Star Wars_ The Han Solo Trilogy 03_ Rebel Dawn - A. C. Crispin [10]
“Commander, my people are so crushed beneath the heel of the Empire that few of them have the wherewithal to plot any kind of rebellion.” The little alien’s jowls quivered, and his dark, liquid eyes were sorrowful. “Though many complain about the Imperial troops under their breaths, only a handful of my people have ever dared to openly resist. Our caves are places of fear. The Soro Suub Corporation essentially controls my world, and their biggest client is the Empire. If we were to join a Rebel Alliance, it would cause civil war!”
Bria sighed. It’s going to be a long conference, she thought bleakly. “I recognize that all of you have valid concerns,” she said, keeping her voice level and neutral. “But it won’t hurt anything, or commit you to anything, simply to discuss these issues, right?”
After a moment, the delegates from the three worlds agreed to talk. Taking a deep breath, Bria started in.…
I can’t believe I’ve made it this far, Han thought wearily, as he eased himself into the seat at the one remaining sabacc table. It was night on the fourth day of the tournament, and only the finalists were left. If only my luck holds out a little longer …
Slowly he stretched the kinks out of his back, wishing he could sleep for about twenty hours. The past few days had been grueling … hours of unending play, with only a few breaks for meals or sleep.
The other finalists had also taken their places around the table. A diminutive Chadra-Fan, a Bothan male, and a Rodian female. Han wasn’t sure whether the Chadra-Fan was a male or a female. Both sexes wore the same long robes.
As Han glanced around at his fellow players, the last player, another human, sat down opposite Han in the last empty chair. Han groaned inwardly. Somehow I knew this would happen. What chance can I have against a professional like Lando?
Han was very conscious of the fact that he was probably the only “amateur” player at the table. It was a fair bet that the others, like Lando, made their primary living by winning at sabacc.
For a moment he was tempted to just call it quits, walk away. To lose now, after all these days of play …
Lando nodded tightly to his friend. Han nodded back.
The dealer approached. In most games of sabacc, the dealer actually played for credits, but in tournament games, the dealer only dealt the card-chips and monitored the game … he or she was prohibited from playing.
The dealer was a Bith. The alien’s large, five fingered hands featured both an opposable thumb and little finger, giving the dealer considerable dexterity as he dealt. The lights of the monstrous chandelier in the ballroom gleamed on the alien’s large, bare, cranium.
The dealer ostentatiously opened a fresh pack of card-chips and riffled them, then triggered the randomizer several times, thus demonstrating that nobody could predict the order the card-chips would be dealt. After this initial demonstration, the randomizer itself altered the values of the card-chips at random intervals.
Han looked over at Lando, and was cheered to note that his friend was showing signs of strain. Lando’s natty outfit was creased, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. His hair looked as though it hadn’t been combed all day.
Han knew he was no prize himself. He rubbed his hand blearily across his face, and only then realized he’d forgotten to shave. Stubble rasped his fingernails.
Forcing himself to sit up straight, Han picked up his first hand of card-chips.…
Three and a half hours later, the Bothan and the Rodian had been eliminated. They’d left without a backward glance. The Bothan male had “bombed out”—bet his entire trove of credit-chips on the game. When Lando took that hand, the alien had stalked away without a farewell. The Rodian female had folded, but she hadn’t bombed. Han figured that she’d decided to cut her losses and get out while she still had a profit.