Chapter Text
"Rex. Rex do you read me? We're at the rendezvous point waiting your arrival. Where are you?" Anakin was noticeably concerned. Walking into a separatist trap with troops was one thing, but Rex's cruiser was nowhere to be seen.
"Sir we are at the rendezvous point. There's no sign of you on our scanners."
Nothing about this mission was making sense. Clearly they had underestimated the level of preparation that had gone into this trap. "Oh, come on. That's impossible." Anakin turned to Obi Wan. "Something's wrong, we're at the exact coordinates where the distress signal originated, but there's nothing here. Rex is at the the same coordinates, and he's not here!" All three Jedi were now concerned.
"This is getting interesting." Agreed Obi Wan. At that moment Rex's holotransmission began to cut out. The Jedi struggled to hear Rex say "Unable to find you. Where are you Sir?" before his words became inaudible.
"Something's blocking the signal." Ahsoka interjected as the ship's lights went out.
"Not good." Obi Wan said. Even he was unsettled. Without power, they were practically dead in space.
"Everything's dead. Even the life support." said Ahsoka. This isn't good at all, she thought. Now they were alone and defenseless against any oncoming attack.
"This is really strange. Anakin said, more to himself. At that moment they heard the welcome hums of a ship rebooting and the lights came on again.
"There! See, nothing to be concerned about after all." Obi Wan wasn't fooling anyone with his I told you so attitude.
"Then what's that?" Ahsoka said, pointing at what looked like a giant metal diamond. The ship jerked forward and again the lights went out. Now the ship was being pulled inexorably towards the diamond as if it had the gravitational force of a huge star. "It's pulling us towards it!" As they approached closer, the two triangular halves of the diamond began to open to reveal a blinding white light.
"Everyone strap yourself in! It looks as though we're going for a ride." Obi Wan said, unable to resist his incessant banter even during this seemingly inescapable crash landing. The ship was being pulled in at an ever faster rate, the light becoming brighter and more blinding as it did so until the three Jedi lost consciousness.
---
Anakin awoke aching all over. He sat up, stretched and saw Obi Wan do the same. "I must've blacked out." He groaned.
"Then who landed the shuttle?" Asked Obi Wan.
"Not me." Replied Ahsoka, disorientated.
"Where are we?" Asked Anakin. The three Jedi looked out of the cockpit and were greeted with nothing but a barren plain for miles around, except for what looked like a huge wall some distance away.
"Some kind of organic mass." Ahsoka answered, examining the ship's scanners. "All of our readings indicate that it's bigger than an asteroid." She examined further. "But, at least the atmosphere is breathable."
"Well this is getting more unusual by the minute." Obi Wan remarked as he attempted to retrieve coordinates. "I can't even lock down where in the galaxy we are, or, if we are even in our own galaxy."
"The ship's systems seem fine but for whatever reason nothing's working." Said Anakin.
Ahsoka opened the ship's door and the three Jedi walked down the landing ramp and into the barren wilderness that greeted them. In front of them stood an impenetrable looking sandstone wall, and behind them on the horizon rose a huge mountain range. Taking a moment to scan the area, they concluded that this great wall marked the only sign of civilisation close by.
As they neared the wall, they began to appreciate the size of whatever civilisation the wall enclosed. The curvature of the wall was so minute that whatever civilisation it enclosed must've encompassed a measurable proportion of the planet. As they approached nearer, the Jedi noticed that strange piles of earth adorned the wall's peak, as if waiting to be thrown down.
"I don't think it's wise to make our presence known. I sense the wall is well-guarded." Obi Wan cautioned. The other two Jedi headed the Jedi words and focused on cloaking their presence in the Force. As they approached ever nearer, they began to scout for potential ways to get through the wall. There were no openings in sight, and Obi Wan guessed they probably wouldn't come across one for many days' scouting. With the supplies they had, he knew they didn't have that kind of time. The sun was level with the mountain peaks by the time they reached the base of the wall.
"We should make camp for the night." Suggested Anakin.
"No, I think the best chance we have of scaling that wall unnoticed is in the dead of night. Besides, we don't know the planet's rotational cycle. We can only guess how long the night will last."
