by Troy Denning
The disapproving undertone in Mara’s voice—and the bitterness in Luke’s—made Tenel Ka’s heart fall. After their meeting aboard the Anakin Solo, Jacen had told her that the Skywalkers were losing faith in him—that they even suspected him of working with Lumiya—and now she could see how right he was.
Tenel Ka turned to Ben. “What do you know about this? I find it difficult to believe Jacen would open fire on his own parents.”
“He didn’t have a choice,” Ben said. “They’re terrorists, and they were trying to escape.”
“Terrorists?” Tenel Ka was crushed to hear the boy say such a thing. “Ben, that’s just not true.”
“I’m afraid it is,” Jacen said, emerging from his throng of admirers. “The suspicions Aunt Mara voiced during our meeting aboard the Anakin were right after all.”
Mara scowled. “They were?”
“Yes—and I apologize for not considering your point more carefully,” Jacen said. “But events have certainly proven you correct. The intelligence my parents provided regarding Ducha AlGray did us more harm than good, and they were certainly involved in the attack on Her Majesty.”
The cold anger in Jacen’s voice made Tenel Ka even sadder, but she was beginning to understand what had happened, to see how he had misinterpreted events to reach a terrible conclusion.
“Jacen, you can’t believe your parents would do such a thing.”
Tenel Ka realized the crowd had quieted around them, straining to hear, and she knew that whatever she said next might determine how the Solos would be viewed in galactic histories—whether they would be remembered as idealistic heroes or amoral terrorists.
“Han and Leia Solo had as much to do with saving the Crown as you did,” she said, speaking evenly and clearly. “They risked their lives to provide me with the reversion coordinates of the AlGray fleet.”
Jacen’s eyes widened. “They did?”
“Yes,” Tenel Ka said. “Furthermore, the Solos placed themselves at even greater risk to make sure the Royal Navy stood firm until Admiral Bwua’tu attacked.”
Jacen’s expression changed from shock to shame, and Tenel Ka’s sadness began to lift. Clearly, the attack on the Falcon had been the result of a terrible misunderstanding. Jacen had made a grave mistake—but only because he was overcompensating, trying too hard to avoid letting his personal feelings influence his judgment.
That was certainly what Tenel Ka hoped—and what she chose to believe.
“I am sure your parents will be fine.” Tenel Ka addressed this to both Jacen and Jaina, but in her heart she was speaking more to Jacen. He was the one who had made the mistake, and she knew how he would blame himself if any harm came to them because of it. “No one is more capable of taking care of themselves under difficult circumstances—and I’ll issue orders for all Hapan vessels to aid them in every way possible.”
“That can’t hurt,” Mara said. “But nobody’s going to see them until they’re a long way from here. They’ll go stealth until they find someplace safe to land.”
Luke nodded. “That’s right. I’ll reach out to Leia in the Force, try to let her know that help is available if they need it.” He turned to Jacen, his brow lowered in disapproval. “But we need to talk. You’re very quick to believe the worst about someone you love. That’s a problem.”
Jacen’s eyes burned with resentment—and Tenel Ka understood why. After all, wasn’t Luke assuming the worst about Jacen and Lumiya?
“That’s not fair, Master Skywalker,” Tenel Ka said. “Jacen’s suspicions were based on the information available to him at the time.”
“The difference is our suspicions haven’t harmed anyone. Jacen has put his parents in mortal danger.” Luke cast a meaningful glance at Tenel Ka’s retinue, then added, “Perhaps we could talk about this aboard the Shadow?”
“As you wish.” Though Tenel Ka made it sound as though she were granting a favor, she was relieved to have any excuse to get the Skywalkers and Jaina off the hangar deck so she could sneak Allana away from the shuttle. Given the schism of mistrust that had opened between Jacen and everyone else, revealing her daughter’s paternity no longer seemed like a good idea. “I’ll be along in a moment. There are a few things I need to attend to here.”
“Of course.”
Luke bowed and led the others back aboard the Shadow. Tenel Ka waited until they were gone, then turned to the crowd of crewpersons that had gathered around the confrontation.
“And you thought Hapan politics were treacherous!” she said in a light—if rather forced—tone. A self-conscious laugh rustled through the crowd, more in acknowledgment of the Queen Mother’s attempt at humor than because Tenel Ka had finally learned to tell a joke. “But now your fun is over. Back to work with you.”
