Breaker, Sharp, and Knuckles all looked at Chatterbox and said simultaneously, “Really?”
Chatterbox nodded.
Seated across from Veeren in the conference room, Nuru said, “Will anyone else be joining us?”
“No,” Veeren replied firmly.
“Oh,” Nuru said. He glanced at Cleaver, who stood beside him, then looked back at Veeren. He said, “It’s just ... well, I expected I'd be meeting more Chiss. Maybe because I sense there are others on board ... watching us?”
Veeren remained silent for a moment, then said, “A security detail is monitoring this room and also the docking bay. You will explain your understanding of this meeting’s purpose.”
“All right,” Nuru said, shifting in his seat, which wasn‘t very comfortable. “Chancellor Palpatine informed me that an ambassador of the Chiss Ascendancy contacted his office, requesting to meet with a representative of the Jedi Order. The Chancellor expressed his hope that this would be an opportunity to begin diplomatic relations between our governments. He assigned me to this mission because he believed you would be pleased to meet a Chiss Jedi.”
“Please me?” Veeren said. “Your Chancellor assumes much.”
Confused. Nuru said, “You ... are disappointed?”
“Defense Force Station Ifpe'a is not a pleasure craft.”
Nuru said, “I regret I am not communicating clearly. I believe the Chancellor, in sending me, hoped to show that Chiss are not strangers to the Republic. Would you have preferred a different Jedi?”
Veeren seemed to study Nuru's face, then said, “Although I thought I understood your language, I do not understand why you ask questions that reveal your ignorance.”
Taken aback, Nuru said, “Well, I ask questions to gain knowledge.”
“Your methods of diplomacy are very strange,” Veeren said. “You would not object if I asked you questions?”
“No, not at all.”
“What do you know of your heritage?”
“My heritage?” Nuru said, surprised by the question. “I ... I am a Jedi. I was raised at the Temple on Coruscant.”
“And how did you arrive at the Jedi Temple?”
“A Jedi discovered a Chiss ship's escape pod drifting in the Outer Rim. I was the pod‘s only occupant. I was an infant.”
“And how did you come by the name Nuru Kungurama?” Her upper lip sneered slightly as she pronounced his name.
“According to the Jedi who found me, a data cylinder identified me by that name.”
“What is the total firepower of your Republic fleet?”
"What?!” Nuru said, startled by the sudden change in course of the questioning. “I ... I don't believe I'm at liberty to share that information.”
Veeren replied, “You should he so cautious with all information.”
Feeling as if he were incapable of saying, anything right, Nuru glanced at Cleaver, who had been standing beside him in silence the entire time. Nuru said, “I don't suppose you have any data about Chiss protocol?”
“No,” Cleaver said. “but if you need me to translate anything, let me know.”
“Thanks,” Nuru said. Looking at Veeren, he again tried to regain his composure. “With all due respect, Aristocra, I believe this meeting would be more productive if you explained why you requested a representative of the Jedi Order to travel to this station.”
“Of course,” Veeren said. “The Chiss Expansionary Defense Force has reliable sources throughout your galaxy. We are aware of the civil war between the Republic and Separatists, and that many Jedi are now in command of the Republic's armies. Twenty days ago, a cluster of unidentified spacecrafts was sighted near our borders before they escaped into hyperspace. I am compelled to-”
Nuru leaned forward in his seat. “Forgive me for interrupting,” he said, “but I believe I should have told you something earlier. During my communication with Chancellor Palpatine, he mentioned that the Separatists might have spies in Chiss space, which was why he proposed sending me on a classified mission to meet you. I imagine it’s possible that the unidentified spacecraft belonged to the Separatists.”
Veeren stared at Nuru for a moment, and then, completely ignoring his interruption, she continued, “I am compelled to inform the Jedi Order that our defense force has increased border patrols, and will not tolerate trespassers.”
Nuru waited for Veeren to say more, then realized she seemed to be done. He said, “I don’t understand. Are you implying that the unidentified spacecraft may have been ... vessels carrying Jedi?”
“I am not implying anything,” Veeren said. “I am telling you that the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force will not tolerate trespassers.”
