A strong smell of caf hit Starkiller as soon as he opened the door of the training room, and it only got stronger the closer to the galley he got. It reminded him of home. Uncle Owen liked his caf strong, too, and its smell lingered in the kitchen long after he had left.

He found Juno eating breakfast like he did every morning. She wasn't the first one up, but by the time Starkiller had finished with his morning exercises she was always already there.

"Morning," she called. She seemed much happier and at ease today, and it made him feel more relaxed, too.

"Morning," he returned the greeting. He wasn't quite sure where he stood after last night's conversation and holodrama session. She was right to have called him out, and he felt ashamed for having treated her so badly. He had been so caught up in worrying about Luke, worrying about having got his master in trouble, worrying about himself...even worrying about Juno herself that he had not considered her feelings at all.

He was glad she did not want to leave despite his many failures. She knew way too much and he had told her too much for Vader to allow her to just leave. If she decided to go, Starkiller knew he would have to kill her.

The thought did not sit right with him.

Ever since failing to kill Kota he seemed to do nothing but fail. But at least Master Vader had given him another chance. He still called him an apprentice, despite everything. It may have been out of necessity for Vader, but Starkiller could still prove himself worthy.

He still did not feel like himself, but every morning brought him a little closer. The familiar exercises flowed almost like they used to. But he still did not feel comfortable in his own skin. Every time he brushed his hair he was reminded of most of it being gone. Why had they needed to shave off his hair? Did Vader just want him to adhere to the military standard? He hated seeing himself in the mirror. The lack of a physical scar in his abdomen bothered him more than the idea of such a scar being there. If not for Juno saying she had seen it happen, he would have by now preferred to think it had been some kind of a fever dream. He could remember fragments of such dreams. Trees tall as towering buildings. Snow. Kota's vision.

"Starkiller."

Juno's voice pierced through his thoughts, clear like a ray of sun through hanging clouds. Starkiller, having sat across her with his breakfast, deep in thought, looked at her. She was uneasy. Worried. His mood sank deeper still. Yet again he had fallen into old habits and forgotten she was there.

"Sorry if this is a bit personal," she continued, now that she had his attention, "but I've been wondering and, well, it's been a while…"

She huffed in a breath as she did before gathering her thoughts. Starkiller steeled himself for another difficult conversation.

"Do you have money?" she asked. "Because I don't, and I don't think I can access my account anymore. It wouldn't be safe in any case."

Starkiller breathed a silent sigh of relief. Just money worrying her. How much could he tell her though? Vader had not cut off his access to finances, so he presumed it was still fine to use.

"I have enough," he said. "I could still access what Darth Vader allowed me to use, and PROXY was able to secure us more than enough before he noticed," he lied.

"Won't they be able to trace it?" Juno worried.

"No. Vader's always been very careful, and PROXY used his own tricks against him." The lies fell off his tongue easily. It was close enough to the truth. "We should be safe."

His assurance seemed to be enough for her.

"So you have money to spare?"

Starkiller nodded. He should have thought of this himself. He had been the one to buy all their meals, but it had not crossed his mind that Juno would need more than that. She had next to nothing but the clothes on her back and whatever she had brought with her when she began her service as his pilot.

"What do you need?"

"Nothing, I just have an idea," she said with a mischievous smile. "Can I buy us something?"

"Of course. Anything you need."

"It's not something I need, but… It'll be a surprise."

Starkiller felt immediately suspicious, but let it got. If she spent her day shopping, it meant he could keep on investigating on his own. He was on Kota's tail and had a new lead. She would probably be angry at him for not telling her, but he thought it better not to involve her. He worked better alone.

Today had been very fruitful indeed. Only a few days before Starkiller had confirmed Kota had definitely stayed on Nar Shaddaa, and better yet – Luke had been there, too. He had begun his search from obvious places to look: hospitals. The injury Starkiller had given the Jedi General would have needed some treatment, and who knew what injuries the man may have sustained on landing.

It had not been an easy search. There were thousands of people who had lost their lives or been injured when the skyhook fell, and though still recent, the immediate aftermath had been dealt with months ago. One hospital had been unfortunate enough to have been in the way of the falling debris, furthering the utter chaos on the moon. Starkiller regretted he had not been able to stop this from happening. If he had just reached Kota earlier... If he had actually killed him quickly, then maybe the mad General would not have been able to crash the skyhook.

