Star Wars_ Darksaber - Kevin J. Anderson [20]
“Durga, I must insist that you control—” Leia began.
“Pay them no mind,” Durga spoke in a loud, commanding tone. “They’ll cause no damage. Now, to the point of my visit.”
Beside her, Han flicked his glance nervously around as the Taurill wandered about the room, poking into corners, creeping behind their chairs.
Leia was forced to regain her composure so she could outthink the Hutt crime lord. She thought she knew what Durga was trying to do. He wanted to rattle them, distract her into giving something away—but she wouldn’t let him manipulate her. She stonily pretended that the distracting creatures were not there. That would fluster him.
“Yes, Durga,” she said. “I am most interested in your mission to Coruscant. What brings a Hutt crime lord to an audience with the legitimate government of the New Republic?”
Durga spread his arms wide. “Madam President, your words wound me. Let us not begin these talks with definitions of crime lords and legitimate governments. We are all trying to do what is best for ourselves. The Hutt kajidic, the clan system of business that my brothers and I have established, encompasses a great many worlds—a significant fraction, I daresay, of your own New Republic. The Hutts do not want war—commercial or actual—and I don’t believe your fledgling government can afford a drawn-out struggle either. Unlike the Empire, we Hutts have an invisible web of influence and relationships in places you cannot imagine, far more than a simple military garrison you can strike.”
He blinked his heavy-lidded eyes. “However, I do not come here to make threats, but an overture of peace. Although you called our operations a ‘criminal empire,’ I’m here to offer an end to all that unpleasantness.
“Our simplest solution is legitimacy. I propose that the Hutts form an alliance with the New Republic, become commercial partners. If you legalize our activities, then we are no longer a criminal empire, but a respected commercial venture. Is that not true?” he said with a gesture toward the ceiling as if to indicate his high hopes.
“We Hutts could carry out our business without the need for secrecy and security, and thereby increase our profits enormously. We would pay appropriate taxes and tariffs, and the New Republic would grow stronger as well. You could then marshal your defenses toward fighting your true enemies, rather than simple business competitors such as ourselves.”
“Is that the only reason?” Leia said, trying to keep the skepticism from her voice. The Taurill continued their relentless poking and prodding and investigating, but Leia fixed her gaze on Durga the Hutt.
“We Hutts have our pride,” Durga continued. “It is our greatest wish to become respectable, true businessmen rather than powerful outlaws.”
“I see,” Leia said. Using her mask of diplomatic training, she smiled—but in her mind she vowed that all the stars in the galaxy would burn to cold ash before she ever entered into an alliance with the Hutts.
Just then one of the New Republic honor guards, who had tried valiantly to remain quiet during the negotiations, attempted to scare away two of the Taurill that had begun crawling on him like mammalian spiders. They climbed the guard’s uniform though he swiped at them to brush them off. He swung his ceremonial blaster rifle, trying to jostle them free.
One of the Taurill grabbed the weapon as if it were a tree branch and pulled himself on to the end. The other Taurill climbed the length of the guard’s forearm to the firing button of the blaster and accidentally—though Leia had the odd impression that it might have been intentional