Chapter 66: Choice

"Why did you decide to become a Sith?"

The question caught her off guard, the group was still moving through the station, and, according to Holli's map, getting closer to the Control and Communications console.

They would need to secure that, it was the only way to send the engineer's data spike to the droids outside. Yet the question had not been about that.

Avaryss frowned.

Why?

That was a curious question, given her history.

"There was never much of a choice," she informed Vey Ilo, the Jedi Master's interest surprised her. She was Sith.

Did it really matter how she got here?

The creature seemed…intrigued by her. Perhaps it was the darkness that she kept contain within her, perhaps the Sith's choices made her curious.

Though she was not here to simply feed a Jedi' curiosity, she was willing to humor her.

Who knew what she might learn, if the Jedi was foolish enough to trust her.

"I was seized by Imperial forces," she said, "They offered me a chance to serve the Empire, and to get the revenge I sought."

"Revenge for what?"

A shiver ran down Avaryss' spine.

She…she did not like talking about this, not even with Beric, not with anyone.

"For the death of my family," saying the words out loud to someone made something within Avaryss twist, painfully, she did not like discussing this, even after all this time, even after everything that had happed since...

She could feel Keera's presence now, more than ever. Was it because she was so close to Fenn, or were the Jedi doing something to her, stoking the fires of the light inside of her.

Shock the little creature, the darkness whispered, silence her.

The young Sith smiled.

"I killed those that did it in a fit of rage. Their master…my master saw value in what I had done, he offered me his patronage. I did not know it at the time, but when he came to claim me I accepted his offer. I agreed to become his apprentice."

Vey Ilo blinked, her expression was…grim?

"You serve the man who ordered the death of your family?"

Avaryss smiled, it was a cold and cruel thing.

"Can you think of a better way to get close to someone? He is within reach of my lightsaber, and one day, it will find him."

"I see," the Jedi master replied.

Avaryss rolled her eyes.

She doubted that.

Despite their adherence to the light, the Jedi were proving to be able companions. Terrog's forces hid in ambush, only to be destroyed when they sought to emerge and attack.

Both Jas Dar Bynn and Shyra Viel were once again proving their skill. Fenn was equally impressive, but then how could he not. She was not one to accept weakness, not in her chosen male.

Not in one she desired.

They had been hounded every step of the way. Sith troopers as well as Terrog's…experiments seemed to be waiting for them on every level, the worst of these had revealed itself while they had been passing through a large balcony containing what seemed to have been a series of what looked like kolto tanks, misshapen bodies floating inside, as they had tried to pass by, one the creature within had awoke and smashed through the glass. It had flung Fenn and Master Jas back into a console behind them.

Before the creature could continue the attack both Avaryss and Shyra Viel had leapt in and drove it back. The Jedi had gone low while the Sith had went high. The creature had lost both its legs and an arm, yet still it did not yield, it still snapped and bit and used the Force to try and reach its prey.

Its features were fluid, switching quickly between humanoid and something more…animalistic, just as Shyra herself did.

The Jedi looked down on the broken thing with…pity, sadness.

Avaryss put it out of its misery; she reached out with the Force and snapped its neck.

The creature's head twisted with a satisfying crunch!

Far better a fate than the misshapen thing had deserved, but they did not have time for anything else.

The mission still came first.

Shyra knelt down before it, touching the face of thing; Avaryss could sense the doubt in the Jedi, the pain at what she was seeing.

Terrog had created her; that is what Master Jas had said during their adventure aboard the Wreck.

Perhaps the Jedi girl had been birthed from a similar tank? Perhaps seeing this thing dead took her back to that time.

Avaryss smiled.

She decided to twist the blade.

"Family member," she asked dryly, "I do see a bit of a resemblance.

"Shut up," the Padawan growled.

"Terrog has been busy," she added, "Maybe he has returned to whatever work he was doing when you were born."

"Quiet," the beast girl spat

The Sith smirked, enjoying the girl's pain. Xen giggled while the Jedi said nothing.

Waiting to see what the young Padawan would do?

"Keera," Fenn warned.

Avaryss did not stop.

"Who knows mongrel, maybe you will get lucky on this mission. Maybe Terrog created a male…whatever it is that you are."

