Star Wars - [Galaxy Of Fear 04] - The Nightmare Machine (by John Whitman)

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2024-12-19 0 0 388.83KB 29 页 5.9玖币
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Star Wars – Galaxy Of Fear - 4 – The Nightmare Machine
By John Whitman
PROLOGUE
The scientist stormed into his laboratory, overturning tables and smashing vials of smoking liquid to the
floor as he passed. His servants both droids and living creatures scattered to avoid his anger. The
scientist reached the center of his giant fortress and sat down before five computer screens. "Give me a
progress report on Project Starscream," the scientist commanded. One by one, the five screens came to
life. Three of them showed nothing but static. Project Starscream was a top-secret program that the
scientist had developed for the Emperor. There were six steps. Three of them had already taken place.
The fourth and fifth were ready to go. The sixth and final stage was set to take place in the scientist's
citadel itself. The scientist had worked hard to keep his plans se- cret. Only a few people in the entire
galaxy had known of Project Starscream's existence. No one suspected that the scientist was hatching a
plot to bring the entire universe to its knees. Until now. Of the five experiments, three had already been
ruined. The scientist glared at the blank screens.
D'vouran, the living planet. The zombies of Necropolis. And just a few days before, the plague
virus on Gobindi. One by one, three of his experiments had been destroyed. Not by Rebel commandos,
but by the most unlikely of enemies: two kids and a droid, led by a meddling anthropologist. The scientist
whispered his enemy's name like a curse. "Hoole." Somehow Hoole and the brats he watched over had
learned of Project Starscream. Although they didn't know everything yet, they knew enough to be
danger- ous. But they would not live long enough to learn the final secret. The scientist planned to make
them pay for interfering with his experiments. He looked up at the fourth view screen and smiled. Stage
Four was ready for testing. And he knew just who to test it on....
"Don't make any sudden moves!" Zak hissed. Beside him, his sister, Tash, obeyed, and the two
Arrandas froze. Before them, a remote sentry droid hovered. It didn't look dangerous it was only a tiny
metal ball covered with small silver studs. But Zak, who tried to keep up with the latest technology, knew
that it was a Balmorran HK-130 sentry droid. Each of those little silver studs could fire a stun beam
strong enough to put a bantha to sleep. It was early morning, and Zak and Tash were inside the
headquarters of theGalacticResearchAcademy on the planet Koaan. Their uncle, Hoole, an
anthropologist, kept an office at the Academy, although he rarely visited there. He spent most of his time
traveling across the galaxy, studying alien cultures as part of his research. Zak and Tash had gone with
him on several of these field trips. Lately, however, those trips had turned deadly. After their last
adventure on the planet Gobindi where Tash had nearly been killed by a deadly virus Hoole had taken
them directly to theGalacticResearchAcademy . "I've got a bad feeling about this," Tash whispered as the
sentry droid continued to study them. "Relax," Zak whispered. "How can I relax with that thing scanning
me?" his sister grumbled. "What if it fires at us?" Zak held back a sigh of irritation. For someone who
read all day, Tash didn't know much about technology. "This is a trouble-seeker droid," he explained,
trying to stay as calm as possible. "The Academy custodians probably let them loose overnight to watch
for maintenance trouble or vandals. This one's just trying to decide if we're a threat or not. Once it makes
up its mind, it will let us go." "Or shoot us," Tash whispered. "Who's to say it's not going to " Before she
could finish her sentence, the hovering ball of firepower turned and zipped away. Zak grinned. "See,
technology can be your friend if you let it." "Let's just get on with this," Tash replied. Soon after they had
arrived at theResearchAcademy , Uncle Hoole had vanished without a word, leaving Zak and Tash with
a thousand unanswered questions. They had decided to find the answers on their own. They had located
one of theResearchAcademy 's core computer libraries. These weren't exactly maxi- mum security zones,
but Zak and Tash knew they weren't supposed to be there without supervision. They were going to
sneak a look at Uncle Hoole's computer files. The two Arranda children had been adopted by Hoole
seven months ago when their parents and every- one they knew had been killed during the destruction of
the planet Alderaan. But in all those months, Hoole had told them almost nothing about himself not even
his first name. During the last few weeks, Hoole had become even more mysterious than usual. He had
taken them on several unexplained adventures, often disappearing on long errands without ever telling
them where he was going, and leaving them in the hands of their caretaker, the droid DV-9. At first Zak
and Tash hadn't thought much about this. After all, Hoole was an anthropologist. It was his job to travel
