"Danced?" Hah let go and sat back down, looking sheepish. "Oh."

"C'mon, Han, take it easy," Lando said, "you haven't even seen this woman in how many years?"

"Sorry, pal, guess I got a little carried away," Han said. "I used to care about her a lot."

Lando smiled again, this time cautiously. "Well, she still cares about you. A lot."

"Lando... the story," Han said. "Tell."

"Okay," Lando said, and launched into a description of his recent adventures aboard the Queen of Empire. By the time he'd reached the face-off outside the shuttle bay, Hah was leaning forward, hanging on his every word.

When the gambler finished, Han sat back, shaking his head, sipping his 'ale. "Some story," he said. "Lando, that makes the second time you've stood up to Fett. That took guts, pal."

Lando shrugged, and for once his demeanor was completely serious. "I don't like bounty hunters," he said. "Never have. I wouldn't turn my worst enemy over to one. To me they're on a par with slavers."

Hah nodded, then grinned. "Good thing Drea's got a soft spot for you, pal."

"The thing that turned the tide there was reminding her that she owed you," Lando pointed out.

"Well, I'll have to let her know that I owe her one, now," Hah said. "I just hope you showed her a good time on that little jaunt you took."

"Ofcourse," Lando said. "If it's one thing I know how to do, it's show a lady a good time."

"So... when did Bria tell you she cared about me? The whole time you were with Fett, you were ordered to be quiet," Han said, thinking back over Lando's account.

"Oh, I saw her again, here on Nar Shaddaa," Lando said.

Hah stared at Lando balefully. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah, I did," Lando replied. "Will you relax, old buddy? I just took her out to dinner. She got turned down by Jiliac and Jabba over some commando raid on Ylesia she wanted them to finance, and she needed some cheering up." Lando sighed. "She spent the whole time talking about you. Really depressing."

Hah felt a grin creep over his face. "Yeah?" he said, trying to sound casual. "She did?"

Lando mock-glared at him. "Yes, she did. Xendor 'alone knows why, but she did."

"I've thought about trying to contact her," Han said. "But after seeing her that time in Sarn Shild's place... well, I know now she was on a.s.signment for the Resis-tance. I guess a good agent does whatever she has to do to get information .... "

"I asked her about that," Lando said. "She told me that even though Shild wanted everyone to think she was his mistress, she wasn't. And from what I've heard about that guy, he did indeed have some very odd... tastes... in partners."

"Huh..." Han said, mulling that one over. "You say she talked about me, huh? She still cares?"

"She cares," Lando said. "If you'd been a myrmin on the wall, your head would be even more swelled than it is already." He laughed shortly, and finished off his own drink, "I told you, it was depressing, pal."

Han smiled. "Well... thanks. I owe you one for sav-ing her, Lando."

"You should look her up, if you can figure how to do it," Lando said.

"I might," Han said, then sobered. "Lando, I'm 'afraid I got some bad news yesterday." "What?"

"It's Mako Spince. Seems he got himself into some kind of confrontation out in the Ottega System with some NaQoit bandits. They found him, barely alive, and brought him back here. He'S in the rehab-facility in the Corellian section. Shug told me he's crippled. Won't ever walk again."

Lando shook his head, his expression bleak. "Oh... hey, that's terrible! I'd rather be dead than crippled, I think."

Hah nodded grimly. "Me too. I was thinkin'... you want to go see him tomorrow? I ought to. Me and Mako go back a long ways. But... I'd rather not go alone, ya know? Between the two of us, maybe we could kinda cheer him up some?"

Lando shrugged. "Sounds like a tall order, consider-ing the circ.u.mstances," he said. "But, sure, I'll go with you. Lea.st we can do. Mako's one of us." "Thanks."

