AN: Enjoy the chapter! As always, reviews are loved and cherished.
Disclaimer: George Lucas.
This chapter starts five years in the future.
CHAPTER 4
Charlie sat on her bed, dressed in her training black. It was her 21st birthday. For five years, the two Sith Lords had held her captive in their temple. For five years, she'd trained in the art of the lightsaber and of controlling the force. For five years, she'd hidden her promise to herself from her captors. For five years, hoping against hope that they wouldn't discover her treachery, she'd secret held to the Jedi code. It had been no waste of time, though. Her training had been tough, but effective. She'd grown strong in body and mind, consistently holding her own against Tyranus. Sidious was pleased with her progress, and so, ready to have her complete her training, had instructed her to build herself a lightsaber. This was typically the last step in a Jedi or Sith's training.
But Charlie's mind had wandered from that task.
"I need to leave." she thought. "I've been trapped here too long."
She dropped her head, eyes focusing on the silver crystal in her hand. She'd worn it for all the time she'd been here, using its strength to bury her feelings about her family. When she'd learned enough about the force to understand its uses, she learned to bury those feelings in the force. She'd used the force like a teddy bear during her training. After a particularly brutal attack from Tyranus, she'd returned to her room in tears, unable to control her emotions. That was the day she had learned how to meditate.
Sidious had said her skill with a saber rivaled everything he'd ever seen, and while she'd come to take his compliments with a grain of salt, even she could see that her abilities were strong. Having nothing to compare herself to but Tyranus, she began to base her judgement of herself off of their daily sparring sessions. He was a strong Sith, but she was stronger. She'd come to realize that, because she was a Silverstar, she had access to the kind of power only Sith could wield. The key being that she could wield it without succumbing to the dark side. It was this that gave her the ability to continually hide her true nature when she was engaged in a battle mind-to-mind with Tyranus.
In the last two years, Sidious had sent her on small missions with Tyranus. He'd apparently come to trust her enough. They went nowhere crazy, but Charlie had taken advantage of every moment she had without Tyranus to talk to the people she met, asking them about the Republic and the Jedi. She was curious, but also looking to time her escape right. TC had told her that first day that they Jedi knew of her existence, but it had been years since then. What if they'd forgotten about her? With her powers, she could easily be mistaken for a Sith. What if they rejected her?
Currently, Sidious was away from the lair, as she had taken to calling it in her head. She knew he was on Coruscant, but he would be calling shortly. She never knew where Tyranus was, but felt his presence. The two were always on the move, though this afternoon the three were supposed to meet to examine the fruits of Charlie's labor. It had been ten years since the battle on Naboo, and the Queen had become the Senator. As far as Charlie was aware, the dark side had been in constant motion since then. For some reason, the Jedi seemed oblivious to the machinations of the Sith lords, and there was nothing she could do to help. She needed to leave, she needed to go warn the Jedi, but first, she needed a lightsaber.
Charlie sighed, returning to the task at hand. She was almost finished, she just had to place the crystal that was the essential part of any lightsaber. She'd been sitting on the bed debating what color to choose. She didn't want red. Her training saber had been red, and the color had too much of an association with the dark side. She'd thought about blue, until the crystal she wore around her neck caught her eyes. It held a distinct similarity to the colored ones she had. They all were shaped mostly the same, and all seemed to glow from the inside.
"It couldn't hurt to try." she thought wryly.
Her hilt was metal, black with silver accents. The button to activate was just where her thumb would be if she was holding the saber with one hand. The hilt was a hand-and-a-half, giving her enough room to fight with both hands, but not too much weight to make fighting with one hand impossible. Charlie removed the necklace and slipped the crystal off the chain. She wrapped her hand around it fully, basking in the warm nudge one last time. She slipped it into its place and locked the cover on. She was careful about her work, not knowing exactly what was going to happen. She sent a short prayer to the stars before activating the saber.
WHOOSH
There was a rush of power and the sizzle of the energy characteristic of lightsabers. In her hand, Charlie held a deadly looking, incredible powerful silver lightsaber. She swung it around a couple of times, cutting cleanly through a few pieces of wood she'd brought just for that purpose. She fought off a few imaginary enemies, and ran through some basic battle exercises. It was a magnificent weapon. She could have laughed with joy. She had created this, and she could control it! The weapon was weighted perfectly. It could have been an extension of her arm.
"Yes," she said out loud, still admiring her lightsaber, "this is the weapon of a Silverstar. This weapon will help me defeat the Sith and bring peace to the galaxy. This is the sign I have long been waiting for. It is time for me to seek out the Jedi temple and, with them, bring peace to the galaxy. I accept the mantle of Silverstar and all that it entails. I am ready." Her voice rose in resonance, taking on a life of its own. It was if she somehow knew what to say without knowing that she was saying it. Her words sent a shiver through her body.
She seemed to glow, all of a sudden, with a silver halo around her. She yelped with surprise, but then relaxed into it, knowing somehow that this was a necessary step. The glow comforted her, and she reveled in it. For the first time in five years, she felt as if her family surrounded her. She could hear voices.
