[Dark Nest] - 3(24)
“I hope you don’t mind.” She touched him through the Force, implanting the suggestion that she was only repeating what he already believed. “But you don’t need this run. Too many things can go wrong.”
“Mind? Why should we mind?” Ark’ik asked. “Too many things can go wrong-“
“Ark’ik!” The second Verpine slapped the first in the back of the head. “Fool! She’s using her pheromones on you.”
Leia did not bother to correct him. One of the reasons she had chosen a Falleen costume was that it would camouflage many of her Force manipulations as the result of pheromones.
“So?” Ark’ik asked his companion. “This run doesn’t have anything to do with our fight anyway.”
“So be quiet!” The second Verpine turned to the Squibs. “We’ll take the run, Director-but we may need another wax. It’s a long trip.”
“Another wax?” Grees was immediately up and standing in his chair. “Who do you think you are? You’ll take the three waxes we’re giving you and be grateful.”
“There’s a war on!” Sligh added. “We’re lucky we can get any black ‘brosia out of the Utegetu.”
The second Verpine let out a long throat rasp, then dropped his gaze. “Forgive us, Director. I didn’t mean to be greedy.”
Emala shook her head sadly. “You disappoint us, Ra’tre. We give you a chance to be a part of history, and you try to take advantage.” She motioned toward a corridor, and a much younger Squib with red-brown fur and black ear tufts entered the salon. “Krafte will tend to the details. Be sure to tip generously. It makes his charts more accurate.”
“Of course.” Ra’tre bowed nervously. “Thank you!”
He took Ark’ik’s arm and dragged him after the young Squib.
Once they were gone, Han joined Leia in front of the table. “Quite an operation you have here,” he said. “Brokering war cargo and pushing black membrosia? The Hutts could learn a few things from you.”
Emala sat up with pride. “You’re not the first to say so.”
“Not that it’s any business of yours,” Grees said. He leaned forward, his nose twitching and his eyes narrow. “Do we know you?”
Before Han could launch into his indignant act, the Killik standing behind the Squibs began to rumble its thorax-no doubt explaining that Lizil had already “transacted” with them.
Leia stepped closer to the Squibs’ table. “Actually, you might remember us from Pavo Prime,” she said. “And before that, we worked together on Tatooine.”
“Tatooine?” Sligh reached across the table, then took Leia’s hand and rubbed it across his cheek. His ears went flat against his head. “You!”
“Brub?” Lizil demanded.
“We’re old friends.” Leia kept her gaze fixed on the Squibs, who were all trying to slowly lower their hands out of sight below the table-no doubt reaching for their holdout blasters. Though the possibility had not occurred to her before, the trio would have good reason to assume that she and Han had come to retaliate for the part the Squibs had played in the capture of the Admiral Ackbar. “There’s nothing to be upset about-isn’t that right, Sligh?”
“We’ll s-s-see,” Sligh stammered.
“Just don’t try anything,” Grees warned. “You’re not as quick as you used to be.”
Lizil cocked its head and stared at Leia out of one bulbous green eye. “Uuu rru buur?”
“Sligh is nervous because we haven’t seen each other in a long time,” Leia said, taking a guess at what the insect had asked.
“And Sylune and I looked a lot different back then,” Han added.
“I’m sure our appearance must be shocking,” Leia said to the Squibs. “But there’s no need to be alarmed. We’re not here to start trouble-as long as no one else starts it, either.”
She cast a meaningful glare at the Squibs’ hands, and all three returned their palms to the edge of the table.
“Then why are you here?” Grees demanded. “Lizil already told you the Colony doesn’t need a magcannon.”
“Can’t an old friend pay a social call?” Han smiled and fixed Grees with a threatening glare. “I just wanted to tell you that I ran into a couple of your contract employees not so long ago. They were a great help to me and a good friend of mine.” He glanced at the Killik behind them. “I thought maybe I should tell you about it.”
“No!” all three Squibs said together.
“We mean there’s no need,” Sligh added quickly. “We already know everything.”