The gambler managed to catch Brias eye and mouthed, Trust me, Lady Bfia. Follow my lead if we get an opening. He had to repeat it several times, until she nodded in comprehension and flashed him a shaky smile.
Minutes later the bounty hunter emerged, clad once more in his Mandalorian armor. He carried his blaster rifle, which was his only visible weapon, but Lando knew from experience that the bounty hunter was a walking arsenal of camouflaged weaponry. Walking over to Bria, he removed the restraints from her ankles, and then did the same for Lando. You two come with me, he said. And... Calrissian... remember. Youre ex-pendable. Lady Tharen . . . if you try anything, Calris-sian dies. Clear?
Yes, Bria said.
Lando nodded, then managed to get to his feet un-aided, despite his bound arms. Boba Fett, in a parody of gentlemanly behavior, assisted Bria to rise. She wob-bled a bit on her high-heeled shoes, flexing her feet and grimacing at the pins-and-needles.
Fett picked up the sound sponge and deactivated it, stowing it in a pocket of his trousers. With the muffling device turned off, Lando could hear the sounds of blaster fire, screams and running feet. A public address system boomed All passengers . . . please remain calm and in your cabins. There is an intruder alert, but your crew is working to restore order. We will advise you as matters progress. Please remain calm. All passengers...
Right, Lando thought. Theyre going to restore order... sure they are .... The gambler glanced at Bria, and she looked at him and shrugged slightly.
They reached the door, and Fett gestured to Lando.
Open it.
The corridor was pure chaos. They had to wait in the doorway until a mob of screaming passengers, most of them dressed only in nightgowns and robes, fled past. Fett glanced at a small, palm-sized device he held.
Turn right, he instructed.
Lando and Bria obeyed. The gambler found it surprisingly difficult to walk with his arms bound be-hind him. It affected his balance.
Several times they had to step into doorways to allow shrieking hordes of passengers to run past. The sounds of blaster fire were closer, now, as they neared the boat decks.
They left the passenger cabins behind, and took a se-ries of glidewalks that Fett directed them to. From the sounds, most of the pitched fighting was going on near the docking areas. Sounds of battle grew louder, closer. As they neared the shuttle deck, they saw sprawled bodies littering the corridor, most of them wearing uni-forms marking them as the liner crew. A number of the bodies belonged to passengers, but none wore Im-perial uniforms. Bria glanced at Lando as they stum-bled along. He was surprised at her composure in the face of carnage-dead bodies made most citizens sick.
Lando strained his eyes for a glimpse of the attack-ers, but so far they hadnt encountered any. He licked dry lips, knowing that, even with bound arms, he had to try to make some move before the three of them climbed into a shuttle together. In a shuttle, they had no chance. He glanced sideways at his fellow captive, assessing her ability to possibly back him if he tried something.
For a moment it occurred to h!m to wonder just why this lovely young woman-she couldnt have been much over twenty-five-had Boba Fett after her. She must be more than what she seemed, and his observa-tions of her so far backed that up. Most citizens, faced with the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, would be reduced to quivering lumps of protoplasm. But Bria was plainly not your ordinary citizen ....
They rounded a corner that led to the shuttle deck, only to run smack into a boarding party. Lando froze, Bria beside him, faced with twelve or thirteen unsavory characters dressed in loud, gaudy, mismatched clothes that gravely offended Landos fashion sense. They were festooned with garish jewelry. Bria whispered, Pirates!
Suddenly things fell into place and Lando realized exactly what had happened to the Queen. Hed seen this trick before. These pirates had brought the Queen out of hyperspace by towing a good-sized asteroid into the reMspace andog of her hyperspace coordinates. Then the gravity shadow of the asteroids gravity well had caused the hyperdrive failsafes to cut in, abruptly reverting the Queen to reMspace. An audacious and cunning plan-and it took big ships to implement it. Big ships and a daring leader. For the first time, Lando felt a surge of hope. It got to be. Nobody else would dare to attack a cruise ship this big ....