He had started from the bigger hospitals, in hopes that Kota would have thought he could blend in with more people, but as it turned out, he had found help from a small health practice, apparently in worse shape than Starkiller had expected him to be. And Luke had found the clinic, too. It had taken time, but Starkiller had found people who remembered seeing him, and today it had led him to a shelter that had housed him for several weeks. The staff remembered Luke, too. Now he needed to find out if Kota had still stayed on Nar Shaddaa after leaving, or if he had left once recovered.

Juno was already back on Rogue Shadow when he returned late in the evening with food. She might have already eaten, but just in case. He had not seen her much for the past few days. She hadn't even wanted to watch more Seven Level Heaven yet. She said she was still working on her surprise and that they could continue after she was finished.

It worked for Starkiller since he was finally hot on Kota's tail, and had spent long days tracing him. Watching a holodrama he had already seen would have felt like a waste of time, though he had enjoyed watching the Empire Day special with Juno. Or rather...he had enjoyed seeing Juno's reaction to it and their conversation afterward.

He had not told her of his findings yet. He supposed she might have wanted to know, but he had never shared information with his pilots unless they had to know. Juno was more than a pilot, but he still saw no reason to fill her in until he knew more. But he did want to ask her to find if there was a place they could park the ship that was closer to where Starkiller now focused his search. It took him over an hour just one way on a public train to reach.

Juno was not in the lounge, nor in her room at the med bay. Starkiller's search for her led him to one of the walled-off storage spaces which he knew to be empty. Not certain if she had heard him coming, he stopped and knocked on the wall before entering.

"Juno?"

"Come on in!" she called.

Starkiller entered and found the space occupied by four giant pillows on the floor, along with blankets.

"What... What is this?"

"This," Juno stated proudly, "is our Seven Level Heaven season three marathon fort. I also got us some snacks and drinks. The lounge is fine, but sitting through the Empire Day special there gave me a sore neck. We have a better space for the holoprojector, too."

"Wow," Starkiller found himself saying. He was reminded of, back when they were children, Luke having built a pillow fort in the living room so he could make Galen watch the entirety of Galactic Heroes with him.

"Do you like it?"

"I think so." He did. But at the same time the idea of wasting time watching a holodrama instead of searching or practising filled him with guilt.

"Splendid," she beamed. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Starkiller looked at the pillows. They looked very inviting, and it was a very good holodrama. Half an hour later, after he had eaten, when the opening song's catchy tune filled the space and Juno hummed to the music, he had all but forgotten his guilt.

The ending song's bittersweet melody began, and Juno burrowed deeper into her pillow nest. It had been their third and final episode for tonight, and she was wonderfully comfortable and warm. She could have happily stayed here for the rest of the night, taking in the twists she had just seen. Four nights in and they were about halfway through the season. She turned to ask Starkiller for an opinion.

The young man was unmoving, slumped against the pillows with his eyes closed. His chest rose in the rhythm of his calm breath. The assassin had fallen asleep without her noticing.

He looked peaceful, Juno thought. The angry scowl on his brow had softened, the tight line of his mouth now slightly parted as he breathed slowly. She was tempted to adjust the blanket to cover more than his legs, but she knew he would rouse if she were to do that.

On the projection the credits rolled to an end, fading to black. Only the dim light of the projector illuminated the room as Juno watched the young man sleep.

I do like him a lot, she thought to herself, catching herself from reaching out to touch him. She thought of the kiss they had shared, of his arms carrying her to safety from Vader's clutches, wishing she could lean in closer without waking him, and lie down by his side. Just to be close to him, just to watch him sleep.

She jumped to a sound of light steps and her eyes shot to the lanky figure of PROXY against the light from outside their comfortable lair.

The droid took in the scene, its yellow photoreceptors glowing in the darkness.

"What is it?" Juno whispered.

PROXY stepped closer, eyes on Starkiller. The droid looked at its sleeping master for a moment, then said: "It can wait."

The assassin had not stirred. PROXY kept looking for a moment longer, then turned to Juno.

"This would be an opportune moment to kill him."

Juno's hand instinctively reached for a blaster she wasn't carrying.

"But I suppose that can wait, too," the droid said, glancing back at Starkiller.

"What do you mean "kill him"?" Juno demanded, getting up on her feet. She knew she could not win against the combat droid, nor could she do much to protect Starkiller, but it was an instinct, not reason, that compelled her to place herself between the droid and the young man.

