by Chelsey "Vape" Maxfield

"Ahhh," Vape sighed, kicking back and put her feet on the Fish Tank table, her chair carefully poised on two legs. This wasn't her normal behavior, but she was still drowsy so early in the morning. And someone had hacked the holochess board to display a cheery, flickering fire. And besides all that, it was the day before Life Day. It was time to relax and get into the holiday spirit.

She hadn't had her morning dose of colored fizzy water to wake her up, and watching those holo flames lick at her boots was contenting. Come to think of it...she was really quite tired. All those late-night patrols Ranger had foisted on her in revenge for...what had it been this time? Oh yeah, painting her ship in a tie-dye style. Defacing New Republic property, he had said. I have got to get my own ship..., Vape mused sleepily.

Angel muffled a chortle when she and Ranger walked into the Fish Tank. There her roommate was, quietly snoring away in her tie-dye flightsuit with her boots on the holo table.

Hearing a sudden intake of air, she saw Ranger swelling up in preparation for a good, loud reprimand.

She quickly shushed him, plans springing into her head. Hadn't she needed to get revenge on Vape for something? Yes. Yes, definitely. For something. She couldn't quite remember what, but that didn't matter. "Wait, sir. Please—allow me."

Ranger thought about putting Angel in her place for "shushing a superior," but he rather liked her mischievous grin. It didn't bode well for Vape. He looked at Vape's psychedelic flightsuit and shuddered. "Very well, Flight Officer Courtner. Carry on."

"Aye aye, sir." Angel winked roguishly and tiptoed over to Vape, who was now talking in her sleep.

"Hnn? Nah...too dull," Vape mumbled. "...more colors!...more, I say! Snrrrkzzzz!"

Angel savored the moment. Ahh, revenge is such fun! Supressing a gleeful giggle, she prodded Vape's ribs. Vape's excessively ticklish ribs.

"Eep!" Vape folded up like a TIE fighter smacking a mountain. Her chair crashed over backwards, and she tumbled out head over heels, clutching her side. "Hey!"

There was Angel, bent over with laughter, and there was Ranger. He was carefully expressionless, except for that muscle twitch at the side of his mouth that looked suspiciously like a suppressed grin.

Vape picked herself up and pointed at Angel vindictively. "You! Argh! I'll get revenge!"

Angel managed to stop laughing. She put on an innocent expression. "Revenge? But I was getting revenge. We're even now."

"That's not true!" Vape protested. "The last trick I played on you was revenge. We were even."

"Were we?" Angel frowned.

"Yeah! Er. Uh." Vape hesitated and scratched her head uncertainly. "Too many tricks! Too much revenge! Can't...keep...track. Oh, buggers. Fine. But now we're even!"

"Deal!" Angel smiled, glad that her roommate—and indeed, most of Red Squadron—could give and take jokes in good humor.

Vape righted her fallen chair and gazed about happily. "Look at all the Life Day decorations! Aren't they great? Not enough colors, perhaps, but cheery nonetheless."

"They have quite enough color, Lieutenant Maxfield!" Ranger replied, cringing at thoughts of what Vape's ideal decorations might be. "And as a matter of fact, I was just getting you and Angel together for two hours of nice sim time."

Vape sighed. Ahh, if only I had the restraint to stay on Ranger's good side.

Angel groaned and whispered to Vape. "Have you ever seen a more gleefully evil expression?"

Ranger stopped, coughed thoughtfully, and said, "On second thought, better make that four hours."

Ahh, if only Angel had the restraint to stay on Ranger's good side!

"YARGH!!" Vape yelped, when the three of them returned to the Fish Tank four hours later. "Oh...oh no!"

Angel and Ranger gaped at the once-tranquil and merry mess hall. It was covered with soot and smoldering debris. Thick smoke billowed out. The Life Day decorations were ashen ruins.

The bartender, Dargon Seyik, was in a furious state. "I take five minutes to visit the refresher and look what happens!"

"Was it sabotage?" Ranger demanded. "Have you called security?"

"I wish!" Dargon growled. "Then I could wring the cuprit's neck! But no—it was Yale's buggered astromech!"

"Cee-Four did this?" Ranger grimaced. Something had to be done about that droid.

"Oh...crud...," Vape whispered, paling. "It was my fault, sir."

"You?" Ranger locked an unpleasant gaze on the white-faced lieutenant. "You were with us in the sims."

