The light of the midday sun spilled through the cracks between the clouds to the plains below, adding to the solemnity of Beckett's cairn stacking. Long after he had placed the final stone atop Val's, he stayed silent and kneeling in front of it for quite some time. Just the night before, everything had seemed so perfect and certain.

Han and Chewbacca having failed to find a way to get their downed vessel airworthy again stepped out onto the rocky permafrost of the plains. The pair moved over to the stone piles to join Beckett in paying respects.

Slowly, Beckett stood up. He gazed at Val's cairn a moment longer before whirling around and punching Han in the face.

Han fell back with a loud grunt. He looked up to Beckett in shock. "What the Hell?!"

Beckett curled his lips into a snarl and pointed and accusing finger. "You don't listen and you don't follow orders!"

Han frowned as he climbed to his feet, wiping blood from his nose with his sleeve.

"You have any idea what you've done? We weren't stealin' for ourselves! We were hired by Crimson Dawn!"

Chewbacca murmured nervously.

Han narrowed his eyes. "Crimson Dawn?"

"Now we owe them sixty million Thalers' worth of refined coaxium. When they find out we don't got it, we'll be lucky if all they do is kill us."

Chewbacca roared.

Han nodded emphatically. "Right. We run. I'm already a deserter, what's the difference?"

"The difference," Beckett said coldly, "is that the Empire don't send out a team of enforcers to hunt you down when you're a deserter. Dryden Vos will."

Han bit his lip as he tried and failed to come up with a refute for Beckett's statement.

"You have any idea what it's like to live with a price on your head?" Beckett sighed. "The only thing to do is go to them. Maybe I can find some way to make it up to them."

Han nodded and sniffed back the blood trickling from his nose. "Then that's what we do."

Beckett slowly turned his head to Han and eyed him carefully. "No. He knows me. If you come with me and show your face, if they don't kill you, you're in this life for good."

"You find some way to square this, we still get our money?"

Beckett smirked. "Maybe."

"For me it's worth the risk." Han turned to Chewbacca. "How about you?"

The Wookiee gave it a thought for a moment then roared.

Han looked back to the confused Beckett. "That's yes."

Beckett chuckled then let out a deep breath. "...Sorry I punched your face."

Han shrugged. "Happens more often than you think."

--

The trek towards and then along the Lanti River though a long one was not as terrible as any of the trio had expected. Cold, firm ground was a pleasure to march over compared to the warm and sticky morass of Mimban. They passed the hours of walking by with tales of their various exploits over the years, adding the occasional embellishment. It did much to lift their spirits after the disaster of the morning.

All too soon, though, the light mood vanished as the towers of the Fort Ypso's walls came into view. The trio's forgotten tension returned in a thunderclap.

Han set his jaw. "...So what's the plan?"

"Dryden Vos is supposed to be waitin' for us down there. He'll be on his yacht somewhere in the harbor."

Han frowned. "Somewhere? There are going to be dozens of ships down there. How will we know which is his?"

"That won't be a problem." Beckett pointed towards the river harbor.

Even from this distance, Dryden Vos' ship was impossible to miss. The First Light was one of the finest paddlewheel yachts to come out of the Mandalorian shipyards of Kalevala. As one of the Nau'ur style ships, it had a wide bilge keeled bottom and a narrow top perfect for remaining stable in rough seas. Its pearlescent black hull was accentuated by delicate pale gold vine work, giving the ship an air of sophistication and dignity.

Beckett led his cohorts directly towards the harbor, making use of the road that ran outside the fort's walls for the sake of expedience. With each step towards the yacht, Han could make out more detail of the craftsmanship that had gone into building it. There was no doubt at all that even with the countless ones he had seen in Corellia, this was the finest sailing vessel he had ever laid eyes on.

"Close your mouth," Beckett half grumbled as they walked up the quay.

A previously unseen pair of doors in the side of the hull opened as the trio drew near to the front of the paddlewheel's cowling. Inside sat a small foyer with a set of sliding doors at the other end. A Hylobon in gold edged glossy black armor eyed the three men carefully as they entered.

