Compared to its first day, the rest of Thane and Ciena's honeymoon passed with little fanfare. Getting a government approved ID had resulted in a minor incident in which Thane argued with bureaucrats for hours on Ciena's behalf. It was the one time Ciena was recognized by strangers in public, and even that was only because Thane had been shouting her name in a crowded office. Obviously she didn't look that conspicuous without her uniform and binders on. Which is good because the glares Ciena received made her very grateful the licensing office had abundant surveillance and security on hand.

Despite the obstacles, she'd walked out of the licensing office with a valid civilian identification card in hand. Now that Ciena had non-Imperial datawork backing up her existence, she was able to apply for jobs. A mixed blessing, as it turned out.

Applying for work required Ciena to confess her past to any and all potential bosses. Some companies had the foresight to research her name before making in-person contact with her. Those places never responded to her communications. The companies that didn't do their research discovered Ciena's past during the interview itself. Their reactions ranged from immediate termination of the interview to persevering until Ciena walked out the door, at which point they vowed never to contact her again. It wasn't until her third interview that Ciena realized what the problem was.

Yes, she was job hunting in the New Republic, but that wasn't enough to ensure all her potential employers were strongly anti-Empire. Rather, the issue was how Ciena became aware of the job opportunity in the first place. Every time, it was an opening either Thane or Kendy had heard about via one of their various contacts. Now, what kind of people were two New Republic soldiers most likely to be friends with?

Ciena didn't blame the two for trying to help her. It wasn't their fault things weren't going well. Ciena could only blame herself for her troubles. No matter how difficult it made her life, Ciena refused to lie about her previous work experience. She could dress it up however she wanted, but nothing she said about her individual service record changed the fact that she'd henched for the galaxy's vanquished oppressors as long as she did.

Perhaps she should look for organizations openly willing to hire ex-Imperials. Unfortunately, the only ones Ciena found operated out of a nostalgia for the Empire more than a desire to give people second chances. After working in an environment that praised the Empire for all her adult life, Ciena wasn't inclined to go back to one if she could avoid it. That "if" loomed larger and larger with each passing day.

Thane, for his part, remained staunchly against her having a pro-Imperial boss. "I can't believe people like that even exist on Chandrila! How can anyone look at the New Republic's accomplishments and say, with a straight face, that they prefer the way things were? I had my doubts at first, sure, but at virtually every turn, the New Republic has proven themselves to be a better government for the galaxy than the Empire ever was. Slavery is on the decline, military occupation of entire systems is set to end soon, people vote for their leaders again, entire planets aren't being stripped to build war machines… honestly. What is there not to like?"

"I understand your point, Thane, but I'm not sure I have the right to be picky here. Chandrila is so much more expensive to live on than Jelucan, I can't expect you and Kendy to provide everything for me, and I need something to do when you're away. Your shore leave won't last forever, and I don't expect you to change careers for my sake." Ciena sighed. What she was about to say had been stewing in her mind for days. "If Imperial nostalgics are the only people who will hire me, I may just have to take what I can get."

Thane frowned. "I know I said I like Chandrila, but we don't have to live here. I wish we could make Jelucan our home again too, but it just isn't a good idea right now. The war isn't over on Jelucan. I have concerns about wandering too close to the edge of Republic territory, just because things are so unsettled, but if you want to move planets, we can. You'd be the one spending all your time on it."

"...What if it doesn't help? What if every planet is like this?"

Thane weighed his words before speaking them. "I mean… they are to an extent. The galactic economy has to shift to a post-war way of things. That will take a while, and jobs might be scarce in the meantime. So really, it's not a personal failure if you don't find a job right away. You can use my salary to pay for things while you're still looking."

Ciena buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to. I'm tired of being a burden on you."

"Ciena, you aren't a burden. You're my wife. My stuff is your stuff, your family is my family. We are family. I chose to marry you. I would have chosen that regardless of whether or not it got you out of prison." He pulled one of her hands away so she could look him in the eye. "You know that, right?"

Ciena nodded, laying both hands at her sides. "I'd hoped."

