Chapter 41 – Secret Plans

Risha waited in her bunk until she heard the refresher's pumps chugging quietly into action, then picked up her datapad and headed briskly to the cargo hold. She figured it would take the wookiee a good while to rid himself of the unfortunate byproducts of the day's adventures. With Riggs visiting his twi'lek friend and the Captain headed to town to wrap up the job - and hopefully get paid - she could count on having a good while to herself. And there was the added benefit that she would be able to hear the shower shutting off or the airlock opening, which would give her plenty of warning that someone else was around again.

She stopped in front of the figure encased in carbonite. His arms reached upward in what looked to her, in her more fanciful moments, like a plea for help. She knew, however, that it was only because the machine that prepared carbonite specimens for transport or long-term storage arranged the object in such a pose, to make packing more convenient. And of course there was no evidence of such desperation in his expression. Unlike anyone else she'd seen frozen, his face was not locked in a terrified scream or a cry for mercy - his jaw was set, chin jutting forward defiantly. She could even imagine the flash of promised revenge in his eyes.

Taking a breath and making sure to stand up straight, she cleared her throat. "I've been following news reports dealing with the political situation on Dubrillion," she began. "Official sources do not mention any sort of dissent, of course, but there are an increasing number of feel-good 'puff' pieces that glorify the current regime. This, combined with the steady rise in rumors of unrest, gives reason to believe that people would welcome a change."

There was no answer, of course; there never was. But his voice was as clear in her mind as if it had not been almost a decade since she'd heard it. And what progress have you made? Are you ready to take advantage of this volatile climate, or will this opportunity slip away in failure?

She blinked quickly. "We are close, now," she whispered. "We are so close. The XS series is sturdily built, and I have reinforced key junctures, to be certain it can survive the journey. Once the Captain has obtained the navcomputer from Diago Hixan, we'll be fully prepared. I can install it in a matter of hours, before we leave the planet."

Stepping forward, Risha reached up, touching her fingers to the metal-encased ones that stretched out, unmoving, from the carbonite slab. "It won't be much longer," she promised, her voice trembling. "And then we'll have our home back, and we'll be together again."

The hiss of the airlock opening caused her to step away, yanking her hand back almost guiltily. In another moment, though, she had composed herself, and she moved over to her workstation. She pulled up the ship's diagnostics and began scrolling through.

"Vee?" Corso's drawl was not hard to recognize, and his voice carried easily through the open hallways of the ship. "Rish? Bowie?" She heard the clunk of his ambling gait as he approached. "Hey, Rish, anybody else around, or you guardin' the ship yourself?" he teased with an easy grin. He pulled off his gauntlets and tucked them under one arm, then leaned against the archway between the hold and the hall.

She put one hand on her hip. "Don't forget about our ferocious battle droid," she said wryly. "I always sleep soundly at night, knowing that I am protected by such a vicious mechanical terror."

His eyes crinkled at the corners when his grin broadened. "Ah yes, Seetoo the Deadly. How could I have forgotten? I'm sure we have nothing to fear from the terrifying natives of this land." Chuckling, he shook his head. "Seriously, though, where is everybody? It's almost dinnertime. I'd've figured for sure they'd be back by now."

"They are – well – sort of." Risha lifted her shoulders. "Don't know why, exactly, but the hairball was particularly rank, and so the Captain came back here before getting paid so that he could clean up. Real shower, too. Again." She shook her head. "I don't see how that woman ever ran a successful ship, the way she spends money like she does."

Corso frowned at that, just a little. "Hey now. Ain't like she fritters it away on baubles and such. And weren't you the one wheedlin' her into gettin' that fancy new hyperdrive?"

With a huff, Risha folded her arms. "That was equipment. And with their starting price as low as it was, it would've been practically criminal not to take it off their foolish hands." She waved one hand dismissively. "Anyway, that's not important. How are things going with you and your twi'lek? Am I ever going to get to meet her?"