"Go." They said, ringing clearly in what could only be the force. "Be strong, my sister." They said, sounding like the clearest ring of a bell. "Embrace your destiny." They said, louder, as if imbuing the words with power.
And Charlie collapsed on the floor, deactivating her lightsaber not a moment too soon, the silver glow slowly fading.
She awoke to a banging on her door. "Milady! Milady, Master requires your presence in the master room! You must come now!" TC-14 was at the door.
Charlie quickly stood and checked over herself. She remembered what had happened, but she couldn't figure out why she had passed out. As she hooked her new lightsaber into her utility belt, she realized her burst marks were tingling.
"What the hell?" she thought, rubbing the marks through her wraps. They'd never felt like this before. It was as if small needles were being repeatedly stabbed into her arms. What were those voices that she'd heard? They'd almost been like the one that had helped her twice, five years ago, but they sounded almost... ancient. And with them came the feelings of pride and almost jubilation, not serenity and wisdom. She wanted to stay, wrapped within the force, searching for those voices, but there was nothing she could do to answer her questions.
And she could delay no longer.
"Milady!" the droid was banging again. Charlie jumped. She'd quite forgotten about the droid. "Milady, are you quite all right? You must come quickly!"
"Coming TC!" She yelled to the droid. She stood slowly, extricating herself from the force. She checked over herself, making sure everything was in order. At one last insistent knock from TC, she swept out of the door, black cloak and dark braid trailing behind her.
Charlie knelt before a hologram of Sidious on a throne. In the five years she'd been here, she'd never seen his face. Tyranus, much more familiar to her, and he stood off in the corner.
"My apprentice, I suspect you have undergone a change. Do you deny this?" Sidious spoke with the same nails-on-chalkboard voice as always.
Charlie however, couldn't deny what had just happened. She shook her head. "No, Master, I do not. However, I ask if you could shed some light on what happened to me?" she said, keeping her voice low and her head down.
Sidious chuckled. " You, my young apprentice, have finally become a true Silverstar. You have come into your power. Look, do you see the markings on your cloak?"
Charlie looked up surprised but somehow not. Wanting to see proof, she grabbed the hem of her cloak and brought it around. Her eyes widened in surprise. The cloak was still black, but the hem, neck, and edge of the hood were now silver, and there was a giant silver mark identical to the ones on her forearms right in the middle of the back. How had this happened?
She voiced her question. "Master," she said, "how has this happened? What does it mean?"
Sidious was silent for a second. "I am always surprised at the gaps in your knowledge, young apprentice. I assumed you recited a pledge, bonding yourself to your destiny as a Silverstar. It is quite common for the person taking the pledge to not know the words until they've said them. Do you know of what I speak?" he asked Charlie.
Charlie, quite aware of the feeling, nodded. "Yes, I do. But who gave me the words?" she asked.
"Well, your Silverstar ancestors have fully accepted you into their ranks. They knew the time was right for you to fully come into your own, so they gave you the words. The cloak is a byproduct of your status. You now wear the cloak of the Silverstars. Do you understand?" Sidious replied.
Charlie, still unsure but somewhat less confused, nodded.
"Very good. Then let us see your lightsaber, girl."
Charlie unhooked her new weapon and brought it up in from of her torso. She activated it without much fanfare, and reveled in the faintly astonished look on Tyranus' face. Sidious emanated a pleased feeling.
"Good, my apprentice, I am pleased. I am not surprised that you chose the crystal you wear. Tyranus, test her!" Sidious barked out the last command to his apprentice, making Charlie stand at attention, sharp green eyes on Tyranus.
The Sith Lord in question jumped down from the stand the hologram was on, flipping with the help of the force, and whipping out his saber, red and crackling. He attacked from about, hoping to catch his opponent off guard and weak. But Charlie was ready. She responded with fervor, and the silver and red energies whipped around each other as the two warriors fought. Every time the two came close, trapped in a standoff, Charlie could see the mixed red and silver light reflected in the his black, emotionless eyes. They fought and fought, neither giving in, neither slowing down.
Until a a small falter by the Sith Lord gave Charlie an opening. Tyranus was good, yes, but Charlie was better, stronger, and he couldn't hold off her onslaught forever. Without injuring him, she disarmed him. Both watched, somewhat incredulous, as his red saber flew through the air, coming to rest in Charlie's left hand. She forced Tyranus to his knees and trapped his neck between the two blades. She paused, meeting his dead gaze, emerald eyes flashing, before she deactivated both. Unceremoniously, she dropped Tyranus' weapon at his feet, and returned to kneel in front of Sidious.
Sidious was clapping slowly, the noise reverberating around the room.
"I believe are ready, my apprentice. I accept you as a Silverstar, and as an apprentice of mine, however, you will not yet be a Sith. Darth Tyranus and I are the two, and here must only ever be two of us at once. Anticipate the day when you may fully pledge yourself to my service, but today is not that day. Never fear! I have work for you to do. However, you are as powerful as a full-blooded Sith, and so I will grant you a boon." The Sith Lord paused, thinking.
"I give you the name... Darth Traya. Rise, Darth Traya, and accept your mantle."