Her sudden movement roused the sleeping assassin. In an instant he was up, his blanket thrown aside. Alert. Ready to fight at moment's notice. Juno only had a mere moment to see this, as his stance relaxed as he recognised her and the droid.

"What is it, PROXY?" he demanded with urgency as if he was already expecting whatever it was the droid needed.

"I wanted to ask you to assist me with some of my maintenance, but it can wait."

"No, no. I'll do it right now," Starkiller said, quickly moving towards the exit. "Come on. You should have just woken me up."

Juno frowned. Starkiller's reaction to something as mundane as maintenance seemed extremely out of place.

"No, it is not necessary anymore," the droid repeated. It then adopted a more playful stance and tone: "Though perhaps you should move to sleep in your bed, Master."

"Not necessary?" Starkiller sounded astonished, his companion's jibe seemingly gone entirely unnoticed by him. "What do you mean not–"

He turned to Juno. "Sorry, I need to take care of this."

Starkiller grabbed PROXY by arm and began walking it away. "Come on, I can do it now."

Juno stood in the dark, confused and with growing suspicion in her heart.

SHALL I WAKE HIM, LORD VADER?

Darth Vader watched the sleeping form of his apprentice through PROXY's eyes. The pilot, Eclipse was her name, was in the room, too.

"No. I can see there is nothing for him to report."

He already knew Starkiller was on Nar Shaddaa, attempting to contact General Kota's militia. It was a good starting point and something for Vader to report back to the Emperor. PROXY's report was more than enough until he could speak to Starkiller freely. It would happen soon. He was due to leave Coruscant long-term in eight days' time and could move freely again.

"It can wait," PROXY's voice told Captain Eclipse.

THIS WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNE MOMENT TO KILL HIM.

Vader read the words as the droid spoke them.

"That won't be necessary now," he said. There was a quick movement at the corner of PROXY's line of vision as the pilot stood up. Her sudden movement alerted his apprentice, and the boy flung off his blanket before he even opened his eyes. His hand reached for a weapon as he stood up, but no lightsaber was at his hip. Realising this, the boy took a defensive stance as his eyes darted across the room.

"What is it, PROXY?" Starkiller's stance relaxed at the lack of immediate danger to his life.

"I wanted to ask you to assist me with some of my maintenance–" the droid replied. A code, no doubt, to alert the apprentice that his master was waiting to speak to him.

"–but it can wait," PROXY finished.

SHALL I DISCONNECT, LORD VADER?

"Yes."

The image was gone immediately, leaving Darth Vader in the silence of his meditation chamber. He ached to ask about his son. Why had Luke been travelling alone? Where was he now? Was he back on Tatooine and safe?

Eight more days. Then he could finally seek answers.

Starkiller woke up in a sour mood. Having missed his master's call the previous night still bothered him, and PROXY was not able to tell him why Darth Vader had changed his mind about talking to him. Even if Vader could not speak freely, just seeing his master would surely have made Starkiller feel more grounded. Even if he could not ask for real guidance, at least he could have asked for information on other terrorist groups he could attempt to make contact with later.

"Did you finish the urgent maintenance?" Juno asked at the breakfast table. She did not bring up the fact that he had fallen asleep.

Starkiller told her he did, and she asked no further questions. He still had not told her how close to finding Kota he was, and he did not tell her now either. They both went their separate ways as they did each day, leaving PROXY man the ship. They were a little closer to Starkiller's search area now and it seemed that his luck was finally turning.

By pure chance, he overheard a conversation about a Jedi at a cantina. The group of friends was initially reluctant to let him in on the rumour, but a few drinks and some bribes soon loosened their tongues.

Rumour had it a Jedi had attacked someone in a cantina, and they even had a name for it: Kai Sen

The cantina was not difficult to find, but it was still closed when Starkiller arrived. It did not look like much from the outside. Its name, perhaps the name of the owner, was plastered onto the covered windows in common Aurebesh script under the much bigger Huttese script logo, and a sign that would be lit up when the establishment opened hung above the doors. Starkiller waited across the dirty street until the owner would arrive, and managed to speak with a few locals who also swore there had been a Jedi in the cantina. If nothing else, there certainly had been an incident that had led to people fleeing the scene.

As the afternoon crept closer to the evening, somebody finally arrived to the establishment.

"Achuta," Starkiller greeted as he approached the Rodian man unlocking the front door. The man startled and attempted to close it in his face, but Starkiller was quick to get his boot in the door.

