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Jedi Emergency

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WARS1E P I S O D E I

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#1 Search for the Lost: Jedi#3 The Bartokk Assassins#3 The Fury of Darth Maul

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E P I S O D E I

flDUEHTUflEEJedi Emergency

Ryder Windham

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INTRODUCTION

After the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and hisPadawan Learner Obi-Wan Kenobi battled repro-grammed droids and Bartokk assassins on theplanet Esseles, they traveled with Bama Vook andthe droid Leeper to the ice planet Rhinnal. The JediKnights Noro Zak and Vel Ardox had transportedthe wounded Jedi Master Adi Gallia to the JediChapter House on Rhinnal, and Qui-Gon wanted tocheck on Adi's condition. The good news was thatAdi Gallia had almost fully recovered. The bad newswas that a magnetic storm left the Jedi temporar-ily stranded on Rhinnal, and prevented them frompursuing a Bartokk freighter to the Corulag system.

At this time in history, the Jedi believed the evilSith had been extinct for over a thousand years. Intruth, the dark order had survived in secrecy, andtwo Sith Lords were very much alive on the planetCoruscant.

After the Sith Lord Darth Sidious was informedthat fifty Trade Federation droid slaughters hadbeen stolen by Bartokks from an Esseles factory,he sent his apprentice Darth Maul to hunt downthe thieves and retrieve the starfighters. Duringhis pursuit of the Bartokks, Darth Maul learnedthat twenty-five droid starfighters had alreadybeen destroyed by Jedi Knights.

Maul also learned the Bartokks had been hiredby Groodo the Hutt, the father of young Boonda.Groodo had been angered because the Trade Fed-

eration had refused to pay him for building thedroid starfighters' prototype hyperdrive engine,and he was further enraged when Corulag Acad-emy rejected Boonda's application. Desiring re-venge, Boonda had contracted the Bartokks tosteal the Trade Federation starfighters and usethem to attack the Academy.

Because of Darth Maul, Groodo's plan failed.The ruthless Maul destroyed an entire fifteen-member Bartokk hive, blew up Groodo's cruiser,and returned the remaining twenty-five starfight-ers to an area controlled by the Trade Federation.Groodo and Boonda survived the assault, and theirescape pod landed in the dense forest outside ofCorulag's capital city Curamelle.

Meanwhile, on Rhinnal, Qui-Gon was informedthat the missing twenty-five droid starfighters hadnot reached Corulag. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan werepreparing to leave Rhinnal when Qui-Gon receiveda message from Jedi Master Yoda at the JediTemple on Coruscant. Despite the fact that theBartokks had failed their mission, Yoda urged Qui-Gon and the other Jedi to meet him at CorulagAcademy. Yoda did not offer any explanations, butQui-Gon knew it had to be a matter of greatimportance.

As the Jedi and their allies raced for Corulag,they were unaware that a vengeful Groodo washatching a final, desperate plan.

CHAPTER ONE

Thirty-four kilometers southwest of the cityCuramelle on the planet Corulag, the young Huttnamed Boonda lay slumped against the outside ofthe escape pod. It had only been about fifteen min-utes since the pod had ejected from Groodo theHull's lavish cruiser and safely delivered bolhHulls lo the Corulag foresl. Since Ihe cruiser hadbeen blasled lo bils, Boonda's Ihoughls lurned loa more immediale concern: his growling stomach.

Jusl before the cruiser's destruction, Boondahad eaten seven bowls of lizards. He usually atetwelve bowls of lizards for lunch, so he was slillquile hungry. Boonda wanled lo break inlo Ihepod's emergency food provisions, bul he didn'lwanl lo inlerrupl his falher, Groodo, who was in-side Ihe pod, talking on the comm unil. Wilh nolh-ing beller lo do, Boonda pressed Ihe side of hiswide head againsl the pod and listened to his fa-ther's conversalion.

"Now, lislen here, you bug-eyed swindler,"Groodo said, speaking lo someone on the olherside of Ihe galaxy. "You Bartokks failed to stealIhe slarfighlers, and your error has cosl me myslarcruiser. The Trade Federalion doesn'l interestme anymore, but I've spent a small forlune on yourAssassins Guild, and I demand resulls! You as-sured me lhat Corulag Academy would be blownsky-high. Unless you wipe oul the Academy, I'llwanl all my money back!"

Having heard enough, Boonda pulled his headaway from the pod. He couldn't believe his fatherhad gotten so worked up over Corulag Academy'srefusal to let Boonda enter the Science Service.

Boonda saw something out of the corner of oneof his large eyes. It was a beautiful multicoloredsix-winged insect. It flew past Boonda's head,then stopped and hovered near the escape pod.The insect had never seen a Hutt before, and itflew back for a closer inspection. It neared Boon-da's face, and the Hutt smiled as he admired thesmall creature's wings. He opened his wide mouthand unleashed his tongue, lashing out and snag-ging the insect in midair. His sticky tongue dartedback into his mouth with a loud smacking sound,and he felt the insect squirm in his mouth.

"Yum," said Boonda.

Far from Corulag, in a remote hideout on anuncharted planet near the Corporate Sector ofspace, a lean-muscled insectoid alien switched offthe comm unit mounted in the wall of her commu-nications bunker. The alien was a Bartokk Queen,and the leader of the Bartokk chapter of theAssassins Guild. She had just completed a long-distance conversation with Groodo the Hutt, andthe exchange had left her seething with anger.

The Bartokk Queen was in charge of directingthe action for every Bartokk assassin squad in the

galaxy. She had believed that two Bartokk hiveswere more than enough to handle the job forGroodo. Despite her confidence, both hives hadbeen eliminated.

The Baftokk Queen exited the bunker andwalked quickly to the training room. It was a widechamber with a single round window at the cen-ter of the high, domed ceiling. Within the room, fif-teen Bartokks were practicing their fighting skillsagainst skeletal training droids. The BartokkQueen pressed a yellow button on the wall and thetraining droids all stopped in their tracks. The fif-teen insectoid assassins lay down their weaponsand turned their bulbous, multifaceted eyes toface their leader.

An unknown enemy has jeopardized the Corulagassignment, the Queen telepathically communi-cated to her hive. Furthermore, thirty brothersfrom our Guild have been slain. We will have ourvengeance, but first we must honor our contractwith Groodo and complete the assignment. It islikely that Corulag Academy is now prepared for anattack, so we must use extreme stealth. Prepareto leave for Corulag at once!

CHAPTER TWO

It was snowing on Rhinnal when the starshipsRadiant VII and Metron Burner rose up and awayfrom the circular landing bay that bordered theJedi chapter house. The diplomatic cruiser RadiantVII carried Jedi Master Adi Gallia and the JediKnights Vel Ardox and Noro Zak. Within theMetron Burner's cockpit, the Jedi Knight Qui-GonJinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi werestrapped into their seats behind the Talz pilotBama Vook and the droid Leeper.

Leeper's metal fingers tapped away at theBurner's nav computer. "After we make the jumpto lightspeed, we should arrive in the Corulag sys-tem in thirty-four minutes," Leeper informed thepassengers.

Bama turned his hairy head to gaze back at Qui-Gon and joked, "Maybe we should race the Radi-ant VII through hyperspace?"

Qui-Gon replied, "You don't have to prove any-thing to me, Bama. It's a safe bet your ship wouldwin that race."

The Talz was greatly pleased by Qui-Gon's an-swer. His four eyes beamed with pride as he re-turned his attention to the ship's controls.

Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan and saw disapprovalin his apprentice's expression. "Something on yourmind, Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked.

Keeping his voice low so Bama and Leeperwould not hear, Obi-Wan said. "I'm grateful to the

13

Talz and the droid for delivering us to Rhinnal, butthey should have been discouraged from taking usto Corulag. We should be traveling with the otherJedi."

Qui-Gon considered Obi-Wan's statement, thenasked, "Back on Coruscant, when Mace Windu ad-vised that you shouldn't join me on the mission toEsseles, how did that make you feel?"

Obi-Wan was surprised by his Master's query."Before you locked me on board the Radiant VII, Ihad every intention of obeying Master Windu."

"I'm sure you did, Padawan. But you still haven'tanswered my question."

"All right, then," Obi-Wan said. "I admit, I wasdisappointed when Master Windu said I should re-main on Coruscant."

"Why?""Because Adi Gallia was in trouble and I wanted

to help."Qui-Gon nodded. "There you have it. You wanted

to help. Now, tell me. Should the Jedi have a mo-nopoly on the desire to help others?"

