THE PARADISE SNARE(51)

Thul looked as though he’d have liked to say “Good!” but didn’t quite dare.

Aryn shook her head and put a reassuring hand on Han’s arm. “Oh, no!

Of course you’re not intruding … Vykk.” She eyed his coverall.

“I was going to ask you if you went to school here, but you don’t, do you?”

Han shook his head. “No, I’m only here for tonight. Flew in this morning for repairs. Got in a fight with some pirates and damaged my ship.”

The wide blue eyes grew even wider. “Flew? Pirates? Are you a star pilot?”

Han shrugged modestly. “Yeah.”

Bornan Thul was getting hot under the collar, the Corellian noted.

Doesn’t like the idea of his girl talking to a working-class guy like me, the stuck-up so-and-so … well, tough, brother Bornan …

“Oh, my…” Aryn breathed. “That’s so… exciting. Real pirates?

What happened?”

Han shrugged again. “Came out of hyperspace, and they were on me quicker than stink on a Skeeg. Three of ‘em. Blasted one, but between them, they damaged my hyperdrive. So I came on to Alderaan for repairs.”

“You blasted one?” Bornan demanded sharply, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

“With what?”

“With an Arakyd missile, pal,” Han said evenly. “I blew his butt into little bitty pieces.”

Aryn shivered, half with excitement, half with distress. “That sounds ˇ .

. really scary.”

Han took a swallow of ale. “All in a day’s work,” he said, deliberately laconic.

By this time Bornan had had just about enough. His face reddened, and he grabbed Aryn’s arm. “Sweetheart, let’s go. I’m taking you out to the best place in town. If you’ll excuse us … Pilot Draygo.”

The girl hesitated for a long moment. I could get her, Han thought. I know I could. That’d really stick in this upper-class jerk’s craw, too, to have me walk out of here with his girl …

For a moment Han was tempted, then he made himself relax and relinquish the contest. He sensed that Aryn was a really nice girl, someone who didn’t deserve to be treated like a gaming piece so he could score points off her snotty boyfriend. One of the reasons he found her attractive, Han realized, was that she reminded him a little of 921, with her wide blue eyes and sweet smile. Besides, he thought, those security guys are probably still tailing me.

Old

Bornan here might just be man enough to pick a fight, and if they’re still around, that could get messy …

So Han stood, respectfully, and gave Aryn a formal bow. “Been a real pleasure,” he said. “Enjoy your celebration.”

“Thank you …” she said, and gave him a last, quick smile before she allowed Bornan to lead her out.

Han sat back down to his cooling food, reflecting that this incident had reminded him of just how much he detested stuck-up rich people.

He’d encountered lots of them on Corellia, while working Shrike’s scams, and the fact that most of them weren’t worth a blaster bolt to blow them to atoms was the only thing that had made him able to act his part during the swindles.

By the time Han returned to the Ylesian Dream, and the tiny bunk that had been installed in part of the cargo area for him, he was slightly the worse for the Alderaanian ale. Thoughts of 921 kept running through his mind, and he cursed aloud in the silence, wishing he could stop thinking about her. Han had never before encountered a woman that he’d spent time thinking about when she wasn’t with him …

The knowledge that 921 had wormed her way that deep into his mind unsettled Han, made him uncomfortable. She’s just a girl, Solo. You don’t even know her blasted name. Quit mooning around like this. You going soft in the head or something?

Han flung himself down on his bunk and groaned aloud, remembering the events of the day. What a world, he thought muzzily. So goody-goody that a guy can’t even sell a perfectly good cargo of spice …

The trip back to Ylesia was uneventful. Han piloted the Dream down through the clouds without a single mishap, and hardly even shook the ship as he did it. Even Muuurgh, who was still nursing a headache, couldn’t complain.

It was becoming second nature to Han to see, analyze, and avoid the paths of the planet’s massive storm systems.

The moment the ship was down on the landing pad, Han’s communicator came to life, summoning him to meet with Teroenza immediately. Han had been expecting this. He sent Muuurgh off to the infirmary to get some treatment for his headache, and walked up to the Administration Building alone.

This time he was met by Ganar Tos and escorted into the High Priest’s inner sanctum, where he’d been before. Teroenza was resting in a most unusual piece of furniture—a sort of sling or hammock that allowed the High Priest to lean back on his massive haunches and take his weight off his back legs. His thick forelegs were supported by a movable padded leg rest that could swing in and out to allow him to get into the contraption.