Star Wars the Clone Wars: Legends Never Die

Chapter 6

Ahsoka doesn't know how long they've been walking for.

All she knows is that there are blisters on her heels, and the shinies are struggling. Solo and Sixteen are no longer chatting to each other, they're just dragging their feet. Peering up ahead, the rest of the men don't seem to be faring much better.

She jumps up to a rock- panting as it saps at her energy- to look over the grass planes. The cairn they're trying to reach is still some distance away, but how is that possible? It feels like they've been walking for days, and yet the sun is still high in the sky, and the birds are still chirping their repetitive song.

"Rex!" She calls, waiting for the group to stop whilst she stands on the rock, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let's have a quick rest."

"Yes, Commander," the Captain nods, running a hand over his head. She can tell he's just as frustrated as she is.

"Does anyone know how long we've been walking?" She asks the group of clones as they sag to the floor. Her eyes drift back to the cairn which looks no closer to them now than it did when they set off.

"Echo and I have sung Barmaid's Bum nineteen times through." Fives says, sitting back-to-back with his ARC brother.

"All eight verses and choruses." Echo adds proudly.

"Barmaid's Bum?" Ahsoka looks to Rex, confused.

"Drinking song." He explains, "You're a fast singer, Fives. That's a poor measurement of time." The Captain points upwards, "Sun's still high."

"Could be a long rotation period." Ridge proposes.

Ahsoka looks behind them, not being able to see the clearing where they woke up. She jumps off the rock to stand at Rex's side, lowering her voice, "However long we've been walking, we haven't seen any locals."

"Score," he replies, "I'm not willing to send our ARCs off on an unknown planet. Maybe we should set up camp?"

"Good idea," she nods in agreement, also not wanting to order Echo and Fives to scout ahead whilst they laze around. Their comms are dead, and for all they know, this could be a Separatist planet. "I'm just going to try something."

She sits on the ground, crossing her legs. After a quick scan of the group to see her men don't seem to be in any distress, she closes her eyes, sinking into a light meditation.

The Force is foggy on this planet- as if there's a big cloud holding it down. She can't reach Anakin through their bond, and the Force-signatures of her men are blurry. Even when she tries to focus on the ground and plant life around her, she struggles to get a feel for the Force flowing through everything.

Sighing, she refocuses, trying to remember how to do psychometry from the time Quinlan Vos hosted a seminar for the new Padawans. She's never been gifted in that area of her abilities, but she knows the basics.

Focus on an object. Sink into the Force. Feel the object as if it is an extension of your own mind.

She focuses on the path where the men have settled. If any natives have walked on it within the past few weeks, she should be able to track them.

Feeling the dirt beneath her fingers, Ahsoka sinks into the Force, connecting her mind to the ground. Then, as she's about to see if she can sense other life forms amongst the dirt-

"Commander."

The urgency in Rex's voice has Ahsoka snapping her eyes open. It's dark now, but that's not because time has passed since she went into meditation.

Over their heads, the clouds are black, and they're moving fast to cover the entire sky. Ahsoka can feel the rain start to hit her skin, the cold water quickly seeping through her clothes.