Star Wars_ X-Wing 04_ The Bacta War - Michael A. Stackpole [101]
Karrde nodded. “I also have a Wookiee in my employ who could …”
Booster shook his head. “No, no Wookiees. Armpits are convenient for lifting corpses and moving them to dump sites.”
“I’ll loan you any weapon you want to deal with her. I have things from all over, including a recently acquired Sith lanvarok that promises to be truly elegant, if I’ve figured out correctly how it’s supposed to work.” Karrde frowned. “But you’re not left-handed, so that will complicate things.”
Mirax raised an eyebrow. “You really have a lanvarok?”
“Yes, do you have a buyer?”
“A collector.”
“Good.”
“And he’s left-handed.”
“Even better.”
“If you will give me details on the lanvarok and authenticate its Sith origins …”
Booster cleared his voice. “We have current business to discuss before you get going on this deal.”
“Of course, Booster, of course.” Karrde smiled. “We can holograph the lanvarok in use and that should help spike the price …”
Booster shook his head. “No.”
“You prefer another method for dealing with traitors?”
“I do.” Booster smiled broadly. “I want you to keep her alive and working.”
Karrde frowned. “Why?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Not good enough, Booster. You’ll have to do better if you want her to stay alive. She betrayed one of my customers to an enemy, causing harm to my customer, my people, and my reputation. She has to die.”
Booster’s protestations confused Mirax. She looked up at her father. “Why do you want her to live?”
Karrde’s eyes narrowed. “I believe, for one thing, your father will suggest that with Carniss still in place, Isard won’t try to infiltrate a new spy into my organization.”
Booster nodded. “Better the Hutt you have tagged than one you don’t.”
“Agreed, Booster, but I’m still afraid I can’t accommodate you in this.”
“What?”
“Oh, please, don’t act so incredulous.” Karrde shook his head gravely. “I can’t have her threatening my customers. It’s bad for my reputation and bad for morale and puts me at a serious disadvantage in my business dealings. She’s going to die.”
“You gave me a choice of how she dies.”
“Old age is not one of the options I had in mind.” Karrde waved away Booster’s comment. “No, she has to die. There is no retreating from this point.”
“No?” Booster arched an eyebrow over his artificial eye. “I have more things to buy. I can always take my business elsewhere.”
“If I had a credit for every time I heard that sort of empty threat, I could buy and sell Thyferra and Isard a dozen times over.” Karrde snorted. “I believe our old business is concluded. Now about that lanvarok …”
“Don’t be so anxious here, Karrde.” Booster slowly smiled. “You’ve got our munitions business already—though that could change. This is something more.”
“It would have to be special if you expect to buy Me-lina’s life with it.”
“I think it is. I was going to give it to Billey—pitch some work his way for old times’ sake.”
Karrde nodded. “Dravis, the new guy working for him, is good.”
“So I’ve heard, but you’re better.”
Karrde smiled. “So I’ve heard.”
“Anyway,” Booster growled, “I want a gravity well projector.”
Mirax covered a smile as Karrde coughed and regarded her father with disbelief. So you can be surprised, Karrde. Not easily, but possibly.
“A gravity well projector?” Karrde shook his head. “Billey can’t get it for you.”
Booster nodded. “It’s impossible to get one, I know, but I could use it, and so I thought I’d start asking. If you can’t do it …”
“Reverse thrust there, Booster. I just said Billey couldn’t get it.”
“You can?”
Karrde lifted his chin. “Easily.”
“Sure. That’s the deepest bucket of sithspit I’ve ever heard being sloshed about.”
“I can, and I will, and it will cost you.” Karrde’s eyes narrowed. “But giving me that purchase order doesn’t get you Melina Carniss’s life.”
Booster smiled. “Does it give me six months of her life?”
Karrde closed his eyes for a moment.