“Relax, Kidi—I’m a great pilot,” Nien said. “I mean, nothing’s killed me yet.”
The Sullustan grinned, and Lokmarcha chuckled. Leia patted Kidi’s shoulder soothingly. She knew Nien was a good pilot—and she’d endured enough flights with Han Solo that the approach to Eladro City seemed smooth and easy.
The cockpit door opened and Antrot entered, seemingly unconcerned about the bumpy ride. The Abednedo tech stood behind them with his arms folded over his chest.
“You’d better strap in,” Kidi warned. “Our ship’s being flown by a lunatic.”
As if in response, the Mellcrawler bucked up and down in a sharp updraft. But Antrot stayed on his feet, not even uncrossing his arms. Leia peered at him. She hadn’t expected the tech to have such good balance.
Antrot saw her questioning look and pointed at his feet. “I have customized my boots with magnetic soles.”
“Customize my suit with magnetic everything, please,” Kidi said.
“Relax—we’re almost there,” Nien said, steering the Mellcrawler into a narrow canyon that looked as if some giant had created it by bringing an enormous ax down on Basteel’s surface. In the canyon walls on either side, Leia saw mountain dwellings carved out of the rock, surrounded by intricate and beautiful designs.
Nien eased the Mellcrawler into a slot in the mountainside ahead, activating the yacht’s floodlights. Antrot peered nervously out of the cockpit at the rocky ceiling a few meters above their heads.
“You didn’t say we were going into a cave,” he muttered. “I have claustrophobia.”
“Then you’ve picked the wrong planet, pal,” grunted Lokmarcha.
“It’s actually quite roomy in here,” Nien said as he peered down at a green-skinned alien waving glowing directional batons. “Plus it makes maintenance easier. The wind and ice do a number on any ships left out in the elements—up in the mountains your systems will freeze solid in a matter of days.”
“I suppose that would be advantageous,” Antrot said. “I hate rust even more than caves.”
“There you go, then,” Nien said. “Things are looking up already.”
“My contact has a home deeper in the city,” Leia said. “I think I’ve got the address figured out. I’ll try to set up and activate our beacon as part of my meeting. Major, I want you with me. The rest of you stay with the ship—Kidi, monitor communications in case we have to make a quick getaway.”
“Uh, about that, Princess…”
“What?” Leia asked, impatient with the Cerean tech’s unwillingness to deliver bad news. “Out with it, Kidi.”
“I know the codes for the Imperial military channels, but I can’t pick up any transmissions. I can monitor comlinks but not exterior communications from ships or installations. It must be all this rock.”
“Too much rock, and it’s right over our heads,” Antrot said unhappily.
“Relax, Antrot,” Leia said, thinking that the landing pad was beautiful—its walls and ceiling had been carved into a dizzying array of shapes and reminded her of a cathedral. “That ceiling’s been up there for centuries.”
“Since comlinks work, do we have to stay with the ship?” Nien asked, his dark eyes hopeful. “I always get good intel in bars. Besides, I’m thirsty.”
Kidi nodded eagerly. “Can we see the city?”
“We’re not tourists, you know,” grumbled Lokmarcha, which was enough to make up Leia’s mind.
“You can take a look around,” Leia said. “But stick together—and keep your comlinks handy.”
She tossed Nien a handful of credits, which the Sullustan snapped out of the air.
“First drink’s on me,” she said. “You’re buying the second one.”
“And the third?”
“Don’t have a third, flyboy.”
Nien grinned and saluted.
As the group moved deeper through the tunnels of Eladro City, Leia told the others about her contact on Basteel. His name was Bon Yoth, and he’d once been a part of the Alliance but resigned his commission after a disagreement with General Rieekan. Rieekan hadn’t told her what led them to part ways, but it had been clear that he was still upset about it years later. Still, he’d promised her, Yoth was no friend of the Empire.
Lokmarcha gave her a sidelong look and smirked, but that time everything she told them was true. It wasn’t likely that Yoth could be brought back into the rebel fold, but it was worth trying.
