THE HUTT GAMBI(93)

“Yeah!” the crowd yelled. “Kill those TIEs!”

“Okay, so this is still early in the battle. We’re gonna hit the recon pickets with what they’re going to think is everything we’ve got. With luck, we’ll drive off a couple of these Imperial picket ships, kill some recon TIEs, maybe even disable one of the Carrackclass ships, though even Lando wouldn’t bet on our chances to do that.”

Mako paused for the general laugh this remark occasioned. Someone yelled at the young gambler, “Hey, Lando, what odds are you giving?”

Han took over again. “Somewhere in here the Imp commander will commit his lighter skirmish vessels, order them to increase to full speed and attack, ‘cause he’s thinking that he’s seen all we’ve got, and now he’s going in for the kill. He’ll most likely hold the big cruisers back for now, saving them, planning to bring them in when he goes to strafe Nar Shaddaa. When the pickets, then the skirmish vessels, engage you, it’s critically important for everyone to stay in your assigned position! Here’s where you get your chance to hit them hard from one side to overload a shield. Then you or your partner can score some damage and then both of you get out!

Those of you with missiles or torpedoes can really hurt these light Customs corvettes.”

Han gave his troops a long, serious look. “Guys, by now it’ll be pretty confused up there; civilian ships caught up in this’ll be trying to run, and all of our lighter stuff except the fighters will be mixing it up with the Imps. Don’t lose track of what’s going on! Stay in position! Stay focused! Be sure to keep someone on your ship listening to the comm for instructions, in case we have to move you off your assigned positions. You got that?”

“Yeah, we got it!” came a few voices. Han put on a very shocked face and cupped his ear.

“Hey, am I gettin’ old and going deaf, or what? I asked if you guys got that?”

“Yeah! We GOT it!” they yelled, much more forcefully.

“That’s better,” Mako said, taking over again. “Okay, let’s move on.

Frankly, fellow sentients, we’re expecting you to clean up on the Imp picket and skirmish ships; we’ll have the advantage of numbers and this is our home ground. We’re expecting to kill at least half of them, which is gonna surprise the blazes out of that Imp Admiral. But when he gets over being shocked and upset—and has gained a little more respect for us—” Mako paused dramatically, and the hall was filled with shouts of “Oh, yeah I” and “We’ll teach him some respect!”

“We sure will!” Han yelled, then stood back to let Mako continue.

“Okay, but this Imp Admiral ain’t gonna stand there with his jaw dropped for very long, I hate to tell you. No, what he’s gonna do is think, ‘How DARE they?” and he’ll send in his heavy Capital-class ships. We can expect at least two or three big bulk cruisers, with maybe a Dreadnaught or two to help. These big boys will have thicker shields and armor, and more and bigger guns. Frankly, fellow sentients, we’ve only got a handful of ships that are even capable of challenging ‘em, let alone hurting them.”

A considerably sobered silence fell over their audience. Han had worried that at this point they might lose them, but nobody got up and left, much to his relief.

“But,” Mako said, “here’s the trick. If we can really hurt even one or two of those heavies, the Imps will almost certainly withdraw, since they won’t be able to complete their job, and it’s standard Imperial doctrine to cut your losses and run if you can’t win.”

“So how do we hurt them, Mako?” yelled a human smuggler. “Good question.

We’ve worked out a strategy that we think will do the trick. Listen closely, guys. When those big guys come at us, we’ll pretend to give way.

I’ll pass the word over the comm to fall back between Nar Shaddaa and Nal Hutta. But by Doellin’s halter, don’t everyone turn in formation and zoom away the instant the Imp cruisers attack! No, we’ve got to make this look good, or the Imps’ll get suspicious!”

“So what do we do?” yelled one wag—a Bothan. “Hang around and invite them over for a drink?”

Mako glared at his heckler. “Get serious, clown. What we’re tellin’ you to do is to fall back, but do it like it was your own idea, not following orders. Turn tail and run like terror-stricken rabble, that’s just fine. We want them to chase you. Got that?”

“Yeah!” they yelled.

“Hey,” yelled the wag, “we can fake being’ scared, specially if we are!”