“It was before I went to work for her.”
“So she shot you and then employed you,” I deadpanned.
He shrugged again. “Lucky break, I guess.”
“No, that’s not what—you know, never mind.” Then I glanced down the ramp to make sure no more guests were currently arriving before I added, “No offense, but why is she here? I doubt she needs a commercial tour to see the galaxy.”
He shrugged. “I never understood her when Iworkedfor her,” he replied helplessly, “so I have no idea. When did she sign up for this tour?”
I read the manifest again. “Last week.”
“Huh. Ireallyhave no idea then.”
“Maybe she’s just bored,” I suggested.
Daaric groaned. “Then I pity us all.”
The next guests arrived in taxis, and we went back to work.
This tour had one hundred and seven guests total. It was fewer than we usually had, but at least all the VIP suites were occupied. A lot of older people liked to book with us, so most tours were quiet and cozy, and I really loved wrapping up parties and entertainment programming before midnight. It looked like this tour might be much of the same until three separate large groups of young people checked in, and I began to debate whether to put in my vacation days I never took and commandeerStarstallstraight to Endor’s forest moon to wait for the tour there.
Who was I kidding? I’d never taken a vacation day in my life.
It wasn’t until two guests later that Ireallybegan to debate the idea, when I had to explain—again—why we were not going to Dantooine. I felt bad that Dad had had to change the itinerary at the last minute, but wedidsendout a memo about it, and itineraries changed all the time based on myriad things.
This time, it just happened to be the slow encroachment of fascism.
I checked the guest list after the latest group of tourists, fresh on break from the University of Bar’leth, had come inside. “We still have two guests we’re waiting for, right? The Rem’itals?”
“Sadly not,” Daaric replied. “They canceled last night. They missed their passenger shuttle from Bestine. Apparently someone stole it.”
“That’s sad. They’re a lovely couple. I remember them from the Corellian Run tour.”
“I told them they could rebook without an extra charge. Anyway, that’s it. I’ll go tell the captain we’re ready to shove off.” He put his datapad under his arm and started away but then paused and said, “Hey, you okay? You seem kind of…frazzled.”
I stiffened at the question. Oh, aside from almost getting killed and having to shove a stowaway into a pickled fleek eel container? I was perfect. “I’m…fine. Just have a headache, is all.”
He rubbed his thumb against my forehead. “Yeah, you’ve got a red spot.”
From where Sian’s chin had collided with me inthe shop. I quickly stepped away, rubbing at the bruise. “Yeah. I hit my head this morning.”
“You should go to the medbay and get some cream for that,” he suggested, patting my shoulder, and retreated into the docking bay, where Dad and Maeve were holding the lift for him. They shouted to ask if I wanted them to wait for me, but I told them to go ahead and I’d retract the ramp.
After the lift door closed, the tension in my chest unwound a little. My fingers still gripped my datapad a little too tightly. I was dizzy from the past few hours and massaged my temples and told myself to breathe.
You look just like him, Maz had said, but when I caught my reflection in the tarnished metal ofStarstall’s hull, I didn’t see my dad at all.
No, Val looked like Dad. Maz was mistaken.
When I looked at myself, I just remembered the way Mom smelled, of ship oil and sweet river roses when they bloomed. If I thought about it too long, I missed her in ways I couldn’t describe.
Val did, too, but he’d never understood why Dad refused to let us wayfind. He hated how suffocating Dad was, how restrictive, how like a cage theStarfarerhad become—
So he’d left.
And when he did, Dad stopped talking about him, too.
As I powered down my datapad, I glanced at the time, wondering if I had a moment to slip to the galley to make sure Sian and his little creature weren’t causing chaos. Veebee was right. Ishouldn’thave helped them, but what else could I do? Leave them here?
