Razor's Edge: Star Wars (Empire and Rebellion) by Martha Wells Read Free Book Online Page B

are.” Han quickly adjusted the controls, then eased back on the overstressed engine. With an ironic grimace, he said, “Looks like they decided they really want to see you, Princess.”
    â€œAlderaanian gunships don’t have tractor beams,” Leia said, baffled.
But pirates do,
she realized, and swore under her breath. She felt the sublight engine drop out as Han shut it down to keep the already damaged systems from overloading. “I saw that they’d had the ship altered. I’m sorry, I didn’t consider that they might have added a tractor beam.”
    â€œI did,” Han said. “But we still should have been out of range. They’ve got an augmented tractor; those’re rare for a ship that size.” He threw her a grim look. “They must be really good at what they do. It’s not easy to buy a toy like that.”
    Leia stared at the control board, thinking hard. “We still have weapons. I don’t suppose our shielding miraculously healed itself while we’ve been talking.”
    â€œYeah, no.” Han flicked through several status screens, wincing. “They take one shot at us and we’re in pieces.”
    â€œThey haven’t fired yet.” Leia tapped her fingers on the console. “If we wait until they pull us in for boarding, then fire all our cannons—”
    â€œIf we’re lucky.” Han shook his head. “We’d go down fighting, that’s all. We might take them with us.”
    Ilen touched his headset. He had been monitoring the station’s comm frequency. “The merchant’s sublight engines are dead, and someone on board says they can’t get them restarted. The station launched a rescue ship.”
    The comm frequency clicked back on and Metara said, “Princess Leia—”
    Leia said, “My crew tells me you must be excellent pirates to afford this sort of tractor beam. Congratulations on your new career path, Metara. I’m sure your mother would have been very proud.”
    The words came out with all the sarcasm Leia had been holding back, but there didn’t seem much point in suppressing it. The
Aegis
had made its intentions clear.
    Metara said, “I—I understand what this looks like. But we just want to talk.”
    Metara had the upper hand, and Leia wasn’t sure why she hadn’t used it. “I’d prefer to talk without my ship trapped in a tractor beam.”
    â€œWe want to talk here, face-to-face. Use an escape pod, and we’ll bring you on board. We have no intention of holding you prisoner, or harming you in any way. You don’t have to come alone.”
    Leia shook her head, mostly at herself. This was a terrible idea. “If I do that, will you let both my ship and the merchant ship go?”
    Ilen twisted around to stare incredulously. Han was trying to mouth something at her that was extremely critical of her mental faculties. She turned her back on both of them, listening intently.
    She heard Metara’s sharp intake of breath over the static. Then Metara said, “Yes, Your Highness, I swear it. On my word as a Metara.”
    Leia had to roll her eyes at that.
On your word as a Metara turned pirate,
she thought. But she said, “Then I’ll come to you.”
    â€œI know what you’re thinking,” Han said, and Leia’s first impulse was to snap,
Of course you don’t.
Before she could react, he continued, “But the fact that they used to be Alderaanian doesn’t mean anything now. When they decided to take this ship and go pirate, they knew what they were doing. That’s not a step an entire crew takes lightly. They knew they’d be welcomed by the Alliance, knew they could get help, get repairs, supplies, whatever they needed, just like all the others did, just for the asking. And they didn’t ask. They didn’t turn pirate by accident or ’cause they had to. Just because you’re here,