Heir to the Empire (by Timothy Zahn)

Author:Star Wars - [Thrawn Trilogy 01] [-, Star Wars]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-07-25T14:54:02.576000+00:00

middle class. Idly, she looked at the nearest of them, glancing into the windows as they passed. A face

moved into view in the shadows behind one of them, catching her eye—

"Chewie!" she gasped. Even as her hand darted for her blaster the face vanished. But there was no

mistaking those bulging eyes and protruding jaw and steel-gray skin.

Chewbacca was at her side in an instant, bowcaster in hand. "One of those creatures who attacked us

on Bimmisaari is in there," she told him, reaching out with all the Jedi sense she could muster. Nothing.

"At that window," she added, pointing with her blaster. "He was right there."

Chewbacca barked an order, sliding his massive bulk between Leia and the house and easing her slowly

backwards, his bowcaster weaving back and forth across the structure in a covering pattern. Ralrra and

Salporin were already at the house, each carrying a pair of wicked-looking knives they'd pulled from

somewhere. They took up flanking positions beside the front door; and with a brilliant flash from his

bowcaster, Chewbacca shot the door in.

From somewhere in toward the center of the village someone roared—a long, ululating Wookiee howl

of anger or alarm that seemed to echo from the buildings and massive trees. Even before Ralrra and

Salporin had disappeared into the house the howl was being taken up by other voices, rising in number

and volume until it seemed as if half the village had joined in. Leia found herself pressing against

Chewbacca's hairy back, wincing at the sheer ferocity in that call and flashing back to the Bimmisaari

marketplace reacting to her jewelry theft.

Except that these weren't funny little yellow-clad Bimms. They were giant, violently strong Wookiees.

A large crowd had begun to form by the time Ralrra and Salporin emerged from the house—a crowd

that Chewbacca paid no more attention to than he had the howling as he kept his eyes and bowcaster

trained on the house. The other two Wookiees also ignored the crowd, disappearing around opposite

sides of the house. They reappeared seconds later, their manner that of hunters who'd come up dry.

"He was there," Leia insisted as they returned to where she and Chewbacca stood. "I saw him."

[That may be true,] Ralrra said, slipping his knives back into hidden sheaths behind his baldric. Salporin,

his attention still back on the house, kept his own knives ready. [But we found no trace of anyone.]

Leia bit at her lip, eyes flicking across the area. There were no other houses near enough for the alien to

have crossed to without her and Chewbacca seeing him. No cover of any sort, for that matter, on this

side of the house. On the other side, there was nothing but the edge of the village.

"He went over the edge," she realized suddenly. "He must have. Either worked his way under the village

with climbing gear or else met a craft hovering down below."

[That is unlikely,] Ralrra said, starting past her. [But possible. I will go down the liftcarr, to try and

discoverr him.]

Chewbacca reached a hand out to stop him, growling a negative. [You arre right,] Ralrra conceded,

though clearly reluctantly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.