Part 14 (1/2)

”You'll Support me?” Lando asked. He could hear the capital ”S” in ”Support.”

”Support me in what way?”

Karia smiled, as if it were a silly question. ”In all ways.

I will care for your health, provide for you financially, clothe you, feed you, and shelter you.”

”And in return?” Lando asked.

”And in return you will live well. It is the law on our world that by marrying me, I will become your sole their.”

”And I will become yours?” he asked.

Karia smiled again. ”Yes, that is so.”

”I'm not quite clear here. What will happen after five years?”

Lando asked. ”You will cease to support me? Will we then no longer be married?”

”As you said, we shall be married until death do us part.”

”But I'll have to fend for myself, eh? Well, that certainly seems fair enough,” Lando said. ”But let me make something clear. I don't want or intend just to live off you. I want to work. i want to make things, build things, run things. I want to find grand projects that deserve to happen and make them happen.”

”Yes, of course. That is your gift. You must pursue it.

You are pursuing it, and are willing to sacrifice all for it.

You seek a source of investment capital, and that I shall be for you. I will not be so imprudent as to give you all of what I have, but I a.s.sure you that this' '-she gestured to indicate the incredibly opulent house and grounds-' s but the least of what is mine. You will have the finances to do what you seek to do. Will that be satisfactory?”

”Yes! Of course! Absolutely,” Lando said. No one had ever offered him terms like these before. He would have to be insane to turn them down, or give her a chance to change her mind.

Karia stood up. ”Then let us perform the ceremony,” she said.

Lando and Luke both got up as well, guided half by reflex, and surprised. ”What, now?” Lando asked.

”Certainly,” Karia said. ”What point could there be in waiting longer? We both know what we want, and each of us knows the other can provide it. Life is short, and delay is death.”

”Lando, wait a second!” Luke said. ”There's something wrong here.

I don't know what it is, but there is something wrong.

Karia's mood changed abruptly. ”Does the great Jedi Master question my veracity?” she asked, with steel in her voice. ”Come, look into my soul, and see if deception lurks there. I have nothing to fear.”

”There is no need,” Luke said. ”I do not doubt your intentions are all they should be. I do not think you intend to deceive. But even so, there is something wrong. I beg that you give my friend time-if only an hour-to pause and reflect.”

Karia's eyes flashed with anger. ”In another hour, another suitor may come. In another hour, I might not like your friend so much as I do now. No. He knows all he needs to know, and he knows why he came here.

It is now or never.” Lando grabbed Luke by the arm and pulled him close.

”Luke, back off,” he whispered. ”She's right. This is what I was after. Don't mess this up for me.” Luke looked Lando straight in the eye. ”Lando,” he said in a low voice. ”I tell you that something's missing here. Are you sure you know what you're doing?”

Lando felt a knot at the pit of his stomach, and suddenly he realized he was scared. Very scared. Of what, he did not know. But if he were a man who ran away from what scared him, the second Death Star might still be in the sky.

Courage was for when you were scared. ”No, I'm not sure,” he whispered back. ”But as the lady said, life is risk. If here and now is my one chance, then I take my chance now. He turned back toward their hostess, smoothed his hair down, and straightened his tunic. ”This ceremony,” he said in as steady a voice as he could manage.

”Exactly what does it involve?”

Karia gestured toward a five-sided red canopy that stood at the south side of the great room. ”There,” she said.

”We stand under the canopy, activate a recording device, repeat a brief oath in front of a witness, perform the blood kiss, and the deed is done.”

”Blood kiss?” Lando asked, a bit anxiously.

Karia smiled. ”A most lurid name for a most gentle ritual. It is nothing. A pinp.r.i.c.k on your right forefinger. A spot of blood. I kiss it. You do the same to me, and that is all. We will be wed.”

”And that's legally binding?” Lando said. ”We'll be married in the eyes of the law, and of society?”

Karia laughed again. ”Oh yes, indeed. It is most certainly a binding ceremony. We shall be well and truly wedded, one to the other.”

Lando took a deep breath and stepped forward. He extended his left hand toward his bride, and she put her hand on his. ”Then here is our witness, and now is the time.”

”Lando! No!” Luke protested, and made as if to step toward him.

Lando held up his right hand toward Luke, palm out.

”This is what I want, Luke,” he said. ”This is what you promised to help me get, on the oath of a Jedi Master. I say to you that now is the time for you to honor that oath.

You shall be our witness.” Lando could see the conflict in his friend's face, the fear for him struggling with the promise Luke had made. ”Very well,” Luke said at last. ”On the oath of a Jedi Master, let us perform the ritual.”

The cab driver had made one wrong turn, and corrected it with a U-turn of remarkable violence. Now, at last, they were in front of the Ver Seryan house. Threepio suddenly realized that Artoo could not get out of the hovercar without a.s.sistance, and yet was blocking the door.

”Driver!” Threepio cried out, tapping on the scuffed clear plastic barrier that divided the front seat from the back.

”I'm afraid I must ask your help again to get my counterpart back out of the cruiser.”

The driver turned around and glared at Threepio most unpleasantly.

”Come on, you crazy tin box. It was tough enough getting him into the cab back at the s.p.a.ceport.”

”True enough,” Threepio said. ”But the sooner my counterpart is out of your vehicle, the sooner you can be on your way.” It had not escaped Threepio's notice that their driver clearly did not like the idea of getting this close to the Ver Seryan place. In any event, the argument convinced the driver. He popped open the door to the driving compartment, got out, opened the rear door, slapped one meaty hand on either side of Artoo, and pulled him out of the cab with a single mighty heave. He dumped Artoo unceremoniously on the gra.s.s by the side of the road. Threepio was barely able to get out of the cab before the driver was back behind the controls and driving off at high speed, using the acceleration of his start to slam the pa.s.senger door shut.

”Well!” said Threepio. ”I can't say that I am sorry to see the last of him! Come along, Artoo, we must hurry.” Artoo managed to right himself, but it was plain to see that he was going to have some difficulty navigating his way up to the house. Artoo swiveled his visual sensor toward Threepio and whistled frantically.

”Oh! My goodness, Artoo, you are quite right. Under the circ.u.mstances, I certainly should not wait for you.

Threepio turned toward the house, and made his ungainly way toward it, moving as fast as his somewhat ill-coordinated locomotion system would carry him.