Mara cringed inwardly. Like Kyp, Corran, and several other Masters, she believed the Jedi Order should command the obedience of its Jedi Knights, rather than “ask” for it. Luke preferred to allow the Jedi Knights their independence, saying that if the Jedi Order could not trust the good judgment of its members, then the Masters were failing at their most important job. Being first among equals, Luke’s opinion held sway.
Jaina was quick to seize on the opening, of course. “Is it our neutrality the council is worried about-or the Galactic
Alliance’s relationship with the Chiss?”
“At the moment, it’s you we’re worried about.” Luke’s voice was as warm as it was firm. “Any Jedi should recognize the importance of maintaining good relations with the Chiss. The sectors they patrol for us along the border are the only ones free of piracy and smuggling.”
“The Jedi are not servants of the Galactic Alliance,” Alema countered.
“No, we aren’t,” Luke agreed.
As he spoke, Killiks were beginning to gather in the corridor, clambering up onto the walls and ceiling. Mara did not sense anything threatening in the Force-it was closer to grim concern, if she was reading the insects’ emotions correctly-but she reached out to Saba and Leia, subtly suggesting they move to a more defensible position.
“But a peaceful Galactic Alliance is the strongest pillar of a peaceful galaxy,” Luke continued. “And the Jedi do serve peace. If the Reconstruction fails and the Galactic Alliance sinks into anarchy, so does the galaxy. The Jedi will have failed.”
“What happened to defending the weak?” Zekk demanded. “To sacrificing for the poor?”
“Those are worthy virtues,” Luke said. “But they won’t stop the galaxy from sinking into chaos. They aren’t the duties of a Jedi Knight.”
“So we abandon the Killiks for the good of the rehab conglomerates snapping up our part of the galaxy?” Jaina asked. “Isn’t that how Pal-“
“Don’t say it!” Mara stepped toward her niece, drawing a rustle from the ceiling and walls as the Killik spectators shrank back. “It’s bad enough to desert your posts and make us come out here looking for you. Don’t you dare make that comparison. Some things I won’t tolerate even from you, Jaina Solo.”
Jaina’s eyes widened in shock. She stared at Mara for a long time, clicking softly in her throat, hovering between an apology and an angry retort that everyone present knew would open a rift between the two women that could never be closed again. To his credit, Luke did not intervene. He simply stood quietly, patiently waiting to see what decision Jaina would make.
Finally, Jaina’s face softened. “That was a thoughtless thing for me to say. I didn’t mean to suggest that Uncle Luke was anything like the Emperor.”
Mara decided to take that as an apology. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“And we’re not going to abandon the Killiks.” Luke glanced up as the Killiks thrummed their approval, then looked to the rest of the strike team. “But I’m worried about you-all of you.”
“You’ve lost your objectivity and you’ve taken sides,” Mara said, sensing what Luke wanted from her. “You’re openly fighting on the Killiks’ side-and that means you have no chance at all of solving the problem.”
“Frankly, you’re half Joiners now,” Luke said. “I think you should to return to Coruscant with us at once. All of you.”
The bitter scent of an alarm pheromone filled the air, and the corridor erupted into such a panicked din of drumming and clacking that Mara’s hand went automatically to her lightsaber - and so did the hands of Leia and Saba. The color drained from Han’s face, and he casually hooked his thumb in his belt above his blaster. But Luke’s hands continued to hang at his sides, and the only sign that he showed of hearing the tumult was the patience he displayed in waiting for it to die down.
When it was possible to hear again, he continued as though he had never been interrupted. “We saw what became of Raynar, and the order just can’t afford to lose any Jedi Knights right now.”
“What about the Killiks?” Tahiri asked. “Without us here, the Chiss will have a free rein to-“
“This one will stay,” Saba said. “Until Master Skywalker can arrange to speak with Aristocra Tswek, she will let the Chisz know the Jedi are still watching.”
“Alone?” Tesar asked.
Saba nodded. “Alone.”
Tesar grinned, then thumped his tail on the floor and bumped skulls with his mother. “Good hunting.”