[Legacy Of The Force] - 03(76)

“Didn’t I warn you that Lumiya had returned?” Luke’s tone was just as sharp as Mara’s. “That I was worried she would come at me through him?”

“Yes,” Jacen said. “But that was back on Coruscant. I don’t think there’s any reason to worry out here.”

“Why not?” Mara demanded. “Because you’re sure Lumiya isn’t interested in him?”

Jacen’s frown turned indignant. “How would I know that?”

“Jacen, we found Lumiya’s apartment,” Luke said. “We know she’s been working for GAG.”

Jacen’s eyes widened. It was not an unreasonable reaction, given the subject matter, but Luke still wished his nephew wasn’t so good at hiding his feelings in the Force.

“You might think you’ve been using her for your own ends,” Luke continued. “But you’re fooling yourself. Lumiya always has an agenda of…”

“Working with GAG how?” Jacen interrupted. “I certainly haven’t seen her in uniform.”

“Don’t insult us by denying it,” Mara said. “She was living in a GAG safehouse, and she had been accessing GAG files on the True Victory Party.”

“Then she’s the one who’s been assassinating the Bothans?” Jacen asked. “Why? What could she stand to gain by spreading the war?”

“You won’t get out of this by changing the subject,” Luke said. It was impossible to say whether jacen’s surprise was genuine or feigned-so Luke assumed it was feigned. “We know she came with you. She left her apartment the same day the Anakin left Coruscant.”

“You think she followed us?” Jacen dropped into his chair and punched a button. “The Anakin needs to remain here in support of Queen Mother Tenel Ka, but I’ll take a skiff personally…”

“We’ll be handling that ourselves” Mara said. “Ben will be returning to Coruscant with us after this is finished.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” The comm light on the arm of Jacen’s chair blinked on, but he ignored it and continued to speak to Mara. “It will only interrupt Ben’s training, and if Lumiya is trying to get at him, she’ll have an easier time stalking him on Coruscant.”

“Ben is done with GAG,” Luke said. “I don’t understand yet why Lumiya is involved with GAG, but I do know she is. My decision is final.”

Jacen’s face fell. “Very well.” He deactivated the comm unit, then composed himself and continued. “There’s a refueling depot at Roqoo, just outside the Mists. You can rendezvous with him there.”

“Thank you,” Mara said.

Jacen nodded absentmindedly, then said, “I hope you’ll at least share the details of your investigation. If someone in my command is using Lumiya as an agent, I need to know.”

“Of course. Tresina Lobi had been trying to track Lumiya down for some time.” Luke was giving a slightly altered version of events, in part because he wanted to learn how much Jacen did know about Lumiya’s relationship with GAG. “Apparently, she succeeded, because we found her body in Fellowship Plaza the morning you left for Hapes.”

“Fellowship Plaza?” This time, Jacen’s shock was real; Luke felt it through the Force. “Master Lobi is dead?”

“That’s right,” Mara said. Though her answer was casual, Luke could sense through their Force-bond how closely she was studying Jacen. “She had already commed the Temple with the address of Lumiya’s apartment.”

Mara’s account of events was even less accurate than Luke’s-and far more distracting to Jacen, who barely managed to reply with a murmured, “How … unfortunate.”

Luke was trying to decide how best to proceed-how best to keep Jacen off guard so they could continue pressuring him-when the cabin door hissed open. Tenel Ka entered, wearing an eletrotex flight suit tailored tightly enough to suggest that her physical training remained as intense as ever. She crossed to Luke and Mara, her radiant smile at odds with the aura of tension and worry that hung about her in the Force.

“Master Skywalker! Thank you for coming.” She embraced Luke, then did the same with Mara. “You are unexpected, but very welcome. We can use all the help we can find.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Luke said. “Unfortunately, we’re here on a different matter.”

“But we do have a message that I’m sure will prove very useful,” Mara added.

“I hope it includes word of when the Alliance reinforcements will arrive.” The woman who said this was still in the cabin doorway, trailing half a dozen steps behind Tenel Ka. She was tall and pretentious looking, with a long nose and a mouth turned permanently downward at the corners. “After lending so many of our fleets to the Galactic Alliance, our enemies have us at a terrible disadvantage.”