Jar Jar rolled his body onto the ledge and tried to catch his breath. As soon as he had recovered, he noticed a cave set into the face of the cliff. Jar Jar became very excited. As a child, he had heard Rep Been tell the young Gungans that there were numerous secret passages to the sacred place. If the cave was such a secret passage, it might allow him to reach the sacred place faster than if he were to travel through the dense forest.
He entered the cave and moved forward. Phosphorescent plants illuminated the cave with a dim light, allowing him to maneuver around stalagmites that had formed on the cavern floor. Much to his surprise, he saw what appeared to be primitive paintings on the cave walls. The paintings depicted a group of Gungan warriors in battle against a long forgotten alien enemy. Jar Jar wondered if Rep Been was aware of the cave paintings, and if he knew the story behind the illustrated battle.
Jar Jar moved on through the cave, eager to find the exit and rendezvous with his allies at the sacred place. As he walked around a stalagmite, he found a pile of bones. Since some of the bones on top of the pile still had meat on them, Jar Jar was left with an unsettling conclusion.
He was not alone in the cave.
A low growl rumbled in the darkness. Just beyond the pile of nuna bones was the shadowy form of a large animal against the cavern wall. It stepped forward, revealing itself in the dim light of the phosphorescent plants.
It was a veermok. The carnivorous primate snarled, displaying its sharp teeth. Jar Jar realized he had intruded upon the veermok’s lair. The creature hunched its hairy shoulders as it prepared to attack.
Jar Jar recalled legends of Gungans who were able to defeat veermoks by singing lullabies to the beasts, but he didn’t know if the legends were true. It didn’t really matter. Jar Jar was too scared to even think of a song, much less sing one.
He raised his cesta and leveled it at the veermok. The beast swung one of its massive arms and swatted the cesta out of Jar Jar’s hands. Jar Jar bolted, running back to the mouth of the cave. He heard the veermok’s feet and hands padding on the cave floor as the creature raced after him.
Jar Jar ran out of the cave and slipped to the side. A split second later, the veermok came roaring out of the cave and sailed over the ledge, landing in the water with a loud splash. Suddenly, the fanbacks surfaced and moved toward the veermok, who struggled to stay afloat in the pond. The veermok reached up and grabbed a limb that dangled over the pond, then pulled itself up out of the water. The fanbacks tried to bite the veermok’s legs, and the veermok tried to kick the fanbacks. Although Jar Jar was naturally curious about which creature would be the victor in the confrontation, he didn’t wait to find out. He ran back into the cave.
Jar Jar passed the pile of nuna bones and moved deeper into the cavern. It was dark, so he walked carefully, dragging his fingers along the walls to maintain his balance. His right foot struck an object, and Jar Jar nearly tripped. Reaching down, he picked up an ancient spear. It was a long, heavy weapon, meant for close-quarters fighting. Since Jar Jar had already retrieved his own cesta, he left the old weapon and moved on.
He edged down a slope, but his path was soon interrupted by an underground chasm. Jar Jar couldn’t see the bottom of the chasm and he didn’t know how deep it went, but the gap at the top was only three meters wide. Under normal circumstances, three meters would have been an easy jump for a Gungan with a good running start, but Jar Jar realized the slope behind him didn’t allow for an easy run. If he attempted to jump over the chasm, he’d have to do it from a standing position, which would make getting across difficult.
Then Jar Jar remembered the ancient spear he’d left behind. Although the sloping approach to the chasm discouraged running to make a jump, Jar Jar thought it might serve him well if he used the long spear to vault over the chasm.
Jar Jar threw his own cesta to the other side of the chasm, then went back up the slope to pick up the heavy old spear. “Hair goes nutten,” he muttered as he turned and ran back down the slope. When he neared the chasm, he tightened his grip on the spear, drove the spear’s tip into the ground, and jumped. He didn’t look down, and kept his eyes trained forward.
The Gungan flew over the chasm and landed on the other side. As his feet hit the ground, he involuntarily let go of the old spear and it slipped over the ledge and down into the dark abyss.
“Whew!” Jar Jar said with relief.
