The Black Fleet Crisis_ Before The Storm Part 5

"That was probably a mistake. "

"-Recarpeted the holds and crew quarters. Fixed the sticky latch on the Number Two storage locker. Recharged the sanitizer in the refresher. " He smiled. "Want to take her for a spin? "

Gesturing with one furry hand, Chewbacca registered his vote.

"Yeah, all that history gone. It won't be the same Falcon without the creaks and the shakes, " Han said.

"No, it won't, " said the yard boss. "She'll be about twenty percent faster, ten percent more efficient, and a hundred percent more reliable. "

"Keys in the ignition? "

The yard boss nodded. "The security system's been reinitialized for you-just enter new authorization codes. "

Han looked at Chewbacca. "I think Leia can get by without us for a little longer. Let's wring her out a little. "

"Have fun, " the yard boss said, his self-satisfied smile restored to full brightness. "You're already cleared for orbit. "

Waving their ID cards at the scanners, Han and Chewbacca entered the grounds of the presidential residence in full stride and in the middle of a full-blown argument.

"I know, I know, she's perfect, " Han said. "I know, we couldn't have gotten her into that kind of shape in a year of weekends. So what? I hate perfect. "

Chewbacca shook his head and uttered a long, whining growl that bespoke his frustration.

"I am not being unreasonable. How can you say that? " Han demanded, raising his hands in disgust. "Weren't you paying attention? Were you even listening while we were landing? "

Jerking his head back sharply, Chewbacca grunted a sharp retort.

"That's right-hardly a sound. She's as tight as a new boot, " Han said, stopping and turning on his friend. "Listen, buddy, I hate new boots. I like my boots covered with scuffs, worn just this side of falling apart, with room for my toes and a little roll in the heels. All those noises they took out, that's how I used to know when I was pushing her. How am I gonna know how hard we're hit next time we're in a sc.r.a.p? "

Chewbacca shook his head and growled his disgust.

"I thought you'd understand, " Han said plaintively. "Chewie, they replaced the cushions on the acceleration couches. " His tone was rich with indignation. "Don't they understand why people keep old furniture around the house? That's not my Falcon. It feels like I'm sitting in somebody's else's ship. I tell you, I'm gonna have to take a whole day to go around with a wrench and start loosening things-" Somewhere in the middle of Han's tirade, Chewbacca stopped listening to him. He stood straighter and c.o.c.ked his head while attending to a sound from farther away. Finally he grabbed Han by the shoulder and gave him a little shake to interrupt him.

"Arroora, " the Wookiee said chidingly.

"What? " Han said, twisting around to look toward the gardens. "I didn't hear her. "

Together they hurried down the walk toward Leia's voice. They found her on the back lawn, tailor-sitting on the gra.s.s with a datapad in her lap. Nearby, all three children lay side by side on their backs, with eyes either closed or staring blankly upward. "I thought you'd be back long before this, " Leia said, with a hint of impatience in her voice. "I had to postpone an appointment with Senator Noimm. "

Han looked down, embarra.s.sed. "Sorry, honey, " he said, sitting beside her and reaching for her hand. "There were problems at the yard. "

"And I'll bet you caused most of 'em, " she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Right, Chewie? "

The bronze-furred Wookiee looked away, shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and scratched his head distractedly.

"It's okay, Chewie, " Han said. "I'll rat on myself, so you don't have to. " He nodded toward the children, who had neither moved nor made a sound since he and Chewbacca had arrived. "What did you do to them, kill them? "

Jaina giggled at that, spoiling the effect.

"It's an exercise, " Leia said.

"What, to see who can levitate the longest? "

"Bite your tongue, " said Leia sharply. "They're working on feeling the Force flowing through the gra.s.s, through each separate plant, without disturbing the flow. It's one of the Jedi disciplines of moving lightly, leaving no sign. "

Chewbacca growled.

