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But whoever was on the swoop wasn't intent on catching Boba. He was heading for the citadel.

But not just the citadel. As Boba watched in amazement, he realized that he wasn't the only one who'd been coming up with a plan.

The swoop was flying up - straight toward Wat Tambor's ramship!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Great minds think alike!" Ygabba used to tell Boba, joking.

But right now, watching the other swoop flying at the ramship, Boba thought maybe this particular idea hadn't been such a great one. The swoop looked like a squirmite attacking a sandcrawler.

"He's doomed," Boba groaned.

He'd had only a glimpse of the person flying it. But a glimpse was all he needed to recognize him. Ulu Ulix!

Boba had met the young alien back on the Candaserri. Of course, Ulu hadn't known Boba by his real name - Boba had called himself Teff, and had said he was an orphan from Raxus Prime. He'd guessed Ulu was about the same age as he was, though Ulu had horns and three eyes. They'd been friendly - well, as friendly as Boba could be to anyone back on the Candaserri.

He'd never recognize me now, Boba thought with pride. Not with my Mandalorian helmet on, and my body armor.

As Boba watched Ulu's swoop approach the ramship, he remembered the other thing about the three-eyed alien.

Ulu Ulix was a Padawan, a Jedi apprentice - and his Jedi Master was Glynn-Beti!

Quickly Boba looked back to where the AT-TE was moving in the forest. A starfighter kept pace with it, high above the tops of violet malvil- trees. If Glynn-Beti was in that fighter, she must suspect the ramship was headed for the Republic's assault ship. But did she know her Padawan was headed for the ramship?

Boba wondered if Glynn-Beti was crazy - or if Ulu was.

He didn't get to wonder long.

KA-FL000SHH!

Meters from where Boba's swoop hovered, a malvil-tree exploded.

There was a second flash of blue flame. Boba was spattered with purple gunk.

He wiped fungus goo from his helmet, yanked on the throttle, and swerved away from the forest.

He needed a better view of what was happening: What he saw wasn't good, at least not for the Padawan. The sentry droids had spotted Ulu Ulix!

Boba's swoop shuddered as another burst of flame struck a giant mushroom not far off. BLAM!

The mushroom exploded. Fiery blobs of fungus flew everywhere, setting other trees aflame. The droids were firing! Boba's swoop shot straight up, safely out of range. He was close to the citadel now - too close, probably - but the droids weren't firing on Boba.

At least, not yet. Boba frowned. What - who - were they after? He risked bringing his swoop down lower, and nearer to the fortress. From here he had a clear view of the droids below, laser fire crisscrossing the air as the Republic's troops began to counterattack.

But the droids weren't firing on the Republic troops.

Their target was Ulu Ulix.

Boba swerved abruptly as a blast tore the air just meters away.

When he looked back, he saw the ramship give a sudden surge upward.

"They've released the ramship!" he exclaimed, just as the other swoop suddenly shot toward the massive vessel. Boba waited for a volley of fire from the ramship to destroy the swoop.

But the ramship didn't alter its swift course one meter. Instead it sped upward, oblivious to Ulu Ulix pursuing it.

And why should that surprise Boba? The ram-ship had a drone-mind.

Nothing could cause it to alter its course. Attempting to lure or attack it had obviously been a really, really bad idea.

That could have been me, Boba thought.

He watched grimly as Ulu's swoop dipped and swerved clumsily. The alien was trying to avoid the barrage of fire from below. But his swoop didn't seem to have any more thrust than Boba's.

"Still, he could fly it better," Boba said.

He clung tightly to his swoop, flying it closer still to the citadel's black peak, and glanced back into the forest.

The convoy of AT-TEs had stopped at the