Star Wars_ The Jedi Academy Trilogy 01_ Jedi Search - Kevin J. Anderson [49]
The second blob took a different tactic, concentrating its body into a narrow streamer that spouted through one of the mesh holes, pouring its mass to the other side.
The amethyst blob finished reassembling itself on the bottom of the grid, took no time to rest, and pushed onward.
By this time all the other blobs were struggling to get through the first obstacle. The amethyst blob frantically mushed ahead, increasing its lead as if fleeing in terror.
“Go!” Lando shouted.
The second major obstacle proved more formidable. A tall ratline made of chain links led up to another steep, lubricated slide that dropped into a sharp, banked curve.
Blob 11 reached the bottom of the ratline and extended a pseudopod up to the first loop of chain, wrapping the jellylike tendril onto the flexible rung and extending another pseudopod again and again until it flowed like a tentacled amoeba, desperately hauling its amorphous form upward faster than gravity could slurp it back down.
The amethyst blob slipped, and a large segment of its body mass drooled downward, barely connected to the main core by a thin stream of mucus. According to the official rules posted in front of Lando’s seat, the entire body mass of a blob had to get to the finishing circle; it could not leave portions of itself behind.
The second and third blobs reached the bottom of the ratline, also trying to scramble up.
The amethyst blob hovered on the ratline, sagging as it worked to siphon its precariously balanced appendage back into the main core. The chain links began to work through the soft organic material, but the blob moved faster, finally drawing itself up, and hooked over another loop of chain.
Behind it the next two blobs managed to ascend to the second level of chain loops.
Back at the first blobstacle, the last of the blobs squeezed through the mesh and began creeping at top speed toward the ratline.
Blob 11 reached the top of the ratlines and, coiling its mass, shot onto the steep, greased slide, rolling and spinning and tumbling. Its holographic number remained upright all the while. The blob reached the high banked curve at the bottom of the slide, rebounded, and gushed toward the next blobstacle.
The crowd was roaring and shouting now. Lando felt exhilaration burst through him. He decided he’d have to return to Umgul when he had more time to relax, to make a few real bets.
“Excuse me, sir, but are we expressing enthusiasm for Blob Eleven?”
“Yes, Threepio!”
“Thank you, sir. I just wanted to be certain.” The droid paused, then amplified his voice. “Go, number eleven!”
The second and third blobs reached the top of the ratlines simultaneously, and both leaped onto the lubricated slide, squirting down at an alarming rate. Many of the spectators jumped out of their seats and screamed with excitement.
The two blobs tumbled next to each other, grappling with pseudopods and rolling. The steep, banked curve rose up in front of them like a wall.
“Oh, I can’t watch!” Threepio said. “They’re going to crash!”
The two blobs both struck the corner at the same instant and splattered into each other, forming one giant ball. The crowd roared with absolute delight.
“Total fusion!” the announcer cried.
The spectators continued to cheer. The two blobs had combined into one much larger mass, and they seemed to be working at cross purposes, trying to lumber over to the side of the track and out of the way of other oncoming blobs. Meanwhile, the amethyst blob increased its lead.
“Those two are out of the race,” Lando muttered.
Artoo returned, bleeping with excitement. “Excuse me, sir,” Threepio said, “but Artoo has located our man Tymmo. He has indeed come to the races and placed a very large bet. We have his seating assignment.