Nuru raised his eyebrows quizzically. “You want the Republic and Separatists to stay away?”
“Correct,” Veeren said. “The Chiss Ascendancy has no interest in your war. If either the Republic or Separatists regards the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force as a potential ally, it would be a grave error in judgment. You may leave now.”
Nuru was stunned. He could barely believe that he had been encouraged to travel with the Breakout Squad so far across space, only to be dismissed by this Chiss ambassador and told to never return. He realized just how much he had hoped to learn about his native world and people, and with that hope dashed, his disappointment was almost crushing. I really wasn't prepared for this mission, he thought.
But he also remembered he was a Jedi.
Nuru took a deep breath to calm himself. Rising from his seat, he said, “I thank you for your time, Aristocra Sev'eere'nuruodo. I shall relay your message to Chancellor Palpatine as soon as-”
A muffled explosion interrupted Nuru. Veeren turned her head to the side and said, “Status.”
From a hidden audio unit behind Veeren’s chair, a disembodied voice replied, “Incoming.”
“Incoming?” Nuru repeated as he and Cleaver turned to the viewport to see their allies beside the Hasty Harpy. The four troopers had heard the explosion, too, and had already unslung their blaster rifles.
More explosions sounded. Behind Veeren's chair, a section of wall slid hack to reveal a wide viewscreen. Veeren’s chair swiveled in the air, turning fast so she could face the screen, on which appeared the image of a black-uniformed male Chiss.
“We are under attack, Aristocra,” said the officer from the screen. “An armada dropped out from hyperspace."
Veeren said, “Display.”
The viewscreen shimmered. The officer's image vanished and was instantly replaced by the spectacle of more than a dozen warships and countless Vulture-class droid starfighters swarming the space station.
Nuru exclaimed, “Separatist fighters!” And then he sighted a bulky Metalorn yacht among the warships, and recalled that Overseer Umbrag of the Techno Union owned such a vessel.
The station shuddered violently as it was wracked by a more devastating series of explosions.
Watching the viewscreen, Veeren said, “They could not have arrived at this location by accident.” She swiveled her seat to face Nuru, “Someone led them here.”
Nuru was astonished by Veeren’s accusation. Before he could respond, the Chiss space station buckled under the force of a singular massive shockwave, and a loud, electric hum filled the air. The power of the blast sent Cleaver lurching backward across the meeting room. Veeren tumbled out of her hovering chair, which was left spinning in the air. Nuru braced his legs as he caught Veeren, turning his head fast to prevent her nose from colliding with his jaw.
“Let go!” Veeren said as she pushed herself away from Nuru. She staggered toward the viewscreen. Before she could reach it, the viewscreen made a crackling noise and fizzled off. A split second later, the meeting room and the docking bay were thrown into darkness.
In the docking bay, the troopers activated the tactical spot lamps on their helmets. While Chatterbox and Sharp trained their spot lamps on the surrounding walls and held their positions beside the Hasty Harpy, Breaker and Knuckles dart
ed through the doorway that led to the meeting room.
Emergency lights flickered on, and the meeting room's viewscreen winked back to life. Veeren faced the viewscreen and said, “Status.” The viewscreen flashed three times, then died again along with the emergency lights.
As Breaker and Knuckles raced into the meeting room, their spot lamps landed on Cleaver as he tottered back beside Nuru. “Who hit us?” Knuckles asked.
Nuru said, “Separatist warships!”
“Status!” Veeren repeated sharply. The viewscreen flickered again.
The electric hum grew louder. Out of the corner of his helmet’s T-visor, Breaker saw the viewscreen brighten unexpectedly. Although he knew nothing about Chiss technology, his instincts told him that the station’s energy systems were overloading, and that he wouldn’t be able to warn the others fast enough.
“Down!”Breaker shouted as he launched his armored body between the viewscreen and Veeren. The trooper was still in midair when the viewscreen exploded. His armor rook most of the blast as he wrapped his arms around the Chiss girl.
Breaker grunted as he hit the floor, letting his right arm and leg take the impact. He held the girl close against his chest, protecting the back of her head with his left hand as they rolled to a Stop against the base of the wall.
