Cadet Captured

17. Quarantine

As the ship taking Tup back to Kamino leaves, Separatist ships drop out of hyperspace. Tup is taken, and everyone else aboard killed. Captain Rex, Fives, General Skywalker, and I have boarded the the destroyed ship, hoping to find answers.

"Over here, this is Tup's gurney," General Skywalker calls. "The restraints have been cut."

"The clankers took Tup?" Rex asks. "Why?"

"They must be responsible for whatever's happening to him," Fives accuses.

"It's possible," Skywalker admits. "All I know is, they went to great lengths to capture him, and that means something."

"We have got to get him back," I insist.

"Don't worry," Skywalker soothes. "We'll find a way."

We get back on our ship and head out. Skywalker has a plan, as usual. I'm trying to locate Tup, but it's proving difficult.

"It'll be just four of us going in," Skywalker explains to Captain Rex, Fives, and I. "The shuttle will drop us off just short of the main hanger. Then we space-walk from there."

"Are you picking anything up on Tup's locater?" Captain Rex asks me.

"I've got a faint signal, but it's hard to track," I tell them. "It's moving."

"Then we'd better hurry," Skywalker says.

The ship lands on the bottom side of the planet-surrounding ring, and we get off. I feel the lightness of space, but there's no time to leap around like I want to.

"The signal's stronger," I announce. "It's this way."

We climb around to the top side of the ring-shaped station, and peek into the hanger. There are hundreds of Separatist droids there. Skywalker pulls out binoculars that are small in comparison to ours.

"Are your scopes Jedi issue, sir?" Fives asks, and I shake my head in distaste at the joke, understanding he didn't really mean the binoculars.

"Stay focused on the mission, Fives," Skywalker smirks.

"There he is, sir," Fives states as he spies Tup through his binoculars. "Being loaded onto a ship."

"We'll have to work fast," the general says.

"There must be a hundred droids on that hanger, not to mention the starfighters," Rex tells us. "This is stretching it even for you, sir."

"Rex, you're beginning to sound like Obi-Wan," Skywalker admonishes. "You got a better idea?"

"Look, I don't doubt you could pull it off," Rex sighs. "But I'm just not sure Fives and I would be around to see it happen."

"And me?" I ask sweetly, grinning.

"You would die a valiant death," Rex says, lightly smacking the back of my helmet.

"I've got an idea," Fives states.

"Well, let's hear it," Skywalker demands. "Quickly!"

Fives attaches a grappling hook to his gun. "Get ready to hold on," he warns.

"That's why he's the ARC trooper," Rex sighs.

As the ship passes over us, Rex, Fives, and I launch our hooks at it, catching a ride. General Skywalker rides along with Captain Rex. We reel in and climb onto the side of the ship. Once in the ship, we are immediately on the attack. Fighting through droids, I see Tup on an upright gurney at the end of the hall area. The doors beside him open and another droid, higher tech, joins the fight. Skywalker pins him to the wall, holing his lightsaber to the droids neck.