I am back as promised, and I come bearing literature. Well, I mean it is. Fanfiction is now recognized as a legitimate form of literature. Now if only I were the Hemmingway of fanfiction. I would settle for Crichton. Poe? Kafka? Anyway, regardless of which literary giant I am absolutely not, here is the latest chapter. Enjoy!

"Commander Tharcourt…" Lord Vader said over the holoscreen. "We may discuss your tactics when you return, if I deem it necessary. The delivery of the Imperial shipment and the destruction of the rebels are all that matter at present."

"Yes, my lord." Tharcourt said with a bow of his head. "The containers will be on Eriadu in a few hours, and those guerillas won't be attacking any more Imperial ships in the Mid Rim."

"Yes…" The dark lord mused. "You've once again proven your skill at combating these unconventional bands of rebels. Do not take your victory to heart though, commander. We still have much work to do if we are to end this rebellion."

"Very much, I would think." Drakken agreed somberly. "But I will do my duty." Vader simply breathed for a few moments.

"See the shipment safely delivered, then return to The Executor." Vader ordered. "That is all, Commander." Tharcourt saluted, and the screen went black. He turned to see Captain Liagri watching him.

"It must be an honor…serving Lord Vader himself." She commented as Tharcourt walked toward the hatch leading out of the bridge. He paused and looked back at the blonde woman.

"I must be doing something right..." Drakken returned. "…at least for the time being. He doesn't suffer fools."

Drakken walked into the small office that Liagri had set aside for he and Freya until they reached their destination. He had to get away from the bridge for a little while, from any semblance of rote and duty, and just relax before getting to Eriadu. As he entered, he noticed his girlfriend sitting on a padded office chair, one leg draped over an arm of the seat, and a dark expression painted on her face. He offered a smile, and she returned the barest hint of one. Drakken fell back into another chair and swiveled around to face her.

"You alright?" He asked in a quiet tone.

"What do ye think, love?" She shot back. He sighed.

"At least we got them…and we're all coming home." He said tiredly.

"This time." She added. "An' next, melove?" Drakken found his small bag on the floor, and pulled out a commlink-looking device, a scrambler Zala had given him. He turned on the transceiver-blocking device and sat it on the nearby desk. She eyed the scrambler a moment, then looked back at him. "Ye got shot again, Drakken." Tharcourt rubbed the sore wound on his upper arm.

"It's nothing." He reassured her. "Just grazed me is all." Freya crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh aye…an' 'ow lang 'till some rebel manages tae shoot straight?" She countered. "Put ein in th' big 'eart I love so mooch?" He saw tears rise in her green eyes, and she blinked them away. "In th' name o' feck, Drakken…I almost got ran through by a crazy woman…one that was only off 'er heid cause the Empire killed her kids. Cannae say I blame 'er fer wantin' me dead. Wonner 'ow it happened, you know?" Drakken nodded. "Were they rebel soldiers…did they get caught in th' crossfire in soom pointless battle somewhere…or did a bunch a' nasty Imperials go an' do it on purpose, ya know?"

"I…" Drakken stammered. "We'll never know that…"

"I know it." Thorne lamented. She shook her head. "We made those partisans, Drakken. We created them. This whole huddy war keeps makin' monsters outta both sides. Then we gotta go kill theirs." Drakken didn't feel like following this line of thought any longer.

"I thought you liked a good fight." He shot, and immediately regretted saying it.

"Aye…I love me a good fight, Drakken Tharcourt." Freya returned harshly. "A good ein…ye know, right n' honorable an' all that keech." She sniffed. "You do too, darlin'…"

"When we win this war…" He stated. "If we can win it, that'll be the end of the rebels, and we can maybe go back to some sort of…"

"What?"

