“Home?” said young Ulsee, speaking for the first time. “Really?”
Nuru, Mcgrrrr, and the four troopers watched the Sullustans trot back to their camp to collect their records of the archaeological dig. Breaker moved close beside Nuru and said, “The Sullustans make it sound like we have nothing to worry about.”
“Indeed they do,” Nuru replied without conviction.
The Sullustans returned, carrying sacks stuffed with datacards. Mcgrrrr escorted them to the saucershaped Ugor salvage ship, which was the Sullustans' rightful property. Mcgrrrr proceeded to the Random Mallet's bridge, where he began issuing orders over the commo. Nuru and the troopers returned to the Harpy, where they informed Gunn, Veeren, and Cleaver about the Sullustans and the planned journey to the Star Temple’s stellar control station.
Nuru was in the Harpy’s cockpit with Gunn and Chatterbox when they received Mcgrrrr’s instructions. Gunn eyed the pyramid and said, “We’re supposed to fly into that thing to make a hyperspace jump? That kind of goes against all of my better judgment.” Glancing back at Nuru, she said, “You trust these Sullustans?”
“I sensed that they were sincere,” he said.
“They’d better be,” Gunn said. “Because if they’re setting us up, I won’t bother letting them live to regret it.”
One by one, the ships lifted off the lunar surface. The Harpy and the pirate vessels followed the Sullustans’ saucer around to the pyramid’s far side, where the collapsed area had left a gaping hole. The Sullustans activated their saucer‘s powerful floodlights and then entered the hole, illuminating the passage for the others who trailed behind.
Gunn switched on the Harpy's running lights as they descended into a cavern. From what Nuru could see of the surrounding rock walls that slid past the cockpit’s window, the Sullustans had been truthful in their assessment of the cavern's size.
The cavern widened, and the ships proceeded into an enormous chamber with a wide, sloping wall. At first, Nuru thought it was a natural wall, but as they flew closer to it, he saw it was constructed with massive blocks of cut stone.
The Sullustans headed for a vertical break in the wall, and led the other ships into the chasm. The chasm emptied into an even more enormous chamber, at the center of which was a gigantic geodesic sphere that was sheathed in smooth hexagonal plates, which emitted an eerie white radiance.
Chatterbox said, “Look at the size of that thing.”
“Button your lip!” said Gunn.
“It's the power station,” Nuru said. He was amazed by the glowing sphere‘s immensity, and estimated its diameter at more than two kilometers. “Keep following the Sullustans.”
The Sullustans maneuvered their saucer around the sphere to a slot that spanned the width of an entire hexagonal plate. As the ships neared the slot, Gunn realized it was an inset landing platform, wide enough to accommodate many vessels. She asked, “When did the old lizards build this place?”
“More than a hundred thousand years ago,” Nuru replied.
“But it looks so ... new.”
The Sullustans entered the slot and landed. The Harpy’s thrusters kicked on and she touched down beside the saucer. Nuru said, “Keep the engines running, Gunn. I don't know what we’ll find here, but I expect we may need to leave in a hurry.”
Nuru was already heading out of the Harpy‘s cockpit as the Random Mallet, two pathfinders, and seven starfighters hovered into the slot and settled onto the ancient platform. Stepping into the Harpy's main cabin, Nuru found Veeren, Breaker, Knuckles, Sharp, and Cleaver staring at the periscopic viewscreen, which now displayed the Kwa-constructed landing area. Nuru said, “Knuckles and Cleaver, stay with the Aristocra. Breaker and Sharp, come with me.”
Veeren said, “I wish to go, too.”
“You should stay here,” Nuru said. “It’s safer.”
“Please. I want to see this place.”
Nuru glanced at Knuckles and Cleaver. “All right,” he said. “We’ll all go. But he prepared to return to the ship immediately on my order.”
The three troopers donned their helmets and checked their weapons as they escorted Nuru and Veeren down the Harpy’s ramp. Cleaver followed with his own blaster rifle. A moment later, Captain Mcgrrrr and Bossk emerged from the Mallet, and then Professor Groob climbed out of his saucer to join Nuru and the others on the platform.
Nuru was surprised to see Bossk, who had replaced his ruined blaster rifle with a new one, which he gripped tightly in front of him. Bossk's tongue darted back and forth between his teeth as he stated at Nuru. The young Jedi faced Mcgrrrr and said, “Why did you bring the bounty hunter?” He had to speak loudly so his voice could be heard over the sound of the Harpy‘s engines.
