"The New Rebellion (Kristine Rusch)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

keep you away?" "Maybe," Han said. "Or maybe he was trying to warn me and was
too late. I tried to find him afterward, but he was gone." "Any idea where he
went?" Luke asked.
Han shook his head. "His ship was gone too, and no one saw it leave,
which I find odd. Jarril's ship is distinctive. He took the Falcon's design
and crossed it with an A-wing." "I saw that ship," Luke said. "The defenses
were up when I got here. It took me a bit of convincing to get in, but when
the shields lifted, a ship like that shot out, as if it had been waiting for
just a moment like that. I notified Space-Traffic Control but they didn't even
register it as a blip on their equipment. It's not often I get told things are
a figment of my imagination anymore." "Some figment," Han said.
"This means nothing," Leia said too loudly. Luke wasn't sure how much she
followed. "It was the Imperials." "You have less proof than I do," Han said.
"Your people don't even know what kind of bomb hit the Senate Hall." "My
people?" Luke put a hand on Leia's arm. "What makes you think it was the
Empire?" "They have new members in the Senate. It would be just like them to
destroy something they had gained." She had turned her head toward him so that
she could see him clearly. "First rule in investigation, Luke. Look for the
changes. The answer lies in the changes." "You have no proof either," Luke
said. He suppressed a sigh. "Let's see what the experts turn up. Maybe once we
know what hit the Hall, we'll be better informed." "The other thing you look
for is money," Han said. "Jarril told me a lot of smugglers are getting rich,
and then dying." "But he could have been lying," Luke said.
Chewie growled. He clearly agreed with Han.
"I'm not dismissing him, Chewie," Luke said. "I just don't want us to
make suppositions before we have information." He hadn't expected to arrive
and be the voice of reason. The stress was taking its toll on the whole
family. He had seen it in the children, and now in Han and Leia.
"He said I could find out more at Smuggler's Run," Han said.
"It might be another diversion," Leia said.
"Or it might be unrelated," Luke said.
"Or it could be something we need to know," Han said.
Chewie mumbled his agreement.
"You can't leave now, Han," Leia said. She clearly knew her husband. "The
children need you." Han smiled, but he seemed distracted. "They need you too,
sweetheart," he said. "The whole Republic needs you. And we almost lost you."
Luke cleared his throat. "Let me do a little investigating of my own," he
said. "I may turn up something none of us expects."

C-3PO followed R2-D2's rounded frame through the permacrete corridors.
Ancient oil stains mingled with skid marks and other stains of unknown origins
all over the floors and walls. The glow panels flickered, as if they didn't
have the same access to power as the rest of Coruscant. R2 led with purpose,
his silver body tilted back, his wheels outstretched.
"I don't know how you always get me involved in these things, R2," 3PO
said as he hurried, hands raised for balance. "You've only been here a few
hours and already I feel as if we're in trouble." R2 whistled, then blatted at
him.
"You did invite me," 3PO said. "You said you believed they were doing
something to Master Luke's X-wing and we needed to investigate." R2 tweebled.