THE HUTT GAMBI(85)

“Okay, that should enable us to take care of a good percentage of those skirmish ships,” Han said. “But what do we do about the recon vessels, and that wedge of capital-class ships … the Dreadnaughts and bulk cruisers?”

A gloomy silence fell. Finally Mako spoke up. “I know the Hutts are hiring a merc force—probably pirates—to defend Nal Hutta. The slugs don’t give a hoot about Nar Shaddaa, not in comparison to their own precious hides, but if that merc captain has any smarts, he’ll recognize that we could add significantly to his firepower. Maybe we can get him, whoever he is, to take part in the battle. It’s worth a try, at least.”

Lando was staring morosely at the creeping holographic image of the bulk cruisers and Dreadnaughts advancing on Nar Shaddaa. “Those pirates are apt to have superior firepower, right?”

Mako nodded. “Right. They’ll probably have some captured Imp vessels that they’ve modified. Maybe even some heavy weaponry like proton torpedoes.

But their ammo would be limited. It’s hard to just buy proton torpedoes to arm pirated Imp vessels. The Imps kinda frown on having their own ships used against ‘em.”

He said this last so dryly that a chuckle ran around the table.

Han was studying the wedge of capital-class ships. “All of these ships have forward-firing main guns,” he said. “Too bad we can’t hit them with a flank attack. But we just don’t have the ships to do it, if the main part of our fleet will still be engaging those skirmish ships and the TIEs.”

“Maybe that’s where we can convince the mercs to help us,” Mako said thoughtfully. “If they attacked on the Imp flank, they’d stand a decent chance of crippling one of those big ships, and that would be a ship they could commandeer after the battle. They’d love that!”

“Yeah … provided we could create some kind of diversion so the pirates could flank them,” Han said.

Rik Duel stroked his short, elegant beard while he thought. “What we need is another fleet to come at them in a head-on run,” he said.

“But we don’t have enough ships to divide our forces that much,” Roa said.

“If we do, we’re likely to lose everything.”

“If we don’t, we’re likely to lose Nar Shaddaa,” Lando pointed out.

“I’m no ex-Imp officer like Han here is, but it seems to me that we’ve got to do whatever it takes to keep these big ships from turning and blasting away at our moon’s shields. They’re old, and it wouldn’t take too many salvos to disable them. Then they’d level the place.”

“Lando’s right,” Shug Ninx said. “We need something to keep those big ships occupied so the mercs—or whoever—can make a flank attack.

Maybe we can … I don’t know … divert their attention somehow.” “Well, a formation of ships coming at them head-on would certainly get their attention,” Salla said. “Question is, where do we get them?

We’re going to have our hands full over here”—she pointed into the holographic display—”fighting these skirmish ships and TIEs.”

Han had been staring into the holographic display, thinking how real the minuscule fleet appeared, down to the tiny TIE fighters. Too bad, he thought, we can’t project a hologram at the Imps and make them believe they’re under attack…

The idea suddenly coalesced in his brain. “That’s it!” he shouted.

“That could work!”

Conversation around the table ceased, and everyone stared at the Corellian. Han grinned at his friends excitedly. “Hey, I think I may know somebody who can provide us with that head-on attack force. We can use them as a diversion, for long enough to distract those heavy cruisers!”

Chewbacca had obviously followed Han’s thinking. The Wookiee banged his fist on the table and roared his approval.

The remainder of the group, however, stared at Han, confused, apparently completely in the dark. “Huh?” Lando said. “Who?

What?”

Han ignored his friend. Leaping to his feet, he gestured at Mako.

“I’ve gotta put in a call—does the manager here have a comm unit?”

The manager of The Chance Castle was only too happy to allow Han to use his unit. All of the big casinos knew that a major Imperial raid would be very bad for business …





12


Dreams and Nightmares


Bria Tharen stood beside Sarn Shild on the observation platform of the space station orbiting the planet Teth. The observation platform was enclosed mostly by force fields, so there was nothing visible between them and the surrounding vacuum. Bria could look straight ahead, to her left, her right, and overhead, and see nothing but naked space or the massive, turning shape of the planet. The young woman repressed a shiver as she thought of the cold, airless blackness scant meters away.