Star Wars_ The Han Solo Trilogy 01_ The Paradise Snare - A. C. Crispin [74]
Bria took a deep breath. Leave here? Never attend devotion and receive the Exultation again? How can I live without it?
Resolutely, she put the question out of her mind. She’d manage somehow. Maybe she could wean herself away from it over the next week or so, until they left.
“There’s just one more thing, Vykk,” she said uncertainly.
“What, sweetheart?”
“Muuurgh. What about Muuurgh? You told me that he’d given his word to guard you—that he’s as much your guard as your protector. What will you do about him?”
Vykk drew a long breath, and she saw the blur of his face move as he shook his head. “That’s the vrelt in the kitchen,” he said, using an old Corellian phrase for “bad luck” or “disaster.” “I don’t know what I’m going to do about him. I really like the big guy, but he’s told me about this word of honor code of his people. I’m afraid he’ll be loyal to Teroenza no matter what.”
“You mean if he finds out what we’re planning, he’ll turn us in?”
“Good chance of it.”
“Oh, Vykk …” There was a catch in her voice. “What are we going to do? What if we can’t get away?”
“Don’t worry, honey. Leave that to me.” Vykk sighed. “If I have to, I’ll deal with Muuurgh. I’m a better shot than he is, and much faster on the draw.”
“You’d shoot him?”
“If it’s a choice between you and me, or Muuurgh, yeah, I will. I just wish I could convince him to throw in with us. If he did, I’d take him wherever he wanted to go. And give him enough credits to continue his search.”
“Search?”
“Yeah. He’s looking for his mate, and he came here thinking she came to Ylesia. But he guessed wrong. Togorians are rare, so rare that I’d never even heard of ’em till I got here. If a female Togorian was here, she’d stick out like a sore thumb.”
Bria drew in her breath, startled. “But … Vykk! There was another Togorian here! I remember seeing one—oh, six, maybe eight months back. I just caught the one glimpse, but I’m sure of the species.”
“Really? Was it a male or female? What’d it look like?”
“I have no idea what sex,” she said. “I don’t think this Togorian was as big as Muuurgh. It was white, with orange stripes … I think. I saw it one evening, just after devotions, and it was getting dark.”
“I’ll have to tell Muuurgh,” Vykk said. “Those priests lie for a living. It’s entirely possible Mrrov—I think that’s her name—has been here on Ylesia the whole time. Maybe at Colony Two or Three.”
He fell silent. Bria stood there, mulling over what he’d just said, and finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Please, Vykk,” she pleaded, “tell me you didn’t mean that about shooting Muuurgh if he tries to prevent us from stealing Teroenza’s collection! There’s got to be a way to avoid that!” Bria liked Muuurgh. Over the past couple of months she’d gotten to know him a little, and she admired the big felinoid.
“I’ll take care of him, whatever it takes. If I have to, I’ll shoot him.” Vykk’s voice was grim. “But maybe I can just … stun him, or give him a knock on that thick skull of his, leave him tied up, so the priests won’t blame him when we make our getaway.”
“Oh, Vykk …” Bria’s eyes filled with tears again. “Please try to figure out something, so Muuurgh doesn’t get hurt. You’re good at that.”
“I will, sweetheart,” he said, “I will …”
He leaned forward to drop a quick kiss on her forehead, and this time she did not remind him of her vows. I have no vows, Bria thought dully as they began walking back toward her dorm. No vows, no religion … nothing at all …
She glanced sideways in the darkness.
Nothing except Vykk …
Muuurgh glided soundlessly out of the jungle and stepped onto the path. The Togorian’s night-vision was far better than a human’s; he could easily make out the distant pair walking down the path. They were almost to the dorm.
The felinoid had been creeping through the jungle with exaggerated care for the past couple of minutes, determined to get close enough to overhear