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Authors: Timothy Zahn
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lightsaber to cut a peephole in the wall? We could set up a recorder and see what exactly goes on in there.”
“How are you going to get him that far into the mansion?” Kell asked, pointing at the schematic. “I’m seeing the mansion’s outer wall and another interior one before you even get to the vault.”
Chewbacca rumbled.
“Chewie’s right,” Han agreed. “Even if the crowds Villachor’s letting in for the Festival aren’t supposed to go inside, his security’s bound to be stretched thinner than usual. We’ll find a hole.”
“Or make one,” Dozer said.
Han nodded. “Or make one.”
“At least we’ll know where to start looking for those holes,” Rachele said. “Marblewood’s been a Festival venue for the past six years, and it’s had extensive coverage, official and unofficial both. I’ve taken a look at the various records, and there are a lot of things Villachor seems to do the same way every year.”
“I thought the pattern and order of the Honorings were always the same anyway,” Dozer pointed out.
“I’m talking about the details,” Rachele said. “Like where he positions the food pavilions, or how he dresses all the service and maintenance droids in coordinated and themed overgarments for each day of the Festival. Little things like that.”
“Patterns are good,” Lando said. “Like in sabacc, when someone always bets the same—”
He broke off as, across the room, Winter suddenly snapped her fingers. “Here they come,” she announced.
There was a mad scramble as everyone jumped out of their seats and rushed to the windows. “Where?” Zerba asked.
“Those three landspeeders two blocks away,” Winter said, pointing. “No—don’t,” she added as Dozer started to open the door leading onto the long balcony. “If someone’s watching, we’ll be way too visible out there.”
“Where are those electrobinoculars?” Lando asked.
“Here,” Kell said, pressing a set of the oversized viewers into his hand. “Rachele?”
“I’ll get the other one,” Rachele said, and hurried away.
The room fell silent. Han watched the landspeeders maneuver to and through the gate onto Villachor’s grounds, noting that the vehicles barely even slowed down before the guards waved them through.
“Here,” Rachele murmured in his ear.
“Thanks,” Han said, taking the electrobinoculars from her and pressing them to his eyes. The landspeeders were even more impressive close up than they were at a distance: black and heavy-looking, obviously armored, with tinted windows concealing the passengers.
“Boost-equipped, looks like,” Lando murmured. “See the reinforced lower edge plates?”
“Yeah, I see ’em,” Han confirmed. The vehicles might look like normal landspeeders, but with the hidden boosts they could instantly become airspeeders anytime they wanted.
“So why are they bothering with the streets?” Zerba asked. “Why not just fly in?”
“The airlanes in Iltarr City aren’t much faster than the landlanes,” Rachele said. “Besides, they’d have to come to ground to get in anyway. The umbrella shield, remember?”
“And if you’re the paranoid type, you might like having one direction that you can’t be shot at from,” Lando added.
The vehicles tracked along the pathway between the hedges, bushes, and small trees and finally came to a halt by the covered entrance at the mansion’s south wing. Han held his breath, holding the electrobinoculars as steady as he could, wondering if this would be the day the mysterious visitor made a mistake.
He didn’t. The awning over the entrance completely blocked their view of him as he left the landspeeder and headed inside. And with the sunlight streaming down from nearly overhead, there weren’t even any of the tantalizing shadows Kell had mentioned.
“They’re slick, all right,” Lando commented. “How soon did you say the next wave is due?”
“Ten to thirty minutes,” Winter said.
“So just
“How are you going to get him that far into the mansion?” Kell asked, pointing at the schematic. “I’m seeing the mansion’s outer wall and another interior one before you even get to the vault.”
Chewbacca rumbled.
“Chewie’s right,” Han agreed. “Even if the crowds Villachor’s letting in for the Festival aren’t supposed to go inside, his security’s bound to be stretched thinner than usual. We’ll find a hole.”
“Or make one,” Dozer said.
Han nodded. “Or make one.”
“At least we’ll know where to start looking for those holes,” Rachele said. “Marblewood’s been a Festival venue for the past six years, and it’s had extensive coverage, official and unofficial both. I’ve taken a look at the various records, and there are a lot of things Villachor seems to do the same way every year.”
“I thought the pattern and order of the Honorings were always the same anyway,” Dozer pointed out.
“I’m talking about the details,” Rachele said. “Like where he positions the food pavilions, or how he dresses all the service and maintenance droids in coordinated and themed overgarments for each day of the Festival. Little things like that.”
“Patterns are good,” Lando said. “Like in sabacc, when someone always bets the same—”
He broke off as, across the room, Winter suddenly snapped her fingers. “Here they come,” she announced.
There was a mad scramble as everyone jumped out of their seats and rushed to the windows. “Where?” Zerba asked.
“Those three landspeeders two blocks away,” Winter said, pointing. “No—don’t,” she added as Dozer started to open the door leading onto the long balcony. “If someone’s watching, we’ll be way too visible out there.”
“Where are those electrobinoculars?” Lando asked.
“Here,” Kell said, pressing a set of the oversized viewers into his hand. “Rachele?”
“I’ll get the other one,” Rachele said, and hurried away.
The room fell silent. Han watched the landspeeders maneuver to and through the gate onto Villachor’s grounds, noting that the vehicles barely even slowed down before the guards waved them through.
“Here,” Rachele murmured in his ear.
“Thanks,” Han said, taking the electrobinoculars from her and pressing them to his eyes. The landspeeders were even more impressive close up than they were at a distance: black and heavy-looking, obviously armored, with tinted windows concealing the passengers.
“Boost-equipped, looks like,” Lando murmured. “See the reinforced lower edge plates?”
“Yeah, I see ’em,” Han confirmed. The vehicles might look like normal landspeeders, but with the hidden boosts they could instantly become airspeeders anytime they wanted.
“So why are they bothering with the streets?” Zerba asked. “Why not just fly in?”
“The airlanes in Iltarr City aren’t much faster than the landlanes,” Rachele said. “Besides, they’d have to come to ground to get in anyway. The umbrella shield, remember?”
“And if you’re the paranoid type, you might like having one direction that you can’t be shot at from,” Lando added.
The vehicles tracked along the pathway between the hedges, bushes, and small trees and finally came to a halt by the covered entrance at the mansion’s south wing. Han held his breath, holding the electrobinoculars as steady as he could, wondering if this would be the day the mysterious visitor made a mistake.
He didn’t. The awning over the entrance completely blocked their view of him as he left the landspeeder and headed inside. And with the sunlight streaming down from nearly overhead, there weren’t even any of the tantalizing shadows Kell had mentioned.
“They’re slick, all right,” Lando commented. “How soon did you say the next wave is due?”
“Ten to thirty minutes,” Winter said.
“So just
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