Luke could sense Han's seething anger before he walked into the hanger. Luke was standing behind a hacker who was trying to decipher a fragment of code they had found among the binary language of the virus. It was not much, but it would, hopefully, hold some clue as to who had it in for Hanna. Luke could think of a dozen ex-Imperials and New Republic bureaucrats who would much prefer it if Hanna were dead, because her many talents and casual, childish attitude were both annoying to the people and hindering to their carriers. She was good at what she did, and good at heart, with never even trying. It drove people mad.
But he could think of no one who would actually try to kill her. The Empire was dead: there had been absolute peace in the New Republic for fourteen years. There were no warlords, no Sith....
Oh.
Luke hadn't thought of him. Max Winnick...his defeat...his failing, shortcoming. He had not been ready to train Jedi....
He leaned closer over the hacker's chair, then pulled back again when he realized that he might be making him uncomfortable.
Then Han came up behind him, so he had a distraction.
"Any luck?" Han asked, as nonchalantly as he could.
"None yet," Luke answered, watching the way Han would not meet his eyes, feeling his irritation and resentment. "What happened?"
Han glared. "You tell me, Jedi. You're supposed to know where she is at all times. You have some kind of 'bond' with her--"
"What are you talking about?" He asked, frowning. He didn't like the way Han leered at him, at his gift, at his connection to Leia. Then it dawned on him: the reason Leia had been blocking him all afternoon. "You saw her?"
"I sat with her for three hours, making small talk and drinking. It was fun. At first."
"And then?"
Han clenched his teeth. "I don't want to talk about it." But then, a moment later, "She's impossible! Luke, do you blame me for leaving her?"
"I..." he didn't know.
"Do you?"
He still didn't know. "I don't think so."
"I mean, what would you of done?"
Han wasn't looking at him, and Luke knew he was just venting. He didn't really want Luke's opinion. He opened his mouth to speak, but Han cut him off.
"Don't give me any of that self-righteous crap that you spout all the time. I don't want your opinion."
Luke sighed. They were both impossible. In spite of their different upbringings and breeding, they had been drawn together by the brightness with which each other's spirit burned. But the thing that drew them together was the same thing that would always keep them apart.
Luke tried to break through Leia's barrier. He needed to know if she was all right. But she wasn't letting him through. *Leia? Leia, please.... * he sent, but no answer came. He needed to protect her. It had always been his most basic instinct, since the day he had first seen her in the holo, pleading for Ben's help.
"General Skywalker?"
Luke looked up. The hacker was looking at him with dark eyes, reddened from staring at a screen for so long, but he seemed relieved, now. "I found something."
The code he had been working with was a series of dots, put together in groups. They had assumed that each group stood for a rune of the Aurabesh, but it hade proven more complicated. "I think its code for a holo image. If I had a..."
"Oh, right." Luke hurried off to get a holo emitter from a storage room where he knew one was thrown in pell-mell with many other random pieces of equipment. When he returned, the hacker hooked it up to the computer he had been working with--which was, in turn, hooked up to Hanna's X-wing--and continued working. "It'll take a few more minutes," he explained.
In those few minutes, Luke felt Leia's shields lower. *Luke?* she sent cautiously.
*I'm here. Are you okay?*
*He...he kissed me...*
Her thoughts were more full of wonder than anger. She was no longer shocked at Han's brazen actions, nor was she angry with him. All Luke felt from her was a dull hurt, and wonder at what had transpired.
Shocked, Luke looked at Han. He was so caught up in looking over the hacker's shoulder that he didn't notice. *Then what happened?* Luke asked into the Force.
*I sent him away. I didn't know what else to do.*
Luke sent warmth out to Leia, offering consolation that he didn't know how to put into words. She returned it, and he smiled softly.
"There." The hacker pushed some final keys, looked up at Luke. "I've got it."
A fuzzy image appeared over the concave disk of the holo emitter. After some knobs were turned to fine tune it, Luke was able to make it out. The rune Senth, a backwards check with a dash on its left side, glowing gold. It was three-dimensional, shiny-looking as if make of chrome pipes. There was a faint reddish haze all around it. Two lightsabers, one red and one green, crossed in the background, handles high and blades down. The red crossed before the green.
Luke clenched his teeth. Just as he had suspected. *I'll be leaving today,* he sent to Leia.
*Why? Who did it?*
*Max. I don't know what he wants with Hanna, but I know it's him.*
Leia was silent.
Han studied the image for a long while. "That looks like..."
Luke nodded. "The Jedi coat of arms. But the Jedi has the rune Jenth, and the sabers are blue and green, and they're facing up. And the rune is silver." He opened his robe to show Han th Jedi coat of arms embroidered on his undertunic.
"Then this..."
