Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 02_ Omen - Christie Golden [78]
“Radd,” Leia continued, “Jaina and I are going to begin cutting exits through the doors to get everyone out as soon as possible. Hopefully the lights will have come back on by then and—”
There was a clanking, grinding noise from below them. Leia glanced down quickly. Behind her, Han swore very colorfully and Allana’s frightened wails increased.
The transparisteel ceilings that formed a physical barrier between the patrons and the hungry, tormented, hostile creatures that milled below them were slowly, methodically retracting into the wall. The creatures looked upward eagerly. At the same moment, Leia watched as the tiny lights that so comfortingly announced that the force fields were active … winked out.
Something wet and solid dropped down on her, catching her shoulder heavily. A quick glance down revealed a large amount of blood—but not her own. At once Leia understood what was going on.
The animals, carnivores all, were being fed.
It was a smart plan from a safety perspective. At feeding time, the transparisteel ceilings would be retracted, the force fields would be deactivated, and instead of risking lives by asking the animal caretakers to physically carry in the raw meat, it was simply dropped from compartments in the ceiling.
Except it wasn’t feeding time, and lots and lots of beings were in the way. Even as Leia tried to again shout out calm to the crowd, she thought it was poor design that the ramps would be so positioned. The food was dropping right down on them, as well as into the pens.
And then she realized what must inevitably come.
“Protect Amelia!” she cried to Han. She felt Jaina through their Force-bond, and sent her daughter a fresh sense of urgency. Force-leaping upward to land lightly on the narrow banister, Leia ran along it as Jaina had, concentrating hard to keep her balance, toward Radd and the hole he was cutting through the door. The danger made gentleness go right out the air lock, and Leia had to Force-push several screaming crowd members back from herself and Radd.
“How close are you?” she cried, extending a hand to keep the mob from descending upon the Brubb as he worked frantically.
“A few more minutes,” he replied, dragging his lightsaber through the heavy metal of the door.
“We may not have that,” Leia told him, turning around to lend her lightsaber to his.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s suddenly become feeding time,” she said, pulling the blade through her side of the circle with all her strength. “The force fields are deactivated, the ceilings are pulled back, and any minute now the walkways will be—”
The metal upon which they stood trembled and began to move, pulling them closer to the wall.
“—retracted,” Leia said.
GRAND EVENT CENTER, CORUSCANT
NATUA NODDED IN SATISFACTION AT THE SCREAMING THAT COULD BE heard even through the thick walls. She took no pleasure in the noise, but she had done what was necessary. Every person in that room was an imposter, and while she would not willingly kill them on general principle, those who had somehow managed to spirit away Leia, Han, and Radd were obviously very powerful … whatever they were. Their motives could not possibly be benign. The pretenders wearing the faces of friends—who, likely, had probably murdered said friends—had to be contained and stopped.
Now they would be.
She glanced back at the two unconscious guards. The first one had taken her to the control room; the second had tried to stop her. She had Force-hurled both against the walls upon entering. Bloody smears trailed from the point of impact to where their heads lolled against the wall. It had been easy for a Jedi to override the security systems in the Dangerous Animal Hall. She was sorry to discover, however, that this room did not control all security throughout the exhibition. She’d have to do the rest on her own.
The Falleen Jedi raced through the back corridors, keeping her eyes peeled for security cams and shorting them out every