Star Wars - Episode 1 Adventures - The Fury of Darth Maul Page 3

  Since the other cell doors remained sealed, it appeared C-3PX was still trapped. Darth Maul was about to free the droid when the other two Bartokk escorts appeared at the end of the corridor. Seeing Maul standing over their fallen comrades, one of the Bartokks struck a wall panel that controlled a series of trapdoors within the dungeon.

  Suddenly, the grated floor dropped away beneath Maul's feet. A second later, he plunged down through the trapdoor and into a dark cavern. Maul landed on top of a sandpile and rolled to the subterranean floor. Lifting himself up, he looked at the cavern ceiling. The trapdoor had sealed, but Maul could see the Bartokks through the grated floor.

  The Bartokks scurried across the corridor and jammed twin-bolt crossbows down through the floor's open slots. They aimed their weapons at Maul and fired. Four poison-tipped, armor-piercing arrows sped toward the Sith Lord. Maul's hands moved like lightning as he plucked each arrow from the air and flung them back at the assassins. The arrows shot up through the grated floor and struck the two snipers. Their arms reflexively reached to remove the arrows, but the poison worked rapidly.

  Now there were four Bartokks lying on the corridor floor above Darth Maul. The trapdoor was sealed, and it was far too high for Maul to reach. He began to look for another way out of the cave. A loud hiss stirred the air. Maul turned and saw a shadow shift against the rough rock walls.

  A reptilian head pushed forward from the dark, and a pair of large green eyes stared down at Maul from behind a wide reptilian mouth. It was a draigon-slug. The gigantic snakelike creatures had been discovered living in caves on several worlds, but Maul was surprised to find one beneath the surface of Ralltiir. He suspected the Bartokks had imported the beast and kept it to discourage thieves from entering the caves.

  Draigon-slugs were fire-breathing monsters, and they had been known to devour their prey in a single bite. Maul had no desire to slay the draigon-slug. Unlike the deliberately murderous Bartokks, the draigon-slug was simply a predator trying to protect its territory. To Maul's left, a tall stalagmite rose up from the cavern floor. It resembled an inverted, twisted cone. Maul dove behind the stalagmite and waited for the draigon-slug to pass.

  But the draigon-slug didn't pass. It slithered around the stalagmite, found Maul's concealed position, and opened its maw. Maul knew he would have to defend himself. He ran toward the creature, jumped over its back, and wrapped his arms around the end of its tail. As the draigon-slug twisted to bite his attacker, Maul dragged the draigon-slug's tail toward its stomach and tricked the creature into forming a loop. Before the draigon-slug realized what was happening, Maul pulled the tail around its looped body. The creature was instantly tangled by its own elongated form.

  Maul left the writhing draigon-slug to untie itself and advanced through the cave. He stepped around another stalagmite and discovered the entrance to a tunnel in the cavern wall. The tunnel led to an underground chamber with a high, vaulted ceiling. On the far end of the chamber, Maul saw what appeared to be another tunnel. As he approached, the path ended at a ledge that rode the edge of a broad, deep chasm. From the ledge to the next tunnel, the distance across the chasm was at least nine meters. Although Maul was confident he could jump the nine-meter span, he did not know whether the ground was stable on the other side.

  He looked for an alternative route. Dozens of long, securely moored stalactites dangled down from the chamber's ceiling. Darth Maul imagined he would be able to travel hand-over- hand from one stalactite to another until he reached the other side of the chasm. Maul was considering whether to jump the chasm or scale the ceiling when he noticed a mammoth spydr clinging to the cavern wall behind him.

  The spydr had nine long, powerful legs. It appeared to be asleep, with its thick, hair-covered abdomen slowly rising and falling with each breath. Still, Maul kept his eyes on it as he clambered up the chamber wall to the stalactites. Maul gripped a stalactite, then swung to grip another. The conical deposits were moist from dripping mineral water, and Maul was careful not to lose his grip on the slippery formations. He was halfway over the chasm when the giant spydr suddenly scurried up the wall and across the vaulted ceiling. It was not sleeping after all. The spydr was not even tired. The spydr's mouth opened and closed, revealing many rows of sharp teeth. Darth Maul had no doubt the creature wanted him for dinner. He also knew if he let go of the stalactites he would fall into the chasm. As the spydr crawled closer, Maul felt his fingers begin to lose their grip. When the spydr was within range, Maul swung both of his legs forward and kicked the creature in the head.