"Of course not," Obi-Wan said. "But that's notthe point. We don't even know why Master Yodahas asked us to meet him on Corulag. We could beendangering Bama and Leeper."

"I think they know the risks," Qui-Gon replied."Perhaps you should be more concerned with what

Yoda is going to do when he sees you with me. Af-ter all, he was in the Council chambers when MaceWindu told you to stay on Coruscant."

Obi-Wan was flabbergasted. "But you practicallyabducted me to Esseles!"

Keeping his voice calm, Qui-Gon answered, "Youneed not be defensive, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon closedhis eyes and assumed a restful position, then said,"I accept full responsibility for you. If Yoda is dis-pleased that you joined me on this mission, he'lldeal with me."

Obi-Wan found little comfort in Qui-Gon's words.Yoda was a great teacher who could also be astern disciplinarian. While Obi-Wan found himselfalmost wishing he'd remained on Coruscant,Leeper declared, "Hang on, back there. We'reready to make the jump." Seconds later, theMetron Burner and Radiant VII blasted into hyper-space.

A fifty-meter-long SoroSuub space yacht tore outof hyperspace and entered the Corulag system.The sleek new yacht had been built as a pleasurecraft, and it featured many luxurious details. Twinengine pods extended from the yacht's main hull,and retractable viewports lined both the port andstarboard sides. The yacht had been commis-sioned for a wealthy Trandoshan, but the owner

was not present. Instead, the yacht carried theBartokk Queen, fifteen Bartokks, and six remote-control-operated X10-D draft droids.

The Bartokks had stolen both the space yachtand the droids from a starship factory on theplanet Sullust. The yacht had been selected fortwo reasons: The Bartokks wanted to avoid identi-fication on Corulag, and they wanted a vessel witha powerful hyperdrive engine in case they neededto make a quick getaway. Since the yacht wasn'ta combat vessel, the Bartokks hoped it wouldn'tattract any unwanted attention.

Six Bartokks were stationed on the yacht'smain deck to test the X10-D droids. Each Bartokkoperated a handheld transmitter that signaled in-structions to a single droid. Standing just overthree meters tall, XlO-Ds were twice the height of3PO protocol droids. Unlike protocol droids, X10-Ds could only be operated by remote-control sig-nals. The Trandoshans — reptilian aliens lackingdexterous hands and nimble fingers — had de-signed and manufactured the XlO-Ds for loadingfreight at interstellar spaceports. The droids wereequipped with powerful arms, massive conical tor-sos, infrared photoreceptors, and treaded rollerfeet. The six XlO-Ds appeared in every way ordi-nary as they were instructed to walk across theyacht's main deck.

But not all of the droids were ordinary. Immedi-

16

ately after stealing the XlO-Ds, the Bartokks hadopened the torsos of a select number of droids andinstalled compact plasma bombs. Each bomb car-ried enough firepower to level a small city.

The Bartokks' plan was simple. While they usedthe non-modified XlO-Ds as scouts and decoys,the bomb-carrying droids would be maneuvered tostrategic locations within the Academy's ScienceService tower. After the lethal droids were in posi-tion, the Bartokks would escape Corulag and trig-ger the plasma bombs.

The Bartokk Queen stood on the yacht's bridgeand gazed through a viewport at Corulag. TheQueen did not know what had gone wrong withthe plan to attack the Academy, and she was stillfurious about the loss of thirty assassins andthe Trade Federation droid starfighters. Granted,Groodo the Hutt had said he no longer cared toseek revenge on the Trade Federation, but the factremained the Bartokks had failed.

The Queen would not allow that to happenagain.

The stolen space yacht slipped into orbit aroundCorulag. Suddenly, a warning light flashed abovethe sensor console on the bridge, prompting theQueen to glance at the main sensor screen. Twostarships had just materialized from hyperspaceless than a kilometer away. One ship was aCorellian freighter and the other was a Republic

diplomatic cruiser. Since neither ship appeared topose any threat, the Queen dismissed them asunimportant.

Prepare to land and deploy the droids, the Queencommunicated to her minions. After the droids arein position, we will set their detonation timers andleave Corulag. Clicking her facial mandibles, theQueen added, In two hours, the Academy will benothing but radioactive cinders.

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CHAPTER THREE

Seconds after the Radiant VII and MatronBurner exited hyperspace and entered the CorulagSystem, the droid Leeper's keen photoreceptorsspotted a distant ship in Corulag's orbit. Leepercraned his head to get a better view of the shipthrough the Burner's cockpit canopy.

"There's a SoroSuub space yacht a kilometer offour starboard side," Leeper commented to Bama,Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan. "It looks like the newestmodel."

Bama threw a glance over his shoulder to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, then said, "You'll have to forgiveLeeper. Identifying obscure starships is somethingof a hobby for him."

Leeper turned to Bama and said in a slightlypetulant tone, "I only mentioned it because Soro-Suub's newest model isn't yet commercially avail-able. That ship should still be in the factory onSullust."

"We'd better run an identification check on it,"Bama said.

Leeper trained the Burner's sensors on theyacht to identify its ownership and origin. "Ac-cording to the ID profile, the yacht's owned by atrader named Ausec Grogle of Trandosha."

"Maybe the manufacturer is taking it for a testflight," Obi-Wan muttered.

"Perhaps," Qui-Gon said as the distant yacht an-

21

gled toward Corulag. "But we're an awfully longway from Sullust and Trandosha . . ."

Qui-Gon was interrupted by a quick series ofbeeps from the Burner's communications console,followed by the voice of Adi Gallia. "Radiant VII toMetron Burner. The Academy Spaceport reportsthey haven't sighted any Bartokk freighters. We'recleared for landing in Docking Bay 39-G. MasterYoda has already arrived, and he's expecting us."

"Well, he's expecting most of us anyway," Qui-Gon answered as he looked at his Padawan. Obi-Wan grimaced.

"One more thing," Adi Gallia added. "The mis-sion to Corulag is more important than I'd imag-ined. Yoda came with Mace Windu."

Hearing this information, Obi-Wan's face wentred. There was no longer any doubt in his mind thathe should have stayed on Coruscant as MaceWindu had instructed. Obi-Wan had already beenuneasy about confronting Yoda, but the prospectof also facing Mace Windu filled him with some-thing resembling dread. He looked at Qui-Gon andsaid, "I don't suppose you'll let me off here?"

Qui-Gon seemed to ignore Obi-Wan's question ashe ordered, "Take us down, Bama."

While the Metron Burner followed the RadiantVII in a descent to Corulag, Leeper realized hecouldn't shake thoughts of the SoroSuub space

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yacht from his positronic brain. If he were an or-ganic creature, he might have confessed he had abad feeling about that yacht. But because he wasa modest droid, Leeper tended to keep his feelingsto himself.

Leeper scanned the area with his photorecep-tors for one more glimpse of the space yacht.

It had already vanished from view.

Among the other planets in the Darpa andBormea Sector, Corulag had long been consideredinsignificant. Unlike Esseles and Ralltiir, Corulagdid not have centers for high-tech research or in-tergalactically famous banks. Its terrain wouldnever match the agricultural capacity of Chandrilaor the icy beauty of Rhinnal. Corulag's climate wasmore hospitable than the dry planet Brentaal, butthen Brentaal had the advantage of being at thestrategic intersection of both the Perlemian TradeRoute and the Hydian Way.

Everything changed for Corulag when the Acad-emy began scouting for a planet on which to builda new institute. For years, the Academy had to turnaway applicants from the planet Raithall becausethey had too many students. Corulag seemed tobe the perfect solution. Academy representativeswere delighted by Corulag's almost undevelopedquality and its proximity to the popular Brentaal.

They knew they could transform Corulag for theAcademy's needs, and rely on Brentaal spacers tospread the word of the new facilities.

Within two decades, Corulag's population hadincreased over a hundred times, and the planet'sface had changed as well. Flat plains had been ter-raformed into canyons to create obstacle coursesfor flight training, and the once-small city of Cura-melle had become a great metropolis.

It was dusk as the Radiant VII and MetronBurner descended to Academy Spaceport. Thespaceport was a vast network of open-roofedhexagonal structures interlinked over twelvesquare kilometers at the outskirts of Curamelle.From the night sky above, the spaceport resem-bled a gigantic illuminated hive.

Docking Bay 39-G had ample room to containtwo medium-sized starships. The Radiant VII wasthe first to land, followed by the Metron Burner.Adi Gallia, Vel Ardox, and Noro Zak disembarkedthe Radiant VII, and walked to the wide garagedoorway that led out of the docking bay. There, adroid-chauffeured repulsorlift transport hovered inthe air behind the welcoming party of Mace Winduand Yoda.

