Star Wars_ The Han Solo Adventures - Brian Daley [243]
At last the bridge itself thrummed under them as Max found the perfect beat. All the robots were on the bridge, with no thought but to get to the other side and attack the enemy.
Han and the others rose, waiting. “I guess Bollux couldn’t pull off his plan,” Han said. The front rank, following their gleaming leader, had grown large. “We’ll have to fall back.”
“There’s not much room for that,” Hasti reminded him sadly. He had no answer.
Suddenly Skynx exclaimed, “Look!”
Han did, feeling a deep vibration through his boots. The bridge was shuddering in time with the robots’ march, its timbers creaking and cracking with the punishment it couldn’t absorb. Feet pounding, the robots marched on.
Then there was a rending snap; the vibration had found a member that couldn’t support it. A timber bent and turned in its bed of press-poured material. The bed wouldn’t accept the play and the timber twisted and split. All the supporting members at that side of the bridge gave way.
There were electronic bleats of distress from the war machines and the popping of aged rivets from the timber-joining plates. For a moment the whole doomed assemblage, robots and bridge, was suspended in space. Then all fell into the crevasse with a huge concussion, sending up clouds of rock dust and smoke and a wall of impact-noise that drove Han back from the crevasse’s edge.
Wiping the dust from his eyes and spitting it out of his mouth, Han returned to the brink. Among the drifted dust and smoke he could see bridge timbers and the gleam of crumpled armor, the flare of circuit fires, overloaded power packs, broken leads, and shorted weapons. Suddenly Bollux appeared at the other side of the crevasse, waving stiffly, having divested himself of the scavenged equipment. Han returned the wave, laughing. From now on those two are full crewmembers.
A new sound made him look around in surprise and anger, mouthing a Corellian oath. The Millennium Falcon was lifting off. She rose on blaring thrusters, swinging out over the abyss. Han and Chewbacca watched in despair as they saw their ship whisked from under their noses despite all their efforts.
But the freighter settled gently on their side of the crevasse. They got to her just as her ramp-bay doors opened and the main ramp lowered, beneath and astern the cockpit. The main hatch rolled up, and there stood Gallandro. He welcomed them with a smile, his weapon conspicuously holstered. His fine clothing and beautiful scarf were soiled, but other than that, Han reflected, he looked none the worse for someone who had just waded through a horde of war-robots.
The gunman sketched a mocking bow. “I found myself obliged to play dead among the slain; I couldn’t get to the ship until the robots had all left, or I’d have been of more assistance. Solo, those ’droids of yours are priceless!” His smile disappeared. “And so is Xim’s treasure, eh? You’re out for high stakes for a change; my compliments.”
“You tracked me all the way from the Corporate Sector to tell me that?” Chewbacca had his bowcaster aimed at Gallandro, but Han knew that even that was no guarantee against the man’s incredible speeddraw.
The gunman made a wry twist of his mouth. “Not originally. I was rather upset about our encounter there. But I’m a man of reason; I’m prepared to put that aside in view of the amount of money involved. Bring me in for a full cut and we forget the grudge. And you get your ship back; wouldn’t that strike you as a fair arrangement?”
Han remained suspicious. “All of a sudden you’re ready to kiss and make up?”
“The treasure, Solo, the treasure. The wealth of Xim would buy affection from anyone. All other considerations are secondary; surely that’s in keeping with your own philosophy, isn’t it?”
Han was confused. Hasti, who had come up behind him, said, “Don’t trust him!”
Gallandro turned clear blue eyes on her. “Ah, the young lady! If he doesn’t accept my offer,