Part 6 (1/2)

Han opened the inner pocket of his vest and took out a much folded, aging piece of flimsy. Opening it, he read the first line: Dearest Han, You don't deserve for this to happen, and all I can say is, I'm sorry. I love you, but I can't stay ....

Han's mouth twisted, then he folded the flimsy again and shoved it back into his pocket. Until last year, just before the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, he'd thought that Bria must have gone crawling back to the Ylesians, un-able to live without the Exultation.

And then he'd encountered her, gorgeously gowned and coiffed, in Moff Sam s.h.i.+ld~ fancy penthouse on Coruscant. She'd called s.h.i.+ld ”darling” and there had been every indication that she'd been the Moff's concu-bine. Han had done his best to despise her ever since. The idea that Bria might have actually loved the Moff never entered his head... he knew who she still loved. When she'd first seen him she'd gone pale, and it was still there, in her eyes, though she'd tried to disguise it ....

Moff s.h.i.+ld had committed suicide shortly after the Battle of Nar Shaddaa. The news-vids had been full of it. Vids of his memoriM service (and Han had watched them deliberately) had shown no glimpse of Bria, though.

And now... to find out that she ~ some kind of Rebel agent for CoreUia... Hah thought. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered whether that was what Bria had been doing in Moff s.h.i.+ld~ house-hold. Had she been a Rebel intelligence operative, as-signed to spy on the Moff, and, through him, the Empire?

It made sense. Han didn't like it, but he found that he had more respect for Bria if she'd been sleeping with the Moff to gain information, than if she'd just been what she appeared to be-a spoiled, gorgeous plaything.

He wondered what she was doing, now that the Moff was dead. Visiting planets and helping their under-ground Rebel movements get organized, obviously.

Also... Hah had heard that a year or so ago, a group of human Rebels had hit Ylesia, attacking Colony Three and rescuing about a hundred slaves. Could Bria have been involved with that?

The way Katarra and the other Wookiees talked about her, she was some kind of warrior saint, risking her life to bring them arms and ammo from the Corel-lian rebels. And Kashyyyk was an Imperial slave world.

Han remembered how betrayed she'd been when she'd realized that the Ylesian religion was a hokey bunch of fake mumbo-jumbo. She'd been furious and bitter. She'd hated the fact that, in the s.p.a.ce of a sec-ond, she'd been altered from Pilgrim to slave. In the years since that horrifying realization; had she taken that fury and translated it into action against the Yle-sians and the Empire's slavers?

Han Solo hadn't lacked for female company since Bria, by any means. Back on Nar Shaddaa, Hah and Salla Zend had been an item for more than two years now. Salla was a spirited, exciting woman, an expert tech and mechanic as well as a skilled pilot and smug-gler. She and Hah had so many things in common-and one of the foremost things that characterized their af-fair was that neither of them was interested in anything but having a good time-while it lasted.

Han's relations.h.i.+p with Salla was something that he could count on, without it getting in the way. They'd never made any promises to each other about anything, and that was the way they both liked it.

Han had often wondered whether he really loved Salla-or she him. He knew he cared for her, would do almost anything for her, but love? It was safe to say that he'd never felt about her or any woman the way he'd felt about Bria.

But I was a kid then, he reminded himself. Just a reckless kid, who didn't know any better than to faU like a ton ofneutronium. Now I'm a lot smarter....

As he sat musing in his corner, Kallabow, Chew-bacca's sister, who had been rus.h.i.+ng back and forth with platters for the coming wedding feast, suddenly stopped, hands on hips, and glared at him. Then she beckoned to him, exclaiming indignantly. Han got to his feet. ”Hey, of course I ain't hiding,” he said, in re-sponse. ”I was just tryin' to stay outta the way. Is every-thing ready?”

Kallabow agreed emphatically that everything was ready, and Han should come now.

Han followed Chewie's sister out into the sunlight amid the rustling treetops. As he walked, Jarik fell into step with him. The kid had stayed pretty close by Han~ side, since he didn't understand Wookiee, and, unless Han was around, could only speak to Ralrra. ”So, this is it?” he asked Han.

”This is apparently it, kid,” Han said. ”Chewie~ mo-ments of freedom are numbered.”

Kallabow, catching Han's words, gave the human males a scathing glance and an indignant, ”Huuuuum-mmmpppppphhhhhhh!” that needed no translation. Han chuckled. ”We better be careful, kid. She could break us both in two without half tryin'.”

The Wookiee femme led them down one of the bough-roads that was as wide as a street on some worlds. They were headed away from the city, deeper into the treetop area where many Wookiees had built homes. Malla's house, Han had gathered, was one of the tree-house-type places, since she lived where she could be close to her work.

Within minutes, they branched off onto another trail, then another. ”Wonder where we're going?” Jarik said, uneasily. ”I'm lost. If she left us out here, I wouldn't have a clue as to how to get back to Rwookrrorro. Would you?”

Han nodded. ”Remind me to brush you up on your navigation skills, kid,” he said. ”But if Kallabow walks us much farther, I'm gonna be too tired to party.”

The little party turned onto yet another, smaller trail, and 'ahead of them, Han and Jarik could see many Wookiees gathered. They walked, then the trail came to an abrupt end.

The wroshyr branch that they were standing on had been sheared off in some manner, and plunged down to rest atop lower branches. With the ma.s.sive branch weighing the nearby treetops down, the effect was like looking out across a vast green va~ey-breathtaking. Rounded green hills rose in soft swells to the west. The yellow sun shone down, bright as a beacon, and every-where there were birds wheeling through the air. ”Hey...” Hah said to Kallabow. ”Nice view.”

