You're always tellin' me to go out more

Go ahead, get out and see the world

But then I think, why should I?

I'd rather stay home and cry

Would you say they find me unstable?

'Cause they see me act a little bit different

But I know my way to greener pastures and

Think about it, won't you think it over?

Please?

Without you, I can move

I can stretch my arms out, I can feel it

And when I'm in my room alone, I feel good

Because I don't have to deal with you or the outside world


"You should have that lesson completed before we reach the planet," Tech admonished, pointing at the datapad in Omega's hand as he stormed through the cabin of the Havoc Marauder back up to his regular place at the controls.

Wrecker plopped down next to her. "What's got him in such a bad mood? Thought he'd be happy that we had another job lined up and we're gonna work with Phee again."

"I don't know." She twirled her stylus between her fingers like Hunter twirled his knives. "I think he's missing someone else."

"You mean Genna?" He attempted to drop his voice to a whisper. "But I thought he told Echo to tell her she could find somebody else?"

Omega glanced up at the pilot's seat and then down at the lesson she was supposed to be studying and whispered back, "He did, but he never found out if the message got delivered."

"Surely it did. Echo wouldn't shirk on a mission and Genna probably found somebody else easy."

His sister wasn't so sure. "I didn't think it would be possible for either of them to just find someone else. They loved each other."

"Yeah." Wrecker scratched his head. "But it's been months and months and if she's moved on maybe it's time for him to move on too."

"Maybe."

"Hey, maybe he needs our help again." He gave her a little shove with his elbow. "We are gonna see Phee again and she seemed interested in him before."

Omega considered. She did like Phee. They all did.

"Is that lesson finished?" The call came from the cockpit.

"Nearly," Omega called back. They really had to do something to help their brother.

He was alone in the Marauder. This was not a common occurrence especially since they had broken ties with Cid and could no longer spend their down time lounging in her parlor.

Tech had promised himself he would not go to his storage locker and retrieve the picture of his wife while the others were in the establishment offering backup for Phee's negotiations. Neither would he open the vid that was recorded on his datapad of Genna playing her final limmie match.

It had been eight standard months since he had last seen her and five since he had sent the message for Echo to deliver that she should consider herself free to move on. Surely she had done so by now.

Genna Carid was a beautiful woman. She was also talented and independent. And now that she was back on her feet with a business to run she would be making her own way and starting fresh.

After all, what did Tech have to offer her? The nomadic life of an outlaw running from the empire in a tiny ship without even a cabin for them to share away from the rest of his squad?

No. She was much better off where she was. And Tech would make the most of his time alone. He would….

Well, Gonky provided an adequate surface for a diversion.

"Gonk," the droid honked.

"Yes, I am playing against myself. It is the only time this game is a challenge."

Hunter's voice crackled over the comm, " Tech, we need a pickup ."

"On my way."

It sounded as if Phee's scheme had landed them in the usual predicament.

"Now that was a fun mission," Omega beamed, once they were all back on board and had made the jump into hyperspace.

"You got that right," Wrecker agreed heartily.

"You know, Omega was pretty impressive back there," Phee said.

Hunter had to agree. "Her training's paying off."

"Oh, I know she's got the whole soldier thing down but don't you think she should learn some other skills?"

"What other skills?" Tech asked, seemingly befuddled by the idea of other skills.

Phee laid it out for them: "Omega spends all her time with you three. She needs friends. Ones her own age who don't share her genetic profile."

"We never had such a thing. I do not see the issue."

"No kidding," Phee scoffed.

"We are receiving a transmission." Tech informed them. "It is from Cid."

Hunter indicated for him to activate the message. "Let's hear it."

" So it's been twenty rotations and no word. You'd better be dead because your absence has cost me a few scores. Remember our mutually beneficial arrangements, and how well we know one another. " The sound of her voice glitched ominously from the speaker. " You'd do well to not assume I am just threatening you boys ."

Phee was incredulous. "You didn't mention you cut ties with Cid."

"Our mutually beneficial arrangement wasn't so beneficial, mutually." Hunter sighed.

"Figured that out, did you? I've known Cid a long time. She's a useful ally but not someone you want to cross. Do you have a plan?"

Hunter gestured around the cabin. "You're looking at it."

"In that case you all are coming with me." Phee leaned across Tech and entered something into the navigation computer. "Head to these coordinates, Brown Eyes."

When they stepped off the transport onto the Blackhold spaceport, Genna had only one object in mind and that was to have a conversation with Mollymauk as soon as possible. Fortunately, speaking of the Bogan, Dalla was right there, as if she had been waiting for them.