"I'll need to check your weapons," the guard said in a gravelly voice.

Beckett drew and spun his pistol around, presenting it to the Hylobon hilt first. "The only one I've got."

Han drew his own pistol and handed it to the guard.

Disarmament concluded, the guard tapped out a sequence of runes on the wall behind him. The doors at the foyer's other end opened with a soft hiss revealing an elevator carriage with indigo suede upholstery and gilded fittings.

Han had hardly realized that the carriage had moved before the doors opened again. A symphony of sensations hit him at once as he and his comrades stepped out of the elevator. Unfamiliar music, clothing in strong colors, and the aromas of rich food and alcohols overwhelmed him. He moved slowly, eyes darting around in an attempt to process everything at once.

A lithe Imroosian approached the trio and gave a polite nod. "(Welcome back,) Tobias Beckett."

"Margo," Beckett said, nodding to her. "I'm here to see Dryden. He's expectin' me."

"He'll be with you shortly. He's just finishing with the regional governor."

In a nearby lounge, Dryden Vos withdrew the magic-edged blades of his double-ended petar daggers from the dying governor. The Near-Human panted as he watched the man writhe his last on the floor at his feet. His burning eyes didn't leave the man, even after the twitching had stopped.

In the door to the lounge, a Hylobon guard cleared his throat. "...Excuse me, sir."

Dryden composed himself and looked towards the guard with interest. "Yes?"

"Beckett has arrived."

"Oh." Dryden Vos pulled his clawed fingers from the petars' knuckle guards and exchanged the weapons for the crystal goblet a female Decraniated servant offered to him on a serving platter. "Return these to my office. I might be needing them later."

The Decraniated shallowly nodded the half of a head that Doctor Evazan had left her with.

Dryden Vos sipped his herbal liqueur while watching a pair of his guards drag the governor's corpse away. The Near-Human chuckled as the red vertical scarlike striations running down his face faded with his anger. "I get all worked up. Silly." He placed the goblet back on the platter and smiled. "It's a party."

Han had drifted into the ongoing merriment without realizing he had done so. Once he did, however, he embraced the spirit of the party and quickly found himself with a drink in his hand and a smile on his face.

Beckett pushed through the clusters of party-goers to reach Han, scowling all the while. He grabbed Han by the arm and pulled him aside. "Hey, these people are not your friends. And they're never goin' to be, so don't talk to any of them. Don't look at anybody. Just keep your eyes down."

Han's eyes drifted to the engraved silver cup in his hand. Beckett's eyes followed and he sighed deeply. "I need a drink."

As Beckett left for the bar, he was replaced at Han's side by Chewbacca. The Wookiee had acquired a large platter of hors d'oeuvres from somewhere and had made a considerable dent in their number. They ambled around the cabin together with Han trying his best to follow Beckett's advice.

Several minutes passed before Chewbacca lowered his empty platter and growled that he was going to find another.

Han nodded, not really paying attention. "No. Yeah. Whatever."

As Han's buzz of intoxication progressed, he found it more and more difficult to avert his gaze from the intrigued and intriguing party guests. Wanting to play it safe, he headed for the curved wall of windows on the other side of the island stage and the singer in the gold scale dress performing thereon.

For a bit, Han amused himself by watching a cold water pelican and an albatross spar over half of a large fish on a nearby jetty. A firm hand on his shoulder gave him a slight startle. "No thanks, Chewie, I'm not-" He turned and gasped.

Qi'ra looked more beautiful than Han had remembered her thanks in part to the flawless makeup that now perfectly accentuated her facial features. Her smile and the shallow dimples it left in her rosy cheeks made his heart ache. He had missed her smile more than he could ever articulate.

The reunited lovers wrapped their arms around one another and softly laughed with joy. For the moment, all cares or woes ceased to exist. After a minute or so they pulled away to look at each other.

Han cupped his lover's face. "Qi'ra! What are you doing here?"

"I- I work here. What's your excuse?"

"My... I... Qi'ra, I was... I was coming back for you."

An undertone of sadness appeared in Qi'ra's eyes. She gently took Han's hands in her own. "It's in the past, Han."