to distant planets and study the species that lived there. However, Hoole's recent "studies" had taken
them to some strange and very dangerous places. Tash and Zak soon learned that they had stumbled
onto a scheme called Project Starscream, run by someone powerful in the Empire. But had Uncle Hoole,
a simple anthropologist, gotten himself involved in a galaxywide Imperial plot? That's what Zak and Tash
wanted to find out. They entered the core computer' library. It was a large room, lined with video screens
and shelves of datadisks. Because it was so early, they had the room to themselves, and Zak quickly
dropped into a seat in front of a computer terminal. "It's easy to access the main computer files," Tash
noted. "But the Academy personnel files are under tight security. How do you plan on getting in?" "With
this," Zak said confidently. He held up a small datadisk. "This is a decoder. Deevee had a fancier name
for it " "A cypher," Tash finished. "Right, hyperbrain," her brother agreed with a smirk. "Deevee designed
it while trying to break down the computer files we found onboard the Shroud." Tash nodded. On one of
their recent journeys, they had acquired a starship called the Shroud and discovered that its computers
contained coded information about the mysterious Project Starscream. Zak continued. "This cypher will
break through the code and let us look at Uncle Hoole's personnel files. Then we can figure out if he's
involved in this Imperial plot." Punching in a command on the control panel, Zak called up the personnel
records. A second later the computer screen flashed the message ACCESS DENIED. SECURITY
CLEARANCE REQUIRED.
The two Arrandas turned to face their uncle. Zak looked up into Hoole's dark eyes and his long, grim
face. Hoole looked human only a telltale shade of gray in his skin and his extra-long, delicate hands
reminded Zak that his uncle was a member of the Shi'ido species. Of course, Hoole could look like
anyone or anything he pleased. Zak had seen his uncle transform into creatures as large as a Wookiee
and as small as a white rock mouse. Like all members of the Shi'ido species, Hoole was a shape-shifter.
And like other Shi'ido, Hoole usually looked either serious or seriously irritated. Now Zak expected that
irritation to explode into anger.
To his surprise, Hoole merely removed the datadisk from the computer and said, "I guessed that your
curiosity would lead you to the computer files as soon as I had given you some free time. And I have
learned over the past month how resourceful you two can be." Zak thought he spotted the hint of a
twinkle in Hoole's stern eye. "But my personnel history is not your affair. And I believe that the less you
know about recent events, the better off you are." "But " Zak began to protest. "Please do not argue," the
Shi'ido stated in a voice that allowed no debate. "There is no time. We will be leaving shortly." With a
swirl of his dark blue robe, Hoole turned and strode from the computer library, with Zak and Tash
following. "But we just got here," Zak said. "Where are you taking us now?" "On vacation," their uncle
responded. "Deevee will go with you. I have business where you cannot follow." Zak and Tash could
hardly believe their ears. "A vacation!" Zak exclaimed. "How can we think about relaxing now? We don't
even know what Project Star- scream is all about " "Zak. Tash." Hoole stopped. His Shi'ido features
suddenly softened with concern. He looked back and forth between his niece and nephew.
"You both must understand that this is not a game. I made a grave mistake when this all began. I
should have removed you to safety the moment events turned threatening. My inexperience as a guardian
has ex- posed you to terrible danger, danger that even I do not yet fully understand. The being who
created Project Starscream is evil and unpredictable. And I am sure that he and I will meet again." Tash
and Zak looked at one another. On their last adventure, they had come face-to-face with the scientist
behind Project Starscream. He was a Shi'ido, just like Hoole. "Uncle Hoole," Tash asked, "who was that
scientist?" Hoole frowned. "His name," the Shi'ido said, "is Borborygmus Gog. He is extremely powerful
and ex- tremeIy dangerous. Now let's get going." "But how do you know him?” Zak asked. "What are
you going to do?" Hoole's face was as still as a durasteel mask. "There are serious questions to be
answered. I must continue my research. Now we must hurry." He started down the hall again as he
continued to speak. "I am going to bring you somewhere safe, where you will blend in with a crowd of
humans and other species your own age. I do not want you to tell anyone where you are going,
and once you are there, I do not want-you to tell anyone your business." "Where are we going?" Zak
asked as he hurried after his uncle. Hoole did not bother to turn as he replied, "To Hologram Fun
World."
Hours later, on board their ship, the Shroud, Zak and the droid DV-9 stood at one of the ship's
viewports and watched the transparent dome of Hologram Fun World grow larger as they approached.
Fun World was not located on a planet it had been built inside a transparent dome, suspended in the
vacuum of space. Zak estimated that Fun World was about forty kilometers long, the size of a small city.