"I would like to ask you some questions," he continued in Huttese, discreetly showing him a credit chip. "I'll pay you well."

The man hesitated a moment but opened the door. "Come on in then."

Starkiller followed the man into the cantina. The lights turned on automatically, but with covered windows, the interior remained dimly lit. There were groups of tables scattered around with chairs on them from the previous night's cleanup, and several large screens for, based on the rest of the decor, displaying sports. He spotted several security cameras, covering most of the space. There appeared to be only one exit on this side of the bar.

The man went to the bar and left his things behind the counter. He busied himself a moment and Starkiller waited politely until he emerged back with a cleaning cloth.

"What do you want to know?" the Rodian asked as he began moving the chairs back onto the floor.

"I heard a rumour there was a Jedi in here."

"No Jedi. Just some lunatic with a glowrod," he said and began wiping the table now that he had replaced the chairs on the floor.

Starkiller placed a credit chip on the table, then another. "I told you I pay well."

The Rodian looked at him skeptically but took the credits before moving to do the next table.

"I suppose it could've been a Jedi," he allowed. "Didn't really look old enough to be a Jedi. Unless they're spawning a new generation."

Starkiller's heart skipped a beat. Luke! It must have been Luke then.

"What did the Jedi look like?"

The man shrugged his narrow green shoulders. "Human, like you. Male, I think, but it's difficult to tell with young Humans. Can't say I even noticed him until he pulled out one of those laser swords."

Oh, Luke, you idiot...

"Did he say anything?" Starkiller wanted to know. "What was he doing?"

"I think so, but as I said, I didn't pay attention. He spoke Basic. He shouted something about a brother, but I didn't stick around to listen. I booked it with my friend when the tables started flying."

"What happened before that? Give me as many details as you can."

The Rodian paused to think. "Well, looked like he had something against one of our new regulars. This blind guy. He used to come here every day for two or so weeks."

He pointed at the back of the cantina. "He used to come early and sit over there drinking. Said he didn't have money to get his eyes fixed, so he spent the money he had here instead."

Starkiller followed the man around to the next set of tables. "Do you have a name?"

The man shook his head. "He sat over there when the Jedi came. It was early in the day, we're open early on the weekends. Lucky for him, I guess. He was still pretty sober. Usually, he's barely standing by the time we close. I noticed the kid coming in, but I didn't pay attention until all the commotion started and the next thing I know the boy was waving around one of those laser swords."

"Then what happened?" Starkiller prompted.

"People started getting their guns out. Some shots were fired. And then, you won't believe this, but I'm telling you anyway. Then! The Jedi started shooting blue lightning from his hand!"

The Rodian shook his head. "Anyway, that's when most people scattered."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Yeah. One guy got knocked down by a blaster bolt. He pulled through, though. He was here just the other day."

"And the Jedi? Was he hurt?"

"Doubt it. Looked to me like he was trying to kill the old guy. Like I said, I was out the moment all that Jedi magic started."

"Did anyone stay behind to see what happened?"

"I don't think so. One of the waiters and I were probably the last ones out."

That was good at least. The fewer people there were to witness the event the better.

"Do you know what happened to them?"

"Afraid not. They didn't leave through the front door, and both were gone when we got back in. Haven't seen either since."

Starkiller glanced around the space, picking up the security cameras again. They ought to have captured at least some of the confrontation.

"What about the security feed?"

"Don't have it," the bartender said bluntly.

"Why not? Are the cameras not on?" Wouldn't be the first time someone had them just for appearance's sake.

"Local cops came in and took the recordings."

Starkiller fought to keep the dread from showing on his face. "And you don't have a copy?"

"Nope. It's evidence, they said. They said it was a hoax, anyway, but I call bantha shit. That kid was a Jedi and it was a real laser sword."

"Do you know who took the recordings?" Starkiller asked, silently pleading the man would know.

"Sure. It was a lady cop. Imperial."

"Do you know her name?"

"Uh, yes. I have it written down. She left her details in case one of them returned," the Rodian spoke as he made his way to the bar and behind it. Starkiller walked up to him as he rummaged the storage behind the counter and pulled out a datapad. "Let me see... Ah, here it is. Lyanna Kova."

A name was a good start. He could work with that. "Where can I find her?"

The man shrugged. "The local station...? Probably."

Starkiller hummed. He couldn't just walk up to a local police station, but he ought to be able to find where she lived.

