[Galaxy Of Fear] - 03(18)

“Fine, I think,” he replied as his friends returned. He wiped his hand on his pant leg.

“I can’t believe no one has tried to destroy those things,” Tash said.

“The Empire won’t destroy them,” Wedge said quickly. “We think the Empire is creating them.”

“What?”

The Bothan helped the scarred man to his feet. “The blobs appeared at the same time the blockade began. We think there’s some connection.”

“That Infirmary is more than just a hospital,” Wedge explained. “We think it may be the home of the-“

“Imperial Biological Weapons Division,” Tash finished for him.

All three Rebels looked as if someone had just stunned them with a hold-out blaster. Wedge looked at Tash. “Who told you that?”

“No one,” Tash replied. “I found out for myself.”

Getting over his surprise, Wedge continued. “What we can’t figure out is why the Empire is creating them. The blobs are hard to kill, but they move slowly and they’re no great threat. If the Empire is creating biological weapons, I’m not sure what danger these things pose.”

Suddenly, without warning, the scarred Rebel collapsed. The blood drained from his face, and he lost consciousness.

They checked his hands and arms for injuries but found none. The blob hadn’t bitten or wounded him in any way.

The two Rebels were confused, but to Tash, the man’s appearance looked familiar.

“He looks sick,” she said, then told Wedge and the Bothan about the virus Zak had.

Wedge’s face grew pale. “That’s it! That’s what these blobs are for. These creatures must be carriers.” He looked at his Bothan partner. “The Empire is creating a plague, and these creatures are delivering it.”

“Do you think we’ve contracted it?” the Bothan asked.

“No,” Wedge replied. “It must be passed by touch, or we’d all have fallen sick by now.”

“Why would they be releasing it here, in the city?” Tash wondered aloud. Carefully she touched the lump under her sleeve. Could she have the virus?

But no, she hadn’t touched one of the blob creatures. She hadn’t been infected with anything.

“Test cases,” Wedge said. “They’re using the city to see how effective the blobs are, I’d guess. We’re all lab rats.” He nodded to his Bothan companion. “Come on, we’ve got to get back to the safe house.”

Careful not to let their bare skin touch him, the two Rebels pulled their friend up and supported him with their arms.

Wedge looked back at Tash. “Please help us, Tash. We’ll be watching. When your ship is ready to leave, we’ll know.”

Wedge and the Bothan carried their comrade out of the ship, first checking for danger. But the blob was gone.

A small hovercar was parked nearby. They slipped inside and skimmed quickly away.

The Shroud suddenly felt very empty. Hoole and Deevee were gone, and Zak was…

Tash almost dropped to the floor in panic when she realized.

Zak was still in the hands of the Imperial Biological Weapons Division.





CHAPTER 12


Tash slowly returned to the Infirmary. She wanted to hurry, but her legs would barely move, and she was sweating. Her discomfort only made her angrier. And she found that the angrier she got, the more energy she had. She could feel her heartbeat all the way down to her fingertips. The brown lump on her forearm thudded against her skin.

Staring at the Imperial Infirmary tower, Tash wished once more that she were a Jedi. She wanted to ignite her lightsaber and storm the Infirmary. She wanted to save Zak. But she also wanted revenge on the people who had hurt him.

“Well, why not?” she said out loud. Her voice, if she had stopped to listen to it, hardly sounded like her own. “After what the Empire’s done to me, they deserve it!”

But Tash had never even held a blaster, let alone a lightsaber. As much as she wanted to fight her enemies, she would have to use stealth instead.

She rode the lift up to the tenth floor, where Zak was being treated. She hurried to the bacta tanks.

But the bacta tanks were empty. Tash thought quickly.

Deevee said he was going to check on Zak. So where are they?

Tash saw the same medical technician who’d been attending Zak’s bacta tank earlier. He was busily examining the bluish, liquid contents of a glass beaker.

“Excuse me,” Tash said.

The technician glared at her, obviously unhappy to be interrupted. “What? “

“Do you know what happened to the boy who was being treated here?”

The technician looked at the bacta tank. “No, I don’t.” He turned back to his work.