"Classic Amir—still so full of confidence," Sainir finally settled into a chair, which made him look slightly taller than usual.
"Do you really need to act like this? At least drop the act when it's just me," Amir said lazily.
"No, no, this is the real me," Sainir replied with mock sincerity.
Yeah, sure it is. Amir gave a disdainful smirk. "So, what's the job?"
"It just so happens… the ship will come in handy for it," Sainir muttered under his breath.
"You bastard. I knew you weren't just being generous." Amir scowled at the pale squid-head and shoved the box toward him. "If you keep dodging the point, you can leave right now."
"Alright, alright, straight to it. Coruscant hasn't been quiet lately. A bunch of people have been secretly detained by Imperial agents. In a couple of days, they'll be transferred to an Imperial prison. We've intercepted their route. Your job is to infiltrate the prison ship and extract one specific prisoner," Sainir said, completely unfazed by the Empire's name. "Fronis's ship is custom-made, off the records of both the Empire and the old Republic. It's a ghost ship—perfect for approaching undetected."
"I really underestimated you. You're openly picking a fight with the Empire and don't even flinch," Amir murmured, eyes drifting to the table as he fell into thought. Sainir waited patiently.
The cloaked man's message mentioned missing Rebel agents on Coruscant. Combine that with Sainir's knowledge of BD-4 and the cloaked man—this prisoner must be Rebel-affiliated. Sainir is likely connected to the Rebellion too… but he won't admit it or retrieve BD-4's data. Maybe he isn't one of them after all.
And why's he so confident in me? Isn't he afraid I'll sell him out to the Empire?
"You're not worried I'll turn you in? I was an Imperial cadet, you know—technically still am."
"You didn't turn in BD-4. That told me everything I needed. Otherwise, I wouldn't have shown up."
"I still could. Maybe I'll hand him over later."
"Heh. Sure, the mission's dangerous. But I think you'll want to do it. The prisoner we're after… is someone you've been trying to find."
Amir's eyes narrowed. "The Empire captured him? Why? I thought he worked for them."
"Supposedly he refused to cooperate. Acted crazy. You know how the Empire is—they only kept him alive because of what's in his head," Sainir said, a touch of sympathy in his voice.
"I see. Then send me the intel. I'm in. I need to meet him," Amir said without hesitation. "You could've just said that up front. All that cryptic nonsense was a waste of time."
"Heh, how was I supposed to know you wanted to see him?" Sainir chuckled, handing over a data chip.
"Why are you still standing there? Planning to stay for dinner?" Amir snatched the chip and waved him off.
"I've seen what's hanging from your belt. A Jedi weapon," Sainir said, staring at the lightsaber. "They came to my homeworld during the war."
"I was a soldier then. I witnessed their power. Jedi were like blades stabbing right into the heart of the enemy."
"Unstoppable."
"Just like you, Amir. Hmm… Let me have that lightsaber—I could sell it for a hundred thousand credits," Sainir added with a merchant's smirk.
"Get out!" Amir snapped, standing to show him the door.
"I'll be waiting for your good news," Sainir said as he left.
Amir stood in awe before the ship.
"Holy shit… Thank you, Fronis!" he exclaimed.
"It's way bigger than it looked on screen! No way it would fit in our garage," Jay said, riding his new speeder bike, eyes sparkling.
Rango was there too, silent as usual. Veronica said nothing either—but she stood very close, and the look in her eyes said everything.
The ship was built off a YT-2400 frame. According to rumor, Fronis had kidnapped a few Corellian engineers during the war, bought rare materials, and spent years building it himself.
It retained the classic YT features: a saucer-like left hull with an escape pod and boarding ramp, cargo hold converted into living quarters with bedrooms, a workshop, storage, and a central lounge. The right side housed a cylindrical cockpit with dual support struts, and a rear escape pod that seated six.
Its sleek, silver-white body shimmered under the lights. Fronis had kept it in top condition.
"Come on, let's check it out," Amir said, lowering the ramp. Everyone filed in.
They'd studied the ship's schematics from Sainir. Each one headed off to explore their favorite parts.
Amir quickly reviewed the layout. Fronis clearly intended to live here—the place was furnished like a real home. Not just a ship—a base.
"This is a freighter? It's a goddamn fortress! Four shield generators, two heavy laser cannons, and two concussion missile launchers?" Veronica shouted from the gun deck, refusing to leave.
"I'm calling dibs on this room, Amir! Don't you dare give it to anyone else!" Jay yelled from a modified bedroom.
Rango was in the storage bay, saying nothing.
Amir sat in the cockpit, studying the controls. A wide viewport lay ahead. Three front seats, three more behind. Five throttle levers. Over a hundred buttons. All familiar. Every ship had its quirks, especially mods like this. But thanks to military school—and flying with Sain—Amir adapted quickly.
He'd explained the mission to the others and made it clear: solo op.
That earned him a wave of eye-rolls. Rango offered to come, but Amir turned him down.
"When have you ever lost a fight? The Empire's the one that should be worried," Veronica said.
Jay was already curled up in one of the beds, preparing to move in once Amir returned.
Amir activated the ship's stealth systems. The ghost vessel silently lifted off from Sainir's private hangar and landed at Dock 3, per plan.
The four split up and went home.
Night fell on Coruscant.
But Amir couldn't sleep.
Eyes closed, he recalled the last words he'd heard from that man:
"If you want to know the secret, join the military. Someone will find you."