Chapter 10: Assets
Avaryss returned from Korriban to find her job on Oridanna had become much more complicated.
She had barely stepped off the ramp from her shuttle when she was met by Colonel Glasc. The loyalty officer had brought her new orders from Darth Feer, orders reflecting his recent actions in the Itae system.
She was not pleased to hear what had happened while she had been seeking a new apprentice.
The fool, she thought shaking her head…
…The complete and utter fool!
Darth Feer had already responded to the Oridanna rebels' demands. He had charged her with dealing with this crisis, and then, without even consulting her, made his own moves to try and deal with it. He had of course rejected everything the rebels had asked for, but that was not all. When word reached the people, several large protests broke out in Worro and Danna City. Feer responded by sending in troops.
Fortunately, there had been little bloodshed; most Oridanna citizens still saw themselves as loyal imperials. The soldiers managed to round up the ring leaders of the protests, taking them into custody. The bloodshed had been kept to a minimum, which was good. The crowds dispersed after that.
If that had been the only thing that had happened, they would have been lucky, sadly, Feer was not done.
He had publicly executed the people behind the protests. He accused them of having a hand in the recent bombings, and set out to make an example of them.
The move left the people of the planet in shock. For the moment things were quiet.
Avaryss doubted they would remain that way for long.
Feer's display of power would not have the affect he hoped, she knew her people well enough to know that.
All Feer did was guarantee that the ranks of the rebellion would swell. Her people were not cowards; many had served the Empire loyalty in both the army and navy.
Once the shock wore off, there would be anger. How much anger depended on who exactly it was that had been killed. They would see this as a betrayal by their dark lord. Once upon a time, Moff Galek would have diffused the situation by promising to take the matter up with the Emperor, but with his death that was no longer possible.
Speaking with the Emperor would not salve this wound.
The people of Oridanna would be angry, and in their anger many would flock to the rebellion. The threat it posed would escalate. The people would demand a response, and…
She shook her head.
…When the people did respond, it would not be pretty, no; it would not be pretty at all.
"What did you expect?" Keera asked, "Being on the Council has gone to the old man's head."
He has made a mess, and now he will expect you to clean it up.
Lucky you.
She should not have been surprised, when the council had trusted Darth Feer with the pacification of the former holdings of the late Darth Terrog, her master had shown no mercy. There had been both mass arrests and mass executions. Her master had not rested until he was sure that any trace of Terrog's influence had been crushed.
He had been as thorough as he was brutal.
Now…with Oridanna, he was doing it again. Only this time, he was not punishing some rogue Sith's holdings, he was targeting one of the main arteries of the Imperial war effort, a world that had been loyal to the Empire since the very beginning. Was it any wonder that they were in revolt?
The move had been foolish in her eyes, foolish and ill timed.
Oh master, she thought.
What have you gotten me into now?
Feer, of course, was now demanding that she head for the Itae system with all possible speed. He had sent word ahead to both Moff Galek, and Darth Sadi. They would make sure that things were all in readiness for her arrival.
Glasc, ever loyal to her master, presented her with a data pad full of instructions from Darth Feer, a full list of how she should best proceed when she arrived on the planet, what steps she should take first to ensure that the people remain compliant. Avaryss took it, but already intended to ignore whatever advice it contained.
Her master would not be happy with that, but at that point, she did not really care.
She had spent most of the journey to Korriban trying to come up with a plan to start winning her people back to the Empire. She had several ideas, but with what Feer had just done, she would now need to refine her plans.
It would have been far easier if he had just let me handle this, she thought, despite being away for so many years, she still knew how the typical Oridanna citizen thought.
She was confident that she would be able to sway them away from this most foolish of courses.
She ordered Colonel Glasc to prepare a briefing on the Oridanna situation for both her and the rest of the senior staff. She wanted to know everything that had happened since last bombings, everything that Darth Feer had put in place. It would make it easier for her decide where to strike first.
In the meantime, she had other matters to attend to. Dym needed to be settled into her service. She still needed to meet up with her master's daughter, and she had to speak with Xen about Beric.
If she was to deal with the matters of rebellion on her homeworld, she needed her servants to be on the same page as her, and to have her future plans in order.
Once again, she was about to find herself in a dangerous place.
