Star Wars_ Young Jedi Knights 13_ Trouble on Cloud City - Kevin J. Anderson [30]
Tenel Ka drew her lightsaber and switched it on. The turquoise blade hummed and flickered in the shadowy room. "Still quiet," she said.
"But we are now close to other people."
Jacen, trusting his friend's instincts, removed his own lightsaber.
Lowie did the same. But before they could switch on their weapons, a side door whisked open and three of the deadly hunters charged out, bellowing and opening fire without even taking aim.
Tenel Ka deflected one of the blaster bolts with her blade. The shot left a smoking hole in the metal wall mere centimeters from the head of the man who had fired it. More blaster fire erupted, ricocheting off walls and blasting equipment into ruined shreds.
Jacen ducked to avoid the blizzard of powerful shots. "I don't think this is a good place either," he panted. They backed up.
Lowie grabbed Tenel Ka and Jacen, hauling them after him as he charged back through the door, sprinted toward another access shaft, and jumped down to a final level. Tenel Ka held her glowin - lightsaber far away from her friends as they all scrambled backward onto a metal grid floor covered with strange circular markings, ribs, and hatches that led to other shafts. The corridor glowpanels pulsed, too bright and harsh for Jacen's eyes to adjust quickly. Twirling alarm signals overhead warned them of some impending hazard, but gave no indication as to what it might be.
Jacen looked around, his tangled hair damp with sweat. His lungs burned from the long run. "Do you think we've gotten away from them?" he said.
"Too easy," Tenel Ka answered with an emphatic shake of her head. Her lightsaber still hummed and vibrated in her hand.
Up ahead they spotted a ladder that would lead to a higher level.
"We must climb again," Tenel Ka said. She switched off her lightsaber and clipped it back to her belt so she could use her single hand for climbing.
"It's a long way back up," Jacen gasped. He struggled to force air back into his lungs, then sighed. "So I guess we'd better get started."
But as they rushed toward the beckoning escape ladder, a trio of their pursuers scrambled out of another side shaft and came to a halt, leering at the three young Jedi clustered together. A scaly-skinned, skullfaced bandit snarled, preparing to fire; the hairy man brought up his heavy blaster rifle. Beside them the little Ugnaught panted.
Raising a gnarled, furry hand, the creature chittered and squealed in triumph.
Em Teedee said, "Oh no! He says he's going to-" The Ugnaught slapped a button set into the wall, and suddenly the floor dropped out from under Jacen's feet. He, Tenel Ka, and the gingerfurred Wookiee all tumbled down into a bottomless shaft. They fell and rolled, slamming against the walls with bruising force-nothing at all like their enjoyable experience in the vortex tunnel at the SkyCenter Galleria.
Dropping first, Lowie bounced and jolted down the curves of the steep tube, with Tenel Ka close behind. In the rear, Jacen tried to grab Tenel Ka's leg or foot, anything to slow them down, but the shaft walls were far too slick, and gravity did its work. They picked up speed.
Twenty meters below them, a wide hatch opened up, a round circle that let in a breeze and raw daylight. Jacen realized with horror that this was a garbage chute or an exhaust tube-something that led out into Bespin's open sky.
With a yowl of dismay, Lowbacca shot down through the hatch, falling, tumbling, dropping into empty space.
He reached out with his long Wookiee arms and managed to grab on to a dangling transmission antenna. With a sudden severe jerk, he hung still, holding on with his powerful grip, his legs dangling over the sea of infinite clouds.
He roared and extended his other arm as Tenel Ka dropped beside him.
With lightning reflexes he snatched at her. Just in time the warrior girl reacted, flailed backward with her single arm-and grasped his powerful furred grip like a Karduran acrobat.
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