Qui-Gon appeared unmoved, but Obi-Wan noticed his breathing had changed. Obi-Wan did not have any doubt that it was, for Qui-Gon, a sigh of relief.
"We'd best proceed to Corulag," Obi-Wan proposed.
"No!" Noro Zak interjected. "It would be most unwise to leave now. The weather science bureau predicts another storm will strike within the next three hours. If it hits during your launch and fries your ship's power, you'll drop back to Rhinnal in no time."
Hearing this information, Qui-Gon realized Obi-Wan's instincts had been correct. The detour to Rhinnal had seriously jeopardized their effort to find the remaining droid starfighters. If they remained on Rhinnal for more than three hours, there was only a slim chance that they could reach Corulag before the second Bartokk freighter.
Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at his Padawan. "I suppose this is when you're going to say 'I told you so.’”
Obi-Wan shrugged. "Until the storm passes, Noro and I can ready the Radiant VII to pursue the Bartokks."
"Leeper and I would be happy to help in any way we can," Bama volunteered.
"Very good," Qui-Gon said. "I’m going to check on Adi Gallia." Qui-Gon was about to exit the hangar when he turned back to Obi-Wan and added, "Mark my words, Obi-Wan. That Bartokk freighter isn't going to get anywhere near Corulag."
The Sith Infiltrator's hyperspace journey from Coruscant to the Esseles system passed without incident. Maul had used the time to install the droid starfighter-controlling data card into the Infiltrator's main computer. As soon as Darth Maul entered the orbit of Esseles, he activated his ship's powerful scan-mode sensors. The sensors sent out pulses in all directions, gathering information from the entire Darpa Sector. Maul adjusted the scanner, tuning it to search for and track any objects that moved in a trajectory away from Esseles. He narrowed the search further by transmitting a request for identification profiles from every outgoing starship within range. Maul viewed a monitor that displayed the collected information: a list of fifty-eight starships, their respective sublight speeds, and their distances from Esseles. Maul did not expect any vessel to declare itself as a freighter filled with insectoid assassins and stolen Trade Federation property, so he was not surprised when only fifty-seven ships automatically responded with their ID profiles. One ship had withheld its identification. Maul checked the coordinates of the unknown ship. According to the Infiltrator's navicomputer, the ship was still in the Darpa Sector, traveling through the Ralltiir system on a direct bearing for the planet Corulag. The Infiltrator's sensors could not determine whether the distant ship was the Bartokk freighter, but Maul would find out soon enough. He plotted the course for the Ralltiir system and launched the Sith Infiltrator into hyperspace. After he made a final check to the navicomputer, Maul swiveled his seat to face C-3PX. The droid remained seated on the other side of the small bridge.
"What do you know about Ralltiir?" Maul asked. C-3PX tilted his head slightly to the side before he replied.
"It's a neutral world, and the only planet in the Darpa Sector that has maintained independence from the political control of Esseles. Ralltiir's financial institutions have an intergalactic reputation for their security and confidentiality."
Darth Maul nodded his head. "Are you familiar with Bartokk assassins?"
"They are an insectoid species with strong exoskeletons. There are fifteen Bartokks in every hive. They share a collective mind and communicate with each other by telepathy. Their intelligence is distributed throughout their nervous system, allowing any severed body part to perform independently from the body. This characteristic makes them difficult to kill."
On Maul's command console, a warning light flashed as the Infiltrator reached the Ralltiir system. Seconds later, the cruiser decelerated and reentered realspace. From the Infiltrator’s bridge, the planet Ralltiir was clearly visible through Darth Maul's viewport. The mystery ship, on the other hand, was gone. Maul consulted his sensor screens for the coordinates of the unidentified vessel's last noted location. From that point in space, an invisible trail of charged particles led off toward the planet Ralltiir. The Infiltrator's sensors confirmed that the particles had been left in the wake of the parting ship's sublight engines. Darth Maul piloted the Infiltrator toward Ralltiir and entered the planet's orbit.
"The Bartokks stole fifty Trade Federation droid starfighters and a prototype hyperdrive engine from a starship factory on Esseles," Maul notified the droid. "Sensors indicated the Bartokks were destined for Corulag. They changed course for Ralltiir, possibly because they intercepted my long-range scan and now hope to evade pursuit. My objective is to learn who hired the Bartokks, retrieve Trade Federation property, and terminate the Bartokks."
