Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne Read Free Book Online Page B

you’d show up at that time. They were genuinely doing their best to eliminate the Kupohans and seal their security breach.”
    “We still don’t have the
Millennium Falcon
available,” Leia continued, “so I think, when you consider that you need a very fast ship with room at least for a passenger and a droid, the
Desert Jewel
might be our best option.”
    “She’s a wanted ship now,” I reminded her, but Leia shrugged it off.
    “The
Millennium Falcon
is wanted everywhere. We just change the transponder codes and it’s fine.”
    “But the
Jewel
is virtually unarmed,” I pointed out. “That’s a serious drawback if we’re going to face significant Imperial interference. We need to be able to defend ourselves. That ship’s not ready for this kind of mission without upgrades.”
    Leia exchanged an uncertain glance with Admiral Ackbar. “Upgrading weapons on such a custom ship might be difficult,” Ackbar said, consonants slipping and vowels bubbling as his voice, accustomed to water, struggled in the dry air of the ship.
    “Why?”
    “The Alliance is low on money. We’re having trouble maintaining the fleet we have, much less upgrading it. However, there’s some time before you need to go. The Kupohans need a couple of weeks to establish the Givin’s routine and search for weaknesses in her security so that they can give you the best chance of success. If you can find the resources to upgrade the ship by then, by all means, do so.”
    Something didn’t add up. “You just had me go on a trip to see the Rodians about purchasing weapons and now you’re saying you can’t pay for weapons?”
    “We’ll have money eventually, Luke,” Leia assured me, “but we’re not sure when. Expecting a rebellion to have reliable cash flow is like—” She paused to grasp for an apt comparison, then finished: “—expecting Han Solo to behave rationally.” She turned her head to the droids. “Threepio, you enjoy calculating these sorts of things. What’s more likely, reliable cash flow for the Alliance or Han behaving rationally?”
    “While both have very little chance of occurring, Princess, reliable cash flow is far more likely.”
    She frowned. “That’s what I thought.”
    It occurred to me that Leia might be feeling some resentment at Han being away trying to help himself instead of helping the Alliance. I wouldn’t say a thing about that to him, of course: He would interpret it to mean that she missed him. Speaking of missing people …
    “Is Nakari Kelen back from that training mission on the surface?” I asked.
    “Yes,” Ackbar replied. “Why?”
    “Well, she might be able to solve the funding problem. Unless I’m mistaken, her dad is practically made of funding.”
    “We know about that, but according to her, the use of his ship is all he’s willing to consider right now.”
    “He might change his mind if Nakari’s directly involved. Can I have her go along on this? I could use someone to watch my back anyway, and she must be competent with that slug gun if you’re having her train the rest of the troops.”
    “You’re right, she’s more than competent. I don’t have any objections,” Ackbar said.
    “Great.” I felt a surge of something like victory and then wondered why. The obvious answer was that I had become smitten after a single brief meeting with her, but I hoped that wasn’t it. I didn’t truly know her, after all. All I knew was that I had seen enough to want to learn more, and if I wished she would turn out to be as truly likable as she seemed at first, who could blame me for that? Hoping neither my voice nor expression betrayed any of my feelings, I said, “Threepio, would you mind asking Nakari Kelen to join us? She ought to be on the ship somewhere.”
    “Certainly, Master Luke.”
    I’m not sure that my voice remained neutral there. Leia’s eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips together as if to ask a question, but I forestalled that by diving into a