Golden light lanced out from around the planet’s silhouette as the freighter pulled closer into orbit.
Space travel, Kalis felt, was sometimes worth the boredom and the isolation, especially for moments like this. The rays filtered through the viewport of the cramped cockpit, dappling an amber glow over the scratched and dented controls and the outdated electronics.
She leaned forward onto the console, holding her face in her hands, looking out across the cosmic sunrise. She winced as a sudden snore scissored through the peaceful moment, and turned to the co-pilot’s seat.
Mercy was slumped back in the chair, her braids hanging across her hard-lined face. She was vacantly somnolent in the way any soldier could manage given a moment’s peace.
Kalis sighed, and leaned back in her chair, raising her boot to level a light kick at the sleeping woman. She jumped awake with a snort, pushing her hair from her eyes and stretching.
“What in the Galaxy is wrong with you, Kalis?”
“There’s precious little other entertainment on this ship, Mercy. Surely you’ll allow me some simple pleasures?”
Mercy scowled, wiping the sleep from her dark eyes and then thumping a panel, making a rusty hanging screen spark and splutter to life, displaying a glowing blue star map.
“Hutt-cursed useless piece of... Kalis, how long have I been asking you to get this damn navcomputer fixed?”
Kalis stretched back, kicking out her legs. “Too many, and I keep telling you I’ll get it fixed when we have the credits. Navcomputers don’t-“
“- grow on trees. Maybe if you stopped taking missions for barely enough to keep us in fuel and food because you feel sorry for them-“
“- it’s that or acting as bodyguards for oppressive, exploitative corporations and slimy crime lords-“
“- at least slimy crime lords PAY-“
Mercy’s rant was cut short by a piercing beep from the navcomputer.
“We’re making our approach to Cayloss. Last time, are you sure this job is solid?”
Karis nodded, pulling her long blond hair back into a simple ponytail. “The Republic has lost too many troops trying to recover the fuel plant there from Imperial remnant. Hiring mercenaries is more expensive, but they don’t have to worry about wives or daughters.”
Mercy flipped toggles and pulled down a few short levers. A low hum issued from the depths of the ship as it started to slow for approach. She eased the ship down into an approach vector, reaching up to flip a few more switches and begin broadcasting their landing codes.
Karis, meanwhile, had gone back into their quarters, pulling out a case out from beneath the bunks and rummaging through her belongings. Clothes, some equipment, a hodge-podge collection of plasteel armour pieces and a blaster which she took out and strapped to her belt.
As she searched her hand briefly touched over the shining cylinder nestled at the back of the case. A simple design with a scalloped black cutout along the handle, a simple spherical pommel ringed with protrusions like the teeth of a gear, and a well at the top ringed by a curved sheath with a waved shape that extended further out at one side of the hilt.
The blade normally never failed to bring back a flood of painful memories. Kalis had hoped, so many years later, that the pain would fade, she shame evaporating to leave only the calm peace with the universe she’d been so often promised.
She’d considered using it again, so many times, but the sight of the thing never failed to scrape down her soul. She’d considered throwing it away, but to some part of her the idea felt like a betrayal. Instead, it sat in her case, an eternal reminder of her humiliation.
This time, however, it felt different. She could feel a presence inside her head that seemed to emanate from the shining hilt, something almost… expectant. Hopeful. Clipping it to her belt somehow felt more right than it had in decades. Maybe things were finally changing?
If Mercy noticed the hilt as Kalis returned to the cockpit, she didn’t remark upon it. She simply pulled down a screen on a telescoping arm, stabbing at a glowing blip overlaid on a holographic map of the small Republic outpost on the planet surface.
“We’ve got clearance. The CO said we can land at this pad here and proceed straight to the rendezvous point, about a kilometre outside the fuel plant” she swiped a hand along the display until it reached another, larger blip, “here. We’re about two standard hours away from go-time, which should leave us enough time to get there.”
Kalis sat back with a slow nod, closing her eyes in silent contemplation. Mercy sent an askance glance at her partner. Although never normally one for a deep concern for the feelings of others, something in Kalis’s demeanour made her pause.
“You okay, Kal?”
“Hmm?” Kalis opened one eye, casting a quick glance at Mercy. “Oh, yes, I’m fine. I’m just thinking, that’s all.”
Mercy sat back in the pilot’s seat. “Credit for your thoughts, then? You got a feeling about this job? Picking up any vibes?”
Kalis took a deep, calm breath. “Something feels different. I can’t put my finger on it exactly… There’s something about this planet that feels expectant. Like something huge is about to happen.”
Mercy smiled, her soldier’s countenance locked in the arrogant, knowing grin that never failed to make Kalis feel like everything was under control, one eyebrow cocked in amusement.
“Something huge IS about to happen, girl. Us.”

Mercy tumbled down into the makeshift trench as blaster bolts screamed above her head, her armour plates splattered in mud and riddled with scorch marks, hugging her carbine close to her chest. Kalis followed soon after, vaulting the barricade and dropping into a crouch, blaster at the ready.
“We were set up, Kalis!” She ducked her head as a small detonation kicked up a spray of grass and soil into the trench. With a growl, she slammed a spare cell into her gun, counting down to the telltale beep of full recharge, then standing up to send a spray of automatic blaster fire over the barricade. She soon dropped again as the Imperial forces responded with a vicious fusillade.
“They knew we were coming! They were waiting at the damn entrance for us, Kal!”
Kalis fired off a few shots from her blaster at the approaching forces, but she may as well have been throwing rocks at a tsunami. The rest of the mercs had died or scattered as soon as the stormtroopers opened fire; it was better to lose the credits from a mission gone sour than to attempt taking on a whole squad of well-prepared, organised Imperial forces.
“We need to get out of here, Mercy. Maybe if we follow the trench along and skirt the edge of the depot we can make it out of scanning range before they start looking for us.”