around his lean neck.
"Why did you break into our fortress?" the Bartokk asked.
Darth Maul did not answer. The Bartokk's mandibles clicked together.
"Our sensors picked up a scan from Esseles. We believe you are the one
who scanned our freighter. Insteaa of fighting in space, we decided to lure
you here. You will tell us your name and affiliation."
Darth Maul remained silent.
The Bartokk held up Darth Maul's lightsaber.
"This is the weapon of the Jedi. You are a Jedi Knight?"
The Sith Lord stared directly ahead and said nothing.
The Bartokk ignored Maul's lack of response and said,
"Despite your ship's invisibility field, we tracked your landing. We know
the vessel is at the base of the canyon, and sent a team to get it."
Maul's face did not betray any emotion, but he seethed at the Bartokk's
words. The Infiltrator's cloaking device was engineered to evade any standard
tracking sensor, but the Bartokks were fortunate to have sensors that were
better than standard. The Bartokk then craned his head back to look up at the
night sky. Maul followed his gaze to see a small repulsorlift skiff soar over
the fortress's west wall, then descend into the courtyard. At the helm of the
skiff stood two Bartokks. Behind them, C-3PX was chained to the rear deck
railing. Maul knew the droid could easily break free of the Bartokks' chains,
and realized the droid had followed his own plan by allowing himself to be
taken prisoner.
The skiff landed near Darth Maul and the vocabulator-equipped Bartokk.
Like Maul, C-3PX's wrists were also secured behind his back by durasteel
binders. The droid began speaking in a worried tone as two Bartokks hoisted
him off the skiff and onto the ground.
"These creatures arrived immediately after you.left, sir," C-3PX said,
his voice filled with worry end dread. "I managed to secure your ship and
prevented them from boarding, but I'm afraid I couldn't do anything to prevent
my capture."
"Quiet, droid," Maul muttered. In truth, Maul was pleased by C-3PX's
acting ability. If Maul had not been responsible for programming the droid, he
would have been convinced C-3PX was nothing more than nervous.
"A team will be sent to strip your ship for any vital information," the
vocabulator-equipped Bartokk said as he slapped a restraining bolt on C-3PX's
metal chest. "You will be taken to separate cells and interrogated."
Darth Maul and C-3PX were each escorted by a pair of Bartokks and led out
of the courtyard. Maul had so far sighted fourteen Bartokks, but there were
fifteen to a hive. Since droid starfighters were operated by remote control,
Maul suspected the fifteenth Bartokk had stayed within the freighter to direct
the starfighters. The Sith Lord, the droid, and their four Bartokk escorts
descended a flight of stone steps and walked to a filthy dungeon, where ten
cell doors lined a dim corridor. The corridor's floor was a series of metal
grates, and C-3PX's feet clanked loudly with each step. Without breaking his
pace, Maul glanced down through the open slits between the grates. He tried to
determine what was below the corridor floor, but he saw only darkness. The
Bartokks opened two cell doors and gestured for Maul and the droid to step
into separate cells. Remaining in the corridor, the four Bartokks slammed the
doors shut. Darth Maul's cell was illuminated by a single glow rod embedded
over the door. A rusted metal bedframe was braced to a corner, and there was a
puddle of greasy slime on the floor. The small chamber reeked of rot. Now that
he was tucked away in a cell, Maul believed the Bartokks would let down their
guard. He decided it was time to begin his attack on the insectoid assassins.
He was contemplating the best way to break out of the cell when he heard a
whirring sound above his head. Maul instinctively took a step backward. A
black barrel-shaped interrogation droid hovered down from the ceiling. It came
to a stop and hung in the air in front of Maul's face. Five retractable arms
extended from the droid, and each servo-grip clasped a laser scalpel. The
droid sputtered a burst of threatening static then droned,
"Before I terminate you, do you wish to make a statement?"
"Yes" Darth Maul hissed through clenched teeth. "This entire fortress is
going to burn."
Within the confines of the wretched cell, the interrogator droid hovered
a few centimeters away from Darth Maul, then trained its socketed
photoreceptor on his face. The droid stared into Maul's yellow eyes, then
snickered,
"Think you're tough, huh? When I'm done with you, you won't be."
Behind his back, Maul flexed his wrists. The durasteel binders dug into
his flesh, but the Sith Lord felt no pain. With a jerk, Maul pulled his arms
apart. The binders shattered, scattering bits of durasteel all over the cell's
filthy floor. The interrogator droid made an excited whirring sound. It had
never seen a prisoner break free from a set of binders with such ease. The
droid activated its laser scalpels and hurtled through the air toward Maul.
