Sapphire

"Just a little farther, just a little farther..." Sapphire's lips moved in a constant refrain, her knuckles white on the controls. "Sapphire!" Ruby warned. "They're almost on top of us!" "Just a little farther..." "Sapphire!!" "Just a little farther..." "SAPPHIRE!!!" "NOW!" Sapphire yelled. Emerald pulled the lever back, and the starlines lengthened, normal space suddenly swirling into the blue vortex of hyperspace.

The Imperials were on them in a flash. Sapphire wasn't surprised. "Six TIEs, coming in hot from mark 4-8," she snapped from the pilot's seat. "Hold on!" She sent the ship into a tailspin, rotating around and out of the traffic lane. The ship made a break for the Inter Thorpi/Groola Trade Center Tunnel. Plowing into it, she wove through traffic, each ship she put behind her acting as a barrier that would hopefully slow up the Imperial fighters. Once they came out of the tunnel, she pulled a sharp turn straight up, looping up and around the skyscraper and then breaking for space, dumping every ounce of spare energy into the engines save for that of the rear shields. The ship shot forward like a wild Utapauian dragon-lizard. Before leaving the atmosphere completely, however, Sapphire leveled the ship out and checked her scopes. The TIEs had dropped back, unable to match the ship's speed, but they had stayed with her for the most part. With luck, though, Sapphire would have bought them just enough time. "Get one of those pulse mass mines loaded!" she called back. Quickly, she ducked the ship back into a congested traffic lane. Her fingers flew over the controls as she pulled the transponder and switched the IFF beacon. The Imperial scanners would no longer show any sign of the Cider Puff, and they'd have to rely on visual ID to make sure they had the right ship. Again, Sapphire was sure that wouldn't stop them, but Corellian freighters like this were a dime a dozen here on Nar Shaddaa, and hopefully they'd be lost in the crowd. After a few minutes, she pulled up out of that lane and took one headed for space. This one was situated in the space at the midpoint between the two Golan platforms, which, for all their impressive firepower, couldn't cover the entire moon. As soon as they cleared the atmosphere, she gunned it. "C'mon, c'mon," she urged the ship. She wished she was back in the Glory. This ship was too slow for her tastes. More Imperial blips registered on the scanners. But she wasn't going to drop the mine unless they had to. Twenty more seconds until the jump point. She already had the coordinates from the navicomputer. It was now simply a race.

“OH for KRIFF’S SAKE!” Ruby exclaimed, exacerbated. Sapphire burst out laughing, and Tarvil grinned. “That could be a way to get the band some popularity,” he said with a wink at Emerald. “I know I’d pay a premium to see a band with dancers like you.” “Well, let’s do it, then,” Sapphire grinned. “But fifty credits bets the GA doesn’t throw nearly as interesting a party as the Blood Gems do.” Her mind jumped into overdrive, making plans about what they would need to bring and how they’d get in. They’d plan as carefully as she could manage, but there also wasn’t much that they could plan for. They’d mostly just have to show up and see what happened.

Sapphire started to shake her head--of all the hare-brained ideas, crashing into what was certain to be the most heavily-guarded party in the galaxy's recent history had got to be the worst. But the lure of the intel they could gather there was unmistakable. "I can get us on the guest list," she said after a moment. "And you know I can't resist a party. But wouldn't it be smarter to gather intel through Ammi or Kalen instead of going ourselves? What are you going to do with GA troops, Link security droids, and Imperial stormtroopers watching your every move? Not to mention that there are likely to be Jedi there."

