than friendship with her Captain.

"Who were you thinking about just now?" Jenkens broke into her thoughts.

"No one," Lou answered, staring out the forward window that took up the entire wall. The stars were moving past in streaks.

"Of course not," he said quietly with an undertone that made Lou's eyebrows go up.

She did not say anything. Instead, she waited for the green light to come on, signaling when she should return the Angel to normal space. The light came on, and Lou pressed the button below it. The stars gradually returned to their familiar dot-shape from the stream lines of Hyperspace.

"Incoming transmission," Park stated. "It's from Admiral Zucre." He stopped to read over the message, then started laughing uncontrollably.

"Share the cause of your laughter with the rest of us, Park," Lindsey told him. "And then, Jenkens, you can get the next shift up here."

"They're already on their way," Jenkens replied.

Park tried to calm himself down enough to read the message aloud. "Surprise," he managed, then keeled over laughing again.

"He's in on it," Jenkens whispered to Lou.

"I thought we all were," Lou whispered back.

"He wasn't supposed to know."

"Well, then I guess he found out from someone." Jenkens gave her a quizzical look. "It sure as hell wasn't me," her voice was harsh.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to bite my ear off." Then Jenkens grinned at her. "I guess you need a 'Stoof' to keep Park away."

"I don't know who started that rumour, but when I find out, I'll kill them," Lou shook her head.

"What, you mean it's not true?"

"Of course it's not true! He's an utter fruitcake."

Jenkens' grin widened, a twinkle in his eyes, but he did not give his thought a voice.

Lou mumbled to herself, trying to ignore Jenkens.

"Alpha shift, you're all free," Lindsey informed his crew as the second shift arrived on the bridge. "Except Lou. You are permitted to remain."

"Then what do I do?" Breckin whined.

"I'll figure something out for you to do," the Captain shrugged.

Breckin shot Lou a look that could only be read as a threat on her life, but she ignored him. Breckin always seemed to wish death upon someone, he was that kind of person.

"Whiny jerk," Lou muttered, as Raine Taggart sat down in Jenkens' place.

"You've got him pegged," Taggart chuckled.

"Everyone seems to," Lou shrugged.

"I'm surprised he's even still onboard, Kane can't stand the guy. I don't think anyone can." Taggart watched as Breckin talked to their captain. "Kane looks pretty pissed," he observed.

"You know, you're the only officer onboard who calls the Captain by his first name."

"We went through the academy together."

"Oh really?"

Taggart nodded as he logged onto the Alliance's Communication Center. "Oh no," he breathed.

Lou turned intent orange eyes on him. "What is it?"

His eyes were glassy as he typed in a name into the officer's search engine. Lou watched quietly, allowing him the liberty to find out what he needed to know. Taggart swore under his breath, unhappy with his finding. He re-typed the same name, and this time Lou read it: Helena Taggart.

She furrowed her eyebrows as he repeated the search a third time. "Raine-"

"No." Taggart's voice gradually increased in volume. "No, no, no!" He got up suddenly, knocking the chair that he had been sitting on backwards. He punched the monitor, cracking it.

Lou stood up, and backed away from her enraged crewmate. "Raine," she tried again.

"God damn you, Kane! Why didn't you tell me?" Taggart whirled around, and strode towards the Captain with wild eyes.

"Tell you what, Raine?"

"About the attack on Léonna VI. About the complete obliteration of the Alliance base there." He had tears streaming down his cheeks. "About Helena," his voice broke, and he collapsed to his knees on the floor.

Lindsey's eyes were wide as he watched his friend take out his grief on the floor. He logged onto the A.C.C. himself to check the validity behind Taggart's words, mentally crossing his fingers that he was wrong.

Lou was using Taggart's station to read about the attack on the small planet the Alliance had had a secret base set up on. It was now believed that there had been a spy, and that this spy may not have even been at the base. All of the ninety-four occupants had been killed, and the base was now being used by Darth Sidious' growing Empire.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump, but as she looked over her shoulder, she saw that it was Taggart, his eyes bloodshot. He tried to force a reassuring smile at her, but it faltered immediately.

Lou wrapped her arms around his neck. She had experienced enough loss in her life to know exactly how he felt. "It'll be okay," she told him, although she supposed that at this point in time her statement must sound corny.

"Thank you," he whispered, disengaging himself.

Lou waited for Taggart to sit in front of his computer before doing the same.

"Captain Lindsey, incoming transmission from Admiral Zucre," Park's replacement, Clarissa Nordat, announced.

