One entire side of the fortress was gone. Where moments before the tunnel’s wall had curved, now there was only empty air, a scorched ring of rock and metal, and the slimy, organic mass Wat Tambor had bioengineered from Xagobah’s native fungi. Warily, Boba approached the opening and peered out.
Below, all was chaos. The main entrance to Mazariyan had been breached. Clone troopers stormed through a huge gaping hole, tendrils of smoke still rising from its edges.
“Whoa,” Boba said in grudging admiration. “That was the explosion I felt back there in the tunnel! The Republic must’ve used a thermal detonator to blow their way in. Man, I’d love to get my hands on one of those….”
He stared down to where clone troopers ran between the fortress and an AT-TE - a Republic all-terrain-tactical-enforcer. A pall of smoke hung above the ground, mingling with the purplish spores that pervaded Xagobah’s atmosphere. At the edge of the clearing that surrounded Mazariyan, blasted malvil-trees oozed and burned. Flames licked up from the ruins of an immense hailfire droid. There were blasted spider droids and battle droids. The charred remnants of a Fromm tower droid were scattered across the ground like the ruins of a small city. A few beleaguered battle droids still made their way across the battlefield, firing relentlessly as the clones rushed toward and past them.
It was clear that the Republic now had the upper hand.
“Wat Tambor must have given the signal to retreat,” Boba muttered. “He came here to regroup after he escaped from the Republic. Now that Glynn-Beti’s tracked him to his lair, he’s got no reason to stick around.”
Boba craned his neck to look into the sky. Sure enough, airspeeders and even a few Jedi starfighters crisscrossed the violet haze, as though searching for someone.
Wat Tambor, thought Boba. And they better not find him before I do!
A sudden blast of laser fire ricocheted from the ruined wall beside him. Boba ducked back inside the gaping hole.
“That was way too close.” He peered out. Far below, a clone trooper was pointing up to where Boba had stood just seconds ago. Before the trooper could alert others to his presence, Boba whipped out his weapon and sent a return blast flaring through the smoke. The clone trooper fell, a blackened hole where his chest had been.
“Time to get back to Slave I,” Boba said. He reached back to touch a small squarish object mounted near his weapons belt. As a matter of caution, he’d left his primary jet pack back on the ship. But he still had his liquid-cable launcher.
Good thing, too. It’s a long, long way down.
He stepped cautiously out onto the edge of the blasted wall. Below, the Republic’s troops continued to mill about the battleground. But most of the clones now seemed to be leaving the fortress, heading back to their troop carriers. Boba shaded his eyes, adjusting his helmet so that he could better focus through the smoke and spore-haze.
“There.” His gloved hand stabbed at the air. “That’s Glynn-Beti’s airspeeder…”
He watched as the Jedi general drew her craft closer to the AT-TE at the clearing’s edge. Glynn
Beti had helped him earlier on Xagobah, after Boba had saved her reckless young apprentice, Ulu Ulix, from certain death.
But Boba knew better than to expect any mercy from her now. And the mere thought of the Jedi made Boba’s gut tighten with anger.
That Jedi scum Mace Windu murdered my father, he thought. He glanced back at the corpse of the clone trooper he’d killed in self-defense minutes ago. The clone’s helmet had rolled away from his slack face.
Jango Fett’s face.
Boba’s expression grew grim. He stared back at the AT-TE. The diminutive figure of General Glynn-Beti had dismounted from the airspeeder and was now approaching the vehicle.
“She’ll be giving orders to her crew,” Boba said. “Now’s my chance…. “
Raising his arms slightly, he leaped from the fortress wall and launched the liquid-cable, which hooked to a faraway tree. The ground rushed toward him. He could smell burning metal and the stink of charred fungus. Wind and smoke flashed past him as Boba Fett swung above the battlefield, heading toward the forest that hid his ship - and freedom!
CHAPTER FOUR
“There!” From the ground far below Boba, came a sudden Shout. “A spy! Fire On him!”
Boba twisted to look down-A knot of clone troopers was running from the AT-TE, pointing up at,him as they drew their weapons.
This secondary jet pack’s only good for a short sprint. Can’t waste time firing on them! Boba thought with regret. He yanked his jet pack’s thruster to full force and tore through the air, blaster fire echoing at his heels. Just a few yards ahead of him was the, forest of immense mushroomlike trees. Now if I can just get undercover -