Chapter 3
Sera looked over at Taz from the pilot's seat. It was the middle of the night watch and they were alone in the cockpit. "You sure you don't want me to take care of this, Doc? You two didn't exactly part on the best terms."
Taz pressed his lips together. "Thanks for the offer, Sera, but I'm going to have to face her one way or another. And I think it'll be better if she gets the news from someone she was… close to."
"Okay, Doc."
Taz dialed up the non-emergency frequency for their old ship. "Dufilvian Sector Force flagship Pride of Olminar, from DSF auxiliary fleet courier Allegra's Heart, please respond." There was a low hiss from the hyperwave carrier that lasted a few seconds. A filvian female voice that Taz didn't recognize answered the hail. "Courier Allegra's Heart, this is Pride of Olminar. What can we do for you?"
Despite the apprehension he was feeling, Taz grinned at Sera. "It's good to speak with you, Olminar. I'm Taz Oktos, formerly of Sector Force seven-six-seven and Razorclaw Cell. I need to speak to Captain Tessalyn Daro on a personal message of some urgency. Can you patch me through?"
"Captain Daro is off duty, Oktos-grasha. I'll put you through to her quarters. Standby."
"Thank you," Taz said, an anxious knot growing in his stomach. Sera was right about the way they'd parted. Will she even want to talk to me? He wasn't even sure what he wanted to say. He kicked himself for not having thought of something in advance. The last thing he wanted to do was to trip all over the news that he might have found her parents.
"Oktos-grasha, I'm connecting you now," said the filvian Comms officer. There was a break in the audio, then the video display lit up. A man stared into the pickup. He had the kind of face that made you think you'd seen him somewhere before.
"No video on auxiliary fleet couriers, I see."
"Oh. Sorry," Taz said and threw the switch to turn on his camera. "I'm trying to contact Tess— Captain Daro, I mean."
"She's busy at the moment, should be here soon though. I'm Captain Varun Numarkos. Is there something I can do for you?"
Taz leaned back in his seat like he'd been struck. So this is the man who took Tess from me. He hoped his face didn't betray the sudden maelstrom of emotions he felt. "Numarkos… grasha." He almost forgot to add the honorific. "Are you related to General Dianthe Numarkos?"
"She's my aunt," Varun answered. "Do you know her?"
"We served together, in Razorclaw Cell. I, um, need to deliver a message to Captain Daro. It's important." He hesitated before adding, "It concerns her family."
"Her family? Her family is—" Numarkos paused. "What about them?" He stared into the pickup, intent and alert.
"I think I should speak to Captain Daro directly."
"Varun, who is it?" sounded the familiar voice through the speaker. Tess came into view, dressed in a light robe, rubbing her damp hair with a towel. Taz didn't know they had actual water showers onboard these days. They're sharing quarters. He felt deflated and awkward.
Varun stood aside as Tess approached. Just out of frame he said, "Someone calling for you. Said he has information about your parents."
On the screen, Tess's dark eyes went wide. Her beautiful face filled the display. "Taz?" she said.
"Hello, Tess."
She looked as uncomfortable as he felt. "What— what is this about?"
"Tess, I think we might have found your parents."
Her hand went to her mouth. "Are you sure? How do you know?"
"The names Jerric and Amanda Daro appear in log entries from an Imperial mining operation."
"That's… I don't believe it." She uttered, hardly more than a whisper. Varun had moved back in-frame and she wrapped her arms around him. He held her tightly. She hid her head in his chest and might have been crying. Taz stiffened, seeing her take solace in another man's arms. The knot in his stomach twisted, hard. It felt as though someone had reached into his chest and was squeezing his heart.
"You're Taz Oktos?" Varun asked, his voice tense.
"That's right."
"Where'd you get your intel?"
"It's a long story. We're on our way to Filve. We can meet you somewhere, give you the details, and the data."
Tess pulled back from Varun, brushed a sleeve across her eyes, and drew a calming breath. "We're at Womrik. How far out are you?"
"A few hours away from Filve, near Mon Gazza."
"I'll have new coordinates sent to you." She looked at him with such an intense gaze that she could have been right next to him instead of light-years distant. "I don't know how to thank you, Taz."
She was so beautiful, and beyond reach, just like the last time he saw her on Jakku. His breath caught in his throat. "You don't have to," he said, dragging out the words. "I'll… I'll talk to you soon. Allegra's Heart out." He closed the channel before he lost his composure completely. It was only when he let out a shuddering breath that he remembered Sera. She regarded him with the sober, concerned look he'd come to appreciate from her over the past months.
"Sounds like that went better than your last meeting."
Taz nodded, tension flowing out of his body. He felt drained, and upset. Seeing Tess with Numarkos had been a bigger shock than he imagined. "Yeah, better than last time." He got up slowly. "I'm gonna grab some rack time before we get to Womrik, if that's okay."
"Sure, Doc. You look like you could use it."
