A While Later

An ancient Naboo Royal Cruiser equipped with coveted artillery and a painted surface so black it looked invisible against the blackness of space sat a good distance away from a planet whose surface was a drab grey color.

In the spacious cockpit, a woman sits alone. Her legs, outfitted in black leggings and dark leather boots, are crossed. One leg slowly bounces with anticipation.

A fair-skinned hand adorned in golden rings taps the armrest, casually but deliberately.

Her chest, clad in a close-fitting long-sleeved black shirt and swathed in a thick black wrap made from a subtly shimmering cloth, rises and falls in a sigh.

Her lips, red with coloring, purse.

The transmission was taking too long. And then, she heard the beep.

She leaned forward, pressing a button on the console before her, and a hologram came into view.

The hologram was of a bounty hunter, her face hidden behind a solid black mask with goggles over the eyeholes. Her body was clad in ill-fitting pieces of armor that looked they had been scavenged from junkyards spread throughout the galaxy. A hefty two-barreled blaster that she had to carry with two hands rested in her grip.

“The perimeter forces are taken care of m’lady. We’re ready to move in.”

The woman leaned forward, her fingers pressed together in silent jubilation.

“You know what you’re supposed to do. Bring me the jewels.”

“Yes, boss.”

The hologram disappeared and the woman leaned back in her seat, immensely pleased with herself. She looked at the ring on her right hand with the Crimson Dawn symbol staring back at her as a simple reminder of how far she had come.

From the pitiless streets of Corellia to the finer dwellings throughout the galaxy reserved only for bosses or feared thugs of the criminal underworld.

Qi’ra smiled.

Han had dreamed of a better life. To travel among the stars and never have to answer to anybody again. Qi’ra was living that dream. It almost brought a joyful tear to her eye just thinking about it. Almost…