Beginning Again

Chapter 9: Finding the Base

"Maybe it's just for surveillance?"  Rendal asked just before we reached the halfway point of the canyon and were suddenly barraged by blaster bolts from towers that rose out of the rock at the top of the canyon walls.  Immediately Obi Wan, Ahsoka, Rendal and I activated our lightsabers and began to deflect the bolts while Anakin continued to steer the speeder.

"What was that about just being surveillance?"  Ahsoka asked sarcastically.

"Quiet."  I snapped.  "Focus on not getting us killed instead of running your mouth."

"Alexa!"  Anakin protested my language, but at that point we all knew I was right because the blasters didn't look like they were going to stop any time soon.  Or at least not until Ahsoka threw her lightsaber at the tower, and the saber sliced through it before she used the force to bring it back to her hand.  That was one down at least.

"There's the base!"  Rendal pointed to the complex which looked to have been built into the rock wall.

True to Anakin's usual style even though we had now found what we were looking for we still had no plan and to add to the chaos two bounty hunters had come out of the base, one was shooting and the other-

"Thermal detonator!"  I shouted as it came hurtling towards us.  In an instant I had jumped from the vehicle pulling Rendal out with me and we tumbled to the ground together.  I looked up just in time to see the speeder explode into flames.  "Anakin!"

I almost felt frozen, Anakin, Obi Wan, Ahsoka...

"Alexa!  Move!"  Skywalker's voice brought me back to reality and I smiled in relief when I saw him wielding his lightsaber, only to have to roll out of the way as one of the bounty hunters shot and Rendal and me.

The two of us quickly got up on our feet, lightsabers in hand as we deflected the laser bolts, one of them hitting the bounty hunter in the shoulder, disabling him.  We then turned just in time to see Obi Wan take out the second man.

"Come on, they know we're here now so finding the Queen will be even more difficult now."

"Let's split up to search for her."  Anakin suggested.

"Agreed, Rendal you come with me."  My fellow padawan nodded and went to stand beside his master.

"Alexa and I will stay together and-"

"I will be fine on my own."  Ahsoka nodded.

"Alright then.  Let's get going.  We've spent enough time talking as it is."

With that Anakin cut through the door and we all slipped inside then went our separate ways.  

As we walked through the hallways I glanced at Anakin.  I knew that right now the last thing I needed was to be feeling emotional, but...  For a moment back there I thought...

I shook my head.  Such thoughts could wait, now wasn't the time.

"Where do you think they're holding her?"  I asked quietly.

"If I knew we wouldn't be looking everywhere, would we?"  He asked with a small smirk.  "Come on, something's telling me that this is the direction we should be heading in."  He said and turned right at the end of the corridor.

I was about to follow when I thought I heard a noise from somewhere behind me.

Rendal POV

I walked beside my master as we began our search for the Queen, checking each room that we passed while being careful that the bounty hunters weren't lurking around the next corner.  We didn't want to be ambushed.

So far all we had found was empty rooms and equipment storage spaces, I was beginning to wonder if maybe the bounty hunters had fled the base, which didn't seem likely, or if they were hiding out in the control room or something.  Either way, it didn't look like they were going to come out and face us.

The silence that hung in the air almost felt suffocating, it seemed like this place was completely empty, like a ghost town.  It was strangely nerve-racking that no one had attacked us yet, and it didn't help that I could sense Master Kenobi was on edge too.  Something was wrong here.

"Shouldn't we have met a bounty hunter by now?"  I asked in a whisper.  Obi Wan nodded wordlessly, making me feel even more anxious as we continued to search.

I was about to speak again when suddenly we heard blaster fire echoing through the halls.  Immediately Master Kenobi and I took off running in the direction of the noise.

Ahsoka POV

I could sense someone, I was sure of that, but I had no idea who it was.  Clearly I hadn't encountered this bounty hunter before which ruled out Cad Bane and Aura Sing.  I also couldn't sense Ventress, so I doubted that she had a direct hand in this.  Or if she did then she wasn't at the base presently.

I snuck silently through the hallways, using the force to guide me to where the bounty hunters were hiding, I had the suspicion that at least one of them had to be near the prisoner to ensure she didn't manage to escape.  Even if I didn't find the one who was guarding the Queen then hopefully I could find the control room and use their own surveillance equipment to locate her.  However, before I could find the Queen or the control room there was the sound of shooting up ahead so I ran to find out who had engaged with the enemy.