The other night, seeing Ben blindsided by reminders of his mother, seeing how her loss still affected him, and seeing how his father instinctively reached out for him, to comfort him, I was of course reminded of you.
He felt his jaw drop open and closed it immediately, slamming walls down over his own presence in the Force. Vestara was reminded of her father watching Luke comfort Ben? What was going on? What in—
And then he understood.
Ben remembered thinking that Vestara walked on a knife blade in dealing with Gavar Khai. It made his own clashes with Luke years earlier seem like unimportant spats. Even at their worst moments, Ben had never experienced the sort of fear Vestara had to face every waking moment—knowing that if you disappointed your dad, you wouldn’t get a lecture and a sigh, but a lightsaber to your gut.
She had created a fantasy relationship with the parent who would indeed later try to kill her—whom she would have to slay in order to survive.
“I’ve seen enough,” Ben said, and started to delete the letters.
“No.” Vestara was angry at him again now, and he didn’t blame her one bit. He felt … embarrassed. Ashamed, at intruding into this deeply personal moment. Vestara’s wistful yearnings for the sort of thing Ben had taken for granted all his life shamed him. He shouldn’t have pried—but how could he have known?
“You wanted to read them? Then read them. All of them.”
“I … shouldn’t. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
She laughed, harshly. “Too late,” she said. “Read them.”
So he did.
And I wonder sometimes what I would be like if I had grown up with a father who was cold and indifferent, or determined to drive me toward a hard destiny in a more cold and ruthless world. I’m not sure I would like myself, and I’m so happy that you have always been kind and supportive.
There was a second letter, in which Vestara expressed her gratitude for her “Papa’s” protective nature. The final letter, the one he had surprised Vestara writing, was the most astounding of all. Gavar Khai, a Jedi Knight? Vestara, his loving daughter and dedicated apprentice? In the letters depicting a completely false reality was a warmth and ease he had never seen between father and daughter in real life. Quietly, he turned off the computer, rose, and turned to face her.
He had released the wrapped blankets and now she lay uncovered, curled up, facing away from him. Words crowded his throat, too many to speak all at once. Ben stood for a while, until it became awkward, then muttered, “Ah, to hell with it,” and lay down beside her. Knowing he’d get an elbow to the stomach or worse if this was the wrong thing to do, he wrapped an arm around her slender waist and curled his body protectively around hers.
She lay still, stiff in his embrace, and then he felt her shaking with silent sobs. His heart aching for her, he leaned his cheek on her hair.
“I’m so sorry, Ves. I didn’t know. I couldn’t know …”
Vestara nodded, still silent, still shaking. Ben reached and gently stroked her hair, as if this fierce and proud young woman were a child in need of comforting, and she accepted it. Ben closed his eyes, melting against her. They lay like that for a long time. Ben was almost asleep when she turned in his embrace.
“Ben?” She lifted her face up to his. “Do … you think I could?”
“Could what?”
A long, long silence. She had completely dropped her guard. He could sense her in a way he never had before, and knew that whatever she was about to ask meant everything to her. That she was full of hope and fear so strong it almost overpowered her, and that she knew she was opening completely to him. He waited, patiently. In this moment that seemed to stretch out forever, Ben realized that when it came to Vestara, he had all the patience in the universe.
Then, softly, in a voice that quivered, she said the words that made Ben’s heart leap. The words he had been wanting to hear for so long.
“… become a Jedi.”
For a moment he couldn’t speak. He felt her fear grow—fear of rejection, fear of the trust she was offering, and while he struggled for the words he concentrated on sending her reassurance, comfort … yes, and love … in the Force.
“Vestara Khai,” he said, his voice as soft as hers had been, “I know you can do anything you want. Yes. Oh, yes. You can become a Jedi. And it would be the greatest honor of my life to help you. I’ll be there every step of the way. I promise.”
