Despite not looking the part, Ciena had dressed nicely for her meeting with Toby and his girlfriend. Ciena had been prepared for the possibility the girlfriend would look fancier than her. She had not expected Toby himself to outdo her. What man dressed fancier than normal on his day off? It was not cold enough outside for a scarf. Not even an ornamental one.

Spence, for her part, looked exactly how Ciena thought a highbrow lawyer's daughter should look: rich. Her stiff-straight brown hair fell to the small of her back, and her face was carefully made up in colors muted as her burgundy sweater. Her most striking features were her height (a full head taller than Ciena) and her jewelry. No one piece of jewelry stood out, but the numerous pieces collected on her ears, neck, wrist, and fingers added sparkle to Spence's every movement.

The pair took Ciena to a restaurant halfway between Hanna City's courthouse and the Senate building. Judging by the way waitstaff reacted to the couple with resignation, they were regulars at this establishment. Ciena frowned when she received the menu. Last night, she had mentally prepared herself to pay for her own meal. Keeping to that promise in a place like this would require Ciena's stomach to turn into a bird's.

Spence saw Ciena frown, but she didn't know what to make of it. "Don't see anything you like?"

"I've never been here before," Ciena confessed. "I'm still getting used to Chandrilan food."

"Let us know if you have questions about anything on the menu. We'll help you find something good," Toby offered.

Ciena smiled in response, but said nothing. After a moment of silence, the dating pair began to chat amongst themselves, making intermittent attempts to include Ciena in their conversation. Ciena offered brisk but polite answers to all their questions, rarely taking her eyes off the menu in front of her. For the most part, she was content to listen as Toby and Spence discussed their day jobs. Spence was a clerk in the Republic's highest criminal court, which meant both halves of the couple worked in different parts of the New Republic government structure. Each occupied a far higher position than their ages would suggest. Ciena hadn't realized until then that Toby was a year younger than Thane. When asked, Spence revealed she was a year and a half Toby's junior.

"But don't get the wrong idea about us, okay? We worked hard for the jobs we have today. Before the Empire ended, both of us risked our lives and freedom to carry out the rebellion's needs on Coruscant."

"I didn't realize you had served in the rebellion army." Ciena met Spence's eye for the first time since they left Ciena's apartment. Had Ciena been wrong in her mental evaluation of the woman?

"Well… we may not have been soldiers, but I like to say we served. There's more than one way to aid a cause." Toby smiled. "And now we're all part of the New Republic. You took the long way coming around, Ciena, but we all landed in the same city, and we're all working to make tomorrow better than yesterday." He raised his glass of citrus juice. "To the future!"

Spence clinked her matching glass with Toby's. After a second of shuffling, Ciena returned the toast with her cup of water. Bar an actual dilation of time, the rest of lunch could not have passed slower than it did. She was sure the couple was doing their best to be friendly to her, so why did every other comment of theirs sting?

As Spence paid for all three meals (over Ciena's objection), she received a call from her father. Though she took it in a corner of the restaurant, her face gave Ciena clues as to what the conversation was about. When Spence returned, she asked Ciena, "are you okay coming with us to my house for a bit? I know we didn't plan it, but my dad needs to go over some court papers with me. He says it can't wait."

"You don't have anywhere else you need to be today, right Ciena?" Toby added his own question to the mix.

"I… don't." How did he know Ciena's schedule? Ciena didn't remember telling him that when she'd agreed to join him yesterday. "Will your father think it's alright, Spence?"

Spence laughed. "He won't care. I don't even think he'll notice."

That last statement made more sense once the trio arrived at Spence's house. Except, in Ciena's view, it would be more appropriate to call the place a mansion. It wasn't as big as the chancellor's place had been, but it stood three times as big as Thane's childhood home. Surrounded by houses of equal grandeur, Ciena felt as though she'd entered an entirely different Hanna City than the one with which she'd grown familiar.

