The shuttle landed awkwardly on a pad in the dusty spaceport, and a few moments later, Drakken and Freya walked down the ramp laughing. The flight to Belasco had lasted for eight hours. It would have otherwise been six, but Drakken had insisted on giving Freya more flight lessons. This had led to the incidents they were now so amused about. They stopped laughing for a brief moment and took in their surroundings. The town was the largest population center on the planet, and probably at least had a decent restaurant, club or hotel. Freya started to take a step, but Drakken grabbed her arm.

"Watch out for that freighter!" He called, and Thorne made a loud braying, gasping laugh.

"T'wasn't my fault!" She squeaked. "How's I s'posed t' know how ta overtake a slower ship now, Drakken?" He laughed and put an arm over her shoulder.

"I would think it's not by nearly colliding with it!" He answered. "Oh damn…those poor people probably got the scare of their lives!" He looked around the ship. "Nice…you almost made it onto the landing pad." She shoved him away playfully.

"Aw, feck oop, ye bonny dobber!" She swatted at him. "I'm learnin, aren't I?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, you are that." He agreed warmly.

"So, we cuttin' aboot this place, huh?" She asked. "Lemme guess, you've ne'er been here."

"Nope. Saw it on the star map when I was setting a course, and the computer said this world had lodging and entertainment. Good enough for me."

"Aye…an' all the inhabitants could be ghouls for all ye know." She warned. He shrugged.

"You wanted an adventure." Drakken stated. Freya giggled again as they made their way into the city. They stopped at a decent-looking hotel and ventured inside. Behind the counter was an elderly Bothan woman.

"Looking for a room?" She asked.

"Yeah." Drakken said. "Two, in fact."

"Drakken…" Freya said, a cross tone to her voice. "Two rooms, is it?" He shook his head.

"I mean, we should at least try to…I dunno, maintain a little decorum?"

"Ye kissed all over Miss Zala, and she's not even yer best mate, ye bawheid." Thorne shot back. The Bothan hotelier watched the exchange with a grin.

"That was totally different." Tharcourt argued. "I kissed her because she wasn't my best friend. Geez and spacerays, Freya." Thorne put her arms over her chest and huffed. "I just don't want things to get…awkward again."

"Young man…" The old alien spoke. "I hate to point out the fallacy of others, but you say you don't want things to be awkward…and you are arguing relationships in a hotel lobby." Drakken opened his mouth to speak, then practically deflated.

"She's got a point, me darlin'." Freya offered. She smiled. "Alright…two rooms it is."

"No…" Tharcourt sighed. "One room…two beds." The Bothan woman laughed as she took their payment and handed them a keycard. "Anything fun to do in this city?" He asked. "Nice bars, restaurants, entertainment?"

"Oh sure, there's quite a few things for travelers to do in Dehoc City. Now that Empire Day is over, the place is getting back to normal and livening back up." She laughed. "Thank the stars it only comes once a year."

"Ugh…you can say that again…" Drakken groused. The alien hotelier smiled.

"There's a restaurant just down the road. Spivey's Place. Nice eatery. You want lowbrow, go further down to T'willigan's Trough. Food there's about as cheap and efficient as Slaver's gruel. Lot of the working class eats there though, Imperial Wages and Taxes and all…" Freya groaned. It seemed that everyone who wasn't directly working for the Empire had something bad to say about it. "If you're thirsty, there's a nice cantina down the way…" She pointed. "It's a good, clean place, and Fairlan keeps all the riff-raffs out. They have open mic night tomorrow evening."

"Soons lovely." Thorne commented.

"Now though…I think I want to rest a bit." Drakken stated. "It's been a long flight."

"Ol' man a wee bit winded, eh Drakken?" Freya teased. He stuck an index finger up in a warning and she giggled. They made their way to the small lift at the back of the lobby, and the old Bothan went back to her reading.

"Hm…cute couple." She remarked.