"Some sort of peace…normalcy." He said. Drakken became louder and more animated as he spoke. "You saw how desperate those void-damned idiots were. Their overconfidence and their pride...they had nothing to back it up. Nothing! They made it almost too easy. We have to be close now...to a victory. If we can just…"

"Willnae ye listen tae yerself, Drakken!" She exclaimed. "Wot is that? Vader talkin'? Some fancy officer sittin' on Coruscant?!" He felt that like a blow, and sat back in the chair. Where had that come from? Since when had he ever caught himself thinking that way? Not even during the rebellion on Garos did he ever allow himself to think like some arrogant old general, convinced of a certain victory against a weak and outclassed foe. He nodded.

"You're right…" He admitted. "The kriff…I can't even think straight anymore." Freya leaned in and put a hand on his. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know this mess is taking its toll."

"We need t' think about getting' out." She stated. Thorne caught his expression as he started to protest, then his lip twitched a bit and he simply nodded in agreement.

"I can't leave them." Drakken spoke. He gestured to the office door. "The men…I won't let them serve under someone who'll get them killed or cause them to get punished for us deserting." He sighed. "Think they'd go with us?"

"I know Ekks would." Thorne said. "Gallen'd prob'ly split with us if we asked. Daraay maybe. She's mer loyal tae you than the Empire at this juncture, methinks." Drakken nodded again. "Th' others, I dinna ken."

"Me either…but I don't think they would." Drakken muttered. "Glitch would. We could likely convince Lago to bail with us. The others…I think they're still loyalists." He shook his head. "We sound like rebel traitors, Freya."

"Nae." She stated. "We soond a' like we're tryin' t' save our skins and get outta somethin' evil." He inhaled deeply, and held up his right hand. She clapped hers into his.

"You know I'm with you." He stated. She scoffed.

"Blast the Gaffer's fields, ye'd better be. Yer the one with the plan, love." She remarked, eliciting a chuckle from Drakken.

…...

"Home sweet freakin' home!" Ekks said dramatically as the team entered the commons room on board The Executor. Drakken and Freya paused inside the hatch, and Thorne took a deep breath. Mets noticed them, and clenched a fist in the air.

"Another successful mission." He stated proudly. "We really kicked some rebel tail, didn't we?" Commander Tharcourt gave a slight nod.

"You're kriffin' right we did, brother!" Coleth agreed, punching the other scout trooper in the pauldron. "What a ride! Talk about being on your A-game. Sorry you didn't get to do much, Gallen."

"Hey, I got two." The sniper said defensively. The two scouts laughed.

"I think Lago got three or four." Mets added. The young stormtrooper looked over.

"Yeah, four I think." He said.

"Yeah…" Ekks growled. He motioned toward Tharcourt. "And I smoked three, but I bet the boss got fifty. You guys still have nothin' on him. Nothin'." They were all quiet a few moments, then Mets spoke up again.

"That's like an unfair comparison though." He argued. "Commander Tharcourt is a mondo rebel-killing machine!" Felian frowned and shook his head. About half of the team cheered.

"If we can take out a whole rebel fleet, here's nothin' we can't do!" Coleth declared. Drakken closed his eyes and sighed, then walked into his office. Freya followed him in and watched the man collapse into his desk chair and light a cigarra.

"I swear to whatever diety…." He growled, and jabbed his cigarra toward the hatch. "…I'm about to go tell them to shut up. You'd think they were about to wipe out the entire Rebel Alliance by themselves." Freya crouched down beside him. She plucked the cigarra from between his fingers, took a long drag and blew it out.

"Th' more ye win, the less ye think ye can lose." She said, and stuck the smoldering tube back in his fingers.

"I don't believe that…" He sighed.

"No, nor do I…but there's a good many folk who do." Thorne advised him. "Like that Lleverin Oshe'a back hame. He must'a fought e'ery lad in the schoolyard." She punctuated her story by plopping down in her own chair.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm. Ye should hae seen th' look on 'is face when I right laid him flat on 'is back too." Drakken scoffed.

"Nobody's invincible." He said. "No matter how tough they are." Freya rolled over and gently placed her hand on his healing arm.

