I managed to get myself out of the ejector seat and away from Vader.

I wasn’t sure if he had access to a working ship at this point—having been through a crash landing of his own and all—but he didn’t offer me a ride.

And I knew better than to ask.

I was just feeling so… lost. I mean, I’d sacrificed my ship for Vader, and he hadn’t even blinked an eye. He didn’t seem to care. The way he’d talked to me…his voice held the same contempt as when he’d almost killed me.

He didn’t see me at all, and maybe he never would.

Unless…I could track down the Skywalker kid. That seemed to be all he cared about.

I flashed back to that last exchange with Karbin, how Karbin had deduced Vader’s obsession was about more than the Death Star.

I needed to know more. And I probably should have known better than to ask Vader about it so baldly, I just thought…well, never mind what I thought.

For now, I needed a ship.

I trudged through the desert, resisting the urge to scratch my now swollen wasp-worm stings. My whole body prickled, like the wasp-worms were crawling all over my skin…ugh.

Maybe a ship could magically appear? Just this once?

That didn’t happen—but the next best thing did. Instead of a ship, a massive pile of fur appeared on the horizon—and he was waving at me.

BLACK KRRSANTAN:

GRAAAARGH!

APHRA:

Santy! Wow, you are a sight for sore eyes! I mean that in a good way, to be clear. Please don’t rip my arms off. Unless that will stop the wasp-worm stings from itching.

BLACK KRRSANTAN:

RAWWWWWR!

Black Krrsantan envelops Aphra in a bone-crunching hug.

APHRA:

Ow! Careful, I’ve been through a lot…aw, Santy. Good to see you, too.

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Oh, Mistress Aphra! There you are.

APHRA:

Trip, Beetee! You guys look better. Trip, how’d you get your arms back?

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Not important, Mistress Aphra! The more relevant information is this: Black Krrsantan did not manage to foil the rebels as you’d hoped when you called him for this mission. But he did… delay them.

BLACK KRRSANTAN:

RAAAWR!

APHRA:

[wheels turning]

Wait a minute—Solo and those other jerks. They’re still here?

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Indeed, mistress, they have not yet departed the planet! But we don’t know where the Skywalker organic has gotten to. I’m afraid Beetee and myself got a little too caught up in the excitement of battle!

BEETEE:

BLEEP BLEEP!

APHRA:

Hmm. I’m getting an idea—

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Oh, mistress, every time you say that, it ends disastrously.

APHRA:

Shh, Trip. My idea’s forming…percolating…almost there…

Suddenly Karbin’s ship crashes onto Vrogas Vas—Aphra and Co. can see it in the distance.

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Oh my! What a rude interruption of your idea percolation, Mistress Aphra.

APHRA: