Metara shook her head. “I’ll go with you. Terae and the others can attach the charge.”
Sian lifted her brows and nodded toward the seismic charge floating patiently on its repulsor. “You want us to put the explosive into place while you go inside the thing we’re planning to blow up?”
“Yes.” Leia wet her lips. “When you put it that way, it does sound impractical,” she admitted. “But I plan to be out of there with Han and Kifar before it goes off.” She hoped.
“I should go with you. It’s not going to take all of us to place the charge,” Sian said. She was watching Metara carefully, as if she expected an objection. Leia was getting the distinct impression that Sian didn’t think much of their Alderaanian allies’ trustworthiness, and that Han and Kifar being captured on Terae’s watch hadn’t exactly helped any. She was clearly worried that Leia might be the next casualty unless Sian went with her. “If Solo and Kifar are hurt, you’ll need help getting them out.”
“And me,” Terae said. Sian stared at her pointedly. Terae flushed self-consciously. “I was with them. It’s my responsibility that they were caught.”
At least Terae was acknowledging it. Leia wasn’t sure how far she trusted Terae, but the woman did seem to have a strong sense of responsibility, though her loyalty to Metara obviously took precedence.
But Sian was right: Han and Kifar might need to be carried out. If they’re still alive, Leia thought, and ignored the tight feeling in her stomach. Viest had taken them for a reason, and if she intended to kill them, she would surely make a spectacle of it. Leia had half expected to find them in the arena already. She checked the time on her comlink again and suppressed a curse. They were already off schedule, and the time was ticking down to when Anakaret was due to send her transmission. “All right, we’ll leave four crew members to set the charge, and the rest of us will head for the control center.”
Metara confirmed that order with a nod, then looked up at the control center. “We need a distraction,” she said. “Something to get their attention, so we have time to search for the prisoners. I’d really like to be out of there before the charge goes off. It isn’t powerful enough to destabilize this cavern, but we don’t know what it’s going to do to those interior passages.”
Sian didn’t look entirely happy about having Terae included in the rescue party, but she didn’t make any objections. She pivoted, studying the upper part of the chamber. “You think any of those drillers have power left? If we turned one on, aimed it below the control center … Except how stable is that seismic charge? Would something like that set it off?”
“I adjusted the impact sensors when I installed our timing device,” Terae said. “Just a rumble or a vibration won’t do it—it would have to be a direct hit on the charge.” She frowned up at the driller. “Though those things must make a pretty big rumble.”
Leia didn’t think it was practical. They didn’t even know if any of the drillers or core borers up there still had active power cells, or if their parts had been looted by scavengers. But as she looked back down at the platform for ideas, she realized just what project the technician had been working on. “Or … Terae, how are you at programming droids?”
Lying on its side in the repair area was the large mining droid that Viest had used in her game. Its control module segment was turned to face up, and its ocular devices stared emptily at nothing. Leia knew her feeling was completely irrational, but it still seemed to her that mad hatred emanated from those powered-down sensors. The technician had already removed the armored panels damaged by the crusher and dented by Han’s lifter. One drilling arm had been taken off, but the exposed components looked newly installed, with jury-rigged cabling hanging out.
Terae followed her gaze, frowning. “I’m all right, but Allian is better at it.”
Metara didn’t seem any more thrilled than Leia was to be encountering the droid again. “The thing was clearly … I suppose you can’t call it insane …”
“No, it was definitely insane,” Leia said.
“Even if its programming functions are disturbed, I can still make it do what we want,” Allian said. He sounded completely confident.
Metara glanced at him. “You’d better be right, Allian.”
Allian seemed more encouraged by that than daunted. “I’m certain, Captain. Fera, come help me.”
Leia, Metara, Sian, and Terae used the lift tube shafts to go upward toward the control center. Taking repulsors from the technician’s work area, they moved through a dark vertical maintenance passage that paralleled the main shaft. Leia’s handlight caught water dripping down the stained rock, and cool air that smelled strongly of damp rot flowed down from above; a major part of the ventilation system must be somewhere above them. She heard a faint rumble of machinery deep in the rock, and drops rained down on her, landing on her head and running into the back of her jacket.