"Well, now you know. Please hold off on selling your labor to some backward facing loon. I have one more idea for where you can get a job."

"Where?"

"Do you remember the party at Chancellor Mothma's place? While we were there, we talked to that old historian lady who was there to document the event. I did some research on her afterwards. Her name is Dr. Cricklin. She has a Senate grant to put together an official history of the rebellion and needs all sorts of assistants. It wouldn't pay much, and all your coworkers would be history buffs from nearby universities, but all in all, it doesn't sound like it would be much different from what you did after Endor. You know, when you were still recovering? You could be good for it." Thane paused, thinking of other ways to sell his pitch. "I remember you talking to Dr. Cricklin at the party. I think she liked you."

"You think so?" It definitely wasn't Ciena's first choice for a job. Not that her first choice was in any way an option at this point. "Would she hire me?"

"It's worth a try. I haven't spoken to her directly since the party, but I think she's still looking for people. You should give her a call."

Ciena considered the possibility. It did sound better than what she'd had in mind earlier. "I think I will. Do you know how I can contact her?"

"No, but the Holonet does." Thane sat up from the couch. There were no Holonet-accessible devices in the apartment itself, but the main lobby had computers and a holocomm that were open to all tenants during certain hours of the day. It was too late for Ciena to use them right now, though.

"I'll look into it tomorrow, then." Ciena sighed. "I just… forgot what it felt like to have nothing for a while. Even when I was a child, we still had our neighbors. We had a house and a muunyak. It wasn't nothing."

"It's not nothing here, either. And what happened to the money you made as an Imperial? The New Republic didn't seize it. If they froze your accounts while you detained, you should be able to access them again."

"I sent it all home. Every last credit went to my parents on Jelucan. My father must have it somewhere." Just mentioning her father stabbed Ciena in the heart. Last week, Ciena had finally worked up the courage to call her father. Thane by her side, she'd tried to reach him twice. Both times, no one answered.

Had he already heard about what she'd done on Jakku? Did he think she was dead? Was he dead himself? Ciena had no idea what the conflict on Jelucan looked like. Civilian casualties could range from extensive to nonexistent for all she knew.

Thane noticed her spiraling. He reached forward and grabbed Ciena's hand, holding it tightly in his. "I'm sorry we weren't able to reach your father. I'm sure he's fine. It's probably just a communications jam over the planet. You can try again soon. He'll be thrilled to hear from you."

"I wanted you to be there when I called him," Ciena confessed, pinpricks of tears in her eyes. "I want to tell him about our marriage so he can welcome you as a part of the family. When will we get another chance to talk to him together? You leave in two days, Thane."

Thane kissed her hand. His lips were gentle and firm, just like his voice. "When Jelucan is liberated, we'll travel there together. Your parents will both be alive. They'll be overjoyed to see you again. We'll have every wedding ceremony the valley requires of us and live together as part of your household. That way when I'm off on duty, you'll have your parents and your kindred to keep you company."

Unlike here, where Ciena was fixing to live alone soon. She tightened her grip on Thane, as if that would do anything to keep him near her. "I haven't heard anything about Jelucan since we've been here. Do you know something I don't, Thane?"

Thane shook his head. "If I hear anything that isn't classified while I'm on duty, I will send it back to you. The New Republic might not say much about Jelucan, but they won't abandon it to Outer Rim warlords. That's not what they believe in."

"There are tons of mountains and valleys and caves on Jelucan. That sort of terrain is an occupation's nightmare. Even if the New Republic takes the cities, the valley kindred won't break their vow to the Empire so easily. War on that planet could take years, even decades. What happens when the costs of fighting mount and the New Republic still wants to shrink their military? When they can't keep both promises at once, which one do you think they'll choose?"

"It doesn't matter what the valley kindred promised to the Empire. According to the Galactic Concordance, the Empire doesn't exist in that sector of space anymore anyway. Any warlords who claim otherwise are pretenders. Promises don't apply to pretenders. No first-waver has any honor bound duty to aid them whatsoever."