Smoke poured out from the ruined viewscreen and began to fill the meeting room. Knuckles directed his spot lamp at the two figures on the floor. Nuru moved past the floating conical chairs, fell to Breaker’s side, and said, “Are you two all right?”
“Never better,” Breaker muttered as he carefully extracted himself from Veeren. But as he shifted his black-gloved hand out from under her head, she slumped against the floor.
Nuru felt his stomach clench. He moved his hand to Veeren‘s neck, and exhaled with relief when he found a pulse. “She’s alive!” As smoke continued to fill the room, he added, “We have to get her out of here. Now!”
Knuckles picked up Veeren while Cleaver and Nuru helped Breaker to his feet. They moved fast out of the meeting room and returned to the docking bay, where they found Sharp and Chatterbox waiting for them. Sharp asked, “Who's hitting us?”
“Separatist warships!” Nuru replied, and then he heard a loud crack from above. The docking bay’s ceiling was buckling. “Where’s Gunn?”
Chatterbox aimed a thumb at the Hasty Harpy as Sharp said, “Inside! Come on!” Sharp made sure everyone made it up the landing ramp, and then followed them in, just as the Harpy's engines roared to life.
“Take care of the Aristocra!” Nuru shouted to the troopers as the ramp lifted behind him. The freighter’s engines thundered louder. Nuru bolted to the cockpit. He came up fast behind Gunn's seat and said, “Gunn, we’re under attack by-”
“Everyone on board?” Gunn interrupted.
“Yes, but-”
“No time for ‘buts,’ kid!" Gunn said as she flipped control switches. “It's time to leave!” She pressed a trigger and the Harpy's laser cannon opened fire, punching a large hole in the docking bay’s sealed door. The docking bay's air whipped out through the breach and into space. The Harpy lifted off the landing pad and began drifting toward the opening. Gunn made a quick adjustment to her cannon’s control and fired again, expanding the hole.
“Gunn!” Nuru cried as he gripped the back of Gunn's seat. “There's a Separatist armada out there!”
“Too bad for them!” Gunn said. She moved both hands to the flight controls and launched the Harpy out through the gaping hole in the door. The Harpy's tail had barely cleared the breach when the docking bay's ceiling collapsed, spraying debris behind the fleeing ship.
Droid starfighters were everywhere. Two fighters flew directly into the Harpy's path and collided with her energy shields. As the Corellian transport bounced at the impact, Gunn activated the intercom and shouted, “Chatterbox! Cockpit! Now!”
Gunn sent the Harpy into a steep dive away from the space station and accelerated. Through the cockpit windows, Nuru sighted the Metalorn yacht amid the Separatist warships, then glimpsed dozens of small, cylindrical vessels streaking away from the station. Nuru assumed they were Chiss escape pods, and wondered if they were equipped with hyperdrives. He had his answer a moment later, as he watched all the vessels angle off in the same direction, and then rapidly vanish into space.
Nuru peeked at the sensor scopes and saw several droid fighters veer away from the station, moving in pursuit of Gunn's ship. A moment later, Chatterbox moved fast past Nuru and jumped into the seat beside Gunn.
Laser fire hammered at the Harpy's aft shields. Gunn took evasive action, sending the Harpy into a Controlled roll. She kept her eyes forward, not looking at Chatterbox as she commanded, “Enter an emergency transposal on our last jump into the navicomputer, just like I showed you how.”
Chatterbox began pressing buttons on a console. Nuru said, “Emergency transposal?”
“That's right, kid,” Gunn replied. “We can't outrun all those fighters, and we’re in the Unknown Regions, remember? Our only chance of escaping this mess is through hyperspace, and the only route the navi-computer has for this area is back the way we came!”
“But that‘ll take days!” Nuru protested.
“We don't have a choice!” She activated the ship's intercom and said, “Everyone hang on, we’re gonna jump!”
The Harpy swerved around another group of fighters, then shuddered as more laser fire pounded at her shields. Nuru sank his fingers deeper into the back of Gunn's seat and said, “How long before we jump?”
“We’d be doing it faster if your blue girlfriend had given us alternative routes to choose from!”
