Part 8 (2/2)

he said. ”This certifies that the hyperdrive regulators, the navicomputer, the repulsor subsystems, and all the other systems have been reinspected and cleared.”

”But if you had this form all along, why have you been arguing with us?” the inspector demanded.

”Maybe I just don't like paperwork,” Han said.

Or maybe he was waiting until !Lia, his wtfr and your boss, was standing next to him, Luke thought. It had to be a lot harder to kick up a fuss over incomplete paperwork with the Chief of State tapping her foot and waiting to be on her way.

”Here. Take it. Hope it makes you real happy.” He handed the form to the chief inspector, and the rest of the inspection team cl.u.s.tered around the paper, studying it carefully, pointing to the various stamps and signatures and approvals, and discussing them quite animatedly.

Luke couldn't hear what they were saying, but by the tone of their voices, it was clear they weren't entirely convinced.

However, there were three or four other officials who didn't seem the least bit interested in the doc.u.ment. ”Let's see,” Han said, addressing the one he had been shouting at the hardest, ”you're from immigration, right? Okay, like I told you, my wife here has all the departure forms and pa.s.sports and stuff for the family. Leia?”

Leia stepped forward and produced the doc.u.ments, doing a very bad job of hiding her amus.e.m.e.nt. All the officials knew perfectly well that Leia was the Chief of State and, ultimately, was the boss. But they all likewise knew perfectly well that Leia was traveling with her family as a private citizen, to be treated just like everyone else.

And if that weren't a pile of nonsense, Luke didn't know what was.

The idea that some lowly pa.s.sport clerk was going to dare find anything wrong with the Chief of State's papers was laughable. And while the s.h.i.+p inspectors might have had the nerve to challenge Han's paperwork, they certainly weren't willing to do so in front of Leia Organa Solo. Luke didn't need the Force to sense the doubt, the uncertainty, in their minds even as they stamped the finaldeparture approvals on the form.

Luke heard quiet footsteps behind him, and turned to see Lando Calrissian coming out onto the landing stage. Lando was, if anything, looking more dapper than ever, in a turquoise cape over a gleaming white tunic and trousers the same shade as the cape. But for all of that, he did not, for once, seem much interested in being noticed. His movements were quiet, almost subdued. Luke did not need his Force sense to know that Lando was here to see, not to be seen. Something was up, even if Luke could not quite tell what.

Lando came up beside him and nodded absently. ”h.e.l.lo, Luke,” he muttered as he watched Han and Leia dealing with the bureaucrats. Luke looked closely at Lando, but could read nothing from his face. His expression was utterly blank, dead-pan, determined to give nothing away.

Luke was tempted to use his powers in the Force to reach into Lando's mind and see what he had to do with this, but his own momentary curiosity was no excuse for such a huge invasion of privacy. Let it be.

”Well, uh, hmm,” said the chief inspector. ”Everything, uh, seems to be in order here,” he said, the doubt plain in his voice. ”It would appear that we have nothing more to do than wish you a safe and pleasant journey.”

Han gave the inspector a roguish, lopsided grin and a clap on the shoulder that the inspector clearly did not appreciate.

”Thanks,” Han said, grabbing the official's right hand in his own and pumping it vigorously. The inspector nodded and gave a sort of gulp, then backed away, turned, and hurried away as quickly as he could while maintaining a modic.u.m of dignity. His underlings scuttled away after him, and the immigration officers and the other officials seemed no less eager to be on their way.

Han grinned wolfishly at the man's back. ”Come on, kids,” he called to his children. ”Go ahead and get aboard.

Chewie, you can shut that inspection panel and stop looking intimidating. Get aboard and start the preflight sequence.

I'll be there in a minute.”

Chewie gave a short, growled bark and nodded agreement. He pulled his tools out of the service compartment-it would seem he hadn't actually been doing anything with them in there-and slammed the panel shut.

Luke turned toward Lando, intending to ask him what was going on, but before he could, Lando shook his head and let out a low chuckle. ”You did it, you old pirate,” he said as he stepped forward and shook Han's hand. ”I guess that means you lose our little bet.”

”Han! You and Lando haven't been betting on the Falcon again,”

Leia said.

”Nah, nothing that exciting,” Han said. ”I just bet Lando dinner that we wouldn't get past the safety inspectors.

”Well, that's all right, then.” Leia smiled and patted her husband on the arm. ”I'd better go ride herd on the children before they try rewiring the weapons panel.” She turned and followed the children into the s.h.i.+p.

