[Legacy Of The Force] - 03(2)

But Han’s pulse had not quickened until a couple of hours later, when Antilles had informed them that the Sal-Solo had two sister ships and an entire support fleet hidden in the Kiris Cluster’s other shipyards. Given the obvious element of surprise, Antilles felt sure the fleet would be powerful enough to smash the blockade and convince the Alliance to reconsider its war plans. What he had wanted to know from Han was whether he and Leia considered an early end to the war a strong enough possibility to serve in the Corellian military.

Han and Leia had spent the night agonizing over Antilles’s question, worrying about whether Han would eventually find himself in battle against his own children. Jaina was now serving with the Jedi instead of the military, and Jacen was supposedly back on Coruscant torturing Corellians, but war had a way of bringing about the unforeseen. If Han ended up killing one of his own children, he would shatter into more pieces than there were stars in the galaxy.

The question posed a dilemma for Leia, as well. Four years ago, when her Master, Saba Sebatyne, had proclaimed her a Jedi Knight, she had sworn to obey the Jedi Council even when she disagreed with it, and the Council was supporting the Galactic Alliance. So far, Saba and the other Masters had been tolerating her insubordination out of respect for who she was. But that would certainly change if Han openly took arms against the Alliance. The Council would have no choice except to demand that she choose between Han and the Jedi.

Still, the only other alternative was to stand by and watch the war blossom without them, and the Solos had never been the type to do nothing. In the end, they had decided the best course of action was to put Coruscant in a more reasonable frame of mind by helping Antilles prove that a war would be as costly for the Galactic Alliance as it was for Corellia. After the blockade was smashed, the new administration would be in a position to negotiate from strength, and Leia would secure the peace by volunteering to act as an envoy.

That was why Han had been so disappointed to be denied admittance to the planning salon. He and Leia had made up their minds to risk everything to help Antilles end this war quickly. Now it looked as though their help was no longer wanted.

The wait was shorter than Han had expected. He had barely started to consider a trip to the caf dispenser when Wedge Antilles arrived in his white admiral’s uniform. His tapered face was creased with wrinkles and worry lines, and his neatly trimmed hair was now more gray than brown.

“Han, Leia-I’m sorry for the delay,” Antilles said. As the door slid shut behind him, Han glimpsed the back of a civilian head nodding vigorously as someone else spoke in sharp tones. “Have you decided?”

“Yeah.” Han began to feel a little more optimistic; perhaps Antilles was just having a difficult meeting with a couple of civilian bigwigs. “I was kind of thinking of signing on.”

“Glad to hear it!” Antilles smiled and stuck out his hand, but there was more apprehension in his face than warmth. “We have an important job for you.”

Han clasped the offered hand, but Leia continued to study Antilles with an expression of reserve. “We’re looking forward to hearing about it,” she said, “so we can make a final decision.”

Antilles did his best to look disappointed, but made the mistake of quietly letting his breath out through his nose. It was an old sabacc tell, and one that Han knew always meant relief. Whatever was going on here, it was beginning to smell like a Hutt’s belly.

“That’s right,” Han said. “Why don’t you tell us what you have in mind?”

“Fair enough.” Antilles drew them away from the door guard and lowered his voice. “We need you to negotiate a coalition.”

“Negotiate?” Han scowled. “I thought you wanted me in the military.”

“Maybe later.” Antilles did not sound too serious. “Right now, this is more important.”

“I must say, trusting Captain Solo to negotiate anything other than an asteroid belt seems foolish,” C-3PO said. “His temperament is poorly suited to diplomacy.”

“Han is a man of hidden talents.” Antilles kept his gaze fixed on Han. “There’s no one else I would trust with this mission.”

Han pondered the compliment only a moment before deciding his friend was feeding him a load of bantha poodoo. “This is about Jacen, isn’t it?”

Antilles frowned. “Jacen?” He shook his head. “Han, we both have kids fighting on the other side of this thing.”

“Sya! isn’t torturing Corellians on Coruscant,” Han countered. As angry and ashamed as he was about what Jacen had become, he wasn’t going to hide from it. “Look, I don’t like what Jacen is doing any more than you do, but he’s still my kid, and I’m not going to disown him. I’ll understand if you’ve got a problem with that.”