She could not afford any surprises.
She was shocked to discover that she was actually concerned about the people of Oridanna. How they would react to her presence, and if they would accept the aid that she offered.
I hated them for the longest time; she thought to herself, I blamed the people of my home for doing nothing when my family was killed. Andur Lylos had been respected, he had been a good overseer, and kept the people under his protection as safe and as happy as he could. Yet, as far as she knew, no one had lifted a finger when he was killed. The Empire had blamed the deaths of her family on brigands but she doubted that anyone had really believed that.
"What were the people to do?" Keera asked her, "Feer's enforcers were murdering overseers all over Oridanna; those enforcers were strong in the Force. What chance would the farmers have against a Force sensitive?"
What chance would they have against you?
Avaryss frowned.
She…she did not like to think like that.
I'm nothing like the man who murdered my family.
I'm better than he was, stronger too.
Distantly she could hear Keera laugh.
Keep telling yourself that Avy…
…Just keep telling yourself that.
Avaryss could not completely kill the snarl that came to her lips.
They were weak. The weak deserve their fate. It is their destiny to be ruled by the strong.
Why should I care for a pack of weak willed farmers?
Because they're your people, Keera reminded her, they are your father's people, and citizens of the Empire. As citizens they are your subjects, should you not do everything in your power to ensure they are as productive and useful to you as you can?
I'm not their servant, Avaryss thought.
True, but you have never been one to abuse your servants. As a lord, they serve you, are you really interested in seeing them suffer?"
She…she had no real answer for that.
In fact, this whole argument was leaving her confused.
Stopping the rebellion was paramount for the war effort, but…at the same time.
Once she had dreamed of returning to Oridanna and making it a paradise for its citizens. She wanted to make the world into a symbol of her power. She wanted every citizen to be able to look up to her and fall to their knees in humble gratitude.
That will never happen if Feer had his way.
You don't have to do this alone, Keera reminded her, if you let me out, I could help you. Together we can win the hearts and minds of the people, make Oridanna exactly as we want it.
Avaryss frowned.
The day she let go and let Keera have her way was the day she was truly lost. If she gave into that part of herself, she feared that she would never find her way back. Keera was no doe-eyed innocent. The choices she had made on Fury 9 had proved that.
No Avaryss thought, I will not be letting you out, not ever.
Keera's voice in her head fell silent. She tried to feel good about that, but…
She has not given up, Avaryss realized.
She is just waiting.
The dark lord sighed.
She is waiting.
IOI
Settling Dym into his quarters proved the easiest challenge she had to deal with that day. The Muun was eager to begin not only his training, but to prove himself to her on the mission that they had before them.
"Whatever it is you need, master, I can do," he promised, "Combat, manipulation, finance…"
He gave her a wide toothy grin.
"You will find me a most versatile apprentice."
The two had spoken on the shuttle ride up to her destroyer. His journey to the Sith had not been the typical one, but the result was the same.
Dym wanted power, and saw the Sith Order as the quickest way to get it.
In that, he was predictable.
Dym had been born into a wealthy family. Like most Muun children, the course of his life had been decided early on. His family has served Republic interests for decades as financiers and lawyers for the wealthy and privileged of the Republic.
Dym had come to despise what they wanted of him.
He had shown an affinity for the Force at an early age. His family recognized it, and chose to ignore it. During the time of expansion, before the Sith return, the Muuns had had a lot of contact with the Jedi as they labored to expand the galactic economy to the Republic's new colonies. They had known what having a child with Force sensitivity meant, and still…had chosen to hide it.
Muun children were often viewed as assets by their family; they had been born to fulfill a specific purpose. Giving a child to the Jedi was seen as foolish and wasteful. The Jedi stressed the need to break familial bonds; that would not serve to the profit oriented Muuns.
Dym's parents had done what they could to hide his abilities from the Jedi; they did not wish to see their son stolen, not when he was far more useful to the family as a whole.
They had tried to convince him to forget what he could do with the Force, to ignore his instincts and focus on settling into the mold that they had prepared for him. Dym, however, could not ignore what he was sensing, what he was feeling.
He had tried to make the best use of his abilities, and learned quickly how powerful he truly was.