She made a shooing motion, and the crowd began to disperse. Tenel Ka turned to the nobles who always accumulated around her, when she permitted it. She motioned Major Espara forward, then frowned at the absence of one of the most familiar faces in her retinue.
“Where is Lady Galney?” she asked, frowning. “I asked her to stay close.”
A nervous voice sounded from the back of the flock. “Here, Majesty.”
As if by magic, an aisle opened through Tenel Ka’s retinue. At the other end stood Lady Galney, her eyes fixed on the deck and her chin tucked to her chest. The Force grew electric with anticipation, and Tenel Ka knew that these raptors she called nobles smelled blood.
“Would you come forward please? There’s something I need you and Major Espara to do for me.”
“Of c-course, Majesty.”
Galney shuffled forward, her legs shaking so hard they nearly buckled twice. Of course, her fellow nobles only watched and smirked, convinced their peer was going to receive the punishment she so richly deserved for having had the misfortune to be sister to the sneakiest of the Heritage Council’s many traitors.
Galney stopped in front of Tenel Ka, then found the strength to look up. “If I may, Majesty, I would like to be heard before you speak.”
“Very well,” Tenel Ka said. “But we don’t have much time. You know how pushy those Jedi can be.”
This drew a genuine chuckle from the nobles, but Galney remained nervous and somber. “I—I know it won’t change your decision, but I want to apologize.”
Tenel Ka met the woman’s gaze and frowned. “For what, Lady Galney?”
“For my role in all this,” she said. “I never would have—”
“Milady Galney,” Tenel Ka interrupted. “I may not be a member of the Jedi order any longer, but I assure you I still retain the skills of a Jedi Knight. Don’t you think I would have known if you had meant to betray me?”
“Of—of course,” Galney answered, confused. “Nevertheless, I did. My tongue was too free with my consort, and he was reporting everything I told him—”
“To your sister,” Tenel Ka interrupted. “I know—and I’m quite sure that is a mistake you will never make again.” She glanced toward the Shadow. “Now, may I make my request?”
Galney’s chin dropped again. “Of course, Majesty.”
“Thank you.” She pointed at Jacen’s black GAG shuttle. “Allana is aboard that shuttle, and you are a familiar face to her. I’d like you and Major Espara to retrieve her and take her to your cabin.”
Galney’s eyes widened. “My cabin, Majesty?”
“Yes—and allow no one inside until I arrive.” Tenel Ka turned to Espara. “Is that clear, Major?”
Espara looked as confused as Galney, but she was too accustomed to taking orders to question them now. “Yes, Majesty.”
“Good.” Tenel Ka turned back to Galney. “I’ll join you as soon as I’m able.”
Galney continued to looked bewildered. “Majesty, if you’re trying to spare me the pain of knowing—”
“Lady Galney, I am not my grandmother,” Tenel Ka interrupted. “I don’t execute my subjects for the crimes of their sisters. As for your consort—we’ll talk about your choice in men s
ome other time.” She turned to Espara. “Are my instructions clear, Major?”
“Yes, Majesty.”
“Then carry on.” Tenel Ka started up the Shadow’s boarding ramp, but when her retinue broke into a drone of shocked voices, she stopped and turned around. “If you’re aboard the Dragon Queen, there’s supposed to be a reason. My advice to you all is to figure out what that reason is—and start attending to it!”
The retinue fell into stunned silence, then suddenly dissolved as noblewomen scurried for the hangar exits. Tenel Ka smiled to herself and, thinking she just might stand a chance of bringing Hapes into the modern galaxy, ascended the boarding ramp.
She entered the opulent passenger salon of the Jade Shadow to find the discussion already in full swing. Luke and Jaina were standing on one side of the central beverage table, with Jacen and Ben on the other and Mara caught between. She was addressing her nephew, but looking like she just wished everyone would take a seat and calm down.
“… supposed to think, Jacen?” Mara’s tone was reasonable, but pointed. “You sent us there to meet Ben. Instead, Lumiya ambushes us.”
“That doesn’t mean I sent her,” Jacen responded. Tenel Ka knew how upset he was by the fact that she could not feel him in the Force; he always closed himself off when he grew angry. “You said yourself that you were worried she was after Ben.”
