Star Wars: Boba Fett: New Threat (Clone Wars Novel, A) by Elizabeth Hand

Author:Elizabeth Hand [Hand, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781484719947
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2014-10-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

A hundred meters up in Malubi’s violet canopy, Xagobah had for a little while seemed a quiet, even peaceful, place.

That peace was shattered as soon as Boba’s feet touched the ground.

“Captain! Intruder in your sector!” a voice shouted from only a few meters off.

His father’s voice.

For an instant Boba froze. Then brilliant blue flame exploded, close enough that he could feel its heat through his body armor.

“Whoa!”

With a muffled shout Boba dove for the underbrush.

The voice shouted again. “Captain! Did we score a hit?”

Boba crouched beneath an overhanging net of webbed fungi. He peered out and saw a figure stalking into the clearing.

His father’s figure, cloaked in the gleaming, gray-white body armor and mask of the Republic army.

A clone trooper.

“Captain, do you copy?”

Boba tried not to breathe as the trooper moved with sure, heavy steps, until he was just an arm’s length from where Boba was hidden. He was close enough that Boba could clearly see the back of his helmet.

Boba had seen the clones many times before, of course. He could remember them being raised by the thousands on Kamino. And he had met a young clone, 9779, on Aargau. Clones were known mainly by their numerical designation.

Could this be 9779, grown to his full size?

The thought made Boba feel slightly sick. He forced it from his mind, and stared from the shadows at the trooper. Like all the clones, the captain had his father’s build. It also had Jango’s strength. Boba could tell from how easily it hefted its weapon, a DC-15 rifle that would have made Boba’s arm ache.

“Checking it out,” the clone answered into its comlink. “I see no sign of an intruder. Hold your fire.”

It gave one more look around the clearing. Then it slid its rifle back into an upright position, turned, and strode off.

“Whew.” Boba let his breath out in relief. That was close!

He waited until the clone trooper was just a pale fleck among the mushroom trees. Then Boba began to follow it. He kept within the shadows of the overhanging fungus, moving swiftly and stealthily as a stalking cratsch.

Now and then a slender mushroom stalk would reach out tentatively to brush against his helmet, or touch his hand. Whenever this happened Boba would pause, holding his breath.

But it seemed as though Malubi’s spores must have warned the other fungus of Boba’s coming. Their tendrils would only touch him. Then they would withdraw. Sometimes a small puff of purple would appear above him. Then he would see other mushroom trees ahead of him swaying gently.

Thanks, Xeran, Boba thought. And Malubi.

He patted the trunk of a very young malvil-tree, then stopped.

In front of him, the mushroom forest abruptly ended. Beyond it, the ground looked scorched. When he looked up he saw the hovering shadows of Republic ships, like black clouds in the purple mist. When he looked down, he saw black circles where transport vehicles had landed and departed. In other places, there were holes and small craters left by exploding weaponry. Smoking bits of vegetation were elsewhere.

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