Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy I: The Paradise Snare (23 page)

Bria pulled her mind free from Teroenza’s and joined the crowd of pilgrims who were moaning in distress, crying, and stumbling back and forth, disoriented. Some stood shivering and whining as they gazed beseechingly at the priests.

Teroenza lumbered off the dais by the Altar and began thrusting his way into the crowd. The t’landa Til peered down into faces, distractedly muttering blessings, as he tried to cover up the fact that he was desperately searching for the pilgrim who had just scanned his mind.

Luckily, Bria was far back in the crowd, quite near the end of the amphitheater. She let herself be shoved backward, off the permacrete, until her feet encountered gooey jungle loam. With a single quick, decisive movement, Bria dug her toe into a lump of trampled leaves and mud and lifted it. Her fingers released the glitterstim cylinder, and it fell, landing in the center of the hole.

Bria turned, and as she did so, her foot pressed the lump of mud back down into the jungle floor. The entire sequence of events had taken only a second.

She began edging her way along the back of the crowd,
toward the path, allowing herself to be carried along with the tide of incoherent, querulous, confused, and dissatisfied pilgrims.

A cautious glance behind her assured her that Teroenza had abandoned his search, apparently having realized how hopeless it was, and how much his atypical behavior was upsetting the pilgrims. Bria hoped that he’d put the entire experience down to some relative newcomer deciding to experiment with a stolen vial of glitterstim.

She moved numbly down the path, her footsteps slow and unsteady. The effects of the glitterstim had faded so much that she was barely aware of the thoughts and emotions of those immediately around her.

She wasn’t surprised when Vykk fell into step beside her. As usual, he took her arm to help support her. Bria leaned against him, grateful for his support, and felt his arm go around her waist, until he was half holding her up.

The swift equatorial dark was all around them, now. Bria could barely see Vykk. He led her down the path, avoiding the worst of the mud puddles. Then, when they reached the dorm, she stopped. “I’m … not going in there just yet,” she mumbled. “I need … I need to talk to you, Vykk.”

He nodded, his features barely visible in the light cast from the open doors. “Okay. I don’t think anyone will mind if we go up to the mess hall for a cup of stim-tea. You look like you could use it.”

Together, they turned away, into the darkness. Bria leaned on Vykk as they went up the path. She had never felt so weary. A droid would have moved with more animation.

When they reached the mess hall, Vykk sat her down and fetched them cups of stim-tea, plus a sugared pastry, which he pushed at Bria. “Here,” he said. “Eat this. You look like you need it.”

Obediently she sipped her tea and nibbled on the pastry. She hadn’t had dinner, and the food seemed to steady her, bring the world back into focus.

She leaned toward Vykk, ready to talk, but even as she
opened her mouth, he shook his head warningly. “Guess I’d better get you back to your dorm,” he said loudly. “That’ll teach you to skip meals, 921. I thought you were going to pass out on me back there.”

Taking the hint, Bria got to her feet in silence and followed him out.

When they reached the outside of the Administration Building, Vykk pulled out a pair of infrared goggles and pulled them on. “You got yours?”

Nodding, Bria located them and pulled them into place. The night suddenly resolved itself into ghostly black and greenish-white images. She could see Vykk’s face now, half-hidden as it was by the goggles.

His arm came around her again as they started down the jungle path together. “You took the glitterstim,” he said quietly.

“Yes,” she said, feeling as numb as if she’d been beaten into unconsciousness. “You were right. Forgive me for doubting you …”

“Hey,” he said, trying to sound cheerful and failing utterly, “I’d have wanted to check out my story, too, in your place. Was it … was it rough?”

She nodded, and suddenly feeling rushed back, in a black tide, leaving her shaking and gasping. “Oh, Vykk!” she babbled. “I was in his
mind
, Teroenza’s
mind
, and it was terrible! No Divine Gift, just a bored, selfish sentient who wants to get richer so he can add to his collection!”

“Take it easy,” he said, holding her shoulders to steady her. “You’ve had an awful shock.”

