Chapter 74: The Things We Do for the Empire
With the death of Darth Terrog and the end of the Jedi Conspiracy, Darth Feer's victory was complete.
A month had passed since Avaryss' escape from Republic custody, in that time; the Empire had declared both her and her master as Heroes of the Empire. For his sacrifice and service, it was decided that Darth Feer should be elevated to the Dark Council, so that his courage and wisdom could continue to guide the Empire into a bright yet…uncertain future.
As for his apprentice, Avaryss was also to be honored, at a celebration at the Sith Academy on Korriban. It was here that she would be formally inducted in the order of the Sith Lords, her name added to the great codex of those who bore the name Dark Lord of the Sith.
In the month that it took to prepare for the ceremony, Avaryss spent her first two weeks in the custody in the custody of Imperial Intelligence. The Dark Council thought it prudent that she be examined, to make sure that her miraculous escape from the Republic was not part of some plan on their part, perhaps an attempt to get a Republic agent into the ranks of the Sith Lords.
Avaryss was not insulted by their concerns. As a loyal daughter of the Empire she thought it her duty to assure the council that she was fine, and that she had not surrendered any of their secrets to the Republic.
She remained committed to the Empire's goals. It was for that reason that she accepted their questions.
After all…she had nothing to hide.
Her debriefing was conducted by the legendary Sith Intelligence agent known as Watcher One. At first the young Sith had been concerned about this meeting, she had expected to be strapped to an interrogation table being fed equal doses of truth serum and electric shocks.
To her surprise, Watcher One did not think that was necessary. Her previous service to the Empire played a part in his decision not to go that route; instead they conducted their conversation over meals, the two of them talking over caf and pastries.
Some might have been concerned about this, but Avaryss was not.
He was a subtle one, this Intelligence agent, she thought with a smile.
He does not need to threaten bodily harm to get what he needs.
Every day he would ask her the same questions, they would have the same conversation. Some lords might have been insulted by the tedium, but not Avaryss.
He is looking for discrepancies, signs that I'm either lying to him, or seeking evidence that I broke and have since been programmed.
She remembered how Fehl had acted, how he would repeat the same statements over and over in the same emotional inflection, she did not do that. She would give the same answers but deliver them in different ways each time. Watcher One did not comment on that, but he was no fool, he likely suspected what she was doing, and was not bothered by it.
It was a subtle game they played, and dance of both the mind and words. She never lied to him, but that did not mean that she did not protect her secrets.
When it came to her escape, she made no mention of Holli being a shapeshifter. All she would say is that she had been aided by a Republic Lieutenant, a Quarren by the name of Slusk. She spun the tale of Slusk being in her employ, that he had accepted a bribe to help free her from Republic custody.
"And what became of this lieutenant?" Watcher One would ask.
"I killed him, of course," Avaryss said with a smile, "It is not like I ever intended to pay him for his services. Never trust a traitor, ser, not even one you create."
If Watcher One thought anything suspicious about her story, he did not show it. He clearly did not detect the lie.
It wasn't really a lie after all, not really, Slusk had been in her employ after all, Holli was hers and she had been wearing that form at the time. It was also not a lie that Slusk was dead. He had died when she had disabled the defenses of Terrog station. So, from a certain point of view, she had indeed killed him."
Whether he believed her story completely or not, she could not say. All she knew was that by the end of the second week, Darth Feer had arrived at the intelligence base to collect her.
Watcher One had given her a clean bill of health. The Republic had not broken her, or done anything to her mind.
She was cleared to return to her duties.
Her master had been most pleased by that news. He had hoped to have her at his side when he ascended to his seat on the Dark Council.
Avaryss was equally excited by the news, but not for the reason that her master might think.
She could not help but notice that her master's guards had not accompanied him to Korriban, not the elite guard that he had used during the Terrog crisis anyway, The four Sith troopers that he travelled with, would not be a problem.
Her two weeks in custody, hearing about what was going on beyond these walls had made her come to a decision.
The time had come.