"Yer proof o' that, darling." She smiled. "An speakin' of dieties…I been meanin' to ask." He raised his eyebrows. "Thought you didnae believe in all that hokum, dear." He blew out a cloud of tabac and tried a dismissive shrug.

"I got caught up in the moment for sure…" He said. "Your song was amazing." She smirked.

"Aye…it's an ancient song. Calls upon Mother War, it does." Freya explained. "You felt it, didnae ye, love?" Drakken huffed.

"I…I felt…something." He admitted. "Maybe a kind of focused frenzy…like when you get the rush before a fight…I guess that's what it was."

"Mm-hmm…" Thorne hummed knowingly. Tharcourt rolled his eyes and rolled back behind his desk. He took out a data disk and inserted it into his terminal. His hands hovered over the keyboard for a few moments, then he sighed and put his head on a hand, his elbow leaned on the desk.

"Who…or what is mother war?" He asked. Freya giggled.

"Aw Drakken…she's your mother." Freya answered, and Drakken cocked up an eyebrow. "She's my mother. She's the spirit, queen and protector o' all the warriors what fight fer good an' right. Me people have about an even dozen gods and goddesses, but she…" Freya sighed heavily. "She's always been the one we revere most."

"For obvious reasons." He stated. "So she's the goddess of war…I didn't know you had…you know, beliefs?"

"Really, Drakken?" She said skeptically. "Ye ne'er noticed me attention tae fortune tellers an' haints o'er the past few months, have ye?" She spun about in her chair and groaned. "Och…wen I was younger, I doon't think I really believed in e'erything. I mean…I always believed in haints an' boogles, on account a' I seen em meself…"

"Whoa, whoa…haints and boo-gals? You lost me." Tharcourt interrupted.

"Ghosts, Drakken. Ye know, spirits." She clarified. "Magic, maybe…I didn't go in fer most of air legends and ol' stories and stuff. Nor did I think much a' the religion of the ol' wans. Things hae def'nitely changed me mind in th' last year though." Drakken nodded.

"I don't think I ever believed in that stuff." He said. "Ghosts and…gods and magic…" He scoffed. "Don't think I've seen enough yet to convince me those things are real." Freya made a series of incredulous panting and scoffing noises.

"Drakken, ye had an evil magic man throttle ye 'alf t' death oer a holoscreen, ye dingbat!" Tharcourt instinctively rubbed his neck through his collar.

"Well…that's different." He countered. "Those Jedi people…I'm not totally convinced they use magic. Probably something in their blood or…something."

"Ohhh…like magic, perhaps?" She shot back. Drakken narrowed his eyes, and she giggled. "Jes sayin's all."

"Ugh…you're killing me." He groused. "Okay, I'll cede to you that there's some things in this galaxy that my little brain doesn't understand. I'll even admit that if…if…there was some supreme being or power that gave the faintest gleam of a damn about what happened to me, I'd rather be your Mother War. Now, I'm going to write up my report before our superior comes in here and magics me to death. And I ain't joking about that." He turned back to the computer terminal on his desk and began typing away. After a few moments, he stopped again, and looked sidelong at Thorne.

"Wot?" She asked.

"Mother…War." He stated. "That her name or occupation?"

"Her title o' honor it is." She answered. "Mother War…goddess o' the battlefield and of warriors…and of love an' honor." Thorne smiled. "Her name is Freya, Drakken." He smiled back.

"Of course it is." He said, and returned to typing up his after-action report. Thorne stood, stretched her back, and feeling better after her talk with Drakken, she left the office to see what the rest of the unit was up to. Outside in the commons room, she found Mets, Coleth and Lago engaged in conversation as Daraay sat at the workbench in the corner, cleaning an E-11 as a stack of blasters awaited her attention.

"What's crackin', men?" She asked as she entered the room.

"Oh, hello, ma'am." Lago greeted.

"Hey, our Lieutenant Hellcat!" Mets said happily. "Finally gonna tell us how many of those rebels you and the commander iced down in that ship?" He motioned to the other helmet-less scout trooper in the next chair. "I bet twenty-five. Coleth thinks it was twenty." Freya shook her head.

