Star Wars: Emergence

Chapter 12- Plight on Nixus

Anakin awoke a few minutes before the sun broke over the horizon. He gazed over at Ahsoka, who was still asleep. They would have to get moving soon. He hoped they would be able to find a settlement or trading port before the next nightfall.

Anakin stirred Ahsoka, and they began packing the supplies they would for the journey that lay ahead of them. Ahsoka found a couple cloaks they could wear to keep warm and hide their Jedi garb. They also packed the remaining rations, blankets, and a couple water jugs.

Once everything was stowed, the two Jedi set out onto the frozen landscape. Aside from a few breaks, Anakin and Ahsoka made steady progress, using the force to guide them.

Anakin noticed for most of their trip, Ahsoka had been awfully quiet and seemingly lost in her thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Anakin asked her.

"I had another vision last night," Ahsoka admitted.

"About Darth Malicus?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"It was harder to tell this time. We were fighting him again, but my vision was less clear than before."

Ahsoka sighed. Anakin could sense her frustration.

"My senses surrounding Malicus and Dooku have also been clouded," Anakin reassured her, "The dark side often shrouds our senses and makes it harder to see the future."

"I'm worried about who he will go after next," Ahsoka mentioned.

"I am too. But don't lose hope yet. As soon as we can, we'll get a ship and track him down."

"Yeah, hopefully we can find a settlement before nightfall."

Anakin looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky. In a few hours, it would be dark out, causing the temperature to drop. Without shelter, he and Ahsoka would freeze out here. He couldn't let that happen.

The master and his padawan continued on. A half-hour before sunset, he and Ahsoka stumbled upon Hub 218, one of the largest developments on Nixus.

"Thank goodness," Ahsoka sighed, "I really didn't want to camp out in that frozen wasteland another night."

Anakin chuckled, releasing a sigh of relief.

Immediately, they set out to find a ship to buy. He and Ahsoka visited several different shipyards before finding one that would accept their Republic credits. A tradesman, who often travelled to the core worlds, showed them a few light freighters and cargo ships he had.

"I'm not sure any of these will even get us out of the atmosphere!" Anakin complained, surveying the selection.

"This is the best I got for what you can pay," the trader responded.

After a closer look at the ships they could afford, Anakin and Ahsoka came to a decision.

"Fine, we'll take this one," Anakin said, pointing at a small cargo ship. He handed a large sum of credits to the tradesman.

"Nice doing business with you," the trader remarked, taking their credits and stuffing them into his pocket.

Anakin nodded, leaving with Ahsoka to check out their ship. Anakin hoped it would hold together long enough to get at least get them to Malicus.

"It's only got enough fuel to get us to the next star system," Ahsoka noted.

"We'll have to refuel before we leave," Anakin replied, "With a few adjustments, it should get us where we're going."

Ahsoka nodded hopefully.

It didn't take long to get the repairs done. Both Jedi were skilled mechanics. Anakin primed the engines, noting they actually didn't sound too bad after the work they had done.

Ahsoka started up the engines, and they flew the ship to the nearest refueling station.

The refueling station was on the edge of the port. It seemed to be a pretty popular place, which was troubling. Any of these people could be bounty hunters, Separatist spies, mercenaries, or criminals. All of whom they wanted to avoid.

Taking an empty spot, both Anakin and Ahsoka exited the ship. Anakin would refuel it while Ahsoka kept a watch out for any unwelcome visitors.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Anakin told Ahsoka as he left.

Ahsoka nodded.

Despite the fact that there were many shady figures around, Anakin knew Ahsoka could handle herself. But that didn't stop him from rushing through the refueling process.

"Any problems?" Anakin asked as he returned.

"Nope," Ahsoka answered, arms crossed.

"Good. Now let's get out of here."

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Anakin was glad to be off Nixus and officially back on track with their mission of hunting Malicus. He plugged the tracker's fob into the navigation system. This pulled up the signal on Ahsoka's monitor.

"Where's he at?" Anakin questioned.

Ahsoka studied the tracking signal.

"Looks like he just arrived on Anthan Prime."

"What!" he cried, looking over at Ahsoka.

Anakin felt dread and panic wash over him, causing his heart to race and his stomach to turn.

Ahsoka looked back at him, eyes wide as she came to the same realization he had.

Obi-Wan was on Anthan Prime.