Yeah, Hah said. Tough break for Mako. I dont know what hell do now. He cleared his throat. Any-how, I didnt come here to talk about Mako. Ive been thinking about your offer. Maybe I was too hasty. Lets 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 wasnt 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. Wouldnt be the first time. She widened her eyes. No! You cant mean it! Han resolutely ignored the sarcasm. Anyhow... it wont happen again. So... I want in. Ill give my friends your proposition, and help train your pilots how to deal with the Ylesian atmosphere. Ill bet some of the priva-teers would also want in. Ill talk to em in return for what you promised me. Fifty percent of Teroenzas treasure room, or seventy-five thousand credits worth of the spice, whichever is more.
She considered. And youll be civil?
Yeah, Hah said. Im always civil to business part-ners. And thats all this is. Just... business.
Bria nodded. Its 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 theyd still be the correct ones. This was a very important call ....
The connection took several minutes to establish, and it was not a good one. His party must be a long way from the Outer Rim ....
Finally, the picture coalesced. The holo-image of the most famous bounty hunter in the galaxy appeared... wavering, all the edges fuzzy. But Durga could hear Fetts mechanically filtered tones clearly.
Boba Fett, it is I, Durga, Lord of Besadii, the Hutt said. Greetings.
Lord Durga, the fiat voice conveyed nothing . . . not interest, surprise or eagerness. Nothing. I am a long way from the Outer Rim. What is it?
I wish you to take on a Priority bounty, Durga said. The situation is very delicate, potentially volatile. That is why I need you. I know that you perform exactly as you specify you will. There can be no mistakes in this case. I need the best.
Boba Fett inclined his head. You are .willing to pay the extra for a Priority bounty? I must be adequately recompensed for turning my attention away from other assignments and concentrating solely on yours.
Yes, yes, I am, Durga said. The bounty is on the High Priest of Ylesia, Teroenza. I am willing to pay the sum of two hundred thousand credits.
Not enough. Three hundred thousand, Boba Fett said. And I will head back for the Outer Rim immediately.
Durga hesitated, then nodded, Very well. The tim-ing here is crucial. I wish to have you bring me Teroenza horn as proof of his death. But you must wait to make the kill until I have left Nal Hutta and am within five hours of landing on Ylesia. You must kill Teroenza in such a way that none of the other tlanda Til will know of his death for some hours. Otherwise, if the other priests discover that their leader has been killed, they may try to stage a revolt. Understood?
Affirmative. Contact you and confirm the timing be-fore making the kill. Make sure no other tlanda Til realize that he is dead.
Correct. Durga than recited his ship ID codes, and Fett assured him that he had them.
I would like to remind you of the terms regarding a Priority bounty, Fett said. I will concentrate on reach-ing the target you have specified, and will take no other bounties until I have delivered the High Priest horn to you. And the Priority bounty for Teroenza is three hun-dred thousand.
Correct, Durga confirmed.
Fett out.
The fuzzy holo-image of the armor-clad bounty hunter rippled, then vanished.
Durga then activated his comm for local frequencies, so he could check in with Zier. His Hutt lieutenant had assured him that he had narrowed the search for Teroenzag successor down to three tlanda Til. Durga would go to interview them personally, and select the new High Priest of Ylesia.
Durga ruminated about how pleasant it would be to have the bloody horn of the High Priest in his two dainty hands. Perhaps hed have it mounted, and hang it on his wall ....
Over the next two days, Bria Tharen and Han Solo traveled around Nar Shaddaa together, recruiting smugglers and privateers to serve as pilot guides and- in the case of the privateers-potential backup for her Ylesian operation. They stressed the easy pickings to be had on Ylesia, the wealth of spice stockpiled by Besadii.
Both were careful to stick by their just business agreement, but Bria sensed a growing tension in Han, and knew that it reflected her own feelings.
He told her about what hed been doing for the past ten years, and she told him a little about her life with the Resistance. She explained to him that after leaving him on Coruscant, shed wandered from world to world, constantly fighting her craving for the Exulta-tion. Two times I actually bought a ticket and stood in line to board a ship back to Ylesia, she said. And both times when it came down to it, I just couldnt. I stepped out of line and went off and collapsed.
