Birth of the Jedi

Chapter 9

IX

"Any signs of bodies yet?" asks a gurgling voice, his words bubbling as though spoken underwater.

"None yet," replies a companion in a rumbling baritone. "Only a droid. Perhaps he was piloting the ship alone."

"No." Replies the first. "A droid would not have left the helm."

Random swaths of light cut through the darkness of the crippled shuttle creating an eerie strobe effect. A chorus of slamming and banging rings through the corridors as a small band of pirates methodically work their way through the ship, overturning all in their path in an attempt to locate the crew. As they move toward the rear of the empty shuttle, the noise grows louder to match the violence of their growing frustration.

"They have to be here somewhere," says a high, melodic voice from the common room. "They can't have vaporized." The sound of shattering glass follows his words as he tosses a dish against the wall in anger.

"Keep looking," says the gurgling voice. "No living being could have survived the voltage we sent through the hull; but if somehow they did, kill them. We don't have room for any more slaves right now. I'll check the cockpit again and look for any signs that the ship was on an unmanned course." He turns and heads back to the front, his baritone-voiced companion following.

Several of the creatures curse at the foolishness of their leader. An unmanned ship could not have diverted its course and came to their aid the way this shuttle had. The eerie emptiness that greeted them, however, was slowly turning their anger into apprehension.

One of the pirates reaches the engine room and makes a sweep with his light. The room appears as empty as the others. Besides the large engine in the rear, the walls are filled with boxes and overhead bins, but there are no signs of life. He turns to rejoin his companions when something crashes to the floor behind him. He swings back around and spies a stack of boxes that had just fallen over with no apparent cause.

He falls silent and signals for his companions to join him. The combined glow of their lights illuminates the entire area, but still there is no sign of the shuttle's crew. Without words they spread out and begin opening the boxes and overhead bins.

After a moment, a few of the creatures begin to hiss in disgust as no apparent cause for the tumbling objects presents itself.

"Nothing," growls one of the creatures, kicking a box out of the way. He freezes, catching a glimpse of something near the floor where the crate had rested. The creature bends down to examine a grated baseboard compartment. "Wait . . ."

He never finishes his thought.

A hidden ceiling compartment pops open and a stack of insulated blankets flies out, covering the creatures like a net. Sahria drops to the floor and lands on her feet as the electric sizzle of an ignited lightsaber fills the air. The room glows in a sudden fluorescent yellow. Before the pirates can react, Sahria cuts three long arcs through the air sending three of the creatures to the ground. One humanoid manages to draw his blaster and fire, but Sahria deftly reflects the shot with one motion and disarms him with the next. A quick jab pierces his chest.

Two remaining intruders draw their blasters, but before they can take aim at Sahria, Raun kicks open the baseboard compartment that had seconds before caught their companion's eye. He fires several shots in their direction, hitting one between the shoulders and sending him toppling to the floor. The other, caught off guard, hesitates for just a moment—all the time Sahria needs to slice through his torso.

Sahria pauses to sigh in relief, but a shot rings through the open door, grazing the top of her shoulder and sending her to diving for cover. A creature with two bulbous, fleshy lumps under his neck and enormous, glassy eyes lumbers down the corridor, screaming in a bubbling voice and firing erratically. Raun rolls into the middle of the room and fires down the hall. The creature, not expecting a second foe, lets out a hideous gurgle and tumbles to the floor.