Star Wars: Jedi Prince 4: Mission from Mount Yoda (5 page)

FZZZZ-SWOOOOOSH!

The cooling system was leaking fluid into the cargo bay, causing a small flood.

KABUM . . . KABUM ... KABUM . .

And the Falcon’s melted missile tubes rattled against one another, weakening their bearings.

"This ship is in sorry shape," Princess Leia lamented, as Han Solo slowed the spacecraft to approach a shipyard docking bay.

"No need to despair, Princess," Han replied. "The Duro mechanics at these shipyards are the best in the galaxy. They’ll have the Falcon repaired in no time."

"Growwwrrr-rooowf!" Chewbacca barked.

"I’m afraid you’re right, Chewie," Han said. "They’ll have it repaired if they have the spare parts we need. If not, we could be laid up for weeks."

Despite the flood in the cargo bay, Han and Chewbacca managed to navigate the spaceship to Orbiting Shipyard Alpha-a shipyard circling Duro in a wide, oval orbit about a hundred miles above the planet’s atmosphere.

A Duro mechanic at the shipyard quickly looked the Millennium Falcon over and told Han what the estimated bill would be for repairing it. All Han could say was, "Ouch!"

The Imperial attack from Grand Moff Hissa’s strike cruiser had done more damage than anyone aboard the Falcon had expected. The replacement list included a brand new passive sensor antenna, a rebuilt Carbanti 29L electromagnetic package, a new acceleration compensator, extensive repairs to the ion flux stabilizer, and even a new floor for the flood-damaged cargo bay.

"A lot of bad news for one day, Han," Luke said, as Han paced back and forth nervously.

"The Millennium Falcon is like a member of your family."

"Tell me about it," Han said with dismay.

"It’s all my fault," Ken said.

"Owwwwwooooooo!" Chewbacca howled, moaning as if he’d just stepped on a thick avabush thorn. But it was a moan of sorrow, not pain.

The shipyard sent a sales representative to talk to Han about the situation.

"The bottom line here, Mr. Solo," said the salesman, "is that it’ll be less expensive to scrap the Millennium Falcon and buy a new spaceship, than it would be to repair it. Now this shipyard can offer you a trade-in on a new model Carbanti DeLuxe with a supercharged hyperdrive unit. Or we could even give you a great deal on a Novaldex Space Warper, with six months guarantee in the case of any Imperial attacks. It’s up to you!"

Han suddenly got a splitting headache. "No deal," he said. "I want my Falcon back in one piece. She might be just a hunk of tin to you, but the Millennium Falcon means as much to me as Luke’s droids here mean to him. You don’t think Luke would trash See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo just because they’ve got a few scratches and dents on them, do you?"

"You tell him, sir!" See-Threepio added, turning to the salesman. "We aren’t interested in your new spaceships, and that’s final!"

"I’m sure Mon Mothma will agree that the Alliance should pick up the tab for the repairs, Han," Leia said confidently. "After all, we made this flight at SPIN’s request."

"Fix it," Han declared to the salesman.

While the Millennium Falcon was raised up on a huge rack in the repair bay, Princess Leia and Han Solo went to the rental agency in another warehouse in Shipyard Alpha and leased a Corellian Action VI Transport, so they could continue their mission.

As soon as the lease papers were signed, they blasted off from the orbiting shipyard and headed toward Duro. Luke, Leia, and Ken sat in the second tier of seats behind Han and Chewbacca in the navigation console, with Threepio and Artoo beside them.

"No wonder almost all the aliens on Duro got passports to live on other worlds," Princess Leia said, staring through the window down at the pockmarked gray planet. "There must be thousands of hazardous waste pits and toxic chemical landfills down there."

"Tzzzn-gleEEEch chbziiit-tlooog!" beeped Artoo-Detoo. The barrel-shaped droid suddenly projected a map.

"Look, Master Luke," Threepio said.

"Artoo must have fixed the glitch in Dustini’s data disc," Princess Leia explained. "He’s showing us the rest of the information."

The map showed a valley surrounded by a thick wall, with mountains beyond. The sound of Dustini’s voice came from the data disc.

"We’re seeing a schematic drawing of the Valley of Royalty on Duro," Threepio translated.

"The wall has prevented unwelcome creatures from entering the valley for thousands of years. Now we’re seeing beneath the valley, underground-ancient catacombs, caverns, and tunnels-all secret and unknown to the Empire."