"I'll take it in my office," Lindsey growled. "I have some words for him that will probably cause me to lose my rank." He stormed off to his office that was attached to the bridge.


"This is an informal communiqué between the two of us, Captain Lindsey," Admiral Zucre began pleasantly.

"I'm glad to hear that, Gerald," Lindsey was fuming. "That means that I can say anything I want to, and you have to listen without stripping me of my captaincy."

Zucre furrowed his eyebrows. "What seems to be the issue?"

"The issue is that one of my officers-and friends-just found out fifteen minutes ago that his wife was killed almost a week ago!" Lindsey roared. "How could the Hierarchy allow such a-" Lindsey started pacing, trying to think of a word. "Mistake?"

"I'm sure they had no idea that-"

"They should have made sure that everyone related to those poor souls knew the minute those bungling-"

"Careful, Captain. That's the Hierarchy you're about to slur," Zucre interrupted.

"The point is that Raine shouldn't have found out about his wife's death from an emotionless computer."

"You'd rather have told him yourself?"

Lindsey stopped pacing, and looked up at the admiral. "It should have been you."

Zucre averted his eyes. "I'll do what I can to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Lindsey sighed, finally allowing himself to calm down. His hand kept shaking, but it always did that when he was upset.

"Now, for the real reason I wanted to talk to you," Zucre began smiling again. "Today is your birthday."

A slight smile parted the Captain's lips. "Yeah, I know." He met the Admiral's gaze. "It's not very happy so far, though."

"No, I suppose it's not," Zucre conceded. "But you should make the best of it anyway."

"Right," he nodded. "Any advice?"


"Are we still going to do this?" Jenkens asked Lou from the Dining Hall over the small intercomm on her station.

"Yes. We have to lift the mood everyone is now in."

"Well, it's understandable, Lou. Everyone onboard pretty much knew someone who was on Léonna VI. And I doubt they want to party hearty."

Taggart shot Lou a quizzical look. "I'm going to tell Raine, and see what he thinks," she was looking at Taggart as she spoke.

"Yeah, okay."

Lou left the intercomm on as she explained about the surprise party Alpha shift had planned for their Captain's birthday.

Taggart laughed, though Lou was sure that he had not meant to. "He's gonna have a bird."

"Do you think we should still have the party?" Jenkens asked him.

"Absolutely. I agree with what Lou said earlier, about needing to lift the depressing mood everyone is in," Taggart replied. "Besides, they'd want us to carry on." His eyes fell on the picture of Helena sitting on the desk. 'They' being the people from Léonna VI.

Lou squeezed his hand. "Alright, Jenkens?"

"Yeah. I wish you hadn't volunteered to stay on up there. We could use your help down here decorating." Jenkens paused, then muttered, "Park's going crazy with the streamers."

Lou laughed. "TTFN." She switched off the intercomm.

"I'll make them pay," Taggart's voice was almost inaudible, and Lou decided to pretend that she hadn't heard him.

"Carry on, people," Lindsey announced his return to the bridge.

Lou smiled to herself, then set the alarm on her watch.


* * *


"Captain!" Lou exclaimed suddenly, startling everyone on the bridge. "I've lost sensor readings in the dining hall. There's-" she pretended to tap a bunch of buttons, as Taggart tried to conceal his smirk. "There's a hull breach." The alarms began to sound as she finished her sentence.

"Caused by what?" Lindsey demanded, striding over to her station.

"I don't know," she intercepted him, grabbing his sleeve. "But we have to check it out."

"I'll come, too," Taggart decided. He was not necessarily supposed to do that, but Lou was not going to stop him.

"Breckin, take over for them," Lindsey ordered, as the three of them headed to the dining hall. "The dining hall," he shook his head. "Why the dining hall? We never use the dining hall."

"Maybe it's protesting that fact that it's never used," Taggart shrugged.

"Look, Raine, I'm really sorry. I wish I had known sooner."

"There was nothing anyone could have done. We thought it was a secret base, and no one worried about its well-being."

"That doesn't make it okay. In fact, that makes it worse."

"Let's just drop it. I don't want to talk about it."

Lindsey nodded, and Taggart took the lead. He waited for us to catch up outside the double doors. Lindsey drew his blaster, and allowed Lou to open the doors.

They entered the pitch black room, the light from the hallway barely illuminating the first eighth of it.

"It sure doesn't seem like there's much of a hull breach," Taggart said, a little more loudly than Lindsey thought he needed to.

"No, no it doesn't," Lou remarked.

As Lindsey holstered his blaster, the lights in the Hall came on, and there was a loud chorus of "Surprise!"

