Star Wars_ Tales From Jabba's Palace - Kevin J. Anderson [146]
The helmeted head nodded. “Good thinking.” He beckoned her to follow him, and started up the steps. Yarna stayed so close to him that she nearly trod on his boot heels.
When the pair reached the tall, massive doors, Doallyn glanced at the sentry screen, but it was too dark to make out the identity of the visitor. He leveled his blaster, then gestured to her. “Key it, then stand back.”
Moving with a quickness that belied her bulk, Yarna pressed the appropriate combination, then skipped off to the side. Slowly, the enormous portal rumbled upward. Cold night air rushed in.
Tessek the Quarren stood outside, his robes rumpled and smelling of smoke. His wrinkled, tentacled features were pale and cracked as though he’d been exposed to intense heat. “Jabba … Master Jabba … the sail barge …” he babbled breathlessly. “Solo, the Wookiee … and that Jedi! There may be an attack!”
“Where is Jabba?” Doallyn demanded.
“Dead! She strangled him, that Alderaanian dancing girl, the new one. Just as the execution was supposed to take place, a terrible battle erupted on the sail barge. They had weapons hidden, and that Jedi boy, Luke Skywalker—he had powers beyond belief! I fought them, but a shot grazed me, and I lost control of my swoop … I nearly went into the Sarlacc pit! Then”—his arms waved expressively—“a huge explosion! The sail barge is in pieces all over the Dune Sea!”
“Jabba? Dead?” Even Doallyn’s mechanical tones sounded stunned.
The Quarren nodded. He glanced from Yarna to Doallyn, then seemed to remember his dignity. Pulling himself up, he straightened his hunched shoulders. “I’m in command, now,” he said, his voice deepening. “Wait for me here. I’ll return shortly.”
Doallyn sketched a half-salute, but did not respond further, and the Quarren, still shaking, turned and swung a leg across his swoop. Moments later, he was gone.
Yarna stood frozen with shock, scarcely daring to believe what she’d heard. She’d waited for this day for so long! Could Tessek be lying? Was this yet another of Jabba’s twisted schemes to test the loyalty of his minions? And yet … she did not believe the Quarren meant her ill. Yesterday he’d even caught her pilfering some semiprecious stones and hadn’t reported her to Jabba. She remembered Tessek’s wide, frightened eyes. No. The Quarren was telling the truth.
Yarna heard excited gabbling at the bottom of the stairs, and realized that the news was already spreading. Within minutes, everyone would know. The Askajian struggled for calm. She had to think—think! What did this news mean to her? What would happen now?
She felt no compunction to obey Tessek—even if he had done her a favor yesterday. The Quarren was an arrant coward, and everybody knew it. With Jabba gone, there was no one that Yarna could think of with the strength of will, ruthlessness, and intelligence to assume Jabba’s mantle of leadership. Within the hour the palace would be in chaos. And back in Mos Eisley … Yarna’s breath caught in her throat like a limp of jelled sagbat. Under Tatooine law, Jabba’s illegal assets would be seized and liquidated. His slaves would be sold to the highest bidder.
Yarna herself was not legally a slave, since Jabba had placed her under “contract,” promising her she could buy her freedom one day. That had been one of the Bloated One’s favorite ploys. “Free” people tended to work harder and show more dedication than slaves. And Yarna clearly recalled the wording of the contract she had thumb-signed—it had stated that, in the event of Jabba’s death, she was a free being—unless, of course, she had helped in any way to bring about that death. But she had not. So now … she was free.
The eventual promise of earning her freedom had made Yarna serve the Hutt crimelord loyally, dancing for him, minding the household staff