He discovered a talent for mental manipulation early on. At first he had only used it on the family's servants, taking advantage of their weak minds to practice and expand his power. As he had grown older he had turned those abilities on his family's business clients and partners. He used his gifts to gain greater wealth and prestige for his family. If his parents suspected what he was doing they did not show it. They only saw his gains and thought about what he could acquire for them in the future.
It was all that mattered to them, what he could acquire for the family.
His resentment for them continued to grow.
The cold war between the Republic and Sith offered many opportunities for an ambitious Muun. He had quickly learned just how much profit was just waiting to be made by maintaining the Treaty of Coruscant. By this point he had already finished his schooling and was fully prepared to practice law on his home world, but he felt no excitement in achieving that goal. His mind abilities made his victories too easy, and he grew even more resentful and bored.
What was the point of dominating someone so weak they did not realize they were being dominated? They were hollow victories and he grew increasingly more bored with them.
He desired more of a challenge, and more importantly, he wanted power. He wanted far more than he could hope to find on his homeworld.
Dym knew what he had to do.
Finally, he had chosen to leave his parents and his homeworld behind. The more he found out about the Sith the more fascinated he was by them. They did not have to hide their powers. They respected strength, and valued someone with a strong connection to the Force.
He had used his mind powers to gain passage into the Empire, and from there recreated himself into a financier and began preying on the wealthy merchants that served the Empire. It had taken time, but finally he gained the attention of the Sith Order. He was taken into custody, but given the growing hostility between the Republic and Empire, they had seen how his abilities could be used to serve their ends.
He had been offered a choice, execution for theft or the chance to join the Sith Order.
He had wisely chosen the order over death.
He had been brought to Korriban as a first level acolyte, he had then been sent to Lord's Reach for his off world trials before returning to Korriban.
Avaryss had frowned when she heard that last part.
She knew that the Sith were desperate for people, still…
She wondered if the Sith were harming their order by sending so many unprepared students to Korriban. Her time on Fury 9 had been a necessary evil in her training; by the time she had left that blasted rock her loyalty to the order was assured, it had helped define her place among the Sith.
By bypassing the hopeful stage of their training, she feared that the new generation of Sith would not be as powerful as those that came before. They would not have been tested or tempered, and in their rushed success they would be weaker than their peers. Too many weaker Sith might prove to be a problem, they would likely ally against their stronger leaders and overthrow them with sheer numbers, and whoever emerged from those weaker Sith as leader would weaken the order as a whole.
That realization concerned her.
She thought that it should be a concern for the Empire as a whole.
Dym was not weak, that was clear, but he did not have the proper respect for her place. When she looked at him, she did not feel the same fear and awe she had felt as an apprentice on her first day.
The Munn did not fear her; through the Force she could feel it. He saw her as a font of knowledge and an opportunity to expand his control, but that was it.
You should have broken in in the tomb, the darkness whispered, you should were too light on the creature. Now you will need to redefine your relationship with him.
His skills would come in handy on Oridanna, but she would need to be cautious. If things started to go badly, if he came to see her as weak…?
She shuddered.
Beware your apprentice.
She would need to watch the Muun closely…
…Very close indeed.
IOI
With Dym settling in, and her planning the first phase of his training, her attention now turned to her other apprentice on board, and what she was going to do with her.
She found her apprentice in her quarters. She was kneeling on the floor, lost in meditation.
Avaryss regarded Xen Loor thoughtfully.
Xen was unique among her peers because she had experience with both sides of the Force. Her Jedi training had shown her the limits of what the light had to offer, and since coming over to the dark side, she had done everything in her power to surpass those limits.
She indulged freely with her emotions. Anger, jealousy, fury, lust, they were just a few of the emotions that the former Jedi Padawan chose to indulge on her journey down the dark path.
Avaryss frowned.
Lust seemed to be her favorite. Xen knew that she was beautiful by human standards, and enjoyed toying with the emotions of others. The way she talked, the way she dressed, the way she moved, all suggested the possibility of sex, and she reveled in the power that it gave her.
Even now, she sought to inspire the desire of others. Her robes clung to her curvy form like a second skin, she wore no armor, and her top was cut low in front and left most of her midriff exposed. A man would not need much imagination to guess what Xen looked like naked. This was the point.
