The Darkness Read online

  Milo crossed to the other cell, peering up at the gleaming silver shape looming over him. He reached up carefully, taking one of the spiders between his fingers as carefully as he could. He saw its little legs waving madly, pincers snapping. He dropped it and the spider scampered away toward the power source.

  Milo reached for another spider, and another. Soon Davin’s head was uncovered, his wide eyes staring at Milo as the boy picked the spiders off one by one. Soon Davin was able to join in, plucking the spiders carefully from his skin and clothes.

  He looked down at Milo and smiled ruefully. “It was a good plan,” he said. “You’re a smart kid.”

  “And you’re very brave,” Milo replied, then he blushed. “Sorry, that’s just what my mom always used to say to me.”

  But the alien was grinning. “Mine too,” he said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Milo walked on his tiptoes, placing his feet carefully. The spiders were still swarming through the doorway, streaming along the hall toward the hole at the far end. He clung to the door frame, swinging himself out. Then Davin followed, taking huge strides.

  They crept along the corridor toward the steps. There was a sudden clang and Davin muttered an apology. He reached down.

  “Hey look, a hydrospanner,” he said. “Could be useful.”

  “You can do ship repairs?” Milo asked.

  “No,” Davin admitted. “But they’re great for hitting people over the head with.”

  Milo grinned. They’d get up to the bridge, find Lina, and stop Stel before it was too late.

  Then he felt the floor beneath his feet begin to vibrate. The ship creaked around them. He clutched Davin’s arm, struggling to keep his balance as he felt his stomach roll over.

  They had jumped to lightspeed.

  STEL GRINNED AT LINA as the ship rocketed into hyperspace. “You see?” the young convict said, angling the pilot’s chair toward her. “I told you we’d have enough juice. Thanks to that droid of yours.”

  CR-8R had propped himself against the console behind them, half sitting, half lying, with a thick cable running from the side of his neck into the navicomputer. He could no longer keep himself upright after the power had been drained from his repulsors.

  Lina knelt at the droid’s side. “How are you feeling, Crate?” she asked.

  CR-8R stirred, raising his head slowly. There was no light in his golden eyes. “SSSSSSSlllllllleeeeeeeeepyyyyyyyyy,” he managed in a deep, slurred rumble. Then he slumped back down.

  Lina wondered if droids ever dreamed, sparks of stray computer code sending messages through their cybernetic consciousness. If so, CR-8R had never mentioned it.

  She let go of the droid’s limp hand, frowning up at Stel. “If he’s got any permanent damage, I’ll—”

  “You’ll what?” Stel snapped. “I did what I had to do, didn’t I? Besides, it’s only a droid. Stop trying to make me feel guilty.”

  He put his feet up on the control panel, rocking back in his chair and watching the spiraling tunnel of light wrap around the Moveable Feast as they plunged through hyperspace.

  Lina got to her feet, glancing back toward the door that led to the storage bay. It was sealed tight to keep the spiders out, but Stel had made CR-8R tell them the code, so Lina knew she could get out if she needed to. But what would be the point? Milo was safer where he was, and Stel would catch her if she tried to run.

  She returned to the copilot’s chair, tripping over CR-8R’s outstretched leg. Her elbow slammed into the starboard control panel, and Lina took a sharp breath as lights rippled across it: a row of colored touchpads and a tiny independent viewscreen.

  Stel craned his neck and Lina leaned over hurriedly, covering the panel with her arm.

  “What are you doing back there?” her captor sneered.

  “Nothing,” Lina said breezily. “I tripped.” She gave her elbow a rub and winced for good measure.

  Stel shook his head. “Try to be more careful.”

  Lina slipped out of her jacket, tossing it casually over the lighted panel. Then she sank into the seat next to Stel, trying to keep the grin off her face. Somehow, the Moveable Feast’s weapons systems were still operational. And even better, Stel had no idea.

  It made sense, she supposed—the exterior cannons would be on the same power grid as the security holograms. Their source must be so well hidden that even the spiders hadn’t stumbled across it. She wasn’t sure what she’d do with this knowledge, but she was determined to turn it to their advantage.