She laughed lightly.

"Wouldn't that be nice? A male who might be able to…"

The Jedi looked up at her, her features starting to morph into their more animalistic state. Her anger flashed through her eyes. She looked about to spring, to lunge like a predator towards a prey animal's throat

Avaryss was not worried.

She was no one's prey.

"Silence witch," Shyra spat. "You have no idea what I am.

"I prefer the term sorceress, actually. As to what I prefer for myself, I…"

"I don't give a damn what you prefer. I'll…"

Padawan," Vey said trilled softly, her musical voice soothing.

"Enough."

The beast girl nodded. She took a deep breath and blew out her anger, but through the Force she still radiated with a desire to seize Avaryss by the throat and start squeezing.

The Sith shrugged.

She could relate to such desires.

"You did not have to do that," Fenn reminded her.

"We're fighting together, why provoke her?"

Avaryss shrugged.

He would not understand.

She cared for him, possibly more than simply cared, but he was not Sith…he wouldn't get it.

Shyra Viel had embarrassed her during their first meeting; she longed to pay the abomination back.

They were allies for the moment, but that would not always be the case.

She welcomed the chance to settle up with her…to finally settle matters between them.

One day, no one would get between them when they dueled, and on that day only one would walk away.

Avaryss was determined that it would be her.

Having dealt with the creature they moved on. Terrog's guards continued to harry them, and more alchemical beasts continued to slither, crawl or bound down the walkways, seeking to block their path.

The group met them all, turning them back with a ferocity that even a Sith master would respect.

Avaryss could feel the dark side pulsing within this place. The way it hung over everything, even pushing the Jedi to a savagery that they might not normally turn to.

They have to hold back, the Sith realized, fortunately for her and her apprentice, that was not the case.

Avaryss and Xen were in their element however, the dark side made them strong.

"I thought this place was supposed to be a medical station? Xen said, "That is what the Imperial spies thought."

Vey laughed lightly at her comment.

"Have you ever felt such darkness in a medical station? Do you honestly believe that is what this place was? We are far from any main hyperspace route, even the Rakata would have had to use those routes, so why put a station for their soldiers in such an isolated location?"

Xen pursed her lips, thinking about this.

Avaryss shook her head.

She thought she got it now.

They had seen nothing that looked like medical wards on the way up. Most of the examination tables they had passed were outfitted with restraints. Those chemical tanks they had seen were not of Sith design which suggested that they had always been here.

Adding up those facts led to one singular conclusion.

"This was not a medical station," she said flatly, "It was a research lab, possibly military."

The Sith nodded thoughtfully.

"The Rakata used this place for weapon's research, the kind of research that they would not wish to be conducted on their home worlds."

"They were making plagues here," Shyra growled, the fur on the back of her neck standing up, her features slowly morphing into a more animalistic.

"Research and development," she snarled, "These…Rakata were no better than Terrog!"

"If what is believed about them is true," Avaryss said dryly, "they were likely worse."

"And the Force abandoned them," Vey said, "and their empire fell."

"Good," her apprentice said.

"These people did not deserve the gifts of the Force."

"That was debatable, Avaryss thought, the Rakata were likely the first true disciples of the dark side. It had made them strong, led them to build an empire, and then…

She frowned.

The Rakata had lost their connection to the Force!

A scenario played out in her mind.

It was not a pleasant one.

What if Terrog had not created the Fydon Virus? He was skilled, but what if he had not made it…what if he had found it…found it here? What if the virus had already been here or the station's computer had had instructions on how to create it?

Bad things had happened here once; she could sense the echo of them. What if the Rakata had lost their connection to the Force because of a disease, a virus, and what if the virus that broke the Rakata's connection to the Force had not been something born in nature? What if it had been a weapon created in lab?

What if the virus had escaped, or been released by feuding rivals?

What If this station is where the Rakata's fall had begun?

What if this place destroyed their empire?

The thought of such an occurrence gave her pause. She knew what her master wanted, for her to unleash the virus on the Republic fleet, but what if by doing so the virus was able to make it away from here? Did she dare risk the future of the Sith by unleashing such a plague on the galaxy?

