"Wanted to what?" Han asked, his eyes very intent. "Oh... I just wished I could break cover and con-gratulate you," she "said. "By the way, whatever did you do to that Barabel to make her so mad?"
Itan looked at her, then his mouth twitched and he burst out laughing. "You met Shallamar?"
"Not formally," Bria said, dryly, "but I wound up standing beside her during some of the play after she"d been eliminated. That was one cranky reptiloid, let me tell you."
Han chuckled, then explained about how he and Shallamar had had a run-in back on Devaron five years ago. "She told me she was going to bite my head off," Han said. "And she"d have done it, too, if it hadn"t been for Chewie."
"Devaron? Oh, yes, I remember-" Bria said, and then, at Han"s look, fell silent again.
She bit her lip before the intensity of his gaze. "So it was you that day at the Ylesian revival," Han said. "I thought I was seein" things. I swore off drinkin" for months after that day."
Bria nodded. "Yes, that was me, Hah. But I couldn"t let you blow my cover. I was in that crowd for a mission." "What was that mission?"
She met his eyes steadily. "To a.s.sa.s.sinate Veratil, the t"landa Til. You fouled it up, though. Far as I know, Veratil is still alive. Though probably not for long."
Hah regarded her for a long moment. "You really have done just about anything for the Resistance, haven"t you?"
Bria was distressed by his stare. "Don"t look at me like that, Han]" she cried. "They"re evil! They deserve to be killed!"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess they do," he said.
"But... it"s kinda unnerving, you know?"
She gave him a shaky smile. "Sometimes I unnerve myself."
When they reached Ord Mantell, Bria met with the Resistance leaders there to explain the mission and its importance. She was elated that, after their meeting, the Resistance promised to dispatch three ships and a hundred troops, plus appropriate support and medical personnel, immediately.
As Han and Bria were preparing to board the Falcon for the trip back to the Rebel deep-s.p.a.ce rendezvous, one of the junior officers came up to her with a message flimsy. She scanned it, then looked up at Hah. She gave him a tight smile. "HQ just got a message from Togoria. There"s a small contingent of Togorians who have vol-unteered to come "along. They want us to pick them up on our way back."
Hah smiled slowly. "Muuurgh and Mrr0v?" he guessed.
"It doesn"t say. But it~ a good bet they"re part of the group," Bria said. "Can we?"
"Sure," he said, not meeting her eyes. "Togoria"s a pretty world. I wouldn"t mind seeing it again."
Bria looked away, too. It was on a Togorian beach that she and Han had first become close. it was a beau-tiful World, fraught with memories for both of them.
They didn"t talk much during the trip. Bria found herself so nervous that her stomach was in knots. She wondered how Han felt....
Han eased the Falcon down onto the landing field bordering Caross, the largest city on Togoria. After completing his post-flight checks and updating his log, he and Bria headed for the landing ramp. A group of Togorians were already heading out to the field, and Hah thought he recognized one huge black male with white chest hair and whiskers. And there was a smaller, orange and white femme with him.
Bria smiled excitedly. "Muuurgh and Mrrov!"
The humans jogged down the ramp, and reached the ground just in time to be seized and hugged so violently their feet left the ground. "Muuurgh!" Han shouted, so glad to see his old friend that he wound up thumping the huge felinoid on the chest with his fists while his feet dangled. "How are ya, buddy?"
"Hah . . ." Muuurgh was nearly choked with emo-tion. Togorians were an emotional people, especially the males. "Han Solo... Muuurgh very happy see Hah Solo again. Too long it has been!"
He obviously hasn"t been practicing his Basic, Han thought, amused. Muuurgh"s Basic had always been rather fractured, but after all this time, it was worse than ever.
"Hey, Muuurgh! Mrrov! It"s great to see you both!" After their greetings were over, Mrrov explained that there was a contingent of Togorians who"d had run-ins with Ylesia over the years who wanted to be part of the a.s.sault. "Six of our people were either enslaved or close to those enslaved there, Han," Mrrov said. "We wish to have a part in making sure that no other Togorians will ever again be trapped by that terrible place."
Han nodded. "Well, we can get started any time you wish," he said.
Muuurgh shook his head. "Not possible until tomor-row, Han. Sarrah"s mosgoth was attacked mid-flight by big liphon. Broke its wing. Sarrah has borrowed mos-goth, sent us message, will be here tomorrow. Tonight Hah and Bria our honored guests, yes?"
Han looked at Bria and shrugged. "Uh, sure," he said.
She didn"t meet his eyes. "Fine .... "
They spent the "afternoon catching up with their friends on ten years" of history. Muuurgh and Mrrov seemed a very happy couple-even though, in true Togo-rian tradition, they spent only a month out of each year to-gether. They had two cubs, both female, and Han and Bria met them. One was barely more than a kit, and she was extraordinarily cute. Bria and Han spent a couple of hours playing with them in the beautiful gardens.
That evening, the humans were wined and dined with the best of Togorian food and drink. Togorian story-tellers regaled them with tales of their own escapades from ten years ago, when they"d escaped from Ylesia. Han barely recognized himself the accounts had obvi-ously been "enhanced" over the years, until he emerged as such a heroic figure it was "almost laughable.