  “So what is the Empire after you kids for, anyway?” Stel asked, yawning deeply.

  Lina drew her knees up to her chin. “They took our parents,” she said. “We’ve been trying to get them back.”

  “That’s not really a reason,” he said, fingering the handle of the stun-stick clipped to his waist. “I figure it has something to do with the droid. But hey, it’s none of my business. All I need to do is hand you all over and pick up my next assignment.”

  Lina scanned his pale face. “You really enjoy this, don’t you?”

  Stel smiled. “I really do,” he said. “I used to hate the old Republic. All those stuffy, know-it-all senators and pompous Jedi, going around thinking they were better than everyone else. It’s not like that with the Empire.”

  “Of course it is,” Lina snarled. “The Empire thinks it has the right to tell us all what to do and what to think, to lock us up, to steal people away….”

  “Well, maybe they’re right,” Stel said. “Did you think about that? Maybe they do know what’s best. They’re bringing order, justice, and peace.”

  “You don’t believe in all that,” Lina said. “You just go along with it because they give you an excuse to push people around, and worse.”

  Stel shrugged. “Maybe so,” he said. “It’s good, though. Feeling like you’re part of something. Now, if I get the urge to do something bad, I know the Empire will forgive me. They might even pay me for it.”

  Lina shuddered, turning her face away. She wondered how many monsters like Stel were free to roam the galaxy now that the Empire was in charge. And how many good people like her parents were locked away, helpless.

  A light on the main panel began to flash, and Lina heard the hum of the hyperdrive changing pitch.

  “We’re coming up on Noctu,” Stel said. “Get ready, now.”

  The vortex dissipated as they dropped out of lightspeed. Long shadows filled the bridge.

  Lina saw Noctu’s star up ahead, a distant disc no bigger than her fingernail. The planet off the starboard side offered a little more light, gleaming a pale, watery blue.

  And between the ship and the planet, Lina saw the bustling hive of the Noctu mines. They called it an asteroid field, but it was really a planetary ring, a disc of ice and boulders circling the massive gas giant. Some of the particles were smaller than snowflakes while others were ship-sized, spinning in endless orbit. Around the largest of these she saw transports buzzing like insects, carrying men and machinery.

  “Did you know all this used to be a moon?” Stel asked. “It’s true. Stel knows things. Centuries ago this was Noctu’s biggest and richest moon, crammed to the core with minerals, gems, spice, you name it. But they dug too deep, those old ones. And one day, boom! The whole moon exploded. This ring is all that’s left.”

  “Didn’t stop them mining though, did it?” Lina pointed out.

  Stel shook his head. “The Republic closed the place down, too dangerous,” he said. “But the Empire opened it up again. Now they use convict labor, just like on Kessel. They say fifty men die every week working out here. I almost feel bad for old Davin.”

  Lina glared. “I hate the Empire,” she said. “And I hate you.”

  Stel grinned. “I know you do, sweetheart.”

  An alarm sounded and Stel sat upright. “Here we go,” he said. “Let’s hope the droid’s got enough power left to run the comlink.”

  “Moveable Feast.” A woman’s voice came rattling
through the speakers. “This is the commercial freighter Sunburst. Do you copy?”

  Stel put one hand on the comlink, drawing the stun-stick from his belt.

  “Answer them,” he said softly. “And don’t do anything stupid.”

  Lina saw the freighter approaching, silhouetted against the distant sun. It was a battered old G9 Rigger, with a square central frame and two rusty wings at right angles. Lina scanned the horizon for the Imperial craft she knew was out there, but could see nothing.

  She pushed the transmission button. “Sunburst, this is Moveable Feast,” she said. “We copy loud and clear.”

  “What’s your status, Feast?” the woman replied. “Who am I speaking to?”

  Lina looked at Stel, who nodded slowly. “This is Lina Graf,” she said, her hand trembling on the comm panel.

  There was a sigh of relief. “Lina,” the woman said. “This is Mira Bridger. Are you and Milo safe? Is Davin with you?”

  Lina bit her lip. “He’s busy,” she said. “He went to…get something.”

  Stel grabbed her arm, warning her with his eyes.

