They all looked up. Standing before them was another Hoole, holding the small black datapad that would summon the Shroud.
“Give me that,” the real Hoole said threateningly.
“I’m afraid not,” said the clone Hoole. “This belongs to Hoole. And I am Hoole.”
“We shall see,” the real Hoole said.
The two Hooles surged toward one another, but they moved so quickly that Tash could hardly follow. Her uncle shifted into the shape of a many-horned lizard, while the other Hoole transformed into some sort of giant snake. But by the time they clashed, each of them had morphed two or three more times, until the two combatants were a quivering mass of shrieking, shape-changing flesh.
Tash was awestruck. She had never seen her uncle so enraged, nor had she ever seen two Shi’ido fight. No wonder Hoole always remains so calm, she thought.
“Tash,” Zak said urgently.
“What?” she asked. “I’m trying to watch, so we know which Hoole is which. “
“I think we have bigger problems,” Zak rasped. “Look.”
She followed his gaze to the entryway. There, in the fading light of the long afternoon, stood another Dark Vader.
CHAPTER 17
Unlike the Vader they had already met, this Vader’s armor was real. And he was accompanied by two stormtroopers in white armor. Vader strode forward. His black face mask swiveled, taking in the scene for a moment. Then he turned to his troopers.
“You two,” he said. “I want all these prisoners taken alive. Set your blasters for stun.” Then Vader turned back to the Arrandas.
“You,” he said, recognizing Zak and Tash. “You children seem determined to interfere in my affairs. I shall make sure that never happens again.” Tash and Zak both started to back away, but Vader held up one finger and they both froze, held in place by the power of the dark side.
Vader glanced at the two Hooles locked in mortal combat. “Enough,” the Dark Lord commanded.
Tash felt ripples of the dark side extend outward and grasp the two Shi’ido. They were dragged apart as though by invisible hands. “I see the mystery of the Jedi ruins has been
discovered.
Cloning
technology. Interesting,” the Dark Lord mused. “I shall have to-“
Vader stopped. His black mask was no longer pointed toward Zak or Tash or either of the two Hooles. He had seen his clone.
Without a word, Vader let his dark power fall away from his prisoners as he focused all his attention on the other Vader.
The other Vader sensed his twin’s attention. He forgot about Maga and allowed the battered Dantari to collapse to the floor. The two Vaders squared off in the center of the huge room. Tash sensed the power of the dark side swirling around them like an invisible mist.
The sheer power of the two Dark Lords meeting was irresistible, and Tash felt herself drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
“A clone of me,” the real Vader growled. “You must be destroyed.”.
“I am. Darth Vader!” the cloned Vader said. “You cannot defeat me.”
The clone Vader lunged forward, surprising the real Vader with a physical assault.
But Vader slapped his opponent’s hands away. At the same time, a container in one corner of the room rose of its own accord and hurtled toward the Vader clone. The clone ducked away just in time.
As the two Vaders circled each other, Tash tried to keep track of them. One, she knew, wore imitation armor, probably built from scrap metal lying around the Rebel base. But in the dim light of the hangar, it was difficult to tell which was which.
The two stormtroopers seemed to agree. They stood still, awestruck, and one of the Hooles sensed this. Shifting into the form of a wampa ice beast, he swiped one giant paw across the side of the trooper’s head, knocking him out and sending his blaster rifle clattering across the room. As the other trooper turned, surprised to see a monster appear out of nowhere, the other Hoole caught him from behind. Shifting into a dewback’s shape, he whipped his thick tail around, sending the trooper sprawling. His blaster clattered across the ground, stopping right at Tash’s feet.
She picked it up and pointed-at two identical Hooles.
“Tash, this may be our only chance,” one of the Hooles said. “I have the remote. Let’s go.”
“Do not listen to him, Tash!” the other Hoole said. “He is the clone.”
“Zak?” Tash said, looking for help. She kept pointing the blaster at one Shi’ido and then the other.
Her brother shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. But we’d better do it fast. One of those Vaders will win, and then he’s coming after us.”
One of the Hooles said, “I did not have the remote activator. He did. I’m the real Hoole.”