Han was careful with the strong Togorian liquor, and noticed that Bria drank only water. "I can"t drink," she said, when asked. "I"m scared I"ll get to like it too much. I have to be careful... once addicted, you can get ad-dicted again, to other things."
Hah admired her restraint, and said so.
After the festivities were over, Muuurgh and Mrrov conducted their guests to the finest of their guest apart-ments, then bade them goodnight.
Han and Bria stood on opposite sides of the living room and regarded each other in silence for a long, un-comfortable moment. Han glanced at the door leading to the one bedroom. "Uh... guess Muuurgh and Mrrov still think We"re an item," he said.
"Guess so," she agreed, unable to meet his eyes.
"Well, I guess it~ the pallet out here for me," Han said. "Hey," Bria remonstrated, "I"m a soldier. I"ve slept in mudholes before, with no blanket. No need to treat me like a lady, Han/" She smiled and took out a decicred piece. "Tell you what... I"ll flip you for the bed."
Han grinned at her, his most charming smile. "Okay, babe. Fine by me."
Bria looked at him, and their eyes locked. "Oh, dear."
She sounded as though she"d just run four or five klicks.
Hah was feeling a bit breathless himself. ""Oh dear" what?" he said, taking a step toward her.
Bria smiled shakily. "The galaxy is no longer safe for humanoid females," she said. "You"ve learned what you can do with that lopsided smile, haven"t you?"
As a matter of fact, Han did have some idea... and so did a number of women he could name. He took an-other two slow steps in her direction, and chuckled, genuinely amused. "Hey..." he said. "There are times when it works better than my blaster."
Bria was so tense he wondered if she were going to bolt, but she didn"t move as he took another step toward her. Ix,,oking down, Hah saw that her hand was shaBng. "Aren"t you going to flip that thing?" he asked softly. She nodded and took a deep breath, and her hand steadied a bit. "Sure. Call it."
"You sure it"s not a trick coin?" Han asked, taking an-other step.
"Hey!" she protested. "It"s a re"a] decicred? With mock indignation, Bria showed him the disk, twirling it to demonstrate that it was indeed a regular coin. On the obverse was the head of the Emperor, on the reverse was stamped the symbol of the Empire.
Han took another step, and now he could have reached out and touched her shoulder. "Okay . . . I pick... heads," he said, quietly.
Bria swallowed and flipped the coin, but she missed catching it, because she was shaking again. Hah, how-ever, did not miss. He caught the coin, held it without looking. "Heads we share the bed ...."he said softly. "Tails... we share the floor."
"But . . . we agreed . . ." she was stammering and trembling "all over now. "Just... business..."
Han tossed the coin over his shoulder, and in one lunge he pulled Bria into his arms. He kissed her with "all the pent-up pa.s.sion of the past days... and all those lost years. Kissed her mouth, her forehead, her hair, her ears. ~ . and then returned to her mouth. Finally, when he raised his head, he breathed, "I say... the heck with business... right?"
"Right..." she murmured, and then it was her turn to kiss him. She wound her arms around his neck, hold-ing him as tightly as he held her.
Behind them, forgotten, the decicred piece lay on the woven matting covering the floor, shining faintly in the dimness ....
The next morning, Han woke up smiling. He got up and went out to stand on the little balcony overlooking the beautiful Togorian garden. He breathed deeply, hearing the twittering of the tiny flying lizards and re-membered one alighting on Bria"s finger "all those years ago, that first time on the beach.
He wished they had time to go back to that beach .... Hey, he thought, when this Ylesian thing is" over, we"ll have all the time in the world... and all the cred-its we could want. We"ll ccrme back here. Then maybe we"ll head for the Corporate Sector, do some business. With the FaJcon, we can go anywhere, do anything ....
He wondered whether Bria would actually leave the Resistance for him. After what they"d shared last night, he didn"t see how she couldn"t. They were good to-gether, so good there was no way they"d be apart from now on ....
Han heard a step behind him, but didn"t turn, only stood staring out at the garden, inhaling the spicy scent of the Togorian tree-flowers. Arms slid around his waist, and he felt her hair against his back as she leaned against him. "Hey.. "she said quietly. "Good morning."
"It"s good all right," he said quietly. "The best in a long time. Ten years, I think."
"Did I tell you ~ast night that I love yoU?" she murmured, kissing the back of his neck. "You need a haircut..."
"Several times," he replied. "But you can say it again if you want."
"I love you .... "
"Sounds good," he said. "I think you need more practice, though. Try it again ....
She laughed. "You"re getting a swelled head, Han."
He chuckled, and turned to hold her. "You know, the Falcon is going to be so full of huge Togorians all the way back to the rendezvous coordinates, that you just might have to sit on my lap."
"I could manage that," she said.
Sarrah proved to be extremely short for a Togorian, only about two meters rail. But he was in excellent con-dition, his muscles sliding beneath his sleek black fur like oiled cords.