The day that Darth Feer would die had come.
She could not handle the matter herself, not in her current state. The loss of her arm left her at a distinct disadvantage, at the same time; she could not pass up the opportunity that had finally presented itself.
She would wait no longer.
Darth Feer would not leave the planet Korriban alive.
IOI
Master and Apprentice left for the academy, that very night, they would remain on the Sith homeworld until the ceremony was done. In the meantime Avaryss was very busy. The luxury suite she had been given had its own private hyper-comm, after Holli had made sure that no one could listen in her calls, she had gotten to work. She contacted her pet Alchemist Aarb, the TCS droid 1A-K3, and a man named Calmek Leth, said to be the best cyberneticist in the Empire.
It was these three that she entrusted with a most important duty, their task…to build for her a new arm, an arm that would not be limited by its mechanical nature.
She wanted more than a simple prosthetic; she wanted to have full use of her abilities. She wanted a cybernetic arm that could not only allow her to use her full skill with a lightsaber, but also have the ability to project Force lightning when she needed it.
It was not an easy challenge, but then again, if it was easy, she would not be willing to pay such a high price for it.
Her TCS accounts gave her more than enough resources to see this matter tended to. It only made sense to turn to the greatest minds in their field.
She would not be satisfied with second best.
They would give her what she wanted, and they would be paid handsomely for it.
As for the men and the droid, they did not refuse her request. The three had been intrigued by the challenge, and with the knowledge that money was no object, she set them to work.
"You have two weeks to have a prototype built," she informed them, "I must have two arms on the day the ceremony."
All three seemed confident that they could meet that deadline. Calmek Leth assured her that he would have the prototype delivered when she needed it.
"See that you do," she said, "Contact me when it is on its way."
She broke off the transmission and immediately set about making a new one.
So much to do, she thought.
Far too much to do.
Next, she sent word to Taya. It had been Taya that had delivered the vaccine to Terrog's virus to Lord Marr; as a result both she and her master were reaping the rewards of heroes. Goss, of course, insisted that he had sent Taya along with Avaryss, to ensure that her mission was a success. Taya said nothing to correct that, she was basking in the love and respect of her mother, Lady Tazia was most pleased that her eldest had taken the initiative and won a great victory. Taya was almost in tears when she heard Avaryss' voice, no one had sent word to her of Avaryss's survival, her old friend was more than happy to put her at east, and to use her relief to her advantage. Taya's emotions made it easy for Avaryss to convince her to contact certain…people.
"It will take time," Taya warned, "I'm guessing whatever you have planned isn't going to be carried out immediately?"
"We have time," Avaryss promised her, "Though perhaps it is best you not know the details, just in case."
The blonde girl nodded.
"I understand; I will do as you ask."
"Thank you, Tay."
"Any time," the blonde said blushing slightly, "Good luck, my love, we will speak again soon."
She wants to see you. She misses you.
The voice had come unbidden. It was not the voice of the darkness; it was…something else, something…familiar.
She ignored it.
"Until then," Avaryss said with a hint of a smile, "farewell."
Taya blew her a kiss and smiled.
Avaryss broke the connection and leaned back in her chair with a contented sigh.
Well, she thought, the die had been cast.
You shouldn't play with her emotions, the voice chided, she loves you, and yet you manipulate her.
Avaryss rolled her eyes.
"Silence," she muttered, "I don't need to hear this now."
The voice fell silent again.
She was grateful for that.
The people that she had Taya contacting were members of House Rist of Alderaan. Though they did not typically take jobs off their homeworld they would do so if the price was right.
And considering the amount of credits that Avaryss had offered, the price was definitely right.
According to her contact Ellana Thul, the men and women that she had just engaged were familiar with dealing with Force users. Originally, Avaryss had hoped to use them as a distraction, to draw away Feer's guards when she made her final challenge. Her injury and the fact that Feer was on Korriban all but alone had caused her to reevaluate that decision.
