"Michael Stackpole "The Bacta War"" - читать интересную книгу автора

"Me? You're doing fine."
Her father's face went through all sorts of contortions. "No, no, not a daughter
of mine. If your mother weren't dead, this would kill her, you know that."
Booster snarled, then spitted Corran with a stare. "And you! Your father would
be mortified. Your grandfather would tear his hair out. A Horn keeping company
with my daughter! It's unthink-able."
Mirax's face twisted down into an angry mask the equal of the one her father
wore. "It's not unthinkable at all, at least not for someone who is willing to
use more than one synapse on it. Wake up, Father. The Emperor is dead. It's a
new galaxy."
Booster shook his head, then looked toward Huff. "The Emperor dies, and the
natural order gets its double helix all twisted the other way. Next thing you
know it will start rain-ing here on Tatooine, and you'll have tourist trade for
seaside resorts."
Huff smiled. "Actually, I have some sites picked out to cover that eventuality."
"I bet you do." Booster frowned at his daughter again. "A Horn! Hal Horn's son!
I wouldn't have wanted this for you for all the glitterstim in the galaxy."
"What you want for me, and what / want for me have
long been different, Father." Mirax let Corran's hand fall away, then walked to
her father and gave him a big hug and kiss. "That doesn't diminish my pleasure
at seeing you again."
Booster returned the hug and swung his daughter off her feet so his broadly
muscled back hid her from Corran's sight. Corran couldn't hear what father said
to daughter, but the smiles on their faces as they again turned around told him
their exchange had not been acrimonious.
Booster kept his left arm draped over Mirax's shoulders and posted his right
fist on his right hip. "I was sorry to hear about your father's death. No love
lost between us, but I respected his tenacity."
"And my father respected your ingenuity." Corran gave Booster a thin-lipped
smile and got the same one in return. He lifted his chin. "Huff indicated that
you're here to negoti-ate for the remains of an Imperial arms cache. I'd gotten
the impression from Mirax that you were retired and only dealt in collectibles."
"You'd be surprised what prefall Imperial artifacts are going for today."
"Lots of weapons collectors out there?"
Booster shrugged. "You Rebels made going to war against the government so
popular that everyone is taking it up these days."
"So you'll supply them?"
Booster smiled. "I'm merely a broker."
Huff rubbed his hands together. "So, we can have an auction here. Opening bids."
Corran shook his head. "No bids. We need what you have. We get it."
Booster blinked his eyes in surprise. "You need? You need? You're not on
Corellia, Horn. You have no authority here. Your needs are immaterial."
Mirax twisted out from beneath her father's arm. "It's not Corran who needs this
stuff. Wedge needs it."
The elder Darklighter's smile broadened. "Good, get Wedge Antilles here, and
then we'll have our auction."
"Wedge, eh?" Booster frowned at Mirax, then glanced over at Huff. "Give it to
them."
"Fine, if you don't want in, that's all right by me." Huff's smile shrank as he
turned toward Corran. "What I have will cost you two million credits-four if you