  “What do you mean?” Mira answered. “Went where? Lina, is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine,” Lina said through gritted teeth as Stel’s fingers dug into her elbow. Her heart was racing and her vision was blurred, tears welling in her eyes.

  Then for the briefest moment she saw it, a faint shadow passing across the planet’s face and turning toward them. A boxy body and curved wings. The Imperial troop ship.

  “Get out of here!” she shouted before she could stop herself. “Mira, run, it’s a trap!”

  Stel roared, lashing out with the stun-stick. Lina threw herself sideways out of the chair, hitting the floor hard.

  She heard him swing the stick, heard it strike the chair as she clambered away, dragging herself toward the door.

  Stel jumped to his feet, coming for her. Lina rolled onto her back, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She knew that if she tried to stand he’d lash out, and this time he wouldn’t miss.

  The young man paused, running a hand through his flame-red hair. One hand flicked the switch on the stun-stick restlessly. Behind him Lina saw the Sunburst banking rapidly, running lights gleaming as it turned. The Imperial ship was closing in. As Lina watched it began to fire, laser blasts rippling across the rear of the freighter.

  Then to her right, inside the cockpit, she saw movement. Lina blinked twice to show she understood.

  Stel took another step, looming over her. “You can run, but it won’t make any difference,” he said. “My Imperial friends will blow that pitiful rebel craft out of the sky.”

  “You’re wrong,” Lina said, craning her neck. “They’re already firing back. Oh, great shot!”

  Stel shook his head, standing firm. “Nice try,” he said. “But I don’t distract easily. What were you going to do, grab my ankle, try to pull me down? You really are a child.”

  “You’re smart,” Lina told him. “That’s exactly what was supposed to happen. Only I wasn’t the one doing the grabbing.”

  Stel’s eyes widened as CR-8R took hold of his leg, giving a hard tug. The convict cried out as he lost his balance. Lina jumped to her feet, giving him a shove. Stel flew back, landing hard in the pilot’s chair. CR-8R slumped back, his last energy reserves drained.

  Lina sprinted for the door, tapping in the code. She heard Stel getting to his feet behind her, heard him lunge toward her as she flung herself through.

  She hit something huge and soft, and staggered back.

  “Hello, Lina,” Davin said with a grin. Then he reached out and grabbed Stel by the neck, lifting him off his feet.

  STEL KICKED WILDLY as he was hauled off the floor, his face reddening as Davin’s hand tightened around his throat. The Lasat snarled, his scarred face grimacing in the light from the open doorway. Stel gasped for air, his eyes bulging.

  Milo grabbed Davin’s free hand. “Don’t,” he said. “Please. Let him live.”

  Davin looked at Milo and his face softened.

  Summoning his strength, Stel swung the stun-stick toward Davin’s face. The alien let go in surprise. Stel dropped, landing nimbly on both feet.

  Davin pulled the hydrospanner from his pocket, blocking Stel’s next thrust. Bolts of wild energy were flung from the shaft of the stun-stick, casting both their faces in stark blue light.

  “Are you okay?” Milo asked his sister.

  Lina nodded. “I see you’ve been making friends.”

  They jerked back as Stel lunged again with the stun-stick, at the same time kicking hard at Davin’s ankle. The alien staggered, wincing. Stel thrust forward and Davin countered, but he was driven back into the shadows of the storage bay. He slammed into a stack of crates, which toppled noisily all around him.

  Milo and Lina watched breathlessly as Stel charged through the rain of crates, elbowing them aside. Stel swung his stun-stick and Davin blocked with his spanner. Stel was smaller and not as powerful, but his lightning thrusts kept catching the large alien off guard.

  Davin grunted as he countered another blow, the stun-stick hammering down, knocking the hydrospanner from his hand. Davin looked down in surprise, then Stel lashed out again. Davin swung around to block with his fist, realizing too late what that meant.

  “Oh, not again,” he cried as the gleaming tip of the stun-stick slammed into his hand.

  The stun-stick flew from Stel’s grasp, skittering across the floor of the hangar. Davin toppled back into the wall of crates. Then he slumped to the floor, a look of annoyance on his face.

