[Legacy Of The Force] - 03(117)
Jacen considered killing the Twi’Iek anyway, thinking it might be better for the secret of Ailana’s paternity to come out now, while the Consortium was already in such disarray. But that decision was not his to make-at least not while Tenel Ka was still alive.
He glanced at the holodisplay and saw that the issue of the Queen Mother’s survival remained undecided. Though the flotilla he had sent to save her was down to ten vessels, three Battle Dragons had penetrated deep into the defensive screen and were close to breaking through-provided they did not take much more damage. Their designators were already blinking rapidly.
Jacen deactivated his lightsaber and turned back to
Alema. “As tempting as I find your invitation, I prefer to let you live for now.’Tell me what happened at Roqoo.”
Alema’s face relaxed, and she said simply, “We failed.”
“We?” Jacen asked. “Who is we? Yow? You and the Killiks? You and-?”
“Lumiya,” Alema said. “We have been working with her for some time.”
The Twi’lek risked taking one step closer, then went on to explain how she had stumbled across Tresina Lobi spying on Ben in Fellowship Plaza, and how she had helped Lumiya kill her. After that, Lumiya had agreed they should work together. Alema had gone on to assassinate several members of the Bothan True Victory Party, then boarded the Anakin Solo with Lumiya and accompanied her to Roqoo Depot to attack the Skywalkers.
“Wait,” Jacen said. “Lumiya knew they would be there?”
“Of course-she knew the best way for you to deal with their suspicions was to betray her and send her to fight them.” Alema reached for his forearm-then, when he jerked it away, pretended not to be bothered. “Your Master was very proud of you, Jacen. By betraying her, you proved that you have the strength to fulfill your destiny.”
“I don’t know which I find harder to believe,” Jacen scoffed, “that Lumiya would work with you, or that she would be proud of me for setting her up.”
“Believe both,” Alema retorted. “We both worried that you were more committed to your family than to your mission, but your answer to Luke’s suspicion convinced us we were wrong. You used everyone brilliantly-Lumiya and your aunt and uncle. It proved you are capable of anything.”
“Thanks,” Jacen said, more surprised than sincere. He was finding it hard to ignore the details Alema knew about his relationship with Lumiya, but something still wasn’t adding up. “You said Lumiya knew she was being set up to fight the Skywalkers?”
“Of course,” Alema said. “Lumiya was a Sith, after all.”
“And she went? And still got killed?”
Alema nodded. “She knew that killing your uncle was the best way to ensure your success, but she couldn’t be certain of her victory. So she wore a proton detonator on her chest. When her heartbeat stopped, the detonator exploded. We are sorry.”
“You saw her die?”
Alema shook her head. “We’re still here, are we not? But Lumiya couldn’t have survived. The entire cantina was destroyed. Even your aunt and uncle escaped by only two minutes.” The Twi’lek paused for a moment, then added, “That’s why we came back-to warn you that they’ll be returning to Hapes as soon as they make repairs.”
“Repairs?”
Alema’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “The Jade Shadow suffered a mysterious rupture of a containment line,” she said. “The repairs won’t be simple.”
“And you arranged this because … ?”
“Because you needed time to prepare,” Alema said. “The Skywalkers know that you set them up, too.”
Jacen frowned. He was growing increasingly troubled by Alema’s story, though only because he sensed that she was telling the truth-at least as she knew it. His plan had been to use the Skywalkers’ own fears against them by making it appear that Lumiya had been following Ben. Clearly, something had gone wrong. “What about Ben?” Jacen asked. For the first time, Alema looked confused. “Ben?”
“Did he survive the explosion?” Alema frowned. “Ben was never there,” she said. “That’s how the Skywalkers know you betrayed them.”
Jacen’s stomach sank. If Ben had never made the rendezvous, naturally the Skywalkers would have believed Roqoo Depot was a trap. But then where had Ben gone? The sinking feeling in Jacen’s stomach grew cold, and he turned back to the holodisplay.
The rescue flotilla-or rather, the eight Battle Dragon designators still blinking on the holodisplay-had finally broken through. They would soon be in full pursuit of the Galney force moving against Tenel Ka. But Jacen’s gaze went to a position on the far side of the battered defensive screen, where a blinking transport symbol labeled LONG-SHOT was gliding toward the tiny blue blips of four Alliance rescue beacons.