Defense platform Juraxis Alpha orbited Womrik at its fourth libration point, providing overwatch and protection for the massive starship construction facility that orbited nearby. A new installation, construction had begun almost on the day that the Concordance was signed to signal the official surrender of the Galactic Empire. Now nearing eighty percent completion, its primary ion mass driver cannons and dedicated reactors were being installed. The Pride of Olminar hovered a few hundred meters above the station while construction teams worked amidst inbound and outbound traffic. The assault frigate's curved hull and aggressive lines hadn't lost any of their power to awe. Taz felt pangs of nostalgia and a swell of pride, seeing the ship he'd served on for over six years.
"That was your ship during the war?" Lyra said to Taz, examining it closely with a pilot's practiced eye.
"Yep. That's the Old Ghost herself. She looks almost as good as the day I came aboard."
"She's a beauty," Nimor admitted. "Don't think I've seen anything like her."
"She was one of a kind, a converted yacht if you can believe that. They're building a whole fleet of frigates for the DSF based on her specs, from what I've heard."
"I guess the Rebellion used whatever they could get their hands on." The former Customs officer tried to sound inoffensive, if not upbeat. Her conversation with Sera was still in her mind. She pointed toward the back of the ship. "What are those protrusions?"
"Modular bays, for cargo and the like, though we mostly had them configured as hangars. Her complement included a squadron of A-wings, plus the two assault shuttles docked on the ventral hull."
Lyra let out a slow whistle, impressed despite herself. "You fit a squadron of interceptors in that?"
Taz wore a huge grin. "You'd love her, Ensign Nimor. Maybe we can arrange a tour."
"I'm sure they'll rush to roll out the purple runner for an Imperial officer," she scoffed.
"Ex-Imperial." Sera stood between them, a hand on each of the pilot seats. "A lot's changed."
"I'll bet not as much as you think," Nimor responded. "Thanks for the offer, though."
Lyra agreed that handling the approach would make an excellent test of Taz's terminal-phase piloting skills, so she let him take Allegra's Heart in. Juraxis Control provided a docking gate for them, and Taz maneuvered the freighter carefully, pushing in toward the platform with his lateral thrusters while matching its rotational speed. It felt a little like the training run that had been interrupted by Nanvarr's distress signal.
At four meters distance, Lyra started calling out corrections. "X plus two. Zed plus point five. Good. Aaaaaaand... capture." Allegra's portside docking ring connected to the platform's gate with a muted clang that nonetheless reverberated in the small freighter.
Taz swore and blew out the breath he'd been holding. Reiko hopped and clapped her approval. Sera gave his shoulder a congratulatory squeeze. "Using the auto-docking program would've been a lot easier."
"You need to know how to do it on manual, Oktos. Just in case."
"Yeah, I know. That doesn't make it any less nerve-wracking."
The pilot smirked. "After you've done it a couple dozen times you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. What's next after docking?"
"Um," he stalled, thinking through the flight operations manual she'd made him read. "Securing the ship?"
"Are you asking me, or telling me, Oktos?" She flicked a glance at Sera. The former special forces soldier watched them with mild amusement.
Taz drew a breath. "I'm telling you."
"Good." Her smile grew just a little. "Secure the ship."
"Secure the ship, aye." Taz worked the controls, securing the ship from docking operations. Reiko took Sera's hand. "Let's go see the dockmaster about resupply. We burned most of our fuel getting here, and If we're heading back out to the Rim I want to top up on consumables."
Taz clambered out of the copilot's seat. He patted the slot pocket under the Rixon Charter Service patch on his vest to be sure he had Nanvarr's data cylinder. "You coming?" he said to Lyra.
Lyra didn't think she'd be any more welcome on the platform than she would on Taz's old ship. On Jakku she'd been abandoned by the platoon of stormtroopers she'd been transporting, and nearly shot as a suspected Rebel spy. But despite Sera's characterization of her as an ex-Imperial, she'd never actually resigned her commission. According to the Instruments of Surrender that the Empire had signed, that made her a war criminal, since she was outside of Imperial space. It was probably just a technicality, but if some hotshot security officer ran her ident profile, she might end up in a brig. "Never cared for orbital stations much. Something about their gravity generators doesn't feel right. I'll just grab some downtime here."
He gave her a skeptical look, but shrugged after a second and followed the other two out.
They stepped inside the platform, passed through security, and signed in with the slender administrative droid. Sera and Rei got directions to the quartermaster's office. "You sure you don't want us to go with you, Doc?"
"I'll be fine, Sera," he assured her.
"Alright. If I'm not back before you, call when you're ready to depart."
"Will do." Taz asked for directions to the intelligence section offices and started down the long, broad corridor. Plastic wall panels floor to ceiling flooded the hallway with phase-corrected light mimicking daytime illumination on Womrik. He'd visited there once, when he was seven, on a family vacation. That was about all that he could recall about the planet, though. Taz took a few steps, springing on the balls of his feet. The gravity didn't feel any different here than on Allegra's Heart, as far as he could tell. It occurred to him then that Lyra might have been making an excuse. Coming from Filve, where gregariousness was basically baked into his genetic code, he had trouble understanding her reluctance to spend time with other people. The next instant a thought occured to him. Maybe she's not comfortable on a Republic-allied military installation, Taz.