The next thing contributing to Ciena's impression of wealth was the staff. She noticed a droid pruning the garden on their way in, but the house itself was staffed with human servants. One didn't buy another sentient being the way they did a droid; they had to pay these people with living salaries to employ them in their household.

Despite her best efforts, Toby noticed Ciena's gawking as they waited in a sitting room for Spence to finish her meeting. "Thane told me a little bit about how you grew up on Jelucan. You… aren't used to houses like this, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I doubt I'll ever be."

"Well, just remember that the people who live here are people too. They aren't better or worse than you for having lots of money. The Republic believes in the equality of all sentients, so there's no looking down on people for their station or species."

Just as Toby said that, a brown-skinned human male with a downturned head entered the sitting room with a tray. "Drinks, sir and madam?"

"You still out of mockwhiskey?" Toby's tone lost its polish, dropping into a casual, disaffected register. "I'm not someone who drinks in the daytime."

"Of course, sir. Unfortunately, we still don't have the alcohol substitute you like." Something was familiar about the server's voice. It had a Naboo accent and sounded one harsh word away from bursting into tears. "Might I interest you in a fruit cider?"

"I guess." At Toby's assent, the server turned away from them, set his tray on a nearby table, and poured a glass of fruit cider from the bottle. Without looking either person in the eye, the server handed the glass off. Toby took a sip before remembering. "Did you want anything, Ciena?"

"I don't. Thank you for bringing us drinks… sir." How did one address a server in this context?

The server froze when he heard Ciena's voice. Rising up to his full height for the first time since entering the room, the server raised his head and looked Ciena square in the eye. When the thick black hair parted away from the server's face, Ciena bit back a gasp.

Akash Varma. The missing radar technician. He was here, serving drinks to a New Republic official in a lawyer's personal mansion. How in the stars did he get here?

Ciena wanted to ask, but she didn't want to do it in front of Toby. She came up with a plan on the fly. "Actually… sir, could you lead me to a refresher?"

Varma's eyes dropped back to the ground as he regained his decorum. "I-I can certainly do that, madam. Follow me."

Ciena nodded to Toby as she passed his chair. He nodded back, likely expecting her to return in a few minutes. She and Varma would not have long to talk. Ciena tried to start as soon as the door to the sitting room, but Varma's eyes pleaded with her to wait.

Making sure no one saw them enter the 'fresher together, Varma closed the door behind them. The two stood less than a half meter apart in front of an ornate crystal faucet. Ciena spoke first. "Radar Technician Varma. I didn't know you were on Chandrila."

"I… did know about you, Captain. That one news place published an article about you marrying a rebel." Varma's voice lost volume as he continued. He mumbled his last question. "It's true, isn't it?"

Ciena nodded. "Thane Kyrell and I knew each other when we were children. He's the only man I have ever loved." She wanted to dispel any misconceptions Varma may have before he had a chance to voice them. "I didn't marry him to avoid jail time. That just happened to come with it."

"I… I can't judge you, Captain. Things have been bad since the Empire lost." Varma blinked back tears. "Is your husband nice to you?"

"Yes. He's very kind." Ciena pursed her lips, wondering why Varma would ask her such a question. "What are you doing working in this household?"

"Mister, um, Master Hastley is my lawyer. He bailed me out of jail when the New Republic caught me a few weeks ago. I heard he was the best at getting people out of war prison, and my public defender had told me I would rot forever, so I begged Master Hastley to help me while he was there for some other client. He told me he would if I could pay him. I don't have any money, so he said I could work off my debt in his house."

Ciena's heart froze when she thought of all the people she'd passed on the way in here. "Is that how he gets all of his servants?"

"Um… most of them, at the moment. Not the butler, I don't think." No one with any power, in other words.

Something was off about Varma's story. Ciena struggled to put what it was into words. "When I was being held by the New Republic, my charges were serious because of my rank and record. You weren't in the Empire as long as I was. You barely saw war. How bad can the charges against you be?"