Feer's victory had made a lot of Sith in the Empire envious, envious enough that they were willing to aid her in her dealing with her master. Darth Feer would not live long enough to sit on the Dark Council, her agents and her allies would make sure that that that did not happen.
The thought made her smile.
Part of her wished that she was well enough to handle the matter herself, to have had the honor of killing her master with her own hands.
Dead is dead, the darkness whispered, honor is a fool's prize, do not waste your time thinking about it.
She nodded thoughtfully, that it was.
They will not succeed, you know that.
Avaryss did not even respond.
"Silence," she muttered again.
"Silence."
IOI
The next few days passed in a blur. Darth Feer met with her almost daily, wanting to make sure that they would both be ready for the glorious day to come.
He insisted that they practice their meeting with the council, what they would say and do when the rewards were given.
Avaryss restrained herself from rolling her eyes as Lord Feer pretended to accept his place as a member of the dark council.
Say nothing, the darkness warned her, reveal nothing, let him enjoy this; after all, he will not be alive to enjoy the real ceremony.
Let him have his fun now.
It was for that reason that she humored him, that she said nothing to distract him from what he thought of as his upcoming triumph.
She smiled and played the role of the charmed apprentice, the loyal daughter.
Feer, too drunk on his success, did not notice that she was acting.
"This is what we have been striving for, my child," he said practically giggling, "This will truly be a day of days."
Yes master," she agreed with a cruel smile.
"It most certainly will be."
The days continued to roll by. Avaryss got word from her friends in House Rist.
They were here, they had arrived on Korriban.
The young Sith smiled.
It would not be long now.
They will fail, the strange voice said, and you will suffer for it.
Avaryss ignored it.
Everything would be fine.
IOI
The day of the ceremony arrived, and with it, a sense of anticipation that Avaryss had not experienced in a long time. It was something akin to childlike glee.
It is almost time, she thought, it is almost time!
She had barely been able to sleep the night before, she felt like was a small child again, excitedly awaiting the arrival of a feast day morn.
The coming dawn brought more than simply the rising of the sun; her new arm had arrived by courier during the night.
She headed down to medical, eager to be fitted with it. She wanted to see just how well her orders had been carried out.
The arm itself was beautiful, the finest mechanics covered by delicate but extremely strong armored plates. She could already see the alchemist's contribution to the work, Sith glyphs were etched into the plates. Crystals sparkled in the tips of the fingers, giving it the appearance of having finger nails.
She practically leapt onto the medical table, and ordered the arm installed. The droids obeyed without question, though they did question her desire to be fitted for her new limb without any painkillers.
I don't need them, Avaryss insisted, this arm would finally restore her to true power.
There was no pain where the power lies.
The cybernetic joins the Republic had installed worked perfectly, the new arm interfaced perfectly with them. There was some discomfort as the droid's worked, but Avaryss ignored it
The last few weeks had been an exercise in annoyance; the doctors had warned her phantom pains, saying that she just needed to work through them, ignore them.
My left palm has been itching for the last three days, she thought, even if she would not feel it, she needed to scratch it, hopefully that would be enough to finally stop the damn sensation, even if she could not feel it.
Once the work was done, the droids stepped back, they asked her to wiggle her fingers and move her wrist.
The feeling was…strange. Her new hand moved, but there was a sense of…disjointedness about it. The nerves were responding, but she could feel nothing below her elbow.
She raised her new arm and looked at it; she stretched out her hand, and then quickly used it to make a fist.
She, of course, could feel nothing, not the satisfaction of stretching, not the feel of her nails digging into her palm.
But why would I, she thought, this hand is not flesh it is durasteel and wire.
Of course I'm not going to feel anything.
The droids nattered on about the exercises she would need to do to regain her full range of movement. She discovered that she was not able to touch the tips of her new fingers with her new thumb. They were too clumsy to do it. The droids assured her that, in time, her nerves and the cybernetic leads would come into full synchronization and her new arm would function as well as her old one.
So…it is a weakness, she thought, but one that could be overcome through training.