C-3PX's photoreceptors dimmed as he processed the data, then he asked, "Do you want to know the odds against completing your objectives?"
"Failure is not an option, so the odds are insignificant. I have informed you of the Bartokks because you may be required to run interference on Ralltiir."
The droid's photoreceptors brightened. "It is unlikely that the Bartokks believe they can hide from us on Ralltiir. If they suspect they are being followed, there is a high probability they landed on the planet to prepare a trap."
"Naturally," Darth Maul replied. He used the sensors to get a fix on the charged particles that would lead him to the unidentified starship. Gripping the controls, the Sith Lord commandeered his Infiltrator into a rapid descent toward Ralltiir's surface. Without looking at the C-3PX, Maul stated, "I'll delay my attack until their guard is down."
C-3PX thought about this for a moment, then asked, "If the Bartokks are preparing a trap, when will their guard be down?"
Darth Maul glared at the droid. "After I let them catch me."
The trail of charged particles led to a mountainous region of Ralltiir, thirty-eight kilometers north-west of the city Grallia. Darkness had already fallen over the region, but the blanket of night hid little from the Sith Infiltrator's sensors. Darth Maul used the tracking sensors to follow the particle trail over a high, jagged rock formation. Maul surmised that the elusive freighter's crew probably expected any attack to come from above.
Although he planned on surrendering to the crew, he had no intention of making it look easy. He activated the Infiltrator's cloaking device, and the ship vanished from sight as it flew over the jagged rocks. While the cloaking device prevented the Infiltrator from being viewed by outsiders, the cruiser's interior was visible to Maul and C-3PX. Maul checked the sensors and saw that the particle trail ended at the rim of a wide canyon. High on the canyon's east wall, a great fortress was built into the side of the cliff. Scanning the terrain, Maul found an opportunity for an indirect approach to the canyon. He piloted the cloaked Infiltrator low over a broad mesa, and then plunged into a deep ravine. Maintaining a high speed, he steered through the narrow gap between the stark mountain walls, then leveled off ten meters above the gorge. The treacherous ravine led into the wide canyon. Maul flew behind a towering butte that rose from the base of the canyon, well out of visual range from the high cave. He prepared for landing and de- activated the cloaking device. The Infiltrator rematerialized, and its now-visible wings folded in as Maul brought the ship down beside the butte.
"The ship's particle trail indicates it flew directly to a remote fortress," Maul told C-3PX. "It might be a Bartokk hideout. I'll fly my speeder to the fortress and break in. You guard the Infiltrator."
C-3PX nodded, but Maul had already left the bridge. Armed with only his lightsaber, Maul stepped out of the Infiltrator and drew his electrobinoculars from his belt. He held them up to his yellow eyes and adjusted the night vision control, then scanned the rim of the canyon until he located the fortress. It was at least seven stories high, as indicated by the positions of small inset windows. Three domed turrets loomed like guardian silos over a granite roof. Despite the architectural details, the structure blended so well with the surrounding natural stones that Maul imagined it had been carved out of the mountain itself. Maul magnified his view of the
inset windows. With the exception of one small, unlit window at the lowest level, all the others were barred. The unbarred window appeared to be the best access into the fortress. After Maul returned the macrobinoculars to his belt, he deployed his saddle-shaped speeder from the underside cargo hatch. Unlike the Infiltrator, the speeder was not equipped with any sensors, weapons, or shields, but it was capable of astonishing velocity and maneuverability. On any planetary environment, it was Maul's preferred means of transportation.
He climbed onto his speeder and gunned the repulsorlift engine. The engine had been designed for maximum performance and minimum noise. Maul's victims rarely heard the speeder's approach until it was too late. The speeder shot forward and raced across the dark canyon floor. Maul used the Force to sense each obstacle. He flew close to the base of the east wall, then pulled back into a vertical climb to the fortress above. Gripping the controls, the Sith Lord sank hard against his seat as the speeder rose, resisting Ralltiir's gravitational pull. Maul landed the speeder on a rocky ledge just below the fortress's first level. In a fluid motion, he switched off the engine and dismounted the speeder. Maul ignored the cold, thin air as he quickly scaled the wall to the dark open window. With predatory stealth, Maul slipped through the window and perched on the sill.
