The Fury of Darth Maul Page 5

  assassin had managed to infiitrate the Infiltrator, and was already on board

  when Maul blasted off Ralltiir. The Bartokk stowaway stood in front of the aft

  hatch, clicking his mandibles together as he made a horrid chittering sound.

  He bent his lean-muscled legs and prepared to spring out at Maul.

  Maul grabbed hold of his seat with one hand and reached for the control

  console with the other. He punched a switch and the aft hatch snapped open,

  causing all the air to race out of the bridge. While Maul clung to his seat,

  the Bartokk was sucked toward the open hatch. The Bartokk extended his arms

  and legs and braced himself in the hatchway. As the air tore at his insectoid

  body, the assassin located a manual emergency switch within the hatch frame

  and struck it with his lower left arm's eibow. The hatch slammed shut with a

  violent clang, clipping off one of the Bartokk's toes. As air was pumped to

  repressurize the Infiltrator, Darth Maul leaped from the command console. The

  last thing he wanted was a fight that might ruin the interior of his starship.

  He dove across the bridge and activated his lightsaber. The Bartokk raised a

  blaster and squeezed off three quick shots. Still in mid-leap, Maul swung at

  the blaster bolts and struck them away. The three bolts slammed back at the

  unprepared Bartokk. Before the assassin could fire again, Darth Maul was on

  top of him, slashing his lightsaber with expert precision.

  Still speeding through hyperspace, the Infiltrator entered the Corulag

  system. The nav computer automatically deactivated the hyperdrive, and there

  was a slight shudder as the vessel reentered real - space. Maul conducted a

  quick sensor scan of the Corulag system. There was no sign of the Bartokk or

  droid starfighters. As Maul had expected, his more powerful hyperdrive had

  managed to beat the enemy ships to Corulag. Through a viewport, Maul saw the

  planet ten thousand kilometers away. Even though Corulag was located on the

  lucrative Perlemian Trade Route, it did not look like a remarkable world.

  However, it was home to several billion citizens and the prestigious Corulag

  Academy. At the Academy, students were trained to become members of the

  Exploration Military, and Merchant Services for the Republic. According to the

  vocabulator-equipped Bartokk, Groodo the Hutt had hired the assassins to

  destroy Corulag Academy after his son had been denied admission to the

  institution. The Bartokk also had said that Groodo intended to watch the

  Academy's destruction from his cruiser.

  Maul activated his sensors and scanned the Corulag system for any

  orbiting vessels besides unmanned satellites. Only one blip appeared on his

  sensor screen. As Maul traveled toward the orbiting vessel's location, the

  Infiltrator's telescopic sensors produced a magnified visual of a medium-sized

  cruiser. It was decked out with broad fins and large oval viewports, and the

  hull was painted in vibrant oranges and yellows. In Maul's estimation, such an

  ugly ship could only be owned by a Hutt. Suddenly, the Infiltrator's hyperwave

  warning light began to pulsate. Twenty-six starfighters were about to exit

  hyperspace in Maul's proximity. Maul activated the Infiltrator's cloaking

  device, and the invisibility shields came on-line. Just as his starship

  vanished, twenty-five droid starfighters and a single Bartokk starfighter

  entered real - space. The fighters zipped in fast, then their sub - light

  engines took over and they decelerated to a relatively slow crawl. The droid

  starfighters were all in flight mode, with their wings retracted to maintain a

  sleek profile. Flying behind them, the six-winged Bartokk starfighter

  controlled each of their flight paths. Since the Bartokks took up most of the

  available space within their star - fighter, Maul assumed they had a compact

  droid central control computer on board. Darth Sidious's orders had been

  clear: Maul could not allow the Bartokks to use the Trade Fed - eration droid

  starfighters to assault Corulag Acad - emy. If the Trade Federation were to be

  blamed for an attack on Corulag, it would draw unwanted at - tention to the

  Trade Federation in that sector, and possibly affect Darth Sidious' plans for

  the future. Maul was contemplating the best way to defeat the starfighter

  armada when the Bartokks' ship approached his position. Since the Infiltrator

  was in cloak mode, Maul pulled back so the Bartokks would not collide with his

  starship.