  The injured spydr screeched and sprayed a thick web at Darth Maul. The Sith Lord released his right hand, grabbed the sprayed strand, and gave a sharp pull. The spydr did not sever its connection to the web in time and suddenly found itself being torn from the ceiling by Maul's tug. Maul let go of the strand and watched the spydr plummet into the chasm.

  Undaunted, Darth Maul reached up, grabbed another stalactite, and resumed his crossing of the vaulted ceiling. Nine grips later, he completed the short journey and dropped down onto the ledge outside the next cave. The cave led directly to a flight of smooth stone steps. They were coated with a thin layer of moist slime, the result of condensation from the cavern. As Maul carefully climbed the slick stones, he saw an open doorway at the top of the flight.

  A burned-out glow rod extended from an iron bar over the doorway. From where Maul stood on the stairs, it looked like the doorway led to a chamber that was illuminated by a red light. Maul suspected the doorway might lead back into the fortress. He crouched down at the top of the slime-covered steps and peered into the chamber.

  The room contained a circular pool built into the floor. The pool was approximately three meters in diameter, and it was filled with a hot, bubbling fluid. Steam rose from it and carried the scent of chemical waste. Next to the pool, a thick-linked chain hung from a pulley secured to the ceiling. At the end of the chain, a hook was secured to a set of metal fetters that gripped a green-skinned female alien by her ankles. Hanging upside down over the pool, she was tied up with rope. She had the reptilian skin and facial structure of a Falleen. Her head dangled a mere meter above the bubbling pool, and her eyes were wide with terror. Beside the pool, a standing Bartokk faced the helpless Falleen.

  Darth Maul recognized the Bartokk as the same one who had sent him and C-3PX to the dungeon. The Bartokk still wore the vocabulator around his neck, and his upper right arm wielded the confiscated lightsaber. The light- saber's two shimmering blades filled the room with the flickering luminescence, and its hum reverberated in the air. The Bartokk did not appear to be carrying any other weapons, but Maul noticed a restraining bolt activator secured to his belt. The Bartokk raised the lightsaber, bringing one of the blades dangerously close to the chain that kept the Falleen from falling into the bubbling pool.

  "The secrets of our mission will die with you," the Bartokk threatened his victim. Darth Maul did not know how the Falleen was involved in the Bartokks' schemes, but if she knew any secrets, he wanted her to share them. He extended his right hand toward the Bartokk and concentrated on his plundered lightsaber. Unable to resist the power of the Force, the Bartokk's claw opened and released the activated lightsaber. The weapon spun through the air like a lethal baton until it reached Darth Maul's grasp. His right hand lashed out and grabbed his lightsaber by its central grip. The Bartokk turned to face Maul, then took a cautious step backward, closer to the bubbling pool. Suddenly, two more Bartokks dropped down from a hiding place above the doorway. They carried sharp spears.

  The vocabulator-equipped Bartokk chittered, then said, "You forget that we Bartokks communicate telepathically. Before your four escorts perished in the dungeon, one of them alerted us of your escape. We knew if you survived the dangers in the cavern, you would eventually enter here." The Bartokk extended a claw toward the Falleen, and added, "We produced this image to make certain we would lure you into this chamber." As the Bartokk gestured with his claw, the Falleen wavered, faded, then vani
shed into thin air, leaving the chain and hook dangling over the pool. The tied-up alien had been a holographic projection.

  Nothing more than a trick. Darth Maul hated to be tricked. The three Bartokks in the subterranean chamber had earned Darth Maul's wrath. He fixed the two spear-wielding Bartokks with his piercing gaze, then pounced. Maul's lightsaber tore through one Bartokk, severing his upper body at the waist and cutting his spear in half. In passing through the Bartokk, Maul's blade instantly cauterized the assassin's wounds, and only a drop of the Bartokk's black blood hit the floor. The Bartokk's upper body landed on its lower arms while the upper arms clung to the broken spear.

