There was a red dot on Coruscant that belonged to Jax and was attached to his communicator. Veronica had left her communicator on the Traveler, marking another red dot. Lango's, however, wasn't showing up on the star map at all.
"Which one is the person you're looking for?" Obi-Wan asked.
"None of them. Either the communicator wasn't completely destroyed, or frequent hyperspace jumps caused the signal to be interrupted," Amir explained.
"Let's hope it's the latter," Kaiyin said, his tone growing somber.
Amir continued operating the controls and finally brought up another screen showing the last known location of Lango's locator.
"What the hell is this place?" Amir asked, looking at the red dot's location.
Lango's last known position was in an unknown star zone at the junction of the Mid Rim and Outer Rim.
"This is trouble," Amir said helplessly, staring at the map.
If it were anywhere else, he would at least have a clear target. But now, with the locator pointing into a nebulous, uncharted region—where could he possibly find Lango?
"Good luck, my friend," Amir murmured as he shut off the projection.
Kaiyin raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Don't look at me. Unless the locator sends new positional data, there's nothing we can do," Amir said with a shrug. "All we can do now is pray for him. May the Force be with him."
"Sigh. I guess so," Kaiyin replied.
"I haven't paid much attention to this region either. There aren't any known systems or major colonies—maybe just a few mining outposts," Obi-Wan added.
"I could ask someone to read the stars," Amir said, suddenly struck by inspiration.
He quickly found Ahsoka's contact and initiated a call.
Soon, the communication device connected.
Ahsoka and Veronica's faces appeared on the screen.
Obi-Wan immediately sat up straighter.
Amir nearly slapped his forehead in realization—Obi-Wan was actually Ahsoka's former Master.
Pretending not to know, he greeted them calmly.
At that moment, only Amir appeared in the hologram projected in front of Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka!" Obi-Wan finally called out.
Amir discreetly adjusted the communicator so Obi-Wan could be seen.
"It's been a long time," Obi-Wan said with a nostalgic smile.
"Master Obi-Wan!" Ahsoka's face lit up. She had never been one to hide her emotions. "You... you're still alive. I thought..."
"Me too. All my old friends are gone. I'm really glad to see you."
"Where are you now? And how did you end up with Amir?"
Amir gave her a brief explanation of recent events.
"That's enough. Just knowing you're safe is enough. Please take care of yourself, Master," Ahsoka said sincerely.
"I want to find Gulina. Is she with you?" Amir asked.
"She's not. Do you remember the children? We found an abandoned Republic medical facility using the holographic recorder you sent us. She's there, with them."
"Any progress?"
"Some. At least they're safe for now. Thankfully, we captured a researcher who's been very helpful."
"If you need to contact her, I can help arrange it."
Amir glanced at Veronica beside him, then sighed. "Lango is missing again."
"What!" Veronica exclaimed. "Wasn't he investigating the slavers? With that furball?"
"That Farlin? I didn't expect this. I shouldn't have asked you to take this on," Ahsoka said, clearly remorseful.
"Never mind that. I can't reach Lango now. I was hoping Gulina could use her ability to foresee something—maybe find a clue."
"Okay, I understand. I'll send a message to the team there and have them reach out to you."
She operated the communicator, careful not to transmit coordinates directly. If they leaked, it could endanger their allies.
"Please understand. It won't take long. They'll contact you soon."
"No, I'm the one troubling you."
"Master Obi-Wan?" Ahsoka said again.
Obi-Wan looked up.
"I have so much to tell you. We'll meet again someday, right?"
"Of course, Ahsoka."
"Is that Mr. Amir?" came a familiar voice behind him.
"Hak?"
"Haha, yes. I heard you were looking for Gulina. She's been talking about you a lot lately. I guess she sensed you were trying to find her."
"What an incredible ability."
"You bet! Whenever we're stuck on something, we ask her to choose for us. Our research progress has improved a lot," Hak said cheerfully.
"You've found such a practical use for it? You're a genius." Amir couldn't help but admire their creativity.
"I've sent you the coordinates of a space station. Can you come over? We need your help with something—and Gulina misses you too."
Amir glanced at the coordinates and his eyes widened. The station was located in the very same system where Lango had disappeared.
"Do you know anything about this star cluster?" Amir asked.
"This one?" Hak thought for a moment. "There are a few major mining operations. What's notable is that the Empire hasn't taken control of the area yet. The local planetary governments are fiercely independent and have resisted. That's why we're here."
"But it won't last. The Empire is likely to make a move soon. I can already sense a storm coming."
Amir paused to think. "I'll go. Let's set a time."
"How about tomorrow at noon? I'll be waiting for you there."
. . .
The next day, Kaiyin went to look for Boba Fett, while Obi-Wan continued roaming the city. The more Imperial Inquisitors he saw, the deeper he seemed to venture into Mos Eisley. Amir had the sense that his Master was starting to get bored—and wanted to test himself against the Inquisitors.
After meditating for an hour, Amir practiced with his lightsaber and blaster, then boarded the Traveler.
After enjoying a hot shower in the ship's surprisingly luxurious bathroom, he sat in the cockpit.
There was still plenty of time.
Unlike Coruscant, there were no Imperial patrols in Tatooine's orbit, so he was free to fly out.
But today, something unexpected happened.
As he left the atmosphere, Amir noticed two ships trailing him.
They were Imperial ships!
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