Maul delivered a sharp kick to the droid's spherical underside. The droid
soared toward the ceiling but regained control before impact and flew back
toward the Sith. Maul leaped aside, moving faster than the droid's
photoreceptor could follow. The droid raced past him and smashed hard against
the cell wall. Although Maul's fight with the droid had caused plenty of
noise, Bartokk guards did not burst into the cell. Maul assumed the cell walls
were sound-proofed or the Bartokks were confident he had just lost. Smoke rose
from the deactivated interrogator droid. Maul stepped over its smoldering
parts and examined the cell door. Locked from the outside, the door was
heavily reinforced. But Maul was not concerned. He was about to break out when
he noticed the remains of the interrogation droid on the floor. Its
interrogation serum was intact. Maul suspected the interrogation serum would
be useful against a Bartokk. He unclamped the container from the droid's body
and pocketed the device. He returned his gaze to the cell door. Using the
Force, he concentrated on the door's locking mechanism. He heard a clank as a
heavy bolt slid back into the wall. Darth Maui stepped out of the cell and
onto the corridor's grated floor. Although four Bartokks had brought Maul and
C-3PX into the dungeon, only two Bartokk escorts were posted outside the
cells. The other cell doors remained sealed. The two Bartokks whirled to
confront the escaped pris - oner. Maul leaped and landed beside the nearest
Bartokk. Before the insectoid assassin could reach for a weapon, Maul snatched
two poison-tipped arrows from the Bartokk's quiver. With one hand, Maul drove
the arrow through the nearest Bar - tokk's armor-plated torso. With his other
hand he flung an arrow at the second creature, catching it between its bulbous
eyes. Both Bartokks fall to the grated floor.
Since the other cell doors remained sealed, it appeared C-3PX was still
trapped. Darth Maul was about to free the droid when the other two Bartokk
escorts appeared at the end of the corridor. Seeing Maul
standing over their
fallen comrades, one of the Bartokks struck a wall panel that con - trolled a
series of trapdoors within the dungeon. Suddenly, the grated floor dropped
away beneath Maul's feet. A second later, he plunged down through the trapdoor
and into a dark cavern. Maul landed on top of a sandpile and rolled to the
subterranean floor. Lifting himself up, he looked at the cavern ceiling. The
trapdoor had sealed, but Maul could see the Bartokks through the grated floor.
The Bartokks scurried across the corridor and jammed twin-bolt crossbows down
through the floor's open slots. They aimed their weapons at Maul and fired.
Four poison-tipped, armor-piercing arrows sped toward the Sith Lord. Maul's
hands moved like lightning as he plucked each arrow from the air and flung
them back at the assassins. The arrows shot up through the grated floor and
struck the two snipers. Their arms reflexively reached to remove the arrows,
but the poison worked rapidly. Now there were four Bartokks lying on the
corridor floor above Darth Maul. The trapdoor was sealed, and it was far too
high for Maul to reach. He began to look for another way out of the cave. A
loud hiss stirred the air. Maul turned and saw a shadow shift against the
rough rock walls. A reptilian head pushed forward from the dark, and a pair of
large green eyes stared down at Maul from behind a wide reptilian mouth. It
was a draigon-slug. The gigantic snakelike creatures had been discovered
living in caves on several worlds, but Maul was surprised to find one beneath
the surface of Ralltiir. He suspected the Bartokks had imported the beast and
kept it to discourage thieves from entering the caves. Draigon-slugs were
fire-breathing monsters, and they had been known to devour their prey in a
single bite.
Maul had no desire to slay the draigon-slug. Unlike the deliberately
murderous Bartokks, the draigon-slug was simply a predator trying to protect
its territory. To Maul's left, a tall stalagmite rose up from the cavern
floor. It resembled an inverted, twisted cone. Maul dove behind the statagmite
and waited for the draigon-slug to pass. But the draigon-slug didn't pass. It
slithered around the stalagmite, found Maul's concealed position, and opened
its maw. Maut knew he would have to defend himself. He ran toward the
creature, jumped over its back, and wrapped his arms around the end of its
tail. As the draigon-slug twisted to bite his attacker, Maul dragged the
clraigon-slug's tail toward its stomach and tricked the creature into forming
a loop. Before the draigon-slug realized what was happening, Maul pulled the
tail around its looped body. The creature was instantly tangled by its own
elongated form. Maul left the writhing draigon-slug to untie itself and
advanced through the cave. He stepped around another stalagmite and discovered
the en - trance to a tunnel in the cavern wall. The tunnel led to an
underground chamber with a high, vaulted ceiling. On the far end of the cham -
ber, Maul saw what appeared to be another tunnel. As he approached, the path
ended at a ledge that rode the edge of a broad, deep chasm. From the ledge to
the next tunnel, the distance across the chasm was at least nine meters.
Although Maul was confident he could jump the nine-meter span, he did not know
whether the ground was stable on the other side. He looked for an alternative
route. Dozens of long, securely moored stalactites dan - gled down from the
chamber's ceiling. Darth Maul imagined he would be able to travel hand-over -
hand from one stalactite to another until he reached the other side of the
chasm. Maul was considering whether to jump the chasm or scale the ceiling
when he noticed a mammoth spydr clinging to the cavern wall behind him. The
spydr had nine long, powerful legs. It appeared to be asleep, with its thick,
hair-covered abdomen slowly rising and falling with each breath.
