Like I said in the summary, this story follows after the ending of the SI storyline in SWTOR. If you have not finished this yet and you are not a fan of spoilers, don't read this till you finished the SI story.
I wrote this because I noticed a lot of people (including myself) were not happy that there was no real possible way to turn Ashara Zavros to the dark side. I'd love to share my vision on how this could have gone.
That said, I also like to point out I am Dutch and Enlgish is not my native language. Though I do my best to pull out mistakes, some might still be in there. I hope you will enjoy the first chapter and I really am keen on hearing your feedback. :)
Last but definately not least: Gyikhu thanks again, your the best!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to Bioware etc.
Chapter 1, The beginning of the end.
It took all the effort, all the strength she had not to cry. But no matter the battle, one tear still managed to defeat all her efforts. The tear drop left her eye and slid down the Togruta's cheek. Startled, the Jedi looked up, hoping no one had seen that tear falling down her cheek. A Jedi in a room full of Sith and Imperial soldiers. Ashara couldn't even come to think of what would happen if they spotted her crying, showing weakness. However, she soon realized that her worries were pointless, all the attention in the control room went to the reason the tear had escaped in the first place.
Her new master, the woman responsible for Ashara's presence here, was praised for yet another successful mission against the republic. The Jedi could only watch and stand powerless when the Republic vessel had been shattered to pieces by the force of the weapon this Imperial spaceship possessed. The Togruta had already seen several republic forces being destroyed by the Darth, but this attack…it had been different. Not only had Ashara felt the presence of Jedi on that vessel, but she had seen the report of the attack. The report held a list of the people present on that ship. The names on the list mostly were Jedi highly ranked in the republic. And while she still felt sorry for their losses, none of those names were of any kind of interest to her. There was only one name on that list that she cared about. A name from a past not so far away.
The owner of this name was Bynder Secura, a Twi'lek, a man who she had grown up with. Ashara couldn't hide her smile when she brought her thoughts back to those memories. As children they had been friends. Later when they got older they'd developed feelings for each other. Ashara would always find time in her busy training schedule, she wouldn't let a day go by without spending it with him. It was the best time of her life, the Togruta could not have wished for anything else. But then Master Ryen had showed up and taken her with him to Taris to continue her Jedi training. This went from the best time of her life to possibly the worst thing she could have ever imagined. Even being forced to serve a Sith was not as bad as that day had been.
As the joyful memory lead her to the painful one, the smile on her face reacted to it and slowly faded. The battle against the tears continued, making the Jedi wonder why she was torturing her own mind. The relationship with Bynder had never been allowed due to the Jedi code. Because of this it had been impossible to say goodbye to the Twi'lek. Ashara hadn't even been given the time to tell him about her transfer to Taris. But she had seen him, she had seen his face just before the shuttle departed. He'd hidden himself behind a few transport crates, positioned dangerously close to the shuttle. Bynder believed it to be worth the risk. He'd had one last chance to see her and Ashara was forever grateful he had taken that chance. She could still see herself reaching out, fingers pressed tightly against the window, wishing she was down there next to him and not in that damned shuttle.
Now, years later, this was the only memory she would ever have of him. Ashara had always held hope, maybe after her training she could go back to him. Jedi code or not, Bynder was all that mattered to her. That last bit of hope had now been scattered to pieces by that blasted pureblood Sith, an abomination that lived to make everyone's life as miserable as possible. The Togruta locked her eyes on the Darth who was spitting out orders. Those red eyes, the almost similar colored skin infected with those disgusting veins that proved just how evil she actually was. Darth Kallig, the one responsible for the death of Ashara's lover. The Togruta could feel the anger burn in her eyes. Only one thing was on her mind right now, walk over to the Darth and kill her slowly and very painfully.
Completely unexpected Kallig looked up from her conversation with the Moff and met the seething eyes of the Togruta. While this caught the young woman completely off guard, Ashara found herself unable to pull her eyes away from the Sith. The anger ran through her, she could feel her blood pump inside her body with every heartbeat. Her fury was free, released from the cage it had been trapped in, there was no stopping it. In any other situation she would have been scared and ashamed. Scared because the Sith would most likely not be pleased by the arrogance and anger the Togruta was currently emitting. Ashamed because anger was a dangerous emotion, one Master Ryen had warned her about. Yet Ashara let it control her, the consequences be damned.
But the reaction of the Sith did not have the consequences that Ashara had expected. To her own knowledge, the last person who looked at Kallig this way ended up being force choked to death, really slowly. The Jedi expected the same thing to happen to her, or at least some form of punishment that would publicly display once more how powerful the Sith was. Instead Kallig remained where she was and none of her reactions indicated that Ashara was on really thin ice. This only increased the frustration and anger inside of her. Why was she just standing there, why didn't Kallig even show one small sign of anger in return?