He cleared his throat and straightened up, taking his gauntlets out from under his arm. "Well ... but ... she's not my twi'lek," he half-sputtered. And it seemed he'd just noticed a new scuff or dent on the left one, because he turned it over very carefully in his hands. "And, I mean, she has a name! It.. it's Kyla." He looked up slowly. "But. Um. Do – do you think it'd really be a good idea for her to come by?"

Risha felt a slow, devious smile pulling at her mouth. "Oh, I think it would be a very good idea for her to come by."

"You sure?" Corso peered at her somewhat suspiciously. "I mean, it seems kind of..."

"Kind of what?" she prompted.

Shifting his weight, he let out a sigh, rubbing at his chin as he pondered. "Manipulative?" he finally hedged, his shoulders lifting uncertainly.

"Well... yeah." Risha nodded slowly, as though speaking to a small child. "Look, while she's a great pilot, and a good person, sometimes it seems like Vacy thinks she's the center of the universe. She just heads off after what she wants and assumes the rest of us are on board with it." Corso opened his mouth to interject and she held her hands up as though to block it. "And while I know you may not have intended it, the way you were tagging along after her all the time without any hesitation just reinforced that."

Corso looked down, shoulders drooping. "I didn't... I didn't even see it like that," he said quietly.

She hesitated, then reached out and slipped her hand in his. "I know," she said, her tone gentler. She squeezed his hand, then let go again. "Don't get me wrong, Mouse, I like you, and I admire how up-front you are about everything. But the plain and simple truth is that the Captain needs a reality check, and you know she isn't like you. She's the sort who believes what she sees rather than what she's told."

He nodded, his gaze distant and thoughtful. "And that's why you figure I oughta bring Kyla by here?"

"She needs to see the two of you." Risha's voice was crisp and certain. "Together," she added firmly.

At that, a flush blossomed on Corso's cheeks, spreading quickly across his face. "I – um –"

Huffing a sigh, Risha put her hands on her hips. "Not like that." She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Mouse, sometimes you surprise me."

Corso blinked, his eyes suddenly widening as the blush deepened to almost purple. "What? No! I – what do you – I didn't – Risha!"

She couldn't hold back a laugh. "Sorry. I just couldn't resist – and it was completely worth it just to see your reaction." She tilted her head, grinning, and then shrugged. "So... I guess I'm not all that sorry, actually." He narrowed his eyes and she laughed again. "All right, all right, I apologize. I shouldn't have done it, and I ought to be sorry, I know."

His forced scowl faded and he shook his head. "You really are terrible, Risha."

Eyes sparkling, she reached up and pinched his cheek. "And that's what makes me so irresistible."

Author's Note: I often find that writing about characters helps me learn more about them. Some of this is by design; I have to make choices about how they would respond to whatever's happening, and so I have to think about what they would do and why the would react that way. In other cases, as I'm writing, ideas just sort of come to me. This time I feel like it was more of the former. I really struggled with Risha's solo bit here at first. I knew it was going to be a challenge, because I haven't spent as much time with her (yet) as I have with some of the others. I've had similar problems with Bowdaar.

I did change things a little - those of you familiar with the smuggler arc may notice that here, it is "almost a decade" since she's heard his voice. In my timeline, Risha is 24, and she was 15 when they were separated.

What I find interesting about Risha's story is the sense of entitlement I get from it. To my knowledge, there's no suggestion of replacing the (apparent) monarchy with another system - just with a different ruler. The fact that it's never mentioned made me decide that in my story, Risha has been kind of indoctrinated to believe that it is her destiny to overthrow the current ruler of Dubrillion. As a result, she is incredibly focused on her goal, and that's why she doesn't see herself as part of the crew, or ask them to help her (or indeed even let them know about it at all). She uses her wit and charm to manipulate others while she keeps her distance, and when she gets lonely, she uses that pain to push herself even harder to make her goal a reality. She tells herself that when she is finally among her people, she will be where she belongs, and she won't be alone.