"I dunnae think it was that many…" She said in a low, somber tone. "Maybe ten…twelve…I didnae keep tally."

"I was closer!" Coleth remarked, and extended a hand over to his friend. "Pay up!" Lago saw his superior sigh and walk to the hatch. As the door slid open, she trudged out dejectedly. The youngest member of the team stood and followed her out. He spied her moving down the hall.

"Ma'am?" He called, jogging up to her. Thorne turned and glanced at him as she kept walking. "Ma'am, you alright?"

"Aye." She returned.

"It was…bad…down there, wasn't it, ma'am?" He asked. She nodded.

"Always is…" They continued their walk down the corridor.

"You don't like it, do you, lieutenant?" Lago asked meekly. "I mean…not as much as everybody thinks you do." She smiled sadly for a moment.

"Yer young, trooper…but not stupid." She remarked. The twenty-year old man laughed.

"We're like the same age, ma'am." She realized now that she'd been stalking down the hallway with her arms folded behind her back, her cap pulled low over her eyes. Seeing herself marching through a ship looking so severe, while simultaneously having a deep conversation with a fledgling soldier almost made her feel better.

"Aye." She returned. "We're both young and stupid, Lago." He made a confused face, and she shot him a quick grin. "But not so bug-addled as tae think killin' and bein' killed is always sech a good idea, I think." He seemed to think about that for a moment, then nodded.

"I joined up to have adventures, you know that, ma'am?" He said. "I wanted to get off Tatooine and go see the galaxy since…I dunno…birth?"

"No offense, but from what I seen o' Tatooine, I dunnae blame ye fer that." She said dryly, eliciting a low chuckle from the stormtrooper. "Say, what do ye plan on doin' when ye get outta the service?"

"I'm not sure I know, ma'am." He answered. "I'd sure like to get out and keep seeing the galaxy though…and not while somebody's shooting at me all the time." Thorne giggled.

"Right. Well…" She thought about her words for a moment. "…ye know Commander Tharcourt's getting' long in th' tooth. Couldae be he may look at resignin' at some time."

"Really?" Lago asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Aye, but don't ye go tellin' anybody I told ye so, ye hear me, lad?" He nodded. "I figure…since me and him's so close, ye'know?" She continued, and Lago smirked knowingly. "I thought I'd just may as well resign me commission too, an' jine 'im on his plotless wanderin's across the habitable systems." She was silent a moment. "Ye think ye'd like t' join us?"

"You mean skip out and go?" He almost gasped. "I…I dunno if I could, ma'am."

"I understand ye owe a debt a loyalty tae yer contact an' all…"

"No ma'am…just…" He said hesitatingly. "Promise you won't be mad?" Thorne stopped and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Whaddya think I look like, yer mother?" She half-scolded. Lago tried to keep from laughing and made a snorting sound.

"Sorry ma'am." He said. "Well you see, Ekks has two years left. He said when his time's up, as much as he likes the Commander and you…and all the fun, he said he's gonna bail. He had it in mind to take me with him, and let me be first mate on his ship." Freya smirked.

"His ship?"

"Oh yes, ma'am. He said he's getting the fastest and neatest freighter with the credits he has saved up, and he needs…what was it he said? Oh yeah, somebody with a fresh, unassuming face to help him handle things." Thorne raised an eyebrow.

"Ye know he's getting' ye intae some seedy an' underhanded things, right lad?" She advised. Lago grinned sheepishly.

"Well…yeah, sure…but it sounds like a blast." He countered. Thorne shrugged.

"As long as ye know what yer signin' on for. Pretty sure I didn't." She scoffed. "Now, ye best be along, Lago. Grab ye some grub if ye want. I'm sure Drak…Commander Tharcourt'll wanna be trainin' come t'morrah." Lago laughed to himself at her slipup, then came to attention and saluted.

