tunnels were used to travel throughout Rhire. The buildings were de - signed
for the harshest weather conditions, and many utilized both solar and
hydroelectric energy.
"The lights are off in all the buildings," Bama observed. "It seems
there's a blackout all over the city."
Qui-Gon reached forward so his arm projected out over Leeper's shoulder.
He aimed a finger in the direction of a low, semicireular building with two
tall spires.
"That's the Jedi chapter house," Qui-Gon said. The building wrapped
around a black, discoid landing pad. The landing pad had a ceramic coating on
which snow and ice could not accumufate. Bordered by so much snow, it looked
like an immense dot on the landscape. Nine hangars were built into the wall
that surrounded the pad. Bama brought the Metron Burner down near an open
hangar door. The moment the Metron Burner settled down, Bama activated the
control to lower the landing ramp.
"Be sure to grab an anorak from the storage locker on the way out," he
cautioned. "You don't need a thermometer to know it's more than a little
chilly outside."
While Bama and Leeper switched off the freighter's systems, Qui-Gon and
Obi-Wan unbuckled their safety belts and headed to the storage locker. Obi-Wan
winced as he pulled a musty anorak over his head.
"Doesn't this ship have a laundry unit?" he grumbled.
"You'll get a taste of fresh air soon enough," Qui - Gon replied.
A blast of icy wind hit Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan as they descended the
freighter's ramp to the black landing pad. As they crossed the pad and entered
the hangar, they sighted a hooded alien wearing a heavily padded parka. The
alien appeared to be inspecting the Republic Cruiser Radiant Vll, the same
ship that had transported the Jedi from Coruscant to Esseles. At the alien's
back, strips of shredded fabric dangled where two slits had been torn from the
parka to accommodate a pair of broad, leathery wings. Hearing Qui-Gon and Obi-
Wan enter, the winged figure turned and pulled off his fur-lined hood to
reveal the tapered ears of a Baxthrax.
"Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan!" the Jedi Knight Noro Zak exclaimed. "I
thought you'd still be in the Esseles system. Did you locate all the droid
star fighters?"
"Only twenty-five," Qui-Gon answered. "We believe the remaining
starfighters are en route to Corulag on a Bartokk freighter. We were able to
transmit a warning of a possible attack to Corulag Academy, but I became
concerned when we couldn't get a response from anyone here on Rhinnal."
Just then, Bama and Leeper stepped down from the Metron Burner and
approached the hangar. After Qui-Gon introduced them to Noro, Bama asked,
"So, what caused the blackout?"
"An electromagnetic storm shut down most of Rhire's power and all of
Rhinnal's communications satellites," Noro explained. "The storm passed
moments after we'd arrived and delivered Adi Gallia to the emergency treatment
room. Fortunately, the Jedi medical center's reserve systems remained online."
"That would explain why we couldn't contact Rhinnal from Esseles," Obi-
Wan commented.
Qui-Gon faced Noro and asked, "What's Adi Gallia's condition'?"
"She's still unconscious," Noro replied. "But the doctors say her
condition has stabilized."
Qui-Gon appeared unmoved, but Obi-Wan noticed his breathing had changed.
Obi-Wan did not have any doubt that it was, for Qui-Gon, a sigh of relief.
"We'd best proceed to Corulag," Obi-Wan proposed.
"No!" Noro Zak interjected. "It would be most unwise to leave now. The
weather science bureau predicts another storm will strike within the next
three hours. If it hits during your launch and fries your ship's power, you'll
drop back to Rhinnal in no time."
Hearing this information, Qui-Gon realized Obi-Wan's instincts had been
correct. The detour to Rhinnal had seriously jeopardized their effort to find
three hours, there was only a slim chance that they could reach Corulag before
the second Bartokk freighter.
Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at his Padawan.
"I suppose this is when you're going to say 'I told you so'".
Obi-Wan shrugged.
"Until the storm passes, Noro and I can ready the Radiant Vll to pursue
the Bartokks."
"Leeper and I would be happy to help in any way we can," Bama
voiunteered.
"Very good," Qui-Gon said. "l'm going to check on Adi Gallia." Qui-Gon
was about to exit the hangar when he turned back to Obi-Wan and added, "Mark
my words, Obi-Wan. That Bartokk freighter isn't going to get anywhere near
Corulag."
The Sith Infiltrator's hyperspace journey from Coruscant to the Esseles
system passed without incident. Maul had used the time to install the droid
starfighter-controlling data card into the Infiltrator's main computer. As
soon as Darth Maul entered the orbit of Esseles, he activated his ship's
powerful scan-mode sensors. The sensors sent out pulses in all directions,
gathering information from the entire Darpa Sector. Maul adjusted the scanner,
tuning it to search for and track any objects that moved in a trajectory away
from Esseles. He narrowed the search further by transmitting a request for
identification profiles from every outgoing starship within range. Maul viewed
a monitor that displayed the collected information: a list of fifty-eight
starships, their respective sublight speeds, and their distances from Esseles.