The hologram then changed to an image of a Duro spaceship landing in the mountains near the valley. The spaceship touched down in a concealed flat region beneath the shelter of overhanging cliffs. Suddenly, a small part of the mountain glowed red.

"The red area is a hidden doorway," Threepio continued. "It’s an entrance that leads down into the mountain-a tunnel beneath the wall that surrounds the Valley of Royalty. It leads to the caverns where the Duro archaeologists are hiding while they gather the treasures of their planet."

All eyes in the spacecraft continued to stare at the hologram, as the view changed once again. This time a building was revealed in the Valley of Royalty, not far from some ancient monuments. "That’s the new Imperial Reprogramming Institute," Threepio said,

"where the Empire sends its most dangerous prisoners."

Just then the hologram soundtrack stuck, repeating the following words in Durese:

"Ghinish-vik-Triclops ... Ghinish-vik-Triclops . ."

"That building is where the Empire is keeping Triclops prisoner," Threepio explained.

"Don’t you mean Trioculus?" Princess Leia asked, knitting her brows.

"No, he definitely said Triclops," Threepio replied.

"Well, who is Triclops?" Luke asked.

"I know," said Ken. "I probably should have told you sooner, Luke, but Dee-Jay, my caretaker droid, said it would be dangerous to talk about Triclops to anyone-even to you.

Triclops is the deepest, darkest secret of the Empire. The only Imperials who know of his existence are the most powerful members of the Imperial ruling class, such as the grand moffs."

"Then how do you know he exists, Ken?" a very puzzled Princess Leia asked.

"From the master computer files in the Jedi Library-in the Lost City of the Jedi. I was never allowed to see the whole file on Triclops," Ken explained, "but from what I did see, I learned that Triclops, like his name implies, has three eyes, just like Trioculus. And it is Triclops, not Trioculus, who is the real son of the evil Emperor who used to rule the galaxy with Darth Vader-Emperor Palpatine."

Ken told all he knew, as everyone listened to him with undivided attention. "The grand moffs refuse to admit officially that Triclops exists. They believe he’s insane, and they’re terrified that if he’s ever set free, he might take over as ruler of the Empire, and destroy everything in the galaxy, including them! And yet, despite this danger, for some strange reason I don’t understand, they still keep him alive!"

Under heavy cloud cover, the Corellian Action VI Transport began to descend.

"Thank your lucky stars that this freighter is a Corellian ship," Han said with satisfaction. "When I noticed this big brown knob over here on the master control board, it clinched the rental deal for me. Know what this doohickey does?"

"Is that for bailing out if we’re going to crash?" Luke asked with a smile.

"I know what it’s for," Ken said, his eyes bright and alert. "It’s a Forbes CC-Y Antiradar Defense Unit."

"Bright kid," Han said with a sigh, shaking his head. "Did you also pick that up at the Jedi Library in the Lost City?"

"Of course," Ken replied. "Dee-Jay taught a special class in stealth systems."

Han pushed on the brown knob as he guided the Action VI Transport down toward the mountains. "I’m sure Dee-Jay probably taught you that this CC-Y unit makes us invisible to Imperial radar," Han continued. "Without it we’d look as big as a star dragon on enemy radar screens."

As they came in for their landing, the belly of the Corellian Transport scraped against the mountain ridge.

WHOOOOOSH-SHHHHHH.

Clouds of hot exhaust gases billowed out of the transport’s hyperdrive multiplier as it shut down.

Ken poked his head out of the transport ship’s door and took two steps down the exit ramp.

Through the gray mist he could see the outline of the Great Wall far below. He also saw a huge dam looming above the valley, bubbling with foul-smelling toxic wastes from Imperial spaceship manufacturing plants.

"That must be the Valley of Royalty down there!" Ken said excitedly. "Let’s get going!"

"Wait a second," Luke said, coming down the ramp. "Where do you think you’re going, Ken?"

"With you guys, of course. To save the archaeologists!"

Luke shook his head. "I’m assigning you to stay behind with Artoo and Chewie on board the ship. Leia, Han, See-Threepio, and I are going to head under the wall. This mission could prove far too dangerous for you at your age."

Ken folded his arms and pouted. "At my age? But Luke, you weren’t that much older than I am when you first joined the Alliance. Besides, what about all the stuff I know? You thought the brown knob on this Corellian Action VI Transport was for bailing out! I’m the one who knew that it was a Forbes CC-Y Antiradar Defense Unit!"