"So…this is our room…" Drakken announced, motioning to the small suite before them. Freya deposited their two large bags onto the floor and walked to one of the beds, flopping down on it carelessly. "And I guess I'll take the other rack." He mumbled, and sat on the neighboring bed. He looked over to see Freya laying on her stomach, her chin resting on her hands. She was kicking her feet cutely. He smiled, and she smiled wider.

"Nice t' be outta that ship for a lil' while." She said. "Och…nice t' be anywhere with a bit o' peace an' quiet." Tharcourt nodded, and lightly bounced on the bed.

"Too right, Freya." He agreed. "When we get up, you want to eat at that restaurant up the street?"

"The good een or th' awful'un?" She asked facetiously.

"The one with the slaver's gruel...it sounds delightful." He answered cynically, taking off his boots and jacket. "Of course the good one." Her smile faded a little.

"Can we…call it a date, Drakken?" She asked in a low voice.

"I uh…wh…why?" He asked. She huffed, and her cheeks turned a little pink.

"Because it…might be fun." She said.

"Fun…" He muttered as if he didn't know the meaning of such a strange word. He dropped his leather jacket onto the floor beside the bed. "It might get us into trouble is what it might do…" Thorne rolled onto her back, and felt moisture seep into her eyes.

"Can I ask o' ye a question, Drakken?" She whispered.

"I suppose…"

"Why're ye so hard on the idea a' feeling things?"

"I'm not."

"Ye've the 'eart of an angel and the mind of a machine sometimes, me dear." She sighed. "We're good together, I think. All the times…jus tell me why ye won't take a chance an' call one of our meals a date…" Drakken had enough of the questioning.

"Just because we're good together or…or how we feel…is that enough reason to risk everything?!" He shot back. "We could be court-martialed…we could lose the team! That's a steep price for us being childish…for…" He clenched his fists against his forehead.

"For what, Drakken?!"

"For feeling, damnit!"

"Everybody feels, Drakken! And what in th' name of damnit makes ye think we'd be court-martialed?" She asked. "Ye know how many people's told me that nothin' would 'appen? I'm sure you have to! The lads already act like we're married, for kriff's sake!"

"Freya, do you know how much is against the two of us?!" He said in a softer tone, his head buried in his hands. "It…doesn't matter how good we'd be together or how much…how much both of us want to be…you and me. I can't afford to feel, alright? Neither of us can. There's too much at stake. There's a war…and I have to win it…"

"Drakken, why are ye so obsessed with killin' rebels, huh?! Why's it you care more about war than ye do yer own feelin's, or the people about ye?!"

"Because it's all I farking know!" He yelled. Drakken stormed out to the small balcony, and shakily lit a cigarra. He stared out at the darkening city, and took a long drag. His remark was almost a blow to himself, as if he'd yelled it to his own psyche. He found himself recounting his life, and trying to find a time where war or violence hadn't in some way been the guiding hand of everything he'd ever done. He thought back to…her. She had accused him of loving war more than her. His parents had disowned him. Everything he'd ever loved had been lost when the seps invaded. It seemed that the only people who had ever taken him in, the only ones who had ever helped him were…

"The ones who needed me." He muttered.

"What did ye say?" Freya asked softly, coming to stand with him on the balcony.

"When the only ones who ever cared…were the ones who needed you to fight their fight." He said. Freya put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't just care about ye because ye saved me, love…" She whispered.

"I know…I wasn't talking about you…" He sighed. "Sorry I yelled."

"Sorry I made ye." She said back. He scoffed cynically. "Yer more than just somebody's soldier, Drakken. Yer more than just another trooper in th' line."

"Yeah…I'm the guy who can actually kill the enemy." He said bitterly. "I'm the one who believes in what he's doing. I'm…" He looked at Freya. "You were sent on a mission without me. Why?"

"Laird Vader said there were some who thought we'd fail." She admitted. He shook his head.

"We're expendable assets in the end. Means to an end. People who do bad things to do good things, then we get scrubbed and they find someone else." He sucked down most of the cigarra. Freya lit one of her own. "That's why how we feel doesn't really matter. Because all that matters…to anyone, is that I do my job."