Qui-Gon stepped out of the Burner and down thelanding ramp to the tarmac. He was followed bythe hesitant Obi-Wan, who had some difficulty re-turning the gaze of Mace Windu and Yoda. Adi

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Gallia was speaking to Mace Windu and Yoda, butall three Jedi Council members looked directly atObi-Wan.

Qui-Gon strode directly to the small group of JediMasters and said, "I accept full responsibility fortaking Obi-Wan to Esseles and . . ."

"No, Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan boldly inter-jected. Turning to face Yoda and Mace Windu, hedeclared, "The responsibility is mine. I left Corus-cant with Qui-Gon Jinn because I wanted to help.I'm sorry I disobeyed you, Master Windu."

Mace Windu's unblinking eyes did not waver ashe replied, "From what Adi Gallia hasjust told me,it was fortunate you stayed at your Master's side.According to her, if you had not pursued theBartokk freighter from Esseles, at least twenty-five droid starfighters might have reached CorulagAcademy."

Obi-Wan was speechless. Filled with admirationand gratitude, he looked to Adi Gallia and bowedhis head.

Yoda sighed. "The time for reprimands, this isnot. Most serious is our presence here. Reportswe have received of an infant on Corulag. Told weare, she is strong with the Force."

Mace Windu nodded. "If the reports are true,it is our duty to bring her to the Temple onCoruscant."

Qui-Gon looked from Mace Windu to Yoda, then

25

stated, "But someone has protested the child be-ing delivered to the Temple. Otherwise, neither ofyou would be here."

"You are correct, Qui-Gon," Mace Windu ac-knowledged. "The Academy's Chief Scientist dis-covered the infant's high level of midi-chlorianswhile running a test in the Science Service nurs-ery. The Chief Scientist notified the Jedi Council,but now insists the girl should remain at the Sci-ence Service tower for further study."

"And already six months old, the infant is! If tobe a Jedi is her destiny, remain on Corulag she can-not," Yoda said.

"So we're here to persuade the scientist to re-lease the child?" Qui-Gon assessed.

Yoda's tapered ears bent back as he nodded."Strong are the Jedi, but rare are we too. At theTemple, the girl must be raised, or else lost to usshe is."

Just then, Mace Windu saw Bama Vook andLeeper emerge from the Matron Burner and walkdown the landing ramp. "Acquaintances of yours,Qui-Gon?" asked the Senior Jedi Master.

"Friends," Qui-Gon answered, "and I'd like to in-vite them to accompany us to the Science Servicetower."

"Always friends, we can use," Yoda said as heturned to the repulsorlift transport. "Never enoughcan we have."

Obi-Wan wasn't certain, but he thought therewas a sense of sadness in Yoda's tone.

Night had fallen, and stars sparkled like dia-monds in Corulag's clear sky. The Academy's Sci-ence Service tower was a four-sided pyramidalskyscraper of plastoid and transparisteel. Thetower's first-floor base encompassed six city blocks,and its uppermost point was two hundred storieshigh. Bordered by older campus buildings, the towerdominated the skyline like an artificial mountain.

The northwest corner of the tower's seventhfloor contained administrative offices and a largenursery for the children of Science Service schol-ars and employees. Managed by small Model Ebaby-sitting droids, the nursery featured a centralindoor playground and a gyroscopic carousel. Thecarousel was decorated with molded seats shapedlike smiling alien beasts, all of which rotated in adizzying manner that delighted the young riders.

Mace Windu, Yoda, and Adi Gallia stepped out ofa seventh-floor conference room and into a brightlylit main lobby. They walked past a lift tube check-point where a security droid prevented unautho-rized visitors from entering Level 7.

Just off the lobby, a dozen small droids playedwith a group of thirty toddlers in the playground.As the three Jedi Masters walked by the play-ground, the sight of Yoda nearly caused two ex-

cited youngsters to tumble from their repulsorliftscooters. The children had no idea of Yoda's greatpower, but they were fascinated by his short, el-derly form.

The three Jedi Masters found the others waitingnear a wide floor-to-ceiling picture window thatlooked out over the roofs of the tower's neighbor-ing buildings.

As Yoda, Mace Windu, and Adi Gallia ap-proached, Qui-Gon knew from their grave expres-sions that the conference with the Chief Scientisthad not gone well.

"What happened?" Qui-Gon asked."The situation is complicated," Mace Windu

answered. "The Force-sensitive infant's name isTeela Panjarra. Her parents were Academy schol-ars who perished in an accident during a dig. Ac-cording to Chief Scientist Frexton, Teela is now ina private nursery here at the tower."

Adi Gallia added, "Frexton said he will considerthe girl's release to the Jedi Temple, but not untilthe Academy has conducted a series of physicaland neurological tests."

In a hushed tone, Yoda said, "Lying, Frexton is.More extreme tests in mind, we sense he has."

"Then we must stop him," Qui-Gon proclaimed."Even if Teela Panjarra is Force-sensitive, she isstill a child. The Academy is treating her like a labexperiment."

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Yoda shook his head. "Unfortunately, authorizedthe Academy is."

"It seems the Chief Scientist has some influen-tial friends in the Galactic Senate," Adi Gallia said."The Academy won't even allow us to see Teela.It's doubtful the Senate will hear our appeal beforeshe is too old to enter the Temple."

"Where is Frexton now?" Qui-Gon asked."Left our meeting in a hurry, did he," Yoda an-

swered. "Went to see the Panjarra child, we imag-ine."

As the Jedi pondered their next move, Leepersighted two droids entering Level 7 from the emer-gency stairwell doorway. In unison, they crossedthe lobby to the security checkpoint. Leeper quicklyrecognized the pair as X10-D draft droids, remote-control-operated units designed for the reptilianTrandoshans. As soon as Leeper saw the XlO-Ds,his processors began to overheat. He turned hismetal head to Qui-Gon and said, "Excuse me, sir,but I believe there's something you should know."

"What is it?" Qui-Gon asked."The two droids near the security checkpoint

are XlO-Ds."Bama Vook scowled and whacked Leeper in the

shoulder. Speaking through his vocabulator, theTalz berated, "Knock it off, Leeper. These Jedi areabout as interested in your knowledge of droids asthey are in your ability to recognize starships."

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"It's okay, Bama," Qui-Gon spoke calmly. "Isthere something wrong with the droids, Leeper?"

"XlO-Ds can only be controlled by a remotesignal," Leeper said as he scanned the lobby andthe nearby indoor playground. "I see children andModel E baby-sitting droids, but there isn't anysign of the XlO-Ds' operators. X10-D draft droidshave a control radius of four hundred meters, sothe operators might be outside the building, or onanother floor. What's most bothersome is thatXlO-Ds are manufactured to perform maintenancework and freight-loading for Trandoshans."

"Trandoshans?" Qui-Gon said, making the con-nection immediately. "You think those two droidshave something to do with the space yacht wesaw, the one that was built for the Trandoshantrader?"

"It seems highly likely, sir. But as you said,we're a long way from Trandosha."

"What's this all about, Master?" Obi-Wan asked."Keep your eyes on the droids by the check-

point, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said as he looked out thepicture window, searching the surrounding build-ings for any suspicious activity. Although it wasnight, the city lights illuminated the rooftops, andQui-Gon did not have any difficulty spotting themysterious SoroSuub space yacht. It was parkedon a roof across the street from the ScienceService tower, partially obscured by a conical ven-

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tilation chimney. Qui-Gon's attention was divertedby two insectoid shadows that shifted across thesurface of the chimney itself.

"Bartokks," Qui-Gon uttered, almost in disbe-lief.

A loud crash sounded at the other end of thelobby. Qui-Gon and the others turned to see theAcademy security droid lying sprawled on the floornear the lift tube. Near the checkpoint, a fright-ened child cried out, then ran to the protectivearms of a Model E unit. The two XlO-Ds jumpedaway from the fallen security droid and entered thelift tube.

The alert Obi-Wan raced to the security check-point. But before Obi-Wan could reach the XlO-Ds,the lift tube doors sealed with a hiss.

Obi-Wan pressed the lift control panel. "The liftwon't return," he said in frustration. "The controlsare jammed."

"Would someone please explain what's goingon?" Mace Windu asked as he and the others ranto the checkpoint.

"It's the Bartokks," Qui-Gon replied. "Theycame to Corulag on a stolen space yacht andthey're using remote-controlled droidsto carry outtheir assignment, just as they did at the factory onEsseles."

