Everything was different than the last time, when "The Chance" was escaping pursuit like a mad stuntman, and Nick was squeezing the seemingly impossible out of it... And the red lights in the aiming grid were jumping just as wildly... It was easier now. But also a little harder, because... Because a battle always begins unexpectedly and at the wrong time. When you're thinking about anything but war and death.
Target lock occurred at the very moment when "The Chance" and the capsule hunter closed to within firing range. The pursuer, maneuvering, carelessly exposed its unprotected belly. For a second. Sher pressed the trigger all the way down with all her might.
Just to be able to protect what is dear to you...
The darkness beyond the transparisteel was torn by fiery spittle.
At the same moment, Nick threw the ship aside again – this time towards the capsule, blocking it with the massive hull of "The Chance."
"Rick will kill me..."
The hit pirate spat a couple of volleys towards the escape pod, but it was already being tracked, the aim was off, and the shots only grazed the shields, causing no damage to the hull.
Nick turned the transport so Sher could shoot more comfortably, but the pirate refused to continue the fight and was now trying to escape the kill zone.
"I really want to give him a piece of my mind for Tamir Martye. And for all the others..." Sher said intently, not taking her eyes off the sight, and tracing the distance to the hastily spitting pirate with neatly laid-out tracer fire. The road paved by Sher was already burning under the marauder's belly.
For a second, "The Chance" lost control and swerved, but immediately returned to course. The pirate flailed, trying to throw off the aim, but eventually broke into pieces, fading into a cloud of plasma.
Nick, with a stony face, was already operating the tractor beam projector, turning the ship towards the capsule and catching it in the grapple.
The shell of the capsule floated towards the transport's nose.
"One," the navigator said quietly. "There's one person. Alive. Not injured."
"Got it..." Sher whispered, flinching and removing her fingers from the trigger. She turned her head to ask Nick what that maneuver was, but his frozen face made her heart clench. She remained silent. Even the restraints that pressed her into the chair clicked almost silently.
"What's wrong?" the girl whispered anxiously, leaning towards his face, and touched his cheek with her lips. "I have to run... But you're so..."
The navigator rubbed his cheek against hers almost imperceptibly.
"Later," he promised. "After we jump."
"Okay," she agreed, but concern remained in her gaze, fixed on the pilot. The girl's two narrow hands slid slowly from his shoulders, trying to prolong the touch.
"It's so good that the person in the capsule is alive... And not injured. I hope everything else is in order too," Sher smiled weakly and took a few steps towards the exit. She paused at the threshold.
"Nick, you're so..." she couldn't find the words. And what to say to a person with whom you have one consciousness? Your words and emotions are no secret to him seven parsecs away. But feelings always need an outlet. At least in words. No matter how worn out they are, no matter how spoiled by the meaning everyone puts into them. "You're so wonderful... I love you so much, Nick. And I already miss you," it burst out of her. unexpectedly strongly and expressively.
...First just fast, and then increasingly rapid steps echoed in the deck corridor.
In the hold, Sher was already waiting. Larius had managed to unscrew the capsule hatch, Bus was scurrying inside, his tail spread like a toilet brush.
"There's one person, and she's not injured," he finally reported, jumping out. "All clear."
A second later, he was no longer in the hold.
...Day was brought out of oblivion by a strange creature, fluffy, the size of a large dog, long-eared and tailed, which, after sniffing everything around, including her, disappeared.
With difficulty – her body, it turned out, had gone numb from long immobility – the woman sat up and, as if waking up, peered at the one who had come with the "typocat," as the miraculously saved planetologist called the creature to herself.
As it turned out, it also took effort to speak. Finally, Kale managed:
"Good day," her voice had barely failed. "Where am I and who are you?" she asked the slender, golden-haired girl with a worried face.
"Don't worry, please," the girl spoke almost simultaneously with her and laughed girlishly at the coincidence.
"You're safe. I'm a doctor," Sher touched her datapad with a finger, adjusting the bioanalyzer to the human race.
"How are you feeling, ma'am?" Sher asked softly, her gray eyes looking attentively into the woman's green-brown eyes.
