VOICE and PURPOSE: BOOK THREE

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y-T H R E E

ATHENA'S POV

"Athena," Hunter's smoky voice resurrected me from my power nap in the cockpit. Retracting my feet that'd propped up on the console, I scooted myself up in the pilot's seat and swivelled to face him. At first glance, the sergeant seemed disturbed, but when he hunkered down in the co-pilot's chair, his grim disposition melted. "good work on getting Roland's contact information."

I blinked from a brief moment of surprise, then shrugged with a casual grin. "Don't thank me yet—we still got to convince the amatuer crimelord to actually help us, or it'll all be for naught."

"Fair enough," he grumbled, as if the odds were not in our favor. He glanced over to me with a weak frown. I noticed his lips parting like he wanted to add a comment, but was interrupted by his wife, now wrapped back in her security blanket and her hair braided over her shoulder. Her face seemed to have returned to its natural tan complexion and she walked a little taller.

"Aww, no hangover?" My nose scrunched teasingly.

Fern matched my expression. "Maybe next time." She then gestured to the console with her chin. "Have you plugged in the intel disk?"

"Yes, Ma'am," I saluted her with two fingers as I swung around to kickstart our negotiations with our—essentially—last resort...

"Athena, I suggest you sit this exchange out." My sister bluntly commented as she settled into the chair behind me.

"And...why would I do that?" I paused mid-reach and raised a brow over my shoulder. Not because I was against her finally participating in our mission, but because her accusing tone was questionably problematic.

"Because we need Roland to actually help us," I could sense her eyes rolling. "ergo, we are not resorting to death threats."

I blinked with confusion. "What in the cosmos are you talking about?"

"You—" She stopped when she realized I was serious. Her tone monotized with suspicious irritation. "you told me on Safa Toma you threatened Roland to find us."

My lips puckered, at first with skepticism, then amusingly softened. I rotated around once more. Leaning over my knee, I wagged my finger. "Mmm, I don't think so. I believe the term I used was 'persuaded'."

"So then why—"

I interrupted her again by snorting into my hand. "Oh, Fern," I slurred my words as I sarcastically chided. "I forgot you think so little of me. To clarify my affairs, I simply spoke to him and paid him a hefty amount of Imperial credits when he delivered."

Her dark irises disappeared to the back of her skull as she groaned, "I hate you."

"Not my fault you misinterpret my meaning."

"How," She smacked her forehead with her palm with an incredulous scoff. "does one misinterpret when you hold a knife to their throat?!"

"It was for show!"

"Alright," Hunter barked. "That's enough."

"Let's just cool down." Wrecker added, who had just entered the chat when I resolved my 'threat' on Safa Toma. I shook my head and turned my gaze elsewhere; in this case, the viewport. The Marauder floated in empty space somewhere between Coruscant and Pabu, a decent medium. I nearly scoffed with disbelief as my thoughts rewinded back in time.

Fern will never let that day go, will she? Despite all we've been through...it just lives rent-free in her mind, when she could be relieving herself a lot of unnecessary stress.