Cathandra - the paths of the Sith

by Scott Jenkins

Cathandra Fordalion stood on a lounge window and looked outside. She looked to where the mines where she had toiled for four years, were sticking up into the sky. Mountain chains, rocks, stones - the camp was surrounded by them. 1500 slaves, and she was one them, toiled day after day 10 hours to mine the valuable minerals from which she herself did not even know for what it were needed.

That she was not working that day in the mines, had the reason that she had killed the Hutt and several supervisors three days earlier. From a normal slave they had not expected such that might have been one of the reasons that she has been successful. That she still lived and the superior, the most of them humans, were dead. Finally, she had made her way to the Hutt and had grilled him.

For the moment, Cathandra was calm, but inside her prevailed anger and hatred. She knew that at the moment a deputation of the empire under the chairmanship by a Moff decided about her fate.

There were two ways for her - death sentence or... well, another way. Maybe they sent her away? She felt that someone was approaching. Cathandra crossed her arms and turned to the door. She opened shortly thereafter.

An Imperial in uniform entered. He looked at her blankly.

"You're lucky slave. The delegation has decided by seven votes to four, that you are allowed to keep your miserable life. They watched the video that shows how you kill the Hutt. The majority of your advocates were impressed with the probably reason that we are now not longer dependent on the Hutt. the Empire can now even take over the business. Take your stuff. In one an hour you leave Messata."

It was the name of the mining colony. Cathandras eyes flashed. For the worst case she had prepared to kill all which had decided to end her life in case of death penalty.

Joy was spreading in her that she could leave this hell after four years of torment. But she did not allowed to herself to be happy for too long. This feeling was ok, but did not bring her much further. After the officer had left the room, Cathandra turned back to the window. A maniacal smile spread over her mouth.

Four years in this hell had let grow anger in hatred in her. But that was not the only, which now had brought her freedom. Cathandra thought back to those moments, that had meant the beginning of her suffering...

She has been nine, when she and her mother were such desperately and shortly before death by hunger, that Forela the Hutt bought them. He owned a several mining colonies, including Messata, that was rich in minerals. The Empire did business with the Hutts.

In the first three years, until Cathandra was twelf, they lived not bad. Her mother was a servant of Forela, Cathandra was allowed to play with other children in her age. Her mates were a Zabrak boy, female Twi'lek siblings and even a female Togruta. Other species, which were humanoid, but not human, were not uncommon to her.

One day, at age 12, she had thrown in a tantrum a protocol droid against the wall so it became useless. As punishment Forela banned her to the mines away from her playmates and especially away from her mother. She saw her mother not longer so often, and her mother had conjured her never to show weakness. And tears were weakness.

The first time in her life Cathandra felt big hatred. She was incredibly angry with the Hutt. Even though she was not completely separated from her mother - the pain was everywhere. To her pain was added desperation but, according to the commandment of her mother, she didn't want to show.

She was sent to the next best mine, from which she even could see the main complex. The mining itself was not really difficult - with lasers were drilled into the wall and the stones tumbled gradually out. But then came the violent part. The mined mineral stones were placed in baskets and the thirty pound container she barely managed. It was incredibly difficult.

So she was allowed in the first months to exclusively drill, but with time she had to carry the heavy rocks yet. The food that they got hardly tasted but was nutritious. The extremely heavy work - ten hours a day - ensured that she slowly, though involuntarily steeled her body.

One day she was thirteen and it happened, that she slipped when transporting the stones and rolled the yards down the slope. Just so she could hold. The pain was intense, but nothing in contrast to the scalding burn, which the whip the superior used, cursed at her back. Cathandra screamed in pain. A further second and even third time she felt the whip. With a grimace she turned to the supervisor and swore him hateful the death. Silently. She picked herself up. But she was not the only who suffered torments. While further months she watched that other slaves in disobedience felt the whip too. With these moments Cathandra felt surprisingly an invisible field, that developed in her. She couldn't describe the feeling, but she sensed in her hands a weak form of electricity pulsing.

The wrath, when she saw the whip, seemed to feed that field and one day, when it happened again, she almost glowed all over her body. Then it slowly disappeared. In the evening, when the shift was over, they gathered around the open fire, which where kindled in the slave quarters. Sometimes Cathandra was with them, sometimes she crept to the main quarter and watched her mother. In even rarer cases her mother saw her and the waved to each other.