And if Yoth paid the price for their having drawn the Empire to Corva sector? Leia hoped she wouldn’t have to ask herself if that had been worth it or not.
The tunnels near the landing pad were wide, but kiosks built from plastic and reclaimed freight containers reduced the passage to a tight squeeze that left them bumping shoulders with everyone going the other direction. Lokmarcha had one hand on the butt of his holstered pistol, and Antrot was muttering in agitation at the cramped conditions.
“The bazaar’s just ahead,” Nien said. “I hope that four-armed bartender hasn’t been pinched by bounty hunters. Guy made a mean Novanian grog.”
“I hate these tunnels,” Antrot said. “Only vermin live inside holes in the rock.”
Many eyes turned their way.
“Maybe this would be a good time to keep your opinions to yourself,” Leia said, edging closer to Lokmarcha.
Nien flung an arm around the Abednedo tinkerer with a companionable grin.
“I’ll take you around my home tunnels on Sullust sometime,” he said. “They make this look like a palace. Ah, here we are.”
Antrot peered through his monocle at the maze of stalls, his distaste for caves momentarily forgotten.
“Oh!” he said. “Things!” And with that he took a hard left to pick through a vendor’s collection of mechanical gear.
A crowd of aliens of multiple species gathered around the tinkerer, haggling loudly and enthusiastically. Leia stopped, concerned that Antrot might be in danger—or might react badly to being hemmed in by so many bodies. But then a cheer went up—Antrot had bought his first item—and soon he was being led to the next booth like a visiting dignitary, happily inspecting the strange piece of gear he’d acquired.
“He’s fine,” Nien said. “Kidi and I will keep an eye on him.”
“All right,” Leia said, but she couldn’t help glancing over again as the Sullustan pilot and the Cerean communications specialist picked their way across the crowded chamber.
“We should go, Princess,” Lokmarcha said.
“Something wrong?” Leia asked.
“I don’t like crowds.”
“Don’t tell me you have a phobia, too.”
She tried to keep her voice light, but the Dressellian looked grim, his yellow eyes scanning the crowd restlessly.
“Too many potential threats to keep track of,” he said. “I swore to General Madine that I’d bring you back safe and sound.”
“I’ll be fine,” Leia said, simultaneously annoyed by the commando’s concern and impressed by his dedication to duty. “But you’re right—let’s keep moving.”
At first no one responded when Leia banged on the metal door to Bon Yoth’s house. She winced at how loud the clanging sounded in the narrow passages.
“We fly from one side of the galaxy to the other and he’s not home?” she said. But then they heard footsteps, and the door opened a few centimeters, revealing a pale human face.
“Who are you?” the man asked suspiciously.
Leia drew herself up to her full height—which wasn’t much, but she’d learned early that people who projected confidence and authority seemed much bigger than they actually were.
“Leia Organa,” she said, “of the royal house of Alderaan. Carlist Rieekan told me where to find you.”
“Oh, no,” Yoth said. “Carlist and I parted ways a long time ago. You’re not dragging me back into that madness.”
Yoth tried to shut the door, but Lokmarcha jammed his foot against it. After a moment’s struggle Yoth gave up and retreat
ed. The room contained a scattering of furniture and a fireplace. Lokmarcha looked around suspiciously, then indicated to Leia that it was safe to enter.
Yoth was only a few years older than General Rieekan but thinner and paler, as though the lack of natural light had sapped something from him. But his eyes were sharp, and bright with anger.
“I’ll tell you what I’ve told Carlist—no,” Yoth said. “I’m done fighting the Empire. You’re all kidding yourselves—no one can defeat the Imperial war machine. The best we can do is make our own communities better places while trying not to attract attention. That’s what I’ve done here. And it’s made more of a difference than you’ll make fighting your insane war.”
“You’re scared,” Lokmarcha sneered.
“Quiet,” Leia snapped.
But Yoth eyed the commando. “Of course I’m scared. If you’re not, you’re either a liar or a fool. So which is it?”
“I’m scared,” Leia said quietly.
Yoth and Lokmarcha stopped glaring at each other and looked at her instead.