"No…" Thorne countered. "What matters is what and who yer doin' it for…and the people yer doin' it with. Ye know Ekks was about t' be court marshalled before you signed him on?"

"Yeah. He had some…violations…"

"And Gallen was right ready t' up and quit after his tee-oh-ee?"

"I…I think he mentioned that."

"Felian hated his old assignment."

"What's the point of all this?" Drakken demanded. Freya met eyes with him, and hers were cold and expressionless.

"When ye found me, Commander Drakken Tharcourt…I'd gi'en up. I was on me way t' kill meself in that trainin' hall. If I hadnae, she wouldae done it gladly." She smiled a little. "Yer more'n a great c'mander. And ye feckin' idiot, yer not an expendable asset. Yer the savior o' the broken, the beaten and the damned." She took a drag and leaned on the railing, looking out over the city lights. "I'll tell ye somethin', me darlin'…ain't much t' love about th' Empire when ye get to know how it really works…how it be affectin' all them lovely folk out there." She nodded toward the town. "But if yer t' ask me, or anyone an' his mum…yer all that's still good about th' Empire."

"When did we become traitors?" Tharcourt reflected, lighting another cigarra.

"Don't think we did." Thorne replied. "When did th' Empire become traitors?"

"According to Zala…they always kind of were." Drakken muttered. "Slave labor, destroying whole races…civilian reprisals…the DS-1."

"Kasa…" Thorne whispered.

"I think we're in so deep, we'll never see daylight." Drakken said. "People like us. We're trying to help the galaxy, but everything we do is just helping…them." He cast his half-smoked cigarra off the balcony and leaned on his arms. "Join the rebels, and everything we do would just be hurting more people." She drew him up to standing, and put her arms around him.

"At least yer not alone in this mess, Drakken." She said softly. "An' don't ye ever feel like ye are."

"I know…" He said just as softly, embracing her. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He pulled back and looked into her eyes as she smiled at him.

"Then I guess I found ye in the nick a' time, darlin'." She offered.

"Been alone about all my life." He said.

"Neu more." She replied. Drakken didn't know why, but he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She drew him in closer and they shared a deep, longing kiss for several moments before he finally broke away.

"We still can't." He said sadly.

"Drakken…" She said with tears seeping into her eyes. "I just want to say it…I love you." His lip trembled a bit, and he nodded solemnly.

"I know." He whispered. Freya smiled a little, knowing that was the best she was going to get from him.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Don't think I ever have been." He answered with a faint shrug. "Come on…we should get some sleep. We've got four more days of leave, and I plan on trying to spend them well."

They awoke the next morning, both of them somewhat surprised that they had slept until eleven-hundred local time. Drakken couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten ten hours of sleep, and Freya seemed to be in better spirits, though he kept catching her giving him sad little smiles as they got ready to leave the hotel room to explore the town.

He didn't want to, but Drakken began second-guessing himself. He had once again used the excuse of rules and statutes to explain why he and Freya couldn't be together. It was a lie, and he knew it. Moreso, every time he used it, it only made him feel even more guilty. The reasons he felt inside were far more confusing, far more treacherous, and he didn't want to face them, even if it meant banishing the one good and pure thing that he had ever known in his life. Not Freya, just the idea of them ever being happy together. Could they ever have any hope of that in this galaxy? What was hope in the end but a positive spin on a risky gamble. As he watched her brush out her long, red hair, Tharcourt realized that it was a gamble he didn't want to take. Drakken Tharcourt…the Hero of the Garosian rebellion, the renowned Imperial guerilla hunter, the man who looked death in the eye from the time he was a teenager…was afraid of something.

Spivey's Place was a decent restaurant by any standards. The patrons of the eatery were all of the professional class and what Drakken took to be the elite. There were even a pair of low-ranking Imperial officers in the restaurant, no doubt having a lunch break before heading back to the local garrison. Drakken and Freya sat across from each other at a small table in the corner. Feeling adventurous and living up to her words, Freya ordered the most exotic-sounding items on the menu. Drakken stuck with a roast and vegetables.

