[Dark Nest] - 1(143)
“Got it!” Han began a mass analysis to confirm his suspicions, but he was sure enough of himself to transfer an inset to
Leia’s display. “This one’s still moving insystem. It has to be her.”
“Very good.” Leia leaned across and kissed his cheek. “You win the reward.”
“That’s my reward?” Han complained. “I get that every day.”
“That could always change, flyboy.”
“Come on. You know you can’t help yourself.” Han flashed her his best arrogant smirk, then activated the intercom. “Battle stations back there. We might be going anytime.”
“We know,” Kyp replied. “We’re Jedi.”
“Oh, yeah.” Han looked at the ceiling and silently cursed Kyp’s arrogance. “I must be getting forgetful in my old age.”
Meewalh informed him that she and Cakhmaim were also ready. Noghri were always ready.
When the mass analysis finally confirmed Han’s guess, he turned to face Juun. “You two had better head to your battle station, too. You remember how it works?”
“Of course-you went over the procedure several times.” Juun popped his datapad out of his vest pocket. “And I’ve recorded all your instructions right here, in case I forget.”
“Uh, great.” Han glanced away so Juun would not see him wince. “That makes me real confident.”
“I’m happy to know that,” Juun said. “But I do have one question.”
Han counted to three, reminding himself that it was better for the Sullustan to ask his questions now rather than later, when they were being dive-bombed by a thousand dartships.
“Okay, shoot.”
“Has this ever been tried before?”
Han and Leia exchanged looks of surprise, then Leia said, “I don’t see how it could have been, Jae.”
“Oh.” Juun was silent for a moment, then said, “I have another question.”
“No kidding,” Han grumbled.
“Maybe we should make this the last one,” Leia said. “I just felt Luke and Mara emerge from hyperspace.”
“Of course.” The Sullustan slipped out of his chair, and Tarfang did the same. “How do we know it’s going to work?”
“Good question,” Han said. He turned forward again and placed a tracking lock on Alema’s skiff.
After a moment, Leia explained, “It was Han’s idea, Jae.”
“Oh, I see.” Juun sounded satisfied. “Of course it will work.”
Tarfang growled something doubtful, but Juun was already leading the way back toward the engineering station.
A moment later, the irregular, matte-black body of two StealthX starfighters pulled alongside the Falcon, and Han saw Luke’s and Mara’s helmet-framed faces looking over from the cockpits of phantom craft. Leia closed her eyes for a moment, reaching out to them in the Force, trying to get some sense of their intentions. After the Dark Nest attack on the Shadow, they had decided to return with only the Falcon and a couple of StealthX escorts. Since the Falcon was not equipped to carry fighters, Luke and Mara had been taking turns with the other two Jedi Masters on the mission-Kyp and Saba-ferrying the starfighters through hyperspace.
Luke and Mara happened to be in the cockpit when the time came for the final jump to Qoribu, but Han suspected that Mara would have insisted on being one of the pilots to follow Alema into the Dark Nest. She was taking the whole assassin thing pretty personally.
Leia opened her eyes, then Luke and Mara accelerated away toward Kr. They remained visible for a moment, a pair of dark X’s silhouetted against Qoribu’s bright stripes, then shrank into invisibility.
“Luke wants us to hold here until they find the nest,” Leia reported. “Then-“
“Excuse me,” C-3PO interrupted. “But we have an unfortunate situation. We’re being hailed by both Dukat Gray of the Hapan fleet and Commander Fel of the Chiss.”
“Put Gray on first,” Han said. “Fel is just going to-“
“No, shift them to a conference channel,” Leia said. “Maybe we can promote a dialogue.”
“Or a war,” Han grumbled.
Gray’s voice came over the speaker first. “Princess Leia, I demand an- “
“Who’s this?” Fel demanded.
“Dukat Aleson Gray, Duch’da to Lady AlGray of the Relephon Moons,” Gray responded.
There was a long silence.
“To whom am I speaking?” Gray demanded.
“Commander Jagged Fel,” Fel replied. “Of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet.”
Another long silence.
Finally, Gray said, “I was attempting to comm Princess Leia and her crew. Have you boarded their vessel?”