He picked up his own cesta and proceeded along the underground trail. Finally, he arrived at an airshaft that ran up a high, rocky wall. Light was visible at the top of the airshaft, and Jar Jar believed he had found the only way out of the cave. Ancient chains dangled down from a series of pulleys that were secured to the cavern ceiling, and linked to a metal platform on the dirt floor. Jar Jar figured these were the components of an ancient lift system that Gungans would have used to hoist themselves up and down an elevated area.
Jar Jar didn’t know whether the old lift was still operational, but the chains appeared to be strong. Looking up the airshaft, he saw numerous rocks jutting out from the wall. He thought he might be able to climb the wall, but he was counting on the lift to work. He was tired enough already, and the lift would save him the effort of climbing.
He stepped onto the lift platform and tugged at one of the chains. With barely any effort, he succeeded in tearing the ceiling-mounted pulleys right out of the ceiling. The chains and pulleys crashed down around Jar Jar, who threw his arms up over his head and ducked. Miraculously, he was unharmed by the debris. He looked up again at the wall and said, “Aw, mesa needed da exercise anyway.”
Slinging his cesta on his back, Jar Jar scaled the wall until he reached the cavern ceiling, then poked his head up through the hole. Pulling himself through the opening, he was glad to be outside and standing on grass again.
The hole was surrounded by a cluster of boulders. Jar Jar carefully crawled through a gap between two leaning stones. Incredibly, the cavernous route had brought him to the side of a high hill just behind the ancient temple. From this postion, Jar Jar was able to get his bearings. He realized he was close to the statue that the Gungans called Dobbis. Although a wide-trunked tree blocked his view of the statue, he knew the statue rested on a broad stone shelf alongside a rapid stream, overlooking a waterfall that plunged down to the river below. He had spent several afternoons sleeping next to that statue. Beyond the statue, a path led directly to the temple’s east entrance.
Jar Jar walked around the wide-trunked tree and nearly stumbled into a tall stone obelisk which showed some signs of decay.
Then he spotted two chrome-plated droids. They were at the bottom of the hill, loading the statue of Dobbis onto a heavy industrial repulsorlift cart. The automated fiends heard Jar Jar’s approach and turned their photoreceptors to look up at him. Both droids stepped away from the cart and reached for their holstered blasters.
The droids fired, and Jar Jar dove behind the obelisk. He’d only meant to hide behind the tall stone, but he accidentally threw most of his weight against it as he pressed close to its protective surface. Just as the two droids ran up the hill, the obelisk began to tilt forward. Jar Jar fell back from the decayed obelisk as it uprooted and toppled to the ground.
Jar Jar watched with amazement as the obelisk smashed down onto the two droids, virtually nailing them into the ground. The incredible impact caused one of the droids to explode. Its right arm blasted out of its shoulder socket and hurtled through the air, smashing against the directional controls of the industrial repulsorlift cart. Suddenly, the cart lurched forward, and carried the statue of Dobbis over the rocky shelf. The cart was headed straight for the waterfall!
Jar Jar ran and jumped for the cart. He caught hold of the side and hauled himself onto the gliding repulsorlift, then slapped a red button on the cart’s controls. The cart came to a stop mere millimeters from the edge of the high rocky shelf.
Jar Jar inspected the statue of Dobbis. Except for the natural signs of the stone’s age — cracks and vine trails �
� the statue appeared to be undamaged. He carefully switched on the repulsorlift cart’s controls and steered it behind the widetrunked tree. Jar Jar hoped the cart and statue would remain hidden there.
He left the statue, retrieved his cesta, and proceeded to the trail that led to the ruins. Covered in dark vines and thick green moss, the ruins blended in with their lush surroundings. But Jar Jar noticed something was missing. Three gigantic carved effigies had sat in the ruins for generations. Now the only indication of their existence was the deep impressions in the soil where they once stood.
A series of tracks was also embedded in the soil. The tracks appeared to have been left by three droids. Jar Jar assumed that the trio was responsible for stealing the statues.
Jar Jar didn’t own a chronometer, and had no precise idea of how much time had passed since he’d last seen his allies in the swamp. He wondered if they were still on their way to the ruins or if they’d already come and gone. He then wondered if they’d been captured by the invading droids. He tried not to panic. He briefly contemplated waiting for his allies, but he worried that if he didn’t pursue the thieving droids, they might escape with the three large statues. Despite his better judgment, he decided to pursue the droids.