He stopped at a crossway to check the directions on his datapad. A mouse droid bumped into his foot, then reversed and went around him, squeaking something in Binary that sounded suspiciously like an insult. He got his bearings and turned right, ending up at a checkpoint.
Behind a reinforced transparisteel barrier a young trooper wearing the uniform of the DSF fleet addressed him without looking up. "Business?"
"Tazbarada Oktos, to see Captain Numarkos." He inserted his code cylinder in the data port.
She read the display, then looked at him, taking note of the commemorative patch on his vest that he and the other members of Razorclaw Cell had all been given. "You served in the Rebellion, sir?"
"Yep. Eight years."
"Anywhere interesting?" A heavy steel drawer opened in front of him. "No weapons beyond this point, sir."
"Around the sector mostly, except for my last posting." Taz slipped his DT-15 from its holster and unclipped the combat vibroblade from the small of his back. He put both in the drawer, which retracted into the wall. He pressed his palm against the scanner plate and looked into the retinal camera to set the biometric lock.
"Where was that, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Jakku, Trooper."
"Was that an interesting place, sir?"
The corner of his mouth curled. "Not particularly."
She smiled at him. The fresh-faced woman couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen. Taz hoped she'd never have to see the kind of things he did at that age, or feel the wrenching anguish of losing so many friends.
"Through the doors, make your first left, then the second right. Shall I send a mouse droid to guide you?"
"That's not necessary."
"Very well. Have a nice day, sir."
"You too, Trooper."
Tess could hardly contain her excitement. She hadn't slept at all since she'd received Taz's communication and the news that her parents might be alive. Varun gently urged her to temper her expectations, but she knew Taz wouldn't have called unless he was confident in his information. Nevertheless, the thousand questions she had swirling in her head kept her so distracted that she'd requested temporary leave from her post as the Olminar's Second Officer.
More than two months had passed since the dinner she'd had with Taz in that dusty cantina that left them both heartbroken. Still, Tess had hoped he might join the DSF. There was so much work to be done to secure the sector and rebuild their alliances with other planetary forces. But Jakku had taken its toll; she'd seen how it had nearly crushed him. She couldn't fault him for leaving the military.
For his part, Varun was intensely curious regarding Taz's source. He'd had feelers out with the Intel teams going through the Imperial government archives on Coruscant in case they got any hits on her parents, but those had turned up nothing. Varun poured her a cup of khaff and set it down on the table. "Come, sit Tessa. Pacing won't make him get here any faster."
It was only then that she realized she'd been wearing a track the length of the small office into the carpet. Varun held out his hand in that kind, confident way he'd had with her since the very first time she saw him, lying on a litter, bandaged and battered from the explosion that had nearly cut through the Olminar and left the Operations Center in ruins. Despite his burns and critical injuries, he'd reached over and taken her hand when she panicked after realizing she couldn't speak. The damage to her vocal cords took two surgeries to repair, and months to rehabilitate. They'd healed together at Arclight's medical facility, and they'd fallen in love there. She remembered why, then, and sat beside him.
The glass doors slid open, and Taz walked in. He was wearing the blue combat utility vest he favored, a light khaki button-front shirt, gray spacer's pants, and dark boots. He'd shaved the beard he had on Jakku. She didn't really care for it since it hid the earnest, vulnerable side of him that she'd always loved. The haunted look he'd had back then was gone too. He looked good, if a little uncomfortable.
"Captain Daro, Captain Numarkos-grasha, thanks for meeting me."
"We appreciate you coming all this way, Oktos-grasha." Varun said, extending his hand. Taz took it with barely any hesitation. "Tessa tells me you haven't been back to the sector in some time."
"It's… been a while."
Tess held out her hand and said, "I'm so glad you were able to come, Taz." She hoped she'd struck the right tone, and that she didn't betray either her repressed excitement over his news, or the little thrill from touching his hand again. She glanced over at Varun; she could already feel tension in the air. "Please, sit. Khaff?"
"Sure, thanks," Taz nodded and she poured a cup. Varun touched a control on the table. The glass wall and sliding doors went instantly opaque. At the same time, the sonic baffles cut in, lending a dull quality to the ambient sounds in the room. Varun ran a quick security scan. After a moment, a feminine voice said, "Scan complete. Security protocol two-delta-seven."
"We're free from prying eyes, ears, and electronics," Varun pronounced. "Would you mind showing us your intel?"
Taz drew Nanvarr's data cylinder from his vest and plugged it into the scomp port on the table. He tapped at the controls on the glass panel, accessing the file matrix. He scrolled through the selections, then opened one.
The holoprojector on the table displayed log entries showing output from a mining operation. Scanning the rows of data, Tess saw multiple references to 'kyberite' and 'crystals'. She'd never heard of them, but Varun's expression grew a degree more serious. Her foot started tapping with nervous anticipation.
