Chapter 7: Anakin's Big Search
"What's the status, Rex?" Anakin asked as he entered the holodeck.
"Not good, sir," Captain Rex of the clone army, replied. "We're not able to get a signal on Ahsoka's ship anywhere in the galaxy."
"Oh no," Anakin said.
"The same goes for her comlink, too. We've been trying to find any trace of her for the past week, but our efforts have been unsuccessful."
As Rex was talking, Anakin heard the door open behind him.
"Keep trying, men," said Anakin.
"Yes, sir," replied Rex.
Anakin turned around to see who it was that walked in. It was none other than Anakin's old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said.
"Master Obi-Wan," Anakin replied.
"Are you still searching for Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes," said Anakin. "I've been searching for weeks and I still can't find her."
"That's what I came to talk to you about," Obi-Wan said. "I've been speaking with the Council, and we think it may be best if you give up your search for Ahsoka."
"What!?" Anakin exclaimed. "She could be out there almost on the brink of death! I don't even know if she's still alive, Obi-Wan!"
"Anakin, you know that Ahsoka is perfectly capable of taking care of herself."
"How do I know if she's fine or not? What if she got kidnapped by the Separatists? What if she's on a distant planet we don't even know about without food or drink? What if-"
"Said the Jedi who didn't even want a Padawan in the first place," Obi-Wan said.
Anakin sighed and rolled his eyes. This wasn't helping. He turned around and tried to look out at the stars, but Obi-Wan wouldn't leave him alone.
"You must have patience, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, trying to console his ex-student. "Focus, concentrate, and the Force will help you find her eventually."
Anakin decided to take Obi-Wan's advice. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate, feel Ahsoka's aura. He didn't have to do this for long, though.
"General Skywalker, over here!" a clone called out. Him and Obi-Wan dashed over to where a clone was sitting with a computer in front of him. On the screen was a blinking green light on a new planet which couldn't have been in their galaxy. That green light had to be Ahsoka!
"We've got a lock on Ahsoka's comlink," the clone said. "She's on a planet called..." The clone popped up the name of the planet. He leaned forward and squinted, but was still struggling to pronounce the name.
"E-Earth?" He ended up pronouncing it as Eearth. The planet was mostly blue, with large patches of land visible, although the green that made up most of them was slowly disappearing, replaced by a sickly brown color.
"Earth..." Anakin wondered out loud.
"That's where Ahsoka is," Obi-Wan added.
"It's where she is," the clone said, spinning around to look at Anakin and Obi-Wan. "But it might be tough to get there."
"What do you mean, trooper?"
"I mean it's not even in our galaxy. It's located in someplace called the Milky Way."
"So, you mean to tell me that Ahsoka's ship was hit with a missile during that one fight with the Separatists, and did so much damage that she crashed down not only on a different planet but an entirely different galaxy!?" Anakin sounded more concerned than ever.
"Yes," the clone replied.
"Calm yourself, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "Ahsoka has proven herself capable of surviving a tough situation in the past. And anyway, you should know. You're her master. As long as she hasn't revealed our existence to anyone, we'll all be fine."
Anakin sighed. "Alright," he said. "We should leave for Earth soon, though."
"You'd have to," the clone said. "Says here that it'll take weeks to travel to Earth from where we are now."
"Then let's gather up some troopers and then Anakin and I will begin our long trek," Obi-Wan said, and began to walk away to round up a group of clones when Anakin said, "Master, stay here."
"What?"
"You said it yourself: she's my Padawan. I'll go to Earth with some troopers and get Ahsoka back-"
"Anakin, you don't even know if there are any dangerous life forms down there, if any life forms at all!"
"I don't care!" Anakin said. "I'm willing to take that risk...for Ahsoka."
With that, Anakin walked away to gather some men for the trip, leaving Obi-Wan alone at the head of the ship.