Charlie stood, unsure how she had gotten so lucky. If she'd been required to pledge herself to Sidious and the Sith, she wasn't sure how she'd've escaped. She had kept her promise to not succumb to the dark side of the force for five long years, and she wasn't about to break it now. Her plan B, as feeble as it was, was simply to run. She'd hoped for luck, and luck she had gotten. Tyranus was in the way of her ascension. She put on a pleased face for Sidious, making sure to tint it with a little disappointment.
"Thank you, Master Sidious." Charlie replied. "I thank you for your gift, thought I greatly anticipate the day I can join your ranks. Until then, I will nevertheless pursue the will of the Sith and any orders you give me." Charlie bowed low once again. "What will you have of me now?"
Sidious thought before responding. "I have matters to attend to here, and Tyranus has matters on Geonosis."
He turned to his apprentice. "Remember, Tyranus, the plans for the super weapon are of utmost importance."
He turned back to Charlie. "Rest, young apprentice, until such time that I have need of you. Tyranus, depart at once for Geonosis. You know you must do."
Both Tyranus and Charlie bowed low before departing. Charlie walked the familiar pathway back to her room, hoping it would be for the last time. The door slid open for her as it had done countless time before. She paced inside, a plan forming slowly in her head. She tapped a panel, signaling for TC-14 to come to her room. She needed to leave now; she would not get another chance like this. Tyranus was departing shortly, and Sidious was on Coruscant. They'd left her along before, but now she felt ready to leave. She was finished training. How long could she wait until Sidious or Tyranus called on her to commit a really heinous crime in the name of the Sith? No, she needed to leave now.
While she waited, she began packing. She grabbed a pack from her closet, threw in extra leggings, shorts, shirts, tunics, wraps for her arms, and a pair of boots. Socks and underclothes followed, and she examined the one extra cloak that she had. It had not been changed to that of a Silverstar, so she could use it as a disguise. She switched cloaks, carefully placing the changed one into her pack.
She heard a knock on her door; TC had arrived. Charlie activated the door to open, and the protocol droid stepped inside. Quickly, before the droid could speak, Charlie deactivated it. She opened the panel that she had found five years ago, and removed the chip in hopes that the droid wouldn't remember the conversation they were about to have. When she reactivated it, it bowed as best it could.
"Hello again, milady, you called?" it asked, it's voice as effeminate as ever.
"Yes, TC, I need the long-lasting travel provisions, as much as you think I can carry, and water canteens. I will need a credit counter as well. Also alert the hanger to ready my starfighter for a long journey. I would like to leave as soon as possible." Charlie rattled off her list of demands. She would not be able to return here, so she needed to bring everything while she had the chance.
TC nodded, and set off to find the provisions. Charlie lashed a bedroll and a tent to her pack. She checked her utility belt next. Lightsaber, compass, extra comm unit plus the one on her wrist, a medi-pack, and other useful bits. Two knives strapped to the inside of either calf, and a blaster strapped to the outside of her right thigh. Sometimes it was useful for her enemies not to know she had skill with a lightsaber.
TC came back quickly; apparently Charlie's urgency had sunk in.
"Milady, this should last you long enough to get where you're going. Here is the credit counter, I made sure to grab an unlimited one. Master won't miss it, and you might find use for it. Here are a few canteens as well. You didn't ask for it, but I brought an extra medi-pack. You always seem to come back injured." Charlie was grateful the droid had been so thorough. It was true she had been a magnet for injury on the times Tyranus had taken her with him. Plus, she really had no sense of what she would need or what she would be doing in the coming weeks.
Together, they finished packing. Charlie filled the canteens in the fresher, stopping to throw shampoo, conditioner, and bar soap into a plastic bag. She grabbed a towel and a cloth, and brought the whole load out to the bed. Everything had it's place in her pack. When she'd finished, she watched TC tuck a couple of snack packs into the front pocket, along with one of the canteens. Charlie smiled again. The droid had been the first being kind to her here, and really the only one.
Their job finished, she and TC walked out together. Not letting the door close right away, Charlie turned and said goodbye to the room that had been her home for the past five years. She was not even remotely going to miss it.
She turned to the droid, thanking it one last time before deactivating it. She replaced the chip, and left it turned off outside of her door. She did not need it following her to the hanger. No need to give it more information than necessary. She kept her hood up and head down as she walked to the hanger. She didn't have permission to leave, and there was technically no mission, but the hanger droids didn't know that, they just followed orders. Still, she knew she would face some resistance from guard droids who knew well enough she was not supposed to be leaving before escaping. There were plenty of droidekas around to remember her face, and she wanted to take no chances.
As she approached the entrance to the hanger, she noted that the door was closed and that there were four droidekas standing guard, blasters at the ready.
"Identify yourself." one said to her at her approach, its electronic voice sounding as tinny as always.
She dispatched all four with a few sweeps of her lightsaber, not letting a single one get a blaster shot off. The loud noise would draw unwanted attention.
"I am Charlotte Altair." she belatedly responded to the droid's question. "Last of the Silverstars and Enemy of the Sith." And with that, she activated the door and walked into the hanger, ready to finally leave this Forceforsaken place.
