He felt certain that his circuits were already overheating from the stress.
There are some spaceports where it is merely difficult for a droid to hire a hover car, and others where it is all but impossible. Leria Kersil's spaceport, unfortunately, fell into the second category. The automated cabs flatly refused them, their programming refusing to take orders from mere machines. That had left the droids with no other option but to try their luck with the human-operated cabs.
Even that would have been absolutely out of the question if Artoo had not been carrying a modest supply of Coruscant credits in one of his concealed compartments. Master Luke had put the money there some years ago, against just the sort of emergency they now faced.
But even with ready cash in hand, it had been difficult to find a driver willing to drive droids around the city. The only one they did find, the disreputable-looking fellow who was now breaking every traffic law in the city, had seemed to make some sort of mental estimate of the market value of their desperation, and then demanded an astronomical price.
Threepio, well versed in the art of haggling, had attempted to talk the man's price down, but Artoo had spoiled everything, as usual. He had deliberately rammed himself into Threepio's leg in order to silence him. Then Artoo had simply offered all of the cash they had to the driver.
Granted, it had worked, and they were in a hurry, but even so, there were times when Artoo's overbearing ways were most provoking.
The cab veered hard to the left as the driver took a corner at speed. Threepio just managed to hold on for dear life.
Artoo, propped up next to him on the backseat, toppled over again, and immediately bleeped and blooped for Threepio to help him up. "I should let you stay down there this time," Threepio said, rather petulantly, even as he helped Artoo up. "You've been even more insufferable than usual this time out."
The driver took another curve rather violently, but this time Artoo kept his balance. He let out a triumphant burble and extended a work clamp to brace himself into one corner of the seat.
"Oh dear!" said Threepio. "I only hope we're in time after all this. According to my information, the process is quite irrevocable."
* * * Lando Calrissian could not have been happier. He should have thought of this getting-married business years ago.
Here he was, first try out of the box and, as best as he could tell, well on his way to a very satisfactory arrangement.
Even after only a few minutes of small talk he was sure of that. Karia and he were getting along wonderfully. She was not only rich, she was young, charming, and beautiful.
Clearly, there had been some errors in his information, but expecting an old battle-ax and discovering a young goddess was the sort of mistake he could deal with.
Luke was the only fly in the ointment. He was being polite enough, but not exactly charming. He seemed distracted, distant. If they had been sitting around a table, he would have kicked Luke in the shin and tried to snap him out of it. As it was, Lando, Karia, and Luke were seated facing each other in three extremely comfortable armchairs, the fantastically luxuriant rug under their feet would be enough to buy and sell Dometown three times over, and Karia was giving him a smile that would have melted the door of any bank vault. Some bit of Lando's hindbrain was delivering a line of charming small talk on automatic pilot, letting Lando relax and admire Karia without having to worry too much. All else was right with the world. He could tolerate Luke being a bit out of it.
But, it would seem, Karia had something on her mind.
She smiled appreciatively at whatever charming compliment had just come out of his mouth, but then she leaned forward on the arm of her chair, and her face took on a more earnest expression. "I am glad of all this pleasant talk," she said, "but the folk who come to me ofttimes have but little time to spare. I find that I prefer coming to the point most quickly.
Would that be suitable to you?"
Lando smiled, just a trifle uncertainly, and nodded. "Absolutely."
"That is good," said Karia. "It is plain that you have made inquiries concerning me, else you would not have come. Is there anything that you must know now that you do not? Have you any questions?"
Lando spoke again, a bit more puzzled this time, but still determined to play the gallant suitor. "There is, ah, much about you that I would know, and hope I will come to know, but nothing that I must know immediately."
"Excellent," she said. "I shall conceal nothing. When I received the first communication from yourself, I made inquiries of my own. I must needs confess that, in normal times, I would not consider your suit. But times are not as they often are. Although my time of rest is over, my life with my previous husband was-taxing. I am not as refreshed as I might wish. Though your wealth is not as great as it might be, nonetheless it is substantial, and growing. I am impressed by your work on Dometown. I believe that given sufficient backing, you could accomplish much in a short space of yours. On your honor, do you think likewise?"
"I do indeed," Lando said, as fervently as he could.
"Yes," said Karia. "I see that you do. You are young still, and energetic. One thing I have not been able to learn from my investigations-it would seem that you are in quite good health. Is this the case?"
"Why, yes-yes, of course," Lando said, clearly taken aback. "Lots of good years left in me." Karia leaned back in her chair. "And yet you are here.
Most interesting. Not unheard of, and yet most interesting.
There is the saying that the candle that burns shortest burns brightest. There are those who would disapprove, but none come here except by free choice. You realize that the process, the marriage, is quite irrevocable? It is quite impossible to turn back?"
