Chapter One
[Ahsoka's perspective]
"C'mon, Snips." Anakin calls, "Let's not keep the council waiting this time." "I'm coming, I'm coming!" I say, hurrying down the hall to catch the turbo lift before it closes. Today we have to give our report to the Jedi Council on all our activity over the past few weeks, and unfortunately that involves explaining how we lost our target, the young bounty hunter Boba Fett, yet again. The Jedi have been after Fett for several months, ever since he escaped prison. They've picked up some intelligence reports that suggest he is working with the Separatists on a big project, and my master and I were assigned to apprehend him, only this kid is smarter than you might think. He's somehow managed to allude us every time we get close enough to capture him, and then he disappears in to thin air, or so it seems. It's been a frustrating mission, and I feel like I'm almost ready to give up and let the kid do whatever he wants to with the Separatists. Almost.
The doors slide open and we step out in to the hallway, down the corridor and to those giant doors that used to be so scary to me, but now they're a familiar sight. Anakin gives me a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but I think it may be more for his sake than for mine. After all, he's the one who's going to have to take the blame for our mistake. Inside, the faces of all the council members are grave, like they always are these days, and I know our news surely won't bring any smiles. As Anakin begins to give our report, my mind goes back to the last time I saw Fett. He was standing over that dead clone, almost in shock over what he did. No one else seemed to notice the guilt on his face but me, probably because he wiped it off his face almost as quickly as it arrived, then he was on his ship and out of sight before we could blink. Sometimes I wonder about that boy, and if things could have been different for him if the Jedi had taken him in after his father's death.
I snap back to reality when Yoda's voice enters my consciousness. "Received new information, we have. Help you find Fett, it will." "Our contacts behind enemy lines have reported seeing him on Jaxus Prime." Master Windu explains. I give a start. Jaxus Prime is deep in to Separatist territory, and nowhere near a neutral star system, any main trading routes, or anything of any importance in the galaxy. It'll be extremely difficult to get there unnoticed, and that's a major understatement. "We'll need some kind of cover. How do expect us to get in and out of there?" Anakin asks. Yoda answers him, "Prepared transportation, we have. Help you, your escort will." "And, who is our escort exactly?" I ask. Yoda smirks as he answers, "Young Lux Bonteri."
[Later that afternoon, at the landing platform.]
"Are you okay, Snips?" my master asks, "You look a little nervous." "I'm fine, master, really. Just excited about ending this hunt for Boba Fett," I say, but I'm fingering my clothes anxiously, avoiding his gaze. Still, if he notices he doesn't say anything, and I'm so grateful. I'm not entirely sure why I feel this way right now. Lux is just a close friend. Maybe it's because I haven't heard from him since that incident with the deathwatch, or maybe it's because Anakin has heard me mention him so many times, but this is the first time they've met in person. What will he think of Lux? God, I hope he makes a good impression on him. What has Lux been doing lately? And why has he been chosen to take us to Jaxus? There are so many questions running through my mind right now. What's happening to me?
We arrive at the ship and my heart skips a beat. There's Lux, loading up the last of several crates of cargo, checking over his pad to make sure everything is accounted for. When he turns around, I can't help but smile. "Hi." he says, those green eyes staring straight in to mine. "Hey, Lux," I answer, keeping myself composed as much as possible. "This is my master, Anakin Skywalker." They shake hands. "Anakin Skywalker," Lux shakes his head in admiration. "I've heard a lot about you, that's for sure." "And I've heard about you," Anakin replies, with a glance toward me.
Lux glances down trying to hide his blush, but I've already seen it. "Well, um, master Jedi, I'm almost ready to get going. If you want to go ahead and take a seat inside, I'll be in there as soon as I take care of payment for my shipments." We nod and walk up the ramp. While we're waiting, I take the opportunity to look around Lux's ship. He seems to have done pretty well for himself here. He's loaded up with a ton of cargo, and as far as I can tell he's made a decent amount of credits since we last met. I can't say this is exactly the life I expected Lux to live, flying cargo from planet to planet, but it seems to be working for him.
I head back to the cockpit, where Lux and Anakin are going over the flight plans. "It's a two day journey from here to Jaxus Prime," Lux says, entering the coordinates. "I've got some rooms in the back where you guys can stay. They aren't the most spacious but they're comfortable." Anakin leans over Lux's shoulder carefully scrutinizing all his commands. "You know, there's a faster way to do that. See, all you have to do is come up here and-" "Master." Anakin turns around from the controls. "It's Lux's ship. Let's let him fly it the way he wants to, okay?"
Lux shoots me a grateful look before he takes over again. "Nice to be working with you again, Ahsoka." I smile. "Nice to be with you, too, Lux." He pushes forward a lever, and in to hyperspace we fly.