Honor Among Thieves

Baasen’s smile was touched with sadness. “Anything seems even a degree off about this, and I will murder you where you stand, you know.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less,” Han said.

They walked back to 17-C. Han racked his brain for ways to warn Scarlet what was coming. If he could raise an alarm, she might be able to get the drop on them, but there was no time. He didn’t have any tools to work with, and Baasen and the Bothan were watching his every move. All he could do was move forward and hope.

At the door to the room, he paused. Baasen was behind him to the left, Sunnim to the right. If he spun and caught the Bothan’s weapon …

“Don’t,” Baasen said. Han sighed and opened the door.

Scarlet sat cross-legged on the bed. Her hair was pulled back, but a stray lock hung down her forehead. Her full attention was on the deck opened before her. The safe gaped on the wall behind her, three layers of black metal and complex circuitry open to the air. The stench of ozone and melted steel stung Han’s eyes.

“Han. Good news. I’ve got a solid workaround on the door seal, and I got far enough into the comm logs to see that Hunter’s been trading calls with half a dozen people since he got in. Smart money says he’s arranging more meetings. Communications stopped about twenty minutes ago, so either he’s even dumber than he looks and he’s going to sleep, or he’s getting ready to head out to his first sit-down meeting, and we’ll be going in as soon as he’s gone.” She looked up for the first time. “So, who’re your friends and why are they holding guns on you? Did you do something bad?”

“Baasen Ray,” Han said, walking into the room. “Sunnim. This is Scarlet Hark. Scarlet? You’ll remember me talking about Baasen Ray?”

“The one who screwed up the drop back on Cioran,” Scarlet said. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“We’ve met once.”

“Huh,” Scarlet said with a shrug.

“You’re hurting my feelings, miss.”

“Well, you can put down your weapons and leave quietly,” Scarlet said, her welding tools still in her hands, the deck in her lap, “and no one gets anything but their feelings hurt.”

“No need for that, no need,” Baasen said. “The good Captain Solo’s offered me a share in the proceedings here. Come to parley, haven’t I?”

The door hissed closed behind them. Sunnim’s gaze shifted from it to Baasen to Scarlet and back to the door. Scarlet leaned forward.

“I don’t have time to screw around,” she said brightly. “So why don’t we start with why I shouldn’t kill both of you and drop your bodies down the recycler?”

“We’ve got guns drawn already. Even if you’re the fastest draw in the sector, your friend Solo’s a dead man.”

“We’re not actually that close.”

“Hey!” Han said.

“Be that as may be,” Baasen said, “I’d still guess that this isn’t the moment you’d want to start a gunfight? Inconvenient timing, as it were? Besides which, we’ve come to help. If what this rascal Han’s been saying’s even half true, I make us for being on the same side of things. For the moment at least.”

“Not sure I’m seeing that,” Scarlet said, and her deck chirped. A thin, grainy hologram coalesced over the bedspread. In the hallway outside 24-D, Hunter Maas adjusted his cape, shifted a small carrying case from hand to hand, and leaned in, speaking to the doorway. There was no sound with the feed, but from his gestures, Han guessed the shirtless man was practicing his sales pitch. After a moment, the door slid shut.

“You put a monitor on him?” Han asked.

“I went to find you, and you were gone,” Scarlet said. “I went to plan B.”

“Replaced by a small cam,” Baasen said. “It’s no universe for you and me anymore, Solo.”

“Laugh it up,” Han said. “Where’s he going?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Scarlet said. “This is our window. I’m not going to let your baggage screw it up.”

“Baggage?” Han said. “I don’t have baggage.”

“Well, you do a bit,” Baasen said. “No offense meant. So we’re partners now? Passage off the planet and a share in whatever profit comes from it?”

“Done,” Scarlet said, shutting down the deck. “Welcome to the team.”

“Pleasure to be here,” Baasen said. “Hope you won’t mind that I take a bit of precaution. Sunnim, my boy, you go on ahead to the Falcon. Make sure everything’s shipshape and ready to go, yes? And if our friends here don’t show up with me smiling along behind them … well, you know what to do.”

The Bothan paused. “Kill everyone?”

“See now?” Baasen said. “You did know. Good man, and off with you.” The Bothan nodded, opened the door, and trotted away. Baasen holstered his blaster and shrugged apologetically. “Hard to find good help in these fallen times.”

“That’s truth,” Scarlet said.

“Once we’re done, we’ll need to be leaving quickly,” Baasen said. “There’s a great flock of Imperial trouble winging its way toward us.”

“Of course there is,” she said. “All right. Let’s still give Hunter Maas a couple minutes to get away from the rooms. I don’t want him doubling back and interrupting us.”

“Shouldn’t we warn Leia about the fleet?” Han said.

“She’ll know. Don’t worry about that part. Let’s just keep focused on getting into that room, getting the data, and getting out again.” She looked from Baasen to Han and back again, her eyebrows raised and merriment in her eyes.

This woman is crazy, Han thought.

“Anyone need to use the facilities?” Scarlet asked, “Because I’m not taking time out for pit stops once we start.”

Baasen guffawed and clapped Han on the shoulder. “You always do know the most colorful people, don’t you, old friend?”

“It’s not my fault.”

Scarlet stepped off the bed, tugged the wrinkles out of the spread, and began laying out her tools. She hummed to herself, a soft melody just at the edge of hearing. Baasen watched her, and Han watched Baasen. Knowledge of the coming fleet pressed down on the air like a storm. Han told himself that somewhere on the planet, Leia and the leaders of the Rebellion were heading to their ships. Chewbacca was finishing prep of the Millennium Falcon. The plans that Scarlet had put in place were unfolding. He didn’t know what they were, and he didn’t like having faith in them. It was hard not to pace.