Part 16 (1/2)
Bria chuckled wryly. ”Han wouldn't agree with you, I'm sure.”
Just then, their shuttle landed in the Vigilance 's docking bay. Gathering up her skirts, Bria rose from her seat. Lando gravely offered her his arm to escort her down the gangplank.
”By the way,” he said, ”how in the galaxy did you man-age to get such a bounty placed on your pretty head?” She shook her head. ”Lando, it~ a very, very long story.” He nodded. ”Doubtless . . . but, since it will take Drea a couple of hours to finish with the Queen, we've got nothing but time .... ”
”Well, I'm not free to tell you much .... ”she hesitated. He smiled. ”Why am I not surprised? Tell you what... I'll find a bottle, and you can tell me the un-cla.s.sified parts. Deal?”
She laughed. ”DEM.”
Interlude 2: Somewhere between the Corporate Sector and the Tion Hegemony Hah Solo awoke s...o...b.., easing gritty eyes open against daylight~ painful onslaught. His head pounded like a misfiring thruster, and his mouth tasted like ban-tha fi~dder. He groaned and rolled over on his stomach, s.h.i.+elding his eyes from the hideous glare of the sunlight.
Minutes later, he managed to sit up, holding his head and wondering what in the galaxy had induced him to throw that party last night. One in a long series of parties ....
He had a dim recollection that it had been fun---lots of fun. Groggily he fumbled for his backpack and found a commercial headache remedy, swallowed it dry. He settled back onto the bed and held still for several min-utes, eyes closed, until it began to take effect and the headache eased off.
Opening his eyes fully, he looked around the dimly lit room, seeing clear evulence in the scattered food, bottles and other disorder that it had indeed, been a wild party. What was that girl~ name? He couldn't remember.
But they'd obviously had a very good time.
Han had been living high for weeks now, off the credits he'd gotten from the Authority Espo s.h.i.+p~ purser. Dimly, he realized that his stash of credits was considerably less than it htul been several weeks ago, when he'd said goodbye w Fiolla.
He thought about her, wis.h.i.+ng she was still with him. But when he'd prepared to leave Corporate Sector s.p.a.ce, she'd booked pa.s.sage home, saying that she had to get back to work-to the promotion she was sure she'd merit, for tracing down that slaver ring.
Since then, Han and Chewie had made planetfall on at least five different worlds. Han looked blearily at the sunlight that showed beneath the curtain in the hotel room. It had a slight orange tint against the white drape. What world is this, anyhow?
For the life of him, he couldn't remember.
Rising, he headed for the fresher. His headache was under control now, and he was beginning to feel hungry. Stepping into the shower, he let the hot water pummel him and leaned against the tiled wall. Ahhhhhhh...
For a moment he fouml himSelf thinking about home, wondering how everyone was doing. Maybe it was time to head back to Nar ShcMdaa, while he still had some credits left?
Thoughts of his friends filled his mind. Jarik, Mako . . . and Lando, of course. How was Lando doing these days? Had he ever found a s.h.i.+p to replace the Falcon?
And what about Bria?
Han sighed. Maybe, when he got back to Imperial s.p.a.ce, he'd try looking up Bria.
Yeah, right, he thought. That should be real easy. Just find the secret HQ of the Corellian Resistance and walk right in, demand to see your old girlfriend... probably get a blaster bolt right between your eyes, Solo ....
Feeling slightly better, Han shut the water off, and went to get dressed. He decided w get some food, then head back for the Falcon and Chewie. Time to leave this blasted world... whatever world this was ....
Jabba lounged beside his aunt in her private audience chamber on Nal Hutta, watching and listening as Bria Tharen made her appeal to Desilijic. The woman spoke well, he had to admit... for a human. ”Almighty Jiliac,” Bria spread her hands before her, ”just think what an opportunity this is for your clan. If Desilijic will just finance our group in terms of ammu-nition and fuel, the Corellian Resistance will make sure that Ylesia is no longer a thorn in your side. Wouldn't it be worth it, to see Besadii brought low? And for such a modest outlay! We provide the troops, the weapons, the s.h.i.+ps .... ”
”But you will take the spice stored in the ware-houses,” Jiliac said, in Huttese. Jabba and Jiliack proto-col droid, K8LR, promptly translated the Hutt leader~ words. Jiliae~ repulsor sled bobbed slightly as she s.h.i.+fted her weight forward to regard the Rebel com-mander intently. ”All we would gain could only be mea-sured in negative terms. Now if we were to profit from this...”
Bria Tharen shook her head. ”If we take the risks, we get the spice, Your Excellency. Running a resistance is expensive. We can't just wipe out your enemies for you and gain nothing for ourselves.”
Privately Jabba agreed with her. Why was Jiliac being so stubborn?
