Star Wars the Truce at Bakura - Kathy Tyers [64]
Accepting the invitation, he bent and kissed her. She felt her life energy draw up into the kiss until nothing existed but barely perceptible movements of Han’s mouth. She flattened her hands on his shoulders. His legs shifted toward her. All perception vanished but the taste of his breath. Her pulse quickened in her ears.
The comm center blatted behind him.
“Mmmf!” Han cried before she could disengage. Once he pulled free, he shouted, “No! It’s not fair!”
Laughing at her own despair, Leia pushed her hair behind her shoulders. “Want to get it? Or shall I?”
“Well, you’re—” He looked her up and down and smiled crookedly. “Lovely.”
“But I’m not presentable.”
“It isn’t your usual image,” he agreed with a sad head shake. “I’ll get it.”
Leia backed aside. Han touched a control and then blinked. “Luke!” he exclaimed. “What’s up?”
“There’s been a little trouble,” said Luke’s voice.
Leia whisked back to Han’s side. Luke looked calm. She tried stretching out with the Force to feel his presence, but she couldn’t. She must still be too agitated. “I thought you were going to check on ship repairs,” she said.
“I didn’t think the comm center was secure enough to leave messages. Our Mon Calamari crew came downside for an authorized shore leave. Some Bakurans on the wrong side of the spaceport—at Nereus’s suggestion—spotted them and thought the Ssi-ruuk had landed. By the time I got here, the Calamari had blasted two in self-defense.”
“Oh, no.” Treaty papers burned in Leia’s imagination.
“Sorry I missed it.” Han grinned. “Looks like you made out all right.”
Luke nodded. “It was still dark enough that one lightsaber lit up the whole pad area. Once Chewie and I had both sides’ attention, and the Bakurans got a good look at our people, they declared a cease fire.”
Han raised one eyebrow. “Not bad, farm boy.”
“But, Luke.” Leia pushed her hair behind her shoulder again. “What about the injured Bakurans?”
He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Did I say injured? Sorry. Dead. Their families need formal apologies. Could you do it for me? You’re better at that kind of thing.”
Leia didn’t relish the idea, but he was right—she wanted it done correctly. “I will.” She tried stretching out for him again. What she touched frosted her blood. The crisis might be over, but in his deeper sense hid a dark disquiet. “Luke, what’s wrong?”
His cheeks colored. “Come on, Leia. This isn’t a secure channel.”
Luke was deeply afraid. What else had happened in the night? Han cocked an eyebrow at her. She shook her head. “Later, then,” she said. “Han and I will go straight from here to the prime minister. I’ll apologize to him first. I’m also taking him Threepio and Artoo, to try translating.”
“Good. Artoo’s probably still in my bedroom, plugged in. Han, I’m leaving Chewie here to keep things calm. I’ll try to talk to Belden next, if I can find him.”
“Belden?”
“The senior senator. I have a feeling,” he said softly.
“About the shooting?” asked Han.
“Right. See you two later.” The image faded.
Han folded his arms. “I suppose the sooner we get on with it, the sooner we can get away from this planet with our skins.”
Leia stretched a hand toward the comm board. “I’ll send Prime Minister Captison a message that we’ll be late.” Good thing they’d been late. Otherwise, they’d’ve missed Luke’s transmission.
Frowning, she punched in Prime Minister Captison’s code. Maybe some day she would wish she’d accepted Vader’s apology. Anakin’s. Whoever he was. He had been polite.
Watching her, was he? Freshly furious, she shook her fist at thin air.
CHAPTER
11
Luke stepped out of the comm booth closest to pad 12, glad he hadn’t settled for the cantina’s nonvisual comm net. From watching Han and Leia’s faces, he felt sure they’d be all right. Better than all right. While he was on line, he’d also filed an incident report on the mainframe and looked up an address.
Chewie stood on watch. Luke grabbed a handful of arm fur and said, “Thanks, pal.” The Wookiee slapped Luke’s shoulder in reply, then stalked past the shabby cantina