Back the other way! Boba Fett shouted, and his captives obediently reversed course. Lando and Bria tried to run, but if Lando had thought that walking with bound arms was tough, hed never imagined that run-ning would be so much worse. At every moment he imagined himself falling down, then being summarily shot by Boba Fett for his clumsiness.
The two captives managed a clumsy jog, and Boba Fett urged them on. But as they approached another curve in the corridor, Lando caught a flash of bright color. More pirates!
Stop! Boba Fett barked, his voice sounding doubly harsh because of the mechanical speakers.
Quickly the bounty hunter pushed Bria into a door-way, then yanked Lando over to stand in front of her as a shield. Dont move, Calrissian, Fett hissed, and moved out until he was in full view.
The pound of running feet approached, and then, more or less at the same time, both groups of pirates converged from opposite sides of the corridor. Boba Fett, who had been checking his weaponry, tensed, ready to do battle. Against how many pirates? Twenty-five? Thirty? Maybe rrure ....Lando guessed. The two groups drew nearer, then slowed uncer-tainly. Lando didnt blame them. He wouldnt want to be the first person to fire on Boba Fett, even at these odds. Chances are that the bounty hunter would take quite a few attackers with him.
Whats going on? a familiar strong alto bellowed from the back of one of the packs. Lando let out a gasp of relief. Boba Fett, in the name of all the hells of Barab, what are you doing here?
Collecting a bounty, the hunter replied. No quar-rel with you, Captain Renthal. Ill take my bounty and a shuttle, and go.
Lando filled his lungs, shouted, Drea! Its me .... Lando! Hey, am I glad to see- Lando breath went out in a whoosh as the bounty hunter took one fast step back-ward and the butt of Fett blaster rifle connecKed with his solar plexus. The gambler doubled over, wheezing. Slowly, the ranks of pirates parted, and Drea Ren-thal, pirate captain and Lando former girlfriend, emerged. She was a big, squarish woman of about forty-five, with fashionably striped silver and gold hair, a fair complexion, and the coldest gray eyes Lando had ever seen. Renthal wore her typical wild jumble of clothes- red striped stockings, a purple skirt kilted up on one side, a pink silk shirt and armored vest. Her short, spiky hair was half-hidden by an outrageous beret with a long, trailing orange feather.
Lando tried painfully to straighten up. He wanted to wave, but of course his arms were .bound. Besides, Boba Fett would probably blast him for his temerity. Renthal surveyed them, and said, Lando, you never told me you had a bounty on your head.
Actually, Lando knew of several bounties on his head, in the Centrality, but this was Imperial space. No bounty, Drea, he called, his voice harsh and breathless. I was just... in th e wrong place... at the wrong time.
Renth,M looked back at the bounty hunter. Fett, that true? No bounty on C,Mrissian?
The hunter hesitated, then responded, True. I have an old score with C,Mrissian, but it is... personal.
Drea RenthM considered for a long moment. In that case, Fett, you ought to be willing to let him go. Lando kind of... speciM... to me. I might lose a little sleep if I let you take him. Tell you what... let him go, and Ill let you have the shuttle, free and clear.
Boba Fett nodded. Very well. Without turning his head, he said, CMrissian... go. We will meet again... someday.
Lando felt Bria move away from him, giving him room to edge around her and leave. The gambler wanted more than anything to head for safety-Drea and her mob of cutthroats-but instead, he heard his own voice saying, No. Drea, I cant go without Lady Lavv,M. You cant let Fett take her.
Boba Fett wasnt often taken aback, but he heard Lando Calrissians words with surprise-almost aston-ishment. Hed never figu
red Calrissian for anytiring more than a dandified coward. The bounty hunter glanced at the gambler, wondering if CMrissian was just blowing Tibanna gas, making an empty statement, but he could tell from the man set expression that he meant it he wouldnt go without Bria.
Fetts gaze returned to Drea Renthal. How much did she care for Calrissian? It was obvious that the gambler was an old lover. But Renthal was a practical woman. One did not rise to the leadership of one of the largest pirate and mercenary fleets without being both prag-matic and ruthless. Perhaps Renthal would just cut Cal-rissian loose for his foolish stand-and over another woman, yet!
