[Galaxy of Fear] - 07 - The Brain Spiders (John Whitman), Star Wars - Books And Short Stories
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Star WarsGalaxy of Fear07The Brain Spidersby John WhitmanPROLOGUEIn the middle of a wide chamber sat a high table. A tray next to it was covered with sharp metal instruments.On the table, a man struggled desperately, but his arms and legs were held down with unbreakable straps.Several figures glided out of the shadows. One of them wore a long brown robe that hid his face."Is everything ready?" he asked.Another nodded. "We can begin."The first figure pulled back the sleeves of his long brown robe and from the tray picked up a wicked-looking blade."Please," said the man on the table. "I didn't do anything. Let me go!"The figure in the brown robe did not respond."I'm begging you," the man pleaded again. "I didn't do anything. Please don't hurt me!"The dark figure smiled. "Hurt you? You don't understand. I am not going to hurt you. I am going to show you the mysteries of the universe." He held up the sharp blade, which had many jagged sawlike teeth, and nodded to his companion. "All right, let's remove his brain."CHAPTER 1"Welcome to Koda Spaceport. Welcome-zzzzz! to Koda Spzzzzzz! port..."The hospitality droid was programmed for one simple task-to welcome visitors to Koda Space Station. But one of those visitors had fired a blaster shot through the droid's main computer, frying its circuits. The tall, humanoid droid shuffled back and forth in the huge gateway, repeating his welcome over and over again.Tash and Zak Arranda, along with their uncle Hoole, stood at the entrance to the spaceport."I can't believe no one's even bothered to fix him," Zaksaid sympathetically.Tash looked past the droid into the passageway beyond. Blaster burns and scrawled graffiti covered the walls. Trash littered the floor. She couldn't tell exactly what kind of trash it was, but from the smell, she guessed it was old food, spilled drinks, and other things she didn't want to think about. "Looks like no one's bothered to fix a lot of things around here."Hoole frowned. The lines on his long, gray face deepened. "I did not suspect Koda would be in such a state of disrepair. Still, it is a busy port, and a good place to hide. Let's proceed."The tall Shi'ido led them past the shuffling droid and into the spaceport.Koda was a tiny, insignificant spaceport in a small, backwater corner of the galaxy. The nearby planets were sparsely inhabited by a few poor settlements. The only people who came to Koda were local farmhands looking for excitement and bored smugglers looking for trouble."Stay close to me," Hoole ordered his niece and nephew.Zak glanced back down the hall at the damaged droid. He sighed. "I miss Deevee."Tash nodded. "I do, too. But he's happier now."DV-9 had been their uncle's research droid. He had also been Tash and Zak's caretaker and friend. The droid had been heavily damaged during some recent adventures. They had been able to repair him, but Deevee told them, "I believe I've had all the excitement my servos can take."Hoole had agreed to free the droid from service. It wasn't fair to keep dragging him around the galaxy-especially since they were still wanted by the Empire. With Tash and Zak's help, Hoole had been able to destroy a secret scientific experiment run by the Empire. Unfortunately, their victory had also made them a terrible enemy: Darth Vader. Zak, Tash, and Hoole had managed to escape his clutches, but now they were on the run, wanted in every star system in the galaxy.All this was too much for the damaged droid. Deevee had retired to the Galactic Research Facility on the planet Koaan."I wish I was with Deevee now," Zak muttered as they waded through the trash-covered hallway."Oh, don't be such a baby," Tash said. "A little garbage won't kill you."Tash saw her younger brother scowl at her. She shrugged. Lately, he'd seemed awfully immature to her. After all, she was thirteen heading toward fourteen-and he was only twelve, not even a true teenager yet."Anyway, we've been through worse," Tash went on confidently. "This place is nothing we can't handle. Right, Uncle Hoole?""Wrong."Hoole had just stopped at the entrance to the spaceport's cantina. It was made of a hard, see-through material called transparisteel. On the far side of the entryway, they could hear screams, shouts, and laughter mixed with the sounds of glasses shattering and furniture smashing. Something-Tash couldn't tell if it was a very large person or a very large couch-banged into the transparisteel door like it had been thrown by a giant.Zak started to speak. "It's like-""-the end of the world," Tash interrupted."Yeah," he agreed."No, look," she said, pointing at the sign on the door. "This place is called 'The End of the World.' ""Aptly named," Hoole said. "This is the worst-run