The lift corridor was silent as Terrah and Videsse descended back to the lower level. They did not waste time, as their movements were spurred by purpose and the possibility of pursuit.
Terrah dropped through the lift hatch first and scanned the hall with her head lamp. It was empty, but the blastdoor to the hangar was open. That was a stark contrast from when they had left. She shone her lamp into the dimly blue-lit hangar.
A figure was under the E-Wing across the way on the forward wall. Cheedo bent over his R7 droid, fidgeting nervously trying to disconnect the astromech lift.
"Is it clear?" Videsse called as she descended through the hatch.
Cheedo looked up sharply at the aft door when he heard her voice. He saw Terrah and fumbled to finally disconnect the astromech lift. Once detached, he hit the underside of his E-Wing, causing the lift to retract into the underside of the fighter. Cheedo darted his eyes around the hangar and then scurried across the hangar floor to Terrah.
"What's this?" Terrah asked, covering him with her pistol.
"What's what?" Cheedo countered as he held up his hands. He still advanced anxiously. "You can put that down, Sun. You know me; I'm no threat."
Videsse stepped out from the lift and sidled up to Terrah. "Look who we got here!" She drew her pistol in her right hand, and Cheedo's blaster in the other. "Where's Cotrel? I gotta long complaint I plan on settlin' quick."
"We got separated," Cheedo chattered out.
"How'd that happen?" Videsse followed.
Cheedo lowered his hands and smiled as he thought of something. "I snuck away, like always."
"Keep those hands up," Videsse ordered. Cheedo lifted them again.
"Sure. No worries. I'm unarmed and as cool as Camor," Cheedo replied with a voice that betrayed his calmness. He seemed to want to hide that. "But, maybe, considering that hound is around, you'd be decent enough to give me back my blaster. Sun could vouch for me."
"Not a chance, Snitch," Videsse replied.
Cheedo took the insult without offense and nodded.
"What were you doing here, anyway?" Terrah asked.
"Just lightening my ship. The return trip was going to be a long one. Any little bit helps, and that R7 droid is a piece of junk. I was kind of hoping you two would get the hyperdrive shut down before that creature got you." It was not a tactful reply, but it seemed honest.
Terrah considered Cheedo's answers and lowered her weapon. "Well, that's where we're headed," she said. "You can keep unloading your ship, or whatever you were doing. Let's go, Ohara. He's no big threat. Not to us anyway." She turned to walk toward the hover-crate.
Videsse was not sure about Cheedo's harmlessness and back-stepped into the corridor, making sure to keep a line on him with her pistol.
Cheedo eye's widened while he opened his mouth as if to say something, but tripped over his words. "Uh, wait. Wait!"
Terrah and Videsse stopped.
"Cotrel is after me, and that hound, and . . . well, Ohara's got my weapon, and . . ."
"Fine, Cheedo," Terrah said. "You can come."
Videsse exhaled forcefully in disgust. "Then he walks in front so I can keep him in check. And let him push the cart."
Cheedo nodded and smiled; then he scurried in front of them.
Videsse followed behind him as Terrah took her position at the rear.
They passed through the dark hall, stepping over the disturbed floor grates as they made their way to the engine room. It did not surprise any of them that the lights were out and the doors were non-operational. However, the hyperdrive engines were roaring, making it almost impossible to speak. The room was also insufferably hot and no one wanted to stay in there longer than needed.
Videsse shouted over the engine noise to the others. "The motivator should be over there!" She pointed to the forward wall on their left. She directed her head-lamp beam to the area, illuminating the large pipes and cables that exited from the ceiling. The pipes scaled down the wall to a large metal-ridged piece of equipment. It was ten meters long and three meters high. Its black metal was lined with insert ports and coils. From the aft end, multiple pipes emerged, like tentacles that stretched out to the hyperdrive engines. "There. Those pipes on the ceiling are from the core. And that metal rathtar-lookin' thing is the motivator," Videsse informed the others. "Time to shut it down. Cheedo, push that cart in front of one of the insert ports." Terrah remained centered in the room to keep an eye out for the creature.
He obediently crossed the engine floor. Videsse followed him and then inspected the port. "Can't fit all of these cells on here, and we're gonna need 'em all!" she shouted. "I need some cords! You're gonna help!" She pushed him back toward the door with the muzzle of her pistol.
"Stay there!" Videsse ordered over the engine roar. Cheedo submitted again, while she ripped up the floor grate to the right of the door. "These lines go to the door," she yelled as she pointed to the electrical cords. "They're dead." She held out the butt of a vibroblade to Cheedo. "Get in there and cut off about two meters."