Leia was certainly taking things rather casually, Luke thought, feeling more and more confused. Han was dodging a safety inspection and she didn't care? ”Why isn't Leia upset?” he asked. ”And what's Lando got to do with your s.h.i.+p getting clearance?” he asked.

”Who do you think arranged for all the clearance doc.u.ments to be forged?” Lando asked, grinning more broadly still. ”So when do I collect on that dinner?” he asked, turning to Han.

Han frowned. ”I'd say here and now, onboard s.h.i.+p with the family, before we take off, except we're in a bit of a hurry to get away. Your people might have forged the paper and sliced into the data banks to show we pa.s.sed all the safety checks, but I don't think we should push our luck.

Something might go wrong.” Lando laughed again. ”The man who plans to fly a museum piece across the galaxy is worried about pus.h.i.+ng his luck with the safety inspectors! That's a good one. Let's just say I'll pick my own time and place to collect,” Lando said. ”Good enough for now?”

”Good enough,” Han said.

But it wasn't good enough, Luke told himself. Not by half. ”Han-wait a second,” he said. ”It's one thing to risk your own neck in a dicey s.h.i.+p. But you can't take your wife and children along in a s.h.i.+p that the safety people won't pa.s.s.”

”Take it easy, kid,” Han said.

”You think I'd take chances on my children? Or that Leia would let me even if I wanted to try? I promise you all the safety systems they were worried about are at spec or above. That wasn't the problem.”

”I don't get it,', Luke said.

”Real simple,” Lando said. ”According to the official records on file with Coruscant control, the Falcon is now a nice, normal light stock freighter. All of the illegal weapon systems and smuggling hardware removed. Except Han never did get around to removing all the handy little modifications and add-ons and military-specification sensors and weapons, and it wouldn't be a good thing if the inspectors happened to notice all the things Han forgot to remove.”

”I've had other things on my mind,” Han said, with a deadpan voice and expression that didn't fool anyone-and was not meant to. ”Besides, that sort of gear could come in awfully handy out there. Peacetime or no peacetime, the Corellian Sector can be a tricky piece of s.p.a.ce. Safety regs are all very well, but I want a little extra firepower on hand in case the pirates decide it's time to go shopping.”

”Well, I certainly can't blame you for that,” Luke said.

He didn't need his Jedi abilities to sense Han was worried about more than the remote possibility of tangling with halfmythical pirates.

But whatever had Han worried, Luke was not going to make things better by pressing him on the subject. ”You take care of your family, and never mind about the rest of it.,.

”That's the plan, kid,” Han said. ”An”'way come on aboard you two, and say your good-byes.

Han led the way up the Falcon's ramp with Lando and Luke following behind. Inside, they found Leia and the children in the lounge. It felt good to be aboard the old Falcon again, Luke thought. So many of the key events in his life revolved around the Falcon in one way or another.

He looked around, letting the flood of memories wash over him. It was here, in the lounge compartment, that Obi-Wan Ken.o.bi had given him his first practice with a lightsaber.

It was this s.h.i.+p that had saved his life at Cloud City, that had given him the covering fire he needed to take out the first Death Star.

But all that was in the past. Just now the s.h.i.+p seemed too full of bustle and life for such things to matter. Han had already wandered over to the c.o.c.kpit to check Chewie's preflight settings. The twins were in their seats, their seat belts fastened, but bouncing with so much excitement that the belts did not seem likely to hold them down for very long. Leia was just getting an equally bouncy Anakin strapped in for takeoff.

”All right, everybody,” Han said, coming back from the c.o.c.kpit, Chewie right behind him. ”Time to say goodbye to Lando and Uncle Luke.”

After a deafening chorus of shouted good-byes, Luke gave each child a kiss and a hug. He stood up, hugged his sister, slapped Han on the shoulder, and made a formal bow of farewell to Chewbacca. It was not wise to get too emotional or demonstrative with a Wookiee. If the Wookiee got demonstrative and hugged back, you'd be lucky to escape with crushed ribs.

Lando was making his own farewells, further complicating the ch.o.r.eography in the tight s.p.a.ces of the s.h.i.+p. But at last all the goodbyes were complete, and it was time to head down the ramp, offer one last wave good-bye to Han as he raised the ramp and sealed the s.h.i.+p, and move back to a safe distance for the takeoff.

No s.h.i.+p takes off without a few moments of delay that seem inexplicable from the outside-least of all, the Falcon.

Luke and Lando could see Han and Chewie settling into the Falcon's c.o.c.kpit, checking switches, setting up the controls.

<script>