Chapter 12: The Welcome
This is not the way it was supposed to be.
Avaryss rode in silence, watching as the ground zipped past beneath them. The transport's darkened windows hid her from view as it sped back to Danna City. Windows as dark as her mood, for that it what is was.
Her arrival was not the homecoming she would have expected, or hoped for.
For the moment, the dark lord had removed her helmet and mask; she looked down upon its harsh features, the cruel expression cast in metal.
It was all she could do to keep tossing it out the window, or perhaps smashing it to splinters against the frame of the speeder. Her frustration boiled as the journey continued.
She frowned.
I am a daughter of Oridanna, a Hero of the Empire. I should have been welcomed back with happy crowds screaming my name, and banners bearing the sigil of my House.
Her frown deepened.
Instead I slink into the capital in an armed transport, travelling in the company of decoys so that the rebels excuse me, troublemakers, don't know which are mine, and all to protect my life.
Her eyes narrowed.
I'm home not five minutes and already my people want me dead.
She hissed angrily.
It wasn't right.
It wasn't fair!
"My lord?"
Avaryss looked up at Commander Holli, she had asked that the changeling ride with her; not just because she was good with a blaster if it came to that, but because her natural abilities would be very useful should a second attempt be made on their way into the city.
Plus, Avaryss had not had a chance to talk with Lujayne for a long time. In the absence of Taya, the changeling was probably the only friend she had.
The two had shared much. Holli had saved her life twice, and over the years they had developed a rapport. Avaryss liked to think they were friends.
Holli may not have been Force sensitive, but her changeling status made her an outsider to most, she always had to keep her guard up around strangers, with Avaryss she was free to be herself, to speak plainly.
The dark lord hoped that she appreciated that, as much as Avaryss herself did.
She was comfortable in the changeling's presence, far more than she should been given all the stories she had heard about changelings growing up.
The Sith sighed and shook her head.
It was funny, in the tales changelings were always the duplicitous ones, the ones who could not be trusted, not the people who the hero lived around.
The realization was as painful as it was depressing.
She had come back to help her people, and they had tried to kill her for it.
If that was not a reason to be depressed she did not know what was.
IOI
Their losses had been heavy to say the least.
All three shuttles had been destroyed. Forty six of the hundred men she had brought with her were dead, most dying aboard their shuttles before they even had a chance to deploy. Of the fifty four that had survived, nine were critically wounded, and ten more would need extensive medical treatment before they could return to their duties.
That left her forces greatly depleted, to say the least. Beric had Holli had both taken wounds from shrapnel, but only her brother had needed medical attention. Colonel Glasc had been taken away for synaptic treatments, after having suffered an extreme blow to the head.
Though she would not miss the man presence, she knew that her operations would suffer without him being here.
Despite her personal dislike, Henin Glasc was a good soldier. He had excellent command instincts, but he still had to learn to take his ego out of the equation. His arrogance had been his undoing in the past, and it would likely get him killed if he did not learn to keep it in check.
Every Sith needed a rabid dog, Glasc should have been hers.
If only he wasn't so kriffing loyal to Darth Feer. She did not doubt that the man spied on her for her master. He knew she could not touch him because of his family connections, and lived under the mistaken belief that she would never be able to defeat her master.
One day, she intended to enlighten him on the foolishness of that belief.
As for the rebels themselves, they had died to the last. Her destruction of their transport had prevented any type of escape. The Imperials had managed to take three survivors but they had all ingested poison rather than talk, the Sith had been powerless to stop the fast acting toxin from denying them any chance to question the attackers.
So…the whole thing was a loss, the landing pad was damaged, the fighters stationed there were either destroyed or needed a major overhaul, and her own forces were depleted, it was such a great way to begin her operations here.
At least we have the bodies, Avaryss thought, finding out who these people were might go a long way to finding out exactly what we are dealing with here. Were the people that attacked her natives or had they come from off-world?