By now, this was a familiar conversation. Ciena had to be careful to make sure the fate of their homeworld didn't turn into a fight. She took the easy way out of the debate. "Many valleys on Jelucan are still remote. There's no guarantee the people there have heard of the concordance at all. All they may have is the warlord's word that the Empire still reigns on Jelucan."

"Then the New Republic will march into those valleys and tell them the truth. We'll bring holos from the treaty signing and everything. The New Republic will bring freedom to Jelucan, I promise. I'll join the charge myself, if I can."

Ciena declined to mention that such valleys were also deeply suspicious of foreigners. Her mother had cousins in one of the more remote valleys, and folk there had been wary of her the one time they visited. They hadn't liked the fact that she and Ciena owned anything bought off the second-wavers and leered at the way their family practiced tradition. The only way groups like that would not stay loyal to the Empire is if they had never sworn loyalty at all.

Ciena didn't know how the fight for Jelucan was going to end. She was tired of letting it consume her thoughts in every silent moment. Maybe once she had a job to fill her time, she could focus on other things. "It seems odd that people already want to document the history of the war when it isn't even over yet."

Thane smiled. "For some people, the war is over simply because they want it to be over. There are those who believe the war ended with Endor. Others, the Concordance. Still others, Jakku. These three groups together make a majority in the Senate. For political reasons, any leftover fighting from the rebellion has been given a different name." He paused. His grin widened. "Maybe that's something you'll do if you work for Dr. Cricklin. You could help her decide when the war officially began and ended."

"Maybe." Ciena yawned. She glanced to her right through the window, noticing the summer sun had finally set. She stood up beside Thane. "I'm going to bed now. I'll call Dr. Cricklin after breakfast tomorrow if she's still hiring."

"Good plan. Oh, I was also thinking we can do something nice tomorrow. One more thing we can enjoy before I return to duty."

"What is it?"

"Did you know there are state of the art flight simulators on Hanna City that you can rent by the hour? They aren't cheap, but I feel bad you haven't gotten to fly anything in so long since my plan to loan you my X-wing for a day didn't exactly work out. I'm still getting used to this 'New Republic military has stricter rules' thing. After you talk to Dr. Cricklin, let's see if we can fly together one last time."

Ciena wished she was more excited by the prospect. Sure, it wasn't real flying, but Thane's proposal took her back to their childhood. She recalled the hours they spent flying together on Jelucan, each pushing the other to be the best that they could be. All so that they could attend an Imperial academy together.

She smiled at the memories, if not the idea itself. "I'd like that. It would be like old times."

"Exactly!" Thane beamed, then turned to take the bathroom before Ciena could get there herself.

Ciena walked over to the bedroom and pulled a set of nightclothes out from the dresser. Kendy had been thoughtful enough to shop with Ciena for underclothes and pajamas before running out of shore leave herself. That way, Ciena had been able to choose garments that fit. Along the way, the two had joked about shore leave being new again for Kendy. During the days of the Rebel Alliance, soldiers could leave whenever they felt like it with no consequences. In a way, the New Republic felt like a mix of the rebellion and the Empire more than a pure evolution of the former. Ciena hadn't found the assessment as amusing as Kendy did.

Even once she and Thane were in bed together, sleep stayed long in coming. Ciena was too worried about the future of her homeworld, much less herself. She knew Thane was concerned too, and his touch did help steady her, but she sensed it was different for him. He was relieved to live far away from his family. It was a weight off his shoulders when his parents and brother believed him to be dead. That simply wasn't the case for Ciena.

Her body was tired, but her mind wouldn't rest. When Ciena did drift into sleep, it wasn't the peaceful kind. Her spiral of thoughts didn't stop. It just morphed into various dreams.


The next morning, Ciena's Holonet search confirmed that Dr. Sara Cricklin was still interviewing assistants for her massive documentation project. She had people running conflict records and following Senate proceedings on Hanna City plus interviewers and photographers scattered all over the galaxy. Hours were long and pay was modest, but Ciena didn't mind either of those things.

Ciena checked her reflection to make sure she appeared presentable, all the while thinking through the best way to describe her Imperial experiences. She hadn't had much of a plan the first time it came up in an interview, but she felt like she could carry herself now. Thane wished her luck, then stepped outside the room to offer Ciena more privacy.