That was it. Ashara had reached her boiling point. She would walk over there and demand an explanation, she would demand her freedom. Ashara was tired of being here and she refused to spend even a second longer at the side of this Sith, this abomination responsible for the death of her lover. Taking a deep breath, she advanced towards Kallig. She was confident but scared at the same time. Actually, the Jedi was mostly just scared. What was she thinking, confronting one of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy in a room filled with Imperials. That certainly wouldn't make Kallig very happy. Good, Ashara thought. She would put an end to this one way or another, it might even mean the end of her life but Ashara didn't care. At least then she would be with Bynder again. It would happen now, freedom or death.
No matter how determined she was right now, it seemed someone objected. A hand locked itself around her arm and Ashara felt her body being yanked backwards, losing sight of the Sith immediately. Instead, her seething eyes now found contact with a dark skinned man wearing an eye patch. Andronikus must have noticed her anger and probably was smart enough to stop Ashara in her tracks, though the Togruta was too stubborn to admit that.
"What are you doing?"
With a forceful yank she pulled her arm free. Ashara did not answer him, she simply turned around again with the same idea she had earlier; confront Kallig. But again she found herself being pulled back. This time he grabbed both her arms and held her with more strength. Ashara tried to worm herself free again, but found that this time he wouldn't let her go so easily. With every struggle he increased his grip on her arms, forcing a small cry of pain out of the young Jedi.
"Andronikus, let go of me."
The former pirate shook his head. "Not until you've come to your senses. What is wrong with you anyway? Why are you so angry…hmm?" he demanded to know, refusing to let go of her arms.
Who was he to demand an explanation from her? He was just a pirate, he couldn't hold her back. She would only have to use one force attack and Andronikus would be flying to the other side of the room. But the Jedi knew he was not holding her back to protect his wife. He did this to protect Ashara as they both knew what would happen if he let her go to Kallig. Only, driven by her rage, the Togruta didn't seem to care much about it. Luckily for her, Andronikus still had his senses and probably saved her life right there and then.
"That's none of your business." She spat at him and attempted another escape from his grip.
But Andronikus was determined, he would not let her go until she calmed down.
"If it comes to you putting your life at stake, I will make it my business. If you want me to let you go, tell me what's going on." He said sternly.
The young woman looked up, he was definitely determined. The only way to free herself from his painful grip was indeed to cooperate. Or of course she could create that scene she was longing for so much a few minutes ago. But because of the pirate's interruption the Jedi was having doubts now. Was this really what she wanted, creating a scene, making a fool out of herself and probably getting killed in the process for her arrogance towards a Dark Council member? Would Bynder have approved this deluded idea of avenging his death? No, Andronikus was right, she let her anger take control of her, the Togruta had done something for which she had been warned plenty of times by her old master.
Ashara would not fall for it, not over the death of her lover. She would not stoop that low. Her eyes closed and she sucked in as much air as possible to calm herself. There is no emotion, there is only peace, she kept repeating this in her head. The Jedi stopped her struggles and relaxed herself in Andronikus' grip. He was allowed to look her directly in the eyes. Now he could see Ashara had calmed down and that she was grateful he stopped her from probably doing the most stupid thing in her life.
"You are right, Andronikus. I'm sorry…" she said softly.
"What's the reason behind all this anger, Ashara?" he asked and finally let go of her arms.
Startled the Togruta lowered her head, allowing herself to stare blankly at the floor. She didn't want to talk about it and definitely not towards Andronikus. Actually, the only thing on her mind right now was getting out of this room as quickly as possible and retreat to her quarters. Ashara longed for privacy now, where she could cry and mourn the loss of her lover even though they had not been together for years.
"I…I can't…"
The Jedi wondered why she just didn't answer him. Beside Andronikus there wasn't anyone she could talk to on this ship. Talos never really been the touchy type and well let's face it, if she considered talking to Khem or Xalek about this then there definitely was a screw loose in her head. But she couldn't talk about it, not here, not in a crowded place like this. Ashara was certain she would burst out in tears and she didn't want to make herself look weak.
Andronikus moved his hand forward in an attempt to pull her head back up. He was such a confusing man. One moment he can be harsh and careless, and the next moment he can be kind and caring. It was all so confusing to her. Sometimes she wondered what he was seeing in the Sith he married. But when he would show his dark character it would all make sense to her again and he wasn't any different compared to the rest of the crew.
The touch of his hand on her face brought her back to reality, a wave of emotions shot through her body. He wanted her to look at him again, Ashara refused. She had to leave immediately or a bomb of cropped up emotions would explode at the wrong time and place. The Togruta brushed his hand away from her face, with her eyes locked on the exit she started a high pace to reach it as quickly as possible.
"I have to go…just...leave me alone for now."
Andronikus could not stop her again, but this time there was no reason to either. At least that deluded look in her eyes was gone. The pirate couldn't come to think what would have happened to the Jedi if he hadn't stopped her. Though he would love to know what had caused all that anger in the first place. Sometimes he wondered why Kallig had taken her in. This was no place for a young Jedi like her. And it looked as if Ashara was slowly realizing this as well. But something recent must have triggered that anger.
"Andronikus."
The pirate looked up when a gentle but strong hand placed itself on his shoulder. His head turned, and he found himself looking at the woman he had married. She offered him a curious look and Andronikus instantly knew what was going through her mind. He could usually tell what she was thinking, up till a point that got too dark even for him. But this time it was easy to guess, mostly because Ashara had only just left his side.
