[Legacy Of The Force] - 03(68)
C-3PO fell silent for a moment, then said, “Oh. I hadn’t considered that.”
“I am curious about how you chose Aurra,” Leia said. “She’s hardly a well-known killer of Jedi anymore.”
“And even if she was, this isn’t the kind of job you’d look up an eighty-year-old woman for,” Han pointed out.
“Actually, she found me,” Morwan explained. “When the Heritage Council assigned me to find someone capable of removing the Queen Mother from her throne, I began by assembling a history of known Jedi deaths. When I came across the story of Aurra Sing, I decided to research her as well, hoping to learn something that would help me choose my assassin wisely.
“I must have tripped an alarm gate,” she continued. “Sing showed up a couple of weeks later, demanding to know why I was investigating her. After that, it was hire or die,”
“Sounds like you didn’t have much choice,” Han said sympathetically. “I hope that doesn’t mean you’re having second thoughts now.”
“I’m not.” Morwan’s tone grew defensive. “But I don’t see why you are so concerned about my feelings, Captain Solo. I’m not even a member of the Council. The coup will go on no matter how I feel.”
“Okay-don’t get all touchy on me.” Han turned forward again, grunting as the motion aggravated his wound. “I’m just trying to figure out who set us up at the palace, that’s all.”
“It wasn’t me.” Morwan stood and stepped between the pilot’s and copilot’s seats, then gently slipped a hand under Han’s injured arm. “Time for you to go to med-bay.”
“Not yet.” Han tried to pull his arm free, but managed only to cause himself so much pain that he gasped. “Not until we’re in the Interior.”
“By the time we reach the Interior, you may have an infection,” Morwan said. Clearly unaccustomed to hearing no from a mere man, she continued to pull, slowly drawing Han to his feet. “And the way your arm won’t move isn’t good. The blaster wound may have fused-Are you insane?”
This last remark Morwan screeched as the barrel of Han’s blaster suddenly appeared beneath her nose.
“No means no,” Han warned. “Didn’t your mother teach you that?”
Morwan released his arm but refused to back down. “You aren’t that tough, Captain Solo. When the numb-spray wears off, you’ll be screaming in pain.”
“Probably,” Leia said. “And he’ll be sitting right there doing it. I’ve met rontos who aren’t as stubborn.”
Morwan turned to Leia, her mouth agape in surprise. “And you put up with that?”
“I have a shock collar,” Leia replied, “but it just makes him drool.”
Morwan’s brow shot up in alarm. “Be careful. Turning it up that high may affect his performance …” She finally seemed to realize Leia was joking and let the sentence trail off. “Please forgive me. It’s sometimes hard to remember that the rest of the galaxy has a more tolerant view of men.”
“Sometimes, I find it hard to believe myself.” Scowling at Han’s blaster, Leia assumed the high-pitched voice a mother might use with a child. “Han, dear, why don’t you put that nasty blaster away? Maybe See-Threepio will take the lady back to the medbay and help her find some bacta salve and bandages, and then you can stay in the cockpit with the grown-ups.”
“All right-you don’t have to go all sarcastic on me.” Han holstered his blaster, then dropped back into the copilot’s seat and winced. “I was just trying to make a point.”
“You’ve succeeded beyond your wildest dreams, Captain Solo,” Morwan said. “Next time, please feel free to yell.”
She turned away and followed C-3PO down the access corridor. Once the protocol droid’s metallic steps had died away, Han leaned closer to Leia and spoke in a soft voice. “Once we know who she’s working for…”
“… we need to access the HoloNet and see that our intelligence reaches Tenel Ka,” Leia finished. “I know.”
“Good. Because we might not have much…”
“… time,” Leia finished again. “I know, Han. Maybe you should activate the medbay monitoring cam.”
Han lowered his brow. “Not yet. No one’s sticking me in medbay until we’ve handled…”
“It’s not you I want to watch,” Leia said. “What if Lady Morwan isn’t using her real name?”
“Oh-yeah.” Han settled back into the copilot’s chair and activated the medbay cam. “I guess a picture could be kind of useful.”