Bria chuckled wryly. "Han wouldn't agree with you, I'm 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 gangplank.

"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, we've got nothing but time .... "

"Well, I'm not free to tell you much .... "she hesitated. He smiled. "Why am I not surprised? Tell you what... I'll find a bottle, and you can tell me the un-cla.s.sified parts. Deal?"

She laughed. "DEM."

Interlude 2: Somewhere between the Corporate Sector and the Tion Hegemony Hah Solo awoke s...o...b.., easing gritty eyes open against daylight~ painful onslaught. His head pounded like a misfiring thruster, and his mouth tasted like ban-tha fi~dder. 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 couldn't remember.

But they'd obviously had a very good time.

Han had been living high for weeks now, off the credits he'd 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 he'd said goodbye w Fiolla.

He thought about her, wishing she was still with him. But when he'd prepared to leave Corporate Sector s.p.a.ce, she'd booked pa.s.sage home, saying that she had to get back to work-to the promotion she was sure she'd 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?

For the life of him, he couldn't remember.

Rising, he headed for the fresher. His headache was under control now, and he was beginning to feel hungry. Stepping into the shower, he let the hot water pummel him and leaned against the tiled wall. Ahhhhhhh...

For a moment he fouml himSelf thinking about home, wondering how everyone was doing. Maybe it was time to head back to Nar ShcMdaa, while he still had some credits left?

Thoughts of his friends filled his mind. Jarik, Mako . . . and Lando, of course. How was Lando doing these days? Had he ever found a ship to replace the Falcon?

And what about Bria?

Han sighed. Maybe, when he got back to Imperial s.p.a.ce, he'd try looking up Bria.

Yeah, right, he thought. That should be real easy. Just find the secret HQ of the Corellian Resistance and walk right in, demand to see your old girlfriend... probably get a blaster bolt right between your eyes, Solo ....

Feeling slightly better, Han shut the water off, and went to get dressed. He decided w get some food, then head back for the Falcon and Chewie. Time to leave this blasted world... whatever world this was ....

Jabba lounged beside his aunt in her private audience chamber on Nal Hutta, watching and listening as Bria Tharen made her appeal to Desilijic. The woman spoke well, he had to admit... for a human. "Almighty Jiliac," Bria spread her hands before her, "just think what an opportunity this is for your clan. If Desilijic will just finance our group in terms of ammu-nition and fuel, the Corellian Resistance will make sure that Ylesia is no longer a thorn in your side. Wouldn't it be worth it, to see Besadii brought low? And for such a modest outlay! We provide the troops, the weapons, the ships .... "

"But you will take the spice stored in the ware-houses," Jiliac said, in Huttese. Jabba and Jiliack proto-col droid, K8LR, promptly translated the Hutt leader~ words. Jiliae~ repulsor sled bobbed slightly as she shifted her weight forward to regard the Rebel com-mander intently. "All we would gain could only be mea-sured in negative terms. Now if we were to profit from this..."

Bria Tharen shook her head. "If we take the risks, we get the spice, Your Excellency. Running a resistance is expensive. We can't just wipe out your enemies for you and gain nothing for ourselves."

Privately Jabba agreed with her. Why was Jiliac being so stubborn?

Jabba spoke up for the first time---in Basic, which he could speak, but rarely chose to. "Let me make sure I understand what you are offering, and what you wish from us, Commander."

Bria turned to him, bowed slightly. "Certainly, Your Excellency."

"One," Jabba began ticking points off on his fingers. "Desi!ijic will provide you funding to purchase ammu-nition and fuel for an a.s.sault on Ylesia. Two, Desilijic will arrange to eliminate the t'landa Td priests before the attack... correct?"

"Yes, Your Excellency," Bria said.

"Why do you need us for that?" Jiliac demanded haughtily. "If your group is such an efficient military force, then you should be able to handle a few puny t'landa Til."