Sapphire turned her blue-eyed gaze to consider the perpetually-moody blonde. Was Emerald suggesting what Sapphire thought she was suggesting? A new Empire had arisen...and perhaps the Gems would return to running things the way they had under the old Empire. After all, as far as the people on the ground could see, there was little difference between the two Empires in terms of might and inflexibility. It was doable. Years of smuggling and pirating under the noses of heavy-handed governments had proven that. And it wasn't as if Nar Shaddaa was the be-all end-all of the underworld. There were plenty of places where the desperate down-on-their-luck mixed with the cunning, the free-willed, and the hedonists. But something inside Sapphire rebelled at the idea of going back to when they were just another group of pirates preying on the weak or foolish. That was small time now. She had tasted what the high life of power and credits looked like, and now she was an addict. She glanced at Ruby. The Chiss looked back impassively, and Sapphire knew she would go along with whatever they decided. No, the real trick would be Emerald. The blonde was all about taking big risks and hitting hard, but she had no sense for choosing ones that were strategic. For Sapphire, big risks required the chance for big rewards, and she wasn't sure fighting the Empire was what she wanted. It was a big risk just for vengeance's sake. "Or we just leave," she finally said. "Nar Shaddaa is a hell-hole anyway. Let the Empire have it. We could set up our own kingdom elsewhere." But her suggestion fell on deaf ears, for Emerald was frowning at her comlink. The blonde thrust the device into Sapphire's hands, and Sapphire read the 7 words the message contained. "She wouldn't..." the red-head breathed. Then she rolled her eyes. "Who am I kidding, of course she would. She probably saw the Holonet announcement and conned Lorell into letting her crash the thing." The communications from a few weeks ago, largely forgotten up to this point in all the chaos of the Imperial takeover, came to the front of her mind again. They never had gotten around to checking on their starlet. "The question is, do we let her? There's an equal chance that this could be a disaster and the end of the Globetrotters...or the biggest payout she's made to date and exactly the kind of publicity she needs."

These underlevels were grimy, filthy, and smelly, but seeing Tarvil and Ruby put a real smile on Sapphire's face. She even threw an arm around the Chiss' shoulders. "It's kriffing good to see both of you again." Was it her imagination, or did Tarvil seem overly relieved at seeing them--and perhaps especially Emerald? The red-head glanced around the bunker, recognizing a few of their other employees, but for the most part, it was fairly empty. Glancing down at her wrist, she absently checked the security on their ship, currently registered as the Platinum Vulptex. Still no sign of Imperial discovery. She hoped that would last. Turning back towards the majordomo and Ruby, she leaned against a terminal. "How is everything?" The Chiss glared. "Same as always." "Really?" Sapphire replied airly. "That good, huh? The Imp fleet leaves orbit and everything just goes back to normal?" Ruby might have rolled her eyes, but it was impossible to tell with a Chiss. "This is why I didn't miss you." "We lost some in the takeover," Tarvil stepped in, "but the majority of our assets are still in one piece, if buried deep into the workings of the moon. Ruby really has a talent for covering our tracks. I don't think anyone could have done it faster or more thoroughly. How are things up there?" he motioned. "We consolidated what we could. I'd say about 70% of our holdings got redistributed," Sapphire replied. "And we've invested in some new lines of business that should have the credits flowing soon."

Two days after the Imperial fleet had left the Y'Toub system, space traffic had begun to pick up again. In the midst of the traffic, the Nebula's Glory appeared, registered as the bacta cargo shipper Cider Puff. Indeed, the holds of the ship were full of bacta patches and tank refills. The pilot, grimacing at the two new Golan defense platforms that bristled with weapons, filed a flight plan that had them dropping off supplies at multiple relief stations and Imperial hospitals, and provided valid (if doctored) IDs for her and Emerald. Once they were cleared, the ship entered the atmosphere and headed down through the vertical city. At the helm, Sapphire noted how much less traffic there was than normal. The moon's inhabitants were still keeping their heads down, not knowing when the Imperial fleet would be back. But there was enough traffic to make Sapphire long to veer out of the established lanes and blaze her own path. She resisted the urge, however, until they reached a small side lane that was off the established grid. Quickly, her fingers flew on the dashboard as she swapped out the transponder ID, and brought the ship into a secluded hangar at the base of a tower. Once the two pirates were out of the ship, Sapphire locked it up tighter than a Sith's tomb, and they made their way on foot from there.