“Ben wasn’t there,” Luke said.
“I was supposed to be!” Ben interrupted. “Jacen dropped a message beacon ordering the Rover to go to Roqoo Depot, but we ignored it.”
“You what?” Mara asked, facing Ben.
“We ignored the order.” Ben turned to Jaina. “Ask Jaina. It was her idea.”
All eyes turned to Jaina, who reluctantly nodded. “I pretty much insisted on it. We needed to warn Ten—er, the Queen Mother—about the Ducha.”
Ben turned back to Luke. “You see? It wasn’t Jacen’s fault.”
“You ignoring an order doesn’t explain how Lumiya knew we would be there,” Mara pointed out. “Or why she’s been working with GAG.”
“And I wish I had the answer to that,” Jacen said. “I’ll be looking into it as soon as the Anakin returns to Coruscant. I want the answer more than you do, I can promise that.”
“Can you?” Luke asked, keeping his gaze fixed on Jacen.
“Of course he can,” Tenel Ka said, stepping to Jacen’s side. “A few minutes ago, you rebuked Jacen for being too quick to believe the worst of those he loves. And here you are, doing the same thing.”
Luke frowned, clearly irritated with her, but Mara sighed and looked at her husband. “She has a point, Luke. We really don’t have any more evidence against Jacen than he did against Han and Leia. The battle’s over—maybe it’s time we all holstered our blasters and tried to work things out like family.”
“That sounds good to me,” Jacen said. “I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve made some mistakes, but I have been working for the good of the Alliance—and I know you have, too.”
Luke considered Jacen’s words for a moment before speaking again. “What about your parents? They’re family, too.”
“I can’t cancel the detention warrant, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Jacen’s words shocked Tenel Ka to the core. “Jacen, if not for your parents, I wouldn’t be alive. Neither would Allana.”
Jacen’s face grew as sad as it was hard, and Tenel Ka knew that even she would not be able to change his mind about this. He was convinced that his duty compelled him to ignore his feelings for his family, and she found that terribly painful—and, when she remembered that she and Allana were his family, too, just a little frightening.
“I know that,” Jacen said to her. “They risked their lives to save you, but they still have crimes against the Alliance to answer for.” He returned his attention to Luke. “If Han and Leia Solo are having second thoughts about their political loyalties, we can negotiate a safe surrender and suitable confinement.”
“Surrender?” Jaina exploded. “Confinement? They’ll never—”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Jacen replied, just as hotly. “But if I cancel the warrant on them, it will look like I’m giving my parents special treatment—and I can’t do that. There’s one law, Jaina, and it applies to everyone—even to Solos.”
“They risked their lives to save Tenel Ka,” Jaina objected. “They’re not terrorists.”
“I know,” Jacen said. “But they’re not innocent, either.”
Jaina exhaled in frustration, then looked to Luke in silent appeal. Luke stared at the floor for a moment, then looked up to meet Jacen’s eyes. “Okay, but I haven’t changed my mind about Ben. He’s still coming back to Coruscant with us.”
“What?” Ben cried. “No way. Jacen is my Master!”
“That’s not your decision, Ben,” Luke said. “And Jacen isn’t a Master.”
“He is to me,” Ben retorted. “No one’s as strong in the Force—”
“It’s your father’s decision,” Jacen said. He raised a hand to silence Ben, then turned back to Luke. “But is it really necessary? Now that Lumiya is dead—”
“What makes you think she’s dead?” Mara asked.
“You do,” Jacen answered, frowning. “Not five minutes ago, you said she was wearing a bomb—”
“A bomb that exploded after we left the cantina,” Luke reminded him. “We don’t know that Lumiya was still wearing it.”
“And if I had to guess, I’d say she wasn’t,” Mara added. “It took nearly two minutes for that bomb to detonate. Even with her chest wounds, that would have been plenty of time to escape.”
“Which is certainly what we should assume,” Luke said. “I won’t believe Lumiya is dead until I slide her body into the crematorium myself.”
“I see.” Jacen’s gaze dropped to the floor, growing distant and glassy. When he finally raised it again, he looked Luke straight in the eye, steady, calm, and collected. “Then I guess I should trust your judgment. After all, I’ve never even met the woman.”