If the statement had been made by anyone else,Mace Windu and Yoda would have questioned its

31

veracity. But they knew Qui-Gon well enough totrust his judgment.

"Most deadly are the Bartokks," Yoda said ashe glanced back at the window. "At least fifteen ofthem, there always are."

"And they may be using as many XlO-Ds," Obi-Wan added.

"Do you have any idea who might be theBartokks' target?" Vel Ardox asked.

"No," Qui-Gon answered. "All we know is theBartokks intended to bring the Trade Federationdroid starfighters to Corulag. Since that effortfailed, they seem to be trying a different plan."

Leeper propped the fallen Academy securitydroid up to a seated position against the check-point kiosk and asked, "Are you okay?"

"My legs are damaged," the security droid an-swered. "I tried to prevent the XlO-Ds from en-tering the lift." The droid raised a hand to hisbroadband antennae. "I'm transmitting to othersecurity droids . . . evacuate all cadets from build-ing. Stop XlO-Ds. Bomb threat."

"What do you mean, bomb threat?" Leeperasked.

The security droid pointed to the checkpointcomputer console. "Security X-ray sensors indi-cated one of the XlO-Ds contained a concealedplasma bomb."

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"A plasma bomb?" echoed an alarmed NoroZak."That could level an entire quadrant of Curamelle."

"The Bartokks might be attempting to plant thebomb in the tower," Qui-Gon surmised. He ran backto the high window and peered down at the build-ing across the street. The SoroSuub space yachtremained parked behind a broad chimney, but thetwo Bartokks were not in view. "No sign of the as-sassins, but their ship is still there. Since theBartokks have taken the precaution of using thedroids, I doubt they're on a suicide mission. Theymust be planning to make a getaway so they won'tbe killed when they detonate the plasma bomb."

Suddenly, the lights went off and the entire cor-ridor was thrown into darkness. A number ofsmaller children began to whimper, and Adi Galliagently urged them to remain calm.

The disabled security droid rattled against thekiosk. "I managed to transmit the evacuation or-der, but something is jamming the security com-munications system."

"The XlO-Ds or the Bartokks must have severeda power terminal," Obi-Wan commented.

"An obstacle, the darkness is not," Yoda pro-fessed. "Many lives at stake here, there are. Saveall the children. Stop the Bartokks and theirdroids, we must!"

A creaking sound caused the Jedi and their al-

lies to look in the direction of the emergency stair-well. Standing in the stairwell's pitch-black door-way, two new droids were illuminated by the lightsof their own infrared photoreceptors.

Both droids were XlO-Ds.

34

At this point, you must decide whether to continuereading this adventure, or to play your own adven-ture in the Star Wars Adventures Jedl EmergencyGame Book.

To play your own adventure, turn to the firstpage of the Game Book and follow the directionsyou find there.

To continue reading this Jedi adventure, turn thepage!

35

CHAPTER FOUR

The two XlO-Ds advanced toward the central in-door playground. Their infrared photoreceptorsglowed with menace in the gloomy lobby.

"Those droids aren't authorized to be on thislevel!" said the damaged security droid, unable tomove.

Yoda slipped away from the other Jedi and drewclose to the XlO-Ds. The Jedi Master knew theBartokks might be using optical gear to allowthemselves to see whatever was within visualrange of the remote-controlled XlO-Ds' photore-ceptors. Yoda was determined not to allow theXlO-Ds to harm anyone in the nursery, but he alsodidn't want to alert the Bartokks to the Jedi pres-ence within the Science Service tower. Instead ofopenly attacking the XlO-Ds, Yoda decided tomake the Bartokks think the XlO-Ds had an acci-dent.

Yoda moved to the nearest X10-D and extendedhis glmer stick cane under its rising foot. The droidstumbled and crashed into the other X10-D. Withboth droids thrown off balance, Yoda reached forhis lightsaber and thumbed the activator. As theXlO-Ds fell, the lightsaber's glowing blade dis-abled both droids.

The other Jedi were not surprised by Yoda's ac-tion. Despite Yoda's age, they all knew him to be aresourceful fighter. Bama Vook and Leeper, how-ever, were amazed by Yoda's victory over the two

39

draft droids. If they hadn't seen it with their owneyes, they would have had difficulty imagining thatYoda could move with such power.

While the X10-Ds' heads rolled down the corri-dor floor, Yoda stepped cautiously between thetwo fallen droids and reached to their armoredchest panels. Taking great care, he slid both pan-els back.

The X10-D on his left contained a plasma bomb.Qui-Gon bent down beside Yoda and said, "The

Bartokks always have a backup plan, so it makessense that they'd have more than one bomb. Theywon't dare to trigger the bombs until they're safelyaway from the city. But now that these two XlO-Dsare down, the Bartokks who were controlling themmight come looking for them here."

"All children and adults must be removed fromthe building at once," Adi Gallia stated.

Yoda turned to his allies and proclaimed, "Tosafety, you will take them. Deactivate the bomb, Iwill. And find Teela Panjarra."

"Obi-Wan and I can search for the girl, MasterYoda," Qui-Gon suggested.

"Guard and protect these young ones, you will,"Yoda said, gesturing to the children in the nursery."My responsibility, Teela Panjarra is. Knew her par-ents, I did. Friends we were. Go now, you will."

Qui-Gon and Adi Gallia exchanged concernedglances, then looked to Mace Windu. The senior

40

Jedi Master appeared unfazed by Yoda's words."We will see you soon, old friend," he said. "Maythe Force be with you."

The assembled Jedi, Bama, Leeper, and theModel E units quickly rounded up the children andescorted them to the emergency stairwell, leavingYoda to examine the plasma bomb. Shaped like ageodesic sphere, the compact bomb was magneti-cally clamped within the XlO-D's chest cavity. Aprimitive radio transmitter was affixed to the trig-ger mechanism. Yoda glanced around the indoorplayground and noticed a child's sculpture restingon a nearby table.

The Jedi Master went to the table and pried apiece from the child's statue. He wedged it overthe plasma bomb's trigger mechanism, preventingthe Bartokks from activating the bomb by remote.

With his small, green fingers, Yoda removed thebomb from the droid's torso. Even though thebomb was deactivated, Yoda knew it had to be de-stroyed. If the Bartokks recovered the bomb in-tact, they would most certainly attempt to reset it.

And Yoda had a feeling the Bartokks wouldcome soon.

"Good work," praised the damaged Academy se-curity droid, still propped up against the check-point kiosk. "Sorry I wasn't any help."

"Here," Yoda said to the droid as he handed himthe plasma bomb. "Disassemble this, you can."

As the security droid took the bomb, Yoda hearda hissing sound from the doorway to the emer-gency stairwell. He turned just in time to see theshadowy forms of two Bartokk assassins slip outof the doorway. The Bartokks dropped their X10-Dremote-control devices and leaped at Yoda fromacross the lobby. Both Bartokks wielded deadlyvibro-axes.

Although Yoda was not violent by nature, he re-alized there wasn't any use in negotiating with theBartokks. They were cold-blooded killers whowould stop at nothing to destroy anyone they per-ceived as an enemy. Furthermore, they saw theplasma bomb in the security droid's hands. Yodawould not allow the Bartokks to get their claws onthe bomb.

Yoda raised one hand and the two Bartokks ap-peared to slam into an invisible wall. The JediMaster flung his hand back, and the insectoidslaunched straight up at the high ceiling. Their bul-bous heads crashed into the ceiling, then both fig-ures fell back to the corridor floor.

The Bartokks had underestimated the power ofthe Force.

The two assassins lay motionless on the floornear the fallen X10-D draft droids. Yoda realizedthere might be more Bartokks or XlO-Ds in theemergency stairwell, so he removed his comlinkfrom his belt and contacted Qui-Gon. "Attacked

42

from the emergency stairwell by two Bartokks, Iwas. Defeated the two are, but watch for more."

"Thanks for the warning," Qui-Gon replied. "Thechildren and Academy cadets are out of the tower,but we haven't seen Chief Scientist Frexton or anysign of Teela Panjarra. It's possible they're bothstill inside the —"

A loud burst of static came from Yoda's comlink.Something was interfering with his signal. Yodasuspected the Bartokks were jamming transmis-sions from the tower.

He was on his own.

43

CHAPTER FIVE

"What's happening?" asked the damaged secu-rity droid.

"With the communications frequencies theBartokks are interfering, I think," Yoda replied."Comlinks the Bartokks need not. Communicatetelepathically, they do." He pointed to the fallenassassins and added, "If warned their hive thesetwo did about what happened here, already ontheir way more Bartokks may be."

