Her features were fine, and she was attractive. Her beauty was very approachable; she looked like the sort of woman who had been a greeter in a shop or hotel in her youth, and still carried the mannerisms of that profession. Alone in the interrogation room, she did not look bored, but seemed to be impatiently awaiting the moment she could begin interacting with others again.
The chamber she waited in featured a one-way reflective panel that showed her a mirrored surface, while the Jedi, on the other side, could look through it like a viewport. Ben had the unsettling feeling that she was restraining herself from looking at the Jedi-that any moment she would look up and lock eyes with one of them, despite the physical impossibility of her seeing them. Ben knew better than to assume that her good looks and apparent friendliness meant she was a good person. His upbringing had grounded him in principles of both logic and the Force, and both disciplines knew that an attractive appearance could conceal malevolence. Still, he detected none in her.
“Perhaps she just isn’t feeling wicked right now,” Jacen said.
Ben looked up at hint “Huh?”
“Your thoughts are very much at the surface. Still, they’re good thoughts. You’re keeping sharp.” He shrugged. “Let’s go in.”
A Lorrd Security guard led them into the interrogation chamber. Jacen waited until the guard had exited, then sat and gestured for Nelani and Ben to do likewise. They took the chairs on the opposite side of the table from the woman.
“Hello,” she said, her voice warm. “Jedi Solo, Jedi Dinn, young Skywalker.”
“You know us,” Jacen said.
“Of course. I’ve been meddling in your business for some time.”
“You admit it.”
“I admit to that, yes.”
“You admit to inciting people to acts of violence and terrorism.”
“Certainly not.”
“Then you’re denying that you had anything to do with the actions of Ordith Huarr, Movac Arisster, the Lorrd Logistician Liberation League, and .
. .” Jacen frowned, trying to remember.
“Borth Pazz, Jedi candidate,” Ben said.
“No, I admit that. Certainly.”
Jacen gave her an exasperated look. “Your confession and your denial are mutually exclusive.”
The woman’s mood began to alter from cheerful to irritated. “Of course they aren’t. Involvement is not the same as guilt. Who taught you to think, boy? Certainly not your mother. She’s brighter than that.”
“Leave my mother out of this.” Then he gave in to curiosity. “You know her?”
“We’ve met.”
“So what’s your story? A story that magically involves you in all the tragedies I’ve mentioned, yet leaves you blameless.”
“I’m a Force-sensitive.”
“I’m shocked.”
Finally the woman’s demeanor became chilly, hostile. “Sarcasm is inappropriate. That’s bad manners. If you’d like me to continue, you will apologize for your rudeness.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“Then you can go to hell.” She fell silent.
Jacen let the silence grow between them. Finally he said, “I’ll refrain from interrupting for purposes of scoring conversational points.”
“Good for you.” She fell silent again and waited.
Jacen sighed. “I apologize for my manner. Please continue.”
“I’m a Force-sensitive, and in my dreams I hear people planning evil deeds. ‘I will kill that woman.’ ‘I will make them understand, and if they don’t, I’ll wipe them all out.’ But they’re dreams. I know they’re grounded in reality, but when I awaken, not all the details are available to me. So in my dreams, I’ve been telling them, ‘Bring in the Jedi. Your victory will be greater if you defeat the Jedi. You’ll never be famous if you can’t outwit the Jedi.’ That sort of thing.”
Ben watched as Jacen fell silent, considering the woman’s words for a long moment. Ben knew that each Jedi experienced the Force, including the possible future events the Force had to show them, in different ways; he supposed that someone could experience them as dreams.
“What was your involvement with the events at Toryaz Station?” Jacen asked.
“I was there to observe you. I used my arts to stay out of the sight of the Jedi and the station’s security forces, and I spied on you. Then, when everything went wrong, I decided that I needed to get out of the way until that mess was settled for the time being. I left something to lead you to me-“
“The tassels.”
“Yes, of course.”
“You were pretty confident that they would lead me to you.”