Luke held Jacen’s eyes. “I hope that’s true, Jacen.”
Jacen’s expression darkened, but before he could speak, Ben stepped between the two men and scowled up at his father.
“Of course it’s true!” Ben exclaimed. “Jacen is trying to protect the galaxy. Why doesn’t anyone understand that but me?”
“I understand it, Ben,” Tenel Ka said, trying to divert the storm she felt gathering. “And I am sure your father does, too.”
Tenel Ka cast an expectant look in Luke’s direction, but he only continued to study Jacen, and Tenel Ka felt the tension continuing to build.
So did Mara, apparently. She stepped closer to Ben and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Ben, we’re all trying to save the galaxy,” she said. “But we don’t always agree on how it should be done.”
“And that’s why I can’t stay with Jacen?” Ben demanded. “That’s ridiculous!”
“The reason you can’t stay with Jacen is because I’m ordering you to return home with us,” Luke said sternly. “And the reason I’m doing that is because Lumiya told me you were the one helping her in GAG.”
“What?”
Tenel Ka exclaimed the word at the same time Jacen and Ben did, then watched Jacen’s expression turn from shocked to angry to enigmatic. Ben merely seemed confused.
“And you believe her?” he demanded.
“No,” Luke answered. He glanced back toward Jacen. “But somebody has been helping her, and until I know who that is—”
“—you need to stay away from GAG,” Jacen finished. “Your father is right to be cautious, Ben.”
“But you’re my Master!” Ben objected.
“And I’m asking you to stay with your parents until I’ve sorted this out.” Jacen looked up at Luke, then added, “I’m sure we’ll be working together again much sooner than you expect.”
Tenel Ka’s heart fell at the challenging tone of Jacen’s voice, but Luke seemed to accept
the statement without animosity.
“I hope we’ll all be working together again soon.” Luke reached across and clasped Jacen’s arm. “I know better than to think you’ll accept my help, but let me know how the investigation goes. I’ll be very interested to learn more about Lumiya’s involvement.”
“Of course,” Jacen replied. Though he was not allowing his feelings to seep into the Force, Tenel Ka could tell by the slight tightening of his lips that he had taken Luke’s comment as something of a threat. “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I really should return to the Anakin and get started on that.”
Jacen said his farewells to the Skywalkers, then turned to Tenel Ka. “Your Majesty, if all is well—”
“It is,” Tenel Ka said. She took his arm and, heart breaking, started toward the hatch with him. “Jacen, what can I say? We are in your debt.”
“No,” Jacen said. “The Alliance is in yours. Thanks to the Consortium’s courage here, we may have broken the Corellians’ ability to make war.”
They stopped just inside the hatch, where they would be hidden from the hangar floor but still be visible from the passenger salon of the Shadow. It would be, Tenel Ka knew, the most privacy they were likely to find for a long, long time. She took Jacen’s hand.
“All the same, we are grateful,” she said. “Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you—and feel free to visit us again when you have time. You will find a warm welcome among our subjects.”
“Thank you, Majesty.” Jacen bowed. “I will.”
“Good. We will be looking forward to it.”
Tenel Ka kissed Jacen on the cheelc, then fought to keep back the tears as she watched him step through the hatch and once more vanish from her life.
For Connie and Mark
Good friends who live in a city far, far away
acknowledgments
Many people contributed to this book in ways large and small. I would like to thank them all, especially the following: Andria Hayday for her support, critiques, and many valuable suggestions; James Luceno, Leland Chee, Howard Roffman, Amy Gary, Pablo Hidalgo, and Keith Clayton for their fine contributions during our brainstorming sessions—initial and otherwise; Shelly Shapiro and Sue Rostoni for everything, from their remarkable patience to their insightful reviewing and editing to the wonderful ideas they put forth both inside and outside of the brainstorming sessions—and especially for being so great to work with; to my fellow writers Aaron Allston and Karen Traviss for all of their hard work—coordinating stories and writing them—and their myriad other contributions to this book and the series; to all of the people at Lucasfilm and Del Rey who make being a writer so much fun; to Laura Jorstad for her outstanding copyediting; and, finally, to George Lucas for letting us take his galaxy in this exciting new direction.