She reveled in turning men into drooling idiots, and there was always more waiting to amuse her and that was the problem.
She was not the type of girl to be tied down with anyone for long, at least that is what Avaryss had observed, which is why the Dark Lord was so disturbed with her relationship with Beric.
She had no desire to see her brother suffer because the girl grew bored with his company.
Xen sensed her approach, she did not rise from her meditation, but she did tilt her head slightly.
"Are you here to punish me…master?" she inquired.
Avaryss sneered at her comment.
She even made the sound of being punished suggestive. Xen was truly on the way to mastering her craft.
"Have you done something that you deserve to be punished for, apprentice?"
Xen laughed lightly and rose, her golden eyes now focused on her master.
"According to the Jedi code, I've done many things that I should be punished for."
Xen grinned triumphantly.
"It is good thing that I'm no longer a Jedi."
Any amusement quickly faded from the girl's eyes, she pinned her master with an accusing gaze.
"Why do you seek to replace me, master? Have I not always served you well?"
"Taking on a new apprentice was not my choice." Avaryss informed the girl, "It was at Councilor Feer's suggestion, and it was not a bad one. A Korriban trained apprentice is a symbol of both refinement and prestige."
Xen's Sith eyes narrowed.
"You did not answer my question."
"Nor should I," Avaryss said coldly, "Do not forget your place, Xen. You have sworn to serve me, and I shall do as I see fit."
"I mean no disrespect, my lord," she said bowing submissively, "I merely seek to understand if I have disappointed you in some way."
Xen frowned.
"You are not pleased with me and Beric, are you? You believe what we are doing is a mistake."
Avaryss gave her a stern look.
So no beating around the bush, she thought.
Good.
We might as well get to the heart of the matter right away.
"Why Beric, apprentice," she asked, "You could have any man in the Empire. What makes him so special?"
Xen gave her a sly smile.
"He has…talents that I find enjoyable. I could describe them for you if you like."
"No," Avaryss said flatly.
"That will not be necessary".
She did not need to hear about her brother's…technique.
Ugh.
There were some things that she preferred not to know.
"Of course…it isn't all physical," Xen said wistfully, "Do you remember what happened after I led you to my former comrades, after we destroyed the Jedi filth to the last man? Do you remember what happened after, what I did when the deed was done?"
Avaryss nodded.
She remembered quite well. That night had been her first true victory, her first real step towards lordship.
She would remember it for the rest of her life.
"You stripped off your Jedi robes, declaring that you were done with their hypocrisy. You stood before the fire and the men under our command and declared your loyalty to the Sith.
"I did indeed," Xen said, "I stood with almost nothing on, reborn, and declared my desire to serve you, and do you remember what happened next?"
"Beric offered you his poncho as I recall, you accepted it with a smile and a nod."
"That is one way of looking at it, I suppose," Xen said, "But it was more than that, far more than that to me."
She smiled shyly.
"At that moment, my emotions were raw. I…I had just helped murder everyone I once had called friend. The dark side was singing in my blood. Everything was color and screams. I…I felt like I was drowning. Fury, guilt, lust, I was feeling it all in that moment. I could sense everything. I could feel the emotions of the troopers who accompanied us, they both feared and desired me in that moment, their emotions were almost overwhelming, and then…then…"
Xen's smile turned into a full blown grin.
"...Then…came Beric…your brother."
Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
"You know?"
Her apprentice nodded, she blushed slightly.
"You would be surprised what a man will tell you during pillow talk."
Avaryss restrained herself from hissing in disgust.
Damn you Beric!
He was not helping his case for her sparing Xen and letting him deal with the matter, by sharing such a secret with Xen, he had put his sister in jeopardy. What if the girl decided to use it against her?
Did her brother realize what he had done?
"When Ric wrapped his poncho around me, I felt…something, the screams in the Force became a gentle hum, the raging colors dimmed, everything was a soft violet color, like twilight in the summer, or that one moment before the dawn."
Her apprentice sighed.
Your brother looked upon me and it was not simply a matter of lust. He saw me as someone he wished to get to know. I was not simply a distraction, a night's entertainment, not to him. He kept his eyes low, not wishing to stare lustfully at me. He even blushed a bit. I…was not sure what to make of it, what I was feeling…it made no sense."