That question was just the first, one of many. It was the first step in solving the puzzle of this rebellion, and when she had, she would know how to snuff it out once and for all.
Yet, right now, those answers seemed very far away, and as she had waited the transports from Danna City to come and pick them up, she had come to realize just how daunting the task her master had set before her truly was.
Avaryss had never been the type to give into depression, but in that moment, she had felt daunted.
Depression had her in its grip.
IOI
The changeling and the Sith Lord sat quietly, while the commander dealt with her injuries. As Avaryss watched the flesh of Holli's arms shifted and rippled like water in a pond.
TINK!
TINK!
TINK!
One by one, small pieces of metal fell from the changeling's arm, as she used her abilities to expel the shrapnel from her flesh.
An impressive display, Avaryss thought.
Some might have found it disturbing, but not Avaryss.
Once again she found herself thinking about trying to mate Holli with one of the Sith she knew. A child born with the both the Force and the abilities that her friend possessed would be most formidable indeed.
Of course, thinking of mates and children just got her thinking more and more about Fenn, and the fact that she had not spoken with him, and that his duties seemed destined to keep them apart.
She thought of Taya and Fimm and their little daughter, and how unlikely it was that she would have a child of her own at this rate.
Her depression grew. She tried to refocus on the work at hand, but even that presented a problem.
How am I going to deal with this, she wondered, she had no desire to crush her former home beneath her heel, but at the same time it was clear that she was surrounded by enemies. How did one survive if one did not crush one's enemies?
Then there had been the matter of Keera. How Avaryss, when wounded, had lost control and Keera had emerged to take over, take over and used her powers while Avaryss had been trapped within her own mind.
The realization did little to improve the dark lord's mood.
In that moment, when Keera had taken over, Avaryss had been powerless, trapped. For the first time since finishing her time as a Hopeful on Fury 9, she had had no control over her powers. Her powers had had control of her.
She did not like that.
Overseer Phylon would have been furious.
A Sith controls their power not the other way around.
Keera did not make her feel any better.
You are stronger than I realized, Avy, she heard her say, I look forward to the next time that I can come out and play.
Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
She would not allow that. NEVER!
Somewhere deep inside her, Keera was laughing.
We will see, Avy.
We will see.
I told you I would be stronger here."
So it seemed, Avaryss thought.
Damn the Farm Girl straight to the void.
Damn her.
The dark lord sighed heavily.
It seemed that she had two wars to fight now, one with the rebels, and one with her former self.
Wonderful!
She took a shuddering breath, not really looking at anything, not even at Holli.
"I should never have come back," Avaryss said morosely.
"I should have left this Emperor forsaken place to its fate."
Holli gave her a confused look.
"You have been here before, my lord?"
Avaryss almost laughed.
Had she never told Holli where she was from?
She could not remember.
Had Beric never told her which world they had come from? It was possible; her dear brother was not the type to think about the past, given what had been taken from them.
She decided to indulge her friend's curiosity.
"I was born here," she said, "It was my home."
She looked up at the Commander, her purple eyes blazing with simmering anger.
"And now…they welcome me home by trying to kill me."
Holli quailed under that gaze, Avaryss was not mad at her, but she could no doubt see how easily that could shift if Avaryss decided to take out her anger on someone.
Holli had nothing to worry about though.
She was too important to the dark lord's work.
Avaryss would rather destroy a priceless work of art than harm her friend.
'It was not you that they were trying to kill, my lord," Holli said, "It was the Sith Inquisitor that has been sent to bring this world back into line."
Holli gave her a weak smile.
"You just happen to be that Inquisitor."
An interesting way of looking at it, Avaryss thought, and probably correct.
The rebels would have struck at any Sith that Feer had sent; it just happened to be her this time.
It did not make the attempt on her life any less real, but it did put things back in perspective.
Of course, it was possible that the rebels may have had nothing to do with the attack, the darkness whispered in her ear.
