Star Wars: The Forgotten Student

15.

Like they said they would, the two Clone Troopers took the three of us to the High Council Tower. The whole time, both the troopers had a firm grip on either of my arms, despite the fact I was already wearing force-resistant hand cuffs.

As soon as we arrived in the Council Tower, I was roughly, pushed forward by the troopers, into the centre of the circular room. Then, they pushed down on my arms, forcing me to my knees. They stepped back, leaving me knelt in front of Master Windu. I felt overpowered and overwhelmed my his presence. I couldn't look at him, I held my head low, as if I were a frightened animal. There were no other members of the council present, other than him, Obi-Wan and Anakin, who were both standing behind me. This furthermore puzzled me.

"Delta." Master Windu said. I slowly looked up at him.
"You're probably wondering why you're here. I take it Obi-Wan and Young Skywalker made the journey from Tatooine uneventful." He slowly paced around in front of me, the long Jedi Robes, sweeping across the polished floor.

I said nothing...I didn't know what to say.

"It's been three years since you left, I wonder what three years in the desert does to a person." He said.
I felt as though he was taunting me a little. Surely, he could sense my nerves, I thought.

"The last time we saw you, you were found guilty of murder and stole a star fighter from the hangar..." he started, but I cut him off.

"If you're going to kill me then just do it!" I exclaimed. But then, I immediately regretted calling out.

He stared, menacingly, back at me.
"Oh no, Delta. We very much need you alive right now."

"What?" I asked.

"It's about Markcol..." Again, he started but I butted in.

"No. Don't you dare. Don't you dare bring my brother into this. Don't use him against me!" I said defensively.

"Delta listen to me for one minute!" Master Windu raised his voice at me.
"You're brother is not dead!"

My heart sunk. I literally felt my heart skip a beat and drop down into my stomach. In an instant, my mind was taken right back to when he died, and I saw him, it was like I was reliving the moment...reliving the moment his body was dropped, lifeless, to the ground.

I even sensed that Obi-Wan and Anakin, standing behind me, were shocked by this revelation.

"No." I whispered.
"That's not possible. I was there when he died. I saw the hole straight through his chest!" I cried out in disbelief. I felt a few tears begin to form in my eyes and trickle down my cheeks.

"Delta, Markcol is alive. But he's not safe. He was taken captive by the Separatists. You are the only one who can find him."

"Me?"
My voice cracked as I became overrun with emotions.

"Yes. You are the only known Jedi with the Seeking ability."

"But I'm not a Jedi anymore."

"That's not the point. Just because you are lost the rank of Jedi Knight does not mean you lost your connection to the force or the ability to seek." Master Windu said.

"But..." I started.

"There's no 'buts'. You are the only one who can save your brother."

"I understand, but you are asking a lot from me. He could be anywhere within the whole Galaxy. I don't know if I'm strong enough to find him."

"Trust in the force, and you will save him."

I stopped for a moment, still knelt on the floor, and thought.
'If Markcol is still alive, then why didn't he come to find me? Why was this kept from me?'

"How long has it been?" I asked.
"How long have you known that he's alive?"

"Delta, that's not a conversation we need to have right now." Master Windu replied.

"Why not?!" I quickly stood to my feet, wrists still bound.

"Because right now our main priority is finding your brother and bringing him back alive!" Master Windu said firmly.

This made me suspicious, something wasn't right. He knew more about Markcol than he was willing to tell me, and I didn't like it.

"If you want me to find him, you're gonna have to get these off me." I said, holding up my hands and gesturing to the hand cuffs.

Master Windu nodded at Obi-Wan, who walked over to me and took them off.

"I'm also...going to need my lightsaber back." I slowly said, awkwardly scratching the back of my head.

"Will that really be necessary?" Master Windu asked.

"Yes. I know you don't trust me, but this is my brother we're talking about and he could be absolutely anywhere. It won't be easy, having to seek through the whole galaxy for him. Markcol's lightsaber hilt is now mine, and that will strengthen the connection and possibly help me find him. Please."

Master Windu and Obi-Wan wearily looked at each other before both looking to Anakin, who still had my lightsaber attached to his belt. Eventually, Master Windu reluctantly nodded and Anakin handed me my lightsaber.

"So do you want me to do it now or...?" I awkwardly asked.

"Yes, now if possible. Do you need to be alone?" Master Windu asked.

"No, you can stay. But just give me a little bit of room."

I walked to the centre of the room and knelt down again, turning my back on the others. I held the lightsaber with both of my hands, gently out in front of me. I took a big, long, deep breath in and closed my eyes.

"Have you ever seen her do this before?" I heard Anakin whisper.

"No, never." Obi-Wan quietly replied.

"It won't work if you keep talking." I had to intervene and shut them up.

I had to compose myself again after being distracted, so took another deep breath in and closed my eyes.

It's hard to put into words what happens when I seek things out, but I'll try my best. When I'm seeking out something, I think about the room or place it might be, if I'm close, I'll feel drawn closer or further in. But if I'm not close, I won't feel anything. Which is why it was so difficult to seek the whole galaxy. I had to essentially take my mind to every planet or place Markcol might have been and see if I can sense anything.

One thing I've been told about my seeking ability, is that I tend to twitch a lot or move my head when I'm in my 'seeking trance'. I was told later, by Obi-Wan, that it looked as though I was in pain or discomfort, and that I was moving my head, quickly, around.

I spent a while, using the force to seek through the galaxy inside of my mind, but I couldn't find a strong connection to my brother, I couldn't find him. Then suddenly, I felt something draw me in, pull me closer to Takodana, a planet located in the mid rim of the the galaxy. Despite being in my trance, I felt my hands grip the lightsaber tighter.

It was like I could see the planet before me, a picture of it in my mind. I searched over it.

Then suddenly, I found him.

I saw him.

I saw his face, his sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes were exactly how I remembered him. However, he wasn't safe at all. He looked weak and frail. He was pale and curled up on the floor behind cast iron bars, inside of a small, dingy cell filled with dirt and moss. I wanted to call out to him, grab his hand and hold him close, but I knew I couldn't.

As I realised he was actually alive and was in trouble, I started to panic and loose connection with the force. My vision of him became scattered and blurry and he began to fade away. My breathing increased and my heart rate rapidly soared.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes and fell forward onto my hands, dropping the lightsaber as I fell out of my trance. I couldn't think straight or talk. I stared floor, breathing heavily, trying to process what I had just seen.

"Takodana." I said, breathless.
"He's on Takodana..."

A/n
Hello,
Thank you so much for reading and I hope that you enjoyed!
Happy for feedback and constructive criticism! :)
-A