"Don't look at me, Chewie, " said Han, lying back in the gra.s.s. "The best discipline I know is the sentence 'Wait till your mother gets home. ' "

Leia smiled and poked him with a forefinger. "I feel like I hardly know enough myself to be their teacher, " she said with a sigh, "but I have to do what I can. " More loudly she added, "All right, children, that's enough. "

One after another, Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin sat up. Jacen plucked a blade of gra.s.s and started trying to whistle through it, drawing a glare from his sister and a look of injured surprise from his younger brother.

"Tell me what you learned, " Leia said.

Jaina looked toward her parents. "The gra.s.s doesn't mind being walked on, but it does feel it. "

"Everything that's alive can feel what happens to it, " said Leia. "That's an important truth to remember. Anakin? Jacen? What about you? "

Anakin laced his fingers behind his neck as a pillow.

"I don't know if I learned something or made it up. "

"Tell us. "

"Well-I was looking at the clouds. And I thought I could feel the gra.s.s looking at them, too. Like they were wondering if it was going to rain. "

"I'm sure the gra.s.s is aware of the weather, " Leia said. "But wondering is something conscious beings are blessed with. "

"Or cursed, " said Han.

"I learned that the gra.s.s thinks Jaina smells bad, " Jacen said impishly, giving his twin a push and rolling away from her. "Can we go in the pool, Mother? "

"All right, " she said, accepting that the exercise was over. Three small bodies scrambled up from the gra.s.s and ran fleet-footedly toward the courtyard and the vortex pool.

"I can go watch them, " Han said, sitting up.

"Stay. They'll be all right, " Leia said, shielding her eyes. "Chewie, you look even taller than usual from down here. I hope your mate is bigger than me. Did you have as hard a time as my dear husband did, letting someone else work on his jalopy? "

Chewbacca crouched down, sitting on his heels with an easy balance that reminded Han that his friend came from an arboreal planet. Lifting his face to the sky, he growled proudly.

"Oh, right, fine, you're the practical one, and I'm the hot-tempered one, " Han said. "Have you ever heard such character a.s.sa.s.sination? "

"Don't worry, dear, " Leia said, patting his hand. "I won't let him change how I feel about you. "

The Wookiee's first grunt was a retort, the second a question.

"Of course-go ahead, " said Leia.

Rolling his head from side to side on his neck, Chewbacca loosed a long, well-modulated growl. Before it was over, Han sat up with a start, staring at Chewbacca.

"Go home? " he demanded. "Go home? "

"Of course, " Leia said to Chewbacca. "You have a family of your own, a mate and a child. Your responsibility to them is every bit as important as the obligations you feel toward us. Tell him, Han. "

"Huh? Look, who's going to help me put the Falcon out of order again? "

Leia poked him in the ribs.

"Ow! "

"Try again, " she said.

"I guess it's been a long time, pal, " Han said, wearing a rueful expression. "Family won't recognize you if you don't get back there soon and spend more time hanging around the home tree. "

Chewbacca shook his head up and down as he answered.

"Of course we understand, " Leia said. "You've been here taking care of our kids instead of on Kash-yyyk with your own. You really should be there for Lumpawaroo's coming-of-age. We insist you go. I feel bad that we've been so selfish. "

The Wookiee answered with an uncharacteristically tentative growl.

"No, we'll manage just fine, " Leia said. "The kids are safe here, and we're not going to be running all over the galaxy. And Luke is on Coruscant-"

"Leia-"

"-and he'll be helping us with the children. No, don't give it a second thought. You should leave as soon as you can pack. Tell him, Han. "

Han nodded. "Leia's right, old buddy. It's a good time. Things are quiet. We'll miss ya, but you've been standing watch on our bridge long enough. "

Subtle movements. of muscles under fur marked Chewbacca's relief and grat.i.tude. "Rrargrarg? " he asked, c.o.c.king his head.

"Shoot, pal, " said Han, showing an easy grin. But his face paled and his eyes widened as Chewbacca asked his second favor. "Oh, no-oh, no. You can't ask me that. I just got her back after a hundred and sixty-seven days on the hook. "

Chewbacca's grunt was terse and snide.