“I won’t bore you with details,” Mcgrrrr answered. “Bossk is my new first mate.”
“Mokshok had an accident,” Bossk said.
“How unfortunate,” Nuru said warily.
Mcgrrrr leaned closer to Nuru and said, “Don't worry about Bossk. He's just muscle. If we run into anything unexpected, he could be useful.”
Professor Groob patted Nuru's arm and said, “The main controls are straight through there, at the end of the corridor.” Groob gestured to a triangular doorway in a nearby wall, which was adorned with bizarre glyphs. “I believe I can show you how to operate the controls, but only you can open the gateway for a hyperspace jump.”
“Just a moment,” Mcgrrrr said. “Shouldn't we talk about where we're going to Jump? That is, we ... well, some of us don't want to jump just anywhere.”
Nuru looked at Groob and said, “Can the controls be adjusted for specific coordinates?”
“Yes.” Groob said. “That is, I think so.”
“What?” Mcgrrrr said. “You don’t know for certain?”
“Ha! I suppose you think I should pop into the nearest convenience store and buy an instruction manual for ancient Kwa technology?”
“But if you don't know, how can we be sure the station even works?!”
While Groob and Mcgrrrr argued, Nuru noticed that Veeren had stepped away from Cleaver's side so she could inspect a series of glyphs that were etched into the wall to the left of the triangular doorway. As Veeren extended her hand to touch the glyphs, Nuru sensed a sudden tension in the air.
“Aristocra!”
And then the wall exploded outward, spraying dust and rubble in all directions and sending Veeren sprawling back against the platform. Nuru was already running to Veeren's position as he saw what had shattered the stone wall.
The massive head of a giant whuffa worm lolled in the newly formed hole, flexing its maw to display the long, diamond-hard teeth it used for burrowing through densely packed ground. Then the whuffa thrust its muscular mass forward, writhing out of the hole so it was poised to strike Veeren.
Nuru sprang and landed beside Veeren’s supine form. He had hoped to shove or pull her away from danger, but as he grasped her arms, the whuffa flexed its maw wider and dropped its head fast.
Nuru and Veeren were swallowed instantly.
Veeren clung to Nuru as the giant whuffa lifted its head to let gravity pull the two Chiss down its dark throat. The stench was so overwhelming that Veeren almost gagged.
Holding right to Veeren, Nuru felt a stinging sensation at the back of one hand as it slid across the monsters inner flesh, which was slick with digestive acids. The whuffa flexed its jaws again, allowing light to penetrate its roomy mouth. Veeren screamed.
Nuru yanked his right arm out from behind her and seized his lightsaber from his belt. Looking up, he extended his arm toward the whuffa's brain sac and was about to ignite his weapon’s blade when two rapid blasts sounded from outside. A pair of energy bolts tore through the whuffa’s body, spraying gore and narrowly missing Veeren's body.
Nuru realized someone had fired a blaster rifle at close range into the whuffa. The monster responded reflexively by closing its jaws and thrashing its bulk away from the direction of the shooter. The sudden movement cast Nuru
and Veeren back into darkness and sent them deeper into the whuffa's gullet.
Sliding away from the brain sac, Nuru nearly lost his grip on Veeren as he braced his legs and back against the inner walls of the whuffa‘s mouth and activated his lightsaber. He drove the weapon through the creature’s flesh, then swiveled his wrist.
The whuffa opened its jaws, allowing light to pour into its mouth as it erupted into a bloodcurdling shriek. Sighting the brain sac again, Nuru winced as he plunged his lightsaber into it.
The whuffa was still shrieking as its entire body convulsed. Its cry ended a moment later as it collapsed upon the ancient landing platform. Nuru had no sooner deactivated his lightsaber when he and Veeren tumbled out of the monster’s mouth.
Dazed, Nuru pushed himself up from the gore-slicked platform. He could see the Hasty Harpy’s aft section, but the whuffa’s enormous corpse blocked his view of his allies and the other ships. As he Veeren to her feet, Breaker and Sharp ran around the whuffa to arrive at Nuru‘s side. Breaker said, “Are you two all right?”
“Barely,” Nuru said as he wiped his hands off on the inside of his robe. Veeren was trembling but did not budge as Nuru lifted a dry edge of his robe up to her head and gently rubbed the muck from her face and hair. “Who shot the whuffa?”