Perhaps Lord Feer or one of his underlings here saw an opportunity.
Perhaps the rebels you faced were not rebels at all.
That was possible too, she did not like to think about it, but it was.
When a Sith Master's relationship with his apprentice turned to rivalry, things could get ugly very fast.
She would need to investigate this matter, and quickly.
The war continued.
She owed it to the Empire to see this matter dealt with quickly.
The attempt on her life had been executed with both precision and cunning. Her would-be killers were not a bunch of untrained fools with hold out blasters and pipe bombs. They had been using military grade weapons; the transport that they had used to crash through the security fence was a military vehicle.
They would need to determine how the rebels got access to such weaponry.
As they had waited for the transports to bring them back to Danna City, Avaryss had interrogated Magistrate Hissa.
It was clear to anyone that these people were more than mere criminals and troublemakers.
Nursing a broken arm, a wound he had gained when the shuttles had exploded, Hissa was forced to admit that the Rebellion here on Oridanna was more than a few angry troublemakers.
He admitted to her that a military transport like the one used in the attack had been stolen two nights ago from a weapons depot. As for the weapons the assassins had used several shipments of rifles and grenades had vanished in the last few months. At first Hissa had suspected that weapons were being stolen by outlaws looking to sell them on the black market, and had responded as such, sending out agents to watch the various criminal elements that now thrived on Lord Feer's Oridanna.
It was not until the first bombing that the Magistrate realized just how wrong he had been.
Avaryss listened to the man's story; it did little to improve her mood about the matter.
In truth, she was tempted to kill Hissa for his failure, but in the end thought better of it.
The Magistrate could have lied to her, tried to pass the blame up the command chain. He did not, with the exception of a final subtle reminder that Moff Galek had been informed of these thefts but had not been effective in answering them.
The dark lord informed him that she was willing to give him a chance to redeem himself. They needed to double their efforts in dealing with these criminals.
Hissa agreed, promising her that there would be no further failure.
"I do hope so, magistrate, for your sake," she had said.
"When word of this attack reaches my master, he will not be happy, and he is not as forgiving as I am."
Hissa had swallowed hard; she could almost hear the sound of his brain working.
If he was smart he would work with her.
He would help her figure out who had ordered this clumsy attack.
She welcomed that chance, the chance to pay these traitors back.
In the meantime, she needed to speak with the leadership of this world not just the Moff of the Itae system, but any Sith as well...
She hoped they would have more answers for her than Hissa.
Lord Feer had given her command of the enforcers here, with her own troops decimated she would need them more than ever. Technically they still belonged to Darth Sadi, but it would be her that would be working beside them from now on.
She would need to test them quickly. Discover which ones would support her, and which ones that would need to be removed.
"I think it is safe to say that the Magistrate was wrong about these rebels," Holli said with a frown, "They are more than mere troublemakers."
"That is a certainty, yes," Avaryss agreed.
"Do you have any ideas, my lord? Are there any allies that you could call on here, someone who might owe your family a favor?"
Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
Once she would have said that the Wilkes were her best chance, but given everything that had happened the night her family died.
No…she was on her own.
She would deal with this rebellion on her own, as she always had.
She had her wits and the dark side was her ally, with those two resources at her disposal, she was not easily denied.
"We shall deal with these rebels in our own way, Holli," she finally said.
"As you wish," the changeling said, "As always…we are with you, my lord.
The engineer smiled.
"You can count on us."
Avaryss smiled.
"Thank you, my friend," she said.
"That means a lot to me."
Holli fell silent again, watching the ground pass quickly beneath them.
Avaryss glanced up into the sky; somewhere out there Fenn was doing…whatever it was that a Jedi did during wartime.
Be safe, my love, she thought, and find your way back into my arms soon.
Be safe.
IOI
After almost an hour of travelling, the transports finally found themselves within Danna City. They zipped across the skyway as they made their way to the central tower.
Avaryss looked down, taking in Oridanna's planetary capital.