The next day, the two friends went to the rehab-center. Hah had only rarely been inside one, and found himself extremely ill-at-ease. After querying the clerical droid at the desk, they were directed to a room. Han and Lando hesitated outside. "Lando... I ain't sure I'm up to this," Han confessed, in a whisper. "I'd rather fly a run with Imps on my tail .... "

"I feel the same way," Lando agreed. "But I think I'd feel worse if I went home without seeing him." Han nodded. "Me too." Taking a deep breath, he walked into the room.

Mako Spince was lying in a special treatment bed. There was a whiff of bacta in the air, and the scars on his rugged features were mostly healed, though Hah could tell his old friend must have been a mess. The NaQoit bandits weren't known for their kind hearts ....

Spince's shoulder-length hair was spread out on the white pillow. Last Hah had seen him, it had been black' mixed with gray. Now it was the color of iron, dull and lank. Mako's pale, ice-colored eyes were closed, but somehow Hah knew he was awake.

The Corellian hesitated, then plunged ahead. "Hey, Mako!" he called out, breezily, "It's me, Hah! Back from the Corporate Sector. Lando's here, too."

Mako's pale, cold eyes opened, and he stared at his friends with no expression. He did not speak, though Hah knew he could. Mako's right arm was damaged, and he'd lost the use of his legs, but there was nothing wrong with his mind or his voice.

"Hey, Mako," Lando said. "It's good to see you alive. Sorry to hear that things got so rugged out there in the Ottega system... uh..."

When Lando ran out of words, Hah jumped in. Any-thing was better than the echoing silence. "Yeah, those NaQoit are sc.u.m. Uh... well, this is a tough break, all right, but, hey... don't you worry about a thing. Me and the others, we took up a collection, you know? Plenty there to get you set up with a repulsor chair. Those things scoot right around . . . you'll be up and around in no time, they say."

Hah finally ran out of words, and he turned to Lando, questioning with his eyes. Mako still hadn't moved or spoken.

"Uh, yeah," Lando said, trying valiantly to keep up his end. "Listen, Mako, is there anything you need? You just ask, and we'll get it. Right, Hah?"

"Sure," Han said. He struggled for something else to say, but words utterly failed him. "Uh . . . Mako?" he said. "Hey, buddy..."

Mako's expressionless face never altered. But slowly, finally, he turned his face away from his friends, and the unspoken message was clear. Go away.

Han sighed, shrugged, then looked at Lando.

Quietly, they walked out of the room, leaving Mako Spince 'alone with his silence.

Han got a much better welcome from Jabba the Hutt. He went to see the Desilijic leader in the kajidic's headquarters on Nar Shaddaa. Jiliac's Nar Shaddaa ma-jordomo, a human woman named Dielo, looked up when he walked in, and smiled welcomingly. "Captain Solo! Welcome back! Jabba instructed me to bring you in immediately."

Since Hah was used to being kept waiting when he visited Jabba, this was indeed encouraging news.

When Hah walked into the huge, bare, audience chamber, he found Jabba alone. The Hurt lord undu-lated toward him, his stubby arms spread wide. "Han, my boy] It% wonderful to see you! You were gone too long!"

For an awful second, Hah thought that Jabba actu-'ally intended to hug him. The Corellian stepped back hastily, trying not to wrinkle his nose. He'd have to get used to the smell of Hutts all over again ....

"Hey, Jabba, Your Excellency," he said. "Nice to know I've been missed."

"None of that 'Your Excellency,' now, Hah!" Jabba boomed, speaking, as usual, in Huttese, which he knew Han understood well. "We're old friends, and no formalities are needed!"

The Desilijic lord was practically oozing cama-raderie. Han smothered a smile. Business must be hurt-ing, he thought. Nothing like being needed, I guess .... "Sure, Jabba," Hah said. "So, how's business?" "Business... business has been a bit... slow," Jabba said. "Besadii, curse them, is trying to build up a ship-ping fleet of their own to challenge Desilijic's business. And the Imperials have been, unfortunately, all too ac-tive lately. Between the Imperial customs ships and the pirates, the spice business is suffering."

