"I'll explain later. Right now we've got a decision to make."

Allana stepped in to listen to Leia's summary, at the conclusion of which Han shouted, "This is a load of poodoo, counselor!"

"Han!" Leia said, putting her hands over Allana's ears, even while both of them were laughing.

"I'm sorry, Captain Solo," Oxic said. "It's not personal."

Han turned to the marshal. "Can we make ship theft stick or not?"

Climm took off his hat and scratched his head. "Maybe not in the long run. But the judge'll probably be willing to consider the charge as a way to keep you around. You see, he's kind of an admirer of yours."

"Great," Han said flatly. He shot the thieves his best glare, then turned to Oxic. "You win this one, counselor. But you'd better hope our situations aren't reversed someday."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Captain."

Han cursed. "Joyriding." He gave his head a quick shake. "The sooner we're off this rock, the better."

Chapter twenty-eight.

"The Firrerreo's name is Koi Quire," Jadak explained as he and Poste watched from a landing bay adjacent to the Falcon's. "She visited me at Aurora Medical, claiming to be an agent for Core Life Insurance. The tall guy she's with, that's Lestra Oxic. His holo-image was all over the head doctor's office at Aurora. He was also the lawyer representing the Colicoids back on Holess."

"And they're the ones who've been after you since Nar Shaddaa?"

"After me, and now after the Falcon because Oxic knows we need her to find the treasure."

Poste frowned. "How long have you known all this?"

"Only since Holess."

"And you didn't tell me because you didn't want to worry me."

Jadak clapped him on the back. "I've got only your best interests at heart." He paused, then said: "We have to get ourselves aboard the Falcon."

Poste gaped at him. "You're not thinking clearly. The protocol droid saw me."

"No one listens to droids." Jadak kept his eyes on the entrance to the Falcon's landing bay. "If the Solos decide not to leave Vaced, we make another try for the ship. If they decide to launch now . . . well, just follow my lead."

"Right, because that's worked so well so far."

Vaced's primary had only dropped a degree or so when they saw everyone but the Solos file out. The deputies loaded the two would-be thieves into the clunky landspeeder and took off toward town. The rotund marshal rode with Oxic and Koi Quire in the rented speeder they had arrived in.

"Let's go," Jadak told Poste the moment the speeders were out of sight.

Han was inspecting the Falcon's undercarriage when they entered the bay. Hearing them, he came out from under the starboard mandible with his blaster drawn.

"We just wanted to make sure everything turned out all right, Captain," Jadak said.

Han bolstered the weapon. "Sure-if you call allowing a couple of ship thieves to get off with a charge of joyriding."

"Frontier injustice," Poste said.

"You're telling me. But to make a theft charge stick . . ." Han allowed his words to trail off. "Ah, frip."

"Anything we can do?" Jadak said.

Han shook his head. "I just can't believe those guys would try to make off with my ship."

"The Falcon's as famous as you are. Word must have gotten around that she was here."

Han looked dubious. "It's not like somebody could sell her."

"Paint her, remove the cannons, install a new ident.i.ty telesponder..."

Han grinned. "Yeah, but then she ain't the Falcon." He ran his eyes over the ship. "What's worse, they managed to sabotage my anti-intrusion safeguards."

Jadak watched him for a moment. "I'm guessing you'll be headed for Nar Shaddaa to continue the search for past owners."

"Maybe," Han said in a distracted way. "I'm not sure. This little outing of ours has taken some pretty strange twists." He glanced at Jadak. "Why, what's on your mind, Fargil?"

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm wondering if you'd be willing to drop us at Toprawa." Han waited for more.

"We need parts for some of the machines on the ranch," Jadak went on. "An order placed from here will take weeks to fill, and we can't afford to be shut down for that long."

"I know how that can be," Han said, rubbing his chin. "Toprawa, huh? Sure, why not. It's not so far out of our way. Consider it thanks for all the info you gave us." He looked at Poste. "And for telling me about seeing the Falcon launch."

"No problem, Captain."

"And thanks for cleaning up. You need time to throw some gear together?"

Jadak gestured to their rucksacks. "We've got everything we need."

"All right then." Han motioned to the boarding ramp. "Welcome aboard."

Han trailed them up the ramp and into the corridor, where Leia and Allana were standing alongside the still-deactivated protocol droid.

"We're giving Quip and Mag a ride to Toprawa," Han announced.

Leia tried to hide her surprise by turning to the droid.

"We didn't want to switch him back on till you were here," Allana said.

