The transmission was cut off by a loud burst of static, then another voice—not human—stated, “Fondor Spaceport is under the control of the Droid Control Army. All docking ports are shielded. Do not attempt to land. Fondor’s senator will receive our demands in one hour.” Then the message was repeated.
Obi-Wan looked to Anakin and said, “More droids. Perhaps like those that were on the fake Sun Runner.”
“Perhaps this so-called army is picking up where the other droids left off,” Anakin suggested. “They might intend to use the spaceport as a weapon.”
“What?” gasped the Skull Queen.
Obi-Wan did not want to alarm the Skull Queen but admitted, “Anakin may be right.”
Kit Fisto said, “For all we know, this may be a trap, designed to lure us away from Nallastia.”
“Then stay here if you must,” said the Skull Queen as she retrieved her helmet. “I’m going to rescue Calvaria. Is anyone with me?”
Obi-Wan, Anakin, Bultar, and Kit Fisto turned to face Mace Windu. The senior Jedi said, “The droids’ message states they will issue demands in one hour. If that’s true, then they must be confident that no one will attempt a rescue mission before they issue their demands. If it’s not true, then they may be using the next hour to prepare for even greater chaos. The droids must be stopped now.” He looked at Obi-Wan. “However, Kit Fisto may be right about a trap. Some of us should remain here.”
Obi-Wan asked, “What happens if Prince Alto and his Raptor Clan come looking for Calvaria?”
“We will deal with the Raptor Clan after we find the princess,” Mace Windu replied. After quickly deciding which Jedi would remain on Nallastia, Mace Windu turned to the others and said, “Let us not waste any more time.”
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Standing in the Skull Queen’s fortress, Obi-Wan and Anakin watched Mace Windu, Bultar Swan, and Kit Fisto leave with the Skull Queen. Obi-Wan turned to Anakin and was not surprised to see the young man’s sullen expression.
“Why did Master Windu decide that we should remain on Nallastia?” Anakin asked. “Is it because he thinks I am not ready for such a mission?”
“Master Windu’s orders are not for us to ponder, but to respect,” Obi-Wan replied. “And speaking of respect, it seems to me that Master Windu has given us a great deal of his.”
Anakin shook his head. “Forgive me, Master, but I do not understand. Master Windu selected Bultar Swan and Kit Fisto to join him on the mission to Fondor Spaceport, leaving us behind?”
“We were not left behind, Padawan,” Obi-Wan said. “By assigning us to remain here, Master Windu left us with the responsibility to protect and defend all of Nallastia from hostile intruders. When one thinks about it, that’s quite a lot to entrust to anyone.”
“I didn’t think of it that way,” Anakin admitted, still wishing he were on his way to Fondor Spaceport. “You really think Master Windu trusts me?”
“If he didn’t, I suspect you and I would be forever stuck on Coruscant.”
“I guess you’re right,” Anakin said with a smile. Obi-Wan smiled back, hoping that Anakin would be satisfied with this explanation. In truth, Obi-Wan suspected that Mace Windu had assigned him and Anakin to stay on Nallastia for reasons that had nothing to do with Anakin’s relatively limited experience in combat. Granted, it was just a hunch, but Obi-Wan had a feeling that Mace Windu was trying to do him a favor by keeping him away from the Skull Queen and her unwanted romantic attentions.
Does she truly believe she loves me? As soon as the thought struck Obi-Wan, it began to gnaw at him. And much to his surprise, he was not entirely relieved to be out of the Skull Queen’s presence. He knew she could handle herself in a fight, but he was surprised to suddenly feel very concerned for her safety.
He wished she had remained on Nallastia.
Mace Windu exited the fortress with the Skull Queen, Bultar Swan, and Kit Fisto. Although it was night, Mace could see quite clearly. Overhead, in the star-filled sky, the planet Fondor appeared in a gibbous phase and reflected sunlight down upon Nallastia’s surface. Mace and the others were headed for the landing field, where rested the red-painted Republic Cruiser, when the Skull Queen exclaimed, “Wait!”
“What is it?” Mace asked.
