Star Wars_ The Jedi Academy Trilogy 01_ Jedi Search - Kevin J. Anderson [31]
Leia scowled down at the food the breakfast tray presented to her. None of it looked appetizing, but she knew she had to eat. She selected a small plate of assorted pastries and sent the breakfast tray on its way. Before it departed, the tray told her to have a pleasant day.
She sighed and picked at her breakfast. She felt exhausted mentally as well as physically. She hated to feel so dependent, even on her own husband, but she never slept well while he was away. Han should have arrived on Kessel three days ago, and he was due back in two days. She didn’t want to cling, but it disappointed her that he had not yet transmitted so much as a greeting. With diplomatic duties that kept her busy at all hours, they saw too little of each other even when they were both on the same planet.
Well, the twins would be coming home in another six days. Han and Chewbacca would be back by then, and their entire lifestyle would change. A pair of two-year-olds running around the palace would force Han and Leia to look differently at many of the things they took for granted.
But why hadn’t Han gotten in touch? It shouldn’t have been so difficult to send a holonet communiqué from the Falcon’s cockpit. She wasn’t quite ready yet to admit she was worried about him.
With a greeting signal from the archway of the park balcony, an older-model protocol droid marched into view. “Excuse me, Minister Organa Solo. Someone wishes to see you. Are you accepting visitors?”
Leia set down her breakfast pastry. “Why not?” It was probably some lobbyist wanting to complain to her in private, or a panicked minor functionary who needed her to make a decision on some uninteresting detail, or one of the other senators trying to hand off some of his own duties.
Instead, with a flourish of his vermillion cape, Lando Calrissian walked through the arch.
“Good morning, Madame Minister. I hope I’m not disturbing your breakfast?” He flashed a broad, disarming smile.
Seeing him, Leia felt her mood immediately lighten. She stood up and met him near the archway. He gallantly kissed her hand, but she was not satisfied until she had given him a friendly hug. “Lando, you’re the last person I expected this morning!”
He followed her back to the table overlooking the skyline of Imperial City and pulled up a chair, sweeping his cape over its back. Without asking, Lando took one of her untouched pastries and began to munch on it.
“So what brings you to Coruscant?” she asked. She realized how eager she was just to have a normal conversation without diplomatic entanglements and hidden agendas.
Lando brushed crumbs from his mustache. “I just came to see how you all are doing in the big city. Where’s Han?”
She grumbled. “That seems to be a sore subject this morning. He and Chewie went off to Kessel, but I think they just used it as an excuse to go joyriding and remembering their glory years.”
“Kessel can be a pretty rough place.”
Leia avoided his eyes. “Han hasn’t bothered to call in six days.”
“That’s not like him,” Lando said.
“Oh, yes, it is—and you know it! I suppose we’ll have words when he comes back day after tomorrow.” Then she forced an artificial air of brightness. “But let’s not talk about that right now. How can you find time to trot around visiting people? A respectable man like yourself has so many responsibilities.”
Lando averted her gaze this time and began fidgeting. He stared at the expanses of gleaming new buildings visible through the metropolis. For the first time Leia noticed a slight scruffiness to his appearance. His clothes seemed a bit ragged around the edges, the colors faded as if from too much wear.
He spread his hands, then took another breakfast pastry. “To tell you the truth, I’m … um, in between engagements right now.” He gave her a lopsided grin, but she frowned back at him.
“What happened to your big mining operation on Nkllon? Didn’t the New Republic replace most