Ben’s breath caught in his throat and, almost instinctively, he withdrew himself from the Force, his presence winking out like a glowrod. It took him a moment to realize that he was not looking into the yellow eyes of Darth Caedus, and that this face was not as gaunt as he remembered from two years ago. A visceral flash of emotions surged through him – anger, disgust, shock – before he could force them down and think completely rationally about the fact that he was face to face with his cousin once more.

Remember what mom said at the Lake. Remember what you told Jacen. And he’s not Caedus yet…

Forgiving a damned shade trapped underwater beyond shadows was a lot easier than meeting Jacen Solo again, but he’d made a promise to his mother that he didn’t want to break, not even here.

“Hello, Jacen,” he said, keeping his voice as bland as he could manage.