Jabba spoke up for the first time---in Basic, which he could speak, but rarely chose to. ”Let me make sure I understand what you are offering, and what you wish from us, Commander.”
Bria turned to him, bowed slightly. ”Certainly, Your Excellency.”
”One,” Jabba began ticking points off on his fingers. ”Desi!ijic will provide you funding to purchase ammu-nition and fuel for an a.s.sault on Ylesia. Two, Desilijic will arrange to eliminate the t'landa Td priests before the attack... correct?”
”Yes, Your Excellency,” Bria said.
”Why do you need us for that?” Jiliac demanded haughtily. ”If your group is such an efficient military force, then you should be able to handle a few puny t'landa Til.”
”Because we stand a much better chance of being able to control the Pilgrims if the Priests are 'already dead,” Bria Tharen 'replied. ”It shouldn't be too difficult for a kajidic of your resources to arrange. After 'all, there aren't more than thirty priests on the whole planet, or so our intelligence indicates. Only about three per Colony, in most cases. Another thing... we don't want our troops having to deal with fighting off the t'landa Til~ empathic vibes-we want them to be able to concentrate on fighting.”
”I understand,” Jabba said. ”Three . . . in return for our funding and our promise to eliminate the priests, your groups will land and destroy the Besadii enter-prise. Blow up the factories, make sure there is nothing left for Besadii to use in rebuilding.”
”That~ right, Your Excellency,” the Rebel com-mander said. ”The risk is ours. Of course, we'll also take the Pilgrims and the warehoused spice.”
”I understand,” Jabba said. ”Your offer merits con- sideration, Commander. We-”
”No!” Jiliac snorted disgustedly and waved dismissal.
”Girl, we have heard enough. Thank you, but-”
”Aunt!” Jabba said loudly, then lowered his voice when Jiliac broke off and turned to regard him in sur-prise. He continued in Huttese, ”May I speak with you privately?”
Jiliac huffed slightly' then nodded. ”Very well, Nephew.”
When the Tharen woman had been escorted outside the chamber by K8LR and asked to wait for their deci-sion, Jabba said, ”Aunt, this is an offer too-good to refuse. If we had to hire mercenary forces to eliminate the Ylesian enterprise, it would cost us many times what we'd have to pay to fund these Rebels. It would cost...” he ran quick figures in his head, ”at least five times as much. We should accept.”
Jiliac regarded her nephew with scorn. ”Jabba, haven't I taught you better than this? I told you, Desili-jie must never support either faction in a war. You want us to join the Resistance? That policy can only lead to disaster!”
Jabba had to take a deep breath and silently recite the Hurt alphabet before he could respond. ”Aunt, I am by no means suggesting that we should 'ally ourselves with these Rebels. But we can and should make use of them to further our own ends! This human female and her Rebellion are a gift from fate. Bria Tharen is the perfect leader for this raid.”
”Why?” Jiliac blinked at her nephew.
Jabba let out his breath in a quick huff of exaspera-tion. ”Think, Aunt! Who were the two humans who es-caped from Ylesia after killing Zawal all those years ago? Remember I investigated the matter 'after Han Solo came to work for us?”
Jiliac frowned. ”No .... ”
”Well, I did. Han Solo escaped Ylesia in a stolen s.h.i.+p, with much of TerOenza~ treasure in its hold, and the High Priest~ pet slave. Her name was Bria Tharen, Aunt. This same woman! She has a personal grudge against Ylesia! She will stop at nothing to shut the Be-sadii slaving world down.”
Jiliac was still frowning. ”So what if she has a per-sonal score to settle? How can that benefit us, Nephew?”
”Nothing could suit Desilijic% needs better than the destruction of those accursed spice factories! Think of it! Besadii, humbled and impoverished! This is a bargain!”
Jiliac rocked back and forth on her ma.s.sive belly, staring goggle-eyed into s.p.a.ce as if trying to picture in her mind% eye how it would work. ”No,” she said finally. ”It is a bad plan.”
”It is a good plan, Aunt,” Jabba insisted, ”and, with a little refinement, can be made to work.” After a pause, he added, ”With all due respect, Jiliac, I don't believe that you have thought the matter through.”
”Oh?” Jiliac reared back until she towered over her relative. ”Nephew, your judgment is flawed. I have been very careful, over the years, not to compare you with your reckless parent, who nearly bankrupted Desilijic with his grand schemes, then was foolish enough to wind up on that mudball pfison planet, Kip. However...”
Jabba didn't like being reminded of Zorba and his profligate ways. ”Aunt, I am nothing like my parent, and you know it! I respectfully submit that you have grown soft and your a.n.a.lysis weak. We must deal with Besadii soon or, most a.s.suredly, we will be ruined. What are your specific objections?”