"Not for me. The only reason I'm here- I was doing this job to get money and then I was going to come back to Corellia to find you."

"Well, now you don't have to." Qi'ra's smile widened. "I'm right in front of you."

"That day... Sometimes - a lot of times - I think..."

"If you'd have stayed... they would have killed you. I'm glad you got out."

The warmth and love in Qi'ra's voice made Han's heart swell. After a moment though, his happy expression turned to one of puzzlement. "How did you get out?"

Qi'ra's lips trembled and her gaze fell. "I didn't."

The words hit Han like a hammer. Suddenly things made sense. She was not an employee here. She was a slave. A slave to Crimson Dawn.

Qi'ra's smile returned though there was a hollowness to it. "You look good," she said, nodding for Han to follow her. "A little rough around the edges, but good."

"You too."

A lady in a low cut dress approached the pair with a serving tray of flutes filled with rosy quanya in one hand. She offered the tray to Qi'ra.

Qi'ra nodded politely. "Thank you, Ottillie." When she reached for two of the flutes, Han noticed the seal of the Crimson Dawn branded on the inside of her wrist. "Have you been attentive to Dok-Ondar?"

"Very," Ottillie replied. "He's been talking my ear off about Batuu."

"Black Spire? Me too. Oh, it looks like the Count wants your attention."

"Of course." Ottillie disappeared into the throng of party-goers but her voice carried for a few more seconds. "Count Chrodber. How is Serenno these days? May I interest you in some quanya?"

Qi'ra turned back to Han. "What should we drink to?"

Han smirked. "Let's drink two and see where it goes."

Qi'ra giggled and the two of them tapped the rims of their glasses together.

Across the room, Chewbacca grumbled, annoyed that he could not see Han anywhere. Not wanting to carry around two drinks for as long as it could take to find him, he knocked both back in quick succession and almost immediately regretted it.

"Did you ever get that ship we were going to sail away on?" Qi'ra asked.

"Yeah. Sort of. About to. That's why I'm here. I'm working on a, uh... On a very big deal."

"How big?"

"Enormous."

Qi'ra laughed. "Really? And when are you going to close on this enormous deal?"

"Any minute." Han grinned.

"I thought about you a lot. Off somewhere. On some adventure. I imagined myself with you. It always made me..." Qi'ra trailed off.

"What?"

Beckett's voice sounded out before she could answer. "Hey! What did I say?"

Han sighed in exasperation. "Look, I can't keep my eyes down the whole time. I'm going to bump into something."

"But I told you not to talk to anyone."

Before the argument could continue, Qi'ra interrupted. "Beckett." She was about to say something else when something clicked in her mind. "Wait. You two work together?"

"...Yeah," Beckett said, side-eyeing Han.

"Tobias!" Dryden Vos called out cheerily as he approached the trio.

"...Dryden," Beckett said with a knot of tension in his chest.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm... I'm fine."

Dryden placed his hand on Beckett's shoulder. "I am so sorry to hear about Val. My deepest condolences."

"I appreciate that. But there was no way we could've-"

Dryden suddenly noticed Han and Chewbacca and his eyebrows shot up in interest. "Oh? I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Ah, yeah," said Beckett, half-heartedly gesturing towards them. "This is Han Solo and Chewbacca. They're with me."

The Near-Human smiled, revealing his long canines. "I'm Dryden Vos." He held out his arm as Qi'ra moved towards him. "I see you've already met my top lieutenant."

Han smiled and nodded as politely as he could, though his gaze trailed back to Qi'ra's wrist.

"Han and I grew up together in Corellia," Qi'ra explained.

Dryden's interest grew. "Oh! A fellow scrumrat! I have a deep admiration for anyone who can crawl their way out of the sewer." He placed a hand on Qi'ra's shoulder, displaying a signet ring that matched Qi'ra's brand. "Especially a sewer as putrid as Corellia," Dryden added.

Beckett took a slug from a glass of brandy. "The stench, am I right?"

Qi'ra politely laughed while Dryden did so with a bit more sincerity.

"Well, it's good to have you," said the Near-Human, flashing his canines again as he held out a clawed hand to shake. "Welcome."