Taz looked over at her. The briefest smile crossed his face. "Sorry," he said. "Look here." He scrolled the list down, displaying two entries highlighted with red outlines, several rows apart. The first described a logistical entry for maintenance of excavation equipment. It was signed: Jerric Daro, Operations Section Leader. The other referenced a crystalline core sample analysis. Taz opened the file, a precis of what must have been a larger document. Below the report's title, the byline read: Amanda Daro, Chief Scientist.
Tess sat back, her hands trembling. Her tears started again and she uttered a cry of joy despite her best efforts at control. Varun gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She looked at him, feeling as if her heart were going to burst with happiness "I can't believe it!" Then to Taz, "I can't— how did you find this?"
Taz looked even more uneasy. He could see how happy the news had made her, but he couldn't share in it, not like he would have if they were still together. She knew he wanted to comfort her too, and hold her like he used to. But she'd taken that precious duty from him and given it to Varun. He tried to hide it, but she could tell by the little changes in his posture, and the way he went back to staring at the projected data, just how hard it was for him to watch her being consoled by another man. She sniffed, smiled at Varun, and carefully took her hand from his. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't let myself go to pieces like that."
Taz responded with a stiff shake of his head. "It's great news, Tess. You don't have to apologize."
Varun had an intrigued look. "This is— incredible news. But these entries are more than five years old."
"What are you saying, Varun?" Tess looked suddenly anxious.
"Tessa," he said, taking both her hands in his. "I know you want to believe this, and I do too. But we need to keep a perspective. Just until we determine that it's the real thing." Then to Taz: "Do you mind if I run this through heuristics to analyze its authenticity?" He worked at his keypad, beginning the analysis. While it ran, he prompted, "What's your source?"
"A Fereax we picked up, after receiving a distress call."
"Fereax? Never heard of them."
Taz briefly described the being, then added, "He was probably the last of his species, if what he told us is true."
"Was?"
"He died. Was killed, actually, by an HK-seventy-seven droid, left over from when the Empire occupied Konlac."
"Sounds like a complicated story."
"It is."
"Do you know where this mining operation is?"
"The Beta Fonidian system. It's in the southwest corner of galactic grid Wesk-seven."
"That's deep in Wild Space," Tess said, visualizing the galactic map in her head. "Is there any navigational data in there?"
"Just coordinates. From what Nanvarr told us, it's an Imperial installation. Given the nature of his work, I'd bet it was a shadow op. Completely off-book." He showed them the Tarkin Initiative memo. Varun stared at it intently, reading it over twice.
Tess jumped in. "I'm going, shadow site or no. If my parents are alive, I'm bringing them home!" Her mind raced. She'd need to assemble a small task force, start plotting a route and get Fleet Command to authorize an extra-sector mission. "I'm going to contact General Rexler and get clearance for—"
"Tessa, sweetheart," Varun said, touching her arm. "Fleet will never approve a military op into Wild Space, either with New Republic or DSF assets. We've no idea what we'd be walking into. Hell, that space isn't even mapped. It'll take days, maybe weeks, to get out that far. It would have to be under NOC—" Seeing Taz's inquiring look he added, "Non-Official Cover. If you go, you'll need to hire a ship."
"We're going," Taz said, looking at her. "Allegra's Heart, I mean. You can hire us."
"What's there for you?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Maybe nothing. Maybe answers to some questions I've been asking myself for a while." He looked away and didn't seem like saying anything more.
Varun's panel blinked. The heuristics analysis was finished. Tess leaned over, relishing the feel of his shoulder against hers. As happy as she was, she needed his closeness right now. She read the results. "Ninety-seven point oh-three-three percent."
"What does that mean?" asked Taz.
"It means, I'm going to the Beta Fonidian system," she said, beaming.
Sera and Kallista waited at the docking port as Tess Daro and Varun Numarkos approached on one of the station's automated repulsor taxis.
"Captain Daro, how wonderful it is to see you!" Kallista said with a little bow.
"Hello, Kallista. How are you?"
"I'm very well, thank you, Captain, quite enjoying my new crew and vessel."
"Good afternoon, Kallista," Numarkos smiled.
"Varun-nagrasha, I hope you've been well. I spoke to your aunt just the other day. She's doing quite well, although between you, me, and the charging socket, I think she still works much too hard."
"That sounds very much like aunt Dee-nagrasha," Varun said with a broad grin.
"It's my honor to introduce you to my mistress, Sera Rendix, captain of Allegra's Heart, and co-owner of Rixon Charter Service." She turned to Sera. "Captain Rendix, please allow me to introduce Captain Varun Numarkos. He served in Sector Force seven-six-seven before joining the analysis branch of New Republic Fleet Intelligence. Captain Numarkos is the liaison officer to the DSF Intelligence Division."
Sera shook both of their hands. "I don't think I had the pleasure of serving with you, Captain Numarkos. Welcome to Allegra's Heart, both of you."
