for the droid to finish, Vago Gejalli slithered through the door.
“Do we have enough information?” asked Mander. Reen had been drawn into the schematics. The Bothanlooked up, and saw Mander pointing to the walls and to the droid. The Bothan nodded. Both of them assumed listening devices in the walls, and droids had big receptors.
“A moment, Jedi,” said the droid. “There is someone else who would speak with you.”
“Vago will be back soon enough, but I think we are available,” said Mander.
“Not the others, I’m afraid,” said the droid, looking at the Bothan. “Just the Jedi. For a moment.”
Mander looked at Eddey, and the Bothan shrugged. The Jedi left Eddey and Reen going over the manifest, and followed the droid across the hall.
The warm room was dimly lit, and stank worse than the grand meeting room. As soon as he entered, two Wookiees closed in behind him, blocking the door. Two more flanked the elder son, Zonnos, sprawled on a repulsorlift couch.
The hairs on the back of Mander’s neck stood up in a way that they had not in the presence of the older Hutt. The younger creature was in better shape, and although smaller, he seemed more malignant than his parent. His flesh had a bluish sheen, and even in this light Mander could see that his eyes were red and rheumy. Too much of the hokuum.
“Mighty Zonnos, may his digestion always be sound,” said the droid, and the Wookiees behind them gave a laugh.
Mander said nothing, and Zonnos spat out a string of guttural noises, rounded by drink and almost impossible for Mander to translate. The droid put in, “Kindly Zonnos wants to wish you good luck on your mission and tell you that he has no hard feelings over an outlander being chosen to aid the family. This is a dangerous situation, and Zonnos wants you to know you have the support of the clan.”
“I appreciate kindly Zonnos’s concern, and that of clan Anjiliac,” said Mander.
Another slurred garble, and the droid hesitated. One of the Wookiees smacked it across the back of the head, and it spat out, “Mighty Zonnos wants you to know that even if you fail to find his brother or—Ardos forbid—are too late to save him, you will still have an ally among the Anjiliacs.”
Zonnos waited for the droid to finish, then managed a lazy, single wink. It laughed, and for a moment Mander’s blood ran cold. Then the Wookiees grabbed Mander by the shoulders and forcefully escorted both him and the droid back into the hallway.
“That went better than usual,” said the droid, touching its head casing where the Wookiee had smacked it. “Let us get back to the others.”
When they returned, both Reen and Eddey were rubbing their shoulders from the ball-shaped medical droid administering a vaccination with a wicked-looking needle. Vago had returned as well. “Where did you disappear to?” asked the Hutt in her native language.
“Zonnos wanted to talk to me,” said Mander, not waiting for the droid to translate. He figured that direct honesty was the best approach. Vago would cross-examine the droid in any event.
The Hutt factotum harrumphed and said in rapid Huttese, “Then I should make this a double dose. Exposure to Zonnos is sometimes fatal. I have included information on Endregaad, Mika, the disease itself, and what we know about the quarantine blockade.” Vago focused Mander’s attention so that he did not notice the ball-droid swooping around and quickly injecting him with a vaccine.
“There should be no problems with the vaccine,” Vago said. She looked at the Bothan and added, “If there are any odd symptoms, contact us at once. The Threepiounit will see you are returned to the spaceport.” Eddey just growled at Vago’s back as the Hutt left, the medical droid swept up behind her.
“What just happened?” said Reen.
“Let’s talk about it later,” said Mander. “Are you ready to go?”
“I’ve got a ship, I’ve got a cargo, and I’ve got a lot of questions to be
“Do we have enough information?” asked Mander. Reen had been drawn into the schematics. The Bothanlooked up, and saw Mander pointing to the walls and to the droid. The Bothan nodded. Both of them assumed listening devices in the walls, and droids had big receptors.
“A moment, Jedi,” said the droid. “There is someone else who would speak with you.”
“Vago will be back soon enough, but I think we are available,” said Mander.
“Not the others, I’m afraid,” said the droid, looking at the Bothan. “Just the Jedi. For a moment.”
Mander looked at Eddey, and the Bothan shrugged. The Jedi left Eddey and Reen going over the manifest, and followed the droid across the hall.
The warm room was dimly lit, and stank worse than the grand meeting room. As soon as he entered, two Wookiees closed in behind him, blocking the door. Two more flanked the elder son, Zonnos, sprawled on a repulsorlift couch.
The hairs on the back of Mander’s neck stood up in a way that they had not in the presence of the older Hutt. The younger creature was in better shape, and although smaller, he seemed more malignant than his parent. His flesh had a bluish sheen, and even in this light Mander could see that his eyes were red and rheumy. Too much of the hokuum.
“Mighty Zonnos, may his digestion always be sound,” said the droid, and the Wookiees behind them gave a laugh.
Mander said nothing, and Zonnos spat out a string of guttural noises, rounded by drink and almost impossible for Mander to translate. The droid put in, “Kindly Zonnos wants to wish you good luck on your mission and tell you that he has no hard feelings over an outlander being chosen to aid the family. This is a dangerous situation, and Zonnos wants you to know you have the support of the clan.”
“I appreciate kindly Zonnos’s concern, and that of clan Anjiliac,” said Mander.
Another slurred garble, and the droid hesitated. One of the Wookiees smacked it across the back of the head, and it spat out, “Mighty Zonnos wants you to know that even if you fail to find his brother or—Ardos forbid—are too late to save him, you will still have an ally among the Anjiliacs.”
Zonnos waited for the droid to finish, then managed a lazy, single wink. It laughed, and for a moment Mander’s blood ran cold. Then the Wookiees grabbed Mander by the shoulders and forcefully escorted both him and the droid back into the hallway.
“That went better than usual,” said the droid, touching its head casing where the Wookiee had smacked it. “Let us get back to the others.”
When they returned, both Reen and Eddey were rubbing their shoulders from the ball-shaped medical droid administering a vaccination with a wicked-looking needle. Vago had returned as well. “Where did you disappear to?” asked the Hutt in her native language.
“Zonnos wanted to talk to me,” said Mander, not waiting for the droid to translate. He figured that direct honesty was the best approach. Vago would cross-examine the droid in any event.
The Hutt factotum harrumphed and said in rapid Huttese, “Then I should make this a double dose. Exposure to Zonnos is sometimes fatal. I have included information on Endregaad, Mika, the disease itself, and what we know about the quarantine blockade.” Vago focused Mander’s attention so that he did not notice the ball-droid swooping around and quickly injecting him with a vaccine.
“There should be no problems with the vaccine,” Vago said. She looked at the Bothan and added, “If there are any odd symptoms, contact us at once. The Threepiounit will see you are returned to the spaceport.” Eddey just growled at Vago’s back as the Hutt left, the medical droid swept up behind her.
“What just happened?” said Reen.
“Let’s talk about it later,” said Mander. “Are you ready to go?”
“I’ve got a ship, I’ve got a cargo, and I’ve got a lot of questions to be
Similar Books