Lindsey's eyebrows went up, and his lips curled into a grin. "Aww, you shouldn't have!" he exclaimed sarcastically.

"We know," Jenkens faked irritation as he spoke into his mic.

"Are you M.C. tonight, Jenkens?" Lindsey chuckled.

"Who else would volunteer for the job?" he grinned back.

"You volunteered?" Lindsey continued his charade of being shocked and amazed, but really, he knew how his crew felt about him.

"It was him or me, Cap'n," Park threw his arm around Lindsey's shoulders.

Everyone within earshot laughed. Everyone but Park, that it. He just looked confused.


* * *


The party had gone on for three hours already, and by now the ship was being piloted by a skeleton crew. They were in safe space, awaiting a mission, but as long as there was none forthcoming, the crew of the Angel was content to dance, eat, and just relax.

Lou finally gave in to Lindsey's constant requests for a dance, and he led her out onto the floor.

Lance Breckin watched the surprise birthday party on the video screen from the bridge. He was bitter that he had not been invited, but did not want to be down there, anyway. Having a good time was not Breckin's idea of projecting a strong image.

"Hey, Breckman," Corrina Simpson broke into his thoughts.

"Breckin," he corrected her, though he did not really care. No one on the Angel liked him, why should they get his name right? "Why aren't you down there partying with the animals?"

Simpson flashed him a smile. "Maybe I'd rather party with you."

Breckin did not get the hint. "Well, I wasn't...um, I have to-what are you doing?" She sat on his lap, and he strained his neck to see the monitor over her shoulder. "Corrina, I can't see the-"

She silenced him with a kiss, undoing the zipper on his uniform. The meaning behind her statement about wanting to party with him was beginning to come together in his head. He mentally kicked himself for being to ignorant, but decided to continue playing dumb. He wanted to know what she would do to get him in the mood.

Simpson gave Breckin a devious grin as she peeled off her uniform.


"Listen, Lindsey, it's the age-old excuse of it's not you, it's me," Lou was explaining as they danced.

"Please, call me Kane. Just for now." He paused, a clouded expression coming over his face. "You know, I don't even think I know your first name," he arched his eyebrow at her, hoping she would get the hint and tell him.

Lou made sure her expression did not falter as she tried to remember what she had been using as a first name. "Mira," she tried not to smile at him. Not many people had asked her that over the past few years. She was just Ensign to many of her superior officers, and Lou to her crewmates and teachers.

"That's pretty," Lindsey smiled. "What planet do you hail from?"

"I-" she stopped herself. What should she tell him? She did not want to lie to him, he was just being friendly-and that was because he liked her. "My parents were from D'Nayr, but I was raised on Coruscant, mostly."

"I see. Why did they decide to take you there? Coruscant's pretty boring, unless you're a politician."

So, he wanted to know everything about her. Lou's own memory of the event's of her early childhood were fuzzy, so there wasn't much for her to tell him. "My mother was in the Senate. Until being assassinated by my father, who later died in prison," she recited. "That's what I read years later, anyway."

"Who took you in after that?" the expression of concern on his face made her smile again.

"No one in particular. I decided I could take care of myself."

"How old were you?"

Lou had to think about that. "I think I was twelve." It was ten that she realized that the song had ended. She tried to disengage from Lindsey, but he held on as the next song started. She was a little annoyed, but tried not to let it show. "What about you? Tell me about your childhood."

"Oh, man. Well, my father was a smuggler, so mostly I didn't see him," he shrugged.

"What about you mother?"

"She," Lindsey leaned in closer, as if what he was about to tell Lou a secret. "Trained pilots at the Academy."

"Did she train you?"

"Not at the Academy. I've been flying since I was in my teens. She always said I'd make a hell of a captain one day," his smile was sad.

"What happened to her?"

"She was killed in a training accident. A freak one, really. The Flight Simulator was sucking electricity out of the base, and she was electrocuted."

"I'm sorry to hear that," and she was. Bad luck was something easily identified with for her.

"When life hands you lemons, make orange juice," Lindsey said. "That's what she used to tell me."

"I see. That's very optimistic of her," Lou nodded, sarcasm in her voice. "At least now I know where you get it from."

"Mind if I cut in?" Jenkens inquired, eyes twinkling.

Lindsey kissed the back of her hand softly. "Thank you."

"No problem," Lou shrugged suspiciously.

Jenkens took her in his arms abruptly, making Lou laugh. "I bet I know who you'll be dreaming about tonight," he teased.

"My, my, Jenkens. That's very egotistical of you," she remarked.