Her confession surprised Avaryss.
"He is more to you than the men you have been with since?"
Xen snorted at that.
"Those men were diversions, nothing more, pretty, but useless, grunts. Ric is something far more."
Something more, Avaryss thought.
Interesting.
"Do you love him?" she asked her apprentice.
Xen frowned.
"I'm…fond of him," she confessed, "As far as love goes, I'm not sure it even exists. The masters back at the temple used to preach constantly of how love was essential to a Jedi's life, and yet, they did everything in their power to deny us. Love was an abstract concept to them."
Xen shook her head.
As I said, I'm not sure it even exists."
Avaryss almost shook her head.
Poor Xen, she thought.
The Jedi had done their best to emotionally cripple the poor girl. Sy Dar Bynn, her former master, had tried to break her of all emotion.
The more fool he was.
Avaryss was surprised that Keera did not offer her opinion on the matter. Fortunately, that voice had finally fallen blissfully silent.
She hoped that it would remain that way.
She still wanted to punish Xen for going after Beric, but at the same time, she was curious where this might go.
Avaryss still feared the thought that Xen might try to use Beric against her, but at the same time, she saw another opportunity.
Xen's connection to Beric might work to her advantage.
"Let Xen and Beric have their fun," the darkness advised, "The closer she grows to him, the easier it will be to keep them both under your thumb. A threat to one may motivate the other to stay loyal; it would be an excellent lever to pull."
Love could be a very powerful emotion, Xen might not believe in it, but Avaryss did. Love had been a joy and a bane to her in the last five years. It had been her love for Fehl that had kept her going when she lost her powers back on Korriban. It was her love for Fenn that forced her to seek excellence in her role as a Darth of the Sith Empire.
She had given Beric her word, and now, she had another reason to keep it.
She would still have to keep a close eye on Xen, make sure that she was not preparing to move on to the next poor fool that she desired. If then grew bored with Beric, Avaryss would need to act quickly, Xen did not allow her former toys to live for long, not after they had satisfied her fickle desires.
If the girl dared try to harm her brother, she would die screaming.
Avaryss vowed that.
In the meantime…
The two could be useful.
She intended to make the most of their…relationship.
Whatever it turned into it might serve her well.
'So," Xen asked her, "Are you going to punish me, my master?"
Avaryss shook her head.
"Beric requested that he be allowed to handle this matter," she informed her apprentice.
"I shall allow it, for now."
Yet, even as she said the words, she glared at the former Jedi; the cold look in her eyes made sure that the girl understood what might happen if she chose to satisfy her thirst for violence by hurting her brother."
"Do not mistake this decision for weakness, apprentice. As you now know, Beric is of my bloodline, that blood is important to the future of House Avaryss. I would be most disappointed if he was harmed, and would be obligated to make sure that the Sith that harmed him suffer greatly for that mistake."
She let the dark side bloom outward, her power, the rage she held in check washed over the former Jedi.
Xen visibly cringed.
Good, Avaryss thought.
Let her imagine exactly what I could do to her if she goes against me in this.
Beric is mine, he is part of the future of my house.
She will suffer greatly should she try to harm him.
"I will not harm, Ric," Xen promised, "He is…not like the others."
"See that you don't," Avaryss said turning away. "For your sake."
She felt a brief flash of anger from her apprentice; apparently Xen did not like being threatened.
Avaryss raised her hand, she felt the Force reach out the sweet pressure of its power in her ears.
She heard Xen gasp as she started to strangle, the Force choke that her master held her in squeezing that pretty throat of hers shut.
She felt the girl struggle; try to call on the Force to free herself. She felt her start to panic when she realized that she could not.
Avaryss had grown too strong for that. Xen might have been good with a lightsaber, but she could not match her young master yet in the more subtle Force abilities.
Avaryss savored that moment, like a felinx playing with a rodent.
To Xen's credit, she did not beg, or cry out, she simply struggled, it was hopeless, but that was fine.
Avaryss released her. She gasped and looked on her master with surprise, shocked at how easily Avaryss had seized her, how easily she could have killed her.
Your master is your master because she is stronger than you, girl, Avaryss thought.
Remember that.
She turned and smiled at her apprentice.