  The second spear-wielding Bartokk hurled his weapon at Maul, but the Sith Lord easily dodged it. Before the spear clattered against the wall, the Bartokk extended all his claws and lunged. Maul brought his lightsaber up fast and gave it a neat spin, slicing the Bartokk's claws off with the first turn, and then lopping off his head with the second. Even though the Bartokk's skull was protected by his exoskeleton armor, his head hit the floor with an ugly noise.

  The two Bartokks' dismembered limbs all scrambled and clawed for Darth Maul. To avoid the crawling carnage, he leaped up into the air and executed a backward somersault, then landed hard. Maul swung his lightsaber and kicked at the body parts, sending them into the toxic pool. During Maul's battle with the two Bartokks, the vocabulator-equipped Bartokk remained off to the side of the chamber, monitoring Maul's every move. Seeing his two comrades perish, the surviving Bartokk snatched a fallen spear from the floor. Maul wanted to get information out of the Bartokk. He was determined to take him alive. Out of the corner of one eye, Maul noticed the metal hook swinging back and forth at the end of the chain that dangled from the ceiling. Below the hook, the toxic pool continued to bubble and steam. As the Bartokk sprang, Darth Maul used the Force to propel the metal hook through the air. The hook snagged the Bartokk, catching him before the chain snagged at the pulley. The Bartokk swung out in a broad arc, struggling to free himself from the sharp hook as he dangled over the toxic pool.

  Maul removed the restraining bolt activator from the Bartokk's belt, then stated, "You’re going to answer some questions."

  "You won't get a word out of me," the Bartokk replied in a gravelly voice.

  Maul produced the container he had removed from the interrogation droid. It held a full dose of Bavo Six, a powerful truth serum. Without further hesitation, Maul jumped up on top of the winch, reached out, and introduced the serum into the Bartokk's system.

  "I want to know the name of your client and why you stole the Trade Federation droid starfighters," Maul demanded as he deactivated his lightsaber.

  Panic was visible in the Bartokk's bulbous eyes as the truth serum worked its way through his nervous system. Reluctantly, he answered, "We were hired by Groodo the Hutt. He owns a factory on Esseles that specializes in the manufacture of customized hyperdrive engines. Our job was to destroy Corulag Academy, but to make it look like the Trade Federation was responsible.”

  Darth Maul considered the Bartokk's response, and realized he now had more questions. "Why did Groodo want to blame the Trade Federation, and how did he know the droid starfighters were on Esseles?"

  "The Trade Federation had secretly commissioned Groodo to construct a prototype hyperdrive engine, but they refused to pay him," the Bartokk replied. "Groodo placed a sensor tag on the prototype. He tracked the sensor tag to Trinkatta Starships, where he discovered Trinkatta was constructing fifty droid starfighters. The Hutt hired us to steal the prototype engine as well as the star fighters."

  "I saw only twenty-five droid starfighters in the landing bay," Maul commented. "Where are the other twenty-five droid starfighters and the proto- type hyperdrive engine now?"

  "They were in another freighter," the Bartokk answered. "It was overtaken by the Jedi."

  The Jedi. Darth Maul was not surprised they were involved. Now he could think of only two more questions. "Why does Groodo want to destroy Corulag Academy, and where is he now?”

  The Bartokk tried to fight the truth serum, but answered, "Groodo was angered that his son was denied admission to the Academy. Both Groodo and his son are now on their private cruiser, in orbit around Corulag. Groodo wants to watch the destruction of the Academy."

  Darth Maul had to admit that Groodo's plan was cunning. By using the droid starfighters to blame the Trade Federation for an attack on Corulag Academy, the Hutt would have his revenge on both the unscrupulous Trade Federation and the discriminating Academy.

  Without warning, one of the Bartokk's legs kicked at Darth Maul, knocking the Sith from the winch to the edge of the pool. Then, the Bartokk reached for a concealed weapon. It was a razor-edged boomerang. The Bartokk drew his arm back and threw the boomerang at Maul. The Sith Lord activated his lightsaber and swung at the oncoming boomerang. The lightsaber's blade barely glanced Bartokk's weapon, but the contact was enough to launch the boomerang straight for the metal chain that hung above the pool. The boomerang cut clean through the chain, and the Bartokk plunged down into the toxic pool with a great splash. Maul watched as the Bartokk's body rapidly melted.

