Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 06_ Vortex - Denning Troy [15]
Ben was too insulted to reply. Ship wasn’t a true sentient being, so perhaps it could not understand why the idea of following in his cousin’s footsteps would fill him with revulsion.
Darth Caedus was a mere shadow of what shall come, Ship warned. The Jedi are weak and doomed, and the Lost Tribe is destined to restore the Sith Empire to the galaxy.
The Lost Tribe couldn’t overthrow a Hutt crime lord, much less take over the galaxy, Ben replied. He could sense a new pride in Ship’s presence, an optimism bordering on self-deception … and, in sentient beings at least, unchecked pride was the easiest of all weaknesses to exploit. It’ll take more than a few thousand Sabers and a flotilla of outdated patrol frigates to take down the Galactic Alliance.
In time, young Jedi, in … Ship fell silent in midthought, and a cold wave of anger rippled through the Force. You have grown clever, Ben. I won’t underestimate you again.
Ben felt a sudden chill in the Force as Ship withdrew from his touch. He would have liked to take a moment to gather his thoughts and consider what he had tricked Ship into revealing. But he could feel the weight of Vestara’s gaze upon him, and by remaining silent too long, he would be sacrificing an opportunity to build on what he had learned.
As soon as Ben’s gaze dropped back toward her, Vestara asked, “Believe me now?”
Ben snorted. “Not at all.” He fixed her with an accusing glare, then asked, “Didn’t you tell me you don’t know much about Ship?”
“I don’t,” Vestara insisted. She was working hard to make eye contact, which Ben recognized as a sure sign of a practiced liar. “But I didn’t tell you all of the little bits that I do know.”
“No kidding,” Ben said. “Starting with the fact that Ship has been working with the Lost Tribe all along.”
Vestara let out her breath and looked away, then admitted, “Okay, starting with that. He was kind of our savior. Had he not come looking for us, we’d still be stuck on … our home planet.”
Ben smiled. “Kesh.” He extended a hand to her. “I have heard the name before, you know.”
Vestara nodded. “I know. But old habits die hard.”
She allowed Ben to pull her to her feet, then stepped so close he found himself tensing to block an attack. She smiled, the scarred side of her mouth giving the expression a slightly sinister appearance, and looked deep into his eyes.
“You do know why I told you what Ship was to my people, don’t you?” she asked.
“Sure.” Ben continued to hold her gaze—and her knife hand. “To build trust and make me feel indebted to you.”
A flicker of disappointment shot through Vestara’s eyes, but the smile remained on her lips.
“That, too.” She touched her palm to Ben’s chest, then asked, “Are you going somewhere?”
“Back to the ruins,” Ben said. “I think Dad should know Ship is coming, don’t you?”
“And you’ve never heard of a comlink?”
“It might be better if Lord Taalon didn’t overhear,” Ben said. “At least until I’m there with him.”
Vestara considered this for a moment, then nodded. “You might have a point there.” She glanced aft, toward the medbay, then said, “You go ahead. I’ll look after Dyon.”
Ben smiled. “Nice try.” Still holding her by the hand, he stepped toward the rear hatch. “You’re coming with me.”
Vestara resisted for only a moment, then sighed and allowed him to pull her along. “Fine, but he’s your friend. Don’t blame me if his bandages are all pus-soaked when you get back.”
Ben stopped. “I changed them less than two hours ago.”
“And I changed them an hour after that,” Vestara replied. “From what I saw, his wounds are infected.”
Given the amount of bacta salve that had been slathered over Dyon’s wounds, infection seemed unlikely. More probably, Vestara was simply trying to keep Ben from warning his father about the coming change to the balance of power—and that told him all he needed to know about what Ship had actually said to her.
Ben nodded as though convinced by her argument. “Okay, it’ll only