Chapter 21: Seek and Destroy
Obi-Wan Kenobi pulled out a small device, clicking a few buttons. Claire watched him from the corner of her eye, slightly curious as to what he was doing.
"The oxygen in the atmosphere is, surprisingly, safe enough to sustain life on this planet," Obi-Wan said finally, frowning to himself.
"I wonder why no one has populated this planet...?" Obi-Wan voiced, and Claire thought about his question.
"Maybe it's not safe enough for continuous living," she suggested, "or no one has really discovered this planet."
"Or," Obi-Wan said, and he looked over at Claire seriously, "it is already populated." Claire met his gaze, and felt a cold shudder run through her spine. They were both thinking the same thing— the droid army's leader was already stationed on this planet. Or something worse. Claire released her gaze from Obi-Wan's face, and she gazed out across the planet again. To one side, it was barren and flat. To the other, however, there was rolling hills and jagged mountains that were overhanging deep valleys.
"Which way, Commander?" Obi-Wan asked, and Claire heard what sounded like a bit of sarcasm in his voice.
"This way," Claire said, pointing toward the mountains and crevices, "it will keep up mostly hidden in case of— attack." Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, and he stowed his device into his cloak.
"How will we even know how to find them?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly. Claire stopped, and she thought about his question— she was stumped. But only for a moment; she then pulled out her calling device, stuck it in her ear, and pressed the button.
"R7, can you read me?"
It was quiet a moment, and then static was picked up by the transmitter, followed by a small beeping.
"R7?" Claire asked again. R7 beeped in response.
"Yeah, I know I have to get a new transmitter," Claire said, and she cracked a small smile.
"Look R7, we have a bit of a situation," Claire added, "We need to track the droids. Do you think you could come with us?" R7 beeped something, and Claire frowned.
"R7, Macer's there. It's not necessary that you stay with Anakin," she said. R7 replied, and Claire rolled her eyes.
"Fine, have it your way, don't help us then," she said bitterly. Before she could disconnect the device though, R7 beeped something else that stopped Claire. She frowned as she listened.
"Are you sure that will work?"
R7 beeped.
"Alright then," Claire replied, "we'll be back as soon as we can. You guys take care."
Claire took the device out of her ear, Obi-Wan watching patiently.
"Well?" Obi-Was asked.
"Give me that device you have," Clare motioned toward him.
"What?" Obi-Wan asked, caught off guard.
"Trust me," Claire said, looking up at him. Almost reluctantly, Obi-Wan pulled the device out and handed it to Claire. Claire took it, and starting jabbing a few buttons.
"What are you doing to it?" Obi-Wan asked, watching her carefully.
"Hacking it," Clair said, and a small smile played at the corner of her lips. After a moment or two, she stopped, and she pressed one more button. A small holographic image appear just then, and Claire actually smiled.
"There," she said triumphantly, and showed it to the Jedi.
"Now we can follow the droids. Oh, and I was right, it is that way," Claire added, and she smirked up at Obi-Wan. Obi-Was was speechless. Claire handed him his device back, and closed the holographic device. Claire turned from him, still smirking at his speechlessness.
"Let's get moving," she said, and she walked away toward the rugged mountains laid before them. Obi-Wan followed after her, intent on not saying anything in order to not allow any more victory over their rivalry.
Claire heaved herself over the rocks, trying not to slip and fall. It was mostly an easy crossing, but there were a few areas that were very difficult to maneuver, such as this one. Obi-Wan was ahead of her, pulling out his tracking device to make sure they were still on the correct path. The device showed the direction in which they needed to travel, and how far from it they were. According to the device, they were a couple miles from were the droids were supposed to be. Claire tried not to let her exhaustion show on her face. The last thing she needed was Obi-Wan thinking she was weak. Claire pulled herself up on a rock, reached for the ledge on which Obi-Wan was waiting for her. Obi-Wan was putting his device away once more, when Claire touched the ledge where she tried to pull herself up. Suddenly, the rocks loosened under her fingers, and she felt them crumbling.
