Maze of Deception Read online

  Boba glanced at Aurra Sing. She would have a little trouble with Rule Number II, he thought.

  But Aurra Sing didn’t bother to read the rules. She strode right through the holosign and into Customs Central. Boba hurried to catch up with her.

  “Welcome to Aargau,” said the attendant at the Customs Central console. She was humanoid, with the telltale gauntness and pallid skin that marked her as a member of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, from Muunilinst. She wore an expensive-looking, gold-and-silver plasteel suit. Its buttons looked like real platinum, with insets of blinking, emerald-colored gavril eyes. She held up a small retinal scanner, directing it first at Boba’s eyes, then Aurra’s. After the scan was complete, she glanced back down at the device’s readout. Her expression betrayed nothing.

  “May I ask the purpose of your visit?” she asked.

  “I am this boy’s guardian, appointed by his family to see that he gets the education he deserves,” Aurra lied. Boba winced at the thought of being related to her. “We’re here to check on the status of his High-Yield Universal Institutional Savings Account.”

  “Very good.” The attendant smiled blandly. “And may I see proof of your investment?”

  For a moment Aurra Sing said nothing. Then she slid a small shiny card across the desk toward the attendant. Boba’s eyes widened: The card had to be encoded with the access information to his father’s secret fortune!

  Aurra Sing looked at the attendant and said, “I think you’ll find everything you need there.”

  The attendant slipped the card into a new scanner. The scanner beeped and blinked. The attendant read the information display.

  “Yes,” she said. She looked over at Boba. “You are Boba Fett?”

  Boba nodded and the attendant smiled. “With this kind of card, I’d guess you’re quite a wealthy young man!”

  “Yes,” Boba agreed. But he certainly didn’t feel—or look—wealthy! He glanced down at what he was wearing. Blue-gray tunic over blue-gray pants, knee-high black boots. Standard-issue stuff, not the way a rich kid would dress.

  Would that make any difference to the security people here on Aargau? The security attendant certainly didn’t seem to care. She glanced again at the shiny information card Aurra Sing had given her, still in its slot on her desk.

  She said, “As first-time visitors to Aargau, you are cleared to visit Levels One through Three. That is where off-world banking accounts and precious metals are stored. Your own credits will be on one of those levels. Once you have withdrawn your credits or metals from your account, you may purchase clearance to Levels Four and Five. Level Four is where you can arrange for lodging, and Level Five is where you can buy supplies.”

  “What’s on Level Six?” asked Boba.

  “Entertainment and recreational facilities.”

  Boba grinned. “And Level Seven?”

  The Customs attendant gave him a cool smile. “Level Seven is the Undercity. A young person like yourself would have no business there. We encourage free trade, of course, so we don’t restrict merchants or traders from anywhere in the galaxy. As a result, you can find some very shady characters in the Undercity. It is terribly dangerous, especially with the recent skirmishes against the Separatists. The Republic has sent a peacekeeping force to make certain that its investments remain protected.”

  She continued to gaze at Boba, and went on. “You must also be sure not to exchange your money with anyone who is not a licensed member of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. There are black market money changers on Aargau. It is illegal to do business with them. If you’re caught, you will be deported immediately. And you will be caught. Do you understand?”

  Boba nodded seriously. “Yes,” he said.

  Beside him, Aurra Sing fidgeted impatiently. “Thanks,” she said. She started to reach for the info card. “Now, if you don’t mind—”

  But before she could move, the attendant raised her hand. Seemingly out of nowhere, several S-EP 1 security droids appeared and swarmed toward the desk. They were followed by a third droid that made Boba’s heart pound in fear and amazement—

  An IG assassin droid.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Boba heard Aurra suck her breath in sharply. Behind the desk, the attendant made a slashing motion with her hand. The assassin droid stopped. Slowly it raised one arm.

  Its lasers were pointed right at Aurra Sing!

  Instinctively the bounty hunter went into a defensive stance. “Call it off!” she ordered the attendant.