"I… my commander after Jakku wasn't as kind as you. He had us do all sorts of terrible things with our prisoners, and when the New Republic beat us, he fled the ship in its last working escape pod." Varma shook his head at the memory. "He left us to be caught. The exact opposite of what you did."

Was Varma not a radar technician? What sort of prisoner torture could he possibly have been involved in? "You handled prisoners?"

He nodded, clutching his stomach. "Crews got small on Imperial ships after Jakku. People had a lot of different jobs."

What did Varma do to New Republic prisoners? Actually, Ciena wasn't sure she wanted an answer to that question. She asked a different one instead. "What progress has your case made in court?"

"It's... moving slow. Master Hastley has a lot of clients, and most of them are a lot more important than I am. My trial has been postponed until his other clients are done."

Depending on who this lawyer was representing, that could take months. Even years. And all the while, this lawyer got to enjoy the devoted labor of desperate men. Hastley was playing the system against the disadvantaged. The setup filled Ciena with rage. "Do you have to wait for trial at Hastley's house?"

"Yes." Varma stepped back, then put his leg up on the toilet seat. He rolled the hem of his pants up to reveal a tight fitting ankle bracelet. "I'm on house arrest. This is the address on my bail forms, so it's… my house." He gulped, laying his leg down. "It's a… big house. It's nicer than prison. I can wait here."

Ciena couldn't just leave it at that. "Does Hastley treat his staff well?"

Varma shook his head, then contradicted himself. "Yes. I mean, he's better than my last commander. He doesn't have anyone tied to a torture chair. He just… he's just really loud. He yells a lot when people make mistakes or say the wrong thing, and I'm still new here, so… he's shouted in my face a lot."

With someone as soft as Varma, a delicate touch worked best. Ciena thought back to when he was repairing equipment on the Inflictor. He'd cried when she asked him about delays, but her reassurances afterward had brought the two to an understanding. "I'm sorry, Varma. You don't deserve to be treated this way."

He slumped. "I kinda do, though. What I did to those prisoners… it wasn't right. I knew it wasn't right, but I was so scared they'd torture me next that I did it anyway." Varma held back sobs. "I'm a filthy war criminal."

"You were coerced into a crime by your commander. Your ex-commander should be punished, not you." Ciena rubbed Varma's back. "Have they caught him yet?"

Varma shook his head. "They… they tried to get me to tell them where he went, but I didn't know. They said… they would take most of the years off my sentence if I told them, but I didn't know. It wasn't a loyalty thing, I swear!"

"I believe you." Ciena reassured him. "What would it take to get you out of this house? I know another lawyer you can talk to, one who won't treat you like a slave."

"Master Hastley paid my bail. It was ten thousand credits! The house arrest rules are really specific. If I leave his house, I'll go back to prison. I don't know if the New Republic would let me get bailed out again. They might ask for more money if they do."

So he was stuck here even if he did switch lawyers. More importantly, Hastley was going to want those ten thousand credits back. Lawyers like him probably used contracts to enforce shady dealings like this; if Varma didn't pay it all back, he could end up in prison for an entirely different reason than the one he started with. Ciena didn't have that sort of money, nor did anyone else that she would trust with this problem.

Varma was her subordinate once. He'd been loyal to her. It was Ciena's duty to repay his loyalty with her service, but what could she do? How could she help a man she had no power to liberate? "I… I can't get you out of here."

"I know." Varma's breath was ragged from suppressed wheezing. "You... don't know any rebels I can marry, do you?"

Ciena shook her head. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Varma hesitated. "It would send me into more debt if I asked Hastley to do it, but I want to send a message to my mom on Naboo. I didn't call her when I was in prison, and I want her to know I'm alive. I have it all written, I just need to mail it." He pulled a few folded pieces of flimsi out of his servant's jacket. He held it out to Ciena, arm shaking. "Could you… send it for me, Captain?"

Ciena accepted the letter. She stuck it into her own pocket without hesitation. "You can tell me Ciena now. I'm not a captain anymore. I will make sure this letter reaches your mother."