"Blast!" Claire cried, and she tried reach farther up. As she did so, she began to loose her footing. She gasped, trying to grab for anything. It was then that Obi-Wan reached down and tried to grab her arm. But it was too late. Claire was already falling. She didn't even scream— she just tumbled, knowing she wouldn't make it. But suddenly, as she fell, she felt her cloak catch on the rocks, and it took her a moment to realize that she had finally stopped falling. She was a good two or three feet from the ledge, and Obi-Wan was reaching down toward her.
"Grab my hand!" He yelled, and Claire looked up at him. He was staring at her with wide-eyes, and with such concern that Claire was shocked to see actual compassion coming from him. Claire looked up at his hand, and then the ledge. She could do it. She could show him that she wasn't weak.
"I can do it," Claire said through her teeth, and she scowled. Obi-Wan scowled as well.
"Don't be stupid," he said harshly, "just take my hand!"
"I'll show you," Claire muttered darkly, and instead she reached toward another rock on the wall to avoid Obi-Wan's hand. But as she did so, she found that her movement caused her cloak to tear away from the rock that was holding her, and she started to fall backward.
"Oh God!" Claire said, and she let out a scream as she started to fall again. This time, Obi-Wan reached down and grabbed Claire's hand himself. Claire closed her eyes as she felt Obi-Wan's hand wrap around her wrist, and pull her up. When she felt him pulling her up, Claire reached with her other hand, and grasped Obi-Wan's hand with her own. Then she opened her eyes as she saw the ledge nearing toward her. All at once Claire forced herself onto the edge of the cliff, and she fell onto the ground, her chest heaving. Obi-Wan knelt on the ground beside her, breathing heavily as well.
"Why can't you just listen..?" he asked. Claire raised her head to look up at him, too shocked and thankful to give a smart reply.
"Thank you," she said instead, quietly. With that, she pulled herself up, Obi-Wan following suit. Claire brushed herself off. As she did so, she realized that she was missing her cloak.
"Oh no," she said dejectedly and she looked out over the cliff, seeing her cloak fluttering to the ground below them.
"Don't worry about it," Obi-Wan said, "we have to keep moving." Claire nodded, feeling regretful for not listening to Obi-Wan sooner.
The pair of Jedi's trudged on further, and Claire was careful to keep behind Obi-Wan and follow his steps. Pretty soon they found themselves near the top of a high mountain. Stopping again, Obi-Wan pulled out his device again. He frowned as he read it.
"It still says we're a half a mile from where they are," he said, confusion in his voice.
"Maybe they're still on the move?" Claire suggested. Obi-Wan shook his head.
"No, that's not possible," he said, "It says they're still in the same area…" Claire frowned now, and she reached for the device.
"May I see it?" she asked. For a moment Obi-Wan stopped. Was that politeness he sensed in her voice? But he handed it to Claire anyway. She looked at it, and frowned too.
"That is strange…" She muttered. As she looked at it, she walked a little ways further, up the mountain. Obi-Wan followed her, keeping an eye out to make sure she didn't fall again. They finally reached the top of the mountain, and Claire was still looking at the hologram.
"It says we're even farther!" she said. But Obi-Wan had stopped, He was staring down the mountain, speechless a moment.
"I don't think we need that anymore," he said quietly. Claire looked up, and followed Obi-Wan's gaze. Right there, below them, was a deep crevice. And in the crevice was hundreds of droid ships. Claire's jaw dropped slightly as she stared down into the ominous hole below them.
"Well, that would definitely explain why it says we're getting farther from them," Claire muttered quietly, regaining herself. Obi-Wan looked over at Claire.
"Ladies first," he said, almost smirking again. Claire resisted the urge to scowl at him, and instead she dropped herself down on a ledge below them, as carefully as she could. Obi-Wan followed her, still keeping a wary eye for her. The way down wasn't as awful as it may have seemed from the top, with the many jagged edges. There was quiet a few footholds, and it wouldn't be hard to hide if a droid came out and saw them. At last Claire reached a point in the crevice where she could see farther into what looked like a cave the lead into the wall.
