Sister Act (Chloe)

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Chloe Alince"]

It was time. Time to prepare his finest weapon for its greatest battle.

The Sith Lord sat on his ship, frowning at the datapad. It bore a news article from a Kaeshana publication.
"Countess Kerrigan Survives Assassination"
Someone had doctored the facts, but the core truth remained - Siobhan Kerrigan had survived his attempt to destroy her. Another Sith, an impulsive one, might have hurled the datapad against the wall in displeasure. Instead, the Sith Lord merely sighed and laid it aside. The battering ram would be out of action for a while, but was safe from his reach for now.

Thus, he could turn to his next project.

Rising, Darth Shadow went to an attached room on the Star Destroyer. Inside was a Spartan yet comfortable bedroom where his secret Apprentice lived.
Entering, he appeared beside her. "Good morning...Chloe. I trust you are well?" he asked politely.

In his dealings with his Apprentice he was nothing but stern yet polite to her. He had long learned that mere savagery and violence bred an Apprentice dedicated to resentment and revenge. Though he expected that she would in time rise to challenge him...for now it was in both their interests to remain cordial.

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

By the small window, Chloe stood. Her gaze was focused on the space, not much caring for her surroundings. Chloe trusted almost no one and nowhere. However, in this room she felt safe despite that feeling, knowing that no one but her Master knew about it and no one would coming looking for her if it wasn't him. And her Master was the only person she trusted, or at least to the degree she was capable of.

She didn't noticed when her doors opened but her Force Sense did spark up when the presence appeared right beside her. Her Master did those sort of things. Popped out right next to her. She couldn't always feel him but sometimes, just in the last second, she could sense him. Chloe always assumed this was because that was what her Master wanted.

Her head slowly turned to him as she was addressed. "Good morning, Master," she spoke, her voice void of emotion. That was polite Chloe. For years now, she hadn't been able to actually be polite. Her emotions, when spiked, would manifest in anger, but if she really wanted to, she could calm them down to the point of null. But even that was a rare occurrence, reserved solely for the man who took her in and trained her for her most important mission. "I am well." Her other reply came through. "Is it time for my training?"

[member="Darth Shadow"]

 

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Chloe Alince"]
"It is time for your training," the Sith Lord confirmed. "Today though I want to do something else though. You have learnt the abilities I have given you to a reasonable degree of competence. From that perspective your initial training is almost complete. However, I am concerned that your focus may diminish over time. Thus, I would like to remind you of the day I met you, and from it, why you joined me. When I feel you are ready we will take our first steps in bringing down Phylis."
The Jedi Master was too strong for the Apprentice to tackle right away, but she could be, and when she did so her power would be great indeed.

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Chloe nodded at the confirmation. It brought her a sense of joy in her own way, knowing full well that each training session brought her one step closer to her ultimate goal. That certainly brought her a sense of joy and once more reminded her of her mission, her destiny.

Her initial training was always complete. Chloe merely listened as she was spoke to, absorbing the lectures her Master gave her. However, hearing him think that her focus could diminish did bring a slight frown upon her face. There was nothing and no one would could ever make her lose her focus or forget what she had to and wanted to do. Still, with great strength, which she had learned in the years of being with this man, Chloe kept her mouth shut. For a moment, she even bit her tongue, feeling she could lose her obedience towards her Master. That was something she was still not good at doing so the act was very much forced.

"My focus will not perish, Master," finally she spoke when it seemed like he had finished speaking. "I only ever think of two things. That I will kill her and how I will get there." There was nothing more and nothing less. Chloe's mind was so very driven that it kept her occupied every minute of every day and sometimes, even at night. Her hate ran deep. "How shall we proceed with this?" She asked anyway. This was how her Master wanted to proceed, that was how they would proceed.

[member="Darth Shadow"]

 

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Chloe Alince"]
Shadow chuckled softly. “You have done well, but there is another reason we will do this. There is information which you need to know which will only increase your desire for justice.”

He gestured to a pair of mats on the floor where they could meditate. When this was done, Shadow reached out and laid a pale hand on Chloe’s forehead.
“Relax, my dear…and everything shall become clear.”

A beautiful summer’s day on Naboo. Children played in the water whilst their parents watched from the shore. For the Alince family, eight year old Marius, twelve year old Chloe and eighteen year old Phylis, it was destined to be a momentous day.

