59

The ship emerged from hyperspace with a gentle shudder. From the cockpit, Tech's tired voice announced, "We are entering Pabu's airspace."

Pabu. She should have known.

Not once on their journey had she asked where they were going. There hadn't been enough left in her to care, so long as they were far away from the smoking debris field that had once been Teth. But a part of Saedii had suspected where they were running to.

Crosshair's hand stilled on her shoulder. She'd laid her head in his lap a few hours ago, unwilling to take those few short steps up into the gunner's mount for her own bed. Unwilling to be even just a few short steps away from any of them.

Echo was sprawled at the top of Hunter's bunk. He'd joined them after Tech had finished his repairs, and had sat very still with Saedii's legs across his lap, not moving. Those pale eyes of his were still distant and hollow. Saedii had a feeling that his mind was thousands of lightyears away. Trapped in the celestial graveyard of his fallen brothers.

Wrecker was on his back, staring straight up at the top of his bunk. He'd made a few half-hearted attempts to coax Omega out from her hiding place in the gunner's mount, but when that had failed, had given up. His eyes were empty, too.

The Marauder shook as it entered Pabu's atmosphere. Turbulence buffeted the wings, bouncing in the small pockets of dry air. A faint whir announced the stabilizers shifting on, working to offset the surge of gravity that yanked them down.

Hunter said something low that Saedii couldn't hear, but Tech's loud voice answered, "She will be waiting with hoverbeds on our arrival."

Saedii could guess who the she was in question.

Another wild bounce took over the ship. Overhead, the faint sound of rain pattering against the metal panel reached Saedii's ears.

Odd. In all the time they'd spent on Pabu, Saedii had never once seen it rain.

Crosshair's hand tightened along her shoulder as the ship gave a sharp jolt. Even Echo blinked and looked around, as if only just realizing they were no longer in hyperspace. From the gunner's mount, Omega's drawn face peeked out from behind the curtain. Mildly curious.

A low grinding of gears sounded as the wings began to tuck in. Somewhere far away, there was a faint flash of lightning, followed a moment later by a low rumble of thunder. Gentle rain lashed the windshield as the wings clicked back into place and the stabilizers thrust on.

The ship swayed. Teetering for a moment. Then, with a little jolt, landed on solid ground.

There was no rush of relief at their landing. No feeling of safety or reprieve. Just a cold emptiness that danced along each of Saedii's nerve endings. The feeling of the massive pit that swallowed every part of her, leaving nothing behind, made her body feel like a puppet with its strings cut.

Hunter stepped out from the cockpit. His eyes went over the bruised and defeated forms of his squad members, tightening. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Echo swung Saedii's legs out of his lap, standing. Still glazed and unfocused, he walked past Hunter and hit the button for the exit ramp.

A groan split the air as Wrecker tried to stand. His splinted leg slid beneath him and he grimaced, hands swinging out towards the wall.

Echo and Hunter both ran to his side, holding him upright. Pain etched into every line of Wrecker's face as they helped him a step, and a thin bed of sweat ran down his temple.

With a sudden rush of realization, Saedii remembered how he'd carried Kalth's unconscious form on that broken leg. Even under that level of pain, he hadn't left him behind. For Saedii's sake.

Omega hovered behind them, looking worried now. One little hand reached out to steady Wrecker's back as Hunter said, "Phee has a hoverbed waiting for you. You won't have to walk far, brother."

"Do you need a bed?" Crosshair's low voice finally spoke.

Without looking, Saedii knew he was talking to her. "I can walk."

His hand tightened protectively on her shoulder. "You don't have to be brave. It won't hurt to take a bed."

Saedii sat up. The walls of the ship didn't spin, but a faint dizziness still pressed on her head. Manageable for now.

Crosshair stood. With his good arm, he reached out and helped Saedii up to her feet as she tried to stand. The pain in her ribs flared, but not nearly as hot as it had been earlier. The pain medication Tech had given her was taking the edge off.

Slowly, the two of them walked towards the ramp. Saedii let some of her weight rest on Crosshair and he shouldered it easily and without complaint.

Rain fell gently at the edge of the ramp, casting the Pabu landing platform in a wet blanket that glistened under the silver lights burning from the perimeter. It was still several hours until dawn. Still dark enough that the light from the perimeter walls and the towers were all that guided them as Saedii and Crosshair made their way down the ramp.

A small army was waiting for them. Shep, who stood with the hood of his rain jacket pulled over his head, speaking in low tones to Hunter. Several medical droids that clustered forward, guiding the floating forms of hover beds beneath their metal hands. A few mech droids too that scurried off to work on the smoking engine at the back of the Marauder.