The last several weeks had been full ones for the Blood Gem Pirates. Communication with Ruby back on Nar Shaddaa had been limited to discrete untraceable data drops. The Chiss had worked on consolidating their remaining assets on the former Smuggler's Moon, keeping her head down and under the Imperial radar. Her tone in their messages had always been professional, but Sapphire could tell that while times were tight, Ruby believed that it was only a matter of waiting things out. Once the Imperials got sloppy, things would get back to normal. Sapphire herself wasn't so sure, but she appreciated Ruby's perspective, and the fact that Tarvil agreed helped put the Hapan's mind at ease. Still, she hated the thought of the Imperials running their grimy fingers through what had been the freest planet in the galaxy. As for Emerald and herself, they had filled their days visiting old contacts, building connections, and securing their offworld assets. Most of their operations hadn't yet gotten planted on Nar Shaddaa, so they hadn't been too hurt financially by the Empire's takeover. And in a changing galaxy, there were always new opportunities to be had. One of those opportunities had practically dropped itself in Sapphire's lap during a visit to Falleen. One of their contacts had mentioned that it wasn't just the Imperials who were militarizing, but rather, it seemed all the major factions had begun a massive space race, each aiming to build fleets as fast as the shipyards could pump them out. He had a connection with an arms dealer who was looking for a partner. After talking it over briefly, Emerald and Sapphire had jumped at the opportunity. There was a large buy-in, but it would be a nice steady stream of income, and had the benefit of adding a legitimate side to their finances. As Sapphire had put it, "Credits are credits, and if the governments want to pay us to help them destroy each other, I see no reason why we can't oblige them." Everyone knew the way the galactic winds were blowing. War was coming. And war was very lucrative for fringe elements, assuming they had the wherewithal to set things up to gain the most profit. The Gems were setting up their networks, and it was only a matter of time before the payoff would come. Personally, Sapphire was focused, nursing a burning hatred towards the Imperials. But she didn't let her hatred distract her; rather, it fueled her brilliance. With every step they took, they thought through all possible outcomes, working to ensure that something like Nar Shaddaa would never hinder their operations again. But at night, when she lay tossing and turning in her bunk, she couldn't fight the depression and sense of despondency that overtook her. She had known that choosing piracy would be a difficult road; it was one reason why, when she was first deciding how to use her degrees, she was tempted to join an established governmental organization. She still thought it was worth it...but she wasn't sure, and that thought, so quiet during the day, was always amplified in the quiet of the night.

Space was vast, and even a ship as well-endowed as the Nebula's Glory could only fly through it so fast. Sapphire had the feeling that by the time they arrived, it would be too late to do anything to prevent the takeover. Of course, it wasn't as if they could have done anything anyway. But she was eager to get back, and so she pushed the engines a little past safe speeds. In the meantime, they got a message back from their Sith partner. BB-666 played it aloud for the two of them, and Sapphire shook her head. "Well, at least we should have their help in the future. I know that little will actually be lost for us, but it's kriffing annoying." She sighed. "Back to the old apartment, then, I assume. We can relocate some of our key people nearby. Profits are gonna slump a little until things get back on their feet and the Imperial scrutiny dies down." She realized she was talking to fill the silence, and hastily changed the subject. "Anyway, that's a stupid name for a ship. We need something a bit more colorful."

A comm arrives for AVATAR Kain, from a small astromech droid.

"Of course not," Sapphire agreed. "If Ruby has shut everything down, she knows that too. But I don't trust those Imperials to play nice. They might not even honor her request for parlay. And if that's the situation, then we might need to pull her out of there. And I'd rather be on the scene than halfway across the galaxy if she needs us." She paused. "Do you think the Sith will intervene?"

Sapphire was more than glad to let the subject drop. But the information that suddenly streamed into the cockpit was not at all what she wanted to hear. "Sithspit," she growled. "Kriff those kriffing Imperial scum-suckers to hell." She sat down in the pilot's chair. Naptime Protocol meant that the situation was serious. They had put it in place in the event of something unthinkable. It looked like the unthinkable had just occurred. No one in several hundred years had dared attack the Smuggler's Moon; it was just their luck that only a few weeks after they had moved in, the Imps showed up. "Maybe one of our people sold us out," she muttered. "The timing is just too convenient. Or maybe it's your friends the Sith." She couldn't resist the jab. "Well, so much for our little check up trip. Amethyst will have to take care of herself. We're needed back home." Without waiting for Emerald's agreement, she dropped the ship out of hyperspace, put in reverse coordinates, and sent them hurtling back. "Better let our starlet know we'll miss this show."