Finally, shed found a group on CoreIlia that had helped her deal with her addiction, helped her realize why she felt so em pty, so driven. It took me months of hard digging into myself, she said. Months to figure out why I wanted to hurt myself. I finally got it through my head that just because my mother hated and de-spised me for not being what she wanted me to be, I didnt have to hate myself. I didnt have to destroy my-self in some twisted attempt to please her.
Han, remembering Briag mother, gave her a sympa-thetic glance. I used to feel cheated that Ill never know who my parents were. That is... until I met your morn, Bria, he said. There are worse things than be-ing an orphan.
She gave a shaky laugh. You are right, Han.
Many smugglers and privateers were very intrigued by Brias proposition, and they signed up droves of them. It didnt hurt that Jabba was backing the enter-prise and urging those who piloted for him to go. Many of the pilots whod worked for him in some capacity were agreeing to be pilot guides.
All the while, the Rebel Alliance was assembling ships out in space so the captains and ground comman-ders could be drilled on the battle plan. After Bria and Han had recruited enough smuggler captains so theyd have at least one smuggler per group of Rebel assault ships, they took the MiUennium Falcon to rendezvous at the Rebel deep space coordinates-a spot well off the regular shipping lanes, but within one easy hyperspace jump of Ylesia.
Bria was fascinated by the Falcon and suitably im-pressed by her speed and armament. Hah enjoyed showing her around his ship, pointing out all his special modifications. In preparation for this ground assault, hed finally gotten around to getting Shug and Chewie to help him install that belly gun hed wanted for so long. Since this was a ground assault, there was a good chance that it would come in handy.
When the Falcon was on an approach vector to dock with the Retribution, Bria smiled at Han. You showed me yours... now let me show you mine, she said.
Han laughed, and it was the most relaxed moment theyd had since theyd met. Beautiful ship, he said, admiring the Marauder corvettes clean, streamlined sil-houette against the starfield.
They were greeted when they disembarked by the captain of the Retribution, Tedris Bjalin. Han regarded him in astonishment. Tedris! he exclaimed, staring at the tall, balding man in the Rebel uniform. How in the galaxy did you get here?
Bria looked from one to the other. You know each other?
We sure do, Han said, pumping Tedriss hand, and exchanging backslaps. Tedris and I graduated in the same class in the Academy.
Its a long story, Bjalin said. After what you said to me that time aboard the Destiny, I couldnt help think-ing more and more about how the service was getting as corrupt as the Empire. And then... his bony features twisted. Han, Im from Tyshapahl, remember?
Han had forgotten. He stared at his old friend, real
-ization slowly dawning. Oh . . . Tedris . . . Im sorry. Your family? The Corellian had met Tedriss family, during graduation.
Killed during the massacre, Tedris confirmed. Af-ter that, I couldnt stay. I knew I had to fight them, any way I could.
Hah nodded.
Bria took Han on a tour of her ship. He was seeing yet another side of her, and, as an ex-military man him-self, was impressed by the discipline and alertness of her troops. The sentients of Red Hand Squadron obvi-ously revered their commander. Hah discovered that many of them were ex-slaves, people willing to give their lives to the mission of freeing those in bondage.
Bria took Han to meet with other Rebel Comman-ders, and they attended several planning sessions for the raid. The Bothans were providing security, and the Sullustans had sent ten ships and nearly two hundred troops. In the years since Han and Bria had left Ylesia, Sullust had lost many citizens who had gone to Ylesia to become Pilgrims.
In addition to many ships from the Corellian Resis-tance, there were troops from Alderaan (though much of the Alderaanian support was in the form of medical personnel, transport pilots, and other non-combatants) and Chandrila. It was hard to convince the Alliance that this could be done, Bria confided to Han. But its become brutally apparent that our troops need combat experience. I was able to convince HQ that this raid would help the troops gain the confidence to start going up against the Imperials.
