I took my seat with as much dignity as I could muster, trying to smooth my rumpled clothes. As Sava Toob-Nix continued to drone on and on, I felt a prickle up the back of my neck. I turned ever so slightly and saw Sana Starros staring at me with those deep, dark eyes. Her gaze was so intense, so unwavering…it was like she was looking directly into my soul.

I might have blushed.

Ugh, recording—flag that bit for later deletion.

Even though I’d—we’d—totally humiliated Sava Toob-Nix in his classroom, I was still fully expecting him to pursue my expulsion. But he didn’t. And I didn’t even have to blackmail him! At least not that time.

I’m still not sure why he didn’t, though—he probably could have convinced the other higher-ups at the university that Chelli Lona Aphra and her undeniable lust for unsanctioned expeditions, general impertinence, and perpetual lateness needed to be tossed out on her backside.

Hmm. I just realized this isn’t really a story about me being stealthy—

it’s about me trying to be stealthy, causing a huge ruckus, and using my wits and charm to get out of it.

But that was also a skill that was going to serve the Dark Lord—in ways neither he nor I ever expected.

SCENE 7

EXT. GEONOSIS. DAY.

APHRA (narration):

Geonosis. Home of desert, droid carcasses, and…not much else. It’s so dry, so barren, so empty. Even the dust clouds must get bored.

When we touched down on the surface, I was immediately reminded of the planet my mother carted me off to in order to ensure the most dull of childhoods—like the armpit of the galaxy.

In Geonosis’s case, this sheer desolation was mostly due to the entire planet being sterilized at some point.

That said, I don’t think it was exactly a paradise before, either.

At least I wasn’t journeying to this wasteland alone. Can you believe that at one point in her oh-so-colorful life, Chelli Lona Aphra had a whole crew? Despite my disarming friendliness and overwhelming natural charisma, I’ve never been described as a “people person.”

Whenever I get “people”—like those fellow students I inadvertently pitted against each other when I romanced them simultaneously—it usually ends in yelling and tragedy. And sure, my “crew,” as it were, consisted of a murderous boss who did not like it when I questioned him or talked too much, and a pair of droids with enough firepower to blow the entire planet apart.

But still. A crew! This was a pretty major accomplishment. Teaming up with Vader was already way better than any gig I’d ever had—or at least I was determined to make it that way.