"How was Iziz?" The fence asked, feigning nonchalance.

"As hot as ever." Her Aunt Shara laughed. "Time did not permit us from seeing all the sights as we had wished. All of Genna's scans came back normal, however, and that's the important thing."

"The Empire's kriffing up the traffic in the city more than they were before." Genna cursed, causing the matriarch to flinch, but she was more interested in Dalla's reaction. "I hope they're not keeping visitors from the museum." She couldn't say what she really wanted to say in present company.

"Well it's a good thing we're heading there now to check on operations." Dalla spun away from them and jogged up the gangplank of her own transport, the Bad Decisions.

"And we should get you back to your apartment so you can put your feet up…" Aunt Shara attempted to steer the pregnant woman towards her rest.

Genna shrugged her off and noticed Sloan also preparing to depart. "I'll head over there in a minute."

Sloan smirked at her ungainly approach. "Heard her say you passed all your tests. That's great."

"Didn't get to see Ellie while we were in town. I can't name the two of you godparents if you're not here."

"Well, you've got the date already scheduled so at least I know when I need to get her back." He frowned, knowing Ellie wasn't the only thing on her mind. "What is it?"

"I wanted to talk to Dalla, ask her if she could get word to the pirate."

"Ah. I don't think she's made contact for a while."

That wasn't reassuring. "But she does know how to contact her and the pirate has been in contact with the Batch?"

"Are you still worried Goggles has run off with the liberator of ancient wonders?" He said it as if the idea were preposterous.

"Well even if he has, he should at least know that he's going to be a kriffing father!" Tears stung in the corners of her eyes but she refused to give in to them.

Sloan put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll ask Dalla about placing a comm, but you've still got the ID for the old comm channel."

"I don't know if they even check that anymore. It's like they don't want to be found." She laughed mirthlessly.

"Sloan!" The voice called imperiously from inside the Bad Decisions and he rolled his one good eye.

"Look, we've got time." He dropped his hand from her shoulder to her belly with a reassuring grin before he skipped up the gangplank.

"Not much."

It was quite frankly "a perfect tropical island, with no giant man eating crabs, on a planet the Empire has never heard of". Wasn't that exactly how he had described the fantastical place that he might be able to settle with Genna?

"Welcome to Pabu, my home away from home," Phee was saying. "It's a hidden sanctuary of sorts. That's the Archium. It's where the artifact will be stored. It holds treasures from all over the galaxy."

Tech wasn't so sure. "My analysis indicates that this so-called artifact you recovered is of little to no monetary value."

"Treasure can mean many things," Phee countered. "Most of the villagers on Pabu are refugees. Many of the items I recover are remnants of their cultures and that's worth preserving. After all I am…"

"A liberator of ancient wonders." The speaker was a newcomer, a large man with a bald head and a warm smile. "About time you showed your face around here."

Tech wasn't really paying attention; he was thinking about what she had said about the refugees. These settlers were like the people Saw Gerrera had been hiding in the jungles of Onderon. Genna's brother might have ended up in a place like this if it wasn't for…

Wrecker elbowed him, interrupting his thoughts. "You've got some competition."

Competition? Tech watched as a young girl ran into Phee's waiting arms and inquired about the artifact and then introductions were made.

"There's no saying no to one of Shep's famous feasts. Lots of food, drink, and general marrymaking. You'll probably hate it." Phee singled him out in particular.

Why would he?

"It'll be great. Lead the way, Shep. I'll catch up."

Tech hesitated before he followed the others. He wanted to say something.

"Gonna put this someplace safe."

He couldn't help but smile. Tech knew what this was. He hadn't heard from Genna in months. Surely she had moved on and perhaps it was time for him to move on as well or investigate further and see if this was the sort of place he could bring her to, if she was still interested.

Genna clutched the edge of the sink and took a deep breath. She had been cleared to keep working even though her huge belly was a hindrance. And she was glad, because she couldn't just sit around and wait, she'd go mad.

So as long as she was feeling up to it, she was going to work. That had just been a slight twinge in her lower back. Probably one of the twins pinching her psychotic nerve or whatever it was called. She'd been having those more often but had been assured it was perfectly normal.

Her reaction however must have been enough to worry her client.

"Are you alright, Ms Genna?"

The lady was one of Aunt Shara's society friends. Genna would have almost preferred if it were one of the other sort of her clientele but it was too early in the morning for any of them to be up after a night's work.