"I'm afraid I'm not in much condition to defendLevel seven anymore," admitted the securitydroid, looking at his useless legs. He set to thetask of taking apart the plasma bomb.

Yoda's thoughts turned to Teela Panjarra. Ac-cording to Chief Scientist Frexton, the Force-sensitive six-month-old child was in a privatenursery within the Science Service tower. Therewere still two XIO-D draft droids in the tower, oneof which was carrying a plasma bomb.

While the damaged Academy security droiddisassembled the first bomb, Yoda studied thecheckpoint's deactivated computer console. Hesuspected either the XlO-Ds or the Bartokks wereresponsible for severing a power terminal andcausing both the lobby to black out and the com-puter to shut down. Because of the darkness, itwas difficult to see the console.

Yoda smacked his lips. "If operational this com-

47

puter is, learn we might the location of the onenamed Teela Panjarra."

"Teela Panjarra?" the droid repeated in surprise."Why, she's being held in a research laboratory onLevel fifty-eight."

Yoda's eyes went wide. The girl was in a re-search lab! Yoda's suspicions were confirmed:the Academy's Chief Scientist was not to betrusted.

"To Level fifty-eight, I must go," Yoda said. Hechecked the lift tube near the security checkpoint,and found the sliding doors were still tightlysealed. The controls required extensive repairs.

Once again, Yoda drew and activated his light-saber. With only the slightest turn of his gnarledwrist, Yoda plunged the lightsaber's blade throughthe doors and carved out a large circle. He tappedat the center of the circle and it fell away into theshaft, leaving a wide hole in the lift tube doors.

Yoda deactivated his lightsaber and stared intothe lift tube shaft. The lift itself was gone, havingferried the first two XlO-Ds to another level withinthe Science Service tower. Yoda didn't knowwhether the two XlO-Ds had gone up or down, buthe knew his own destination was Level 58.

Above the security kiosk, an air vent rattled onthe ceiling. Suddenly, the heavy vent cover swungout on its hinges and two Bartokks plunged down

48

from inside. Just as Yoda had suspected, more Bar-tokks had been alerted by their fallen comrades.

Both Bartokks carried cryogen whips, capableof causing a near-explosive chemical reactionwhen the super-cold tip of the lash struck an ob-ject. The Bartokks landed next to the damaged se-curity droid. Before the droid could move, theBartokks brought their cryogen whips down onhim. A stunning blast and loud crack sounded asthe whips struck, and the helpless droid was in-stantly reduced to frozen metal.

It was fortunate that the brave security droidhad disassembled the plasma bomb. Both the se-curity droid and the bomb's separate componentswere transformed into useless bits of ice-coldscrap.

Yoda remained standing near the open lift tubeshaft when the Bartokks turned away from the se-curity droid and jumped at him. The elderly JediMaster ducked, and one of the Bartokks sailedover his back and tumbled through the open lifttube doorway. Yoda kept his eyes on the Bartokkwho had stopped short of the open door, and heardthe other Bartokk crash down through the lift tubeshaft. Even though Bartokks had exoskeletal bodyarmor, it was a certainty that the assassin wouldnot survive the drop to the Science Service's sub-basement levels.

49

The remaining Bartokk raised his whip, prepar-ing to strike Yoda. Again, Yoda's lightsaberflashed. Yoda swung out and high to the right, sep-arating his attacker at the abdomen and removingthe claw that gripped the whip. The Bartokk'sbody parts attempted to regroup. One arm acci-dentally lashed out with the whip and struck theBartokk's upper torso, which exploded into icysplinters. Seconds later, the body parts were mo-tionless.

Yoda believed more Bartokks would soon be ontheir way to Level 7. He looked inside the lift tubeshaft, trying to determine whether there was anyway for him to reach Level 58. On the inner wall ofthe shaft, a maintenance ladder offered the possi-bility for ascent. Yoda glanced back at the nurseryand saw a flatboard repulsorlift scooter hovering afew millimeters over the floor. The small scooterwas designed for a child, but it looked just aboutright to Yoda.

Throughout his life, Yoda found that his size of-ten worked to his benefit. Had he been as largeas a typical full-grown human, the scooter wouldnot have been able to support his weight. Yodaclimbed onto the repulsorlift scooter and grippedthe handlebars. He shifted his balance and aimedfor the lift tube, then revved the motor.

The scooter passed through the hole in the lifttube doors and rocketed up the shaft. Yoda clung

50

to the handlebars and rapidly counted the passinglevels as he ascended through near-total dark-ness. Within seconds, he reached Level 58 andslowed the scooter down. He gripped the shaft'smaintenance ladder and climbed off the scooter,then edged over to an access door. The door waslocked, but the locking mechanism was on the in-side of the shaft. Yoda's stubby fingers dancedover the lock, opening the mechanism within sec-onds.

Yoda stepped through the access door and en-tered Level 58. Like the nursery fifty-one floors be-low, all the lights were off.

An Academy security droid was stationed nextto the northeast lift tube. "You are not authorizedto enter this level," the security droid stated."Command received from Level seven ... all or-ganic life-forms must evacuate the building."

"Came from Level seven, I did," Yoda pro-claimed, ignoring the droid's directive. "Here tohelp, I am. Search, I do, for a six-month-old girlnamed Teela Panjarra. Held in a research lab onthis level, she is."

"Teela Panjarra is in the care of Chief ScientistFrexton," the droid answered. "I will direct you tothe nearest exit."

Yoda stood his ground and asked, "On this levelthe Chief Scientist is, or leave, did he, with thegirl?"

The droid quickly reached out to grab Yoda'sarm. "Warning . . . You must leave immediately."

The Academy security droid might have beenmerely following orders, but Yoda sensed the droidwas deliberately not answering his questions.Yoda imagined it was possible the droid was actingunder direct orders from the duplicitous ChiefScientist.

"An attack on Level seven, there has been,"Yoda told the droid. "Needed there, you are."

The droid pulled Yoda by the arm. "You are tres-passing. You will leave here at once."

Yoda sighed. "Leave me with no choice, you do."The Jedi Master concentrated on the droid's fin-gers, and the fingers drew back, releasing Yodafrom their grip. Before the droid could processwhat invisible power could have caused his metalfingers to open, it fell back to the floor.

While the droid tried to raise itself, Yodaproceeded into the lobby. On a wall next to a re-ception desk, he saw a map that revealed ten dif-ferent research laboratories on Level 58. Each labwas represented by a color-coded rectangle. Yodaraised his walking stick to tap at each of the rec-tangles, and a monitor displayed a readout of therespective lab's purpose and contents.

According to the information on the monitor,Teela Panjarra was in the fifth laboratory. Yoda did

52

not see any sign of the infant on the monitor, buthe sensed she was indeed there. He moved quietlytoward the lab.

Yoda reached the fifth research lab and peeredinside the dark chamber. The lab was a long, deeproom, dimly illuminated by the city light thatseeped through a tinted picture window. Lookingoutside, Yoda saw starships flying to and from theAcademy Spaceport.

Yoda's eyes adjusted to the darkness and hescanned the lab. Electrical equipment was set upon a thick plastoid table. Hundreds of chemicalvials were neatly displayed upon a series of wall-mounted shelves. Below the window he saw a dis-persal canister for destroying trash and a portablefusion furnace for power generation.

Suddenly, the silhouette of a tall, slender manwearing a laboratory tunic moved in front of thepicture window. The man was transferring some-thing that looked like a bundled sack from a shal-low rectangular tray into a medium-sized box.Despite the darkness, Yoda recognized the box asa Live Organism Comfort Conveyor (LOCC), a con-traption used to transport small animals during in-terstellar journeys.

Yoda reached for the emergency glow rod on hisbelt. As soon as the slender man closed the lid onthe LOCC, Yoda activated the glow rod. Instantly,

53

Chief Scientist Frexton was caught in the rod'sbright projected light, and he threw a hand up overhis eyes. A small transparent viewport was builtinto the side of the LOCC, and it revealed that thebundled sack was in fact an infant swaddled inpale gray fabric.

Teela Panjarra was sound asleep.

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CHAPTER SIX

The sleeping infant was humanoid. She was sosafely nestled within the LOCC that Yoda did notwant to disturb her. Keeping his voice calm, Yodacommanded, "Surrender at once, Frexton."

"Security!" Frexton yelped as he squinted intothe glow rod's light. "Security! Get here at once!"

"Help you, the security droid cannot," Yoda in-formed the scientist. "Deceived the Jedi Council,you have. Now, away from the child you will stepor. . ."

