[Han Solo] - 03(37)

If only Besadii would have been satisfied with having Bria dead, Boba Fett was fairly sure he could have managed to kill her, even within the protection of a Rebel base. But live, unharmed capture was much more difficult ….

However, a few days ago, Boba Fett had learned through his spy network that there was a meeting scheduled for the underground Rebel movement on Teth. Taking a calculated risk that Bria would be there, he had flown Slave I to Teth two days ago. The risk had paid off; she had shown up yesterday evening.

Two days ago, when he’d first arrived on Teth, Boba Fett had located the current Rebel enclave, which was situated beneath the port city in a series of old storm drains and sub-basements. He’d infiltrated the outskirts of the base, via the ancient storm drains and ventilation shafts, enough to locate the base janitorial supplies. There he’d placed minuscule audio pickups on a number of small robot floor cleaners that roved freely from room to room, sucking up anything their tiny scanners identified as “dirt.”

Since that time, he’d been monitoring the pickups, and today his preparations had paid off. Bria Tharen was in a meeting with two topranked Tethan Rebels. The tiny floor-cleaner, per its programmed instructions, had scuttled out of their way when they’d entered the room, and was now biding its time in an inconspicuous corner.

Boba Fett had no use for the whole concept of the various rebellions.

He considered the idea of rebellion against any established government criminal. The Empire maintained order, and Boba Fett valued order.

The Tethan resistance was no exception … a bunch of misguided idealists who were out to create anarchy ….

Within the confines of his helmet, Boba Fett’s eyes narrowed with disdain as he listened. The Tethan leaders were Commander Winfrid Dagore and her aide, Lieutenant Palob Godalhi. At the moment the Tharen woman was arguing with them about the necessity for the various resistance groups to unite into a Rebel Alliance. There were indications, she said, that the idea of an Alliance was gaining support in high places.

A prestigious Imperial Senator, Mon Mothma of Chandrila, had recently met secretly with Bria’s superiors in the Corellian Rebel underground, and talked. The senator agreed that in the wake of the Empire’s massacres on planets such as Ghorman, Devaron, Rampa 1 and 2, that the Emperor was either pathologically insane or totally evil, and must be overthrown by sentients of good conscience.

The Tharen woman spoke with misguided passion, her clear alto voice quivering slightly with controlled emotion. It was obvious she really cared about her cause.

When she was finished, Winfrid Dagore cleared her throat. Her voice was rough with age and strain. “Commander Tharen, we sympathize with our brothers and sisters on Corellia, Alderaan and the other worlds.

But here on the Outer Rim, we are so far away from the Core Worlds that we could be of little help to you, even if we did ally with your groups. We do things our way out here. The Emperor pays little attention to us. We raid the Imperial shipping, and oppose the Empire in many ways—but we value our independence. We are not likely to join a larger group.”

“Commander Dagore, that isolationist policy is an invitation to an Imperial massacre,” Tharen said, her tone bleak. “Mark my words, it will happen. Palpatine’s forces will not overlook your groups forever.”

“Perhaps … or perhaps not. Still, I doubt that we could do more than what we are currently doing, Commander Tharen.” Boba Fett heard a chair creak and the rustle of fabric as someone moved. Then Tharen spoke again. “Commander Dagore, you have ships.

You have troops. You have weapons. You are one of the closest worlds to the Corporate Sector, though we realize that’s a long way off. But still, you could help. You could help with purchasing weapons in the Corporate Sector and funneling them back here to be shipped to other undergrounds. Don’t think because you’re out here, that your help isn’t needed.”

“Commander Tharen, weapons cost credits,” Lieutenant Godalhi said.

“Where will those credits come from?”

“Well, we’d certainly appreciate it if you Tethans managed to come up with a few million to help us out,” Bria said dryly, and a sad chuckle ran around the room. “But we’re working on it. Financing the resistance is very hard, but there are enough citizens who are being squeezed until they can’t see straight that, even if they don’t have the ability or the courage to join a Rebel group outright, they’re smuggling us spare credits.

Some of the Hutt lords have also seen fit to contribute…

clandestinely, of course.”

Interesting …. thought Fett. This was news to him, though, now that he thought about it, Hutts were notorious for playing both sides plus their own side in any conflict. If they could look forward to an increase in credits or power, Hutts were usually right there ….