Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 04_ Backlash - Aaron Allston [142]
Khai was good. He gave away nothing. At last he said, “Your terms are acceptable.”
A short time later, Khai’s small, pod-like ship was secured to the docking port of the Jade Shadow. The port was located on the underside of the vessel. Vestara, Ben, and Luke stood awaiting him as he emerged from the connecting tube.
Khai was, not unexpectedly, an imposing presence, both physically and in the Force. He was tall, quite a bit taller than Luke, and while not bulky was clearly muscular. Luke guessed he was in his early forties, but there was no trace of gray in the jet black hair, and the lines on his face seemed to be either furrows of concentration or laugh lines rather than the marks of age.
Khai’s belt was empty of weapons, and scans that would detect even the smallest bits of metal on his person had turned up nothing. He paused before stepping fully onto the Shadow and spread his hands. They were strong and callused, with long, clever-looking fingers.
“Saber Gavar Khai,” the Sith said, bowing. “Permission to come aboard.”
“Permission granted. I am Master Luke Skywalker. This is Ben Skywalker, my son and Jedi Knight. And Vestara, of course.”
Vestara had locked down her feelings. Save for the brightness of her eyes, she looked composed, almost bored. She bowed, deeply, respectfully.
“Father.”
Saber—whatever that meant—Gavar Khai opened his arms and Vestara went into them. For a brief moment, they were simply a reunited father and daughter, and Luke felt a brief flicker of embarrassment. It was swiftly quashed. Father and daughter they might be, and Luke was willing to grant that there might even be familial love between them, but they were still Sith. They probably fought pretty well as a father-child team, just like he and Ben did.
Vestara pulled back, keeping her face averted from Luke and Ben until her emotional mask was back in place.
“Thank you for permitting me to see her,” Khai said, his arm still around his daughter’s shoulders. “Her mother and I have missed her greatly.”
That comment raised a hundred other questions in Luke’s mind, but he didn’t think any of them would be answered. At least, not honestly.
“I’m a father myself. I know how it is,” he said instead. “If you like, you two are welcome to use my quarters for a chat. A very brief chat.”
Vestara glanced first at Luke, then at Ben. Ben shrugged slightly.
“Thank you,” Gavar Khai said again. “That is most kind of you. Our chitchat about Vestara’s mother and servants and the state of the household would likely not interest you anyway.”
“I doubt very much that it would,” Luke said. Both men smiled. Both knew that if any mention of mother, servants, and the state of the household did indeed occur, it would only be in passing. Between Sith, there were other matters to discuss.
Luke indicated his cabin, and the two Khais entered. The door slid shut, and Luke and Ben made their way back to the cockpit.
“How come you did that?” Ben asked. “I thought you were against a private visit.”
“I said they could have a chat. I never said that it would be private.”
“I see. But it’s not going to do us any good. I mean—Khai’s acting all polite, but he’s not going to speak Basic just so we can eavesdrop more efficiently.”
“No. They’ll speak the other language we’ve heard from Vestara before.” Luke flicked a switch. Gavar Khai’s voice was heard, speaking in a lilting tongue. Then Vestara’s, light and musical.
“It’s pretty,” Ben said, and Luke wasn’t sure if he meant the language or Vestara’s voice. “But what’s the point? We’ve got no reference in the databanks. There’s no way we can translate this.”
Luke gave him a grin. “We can’t. But I know someone who can.”
“They will be recording everything we say,” Vestara said.
“Of course they will. It is what I would do. But they have never heard Keshiri before. I doubt they will