Star Wars - Side Trip - Part 4 by Timothy Zahn

Author:Timothy Zahn [Zahn, Timothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 1997-05-29T05:44:57+00:00

There was indeed no ambush poised outside the Hopskip. Nor were any of their former companions—Corran, Hal, or Kast—waiting there.

What was there was a single datacard.

“Looks like the same stuff that Kast used to stick the molecular stiletto to Corran’s cell bars,” Trell commented, poking experimentally at the bits of adhesive residue that had been left on the datacard. “Should we read it here, or inside?”

“Inside,” Riij said firmly, taking the datacard from him and glancing around. “And not until we’re out of here. You and Maranne get the pre-flight started; Palror and I’ll check to make sure no one left us any surprises.”

Trell had the engines nursed and sputtering to life, and Maranne had the nav computer working on their course, when Riij and Palror returned from their tour of the ship. “Looks clean,” Riij told the others as the two of them took their seats. “Or at least, there’s nothing obvious. You talked to the tower yet?”

“We’re third in line to leave,” Maranne told him. “You want to read us a sleepy-time story now?”

“Sure,” Riij said. From behind Trell came a faint rubbing sound—Riij getting the last bits of adhesive off the datacard, probably—and then the brief scraping as he slid it into his datapad. “It’s from Kast,” Riij said. “‘To the crew and passengers of the Hopskip: well done.’”

“Well done?” Maranne growled. “What in blazes—?”

“Shh,” Trell cut her off. “Go on.”

“‘You have adequately completed the mission that was assigned you,’ ” Riij continued. “ ‘You may return now to the Admonitor and retrieve your cargo. This datacard will serve as proof to Captain Niriz that you have fulfilled your side of the bargain and may have your cargo returned to you.’ Then it’s signed with his name and what looks like some kind of ID mark.”

“So he’s not going back, huh?” Trell said, an odd feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach. “I’m not sure I like that.”

“He must have arranged his payment to be delivered somewhere else,” Maranne said. “It didn’t look like he and Niriz got along very well.”

“Perhaps his payment is in the remainder of the sleight boxes,” Palror said.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Riij said. “There’s a postscript: ‘Do not return to the Dewback Storage Warehouse for the other sleight boxes. They are empty.’”

“What?” Trell growled, half turning to glare back at Riij over his shoulder. “Come on, now, that’s just crazy. You’re telling me the two boxes you happened to take to the Mynock’s Haven were the only ones with anything in them? What are the odds of that happening?”

“Not too bad, really,” Maranne said grimly. “Not when you consider that they were the only two we knew we could open and then reseal again. They were leading us around by the nose the whole way, weren’t they?”

“The whole way,” Riij agreed. “ ‘And don’t bother with either the Durindfire gems or the spice. Both are counterfeit.’ ”

Trell looked across the cockpit, to find Maranne looking back at him. There didn’t seem to be anything to say.

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