“It could be someone in the guard,” Jacen said. “But chances are…”
“Yes-it always seems to be the ones closest to you.”
Jacen looked toward the salon exit. “Lady Galney?”
“That’s not what I mean,” Tenel Ka said. “Lady Gal-ney’s family members are among my strongest supporters. Her sister will rally to my cause the moment Jaina delivers my summons.”
Jacen frowned. “Jaina was here?”
“Yes.” Tenel Ka took Jacen’s hand and led him toward the salon’s conversation area. “Your sister arrived shortly after your parents.”
“My parents’?” Jacen was growing more perplexed every moment. “What are they doing here?”
“Nothing, any longer. They’ve fled.” Tenel Ka sat on the couch and pulled Jacen down beside her. Tm afraid they may have been involved in the assassination attempt.”
“Involved? “
“Participated,” Tenel Ka clarified.
For a time, Jacen was too stunned to reply. He knew his parents had taken Corellia’s side in the conflict-that was one of the few things that made him question the Galactic Alliance’s position-but assassination was just not their style. At least, he had thought it wasn’t, until he started to read the intelligence reports describing his father’s role in the murder of Thrackan Sal-Solo.
Finally, Jacen turned to Tenel Ka. “You’re sure?”
“I am sure they were here,” Tenel Ka explained. “They arrived on the day of the Queen’s Pageant and insisted that they had an appointment to see me. At first, I thought there had been a miscommunication, but my security staff is now convinced that their assignment was to cause a break in my security routine.”
“Your security staff is convinced.” Jacen stood and looked into the corner, trying to make sense of what he was hearing, trying to picture the people who had raised him-the good-hearted scoundrel and the principled diplomat-setting up Tenel Ka for an assassination attempt. “What do you think?”
“Jacen, I don’t know what to think,” Tenel Ka said.
“Some preliminary reports suggested that they may have been trying to warn me about the assassins, but…”
Jacen continued to face the corner. He was beginning to feel almost relieved. Maybe Allana was not the sacrifice Lumiya kept talking about. Maybe his parents were what he would be required to surrender, and maybe their deaths would not be a coldhearted act of betrayal after all. Maybe he would be serving the Balance, merely delivering a final and terrible justice to one more pair of murdering terrorists.
“But what?” he asked, not looking away from the corner. “Go on.”
“But they were seen leaving with the leader of the assassins,” Tenel Ka finished. “She even went to their aid when my guards pinned them down.”
“I see.” A terrible sense of sadness came over Jacen, and a sense of inevitability. Had his parents really drifted across the thin line that separated heroes from murderers? Had they really slipped into the murky realm of terrorism? He turned to face Tenel Ka. “Is there any reason to think we should place our faith in the reports suggesting they were trying to warn you?”
Tenel Ka lowered her eyes. “Not really.”
“I didn’t think so.” Jacen crossed the cabin to his comm station. “It appears my parents have become part of the problem in this war.”
“Jacen, what are you doing?” Tenel Ka asked, following. “Please remember that as bad as it looks, we don’t know the whole story yet.”
“But we need to.” Jacen slipped into the chair and activated the data display, then began to scroll through a long list of electronic forms. “That’s why we need to find them.”
“Do we?” Tenel Ka came around the desk and stopped behind him. “After the Millennium Falcon left Hapes, she vanished into the Transitory Mists. As long as she stays vanished, I’m willing to give your parents the benefit of the doubt… in fact, I want to.”
“Tenel Ka, we just can’t do that.” Jacen found the form he was looking for-a GAG SEARCH AND DETAIN WARRANT-and began to enter the names of his parents. “But thank you for offering.”
“Jacen, stop.” Tene! Ka used the Force to pull his hands away from the keyboard. “If you’re angry with them because Allana was threatened, that’s not fair. Your parents don’t even know that Allana is their granddaughter, and there would have been an assassination attempt anyway.”
Jacen lowered his guard so that Tenel Ka could sense his emotions, then said, “I’m not angry. I’m sad.”