The tension held...and then suddenly turned runny as Emerald confessed some hurt. Sapphire's posture grew a little softer. "Emperor's black bones, I know that," she replied. "I don't expect a thing from him; we parted ways a long time ago, and whatever we had back then is in the past. I'm not that kind of girl anyway." She paused, then decided to be honest. "I think there is something in me, deep down, that wishes. That wonders what life would have been like if we had stayed together. It's the only relationship I've ever been in that hasn't sucked. But you're right. I know it'd never happen. Not with things as they are." The weight of her sins rarely bothered her, but suddenly they seemed like a impassable mountain rising up before her. She squared her shoulders. "But that's okay." The words were as much to herself as to Emerald. "I happen to have gotten everything I ever wanted, and kriff it all if I'd give that up for some man." She looked away, suddenly taking a great interest in the knobs on the navicomputer. Silence stretched between them. "I don't know what to expect," she finally said softly. "If something happens between us, then it happens. Whatever. But trust me when I say I know there's no chance of regaining what we used to have. Not with who I am now." She finally looked up. "Thanks for looking out for me, though." It cost her a lot to add that last bit. She wanted to stay angry at Emerald, to firmly insist that it had been none of her business what Sapphire did or thought or felt. But Emerald was the only person in the galaxy she fully, truly, absolutely trusted. Maybe that was foolishness itself, but it was the truth.

Intentional or not, Emerald's words struck a dagger of doubt in Sapphire's heart. She never trusted anyone easily. For someone to get to a point where Sapphire was willing to be open with them took a lot of time and vulnerability--which is why that list contained only a handful of people. Because she was cautious about trusting people, though, those people were usually ones that she had little doubt about, and once they were on, they were on it for good. Kalen had made that list all those years ago. But perhaps it was foolish for her to still trust him. After all, years had passed. And there was the small chance that he had played her the entire time...but something within her rebelled against that idea. He was no saint, but he was loyal to those that were loyal to him. Or at least, he had been that way. As Emerald stalked off, Sapphire snatched up the jacket crumpled on the floor and followed her. "Maybe you're right, maybe I don't know who he is anymore. But I did know him. You can't live with someone for about a year and not know them well," she said, tossing their history out into the open nonchalantly. "But it has been a long time since then, and people change." She paused. "If you knew about the twins then why are you so convinced I'm hiding things from you? Something tells me this is about more than Kalen Lorell," she said. Her eyes flicked down to Tarvil's jacket and then back to Emerald expectantly.

"Hiding?" Sapphire's eyebrows disappeared into her hair. "Hiding? I've hidden nothing from you. My past simply hasn't been relevant before. Much, I might add, like yours, which after all these years I know surprisingly little about." With that pointed barb, she crossed her arms and leaned back on one hip. "You know I knew Kalen back in my days at school on Artus Prime. That's why I knew he would be a good manager for the band, and why I put his name forward. I knew we could trust him more than some random moof milker we could have found. But he has a price on his head, a big one. Not long after we--not long after I graduated and met you, he conned a pair of Kuati twins, stealing 15 million from them in a sabaac tournament. He ruined them and has been keeping his head down ever since. Which is why he was available to take the job. I knew there was going to be some temptation on his part to do the same with Ammi, so I asked Alira--you know, the director of the video team?--to keep an eye on him. I don't think he'll try anything, but you know we have a habit of never putting all of our nexu eggs in one cargo hold." Her arms still crossed, she shrugged. "Alira commed me while we were taking on those ewoks, hinting that she had seen something that threw up a warning bell in her mind. That's why we need to check on them. I commed him, and he was quite evasive. He's brilliant, and that makes him slipperier than a Dathomirian jungle eel when he wants to be." A memory suddenly stirred, but she pushed it back, refusing to think about it. Her gaze refocused on Emerald. "I didn't think his past would be an issue--still don't, really. I generally trust him. I know him well--or rather, I used to. Which is why I didn't say anything when Ruby hired him." The most disturbing part of this whole thing for Sapphire was how him barreling back into her life hadn't been relegated simply to working together. She hadn't expected that he would start appearing more and more in her thoughts; that memories would keep crossing her mind; that strange feelings kept stirring up inside her. The lattermost was particularly annoying. She hadn't thought about him much in the intervening years, and now it was like his presence was haunting her.

