Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.”
― Robin Hobb, Fool's Fate
Ren sat up in bed, his back pressed against the cool, reinforced steel wall. He was too tired to flow-walk. He’d thought to meditate in the calm darkness of the quarters but the atmosphere dripped with Hux’s irritation. His anger brought to mind a swarm of Geonosians – the short, clipped sounds of their language, the hum of their wings as the hive moved as one. There was an order to it, but an outsider was unlikely to perceive that order.
Ren was an outsider.
Hux shifted beside him, draping an arm over Millicent. Ren had discovered the fluffy, orange creature in Hux’s quarters a few days ago, and now it seemed she refused to leave his side. Her intelligent green eyes briefly flickered towards him, as if sensing her presence in his thoughts. Exasperated, Ren prodded Hux with his elbow.
“At least put more effort into it if you’re going to pretend to be asleep.”
“I was sleeping,” Hux snapped, quickly retracting his arm. “Before you woke me with all your tossing and turning.”
“No.” Ren knew he would have to tread carefully. “You have something on your mind.”
“Of course you’ve been mind-reading. I don’t know why I’d expect-”
“I haven’t,” he said firmly, making sure to meet Hux’s gaze. “Even if I couldn’t…feel it, your body language is hardly subtle.” He knew that Hux was being deliberately obtuse – he was well aware that it was impossible for even the most skilled knight to remain undetected during a mind-probe, whether their target was force-sensitive or not.
He shut his eyes and tried to focus on Millicent’s presence as he waited, either for a reply or for Hux to drift off to sleep. Ren had encountered many animals as a child, and more still as a young man, but this one must have been a rare creature. Her fur was soft, but her mind was sharp. She delighted in giving and receiving affection, yet also in the thrill of the hunt…and of the kill. Curious, since she did not need to hunt – her food was provided for her, in delicious, bite-sized chunks. Ren decided he liked this animal after all.
Hux did not reply, nor did he sleep.
Lucy woke when Caleb started coughing. She rolled out of bed, shivering as she shed her blanket and her bare feet touched the floor. The room was cold and dark, just like the rest of the ship, and she almost swore when she stubbed her toe. Instead, she merely bit her lip while her fingers swept over the desk in search of Caleb’s inhaler. When she found it, she slipped back into the warmth of the bed to hand it to him.
“Thanks, sunshine,” he said between puffs. She’d always thought the inhaler made a weird sound when he used it. “Sorry I woke you again.”
“It’s okay. I’m not really tired.” She stifled a yawn. It wasn’t his fault his breathing was worse on a morning.
“Sure you’re not,” he muttered, mussing her hair. “Well, you can always take a nap before your friend DeeDee visits.” She groaned.
“I don’t take naps. I’m eight.”
“So?” Caleb chuckled softly, carefully untangling her curls with his fingers. “Naps aren’t just for kids.”
“Maybe I’ll just drink loads of caf instead. Seems to work for you.”
“Eight is a little young for caf, sunshine. Besides, don’t think I haven’t seen the faces you’ve pulled when you’ve tried it.” Now it was her turn to laugh as she remembered sipping her mam’s caf, rich and bitter, so bitter, trying hard not to spit it out. Mam had winked at Caleb and Narue, and then flashed her that told-you-so smile. Lucy had been annoyed at the time – she’d only been six – but now the memory made her smile.
It also made her miss her mam.
“Can we comm Mam later?” she asked.
“Sure. I miss her too. We can tell her all about my dinner with the pig in a suit.” At that, Lucy lost it, descending into a fit of giggles. “Actually, we probably shouldn’t really say that in case we’re being monitored, but…” Lucy knew what he was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing.
Fuck it.
Bill had not expected to run into his wife quite so soon. Naturally, Lilith had found the whole affair hilarious when they’d turned up to see her sitting at the bar, wearing an elegant black dress and a pair of red heels with straps that wound around her calves. She was everything he remembered, and more.
“What’s a fine lady like you doing drinking on her own in a place like this?”
“Oh, William. The galaxy really is too small. And you brought a friend? How lovely.” She turned to Lilith with a grin. “Hmm, this doesn’t bode well at all – this one looks like she has more than a couple of brain cells to rub together. Won’t take her long to realise she can do better.”
“Maybe I already have,” Lilith replied, casting an appreciative glance in Rosy’s direction. You didn’t tell me what a lovely wife you had, Kera. Rosy sipped her drink, a look of amusement playing across her features.
“Yes, well, we’re here on business, actually,” he snapped, glaring at Lilith. She didn’t seem to notice, too caught up in the new, unfamiliar surroundings. He didn’t know where she’d come from before she was serving on the Finalizer, but he doubted it was filled with flashy neon lights and jovial laughter.
“And you’re conducting that business at the bar?”
“Yes.” Rosy shrugged, fidgeting with the straw in her glass. He recalled Lucy doing the same thing with her juice in the cantina.
“None of my business,” she said. “Just so long as you don’t cause any trouble on my ship.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.” Rosy rolled her eyes as she finished her drink. When she excused herself, he considered inviting himself to her quarters later – that is, before he was distracted by the other red-haired woman approaching the bar.
The observation deck was empty when Brendol arrived. He was tired and wheezing after the walk from his personal quarters, but he needed to see it. It seemed an age since Starkiller Base, since they’d first left the Unknown Regions to reclaim what was rightfully theirs, but now the Finalizer loomed over the familiar, rainy planet.
Quick drawing of Lilith, my Knight of Ren OC who makes her first appearance in chapter 13 of my fic, Thursday’s Child. Her appearance is based on Tatiana Maslany’s looks as homage to Orphan Black, the show that inspired the fic :)