“The Trandoshan,” Sharp said as they edged around the dead monster. “The fool would have kept shooting but Knuckles grabbed his rifle.”
They found Bossk standing a short distance away from Mcgrrrr and Professor Groob. Bossk was glaring at Knuckles and Cleaver. Knuckles was not only still holding Bossk's rifle but had it aimed at the Trandoshan’s head.
“I was just trying, to kill the thing!” Bossk splattered. Then he noticed Nuru and Veeren approaching, and added, “Besides, if anyone‘s gonna eat the blue kids, it’s gonna be me!”
Facing Bossk, Nuru said, “Return to the Random Mallet immediately, or Mcgrrrr will be needing another new first mate.”
Bossk looked at Knuckles and said, “My rifle. I want it.”
“Forget it," Knuckles replied. “Start walking.”
Bossk looked at Mcgrrrr. Mcgrrrr said, “You heard the man, Bossk.”
Bossk’s head jerked back, and then he made a hacking noise as he launched a spray of spit that spattered against Knuckles' helmet. Knuckles didn’t flinch. Bossk let out a wheezing laugh as he turned and stalked back to the Mallet's ramp.
Mcgrrrr looked at Professor Groob and said, “What's the deal? I thought you said the whuffas were extinct!”
Facing the whuffa‘s corpse, Professor Groob shook his head, which made his large ears wiggle. “Astonishing,” he said. “All these years on this moon, and not once did we ever encounter a live one. It’s as if this particular one were waiting for us to ...”
A rumbling sound echoed throughout the vast underground chamber. Before Nuru could order one of the troopers to bring Veeren back to the Harpy, the landing platform's surface buckled and exploded, and another whuffa’s monstrous head rose up from the dust. A moment later, two other sections of platform near the Harpy shattered to reveal more whuffas. Veeren grabbed Nuru's arm as she cried, “They're everywhere!”
More whuffas appeared. The three troopers and Cleaver did not wait for Nuru to issue a command. They opened fire on the monsters, aiming for their mouths. Mcgrrrr whipped out his own blaster pistol and joined in the fight.
The whuffas had cut off any direct path back to the Harpy. Gazing past the whuffas, Nuru saw Gunn and Chatterbox in the Harpy's cockpit. He waved his arm to get Chatterbox’s attention, then made a series of quick gestures with his hand, signaling Chatterbox to launch the Harpy away from the spherical station.
The Harpy's thrusters roared. The transport practically leaped as it left the landing pad and flew in reverse to exit the station. The pirate ships and the Sullustans’ saucer saw the departing transport and were quick to follow its lead.
As Breaker, Sharp, Knuckles, Cleaver, and Mcgrrrr continued firing at the incoming whuffas, Nuru looked at Groob and shouted, “Take us to the controls! Now!”
Groob scurried for the triangular doorway and into the corridor that he had pointed out earlier. Nuru and Veeren ran after him. Mcgrrrr and the troopers followed, with Cleaver at the rear, providing protective fire. The droid walked backward into the corridor so he could keep his photoreceptors and rifle trained on the whuffas.
A whuffa rammed its head into the doorway's triangular frame. Cleaver continued walking backward as he emptied his blaster rifle’s energy charge into the monster’s head. The whuffa released a rush of foul air into the corridor as it exhaled its last breath.
Groob, Nuru, and Veeren were the first to arrive at the chamber that contained the station’s controls. Set on the angled surface of a stone pedestal, the controls included a set of green crystals and gold metal levers that were positioned next to two illuminated green indents. Each indent was an impression from the right hand of a three-fingered, clawed creature. A large, stone-framed viewscreen, which vaguely resembled a half-open eye, was built into the wall beside the pedestal.
As the three troopers, Mcgrrrr, and Cleaver arrived at the end of the corridor, Groob motioned for Nuru to join him behind the controls. Groob said, “Place your hand here!” He pointed to the first green indent.
“But that's the impression of a large lizard’s claw,” Nuru protested. “It was designed for the Kwa, not-”
Nuru was interrupted by a loud thud from behind a nearby wall. Realizing that the whuffas might soon be upon them, Groob said, “No time to argue!” He grabbed Nuru’s right wrist and shoved the Jedi's hand down into the first indent.
A humming sound came from within the pedestal, and then its crystals glowed brightly. Nuru felt a strange warmth travel up the length of his arm. The eye-shaped viewscreen blinked on, and a galactic star chart came into focus.
