Thank you CassiusTroy! I'm really curious as to the sites that you sent me, and eager to see what other people have as far as Star War ideas :) I'm taking that as a sign that you enjoy my story, so if it's not – too bad! Haha
PLEASE REVIEW! They make me very happy.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS, George Lucas is all that awesomeness.
P.S. Alright, all Hail, the New York Giants! :D
Anyone knows that Humans are no different than animals; force them into a routine schedule, punish them when they do something you don't want to do, and reward them when they do something correctly and they'll quickly learn what to do and what not to do. Darth Sidious was certain that the young teenager would be the same, and though she was defiant, sarcastic, and even stubborn at times, he could feel her defeat and her submission quickly taking effect of herself.
He would watch on the viewing deck in the training room, as Darth Maul would fix her stance or teach her a proper technique. Soon her training quickly became warming up and then sparring with his first apprentice, and much like Darth Sidious didn't show mercy on his apprentice, Maul didn't on the teenager.
Whack!
The training saber snapped on Raven's back, making her collapse onto the mat beneath her.
"You're dead…again," Maul stated simply in a bored tone, "you can't leave an opening."
The teenager scowled as she stood and stumbled slightly, there was a large welt reddening on her exposed back. She had scars running down the smooth tanned toned back from her first beating, in the past month more were added for her disobedience or showing signs of pain.
"Are you stupid," he asked, "or do you just enjoy making mistakes?"
"Maybe I enjoy pissing you off," Raven said, raising an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips and putting her chin out stubbornly.
Darth Sidious noticed that she usually stood in this pose a lot, she could be simply staring out on the horizon and she would have her feet shoulder width apart, hands in fists and on her hips. Her eyes would be scanning her surroundings as though she were looking for something. But she had become so trained in the Force that the moment he would start to probe to see what she was thinking, she would put up her mental shields, eye him, and then walk away. Darth Sidious knew he could easily tear them down, but didn't want to risk causing her mental damage.
Because Humans were like animals, randomly punish them and they would be confused as to what for.
"Well then you're doing a good job," Maul sneered, tossed the training saber back to her, "again."
The two clashed weapons and she spun, catching him slightly off balance. But Maul quickly caught himself once more and easily blocked a kick that she aimed at his stomach. The two then went back into attack with their sabers and blocking, soon Raven slipped up and was on the defensive as Maul attacked her full force and then whacked her ribs, she stumbled to the side with a grunt, holding her saber diagonally in a defensive position.
Maul spun the training saber before bringing his weapon down, she blocked it but his other hand grabbed her wrist and twisted it painfully, she dropped her saber and he kicked her in the face.
She slid on her back, and then flipped so she was face first once more.
Sighing, she pushed herself up so she was sitting on her knees. A light coating of sweat made her tan skin glisten, and some of her hair was plastered to her face as she looked up at Darth Maul.
"You need to be aware of your opponent's body," Maul rolled his eyes, "your ignorance is annoying."
Darth Sidious watched as she opened her thin lips to come with a snappy retort, but then closed her mouth with a "click" and flexed her jaw to hold her tongue. He was slightly impressed with her reaction of being able to control herself. A month ago, she would've come up with a retort such as, "your face is annoying."
She took the saber from him, and Sidious felt the Force pull around her carefully. He felt the younger apprentice become one and relaxed with the Force's help before taking her stance. Maul must've noticed it to, because he eyed her, trying to see what she was up to before taking on his own opposing stance.
The two charged, but this time, she anticipated him striking down to see who was stronger (him of course) and slid beneath Maul's parted legs and then went to attack him from behind. But Maul swooped his saber behind, deflecting her attack, and then spun and clashed sabers once more. He went to kick and Raven jumped back, avoiding the kick and lashed out with her attack. He watched as suddenly her movements become fluid and more precise. The two looked as though they were dancing as they easily attacked and blocked.
The best part was, Darth Sidious could tell that his first apprentice wasn't holding back, and Maul was quickly becoming frustrated in Raven's sudden ease with the force and skill of the saber.
Getting fed up, and not being one to take losing lightly, Darth Sidious watched as Maul Forced pushed her so hard that she fell to her knees, and he whacked her with his saber across her cheek. She fell, holding her face in pain; but both felt her rage come from her through the Force.
"You cheated," she roared.
Maul grinned, revealing his nasty rotten teeth. Raven had learned long ago to never mock Maul's tooth decay, "Cheaters always win. You did much better…again."
