[Legacy Of The Force] - 02(54)

Jacen watched the news on the chamber’s holoscreen, sound muted.

While he wasn’t surprised that Pellaeon had finally gone, he still wasn’t prepared for the speed at which events were moving. He wondered if Lumiya had influenced matters somehow. But she denied it. She sat beside him in the deserted lobby chamber, document case on her lap, face invisible under that dark red cowl and veil. The chamber was normally full of lobbyists and media seeking audience with Senators, but it was too early for the majority of the power brokers to be about their business. The Jedi council, though, was meeting Niathal in the Supreme Commander’s suite: and it was interesting that she had not gone to see them, but that they had come to her.

Start as you mean to go on.

Jacen wondered what Uncle Luke would make of the Mon Calamari officer. She would replace Omas one day. He hoped Luke would see that coming and support her so that the war would be short and sharp, and so Jacen wouldn’t have to take up the mantle Lumiya had thrust upon him.

There you go again. You know this is meant to be. You can’t avoid it; Lumiya is part of the inevitable, just as you are. Submit to it.

“Tell me you didn’t influence Admiral Pellaeon,” said Jacen quietly.

“I didn’t need to. He’s furious about your appointment and he’s old.” Lumiya’s voice was so low that Jacen almost had to amplify it with the Force in his mind. “By the time he decides he wants to return, it’ll be too late for him to stop you.”

The resignation of an elderly chief of defense was no shocking news story for HNE, merely a chance to recap on Pellaeon’s distinguished career; but the succession of Admiral Niathal was significant. She was known as a hard-liner. Jacen switched the wall-mounted holoscreen to a Corellian news station where her appointment was provoking reaction. Thrackan Sal-Solo, Head of State, was holding forth on the certain threat to Corellia. With the audio muted, Jacen lip-read.

Sal-Solo announced that Centerpoint Station would be brought back online for the defense of Corellia within three months.

“You have an interesting selection of relatives,” said Lumiya.

“All the more reason for me to do the decent thing and sort out the problems the various branches of my family appear to be visiting upon the galaxy.”

“You’re more like your grandfather than you think.”

Lumiya knew Anakin Skywalker as her Lord Vader. He’d selected her as an intelligence agent. “I haven’t failed to notice the parallels,” said Jacen.

“And that makes you wary.”

“I’ve seen the steps he took.” Literally, Grandfather: I stood behind you and watched you kill children. “I have to do things a little differently.”

“And you still want Ben Skywalker as your apprentice.”

“Yes.”

Lumiya emanated satisfaction, as if this was an extra layer of vengeance on Luke, but he knew she was past that point. “That’s a choice only you can make.”

“If there’s another candidate, I can’t think of one.”

“Are you still going ahead with the Galactic Alliance Guard?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You have an ally in the Supreme Commander now,” she said. “You could go straight to the military solution.”

“There’s still a real job to be done in restoring security here. And Niathal needs time to stamp her leadership on the GADF. And Chief Omas.”

“Commendable, pragmatic analysis.”

Jacen wondered if he was taking a risk by having this discussion in the Senate Building. But if any of the Jedi council were as adept as he was at listening in the Force, he suspected they would be too tied up in their discussion with Niathal to hear. What would they be saying to her?

He could listen. He could snatch the sounds out of the air from behind closed doors at the far end of the floor and witness for himself, but it was irrelevant, and he didn’t need to.

He knew they would be pressing caution on her.

He also knew Niathal would smile politely in that tightlipped way of hers, twist her head sideways to stare them out, and say that she thanked them for their counsel.

Then she would ignore that counsel.

Jacen’s mind leapt away from the business at hand for a brief moment and he found himself wondering why the Jedi Council hadn’t given his grandfather the guidance he needed as a Padawan. If they knew he was the Chosen One, why had no Master from the Council taken on the role of training him?

Poor Obi-Wan. They dithered and left the task to you. Now they’re dithering over another galactic war.

On the holoscreen, Corellian political commentators had worked themselves into a froth of outrage at Niathal’s appointment. Jacen switched channels back to HNE just as the sound of footsteps began echoing down the long passage to his right. The meeting in the Supreme Commander’s office had ended.