Fine, she thought with a nod.
I shall overcome.
As soon as she was allowed to leave, she made for the training area; she wanted to see just how much she would need to work to recover her full skill with a lightsaber. She contacted both Aarb and Calmek Leth. She wanted to see if they had anything to offer as she got used to her new prosthetic.
Their holograms shimmered into existence as she activated her lightsaber. She started with the basic Shii-Cho drills she had first learned as a hopeful. Though she was right handed, she still needed her left hand to perform certain maneuvers in both the Shien and Makashi disciplines.
As she worked through her sequences she could not help but feel…clumsy. She almost dropped her weapon twice while attempting defensive spins. It also felt like her grip was off; she could not tell if she was holding her saber too lightly or too tightly.
Frustration boiled over, her rage continued to build at her weakness.
She had lost more than just a hand to Terrog. She would need to relearn much if she was to be the fighter she had been again.
"It will take time, my lord," Calmek Leth informed her; clearly he could see that she was struggling.
Calmek Leth was a tall cadaverous looking man. Pale skinned with watery blue eyes, the man had been the first name in cybernetics in the Empire for years. His work was always in great demand and was lauded.
So far, Avaryss was not impressed.
She deactivated her lightsaber and raised her left hand, there was a targeting dummy standing against the back wall.
She snarled and reached out with her mechanical fingers. The crystals build into the fingertips of her new hand flared to life, vibrating with dark side energy.
Force lightning exploded from the crystals, her rage and frustration given form. The brightness of the display almost blinded her, as the target was flung back by the sheer strength of her blast, its chest blackened where the lightning had found its mark.
Despite her frustration with herself, about her lack of skill with a lightsaber, the display pleased her.
At least somethings still work, she thought.
She ceased her attack and inspected her new hand. The Finger tips were now glowing white hot, they showed signs of melting.
Despite the damage she had done to herself she was pleased with the result.
She turned to the holograms with a contented smile.
"You have my thanks, gentles," she said nodding respectfully, "Your work does not disappoint."
She approached the hologram of Dr. Leth, holding up her hand for him to see, the holo field should have been enough for him to get a good look at what had happened.
He regarded her hand thoughtfully, scratching the back of his balding head.
"I do think that there is room for improvement however," she suggested, looking down at the damage done to her fingertips.
If Leth was insulted, he did not show it.
He nodded thoughtfully.
"A heat resistant coating, perhaps," he murmured to himself, "perhaps one of the new polymers, or a ceramic casts.
He looked up at his employer.
"Do keep in mind that what you are wearing is only a prototype, Lord Avaryss. The finished model will be far more…fine-tuned. I shall make the necessary modification to improve your dexterity and your response time. My work will yield the results you require."
"I'm sure it will, doctor," she said with an icy smile, not needing to add the obligatory: "for your sake."
Leth was used to having Sith Lords for clients.
He knew how dangerous their displeasure could be.
"I've already begun preparing both the armor plates and the crystals for your new hand, my lord," Aarb the alchemist promised her. They will be infused with dark side energy, and be able to handle far more than this first attempt."
The alchemist smiled.
"Trust me, my lord. You will be most pleased."
Avaryss nodded thoughtfully.
The man was certainly a treasure, she was grateful now that she had not killed him when her master had ordered his end. The helmet and bracer he had made for her were excellent, but this…this.
She smiled.
This…would be the man's masterpiece.
"Return to your work, gentlemen, produce a functional final product by the end of the week and I will see that there is nice bonus in it for both of you, such is my generosity.
Both scientists smiled.
"It will be done, my lord," Calmek Leth promised.
"You will not be disappointment, my lord, trust me."
The two scientists disappeared, leaving Avaryss alone with her thoughts.
She looked down at her new hand.
Her left palm still itched terribly, but she tried to ignore it.
She had no more time for games.
The ceremony was tonight.
She needed to get ready.
Not that it would happen of course, she thought as she made her way back to her quarters. Darth Feer would be dead in less than two hours. All she needed to do now was give the word.
