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of laser bolts screaming at him from the multitude of battle droids. He joined Obi-Wan near the center of the arena soon after, and
back-to-back, they went into action, moving into a crowd of droids, taking down several with deflected bolts, then slashing
through, turning in unison as they went. Obi-Wan went at one droid with his lightsaber up high, but when that droid lifted its de-
fenses appropriately, the two Jedi turned about, Mace coming around with his lightsaber down low, shearing the droid in half.
Behind Mace Windu and Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme fought in a similar back-to- back posture, with Anakin working in a
mostly defensive manner, deflecting all the bolts coming at him and at Padme, while she picked her shots carefully, taking down
droid after droid after Geonosian.
But despite all the gallant efforts, despite the mounds of slaughtered enemies, Geonosian and droid alike, the outcome was be-
ginning to show clearly, as the Jedi were being pushed back by sheer numbers. The general retreat flowed toward the arena, though
that area would provide little respite. In addition to the droids and Jedi, the two monsters rushed about crazily, destroying every-
thing in their path.
Into this maelstrom marched C-3PO, his body at least, with the head of a battle droid fixed firmly upon it. Shortly, however, this
motley droid caught a blaster bolt in the neck. Down it went, the battle droid head bouncing free of the torso.
Across the arena, in a tunnel and marching toward daylight, 3PO's head, attached to a battle droid body, felt the sensation, but
distantly.
"My legs aren't moving!" he cried, though of course his present legs certainly were. "I must need oil."
It was a time for improvisation, too wild a scene for coordinated and predetermined movements.
Just the kind of fight in which Padme excelled. Firing a blaster with every step, she rushed to the same execution cart that had
brought her and Anakin into the arena and scrambled atop the confused orray pulling it.
Right behind her came Anakin, his lightsaber a blur of motion, turning laser shots back at the battle droids. He leapt into the cart
and Padm kicked the orray away.
They charged the circuit, bouncing across the fallen droids and Geonosians, Padme firing shot after shot and Anakin sending an
even greater line of destruction out by turning aside all shots coming their way.
"You call this diplomacy?" said Anakin, deflecting blasts.
Padme grinned and shouted back, "No, I call it 'aggressive negotiations'!"
C-3PO entered the maelstrom, and if his eye sockets would have allowed him to widen his eyes in surprise and terror, he surely
would have.
"Where are we?" he cried. "A battle! Oh no! I'm just a protocol droid. I'm not made for this. I can't do it! I don't want to be de-
stroyed!"
This mixed-up droid lasted about as long as his other half had, across the way. He came around to face the Jedi Master Kit Fisto,
who slammed him hard with a Force shove, knocking him to the ground. Next, the agile Jedi did a pirouette movement and with a
vicious slice of his lightsaber, took down the battle droid that had been in line right beside C-3PO. It collapsed on top of C-3PO's
prone form.
"Help! I'm trapped! I can't get up!" C-3PO wailed, a call that caught the attention of none.
Save one.
R2-D2 rolled into the arena and wove his way about the carnage and danger.
 95
No number of battle droids could hope to separate Mace and Obi-Wan, so perfect were their movements, so attuned were they to
each other. But the sheer bulk of the reek was too much even for a pair of lightsabers, and when the furious beast charged at the
two Jedi, they had no choice but to dive apart.
The reek followed Mace, and he had to slash wildly to fend it off. He did manage to drive it back, but was butted and lost his
lightsaber in the process. He came up facing the reek, and figured that he could outmaneuver it to get his weapon back easily
enough, but then an armored rocket-man flew down in his path, blaster leveled.
Mace reached out with the Force and brought his lightsaber flying to his hand, moving like lightning to parry Jango's first shot.
With the second shot, Mace was more in control, and his parry sent the bolt right back at the bounty hunter. But Jango was already
in motion, diving sidelong and coming around ready to launch a series of shots the Jedi's way.
He was stopped by the reek. Unable to distinguish friend from foe, the reek bore down on Jango. He scored a couple of hits, but
they hardly slowed the beast, and he was tossed away. The reek charged him, trying to stomp him as he rolled about desperately.
Jango was fast, though. Every time he came around, he fired again, and again, his bolts burrowing into the furious reek's belly.
Finally, the huge bullish creature swayed, and Jango wisely rolled out the far side, opposite Mace, as the beast collapsed.
The Jedi was on him immediately, lightsaber weaving through the air. Jango dodged and lifted into the air with his rockets, try-
ing to keep one step ahead of that deadly blade and to occasionally fire a bolt at Mace. The man was good, Mace had to admit.
Very good, and more than once the Jedi had to parry desperately to turn a bolt aside. He kept up his offensive flurry, though, keep-
ing Jango on the defensive with sudden stabs and slashing cuts.
One misstep . . .
And then it happened, all of a sudden. Mace started to slash to the left, cut it short and stabbed straight out, then reversed his grip
and sent the lightsaber slashing across, left to right. He spun a complete circuit, coming around to parry a blaster shot, but there
was no shot forthcoming.
That left to right reversal had cleanly landed. Jango Fett's head flew free of his shoulders and fell out of his helmet, to settle in
the dirt.
"Straight ahead," Obi-Wan told himself as the acklay came at him, its huge claws snapping in the air.
He went left, then right, then rolled forward at the beast, between the mighty arms and snapping claws, coming around and over
with his borrowed lightsaber stabbing straight ahead, burning a hole in the creature's chest. The acklay dived forward, trying to
crush him under its bulk, and the Jedi leapt straight up as he connected. He came down on its back, landing lightly and stabbing
repeatedly, before leaping away once more.
"Straight ahead," he told himself again as the enraged beast charged yet again.
Obi-Wan noted the blaster bolt coming at him from the side at the very last second, and turned his lightsaber down and under,
deflecting the bolt right into the acklay's face.
The creature hardly slowed and the Jedi had to throw himself to the ground to dodge a swiping, snapping claw.
He rolled out to the side, to avoid a stomping leg, and managed to slash out again, cutting a deep gash.
The acklay howled and came on, and more blaster bolts came at the Jedi. His lightsaber worked furiously, brilliantly, turning one
bolt after another right into the charging beast, finally slowing it and stunning it.
Obi-Wan rushed in and leapt and stabbed, right in the face. He caught his foot on the creature's shoulder and ran right past it. He
heard it fall behind him, thrashing in its death throes, but he knew that battle was done and went back to work on the battle droids.
That larger fight seemed far from won, and far from winnable. Mace Windu had finished with Jango Fett by then, and to the oth-
er side, Anakin and Padme continued their perfect teamwork behind the overturned execution cart. Anakin turned all shots aimed at
either of them, and Padme picked off droid after droid. But even with that, even with all of the remaining Jedi fighting brilliantly in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]