Free Heir To The Empire by Timothy Zahn Page B

Mothma said before Leia could answer, her eyes searching Han’s face. Probably trying to figure out just how mad he was about the change in plans. “And Luke’s part in the Battle of Endor is rather well known.”
    “Yeah, I’d heard that,” Han said, trying not to be too sarcastic. He had no particular quarrel with Luke’s position in the New Republic’s pantheon of heroes-the kid had certainly earned it. But if having Jedi around to brag about was so important to Mon Mothma, then she ought to be letting Leia get on with her own studies instead of foisting all this extra diplomatic work on her. As it was, he would bet on an ambitious snail to make full Jedi before she did.
    Leia found his hand, squeezed it. He squeezed back, to show that he wasn’t mad. Though she probably already knew that. “We’d better get going,” she told Mon Mothma, using her grip on Han’s hand to start steering him away from the table. “We still have to collect our droids before we leave.”
    “Have a good trip,” Mon Mothma said gravely. “And good luck.”
    “The droids are already on the Falcon,” Han told Leia as they wove their way around the various conversations that had sprung up between the Councilors and staff members. “Chewie got them aboard while I came here.”
    “I know,” Leia murmured.
    “Right,” Han said, and left it at that.
    She squeezed his hand again. “It’ll be all right, Han. You, me, and Luke together again-it’ll be just like old times.”
    “Sure,” Han said. Sitting around with a group of half-furred, half-size aliens, listening to Threepio’s precise voice all day as he translated back and forth, trying to penetrate yet another alien psychology to figure out what exactly it would take to get them to join the New Republic- “Sure,” he repeated with a sigh. “Just exactly like old times.”
    Chapter 6
    The waving alien trees shied back like some sort of huge tentacles from the landing area, and with the barest of bumps Han set the Millennium Falcon down on the uneven ground. “Well, here we are,” he announced to no one in particular. “Bimmisaari. Fur and moving plants a specialty.”
    “None of that,” Leia warned him, unstrapping from the seat behind him and running through the Jedi relaxation techniques Luke had taught her. Political dealings with people she knew were relatively easy for her. Diplomatic missions with unfamiliar alien races were something else entirely.
    “You’ll do fine,” Luke said from beside her, reaching over to squeeze her arm.
    Han half turned. “I wish you two wouldn’t do that,” he complained. “It’s like listening to half a conversation.”
    “Sorry,” Luke apologized, climbing out of his seat and stooping to peer out the Falcon’s nose window. “Looks like our reception committee coming. I’ll go get Threepio ready.”
    “We’ll be there in a minute,” Leia called after him. “You ready, Han?”
    “Yeah,” Han told her, adjusting his blaster in its holster. “Last chance to change your mind, Chewie.”
    Leia strained her ears as Chewbacca growled out a curt reply. Even after all these years she still couldn’t understand him nearly as well as Han could-some subtle level of harmonics in the Wookiee’s voice, apparently, that she had trouble picking up. But if some of the words were less than distinct, the overall meaning came through crystal clear. “Oh, come on,” Han urged. “You’ve been fawned over before-remember that big awards thing back at the Yavin base? I didn’t hear you complaining then.”
    “It’s all right, Han,” Leia put in over Chewbacca’s response. “If he wants to stay aboard with Artoo and work on the stabilizers, that’s fine. The Bimms won’t be offended.”
    Han looked out the nose window at the approaching delegation. “I wasn’t worried about offending them,” he muttered. “I just thought it’d be nice to have a little extra backup along. Just in case.”
    Leia smiled and patted his