Star Wars_ I, Jedi - Michael A. Stackpole [190]
“I think not.”
“I must insist.” The 3PO droid inclined his head toward me. “In accordance with all the regulations in your fellowship contract, specifically clause 35.6 …”
I lit the lightsaber and split him from crown to groin with one swipe. Sparks flew as both halves tottered and crashed to the floor. I stepped over the twitching pile of circuits, secretly guilty over how good that had felt, then I pivoted to the right and slashed the lightsaber through the drink synthesizer. Coming around full circle, I leveled the silver blade at the parlor’s occupants.
“That was last call. I think you want to leave now.” I raised a finger to my lips. “Quietly.”
They scattered mutely as I stalked straight into the gambling den. People hunched over sabacc tables missed me entirely, but those gathered around a jubilee wheel did not. I stabbed the argent lightsaber down into the wheel and let the wheel’s momentum carve the rim from the hub. The rim spun off, wobbling around the table, scattering bets, then rolled to the floor and tangled in the legs of some Rodian carrying a tray of drinks. Between his crash and the outcry from the roulette players, I got the pirates’ attention.
I held the lightsaber before me in such a way that its harsh light deepened the shadows within my hood. “This is no more your sanctuary. This is no more a place where chance holds sway. Doom has come to Courkrus, and if you stay, your only safe bet is on death.”
With that I walked to a door in the exterior wall, slashed it open and let rain slant in. Lightning struck and thunder blasted as I stepped through into the night—well, it did at least for most of the humans I could reach—and then I was gone except from their nightmares.
And the bounty climbed to one hundred thousand credits.
The weakness of my approach became very apparent to me and, unfortunately, Shala the Hutt. While my tactics were being very effective, and desertion was beginning to nibble away at the Invid ranks, the fact that I had not killed anyone had begun to work against me. I was dealing with thoroughly and completely ruthless individuals who would kill someone in a fight over scraps from a garbage heap. Since their lives were the only thing of value many of the Invids possessed, the fact that I wasn’t killing applied a brake to the plummeting morale and even allowed for a rebound.
Shala let it be known that he had a method for dealing with the Jedi, but he kept it under wraps. His warehouse became a fortress where even Tavira’s future consort was not allowed to visit. He sent his various hench-creatures out to terrorize parts of town outside the Aviary and started delivering his own messages. His crimes against property escalated into robberies and simple assaults, with more and more hideous crimes clearly in the future. His actions were an open challenge to the Jedi, and even though I waylaid a couple of his raiding parties he just made the following ones more powerful and sent them forth.
Everything pointed toward a direct confrontation between us, which I knew would have to be at the warehouse. I snagged a Twi’lek associate of his—Shala’s explosives specialist, a real nasty piece of work—and sent Shala the message that I would meet the Hutt at the warehouse. I didn’t specify an exact time, but it was obvious that I would have to find him sooner rather than later.
Elegos was dead set against my going. “Surprise has been your ally and has allowed you to win through in situations where you should not have. Entering the Blackstar sanctuary was foolish because you’d not been there, but surprise got you through that. You surrender surprise here and it could kill you.”
I shook my head and clipped my lightsaber to my belt. “I’ve still got a few surprises of my own, you know. And I’ve been in that warehouse. I’ve been around Shala.”
“Which is precisely why you should be more careful. You know his crew is mostly non-humans, so your ability to affect their minds will be severely limited. It probably won’t help you at all.” Elegos frowned at me as he handed me my cloak. “And it