The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 55 - Coronet City

A few micro jumps later, the signal sounded, indicating that Nomi Darklighter and Dash Rendar had reached their destination.

They both got out of bed and dressed before going into the cockpit and sitting down.
Ahead they saw the planet Corellia and several Imperial Star Destroyers stationed in orbit. Nomi rolled her eyes when she saw that. Her husband gave her a lopsided grin.
"It will work, honey," he said, adjusting his uniform even though no one but his wife could see him.
It didn't take long and they were hailed.
"Shuttle Alluvium state destination and cargo," they heard a female voice with a harsh accent that neither Dash nor Nomi could place.
"This is Commander Ors Raviul speaking. We have no cargo on board. I am accompanied by my wife Xala. Our destination is Coronet City. If you don't let us pass immediately, I will complain to your superior," Rendar answered the question promptly, putting all the arrogance of an Imperial officer in his voice.
He imagined the woman's expression after she heard that and grinned at Nomi.
"You must understand that we are cautious, Commander," they heard the woman's voice again after a few seconds. "There have been several rebel attacks recently. Stay in the exact approach sector I'm sending you."
"Affirmative," Dash confirmed. "It's time to crush the Rebellion once and for all."
He disconnected and leaned towards Nomi.
"See, it works, darling."
Then he followed the given coordinates and shortly thereafter he landed the shuttle on the assigned landing pad.

Dash shut down the engines, opened the hatch and exited the cockpit, followed by his wife. Together they walked down the ramp and entered the spaceport building. There they had to wait in a queue that slowly moved towards the ID checkpoint.
Nomi looked around and froze when she saw a familiar face. Hal Horn, a CorSec officer, stood there and pretended to be idle, but the Rogue Squadron pilot was pretty sure he was watching the arrivals. She knew the man from her days as a smuggler and hoped he wouldn't remember her.
Eventually they reached the checkpoint counter where a bored looking man took their IDs. He took his time checking them, which caught Hal Horn's attention. The CorSec officer walked over to him.
"Is there a problem with the IDs?" He asked and looked at the card reader.
The border official turned his attention from the reader and the couple in front of him to Horn.
"No, sir, no problem at all," he replied quickly, taking the cards out of the reader and handing them Horn.
"Commander Raviul, I wish you and your wife Xala a pleasant stay on Corellia," said Hal Horn, handing Dash the IDs.
Nomi hoped that she was wrong, but she got the impression he said her name with an odd undertone.
Dash took the IDs without a word, like an Imperial officer would, and pocketed them. Then he and Nomi left the building.

Outside, they found themselves in the midst of a teeming crowd. Nomi turned her head slightly expecting Hal Horn had followed them but he was nowhere to be seen. As they walked, she spoke to Dash in a hushed voice.
"Do you know who that was, Dash?" She wasn't really expecting an answer and continued. "It was Hal Horn, a CorSec officer. I'm pretty sure he recognized me. We should leave as soon as possible."
Dash tried to calm her down.
"You're certainly wrong. If he recognized you, we'd already be in an Imperial prison cell."
"But haven't you noticed the way he said my name, Dash?" She continued without calming down in the slightest.
"I still think you're wrong," her husband replied, waving for a speeder taxi. "Let's go to our hotel."
The speeder taxi pulled up in front of them, Dash opened the door and let Nomi in, then went in too and gave the Aqualish driver the address.
It didn't take long and they reached their destination.
Dash paid the driver and got out of the speeder with Nomi, who felt like she was being watched again. She shrugged inwardly when she didn't see a familiar face in the crowd and followed her husband into the hotel. It wasn't overly luxurious but a lot better than those on her home planet Tatooine.
After receiving the key card from the droid receptionist, they went upstairs. They soon found their room and Dash opened it.
"Not bad," he said, stepping inside and closing the door after Nomi entered as well.
His wife took in the sight of the sparsely furnished room, which was clean. She still had the nagging feeling that Horn was around somewhere.
"You should relax, honey. We're on vacation and our IDs worked," Dash continued, noticing his wife's tension.
Then he started to unpack.