"Top…notch…" Freya mumbled as she chewed on a mouthful of something that looked like a green potato with small tentacles. He raised an eyebrow and took a bite of his roast. She nibbled on a pickled foot of some kind of hoofed animal.

"You really don't care what you eat, do you?" He finally chuckled. She swallowed and took a drink of her tea.

"I do, in fact, Drakken." She returned. "I only eat wot tastes good…problem is, me tongue thinks well o' nigh e'erything a human can digest!" She giggled. "It's a real problem!"

"Not really." Drakken said, stifling a grin. "If we're ever stuck on a wild planet, I'll probably starve to death while you get fat." Thorne looked down at her tiny midsection.

"I couldnae get fat if I wanted, I think." She said. Drakken took a drink of his water. "Ah bollocks, only way I'm plumpin' up is if I e'er get pregnant." Drakken coughed, expelling water from his nose.

"Void, Freya!" He said in a harsh whisper.

"What?" She returned, confused. She took another bite of the green koorlain m'nala on her plate. Drakken realized that her remark was just that; an innocent statement, and not directed at him. It was at that moment that Freya finally realized why he had acted like he had. Her cheeks turned red, and she guzzled her tea to try to hide her awkwardness.

"You know…part of me thinks it would be nice to be able to eat like this all the time." Drakken mused, digging at his vegetables with a fork. "Too bad they don't serve this sort of faire in the mess halls."

"How long you plan on bein' a soldier, love?" She asked.

"Huh?" He looked up for a moment. "Never really thought about it. I'll probably be in for life…one way or another. What about you?"

"Guess I'm t' be a lifer too." She answered. Drakken raised his eyes to see her smiling knowingly.

"Because of me." He sighed.

"I told ye…I'm stickin' with ye till the end, darlin'."

"Why?" He asked, then felt foolish for asking it.

"Because I love you, and because that's what best mates do." He nodded gently, and slowly took a bite of his roast, chewing it like a man deep in thought.

After lunch, they made their way to a market, where Freya admired all of the native fruits and vegetables, buying some for later, and stuffing them all into a knitwork bag she bought from one of the vendors. They came to a booth selling clothing, and both of them sorted through the racks and tables. Drakken found a long coat hanging on a wooden post. It was made of some kind of oiled canvass, and the black garment had a row of built-in pouches along the waistline, and a hood draped from the back of the collar. The semi-padded shoulders made the coat look as though it was made for hunting or shooting. He took the coat down and tried it on, finding it to be a perfect fit. He noticed Freya looking at something a few tables away, and joined her.

"Ohhh…they're so nice." Thorne commented, trying on the gloves. "Not as soft as the Sullustan ones ye got me, but…mmhmmhmm…" She rubbed one of the gloves against her cheek. "Think they'd pass for regulation?" He gave her a deadpan expression that made her pause.

"Do we pass for regulation half the time?" He countered, then cracked a smile. Just then, the Toydarian running the booth flapped over.

"You-ah find any-a-thing you like?" He asked. Drakken raised the coat on his arm.

"And the lady's gloves." He added. Freya shot him a questioning glance. "What? Been a while since I bought you something nice."

"Aw ye bampot, ye buy me things all th' time!" She squeaked.

"Ah-forty credits, please." The vendor stated. Drakken shook his head.

"Seems a little steep." He commented. The winged market vendor looked insulted.

"Those ah gloves are the finest leather you'll a-find, mister…and that coat. It once-ah belonged to a famous bounty-a hunter, you know?" Drakken grinned at the Toydarian's attempt to hustle him.

"I'm buying a coat, not somebody's story." He stated. "And those gloves are worth about ten credits tops. I wouldn't pay thirty credits for a used coat if it had rhydonium in its pockets." He allowed a few seconds for his remark to sink in. "Thirty credits." The vendor growled.

"Fine, fine. Thirty credits it is. You-ah know, that's what I was a-going to let you have them for, right?"

"Well, I'm much obliged." Drakken said, handing over the payment.