“I feel … I feel … so … betrayed,” Bria got out, between chattering teeth. “It was … terrible …”

“Hey, there, sweetheart …” His arms went around her, and the expression of sympathy was her undoing. Bria began to sob, huge, gulping, wracking sobs that
hurt
. Vykk helped her take her goggles off, then he just held her, stroking her hair, patting her back, murmuring soothing reassurances and endearments.

She held on to the front of his coverall with both hands, twisting and wringing the fabric, and weeping so hard she
scared herself. Bria had never cried like this before. The sense of desolation was terrible.

“I … don’t … have anything left,” she choked out between spasms of crying. “Nothing … nothing …”

“Of course you do,” Vykk murmured, kissing her cheek gently. “You’ve got us, right?”

“Uh … us?” she whispered.

“Sure. We’re gonna be together, sweetheart. We’re gonna get off this hellish planet, and we’re gonna be happy.”

She raised her head, staring blindly into the darkness; her night-sight could barely make out the lighter blur of his face. “But they never let pilgrims go,” Bria mumbled. “I read that in Teroenza’s mind.”

“We won’t
ask
’em, honey. We’ll just up and
go
.”

“Escape?” she whispered.

“You got it,” he said. “As soon as I can figure out a way to do it, we’re gonna get out of here. I’ve already begun thinkin’ about it.” He gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. “Trust me. I’ve had experience at this kind of thing. I’ll figure it out.”

“But … but your money,” she said. “You’re under contract, and you can’t break it. If you run away, you’ll lose your money. You told me you needed those credits they’re paying you to try and get into the Academy. How can you give that up?”

He shrugged. “One credit is as good as another. I’ll just have to get it outta Teroenza another way.”

Bria’s mind was fogged with exhaustion and the grief of betrayal. It took her a full minute to realize what Vykk was talking about. “The collection …” she whispered. “You’re planning to steal Teroenza’s collection and escape.”

“Pretty good,” he said approvingly. “You sure you’re not still having some of those glitterstim insights?”

“I don’t think so,” Bria said wearily. “I just know that you’ve asked me about it a lot of times, asked me what items are the most valuable. You really think you can break the security locks and steal the collection?”

“Not the whole thing,” he said. “It’d take a bigger cargo
ship than any on Ylesia to haul it all away. I’m just gonna take the small stuff—the really valuable small stuff.” He looked at her intently. “And you’re gonna help me, right?”

She hesitated. Stealing antiquities was contrary to everything she’d ever believed in. But Teroenza’s antiquities weren’t in a museum, where the public could see them. They were being hoarded by a greedy private collector. If Vykk stole them, they’d be put back into circulation, and there was a good chance that at least some of them
would
wind up on public display in some store or gallery.

“Okay,” Bria said. She drew a long, shaky breath. “I’ll help you, Vykk.”

“Good. You and me, we’re gonna swipe a ship, and we’re getting ourselves off this planet. I’m sick of the heat, sick of the humidity, and sick to death of these priests and their hokey religion.”

Bria took a deep breath.
Leave here? Never attend devotion and receive the Exultation again? How can I live without it?

Resolutely, she put the question out of her mind. She’d manage somehow. Maybe she could wean herself away from it over the next week or so, until they left.

“There’s just one more thing, Vykk,” she said uncertainly.

“What, sweetheart?”

“Muuurgh. What about Muuurgh? You told me that he’d given his word to guard you—that he’s as much your guard as your protector. What will you do about him?”

Vykk drew a long breath, and she saw the blur of his face move as he shook his head. “That’s the vrelt in the kitchen,” he said, using an old Corellian phrase for “bad luck” or “disaster.” “I don’t know what I’m going to do about him. I really like the big guy, but he’s told me about this word of honor code of his people. I’m afraid he’ll be loyal to Teroenza no matter what.”

“You mean if he finds out what we’re planning, he’ll turn us in?”

“Good chance of it.”

“Oh, Vykk …” There was a catch in her voice. “What are we going to do? What if we can’t get away?”

“Don’t worry, honey. Leave that to me.” Vykk sighed. “If I have to, I’ll deal with Muuurgh. I’m a better shot than he is, and much faster on the draw.”

