The Cold Page 5

  Lina’s hand went to her tool belt as the snowtrooper entered the cave and cautiously kicked Korda in the side. The captain didn’t move.

  The snowtrooper raised his blaster, ready to fire.

  Whatever Korda had done to her family, she couldn’t stand by and watch him get shot at point-blank range. Besides, she would be next!

  Grabbing her comlink in one hand and a vibropick from her tool belt in the other, Lina stabbed the pick into the transmitter and twisted. An earsplitting shriek filled the cave. The snowtrooper looked up to see stalactites dropping toward him, loosened by the sonic pulse.

  He was buried in an instant.

  Lina rushed for the entrance. The snowtrooper had been knocked out, but a groggy Korda was trying to dig himself out.

  “Lina, wait. Please.”

  Something in his voice made her stop, a vulnerability she’d never heard before. She knew she should keep running. This was more than Korda deserved, but her conscience continued to nag her.

  If she left him injured in the snow, was she any better than Korda himself? And could she rescue Milo without his help?

  Hoping that she wasn’t making a huge mistake, Lina turned back and offered Korda her hand.

  The man gave her a puzzled look. “If I were you, I’d be running by now.”

  “But I’m not you,” Lina said, stopping herself from adding “thank goodness.” She needed to get him on her side. “The thing is…we need each other.”

  Korda gave a snort of derision as he pulled himself back to his feet.

  “Okay, I’m listening.”

  “You’re on the run from the Empire, just like us, right?”

  He nodded, those cold eyes fixed on her.

  “You want our maps; I want my brother back. Maybe we can strike a deal.”

  “I’ll help you if you help me?”

  “Sounds fair. I’ve already saved your life, after all.”

  “Saved my life?” Korda asked, before laughing. It wasn’t a pleasant sound. “Your idea has merit, and that was a nice trick with the comlink. You’re resourceful. I can almost see how you evaded me for so long.”

  “You’re welcome,” she replied.

  “Don’t push your luck, girl. A truce it is, for now. But if you try to escape…”

  She raised her hands, hoping she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life. “I won’t, I promise.”

  “Then we better get going,” he growled, staggering out of the cave.

  “Are you all right?” Lina asked, gingerly stepping over an unconscious snowtrooper to follow Korda onto the icy rocks.

  The captain snatched up his force pike. “I’ve been in worse fights.”

  She could believe that. Lina glanced back at the snowtroopers. “Will there be any more like them?”

  “What do you think?” he replied, unclipping his comlink to speak gruffly into the transmitter.

  “Korda to Star Herald. Come in.”

  There was no answer.

  “Arex-Forate?”

  “Trouble?” Lina asked.

  “Maybe. We need to get back to the Star Herald.” He turned and sneered at her. “Are you coming…partner?”

  LINA HAD IMAGINED an entire battalion of snowtroopers waiting for them as they trudged across the ice, but the frozen sea was empty except for the Star Herald itself. She couldn’t relax though, imagining blaster fire cutting them down at any moment.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked, looking around.

  “No,” came Korda’s reply, “but what’s the alternative? Wait for those three to wake up?”

  Back at the cave, Korda had offered Lina one of the blasters. She’d shaken her head, not wanting to even touch the horrible thing. He’d shrugged, burying the rifles in the snow. He had then searched through the troopers’ equipment packs, finding a climbing rope. Testing its strength, he’d proceeded to tie the soldiers together. Lina had no doubt that Korda’s impressive knots would hold the snowtroopers when they eventually came to, but she had no desire to find out firsthand.

  Korda strode ahead, his broad back to her. She could run, but where would she go? She’d seen how easily Korda had tossed that force pike. The weapon had taken down a snowtrooper; what chance would she have?

  No, she would have to trust Korda for now. She wondered what Milo would say. She smiled as she imagined his eyes going wide.

  Sis, are you crazy?

  Maybe she was, but she had gotten them into this mess. Now she would do anything she could to get them out.

  “Quiet!” Korda whispered as they crept through the stolen Imperial ship. The Star Herald was eerily peaceful, the only sound the gentle thrum of the idling power systems. Despite her better judgment, Lina stayed close to Korda. They slowed as they reached the flight deck, movement obvious beyond the double doors.

  Lina stood on tiptoes to look through a round window. A solitary snowtrooper was checking a display on the flight console. He wore the rank insignia of a commander on his chest and stood beside the scorched remains of what had once been an RX pilot droid.

  Lina wanted to ask Korda what they should do, but the former officer was watching the trooper like a Drayberian hawk. The question soon became irrelevant as a blaster cocked behind them. A second snowtrooper stood in the corridor, his weapon trained on Korda.

  “I have found the captain,” the trooper informed his superior as he marched them both through the doors. The commander looked Korda up and down.

  “Former captain,” he corrected, with obvious pleasure. His helmet turned to Lina. “And who is this?”

  “Lina Graf, fugitive and rebel,” Korda replied coldly. Before Lina could look at the man in shock, Korda grabbed her jacket and pulled her close. “And my prisoner!”

  “You lying monga snake!” Lina yelled, struggling against his grip. “So much for being partners.”