Things had changed a bit since the last time she had been here.
Danna City had never been the largest city on the planet, but it had been the most useful. It was here that the planets resources were packaged and sent out to the rest of the Empire. The buildings and wind walls designed to protect any leaving or approaching ships. Founded by Grand Moff Vaiken's during his conquests, Danna City was the nerve center that made the planet's resources relevant to the Empire's needs.
Before the Sith had come, Oridanna had been lightly populated speck in the galaxy. Its native human population had existed in a sense of blissful ignorance, with the exception of the occasional pirate attack; Oridanna had not been worth the time of another major power to secure it. It had been considered too far out, and too small to be noticed.
That all changed when Grand Moff Vaiken's ship found itself in high orbit.
After the Sith Holocaust, and resettlement on Dromund Kaas, the Emperor had commanded Vaiken and the other remaining Sith military officers to expand their Empire quietly, no news could be allowed to reach the Republic. Secure in what the Republic considered the Unknown regions, Oridanna, Pholis and the rest of the Itae system had been a backwater during the days of the Golden Age of the Sith.
Now…it had become necessary.
Much as he had done on the planet Pholis, also in the Itae system, the future Grand Moff had offered the people a choice. The Empire was growing again, it needed food and supplies, in exchange for their crops and their loyalty, the Emperor offered order, trade opportunity, and protection from their enemies. The Empire spent the next year exterminating the pirates that had been preying on Oridanna and Pholis, within a decade both worlds had gained full membership status within the Empire. The people had accepted the Empire's terms as the best way to be a part of the larger galaxy, no real complaints had manifested, the people had been content with their lot; they lived their lives and met the Empire's quotas, fulfilling their duties and needs. It was a deal that had lasted for almost a thousand years.
Now…Darth Feer had managed to destroy that deal in less than five, even more proof that he deserved to pay for what was happening here.
Avaryss stared down at the city, at the changes that Feer had brought when he had taken over. It looked like the city's outskirts had been extended. She saw many more military installations than she remembered from years before. She saw new weapons, gun emplacements, turbo lasers and missile launchers. She also saw what looked like an arena. It seemed that Darth Feer had brought gladiator games to Oridanna. As for the city itself, its streets were fairly silent, things seemed quiet, but when she reached out with the Force she could tell that something was amiss.
Prepare the Moff had placed a curfew in effect or declared martial law, either was a possibility given the recent troubles.
She could sense a great deal of anger down there, anger and resentment.
Danna City was a powder keg, just waiting to explode.
The shuttle banked a hard left and began its final approach to the government tower. The winter winds and turbulence made the turn difficult but not a problem for the especially designed transports.
Avaryss sighed and put her mask and helmet back on.
When she met with Moff Galek she intended to look her best, it would be far too dangerous to show any weakness around the man and his retainers. Magistrate Hissa should have returned by now as well, and with him the story about what had happened to her.
She was curious to see how the Moff and his fellows responded to the failed assassination attempt.
How they responded would help shape her next actions.
She would need to watch them closely, see how they reacted.
It was likely that one of the people she was about to meet had something to do with her near death at the air field.
If one slipped up and gave her a clue that they had been involved in the attack, she would know where to start her investigation; from there she could start the long hard job of ripping this rebellion out by the roots.
Before she could truly play the game, she needed to know the players. From there she could choose her next move.
It was the only way to win.
IOI
"This way, my lord."
The servant led her down the corridors of the central tower, past many droids and low level government functionaries. Her apprentices walked at her side, followed closely by Warmaster Bleez.
Avaryss reached out with the Force as they went, trying to get a sense of what was truly going on.
She had left Holli in command of her remaining forces. Quarters had been prepared in a private wing of the tower for them. Her remaining guards would secure it while the Engineer swept the entire floor for hidden cameras and listening devices. She would be spied upon, that was a given, but that did not mean that she intended to make things easy.
