Star Wars: The Last of the Jedi, Volume 4 (11 page)

Suddenly he saw a strange sight—a shimmering transparent bubble heading toward him through the water. Was it some strange sea creature?

No—it was a ship. A ship shaped like a creature with a long tail. Inside he could just make out the shapes of beings.

Gungans.

Of course. Gungans ruled the underwater world of Naboo. From all he’d heard, they were friendly beings. Although they could wage a pretty nasty battle if they had to.

Just his type.

The strangely beautiful sub bobbed closer to him. The cockpit seemed to bend as it came closer, and Ferus stopped, motionless in the water, fanning his arms to keep himself in place. He felt no
fear, only wonder.

A hand reached out through the cockpit bubble and somehow pulled him in. The rest of the group was crowded inside. Trever gave him a wan smile. Water streaming from his clothes, he dropped into
a seat next to Solace.

“Nice rescue,” he panted.

“Meesa welcome you to the bongo on behalf of all Gungans,” their smiling pilot said. His friendly eyes twinkled at Ferus. “Good to stay underwater when the mackineek troopers
are above.”

“Where’s Malorum?” Trever asked.

“He escaped,” Ferus said. “I have no doubt he’s on his way to Imperial headquarters at Theed. That’s surely where he left his transport.” He turned to their
pilot. “We need your help.”

“Meesa can take you anywhere you want—”

“No,” Ferus interrupted. “All of you.” He reached quickly for his comlink. After only a few seconds, he was put directly through to Queen Apailana. It was the only
channel that had been left open.

“I need to call in another small favor,” he said.

“You ask for much, Jedi Olin.”

“You have no idea.”

Now Trever had seen
everything
. He couldn’t get over it. The underwater city had suddenly appeared, a series of huge bubbles like illuminated lamps. Inside were
wide pathways with shadowy patterns and a murky green light.

And Gungans—he’d never even heard of them. He liked their friendliness and their loose-jointed strides. He felt safe in their underwater city. He would have liked to forget about
everything happening above, but of course he was with Ferus-Wan, the owner of a one-track Jedi mind. Ferus asked to be taken immediately to their leader, explaining that he and Solace were
Jedi.

Their rescuer, the pilot Yunabana, had been so excited that he’d taken them directly to Boss Nass at a run.

Boss Nass resided in his own series of bubbles. While most of the Gungans were slender, Boss Nass was huge. His green skin had a grayish tinge, and Trever could tell he was an elder. He had
three double chins and was wearing an elaborate coat the same color as his skin, so he resembled a giant greenish blob. He sat in a huge chair with waving fronds.

Now the Queen of Naboo was on holoprojector. The Naboo and the Gungans both felt that they owed the Jedi a great debt. They believed that the Jedi had been their only true friends during the
Trade Federation blockade and had been responsible for helping them liberate their worlds. They readily agreed to a conference with Ferus.

Trever stood back with Clive, Keets, Curran, and Oryon as Solace and Ferus thanked Boss Nass and the Queen, and Boss Nass thanked the Jedi, and the Queen thanked Boss Nass, and Boss Nass thanked
the Queen for what seemed a very long time, and finally everyone was silent.

“What is it that you want from us?” Queen Apailana finally asked.

“Wesa glad to help if help is needed,” Boss Nass said. He placed his hands on his belly and leaned back.

Ferus looked a bit nervous. He never looked nervous. Trever saw him swallow. It must be a big request.

“I need you both to use your security forces to attack and destroy the Imperial headquarters,” he said.

Boss Nass jumped to his feet. “Yousa crazy?” he roared. “Attack Imperials? Maxi-bad strategy mesa friend! Yousa noticed they be controlink the wide-sea galaxy?”

Queen Apailana’s tone was milder, but it was clear she was shocked as well. “Surely you realize the retribution that would be inflicted afterward upon both the Naboo and the Gungans.
The Emperor would crush us. It would be swift and terrible, and many civilians would perish.”

“That’s for sure,” Trever said under his breath. Ferus shot him a look that he didn’t need a translator for.
Don’t speak.

“I understand the magnitude of what I ask,” Ferus said.

“Why do you ask then?” Queen Apailana said.

“The future of the galaxy depends on it,” Ferus said. “That I can promise you. The head of the Imperial Inquisitors, Malorum, has found out an important secret. If he is able
to reveal it to the Emperor it could destroy any hope we have of someday living in peace and true justice.”

“What is this secret?” the Queen asked.

“That I can’t tell you. Yet you must trust me. We must strike this blow here, now.”

There was a pause, so Ferus continued. “I have a way to avoid retribution. I would not propose this otherwise. I promise that no harm will come to your people.”

“I’m listening,” Queen Apailana said.

Boss Nass sat back. “Mesa, too.”

Ferus turned back to Queen Apailana. “Your information network has reported that the Empire is illegally stockpiling destructive weapons in the Theed hangar in defiance of Senate
regulations. If we blow up the weapons cache it would seem like a disaster the Empire had brought on itself. The officials back on Coruscant would wish to hush up the explosion so that the Senate
wouldn’t hear about it. The Emperor may despise the Senate, but he still needs it to cloak his crimes.”

“Your plan depends on our winning the battle,” Queen Apailana said.

“The combined might of the Naboo and Gungan warriors can defeat a battalion,” Solace said. “They’ve gone up against far worse and won.”

“I have the greatest confidence in the courage and daring of both your peoples,” Ferus added.