"I don't care if I said I hated new boots, " Han said. "I hate having someone else's feet in my boots even more. Friendship only goes so far. "

"What are you talking about? " Leia demanded.

"Aw, he's just trying to hold me to my own words. I don't have to be consistent if I don't want to. "

With a peevish growl, Chewbacca stood and started to turn away.

"Don't you move, Chewie, " Leia said sharply. "Han, come on! You should lend him the Falcon. "

"Well, I don't want to, " Han said, getting to his feet and pacing nervously. "I don't want her bouncing around hypers.p.a.ce without me. I want her where I know the worst thing that can happen is that some overeager mechanic with a torque wrench will come along and tighten all the connectors to spec. And you know how Wookiees fly-he'll redline it the whole way there and back. "

Leia shook her head. "And you wonder why Jacen gives us a hard time. "

"Arrarrarooerrr, " Chewbacca said plaintively to Leia.

"You hear that? " Leia said. "Han, dear-how many years of Chewie's life have you taken so far? How long have you kept him away from Kashyyyk? "

"Me? I didn't do it. It's that crazy Wookiee life debt stuff. I'd be glad to let him off the hook. "

"The least you could do is let him go back a hero, in the ship both of you made famous. Think what that could mean to Chewie's son, to his mate. It might go a long way toward making up for Chewie's absence to know that he was doing something that mattered, to see him honored. "

"I suppose, " Han said dubiously.

"And he's your friend. You wouldn't want him to think you were willing to lend the Millennium Falcon to Lando-" Han shook a finger warningly.

"That's different. That was war. And I still didn't like it. "

"-but not to him. You wouldn't want him to think you were willing to lose the Falcon to Lando in a sabacc game, but you won't lend it-"

"Her. Her, not it. "

"-to Chewbacca for his homecoming. You wouldn't want to hurt his feelings like that, would you? "

Holding his head in his hands as though trying to ma.s.sage away a headache, Han looked from Leia to Chewbacca and back to Leia again. He squinted, frowned, chewed his lower lip, shook his head. His mouth worked, and he made a noise that sounded something like "Not fair. "

"What? " said Leia. "What did you say? "

Han cleared his throat and looked straight at Chewbacca. "I said I guess if we need a lift somewhere while you're gone, either the president or the princess can probably arrange something. "

Chewbacca crowed his delight and rushed forward to hug Han. "But you'd better take care of her! " Han added quickly, squirming uncomfortably in the Wookiee's crushing embrace. "I want her back without a scratch, d'you hear me? Not a scratch. And fill the tanks before you leave Kashyyyk. I'm not paying for your conjugal visits. "

The only response Chewbacca made was to ruffle Han's hair while he showed a toothy openmouthed grin.

When Chewbacca was gone, Leia drew Han into a gentler and more agreeable embrace. "I'm proud of you, " she said. "He'd never say anything to either of us, but he still hasn't stopped feeling awful inside about the kidnapping of the kids. "

Han did not have to ask Leia how she knew about Chewbacca's private pain. "It wasn't his fault. "

"You'll never convince him of that. He feels guilty for failing us. And he feels guilty for neglecting his own. He really needs to go home and get his confidence back. " She drew back and smiled up at her husband.

"And from what I hear, looking after Wookiee children is good practice for looking after Jedi children. "

"Maybe I should go with him. "

"You don't need to, " she said, and kissed him.

"Yeah, well, fine, " Han said. "I'll tell you this much, though. Luke'd better come teach the kids how to flap their arms and fly. Because I'm never giving Jacen the codes to the Falcon. Not in my lifetime, anyway. "

"Why? Didn't you start piloting everything in sight as soon as you could? "

"Of course I did, " Han said indignantly. "Why do you think I'm worried? "

The unmarked office of Admiral Drayson lay buried inside five security perimeters and hidden behind a curtain of misinformation and plausible deniability.