Star Wars_ The New Rebellion - Kristine Kathryn Rusch [46]
He came back out, half expecting the burly man to charge him for the use of the booth. But the man didn’t.
Han returned to his chair. Chewie was done with his won-wons, and the other smugglers had returned. Someone had picked at Han’s mounder potato rice. He didn’t care. He’d always hated the stuff.
He sat—gingerly—and ate. The food was delicious, better than anything he’d had in a long time.
Or maybe it was just the atmosphere, the humid cavern, the voices swearing at each other in a hundred different languages.
“You said you were here on Jarril’s invite,” Kid said.
Han shrugged. “He said there’s money to be made.”
“The husband of a princess doesn’t need money,” Blue said.
“He does if her kingdom was blown up.”
“That was seventeen years ago, Solo,” Zeen said.
“Was it?” Han said. “You apparently don’t get news here.”
Wynni rumbled.
“All right,” Han said. “So you’ve heard about the bombing on Coruscant.”
“The Senate Hall isn’t an entire kingdom,” Kid said.
“You gonna buy her a new one?” Zeen asked.
“Lake you bought Dathomir?” Blue said. She was grinning.
“It worked, Blue.”
“Yeah, I heard how well it worked, Solo,” she said.
He shoved his plate aside. The meal had been good, but he was full.
“So why are you here, Solo?” Zeen asked.
Han glanced at Chewie. Chewie was sucking the remains of the won-won off one claw as if the conversation didn’t concern him at all.
“Jarril disappeared right after the bombing. In fact, he got out of Coruscant’s shield at the last moment. That, and the things he said to me about easy money here, made me wonder if he knew more about the attack than he was saying.”
Seluss stood on a chair at the far end of the table and chittered angrily at Han. The Sullustan was shaking his blaster emphatically.
Han put his hand on his own blaster. “I told you to take that weapon away from him,” he said to Blue.
“He knows better—”
“Take it.”
“Han, he’s got a point—”
“Take it.”
Seluss chittered louder. With his free paw, Chewbacca slapped the blaster out of Seluss’s hand. The blaster skidded across the floor and slammed into the medical droid. It screamed.
Seluss jumped off the chair as if to go after the blaster. Han raised his weapon above table height. “I wouldn’t do that, chubby cheeks,” Han said. “Sit back down, slow and easy.”
“Han, he’s just distraught,” Blue said.
“And my butt hurts,” Han said. He hadn’t taken his gaze off Seluss. “Sit down.”
Seluss did, looking like a chagrined child.
“Now, in the course of this conversation, I may say things you don’t like. You will listen like an adult, and refute what I have to say, like an adult.” As he spoke, he realized he was using the same tone he took with the children when they’d been particularly wild. “If you don’t like this agreement, if you plan to defend Jarril’s honor with firepower only, tell me now so that I can shoot you and be done with it.”
“Han, he’s an old friend,” Blue said.
“Yours, maybe. Not mine.”
Seluss stared at him, lips pursed.
“I haven’t trusted this twerp since he stole the blueprints for the Falcon.”
Seluss chirped indignantly.
“I stand corrected,” Han said. “Since the day Lando told me this twerp stole the blueprints for the Falcon. The details don’t matter, pal. The fact remains that you’re not honest.”
“None of us is,” Blue said.
Chewie roared.
“Oh, please,” Blue said. “Save it for someone who believes it, Chewie.”
“Leave him alone,” Han said. He leaned forward. “I don’t want Seluss shooting at me again. If you can’t handle that, spice brain, I suggest you exit the conversation now.”
Seluss stood and started for the medical station.
“Without the blaster,” Han said.
Seluss chittered at him, but left the cavern.
“You didn’t make him happy,” Zeen said. “He could tell you more about Jarril than any of us.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” Han said.
Brakiss’s last known address was on Msst. Msst was a small planet near the Rim Worlds that had once been a major Imperial stronghold.