And there, at the very front...

Phee Genoa was soaked to the skin. Hair plastered to her neck and face, clothes damp and dripping, she looked like she'd been waiting in the rain for hours. And perhaps she had, judging the anxiety on her face.

As soon as Tech stepped off the ramp, she rushed forward.

The two embraced. Tech's arms engulfed her as he tucked Phee's face into the crook of his neck, mouth lowering to her ear as he whispered something to her. The easy intimacy with which he held her was a shock to Saedii, who only remembered the awkward flirting from a year ago. It was the most affectionate that Saedii had ever seen him. The most at ease.

When they pulled back, one of Tech's hands cradled Phee's face and he drew her in for a lingering kiss. A kiss full of so much passion that Saedii had to look away, trying to give them privacy.

Her eyes landed on Kalth, who sat on the edge of a hoverbed nearby. Grimacing. His eyes met hers at once, as though he'd been searching her out, and at the sight of her, that tension in his shoulders relaxed. The grimace faded and he laid back, following the directions of the medical droid at his side.

Tech and Phee pulled away. They rested their foreheads against one another for only a moment more before Phee turned to the group at large. "You lot are coming with me. Shep and the mech droids will deal with your ship."

"Our ship?" Hunter asked at once.

Phee's eyes landed on him. "The Empire put out a description for the Marauder. Shep and I think it's best if we stash it in one of the sea caves for a bit. Just until the comm channels die down."

"It is true," Tech said softly. "We are all over the public channels."

With a soft sigh, Hunter relented.

Phee led the procession down to her small manse by the sea. At the sight of the light stone house waiting, with its balconies and string lights and small courtyard, Crosshair let out a low breath of relief.

The inside looked exactly how Saedii remembered it. Kitchen orderly, living room warm and inviting. The smell of fresh roasted caff filled the air and Saedii spotted a carafe on the counter, along with several mugs.

There was a brief flutter of movement as the medical droids bustled towards the doors at the end of the far hall, carting Wrecker and Kalth along with them. Phee followed after, shouting out directions and room assignments.

When Phee returned a minute later, she said, "It's going to be a bit crowded. Some of you will be sharing rooms."

"We don't mind. We're just grateful you were willing to take us in," Hunter said appreciatively.

Phee nodded at that before her gaze swung in Saedii's direction. Her focused eyes softened as she stepped forward, gently pushing Crosshair out of the way so that she could pull Saedii in for a hug.

"I'm glad to have you back, kid," Phee said quietly.

Saedii hugged her back. It was strange. In the past year, Saedii hadn't given too much thought to Phee and Pabu, but now that she was here, now that Phee's familiar scent washed over her, she realized just how much she'd missed the pirate. How much Phee had come to be a small but important part of Saedii's ever growing family.

When Phee pulled away, her expression was gentle as she reached out and stroked Saedii's cheek. One finger ran along the scar on Saedii's cheek – the one that Krell had given her. The little flicker of warmth in Phee's eyes grew dark.

Crosshair's grip was tight on Saedii's arm. It tightened as Saedii swayed just a bit, and his panic flooded the Force. "Do you need to lie down?"

"No," Saedii answered hollowly. The last thing she felt like doing right now was being separated from any of them.

"Here. Take a seat. I'll get you something to drink."

Phee and Crosshair helped Saedii into one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table. Hunter hovered protectively behind her, one hand absently running along Saedii's shoulder. Echo took the chair on Saedii's left, unconsciously running his fingers over the line of stitches on his face.

Several mugs of caff were passed around. Saedii accepted hers gratefully and took a sip, shivering as the hot liquid warmed a path down her throat. She hadn't realized just how cold she was. How her shoulders trembled.

Someone draped a blanket over her shoulders. She wrapped it tighter, relishing the warmth.

Omega took the seat to Saedii's right, pulling it close enough so that she could rest her head against Saedii's shoulder. Saedii reached out and wrapped the blanket around the both of them as Hunter's other hand reached out and began to stroke the top of Omega's head as well.

"I see you added one more to your merry band," Phee commented as she sat, her own mug of caff in front of her. Tech was in the seat beside her, and he draped his arm over her shoulders.

"Saedii's friend. From the Order," Hunter answered.

A faint spark of amusement lit Phee's eyes. "Another Jedi, huh? You lot sure do collect kids like stray puppies, don't you?"

No one laughed. Omega reached out and grabbed one of the remaining mugs of caff and took a tentative sip.

Phee sighed. "There's news, if you want to hear it."

"What kind of news?" Hunter asked at once.

Her lips thinned. "The bad kind."

