Obi Wan POV

So far I had yet to really regret my decision to let Anakin "borrow" the speeder, as he had put it, but I knew that we would run into trouble when we brought it back if the owner was around.  However, I had more important things to focus on before we even thought about returning to the city.

First we had to find where Queen Organa was being held.  However, it appeared that was proving to be more difficult than we had hoped.  The information that was given to Alexa, which she had relayed to us, was less than exact and after travelling through the hot desert for almost an hour I had begun to think we had been sent on a wild bantha chase.

"Are you sure that we're going the right way?"

"If the information was right then yes, the base should be around here somewhere."  Anakin replied.

"Somewhere.  Oh yes that's very helpful.  At this rate it will be a miracle if we manage to find this place before tomorrow.  We need to go back and find someone who can actually tell us the way."

I heard Alexa scoff.  "No offence, Master Kenobi, but you won't find many people on this planet who are willing to rat out bounty hunters.  Especially when most of the residents of Mos Eisely are bounty hunters themselves."

I knew she was right, but this was getting us nowhere.  I had seen enough of this barren landscape to last me a life time and with the sun beating down on us, with no water to drink, it wouldn't be long until we were all dehydrated.  "There has to be a better way than searching blindly and simply hoping we might find it."

"Well this is the best we have at the moment, Obi Wan, but if you have any other suggestions we're all ears."  Anakin said, keeping his eyes on the sand dunes ahead of us.

"It would seem that your padawan, disagrees."  I told him, glancing at Alexa who sat with her arms folded over her chest.

"I just know that we were lucky that those guys told me anything at all, and my contacts here are limited.  There are a lot more people who would rather kill Jedi than help us."

"Why don't we just ask the next womp rat for directions?"  Rendal asked, making me grin.

"Look, we'll check out what's over there and if we can't see any sign of the base then we'll turn back and think of a new strategy."  Anakin conceded.

As we came to the top of a large sand dune and there we could see a canyon up ahead.

"Perhaps the base is hidden in there."  Rendal suggested.

"Let's go see."  Anakin drove the speeder forward, but I was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea.

"It could be a trap."

"Most likely."

"Wait, so what do we do if it is?"  My padawan asked.

"Spring the trap."  Anakin smirked.

Alexa POV

I kept my eyes trained for traps as we came to the mouth of the canyon, I didn't want to be caught off guard.  If I'd learned one thing during my time alone it was to never underestimate a bounty hunter.

A small movement drew my eyes to a place high on the canyon wall.  "They've got motion sensors and we've just triggered them."  I informed the group.

"Get ready for whatever defence systems they have to activate."  Ahsoka warned.

We all watched for blaster fire or any other traps, but to our surprise there didn't seem to be any.

"Maybe it's just for surveillance?"  Rendal asked just before we reached the halfway point of the canyon and were suddenly barraged by blaster bolts from towers that rose out of the rock at the top of the canyon walls.  Immediately Obi Wan, Ahsoka, Rendal and I activated our lightsabers and began to deflect the bolts while Anakin continued to steer the speeder.

"What was that about just being surveillance?"  Ahsoka asked sarcastically.

"Quiet."  I snapped.  "Focus on not getting us killed instead of running your mouth."

"Alexa!"  Anakin protested my language, but at that point we all knew I was right because the blasters didn't look like they were going to stop any time soon.  Or at least not until Ahsoka threw her lightsaber at the tower, and the saber sliced through it before she used the force to bring it back to her hand.  That was one down at least.

"There's the base!"  Rendal pointed to the complex which looked to have been built into the rock wall.

True to Anakin's usual style even though we had now found what we were looking for we still had no plan and to add to the chaos two bounty hunters had come out of the base, one was shooting and the other-

"Thermal detonator!"  I shouted as it came hurtling towards us.  In an instant I had jumped from the vehicle pulling Rendal out with me and we tumbled to the ground together.  I looked up just in time to see the speeder explode into flames.  "Anakin!"

I almost felt frozen, Anakin, Obi Wan, Ahsoka...

"Alexa!  Move!"  Skywalker's voice brought me back to reality and I smiled in relief when I saw him wielding his lightsaber, only to have to roll out of the way as one of the bounty hunters shot and Rendal and me.

The two of us quickly got up on our feet, lightsabers in hand as we deflected the laser bolts, one of them hitting the bounty hunter in the shoulder, disabling him.  We then turned just in time to see Obi Wan take out the second man.

"Come on, they know we're here now so finding the Queen will be even more difficult now."

"Let's split up to search for her."  Anakin suggested.

"Agreed, Rendal you come with me."  My fellow padawan nodded and went to stand beside his master.

"Alexa and I will stay together and-"

"I will be fine on my own."  Ahsoka nodded.

"Alright then.  Let's get going.  We've spent enough time talking as it is."

With that Anakin cut through the door and we all slipped inside then went our separate ways.  

As we walked through the hallways I glanced at Anakin.  I knew that right now the last thing I needed was to be feeling emotional, but...  For a moment back there I thought...

I shook my head.  Such thoughts could wait, now wasn't the time.

"Where do you think they're holding her?"  I asked quietly.

"If I knew we wouldn't be looking everywhere, would we?"  He asked with a small smirk.  "Come on, something's telling me that this is the direction we should be heading in."  He said and turned right at the end of the corridor.

I was about to follow when I thought I heard a noise from somewhere behind me.

Rendal POV

I walked beside my master as we began our search for the Queen, checking each room that we passed while being careful that the bounty hunters weren't lurking around the next corner.  We didn't want to be ambushed.

So far all we had found was empty rooms and equipment storage spaces, I was beginning to wonder if maybe the bounty hunters had fled the base, which didn't seem likely, or if they were hiding out in the control room or something.  Either way, it didn't look like they were going to come out and face us.

The silence that hung in the air almost felt suffocating, it seemed like this place was completely empty, like a ghost town.  It was strangely nerve-racking that no one had attacked us yet, and it didn't help that I could sense Master Kenobi was on edge too.  Something was wrong here.

"Shouldn't we have met a bounty hunter by now?"  I asked in a whisper.  Obi Wan nodded wordlessly, making me feel even more anxious as we continued to search.

I was about to speak again when suddenly we heard blaster fire echoing through the halls.  Immediately Master Kenobi and I took off running in the direction of the noise.

Ahsoka POV

I could sense someone, I was sure of that, but I had no idea who it was.  Clearly I hadn't encountered this bounty hunter before which ruled out Cad Bane and Aura Sing.  I also couldn't sense Ventress, so I doubted that she had a direct hand in this.  Or if she did then she wasn't at the base presently.

I snuck silently through the hallways, using the force to guide me to where the bounty hunters were hiding, I had the suspicion that at least one of them had to be near the prisoner to ensure she didn't manage to escape.  Even if I didn't find the one who was guarding the Queen then hopefully I could find the control room and use their own surveillance equipment to locate her.  However, before I could find the Queen or the control room there was the sound of shooting up ahead so I ran to find out who had engaged with the enemy.