Threepio looked helplessly at Han. “We’ll be back soon,” Han muttered into his comlink.
“We’ll be back soon,” Threepio echoed into the Falcon’s mike.
“I just want to check out-“
“I just want to check out-“
“-the Gados’s-“
“-the Gados’s-“
“-manufacturing infrastructure.”
“-manufacturing infrastructure.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Winter said. “I’ll pass that information on to the Council. I’m sure they’ll be pleased to hear it.” She paused, just noticeably. “I wonder if I might be permitted to speak with Captain Solo for a moment.”
Across the cockpit, Lando grimaced. She knows, he mouthed silently.
No kidding, Han mouthed back. He caught Threepio’s eye and nodded. “Of course,” the droid said, sagging with obvious relief. “Han-?”
Han switched his comlink over. “I’m here, Winter. What’s up?”
“I wanted to know if you had any idea yet when you and Princess Leia would be returning,” she said. “Admiral Ackbar, particularly, has been asking about you.”
Han frowned at the comlink. Ackbar probably hadn’t spoken two words to him outside of official business since he’d resigned his general’s commission a few months back. “You’ll have to thank the Admiral for his interest,” he told Winter, picking his words carefully. “I trust he’s doing all right himself?”
“About as usual,” Winter said. “He’s having some problems with his family, though, now that school is in full swing.”
“A little squabbling among the children?” Han suggested.
“Bedtime arguments, mainly,” she said. “Problems with the little one over who’s going to get to stay up and read-that sort of thing. You understand.”
“Yeah,” Han said. “I know the kids pretty well. How about the neighbors? He still having trouble with them?”
There was a brief pause. “I’m … not exactly sure,” she said. “He hasn’t mentioned anything about them to me. I can ask, if you’d like.”
“It’s no big deal,” Han said. “As long as the family’s doing okay-that’s the important thing.”
“I agree. At any rate, I think he mainly just wanted to be remembered to you.”
“Thanks for passing on the message.” He threw Lando a look. “Go ahead and tell him that we won’t be out here too much longer. We’ll go to Abregado and maybe look in on a couple of others and then head back.”
“All right,” Winter said. “Anything else?”
“No-yes,” Han corrected himself. “What’s the latest on the Bpfasshi recovery program?”
“Those three systems the Imperials hit?”
“Right.” And where he and Leia had had their second brush with those gray-skinned alien kidnappers; but there was no point in dwelling on that.
“Let me call up the proper file,” Winter said. “… It’s coming along reasonably well. There were some problems with supply shipments, but the material seems to be moving well enough now.”
Han frowned at the speaker. “What did Ackbar do, dig up some mothballed container ships from somewhere?”
“Actually, he made his own,” Winter came back dryly. “He’s taken some capital ships-Star Cruisers and Attack Frigates, mostly-cut the crews back to skeleton size and put in extra droids, and turned them into cargo ships.”
Han grimaced. “I hope he’s got some good escorts along with them. Empty Star Cruisers would make great target practice for the Imperials.”
“I’m sure he’s thought of that,” Winter assured him. “And the orbit dock and shipyards at Sluis Van are very well defended.”
“I’m not sure anything’s really well defended these days,” Han returned sourly. “Not with the Imperials running loose like they are. Anyway. Got to go; talk to you later.”
“Enjoy your trip. Your Highness? Goodbye.”
Lando snapped his fingers at Threepio. “Goodbye, Winter,” the droid said.
Han made a slashing motion across his throat, and Lando shut off the transmitter. “If those Star Cruisers had been built with proper slave circuits, they wouldn’t have to load them with droids to make container ships out of them,” he pointed out innocently.
“Yeah,” Han nodded, his mind just barely registering Lando’s words. “Come on-we’ve got to cut this short and get back.” He climbed out of the cockpit seat and checked his blaster. “Something’s about to burn through on Coruscant.”