Trouble was exactly what Tara found herself in. When the doctor overseeing her recovery came to see her she became irritated when a Chiss Admiral came with him to try and ask her questions. Something about a Darth Vader came to the surface and any question she asked was skirted or not answered at all.

She growled and paced in the holding cell that she was placed in by the security of the ship she was on. As she came to one of the walls she kicked it, harder than she meant, and hopped a little before falling on her rear end on the bench.

"Spast!"

The pain subsided quickly enough and she crossed her knee over the other and folded her arms under her bust. She had to rethink her plan. She could hear Nathrrya's voice now.

"That's what you get for being a hothead, Tara."

"Yes, Nat… I know." She thumped the back of her head against the metallic wall a few times out of habit and took a breath. She needed to think more like Nathrrya and less like herself. Hell, she could even go back to being the way she was when she was married to…

No. No way was she going to be thinking about that right then. She didn't have time and the holding cell wasn't the place for her to bring those ideas and thoughts to the surface. She needed to get out of there first. Almost as if on queue the door opened and in walked a very large, very black figure. Tara stayed seated as two troopers came in behind the behemoth figure with their blasters at the ready. She had to frown.

"I'm weaponless," she said. "Is that really necessary?"

The figure was masked and Tara looked up into the eyes of the visor on his helmet. There was a deep, rhythmic mechanical breathing coming from him and Tara tilted her head back in contemplation while she examined him more thoroughly. She reached out lightly with the Force and pressed up against him with it, and he lashed back a bit, only enough to put her in her place. She retracted and brought with her enough of a glance into this mysterious figure.

"I take it you want to know who I am, right?" she said.

"Among other things." His voice was deep and mechanical, like his breathing, and it was a slow kind of speech. He wasn't in a hurry from the way he spoke and Tara wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad one. Not yet at least.

"Well, fine. But I would like to be released from this cell. I'm not going anywhere, I can't do anything and assuming you know as much as the Chiss did then I don't see why I can't speak to you somewhere more comfortable."

"You're not in a position to make any demands."

"I didn't say it was a demand," she countered. "It was a suggestion." She looked him up and down again and unfolded her arms. She sat forward and kept her outward presence as calm as possible. "If you're in agreement?"

The man considered it. "I am Darth Vader," he finally said. "You, on the other hand, don't seem to exist."

"I'm apparently over three millennia old – ancient to say the least," she said. She stood up but this didn't do much to change the height difference between them. She was still a short woman, only about five feet and a few inches tall compared to his six-plus feet. "I am Lady Synge, daughter of former Dark Council Member Darth Nox and former apprentice of Darth Avarice, Emperor's Wrath."

Sometimes your name and titles are all you have to play. In her case this was the utter truth and she knew she was taking a risk throwing them willy-nilly out like she just did. It's what Nathrrya would most likely do… but she had a prominent Sith family to back her up. She came from… well, when it came to Darth Nox Tara was usually left alone because Nox wasn't the kind of Sith you crossed for any reason.

"If you dig in your records far enough you will learn that Darth Nox is a descendent of Lord Kallig, and thus I am as well, if your records go back that far. Lord Kallig was ancient in my time."

Vader turned his head towards one of the troopers behind him. Somehow there was a universal understanding that this needed to be followed up and the trooper bowed and left his partner to have the data checked by the archeological service.

"You are clearly Force sensitive, and your lightsaber confirms as much."

"I was trained in the Dark Side since I was a young girl at the Sith Academy on Korriban and then on Dromund Kaas." She rolled up the sleeve of her left arm and showed off her forearm. Her skin looked to have been branded and even though it was very small it was distinct. The small circle was the symbol of the Empire. "I was captured by a renegade Republic captain and he marked me because I had been under cover, spying on them. When a leak broke my façade he had me marked so I couldn't do it so easily. Needless to say he didn't last very long when my master got involved. I could have had it fixed but I liked it."

She rolled her sleeve back down and hoped that what she had said was enough. She realized she was giving a lot of free information a lot easier than she normally would, but she was technically being held by, what she considered, her own side but she wasn't going to say anything about the other side of her life unless she really needed to. She folded her arms again and stood straighter, pushing her shoulders back and setting her jaw firmly. Her deep green eyes bore into Vader's visor and she resisted the urge to shudder. She hated masks. To her only cowards and liars wore them. For some reason she had the sense that Vader was neither.

