Rebel Force_ Renegade Part 12

demands for details about how he and Jaxson had managed to survive a night in the Jundland Wastes. There was no reason to keep it a secret, but Luke-who had already told so many tales of his fake life as a s.p.a.ce smuggler-didn't relish making the experience into another adventure story. And, although they hadn't discussed it, Jaxson seemed just as reluctant. No one knew about how Luke's lightsaber had freed them from the bounty hunter, or that Jaxson's quick reflexes had saved Luke from toppling over a cliff. But the latter wasn't something Luke would soon forget. As his friends pestered Leia, clamoring for more details of her adventures in s.p.a.ce, Luke pulled Jaxson aside. They retreated to a quiet corner of the cantina, pausing beneath a garish painting of Noosh Feteel, one of Mos Eisley's founding fathers.

"What is it?" Jaxson asked, looking like he could guess, but was hoping to be wrong.

"I just wanted to thank you again," Luke said. "For what you did out there."

Jaxson shrugged. "Yeah, well. Whatever."

"You saved my life!" Luke said.

"Yeah." Jaxson s.h.i.+fted his weight uncomfortably. "I remember."

"I guess I owe you one," Luke said. "And listen, what I said before, about your piloting?"

"You mean, like how I had the hand-eye coordination of a blind womp rat?"

Jaxson said sourly.

Luke flushed. He didn't remember using exactly exactly those words. "Right. That. I didn't mean it. You're good-good enough that they should have let you into the Academy. But listen, it's really a good thing they didn't. Biggs-" those words. "Right. That. I didn't mean it. You're good-good enough that they should have let you into the Academy. But listen, it's really a good thing they didn't. Biggs-"

"You going to start up with that trash again, Skywalker?" Jaxson snarled.

"Going to tell me that I'm lucky I didn't s.h.i.+p out to the Academy, because then I might have ended up serving in the big, bad Imperial Navy?"

"I was just-"

"Look, maybe I was wrong about you, too, Wormie," Jaxson admitted.

"Maybe you're not just out for yourself. Maybe you don't think you're better than the rest of us. But last night doesn't change the fact that Fixer was right. Doesn't matter who's in charge of the galaxy, as long as the vaporators keep running."

Luke used to think the rest of the galaxy had nothing to do with Tatooine, too.

Until the day the Empire arrived and slaughtered his aunt and uncle. That was the day Luke had realized that the Empire's reach was everywhere. But he knew he wouldn't be able to convince Jaxson of that, or any of them. It was something they'd have to figure out for themselves. And part of Luke hoped they would never have to. Life on Tatooine was hard enough.

He held out a hand for Jaxson to shake. "Then just thank you. I owe you my life."

Jaxson c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at Luke, looking for a moment remarkably like Han. "Don't worry about it, Wormie. You'll pay me back some-"

A crash of transparisteel cut off his words. Luke spotted the telltale gleam of a blaster barrel and, before he even processed what it meant, threw himself at Jaxson, knocking both of them to the ground. A searing blast of laserfire flew through the air where their heads had been, striking the ugly painting behind them. A jagged hole exploded in the Mos Eisley forefather's forehead.

The creature in the doorway held the blaster in his right hand and as he stepped fully into the cantina it became clear that his left arm ended at his shoulder in a cauterized stump. His scaled face was bruised and dented, and one red eye clouded over with green blood. He lurched through the door on one leg, and swung the blaster across the cantina, spraying laserfire in every direction.

Bossk was back.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

"Hey-he's supposed to be dead!" Luke protested, as he overturned a table and pulled down Leia behind it for cover.

"I guess no one told him," Leia said, her blaster already in hand. She peeked her head out and took a couple shots. Laserfire erupted all around them, and she lowered her head again, safely s.h.i.+elded behind the table. Luke spotted Jaxson, Windy, and Fixer cowering beneath another table a few meters away.

None of them were armed.

"Jaxson!" Luke shouted. When Jaxson turned, Luke tossed him his blaster.

"What are you doing?" Leia asked.