"Because we stand a much better chance of being able to control the Pilgrims if the Priests are 'already dead," Bria Tharen 'replied. "It shouldn't be too difficult for a kajidic of your resources to arrange. After 'all, there aren't more than thirty priests on the whole planet, or so our intelligence indicates. Only about three per Colony, in most cases. Another thing... we don't want our troops having to deal with fighting off the t'landa Til~ empathic vibes-we want them to be able to concentrate on fighting."

"I understand," Jabba said. "Three . . . in return for our funding and our promise to eliminate the priests, your groups will land and destroy the Besadii enter-prise. Blow up the factories, make sure there is nothing left for Besadii to use in rebuilding."

"That~ right, Your Excellency," the Rebel com-mander said. "The risk is ours. Of course, we'll also take the Pilgrims and the warehoused spice."

"I understand," Jabba said. "Your offer merits con- sideration, Commander. We-"

"No!" Jiliac snorted disgustedly and waved dismissal.

"Girl, we have heard enough. Thank you, but-"

"Aunt!" Jabba said loudly, then lowered his voice when Jiliac broke off and turned to regard him in sur-prise. He continued in Huttese, "May I speak with you privately?"

Jiliac huffed slightly' then nodded. "Very well, Nephew."

When the Tharen woman had been escorted outside the chamber by K8LR and asked to wait for their deci-sion, Jabba said, "Aunt, this is an offer too-good to refuse. If we had to hire mercenary forces to eliminate the Ylesian enterprise, it would cost us many times what we'd have to pay to fund these Rebels. It would cost..." he ran quick figures in his head, "at least five times as much. We should accept."

Jiliac regarded her nephew with scorn. "Jabba, haven't I taught you better than this? I told you, Desili-jie must never support either faction in a war. You want us to join the Resistance? That policy can only lead to disaster!"

Jabba had to take a deep breath and silently recite the Hurt alphabet before he could respond. "Aunt, I am by no means suggesting that we should 'ally ourselves with these Rebels. But we can and should make use of them to further our own ends! This human female and her Rebellion are a gift from fate. Bria Tharen is the perfect leader for this raid."

"Why?" Jiliac blinked at her nephew.

Jabba let out his breath in a quick huff of exaspera-tion. "Think, Aunt! Who were the two humans who es-caped from Ylesia after killing Zawal all those years ago? Remember I investigated the matter 'after Han Solo came to work for us?"

Jiliac frowned. "No .... "

"Well, I did. Han Solo escaped Ylesia in a stolen ship, with much of TerOenza~ treasure in its hold, and the High Priest~ pet slave. Her name was Bria Tharen, Aunt. This same woman! She has a personal grudge against Ylesia! She will stop at nothing to shut the Be-sadii slaving world down."

Jiliac was still frowning. "So what if she has a per-sonal score to settle? How can that benefit us, Nephew?"

"Nothing could suit Desilijic% needs better than the destruction of those accursed spice factories! Think of it! Besadii, humbled and impoverished! This is a bargain!"

Jiliac rocked back and forth on her ma.s.sive belly, staring goggle-eyed into s.p.a.ce as if trying to picture in her mind% eye how it would work. "No," she said finally. "It is a bad plan."

"It is a good plan, Aunt," Jabba insisted, "and, with a little refinement, can be made to work." After a pause, he added, "With all due respect, Jiliac, I don't believe that you have thought the matter through."

"Oh?" Jiliac reared back until she towered over her relative. "Nephew, your judgment is flawed. I have been very careful, over the years, not to compare you with your reckless parent, who nearly bankrupted Desilijic with his grand schemes, then was foolish enough to wind up on that mudball pfison planet, Kip. However..."

Jabba didn't like being reminded of Zorba and his profligate ways. "Aunt, I am nothing like my parent, and you know it! I respectfully submit that you have grown soft and your a.n.a.lysis weak. We must deal with Besadii soon or, most a.s.suredly, we will be ruined. What are your specific objections?"

Jiliac rumbled, and a bit of green phlegm appeared at the corner of her slack mouth. "Too fisky, too many uncertainties. Humans are not intelligent enough to be able to accurately predict their behavior. They're just as apt to take our credits, then betray us to Besadii."