"Yes ma'am." He stated. She gave him a loose salute, and watched him jog off. Then, Freya pulled her cap down low over her eyes, folded her arms behind her back and continued marching down the hall, feeling her blaster swishing against her thigh as she walked.

"Uhhh…boss?" Ekks greeted as he walked into the office. He sat down in a chair in front of Drakken's desk as the commander watched the Corellian with an amused expression. Ekks leaned back in the chair and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"Come on in, Ekks…make yourself at home." Drakken said snidely. The roguish pilot gave a smirk and shrugged. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, wanted to say I'm sorry if I I cheezed you off with what I said earlier, bossman. Didn't mean nuthin' by it."

"Eh. It's alright." Tharcourt said dismissively.

"So, we have anything planned tomorrow?" Ekks continued, getting to the point. "If not, I'd like a day off. I heard we're supposed to be put in in the Besh Gorgon System for the next couple days, and I've been wanting to pay a visit to The Wheel. Think that's in the cards?" Drakken chuckled.

"I think you want to be in the cards, or else you wouldn't be asking about The Wheel." He remarked, knowing at least some of the space station's reputation. "And how is it Corporal, that you don't care to know anything about Imperial operations, but somehow, you know exactly when we're in shuttle-range of a seedy gaming establishment? Is it like a sixth sense or something?" Ekks laughed.

"I guess I can smell an opportunity to clean a few suckers out from a parsec away." He answered. "You mind, sir?"

"I mind putting myself out by shifting guard and training scheds around, putting you in for leave, and looking the other way at what I know you're probably doing down there?" He grunted. "Hell…go on. You have twenty-four standard hours. Just…try not to get arrested, huh?" Ekks grinned and threw the commander a sloppy salute.

"I may not behave, but I promise not to get caught, boss." He returned. He started to stand, but Commander Tharcourt held up a hand.

"Wait…before you go…" He said. Ekks sat back down and nodded. "You uh…you still planning on leaving when your term is up?"

"You're right, I am." The Corellian said. "And I like you, boss…but there ain't nothing you can offer that'd make me stay…"

"I was just gonna ask," Drakken interrupted. "If something happened…something big…you know, that soured your view of the Empire…" Ekks gave him an incredulous look. "…more than normal…"

"Are you asking me if I would desert if things got too heavy, boss?"

"Something like that." At that comment, Ekks leaned back further in the chair.

"You smelling something, boss? He asked.

"Just a…uh…"

"Mental exercise?"

"Yeah. Something like that." Drakken said cryptically. The pilot frowned.

"We have all that stuff." He reminded his commander. "If it came to it, and we had to…I think we could bail, yeah."

"Where's a man go?" Tharcourt asked. "If he didn't want the powers that be to find him, where would he set up?" Ekks shrugged.

"Lots of places, Boss." He answered. "Hutt Space, the Outer Rim, Wild Space…I don't think even the Empire could find somebody if they were under a rock on a place like Tatooine or Thorne's homeworld." Drakken nodded. "Person could even change their name and make a new life on Coruscant or the slums of Corellia, and nobody'd be the wiser."

"But…"

"Chain codes can be hacked. ID's bought off the street. You can change a ship's transponder number, modify it out of a breaking yard, and in a week's time, an Imperial shuttle becomes a ratty custom freighter to anybody that asks. Know what I mean?" Tharcourt nodded.

"Thanks for the advice, Ekks." He said. "I trust this doesn't go beyond us?"

"Boss, you're the only Imperial I trust." He said with a cocky grin. "And believe me when I say, you and your ladyfriend are the only Imperials that can trust me." Drakken smiled.

"I take that as a compliment." He returned. "You have fun cleaning those suckers out, you hear?" Ekks stood, gave a two-fingered salute and left the office. Drakken lit a cigarra and stared at the ceiling.