Han gave his head a theatrical shake. "Will you look at this? That's the last time we leave him alone with the ship." Reaching a hand behind the droid's head, he flipped the activation switch.

"What? Who are you? What are you doing on the ship?" C-3PO said. "Where am I? What happened?"

"You got yourself switched off is what happened," Han said. "Why didn't you comlink me when the security system went down?"

"I made every effort, Captain Solo. But someone-yaaw!"

Too late, Poste tried to conceal himself behind Jadak.

"Take it easy, Threepio, they're our pa.s.sengers. You're a nervous wreck."

"But, Captain..."

"I know it's going to mean more work for you, but they're only aboard until Toprawa. Besides, we've all got jobs to do."

"But, Captain Solo..."

"Not another word, Threepio," Han said, raising his forefinger. "I mean it."

C-3PO straightened.

"Threepio, come and help us get the Falcon ready for launch," Allana said.

"Of course, mistress," he said shuffling off after Leia and Allana.

"No one listens to me anyway."

Nudging Poste in the ribs as he stepped past him to take in the main hold, Jadak gasped in genuine wonder. "If I didn't know, I wouldn't even believe this is the same ship." He peeked into the ladderwell that led to the gun turrets and ran his hand over the console of the engineering station. "You've done a lot of amazing work since she was mine, Solo. You've even got a hologame table."

Han glanced around. "Most of the changes I made can't be seen, they have to be experienced. The dejarik board is actually the second one the Falcon's had. The first was put in when she was part of a traveling circus."

Jadak laughed. "A circus?"

"Parlay Thorp sold her to the Molpol Circus and used the money to open a research center. You should contact her sometime. She's on the staff of the Aurora Medical Center."

Jadak gulped and found his voice. "Aurora?"

"The circus owner sold her to a gambler," Han continued, "who ended up losing her to ... well, another gambler. Lando Calrissian."

"General Calrissian?" Poste said.

Han grinned. "Lando hasn't gone by that honorific in a lot of years. But, yeah, General Calrissian." He motioned to the hologame table's curved bench. "Make yourselves comfortable. I'm going to get her warmed up."

Poste waited for Han to disappear, then swung to Jadak. "I don't see the slicer droid anywhere," he said quietly.

"Maybe it left when Oxic's men were busy chasing you."

Poste looked around, even under the acceleration couch.

"Maybe ..."

"Listen to me," Jadak said. "After we launch you need to get Solo out of the c.o.c.kpit so I can have some time alone in there."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Get him talking about the modifications he's made to the ship the point-five hyperdrive, the turbolasers, anything that comes to mind. If I know Solo, he won't pa.s.s on an opportunity to show off."

"I hate it when someone sits in my chair," Han said as Leia came into the c.o.c.kpit and strapped into the copilot's seat. "Except you, of course."

"Of course."

Han fiddled with the chair's control. "You know when you have it perfectly adjusted for yourself, then someone goes and fools with it."

"Life can be hard," Leia said.

He frowned at her, and motioned with his chin to the instrument panel. "We good to lift?"

"We're good."

Han enabled the repulsors and eased the ship up and out of the landing bay, the s.p.a.ceport shrinking below them. "Where's Allana?"

"Showing our pa.s.sengers some of her favorite toys." Leia looked over her shoulder. "You trust them?"

Han glanced at her. "Obviously you don't."

Leia stared out the viewport for a moment, Vaced's blue sky darkening as the ship climbed and stars began to appear. "I can't get a fix on Mag, other than to say he seems like a fish out of water. But there's something not quite right about Quip."

"His story rang false?"

"Not at all. In fact, everything he said struck me as true-even when he mentioned Bail. I had a strong sense that he actually knew him."

"They were both there at the beginnings of the Alliance. They might have crossed paths or had dealings. He practically said as much."

"That's part of what I was feeling. But there was more to it. When he was telling us about falling in love with the Falcon, I felt the emotion behind his words. But when he began telling us about the mission to Bilbringi and his change of heart, I sensed that he was omitting some crucial detail."

"It didn't happen the way he said?"

"I can't be sure. I just didn't feel his remorse. He felt bad about what happened, but it was as if he had distanced himself from the events. Or that he was recounting someone else's version of the story."

"Distancing himself is understandable. It's been more than fifty years. If I was telling someone about what I did on Ylesia way back when, it might come out sounding like I don't harbor regrets, but I do."

Leia sighed. "You're right. Maybe I'm being overly suspicious because of what happened on Taris."

"And now two strangers try to make off with the Falcon."

"What bothers me is Lestra Oxic's being on hand to speak for them," Leia said.

"I know I've heard the name."