Renthal locked gazes with CMrissian and sighed. Lando, honey, youre cute and a good dancer, but youre pushing me, here. Why should I give a regnuff patootie about this floozy? She your current girlfriend?
No, Calrissian said. Theres nothing between us,
Drea. But Bria here is Han Solos girlfriend. He risked his life to save your Y-wings and Renthal Fist from be-ing blasted by Peacekeeper during the Battle of Nar Shaddaa. Seems to me you owe him.
Again Fett was surprised. Bria Tharen and Hah Solo? That was obviously in the far past, since Fett had been monitoring her actions for over a year, and shed had no contact with Solo.
Renthal blinked. Bria? Her name is Bria? Like Solos ship? This is that Bria?
CMrissian nodded. Yes. Shes that Bria.
Drea Renth,M grimaced and swore. Lando . . . you just love to make my life complicated, dont you? Im gonna take this out of your hide, baby? Okay... youre right, a debt is a debt. Reaching beneath her armored vest, she pulled out a heavy pouch. Jewelry and credit vouchers, Fett, she said. Should be over fifty thou-sand credits worth in here. Let em both go, and you can have your shuttle. I dont want a fight ... but Im not letting you leave with them.
Boba Fett surveyed the assembled ranks of pirates, assessing his chances for fighting his way out. There were thirty-two pirates-hardly good odds. Boba Fetts armor would protect him, possibly enough to allow him to escape, but Bria Tharen was wearing a strapless eve-ning gown. She was certain to be hurt, perhaps killed, in any fire fight. And her bounty called for a live, un-harmed, delivery.
Boba Fett looked at the heavily armed pirates, then at Bria Tharen, and experienced a tiny flare of some-thing that he recognized, with dismay, as relief. Bria Tharen would not die today, or tomorrow, in agony, while the depraved High Priest of Ylesia rubbed his tiny hands and chortled with glee.
Fett took a deep breath. The bounty on her is one hundred thousand, he said.
Whoo! Renthal looked over at Bria. Honey, what in the name of Kashyyyks night demons have you been doing? All right, Fett, you bloodsucker. Turning to her crew, she opened the pouch and held it out. Cmon, gentles. Im collecting fifty percent of my share of the Queen right now. Put it here.
It was a measure of Renthals reputation that there was scarcely any grumbling. Pirates dug into their pockets, their pouches, and soon Renthals pouch was bulging.
Turning, she tossed it to the bounty hunter. Fett caught it, weighing it, then surrendered to the in-evitable. Renthals ransom for Bria Tharen was indeed a handsome one.
The bounty hunter inclined his head to Lando, and said, Some other time, Calrissian.
The gamblers teeth flashed in a fierce grin. Ill look forward to it.
Then Boba Fett nodded to Bria. Later, my lady. She drew herself up, and the bounty hunter had to admire her composure. I hope not. Ill be watching my back.
Boba Fett turned to Renthal, and said, The shuttle deck is that way.
Right, the pirate captain said. Gentles, lets give Master Fett here a nice unobstructed passage to that shuttle deck. We dont want any trouble with him, now do we?
Respectfully, they parted, leaving the bounty hunter a wide aisle.
With grave dignity, Boba Fett walked between the ranks of pirates. The pirates on the shuttle deck also gave him a wide berth. Selecting a ship, Boba Fett climbed in, checked the controls, signaled for departure and watched the entrance to the ships docking facility clear. Moments later, the bounty hunter was streaking through the blackness of space.
Alone...
Brias head spun at the sudden turn of events. One moment she was giving herself up for dead, and the next she was safe aboard the pirate queens flagship, Ren-thal Vigilance. The Vigilance was a huge vessel, twice the size of Brias Marauder corvette. Drea Renthal had salvaged the Imperial Carrack light cruiser following. the Battle of Nar Shaddaa. With her Corellian corvette, Renthal Fist, and her squadrons of Y-wings, the pirate captains fleet was indeed impressive.
