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“And these days,” Jaina said, “that’s you, honey.”

Jag stared at all of them, then back at Tahiri. She gazed levelly back at him.

“I’ll abide by whatever decision you make, Jag,” Tahiri said quietly. “If you want me to turn myself in, I will. I’ll sit in prison, and I’ll have factions using me to advance their own agendas, and it will be a holojournalist’s field day until the GA gets around to executing me. Or I can come with you, and serve you with my life. And when the dust settles, I’ll get a fair Imperial trial for what I’ve done.”

Despite the tension in the room, Han snorted. “Times sure have changed when Imperial trials are certain to be fairer than Galactic Alliance trials.”

Leia shushed him with a gentle hand on his arm, her brown eyes watching Jag.

“This isn’t a setup, Jag,” Jaina said. “We’ve all agreed to abide by whatever you choose to do.”

Jag leaned back against the sofa, thinking. There was a time when he’d have disbelieved Jaina, but he didn’t. The situation—the safe house, Tahiri on the run—all of this necessitated the secrecy.

“I think now would be a good time for you to tell me where you and Han went for a few days,” he said to Leia. “And elaborate just a tiny bit on the whole I’m-in-danger thing.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starving,” said Han. “Can we talk while we eat?”

“Just not with our mouths full,” said Jaina.

Over a delicious, though slightly cool, meal of fried endwa, the orange gravy congealing slightly, chaka noodles, and steamed Ferroan spinach, the story unfolded.

Leia filled Jag, Jaina, and Tahiri in on everything that happened, from the initial strange message to the discovery of the Squibs, to the attack and, finally, the revelations. Jag’s eating slowed and finally stopped altogether as he sat, food cooling and forgotten fork in hand, and listened.

“Squibs,” he said.

“Squibs,” Han confirmed.

“Who were working for me and the Imperial Remnant?”

“Ashik confirmed it,” Leia said. “We didn’t fill him in on the details. We wanted to tell you first.”

“Do we know why Getelles’s people were after him?” Jag asked. He seemed to notice the food for the first time in several minutes, and ate the bite on his fork. He didn’t taste it.

“Unfortunately not,” Leia said. “They’re staying with us. Well, with some … friends. You can talk to them if you’d like.”

Jag raised an eyebrow, but Leia said nothing further. “Let me make certain I understand everything,” he said calmly, putting the fork down. “Some Squibs you met years ago contacted you out of the blue. They just happen to be working for me, although I was unaware of it. They have information on where Daala is going, what she plans—which is targeting my job—and who she’s working with and who she’s planning on betraying. Said Squibs have done something to warrant Getelles’s people trying to kill them, but we don’t know for sure what that is. Have I gotten it all correct?”

“That sounds right.” Han did not suffer from the lack of appetite that now plagued Jag. Beside Jag, Jaina ate steadily, staying silent.

“You’ve been back for a few days,” Jag said. “Assuming this is true—and I confess, I’m dubious—why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because we needed to make sure it was true before coming to you with rumors or misinformation,” Jaina said, unable to keep quiet any longer. “Mom and Dad wanted to check out their story. All parts of it. They needed to make sure the recording the Squibs gave them was genuine.”

“And it is,” Leia said.

“Don’t feel bad,” Han said. “I was surprised, too.”

Jag leaned back in his chair, thinking.

“So,” Jaina said, exchanging glances with Tahiri. “What are you going to do?”

“Have you told anyone else about this?” Jag asked Leia and Han.

“Not yet,” Leia said. “We wanted you to know first. Dorvan does know that I’ve been following up leads on Daala’s whereabouts, however.”

“Thank you,” Jag said. “Do you think he’ll act on the knowledge?”

Leia hesitated. “He might,” she said. “But frankly,