Moving Target by Cecil Castellucci

Author:Cecil Castellucci
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group

LEIA HADN’T KNOWN that warming up could be so painful. The four of them lay in the Mellcrawler’s lounge, wrapped in slightly musty blankets Nien had found somewhere in the hold. They sipped soup from chipped mugs while the Sullustan fretted over them, asking if they wanted broth or tea or anything else.

“You should lie still and recover your strength, Princess,” Lokmarcha said, huddled beneath a blanket on the other side of the acceleration couch.

“No, she shouldn’t,” Kidi protested. “She should sit up if she’s ready. Keep the blood moving.”

“I can tell we’ve survived because you two are bickering again,” Leia said, and had to smile when both Kidi and Lokmarcha looked embarrassed.

Leia wondered what her aunts would say if they could see her—filthy, half-frozen, and covered with bites. They’d probably lecture her about maintaining her appearance and the company she kept.

Ladies don’t crawl up chimneys, she thought with a smile. At least not in House Organa they don’t.

“Why did you not respond to our communications, Nien?” asked Antrot from where he was lying on the deck. “Were you still consuming the Novanian grog you remembered?”

“I wish,” Nien said. “It was the Empire.”

“I guessed that,” Lokmarcha grumbled. “The TIE fighters were a giveaway.”

“The Empire arrived with a landing craft,” Nien said. “Stormtroopers fanned out and started searching the tunnels. The Imperials checked every ship’s registration and captain’s license. Fortunately for us, my documents were forged by the best slicers in the Outer Rim. But it still took forever. And then I couldn’t raise you.…”

The Sullustan’s ears drooped. Leia smiled at him.

“You did fine, Nien,” she said, reaching up to squeeze his hand. “We’re alive because of you.”

“Well, I might have had something to do with it,” Nien said with a smile. “Anyway, we’re safely in hyperspace and heading for the Sesid system. And before we made the jump I did a frequency scan—the beacon was transmitting loud and clear.”

“I don’t understand, though,” Kidi said. “Did the Empire just happen to be there? Or were they looking for us?”

Leia looked up to find Lokmarcha’s eyes on her. She knew what he was thinking—that their plan was working. But was that true? Or was it a coincidence—some kind of crackdown that had nothing to do with them? No star system was truly beyond the Empire’s reach.

She shoved the thought away—it wouldn’t help them complete their mission.

“We can worry about it in the morning,” she said. “For now, I suggest we get some sleep. It’s been a very long day.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Lokmarcha said, getting to his feet and heading for the cabin he shared with Antrot. Then he turned and offered them a little bow.

“Good night, ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “Don’t let the hideous bugs in the walls bite.”

Kidi stiffened. “That’s not funny.”

Lokmarcha shrugged, but he was grinning.

“All right, maybe it’s a little funny,” Kidi said.

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