Day rubbed her forehead.
"Quite tolerable, ma'am," she tried to smile, and even managed it. "My name is Day Kale, I work for KIK."
The data on the monitor, which Sher managed to glance at, did not contradict Day's words. There were no functional impairments. Everything else fit within her "tolerable."
"I've already noticed," Sher smiled, nodding at the KIK emblem on the green uniform of her new acquaintance. "Very pleased to meet you... Mrs. Day? Is that right? And let's continue our acquaintance in more comfortable conditions, shall we?" the doctor suggested with an open smile, Polly Carrada.
"Can you stand up?" she asked and offered the woman her hand to help. After a long period of forced sitting with her legs down, this question could not be considered superfluous. "And call me Sher," she added, belatedly remembering that she hadn't introduced herself.
"I hope so," Day thought to herself and got up, gratefully leaning on the unexpectedly strong hand of a seemingly very fragile girl. Her legs ached unpleasantly, soon she would get pins and needles and it would be uncomfortable, but she had to hold on. She took a step, then another. And then, slowly, as if returning from some unknown distance, she said:
"Just Day is fine, and yes, I'll try to walk if it's not too far. Nice to meet you, Sher," Day smiled, Sher reminded her of her daughter in some way, and the smile came out motherly. "If you don't mind, I'll take my things?" the planetologist nodded towards the large bag to the left of the chair.
"Few people are happy to meet a doctor," Sher joked in return, smiling, and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Day, we'll walk and won't fall." The field doctor's hand had to be firm and strong. Therefore, Sher easily and confidently supported the planetologist as she took her first steps.
"And I'm also glad, Day, to meet you," Sher added after a pause. The girl's smile was sincere. and a little shy. She had heard such words a long time ago... In another life. And she genuinely felt an inexplicable sympathy for the light-brown-haired and green-eyed Day Kale. She reminded her of something. Something very, very distant. And diligently forgotten...
"As for the things..." she glanced back at the bag...
"No need to do that, girl," the planetologist easily intercepted Sher in mid-motion, then let go, and said in a completely different tone: "I'll stretch a bit now, and I'll carry it all myself – I'll explain why later." Kale's smile was slightly guilty. The woman shook her legs and arms alternately, and moved her shoulders.
"I'm ready," with a flexible, smooth movement, the planetologist picked up the bag and habitually hung it over her shoulder. "Shall we go?"
Sher looked doubtfully at the bag that Day had hoisted onto herself. Even considering that her build was slightly fuller than Sher's – the load seemed enormous.
"Maybe we should carry it together?" the doctor persisted. "It's heavy alone... This isn't a pirate ship. The bag won't be damaged under any circumstances," Sher assured her.
"It's probably not for nothing that the pirates weren't letting go of her capsule..."
"Don't worry so much, Sher, I'm used to it. When you carry something for a long time, you just stop feeling the weight," and Day smiled again. "Let's go, I admit, I've gotten a little tired of this place."
"That's true," Sher agreed, smirking, "I only notice the weight of my case when I'm very exhausted..." she said this as they were already walking out of the hold.
The elevator dropped them directly into a corridor, standard for such ships, stretching forward, towards the cockpit, which Sher's gaze was drawn to.
"Well, welcome aboard 'The Chance,' Day. This is the middle deck, and you can settle into this cabin."
Sher had to take on the role of a guide to the ship's premises.
"Useful practice," she thought, smirking to herself. "I'll have to do this too when we have a lot of passengers."
"The ship isn't fully equipped yet. Much is still being remodeled. And don't be shocked by the temporary lack of bedding," Sher's sigh wasn't too mournful. She herself had a philosophical view on this. Compared to lying on damp, cold ground for a long time, being pinned down by gunfire...
"This is our mess hall," she nodded towards the room where, with great difficulty, one could discern the miniature figure of Veymi, engrossed in some work. What it was, was no longer visible.
She turned her smiling gaze back to the woman.
"And our galley is on this deck. And if you can make it there, I can assure you – our caf is excellent. Well, and there's something to feed a microscopic rancor too."