They had left Allian working on the droid and Fera leading the other crew members around the side of the central cavern to place the seismic charge just below the control center. Leia knew they didn’t have much time.
Above her, Metara slowed to a stop, and Leia drew even with her to see an access panel set into the rock. Metara felt around the edge until she located the release. She whispered, “From the position of the lift tube, this will open somewhere toward the center of the control area. It might open right into the middle of Viest’s quarters, or into a group of guards.”
Leia grimaced in frustration and flashed her light upward. She could tell the gravity was heavier here, close to normal, and their little repulsors were straining against it. Above them, the shaft narrowed and split into vents and small passages that must be for maintenance droids. She caught movement and jerked her blaster up, but it was a tiny cleaning droid, climbing around the outside of the passages, trying in vain to soak up the dripping water. No help there. “We have to risk it.”
Terae and Sian arranged themselves on one side of the hatch, and Leia and Metara took the other. Metara whispered, “Go!”
Terae blasted the hatch release, and Sian used her repulsor to knock the panel open. Metara propelled herself through, and Leia dived after her.
They landed in an almost empty room, littered with a few piles of looted parts and some chairs and couches so old and battered they might have come from the original mining company. Someone had been sleeping on one, and he rolled off and hit the floor, making a garbled noise of surprise.
It was the Aqualish. He lifted his hands in surrender. “Don’t shoot!”
There were two hatches at opposite ends of the room, one shut and one open to a gallery that looked down on the big shaft and the bridge that crossed it back toward the asteroid’s docking ring. Leia switched off her repulsor, careful not to take her attention off the Aqualish. Metara motioned sharply for Terae to cover the open hatch to the bridge. Sian switched off her own repulsor and eased forward to hook the blaster out of the Aqualish’s holster.
The Aqualish stared at them, and Leia expected him to ask what they were doing here. Instead he said, “I’ve no quarrel with you. Just stun me and go on with your business.”
Metara started to lift her blaster.
“Wait,” Leia said.
Metara frowned. “What?”
Leia stepped forward. “What’s your name?”
The Aqualish’s cheeks wrinkled, possibly a sign of bemusement. “Call me Andevid.”
“Andevid, I’m Leia, and that’s Captain Metara, and Terae and Sian.”
Andevid nodded to the others. “So you always make introductions before you stun somebody? Sounds like an awkward custom.”
“It would be,” Leia agreed. The weak point of their new plan was the part where they burst in on Viest with no idea where she was holding Han and Kifar or how many guards were with her. They didn’t have time to get into a hostage standoff, and if Andevid would cooperate, they might be able to get close enough to avoid one before Viest knew what had happened. “But instead of us stu
nning you, why don’t you help us?”
Andevid tilted his head, studying her closely. He seemed intrigued. “Why should I?”
“Because Viest has two of our people, and we want them back,” Leia explained. “Then we want to get away from this mine, and to do that, we have to make sure Viest isn’t in any shape to stop us.” She added, “And you’ve never sounded like somebody who had a lot to lose.”
“Hmm.” Andevid considered. “What do you want? I’m not going to get in a blaster standoff for you. I’d rather just sit here and get stunned.”
Leia’s and Metara’s comlinks were on the same frequency, and Leia felt three faint but deliberate clicks from it in her jacket pocket. That was Fera’s signal that the charge was in place and the timer running. Metara glanced at Leia to make certain she had gotten the signal, too, and Leia nodded. She said to Andevid, “Just take us in to Viest. Say we tried to get out of the bay past the guards and demanded to see her, so you brought us here.”
Andevid frowned. “But what do I get out of it, except a nice slow death from Viest if it goes against you?”
“You get out of here, too,” Metara said. “A ride to a planet with a good spaceport, where you can make your own way.”