establishment I've ever seen. Even more dangerous than a cantina I once visited on Tatooine. I think you two should return to the ship.""Why?" Tash objected.Hoole turned his steady gaze on his niece. "Tash, I need to make sure there is no Imperial activity at this spaceport. I also need to decide what our next move will be. A cantina like this is the best place to acquire information. However, it is not the best place for children.""Children!" Tash blurted out. "Uncle Hoole, we're not kids and we've been through worse than this."Hoole paused. It was true. Tash and Zak had been through some frightening adventures. But all that was behind them now. There was no need to take unnecessary risks."Please return to the ship. I will meet you there shortly," he said. Then he turned and walked into the End of the World."Okay by me," Zak said. "I'm about ready for things to get back to normal, anyway." He motioned to Tash. "What do you say we go back to the ship and play a few holo-games. I might even let you win at Starbattle!"Tash frowned. "Hologames are for kids," she grumbled, and quickly followed Hoole into the noisy gloom of the cantina.Tash blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She hadn't meant to snap at Zak like that-he was her best friend. But lately she'd started to feel, well, older than her brother. After all, she would be fourteen in a few weeks. Also, she had recently become aware of her sensitivity to the Force, the mysterious power used by the ancient Jedi Knights.Squinting, Tash searched for Hoole, but the cantina was so dark that she could barely see where she was going. Besides, Hoole was a Shi'ido, and the Shi'ido were shapechangers. The moment he stepped into the dark bar, Hoole could have transformed into any shape in the galaxy.The only real light leaked out of a row of tiny lamps over the squid- shaped head of the bartender. Tash saw many humans lined up at the bar, as well as a few alien species. There was a long-snouted Kubaz, a small group of pudgy Kitonaks, and a horn-headed Devaronian. But most of the customers seemed happier hiding in the shadows.A bulky figure sitting at a nearby table suddenly let out a deep sigh, and Tash found herself engulfed in a cloud of smelly t'bac smoke."Hey!" she said without thinking. "You blew that smoke right in my face!"She threw an angry glance in the direction of the smoker, and found herself looking into the ugliest face she had ever seen. One of the smoker's eyes was wide and bloodshot, but the other was so flat and squinty that it looked as if one side of his face had been crushed by a gravity well. His nose was wide and flat, and it bent in two different directions as it grew down from his forehead. His mouth was twisted into a permanent snarl. He had no neck-just two huge, sloping shoulders and a pair of arms thicker than Tash's waist."Yeah, I did," the smoker agreed with a growl. He blew another cloud of smoke that made Tash cough."Stop it!"Slowly, the smoker stood up. He was almost as tall as a Wookiee. He leered down at Tash. "Who's going to make me, little girl?""I-" Tash swallowed. She knew she should just back off, but she hated being called little girl. "I will," she said weakly.The bar fell silent. Everyone waited to see what the huge being would do.The smoker looked at Tash again, then threw back his head and let loose a roar of laughter. Tash felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. When the creature was done laughing, he put one huge hand on her head. Then he bent down to look her in the eye."Little girl, I would eat you for lunch if you were big enough to make a meal. You're lucky Drudo found me someone else to eat. Now run along before I decide to have an appetizer."He spun Tash around so she was facing the opposite direction, then gave her a gentle shove that sent her stumbling across the dark cantina toward the exit. A ripple of laughter followed her.When she regained her balance, Tash fumed. She didn't care how big that bully was-he didn't have the right to embarrass her.She walked up to the bartender. "I want to see the owner."The squid-headed bartender blubbered something in a thick, liquid- sounding language. It sounded like laughter. Then he said in Basic, "He's in the back room. But you don't want to disturb him. He's not in a very good mood.""Yes, I do," Tash said stubbornly. The smoker had insulted her, but she decided to handle the situation like an adult. She would register a complaint with the management.She strode over to a door next to the bar and stepped through as it slid open.Tash found herself in a small, brightly lit room. A man in a white apron stood with his back to her, working over a table."Excuse me," she said."It's not ready!" the man yelled, whirling around.As he did, Tash saw that the table was covered in...
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