"Thank you Captain Rendix," Varun answered, "and, no, I came aboard after Razorclaw's ground units had joined the New Republic on Jakku."
"Captain Rendix, I'm Tess Daro. Remember me?"
"Of course, Captain. How could I forget the assault shuttle pilot who flew my Ballista team from one end of the sector to the other," She smiled and extended her hand.
Tess returned the smile. "Javelin Squad leader, right?"
"In another life, but yes, that was me, Captain."
"Call me Tess."
"Sera."
Tess looked out the window at their ship. "Corellian YV Nine-Twenty-nine, isn't she? Looks like you've modded her, too."
"Inside and out, although I can't take any of the credit," Sera said, then added, "Good eye, Tess."
"Used to see these in the Rim when I was a kid on my parent's salvage rig." She got a faraway, melancholy look in her eye.
Sera smiled. She knew that look, and how much it meant that Tess might actually get to see her parents. Sera couldn't remember anything about hers. Occasionally her loathing for them receded by a degree, and she thought it might be interesting to see them, just long enough to understand why they'd sold her to the vicious Amberdyre syndicate. "Let's see if we can get them back for you."
Tess smiled. "Well, Sera, permission to come aboard?"
"Of course," she answered, ushering them through the docking ring. "Yuzu here will take your bags to your cabin."
Yuzu introduced himself. "Welcome aboard Allegra's Heart, Captain Daro-nagrasha, Captain Numarkos-nagrasha. I hope you'll have a pleasant stay on board. If there's anything I can do for either of you, please do let me know."
"Is he a filvian droid?" Varun asked, watching Yuzu unload their luggage.
Sera's mouth twitched. "No, but he likes to pretend he is. Reiko swears she didn't teach him any of the honorifics." Varun smiled broadly. As they walked on board, she casually mentioned, "Doc said to expect one passenger."
"Last minute decision," Varun answered. "Fleet thinks it's worth sending someone to take a look. And Tessa…"
"They don't think I can be objective under the circumstances." She had a sour look but didn't seem displeased about having Numarkos along.
"That won't be a problem, will it?"
"Not at all, Captain." Not for anyone except Doc, maybe. If this mining facility, or whatever it was, was as important as Nanvarr seemed to think, she'd need all her people in top form. She hoped the months they'd put behind them since Jakku was enough to take most of the sting out of Taz's and Tess's breakup, but she'd been in the trenches long enough to know that hearts were fragile things, even the hearts of strong people like the doc. She made a note to keep an eye on him, at least for the first couple of days.
"Call me Varun. I expect on a ship this size we're all going to get to know each other pretty well. Tessa tells me the flight's going to take more than a week."
"Probably close to two, says our pilot." They arrived at the lift. "Kalli will take you to your cabin, unless you'd like separate ones."
"No," said Tess with a little smile. "One cabin is good."
"Great. Listen, when you've settled in, come to the salon and I'll introduce you to everyone."
The crew of Allegra's Heart and their guests sat around the big table in the passenger salon. In addition to the forward viewports, Reiko had incorporated ambient display panels in the walls and ceiling of the lounge's domed front end, so that it appeared as if they were looking out into the broad panorama of space. On the screens, Juraxis Alpha receded past the port side of the ship.
Over the intercom, Lyra announced, "Transit to lightspeed in three, two, one, mark." The starfield became a mass of blurred lines that resolved into the familiar, sometimes disorienting blue and white formless void of hyperspace. The ambient displays dimmed.
Tess nodded her appreciation. "I love what you've done with your ship Sera, Reiko. It's really marvelous."
"Thanks, Tess," Rei said, leaning against Sera and feeling inordinately pleased with herself.
"Just how much did you modify this ship?" Varun asked.
"Well, probably half of the major systems, the dorsal and ventral defense turrets are custom, repulsors, one of the ion drives, hyperdrive, main reactor, all of the power converters—"
"And the galley," Taz added, sharing a grin with Reiko, who sat beside him at one end of the booth bench. Kallista brought a tray of khaff, milk, and mugs, then left and returned with sandwiches.
Lyra entered the salon carrying her datapad and sat across from Taz at the other end of the wraparound bench. Kallista poured her a glass of blue milk while she picked out a sandwich from the stack and began eating. After a couple of bites, she activated the pad's holoprojector to display a navigational map.
"We're here, at Womrik, headed for Leritor." One of the stars blinked a bright yellow. The map shifted as she spoke. "We'll catch the Manda Merchant route rimward to hook up with the Triellus Trade Route." She took another bite of her sandwich and chased it down with a drink of milk.
"It's a straight shot up the Triellus as far as Handooine, then we cut over to Mon Cala, then—"
"Prousley's Rim Run out past Lothal to Baros," Tess finished. "Nice plot."
Lyra nodded. "Thanks, Miss Daro."
"Call me Tess," she responded and put out her hand.
"Lyra. Lyra Nimor." The two pilots exchanged handshakes across the table.