"Thank you, Sher," Day bowed her head to her left shoulder. "For starters, I'd like to wash and change – I feel terribly dirty. And then, yes, we can have some caf. I'll be quick. And where do I go to wash?"
"Day, then leave your things in the cabin and go there," Sher flicked her linen braid towards the shower stall. "The sanitary block is there. We even have a little bacta left for spraying," the doctor smiled, trying to please the passenger. "And the galley is almost nearby. And you probably need to talk to someone older than me in rank?" oh, she almost said "rank" out of habit. Probably because of Day's uniform, on the green sleeve of which was a patch with her name: "Day Kale." Uniforms, patches, regulations – they surfaced in her memory from time to time.
"But, we'll have caf together in the galley, won't we?"
"Thank you, Sher," Day was sincerely grateful, because more than anything in the world she wanted to wash away the nightmare of the past... By the way, what? Minutes, hours? "Sher, what day is it today?" Day took the bag off her shoulder, almost without looking, and pulled out a package with a change of clothes.
Sher was clearly stumped by this question. She herself had lost count of time as soon as she stepped aboard the former "Gale."
"Honestly, Day, I can't say right away. Dates and times mean little to me here," she tried to explain apologetically. It was true. Rest and sleep – as soon as fatigue coincided with a free minute. Food – when the stomach demanded it very insistently. And what it was – breakfast, lunch, or dinner – who the hell knew. Beyond the transparisteel – only stars. And for them, there was no change of seasons, no change of day and night.
"But we'll find out now," she smiled, taking a datapad from her case, touching the screen and turning it to the woman. "Oh, it turns out it's just after five in the morning, galactic standard time," Sher herself was genuinely surprised to see the time under the date on the monitor.
"Thank you. So, I was only in the capsule for a day. Sher, you can't imagine how joyful news you've given me. Since so little time has passed, they shouldn't have managed to lose us yet." This time, Day's smile was crooked, and something very cold flashed in her eyes. And with a completely different smile, she said to the girl:
"I suspect we have just enough time to wash and have a cup of caf with you. Because then I'll have to rush to your bosses. I'm afraid I'm not the safest passenger right now."
With these words, Day took another package from her bag and a comlink, which she shoved into her trouser pocket.
"Let's go!"
"It seems 'The Chance' is living up to its name further," Sher thought, stepping over the cabin threshold with the passenger. But, showing her the shower door, she stopped her, gently touching her elbow.
"If it's that serious, Day, you'd better not take any action until you talk to our navigator, Nikolaus Viyar. He's acting captain now," Sher released her sleeve.
The phrase Day had just heard was spoken in the same tone as all the others, if not for the cautious insistence in her voice. Only the navigator's name was subtly different from what was said, with some other meaning.
"Okay," Kale nodded and closed the shower door.
As soon as Day disappeared, Sher took out her comlink.
"Nick," the navigator heard the girl's voice, "the passenger is fine. This is Day Kale from Corellian Engineering Corporation. And for some reason, she thinks she's a threat to 'The Chance.' Will you come?" Sher asked, looking back at the sanitary block door, and added. "She's cleaning up now, and then we'll have caf in the galley."
"I'll be right there," came the instant reply. A threat to the ship – not something to be ignored. Whatever might be hidden behind it.
With quick, practiced movements, Day transferred the contents of her robe pockets from dirty to clean, undressed, carefully folded the dirty clothes, and stood under the shower.
"Yes, girl, and you seem to have a soft spot for the navigator. What's his name, Nikolaus. Damn, I forgot his last name. Oh well. It's a long way to Corellia from here, we'll have time to get acquainted. And I'll have to explain myself now. It's one thing if the pirates lost sight of the capsule, and another if they didn't. I have no right to put these people in danger," Day thought as she cleaned herself up. Finally, pinning her hair, she emerged from the shower.
"Well, now I'll leave the package in the cabin and we can have caf. Aren't you tired of waiting?"
Sher wasn't tired.