Varma threw his hands out, but stopped short of embracing Ciena. Confused, he switched to a salute instead. "Thank you! I… I won't forget this, Ciena."

Ciena returned his salute. "I won't forget you either. If your mother sends a reply, I'll make sure you get it." In the meantime, Ciena was going to see what she could do about Varma's situation more generally. Thane had twisted the law to save her. Ciena was blessed to have her freedom. It would be a waste of privilege if she didn't use it to help others.

Varma wiped the smile off his face when he realized. "We should get going. The madam's boyfriend will be suspicious if you don't return soon. I have… other duties. Do you know how to get back?"

"I can handle it. It was an honor to see you again, Varma." Ciena beamed through her worries. She left the 'fresher first.

Conversation stopped when she returned to the sitting room. Toby and Spence were seated side by side, waiting for her. "That was a long trip to the 'fresher. Did lunch not agree with your stomach?"

"I was pretty upset in there." Ciena was careful not to lie. It stung her to be deceptive like this, but she no longer trusted these people to be honorable. "Will you please take me home?"

"Actually, we were thinking about going shopping. Did you want to come with us, Ciena? Spence could help you find stuff for your face."

What did Toby have against Ciena's bare face? "No thank you. I… just remembered I have some errands to run. I won't bother you with them. Please just take me back to my apartment."

After sharing a concerned glance, the two agreed to take Ciena back. Spence watched her with something akin to worry in her eyes. "Call us when you feel less sick, okay?"

Ciena wasn't the sick one here. Spence's father was. Maybe even Spence herself. Ciena thought about confronting the two about the people in Spence's house, but that would require her to admit she'd talked to Varma. She didn't want to get Varma in trouble.

Besides, Ciena could already hear what sort of justification these two would offer for their practices. War criminals were a difficult group of people to advocate for. In the eyes of some, Hastley's treatment would be seen as generous. He bailed them out of prison, took their case, and let them stay in his house. So what if he had them do chores while they stayed over? Varma himself had admitted Hastley was kinder to him than his last commander had been.

Ciena wasn't completely on board with that logic, though. Better didn't always cross the line into good. A lesser evil was still a force of evil. Ciena had spent too much of her life serving evil to tolerate it now.

A horrible thought came to Ciena just then. Toby was Thane's friend. Thane was friends with the sort of people who did this. Did he see anything wrong with what Hastley was doing? Did he know the truth when he'd asked Toby to look out for her? Ciena refused to believe he did.

That was where Ciena would start. She would mail Varma's letter, then call Thane. He would help her figure out what to do next.

"Here we are." Toby dropped Ciena off at the entrance to her apartment building. "Hope you feel better, Ciena."

"Thank you." Ciena forced herself to be polite. She took care not to rush out of her seat and into the building. Right before she opened the door, Spence caught her on the shoulder. Ciena grabbed her hand, releasing it the instant she realized what she'd done.

"You dropped this in the speeder." Spence handed her a piece of flimsi. A page of Varma's letter!

Ciena snatched the flimsi before anyone could get a good look at it. "Thank you, Spence. Enjoy the rest of your day."

"...You too." Spence gave Ciena an odd look as she climbed back into the speeder. Ciena didn't know how to decipher it.

She didn't have time to decipher it, either. Flimsi letter was a rare, outdated form of communication. If Ciena wanted to send the message quickly, she would transcribe it and send it across the Holonet. Except that would require Ciena to read what her former radar technician had written in a heartfelt message to his mother. That invasion of privacy didn't sit right with her. Which meant she had to send the message the old fashioned way.

The interplanetary post office closed in less than an hour.


A/N's: It took me a while to figure out how to get to the part of the plot I really want to write, but we're almost there, folks! Threads are starting to weave together. I worry they're pulling readers (and their sympathies) in an odd direction. Still, I hope you appreciate the story so far.

Also, I have changed the title of this story. I still don't like it, so it's possible I'll change my mind again later. Sorry for any difficulties this causes my readers. Thank you for sticking around with me on this journey! Don't forget to let me know your thoughts below!