"That's a lot of jumps," Reiko said, interlacing her fingers with Sera's.
"That's the easy part. We've lined up a couple of cargo drops along the way, but that should only take a few days, as long as we don't run into pirates or marauders. Baros is the end of the Prousley's, so we'll head galactic east from there and start plotting by nav sensors."
"If there is an Imperial installation out there, then maybe they've placed some jump beacons we can follow," Tess suggested.
"Maybe. We have Imperial military sensors and comms, plus tactical and nav suites, so we might be able to pick up encrypted beacons if we get close enough. If not, we'll be feeling our way and it'll take forever," Nimor finished, looking sour at the thought.
Varun looked surprised. "Where'd you get all the Imperial tech?"
Reiko's mouth twitched into a mischievous smile. "A damaged VT-Forty-nine Decimator we found on Jakku. Isn't it great?"
"It's convenient, at the very least," he said. "And the name? Who's Rixon?"
"We all are," Reiko answered, pointing to each of the women, "Rendix, Nimor—" She tapped her chest— "and Hudson. Mix and match the letters, and you get Rixon."
"And you, Oktos-grasha?"
Taz waved his hand. "They're the owners. I'm just the help."
"Well," Sera said, "It sounds like we're going to be spending plenty of time together. Let's try to make the best of it."
Taz found as many excuses as he could to spend time in engineering or in medbay. He wasn't trying to avoid Tess and Varun especially, but he'd convinced himself that the less he saw of them, the less likely he was to commit some error, say something inappropriate, or reach for her, out of instinct or need.
It turned out that force-fitting major subsystems from an Imperial assault transport onto a civilian freighter meant a near-constant stream of maintenance and adjustments. Allegra's environmental control software didn't talk to the VT-49's power converter circuits very well. The one ion drive they'd taken from the Decimator had a different power curve than the CEC unit it was matched with. Ditto for the repulsors, half of which were stock, the other half from the Kuat Systems' vessel. The military-grade communications and sensors worked well enough, but the clusters needed frequent realignment. So in practice, Taz hardly needed to worry about finding things to keep him busy; Allegra threw new distractions at him every day.
Sera, Taz, and the droids had spent most of the day making their first cargo drop in the Teth system, a major port along the Triellus. What was supposed to take a couple of hours dragged on much too long, thanks to a port worker's strike that the local Hutts had whipped up. The Empire had ruled Teth until about a year ago, and while the civil government still functioned, it was rapidly losing ground to the resurgent criminal underground run by the giant slug clans.
After calling their broker to apply pressure and making some carefully directed 'civil donations' to the appropriate dockmasters, Their cargo of cryofluid and machine parts was offloaded, and they picked up the promised seventy metric tons of ramakorm maize. It was late in the evening before Taz and Yuzu finished securing the load in the holds.
Rubbing a throbbing headache from his temples, Taz grabbed a cold supper from the galley cooler and headed up to the medbay. He swallowed a couple of analgesics, then sat at the small desk with his nerfburger. He looked up some maintenance data for the ambient temperature regulator, which had been running a little hot, but after a few sentences, he decided he wasn't really interested in reading technical manuals.
He switched to Master Jorun's journal. Taz pored over the diary entries, searching for references to the mental skills that Nanvarr had tried to teach him— sensing the feelings of others, persuading them to take actions favorable to him, and even probing someone's mind for thoughts or knowledge they might not want to share. Taz felt the immense potential for abusing such abilities, and indeed Nanvarr had said much the same. But there might come a time when he would need information that might not be freely given.
After an hour he sat back and rubbed his eyes. Perusing volumes of old handwriting hadn't been the best idea after a long day. Taz thought a quick shower before his overnight watch might do him some good. He slid his chair back when Varun Numarkos stuck his head through the door.
"So this is where you've been hiding out, Oktos-grasha." He flashed a smile that held little mirth. "Do you have a few minutes?"
Taz switched off the screen. "It's a little late, Numarkos-grasha."
"It won't take long. You can call me Varun, by the way. We were both Razorclaws. No need to be so formal."
Taz shrugged. "What is it, Numarkos-grasha?" The corner of Varun's mouth twitched. Whether he was amused or annoyed Taz couldn't say. He didn't much care, either.
"You're probably wondering why I'm accompanying you. It's not like Tessa needs an escort."
Why are you calling her Tessa? She hates that name. "No. She can take care of herself."
"That she can," Varun agreed, smiling. When Taz didn't respond, he spread his hands. "Hey, I'm trying to make an effort here, Oktos. I know what happened with Tessa and me wasn't easy for you."
You don't know. Anything. Taz wondered, for just a second, how it would feel to smash the smug intelligence officer's head against the door jamb. Probably just great, until Tess found out. "What happened with me and Tess is between us. Tell me why you're here. That's what you came to do, isn't it?"
