Star Wars - The Clone Wars - Secret Missions #2 - Curse of the Black Hole Pirates

by Ryder Windham

  “A party, Bossk,” Mcgrrrr replied. “We're welcoming some new additions to our ranks.” Gesturing to an empty seat beside Gunn, Mcgrrrr added, “Won't you join us for a drink?”

  “I wanna know who hit me!” Bossk said. “And why are those clones dancing?!”

  “Because no one told them to stop,” Mokshok replied as he stepped away from the other pirates so Bossk could see him. Keeping his lidless eyes on Bossk, Mokshok said, “Troopers One, Two, Three, and Four! Stop dancing and stand at attention!”

  The troopers immediately drew their arms away from one another's shoulders and came to a sudden stop. Still facing Bossk, Mokshok continued, “These clones do whatever they're told. If you were more like them, you might not have wound up in the infirmary.”

  Bossk responded with a wheezing laugh. “That a fact? Seems to me you should be glad I'm not like them.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because I usually only kill for money. But those guys ...” He tilted his chin toward the troopers. “The only thing stopping them from tearing your ugly head off is no one's asked them yet.” Bossk's eyes flicked to the troopers as he barked, “Hey, soldier boys! Wanna have some real fun?”

  The pirates who had regarded the four troopers as obedient, acrobatic servants suddenly imagined their violent potential. Then the pirates glanced at one another, and began backing away cautiously from the troopers.

  Nuru noticed several pirates had moved their hands toward their holstered blasters. He glanced at Gunn and sensed her anxiety, that she was wondering the same thing he was. Where’s Cleaver?

  Bossk looked at the four troopers and wheezed laughter again. Returning his gaze to Mokshok, he said, “Lookin’ a little worried there, friend. See, if I were you, I’d be thinking the best use for a bunch of clones is target practice.”

  Bossk began to raise his blaster rifle.

  Nuru sprang from his chair, leaping high into the air.

  Bossk stopped raising his rifle, holding it so its barrel was aimed at one of the troopers.

  Nuru gracefully executed a midair somersault as he snatched his lightsaber from the pocket in his coveralls and thumbed the activator switch, igniting its blade with a loud hum.

  Bossk’s thick Trandoshan finger flexed against the rifle’s trigger.

  Still airborne and with his lightsaber blazing, Nuru angled his legs and positioned himself to land in front of the troopers.

  Bossk's weapon fired, launching an energy bolt at the nearest trooper.

  Nuru was still descending to the banquet hall's deck as he swung his lightsaber to slam the energy bolt back at the Trandoshan. The bolt smashed into Bossk’s rifle, shattering it instantly and knocking it from Bossk’s grip.

  As Bossk's rifle clattered against the deck, Gunn jumped up from Mcgrrrr's table and ran to Nuru’s side. She was still running toward him when Nuru saw a nearby pirate draw a blaster pistol.

  Holding tight to his lightsaber with his left hand, Nuru extended his right hand as he used the Force to snare the pistol, yanking it from the startled pirate's fingers. The pistol sailed through the air toward Nuru and into his waiting hand. He immediately tossed the pistol to Gunn, who caught it just before she arrived at his side.

  The pirates gaped in astonishment at the sight of Nuru’s lightsaber. Gunn shifted her body behind Nuru so her back was up against his. Gunn said, “Maybe my plan wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

  “Now you tell me,” Nuru muttered. He scanned the pirates who stood before him. As his lightsaber hummed, he said, “Drop your weapons, and surrender at once.”

  “Jedi?!” Mcgrrrr gasped as he rose from his seat. “The boy is a Jedi?!”

  Wheezing laughter came from Nuru’s left. He glanced at Bossk, who stood with his arms braced across his chest. When the Trandoshan was done laughing, he said, “Surrender to you, blue-boy? Ha! Just hand over the laser sword, and I'll carve you up neatly before I eat you.”

  Nuru was about to respond when he noticed a dark, humanoid figure move low and fast behind Bossk. The figure appeared to be carrying a large bag as he darted for a shadowy alcove. The figure's arm lashed out, flinging the bag at a low angle so it sailed past Bossk, struck the deck, and slid toward the four troopers who had remained at attention at the center of the chamber.

