The Hand Of Thrawn Duology_ Specter Of The Past Part 40

"No need," Rogue Nine said, his voice taut. "There it is: a thin cylinder running vertically between the S-foils, just forward of the laser power line."

"You've got one, too," Wedge growled. Now that he knew where to look, the add-on was obvious. "Ten to one the whole squadron's been b.o.o.by-trapped."

"All right, so we don't lock S-foils," Rogue Two said. "We can still fire, can't we?"

"I don't think we should try it," Wedge warned, frowning hard at the innocent-looking cylinder. "In fact-Corran, roll starboard a couple of degrees, will you?"

Rogue Nine's fuselage rolled away slowly from him. "I was right," Wedge bit out, thoroughly disgusted now. "The top of the cylinder's got two branches. One runs into the wing's servo -line, the other looks like it feeds right into the laser power line. My guess is that either locking or firing will knock out the lasers. Or worse."

Rogue Twelve cursed feelingly. "Has to have been those two Leresai in the Di'tai'ni maintenance crew who were always hanging around," he said. "So what do we do, try to bluff them?"

Wedge looked out at the Leresen ships. They were on the move now, starting to form up around the manufacturing station speeding helplessly toward them. "No point," be said quietly. "They already know we're out of it."

And so they watched helplessly as the Leresai set about quickly, efficiently, and systematically demolishing the station. Taking their toll of twenty innocent lives in payment for the guilty.

By the time the rest of the Peregrine task force arrived, it was all over.

Or, perhaps more accurately, it had just begun.

"It's finally started," Leia announced bleakly as she locked the apartment door behind her and sank down onto the couch next to Han. "The shooting has finally started."

"Yeah, I heard," Han said grimly, radiating concern as be slipped his arm around her.

"What's the Senate doing about it?"

"Mostly trying to figure out what they can do," Leia told him.

"What's to figure?" Han asked. "The Leresai slaughtered twenty-one Bothans, not to mention shredding a perfectly good s.p.a.ce station. Can't Gavrisom just order the Leresen government brought up on charges?"

"I wish it were that easy," Leia said. "Unfortunately, it's not. Three of the High Councilors have already stated they'll vote against any such resolution, on the grounds that we haven't made similar reparation demands on the Bothan government over the destruction of Caamas."

"But they're not the same thing," Han insisted. "In fact, they're exactly opposite. The Leresai killed innocent people; the Caamas thing is about not punishing innocent people."

"We didn't demand that the Bothans punish the surviving guards who fired on the rioters, either," Leia reminded him.

She sensed his flash of gruff embarra.s.sment. "Yeah," be growled. "Because of me."

Leia squeezed his knee rea.s.suringly. "Not just because of you, dear," she said. "The Council's position is that the guards' action qualified as self-defense. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way."

Han sniffed. "Clan thinking."

"Yes, I know," Leia said. "It doesn't make sense to me, either, to hold a relative or clansman responsible for someone else's actions. But the reality is that family or clan accountability is a central tenet of a lot of cultures out there."

"Maybe," Han conceded. "But you still have to slap down the Leresai. If you don't, it'll just encourage everyone else who has a grudge against the Bothans."

"It already has," Leia said, a shiver running through her. "A dozen other governments have filed notice with the Senate that they're going to be presenting their own lists of demands against the Bothans."

"Or else?"

Leia shrugged. "That's the implied threat."

Han made a rude noise in the back of his throat "You know what high esteem I hold the Bothans in, hon, but this is getting ridiculous. I suppose Fey'lya's screaming to Gavrisom for protection?"

"He doesn't have to," Leia told him. "The Diamala and Mon Calamari have announced they're sending ships to defend Bothawui against any further aggression."

Han whistled under his breath. "You're kidding. What kind of ships?" &mdash "Big ones," Leia said. "Star Cruisers from the Mon Cals, some Nebula and Endurance-cla.s.s warships from the Diamala. They say they're protecting the rights of the innocent. Others are saying they're just the latest victims of Bothan manipulation."

