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Han snorted. “Hey, pal, don’t hold your breath. Palpatine’s got more weapons and starships than he knows what to do with. Any rebellion against the Empire is doomed.”

The Wookiee pilot did not believe his partner’s pronouncement, and said so. It made sense to him that at some point the Imperial worlds, tired of Palpatine’s iron fist, would unite and rebel.

Han shook his head sourly. “Never happen, Chewie. And if it did, they’d be doomed. Just like Nar Shaddaa is doomed.”

Chewie commented that it wasn’t the Wookiee way to run away from a fight. Didn’t Han want to fight back against the Imperial fleet? He was certain that the smugglers were much better pilots—and certainly better shots—than the Imperials. Maybe they could defeat the Imperial attack.

Han laughed out loud at the suggestion.

Annoyed, Chewie’s lips skinned back from his teeth, and he snarled at his human partner.

Han sat up in a hurry, looking startled. Chewie rarely showed temper to the Corellian, and Wookiee anger was not something to be taken lightly. “Hey, no need to get sore about it! I can’t help it if Nar Shaddaa doesn’t stand a chance! It ain’t my fault!”

The Wookiee growled, low in his throat.

“Okay, okay,” Han soothed. “I’ll definitely warn ’em, so they can get away. I’ll talk to Mako about it, soon as we’ve reported in to Jiliac, okay?”

Chewbacca subsided, and went back to piloting. But the Wookiee was still thinking, still adding things up. He commented on Han’s ill temper.

“Whaddaya mean, I’ve been hard to live with?” Han was indignant. “Nothin’s wrong!”

Chewbacca’s comment was short and to the point.

Han flushed. “Whaddaya mean, this has somethin’ to do with a woman?” he demanded indignantly. “What makes you think that?”

Chewie reeled off a list of reasons, then put forth his best guess as to exactly which woman Han was upset about.

Han cursed, scowled, then, finally, slumped down and put his hands over his face. He rubbed his forehead and groaned aloud. “You’re right, Chewie,” he mumbled. “It was her. Bria. With Sarn Shild. I couldn’t believe it. How could she?”

Chewbacca noted that appearances could sometimes be deceiving.

Han shook his head. “Not this time,” he said miserably. “She called him ‘Sarn darling.’ ”

The Wookiee wondered whether Bria might be married to the Moff.

Han sighed. “Nope. It wasn’t that … formal … a relationship. Chewie, I can’t believe she’d do that! It’s so … cheap!”

Chewbacca tried to be comforting, reminding Han that sometimes sentients had to do things they didn’t particularly like because they were necessary. Maybe there were extenuating circumstances in Bria’s case, too.

Han tried to smile. “Thanks, pal. I wish I could say I thought you were right. But …” He shook his head, and subsided into silence.

It was a very silent flight back to the landing platform on Nar Shaddaa.

Han and Chewie reported to Jiliac and Jabba the moment they returned to Nar Shaddaa. The Hutts were not pleased to hear that Sarn Shild was no longer in their pay. “We shall have to do some investigating about this fleet and the situation,” Jiliac said. “Come back in two hours, Captain Solo.”

Han shrugged and agreed. He had his ten thousand credits, he’d checked his balance before he’d left Nar Shaddaa. So he was willing to do the Hutts’ bidding for a little while longer. Besides, in two hours, he’d be able to find Mako and pass along the warning to the older smuggler.

Mako was even more upset than Jiliac and Jabba when he heard the situation. “Keep this quiet, Han,” he said softly, staring out across the awnings and walkways of Nar Shaddaa. They were standing on his little balcony outside his ramshackle flat. “If the citizens get wind of this, there’ll be mass panic. An Imp fleet ain’t nothing to mess with.”

“But with enough warning, maybe they could evacuate—” Han began, only to break off at Mako’s quick headshake.

“Not a chance, kid. Too many of ’em don’t have anywhere else to go. Take that Jarik Solo kid who’s been riding with you and Chewie. He’s a rat from