  All the pirates watched the bag slide to a stop near the troopers, then turned to the alcove to see the mysterious newcomer who had thrown the sack. The pirates cringed as a second lightsaber ignited in the shadows, but Nuru saw something else. A pair of bright white eyes glowed in the darkness above and behind the lightsaber.

  Cleaver.

  The pirates were momentarily fixated on the dark figure they assumed was a second Jedi, but then they heard ratcheting sounds from the chamber's center, and returned their attention to the troopers. The troopers had quickly emptied the cargo sack and now stood in a tight circle, facing away from one another, with their blaster rifles leveled and ready to open fire on the pirates.

  “The troopers were only pretending to be defective,” Nuru said. “Each one is an expert shot.”

  “Goody,” Bossk said, gnashing his teeth as he prepared to throw himself at the troopers. “Let's dance!”

  “No!” Mcgrrrr shouted so loud that even Bossk was surprised. Then Mcgrrrr looked directly at Nuru and said, “Obey the Jedi! No one even thinks of harming the Jedi or their allies!”

  Bossk said, “Huh?”

  “You heard the cap’n!” Mokshok said as he faced his fellow pirates. “Lay down your weapons! All of you!”

  Nuru watched with amazement as all the pirates carefully removed their weapons from their holsters and belts and placed them on the deck. Then he glanced at Veeren, who was gazing back at him. He felt some satisfaction in seeing that she looked relieved. But then, Gunn said, “Don’t trust ’em, kid. Pirates will trick you every time.”

  “It's no trick, I assure you," Mcgrrrr said as he stepped away from his table, raising his hands so Nuru could see they were empty. “The fact is that we have long hoped for a Jedi to arrive here, as we believe only a Jedi can help us escape the sector.” Tears welled up in his eyes as he added, “You really are a Jedi, aren't you?”

  Nuru nodded. “I am Nuru Kungurama. My friend in the shadows is a droid.” Keeping his eyes on Mcgrrrr, he said, “Come on out, Cleaver.”

  Still holding Ring-Sol Ambase’s lightsaber, Cleaver emerged from the dark alcove. Breaker said, “Good work, Cleaver.”

  “Thank you, Master Breaker.” Remembering the Patrolian he'd encountered earlier, he added, “I should mention that I subdued one pirate and left him tied up on the Hasty Harpy. I hope I did the right thing. His permanent termination seemed unnecessary.

  “I'm sure you used good judgment,” Nuru said.

  Mcgrrrr glanced at Cleaver, then looked back at Nuru and said, “A Jedi. How very fantastic.” Then he looked at Veeren and said, “You're his sister. Are you a Jedi, too?”

  Before Veeren could respond, Nuru answered “She is neither my sister nor a Jedi. She is a Chiss ambassador under my protection.”

  “I only wish you'd identified yourself sooner!” Mcgrrrr said. He turned to Mokshok. “Set course for Plunder Moon!”

  “Aye, Cap'n,” Mokshok said.

  Bossk looked from the lightsaber-wielding droid commando to the four Republic troopers. Then he shifted his gaze to the disarmed Black Hole Pirates and then to their captain, who was practically beaming at the Jedi boy. Shaking his head with disgust, Bossk said, “You're all screwy.”

  “All right, Mcgrrrr,” Lalo Gunn said. “You and your pirates are off the hook.”

  “I’m pleased to know it,” Mcgrrrr said with a polite bow.

  Gunn had just completed a thorough inspection of her transport to confirm that the dent made by Bossk's head in the cabin’s wall was the only damage caused by the Black Hole Pirates. She had warned Mcgrrrr that if any part of her ship were broken or missing, she would not be pleased.

  Gunn and Mcgrrrr
were standing with Nuru, the four clone troopers, Cleaver, and Veeren in the Hasty Harpy’s main cabin. Robonino had been freed and released to the other pirates. Gunn’s compact blaster was back in place inside her right boot, and Cleaver had returned Ring-Sol Ambase's lightsaber to Nuru. Nuru had changed out of his borrowed coveralls and was once again his Jedi robes. The troopers had removed their helmets, and they watched Mcgrrrr warily.

  The Harpy remained docked with the Vangaard Pathfinder, which in turn was docked with the Random Mallet. All the ships and pirate starfighters were traveling toward a small moon in orbit of a gas planet. Facing Mcgrrrr, Nuru said, “You say we're on course for Plunder Moon?”

