Han spun the top of the cloud car away from the launch and continued to climb. The upper bridge wasn’t far, maybe a hundred meters.
Blaster bolts hammered the bottom of the hull. One burned through, then another.
“Han?” Leia asked. “You
do
know I can’t fire back?”
“I know.”
The enemy blasterfire stopped, then the rescue launch roared past just meters above and abruptly dived to avoid the high bridge.
Han eased off the throttle. “Ready to get off this tub?”
“Never been readier to get off anything,” Leia said. “Since Jabba’s sail barge, anyway.”
The cloud car chugged … rose level with the bridge … chugged again …
Han swung the nose over the edge and leveled off.
The cloud car chugged in relief and shot onto the bridge.
“Now!”
Han unbuckled his crash webbing and twisted around to clasp Leia’s arm, then allowed her to pull him free as the repulsor chair rose out of the passenger compartment. The cloud car slid out from beneath them and continued out over the hoverlane. They had barely touched down—Leia settling gently onto her chair’s repulsors and Han falling gracelessly to his side—before the rescue launch came up and stitched a fresh line of blaster holes in the cloud car’s bottom. The battered vehicle dropped its noseand began a smoky descent, the launch close behind, pouring blaster bolts into its ion drives.
Han rose and, seeing that Leia was all right, looked along the bridge in both directions. If there was anyone around, they were staying out of sight.
“So,” he asked, “any idea where we’re at?”
Leia shook her head. “Not really, but I think Lamoramora is over by the Troglodyte Park.”
“Great—the wrong side of the world,” Han said. “It’ll take us all day to get back.”
A distant explosion rumbled up from the depths of the hoverlane. Han glanced briefly toward the sound, then took Leia’s hand and started toward the nearest building.
Leia jerked him back. “Not so fast, flyboy,” she said, smiling. “You’re the one who got us lost in the first place.
I’ll
find the way home.”
EIGHT
The Senate Inquiry Room door slid aside to reveal a solid wall of newsvid light. By the squall of hushed voices, Leia could sense that the chamber was packed beyond capacity. But it was not until her eyes grew accustomed to the novalike glare that she began to see the faces behind the whispers. The room was crammed horn-to-eyestalk with the media of a thousand different worlds, all murmuring quietly into their microphones as they reported that Leia Organa Solo, for some reason still dressed in a travel-worn flight suit, had arrived at the Corruption Panel’s meeting exactly on time.
Han leaned close to Leia’s ear. “Looks like we win already,” he whispered. “Even if the charges won’t stick, Viqi will be too busy ducking holocrews to line up support for the vote.”
Leia started to remind him to be careful of the microphones, then caught herself and simply nodded. Even if he had never cared for it, Han was as experienced at this game as she was.
“What I want to know is how you’re going to get to the accuser’s table,” Jaina whispered. All Leia’s children were there, along with Luke, several more Jedi, and Leia’s new Noghri bodyguards. “We’ll have to float you!”
“We’ll clear the aisle, Mom,” Anakin said, nodding to Jacen.
Leia caught him by the arm.
“Now isn’t the time for the Jedi to seem arrogant,” she said. “I’ll walk.”
“Walk?” Han asked. “How?”
“With a little help from my family.” Leia looked to Jaina—Jaina who had been so angry with her and felt so abandoned by her on Duro—and asked, “Would you mind?”
The smile that came to Jaina’s face was almost as lopsided as Han’s. “Trust me?”
Leia felt her daughter reach out in the Force, then felt herself rise into a standing position. Her legs started to move, by Jaina’s will instead of her own, but in a reasonable
Blaster bolts hammered the bottom of the hull. One burned through, then another.
“Han?” Leia asked. “You
do
know I can’t fire back?”
“I know.”
The enemy blasterfire stopped, then the rescue launch roared past just meters above and abruptly dived to avoid the high bridge.
Han eased off the throttle. “Ready to get off this tub?”
“Never been readier to get off anything,” Leia said. “Since Jabba’s sail barge, anyway.”
The cloud car chugged … rose level with the bridge … chugged again …
Han swung the nose over the edge and leveled off.
The cloud car chugged in relief and shot onto the bridge.
“Now!”
Han unbuckled his crash webbing and twisted around to clasp Leia’s arm, then allowed her to pull him free as the repulsor chair rose out of the passenger compartment. The cloud car slid out from beneath them and continued out over the hoverlane. They had barely touched down—Leia settling gently onto her chair’s repulsors and Han falling gracelessly to his side—before the rescue launch came up and stitched a fresh line of blaster holes in the cloud car’s bottom. The battered vehicle dropped its noseand began a smoky descent, the launch close behind, pouring blaster bolts into its ion drives.
Han rose and, seeing that Leia was all right, looked along the bridge in both directions. If there was anyone around, they were staying out of sight.
“So,” he asked, “any idea where we’re at?”
Leia shook her head. “Not really, but I think Lamoramora is over by the Troglodyte Park.”
“Great—the wrong side of the world,” Han said. “It’ll take us all day to get back.”
A distant explosion rumbled up from the depths of the hoverlane. Han glanced briefly toward the sound, then took Leia’s hand and started toward the nearest building.
Leia jerked him back. “Not so fast, flyboy,” she said, smiling. “You’re the one who got us lost in the first place.
I’ll
find the way home.”
EIGHT
The Senate Inquiry Room door slid aside to reveal a solid wall of newsvid light. By the squall of hushed voices, Leia could sense that the chamber was packed beyond capacity. But it was not until her eyes grew accustomed to the novalike glare that she began to see the faces behind the whispers. The room was crammed horn-to-eyestalk with the media of a thousand different worlds, all murmuring quietly into their microphones as they reported that Leia Organa Solo, for some reason still dressed in a travel-worn flight suit, had arrived at the Corruption Panel’s meeting exactly on time.
Han leaned close to Leia’s ear. “Looks like we win already,” he whispered. “Even if the charges won’t stick, Viqi will be too busy ducking holocrews to line up support for the vote.”
Leia started to remind him to be careful of the microphones, then caught herself and simply nodded. Even if he had never cared for it, Han was as experienced at this game as she was.
“What I want to know is how you’re going to get to the accuser’s table,” Jaina whispered. All Leia’s children were there, along with Luke, several more Jedi, and Leia’s new Noghri bodyguards. “We’ll have to float you!”
“We’ll clear the aisle, Mom,” Anakin said, nodding to Jacen.
Leia caught him by the arm.
“Now isn’t the time for the Jedi to seem arrogant,” she said. “I’ll walk.”
“Walk?” Han asked. “How?”
“With a little help from my family.” Leia looked to Jaina—Jaina who had been so angry with her and felt so abandoned by her on Duro—and asked, “Would you mind?”
The smile that came to Jaina’s face was almost as lopsided as Han’s. “Trust me?”
Leia felt her daughter reach out in the Force, then felt herself rise into a standing position. Her legs started to move, by Jaina’s will instead of her own, but in a reasonable
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