Queen Apailana said nothing. Because of her elaborate makeup, Trever couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

Suddenly Boss Nass lurched up, slapping the arms of his chair. “What a berry good trick, you say, Jedi! Get rid of Empire, protecting all our people, and no onesa ever thinkin’ well
of us! Bringsa out the fambaa anda power us up!”

They all turned to the holographic screen. The Queen’s image was still impassive.

“Yes,” she said slowly. “It is a berry good trick, as my friend Boss Nass says. And it might remove the Empire from Naboo for some time. If it works.”

“Will you commit your forces?” Ferus asked. “We can draw up the battle plans here and coordinate when we reach Theed.”

“Faster issa to goes underwater,” Boss Nass said. “Wesa can bring the army thatta way.”

“We’ll be ready,” Queen Apailana said.

Ferus and the others waited aboard a Gungan military launching ship beneath the lake in Theed. Since the Trade Federation battle, the Gungans had designed troop transports,
long and narrow, that could navigate the water caverns that networked below the surface of Naboo.

The transports lined up underneath the lake, their mineral skins tinted blue-green for camouflage. They waited for the signal from Captain Typho. Ferus exchanged a glance with Trever. He no
longer bothered to order Trever to stay behind. It was a waste of breath.

Solace, Ferus, and Oryon would leave first. They were to head immediately to Imperial headquarters and break in. Ferus would split off and go for Malorum. Solace and Oryon would head off any
attempt of Imperial officers to escape. Usually the higher up the officer, the more you could count on their having a separate escape route from the rest of the battalion.

Clive had begged off being included. “I’m a solo act,” he told them. “Wars make me nervous.”

Solace had snorted her disapproval.

The signal came. The Gungan ships rose slowly and then burst through the surface. Ramps slid out and connected with the land. Ferus, Solace, and Oryon raced off the ship.

The Naboo security force was already mobilizing in the streets, marching toward headquarters. Ferus could see several panicked stormtroopers racing to return to the building. Already ranks were
forming lines on the building’s wide steps. The first fire rang out from the front lines.

He would join the fight, but first he had to find Malorum.

They raced around the corner of Imperial headquarters and released liquid cables. It brought them up to the first bank of windows. Ferus had already networked with the Naboo and knew where the
officers were located.

Solace paused. The sounds of battle had escalated. “May the Force be with you,” she said.

Ferus nodded and took off through a window. He ran down the halls, which rang with confusion as officers scrambled to load data onto computers, no doubt following some sort of Empire protocol
for a surprise attack. Others ran toward the back of the building where Ferus knew it connected with the Theed hangar.

That was where Malorum would be headed. He wouldn’t stand and fight. He would cut and run.

Ferus increased his speed, mowing down stormtroopers that got in his way. The thud of his boots sounded out his purpose. He held his lightsaber aloft.

He burst through the grand double doors of the hangars. Amid the gleaming ships and stacks of cartons he saw the flicker of a red cape. Malorum had seen him and was running away. He chased him
down a long hallway that connected to another grand building.

The hallway opened up into a gigantic circular area. Platforms and bridges were stacked hundreds of meters high. The space was filled with a low-level hum. He was in the Theed power
generator.

The knowledge thudded through his brain. This was where the great Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had fallen. Every Padawan had heard the story.

It was here,
Ferus thought.
This is the place Obi-Wan fought Darth Maul to the death.

But now it was different. He wasn’t fighting a Sith. He was fighting an Imperial Inquisitor—skilled, with powerful weapons, yes. But not a Sith.

Then Malorum turned, baring his teeth in a smile. And showed Ferus his lightsaber.

Ferus was startled. He and Obi-Wan had both felt that Malorum was a Force-sensitive. But that was a long way from being proficient with a lightsaber.

Where had he received lightsaber training? Malorum held the lightsaber easily in a classic ready stance, the red shaft projecting downward.

Ferus circled him slowly, holding his dark gaze. So. A former Jedi and a Sith pretender were about to fight. Interesting.

Malorum charged. The two lightsabers clashed. Ferus felt a surprising amount of power from Malorum. Maybe this wouldn’t be so easy.

But it would be done.

He whirled around in a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn, kicking out with his foot at the same moment. He missed Malorum’s chin by a whisker. Ferus liked to fight with his boots as well as
his lightsaber. He had learned to fight without a lightsaber when he’d been a regular citizen of Bellassa. Sometimes that meant fighting dirty. Looking for openings, using whatever materials
came to hand. He could still street-fight if he had to.

He fought without urgency just yet, circling Malorum, challenging him, watching him for weaknesses. Ferus ticked them off in his head. Malorum relied on agility but had little grace. He had
strength but did not know how to use it effectively. But most of all—and this was what Ferus was sure would defeat him—Ferus could feel Malorum’s emotion in his style. Anger
fueled his attacks. It was a mistake many made. Not a Jedi.

After feints and attacks, they came to a long passage with curving walls. A series of energy gates ran down it. Electron rays pulsed in a rhythmic fashion. Ferus remembered this from the story
he’d heard as a Padawan. The energy gates had slowed Obi-Wan and he’d been unable to come to his Master’s aid in his final battle with Darth Maul. In those crucial seconds,
he’d watched Qui-Gon receive the fatal blow and fall, right before his eyes.

Here he was in the middle of a battle, and he was suddenly pierced with a sharp sympathy for Obi-Wan. For the past weeks he’d been intimidated by the Jedi Master, irritated by his
silences, upset at his decisions. Now he fully realized how little he understood of what lay beneath.