laughed. The ship appeared to have been rescued from a scrap pile. But while it had a few glitches, it was obvious the craft had been heavily modified to fly faster and shoot harder than the Corellian designers had ever intended. Lando had owned the ship once, until he lost it to Han in a sabacc game.
Han—
No, don’t think about him now
.
Chewie said something that sounded angry and impolite.
Threepio said, “Well, I’m sorry, but it was a fair move. It’s not my fault you didn’t see it.”
Chewie said something else.
“No. I’m not going to take it back. And don’t threaten me. If you pull my arm off, I won’t play with you anymore.”
Chewie muttered something, then leaned back on his seat and looked at the game board.
Leia smiled. Like a couple of small children, the Wookiee and the protocol droid.
She turned and watched Luke as he cleared the micrometeor dust from Artoo. Luke wanted to rescue Han as much as she did. Which was interesting, given that she’d felt the competition from them for her attention. A lesser man than Luke might take advantage of a rival’s absence, but so far he had not. That was the thing about Luke. He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fairly.
Lando came into the lounge bearing a tray with several steaming plates and bowls upon it.
“Dinner is served,” Lando said. He smiled. “Giju stew.”
They all glanced at him, then went back to what they were doing.
“Don’t everybody rush in at once,” Lando said. His smile faded.
To Leia, the stuff on the tray looked like a cross between melted boot plastic and fertilizer, with a sprinkling of pond scum over it. Stank like she imagined that combination would smell, too.
“Come on, I spent an hour in the galley fixing this. Everybody dig in!”
Chewie said something that didn’t sound particularly complimentary.
“Hey, pal, you don’t like it, you cook next time.”
Luke looked up from his work on Artoo, made an oh-yuck face. “Giju stew?” he said. “It looks like oldboot plastic and fertilizer drenched in pond scum. Smells like it, too—”
Leia chuckled.
“Fine, fine!” Lando said. He put the tray down in the middle of the hologame board. The tiny game figures suddenly seemed to be buried to their hips or chests in the steaming goo. “Don’t eat it, that’ll just mean more for me.”
Lando snatched up one of the bowls and dipped a spoon into it, shoved the spoon into his mouth. “See?” he said around the mouthful of stew. “It tastes great, it—” He stopped talking. The expression on his face went from irritated to amazed, slid to horror, then right into disgust.
He forced himself to swallow. Then he blew a quick breath and shook his head. “Oh, man. Maybe I did use a little too much Boontaspice,” he offered. “Maybe I’ll just open a couple of packets of beans for dinner.”
Luke and Leia laughed at the same instant. Looked at each other.
There were worse places she could be than with her friends, Leia decided.
A lot worse places.
6
W hen the
Millennium Falcon
broke from hyperspace in the vicinity of the gas giant Zhar, Luke used one of the vacuum suits to transfer to his X-wing for the rest of the trip. Lando and Leia would have preferred that they all stay together, but if any trouble showed up, better there were two armed ships to meet it than one, Luke argued. They saw his point.
After he and Artoo were in the fighter, Luke felt a lot better. Yeah, Lando was a good pilot, but Luke trusted his own skills more. Not that he was necessarily a better flier—though he was pretty sure he was—but at least he didn’t have to sit and watch. The vac-suit made things a little tight, though.
He kept the little ship close to the
Falcon
as they entered the system. What was Boba Fett doing this far out on the Rim? It didn’t seem to be on the way to anywhere.
He saw the blips on his scope about the time he got the call over his comm.
“Hey, Luke! Welcome to the end of the
Han—
No, don’t think about him now
.
Chewie said something that sounded angry and impolite.
Threepio said, “Well, I’m sorry, but it was a fair move. It’s not my fault you didn’t see it.”
Chewie said something else.
“No. I’m not going to take it back. And don’t threaten me. If you pull my arm off, I won’t play with you anymore.”
Chewie muttered something, then leaned back on his seat and looked at the game board.
Leia smiled. Like a couple of small children, the Wookiee and the protocol droid.
She turned and watched Luke as he cleared the micrometeor dust from Artoo. Luke wanted to rescue Han as much as she did. Which was interesting, given that she’d felt the competition from them for her attention. A lesser man than Luke might take advantage of a rival’s absence, but so far he had not. That was the thing about Luke. He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fairly.
Lando came into the lounge bearing a tray with several steaming plates and bowls upon it.
“Dinner is served,” Lando said. He smiled. “Giju stew.”
They all glanced at him, then went back to what they were doing.
“Don’t everybody rush in at once,” Lando said. His smile faded.
To Leia, the stuff on the tray looked like a cross between melted boot plastic and fertilizer, with a sprinkling of pond scum over it. Stank like she imagined that combination would smell, too.
“Come on, I spent an hour in the galley fixing this. Everybody dig in!”
Chewie said something that didn’t sound particularly complimentary.
“Hey, pal, you don’t like it, you cook next time.”
Luke looked up from his work on Artoo, made an oh-yuck face. “Giju stew?” he said. “It looks like oldboot plastic and fertilizer drenched in pond scum. Smells like it, too—”
Leia chuckled.
“Fine, fine!” Lando said. He put the tray down in the middle of the hologame board. The tiny game figures suddenly seemed to be buried to their hips or chests in the steaming goo. “Don’t eat it, that’ll just mean more for me.”
Lando snatched up one of the bowls and dipped a spoon into it, shoved the spoon into his mouth. “See?” he said around the mouthful of stew. “It tastes great, it—” He stopped talking. The expression on his face went from irritated to amazed, slid to horror, then right into disgust.
He forced himself to swallow. Then he blew a quick breath and shook his head. “Oh, man. Maybe I did use a little too much Boontaspice,” he offered. “Maybe I’ll just open a couple of packets of beans for dinner.”
Luke and Leia laughed at the same instant. Looked at each other.
There were worse places she could be than with her friends, Leia decided.
A lot worse places.
6
W hen the
Millennium Falcon
broke from hyperspace in the vicinity of the gas giant Zhar, Luke used one of the vacuum suits to transfer to his X-wing for the rest of the trip. Lando and Leia would have preferred that they all stay together, but if any trouble showed up, better there were two armed ships to meet it than one, Luke argued. They saw his point.
After he and Artoo were in the fighter, Luke felt a lot better. Yeah, Lando was a good pilot, but Luke trusted his own skills more. Not that he was necessarily a better flier—though he was pretty sure he was—but at least he didn’t have to sit and watch. The vac-suit made things a little tight, though.
He kept the little ship close to the
Falcon
as they entered the system. What was Boba Fett doing this far out on the Rim? It didn’t seem to be on the way to anywhere.
He saw the blips on his scope about the time he got the call over his comm.
“Hey, Luke! Welcome to the end of the
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