Chapter 15: The Speech
"You have five minutes, my lord."
Avaryss nodded as she checked her reflection in the mirror one last time. Her boots, helmet, and mask had been polished to a mirror shine. Her black cape with crimson in lining had been cleaned and patched. Rather than wear an unmarked Imperial officer's uniform she had chosen to wear the tan coat and black leggings of an Oridanna security volunteer. That idea had come from Magistrate Hissa, and it had been a good one.
"The people need to see you as a protector," he had advised, that you represent the order that has kept them safe since the Empire first came to our world.
The man had smiled pleasantly then.
"For many years the Imperial Mission has taken sons and daughters of our world, taken them to be trained and sent out into the greater Empire.
"It will be most gratifying for the people to know that one of those children has finally returned, not just as a mere Sith but as a Dark Lord, a Dark Lord ready to defend them from their enemies."
The thought amused Avaryss.
She could not speak for other Oridanna born Sith, but from experience she knew that the changes that the dark side brought took away most if not all of the ties of kin and homeworld. Those other children had probably had no desire to return after they had come into their full power. It was a desire that she understood, because she had shared in it. She had been hesitant to return, to dig up old bones so to speak, but the Force had brought her to this place, and so she would make the best of it.
Of course, what Hissa said was not without merit. It could even be quite valuable.
He has a point, Keera chimed in, perhaps, I should make this speech, Avy. It might be better received coming from someone speaking in the voice of an Oridanna citizen.
Avaryss considered that, but rejected the idea, for now.
Once things had been formally established, once the old guard Sith here knew that she could be trusted, she would reveal her origins to all of Oridanna, but not yet.
First she had to reassure her people…
…Then…she could start building bridges.
Colonel Glasc arrived a few minutes later; he had brought her the data pad containing her speech. Today's transmission would be the first time that she addressed the people of her homeworld. This speech would be broadcast over the local holonet to every settlement on the planet.
The people were about to meet their High Inquisitor, she wished for that meeting to be as positive as it would be enlightening.
Avaryss regarded the loyalty officer, he seemed unaffected by his recent injuries; she thought she could see a small adhesive bandage sticking out from beneath his cap, but beyond that, he seemed much his old self.
She could not say that that was a good thing or not.
"It has been prepared by some of the best speech writers in the Empire," the Colonel assured her, "It is both patriotic and fiery. It will play well to the strengths you showed during your various speaking engagements after the victory at the Inferno Nebula.
Avaryss nodded, though she had never considered herself a politician, those speeches had been her first foray into Imperial politics. She had been hailed a hero after her victory over Darth Terrog, and as such she had gone on a small tour of the Empire, addressing not only Sith Acolytes but Imperial army and navy cadets as well.
Those speeches had been…interesting. She had been very nervous the first time, afraid that she would stumble in her words and make a fool of herself; she was a warrior, not an orator, before that she had only spoken to small groups of other warriors.
She was surprised to find that it was not that different. The people that she had addressed were loyal Imperials, Imperials that had been simply eager to see their hero. It had given her the confidence that she had needed at the time.
Now, she felt little or no nervousness at addressing the people of her homeworld.
It would be…fun.
She did a quick perusal of the speech; she could see what Glasc meant about it being fiery. She did frown when she came to a spot near the end.
"What is this?" she asked, "This part near the end?"
He took the pad and read it himself, he smiled slightly.
"Oh, yes, those are the predictions you are making regarding the effect of Rebel operations on the economy, and how it hurts the people of this world over all."
She nodded and took the pad back.
"Aren't we getting a bit ahead of ourselves? How can we be certain that these things will happen?"
His smile widened.
"Because they need to happen, you need not worry about particulars, everything has already been arranged. When these events occur you will be seen as both insightful, and the right voice at the right time."
Avaryss nodded, but inside the Keera side of her was repulsed.
They are going to hurt our home just to make you seem more relevant.
Are actually okay with that?
Avaryss was not, but she was smart enough to hold her tongue, at least for now.
She needed to build a rapport with her people first, then when she had more personal power and autonomy here, she would be free to prevent such things from happening again.
As Glasc had said, it had already been arranged, all she could do now was help her people weather this storm, and emerge from it stronger than ever.
It was the best possible outcome.
I see your point, Keera said from within her, her voice radiating with a sense of moroseness.
Seriously, Avy, I hate politics.
In this they were of a like mind again.
Avaryss hated politics too.
She once again read through the speech, she saw several opportunities to tweak it where she needed to. She wanted to play to her people's strengths remind them of the fact that the Empire had saved their world before, and now, in these uncertain times, could do so again.
She smiled to herself. She even had a perfect line. She knew the perfect way to end the speech.
I have come to save you.