Was it really that easy? Just counterfeit a chain code, go somewhere new and blend into the background or hide on some desolate world? Tharcourt had to admit that if anyone was an expert on such things, it would be Ekks, a professional scoundrel. He didn't even know the pilot's real name. If he and Freya skipped out, he hoped it would be as easy as their resident pirate made it sound. He sat in the office, engrossed in thought for the next ten minutes, when the hatch opened. Standing there was Veruna, wearing her close-fitting uniform pants, a tank top and thick-soled sandals. Her hair was barely brushed, and it was a rare occasion where she was completely without makeup of any kind. She walked in, and gave him an angry glower as the hatch closed.

"Hello…Zala?" Tharcourt greeted suspiciously.

"I like, gave you that little toy for a reason, you know." She stated. "Ugh. I was getting ready for bed when I just happened to have my listening devices on, and like, happened to overhear a majorly treasonous dialogue between you and that smuggler. Now I have to totally stay up and erase data. Please stop making my job harder, Drakken?" It donned on him what she was talking about. He'd carried on the entire conversation with Ekks without activating the scrambler. He rubbed his face with his free hand and groaned.

"Sorry Zala." He sighed. "Won't happen again." She rolled her eyes and huffed. The ISB officer pulled her own scrambler, turned it on and sat it on his desk with a dramatic thunk as she sat in the seat in front of him.

"Be careful, sweetie. Okay?" She advised, leaning in close. "I mean seriously. You're awful close to something, and you don't know just how close you are."

"The Hell does that supposed to mean?!" He demanded. Zala's expression softened, and she reached in and took him by the hands.

"I heard what you were saying." She whispered. "Please Drakken…just try to toe the line right now, okay? If you get caught being the least bit treasonous…" She sighed. "I think Lord Vader believes that you're on the verge of joining the rebels…that you sympathize with them, and that you're not totally loyal to the Empire. Why do you think you keep like…getting these majorly hazardous missions, Drak? You're being tested for how hard you'll fight for the Emperor, and if you get spaced, it's really no big to high command anymore." Tharcourt clamped his jaws tightly. "You gotta prove that you're not a seditionist, that you're totally loyal and a good officer."

"Do everything we say, believe what we tell you, or we'll kill you, right?" Tharcourt growled. "Why do you think I was contemplating my big escape?"

"Please don't." She whimpered. "They'll find you, Drakken. They'll make me find you. I've already been ordered that if you turn, I'm to kill you. Like, instantly." She closed her red-brown eyes and shook her head slowly. "Don't you kriffing dare put me in that spot, Drakken." She whispered. "Just…do what they say, and throw 'yessir' in there a lot." Her eyes opened, and Zala heaved a sigh. "Man, all this stuff's getting too damned crazy." Drakken squeezed her hands. "Half the fleet's looking for that rebel pilot, desertions are up, the ISB executed thirty Imperial officers and over a hundred soldiers already this month…"

"Zala…" Drakken said softly. "We're still friends, right?"

"Sure we are." She stated. "You weren't on that list, were you? I mean like….Hell Drak, I know we're never gonna be a couple, but like…you're my only real friend."

"If I do go…" He said, "…come with us." She frowned. "Get out of this mess before you end up on somebody's list too. With what you know, we could all…"

"What?" She shot back. "End up like Latoure? That captain that thought he could desert and take his family to Edusa? They killed his kids, man. They killed his wife, and they killed his kricking lothcat."

"That's where we are." Drakken grumbled bitterly. She nodded.

"That's where we are." She nodded. "And no…I won't go with you. You know I can't." Zala scoffed, trying to blow the whole thing off. "What? And make things awkward between you and Freya? As if!" Tharcourt smiled a little.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you." He said. Veruna batted her eyes.

"Aww…you do like me." She teased, then her expression became more serious. "Don't worry about me, sweetie. You know I can take care of myself." She shook her head. "But don't try it, Drakken. Not right now. You got one foot in the tomb, and a blaster to your head. I mean, you earned some major bonus points with command for your work on your last mission. Those creeps are still trying to figure out how you decimated a whole rebel fleet by yourself and saved that cargo. Jeez hon, I thought what we did on Coruscant was seriously badass, but like…damn." He shrugged.

