“You can’t have that planet,” Zak said. “That one’s ours!”
Platt laughed. “Look, no offense, kid, but we’re in kind of a hurry. We think someone spotted us breaking into this place, and if we don’t get out fast, we’ll-“
“Freeze!” someone yelled.
Every eye in the room turned toward the door, where a white-armored stormtrooper stood, a blaster rifle in his hands.
Platt didn’t freeze. She drew her blaster at lightspeed and fired from the hip. The bolt struck the trooper in the chest and sent him staggering backward.
“They got here faster than I expected,” Platt muttered.
“What do we do, Platt?” the Twi’lek asked.
“Guard the door while I download the information,” she replied. Platt’s companions went to the door, blasters at the ready.
“I’m afraid you can’t just barge in here like this,” Deevee insisted. “There are regulations!”
Platt shook her head. “Something tells me you four aren’t too concerned about regulations.” She connected a small handheld datapad to the computer and downloaded the information on the planet Deevee had found.
“Stop that!” Zak insisted. “We don’t want anyone to know about that planet!”
“That makes two of us,” Platt said. She finished downloading the information, then punched in a command on the computer. The information Deevee had found vanished, replaced by the words “File Deleted.”
The sound of heavy blaster fire filled the hallway outside. They could hear more stormtroopers calling for them to surrender.
“Platt, we can’t hold them off for long!” the Twi’lek shouted.
Platt looked at Deevee. “Is there another way out of here?”
Deevee pointed to a cargo door at the back of the room. “That leads to a freight turbolift used for heavy items. But I’m afraid I don’t have the access code that-“
“No problem,” Platt snapped. Out came her blaster again, and she poured energy bolts into the door until it burst into pieces. The turbolift was visible on the other side.
“Come on, Tru’eb!” the woman yelled to her Twi’lek friend. “We’re taking the back door!”
“Wait,” Hoole said firmly. “You will have to take us with you.”
The woman paused. “Says who?”
Hoole met her gaze evenly. “You’ve just stolen information we went to great trouble to get, and you have attracted Imperial attention that we do not want. If you leave, the stormtroopers will throw us into a detention block.”
Platt shrugged. “That’s your problem.”
“And it would be most unfortunate,” Hoole continued, “if we were forced to tell the Imperials where you were going.”
Platt scowled. She knew she was stuck. “Come on then. Just don’t slow us down.”
Zak, Tash, and Hoole started for the turbolift, then realized that Deevee hadn’t moved. “Deevee,” Zak asked, “aren’t you coming?”
The droid shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Zak. My place is here now.”
“But the stormtroopers will turn you into scrap!” Tash said.
“Why should they? I work here. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“But-” Zak started to protest.
“Zak,” the droid broke in, “I am not programmed for philosophy, but I’ve seen enough to know that you and Tash are in for more excitement than my circuitry can handle. I belong here.”
“Very well, old friend,” Hoole said. “Thank you for your help.”
“Come on, or get left behind!” Platt shouted from the turbolift. Her companions were still at the door, firing their blasters down
the now-smoking hallway. One by one, they backed away from the door and broke for the turbolift.
As the sound of blaster fire grew deafening, Hoole and the two Arrandas hurried into the lift with the last of the mysterious intruders. The turbolift rose out of sight just as the stormtroopers charged into the room.
A short time later, nothing remained in the basement computer room but a thin cloud of smoke from the earlier blaster fight, and the smell of metal burned by energy beams.
Boba Fett slipped quietly into the room.
He had already learned from the stormtroopers what had happened. He knew that a group of unknown intruders had broken into the Galactic Research Academy and accessed information from the computer. They had then slipped away from a squad of stormtroopers, reached a waiting ship, and blasted their way into space. That was all the stormtroopers knew.
Boba Fett knew more. He knew that his targets had been here, too, and that they had left with the mysterious intruders. He knew that the droid had helped them, but he didn’t tell that to the authorities. Let them do their own dirty work.