"These Rebels are too committed to their cause," Jabba said. "You are fight, you don't understand hu-mans, Aunt. Commander Tharen's group is just dedi-cated enough and stupid enough to risk themselves over those wretched slaves. Humans are like that. Espe-cially this human."

"And I suppose you understand them?" Jiliac snorted. "Where do these masterful insights of yours spfing from, Nephew? From watching them cavort around scantily clothed?"

Jabba was really getting angry now. "I do understand them! And I understand that this offer is not one to toss aside!"

"So you would have us arrange to kill some thirty t'landa Til for the Corellian Resistance," Jiliac said. "What if that was ever discovered here on Nal Hutta? Tile t'landa Til here would raise such an outcry! They are our cousins, Nephew. Humans are nothingV Jabba hadn't thought of that. He remained silent, mulling her objection over. "I still think it could be arranged," he said. "We've gotten away with multiple a.s.sa.s.sinations before, after all."

"Besides," Jiliac said, sulkily, "I don't want the Yle-sian enterpfise destroyed. I want to take it Over. What good will it do us to best Besadii if the spice factofies are destroyed?"

"We could build other factofies," Jabba said. "Any-thing would be better than having Besadii warehousing that spice and dfiving the prices up and up!"

Jiliac shook her head. "I am the clan leader, and my decision is no. That is the end of it, Nephew."

Jabba tried to expostulate further, but she waved him to silence, and, with a bellow, summoned K8LR and the Rebel Commander. The droid quickly shepherded the young woman back into the room, solicitously com-menting on her bravery the whole time.

Jiliac shot an exasperated glance at Jabba, and har-rumphed loudly. "Girl, as I was saying before, when I was interrupted---" she glanced at Jabba meaningfully, "we appreciate your offer, but our answer is no. Desili-jic cannot risk allying with the Resistance in this matter."

Bfia Tharen~ features betrayed her disappointment, Jabba noted. She sighed, then squared her shoulders.

"Very well, Your Excellency." She reached into the pocket of her fatigues and took something out. "If you should ever change your mind, you can reach me-"

Jiliac waved aside the proffered datacard, then glared at her nephew as he reached for it. Jabba gazed at Bria, holding the datacard. "I will keep this," he said. "Farewell, Commander."

"Thank you for the audience, Your Excellencies," she said, and bowed deeply.

Jabba watched her as she walked away, and found himself thinking that she'd look maguificent in a danc-ing girl's costume. All that reddish hair spilling down over her bare shoulders. Nicely muscled shoulders. This human was fit, exquisitely so, and her height was impressive. What a dancing girl she'd make! Jabba sighed.

"Jabbad" his aunt said, "I did not appreciate the way you appeared to disrespect my decision just now. Never forget that we Desilijic must always present a united front when conducting business with inferior species."

Jabba did not trust himself to speak. He was still bitterly angry over his aunt's refusal to see what a great opportunity Bria Tharen had offered them.

If I were the leader of Desilijic, he thought, I wouldn't have to listen to her paranoid conservatism. Sometimes you have w take chances to make large gains. Mother-hood has made her stupid and weak ....

It was only then that Jabba realized, for the first time, that if Jiliac were out of the picture, that he, Jabba Desilijic Tiure, would be Desilijic's next leader. He would have to answer to no one.

Jabba lay there, his tail twitching thoughtfully' then glanced sideways at his aunt. Suddenly her belly rip-pied, and her baby slithered out. "Mama's precious!" she exclaimed. "Jabba, look! Getting bigger every day!"

She cooed at her baby. Jabba grimaced, belched, and then wriggled rapidly out of the room, unable to stand the sight of either of them for one second longer.

Bria Tharen picked up her gla.s.s of wine, sipped it slowly, appreciatively, then smiled at her escort. "That's wonderful. Thank you so much, Lando. You don't know how long it's been since I had an evening where I could just relax."

Lando Calrissian nodded. Bria had returned to Nar Shaddad aboard the shuttle from Nal Hutta today, fol-lowing what she'd said was a "disappointing" interview with the Desilijic leader. To cheer her up, the gambler had promised to take her out for a nerf tenderloin dinner at one of the Smuggler's Moon's finest hotel-casinos, the Chance Castle. Bri5 was wearing a softly draped gown of turquoise that matched her eyes, and Lando was wearing his black and scarlet outfit, "for old time's sake."

