Star Wars: Shadow Games Read Online Free PDF

than most, I guess.”
And scared
. And it wasn’t Dara’s “den of thieves” that scared her. “Besides,” she continued, “you forget my official biography. I was born in the lightless sublevels of Coruscant. Grew up with predatory gangs shooting up the neighborhood.”
    “Which is all poodoo. You know, I find it insulting that our PR guy actually thought an Imperial Center Slum was somehow more respectable than Tatooine.”
    Javul grinned. “Not more respectable. More inspiring. And more dangerous.”
    Dara snorted. “That’s a matter of opinion.”
    Javul settled a bright teal turban over her gleaming silver hair and said, “Let’s go shopping for bodyguards.”
    The news on the
Outrider
got worse, if that was possible. The engines had not only crispy-fried their various components, but destroyed the housing assembly as well. The cost of total repairs would have taken a healthy bite out of their commission even if they’d managed to retain all of it. Having to pay Han essentially ate up any profits. Worse, the docking fees were more than Dash could afford to squeeze out of his credit account.
    Kerlew, a fellow Corellian, was a good guy and was even willing to make a start on the repairs in his spare time, trusting Dash for the payment, but Dash knew that trust would evaporate quickly if he failed to pay his docking fees. They needed some sort of work—pilot and navigator, trade liaisons,
something
.
    With that in mind, after seeing Han off for Nal Hutta, Dash and Eaden returned to Chalmun’s day after day, making the rounds of other freighter watering holes as well, looking for a ship
sans
crew.
    On day three, Dash sauntered into the Cantina to see Dwanar Gher and his lovely associate at their favorite table. He went over to pay a visit.
    “What happened to your being otherwise engaged?” he asked Dwanar.
    The Sullustan blinked at him—an impressive gesture coming from eyes the size of ash angel eggs. “What do you mean?”
    “The last time I saw you, you were entertaining that Toydarian character—what’s his name …”
    “Unko.”
    “Yeah—Unko. You fed him some line about not being available to run his stuff wherever it needed to go.”
    Nanika rolled her eyes. “We weren’t so much unavailable as disinclined,” she said wryly. “He wanted one of us to run some contraband to Imperial Center and we’re both persons of interest to the Imperial Security Bureau right now.”
    “No kidding? How’d you manage that?”
    Nanika and Dwanar shared a glance. The woman shrugged.
    “We’re suspected of having helped remove some wanted criminals from the ISB’s clutches.”
    “Why would you do something like that?”
    “Who said we did?” She smiled at him slyly. He knew that look well enough to distrust it.
    “Is he still looking for a ship?” Dash asked, an idea beginning to form in his head.
    “As far as I know,” Nanika said.
    “Well, I was thinking that, since the Imperials don’t really know me from a mynock’s mother, maybe I could take one of your ships and deliver his goods. We’d split the commission, of course—”
    Nanika laughed brassily. “Oh, c’mon, Dash. I’m not a noob. There is no way I’d let you pilot my ship into Imperial space. They know me, they know the
Imp
. Dwanar can let you take his boat—”
    “No one will be taking my craft anywhere,” said the Sullustan. “Most especially not you.”
    Dash’s temper flared. “Look, my reputation as a pilot is—”
    “Your reputation as a pilot,” Dwanar informed him, “is that you take risks that are stupid even for a Corellian. You’re not going to play Kick-the-Rancor with
my
ship.”
    And that was that. After an hour spent in Chalmun’s with no better results, Dash dragged himself to the bar and ordered a Corellian whiskey he couldn’t really afford. When he finished the first, he ordered another and was beginning to feel pleasantly morose when he realized the Rodian bartender was speaking to