Omega withered at Saedii's side. Saedii understood the reaction. How much more bad news could they take?

"Can't it wait?" Crosshair demanded, none too gently.

"I don't think it can. It might affect your safety."

Echo looked up from his mug, resigned. "If it's about our bounties, we already know."

"Your bounties are only part of the problem," Phee said. "The Empire just announced that they identified traitors within the Senate. Senators Bail Organa, Riyo Chuci, Mon Mothma and nearly a dozen others have been taken into Imperial custody and removed from their station."

Padme's allies within the senate. But how had they found them? Saedii had been sure that they didn't know the secret players behind the Rebellion.

"Known Rebel sympathizers, like Gobi Syndulla and the Bridgers on Lothal, were executed for seditious acts of treason."

Saedii didn't know the Bridgers, but she knew Gobi. Knew that he had been siphoning off secrets to Rex and his crew on troop movements around Ryloth. Without his steady leadership there, she wondered how the other Twi'leks would survive under the fist of the Empire.

At the mention of Syndulla, Omega looked up in alarm. "What about Hera Syndulla?"

"No mention of her or Cham." Phee's lips pressed into a line. "But they've been added to the list, along with several other allies to your cause – Jar Jar Binks, Hondo Ohnaka, Saw Gurerra...and me."

Alarm flooded Tech's face. "You have been named?"

"Yup. My bounty isn't quite as large as yours, but it's still big enough to draw an interest." Phee gave a little smile. "I took it as a compliment."

"This is no laughing matter," Echo snapped.

The smile on Phee's face died. "No, it's not. You lot are in a whole mess of trouble. You've all been named public enemy number one. Bounty hunters from across the galaxy will be hunting for you."

Crosshair muttered a curse. Hunter and Echo exchanged a look.

"We shouldn't have come here," Hunter said, grim-faced. He looked around to the others. "We'll head out at first light –"

"Oh, knock that off. You're not leaving."

One of the medical droids came down the hall then. It reached into Phee's freezer, pulling out what appeared to be the largest ice pack Saedii had ever seen. Then it disappeared back down the hall, towards the sounds of Wrecker's low groans.

Hunter's attention never once wavered from Phee. "Look, we appreciate that you want to help, but we can't put anyone in danger –"

"You're not," Phee argued. "Pabu isn't on any maps or registers. We don't trade or communicate off planet. It's the safest place for you to hide."

"And if the Empire does find us?"

"They won't."

"I believe that Phee is right," Tech said slowly, eyeing the narrowing of Hunter's eyes. "Thanks to the cloaking field that surrounds the planet, the probability of discovery is almost zero."

"Almost," Crosshair pointed out.

Tech didn't back down. "The associated risk of staying is less than five percent. It is statistically negligible."

"But not impossible."

"There is nowhere in the galaxy with an absolute zero percent risk. I have already run the numbers."

Crosshair rolled his eyes.

"I don't know," Echo said cautiously. "I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's not right to put the residents of Pabu at risk."

Phee gave a flippant wave of her hand. "So long as you don't leave the planet, you won't be."

"So we're trapped here?" a small voice interjected.

Saedii and the rest glanced at Omega, who was frowning. Despite the early morning and the many hours that had kept them all awake, she looked wide awake.

Hunter smoothed back her hair. "We're not trapped. Just lying low for a bit."

"But we can't leave."

"For our own safety, and the Pabu residents."

Omega's frown deepened. "There are other people in the galaxy that still need our help. Clones that are trapped in Mount Tantiss. Prisoners of the Empire. Are we really going to abandon them?"

It was the same argument from the ship. Hunter's shoulders sagged as he tried to think of an answer.

But it was Phee that supplied, "Think of it more as a tactical retreat. Once the heat dies down, you can go right back out to being the heroes."

"Or not," Crosshair muttered.

The look Omega turned on him was scathing.

"We don't have to talk about that now," Hunter was quick to interject. He ran a hand over his tired face, pinching at the bridge of his nose. "Let's just...rest for a few days. We can figure out our next move later."

Omega turned to Saedii, but Saedii wouldn't meet her eye. Secretly, she agreed with Hunter. The emptiness inside of her had swallowed every ounce of righteous determination. Every spark of the fight left in her. All she wanted to do now was rest and heal.

When she found no voices of support, Omega's head drooped and she leaned heavier into Saedii's side.

Phee looked over all of them, taking in the bruises and unhealed injuries. The bags that hung beneath their eyes and shadows that danced within them. A ripple of pity feathered into the Force. "Why don't you all try and get some sleep. You look like you need it."

That was really all that Saedii wanted now, anyways.