Star Wars - The Corellian Trilogy - Assault At Selonia Read online

  ASSAULT AT SELONiA

  by ROGER MACBRIDE ALLEN

  Synopsis

  "Imprisoned on the planet Corellia, Han Solo finds himself at the mercy of his evil cousin, Thracken Sal-solo. Thracken plans to restore the Imperial system and seize total power -- no matter what the cost.

  Han has one chance to stop him. But to do so he must turn his back on his human cousin and join forces with a female alien. Dracmus was arrested as a ringleader in a plot against the corrupt Human League.

  Now she and Han will attempt a daring escape to Selonia in time to warn Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Lando of Thracken's plan. But can Han trust the alien to keep her word?

  Meanwhile, other questions threaten the New Republic -- and the lives of millions. Who is behind the deadly Starbuster plot? Why is someone attempting to take possession of Corellia's powerful planetary repulsors? And what is the secret behind the mysterious Centerpoint Station, and ancient, artificial world of unknown origin that has suddenly -- and inexplicably -- come alive?

  sequal to Ambush at correlia and prequal to showdown at centerpoint

  What Has Gone Before It is a time of uncertain peace in the Galaxy.

  Fourteen years have passed since the defeat of the Empire and the death of Darth Vader. leia Organa Solo, her husband, Han Solo, and their three children, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin, accompanied by Chewbacca the Wookiee, have planned a family trip to Corellia, Han's home world.

  Meanwhile, a group known as the Human League is conspiring to overthrow the New Republic's government of the Corellian Sector. Some hints of the danger have reached New Republic Intelligence, and NRI agent Belindi Kalenda gives Han a cryptic warning about it. Kalenda herself travels to Corellia under cover, but her ship is promptly shot down by unknown assailants who plainly knew that she was coming.

  Kalenda survives the shoot-down.

  Meantime, Luke Skywalker has agreed to accompany Lando Cairissian on his search for a suitable wife, a search that carries him through a series of misadventures. Lando at last meets the charming `lendra Risant of the planet Sacorria. However, heavy-handed local authorities force Luke and Lando to leave Sacorria almost as soon as they arrive.

  Upon arrival at the Corellian System, the Millennium Falcon is subject to a staged attack. Once on the ground, leia engages a tutor Tor the children, a Drall named Ebrihim, and the family attempts to settle in. During a tour of a large archaeological site, the three children, led by Anakin's power in the Force, locate a huge and strange installation of unknown age and purpose-an installation for which the Human League would seem to be searching.

  Mara Jade arrives at Corellia just as the trade summit gets under way. She is the bearer of a coded message for leia and Han. It contains uncertain evidence that the senders deliberately touched off a recent supernova, and intend to set off more, in populated star systems, if their unspecified demands are not met.

  The Human League begins its long-planned revolt against the New Republic. The cities of Corellia erupt.

  Chewbacca, assisted by Q9-X2, Ebrihim's irascible droid, manages to take the children to safety aboard the Millennium Falcon, but the ship is damaged and cannot escape into hyperspace. Chewbacca is forced to fly to Drall, Ebrihim's home world.

  Once the revolt has scored some initial successes, Thrackan Sale-Solo, Han's long-lost cousin and a man known for his guile and cruelty, reveals himself as the leader of the Human League. A powerful jamming system powers up, cutting off communications in the Corellian planetary system.

  Han manages to establish contact with Kalenda just before the jamming begins. He provides a diversion for her as she steals an X-TIE "Ugly" fighter and flies toward Coruscant with news of the catastrophe.

  Han, however, is captured by the Human League.

  Meanwhile, Luke and Lando fly into a huge interdiction field that surrounds all of the Corellian star system.

