Star Wars: The Forgotten Student

26.

We shortly arrived back on Coruscant and as the clone troopers dispersed from the ship, I quickly followed them out.

Without hesitation, I paced straight over to another ship, a smaller, faster one.

"Delta, where are you going?" Obi-Wan called out to me.

I stopped and turned round to face him and Anakin, both following me.
"I'm going to Naboo. That thing...that clone took my ship and said she was going to pay my mother a visit. If I don't leave now, I'll be too late."

"Well then I'm coming with you." Anakin said.

"Thank you, Anakin, but you don't have to..."

"No, I'm going with you. Your clone is dangerous and unpredictable, we don't yet know what her intentions are. Every little helps, Delta." He persisted.

"Okay then. But we're leaving right now."

Anakin nodded his head and Obi-Wan told us to be careful. I also gave Obi-Wan the bag with the holocron; I knew I could trust him with it. We both got into the vessel and secured our pilot seats, ready for take off. I let Anakin fly; he was one of the best pilots I knew.

As soon as we left the atmosphere, we made the jump to hyperspace and the stars twirled around in front of us.

It wouldn't take too long to get to Naboo, but it was long enough for a good chat with Anakin.

"I never did ask, what happened to your hand?" I questioned, gesturing to the black leather glove on Anakin's right arm.

"Oh, I lost it a couple of years ago." He seemed hesitant to talk about it.

"How?"

"In a battle with Count Dooku." He bluntly said.

"Oh wow, so I'm guessing that's a robotic replacement?"

"Yeah, you get used to it after a while." He held his hand up and flexed his fingers, as if to show it off.

"Why didn't you tell Markcol we were going to Naboo?" Anakin asked, changing the subject. His question took me a little by surprise. To be honest, I hadn't thought about my brother, I hadn't thought to speak to him before leaving.

"I don't know. Probably because he would panic and overreact. I don't want this situation to become worse than it needs to be. Neither of us have seen our mother in years and Markcol would probably let his emotions get the better of him."

"How do you know? He was captured by the Separatists too, remember, he's probably stronger than you think."

I was slightly confused as to why Anakin was being so defensive and focussed on Markcol.

"Why are you suddenly so fixated on my brother, what's happened? Has he said something to you?"

"No. No he hasn't said anything. I just noticed that recently you haven't been the same around him. I remember, before he 'died', you two were inseparable; you never left each others sides. What changed?"

I hesitated before responding and looked blankly out of the window.

"It's complicated. I guess I just got so used to being alone and sticking up for myself on Tatooine. I believed for three years that he was dead and I eventually accepted it, I accepted the fact that I was never going to see him again." I sighed.
"You know, when you and Obi-Wan came to get me and we rescued Markcol, everything changed."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked.

"It's hard to let someone go, but it's even harder to let them back in. Of course I'm happy that he's alive, he's my brother and I love him more than anything else. But I just got so used to having this empty feeling inside of me, that when I found him again, I just didn't know how to react." I began.
"And then to suddenly have the attention of the Jedi Order, who all of the sudden need me again, it's all just a little overwhelming. These past few months have been a real challenge for me, and I don't think anyone can really see that. In my head, I'm having this constant debate of 'do I stay or do I go'. I'm just feeling a little lost, and my clone knows that and she's using it to mess with me; hitting me where it hurts and going for the people I care about."