I regret us, Sana. Not that we were us. That I couldn’t let us continue to be us. That I couldn’t let myself be weak with you. That I left instead of telling you how much I cared.

Sana, I’m so sorry.

I…I don’t think I ever knew that you actually saw me. You knew I could be…everything. You blackmailed someone for me, for Void’s sake.

My sweet, studious Sana…I made this for you.

But you won’t hear it until I’m actually dead.

And if I have anything to say about it…that won’t be for a very long time.

[beat]

Okay, now end recording. For real this time.

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Well, mistress, now that we’ve rescued you—what’s next? We’re very excited for the next death-defying adventure! Hopefully there will be more murder this time, though…

BEETEE:

BLEEP BLEEP!

BLACK KRRSANTAN:

RAAAAAWRGGGH!

APHRA:

Thanks for the enthusiasm, boys. Now get me to the bacta tank. And get us out of here.

And…that was fun.

Let’s never do it again.

For Emily Woo Zeller—thank you for giving Aphra a voice

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It was an honor to write Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, chaos princess-adventurer and one of the best Star Wars characters ever. Thank you to my amazing editor, Elizabeth Schaefer, for believing I was the right person for the job and guiding me through every step with care. And to Nick Martorelli, audio producer extraordinaire, for making Aphra’s world come together so vividly.

Thank you to Emily Woo Zeller, who truly brought Aphra to life, and made us all laugh and cry and feel every possible emotion while doing so. And to the rest of the incredible cast—Jonathan Davis, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Sean Kenin, Nicole Lewis, Carol Monda, Euan Morton, Catherine Taber, and Marc Thompson—for giving such beautiful performances as characters both classic and new.

Thank you to Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca for creating an icon and giving me a wonderful tale to work with, and to the many great creators who have worked on Aphra over the years—especially Simon Spurrier, Alyssa Wong, Heather Antos, Jordan D. White, Leinil Francis Yu, Mike Deodato, and Jason Aaron. And to Jennifer Heddle, Matt Martin, Emily Shkoukani, and everyone at Lucasfilm and Del Rey for helping me make this book the best it could be. Thank you to Nicole Morano for handling several kerzillion publicity requests; to my agent, Diana Fox, for helping make my Star Wars dreams come true; and to all of Aphra’s many enthusiastic fans, who made this experience delightful.

Thank you to all the friends and family who have fed and enhanced my love of this franchise over the years. Special shout-outs to Jenn

Fujikawa, Amy Ratcliffe, Christine Dinh, Andrea Letamendi, Christy Black, Mel Caylo, Rebekah Weatherspoon, and Javier Grillo-Marxuach, who all contributed to this particular book in ways great and small.