Part 29 (1/2)

An ARC commander verified that the hijacked guns.h.i.+p had been piloted by droids, but the same ARC would neither confirm nor deny that Grievous had been aboard the destroyed s.h.i.+p. That, alone, was cause for concern. Mace and Kit thought they knew what had occurred, and hoped they were wrong.

In the white glare of spotlights, the guns.h.i.+p that had been brought down by RPGs was a flaming hulk, dangling from the edge of the landing pad.

Even less remained of the guns.h.i.+p that had delivered Palpatine to the complex. Fatalities of the surprise attack - - one in a series of terrible surprises now - - had been removed from the scene, but the pad boasted a company of reinforcements, as well as two AT-STs that had been air-dropped by wide-winged LAAT carriers. This time Mace and Kit didn't wait for the guns.h.i.+p to touch down. Jumping from five meters up, they raced across the brightly illuminated landing platform and directly into the access tunnel.

Steps into the tunnel, their worst fears were realized when they saw three troopers hauling away a MagnaGuard, holed by more blaster bolts than would have been needed to demolish a police skimmer. The hijacked guns.h.i.+p had rescued Grievous after his fall from the mag-lev, Mace told himself.

But had the fall been deliberate - - part of an increasingly elaborate ruse - - or had Grievous originally planned to abduct Palpatine from the train? Either way, how had the cyborg general known how many of his forces to commit to such a daring plan? Unless, of course, he had received prior intelligence on the number of Red Guards in Palpatine's detail, and the number of troopers and other combatants stationed in the bunker complex.

Every meter of the tunnel presented Mace and Kit with fresh evidence of the ferocious fight that had taken place, in the form of slaughtered commandos and others. Without limbs, beheaded, shocked to death by EMP weapons... Mace stopped counting after he reached forty. The heavy, hexagonal entrance that was the terminus of the bloodstained tunnel was open. If the fight leading to the door had been fierce, the one inside the ravished bunker had been savage.

Sta.s.s Allie, her face and hands blistered and her robes singed, was kneeling by the bodies of the four Jedi Knights with whom Mace had spoken briefly during the mag-lev evacuation. Only Grievous could be held accountable for what had been done to them. The same was true for those Red Guards whose corpses had been burned open by lightsaber. Grievous had taken the blades with which the Jedi had fought. Here, too, were the sh.e.l.ls of two more MagnaGuards. But Palpatine was missing.

”Sir, the Supreme Chancellor was gone by the time we arrived,” a commando explained. ”His captors exited the complex by way of the south tunnels.”

Mace and Kit glanced at the door that led to those tunnels, then turned to Shaak Ti, who was standing by the bunker's holoprojector table as if lost. When Mace hurried over to her, she practically collapsed in his arms.

”I fought Grievous on Hypori,” she said weakly. ”I knew what he was capable of. But this... And taking Palpatine...”

Mace supported her. ”There will be no negotiations. The Supreme Chancellor won't allow it.”

”The Senate may not see it that way, Mace.” Shaak Ti composed herself and gazed around. ”Grievous had help. Help from someone close to the top.”

Kit nodded. ”We'll find out who. But our first priority is to rescue the Supreme Chancellor.”

Mace looked at the commando. ”How did they leave the complex?”

”I can show you,” Shaak Ti said. Turning, she activated a security recording that had captured Grievous and several of his humanoid guards dragging Palpatine to the south landing pad, butchering the handful of troopers posted there, scrambling into a waiting tri-winged shuttle, lifting off into sunset clouds...

”How were they allowed through the s.h.i.+eld?” Mace asked the commando.

”Same way they entered the bunker, General.”

Mace hadn't even thought to ask. Had a.s.sumed they had burned their way in - -.

”They had the entry codes to the bunker, sir, as well as codes issued earlier today that permitted them to clear the screen.”

Mace and Kit glanced at each other in angry bewilderment. ”What is the shuttle's location now?” Kit asked.

The commando conjured a 3-D image from the holoprojector. ”Sector I-Thirty-Three, sir. Outbound autonavigation trunk P-seventeen. Guns.h.i.+ps are in pursuit.”

Mace's eyes widened in alert. ”Do your gunners know that the Supreme Chancellor is aboard? Do they realize they can't fire on the shuttle?”

”They have orders to disable if possible, sir. The shuttle is s.h.i.+elded and well armored, in any case.”

”Who else knows of the abduction?” Kit thought to ask. ”Has this been released or leaked to the media?”

”Yes, sir. Moments ago.”

”On whose orders?” Mace fumed. ”The Supreme Chancellor's top advisers.”

Shaak Ti forced an exhale. ”All of Coruscant will panic.”

Mace squared his shoulders. ”Commander, scramble every available starfighter. That s.h.i.+p cannot be allowed to reach the Separatist fleet.”

52.

Dooku hadn't fled alone. The only indications of Tythe's invasion were the hulking remains of Separatist and Republic wars.h.i.+ps, tumbling indolently in starlight.

”We were all beginning to wonder if you were going to return,” a human crew chief said by way of welcoming Obi-Wan and Anakin back to the a.s.sault cruiser's ventral landing bay. Obi-Wan descended the ladder affixed to the starfighter's c.o.c.kpit. ”When did the Separatists jump?”

”Less than an hour, local. Guess they had enough of the pounding we were giving them.”

Leaping to the deck, Anakin laughed nastily. ”Believe whatever you want.”

The crew chief furrowed his brow in uncertainty.

”Do we know where they're headed?” Obi-Wan asked quickly. The crew chief turned to him.

”Most of the capital s.h.i.+ps jumped Rimward. A few appear to be headed for the Nelvaan system - - thirteen pa.r.s.ecs from here.”

”What are our orders?”

”We're still waiting to find out. The fact is, we haven't received any communications from Coruscant since the start of the battle.”

Anakin took a sudden interest in the crew chief's remarks. ”Could be local interference,” Obi-Wan said.

The crew chief looked dubious. ”Several other battle groups reported that they have been unable to communicate with Coruscant.”

Anakin shot Obi-Wan an embittered look and began to storm away.

”Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, following in his footsteps.

Anakin whirled on him. ”We were wrong to come here, Master. I was wrong to come here. It was all a feint, and we fell for it. We're being kept away from Coruscant. I can feel it.”

Obi-Wan folded his arms across his chest. ”You wouldn't be saying that if we'd captured Dooku.”

”But we didn't, Master. That's what counts. And now no communication with Coruscant? You don't even see it, do you?”

Obi-Wan regarded him carefully. ”See what, Anakin?”