“You’re the ones in charge, eh? Good, good. I don’t mind saying that we’re grateful to see you. Hardly enough provisions on board to last us three days. I don’t need so much, but the little one—”

“I believe the larger transports will offer adequate food for us all,” Cohmac said. Assuming they’re willing to share, and that the hyperspace lanes aren’t closed for too long. No point in worrying these people about it. “For now, get yourselves settled.”

Orla nodded her greetings but moved past Cohmac, back into the Vessel for reasons of her own. The travelers weren’t offended by her departure; Nan, in particular, looked delighted to have found people her own age. No wonder—Cohmac wasn’t familiar with Zabrak life spans, but Hague was at a minimum several decades older. Looking back and forth between Reath and Affie, Nan asked, “Are you both Jedi Knights, too?”

Affie made a sound that Cohmac decided not to interpret as rude. “Hardly. I’m the copilot on the Vessel.”

“I will be a Jedi Knight someday,” Reath said, “but for now I’m still a Padawan. A student in the ways of the Force.”

Nan lit up. “I’ve heard tales of the Jedi. Can you tell me more about your Order? How you learn to do the things you do?”

Curiosity about the Jedi was great in the frontier region, in ways both good and bad. Cohmac hoped they would make a good impression starting from this moment on. However, he suspected Nan’s interest had as much to do with Reath’s pleasant face as it did with the Jedi. Probably far more.

As older Jedi always did when observing such interactions between younger ones and outsiders to the Order, Cohmac mused, I fear someone will have to break it to her that the Jedi don’t—

Well. Let Reath deal with that if and when it arose.

Orla came to his side. “Listen, I know you have plenty to think about at the moment. Leading the group, organizing the refugees as they come on board—”

“Your point?” Cohmac asked.

Orla arched an eyebrow so sharply it could have cut. “My point is, you can delegate your other roles. You can’t delegate your knowledge of ancient artifacts. Dez has pointed out that this place is chock-full of ancient tech and even more ancient statues. With inscriptions. In unknown languages.” Orla pronounced all this in the same tone of voice she might’ve told a racing enthusiast about the Neutrino Angler in the hangar next door, or described holiday sweets to an excited child.

Even though Cohmac was usually more moderate in his enthusiasms…Orla had caught his attention. “Totally unknown languages?”

“One of them, at least, reminds Dez a little bit of Old Alderaanian. He could be wrong, though. An expert’s eyes would see much more.”