Nanvarr was true to his word. He and Taz spent nearly all of their time in Allegra's cargo bays. Taz had set up as many holorecorders as he could lay hands on so that he could study the Fereax's lessons later. He insisted on learning every Force technique Nanvarr knew, but most especially he wanted to understand more about the lightsaber he'd found on Narendri Prime nearly six years ago.

Nanvarr, though, insisted on first teaching him how to probe the feelings and thoughts of others. This, he said, would allow them to exchange information much easier. The Fereax also claimed that the skill was foundational for mastering many other aspects of the Life Wind.

Taz sat cross-legged on the hard cargo bay floor, a towel draped over his neck. He shook out his hands, arms and shoulders, then began the Dahannist meditations that his parents had insisted he learn. His mind began to clear, and after a minute he nodded, feeling the connection to the Force as he had when he'd last delved deeply, on Jakku.

Nanvarr lifted his hand and reached out with the Force. Almost immediately Taz could feel the Fereax's presence. He mumbled, "I see."

"That's good, my boy, very good indeed." Nanvarr spent the next three hours guiding and prodding Taz until he was able to sense the thoughts and feelings Nanvarr offered him, and to send his own in return. By the end of the session Taz wobbled to his feet, exhausted, but feeling like he'd seen a little further into the hazy, confounding Force. Moreover, Nanvarr's mind probes didn't induce the nausea and pain as they had before.

"Excellent, my boy!" He tapped his thumbs against his last fingers with excitement.

Taz was breathing hard and perspiring with the effort he'd expended, but he smiled. He felt like, for the first time, he was making real progress toward mastery. "Are there other skills like this that I can learn?"

Nanvarr rocked his head from side to side, making his temporal tendrils swing wildly. "Have you tried suggestion?"

"Suggestion?"

"Yes, dear Taz Oktos. Using the Force and your will, you can suggest a course of action to others. Think of it as placing persuasive thoughts in their heads."

"Oh," he suddenly realized, "I did that once, when I was younger. In fact, I think that was the first time I'd ever used the Force, although at the time I didn't know it."

"Excellent," he repeated the word and his finger tapping. "Describe it to me."

"Well, there were two upperclassmen at the technical academy I attended. They were Imperials, children of the Protectorate forces on Filve. They liked to bully us locals. Anyway, they'd been bothering me for a few weeks, you know, knocking my datapad out of my hands, tripping me in the corridors, that kind of thing." A dark look flickered across Taz's face. "One day one of them bumped into me on purpose, then demanded I apologize. I refused, so he threw me against a wall. Usually I just let it go; my parents were pacifists and they taught us to avoid conflicts, but for whatever reason, that day it made me mad. I wasn't a match for either of them, physically, I mean, but I shouted at them and told them to stop.

"You can imagine how surprised I was when they did. Then I told them they should go to security and tell them what they'd done, and they did! They actually turned themselves in! Got four demerits each and had to serve two days' suspension. Later I read about something similar in Master Jorun's journal, so I knew it was possible, but since then I've never tried it again."

"The Life Wind is indeed a powerful ally, my benefactor," Nanvarr agreed. "You should practice, to gain mastery... perhaps on your crewmates."

Taz's eyes got wide. "I'd never do that!"

"Why not? As with any skill, you need to practice if you wish to master it."

"Because they're my friends. It wouldn't be right."

"Oh?" The Fereax splayed his fingers in disbelief, but continued on. "Know that it is most effective when used on those of weak will. Other Force users and strong-willed beings may resist, and there are many races on which it is ineffective."

"I'll… keep that in mind."

In a more optimistic tone Nanvarr said, "Next, let us try some physical skills."

Taz held up his hand. "I'm spent, Nanvarr. I need to clean up, get some supper, then take my watch. Let's pick this up tomorrow."

The Fereax's excitement turned to disappointment, but he acquiesced. "Very well, benefactor Taz Oktos. We will continue after you've had time to refresh yourself."

Taz wasn't exactly sure what Nanvarr meant by 'physical skills', but his next day's exertions proved the phrase to be painfully accurate. The cargo bay's ceiling was barely a meter over Taz's head, so jumping was out, but Nanvarr showed him how to propel himself with explosive bursts of speed. His first attempt ended with a bloody nose and a cut over his eyebrow as he smashed into the cargo hold's wall before he could stop himself. Ten minutes of healing trance later he was back at it, this time wearing a combat vest and helmet. Eventually, he'd gained sufficient control to traverse the bay's ten-meter length in only a second or so, and to make quick turns by kicking off the walls.

Reiko and Yuzu came up from the engineering bay to watch. Rei, who'd grown up thinking the Force was nothing more than fanciful tales to entertain or frighten children, took in the spectacle with wide-eyed wonder. Sera peeked in the following day as Taz was learning to run along the walls. He fell as often as not, eliciting laughter from the former Ballista commando, but his Force-enhanced agility kept him from anything more serious than some scrapes and bruises.