"It was either that or wind up dead." He replied. "Kind of like on our mission. A man pulls some interesting things out of thin air when he's got his back to a wall."

"And you're still the king of that." Zala agreed. "Whatevs. Like I was saying, your little stunt may have gotten some of the suspicion off of you. My advice? Play that up, and act like you're proud of it, and you want to kill the rest of the rebels yourself and end the war."

"I do." He said coldly. He held his fingers up to his forehead. "Believe it or not, I've had it up to here with those rebels and this damned war."

"Good. Go with it." She returned with a wink. "And good thing this next mission might get you further out of hot water too, and be a tonne easier."

"Maybe…" He muttered. "Wait, what mission?" Zala let out a laugh.

"The one I was supposed to give you tomorrow morning, but since I had come all the way down here to bitch at you…you know, like…whatever."

"What fresh Hell am I in for now?" He complained.

"Well, since you're oh-so-good at saving Imperial property from like, the clutches of the vile rebels Drakken…" He rolled his eyes. "You've been granted the dubious honor of protecting shipments of rhydonium on Saracor." Veruna raised her eyebrows. "Easy job, you get to thrash a few rebel marauders that have been stealing fuel, and look like a hero." He gave her a blank look, and she huffed. "Thank you for getting me this gig, Zala. You're so sweet and amazing. You're welcome Drakken, I'm always willing to like, lend you a hand."

"What's the catch?" He asked dryly. Zala grinned.

"No catch…just…you know, nobody's been able to catch the rebels yet, and they've managed to kill like, every platoon sent out with the shipments." Tharcourt blinked several times. "Wait, but!" She interrupted before he could protest. "Survivors said there's only about a dozen of them, on swoop bikes, and they have no heavy weapons at all. They're nothin' but vultures with blasters. If anybody can take them, it's you."

"Yeah, yeah…" He responded blandly. "I'm game. When do we need to be ready?"

"Three days." Zala answered. "We'll be heading that way after this stop to take in provisions. We're not gonna move into the system, but close enough to use your shuttle to get there and back. At least you have time to train for the mission, and your pilot can cheat some poor idiots out of their credits. Then, you can just…" At that moment, the hatch slid open and Freya entered the office. She paused just inside the door as Drakken and Zala both looked at her as if they'd just been caught doing something untoward. She eyed them for a moment, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Och. Hoop I'm nae interruptin' somethin' naughty now." She said in a mock-suspicious tone. Zala didn't miss a beat.

"Not at all, gorgeous…" She returned with a wry smile. "…but if you have something unusual in mind, there are three majorly attractive people in this office…" Thorne's face turned a deep crimson.

"Oh void…" Drakken groaned, burying his face in his hands. Zala giggled.

"I'm just kidding, Thorne!" She exclaimed. "Lighten up, girlfriend. I was just here to give your boyfriend your guys' new assignment."

"O…Oh…" Freya stammered. "We got a new mission…already?" Zala stood and turned to Drakken.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Drakken…please behave yourself, alright?"

"Sure." He breathed. "Thanks for covering for me again, Zala." She winked at him.

"Anytime. Just don't keep making a habit of it, or you'll end up owing me again, sweetie." She put a hand on the taller woman's shoulder. "Good to see you again, Thorne." She said, then leaned in. "If you wanna take me up on my offer, just let me know, cutie pie." Freya coughed, and her cheeks turned red again.

"Aw, ye cheeky slag!" She cried out, allowing herself to smile at the woman's antics for the first time. Veruna giggled again.

"Laters, Drak." She called on her way out.

"Later, Kitten." Drakken returned.

"Rawr…" The sound came through the hatch before it closed. Tharcourt looked up at Freya.

"Ready to go into the breach again, love?"

Another mission. What awaits the crew on this new assignment? Tune in next time to find out. Keep those dials locked in here, my loyal readers, and I shall return. Until then, Cheerio!