“Your Republic Cruiser is an unarmed diplomatic ship,” the Skull Queen said. “Since Fondor Spaceport is protected by deflector shields, it would be wise to travel with the power gems—the Stars of Nallastia.”
Mace looked to Bultar Swan, who said, “She has a point. The cruiser doesn’t have weapons, and the gems are able to knock out force fields.”
“Where are the power gems now?” Mace asked.
“Atop the Trinity Stones,” the Skull Queen replied.
“Take me there,” Mace Windu said. Turning to Bultar and Kit, he said, “Go to the cruiser and tell the captain to prepare for liftoff.”
Kit and Bultar ran for the ship. The Skull Queen motioned to Mace and said, “This way.”
Following the Skull Queen, Mace rounded the fortress’s outer wall to see three tall megaliths. Armed Nallastian warriors stood guard, defending the sacred power gems that rested atop the Trinity Stones. The Skull Queen ordered the warriors to retrieve the power gems from the megaliths, but Mace raised his hands and said, “Allow me.”
The warriors and Skull Queen watched with amazement as the three power gems rose from the megaliths and quickly traveled through the air toward Mace. The moment the power gems lost contact with the megaliths, a force field activated between the Trinity Stones. As Mace caught the blue and red gems with his left hand and the green gem with his right, the Skull Queen faced her warriors and commanded, “Do not allow anyone near the Trinity Stones until I return with the power gems.” The warriors bowed, and the Skull Queen ran after Mace, who was already heading back to the landing field.
As Mace walked, he removed an expandable pouch from his utility belt and placed the power gems inside them. He was walking past a tree at the edge of the landing field, when he noticed what appeared to be two long, dark logs lying in his path. But as he drew closer, the two forms moved, and Mace realized they were not logs at all. They were six-legged Nallastian lizards with powerful jaws and sharp teeth. Apparently seeing him as a threat, the two reptiles hissed and prepared to attack.
Without breaking his stride, Mace glared at the reptiles and said, “Move.” Something in the man’s voice struck the reptiles with raw terror. Yelping, the reptiles skittered out of Mace’s way and off the landing field.
“Your powers are impressive,” the Skull Queen said as she caught up with Mace.
“A Jedi’s powers are meant to serve the Force, not impress,” Mace responded.
“Think what you like,” the Skull Queen said, matching Mace’s gait. “But I suspect most non-Jedi are fascinated by your abilities.”
“Some are fascinated, others aren’t,” Mace commented as they neared the Republic Cruiser. He added, “Most are envious and want the powers for themselves.”
The Skull Queen laughed. “You suspect I am interested in Obi-Wan because of his powers?”
“What I suspect of your interests is not important,” Mace answered as he led the Skull Queen up the cruiser’s landing ramp. “What I know for a fact is that Obi-Wan is a Jedi and will always be a Jedi. It is his destiny.”
The Skull Queen chose not to comment.
Inside the Republic Cruiser’s entrance forum, Mace Windu and the Skull Queen were greeted by the ship’s captain, Nico Medina. Captain Medina said, “Bultar Swan and Kit Fisto are already seated in the salon pod.”
“We’ll accompany you to the bridge,” Mace said. Opening the pouch that contained the S
tars of Nallastia, Mace added, “According to the Nallastians, these gems should allow us to pass though the spaceport’s defensive shields.”
“They will work,” the Skull Queen insisted.
“Of course,” said Captain Medina. Gems that could disable a force field? He’d heard of stranger things.
They entered a lift that delivered them to a corridor that led to the bridge. As they walked to the bridge, Mace told Medina, “Instruct the pilots to fly directly to Fondor Spaceport.”
“Yes, Master Windu.”
Mace and the Skull Queen eased into two seats in the small lounge behind the cockpit. They were still strapping themselves into their seat’s safety harnesses when the ship lifted off from the landing field.
Seconds later, the ship suddenly lurched hard to one side, and excited shouts came from the cockpit. Glancing through the doorway that separated the lounge from the captain and two copilots, Mace saw the problem: The crew was under attack by a large purple snake.
“It’s a venrap!” the Skull Queen said. “It must have slithered on board while the ship was on the landing field!”