- TWO MONTHS LATER -
Raven was glad that her body had gotten used to her Masters' abuse, once in a while usually she would ask the droids to fill the tub in a spare refresher with ice to try and ease the bruises, welts, and sore muscles that she had received that day if it got too bad. But usually she would meditate, as her Master had taught her, and release her pain into the Force.
Master. In two months she no longer mocked the term, or said it with disgust. Raven understood that she wasn't leaving this place, at least not without one of her Masters in front of her.
She sighed in her meditation, hating how her thoughts were drifting and quickly relaxed her mind once more.
A short, but old, green Humanoid alien was seated next to a balding, black Human. Both were dressed in brown robes, covering beige tunics and matching beige pants. A younger Raven sat at the stairs, staring at the two unknown beings curiously. They were speaking to her mother, talking about taking Raven away.
"To the Jedi temple, she must go," explained the green one in an odd speech that Raven had trouble understanding, "training she must start, while she is still a youngling."
"But can't you see our side of this," her mother's high pitched voice annoyed even the young Raven, "she is the only one in this town with the same blood type and bone marrow for our daughter, Lauren. Raven must stay. After her purpose is done here, you can have her."
The Human frowned at how Raven's mother spoke of her as an object, "we start training at a young age, any older and it's too late. Can't we at least take her to train her how to use the Force properly?"
"Our other daughter needs her," her mother said simply, "I refuse to let you take my youngest daughters life line away."
The green humanoid frowned at this, "not even if we were to send you what your younger daughter needed? We have an excellent hospital at the temple."
"You can not have Raven."
Green eyes suddenly turned to her, Raven gasped and ran up the stairs and into her room as she heard a chuckle inside her head. Fear not, young one. In the Force, I feel…yes, meet again, we shall hmm?
Opening her eyes at the memory, Raven felt out through the Force that neither of her Masters had actually seen the memory too. When she didn't feel any disturbance through the Force, she got up and moved towards her bed. Tugging off her pajama t-shirt so she was just in a tank top and shorts, Raven curled into a ball to go to bed.
Raven felt as though she had just closed her eyes, when she was awoken with a start from her door opening. The teenager naturally slept on her stomach, and so when her door opened, she put her weight on her left hand and her knees. When she heard the soft footsteps of someone else, she shot her right hand out, grabbed her saber and went into a defensive position – a black Force shield creating between her and her intruder.
A white outline of Darth Maul glared back at her impatiently. She relaxed and turned off her saber.
She fluffed her pillow, "it's impolite to enter a ladies quarters when she's not decent."
"Good thing I see no lady," he sneered and suddenly lifted the mattress with the Force and tossed her off of it, she grunted and gave a roar of anger as she stood up to her full height. Taking on her "Peter Pan" pose right up to her Master's face in anger, but didn't even reach his chest so he just looked down at her as he said, "get dressed. We have a mission."
Darth Maul left and Raven growled a profanity in her head before walking into the refresher and washing her face and brushing her teeth (she was very grateful that she wouldn't have teeth like Maul's). She then ran her fingers through her hair and tied it messily into a ponytail before quickly dressing into her gray long sleeved shirt and leggings, and her black tunic and boots.
Walking out of her room, she realized she had no clue where to go if she had a mission. This was her first...
Raven spotted Darth Maul at the end of the hallway, waiting for her to reach him. She quickly did so, and followed him through the labyrinth that her Masters called "hallways". The two eventually came to Darth Sidious' chambers and both entered before kneeling in the slightly opened area of his chambers.
Sidious didn't acknowledge the two at first, Maul had instructed Raven weeks ago that during this time that she should have her mental blocks up, and had to be patient because Sidious was silently testing them. Seeing how much the two had grown. Raven did as instructed, waiting as patiently as she could for her Master to speak – but as the minutes ticked by, the more impatient Raven became.
"Master and apprentice never go on missions together," Sidious finally spoke to the pair, cutting off Raven's tirade in her mind about how irritating Master Sidious was, "the Sith strongly believe in 'learning on the job'. But, since we can't trust you just yet, Raven, you will go on this mission with Darth Maul."
"Yes Master," she stated simply, giving no hesitation and revealing none of her emotions.
Darth Sidious allowed pride towards his first apprentice to be known, he was the one that taught her everything, even though Maul knew nothing about Force shields, he taught her the best he could. And even Sidious was impressed with how powerful her shield was, usually the shields were weak and flimsy and not many Sith nor Jedi could create the shields, but Raven was very strong with the Force.
"And since you don't have a weapon of your own…here's a simple light saber," he said handing her the weapon, which she took, "Remember, your light saber is your life."
