Coronet City
A few micro jumps later, the signal sounded, indicating that Nomi Darklighter and Dash Rendar had reached their destination.
They both got out of bed and dressed before going into the cockpit and sitting down. Ahead they saw the planet Corellia and several Imperial Star Destroyers stationed in orbit. Nomi rolled her eyes when she saw that. Her husband gave her a lopsided grin. "It will work, honey," he said, adjusting his uniform even though no one but his wife could see him. It didn't take long and they were hailed. "Shuttle Alluvium state destination and cargo," they heard a female voice with a harsh accent that neither Dash nor Nomi could place. "This is Commander Ors Raviul speaking. We have no cargo on board. I am accompanied by my wife Xala. Our destination is Coronet City. If you don't let us pass immediately, I will complain to your superior," Rendar answered the question promptly, putting all the arrogance of an Imperial officer in his voice. He imagined the woman's expression after she heard that and grinned at Nomi. "You must understand that we are cautious, Commander," they heard the woman's voice again after a few seconds. "There have been several rebel attacks recently. Stay in the exact approach sector I'm sending you." "Affirmative," Dash confirmed. "It's time to crush the Rebellion once and for all." He disconnected and leaned towards Nomi. "See, it works, darling." Then he followed the given coordinates and shortly thereafter he landed the shuttle on the assigned landing pad.
Dash shut down the engines, opened the hatch and exited the cockpit, followed by his wife. Together they walked down the ramp and entered the spaceport building. There they had to wait in a queue that slowly moved towards the ID checkpoint. Nomi looked around and froze when she saw a familiar face. Hal Horn, a CorSec officer, stood there and pretended to be idle, but the Rogue Squadron pilot was pretty sure he was watching the arrivals. She knew the man from her days as a smuggler and hoped he wouldn't remember her. Eventually they reached the checkpoint counter where a bored looking man took their IDs. He took his time checking them, which caught Hal Horn's attention. The CorSec officer walked over to him. "Is there a problem with the IDs?" He asked and looked at the card reader. The border official turned his attention from the reader and the couple in front of him to Horn. "No, sir, no problem at all," he replied quickly, taking the cards out of the reader and handing them Horn. "Commander Raviul, I wish you and your wife Xala a pleasant stay on Corellia," said Hal Horn, handing Dash the IDs. Nomi hoped that she was wrong, but she got the impression he said her name with an odd undertone. Dash took the IDs without a word, like an Imperial officer would, and pocketed them. Then he and Nomi left the building.
Outside, they found themselves in the midst of a teeming crowd. Nomi turned her head slightly expecting Hal Horn had followed them but he was nowhere to be seen. As they walked, she spoke to Dash in a hushed voice. "Do you know who that was, Dash?" She wasn't really expecting an answer and continued. "It was Hal Horn, a CorSec officer. I'm pretty sure he recognized me. We should leave as soon as possible." Dash tried to calm her down. "You're certainly wrong. If he recognized you, we'd already be in an Imperial prison cell." "But haven't you noticed the way he said my name, Dash?" She continued without calming down in the slightest. "I still think you're wrong," her husband replied, waving for a speeder taxi. "Let's go to our hotel." The speeder taxi pulled up in front of them, Dash opened the door and let Nomi in, then went in too and gave the Aqualish driver the address. It didn't take long and they reached their destination. Dash paid the driver and got out of the speeder with Nomi, who felt like she was being watched again. She shrugged inwardly when she didn't see a familiar face in the crowd and followed her husband into the hotel. It wasn't overly luxurious but a lot better than those on her home planet Tatooine. After receiving the key card from the droid receptionist, they went upstairs. They soon found their room and Dash opened it. "Not bad," he said, stepping inside and closing the door after Nomi entered as well. His wife took in the sight of the sparsely furnished room, which was clean. She still had the nagging feeling that Horn was around somewhere. "You should relax, honey. We're on vacation and our IDs worked," Dash continued, noticing his wife's tension. Then he started to unpack.