No, she thought.

No, she could not obey her master, not in this!

She would not put the empire at risk so that Feer could impress the dark council. Darth Marr had given her an order, the virus needed to be destroyed utterly. The vaccine would be seized, but that was it, it would need to be distributed to all in the Sith Empire, just in case Terrog had hidden any samples of this plague, to make sure that it was neutralized forever.

This weapon had to die with the cyborg. She could not let a single trace of it survive.

Her master would be angry, furious, but she did not care.

She would not risk the entire Sith Empire just for his vanity.

She said none of this to Xen, Holli, or the Jedi. It was none of their business or concern.

It was her choice, her decision.

She was prepared to live with the consequences.

Let him try to punish me, she thought.

Perhaps this is how it would finally happen.

Maybe this was how they would finally face each other, master against apprentice.

It would be the ultimate test, and it was not the only one.

Avaryss nodded.

This whole place was a test, she thought, those of the dark side are drawn to it; it fuels our ambitions and darkest desires.

She found herself thinking of the old man in her vision, the one she had seen chanting and vowing before the brazier.

Could that man have been the Emperor? Could the master of them all taken an interest in her success and was seeking to test her loyalty?

If he was, he would find her a leal servant.

Fear not master of us all, she thought, I'm a daughter of the Empire, one of your many loyal children. I will see the traitor Terrog punished for his foolish attempt to defy you.

I will do it.

Avaryss was not afraid.

She was a patriot to the bone.

She would defend their Empire!

Let their enemies beware.

They had come to junction point when the next attack fell upon them. Enemies dropped down from the walkway above, the sight of the attackers were disturbing to say the least.

These were no ordinary Sith troopers.

Their head were mostly cybernetic, their eyes replaced by what looked like night vision optics, and their chests and necks looked like they were mechanically reinforced.

Their hands and feet were claw-like droid appendages, as they engaged their target, those hands split open to reveal a variety of weapons.

The group of Force users had had little warning, whatever Terrog had done to these things seemed to mask them in the Force, hiding their presence until it was almost too late.

Almost.

There were six of them. Four attacked the Jedi Masters while the remaining two came for Avaryss, Holli, and the students.

Fenn engaged one with Xen backing him up, the two Padawan Pack members still fought well despite the turn in Xen's allegiance. The second dropped down on Holli and Shyra, its clawed metal feet, crushing the two of them down onto the floor.

It rotated its waist around, confronting Avaryss its hands opening up to reveal a lightsaber blade and electro-cudgel.

She blasted the cyborg with Force lightning too little effect, it seems that Terrog had prepared his creations for that type of response.

It missed with its cudgel, as Avaryss parried its lightsaber blade, reversing her strike she took off the weapons emitter, the blade vanished.

The cyborg swung its club snarling.

Terrog's pet would not go down easy.

She fell back and switched tactics, she could hear both the Engineer and beast girl crying out…the machine-thing's clawed feet were pushing down harder on both their backs; it was trying to break their spines, or worse.

Avaryss reached out with the Force, she lifted the thing into the air, it tried to hold onto its prey, but with deck no longer pushing down into their chests; Holli and Shyra now had room to maneuver.

The beast girl shoved her lightsaber into one of the thing's leg joints, sparks flashed as she damaged the components inside. It released its hold on her.

While everyone was distracted, Holli used her abilities to flow out of the assassin's grip she slithered back and within seconds of being free, pulled out her sidearm and started shooting.

It creature roared and struck back violently, swinging its arms back and forth, trying to get at those that were hurting it.

Holding it through the Force with one hand, Avaryss reached out again with the other, she used her powers to tear out the wires leading up into the creature's head, sparks and oil ran out, and down the things chest, the formerly organic being screamed. It was a scream that was part cry for help and part droid code.

The neck and spine may have been armored, but that did not save the doomed…thing. As it finally lost its grip on both Shyra, Holli and the deck, she blasted it again with Force lightning, it did little to the armor, but the fluids flowing out of its damaged parts caught fire.

Finally, distracted, fatally so, Avaryss flung the monster off the walkway. Its electronic screams echoed as it fell out of sight, the fires burning its skin faded to nothing as it the creature disappeared down the shaft.

