The doors to the medbay whoosh open to reveal the ship’s doctor peeling the charred remains of a shirt away from a splotchy blaster burn on the Captain’s shoulder. Aydrien brushes past the door before it’s finished retracting and plants herself firmly in front of her wayward Captain.

He flashes her an insouciant smirk. “Aaaaaaaayd,” he slurs. “My fav’rite firs’ m–”

She smacks him.

“We’ll talk when ya ge’ here? Well, yer here. Star’ talkin’.”

He rubs his cheek ruefully. “Ya know, on some ships they space folk as strike their superiors.”

“Good thing for you we’re not one of those ships,” she says, carefully enunciating every word, “because I would hate to have to lead a mutiny against you.”

“Now tha’s cold, ev’n fer you,” he retorts.

“I’m colder’n space, Stefan, when th’ Escape’s involved. We’re not gonna be able ta dock ANYwhere ya keep this up.” She crosses her arms across her chest, staring him down, waiting for his latest string of excuses.

He hesitates. “The full name is it? Mus’ be in real trouble this time.” He waves the doctor away. The shorter man regards the two warily but exits without a word.

“Ayd. …Aydrien.” The Captain hooks her hand and drags her closer. “‘Tweren’t my fault this time. I know. I know I always say tha’. Bu’ ‘t’s true. I me’ the buyer. Thin’s were goin’ swimmin’ly. Then we were facin’ a swarm a Imps.”

“Random Imperials swarmed your meeting.” Disbelief ices her voice, clipping her words. “I suppose they were supported by Bara the Hutt and Timda hi’self, in person.”

The Captain runs his hand down his face tiredly. “Ah know how it soun’s, Ayd, but… it’s true this time.”

Aydrien scowls. He’s a liar and a cheat but… if that’s a lie it’s a pretty audacious one…

“Why wou’d Imps care ‘bout a glit sale? We’re not ‘n Empire space.”

He refuses to meet her eyes. “‘Tweren’t stims.”

A pause. “…what?”

“Ya seen th’ accounts. We’re runnin’ dry, Ayd. Need a bigger score ta keep th’ ship fueled.”

She slips her hand free of his and steps back out of his reach. “What was it?”

“Weapons.” His eyes implore her to understand. “Tha’s where the creds are. Ya know tha’.” He stretches to take her hand back but pulls up short, wincing. She relents just a little, knowing the pain must be intense for him to let it show. She catches up the salve the doctor left on the table and sidles around behind him to dot it on the burn.

“For who?” she asks finally.

“Balmorra.”

A sharp intake of breath. “And ya din’t think ta maybe TELL ME!?” She spins and hurls the bottle across the room, seething. “We agreed ta stay out a politics,” she snaps, turning her back to him and kicking viciously at one of the table’s legs.

“Ah know. We need the money, Ayd.”

“You’re a bastard!”

“Tha’s wha’ mah momma always said. Pretty common on Nar Shaddaa.”

“Tha’s not wha’ I–”

“I know.” He answers quietly.

“How could you be so STUPID?” She rages on. “How’d ya get CAUGHT?”

“I know, Ayd.” His voice continues to drop.

“They’re gonna be after us from one end a th’ Galaxy ta t’other now, Stoffi.” Fury begrudgingly burns away at the futility of berating him after the fact.

“I know.” He makes another effort to reach her, brushing his fingertips against her arm. “This is th’ part where ya usually slap me again, love. A’ leas’ look a’ me.”

“I hate you.”

“I know.” He manages to wrap his hand around her arm and suddenly jerks her into his lap. She raises a hand to strike him again but he grabs her wrist and flashes that infuriating grin. “We’ll figure it out, babe. We always do.”

“I hate you.”

“Yer repeatin’ yerself.” He presses her imprisoned hand against his chest.

“Consider it emphasis.”

“Come on,” he adds, calculation clear in his voice. “Ya tryin’ ta tell me ya can’ out-fly a few Imps?” He watches, already knowing her reaction.

“Of course I c—” She gives an exasperated sigh and has to laugh. “I hate you,” she says again, this time fondly.

“I love you too, Ayd.”

“Get the fucking hell out of my way.”