  “Partners?” he said with a cruel laugh. “You’re a bigger fool than I thought.”

  “But you said—”

  “I said what I needed to keep you under control. I had enough to worry about without you making a run for it.” The glowing end of the force pike hovered near her face, its heat prickling against her cheek. “Now it’s too late to run anywhere.”

  “Hand her over,” the commander ordered, but Korda shook his head.

  “Her brother and the droid designated Crater are trapped beneath the surface.”

  “So?”

  “Commander, the droid contains information vital to the Empire. Darth Vader himself ordered me to bring it back.”

  The snowtrooper shifted at Vader’s name. “Then I shall recover the data myself.”

  “I think not. This ship is fitted with a tractor beam. I propose that we fish the Whisper Bird out of the water, retrieve the droid, and deliver the information to Lord Vader together.”

  “Why should I work with a traitor?” the commander asked. Lina thought it was a good question.

  Korda smiled. “Because this traitor has programmed the Star Herald to only respond to my orders. Quite frankly, Commander, you need me far more than I need you.”

  He smiled again, like a man who had already won. “Do we have a deal?”

  THE STAR HERALD hovered above the ice, its engines thrumming. Korda sat in the copilot’s seat and checked the data from RX-48’s probe.

  “There she is!” he announced as the computer pinpointed the Whisper Bird’s precise location.

  Lina watched helplessly as he turned to the tractor beam controls. The snowtroopers had cuffed her to a chair, but only after removing her trusty tool belt. She pulled against the restraints, but they wouldn’t budge. She was trapped and there was nothing she could do about it.

  The snowtroopers meanwhile were watching Korda intently, blasters in hand, just in case.

  She couldn’t blame them. How could she have trusted him? All that talk about a truce had just been an act. Of course it had. The man didn’t have a decent bone in his body. How stupid had she been, thi
nking she could play a slime-toad like Korda at his own game?

  As if he could read her mind, the captain turned to her as he flicked a switch. A loud hum filled the air, accompanied by a faint vibration through the deck beneath their feet.

  “Tractor beam activated,” Korda announced, smirking at Lina in triumph.

  Many fathoms below, Milo and CR-8R were unaware of what was happening above the ice. Instead, Milo was cheering as the sea creatures’ tails pulsed with blue and yellow lights.

  CR-8R looked up from the computer readout. “They seem to be saying hello!”

  “Say hello back!” Milo urged. “We need to ask for their help.”

  The Whisper Bird shook, a warning light flashing on the dashboard. Milo grabbed the pilot’s chair to steady himself.

  “What’s that?”

  “It appears we’ve been caught in a tractor beam!”

  “The Imperial ship?”

  “Sorry, my psychic circuit seems to be malfunctioning today!”

  “This isn’t the time to be sarcastic!” Milo snapped as the Whisper Bird shuddered again.

  “No, it’s the time to run around screaming! Engaging panic mode!”

  “Don’t you dare,” Milo said, glancing back toward the window. The sea creatures were nowhere to be seen.

  “They must have been scared away,” CR-8R said.

  Milo cried out as the deck seemed to vanish beneath his feet. He crashed forward, the steering column ramming painfully into his side.

  CR-8R checked the computer. “I was afraid this would happen. The cliff face is disintegrating in the tractor beam. We’re going over the edge!”

  “There has to be something we can do,” Milo said. Beside him, the comlink started flashing.

  “Yes!” he said, hitting the control. “Lina? Is that you? We could really use some good news right now!”

  “I’m afraid your sister is otherwise engaged,” a silky voice replied over the comlink. “But don’t worry, I have everything under control.”

  Milo recognized the voice immediately.

  “Korda!” he said.

  The Whisper Bird lurched again. Now all they could see was the inky darkness of the waters below.

  “Grab on to something!” Milo shouted as the ship went over the edge.

  “I’m trying!” insisted CR-8R, hanging on to the rear seat.

  And then they were free, plunging down. All around, sparks exploded from every computer console, a giant crack appearing in the canopy window. Every leak that Milo had plugged burst open again, and with a frightened howl, Morq scampered into the cockpit and launched himself at Milo.

  Milo hugged his pet tight, not knowing what else to do.

  “Shields collapsing,” CR-8R shouted over the noise. “Master Milo, I’m sorry!”

  Milo buried his head in Morq’s fur. All he could hear was rushing water, sparking electricity, and cracking transparisteel.

  This couldn’t be happening! This couldn’t be the end!

  THERE WAS A JOLT, and the ship stopped falling. Milo opened his eyes, looking around in confusion.

  “They did it!” CR-8R announced. “They locked on! We’re being lifted back to the surface!”

  “Back into Korda’s clutches you mean. What do we do?”

  “Get captured?” CR-8R offered unhelpfully.

  No, Milo would never do that. What had he said on that holo-recording? No surrender?

  Ruffling Morq’s fur, he looked around, trying to ignore the cracks in the canopy.

  And then he saw movement out in the water. Yes! It was one of the sea creatures!

  “Crater, do we have enough power to send another message?”

  “With the lanterns?” the droid asked. “Barely!”

  “Tell them we need their help.”

