Страница 21 из 72
Explosions sounded close by the transport. Ca
"We doomed," the frightened Gungan muttered. "Tis bad'. business, dis."
Abruptly the ship began to spin as if caught in a whirlpool. Jar Jar cried out, fastening his arms about a strut to keep from being thrown against the walls. The lights in the compartment all came on, and the droids were abruptly activated. One by one, they began to whir and beep. Released from their restraints, they rolled out of their racks toward an airlock at one end of the compartment-all but the red R2, who rolled directly into a wall and fell over, more parts tumbling out.
The R2 unit painted blue paused as it motored by its red counterpart, then charged past Jar Jar, giving out a loud screech that caused the Gungan to jerk away in fright.
One after another, the four R2 units entered the airlock lift and were sucked up toward the top of the ship.
Left behind in the storage compartment with the droid he had unwittingly sabotaged, Jar Jar Binks moaned in despair.
Chapter 8
Obi-wan Kenobi had just reentered the transport's cockpit when explosions began to buffet the ship. He could see a huge Trade Federation battleship looming ahead through the viewport, ca
"We should abort, sir!" the pilot shouted at Qui-Gon, who was braced at his side, eyes fixed on the battleship. "Our deflector shields can't withstand much more of this! "
"Stay on course," the Jedi Master ordered calmly. He glanced down at the controls. "Do you have a cloaking device?"
"This is not a warship!" Captain Panaka snapped, looking angry and betrayed. "We have no weapons, Ambassador! We're a nonviolent people, which is why the Trade Federation was brave enough to attack us in the first place!"
A series of explosions jarred the Nubian, and the lights on the control panel flickered weakly. An alarm sounded, shrill and angry. The transport shuddered, its power drive stalling momentarily in a high-pitched whine.
"No weapons," Qui-Gon Ji
The pilot nodded, flipped a series of levers, and put the Nubian into a slow spin. Ahead, the battleship filled the viewport, then lost focus. The Queen's transport accelerated, racing toward the enemy craft, whipping past towers and gunports, bays and stabilizers, speeding down an alleyway of jagged metal protrusions and ca
"Something's wrong," the pilot a
They continued to spin, to hug the cavernous shell of the Trade Federation battleship, so close that the larger guns were rendered useless and only the smaller could chance firing at them. But without shields even a glancing hit could be disastrous.
"Sending out the repair crew!" Olie shouted, and flipped a lever.
On the viewscreen, an airlock snapped open, and one by one a series of astromech droids popped out of the hatch and onto the transport's hull. The transport straightened and leveled out, and the spi
But now there was a new threat. Unable to bring the weapons of their warship to bear in an effective ma
On the viewscreen, the blue R2 unit could be seen working furiously to co
Now only the blue unit remained, still busy amid the onslaught of Trade Federation starfighters. Something changed on the cockpit display, and Ric Olie gave a shout of approval. "The shields are up! That little droid did it!" He jammed the thrusters all the way forward, and the transport rocketed away from both the battleship and the starfighters, leaving the Trade Federation blockade and the planet ofNaboo behind.
The lone R2 unit turned and motored back into the airlock and disappeared from view.
When they were well away from any Trade Federation presence, Ric Olie made a thorough check of the controls, assessing their damage, trying to determine what was needed. Obi-Wan sat next to him in the copilot's seat, lending help. Qui-Gon and Captain Panaka stood behind them, awaiting their report. The Queen and the rest of the Naboo had been secured in other chambers.
Ric Olie shook his head doubtfully. "We can't go far. The hyperdrive is leaking."
Qui-Gon Ji
Ric Olie punched in a star chart, and they hunched over the monitor, studying it.
"Here, Master," Obi-Wan said, his sharp eyes picking out the only choice that made any sense. "Tatooine. It's small, poor, and out of the way. It attracts little attention. The Trade Federation has no presence there.".
"How can you be sure?" Captain Panaka asked quickly.
Qui-Gon glanced at him. "It's controlled by the Hutts."
Panaka started in alarm. "The Hutts?"