"I had a student about ten years ago, Han. His name was Max Winnick. He was fourteen, bright, spirited. Very talented. But, I lost him when he and I started arguing about philosophy and ideals. He didn't agree with the Jedi principals. He ran away, threatened to train others to use the Force as he saw it. He was just a boy...I didn't worry very much. It's been so long, now, and this is the first I've heard of him."
"How do you know it's him?"
"He designed the Jedi coat of arms, he has a gift for cipher, and he's the only one I've trained that has strayed from me. Hanna, Max, and two others have been my only students. It's pretty easy to keep track of."
"What does he want with Hanna?"
"Probably just to get back at me. But I'm not sure." Luke folded his arms, thinking.
Han looked hard at the holo. "Why leave his mark with the virus?"
"He probably wants to be found, for one reason or another. Feel like taking me back to Tatooine?"
"Why Tatooine?"
"That's were the virus was put into Hanna's computer. It's the best place to start looking."
Han nodded. "Sure. I'll come. Hey, fighting Sith, solving mysteries...sounds like fun, right?"
Luke laughed. "You sound like Hanna."
"No, she sounds like me."
* * * *
Of course, Hanna Organa was not at all shaken by the thought of going to find Max. She was all for it. "Sounds like fun," she said when Luke broke the news to her, and started packing right away.
Standing in the doorway to Hanna's bedroom, Han smiled triumphantly. When he and Luke left the room, Han said, "Ain't she a great kid?"
"I wish she would grow up a little."
Han shrugged. "She got that part from your side of the family. When I met you, you acted about ten."
Luke rolled his eyes.
Leia came out of her room with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. Instead of the slightly formal tunics and gowns she usually wore around Coruscant, she wore tight brown pants and a white jacket. Her air was knotted loosely at the nape of her neck. A blaster was slung on her belt.
"What the hell..." Han murmured. "Where do you think you're going?"
Leia stood straighter, trying to keep her voice even. "Tatooine. With you three."
Han shook his head. "Oh, no you're-"
Luke cut him off. "Why?"
"I need a break. In the old days it was all adventures and fun. Now all I do is paperwork and give speeches."
"And argue," Luke reminded her.
"Yeah, but that's nothing new," Han said under his breath. Leia glared at him. "Hey, wait a minute." Han frowned. "This is my ship we're taking. Who said you could come?"
"I did, Capitan. Hanna is my daughter and I want to make sure that this problem is taken care of."
"Let me get this strait. When you're mad at me for leaving, Hanna is our daughter. When you're claiming responsibility for her, she's your daughter-"
"Capitan, we're going to be spending a lot of time together for the next few weeks, and I suggest we do not start out bickering." She boosted her bag up on her shoulder and headed out the door.
"Save us from princesses." Han sighed. Luke got his bag and Hanna hers, and they were on their way.
But he could think of no one who would actually try to kill her. The Empire was dead: there had been absolute peace in the New Republic for fourteen years. There were no warlords, no Sith....
Oh.
Luke hadn't thought of him. Max Winnick...his defeat...his failing, shortcoming. He had not been ready to train Jedi....
He leaned closer over the hacker's chair, then pulled back again when he realized that he might be making him uncomfortable.
Then Han came up behind him, so he had a distraction.
"Any luck?" Han asked, as nonchalantly as he could.
"None yet," Luke answered, watching the way Han would not meet his eyes, feeling his irritation and resentment. "What happened?"
Han glared. "You tell me, Jedi. You're supposed to know where she is at all times. You have some kind of 'bond' with her--"
"What are you talking about?" He asked, frowning. He didn't like the way Han leered at him, at his gift, at his connection to Leia. Then it dawned on him: the reason Leia had been blocking him all afternoon. "You saw her?"
"I sat with her for three hours, making small talk and drinking. It was fun. At first."
"And then?"
Han clenched his teeth. "I don't want to talk about it." But then, a moment later, "She's impossible! Luke, do you blame me for leaving her?"
"I..." he didn't know.
"Do you?"
He still didn't know. "I don't think so."
"I mean, what would you of done?"
Han wasn't looking at him, and Luke knew he was just venting. He didn't really want Luke's opinion. He opened his mouth to speak, but Han cut him off.
"Don't give me any of that self-righteous crap that you spout all the time. I don't want your opinion."
Luke sighed. They were both impossible. In spite of their different upbringings and breeding, they had been drawn together by the brightness with which each other's spirit burned. But the thing that drew them together was the same thing that would always keep them apart.
Luke tried to break through Leia's barrier. He needed to know if she was all right. But she wasn't letting him through. *Leia? Leia, please.... * he sent, but no answer came. He needed to protect her. It had always been his most basic instinct, since the day he had first seen her in the holo, pleading for Ben's help.
"General Skywalker?"
Luke looked up. The hacker was looking at him with dark eyes, reddened from staring at a screen for so long, but he seemed relieved, now. "I found something."
