Star Wars_ Millennium Falcon - James Luceno [96]
Being small had its advantages, after all.
Exiting the interstitial network in the stern of the ship, they made their way into the hyperdrive housing, which was tended to by maintenance droids but absent security of any sort. Leave it to the Empire to overlook a design flaw, Zenn Bien thought as the scavenger team went to work, conversing quietly in squeaks and squawks.
They used the same corridors to transport parts back to the YT, stowing them in the ship's innermost freight room. Once Zenn Bien was satisfied that the team had learned the route, she remained behind with Quip to patch up the thruster system. Over the course of three hours, the stolen parts began to mount up: an Isu-Sim SSPO5 hyperdrive motivator, Rendili transpacitors, paralight relays, a null quantum field stabilizer …
“Just so you know,” Quip said. “All of this is for a good cause.”
“I'm not enlisting, Quip.”
“We're in your debt either way.”
“Save the thank-yous for when we get to wherever it is we're actually going.”
With the repair work completed, they returned to the main hold to find Luufkin replacing the final deck plate that concealed the hidden compartments.
“All accounted for,” the Verpine said.
The three of them were walking down YT's boarding ramp when the Imperial commander and an escort of stormtroopers returned.
“Captain Fargil, whatever repairs remain to be effected will have to be done in space or downside.”
“What happened to our having twelve local hours?”
“Be grateful for those I gave you,” the commander snarled.
“That I am,” Quip said. “We're just about done anyway.”
“Then ready your ship for launch. We're under way at six hundred hours.”
Surprise tugged at Quip's features. “You're moving?”
“I don't see that our orders are any of your concern, Captain.” The officer's eyes narrowed in sudden distrust. “I begin to wonder if I haven't misjudged you.”
“It's just that I thought you were in holding orbit.”
Hoots began to issue from deep in the ship.
“Now, Captain,” the Imperial told Quip. “And take your Verpine and your Sullustan with you.”
They hurried back up the ramp, Quip stopping to rap his knuckles against the deck plates. “Strap in! We're raising ship!”
Zenn Bien went directly to the cockpit and cold-started the repulsorlifts.
Quip threw himself into the copilot's chair. “If they discover—”
The distant hoots gave way to screeching alarms. The Interdictor rumbled beneath the YT, and rending sounds could be heard echoing from the stern of the ship. A voice blared through the comm.
“Gone to Pieces, hold your position!”
“We're under orders to launch immediately,” Quip said into the headset.
“That order is rescinded. Resume your previous position—”
Quip silenced the speakers. “Punch it, Zenn! Get us out of here!”
Zenn whirled the YT around and sent her streaking through the hangar's containment field. Behind her, Luufkin staggered into the cockpit, extending his quartet of arms for balance.
“Gravity-well projectors disabled, but we have to avoid tractor beam.”
Zenn Bien glanced out the viewport at the Interdictor. “I'm worried more about those turbolasers.”
The words had just left her mouth when half the starboard batteries opened with a fusillade of crimson fire. Dialing the inertial compensator to full, Zenn Bien threw the freighter into a descending tumble, rolled her beneath the Interdictor, and brought her bubbling up on the port side at high boost.
“Tractors are trying to get us in lock!” Quip said.
Zenn Bien could feel the fingers of the beam grasping for the YT.
Inverting the freighter, she rolled her over the top of the Interdictor, nearly becoming ensnared in a strobing tangle of blue energy that was frolicking among the gravity-well globes. A jagged fissure had formed in one of the globes, and an instant later the projector cracked open like an egg, spewing flames that leapt into space like a stellar flare. The Interdictor listed, then rolled completely