Refugee: Force Heretic II (49 page)

He saw a gray orb lit by the baleful light of a boiling red-yellow gas giant. The atmosphere soaked up infrared, but radar showed a hilly terrain around the equator, with several small flat spots that could have been seas scattered evenly across both hemispheres. There was evidence of recent eruptions and crust movement, as would be expected for a world that had endured capture not just by a sun, but also by a gas giant.

“That’s it,” he breathed, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. “That’s Zonama Sekot.”

“The charts list it as M-Eighteen,” Wyn said.

“It’s Zonama Sekot,” Jacen repeated. “It has to be. What did you say the odds were, Danni?”

“Very much against something like this happening naturally, Jacen,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean it
couldn’t
happen.”

“I know,” he replied easily. “But it didn’t.”

R2-D2 whistled cheerfully, as though backing him up.

“We should at least check it out,” Mara said.

“We will,” Luke agreed. “After all, it’s the best lead we’ve had so far.”

“If there’s anything we can do to assist you,” Soontir Fel said, “consider it done.” He hesitated for barely a second before adding, “Within reason, of course.”

Those weren’t empty words. The Chiss had already provided detailed tactical maps of the Unknown Regions, revealing several torturous trade lanes through areas that previously had been thought impassible. More sinisterly, the data showed that the Yuuzhan Vong had been more active in the area than Galactic Alliance intelligence had known. As far back as the first attacks on New Republic systems, a Yuuzhan Vong task force had made an end run around Chiss space and made it into the Unknown Regions. That it had never been heard of since—or that no other task force had made it past the Chiss—was
no cause for complacency. Further Chiss assistance might well prove welcome at some point.

Luke smiled genially. “Thank you,” he said. “And I promise not to mention a treaty with the Galactic Alliance until the next time we pass through here.”

“If there is a next time,” Mara said.

Jacen nodded, thinking of the attack on the Imperial Remnant, the Krizlaws on Munlali Mafir, and Chief Navigator Aabe; and then, of course, the Yuuzhan Vong themselves, whose incursions into Chiss space were becoming more frequent every day.

It’s been hard enough getting this far
, he thought.
I doubt it’s going to get any easier
.

He felt Danni’s support and confidence nearby, and was warmed by it. At least, he added, there was no shortage of support—for him and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. All they had to do was follow their hearts, letting the Force guide their decisions, and eventually, he was sure, they’d get there.

What they would find when they arrived, however, remained to be seen …

The Unknown Soldier
(with Shane Dix)
Metal Fatigue
The Resurrected Man

EVERGENCE (with Shane Dix)
The Prodigal Sun
The Dying Light
The Dark Imbalance

THE BOOKS OF THE CHANGE
The Stone Mage & the Sea
The Sky Warden & the Sun
The Storm Weaver & the Sand

ORPHANS (with Shane Dix)
Echoes of Earth
Orphans of Earth
Heirs of Earth

THE BOOKS OF THE CATACLYSM
The Crooked Letter
The Blood Debt
The Hanging Mountains
The Devoured Earth

GEODESICA (with Shane Dix)
Ascent
Descent

THE BROKEN LAND
The Changeling
The Dust Devils
The Scarecrow

ASTROPOLIS
Saturn Returns
Earth Ascendant
Remaining in Light

COLLECTIONS
Doorways to Eternity
A View Before Dying
New Adventures in Sci-Fi
Light Bodies Falling
Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams

Star Wars: Force Heretic I: Remnant
(with Shane Dix)
Star Wars: Force Heretic II: Refugee
(with Shane Dix)
Star Wars: Force Heretic III: Reunion
(with Shane Dix)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

THE FIXERS
Castle of Zombies
Planet of Cyborgs
Curse of the Vampire
(forthcoming)
Invasion of the Freaks
(forthcoming)

You saw the movies. You watched the cartoon series, or maybe played some of the video games. But did you know …

In
The Empire Strikes Back
, Princess Leia Organa said to Han Solo, “I love you.” Han said, “I know.” But did you know that they actually got married? And had three Jedi children: the twins, Jacen and Jaina, and a younger son, Anakin?

Luke Skywalker was trained as a Jedi by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. But did you know that, years later, he went on to revive the Jedi Order and its commitment to defending the galaxy from evil and injustice?

Obi-Wan said to Luke, “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” Did you know that over those millennia, legendary Jedi and infamous Sith Lords were adding their names to the annals of Republic history?

Yoda explained that the dreaded Sith tend to come in twos: “Always two, there are. No more, no less. A Master, and an apprentice.” But did you know that the Sith didn’t always exist in pairs? That at one time in the ancient Republic there were as many Sith as Jedi, until a Sith Lord named Darth Bane was the lone survivor of a great Sith war and created the “Rule of Two”?

All this and much, much more is brought to life in the many novels and comics of the
Star Wars
expanded universe. You’ve seen the movies and watched the cartoon. Now venture out into the wider worlds of
Star Wars
!

Turn the page or jump to the
timeline
of
Star Wars
novels to learn more.

Han Solo fought the urge to wipe a droplet of sweat from his brow, knowing that such a gesture would be seen as a sign of nervousness, and thus give the others a clue as to what he was holding.

“What’s it to be, Solo?”

Han went for a stall, his second in as many minutes. “Let me get this straight. It wasn’t enough that you guys got tired of using integers—or that you weren’t satisfied with just using real numbers, either. You had to start messing with imaginary and transreal numbers as well.”