"That’s exactly why you’re staying behind, to help Chewie take care of the spaceship,"

Luke said. "You know its whole layout. You know how to operate ground defense in case of an attack."

"Chewie knows all that stuff too, and so does Artoo-Detoo," Ken argued. "Luke, don’t forget your dream of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He told you our destinies are linked together. What do you think he would say if he knew you were leaving me behind?"

Luke sighed in frustration.

What was a Jedi Knight to do with a kid like Ken? He never took no for an answer. No matter what the situation, Ken always knew the right thing to say to get under Luke’s skin and make him do what Ken wanted.

"If it’s all the same with you, Master Luke, I’d be more than happy to stay behind,"

Threepio interjected. "After all, you did say it would be dangerous."

"Don’t you start," Luke silenced the droid. "We need you with us."

"I’ll stay behind," Princess Leia announced. "I can help Chewie fly this freighter out of here if the Imperials spot us. Before I became a diplomat from Alderaan, part of my training was in flying Corellian Action VI Transports for mercy missions." Leia removed the emergency supply backpack she had just put on. "Here, Ken," she said, handing him the backpack. "If you’re going to go through the tunnels and under the Great Wall with Luke and Han and Threepio, something tells me you’re going to need this."

The Search for the Secret Cavern

Grand Moff Hissa’s Imperial strike cruiser, with High Prophet Jedgar on board, landed on Duro, on the hill at the other side of the Valley of Royalty. The spacecraft docked at the Imperial Toxic Waste Processing Plant, which was spewing clouds of black ash, creating an overcast, dreary gray sky.

Duro was filled with valuable metals needed for building starships. The Empire mined the metals, then pumped the deadly liquid toxins that remained into a vast lake, held back by an enormous dam.

High Prophet Jedgar and Grand Moff Hissa walked slowly along the edge of the dam. Then Jedgar turned to Hissa, saying, "Now that we are here, I can reveal to you the purpose of this mission. We have come . . . to recapture Triclops."

"Triclops-the son of Emperor Palpatine!" Grand Moff Hissa gasped. "He’s escaped?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Jedgar replied. "But not for long. He was a patient in our Imperial Reprogramming Institute, down there-"

Staring down at the sweeping valley, Grand Moff Hissa’s eyes were blinded by bright gleams of silver.

Hissa could see the reflections from the flat, one-story Imperial Reprogramming Institute, near the Monument of Duchess Geneer, a tall dome with four spires. There was a silvery glint from King Kadlo Tower, the tallest structure-and also a gleam from the Monument to Queen Rana, a giant likeness of the ancient queen’s face, which looked up to the sky.

"The search for Triclops is already underway," High Prophet Jedgar explained. He pointed to the swarms of stormtroopers fanning out from the Reprogramming Institute to look for the escaped prisoner. "Triclops escaped from Experimental Section Two, where even the most insane prisoners eventually learn obedience and to accept the rule of the Empire."

"Is Defeen, the Defel alien, still in charge of Experimental Section Two?" the grand moff asked. "If so, then he should be held accountable."

"Defeen was promoted to the position of interrogator first class," Jedgar replied. "In fact, Defeen traced the responsibility for the escape to a defective Imperial assassin droid who aided and abetted Triclops."

Looking down at the Great Wall, Grand Moff Hissa realized that without a spaceship, cloud car, or airspeeder, there was no way that Triclops could have gotten over the wall to flee from the Valley of Royalty. Triclops had to be down there-somewhere.

Luke, Han, Threepio, and Ken walked cautiously through a narrow, rocky gorge, searching for the hidden stairwell to the Valley of Royalty. Looking up at a craggy ledge, Luke spotted a giant Fefze beetle. No sooner did he point it out to the others than Threepio spotted several more coming up the gorge behind them.

"Oh my, I, I I. . . I absolutely deplore giant insects of any kind!" Threepio stammered.

"Especially beetles twice my size!"

"Look out-in front of us!" Ken shouted.

They were trapped! Four more giant Fefze beetles came scurrying toward them from farther away, at the front of the gorge. The beetles’ antennas waved back and forth as each of their shiny bodies scampered along on six hairy legs.

"AGAAAAA . . . AGAAAAA . . . ." the Fefze beetles hissed.

"That must be the sound those buggers make when they’re starving and smell food," Han said, firing his laserblaster at the ones that were behind them.

Han aimed at the giant insects’ heads.