"Is any of that sufficient enough for me to be let out of this cage?" she finally asked. She frowned as she looked at the black-clad man. It was still unnerving that she couldn't see his face.

"Until I get confirmation of your claims you will remain under strict security, but I will allow you to move to the quarters we set up for you. It will be under surveillance until further notice." He turned to the remaining trooper. "Escort her to those quarters. Do not leave her alone."

He turned and left the cell and Tara watched on in confusion as he did so. Somehow she must have missed something because she thought there would have been a little more back and forth between them before this would have been determined. She shrugged it off and followed the trooper as he pointed the way with his rifle.

"Don't try anything," he warned her. Tara had to roll her eyes.

"Please, I'm on thin ice as it is. Besides, you and your brethren don't pose a challenge to me."

You're all probably still as idiotic as the ones I dealt with in my time, anyway.

"Watch your tongue. Now move."

She thought it would be better to keep her mouth shut for the time being anyway. She walked out of the cell and two other soldiers guided her through the halls and corridors of the ship and down several levels in one of the lifts. As she walked by the windows she could tell that the ship was now in hyperspace, though she wasn't sure where they were headed. When the lift opened she was guided through several more halls until she came to a room.

The door was opened and the soldiers moved aside to let her in. It was about twice the size of the cell she had just come from, scantly furnished and very dreary. She wasn't expecting lavishness but at least it was warm and more comfortable than the cell. And it had a fresher and over in a corner was a clear box with her belongings – clothes, boots and whatever else she had. When she turned around the door was closed and she heard a lock engage.

She rolled her eyes, again, and turned her attention to what was in the room. There was a bed made with simplistic beddings, the lights could be adjusted and a small table in the corner with a chair held a tray of decent food. She ignored it all for the moment and made a beeline for the fresher and immediately started the water flowing. Soon the small space was thickened with steam as she peeled off the medical clothes she had been put in.

A sigh of relief left her lips as she stepped under the scalding water. Her ghostly white skin flushed pink from the high temperature of the water but she loved it. The stress in her shoulders and neck melted away and she worked on scrubbing the grime off her skin and getting it out of her hair. A few thousand years in carbonite did not do anything for her and the longer she was in the shower the more she felt herself come back to life.

With clean hair and a clean body she shut off the water, dried herself off and went out into the main room. With the towel wrapped around herself she grabbed some of the fruit from her dinner tray and munched on it as she sat on the bed and opened the box. Holding the fruit in her mouth she picked up the top bag and frowned the best she could with the food in her mouth. Her lightsaber hilt was practically destroyed on the outside and she was certain the inner mechanisms had to have been just as bad. She didn't even see her kyber crystal in the bag or the box and this irritated her.

Her under garments were in decent condition and looked to have been thoroughly cleaned and some repairs made. Her slacks, shirt and boots sat on top of the breastplate and below that was her trench coat. All of it looked almost new, thanks to whoever must have been on laundry detail. She tossed the towel and threw everything on but the heavy armor, coat and boots. She put those and the bag with her saber back into the box. Going back to her dinner she sat there quietly eating what she was given.

Tara's mind was more on what she knew up to this point, and that wasn't much. She didn't have anything to dissect or evaluate and she doubt she would for a while, at least not until her claims are verified and at Vader's satisfaction. There was no telling how long that would take but it left her alone and in relative comfort for now until a plan could be devised.

There is no plan beyond play nice, she thought to herself. This is like any other mission where you're kidnapped. The only difference is that Nat and Leyland aren't here to help.

The thought stabbed her chest and the pain washed over her unexpectedly. She got up and went over to the bed and laid down upon it, hoping that it would help alleviate the effects that one little thought had on her. The stress and tension she had before the shower came back in full and it was everything she could do to keep from crying. It wasn't the time and certainly not the place for this. She had to control the emotions.

Breathing… she concentrated on her breathing. It was an old trick Nathrrya taught her, who in turn learned it from her Jedi cousin. It helped. More than Tara liked to admit she actually found the technique useful and had used it a number of times when Nathrrya wasn't around to cool her jets and help her keep the Dark Side under control. Tara could thank her history for this near-uncontrollable ability to let the Dark Side go.