She was as ready as she would ever be. Ciena took a deep breath in, then entered Dr. Cricklin's contact information into the holocomm. While the call was waiting, Ciena took the time to adjust her clothes and brush stray curls out of her face.

Less than a minute later, a familiar looking old woman appeared on the holocomm's projector. "This is Dr. Sara Cricklin of Chandrila University at Hanna City. Who is calling?"

Ciena cleared her throat. "Good morning, Dr. Cricklin. My name is Ciena Ree. I'm not certain if you remember, but we met at Chancellor Mothma's residence a few weeks ago. I would like to ask you about-"

"One moment, please." Dr. Cricklin searched wildly for her glasses. When she found them and put them on, she gasped at Ciena's appearance. "Oh, I do remember you! Ciena Ree, the Imperial captain who married a New Republic pilot. You caused quite a stir when you showed up unannounced to the chancellor's private party. What may I help you with, Mrs. Ree?"

Ciena hadn't been prepared to be addressed as 'Mrs. Ree'. The name brought her mother to mind. "I'm glad you remember me, Doctor. I remember you from the celebration as being there to document the event. You recently received a Senate grant to write the official history of the rebellion."

"Galactic Civil War, but yes. I believe we did discuss my work briefly that night. Why the interest, Mrs. Ree?"

"I would like to apply for a job as one of your assistants. I checked your website on the Holonet and it said the best way to determine what I need to apply is to call you. What would you like from me, Dr. Cricklin?"

The doctor hesitated. Her hazel eyes zeroed in on Ciena's expression, seeking to determine whether or not she was serious. "You want to work for me? That's… quite a departure from your previous line of work, isn't it?"

Ciena had anticipated this. "Not as much as you might think, Dr. Cricklin. Shortly after the Battle of Endor, one of my official duties was to record the survivors and casualties of the battle for the Empire's records. Thousands of lives were lost in that battle. The Empire needed exact records to know whose families to contact and whose life insurance to offer the descendants… back when they still had the ability to provide such a thing."

"I see. I believe they also used those records to determine who should have survived the battle and yet could not be found among their troops. On top of the uses you mentioned, those lists were also used to track down deserters. I'm familiar with such records." Dr. Cricklin pulled the files up on her datapad. Her long fingers wrapped around the device as her eyes scanned the page. "Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about your work on this project, Mrs. Ree?"

"Ask away, Doctor."

"First, to clarify. When were you an active participant on this project?"

"Not immediately after the Battle of Endor, but once I was healthy enough to work on base. I did this job until I was promoted to Captain of the Inflictor shortly before the Battle of Jakku." Ciena gave Dr. Cricklin the exact dates.

Dr. Cricklin scrolled to the relevant part of her records, shaking a tendril of hair out of her face. "Ah. I have this section highlighted. I remember an intern bringing this to me now. Mrs. Ree, are you aware that over a dozen of the individuals you listed as casualties were confirmed as alive by the New Republic? You accepted a very low barrier of proof to declare an Imperial soldier dead, Mrs. Ree. The only people you marked missing are those who undeniably survived the battle. Thanks to your actions, several dozen individuals were potentially able to defect from the Empire."

Ciena paused. She didn't know where Dr. Cricklin was going with this. "I am aware that some such cases exist, yes. I remember reviewing the battle footage. I…I did give some former Imperials the benefit of the doubt following Endor."

"So these mistakes were intentional?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Explain."

"I… by the time I saw the second Death Star for myself, I knew I was on the wrong side. Too many innocents had been slaughtered by the first Death Star. The only justification I was offered for why such a weapon was necessary was that its power would prevent war from ever breaking out. By slaughtering a few billion on Alderaan, several billion would be spared the pain of a drawn out civil war." Ciena steadied herself, doing her best not to become too emotional. "That did not happen. The Death Star project was a failure. When I saw the second Death Star unveiled, when I took a personal role in ensuring the Rebel Alliance came to Endor for what was meant to be a final confrontation, I knew the story I had been told for over four years had been a lie. The Empire wanted to inflict massive casualties for reasons no moral person could find justifiable. I knew that if I felt this way, I must not be the only one.