Such words might have been strange coming from a Dark Lord of the Sith, but that is what would make them that more powerful.
It is you that will speak those words, Keera, she thought, it will get people talking, curious if they heard what they heard. An Oridanna voice from a Sith Lord…
Avaryss smiled.
It will be the first step in building what we need to here.
She sensed Keera's acceptance, perhaps even her agreement. Feer had done serious damage to the Sith Order's reputation on this world.
It was time to start repairing it.
She handed the pad back to Glasc; the speech would be on the holo-prompter before her as she stood in the holo field and gave her speech. According to what it said on the pad, the speech would be approximately five minutes long, provided she recited it in a calm and yet authorative voice.
She could do that, it was nothing that she had not done before.
She took a deep relaxing breath, and let it out slowly.
Right now in the settlements all across Oridanna, the sirens would be going off, the sirens that summoned the people to hear a message on the public information system. Moff Galek would make a brief introduction, and then her image would be broadcast across the planet, they would meet their High Inquisitor, their savior.
Avaryss smirked and made her way to the broadcast chamber.
She was most eager to have her moment in the sun.
The broadcast room was full of Imperial technicians. Men and women who made sure that these public broadcasts went off without a hitch. Avaryss nodded to them in passing, once this was done, she would make sure that they knew how much she appreciated all their hard work.
It was never too early to start making friends.
Speaking of which, Hissa had already begun to earn his keep, he was sending messages to the security volunteers; those that had not been touched by Darth Sadi. It was from them that she would recruit her new protectors.
They would have a vested interest in serving a lord from their own homeworld. Avaryss intended to see that they understood that she was more than just another Sith, but was someone who could speak for them.
Avaryss also recognized the need to have a second at her side, someone who the locals trusted. Her home had changed much since she had fled, she would no doubt need someone at her side that was familiar with the players that had been active in the last few years; give her a sense of just who it was she was dealing with.
The Magistrate seemed confident that he could find such a person. He had several candidates in mind and would have them report to her after her speech. From there, she could choose the one that best suited to her methods.
She hoped that this person would be up to the challenge. She asked much of those that served with her, but rewarded good service when she found it.
Hopefully, Magistrate Hissa's pick would enable her to get an idea of just how strong the rebel movement was here, and give her an idea of how best to crush it beneath her heel.
She looked up at the monitors scattered around the broadcast room, the security camera feeds were being piped in from the various nearby settlements, and it would give her an idea of how well her speech had been received.
Right now she could see the image of the Moff standing over the people, he was making a short introduction for her, informing the people that the Empire had seen fit to install her as Oridanna's Inquisitor.
"Transmission begins in ten seconds," the officer in charge of the broadcast center informed her.
She stood at attention, and awaited his go ahead. She listened to the countdown and waited.
She watched the hologram of Moff Galek fade out, she stood straighter, awaiting her chance to speak.
"Online in five, four…"
Avaryss smiled beneath her helmet.
It was time.
The officer in charge motioned for her to begin. She heard the holo pad beneath her feet activate.
On the monitors around the room, her image appeared on the public address system.
She nodded and began her speech.
"Loyal citizens of Oridanna, I am Darth Avaryss, Dark Lord of the Sith, and High Inquisitor of the Itae system. I speak to you now, brothers and sisters, not simply as a member of the Sith Order, but as a loyal Imperial unsure of our future in these turbulent times."
She relaxed her posture, seeking to appear more…approachable.
"The loss of our Emperor has hit us all hard; the blow that the Republic cowards have dealt to us will be answered in kind. The Emperor is gone, but its commitment to the people remains. I've come to inform you that you are not alone. The Empire that has shielded you for so many generations has neither forgotten nor rejected the sacrifices that we have asked of you. Your continued safety and security remain our main goal. We are…"
Static screamed out of every audio receiver in the broadcast room. Avaryss hissed in pain as her sonic bafflers tried to compensate. On the monitors the image of her vanished, across Oridanna, her speech was being jammed.
Avaryss shook her head.
What?
What was going on?!
"Report," she shouted.
"We are receiving interference, my lord," the officer in charge informed her.
"We are attempting to compensate now." added a technician.
Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
They needed to restore the connection.
She had just been getting started. They could not simply…
On the monitors, a new image appeared on the public address system, a floating gold symbol that Avaryss did not recognize, the hologram of it rotated like a cred-coin.
"What is that," she demanded.
"Someone give me a straight answer!"
A new voice filled the broadcast chamber, it was both strong and defiant; the tones altered by some voice changing program, making it sound neither male nor female.
Its message was not one that Avaryss had wanted to hear.
"To the sons and daughters of Oridanna, this is the Voice of the Resistance! Do not believe Sith lies and propaganda. This Inquisitor is not here to aid us, but to continue the cycle of oppression that we have known since Darth Daverus was assassinated almost five years ago."
