Private Between Departure and Arrival

[Ana Rix]

Ana looked out through the viewscreen as the ship settled into the clearing, taking in the towering trees, the mist curling above the lake, and the way the world here felt older and less forgiving than the spaceport they had left behind. Wildlife scattered at the disturbance, and the sudden quiet that followed was deep, layered, and alive.

When Gimbal asked the question, she turned her head slowly to look at him.

Her expression was… exceptionally flat.

She shook her head once.

"Do I look like camping material?"

The delivery was dry enough to crack stone.

She glanced down at herself briefly, then back up at him, one brow lifting just a fraction.

"I plan for climate-controlled environments, redundant power, clean water, and a bed that doesn't involve negotiating with wildlife," she continued evenly. "My idea of 'roughing it' is when the caf machine breaks."

A pause, then, softer but still wry.

"That said," Ana added, "I can adapt. I just reserve the right to complain quietly while doing so."

Her gaze flicked back toward the lake and the trees beyond, assessing rather than appreciating.

"And if this is anything like Naboo wilderness," she finished, "I'm assuming everything here is either poisonous, territorial, or both."

It wasn't panic. It wasn't resistance.

Just realism, delivered in her usual, unflinching tone.

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

Gimbal chuckled softly as he opened a storage locker and shouldered a pair of backpacks. He answered as he opened the boarding ramp. "You're camping material now. Don't worry, only a couple species eat people. I'll go find a spot and come back for you. R8, power down the ship and yourself."

The droid chirped and followed orders as Gimbal stepped outside.

He returned several minutes later for her. "Do you need me to carry you, Princess?" He grinned teasingly as he offered a hand up.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana watched him go with a look that sat somewhere between resignation and calculation, listening to the ramp cycle and the forest settle again around the ship. When he returned, grin firmly in place, she shifted slightly on the cot and regarded him in silence for a beat longer than strictly necessary.

Her eyes flicked to his outstretched hand.

Then back to his face.

"No," she said calmly. "But thank you for the offer."

She took his hand anyway, grip steady, using it to pull herself up rather than letting him do the work. The movement was careful but controlled; bruised ribs slowed her, but they did not stop her. Once she was on her feet, she released his hand without ceremony and adjusted her jacket.

"And if you call me 'Princess' again," Ana added dryly as she moved toward the ramp, "I will start invoicing you for emotional damages."

She paused at the edge of the open ramp, looking out at the towering trees and the unfamiliar wild ahead. For just a moment, there was something thoughtful in her expression, not fear, not awe, just assessment.

"Lead the way," she said evenly. "I'll keep up."

It wasn't bravado.

Just confidence, quiet and intact, even here.

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

Gimbal shut the boarding ramp behind them. He laughed softly as he walked with her away from the ship and toward the mountain, where a huge waterfall roared down into the lake. He spoke over the noise. "Even if they find the ship, they won't find us in here."

He climbed up a few boulders and offered a hand to help her. Eventually they were behind the falls, in a large cave. He had put up a tent and a few solar lights, along with an Imperial cooking stove. He grinned as he glanced at her. "It's not fancy but it should be relatively safe. And the waterfall is amazing!"

He moved to open the tent for her. He had stuffed a couple Imperial sleeping bags in there along with a large insulated blanket. It looked comfortable, but they would be in close quarters.

As he got to the backpacks, he pulled out a small chromium-plated holdout blaster and offered it to her. "Just in case. Nabooian royalty used to carry these." He winked playfully.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana took in the cave in a slow sweep of her eyes, cataloging the light placement, the tent's position, and the way the roar of the waterfall masked sound without fully drowning it out. Practical. Thought through. When her attention returned to him, the edge of tension she'd been carrying had eased just a fraction.

She accepted the blaster, weighing it in her hand with a thoughtful tilt of her head. The chromium caught the filtered light in a way that was almost elegant.

"Of course they did," she said lightly. "Leave it to Naboo to make even self-defense look ceremonial."

Her gaze lifted to his wink, and this time she didn't deflect it.

A small smile curved at the corner of her mouth. Not guarded. Not sharp. Warm, and just a little dangerous.

"I suppose that means," Ana continued, turning the blaster once before securing her grip, "you'll have to show me how to shoot properly."

She met his eyes, holding the look for a beat longer than necessary.

"Wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of my guide," she added, tone dry but unmistakably playful.

Then, as if to ground the moment, she glanced toward the tent and the sleeping bags, one brow lifting slightly.

"You've done well," she said, genuine beneath the teasing. "Safe, quiet, and… surprisingly comfortable. I'll take 'not fancy' if this is the alternative."

The waterfall thundered on outside, the world beyond the cave distant and unreachable for now, while inside, the space felt smaller, warmer, and far less hostile than it had any right to be.