As the Shroud drew closer, he made out buildings, mountains even what looked like an ocean! "Have
you been here before, Deevee?" Zak asked. Making use of all his humanlike qualities, the silver droid
managed to look depressed. "Certainly not," he droned. "As you are well aware, I was a high-level
research droid before Master Hoole adopted you and Tash. Visiting an amusement park was not part of
my programming." The droid aimed his photoreceptors at the approaching space dome. "Still, Hologram
Fun World is a technological wonder. They say the holographic images look, sound, feel, and even smell
like the real objects they imitate." "Prime," Zak said. "I'll get Tash." Zak knew just where to find his sister.
She could generally be found in her room, reading datastories about the now-extinct Jedi Knights. She
believed in the Force and in the powers the Jedi Knights were said to have; she even dreamed of
becoming a Jedi herself someday. Until recently Zak had teased Tash about her dream, but during their
travels with Hoole, Tash had gotten some strange, unexplainable feelings of dread. She seemed to sense
when danger was near, just like (Zak had to admit) the legendary Jedi Knights supposedly could. But
when he reached Tash's cabin, she wasn't reading. She was sitting at her computer terminal. "We're
about to land," Zak said, hopping down on her bed. The minute he saw the computer screen, Zak knew
what Tash had been up to. She had been on the HoloNet, the galaxywide computer network. It was here
that Tash had first learned about the Jedi Knights from a mysterious contact, code-named Forceflow.
Tash suspected that Forceflow worked for the Rebels, who fought against the Empire. Forceflow had
warned
her about their last trip, to the planet Gobindi. They should have paid more attention. "I finally got
through to Forceflow," Tash said. "I asked him about Project Starscream and about Hoole." "Did he
know anything?" Zak asked. Tash pointed to the screen. "Not much. He says that Project Starscream is
a top-secret operation run by someone in the Empire. But he says it's not just military. It's scientific." "We
already knew that," Zak replied. "What about Uncle Hoole?" "ForceAow sent me this." Tash touched a
button on her computer and the information on the screen changed. Zak was looking at Hoole's
personnel file the same file they had tried to break into at the Re- search Academy. Zak scanned the
readout eagerly, but the gleam in his eye faded quickly. According to the files, Hoole had been born on
Sh'shuun, the homeworld of the Shi'ido species. He had been an excellent student on Sh'shuun, and
eventually he had left his homeworld to study at theGalacticResearchAcademy , where he became a
professor of anthropology. He had dedicated himself to recording the cultural habits of species across the
galaxy.
"There's nothing here," he scoffed. "At least nothing we couldn't figure out on our own." "Look
closer," Tash prodded. Zak scanned the file again and shrugged. He had read everything that appeared
on the screen. Then he stopped. He hadn't read what wasn't on the screen. Four years of Hoole's life
were missing. Hoole had left his homeworld. Four years later, he enrolled at the Academy. "What
happened in between?" Zak asked. Tash shook her head. "Even Forceflow doesn't know. But I'll bet
that's why Hoole is so mysterious now." Zak studied the screen again. "By the way, who is this
Forceflow?" he wondered out loud. "How does he get so much information?" "I don't know," his sister
replied. "But I'm going to meet him someday. I told Forceflow we were going to Hologram Fun World
and that I'd contact him again later." Zak paused. "Didn't Uncle Hoole warn us not to tell anyone where
we were going?" Tash shrugged. "But this is Forceflow. He's on our side."
Tash and Zak reached the cockpit of the Shroud just as the ship arrived at Hologram Fun World's
docking station. They watched as Hoole guided the ship toward one of the docking latches. There, the
Shroud would firmly connect to the transparent dome and its airlock, which would allow travelers to
enter Fun World without being exposed to the cold, airless void of space. Hoole deftly touched a thruster
control. The Shroud nudged forward a few meters and came to rest squarely next to one of the entrance
bays. As soon as the ship came to a stop, Hoole turned to his niece and nephew. "This is where we
separate. Hologram Fun World is an exciting place and I know you will be safe here." "Where are you
going?" Zak asked. "When will you be back?" Hoole paused. "I should be back in a few days. As for
where I am going, it is better that you do not know." The Shi'ido escorted Zak and Tash to the hatchway
of the Shroud, where Deevee waited, holding two travel cases in his mechanical hands. Hoole opened
the hatchway, which led to a sterile, durasteel airlock. Zak and Tash stepped into the lock and turned to
look at their uncle. The stern Shi'ido's face had suddenly softened. He looked almost sad. He raised one
hand in a brief goodbye. The outer airlock door closed, and a moment later Zak felt the floor beneath his
foot tremble as the Shroud launched itself away. "I hope he knows what he's doing," Zak muttered. "I
think he does," Tash said. "Master Hoole is quite capable of taking care of himself," Deevee replied.
