It was another lie. She was here in the hope that by being in the right place at the right time she might, however slightly, be able to improve the chances that her husband would survive the next few hours.
“I shall be glad to oblige. Allow me to introduce you to my aide. I will volunteer him for the tour, and then you and I can chat …”
CORONET, CORELLIA
“Circuit trace routes?” The female voice sounded equally strong in both of Han’s ears, and was pure, true of tone. Han shook his head. It must be nice to own a vehicle where every component was brand new and flawless, like the YT-5100 Shriek-class bomber whose cockpit he occupied.
On the other hand, something that new and shining lacked spirit. Millennium Falcon had spirit in abundance, memories ground into every surface. By comparison, this Shriek was a … machine.
“Circuit trace routes?” the voice said again.
Its persistence jolted Han out of his reverie. He scanned the control boards ahead of him. “Ninety-nine point seven three two,” he said.
“Energy output?”
“One hundred two point three percent of class standard, ninety-four point eight percent of record, ninety-nine point nine percent of individual standard.” Checklists. How long had it been since he’d had to do a checklist for a military authority?
“Droid tactical assist?”
“Three artificial intelligence nodes functioning optimally, but they’re all speaking Dosh.”
“You’re joking.”
Han winced. “Sorry. I thought I was talking to a droid.”
“I get that a lot. Atmospheric pressure?”
“Corellia sea-level standard one point zero zero zero three, and zero variance from the pressure reading when we started the checklist.
“Complete. You are ready to launch. Reenabling comm lines to Panther One.
There was the faintest of clicks, and then Han heard Wedge’s voice: “I hear you’re finally ready to join the operation.”
“Blasted checklists take forever. In a real vehicle, you can feel what’s right and what’s wrong.”
“Don’t feel guilty. You gave me time for a nap.”
“I suspect you needed it.”
“Ready to launch?”
“Ready.” In truth, Han didn’t feel entirely ready. He was, at last, beginning to question his role in this operation. Leia had questioned it days ago, become resigned to it, supported Han in his decision ever since. Now her doubts had finally wandered into his brainwas it the best idea for him to join this mission, having to train for it in secrecy?
On the other hand, when had he ever decided against something just because it was a bad idea? Not in forty years or so, and seldom before then. Doing things even though they were bad ideas had gotten him a decades-long friendship with a noble Wookiee, had landed him a wife no other woman in the galaxy could compare to …
… had gotten him beat up a lot…
“Launch,” Wedge said.
Han kicked the thrusters and put the Shriek into as steep an ascent as possible, going to a true vertical climb within two seconds. Through his forward viewport, the blue skies of Corellia gave way within a startlingly brief time to black space decorated with untwinkling stars.
He glanced at his sensor board. Wedge’s Shriek was just alongside. It was impossible to say which of them was ahead-at an altitude of four hundred kilometers above the ground, measuring the difference of one meter or less was slightly problematic.
As gravity became microgravity, Han called up the first leg of his trip and sent that course to his nav computer. Not waiting for Wedge’s confirmation, he ran through the Shriek’s pre-hyperspace checklist and, as soon as he was far enough from Corellia, launched.
Wedge’s Shriek dropped into hyperspace at the same moment.
Han twisted his mouth into a disapproving grimace. Wedge was so competitive. This mission was going to be complicated by Wedge’s trying to stay out in front, Wedge trying to be the one to shoot straightest, Wedge trying to plot the most efficient route.
Well, Han would just have to show him who was best.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
STAR SYSTEM MZX3290S, NEAR BIMMIEL
ON THE VIEWSCREEN AT MAXIMUM MAGNIFICATION, BRISHA’S home was a hemispherical, light gray bump, a blemish on an irregular dark gray surface. When Jacen stepped the viewscreen down to a medium magnification, he could see the entirety of the asteroid as a dark shadow in the midst of a sea of stars, and, beyond it, the tiny, dirty-orange glow of this star system’s sun, not far from the Bimmiel system, whose fifth planet was notorious for its slashrat population and for being the site of an early Yuuzhan Vong surveying expedition.
Nelani, hovering over Jacen’s shoulder, stared at Brisha’s asteroid and said, “Lovely.” She turned back to Brisha, who lounged in the seat behind the copilot’s position; Ben was copilot on this flight. “I can imagine you enjoying day after day here, sitting by the shores of the lake, watching the glorious sunrises and sunsets …”