His day of triumph would turn into a funeral, his funeral.
She was most eager to see it come to pass.
As she had told Fenn once…she really did look good in black.
She said nothing to anyone as she made her way back to her quarters; she was to meet with Lady Synestra's servants in twenty minutes. They were to do her hair and prepare her make up. She was to look her best when her master ascended to the dark council, and for her to be named a full lord of course.
The former would never happen, and the latter well…she should have already been a lord, it had been promised to her for dealing with the conspiracy.
She needed no ceremony to tell her that she was one.
She knew she was one, in her soul.
No one could take that away from her.
No guards challenged her as she passed, by now they all knew her face, and her reputation.
She entered her quarters ready to send out the kill order to her friends from House Rist.
She froze as soon as the door closed behind her.
Darth Marr stood before her, clad in is black and red battle armor. His presence bloomed before her radiating a sense of cold detachment and grim resolve.
She…she had not even sensed him.
She was impressed.
She smiled innocently.
She would have to learn that trick one day.
"My lord councilor," she said managing to hold her smile, all the while trying to hide her surprise, to force her heartbeat to slow down.
What is going on here, she thought.
Why is he here?!
"We must speak, Lord Avaryss," he said, "The council has a favor to ask."
His words surprised her
A favor, he said, not an order.
Interesting.
"Can I offer you some refreshment, my lord?" she asked trying to be cordial, "It is the least I can do on such short notice."
"Refreshment is unnecessary," he answered, "What I have to say will be brief."
"As you wish," she said.
So much for trying to play the good host.
Marr turned away from her, looking out the window of her suite, out over the desolate landscape that was Korriban. His silence was unnerving, and pregnant with possible malice.
"You said you have a favor to ask?" she said, "How may I be of service?"
Marr sighed.
"The council knows about your plan to remove your master, today," he said, "We would like you to call it off."
Avaryss fought the urge to gasp.
They knew?!
How?!
She had been so careful!
"I'm not sure what you mean, my lord. I've made no such…"
Marr turned to her, that cold regard killed any further attempt to deny or lie.
She winced under that icy stare, she could not see his eyes, but she did not need to
That gaze penetrated your soul.
"Why," she asked, "This plan has been a long time coming. Why must I abandon it now?"
"Because it is in your best interest to do so," he answered, "The council still has need of Darth Feer. We would ask you to respect our wishes and not seek his end."
Avaryss' eyes narrowed, despite her respect and fear for Lord Marr, she could not help but feel cheated.
This…why…he could not simply…!
GAHHHHHHH!
She tried to hold her tongue to simply bow respectfully and give the councilor what he wanted, but she couldn't do it, she just couldn't.
She had waited for so long.
If she won her master would be dead, if her agents failed that she would likely not survive that failure.
Was that not the way of the Sith?
Was that not everything that an apprentice worked and fought for?
What you ask of me is no simple thing, Lord Marr. I like to think that I'm a loyal daughter of the Empire, but this…this…"
Her hands curled into angry fists, she could hear the servos whining in her mechanical arm.
"If Feer was to die, I would claim his holdings for my own. Does council question my loyalty? Do you not believe I'm capable for serving you as well as Feer?"
She expected Marr to lash out at her, to slap her down for daring to question.
He did not do that.
"It is not your loyalty that is being questioned, it is your experience. You are a skilled fighter young Avaryss, but you are only just starting to learn the game of rule. Darth Feer had only just taken possession of Terrog's holdings, holdings that are in chaos as we speak.
"Tell me child, do you know who to talk to keep supply lines open between Terrog's worlds and the rest of the Empire? Do you know who you should put in positions of power to make sure that these worlds remain loyal to the Empire? Do you know who you can trust to remain loyal, and who needs to be eliminated on each world?
Avaryss frowned.
They were good questions, all of them, and she knew the answer to all was the same.
"No, my lord," she admitted, "I do not know."
Marr nodded.
"I am pleased that you are able to admit that. I'm equally pleased that you are willing to do as the council asks."