"Now, come. You have an entire holographic world to explore." Zak, Tash, and Deevee opened the
inner door to the transparent space dome and entered Hologram Fun World. It was like stepping into a
dream. Before them, a pathway paved with green gemstones led through a gate shaped like an ancient
castle. Beyond the gate, Tash and Zak could see the tops of dozens of buildings gleaming with the polish
of modern technology. No two buildings were alike, and thanks to Deevee's many lessons in
interplanetary cultures, Zak recognized the architectural styles of at least a hundred different species.
Forest-covered mountains rose up to the very top of the dome, which glimmered fifty kilometers above
their heads. Air shuttles full of visitors zoomed this way and that, dodging herds of winged lizards and
flocks of blue-winged gibbit birds. Music drifted
toward them from different locations within Fun World. Zak heard laughter and shouts of excitement
and surprise from the crowds of tourists. He felt as if the entire galaxy had been stuffed inside the
transparent walls of the dome. "Prime," he whispered under his breath. "No kidding," Tash agreed. "I
suppose," Deevee said, "if one likes this sort of thing." As they walked toward the old-fashioned stone
gate, two young humans on mini-skyhoppers whizzed by overhead. One of them turned a loop in midair,
waved at Zak and Tash, then flew away with a laugh. Maybe this place will be fun after all, Zak thought
as he stepped through the gate. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden angry roar that shook the
entire dome from top to bottom. A blast of stinking breath washed up against Zak like a hot wind. He
looked up... and up... and up. Into the drooling, fanged mouth of a very hungry rancor. Standing on its
hind legs, the rancor was ten meters tall. It snorted and its nostrils flared as it let out another blast of fetid
breath. The rancor roared, re- vealing double rows of jagged teeth. Its clawed hands raked the air, and
the ground shook as the massive reptilian monster took a single step forward. Its tiny black eyes focused
on Zak. "Get back to the gate!" Tash yelled. Zak and Tash turned and ran. The rancor charged after
them, its footsteps thundering down the path. With each step, the giant predator cut the distance to his
fieeing prey in half. Zak looked over his shoulder and noticed that
- Deevee had not moved. He stood directly in the rancor's path, totally motionless. Tash and Zak
stopped in midstride. "Deevee!" Tash yelled. "He may have short-circuited," Zak guessed. "We've got to
go back and get him." "It's too late!" Tash was right. The rancor reached the droid, reared back its head,
and lunged. Deevee did not even flinch as two thousand kilograms of flesh-eating monster fell on him.
And passed right through him. Zak and Tash gasped in surprise. The rancor swept right through Deevee
as though it were made of smoke. It stopped a few steps beyond the droid, then, with an ear-shattering
roar, the rancor vanished like an illusion or..." "A hologram!" Zak guessed. "That rancor wasn't real at
all." "Correct," said Deevee, coming back down the path for his two charges. "It was real enough to fool
me," Tash said with a nervous laugh. "I thought that thing was going to crush you, Deevee." The droid
simulated a bored sigh. "That's because you lack my delicate instrumentation. I knew instantly that the
rancor was not real because it did not register on my sensors. There were no life-readings emanating
from the hologram, so my program ignored it. It wasn't real." The droid waved one mechanical hand
across the scene before them. "Hologram Fun World might be exciting for humans and other species that
rely on their biological senses, but for a droid, well, it's rather boring." "Boring!" Zak exclaimed. He
watched a Star Dragon pass overhead, curling its way gently through the air. "This place is anything but
boring. Let's check out some of the rides." "Not yet," Deevee insisted. "We should find lodging first and
then " But Zak had already started toward the nearest attraction. He hurried up the steps to a building
that resembled a small temple, with white columns around the outside. An electronic sign at the top of the
steps announced the attraction in a dozen of the galaxy's most common languages. "Hall of Reflection,"
Zak read. Hall of Reflection? Zak wondered. Is this some sort of meditation chamber? He peeked inside,
but the entranceway was dark. Using his hands, Zak felt his way down a narrow hall that opened up into
empty space. Zak took a few more steps before he heard a click as automatic glow rods activated,
flooding the room with light. He was surrounded by a dozen gruesome trolls with hunched backs, hair
that seemed to explode out of their heads in spikes, and twisted faces. "Agh!" he shouted in surprise.