Relief and joy and hope emanated from her, chasing away the tense, cold, disabling fear, and she smiled radiantly. Following an impulse, Ben reached and brushed the little scar at the corner of her mouth gently with his thumb. She didn’t pull away, instead closed her eyes. His lips followed his touch, pressing a kiss on what he knew she despised most about herself, letting her know he found it beautiful, found her, all of her, beautiful. She understood at once, and he tasted the salt of sudden tears as she turned her head slightly to complete the kiss. He held her tightly, both of them trembling, caught up in the overwhelming release of at last laying down the weapons of suspicion and hatred.
She would become a Jedi—a great Jedi. Finally, she would walk in the light, and feel its warmth, and open her heart to the joy of giving and receiving complete and utter trust.
Trust … and love.
And Ben would be with her.
Every step of the way.
“I’m glad to hear you’re finally coming back to Coruscant,” Leia was saying. Her hologram stood before Luke, and he couldn’t help but think about the first time he had seen her—just like this, a small hologram. Forty years had come and gone since that time, and they had been through so much together. But at her core, she was still the Leia he had seen then, determined and beautiful, the brave and amazing woman he was proud to call “sister.” Jaina sat beside him, letting him do most of the talking.
“We should, I hope, be arriving at the same time,” Leia continued.
“I thought you were working with Dorvan and Treen,” Luke said. “And you said you wanted to help Padnel ease into his role.”
“I was working with Treen and Dorvan, and we were at least able to have dinner with Padnel. From what I’ve heard, he’s doing fine on his own. We … left for a while to chase a lead on Daala’s location.”
Luke and Jaina exchanged glances. “Any luck?”
Leia glanced over at something or someone Luke couldn’t see and made a slight face. “I’ll let you know. We ran into some … old friends. It’s been … interesting.”
Luke couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sounds like nothing’s changed much then. We’ll see you soon.”
“ ’Bye, Mom. Give Dad a hug for me.”
When Leia’s image had disappeared, Jaina turned to Luke. “When we get back, I need to talk to Natua,” she said. “She thinks she may have a lead on Ship. I didn’t want to say anything to Mom until Natua told me about it.”
“That would be the first good news we’ve had in a while,” Luke said.
Jaina nodded. “At least Gavar Khai isn’t going to be a problem anymore.”
“True.” It was not the outcome Luke would have wished, but it was a threat that was now eliminated. He had been sensing some very intense emotions from both Ben and Vestara after the fight on Dromund Kaas, but had chosen not to interfere. He trusted his son not to do anything foolish, and who knew but that this tragic and brutal event might make Vestara take a hard look at her future.
And also—she deserved someone to be kind to her. Her father certainly never had been.
Still … “Don’t tell Ben or Vestara about this possible lead, either, not just yet,” he said. “It might be a dead end. And even if it isn’t, we have things to take care of on Coruscant first. There’ll be time for this once we know more.”
Jaina nodded. “They’ve got enough to deal with.”
“Choices between dark and light,” Luke mused. “Coming to grips with killing a parent. Knowing hopes might get raised only to be dashed.”
“Hormones.”
> Luke shuddered. “And hormones,” he agreed. “I take it back. They’ve got more than enough to deal with.”
THIRD MOON OF VEXAR, CORPORATE SECTOR
“NOW,” HAN SAID, SMILING WITH FALSE CHEER AT THE THREE SQUIBS, “you are going to tell me what that was all about. And you are going to give me the information we agreed to pay for. And if I don’t like any of what I hear, this is going to be your new home. Got it?”
It had been two hours and forty-three minutes since the attack at the café. Zekk and Taryn had made it to Zekk’s ship and departed Roonadan with Allana and the Squibs aboard. Han and Leia had had a slightly more extensive adventure, their vessel being more recognizable, or perhaps simply more infamous, than Zekk’s nondescript shuttle. Eventually, though, they had shaken pursuit long enough to make an escape and had rendezvoused on an out-of-the-way rocky moon orbiting a gas giant. The gas giant, obviously, could not support human life; the rocky moon, just barely.
All of them had disembarked onto the moon’s surface. Currently Han, Leia, Zekk, and Taryn had subtly formed a circle around the three Squibs. Allana stood next to her grandmother, although she was frowning slightly.