"Besadii's being their typical pain in the b.u.t.t, eh?" Jabba's chuckle boomed out in response to Han's wit-ticism, but, even to Han's ears, the laughter sounded a bit hollow. "Han, Besadii must be dealt with. I am not sure exactly how."

Han g~ed at the Hutt lord. "I heard the Corellian Resistance wanted Desilijic to back 'em in a raid on Ylesia."

Jabba didn't seem surprised that Hah had his own sources for information. The ma.s.sive head nodded. "We were approached by an acquaintance of yours...

Bria Tharen."

"I haven't seen her in ten years," Han said. "I under-stand she's a Rebel leader now."

"She is," Jabba affirmed. "And I was very interested in her proposition. However, since my aunt refused to back the Corellian resistance, I am looking for 'alterna-tives to bring down Besadii. We must do something. They are stockpiling the best spice, holding it back to drive up prices. Our sources indicate that their ware-houses are crammed, and they are building new ones to hold the overflow."

Hall shook his head. "That ain't good. And Jiliac?

How's she doin'? And the baby?"

Jabba grimaced. "My aunt is well. Her baby is healthy."

"Why the sour expression, then?" Han asked.

"Her attention to motherhood is admirable, I sup-pose, Han," Jabba said, "but it has meant a greatly in-creased workload for me. My business interests on Tatooine are being neglected, and it is difficult to keep up with all of Desilijic's concerns." The Hurt lord sighed. "Hah, it is getting harder and harder these days to find the time to get everything done."

"Yeah, I know what that's like, Jabba," Hah said. He shifted restlessly from foot to foot.

The Hutt, who was in an unusually perceptive mood, noticed the Corellian's restiveness. "What is it, Han?"

Han shrugged. 'Tm okay. Sometimes I wish you had a human-style chair in this audience chamber, though. Having a conversation standing up the whole time is hard on my feet." He hesitated. "Mind if I just park my rear on the floor while we chat?"

"Ho-ho.l" Jabba chuckled. "I have often thought that feet must be inconvenient things to depend on, Han my boy. I can do better than the floor." Turning with far more flexibility than Han would have given him credit for, Jabba curled his tail forward and patted it invitingly. "Here. Sit, lad."

Han, recognizing that Jabba was doing him a great honor, silently told his protesting nose to shut up. He walked over and sat down on the Hutt's tail just as he would have a tree trunk. He smiled, though the reek was awful, this close. "My feet thank you, Jabba," he said.

The Hutt's laughter at such close quarters was enough to rattle Han's eardrums. "Ho-ho-ho! Han, you amuse me 'almost as much as one of my dancing girls."

"Thanks," Hah managed, wondering how soon he could decently get up and leave. Jabba was curled around so he could speak to Hah nearly face-to-face.

"So," said Han. "What did you think of Commander Tharen?"

"For a human, she seems quite intelligent and com-petent," Jabba said. "Jiliac declined her proposition, but I found it of interest."

"As I said, I haven't seen her in years," Han said.

"How'd she look?"

Jabba chortled, licking his lips. "I would hire her to dance for me any day, my boy."

Hah grimaced, but was careful not to let Jabba see. "Uh, yeah. . . well, she might have somethin' to say about that. You don't get to be a commander just on good looks."

Jabba sobered. "I was impressed with her. I believe her proposition may be feasible."

"What was she proposing, exactly?" Han asked. Jabba outlined the basics of the Corellian Resistaneek plan. Han shrugged. "They'd need some good pilots to get through that atmosphere," he said. "Wonder how Bria's plannin' to handle that?"

"I do not know," Jabba said. "Tell me, Han, approxi-mately how many guards did each Ylesian colony have when you were there?"