  Mcgrrrr nodded. “That's the name we gave to the world where we placed the two Sullustans who refused to become pirates. They arrived out of hyperspace about eight years ago. Did I mention these Sullustans are sort of historians?”

  “No, you didn‘t,” Nuru said. “What do you mean by 'sort of'?”

  Mcgrrrr scratched his chin. “Well, they're more like scientific researchers. They say they study ancient artifacts to learn about long-dead civilizations. There's a name for what they do ...”

  “Xenoarchaeology,” Nuru said.

  “That’s it,” Mcgrrrr said. “Anyway, not long after we delivered them to Plunder Moon, they began exploring an ancient structure, a partially collapsed pyramid. Inside the pyramid, they found alien glyphs and technology. According to the Sullustans, these glyphs suggest the tech can only be activated by someone with Force powers.”

  Nuru’s red eyes went wide. “Captain Mcgrrrr, have the Sullustans encountered any large, blueskinned reptiles?”

  “None that I know of,” Mcgrrrr replied. “But I recall the glyphs had images of saurian creatures. Why?”

  “Because from what you’ve described, the pyramid sounds like a Star Temple built by a reptilian species, the ancient Kwa. Their descendants are the Kwi, who still exist on scattered worlds.”

  Impatient, Gunn said, “What do a bunch of old lizards have to do with getting us away from the black hole?”

  “Possibly everything,” Nuru said. “Jedi scholars learned that the Kwa harnessed the power of the cosmos - possibly the power of the Force itself - inside massive underground chambers that lay below the Star Temples. The Kwa used this power to travel the universe through planetary-based hyperspace portals that they called Infinity Gates, and designed the Star Temples to protect the integrity of these gates.”

  “Whoa,” Gunn said. “Planetary-based portals? That’s impossible. Everyone knows you can’t hyperspace until you're free of a planet's gravity. There’s no way you can do it from inside a planet.”

  “As I understand it,” Nuru continued, "the Kwa may have also possessed powers that allowed them to control their technology. Only a few Star Temples have ever been discovered. The Kwa left behind ferocious monsters and many hidden death traps to deal with intruders.”

  “I haven‘t heard of any monsters or traps,” Mcgrrrr said. “All I know is that the Sullustans say the ancient tech can only be activated by a Jedi. The way they tell it, the tech could allow a number of ships to make a hyperspace jump out of this realm.”

  Gunn looked at Nuru and said, “Is this true? Can you make this happen?”

  Nuru glanced at Veeren, and then at the troopers. He realized everyone was waiting and hoping for a positive response from him, as if their lives depended on it. He said, “Kwa technology is very powerful ... but extremely dangerous. At the Jedi Temple, I learned of an incident that happened about nine years ago. A small Star Temple was discovered on the planet Ova. Evidently, Kwa Star Temples can be used not just for interstellar travel, but as weapons to direct powerful waves of energy, called infinity waves, across the galaxy. Shortly after it was discovered, another planet's Star Temple fired an infinity wave at Ova.”

  Gunn said, “What happened?”

  “Ova was obliterated.”

  “Oh,” Gunn said, raising her eyebrows. “So where does that leave us?”

  Veeren cleared her throat, then said, “I do not mean to say this as a threat, Nuru Kungurama, but merely as a statement of fact. If I am not returned to Chiss space, the ascendancy may go to war with the Republic. It is not my wish for this to happen, yet the situation is beyond my control. If there is anything you can do to help us leave this sector, I will alert the ascendancy that it was the Separatists — not the Republic — that attacked Defense Force Station lfpe’a ... and I would be most grateful.”

  Nuru did not want to disappoint Veeren. He said, “I imagine I‘ll have a better idea of how to proceed after we meet the Sullustans, and they show me what they’ve found at the pyramid.”

  “You'll meet them soon enough,” Mcgrrrr said as he gestured to the periscopic viewscreen. “We’re descending to Plunder Moon now.”

  Even though the ancient stone pyramid was partially collapsed, Nuru thought it was an impressive sight. Its height was ten times longer than the Random Mallet's overall length, and it loomed like an artificial mountain over the Sullustans’ Camp, several small structures that made up the only other architecture on the lunar surface. The pyramid’s sharply angled peak was so high above the ground that it seemed to permanently stab the crimson sky, just as it had done for over one hundred thousand years. Nuru could not help marveling over the fact that the pyramid was so many eons older than the Jedi Order itself, and that most of the edifice was still standing.