Andevid didn’t react, didn’t give anything away. It occurred to Leia that he had probably had a great deal of experience in concealing his emotions from Viest. He watched her a moment more, then snorted. “If you leave Viest alive, just make sure you kill me first.”
Han thought fast, aided by the fact that Viest was absently tapping the mining probe against her thigh. Stalling had become an urgent priority. “All right, so the Falcon’s my ship,” he said. “But why destroy a perfectly good freighter when we could make a deal?”
Viest seemed amused. “I know you’re with the Rebel Alliance. You didn’t come here to make a deal.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure interested in making a deal now.” His right shoulder cramped, and he didn’t try to conceal his grimace of pain. “I work for the rebels, lady, but I’m not one of them.”
She looked at Itran. “Is that true?”
Itran eyed Han narrowly. “That’s what I’ve always thought. He’s just a scrounger, there for whatever scraps he can pick up from the rebel ships.”
Han was pretty sure that was what Itran actually thought, and not him trying to back Han’s play. This would be easier if he had any clue how much Itran had told Viest already. Itran was acting all huffy and outraged, as if he hadn’t said anything and Han was the one playing both sides. That made it twice as hard to even play one side.
Viest seemed intrigued. “So what sort of deal are we talking about?”
This was the part where Han was going to have to get creative. “I can give you intel on the new Alliance base. It’ll be in this sector, close to Arnot Station.”
Itran frowned, startled. Viest stepped closer, staring hard at Han. She tapped the probe against his chest, and every muscle in his body tensed. “And is that why the rebels were so anxious to help these scheming little merchants?”
“ ’Course it is. They don’t have any other reason to come to this backwater.”
Viest’s brow furrowed. “You’re lying.”
Uh-oh, Han thought.
Then the door in the far wall slid open.
All the pirates twitched, startled, hands going to weapons, and Viest spun around. “What is this?”
Coming through the hatch was the big Aqualish, and following him were Leia and Metara. Han swore under his breath. They weren’t armed, but clearly Viest hadn’t expected to see them.
Viest stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. She slid the mining probe back into its sheath and let her hand rest on her blaster. Han saw Leia’s gaze flick toward him and then over to Itran, but her expression stayed cool.
“Why did you bring them here?” Viest asked the Aqualish.
The Aqualish shrugged. “They shoved their way out of the docking bay, wanted to see you. So I told them it was on their heads.”
Viest didn’t like that answer. Clearly suspicious, she said, “Why didn’t you use the comm and call me?”
That was a good question. Han looked at Leia again, but she didn’t betray anything, not even a flicker of unease. Metara looked stiff, but then she usually did. Sullen and bored, the Aqualish said, “Didn’t know I needed an appointment.”
Viest ignored him, her gaze moving from Leia to Metara and back. “It’s just as well,” she said, and smiled. “I wanted to see you two. I’ve been chatting with one of your people.” She glanced back at Han. “Oh, don’t try pretending you don’t know who he is. I know his name is Han Solo, and that he came here on your ship.”
Metara’s jaw tensed; even Han saw that tell, and Viest couldn’t possibly have missed it. But either Leia wasn’t surprised, or she was just too tough to show it. Han was betting on the latter. Still cool, Leia said to Viest, “Then you know we’d like him back. We can still be reasonable about this.”
No, we really can’t, Han thought, and tried to catch Leia’s eye. He considered just yelling out that the Falcon was in orbit, but he had no idea what kind of game Leia was playing. Itran kept his mouth shut, too, just watching the confrontation. Too bad he hadn’t kept his mouth shut earlier.
Viest strolled forward until she was within a pace of Leia. “You talk as if you’ve got an unseen weapon aimed at my head.”
“You’re very perceptive.” Leia considered her thoughtfully. Han hoped she wasn’t bluffing. Her expression hardened just a trace. “So let him down.”
“Oh, not quite yet.” Viest’s gaze moved over Leia’s face, as if searching for something. “I always wanted to meet an Alderaanian Princess.”
