Dark Nest_ The Joiner King Part 8

"Han?" Leia appeared at the top of the boarding ramp, her arms loaded with provisions that she and the others were stowing again.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Han answered. "The bugs are getting sneaky."

Leia put her load aside. "Define sneaky, Han."

"Nothing to worry about." A soft rustle sounded from the transaction pile. Han peered over a stack of raw protein packages and saw a slender insect foot sliding behind a crate of Endorian brandy. "I've got everything under control."

Han slipped around the stack of packages, then pulled the crate aside and found the worker bug cowering with Killik Twilight in its four hands.

"Uub urr," it thrummed.

"Yeah? Two can play that game."

Han pulled the painting from its grasp, then turned to find Ben rus.h.i.+ng up ahead of Luke and the others.

"Uncle Han!" He raised his elbow in an old smuggler's greeting Han had taught him. "Dad said you were here!"

"Good to see you, kid." Han touched his elbow to Ben's. "I'd love to talk, but I'm in the middle of a contest of wills."

Leaving Leia to slow down the bug and greet Luke and the others, Han carried the painting onto the Falcon, then knelt on the floor and opened a smuggling compartment.

"That's a funny place to put Aunt Leia's painting," said Ben, who had followed him aboard.

"Tell me about it," Han said. He slipped the painting into the compartment, closed the cover, and stood. "Now let's go see your mom and- ".

The bug appeared in the corridor, sweeping its antennae along the floor. It pa.s.sed Han with a polite rumble, then stopped and began to pry at the secret panel. When the compartment would not open, it sat down and began to clack its mandibles.

"All right! You don't have to call your buddies." Han knelt on the floor beside the bug. "Just get out of my way."

Han opened the panel. The insect pulled the painting from the compartment and turned to leave, then let out a startled rumble when it found Saba and her Ewok companion coming up the corridor. The Ewok s.n.a.t.c.hed the painting from the bug's hands, turned it over, and spat on the back.

"What the blazes!" Han turned to Saba. "Is this guy a friend of yours? "

"Tarfang and I have made no killz together," Saba said. "But he can help us."

"Yeah?" Han watched doubtfully as Tarfang placed the painting on the floor. "How?"

The Ewok glared up at Han and jabbered something in the squeaky language of his species, then motioned Han and the others toward the boarding ramp.

"Listen up, Cuddles," Han said, "I don't know who you think you are, but on the Falcon-"

"Uncle Han, look!"

Ben pointed at Killik Twilight. The bug stood holding the painting in its hands, running its antennae over the back where the Ewok had spit.

It repeated the gesture several times, then emitted a sad little hum and returned the painting to the smuggling compartment.

Han looked back to Tarfang. "How'd you do that?"

The Ewok's only answer was an indignant snort. He spun around and started for the boarding ramp, no longer seeming to care whether Han or anyone else followed.

"Touchy little fellow, isn't he?"

"Tarfang is not a nice being." Saba started after the Ewok. "But his captain can help us find Jaina and the otherz."

Han caught up to her outside, where C-3PO informed them that Luke and the others had gone on ahead with Tarfang. Despite Saba's a.s.surances that Killik Twilight was perfectly safe now that someone had spit on it, Han asked the Noghri to stay with the painting.

They dropped Ben at the Shadow with Nanna, then joined Luke, Mara, and Leia outside the blast-pocked, carbon-scored disk of a small YT-1000 transport. A smaller cousin to Han's own YT-1300, the YT-1000's c.o.c.kpit sat atop the hull where the Falcon's upper laser cannon turret was located; there was no lower turret at all. For defense, the vessel had only four short-range blaster cannons spread evenly along the rim of its hull.

"That thing flew here?" Han gasped.

An indignant Ewok voice chuttered from inside the vessel's shadowy entrance.

"He says it came straight from Regel Eight," C-3PO translated.

Tarfang stepped into the light and jabbered at Han some more.

"I'm certainly glad we don't fly on this s.h.i.+p!" C-3PO said. "He says not everyone has credits to waste on repairs!"

Leia stepped to Han's side. "We apologize, Tarfang." She flashed one of her old diplomat's smiles, a bland show of teeth that could have meant anything. "Han didn't mean to insult you."

"Yeah," Han said. "I was just amazed by your bravery."

Tarfang eyed Han for a moment, then growled deep in his throat and waved them up the ramp.

Han turned to Luke and Mara. "You sure about this?"

"Not really," Luke said. He smiled and clapped Han on the shoulder.

"We weren't expecting you and Leia."

"Yeah, well... anybody can bust up a pirate ring," Han said. "But Jaina-we figured you'd need the help."

"We might," Mara said with a laugh. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Good to see you, Han."

They exchanged greetings all around, then climbed the boarding ramp into a surprisingly tidy air lock with all proper emergency equipment neatly stowed in a transparisteel rescue locker. Beyond the hatch, the interior of the main access corridor was lit only by two of the waxy s.h.i.+ne- b.a.l.l.s the bugs used for illumination. By the green glow, Han could see that the durasteel floor panels had been sanibuffed a little too well. There was a telltale shadow where the "invisible" seams came together over the smuggling compartments.

Tarfang was waiting a few steps up the corridor. He grunted and waved them into the main cabin. Given the s.h.i.+p's dim lighting, Han expected to find some fierce, dark-loving being like a Defel waiting inside.

