Shattered
Remembrance
Chapter Twenty-five
"You actually
think we'll find him here?" Han
frowned over his shoulder at Guri as the Millennium
Falcon settled on the immaculate front lawn of the Buaran estate.
"Lady Buaran may
have information we can use."
"Yeah,
right."
"What's the
matter, sweetheart?" Leia put in.
"You don't think all men confide in their wives like you do?"
"Of course not. I'm the perfect
husband." Han winked at his
brother-in-law. "Aren't I,
Luke?"
Luke's eyes
widened. " I
... I don't remember."
"How
convenient," Han groused, though Leia detected the laugh in his eyes.
"Yes, very,"
she said, smiling. "Let's go see if
anyone is home."
***
The group had barely made it down the ramp
before a uniformed butler was hurrying across the manicured lawn to meet them.
"See here!"
the man cried, waving a white-gloved hand.
"You can't park that ... thing ... on these grounds!"
"Listen,
you!" Han began, until Leia pulled down his raised arm.
"We apologize for
the intrusion, but we have urgent business with Lord Buaran," Leia
explained. Without looking back, she
could sense both Han and Mara bristling with impatience.
"Lord Buaran does
not receive visitors without an appointment," the butler said huffily,
looking down his aquiline nose at the motley band.
"Here's our
appointment," Han growled, pointing his blaster in the man's face.
Ignoring Han's weapon,
Leia shouldered her way in front of him.
"Sir, I am Councilor Leia Organa-Solo of Coruscant. I must insist that we are admitted to see
Lord Buaran."
The servant's bluster
wilted slightly at Leia's name. "I
am sorry, madam, but Lord Buaran is not available at this time."
"Lady Buaran,
then," Guri spoke up, stepping forward.
"I am chief of security at Lord Buaran's manufacturing facilities." She withdrew a badge from a pocket of her
jumpsuit and flashed it at the butler.
It didn't escape
Leia's notice that Guri held her identification so that her thumb partially
covered the card's holo. No doubt the
image on it didn't match Guri's present appearance.
Glaring at the group,
the man nevertheless nodded. "I
shall announce you to Lady Buaran," he said, heading for the manor house.
As they followed
behind, Han brought his comlink to his mouth.
"Goldenrod, you better stay here and watch
the ship. If anyone but us comes close,
enact the shields and contact me immediately.
But no flyin' her!" He
turned toward Leia. "I knew we
shoulda had Chewie come along."
"Of course,
Captain Solo," Threepio's voice crackled back. A low-pitched whistle from Artoo-Detoo could
be heard in the background.
Privately, Leia had
been wishing for the Wookiee since they plucked Luke and the others off the
skyhook. But at Leia's own insistence,
Chewbacca and Malla had left for Kashyyyk right before their own
departure. "Artoo may come in handy
if we need to break into any computers or unlock any doors," she said,
starting up the wide steps of the mansion.
"Can't she take
care of that?" Han said, tilting his head toward Guri.
"Two metal heads
are better than one," Mara said casually.
Even as she spoke, her gaze kept scanning their surroundings.
Nodding, Han
continued, "Send Artoo out, then lock the
ship."
Moments later, the
astromech could be seen trundling down the ramp.
"We'll wait for
Artoo," Luke said when the butler reappeared at the ornate double-wide
front door.
Han and Leia followed
the servant into the gleaming foyer of the home. Just as Leia remembered from her previous
visit to Bakura, the décor was influenced by a preference to sparkling
fountains, glistening white stonework, and an abundance of thriving
plants. Standing in the middle of the
entryway was a slender young woman with dark hair fashioned in the latest
style.
"Your Highness,
this is a most unexpected honor."
Lady Delia
Buaran gave a half-courtesy. The
Chandrilan woman's smile suddenly morphed into a wary frown, and Leia turned to
see what had caused the change.
Luke,
Mara, Guri, and Artoo-Detoo were just entering the foyer. Though her synthflesh had been repaired over
her damaged abdomen, Guri still wore her dirty ripped jumpsuit, as did Luke and
Mara.
