"It is a little spooky, isn"t it?"
Talon gazed at the canyon and the distant tree line.
"Now that you mention it." Lando put his hands on his hips and laughed. "I doubt that Sekot would begrudge us a toast or two."
From the jacket"s other pouch pocket, he extracted five tumblers.
Lining them up on the table, he began to fill them with the aromatic amber liquid.
"So what do you think Luke and the rest are talking about?"
"Same thing that"s on everyone"s mind," Crev said with theatrical seriousness. "Han Solo." Han laughed with them, then raised his gla.s.s.
"I"ll drink to that."
The gla.s.s was almost to his mouth when a male voice said, "Got enough for two party crashers?"
The five of them turned to see Wedge and Tycho hurrying toward them, sporting flight jackets and brimmed caps.
"With their customary sense of flawless timing," Han muttered.
Reluctantly, Lando pulled two more tumblers from his pocket, filled them, and pa.s.sed them down the table.
"Anyone else is going to have to provide his own gla.s.s."
"And brandy," Crev said.
Talon shook his head and sighed. "I"ve yet to meet a military man who"s actually willing to pay for a drink."
Tycho snorted.
"I"ve never met one who has to pay."
Wedge lifted his gla.s.s.
"I"ll drink to that."
They all took long sips, smacked their lips, and set the tumblers down.
"Anyway," Tycho continued, "that"s ex-military, as of tomorrow."
Han raised an eyebrow.
"Skulking back into retirement, huh?"
Tycho shrugged.
"It"s either that, or Winter leaves me."
"She must have been talking with Iella," Wedge said. "It"s a conspiracy."
Han raised his gla.s.s again.
"To last flings."
They sipped, then fell silent for a moment. Wedge fingered the tumbler through a circle.
"I don"t know about the rest of you, but I"m ready for the simple life again. The Alliance will just have to make do with guys like Darklighter, Page, and Cracken."
"Pity the Alliance," Tycho said.
Han regarded the two of them and laughed.
"The familiar strains of midlife."
Tycho jerked his thumb at Han, without looking at him.
"This from a guy who refuses to go quietly into the void."
"Not true," Han said. "It"s the Falcon that keeps leading me into trouble."
Booster nodded soberly.
"I"m beginning to think the same of Errant Venture."
"Next time maybe you should choose a different shade of red," Talon said.
They laughed and downed what remained in the gla.s.ses. Lando was quick to refill them, emptying the bottle.
"So what"s next for you guys?" Tycho asked the four members of the Smugglers" Alliance.
"We"re waiting for the dust to settle," Talon said. "And I don"t mean the yorik coral dust. Everything from here to Helska and back has been given a good shaking. A lot of groups that were at the top are suddenly at the bottom, and the other way around."
"Who, for instance?" Tycho said.
Talon considered it briefly.
"Well, at the top you"ve got the Bothans, chiefly because of Fey"lya"s brave last stand and Kre"fey"s heroic victory. But vying for second place are the Sull.u.s.tans, Hapans, the former Imperials, the Mon Calamari."
"Who do you figure has fallen?" Wedge asked.
"Everyone Rimward of Wayland. Plus the Ithorians, Bimms, Kuati, Corellians. But more than anyone, the Hutts."
Lando nodded.
"A lot of folk were forced to do without spice during the war, and have lost their appet.i.te for it. In fact, just about anyone who had regular dealings with the Hutts has lost credibility-the Rodians-except for the Jungle Clans-Whiphids, Klatooinians, Weequays, Vodrans, Iotrans, Nikto... Didn"t help that a lot of them supported the Peace Brigade."
"They"re the ones who should be brought to trial for war crimes,"
Booster said.
"They will be," Wedge said. "Cal Omas has left the decision to individual worlds and systems."
"Who else is on the way up?" Tycho asked.
"Corporate Sector and Tion Hegemony," Talon said, without having to think about it. "Just about every system Rimward of Eriadu on the Rimma, and Varonat on the Trade Spine."
Lando looked at Han.
"I"ll tell you who"s gained the most-your friends, the Ryn."
Han sniffed.
"Figures Droma would come out of this smelling like a flower." He paused, then added: "Of course, knowing Droma, he"s somewhere saying the same about me."
"Yeah," Tycho said. "We didn"t think you could become a bigger hero than you already were, old man."
Wedge smiled.
"Someday they"ll raise a statue-"
Han held up his hands.
"I"ve already heard that one from Leia. Besides, every world, every system"s contributed a hero to this war." He put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "I haven"t told this to anyone, but I swear on the Falcon that I saw Fett at Caluula, and he did as much as anyone to try to save that station from the Vong."
Lando was staring at him in disbelief.
"As in Boba?"
"Of course, Boba-running with a bunch of other guys in Mandalorian armor and jet packs. He even managed to come up with a new Firespray."
Talon touched his mustache.
"Well, I wasn"t going to say anything, but I heard that that same bunch showed up to help liberate Ord Mantell."
"And Tholatin," Crev said.
"And Gyndine," Booster added.
Lando shook his head, as if to clear it.
"Hey, if Pellaeon can be considered an ally, why not a former bounty hunter?"
Han glanced from Lando to Talon.
"You"re the people that deserve statues. But I suppose that"ll have to wait until Wolam Tser or someone does a holodoc.u.mentary about the notorious Smugglers" Alliance."
"That would be Ex-Smugglers" Alliance," Talon said.
Han rolled his eyes.
"It"s true, Han. We"ve mended our ways."
"Seen the light," Booster said.
"Come around," Crev added.
"Reformed," Lando said.
Tycho looked around the table.
"Anyone want to add another cliche?"
"How about "gotten too old for this"?" Han said.
Wedge nodded.
"That"ll do."
Han glanced at Lando and Talon again.
"What, Tendra and Shada are making honest men of you?"
Talon shook his head firmly.
"Shada and I are business partners. That"s it."
Lando grinned at Han.
"Hey, it was your wife who wrote the book on the subject."
Everyone laughed, then raised their tumblers.
"To the war"s true unsung heroes," Han said, "the spouses."
When he had set down his gla.s.s, he turned back to Lando.
"Seriously, Lando. What"s the game plan?"
"Let me put it this way. With the need for so much rebuilding-of worlds, governments, trading routes-and new markets opening in the Imperial Remnant, Chiss s.p.a.ce, even parts of the Unknown Regions, there"ll be no shortage of opportunities for people motivated more by philanthropy than profit."
"To our n.o.ble selves," Tycho said, toasting with the final sip.
"Few of us left."
Finishing the drinks, the seven of them slammed the tumblers on the table.
"More by philanthropy than profit," Han repeated. Taking a deep breath, he leaned his crude chair away from the table and gazed about him. "I swear, this crazy place is having an effect on everyone."