  But the attendant only shook her head. “I told you,” she said in her calm voice. She was staring at Aurra’s blaster. “You’ll have to leave your weapons here.”

  “Not on your life!” Aurra Sing said. She reached for her blaster. But she stopped abruptly when she saw the assassin droid reach for its concussion grenade.

  “Oh,” said Aurra. She withdrew her hand from her blaster. “Sorry! I guess I overlooked that detail. I was so busy with everything else I was thinking about.”

  Aurra looked at Boba and smiled—a smile that was more like a grimace. “Right, Boba?”

  “Yeah,” said Boba. He hoped the grin he gave the attendant didn’t look as fake as Aurra Sing’s. “We were so excited about finally landing here, we just forgot!”

  The attendant turned away from Aurra to smile indulgently at him. “I’m sure you did.”

  Boy, are grown-ups dumb! thought Boba. He knew that the weapons check was the only thing that could separate him from Aurra—right away.

  “But you still must leave your weapons here,” the attendant went on. She looked back at Aurra Sing—only this time she didn’t smile. “The penalty is death. This is your last warning.”

  Aurra Sing scowled. “I never go anywhere unarmed.”

  “Didn’t you read the planetary bylaws?” The attendant began to recite in a monotone. “‘No unlawful removal of precious metals. No possession of weapons except by Aargau citizens—’”

  Aurra cut her off quickly. “Can I leave them on my ship?”

  The attendant nodded. “Very well. But you will have to be escorted by Security Personnel.” She gestured to the uniformed security guards who stood watching from a few feet away. In the distance, Boba saw other uniformed figures milling about. Some had their faces hidden behind helmets; others were bareheaded.

  “I need a Sigma Red escort,” the attendant announced into her comlink. “She has permission to return to her ship,” she said to the droids, and made another slashing gesture.

  At the attendant’s command, the droids retreated. At the same time, two of the uniformed security guards walked over to the desk.

  “Is there trouble here?” one of them demanded. He looked suspiciously at Aurra Sing.

  Boba felt his heart start to pound again.

  What if they were both forced to leave Aargau before he got the fortune his father had left for him? He’d be as bad off as he was before. Worse, actually—because he’d be stuck with Aurra Sing!

  But Aurra seemed to be thinking the same thing. Her expression suddenly grew calculating. She gave the security guard the same fake smile she had given the attendant a minute before.

  “I’m cooperating, officer,” she said. But the look she gave Boba was anything but glad.

  The clone guard continued to watch Aurra suspiciously. The attendant looked at her, too. She pointed at Aurra Sing.

  “Please escort her back to her ship,” the attendant said.

  The guards flanked the bounty hunter, one on either side.

  “See that her weapons are properly stowed away on board,” the attendant went on. She looked at Aurra. “Once you have done that, the guards will escort you back to this desk. Then I will give you your final clearance, and you can access the other levels here on Aargau.”

  Aurra Sing glared at the attendant. She looked at the attendant’s uniform: She was wearing a blaster.

  “What about you?” snapped Aurra. “You’re armed!”

  “Don’t you listen?”
the attendant asked in disbelief. “Citizens may carry arms. In fact, it is unlawful for citizens of Aargau to not carry weapons.”

  Aurra Sing turned to stare at Boba. “What about him?” she demanded. Aurra pointed at Boba angrily. “Why aren’t the guards on him?”

  The attendant looked at Boba. He made sure to appear as young and innocent as possible—this was the chance he’d been looking for. The attendant shook her head, almost in sympathy for the boy.

  “He is not armed,” she said in her calm voice. “On Aargau, free citizens may come and go as they please, once they have received clearance. This boy has received clearance. And he has broken no rules. He can decide for himself.”

  She turned to Boba. “Boba Fett. Do you want to accompany your guardian to the ship? Or do you want to remain here?”

  Freedom! “I’ll wait here,” he said, trying not to let his excitement show.

