"Yes, General Solo, why don't you tell her all about it," Threkin growled.
There was an uncomfortable silence, and Prince Isolder cut in, "Well, for one thing, I was fascinated to learn that both General Solo and I had once worked as privateers. It really is a small universe."
"As privateers?" Threkin asked suspiciously. Han released a breath in relief.
"Yes," Isolder said. "When I was a boy, still in my teens, privateers attacked the royal flagship and murdered my older brother. That is when I became the Chume'da, the heir. I was young, idealistic, so I secretly left home, assumed a new identity. For two years I plied the trade lines as a privateer, working on ship after ship, hunting for the pirate who killed my brother."
"What an intriguing story," Leia said. "Did you ever find him?"
"Yes," Isolder said. "I did. His name was Harravan. I arrested him, and we held him in a prison on Hapes."
"Working with pirates must have been very dangerous," Threkin interjected. "Why, if they had ever discovered your identity . . ."
"The pirates were not so dangerous as one might think," Isolder said. "The greatest threat came from my mother's naval forces. We had frequent . . . encounters."
"You mean your own mother didn't know where you were?" Leia asked.
"No. The media believed I was hiding in fear, and since my own mother did not know where I had gone, she downplayed my disappearance, hoping I would resurface."
"And the pirate that you captured, Harravan, what became of him?" Han asked.
"He was murdered in prison while awaiting trial," Isolder said heavily, "before he could ever name his accomplices."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, and Leia looked at Han. She obviously recognized that Isolder had changed the topic to protect him from her anger. Han cleared his throat. "Do you have a lot of problems with privateers in the Hapes cluster?"
"Not really," Isolder said. "The interior of the cluster is remarkably secure, but we consistently have problems on the rim, no matter how well we patrol. Our encounters on the rim are frequent, and frequently bloody."
"I survived one of those encounters as a privateer," Han said. "After what we went through, I'm amazed that pirates would work your cluster." Han wondered at Isolder. He had worked as a privateer, risking his life against the might of his mother's own navy, risking that the pirates he worked with might discover his identity. Isolder was handsome and rich, and those traits in themselves made him a threat, but Han began to realize that this foreign prince must have a great deal of grit hidden beneath his smooth exterior. He wasn't the kind of man who needed to hide behind amazon bodyguards.
Isolder shrugged. "The Hapes cluster is very rich, and that always attracts interest from outsiders. But I'm sure you know our history. Certain young men tend to glorify the old lifestyle."
"Your history?" Han asked.
Leia smiled. "Didn't you learn anything at the academy?"
"I learned how to pilot a fighter ship," Han said. "As for politics, I leave that to the diplomats."
Leia said, "The Hapes cluster was originally settled by pirates, a group called the Lorell Raiders. For hundreds of years they stalked the trade routes of the Old Republic, seizing ships, stealing cargo. And when they found a beautiful woman, some raider would take her as a prize to the hidden worlds of Hapes. In short, Han, the raiders were your kind of people." Han began to protest, but Leia smiled warmly, teasing him.
Threkin Horm said in his high voice, "So the women of Hapes raised their children as best they could. The pirates would steal the boys, making them pirates in turn. They would leave for months at a time, then come back to rest." Han looked up. Threkin Horm was studying Isolder's bodyguards with as much interest as he usually showed food, and Han suddenly understood why so many of the Hapans were beautifulthey had been bred for it over generations.
Prince Isolder said, "When the Jedi finally wiped out the Lorell Raiders, the pirate fleets never returned. The worlds of Hapes were forgotten for a time, and the women of Hapes took control of their own destiny and vowed that no man would ever rule them again. For thousands of years now, the queen mothers have kept that vow."
"And they've done a fine job for their worlds," Leia said.
"Still, sadly, a few of our young men feel powerless in our society," Isolder added. "And so they glorify the old ways. When they rebel, often they become pirates. Thus we have a perennial problem."
Han ate a few bites of dinner, some type of meat that tasted spicy and amphibious, and he realized he had no idea what he was eating.
"But we are off the subject," Threkin Horm said. "I believe Leia asked only a few minutes ago what you two talked about today." He glared at Han.