Another hail of laser fire streaked passed the cockpit. Looking at the back of Gunn’s head, Nuru said, “Huh? Girlfriend?!”
Ignoring Nuru, Gunn snapped, “Is the navicomputer set?!”
Three agonizing seconds past as Chatterbox studied a technical readout, then turned to Gunn and gave her a thumbs-up.
Gunn asked, “Where’s the portal?”
Chatterbox pointed to a winking yellow spot on the navigational scope. Gunn glanced at the scope, saw the portal’s location, and angled toward it. As they neared the portal, Gunn said, “Punch it!”
A droid fighter swooped in front of the Harpy. Gunn swerved to avoid hitting the fighter at the same time that Chatterbox pulled back on the lightspeed throttle. An instant later, the Harpy launched into hyperspace.
As the view through the cockpit windows transformed from distant points of light to long, brilliant streaks, Nuru gasped. “We made it!”
Gunn laughed. “That was a close one, all right.”
“You said it,” Chatterbox agreed.
Gunn punched Chatterbox in the arm. She said, “There you go, mouthing off again!” She glanced back at Nuru and said. “Go tell the others that we're in for another long trip.”
Eager to check on the Aristocra, Nuru left the cockpit and went to the main cabin. As he ducked through the connective passage tube, he was wondering if Veeren was still unconscious when he heard a voice that gave him the answer.
“Where am I?!”
Stepping into the main cabin, Nuru found Veeren lying on the acceleration couch, with Knuckles and Sharp crouched on the deck beside her. Knuckles had strapped Veeren to the couch for her own safety during their hasty escape from the station. Now awake, she wriggled against the restraints. On the other side of the cabin, Cleaver stood beside Breaker, who had removed his helmet but remained seated.
Veeren freed one of her arms and tried to strike Sharp. Knuckles grabbed her wrist and said, “Hold still!”
“Release me at once!”
“We’re trying to!”
“Aristocra,” Nuru said firmly as he stepped closer to her, “please, be calm.”
Veeren twisted her head to face Nuru. Her red eyes burned at him.
“Your viewscreen exploded in the conference room,” Nuru said. “There was a lot of smoke, and the docking bay was collapsing. We had to get yo
u out of there. You might have been killed if not for the quick action of this trooper.”
He gestured to Breaker, who shifted in his seat while Cleaver helped him peel off his armor. Facing Breaker, Nuru said, “Are you all right?”
“Just a scrape,” Breaker said. “But I need a fresh bacta patch for my ribcage.” He turned to Cleaver, who handed him a medpac.
Nuru returned his attention to Veeren. As Knuckles and Sharp removed the straps that had held the girl in place, she sat up on the couch and glanced around the cabin’s interior, taking in her surroundings.
“You're on our ship,” Nuru said. “Your station was still under attack when we escaped.” Turning back to Breaker, he said, “I saw a Metalorn yacht among the warships.”
Breaker scowled. On Kynachi, he had witnessed Overseer Umbrag’s escape from the planet on a Metalorn yacht. He said, “You think Umbrag led the attack?”
“I can’t be certain. But how did he obtain the coordinates to reach the space station?” Nuru wondered. Turning to Gunn, he asked, “Could he have followed us through hyperspace?”
Before Gunn could answer, Veeren interrupted, “Return me to Defense Force Station at once.”
“I regret that’s impossible," Nuru said, “and not just because I don’t know whether your station was completely destroyed. We’re currently traveling through hyperspace on a preset course. It was the only way we could escape the assault. Apparently, your comrades chose the same method to evacuate. I saw many escape pods jettison from the station. It looked like all of them made it into hyperspace.”
Through clenched teeth, Veeren said, “What is your course?”
Nuru knew that Veeren would not like his answer, and he felt his throat go dry. “The only navigational coordinates we had for this journey were the ones we used to reach your station, so we executed an emergency transposal to backtrack to our previous jump. If the hyperlane we’re presently traveling has a name, we weren’t informed of it, but I could show you our approximate position on a star map.”
Star Wars - The Clone Wars - Secret Missions #2 - Curse of the Black Hole Pirates Page 4