"Thank you," Starkiller said. He placed another credit chip on the counter before turning to leave. "I trust you can keep this conversation to yourself."

As soon as he was out on the street, he commed PROXY.

"PROXY, do you have my location? I need the address for Lyanna Kova. Local police."

"Just a moment, accessing database now," PROXY replied. It did not take him long to find an address from the Imperial database and give Starkiller instructions for getting there. The apartment high rise was easy to find and it was not too far from the cantina, only a level higher. It was fenced off, had security cameras, and the concierge checked everyone at the entrance. Starkiller walked around, crossed the fence at the back, and made his way indoors through the third floor.

"PROXY, I need you to take care of the security cameras," he called as he plugged into a computer outlet meant for droids so that PROXY could have remote access.

"Connection established," PROXY confirmed. "Good luck, Master."

"This should be easy," he said. "Do you know which floor I need to go to?"

"29th floor, apartment 2908."

"Thanks, PROXY."

A lift took him to the correct floor quickly and it was not difficult to locate the correct door. PROXY opened it for him, and Starkiller slipped inside unnoticed. He checked the rooms quickly, but as expected, there was no one home yet. It was clear that she lived alone. She did not appear to be local, based on the family holos that showed vast, open landscapes. Like so many others on this moon, she had likely immigrated from one of the poorer planets in search of a better life. Starkiller did not recognise the language written on a banner in one of the holos, but to work for the Empire on Nar Shaddaa she would have to be fluent in Huttese and have at least passable Basic.

He entertained himself by slowly taking in the decor and her possessions scattered around the apartment, trying to understand who she was. She liked the colour green and drank the same caf Juno had been drinking for the past two weeks. Her kitchen counter and bedroom were messy, but not dirty.

"Master," PROXY called over the comm. "She has just used her keycard to enter the building."

"Good. Thank you, PROXY."

"Good luck, Master."

Starkiller smirked. That would hardly be needed. He sat on the sofa where he could see the front door, but would not be immediately seen himself. He did not have to wait for long.

"Good evening, Lyanna Kova," Starkiller called in Huttese once the front door closed behind the Human woman. She froze for a second, then located Starkiller on the sofa before reaching for her blaster.

"Who are you?" she demanded. Startled, but her tone was of someone used to giving orders.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Starkiller warned as she pointed the weapon at him. "Put the blaster away."

She fired, but Starkiller had his lightsaber ignited before she even pulled the trigger. He deflected the blast to the wall behind her, reached out, and pulled the weapon from her hand with a twist of his wrist. It clattered on the floor before flying to Stakiller's waiting hand.

"Jedi," she gasped.

Not deactivating his borrowed blue saber, Starkiller stood up and walked to her.

"I work for Darth Vader. That's all you need to know."

"Vader?" She paled and visibly trembled. "What does Vader want from me?"

"The Jedi," Starkiller pronounced, pointing the saber at her. "I want to know everything you know about the incident at Kai Sen. The owner told me you took the security holos. I want them."

"How do I know you really work for Darth Vader?" she challenged.

"I don't need to prove myself to you," Starkiller snarled, bringing the blade closer to her face. "Give me the holos."

"I–I don't have them," Kova stammered, pressing herself against the door. "I destroyed them."

Starkiller grit his teeth. That was unfortunate.

"Why?"

"Because we have enough to deal with already! Have you seen what a Jedi did to this moon? They dropped a skyhook on us!"

"So you feared the consequences of having another Jedi running loose under your jurisdiction," Starkiller summarised. He lowered the saber. "Who else saw the security recordings?"

"No one. Look, I should've reported it. I will report it. I swear."

"You will do no such thing." Starkiller pointed the blade at her again. "Are you sure you are the only one who saw the recordings?"

"Yes!"

There was no deception to be sensed from her urgent, earnest response. Her whole body was trembling in fear.

"Good. Now you will tell me exactly what you saw and heard on those holos. I want every detail."

Kova nodded frantically. "Alright, alright! Can I sit down?"

"In the kitchen. If you try to alert someone, I will kill you," he warned.

"I won't," she promised.

Kova made her way to sit at the kitchen table, hands folded in front of her. Starkiller stood across from her, lightsaber illuminating the dim-lit room, and watched her every move as she began speaking.

"Am I free to go now?" Kova asked once she had finished describing the events at Kai Sen.

"Not quite," Starkiller said. "Do you know anything else about either of them?"

