LUX BONTERI

Lux heard Ahsoka’s signal get cut off by a laser blast. All that came from her comlink now was static. What had happened to her? Why wasn’t she answering his calls?

He had called Mace Windu and informed him of the sabotage incidents. The Jedi Master had assessed the situation calmly, and had told him that he would be there before the day was up. But Lux was sure that Ahsoka’s latest message from Tatooine would change things in Windu’s plan.

“Ahsoka. Ahsoka, are you there?” he asked into his comlink for the tenth time. “Come on, please, pick up!”

No answer. Despairingly, he put his head in his hands. Suddenly, the transmitter in his tent rang, but he already knew who was calling him: Mace Windu. He pushed a button and said, “Lux Bonteri speaking.”

 “I hope all is well with you, Lux. Have you heard from Ahsoka?” asked Obi-Wan Kenobi. All right then, not who he was expecting. “Since the last message, of course.”

 “No. Nothing,” he said, running a hand through his bangs – they always seemed to be just a little too long for his liking – and closing his eyes for a moment.

 “I know that you were fond of her, Lux. We all were, but we need to figure out where she might be,” the Jedi Master coaxed him gently.

 He snapped back to the present. “Right. Were you able to trace the signal?”

 “Yes. Her comlink was hit by a stray laser shot, or at least that’s our theory, but it didn’t completely stop functioning. The signal kept transmitting. It was almost as if…” Obi-Wan trailed off.

 “As if what?”

 “As if whoever was firing at her wanted the signal to lead us to her. I suspect that she was captured and made prisoner. Her signal is now coming from a ship in orbit around Coruscant!”

 “Prisoner! Coruscant! How did this happen? How could she be all the way there?” Lux demanded.

 “I don’t know any more than what I’ve told you now, Lux. I’m sorry,” he said, stroking his light orange beard thoughtfully.

 Lux thought for a moment. Suddenly his face lit up. “Chenai!” he cried.

 “What? Who is Chenai? What do you mean?”

 Lux smiled, his hope rekindled. “She’s a former Jedi padawan whose escape pod crashed on Cialone. Ahsoka was acting strange this morning before she left for Tatooine, and Chenai decided to secretly get aboard to see what was up. She was probably with Ahsoka, or nearby, when she was captured,” he explained.

 “Well, then Master Windu can search for her while I come to pick you up. I’ll take Ahsoka’s cargo ship, if you don’t mind. What docking bay did Ahsoka say it was in? 137?”

 “Yes. Could you ask him to make sure to specify that he’s a friend of Ahsoka’s? Chenai won’t know who he is, and that could cause a problem.”

 “Of course.”

 “I’ll send you a hologram of her, so Windu will know what to look for. And thank you, Master Jedi,” Lux said. Obi-Wan nodded, and then they ended the call.