Avaryss nodded.

So end all, who tried to oppose her.

The price of resistance.

She had no time to celebrate however, the danger had not passed.

She looked down on Holli and the mongrel; they did not seem permanently damaged.

"Are you well, ensign?" she asked.

"I'm okay," the changeling replied, "thank you, my lord."

Avaryss gave Shyra a sarcastic grin.

"Do you have anything to say?" she asked, "Anything you would like to say to me?"

"I did not need your help," she said, though grudgingly, the young Sith could sense a small amount of gratitude, mixed with shame.

It was a delicious combination to be sure.

You are welcome, she thought, with a pleasant smile.

Now live with the fact that you needed my help to survive.

Fenn and Xen Loor seemed okay; the two knew each other's moves and had dealt with their opponent with some ease. Vey and Jas Dar Bynn still lived as well, though the human Jedi was injured, he knelt on the deck clutching at his arm.

Avaryss could feel the Force flowing around the Jedi, his body cleansing itself through the power of the light.

Had the Jedi been poisoned? Terrog was not above using poisoned weapons.

She found herself grateful that the Fydon virus had not been used to coat the blade; it would be most unfortunate to lose Master Jas to such an ignoble end.

When he died, Avaryss wanted to be the one to kill him. She wanted him to die combat, as a test of both her skills and commitment

Such a death would be worth great prestige.

Their journey paused while Master Jas healed himself, Shyra and Fenn watched the path forward while Avaryss, Xen, and Holli watched the way they had come, to make sure no one was following in hopes of taking them in the rear.

Again Avaryss found Vey Ilo at her side, the Jedi wished to speak with her again, it seemed.

She rolled her eyes.

Wonderful.

"Thank you for saving my Padawan," she said, "Shyra will not say the words, but she is grateful as well."

Avaryss sneered.

"I was saving my engineer; we will need her when we reach the control room."

Vey smiled.

Apparently she did not believe the young Sith's pragmatic answer.

So what, Avaryss thought.

Who gave a damn what the Jedi thought!

"I will kill your apprentice, one day," Avaryss promised her.

"She will not be grateful when that day comes."

"If it comes," Vey said.

Avaryss shrugged.

They would see.

"My Padawan and I spoke of you when she returned from the Wreck; she did not understand why she felt so hostile towards you. You are not the first Sith she has faced."

"She should count herself lucky," Avaryss said, "Not many Jedi have survived encounters with me."

Vey twittered softly, a laugh the Sith supposed.

Perhaps the alien still did not understand what she was dealing with.

Avaryss was no mere lark.

She was servant of the dark side.

There was nothing to joke about, not when it came to her."

"You are much alike, in many ways," Vey said with a hint of a smile.

"It is no surprise that you do not get along; looking into a mirror can be hard at times."

Avaryss sneered at that.

"We are nothing alike."

"Are you sure," the Jedi asked, "Both of you were born into darkness. You have both pledged yourselves to the Force, and to orders and ideals that are bigger than yourselves, and you both are willing to give your lives in defense of those ideals."

Avaryss frowned.

The Jedi filth knew nothing.

"I'm a loyal daughter of the Empire," she said, "A servant and master of the dark side."

"And Shyra is true to the Jedi and the Republic," Vey said, "As I said, you two have much in common."

The young Sith's eyes narrowed.

The Jedi was mad! She had to be.

She reached out with the Force, her touch gentle the beast girl was her rival, she would see the difference between them. She would see…

Her breath caught in her throat.

She sensed Shyra Viel, her loyalty to her friends and master, her desire to protect the Republic and Jedi Order that had taken her in, and under that…beyond that.

When Shyra looked at Fenn, when she dared glance in his direction, she felt something else too.

Desire, wanting, the girl wanted Fenn to notice her, to see her as more than what he thought now.

She wanted his desire.

She wanted…his love.

Jealousy flared in Avaryss' breast.

You can't have him, beast.

HE IS MINE!

She might have attacked the girl then and there if there were not more of Terrog's monsters approaching them, both from the front and behind.

Avaryss snarled and drew her lightsaber. She harnessed her rage, the desire to kill the mongrel Jedi and turned it towards Terrog's pawns.

