Star Wars_ Millennium Falcon - James Luceno [124]
“I knew it!” Allana said. “There isa treasure!”
Han's eyes darted from Allana to Jadak. “Is she right?”
“The Falcon holds the key to locating a treasure that was described to me as ‘sufficient to restore Republic honor to the galaxy.’”
Leia's brow furrowed. “Honor?”
“Credits?” Han said. “Aurodium? What kind of treasure?”
Jadak shook his head. “I don't know.”
“How could the Falcon know where this treasure is cached?”
“The Republic Group set it up to know. They saw where things were headed with Palpatine and must have been preparing for a time when they could wrest power away from him. What they didn't foresee was how the Clone Wars would end, with the Jedi murdered and the Emperor all but untouchable.”
Han holstered his blaster and began to pace. “Then this treasure could be a trove of weapons.”
“Maybe,” Jadak said, watching him. “Or a combination of weapons and precious metals.”
“The Republic Group said honor,” Leia chimed in, “not strength.”
Han came to a halt and turned toward the hologame table. “How could Oxic have learned about it? Was he a member of the group?”
“I think I know,” Leia said. “To the best of my knowledge he wasn't a member. But he was close friends with many of the beings who were. One of them may have told him about the cache.”
Han considered it. “Why not just tell him where to find the treasure?”
“The location may have been a closely guarded secret,” Leia went on. “Whoever told Oxic knew only that the Falcon was the key to finding it, and that Tobb Jadak was the last person known to have piloted it.”
“Are we gonna go and find the treasure?” Allana asked.
Han steered a course around the question. “The first thing we have to do is check the ship for homing devices, just in case Oxic is thinking about following us. We won't be able to scan the hull until we revert to realspace, but we can run a scan of the interior.” Han turned to C-3PO. “You know what to do.”
“I'll begin at once, Captain Solo.”
Han whirled to Poste. “Threepio said you had a slicer droid with you.”
Poste gulped and nodded. “It was with me in the cockpit when Oxic's goons got the jump on me. It could have deboarded while they were busy chasing me through the ship.”
“Could have? You mean to tell me it could still be aboard?”
“I'm just saying that I didn't see it leave,” Poste said.
“Threepio!” Han shouted. “We have a revised priority!” As if only just remembering, he opened his left fist and glanced at the transponder. “Why did this thing suddenly go active?”
“Because I entered a code sequence into the navicomputer,” Jadak said.
Han's eyes narrowed. “The transponder received the code, and tried to transmit.”
“We need to put it back where we found it,” Allana said, going to the bulkhead alongside the engineering station.
Leia looked at Han, waiting for him to speak.
“This is crazy,” he said finally.
“It's not,” Allana said. “It's just a treasure hunt.”
“Nothing affixed to the hull,” Han announced from the pilot's chair.
Leia and Allana were beside him, Jadak and Poste in the rear chairs. Outside the viewport the stars were visible once more, the Falcon drifting aimlessly among them.
Swiveling toward the ship's intercom, Han said, “Threepio, what's taking you so long?”
A note of distress punctuated the droid's voice as it issued through the cockpit enunciators. “I am working at all speed, Captain Solo. The cargo areas are free of tracking devices. I will sweep the rest of the Falcon from the stern forward.”
“Fine. Just be quick about it.”
Han muted the audio before C-3PO could respond. “Have to keep him on his toes,” he said over his shoulder.
“Oxic's boys aren't stupid, just incompetent,” Jadak said. “They'd expect you to scan for a homing device.”
Han nodded. “Still, why take chances.”
“Captain Solo,” C-3PO said