Instead, kneeling in front of an open engineering panel was a little jug-eared Sull.u.s.tan in a set of carbon-smeared utilities. He was busy soldering powerfeeds to a new master control board, though Han could not imagine how even a Sull.u.s.tan could see to work by the light of the single s.h.i.+ne-ball stuck to the wall above him.

Tarfang went to the Sull.u.s.tan's side and, coming to attention, cleared his throat.

"Go on." The Sull.u.s.tan spoke without looking away from his work.

"I'm listening."

Tarfang launched into a lengthy explanation, gesturing at Saba and Luke even though the Sull.u.s.tan's attention remained fixed on the control board. Finally, the captain finished the attachment he was working on and turned to his visitors.

"I'm Jae Juun, captain of the XR-eight-oh-eight-g."

"XR-eight-oh-eight-g?" Han asked. "What kind of name is that?"

"It's a Galactic Alliance registration number, of course." Juun frowned and squinted in the direction of Han's voice, but Han was standing well back in the shadows, where even a Sull.u.s.tan's sensitive eyes would have trouble with the contrast between light and darkness.

"You haven't heard of the XR-eight-oh-eight-g?'

"Should we have?" Leia asked.

Juun pasted on a small Sull.u.s.tan smirk. "Not if I've been doing my job."

"You're succeeding beyond your wildest dreams," Han said.

Leia grabbed the back of his elbow and squeezed in warning, but the Sull.u.s.tan merely smiled in pride.

"Tarfang tells me you're looking for someone to help you catch your friends."

"To find them," Luke corrected.

"I see. Well, it makes no difference." Juun cast an annoyed glance in Tarfang's direction. "I'm afraid my first mate sometimes exceeds his authority."

Tarfang asked something in a disbelieving tone.

"It's not the mate's responsibility to raise funds," Juun replied.

"You let me worry how we're going to pay for that vortex stabilizer."

"A warp vortex stabilizer?" Han asked. "For a YT this old? It can't be easy to come by one of those out here."

"Not at a fair price," Juun agreed. "I've had one brought in, but I'm two hundred credits short of the s.h.i.+pping fees."

"Not if you help us, you're not," Han said, stepping into the light. "We can pay you the two hundred credits."

Juun's mouth fell. "I knew that was your voice!" He turned to Tarfang. "Why didn't you tell me Han Solo was with them?"

Tarfang sneered in Han's direction and prattled an answer.

"Yes, but this is Han Solo!" The Sull.u.s.tan rose and thrust a hand out. "The XR-eight-oh-eight-g follows all your procedures, and I've memorized all your combat maneuvers from the history vids."

"Uh, I wouldn't trust everything I see in those holovids," Han said, allowing the Sull.u.s.tan to shake his hand. "Now, about that help..."

"I'd like to help you." Juun's voice grew disappointed, and he turned back to his work. "But it wouldn't be proper."

"Proper?" Han echoed. That particular word encompa.s.sed everything he hated about Sull.u.s.tans. "Why not?"

"Because I have an arrangement with our hosts, and evidently they don't want you to find your friends."

Tarfang groaned and slapped his brow.

"We can't ignore the wishes of our business partners," Juun said to the Ewok. "We have a deal."

"A deal you can't keep until you find two hundred credits," Han said. "How long are they willing to wait?"

"We are facing a bit of a dilemma," Juun admitted.

"What if we were to buy a copy of your charts?" Luke asked.

Juun shook his head. "My charts wouldn't help you. Your friends went to Yoggoy."

"And you don't know where Yoggoy is?" Luke asked.

"n.o.body does," Juun said. "The Yoggoy are very proud and secretive.

They hide the location of their nest from outsiders."

Saba glared down at Tarfang. "Then why did you say you could help us find our friendz?"

Tarfang jabbered an answer.

"Because the XR-eight-oh-eight-g has been a.s.signed a cargo for Yoggoy, " C-3PO translated, "and when a s.h.i.+p is a.s.signed a cargo for Yoggoy, it is also a.s.signed a Yoggoy to serve as its navigator for the trip."

"Fine," Leia said. Even she seemed to be losing patience. "Help us get a cargo, and we'll pay you for consulting."

Tarfang rattled off a long response, which C-3PO translated as, "Tarfang suggests you simply give Captain Juun the money. They'll check on our friends and give us a report when they return."

"Sure they will." Han turned to the others, then nodded toward the door. "We're wasting our time here."

Luke motioned Han to wait, his gaze fixed on Tarfang. Han realized for the first time that Mara was no longer with them; under circ.u.mstances like these, she had an uncanny knack for slipping away unnoticed.

Finally, Luke turned back to Han. "Tarfang's not trying to swindle us, Han. He really does want to work out an honest deal."

Tarfang snarled something at the Jedi Master.

"He wasn't stealing your thoughts," C-3PO said to the Ewok. "Master Luke is not a thief."

Tarfang whirled on the droid and yapped a command.

"Very well. But I wouldn't blame him if he used his lightsaber on you. " C-3PO turned to Luke. "Tarfang is threatening to remove your eyes if you do that again."

"Oh, that scares him," Han said to the Ewok. "You want to make a deal? Here it is: two hundred credits to get us a cargo."

To Han's surprise, it was Saba who answered. "He can't."

"Why not?"