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

ship to begin to offload cargo. Wedge had no idea what Booster had asked the
Twi'leks to bring, but he knew from his visits to Ryloth that an exchange of
gifts was customary. He hoped the Twi'leks brought ryll so it could be shipped
to the rylca production facility on Borleias and trans-formed into the medicine
that was vital for curing the Krytos epidemic on Coruscant.
The personnel-mover started its trip back to the station's hub. Wedge walked
over to the doorway where it would ar-rive and positioned himself in front of
it. He tugged at the sleeves and waist of his jumpsuit. He knew it might have
been good form to wear the Twi'lek! warrior togs he'd worn on Ryloth, but they
were designed as warm-weather clothes and Booster's habitat adjustments made it
a bit too cool to wear them with comfort.
The doorway opened to admit an obese Twi'lek wearing a robe made from a shiny
gold fabric and held closed by a thick red sash. A coral ornament secured a gold
cloak at his throat and the cloak's reflected light jaundiced his pink flesh,
especially the flesh of his lekku, which he wore draped over his shoulders. He
clasped his black-taloned hands before his belly and executed a short bow.
Wedge returned it. "I am pleased to be able to greet you here, Koh'shak."
"It is my pleasure to accept the invitation of Booster-ter'rik to visit you,
Wedgan'tilles." The bulbous Twi'lek moved through the doorway. "You recall
Tal'dira?"
A second Twi'lek filled the doorway and had to bow his head to make it through.
The black flightsuit he wore had been supplemented with a scarlet loincloth and
cloak as well as a golden bandoleer running from right shoulder to left hip. The
hugely muscled Twi'lek's lekku had been tattooed with a whole host of designs,
the significance of which Wedge could only guess at. He wore a blaster on his
right hip and Wedge knew from prior experience that the bandoleer concealed a
pair of vibroblades.
"It is an honor to see you again, Tal'dira."
"And you, Wedgan'tilles." The Twi'lek warrior gave Wedge a smile full of sharp
teeth. "Koh'shak will run off and find his trading partners, leaving warriors to
speak among themselves."
Wedge nodded in the fat merchant's direction and Koh'shak immediately headed off
toward the lift-tubes to find Booster. While Wedge looked forward to spending
time with Tal'dira and learning why the warrior had come to the sta-tion, he
regretted not being able to sit in on the conversations Booster and Koh'shak
would have together. They might not be warriors, but the battles they will wage
to strike a bargain will be of epic proportions.
Wedge waved a hand toward the threshold of the cantina on that level. "May I
offer you the hospitality of the station?"
The warrior nodded. "You honor me."
"Say that after we get served. Our selections are rather limited here." Wedge
led him into the darkened cantina and wove a serpentine path through small
tables to an open booth in the back. The reserved hologram drifting above it
pro-claimed its glowing message in a multitude of scripts and stood almost as
tall as a Jawa. Wedge held his hand over the
holoprojector and let it do a quick scan of his palm. The message changed to one
of welcome, then morphed into a bill of fare. Wedge sighed and slid into the
booth. "Having a table held for me here is about the only benefit of command."
"Warriors must take pleasure in even the slightest of ben-efits, because death
is ever our companion." Tal'dira sat op-posite Wedge, interlacing his fingers