Lando was very definitely starting to feel that he was in over his head. "I, ah, wasn't contemplating the idea of marrying you and then divorcing in bopes of a settlement, if that is what you mean. When I marry, I intend to stay married." Karia grinned and laughed. "There would be no hope of a settlement in any event, of course, so that is to the good."
Apparently she had a great deal of confidence in her lawyers. That was definitely a point to bear in mind. "No, no," Lando said. "Until death do us part, and all that."
Karia's face became serious once again. "And all that," she echoed. She looked Lando hard in the face for a long moment, clearly trying to reach a decision. "I like you," she said. "Even if you are young, and healthy, I like you.
Life is for taking risks, and I am for life. Your wealth is not great now, but it may well become so. I will have you, if you will have me.
Luke sat forward in his chair, and looked from Lando to Karia. "That's awfully quick," he said. "Do you truly wish to make such a decision so quickly?"
"As I have said, those who come to me rarely have much time to spend in hesitation." She smiled, and spoke again.
"Perhaps, just this once, I would wish for myself the luxury of setting the pace myself." She turned back to Lando.
"What say you, gentle sir? Will you? Or will you not?"
"Well, I, ah-any man would be honored to accept you, my dear Lady Karia. But surely we must agree to terms before we complete the-ah-marriage agreement."
"Well and wisely put, gentle sir," she said. "I spoke too quickly. Let me present the offer i would give you.
Marry me, and live with me. I will fully Support you in all ways for five years, longer than is normal."
"You'll Support me?" Lando asked. He could hear the capital "S" in "Support."
"Support me in what way?"
Karia smiled, as if it were a silly question. "In all ways.
I will care for your health, provide for you financially, clothe you, feed you, and shelter you."
"And in return?" Lando asked.
"And in return you will live well. It is the law on our world that by marrying me, I will become your sole their."
"And I will become yours?" he asked.
Karia smiled again. "Yes, that is so."
"I'm not quite
clear here. What will happen after five years?" Lando asked. "You will cease to support me? Will we then no longer be married?"
"As you said, we shall be married until death do us part."
"But I'll have to fend for myself, eh? Well, that certainly seems fair enough," Lando said. "But let me make something clear. I don't want or intend just to live off you. I want to work. i want to make things, build things, run things. I want to find grand projects that deserve to happen and make them happen."
"Yes, of course. That is your gift. You must pursue it.
You are pursuing it, and are willing to sacrifice all for it.
You seek a source of investment capital, and that I shall be for you. I will not be so imprudent as to give you all of what I have, but I assure you that this' `-she gestured to indicate the incredibly opulent house and grounds-' `is but the least of what is mine. You will have the finances to do what you seek to do. Will that be satisfactory?"
"Yes! Of course! Absolutely," Lando said. No one had ever offered him terms like these before. He would have to be insane to turn them down, or give her a chance to change her mind.
Karia stood up. "Then let us perform the ceremony," she said.
Lando and Luke both got up as well, guided half by reflex, and surprised. "What, now?" Lando asked.
"Certainly," Karia said. "What point could there be in waiting longer? We both know what we want, and each of us knows the other can provide it. Life is short, and delay is death."
"Lando, wait a second!" Luke said. "There's something wrong here. I don't know what it is, but there is something wrong.
Karia's mood changed abruptly. "Does the great Jedi Master question my veracity?" she asked, with steel in her voice. "Come, look into my soul, and see if deception lurks there. I have nothing to fear."
"There is no need," Luke said. "I do not doubt your intentions are all they should be. I do not think you intend to deceive. But even so, there is something wrong. I beg that you give my friend time-if only an hour-to pause and reflect."
Karia's eyes flashed with anger. "In another hour, another suitor may come. In another hour, I might not like your friend so much as I do now. No. He knows all he needs to know, and he knows why he came here. It is now or never." Lando grabbed Luke by the arm and pulled him close.
"Luke, back off," he whispered. "She's right. This is what I was after. Don't mess this up for me." Luke looked Lando straight in the eye. "Lando," he said in a low voice. "I tell you that something's missing here. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
Lando felt a knot at the pit of his stomach, and suddenly he realized he was scared. Very scared. Of what, he did not know. But if he were a man who ran away from what scared him, the second Death Star might still be in the sky.
Courage was for when you were scared. "No, I'm not sure," he whispered back. "But as the lady said, life is risk. If here and now is my one chance, then I take my chance now. He turned back toward their hostess, smoothed his hair down, and straightened his tunic. "This ceremony," he said in as steady a voice as he could manage.
"Exactly what does it involve?"
Karia gestured toward a five-sided red canopy that stood at the south side of the great room. "There," she said.
"We stand under the canopy, activate a recording device, repeat a brief oath in front of a witness, perform the blood kiss, and the deed is done."
"Blood kiss?" Lando asked, a bit anxiously.
