Star Wars Adventures 003 - The Hostage Princess by Ryder Windham

Author:Ryder Windham [Windham, Ryder]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2000-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Streaking across space, the Republic Cruiser soon arrived within sight of Fondor Spaceport. Mace Windu and the Skull Queen were seated in the copilot seats, having moved the copilots to the lounge.

As the cruiser neared the spaceport, the comm system intercepted an automated audio transmission: “Do not attempt to land,” said a non-human voice. “Fondor Spaceport is under the control of the Droid Control Army. All docking ports are shielded. Do not attempt to land.” The message repeated itself. Mace Windu switched off the comm.

According to the Republic Cruiser’s sensor array, all of Fondor Spaceport was protected by strong deflector shields, invisible force fields that had been adjusted to prevent any starship from entering the hangars. From what Mace could see through the cruiser’s viewport, the spaceport had two deflector-shield projectors—geodesic domes that hugged the station’s hull-like massive blisters.

Mace reached for the pouch that contained the power gems. Opening the pouch, he asked, “How exactly do these gems work? Do we have to place them on top of the deflector-shield projectors?”

“That method is reserved for Trinity Stones,” the Skull Queen replied. “According to legend, all we have to do is bring the gems within range of the force field. The gems project an aura. They do not have to leave your cruiser.”

Mace steered the cruiser closer to the massive spaceport. When he had closed the distance to fifty meters, the spaceport’s exterior was suddenly illuminated by a brilliant flash of blue light.

“The deflector shields are down!” Mace said.

“Now you sound impressed,” the Skull Queen noted.

Mace adjusted a sensor to home in on the signal from the tracker on Princess Calvaria’s shuttle. Following the signal, Mace steered the cruiser into the hangar that contained the Nallastian shuttle and landed beside it.

Mace and the Skull Queen left the cockpit and rode the lift to the cruiser’s entrance forum, where they were reunited with Kit Fisto and Bultar Swan. Stepping out of the Republic Cruiser and onto the hangar’s landing pad, the group saw that Princess Calvaria’s shuttle looked undamaged. In fact, the hangar’s entire interior appeared normal, except for the fact that there weren’t any living beings in sight.

The Skull Queen and Mace inspected Calvaria’s shuttle and found no one on board. Exiting the shuttle, they looked for clues that might have suggested the direction Calvaria took when she left the hangar. Near a stack of empty cargo containers, Mace noticed a single sheet of plastoid plating lying on the floor. Wondering how the plastoid plate came to rest in that location, he picked it up and examined it.

Then he heard a noise: Gonk-gonk-gonk. The sound came from a box-shaped, two-legged GNK power droid, which wobbled out from behind one of the cargo containers. Power droids were ambulatory fusion generators, a common sight in starship hangars and docking yards. Mace noticed there were more plastoid sheets on top of one cargo container, and he imagined that the droid may have accidentally knocked over the one that he had found on the floor.

Suddenly, the power droid’s upper casing flipped open, revealing a rapid-repeating blaster.

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