"Hey, check it out," Claire said quietly, hearing her voice echo slightly. Obi-Wan dropped down beside her, staring into the cave. There were a couple droid ships near this entrance, so it seemed likely that some may have entered through the hole. Claire looked over at Obi-Wan.
"You think it's an entrance?" she asked. Obi-Wan nodded.
"It seems so," he said quietly. He glanced around, taking note of the droid ships.
"We need to keep an eye out though," he added. Claire nodded, and she led the way into the cave, careful not to make any noise that would alert their enemies of their presence.
The inside of the cave was slightly damp, and it had an eerie musky smell that caused Claire's nose to itch somewhat. She prayed quietly that it would not cause her to sneeze abruptly.
"I'll check over here," Obi-Wan said quietly, and he nodded, toward a dark part of the cave that seemed to dip down slightly. Claire noticed that there was a bit of light coming from that side, but she went the opposite direction in order to cover more ground. She didn't get far before she heard a small gasp, and then Obi-Wan whispered in her direction.
"Claire," he said quietly, "come over here…" Claire turned around, and she headed toward Obi-Wan's voice. The floor of the cave dipped down slightly like she though, and the roof seemed to come down farther as well, forcing her to bend her knees until she was crouching alongside Obi-Wan. As she did so, the echo of her name from Obi-Wan's voice still reverberated softly against the wall, and for a moment Claire registered that he had used her name for a second time. Her first name, not her last name. Obi-Wan looked over at Claire then, he put his finger to his lips in silence before gesturing down past himself through the cave. Claire leaned up against where Obi-Wan was, and she realized that they were at the edge of a small cliff that was overhanging a large cut-out in the cave. And inside the cut-out were lights and machines, and droid ships. There were also droids and other alien beings that were situated around the cave, some in groups as if in discussion. Claire gaped at the sight, realizing that they had just landed themselves in the center of the droid army's command center.
"Obi-Wan," Claire said quietly, "we just found—"
"Yes, I know," Obi-Wan replied, looking over at Claire. Claire stopped, meeting Obi-Wan's gaze. They both knew what they needed to do.
"We need to get back to the ship," Claire said quietly,
"How are we to get off the planet?" Obi-Wan asked, "Our landing gear is broke. We might not be able to fly off on ours." Claire almost face-palmed herself.
"Oh blast, I almost forgot," she said quietly back.
"But you're right," Obi-Wan added, "we should get back… warn your pilots of the situation. That way they can at least get here before the droid army has the chance to get off." Claire nodded. She began to stand up, as did Obi-Wan Kenobi, when suddenly Claire's head rapped against the top of the cave. She let out a small gasp, and Obi-Wan reached forward, clapping a hand over her mouth. Claire almost screamed in protest and agony; at the pain, and at Obi-Wan for his sudden movement. Claire shoved his hand away, glaring, her head throbbing.
"Are you okay?" Obi-Wan asked her in a whisper. Claire almost wanted to scream, "Do you think I'm okay?" But instead she just nodded, and placed a hand on her head. Obi-Wan gave her an apologetic look, and they began to edge their way out of the cave. But as they did, Claire noticed that the awful musky smell that was lingering became worse when she smacked the roof of the cave. Now her nose was itching again, and suddenly she feared the worse. Before she could help herself, Claire reared back, and abruptly let out a sneeze. She tried to cover it, but because of the wonderful effect of reverberation in the cave, the sound was magnified ten times the normal sound. Claire and Obi-Wan stopped in mid tracks, hearing the sound reverberating off the walls. Claire forced herself to look down into the cut-out to see the droids, and what she saw made her heart grow cold. All the droids and aliens were staring up at the source of the noise, and for a moment all was silent. Claire briefly believed that they may not have seen them after all, but all at once that hope was shattered as the aliens began screaming battle cries.