All of the Rebel ships from the Outer Rim had been detailed to the raid. Han surveyed the gathering fleet, and conceded that maybe they did have a chance. He wound up giving a number of briefings to the Rebel pi-lots whod be flying the Rebel assault landing shuttles into the Ylesian atmosphere.
During his first such briefing, Han ran into yet an-other old friend. Jalus! he exclaimed, as the small, droopy-jowled Sullustan trooped into the Retribution s briefing area. What the heck are you doin here? Jalus Nebl pointed to his ragtag Rebel uniform. What does it look like? he squeaked. The Ylesian Dream is now Dream of Freedom, and shes served the Rebellion well for several years now.
Han introduced Bria to the Sullustan, and she was pleased to at last meet the brave pilot who had saved them from Helot Shackle. The three reminisced about the past, and their daring escape from the slave planet. Both Jalus Nebl and Han were impressed to hear that Brias group had taken Helotg Shackle, now renamed Retribution.
The reconditioned Retribution would be flying with the Resistance on this raid, carrying assault shuttles and backup troops under the command of another Rebel Commander.
As Bria watched Han interact with the Rebel Com-manders and other mission personnel, she realized that she had never been happier. Han seemed to enjoy the chance to return to the old military lifestyle, eating meals in the galley, joking and talking with her troops. They were respectful of his knowledge and his military background as an Imperial officer-especially after Tedris Bjalin recounted some of Slieks wilder es-capades during their Academy days.
She found herself hoping that Han would realize that the Resistance was where he belonged-with the Resis-tance, and with her. Every moment they were together was like coming home, she thought-though she was careful to keep her just business distance.
All the while, she wondered what Han was thinking about her....
At the end of their second day with the gathering Rebel fleet in their deep-space rendezvous, Bria re-ceived a message that she was needed to meet with some potential allies from the Resistance on Ord Man-tell. Han offered to take her there in the Falcon, proud of the chance to show off his ships speed though the first time he tried to jump into hyperspace, the cranky Falcon refused to cooperate. When two elbow-whacks failed to work, Han had to spend several sweaty and embarrassed minutes with a hydrospanner to get his ship to cooperate.
Once they were in hyperspace, Bria sat in the co-pilots seat, watching Han handle his ship, admiring his sureness. Shes a wonderful ship, Han, she said. I watched you win her, you know.
Han turned to her, surprised. What? You were there?
Bria explained about her trip to Bespin during the big sabacc tournament. I was rooting for you, she said. When you won, I wanted to- she recalled her-self, blushed, and fell silent.
Wanted to what? Han asked, his eyes very intent. Oh... I just wished I could break cover and con-gratulate you, she said. By the way, whatever did you do to that Barabel to make her so mad?
Itan looked at her, then his mouth twitched and he burst out laughing. You met Shallamar?
Not formally, Bria said, dryly, but I wound up standing beside her during some of the play after shed been eliminated. That was one cranky reptiloid, let me tell you.
Han chuckled, then explained about how he and Shallamar had had a run-in back on Devaron five years ago. She told me she was going to bite my head off, Han said. And shed have done it, too, if it hadnt been for Chewie.
Devaron? Oh, yes, I remember- Bria said, and then, at Hans look, fell silent again.
She bit her lip before the intensity of his gaze. So it was you that day at the Ylesian revival, Han said. I thought I was seein things. I swore off drinkin for months after that day.
Bria nodded. Yes, that was me, Hah. But I couldnt let you blow my cover. I was in that crowd for a mission. What was that mission?
She met his eyes steadily. To assassinate Veratil, the tlanda Til. You fouled it up, though. Far as I know, Veratil is still alive. Though probably not for long.
Hah regarded her for a long moment. You really have done just about anything for the Resistance, havent you?
Bria was distressed by his stare. Dont look at me like that, Han] she cried. Theyre evil! They deserve to be killed!
He nodded slowly. Yeah, I guess they do, he said.
But... its kinda unnerving, you know?