The creatures howled as they approach Avaryss and her allies.

More puppets, Avaryss thought, more pawns for them to destroy, but still no Terrog…

…And no Fehl.

The hate she felt in that moment for her former lover burned like acid in her veins.

She had never beaten Fehl in combat; in all the times that they had spared on Korriban she had never once defeated him.

She was determined to do so now, no matter what enhancements that Terrog had given him, they would not be enough.

She would destroy him utterly.

She would let Fenn watch, she would prove both her strength and her dominance by slaying Terrog's greatest champion.

He would see her superiority, and any affection he felt for a certain animal would never grow into anything else.

She would prove herself the strongest.

No matter what it took!

Master Jas made it back to his feet, he joined the others in the defense, but he slower now.

Still they made short work of Terrog's beasts, all but the one that travelled with them.

She would deal with that one…soon enough.

IOI

When they finally reached the con-comm Avaryss was in no mood for talking.

No sooner has the doors opened then she leapt into the room, killing anything in her path.

She fought like one possessed. Her hate and anger fueling her powers.

Fenn looked at her as she tore through the enemy, was he shocked by what he saw, was he impressed by her skill and savagery.

She could not say for sure, yet the bond between them remained strong.

Such a bond would be very hard to break.

The battle was over quickly, none of the guards or technicians here escaped, the droids had even been slagged.

Shyra walked up to her, a disapproving sneer on her face.

"You couldn't even spare those that were unarmed, could you?"

Avaryss wheeled on her, her red eyes burning like volcanic flame.

"We do not have time to coddle prisoners. Terrog must be stopped."

Holli slipped past the two interrupting any further conversation or argument.

The engineer plugged her data pad into the nearest console; she brought up the commands for the communication's system.

They would now have a direct link to the droids.

Now she had to decide what to do with it.

On the screen above the panel, they could see where the Sith Fleet waited, and also where the Republic Fleet had fallen back to when they realized what had happened.

Once the data spike was in, there would be no going back.

She needed to decide what she was going to do…now.

Holli contacted Taya and the two smugglers they had endured several attacks by Terrog Forces, but…they were standing by.

Avaryss took a closer look at the screen, at the deployment of the enemy force.

The droids still held their position between the two fleets and the station. Terrog's forces remained in-between and seemed to be forming up in some type of entrapment formation, preparing to deal with any ships who managed to fight their way through the droid blockade.

Avaryss smiled, they think that they are about to engage warships whose crews are dying from the plague their master unleashed.

They are in for a bit of a surprise.

"Lady Taya reports that we are ready, my lord," Holli said, "I await your command?'

Holli knew about Lord Feer's orders, Avaryss had sent a coded transmission to her pad via comlink. The Sith could see that she had multiple targets highlighted on the datapad's screen.

The Jedi hadn't picked up on that yet, and the Sith was using all of her will to shield her thoughts, to hide her emotions.

Avaryss' eyes narrowed as she looked down on the data spike.

What was she going to do now?

She could give the order to change the targeting perimeters for the droids as her master wanted, to sit back and watch them decimate the Republic fleet, but in doing so she would likely be dooming herself. The Jedi, especially Shyra Viel, would not look kindly on such treachery.

Was this what he master was hoping for?

Did he realize that this could result in her death?

Was he counting on that?

She idly fingered her lightsaber hilt, imagining what would happen if she tried to strike Fenn and his allies down.

The Force played out dozens of scenarios. They passed before her eyes in microseconds.

She destroyed the Republic fleet, she died.

She destroyed the Republic fleet, Xen and Holli died, and she spent the rest of her life in a Jedi prison.

She destroyed the fleet and she ended up crippled, only to be saved by Terrog turned into one of his half mechanical pets, and forced to fight at Fehl's side.

She died.

Holli died.

Fenn died.

Xen killed her for her weakness.

The Force swirled like a hurricane, the shard of light within her seemed to grow brighter by the second, pushing back the darkness, pushing back her power.

If she gave in now…what would happen?

What would she become?

"Target coordinates, my lord?" Holli asked.

Avaryss swallowed hard, she could feel the Jedi's eyes on her, Xen's eyes were on her.