Han rolled his eyes and shook his head. He wanted to live long enough to kill Itran—that was all he was asking here. If they died in the next moment, he just hoped Leia knew he wasn’t the one who had talked.
Metara’s indrawn breath was clearly audible. The woman would make a terrible sabacc player. All Leia did was lift a brow and nod slightly, as if awarding Viest a point in the game they were playing. “When did you find out?”
Viest smiled, arch and sardonic and clearly enjoying the situation. She obviously wanted to make Leia show fear. But Leia had faced down Darth Vader; Han figured Viest didn’t have a chance. “That I had such a famous guest? I just read it off you.”
Leia let a trace of amusement cross her expression. “I don’t think so. You’re good, but you’re not that good.”
Metara stepped forward, closer to Viest, as if trying to stand between her and Leia. “Why do you care? Everyone here has a past. Why does it matter to you?”
Viest threw her an angry look. “I care because you lied to me. And because the rebels were hired to break up my business.”
Metara’s brow furrowed. “What?”
“She lied to you, too?” Viest laughed. “When I first heard about an Alderaanian gunship stuck in a repair dock, I thought you’d be a good tool, but obviously I’m not the first to use you.”
Leia cut in, telling Metara, “I came here to buy supplies from a merchant consortium. They wanted to raise money to defend their ships, but Viest knows that.” She eyed the flightmaster. “We knew there was a traitor among the merchants, but you have information that could only have come from an Imperial source.” She folded her arms. Han was pretty certain she had a blaster tucked inside her jacket, but the problem was Viest would probably guess that, too. “How many of the ships that dock here know you trade intel with the Empire? How many have you sold out to Imperial patrols and customs?”
Leia paused a beat, clearly waiting for all the avidly listening pirates to absorb that idea. Managing to sound somewhat disappointed in Viest, she added, “I never saw you as an Imperial lackey, but maybe I’m a poor judge of character.”
Viest obviously didn’t like the direction the conversation was going. “I don’t give a damn about the Empire, and I certainly don’t take orders from them.” She tried to keep her exp
ression controlled, but her gaze hardened, her anger so intense not even her Lorrdian training could hide it. “So you admit you’re here to help some ignorant merchants ruin what took years to build.”
“Their trade took years to build, too,” Leia said. “And you know all about survival at any cost, don’t you? You can understand why they have to fight you.”
“Those soft, planetbound grubbers don’t know anything about survival.” Viest stepped closer to Leia. “I took this place from Ingan dire Stane, a Zygerrian slaver, and it took years of crawling and begging and making myself his pet before he gave me enough time and freedom to take over. He never guessed what I was really after, not until the moment I cut his throat. No one will take it from me, especially not some little Princess from a dead planet.”
Furious, Metara shoved Viest back. Every pirate tensed. Han looked at all those blasters aimed at them and thought, I hope you have a better plan than this, Your Holiness.
Leia lifted her hands. “Let’s be calm. We came here to talk—”
“No, you didn’t.” Viest stared, reading something from Leia’s expression that Han couldn’t see. “You’re waiting for something.” She stepped back and ordered the pirates, “Kill them—”
That was when something huge, metal, and angry slammed into the port with a crash that made the floor vibrate.
CHAPTER TWELVE
FINALLY, LEIA THOUGHT. Did the blasted thing swing by Coruscant before it climbed up here? The droid’s ocular devices glared, somehow radiating savage fury despite the fact that they were only metal and lenses. Spidering cracks shot through the transparent port, and the droid’s drilling arm punched through with a crash and an ear-piercing whine. The horrified pirates fired their blasters at it, which was absolutely the wrong thing to do.
As Viest reflexively drew her blaster, Leia lunged for her, twisted the blaster out of Viest’s grip, and slammed a punch into the woman’s face. Viest staggered and fell back. Leia hesitated, but Viest lay still. Well, that wasn’t very satisfying.