by Lou Anders
“As a famous pirate?” said Mahjo. “Whatever would the Cloddograns think?”
Her face was down, away from me. But was that just the hint of a sly smile? Yes, she definitely felt as though she had accomplished something. But what, I did not know. But I was glad she was not mopey. I do not like mopey people.
“See?” I said. “Things are looking up.” My words were timed so that we had just risen back to the floor level when I made my joke about looking up. We stepped off the turbolift together.
“We need to get farther away, just to be safe,” she said, glancing around her. We had the room to ourselves. And then her hand went to the slim controller band on her wrist. Her eyes widened. It wasn’t there.
“Where is my controller?” she said, turning accusing eyes toward me.
“Perhaps you lost it,” I lied, “in all the excitement when you were zapping us and fleeing the Falcon. It could have fallen off then.”
Then the accusation in her eyes turned to certainty.
“You did that trick on me!” she exclaimed. “That distracting trick! When you pretended to grab the key code, you weren’t after it at all. You took my controller!”
“Do you blame me?” I said. “After what you did to myself and your other companions? Zappy-zappy?”
“Give it to me!” she said. And she made a lunge for me.
Now, I had seen Mahjo fight, and while she might not be a scoundrel at heart, neither was she a pushover. Having fought alongside her, I had no desire to fight against her.
But quick as a flash I was standing by the lip of the next pit. And I dangled her wrist controller band over the yawning space. If my fingers let go, it would fall into the depths.
“I will drop it,” I said.
Mahjo went absolutely still.
“You can’t,” she said.
“Tell me why you want it so badly. Is there another zappy-zappy on my back?” I craned my neck to see, but there was nothing on my body as far as I could tell. She needed it to activate something. I remembered the little device she had slipped into Jayyar’s box.
“Better yet,” I said, “tell me what is so important that you broke into a safety-deposit box only to take nothing out. What did you put in? The little black egg. What is it?”
Mahjo glared, but behind her determination I also saw desperation. Whatever internal war she was waging, she fought it quickly, because then she spoke.
“All right, I’ll tell you,” she said. “It’s a miniaturized defoliator bomb.”
“A defoliator bomb?” I repeated. I was amazed. That was leftover Clone Wars technology, and very strong. A defoliator bomb destroys only organic material. Technology is left unharmed, but plant and animal life…not so much. It disappears. Poof. Gone!
“And you were carrying this around with you?” I said. “In your pocket? With an activator on your wrist? If you set it off by accident, you would cease to exist! Lady, that is crazy, even for Hondo!”
“It’s not like I go around carrying defoliator bombs every day,” she said. “I had to have it. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Where did you even get such technology?” I asked. But then I guessed the answer to my own question. “The Cloddograns. Of course,” I said, slapping my free hand to my forehead. “You were buying on the black market.”
Mahjo nodded.
“When they saw I came alone, they tried to raise the price on me. I couldn’t pay what they wanted and things got ugly. Except that fortunately you happened by.”
“Was it fortunate? I think that remains to be seen.”
“It was for me, yes.”
“Well, you never know what injecting a famous pirate might do to alter the dynamics of a difficult situation. But what do you need a miniaturized defoliator bomb for anyway? And why did you put it in Jayyar Lu-wehs’ safety-deposit box?”
“His box didn’t matter. It could be any box out of several, as long as it was in the wall nearest the boxes in this pit.”
She pointed to the next pit over. The one I had seen the Kaminoan rise out of.
“You see,” she continued, “there is something being stored in a box down there. Something very dangerous.”
“Ah. You want to destroy this something with the defoliator bomb?”
“Yes. I want to destroy it. But there was no way I could break into the right box. Or any box. This place is impregnable.”
“And just setting the defoliator bomb off in the pit itself…?”
“Wouldn’t work. The door to each safety-deposit box is heavily shielded against just about anything you can shield against. But the insides and backs of the boxes are not.”
