CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

That's the antechamber, he thought. That's where Mace is. Silently he stepped to the door. He put his hand on the latch. It was unlocked. He listened, adjusting his helmet's aural enhancers so he could hear the faintest sound from the other side. And yes, he could hear breathing. The breathing was slow, measured, calm...
Boba drew his flechette pistol. He took a deep breath then shoved the door open. And there he was. Boba's greatest enemy - Mace Windu.  The tall Jedi stood pensively at the far end of the room. His hands were in his robes. His head was down. As Boba entered he looked up, eyes widening slightly. "Who - ?"

Boba stared at him without remorse. "You killed my father," he said. Boba's heart was racing. But his voice was cold and utterly calm. And his pistol was aimed directly at Mace's chest. "I've waited a long time for this, Jedi Windu but I'm not waiting anymore!" Boba fired. The flechette's missile tore through the air. A nanosecond later it burst open. Hundreds of deadly
projectiles spun out. Faster than thought, Mace Windu leaped aside. The missiles exploded against the wall. "Who are you?" Mace Windu shouted. Boba fired again. Another starburst of flechettes exploded through the room. Again, the Jedi was too fast. "On Geonosis, you murdered a warrior named Jango Fett," Boba said.
FFFFAAMM! He fired again! "Jango Fett was my father." 

"Your father?" Mace raced from the barrage of flechettes. "He had no son! Only clones -"

"He had me!" Boba lunged at Mace. The Jedi fell back, overwhelmed by the young man's rage and power. "And now I'll have you!" KRACK! A flechette smashed against Mace's shoulder. The Jedi reeled backward. His hand reached for his lightsaber. But before he could touch it Boba struck again, this time the other shoulder. And again! KRACK! KRACK! With each alternate blow the Jedi fell back. In a moment, Boba would have him pinioned against the wall. And then he'd go for the kill! "I had no choice!" Mace's voice was deep, unafraid. Without warning he leaped, springing past Boba as he drew his lightsaber. "Just as you're giving me no choice now!" The lightsaber glowed deep violet. Its hum filled the room, and Mace Windu swung - and struck! PAM! Boba staggered back. The lightsaber had skimmed his armor. He recovered immediately, darting off. Mace
followed, his robes billowing behind him. PAM! The lightsaber struck again! But this time Boba was ready. Or so he thought. Mace's violet blur sliced the flechette pistol cleanly out of his hand. Blinding indigo light flared as Mace Windu drew back, arm raised for another blow.
Before he could strike, Boba drew his dagger with his free hand and charged.

The dagger ripped through Mace's robes. The Jedi twisted, avoiding the blade. But Boba's fist followed, smashing into the Jedi's ribs. "Ah - !" Mace staggered to one side. Before he could dodge, Boba was on him! BAM! Boba lunged the dagger at Mace's head - but the Jedi was too fast! He dropped and rolled, jumping to his feet. The lightsaber rose and fell And struck. "Agh!" Boba cried out as the glowing blade smashed against his shoulder. Pain arced through him. Blood seeped from Grievous's wound. "Surrender!" commanded Mace Windu. "Surrender, and I promise you'll receive fair treatment!"

"Surrender?" Boba hesitated, feigning doubt. Unseen he shoved the dagger into his belt, then reached for a cryo-ban grenade. "You have my word," Mace continued. "And you have my hatred!" Boba screamed. He fired the grenade! Mace leaped, seeming to fly above Boba's head. BRRAAANG! Boba flung himself away from the freezing blast. Waves of numbing cold rushed past him as the cryo-blast absorbed heat. The cold could not penetrate Boba's body armor. But Mace Windu had no body armor. The Jedi stumbled, nearly falling as the frigid waves sapped him of energy.

Boba picked up his flechette pistol. He towered above the fallen Jedi. He fired. FAM! Blinding pain lanced Boba's arm as Mace Windu's Lightsaber struck.
"No!" Boba cried. In agony, Boba fell. He rolled, trying to get to his feet. FAM! The lightsaber crashed against his head. Not even his helmet could absorb the blow. Boba shouted with pain and fury, striking blindly at the figure above him. "I don't want to kill you," said Mace Windu grimly. "Surrender, or die."

"Never."

He swung his dagger. The Jedi's weapon knocked the dagger blade aside. "You leave me no choice!" Mace cried. Boba stumbled to his feet. Blood streamed from his wounds. The dagger lay useless and out of reach. And his blasters were on Slave I. But he still had the saberdart. He slid his hand toward his utility belt. His fingers slipped into the familiar configuration of his palm shooter. The poisonous dart was loaded into it. He had only one shot. I won't miss this time. He raised his hand. Mace Windu was just meters away. Boba stared at the Jedi, summoning all his strength. All his hatred. His thumb pressed the trigger. The dart sang from the palm shooter like an enraged hornet. It spun, glittering, through the air, straight for Mace Windu's throat. I got him! Boba's mind sang in triumph. Mace Windu flinched. His hand shot into the air. Between his fingers the saberdart shivered like a trapped insect. "No!" groaned Boba. Mace Windu flung the deadly dart into the shadows. He stepped toward Boba, his lightsaber poised to strike. Boba Fett was cornered.

"This is my final offer of surrender," said the Jedi Master. 

"No," said Boba in a low voice. He would never surrender. The Jedi took another step toward him. Boba thought of his friends back on Tatooine. Good-bye, Ygabba. Good-bye, Gab'borah. I'll miss you. He thought of his father, fighting until the very last. Boba lifted his head and stared fearlessly at Mace Windu. "There are worse things than death," the bounty hunter said, raising his flechette pistol. "There are," the Jedi replied in his powerful voice. "You are brave indeed, stranger. I would have spared your life. But now you leave me no choice - " His raised his arms. The glowing light blade tore through the air.

"STOP!"

A deafening shout of command filled the room. Heavy footsteps echoed as uniformed guards raced in. The Chancellor's Red Guards surrounded Mace Windu and Boba. More footsteps sounded. Another figure entered the room, clad in the luxurious robes denoting his high rank. "Who dares disrupt this place?" he demanded. It was Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.-Chpt.16