“Warning about what?” Ben asked. He punched an order for a nerfloaf sandwich into the multiprocessor-then remembered how low Zekk had needed to duck when he stepped out of the sanisteam unit. He added a bowl of brogy stew to the order and turned back around. “Terephon’s not exactly on Tenel Ka’s side, is it?”
Jaina shook her head. “The Ducha was already mustering her fleet when we arrived,” she explained. “And when we asked to see her, she tried to have us killed.”
“She must have thought we were coming to arrest her,” Zekk added, keeping a watchful eye on the multiprocessor.
“And that’s why you bombed her villa?” Ben asked.
Jaina frowned. “We didn’t bomb anything. Her Miy’tils did that after the battle droids didn’t work.”
“The Ducha bombed her own villa?” Ben asked. “She really must have wanted you dead!”
“It was the only way to protect the sister she has spying on Tenel Ka,” Jaina said. “She could strand us here by destroying our StealthXs, but now that Tene! Ka is the Queen Mother, I’m sure the Ducha has done enough research on Jedi abilities to realize we can touch each other through the Force across great distances.”
The multiprocessor dinged, but Ben barely heard it. He was too confused by what Jaina had said. If he understood the Hapan kinship system correctly-and he kind of doubted he did-the Ducha Galney’s sister was Tenel Ka’s chamberlain, Lady Galney.
“Ben?” Zekk asked, studying the multiprocessor with a worried expression. “Doesn’t that chime mean my snack is ready?”
“Uh, sorry.” Ben placed the “snack”-it was two standard ration packs-on a tray and set it in front of Zekk. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Tenel Ka used to be a Jedi Knight, right?”
“A very good one,” Jaina said.
“Then wouldn’t she be able to tell when someone was lying to her?” Ben asked. “She’d know if Lady Galney was spying on her.”
“Are you saying she doesn’t?” Zekk asked. Without rising, he leaned toward Ben and began opening drawers beneath the counter. “Where are the spoons?”
Ben retrieved a set of silverware from the sterilizing bin and handed it to Zekk. “Lady Galney was still with Tenel Ka when Jacen sent me on this mission.”
Jaina’s expression grew alarmed. “Then Tenel Ka doesn’t know the Ducha is a traitor?”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “The last I heard, she was counting on the Gatney fleet to bolster her defenses.”
“Blast it!” Jaina pounded the table so hard a gob of purple stew slopped out of Zekk’s bowl. “That’s why the Ducha didn’t want to talk to us-she’s pretending to be on Tenel Ka’s side, and she knew two Jedi would sense the lie.”
“So Tenel Ka will think she’s rushing to the defense-and then the Ducha can attack from inside. That makes sense.” Zekk nodded, then frowned. “What I don’t get is why Tenel Ka can’t sense that her chamberlain is a spy.”
“Maybe Lady Galney can hide it when she’s lying,” Ben said. “If Jedi can do it…”
“Most can’ t,” Jaina said, frowning at Ben. “At least not from each other.”
Ben cringed inwardly, realizing too late that hiding lies was one of those special techniques that Jacen probably did not want him talking about.
“Well, maybe Lady Galney can,” he countered. “She wouldn’t need to be a Jedi. All she has to do is make herself believe she’s telling the truth when she isn’t.”
“Or not know she’s lying at all,” Zekk added between mouthfuls.
Jaina turned to Zekk and asked, “You think Lady Gal-ney’s not in on it?”
Zekk shrugged. “You don’t have to be a spy to be a security leak,” he said. “Carelessness is all it takes.”
“Yeah,” Ben said, growing excited. “Sort of like the Blind Woolamander, only in reverse.”
“The Blind Woolamander?” Jaina asked.
“You know-when you use someone innocent to put out false intelligence,” Ben explained. “Only this way, you’re collecting the information from someone innocent, and since she doesn’t know what’s happening, she’s her own cutout, too. It’s a perfect setup against someone like Tenel Ka.”
Jaina looked vaguely worried. “Where are you learning all this stuff?”
Again, Ben winced inwardly. Weren’t other apprentices learning anything Jacen was teaching him?
“It’s part of my GAG training.” Ben drew a veneer of calm over his Force presence so Jaina and Zekk would not sense his He. “We need to know all that spy stuff.”