"You
cannot bring that droid into this home!" the butler sputtered, his eyes
flashing indignantly at Artoo-Detoo as he moved to intercept the newcomers. "It doesn't even have a restraining
bolt!"
Luke's
whole body stilled as he focused on the servant. "This droid does not need a restraining
bolt," he intoned.
"The
droid doesn't need a restraining bolt," the butler repeated.
"This
droid is perfectly safe," Luke continued.
"It's
perfectly safe," came the monotone reply.
Leia's
eyes widened as she stared at her brother, and she
could see that Mara was also surprised.
Luke gazed back, but his expression didn't change. It was Lady Buaran who broke the silence.
"Of
course the droid is welcome, Stephon," she stated, her gracious smile
returning as she nodded to Leia.
"Though I have come to accept the Bakurans' dislike of mechanicals,
I do not share their view. Please,
enter."
With
one last glance at Luke, Leia turned her attention back to their hostess. "Thank you," she said. "This is my husband, Captain Han
Solo," she continued, nodding to her side.
Extending one hand to the others, she continued the introductions. "My brother, Jedi
Master Luke Skywalker, and his companion, Mara Jade. And Guri, your husband's chief of
security."
At the
word 'Jedi,' the butler noticeably stiffened, but a sharp look from his
mistress curtailed any objection he might have made.
"Master
Skywalker, this is indeed a privilege," Lady Buaran said, bowing.
Luke
bowed in return, but did not speak.
"How
may I serve you?" Lady Buaran asked, splaying her hands in a gesture of
hospitality to the entire group. "Stephon, a decanter of namana liqueur for our guests."
"No,
thank you," Leia said quickly, heading off the offer. She was coming to respect the displaced
Chandrilan, and fervently hoped the woman had no part in Ra'uf Buaran's
treachery. "Your
husband, Lady Buaran. It is
imperative that we locate him."
"Ra'uf? He is usually at his private office this time
of day, on his skyhook."
"The
skyhook has been destroyed," Leia said, carefully watching the woman's
reaction.
Delia
Buaran's face contorted with shock, and she brought
her hands to her mouth in horror. "No!" Han, Leia, and the butler all rushed to her
side as her knees began to give way.
"He
wasn't on it," Han said, his tone betraying his skepticism. "But our friends were," he added,
nodding toward Luke and Mara. "Or
did you already know that?"
"Lady
Buaran, do you know where your husband is?" Leia asked again.
"No,
I ... I already told you ..." Lady Buaran pulled away. "Are you accusing us of something?"
"We
know your husband deliberately set a trap for Luke on the skyhook," Han
said, his eyes narrowing. "He wanted
to murder him in revenge for his own father's death. The question now is,
are you covering for him?"
Lady
Buaran shook her head. "I know
nothing of which you speak. His father
... Ra'uf has told me little of his father, only that he was an important
figure in the Empire."
"He
was the last Imperial governor of Bakura," Leia said.
"Governor
Nereus?" Lady
Buaran's eyes widened in sudden understanding. "I have heard of Nereus's heinous deeds
during the Sri-ruuk invasion. Ra'uf
never told me ..." She drew herself up, and a calm
determination came over her. "What
will you do to my husband if you catch him?"
Leia
could understand the woman's dilemma.
The husband that she loved had turned into a stranger. But he was still her husband, and to betray
him was not a choice to be made lightly.
"We
will do everything in our power to bring him safely to justice," Leia
vowed. She hoped for Delia Buaran's sake
that they could keep that promise.
Lady
Buaran nodded. "I do not know where
he is, but he does have hidden underground passages that interconnect his
factories and our home. He does not know
that I am aware of them." She
smiled weakly. "A woman is entitled
to a few secrets of her own, I suppose."
Han
turned to Guri. "Did you know about
these passages?"
"I
did not," Guri replied.