Han reluctantly shook Dryden's hand.

"And you, too, Chewbacca. Welcome." Dryden extended the same gesture to the Wookiee as he had Han.

The Near-Human clapped his hands and rubbed his palms together. "Well, let's eat a little, drink a lot, and talk privately, shall we?" He led the way towards the rear of the deck while inviting his escorted guests to have whatever they wanted.

Han did not pay any attention to Dryden's invitations. He had rather lost his appetite. Chewbacca joined Han at the rear of the procession and quietly growled a question.

"They're just friends, all right?" Han said bitterly.

Chewbacca growled again.

"You're touchy," Han snapped back.

Dryden's office was a veritable treasure trove of antiquities from across the world. Amongst his collection were a nearly complete set of vermilion Mandalorian rally master armor, an animate green jadeite statue called the Dancing Goddess, the crystal skull masthead of Xim the Despot, and the mummified hand of the Last King of Duro. The display for each varied between pedestals, cases, and bell jars but all were arranged in such a way that no one artifact would overshadow any other. A sole stained glass window of the Crimson Dawn sigil behind Dryden's desk interrupted the semicircular panorama otherwise afforded through the remaining windows.

"Do you like what you see?" Dryden asked with a proud grin.

"It's all right," Han said plainly. Internally though, he was wondering just how much such an impressive collection had cost.

"Oh, don't be ashamed of your appetite, Han. It's good to be hungry."

"He's definitely that," Beckett said.

Dryden Vos moved towards the sunken seating area at the room's center and collected what looked to be a silver plated humidor from a low table. He returned to his guests with the box held open. "Thwip feet? Trust me, best thing you've ever tasted."

"Oh, I've actually had them," Han lied as he took one of the offered smoked rodent legs. "Love a good twip."

Dryden smiled and held the box towards Beckett and Chewbacca. Han meanwhile turned the dried whole leg over wondering how in the world he was meant to eat it.

"It's 'thwip,'" Qi'ra whispered to Han.

Han nodded. "Course." He tentatively nibbled at the toes, finding them to have a pleasant nutty flavor.

"Beckett," Dryden said as he replaced the silver box. "As your employer, you have placed me in a terrible position."

"I know, Dryden, and I am sorry."

Dryden Vos frowned. "You're sorry? As in you sympathize? You feel sorry for me?

"No."

"Oh, you're not sorry?"

"No, I am-"

Dryden pouted. "I'm confused."

"Look, there were complications... There were factors that nobody-"

"Enfys Nest has been a constant irritation for years now. It's one you should have anticipated. It's one you should have dealt with."

"Trust me, I know it was a mistake," said Beckett, "but when you hired me, you told me no one else-"

The striations on Dryden's face flared a dull red. "Test me!"

Han paused mid bite wondering if things were about to take a turn for the worse.

Dryden put his finger in Beckett's face. "Test my patience one more time and see what happens."

"I think what Dryden is trying to say," Qi'ra began, "is that we're not interested in why you don't have it."

Dryden took a deep breath. "No, I'm not interested," he said far more calmly. "I'm not interested at all."

Han cautiously resumed his snacking.

Beckett shrugged. "Dryden, what can I do to make this right?"

Dryden Vos scoffed. "'Make this right?' There is no making this right. You know who I answer to and you know what he expects of me. He'll say 'there have to be consequences.' So here's what I need you to do for me." He pointed for Beckett to sit in the recessed settee and took up a position opposite him and tented his fingers. "I need you to give me a reason not to kill you all."

"Because I will make it up to you," Beckett said, calmly pronouncing each word.

"How?" Dryden asked flatly. "How could you possibly make it up to me?

"By deliverin' exactly what was promised."

"Sixty million Thalers' worth of refined coaxium?" Qi'ra asked skeptically.

"Yes. We will simply steal it from somewhere else."

Dryden frowned. "From where?

Han wasn't sure where to put the leftover bones so when he was sure no one was looking he placed them inside one of the displayed urns.

"You'll be hard pressed to find that anywhere outside an Imperial vault," Qi'ra said. "Scarif. Maybe Mercy Island."