“You’d
shoot
him?”

“If it’s a choice between you and me, or Muuurgh, yeah, I will. I just wish I could convince him to throw in with us. If he did, I’d take him wherever he wanted to go. And give him enough credits to continue his search.”

“Search?”

“Yeah. He’s looking for his mate, and he came here thinking she came to Ylesia. But he guessed wrong. Togorians are rare, so rare that I’d never even heard of ’em till I got here. If a female Togorian was here, she’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

Bria drew in her breath, startled. “But … Vykk! There
was
another Togorian here! I remember seeing one—oh, six, maybe eight months back. I just caught the one glimpse, but I’m sure of the species.”

“Really? Was it a male or female? What’d it look like?”

“I have no idea what sex,” she said. “I don’t think this Togorian was as big as Muuurgh. It was white, with orange stripes … I think. I saw it one evening, just after devotions, and it was getting dark.”

“I’ll have to tell Muuurgh,” Vykk said. “Those priests lie for a living. It’s entirely possible Mrrov—I think that’s her name—has been here on Ylesia the whole time. Maybe at Colony Two or Three.”

He fell silent. Bria stood there, mulling over what he’d just said, and finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Please, Vykk,” she pleaded, “tell me you didn’t mean that about shooting Muuurgh if he tries to prevent us from stealing Teroenza’s collection! There’s got to be a way to avoid that!” Bria
liked
Muuurgh. Over the past couple of months she’d gotten to know him a little, and she admired the big felinoid.

“I’ll take care of him, whatever it takes. If I have to, I’ll shoot him.” Vykk’s voice was grim. “But maybe I can
just … stun him, or give him a knock on that thick skull of his, leave him tied up, so the priests won’t blame him when we make our getaway.”

“Oh, Vykk …” Bria’s eyes filled with tears again. “Please try to figure out something, so Muuurgh doesn’t get hurt. You’re good at that.”

“I will, sweetheart,” he said, “I will …”

He leaned forward to drop a quick kiss on her forehead, and this time she did not remind him of her vows.
I have no vows
, Bria thought dully as they began walking back toward her dorm.
No vows, no religion … nothing at all …

She glanced sideways in the darkness.

Nothing except Vykk …

   Muuurgh glided soundlessly out of the jungle and stepped onto the path. The Togorian’s night-vision was far better than a human’s; he could easily make out the distant pair walking down the path. They were almost to the dorm.

The felinoid had been creeping through the jungle with exaggerated care for the past couple of minutes, determined to get close enough to overhear their whispered conversation. The Togorian had only managed to get close enough to catch the tail end of what they’d been discussing—but he’d heard enough.

Pilot and Bria were planning to escape. They were planning to steal from his masters. Pilot was planning to “take care” of Muuurgh.

The Togorian shook his massive head unhappily. Muuurgh had given his word of honor to his masters—his course
should
be clear. But it wasn’t.

He knew well enough what he
should
do. He should go to Teroenza tomorrow morning and tell him what he’d overheard. Or perhaps he, Muuurgh, should kill Pilot himself and tell the priest why after the deed was done.

But he stood there, hesitating. It was obvious that Pilot was desperate enough to shoot him to get away. Muuurgh had given his word of honor to guard Pilot.

But Pilot was also Vykk … and Muuurgh had come to
think of Vykk as a friend. Vykk was determined to protect his female. Muuurgh could understand that. He’d do almost anything to protect Mrrov … if he could only find her …

Muuurgh growled, low in his throat. Perhaps he should pretend to be friendly, so that Pilot would allow him to get close enough to use his teeth and claws. Muuurgh was an expert hunter. Once he’d gotten hold of his prey, there was no escape.

Could
he kill Vykk to keep his word of honor?

Muuurgh growled again and turned back into the jungle. Tonight he would hunt, and he would kill. He would tear open and consume his fresh prey. Perhaps that would clear his mind, and then he would be able to decide what to do …

Muuurgh glided beneath the giant trees, as silent and invisible as a wraith …