Maul did not expect any vessel to declare itself as a freighter filled
with insectoid assassins and stolen Trade Federation property, so he was not
surprised when only fifty - seven ships automatically responded with their ID
profiles. One ship had withheld its identification. Maul checked the
coordinates of the unknown ship. According to the Infiltrator's nav computer,
the ship was still in the Darpa Sector, traveling through the Ralltiir system
on a direct bearing for the planet Corulag. The Infiltrator's sensors could
not determine whether the distant ship was the Bartokk freighter, but Maul
would find out soon enough. He plotted the course for the Ralltiir system and
launched the Sith Infiltrator into hyperspace. After he made a final check to
the nav computer, Maul swiveled his seat to face C-3PX. The droid remained
seated on the other side of the small bridge.
"What do you know about Ralltiir?" Maul asked.
C-3PX tilted his head slightly to the side before he replied.
"It's a neutral world, and the only planet in the Darpa Sector that has
maintained independence from the political control of Esseles. Ralltiir's
financial institutions have an intergalactic reputation for their security and
confidentiality."
Darth Maul nodded his head.
"Are you familiar with Bartokk assassins?"
"They are an insectoid species with strong exoskeletons. There are
fifteen Bartokks in every hive. They share a collective mind and communicate
with each other by telepathy. Their intelligence is distributed throughout
their nervous system, allowing any severed body part to
perform independently
from the body. This characteristic makes them difficult to kill."
On Maul's command console, a warning light flashed as the Infiltrator
reached the Ralltiir system. Seconds later, the cruiser decelerated and
reentered realspace. From the Infiitrator's bridge, the planet Ralltiir was
clearly visible through Darth Maul's viewport. The mystery ship, on the other
hand, was gone. Maul consulted his sensor screens for the coordinates of the
unidentified vessel's last noted location. From that point in space, an
invisible trail of charged particles led off toward the planet Ralltiir. The
Infiltrator's sensors confirmed that the particles had been left in the wake
of the parting ship's sublight engines. Darth Maul piloted the Infiltrator
toward Ralltiir and entered the planet's orbit.
"The Bartokks stole fifty Trade Federation droid starfighters and a
prototype hyperdrive engine from a starship factory on Esseles," Maul notified
the droid. "Sensors indicated the Bartokks were destined for Corulag. They
changed course for Ralltiir, possibly because they intercepted my long-range
scan and now hope to evade pursuit. My objective is to learn who hired the
Bartokks, retrieve Trade Federation property, and terminate the Bartokks."
C-3PX's photoreceptors dimmed as he processed the data, then he asked,
"Do you want to know the odds against completing your objectives?"
"Failure is not an option, so the odds are insignificant. I have informed
you of the Bartokks because you may be required to run interference on
Ralltiir."
The droid's photorececptors brightened.
"It is unlikely that the Bartokks believe they can hide from us on
Ralltiir. If they suspect they are being followed, there is a high probability
they landed on the planet to prepare a trap."
"Naturally," Darth Maul replied.
He used the sensors to get a fix on the charged particles that would lead
him to the unidentified starship. Gripping the controls, the Sith Lord
commandeered his Infiltrator into a rapid descent toward Ralltiir's surface.
Without looking at the C-3PX, Maul stated,
"I'll delay my attack until their guard is down."
C-3PX thought about this for a moment, then asked,
"If the Bartokks are preparing a trap, when will their guard be down?"
Darth Maul glared at the droid.
"After I let them catch me."
The trail of charged particles led to a mountainous region of Ralltiir,
thirty-eight kilometers north-west of the city Grallia. Darkness had already
fallen over the region, but the blanket of night hid little from the Sith
Infiltrator's sensors. Darth Maul used the tracking sensors to follow the
particle trail over a high, jagged rock formation. Maul surmised that the
elusive freighter's crew probably expected any attack to come from above.
Although he planned on surrendering to the crew, he had no intention of
making it look easy. He activated the Infiltrator's cloaking device, and the
ship vanished from sight as it flew over the jagged rocks. While the cloaking
device prevented the Infiltrator from being viewed by outsiders, the cruiser's
interior was visible to Maul and C-3PX. Maul checked the sensors and saw that
the particle trail ended at the rim of a wide canyon. High on the canyon's
east wall, a great fortress was built into the side of the cliff. Scanning the
terrain, Maul found an opportunity for an indirect approach to the canyon. He
piloted the cloaked Infiltrator low over a broad mesa, and then plunged into a
deep ravine. Maintaining a high speed, he steered through the narrow gap
between the stark mountain walls, then leveled off ten meters above the gorge.