"That's impossible," Dryden said tilting his head slightly.

"So... Let's come up with some other options. Other ideas that we might-"

"What about unrefined?" Han interjected.

All eyes turned to him.

Qi'ra furrowed her brow. "W-well... The only known source of raw coaxium that hasn't been nationalized is a rift in the spice mines of Kessel."

"Yeah," Han said, grinning like an idiot. "That's the one I was thinking of! That's a very, very good one!" Han nudged Beckett over the back of the settee.

Beckett turned and stared death at his cohort.

Dryden nodded. "Ah, but see, the Pykes control Kessel. Crimson Dawn maintains a fragile alliance with the Pykes. It's one that I can't jeopardize without risking an all-out war among the Syndicates. And that, gentleman, I will not do." He stood up. "So, if that's all you have, I think we're done here."

On cue, Dryden Vos' Hylobon guards entered the study ready to take Beckett, Han, and Chewbacca away. Han's confidence vanished as the Hylobons closed in. Chewbacca wailed.

"It's not all we have," Han suddenly blurted.

"We don't have any alliance with the Pykes," Beckett followed up.

"Right!" Han exclaimed as he nodded emphatically. "So nobody's going to know we're working for you!"

Dryden thought for a second then held up his hand. His guards stepped back. As he thought more on the proposal, he curled his fingers in until he was holding up his index finger to Han and Beckett. He looked to Qi'ra. "Possible?"

"It's risky. As soon as the raw coaxium is removed from the temperature controlled vault, it'll start to destabilize, so unless..."

"Unless?" Han repeated, hopeful. "Come on. Work with me here."

"Unless you also intend on also stealing and trying to sail a flywheel ship, you would need to find somewhere to get it processed fast or else..." Qi'ra raised her eyebrows.

Han and Beckett both took her meaning. "Uh..."

"Well..." Beckett trailed off.

Chewbacca piped up.

"He's saying... Savareen?" Han translated.

"Savareen!" Beckett shouted. "There's an old refinery there and it's not under Imperial jurisdiction."

"But Qi'ra's right," Dryden said. "Unless you have a flywheel ship, the coaxium vessels would explode before you get there. You'd need an... incredibly fast ship and a brilliant helmsman."

"We'll find a ship," Han said with a smirk. "We've already got a helmsman." He cocked a thumb towards himself.

A second passed before Beckett and Dryden burst into laughter. Han's ego deflated somewhat.

"Oh, he is arrogant," Dryden said with a twinkle in his eye. "And he is hungry!"

At this, Han's smile returned bolder than before.

Dryden Vos turned to Qi'ra. "So, what do you think my dear? You think your friend here can do what needs to be done?"

Qi'ra smiled. "Yes. I believe he can."

"Well that is good news because you're going with him to see that he does. All right?" There was the barest hint of threat in that question.

"...Of course."

Dryden smiled. "Wonderful! I'll see you all in Savareen, then!"

"Savareen it is," Beckett agreed. "I feel great about this plan!"

"Me, too," Han agreed.

"We should do this again," said Dryden. "It's been fun."

"Great." Beckett led the way towards the exit through the ring of Hylobon guards.

"Oh, just one more thing," Dryden Vos announced from his desk right before they reached the door. "If you do fail me again, we will all be out of options." He spread his arms dramatically. "Have fun."

The return trip to the elevator was a silent one only interrupted by Beckett pausing to have his flask refilled with the strongest drink available onboard. He could already tell he was going to need it.

Once the elevator had started moving, Han was the one to finally break the ice. "So, I thought that went really well."

Qi'ra sighed. "Let's get this done as quick and as clean as possible. What do you need?"

"I can scrounge up the gear," Beckett said. "Do you got a line on a ship?"

"I know a guy" said Qi'ra. "And I know just where to find him. It's a long shot, but it's worth a try. He's the best smuggler around. He's slipped through the Empire's fingers more times than anyone else." She smirked. "He's attractive, too. Sophisticated, with an impeccable taste and charisma. Not to mention his prodigious-"

"We get it," Han grumbled sulkily.