"Me? I'm fine. Still got another couple of weeks till I go in." She focused on the head of hair in front of her that she was supposed to be shampooing.

"Plenty of time then for the father to get back to witness the blessed event?"

"Not kri-," she curbed her tongue.

Yes, Genna definitely wished this were one of Sloan's old friends. It wasn't that she actually felt more comfortable around them but just that they didn't ask di'kutla questions. And they knew that Sloan was now and always would be utterly devoted to Elinor Harkon-Murphy.

That was what this was all about, no doubt, the old gossip trying to get the foreign girl to admit that she got knocked up by the one-eyed sailor.

Genna resisted the urge to spray the woman in the face with the nozzle in her hand. "I'm sure my husband would like nothing better than to…"

She stopped short and let out a shriek as another pain seized her lower back.

She didn't really mean for the sprayer to swivel in her grip but she wasn't exactly sorry for the dowsing that the woman received either.

"Are you quite certain you are entirely well?" The client jumped up from the chair and reached for her purse.

Genna meant to reply in the affirmative but all that came out of her mouth was another cry as the gush of fluid that had nothing to do with the shampooing sink suddenly pooled around her shoes.

"I'm comming the med center!"

"No, it's not time yet!" Genna gasped, grabbing for her own comm unit off the counter before she dropped into the seat her client had just vacated.

She didn't even think about the ID she activated. It's not like she thought anyone would actually pick up but she had to try.

"Tech, it's happening," she panted. "I'm having the babies now. Your… I'm having your babies, right now."

Another contraction tightened in her belly and she grimaced. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you and please don't be angry with Echo; I swore him to silence. I … I just …" She breathed through the contraction. "I need you to know. I love you. And… Please come back to me."

She cut off the connection, not having anything else to say and unable to bear the pain of an empty comm line. Instead she keyed in another ID, one she knew would be answered.

And answered it was. "Hey Genna," Ellie said brightly. "How are those babies treating you?"

"Let's just say there's no need to give them an eviction notice." Genna grunted.

" They're coming now? But you still have two weeks! I'm supposed to be there! "

Just then Aunt Shara breezed into the salon, although how she managed to arrive before the paramedics Genna would never know. Perhaps gossip spread faster than a Blackhold ambulance speeder.

"I'm here now and everything is going to be just fine," the matriarch crooned.

Genna ignored her in favor of the comm unit in her hand. "Ellie, I need Dalla to get a hold of the Batch. She can contact the pirate and she can tell them, can't she?"

" Aye, of course ," Ellie looked over her shoulder. " I'm sorry, things are happening here, too. But Dalla's right here. You can ask her yourself ."

Genna didn't particularly want to talk to Dalla but Ellie didn't give her the option. The comm was handed over and Genna could only watch from Dalla's hands while Ellie walked away.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"I don't know," Dalla said. "She just handed the unit over and walked away." Her eyes narrowed and she looked at something in the middle distance. "Oh, osik."

Genna was about to ask what it was, but the telltale stomp of stormtrooper boots spoke a thousand words.

"Attention citizens." The stormtrooper captain announced on the other end of the comm. "Last night a unit of troops dedicated to protecting peace and order in your city were brutally murdered by terrorists."

"What?"

"Ambush," Dalla whispered. "It was the Partisans."

The captain kept talking. "We come to inform you that thanks to the help of loyal citizens, those responsible for this crime have been located."

Genna had no love for the Empire, but she wasn't a friend of the Partisans either and if they'd done something this heinous, then they deserved what was coming to them. But Dalla didn't look pleased. She looked like she was staring the Bogan in the face.

"Terrorism will not be tolerated, and those choosing to engage in such heinous acts will be brought to justice." He looked somewhere else. "Immediately."

"Dalla, what's going on?"

Dalla just muted the comm, staring horrified at whatever was playing outside the holofield, but Genna got her answer when the captain spoke. "Elinor Harkon. You're under arrest."

Ellie? She would never do such a thing, that Genna knew as surely as the sun rose each morning. This was a setup. Somehow, the partisans who had stolen her brother away had framed the Mollymauks for their misdeeds.

"On what charges?" Ellie asked.

"Treason, terrorism, and murder in the first degree."

"Well, that wasn't me," Ellie said almost nonchalantly. "But I won't hesitate to return the favor to you."

"Ellie, no!" Genna burst out even though she was muted.

Even if she wasn't, her cry would have been drowned out by the din of blaster fire on Ellie's end of the comm, the flashes lighting up Dalla's horrified face.

Something hit the ground with a dull thud and far, far away, Sloan screamed.

