"Michael Stackpole "The Bacta War"" - читать интересную книгу автораship 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 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 |
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