“You’re right, Zak,” his sister replied. “This place makes Tatooine seem like a garden paradise.”
“Well I hope there’s something here,” Zak said. “If we don’t get help, or a ship, we’re going to end up just like this place. Lifeless.”
Tash pointed at Hoole, striding ahead of them. The Shi’ido had been traveling along at a steady pace since they stepped off the ship. “Well, he seems to think there’s something here. How does he even know where we’re going?”
Neither of them could answer that question.
Although Hoole had ordered them to be silent, Deevee chattered happily. “Master Hoole, this is a rare opportunity indeed!” the droid said as they hiked. “Why, you must know that there has been no serious study of the planet Kiva. Although I did read a paper once by an anthropologist from Circarpous 4. .”
Tash stopped listening. A motion caught her eye. It was small-but on a planet with absolutely no life, she noticed it right away. She thought she’d seen something step from behind one of the rocks. But when she turned to get a better look, all she saw was the rock’s own shadow. She shrugged.
“… and according to the articles I’ve read,” Deevee went on, “the Kivans may have left behind entire cities in the aftermath of Mammon’s disaster…”
“I believe that is enough background, Deevee,” Hoole said shortly.
“But, Master Hoole, surely you appreciate how interesting this planet must be to an anthropologist! It’s a dead civilization.”
“I know. I am an anthropologist,” Hoole snapped. But he said nothing more.
A moment later something caught Tash’s eye again. But when she turned again to look, there was nothing but shadows. For a moment, she thought she could see the shadows stretching toward them. But then she realized it was only the setting sun, making the shadows grow longer on the ground. Still, something had caught her eye…
“Uncle Hoole,” she asked, “is it possible that there’s still something alive here?”
“No,” Hoole said definitely. “Every living thing on Kiva died.”
“But I thought I saw something-“
“A trick of the light,” the Shi’ido interrupted.
“But something fired at us,” Zak said. “There’s got to be someone here.”
“Not someone. Something,” Hoole said as they came to the top of a small hill. “Look.”
On the other side of the hill, nestled in a small, barren valley, stood a large tower. An ion cannon was mounted atop the tower, its tip pointing up into the gray sky. The tower hummed with energy as it swiveled automatically on its base.
They walked down into the valley. Here, the shadows were even thicker.
“It is a computerized defense system,” Hoole explained. “It’s fully automated.”
“How did you know that?” Tash asked.
Hoole shrugged. “The sensors picked it up just before we were hit.” The Shi’ido looked at his niece and nephew. “So, as you can see, we are quite alone on this planet.”
Uncle Hoole always has an explanation for everything, thought Tash, as she wandered away from him and Zak. She picked her way through the maze of toothlike rocks toward the ion tower. It’s so much darker here in the valley-Tash couldn’t believe how fast the shadows moved here. As
Zak’s and Hoole’s voices faded in the distance, Tash stood still, looking all around her, trying to see just how the rocks cast such weird, fast-moving shadows.
Suddenly, Tash screamed. Something had grabbed her by both wrists-she was being attacked!
CHAPTER 4
“Help!” Tash cried out.
Zak, Hoole, and Deevee ran toward the sound of her voice. But once they found her, all they could see were shadows cast by the rocks and Tash struggling with something invisible.
“Get it off me!” Tash yelled.
“What?” Deevee asked.
“The shad-!” she began. Then she was sucked into the darkness.
“Tash!” Zak yelled. He started forward, but stumbled. His foot.had caught on something. Looking down, he saw that as he’d rushed forward, he had stepped into a shadow. Now his foot was stuck.
Hoole and Deevee had charged toward Tash, too, but seeing Zak, they stopped. “What’s wrong, Zak?” Hoole asked.
“I don’t know,” Zak said. He tugged at his foot, but it wouldn’t budge. “Something’s got me.” He tugged again. This time, something tugged back.
Zak was dragged forward into the shadow. In an instant, day turned into night. It wasn’t the pitch-blackness of late night, but more like the darkness of evening, just after sunset. Zak could see the ground, he could see the sky, he could even see Hoole and Deevee, but everything lay under a shadowy shroud. His uncle and Deevee were moving their arms frantically, and they seemed to be shouting, but Zak couldn’t hear them. He called out to them, but he could tell that they couldn’t hear him either. It was as if a dark, heavy curtain had dropped between them.