"That would be my vote," Han said. "Has Bel Iblis proved yet the Bothans were behind that phony Di'tai'ni mediation request?"

"No actual proof, but he personally has no doubts the whole thing was a ruse to keep him and the task force within easy striking distance of Bothawui," Leia said, grimacing.

"Between that and the Leresai sabotage of Rogue Squadron's lasers-"

"What, they've admitted it?"

"Not only admitted it, they were proud of it," Leia said. "They consider it the height of honor to keep outsiders from getting hurt in one of their quarrels."

Han snorted. "I'll bet Wedge was real pleased about that."

"He and Garm are about ready to spit blaster bolts," Leia said. "Garm told Gavrisom flat-out that the New Republic is not going to play the lowest piece in anyone else's political games."

"That sounds like a direct quote," Han said. "Here, turn around a little." Pulling his arm from behind her neck, he started ma.s.saging her shoulders.

"It was," Leia said, feeling her taut muscles softening reluctantly under the pressure of Han's fingertips. "That feels good."

"Good-it's supposed to," Han said with a touch of forced humor. "You know, messing with someone like Bel Iblis wasn't a smart thing for the Bothans to do."

"I'm sure they know that," Leia agreed. "It shows how desperate they're getting."

She sensed the sideways movement as Han shook his bead. "This is crazy, Leia. Don't any of them even care that Thrawn's back?"

"Of course not," Leia said. "Half of them don't believe a word of it-they think the Diamala cooked the whole thing up to scare everyone into letting the Bothans off the hook, The other half concede it may be true, but don't see any way the Empire could possibly be a threat to them anymore."

"Then they're all fools," Han growled. "Thrawn's got something up his sleeve. I'll bet the Falcon he does."

"I agree," Leia said with a sigh. "On the other hand, at this point he almost doesn't have to do anything at all. The New Republic's rapidly degenerating into a hundred different armed camps, all polarized around the Caamas issue."

"Can't the Caamasi do anything to stop it?" Han asked. "They can't want this."

"Of course they don't," Leia said. "But you have to understand that Caamas has become more an excuse than it is a genuine issue. Everyone says they have the interests of Caamas and justice at heart, but a lot of them are just using that as a battle cry while they settle old scores."

"Yeah," Han said sourly. "So what do we do?"

"Only one thing we can do," Leia said. "We have to take the excuse away from them; and that means getting the names of the actual Bothans that were involved and putting them on trial."

There was a subtle change in Han's emotions. "Yeah," he said. "Well . . . Karrde's trying."

Leia frowned. "Did you speak to him today? I thought he'd already left Coruscant."

"Far as I know he has," Han said. "No, I just put out the word with a few smuggling people I know that I want to talk to Mazzic."

"What about?"

"I just wanted to find out whether this Shada D'ukal really worked for him," Han told her.

"And why exactly she left."

Leia smiled. "You wouldn't be worried about Karrde, would you?"

"No," Han protested. "Course not. He can take care of himself."

"It's all right, dear," she soothed him, patting his leg again. "I like him, too."

"I don't exactly like him," Han said, still protesting. "I mean, he can be a real pain in the neck sometimes."

"So could you, dear," Leia reminded him. "Still can, for that matter. You know, I sometimes think Karrde is sort of what you would have been if you hadn't joined the Rebellion."

"Maybe," Han said. "Except for the beard."

"Thank the Force for small favors," Leia said dryly. "Anyway, that's how I spent my day.

Aside from chatting with smugglers, how did you spend yours?"

"Thinking, mostly," he said. "I was thinking it was about time we got away for a while."

"And a lovely thought that is," Leia murmured. "But Gavrisom would have a fit if I tried to leave right now."

"That might make it worthwhile all by itself," Han said. "I don't think I've ever seen Puffers throw a fit."