Before Yoda could complete his sentence, theChief Scientist drew a concealed blaster from hislab tunic. He raised the blaster fast and preparedto fire at the small Jedi Master.

Yoda threw his glow rod at Frexton's blaster, hisarm moving so fast that Frexton never knew whathit him. The blaster was suddenly slammed out ofhis hands. The room was again cast into darkness.

Frexton cursed as his blaster smashed to thefloor, ruined. Yoda was about to reach for the boxcontaining the sleeping Teela Panjarra when hewas distracted by movement outside the tintedwindow. Rising from a lower level, a wide viewport-cleaning drone rolled on magnetic treads up thetower's inclined exterior. On the drone's broadback stood two Bartokk assassins and a pair ofX10-D draft droids. With some frustration, Yoda re-alized it was possible the Bartokks were drawn tothe window because of the light from his glow rod.

Both Bartokks held XIO-D remote-control de-vices in their lower set of hands. With their upperlimbs, one Bartokk operated the window-washingdrone while the other fired a shoulder-mountedSquib battering ram, unleashing a powerful burstof alternating energy pulsations. The transpari-steel window shattered.

Frexton ducked behind a cabinet. Some of thetransparisteel shrapnel struck the lab's utility walland punctured a plastoid plumbing hose, causingwater to spray out all over the floor. Fortunately,Teela Panjarra was shielded from the shrapnel andwater by her protective LOCC.

One of the two Bartokks wore a vocabulator."Nobody movessss!" he hissed.

As the two Bartokks leaped into the room, theChief Scientist cowered behind the cabinet. TheBartokk assassins ignored the cringing scientistand focused their attention on the weapons inYoda's belt.

"Brave warrior, are you, little one?" asked thevocabulator-equipped Bartokk. "We'll sssssee howtough you are."

The two Bartokks adjusted their XIO-D remote-control devices, and the XIO-D draft droids raisedtheir extendable loader arms and lurched towardYoda. Water from the punctured plumbing hosehad formed a large puddle in the middle of the lab.

Yoda noticed the Bartokks were standing in thepuddle.

Yoda jumped on top of the nearby table as hepushed the electrical equipment hard. The equip-ment crashed into the watery puddle, and sent amassive electric jolt through the two insectoidassassins. A fizzing sound filled the air as theBartokks appeared to be frozen in their tracks.Without anyone to control them, the XlO-Dsceased their movement. After several seconds,the Bartokks were completely fried. Yoda carefullydeactivated the equipment's port from the fusionfurnace, and the electric shock ended. The twoBartokks collapsed into the puddle.

The frightened Chief Scientist Frexton whim-pered from behind the cabinet. Yoda looked at theLOCC and was amused to see that Teela Panjarrawas still fast asleep.

The vocabulator-equipped Bartokk twitched onthe wet floor. Still alive, the fiendish assassinlooked up at Yoda and hissed. Yoda could see theBartokk was mortally wounded, and felt some-thing resembling remorse. However, Yoda was con-fident he had done the right thing. If he had notfought the Bartokks, he and Teela Panjarra mighthave been their next victims.

Yoda wanted to know the nature of theBartokks' murderous assignment. With this infor-

59

mation, Yoda hoped he would have a better chanceof stopping any other bomb-carrying XlO-Ds. Hegazed into the dying Bartokk's multifaceted eyesand relaxed.

"How many plasma bombs are there?" Yodaasked the Bartokk. "Many more droids you have,hmmm?"

Unable to resist Yoda's power, the Bartokk an-swered, "Six droids . . . three bombs . . . destroythe Science Service tower. . . that is our assign-ment." As he uttered the last word, the assassin'sbulbous eyes seemed to flex in his insectoid skull.

"Assigned you were, by whom?" Yoda asked,but it was too late. The vile Bartokk's facialmandibles clicked as he exhaled his last foulbreath. He was gone.

"Is it true?" asked the frightened Chief ScientistFrexton. "Are those creatures really going to blowup the Academy?"

"Their intention, it is, yes," Yoda replied as heexamined the two fallen XlO-Ds. Without tellingFrexton that one of the three bombs was no longera concern, Yoda carefully opened the panels on thedroids' chests. One of the droids contained aplasma bomb.

Suddenly, two grappling hooks sailed throughthe open window. Both hooks were tied to climb-ing cables. The cables were drawn taut and thehooks were secured to the base of the windowsill.

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Yoda fixed his eyes on Frexton and whispered,"Move not!" The fearful Frexton ducked back be-hind the cabinet.

Yoda moved to the window and glanced down.Gripping the lines, two Bartokks pulled them-selves up to Level 58 from a balcony below.

The Jedi Master realized how the Bartokkscould have known where to look for him. Beforethe vocabulator-equipped Bartokk died, he hadsent a telepathic communication to his comrades.

Yoda sighed.The trouble was not over yet.

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CHAPTER SEVEN

Yoda knew if the two Bartokks reached Level58, they would do whatever they could to recovertheir plasma bomb. They wouldn't hesitate to elim-inate everyone in the room.

The Jedi Master did not falter. He activated hislightsaber and slashed the climbing cables. Thesevered cables whipped out of the window, and theBartokks fell.

The Jedi Master did not enjoy watching the twoassassins plummet down the side of the pyramidaltower. But he watched them long enough to makesure they were no longer a threat. Only when hewas satisfied that there were two less Bartokksdid he look back into the lab.

Yoda hunkered down over the plasma bombwithin the X10-D draft droid. While he removedthe bomb from the droid's torso, Chief ScientistFrexton made his move. Frexton grabbed the LOCCby its handle and ran through a triangular doorway,carrying Teela Panjarra with him.

Yoda heard Frexton slip through the door and re-alized he should have subdued the Chief Scientistwhen he had the chance. Although Frexton hadTeela Panjarra, Yoda was compelled to get rid ofthe plasma bomb before pursuing the scientist.The laboratory was outfitted with the perfect util-ity for disposal.

Yoda carried the bomb to the waste dispersalcanister and raised the canister's lid. He dropped

the bomb into the unit, sealed the lid, and acti-vated the contained fusion reactor. The canisterhummed, and the plasma bomb disintegrated.

Almost too easy, that was, Yoda thought to him-self as he hobbled to the triangular doorway. Yodameditated and exercised every day, but he knewthat age had taken its toll on his body. For a fleet-ing moment, he wondered if it had been unwise forhim to have insisted on rescuing Teela Panjarra.Rescue missions were for Jedi Knights, not elderlyJedi Masters. Still, Yoda moved faster than mostbeings who were over eight hundred years old.

Yoda reached the doorway only to find it wassealed by a transparent energy field. He realizedFrexton must have activated the field as soon ashe'd entered the next chamber. Yoda gazedthrough the invisible field and into the adjoininglaboratory. From what he could see, the lab wasdedicated to hydroponic research. The lab wasfilled with water tanks that contained large alienplants. Frexton was at the far end of the lab, car-rying the conveyor as he walked toward a lift tube.

Yoda considered using his lightsaber to carvethrough the wall, but the walls appeared thick andit could take more time than he could afford. Thenhe remembered the Bartokks' Squib batteringram.

The Jedi Master turned and hobbled back to thefallen Bartokks and picked up the battering ram.

66

The weapon was larger than Yoda, but he hefted itover his right shoulder and aimed it at the labora-tory wall.

Yoda fired. With a single blast, the battering rampunched a broad hole through the thick wall. Yodadropped the weapon and scrambled into the hydro-ponics laboratory.

At the other end of the lab, Frexton was stand-ing in front of a lift tube door, waiting for a lift to ar-rive. He had turned at the sound of the batteringram, and gasped when he saw Yoda.

"You can't have the child!" Frexton shouted,clenching the live organism comfort conveyortightly against his chest. "My research dependson her. She belongs to the Academy!"

"A piece of property, Teela Panjarra is not,"Yoda replied. "Still in great danger, we are. Sur-render, you must."

Frexton ignored Yoda's order and ran behind abarrel-shaped transparisteel water tank. The tankcontained an immense purple plant. The plant'sthick, leaf-covered vines extended out of the top ofthe tank and brushed the ceiling, then curved outand dangled down to the white-tiled floor.

Yoda pushed his way through the plant's leaves.Moving forward, he felt one of his legs become en-tangled by the plant's vines. Suddenly, he wasyanked off the laboratory floor and raised towardthe ceiling.