What was she going to do?

She had reached a shatter point, what happened next would decide all their futures.

Destroy the Republic fleet.

Destroy the Sith fleet.

Destroy Terrog' fleet.

She looked down at the data spike again.

She knew what her master wanted, and what Lord Marr had commanded her to do, but his was about more than mere orders.

Her future could be defined by the next choice she made.

"My lord," Holli asked, she sounded…anxious.

"Target, please?"

Avaryss swallowed hard.

She did not know what to do.

Obey.

Refuse.

Do the unexpected.

The darkness rose within her, but the shard of light drew strength from her connection to Fenn, it rose to meet the shadow, hold it at bay.

She…she…

She barely suppressed a whimper.

It felt like the Force was tearing her apart!

Thousands of possible futures bounced through her brain before returning to the ether. She…she…

Through the chaos and cacophony, she felt something; it pushed its way past what she was seeing and her desires.

She pursed her lips.

The song was low and sweet, it was not of the dark side or the light, but of her past or perhaps…her future.

She heard the voice of Mya Lylos, her mother. She was singing…

…a lullaby?

Keera had heard it since the cradle, had heard her mother sing it to her sisters in turn, it was old, perhaps before the days of the Empire. It was…

"You have not yet made your final choice," a voice whispered in her head.

She blinked.

"You can still find your way back."

She did not recognize that voice; it was not the darkness that often whispered in her ear. It was not the old man, or Keera Lylos…

Yet, in hearing those words, that song, she knew what she had to do, and damn the consequences.

She nodded.

She knew.

"It is time, Holli," she said grimly.

"Target the droids; make the things destroy each other."

She smiled savagely.

"Let us hurt, Darth Terrog."

"As you say," Holli said, her hands moving over the console.

She sensed relief behind her, from the Jedi, Holli fidgeted in her chair, but she obeyed.

"It is done, my lord," she said.

She picked up her comlink.

"Lady Taya," she said into it, "on my count: Three, two, one…"

The engineer slid the data spike into the console.

Ove the comlink Avaryss heard her old friend acknowledge that she had done the same.

The screen flashed as new orders were being sent from droid programming, and were now going out through the con/comm station.

On a monitor to the right of where Holli sat, they could all see a group of twelve probe droids leaving the station, these outfitted with the program that Holli had created, and downloaded into their CPU. When they reached their fellows they would send out the signal, send out the order for the droids to destroy themselves.

Avaryss let out a breath that she was holding.

The die had been cast.

"It will take several minutes," Holli informed them, "when they reach the blockade, they will send out our new orders to the rest."

Holli gave Avaryss a weak smile.

"We should see the results of our work in a few moments."

Avaryss nodded. She looked over at the Jedi; she felt a mix of emotion, surprise, gratitude, disbelief.

It was clear that most of them had not trusted her to do this, they had been expecting treachery.

She had surprised them…all, but one.

Fenn had never doubted her; she could sense that in the Force.

She had never lied to him.

They had been there for each other for most of their lives.

If there was anyone she would never lie to, it was him.

They watched as the blip that was their reprogrammed probes reached the others.

They watched.

They waited…

...and waited.

Then…

The screen began to flash, an alarm sounded from the console. Holli turned it off, but it did not change what was happening.

The droids they sent out were doing their work.

The probe droids were attacking each other.

Both Jedi and Sith watched as the swarm that protected the station, began to fall out of formation and begin to wink out one by one. The probe droids attacked their fellows with their cutting beams and arms, pulling each other apart.

The defensive screen would be down in moments.

The Sith Fleet detected the change and began to advance. The Republic Fleet did the same. Terrog's ships were reoriented themselves again, preparing to engage this new threat, launching fighters.

Avaryss should have been pleased, she could distantly hear the Jedi preparing for the next step of the plan, locating the vaccine, and then dealing with Terrog.

She could not join in the discussion.

She could not move.

Her eyes were glassy; there was an intense pain in her head. It felt like a vice squeezing her mind.

In that moment she saw her master's face, Darth Feer's eyes were blazing with anger, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

"You've betrayed me," he said through the Force, his anger crashing over her in a wave.

"You shall pay!"