"I have my lightsaber," Luke said. "That'll be enough."

He raised his eyes above the edge of the table, just enough to scope out the situation. Bossk, who had attached the sawed-off barrel of a blast rifle to the charred stump of his left leg, was framed in the doorway, his own blast rifle peppering the cantina with laserfire. His two allies, the Gamorreans who had blasted through the windows, stood in opposite corners of the cantina, firing at anything that moved.

But this was Tatooine, which meant plenty of the cantina patrons were ready and willing to fire back. Every time Bossk and the Gamorreans tried to advance, they were pinned down by a barrage of laserfire. So they stayed at the perimeter, deflecting shots with chairs and tables, pinning down everyone who lay inside. It was a "Mos Eisley" standoff.

The room was thick with smoke. A foul stench of scorched plastoid hung heavy in the air. Shards of sunlight filtered into the dark room through shattered transparisteel, lighting up the pale, terrified faces of the unarmed cowering behind furniture.

A hammer-headed Ithorian leapt up from behind the long bar, emitting a keening wail as he raced toward the exit. He made it ten steps before blasterfire cut him down, and he dropped to the ground in a twitching, moaning heap.

Luke tightened his grip on his lightsaber. Enough. Enough. The bounty hunter was here for The bounty hunter was here for him him, and he wasn't about to hide under a table while innocent people were hurt.

"If you and Jaxson can take out the Gamorreans, I can handle Bossk," Luke told Leia. She gaped at him.

"You don't even have a real weapon!" she protested.

"Just trust me," Luke said. "We have to end this now."

Leia glanced over her shoulder at the nearest Gamorrean. "He's not covering his right flank," she said. "I think I can take him down, if I can make it over in that direction. And if Jaxson can get the other one."

Luke caught Jaxson's eye, and jerked his head toward the Gamorrean at the far end of the saloon, who held a heavy blaster in one hand and a disrupter rifle in the other. Every few seconds he fired off a warning shot. When he got bored of that, he played target practice with the row of bottles lining the bar, exploding them one by one. If Jaxson could make it to the edge of the room, and sidle along the wall unseen, he'd have the perfect angle for a direct hit. Jaxson followed Luke's gaze, then gave him a confident nod.

On my signal, Luke mouthed, and, nodding again, Jaxson began to inch into position.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Leia whispered. Luke nodded. She squeezed his shoulder, then slipped away.

"Bossk!" Luke shouted, hoping to draw attention away from his friends as they lined up their shot. "It's me you want! Leave these people alone."

"The coward speaks," Bossk said, then aimed a round of laserfire at Luke's head. Luke ducked below the table again. Once Leia and Jaxson took out the other two shooters, it would be easy to dispatch Bossk. But Luke didn't want him dead. Not until he found out who'd hired the bounty hunter. "Surrender yourself, and we can end this."

"How about you surrender your your self," Luke suggested, trying his best to channel Han's confidence. "Unless you want to lose the self," Luke suggested, trying his best to channel Han's confidence. "Unless you want to lose the other other leg." leg."

The bounty hunter chuckled. "You plan to take on a Trandoshan and two Gamorreans?"

"I'm not worried about the two Gamorreans," Luke said-and, simultaneously, Leia and Jaxson took their shots. The snout-nosed aliens fell in unison, with a single, resounding thud. Luke leapt to his feet. "Leave the Trandoshan!" he shouted to the cantina. "He's mine."

Bossk chuckled again, although this time his laughter sounded hollow. He pulled the trigger on his blast rifle, sending a blast of laserfire directly at Luke's chest. Without hesitating, Luke blocked it with his lightsaber. The laserfire ricocheted off the glowing blue blade, and Luke advanced toward the bounty hunter.

It's just like I practiced, Luke told himself, as Bossk blasted away at him. Luke whirled the lightsaber through the air, deflecting shots one after the other.

Focus, he thought.

Concentrate.

Let the Force guide you.