She nodded, and explained that this was a sacred place to Wookiees. Here, with this vista before them, they could truly appreciate the grandeur of their world.

The ceremony was ready to begin. There was no priest to officiate; Wookiee couples married themselves. Hah walked up to stand beside Chewbacca, then gave his friend, who appeared more than a bit nervous, a re-a.s.suring grin, and reached up to ruffle the Wookieeg head-fur. ”C'mon, relax,” he said. ”You're gettin' a great girl, pal.”

Chewie replied that he knew that quite well... he just hoped he could remember his lines!

As they stood at the end of the trail, with a crowd of Wookiees between them and the pathway leading back to Rwookrrorro, the crowd suddenly parted in the mid-dle. Mallatobuck paced down the trail toward them.

She was covered from head to foot in a sheer veil of silvery gray. The veil was so light, so translucent, it 'al-most appeared that she was clothed in some glimmer-ing energy field. But as she came up beside Chewie, Hah could tell that the veil-was actually some kind of knit or woven fabric, 'almost completely transparent. Han could see Mallag blue eyes clearly through her bridal veil.

Han listened intently as Chewie and Malla ex-changed vows. Yes, they loved each other beyond all other beings. Yes, each otherg honor was as dear to them as their own, Yes, they promised to be faithful to each other. Yes, death could part them, but could not end their love.

The life-power was with them, they said. The life-power would make their union strong, and they would be complete... together. The life-power would be with them ... always.

Hah felt a wave of unaccustomed solemnity wash over him. For a moment, he almost envied Chewie. He could see love s.h.i.+ning in Mallatobuck~ eyes, and felt a pang. n.o.body had ever loved him that much. Except rrmybe Dewlanna, he thought, remembering the Wookiee widow who had raised him.

Bria... he'd used to think she loved him that much.

But she sure had a funny way of showing it ....

Now Chewie was raising Malla% veil, and clutching her to him. They rubbed their cheeks together tenderly. Then, with a huge, triumphant roar, Chewie picked her up and swung her around as though she were child-sized instead of a grown Wookiee only a little shorter than he was.

The crowd of Wookiees broke into a chorus of hoots, roars and howls of appreciation.

”Well,” said Hah to Jarik, ”guess that~ it!”

But the wedding celebration was far from over. The honored couple was escorted to tables in the treetops that groaned with every kind of Wookiee delicacy. Hah and Jarik moved among the tables, sampling cautiously, for Wookiees tended to serve most meats raw. Some were cooked, but even there humans had to be cau-tious. Wookiees enjoyed highly seasoned foods-and some were spicy and hot enough to damage a human gullet.

Han examined the tables and introduced Jarik to many ”safe” WooBee delicacies: Xachibik broth, a thick meat, herb and spice combination... Vrortik ”c.o.c.ktail,” a layered dish that combined various meats and layers of wroshyr leaves that had been soaked in potent grakkyn nectar for weeks . . . Factryn meat pie, frozen Gorrnar, chyntuck rings, and fried Klak ....

There were 'also salads and flatbreads, plus forest-honey cakes and a.s.sorted chilled fruit delicacies.

Han advised Jarik against partaking of the various types of spirits being pa.s.sed around. The Corellian knew from painful experience how potent Wookiee liquor could be. There were many kinds: accarragm, cortyg, garrmorl, grakkyn and Thikkiian brandy, to name a few.

”Take my advice, kid,” Han said. ”Wookiees know how to make homebrew that will put a human on the floor in minutes. I'm sticking to gorimn wine and Gralinyn juice.”

”But the children drink Gralinyn juice,” Jarik protested. ”And this other stuff...”

”Jaar,” Han said. ”Sweetened alcoari milk and vineberry extract. Itb too sweet for my taste, but you might like it.”

Jarik was looking longingly at a huge flask of Thikki-Jan brandy. Hah shook his head warningly. ”Kid . . . don't. I ain't takin' care of you if you wind up sick as a poisoned mulack-pup.”

The youth made a face, but then picked up a cup of the gorimn wine. ”Okay, I guess you know what you're talkin' about.”

Han smiled and they clinked their gla.s.ses. ”Trust me.” A few minutes later, as Han stood off by himself, holding a plate of barbecued trakkrrrn ribs and a spicy salad garnished with rilllrrnnn seeds, a dark-brown Wookiee who seemed vaguely familiar-though the Corellian was sure he'd never met him before-walked up to him. The Wookiee stood there, studying Han, and then introduced himself.

Han nearly dropped his plate. ”You're Dewlan-namapiab son?” he cried. ”Hey? Putting his plate and cup down hastily, he grabbed the Wookiee male in an excited hug. ”Hey, guy, I'm so glad to meet you! Whatb your name?”

The Wookiee returned ttanb embrace, replying that he was called Utchakkaloeh. Hah stood back, looking at him, and found that his eyes were stinging. Chakk (or so he asked to be called), seemed equally moved, as he told Hah that he had hoped to meet him, partly because he hoped the human could tell him how his mother had died.

Hah swallowed. ”Chakk, your morn died a hero,” he said. ”I wouldn't be a~ve today it if wasn't for her. She was one brave Wookiee. She died a warrior's death, fighting. A guy named Garris Shrike shot and killed her, but... he~ dead, too.”

Chakk wanted to know whether Hah had killed Shrike in order to avenge his motherb death. ”Not ex-actly,” Hah said. ”Someone else got him first. But I put a good hurtin' on him, before he bought it.”