Maz paused for a long moment. “Yes, but only because you hope. I admire that very much. I wish more people found power in that. We could use you, you know. There aren’t many of us old rebels left.”
Dad laughed, but it sounded tired. “I’m done with wars, Maz.”
She hummed. “You live long enough, and you’ll realize that history is simply an echo of itself, and most of us don’t listen.”
Her soft footsteps came toward the door.
Crap.I reeled back. I didn’t want to get caught snooping—again. First Val, and now this? I would have made a bad spy. I dove into the utility closet just as the door to the bridge opened, and Maz shuffled out, her hands behind her back in that patient way of hers. Iwatched through the slats in the door vent as she told Dad good night and shot a pointed look at the utility door.
Yeah, shedefinitelyknew I was here.
That was embarrassing.
Maz left, and I counted to ten before I eased out of the closet. By then, Dad had returned to the bridge, and Maz was long gone.
What wasthatabout? Was Maz here to recruit my dad for something? That didn’t bode well at all. I couldn’t think of many things she might be coming to old rebels asking for, and the few I could think of were not good. The Civil War had been over for almost thirty years. We were at peace.
Weren’t we?
I knocked on the doorframe before I let myself onto the bridge.
Dad was at the helm, sitting back with one foot propped on his other leg, eating overripe obessa seeds that popped between his teeth like little jelly-filled fruits. The star fields passed outside the flight deck windows in a swirling tunnel of blue light.
He gave a start. “Daughter! What brings you here so late?”
I shuffled over to sit in the copilot’s chair and brought my knees to my chest, setting my chin on them. The chairs were soft and well-worn. “I had a nightmare.”
“I’m sorry, love.” He patted the top of my head like he used to when I was little. “What was it this time? Ewoks chasing you?”
“If only,” I muttered, and then lied: “I don’t remember.”
“You haven’t had bad nightmares in a while, not since…”Your mom died.The words hung in the air, even though he couldn’t bring himself to say them. He never could. It was like a part of our lives he just…refused to acknowledge, this gaping hole in our hearts he pretended wasn’t even there. Instead, he diverted to, “Anything I can do?”
Tell me what Maz Kanata wanted, I thought, but he didn’t know I had been eavesdropping. “Nah, I don’t think so.” I lifted my gaze to the star-streaked viewport. “So how has the night been so far? Uneventful?”
“Eh, mostly.” He twisted back and forth in his chair, tugging on his beard. “I can’t believe he’s home. It feels like a dream.”
One that was too good to be true. “Yeah…it was really unexpected.”
“But it’s nice to have the family back together, isn’t it? Especially for your birthday tour.”
I reached over and grabbed a handful of obessa seeds. “Yeah,” I repeated, a little quieter, and ate a few. The stars passed the viewport in long twisting blue ribbons. “What if I want to leave, too?”
Dad paled. “Why would you want to do that?”
I shrugged. “To see what’s out there, I guess.”
“There’s nothin’ out there that you can’t find here,” he replied, and his tone was adamant.
“Yeah, butIdon’t know that. Or what if you’re wrong?”
He was shaking his head. “We’re not having this discussion tonight, love.”
“But, Dad—”
“What would you want out there, anyway?” he asked.
“I don’t know! That’s the thing. I don’t know what I’d want because I don’t know what’s out there.”
