But Zekk used his greater reach and height to his advantage, flicking Jaina’s point upward, so the thrust ended several centimeters to the right of his face. He tried a lateral sweep, but Jaina stood her ground and brought her blade down, catching Zekk’s attack near her hilt.
“Besides,” Jaina continued, her conversational tone suggesting that there was not a lightsaber duel in progress, “there’s no Emperor for me to hurl down a well.”
“There’s Lumiya.” The voice came from several meters away.
Jaina and Zekk drew away from each other and looked toward the speaker.
Jag Fel sat cross-legged on a practice mat, dressed in his usual black city garb. Jaina realized she hadn’t seen or felt him enter.
“I wish he wouldn’t spy on us,” Zekk said. His voice was a murmur, not loud enough to carry to jag.
Jaina deactivated her practice saber. The blade, an electrically charged piece of durasteel, did not retract. “What about Lumiya?”
Jag shrugged. “The Chosen One destroyed the leader of the Sith. Lumiya’s Sith, correct?”
Zekk deactivated his own blade. “She’s what’s left of the Sith. I doubt that it will take someone who fills a once-in-a-generation prophetic role, if that’s what the Sword is, to eliminate her.”
“I’ll admit I don’t have enough knowledge of the Jedi even to speculate in an informed manner…”
“Good for you.”
Jag grinned as though Zekk’s words were humor rather than insolence. Then he continued. “But I look at it this way. A sword is a weapon. A weapon of the Jedi would be used by the will of, or against the enemy of, the Jedi. The enemy of the Jedi are the Sith and other anti-Jedi, whatever they choose to call themselves. The Sword of the Jedi would therefore be someone who is wielded against the Sith. So is that simple, simplistic, or just wrong?”
“I vote for simplistic.” Zekk returned his attention to Jaina. “Another round?”
Jaina shook her head. “I want to hear this. I’ve never really gotten the perspective of someone outside the order. And jag always has an interesting perspective.”
Zekk sighed, long suffering, and reached out a hand. Jaina passed her practice saber to him. Zekk dutifully headed toward the rack where practice weapons were stored.
Jag offerred Jaina an apologetic look. “I’m not sure I have a perspective other than what I just said. But I can speculate.”
“Please.” She moved up to sit on the mat in front of him, duplicating his cross-legged posture.
“I’m no more suited to analyze the Force than I am to composing ultrasonic music, since I can’t experience either. I just know the little bits I’ve heard, and that’s been added (o quite a lot since I’ve come here. But if the Force was speaking through the Grand Master when he pronounced you the Sword of the Jedi, and if the Sword is anything like I lie Chosen One, then there’s some sort of imbalance that needs to be addressed. And that would seem to point to Lumiya.”
Jaina nodded. “Maybe our task force needs to be pursuing her instead of Alema Rar.”
“Or in addition to, since the two of them were clearly cooperating against the Skywalkers at Roqoo Depot.” Zekk returned to stand over the two of them. “I don’t think the three of us are a match for Lumiya. She fought the Grand Master to a standstill. She’s Master level. We’re two Jedi Knights and one Force-blind space jockey.”
Jaina frowned up at him. “Zekk, that was uncalled for.”
“I’m just explaining, correctly and logically, that Fel is not an asset when it comes to matters of the Force.”
“Zekk, stop it!”
Implacably, Zekk continued. “And this sort of analysis is something that Fel knows quite a lot about.” He turned his attention to jag. “Didn’t you once tell Jaina I wasn’t a good enough pilot to join her squadron? Wasn’t that cool, levelheaded analysis?”
Jaina winced. That event had taken place during the Yuuzhan Vong war, on Borleias. And Jaina had let herself be convinced of jag’s point, even though she’d known better.
Jag’s expression did not change, but he took a long time to formulate a reply. “No,” he admitted, “that wasn’t analysis. That was me being a jealous lover, trying to keep you out of the way.”
Zekk looked startled. Obviously, candor was not what he had expected.
Jag gestured up toward Zekk. “And that’s something you know all about. A lover’s jealousy. Otherwise you wouldn’t hover like a brooding hawk-bat whenever I walk up to ask Jaina the time.”
Jaina felt herself redden. “Jag…”