Phylis was being her usual snooty, obnoxious self of course. She had totally better things to do with her time then stay here with her sister and brother. Who knew might see her?
“Hey, Phy, watch this!” Marius called. Ever the suckup.
He climbed up a tree and balanced precariously over the water.
“Be careful up there!” Jaina called anxiously.
But it was too late. With a sickening snap the branch broke and pitched the boy into the flowing current.
Suddenly there was panic and alarm, as people tried to get to the child before he drowned in the swift and treacherous current. It seemed certain that no one could reach him in time.
And then, there was Phylis, ever dramatic, ever the heroic goody-goody. She called out, extended her hand desperately towards her brother, and to the amazement of all young Marius stopped struggling and rose into the air. The invisible hand carried Marius to land gently on the sand by the water, and Phylis finally wavered and stumbled. Always the centre of attention.
Shock and awe filled the spectators, and then they began to cluster around her, cheering her, thanking her for saving her brother. She had the Force. She was the hero of the hour.

And in the background, Chloe Alince watched everything, neglected, ignored.

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

The compliment registered in her mind only to the point of strengthening what Chloe already knew. But that wasn't the relevant part in her Master's words, the brunette could distinguish as he noted the existence of information which would increase her desire for justice. He now had her complete and utter attention, her mind curious to absorb this bit.

She took his gesture and followed to the pair of mats, sitting herself down with her legs crossed Indian-style upon it. This was not the first time they would meditate of course. Usually, Chloe had little patience for meditation of any kind but her Master had made her a promise of sorts which made her open to the idea of it. His hand rested on her forehead, as his words reached her ears. At the comment, Chloe relaxed and let him guide her, as her physical body continued to breathe normally.

Eyes closing, it was mere seconds before she saw the familiar siting of Naboo in summer. She remembered days like this, where such beautiful sights were so normal they were unimpressive. She took in the exact location, her parents not too far, her little brother and even her. Phylis was there, she remembered exactly what age she was at the time. Her glare from her sister shifted only when Marius called out to eldest of them, her head in the vision snapped towards him. He was climbing up a tree. The first thought that ran to her mind how Marius would make a fool out of himself. And she said nothing. Her mother made a remark from her spot but did not come to them.

He did make a fool out of himself as the branch broke. Chloe tensed involuntarily in the real world, but did not move. She knew what was coming now. Marius always played to Phylis' hand. Mid-falling, his body stopped. In an instantly, Chloe looked to Phylis, her eyes narrowing. The eldest Alince child was waving her hand as she used the Force, even further making a spectacle of herself. She didn't have to use her hand, draw so much attention to herself, Chloe knew. Even that was proof of how much she wanted to show herself off. Her brother had been saved but needn't have even been in danger. Phylis was the big sister, she could have stopped him from endangering himself. But no, if he hadn't done it and risked his own life, Phylis wouldn't have been able to show off like that.

Her eyes never left the other girl, watching as her parents suddenly gathered to her and how even Marius gathered himself enough to rush to his sister's side to hug her. Her gaze darkened watching her. Chloe wanted to scream at the monster. How cruel and heartless she was, her brother having almost died because she hadn't even bothered to stop him.

[member="Darth Shadow"]

 

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Chloe Alince"]
The memories faded and Shadow and his Apprentice were left in the Spartan room aboard the Star Destroyer.

Shadow nodded, rising to his feet. “You deserved much better, you still deserve much better,” he told her.

“However, enough of that. I wanted to remind you of that because we have something we need to do. The first stage in your revenge is to gain the power to rise above being an Apprentice and become a Knight. However, this will be no easy task. It will be dangerous and possibly fatal. How far are you willing to go for power, for revenge?” he asked, testing her.

The Sith Lord watched her intently, waiting for her answer.

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

It was all over far too soon. When Chloe opened her eyes, the piercing blue shade was just a layer darker than usual, her face not hiding the anger she was feeling towards Phylis. Her Master gave a nod and stood up, making a remark of her deserving better. She did deserve better.

Chloe too stood up a moment later, still listening carefully to what she was told. The trip down memory lane was done with. Chloe had no complaints about that. She remembered well that day and all other days that particularly left deep scars on her soul, wrapping it into the blackness it was in now. But seeing it so clearly, opening those wounds was another thing. It woke up the strength that was necessary for her task.

The first stage of her revenge was to gain power, to be a Knight. And Master warned her how hard that would be. Chloe just nodded slowly. Life was a nightmare for years. Discovering she has powers and being found by her Master changed all that. Gave her a goal. No matter how difficult it was going to be, Chloe knew it was the path towards her goal.

How far was she willing to go for power and revenge? Her piercing blue irises looking straight up to the Sith Lord and in a heart beat, she replied: "All the way." There wasn't a single hint of doubt, a hesitation. No matter how long it took, how far she got, she would go all the way to do what she had to do. To win, to kill her. And nothing would stop her.

[member="Darth Shadow"]