But the pain of her being remained. Together with her silent desperation were anger and wrath her only feelings she knew. For a long time she had sworn, to revenge with all and to leave from that place. Until then she hoped, that her wrath could help and give her enough strength and power.

And then there was this strange field, that she felt again and again. One evening she crept again to the main building. A strange instinct let her climb the barricades and hide on a platform, from which normally the slaves work were watched. In the shelter of darkness she saw two well dressed humans watching video clips. The contains amazed her, because they were similar to what she had discovered on herself. She marveled, watched and learned.

The hard work, although she where accustomed, more and more exacted its toll. One noon, when they ate food, it wasn't enough. Still hungry she looked around and found a number of meters beside of her a female slave, which had not yet downed her food.

Cathandra knew what she wanted to. She looked around, took a stone, crept behind of the slave - and knocked down her with all of her power. Her victim screamed shortly and skidded down the declension. Cathandra ate hungry. While that she noticed that she did murder. But regret, sorrow or pity she did not feel. Not longer. After ating up the second cup she were since long for the first time almost full. Pleased she stretched herself. She looked down whether the body of the woman where somewhere to see. Nobody seemed to notice her action.

She took both of the cups, went back to the food bank and gave the cups. She considered - how often could she get more food as she did it this day? If she did it every day, perhaps they could find her out. But from time to time …

Weeks later she again tripped over stones and lost her loading. As she assumed the overseer fast approached to her and scourged her. The fifth time. The pain changed to raging anger. She turned around and sensed, that the strange field in her almost exploded because of her wrath. Her hate erupted and Cathandra acted as she had watched in the videos. She strained her fingers, her hands and with one time - a bluish bolt of flash left her hands. The flash worked between her and the overseer and Cathandra sensed the work of the field in her. The overseer was completely surprised and get such terrible injuries with burns that he slumped down after seconds and died.

Disbelieving the others looked at her, but no one dared to approach her. For the first time she believed to sense fear in the others. Those went back to their work and went to the drop point.

Cathandra for the first time since years smiled. She was baffled because of what she even had done, but it gave her massive feeling. One of power.

A clarification probe approached and ordered her to get back to work. Cathandra told herself in case of leaving one day to destroy all the probes. The death of the overseer were investigated but all of the slaves kept silent from fear. He was replaced by another one.

Weeks went by and after she killed the fourth slave to get his food she were caught. The woman which saw her murder wanted to blackmail her, but Cathandra slept in her face. Both wallowed over the rough underground. In wild rage she took a stone and striked her down. A second and third time. Then the attacker kept underfoot.

Additional slaves rushed to her and asked what happened.

"The bitch wanted my food."

Some of them seemed to know her and meaned the others to leave her. More and more intellectual curiosity let Cathandra climb two, three times the week up to the platform for studying from her hideout the videos, which the two humans were watching. The first time she heard, the strange field, which seemed to be in her, had a name - the force. She liked it.

She also learned, that the loss of slaves, she was responsible for, the overseer hardly cared about. She didn't know, how many here slaved away, but they were a huge number.

One day, she was almost fifteen, her mother suddenly disappeared. The only, what had left to her on nice feelings and memories, wasn't longer. In impotent fury she tried to find the body of her mother - without success. Yet after weeks she was told, her mother had buy herself free and left Messata.

She even got a message from her - one day she would come back and free her too.

Cathandra knew her mother well enough to focus her wrath, which rekindled in her, not against her, but the Hutt. He had not let go her with her.

With impotent fury and hate she trudged outside, noticed, that she can't longer handle the force in her. She screamed in wrath, flashs left her hands and burned four slaves, which were too close to her. Additional force waves left her and vaulted further slaves back. An overseer was one of them. He stand up in rage, took his weapon, but Cathandras flashs were faster. He burned to death. It took minutes, until her wrath was gone for now.

She even smiled. She was rejoiced at what she had done. A small force storm she had unleashed. It was now obvious, that the slaves, which knew her, were in fear. Cathandra enjoyed that feeling of power. Every second day she took a slave and stole his food. She noticed, that the other slaves tried to share their small food rests, but sometimes the one whom she had stole his food, died a wretched death.