"Well,
it seems there are secrets bursting out left and right." Han let his gaze sweep around the entire
group. Guri ignored him, but
interestingly enough, it was Mara who looked away. "All right, Lady Buaran, show us these
passages." He stared at the
scowling butler. "I think you
better come, too. Or better yet, we lock
you up nice and tight until we get back."
"I
beg your pardon!" Stephon cast a
distressed look his mistress's way.
"Madam, I must protest!"
Lady
Buaran hesitated, then turned to Leia with sad
eyes. "Your Highness, I will
cooperate fully. As long as Stephon is
not harmed, I agree that he cannot be allowed to warn my husband."
Complaining
vehemently the whole way, Stephon was tied up and locked in a coat closet. Lady Buaran assured them that no one else was
in the mansion, and both Luke and Mara confirmed her statement with the
Force. Unlocking her husband's study,
she led them to a concealed panel behind a bookcase.
"The
passage diverges in a few hundred meters," she explained. "The path to the left goes to his
factory in the Lowount district. To the right, the shipping facility in Stybridge. I believe that passageway also branches off
to his docking berth at the Stybridge spaceport."
Leia
remembered that was the name of the spaceport where they'd located Buaran's
private yacht, detouring there to sabotage the ship's power conduits. That didn't mean that Buaran wouldn't be
heading that direction, of course.
"Looks
like we'll need to split up," Han said, rubbing his chin.
"Luke
and I can take one direction," Mara spoke up quickly. "With Artoo."
Leia
could see Han holding back a grin.
"Guri, perhaps you can come with Han and me."
"Yes,"
the HRD returned simply.
"Good,"
Han said with a wink. "Each couple
gets its own droid." He looked back
at Lady Buaran.
"While
I do not condone Ra'uf's actions, I cannot join you in hunting him down,"
the stately woman said. "I will
wait here." She was casting
discreet glances Guri's way, and Leia wondered if Buaran had informed his wife
that his security head was a droid. It
had been obvious that the butler had no inkling.
Leia
and Han exchanged glances. Lady Buaran
would slow them down. And yet ...
"I
give you my word that I will not contact Ra'uf in any way," Delia Buaran
vowed. "Nor will I release
Stephon."
Han's
hazel eyes narrowed, and Leia knew what he was thinking. Could they trust the wife of their quarry?
"She's
telling the truth," Luke said quietly.
"I can sense it through the Force."
Leia
blinked. Han just stared at Luke. Mara looked sideways at him a moment, then
confirmed his words.
"I
agree. I sense no deception in Lady
Buaran."
"Very
well," Leia said, nodding toward the Chandrilan. "We will contact you as soon as we
can."
***
They
traveled the short distance to the passage juncture in silence. But before parting, Han stopped Luke with a
firm clasp of his arm. "So were you
going to tell us that your memory is coming back, or were we just supposed to
guess?"
Luke
gave Han a confused frown. "What
are you talking about? My memory isn't
returning."
"So
all that mind-control, and sensing emotion stuff ... That just popped into your brain out of the
blue."
"During
my training, Mara explained how those skills could be used," Luke said
slowly, his face scrunching up in thought.
"But
we never really practiced them," Mara pointed out.
Luke
shrugged. "I just ... knew I
could."
"We
are wasting time," Guri announced.
From her bland expression, Leia knew the droid wasn't impatient, merely
stating a fact. An accurate fact, no
matter how intriguing Luke's use of the Force was.
"Yes,
we should get going," Leia concurred.
"Comlinks?" She felt for her own as she looked
questioningly at Luke and Mara.
"I
have one," Mara said.
"Okay,
let's head out." Han checked the
power level of his blaster, even though he'd already checked it before leaving
the ship. Habit, Leia knew.
A habit that had saved their lives on more than one
occasion.
***
Delia
Buaran's hands trembled as she pushed the heavy bookcase back into place. She had known that her husband had Imperial
sympathies when she married him. But
the
A
familiar sound suddenly froze Delia in place – the creak of the nerf-hide
leather on Ra'uf's office chair.
"You
shouldn't be troubling yourself cleaning behind there, my dear," a deep
voice commented casually. "That's
what we have servants for."