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Yoda was in the grips of the alien plant. As hestruggled against the vines, the plant positionedhim over the top of the water tank. Inside the tank,under the water's surface, Yoda saw the plant'scentral stalk widen to reveal a mouth filled with ra-zor-sharp teeth. The stalk rose and broke the wa-ter's surface. Yellow foam spilled out of the plant'smouth.

The plant was very, very hungry.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Despite his situation, Yoda did not panic. Heknew that survival depended upon maintaining aclear mind.

Yoda concentrated, reaching out to communi-cate with the plant. The plant's mind was primi-tive, and its thoughts were only centered aroundlight, warmth, and food. Unable to make any men-tal connection with the plant, Yoda redirected hisconcentration on the vines themselves, forcingthem to release their grip on him. The plant re-lented, and Yoda fell to the laboratory floor.

The lift tube doors opened. Frexton ran awayfrom the barrel-shaped tank and jumped into thelift tube.

As Yoda rose from the floor, the lift tube doorsbegan to slide shut. Yoda forced the doors open,but the lift was already descending in the shaft.

Yoda jumped on top of the lift and held on. Hehad barely caught his breath when the lift cameto a sudden, jarring stop. By Yoda's estimate, thelift was somewhere between Levels 35 and 40.He'd thought Frexton might have been attemptingto reach Level 1 or one of the Science Servicetower's sublevels, so he was surprised that the lifthad stopped so soon. Yoda hunkered down on topof the stalled lift and placed his ear over the lift'supper emergency access hatch. He heard thesound of the lift tube doors opening.

Then Chief Scientist Frexton began to scream.

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Yoda pulled at the emergency access hatch, butit was jammed. He drew and activated hislightsaber, illuminating the dark lift tube with theweapon's vibrant glow. He sheared the hatch clearoff the lift's top, then leaped down through theopen hole and into the lift cabin.

From inside the lift cabin, Yoda gazed throughthe open tube doors to see that he was on Level32. According to a sign on the wall, this area wasdevoted to aeronautic research and development.

"Get away from me!" Chief Scientist Frextonyelled from outside the lift.

Yoda stepped out of the lift cabin and the doorsslid shut behind him. An antechamber led directlyto an aeronautic laboratory, where Academy sci-entists and engineers developed new repulsorliftsystems. Yoda saw a tall, robotic figure standing inthe entrance to the lab and almost mistook it foran X10-D before he realized it was just an un-manned bipedal servo-lifter. Like the XlO-Ds,servo-lifters were used for moving heavy freight,but they were operated by a pilot instead ofremote control. The pilot had already fled. Yodaducked behind the two-legged loading machineand peered inside the lab.

He saw Frexton cowering against a wall, held atbay by a single X10-D draft droid. Numerous stor-age bins filled with starship engine parts were alsoevident, but there wasn't any sign of the comfort

72

conveyor that contained Teela Panjarra. The labwas dimly lit, with much of the area lost to shad-ows. Yoda scurried up onto the servo-lifter to geta wider view of the room. He didn't see anyBartokks. But he knew they were nearby if theywere controlling the X10-D.

"Help!" Frexton shouted as the droid raised ametal claw and prepared to strike.

Yoda switched on the servo-lifter and the roboticfreight-loader lurched forward, causing the X10-Dto turn. By the time the XlO-D's infrared photore-ceptors had locked onto Yoda, the Jedi Master'slightsaber was activated. Yoda's first swipe passedthrough the XlO-D's legs, and his second neatlyremoved the droid's head from its shoulders.

Chief Scientist Frexton fainted. Yoda tried to re-vive him, hoping to learn what had happened toTeela Panjarra. But the man was out cold.

Yoda turned to the fallen body of the X10-D andknelt over its torso. He opened a panel on thedroid's chest, only to discover the droid did notcontain a plasma bomb.

Yoda wondered where the sixth X10-D could be.Suddenly, bright overhead lights came on, illumi-

nating the entire aeronautics laboratory. Ten me-ters away from Yoda, the LOCC lay on the lab floor.An X10-D draft droid had one foot firmly planted ontop of the conveyor. Three Bartokk assassins werealso in the lab. One Bartokk operated the remote-

73

control device for the X10-D while the other twoaimed crossbows loaded with explosive-tipped ar-rows at Yoda's heart.

The Jedi Master had walked right into theBartokks' trap.

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CHAPTER NINE

One of the crossbow-wielding Bartokks wore avocabulator. Clicking its mandibles, the Bartokkcautioned, "If you make any sudden movement, wewill make the droid crush the container and itscontents."

Yoda did not move. He knew the Bartokk wasserious.

"Our brothers on Level fifty-eight telepathicallywarned us of your position before they perished,"the Bartokk continued. "We anticipated you wouldtry to escape the tower, so we programmed all liftsto stop on this level. You have meddled with our as-signment for the last time."

"Clever, you are," Yoda allowed. His mind raced,trying to plan his next move. Hoping to buy time,he added, "Detonate the plasma bomb, and perishtoo, you will."

The vocabulator-equipped Bartokk tilted his in-sectoid head toward a long, dart-shaped repulsor-lift skiff parked next to a transport hatch. "We willleave the Science Service tower in our skiff and re-turn to our starship. There is no place for you torun, warrior. We've sealed off this entire labora-tory. We intend to leave you trapped within thetower. By the time the bomb detonates, we will befar away from Curamelle. Now you will remove yourweapons."

Yoda reached to his belt and removed hislightsaber. With incomprehensible speed, he acti-

vated the lightsaber and flung it at the Bartokkwho controlled the X10-D. Using the Force, Yodaguided his weapon through the air, slicing throughboth the Bartokk and his remote-control device,then curving back around. As the X10-D fell backagainst his controller, Yoda caught the lightsaberby its polished handle and spun at the twocrossbow-wielding Bartokks.

The Bartokks fired their explosive-tipped arrowsat Yoda. The Jedi Master's lightsaber flicked out atthe oncoming bolts, snapping them in half. Thearrow tips struck the lab walls and exploded. Be-fore the assassins could reload their crossbows,Yoda surged forward and defeated them.

The three Bartokks and the two X10-D draftdroids lay motionless on the floor under the brightlights of the aeronautics lab. Nearby, the uncon-scious Chief Scientist Frexton remained stretchedout on the spot where he had fainted.

Yoda went to the LOCC and looked through itssmall viewport. Miraculously, Teela Panjarra re-mained sound asleep, and wore a faint smile onher lips.

Yoda stepped away from the LOCC and went tothe sixth X10-D. Opening its chest plate, he foundwhat he had expected: the third plasma bomb. Ashe carefully removed the bomb from the droid, hesaw the Bartokks had taken an extreme precau-

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tion to prevent him from deactivating the explo-sive device.

Unlike the other two plasma bombs, the thirdbomb had a secured timer mechanism that hadbeen set for a five-minute countdown. Any attemptto switch off the secured timer would cause thebomb to explode.

Since Bartokks communicate telepathically,Yoda figured that the four surviving members ofthe hive were aware they had lost the threeBartokks in the aeronautics lab. Unless the otherfour were in the Science Service tower, nothingwould prevent the remaining Bartokks from leav-ing Corulag.

Yoda realized he was the only one who could getrid of the bomb and stop the Bartokks. Although itwould be a dangerous mission, he dared not leaveTeela Panjarra alone and undefended in the tower.He reluctantly decided to take the LOCC with himas well as the plasma bomb.

Yoda placed the LOCC and bomb on the Bar-tokks' skiff and gripped the vehicle's controls. Hefired the skiff's engines, and the dart-shaped ves-sel blasted out of the aeronautics lab transporthatch.

The skiff soared away from the pyramidalScience Service tower. Yoda steered around thetower to locate the stolen SoroSuub space yacht.

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The lights of Curamelle seemed to flow past theskiff like an illuminated wave. Searching for thespace yacht, Yoda angled toward the low-risebuildings across from the tower's nursery windowon Level 7.

Then he saw it. The SoroSuub space yacht wasalready rising up and away from its hiding place.Yoda swung the skiff after the space yacht, draw-ing closer until he was within thirty meters of it.Unfortunately, the assassins had anticipated hispursuit.

A Bartokk appeared on the stern of the spaceyacht and aimed a disrupter rifle at Yoda. The en-ergy weapon was capable of unleashing a blastso powerful that it could break down targets atthe molecular level. The Bartokk fired, and Yodaswung hard and away to avoid the energy blast.Yoda brought the skiff into a tight spin that posi-tioned him directly under the fleeing space yacht,then came up toward the yacht's stern andpunched the accelerator.

The nose of the skiff caught the Bartokk's skull.The disrupter rifle flew from his claws and skit-tered across the deck, while the Bartokk himselfwas knocked clear off the yacht.

