Star Wars: The Forgotten Student

17.

As the morning broke, butterflies filled my stomach. I had hardly slept; my thoughts were filled with anticipation and nerves of finally seeing Markcol again, alive. For years, the images of his death had flooded my nightmares and been the cause of endless, sleepless nights.

I got myself ready and headed straight down to the ship's hangar where Obi-Wan and Anakin were already prepared.
"Are you ready?" Anakin asked me.

"Yes. Though I do fear what today may bring." I replied.

"The Clone Troopers are all set and ready to leave. We're ready when you are, Delta." Obi-Wan said to me.

"Then let's do this." I said, determinedly.

Without anymore messing around. We set off. Obi-Wan, Anakin and myself travelled in a small star cruiser type ship, which was faster than the two other ships, carrying our troops. We quickly jumped to warp speed and the stars around us spiralled and wizzed by.

I didn't speak much on the journey to Takodana; I didn't really know what to say. I was more focused on saving Markcol than I was engaging in conversation. And besides, I had only been reunited with Anakin and Obi-Wan for two days, it didn't feel like the right time for a friendly catch up.

Anyway, eventually, we arrived at Takodana. From space, the planet's blue and green terrain seemed welcoming, but I knew that we weren't welcome by the Separatists at all. It took some time, but I was able to locate the exact whereabouts of the fortress where Markcol was. The stone fortress was huge. Built into the side of a mountain, it was old and starting to become over grown with vines, leaves and moss. At the base was a large cracked, hole, leading into the compound.

We landed the ships and departed from the vessels. To everyone's surprise. There were no battle droids or artillery outside, guarding the fortress. It was obvious they were there, or had been there, as there was Separatist goods and cargo scattered all over the place. But not a droid or person in sight. It was suspicious.

We split our troops into their squadrons and told them to head inside, clearing the area. Each squadron leader was given a communication device to enable them to report back to Obi-Wan and I. The first squad went in, quickly followed by the next. Anakin, Obi-Wan and I went in after the third group.

As soon as I entered the fortress, my breath was taken away. The inside held sculptures and murals dating back hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years. It was dark and damp and I could hear the gentle trickle of water dripping. The ground beneath my feet was uneven and slippery, it was a magnificent place, but also very unsettling.

"What is this place?" I said, in awe of my surroundings.

"I have no idea." Anakin replied.

We pressed on through the fortress, and again, there was still not a person in sight. It was incredibly suspicious and not what we were expecting. I was expecting there to be gunfire and fighting the minute we landed, but it was silent, almost spooky. Did the Seppies somehow know we were coming?

My communicator buzzed and crackled as a voice began to speak.
"The upper levels are clear. Looks like no one's home." One of the squad leaders said.

"Okay, this is awfully peculiar and suspicious. Stay alert at all times." I replied.

"Delta, can you find where your brother is?" Obi-Wan asked me.

I nodded and closed my eyes. I used the force, and my seeking ability to search my surroundings and take in what was around me. I quickly locked onto something, and was drawn in the direction of my brother.

"This way." I said, taking the lead and venturing deeper into the mountain.

Eventually, we came to an opening, the small corridor around us opened up into a large circular room. In the centre, on the ceiling, was a large beam of sunlight, emerging down from a hole that burrowed right from the top of the mountain. It was bright enough to lighten the room and it took my eyes a moment to adjust. I could see that around the edge of the room was iron bars, rusting and rotting away.