The mischievous expression disappeared. "I didn't mean me."

"Oh," Lou acted surprised. "Who, then?"

The grin returned to his face. "Why, our dear Captain, of course."

"Oh God, no," Lou shook her head.

"You two looked quite involved in conversation."

"He was prying," she snapped.

"Maybe he was just trying to get to know you better."

"No, he was prying."

"Hmm."

"I've had enough of this," she pulled away from Jenkens. "I thought you knew me better than that, but apparently you just like having your nose in my business."

"Ouch. I think I've been dissed."

"Grow up, Jenkens." Lou walked away from him, leaving him gaping after her.

Park brought drinks over to the table where Lou was sitting alone. "Mind if I sit?"

"Are you going to hit on me too, Morty?" she sighed, orange eyes pleading with him to say no.

"No."

"Alright, I guess you can sit, then." She turned so she was facing him.

"I saw you and Lindsey."

"I think everyone videoed me and Lindsey."

"I didn't. And I wouldn't've even if I could've."

Lou smiled curtly. "Well, then you're the only one."

"You only did it so he'd leave you alone," Park shrugged. "I got that."

"Again, you're the only one."

The two of them sat in silence for several minutes watching the other members of the crew enjoying themselves.

"Nice streamers," Lou finally broke in, taking a sip of her drink.

Park's face brightened into a toothy smile. "Thank you. It was a lot of fun hanging from the rafters to attach them all."

Lou laughed, almost choking on her drink. "I see you're trying to kill me," she managed between coughs.

A devious expression came over his face. "If I were, my method would be much more creative."

Lou couldn't help laughing again. Everyone else thought Park was crazy, but she knew that he just had a strange sense of humour. He was one of three people onboard that she considered a friend, Jenkens and Taggart being the other two. The others either weren't friendly towards her, despite her efforts, of they were the captain and harbouring an unrequited love for her. Park was friendly, and if he was in love with her, he hid it well.

"Alright everyone," Jenkens spoke into the mic. "It's time for everyone to head back to their quarters. Don't worry about cleaning up. We'll leave everything as is for next year."

The crowd laughed as it dispersed.

"No rush, however," Park murmured at Lou, who had not moved.

"Wait till the jam around the door dies down some."

"Sounds like a plan," Park agreed. "If you need me to fight anyone off, don't hesitate to-"

"Morty, someone started a rumour about us." She watched his reaction closely, trying to see if it had been him.

He arched his eyebrow. "What kind of rumour?"

"You really don't know?" Lou did not hide her surprise. Park shook his head slowly, not taking his eyes off of hers. "Well...Jenkens told me that we are...seeing each other, according to some members of our shift."

Park's other eyebrow went up. "We are? Damn it, where have I been during this relationship?"

"I hope you're being sarcastic. With you, it's hard to tell, sometimes."

He laughed at this statement. "Mira, I love you like a sister. That's all. I don't know who said that about us, it's not like either of us has ever even seen the other's quarters."

"You don't have to tell me that. I just-" she cut herself off.

"You just thought it was me, didn't you? You thought I started the rumour?"

"Well," Lou shrugged. "I did at first. I realize now that I was wrong." She got up. "I think we can muscle out way out of here, now."

Park got up, too, then followed her out into the hall. "Well, I'll see ya," he waved, heading in the opposite direction from her.

"Yup," Lou waved back, heading to her quarters.

"Goodnight, Lou," Jenkens grinned at her from farther down the hall. "I hope that when you wake up for your next shift, you will have forgiven me for my insolence."

"We'll see. Goodnight," she called after him. As she held her keycard above the lock, her memory flashed back to a house she had occupied four years earlier. She heard his voice in her head, then pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind.

Lou entered the main room of her quarters. After the door had closed, she began peeling off her clothes, leaving a trail to the bathroom where she intended to have a shower.


* * *


Lou sat on her bed, a portrait of Darth Maul in her hands that she had done herself years earlier. There had been much joy throughout the Galaxy when the Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi had slain him, except for her.

She hadn't known Maul all that well, but she now sat, wondering as was her habit, what things would have been like if she had stayed with him. She realized that she would be fighting for the other side of the war, and she did not like that idea. For awhile after her departure from Maul's apartment, she had thought about going back and asking him to leave with her, but had never gotten up the courage to return. Lou knew now that she could not have changed Maul, anyway. She had built up her knowledge about the Force, the Jedi, and the Sith. Maul would not have swayed to join the Rebellion.

Lou replaced the sketch in the drawer of the night stand, and lay back on the pillows. She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.