This time it wasn't just Obi-f0 Wan's voice that he heard. It was as if Obi-f0 Wan himself was present, guiding Luke's hand. The lightsaber zigzagged with a smooth surety and grace that Luke had never before achieved, even in his best training sessions. The glowing blade s.h.i.+mmered and sparked as the blasts pinged off of it and, step by step, Luke advanced on the Trandoshan. The cantina had fallen silent, every eye on Luke and his dancing blade. Finally, Luke was close enough to slash the blaster out of the Trandoshan's had.

Close enough to make good on his promise to take the Trandoshan's other leg if he wanted to. Which he didn't. The thought of such a brutal act, even in self-defense, made him sick. But he had to hope that Bossk believed he was capable of it.

The Trandoshan reached for the BlasTech pistol tucked into his belt. But Luke stopped him with a flick of the lightsaber. "You're stronger than me," he said quietly. "You may even be faster than me. But you've seen what this weapon can do." He touched it to the Trandoshan's armored breastplate. "This can slice through your armor in an instant. You may be able to survive without an arm or a leg, but can you survive without a heart?"

"I will not beg for mercy," the Trandoshan said coldly. "Slay me if you must.

The Scorekeeper will embrace me with honor for my many kills." Luke knew he believed it. Bossk didn't fear death. He feared cowardice, humiliation, and dishonor. The crueler punishment would be to let him live.

"Who are you working for?" Luke asked.

Bossk's jaws drew back in a jagged smile. "There's only one creature on this dung heap of a rock who's worthy of my services. One creature who owns you all.

Jabba. Of course.

"Then go back to your employer, and you tell him it doesn't matter how many bounty hunters he sends after me. I'll never never help him get Han." help him get Han."

"You would die to protect that s.p.a.cer sc.u.m?" Bossk asked.

"No one's dying today," Luke said. But if it came to that? Yes. And Luke knew that Han would do the same for him. No matter what had happened, Luke was sure of it. "So while you're at it, you can give Jabba another message: You want Luke Skywalker? Better come and get him yourself. If you dare dare."

Luke knew his message would never get back to Jabba. The Trandoshan would probably hop the first freighter off the planet, rather than face Jabba's wrath at having failed. Or he would try again, round up another handful of incompetent Gamorreans for another attempt on Luke's life. But-Luke watched the Trandoshan hobble away-he doubted it. And even if the bounty hunter decided to try again, by that time, Luke would be long gone. He was done hiding out; and he was done pretending that this was a place where he still belonged.

It was time to go home.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

X-f0 7 peered through the scope of his A2S0 longarm blaster rifle, watching Luke and his friends dodge blasterfire. His hand tightened on the front-grip pump as he readied for the shot. From his perch on the roof of an out-of-business water distribution plant across the street, he had a perfect view of the chaos inside the cantina. Tatooine's blazing suns blanketed him with a brutal heat that radiated in waves off the bleached pourstone of the roof. Sand coated his hands, his face, the insides of his nose and mouth. It was as if the desert was consuming him.

This place was the armpit of the galaxy, and the sooner he got out, the better.

But he couldn't go anywhere until Skywalker was taken care of.

He waited impatiently for the Trandoshan to deal Luke a death blow. But it never came. And X-f0 7 found himself relieved. Which made no sense. It shouldn't have mattered whether Luke died by X-f0 7's hand or the bounty hunter's claw. All that should have mattered was that the target ended up dead, and the Commander was satisfied. Fulfilling the mission, that was to be his only job, his only care.

But this time, X-f0 7 wanted more than that. He wanted wanted the kill. Luke had defied him one too many times, clinging to life; Luke had made the Commander doubt X-f0 7's competence. Luke Skywalker needed to die, and X-f0 7 needed to be the one to make that happen. the kill. Luke had defied him one too many times, clinging to life; Luke had made the Commander doubt X-f0 7's competence. Luke Skywalker needed to die, and X-f0 7 needed to be the one to make that happen.

X-f0 7 knew something was wrong. He wasn't supposed to feel want want. Just as he wasn't supposed to feel frustration, or impatience as he watched the battle play out, his finger itching on the trigger of his blaster. These were emotions- and emotions were dangerous. More than that, they were forbidden.

