Alliances (Star Wars: Thrawn, #2)(75)

If that happened, he suspected, the Empire would stand forever.

“And the brig is, what, three whole decks farther away?” Aksind scoffed.

“The prisoners from the freighter are in there,” Kimmund reminded him. “Maybe he doesn’t want the two groups talking to each other.”

“He should try just locking them in different sections,” Aksind grumbled.

“You’re welcome to rack with the others in the pilots’ mess,” Kimmund offered. “Has to be more comfortable than here.”

“Which begs the obvious question,” Aksind said, raising his eyebrows.

“Because I don’t like leaving the Darkhawk unwatched with alien prisoners just down the corridor,” Kimmund said sourly. “Like I said, you don’t have to stay.”

“No, that’s okay,” Aksind said. “Following my commanding officer into hell, death, and sore backs. Inspiration for the troops, and all that.”

“I’m honored,” Kimmund said. “So why in here instead of aft in your rack?”

“Because I never get enough air in there,” Aksind said. “Out here, more space. Plus, if I can’t sleep the game table’s right there.”

“Which Tephan will probably have already taken over.”

“That’s okay,” Aksind said. “Heckling Tephan’s games is almost as fun as playing myself. Speaking of whom…” He cupped his hands. “Tephan?” he called.

“What?” the pilot’s voice came drifting from farther aft.

“You got any food going back there?”

“At this hour?” Tephan demanded. “Where do you think you are, Coruscant? You want a night bite, come fix it yourself.”

Aksind sniffed the air. “Yeah, she’s cooking something,” he said. “You want a third of whatever it is?”

“I’ll take a spoonful,” Kimmund said drily. “Tephan’s cooking isn’t exactly—” He broke off, frowning, as another sound came faintly from the other direction. “You hear that?”

“A kind of soft thud?” Aksind asked, frowning back. He leaned the side of his head against the common room bulkhead. “Don’t hear…wait a second. Sounds like someone’s moving out there.”

Kimmund pulled out his comlink and keyed for Tephan. “Tephan, drop what you’re doing and get up here,” he murmured. “Bring a couple of E-11s.”

“Someone probably just forgot something,” Aksind said quietly. But he was already moving forward, angling toward the side of the hatchway where he’d have some cover. Another thud came, a shade louder this time…

Kimmund caught his breath as a faint breeze washed past him.

Someone had opened one of the Darkhawk’s hatches.

There was another breath of air, and he turned to see Tephan coming up behind them, three E-11 blaster carbines cradled in her arms. “What is it?” she murmured as she handed one each to Kimmund and Aksind.

“Company,” Kimmund murmured back, settling the carbine into combat position and flicking off the safety. “Don’t know who yet. I’ll take point, Tephan at rear.”

They headed forward, moving as silently as they could. They crossed the rest of the common room and stepped through the hatchway into the midship storage compartment, a narrow passageway lined on both sides with lockers and cabinets. A bad place to be caught if there was trouble, and Kimmund hurried them forward through the hatchway at the other end and into the staging area.

The staging area, converted from the Darkhawk’s old cargo bay, was wider than the storage compartment, but in some ways was more cluttered. There were restraint harnesses hanging from the ceiling for troopers about to charge to the attack, a pair of long back-to-back bench seats down the center facing to the sides, and narrow equipment lockers beneath the seats. More important at the moment were the large hatches on both sides of the ship that the stormtroopers utilized for rapid deployment. If whoever their visitors were had come through there…

They hadn’t. Both hatches were still sealed, with no sign of having been opened. “Farther forward?” Aksind murmured.

Kimmund nodded, giving the hatches one last look. There were slit viewports on both of them, and for a moment he wondered if they should pause and take a look. But the viewports’ angle wouldn’t let them see to the Darkhawk’s bow, which was where the intrusion was clearly taking place.

Of course, popping one of the hatches would let them out into the hangar, offering the option of coming up behind whoever had moved into the forward part of the ship. But with only the three of them available, flanking maneuvers were pretty much out of the question.

Leading the way around the starboard bench seat, he continued forward. Just beyond that final hatch was the short corridor that led past the forward air lock into the cockpit.

He was halfway there when the hatch slid open, and a Grysk holding an E-11 stepped through.

Kimmund had already guessed the intruders were the enemy warriors. The Grysk, on the other hand, seemed completely surprised to find himself facing an opponent.

That split second of hesitation cost him his life as Kimmund sent a pair of blaster bolts into his torso.

The small victory was short-lived. Even as the alien collapsed to the deck Kimmund could see more of them milling around behind him.