THE HUTT GAMBI(92)

“Yeah! Right!” they yelled, loving the idea of getting the drop on the arrogant Imperial Navy.

Mako took over again. “Okay, at that point the Imps will send in their pickets for a quick look around.”

One of the captains in the front row waved a taloned paw. “What’s a picket, Mako?”

Han and Mako looked at each other and sighed.

“Sorry,” Mako said. “Pickets are the bigger recon ships and their recon TIE fighters, okay? We expect there will probably be two bigger recon ships, probably Carrackclass light cruisers. Each can carry four recon TIE fighters. Taken together, they’re called the pickets.

Okay?”

“Okay!” yelled the smuggler.

Mako grinned evilly. “Now, the Imps aren’t expecting us to put up any kind of organized resistance, and we don’t want to disappoint them, do we, fellow sentients?”

“No!” shouted the smugglers.

“Okay, then. We want to keep the Imps where we want them, right?”

“Right!”

“Okay, then. To do that, we’ve got to show them exactly what they expect to see. That way we can predict what they’ll do, because they’ll follow those Imp guidelines I told you about. When the Imp Admiral sends in his recon ships and then the skirmish vessels, which will follow a few minutes behind the recon ships, he’ll be expecting us to think that this is the big attack.

“He’s going to sit back with his big Capital-class ships in their nice little regulation wedge, and he’ll expect this disorganized band of bozos to come out fighting with everything we’ve got, since we’re not smart enough to hold back. That Admiral is figuring we’ll take the recon pickets—the

Carrackclass vessels—and the skirmish ships—most likely customs corvettes-to make up his whole attack force.”

“We’ll show ‘em we’re not dumb!” yelled a smuggler from the back.

“That’s right, we’re gonna show ‘em. What we’re gonna do is make it look like we’ve thrown everything we have against the first Imp ships to cruise up to Nar Shaddaa. That’ll be those recon ships and, approaching more slowly, the skirmish ships. Look here, and we’ll show you.”

Mako nodded at Han, and he took up the narrative, while Mako used a holographic image and pointer on the large tri-dee screen to illustrate the battle plan for their troops.

“All right,” Han said, “as you can see from Mako’s diagram, we’re gonna split up our ships into two groups, the First Strike Element and the Main Strike Element. The First Strike Element will be all the small ships without exceptionally heavy armament, plus a couple of the merc captains with those modified Customs patrol ships. So, listen up. I’m going to read the ship and captain names of the First Strike Element, while Mako puts your names up on the display.”

Han read off the list. “Okay, then. Before we’re through, you people will know where you have to go, and what you have to do, and when you have to do it. What we’re here for today, as we said, is to show you what part you’re going to play in the Big Picture.”

Mako handed Han the pointer, and then took over. “Okay, now for the Main Strike Element. That’s gonna be all our big ships, plus the freighters with heavy weapons, and the starfighter squadrons. We’ve got six Y-wings, some Cloak-shape fighters, and assorted types of Z-95

Headhunters. Here’s the list.”

As Mako read off the list of the Main Strike Element, Han kept augmenting the holographic display. Soon the huge tri-dee screen in the casino auditorium looked like an elaborate pattern of different colored lines and squiggles, interspersed with three-dimensional representations of ships.

“Okay, so now you people know which Strike Element you belong to.

Anyone not know?”

Several newcomers raised their hands, or paws, or tentacles, and were hastily assigned to one or the other element. Mako then went on: “The First Element will attack first, just like it sounds. Stay in the pairs we’ve assigned you to, please! Two ships can cover each other and are more than twice as effective as two single ships!”

Han leaned close to the podium. “And, everyone … watch out for the turbolasers on the Imp cruisers. They can blast you out of space with one shot. Keep your ships dodging whenever you’re in range of the bigger Imp vessels. Got that?”

“Yeah!” the pilots shouted.

Mako resumed. “Remember, fellow smugglers, that mixed in with these bigger Imp recon and skirmish ships will be dozens of TIE fighters.

They’re fast, real fast, and they have okay lasers, but they’re fragile. One good hit, and they’re blown to pieces. They’re too fast for a lock-on, so you’ll have to shoot by eye. Take your time and lead your targets. Since most of your freighters have some weapon that can shoot behind you, use that one to keep the TIEs off you while you hit the picket ships. You with me?”