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“Do you think you could afford my help, Lieutenant?”

“No, probably not.”

Karrde nodded solemnly. “Definitely not. Fortunately for you, however, now Booster has to pay for my help. We need to head over to the Errant Venture and pull specs on your weapons.”

Booster frowned. “Now?”

“Unless you want Cracken to do it first and leave you with the weapons most likely to break down, we better do it now.”

Booster’s eyes narrowed. “This discussion is just delayed, not abandoned.”

“Yes, Father.” Mirax kissed him on the cheek. “See you in two hours at the party.”

The two smugglers exited the ready-room, leaving Corran and Mirax alone. He shook his head. “How far away from here can we get in two hours?”

“Not far enough, I’m afraid.”

“I’m not looking forward to this discussion of our engagement.”

“My father may growl like a rancor, but his claws aren’t that sharp.”

“Oh, that makes me feel lots better. He’ll be insufferable for the period of our engagement, you know.”

“Agreed.” She took his hands into hers. “However, I think I know a way to deflect him.”

“How?”

“You’ll see.” Mirax stood and pulled him up out of his chair. “Come with me, love, and all shall be made clear to you.”

42

Wedge waited until everyone had been seated in the Lusankya’s staff officers’ mess before he stepped behind the podium Emtrey had found and set up on a table at the far end of the room. He smiled as he faced the motley gathering. Closest sat his pilots; beyond them the Twi’lek Chir’daki pilots who had survived, including Tal’dira; Captain Sair Yonka of the Freedom; General Cracken and his son, Pash; Booster Terrik and Talon Karrde; Iella Wessiri, Elscol Loro, Sixtus, and a handful of Ashern he didn’t know; and several Vratix officials from Thyferra. The only things we need now for a full-fledged victory celebration are a bonfire and a legion of Ewoks.

Wedge held his hands up to quiet everyone and aside from the whirring of serving droids passing between the tables, silence reigned. “I want to keep my remarks as brief as possible because, one, I respect you all too much to want to bore you and, two, I know you’re all quick enough wits that the heckling will be worse than the fight to take this hulk away from Iceheart.

“I have a couple of pieces of business to transact first, though, with your indulgence.” Wedge smiled and nodded over at Asyr Sei’lar. “As you call can tell, Asyr is doing well after spending some time in a bacta tank. The injuries she sustained when her X-wing was hit were fairly minor, but the Onebee droids have already certified her as flight capable.”

A polite round of applause greeted that news. “Unfortunately our other casualty did not get away so cleanly. Perhaps you want to explain, Nawara.”

The Twi’lek nodded. “While I was out of my X-wing I had the misfortune of having a micrometeorite hit me in the right leg. It severed the limb just above the knee and did so much tissue damage all the bacta on Thyferra couldn’t fix it. My suit shut down around the wound, which is why I survived. Actually, the real reason I survived was because of Ooryl vaping all the squints that wanted to finish me off, but the leg was a loss.”

Corran turned in his seat. “They can fit you for a mechanical, right?”

“Yes, which is what the Onebees will be doing.” Nawara rapped his knuckles against the hollow-sounding lower part of his right leg. “Unfortunately I don’t scan as being able to utilize a prosthetic as well as I need to if I want to continue flying. I’ll have ninety-five percent use of the mechanical, but that’s not enough to keep up with the rest of you—not that I ever could before.”

Wedge smiled. “You were a bit rough on our equipment, Nawara. That not withstanding, Nawara will remain with the unit as our new Executive Officer. Tal’dira has been invited to join us and has accepted, so we’ll have a Twi’lek flying with us still.” Wedge led the applause, which started lekku twitching among the Twi’lek pilots.

“Bror Jace has been appointed by his government to head