Read Star Wars - Lost Tribe of the Sith 04 - Savior for Free Online Page A

Jedi.”
    A sigh. “This thing we both fight might be older than that,” Taalon said. “Well, I did not expect this to be a particularly comradely union. Very well. You deliver Vestara Khai. Together, in an alliance not seen since this galaxy was new, Sith and Jedi will confront and defeat their mutual foe—one way or the other. And after that … well, let us see where we stand then, shall we?”
    “Vestara stays here.”
    The Sith girl froze. There was a long silence.
    “I cannot permit that.”
    “Then we have no alliance.” Another long silence.
    “She has information we require. She comes with us, or there is no deal.”
    “Information about how to reach and confront our mutual foe?” Luke said, turning Taalon’s own flowery words back on him. “That, I do not object to permitting her to share. That
was
the information you were talking about, wasn’t it?”
    “She will come to no harm while entrusted in your … care,” said Taalon. “None. Or we will attack and destroy you down to your marrow and obliterate your very cells.”
    “Provided you keep your bargain, she’s perfectly safe. Jedi aren’t in the habit of torturing children.”
    Vestara frowned at being referred to as a child. Ben started to smile a little, despite the situation, then realized that she was the same age as he was. He shot his dad a disappointed glance.
    “Then I believe we have an agreement,” Taalon said.
    “Not just yet. We need to decide who is going to be in charge of this alliance first.”
    “I would suggest we command as a pair, you and I,” Taalon said. “No Sith will take orders solely from a Jedi. And I am sure you would bridle at being told what to do by a Sith High Lord.”
    “I would indeed. And
I
would suggest we begin this joint command by sharing information. You first.”
    “Ah, but Master Skywalker, you have
our
source of information right there with you. Start with her. We will be prepared to depart within a half hour.”
    “So will we. I’ll be in touch.
Jade Shadow
out.”
    “Dad,” Ben said the second the communication was terminated. “You just agreed to help the
Sith.”
    Luke shook his head. “No, son. I agreed to let the Sith help
us.”
    Ben regarded him, incredulity mixed with curiosity. “You trust them to keep their word?”
    “I trust them to do what is best for them. And as long as what is best for them is best for us, then we’ll be fine.”
    “And when it’s not?”
    “Like Taalon said … we’ll see where we stand then. I’m prepared for that. There are two old sayings, Ben: ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ and ‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.’”
    Luke pointedly turned to Vestara, who stood straight with her hands clasped behind her back. “Now,” he said, “High Lord Taalon assures me you know everything they do.”
    She lifted a small information chip. “Most of it’s here,” she said.
    “And what’s not there?” Luke asked.
    Vestara smiled slightly and tapped her temple. “And this is where it will stay until it is necessary. We have a card game on my world. It is called
Mahaa’i Shuur
, which means Ultimate Success in the tongue of the natives. The rules are complicated, but the goal is simple.The winner is the one who never, ever has to play his last card.”
    Luke Skywalker watched Vestara Khai the way, long ago, a bartender named Wuher had watched him at the Mos Eisley cantina—coldly, expecting the unexpected, and looking for an excuse to cease being civil. Her back was to him, hands on her hips, her long brown hair hanging loose. She was looking out over the gathering of Sith vessels that were starting to fall into formation in preparation for departure, and he didn’t have to sense her in the Force to make a damn good guess as to what she might be thinking. As soon as he had the thought Luke amended it.
    She was Sith. So were they. In Luke’s mind, that automatically meant they could not be trusted. Even if they were