The venrap was already coiled tightly around the seated captain and two copilots, and appeared to be squeezing the life from them. Out of control, the Republic Cruiser’s nose dropped, sending the ship into a steep dive.
Mace unfastened his safety harness and sprang from the lounge. Tumbling toward the cockpit, he slammed into the back of the captain’s seat. The giant snake uncoiled itself from the captain and copilots, and as the three humans slumped forward in their seats, Mace realized they had been rendered unconscious. The venrap turned its purple head to face Mace, hissed, then opened its sharp-fanged maw.
Mace was reluctant to take any life, but he knew there was no other option. He had to regain control of the ship immediately. In a swift, fluid movement, Mace drew his lightsaber, activated its blade, and was about to behead the snake when a vibroblade sailed past his side and struck the snake between the eyes, killing it instantly. With the vibroblade embedded in its skull, the snake’s lifeless body flopped to the cockpit floor.
Mace glanced back to the lounge, where the Skull Queen was still poised with one arm extended. Nice throw, Mace thought as he turned to the cockpit’s viewport. It appeared the cruiser was only seconds away from crashing into the Nallastian jungle.
Stepping past the unconscious copilots, Mace grabbed the controls and pulled back hard. The cruiser responded instantly, arcing up and away from Nallastia’s surface. The snake’s dead body slid back down the corridor and into the lounge.
From the cockpit’s comm came the voice of Bultar Swan, who demanded, “What’s going on up there?”
“We had a little situation,” Mace answered. “Are you and Kit all right?”
Bultar replied, “Yes, Master Windu.”
After the cruiser left Nallastia’s atmosphere and entered space, Mace entered a series of coordinates into the navi-computer, then checked on the captain and copilots. The crew was in stable condition, and Captain Medina was already starting to wake up.
Mace turned back to the Skull Queen, who was prying her vibroblade from the venrap’s skull. Mace said, “The cruiser’s autopilot will take us to Fondor Spaceport. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“I hope there will be no more delays,” the Skull Queen said as she returned the vibroblade to a sheath at her side. “I am anxious to see my daughter.”
Streaking across space, the Republic Cruiser soon arrived within sight of Fondor Spaceport. Mace Windu and the Skull Queen were seated in the copilot seats, having moved the copilots to the lounge.
As the cruiser neared the spaceport, the comm system intercepted an automated audio transmission: “Do not attempt to land,” said a non-human voice. “Fondor Spaceport is under the control of the Droid Control Army. All docking ports are shielded. Do not attempt to land.” The message repeated itself. Mace Windu switched off the comm.
According to the Republic Cruiser’s sensor array, all of Fondor Spaceport was protected by strong deflector shields, invisible force fields that had been adjusted to prevent any starship from entering the hangars. From what Mace could see through the cruiser’s viewport, the spaceport had two deflector-shield projectors—geodesic domes that hugged the station’s hull-like massive blisters.
Mace reached for the pouch that contained the power gems. Opening the pouch, he asked, “How exactly do these gems work? Do we have to place them on top of the deflector-shield projectors?”
“That method is reserved for Trinity Stones,” the Skull Queen replied. “According to legend, all we have to do is bring the gems within range of the force field. The gems project an aura. They do not have to leave your cruiser.”
Mace steered the cruiser closer to the massive spaceport. When he had closed the distance to fifty meters, the spaceport’s exterior was suddenly illuminated by a brilliant flash of blue light.
“The deflector shields are down!” Mace said.
“Now you sound impressed,” the Skull Queen noted.
Mace adjusted a sensor to home in on the signal from the tracker on Princess Calvaria’s shuttle. Following the signal, Mace steered the cruiser into the hangar that contained the Nallastian shuttle and landed beside it.
Mace and the Skull Queen left the cockpit and rode the lift to the cruiser’s entrance forum, where they were reunited with Kit Fisto and Bultar Swan. Stepping out of the Republic Cruiser and onto the hangar’s landing pad, the group saw that Princess Calvaria’s shuttle looked undamaged. In fact, the hangar’s entire interior appeared normal, except for the fact that there weren’t any living beings in sight.
