Star Wars_ Tales of the Bounty Hunters - Kevin J. Anderson [89]
That sounded like a bargain to Tinian. They stood on a huge, crowded landing platform where Chenlambec had landed the Hound. This’d seemed the only way to transfer Bossk into custody. “Three thousand?” she protested for form’s sake. “That’s robbery! It’s—”
“I suggest you leave Aida immediately,” answered the Imperial, “before we run a background check on you and your partner. Only Peacekeeping regulations keep you low characters under control. I suspect—”
“Very good, sir.” Tinian backed away from the man. “Thank you, sir. Good day.” She spun on one heel and sprinted toward the Hound’s landing ramp.
Bossk crouched on a prison-cell bench. His claws twitched. He’d tried gouging stripes in these walls, but they were coated with transparisteel.
The stormtrooper outside snapped to attention. Imperial Governor Io Desnand, a tall, plump marsh mallow of a human who would not have dared challenge Bossk on equal footing, strode up and stopped outside the force-shielded opening.
An even plumper woman stood beside him. She hung on his arm like a growth, batting false eyelashes full of delicate veins (Bossk half expected them to flutter off and join some swarm of winged insects). “Ooh,” she exclaimed. “You were right, Io. He’s enormous.”
Bossk glowered.
“You ruined my chances for promotion, Bounty Hunter,” Desnand said darkly. “Any last requests?”
“Promotion?” Bossk shouted. “What are you talking about? Those Wookiees—”
“Were bait in a trap, Bounty Hunter. Instead of the Rebel fleet, I caught one miserable lizard. At least now I can make good on a promise I made Feebee two years ago.” He encircled the woman’s shoulders with one arm.
Her bloodthirsty smile chilled Bossk; it made him picture the Scorekeeper wearing a human mask. “I’ve always wanted a lizard-skin gown,” she cooed. “Full length, and only seamless will do, or it’s not authentic. Yes, Io.” She tilted her head and pressed one fleshy cheek against his hand. “This will be lovely.”
Bossk charged the force field. It blew him toes-over-topside against the back wall. “I’m innocent,” he cried, springing up to stagger forward. “I had nothing to do with your plan, Desnand! I knew nothing about it. I still know nothing!”
Arm in arm, the pair strolled out of sight.
Bossk stared after them, disbelieving. He was to be … skinned? Zeroed? To grace that creature’s wardrobe, instead of the Scorekeeper’s altar?
He plunged to his knees and started digging. He’d find a way out, retrieve his ship, and continue the Hunt … Somehow.…
Tinian stretched out in the Hound’s port sleeping cabin. The Hound was temporarily grounded back on Lomabu III, inside the prison compound. Chen had claimed the starboard cabin, formerly Bossk’s. Its bunk was longer and broader than either port bunk. Flirt had transferred command capability to both sleeping cabins. To Chen’s surprise (but not Tinian’s), Flirt had wailed every time they tried disengaging her from the Hound. Finally Chen plugged her in on X10-D’s power point and left her there.
She was one happy droid now, with a large, strong body. All it needed, she claimed, was a soft blue detail job.…
Flirt had spent most of the jump back to Lomabu inside the Hound’s programming, emerging occasionally to announce that she’d found some amazing new capability: “This ship can change course in the middle of a hyperspace jump! Hound, you’re magnificent.” “Hound has an armament circuit with built-in function echoes. I’m not sure how they work, but you could fire both quad guns on full power … simultaneously!” “Listen, Tinian. Hound knows how to hover suborbital, with full shields to the ventral surface.…”
And that was how they had finished off the compound’s Imperial overseers. The Hound had dropped, hovering, fully shielded, as Chen and Tinian doubled up as gunners. They’d landed inside the new crater, ready to take on prisoners.
But the Wookiees hadn’t