Just before they turned in, Han looked at her and said, “Salla … I wish you’d asked me before planning all this. I ain’t the marrying kind of guy.”
She laughed. “All men think that, Han… until they get married.
Remember Roa? He said all along he’d never do it, then he did, and you never saw anyone happier. That’s the way men are.”
“Not this guy,” Han said, but Salla only laughed.
The next morning, Han went by his place and had ZeeZee pack up his clothes (it didn’t take long, Han never had many clothes) into an old backpack.
Then he and Chewie went out to the Millennium Falcon’s landing pad atop one of the tall buildings of Nar Shaddaa.
Jarik turned up to see them off. Han hadn’t told anyone but Lando and the youth that he was going. Jarik held out his hand, and when Han shook it, blurted, “Now I wish I was going! Come back rich, Han!
Chewie, you take care of him, okay?”
Han slung an arm around the young man’s shoulders, shook him playfully.
Chewie gave him a Wookiee head-rub that made the kid yelp. “You take care of yourself, Jarik,” Han said. “Don’t let ZeeZee drive you crazy.
And . .
. take my advice, kid. Have fun, but remember: If I’m too young to get married, you are definitely too young!” Jarik laughed. “I’ll remember that, Han!” “So long, kid. Take it easy.”
Minutes later, with Nar Shaddaa behind them, Han keyed his comm system for a holo message. Quickly he gave Salla’s name and codes, then instructed Message Central to “hold” the message for two hours. By that time he’d be long gone.
When the message signaled it was ready to “record” Han cleared his throat self-consciously. “Hi, Salla,” he said. “I’m sorry it had to be like this, but by the time you get this, Chewie and me will be gone.
I tried to talk to you, but you just wouldn’t listen.”
He hesitated, took a deep breath. “Salla, you’re a great lady, but I’m just not ready to get married—to anyone. So try not to take it personally, okay? I think we need a break from each other. I’ll be back someday. Try not to be too mad, Salla. I’m just doing what I have to. You take care of yourself, Salla, and say goodbye to Shug and Mako for me.”
Chewbacca grunted insistently, and Han said, “Oh, and Chewie says goodbye, too. Stay well, Salla. Be happy.”
Reaching out, he hit the “transmit” button, and then slumped back in his seat. “Whew! That was worse than a dozen Runs, pal.”
Chewbacca agreed that things of that nature were never easy.
Han nodded. “Okay, pal. And, speakin’ of marriage, I think before we light out for the Corporate Sector, you and Mallatobuck deserve a little second honeymoon. So set course for Kashyyyk.”
Chewbacca gazed at Han, his blue eyes lighting up. Han grinned at the Wookiee. “Besides, I laid in another cargo of those explosive quarrels that Katarra liked so much, I figure a nice load of Thikkiian brandy might fetch a good price in the Corporate Sector. So is the Corporate Sector by way of Kashyyyk okay by you?”
Chewbacca roared his approval of Han’s suggestion so loudly that Han’s ears rang.
Minutes later, the Falcon was nothing but a rectangular streak traveling through hyperspace on the first leg of her long journey.
7
Hutt Justice and Rebel Retribution
“Aunt,” said Jabba, staring at the screen of his datapad, “at this rate Desilijic will be bankrupt in forty-four years.”
Jabba and Jiliac were in Jiliac’s office in her island palace on Nal Hutta. The Desilijic leader had been dangling bright streamers of Askajian silk for her baby to focus on and lurch toward. Of course the baby Hutt could not reach for the vivid streamers—it still did not have arms, though over the past three months, its stubs had grown longer. These days it could spend two or three hours at a time outside its mother’s pouch—much to Jabba’s irritation. The only time he could gain Jiliac’s full attention was while her baby was sleeping in her pouch.
Hearing Jabba’s pronouncement, the leader of Desilijic turned from playing with her infant to regard her nephew with mild surprise.
“Really?” Jiliac said, and her great forehead furrowed, “that soon? I would not have thought it possible. Still … forty-four years, Jabba. We should be able to reverse this trend long before then. What reports are you looking at?”
“All of them, Aunt. I have spent much of the past week doing a complete financial portrait of Desilijic finances.”
“Where are the credits going, then?”
“Among other things, I have here the invoice from Shug Ninx’s spacebarn,” Jabba said, touching a key on the datapad and bringing up the document.