"Ah, yes," Prince Isolder said. "Han asked a question that I believe deserves an answer. He wondered, with all the other princesses in the galaxy, including many that are far more wealthy than Leia, why my mother would choose her.
"The truth is, the queen mother did not choose Leia," Isolder said calmly, gazing at Han. "I chose her." Threkin Horm must have inhaled some food, for he began coughing into his napkin. Isolder turned to Leia. "When Leia's shuttle landed on Hapes, she met my mother for a soiree in the gardens. They were so surrounded by dignitaries from the worlds of Hapes that Leia did not speak to me, perhaps never even saw me. I do not think she even knew I was alive. But I became enamored of her. I have never done anything like this. I've never been so impulsive. No other woman has captivated me this way. It was not my mother's idea to arrange a marriage with Leia. She only consented to my request." Isolder took Leia's hand and kissed it. Leia blushed, simply staring at Prince Isolder.
Han looked at Isolder's gray eyes, at the golden hair cascading down his shoulders and the strong, handsome face, and he could not see how Leia could resist such a man.
Then Han's mind went blank, and the next thing he knew, he was rising from the table, stumbling out of his chair. All eyes turned to him, and he felt clumsy, stupid, like a little boy. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, and he sat down. His mind was in such a turmoil that he said nothing, practically heard nothing through the rest of the dinner.
As they prepared to leave an hour later, Han kissed Leia good night, swiftly, and wondered afterward how it had felt to Leia, as if kissing were some athletic event she would judge. Threkin Horm shook Leia's hand warmly and left first, while Prince Isolder stood and talked quietly with Leia for a moment, thanking her for the dinner, thanking her for the time she had spent with him. He made some small joke, and Leia laughed quietly. Just as Han realized that Isolder was hesitant to leave Leia, the prince kissed her good night, holding her close. It started as a friendly kiss, the kind that dignitaries often exchange, but he lingered a second, and then for a second more. He stepped away, and Leia gazed into his eyes.
Isolder thanked her again for a wonderful night, glanced at Han, and a moment later Han and Isolder were outside her door, Isolder walking off with his bodyguards at his back.
"I'm going to fight you for her," Han said to the prince's back. It was an oafish thing to say, but Han's head was spinning, and he could think of nothing else.
The prince stiffened, turned. "I know," he said. "But I promise you, General Solo, I intend to win her. Much is at stake here, more than you know."
Long after dinner with Prince Isolder, Leia lay in bed luxuriating. She nearly fell asleep once, but the whining of the ship's engines as technicians tested the hyperdrive awakened her. On her dresser the rainbow gems of Gallinore smoldered in their dull lights, and in a corner, the Selab tree gave off an exotic, nutty scent that suffused the room. Threkin had insisted on storing the treasures in Leia's room, but Leia tried not to dwell on the riches. Instead, Isolder filled her thoughtshis courtesy to Han during dinner, his attentiveness, his small jokes and easy laughter. And finally, his profession of love.
In the middle of her normal sleep cycle Leia rose from bed. In an attempt to get her mind off Isolder, she sat down at a computer console and s
tudied the Verpines. The large insects had long been a spacefaring race and had colonized the Roche asteroid belts before the Old Republic was born. They had developed an odd form of government. Because they communicated via radio waves using a strange organ in their chests, a single Verpine could talk with the entire race within seconds, allowing the Verpines to develop something of a communal mind. Yet each Verpine considered itself completely aloof from the group, not controlled by the hive. A Verpine who made a decision that might be considered "wrong" by the group was never punished, never condemned. The acts of the "mad" hive mother who had sabotaged the Barabel contracts weren't seen as a crime to be rectified but only as a sickness to be pitied.
Leia looked through the files and found ample evidence of Verpine criminals in the history booksmurderers, thieves. And she discovered something very interesting. Nearly all of them had one thing in common a set of damaged antennae. This fact made Leia wonder if the Verpines hadn't developed more of a communal mind than they realized. A Verpine without antennae was forever alone, unreachable.