He followed the tracks around the ruins and into a clearing, where they ended at a pile of fallen leaves. Hoping to pick up the trail beyond the clearing, Jar Jar stepped over the leaves.
A mere three steps later, his right foot plummeted down through the leaves and he felt something clamp tight at his ankle. Jar Jar had stepped into a snare! He was yanked off his feet as a hidden vine whipped back from a flexible tree and lifted him up high above the forest floor. His cesta slipped from his grasp and he watched it fall away. He realized too late that the tracks had probably been carefully placed to lure unsuspecting Gungans into this trap.
Dangling upside down over the fallen leaves, he heard the sound of running footsteps: clank-clank-clank.
The droids were coming.
“Hep!” Jar Jar shouted. “Sumbotty hep me!”
Captain Tarpals had just arrived at the ruins when he heard Jar Jar’s cry for help. None of the other Gungans had yet arrived at the rendevous point, so Tarpals was all too aware that he was on his own as he raced toward Jar Jar’s shouts.
Tarpals ran through a thicket of trees until he neared a clearing. He saw Jar Jar suspended in the air, dangling upside down with one foot snared by a long vine. Jar Jar hadn’t spotted Tarpals, and he yelled again: “Hep!” Tarpals was about to step into the clearing when Jar Jar added, “Mackineeks comen!”
Tarpals ducked behind a tree for cover. Sure enough, a chrome-plated droid had entered the clearing. The droid looked up at Jar Jar, raised a blaster, and said, “Silence, or I fire.”
Tarpals was about to reach for his cesta when he heard footsteps. Two more droids pushed their way through some brambles and approached the clearing. Not surprisingly, Jar Jar had stopped shouting.
Keeping low, Tarpals moved around the tree’s trunk so he could stay out of the droids’ visual range. From the other side of the tree, he saw a nearby pool of quicksand and wondered if he could lure the droids there. Unexpectedly, his left foot touched down on something that made a clicking sound.
Tarpals had stepped on a landmine. He realized the droids must have planted the mine earlier, when they’d set the snare trap. If he lifted his foot off the disk-shaped mine, it would explode. Still, Tarpals considered himself lucky. If the droids had planted a mine with a motion sensor, he would have been pasted.
Gungans believed that only cowards used mines, and such weapons were not within the arsenals of Otoh Gunga. Fortunately, Tarpals had been trained to disarm mines and other explosives. He hunkered down low to the ground and carefully ran his fingers along the edge of the mine, feeling for some kind of switch. He found one, took a deep breath, and pushed it slightly forward.
Tarpals exhaled. The mine was deactived. He lifted his foot off the mine and picked up the disarmed weapon. Just then, the droid in the clearing saw Tarpals behind the tree and exclaimed, “You there! Surrender immediately!”
Still hanging upside down, Jar Jar craned his neck to follow the droid’s gaze and said, “Tarpals? Is dat yousa?”
Tarpals had no intention of surrendering to the three droids. The one in the clearing was his immediate concern. Tarpals brought his arm back, then flung the landmine at the droid’s head.
The disk-shaped mine cleaved through the droid’s neck, severing its head from its shoulders. Both the droid and the mine fell to the ground. Tarpals dove into the clearing and grabbed the fallen droid’s blaster. He fired a blast in the direction of the two approaching droids, then ran out of the clearing.
“Hey!” Jar Jar yelled from above. “Hey, Tarpals, where yousa goen?!”
The two other droids ran after Tarpals. They were running so fast, they didn’t notice him leap over the quicksand — they followed his path without attempting to leap. Both droids plunged down into the quicksand, vanishing below the surface.
As Tarpals reentered the clearing, Jar Jar looked down and said, “Nice goen, Tarpals! Yousa sur showed dem. Now howsa bout yousa given a pal a hand and letten me down?”
Tarpals shook his head and said, “Metinks yousa no get inta any mure trouble if yousa stayen where you is.”
“Boot Tarpals!” Jar Jar pleaded as he swayed from the vine.
“Keep yousa voice down,” Tarpals suggested. “Yousa no wanten to attract any mure droids, do yous?”
