Free Razor's Edge: Star Wars (Empire and Rebellion) by Martha Wells Page A

Sian all drew breath to speak. Leia held up a hand to stop them and glanced at the door into the corridor. Two of the crew members who had escorted them up from the hangar bay still waited out there, facing away from the lounge. She took out her comlink and, keeping her voice very low, said, “
Gamble,
come in. What’s happening out there?”
    â€œPrincess, another ship just entered the system and is heading for us at attack speed.” Jerell sounded agitated. “It’s not Imperial, but we can’t read the ID and the sensors say it’s heavily armed.”
    â€œIt’s another pirate,” Han said.
    Sian was startled. “How do you know?”
    Han shrugged. “This sector is lousy with pirates. It might be a heavily armed root crop freighter coming to the other trader’s rescue, but the odds are against it.”
    Leia told Jerell, “Get the
Gamble
out of there. Head toward the station and dock.”
    â€œBut no, Your Highness, what about—”
    Leia cut across the protest. “You can come back for us later. We can’t risk the ship.”
    There was a hesitation at the other end, and Leia knew Jerell was checking with General Willard. “Blast it,” she muttered.
    â€œYou think this pirate is working with the
Aegis
?” Kifar asked. “I know that out in the Tingel Arm, they say pirates work in big groups, almost fleets.”
    â€œIt’s possible,” Han said, most of his attention on Leia and the comlink.
    Jerell replied, “Yes, Your Highness, we’ll take the ship into the station now.”
    Han sat back, visibly relieved, and Sian muttered, “Finally.”
    Leia agreed. She slipped the comlink back into her pocket as the forward blast door slid open. Kelvan stepped out and said, “Your Highness, Captain Metara has asked if you would please join her on the bridge.”
    Leia stood, and Han, Sian, and Kifar stood with her. Kelvan added, “Just you, please. For security reasons only.”
    Leia hesitated a beat, but Metara had still left them with their weapons. She turned to Han, whose expression suggested he thought they should perhaps use those weapons. She said, firmly, “Wait here, and don’t do anything rash.”
    Han lifted a brow. “Define rash.”
    Leia defined rash as just about everything Han did. “Just wait.“
    She followed Kelvan through some short corridors and onto a raised observation area above the
Aegis
’s bridge. Terae stood at the railing, watching the activity below with her brow furrowed in worry. Leia spotted Metara seated below at the comm station, wearing a headset and having what was obviously a tense conversation with whoever was on the frequency.
    Some of the consoles, including the weapons console, Leia noted, had been replaced with units and boards that didn’t match standard issue. She didn’t think they were repairs; she assumed they were tied into the ship’s augmented systems. They would have had to install controls for the tractor beam and whatever weapons systems had been added.
    From where she stood, she had a good view of the image on one of the sensor holoscreens. The approaching ship had the outline of a large cargo hauler, but gunports had been added both above and below the bridge, and there was extra bulk built up around the module where the cargo doors should have been.
    Leia looked at Kelvan. “What ship is that?”
    Kelvan was distinctly uncomfortable. “It was sent by … our benefactor in this area.”
    â€œYour benefactor?” Leia repeated. “The benefactor who paid for all this extra equipment, the tractor beam, augmented weapons?”
    Kelvan seemed to be trying not to wince. “Yes, Your Highness.”
    Leia had the impression that Kelvan didn’t approve of the arrangement, at least not entirely. She wondered if, despite his misgivings, he hadn’t protested, or if he had and