  Maul deactivated his lightsaber and proceeded to the far end of the chamber. There he found a narrow doorway that led to a circular staircase. Cautiously, he moved up the stairs, which wrapped around a central stone column, until he reached a large room on the first-floor level of the fortress. The room was piled high with explosives and assorted munitions. A plastic box filled with thermal detonators caught Darth Maul's attention.

  The detonators were shaped like small metal balls and resembled standard grenades, but they contained a powerful synthetic explosive called baradium. Maul immediately contemplated setting the timer on a single detonator and leaving it in the volatile munitions room. The destruction of so many baradium-filled weapons would cause an explosion that might bring down the entire fortress. Since the detonator's timer offered a maximum countdown of ten minutes, Maul knew he would have to leave the fortress fast.

  There was only one setback. For all Maul knew, it was possible that C-3PX was still trapped within the fortress' dungeon. If the droid had not already escaped, there would be little chance for his survival. Maul set the timer on a thermal detonator for a ten-minute countdown. As he placed the detonator back in the plastic box, he removed a second detonator and clipped it to his belt. Maul liked to be prepared.

  He left the munitions room and quickly found his way through the fortress until he reached the courtyard. There, under the light of Ralltiir's moons, the spike-covered Bartokk freighter remained on the landing pad. To Maul's surprise, the freighter's main cargo door was still wide open. Just beyond the freighter, he saw two Bartokks standing beside their repulsorlift skiff. They had retrieved his speeder, and were unloading it from the skiff. The Sith Lord considered making a break for the speeder, but he needed to find out what had happened to the twenty-five droid starfighters. He walked around the freighter and found that the droid starfighters were gone, along with the six-winged Bartokk starfighter that had been docked to the freighter.

  Since the Trade Federation droid starfighters were controlled by a central droid computer, it seemed likely that the Bartokk starfighter was carrying the control computer and guiding the fighters to Corulag. The six-winged starfighter would have needed a crew of three Bartokks, which left at least five Bartokks on Ralltiir. Unlike the Bartokk freighter, the departed starfighters had been engineered for hyperspeed. To pursue the droid starfighters to Corulag, Darth Maul knew he would have to return to the Sith Infiltrator.

  But first he wanted to board the freighter and take the Bartokks' tracking sensor technology. Maul hoped the secured technology would enable him to prevent the Bartokks from tracking the Sith Infiltrator in cloak mode.

  Maul consulted his chronometer. He had less than six minutes before the thermal detonator was timed to explode in the fortress. He had already decided that obtaining the Bartokks' tracking sensor data was worth the risk.<
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  Over by the skiff, the two Bartokks were examining Maul's speeder. While they were preoccupied, Maul slipped up the freighter's landing ramp and entered the main cargo hold. He ran through a murky corridor until he located the freighter's bridge. Like everything else on the freighter, the main computer console was designed to be operated by Bartokk claws. However, Maul was skilled at retrieving information from alien technology. He inspected the scanners and his fingers darted over the controls. Seconds later, Maul found the sensor data.

  The Bartokks had used a highly sensitive sensor called a crystal gravitational trap to detect gravitational fluctuations generated by his cloaked ship. With this sensor, his cloaked ship could not hide from the Bartokks. Maul punched up a data card and downloaded the information. Maul believed the Sith Infiltrator's computers could examine the data and find a way for his cloaking device to elude the Bartokks' scans.

  Maul turned away from the computer console and found himself facing another Bartokk. In each of his four claws, the Bartokk gripped a vibro-ax. The Sith Lord was amazed the assassin had been able to sneak up behind him, but his amazement immediately turned into defensive action.

  The Bartokk whipped two of the vibro-axes at Maul. The Sith Lord darted to the side as he activated his lightsaber. The thrown vibro-axes sailed past him and slammed into the freighter's navicomputer console, causing a small explosion. The Bartokk charged, and Maul's lightsaber was a blur of bright crimson as he went for the assassin's wrists. In a single sweep of the lightsaber's blade, the Bartokk had lost all four of his claws. Two of the claws, still gripping vibro-axes, thrashed across the floor of the bridge.