"Consider this a lesson," she purred, "You are not ready to challenge my power, yet."
Xen still trying to regain her breath, dropped to one knee.
"Yes, my…lord," she wheezed, "I…understand."
"Good," Avaryss said leaving her quarters, letting the door hiss shut behind her.
Lesson learned.
IOI
Her apprentices dealt with, Avaryss now turned her attention to the one last part of business she wanted to deal with before they arrived on Oridanna, with Beric and Bleez at her side. She made her way down to the ship's detention block, to the cell that held the prisoner that very few on this ship knew about.
Beric had just learned who that prisoner was a few moments ago, he did not look happy.
"When you said you had an edge over Lord Feer, I assumed that you had found some new ability or Force technique," he said morosely.
"I didn't think you would actually think it wise to kidnap your master's daughter."
Avaryss shrugged.
"Technically there has been no kidnapping," she informed him, "Had I not acquired Cynn Feer, she would have likely died during the Republic attack, the neighborhood that she called home was completely destroyed."
She gave her brother a sly smile.
"It will take weeks for the clean-up crew to sort through the rubble, and even then finding all the bodies will be difficult. As far as anyone knows, this girl is dead. She should be thanking us for saving her."
Her brother's eyes narrowed.
He remained unconvinced.
"No one knows she is here," Bleez assured him, "My troops carried out their orders to the letter. Anyone who knew about us taking Cynn Feer is dead now."
The Warmaster radiated a sense of pride.
"My troops come through again."
Beric shook his head and looked at his little sister.
"And what happens when your master learns about this? What do you think he is going to do when he realizes what you've done?"
It was a good question, Avaryss thought, she saw several possible outcomes.
One: her master went completely thermal and demanded his daughter's release. She did not think that likely though because then he would have to explain how and why she had been such a vulnerable spot to begin with. The existence of his mundane child would likely hurt his position on the dark council.
Two: He could openly declare Avaryss a rival, and seek to remove her from her place of power. Once again the council would likely step in. Avaryss' mission to bring the rebels on Oridanna to heel would be considered more important that her master's vendetta. The council would likely demand Avaryss' assurance that the girl would not be harmed, but that would be fine.
The girl would remain a hostage, and despite Feer's distancing himself from the girl, Avaryss still believed that he loved her.
He would not risk her safety. It would keep matters stable between them for the time being.
Three: He could try something more subtle. He could try to assassinate her using the rebellion as a scapegoat. This was a more likely scenario than the other two. Feer had many active agents working in the Itae system; it would not be difficult for one of them to take a shot at her.
The third possibility seemed more likely than the others, but it had its risks as well. If Avaryss left Bleez with strict orders to kill the girl if anything happened to her, then it was possible that her master might…reconsider having her removed.
Regardless, it was safe to say that she and Darth Feer were now definitely rivals. He had done his best to try and discredit her over the last few months, now, when news of her holding his daughter got out, things would likely turn far more vicious between them.
Before that happened, she needed to have the girl on board with what happened next. Cynn Feer was a valuable asset in the game to come, she was sure of it.
Now, she simply had to see where the girl's loyalties lay.
Te three came to the cell and stopped. Bleez triggered the door and waited outside as Avaryss and Beric entered. The prisoner was sitting on the cell's bed. She looked up at them with an angry glare.
Avaryss smiled.
If she had had any doubt who the girl was; it faded. Though her features were similar to Lady Synestra, there was no doubt that this young woman was her master's daughter. Both her lips and nose were evidence of her blood line. She had her master's blonde hair, and her mother's green eyes.
For the briefest of moments she could see the Feer arrogance shining in the girl, but then, as quickly as it appeared it faded.
She took one look at Avaryss and realized she was in the presence of a Sith.
Cynn recognized a dark lord when she saw one, and knew the danger of provoking one.
So she is not stupid, Avaryss thought.
That is good.
The girl immediately dropped to her knees, she bowed her head in submission.
"Why am I here, my lord," she asked meekly," I…I don't understand."
Avaryss smirked.
"You are here, Cynn Feer because of your lord father."
The dark lord chuckled.
"We have much to speak about.
"The girl raised her head slightly and blinked, she tried to hide any recognition of what Avaryss had said, but she was not really good at it.