  The field, far larger than any in history, prevents travel through hyperspace anywhere in the system. Lando and Luke turn back for Coruscant to bring word. leia is held hostage with the rest of the trade delegates atCorona House, the Governor's residence. She does not know where the children, Chewbacca, Ebrihim, and Q9, aboard the Falcon, have gone, and Han Solo languishes in a Human League prison.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Family

  His hands tied behind his back, Han Solo stumbled as the guards shoved him into the gloomy audience chamber. He realized a moment too late that the floor of the central area was a half meter below the level of the entrance. Moving too fast to stop, he fell over the edge. His shoulder slammed down Qnto the hard stone floor.

  Han rolled over onto his side, then levered himself up into a sitting position. The guards who had shoved him into the chamber stepped back out and slammed the portal shut behind them. Han was alone in the echoing gloom.

  He looked around, wondering what was next. At least he was out of that cell. That was something. Not much, maybe, but something. And of course, whatever came next was not likely to be an improvement. In his experience, it was reasonably safe to be filed away in a cell. It was when you were pulled out that the trouble began.

  Han got himself up onto his feet and looked around.

  The walls and floors of the place were made of some sort of utilitarian dark gray stresscrete, and there was a dank scent to the air that suggested the windowless chamber was underground. The room was about twenty meters wide and thirty' ion with the central floor set a 2 -rMacard.AffM

  half meter below a two-meter-wide platform that ran around the chamber's perimeter. There were four heavy steel doors, one on each side of the chamber, each of them opening out onto the perimeter platform. Anyone who stood on the platform would be looking down at whoever was in the central area.

  The door he had entered was at his back, and he was facing a not quite thronelike chair made of dark wood on the opposite side of the perimeter platform. The chair was large and grand enough that whoever got into it would probably be taller sitting than standing. Han would have an eye-level view of the occupant's knees.

  That chair told him a good deal about why he was here, and who was going to see him.

  Han continued his survey of the chamber. Aside from the throne chair, the place was undecorated, and poorly lit. Nor was it that well made. There were cracks in the floor, and whatever sort of stresscrete they had used in the walls was crumbly-looking. A rush job.

  Han had been in a lot of impressive places, and a lot of places that tried to be impressive. This place definitely fit into the second category. The Human League had clearly wanted a chamber that would overawe its prisoners as the Hidden Leader sat in judgmentor watched them die for the fun of itut clearly the League hadn't had the time or resources for a first-class job. AH very interesting, but it wasn't the sort of information that might help keep him alive.

  Han turned his attention back to the chair. That was obviously where the Big Man would sit when he got here-and Han had a very good idea of who the Big Man was going to be.

  There was really only one man it could be. His cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo. Good old murderous, scheming, vindictive, paranoid Thrackan.

  That was the who, but what was the why? At a minimum, Thrackan wanted to get a look at Han. There was good news and bad news in that.

  Obviously, they had been keeping him alive for this meeting. But would they have any reason to keep him alive afterward? Did Thrackan have any further use for him?

  after all, Han had blown up half a squadron of Pocket Patrol Boats.

  That was offense enough to get a fellow executed most places, and this place was no better than most.
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  Nor would his relationship to Thrackan do him any good. Once Thrackan had indulged his curiosity, he would be quite capable of killing Han on the spot.

  No, Han knew he wasn't going to live through this because of family feeling. He would have to make himself seem valuable to Thrackan if he wanted to survive.

  But he had no intention of being the slightest help to Thrackan's Human League.

  So how to seem to be valuable without actually doing these thugs any good?

  Han heard something moving on the other side of the doors behind the not-quite-throne. He had run out of time for thinking.

  Han backed away a step or two from the door. If Thrackan the adult was anything like the Thrackan of Han's childhood, he was going to have to be careful, very careful, in the way he played this.

  Thrackan, as he recalled, had been quite young when he had started making a show of pulling the wings off insects and beating up smaller children. He had found out very early just how loudly a reputation for cruelty could speak.

  Here's what I do to someone I'm not even mad at. What do you think will happen if I get mad at you? There were those in the Galaxy for whom cruelty, threats, and intimidation were art forms. Not Thrackan. He used them as blunt instruments, weapons. Which was not to say that he did not enjoy his work.

