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Authors: Terry Brooks
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mostly hidden withinthe folds of the cloak’s hood. But the rigid posture of the Sith Lord’s body spoke volumes.
“You disappoint me, Viceroy,” he hissed at Nute Gunray.
“My lord, I am certain that all—” The subject of his anger tried futilely to explain.
“Worse, you defy me!”
The Neimoidian’s face underwent a terrifying transformation. “No, my lord! Never! These Jedi are … resourceful, that’s all. Not easily destroyed—”
“Alive, then, Viceroy?”
“No, no, I’m sure they’re dead. They must be. We—we just haven’t been able to confirm it … yet.”
Darth Sidious ignored him. “If they are alive, they will show themselves. When they do, Viceroy, I want to know immediately. I will deal with them myself.”
Nute Gunray looked as if he might collapse under the weight of the Sith Lord’s penetrating stare. “Yes, my lord,” he managed as the hologram vanished.
Inside the troubled bongo, Obi-Wan fought to keep control as the little craft began to drift aimlessly.
Abruptly the whine of the power drive came alive and the aft drive fins began to turn. “Power’s back,” Obi-Wan breathed gratefully.
The lights on the control panels blinked on, flickered, and steadied. The exterior directional lights followed, momentarily blinding them as they reflected off rock walls and jagged outcroppings. Then Jar Jar screamed. A new monster was sitting right in front of them, all spines and scales and teeth, crooked clawed forelegs raised defensively.
“Colo claw fish!” the Gungan shrieked. “Yous Jedi do something! Where da Force now, you think?”
“Relax,” Qui-Gon Jinn said softly, placing his hand on Jar Jar’s twitching shoulder. The Gungan jerked and promptly fainted.
“You overdid it,” Obi-Wan observed, wheeling the bongo about and jetting away through the darkness.
Even without looking, he knew the colo claw fish was in pursuit. They were inside a tunnel that probably served as the creature’s lair. They were lucky to have caught it by surprise. He angled the bongo toward the cave entrance and a series of overhangs that might provide them with a little protection on their way out. Something slammed into the bongo, held it fast momentarily, then released it. Obi-Wan increased power to the drive fins.
“Come on, come on!” he breathed softly.
They shot out of the cave directly into the jaws of the waiting sando aqua monster. The creature jerked back at the unexpected invasion, giving Obi-Wan just an instant to bank their craft hard to the right. The jaws of the aqua monster were still open as they sped between teeth the size of buildings.
Jar Jar’s eyes flickered open. He caught sight of the teeth and promptly fainted again.
Out through a gap in the sando aqua monster’s fangs they sped, the bongo shaking with the thrust of its power drive. But the colo claw fish, still in pursuit, did not veer aside quickly enough and flew right into the larger hunter’s maw. The jaws came down, engulfing it.
Obi-Wan increased power to the drive fins as bits of the colo claw fish reemerged briefly through the sando aqua monster’s grinding teeth, only to be sucked quickly from sight again.
“Let’s hope that’s all the snack he requires,” the Jedi observed with a quick glance back.
Apparently it was, because it did not come after them.It took a while to revive Jar Jar and a good deal longer to complete their voyage through the core, but with the Gungan’s somewhat questionable help, they finally emerged from the darkness of the deeper waters toward a blaze of sunlight. The bongo popped to the surface of an azure body of water, green hills and trees rising about them, clouds and blue sky overhead. Obi-Wan steered the little craft to the nearest shore, shut down the engines, and released the nose hatch. Qui-Gon rose and looked around.
“We safe now,” Jar Jar observed with a grateful sigh, leaning back in his seat. “Tis okeday, hey?”
“That remains to be
“You disappoint me, Viceroy,” he hissed at Nute Gunray.
“My lord, I am certain that all—” The subject of his anger tried futilely to explain.
“Worse, you defy me!”
The Neimoidian’s face underwent a terrifying transformation. “No, my lord! Never! These Jedi are … resourceful, that’s all. Not easily destroyed—”
“Alive, then, Viceroy?”
“No, no, I’m sure they’re dead. They must be. We—we just haven’t been able to confirm it … yet.”
Darth Sidious ignored him. “If they are alive, they will show themselves. When they do, Viceroy, I want to know immediately. I will deal with them myself.”
Nute Gunray looked as if he might collapse under the weight of the Sith Lord’s penetrating stare. “Yes, my lord,” he managed as the hologram vanished.
Inside the troubled bongo, Obi-Wan fought to keep control as the little craft began to drift aimlessly.
Abruptly the whine of the power drive came alive and the aft drive fins began to turn. “Power’s back,” Obi-Wan breathed gratefully.
The lights on the control panels blinked on, flickered, and steadied. The exterior directional lights followed, momentarily blinding them as they reflected off rock walls and jagged outcroppings. Then Jar Jar screamed. A new monster was sitting right in front of them, all spines and scales and teeth, crooked clawed forelegs raised defensively.
“Colo claw fish!” the Gungan shrieked. “Yous Jedi do something! Where da Force now, you think?”
“Relax,” Qui-Gon Jinn said softly, placing his hand on Jar Jar’s twitching shoulder. The Gungan jerked and promptly fainted.
“You overdid it,” Obi-Wan observed, wheeling the bongo about and jetting away through the darkness.
Even without looking, he knew the colo claw fish was in pursuit. They were inside a tunnel that probably served as the creature’s lair. They were lucky to have caught it by surprise. He angled the bongo toward the cave entrance and a series of overhangs that might provide them with a little protection on their way out. Something slammed into the bongo, held it fast momentarily, then released it. Obi-Wan increased power to the drive fins.
“Come on, come on!” he breathed softly.
They shot out of the cave directly into the jaws of the waiting sando aqua monster. The creature jerked back at the unexpected invasion, giving Obi-Wan just an instant to bank their craft hard to the right. The jaws of the aqua monster were still open as they sped between teeth the size of buildings.
Jar Jar’s eyes flickered open. He caught sight of the teeth and promptly fainted again.
Out through a gap in the sando aqua monster’s fangs they sped, the bongo shaking with the thrust of its power drive. But the colo claw fish, still in pursuit, did not veer aside quickly enough and flew right into the larger hunter’s maw. The jaws came down, engulfing it.
Obi-Wan increased power to the drive fins as bits of the colo claw fish reemerged briefly through the sando aqua monster’s grinding teeth, only to be sucked quickly from sight again.
“Let’s hope that’s all the snack he requires,” the Jedi observed with a quick glance back.
Apparently it was, because it did not come after them.It took a while to revive Jar Jar and a good deal longer to complete their voyage through the core, but with the Gungan’s somewhat questionable help, they finally emerged from the darkness of the deeper waters toward a blaze of sunlight. The bongo popped to the surface of an azure body of water, green hills and trees rising about them, clouds and blue sky overhead. Obi-Wan steered the little craft to the nearest shore, shut down the engines, and released the nose hatch. Qui-Gon rose and looked around.
“We safe now,” Jar Jar observed with a grateful sigh, leaning back in his seat. “Tis okeday, hey?”
“That remains to be
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