A Bringing Of Forces

Chapter 7

They emerged with the image of the planet directly in view. It was a lush green mass, the imprints of large bodies of water dotting the surface. No space traffic was visible on any scanners to Obi-Wan's relief as Ahsoka took the ship down closer to the surface, bumping them around slightly as they entered the planet's atmosphere. Obi-Wan took a quick reading of life forms on the surface and directed Ahsoka down to where it appeared none of the natives were currently inhabiting within a few hundred mile radius.

Ahsoka flew over the tops of the trees, looking for a clearing wide enough for the small freighter to land without giving away their location. Soon enough, they came upon an area where it appeared several rock formations had vacated the direct surrounding area of thick plant life. She took the ship down, landing it with a jolt as Obi-Wan did a quick reading on the planet, once more making sure it was safe.

He had learned from experience no planet was ever safe, no matter how much it appeared to be, but for the most part, it seemed fine at the moment.

The hiss of the safety latch filled the air as they unclipped themselves and made their way to the front ramp. Obi-Wan watched as Ahsoka dipped to the underside of the ship and hoped silently that Hondo had made good on his promise to provide them with a small amount of food and water. Although, looking back on how the planet had looked from a distance, water didn't seem to be big on the top priorities.

Surprisingly, Watto hadn't stripped the ship of its three emergency life support packs, each containing a small bed roll with an aluminum blanket built in, food rations -although Obi-Wan was skeptical on how safe they truly were to eat- and a singular solar flashlight. The packs had been hidden in the lower hanger, stacked crudely in a concealed closet. As Obi-Wan reflected back to Watto, he had a momentary flash of guilt at leaving the old toydarian behind. Though it didn't last long as Ahsoka returned, the three packs slung over her shoulder along with the crate of food and water Hondo had packed.

If he had stayed, he never would have saved Ahsoka.

"We should stay near the ship, but not shelter inside," Aedion offered, throwing them all into the moment.

"Why not?" Scorch questioned.

"What? Staying inside the ship? Quite simple, we'd be dead by the time any of us realized there was a threat. There's only so many angles one can see out of it even when blessed with the Force. By staying out and away, if the ship is spotted we'll have time to vacate the area before being blasted to nothingness. I doubt any Imperial's will be that keen on asking questions."

Obi-Wan lifted an eyebrow, impressed.

"Here," Ahsoka tossed a pack to Obi-Wan and Aedion and handed the crate to the two clones. "We should get moving just in case anyone saw our ship land."

They made off, careful to keep their guard up as they slunk through the densely packed forest, away from the rocks and their only means of escape. It wasn't long before they came across a small stream bed carrying fast moving water back toward the way they had come. Obi-Wan knelt, slipping the bottle from his own pack, dumping the rancid water from Tatooine and refilling it with the clear liquid. "Let's just hope it's water," he muttered to himself.

They continued on, against the water's flow and in only a few minutes they passed a small clearing only several dozen yards from the stream's edge. An overhanging of rocks shot from the ground, acting as a half cave, providing adequate shelter. It wouldn't be the best, but he'd definitely dealt with worse and was quite certain everyone else could agree with that.

Aedion led the group to the clearing, pausing long enough to make Obi-Wan tense on his feet, but she decreed the area safe by moving forward toward the rocky crag. Ahsoka followed close behind with Obi-Wan on their heels. The clones instead worked their way around the perimeter of the area scouting it out.