"Thank you, Master," she stated simply, and tried not to show any of her slight resentment that she still held as she said, "I take anything you give me, with great honor."
Darth Sidious smirked slightly, before turning his attention to his first apprentice, "Maul, you remember Count Dooku?"
"Yes," Maul responded.
"He plans to intervene with some of my plans to change the Republic into an Empire," he said with a scowl, "he has an apprentice too. Kill him if you must, but do not kill Dooku. Simply…make sure he will never betray me again."
"Yes Master," the two said in unison.
"Go."
- ? -
by the time that Maul go thte two in hyper space, he turned his attention over to his apprentice and saw her on a data pad, reading up more on the mission. So far all Raven saw was that Grevious was a Kaleesh being trained by the ex-Jedi, now Sith Lord: Count Dooku. Count Dooku was planning on turning against Sidious, thinking that their Master planned to kill each and every one of the Separatists after he had control over the Galaxy. How Darth Sidious planned on controlling the entire galaxy was a big question to Raven that she knew she would never get the answer to. Darth Sidious may have power, but Raven doubted that he was some public icon that could easily change the democracy of the Senate to an Empire instead.
"We'll be arriving soon," he said, "don't get yourself killed."
Raven smirked, "Aw, Master…I didn't know you cared!"
Maul smirked back sickeningly, "I don't, I would be kinda bummed though if my toy didn't come back with me. Whom else would I torture day in and day out?"
The Master tried to hide his grin as best as possible as his apprentice grumbled something and folded her arms angrily. Maul quickly requested permission to board the Separatists command ship, and wasn't too surprised when declined. What did surprise him was when fighters shot out from the ship, heading straight towards them. Maul was slightly agitated by this and immediately started putting up shields and readying the ship to fly quickly and, if need be, go into hyperspace for a quick get away.
Sensing her Master's agitation, she quickly arrived on the bridge, he turned to her, "Fly us – if you crash us, I'll kill you when we join the Force."
"That's very encouraging, master," Raven grumbled as she took the controls, he left and headed to the gunner as she quickly started flying the ship. Seeing their movement, she called up, "Master, they're coming around…"
Maul sensed the slight urgency in her voice though she tried to keep it calm as she moved the ship smoothly through space, trying to shake off a fighter that had locked onto them.
"Turn us around a face them so I can get a better angle," Maul instructed calmly.
"But-"
"Do it."
Raven sighed before flipping a couple of switches for a quick and sharp turn so that they would be facing the exact opposite direction, she then took the controls and pulled up and yanked on them sharply. Two plasma torpedoes glared down at their ship, for a moment Raven felt pure fear staring back at the torpedoes. But Maul quickly fired as they neared and shot down two, the cruiser coming out of the smoke with no damage. But the ship quickly took on enemy fire by the other two fighters after them.
Maul tried to fire at them, but quickly found this game of cat and mouse to be tedious and annoying, "this is hopeless, put a shield around this ship and go through the energy shield in the docking bay!"
"But Master," Raven said, turning to him as he came down from gunnery, her nervousness showing, "I've never had to create a shield this big!"
"Get this ship into that docking bay, or I'll kill you here and now!"
Raven felt the fierce pull in the Force, so quickly said, "take the controls, Master."
He took the controls and watched as she took a deep breath in her seat to calm her nerves before focusing her energy on the Force. When she opened her eyes, they were completely black; he watched as a black shield quickly formed around the windows of the ship, hesitating before continuing on to – hopefully – the back of the ship. Everything contrasted against the darkness so that it was a bright white, but as suddenly as it was there, the shield flickered and then disappeared completely. Maul glared at his apprentice to see her eyes flicker slightly and her head to her temple pain, a nose bleed flowing down the crease of her nose as she once again started using the Force once more. Maul feared that he would have to kill her for a moment, but suddenly the shield over took the entire ship for that one instant that they passed the docking bay's shield, and her head snapped back from the two opposing forces as she relaxed in her seat once more.
"That was fun," she stated, rubbing the blood on her sleeve.
"Let's do it again sometime," Maul said sarcastically.
"Let's not and say we did," Raven stated back as they dropped the hanger and started walking out.
"Good job…" he stated, but then sent an immense pain through the Force, "ever hesitate to obey a command, and I'll kill you."
She rubbed her head and cringed from the Force that hit her harshly, "Yes, Master."
This is where I leave, I'm a little upset…usually I can finish a chapter! But it seems this one was SO long, so I'll put it in the other Chapter too. REVIEW please and thank you!