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Synopsis:
Having survived Rokur Gepta's
revenge (at least for the moment), winning a fortune on
Oseon, and learning how to fly the Millennium Falcon
(with Vuffi's help), Lando's life is good, until he
comes upon a starving living spaceship called Lehesu.
After being told about the Oswaft's plight, he tries to
help out the besieged space-living Oswaft race in the
cloud called the ThonBoka. In return for the Falcon's
garbage (food for the Oswaft), the Oswaft will make
various gems and valuables out of what materials they
can not digest and give it to Lando. But there are a few
obstacles between Lando and those riches.
For one thing, Rokur Gepta and Klyn Shanga have teamed
up, both vowing either to kill Lando and Vuffi or die
trying. For two, a massive fleet stands between the
Oswaft and the Millennium Falcon. Unable to
fight, run from, or run around the fleet, Lando falls
back on what he knows best, the con job. He presents
himself as a trader and ingratiates himself to the
soldiers. Then, he sets up his own apparent death as he
escapes the fleet and races into the ThonBoka. He meets
with and feeds the Oswaft, but war is imminent.
Negotiations between the Oswaft and the fleet have ended
in bloodshed and the entire fleet heading into the
ThonBoka. And Gepta and Shanga, refusing to believe
Lando is dead, are right on their tail. And with them is
Vuffi Raa's former owner, a spy who claimed to be an
archaeologist, Osuno Whett. Lando sets up a desperate
plan: the Oswaft will jump between the ships, expel
their waste, and jump out again while the fleet fires at
the waste, hitting themselves instead. Gepta arrives and
expels electromagnetic torpedos onto a few of the
Oswaft, announcing that he will empty tons of them upon
the ThonBoka unless Calrissian fights him in a duel to
the death (he personally plans to wipe out the nebula
regardless of the outcome).
At that point, Whett loses patience and tries to kill
all three of them, giving Lando the opportunity he
needed to kill Gepta - but not before Gepta apparently
kills Vuffi. Realising Whett is the true Butcher of
Renatasia, Shanga sets out after him. Suddenly, a huge
starship arrives in the area, announcing itself to be
Vuffi Raa's father. Vuffi is repaired, and explanations
made. Vuffi is a larval starship, sent out to explore
the universe and learn about it, then report back to his
people. Vuffi leaves with his father, and Lando sets out
for parts unknown, the Millennium Falcon stuffed
to bursting with gems and jewels.
Synopsis taken
from Christopher G. McElroy's
Time Tales, www.theforce.net/timetales.
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