"Oh, it ranged from maybe a hundred to a couple hundred per colony, depending on how many slaves they had working the factories," Han said. "Lotta Gamorreans, Jabba. I know you Hutts like 'em because they're strong and they'll take orders, but, let's face it, as a modem fighting force, they're pretty pathetic. Most of the males are too obsessed with using those antique weapons of theirs on each other. Their clan battles spill over into their jobs. The sows are better, smarter, clearer-thinking, but they don't hire out as mercs."

"So you believe that a modem force of Rebels would have no trouble capturing those colonies."

Han shook his head. "It would be a piece of cake, Jabba."

The Hutt lord blinked his bulbous eyes. "Hmmmmm, as usual, Han my boy, you have been valuable to me. I have a load of spice that is ready to ship. Are you and your ship ready to go back to work?"

Han, recognizing the implicit dismissal, stood up. He could feel the oily residue from Jabba's skin on the seat of his pants. Great, I suppose I'll have to write this pair off, he thought. I'll never get the stink ~mt of'em ....

"Sure we are," he said. "Chewie and me are ready.

The Falcon is faster than ever."

"Good, good, my boy," Jabba boomed. "I'll have someone contact you about the pickup this evening. Han... good to have you back."

Hah smiled. "Jabba, it's good to be back .... "

Kibbick the Hutt stared at his cousin's holo-image in consternation. "What do you mean the t'landa Til have brought their mates here?" he asked. "n.o.body told me."

Durga, leader of Besadii clan, glared. "Kibbick, you wouldn't notice if there was a t'landa Til female perched on your tail! They covered their tracks well, and it was nearly a week before I found out they were gone! Do you realize what this means?"

Kibbick thought hard. "It means that the t'landa Til priests will be happier, more content?" he ventured, finally.

Durga waved his little arms in frustration and groaned 'aloud. "Of course they'll be happier!" he shouted. "But what does this mean to us? To Besadii? For once in your life, think, Kibbick?

Kibbick ruminated. "This means we'll have to ship more food in for them?" he asked, finally.

"No! Kibbick, you idiot!" Durga was in such a rage that gobbets of green goo spattered on the holovid pickup, making "holes" appear in his three dimensional image. "It means that we have lost our most important hold over the t'landa Til, my r.e.t.a.r.ded cousin! Now that we no longer have their mates here on Nal Hutta, Teroenza and his Priests could cut 'all ties to Besadii and Nal Hutta! That's what it means?

Kibbick drew himself up. "Uncle Aruk never spoke to me like that," he said, greatly offended. "He was 'al-ways polite. He was a better leader than you will ever be, Cousin."

Durga managed to contain himself with an effort. "Forgive my rash words, Cousin," he said, with a p'alpa-ble effort. "I am a trifle... overworked... these days. I am waiting for some important news regarding my par-ent's demise."

"Oh." Kibbick thought about making more of an is-sue of it, but as long as Durga had stopped yelling, he was so relieved that he didn't. "Well, Cousin, I can see how that would be bad. What shall we do?"

"You'll have to have .all the female t'landa Til brought to Colony One and then ship them home to Nal Hutta," Durga said. "See to it personally, Kibbick. I want you to be able to report to me that you watched them get aboard the ship and leave. I want you to use your best, most trusted pilot for the task. Send a contingent of guards, so there will be no trouble from the females on the voyage."

Kibbick thought that one over for a moment. "But . . . Teroenza won't like that," he said. "And neither will the others."

"I know that," Durga said. "But the t'landa Til work for us, Kibbick. We are their masters."

"That's true," Kibbick admitted. He'd been brought up ever since he reached the age of Hutt sentience that Hurts were the most superior species in the galaxy. But imagining himself giving Teroenza orders wasn't an at-tractive proposition. Teroenza was sly and tricky. He was the one who 'always gave the guards their orders. All Kibbick had to do when he wanted something done was tell Teroenza, and the High Priest would 'always do it-promptly and efficiently.

But what if he disobeyed, this time? Kibbick could picture him refusing to send his own mate back to Nal Itutta. And then what would he, Kibbick, do?