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“I somehow think my dad would like Sith more if he heard that last bit,” Ben said. He unfolded his arms, clasped his hands behind his back, and stretched out his legs. “I think he’d approve of no more smart-mouthed comments. ‘Yes, dear Papa.’ ‘No, dear Papa.’ ‘You are amazing, dear Papa.’”

Vestara grinned. “Somehow, I just can’t see that coming from you,” she said.

“Good.”

“And I’m not that bad with my father!”

He relented a little. “No, you’re really not. But you are awfully formal.”

“And you aren’t.”

Ben shook his head. “No. Dad likes to say I got my mouth from Mom.” He was comfortable telling her this. If the Tribe, as they referred to themselves, had access to vessels as comparatively sophisticated as the ChaseMaster frigates, they had access to decent databanks.

“Well, whatever else Luke Skywalker might be, he is obviously an extremely patient man. My father would take no back talk from my mother. She isn’t even a Force-sensitive.”

“And that matters? To how you treat someone?”

A slight frown furrowed her pale brow. “Of course it does.”

“Yeah, I suppose it would. To a Sith.”

She leaned forward, her palms on the bench beside her. She seemed to want him to understand. “It is how we are, Ben. The more skills you have, the further you can advance. Advancement means wealth, power, and safety.”

“Yeah?” Ben turned to her. “Then if it was so important, how come Gavar Khai didn’t marry a fellow Force-sensitive?”

Vestara’s eyes widened, and he realized she had never thought to ask herself that question. “I—I suppose because he loved her.”

“Careful, that’s Jedi thinking!” Ben’s smile softened the words. She blushed a little and looked away.

“They do love each other, and he loves me,” Vestara said, almost as if she were trying to justify something. “It’s just … this is how we are. Who we are.”

“You know,” Ben said, working his way through the thought even as he spoke it, “There was a time when I wasn’t particularly close to Dad. It’s really been since Mom’s death that—” He caught himself, and thought, ah, the heck with it, and continued. She’d know sooner or later … and maybe this would help open her eyes a little bit. “—that we’ve gotten close.”

“I’m sorry,” Vestara said, and she sounded like she meant it. Her emotions in the Force did show sincere regret. “It must be hard to lose a parent. I would be very upset if anything happened to either of mine.”

Then I hope I’m not the one who has to lop off your father’s head with my lightsaber, Ben thought, with a slight bitterness. She sensed his change of mood in the Force and drew back, confused and suddenly slightly wary.

“It was hard on both of us,” Ben said, sending her a gentle brush of reassurance. “She was … an amazing woman. And a great mom.”

Vestara hesitated, then said, “You and your father seem to have … fun.”

“Do we?” Ben thought about the time he had shared with Luke on their journey thus far. He’d hardly call it “fun.” But then again … there had been a lot of good conversations, and they constantly exchanged playful zingers with no barbs to them. And he’d laughed. A lot. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

Vestara did not reply. Ben knew that she loved her family, but she certainly didn’t have “fun” with Gavar Khai. The impression Ben got of the man was that living with him must be like constantly walking on the edge of a blade. He didn’t think that Khai would tolerate mistakes of the sort Ben had made throughout his short life. He wondered if Sith, like certain animals Ben had heard of, killed their offspring if they found imperfections in them.

He didn’t like that line of thought. And he didn’t like to see Vestara looking melancholy. So he said, “Speaking of fun … know any jokes?”

As Luke brought the Jade Shadow in for a landing, he reflected that the building that served as a courthouse and a prison had seen better days. It was a large duracrete dome whose paint had been weathered and chipped. There were a few windows, small ovals low to the ground, and several unprepossessing