Jar Jar closed his mouth and watched Tarpals run away. He couldn’t blame Tarpals for leaving him strung up in the air. The truth was. Jar Jar knew he was clumsy and often goofed things up. As Jar Jar felt the blood rush to his head, he hoped that Tarpals would come back.
Soon.
Captain Tarpals ran to the ruins. There was still no sign of his allies, and he wondered if they, like Jar Jar, had fallen victim to traps laid by the droids.
He climbed up an old set of worn stone steps and scanned the surrounding area from his elevated position. His gaze traveled the length of the swamp. Something was missing from the view. The statue known as Big Maxiboss Gurunda had been taken from the site! As he edged around a tall stone column for a better view, he suddenly spied the pirates’ starship.
The starship was an angular vessel, covered with green camouflage netting. Two large flatbed repulsorlift transports were parked next to it, and each transport supported several large statues. Two droids and a blue-skinned humanoid were visible — Tarpals guessed that the humanoid was Captain Swagg. Swagg appeared to be directing the two droids, waving them on to hurry loading the transports onto the ship.
“As soon as those statues are on board, raise the ramp and seal the hatch,” Swagg loudly ordered. “We’re leaving immediately.”
“What about the captured Gungan?” asked one of the droids.
“We’ll take him with us,” replied the pirate captain. “Maybe I can sell him.”
Swagg stepped back into the ship, and the droids angled the statue-laden transports up the ramp. Tarpals didn’t know for certain, but he suspected the captured Gungan was Rep Been. He knew he had to board the ship and stop it from leaving Naboo.
The two droids brought the transports onto the ramp, which began to rise. Tarpals ran down the temple steps and sprinted for the starship, keeping close to the trees and hoping the droids wouldn’t see his approach. Precious seconds later, he reached the ship and jumped onto the loading ramp.
Tarpals rolled down the ramp, smacking into the bottom of a large storage container. Inside the starship’s main hold, he saw that the high-ceilinged chamber was filled with artifacts looted from the sacred place. The two droids were unloading statues from the repulsorlift transports when their photoreceptors locked onto Tarpals. The droids turned away from the statues and reached for their weapons.
The controls of one repulsorlift transport were within Tarpals’s reach. He slapped the transport’s reverse button, and the transport
zoomed backward, crushing the droids against the hold’s reinforced wall. Tarpals was glad that the droids had been immobilized, but he was afraid the loud noise of the impact might have alerted Swagg to trouble in the hold.
Tarpals’s concern about the noise ended as soon as he heard the roar of the starship’s repulsorlift engines being activated. He clung to the side of a heavy crate as the ship lifted off. He tried to figure out the way to the ship’s bridge. To stop the pirate ship from leaving Naboo, Tarpals would have to deal with Captain Swagg.
Tarpals made his way through the cluttered main hold, then stepped through an open hatch to the next chamber. There he found Rep Been chained to the wall. He was awake and alert — and startled to see Tarpals inside the starship.
“How yousa get onda ship?” Rep Been shouted over the thundering engines.
“Mesa fill yousa in later!” Tarpals shouted in return. Hoping to release Rep Been from his shackles, Tarpals reached for the heavy lock that was secured to his chains, but Rep Been shook his head.
“Forget about mesa,” he said. “Yousa gotta go un stop da pirate captain!”
Tarpals didn’t want to leave Rep Been, but he knew the Rep was right. There weren’t any viewports in the chamber, but Tarpals had a feeling that the ship was already many kilometers above Naboo’s surface. It wouldn’t be long before it reached space.
Tarpals ran out of the chamber and ducked through an open hexagonal hatch to enter the bridge. The blue-skinned Captain Swagg stood with his back to Tarpals and his hands on the ship’s navigational controls. Swagg’s head whipped around and he gazed at Tarpals through his red eyes. Without removing his hands from the controls, Swagg commented, “I thought I sensed something foul on the bridge.”
Swagg reached for a blaster pistol holstered at his left hip, but he wasn’t fast enough. Tarpals leaped across the bridge, tackling the pirate captain and slamming him hard to the deck. Swagg’s right shoulder dislocated, and he winced at the intense pain while Tarpals yanked Swagg’s blaster from its holster.
Star Wars - Episode I Adventures 011 - Pirates from Beyond the Sea Page 3