“I’m scared all the time,” she said. “The Empire has so many warships and soldiers, and limitless credits. And what do we have? A ragtag fleet, not enough credits, and a bunch of fools. Fools like Major Lokmarcha and me who believe people should be able to live free of fear—and are willing to die to achieve that goal.”
Lokmarcha nodded at her, smiling slightly. But Yoth looked unmoved.
“That’s a stirring speech, young lady,” he said. “But I said no and I meant no. I’ve made my decision, and I’d ask you and my old friend Carlist to respect it.”
“Very well,” Leia said. “General Rieekan thought you’d say that. So he had a different request for you. We need your help sending a message.”
“What kind of message?” Yoth asked warily.
“This kind,” said Leia, unzipping her bag and wrestling the beacon out of it.
Yoth looked suspiciously at the silver sphere she held. Leia handed it to him and he examined it, then pressed a recessed button on its equator. A small antenna emerged from the center and began to rotate.
“A hyper-transceiver,” he grunted. “Haven’t seen one of these in a while.”
“But you know what it is,” Leia said.
“Of course I know what it is, child.”
Leia told herself to remain calm, giving Lokmarcha a warning look.
“What’s the message?” Yoth asked.
“We’re gathering starships at a rendezvous point in this sector,” she said. “Looking for crews who’ll support our cause.”
“What rendezvous point?”
Leia weighed how to answer that one, aware of Lokmarcha’s eyes on her. They wanted the Empire to find out about Operation Yellow Moon but not all at once.
“I think it’s safer for you not to know that,” she said.
“Fair enough.”
“Now that you know what it is, can you tell us where we should place it? It has to be somewhere its transmissions can be received but the Empire won’t find it for a few days at least.”
Yoth pointed at the fireplace, where a few embers were still glowing feebly.
“I don’t think that’s going to work,” Leia said. “The Empire would find it immediately.”
Yoth laughed.
“Not in the fireplace,” he said. “Up the chimney. It feeds into a network of vents and tunnels that eventually emerge among the peaks. Smugglers use them for dead drops. You can place it in the caves. But you’ll need to get up a kilometer or so for the signal to reach the surface.”
“A kilometer?” Leia asked doubtfully.
“It’s not a tough climb,” Yoth said. “Just takes a while. See for yourself.”
Leia crouched on the hearth and opened the flue, ducking as soot rained down on her. The chimney was less than a meter wide, hacked out of rough stone that left plenty of handholds and toeholds.
She finished her inspection and turned to Lokmarcha, who had also crouched down to consider the route.
“How long do you think it will take to climb up and then back down?” Leia asked the Dressellian.
“Oh, no,” Yoth said. “That’s a one-way trip. You’re not coming back here after placing that thing. You keep going all the way up and signal your ship to get you on the surface. We never saw each other, understand?”
Leia looked at Lokmarcha, who shrugged.
“Not my idea of a fun afternoon, but we can handle it.”
“Except we’ll need to take Kidi and Antrot up there with us,” Leia said.
“All four of us?” Lokmarcha asked. “That seems dangerous. Kidi’s brave, but she’s a civilian. And the tinkerer will fall before we get ten meters up. Or panic and start foaming at the mouth like a Sparingian dire hound.”
Leia shook her head. “I want Antrot because I’m not climbing up that little pipe and finding out the beacon’s malfunctioned. And we need Kidi to enter the codes. Plus we might get to the top of the mountain and discover a comlink’s not powerful enough to reach the Mellcrawler.”
“They’re not trained for this,” Lokmarcha said unhappily.
“We’ll all just have to do the best we can,” Leia said. “Go find Kidi and Antrot in the bazaar and bring them back here. And tell Nien the plan.”
Lokmarcha shrugged. “Your wish is my command, Princess.”
ANTROT REACTED WITH HORROR when they told him that they planned to ascend into the darkness above Bon Yoth’s dwelling, but Kidi assured the tinkerer that it would be like climbing a ladder and promised she’d stay right with him.
“If the success of the mission depends on it, then I suppose I have to,” Antrot said miserably.
“It might,” Leia said. “Thank you, Antrot.”