"I brought a couple grappling hooks with me in case we ran into this kinda problem." Ahsoka reached into her travelling rucksack and pulled out three military grappling hooks, offering one to Obi Wan. "Judging by the height I doubt even we could scale it without them."
"Agreed." Replied Obi Wan. "I think it wise if one of us scales the wall alone first to assess the situation. If whatever is on the other side seems habitable, I'll signal for you to follow."
"Hey, who put you in charge?" Anakin asked sarcastically.
"He is a master, Skyguy." Ahsoka jabbed lightheartedly at Anakin.
"Whatever. Just don't take too long."
They waited until the sun had fully set and the sky was adorned with stars. Obi Wan noted that the planet had one small moon and one sun, and that its rotational cycle seemed was not dissimilar to Coruscant's. Sensing that there was no one above them at present, Obi Wan fired the hook at one of the gaps in the wall's battlements and began his ascent.
As he reached the top, Obi Wan noted that the wall was immensely thick, as the top of the wall stretched out such that he couldn't yet see what was on the other side. He made his way silently forward and was greeted with one of the most spectacular views he had seen in the entire galaxy. The expanse before him glowed with specks of golden candlelight as far as the eye could see. The light seemed to get more concentrated with distance, and Obi Wan could make out two additional walls contained within the city. Immediately below him were fields of what looked like farmland with a few buildings scattered here and there. Elegant bridges and viaducts as high as the walls stretched into the horizon. From what he could make out there were hundreds of thousands of primitive looking buildings. In the distance, he could make out great mansions on hills and in the centre of his vision, a palace the size of the Jedi temple lit up like a beacon.
Obi Wan sensed life all around, yet with this came something far more sinister below the city, though exactly what he could not say. The Force was strong here, strong in its people. Curious. Obi Wan thought. The population of force sensitives was far more concentrated here than on most worlds. How had the Jedi missed them?
The place was certainly big enough that the three Jedi could pass through undetected if they kept their wits about them. Of course they'd need to assess the species that lived here, how they dressed and the like, and adapt accordingly. Nothing three Jedi couldn't handle.
As he began to walk back to the outer side of the wall, Obi Wan sensed movement to his left. He quickly moved to hide behind a turret, but he knew they'd somehow sensed he was there. Force sensitive guards? He wondered. He was about to peer out behind the turret to assess the situation when he felt the earth vibrate unnaturally. He snatched a glance and witnessed two men dressed in shades of green stamp their feet into the earth, and watched as couple of rocks mounded in a heap levitated in response. This was the force expressed in a way Obi Wan had never seen.
It wasn't just levitation. It was as if the earth had moved in response to their calling.
Obi Wan waited, focusing his attention inward to further mask his presence. When he sensed the rocks had been lowered and heard the men walk away, he thought it safe to move silently to the wall's edge. He saw Anakin and Ahsoka far below, and sent a little nod through the Force that it was safe to join him.
"How's the situation looking?" Anakin asked when he and his padawan reached the top.
"The city is huge, with a population density comparable to Coruscant. It looks habitable enough, but we must be careful. There are Force wielders here unlike any I've encountered. They have a deep connection to the earth. I also sense an unease all around the city."
"I sense it too." Anakin agreed.
"It's like they're guarding something. Something they don't want people to know about." Said Ahsoka.
"We'll need disguises." Said Obi Wan. "I think if we follow that viaduct there we can reach the inner sector of the city. We can look for food and shelter there."
"Let's make it quick, I'm starving!" Said Ahsoka.
The three Jedi made their way along the wall, careful not to run into any guards. The viaduct Obi Wan was referring to was only a short distance from where they'd ascended. When they reached the outpost connecting the viaduct to the wall, they saw what looked to be some kind of transport stationed there. It didn't look like it would be going anywhere anytime soon. They decided to make their way along the viaduct on foot.
Once the Jedi had descended the inner wall, they began to scout for a place to stay, hoods up to avoid unwanted attention. After an hour's walking, Obi Wan was caught off guard by the unmistakable scent of soothing Jasmine tea. Without making his intentions known, he began to lead the younger Jedi towards the source of the scent. They found, to Obi Wan's particular delight, that the scent had lead the Jedi to a humble yet inviting inn. Only now did Obi Wan realise how much his troubled mind yearned for the comfort of a steaming cup of herbal tea.
"Anakin, Ahsoka, we're staying here."