The Skull Queen and Mace inspected Calvaria’s shuttle and found no one on board. Exiting the shuttle, they looked for clues that might have suggested the direction Calvaria took when she left the hangar. Near a stack of empty cargo containers, Mace noticed a single sheet of plastoid plating lying on the floor. Wondering how the plastoid plate came to rest in that location, he picked it up and examined it.
Then he heard a noise: Gonk-gonk-gonk. The sound came from a box-shaped, two-legged GNK power droid, which wobbled out from behind one of the cargo containers. Power droids were ambulatory fusion generators, a common sight in starship hangars and docking yards. Mace noticed there were more plastoid sheets on top of one cargo container, and he imagined that the droid may have accidentally knocked over the one that he had found on the floor.
Suddenly, the power droid’s upper casing flipped open, revealing a rapid-repeating blaster. The lethally modified droid fired off a burst of laser bolts. Kit, Bultar, and the Skull Queen dove for cover.
But not Mace. With one hand, he held the plastoid sheet like a shield in front of his body, as he drew his lightsaber with his other hand. As laser bolts hammered at the plastoid sheet, Mace advanced to the power droid and lashed out with his blazing blade, neatly severing the blaster from the droid’s frame.
The power droid lurched forward, trying to stomp on Mace’s foot, but Mace landed a powerful kick on the droid’s side. The droid fell back into an empty cargo container, and Mace moved quickly to seal the container, trapping the droid.
As the cargo droid thumped and bumped within the container, Kit said, “Can we assume that we’ve had our first encounter with the Droid Control Army?”
Mace answered, “We should assume nothing until we learn who programmed the droids, and why. Right now, I’m more concerned about finding Princess Calvaria and the other beings on the spaceport.”
“Fondor Spaceport is quite large,” said the Skull Queen. “We’ll have a better chance of finding the captives if we split up.”
Kit and Bultar looked to Mace, waiting for his decision. Mace said, “Agreed. Move out.”
Four doorways provided exits from the hangar, so Bultar, Kit, and the Skull Queen each left through a different doorway. Mace was heading for the remaining doorway when he saw an open vent set in the wall above a bulkhead. Listening carefully, Mace heard the fain
t sound of mechanical beeps and whistles.
More droids.
Mace climbed up the bulkhead and slipped into the open vent. He crawled along through the vent until he arrived at a room filled with computers. It was a spaceport security office, and there were two cylindrical-bodied, dome-headed astromech droids on either side of the chamber. One astromech was jacked into the spaceport’s main computer, and the other monitored a technical readout on a sensor screen.
Mace lowered himself down from the vent, and the two droids rotated their domes to look at him through their photoreceptors. The droids appeared harmless, but then each flipped open more concealed panels to extend a manipulator-gripped fusion-cutter, a cutting tool that emitted a high-energy plasma beam.
With incredible speed, Mace drew his humming lightsaber and leaped between the two astromechs. One droid turned quickly as it fired its fusion-cutter, accidentally shooting the other droid, destroying it instantly. Mace brought his lightsaber down through the shooter, and the astromech screeched as it was cut in half. Both droids fell in pieces to the floor.
Mace deactivated his lightsaber. Returning the weapon to his belt, he stepped past the smoldering remains of the two astromechs and moved to the security office’s computer terminal. He then examined the displays on several screens. Except for the spaceport’s disabled deflector-shield projectors, all systems appeared to be operational. Mace hoped the spaceport’s computer would reveal the number of enemy droids on board, and also the location of any captured life-forms.
He tinkered with the controls until he found the information he wanted. According to the spaceport’s security records, Fondor Spaceport had been infiltrated and seized by a total of twelve unauthorized droids, who had then forced all life-forms into Hangar 173. At present, six droids were guarding the captives. Mace had already defeated three enemy droids, which left—in addition to the six in Hangar 173—three more droids at large elsewhere in the spaceport. Unfortunately, the security computer was unable to determine the location of the three unaccounted for droids.
Star Wars Adventures 003 - The Hostage Princess Page 3