Rick's new purchases included a large tablet interface, several memory cards, and the tools he had lost at the motel. Half an hour later, they were both in Jethro's room. The girl got the free bed, and Rick immediately sat down at the table, placing the tablet in front of him and projecting a holographic interactive galaxy to the side.
"Make yourself comfortable, I need to think about something," he tossed to the girl, absorbed in his thoughts. Planet names flashed and died in his head. There was nothing for them in the Hutt sphere of influence. Spice on Ilesia, slaves, workers, food... Nothing interesting to find. It was easier to buy everything necessary here, through the Fly.
But he hoped to stretch his legs before idleness and roam the Outer Rim and the Expansion Region. Especially since he had promised Vaymi something.
Next came the Bothan sector. On Botavui or Kothlis, one could easily acquire a lot of equipment. And if you took used items, or found some struggling trader, then at a significant discount. Opening the map, he looked at what came next. Ando, Rodia, Kularin, Lannik. All planets were interesting, but did not differ in large exports of necessary equipment.
One could visit Kalarba... But the fact that the Imperials had settled there seriously and for a long time deterred interest not only in stocking up on fuel but even in flying through that system to M'Haelii. Speaking of the latter, it seemed the Imperials were somewhat out of their element there, and one could easily get in as free pilots. Buy fake documents on Botavui, and it's in the bag. No need for high quality, just convince customs, if there are any, and that's it. However, the same could be done on Malastare. His gaze slid over Umgal and caught on Naboo...
No, now was clearly not the time. First, work, a new identity, documents, and appearance. Then he would take what was his, definitely. But not now.
His gaze slid further along the Hydian Way and rested on Eriadu. Everything else could be bought there, and then...
The Hydian Way officially ended at Rutan. From there, either turn back, or chart a new course at your own risk... For example, to Bespin, bypassing the sectors of Senex and Juvex, which rightfully had a bad reputation... All that remained was...
He looked at what Vaymi was doing.
The girl sat on the bed, legs crossed and lekku wrapped around herself, reading something on her deck. Feeling his gaze, the Lethan raised her head and looked questioningly at the smuggler.
"Sit next to me," he pushed a chair closer and patted it with his hand.
The Twi'lek obediently moved closer to him, taking the deck with her reading, and folded her hands on her knees, waiting to be told what to do.
"Are you familiar with astronavigation?" he enlarged the galaxy hologram.
Her lekku swayed in a gesture of denial.
"I've seen the map, but I don't know where the stars are."
"So you don't even know which part of the galaxy we're in?" surprise was evident in his voice, even his eyebrows rose slightly, causing one of the lenses to fall out, revealing a gray-blue eye.
Vaymi immediately bent down, catching the dark circle in her palm, and handed it to Rick.
"Well, I know the sector name," she replied. "But where it is in the galaxy..."
The girl shrugged helplessly.
"Thank you," the lens was placed on her personal deck, which lay to the side. To avoid injuring his eyes, he decided to remove the second one. And this required time, albeit not much. When the second lens was in the smuggler's palm, he looked at the girl. The main thing was that she didn't think everything else was also a deception. Like the color of his eyes. "Then memorize. The reference system starts from the planet Coruscant, which is essentially the center of the inhabited part of the galaxy. We are on Nar Shaddaa, in the Y'Toub system. Its coordinates... Find us."
With these words, he began to fiddle with the lens containers and solution.
Vaymi obediently moved to the map, touched one of the stars with her finger, twitched her lekku in surprise, reading the name that appeared next to the tiny spark, and the coordinates. Then she found Coruscant, with its zero coordinates, began to figure out the coordinate grid, got carried away, remembered the task, glanced at Rick – was he angry that she was taking so long? – and after several unsuccessful attempts, finally found the required system.
"It seems to be here..."
"Well done," Rick had just finished dealing with the lenses. "Interstellar travel is done through hyperspace jumps. There are main hyperspace routes; the closest to us are the Corellian and Hydian Ways.
Two threads appeared on the map, connecting the systems.
"Merchants and officials travel along them. Mostly. But there are many more hyperspace routes," a few manipulations, and the image was centered on the Smuggler's Moon, and then hundreds of threads began to run between the stars, connecting the nearest systems. "You should also know that the galaxy is divided into sectors, these are official names, and also into territories, these are unofficial spheres of influence. We are in Hutt space. My first stop is planned for the capital world of the Bothan sector. Find the sector and the planet's name."
"It's Botavui, but I don't know its coordinates," the girl looked back at him again. "There were shipments from there, and I read about the planet itself..."