Despite her upbringing, she was clearly not comfortable with lying.
It was another reason why her family would have removed her.
"You must be misinformed, my lord," she said innocently, "My last name is Fenara, I have no relations with in the Sith, I'm a humble filing clerk in the Imperial supply office."
The girl dared meet her gaze.
"I'm an orphan, I have no family."
Avaryss reached out with the Force, part of her wondered if her master had used the Force to alter her mind, to get her to believe in that story.
Avaryss was surprised when the girl pushed her out of her mind with sheer will; Avaryss imagined a blast door slamming shut, cutting her off from the girl's mind.
It came down so loud and so hard that she found herself taking a step back from the young woman, she hiccupped at the sheer power of the girl's will.
Avaryss grinned.
So she does know, who she is, Avaryss realized, she has just been forced to live this lie for so long she is not willing to give it up, yet.
That was okay, the dark lord thought.
We can work through this.
"Do you recognize me?" she asked her prisoner.
Again the girl bowed her head; she again tried to appear the innocent and submissive imperial citizen.
"No my lord," she admitted.
That did surprise Avaryss.
Her holo had been widely distributed over the last year. The Empire had paraded her around like a hero for a year after the battle with Darth Terrog.
She thought that most people would recognize her, then again, she had started wearing her helmet shortly after all the hero worship stuff had begun. It was rare that she was without it in public.
It was possible that the girl may not recognize her for that reason.
"I am Darth Avaryss," she informed her prisoner, "I'm the first apprentice to the Lord Councilor Darth Feer."
She grinned down at the girl.
"Do you still not know me?"
Hearing her name had the desired result.
Cynn Feer looked up at her, and this time, there was no submission in her eyes.
Avaryss felt anger…anger and jealousy.
The girl's fingers curled into fists.
"So you're the new me," she said coldly, "The one that my father replaced me with?"
Avaryss shrugged.
Your lord father needed an apprentice," she said, "It had to be someone, why not me?"
If the girl agreed or not, she did not say, she simply glared hatefully at the young woman who had taken her place. The young woman she should have been, if the Force and destiny had been kinder.
"What is the meaning of this," the girl snarled, "Why have you taken me? Did my father put you up to this? Does he hate me that much?"
Whoa, Avaryss thought.
She expected hostility on the girl's part, even anger, but this…
This was several levels above what she expected.
Hate.
Pure white hot hate.
The girl despised her father.
How interesting.
Now, she knew what to expect from the girl.
Now, she had step back and decide what to do next.
Avaryss looked around the cell; she wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"This is not the proper place for a discussion," Avaryss informed her, "And I'm afraid that the business of the Empire calls. We will need to continue this discussion later.
The girl did not respond,
She was too angry too respond.
Avaryss turned to Beric.
"See this young woman into proper quarters, and see that she has some clean clothes as well."
Cynn Feer's garments were dirty and tattered, the result of her quick removal during the battle on Dromund Kaas.
The Dark Lord grinned.
"I don't suppose you would reject my hospitality? I can offer food and a chance to clean yourself up, in exchange for a bit of your time and patience?"
Cynn Feer sniffed, in that moment she looked more like her mother than Bael ever did.
"So that how it is then," she said, "You take the measure of me, and now retreat?"
The girl shook her head.
"You think like my dad, I can see you two are a lot alike."
That comment sent a surge of anger through Avaryss; she almost lashed out at the girl.
Almost.
She took a deep breath and counted to ten.
She managed to regain her composure.
"We will speak again once you are settled in," Avaryss promised, "Captain Lylos…see that this matter is done."
"Yes, my lord," her brother said, bowing his head slightly.
Avaryss left her then, with her war master in tow. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
You think like him.
You two are a lot alike.
The words still burned in her breast.
Had that been an attempt to insult her?
It was possible, the girl had been raised by the Feers; she would have known how to push someone's buttons. It was a risky move, but what did the girl have to lose?
Avaryss snarled under her breath.
Whether Cynn Feer liked it or not, she would serve Avaryss' needs, just as Dym and Xen would.
They were her tools now, assets to be used up and discarded.
She would likely need those assets soon.
They would reach Oridanna in approximately eight hours.
The real mission was about to begin.
