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Taz flew the Skipjack Chimera into the steelwork maze of docking bays, repair facilities, and connecting spars clustered so thickly around Sansone 521 that the rusty brown elliptical asteroid could barely be glimpsed. He kept up a steady conversation with the droning traffic control droid, steering his freighter through the warren of passages toward a landing berth outside the ring of maintenance bays and repair docks owned by the Corellian Merchant's Guild.

He had to wait a full twenty-eight minutes for a lumbering Pelagic-class utility vessel to exit. It was moving so slowly that Taz half-expected to see the crew pushing it from behind. Rei tapped an anxious rhythm with her foot, then graduated to pacing through the freighter's corridors, grumbling under her breath. At length, the leviathan cleared the way, admitting the backlog of inbound ships. Rei surged back into the cockpit when they began moving, and a few minutes later Taz set his ship down on the permacrete.

Reiko couldn't contain herself as the Chimera's boarding ramp lowered. She leaped to the floor and fairly sprinted the hundred meters to the bay where Allegra's Heart rested. The others followed at a more stately pace, only infinitesimally less enthusiastic than the engineer.

Reiko held a lengthy conversation with the droid until she was assured that every repair had been executed according to her specifications. She walked all around the ship, examining her in minute detail while a fidgety tech droid hovered at her shoulder. Only after long minutes of careful inspection was she satisfied that all of the damage from her run-in with the pirates at Lantillies had been repaired. The replacement armor-grade hull plates weren't new, but their nanocoating blended almost seamlessly with the ship's sage and ochre livery. Reiko checked the fit of each one, running her scanner over every seam. Then she paid the repair fee and rushed up the boarding ramp.

Hard on her heels, Lyra rode a laser beam to the cockpit and started the power-up sequence. The sound of relays, the whine of the APUs, and the soft hiss of the air exchangers filled the freighter. Light flooded the compact ship's darkened command deck as she slid into the pilot's seat, flipped switches, and turned knobs on the panels. She pulled down the armrest, leaning into the padded seatback, relishing the feel and smell of the smooth leather upholstery.

Lyra barely managed to restrain an ecstatic squeal. "I'm back, Allegra! I missed you, girl."

Reiko sat at the number one gunner's station. "You too, huh?" she responded to Lyra's beatific look while she punched up a systems check.

"Mm-hmm!"

Sera dropped into the copilot's chair, running her hands over the controls. She drew the familiar smell of the freighter deep into her lungs. "Good to be home."

"Diagnostics check out," Rei chirped as she reviewed the readouts and checked the indicator lights. "She's ready to go!"

Lyra answered her eagerness with a smile, but apprehension muffled the joy of returning to her beloved Allegra.

Sera frowned, swiveling her chair. "You look like you just lost your best friend, Nimor. I thought you'd be happy to get back."

"I am," she replied instantly. "I've missed being away from her for so long." She fiddled with her hands for a moment. "When we found her I was... in bad shape. Allegra gave me something to hold onto when I didn't have very much to live for. She's in my blood. I can't believe how much I've come to love this ship." She took an unsteady breath. "I — It's just... I don't know what to do now!" She felt as though she was caught between two stars that threatened to rip her apart.

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"What to do about what?" asked Rei, suddenly concerned.

Lyra's clammy hands clenched into anxious fists. "I meant it when I told my family I want to see the galaxy with you. These months since you invited me to join you, they've meant more to me than I can say." Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "I want to get out there right now, fill up the holds, and go someplace we've never been!"

Sera shrugged. "I don't see the problem, Nimor."

Lyra stared at the back of the cockpit. On the other side of the bulkhead she could hear Taz and Ariel going through the medbay's stocks so they could order new supplies. "He wants me to stay on the Chimera and... I don't want to disappoint him." She wiped at the tear that slipped down her cheek.

"Is that all? I thought it was something serious," Sera deadpanned. Uncharacteristically, Lyra didn't rise to the bait. "Listen, I know Doc's eager to go cruising in the Chimera; it's still new to him. Hell, it still has that new ship smell." Her humorous quip didn't relieve Lyra's miserable expression.

Sera clucked her tongue and put on a lopsided smirk. "I'll never know what he sees in you, Nimor, but Doc's in love, and I don't mean with his shiny toy. He wants to be with you, regardless of the ship you're on. Besides, it'll probably take a couple of weeks before we ramp up enough to fill two ships."

Rei joined in. "Even when we do, you don't have to just choose one or the other. Between all of us we can mix our crews, run just one ship or both, coordinate schedules and routes, whatever we need to do." She patted Lyra's arm. "Allegra's not going anywhere; she'll be here whenever you get the itch for her!"

"And Taz?"

Sera flipped her hand. "He'll be fine. Doc loves Allegra as much as you do, and like Rei-sha said, there'll be plenty of time to run both our ships." Her brows arched over impish eyes. "Besides, he's a man. He'll do what we tell him to."

"You really think so?" she sniffed.

"If there's one thing a Corellian knows, it's her crew," Sera assured with a wry grin.

"You two," Lyra gasped a happy cry, feeling the tension drain away that had gnawed at her ever since Taz told her he wanted his own ship. She leaped from her seat and grabbed their hands, pulling them up with her. "Thank you. You know I love you both, right?"

"Listen, don't get carried away, Imp."

"Hmph. I shouldn't have expected sentimentality from a blockhead Rebel."

"Better a blockhead than a halfwit."

"Dullard."

"Simpleton." The warrior gave Lyra a perilous-sounding snarl before wrapping her in a tight squeeze.

"Moons, you're breaking my ribs!" Lyra laughed and threw her arms around them.

"Watch." Sera turned her head and raised her voice. "Hey, Doc!"

Taz poked his head into the cockpit after a second. The sight of the three embracing women set off every alarm bell in his primitive man-brain. "Am I missing something?"

"Nope. We're just gonna park the Chimera while we take Allegra out for a run. You okay with that?"

He stared at the three of them until he decided they weren't pulling something over on him. "Sure, Sera. Just need to call the dockmaster and get a berth for her. And I promised the droids a spa session."

"No problem, Doc." Sera squeezed Lyra's shoulder. "See? Nothing to worry about."

Lyra held out her hand to Taz, looking sheepish and relieved. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, I guess. You sure I'm not missing something?"

Sera just chuckled. "Welcome home, Nimor."

Rei patted Taz on the chest as she passed him. "I'm gonna give Tetris the tour and get our girl's reactors spun up. Check weapons and shields for me?"

"Yeah, of course," Taz answered, taking a seat and looking bewildered.

"I love you Taz Oktos, my seijin," Lyra whispered gleefully in his ear and gave him a quick kiss. Then she grabbed Sera by the shoulders and steered the commando into the copilot's chair. She took hers and tied her hair back the way she liked it when she was flying.

Lyra rubbed her hands and nodded toward the data terminal. "What are you waiting for, Rendix? Find us some cargo and passengers. We're burning daylight!"