She gave him a shaky smile. Sometimes I unnerve myself.
When they reached Ord Mantell, Bria met with the Resistance leaders there to explain the mission and its importance. She was elated that, after their meeting, the Resistance promised to dispatch three ships and a hundred troops, plus appropriate support and medical personnel, immediately.
As Han and Bria were preparing to board the Falcon for the trip back to the Rebel deep-space rendezvous, one of the junior officers came up to her with a message flimsy. She scanned it, then looked up at Hah. She gave him a tight smile. HQ just got a message from Togoria. Theres a small contingent of Togorians who have vol-unteered to come along. They want us to pick them up on our way back.
Hah smiled slowly. Muuurgh and Mrr0v? he guessed.
It doesnt say. But it a good bet theyre part of the group, Bria said. Can we?
Sure, he said, not meeting her eyes. Togorias a pretty world. I wouldnt mind seeing it again.
Bria looked away, too. It was on a Togorian be ach that she and Han had first become close. it was a beau-tiful World, fraught with memories for both of them.
They didnt talk much during the trip. Bria found herself so nervous that her stomach was in knots. She wondered how Han felt....
Han eased the Falcon down onto the landing field bordering Caross, the largest city on Togoria. After completing his post-flight checks and updating his log, he and Bria headed for the landing ramp. A group of Togorians were already heading out to the field, and Hah thought he recognized one huge black male with white chest hair and whiskers. And there was a smaller, orange and white femme with him.
Bria smiled excitedly. Muuurgh and Mrrov!
The humans jogged down the ramp, and reached the ground just in time to be seized and hugged so violently their feet left the ground. Muuurgh! Han shouted, so glad to see his old friend that he wound up thumping the huge felinoid on the chest with his fists while his feet dangled. How are ya, buddy?
Hah . . . Muuurgh was nearly choked with emo-tion. Togorians were an emotional people, especially the males. Han Solo... Muuurgh very happy see Hah Solo again. Too long it has been!
He obviously hasnt been practicing his Basic, Han thought, amused. Muuurghs Basic had always been
rather fractured, but after all this time, it was worse than ever.
Hey, Muuurgh! Mrrov! Its great to see you both! After their greetings were over, Mrrov explained that there was a contingent of Togorians whod had run-ins with Ylesia over the years who wanted to be part of the assault. Six of our people were either enslaved or close to those enslaved there, Han, Mrrov said. We wish to have a part in making sure that no other Togorians will ever again be trapped by that terrible place.
Han nodded. Well, we can get started any time you wish, he said.
Muuurgh shook his head. Not possible until tomor-row, Han. Sarrahs mosgoth was attacked mid-flight by big liphon. Broke its wing. Sarrah has borrowed mos-goth, sent us message, will be here tomorrow. Tonight Hah and Bria our honored guests, yes?
Han looked at Bria and shrugged. Uh, sure, he said.
She didnt meet his eyes. Fine ....
They spent the afternoon catching up with their friends on ten years of history. Muuurgh and Mrrov seemed a very happy couple-even though, in true Togo-rian tradition, they spent only a month out of each year to-gether. They had two cubs, both female, and Han and Bria met them. One was barely more than a kit, and she was extraordinarily cute. Bria and Han spent a couple of hours playing with them in the beautiful gardens.
That evening, the humans were wined and dined with the best of Togorian food and drink. Togorian story-tellers regaled them with tales of their own escapades from ten years ago, when theyd escaped from Ylesia. Han barely recognized himself the accounts had obvi-ously been enhanced over the years, until he emerged as such a heroic figure it was almost laughable.
Han was careful with the strong Togorian liquor, and noticed that Bria drank only water. I cant drink, she said, when asked. Im scared Ill get to like it too much. I have to be careful... once addicted, you can get ad-dicted again, to other things.
Hah admired her restraint, and said so.
After the festivities were over, Muuurgh and Mrrov conducted their guests to the finest of their guest apart-ments, then bade them goodnight.
Star Wars - The Han Solo Trilogy - Rebel Dawn Page 26
