Obi Wan and the Duchess

Chapter Twelve: On Frozen Ground

Anakin stood at the foot of the ramp, looking onto the frozen city as it took the oncoming storm  with welcome. The thick scarf that was wrapped around his neck barely kept in any heat from the harsh temperature.

“This storm is getting heavier, Sir,” Rex said.“The temperature will likely drop eight more degrees before we make it near the marker.” Rex stood beside the Jedi, looking out into the snowy abyss before them. He held out the holo display that plotted their path towards their first mark, thick blue weather indicators swirled around it on all sides. The Jedi looked closely before shaking his head.

“We don’t have very many options anymore, Rex, if we take the speeders we could be picked up pretty quickly by scanners,” he said. He looked to the right of the ship to see the snow and ice ridden ship that Obi Wan had left Coruscant in a week prior.

“Why do you think he left the ship?” Anakin turned to Rex and asked.

Rex shrugged, “he’s probably leading us into a trap.” The Jedi nodded.

“I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t,” Anakin chuckled.

“The boys are ready to kick some sepratist scum, sir,” the jedi turned around and took a look at his arc troopers bundled up and ready for action.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Anakin said. He and Rex led the group into the snow filled city, listening to the melodic hum of the holo-tracker he held in a gloved hand. Skywalker grabbed his heavy cloak he left hanging on the ramp and they headed out into the blowing winds. Skywalker felt the city, the ship hadn’t detected any lifeforms when they entered the atmosphere, yet he felt something was here. Apart from the abandoned ship, Skywalker felt that there were more than just the Duchess, Obi Wan and their captor.

“Sir?” Rex pulled him from his thoughts.

“Yes, Rex?” Skywalker asked, looking over at him.

“I’m picking up something,” he started, “but it isn’t solid.”

“What?” Anakin asked.

“There’s something that’s appearing on my scanner but it’s not stable, it’s popping in and out and not always in the same position,” Rex said. Anakin looked over and watched as something unreadable appear and disappear.

“Get back to the ship,” Anakin mumbled. Rex looked at him.

“Sir?” he asked.

“We need to get back to the ship,” he said again.

“You heard him men,” Rex said. The ten of them turned around and began running towards the ship. Skywalker hadn’t realized how far they had made it from the ship until an explosion erupted in the near distance and lit up the storm clouds. They all stopped.

“Please tell me that wasn’t the ship,” one of the men said.

“Rex?” Skywalker asked, looking at him. Rex looked up slowly and nodded. Skywalker looked around for any sort of coverage but nothing felt safe. In fact, he could barely feel anything that surrounded him and his men.

“We need to get inside,” Skywalker called. He then pointed at the building that was tucked between two. They all rushed in, the men had to break the frozen door in. Rex instructed them to search the building. He watched as Skywalker kept a lookout while they got the door opened, he knew something was up with the jedi.

“There’s no way we can wait out this storm,” Rex said as Skywalker shut the door.

“There’s something here,” Skywalker said, pulling his hood down. “Whatever his here is blanketing the force, making it hard to feel the force.”

“The city doesn’t seems unstable on all of our scanners,” Rex started, turning to look at Skywalker, "it could be related to what you're talking about.” Skywalker nodded and looked around the empty room.

"There was a massacre in this city," Skywalker looked around, placing his hand on one wall. "Why does this house feel untouched.”

“General,” called one the troopers, Rex and Skywalker turned to him as he came up from the basement level. “There’s something worth seeing down here.” The group followed down to see the Death Watch emblem painted on the frozen ground before a large underground hallway that appeared to be abandoned.

Skywalker looked at his Captain and men, “I need two people to stay on guard here, there needs to be someone on the surface for coms in case Windu gets through, and if he does tell him to send a battalion of troops if he can. The rest of you will come with me, if this hallway leads anywhere my bets are to where the Duchess and Kenobi are.”

“At least we have an idea of who we’re dealing with now,” Rex said.