  The doors swung fully open and a double line of seedy-looking men in officers' uniforms came in. One 4 flogff MocMd

  column turned and marched around the corner of the platform to the left of the throne, the other to the right.

  The two columns lined up on the perimeter platform to either side of the big chair, turned, and faced forward, eyes straight ahead, staring at each other across the center of the room, right over Han's head.

  Judging by the insignia, which seemed to follow the old Imperial pattern, these were some very senior officers indeed. But today's field marshals had, no doubt, been yesterday's malcontents. Fancy uniforms and a forest of shoulder pips did not make the wearer a seasoned officer worthy of respect These fellows were no more the equals of the Imperial officers of the past than a child with a toy lightsaber would be a match for Luke Skywalker.

  By the looks of their paunches, none of them had done any real training in years. Their bleary eyes, flushed faces, and unshaved jawsand the smell of strong drink that wafted in with them-told Han that at least some of these very grand officers had been doing some fairly serious celebrating the night before. That was a bit premature.

  How could even the most drunken of fools think that the Human League had won already?

  Plainly, this crowd was not made up of Galaxylass minds. They were here as window dressing, and nothing more. Han paid them no more mind. He turned his attention back to the open door behind the big chair.

  There was a moment's delay, either because the Great Man was running late, or because someone thought it made for a more dramatic entrance. But then, Thrackan sal-solo, onetime Hidden Leader of the Human League, and now the self-declared Dictat of the Corellian Sector-came into the room. He walked with the brisk, steady confidence of a man who knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going, a man absolutely certain he could do the job at hand. Thrackan SalSolo stepped around the right-hand side of the big chair, came forward to the edge of the platform and paused there a moment. He stared long and hard at his long-lost cousin, and Han stared back.

  Han felt as if he were staring into a strange, distorting mirror.

  Thrackan wore Han's face, or else Han wore his.

  Not that one could not be told from the other.

  Thrackan's hair was darker, a black-brown shot through with gray.

  He was a few kilos heavier, and he had a neatly trimmed beard.

  Thrackan was perhaps two or three centimeters taller than Han.

  There was a harshness, a ruthlessness, not just in Thrackan's expression, but in the set of his face, as if that look of anger and suspicion was the one his face fell into most naturally.

  But even those differences did little more than emphasize how much they were alike. Han felt as if that Imaginary mirror were showing him the man he might have been. He did not like the idea. Not one little bit.

  This first meeting was a lot more disconcerting than he had expected it to be.

  It was not just Han who saw the resemblance. The uniformed types that lined the two sides of the room were obviously supposed to keep eyes ahead, but not one of them could resist the temptation to stare first at Han, and then at Thrackan. Small murmurs of astonishment filled the room.

  Indeed, it seemed as if Thrackan were the only one who did not find it all off-putting. He looked down at Han with a calm and steady gaze.

  Han decided he had better do his best to take it all in stride as well. Or at least pretend. "Hello, Thrackan,' he said. "I sort of figured I'd be seeing you."

  "And hello to you, Han," his cousin replied, in a voice that was startlingly similar to Han's. "Some things never change, do they?"

  "I'm not exactly sure I know what you mean."

  "Back in the old days, Han," Thrackan said. "Back in the old days. You were always the one who liked to play games. And I was always the one who had to come in and clean up after you."

  "That's not exactly the way I remember it," Han said.

  Thrackan had never cleaned up after himself, let alone anyone else. But he had always been good at making it seem like he had. Most bullies were good at playing the victim. Thrackan had never had the slightest problem blaming others for his foul-ups, or taking all the credit for someone else's effort and success. "But you're right," Han went on. "Some things never change."

  "This time there's rather a lot to clean up," Thrackan went on.

  "You shot up my spaceport, damaged or destroyed six of my Pocket Patrol Boats, and allowed that X-TIE Ugly fighter to escape," Thrackan said.