Karia smiled. "A most lurid name for a most gentle ritual. It is nothing. A pinprick on your right forefinger. A spot of blood. I kiss it. You do the same to me, and that is all. We will be wed."
"And that's legally binding?" Lando said. "We'll be married in the eyes of the law, and of society?"
Karia laughed again. "Oh yes, indeed. It is most certainly a binding ceremony. We shall be well and truly wedded, one to the other." Lando took a deep breath and stepped forward. He extended his left hand toward his bride, and she put her hand on his. "Then here is our witness, and now is the time."
"Lando! No!" Luke protested, and made as if to step toward him.
Lando held up his right hand toward Luke, palm out.
"This is what I want, Luke," he said. "This is what you promised to help me get, on the oath of a Jedi Master. I say to you that now is the time for you to honor that oath.
You shall be our witness." Lando could see the conflict in his friend's face, the fear for him struggling with the promise Luke had made. "Very well," Luke said at last. "On the oath of a Jedi Master, let us perform the ritual."
* * * The cab driver had made one wrong turn, and corrected it with a U-turn of remarkable violence. Now, at last, they were in front of the Ver Seryan house. Threepio suddenly realized that Artoo could not get out of the hovercar without assistance, and yet was blocking the door.
"Driver!" Threepio cried out, tapping on the scuffed clear plastic barrier that divided the front seat from the back.
"I'm afraid I must ask your help again to get my counterpart back out of the cruiser."
The driver turned around and glared at Threepio most unpleasantly.
"Come on, you crazy tin box. It was tough enough getting him into the cab back at the spaceport."
"True enough," Threepio said. "But the sooner my counterpart is out of your vehicle, the sooner you can be on your way." It had not escaped Threepio's notice that their driver clearly did not like the idea of getting this close to the Ver Seryan place. In any event, the argument convinced the driver. He popped open the door to the driving compartment, got out, opened the rear door, slapped one meaty hand on either side of Artoo, and pulled him out of the cab with a single mighty heave. He dumped Artoo unceremoniously on the grass by the side of the road. Threepio was barely able to get out of the cab before the driver was back behind the controls and driving off at high speed, using the acceleration of his start to slam the passenger door shut.
"Well!" said Threepio. "I can't say that I am sorry to see the last of him! Come along, Artoo, we must hurry."
Artoo managed to right himself, but it was plain to see that he was going to have some difficulty navigating his way up to the house. Artoo swiveled his visual sensor toward Threepio and whistled frantically.
"Oh! My goodness, Artoo, you are quite right. Under the circumstances, I certainly should not wait for you.
Threepio turned toward the house, and made his ungainly way toward it, moving as fast as his somewhat ill-coordinated locomotion system would carry him. it would be most vexing if they were too late, after all the trouble they had been through. No doubt Master Luke might well be upset. It would be a great inconvenience to everyone if it turned out Captain Calrissian was doomed to mortal peril.
* * They stood under the red five-sided canopy near the south wall, and low, haunting music played from some hidden source. A single red candle stood on a low five-sided table at the exact center of the canopy, and burned with a strange blue flame. Lando stood on the east side of the low table, and Karia on the west.
Luke stood, watching, just outside the canopy, on its north side, with the length of the great room at his back.
He did not like this. He did not like it one little bit. But he had sworn an oath, and he saw no way out. He watched as the wedding ceremony began.
Karia lifted her hands, and offered them, palm down, to Lando, one hand on either side of the candle. Lando placed his hands over hers, close enough to the candle that the blue flame cast its light on his skin.
"Left hand in right, right hand in left," she began. "East to west, west to east. Sunrise facing sunset as dusk faces dawn," Karia said. Life, shorter than a moment. Life, longer than memory. Each side touching each. Two shall be one, and one shall be all." She nodded to him, indicating that he should repeat the words.
"Left hand in right, right hand in left," Lando said.
"East to west, west to east," he said, speaking the words slowly and carefully. "Sunrise facing sunset, as dusk faces dawn. Life, shorter than a moment. Life, longer
than memory. Each side touching each. Two shall be one, and one shall be all."
She nodded, and moved her left hand away from his right. She reached down onto the table, and picked up an instrument with an elaborately carved handle, resembling a ceremonial dagger. But this dagger had no blade. Instead, it had a ten-centimeter needle, its point so sharp it was hard to see. She stuck the needle's point into the candle's flame, which flared from bright blue to glowing, ruddy red.
Her right hand was still under Lando's left. Now she turned Lando's left hand over so that it was palm up. She held Lando's forefinger between her thumb and forefinger, raised the needle dagger andThere was a sudden, violent pounding at the door, so loud that both Karia and Lando jerked back in surprise. The door annunciator bonged loudly, over and over, and the pounding on the door redoubled.
Star Wars - Ambush At Corellia Page 15
