too. That only leaves”—she gazed at him coldly—“the question of price.”
Han wasn’t crazy about the way she’d said it. “The money’s got to be right, Jess. I’ve only got—”
She cut him off again. “Who said money? I know just how much you have, high roller, and where you got it, and how much you gave Ploovo. Don’t you think we hear everything sooner or late? Would I assume an imbecile who’s been gunrunning would be flush?” She leaned back, interlacing her fingers.
He was confused. He’d planned to arrange long terms with Doc, but doubted if he could with Jessa. If she knew he couldn’t meet a decent price, why was she talking to him? “Are you going to explain, Jess, or am I supposed to do my famous mind-reading act?”
“Give your jaws a rest, Solo, and pay attention. I’m offering you a deal, a handwash.”
He was suspicious, knowing there’d be no generosity from her. But what were his alternatives? He needed his ship repaired, and the rest of it, or he might as well go somewhere out on the galactic rim and bid on a contract to haul garbage. With exaggerated sweetness, he answered, “I’m hanging on your every word. By what, I won’t mention.”
“It’s a pickup, Solo, an extraction. There are details, but that’s basically it; you make contact with some people and take them where they want to go, within reason. They won’t be expecting you to drop them anywhere risky. Even your stunted attention span ought to suffice for that.”
“Where’s the pickup?”
“Orron III. That’s mostly an agricultural world, except that the Authority has a data center there. That’s where your passengers are.”
“An Authority Data Center?” Han exploded. “And how do I get into a place like that? It’ll look like the Espos’ Annual Picnic and Grand Reunion. Listen, toots, I want that stuff from you, but I want to live to a ripe old age, too; I plan to sit in a rocker at the Old Spacemen’s Home, and what you’re suggesting will definitely exclude that option.”
“It’s not so terrible,” she replied levelly. “Internal security’s not especially bad, because only two types of vessels are cleared to land on Orron III—drone barges for the crops and Authority fleet ships.”
“Yeah, but in case you haven’t noticed, the Falcon ’s neither.”
“Not yet, Solo, but I’ll change that. We have a barge shell, hijacked it in transit. That wasn’t much of a trick; they’re robot hulks, and they’re pretty dumb. I’ll fit the Millennium Falcon with external control couplings and set her in where the command/control module usually goes, and partition into the hold space. My people can mock up the hull structure so it’ll con the Espos, port officials, or anybody else. You land, contact the parties in question, and off you go. Average ground time for a barge is about thirty hours, so you’ll have plenty of leeway to get things done. Once you’re in transit, you ditch the barge shell and you’re home free.”
He thought hard about that one. He didn’t like anyone messing with his ship. “Why pick me for this thrilling honor? And why the Falcon ?”
“Because you need something from me, for one thing, so you’ll do it. Because, for another, even though you’re an amoral mercenary, you’re the hottest pilot I know; you’ve flown everything from a jetpack to a capital ship. As for the Falcon , she’s just the right size, and has computer capacity to spare, to run the barge. It’s a fair deal.”
One thing had him puzzled. “Who’s the pickup? It sounds like you’re going to an awful lot of trouble for them.”
“No one you’d know. They’re strictly amateurs, and they pay well. What they’re doing’s no concern of yours, but if they feel like telling you, that’s their decision.”
He gazed up at the ceiling, which was patterned with glow-pearls. Jessa was offering everything he needed to make the Authority ripe for the plucking. He could give up
Han wasn’t crazy about the way she’d said it. “The money’s got to be right, Jess. I’ve only got—”
She cut him off again. “Who said money? I know just how much you have, high roller, and where you got it, and how much you gave Ploovo. Don’t you think we hear everything sooner or late? Would I assume an imbecile who’s been gunrunning would be flush?” She leaned back, interlacing her fingers.
He was confused. He’d planned to arrange long terms with Doc, but doubted if he could with Jessa. If she knew he couldn’t meet a decent price, why was she talking to him? “Are you going to explain, Jess, or am I supposed to do my famous mind-reading act?”
“Give your jaws a rest, Solo, and pay attention. I’m offering you a deal, a handwash.”
He was suspicious, knowing there’d be no generosity from her. But what were his alternatives? He needed his ship repaired, and the rest of it, or he might as well go somewhere out on the galactic rim and bid on a contract to haul garbage. With exaggerated sweetness, he answered, “I’m hanging on your every word. By what, I won’t mention.”
“It’s a pickup, Solo, an extraction. There are details, but that’s basically it; you make contact with some people and take them where they want to go, within reason. They won’t be expecting you to drop them anywhere risky. Even your stunted attention span ought to suffice for that.”
“Where’s the pickup?”
“Orron III. That’s mostly an agricultural world, except that the Authority has a data center there. That’s where your passengers are.”
“An Authority Data Center?” Han exploded. “And how do I get into a place like that? It’ll look like the Espos’ Annual Picnic and Grand Reunion. Listen, toots, I want that stuff from you, but I want to live to a ripe old age, too; I plan to sit in a rocker at the Old Spacemen’s Home, and what you’re suggesting will definitely exclude that option.”
“It’s not so terrible,” she replied levelly. “Internal security’s not especially bad, because only two types of vessels are cleared to land on Orron III—drone barges for the crops and Authority fleet ships.”
“Yeah, but in case you haven’t noticed, the Falcon ’s neither.”
“Not yet, Solo, but I’ll change that. We have a barge shell, hijacked it in transit. That wasn’t much of a trick; they’re robot hulks, and they’re pretty dumb. I’ll fit the Millennium Falcon with external control couplings and set her in where the command/control module usually goes, and partition into the hold space. My people can mock up the hull structure so it’ll con the Espos, port officials, or anybody else. You land, contact the parties in question, and off you go. Average ground time for a barge is about thirty hours, so you’ll have plenty of leeway to get things done. Once you’re in transit, you ditch the barge shell and you’re home free.”
He thought hard about that one. He didn’t like anyone messing with his ship. “Why pick me for this thrilling honor? And why the Falcon ?”
“Because you need something from me, for one thing, so you’ll do it. Because, for another, even though you’re an amoral mercenary, you’re the hottest pilot I know; you’ve flown everything from a jetpack to a capital ship. As for the Falcon , she’s just the right size, and has computer capacity to spare, to run the barge. It’s a fair deal.”
One thing had him puzzled. “Who’s the pickup? It sounds like you’re going to an awful lot of trouble for them.”
“No one you’d know. They’re strictly amateurs, and they pay well. What they’re doing’s no concern of yours, but if they feel like telling you, that’s their decision.”
He gazed up at the ceiling, which was patterned with glow-pearls. Jessa was offering everything he needed to make the Authority ripe for the plucking. He could give up
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