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

He smiled as he watched her and then he nodded his head. "When you're better, I'll teach you to shoot. In the meantime, point at the bad guys or the creature, and squeeze the trigger until they're dead."

The cave was warm, but even more humid than the outside. He pulled off his jacket and tossed it into the tent, leaving him in just a black tanktop. His right shoulder was covered in old plasma burn scars.

Gimbal looked at her again, blue eyes scanning her. "You sure nothing else is hurt? That beatdown looked pretty bad." He was clearly worried about her.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana gave a small nod at his instruction, accepting it without argument. She slipped her coat off carefully and set it aside near the tent, movements controlled, economical.

"Point and squeeze," she repeated lightly. "I can manage that much."

Her gaze flicked briefly to the blaster, then back to him, calm despite everything.

"And when I'm steadier," she added, a faint note of dry humor threading through her tone, "you can show me how to do it without relying on luck."

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

Gimbal chuckled softly as he nodded his head. "Sounds like a deal." He glanced around and then he turned back to her. "You should get comfortable. Rest your ribs. There's rations in the backpacks." He offered a hand to help her into the tent if she accepted, and then he sat down next to her. "Now I need to know exactly what you were bringing to the Bothans. So I can figure out what we're dealing with."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana took his hand without hesitation, letting him steady her as she eased down into the tent. She shifted carefully, mindful of her ribs, then exhaled once she was settled, posture guarded but functional.

She glanced toward the packs, then back to him, one brow lifting slightly.

"Before I answer that," she said evenly, voice dry but not closed, "is there anything to drink in those bags that's stronger than water?"

A faint pause, then she added, more practical than coy,

"I'll tell you. I just prefer not to do it dehydrated."

The implication was clear. The information was no longer a secret. Just something best shared with a little edge taken off first.

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

He laughed softly and then he grabbed one of the backpacks, digging through it and then he took out a flask. He opened the top and took a drink, and then he offered it to her. "Corellian Brandy. It's strong. I'm not responsible for what you do drunk." He teased her.

He smiled as he waited.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana accepted the flask without ceremony and took a measured swig. The brandy burned warm and sharp on the way down, not enough to make her cough, but enough to make her exhale slowly through her nose. She kept hold of it instead of handing it back, resting it lightly against her knee as she settled.

When she spoke, her voice dropped, precise and controlled, the way it always did when the details mattered.

"What I gave them wasn't a single file or a clean narrative," she said quietly. "It was a structure."

She tipped the flask once, more habit than need, then continued.

"Dates woven into shipping routes that don't normally intersect. Cargo manifests that change hands just before scheduled inspections. Names that recur across different fronts but never in the same role twice."

Her gaze stayed forward, unfocused, like she was laying the data back out in her head.

"Timelines overlap just enough to show coordination without ever putting the same people in the same place at the same time. Payments that arrive early. Departures that run late. Missed checkpoints that only happen when someone wants them missed."

She paused, letting that settle.

"No accusations," Ana added. "No conclusions. Just patterns that don't exist unless someone is making them."

Only then did she glance back at him, calm, grounded.

"Enough for the Bothans to verify independently," she finished. "And enough to make whoever's involved very uncomfortable once they realize someone else sees the shape of it."

She took another small sip and finally held the flask out halfway between them, not returning it yet, just sharing the space.

"That's what we're dealing with."

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

Gimbal tilted his head curiously and thoughtfully, and then he asked. "So what's all that mean? Are we talking a new rebellion? Some kind of assassinations? A new Death Star?" He was trying to put it together in his head.

He grabbed the flask from her lap and took a drink before giving it back to her.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana didn't reach for the flask when he took it. She waited until he handed it back, then took a small, steady sip before answering, her tone calm and exact.

"It means I don't decide what it becomes," she said simply.

She rested the flask against her knee again, fingers loose around the metal.

"I don't build rebellions. I don't plan assassinations. And I definitely don't speculate about superweapons," Ana continued. "I move information to the people who can assemble it properly and decide what to do with it."

Her gaze lifted to his, steady and unflinching.

"The Bothans will cross-reference what I gave them with what they already have. They'll confirm, contextualize, and pass it upward to whoever has jurisdiction or leverage."

A brief pause, then a faint, knowing edge entered her voice.

"That separation is intentional. It's why I'm an information broker, not a strategist or an enforcer," she said. "I don't need to know the endgame. I just need to make sure the truth reaches someone who can use it."

She took one more sip, softer this time.

"My job ends at delivery," Ana finished. "What happens after that isn't mine to control."

The words weren't evasive. They were boundaries, clearly drawn.

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

Gimbal shrugged and then he nodded in understanding. "Yeah, you're right."

He looked around and then he looked back at her. "Either way, someone definitely didn't want this information reaching the Bothans, nor anyone after them. I have a feeling your contact is already dead. Hope you weren't friends."