They walked down the street, wearing their new purchases proudly. Thorne looked sidelong at Drakken as he walked, a light wind blowing his long coat back gently like a cape. Her eyes moved down to the blaster swaying at his side as he moved, and his black boots with the polished durasteel plates on the front. He hadn't worn his cap today, and his black hair was barely styled. She blushed, and felt like some young girl going all atwitter over some dark, roguish character that had just arrived in town. Drakken had the look of a highwayman back home, or some kind of blaster-for-hire, and Thorne loved every minute of it.

"You alright, Freya?" He asked, and she jolted like someone lurching out of a sleep.

"Aye!" She said immediately. "I was uh…jes thinkin' is all." He laughed.

"Be careful about doing that while walking." He jested. "You might think yourself right into a signpost." She giggled.

"So…what time ye think that bar'll be havin' their hoopla?" She asked. "I could do fer a swally an' some airs."

They sat at their table in the cantina, sipping their strong, flavored drinks as a half-drunken human man stood on the stage, giving the worst rendition of bar music Drakken had ever heard. It was amusing at least, and he lit a cigarra. He'd no sooner than taken a drag when Freya pulled it out of his fingers and took a long draw herself before putting back in between his lips. Tharcourt laughed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun.

"I get knocked down, but I get up again…you're never gonna keep me down…" The man on the stage sang, completely off-beat.

"You sing, Drakken?" Freya asked. He shrugged.

"I dunno…"

"Come on. Can ye sing or not?" She pressed, and took a drink.

"I…I used to…a little." He admitted. "Still do…when I'm alone…sometimes."

"What do ye like…music-wise?" She inquired. He took a sip.

"Anything really." He said. "I love music…unless it's some of that vicious screaming some of the troopers listen to. I enjoy love songs more than I do that…garbage." She grinned, then her smile dropped.

"Ye think there's e'er t' be a chance…" She began, "…where you and me can do like the people in those sweet songs, Drakken? Ferget th' galaxy an' jus…be happy?" He swirled his glass around on the table, a frown on his face.

"Not so long as there's a war on." He muttered. She nodded.

"Alright, alright…not too bad." The owner of the bar, a short, bearded man said over his microphone as the singer left the stage for his table. "Anyone else want to have a go at singing?" He looked about the room. "Anyone?" Freya took a deep breath and drained her glass. She stood up and waved.

"I'll do it!" She called out. The owner pointed at her.

"Alright miss, step right on up." The cantina owner said, waving her forward. Freya shrugged at Drakken and made her way to the stage. "You sing much, do you?" He asked over the microphone, then held it near her mouth.

"Aye…I do sometimes." She answered nervously. Some of the patrons laughed.

"So, what do you do, young lady?" The owner asked.

"I'm a lieutenant in th' Imperial Navy." She said. Several of the bar's customers muttered negatively, and one booed.

"Now, everyone's welcome in here." The owner stated into the mic. Freya shot him a smile. "So, what are you going to sing tonight, lieutenant?"

"I…I dunno. Wot should I sing?" She asked. The crowd laughed.

"How about you sing about how bad war is?!" Somebody offered from the back of the room in a scathing tone. Thorne's face became solemn and she nodded.

"A'right…I think I will." She said defiantly into the microphone, and walked up onto the stage. She had a few words with the Bith controlling the mixing board, and took her place at the center of the platform. A slow song started playing, and she looked out into the small crowd. "Wanna war song? This is fer any Imperials out there…" She said. "…and any rebels too. S' for all of us." Drakken cocked his head as she began to sing;

"Another head hangs lowly…child is slowly takeeen…" The room seemed to erupt in applause for a moment. Nobody had expected this out of an Imperial officer, and even the bar's owner was dumbstruck by her choice in song, as well as her impossibly beautiful singing voice.

"And the violence caused such silence…who are we mistaken?"

"But you see, it's not me, it's not my family…" She brought her fist to her heart as she sang the words with such force it was impossible not to realize that she was feeling every syllable.

"In your head, in your head, they are fightin'

With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns,

In your head, in your head, they are cryin'…"

"Good kriffin' Hell…" Drakken muttered, watching in awe. Freya grabbed the mic stand as the music got a little harder.