She shook her head, she was angry at herself and at him, but he was not wrong.
She was willing to look beyond her personal desires.
She was willing to do what was best for the Empire.
"I will do as the council wishes," she promised, "But at the same time, I must ask, why make this a request and not a simple order? Why offer me a favor in exchange for my compliance when you do not have to."
"Because I'm not simply looking for another sycophant to obey blindly," Marr informed her, "I'm looking for a Sith with the interests of the Empire at heart."
Marr walked up to her, he put his hands on her shoulder.
"I told you that if you survived Terrog's station, that we would speak privately. You have proven both your skill and your intelligence over the last few months. The Empire will need that. This business with Terrog has revealed a weakness in our Empire, a weakness that must be dealt with if we are to achieve all our goals."
Avaryss considered what he had said, a weakness?
What weakness could they have? They were...
Avaryss frowned.
She thought she knew what he meant. Both the conspiracy and Terrog could have been dealt with quite quickly if one Sith had gotten involved, if he had graced them with his presence all could have been dealt with far more quickly.
"The Emperor," she said, "You think he has become a problem?"
"Not a problem," Marr said taking his hands away, "But his absence and silence has created problems, and could possibly cause a great many more in the days to come."
Marr sighed.
"The Emperor's silence during the Terrog affair has caused many ambitious Sith to start getting ideas. Plots are beginning to form and swirl. Several council members have already started to question the Emperor's reason to stay out of our recent problems."
Avaryss nodded.
"If those plans started to play out too quickly, we could find ourselves right back where we were when Sy Dar Bynn's conspiracy was threatening us. The Empire could be torn apart by infighting."
"It could happen, Marr agreed, "which is why I'm building a…cabal of sorts. A group of like-minded Sith, men and women that believe that preserving the Sith way of life is just as important as satisfying our own appetites. It will fall to us to keep the Empire together, to stop these plots before they can grow out of control."
Avaryss nodded, a shiver of excitement ran down her spine.
"Are you offering me a place among this…cabal, Lord Marr?"
"I'm offering you a chance to learn from your betters, child. I'm offering you the chance to learn the art of rule from the most skilled of us. I'm offering you the chance to grow beyond your master's teachings and surpass him, so, that on the day that he is finally removed, you may take his place without concern."
Avaryss smiled slyly.
"It was an enticing offer, make no mistake.
"Feer has his own designs," she informed the Lord Councilor.
"Of course, he does, he would not be a Darth if he did not."
"He seeks to rise above the council. He seeks to surpass even the greatest of us."
"I'm sure he is does," Marr said, "Have no worry on that point child; we shall keep Councilor Feer quite busy. He will be forced to put his plans on hold for the time being."
"And that distraction shall give us the time we need to prepare what we need to neutralize him. When the time comes, of course."
Marr chuckled.
"We?" he asked.
She nodded.
"I'm accepting your terms, my lord. Feer may keep his life, for now. I shall do as you ask, in exchange for a seat at the table. When Darth Feer falls, I will expect his seat."
"Do as we ask child, grow into the Sith we need you to be, and when that day comes, you will find us unable to deny you anything. You will be supreme."
The young Sith smirked.
Avaryss the Supreme.
She liked the sound of that.
"Consider it done, my lord," she said bowing.
She went to the hyper-comm.
"If you will excuse me, my lord…
"…I have an assassination to call off."
Marr nodded and left without another word.
And so it is done, Avaryss thought.
My master will not be killed this night.
She sighed.
Damn.
The things we do for Empire.
She hoped that it would be worth it.
A/N: Well folks one more chapter left in Fear and Avarice, I hope you have enjoyed the ride. Avaryss' journey will not end here, however. I'm currently finishing up the outline for the next Avaryss story. Also I'm wondering if there are any secondary characters you would like to see get their own one shots. I have an idea for a Shyra Viel story. If you have any thoughts please leave them in the reviews, you know I like them, until next time, dear readers.
DG