Star Wars_ Millennium Falcon - James Luceno [127]
“All of them.”
Han took his feet off the chair and sat up. When he spoke, his voice was lowered, almost conspiratorial. “This quest of ours, into the Falcon's history, it started out something like a game. I've always wanted to know who had piloted her before Lando Calrissian won her at Bespin, but it's not something I ever figured I'd be doing with Leia and Amelia, and it's turned out to be a lot more than I expected, which is saying a mouthful. 'Course, I don't know why I ever expected things to go smoothly.”
Jadak sniffed. “Sorry about what Poste and I contributed.”
“Forget it. But I'm curious. You wake up after sixtysomething years and the first thing you do is go chasing after your ship.”
“Like I told you, I was looking for the ship only because of what I thought it might lead me to.”
“This supposed treasure trove.”
Jadak swallowed what he had intended to say. “What, that's not enough? You married a princess. But I'm sure you were madly in love.”
Han's eyes narrowed in anger, then relaxed. “As long as we're being honest with each other, the idea of being wealthy did appeal to me—for about a standard day.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I started caring about the people I accidentally got thrown in with.”
“The Rebel Alliance,” Jadak said. He swung to face Han. “Well, then that's another thing we have in common. You'd think a few decades in a coma would make you forget, but it didn't. I woke up feeling exactly as I had the day Reeze and I collided with the Corellian cruiser—that I had a mission to discharge. That the Stellar Envoy had to be delivered as planned.” He gave his head a rueful shake. “I still haven't been able to shake that feeling.”
“Getting to Tandun Three will allow you to do that?”
“I sure the frip hope so.”
“Suppose we don't find this treasure. What then?”
“At least I tried to deliver the ship.”
The navicomputer chimed. Han glanced at it and pivoted the chair to face the instrument panel. “Reversion coming up.”
Jadak raised his gaze to the viewport in expectation. Following a moment of wake rotation, the stars firmed up and a crescent of planet hung in the middle distance. Han changed vectors, bringing the Falcon around so that they could approach Tandun III with starlight at their backs.
“Let's see what the long-range scanners tell us,” he said.
Jadak watched Han's expression change as he studied the readouts. Then Han shouted: “Threepio! Get in here!”
“Coming, Captain Solo,” C-3PO said
The sound of the droid's footfalls issued from the connector, and a moment later he was ducking into the cockpit, trailed by Leia, Allana, and Poste.
“What was it you told us about Tandun Three?” Han said.
C-3PO cocked his head to one side. “I said that initial surveys were conducted approximately twelve thousand two hundred fifty years ago, under the supervision of a Dr. Beramsh, whose expedition departed from Ord Mantell. Tandun Three was described as a youthful planet in a young star system, lush and well suited to humans and humanoid oxygen breathers, with close to standard gravity and studded with the ruins of ancient population centers Dr. Beramsh posited as having been constructed by the Rakata. For no particular reason, save perhaps for its distance from the Hydian Way, Tandun Three was never settled, though there are some indications that a second survey was conducted during Finis Valorum's second term as Chancellor of the Republic.”
Han scowled and jabbed his forefinger against the scanner display. “Yeah, well, take a look at these readings and tell me if you'd call Tandun Three a ‘youthful’ planet.”
C-3PO squeezed between Han and Jadak to study the readouts.
“Oh, my,” he said.
“Oh, my, is right,” Han said.
“What is it, Han?” Leia asked over C-3PO's shoulder.
“Let's hear Threepio's revised description.”
The droid turned to Leia. “The scanners reveal extensive areas of volcanic and tectonic activity. While still breathable, the atmosphere is high in carbon dioxide, methane, and sulfur. Surface temperatures have rendered landmasses in the northern hemisphere unsuitable for all