Yoda matched the SoroSuub space yacht'sspeed, then landed the skiff on the yacht's openstern. He intended to plant the plasma bomb onthe space yacht, then escape the stolen craft. Al-

so

though there were barely two minutes left beforethe plasma bomb was set to detonate, Yodawanted to be certain there weren't any innocentpeople on board.

He left Teela Panjarra within her LOCC, then car-ried the geodesic plasma bomb away from the skiffand crossed the yacht's aft deck.

Yoda walked past a supply bulkhead and a hatchfor an emergency escape pod, then stepped up tothe base of a curved, tubular air vent and peeredthrough a viewport into the main cabin. Inside thecabin, three Bartokks operated the controls of thesleek vessel. They appeared to be unaware ofYoda's presence on the yacht.

Yoda tossed the bomb into the tubular air vent,then scurried back across the deck and onto theskiff. As he prepared for launch, he sensed some-thing was wrong. He looked for Teela Panjarra'sconveyor, and discovered it was missing.

Without warning, the yacht's canopy shieldsrose swiftly and sealed off the stern. Yoda heard achittering sound from the deck that caused him toturn.

The Bartokk Queen stood on the deck. She wastall for a Bartokk, and her insectoid limbs dis-played strong, flat muscles. Yoda realized therecould be only one explanation for her presence onthe yacht: She must have decided to personallyoversee the ill-fated assignment to Corulag. Ex-

cept for a handheld vocabulator, the Queen did notappear to be carrying any weapons. In the Queen'slower left claw, she carried Teela Panjarra's LOCC.

The Queen raised the vocabulator to herbulbous-eyed head and rasped, "Prepare to die,warrior."

"On this yacht, a plasma bomb is," Yoda repliedas he stepped away from the skiff. He walkedtoward the guardrail, under which lay the fallendisrupter rifle. "Requires time, fighting does. Timeyou have not. Surrender the child, you will."

The Bartokk Queen laughed. "Foolish warrior,"she snarled. "For failing our mission, we are pre-pared to die. You, on the other hand, have onlymanaged to lock yourself up with us." The Queenextended her arm and crushed the vocabulator inher claw. Then she opened her claw, letting thebroken bits fall to the stern's highly polished deck.She released the LOCC, letting it land with a dullthud on the deck. With all her claws free, theQueen assumed an attack position and preparedto strike.

Keeping his eyes on the Queen, Yoda slowlyshook his head. "Not locked up with you, am I," hereplied as he edged toward the guardrail. "Lockedup with me, are you."

The Queen must have assumed Yoda was goingto try using the disrupter rifle, and she pouncedwith her razor-sharp claws outstretched. She was

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still in midair when Yoda stepped away from thefallen rifle, activated his lightsaber, and let theBartokk Queen fall upon its lethal blade.

The Queen was split in half and sprawled on thedeck, but the two body parts rose quickly andtried to claw Yoda. The Jedi Master swung hislightsaber again and again, until there was littleleft of the Queen but flipping bits of insectoid ar-mor.

Only the Queen's head remained intact. It restedon its side on the deck, looking at the remains ofher body.

The SoroSuub space yacht veered off course,and the three surviving Bartokks stepped out ofthe main cabin. Teela Panjarra's conveyor beganto slide across the deck toward the cabin, butYoda grabbed hold of it. By Yoda's calculation, theplasma bomb would detonate in less than twentyseconds.

Yoda pushed and followed Teela Panjarra's LOCCinto the yacht's emergency escape pod. The mo-ment they were inside the cushioned confines ofthe pod, Yoda hit the ejection button.

The pod blasted out and zoomed away from theSoroSuub space yacht. Anticipating the blast,Yoda placed a protective hand over the viewporton Teela Panjarra's LOCC while he closed his owneyes. The pod was suddenly rocked by anincredible explosion, followed by a thunderous

boom. The plasma bomb had detonated on sched-ule. Even with his eyes shut, Yoda could see the in-tense light of the massive explosion.

The shock wave subsided, and the pod de-scended to the Science Service tower. Yodaopened the LOCC to check on Teela Panjarra. Sheyawned, opened her eyes, looked at Yoda . . .

. . . and giggled.

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At this point, readers who chose to follow the ad-venture In the Star Wars Adventures Game Bookcan return to Jedi Emergency.

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CHAPTER TEN

Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi watched asChief Scientist Frexton was led away from theScience Service tower by the Academy SecurityPolice. Nearby, the President of the Academy him-self was assuring Mace Windu and Yoda that Frex-ton would never set foot in a laboratory again.

"It's most fortunate that no harm came to TeelaPanjarra," Qui-Gon noted.

"Not to mention the entire Academy," Obi-Wanadded.

Yoda and Mace Windu turned away from theAcademy's President and approached Qui-Gon andObi-Wan. The infant Teela Panjarra was cradled inYoda's arms.

Qui-Gon's comlink chirped. He removed the de-vice from his belt, held it in front of his face, andsaid, "Yes?"

From the comlink, Vel Ardox's voice answered,"The Radiant VII is ready to transport us all backto Coruscant whenever you're ready."

Qui-Gon smiled as he responded. "We're on ourway back to Docking Bay thirty-nine-G now."

On the tarmac of Docking Bay 39-G, Bama Vookand Leeper stood beside the Matron Burner andwaved as the Radiant VII lifted off. Bama andLeeper had figured that as long as they were onCorulag, they might try and drum up some busi-ness to run a shipment back to Esseles.

The Jedi were transporting Teela Panjarra backto the Jedi Temple. While Mace Windu received aHoloNet message from Coruscant, the other Jediwaited for him in the Radiant VH's conferenceroom. Qui-Gon was engaged in conversation withVel Ardox and Noro Zak, and Obi-Wan turned toAdi Gallia and said, "There's something I've beenmeaning to ask you, Master Adi."

"Yes, Obi-Wan?""Master Qui-Gon has told me that you saved his

life last year, but he has not told me the details. Ithought perhaps you might tell me of the inci-dent."

Adi Gallia looked confused, and turned to Obi-Wan's Master. "Qui-Gon? What's this about mesaving your life last year?"

"Remember the official banquet for the Hewettsenators?" Qui-Gon asked. "You stopped me be-fore I took a bite of Konkeel pie."

"What?" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "You mean . . .Master Adi simply prevented you from eatingdessert?"

"Konkeel pie is highly toxic to humanoids," AdiGallia stated. "The Hewett senators apologizedand removed it from their menu."

Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan and remarked, "Peo-ple have died from eating it."

"Oh," said Obi-Wan.Mace Windu entered the conference room. "I've

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received a message from Chancellor Valorum,"Mace Windu informed the gathered Jedi. "The mat-ter of the Trade Federation constructing droidstarfighters in the Darpa Sector is under investi-gation. The Trade Federation representatives, ofcourse, deny any wrongdoing."

"We'll have to keep a very watchful eye on theNeimoidians," Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan looked to Qui-Gon and asked, "Master?Do you think we'll ever find out who hired theBartokks to attack Corulag?"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "The answer to thatquestion may have died with the Bartokks."

After Groodo the Hutt and his son Boonda sawthe explosion high in the sky over Curamelle city,they realized the Bartokks had failed their assign-ment to destroy Corulag Academy. Groodo bitterlyswore he'd never do business with Bartokk assas-sins again. Boonda kept his mouth shut. In truth,Boonda hadn't really wanted to go to the Academyanyway. He thought the Academy had too manyrules.

Groodo couldn't wait to leave Corulag and re-turn to Esseles. The two Hutts abandoned theirescape pod and slowly made their way to theAcademy Spaceport. They were slithering pastDocking Bay 39-G when Boonda tugged at the flabof his father's left elbow.

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"Look, pa," Boonda said, pointing at the Corel-lian freighter inside the docking bay. "That's BamaVook's starship. I know him from Esseles. He's thetest pilot for Trinkatta Starships."

"Really?" Groodo replied, beaming. "We musthire him to deliver us to Esseles at once."

"I can't wait to tell the gang back home aboutour adventure on Corulag!" young Boonda ex-claimed.

"Boonda," Groodo growled, "let's just keep allthat to ourselves."

NEXT ADVENTURE: THE GHOSTLING CHILDREN

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A young girl has been found who has thepower to became a Jedi.

But an evil scientist doesn't want to lether go. And her home is under attack by

Bartokk Assassins.

Yoda, Mace Windu, and the other Jedimust save her.

The future is at stake.

' ;,This edition is only

,,:

A HAMPTA SCAN

KFRONE