Kova licked her lips. "I tried tracing where he took the boy... The security footage got me as far as district H-865. Lower levels. Very poor area with not much surveillance. I don't know where he went from there."

"Did you have any help?"

"Yes, but they didn't see the recordings from inside the cantina, and they know nothing about them being Jedi. The investigation was for kidnapping and potential trafficking."

"They must have heard people saying they saw a Jedi."

"They did," she admitted. "A lot of people did. I told them people were exaggerating. The security holos clearly showed what people mistook for a lightsaber was just a glowrod replica. I didn't want there to be panic."

"Good. Lord Vader would not want that, either."

"So I'm not in trouble?" she asked. Her voice was small and frightened.

"You're not," Starkiller confirmed. "Do you have any copies of the security footage from outside the cantina? Anything with their faces?"

"I do," she revealed. "If I can get my datapad, I'll show you."

"Do that," Starkiller agreed. "But no sudden movements, and you will not do anything with the datapad that I don't tell you to do."

"I won't," she promised shakily. "I just need to pick it up from my bedroom."

"Alright, lead the way."

Starkiller followed her to a small bedroom that doubled as her home office.

"Sorry, it's messy," she said nervously and began going through the datapads on her desk. "It's here somewhere..."

Starkiller watched carefully her every move in case she tried to sound an alarm. She did not, and after a moment of searching, she found the correct datapad from the bedside table.

"Here it is."

"Take it back to the kitchen, and sit down," Starkiller ordered.

Kova did as instructed and shifted uncomfortably on her seat as Starkiller moved to stand right behind her.

"Show me."

Kova complied. She showed him recordings from various streets starting from close to the cantina, all the way to district H-865 from where she said there were so few cameras that they had no further footage. Like she said, it was a poor part of town, full of cheap apartments and seedy establishments. Most recordings only captured Kota with unconscious Luke on his back from an angle that did not capture either of their faces. Luke faced the ground, but there were a few useful shots where Kota's face could be made out.

"I want a copy of this," he said.

She agreed, copying the requested part for Starkiller's wrist comm. She told him there were other copies of the same footage, but that did not matter. Luke's face was not visible, and they were not investigating anything Jedi-related.

"Thank you," Starkiller said, taking a few steps back. "You have been very helpful. Are you sure that's everything you can tell me?"

"I swear, I've told you everything." She sounded like she was ready to cry. "And I swear I won't speak."

Starkiller deactivated the lightsaber, feeling Kova's blaster in his other hand. The safety was already off and it was set to kill.

"No, you won't," he agreed and shot her in the head.

The small package sat in the middle of the kitchen table as it had for the past three hours since she had finally picked it up from the table by the front door. It had been there when she came home, and she had immediately placed it back upon reading the words on it.

Elisa Lekauf gripped the back of a chair. It was almost two in the morning and she had put away the dishes, prepared breakfast and a lunchbox for herself for tomorrow, and rearranged the cutlery drawer she had meant to do when she had time for the past five years.

Erv Lekauf.

That was all it said. No delivery address, no return address, or name of the sender. Who would have a box hand-delivered to her late husband? Erv had been dead for eight years and no mail had come for him after all official documentation was done and the memorial service held. Her first thought was it must have been related to his work, but if that were the case it would have been delivered to his work and Elisa would never have heard of it.

A very large part of her did not want to open it at all, though she knew she would eventually have to. Whatever the package contained was likely nothing of importance. Nothing that would stir up more memories than looking at it now did.

Elisa reached for the package and picked it up. It wasn't very heavy. She could easily balance it on her palm. It wasn't much larger than her hand, either. Perhaps someone who knew Erv from the military and did not know he had died had sent it. Perhaps they knew but wanted to return something of Erv's without knowing who else to address it to.

There really was only one way to find out.

Elisa stood anxiously in an empty meeting room. There were no windows, but the room was brightly lit. The package sat on the pristine boardroom table.

She was early. Too early.

Then again, being early was certainly better than being late, but many people preferred to arrive first when they were the ones others came to meet. Now it might seem as though Elisa was waiting. She was waiting of course, but not like that.

Her eyes lingered on the package, checked the door, and returned to the package. She strictly avoided checking the time.

She jumped when the door finally opened. Her back straightened as she turned her full attention to the man she had come to meet. She had seen him from afar several times thanks to her own work at the Imperial Senate, but despite her husband's previous close working relationship with him, she had never met him in person.

