Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 08_ Ascension - Christie Golden [136]
“What is going on?” Parova demanded. She was able to sit up without leaning over, and felt a modicum of her old assurance return.
“Well, that’s actually what we’d like to ask you. But there’s one member of the club who’s not here.” Dorvan leaned over and pressed a button on a small holocomm on the caf table. An image appeared.
Nek Bwua’tu.
While he still lay in a medcenter bed, he most assuredly did not look like a simple-minded idiot. His eyes were cold and met hers evenly.
“Admiral Parova,” he said in a deep voice of controlled anger.
She cleared her throat, deciding to ride the bluff as long as she could. “Admiral Bwua’tu,” she said. “It’s good to see that you’ve—”
“Save us all some time and spare us the poodoo,” said Bwua’tu. “We know what you’ve been up to.”
She feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Asokaji told me you’d recovered, I thought I was on my way to see you, and—” Parova paused, unsure if she wanted to tell them about what she was certain had to be a hallucination. “I ended up here. Please, sir, what’s going on? I’d like to help.”
“Oh, you’ll help, all right,” said Bwua’tu. “You’ll help by telling us who, other than yourself, Lecersen, Treen, Jaxton, and Bramsin, was involved in a conspiracy to overthrow this government.”
She stared at them, letting her mouth fall ever so slightly open. “Sir, with all due respect, if you believe something as ridiculous as that, you might not be as fully recovered as you seem to be. Asokaji, I know you are personally fond of the admiral, and want to think he’s all right, but Dorvan … Wynn … I don’t see how you could possibly believe this. This … paranoid conspiracy fantasy is the work of an ill mind.”
Dorvan gave her a thin smile. “Well, that’s most likely true,” he admitted, “but the ill mind under discussion does not belong to the admiral. We know the five of you were involved, and suspect there are other players, as well.”
There was a silence. Parova folded her arms and leaned back into the sofa.
Dorvan sighed. He looked as if he wished he had a pile of datapads in front of him to arrange. “Admiral,” he said, “we have documentation that you have had several conversations with all of the other four members of this conspiracy.”
“And there’s something wrong with talking to two well-respected Senators? A Moff? A fellow member of my cabinet?”
“There is when you recollect that three of those were mysteriously poisoned,” said Bwua’tu, “and the end result of said poisoning was that GA security was discredited and naval security—which you were in charge of—was put into place instead.”
Parova felt cold, but did not change her expression. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. I poisoned Lecersen, Bramsin, and Jaxton? Right. Next you’ll accuse me of murdering poor old Fost Bramsin.”
“No,” said Dorvan readily. “We know you didn’t do that. We suspect Senator Treen did, but unfortunately the autopsy was inconclusive. Another thing that points to a conspiracy.”
She saw an opening. “You’re just annoyed that Senator Treen decided to back Padnel Ovin instead of you, Dorvan,” she sneered.
He stared at her, then began to chuckle. “That is perhaps more unbelievable than anything I’ve mentioned,” he said. “You know better than to accuse me of ambition.”
And, sickly, she did. So did everyone else. Dorvan served not for personal power or to stroke his ego, but because service was needed. It was nauseatingly altruistic, and she disliked him even more.
“Bureaucrat,” she spat, in the same tone of voice she would use for the word sleemo.
Dorvan and Asokaji looked at each other. Dorvan addressed the hologram. “Sir? She seems extraordinarily uncooperative. What would you like us to do?”
Bwua’tu considered, twitching an ear. “The hour grows late. You two need to return to your homes. We can continue this later. There are other club members anxious to talk to her.”
Club? Was Han