"I guess not," Han said. "You don't have families that way.

"No, we do not And this idea of cousins being different and same-all Selonians in a den near identical.

Closer genes than in your brother and sister. We are more alike than that. Closer to being hundreds of identical twinses."

"That much I knew," Han said. Selonian genes did not randomize as much as human genes did. Each breeder male would father a certain portion of the sterile population, and all those with the same father were said to be in the same "sept." All the sterile females in a given sept were, for all intents and purposes, clones, with each individual's genetic structure all but identical to that of every other member.

"By way humans use word," Dracmus said, "Selonian not even haw of families. We have dens. In your terms, I have three hundred sisters and half sisters. I may have brothers, but I know not of them. They would have been sent elsewhere to breed. So I have not idea of sister and brother as you do. When we see human parents, see human woman pregnant out in public, we find it odd and some unpleasant. Breeders should be in den. We think, how strange you treat your breedersnd then we remember, all you are breeders. 'Wife, husband, mother, father." We do not think in such ways."

Han looked at Dracmus. He had never really stopped to think about it. The Selonians might have breeding pairs, but they did not have husbands, or wives, or marriages. How could they? As with every intelligent species, Selonian culture was driven by Selonian biology, and marriage was not compatible with a species where one breeder queen might have a thousand sterile, as.e.xual daughters. The human way must seem equally strange to Dracmus.

Human marriage was, of course, a.s.sociated with breeding, and to Selonians, that was an extremely distasteful subject. Han knew perfectly well that many Selonians looked down on races where everyone was a breeder. "You might not think in such ways most of the time, but you're going to have to learn if you're going to deal with humans."

"A true thing," Dracmus said. "Before now, I have not gotten out much. The tasks of dealing with humans fell to my-you would saylder sister, but she died eight days ago in accident. Now I have job."

"I'm sorry your sister died," Han said.

"As am, I. My training in human dealing was not yet complete.

Han looked at Dracmus in surprise. How could she say such a callous thing? But then he stopped himself.

Thinking about it, how upset could she afford to get over one sister's death if she had three hundred? It must have been more like the death of a distant aunt to a human. And if the steriles in a given sept were all near clones anyway, how much sense of loss could there be at the death of one sister when she had twenty or fifty more, all virtually identical? "Well, it seems to me that you're doing fine, even with only partial training."

"That is most kind, honored Solo, but we are drifting away from point. We must speak of lying. Lying to us is as strange as families.

We Selonians can do lying, but we have no practice at it. We see it is a bad thing. Not a little bad thing, as with you, but a big bad thing, like murder."

"Lies can be a big bad thing," Han said, but then thought for a moment about some of the exceedingly tall tales he had told over the years. "But, ah, mostly they're not."

"You see? You have skill at lies. You understand them, know big from little. Selonians terrible sabacc players, bad at all games that require concealment of truth. I think lie for human can be small because you are so alone. Lie can touch only one, hurt only one. It can be kept secret. For Selonian, together in den, lie touches all.

All know of it. No secrets, all hurt. Do you follow?"

"Just about," Han said, trying to pa.r.s.e the slightly scrambled sentences. "I take it that there are some lies someone told you that you want to ask me about."

"Yes! Yes! Glad I did not kill you in the fight."

"The pleasure is all mine," Han said. "But what are the lies in question?"

"First, please, can you tell when Thrackan your cousin is lying?"

Dracmus asked.

"Sometimes," Han answered. "Last night he thought I knew less than I did. He told me things that were m direct contradiction to what I already knew. He even told me that he was telling liebut he didn't say what they were."

"But when you aren't sure. Can you tell when all you have is the words of his speaking?"

Han thought for a minute. "At times. A little. And I can make some guesses about things that might be true inside his lies."

"Like for what? Tell me some, that I get feel of it."

"Why is this so important to you?" Han asked. He wondered just how far he could trust Dracmus. So far she had behaved very well indeedut he had not the slightest idea what she was up to, or why she had been thrown in a Human League prison. About all he had to go on was the idea that the enemy of his enemy might well be his friend.

"I will give explain later, if time. But it is important.

Please." Han considered, and decided the stakes were too high. He needed more than that. "No. Tell me first. Why did you need to know about human lying?"

Dracmus hesitated. She stood up, walked toward the door of the cell, and then back to her cot, her tail lashing. "Is a terrible problem.

I need to know much more of human doings than I do. It is a great trouble that my sept sister died."

"What's the problem?" Han asked.

"I ask you to explain human lying, but if can explain then is because you are skilled at it. I think you a good liar, I am sure, honored Solo."

"Thanks," Han said. "So I've been told."

"Was a deadly insult, not a compliment," Dracmus said. "But you make my point stronger by taking it so. If I tell you more, I tell you things others must not know.

But how can I trust human proud of his good lying?"

She waved her arm about to indicate the whole underground complex.

"This could all be trick to make me say what I am about to say."

Han smiled. "I see Selonians are good at paranoia, even if they are not so good at lies."

"Oh yes. Paranoia, that we are very good at."

"Then you should be careful of what you say to me in any event.

There could be all kinds of spy eyes and hidden microphones in this cell. They could be recording everything we are saying. Maybe we should switch to Selonian."

"Pointlessness," said Dracmus. "I am sure they are not snooping us, but if they were, they would record all and play back to Selonian speaker."

"mile enough. But how do you know they are not recording?"

"I must say no more about that" Interesting. Whatever else you could say about Selonians, they were clearly not much good at concealing the presence of a secret. How could a race of inept liars be otherwise?

It was plain that Dracmus knew more about this place than she was supposed to, but at the moment Han figured it was best to play along.

