He tapped the armrest with his fingers, the datafeed reflecting the green numbers across the black of his eyes.  He could hear the accountant as they prattled  on.  The Rodian was upset about the loss of one of their biggest clients and how it would effect operations in the core.  He tented his fingers on the table, leaning forward.  

"It's not the first regime change we've seen."  He spoke quietly.  "And if you recall, those sort of things tend to be rather lucrative for us in the long run."  The Rodian paused, tilting his head at the man.  

"When wars end, weapons stop selling, sir." He tapped out a command on his datapad, pulling up yet another spreadsheet.  "And we've got thirty thousand units to Foxtrot Oscar specs waiting for pickup."  

Muz let a smile cross his face slowly.  "When the Empire fell, people thought that was the end of it, didn't they?"

"Well, yes."  

"And yet, it was only what, a dozen years before we had bucketheads marching again?"  He sat back, watching the Rodian's expression change.  

"You have a point there.  But a dozen years is a long time to sit on merchandise."  

"Do you think that the First Order sprang out of nothingness?"  He laughed.  "That the Empire vanished because the Emperor seemed lost?"  He waited a beat, turning his seat back and forth slightly.  "No, Kam.  Left to their own devices, no supply chain to speak of, they operated continuously, an extension of their old ways."  He leaned forward, staring at him.  "People don't change."

"Sir?"

"Somewhere, Kam.  Somewhere there is a former Commander with a garrison of stormtroopers suffering through a shortage of magazines.  Somewhere else, there is a would-be warlord, looking to get fresh blasters for recruits."  He cleared his throat, leaning in.  "Somewhere else there are people who want to pretend that they are those people."  He paused, tapping the side of his head with a finger.  "We just need to make sure they all know how to call us."

It took Kam a moment to let it sink in, before his head rushed through a series of nods.  "I can get a hold of Mick, Thrima, maybe even Axi, reach out to the usual backchannels..."

Muz raised a hand, interrupting him.  "Axi won't go anywhere near the cogs, you know that.  Besides, we have her taking those stims out into the Caldera this week."

"Well, we can call her in, make it worth her while..."

Muz shook his head.  "How long have you worked for me, Kam?"

"Sir?"

"How long, Kam?"

"Twelve, no, thirteen years."  He shifted in his seat.

"And have we ever had Axi Zorax come in here for anything?"  

He thought for a moment.  "No, I guess not."  

"Right.  She works better that way... *we* work better that way."  He punctuated the word with a finger poking the desk.  

"Yes, I just.  Well, I know..."

Muz leaned back, a slight sigh escaping his lips.  "You know what?"

He paused, rattling his fingers across the desk, the slender green appendages making a rather unsettling sound as he did.  "Well, she is a pretty girl, for a human... but it always seemed like you were trying to avoid..."

"Kam, you're great with numbers, but absolutely terrible with people."  He shook his head.  "Axi has many talents for slipping past blockades, and getting materials to places that people might not want them delivered.  There's a name for that kind of person..."

The Rodian's lips opened up, but Muz put a hand up to silence him.

"And that sort of person is not someone we should be seen to have open business arrangements with.  Not if we want to keep some of our other, more official contracts, isn't that true?"

"Yes sir."  He watched as Muz leaned forward.

"Well then."  He smiled a bit, the universe whispering in his ear.  "Come in"  The words came at the same moment that the knock at the door.  The door slipped open slowly, the young man with a crown of ground down horns and a flight suit slipping through.  

"Sir."  The young pilot reached a hand out.  "Sal Voracious. I wanted to thank you for..."  He stammered for a moment, eyes a brilliant shade of violet meeting his as he stood to shake his hand.  There was absolutely no mistaking it in person.  "Well, for all of the opportunities.  I would never have had..."

"Son, think nothing of it."  Muz smiled, noting the twitch in the Rodian's face.  "I saw the transcripts from the academy. We can certainly use a pilot of your skill.  Your callsign was 'Sledge' if I read correctly?"

"Yes sir, it's what they called me back where I grew up."  His eyes shifted quickly, back straightening.  

Muz resisted the urge.  "I read that you had a pretty rough go back there."

"I suppose so, sir."  He cleared his throat.  He opened his mouth to continue, then thought better of it.  

"Well, history has been unkind to many of us."  He clapped him on the shoulder.  "The important thing is that you're here with us now.  Kam?" 

"Sir?"  Kam looked up from his datapad. 

"Is that stim shipment ready for Axi?"  It wasn't so much a question.  "I'm going to take it to her drop location.  Where was the client?  See-pros or something like that?  I can't keep track of Caldera planets."

"Personally, sir?"  Kam questioned.  "You've never..."

Muz nodded as they walked toward the door.  "Come on son, there's someone I want you to meet."