Star Wars_ Legacy of the Force 04_ Exile - Aaron Allston [92]
“Ah,” Cilghal said. “Yes, of course.”
Kyp twitched just once, a final suppression of laughter, and then relaxed.
“We have several items to consider,” Luke said. “In no particular order…Though we have no restrictions on how many Jedi Masters there should be, the war has clearly taken up additional time from each Master, and the worsening of the war will probably take still more. This means the teaching will suffer. I propose, then, that we consider whether any senior Jedi Knights are suitable for advancement. We don’t need to debate candidates today, but you should all prepare lists of those you think are suitable.” Most of the Masters present nodded, all but Cilghal, who considered the question, her bulbous eyes elevated to different levels, but offered no objection.
“Second,” Luke continued, “as many of you know, Ben is missing. He may have run away to reach Jacen. He may have left on some personal mission to prove himself. He may…” It took him a moment to force the words out. “He may have been taken. Evidence Mara and I have uncovered suggests that he may have injured a woman who later died from her injuries…and that the woman’s mother was Lumiya.”
That drew some murmurs from Kyle, Corran, and Kyp. Cilghal was quick to ask, “Was this reason for Lumiya’s attack on Master Lobi?”
Luke nodded. “Presumably. Lobi was shadowing Ben. If Lumiya did something related to Ben—spoke with him, planted a tracer on him, and so forth—she would want to eliminate witnesses.”
“So,” Cilghal said, “this isn’t just a case of two Masters demonstrating excessive attachment to an apprentice. The situation could result in the deaths of more Jedi.”
Well done, Luke thought. Already a salvo launched at an accurately identified problem. “Correct.”
“But I must ask,” she continued, “whether you and the other Master Skywalker are dispassionate enough about Ben to make good decisions on this issue.”
Mara leaned forward as if to offer an angry reply. Luke glanced at her and, through their Force-bond, reached out with a touch of caution. Mara retained her pose but did not speak.
Luke answered, “I think so. In any case, Mara and I have very little to go on in terms of Ben’s disappearance. As of this morning, I have been unable to find Ben in the Force. Which could mean that he has learned to conceal himself; that he’s in a place, like Dagobah, where the Force characteristics of his surroundings mask his presence; or…” He didn’t finish that painful thought. “But to be sure, I call upon the Masters to speak up if ever you think we’re behaving inappropriately. I’ll be the first to admit that we need to rely on your more objective judgment on this matter.”
“And other matters of attachment, if I may,” Cilghal continued. “Master Horn, the issues with your family are resolved?”
Corran nodded. “All Jedi except those helping the Alliance armed forces in intelligence gathering are off Corellia, as is my wife. Though she may divorce me, since I left without kissing her good-bye.”
Cilghal did not offer the statement that had predicated her questions. Jedi should abandon attachment. It had been a basic tenet of Jedi philosophy in the Old Republic era and earlier times. Luke had, as an experiment across the years, relaxed it, describing to his students its role in Jedi history but not insisting that it be observed by the modern Jedi generations. Having himself chosen a life with a wife and child, he could hardly rule that out for others, and these days many were formally married and often raised their own children, with varying degrees of proper Jedi detachment. He had to admit that in such cases—even in his own—true detachment could at times be nearly impossible.
Cilghal was unlikely to offer that criticism, because she had never indicated that she believed in the absolute merit of