try to keep him from grabbing all the credit, and you and Mon Mothma and Rieekan try to soothe everyone’s ruffled feathers. That’s not survival, Princess. That’s politics.”
“Is
that
what’s bothering you?” Leia asked, sifting rapidly through his tirade as she hunted for clues. “You’re not getting enough credit?”
“Of course I’m getting enough credit,” he said. “Don’t you remember that shiny medal you hung around my neck?”
Leia felt her cheeks burning. “My apologies, Captain Solo,” she ground out with more acid than she’d really intended. “I’m just trying to understand you.”
For the briefest fraction of a second she thought she saw something almost vulnerable in his eyes. But the moment passed, and the mask of cynical indifference dropped back into place. “Don’t bother,” he advised. “Even if you did, you wouldn’t believe it.”
He turned away again, his hands and eyes pretending to busy themselves with random bits of the
Falcon’
s equipment. Leia remained where she was for a few seconds, until it was clear the conversation was over. Spinning around, she strode back across the hangar floor, her cheeks still warm. Never in her life had she met a man whose strengths she so admired while at the same time wanting to strangle him with her bare hands.
Luke was waiting just outside the hangar door. “Anything?” he asked.
“Just the usual bluster,” Leia said with a sigh. “Maybe you can get something out of him.”
Luke’s eyes flicked over her shoulder. “Probably better to wait until he cools down.”
“I just wish I knew what had stirred him up in the first place,” Leia said. “He talked about politics, but I know that’s not the whole story.”
“Meanwhile, we have to get to Shelsha sector,” Luke said. “I hope General Rieekan’s got a backup plan for transport.”
“I’m sure he does,” Leia said. “But we’ve got a few days. Maybe we can bring Han around.”
“Yeah,” Luke said doubtfully. “Maybe.”
Chapter Five
F ROM THE AIR, THE D RUNOST HUB OF C ONSOLIDATED Shipping looked exactly like its familiar star-in-swirl corporate logo. Standing behind Marcross, peering over his shoulder, LaRone could see a dozen large transports parked at various points around its edges, with several small landing/service areas forming a loose ring a few kilometers farther out. A couple of kilometers southeast of the hub, a medium-sized city pressed up against the edge of a swift-flowing river.
“See all the transports?” Quiller said, pointing at the hub building. “A convoy must have just come in. That’s good—means lots of people and vehicles and ships moving around picking up their stuff.”
“A crowd we can lose ourselves in?” Marcross suggested.
“Exactly.”
“What are all those little landing areas around the hub’s edges?” LaRone asked.
“Privately owned service fields,” Quiller told him. “They’re for people who want to come and pick up shipments or buy directly from Consolidated’s outlet center.”
“We’re not going to the hub itself, are we?” Grave asked from the shield/sensor station behind Quiller.
“We’re not even waving at it,” Quiller assured him.“Consolidated has their own security force, and they’re not a group you want to tangle with. But these transfer fields have their own shopping areas. Actually, once I put down we shouldn’t have to go more than a couple hundred meters from the ship to find all the food and gear we need.”
“What about Imperials?” Brightwater asked from the astrogation/comm seat behind LaRone. “They’re bound to have a presence here.”
“Actually, probably not,” Marcross told him. “Consolidated doesn’t like having government flunkies underfoot, and they’re big enough that Imperial Center usually cuts them some slack.”
“Which is one reason I chose this spot in the first place,” Quiller confirmed.
“We still might want to warm up the lasers,”
“Is
that
what’s bothering you?” Leia asked, sifting rapidly through his tirade as she hunted for clues. “You’re not getting enough credit?”
“Of course I’m getting enough credit,” he said. “Don’t you remember that shiny medal you hung around my neck?”
Leia felt her cheeks burning. “My apologies, Captain Solo,” she ground out with more acid than she’d really intended. “I’m just trying to understand you.”
For the briefest fraction of a second she thought she saw something almost vulnerable in his eyes. But the moment passed, and the mask of cynical indifference dropped back into place. “Don’t bother,” he advised. “Even if you did, you wouldn’t believe it.”
He turned away again, his hands and eyes pretending to busy themselves with random bits of the
Falcon’
s equipment. Leia remained where she was for a few seconds, until it was clear the conversation was over. Spinning around, she strode back across the hangar floor, her cheeks still warm. Never in her life had she met a man whose strengths she so admired while at the same time wanting to strangle him with her bare hands.
Luke was waiting just outside the hangar door. “Anything?” he asked.
“Just the usual bluster,” Leia said with a sigh. “Maybe you can get something out of him.”
Luke’s eyes flicked over her shoulder. “Probably better to wait until he cools down.”
“I just wish I knew what had stirred him up in the first place,” Leia said. “He talked about politics, but I know that’s not the whole story.”
“Meanwhile, we have to get to Shelsha sector,” Luke said. “I hope General Rieekan’s got a backup plan for transport.”
“I’m sure he does,” Leia said. “But we’ve got a few days. Maybe we can bring Han around.”
“Yeah,” Luke said doubtfully. “Maybe.”
Chapter Five
F ROM THE AIR, THE D RUNOST HUB OF C ONSOLIDATED Shipping looked exactly like its familiar star-in-swirl corporate logo. Standing behind Marcross, peering over his shoulder, LaRone could see a dozen large transports parked at various points around its edges, with several small landing/service areas forming a loose ring a few kilometers farther out. A couple of kilometers southeast of the hub, a medium-sized city pressed up against the edge of a swift-flowing river.
“See all the transports?” Quiller said, pointing at the hub building. “A convoy must have just come in. That’s good—means lots of people and vehicles and ships moving around picking up their stuff.”
“A crowd we can lose ourselves in?” Marcross suggested.
“Exactly.”
“What are all those little landing areas around the hub’s edges?” LaRone asked.
“Privately owned service fields,” Quiller told him. “They’re for people who want to come and pick up shipments or buy directly from Consolidated’s outlet center.”
“We’re not going to the hub itself, are we?” Grave asked from the shield/sensor station behind Quiller.
“We’re not even waving at it,” Quiller assured him.“Consolidated has their own security force, and they’re not a group you want to tangle with. But these transfer fields have their own shopping areas. Actually, once I put down we shouldn’t have to go more than a couple hundred meters from the ship to find all the food and gear we need.”
“What about Imperials?” Brightwater asked from the astrogation/comm seat behind LaRone. “They’re bound to have a presence here.”
“Actually, probably not,” Marcross told him. “Consolidated doesn’t like having government flunkies underfoot, and they’re big enough that Imperial Center usually cuts them some slack.”
“Which is one reason I chose this spot in the first place,” Quiller confirmed.
“We still might want to warm up the lasers,”
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