"Something happened during the assault." He started explaining. "Something big enough to trigger her anger."
A smile formed on the Sith's face. Ashara showing anger, moments like that had been rare from the Jedi. Though Kallig savored it every time it happened. Sadly enough, she missed most of it this time. Only once after today's assault she had looked up at the Jedi and seen a rather disapproving look aimed at herself. Unfortunately the orders Kallig was giving the Moff at that time were more important and the Sith had no choice but to ignore it. But hearing the pirate's words now sounded like music to her ears.
Even better, with this outburst still fresh in the Jedi's memory it was important that Kallig would go to Ashara and talk about it. Moments like this were rare, moments where she was confused, angry, fighting her feelings. These emotions were vital to Kallig's plan, they had been rare but when it happened, the Sith had to take full advantage of it. The pureblood considered it a challenge and if successful, it would also be a confirmation of how powerful she could be. Not just to herself, but also to her fellow council members.
Turning Ashara Zavros to the dark side, that was the difficult but definitely not impossible task at hand. It was a long term task, a job that could not be rushed. But ever since Kallig had been put in contact with the Jedi, she had been determined to accomplish this. The short holo recordings she had seen during her quest to find the Jedi had shown signs. Small signs, but more than enough for the pureblood to accept her own challenge.
"What's your mind wondered off to this time?" she heard her husband's voice next to her.
The Sith smiled, Kallig knew he could quite often tell what she was thinking about. But not this time and he was not to blame for it. This was a Sith's way of thinking, and of course a mere pirate like him could never comprehend this. But she'd rather not tell him this, he would be offended.
"It wondered off to how I've always loved those rare moments where Ashara is showing her true colors," she answered him.
Andronikus shrugged at her words. He was the only one of her crew that formed some sort of bond with the Togruta. The pirate knew of Kallig's plans to turn her to the dark side, but the Sith was well aware that there was doubt about this in Andronikus' mind.
"Why the shrug, my love? You know of my intensions to turn her," she said, confronting him.
He nodded but there still was uncertainty in his eyes. Was he going to have second thoughts about this? Andronikus had said he would assist Kallig in this matter. If he changed his mind now it would definitely not please her.
"I know, I know…it's just, I would probably just have to get used to the new and improved Ashara if you manage to turn her, that's all."
Kallig actually felt slightly insulted by the last few words he had said. If she managed to turn her? If? Did he not have faith in her abilities, in how strong her connection with the force is?
"If?" she wondered aloud this time.
Startled, the pirate looked up to his wife, realizing he had probably insulted Kallig. Though of course not intentionally, but he knew he had to be careful with how he chose his next words or he would end up in an argument with the pureblood, and he really was not looking forward to that. The pirate opened his mouth to confront her, but not long after he closed it again. Frankly, he didn't know what to say to talk himself out of this situation.
"I think the word you were looking for was when, and not if." Kallig said, smiling wickedly at him.
He felt as if there was a huge weight removed from his shoulder. She was teasing him. Though he didn't really like it, Andronikus preferred this over an argument with his wife. Due to her excellent abilities in manipulation and reading emotions he usually ended up losing arguments with her. The pirate couldn't help but smile at this, this is who she was. A Sith that over a short time managed to move herself up at the chain of command. Even the other council members respect her and maybe even feared her now. And yet, despite these facts, she could also be kind and caring, even to Xalek and Khem.
This was the woman he had married, and he didn't regret it. But Andronikus should not dwell into this for too long. If Kallig wanted to make use of Ashara's anger, she better go find the Togruta now or the window of opportunity would close.
"You're right, I'm sorry." He said, still apologizing to her. "You should go to Ashara, have a talk about what happened."
Kallig nodded in agreement. "I should indeed, I assume she went to her quarters?" she asked and received a nod in response.
"Very well, make sure Moff Errins does his work. He didn't look too happy when I gave him his orders."
She watched as the pirate turned to the Moff. "You got it." He said while he advanced towards the Imperial.
Knowing she could completely trust this task to her husband, Kallig turned and made her way to Ashara. She had a good feeling about this. Depending on what exactly her anger was based on, this conversation could lead to the next step in her quest to turn the Togruta to the dark side.
Kallig longed for the day where Ashara would finally embrace the darkness. So many more opportunities would present itself. There was no doubt the Jedi held a lot of information about the Republic. Ashara would never allow Kallig to know this while she still had these idiotic Jedi believes in her head. But once turned, the Togruta would see the great things a Sith could achieve with the dark side of the force at her advantage. Ashara would no longer be a Jedi, she would be a Sith and fight for interests of the latest addition to the Dark Council.
But this time was not upon them yet. This had to be done one step at the time. Another step was about to be taken. The door to Ashara's quarters was dead ahead. Kallig had been standing in front of it for a few seconds already. The pureblood took a deep breath, it was time to confront the Jedi with her anger. With a bit of luck Kallig could manipulate her enough for the next stage of her plan and then it wouldn't be long anymore before Ashara would no longer call herself a Jedi. She would be a Sith.