That evening, fresh from his sonic shower, he sat at the bench in the engineering bay where Reiko had set up a compact machine shop. The old lightsaber he'd found lay before him, partly disassembled. He'd stumbled on the trick to detaching the pommel cap, and he was carefully documenting the components as he removed each one from the metal casing. Yuzu watched over his shoulder, looking as curious as a droid could, and recorded everything he saw.

Taz identified the power cell, which looked positively ancient, but well crafted. The metal casing on the ten-centimeter cell was worn and dull, but he could see the traces of fine scrollwork that seemed to have been acid-etched. He rigged a charging bracket and began transferring power from Allegra's storage batteries. The other parts were largely a mystery, although he was able to make a guess as to the functions of a few. He called Nanvarr, who provided some helpful advice, but it was clear that Jedi weapons weren't something with which the Fereax had much experience.

Nanvarr's hand hovered over the saber for half a minute while he closed his eyes in concentration. When he opened them, he touched his thumb against his middle finger. "Alas, this lightsaber's crystal is fractured."

"What does that mean?"

"You see, kyber crystals amplify and concentrate energy in very potent ways. But more than that, they are alive, in a sense. Some sages even believed that they possessed a kind of consciousness. Certainly the Jedi believed so."

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"The crystal is alive?" Taz exclaimed.

"Not as you or I understand life, but yes. They are alive within the Life Wind. They resonate with it. It is said that the crystal may choose to attune itself to another being. It is in this way that the Jedi forge their weapons and create deep, intimate bonds with them."

"So a fractured crystal—"

"A fractured crystal won't resonate. Its song will be distorted and disharmonious. Its ability to focus and amplify energy will be compromised, unpredictable. I am far from the master of such matters, but I believe the mechanism will not work with a fractured crystal, or if it does, it is likely to be as much a threat to its wielder as his opponent."

"So you're saying I shouldn't try to use it."

"It would seem a prudent course unless you can find a replacement crystal."

"Assuming I can do that, how do I learn to fight with it?"

"Ah, there were many masters of such arts among the Jedi and Sith, but both of those sects are all but gone now." Nanvarr tapped his fingers together thoughtfully. "I might have a treatise. Yes, at my home, one of my early investigations led me to interview a Jedi combat master. I recall he presented to me a tome of Jedi fighting techniques. Shall I give it to you, benefactor Tazbarada Oktos?"

"I could never ask for such a thing, Nanvarr."

The Fereax waggled his thumb and showed his small teeth in what Taz assumed was a smile. "Oh, I have no use for such works. If it is still at my home, it shall be yours."

"That's very kind of you, Nanvarr. Thanks."

Nanvarr patted Taz's shoulder. "It is I who need to thank you, my boy. If not for answering my plea across the vast space that separated us, I would have prematurely succumbed to the tender mercies of my captors. I owe much to you, Tazbarada Oktos."

Taz waved the suggestion away, but he could tell even without understanding all of Nanvarr's strange hand gestures how sincere he was. Taz carefully assembled the lightsaber, inserted the charged power cell into its receptacle, and screwed the pommel cap back on. He hefted the weapon, rubbing his thumb over the faded pattern that had once been deeply impressed in the maroon leather grips. "Maybe I'll give it a good cleaning, get rid of some of this grime. Just in case I do find a kyber crystal one day."

"An excellent idea, my boy," Nanvarr said, patting Taz's shoulder again.

----------------------------------------

"Sera-sha?"

"Yes, Rei?" Sera said, planting a kiss on the top of Reiko's head. The ship's chrono read just a few minutes after 0600. Another day of the endless blue and white 'tunnel' of hyperspace. Staring at it too long was said to bring on madness, but Sera enjoyed the swirling colors and the odd sensations it brought.

Reiko shifted her slight weight against Sera in the bed they shared in the commander's cabin on Allegra's Heart. "You should apologize to Lyra when you get a chance. You know, for that comment about the Empire reneging on their bargain with Nanvarr. It upset her."

Sera looked into those soft innocent, eager brown eyes that had ensnared her heart almost since the day they'd met at Arclight Academy basic training. "Did she say so?"

"No." Rei snuggled back against Sera's shoulder, relishing the feel of her strong body. "I can tell though. She hasn't been acting the same."

Rei's gentle breath against Sera's skin felt so comforting. If they didn't have a charter aboard, and a troublesome one at that, she'd have been hard-pressed not to spend another hour showing the young engineer all the ways in which she appreciated her. Instead, she sat up, slipping away from those warm arms and oh-so-tempting lips. "She made that crack about the Alliance, you know. She can give as good as she gets." She stepped into the sonic for a quick shower.

"I know, Sera-sha, but she's the only one of us who wasn't a Rebel. I think sometimes she feels... outnumbered."

"Well, that wasn't my intention. I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know that, and you know that. Just tell her that. It'll make her feel better, especially after what happened with that shuttle."