The number of Imperial soldiers here was a bit surprising, Oridanna's garrison had never been so large during her father's time, of course, with the war on, it might be considered necessary, with an active rebellion even more so.
She was shown to the towers executive meeting room. As she entered the four already in attendance rose to their feet.
"Inquisitor Avaryss," a herald at the door announced.
Avaryss stopped and nodded in greetings.
So, she thought to herself, here we go.
A heavy set man and the head of the table came around to greet her, his pale skin with red blotches was familiar to him, as was his thinning brown hair and handlebar mustache.
"Lord Avaryss," Moff Galek said pleasantly.
"Welcome to Oridanna."
He offered his hand but she did not take it. The man, realizing what she was doing pulled it back quickly, embarrassed.
She smiled beneath her mask enjoying his displeasure.
"You were absent at my initial arrival, governor," she said coldly.
"How fortunate for you."
"Yes…um…I heard of that," he said shifting his feet uncomfortably.
"Dreadful business."
"It was," she agreed coming around the table, to take her place at the head of it, her apprentices and Warmaster following closely behind. She took a seat in the governor's chair and turned her gaze upon him once more.
"We are going to have to make sure that it is not repeated in the future."
If the Moff was insulted by her decision to take his seat he did not show it. He clearly knew who she was and her reputation.
He took a seat at the far end of the table, looking chagrined.
As he should, Avaryss thought, this rebellion has flourished under his nose.
He would need to answer for it.
Magistrate Hissa sat to her right, his arm in a sling, he covered his mouth slightly, hiding a smile, and he no doubt took pleasure in seeing his boss humbled in such a way, especially considering his desire to replace him. As for the other two, they were unknown to her.
Introductions were hastily made.
To her right sat Les Moor, Oridanna's minister of trade, dark skinned and bald, the man was thin with careful cold eyes.
Avaryss had never heard of the man before, she figured he had likely been installed by her master, to oversee the management of her world's resources.
She would need to determine quickly if the man could be trusted.
Opposite the trade minister sat an alien, one of the Pho people of Pholis. The creature introduced itself as Lob Vekk, ambassador for the Pho people.
The Pho, or seal men as some Imperials referred to them were an aquatic species. The ambassador's small head and long dart-shaped body glistened where his skin was visible. Large dark innocent looking eyes regarded Avaryss curiously, the whiskers under his wide curved mouth twitched as he kept his flipper like hands on the table before him.
"Lord Avaryss," he barked, "It is good that you are finally here. Our worlds need a swift end to this crisis."
She tilted her head.
"Do you consider this rebellion a crisis, ambassador? I was led to believe it was a simple matter of troublemakers making things difficult."
Hissa shifted in his seat, her little reminder of the attack at the landing pad meant to remind him of his place.
"I would not call it a crisis yet, my lord, Minister Moor said, "But it could become that if we are not vigilant. We have already seen a disruption in trade; preparations for the coming spring have been halted in several provinces. Not to mention the various instances of sabotage on the nationalized farms."
Avaryss nodded.
"I take it security has been stepped up to meet these challenges?"
"It has," Hissa informed her, "Of course, given the influx of new people in the last few years, our troopers and security volunteers cannot be everywhere at once."
"Too many bodies, not enough security," Moor agreed.
"We are expecting a shipment of security droids to arrive next week," Moff Galek informed her, "That should take some of the burden off of our military personnel.
Avaryss leaned back in her chair.
"Influx of people," she said, "I was unaware of an increase in immigration.
"New workers were required to meet the Empire's needs, Moor said, "We have recruited all we can among the native population, those that lost their homes during Lord Feer's rise have mobilized to the best of our abilities. The indentured serve well, but…"
Avaryss' eyes widened, her masked face turned to the Minister.
"Indentured servants," she said, "Here on Oridanna?"
"It was necessary to meet the quotas," Moff Galek informed her.