"Sure, okay. We've been collecting intel for years indicating that the Empire's been scouring the galaxy for sources of high-grade kyber crystals. Both of the Death Stars used them, and there were plans for other superlaser platforms. A lot of them. There are rumors of hidden shipyards out in the Rim, and even beyond. So when I saw that those log entries referenced kyberite, well, it's easy enough to put two and two together."
"You think that's what the Fonidian operation is for? Building superlasers?"
"That, and maybe some other things. That's what I'm going to find out."
"What other things?"
"Portable weapons, maybe. Even as small as a blaster, or a lightsaber. You know, like the one you have."
"How do you—" Taz started. But of course he'd know. Tess would have told him, even though he'd asked her to keep his secret.
Varun cracked another annoying smile. "It wasn't Tessa," he said, guessing Taz's thoughts. "She confirmed it when I asked, but you let out your own secret when you used the Force to heal those troops on Jakku. We Filvians are a chatty bunch. Word gets around, even if it's just rumors." He paused to see if Taz would respond. "In any case, the New Republic is taking a keen interest in Force-adepts like you."
"What would they want with me? I can barely use it."
"That's not what the troops said," he answered with a wave of his hand. "With the right training, you'd be an exceptional asset."
"Asset? For what?"
"Intelligence gathering, tactical operations, any of a hundred other things."
"I'm not joining New Republic Intelligence, or any other branch."
"No need to join, Oktos-grasha, you can be a contractor. Might actually work out better that way."
Taz shook his head. By contractor, he meant mercenary. "Not happening. I did my part for the Rebellion, the Alliance, and the New Republic."
"Look, Oktos, I get it, but you're needed out there. The New Republic is just that— new. It's saddled with massive debts from the war, a reconstituted Senate that doesn't even have taxation authority figured out, and a thousand other problems. We beat the Empire; they signed a piece of paper that said so. But there are dozens, if not hundreds, of self-styled Moffs and warlords out there now— fleet admirals and field marshals who think they're going to be the next one to sit on Sheev Palpatine's throne.
"Thousands of systems are still under Imperial domination for all practical purposes, because some task force commander has a dozen starships that she can use to enforce her will. To be frank, we don't have the ships to oppose them. Most of the planetary and sector forces were disbanded by the Empire. What was left is barely enough to run anti-piracy patrols. Taking on all those Imperial holdouts in a comprehensive way just isn't in the cards right now. Might not be for years, and by then it'll probably be too late for a lot of systems.
"We're trying to balance the scales. To do that, there are certain... initiatives we're spinning up, to throw out the Imperial trash. One of those involves training a cadre of your kind to act as force multipliers, so to speak."
Your kind? Taz didn't much care for the way Numarkos referred to Force users. "Not interested."
"Don't dismiss it out of hand. You'd get the best training, equipment, protection, you name it. And I hear the medical plan is top-tier."
Taz uttered an irritated sigh. The offer of training was attractive, but he could already see there'd be too many strings attached. And if what Numarkos said about the state of the New Republic was true, he had trouble believing they'd be able to make good on any of it. "I told you, I'm done. I'm not joining any cadre, officially or otherwise."
"You might not have the luxury of making that choice, Oktos-grasha."
"What is that, some kind of threat?"
"I'm just saying that things are far from settled in this galaxy. There might come a time, maybe sooner than you think, when you have to choose a side. And, well, if you're not with us, it's going to be hard for some to believe that you aren't against us."
"It must be nice, seeing everything as a binary choice," Taz challenged.
"I don't, actually. Pretty much everything in the world of intelligence is some shade of gray. But if it's New Republic versus a resurgent Empire, or another power— Hutts, Black Sun, Corporate Sector Authority, or some cartel we haven't even heard of yet— well, I know who I'm siding with."
"Me too," Taz said, getting to his feet.
Varun stepped aside to let him pass. "Yeah? Who's that?"
He stared down the intel officer. "The innocent people of the galaxy who get caught in the middle and end up paying the price." He closed the medbay door. "I'm late for my watch. Excuse me."
Taz stalked away, feeling angry and oppressed. He'd kept his meager Force talents secret because the Empire would likely have hunted him down if they'd learned about him. Now the New Republic wanted to turn him and those like him into their assets. As far as Taz could tell, that was just replacing one kind of tyranny with another.
He hurried into the cockpit. "Sorry Lyra, I got—" He drew up short and started. Tess was sitting in the copilot's seat. She and Lyra looked at him. He cleared his throat. "I'm here to relieve you."
"You're late, Oktos."
"Yeah. Got held up. Sorry."
She made a skeptical noise in her throat. "Sure." She pushed the seat back and stood. "The conn's yours until oh-six-hundred. Remember, nav checks every two hours." She slipped past Taz, then looked at Tess. "You staying a while?"
"Maybe for a while," Tess agreed, curling a lock of dark hair around her finger.
"Well, make sure he doesn't blow us up or fly us into a sun or something." She didn't look like she was joking. "'Night."
