Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 12_ Return to Ord Mantell - Kevin J. Anderson [14]
And our speed helped us outrun most of the shock wave."
"But the course should have been clear and safe," Jacen insisted.
"That's why they have a pace craft, isn't it, Dad?" Anakin said suddenly.
"To prove that the course is safe for the contestants?"
"Sure... but it's always been just a formality. Until now."
Jaina shivered and gripped her crash restraints tightly. "You mean maybe somebody put the explosives there on purpose-knowing the Falcon would be the first ship to fly through."
After the "accident," Han Solo circled back to collect debris from the space mines and deactivate two unexploded duds. The pieces would serve as evidence of the explosions and help them to find out who had set the trap.
"I guess this ruined your chance at a record-breaking time," Jacen said as the ship headed back toward Ord Mantell. Jaina and Anakin scrutinized the exploded bits of metal and the unmarked casings, careful not to contaminate the pieces so that they could be analyzed more thoroughly later.
"Hey, we're alive," Han said. "That's more important than any speed record."
When the Falcon landed back on the rooftop receiving area, Czethros and several other concerned representatives rushed forward to help the Solo family disembark. The crowds of spectators who had witnessed the explosion were in an uproar, and the people sent up a cheer as Han Solo and his children gave a confident wave to show that they were all right.
A nervous-looking race official approached Han, bowing and stammering.
"Oh, I'm most sorry, sir! This is terrible! We have, of course, postponed the Blockade Runners Derby at least until tomorrow. We've already sent a crew of freelance inspectors up to comb through the obstacle course in search of any other hidden traps."
"This was a near-tragedy. We must not risk anything worse happening,"
said a second official.
Czethros stood tall, sunlight making his green hair look like a mosscovered boulder. "I doubt the inspectors will find anything," he said grimly. "My guess is those mines were originally being taken to An obis, a planet in the next system that has been engaged in a civil war for decades now. They frequently order weapons from black-market dealers on Ord Mantell." The Derby officials flushed in deeper embarrassment.
"Hey, how could space mines from some civil war land right in the middle of the racecourse?" Jacen asked.
"The war's still going on, and has been for almost thirty years.
Many of Ord Mantell's smugglers work as gun runners to supply the war effort." Czethros shrugged. "Those mines could have been part of a dropped shipment, or even a trap set for former space authorities before Ord Mantell became more enlightened and allowed freer trade."
"Uh-huh," Han said.
The following day, after the brief and frantic postponement, racing officials attempted to relaunch the Blockade Runners Derby with renewed fanfare. Looking forward to the day's festivities with subdued eagerness, Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, and their father ascended a tall observation tower above the docking buildings.
Bald, pink-skinned Bith band members followed them, playing stirring and dramatic music to mark the beginning of the Derby. The crowd cheered. The ever-present HoloNet news reporters made repeated references to the Solo family's miraculous escape from deadly explosives the previous day.
Inside the observation tower, Jacen sat next to his sister and younger brother, while most of the reporters focused their attention on General Solo. The huge windowscreens were transparent to allow the gathered VIPs an unobstructed view across the landing centers and docking bays of the Ord Mantell strip. Once the Blockade Runners Derby began, most of the screens would turn opaque and show images transmitted from the holocam buoys. This would let everyone follow the haphazard progress of the contestants in their assorted souped-up ships as they roared through the tangle of the outer