A/N: Happy Star Wars Day everyone, May the Fourth be with you!

Chapter 11: Risk and Reward

Almost a month had passed before Warmaster Feore finally figured out what was so special about the droid head Avaryss had recovered on Nar Shadda. During that time, she had returned to her duties as her master's apprentice, enforcing his will, and making sure that the enemies of House Feer understood her master's displeasure.

Some missions excited or pleased her; she enjoyed the sensation of dominating a supposedly superior foe; one who thought himself above her because of the place of her birth or her status as an apprentice.

Yes…some of those missions pleased, others…not so much.

Had she been asked, she would have suggested that they hold off on any vengeance or power plays until they knew what they had recovered on Nar Shadda. Who knew what the droid's programing might reveal, unfortunately, it was not up to her. Her master was a man of ambitions, and he was also nursing a vendetta.

It was impossible to ask him to abandon either.

The situation only grew worse a week after her return. One of Lord Feer's military food shipments was destroyed while in route to its destination. Apparently, it had been exposed to some sort of bacterium while in transit. The bacteria spread quickly, infecting and rotting everything on board within a matter of hours. The entire cargo had needed to be jettisoned, destroyed before the bacteria could spread to plant life on other world. The Imperial high command was not happy, that food shipment had been needed, and now it fell to House Feer to make things right.

Avaryss' master was livid.

He did not believe for one second that this had been some random incident, or accident. The bacteria had been too virulent to simply be something born in nature.

Lord Feer's eyes turned to Darth Terrog. Whose interest and skill in viral weaponry was second to none, he viewed what had happened as a cowardly attack, a slap in the face after Lord Feer had involved Darth Baras in their feud.

He began to plot a response, and Avaryss would be the tip of this sword.

"He seeks to embarrass us, not just before the military, but the dark council as well," Feer had growled, "That cyborg made me look weak before our Imperial allies. Now I will take away something of his, something that he values."

Warmaster Feore counselled patience, but Darth Feer would not be dissuaded.

He sent Avaryss in.

The plan was simple enough.

There was an alchemist named Aarb, the man had spent the last twenty years researching the design and powering of Sith amulets. The art had been thought lost since the days of Naga Sadow, but now it seems that it had been rediscovered. Darth Terrog's interest in such things was well known, it was said that this Aarb had created dozens of pieces for the dark lord, pieces that were now being used to enhance Terrog's work and his would-be apprentices.

Feer thought it more than fair that his rival should lose his pet alchemist. It seemed like a fair exchange to him, and plus, it would deny his rival any further advantage that the man's creations might give.

It had not been hard for Lord Feer to learn the location of the Alchemist's lab. He dispatched Avaryss to not only destroy all traces of the man's work, but to silence him as well. He would not have Terrog trying to reacquire the man later.

The small estate where Terrog kept his little pet was lightly guarded; still Avaryss took no chances... She brought Thranton Rink with her, his skill at…confounding security systems proved most useful.

She was inside and cutting her way through Terrog's men before they even realized that she was there.

After Nar Shadda, Avaryss had done much to reward Mister Rink for his service. She took him on, not only a member of House Feer, but granted him a commission in the Imperial Navy as a Flight Officer, which meant he would have access to not only her ship, but other Imperial hardware as well.

When Lady Synestra had first heard about the deal, she had given her husband's apprentice a sly look.

"The boy must have done much to amuse you," she had commented.

"He is a good pilot, and a driver," Avaryss had replied, "I have need of both."

The lady of House Feer laughed.

"So…you are pleased with the rides he gives you," she said dryly, "I should have known."

It was not hard for Lord Feer's apprentice to guess the lady's meaning.

It was all Avaryss could do to hold her temper in check.

Why did people always go there? She wondered. Why did they always assume that a relationship between a man and woman would turn romantic, or at the very least physical? She had no interest in Rink, not in that way. Fehl had been enough for her, and with his death, that chapter of her life had closed, at least…for now.

She decided not to deny it. Let the woman believe what she would. Who knew, Rink might prove useful when she made her final move against House Feer.

She would let them think whatever they wanted about the two of them.

