Star Wars_ Splinter of the Mind's Eye - Alan Dean Foster [30]
“However, I am straightforward,” Grammel continued, gazing down at her. Using his leg again, he kicked her right arm out from under her. She fell forward, then rolled over and sat up, still holding her left leg. The Captain-Supervisor kicked out sharply, catching the base of the spine but not hard enough to paralyze her. She wailed as both hands went to the small of her back and she fell over on her side, where she lay moaning.
Grammel drew back his leg again. Unable to stand by any longer, Luke stepped between them, said rapidly, “If I told you the truth, Captain-Supervisor, you wouldn’t believe me.”
That offer was intriguing enough to cause Grammel to forget the Princess for the moment. “I’m always willing to listen, young man.”
Luke took a disconsolate breath, looked downcast. “We’re escaped criminals from Circarpous,” he confessed painfully. “We’re wanted there for extortion and blackmail.” He indicated the prone form of the Princess.
“The girl’s my partner and lure. We … made the mistake of compromising some people who turned out to be more important than we thought. We’re not very important criminals, but we managed to get some very important people mad at us.” He stopped.
“Go on,” urged Grammel noncommittally.
“Circarpous still maintains the death penalty for many crimes,” Luke continued. “It’s a hectic, private-enterprise-style world.”
“I know all about Circarpous,” the Captain-Supervisor snapped impatiently.
Luke hastened to go on with his story. “We stole a small lifeship. We’d heard about the small colonies on Twelve and Ten.”
“So you tried to flee there,” Grammel interjected. “Logical enough.”
“In hopes of finding a way to gain passage outsystem,” Luke finished rapidly. His enthusiasm was honest, because Grammel, at least so far, hadn’t rejected the story out of hand. “We even,” he added for good measure, “went so far as to consider joining the Rebels if that would help us escape prosecution.”
“You’d both make pretty pitiful traitors,” Grammel observed. “The Rebels would have sneered at you. They don’t enroll criminals in their ranks. Odd, since they’re all technically the worst sort of criminals. Anyone can see by looking at you that you’d never be accepted by them.” Fortunately, the Princess was in too much pain to snicker, Luke knew.
“I happen to think that your story, young man, though plausible, is a cleverly crafted falsehood.” Luke went cold inside. “But … it could be true. If that’s the case, if you are what you claim to be, we might even manage to bend the laws a little for you. I admire ingenuity in others.
“We might even find something for you to do here on Mimban. The Empire has many malcontents working in the mines. You’ve already encountered five of them.
“Of course,” he concluded, “I could always return you to Circarpous for prosecution there.”
“Oh no, Captain-Supervisor!” Luke cried, dropping to his knees and clutching desperately at Grammel’s trouser legs. “Please don’t do that. They’ll have us executed. Please, we’ll work till we drop, but don’t send us back there!” He was sobbing openly now.
“Get off my boots,” Grammel ordered disgustedly. As Luke backed away obediently the Captain-Supervisor bent to brush at his pants where Luke had touched him.
Wiping tears conjured with difficulty away from his eyes, Luke tried not to appear too hopeful as he regarded Grammel. The Princess, meanwhile, had shifted to a sitting position. She was still rubbing the small of her back with one hand, carefully avoiding Grammel’s gaze.
“As I stated, everything you’ve told me is possible and unlikely,” the Captain-Supervisor went on. He eyed Luke in a funny way. “There is one thing which does interest me, however. It would be a sign of your good faith if you were honest with me about it.