9781101966952|excerpt Wendig / STAR WARS AFTERMATH LIFE DEBT PART ONE Chapter One leia paces. The Chandrilan sun burns a bright line around her drawn shades. In the center of the room sits a blue glass holoplatform--it remains quiet. She comes here every day at the same time waiting for a transmission. She should've heard from Han by now. He's days past their scheduled talk and-- The platform flickers to life. "Leia," says a shimmering hologram as it resolves from erratic voxels into the form of her husband. "Han," she says, stepping close into transmission range. "I miss you." "I miss you, too." The way he says it, though--something's wrong. There's a dark edge to his voice. In it she senses desperation. No, not just that. Anger lurks there, too. The anger isn't pointed at her. Even from here her feelings reach out and find him, and she senses an anger turning inward, like a knife twisted toward one's own belly. He's mad at himself. She knows what he's about to tell her. "I still haven't found him," Han says. Chewbacca is missing. Two months back, Han told her that he had a shot to do what the New Republic wouldn't: liberate Chewie's home planet of Kashyyyk from the chains of the Empire. She told him to wait, to think about it, but he said the time was now and that an old smuggler had info--a woman named Imra whom Leia told him not to trust. Turns out, she was right. "You still in the Outer Rim?" Leia asks. "Edges of Wild Space. I have a few leads, but it's not looking good." She pleads with him: "Come home, Han. I'm working on the Senate. If we can get them to vote, we can push on Kashyyyk--and maybe find Chewbacca and the others in the process. Testimony from a general like yourself will help to sway them--" "It didn't sway them before." "So we try again." The hologram shakes its head. "That's not who I am. I'm not a general. I'm just some pirate." "Don't say that. Everyone here knows how you led the Alliance team on Endor. They know you as a general, not as a--" "Leia, I resigned my commission." "What?" "I have to do this my way. This is on me, Leia. I have my job to do and you have yours. You take care of the Republic. I'll find Chewie." "No, no, no, don't you do this. I'll come to you. Tell me where you are. Tell me what you need." A slow, sad smile spreads across the face of his flickering transmission. "Leia, they need you there. I need you there, too. I'll be all right. I'll find Chewie. And then I'll come home." "You promise?" "I pro--" But the hologram suddenly shakes--Han turns his head sharply, as if surprised. "Han!" she calls. "Son of a--" he starts to say, but the image flickers again. "Under att--" But the words break up, and then the image dissolves and he's gone. She feels her middle clench up. No. Again Leia paces, hoping he'll come back, hoping that the interrupted transmission returns again and he tells her it was all a false alarm. She waits for minutes, then for hours, and then until night falls. The holoplatform remains dead. Her husband is out there. She doesn't know where. And he's in trouble. She has to find him. Good thing is, she knows just who to ask. Excerpted from Life Debt by Chuck Wendig All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