  For a moment he thought Aurra would lunge at him. But then she seemed to think better of it. After all, would a real guardian attack her charge?

  “You better wait!” she snapped. “I’ll be right back, so you better not move!”

  The guards stood beside her, glaring. Aurra turned.

  “Let’s get this over with,” she said. She started walking toward Slave I, a guard at either side.

  But when they reached the docking bay she looked back at Boba one last time. Her face was calm, but he could see the rage in her eyes.

  Still, when she was out of sight, Boba couldn’t help grinning to himself. At last. He was on his own.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Boba stared at the shadow that was Slave I, waiting in the docking bay. He could no longer see Aurra or the guards.

  But he liked looking at the ship—his ship. The Mandalorian helmet his father had left him was still on board, where Boba had stored it, safe from Aurra Sing. He wished now that he had thought to bring the helmet with him. It had saved his life when he wore it, back on Raxus Prime.

  And, with the helmet on, he could be mistaken for an adult. That could be useful, sometimes.

  But other times—like now—it was also useful to be a kid. No one expected a kid to be as smart as Boba was, or as self-sufficient. No one expected a kid to know that Dooku and Tyranus were the same person.

  And no one expected a kid might have plans that didn’t include a parent or guardian. Especially a guardian like Aurra Sing, who was only using him—and would get rid of him the moment she didn’t need him anymore. He had no doubt about that.

  Boba knew he only had a very short time until Aurra returned from the ship. When she got back, he would have to go with her to one of the lower levels to get his father’s fortune. Boba knew she could not be trusted. If she had the chance, she would double-cross him.

  And she has no right to the money at all, Boba thought angrily. My father intended that fortune for me! Not some other bounty hunter—and especially not Aurra Sing!

  But without Aurra, he had no way of knowing where to find his father’s treasure. It was somewhere here on Aargau—but where? The attendant had said it would be on one of the first three levels—but each level was enormous. Without any credits, Boba might as well be back on toxic Raxus Prime.

  He sighed loudly. Then, remembering where he was, he turned a little worriedly and looked at the attendant in her boring Banking Clan uniform.

  He expected her to be watching him. Isn’t that what grown-ups did? Watched you all the time, so you couldn’t move, or even think, on your own? Boba hated it, just as much as his father had hated any kind of supervision, by the Bounty Hunters’ Guild—or anyone else.

  But the attendant seemed to have forgotten all about Boba Fett. She stood behind the desk with her back to him. She was talking into a communicator and scanning a computer screen. Boba had just started to turn away again, when something shiny on the desk caught his eye.

  The info card! Aurra Sing had forgotten to take it back!

  It was still in its slot on the desk, gleaming softly in the harsh red light.

  “Wow!” Boba whispered to himself in excitement.

  If he could get it, he might be able to use it to locate his father’s fortune!

  Boba looked around furtively. Across the plaza, the security droids hovered near a bank of turbolift doors. On the other side of the plaza, a group of uniformed guards stood at ease, talking. Several people wearing clothes that identified them as members of the Banking Clan were walking toward the desk.

  In a minute they would be here. The attendant would turn to greet them—

  And Boba would lose his chance! Quickly, he reached across the desk. For an instant his hand hovered above the shining card. Then, quick as lightning, he grabbed it.

  That was easy! he thought. He glanced at the desk. The attendant still had her back to him—but as he watched, she began to turn.

  Quickly, Boba put his head down.

  Don’t run, he thought, even though every nerve in his body was firing RUN!

  Don’t look back—even though every second he imagined the attendant noticing and shouting at him to stop. He began to walk away, as fast and as silently as he could. He crossed the plaza, his head still down, his sweating hand clutching the shining card. He headed toward the turbolifts that descended to the lower levels.

  Don’t look back, he kept repeating to himself. Don’t look back!

  But more than anything, that was what he was dying to do—look back, and see if Aurra Sing was leaving Slave I.

  Any minute now she would return.

