Star Wars_ The Han Solo Adventures - Brian Daley [123]
Han narrowed his eyes and glared at Spray. “I am thinking right now,” he said, “of how a certain chisel-beaked runt is going to get his just desserts.”
“It’s a bit public for threats of aggravated assault, isn’t it, Solo?” Fiolla asked.
“You keep out of this! For all I know, you two work together.”
“Bullying will do you no good, Captain,” Spray plowed on insistently in his squeaky voice. “Either remittance arrangements must be made this very moment or I shall be forced to go to the portmaster and the Security Police.”
Han had his mouth open, uncertain whether he would try to lie or simply instruct Chewbacca to render the skip-tracer unconscious. He heard Fiolla say: “I’ll pay for him.”
Han’s mouth stayed open as he turned on her. “Better close it,” Fiolla cautioned, “before your tongue gets sunburned. Look, this problem of mine is a lot more complicated than I’d thought. It will take more investigation before I’m ready to go to the Board of Directors. I need a way to get around fast, and I’m not particularly anxious to go by public transportation. And the last thing I want is to take an Authority pool ship. Solo, you ought to be eager to leave, too, before the Espos start asking about missing rental scooters and several swoop riders smeared out on the landscape. If you’ll chart out to me, I’ll cover your debt. Besides, you want your ten thousand, don’t you? Your best chance of finding it is to stick with me.”
She turned to Spray. “How about it?”
The Tynnan nervously scratched up tufts of fur on his skull, blinking and wriggling his nose back and forth in consternation. “Cash?” he asked at last.
“An Authority Cash Voucher,” Fiolla replied. “Half now, half when we’re done. They’re as good as money in a vault.”
“Interstellar Collections Limited does prefer repayment to repo procedures,” the skip-tracer admitted. “But I’m afraid I couldn’t let you out of my sight until restitution is made.”
“Just a second,” Han snapped at Fiolla. “I’m not carting that little bloodsucker along anywhere.”
Spray remained unexpectedly firm. “Captain Solo, her proposal is absolutely the only alternative to having your ship attached.”
“There’s always the famous Disappearing Ship-Tracer Trick,” suggested Han darkly.
“Be civilized,” Fiolla chided. “This won’t take long, Solo. And if you don’t help me, maybe I’ll have to drag your name into my report. But if you take me to check out this shipping agent on Ammuud, the one you mentioned, I’ll forget about you completely.”
Han hoped it would be mutual. He poured down half of what remained of his Flameout. It felt corrosive but didn’t help much otherwise. He looked to his first mate, who was looking back, no help at all, willing to go with whatever decision Han made.
He put his chin on his fist. “Chewie, you take Bollux and paddlefoot, here, back to the ship. I’ll go with our new employer and pick up her assistant. Get liftoff clearance and punch up a jump to Ammuud.”
Fiolla scribbled quickly on a pad of forms and pressed her thumbprint against the authorization square. She presented the voucher to Spray, whereupon Han realized that she was carrying an open expense account and that her position with the Authority must be an important one indeed.
The Wookiee had risen and moved near Spray as a general precaution, with Bollux close behind. But the Tynnan only made a polite parting bow to Fiolla. “Thank you for remaining reasonable about this entire incident,” he said.
He started for the door. Chewbacca growled a farewell to Han, then to Fiolla. She returned it, not getting the vocal sounds right but contorting her face around into a very close approximation of the Wookiee’s, even to getting both corners of her upper lip up high and baring her lower teeth along with the uppers in true Wookiee fashion. Chewbacca was startled, but yipped laughter. Then he went quickly, Bollux