"What's in your hea…ead…in your hea…eee…aaad, Zombie…zombie…zombie…eh…eh!

What's in your hea…ead…in your hea…eee…aaad, Zombie…zombie…zombie…eh…eh…oh!"

She looked directly at Drakken. The song was a powerful message, and one he couldn't help but pick up on. If she hadn't intentionally meant for it, the words still stung him. It was every reason he had for wanting to stop all of the fighting, and everything he hated in himself put to music. He nodded knowingly to Freya, and she broke into the next verse while making sure to make eye contact with as many of the patrons as possible.

"Another mother's breakin'…heart is takin' over

When the violence causes silence…we must be mistaken…"

"Hey." Somebody said, nudging Drakken. He looked to see an Iktotchi man leaned over in his chair toward him. "That woman of yours is one Hell of a singer."

"Yeah..." He breathed.

"Beautiful as starlight too." The patron added. Tharcourt nodded.

"I know." He muttered. He looked back to Freya, who now practically danced with the mic stand as the chorus came again.

"In your head, in your head…Zombie, zombie, zombie…ie…ie

What's in your head, in your head? Zombie, zombie, zombie…ie…ie…ie"

"You wouldn't want to see it, my love…" Drakken whispered to himself, and took a long drink of his beverage.

Freya finished the song to a round of applause and whistles. The patrons all loved this strange Imperial officer who had just sung not only a moving song about the futility of war, but had done so in the most beautiful voice some of them had ever heard. She bowed elegantly and beamed at the crowd. Then, she said something to the owner of the cantina, and hopped off of the stage. Freya made her way back to their table, where Drakken was still clapping.

"Come on, Drakken." Freya said, taking him by the hand.

"Come on what?" He asked apprehensively. She tugged him toward the small stage of the cantina.

"Come on…yer gonna sing with me's what." She answered. He dug his heels into the floor.

"Whoah, whoah…I don't sing." He declared. She glowered at him.

"Well I ain't singin' alone this time. I need 'nother person fer a duet, Drakken ye fool!" He tried to argue, then let out a frustrated sigh. A waitress walked past with a tray of drinks, and Drakken jerked his hand away from Freya and grabbed two large shots of spotchka off of the platter and downed them both. He coughed and wiped his mouth.

"Damn…" He coughed again and shook his head. "Alright. One song. That make you happy?"

"Aye." He reluctantly followed her onto the stage, and stood at one of the microphones, fidgeting as Thorne spoke with the Bith at the mixing table. He nodded, and she quickly rejoined Drakken.

"Well?" He asked impatiently.

"Well…I know ye know this one…" She began nervously. "I mean...ye said ainse ye liked it...or at least th' holodrama. An…I wanted to do this…I wanna say somethin', but I don't think I right can…" He narrowed his eyes. What did she mean? "I figure it's better to sing it, ye know?" Her eyes drifted downwards. "It's too perfect…this song…I know…well, ne'ermind. Let's just do it, eh?" He nodded, still unsure of what was going on.

"Alright ladies, gents and inebriates…" The cantina's owner announced over his own microphone. "We have a genuine oddity in here tonight. Not just one, but two fine officers of the Empire are going to be our next amateur act. So put your hands, flippers and other digits together, huh?" There were a few claps and whistles, as most of the patrons' attention spans were petering out, and were more concerned with their drinks at this point. The Bith pointed at Freya, and she began to sing beautifully as the music started.

"You know I want you…it's not a secret I try to hide

I know you want me, so don't keep saying our hands are tied

You claim it's not in the cards

But fate is pulling you miles away and out of reach from me

But you're here in my heart

So who can stop me if I decide that you're my destinyyyyy?" She turned and looked Drakken in the eyes. He gave a sad smile as she broke into the chorus of the song:

"What if we reeewrite the stars?

Say you were made to be mine

Nothing could keep us apart

You'd be the one I was meant to find…" Freya didn't even have to look at the scrolling words on the screen. She knew the words by heart, and at the moment, it didn't even feel like she was singing. It felt like she was telling Drakken everything she'd wanted to tell him for months.