  Their starfighter passed so close to the invisible Infiltrator that Maul

  could look through their fighter's triangular viewports and see the Bartokk

  pilot, gunner, and tailgunner seated back-to-back-to-back within. Suddenly,

  the Bartokks were iiluminated by a bright flashing warning light in the

  cockpit, and all three assassins turned their insectoid heads to peer out the

  viewports in Maul's direction. Maul had been so confident in the Infiltrator's

  cloaking device, he had forgotten about the Bartokks' sophisticated sensors.

  Now they knew where he was. Before Maul could react, the Bartokk starfighter

  swung away from the Infiltrator and all twenty-five droid starfighters turned

  toward his cloaked ship. Despite the Infiltrator's invisibility, all the

  starfighters had locked onto his position. The droid starfighters' wings

  snapped into attack mode, revealing their lethal blaster cannons. Maul quickly

  took the data card he'd retrieved from the Bartokk freighter and inserted it

  into a computer port. The Infiltrator's computer analyzed the Bartokk's sensor

  information, and immediately transmitted a jamming signal to knock out the

  Bartokk starfighter's crystal gravitational trap sensor. Before the droid

  starfighters could fire a single shot, the Infiltrator had vanished from the

  Bartokk starfighter's sensors. The droid starfighters began swerving through

  space on an erratic course. They appeared to be out of control, but Maul knew

  better. The Bartokks were piloting the droid starfighters by remote control,

  steering them on a weaving course in an effort to locate Maul's ship by way of

  a direct collision. Maul accessed the data that had been supplied by Darth

  Sidious. With the flick of a switch,

  Maul seized control of the droid starfighters. The Sith Lord targeted the

  Bartokk starfighter, and all twenty-five droid starfighters rotated in space

  and aimed their cannons at the six-winged fighter craft. Maul imagined the

  three Bartokks were more than startled. By Bartokk standards, it was possible

  they were even scared. In a desperate effort to evade certain death, the

  Bartokk starfighter turned and sped away from Corulag. The Bartokk tailgunner

  fired a steady stream of energy bolts in the starfighter's wake, aiming at

  nothing he could see, but hoping he would hit his invisible enemy. Leaving the

  droid starfighters behind, the cloaked Infiltrator pursued the Bartokks'

  fleeing ship. Maul poured on the speed, dodging the Bar - tokk tailgunner*s

  random assault. The Infiltrator was armed with six low-profile laser cannons,

  and Maul directed all of them to fire at the Bartokks' ship. The first two

  blasts punched a hole in the Bartokk starfighter's deflector shields.

  Blasts three and four hammered throu
gh their particle shields. The last

  two shots connected directly with the starfighter's hull. With their shields

  down, the Bar - tokks didn't have a chance. As their starfighter erupted in a

  great tireball, Oarth Maul angled the tnfiltrator back toward Corulag. During

  Maul's battle with the Bartokks, the red - and-yellow cruiser had remained in

  orbit around Corulag. Although Maul still wasn't certain the cruiser belonged

  to Groodo the Hutt, he decided it was time to find out. With the Infiltrator

  still in full cloak mode, Maul flew toward the orbital cruiser. When he had

  drawn within firing range, he transmitted an emergency hail to the brightly

  painted vessel. "Come in, Groodo," Maul uttered into his ship-to-ship comm

  unit. Seconds later, the three-dimensional image of a corpulent Hutt appeared.

  Although the image was a bit fuzzy, the Hutt's lower lip was moving from

  side to side, and his thick cheeks looked like they were quite stuffed. Maul

  realized he had caught the Hutt during a meal.

  "What's the meaning of this interruption?" the Hutt snarled.