Taz scowled after her. He was as capable of monitoring the ship's systems and their plot through hyperspace as anyone else, he just lacked experience. Taz didn't normally take the pilot's seat for his watches, but asking Tess to move would have been rude. He slid into Lyra's. The leather was still warm. He adjusted the seat and the control column. No doubt Nimor would give him an earful tomorrow when she had to reset them.
He checked the controls and ran a quick sensor sweep. Tess watched him silently. He felt acutely uncomfortable. "You two getting to know each other?"
"Just passing time. Swapping stories, that kind of thing."
"She usually doesn't like passengers on the command deck."
"Fellow pilot. I think she's cutting me some slack." Tess said, smiling. "She seems to know what she's doing. Reiko and Sera put together a good crew."
"Mmm."
"How've you been? Adjusting to civilian life, I suppose?"
"I suppose." Taz wished for something to do besides stare out into hyperspace. He also wished the hard knot in his stomach would go away.
"Hey, Taz," she said quietly, "I know things didn't… end very well between us. I was hoping that maybe we could have the conversation we should have had on Jakku."
Taz's heart sank. Reliving that anguish was the last thing he wanted. He looked over at her, hoping the subdued cockpit lights hid his drawn face. "I'm not sure there's much more to say, Tess." He remembered Sera saying that Tess had looked as hurt as he had after their breakup. "Is there?"
She fidgeted with her hands. "When I realized what was happening with Varun and me, I was heartsick, because I knew what it would do to you. I never wanted to see you in pain, Taz, and I knew if I told you... Anyway, I was scared, and a coward. That's why I didn't write back. I'm really, really sorry about that. I just wanted you to know that it wasn't your fault and that I didn't mean to hurt you, even though I did."
He nodded tightly, dread stabbing under his ribs. He felt the anger creeping up again, and he pushed it away. "I know," he forced himself to utter, and wondered if she noticed the little tremor in his voice.
"I, ah… the 'gram you sent me. I really appreciated what you said. It couldn't have been easy to write."
"No," he agreed. They both stared at the instrument panels for a while.
"Have you… found anyone yet?" When he didn't respond she suggested, "Lyra seems nice."
"She's my crewmate."
"I was your crewmate."
"You were always… more than that to me." He didn't want the awful wash of feelings that came with those words.
"Still, I think if you did find someone… I just think someone like her would be good for you."
His frustration bubbled over. "Why, because she's a pilot like you? She barely tolerates me most of the time. Besides, why are you pushing her on me? Did she tell you she was Imperial?" He said it like an accusation. Tess recoiled, and he instantly regretted what he'd said.
"I'm not pushing her on you," she objected. "Does it matter if she's Imperial? She told me what happened on Jakku, and how you helped her. She showed me where you healed her arm. I don't think it mattered to you that she was on the other side, did it?"
"I'm a medic. It was my job," he answered, careful not to let himself lose control this time.
Tess softened her tone. "I don't think that's it at all, Taz. I think you healed Lyra, Sera, and all those others because you're a good man who wants to take care of other people. Everybody but yourself, it seems."
She waited for him to respond, but he had nothing to say. He could hardly deny it; Sera had told him almost the same thing a few months ago, after he'd lost her.
Tess let out a little nervous laugh. "You know, It's hard to believe what you did, even seeing it with my own eyes, and knowing how you healed yourself back on Narendri Prime."
Relax, you idiot, she's trying to be nice. He took the change of topic as a good sign. "My control is, well, terrible. What I did, I still can't really explain, and I don't know if I could do it again. The troops in our battalion wanted to make me into some kind of hero, like that Jedi who destroyed the first Death Star. I didn't want anything to do with that. To be honest, I kind of wish I'd never done it."
"Why? You saved people's lives. You saved Sera and Lyra."
"And bought myself some unwanted attention."
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't matter." His chest felt tight, and he took a deep breath. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I was planning to realign the medium-range sensor cluster. I'm going to be bouncing back and forth for the next few hours, so..."
Tess made a polite grin and got up. "Alright, Taz. I'll leave you to it. Talk to you tomorrow."
She'd nearly left the cockpit when he said, "Why does he call you Tessa?"
Her chuckle was genuine this time. "It's sort of a joke. When I was in rehab at Arclight medical, learning to use my voice again, I'd try saying my name, Tessalyn, but only 'Tessa' came out. Varun teased me because he knew I didn't like that name. It became a kind of goad, a way for him to encourage me when I was discouraged, or to cheer me up. I was depressed a lot back then." She paused for a moment. "Eventually I grew to like hearing him say it." She looked back and saw how uncomfortable he was. "Bet you regret asking."
"Is Numarkos… Is he taking care of you?"
In the dark cockpit, he couldn't see the brief smile that lit her face. "Yes. Yes he is."
Taz felt the knife twist in his gut. "Good. Goodnight, Tess."
"Goodnight, Taz."
He got up as soon as he heard the lift heading down. He'd lied about the sensor alignment, but it actually seemed like a good idea. At least the work would keep him from thinking about Tess Daro, and how much he still ached for her.