Star Wars_ Rebel Force 01_ Target - Alex Wheeler [30]
Han tensed, and Leia could tell he was trying his best to sound casual. "So this Nal Kenuun guy got at Luunim's place before the Imperials showed up?" Han asked. "Did Luunim owe him, too?"
"Everyone owes Nal Kenuun," the bartender said. "I have no doubt he collected on his debt, whether or not Luunim was alive to pay him."
Han glanced at Leia, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. If this Nal Kenuun had plundered Luunim's apartment, looking for items of value, then it was possible he had possession of the Rebellion's datacard—or at least might know where to find it.
Certainly it was the best lead they had, since they couldn't very well go back to Luunim's apartment and look for themselves. Not with the Empire swarming all over it.
"Don't suppose you know where I could find this Kenuun," Han said.
The bartender stiffened. "I wouldn't know anything about that." He scooped their glasses off the counter and retreated into a back room. "I got dishes to wash. Leave your payment on the counter when you go."
"That Muun never washed a dish in his life," Leia said, glancing at the spotted glasses littering the bar.
"He was definitely spooked when we started talking about Kenuun," Han agreed.
"Must mean we're on the right track."
It could, in fact, have meant anything, but Leia decided not to mention that. She wanted to believe that Han was right. Because they needed that datacard—the Rebellion needed that datacard. And this was their only lead.
Unfortunately, the bartender wasn't the only one who refused to help. They split up, wandering into different areas of the cantina, casually dropping Nal Kenuun's name into conversations. Each conversation ended abruptly.
When they met up again outside the front door, they were no closer to Kenuun than when they'd started.
"He's rich, he's powerful, and he likes to gamble," Luke reported. "And no one wants to cross him. That's all I found out."
"Looks like that's all any of us found out," Leia said, defeated. She supposed they could return to the city center and track him down through the central directory, but with the Imperials on their tail, that seemed too great a risk.
A loud hiss slipped out of the alley behind the bar.
They fell silent, turning as one toward the source of the noise. A scaly Dug emerged from the shadows. "Yeah, you," he whispered, curling a finger toward them. "C'mere."
Chewbacca growled softly.
"I know," Han muttered. "I saw him too. Sitting alone. Watching us."
"Limited time offer," the Dug warned, retreating further into the alley.
C-3PO raised a finger in protest. "I must say, I find it highly unadvisable to follow this being into—wait, where are you all going?"
Leia led the way.
The Dug was shorter than most of his kind, barely a meter high. His scaly flesh hung thick and loose around his neck. He wore a scooped metal blade in a holster slung across his shoulders.
"Hear you're looking for Nal Kenuun," he said in a low, gravelly voice.
"It's possible." Han kept a hand on his blaster.
"Whadya want with him?" The Dug squinted with suspicion.
"Looking for some action," Han said. "Hear he's the place to get it. I've got some credits to burn."
"You think you're some kind of gambler?" the Dug asked.
"The best kind," Han retorted. "The winning kind."
"No one wins against Nal Kenuun."
Han shrugged. "Only one way to find out."
"Kenuun runs a high stakes game," the Dug warned him. "The buy-in's at ten thousand. No IOUs. You don't look like you have that kind of cash on you."
"Looks can be deceiving," Han said. "I have what I need."
Leia shot him a sharp glance. Between them, they barely had ten credits, much less ten thousand—not to mention that posing as a high-stakes gambler didn't seem to qualify as lying low.
"And what's in it for me?" the Dug asked.
"The deep pleasure of helping