  "There won't be any attack on Corulag Academy," Maul stated.

  "What?!" the Hutt sputtered.

  "I mean... I don't know what you're talking about!"

  "You made a grave error when you ordered the Bartokks to steal from the

  Trade Federation," Maul responded. "Consider this fair warning: You have

  thirty

  seconds to evacuate your cruiser before I destroy it."

  "You dare threaten the mighty Groodo?" the Hutt retorted. "Show yourself!

  "

  "Twenty seconds," Maul replied.

  "Who are you?" the Hutt demanded. There wasnot a trace of fear in his

  response, and he sounded only slightly annoyed.

  Maul switched off the comm unit and signaled the droid starfighters to

  come in. He commanded them to target the cruiser. At the final second, he

  commanded them to open fire. Although the Hutt's cruiser had a powerful

  deflector shield, it had not been engineered to endure the combined firepower

  of twenty-five starfighters at close range. From the lnfiltrator, Darth Maul

  watched as the Hutt's entire cruiser was instantly enveloped in a massive

  burst of ion-fueled flame. A single emergency life pod managed to blast away

  from the cruiser's wreckage. Maul focused the Infiltrator's sensors on the

  pod, and learned that it carried two life-forms. It appeared both Groodo the

  Hutt and his son had survived the destruction of their cruiser.

  Since Darth Sidious had specified that the Bartokks client should live in

  fear, Maul allowed the pod to tumble toward Corulag.

  The twenty-five droid starfighters hung like deadly ornaments in space.

  Although the Jedi had destroyed the other twenty-five, Darth Maul believed his

  Master, Darth Sidious, would be pleased that half the starfighters had been

  recovered. Maul considered escorting the starfighters back to Trade Federation

  space, but he was disturbed by a single detail: C-3PX. It was highly unlikely

  that the droid had survived the devastating explosion on Ralltiir, but Maul

  didn't like the notion of C-3PX's body being discovered by any enemies. The

  Sith Lord decided to return to the distant fortress and search the ruins.

  Maul programmed the droid starfighters to fly to a Neimoidian base in

  Trade Federation territory. Responding to his command, all twenty-five droid

  starfighters angled in the same direction, then fired their engines aod zoomed

  off into hyperspace. After the starfighters had left the Corulag system, Maut

  ptotted a course for Ralltiir. Then he punched the controls for the

  hyperdrive, and the Infi ttrator blasted into hyperspace. As he traveted back

  to RaHtiir, Maul's thoughts turned to Groodo the Hutt. Darth Sidious had been

  confideot that the Bartokks' cfient would somehow be useful if he were to hve

  in fear of the Trade Federation, but Maul wondered... Are Hutts really afraid

  of anything?

  The emergency escape pod landed in a dense forest thirty-four kilometers

  southwest of Curamelle, the capital city of Corulag, and home of Corulag

  Academy. The pod had crashed down through heavy foliage before setting down

  between three tall, wide-trunked trees. The pod's hatch slid open and Groodo

  the Hutt slithered out onto the grass-covered ground, followed by his son. The

  younger Hutt was considerably smaller than his father, but he was of healthy

  size for his age. Groodo carried a comlink that accessed a HoloNet transceiver

  in the escape pod. As he punched in a series of numbers to piace an

  intergaiactic call, he turned to his son and said,

  "Don't worry, Boonda. Your old man's going to make everything all right."

  "Sure, Pop," said Boonda with a shrug. "Whatever you say."