Whatever the reason for the Verpines' behavior, the Barabels were mad enough to slaughter the whole species and chop them into hors d'oeuvres. Leia knew she wouldn't find an answer until she reached the Roche system and met the Verpines. She probably wouldn't understand the whole truth even if she met the mad hive queen herself.
Leia rubbed her weary eyes, but was too wound up to sleep. Instead, she walked the long corridors to the holo vid room and said to the operator, "I would like to arrange a broadcast to Luke Skywalker. You should be able to reach him at the New Republic embassy on Toola."
The operator nodded, made the connection, and spoke with an operator there. "Skywalker is in the wilderness. We can have him at the holo vid screen within an hour, if it is an emergency."
"Please do," Leia said. "I'll wait for him here. I can't sleep anyway." She took a seat nearby, then waited for Luke. When he appeared, he stood in a tall building wearing a dark wool greatcoat. Behind him was a huge window of cut glass. A pale red sun shone coldly through the glass, scattering light all around him in a fiery halo.
"What's the emergency?" Luke asked, breathless.
Leia suddenly felt embarrassed, shy. She told him about Isolder, about the treasures piled in her room and the Hapan's proposal. Luke remained calm, studied her face a moment.
"Isolder frightens you? I can feel your fright."
"Yes," Leia said.
"And you feel tenderness for him, something that might even turn into love. But you don't want to hurt either Han or the prince?"
"Yes," Leia said. "Oh, I'm almost sorry I called you with something so trivial."
"No, this isn't trivial," Luke said, and suddenly his pale blue eyes seemed to look beyond her, focusing on something in the distance. "Have you ever heard of a planet called Dathomir?"
"No," Leia answered. "Why?"
"I don't know," Luke said, "just a feeling. I'm coming to you. I sense an urgency. I should reach Coruscant in four days."
"I'll be to the Roche system in three."
"I'll meet you there, then."
"Good," Leia said. "I'd like you nearby."
"In the meantime," Luke offered, "take things slowly. Find out how you feel. You don't have to decide between the two in a day. Forget about Isolder's wealth. You wouldn't be marrying his planets, you would be marrying him. Just give him the same consideration you would give to any other man, okay?"
Leia nodded, suddenly became conscious of how much this call would cost. "Thank you," she said. "I'll see you soon."
"I love you," Luke said, and he faded.
Leia went back to her room, lay in bed for a long time before she fell asleep.
She was wakened in the early morning by door chimes. She found Han at the door, holding a starburst plant.
"I came to apologize for yesterday," Han said, offering the plant. The brilliant yellow flowers on their dark stalks seemed to twinkle as they opened and closed. Leia took it, smiled warmly, and Han kissed her.
"How do you think dinner went?" he asked.
"Fine," Leia said. "Isolder was a perfect gentleman."
"Not too perfect, I hope," Han said. Leia didn't laugh at his joke, and he hurried to add, "After dinner last night, I went to my room and gnawed on my own petty jealous fantasies for a while."
"How did they taste?" Leia asked.
"Oh, you know. I ended up going to one of the ship's galleys in the middle of the night, looking for something tastier to eat." Leia laughed, and Han stroked her cheek. "There's that smile. I love you, you know."
"I know."
"Good," Han said, taking a deep breath. "So how do you think the dinner went?"
"You aren't going to give up, are you?" Leia asked.
Han shrugged.
"Well, he seemed nice enough," Leia answered. "I guess. I plan to invite him to stay here on the ship while we go to the Roche system."
"You what?"
"I'm going to invite him to stay here on the ship."
"Why?"
"Because he's only going to be here for a few weeks, then he'll leave and I'll never see him again. That's why."
Han began shaking his head. "I hope you didn't fall for that line about how he fell in love with you from a distance," he said a little loudly, "and how he begged his mother for the chance to marry you."
"Does that bother you?"
"Of course it bothers me!" Han shouted. "Why shouldn't it bother me?" His gaze turned inward, and he clenched his fist. "I'll tell you, as soon as I saw that guy, I knew he was trouble. There's something seriously wrong with him"he glanced up, as if suddenly remembering that Leia was in the room"Your Majesty. That guy is, uhI don't knowslime."