"Oh no," she smiled, "you handled that like a soldier. I'll be waiting for you in the galley, Day. And we'll probably have caf together. Nick promised to be here. Nikolaus Viyar," she corrected herself immediately. "And it's impossible to get lost here, and the smell of caf won't let that happen," still smiling, Sher went to make caf. But as soon as she was alone, the smile faded from her lips.
"Yes, captain, we're running out of medical supplies, there's no bedding, we don't even have anything to make caf in," she thought, looking at the container she had adapted for brewing. "But we'll get through this. Just come back... soon."
Day never forgot places she had once been, the path to the cabin didn't take long, and finding the galley, as Sher had warned, wasn't difficult, because Day's sense of smell was sharpened, as always after stress.
In the galley doorway, she paused for a few seconds to admire Sher's smooth, graceful movements as she bustled about. It was as if a separate sun, not hot but very, very kind, shone in the galley. It was a shame to interrupt this dance, but time was relentless, and danger could be closer than one would like. Dey coughed.
"Am I interrupting?"
On a small metal table, two large portions of the "Chance's" usual dish were already served: roasted meat with vegetables and beans, from which a hot steam, saturated with spicy aroma, rose. And Sher was pouring freshly brewed caf into three glasses. She turned to the passenger with a smile.
"Not at all, Dey," her braid swung like a pendulum. "We're eagerly awaiting you for breakfast. Sit down quickly before it freezes."
She handed the woman cutlery and pushed a standard meat dish from the Nar Shaddaa cantina, which, however, was as far from freezing as Mustafar was from Midjento.
Sher herself sat opposite, holding her glass of caf with both palms and inhaling the aroma. She sensed rather than heard Nick's steps, carefully hiding her gaze in the almost black thickness of the caf.
The navigator appeared at the threshold and stopped, looking at the rescued woman. In his gray-green eyes, Sher saw a familiar glint of ice, which slowly gave way to surprise.
"Ma'am? My name is Nikolaus Viyar, I'm the navigator. Welcome aboard... And is there a cup of caf for a sleepy watchman?" he asked with a funny complaint in his voice.
The name, heard again from his lips, for a moment brought Sher back to the Moon, to room 21 of "The Last Haven," placed her before his thawed gaze, and she heard her own voice: "The West is the West, the East..."
Sher smiled – perhaps at the memory, perhaps at the verses of Dyar Ipli, or perhaps at the plaintive notes in Nick's voice.
"We always keep caf hot for watchmen and superiors," a metal mug with warm condensation quickly appeared before him. "And your breakfast too... hot," Sher removed an improvised lid from the dish, from under which a hot smell of crushed herbs escaped. And her attention was immediately occupied by Dey.
She stood up abruptly and straightened.
"Dey Kale, senior field party planetologist number QR-7600. The detachment was searching on planet QR-7600, and upon returning, was attacked by pirates," she reported clearly and almost militarily. And in a completely different voice, quiet and broken, she added:
"I don't know what happened to the crew and the detachment. In a critical situation, they decided to save me. In a capsule," the planetologist's clear greenish-brown eyes met the navigator's icy-gray eyes. "I believe all our problems are because of this," she took a small box from her robe's breast pocket, opened it, and placed it on the table. "Large diamonds and medical crystals. And there are many of them," she finished, and, looking at her companions, sat down on a chair and took a sip of caf.
Nick listened to her without touching his food, only finding Sher's fingers without looking and squeezing them for a moment, thanking her for her care.
"Is that why you decided you were dangerous to us, ma'am?"
"Elementary, sir," the woman took a small deck from another pocket and placed it on the table. "The maps are here, and the passwords to them are here," Dey touched the middle of her forehead with the middle finger of her right hand. "Considering what happened to my comrades, you can be sure that they will hardly stop at anything. So I am not the safest passenger for your ship, sir."
Nick didn't touch the deck or the box. Only his gaze became absent for a moment.
"I didn't find anyone alive in the sector where we picked you up, ma'am. Except for you and the pirates. Their ship is destroyed, therefore, ours is safe. This," he indicated the deck and the container with his gaze, "take it. It's yours."