“Is this any way to treat your partners?” Grees protested, gesticulating emphatically.
“Partners generally let someone know if they’re going to come under fire,” said Han.
“We didn’t know! Honest!” Emala protested.
Han and Leia exchanged glances that communicated without words how much they believed that.
“Oh come on,” said Grees. “You think we would have lingered for lunch if we’d known someone was after us?”
Han hesitated; they’d raised a good point. Squibs weren’t stupid, though they sometimes appeared to other species to be cheerfully reckless; nor were they Hutt-like gluttons.
“All right. Let’s say you didn’t know you were going to be attacked,” Leia said. “Do you know who was firing?”
“That’s got nothing to do with our deal,” said Emala earnestly. “That’s something else entirely.”
“That’s half truthful,” Leia said.
“You don’t have to be a Jedi to know when someone’s hiding something from you,” Taryn put in, folding her arms and looking archly at the Squibs.
“But it helps,” Zekk said.
“I seem to recall something in your first message along the lines of safety for your family guaranteed,” Han said. “Someone was taking shots at my daughter. That is not keeping with your deal.”
For the first time since the whole escapade began, the family of Squibs exchanged glances. “We didn’t know there would be a fuzzling coming along,” Sligh said. “And we did keep to the bargain. That comment was referring to the bounty on your heads. Which, by the way, was lifted when you agreed to meet us. Not that you’ve thanked us for it yet.”
“Aren’t you glad you don’t have to worry about that anymore?” asked Emala brightly.
Han rolled his eyes. “I haven’t worried about that for some time,” he said. “What I worry about is what happened in that café happening again.”
“You had something important to tell us,” said a small voice. “I made sure you got to safety. Don’t you think it’s time you told us something? That seems like a fair next step to me and in keeping with the deal.”
Girl takes after her mother—and her grandmother, Han thought. Natural-born diplomat.
“For a fuzzling, she’s pretty sharp,” Grees said.
“Yeah, especially for a human fuzzling,” Sligh said.
“You gotta agree to take us with you and help us get to safety,” Emala said. She, like the others, was no longer looking at any of the adults, but at Allana. “You promise that, we’ll tell you what we know.”
“We must ensure our own safety, too, and that of Amelia,” said Leia. “If we take you with us, we’re going keep an eye on you until we’re sure it’s safe for all of us. Agreed?”
The Squibs leaned in to one another, whispering in Squibbal. Emala poked her head up and regarded Allana with large, soft, doe-like eyes for an instant before rejoining the blue huddle. Finally they seemed to reach an agreement and stepped back.
“You got a deal,” Grees said.
“Finally,” muttered Han.
“You know where Daala is?” pressed Leia.
“We know where she’s heading. She’s not quite there yet, or she might be, we don’t know,” Sligh said. “She’s heading for the Meridian Sector. Pedducis Chorios, specifically.”
“Why there?” asked Zekk. “I thought for sure she’d be heading for Imperial Space.”
“She wanted to go back to familiar ground,” Emala said. “She’s got a history with that place.”
“Yes, she most certainly does,” Leia said. She looked meaningfully at Han. “That was where she went when she found Liegeus again. I think she was there until his murder.”
“There’s a Moff there she’s got it in for,” Grees said. “Except he’s got a bantha-sized head and thinks she wants to ally with him instead. Name of Tol Getelles. We were doing some, um … research on him for the Imperial Remnant.”
“Also half true,” said Zekk. “By some mathematical reckoning that might add up to a single entire truth.”
“Not by mine,” said Han. “Keep going.”
“I’m not lying!” Grees protested, scowling and showing teeth that were startlingly sharp and white for a Squib his age. “That’s how we were able to intercept the communication. From there, we were able to back-trace it and tap into some other messages. She talked to several people. We have them recorded, verbatim.”
“We’ll want to listen to those, but give us the short version first,” Han said. Leia stepped away for a moment, clicking her comlink and speaking softly.