The gruff voice rains down on the crew jostling cargo up the loading ramp of the Narrow Escape. The captain of the ship towers over them, disheveled blond hair standing on end as he runs a greasy hand through it. His bored first mate frowns up at him as she approaches with another crate.

“You want we should jump off the side of the gangplank, Cap’n?” she ventures garrulously, an abrasive smirk chasing across her face. “Cuz, we could do that, only you ain’t paid for my last kolto tank stay yet and I won’t be much use with the broken legs I’m like to get from the fall.”

“How about I push you off the side?”

“How ‘bout I grab the front uh’ your shirt ‘n’ drag ya off with me?”

His scowl cracks. “You’d do that too, wouldn’t you?” He grins suddenly. “Have I told you you’re an annoying bitch?”

“Only ever’ day, Cap’n. Only ever’ day.”

“Well consider yourself told again.”

“Consider yourself told off again then,” she retorts.

He doffs an imaginary cap to her and threads his way down the ramp.

* * *

“SEELUND!”

She bolts upright from a dead sleep, the thin blanket slipping off the side of the bed. Feeling the empty place next to her she swears under her breath and gropes in the dark for her comm, clicking the channel open. “Captain?”

“Warm’er up. Comin’ in hot.” She can hear pounding footsteps echoing off the walls and into the comm, something suspiciously like blaster fire in the background.

“Why do you _always_ do this?” She accuses peevishly, tossing back the sheets and wincing as her bare feet touch the cold metal floor. “Who is it this time? An angry husband? Someone you rolled at pazaak?” Flipping the light on she dons the previous day’s work clothes one-handed.

“Just do it. Talk when… get there.” The channel goes dead.

“Just once, I’d like to leave a planet on schedule,” she mutters to herself.

Strapping on her blaster she races out of her stateroom, hitting the alarm on the way out.

“You know the drill, folks. Get ‘er ready. Cap’n’s incomin’.” she shouts into her comm.

She storms onto the bridge, noting with pride that her other officers are only a few steps behind. “Wha’d he do this time?” one of them spouts in her direction.

“Damned if I know,” she answers, taking the pilot’s chair, jabbing at the intercom. “Fire’er up, boys, Ah’m gettin’ the sense we’re gonna be blastin’ out uh’ the bay.”

The ship shivers to life under her, the vibrations sending a familiar chill up her spine. “Tha’s my baby,” she murmurs, stroking the controls gently as she sends the commands to unlock the docking clamps.

The scratchy intercom crackles. “See him. He’s got… holy hells he’s got half the planetary security behind him.” She jerks her head back toward the hallway and one of the crew jumps to man the guns.

“If that man survives I am going to kill him,” she announces, trying to send an override to open the station’s outer doors. She can hear the ship’s main battery open fire on something inside the hangar. “If his own ship doesn’t kill him first.”

The hangar doors remain obstinately shut.

She slaps the intercom. “Niri, we’re going through those doors in thirty seconds. If you don’t want to be paste you’ll give me an opening.”

“Knock knock!” comes back across the intercom as the main guns swivel across the hangar.

The signal she’s been waiting for: “Got’im!”

She bangs the console, thrusting the ship toward the doors.

“Niri…?! Doors?!”

She shields her eyes against the sudden glow as the doors buckle under the full force of the ship’s main battery. Out the door and a sudden 90 degree turn to confuse any attempts to shoot them down.

The Escape skims a few hundred meters from the skin of the station, streaking by surprised gawkers in one of the observation decks. She skates off the edge and into space, darting around ships, keeping others between herself and the station’s batteries. Fighters careen around the corner in pursuit.

Aydrien drops a fist on the intercom button and shouts, “Don’t shoot them down unless you have to. Just clip their wings a little.”

There’s no reply but fighters start twirling off to the sides. “He’s gotten remarkably good at that shot,” one of the other officers remarks.

“He’s had too much practice.” Aydrien answers pointedly.

She calculates the jump to light speed, flipping end for end at the last second to confuse anyone stupid enough to follow. As the stars stretch in the viewscreen, she lets out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“He better be wounded,” she growls, standing, “or I’m gonna kill him myself.”