The window was set nearly four meters above the floor of what appeared to be a cellar storage room. Except for a few empty food crates, the room was empty. It was all too accessible. Maul knew the room was probably a trap, but he was looking forward to confronting the Bartokks. With that in mind, he jumped down from the window. As soon as his feet hit the floor, the storage room was filled with an intensely bright light. Maul threw an arm up over his eyes to protect his vision, and heard the sound of a metal shield slamming into place from above. The high window had been automatically sealed. Maul lowered his arm and squinted at two bright spotlights that were set within the inner walls.
He heard a door slide open, followed by a digitized voice that cautioned, "One wrong move and you'll be fried. Raise your hands over your head." Because of the light, Maul could not see the speaker, but he lifted his hands. A second later, he felt a tug at his waist as his lightsaber was snatched from his belt. At the same time, both of Maul's hands were grasped tightly and yanked down to the small of his back. He heard a snap as durasteel binders were clamped around his wrists, securing his arms behind him.
"Now step forward," the digitized voice commanded. "Slowly."
Maul passed through a doorway and entered a low-ceilinged corridor. His eyes were still recovering from the spotlights when he felt a sharp jab at his back. "Keep moving," threatened the voice from behind. At the end of the corridor, a door slid back into the wall, and Maul was urged to step through the open passage.
Maul blinked as he entered an immense inner courtyard. Illuminated only by the star-filled sky above, the rectangular courtyard had been redesigned as a docking bay. At its center, surrounded by the three silo-like towers, rested a huge, spike-covered Bartokk freighter. Examining the vessel, Maul noticed a six-winged Bartokk starfighter secured to the freighter’s outer hull.
"Halt," Darth Maul's captor ordered. Maul obeyed. The freighter's main cargo door opened, and a retractable ramp extended from the ship to the ground; A procession of Trade Federation droid starfighters, with their wings configured in walking patrol mode, marched down the freighter's ramp. They filed into the courtyard, and lined up in 8 square five-by-five formation. Even at rest, they were an intimidating sight.
Eleven Bartokks were stationed around the freighter. All were heavily armed with spears and bowcasters. The insectoids watched through bulbous eyes as Darth Maul's captor stepped away from his prisoner. The captor was also a Bartokk, yet this particular assassin wore an expensive vocabulator on a chain around his lean neck.
"Why did you break into our fortress?" the Bartokk asked. Darth Maul did not answer. The Bartokk's mandibles clicked together. "Our sensors picked up a scan from Esseles. We believe you are the one who scanned our freighter. Instead of fighting in space, we decided to lure you here. You will tell us your name and affiliation."
Darth Maul remained silent.
The Bartokk held up Darth Maul's lightsaber. "This is the weapon of the Jedi. You are a Jedi Knight?"
The Sith Lord stared directly ahead and said nothing.
The Bartokk ignored Maul's lack of response and said, "Despite your ship's invisibility field, we tracked your landing. We know the vessel is at the base of the canyon, and sent a team to get it."
Maul's face did not betray any emotion, but he seethed at the Bartokk's words. The Infiltrator's cloaking device was engineered to evade any standard tracking sensor, but the Bartokks were fortunate to have sensors that were better than standard. The Bartokk then craned his head back to look up at the night sky. Maul followed his gaze to see a small repulsorlift skiff soar over the fortress's west wall, then descend into the courtyard. At the helm of the skiff stood two Bartokks. Behind them, C-3PX was chained to the rear deck railing. Maul knew the droid could easily break free of the Bartokks' chains, and realized the droid had followed his own plan by allowing himself to be taken prisoner.
The skiff landed near Darth Maul and the vocabulator-equipped Bartokk. Like Maul, C-3PX's wrists were also secured behind his back by durasteel binders. The droid began speaking in a worried tone as two Bartokks hoisted him off the skiff and onto the ground. "These creatures arrived immediately after you left, sir," C-3PX said, his voice filled with worry end dread. "I managed to secure your ship and prevented them from boarding, but I'm afraid I couldn't do anything to prevent my capture."
"Quiet, droid," Maul muttered. In truth, Maul was pleased by C-3PX's acting ability. If Maul had not been responsible for programming the droid, he would have been convinced C-3PX was nothing more than nervous.