Once she felt like she wasn't going to explode she stared up at the bland ceiling. Allowing her vision to blur and go out of focus the pattern on the ceiling shifted and changed before her and she found herself lost in the imagined shapes and swirls.

It was bullshit parenting for the most part that caused her condition. She wasn't able to trust anyone, not even the masters at the Academy. Her first master – Darth Baras – only used her for her power and cared nothing for her wellbeing. She was a pawn in all of his affairs and this mixed her up in a nasty situation with Nathrrya, who she had to kill under his orders.

Her own mother, seated on the Dark Council, watched as Nathrrya gutted the fat bastard and put an end to him. Tara had no clue at the time that it was her own mother sitting on one of the seats and hidden behind the mask of Lord Kallig, her ancestor. Not once did she think to touch base with her only living child. Only when Tara got mixed up and involved with a Mandalorian merc did she become part of her life.

Captain Malavai Quinn was the only constant in her life. He was her father, the first parent she ever had and the only one she stayed with until her Force sensitivity came to the point where it was too much for her and Quinn to deal with. As much as she could tell he didn't want to, he had to leave her at the Sith Academy on Korriban and she would never forget the look on his face as he watched her be escorted away from the landing pad towards the Academy. Quinn was the one thing that meant the most to her.

When she learned of his involvement with Nathrrya, and after seeing how screwed up Baras had her, Tara was able to break free of Baras' hold and felt like she got some freedom back. The whole encounter gave her a completely different view on the Sith Code and decided that it wasn't completely true. She followed Nathrrya after that as an unofficial apprentice and eventually they became very good friends and Nathrrya married her father.

She missed them. It was only a matter of maybe hours since she was released from carbonite and already she was having trouble assimilating. As much as she wanted to dwell on these thoughts and cry and destroy things she had to keep her control long enough to get more information and figure out what the spast she was going to do. The sound of the door unlocking and the hydraulics activiating made her sit up and turn towards the door. Someone she hadn't seen before came in and stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes met hers.

Starkiller was skeptical about this girl when his master, Lord Vader, mentioned her. He was to collect her from her room and bring her to Vader's personal ship so she could be transported to the Imperial Captial. When he entered the room what he saw was not what he was expecting.

The woman was gorgeous, for one thing. He'd seen other women as exotic as her with very pale skin and extremely dark hair and sharp, solid eyes greener than anything he's seen in the galaxy. It took only seconds to take every inch of her in before he cleared his head and reminded himself of why he was here at all.

"I am Starkiller," he said, trying to keep his voice neutral and uninterested. "I'm to bring you to my master. Grab your things and come with me."

Something about this new person irked Tara and she wasn't afraid to let it be shown through a frown on her face. She considered tapping into the Force to bring the Dark Side up but this wasn't the right time. She was still sick, not having been that long outside of carbonite, and she was having a challenge just trying to keep her mental shields raised and kept in place.

For once she decided not to give this person a hard time. He was Force-sensitive… and rather good looking… but she didn't want to bother with that at the moment. She did as she was told and collected the box with her belongings, and the small things that used to be her belongings, and followed Starkiller out of her small room and back into the hallway.

"So, why does your master need to see me again?" she asked, her eyes glancing out of a small viewport as she passed it. "Did he verify my identity?"

"Shut up and just keep walking."

Oh hell no. Tara stopped and snarled, her face becoming angry. Starkiller turned around to face her and put his hand over one of his lightsaber hilts.

"Will you quit the tough-guy act with me? I'm weaponless and my presence is not a secret. Vader is checking into my past to verify who I am and once he does then your worst nightmare will be the least of your worries. Now be polite and just tell me and I'll calm down."

Starkiller wasn't sure of her intentions and he was reluctant to say anything to someone he doesn't trust, especially one without a history.

"My master made arrangements to bring you before the Emperor. That is all I am at liberty to say. He made it known that only he will be dealing with you for the most part until further notice. Now come on."

He waited for her to move and when she did he let her pass ahead of him and he followed. Tara could feel him behind her basically staring at her back. She was nervous about having him to her back, and considering the predicament she was in she would have to assume the same for him with her being at his. She wouldn't complain.

Okay, I'm off to see the emperor. Let's see what I'm dealing with.