The Cestus Deception

The Cestus Deception Read Free Page B

Book: The Cestus Deception Read Free
Author: Steven Barnes
Tags: Fiction, Star Wars, SciFi, Galactic Republic Era, Clone Wars
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calm. He then raised his voice in challenge. “Technician! At your pleasure.”
    The Nautolan’s head sensors wavered in the still air. The droid regarded him without reaction. With a single glance back at Obi-Wan, Kit somersaulted to the floor of the arena with a poise and fluidity no chin-bret point guard could have dreamed of, landing without a sound.
    He stood a dozen meters away from the JK. As before, the droid seemed harmless. Master Fisto’s lightsaber flashed in his hand, and its emerald length rose from the hilt, scorching the air as it blossomed.
    The droid emitted a hum that climbed in pitch and intensity until Obi-Wan’s skin crawled. It remained motionless except for its surface, which once again segmented into an arachnid configuration. It seemed to sniff the air. Its insectile whine changed, as if it were wary of its new opponent.
    It extended tentacles again, but this time they wiggled in an oddly sluggish fashion. Strange indeed. Although previously appearing flexible and alert, was it now about to use the same tactics it had used against the commando? Perhaps the droid was not so advanced as he had initially feared…
    Kit’s lightsaber swatted the first tendril from the air with contemptuous ease. Obi-Wan found his attention straying from the JK, focusing instead on Kit, admiring the strength of his stance, the clarity of his angles as he chose lines of engagement. Kit favored the Form I style of combat, a fierce—
    Wait.
    Warning sirens howled in Obi-Wan’s mind. Something was terribly wrong. Intellect raced to keep pace with intuition. The JK’s repetition of previous patterns had lulled him into complacency. The tendrils were only a feint. Where, then, was the real attack?
    He leaned forward, examining the droid more carefully. Its feet. The spiky protrusions were sunken in the sand. And projecting outward from the treads themselves, burrowing under the surface…
    Were more tendrils, color-camouflaged to resemble sand. This thing attacked on two levels simultaneously, a strategy beyond most living warriors. Even more disturbing, it was deliberately misleading Kit by performing at multiple levels of tempo and efficiency, literally juggling its tactics, luring him to overconfidence.
    The sand tendrils were within centimeters of their target before Kit sensed them. His lidless black eyes grew wider still as the sand erupted. A stalk snaked around his foot, trying to yank him onto his back. Other vines raced to assist the first group.
    The onlookers gasped in amazement as they realized that they were about to see the unthinkable: a mere droid defeating a mighty Jedi!
    But Kit was far from vanquished. As if he, too, had merely been playing a game, he crouched and leapt forward, spinning on his body’s vertical axis like some kind of carnival acrobat, surging directly at the JK. He rode the JK’s yanking motion instead of fighting it, slipping between the tendrils, the Nautolan’s sense of timing faster and more precise than conscious thought.
    Whatever its powers, the droid had not anticipated such an assault, nor could it adjust in time. It released him and retreated up a step, all tendrils lashing at the Jedi. Kit’s lightsaber rained sparks. Tentacles flopped onto the sand, some of the larger pieces twitching, more like separate creatures than severed limbs.
    The Nautolan hit the sand, rolled, and bore in again instantly, his face tightened into a fighting snarl.
    Now the JK battled at maniacal intensity, and Obi-Wan wondered: What is it trying to do? Again and again the tendrils lashed at Kit’s head. Had Lido Shan failed to give the droid proper inhibiting commands? If so, and the gleaming monstrosity had a single opportunity, it would slay the Nautolan. Obi-Wan’s hand crept toward his lightsaber, the weight of thirty-six grueling flight hours banished from his limbs. If the need arose—
    But Kit had entered lightsaber range. At this more intimate distance, the droid was at a

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