  “Those monsters? What can they do?”

  “I don’t know, but we need to do something. We can’t let Korda win!”

  The Whisper Bird broke the surface of the ocean, water cascading from cracks in its hull. Expertly, Korda maneuvered the destroyed craft onto the ice and disengaged the tractor beam.

  On the flight deck, Lina sobbed when she saw the state of her parents’ ship.

  The Whisper Bird was a wreck. One of its wings was missing, the hull pitted. It would never fly again.

  Korda set down the Star Herald and opened the comms channel.

  “Milo. Come in. This is Korda.”

  There was no response. Korda repeated his demand, but still they heard nothing but static. What had happened to her brother?

  Korda turned to the commander. “We need to retrieve the droid ourselves.”

  The commander shook his head. “No. We’ll retrieve the droid. You stay here.”

  Korda sat back in his chair and spoke, never taking his eyes from the snowtrooper. “Computer, this is Captain Visler Korda of the Imperial Navy. Prime self-destruct, authorization code: Korda alpha gamma nine.”

  The commander raised his blaster. “What are you doing?”

  He was rewarded with another of Korda’s smiles. “I did more than reprogram the Star Herald when I ‘borrowed’ her. I also hid several thermal detonators in her drive systems. Either you agree to my terms or I blow her to smithereens.”

  “You’re bluffing,” the commander said. “You’ll destroy yourself.”

  “Commander, my reputation is already in shreds. What else do I have to lose? Let me be a part of this mission and I’ll spare the ship. Freeze me out, or double-cross me in any way, and the Star Herald will be blown into tiny little pieces. High Command will be furious. They’ll probably take it out on your entire unit.”

  Lina watched Korda as he spoke. If he was bluffing, he was an extremely good actor. Still, he’d fooled her before.

  “Very well,” the commander finally agreed.

  “Excellent,” said Korda, rising to his feet. He paused, then added: “One last thing to mention. The thermal detonators are linked to my life signs.” He tapped a transmitter on his chest plate. “If anything happens to me…”

  He left the sentence hanging, but Lina knew what he meant: Boom!

  Korda’s feet crunched on the ice as he marched toward the Whisper Bird. The snowtroopers followed. What idiots they were, believing that nonsense about the self-destruct. He’d known they would fall for it as soon as the commander had swallowed the lie about the ship obeying Korda and Korda alone.

  Besides, as if he would destroy himself! No, Korda knew exactly what he was going to do. As soon as he got his hands on the maps, he would dump these half-wits and take to the stars in the Star Herald. The maps would bring him a fortune, more than enough to keep the Empire off his trail.

  He could never go back. He knew that now. The Empire was behind him, along with all that bowing and scraping to the likes of Vader.

  No, Korda was his own man, in charge of his own destiny. Why work for Emperor Palpatine when he could work for himself?

  They came to a stop in front of the Whisper Bird. Korda raised his comlink to his lips. “Milo. This is your last chance. Lower the ramp.”

  He waited, but the brat didn’t respond. No problem. Who needed a ramp anyway?

  Returning the comlink to his belt, Korda turned to the commander.

  “Blast an opening in the hull. As big as you want.”

  LINA FOUGHT AGAINST her restraints as she watched the snowtroopers fire on the Whisper Bird. It was no good. She was going nowhere.

  Outside, the snowtroopers had done their job. A gaping hole had appeared in the Whisper Bird’s stern. Korda was already climbing on board.

  “Look out, Milo,” she said, as if her brother could hear.

  There was a noise from beyond the double doors. Footsteps. Light, scampering footsteps in the corridor outside. Something had gotten inside the Star Herald, some kind of wild animal.

  She yanked at her cuffs, the metal cutting into her wrists as the chain rattled against the back of the seat.

  The noise seemed to stop the creature,
whatever it was.

  “That’s right!” Lina yelled, trying to sound both braver and scarier than she felt. “Run away! Run away!”

  She fell silent again, listening intently. The ship was silent. Had she done it? Had the thing gone?

  Then the footsteps sounded again, closer than ever. They were running straight toward her.

  The doors of the flight deck hissed open and the creature bounded in, squealing at the top of its voice.

  Korda wrinkled his nose in disgust as he marched through the Whisper Bird. This was the ship that had evaded capture for so long? Earlier, out on the ice, he had faked grudging admiration for Lina Graf to gain her trust. Now he only felt pity.

  How could anyone live like this?

  He turned to the commander and raised a finger to his lips. There was a voice ahead, a young boy’s.

  Milo.

  “Come in, please,” the boy said. “This is the Whisper Bird. We’ve been attacked by Imperial forces. Please send help.”

  Korda smiled. No one would hear the call, not this far into Wild Space. He gripped his force pike and crept toward the cockpit. First he’d deal with the boy and then he’d take out the snowtroopers.

  It was almost too perfect.

  Milo’s whining voice continued its desperate plea. “Come in, please. This is the Whisper Bird. We’ve been attacked by Imperial forces. Please send help.”

  “No one’s coming,” announced Korda, stepping into the cockpit. Then he froze.

  A hologram of Milo Graf flickered in front of the comm unit, a looped recording playing over and over again.