The minute I knew it was pirates boarding us, I knew it had to be Dreas gang, Lando told her, as sev-eral pirates shuttled them over to the flagship while Renthal finished her boarding operation on the Queen. Ive seen her pull that trick with the asteroids gravity shadow before. Only Drea would have had the fire-power to tackle something as big as the Queen.
Bria looked at the gambler. Lando, Im very grateful to you .... You stood up for me, and you didnt have to. That took real guts.
Lando smiled charmingly. What else could I do?
Youre far too lovely to let Boba Fett have you.
Bria laughed. It wasnt Boba Fett I was worried about, actually. It was . .. the people who wanted me. Theyre a nasty bunch. Compared to them, Boba Fett is a gentleman and a scholar.
She sobered, then jerked a thumb back at the Queen of Empires approximate location. What will happen to the passengers? Is Renthal . . . she hesitated, ... a slaver?
Lando shook his head. Drea? No. Shes in it for the quick credits. Slavery is too much work for her. Shell take the valuables, loot the ship, and maybe take a few prisoners for ransom. Once the ransom is paid, she re-turns them, unharmed. Drea is a businessperson. Shes ruthless when the situation warrants, dont get me wrong, but shes not a slaver.
She eyed him, and Lando reached over and took her hand. Trust me, Lady Bria. I wouldnt lie to you.
Bria nodded, then visibly relaxed. I do trust you, Lando, she said. How could I not after you stood up to Boba Fett for me? I couldnt believe you did that.
Lando shook his head, smiling wryly. Sometimes I surprise even myself.
And Drea Renthal will take us to Nar Shaddaa?
Oh, yes, Lando said. Your booking at the Chance Castle, right?
She hesitated, gave him a Sidelong look, then said, Well . . . actually, thatg not what Im worried about. Im taking a shuttle from Nar Shaddaa to Nal Hutta. I need to keep a very important appointment.
Lando raised his eyebrows. What in the galaxy is a lovely lady like you doing going to visit a bunch of smelly gangsters like the Hutts?
She smiled wryly. Well...
Lando waited, and when she didnt say any more, prompted, Bria . . . you really can trust me. I want to be your friend.
She took a deep breath. I have an appointment to talk to Jiliac the Hutt. It took me a while to get him to agree to see me, but finally he did. I have a... business proposition to offer him.
Lando frowned. Then youll have to take a shuttle to Nal Hutta. Jiliac became a mommy Hurt last year, and she hasnt been on Nar Shaddaa since, I think.
Bria nodded. Ill go wherever it takes, talk to who-ever I have to. She glanced up at Lando. I understand that Hah lives on Nar Shaddaa? She couldnt conceal the note of hope in her voice.
Lando shook his head, his gaze sympathetic. Youre too late, Im afraid. Han lit out for the Corporate Seor nearly a year ago, and hasnt been seen since. I dont know if hell be back or not.
Bria bit her lip. Oh. After a second, she looked back up, nodded. Well, thats the way things go. Im not sure hed want to see me anyway.
Lando smiled again. I cant imagine any man not wanting to see you. He was a fool to let you get away, if you ask me.
Bria chuckled wryly. Han wouldnt agree with you, Im 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 gangp
lank.
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, weve got nothing but time ....
Well, Im not free to tell you much .... she hesitated. He smiled. Why am I not surprised? Tell you what... Ill find a bottle, and you can tell me the un-classified parts. Deal?
She laughed. DEM.
Interlude 2 Somewhere between the Corporate
Sector and the Tion Hegemony
Hah Solo awoke slowbj, easing gritty eye s open against daylight painful onslaught. His head pounded like a misfiring thruster, and his mouth tasted like ban-tha fidder. He groaned and rolled over on his stomach, shielding 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 couldnt remember.
But theyd obviously had a very good time.
Han had been living high for weeks now, off the credits hed gotten from the Authority Espo ship purser. Dimly, he realized that his stash of credits was considerably less than it htul been several weeks ago, when hed said goodbye w Fiolla.
He thought about her, wishing she was still with him. But when hed prepared to leave Corporate Sector space, shed booked passage home, saying that she had to get back to work-to the promotion she was sure shed 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?
Star Wars - The Han Solo Trilogy - Rebel Dawn Page 19
