We are very excited. The timing is perfect. Our leader is on his way back in from his collections.”
“Great,” Tash said. “Excuse me.”
She pushed her way deeper into the crowd until she found Hoole. The Shi’ido was scanning the sky, waiting for the remote-controlled Shroud to appear.
“Uncle Hoole, you’ve got to listen to me,” she said. “There’s something very wrong with this place-“
“I know,” Hoole replied softly. “But there is nothing we can do but get aboard the ship as fast as possible. I did not want all these people around, but they insisted on following me.”
“Where’s Zak?” Tash asked, realizing he was missing.
“That I do not know,” her uncle replied. She saw a wrinkle on his forehead, and knew what it meant. Hoole was worried. “I could not locate him. But once the ship arrives we will use its sensors to find him.”
“Is it almost here?” asked a voice Tash recognized. It was Eyal. But she had just seen him on the far side of the crowd!
“Where did you come from?” she asked.
“Over there,” he said, pointing away from the bridge.
“Didn’t I just see you by the bridge?” she demanded.
Eyal shook his head. “It couldn’t have been me.”
Tash was bewildered. How could Eyal be in two places at once? “But I just-“
“There it is,” Hoole said, pointing up. A silvery gleam appeared in the sky, growing larger. At the same time, the distant whine of sublight engines reached their ears.
“Well timed!” Eyal said. “Our leader is just arriving.” He pointed back to the bridge. Over the heads of the crowd, Tash could see a long line of people marching toward them from the far side of the river. They were marching in single file. The leader was dressed in dark clothing, and even from this distance, Tash could tell that the others were Dantari. Her stomach tightened into a knot.
“Just a few more seconds,” Hoole muttered. He was holding the remote control in his hands, watching its readings as the ship descended.
“Uncle Hoole, there’s something wrong here,” she started to say.
“Almost here,” Hoole muttered, almost to himself. The ship was nearly on top of them. Its landing gear lowered, and it descended slowly toward the ground. The crowd parted to give it plenty of room. Only a few hundred feet to go.
“This is a great day!” Eyal said. “Our leader will finally be able to get off this planet!”
“Uncle Hoole, look!” Tash said, her voice rising in terror.
They both looked back at the bridge. Now that the marchers were closer, Tash could see why they marched in such a straight line. They were all bound at the neck, one after the other, by a long rope. Tash knew they were the Dantari of Maga’s tribe, and she could see that they were prisoners.
But that wasn’t what terrified her.
The man in the dark clothing who led the line of captives was clearly visible now.
It was Darth Vader.
CHAPTER 12
Darth Vader was here.
On Dantooine.
As soon as he crossed the bridge, several of the Rebels hurried to take control of the Dantari prisoners. Vader himself strode forward, his dark cape swirling behind him. Tash was frozen. All she could do was stare at Vader’s breath mask. It reminded her of a skull.
The dark man with no face, Maga had said.
Of course.
“At last,” the Dark Lord of the Sith boomed, “a ship to take me off this accursed world.”
The spell over Tash seemed to break. “Uncle Hoole. The ship!” she shouted.
Hoole, who had apparently been just as stunned to see Vader, realized what Tash meant. Raising his remote control, Hoole punched in a command.
“Stop him!” Vader ordered, and a dozen hands grabbed at Hoole. But they were too late. The Shi’ido had managed to enter a new command, and the Shroud reversed direction just a few meters above the ground. It began to rise and, turning slowly in its place, the ship began to fly away.
“No!” Vader bellowed. “My ship!”
The Dark Lord lunged forward. His followers scattered to let him through. Something caught Tash’s eye as Vader stormed forward. The Dark Lord’s appearance was different. She didn’t know what it was, and she had no time to think as the Dark Lord reached Hoole and snatched at the remote control. Hoole struggled with him briefly, but Vader wrenched the control pad from his hands. The Dark Lord raised it toward the departing ship and punched the keypad. Nothing happened.
“It’s encoded!” Vader roared. From behind his mask he snarled at Hoole. “Give me the code.”
“No,” Hoole replied.
In a smooth, swift motion, Vader drew his lightsaber and ignited it with a loud thrummm! He held it over his head, ready to strike the Shi’ido down. “The code.”