Nobody noticed how Anja jumped when she heard Jaina’s words.
With the doorlock cyber-sealed, Anja retrieved the meager luggage she had brought from the Jedi academy. She rummaged in the bottom of her case, popped out the false bottom, and removed the high-power small transmitter screen that she used only in emergencies. When the screen wasn’t switched on, it looked like a portable mirror. But it was much more. Moving her fingers along the edges of the frame, she depressed buttons, entering a code and sending her signal. She tossed her long, honey-streaked hair behind her, feeling sweat prickle her scalp.
Oh, how she needed a dose of spice right now. She had to have one… but the need wasn’t any greater than it had been all day. Anja just didn’t know how long she could tolerate this pressure. Her personal supply was nearly gone, and she didn’t know what she would do—unless Czethros came through for her. She hated to depend on him.
The secret crime lord followed his own paths, busy setting up his own game. In the past, though, he had spent an incredible amount of time with her on Ord Mantell, taking her under his wing, training her in the ways of making a profit at the expense of less-vigilant people.
Anja had connected with him in the first place because of a shared hatred for Han Solo. Czethros had helped her arrange the fateful meeting with him and the attempted ambushes on Anobis, but Han Solo had survived it all. Then, Solo’s own children had adopted her as their friend.
At first she had gone along, pretending. Anja had been most eager to do whatever she could to hurt Han Solo for his despicable crime—for shooting her father Gallandro in the back. Even though Han Solo denied it, Anja knew the truth. Czethros had told her what had really happened.
After an interminable silence and a transmission delay, the mirror finally clouded, and the face of Czethros appeared. The laser-red dot of his optical sensor beamed through the visor that covered his face. His moss-green hair seemed distorted, discolored by the numerous scrambling and descrambling routines buried in his signal.
“Ahh, my little velker,” he said. “You must still be on Cloud City. By now I’m sure you’ve learned of the tragedy that has befallen your young Jedi friends.”
“Tragedy?” Anja said with a frown of distaste. “So, you did set that up.”
“Of course,” Czethros said. He looked down at his fingertips, then back up again, smiling at her.
“Well, they’re not dead,” she said in a flat voice. “None of them.”
Alarmed, Czethros drew back. “But I’ve already had a report from my operatives. At least three of those meddling kids were thrown down an exhaust chute and dumped out into the open skies of Bespin.”
“Is that the best you could do?” Anja chided. “I’ve told you before, they’re resourceful and strong,” She was amused by his obvious surprise. “They’ve been trained by the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker himself, and they’ve been through a lot worse than falling down a hole.”
Czethros snarled. Anja took a new tack, scowling back at him. “How could you send a bunch of hired assassins to kill a few teenagers? Even for you, isn’t that a bit”—she searched for the right word—“cowardly?”
Czethros raised his eyebrows above the visor, and the red laser eye flashed back and forth in agitation. “Do I detect compassion for the Solos in your voice, Anja Gallandro? I must not have trained you well enough. You were a predator, as ruthless as the velkers on Bespin. And now you’re feeling sorry for the children of the man who killed your father?” He laughed out loud. “Do you realize how ridiculous that is?”
Anja bit back a reply, not sure exactly how she felt. Jacen had been so friendly toward her. Jaina had accepted her. And even their friends considered her part of the group. She’d never felt this way before. She’d always been bitter about her life, holding on by her fingernails, fighting for every little advantage she managed to get. Never before had Anja felt the slightest bit sentimental.
Czethros leaned closer, his face growing larger on the mirror-screen. “Have you changed your mind? Don’t you want Solo’s children killed? Perhaps you’d like me to send some flowers to Han Solo himself?”
Anja felt torn. After what Solo had done to her father, she’d spent her life trying to get even with him. He deserved to be hurt. But when she had believed Jacen Solo was dead, it had twisted her insides. The pain had been unbearable.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Czethros said. “Even if you did change your mind I doubt I could stop my plans now. Everything is set. Soon I will send my signal, and Black Sun will appear everywhere, simultaneously taking over key installations and assuming key positions. Then the galaxy will run smoothly for us.
“My operatives are in place. They received orders days ago to eliminate Jacen and Jaina Solo and their friends, as well as Lando Calrissian. I can’t afford to let anyone find out too much about how we’ve been working our way through the bureaucratic levels of Cloud City. Bespin will be ours, as will Kessel, Mon Calamari, Ord Mantell, Borgo Prime, and every other important installation. Even Coruscant will feel our strength.”
Anja swallowed hard and forced herself to change the subject. “I’m … almost out of spice,” she said. “You promised me more, and I’ve done everything you asked.”
“Yes, yes,” he said, brushing aside her comment. “I’ll get it to you as soon as I can.”
“When?” she said. Her lips trembled. Her eyes stung. She hated to beg.
Czethros looked at her and smiled faintly. “It’s on my schedule. Don’t worry your pretty head, my little velker. Now get back to your work. I have details to attend to. My killers are professionals, who always carry out their orders. Just stay clear of Lando Calrissian and the Solo kids, and you’ll be safe.”
Czethros switched off the flat screen from his end, and it became a mirror again in Anja’s hands. She stared at the polished surface for a long time, seeing only her own reflection … and Anja did not like what she saw there.
17
When Lando went straight to the Wing Guard on Cloud City and demanded a high-level investigation into the assassination attempt on Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Lowie, he held back his suspicions about Black Sun… for now. When the appropriate Exex and Wing Guard commanders responded, they summoned the three “alleged victims” to a private debriefing at an unfamiliar address high in Cloud City.
Lando, Jaina, Zekk, and Anja intended to accompany the others to add their observations on the story, but as they prepared to leave their VIP rooms in the extravagant Yerith Bespin, Lando received an urgent message. He read the screen, then turned away from the comm system, frowning.
“We’ve got trouble at the construction site,” he said. “There’s something strange going on, and I have to attend to it.” He looked over at Jacen. “Do you three think you can handle the interview alone?”
“Hey, no problem,” Jacen said. “Blaster bolts, if we lived through the incident itself, I guess we can handle talking about it.”
“All right,” Lando said, grabbing his burgundy cape and preparing to deal with whatever troubles he might encounter down at SkyCenter Galleria.
“We’ll come with you, Lando,” Jaina said. “You might need some … Jedi backup.”
“I know better than to turn down help. Sounds like this is some kind of labor dispute.”
Anja looked from one group to the other, and offered to join Jaina, Zekk, and Lando. The four of them ran to a lift tube as Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Lowbacca headed off to their own meeting.
After dropping down several levels, then transiting to the outer walls of the city, Lando took his group to the site of the soon-to-be-completed SkyCenter Galleria. Using his passwords, he escorted them into the barricaded construction area. Jaina stood next to Zekk, looking around. Anja fidgeted, feeling very out of place. The four of them stayed close together as the sheer silence and oppressive tension in the air struck them.