On their way back to the deep-s.p.a.ce rendezvous, Han swung by Nar Shaddaa to pick up Jarik and Chew-bacca. He"d been wondering how Chewie and Muuurgh would get "along. When he introduced the Wookiee and the giant Togorian, Han was treated to the unusual sight of Chewie actually looking up at another being. Muuurgh regarded the Wookiee a.s.sessingly, then said, "Greet-ings to Hah Solok friend. He tells me you are his brother-in-fur."
Chewie roared softly, and Hah translated. "Chew-bacca sends greetings in return to Muuurgh," he said. "He is honored to meet a brother-in-fur from the past, the hunter Muuurgh."
Solemnly, the two huge creatures regarded each other, then both turned to Han. He looked up at them, and could tell that they liked each other. "You guys," he said, "have got a lot in common."
Indeed, said Chewie. They had Hah.
"Any friend of Hah Solok is a friend of Muuurgh"s," the Togorian announced.
Hah heard the door signal to his apartment buzz, and opened it to find Lando standing there. For once the gambler wasn"t dressed in the height of fashion, but in military style rough fatigues, and he wore heavy boots. He was armed with a blaster and a blaster rifle. "Hey?"
Hah said. "What"s up? You goin" to a war?"
"I just heard about your little jaunt to Ylesia," Lando said. "I want in. Can I ride "along on the Falcon?"
Han regarded his friend in surprise. "Pal, this ain"t your kind of thing," he said. "We ain"t expectin" much in the way of resistance froin those Gamorrean guards on Ylesia, but there"s bound to be some shootin"."
Lando nodded. "I"m a good shot," he said. "Hah, I"ve almost got enough credits saved to buy a new ship, a real beauty of a sleek little yacht I"ve had my eye on. I figure for a share of that spice in the warehouses, this is worth a little risk to my precious hide. Another ten thousand credits, and that little beauty is mine .... "
Hah shrugged. "Okay by me," he said. "You"re wel-come to join the party."
Thus, it was a very crowded-but thankfully short- flight back to the Rebel rendezvous coordinates.
The Rebel fleet was mostly gathered by now, along with most of the smuggler vessels. Bria and the other Rebel commanders conducted final briefings so that each smuggler and each Rebel a.s.sault group knew ex-actly what part they would play in the attack. Each group of Rebel a.s.sault shuttles had at least three or four smuggler ships to guide them down through the atmo-sphere. There were nine colonies now on Ylesia, and there were nine attack forces, each commanded by a Rebel commander like Bria.
She"d chosen the toughest objective for herself- Colony One. It boasted the largest warehouses, the most Pilgrims and the best defenses. But Bria was sure that Red Hand Squadron could handle it.
Especially with Han flying beside her. By now, Hah was familiar with Jace Paol, Daino Hyx, and her other officers. He wondered if any of them realized that he and their commander were now a couple.
The a.s.sa.s.sinations would be starting any time on Yle-sia, and the main attack was set for tomorrow morning (ships" standard time, which had nothing to do with day or night on Ylesia) when the Pilgrims would be desper-ate for the Exultation, and amenable to ta~ng orders from anyone who promised it to them ....
As Hah and Bria ate supper that night in Retribu-tion"s galley, Han"s attention was suddenly drawn to the external monitoring unit that showed the ma.s.ses of gathering ships. A familiar shape-one he"d known from childhood was moving into view.
He stopped chewing, then swallowed hastily, and pointed. "Bria! That big old Liberator-cla.s.s transport! Where"d you get it?"
She looked at him and grinned. "Looks a bit familiar, doesn"t it?"
Han nodded. "I"d swear that"s Trader~ Luck! The ship I grew up on!"
She nodded. "It is. I was saving it for a surprise. The Corellian Resistance bought it a couple of years ago at sc.r.a.p prices, and we"ve converted it into a troop carrier. We named it the Liberator."
Hah had heard that the vintage ship had been aban-doned following Garris Shrike"s death. He looked at the old vessel, feeling his throat tighten. He was glad to know that the Liberator now had a new life. "You"re going to use her to get the Pilgrims shipped to safety, right?"
"Many of them," she agreed. "Your old home will take them to a new life, Han."
He nodded, and finished his meal, his eyes seldom leaving the huge, antique vessel. Memories flooded him... memories of Dewlanna, mostly....
Since the Falcon boasted only a few sleeping bunks, Han decided to stay the night in Bria"s cabin. They held each other close, each of them acutely aware that to-morrow they would be going into battle.
And in battles... people died.
"After tomorrow," Hah whispered to her in the dark-ness, "we"ll always be together. Promise me." "I promise," she said. "Together."
He sighed and relaxed. "Okay," he said. "And . . .
Bria?"
"Yes?"
"You watch your back tomorrow, sweetheart."
He could tell she was smiling, from the way her w~ice sounded. "I will. You too, okay?"
"Sure."
Hours later, Bria was awakened from a troubled doze by the soft chime of her cabin intercom. She came in-stantly alert, and, pulling on a robe, went into her ad-joining office. The communication officer on duty told her she had an incoming message. "Send it through to me here," she said, pushing her hair back from her face.