"Before the program was instituted," Hissa said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "We had too many squatting camps forming out on the plains, they were hotbeds for trouble."
"The offering of Indentured contracts allowed us to bring the farmers back into the fold," Moor added.
"As for the necessary physical labor," the Hutts have proven most useful in finding us strong bodies. New workers arrive once a month from the processing centers on Nar Shadda. It was a necessity, given the turnover rates."
The Trade Minister gave her a knowing smile.
"The war has forced us to be more…proactive in meeting the quotas."
Avaryss remained perfectly still; she could still not quite grasp what she was hearing.
Workers from the Hutts, native Oridannans forced to accept Indentured servitude."
She put one and one together.
Darth Feer had brought slavery to Oridanna.
Her people were loyal, had been loyal, now some of them were slaves on their own land.
She probably should not have been surprised.
Feer was not the type to accept excuses. He liked results, still…slavery?
She still could not quite believe it.
"What type of turnover?" Avaryss asked, thought she could guess what it meant.
"Lord Feer demands much of us," Moff Galek said apologetically. "We had to push the workers quite hard to meet Imperial demands."
"Demands that continue to go up," Moor shrugged.
"The strain has proven too much for some," The Moff added, "Fortunately for us, in times of war, there are always more workers. The Hutts assure they can meet our demands, and as for skilled labor, the native population still serves quite well in that capacity."
Avaryss gripped the armrests of her chair, her fingers squeezing them angrily.
She understood that war asked much of the common citizen, but this…this…
She barely suppressed an angry hiss.
She found this…distasteful. It was one thing to use slavery and Indentured workers on a world that was newly conquered, but this…this…
Her eyes narrowed.
No wonder the rebellion had sprang up, Feer had declared war on his own people!
Plus, who knew where these slaves had come from. The Hutts had been making use of Republic refugees for years. If there were former Republic citizens among the new workers they likely spoken with the native Oridannans spreading Republic propaganda, lies about the Jedi and how they were all equal under the gentle guidance of the Republic Senate.
A cold shiver ran down Avaryss' spine.
She looked around the table, trying to get a sense of who she could trust.
The Pho ambassador had said nothing during the meeting; he kept those large brown eyes of his on the table, keeping his thoughts and emotions to himself.
Magistrate Hissa radiated with disgust at his fellows, as a native of Oridanna she wondered how he saw what was happening on their world.
It would likely be useful to speak with him later.
I have many things to do, she realized.
She would need to speak with the slave masters, try to get an idea of what kind of people they had been delivering to her home. She would also need to go to both the nationalized farms and squatter camps that Moff Galek had mentioned.
She would need to meet with her people, those that had lost everything because of Feer's policies.
They were looking for someone to save them, if she played this right she could be seen as a protector.
Holli had not been wrong on the way here, she needed allies.
Why not start building among those that were at the very bottom of the new Oridanna?
The new Oridanna, she thought.
The mere thought made her want to retch.
She would need to confer with Lord Marr. He would likely not feel the same anger that she did about this situation, but he might give her ideas in how to move forward.
They will never trust you, Keera's voice whispered in her ear.
Te people will see you as Feer's lackey.
They will never open up to you."
Avaryss's eyes narrowed.
She would see about that.
It was at that moment that the door to conference room opened; admitting two new faces to their discussion.
Avaryss looked up, her eyes recognizing the one in front from her holo.
It was about damn time.
"Sorry I'm late," Darth Sadi swept into the room like she owned the place. The Dark Lord of the Itae system gave everyone in the room a warm smile.
"Matters of state can be most tedious, don't you think."
Avaryss sneered beneath her mask
So this was Darth Sadi, she thought...
For the moment she was unimpressed.
Sadi was human, perhaps thirty standard years old, maybe a little younger, with a heart shaped face and lithe yet curvy figure. Her long curly golden brown hair done up in the latest Dromund Kaas fashion. Her skin was pale, and her features had a sly foxlike quality to them. Large oval shaped green eyes took in everything around her. Her red thin lips formed a pouty yet amused smile, most men would have thought it cute, she supposed.