Still, Maul kept his eyes on it as he clambered up the chamber wall to
the stalactites. Maul gripped a stalactite, then swung to grip another. The
conical deposits were moist from drip - ping mineral water, and Maul was
careful not to lose his grip on the slippery formations. He was halfway over
the chasm when the giant spydr suddenly scurried up the wall and across the
vaulted ceiling. It was not sleeping after all. The spydr was not even tired.
The spydr's mouth opened and closed, revealing many rows of sharp teeth. Darth
Maul had no doubt the creature wanted him for dinner. He also knew if he let
go of the stalactites he would fall into the chasm. As the spydr crawled
closer, Maul felt his fingers begin to lose their grip. When the spydr was
within range, Maul swung both of his legs forward and kicked the creature in
the head. The injured spydr screeched and sprayed a thick web at Darth Maul.
The Sith Lord released his right hand, grabbed the sprayed strand, and gave a
sharp pull. The spydr did not sever its connection to the web in time and
suddenly found itself being torn from the ceiling by Maul's tug. Maul let go
of the strand and watched the spydr plummet into the chasm.
Undaunted, Darth Maul reached up, grabbed another stalactite, and resumed
his crossing of the vaulted ceiling. Nine grips later, he completed the short
directly to a flight of smooth stone steps. They were coated with a thin layer
of moist slime, the result of condensation from the cavern. As Maul carefully
climbed the slick stones, he saw an open doorway at the top of the flight. A
burned-out glow rod extended from an iron bar over the doorway. From where
Maul stood on the stairs, it looked like the doorway led to a chamber that was
illuminated by a red light. Maul suspected the doorway might lead back into
the fortress. He crouched down at the top of the slime-covered steps and
peered into the chamber. The room contained a circular pool built into the
floor. The pool was approximately three meters in diameter, and it was filled
with a hot, bubbling fluid. Steam rose from it and carried the scent of
chemical waste. Next to the pool, a thick-linked chain hung from a pulley
secured to the ceiling. At the end of the chain, a hook was secured to a set
of metal fetters that gripped a green-skinned female alien by her ankles.
Hanging upside down over the pool, she was tied up with rope. She had the
reptilian skin and facial structure of a Falleen. Her head dangled a mere
meter above the bubbling pool, and her eyes were wide with terror. Beside the
pool, a standing Bartokk faced the helpless Falleen. Darth Maul recognized the
Bar - tokk as the same one who had sent him and C-3PX to the dungeon. The
Bartokk still wore the vocab - ulator around his neck, and his upper right arm
wielded the confiscated lightsaber. The light-saber's two shimmering blades
filled the room with the flickering luminescence, and its hum reverber - ated
in the air. The Bartokk did not appear to be carrying any other weapons, but
Maul noticed a restraining bolt activator secured to his belt. The Bartokk
raised the lightsaber, bringing one of the blades dangerously close to the
chain that kept the Falleen f
rom falling into the bubbling pool.
"The secrets of our mission will die with you," the Bartokk threatened
his victim.
Darth Maul did not know how the Falleen was involved in the Bartokks'
schemes, but if she knew any secrets, he wanted her to share them. He extended
his right hand toward the Bartokk and concentrated on his plundered
lightsaber. Unable to resist the power of the Force, the Bartokk's claw opened
and released the activated lightsaber. The weapon spun through the air like a
lethal baton until it reached Darth Maul's grasp. His right hand lashed out
and grabbed his lightsaber by its central grip. The Bartokk turned to face
Maul, then took a cautious step backward, closer to the bubbling pool.
Suddenly, two more Bartokks dropped down from a hiding place above the
doorway. They carried sharp spears. The vocabulator-equipped Bartokk
chittered, then said,
"You forget that we Bartokks communicate telepathically. Before your four
escorts perished in the dungeon, one of them alerted us of your escape. We
knew if you survived the dangers in the cavern, you would eventually enter
here." The Bartokk extended a claw toward the Falleen, and added, "We produced
this image to make certain we would lure you into this chamber." As the
Bartokk gestured with his claw, the Falleen wavered, faded, then vanished into
thin air, leaving the chain and hook dangling over the pool. The tied-up alien
had been a holographic projection. Nothing more than a trick. Darth Maul hated
to be tricked. The three Bartokks in the subterranean chamber had earned Darth
Maul's wrath. He fixed the two spear-wielding Bartokks with his piercing gaze,
then pounced. Maul's tightsaber tore through one Bartokk, severing his upper
body at the waist and cutting his spear in half. In passing through the
Bartokk, Maul's blade instantly cauterized the assassin's wounds, and only a
drop of the Bartokk's black blood hit the fioor. The Bartokk's upper body
landed on its lower arms while the upper arms ciung to the broken spear. The
second spear-wielding Bartokk hurled his weapon at Maul, but the Sith Lord