[Legacy Of The Force] - 01(9)
“Correct.”
“So we can leave.”
“And go on to our next assignment.”
A look of unease crossed Ben’s features. “Do we have to?”
“Yes, we do.”
“There are going to be a lot of them.”
“Not as many as we just encountered.”
“It’s going to be noisy.”
“Not as noisy as that assembly line.”
Ben heaved a sigh, defeated.
A few minutes later, Jacen and Ben boarded Jacen’s shuttle-an armored variant on the old Lambda-class model, fitted with a turreted laser cannon and a holocomm unit-and lifted off. The shuttle’s upswept wings lowered into horizontal position after liftoff, and Jacen oriented the craft toward Adumar’s sky.
A flight of four Blade starfighters, Adumar’s distinctive split-tail fighter craft, escorted the shuttle until it left the planet’s gravity well and entered hyperspace. Nothing came close enough to fire a shot at the Jedi craft.
Chapter Three
CORUSCANT
LEIA ORGANA SOLO, ONETIME PRINCESS OF THE WORLD OF ALDERAAN, former Chief of State of the New Republic, now a Jedi Knight, stood dressed in all-white robes, suitable to either a Jedi or a politician in informal surroundings, before the portal. It was not an ordinary door; though in appearance it was identical to billions of dwelling exterior doors found on the world of Coruscant, in reality it was not. In the recent past, the original low-cost, composite-material door had been replaced with this innocuous-appearing thing of armor. It would hold against blaster assault-for a while, anyway. The cool blue it was painted belied its defensive function.
Leia’s husband, Han Solo, one of the most famous men in the galaxy, moved up beside her. He was wearing his favorite clothes: dark military trousers decorated with the red Corellian Bloodstripes he had earned when he was a younger man, light long-sleeved shirt, black vest, practical black boots. Except for the lines in his face and gray in his hair, honestly earned through deeds as well as accumulated over the passage of time, he was indistinguishable from the man she’d met aboard the first Death Star so many years ago.
Her spirit lifted. No matter how badly things went, they were always better with Han at her side.
Not that she’d necessarily tell him that. His ego hadn’t diminished in all those years, either.
Han looked gravely at the door. “You figure that’s how they’re going to come at us?”
She nodded. “That’s the only approach that makes any sense, and You know it.”
“Well, the only strategy that makes any sense is for us to just open the door for them. They’re less likely to attempt some sort of sneaky side entry if the front is open. We can pick them off as they’re framed in the doorway. Once their numbers become too great for us, we can manage a staged retreat through the inner chambers.”
Leia considered. “I don’t know. Maybe I should be up front and center to bat back their blaster assaults while you fire on them from the side.”
“Oh, my.” This third voice was higher-pitched than Han’s and carried just a hint of alarm. “If I may ask, has there been some change of plans?”
Han and Leia turned. Entering the outer chamber was C-3P0, the gold-toned protocol droid who had served them faithfully-if fussily-for four decades.
C-3P0 moved up to them, his every action accompanied by the barely audible sound of whining servos, and added, “I thought that the plan was to admit them, then feed them the appetizers I have labored for so long to assemble. Appetizers that are laid out in the kitchen. Was I wrong? Will there be shooting?”
Han and Leia exchanged a glance. “Appetizers would be easier,” Han admitted.
“Fewer blaster bolts hitting the walls, fewer repairs,” Leia said, nodding. “We could do it that way.”
“All right, Goldilocks.” Han clapped C-3P0 on one shining shoulder, rocking the droid in place. “We’ll do it your way. This time.”
“You’re toying with me again, aren’t you, sir?” C-3PO’s sigh was audible.
Han nodded. “It’s more fun and less destructive than hanging meat around your neck and letting the war-dogs loose on you.”
“Humpf.” The droid turned back toward the door through which he’d entered. “Not very sporting, I must say.”
A chime filled the air-the delicate first five notes of “Path to the Sky,” a ballad from Leia’s homeworld of Alderaan.
Han heaved a sigh. “Not too late to change your mind. We could hold them off for days.”
Leia smiled at him. “Hush.”
First through that door were Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker. For this occasion, Luke wore his black Jedi robe and accoutrements, a stark contrast to his still-fair complexion and bright blond hair. Mara wore more traditional Jedi robes in browns and tans, and a red belt that set off her red hair.