Leia smiled. "I appreciate the offer, Han, I really do. But you know we can't."

"You give up too easily," he reproved her casually. "I'll bet you I could arrange something."

Leia pulled away from the ma.s.sage, tuning to frown at him. There'd been another change in his emotions just then . . . "And a.s.suming I took that bet," she asked suspiciously, "what else would you tell me you did today?"

He favored her with one of his innocent looks. "Me? Oh, nothing much. You taking the bet or not?"

"Out with it, Han," she said, putting some intimidation into her frown. Where did you book us a flight to?"

As always, the intimidation bounced off without noticeable effect. "Nowhere important," he said, a smile now lurking beneath all the innocence. "I just thought we could take a little jaunt out to Kanchen sector. Pakrik Major, to be exact"

Leia searched her memory. She'd heard of Kanchen sector, and vaguely remembered Pakrik Major being the sector capital. But that was about it. What's out there that we're interested in?" she asked.

"Absolutely nothing," Han a.s.sured her. "Well, I mean except for an annual sector conference that a New Republic official really ought to attend. You know-diplomatic courtesy and all that."

She sighed. "And what crisis are they going through that they need me to mediate?"

"That's the beauty of it," he said, grinning openly now. "There isn't one. Everything out there's real peaceful. We'd sit through a few boring meetings, then head off into the silence and relax."

"You a.s.sume there's silence somewhere nearby that we can get to."

"There is," Han said. "Pakrik Major's got a twin planet, Pakrik Minor, where they've got nothing but farms, a few resorts, and lots of undeveloped countryside."

This was sounding better and better. "Farms, you say?"

"Fruit and tallgrain, mostly," Han said with a nod. "And forests and mountains and all the silence you want And no one here even has to know we're going."

Leia sighed. "Except Gavrisom," she said, feeling a twinge of regret. "And he'll never approve."

Han's grin turned smug. "Sure he will. Fact is, I called him this afternoon and set it all up. He loves the idea."

She blinked. "He loves the idea?"

"Well, maybe he doesn't love it, exactly," Han backpedaled. "But he's letting us go, and that's what's important. Right?"

"Right," Leia said, eyeing him. "You going to drop the other glove, or not?"

Han shrugged. "He didn't exactly say it outright," he admitted reluctantly, "but I got the feeling he wouldn't mind if the two of us sort of disappeared for a while."

"Even with Thrawn on the loose?"

Han made a face. "Especially with Thrawn on the loose."

Leia sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. She should have guessed that there would be something like that behind it. Between the Bothan shooting controversy still clinging to Han and her own support of Lando's unsubstantiated claim about seeing Thrawn, the two of them had become political embarra.s.sments. No wonder Gavrisom was jumping at the chance to get them out of the public eye for a while. "I'm sorry, Han," she apologized. "I always ask that one question too many, don't I?"

"It's okay, hon," he said, squeezing her tightly. "We don't have to let them take the shine off this, you know. It was our idea to take a vacation, no matter what they think it is."

Leia smiled tightly. "You can't throw me out; I quit,'" she quoted the old joke.

"Something like that," he said. "Anyway, I talked to Chewie, and there's no problem with keeping the kids on Kashyyyk a little longer. It'll be some time just for the two of us."

Leia smiled tightly into his neck. "You know, that's almost exactly what I told myself when Gavrisom sent us to Bothawui," she said. "You saw how well that turned out."

"Well, this time it's going to work," Han said positively. "No Bothans, no riots, no one shooting at us. Guaranteed."

"I'll hold you to that," she warned, pulling out of the hug for a quick kiss. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you're packed," he said, squeezing her arm. "And hurry up&mdashI've been packed for hours."

"Yes, sir," Leia said, mock-seriously, as she stood up and headed for their bedroom. Some quiet, peaceful time away from trouble and controversy. Yes, it was exactly what she needed.

The tallgrain farms of Pakrik Minor. She could hardly wait.