Legacy of the Force 05: Sacrifice by Karen Traviss

Author:Karen Traviss
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Solo, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Star Wars Fiction, Princess (Fictitious Character), Fiction, Fantasy, General, Adventure, Han (Fictitious Character), Leia, Media Tie-In
ISBN: 9780345477415
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 2007-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

now. Care to show her to the Verpine?"

"It'd get their attention."

"If they share their ultramesh technology with us, we might be able to lighten the

air frame and improve her top end in atmosphere. If we skin her completely in solid

beskar, she's going to be invulnerable, but heavy."

"We'll keep the heavy ones. Maybe the Verpine can come up with a better fuel

solution."

"Well, if you're not going to take her for a spin, I will," said Medrit. He scrambled

up onto the wing and eased himself into the cockpit, looking as if he would fill it.

"Shab, a Mando-Verpine assault fighter. That'll cause some sleepless nights on

Coruscant."

"If we can mine and process the ore fast enough."

Yomaget looked hopeful. "We could ask those helpful insectoid chaps to lend us

an orbital facility or two."

"I'll go see them," Fett said. "Got to think long-term on this. No point handing

over too much to Roche early in the game."

Medrit spent the next hour taking the prototype Bes'uliik through its paces over

the Keldabe countryside while the rest of them watched. Yomaget captured the

aerobatics on his holorecorder, looking satisfied.

"Might slip this hologram out to a few contacts," he said. "We're not a modest

people, are we?"

"Remind them that most of our adult population can fly a fighter, too," Fett said.

"For starters."

He went back inside the barn. He didn't manage a smile, but Beviin turned to

Mirta and cocked his head. "Believe it or not, that's a happy man."

Maybe he was a better judge of mood than she was. She was relieved just to hear

Fett use the phrase long-term.

Times were changing. The rest of the galaxy might have been tearing itself apart,

but the Mandalore sector-which now informally controlled Roche, if a protectorate

agreement counted-was a haven of optimism after a decade or more of grim

existence. That night, Mirta found the Oyu'baat tapcaf packed with new faces, and the

singing was raucous.

If Jacen Solo, her mother's murderer, had been roasting slowly over the Oyu'baat's

open fire instead of the side of nerf, Mirta might even have joined in.

194

SENATE BUILDING, CORUSCANT

Jacen's official airspeeder brought him up to the main Senate entrance. He could

have entered the building by any number of more private platforms, but he had no

intention of sneaking in via the back doors; being seen counted for a lot, and he still

had his heroic image to protect.

A line of citizens waited outside the doors that admitted members of the public to

the viewing galleries. Some just wanted to watch the day's business, but there was a

small group who were clearly protesters. It wasn't just the FREE OMAS banner that

three of them were carrying among them. There was a taste of anger in the Force, vivid

despite the permanent background of fear and uncertainty.

"Drop me here," Jacen said. "I'll walk."

"They'll harass you, sir," said the Gran chauffeur. "I ought to take you straight up

to your floor."

"They've got a right to see who's governing them." It wasn't as if they could cause

him any harm. "I find that talking to people generally clears up misunderstandings."

Jacen had expected at least one mass protest or a riot broken up by water cannon

and dispersal gas.

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