the `spression."
Mara took a careful breath, forcing her muscles to unknot. "What do you want with me?" she asked, keeping her voice calm.
"Same thin' every man really wants," he grinned slyly. "A pile o' hard cold cash."
She shook her head. "In that case, I'm afraid you've picked the wrong person. I've only got about fifty on me."
He grinned even wider. "Cute, Red, but you're wastin' your time. I know who y'are, aw right. You 'n' your pals are gonna make me real rich. C'mon-let's go."
Mara didn't move. "Perhaps we can work a deal," she suggested, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down between her shoulder blades. She knew better than to be fooled by the other's careless speech and manner-whoever and whatever he was, he knew exactly what he was doing.
On the plus side, she still had the blaster hidden beneath her sleeve; and she would give long odds that her assailant wouldn't expect that a weapon that potent might be small enough to conceal there. The fact that he hadn't already searched her seemed to confirm that assessment.
But whatever she was going to do, she had to do it now, while she was still facing him. Unfortunately, with her hands spread apart there was no way for her to get at her weapon without telegraphing the movement. Somehow, she needed to distract him.
"A deal, huh?" he asked lazily. "What kind o' deal you got in mind?"
"What kind of deal do you want?" she countered. If there'd been a box anywhere near her feet, she might have been able to scoop it up with her foot and throw it at him. But though there was a fair amount of junk littering the street in this part of town, nothing suitable was within reach. Her half-boots were firmly fastened around her ankles, impossible to get loose without him noticing. Rapidly, she ran through an inventory of items she was carrying or wearing-nothing.
But the Emperor's intensive training had included direct manipulation of the Force as well as the long-range communication abilities that had been her primary value to his regime. Those skills had vanished at the moment of his death, reappearing only briefly and erratically in the years since then.
But if the sensory tingles and hunches had started again, perhaps the power was back, too :
"I'm sure we can double whatever you've been offered," she said. "Maybe even throw in something extra to sweeten the pot."
His grin turned evil. "That's a real generous offer, Red. Real generous. Lotta men'd jump on that right away, sure `nough. Me"-he lifted the blaster a little higher-"I like stayin' with a sure thing."
"Even if it means settling for half the money?" Two meters behind him, piled carelessly up against a retaining wall, was a small stack of scrap metal parts waiting to be picked up. A short length of shield tubing, in particular, seemed to he rather precariously positioned on one edge of a battered power cell case.
Setting her teeth, clearing her thoughts as best she could, Mara reached her mind out toward the tubing.
"On my pad, half a sure thing's better than twice o' nothin'," the man said. "Anyway, I don't 'spect you can outbid the Empire."
Mara swallowed. She'd suspected it from the first; but the confirmation still sent a shiver up her back. "You might be surprised at our resources, she said. The length of tubing twitched, rolled a couple of millimeters-
"Now, don't think so," the other said easily. "C'mon, let's go."
Mara tilted a finger back toward the dead man crouched at the box behind her. "You mind telling me first what happened here?"
Her assailant shrugged. "What's t' tell? I needed a decoy; he was wandering' around the wrong place at the wrong time. End o' story." His grin suddenly vanished. "Enough stalling Turn around and start walking:unless you're looking' to spite me by making me settle for the death fee instead."
"No," Mara murmured. She took a deep breath, straining with every bit of strength she possessed, knowing that this was her last best chance-
And behind
Mara took a careful breath, forcing her muscles to unknot. "What do you want with me?" she asked, keeping her voice calm.
"Same thin' every man really wants," he grinned slyly. "A pile o' hard cold cash."
She shook her head. "In that case, I'm afraid you've picked the wrong person. I've only got about fifty on me."
He grinned even wider. "Cute, Red, but you're wastin' your time. I know who y'are, aw right. You 'n' your pals are gonna make me real rich. C'mon-let's go."
Mara didn't move. "Perhaps we can work a deal," she suggested, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down between her shoulder blades. She knew better than to be fooled by the other's careless speech and manner-whoever and whatever he was, he knew exactly what he was doing.
On the plus side, she still had the blaster hidden beneath her sleeve; and she would give long odds that her assailant wouldn't expect that a weapon that potent might be small enough to conceal there. The fact that he hadn't already searched her seemed to confirm that assessment.
But whatever she was going to do, she had to do it now, while she was still facing him. Unfortunately, with her hands spread apart there was no way for her to get at her weapon without telegraphing the movement. Somehow, she needed to distract him.
"A deal, huh?" he asked lazily. "What kind o' deal you got in mind?"
"What kind of deal do you want?" she countered. If there'd been a box anywhere near her feet, she might have been able to scoop it up with her foot and throw it at him. But though there was a fair amount of junk littering the street in this part of town, nothing suitable was within reach. Her half-boots were firmly fastened around her ankles, impossible to get loose without him noticing. Rapidly, she ran through an inventory of items she was carrying or wearing-nothing.
But the Emperor's intensive training had included direct manipulation of the Force as well as the long-range communication abilities that had been her primary value to his regime. Those skills had vanished at the moment of his death, reappearing only briefly and erratically in the years since then.
But if the sensory tingles and hunches had started again, perhaps the power was back, too :
"I'm sure we can double whatever you've been offered," she said. "Maybe even throw in something extra to sweeten the pot."
His grin turned evil. "That's a real generous offer, Red. Real generous. Lotta men'd jump on that right away, sure `nough. Me"-he lifted the blaster a little higher-"I like stayin' with a sure thing."
"Even if it means settling for half the money?" Two meters behind him, piled carelessly up against a retaining wall, was a small stack of scrap metal parts waiting to be picked up. A short length of shield tubing, in particular, seemed to he rather precariously positioned on one edge of a battered power cell case.
Setting her teeth, clearing her thoughts as best she could, Mara reached her mind out toward the tubing.
"On my pad, half a sure thing's better than twice o' nothin'," the man said. "Anyway, I don't 'spect you can outbid the Empire."
Mara swallowed. She'd suspected it from the first; but the confirmation still sent a shiver up her back. "You might be surprised at our resources, she said. The length of tubing twitched, rolled a couple of millimeters-
"Now, don't think so," the other said easily. "C'mon, let's go."
Mara tilted a finger back toward the dead man crouched at the box behind her. "You mind telling me first what happened here?"
Her assailant shrugged. "What's t' tell? I needed a decoy; he was wandering' around the wrong place at the wrong time. End o' story." His grin suddenly vanished. "Enough stalling Turn around and start walking:unless you're looking' to spite me by making me settle for the death fee instead."
"No," Mara murmured. She took a deep breath, straining with every bit of strength she possessed, knowing that this was her last best chance-
And behind
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