"Botavui is not far from the Smuggler's Moon," Rick moved the system's star to the center. "The coordinates of most planets can be found on the holonet. Besides, there's a search by name. If the planet is well-known. For example, few people know such a planet as Myrkr. But many know Eriadu. It's located almost at the end of the Hydian Way."
"And I'll have to learn all this..." her lekku drooped. "But I'll try very hard."
"Actually, you don't need to learn much," the smuggler smiled. "The main thing is to enter everything into the navicom in time. But we don't have its computing power now. And we have to do everything manually. Look."
All the threads connecting the planets disappeared, but a new one appeared. It started on Nar Shaddaa, went in a straight line to Botavui, jumped to the center of the galaxy to M'Haelii, stretched to Sullust, and ended on Eriadu.
"We lose time plotting the course, but we gain overall on the length of the trajectory," he brought up the first planet-ball on the screen. "Botavui. We'll stock up on information there, and also get some equipment for the ship. Bothans are known spies and politicians. Quite the rogues, but they'll help us without a problem for money. On M'Haelii..."
The image changed again.
"This is an agricultural world, we'll rest there, I'll inquire about the necessary equipment on Sullust and Eriadu. You can study whatever you wish. But I ask you to look at the customs of the inhabitants. So as not to get into trouble due to ignorance of their customs. Okay?"
"Of course," the girl visibly cheered up – the prospect of memorizing the entire navigation chart no longer threatened her.
"Excellent," Rikn smiled again, suppressing a yawn, "then one more small task. Study Ryloth. It's your species' home planet. And pay special attention to how they behave. How they talk, dress, and so on."
Vaymi nodded again, pulling the deka closer and typing the planet's name into the search. Gathering some information while the master was busy with more important matters was familiar and routine. Sometimes the Twi'lek girl felt that Muha simply didn't know what to do with her or how to use her, but couldn't bring himself to sell her. After all, he was a pretty good master in his own way...
"If it's not a secret," Rik stopped, thinking about something of his own, "what were you reading before?"
Vaymi raised her head.
"How to speed up the regeneration of a Gallimarian gem," she replied, a little surprised. "You said I would need to take care of it, but my knowledge might not be enough."
Rik smiled, nodding his head slightly.
"Well done," he smiled, taking out and laying out a blaster and equipment on the free table, "I need to increase your salary."
"Salary?" This time he managed to shock her to the core. The very thought that she would be paid something, in addition to pocket money – which Muha sometimes gave her after a successful deal – refused to settle in the girl's mind.
"Yes," he nodded affirmatively, "anyone working for me is entitled to a salary. And a share of the income. It's just that I haven't figured out exactly how all this will be done, and in what amounts to pay. Thank the stars that all employees are not hired. And for you... I think, considering everything, you will receive fifteen credits a day."
The Lethan twitched her leku. Muha gave her a little money so she could buy something for herself while eavesdropping in the bar. But not that much. And it was still his money. Not hers.
"I..." she didn't know what to answer. "Thank you, Rik."
"You're welcome," the counter's face broke into a good-natured smile, "if you get tired, go to sleep, no need to overexert yourself. We still have plenty of time."
"Okay," the girl replied quietly, diving back into the information search.
After the "Kylan" was reassembled, Rik, unhooking the power cell and smoothly raising his hand, aligned the front and rear sights on the central point of the wall clock. The blaster's grip, after a small modification, felt like an extension of his hand. His pupils widened at what he saw on the clock. Looking at the girl, who was still engrossed in absorbing information, he put the blaster back in its holster and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Aren't you tired?"
Vaymi flinched and looked up at him with eyes slightly reddened from intense reading.
"A little," she admitted. "There's a lot written here, but not much useful information. On M'Heili, there's a native population, they are descended from rodents. They look cute. They have their own traditions, they don't accept the settlers' culture, but they are not aggressive. Generally, a very calm people. I don't think there will be any problems..."
"Good, if so," he removed his hand, "don't you want to eat something?"
The Lethan thought again. It was still strange to her that someone was interested in what she wanted.
"A little too," she finally decided.
"Then it's decided!" he began to pull on his jacket, "we're going to the nearest decent cantina. To observe the local color."
The cantina was quite quiet, although people were already starting to gather after their business. Rik had a strong impression that most of them were engaged in work that in the galaxy was clearly equated with theft, deception, or murder. And here... Here it was the norm.
His blaster rested in its place, on his hip in the holster. As did the second one, borrowed from Troy – under his arm.