All it would do was keep her enemies off balance. Besides, Rink's heart belonged to another, she could feel that, it was as clear as day.

It was his abilities that intrigued her, nothing more.

The Imperial uniform she found for him suited him well, though he did choose a much larger coat than most officers and wore it open most of the time. A spit and polish military type would have frowned on that, but Avaryss could care less, provided Rink continued to produce results in her service.

So far…he had done just that.

From this point forward, he would serve as Avaryss' personal pilot and driver, and in exchange she agreed to help him find out what happened to his little Twi'lek girl, and provide him what he needed to build a new life for himself and his companion once he had fulfilled his usefulness to her.

Some might have called the terms too generous, but Avaryss preferred to err on the side of caution. A happy underling was a good underling, and Rink did more than earn his keep when he helped her breach Aarb's compound. His time on Nar Shadda had taught him quite a bit about neutralizing security systems, once that was done, he fell back to await her return while she cut a path through the alchemist's guards. Most were combat droids, but at least two appeared to have trained in the Sith arts, They, like Terrog, were larger than typical Sith, and possessed of an animalistic rage that made them very dangerous. It had proved to be an exciting contest, but in the end, both lay dead in the corridor outside the alchemist's lab, their heads separated from their bodies. Slaying the two had left Avaryss in an excited state, her bloodlust awakened by the violence.

She did not bother trying to breach the security door that blocked her path; she simply cut her way through with her lightsaber.

As stepped through the still smoldering opening, she found the Aarb the Alchemist crouched down behind his desk.

She smiled wickedly at him.

This, she thought, was going to be fun!

As she approached her prey, she noticed the various trinkets that he had been working on, felt the power of the dark side radiating from several of them.

The man was truly talented, she realized, it would be a shame to rid the Empire of him, but what could she do?

An order was an order.

The man cowered, trying to hide behind all his creations. She could sense the Force within him, but it was small, almost non-existent, she could see now why he worked so hard to create such wondrous things, but no amount of toys would make him stronger in the Force, it did not work that way.

"Are…are you here to kill me?" he stammered.

"Your master has insulted my master," she said matter of factly; "I think we both know how this is going to end."

"It…it doesn't have to," he said, "You are clearly a powerful young woman. I…I have created something, or rather I've started working on something that you may find interesting, it…it is yours if you agree to spare my life."

Avaryss suppressed a laugh.

The man was actually trying to bargain? Still…she could not deny that she was tempted. Of course, if her master found out she would surely be punished.

She had no desire to experience that again.

"I do not doubt your skill," she informed him, "but that does not change my master's orders. He would not be pleased if I spared your life."

As she approached she felt a slight shift in the Force, a ripple if you will. She continued to watch Aarb, the man seemed intent on holding her attention.

He is baiting a trap, she thought, she reached out with the Force trying to sense what it was, she…

Her right hand shot out, she heard a sharp gasp as she caught someone hiding behind several large crates.

Aarb's reaction was instantaneous.

"NO!" He gasped leaping from cover, "NO! PLEASE!"

Avaryss stopped him with an equally strong grip, pleased that she could manage two at once.

She smiled.

I'm getting stronger, she realized, holding two prisoners at once should have been taxing, but she felt little strain at all.

It seemed her master was true to his word.

His teachings did have positive benefits.

She used the Force to lift her would be ambusher out of hiding. Aarb was gasping trying to stop her, struggling against her grip, his reaction surprised her, at least until she realized who and what it was that had been hiding behind those crates. She glanced over, only just being able to hide a look of surprise.

"Daddy?"

The girl looked to be about ten years old, she floated before both Avaryss and her father like a bug caught in amber. She could feel the girl's fear shining like a beacon through the Force. It was so strong that the young one did not even try to struggle.

Avaryss was shocked. For a moment she could not move.

She found herself trapped in a nightmare.

"Spare her, my lord," the alchemist cried out, "Please! She…she is all I have left in this world! I beg of you! Please do not harm my little girl!"

Avaryss blinked.

