Star Wars / Star Wars - Canto Bight

THE RIDE
John Jackson Miller
 
 
Vestry clasped both her pairs of hands. Master Sonmi, you work for the casino. We work for the casino. Exactly who profits from you sitting here alone for another ten hours? She pointed. Go home.
 
I don t have a
 
Then eat something. But go.
 
Kal s throat went dry as he saw Minn s hands move toward the undealt cards, ready to dispose of the decks. Please, don t
 
  Oooh, it s zinbiddle!
 
Kal turned to see a diminutive reptilian in a formal black coat, accentuated with a dazzling stellabora lapel bloom. The green-skinned creature flashed a smile so broad it nearly bisected his face as he dropped a fat tray of coins onto the tabletop to Kal s right. Deal me in, he said, hopping up into the chair beside Kal.
 
Kal stared at the ebullient arrival, mystified, before looking to the dealer, who suspended her cleanup. He told Vestry, I guess I m in luck.
 
The pit boss stared silently at the players. Kal could swear he saw her mouth form the words, That s what you think.
 
I was at the yacht races, the newcomer said. Were you at the yacht races?
 
No.
 
You should have been at the yacht races. He offered a chubby green hand. Dodibin. Dodi for short but don t call me that.
 
Don t call you Dodi?
 
Don t call me short. He looked stern for a moment and then laughed. And you are Kaljach.
 
Lucky guess, he began to say, before remembering his badge. Kal is fine. He watched as the Suerton the species he thought Dodi was unloaded his chips. Then Dodi pushed a large stack onto the instant-win marker, a side bet the casino covered from its rake.
 
That s a long shot, Kal said.
 
Excellent. Chipper, Dodi rocked back and forth in his chair as Minn started dealing.
 
It was no skin off Kal s nonexistent nose; the side bet was against the house, not him. Though he would

Saladin Ahmed was born in Detroit and raised in a working-class Arab American enclave in Dearborn, Michigan. His short stories have been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell awards, have appeared in Year s Best Fantasy and numerous magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, and have been translated into five foreign languages. His first novel was Throne of the Crescent Moon. He lives near Detroit with his wife and their twin children.
 
Rae Carson is the author of the bestselling and award-winning Girl of Fire and Thorns series. Her books tend to contain adventure, magic, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. Originally from California, she now lives in Arizona with her husband.
 
Mira Grant is the pseudonym of Hugo, Campbell, and Nebula Award-winning author Seanan McGuire.
 
John Jackson Miller is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Kenobi, Star Wars: A New Dawn, Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, and the Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic graphic novel collections from Marvel, among many other novels and comics. A comics industry analyst, he lives in Wisconsin with his wife, their two children, and far too many comic books.