It's up to you, and it's up to me

No one can say what we get to be

So why don't we reeewrite the stars?

Maybe the world could be ours…tonight." Drakken didn't even have to try to sing the song either. He felt like tears were trying to rise in his eyes, and suddenly, nobody was watching. It was just the two of them, laying their hearts bare to each other to the tune of the greatest love song ever written, and his part in the tune was tragically fitting. On cue, he began to sing:

"You think it's easy? You think I don't wanna run to you?" He sang, gazing into Freya's green eyes, shimmering with moisture as he sang the lyrics to her in his baritone voice:

"But there are mountains

And there are doors that we can't walk through

I know you're wondering why

Because we're able to be just you and me

Within these walls

But when we go outside

You're gonna wake up and see that it was hopeless after all…" Freya had tears running down her cheeks, but both knew they couldn't stop at this point. This was no longer a duet on a stage in some cantina. It was everything they had wanted to say to each other, for better or worse. Drakken began to sing the chorus as Freya looked away.

"No one can rewrite the stars…how can you say you'll be mine

Everything keeps us apart, and I'm not the one you were meant to find

It's not up to you, it's not up to me

When everyone tells us what we can be

How can we rewrite the stars, say that the world can be ours…Tonight" Freya was suddenly at his side, and wrapped an arm over his shoulder, looking deeply into his eyes as the song reached its duet part.

"All I want is to fly with you…all I want is to fall with you" They both sang in a melodic blending of their voices. "So just give me all of you"

"It feels impossible." Drakken sang.

"It's not impossible!" Freya sang back, her eyes locked on his.

"Is it impossible?" Drakken returned.

"Say that it's possibleeeeee!" They both sang loudly, before singing the last chorus in tune together as the music swelled,

"How do we rewrite the stars, say you were made to be mine?

Nothing can keep us apart, cause you are the one I was meant to find

It's up to you

And it's up to me

No one can say what we get to be

Why don't we rewrite the stars...changing the world to be ours..."

After the final chorus, the music faded a bit, and Drakken knew the last words by heart. He also now understood fully the meaning behind Freya wanting to sing this with him. She had tears on her cheeks, and couldn't look him in the face anymore. This was her confession. There were no excuses anymore, no passing off all of the awkward moments they had shared. She was admitting that she loved him…truly, madly, deeply, and she was forcing Drakken come to terms with the fact that he loved her as well. It wasn't hard to admit to himself. It felt like he had already known it. He knew he had been in love with Freya from the moment they spoke in the training hall. He wanted to be with her, to spend and share his life with her. He scoffed, it sounding more like a silent sob, and his vision was clouded by the tears in his eyes. He raised the mic, and sang sadly:

"You know I want you…It's not a secret I try to hide,

But I can't have you…we're bound to break and my hands are tied."

The cantina erupted in cheers and applause, but none of it registered with either of them. Freya walked off of the stage, and ran quickly through the bar and out the door. Drakken stepped off the stage, and lit a cigarra. He sniffed, and wiped an eye. So this was it, the moment he felt like he had been running from for months now. He silently cursed himself. All the battles, all the danger and the blood, and he was afraid…afraid of his own feelings, afraid to take this, of all the risks in the galaxy. He found a dark corner, and leaned against the wall.

It seemed stupid now that he thought about it. He'd almost slept with Veruna, and the only thing that had stopped him was his feelings for Freya. Why was it so hard to tell her how he felt? What would it matter, and to whom? Firmus? Piett had already said that he expected it to happen. Vader? That man was always on the verge of killing everyone around him, and obsessed with finding that rebel pilot. Two officers having an affair probably wouldn't register with him. For kriff's sake, everyone on the team acted as if they were already a couple, and had since the start. Drakken kicked the wall and walked out of the cantina.

"Freya?" He called gently on the dark street. "Freya?" He looked about for her, but the young woman was nowhere to be found. Drakken thought for a moment, and guessed at the one place she would go.

