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

and Her Highness are away from the ship.”
    Unexpectedly, Terae said, “Maybe we could ask to see the merchants, pretend we consider them our property.”
    Han hadn’t thought Terae was on board with the idea of rescuing the merchants and escaping the pirates, but maybe he’d been wrong.
    â€œMaybe.” Kelvan’s expression was doubtful. “Our deal was for the cargo of the ship, there was never anything said about the crew, which was why we didn’t think these pirates were slavers. But Captain Metara is not going to want us to act without her here. For one thing, it might contradict something she’s about to tell them.”
    Kelvan was right, but he clearly wasn’t averse to hearing more suggestions. Han decided to take a chance on him. “Yeah, we’re going to have to do it without anybody noticing.”
    Terae gave him an impatient glare. “That’s the point: we can’t.”
    Han jerked his chin up. “There’s another way out of this place.”
    Everybody looked up. The superstructure overhead formed a track for guiding large repulsor carts of ore through the loading bays so they could be lowered to droid-controlled transports. High in the carved rock of the inside bay wall, the track curved, then stopped at a large hatchway that probably hadn’t been opened since the last mining company had left. Next to it was a smaller maintenance hatch that Han thought should be easier to open. “They’ve been using these bays so long, they’ve forgotten those hatches are up there.”
    Han saw Kelvan’s expression go from reluctant and skeptical to intrigued, and knew he had him. Kelvan said, “That might work.”
    â€œI’ll go,” Han said. “We know they took the merchant ship to a dock down that way; we find it, we might be able to figure out where they took the crew.”
    â€œI’ll go with you,” Sian said.
    Itran nodded. “Me, too.”
    â€œNo,” Terae said, before Han could. She nodded to Han and Sian. “You two, and me. More than three and it will be too difficult to move around quietly.”
    â€œTwo can move around more quietly than three,” Han said. He didn’t want Terae at his back any more than he wanted Itran.
    Terae didn’t like that. “If you two leave here alone, we have no guarantee you’ll come back.”
    Sian laughed. “Really? And then what would we do?”
    Han folded his arms. “Well, there goes my plan to live forever in the droid-access tunnels of a half-dead asteroid mine.”
    â€œHe was really looking forward to that,” Itran added, surprising Han. He hadn’t thought the guy had a sense of humor.
    Terae bristled, and Kelvan said, “Lieutenant Terae goes with you, or no one goes. And it’s a scouting mission, only. Don’t do anything until we can report to Captain Metara.”
    Itran drew breath for what was clearly going to be an objection, but Han had a lot of experience in pushing people over lines, and knew Kelvan had been pushed as far as he was willing to go. He said, “It’s a deal.”
    The
Aegis
carried standard survival gear, which included a fibercord grappling hook. Han also picked up a small satchel of tools, since it looked like they would be dealing with access hatches and other equipment that had been old when the Republic fell.
    Once they had climbed out the ship’s topside access hatch, Han threw the grappling hook up to catch on the lowest girder of the ore track. He climbed up quickly, Sian and Terae after him. They managed to do it quietly, and the crew member Kelvan had stationed near the ship’s ramp didn’t signal a warning that the guards stationed by the bay doors had been alerted by any noise or movement above.
    The ore track was an open tube made of metal girders, with relays embedded in it to send instructions to the repulsor ore carts. Judging by the width