Sera stepped out of the shower after a few minutes and Reiko took her place. Sera got dressed and belted on her blaster. Then she brushed her short, fiery hair and gave it a quick tease with her fingers.

Finished with her shower, Reiko took Sera's brush to her black locks, pulled them back with a hair clip, then donned her engineer's coveralls. She wrapped her arms around Sera's waist, stretched up and kissed her. "Promise you'll talk to her."

"I will," Sera assured. "I swear, is there anything you can't make me do, Rei-sha?"

She cocked her head in thought. "Um, no, I don't think there is, Sera-sha, and that's why I love you!" She gave Sera another kiss, then pulled her toward the door. "Let's go. I have to recompile the repulsor array master control software."

After breakfast, Reiko went to the circuit bay to begin her reprogramming work while Sera headed for the command deck. She nodded a greeting to Lyra as she sidled into the copilot's seat. "How are we looking?"

"We'll be dropping out of hyperspace in an hour for course correction, but assuming no big changes, we're about thirty-one hours out."

Sera swiveled the seat. "Listen, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lyra reached overhead and threw a couple of switches. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"I suppose not." She flashed a grin that dissolved into a serious look. "I fought the Empire for eight years. They were awful years, every one of them. Before that, I was… involved with some dangerous people; the kind who'd put a vibroblade in your ribs as soon as look at you. The kind who paid local officials to look the other way by offering young girls for them to... use as they saw fit." Sera paused a beat, and her placid, assured demeanor fractured for just a second. "So when Nanvarr talked about being betrayed…

"What I'm saying is that sometimes I let my prejudices get the best of me. But you aren't the Empire, you're my pilot, and you're my crewmate. That means more to me than what side you were on during the war." She gave a sharp nod of her head. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm sorry, and it won't happen again."

Lyra stared while she processed the fact that Rendix was actually apologizing to her. "In Customs we had to take every kind of drekh from the Navy rocket jocks that's ever been invented. Nobody liked it, but they were at the top of the food chain and we were—" She lowered her hand close to the deck— "somewhere down here. So we took it. Then after Endor, we all got dragged into whatever mad plan the brass came up with. Customs pilots faced the same risks as everyone else, but we still got our ration of insults. Bottom line is, I'm pretty used to it."

"Well, that doesn't make it right." After a minute Sera probed, "Are you happy here with us, a bunch of ex-Rebels?"

Lyra shrugged. "Want an honest answer?"

"I'd appreciate that."

"A lot of the time, I'm not sure if I made the right decision, signing on."

Sera wore a hint of a smile. "You didn't actually sign anything, you know. Just a handshake. Besides, if we only made the right decisions, the universe would be a boring place. What I'm saying is that we want you here. I want you here. But if you don't feel like this is the place for you, we'll understand."

Lyra looked away and pretended to work the controls at her station. "This isn't like any ship I've served on before. I'm used to orders and a strict regimen. That's how I lived since leaving home."

"Do you miss it? Being home?"

Lyra fell still. She hated the years of slights her family had suffered from Clan Nimor's main branch and the other Sajokus... But more than that, she hated how desperately she missed Allegra and her parents. The pilot nodded once and sniffed.

"It's okay." A corner of Sera's mouth lifted in an empathetic grimace. "If I'd had a family like yours, I'd be missing them, a lot." She leaned back and tapped the armrest on the copilot's seat. "This right here is my family, this ship, Rei, the doc… and you.

"Doc saved my life, the same day as he fixed your arm. Rei—" Her face lit up, as warmly as Lyra had ever seen. "She saved me in a different way. She showed me what love is. And you, well, you're like the sister I used to imagine getting into fights with."

Sera's statement jolted Lyra out of the pathos she'd fallen into. She turned astonished eyes on the former commando. "I'm not sure what to say to that."

"You don't have to say anything. Sometimes we get to choose our family. We might not always get along, and we might drift apart someday." Sera let out a little laugh. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're welcome here, Nimor, for as long as you want to stay. And if I say something that rubs you the wrong way, just tell me straight out. You don't have to bottle it up."

"The rest of the military were supposed to be my family. That's what they drilled into us at the academy." Lyra's voice was low. "It never felt like one, though." She glanced at Sera again. "This does, a little. Can't guarantee we won't have our disagreements, though."

Sera waved the idea aside. "That's what families do."

"Yeah, I guess they do," Lyra echoed. "Thanks, Captain."

"It's Sera."

"I know, Captain." The pilot's eyes were cool, but she had a little smirk on her face.

Sera got up. "Gonna go harass Doc and our guest. Let me know if our schedule changes." She patted Lyra's shoulder and headed aft.

When she left, Lyra sniffed again and blinked away the moisture in her eyes. "Rutting Rebel," she muttered, blushing. She turned back to her controls after a minute and queued up "Modern Rotogravure Masterworks of Tou-Shu-Laak'' from a back issue of her Ars Galactica subscription. She started reading with a little smile on her face.