"A team will be sent to strip your ship for any vital information," the vocabulator-equipped Bartokk said as he slapped a restraining bolt on C-3PX's metal chest. "You will be taken to separate cells and interrogated."
Darth Maul and C-3PX were each escorted by a pair of Bartokks and led out of the courtyard. Maul had so far sighted fourteen Bartokks, but there were fifteen to a hive. Since droid starfighters were operated by remote control, Maul suspected the fifteenth Bartokk had stayed within the freighter to direct the starfighters.
The Sith Lord, the droid, and their four Bartokk escorts descended a flight of stone steps and walked to a filthy dungeon, where ten cell doors lined a dim corridor. The corridor's floor was a series of metal grates, and C-3PX’s feet clanked loudly with each step. Without breaking his pace, Maul glanced down through the open slits between the grates. He tried to determine what was below the corridor floor, but he saw only darkness.
The Bartokks opened two cell doors and gestured for Maul and the droid to step into separate cells. Remaining in the corridor, the four Bartokks slammed the doors shut. Darth Maul's cell was illuminated by a single glow rod embedded over the door. A rusted metal bedframe was braced to a corner, and there was a puddle of greasy slime on the floor. The small chamber reeked of rot.
Now that he was tucked away in a cell, Maul believed the Bartokks would let down their guard. He decided it was time to begin his attack on the insectoid assassins. He was contemplating the best way to break out of the cell when he heard a whirring sound above his head. Maul instinctively took a step backward. A black barrel-shaped interrogation droid hovered down from the ceiling. It came to a stop and hung in the air in front of Maul's face. Five retractable arms extended from the droid, and each servo-grip clasped a laser scalpel.
The droid sputtered a burst of threatening static, then droned, "Before I terminate you, do you wish to make a statement?"
"Yes" Darth Maul hissed through clenched teeth. "This entire fortress is going to burn."
Within the confines of the wretched cell, the interrogator droid hovered a few centimeters away from Darth Maul, then trained its socketed photo receptor on his face. The droid stared
into Maul's yellow eyes, then snickered, "Think you're tough, huh? When I'm done with you, you won't be."
Behind his back, Maul flexed his wrists. The durasteel binders dug into his flesh, but the Sith Lord felt no pain. With a jerk, Maul pulled his arms apart. The binders shattered, scattering bits of durasteel all over the cell's filthy floor. The interrogator droid made an excited whirring sound. It had never seen a prisoner break free from a set of binders with such ease. The droid activated its laser scalpels and hurtled through the air toward Maul. Maul delivered a sharp kick to the droid's spherical underside. The droid soared toward the ceiling but regained control before impact and flew back toward the Sith. Maul leaped aside, moving faster than the droid's photoreceptor could follow. The droid raced past him and smashed hard against the cell wall.
Although Maul's fight with the droid had caused plenty of noise, Bartokk guards did not burst into the cell. Maul assumed the cell walls were sound- proofed or the Bartokks were confident he had just lost. Smoke rose from the deactivated interrogator droid. Maul stepped over its smoldering parts and examined the cell door. Locked from the outside, the door was heavily reinforced. But Maul was not concerned.
He was about to break out when he noticed the remains of the interrogation droid on the floor. Its interrogation serum was intact. Maul suspected the interrogation serum would be useful against a Bartokk. He unclamped the container from the droid's body and pocketed the device. He returned his gaze to the cell door. Using the Force, he concentrated on the door's locking mechanism. He heard a clank as a heavy bolt slid back into the wall. Darth Maui stepped out of the cell and onto the corridor's grated floor.
Although four Bartokks had brought Maul and C-3PX into the dungeon, only two Bartokk escorts were posted outside the cells. The other cell doors remained sealed. The two Bartokks whirled to confront the escaped prisoner.
Maul leaped and landed beside the nearest Bartokk. Before the insectoid assassin could reach for a weapon, Maul snatched two poison-tipped arrows from the Bartokk's quiver. With one hand, Maul drove the arrow through the nearest Bartokk's armor-plated torso. With his other hand he flung an arrow at the second creature, catching it between its bulbous eyes. Both Bartokks fell to the grated floor.
Star Wars - Episode 1 Adventures - The Fury of Darth Maul Page 2