  "We believe that X-TIE managed to jump into hyperspace. If its pilot is able to get word to the New Republic, that could throw many of my plans into disarray."

  "I thought the spaceport and the PPBs belonged to the Corellian government. I didn't think they were yours," Han said.

  "They are now," Thrackan said. "For that matter, the government is mine as well. But just now the point is that the games you are playing have caused me a great deal of trouble."

  "I'm real broken up about that," Han said.

  "I doubt it," Thrackan said. "I wouldn't be, if I were you. But the question remainwhat am I to do with you?"

  "I have a suggestion." Han said, his voice light and casual.

  "Let me go and then let me accept your surrender. I might be able to get the New Republic to go easy on you."

  "I don't suppose you'd be willing to explain why I should do that." Thrackan said, the trace of a smile on his face.

  "Because you're going to lose, Thrackan," Han said.

  "Because that X-TIE got through, and even if it didn't, someone else will get the word out, somehow. And you're up against the same New Republic that beat the Empire. II they could take on the Emperor and Darth Vader and Admiral Thrawn and the Death Stars, what makes you think they should have any problems with the likes of you? Why not save everyone a lot of trouble and give up now?"

  Thrackan smiled, but there was nothing warm or happy about his expression. Instead, the smile made him look colder, harsher. He shook his head sadly. "Still the same old Han. Beaten up, dirty, unshaved, a captive fresh from a night in his cell, and still full of the same old tired bluster and bluff." He hesitated a moment, and leaned back in his chair. "There's a very good reason I'm not going to lose," he said. "I've won already.

  It's all over. The New Republic might be able to cause me some limited trouble, but nothing more. Not unless they want a few inhabited star systems vaporized. Otherwise, they will leave me strictly alone."

  Han hesitated a moment before replying. Was there anything behind that claim? There was no doubt that a star had gone supernova, a star that had no business doing any such thing. The League had claimed responsibi
lity, but how could a bunch of ignorant malcontents and thugs manage to blow up a star? "That was a nice parlor trick," Han said.

  "But I'm not sure you can repeat it."

  "Oh, we'll convince you," Thrackan said. "Have no doubt of that."

  His voice, his manner, were absolutely confident. If it was a bluff, it was an awfully convincing one.

  "So why am I here, Thrackan?" Han asked, in a tone of voice that made it sound as if he were a busy man who had more important things to do. With most people, it would have been a suicidal display of arrogance.

  But Han knew his cousin. A show of politeness would have won Han little more than a sneer of contempt from Thrackan.

  "In such a hurry to get back to your cell?" Thrackan asked with a wicked smile.

  Han resisted the temptation to let out a sigh of relief.

  Until that moment he hadn't been sure if Thrackan intended him to live long enough to see his cell again.

  "No," he said. "But I'm not much interested in trading threats, either. Why am I here?"

  "I di" have the vague idea that you might be willing to cooperate with me. Act like a patriotic Corellian, help me get rid of these New Republic interlopers. But I never did have much hope for that idea.

  It's not going to hapen is it?" Not in a million years."

  "All right, then," Thrackan said. "If you won't help me, why should I keep you alive?"

  That question would have terrified most people under the circumstances, but Han knew Thrackan from way back. Even a few moments' reacquaintance told him he hadn't changed much since the old days. If Thrackan had already decided to kill him, he wouldn't have wasted his time with word games. Han would already have had a blaster hole through his chest. Thrackan's cruelty had never been capricious or pointless. Whenever he did something vidousr indeed anything at all -it was because doing it benefited him directly. Nor had Thrackan ever been shy about letting others do his dirty work, or been much interested in putting himself to extra effort. There was no way to know for sure, but at a guess, Thrackan had genuinely not yet decided whether or not to let Han live. He could go either way.

  And that meant the reasons for letting him live or die were in the balance. The reasons for killing Han were depressingly obvious, but why would Thrackan want him alive?