"After the battle was over, I was not personally able to defect for… for various reasons. But just because I couldn't leave the Empire didn't mean I would stop others from leaving. When it became my job to record the aftermath of that battle, I… I looked the other way for some dubious death scenarios. I hope those deserters were able to find a life outside the role the Empire cast them in."

"Many of them did." Dr. Cricklin studied Ciena with fascination. "One of the most notable deserters of Endor is Sinjir Rath Velus. He now works for Chancellor Mothma as one of her most trusted aides. He may well owe you his freedom, Mrs. Ree."

Ciena nodded. "I'm glad to hear it."

Dr. Cricklin didn't respond right away. She was still searching her datapad to see whether or not the name Sinjir Rath Velus had actually been logged during Ciena's tenure. It had. "Why, I believe you may actually have saved this man! Perhaps you two might meet someday. Hanna City is smaller than many offworlders seem to think. We are unlike Coruscant in many ways."

"I wouldn't know. I haven't lived here long."

"Oh? Where are you from, Mrs. Ree?"

"Jelucan. It's in the Outer Rim," Ciena added the last part for clarification.

"Why, I'm not familiar with that planet. I'd certainly love to hear more about it. You're a fascinating young woman, Mrs. Ree. Would you be willing to sit for an interview to benefit the project?"

"If… that is one of the duties you would require of me as an assistant, then yes." Had the doctor forgotten why Ciena was calling? It was starting to feel that way. "I will help you document the truth of the war in whatever capacity you will have me. I mention my previous work with casualty records specifically because I know you are in need of people for that position. I would be willing to resume the task here on Chandrila."

"Oh, right. You want a job from me. Well… hm." Dr. Cricklin put her datapad down, adjusting her red-framed glasses with one hand. "It's not an unwillingness on my part, Mrs. Ree. You certainly do seem qualified. It's just that the grant I received did not go to me personally, but rather to my institution. I am only allowed to hire assistants outside the network of participating university history departments if I do not receive enough applications from those select areas. At this time, my project administrator believes I have enough assistants already. He's wrong, of course; an undertaking of this magnitude requires a staff of hundreds or thousands, not mere dozens! But I'd still have to convince him to let me add one more person to the payroll. Even if I did, you wouldn't get paid much, Mrs. Ree. Is that alright?"

Ciena's heart sank. "I expected that might be the case. I'm sorry to disturb you, Dr. Cricklin."

"Now, Mrs. Ree. I didn't say no. I will talk to the administration about potentially hiring one more person. They were kind enough to leave hiring decisions up to me, so your past won't be the issue here. I won't let it. Trust me when I tell you this is purely a numbers game."

"I believe you, Doctor. Please let me know what your supervisor says."

"I will contact you as soon as I am able, Mrs. Ree. I have an appointment with her today. What is the best way to get in touch with you?"

Ciena gave Dr. Cricklin the number for her new commlink. "Please let me know what she says, regardless of the final decision."

"I intend to, Mrs. Ree. I would certainly like to know more about you in the near future. Wish me luck, dear!" And with those last words, Dr. Cricklin hung up.

That went better than Ciena had expected. Dr. Cricklin seemed genuinely interested in her, if not purely for employment purposes. She didn't want to get her hopes up, however, so Ciena remained noncommittal when Thane asked her how things had gone. Unfortunately, he took her reservations as a sign the interview had gone poorly and did everything in his power to cheer her up on their way to rent a flight simulator.

When they got to the shop Thane had mentioned, they discovered they could only reasonably afford the oldest model, one of the same models that the simulator Thane had owned on Jelucan. Thane's dismay was palpable, but he tried to dress it up in nostalgia. "Now it'll feel even more like our childhood!"

And it did. For that one hour, Ciena felt like her younger self again. Thane was her perfect copilot. Together, they owned the skies. One advantage to flying a simulator versus a real ship was that there was a way to select "no ship traffic" in the simulation. They flew around Chandrila without a care in the world. Ciena couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so liberated. It was hard to give the simulator back at the end of their time.