"Agh!" a dozen hunchbacks shouted at the same time. Zak turned to run, and the hunchbacks turned with
him. As he lunged back into the safety of the hallway, the hunchbacks vanished without a sound. Zak
stopped running. This place was becoming stranger by the minute. Curious, he turned and stuck his head
back into the lighted room. A dozen gruesome trolls also poked their heads out through a dozen doors.
When Zak raised an eyebrow, so did they. When he scratched his head in confusion, they did, too. "Hall
of Reflection," he said. "I get it." Zak stepped boldly into the room and stared at the trolls which were
actually twelve images of him. He .was surrounded by twelve mirrors that took his reflection and warped
it into something almost unrecognizable. He laughed out loud, and his reflected image suddenly became
even more ridiculous. One of its eyes bulged as large as a port hole, while the other shrank to a tiny,
wrinkled pit in his face. "It's an improvement," Tash said wryly. She and Deevee had followed him into
the Hall of Reflection and were standing at the edge of the hallway. "I especially like your hair." "Very
funny," Zak replied. "Let's see what it does to you." Tash stepped into the room, and the gruesome trolls
were instantly joined by twelve gnarled crones. Tash's long, braided blond hair looked like a tentacle
writhing out of the back of her head, and her eyes shrank back into her brow as her chin swelled up and
out. "This is the most amazing funhouse mirror I've ever seen," she said. When she spoke, her reflections'
enormous jaws flapped wildly. "I'm programmed to imitate human functions, but I'm not sure I
comprehend this sort of humor," Deevee confessed. "These trick mirrors intentionally distort one's image.
And that is funny?" Zak rolled his eyes. "Let's see if there's more." They searched the mirrored room until
they found a door hidden behind one of the twelve reflections. Stepping through it, Tash and Zak
entered a mirror maze. Pieces of their reflections were everywhere sometimes only their feet were visible,
and sometimes only their heads. Sometimes the reflections were true, and sometimes the Fun World
mirrors twisted their jmages into shapes that were stretched, squeezed, crushed, or swollen to galactic
proportions. Zak even found a set of mirrors that transformed him into an alien. In one mirror, his face
stretched out into a snout and his ears drooped down. Even his skin changed color, until he looked like a
pudgy Ortolan. "This is excellent!" he called out to Tash, who was walking in the other direction. In the
next mirror, his entire face folded in on itself and his skin swelled into the tough, leathery hide of a
somewhat Zaklike Kitonak. Zak stepped up to the next mirror in the hallway. This image was human and
very handsome but taller than he was, with smooth dark skin, a carefully trimmed mustache, and a
dashing smile. Wow this is more like it, Zak thought. He struck a swashbuckler's pose. But instead of
imitating the pose, the reflection reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Help!" Zak cried as the hand clutched at his shirt. "Relax," said a smooth, confident voice. "I didn't
mean to startle you." The image stepped forward, and Zak realized with relief that he hadn't been looking
at another reflection. He'd been looking at a living, breathing human being. "You nearly made me jump
into hyperspace," he said, trying to calm his pounding heart. The man flashed a roguish smile. His age was
hard to guess. He might have been twenty or forty. He had the casual confidence of a traveler who'd
been everywhere and done everything, but also the sly look of a young scoundrel with his sharp eyes on
a new opportunity for riches. "Sorry about that," the man said in a slow drawl. "You almost ran into me."
"Zak! Are you all right?" Tash yelled. A dozen reflections of his sister appeared before the real Tash
finally turned the corner, with Deevee close behind her. Tash stopped when she saw her brother talking
to a stranger. "Oh. Hello." "And hello to you," the man said. He took Tash's hand gently in his. "I was just
about to introduce myself to your friend... Zak, is it? My name is Lando Calrissian. A pleasure." "That's
my sister, Tash," Zak said. "And I am DV-9, the caretaker for these young humans," said Deevee,
inserting himself into the conversation. His program bristled at the intrusion of a stranger. "I thought he
was another reflection until he grabbed me," Zak explained. Tash nodded. "This place is pretty confusing.
摘要：

 StarWars–GalaxyOfFear-4–TheNightmareMachineByJohnWhitman     PROLOGUE   Thescientiststormedintohislaboratory,overturningtablesandsmashingvialsofsmokingliquidtothefloorashepassed.Hisservants  bothdroidsandlivingcreatures  scatteredtoavoidhisanger.Thescientistreachedthecenterofhisgiantfortressandsatd...

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