"The Courtship Of Princess Leia (Dave Wolverton)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wolverton Dave)

Star Wars
The Courtship of Princess Leia
by Dave Wolverton

Chapter 1

General Han Solo stood at the command console viewport of the Mon Calamari Star
Cruiser Mon Remonda. Warning sounds tinkled like wind chimes as the ship
prepared to drop out of hyperspace at the New Republic's capital on Coruscant.
It had been so long since Han had last seen Leia: five months, five months
hunting the warlord Zsinj's Super Star Destroyer, Iron Fist. Five months ago,
the New Republic had seemed so secure, so in control. Maybe now, with the Iron
Fist gone, warlord Zsinj would be crippled and things would go smoother. Han
longed to get off the humid Calamarian ship, longed even more for the taste of
Leia's kisses, the caress of her hand on his brow. He'd seen too much darkness
lately.

The white starfield on the screen resolved as the hyperdrive engines cut, and
Chewbacca roared in alarm: across the blue velvet of space where the city night
lights of Coruscant blazed from a dark world were dozens of enormous, saucer-shaped
starships that Han recognized immediately as Hapan Battle Dragons. Among them
were dozens of slate gray Imperial Star Destroyers.

"Get us out of here!" Han shouted. He'd seen a Hapan Battle Dragon only once
before, but it had been enough. "Full shields! Evasive action!"

He watched the three dorsal ion guns of the nearest Dragon, expecting them to
knock him from the sky. The blaster turrets on the saucer's rim all swiveled
toward him.

The Mon Remonda twisted and dove planetward, toward the lights of Coruscant.
Han's stomach wrenched. His Mon Calamari pilot was well schooled, and knowing
that they could not run before setting a new course, he surged into the thick of
the Hapan warships so that they could not fire without the risk of hitting one
another.

Like all the technology on the Mon Calamari ship, the viewport was exceptional,
a work of art, so that as they hurtled past the command port of a Hapan Battle
Dragon, Han could make out the startled faces of three Hapan officers, the
silver name tags sewn into their collars. Han had never seen a Hapan. Their star
sector was renowned for its wealth, and the Hapans guarded their borders
jealously. He'd known that they were human?for humans had scattered like weeds
across the galaxy?but he was surprised to discover that without exception, all
three of the female officers were astonishingly beautiful?like fragile, living
ornaments.

"Cease evasive action!" shouted Captain Onoma, a salmon-colored Calamarian
officer who sat at a control console, monitoring sensors.

"What?" Han shouted, surprised that the lower-ranked Calamarian would reverse