Dalla snapped out of her shock and hung up the comm, leaving Genna with the empty line she'd dreaded in the first place.

"She's over here." Shara reappeared with a crew of paramedics hovering a stretcher. "The contractions are close and her water's broken."

"We've got it from here, Lady Blackwell." One of the medics stepped forward to help Genna onto the stretcher. "Miss Carid, the doctor is waiting. How close are the contractions?"

"I…" Genna gasped but it had nothing to do with contractions. Ellie was dead. Murdered, if not by the Empire than by the partisans who framed her. How far would they take it? Was Sloan next? Dalla and her blissfully ignorant family? "There's no need for this. I have to go somewhere, I –."

"Ma'am, this is happening right now." The other medic said. "I'll give you something to help you calm down." And he did.

She closed her eyes while the medics took her away. Maybe it was a good thing Tech wasn't physically present. Onderon was becoming more dangerous with every day.

Genna had survived the expatriation from her home world as a child and the death of her brothers during the war. She had lost her hopes and dreams of a future as a professional athlete and had been rendered lame for over a year. Tech was glad therefore that she had not been forced to endure the sea surge of the island of Pabu.

Besides all that, he knew that he would have been primarily worried about her safety had she been present and he would not have been able to spend his energies on the rescue of the island's other occupants.

"We got everyone out in time. That's what's important," Shep observed as they walked among the survivors, offering what comfort could be delivered in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

"Based on my estimations, it will take several rotations to rebuild the damage sustained in Lower Pabu."

"Yes. Property was destroyed, but my people are resilient. We'll band together and rebuild."

"I was thinking." Hunter said. "We could stay and help out with things."

Tech indicated his approval with a pointed gesture. "I had the same idea."

"Did you now?" Phee smiled.

"That is, if you don't mind us sticking around for a while," Hunter said to Shep.

Shep patted him on the back. "You would be most welcome."

"So we're staying?" Omega chirped.

They hadn't realized she had awoken and was following along with their conversation.

"Well," Tech turned to answer her while the others continued on. "I shall be making a short trip off planet with Phee to acquire supplies for the rebuilding efforts."

"Just you and Phee?"

"She asked if I would be the one to pilot…"

Omega gave him a curious look. "Are you going to tell her about Genna?"

"I…" he hesitated. "I must admit that I thought a private conference would be the ideal opportunity to do so."

She nodded, seemingly satisfied. "She should know, whether Genna wanted to come here and join us or if you were free to move on."

"Hmmm," he agreed, returning to the relative comfort of his datapad screen.

"And when you get back…" she wheedled.

"What is it?"

"Well, if we're not too busy helping out the people of Pabu… do you think that maybe we could have that piloting lesson you promised?"

Tech smiled at his sister. "I think that could possibly be arranged."

Genna had the twins, the text from Aunt Shara read. Beautiful girls, both strong and healthy, but Genna is distracted. She keeps saying "tell Dalla to comm the pirate." Do you know what she's talking about? Can you send a message?

Oh she was going to send a message alright. She was going to light Phee Genoa's ass up until she told Dalla who had sold them out.

Dalla felt like the walls of her office were closing in and the electric lights were buzzing in her ears. It didn't make any sense; the room was spacious and she'd never had a problem with claustrophobia before. Why was this happening to her now?

Who was she kidding, she knew kriffing well why. Ellie was gone, her house of cards was tumbling down, and it was only a matter of time before the Empire came after the rest of them.

She was an idiot. Dalla buried her head in her hands. It was one thing to go big or go home by herself, but she shouldn't have dragged Sloan and Bernard into this. Now her brother and her best friend, husband of convenience, were going to die for her arrogance.

And what could she do to prevent it? Nothing. Aunt Shara used to say that when the gods closed a door, they opened a window.

"I'm ready for the window, gods," she whispered.

Just to show how much the gods cared, her desk comm rang.

"Ms Blackwell, you have a visitor," the museum's completely innocent receptionist said. "He says he's a colonel."

Well, well, if it wasn't her old friend, the dawning realization that she'd kriffed up real bad.

"Send him in," She took a breath to steel herself and tucked the dagger from her desk drawer into her waistband. Even in shambles, she was the Mollymauk and she wasn't going down without a fight.

But to her shock, the man who entered didn't look like he was expecting a fight. He looked to be her father's age, with hair that was mostly gray and a well-groomed mustache, and he wore a snow-white uniform and shiny boots.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Blackwell," he said and extended his hand to shake. "Colonel Wullf Yularen, ISB. I'd like to speak with you."

