Part 22 (1/2)
”Fine,” she said, blinking back the tears. ”You just turn your back on both me and a fortune. I don't call that smart, Han. I call it stupid. And the idea that a drug runner is putting on moral airs is really laughable, you know?”
”I'm a smuggler,” Hah shouted. ”We have our own code!”
”Yeah, running drugs for Hutts!” she was yelling too.
”You and Jabba! Birds of a feather!”'
The idea that she would cla.s.s him with the Hutts was the last straw. Han spun around and started to walk away.
”Fine!” she cried. ”I'll go see Mako Spince, that's what I'll do. He can't be as dumb as you!”
Her unwitting pun made Han laugh nastily. ”Fine,” he snarled, not turning around. ”Have fun gettin' him to talk. Goodbye, Bria.”
He strode away from her, his bootheels clicking against the permacrete, his head high. It felt good to leave her standing there, looking after him.
It felt real good ....
Durga faced Prince Xizor~ image on his comm unit. ”Guri has explained your difficulty,” the prince said. ”I will dispatch two companies of mercenaries under the capable command of Willurn Kamaran to Ylesia. Com-mander Kamaran~ Nova Force will help you keep Teroenza in line until he can be dealt with: Which should be speedily, my friend.”
”Thank you, Your Highness,” Durga said. ”As Guri may have told you, I will share the profits from Ylesia with you this year, to recompense you for your help. Fifteen percent.”
The Faleen prince's mouth curved down, and he shook his head sadly. ”Durga, Durga... I thought you had some respect for me. Thirty percent for the next two years.”
Durga batted his bulbous eyes in disbelief. Worse than I ever imagined/He drew himself up. ”Your High-ness, if I granted you that, I would be deposed as leader of Besadii.”
”But if you do not have my troops in place, and soon, you will lose Ylesia altogether,” the prince pointed out, truthfully.
”Twenty percent, one year,” Durga said, feeling ac-tual pain as he spoke the words. ”They will not have to be there long, remember.”
”Thirty percent, two years,” the head of Black Sun said. ”I do not negotiate.”
Durga drew a deep breath, feeling the ghosts of bruises and injuries from his battle with Jiliac awaken. ”Very well,” he said, sullenly.
Xizor smiled pleasantly. ”Fine. The mercenaries will embark as soon as possible for Ylesia. It is a pleasure doing business with you, my friend.”
It took every bit of willpower Durga could summon to say, ”Very well, Your Highness. Thank you.”
He cut the connection and slumped in despair, imag-ining what Aruk would say to 'all of this. I'm trapped, he thought. Trapped. All I can do is try to make the best of it ....
Han did not sleep well that night. Thoughts of Bria and her proposition raced through his mind like an as-teroid on a collision course. I can't trust her... can I? I don't want to see her... do I?
He dozed, and dreamed of mounds of glitterstim, which mutated without warning into piles of credits. He leaped into those piles, rolled around in them, shouting joyfully, and suddenly Bria was there with him, and he was holding her, rolling over with her, kissing her in the midst of piles and piles and piles of credits . . . more wealth than he'd ever imagined ....
He jerked awake with a gasp, and then lay there, his arms behind his head, staring into the darkness.
Maybe I ought to do it, he thought. This might be my big chance to make that big stake. I could get out... make a bundle, and retire. Find myself a nice little place in the Corporate Sector and just let the Empire go to blazes all by itself....
He lay there, tossing and turning, punching his pil-lows in frustration, until he could stand it no longer. Swinging out of bed, he headed into the 'fresher, then dragged on clean clothes. He 'also combed his hair, re-flecting ruefully that the haircut had gone beyond the realm of ”should get one” to ”want to be mistaken for Chewie's cousin?”
Then, carrying his boots, he tiptoed out through the dark, silent apartment, not wanting to wake Chewie, or Jarik, who was sleeping on the couch. He was almost at the door when he stubbed his toe on something un-yielding and heard a plaintive electronic bleat.
ZeeZee! Han dropped his boots, swore aloud, then snarled at the antiquated droid, who was babbling apologies in its twittering, querulous voice.
”Shut up!” Han snarled, and slammed out the door. He was back a second later to collect his boots, and then gone again.
The Smuggler's Rest was on the border of the Corel-lian section. Hah arrived there before the place was even open, and had to buzz for the night-clerk. It sud-denly occurred to him that he didn't know what name Bria had registered under, but he'd barely begun to de-scribe her, when the bored clerk brightened. ”Oh her,” he said, licking his lips. ”She expecting you, buddy?”
”Let's just say she'll be glad to see me,” Han said, sliding a credit piece across the counter. ”Okay, sure. Room 7A.”
Han went up in the ancient turbolift, and then walked down the dark, noisome hallway. He tapped on the door. Moments later, he heard her voice, sounding wide-awake. ”Who's there?”
”It's me, Bria. Hah,” he said.
There was a long pause, then the locks clicked and the door swung open into the darkness. ”Come in with your hands up,” Bria's voice said.
Han walked in as directed, and only when the door was closed behind him did the lights come on. He turned to find Bria wearing a nights.h.i.+rt that was too short for her, her blaster in her hand. ”What do you want?” Her voice was anything but friendly.
Han found it hard not to look at her long, shapely legs. ”Uh... just wanted to talk to you. I've... I'm... reconsidering your proposition.”
”You are, eh?” She still didn't look friendly, but at least she lowered the gun. ”Okay, give me a minute.”
Grabbing her clothes, she disappeared into the 'fresher, and came out again a minute later, fully clothed, down to her boots.
Hah nodded down at her right leg. ”What's in ihe boot?”
”Hold-out blaster,” she said, with a small, feral smile.
”A nice little ladies' model.”
”I see,” Han said. He sat down on the edge of the rumpled bed, feeling her warmth still amid the covers. Bria sprawled in the room's single chair. ”You go lookin' for Mako 'after we... parted?”
”I made some inquiries,” she said, and her mouth twisted. ”Found out why you were laughing when you walked away.”
”Yeah,” Hah said. ”Tough break for Mako. I don't know what he'll do now.” He cleared his throat. ”Any-how, I didn't come here to talk about Mako. I've been thinking about your offer. Maybe I was too hasty. Let's face it... I was sore about the way you dumped me. I had to get that outta my system, maybe.”
He hesitated, and she stared at him. Her hair was hanging in wisps around her face, and Hah was glad to realize that it wasn't all chopped off. She must have had it up in a tight bun earlier. She waved at him. ”Go on.”
”So, uh... yeah. Maybe I shot my mouth off a little, earlier,” Han admitted. ”Wouldn't be the first time.” She widened her eyes. ”No! You can't mean it!” Han resolutely ignored the sarcasm. ”Anyhow... it won't happen again. So... I want in. I'll give my friends your proposition, and help train your pilots how to deal with the Ylesian atmosphere. I'll bet some of the priva-teers would also want in. I'll talk to 'em in return for what you promised me. Fifty percent of Teroenza's treasure room, or seventy-five thousand credits worth of the spice, whichever is more.”
She considered. ”And you'll be civil?”
”Yeah,” Hah said. ”I'm always civil to business part-ners. And that's all this is. Just... business.”
Bria nodded. ”It's a deal.” She leaned forward and offered her hand. ”Just business.”
Hah took it, reflecting that she had a grip many men would envy. ”Okay.”
Uurga activated his comm system, and keyed in the codes his parent had given him years ago. He won-dered if they'd still be the correct ones. This was a very important call ....