“I’ll go first,” Lokmarcha said. “Then the princess, then the tinkerer, and Kidi last.”
“No,” Leia said. “You lead and I’ll take the rear. I’ve got more weapons and survival experience than Kidi or Antrot.”
“But you’re—” Lokmarcha began, then stopped and nodded. “No, you’re right. Me, Antrot, Kidi, then you.”
Lokmarcha strapped a lamp to the muzzle of his rifle with a length of bonding tape, then slung the weapon over his shoulder. He aimed the light up the hole, grunted unhappily, then shrugged.
“If anyone up there wants to take a shot at us they’ll have a perfect target,” he said. “But it’s not like they’d miss in that small a space anyway. All right, let’s go.”
The Dressellian clambered up into the chimney and disappeared. Antrot had found a headlamp in one of his many pockets and secured it before following, with the bag carrying the beacon strapped to his back. Kidi went next, looking almost as miserable as the tinkerer.
“Good luck,” Bon Yoth said.
Leia nodded and reached up into the chimney. It was loud in the enclosed space, and she could see Antrot’s light moving back and forth, outlining Kidi’s long arms and legs.
She reached up, feeling for handholds, and levered herself into the chimney until her toes found purchase. It was cool and dim inside, and narrow enough that she could rest by bracing her back against one side of the tube and pressing her feet against the other.
Long way to the top, though.
Bon Yoth closed the flue, leaving her in darkness. She looked up and saw Kidi a few meters above her. Higher up the chimney she made out the form of Antrot, spotlighted by his headlamp when he peered down at them.
“We’ll need a stable surface to set up the beacon,” Leia called up to Lokmarcha, her voice echoing hugely in the shaft. “And we’ll have to verify we’re in communications range of the surface.”
“Why not just set up the beacon on the mountaintop?” Kidi asked.
“Because the Empire will find it too quickly,” Leia said, climbing after her. “Yoth said there was a warren of tunnels up above. We’ll find a place.”
“But what if he was wrong?” Antrot asked, breathing hard. “What if the tunnel gets too narrow? What if we
get stuck?”
“Then we climb back down and blast him for lying to us,” Lokmarcha said.
“That’s no reason to shoot someone,” Kidi said.
“Can you two not have this argument right now?” Leia asked. “Just keep going.”
She quickly discovered the disadvantage of being last in line: every little bit of dust and rock dislodged by the others came raining down on her. It got in her eyes and nose, forcing her to stop and blink furiously. And she was all too aware of the drop below her. If she fell, she’d batter herself against the sides of the tunnel.
And the same thing would happen if one of the three people above her fell, she reminded herself as Antrot slipped, catching himself only after kicking Kidi in the head. Leia was breathing hard now, her arms and legs were aching, and her fingertips were tender from scraping at the chimney walls and being stepped on by Kidi.
Everybody’s tired, she told herself. If you complain, Kidi and Antrot will lose heart. So keep going.
“We’re at an intersection,” Lokmarcha called down to them.
About thirty meters above her, a low tunnel bisected the vent. Leia clambered up after the others, exhaling gratefully. The tunnel wasn’t high enough for her to stand, but she was able to rest. Lokmarcha grinned while Kidi and Antrot just sat there, breathing hard.
“How far do the tunnels go?” Leia asked, peering past the others into the gloom.
“Farther than my lamp,” Lokmarcha said, letting the light attached to his gun play along the walls of the rocky passageway. “Typical lava tube—”
“Shhh,” Leia said. “I heard something.”
Kidi looked around fearfully while Antrot strained to see down the tunnel. Lokmarcha got on one knee, gun pointed into the darkness.
“It’s your imagination,” the Dressellian said.
“No, I hear it, too,” Kidi said.
The sound was very faint—a distant, dry scrabbling.
Like claws on rock, Leia thought, trying to spot movement beyond Lokmarcha’s light. Whatever was making that noise could see them perfectly well, she knew.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” she said.
“Whatever that is, it doesn’t have an A-280 rifle—or know how to use it,” Lokmarcha said, patting his blaster. “Let’s keep going.”
Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure Page 5
