The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 85 - Meeting with the Pirates

A standard week had passed before the pirates finally arrived on Nar Shaddaa.
Dash Jr. and Tash waited for Draco's shuttle to arrive at the assigned docking bay. They were a little nervous.
"I hope Draco will accept Mama's leadership," Tasherit said to her brother.
"Don't worry, sis, he will. He doesn't know that it's our mother he'll be pledging his allegiance to."
His sister smirked.
"You know Draco. His ego is as big as a Sarlacc pit."
"Hey, he's not that bad. Draco helped us a lot," Dash replied with a smile. "It'll be fine."
The blast doors closed as the shuttle landed and opened once the engines had shut down. The two young Rendars looked expectantly at the hatch as it slowly opened. The ramp lowered and a man stood in the doorway, ready to walk down.
"He knows how to make an entrance," Tasherit whispered as she watched the pirate walk down the ramp, followed by his lieutenant.
Draco was in his mid-forties, well muscled, with brown hair and green eyes. He radiated confidence and pride. His lieutenant, a Rodian, stood directly behind him and surveyed the surroundings with a watchful gaze, his hand lingering on his blaster. The pirate captain looked around and grinned broadly when he saw Dash Jr. and Tasherit approaching.

"Hey, Rendar," he said, slapping Dash Jr. on the shoulder, who was standing in front of him. "It's been a long time since I last saw you and your sister. So you need my help? I knew you wouldn't last long without me. Isn't that what I said, Rool?"
He turned his head slightly and beckoned his lieutenant to come closer.
The Rodian chuckled before answering Draco in Basic with a heavy accent. His hand was still on his blaster as he looked at Dash Jr. and Tasherit.
"Yeah, you said that, Draco."
The pirate grinned.
"So, where do I find your commander, Dash?"
It sounded strange to the Rendar siblings when someone referred to their mother as commander. But it seemed they would have to get used to it.
"In Rimmer's Rest," he replied. "If you and your lieutenant would follow us, please." Dash Jr. made an inviting gesture and led the way.

A few minutes later, they reached Rimmer's Rest. Nomi was already waiting for them there.
Draco looked at the small, elderly woman sitting at a table and grinned.
"Are you the commander?" The pirate's voice betrayed his surprise all too well. "I was expecting a man, to be honest. Dash didn't mention that the commander was a woman."
The Jedi Master looked at the man standing before her and smiled.
"You aren't the first to seem to underestimate me, Mr. Dracon."
The remark caused the pirate to chuckle.
"There aren't many people who call me Mr. Dracon. It's just Draco."
He looked down at Nomi.
"I'm glad you accepted my invitation, Draco," she said with a smile.
"I was curious who might be the one to take on the First Order now that the Resistance is gone," Draco said. "By the way, this is Rool, my lieutenant and second-in-command."
He pointed to the Rodian standing at his side.
The non-human tilted his head without saying a word and looked at the woman to whom they were to pledge their allegiance, their own and that of their crew. He wondered what they had gotten themselves into.
"Please take a seat, Draco. Rool," Nomi said, pointing to the empty chairs at the table.
Draco sat down opposite the Jedi, while Rool remained standing.
Dash Jr. and Tasherit left the room, feeling that it would be better if their mother negotiated the terms alone with her future allies.

It took almost two hours for the two factions to reach an agreement. Draco stood up and held out his hand to Nomi.
"So we have an agreement, commander."
The Jedi Master stood up as well and shook his hand.
"Yes, Draco, rest assured, you will not regret it."
"I hope so, Commander Darklighter, I hope so. C'mon, Rool, let's go and tell the crew we're rebels now."
His lieutenant tilted his head before following Draco out of the room and making his way to their shuttle. Once they were back on the street, Rool turned to his captain.
"Are you really going to stick your neck out for them?"
"Why not? Dash has asked us for help, and the commander has promised that we can keep the loot, except for the weapons. The conditions could be a lot worse."
The Rodian shrugged his shoulders.
"Whatever you say, Draco. Payment would be better."
"Hey, I bet there are a lot of credits on the First Order ships. We're sure to make a profit," his captain replied with a grin.
"I hope so, too. We can't risk a mutiny over your crazy promise," Rool retorted. "I can't share your optimism. We are pirates, not freedom fighters. It will be like every other time. They'll use us, and when they've achieved their goal, they'll kick our butts."
Draco shook his head.
"Not with them. I have a good feeling they'll honor our treaty."
"We'll see..."
Rool wasn't really convinced, but he had to accept his captain's decision.
Finally, they reached their shuttle and boarded it.
Shortly afterwards, they were on their way back to their ship, which was hidden in the Tion Cluster near the Perlemian Trade Route.

After the pirates left, Dash Rendar entered the room and walked over to his wife.
"Did everything go well, darling?"
He bent down and gave Nomi a kiss.
"It seems so, though I had a feeling Draco's lieutenant didn't quite agree with our arrangement," the Jedi replied.
"What did you expect? These are pirates. They're not for charity, they're for profit. What did you offer them?"
"They can keep everything except the weapons. We need weapons badly, Dash."
"I thought we were fighting the First Order in space. Not all of us are trained for ground combat, honey."
Nomi looked up at her husband.
"We have to be prepared for anything. You will train those who have no experience in ground combat and infiltration."
The former mercenary saluted her sloppily.
"Yes, ma'am, yes."
His wife giggled when she saw that.
"I hope you'll be more serious when you train our soldiers."
"Of course, Nomi, what do you think of me? The better trained they are, the fewer casualties we will have."
His wife stood up and walked to the door to leave the room.
"It's imperative that all of our soldiers are capable of fighting in space and on the ground, Dash."
"Understood, honey," he said as he pulled out his comlink to summon the first batch of soldiers he wanted to train in ground combat.