Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 12_ Return to Ord Mantell - Kevin J. Anderson [24]
"But the Rebellion's been over for decades," Jacen said. "How could it still be an issue? The Emperor's long dead."
"And my people are still fighting. Only now they're fighting for a cause rather than for reality. You should go to Anobis, Solo. Take a good look at what's happening there. If you can tear yourself away from such important diplomatic duties as watching space races or waving banners in the winner's circle."
She glanced one more time over her shoulder. "Why don't you find out where your help is really needed? If you're brave enough to accept the challenge." Then Anja marched away, leaving Han Solo and the young Jedi Knights behind, flustered and disturbed.
Putting the despised Han Solo behind her, Anja hurried away from the docking bay, moving faster than she had expected. Emotions surged through her, and adrenaline flooded her body. She had been warned that the encounter might affect her strongly, but she now found herself relishing the moment she had anticipated all her life.
The setup had been perfect, and Solo's reaction was priceless. Guilt had been written like a brilliant holographic billboard across his face.
Even his own children would have to doubt him now.
Oh, how she hated the man. Anja gripped the lightsaber hilt that hung at her waist. Her fingers spasmed. She stretched out her hand in front of her and watched her fingers tremble until she forced a calm upon them.
Calm... calm.
She stepped into a turbolift that took her down to the lower levels of the tall, nondescript warehouses. She paced inside the enclosed lift, feeling like a trapped animal. With a clenched fist she pounded on the metal wall, but the slow repulsor engines took no notice of her frustration. She gritted her teeth and breathed deeply, but the cold air held a tart and metallic smell. Sweat trickled down her temples and leaked out from under the leather headband.
Han Solo's face kept flashing in front of her mind's eye, taunting her with the thought of all the unfair advantages he had in his life-his three delightful children, his beautiful quarters at the old Imperial Palace...
After an eternity, the lift doors opened, and Anja dashed out onto the midlevel connecting walkways. She glanced at her wrist chronometer.
It was late. She would miss her meeting unless she ran. A feral grin spread across her face. She could handle it. She had plenty of excess energy to burn off, so she sprinted. Her small feet made light clanging sounds on the metal walkways as she turned, descended a hollow-sounding staircase, and ran between a pair of large buildings in search of the right entrance.
Because of the privacy and secrecy requirements on Ord Mantell, most buildings were not numbered or identified in any way. That proved a detriment only to people who didn't know where they were going.
And Anja Gallandro knew where she was going.
Inside the echoing, complicated enclosures, she saw a host of shadylooking creatures. Some were bounty hunters or scavengers, criminals of various sorts huddling in the alleyways. Suspicious eyes gleamed at her, some on swiveling stalks, some with faceted insect eyes that captured multiple images of her figure as she flitted down one narrow alley into another. When she finally reached a sealed door with a hidden keypad, Anja punched in the code, then paced and fidgeted for the two seconds it took for the door to acknowledge her presence and slide open.
She ducked inside, hot, anxious, burning with inner energy. The door sealed behind her with a thunk. Inside, the room was dark. Anja waited, refusing to be intimidated. Her heart still pounded, and her head seemed to crackle with static from the fading aftereffects of the dose she had taken.
Suddenly all the chamber lights blazed on. Anja stood blinking, unmoving.
She knew this couldn't be a trap, because her employer had had ample opportunity to kill her before-and now she had information he needed.
"So what have