Sealed doors were never a true obstacle for Terrah; and with a little effort, she undid the work that the girl bounty hunter had accomplished. The door opened three-quarters of the way in a cataleptic fit before it moaned to a stop. Again, Terrah muttered to herself about the condition of this ship. She hunched over and passed through the doorway.
Of course, the bridge door was closed as well; and with even less effort, Terrah unlocked the controls. She removed a sonic charge from her belt and readied her pistol. As the door opened, she tossed in the sonic charge without looking and backed around the frame for cover.
"Sod it!" the girl's voice exclaimed from inside. However the spherical sonic charge did not detonate. Instead, Terrah heard the clanking metal bounce off the bridge door and roll in front of her.
Now Terrah swore, "In the name of . . ." She dove for the door as the sonic charge detonated behind her. The impact wave rattled her and threw her to the ground without knocking her out. Terrah rolled on her side onto the bridge and tried to shake off the headache she knew was coming.
"You've got to be kidding me!" the girl heaved with disappointment. "You!" The girl raised her left hand into the air as if this was utterly ridiculous. "Of course!"
Terrah raised her head to look down the muzzle of a disruptor pistol and angled herself up onto one arm. "Yeah," she replied. Terrah noticed the blue hologram of the inventory logs displayed on the viewscreen behind the girl. "Seems we are after the same thing."
"Well, this is the closest you're gonna get." The girl back-stepped to the holograph and deleted the inventory list. The list disappeared and was replaced with the command prompts. "Seems you are tryin' to kill me for it, too," the girl said and leaned in with her aim.
Terrah held up both arms. "Sonic charge."
"What?" the girl replied.
"You shot at me; I just tossed a sonic charge at you," Terrah said flatly. "You would have been fine."
The girl laughed with satisfaction at the thought. "Just like you, Red Sun. Yeah, I know all about what a great bounty hunter you are. You harpy!"
Terrah noticed something on the command prompt behind the girl and tilted her head to study it. Distracted, she barely heard the insults from the girl. She then darted her gaze to the lit wall panel, reading its lit alerts. Terrah's hands began to shake, but she calmed them before the girl would notice.
"All stories, no meat. Can't even kill right. You can be sure that I know how!" the girl challenged.
"No doubt," Terrah replied, as she began to rise confidently but slowly.
"Stay right there!" the girl ordered.
"You're too focused on the bounty, Kid," Terrah replied. "Didn't you notice the ship display?"
"Shut up," the girl said. "I noticed." The girl's shoulders fell a little and she shifted her feet.
"Did you?" Terrah asked and nodded to the screen. "Look at the last order."
The girl wavered but succumbed to the temptation to look. It was an evacuation order. The diversion was enough; and before she could contemplate it thoroughly, Terrah had wrenched the girl's arm behind her back and had forced her to drop the pistol. Terrah then removed the girl's second pistol from its holster and tossed it into the corner where it clattered between the walls.
The girl heaved her hips back, trying to buck Terrah off, but Terrah slammed her forehead down on the controls and kicked out one of her legs.
"Stop, kid," she commanded. The girl still flailed like a womp rat in a foot snare. "Think. An evacuation order. Look there." Terrah made sure to angle the girl's head at the escape pod diagnostic panel to her right. Of the eight lights indicating their deployment, seven of them were lit.
The girl settled down and relaxed as she realized. "Of course, it's always a-"
"Now you two are making quite a squawking ruckus," a gruff voice interrupted from the second command bay door.
Terrah turned sharply to look at a blue Chagrian standing smugly with his arms crossed in front. He wore a brown leather strapped vest and a satisfied smirk. He started to thumb his intricately tattooed chin.
A Karkarodon stepped in after him with a terrified Weequay in custody. He threw the man to the ground as if he was trying to break the floor with him. The Karkarodon kicked forcefully down on his back and settled his weight on the fallen prisoner. The Weequay cried out in pain.
"Very well, Mistok," Cotrel, the Chagrian pirate guild leader, said. He stood motionless as his other Duros guard worked around him on his right. The Duros raised his whistler carbine blaster and directed its muzzle at the two females.
Terrah reluctantly let up on the girl's head and stepped back allowing the girl to straightened up. The girl rubbed the back of her silver helmet, before shoving Terrah off.
"Cotrel," Terrah addressed as she settled her stance. "Pleasure, as always." Terrah started with her usual tone for negotiations with him.
"Pleasure's mine," Cotrel answered with a nod of his head. "So, find what you were looking for?"
Terrah was playing the game again, trying to free herself from a snare. "Did you?" She did not want to move a muscle with the Duros marking her.
The girl was not as cautious. She produced two vibroblades from her wrist gauntlets and took a step forward. "You don't know who you're messin' with, Leatherneck!"
Cotrel was amused and put his hand on the top of the Duro's blaster. "That's enough, Noes." The Duros lowered the weapon cautiously. "I'm not here for you, if that's what you think," Cotrel continued. "Let's all put our weapons away." There was a moment when every blade and pistol returned to their places with onerous caution leaving no one at a disadvantage except for the obvious Weequay moaning on the floor. Mistok, the Karkaradon, kicked him resolutely in the side.
"So, that's better," Cotrel said. "And now for business, Sun. Looks like you and I are coming up short on our plans."
The girl clenched her fists and tensed her shoulders.
"What's going on here?" Cotrel continued.
Before Terrah could answer, the girl jumped on the opportunity. "Like we'll tell you!"
Terrah shook her head, and Cotrel looked at the girl patronizingly.
"Who is this kid?" Cotrel huffed. "She with you?"
"No, I-" Terrah started.
"Not in her dreams," the girl interrupted. "And yeah, she found me like she finds everything else. By accident!"