Through the Force she radiated sense of doe-like innocents; she seemed amused by all around her and excited to be included in such heady events.
Avaryss did not buy what she was feeling for a second.
Sadi was a Darth under Darth Feer's direct command.
She could not judge this book by its cover.
Sadi was not clad in the robes of the Sith, she was instead dressed in a traditional Oridanna gown. A silken thing of fine fabric dark blue with pastel green highlights, stitched with designs of native flowers.
The Force changed as she entered the room, Avaryss could feel it. She could sense Moor and Galek's…infatuation with the young Dark Lord, at the least they seemed more at ease in her presence. Hissa remained distant, and the Pho ambassador remained silent.
From her own people Avaryss sensed different emotions; Xen looked upon the new dark lord with contempt. Dym was reaching out, probing her perhaps; trying to get a sense of what she might be hiding beneath her doe eyed exterior.
Bleez remained both cold and indifferent; duty is what mattered to the war master, not vapid displays of false innocence.
And it was false, Avaryss knew.
She had read Sadi's file before leaving Dromund Kaas.
The Dark Lord of the Itae system was far from an innocent.
Avaryss took note of the lightsaber clipped to the woman's gown by a dark blue sash. The hook handled design suggested that Sadi fancied herself a lightsaber duelist. According to her file, she had excelled in the one handed variation of the Makashi lightsaber style, and preferred that over the other disciplines.
Avaryss respected that, she preferred Makashi herself, but at the same time had worked with the other styles as well, to keep any potential enemies off balance.
She pursed her lips.
She wondered how skilled the other Darth was.
After brief words of welcome Sadi entered the room, she made for Avaryss first, her warm smile never leaving her lips.
"Lord Avaryss," she said offering a little curtsey.
"Lord Sadi," Avaryss replied, rising from her chair. A Darth should greet another as equals after all.
"I've heard so many things about you," the other Darth purred, "Your victories over the rogue Jedi Sy Dar Bynn, your success at the inferno nebula."
Sadi's grin widened.
"I do hope you can help us bring a swift end to the troubles on this world, my friend. The Empire's need is so dire."
"I will do my best, of course," Avaryss promised."
That is all we can ask."
It was at that moment that Sadi's apprentice step forward, perhaps eager to be recognized.
Avaryss tried to hide her revulsion.
"Hello Bael," she said with a curt nod.
"It has been far too long."
Bael Feer looked much like his father now, he was taller, and a bit more physically impressive. At sixteen he had finally started to fill out into the man he was destined to be, physically anyway.
Avaryss was not impressed. She remembered Bael from her days as an apprentice, his wanton cruelty, his sick gaze and infatuation, how he had enjoyed staring at her, watching her kill in various stages of undress.
He had been a disgusting little fungus, had he not been her master's son, she would have killed him long ago.
He looked upon her now with his mother's eyes, a proper young man in body if not in mind. Avaryss waited for the sneering child she had known to come to for front again, to speak down to her as he always had. He had been both angry and extremely jealous that she had been a made a Darth so early. Before he had left for Korriban he had barely said three words to her since her ascension. She had been grateful for the silence but…
What would he say now, she wondered; what snide comment would the little mama's boy have for her now?
Bael…surprised her?
She felt no jealousy only a warm sort of respect.
Huh?
What was this?!
"It has been too long, Lord Avaryss," he said bowing gallantly, offering her a warm gentle smile.
"Your presence here is both a welcome and beautiful sight."
Avaryss blinked, grateful for her mask.
What?
She glanced over at Darth Sadi who gave her a conspiratorial wink.
What was this now?
She held out her hand, and Bael kissed it chastely.
"Welcome to Oridanna, my lord," he purred warmly.
"Your presence is greatly appreciated."
Is it now, Avaryss thought suspiciously?
We will see.