"Of course sir. Please, sit down." At the desk where she negotiated the sale of stolen Imperial goods. Genius, as always.

"I hope this isn't an inconvenience." Yularen sat. "It shouldn't take very long."

"It's not a problem. I'm just a little confused what ISB would want with an art museum."

"I'm not here to discuss the museum. I wish to speak to you, personally."

"Oh. Okay, I'm not sure what I can help you with either; I just run the museum and I barely have time for anything else –."

"You knew Elinor Harkon, though. She worked for this museum."

Dalla managed to keep from crying, but she couldn't hide the pinch of her eyes. Yularen saw it. Of course he saw it.

"You're aware what happened yesterday, then," he said and pushed a box of tissues closer to her.

"Yes." She wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry, it was so shocking."

"I can only imagine. I've been looking into the ambush in the jungle that Ms Harkon has been blamed for, and it doesn't add up."

"What do you mean?"

"In the med center, Officer Kallus and I created a psychological profile for the responsible party, and Elinor Harkon doesn't fit it."

It was a trick. No way was an ISB colonel coming to tell her that the friend that stormtroopers executed yesterday was innocent. "You don't think she did it?"

"I think there are far more likely candidates, and you can help me narrow them down." And there it was. "During the Clone War, you were involved with the rebel cell which overthrew the separatists. So you knew Saw Gerrera, Lux Bonteri, Hutch St. James…"

"I severed all ties after the war. I barely spoke to Gerrera to begin with, and Lux Bonteri dumped me a funeral!" Dalla gestured to the defaced holo she lovingly referred to as her voodoo poster. "I married someone else and I haven't thought about either of them since."

"No, but you know their faces. You know their playbook, and how they think, and you have a high enough perch to see everything. Now, as a young lady who is active in her community and is familiar with spotting partisan activity, what have you noticed?"

She should play dumb, but here was the opportunity to screw those who had dared to screw with her. Time to practice what she preached, and go big.

"I haven't seen any of the old crew," she said. "But I have seen some people hanging around the market, acting very much like they did back in the day. They're buying large amounts of food, building supplies, and incendiaries."

"What do you mean, incendiaries?" Yularen asked, very studiously not asking how she knew what the Partisans were buying.

"If you buy a case of liquor, then you're having a party. If you buy a tankard of undrinkable alcohol along with a bunch of fertilizer, then you're up to something. I'd look into them if I were you."

"Could you describe these individuals?"

"Not really. But one of them was a Lasat."

Sabaac. She could actually see Yularen's fury. Die screaming, Skimanos. Now she just had to get herself out of the situation.

"I see," Yularen said. "Which merchants were they buying from?"

"A lot. But I bet one of them has a security cam."

"Yes, I believe they would. Thank you, Ms. Blackwell. This has been an …" He looked at her desk. "Enlightening conversation."

"You're welcome, Colonel. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do to help."

"I will." His eyes went from datapad, to pile of flimsi, to not-technically-stolen antique. "Believe me, I will."

Dalla watched him go, the pit in her stomach growing deeper with every second.

She was so, so dead.

Phee had no sooner entered comm reception when her unit practically exploded with notifications. What was going on? She knew her ship was fine, and they had just left Pabu, so it had to be something offworld. Maybe one of her contacts had a hot lead? She checked the caller's ID. It was a recorded transmission from Mollymauk.

"The Paritsans are all show, my ass!" Mollymauk roared.

Phee pulled the comlink away from her. She didn't even need to be on the same planet as Dalla to feel her rage. Sure, she'd seen the teenage fence angry before but this was the fury of someone twice Dalla's size and good gods, she was going to deliver on it. Now Phee understood why people were afraid of Dalla Blackwell.

"How many times have you funded them, Phee? Round down, because I'm deciding how many pounds of flesh to excise!"

What had happened that Dalla was demanding pounds of flesh? She had always been reasonable.

Whatever it was, she was still on a roll. "You have to the count of zero to get over here and explain yourself. Ghost me, and you'd better start sleeping with one eye open." And she cut off the transmission with what sounded suspiciously like a slam.

"Was that a comm?" Brown Eyes asked from the cockpit. This mission to grab relief supplies for Lower Pabu was going to be cut short.

Phee swallowed hard. "Just a business contact. Looks like I'll need to meet with them sooner rather than later. Mind dropping me off somewhere I can catch a transport?"

There was no need to tell him who the contact was, or where she was going. She could come clean when she got back — as long as she had all her limbs attached.