“It works!” Groob said. “Now, if you adjust this lever, you should be able to plot a course away from here. Then place your right hand in this indent to open the Infinity Gate.”
Nuru pushed at one lever, and the star chart on the viewscreen appeared to rotate. As all eyes turned to the viewscreen, the star chart slid away, and was replaced by a view of a single solar system.
Mcgrrrr asked, “Anyone recognize that system?”
Before anyone could respond, a louder thud came from overhead, and a crack formed across the control chamber’s ceiling. Veeren looked at Nuru and said, “Hurry. Just do what you must to get us out of here.”
Without any idea of the consequences, Nuru moved his right hand into the second indent.
A thunderous crack sounded from beyond the corridor. Groob said, “It’s done. The Infinity Gate is open. We have to get back to our ships.”
Leaving the controls, Nuru led the group back into the corridor. He said, “Breaker, contact Chatterbox. Tell him to pick us up at the edge of the landing pad.”
As Breaker used his helmet‘s comlink to summon Chatterbox, Cleaver walked up beside Nuru and said, “Commander, I regret to inform you that I left a dead whuffa blocking the doorway at the end of this Corridor. How will we get out?”
Without breaking his stride, Nuru looked and replied, “It appears the other whuffa have already taken care of that problem for us.”
Cleaver and the others saw the doorway was clear. Marks on the floor indicated the corpse had been dragged away. Nuru said, “I don‘t know how smart the whuffas are, but I suspect they know this is the only exit.”
Cleaver said, “Commander, I further regret that I depleted my weapon’s power supply.”
“Perhaps this might be useful,” Nuru said. He reached to his belt, removed Ring-Sol Ambase's lightsaber, and handed it to the droid. “Cleaver, do what you can to create a diversion.”
“Yes, sir,” Cleaver said. Carrying the lightsaber, he stepped through the doorway.
The dead whuffa had not been hauled far from the corridor’s entrance, and lay just a short distance away from Cleaver. The droid automatically co
unted seventeen live whuffas waiting on the landing platform, their horrific heads poised facing the doorway. He calculated the respective distance between their positions, then activated the lightsaber and sprinted for the nearest whuffa. As he leaped past the monster, he swung the lightsaber through two of the whuffa’s thick teeth. The whuffa howled. In an instant, all the whuffas were surging across the platform, chasing after Cleaver.
Nuru motioned for Veeren, Mcgrrrr, Groob, and the three troopers to stop in the corridor behind him as he peered out from the doorway. He made sure Cleaver had effectively lured the whuffas to the far side of the landing platform, then looked to the platform's edge. Beyond the platform, shimmering lights danced in the air of the vast underground chamber. The lights reminded him of ...
Hyperspace!
Nuru didn‘t know how long the Infinity Gate would remain open. Where's the Harpy? he wondered.
Breaker moved up beside Nuru just in time to see Gunn’s transport descend to a low hover. The Harpy's ramp was already extended. Breaker said, “There's our ride.”
“Let’s go,” Nuru said. He grabbed Vereen's arm, pulling her along with him as he bolted for the hovering transport. Groob and Mcgrrrr went next, followed by the troopers. Breaker cast a quick glance in Cleaver's direction as he ran behind Sharp and Knuckles.
Chatterbox stood waiting at the top of the Harpy‘s ramp. Nuru helped Veeren onto the ramp, then made sure Mcgrrrr and Groob got on, too. Chatterbox guided the passengers through the open hatch until Nuru came to a stop beside him. Nuru and Chatterbox watched Knuckles, Sharp, and Breaker approach, but then Breaker stopped and said, “Cleaver.”
Nuru followed Breaker's gaze to see Cleaver swinging Ambase's lightsaber at the whuffas. Two whuffas lunged at Cleaver, but the droid leaped up into the air and the whuffas collided with each other instead. Cleaver twisted his body in midair, landed on a whuffa’s back, and bounced off, angling toward the waiting Harpy. He switched off the lightsaber and hit the ground running.
As the whuffas charged after the droid, Knuckles and Sharp scampered up onto the ramp. They moved past Nuru and Chatterbox, who remained braced outside the transport. Facing Breaker, Nuru said, “Come on.”
Star Wars - The Clone Wars - Secret Missions #2 - Curse of the Black Hole Pirates Page 9