The Nebula's Glory flew through the blue-white tunnel of hyperspace. Sapphire spent the first few minutes of the flight installing a new transponder and making sure the ship's records were squeaky clean. They were going to the Imperial capital, and she didn't want them to have any issues with customs or immigration. The ship was rechristened the Blue Thunder, and Sapphire quickly made up some forged ID's for the two of them that would withstand all but the most intense scrutiny. Their manifest read that they were sisters who were legitimate pilots for a small-name shipping agency out of Rattatak, and as she filled out the necessary forms that Carida would require, she stated that they were here to visit their aunt, uncle, and cousins. She found the irony amusing; neither she nor Sapphire--nor Kalen for that matter, she knew--would ever want to visit their real families. Once all of that was taken care of, she nevertheless found herself lingering in the cockpit. She and Emerald had had their share of fights in the past, but rarely had they come to blows, and most of the time it just blew over without them ever having to really talk about it. Suddenly, she was frustrated with herself. You aren't a coward. Go talk to her. Rising to her feet, she headed back to the main part of the ship. "Emerald?" she called. "I know you don't want to talk to me, but you need to know why I felt the need to come here in person."

"Fine," Sapphire returned shortly. Emerald needed to calm the kriff down. Sapphire had no idea what had gotten her ire this high; this was clearly about more than she had thought. She followed in Emerald's trail after saying a quick farewell to Ruby. The blonde had already boarded the Glory, but wasn't in the cockpit when Sapphire got there. Shrugging, Sapphire started up the engines, ran the pre-flight check, and after a few minutes, lifted the ship off the ground. Her scanners were alight with the bustle of space over the planet below as she climbed into a higher orbit around Nal Hutta, but they paid her no attention, so she navigated around them to a clear jump point. A moment later, they had disappeared into hyperspace.

"Oh, no you don't, Lorell," Sapphire growled, but it was too late and Kalen had already signed off. However, he had forgotten how well she knew him. He was clearly stalling, and that made her only more determined to go check on him in person. She had been on the fence a little before, but now there was no stopping her. She rose and headed to her room. Throwing together a travel bag, she changed into a non-descript silvery grey jumpsuit, the likes of which was worn practically everywhere in the galaxy, and topped it with a black one-shoulder cape with a red trim. Pairing the outfit with some practical boots, and throwing her hair up in a twist held back by pins that could, in a pinch, be used as weapons, she slipped a vibroblade into her right boot and rose. She sequestered her hold-out blaster in the cape's lining. Not that she was planning on using it--unless perhaps if Kalen continued to give her the slip. Now there was nothing left to do but send orders to prep the ship and wait for Emerald to come home. She owed her friend an explanation.

"Really? Everything is fine? Alira seemed to think otherwise," Sapphire replied. "Look Kalen, we need to talk. Emerald is starting to doubt even hiring you in the first place, and I don't want that to happen. Can I come to Carida?"

"Hello there," Sapphire replied, equally smoothly. There was no doubt that he'd recognize her voice, so she didn't bother with formalities. "Just checking in. How's our Amethyst? How did things go on Coruscant?"

Emerald didn't come home that night. The next morning, Sapphire had gone looking for her, intending to clear the air, but had found no trace of the blonde. Instead, she found herself knocking on Ruby's door. "Come in," Ruby answered. "Hey Ruby," Sapphire said. "Have you seen Em?" Ruby eyed her. "No, she was still at the bar with Tarvil last I saw her. You looking to get something off your chest?" Sapphire shrugged uncomfortably. "It's just...Kalen and I go way back, as you guys know. But it was a little more complicated than that. And I need to talk to him. And I don't know why I never told you both all about this, but if you'd just bear with me a bit longer, I'd like to talk to him first." "Why don't you start by just comming him?" Ruby suggested again, hoping that this time her advice would be listened to. "And hey, we all have pasts. But we trust each other, right?" Sapphire nodded. "I hope so." She turned and left the room, then headed to their suite's communications station and patched in Kalen's number.

