I gathered four key cards—two to each room—and handed them over. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but I promise that we do have a worthwhile experience planned. If not, we would be happy to assist you by refunding your credits before we disembark.”
Grumbling, the men took their room keys and shuffled off into the docking bay toward the lift. The one in the red vest commented enthusiastically that this was the kind of ship Princess Leia Organa used during the war, and my frustration melted.
I wasn’t very good at staying angry, anyway.
Those guys would be a thorn in my side, but at least I knew how to deal with them.
I turned to the alien woman, who barely reached up to my midsection. Her face was welcoming and wise in a comforting sort of way. “Thank you for your help.”
The woman laughed. “Some people thirst for adventure even when they don’t understand the drink. Isn’t that right?” she added with a glance at Daaric.
It was odd to see a fifty-something-year-old pirate go ramrod straight, like he’d just been caught stealing sweets.
Oh, hedidknow her. Ex-lover?
Boss?
The possibilities were endlessly juicy.
I eyed him suspiciously as I pulled up the manifeston my datapad. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name before. Who may I welcome aboard?”
“This is Maz,” Daaric said, sliding up beside me. Then, a little quieter, he added, “My old boss.”
“It’s a pleasure to—wait.” I paused. “Justyour boss?”
He gave me a baffled look. “What do you think she was?”
“Uh”—an ex-lover—“no one.”
The short alien woman laughed. “Oh, I’m not here to steal him back. Don’t you worry about that.”
“I’m not sure whether to be offended or relieved,” he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “But what brings you to the Core, boss? Last I heard, you never leave Takodana anymore.”
Takodana. A planet somewhere in the Western Reaches, I thought, if I remembered my star chart correctly.
And I usually did.
“We all need a vacation sometime, and you know I love a good history lesson,” she replied warmly, though Daaric didn’t look convinced. She appraised me with a smile. “You must be Hansifred’s child. You look just like him.”
I was surprised by that. “I…do?”
In the mirror, all I could ever see was my mother.
I didn’t quite know what to say, though I’d beentrained to push aside my feelings while talking to guests, so that was what I did and found her name on the manifest.Maz Kanata.
I formatted a key card and transferred the itinerary onto her datapad. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Oh, I’ll just annoy Daaric with my requests,” she replied with a wink back at her old employee, and shuffled deeper into the docking bay, cooing at the sight ofStarstall.
When she was gone, I spun to Daaric and asked, “Old boss? Like,pirate, old boss?”
He shrugged helplessly. “She might’ve changed professions.”
“Did you lose your eye working for her?”
“Nah. She’s the one who shot it.”
“What?”