The treacherous ravine led into the wide canyon. Maul flew behind a towering
butte that rose from the base of the canyon, well out of visual range from the
high cave. He prepared for landing and de - activated the cloaking device. The
Infiltrator re - materialized, and its now-visible wings folded in as Maul
brought the ship down beside the butte.
"The ship's particle trail indicates it flew directly to a remote
fortress," Maul told C-3PX. "It might be a Bartokk hideout. I'll fly my
speeder to the fortress and break in. You guard the Infiltrator."
C-3PX nodded, but Maul had already left the bridge. Armed with only his
lightsaber, Maul stepped out of the Infiltrator and drew his electrobinoculars
from his belt. He held them up to his yellow eyes and adjusted the night
vision control, then scanned the rim of the canyon until he located the
fortress. It was at least seven stories high, as indicated by the positions of
small inset windows. Three domed turrets loomed like guardian silos over a
granite roof. Despite the architectural details, the structure blended so well
with the surrounding natural stones that Maul imagined it had been carved out
of the mountain itself. Maul magnified his view of the inset windows. With the
exception of one small, unlit window at the lowest level, all the others were
barred. The unbarred window appeared to be the best access into the fortress.
After Maul returned the macrobinoculars to his belt, he deployed his saddle-
shaped speeder from the underside cargo hatch. Unlike the Infiltrator, the
speeder was not equipped with any sensors, weapons, or shields, but it was
capable of astonishing velocity and maneuverability. On any planetary
environment, it was Maul's preferred means of transportation.
He climbed onto his speeder and gunned the repulsorlift engine. The
engine had been designed for maximum performance and minimum noise. Maul's
victims rarely heard the speeder's approach until it was too late. The speeder
shot forward and raced across the dark canyon floor. Maul used the Force to
sense each obstacle. He flew close to the base of the east wall, then pulled
back into a vertical climb to the fortress above. Gripping the controls, the
Sith Lord sank hard against his seat as the speeder rose, resisting Ralltiir's
gravitational pull. Maul landed the speeder on a rocky ledge just below the
fortress's first level. In a fluid motion, he switched off the engine and
dismounted the speeder. Maul ignored the cold, thin air as he quickly scaled
the wall to the dark open window. With predatory stealth, Maul slipped through
the window and perched on the sill. The window was set nearly four meters
above the floor of what appeared to be a cellar storage room. Except for a few
empty food crates, the room was empty. It was all too accessible. Maul knew
the room was probably a trap, but he was looking forward to confronting the
Bartokks. With that in mind, he jumped down from the window. As soon as his
feet hit the floor, the storage room was filled with an intensely bright
light. Maul threw an arm up over his eyes to protect his vision, and heard the
sound of a metal shield slamming into place from above. The high window had
been automatically sealed. Maul lowered his arm and squinted at two bright
spotlights that were set within the inner walls. He heard a door slide open,
followed by a digitized voice that cautioned,
"One wrong move and you'll be fried. Raise your hands over your head."
Bec
ause of the light, Maul could not see the speaker, but he lifted his
hands. A second later, he felt a tug at his waist as his lightsaber was
snatched from his belt. At the same time, both of Maul's hands were grasped
tightly and yanked down to the small of his back. He heard a snap as durasteel
binders were clamped around his wrists, securing his arms behind him.
"Now step forward," the digitized voice commanded. "Slowly."
Maul passed through a doorway and entered a low-ceilinged corridor. His
eyes were still recovering from the spotlights when he felt a sharp jab at his
back.
"Keep moving," threatened the voice from behind. At the end of the
corridor, a door slid back into the wall, and Maul was urged to step through
the open passage. Maul blinked as he entered an immense inner courtyard.
Illuminated only by the star-filled sky above, the rectangular courtyard had
been redesigned as a docking bay.
At its center, surrounded by the three silo-like towers, rested a huge,
spike-covered Bartokk freighter. Examining the vessel, Maul noticed a six-
winged Bartokk starfighter secured to the freighter's outer hull.
"Halt," Darth Maul's captor ordered.
Maul obeyed.
The freighter's main cargo door opened, and a retractable ramp extended
from the ship to the ground; A procession of Trade Federation droid
starfighters, with their wings configured in walk - ing patrol mode, marched
down the freighter's ramp. They filed into the courtyard, and lined up in 8
square five-by-five formation. Even at rest, they were an intimidating sight.
Eleven Bartokks were stationed around the freighter. All were heavily armed
with spears and bowcasters. The insectoids watched through bulbous eyes as
Darth Maul's captor stepped away from his prisoner. The captor was also a
Bartokk, yet this particular assassin wore an expensive vocabulator on a chain