“So,” I said, working it out for myself, “an explosion in the pit would not harm any of the contents of any of the boxes. Because the outside of the box is protected. But inside the box, you are already behind the shielding. An explosion inside one box could destroy any organic contents of another nearby box.” I looked from one pit to another. “They are back to back, and their backs are unprotected. You blow it up there, you wipe out the organic matter here.”
“Yes.”
“Very clever. Very clever. But what is it you want to destroy?”
She took a deep breath.
“That takes some explaining,” she said. “You’re right I’m not an outlaw. Or at least, not of the sort you mean. This all has to do with a rogue Kaminoan scientist.”
“Now that is a coincidence,” I said. “I have not heard much of the Kaminoans since the Clone Wars, and here this is the second time I’m encountering them today.”
Her expression suddenly grew alarmed.
“The second time?” she said. “When was the first?”
“Why, just a few minutes ago. I saw a Kaminoan rising on a turbolift out of that pit there.”
“No!” Mahjo cried. “No, no, no!”
“My friend, what is wrong?” I asked.
“He’s come early. He’s made the pickup already. We’re too late.”
“Really,” said someone behind us. “Because it looks like we’re just in time.”
We both turned.
There was Han Solo. He had caught up to us.
And he had his blaster out.
“Hello, my friend,” I called to Han Solo. “I imagine this looks very suspicious.”
“You got that right,” said Solo, still pointing his blaster at us. He was waving the business end back and forth between Mahjo and me. And his face was all scowly, with his eyebrows doing that crinkling thing.
Well, I could see his anger mounting. The important thing in such a situation was to keep him talking and not blasting.
“Yes, well,” I said. “So I can see how one could easily draw the wrong conclusion. Here am I. Here is Mahjo. We have just exited the Undervaults pit side by side. You thought I was chasing her. But now she and I are talking calmly. As if we were in cahoots. Yes, it certainly looks as though we were plotting together against you and the Wookiee.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” said Solo.
“Perhaps I have said it too well,” I continued. “And yet, my friend, would you believe me if I told you that that is not the case?”
“No.”
“That is most unfortunate,” I said. “And yet, I will say it anyway. That is not the case. You have it all wrong.”
“How do you figure that?” said Solo. “Don’t expect me to believe you wouldn’t pull a double cross for twice your share of the rubies.”
“Ha, ha, ha. Yes, of course I would. But while it is certainly true that I would betray you without hesitation for even one single additional Novian ruby (And really, who can blame me? Do you know how much they are worth?), still, I have not done so. Because, you see, and this is the important bit—there are no rubies here.”
“Nonsense,” said Solo. “You’re joking.”
“My friend, I do not joke about profits. As much as it pains me to say it, there are no rubies to be had here today.”
Solo
looked from me to Mahjo.
“What is he talking about, no rubies?” he said to her.
“It’s true,” Mahjo replied. “I lied about the rubies to get you to bring me here to Gwongdeen.”
“I’m having a little trouble believing you,” Solo said. “You know, I can have Chewbacca search you both. Ever been searched by a Wookiee? They aren’t exactly known for their gentle touch.”
“Ha, ha,” I laughed again. “I am glad you have still got your sense of humor. What? Oh, you are not joking.” I turned to Mahjo. “My dear, perhaps you had better fill Captain Solo in on everything that you told me.”
“Grrrgarrrr.”
“Oh, and Chewbacca, as well,” I added, seeing the Wookiee had joined us. Then I indicated the entrance to the room, where some more Undervaults patrons were making their way in. “And perhaps you could holster your blaster. It is less conspicuous that way.”
Solo’s frown shifted from one side of his face to the other, but he put the blaster away. And Mahjo Reeloo told him and Chewie of the real purpose of her trip. As she explained, Solo did not exactly stop frowning, but at least his frown moved around his face in interesting ways.
“Now, my friends,” I said when she had finished speaking, “you see that there are no Novian rubies.”