"Yes, well..." Vape grinned sheepishly. "I wanted to make Life Day a real blast this year."

Ranger winced, knowing "blast" meant literally.

"I asked Cee-Four to dig up some fireworks," Vape admitted. "I told him to experiment at precisely ten today, because that's when Dargon always takes a five minute break. I—I told him 'the bigger, the better.' Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Vape winced and shied away from Dargon's belligerent stare. Ranger put his head in his hand, apparently despairing that someone could be so stupid as to say such a thing to Yale's pyromanical droid. Angel gaped at the black, streaky blast marks with perceptible awe.

Dargon could tell Vape's horror and regret were genuine, and he had more of a grudge against Cee-Four than against her. "Well, it didn't do that much damage, except for wiping out the decorations. Everything else was built to be pilot-, vandal-, and prank-proof."

Apparently prank-proof also meant explosion-proof.

"But the decorations," Vape protested sadly. "All the merriness and cheer of Life Day...gone."

"Hey," Angel reasoned. "Life Day is about giving, not decorations. They aren't that important—"

"Yes they are!" Vape wailed. "And it's my fault! I will find a way to make things right, I swear I will. Why, I know! I'll redecorate the entire Fish Tank all over again."

Ranger suddenly looked like his life had flashed before his eyes. "Argh— No! My eyes!"

"Yes!" Vape cried, enthusiastically, pushing everyone out. "By tomorrow, the Fish Tank will be as good as new, I promise!"

Zoom doubled up with laughter.

Ranger frowned. "Sir, I do not find this to be amusing. Imagine—the Fish Tank will be tie-dyed for Life Day! Every being that steps inside will be nauseas for weeks. If only I had stopped her before she locked the doors."

Zoom recovered sufficiently to pat Ranger on the shoulder. "Relax. I'm sure she'll come through. Vape is fairly artistic, you know."

Ranger grimaced. "That's what I'm afraid of, sir."

As all the real decorations were gone, the only means Vape found for decorating was paint. As if happened, she had cans of every color imaginable left over from the painting of her and Angel's quarters. The paint fumes had been overwhelming for a few days— She frowned. Paint fumes. That would explain a few things.

She shook her head. She didn't have time to waste ponder such things. Now that the cleaning druids had scrubbed the ash and soot out of the Fish Tank, she had work to do. The plans she had for the Fish Tank would take hours.

Rubbing her hands together gleefully, she grabbed a paint nostalgically dubbed "Rebel Flightsuit Orange." She grinned. "Hehehehe! Just wait until Ranger sees this!"

And then she stopped, suddenly sobered. "Life Day is about giving," Angel had said. She's right, Vape realized.

She set to work

It was Life Day morning, and Ranger stood at the entrance to the Fish Tank, not wanting to open the door. He was getting a headache just thinking about it.

"Well, come on," Angel pressed.

"Yeah, I want to see," someone else chimed in.

Ranger groaned. How evil of Vape to insist he lead everyone else inside. How utterly evil of Zoom to agree with Vape. Sighing as the crowed behind him fidgeted, Ranger put on his darkest shades and opened the door.

No sooner had he stepped inside, than everyone else pressed forward. Someone whistled. Confused because he hadn't been blinded, Ranger cautiously lifted his sunglasses.

Not only had the original decorations been replaced by painted versions, new ones had been added, each more intricate than the last. The colors were rich and vivid, but the only the traditional Life Day colors were evident, making for a very beautiful display. Even Ranger had to admit the sight was lovely to look upon.

"Look!" Angel said. "There's writing on the table."

On the largest table was written, "To everyone on the Morning Star, I wish a perfect Life Day. My home, my family, you're everything to me. I would gladly see naught but gray, without any color, bright or dull, if that's what it took to stay."

One of the Blues that didn't know Vape looked puzzled. "I expected something more profound."

Ranger stared at the words, and then said quietly, "Coming from Vape, that's probably the most profound thing you ever hear."

"Yeah," added Angel, "and look at all this. She didn't go color-crazy once!"

Zoom had been curiously peering under the table. Now he popped up, trying to hide obvious mirth. "Actually..."

"Huh?" Ranger ducked down to look. The underside of the table was awash with flamingly bright colors from every nanometer of the visible spectrum. Ranger reeled away. "Ah! My eyes!"

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