Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 06_ Vortex - Denning Troy [67]
After a moment, Wuul nodded and returned his gaze to Leia. “The Jedi can’t handle the Sith with Daala breathing down their collars. Is that correct?”
Leia nodded. “Exactly.”
Wuul contemplated this for a moment, then asked, “And what do you expect me to do about that? I’m the chair of the subcommittee on mineral taxation. I don’t have that kind of leverage over Daala.”
Lando stood up and slapped a hand on Wuul’s shoulder. “Luew, old buddy, we’re not looking for leverage. And you know it.”
Wuul’s brow rose. “I do?” He looked up, feigning an innocence his Force aura did not exude, then he saw the expression on Lando’s face and exhaled loudly. “Okay. But after this, we start from even again.”
Lando’s chuckle verged on a true belly laugh. “Fair enough,” he said. “What’s a little sabacc debt compared with the possibility of a Sith empire?”
“I’m glad you see it that way.” Wuul motioned to the tumbler in front of Lando’s chair. “Now sit down and drink some of that burtalle while I prepare a little gift for my new friends.”
“Thanks,” Lando said, smiling and returning to his chair. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Wuul pulled a small datapad from inside his tunic and thumbed some keys, then slid the pad across the table toward Leia. “That’s a list of everyone in the government and the military who owes me a favor—and who can be counted on to keep it.” He continued to hold the datapad beneath his fingers. “But I trust you’re not talking about another coup.”
Leia hesitated, glancing across the table at Jaina. So far, they had not revealed anything the entire galaxy was not going to learn within the next couple of weeks anyway—there were already rumors coming out of Hutt space that there had been some Sith involvment in the slave revolt on Klatooine. But the Council’s plan for dealing with Daala had to remain a closely held secret until the trap was sprung—and Senators with gambling debts did not usually make the most trustworthy of partners.
When Leia did not reply quickly enough, Wuul’s face sagged. “I see.” He pulled the datapad back and turned toward Lando. “I don’t know how you could think I’d involve—”
“It’s not a coup,” Leia interrupted. She also turned to Lando. “How much does he owe you?”
Lando’s eyes lit in comprehension. “Not much.” He flashed an artificial grin. “Just twenty-five.”
“Twenty-five hundred?” Jaina asked.
Lando shook his head, and Leia’s heart fell.
“Twenty-five thousand?” she clarified. That wasn’t a lot next to a Senator’s salary, but politicians had been known to sell out for less. “Lando, I wish you’d mentioned this earlier. I’m not sure the Masters would have approved coming to Luew if they had known he had gambling debts.”
Lando continued to smile. “Why?” he asked. “It’s a private matter between Luew and me.”
“And it isn’t twenty-five thousand,” Wuul added gruffly. “What do you take me for? A chump?”
“Twenty-five million?” Han asked, whistling. He turned to Leia. “Look, I don’t think you need to worry about Luew. With that kind of money on the table, nobody is going to sell us out.”
“Relax, will you?” Lando said. “Luew wouldn’t sell you out at any price.”
“Thank you, Lando,” Wuul said. “Also, just for the record, it isn’t twenty-five million.”
A stunned silence fell over the room, and Jaina asked, “Blazes, Luew. How much are you into him for?”
“Twenty five credits,” Wuul said, clearly irritated. “Just twenty-five, no zeros. I’m sure that seems like Jawa change to you Jedi, but it’s the same sabacc no matter what the stakes.”
“We haven’t played high stakes since before Luew took office,” Lando explained.
“It just wouldn’t be right,” Wuul added, “the chairman of the committee on mineral taxation taking all that money from the owner of a mining world.”
“Oh dear, Luew,” Leia said. She felt a little guilty and foolish for leaping to such a wrong conclusion, but the possibility of corruption was not something