  On Railtiir, at the site of what had only recently been the Bartokks'

  fortress, Darth Maul used the Force to lift a heavy boulder from a pile of

  rubble. Maul had used the Sith Infiltrator's sensors to scan the fortress

  ruins for any sign of C-3PX. The sensors penetrated deep below the collapsed

  floors and fallen walls, searching for any trace of metal that might belong to

  the golden assassin droid. Now, Maul found himself sifting through the area of

  what had been a chamber near the fortress's dungeon. Maul did not watch the

  boulder as it levitated away through the air, and he ignored the loud thud,

  eight meters away, that sounded as he released the boulder from his power. The

  Sith Lord's yellow eyes were fixed on something that rested on the crushed

  floor, staring at something that had been concealed by the transplanted

  boulder. It was a restraining bolt. The same bolt that had been placed on C-

  3PX by the vocabulator-equipped Bartokk. The droid had escaped from his cell

  after all. Darth Maul raised his gaze and surveyed the debris. All around him,

  thick black smoke rose from the fires that burned beneath the scattered

  debris. Except for the rising smoke, nothing else moved. He looked at the Sith

  Infiltrator, resting on a flat level of earth at a safe distance from the

  smoldering stones. Although Maul trusted his starship's sensors, he relied

  even more on his own senses. He closed his eyes and held his breath. He

  blocked out the sound of the small, crackling fires, and of the whispering

  wind that blew over the ruins, sending fine sand drifting down into the

  canyon. He tuned out all natural noise, and he listened for the faint hum of

  logic processors, the dull whir of a pelvic servometer, and the shuffling

  scuff of metal feet on rocky ground. But in the end, there was only the wind.

  C-3PX was gone. Darth Maul knew Darth Sidious would be expecting a full report

  back on Coruscant. Maul drew his dark cloak over his head, then walked swiftly

  to the Infiltrator. He left no footprints.

  At the Jedi chapter house on the ice planet Rhinnal, Obi-Wan Kenobi

  walked past a group of doc - tors and entered Adi Gallia's spacious, brightly

  lit medical suite. He found Qui-Gon Jinn standing at the foot of Adi Gallia's

  bed.

  "Welcome, Obi-Wan," Adi Gallia said. She was seated on the edge of her

  mattress pad, and her dangling sandaled feet nearly touched the spotless white

  floor. The suite was designed to accommodate dignitaries, as was indicated by

>   an expensive holocom console and tall picture windows. Obi-Wan bowed his head.

  "I'm pleased to see you well, Master Adi." Despite the fact that Obi-Wan

  could barely contain his curiosity, he refrained from asking Adi Gallia to

  confirm that she had once saved Qui-Gon's life.

  "The medics say she's almost fully recovered," Qui-Gon informed his

  apprentice. "We also noticed the lights have come back on. Has the magnetic

  storm passed?"

  "Yes," replied Obi-Wan.

  "That's what I came to tell you. We're cleared to leave Rhinnal, and both

  the Radiant Vll and Metron Burner are ready for launch."

  "Were you able to get a message through to Corulag?" Qui-Gon asked.

  Obi-Wan nodded.

  "A Corulag Space Traffic Control satellite reported an orbital space

  battle that took place less than an hour ago. Twenty-seven ships were involved

  in the skirmish: a Bartokk starfighter and an unidentified cruiser were

  destroyed. The other ships all sounded like Trade Federation droid

  starfighters, but they escaped into hyperspace."

  "Could the cruiser have been the Bartokks' target?" Adi Gallia asked.

  "It's unlikely," Qui-Gon replied, stroking his chin as he thought.

  "Bartokks are professional killers, not suicide squads. The Bartokk

  starfighter's purpose would have been to control the twenty-five droid

  fighters. If the cruiser had been the target, the Bartokks would have simply

  programmed the droid fighters to destroy it."

  "Maybe the Bartokks were ambushed by the cruiser," Obi-Wan suggested.

  "Perhaps," Qui-Gon allowed. "But we are still left with an awkward

  question: Who has the droid starfighters now?"

  Before anyone could offer an answer, a doctor entered the room.

  "Excuse me," she said, "but there's a HoloNet message holding for Qui-Gon

  Jinn. It's from Coruscant."

  The doctor left Adi Gallia's suite, and Qui-Gon went to the holocomm

  console. He passed his hand over an ID scanner, then watched as a green - ish