The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 93 - Meeting with an Ally

They arrived on base without incident and were unloading the captured transports when a young Bothan girl ran over to Nomi. She saluted awkwardly and was visibly excited.
"There's a call from Captain Dracon who wants to talk to you, commander," she said, looking at the Jedi Master expectantly.
"I'm coming, Roka," Nomi replied as she handed Biggs the ammo crate.
"Go ahead, Biggs, it won't take long."
She followed Roka into the command center and settled down in front of the comm unit.
"Commander Darklighter here, you wanted to talk to me, captain?"
It took a moment, but then she heard the pirate's voice.
"Yes, commander, I hope everything's all right over there."
Nomi leaned back in her seat, relaxed, before answering the question.
"We had a few difficulties, but everything's fine here now. We raided a First Order convoy, our first catch."
There was a hint of pride in her voice as she said this, causing Draco to grin at his second-in-command. Rool grinned back as his captain continued.
"Very well, commander, but now to the reason I called you. We also raided a First Order convoy, and I want you to be there when we divide up the loot. So you can see that we're not cheating. I'll send you the coordinates where you can meet us."
Roka's fur bristled, but she didn't say anything, thinking it wasn't her place to object.
"I trust you, Draco, that's why I made the treaty," Nomi replied to her ally. "But if you insist."
Draco looked over at his second-in-command, who was watching him and who made a sign that he needed to convince the Resistance commander.
"Actually, I'd feel better if you could see for yourself that everything is fine as far as we're concerned," the pirate leader finally said.
The commander sighed inwardly. A visit to the pirates would cost her valuable time, time that she could actually put to better use than doing what Draco was asking her to do.
"I'll come, Draco. Send me the coordinates of the rendezvous point."

After receiving what she had asked for in a fraction of a minute, she disconnected without bothering with formalities. The Jedi Master looked at the Bothan girl who had been listening to the whole conversation.
"What do you think, Roka?" Nomi asked the girl who was surprised that she was asked for her opinion.
Roka ruffled her fur, a habit she had adopted at some point in her life to show that she didn't agree with something. She then looked to the elderly woman still sitting in front of the now silent comm unit.
"May I speak freely, commander?"
She asked as she shuffled her feet, unsure if she should really voice her opinion. The commander was much more experienced than she was, why should she care about the opinion of a girl who was even much younger than her own children?
"Of course, that's the reason I asked you."
Nomi looked kindly at the small Bothan with the dark brown fur. Roka took a deep breath before she began to speak.
"I wouldn't trust Captain Dracon, commander. Nothing good ever comes from pirates and..." her voice trailed off.
She suddenly felt at a loss. There was no way to tell the commander to just stay on base than to travel to who knows where.
"Well?"
Nomi looked at Roka expectantly, but nothing more came. The Jedi Master was pretty sure the girl was blushing under her fur.
"I know you mean well, but I need to travel to build more trust between the pirates and us."
Roka bowed her head in respect as Nomi stood up and left the room. The Bothan didn't have a good feeling, but she sat back down in her seat at the comm unit. The commander was older and more experienced and she would know what she was doing.
After putting on her headset, Roka resumed her work and listened to the First Order frequencies.

It wasn't long before Nomi was on her way to the rendezvous point, having told her family where she wanted to go. Dash wasn't very happy with the idea of his wife going alone, but in the end he gave in to her arguments.
Now she sat alone in the cockpit of the Aquarius, staring out the freighter's viewport at the streaks of hyperspace passing by.
She stifled a yawn, rose from her seat and stretched. Traveling in hyperspace was boring, and it was even more boring when you were alone on board. The Jedi Master went to the midsection and sat down in front of the Dejarik table. But without a gaming partner, there was no point in activating the device.
She must have fallen asleep and only woke up again when she heard the signal indicating that she had reached her destination.
Nomi headed for the cockpit, activated the shields and pulled the lever. The streaks of hyperspace dissolved into stars again, and in the viewport she saw Draco Dracon's ship, the Draco's Pride.

Draco watched as the Aquarius re-entered real space and grinned.
"She's here, Rool, get everything ready to give the commander a proper welcome. I don't want our guest to be disappointed in us."
The Rodian inclined his head and hurried to the aft of the ship to make the preparations. He was well aware that his captain didn't entirely agree with the crew's decision, but he would play along so as not to jeopardize his leadership position.
Nomi watched the surroundings as she approached the Corellian gunship. But there was nothing unusual to see.
She hailed the Draco's Pride, and shortly afterwards she received permission to dock. When she heard the familiar muffled sound at the end of the docking maneuver, she cut the engines, unstrapped herself and walked over to the hatch.
The commander took a deep breath and pressed the button to open the hatch. It opened with a hiss, revealing Draco standing there in full gear with a winning smile on his face.
"Welcome aboard the Draco's Pride, commander. If you would follow me."
He made an inviting gesture and led the way.

As they walked towards the bridge, Nomi noticed the curious looks of those they passed.
"As you can see, we have everything we need."
The Jedi Master nodded her head, and missed the subtle movement of Draco's fingers pressing a button on his belt.
At the same moment, a small freighter re-entered real space and Nomi lost her connection to the Force. She remembered the feeling from decades ago, when she had saved Kyle Katarn, and looked at Draco in disbelief.
There was a grin on the pirate's face as he took the blaster and lightsaber from her.
"You're far too trusting."
Behind him, a door opened and a man in the uniform of the First Order stepped out.