Living on a ship with others is a strange experience. It’s a finite space, somewhat cramped, and requires sharing various facilities like the sonic shower, food preparation area, laundering, and restroom facilities.

  Sharing these with two attractive females my age? Well, it can be... problematic.

  Retra, for one, has super-strong robotic hands that can easily rip a door handle off if she’s not careful. Or open the lavatory door if the latch didn’t click properly, without breaking it. Which is exactly what happened the other day. I found myself caught with my pants down.

  I’ve been avoiding her ever since, out of embarrassment.

  "Roan!" Retra waves as I enter the room with the replicator, her voice cheery as always.

  "Oh, hey, Retra," I respond, deliberately not meeting her gaze.

  "Pfft, it’s not that bad, Roan. So she saw you squatting on the pot," Teya mocks, clearly enjoying this far more than she should.

  "Oh, I saw more than that," Retra winks, her smile widening as she adds fuel to the fire.

  The heat in my face spikes, and I can feel the flush creeping up my neck. I really don’t need them both remembering that moment.

  I clear my throat. "Well, that’s a... great way to start the day."

  Teya chuckles. "Starting the day, huh? I didn’t realize that was part of your routine."

  "Yeah, well, some routines come with... consequences," I mumble, looking for any way to change the subject.

  Retra leans in, eyes glinting with mischief. "Don’t worry, Roan. It’s a small ship. Eventually, you’ll learn that we're all a little... exposed."

  I sigh, wondering how I’m going to make it through this journey without more embarrassing moments. The space between us might be small, but my sense of privacy is quickly shrinking.

  "Anyway," I say, trying to regain some semblance of dignity, "What’s for breakfast?"

  "Blue milk yogurt and an assortment of fruits," Teya answers, setting the dishes down on the table.

  "Nice, fruit pairs well with blue milk's sweetness and yogurt’s general flavor," I remark, taking in the spread. The combination is simple, but it’s comforting.

  Retra nods. "It's a favorite of mine."

  It suddenly occurs to me how little I actually know about them, beyond the basics of our shared history. I only know Teya as a child from the Order, who remained there until its fall. And Retra—she was adopted by a Night Mother and sent to pose as a Sith Inquisitor until our paths crossed.

  "I just realized, I know so little about you both. What’s your favorite color?" I ask, my curiosity piqued.

  "Green, and purple is my second favorite," Retra answers proudly, causing a deep purple blush to spread across Teya’s face.

  "Um... Silver," Teya replies hesitantly, her voice almost a whisper.

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  I can’t help but smile as I make the connection. Their favorite colors match their skin tones. Teya’s green, sometimes purple, and Retra... well, in certain lights, her skin has this metallic sheen to it, almost silver.

  "What?" they both almost ask in unison, looking at me with curious expressions.

  "It’s nothing. Just an observation," I grin mischievously. "Teya is green but sometimes purple, and Retra, in some lights, looks kind of silver."

  They both freeze for a second, clearly caught off guard.

  "That’s..." Retra starts, blinking a few times as she processes what I said. "A rather keen observation I hadn’t considered," she finishes, unfazed, but with an intrigued look in her eyes.

  Teya, on the other hand, looks a little embarrassed, her cheeks flushed. "I—uh—didn’t think it was that obvious."

  "It’s not obvious, but it’s interesting," I tease lightly, taking a bite of my breakfast. “I guess it’s just another thing that ties us all together.”

  There’s a brief silence as they both process this, before Retra nudges Teya. "See, Teya? You’re not so weird after all."

  Teya rolls her eyes but smiles, clearly warming to the easy conversation. "I guess we’ve all got our... quirks."

  I nod in agreement. "Yeah, and maybe that’s what makes us work as a team."

  We share a quiet moment of understanding, each of us settling into the idea of spending time together, getting to know each other better. And for the first time in a while, I can almost feel the weight of the future lift just a little bit.

  I continue, pushing a bit further into the conversation. "Teya, what's your favorite food?"

  She deflates slightly, her shoulders slumping as if the question has brought up memories she hadn’t thought about in a while. "I'm not sure," she admits, her voice quiet. "We weren't allowed meat as Padawans, and the selection we were given was bland. I'll admit, I ate whatever I could to survive after Order 66, but I don’t really recall truly enjoying the taste of any particular thing."

  I can see the sorrow in her eyes, the weight of the past pressing down on her once more. It’s easy to forget that before this, before all the chaos and fighting, she was just a child caught in the wake of a galaxy-shattering event.

  She gives a small, almost reluctant smile. "This blue milk yogurt is pretty good, though."

  I nod in understanding, trying to ease the tension in the air. "It’s simple, but sometimes the simplest things are the best."

  Retra, who has been quietly observing, adds with a playful smirk, "You’ve got a good taste in food, Teya. Can’t go wrong with yogurt, especially when it’s blue milk."

  Teya chuckles, but it’s soft, almost shy. "Yeah, it’s nice to have something familiar... something that feels a little normal."

  The conversation shifts back to a more comfortable pace, and I can’t help but feel like we’re beginning to understand each other a little better. This moment, simple as it is, feels like a small victory, like we’re starting to carve out a space for ourselves among the stars.

  "What about the Force?" I ask. "What does it mean to you? And why do you seek strength?"

  Retra shrugs nonchalantly. "A necessary tool to protect those I care for... and to find true love."

  "Pfft, true love? Really?" Teya laughs, clearly amused.

  I frown, feeling the weight of the remark. "That's mean, Teya. Since you think her reason is poor, what's yours?"

  Teya hesitates, her shoulders slumping. "Uh..."

  A faint memory from my childhood surfaces. I remember her proclaiming her desire to become a Jedi Master, to be a legend told for ages uncountable.

  "Is it the one you told me as a kid?" I ask, my voice softening.

  Teya’s face flushes a deep shade of violet. "No!" she shrieks, quickly denying it.

  "Oh..." I smirk, leaning in a little. "Then you won’t mind me telling Retra, right?"

  "Please no!" Teya protests, her voice high-pitched with embarrassment.

  "It won’t feel so bad telling her yourself. You were a kid after all, and it’s okay to be vulnerable sometimes. Especially when it’s with friends," I assure her gently.

  After a beat, Teya sighs, her shoulders drooping. "I wanted to be a legendary Jedi Master like Master Yoda, and the ones the Order told stories of," she admits quietly, her voice tinged with regret.

  "Hey, I get it," Retra says, patting Teya on the back. "You absorbed the propaganda. Everyone wants to be more than what they start out as."

  Teya turns to me, a bit of her old resolve creeping back. "What about you, Roan? What was your dream?"

  I pause, thinking back. "Originally, I wanted to prove the Order wrong. I wanted to be more, to be useful—not a burden. Now?" I shrug, a grim smile on my face. "I just hope I’m not some twisted Sith experiment, waiting to go wrong."