STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic

Chapter 23

The Centurion had been in orbit around an unknown planet with the rest of the Revanite fleet for a standard week now.  None of the captains knew what they were doing here, and they had all been ordered to remain on their ships for the time being. Revan and Malak had left for a nearby system in a smaller cruiser.

Dac had been ordered to keep the Centurion in formation with the rest of the fleet until they returned. The crew, and he had to admit even himself,  were beginning to feel restless.

He stood on the bridge of the Destroyer-class frigate, staring out the viewport at the strange planet below. It appeared to be a desert world of some kind, but there was something off about it. Something he couldn't place.

He sensed his Captain coming up from behind as he gazed out the viewport. He had an idea of what Captain Cottius wanted to say as well, though that didn't take the Force to know that.

"Sir, our efforts to get in contact with the shuttle have continuously proved... unfruitful," Cottius said.

"The only thing I can tell you is to hold position and keep trying Captain," Dac said evenly.

"Sir, the men are getting restless," Cottius continued, "We know that whatever we're looking for out here is potentially dangerous. What if—"

"No what-ifs, Captain," Dac said firmly. "We wait another few days and then we will begin to talk about sending out a search party."

"Understood, sir," the Captain sighed. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"There is something..." Dac said, lost in thought. "This planet... what do we know about it?"

"Frankly, there isn't much to know," Cottius said, "Preliminary scans show it's a dead world. There are no signs of life down there."

"And yet Revan and Malak found something down there."

"Sir?"

"Right before they took off to who knows where they went down to the surface of that planet," Dac said pointing at the large spherical object floating in front of them. "They found something down there."

"Wouldn't they have told you if they had?"

"I would have hoped so."

Dac stood quiet for a moment, pondering his next move. It had been a conversation he'd had with Malak many times over. He knew they were keeping secrets from him and the rest of the Revanite Order. It was time to discover what exactly they were hiding.

"Captain..." he said finally. "Prepare a shuttle. I'm going down to the surface."

"Shouldn't we wait for them to return?"

"Wouldn't you rather find out what they're up to before they return?"

"You make a sound point," Cottius said. "I'll send for it at once."

Dac continued to stare out at the mysterious planet. Something about it made him feel uneasy. There was something nagging him. He drew himself into the Force, reaching out to the planet below. It was a feat he had done many times before, yet, this time he sensed nothing.

Troubled by his unsuccessful attempts to locate the source of this uneasiness, he left the bridge and began walking towards the nearest elevator shaft. He took it down to the hangar bay where his shuttle awaited. He was saluted by the shuttle's captain. He was an older man, a decorated Republic combat pilot who joined the special Revanite detachment early on. Dac remembered his name was Orzik something.

"Captain Orzik Llanuu," he said with a curt bow, "Your shuttle is primed and ready, sir."

"Very good. Take us down to the planet."