"Slime?" Leia exclaimed. "You're calling the prince of Hapes slime? Come off it, Han, you're just jealous!"
"You're right! Maybe I am jealous!" Han admitted. "But that doesn't change my feelings. Something is wrong here. I can't shake this feeling that something's wrong." Again he took on that same inward look. "Believe me, Your Highness. I've lived in the gutter most of my life. I'm slime. Most of my friends are slime. And when you've been among slime as long as I have, you learn to spot it at a distance!"
Leia didn't understand how Han could say such things. First to insult her by saying that he found it suspicious that another man might find her attractive, then to call the man a slimeall of it ran against her most deeply ingrained beliefs about how people should act toward one another.
"I think," Leia said, shaking with anger, "that maybe you ought to take your stupid plant and give it to the prince with your apologies! You know, someday your slow wit and quick tongue are really going to get you in trouble!"
"Ah, you've been listening to Threkin Horm too much! It's obvious he's trying to get you two cozy. Did you know that your precious prince offered to give me a new battle cruiser if I promised to fly away and leave you two alone? I tell you, the guy is slime!"
Leia glared at Han, stuck a finger in his face. "Maybejust maybeyou should accept his offer while you can still get something out of this deal!"
Han stepped back a pace, wrinkled brow showing his frustration at the way the conversation was going. "Hey, look, Leia," Han apologized. "I . . . I don't know what's going on here. I'm not trying to be difficult. I know Isolder seems like a nice guy, but . . . last night in the galley I listened to people talk. Everyone is talking. As far as they're concerned, they've got you two married already. And I'm here trying to hold on to you, and the harder I hold, the more you slip through my fingers."
Leia considered what to say. Han was trying to apologize, but he didn't seem to realize that at this moment, she found his whole manner offensive. "Look, I don't know why people would even begin to think that I'd marry the prince. I certainly haven't given anyone that impression. So don't listen to them. Listen to me. I love you for what you areremember? A rebel, a scoundrel, a braggart. That won't ever change. But I think I need some time to myself for a few days. All right
?"
In the silence that followed, communicator tones sounded. Leia went to the little holo unit in the corner, flipped the switch.
"Yes?"
A small image of Threkin Horm expanded in the air in front of her. The old ambassador was resting his enormous weight on a daybed. Folds of fat nearly concealed his pale blue eyes. "Princess," Threkin said jovially, "we are convening a special session of the Alderaanian Council tomorrow. I've already taken the liberty of calling the usual celebrities."
"A special session of the council?" Leia asked. "But why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!" Threkin said. "Everyone has heard the good news of the Hapan's proposal. Since the marriage of Al-deraan's princess into one of the wealthiest families in the galaxy will affect all of us refugees, we thought it best to convene the council so that we could discuss the details of your impending marriage."
"Thank you," Leia said angrily, "I'll be sure to attend." She punched the off button with disdain. Han gave her a knowing look, turned, and stormed from the room.
In the sterile white corridors of the Rebel Dream , Han leaned against a wall and considered his options. His attempt at an apology had failed miserably, and Leia was probably right about Isolder. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and Han's concerns were probably bred out of jealousy.
Yet Han had seen the yearning in Leia's eyes as she spoke of the peaceful worlds of Hapes. And Isolder was right. Even if Han won Leia's hand, what could he really give her? Certainly not the kind of wealth the Hapans offered. If Han convinced Leia to marry him, Alderaan's refugees would only lose in the end, and Threkin Horm stood at Leia's shoulder, reminding her of that fact every step of the way. Leia was endlessly loyal to her people.
Han chuckled to himself. I think I just need some time to myself for a few days, Leia had said. He'd heard that line before. It's the one that is always followed a few days later by, "Have a nice life."
Han could see only one way to match Isolder's wealth. Yet his heart hammered and his mouth went dry at the thought. He pulled a handheld communicator from his belt and thumbed a number, contacting an old acquaintance. The image of a huge, rubbery brown Hutt appeared on screen, looking out at Han with dark, drugged eyes.
Star Wars - The Courtship of Princess Leia Page 4