Alliances (Star Wars: Thrawn, #2)(39)

“LebJau, are you crazy?” Huga cut in viciously. “We don’t know anything about her.”

“She’s wet, she’s cold, and she was fishing,” LebJau said. “What else do we need to know?”

“Let’s start with who the frost she is and what the frost she’s doing here,” Huga shot back. “She wasn’t fishing, you frosted idiot.”

“Wait a minute,” Cimy said, his voice starting to shake. “This morning—remember when the scavs took off and headed upriver?”

“Oh, krink,” Huga muttered. “LebJau was right—she is a spy. Only not for the metalheads. Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“It’s nothing that concerns you,” Padmé said, trying to think. Her blasters were still sealed up in her backpack, and with her captors’ suspicions aroused there was no way to get to a weapon before they could stop her. Besides, she could hardly justify shooting a group of harmless locals. “If you let me go, I promise you’ll never see me again.”

“And what if the metalheads find you?” Cimy demanded. “Huh? What if they trace you back to the river, and back to us?”

“Hey, it’s not a big deal,” LebJau said, sounding puzzled. “We can find somewhere else to fish.”

“Will you just shut up?” Huga growled.

“It’s not the fishing, LebJau,” Cimy said patiently. “It’s if the metalheads get mad at us for letting her go.”

“Well, there’s one quick way to fix that,” Huga said. “Grab her arms. We’ll stash our gear here for later and take her in.”

“No, wait,” Padmé said quickly. “You don’t want to do that.”

“Why not?” Huga said. “Might even be some reward money in it.”

And there it was: the hook she needed. “Is that what you want?” Padmé asked. “Money?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Huga countered. “The duke sure as frost doesn’t pay much.”

“I don’t suppose he does,” Padmé agreed, wondering who the duke was. Another local, or one of the Separatists? “Let me show you something.” Reaching under her blouse, she pulled out her necklace. “This is a Corusca gem,” she said, unfastening the chain and handing it to Huga. “They’re used as money some places around the galaxy.”

“Not here they’re not,” Huga said. But his voice had changed as he peered at the gem.

“It’s worth a lot of money everywhere,” Padmé said. “Way more than the duke would ever give you for handing me over. If he gave you anything at all.”

“No problem,” Huga said with a shrug. “We can take this and turn you in.”

“You’re not seeing the bigger picture,” Padmé chided. “I only have the one gem with me. But the fact that I have one means I’m rich. And my family is rich. So…?”

For a second they looked back and forth at one another. Huga got it first. “Are you saying…we hold you for ransom?”

“Why not?” Padmé asked. “You want money. I don’t want you giving me to the duke or the metalheads. This is a way to keep everyone happy.”

“Yeah, but—” Huga floundered. “You’re not supposed to volunteer to be kidnapped. Are you?”

“I’m hardly volunteering,” Padmé said. “You’ve already got me, right?”

“Yeah, but—”

“If it makes you feel better, you can think of the money as rent,” she suggested. “You can put me up until someone from my family can get here with the money, then we go our separate ways. Is it a deal?”

Again, the three looked at one another. “What do you think?” Huga asked.

“I don’t know,” Cimy said, looking furtively at her. “We can’t take her inside—the metalheads know everyone who’s supposed to be in there. Anyway, she talks funny.”

“We could put her in the riverboat,” LebJau suggested. “No one goes there, and we can take food for her out the back door.”

“Wait a minute,” Huga growled. “Food? How long is this going to take, anyway?”

“No more than a week or two at the most,” Padmé assured him. “Just long enough to get a message back to my uncle Anakin. He’ll bring the money, and you’ll be done with me.”

“I don’t know,” Huga said. “A week’s an awfully long time. What if they find her?”

“They won’t,” LebJau promised. “I’ll do all the bringing—they don’t pay much attention to me. You and Cimy just do your jobs like you’re supposed to, and I’ll do the bringing.”

“You going to give her wood shavings to sleep in, too?” Huga growled. “She’s not a pet, you know. If she takes off—or if they catch her—we’ll be frosted.”

“She won’t.” LebJau looked at Padmé. “You won’t, will you? Run off?”

“Not until my uncle arrives and you get your ransom,” Padmé said. “I promise.”

“She says she won’t run,” LebJau said, turning back to the others.