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Silence. Solo had no answer save a shrug.

Jiliac considered for a moment. “Are you still working for them?”

“No, Your Excellency,” Solo said. “I’m willing to testify to that under truth drug. Or you can take glitterstim and scan me. I left Ylesia five years ago, and I never want to go back.”

Jabba turned to his uncle. “Uncle, it occurs to me that Solo is probably telling the truth. If he were still working for Besadii at present, he hardly would have fought so valiantly to save the Star Jewel and me, would he? Instead our brave captain would have heaved my ship to and allowed it to be boarded—and me killed.” The smaller Hutt gazed at the Corellian solemnly. “Therefore, unless Besadii is far more subtle and clever than I believe them to be, our captain is telling the truth.”

Solo nodded. “I am, Your Excellency! Matter of fact, I got no use for Ylesia and those who run it. You know what I think of slavers and the slave trade—and Besadii’s the biggest exporter of slaves in the galaxy.”

“True,” Jabba said. “Captain Solo, now that my uncle has identified you as one of the messengers from Zavval, my own memory has been refreshed. Very soon after that threat from Zavval, we received reports that there had been an uprising on Ylesia. The glitterstim factory was destroyed, Zavval was killed in an armed attack, and several slaves were rescued. Two ships were stolen.”

Jabba watched Solo’s face intently for his reaction, but the Corellian smuggler revealed nothing. “Captain,” Jiliac said, “we were told that a human … one ‘Vykk Draygo,’ was single-handedly responsible for the conflict on Ylesia. We were also told that Vykk Draygo was reported killed by bounty hunters soon afterward. What do you know of all this?”

Solo shifted, and now Jabba could tell he was struggling to make a decision. Finally, he nodded. “I know a lot about it,” he admitted. “I’m ‘Vykk Draygo.’ ”

Jabba and Jiliac exchanged a long look. “Did you kill Zavval?” Jabba said, in his deepest, most intimidating voice.

“Not really …” Solo wet his lips. “I just … it was an accident, sort of. Hey … it wasn’t my fault!”

Both Hutts looked at each other again, then burst out into booming roars of laughter. “Ho-ho-HO!” Jabba shouted. “Solo, for a human you are a rare sentient!”

The Corellian seemed taken aback. “You’re not mad ’cause I caused a Hutt to die?”

“Zavval threatened me,” Jiliac reminded the Corellian. “He and his clan caused Desilijic many problems, and cost us some lives. Hutts prefer to ruin enemies by stripping them of their wealth, Captain, but we are not above assassination as a means to rid ourselves of a problem.”

Jabba watched as Solo visibly relaxed. “Oh. Well, humans do that, too, sometimes.”

“Really?” Jiliac seemed surprised. “Then perhaps there is hope for your species after all, Captain Solo.”

The Corellian smiled wryly. Jabba recognized the expression because he was so used to having humans attend him.

“However,” Jabba said, waving a cautionary finger, “it would not do for it to become generally known that a human killed a Hutt and remained unmolested, Captain. If you ever divulge the truth to anyone else … we will have to see that you are silenced. Permanently. Do we understand each other?”

Solo nodded silently, obviously impressed by Jabba’s threat.

“So …” Jiliac was all business once more. “You worked for Besadii, Captain Solo. What can you tell us about them?”

“Well, I was there about five years ago,” Solo cautioned. “But living on Ylesia is something I could hardly forget.”

“Who gave you your orders, Solo?” Jabba asked.

“Teroenza,” the human replied. “He really runs the place, being High Priest and all.”

“Teroenza? Tell us about him,” Jabba instructed.

“Well, he’s a t’landa Til,” the Corellian said. “You know what they are, right?”

Both Hutts indicated that they did. “Well, Teroenza reports to his Hutt overlord, the way he did to Zavval when I was there,” Solo said. “But he’s the one who makes the decisions, and who oversees the day-to-day administration of the Ylesian colonies. Teroenza