Cheedo furrowed his brow and took half of a step back. "Why don't you do it?" He held up his hands as if he did not want to take the blade. Sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Look at me," she countered. "I'm covered in grenades and jet-fuel. If I get an electrical shock, we'll both be dead."
"A shock!" Cheedo replied. "You said the lines were dead."
Videsse forced the blade into his hands. "Don't be a coward, Cheedo. It would only be a little one, if any."
He took the vibroblade into his sweaty hands, reluctantly.
"And nothin' funny, you hear. I've still got my pistol on you," Videsse warned.
Cheedo sheepishly climbed down into the crawl space and gripped half of the thick cords that headed to the door. He placed the blade on them and sawed through. Nothing happened. The frayed wires in his hands gave no electric shock. He repeated the job on the other half. Then he followed them back for two meters before cutting the other ends.
"Okay, now place the blade on the grate," Videsse shouted. Cheedo did as she said, and Videsse swiped it up, snapping the small blade back into the sheath on her forearm. She laughed a bit. "I am a little surprised you didn't get electrocuted."
"What!" Cheedo exclaimed. "You said just a little shock!" He climbed out.
"Well," Videsse admitted. "I was about sixty percent sure the lines were dead."
Cheedo tensed his lips and squinted his eyes; his displeasure was evident.
"Whatever," Videsse replied and pushed him back to the motivator. "You stay there," she ordered Cheedo and pointed to a place five meters from the motivator. She replaced her weapon in her holster and got to work linking the power cells together from within the crate. She did not have to remove the cells and only had to make one long series-circuit.
"So, Sun tells me you were a pretty pathetic bounty hunter," Videsse shouted over the engine hum, trying to goad Cheedo.
Cheedo did not take the bait.
"And now she tells me you stink at working for The Third as well."
Again, Cheedo kept his mouth closed.
"So what is it today?" Videsse asked, finishing up with the cells. "Are you here as a pathetic bounty hunter or as a stinkin' informant?"
Cheedo looked down, then replied. "I'm here for the same thing everyone else is."
"What's that?"
"The money," he called out.
Videsse turned to him. "Listen up, Snitch," she exclaimed and pointed her gloved finger at him. "I ain't here for the money. When you tell The Third about Ohara Fett, you be sure to make note of that!"
Cheedo furrowed his brow and his ears raised in a perplexed look. "Then what are you here for?"
Videsse did not answer but finished hooking the wires to the port insert. The motivator gave an electric snap as she attached the cells. Nothing else happened. Videsse stared at the hyperdrive engines intently listening. Gradually, the roar of the hyperdrive engines lessened.
"That's it!" Videsse shouted. "The hyperdrive is going to slow to a stop over the next few minutes. Let's get outta here."
She left Cheedo and ran to the door. "Come on," she called to Terrah. "Time to go."
Terrah followed, with Cheedo just behind. They ran through the twenty-meter corridor back to the hangar.
"I'm surprised we haven't bumped into that hound," Cheedo said as he looked around the hanger.
"Well, it can't be everywhere," Terrah replied.
The blue light from hyperspace continued to gleam through the open hangar bay; however, it was becoming less vivid. The overhead lights flickered on and then died out again.
"Looks like, we might get the lights back as the drive dies," Videsse stated.
They moved to the center of the hangar and watched as the blue hyperspace dimmed and evaporated away like clouds over Tatooine. The bay lights animated back to their quivering life.
PZ-85 hobbled up to them leaving his post at Blade-4. "Vid—eh—Ohara," he stammered. "You—you have returned. Th-thank the stars."
"PZ, we need to get Blade-4 online. It's time to go," Videsse ordered.
"B—but there is some—something I think you will want to be informed of," he replied. He stumbled with his steps again.
"What is it?" Videsse asked.
PZ-85 drew nearer within a few meters and began to speak. "There w—was activity that you—" He did not finish his sentence. Blaster shots rang out from just inside the aft door. The first shot whizzed past the droid's head. Then PZ-85's right shoulder exploded, followed by his chest. A spray of metal fragments ricocheted off Videsse's armor. She stood stunned for a second, as the droid's body fell to the ground, electric sparks arcing from the open chest wound. To Videsse, he seemed to float to the ground in the only graceful motion the droid had ever made. She raised her head painfully to move her gaze to the aft door. Cotrel stood there resolutely with intense focus in his eyes. His hands gripped a smoking blaster, and a finger rested firmly on the trigger.
"You all stay where you are," he called out. "The kid's Kom'rk is mine."