She was no longer standing in the alchemist's compound; she was back on her home world of Oridanna. She was facing a disgraced overseer while Sith Trooper restrained his daughter. Darth Feer had ordered this man's death; it was her duty to carry it out.

You've moved past this, the dark side within snarled, it is not your past, the girl that this happened to is long dead, blissfully forgotten. Enjoy this moment, kill the child in front of her father, revel in his pain and hopelessness, and then grant him a quick death; that is all the mercy that such a man deserves.

She shuddered.

Her eyes darted back and forth between the two, the girl and her father, yet in that moment they looked so much like Keera and Andur Lylos.

She shook her head.

Had her master known about this? Had he known what she would have to do?

It wasn't right?

It wasn't fair?!

Her anger continued to build.

"Daddy," little girl whimpered, "Help."

The Alchemist whimpered, yet in that moment he was trying to be brave, trying to give his child hope, right up until the end.

"It will be okay, dear," he said trying to smile, "Daddy loves you."

Avaryss' eyes narrowed.

She did not hear "Daddy loves you," she heard the words "I love you Blossom."

Those words were burned into her heart, her very soul. They were Keera's father's last words to his daughter, to his little girl.

Anger turned to rage, yet it was not directed at the Alchemist and his daughter.

It was directed at her master, at Darth Feer.

She could see his cruel grinning face floating before her.

She was filled with an almost uncontrollable urge to smash that smile into splinters; to drive that face from her memory for all time.

Had he been standing there at that moment, he would have tasted Force lightning.

How dare you, she thought, how dare you put me in this position? Was this all some kind of test? Did he think it was amusing to put her in a position to face her own past? Had she not dealt with this nightmare on Korriban? Had she not proven she was worthy?!

Perhaps he had not known that this man had a daughter, perhaps he had not thought of it at all, maybe he simply saw her now only as a weapon, his weapon.

She smiled cruelly.

If that was the case he was in for big surprise.

She looked over at the alchemist.

"You offered me something in exchange for your life, for both your lives," she said coldly, professionally, "What was it?"

She felt the alchemists fear drop considerably, he must have sensed the shift in her. He was still under threat, but now he knew she was open to talk shop, to do business.

His desire burned like a beacon, he sought only to protect his child from her.

"I do have something," he admitted, " a helmet, mask, and bracer, I was making it for a specific client, to help shield them from an attack by a more powerful Force user, but it could just as well serve you as them. The designs are on the holo-projector on the table if you wish to see them."

She released the alchemist, but made sure that he was aware that she had not released the grip on his daughter. If he tried anything funny they would both die, and she would feel no shame doing so, since she had offered him a way out, and he decided to act the fool.

She nodded.

"I'm interested," she said, "Let's talk business."

The man grinned and bowed respectfully.

"As you wish, my lord," he said respectfully.

"Right this way."

IOI

An hour later the alchemist's home was in flames; another one of Dromund Kaas' rainstorms had come up so there was little chance of the fire spreading. Avaryss left the facility alone. She used her comlink to summon Mister Rink. The mission was completed. Darth Terrog had suffered a bloody nose today.

Everything was burning, except for a single large packing crate just outside the estates back entrance, it was large enough to fit two people, and a bit of the alchemist's research snuggly. Ten minutes after the fire started, a transport ship arrived and picked up the crate, taking it to secure location. The men who loaded it wore the colors of no house, but that was by design. Avaryss had used the man's hyper comm to contact Taya, who in turn had contacted her father. As far as the baron knew, he was doing a favor for Lord Feer; the alchemist would be kept safe and hidden and allowed to work. His daughter would serve as a hostage, but a well-treated one, she would be a servant in Taya's family's household while the work was being done. The girl would come to no harm and would be returned to her father upon completion of his task for Avaryss. After that, they would be free to go, they could not remain on Dromund Kaas, but at least the man and his child would have their lives, provided they wished to leave of course. Taya's father had been excited to get someone as skilled as the alchemist in his service; he might even offer the man a contract if his work proves as formidable as it seemed. Who knew, in the end, the man might not even want to leave.

Avaryss felt a surge of excitement as she made her way back to House Feer.

