Star Wars_ Tales From Jabba's Palace - Kevin J. Anderson [64]
Besides, beauty’s relative in the galaxy, and most seasoned travelers respect that. These two jokers must have been greener than a moisture boy as well as bad-mannered.
“Hey, ugly,” one of the two persisted, giving me a shove, “we’re talkin’ to you.”
This time I turned around to him. “You bantha fodder looking for trouble?”
“You’re sure not gonna give it to us, face,” he sneered.
“You’re asking to buy the Depp, boy,” the barkeep warned him. “That’s Ephant Mon. He—”
The other broke in. “He’s a big talking head with too much face! Watch me carve him a bigger nose!”
I saw the broad knife flash into his hand. I jerked forward, slamming my forehead down on the top of his skull.
A Chevin’s topknot is like iron. A humanoid’s skull isn’t. It cracked like an egg and he went down hard.
The other idiot still charged in, dragging a blaster out from under his coat. My vibroblade was faster. I had it out and into his chest before his gun cleared holster. He’d made the final jump before he hit the booze-stained floor.
The officers with Talmont stood as one, hands going to their guns. But the Prefect waved them down. He got up and strode casually over to me, looking at the bodies sprawled together on the floor.
“Well, well, my dear Ephant Mon, you’ve freed two more tormented souls, I see.”
“Speaking of seeing, I’m surprised you recognized me,” I told him, slipping my blade away.
“Can’t mistake your style,” he said, peering squintily at me. He was pretty shortsighted.
“No complaints?”
“For ridding me of some riffraff?” he said lightly. “Certainly not. We’ve no place for them.” He eyed me more curiously. “But what about you? Come here on some business?”
“Just a drink.”
“Really? Surprised your boss Jabba let you off the leash.”
“No one tells me when to go or when to come. Including Jabba!” I said sharply. “I’m a free agent.”
“So I’ve heard.” He sounded skeptical. “Nobody understands why.”
“Too bad,” I said bluntly.
“Most intriguing,” he mused on. “Someone like that would be in a position to take great advantage of the Hutt.”
“I don’t take advantage of my loyalties, Talmont.”
He colored at that shot, but before he could answer the barkeep approached.
“Ephant, Valarian says to go on back,” he announced. He gestured to the dead bodies. “I’ll take care of things here.”
“Thanks.” I turned to go.
“Seeing Valarian, eh?” Talmont called after me. “Did you mean what you said about loyalties? She is Jabba’s rival.”
“If you’re so interested in intrigues,” I tossed back to him, “why don’t you talk to Tessek?”
I didn’t even have to look around to know I’d scored with that one. I could hear his surprised gasp.
A short corridor from the bar led into the casino. Of course, it was only that in name now. Jabba had blocked all the Lady’s attempts at getting a gambling license, so these days it wasn’t much but a dining room, deserted at that hour.
Once it had been a classy place with a holographic star display on the ceiling and exotic fish in porthole aquariums on the outside walls. But the display was shut down and most of the tanks were lifeless now, and the empty tables with their threadbare tablecloths looked pretty forlorn in the half-light.
I went through the door in one wall and into a little office. Venutton, Valarian’s scrawny and strung-tight human assistant, ushered me right on through into her office.
It was a stark place. No useless decoration for that Lady. The boss herself sat behind a big desk in the room’s center.
Lady Valarian was a pretty young Whiphid—hell, a pretty young anything!—to be running so big an operation. But when you saw her, you weren’t surprised. Her presence was considerable. Her massive bulk filled up the chair, dominating the room. Her tusked face and glaring gaze were fierce.
Yeah, she had a pretty big face, maybe a little like mine. Maybe it