Free The Joiner King by Troy Denning Page A

aboard.”
    “No?” Han scowled; it wasn’t like Mara to leave the
Shadow
open and unattended—although with Nanna there, that wasn’t really the case. Basically a bodyguard version of Lando’s successful YVH battle droid crossed with a TD Nanny Droid, the Defender was more than capable of guarding the ship. Even the bugs seemed to realize that; every now and then, one would stop by and sweep its antennae across the ramp, but they never attempted to enter. “Probably in the cantina already.”
    Han swung the
Falcon
’s stern “up” along the wall and landed in the open berth. The struts sank into the wax and seemed to hold the ship fast, but he fired the anchoring bolts anyway. Micro-gravity could be tricky; it was impossible to tell which way it was pulling until something started to slide.
    Han rose and strapped on his blaster. “Okay, let’s go see Nanna. Maybe she can fill us in.”
    They lowered the boarding ramp and reeled back as a wave of warm, too-sweet air rolled through the hatchway. The vault was filled with a blaring cacophony of ticking that immediately sent a rivulet of sweat rolling down Han’s spine. Haifa dozen bugs appeared at the bottom of the ramp and started to board. They had deep orange thoraxes, pale blue abdomens, and feathery, meter-long antennae. Han’s stomach turned queasy, but he started down to meet them.
    Leia caught him by the arm. “Han? What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.” Han swallowed hard, then continued down the ramp. He was not going to be intimidated by a memory of the Kamarians. Besides, these guys were only about waist height, with four skinny arms, scrawny legs, and a stubby set of mandibles better suited to steadying loads than rending flesh. “I’m okay.”
    Han stopped midway down the ramp. He folded his arms across his chest and assumed a stance wide enough to block the ramp, then forced himself to glare down at the lead bug. In addition to the smooth green balls of its two main eyes, it had a trio of ocular lenses atop its head, leaving him uncertain as to which set of eyes he should meet.
    “Where do you fellows think you’re going?”
    The lead bug stared up, ticking its mandibles nervously, and emitted a soft drumming from its chest.
    “Burrubbubbuurrr, rubb.”
    It dropped to all sixes, lowering itself to about knee height, then dipped its antennae politely and shot between Han’s legs.
    “Hey!” Before the bug could continue up the ramp, Han spun around and caught it by the undersized wings on its back. Some insects had a habit of hiding eggs wherever they could, and he didn’t want any infestations aboard the
Falcon.
“Hold on!”
    The bug spun its head around to meet Han’s gaze, then pointed at his hands and gently clacked its mandibles.
“Ubburr buurr ub.”
    “Captain Solo,” C-3PO said helpfully, “I do believe the insect is requesting that you release it.”
    “You understand this stuff?” Han asked.
    “I’m afraid it’s only an educated guess,” C-3PO said. “This form of their language is as obscure as the dance—”
    “Then not a chance.”
    “Han,” Leia said, “I don’t sense any danger here. Until See-Threepio figures out how to communicate—”
    “I
am
communicating.” Han fixed his gaze on the nearest of its eyes and said, “I don’t know who you think I am, but no one boards the
Falcon
until
I
say so.”
    The other five bugs dropped to all sixes, then slipped to the underside of the ramp and continued toward the hatchway.
    “No!” Han flipped the insect he was holding off the ramp, then started after the others. “Stop them!”
    The Noghri stepped in front of Leia and placed themselves squarely in the door, crouched for action. The bugs swung back to the ramp’s upper side and tried to squeeze aboard the
Falcon
anyway. The first pair were knocked away by a pair of quick Noghri kicks.
    The remaining trio of insects stopped where they were and dropped into a six-limbed crouch. Their antennae fell flat against