They had just finished unpacking when the droid receptionist informed them of a visitor. Nomi paled and looked at her husband when she heard the visitor's name. It was Hal Horn. So she was right. The CorSec officer recognized her and followed them. Minutes later there was a knock on the door. Dash nodded to his wife, drew his blaster and set it to stun. Nomi moved to the door, opened it and quickly stepped aside. Hal Horn found himself on the business end of Rendar's blaster but kept his cool. He entered and closed the door. "Good evening, Commander Raviul. Good evening, Mrs. Raviul. Or should I rather call you Mrs. Darklighter? It's been a long time since we last saw each other. May I have a seat?" Nomi wondered why Horn was there and why he came alone and not with stormtroopers for backup. "You're probably wondering why I'm here, Mrs. Darklighter," Horn continued, as if knowing the young woman's thoughts. "I recognized you immediately because I never forget a face. I don't want to talk about your smuggling activities in the Corellian sector. They are already statute-barred. But for now, it would be very kind if you would holster your blaster, Mr. Rendar. If I wanted to arrest you, I would have come with stormtroopers. As you can see, I also know who you are." Horn glanced at Dash who finally holstered his blaster. Then he went to a chair and sat down. "What do you want from us, Horn?" Rendar asked, keeping a wary eye on the CorSec officer. "I wanted to warn you, Mr. Rendar," Hal Horn replied, crossing his legs. "Don't worry, I have no intention of handing you over to the Imps. In a way, I sympathize with the Rebellion. My son Corran even wants to join the Alliance." When Horn mentioned his son, Dash raised an eyebrow and glanced at his wife. Hal Horn didn't seem to have noticed and continued talking. "I see you're pregnant, Mrs. Darklighter. It would be a shame if your daughter wasn't born. Be careful and avoid the Imps." The CorSec officer rose and headed for the door. "You and your husband have nothing to fear from me. May the Force be with you," he said, opened the door and left. Dash Rendar looked at his wife in amazement when Horn was gone. "How does he know you're pregnant with a girl?" His wife shrugged. "I have no idea, darling," she replied, putting her hand on her belly. "But somehow I had a strange feeling. Like someone examining me. It was exactly the same feeling I had with Vader and Luke when they told me the gender of my children or that I was pregnant. But how could this be? The Jedi are all but extinct. Luke is the last and the only Force sensitive people I know are Leia and our children." Dash listened to his wife, but there was something nagging at him. Finally he couldn't hold back any longer. "Speaking of our children, how come our youngest son has the same name as Hal Horn's son? Was Corran Horn your lover, Nomi? Is that why Hal Horn remembers you so well?" Rendar asked while pacing the room. Nomi stared at her husband, disappointed that he was jealous again. That he was jealous, as always, for no reason. "No, Corran Horn wasn't my lover. When I dealt with his father, he was just a kid," Nomi replied, her body language and tone showing her frustration. "Do you want to be jealous of my past now? You knew you weren't the first man. When I chose his name, I was under pressure. You have no idea… I wanted to name him Obi-Wan, but Vader almost strangled me for it. Corran was the only name I could think of at that moment. Since it was a Corellian name, I left it that way after the triplets were born. I wanted to make you happy." Dash stopped pacing and looked at his wife in embarrassment.
"No, I'm not jealous of your past, darling," he finally said. "And Corran really is a good old Corellian name. So our youngest son has a connection to my actual home planet. But now let's go to the Treasure Ship Row." Dash quickly changed the subject, hoping to calm his wife down. "Do you think that's wise after Horn's warning?" Nomi looked at her husband as if he had lost his mind, but he just laughed. "Why not? We can't hide forever, darling. There are so many people on Treasure Ship Row that no one will notice us there. Besides, no one pays attention to an Imperial officer and his wife." His wife nodded her head and rose. "Maybe you're right. Let's enjoy our downtime, Dash." Not long after they were on their way to Treasure Ship Row.
When Nomi and Dash reached the large open-air mall located in Coronet City's Blue Sector, it was teeming with humans and aliens from across the galaxy. The displays of the shops lured with a wide range of offers. Outside a jewelry store, Dash grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her inside. The merchant, a small, furry Drall, was eager to show them his offerings. Apparently he was very impressed with the Imperial uniform. "You are looking for a piece of jewelry for your wife, Commander?" The merchant asked, standing in front of the couple who had just entered. "I think I have something I'm sure you'll like." He turned to a waiting 3PO protocol droid. "Get the ring with the Corusca gem from the safe." The droid moved into the back room and returned a moment later with the requested item. "We can't afford this," Nomi whispered to Dash. "Let that be the least of your worries, darling," Rendar whispered back with a slight grin. The merchant gave the ring to Nomi and she put it on. Dash smiled when he saw that it was a perfect fit. Then he turned to the merchant. "How much is the ring?" The Drall squirmed like a Fleek-eel. "You have to keep in mind that this is a very rare gem, flawless beyond that, Commander." "How much is it?" Dash now asked impatiently. "Well, the ring costs 10,000 credits, Commander," the Drall finally said. "Alright, we'll take it." Nomi touched her husband's arm and shook her head. "But Ors, so many credits," she objected. Her husband raised an eyebrow, as would an Imperial officer whose wife dared to object. The young woman had to admit that he played his role perfectly. "Do you like the ring, Xala?" He asked in a stern tone. "Yes, but…" Dash interrupted Nomi before she could finish the sentence. "Then we'll take the ring, period. The mother of my children deserves it." Rendar turned his attention to the merchant and handed him the credits. The Drall accepted the credits with a big smile, and the Rogue Squadron pilot was pretty sure the alien was rubbing its furry paws at the good deal. "Thank you, come again. I'm always at your service, Commander," the merchant said as he opened the door for them. Dash stepped out of the shop, followed by Nomi, ignoring the Drall. Outside the shop, Dash Rendar winked at his wife. "And now we're going to have dinner at the best restaurant in town." He grinned when he saw Nomi's expression. "Don't worry, we can afford that too, darling," he said, taking her hand.
After dinner they went back to their hotel and entered their room. "Where did you get so many credits from, Dash?" Nomi asked after her husband closed the door behind them. Dash grinned at her mischievously. "You forget you're married to a brilliant sabacc player, Nomi. You look absolutely gorgeous in that gown and how that ring sparkles on your finger. If you weren't already my wife, I would marry you right now." He sat down on the bed and smiled at his wife. "You're the craziest man I've ever met. But that's why I love you so much," Nomi said, approaching him. Rendar pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "I'm going to prove to you that I'm not only the craziest man, I'm also the best you've ever met, darling."