The larval-stage Ruurian bounty hunter’s face was locked in a sneer. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Why should there be a problem?”

“Then get on with it!”

One corner of Han’s mouth curled up into a half grin. His opponents were starting to lose their patience. That could work to his advantage.

“So you’re saying that we can use
any
arithmetic operation we like. We can divide, subtract, multiply—”

“I know what you’re doing,” growled a bad-tempered Givin, its skeletal jaw clicking impatiently against its upper “lip.” Given its species’ predilection for mathematics, Han imagined that it was the Givin who was responsible for the changed rules. “You can’t bluff us, Solo.”

“Perhaps the great Han Solo has lost his edge.” The fourth player, Talien, a Yarkora with numerous gold rings dangling from each enormous nostril, uttered a contemptuous snort.

Han glanced down at the chip-cards in his hand. “Or perhaps it’s just that my math is a little rusty.”

He laid the cards on the table, resigning himself to winning the strangest game of sabacc he’d ever played. The three
³
√23 chips that the last round had dealt him stared up at the ceiling in staves, flasks, and coins. His decision to ditch the idiot card and take a chance on fate had paid off.

“Read ’em and weep,” Han said, leaning back into his chair. “Or whatever it is you guys do around here.”

“A cubic sabacc?” The Ruurian’s red eyes glittered dangerously in the bar’s dim and smoky light as it glared at Han. “That’s not possible!”

“It’s not impossible,” the Givin snarled. “Just extremely unlikely.”

“Solo, if you’re taking us for a ride, I swear—” the Yarkora began.

“Hey!” Han exclaimed, standing up and stabbing a finger at Talien’s enormous nose. “You scanned me on the way in. If I’d had a skifter on me, you’d’ve known about it.”

The Givin’s bony mouthplates ground together in frustration. “Skifter or no skifter, Solo, I still say it’s safer to believe in human nature than the kind of luck you’re claiming.”

“Come off it, Ren. You’re saying I cheated in a game I didn’t even know existed until I docked here a couple of days ago?” He snorted derisively. “You’re giving me a lot more credit than I deserve.”

“That’s
all
the credit you’ll be getting,” the Ruurian muttered, reaching forward with one of its many arms to scoop up the chips.

Han grabbed the junction between the alien’s two uppermost body parts and twisted sharply—not enough to do any damage, but certainly enough to make the Ruurian think twice. “You touch my winnings, and then you’ll see just how much of my edge I’ve lost.”

Chairs scraped across the stony floor as the other two players backed away from the sabacc table. Shouts sounded in a dozen different tongues around the room. The Thorny Toe maintained a strict no-weapons policy, but that didn’t mean that fights couldn’t be lethal. And as far as the patrons of the Thorny Toe were concerned, the more violent the altercation, the better the entertainment value.

“Overrated muck hauler!” the Ruurian grunted, wriggling its lengthy body in an attempt get free. Han struggled to hang on, while at the same time trying to keep the alien at arm’s length. Each of the Ruurian’s body segments possessed a set of limbs that clutched at him with hostile intent.

“Who you calling overrated?” Han muttered, tightening his grip. Although low in mass, the alien could bend in places Han couldn’t, making it difficult to maintain the upper hand. The Ruurian hitched its back end under the table and managed to tip him off balance. As he went down, a dozen sharp-tipped digits swarmed up his legs and chest, looking for soft spots. Tiny, razor-sharp mandibles snapped at his nose. The audience cheered, goading the antagonists on.

Just as he was beginning to think he’d taken on more than he could handle, two rough, three-fingered hands grabbed both him and the Ruurian, hauling them off the ground and separating them in midair.

“Enough!”

Han recognized the guttural accent of a Whiphid and instantly ceased trying to kick his way out of the creature’s grasp. He knew better than to fight a Whiphid. Their claw and tusks were as mean as their temperament.

“He’s a cheat!” the Ruurian whined, snapping at Han with its nether mandibles.

The Whiphid shook the alien so hard Han swore he heard its exoskeleton rattle. “This bar isn’t crooked!”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell them,” Han said, offering a self-satisfied smirk. “I beat them fair and square!”

The Whiphid dropped them both roughly to the floor, then pointed one of its claws accusingly at Han. “The boss wants to see you.”

A flash of uncertainty cooled any joy he might have taken from the victory.

“Not before I collect my winnings,” he said, climbing to his feet. He stepped resolutely to the table.

“You have five standard seconds,” the bouncer said.

Han needed only two. Using his shirt as a catchall, he scooped the credits off the table. The Ruurian looked on balefully, emitting a soft growl that only those in its immediate vicinity would have heard.

“You know, Talien, folks like you give sabacc players a bad name.” Han couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to gloat as he packed his winnings safely in his pockets. “Back in my day—”

“Spare us the glory speech.” Talien made no attempt to stop Han from walking off with the winnings, but glared at him menacingly. “Save it for your kids. Maybe they’ll be impressed by the once-great Han Solo.”

“Why, you—” Unreasoning anger rose in him, but before he could react, the bouncer caught him by the back of his jacket and tugged him away.

“Enough, I said!” The Whiphid lifted Han into the air again as though he were a child. Suspended, helpless, Han could only force his anger down and ignore the jeers of the other patrons as he was unceremoniously “escorted” from the bar.