X-f0 7 also knew that he should report his problem to the Commander, who would be further convinced it was time for more training. More time in the box, pinned to the wall, pincers prying through his thoughts and memories, cleaning him out. Or perhaps the Commander would decide he wasn't worth the trouble and terminate him. This shouldn't have mattered, either. Life was nothing to X-f0 7, nothing but a way to serve the Commander. If he could better serve the Commander through death, so be it.

But nothing was the way it was supposed to be, not since Luke. The longer he spent on this mission, the more he wanted to complete it. And the more he wanted wanted other things, whether or not he was supposed to. Things like Luke's death. other things, whether or not he was supposed to. Things like Luke's death.

Things like his own life.

Everything will get back to normal, he told himself. Once Skywalker is dead. Once Skywalker is dead.

The wounded Trandoshan limped out of the bar. X-f0 7 had no idea why the bounty hunter would have given up before he or his target was dead. But it wasn't important. It was X-f0 7's turn now. Luke was standing behind the shattered window, jagged transparisteel framing his trusting face.

Kneeling, X-f0 7 rested the barrel of the blaster on the edge of the roof, and framed Luke's head in the targeting scope. He lined up the perfect shot. His finger tightened on the trigger, but he hesitated. Just to savor what was to come.

Just a moment-but a moment too long.

The blast nozzle jabbed hard into the back of his head. X-f0 7 likely would have been able to identify it by feel-a DL-44 heavy blaster-but he didn't have to. Be knew exactly what kind of blaster it was, because it was accompanied by a familiar voice.

"Drop it." Han didn't wait for X-f0 7 to comply. He kicked the weapon out of X-f0 7's hands. It toppled off the roof, cras.h.i.+ng into a Jawa trading post below and clanging against an unsuspecting R2 unit. The unit beeped and sparked, skidding wildly toward a tethered eopie. The spooked beast reared up on its hind legs, slamming back to the ground squarely atop a stall of fresh pallie and pika fruits. A clutch of angry Jawas and fruit vendors gaped up at the roof, shouting in squeaky voices and shaking their fists.

"Get up," Han ordered. "Slowly."

As he climbed to his feet, X-f0 7 did some quick calculating. He could kill Solo now-the smuggler's blaster was nothing against X-f0 7's speed and K'tara fighting skills. But he couldn't do it now, not with half of Mos Eisley watching from below. His orders had been to remain undercover for as long as possible, to kill Luke without losing the Rebellion's trust. Which meant he would have to let this play out as long as he could, and try to turn it to his advantage.

"Better shoot me now, Solo," X-f0 7 growled. "At least if you want to live past sundown." No point in denying what he really was, not when he'd been caught in the act.

Han shook his head. "You're no good to me dead," he said. "Not until we make it good and clear to our friends what you've been up to. You want to quit breathing after that? Be my guest."

X-f0 7 laughed. "You came all the way here to clear your name? How... cute cute.

Too bad it'll never happen."

Han just scowled at him, and raised his comlink. "Chewie, how's it coming down there?"

The Wookiee barked in response, and Han nodded sharply. "Well, hurry it up." He kept the blaster steadily aimed at X-f0 7. " Our Our friends will be here soon." friends will be here soon."

X-f0 7 smirked. "Just in time to rescue their good and loyal friend Tobin Elad from the diabolical Han Solo."

"They're going to find out exactly what their good and loyal friend good and loyal friend is made of," Han snarled. is made of," Han snarled.

"And you've brought evidence, have you?"

Han said nothing.

X-f0 7 arched an eyebrow. "Your word against mine, then?" he said. "The word of a man who stashed several kilograms of detonite in his quarters? Who fled justice, rather than face his accusers? The man so scurrilous that even Jabba the Hutt has deemed him untrustworthy? I'm sure our our friends will have no trouble believing a man like that." friends will have no trouble believing a man like that."

X-f0 7 could read people; it was the only way he'd stayed alive for so long.