There was risk in what she had done, but at the same time, without risk there was no reward. Feer had put her in this position, and in doing so had reminded her that they were still enemies, even if he had forgotten that point.

She smiled as she climbed back into the speeder. Rink gunned the engine, and they were on their way back to the Feer estate.

What she had done tonight had excited her, she was almost glowing.

She looked forward to seeing what Aarb would come up with, protection against the attacks of a powerful Force user, he had promised. If he delivered, she would be most pleased.

She found herself thinking of her master, the lesson he had taught her this night.

Thank you for reminding me, my lord, she thought to herself.

Thank you for helping to hasten your own demise.

She laughed at the thought; Rink glanced over at her, but said nothing.

She smiled at him.

"We need to find pleasures in the small things, Mister Rink," she informed him.

Of course, small things could become big if given the proper time, and time is what she had.

She was Sith.

She was nothing if not patient.

IOI

After what had happened, she spent the next few weeks waiting for the blade to fall. Every time she met with her master, Avaryss expected to be punished. Days turned to weeks, and he seemed to remain ignorant of what had happened.

Avaryss was still not sure what to make of that.

Had she managed to fool her master? Was he so focused on Terrog, and the droid head that he had missed her moment of rebellion? She remained on guard, but gave no clue of what had happened. She had no desire to tip her master off to what she had done when she had spared the man's life.

Perhaps he does not know me as well as he thinks, she thought with a hint of a smile.

Perhaps it was possible to fool her beloved master.

By the time that her master and War Master Feore summoned her for a report of what he had discovered about the droid head, she had come to feel more confident than ever.

It seems that her little rebellion had been missed, that she had successfully hid the truth from her master.

She was eager to find out what else she might accomplish. Who knew what else she might be able to slip past him.

The day of the War master's report was an enlightening one. She found herself attending a briefing with not only her master, but several other Sith Lords as well. She recognized two of them from her dealings over the previous months, both were allies of House Feer. The new arrival was unknown to her a pure blood female with black tattooing on her face. Her master introduced her as Lord Infami, a recent recruit in his struggles to expand their houses power.

After a brief introduction, the war master proceeded with what he had learned.

It proved to be most enlightening.

The droid head she recovered on Nar Shadda sat on a large table in the center of the communication room, the wires in its neck plugged into a small computer terminal, which fed what it was receiving on a large holographic screen. Next to the head sat three other droid heads that Avaryss did not recognize, they too were interfaced, the data stored on their memory cores broadcast across their own screens.

Warmaster Feore let the computers scan for a few minutes more, before pausing all four screens on a small block of text. A block that was identical from all four droids.

The war master smiled triumphantly.

He had found what they were searching for.

"The program was well hidden," he informed the gathered lords, "It is not surprising that no one has caught it yet. My team and I missed it several times; it was only through one last ditch effort that we discovered this at all. As you can see, all four droids contained this program, and it is important to note that they appear to have nothing in common, they were all built by different companies, at different times, and in some cases on entirely different worlds."

"What is it," Feer asked, "Some form of espionage programing?"

"It is nothing so simplistic," the war master answered, "It is a series of commands that records everything the droid hears and sees, and when the time is right, prompts the droid to send that information out along a seemingly unrelated communications channels that lead to a central carrier signal."

Avaryss eyes widened, she might not have bene an expert in droids, but she understood what Feore was saying.

"They're microphones," she said.

The Warmaster smiled and nodded.

"Someone has turned these droids into microphones. They've been recording all our secrets!"

Again Feore nodded.

Darth Feer glared at the droid heads.

"How?" he demanded, "How has this been done?"

"I'm still working on determining that," the old pure blood said, "As I said, these droids appear to have nothing in common, they are from different owners, had been built on different worlds, but the same program is presence in all their systems.

He shook his head.

"It is a mystery, but it shall be solved in time."

Feer guests looked at each other, apparently the other droids had come from their Houses.

They were not pleased with the news.

In truth, Avaryss was not pleased either.

Droids were everywhere. They were out in the street, working within every business and Sith House on Dromund Kaas, if even half of them had this program running inside them.

