Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 07_ Conviction - Aaron Allston [73]
Luke ruffled his son’s hair. “If you’re going to be my biographer, you’re going to have to learn not to editorialize.”
SECURITY CENTER, SENATE BUILDING, CORUSCANT
Shackled hand and foot, clad in prisoner’s grays, her red hair a disarrayed mess, Seha moved as fast as her leg restraints would let her between two GA Security guards who insisted on walking just a bit faster than she could manage. Once inside the interrogation chamber, they pushed her down, not gently, into one of the two chairs at the table, then left.
Seha blew out a sigh and turned after them. “I miss you already.” Then she turned to look up at the individual who stood, his back to her, on the other side of the table. He wore a crisply pressed Galactic Security officer’s uniform.
She realized who he was a split second before he turned around. Her heart sank. “Oh, stang.”
It was Lieutenant Javon Thewles. His face impassive, he seated himself opposite her. “Seha … Dorvald.”
“My real name, you know that now. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I can’t do my career any more harm. My career ended the instant you obliged me to take you out.”
She offered him an expression of apology and sympathy. There was no deceit in it. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. I’m so sorry.”
“Why’d you do it?”
“Well, I was playing a role, and it seemed consistent with the behavior of the person I was supposed to be, and the old saying about men in uniform being especially handsome is true—”
He closed his eyes in a pained expression. “No. Why did you poison the Moff and the general? And try to poison all those others?” He opened his eyes again. His look suggested he really was trying to understand.
“Don’t be silly. Of course I didn’t do that.”
“You were the only one with access to the poisoned men and to the Senate Building.”
Seha’s jaw dropped for a moment. “Are you crazy? Of course I wasn’t. On the same shuttle were Wynn Dorvan and all their aides.”
“None of whom had a motive to do it.”
“Neither did I.”
“Yet they were poisoned.”
“When?”
Now it was his turn to look confused. “What?”
“When were they poisoned? Not on my shuttle. Maybe aboard Errant Venture, by political enemies. Except that wouldn’t account for the same poison showing up in this building. So it had to be after they got here. Look, I have nothing to give you that you haven’t already gotten from my earlier non-confessions.”
“I haven’t seen those recordings.”
“Sure you have. Your superiors would have shown you at least a condensed version before sending you in here so you could guilt a confession from me.”
He shook his head. “I’m not here on anyone’s behalf but my own. I cashed in some favors to get a few minutes with you. I’ve already tendered my resignation from the GAS. As soon as it’s processed, I’ll be thrown out of the building, never to return.”
“Oh.” She slumped back in her chair. “I’m sorry.”
“So what were you doing, masquerading as a shuttle pilot?”
“Can’t say. I’m sure it will all come out at my trial.”
He drummed his fingers on the tabletop and stared off into space as if Seha were all but forgotten. “So if you didn’t poison those two, who did? And why? Step one is always to evaluate the consequences of the crime and see if one of them, plausibly, was the motive.”
A trickle of alarm went through Seha. “Hey, wait a minute.”
“What were the consequences? First, I was discredited, but I have no enemies. Only rivals I might be up against for rank advancement, and poisoning two Very Important People calls for resources way beyond those of another struggling lieutenant. Second, all of security was discredited.” His eyes suddenly connected with hers again. “Was that it?”
“No.”
“You become aware of some sort of conspiracy against Galactic Alliance Security. You bring Lecersen, Jaxton, and Dorvan here in such a way that this conspiracy can spot and exploit a security weakness.