The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 87 - Draco's Dilemma

After the meeting with Commander Darklighter, Draco was on his way back to the pirate ship in the Tion Cluster.
The streaks of hyperspace passed by as the captain gazed out the viewport. His second-in-command cleared his throat, and Draco turned his head before swiveling his chair to face the Rodian.
"What's wrong, Rool?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
The pirate leaned casually in the doorway and stared at his captain, whom he always followed without questioning his decisions. But not this time.
"Do you really want us to fight for that woman? I mean, helping the kids on Takodana was one thing, but risking our necks fighting the First Order is another. When are you going to tell the rest of our people?" He asked in Huttese.
Then he walked over, sat down in the co-pilot's seat and looked at Draco expectantly.
"As soon as we reach the Wild Draco," his captain replied, putting his feet up on the console. "They will agree, my friend."
"How can you be so sure of that? Their war is not our war, Draco. We're pirates, not freedom fighters, like I said. We don't care whose flags fly over the galaxy."
The captain grinned and put his feet back on the floor.
"We'll see, Rool. The commander's offer was fair and square."
"Our people might see it differently. We get our hands dirty for them and earn no more than a pittance."
Draco Dracon's second-in-command snorted, and now it was his turn to put his feet up on the console. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back in his seat.

Draco ignored the Rodian's behavior and pulled out a bottle of Savareen brandy. He opened it, took a sip and passed it on.
"Our people will accept my decision. They always have. If I tell them I'm helping old friends with this, they'll understand."
Rool took the bottle and set it aside.
"I can't share your optimism, Draco. And you shouldn't drink and stay sober for the meeting with our crews."
His captain laughed, took the bottle and a sip of brandy.
"Why are you always such a prophet of doom, my friend?" He asked and took another sip, savoring the taste of the alcohol this time.
"Since I know people better than you do, Draco. People are greedy," Rool replied, taking the bottle from his captain's hand. "We should rest until we arrive, captain."
The Rodian made himself comfortable in the co-pilot's seat and closed his eyes. Eventually he fell asleep while Draco thought about what Rool had said.

A few hours later, Rool heard the alarm indicating that they had reached their destination and woke up. Draco, who was still awake, pulled the lever. The streaks of hyperspace changed to the blackness of real space and the stars were shining as dots again. In front of them they saw the Wild Draco. Draco landed the small shuttle smoothly in the hangar bay shortly afterwards. He switched off the engine and smiled as he unstrapped himself.
"Home sweet home," he said and stood up.
Then he left the cockpit, followed by Rool, opened the hatch and walked down the ramp. As he stepped onto the hangar floor, he noticed his armorer standing there. He beckoned the Bothan over.
"Everything all right on board, Ch'ord?" Draco asked the alien as he stood before him.
"Aye, captain," Ch'ord replied, before continuing. "We ambushed a First Order convoy that was headed our way. I can show you the captured weapons and armor later."
Draco raised an eyebrow.
"First Order you say?"
"Yes, captain, we took them by surprise. They didn't expect us to be there."
The pirate's armorer bared his fangs, the equivalent of a human smile.
"How was the meeting with the commander? What did he have to offer us?"
"The biggest surprise was that the commander is a woman. Do you remember the two kids on Takodana at Maz's? The commander is their mother."
The armorer looked at his captain in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me, captain? In this vast galaxy and among all the people out there, you met the mother of the kids?"
Draco shook his head.
"This isn't a joke. I'll contact the others and tell them about the negotiations and our agreement."
He pulled out a comlink and called the captains of the other pirate ships he knew were nearby and asked them to meet with him in an hour.

One by one, the shuttles of the other pirate captains landed in the Wild Draco's hangar bay.
Draco waited in his command center for the arrivals. It didn't take long for them to enter the room. When the last one had entered the room and taken his seat, Draco cleared his throat and began to tell them about his meeting with the commander of the Resistance cell on Nar Shaddaa. When he had finished, a hubbub broke out. With a wave of his hand, he commanded silence.
"It's no use everyone speaking at the same time," he said and the others fell silent.
One of those gathered signaled that he wanted to speak. Draco nodded in agreement and the Corellian rose from his seat. His face was scarred, a sign of how many fights he had already seen. He looked at the others and smirked.
"That's all well and good, but basically they want us to get our hands dirty, and for next to nothing. On the other hand..." The man paused before continuing. "Do you know that the First Order hunts down former rebels? Not those of the petty Resistance, but those who stood up to the Galactic Empire decades ago. I don't care why, because all that matters to me is the bounty on their heads. You said the commander's name is Darklighter. As it happens, there's a bounty on her head. 90,000 credits... that's easy credits. That's a lot more than we'd take in a raid on First Order shipments."
He let his gaze wander over those gathered and watched their reactions to his revelation. Then he sat down in his seat, crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited for Draco to speak again.

Draco glared at the man who had just foiled his plan to join up with Nomi's cell.
"You can't be serious, Jek. I gave the commander my word. She trusts me. And now you're asking me to betray her and hand her over? That's not how I act, that's not how I treat my allies. You should know that."
But as he looked around and heard the murmuring, he realized that he was about to fight a losing battle. He sighed and cursed inwardly.
"I can't understand why you want to do this. You helped the kids on Takodana and now you want to betray their mother? The First Order will kill her for sure. You'll have her blood on your hands."
Jek shrugged and stood up again.
"We should take a vote, Draco."
The pirate captain nodded his head slowly, knowing full well that the result could mean disaster for the upcoming Resistance cell.
"Okay, let's vote." He took a heavy breath before continuing. "Who wants to hunt down Commander Darklighter and turn her in?"
The hands were raised and Draco counted quietly.
"Ten out of fifteen..."
He shook his head, disappointed in those he had always trusted with his life.
"Who wants to pledge allegiance to her and her cause?"
It was a pointless question to ask, as there were only five captains left, including him, who hadn't raised their hands at the first question, but Draco asked anyway and raised his hand at the same moment. The captain sighed, knowing that the commander's fate was sealed.
"Ten to five... I can't believe you're really doing this, but so be it. We will stab her in the back. Now get back to your ships."
He slumped back in his seat. This had not gone as he had expected.