"How long?" Lando asked, twirling his own Wine-gla.s.s slowly in his fingers. "Well... I imagine being a Rebel commando leader is fairly time-consuming. Al-most as time-consuming as being the mistress of a Sec-tor Moff."

Her eyes widened, then narrowed. "How did you find that out? I never told you .... "

"Nar Shaddad is the criminal nexus of the galaxy," Lando said. "An information broker owed me a favor, and I called it in. Commander Bria Tharen, right?"

Her lips tightened, and she nodded curtly. "Hey," Lando said, reaching out to touch the back of her hand gently, "didn't I tell you you can trust me? You can. I have no love for the Empire. If I weren't such an arrant coward, I'd join the Rebels myself. I know lots of se-crets, and I'm good at keeping them."

She smiled faintly. "Whatever you are, you aren't a coward, Lando. n.o.body who stood up to Boba Fett like that could be called cowardly. You should think about joining the Resistance. You're a good pilot, you can think on your feet, and you're smart. You'd be an officer in no time."

She hesitated, then added, more seriously, "And about Moff Sam Shild... all I can say is that appear-ances can be deceiving. I was on a.s.signment for the Re-sistance, but I was nothing more than a social hostess and aide for him, though he wanted everyone to think otherwise."

"But you were 'also spying on him."

"'Gathering intelligence' is a nicer term."

He chuckled. "So where ~ you go tomorrow, 'after you leave Nar Shaddaa?"

'TII head back to my squadron, and my next a.s.sign-ment... whatever that may be. I'm missing two of my senior officers now... plus an excellent combat trooper." Her expression 'darkened. "Fett killed them with no more thought or caring than you or I would step on an insect."

"That's why he's the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy," 'Lando pointed out.

"Yes .... "She took another sip of wine. "He's hke a one-man army. Too bad he's loyal to lhe Empire. I could certainly use him in combat!"

u Lando looked at her. "It means everything to you, doesn't it? Defeating the Empire?"

She nodded. "It's my life," she said, simply. "I would give anything I have-or am-to further that dream."

Lando picked up a piece of fiatbread, drizzled Kashyyykian forest honey on it, and took a bite. "But you've already devoted years to that goal. When does Bria Tharen get a chance to have a life of her own? When do you just say, 'enough'? Don't you want to have a home, a family, someday?"

She smiled sadly. "The last person to ask me that question was Han."

"Really? When the two of you were on Ylesia? That was a long time ago."

,"Yes," she said. "It's been wonderful to be able to talk to you, find out what he's been doing. Do you know, Lando, in just a few months it will be ten years to the day since we first met. I can hardly believe it... where did the time go?"

"Where time always goes," Lando said. "There's a gi-ant black hole in the center of the galaxy, and it just sucks it right up."

She shrugged and smiled wryly. "That explanation works for me. I'll have to remember that."

Lando poured her some more wine. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question. When are you going to have a life for Bria?"

Her blue-green eyes were very intent as they met his across the table. "When the Empire is defeated, and Palpatine is dead, then I'll think about settling down. I would love to have a child... someday." She smiled. "I think I still remember how to cook and do domestic things. My mother certainly spent enough time trying to turn me into appropriate 'wife' materi'd, and that in-cluded plenty of instruction in 'womanly' duties."

Lando grinned. "I suppose she wouldn't much like your current rebel image. Dressed in combat fatigues, armed to the teeth."

She laughed wryly and rolled her eyes. "Poor mother! It's a good thing she can't see me, she'd keel u over in utter horror!"

Just then the server brought their steaks, and both dug in with appreciation. "Lando, this is so wonderful," Bria said. "This beats military chow six ways from sundown."

Lando smiled. "Just one more reason I couldn't join the Rebellion," he said. "I have a penchant for fine cui-sine. I don't think I could stand a steady diet of rations."