He saw the shuttle's ramp was down, and slowly climbed aboard. The systems were still off, and the cargo bay was dark as he entered the ship. Walking aft, he looked around, but didn't see her anywhere. He was about to exit the ship to check the hotel room when he heard a sniffle from the cockpit. Drakken quietly moved into the small area, and found Freya curled up in the pilot's chair, her body gently shaking as she sobbed.

"Freya?" He said softly, and put a hand on her back.

"Mmph." She hummed irately. Drakken sighed. He put his arms under her, and lifted Thorne up like a child, and carried her in his arms to the bay. He laid her on one of the soft, padded benches and knelt down.

"I uh…I wanted to talk to you…" He said. Freya finally rolled over and looked at him with a mixture of grief and anger.

"Yeah? Ye wanna talk, go right on, Drakken." She huffed, and sniffled loudly. "Before ye do, ye listen good. I ain't sorry fer what I did. I love you, Drakken. I love you so much, an' I think I feckin' loved ye from the time I met ye. It's killin' me inside, ye know that?! I wanna be with ye forever an' ever, an' ever bleedin' day we pretend 'ere ain't a damned thing a'tween us…" She sobbed a couple of times. "It kills me inside, Drakken."

"I know." He whispered. "I…I know, Freya." He grimaced, realizing how terrible he was at saying things like this. He looked at her again, and it seemed like all of his hesitation began to melt away. "I know because it's hurt me too…keeping up this idiotic ruse…pretending…running." Drakken took her by the hands, and helped her to a sitting position. He looked deeply into her eyes. "Freya…I think I've loved you from day one. I think the more we talked…the more we fought together, had our meals together…the more I loved you." Drakken felt like he was in uncharted territory, but every part of him wanted to keep forging ahead.

"I tried so hard to fight it, to ignore it…but I can't…not anymore." He continued. Her eyes widened a little. "You have no idea what you really mean to me…" He brushed her tangled hair out of her face. "I love you, Freya." She was stunned for a moment. Those three words coming from Drakken seemed so surreal. She felt a new round of tears welling up in her eyes, and she did the only think she could think of.

"I love you, Drakken." She breathed. He embraced her in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry I've put you through all this." He said tearfully. "I should have told you…I should have…a long time ago."

"I know ye were scared something awful." She sniffed. He shook his head.

"I still am. Of more than you think. But there's no crickin' point of going through life like that alone…is there? I'm afraid of you getting hurt…of losing you…but by the void I think I'm more scared of one of us buying it in before we can be happy."

"Then let's be happy, Drakken." She stated. "Doon't think t'morra's promised anymore."

"I love you." He said. She smiled.

"I love you, Drakken." He sniffed and pulled away, still holding onto her shoulders.

"So…what do we do now?" He asked. "I have no clue what I'm doing here." She let out an emotional laugh.

"Why, we 'ave t' find a field a' flowers to run through, an' we 'ave t' pick out curtains fer the kitchen, a' course." She said, and hugged him again. "Ye poor man…th' only thing that's changed is that we admitted it all. Ain't like we been sweet on each other fer six bloody months or nuthin'." He chuckled a little, and broke the embrace.

"You uh…you want to go back to the bar?" He asked. She wiped her nose.

"Lookin' like a reg'lar boot as I do?" She shot back. "Crivens neu." She held his hands. "Why'nt we go back t' our room." She smiled. "I always adored air conversations, me love."

It happened. It finally happened! You are probably all in a state of semi-shock over it too, but you knew it was coming. And what a way for them to at last confess their feeling for one another! In case some of you live underneath a rock, the song they performed was indeed "Rewrite the Stars" as sung by Zac Efron and Zendaya in "The Greatest Showman". Credit where credit is due. I actually had this scene in mind for Drakken and Freya from the beginning of my writing this story.

Hope you liked this one, and I hope all of you are pleased with the story so far as a whole. Please leave me some love in the reviews section. It's been a while since I've heard from you, my loyal readers. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I will bring you another one soon! Until then, Cheerio!