Read Online Razor's Edge: Star Wars (Empire and Rebellion) by Martha Wells - Free Book Online

nervous.
    The woman in the lead was slim and elegant, with pale skin and short dark hair, and only a little taller than Leia. She stopped a few paces away and said, “Your Highness. I’m Captain Caline Metara.”
    â€œI’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances, Captain Metara.” Leia was aware her voice was dry. She was finding it hard to maintain a calm, neutral demeanor in the face of Metara’s confident, professional appearance. Piracy apparently agreed with her. “Now that I’m aboard, I’d like you to allow the station’s rescue ship to tow the damaged merchant vessel into dock.”
    Metara answered so quickly that Leia knew she had anticipated the request. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. We haven’t had time to remove the merchant’s cargo yet. And while you can vouch for your own ship’s conduct, you can’t control the station’s picket ship. If I let it come close enough to take the merchant in tow, it will fire on us.”
    She was probably right about that, and Leia hadn’t really expected a different answer, but it was a further test of her already stretched-to-the-limit temper. “Very well, then.” She wanted to add,
And I hope not too many more of the people aboard the merchant ship die while we’re having our lovely little chat,
but just managed to suppress it.
    Metara seemed to realize she was perhaps not Leia’s favorite person at the moment. She gave her a grave nod and said, “Please come this way. We can talk more comfortably in the ship’s lounge.”
    â€œLet’s do that,” Leia said. Her jaw was starting to ache from the tension of trying to keep her expression under control. She caught a wary look from Han.
    As Metara led them through the bay blast doors and into the corridor, she said, “We had heard rumors that you survived the destruction, but we weren’t sure how much to believe of what was reported on the Imperial-controlled news services.” Her voice trembled a little, the first indication that she was aware of the awkwardness of the situation. “I assume your ship is a rebel vessel.”
    â€œIt has an Alliance affiliation,” Leia said, glad to see the hint of vulnerability. Vulnerability meant doubt, and if Leia was going to talk Metara out of this, she needed a way past that polished demeanor.
    The last Alderaanian gunship Leia had been aboard was one of the survivors that had joined the Alliance. She knew they were all much the same, but it was still something of a shock to walk down the familiar corridors, to see how little had changed aboard this ship. The crew was obviously being careful with the maintenance, though there were a few signs of normal wear like small tears and stains on the concussion padding around the blast doors, or mismatched metal finishes where the consoles had been repaired with different materials. She noticed that Metara was taking them through the crew quarters, and not past any of the engineering or weapons sections, and she wondered exactly what augmentations the ship had had been given.
    At last Metara stopped before a doorway. Leaving her entourage in the corridor, she led her guests into what was obviously a crew lounge. Furnished with couches built back against the bulkheads and cabinets where games, readers, holo sets, and other entertainment items would typically have been stored, the room was clean, kept as well as it would have been had the
Aegis
still been under the control of the Alderaanian military. Leia saw the ship’s original commission plaque with the Alderaan planetary seal proudly displayed above the forward doorway and had to grit her teeth. How could they live as pirates and keep that plaque on display, as if they still had any right to it?
    Two crew members waited for them in the lounge. “This is my second in command, Dannan Kelvan,” Metara said, gesturing, “and our engineer and