  The Black Hole Pirates had undocked and landed their ships along with the Hasty Harpy on a wide stretch of rocky ground beside the pyramid. While Veeren waited with Gunn and Cleaver aboard the Harpy, Nuru descended the Harpy's ramp along with Mcgrrrr and the four troopers, then walked toward the Sullustans’ camp.

  Because Mcgrrrr had referred to two Sullustans living on Plunder Moon, Nuru was surprised to see three emerge from one of the camp structures, which were arranged beside a large vegetable garden. Two Sullustans were adults, a male and female, both jowly-faced humanoids distinguished by big, black eyes and large, prominent ears. The third was a Sullustan child, who appeared to be about six years old, and held the adult male's hand.

  Nuru glanced at Mcgrrrr and said, “You didn't tell me they were a family.”

  “You didn't ask,” Mcgrrrr replied with a grin. “Their daughter was born a few years ago.”

  The Sullustans trotted cautiously over to meet the landing party. The adult male Sullustan, who had the largest ears, looked at Nuru and the troopers, then stared at Mcgrrrr.

  “What’s going on, you thieving devil?” he said. “Found some other unfortunate fellows who have no interest in working for you?”

  Mcgrrrr laughed. “It's good to see you, too, Professor Groob. Allow me to introduce Nuru Kungurama, a Jedi.”

  The three Sullustans stared at Nuru, who was only slightly taller than Professor Groob. “Real Jedi carry real lightsabers. How about you?” asked the professor.

  Nuru pushed back his robe to reveal the two lightsabers clipped to his belt. He said, “Do you require a demonstration?”

  The adult Sullustans glanced at each other, then Groob said, “No! Please, forgive our skepticism!” Gesturing to his fellow Sullustans, he said, “My wife and colleague, Parv Dijj, and our daughter, Ulsee. Parv and I are ... I mean, we were professors of xenoarchaeology at the University of Ketaris.”

  Parv Dijj said, “Imagine our surprise when we discovered a Kwa Star Temple here!”

  “But we're all eager to leave and go home,” Groob added quickly. “Will you help us, young Jedi? Will you?”

  Nuru was taken aback by the earnestness of the Sullustan’s request. He said, “I don’t know how much you know about Kwa technology, but in the wrong hands, it's been known to destroy entire star systems.”

  Groob said, “If you’re referring to the Star Temple on Ova, I dare say we know more than most.”

  “We discovered the Ova Temple,” Parv continued with obvious pride, “and provided the report that notified the Jedi Council about
its existence!”

  Groob added, “If we hadn't traveled to Coruscant to deliver our report, we might have been on Ova when it vanished into infinity! Not that we were entirely lucky. We were on our way back to the University of Ketaris when our ship fell out of hyperspace and wound up here.”

  Nuru got the impression that the Sullustans were enjoying the opportunity to talk about their experiences. Turning his gaze to the pyramid, he said, “Captain Mcgrrrr said you haven't stumbled across any monstrous guardians or traps in or around the Star Temple. Is this true?”

  Groob nodded. “On Ova, we found plenty of traps and barely escaped an attack by enormous whuffa worms. The Kwa used whuffas as guardians for their temples. But on this world, we've found only the fossilized remains of whuffas. The worst danger is collapsing rubble.”

  Parv nodded in agreement, then added, “Clearing a route through the pyramid to the stellar control station wasn’t easy.”

  “You’ve seen the station?” Nuru said. “The activation controls are functional?”

  Groob said, “I believe you'll find that all they need are a Jedi's touch.”

  “How do you reach the station?”

  “We fly!” Groob exclaimed. “Mcgrrrr left us with a swoop, which we keep in that shelter over there.” He faced Mcgrrrr, then continued, “You have our salvage ship. If you return it, we’ll lead you through the pyramid's collapsed area. After that, we’ll all fly down through the caverns to the stellar control station.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Mcgrrrr said, gesturing to the landed ships. “Are you suggesting we fly all these ships ... underground? You must be mad!”

  “Don't worry,” Groob said. “The caverns are huge, with room to spare for your frigate.”

  “But where will we land?”

  “At the stellar control station, of course.” Turning to Parv and Ulsee, Groob said, “Gather our datacards and leave everything else. We're heading home!”