Star Wars_ The New Rebellion - Kristine Kathryn Rusch [122]
The force of her shove sent his arm into the hole that had caught her foot. The heat made his skin prickle, but his arm wasn’t trapped. He pulled free, and kicked to the surface, his lungs bursting.
He gasped a mouthful of air. It was warm and humid and tasted good. But he didn’t seem to be able to get enough. It was thin.
“Nice place, Solo,” Zeen said. He was treading water next to the Kid, whose bald head was covered with green algae.
“Yeah, you shoulda warned us we’d be swimming,” Kid said.
The air in Chewie’s suit kept him afloat. Apparently Wynni had gotten a hole in hers. Both their hoods were off.
Wookiees looked smaller when wet.
Han felt a smile begin on his face, and Chewie growled it away.
“Where’s Blue?” Han asked.
“Here, you son of a garbage scow.” She was furiously treading water. She would lose all her air quickly if she continued the rapid flailing motion. “I nearly died down there.”
“Ah, Blue, you’d have gotten yourself out.”
“And for no reason.” She spat as she spoke. Her black hair streamed around her face, and her makeup had run. She looked years younger. Only her blue tooth reminded him that she was Sinewy Ana Blue. “I’m not going to get rich off this trip. Even now, Nandreeson’s people are probably stripping my Skipper. And there’s no way out of this rock pond. Have you noticed that?”
Han looked around. The water went all the way to the edge of the cavern walls. But he saw signs of Glottalphibs. Algae. Lily pads. Gnats.
“There has to be.” He swam forward, rounded a rock wall, and found himself in an even bigger cavern. Six Glottalphibs sat on the rock ledge surrounding the pond, and another Glottalphib—Nandreeson—was waist-deep in water.
Lando was in the middle of the pond, his head barely above water. His face was gray with exhaustion, shadows deep under his eyes, his movements sluggish. Still he managed his Calrissian smile.
“Some rescue, Han,” Lando said.
“You should never criticize people who are doing you a favor,” Han said. Chewie swam up, followed by Wynni. The smell of wet Wookiee overpowered everything.
“Solo,” Nandreeson said. “I was going to give up on getting you. I had Calrissian. That was enough. But since you’re here now—” He waved a tiny hand and all six Glottalphibs blasted the water with flame.
Han ducked under and watched the algae burn on the water’s surface. He still hadn’t gotten enough air. Chewie had apparently stayed above. He splashed the flames out.
Han surfaced.
“Next time, why don’t you just call ahead?” Lando said. “We’ll prepare a welcoming party for you.”
“Stop the sarcasm, pal,” Han said. “It was lucky I found out you were here.”
“Yeah?” Lando asked. “Lucky for whom?”
“Me, of course,” Nandreeson said. “Now I get my old nemesis Calrissian and his buddy Solo. Killing you, Solo, will give me an added cachet. The princess’s consort—”
“Husband,” Han mumbled.
“—will be quite a coup for me.”
“What’s going on here?” Han asked. “Is he playing water hockey and you’re the puck?”
“Close,” Lando said. “He’s planning to watch me drown.”
“Nice,” Han said. “Lacks drama, but makes up for it in creativity.”
“Not really,” Lando said. “He’s a Glottalphib. He’d think of drowning first since his entire life is situated around water.”
“I don’t need this,” Nandreeson said.
“It does have the added charm of being escape-proof,” Lando said.
“Nothing is escape-proof,” Han said. “There’s stairs beside Nandreeson.”
“Right,” Lando said, “if we can get to them. But his hot-mouthed buddies keep stopping me.”
“That’s because you haven’t thought this through,” Han said.
“And you have?” Nandreeson leaned forward, disturbing the water around him. “You’ve only been here a few moments, Solo. You think you have me figured out.”
“Not much to figure, Nandreeson,” Han said. “You’re greedy, rapacious, and not very bright. If you had half the brains Jabba