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“We’re under assault,” Wedge said. “A probe droid, military model. Our hand blasters aren’t going to do it much harm.”

Kell’s eyes opened. “I know that.”

“I’m talking to Jesmin,” Wedge said. “They’re under attack by another one.”

“Shouldn’t we be keeping comm silence?”

“If the probots are active, the locals know we’re here, Tainer.”

“I can kill ours.” Kell lifted his head and groaned. “But I’d like a nap first.”

“No time for a nap. You’re going to use explosives?”

“Of course.”

“How do you plan to plant them?”

Kell grinned. “I was sort of hoping you’d lead the droid around so I could get a good approach on it.”

“Great.”

When the droid glided around the side of Tyria’s cart, she broke the other way, running straight toward one of the repulsorlift carts. Phanan fired a steady stream of blasts to cover her movement; the droid returned fire, superheating the op center’s metal doorjamb to a dripping, golden, glowing mass.

Tyria jumped into the driver’s seat and fired up the engine. Immediately the cart rose a meter into the air. It held a load of large windows, her only protection. She threw the cart into reverse and backed straight at the droid.

It fired at her, the blasts stopping against her transparisteel cargo. Then the cart hit the probot, the great mass of vehicle and cargo pushing it backward. Tyria kept the thrust at full until the cart slammed into the wall; then she held the thrust, pinning the droid in place. It struggled to wriggle free and fired blast after blast into the transparisteel windows. The windows darkened and began to melt under the barrage.

Wedge made a complete circuit of the manufacturing chamber, running along the maintenance alley behind the banks of control consoles. He varied his pace so the probot couldn’t time his passage and take an accurate shot at him as he crossed the gaps between banks. It followed him throughout his circuit, staying on the other side of the consoles. Its accuracy was high and two near misses had charred his clothes—and slightly burned the skin beneath—at shoulder and thigh.

He passed Kell where the demolitions expert crouched. Just before the next gap between consoles, Wedge skidded to a stop. The droid fired, a pattern of three blaster shots flashing between the consoles and melting holes in the wall.

From the corner of his eye, Wedge saw Kell’s attack. Kell rose in a smooth motion, his height and long legs enabling him to step up on the high console counter, and threw himself atop the probe droid.

He bounced off immediately and hit the floor rolling. The probe droid grabbed at him with a claw, missed, and brought a blaster into line, but Kell was already behind the room’s bulky master control console.

Wedge suppressed a groan. “Don’t tell me I have to do the whole thing again!”

“Get behind cover!”

Wedge ducked down fully behind the console just as the droid’s top hemisphere erupted like a volcano. The blast shattered console gauges all across the room and smashed the probe droid into the floor, crushing its trailing armatures.

Wedge rose. “Pretty slick. I didn’t see you plant the charge.”

Kell returned to pick up his bag. He cupped a hand behind his ear and mouthed something.

Wedge realized there was a ringing in his ears. “What?”

He dimly heard Kell’s reply: “What?”

· · ·

Tyria struggled with the cart’s controls, desperately aware that she was losing the battle to keep the probot pinned.

Phanan continued firing at the probe droid. Bit by bit, his shots were chewing away at the droid’s armor. At this rate, he’d have the thing dead in a couple of days.

There was an explosion from the main fab chamber. Tyria froze, momentarily frightened that Kell’s demolitions were going off prematurely … but there was only the one blast. She hoped Kell was well clear of it.

A mass of transparisteel goods slid into place against the wall beside the probe droid. Tyria looked up to see Runt, weaving like a sailor just back from a night of tavern crawling, his flat nose streaming blood, finish positioning the cart and then lock