AN: I apologize ahead of this chapter for the candy association, and for the shorter length. The next one should make up for it. As always enjoy, reviews are loved, and May the Force Be With You!

Disclaimer: Charlie belongs to me, everything else belongs to George.

CHAPTER 5

Charlie walked over to the ship waiting by the bay door, her boot steps echoing. Her silver and green starfighter was aptly named Star Burst. It had been a sort of gift from Sidious, if the Sith Lord had had it in his heart to actually give a gift, after two years as his apprentice. Her skill with droids had quickly come to his attention, and it had grown into a talent for flying and engineering.

Charlie walked as quickly as she could. She didn't really expect any problems after gaining entrance to the hanger, and she'd had none so far, but the calm couldn't be trusted. When she reached the ship, the boarding ramp was open, so she walked up and in. In front of her was the small cockpit, behind was the small bunk and fresher where she stayed when she had to. She set her pack down on the bunk, grabbing a canteen and some snack packs to take up from with her.

The cockpit was small, with a pilot and co-pilot seat. She threw the provisions onto the co-pilot seat, and called to her astromech droid R4-K7. She'd found R4 in a heap of wrecked electronics on one of her missions with Tyranus, and she'd smuggled him back to the temple, and repaired him. Sidious had ignored the droid, and Tyranus had just accepted its presence, so R4 became her flying companion and her friend.

"Hello, R4!" she called in greeting. "Run through pre-flight checklist, I just have to grab a couple last things." The droid beeped in assent, and started the diagnostics.

Charlie disembarked, feeling for any approaching enemies with the force as she walked over to a small armory they kept in the hanger for emergency situations. She removed two blasters, a few knives, and a double sided staff. She never knew when the extra weapons might come in handy. She carried the armful back to her ship, moving quickly and as quietly as possible. The weapons went into a cage beside her bunk in the back of she ship. There she also kept an extra lightsaber.

"Alright R4, how does she look?" Charlie called to droid, more than ready to leave. The results of R4's tests ran across one of the screens in front of Charlie. Everything looked good, so she told R4 to start power-up, and she started flipping switches, readying the ship for take off. The entrance ramp came up and sealed shut with a snick. She needed to leave fast. Charlie knew that leaving this way would alert Sidious and Tyranus to her treachery, if they didn't already know. The destruction of the droidekas and the stolen weapons would only confirm their fears.

She signaled to the hanger droids to open the bay doors, and slowly they rolled open, revealing the flat desert planes of Utapau, dotted with the sinkholes that characterized the planet.

"Okay R4, lets blow this joint." she said, mostly to herself. She sealed the cockpit, revved the engines, and away she went. They burst out into the bright sunlight, free, really free, for the first time in five years.

"Woooohoo!" Charlie whooped, the sensation of flying as intoxicating as it always was. She felt her stomach drop as she angled the nose of the fighter up into the clouds. Together, she and R4 piloted the ship out of the atmosphere and into space. R4 beeped, asking what their destination was.

"Coruscant, R4." she replied. "We are going to see the Jedi."

They'd been flying in hyperspace for a few hours, and Charlie had taken advantage of that time to meditate a little while letting R4 fly the ship. There wasn't much for Charlie to do while in hyperspace unless anything went dangerously wrong. R4 and the ship's systems had a handle on it.

She let the force flow around her, feeling the speed of hyperspace while the slow serenity of the force wrapped itself around her mind. She enjoyed it while it lasted. She wasn't sure when her next peaceful moment would be.

"Come soon, you must. Grave danger, the Jedi way is in. Your help, we require."

Charlie started, and her eyes flew open. There was that voice again, the one that had helped her years ago. It had the same serenity and wisdom as it had before, but with an edge that she couldn't quite identify. It made her glad she'd already left.

She reached out with the Force, trying to return the contact.

"I am near, wise one. I am ready. Who are you?"

She waited with baited breath, hoping for a reply that would confirm her suspicions.

"Jedi, I am. Strong, you have grown. Feel it, I can. Indeed ready, you are. To the Jedi Temple, you must come. Meet you there, I will."

Charlie nodded to herself, simultaneously satisfied and amazed. The voice had confirmed that it was indeed a Jedi, and that TC was right. The Jedi had known about her. She was glad this Jedi, whoever he was, thought her powers enough to be ready to help. The fact that they expected her would also save her from any difficulties in attempted to access the temple.

Charlie felt a jolt, realizing that she had totally forgotten about flying the ship.

"Thank the stars for you, R4." she said to the droid, who had successfully guided them out of hyperspace without overshooting the planet entirely. They were directly in line with Coruscant, with enough space to slow down after the immense speeds of hyperspace. The planet was one big city. In the half currently experiencing night, she could see the giant glowing circular outlines that formed immense buildings, and the web of interconnecting traffic lights.