“But what’s so important that you need to use a defoliator bomb?” asked Solo. “What was in the other box?”
“A thornsuckle plant,” she said.
“A what?” Solo replied.
“A thornsuckle.”
“I have never heard of it,” I said.
“Grregaaggerrraw,” agreed Chewbacca.
“That’s because it’s extinct,” she replied. “Or it was supposed to be. It’s very deadly, even in small parts. Look, that Kaminoan Hondo saw. His name is Kolac Pru. He is a rogue scientist who offers his services on the black market. There is nothing Kolac Pru won’t do if it means money and a chance to continue practicing his art.”
“And how do you know of this?” I asked.
“I…I have sources,” she said. “But listen. Recently, Kolac Pru was contacted by someone who said they’d found a sample of a thornsuckle plant. Maybe the last one in the galaxy. And they wanted him to replicate it.”
“So there would be more?” I asked.
Mahjo nodded.
“They wanted to mass-produce it, to make something that could be injected into a planet’s atmosphere. Do you understand? A poison like that could wipe out whole populations.”
“What do they want it for?” asked Solo.
“What wouldn’t you want it for?” I said. “With such a weapon, you could blackmail an entire planet. You could sell it to the highest bidder. You could even make the Empire do your bidding.”
The others were looking at me, their faces a little shocked.
“Do not blame me just because I have a healthy ambition.…I am not saying I would do these terrible things, probably, only that I can imagine how someone could.”
“Maybe you could imagine with a little less enthusiasm,” said Solo. I suppose he had a point.
“Well,” I said, “this has all been very interesting, but it is obviously not the concern of a buccaneer such as myself. I am sorry that we do not have a chance to share in profit together, but that being the case, I will take my leave of you.”
Solo stared at me a moment, then he turned to Chewbacca.
“Same goes for us, Chewie. This job has already cost us more than we were initially paid.”
“No,” said Mahjo. “You have to help me.”
“Lady, I don’t have to do anything,” said Solo. “And you have a lot of nerve thinking I’m going to help you now, after you used me to get here.”
Mahjo turned her eyes to me.
“Please,” she said. “For your pirate’s honor.”
“I am sorry,” I said, “but as I said before, there is only the Empire, those under its boot, and scum like us. If there was some other path, I think you would walk it well. But even if that were so, it is not my walk, and my pirate’s honor is not in the mood to help any more today.”
I started to leave. And so did Solo.
But Chewbacca did not move.
“Come on, Chewie,” said Solo. He turned a shocked face to his hairy friend. “Get a move on, fur ball.”
“Grrraaaaaawrrrrruh,” said Chewbacca.
“No,” said Solo. “We don’t stick our necks out when there is nothing for us in it.”
“RrrrrooooruuuuuuUUUU!”
“No,” said Solo.
“RRRRRUUUUUUU!”
Solo’s expression was furious. But he turned to Mahjo.
“Chewie wants to know, what’s the name of the outfit that is bankrolling Kolac Pru?” he asked.
“It’s someone called the Mandragonian Mob,” said Mahjo.
“The Mandragonian Mob?” I said in shock, because of all the scoundrels and scum in the galaxy, the Mandragonian Mob was the worst. Worse than the Obsidian Combine. Worse even than the Randolean Ring. The Mandragonian Mob would not just resort to blackmail. They would actually do all the horrible things I had imagined. “That is very bad news.”
“It’s bad news for the whole galaxy,” agreed Solo.
“The whole galaxy,” I replied. “Well, it seems we have to do something then. After all, I live in the galaxy.”
“Rurururu,” agreed Chewbacca.
Solo looked from me to the Wookiee. Then he sighed.
“Great,” he said. “This is just great.”
“So we are all in,” I said. “Very well, Mahjo. You will have the help of three scoundrels. Tell us what to do.”
“Well, for starters,” she said, stepping onto the turbolift, “let’s get my bomb back.”