The Empire itself was in danger; all their secrets may have been breached.

She was clearly not alone in thinking along those lines; the lords that joined them also looked concerned.

"How did these espionage droids miss our security checks," one of the lords demanded.

"Indeed," Lord Infami said with a feral look on her face. "My droid was inspected before it entered my service, this program could not have been there when it was purchased."

"Actually it probably was," Feore said.

Feer gave him a curious look.

"Explain, old friend."

Feore entered a few commands on his data pad, all four screens changed.

"When a droid first goes online, it brain evolves quickly, it solves dozens of problems in mere seconds, self-correcting any issue that might affect its function. A droid learns how to walk and talk in seconds of becoming active, but those original programs that helped it reach that point are not erased, they are shunted into file in the droid's brain until they are needed again. It is a basic function, any droid, regardless of position or programming possesses this secure file."

"Why not erase them," Avaryss asked, "If they are no longer needed, what is the point of keeping them?"

"Mainly for when the droid receives a complete memory wipe. The memory core is left as a blank slate, but basic programming is still needed to keep the droid from having to be rotated out of service. It simply accesses the old files, and relearns its basic functions, and adapts them to its new personality. The file, the one that contains this spy protocol is safe within that file; these programs are stored in a place where they are never erased, the file is necessary to keep the droid from developing quirks when they are wiped."

Avaryss grinned.

"So the espionage program has been hidden among those files. Most programmers see them as redundant, so they don't bother to check their contents?"

"Yes," Feore replied, "Think of it as a droid subconscious. The program runs silently within the droid, and its carrier is never the wiser. The droid fulfills its duties, and it has no idea it is spying on its master."

The old pure blood nodded.

"It is quite ingenious, if I do say so myself.

Avaryss looked at her master and his fellow lords; they did not seem to share the war master's opinion.

"Who is doing this?" Infami asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Feore answered, "I'm not sure yet how this program got into the droids, so it is impossible to guess who has been receiving this information."

"Can we isolate the carrier signal these droids are using?" Avaryss asked.

"Net yet," Feore replied, "As I said, these droids all have different functions, the information certainly must go to main carrier frequency, but we have not found it yet."

The other lords looked at Darth Feer; they all looked ready to start casting blame, no doubt thinking of blaming one of their many enemies.

Avaryss said nothing, but she had her own idea what was going on.

"What do we do, my lord," one of the lords demanded.

"Indeed," the second said, "If our own droids are spying on us, surely we must…"

"We must do, nothing," Feer said flatly.

That statement stopped all conversation.

Avaryss' master smiled.

"For the moment, whoever is responsible for this likely has no idea that we are on to them. We should keep it that way, for the time being. Your droids will be reassembled, and you will continue with business as usual, or at the very least appear to be continuing."

Lord Infami smiled.

"We could use this as a means of giving our enemies false information, or perhaps provided information on our rivals, information that might make things difficult for them."

Feer nodded.

"That is one use to be sure," he agreed, "As a Darth of the Sith Empire, I shall take personal charge of this investigation; we clearly cannot allow this to continue. My House will get to the bottom of this, and find the culprits."

"We would be most grateful, my lord," Infami said bowing her head, "The Empire itself would be most grateful."

"I live to serve the Empire," Feer said grinning slyly, "For a time, may I suggest that you not discuss this with anyone, secrecy must be maintained, at least for the time being.

The other lords nodded, accepting Feer's appraisal of the situation.

Avaryss frowned.

She was not sure that she agreed. Yet, she was smart enough not to speak of her misgivings in front of her masters guests. It was clear that the Empire was under threat. Whoever had planted these droids had proven to be both cunning and ruthless.

Defeating them would not be an easy challenge.

She said nothing until the other lords had left, and even then waited until she and her master were alone.

He must have sensed her disquiet thoughts.

He turned to her with a frown.

"What troubles you, my child," he asked, "You look nervous."

"Should we not inform the dark council of this breach, my master," she inquired, "It sounds as if we have stumbled onto something big, perhaps it would be wiser to involve them."

Feer chuckled.

"Ever the patriot, eh, Avaryss?"

She frowned.