Sitting at a free table by the wall, Rik began to leaf through the menu provided by the droid waiter.
"Well..." he looked at the prices with interest, "I expected it to be more expensive. I'll have neph medallions in spicy sauce with tubers and salad, a mug of Kashyyyk light ale, and fried crispiks, I think."
The girl cautiously pulled the menu given to her. Most of the dishes were unfamiliar to her, and she was torn between curiosity and the fear of angering the master, who didn't want to be considered a master. In the end, she chose some bird's wings in a spicy sauce, a salad of seaweed and seafood, and some exotic tea.
Nodding to the waiter, the counter closed the menu, pushing it to the edge of the table. Now that there was nothing to fear, all bounty hunters were politely asked to wait outside, and the gloomy Gamorreans and other representatives of a small Hutt army wandering around only increased the desire to behave peacefully. And it was now that Rik, slightly immersed in the Force, could talk to the girl based on what she felt, not what she showed.
"Vaymi," he smiled charmingly, leaning back in his chair, but his gray-blue eyes betrayed his concentration, "did you have friends?"
The Lethan raised her leku. The question was unexpected. She had heard this word from her previous masters. It meant "business partners who are unlikely to shoot you in the back." She had never had business partners.
The girl shook her head.
"No. Slaves don't have joint ventures."
"Joint ventures?" his gaze flashed with interest and incomprehension. "And what definition do you put into the word 'friend'?"
Her leku rose even higher.
"Well, masters called those business partners they could rely on," she explained, beginning to vaguely guess that Rik meant something else.
"Business partners?" he paused for a second. "That's... an incomplete meaning of the word. A friend... is someone you trust, someone you can rely on. Not just in business. But in general. It's someone close to you... In that definition, did you have friends?"
Vaymi honestly tried to remember. Nothing came to mind except the first years of her life. There was her mother. There were other girls... She could play with them until she was sold the first time.
"Do the girls I grew up with count?" the girl asked.
"Naturally," he nodded affirmatively.
"Then, probably, I did," the Twi'lek replied. "Only I hardly remember them..."
"In those times..." he paused, watching the ale being brought, "do you remember what you dreamed of back then?"
Vaymi had dreams. Both then and now. Only they were completely different...
"Yes... A little," her leku coiled around her shoulders again. "For Mom to come back..."
"Mom..." Rik's face became sad, as if he was trying to remember something but couldn't, but only for a moment. "What happened to her?"
"She stayed with her master, and I was sold," Vaymi answered simply. "I missed her very much."
Then she was taught not to dream of the impossible.
"With your share, you can find her and buy her out," the counter said very calmly, mentally adding, "If she's alive." "I don't need slaves, Vaymi. I need friends, comrades."
He took a sip, taking a small gulp.
"And that's why I don't want you to consider me your master. I don't want to be."
For a few minutes, the Lethan thoughtfully drew some lines and circles in the sauce with the tines of her fork. Finding her mother... It was worth a lot. Even getting used to being free – he wanted that from her, the strange new master who didn't want to be a master. To set her free, to make her a business partner... What kind of partner is a slave? She only knew how to dance, understand art objects because one of her masters took the trouble to teach her, eavesdrop, and be obedient. No one ever wanted more from her.
So, she would have to learn something else.
"What do I need to do for that?" she finally asked.
"I expected a different reaction," Rik was surprised. But he hadn't decided yet whether it was pleasant or not, he needed to do something else while his main order was being brought. Everything had been too... chaotic until now. "In fact, you've already started. You've found a goal. We all live by this. We develop, we form packs, groups, we gain enemies and friends. What exactly you need... Learn to be in a team. To help me... Us. I don't expect you to succeed at everything. But... we can take our time. But the first thing you must do... Understand. Set goals are not always achievable. Do you understand what I mean?"
The Twi'lek shook her head negatively.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "There's too much, and it's nothing like how people live here. But I'll try to understand and get used to it."
It took time to believe in a fairy tale. It took time to forget the long years without a single thought of a dream. She needed a lot of things, she herself didn't know how much yet. She could only guess.
"Listen," Rik thanked the droid and, taking a sip, continued his instructions, relying on what he felt. He couldn't read minds. Not yet. "We won't rush. What is planned... May take up to twelve standard months. All this time I will help you, protect you. And at the end, you will receive your share. And I will personally help you find your mother."
"And during this time, I must prepare you for the fact that instead of your mother, you will find her grave..."
"And now that we've clarified things a bit," he smiled, starting to slowly cut the meat, "you can ask me questions. Any."