“Moff Vansyn and Moff Getelles,” said Emala promptly.
“What about them?”
“You said you wanted the short—” began Sligh, but as Han took a step toward him, he put up his small hands. “Okay, okay, hold your dewbacks. She contacted Moff Vansyn first. There’s apparently some other Moff she doesn’t like—”
“She doesn’t seem to like very many of them,” Emala said.
“—named Lecersen,” said Grees, picking up where Sligh left off. The transition was handled with ease and familiarity. “Seems Vansyn used to be friends with Lecersen, but he’s been feeling ignored recently. Daala promised Vansyn that if he supported her claim to become Head of State of the Empire, eliminating first Jag and then Getelles, she’d see to it that he would get Moff Getelles’s territories.”
“A tempting offer,” Leia said, returning to the group. “I just contacted Ashik.” Ashik was Jag’s devoted Chiss assistant. Han nodded. If anyone could shed some light on the Squibs’ claim, it would be him. “Their story checks out. In a very convoluted manner, they actually were working for Jag.”
“See? And to think you doubted us,” said Sligh.
“I still do. Keep going,” said Han.
“Isn’t that enough?” asked Sligh in an injured tone. “What more do you want from us? We’ve told you where she’s going, who she’s working with, and who she’s setting up.”
“How many recordings do you have?”
“More than enough,” Grees said quickly as Emala opened her mouth to answer. “We’ve told you everything we said we would. Now you need to take us to safety.”
Han held up an index finger. “One moment,” he said. He patted Allana on the head and motioned to Leia. The two of them stepped aside and spoke quietly.
“What do you think?” Leia asked.
“I think we ought to leave them here with some supplies and take off before whoever came after them comes after us and Allana,” Han said.
“You wouldn’t.”
Han scowled. “I miss being the bad guy.”
“Softie.”
“Those oversized pack rats will see just how soft I am if any of those guys gets near our granddaughter again.”
“That remind
s me,” Leia said, glancing back over to the Squibs. Taryn and Zekk still stood nearby, but Allana had gone right up and was talking to them. She was, Leia noted with a pang familiar from three decades earlier, already taller than Emala. How quickly they grow …
Again something flitted across her mind, but she dismissed it. “When I was talking to Ashik, I described the uniforms to him and he was able to ID them for me. Guess who our attackers work for?”
“… Moff Getelles.”
“You get a prize.”
“That’s the same guy the Squibs were spying on. What the heck did they do to get him so ticked off at them? Some gloriously complicated scheme no doubt.”
“Or something as simple as getting caught,” Leia said. “Every covert operative runs that risk, Han. You should know that.”
“Then why are they acting so mysterious?” Han wanted to know. “Something’s going on they’re not telling us about.”
“I agree they’re hiding something, but … they’re Squibs. Think about their culture. It’s quite likely that they’re always hiding something,” Leia pointed out. “They’ve delivered on their end of the bargain. We need to do the same. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because they put their lives at risk in order to get this information to us. Knowing where Daala is and what her plans are is going to help both the GA and Jag.”
Han sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Do I have to like it?”
“No.”
“Good.”
ABOARD THE JADE SHADOW, EN ROUTE TO CORUSCANT
Luke supposed he should have been prepared for this. He wasn’t.
“A Jedi,” he repeated, dumbfounded. The two teenagers exchanged glances, then Vestara nodded.
“You’ve got to know I don’t believe you,” Luke said.
“Dad—”
Vestara laid a gentle hand on Ben’s arm as he spoke. The gesture looked … comfortable. Luke didn’t like it.
“Master Skywalker, I would be surprised if I received any other reaction from you,” she said. “There was a time when such a statement would indeed be a lie—a trick, a trap. But … you have exposed me to thoughts and ideals that I had never seen before. And if I had run across them before I met you, they would have been presented as vices. But I know how I feel about them. I … like them. It feels good to help someone, just because they need it. It feels good to—to be cared for”—she looked shyly at Ben—“and know there’s no hidden motive. Even as a child, I never had that.”
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Ascension Page 20