He didn't wait for her to reply as he pulled a datapad from the backpacks, routing the signal through the nearby ship's radar and connecting to the Bothan News Network and swiping the screen a few times. "No news updates after I killed three people in a busy spaceport? That's suspicious... but a Bothan was just killed in a robbery gone wrong" he lowered the datapad into his lap.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana didn't flinch at the datapad. She had expected something like this the moment the attack happened.

She took another measured sip from the flask, then let out a slow breath through her nose, more tired than shaken.

"They're very good at that," she said quietly. "If a Bothan dies carrying sensitive material, it's never reported as what it was. Robbery, accident, gang violence. Anything that collapses curiosity instead of inviting it."

Her gaze stayed on the dim light beyond the cave, thoughtful rather than distant.

"If my contact is dead, then the information was already passed along," Ana continued. "That's how they operate. Delivery first, confirmation later. If something goes wrong, the narrative is already in place."

She didn't sound cold about it. Just realistic.

"We weren't friends," she added after a moment. "But I respected him. And he knew the risks."

Her eyes shifted back to Gimbal, steady.

"The fact that nothing hit the news tells me the system worked," she said. "Which also means whoever sent those men will be reassessing their approach."

A pause.

"So laying low was the right call," Ana finished. "And you made it in time."

It wasn't praise. It was an acknowledgment.

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

Gimbal grinned as he looked at her and he replied teasingly "you're welcome, Princess."

He laughed softly and then he took the flask again, took a drink, and gave it back to her. He swiped the datapad again and chuckled. "Oooo! There's a new Twi'lek strip club on Tatooine." He was trying to make her lower her guard.

He put the datapad aside and laid back with his hands under his head, closing his eyes as the sunlight started to dim outside the cave. "Might as well get some sleep."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana let the corner of her mouth curve as she took the flask back, the brandy warming her throat this time instead of biting. She glanced sideways at him, eyes flicking briefly to the datapad before settling back on his grin.

"Twi'lek, you say?" she replied lightly. "Some of those guys can be quite attractive."

She didn't elaborate. Just let the thought hang there as she gave him a small, deliberate wink.

After a moment, she shifted and eased herself down onto the bedding, careful of her ribs, as the hum of the forest and the distant roar of the waterfall blended into something almost soothing. Only then did she register how close they actually were—close enough that shared warmth wasn't just possible, it was inevitable.

Ana hesitated for half a breath, then reached out and let her fingers curl gently around his hand. Not possessive. Not urgent. Just there.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Not formal. Not transactional. "For coming back."

She settled back, eyes half-lidded as the light outside the cave dimmed further, her grip remaining steady, relaxed.

For once, she didn't pull away from the quiet.

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

Gimbal grinned and looked down at her hand, but he didn't pull away. He shifted sideways and looked into her eyes, his other arm slipping around her carefully. The heat and humidity in the cave rendered the sleeping bags unnecessary. He whispered softly now. "You're welcome. I couldn't let them kill you." He didn't elaborate as to why.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana didn't tense when his arm slipped around her. If anything, she exhaled slowly, the breath easing out of her as she let the contact settle instead of questioning it.

Her gaze stayed on his, steady even now, and when she spoke, her voice was low enough that it barely carried over the distant rush of the waterfall.

"I know," she said softly. Not an accusation. Not a test. Just an acknowledgement.

Her thumb shifted against his hand in a small, grounding motion before she let her head rest back against the bedding, close enough that the warmth between them lingered.

"I'm glad you didn't," Ana added after a beat. Not dramatic. Just honest.

She didn't ask him to explain. Some reasons didn't need to be spoken aloud to matter.

Sleep came in pieces at first. The cave was warm, the air heavy, and she shifted more than once, aware of him adjusting in response without fully waking. At some point in the night, his arm found her again, firmer this time, his body settling in behind her as if by instinct. When the restlessness finally faded, it was with his presence steady at her back, breath even against her shoulder.

When Ana woke, pale morning light filtered through the cave mouth, catching in the mist beyond the falls. She became aware first of warmth, then of the weight of his arm around her waist, his chest aligned to her back, his hold relaxed but certain. For a long moment, she stayed still, listening to the rhythm of his breathing and the water beyond the cave, letting the quiet register before the day had a chance to intrude.

Gimbal

 

[Gimbal]

He groaned softly as he stirred and opened his eyes. He smiled softly as he felt her against him and then he wiggled out of the tent. "Good morning." He stood and stretched his back with a grunt.

He glanced back toward her to make sure she was okay. "How's the ribs?" He asked as he paced around the cave to stretch the sleep from his joints.

He peeked back into the tent, kind of blatantly checking her out. "Hungry?" He offered her a ration bar and a bottle of water.