She was a patriot, she did not deny that. She had been raised to love the Empire, to seek its protection and defense. As powerful as House Feer was, it was still a single house. This problem may prove to be empire wide.

The Empire should be united to deal with it.

"We are not the only house threatened by this, my lord," she reminded him, "If this is as wide spread as it seems to be…"

"Which is all more reason to keep things quiet," he said, "If we involve the dark council, it will open this matter up for debate, the Darths will bicker over what to do, and those that are unwilling to talk will flail at the problem and make things worse for all of us. Some may even accuse their rivals of being a part of it, and seek to use this as an excuse to obliterate them. This information could be a time bomb, apprentice, by telling others we might light the fuse that causes the entire empire to implode."

Avaryss nodded, her master's reasoning was sound, but still…

"We have an opportunity here," Feer said grinning, "Why do you think Baras was involved, why do you think he wanted the droid head?"

Avaryss gave him an arched look.

"You think he knows about this?"

"I think he suspects, and if he does, then it is possible that Lord Vengean does as well, Baras would not risk his master's displeasure by hiding something this big."

"You think he might be using this to destabilize his own enemies?"

"It is possible," Feer agreed, "Baras is a very clever man. Perhaps he even thought to try to take control of…whatever it is that we have stumbled upon."

Her master gave her a hungry look.

"That is what I intend to do apprentice. I wish to turn this problem to our advantage. It cannot stay secret forever, but we might as well get some use out of it, while we can."

Avaryss frowned.

"What about the culprits, they will not simply let us seize their spy program, and if it is who I think it is, we will have to rip it from their cold dead hands."

Feer's eyes glinted with excitement.

"You have your own theory on who is responsible for this outrage?"

Avaryss nodded.

It was not that hard to figure out.

Who benefitted from knowing Imperial secrets, who wished to see the Empire harmed as a whole? Whose intelligence agents had grabbed Thranton Rink, and tortured him.

Yes, Avaryss had an idea of who was behind this.

She was most eager to make them pay.

"This is a violation of the Treaty of Coruscant," she said, "The dark council must be told."

"And they will be, but when it benefits us the most, apprentice," Feer said putting his arm around her.

"Tell me, should we drop a problem into the council's lap, or should we present them with a story of our victory. How we discovered the problem, solved it, and brought those responsible to heel. Which outcome do you think the council will be happier with?"

Avaryss considered what he was saying, she even smiled.

"They would prefer hearing that we found a solution to the problem," she agreed.

"Now imagine the gratitude they would feel," he added, his voice becoming silky, more seductive, "What rewards would they offer us for dealing with the matter for them?"

Avaryss' grin blossomed into a full smile. In that moment, she set her hatred for her master aside; she would need him to work the angles here on Dromund Kaas while she dealt with the problem off world.

Somethings were worth putting your hatred aside for, at least temporarily.

"We would be heroes," she said, her crimson eyes flashing, "We would be Heroes of the Empire!"

"And our rewards would be great, a seat on the council for me, and a full lordship for you, maybe even a chance to become a Darth."

He gave her arm a joyful squeeze.

"Tell me my dear, how would you like to become a Darth before your nineteenth birthday?"

The thought made her shudder with pleasure.

Darth Avaryss.

She had thought it a goal for much later in her life, a lordship she could have early on, but if she did this, she might just be able to become one of the youngest Darths in the Empire.

Could she pass that opportunity up?

Who could?

"You will need to keep things spinning for us here," she said, "When Warmaster Feore learns who created this spy program, we will need to move quickly, and quietly, before our rivals get wind of it."

"Agreed," Her master said, "I will keep them...occupied."

He gave her a warm look.

"So tell me, my dear, do you want to be a good little Sith, or a Hero of the Empire?

Avaryss smiled slyly.

Did he really have to ask?

She nodded eagerly.

"As soon as we have a target, I'll be ready," she promised.

"I will hunt the culprits down and destroy them."

"I know you will," he said, "You are mine."

"Yes I am," she said letting him lead her, happy to be in service, at least for now.

"I'm ready," she said smiling.

"Let's be heroes."