He stepped over to the bulkhead beside Chin, where he had a good view of the sensor station; and as he did so, the door slid open and H’sishi padded back in. [I have the datacard, Chieftain Karrde,] she said, holding it up for his inspection.
“Good,” Karrde confirmed, giving the label a quick check. H’sishi had a good grasp of spoken Basic, but her Aurebesh reading skills were still a little shaky. “Go ahead and set it up.” [I obey.] She sat down at her console again, clawed hands tapping delicately at the controls.
“Here we go,” Dankin said. “Stand by sublight engines.”
Gripping the levers, he eased them back. The mottled sky turned to starlines and
collapsed to stars&mdash
And there, floating in the darkness directly ahead of them, was an Imperial Star Destroyer.
H’sishi came half out of her seat, hissing something vicious sounding in her language that Karrde didn’t catch. Her mouth was stretched wide open, the fangs glistening whitely in the pale bridge lighting. Her fur stood stiffly out from her body, making her look half again as big as normal, and in her yellow eyes was a crazy fire.
“Star Destroyer directly ahead,” Dankin called out, as if someone on the bridge might somehow have missed it. “Range, two kilometers.”
“Turbolaser batteries swiveling toward us,” Odonnl put in. “Pormfil?”
“Engines at full power,” the Kerestian said, his eight cheek nostrils wheezing rhythmically.
“Picking up a transmission, Cap’t,” Chin announced.
“Acknowledge it,” Karrde said, watching H’sishi closely. She hadn’t moved, but was still half standing staring at the dark bulk and glittering lights ahead. “Are they activating any tractor beams?”
For about half a second the bridge seemed to hold its collective breath. Then, with a quiet hiss, H’sishi sank back into her seat and began tapping keys on her control board. [No tractor beams have yet been activated,] she mewled. [The turbolaser batteries …]
Her stiffened fur seemed to wilt a little as she tapped more keys. [There is no power in them,] she said, sounding confused. [No. There is power in …]
She turned to face Karrde, her yellow eyes narrowing. [There are three functional turbolaser batteries,] she said. [No more.]
“Good,” Karrde said calmly. “That means we’re in the right place. Always good to know that. Chin?”
The owner awaits, Cap’t,” Chin said, smiling openly now as he tapped the comm key. “He’d like to speak with you.”
“Thank you,” Karrde said. “Hello, Booster. How are things?”
“Never better, you old pirate,” Booster Terrik’s cheerful voice boomed from the bridge speaker. “Welcome to the Errant Venture. You shopping today, or just breaking in a new crew member?”
H’sishi hissed softly, her fingers rubbing gently against the control board. But she said nothing. “We’re shopping,” Karrde said. “For information, mostly.”
“Are you really,” Booster said in a tone that made Karrde picture him rubbing his hands together. “Well, well. This is definitely my star-shining day. You want to bring the Wild Karrde aboard, or should I send you a shuttle?”
“We’ll come aboard if you have the space,” Karrde said. “I’m not in the market for any hardware myself, but I imagine my people will want to browse.”
“Well, come on in, then,” Booster said cheerfully. “Traders’ Alley is open and ready for business, as are the rest of our little boutiques. Go ahead and take-let’s see-Docking Bay Fifteen. I’ll have someone there to escort you up to the bridge after you’ve turned your people loose. Don’t forget to remind them that Traders’ Alley is a cash-only business.”
“Of course,” Karrde said. “I’ll see you soon.”
He motioned to Chin, and the other shut down the comm, “Take us in, Dankin,” he said. “You know how to get into the docking bays?”
“No problems.” Dankin said, getting busy at his board.
At the sensor station, H’sishi stood up and turned to face Karrde. [Was this then a joke, Chieftain?] she asked. Her tone and expression were rigid, not betraying anything of what she was thinking. [I do not appreciate being made to look foolish.]
“You didn’t look foolish,” Karrde assured her. “You merely looked startled, after which you returned to your assigned duties.”
The Togorian looked briefly around at the others. [Humans enjoy making others look foolish,] she said, an edge of challenge in her voice.
“Humans do enjoy jokes,” Karrde acknowledged. “But humor was not the primary purpose of the exercise.”