“THIS LEVER CONTROLS THE ENGINES THE FALCON USES TO TRAVEL through realspace,” Han said. “This one takes the ship into hyperspace, after the navicomputer here figures out when it's safe for the ship to jump to lightspeed.”

“And these?” Allana asked, pointing to a pair of trackball controllers just left of the central display monitor.

“Hopefully, you'll never have to touch those. They control the laser cannons.”

It was just the two of them in the cockpit, Han in the pilot's chair and Allana seated on his knee. Leia was in the main hold trying to reach Luke on the comm and C-3PO was crating up the slicer droid for shipment back to Vaced. Free to pursue her own course, the Falcon was purring through interstellar space.

“Can I steer?”

Han stood her at the yoke. “Go ahead.”

Allana experimented with the instruments. “Can I make it go faster?”

“Can you reach the throttle?”

She stretched out her right hand and made a sound of effort. “Got it.”

“Wow! Not so fast,” Han laughed, thankful he had the inertial compensator dialed to full.

Surrendering the yoke, she climbed into the copilot's chair.

“I think you're going to be a terrific pilot,” Han told her.

“Like Aunt Jaina?”

“Just like Aunt Jaina.”

Allana inclined her head to one side. “Is she going to marry Jag?”

Han smiled. “I don't know. We'll have to ask her when we see her.”

“Did your grandpa teach you how to pilot a starship?”

“No.” Han gave his head a pensive shake. “I didn't know my grandfather.”

“We could go look for him.”

He laughed. “I think I've had my fill of quests for the time being.”

“Why?”

“You're full of questions,” Han said, pivoting to face her. “But I've got one for you. Do you want to visit your mom? We're not too far from the Hapes Consortium right now. A quick hyperspace jump and we're there.”

Allana smiled. “I want to see my mother.” She looked up at Han. “And if Mom says it's okay, I want to stay with you and Grandma some more.”

“You're sure?”

Allana nodded. “Sure.”

“You know it's not always going to be a treasure hunt. Sometimes Grandma and I just sit around doing nothing.”

“I can do that,” she assured him. “Anyway, how do you know another adventure won't happen?”

Han had his mouth open to respond when Leia entered the cockpit, C-3PO a step behind her. Her look told him that she had big news.

“What?”

“The GA government is planning to file criminal charges against Luke.”

“Charges? What's he done this time?”

Leia's gaze shifted briefly and deliberately to Allana. “Dereliction of duty.”

Han nodded slowly. So Daala's government had decided to blame Luke for having allowed Jacen to slip to the dark side. Will it never end?

“How are the Jedi taking it?” he asked.

“Not too seriously.”

“Maybe they're right. Daala could be doing this because she has to, not because she wants to.”

Leia gave her head a quick shake. “He's going to need our help, Han.”

Han snorted. “Of course he is.”

Allana swung to C-3PO. “Threepio, we're going to help rescue Master Luke!”

“Oh, dear. Not again.”

Han and Leia laughed.

“Everyone strap in,” Han said. “You never know what kind of ride we're in for.”

The Millennium Falcon responded to his call for power with an enthusiastic leap. Tasked with heading for Coruscant and raring to go, the old but venerable YT-1300 gathered her strength for the jump to lightspeed, then streaked into hyperspace and vanished from sight.