Sapphire walked a long time without any direction. Rain began to fall, and the multicolored neon lights of the Vertical City reflected dizzily in the puddles that rapidly formed. Sapphire didn't stop, though. Eventually, she found herself leaning against a metal guardrail overlooking one of the moon's steep drops. It wasn't like the Gems never fought, but they did so rarely enough that it was jarring. And Sapphire had needed the time to cool off. Now that her head was clear again, however, she knew Emerald had reason to be mad at her. The truth was, everything with Kalen was still complicated, as much as she hated to admit it. She wasn't sure why, but the thought of him cozying up to Ammi had been enough to piss her off royally, and she had taken her temper out on Emerald. Why is it complicated? she dared to ask herself. That was a long time ago. You went your separate ways. And it was fine. She hadn't thought much of it when Kalen's name had come up as a manager for Ammi. She certainly hadn't expected these strange emotions to rise up in her heart. She sighed. There was nothing for it but to go talk to Kalen in person. Maybe he could shed some light on why she was feeling this way. He had always been easy to talk to; he had known more about her than anyone else in the galaxy, and even though over nine years had passed and she considered the other Gems to be her family, he still likely knew more about her than the other ladies did. That was a strange realization. It wasn't as if she had anything to hide. She trusted Emerald and Ruby. So why had she never told them her history? And why, when they had hired Kalen, had she not come clean with the whole story? She pushed back her wet hair, then hailed a cab and headed home.

Sapphire's eyes lit up as Emerald shrieked at her and rose from the table. Before she knew it, Emerald had dived over the table and tackled her to the ground. Sapphire fell with a thud onto her back, and didn't waste time. She immediately grabbed Emerald's long blonde hair and pulled, using it as an anchor to toss the other pirate off her. "And you're the one who threw us under the thumb of our patrons without so much as a blink!" she hissed back. Tarvil's quick reflexes had rescued his drink, and he grinned, sitting back with the air of enjoying himself greatly as he watched the two women fighting. "Don't hesitate to, you know, really get into it," he called. Emerald now had Sapphire in a headlock, but Sapphire kicked and stomped, jabbing a knee into Emerald's solar plexus. Ruby was on her feet now, trying to break them up, and two seconds later, the bar security, a large Gamorrean, a Weequay, and a Wookiee, had arrived. "Break it up, break it up," the Gamorrean squealed. After a moment, the women released each other. Sapphire rose off the ground, dusted herself off, and headed directly out of the bar without another word.

"Uh, we were kind of in the middle of getting skewered by teddy bears and flirted with by an overdramatic stereotype," Sapphire returned, a bit sharply. "Fine, you stay here and do the books. Ruby and I will go, or I'll go by myself. I just think it wouldn't hurt to make sure Kalen remembers who he's working for, that's all." Tarvil chuckled. "If he ever forgets, he's a fool. I for one like keeping my pretty head on my shoulders." Sapphire rolled her eyes and munched on some pretzels that had come with the drinks. She didn't really think Kalen was going off the rails. He was too intelligent for that. But she also knew he was a little desperate, and desperation caused people to do crazy things. It was, she suspected, partially why he had agreed to work for them in the first place. She had avoided meeting with him one-on-one, but perhaps that luck was about to run out.

Tarvil's hint rubbed Sapphire the wrong way for some reason. She took another sip of her drink, a larger one this time. "Alira commed me while we were in the middle of dealing with the Ewoks. I think we should probably check on them. Or him. She seemed to imply that there was some doubt as to Kalen's...motivations." They had hired Kalen in good faith. His misadventures on Ord Mantell hadn't worked out for him that much in the long run, and Sapphire didn't think he was stupid enough to try something like that again. And yet, doubt still niggled at her. She didn't fully trust anyone but Emerald and Ruby, even if she wanted to.