“Yes, Mistress Skywalker?”
Mara’s eyes went to the three gelmeat containers lying empty on the preparation island.
“Don’t worry,” Nanna said. “Ben didn’t eat all that.”
“I hope not,” Mara said. “That would be a good way to earn a memory wipe.”
There was too much YVH droid in Nanna to be intimidated. “That won’t be necessary. My nutritional programming is very up to date.”
Mara pointed the handle of her lightsaber at the wrappers. “Then who ate that?”
The droid peered up at her. “I’m sorry. I can’t say.”
“Then how can you be sure it wasn’t Ben?”
“I’m afraid you’re misunderstanding,” Nanna replied. “I know who ate the gelmeat. I’m the one who opened the food locker. I just can’t tell you. “
“What?” Mara used the Force to jerk the droid off her knees. “Explain yourself.”
“It’s a secret,” Ben said from the edge of the kitchen. “You promised, Nanna.”
“You can’t have secrets from me,” Mara said, holding the droid in the air. “I’m his mother.”
“Under normal circumstances, of course not,” Nanna agreed. “But where there is a danger to the child, my programming-“
“Danger to the child?” Mara demanded. ” What danger?”
Nanna lowered her feet to the floor. “Ben said you would kill him if you found out what he was doing,” the droid explained. “And I must say, considering how angry you are now, his fear certainly seems warranted.”
“Ben?” When he failed to answer, Mara glanced back and found an empty doorway. She turned to go. “Ben! I said-“
Nanna started after her. “I’m sorry, Master Skywalker, but until you calm down I really must-“
Mara whirled on the droid. “Stand down, Beautiful Blaster.”
The override code stopped the droid midstride,
darkening
her photoreceptors and dropping her chin to her chest.
“I’ll handle this myself.”
Mara continued into the living room and went straight to Ben’s room, where he was busy pushing the closet panel closed.
“Ben, come away from there… now!”
Ben pressed his back to the closet. “It’s not what you-“
Mara reached out with the Force and pulled him to her side, then grabbed his wrist and-keeping one eye on the closet door-knelt at his side.
“Ben, we just received a holo from Aunt Leia,” she said. “She was worried that a Killik assassin might have stowed away aboard the Shadow. So if all that gelmeat you’ve been taking is for-“
“Gorog’s no assassin!” Ben said. “She’s my best friend.”
“She’s an insect, Ben.”
“So? Your best friend’s a lizard.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Mara rose and pushed him behind her. “Aunt Leia is my best friend.”
“Doesn’t count,” Ben said. “She’s family. Saba is a lizard.”
“Okay, maybe my best friend’s a lizard.”
Mara was both repulsed and terrified at the thought of her son developing a relationship with a Killik-especially given what Cilghal was learning about the Joiner bonding mechanism. But she was also beginning to worry about the psychological damage Ben might suffer if she slew his “friend” in front of him.
“If Gorog’s your friend, tell her to come out nice and slow. We’ll talk this-“
The muffled groan of a sliding wall panel sounded from two rooms over. Holding her lightsaber at the ready, Mara used the Force to open Ben’s closet-and nearly ignited her blade when an empty exoskeleton tumbled into the room. It was about a meter high, with thick blue-black chitin and barbed mandibles half the length of Mara’s arms.
“Ben!”
“I told you it wasn’t what you thought.”
“Stay here!”
Using the Force to slide the wall panels aside in front of her, Mara rushed two rooms over and found six black limbs-two legs and four arms-sticking out from under the low table that Luke used for a writing desk. The mandibles were protruding from one end, and the whole piece of furniture was trembling as though there were a groundquake.
Ben rushed up beside Mara.
“I told you to stay in your room,” Mara said.
“I can’t,” Ben said. “Gorog’s scared.”
“Okay. Tell her to come out. Everything will be all right.”
A low rumble reverberated from under the table.
“She doesn’t trust you,” Ben reported.
Mara actually looked away from the bug. “You speak Killik?”