"Lord Vader," she greeted. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me so quickly."

Quickly was an understatement. She was used to taking weeks or even months to arrange meetings between and with senators and various delegations, but Lord Vader had arranged to meet her in less than 48 hours since she had pulled in a few favours from Erv's old colleagues and friends to get the word out. There had been no back and worth. Simply a message from Lord Darth Vader himself, stating he would meet her here.

The door closed behind the dark lord and the armoured man stepped closer. His artificial breath hissed loudly in the room.

"Elisa Lekauf," he stated. "Lieutenant Lekauf's wife."

Widow, Elisa thought but did not correct him. "Yes, my lord."

"Why did you want to meet me?"

Straight to business then. Probably for the best, though she was surprised he had agreed to meet her at all without her even giving a proper reason. Lord Vader must have had an idea of what the little box might contain if her name alone had allowed her to meet him.

"Erv died eight years ago–," she began.

"Yes, I know," Darth Vader cut her off.

Elisa smiled uneasily. "Of course, my lord. But two days ago I received this box addressed to my husband," she continued, gesturing at the package. "It was delivered to my home without an address or any information of who the sender might be."

It seemed to pique the dark lord's interest. "Who delivered it?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, my lord. I wasn't home at the time."

"And you have opened it?"

"Yes. That is why I requested to meet you," she said, turning to step closer to the table and take the package, but she did not need to. She gasped as the box flew by her into the waiting hand of Darth Vader.

"The message– There is a message inside," she stumbled on as Vader lifted the lid. "It says the delivery is for you, my lord."

Darth Vader picked up a smaller box, less than half the size of the original box. The lid and box fell from his hand, but before they hit the floor they were swept aside as if a gust of strong wind had caught them and they clattered against the floor at the side of the room.

"Have you opened this?" Darth Vader asked, holding the smaller box between his thumb and fingers.

"Of course not," she denied, regaining her composure. The message stated it explicitly — the small box was for Darth Vader, and Darth Vader only.

"Have you told anyone of this?"

Elisa shook her head. "No, no one."

"What about your children?" Vader wanted to know.

"No, my lord. They both live elsewhere."

The armoured man seemed to pause and look at her, but she couldn't quite tell for sure.

"Good," the dark lord said, turning the box over in front of his helmet, looking at it from every possible angle. "And when you sought to meet me... What did you do?"

"I only spoke to two of Erv's colleagues. I didn't tell them anything about the box. I just asked them if it would be possible for me to meet you, my lord."

"Yes, Captain Raivo," Lord Vader mused. "Who else?"

"Captain Oras."

"And they agreed? Just like that?"

Elisa shook her head. "No, my lord. It took a lot of persuasion."

"What changed their mind?"

"Well," Elisa said a tad uneasily. "I told them I wanted an opportunity to thank you in person, my lord."

Before Vader could reply, she continued with more confidence: "And I would like to take that opportunity now, if I may speak."

Vader's breaths seemed even louder in Elisa's ears as she waited for the man to acknowledge her words.

"You may."

Elisa drew a breath to calm herself. Up until now, she had felt oddly calm, but this... This was very personal.

"I was devastated when my husband died," she began, barely able to keep her voice steady. "We all were. Nothing will ever make up for that, but... I'm truly grateful for all you have made possible for our children. My daughter studies medicine in Chandrila, and my son is at the Academy of Carida. The tuitions and the monthly payments– Erv didn't even die on duty. You are far too kind, my lord."

"No," the dark lord pronounced. "I simply appreciate your husband's service. It deserves to be rewarded."

Elisa smiled, though it was a bittersweet one. "Thank you, my lord. My husband always spoke very highly of you. I can see why."

"Your husband is a competent man," Darth Vader said almost idly, turning his attention back to the small box in his hand again.

"You will be rewarded for delivering this discreetly," he said, marking an end to the discussion about Erv. His free hand curled up into a fist. "This meeting never took place. I trust you can come up with an explanation for the box if needed."

"Yes, my lord," Elisa assured. She could always say it was an old memento from an ex or something along those lines. "And I was never here."

"Your cooperation is appreciated," he said, reaching out his arm towards the door that opened at his command.

Elisa took it as a sign to mark her leave.

"Thank you. Farewell, my lord."

She was nearly out of the building when she stopped in her tracks and turned to look back the way she came from.

Your husband is a competent man.

Elisa shook her head and resumed her steps. Don't let your imagination run wild, she thought.