We all jumped on the lift. It wobbled a little bit when Chewbacca stepped on. And then it was down to poor Jayyar’s box once again. But when we opened it…
“Oh, no,” said Mahjo. She held up the little black egg, and I saw that its blinking light had begun to flash very rapidly.
“What now?” grumbled Solo.
“It’s the defoliator bomb,” she said, lifting it out of the box. “The countdown has started.” She looked at me. “You must have bumped the activation button when you lifted the controller band from me.”
“Well, turn it off again,” I said, and I offered her the controller wristband. But she waved it away.
“I can’t,” she explained. “Once the countdown has been activated, it’s on. This bomb is going off now no matter what.”
“How long have we got?” asked Solo.
Mahjo glanced at the display on the tiny bomb.
“Fifteen minutes!”
“Get rid of it!” I yelled.
“I can’t. We still need to get this to the thornsuckle before it goes off.”
“And be nowhere around when it does,” I added. “Don’t forget that little detail. Otherwise, bye-bye.”
Well, we were off and running after that.
We had to catch Kolac Pru before he left the planet.
Fortunately, we saw him immediately as we ran into the spaceport.
“There he is!” I shouted.
The Kaminoan scientist was moving through the crowd, heading in the direction of the docking bays.
“You have to get him before he reaches his ship,” said Mahjo. But even as she directed us, she hung back. I was surprised.
“My friend,” I said, “why do you hesitate?”
“He can’t see me,” she said.
“Why not?” said Solo.
“Because I used to work for him.”
Suddenly, many things made sense. Her knowledge of Kolac Pru’s business. Her knowledge of the safety-deposit box that Pru used as a drop box for genetic material—she had obviously gone there with him before, at least enough times to have seen Jayyar Lu-wehs using an adjacent box. But mostly what made sense was Mahjo’s driving need to make amends for some past wrong.
“But you have to get the thornsuckl
e,” Mahjo said.
“That’s not a problem that a good blaster won’t solve,” said Solo, reaching for his weapon.
“Careful, my friend,” I said, resting a hand on his arm. “Do not alert him to our presence too soon, or he may escape us.”
Solo nodded, and instinctively he, Chewbacca, and I began spreading out, moving through the crowd. We hoped to converge on Kolac Pru from many sides and stop him that way.
The Kaminoan, with the enormous finlike crests rising high above his long slender neck, was very easy to keep track of. His head bobbed along ahead of us like a balloon on a string. There were not many beings in the spaceport who were taller than he, and one of them was the Wookiee currently creeping along to my left.
Then a swarm of Vulptereen were pushing through the crowd, heading against the general flow. They were everywhere, rudely shoving and squeezing past the other pedestrians. Unfortunately, it had the effect of temporarily separating me from my companions.
So it was that I closed on Kolac Pru first. Ah, krong it! I cursed internally, for I still had not replaced my missing blaster. The little details were still tripping me up. No matter—one lone Kaminoan scientist was no match for Hondo Ohnaka.
I reached for Kolac Pru, the end of our arduous adventure finally at hand. The universe would have much to thank me for.
But at the last instant, a figure beside him suddenly moved to block my grasp.
It was a woman. A somewhat familiar woman. Human. About so tall. With hair.
I did a double take.
The woman with Kolac Pru—it was Mahjo Reeloo.
But wasn’t she behind me, staying back, afraid to be seen? And yet there she was, right in front of me and with Kolac Pru.
“Mahjo?” I said.
The woman’s eyes narrowed.
“Who the kriff are you?” she said.
Well, I was stung. And not by a zappity-zappy.
“What do you mean, who am I? I am your companion through hardship and adventure.”
The woman shook her head.
“Is Hondo Ohnaka the famous pirate so easy to forget?” I asked.
“Pirate?” said Mahjo, and her eyes narrowed. Then she whipped out a blaster. And she fired it at me.
Well, I was too stunned to move.
And I would be dead, and not telling you this story now, except that suddenly I was knocked from behind.
