Star Wars the Truce at Bakura - Kathy Tyers [86]
One trooper emerged from the aircar. “Negative, sir.”
“Take it apart. You. You, and you.” He pointed at three other troopers. “Search them.”
Leia stoically endured scanning and then a thorough physical frisking. The trooper took her empty wrist holster and pocket comlink, then cuffed her hands. Another walked swiftly from Belden to Governor Nereus, carrying the small gray box. “What have we here, Senator?”
Belden raised his bound hands and shook a finger at Governor Nereus. “My voice amplifier is a personal item. Give it back.”
“Ah. Righteousness, maligned.” Nereus smiled. “I’ve suspected for some time that you or your wife had possessed illegal devices, Belden … but since you’re so certainly innocent of wrongdoing, I’m sure you won’t mind our detaining you until my people ascertain the nature of this instrument.”
Leia groaned. Belden’s forehead shone wetly over scarlet cheeks, and his breathing had become shallow. He looked as if he might keel over. At his age, these were danger signals.
Yet this incident could set Bakura aflame. Butter newt, she reminded herself. Prime Minister Captison hurried to Belden’s side, reaching him just before one naval trooper. “Governor Nereus, you have overstepped—”
“Guards,” Nereus called, “these three are under arrest. Suspicion of subversion will do. Put them in separate parts of the complex.”
Leia stepped toward Nereus, deliberately drawing attention. “This was a pleasure drive, Governor.”
Nereus lowered his stare. “I made you a promise over dinner that concerned subverting Imperial peoples, my dear. Believe me, I keep my promises. When a speeder full of people goes silent on sensor fields, it rouses curiosity.” A stormtrooper stuck his blast rifle in Belden’s back. “No talking,” Nereus ordered. “Interview each one separately.”
Leia had to prove to Captison that she’d meant every word about sacrificing herself. She lowered her head and took a run at Governor Nereus. She caught him right at his generous midsection.
With a puff of surprise, he went down. Leia climbed onto his chest, wedged his head between her knees, and pushed her wristbinders onto his nose. “Get back, all of you, or we’ll see whose head is harder.” Stormtroopers backed away, but she didn’t spot the one who stunned her from behind.
CHAPTER
14
Han braked his speeder just long enough for Luke to vault out at the spaceport gate, then he spun it around, raising a black cloud of dust. He disliked leaving Luke out here alone, but Luke had insisted he’d be fine. The Flurry’s shuttle was due any minute, and meanwhile, Luke should have plenty of cover at the spaceport cantina. Probably reinforcements, too: Alliance pilots bunking in temporary scramble shelters. They’d sure outnumber the crew of a single Imperial shuttle grounded close to the cantina, just outside Pad 12. Anyway, Luke was Luke, lightsaber and all.
Speeding north, he spotted smoke near the Bakur complex. Several seconds later, a glimmering face appeared in midair over his head-up city map. “Alert, all residents. A curfew has just been imposed. Leave the streets and the air. Security forces will shoot to kill leaders and stun their followers to incarcerate them. The curfew will take effect immediately.”
What was this? A second face appeared. “This follows the arrests of Prime Minister Captison and Senior Senator Orn Belden on suspicion of subversion, along with Rebel ringleader Leia Organa. Imperial leadership demands full cooperation. Ssi-ruuvi invaders could attack at any moment. Any collaboration with outside forces will be punished severely and immediately.”
Leia, under arrest? Han ignored the rest of the disembodied heads’ messages about shortened business hours and prohibited districts. Obviously the Imperials were worried about causing an uproar.
But he had an uproar of his own to start. He accelerated to full throttle, muttering, “I’ll get you for this, Nereus.”
But how? He didn’t even know where Leia was.
Although filtered through the speeder’s intake, the air smelled smoky. He streaked to a landing