The code he had been working with was a series of dots, put together in groups. They had assumed that each group stood for a rune of the Aurabesh, but it hade proven more complicated. "I think its code for a holo image. If I had a..."
"Oh, right." Luke hurried off to get a holo emitter from a storage room where he knew one was thrown in pell-mell with many other random pieces of equipment. When he returned, the hacker hooked it up to the computer he had been working with--which was, in turn, hooked up to Hanna's X-wing--and continued working. "It'll take a few more minutes," he explained.
In those few minutes, Luke felt Leia's shields lower. *Luke?* she sent cautiously.
*I'm here. Are you okay?*
*He...he kissed me...*
Her thoughts were more full of wonder than anger. She was no longer shocked at Han's brazen actions, nor was she angry with him. All Luke felt from her was a dull hurt, and wonder at what had transpired.
Shocked, Luke looked at Han. He was so caught up in looking over the hacker's shoulder that he didn't notice. *Then what happened?* Luke asked into the Force.
*I sent him away. I didn't know what else to do.*
Luke sent warmth out to Leia, offering consolation that he didn't know how to put into words. She returned it, and he smiled softly.
"There." The hacker pushed some final keys, looked up at Luke. "I've got it."
A fuzzy image appeared over the concave disk of the holo emitter. After some knobs were turned to fine tune it, Luke was able to make it out. The rune Senth, a backwards check with a dash on its left side, glowing gold. It was three-dimensional, shiny-looking as if make of chrome pipes. There was a faint reddish haze all around it. Two lightsabers, one red and one green, crossed in the background, handles high and blades down. The red crossed before the green.
Luke clenched his teeth. Just as he had suspected. *I'll be leaving today,* he sent to Leia.
*Why? Who did it?*
*Max. I don't know what he wants with Hanna, but I know it's him.*
Leia was silent.
Han studied the image for a long while. "That looks like..."
Luke nodded. "The Jedi coat of arms. But the Jedi has the rune Jenth, and the sabers are blue and green, and they're facing up. And the rune is silver." He opened his robe to show Han th Jedi coat of arms embroidered on his undertunic.
"Then this..."
"I had a student about ten years ago, Han. His name was Max Winnick. He was fourteen, bright, spirited. Very talented. But, I lost him when he and I started arguing about philosophy and ideals. He didn't agree with the Jedi principals. He ran away, threatened to train others to use the Force as he saw it. He was just a boy...I didn't worry very much. It's been so long, now, and this is the first I've heard of him."
"How do you know it's him?"
"He designed the Jedi coat of arms, he has a gift for cipher, and he's the only one I've trained that has strayed from me. Hanna, Max, and two others have been my only students. It's pretty easy to keep track of."
"What does he want with Hanna?"
"Probably just to get back at me. But I'm not sure." Luke folded his arms, thinking.
Han looked hard at the holo. "Why leave his mark with the virus?"
"He probably wants to be found, for one reason or another. Feel like taking me back to Tatooine?"
"Why Tatooine?"
"That's were the virus was put into Hanna's computer. It's the best place to start looking."
Han nodded. "Sure. I'll come. Hey, fighting Sith, solving mysteries...sounds like fun, right?"
Luke laughed. "You sound like Hanna."
"No, she sounds like me."
* * * *
Of course, Hanna Organa was not at all shaken by the thought of going to find Max. She was all for it. "Sounds like fun," she said when Luke broke the news to her, and started packing right away.
Standing in the doorway to Hanna's bedroom, Han smiled triumphantly. When he and Luke left the room, Han said, "Ain't she a great kid?"
"I wish she would grow up a little."
Han shrugged. "She got that part from your side of the family. When I met you, you acted about ten."
Luke rolled his eyes.
Leia came out of her room with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. Instead of the slightly formal tunics and gowns she usually wore around Coruscant, she wore tight brown pants and a white jacket. Her air was knotted loosely at the nape of her neck. A blaster was slung on her belt.
"What the hell..." Han murmured. "Where do you think you're going?"
Leia stood straighter, trying to keep her voice even. "Tatooine. With you three."
Han shook his head. "Oh, no you're-"
Luke cut him off. "Why?"
"I need a break. In the old days it was all adventures and fun. Now all I do is paperwork and give speeches."
"And argue," Luke reminded her.
"Yeah, but that's nothing new," Han said under his breath. Leia glared at him. "Hey, wait a minute." Han frowned. "This is my ship we're taking. Who said you could come?"
"I did, Capitan. Hanna is my daughter and I want to make sure that this problem is taken care of."
"Let me get this strait. When you're mad at me for leaving, Hanna is our daughter. When you're claiming responsibility for her, she's your daughter-"
"Capitan, we're going to be spending a lot of time together for the next few weeks, and I suggest we do not start out bickering." She boosted her bag up on her shoulder and headed out the door.
"Save us from princesses." Han sighed. Luke got his bag and Hanna hers, and they were on their way.