Star Wars: Dark Nest I: The Joiner King by Troy Denning

Author:Troy Denning
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Tags: Solo, Luke (Fictitious character), Space Opera, Star Wars fiction, Fiction, Science fiction, American, Adventure, Han (Fictitious character), Skywalker, General, Media Tie-In
ISBN: 9780345463043
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 2005-07-26T07:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

Even curled into the primal egg position on the Falcon's medbay bunk, staring dead ahead with glazed eyes, Saba looked more annoyed by her wounds than pained by them. Her pebbly lips were drawn back in a frozen sneer, with the tips of her forked tongue showing between her fangs, and the claws on her hands were fully extended. She held her bandaged tail wrapped tightly around her hindquarters, and if she was breathing at all, Leia saw no sign of it in her constricted nostrils and motionless chest.

"She looks like she's dying," Alema whispered over Leia's shoulder.

"Is she dying?"

"I don't know." Leia checked the monitors and found a single spike on the cardio-line. There was a barely discernible upward slope on the respiratory chart. "I think it's just a healing trance."

"Well, she looks like she's dying," Alema said.

Saba's tongue shot out and snapped the air, drawing a surprised gasp from both Leia and Alema, then returned to its place between her teeth. The Barabel's eyes remained fixed and glazed.

"Healing trance," Leia concluded.

"Do you think she'll survive?"

Leia studied the silken bandage that covered half of Saba's skull.

"With that head wound, anyone else would be dead already," she said. "But Saba's a Barabel. Who knows?"

Alema's only answer was a long, concerned silence.

After a time, Leia lowered the lights and told the medcomputer to alert her if anything changed in Saba's status.

As Leia drew the privacy curtain across the medbay, she asked, "How about a nice mug of hot chocolate? We have some of Luke's special supply on board."

"Really? Hot chocolate!" Alema gasped. Always scarce, hot chocolate had become a true Hutt's pleasure after the Yuuzhan Vong reshaped seven of the eight planets capable of growing the rare pods necessary to produce it. "What about your duties in the cockpit?"

"Don't worry about that." Leia took the Twi'lek's arm and led her forward. The Falcon had just left Qoribu and was preparing to make its first jump to hyperspace, but Leia needed to find out what was really happening on Jwlio-and the sooner, the better. "Juun is filling in for me. Han's growing fond of the little guy."

Alema curled her lekku. "That's not the impression I get from Han."

Leia gave a knowing smile. "That's because Han doesn't realize it yet. " They entered the main cabin. "Anyway, we have time. Have a seat."

Leia took several white, thumb-sized seeds from a storage box and placed them in the galley multiprocessor. She set the controls to DRY AND

POWDER, then turned, placed a fist on her hip, and began to study Alema with the same slightly interested, slightly preoccupied expression that she had been using to soften up her subjects since her days as a junior Senator in the Old Republic.

Leia should have known it wouldn't work on Alema Rar. Lithe, beautiful, and averse to modest clothing, the Twi'lek was used to being stared at. She simply stared back, making Leia feel as though she were the one dressed only in a sideless chemise.

The multiprocessor chimed, allowing Leia to turn away gracefully.

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