"What can you say more about?" Dracmus stared at him, her eyes piercing and intense, but she said nothing.

Han sighed. "Would it help if I gave an oath onn the lives of my children-that I will not reveal what you tell me to Thrackan or his people?"

"A strong oath, if you mean it. In the Selonian way of oath taking, mine is the right and duty to hunt your children down and kill them if you transgress.

Han hesitated a moment. Suppose they used torture or mind probes or drugs on him? Would that matter to Dracmus? He doubted it But Thrackan and his goons had shown no signs of wanting to interrogate himand even if he was tortured, and he cracked, and Dracmus decided to hunt down his children, she'd have to find them first-and get past Chewbacca in the process. It was Chewbacca that decided Han. No one got past him.

"I take the oath," Han said. "I will not betray you. But what of you?"

"The lives of all my sept sisters be forfeit if I betray you," said Dracmus.

"I can't ask fairer than that," Han said. "Thlk to me."

Dracmus let out a sigh and sat down on her cot. "Very well," she said. "Let me tell you a tale."

Han settled in to listen.

"Was a riot in Selonian enclave of Bela Vistal city that started crisis, and was Selonians who riot after intolerable and forever provocation from the Human Leaguebut I not think was we who started it.

Must admit that even I not sure if the street safle that sparked it all was real, orstaged by Human League. I believe it was League.

"It had to be," Han said. "Things spread too far too fast for it to all be chance. The timing was very convenient from the League's point of view. They probably don't even much care if everyone really believes they touched things off, as long as no one can prove it. They wanted an excuse, a justffication, not a reason."

"Yes! For many reasons, most well4imed. But I think you do not know the all of it, the biggest of it."

"How do you mean?" Han asked.

Dracmus paused again, then plunged in. "I believe this-am all but certain that Thrackan is bluffing. His Human League could not have blown star that went supernova. ThaI think, is his lie."

"What?" Han asked.

"Think of it," said Dracmus. "Their group is too small, too stupid.

Yes, now they win a fight, they will grow fast, but just a little ago, League was little more than Thrackan and a few hangers-on.

Had not resources, abilityr brains-to do such a thing. Nor the money to buy those who could do it. Making starbuster system is ma.s.sive breakthrough, huge endeavor. You think could these drunken fools who watched us fight make it happen?"

"So you're saying that Thrackan is bluffing," Han suggested. "You think the star when nova by itself."

"Yes and no," said Dracmus. "I believe Thrackan didn't do it, League didn't do it, but star could not have gone nova on its own.

Wrong star type. Someone set it off. Somehow. For some reason.

I believe was meant to be secret test shot."

"Secret? But everyone knows about it."

"Think, honored Solo! A messenger drone had to bring proof of the explosion to Corellia Otherwise none would notice that it had gone nova for years yet. The star was in uninhabited system. Speed-of4ight delay means light of the nova not reaching inhabited system for decades. Only came to notice because of the anonymous message sent by Thrackan's people. And was Thrackan sal-solo's people who sent message. No doubt of that."

"How do you know all this?" Han asked. "Some of this information no one is supposed to have."

"I must say nothing at all about that."

Dracmus was definitely not good at hiding secrets.

"I'll say one thing for you. You're consistent. All right, you can't say how you know. But go on."

"It is all logic. The star could not blow on its own.

Human League no science lab. They could not blow star. Thus must be some others blew that star-and likely must be could blow others."

"Your logic is plain enough, if you grant the idea that our hosts aren't up to the job. So who blew the star, and how did the League find out about it, and how do they relate to the League-and how kindly are they going to take the League taking the credit?"

"No ideas on that. But whoever organization is, has not shown itself yet, for whatever reason. Perhaps they never show selves at all.

Might be suits their purposes to have Human League taking the credit, and blame. Who shall search for real conspirators while believing League is to blame?"

"So that's what you want my opinion on? You want to know if your logic is right, and that Thrackan is lying about the starbuster?"

"Yes," Dracmus said. "Opinion, please. Han thought it all through, as carefully as he could.

"You're right. The League isn't the sort of ouffit to be much on technology or science, and if anyone had the starbuster for sale, it's got to be that they could have found a higher bidder. If you are right on that point, then I think the rest of it must be right. Someone else is allowing the Human League to take credit for the starbuster."

"If all so, then the questions become who controls this interesting device, why they do it, and what is their relation to Human League?"

Han shook his head. "I have no idea. Whoever they are, the starbusters haven't shown their hand yet. But somehow, thinking about it all, I am starting to wonder if the Human League is just a front."

"A front? A front to what?"

"Sorry," Han said. "Another idiom. A false front.

Something put up just to hide what's behind."

"Ah. The starbuster people hide behind the Human League who are in front, and the League's actions provide an explanation for various activities."

"Right," Han said.

"But this brings us no closer to finding the starbusters themselves."

"Wait a second," Han said. "Maybe we are close.

Much closer than we thought, or than we would want to be. Maybe the person who delivered the message was much more than just the messenger."

"I don't understand."

"Before the revolt started. After the nova went off, but before anyone knew about it, we got a message.

Governor-General Micamberlecto, my wife, and I. It told all about the supernova and warned us to obey further instructions, or else stars of inhabited planets would be exploded."

"Yes. But what of it?"

"Mara Jade."

"Mara Jade? The trader? She has had many dealing with the Selonians. We know her well, and trust her."

"Yeah, well, Mara Jade is a lot more than just a trader. Did you know that she used to be the Emperor's Hand? The Emperor's personal, private, secret agent and a.s.sa.s.sin?"