Cotrel laughed out loud. "This kid's got a chip on her shoulder for you, Sun!"
"Stop calling me kid!" the girl replied. "Name's Ohara Fett! Get used to it, cause you're gonna hear a lot of it from now on."
That did it. She dropped the name Fett, a name everyone in the room knew. Terrah found herself mute; she understood the implications. Still, she tried to convince herself that the association with the Fett name was just a coincidence. Perhaps it was another Fett. Terrah felt the discomfort rising but would not admit it as any feeling such as regret or sorrow. It was another trap, another snare, another race to save herself.
"Fett, huh?" Cotrel questioned and stepped closer to her. "Explains the armor, I guess. Boba Fett?"
"Yeah," the girl said. She put her hand on her hip, satisfied with the attention. "He taught me everything I know."
Terrah leaned away and put her hand on the console. There was no denying it, the truth was evident; a young hot-headed girl with the Terrah clone symbol, and raised by of all people, Boba Fett. This was her daughter, Videsse.
"Well," Cotrel continued. "He didn't teach you to shut up, that's for sure. Wonder if you picked up anything at all."
"Just ask the Keeper," she replied.
Cotrel furrowed his brow and smirked at the thought.
"Yeah, that fake over there took all the credit for my work!" Videsse accused.
Cotrel exhaled and shook his head in disbelief. He waved his hand and changed the subject. "Whatever."
Videsse's form seemed to tense as if she were about to explode.
Cotrel turned to Terrah. "I'm here for Sleenwai. And we all know this ship's abandoned. I suppose you don't know what's happened?"
Terrah, still flustered, took a moment before she realized that Cotrel was addressing her. "Oh," she said. "I was just looking into that when you arrived."
"Looked like it," Cotrel said, his voice soaked in sarcasm. "Noes, get on the prompts and tell me what happened."
Noes hurried to the console and his dark green fingers started to work the controls.
"Evacuation order," he stated the facts quickly. "No reason given. Seven pods deployed. Evacuation order by Sleenwai-"
The hologram display snapped closed abruptly and was replaced with a transmission. The Duros stepped back in surprise as the large blue-grey holograph of a Nautolan appeared. His black eyes moved from each person in the command bridge. His multiple head tentacles hung down over his shoulders like hair, and he shook them before speaking.
"Cotrel!" the Nautolan said with a boisterous voice. "My good friend. Not surprised to see you."
"Sleenwai," Cotrel replied.
"If you wanted a meeting, you know there were better ways," Sleenwai ridiculed. "And what a crew you have brought. Who's there? Your lackeys, of course." The Karkarodon and the Duros shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "And who else. . . oh yes, Red Sun," he smiled as he said it. "Seems you hired the best."
Terrah didn't give a hint of unease at the comment. "A pleasure, Sleenwai," she addressed.
"And who is that other one?" Sleenwai asked.
"The name's Oha-" Videsse started with rowdy intent.
"Never mind her," Cotrel interrupted trying to avoid another dose from the kid. "Where are you, Sleenwai? We've got important business to discuss."
The Duros was monitoring the transmission. "Boss, the message is coming from on the ship. He's here," he said in a low voice.
"What business do you want to discuss, Cotrel?" he asked. "How you hired all these goons to kill me? Well, you're going to regret that."
"If I did, that would be payment for your posturing to take over the guild."
Terrah stepped over to Videsse and tried to move her away from the display. Videsse shoved off her press and glared at her.
"Quiet," Terrah said in a whisper. "Sleenwai thinks we're here to take him out."
"Yeah, so," Videsse commented coldly.
"So he doesn't know about Gabril's bounty," Videsse said. Cotrel and Sleenwai were so absorbed in their own banterings that they ignored Videsse and Terrah.
"What do I care about what he knows?" Videsse replied in a harsh whisper.
"Would you just shut up and listen, Kid-eh, Ohara? We're about to get caught up in something we don't want. I'm getting off this ship. I suggest you do the same."
Terrah stepped back to the console and slipped her foot by the one of the pistols that Videsse had dropped. She slid it back over to Videsse. Terrah satisfied herself by thinking she at least gave Videsse some help; now the kid would have to do the rest on her own.
Cotrel and Sleenwai continued. "So I hope you enjoy deep space, Cotrel," Sleenwai said. "You're going to die there. But don't worry, I'll take care of the guild for you. And Stick," Sleenwai addressed the Weequay that was on the floor. The Weequay's brown thick-skinned face looked up to Sleenwai. "I'm sorry, Stick. But you got caught. Now you have a heavy price to pay." The Nautolan shook his head tentacles again, and the transmission died.
The final escape pod light lit suddenly.
"Boss," Noes said. "The last escape pod just ejected."
Cotrel gritted his teeth. "Sleenwai, that bantha fodder."
A low hum started throughout the command bridge. It's volume started to rise.
"What's that?" Mistok asked and leaned toward the viewscreen.
"The hyperdrive," Noes said. "It's charging up."
"Well, stop it before it initiates," Cotrel commanded with rising discomfort.
"I can't, Sleenwai's got it rigged," the Duros said with a wavering voice as he fussed with the controls desperately.
"Then what are the coordinates?" Mistok's loud voice growled through his shark teeth.
"None," Noes answered. "It's going to just go."
They knew exactly what that meant, and a shiver went through everyone's core. The Blood Krayt would sail into empty space until the power core burnt out. That could take weeks, and with every second they would be further away from the galaxy. There would be no hope for their smaller ships to make the trip back. Mistok looked down to the Weequay, but the empty grate was all that was there. He was gone, having run out.
"I think the Weequay's got the right idea," Terrah said and ran for the door.
The rest took a quick glance at each other and took to flight a second behind her.