Star Wars_ The Han Solo Trilogy 03_ Rebel Dawn - A. C. Crispin [82]
Who could he be? The alien had evidently dealt with Darnov, Feltran and even Treeska (and Bria knew his reputation at unarmed combat) in a matter of minutes. She could see the wall-chrono, and realized she’d only been out about ten minutes.
As she sat there, struggling to think of something she could do, the Anomid opened the door to the stateroom and entered, carrying a huge, heavy case that he placed on the floor with a thud. Seeing that Bria was awake, he went into the ’fresher and soon returned, carrying a glass of water. He knelt beside her, turned down the sound sponge so she could hear his voice. “That sleeping drug causes great thirst. This is plain water. I have no intention of harming you. The bounty on you is for unharmed delivery.”
He held out the water, and Bria leaned toward it, then hesitated. She didn’t dare drink it. What if this was an Imperial bounty hunter or agent? What if the water was laced with truth drug? Even though her thirst was now a raging hell in her mouth and throat, she shook her head. “Thank you anyway,” she managed. “I’m not thirsty.”
“Of course you are,” the Anomid said. “I care nothing for your pitiful Resistance secrets.” He shoved his vocalizer-mask aside and took a long drink. “The water is safe,” he said, holding it back out.
Bria blinked at him, then her thirst won out. She drank deeply as the Anomid helped her. He pushed his vocalizer-mask back into place. As Bria leaned back against the armchair, she said, “You’re not an Anomid. They can’t speak without their vocalizer-masks. You’re obviously a bounty hunter in disguise. Who are you?”
The Anomid regarded her from featureless silver-blue eyes. “Observant, Bria Tharen. I am pleased by your reaction. Hysteria is wearing and useless. As to my identity … you would know me perhaps by my adopted name. Boba Fett.”
Boba Fett? Bria sagged back against the armchair, eyes wide, fighting the fear that even the casual mention of that name brought. She found herself praying to childhood gods for the first time in years.
After a moment, she wet her lips. “Boba Fett …” she managed. “I do know that name. I didn’t think you bothered with dinky Imperial bounties. The one the Imps have on me isn’t worth your time.”
The bounty hunter nodded. “True. Besadii clan’s bounty is a hundred times that.”
“Teroenza …” Bria whispered. “It has to be. Last I heard, it was fifty thousand, not a hundred.”
“Following your capture of Helot’s Shackle, Besadii doubled that.”
Bria tried to smile. “It’s so nice to be popular,” she managed. “Helot’s Shackle was a slave ship. I had to stop them. I have no regrets.”
“Good,” he said. “That should make our short association as pleasant as possible. Would you like more water?”
Bria nodded, and Fett got another glass. This time she took a drink without being asked. Bria was trying to remember her training in what to do if captured. She wasn’t in uniform, and thus had no lullaby available to end her suffering. Besides, she was a long way from Nal Hutta or Ylesia … a lot could happen between here and there. She decided to bide her time and keep Fett talking, if she could. All her instructions said that the more captors came to regard a prisoner as a real person, the easier captivity became, and the greater the chance that someone would get careless.
Bria was also aware that the chance of Boba Fett slipping up was incredibly unlikely. Still, she had nothing else to do at the moment, did she?
She tried not to look at the sheet-covered bodies in the corner.
“You know,” she said, “I’ve heard a lot about you. Makes me wonder if all the things they say about you are true.”
“Such as?”
“That you have your own moral code. You are the consummate hunter, but no bully. You take no pleasure in inflicting pain.”
“True,” he said. “I am