***ON HIATUS*** Hidden: A Captain Rex Love Story

Chapter 23: Helena: Reunion

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"What do you mean we're here to find my brother? Is he okay?" Helena demanded harshly, not caring if Sierra punished her for being disrespectful.

Sierra motioned Helena to follow her outside the silver ship to the landing platform. Before she left the cargo bay, she glanced back at Zaria, Nari, and Emmie's stasis pods. They were still trapped inside of black pods, forced to relive their worst memories. A twinge of guilt formed in Helena's chest as she looked at their emotionless faces. She didn't want them to suffer while she was free. She turned away from them; she had a bigger problem to deal with.

Helena marched after Sierra, fuming at the general's silence. Sierra stood calmly at the bottom of the bay doors, letting the cool wind blow her small cape behind her. The general watched Helena through her thick, wavy, dark chocolate locks as she stormed down the ramp. Helena suspected that she left her helmet inside the ship.

"Sorry I misspoke, you're here to find your brother. I'm here to inspect this outpost," Sierra clarified, moving her hands behind her back.

Helena narrowed her eyes, baffled at Sierra's words. How was the school an Ultrisian Military Outpost? She turned her head to look around the castle.

Queen Granta's School for Feral Children was built on Chronin-a planet that was very close to Ultris. Chronin was known for its dark teal grasslands, giant deep blue rivers, and the mossy mountain ranges. The sky was always covered in clouds since it rained every other day on the wet planet.

A military outpost was built on Chronin since it was the only planet that stood between Ultris and the rest of the galaxy. It was supposed to be on the other side of the planet to be as far away from the school and the big cities as possible. The Ultrisian Military didn't want civilians to be in danger if there was an attack on the outpost.

Helena's stomach dropped, 'They couldn't have made this place an outpost.'

Helena's gaze ran over the entire school, praying that she was wrong. The school's castle- which was nearly half the size of the Royal Palace in Ultris' Capital-was formed by multiple, cylinder-shaped towers bunched together. Every tower was a different size and color and were connected by short walkways. Shorter and thinner, light gray towers lined the outside of the towers; they progressively became taller, thicker, and darker as they neared the center of the castle. The central tower was the biggest and darkest one in the cluster. The towers were littered with grand, stained glass windows and statues of Queen Granta. The more Helena looked at the looming towers, the more she thought that the school was a prison.

The school was in the middle of a giant plain with mountains lining the horizon. There was a small river running south of the castle. Surrounding the school was a massive, circular wall with four towers that had gates leading into the school's grounds. She peered at them closer and realized that the towers were giant statues of Queen Granta. Helena was horrified when she spotted Ultrisian soldiers stationed at the statues. She studied them closer and realized that there were force field generators on top of each statue.

Helena knew the only reason why Ultris would turn the school into a military outpost: to stop the Republic from invading. The only way to get to Ultris was getting past the outpost which sent an all-clear signal to the bases on Ultris. If the Republic attempted to invade, the outpost would shut off the signal and a fleet of Ultrisian War-Cruisers would destroy them in a matter of minutes. If the Republic wanted a chance to successfully invade Ultris, they would have to sneak into the outpost and rig the signal. With the outpost being inside the school, the Jedi wouldn't risk attacking the base. It was a fratzed up strategy that could win the war.