"That was amazing! I missed flying with you," Thane said as they walked back. "You're still the best pilot I've ever flown a ship with."

"I feel the same way." It wasn't just Thane's skills as a pilot, though those were also impressive. No, it was the way he understood her in the air. They didn't have to use words in the cockpit. They both just knew what the other person wanted and did it without hesitation. When Ciena flew, and especially when she flew with Thane, she didn't think about their years apart or any current problems they were facing. Inside the simulated cockpit, it was just them and the skies. A shame the rest of life couldn't be like that.

Ciena stopped walking on their way to find food. She embraced Thane in the middle of the sidewalk, not thinking about anyone or anything else as she did. "Thank you, Thane. That was exactly what I needed. I'm glad we got to fly together before you leave."

"So am I. I love you, Ciena."

"I love you, too."

Ciena maintained the embrace for as long as she could. When Thane pulled away, her smile broke out into a full beam for the first time in ages. Thane returned her expression, eyes shining with adoration and pride. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I am too." Ciena had more to say, but her commlink beeped at her before she could get the words out.

She held the device up to her lips. "Hello. This is Ciena Ree."

"Mrs. Ree! I'm so glad to catch you again so soon. This is Dr. Cricklin. I have news for you about the matter we discussed earlier as my assistant."

Thane's eyes widened. Ciena fought down her own excitement before responding. "Yes, Doctor? How did your meeting go?"

"Splendidly! I told the administrator I wanted you as my assistant even if it meant the money came out of my own salary. You, Mrs. Ree, are a special sort of woman. I'd be ashamed to let you go before I had a chance to learn and record your story. Something tells me it isn't over yet, either. So what do you say? Come by my office next week?"

"Of course, Doctor! I will be there. Thank you so much, Dr. Cricklin."

"Good, good! Be prepared to start right away and bring your identification. There will be a lot of datawork. Ta ta for now!" As before, Dr. Cricklin did not wait for a response before hanging up.

Thane pulled Ciena in for another embrace, pressing the commlink up against Ciena's chest. "Amazing! I knew you had it in you, Ciena. Dr. Cricklin sounds like a good boss."

"I… I hope so." Ciena was feeling overwhelmed herself. If she added her time in imprisonment, Ciena hadn't worked in almost two months. That may not seem long to some, but it'd felt like eternity for Ciena. Even when she'd been recovering from Endor, Ciena hated being idle. She needed work in her life for structure and balance. Maybe now that she was getting a job she didn't yet despise, that feeling could return to her life.

Of course, with each opening door came a closing one. Before Ciena's first day at work, she would have to say goodbye to Thane once more. She'd grown so attached to him in her first three weeks on Chandrila that she struggled to imagine the planet without him. She pulled away to look him in the eye, a mixture of emotions in her own.

"Once I ship out, I will call you the second I am able. When that happens, you will tell me all about your new job. I want to hear every detail." Thane took her hand (and comm) in his, squeezing the device tight around her fingers. "And I do have some friends sticking around on Chandrila. Now that they've met you a couple times, maybe I can talk them into checking on you every now and then. If you'd like that, of course."

Ciena blinked. If they were the friends Thane was thinking of, she wasn't sure they'd agree. "If they'd be okay with it, I mean. They don't have to. But… I would like company, especially the first few days you're gone."

"Then consider it done," Thane declared. "Things are really starting to come together here on Chandrila, aren't they?"

"I think so."


A/N's: This chapter is both longer than I expected and did not cover as much ground as I anticipated. The more I write this fic, the longer I'm thinking it's going to turn out. This is Master of the House all over again.

But yay, Ciena has a job! I did briefly consider getting Ciena a spot on the crew of Thane's favorite Wookie friend, but the rest of my plot requires Ciena to (mostly) stay on Chandrila for a while. So even though that job would fit her better, I had to find something else for her. The real intrigue starts in a chapter or two.

Thanks to everyone for reading! I hope you all are doing well. Now it's back to updating my Thraro fics.