Bel shook his head at Wilson. "He's my father. I have to...have to do what he says," he said quietly. Part of him was impressed by how easily he reverted back to his learned behavior. His encounter with the Emperor during detention last week couldn't have been better timed.

He wiped some of the blood from his face with the back of his hand and looked up at Phale. "It's okay," he said shakily. "He's my father. He can do whatever he wants to me."