  Milo threw himself down on the deck, grabbing for the stun-stick. Stel was right on top of him, and Milo felt a foot on his back as he grasped the handle. The breath was forced from his body.

  “Get away from him!” Lina cried, shoving at Stel. The convict staggered back and Milo leapt up, brandishing the stun-stick.

  Stel retreated, holding up his hands. “Think about what you’re doing, kid,” he said. “You don’t want to be hasty.”

  Milo lashed out, trails of blue energy flashing in the darkness. “Get back,” he cried.

  Stel retreated into the maze of crates, his eyes fixed on the boy. “Just put that down and we can talk,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt you, or your sister.”

  “Don’t listen to him, Milo,” Lina said, close at his shoulder. “Everything he says is a lie.”

  Milo stepped over Davin’s slumped form, keeping the stun-stick raised. “You’re a traitor,” he told Stel. “And a murderer. Why should we believe anything you say?”

  “I gave you a food bar!” the young man whimpered pitifully. “I’m not all bad! Am I?”

  Milo barked a laugh. “What do you want, a medal?”

  They heard the rustling all around them, the tapping of tiny feet as the spiders closed in. From the corner of his eye Milo saw their tiny shapes swarming over the toppled crates.

  Stel backed around a corner, his pitiful stare turning to a snarl of fury. “You’ll pay for this,” he said. “Little brats, you’ll both pay. The Empire is greater than you, greater than me, greater than everything. They’ll rule this galaxy for a thousand years.”

  “You’re wrong,” Milo said, lashing out. “They’ll fall, and so will you.”

  Stel stumbled backward. The spiders had been hard at work—the hole in the deck was twice the size it had been, a great ragged gulf opening into darkness.

  The convict cried out as he fell, clutching vainly at the edges of the hole. Then he was gone, sparks flying as he vanished from sight.

  Lina hurried up behind Milo, watching as the spiders swarmed into the breach. There was a distant shriek, then silence.

  “They’re just protecting their nest,” Milo said. “Once he stops kicking they’ll leave him alone.”

  They made for the cockpit, using the stun-stick to light their way. Milo almost tripped over Davin’s body, then knelt at his side. “We can’t leave him for the spiders,” he said. �
�Not after he came all this way to help us. Get his ankles. I’ll take this end.”

  They dragged Davin toward the cockpit door, pulling and pushing. They’d just managed to drag him inside when there was a deafening boom and the Moveable Feast jolted forcefully.

  Lina’s face dropped. “I almost forgot,” she said. “Milo, the Bridgers are here. The Empire has them pinned down. But I think I know how we can help.”

  In the distance they could see the pale blue planet and the ring of asteroids surrounding it. The battered freighter was a lot nearer, spewing steam as it limped away from them.

  The Imperial ship swung into view overhead, weapons firing as it closed in. It was in much better shape, firing another volley as it pursued the freighter, gaining fast.

  Lina slipped into the copilot’s seat, activating the weapons panel. Lights flickered across the display, and Milo heard gears grinding somewhere above them.

  Then he spotted CR-8R, slumped lifeless on the floor. “Oh no, what happened?” he cried out, kneeling at the droid’s side.

  “He’ll be okay once we get to a power socket,” Lina said, staring down at the panel in front of her, her eyes wide with worry. “Right now I really need to figure out how all this works.”

  Milo came up behind her, watching closely. Lina spread out her palms on either side of the panel, sliding them back and forth. A circle in the center of the viewscreen marked the firing window, and Lina struggled to line it up with the enemy craft.

  “One good shot,” she muttered to herself. “Just one, to disable their weapons.”

  “Have you done this before?” Milo asked.

  Lina shook her head. “But I watched Dad that time, remember? When those pirates came after us on Chankin.”

  “That was years ago!” Milo countered. “And the systems on the Bird might be totally different. If you hit the wrong ship, we really are done for.”

  Lina shifted her hands, trying to lock the target circle onto the Imperial craft’s rear engines. Milo held his breath, his knuckles white on the back of her chair. The target drifted, centered for a moment, then drifted again. Lina cursed, gritting her teeth.