Charlie used R4's archives to pinpoint the location of the Jedi temple. It hadn't been a hard map to store when she'd gotten an opportunity to copy it from the Sith temple's central archives. She guided the ship to the location, which was just past sunrise, and proceeded to find a platform nearby the temple, and request landing.

"Control this is Star Burst requesting permission to land on platform H74-Z." she relayed through her comm unit.

"Please relay your final destination and business here, Star Burst." Control requested in return.

"I am expected by the Jedi Council. The Temple will be my final destination." Charlie replied. There was silence for a few minutes; she assumed they were checking out her claims.

"Star Burst, landing request is granted for H74-Z. Proceed with caution." Control said several minutes later.

Charlie, who'd been circling while she waited, angled the ship down and, with R4's help, guided it to a nice soft landing. She opened the ramp below her, and shut most it's functions down. Before disembarking, she tossed her trash in the shoot, and checked over her utility belt and weapons. She filled her canteen in the sink in the fresher, and checked over her pack, making sure everything was in order. She didn't know when she would be returning to her ship, and wanted what she would need at her fingertips.

She walked off and circled the ship, looking for any repairs that might be necessary. Not finding any, she called R4 down with the press of a button, and sealed her ship. Here it would stay until she returned. Before leaving the platform, she switched over her cloaks, deciding that the council needed to know who she really was. The silver of her Silverstar cloak rippled in the sunlight. She repacked her disguised cloak, swung her pack onto her back, and with R4 at her side, approached the temple.

There was only one door, so she and R4 moved towards that, which opened at their approach. It was an elevator, which took them to the bottom floor. Charlie supposed this was a security measure. It opened into the large foyer of the Jedi temple. The first thing that struck her were all the younglings running around. She supposed the temple was also a school of some for, and that all the children were on their way to classes for the day. They seemed to be parting around two tall figures cloaked in brown, and her heart jumped when she realized they must be Jedi.

There was a small woman with them, dressed in formal garb. She could see the woman's face, but the two Jedi's hoods obscured their faces.

"Jedi." she thought. "They have to be. And is that Padmé Amidala?" Charlie recognized the woman's face. "Hmmmm... what's going on here?"

Charlie walked towards the three, taking advantage of the way the younglings parted for them. As she passed on the outside of the trio, two things happened simultaneously. She made eye contact with the Jedi in the light of the two cloaks. It was brief, but the resulting shock was enough to make her stop dead in her tracks. It was like she touched an open electrical socket. She turned her head, trying to get a glimpse of the Jedi's actual face, but his head was turned. She quickly looked away.

"What is this effect?" she wondered, eyes glued to the floor.

She didn't see the Jedi look back, wondering the same thing.

But she had no time to answer her question. More importantly than her strange feeling was the piece of their conversation she'd caught. She'd heard the words "travel to Kamino, find the bounty hunter." She'd heard of Kamino, and of the bounty hunter. His name was Jango Fett, and he was not a nice guy. He was secretly working against the Jedi for Darth Tyranus, though Fett probably knew his employer as Count Dooku.

She spun around, hoping to catch the Jedi before they left, but it was too late. They were gone. She cursed herself and those damn stupid eyes that had shaken her. She needed to find the council, now.

"Stars above," she muttered to herself, "I have to keep my concentration better." With the absence of the trio, she was once again surrounded by younglings. She stopped a small Twi-lek to ask him for directions.

"Excuse me, young one, but I am in need of directions, and quickly." she said to the child.

The boy looked up at her, unsure of who she was, but willing to help. He nodded.

"Could you tell me where to find the council?" she asked.

He smiled, and responded "Very top floor! Lifts are over there!" He pointed towards a bay of doors. "May the Force Be With You!" he chirped, and skipped away to join his friends.

"Charlie grinned at his retreating back. "And with you, young one." she said, speaking to thin air.

She turned towards the lifts, motioning to R4 to follow.

The pair moved quickly onto an empty life. She tapped their destination into the panel, and away they went. The lift moved slowly, and Charlie cursed it. Her heart was racing. She didn't know what those two Jedi had planned, but if they were headed to Kamino, they were in grave danger.

The lift gave a small ding to announce that they'd reached their destination. The doors opened to reveal a long hallway with chairs and comfy looking couches at strategic intervals. They stepped onto a brown carpet. There was only one destination. A large pair of double door sat at the end of the hallway, leading, Charlie assumed, to the council room.

Charlie ran, her cloak and braid flying behind her and R4 rolling as fast as he could. They slid to a stop in front of the doors. Charlie, though urgent, felt her nerves get the better of her for a second. She paused before removing her pack, straightening her clothes and smoothing her hair back. She paused again, not sure how to request entrance. So she knocked. And just her luck, the doors slid open to allow her entrance.