Star Wars_ The Jedi Academy Trilogy 01_ Jedi Search - Kevin J. Anderson [58]
Leia hoped she would be able to find the time to visit her baby boy, little Anakin, now that she had the twins to watch over. It would be a tragedy if she had to be even less of a mother to the baby than she had been to these two.
“There it is, Mistress Leia!” Threepio pointed up at a flickering point of light that grew brighter every second. “A shuttle is coming down.”
She felt a spasm of anxiety mixed with a thrill of excitement.
The shuttle approached, winking red and green lights in the twilight sky. It circled the former Imperial Palace, then activated its repulsorlifts to come down with a gentle sigh on the landing platform. Angular and buglike, the shuttle bore no markings, no indication of its planet of origin.
With a hiss of equalizing pressure, the hatch of the shuttle’s passenger compartment split open, gently extending a ramp. Leia bit her lip and took a step forward, squinting into the sharp shadows. The shuttle blocked most of the breeze, leaving the area still and silent.
The young twins stepped out side by side and waited at the top of the ramp. Leia stared at Jacen and Jaina, both self-composed and dark-haired, with wide avid eyes and small faces that looked like the ghosts of Han and Leia.
After a second’s hesitation Leia ran up the ramp, gathering the children in her arms. Both Jacen and Jaina hugged their mother. “Welcome home!” she said, whispering.
She sensed fear and reservation in them; Leia realized with a pang that she was a virtual stranger to them. Winter had been their nanny for as long as they could remember. Leia had been just a visitor whenever she could find time in her duties. But she would make it up to them. She promised herself that much.
All the outstanding obligations rose up in her mind, haunting her with the specter of duty. She still had to deal with the Caridan ambassador and a thousand other delicate tasks to hold the New Republic together. Dozens of planetary systems were on the verge of joining the Republic if a skilled representative—Leia herself—showed good faith by making a visit of state. If Mon Mothma summoned Leia to help ratify a treaty, or to take her place at a state dinner, how could Leia refuse? The fate of the galaxy hung in the balance, clearly dependent on what she did.
How could mere children take precedence over that? And what kind of a mother did it make her even to think about it?
“Where’s Daddy?” Jacen asked.
Anger went through Leia like a spear of ice. “He’s not here right now.”
Winter finally worked her way back from the pilot compartment. Leia looked up at her friend and confidante, and warm memories washed over her. Winter had had snow-white hair for as long as Leia could remember, a serene face that rarely allowed even a twinge of anger to show through. Noticing Han’s absence, Winter raised her eyebrows, filling her face with questions, but she remained silent.
“Where’s baby Anakin?” Jaina asked.
“He has to stay with me for a while longer,” Winter said, nudging the two children down the ramp. “Come, now, we’ll take you to your new home.”
The two children dutifully marched ahead, with Leia following close beside them. Threepio didn’t seem to know what he was expected to do during the reunion, so he just followed, waving his arms and making flustered exclamations.
“How long we stay here?” Jacen asked.
“Where’s our room?” Jaina said.
Leia smiled at the questions and took a deep breath before answering them. From now on she had a feeling she would be hearing a lot of questions.
When Leia finally kissed the twins good night, Threepio couldn’t decide whether mother or twins looked more exhausted. Leia pushed loose dark hair away from her eyes as she stood at the doorway to their