  He forced himself to keep going. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Boba’s instinct, always, was for action—to run, to fight, to outwit anyone who tried to stop him. But right now, only silence and stealth would save him.

  And the ability to blend in. To not draw attention to himself.

  Boba stared at the floor beneath him, cold and red and gleaming, clean as everything on Aargau was clean. Maybe twenty meters ahead of him was the wall, and the rows of huge turbolifts. What was it the attendant had said about them? Boba tried to remember.

  As first-time visitors to Aargau, you are cleared to visit Levels One through Three. This is where off-world banking accounts and precious metals are stored. Your own credits will be on one of those levels.

  Boba’s hand tightened around the shining card he had snatched from the desk. If it gave him access to his father’s credits, he could get it all for himself—and leave Aurra Sing out of the deal completely!

  The thought made Boba hopeful. Then, suddenly, from behind him came footsteps.

  “Hey,” someone called. “You—!”

  Boba’s throat grew tight. His hope faded. He had forgotten one of the first rules of bounty hunters—stealth.

  He had let himself be seen.

  “You!” the voice came again—a familiar voice. “I said, wait!”

  Boba’s heart was hammering inside his chest. He looked straight ahead, to where the wall of turbolifts loomed. They were just a few yards off now. There were a lot of doors, but one of them should open soon. If he sprinted, he might make it—or he might be captured by whoever was behind him.

  Boba didn’t look back. His hand clutched the shiny card—the key to what was rightfully his. His heart was pounding so hard his chest hurt. A few steps ahead of him he could hear the grinding sound of more turbolifts moving upward. They slowed to a halt as they approached the Security Level.

  “Hey—!”

  The voice came again, directly behind him!

  Run! thought Boba.

  He sprinted the last few steps. Immediately before of him, a line of green lights blinked above another turbolift door.

  “Approaching Security Level One,” a mechanized voice announced. “Please stand back from the doors.”

  Boba jumped forward. In front of him, the green lights turned to red. Someone touched his shoulder. Boba stared straight ahead, his heart thumping. The turbolift doors slid open.

  “Security Level One!” the mechani
cal voice repeated. “Please let passengers out.”

  Dozens of people hurried from the turbolift. Boba darted between them, until he was inside. He was breathing hard. But he was alone in the turbolift!

  “You!” shouted the same, strangely familiar voice.

  Boba whirled.

  “Now leaving Security Level One,” said the mechanical announcement.

  The doors began to slide shut. There were only inches left before it closed.

  Boba let his breath out. He was safe!

  With a cry a small figure lunged through the gap. The turbolift doors hissed shut. Quickly, Boba shoved the shining card into his pocket. Then he backed up against the wall and faced his pursuer.

  He was trapped!

  CHAPTER SIX

  Boba had his back to the wall. His hands tensed to fight—

  But fight who? Or what? Boba let his breath out in shock.

  Because for a moment, he thought he was staring into a mirror. He saw his own face, his own body, his own hands raised protectively. Even the clothes were the same—same gray-blue tunic, same high black boots. The only difference was that the boy staring at Boba Fett wore a helmet.

  But it wasn’t a clone trooper’s helmet, or a Mandalorian helmet. This was a tan helmet with gold-plated metal fittings. Boba had seen thousands like it, back on his homeworld of Kamino. It was a learning helmet, part of the equipment clone youth wore to enhance their training.

  Boba was staring at his clone twin!

  The two of them looked warily at each other, keeping their arms raised in a fight posture. After a minute, the clone shook his head. He held his hand out to Boba. For the first time Boba saw that he held something.

  “You dropped this,” the clone said. He offered it to Boba. “Up there, by the security desk.”

  Boba looked at it in disbelief. It was his book—the book his father had left him. Boba shook his head. Finally he took it from the other boy.

  “Thanks,” Boba said. He’d been so busy trying to leave before Aurra Sing returned that he’d forgotten he had the book with him. He looked at the boy and ventured a smile. To his surprise, the boy smiled back.