Avaryss hissed.
Who was that?
What was the meaning of this?
"We are not traitors. We are not Republic sympathizers or terrorists. We are Oridannan like many of you, and like many of you, we have felt the sting of Darth Feer's cruelty, endured the pain of his corruption and tyranny. Once the Empire protected us, we produced for them and they offered their technology and friendship. We bowed to the Emperor and we were rewarded for our loyalty. The covenant struck between us and Grand Moff Vaiken was a good one, a fair trade…"
Avaryss growled. She looked over at the technicians; the officer in command was barking orders, trying to figure out what was happening, how these rebels had seized control of the Imperial broadcast system.
"Jam that signal," Avaryss shouted, ""And start a connection trace, if the fools continue to broadcast we can follow it back to its source, make sure that this does not happen again."
"We are trying now, my lord," the officer promised.
She glared at him.
"Don't try, do it!"
The man nodded and got back to work.
Avaryss looked up at the screens in a sense of barely controlled horror.
What was this?!
How was this even possible?!
"We have all suffered under the rule of Darth Feer, now a member of the dark council. He has chased innocent farmers from their land. Burned down homes of those that have spoken against him, and taken our loved ones as hostages to try and silence us; loved ones that he gladly executes live over the holonet for all to see."
Images flashed across the screen images of public executions being carried out by Sith troopers.
Avaryss cringed.
This was not the way she wanted her reign here to start.
"Now Feer sends his favorite pet, his lap dog, to reassure us; this Darth Avaryss is no real leader, she is his sword of vengeance, and she will bring down even more death and destruction on our beloved home."
The images changed again, Sith troopers executing people, walkers opening fire on crowded streets, and detention camps set up in inhospitable areas.
"Behold, Darth Avaryss' handy work," the rebel voice continued, "These images are of worlds that once belonged to the fallen Sith Darth Terrog. These worlds fell to Lord Feer when his loyal servant defeated Terrog and stole his holdings…"
Avaryss snarled behind her mask.
She had had nothing to do with Darth Feer's treatment of the people on those worlds. She had been elsewhere when he began his occupation of Terrog's holdings; she had had no part in it, any of it!
How dare these liars blame her for what her master had done!
Terrog had been insane; he would have shattered the Empire and tried to rule over the ashes.
She felt no shame for his death; it had been for the good of her people.
She would not justify herself to anyone for doing her duty.
"We have sent our terms to Lord Feer," the rebel voice said, "The response to it was more arrests and more executions. His response was to send his puppet here, to force us all back into line. We were willing to negotiate with the Empire, to ensure that our way of life continued as it always has. Now…we have been forced to take a different path, a harder one."
Avaryss shook her head.
Puppet?
Did they actually believe that?
She had heard enough.
"Do we have a trace yet?" she called out.
"Not yet, my lord."
She sighed.
They had no choice.
"Cut the signal, end the transmission."
The technicians worked in silence, pushing buttons and pulling levers.
The image on the monitors did not change.
The rebel broadcast continued.
"Turn it off," the young Sith Lord snarled.
"Turn it off right now!"
"We are trying, my lord. We…we are locked out of the system."
Avaryss felt her heart pounding in her chest, it was all she could do not to leap out of the holo field and gut the fool officer. It fell to him to make sure nothing unforeseen happened during these broadcasts.
The fact that the rebels had managed to do just that was proof of the man's mistake.
It was a failure.
It was a failure of the highest order.
The man needed to answer for it.
And all the while, the rebels continued to spew their venom.
They needed to be stopped.
"It was to the Emperor we bowed," the rebel voice declared, "But the Emperor is now dead, and we are no longer subject to the rule of his slaves. Hear me now loyal sons and daughters of Oridanna, embrace the grand future that is ours by right…"
The rebel paused, making sure that all would realize that he or she had finally came to the true heart of this speech.
It should have fallen on deaf ears, the transmission should have been cut by now, yet it still continued.
Avaryss temper continued to grow.
"End that transmission!" she shouted, "that is a direct order!"
Her people tried to obey, to cut the signal, and again they were met with little success. Finally, one technician leapt up and started ripping on the power cells from the wall, the ones powering the holo-com's link with the satellite network.
On the screens around the room Avaryss could see the reaction to what was being shown. She saw the watching crowds throwing things at the Sith troopers. She saw their men falling back into the government buildings or at least trying to.
The rebels continued to broadcast images of Sith operations. Arrests and executions filled the screens. Avaryss had thought herself desensitized to such violence. She had seen and done worse in the service of her Emperor, but now…watching what had happened on the screens, she realized that she was still capable of outrage.
She did not blame the people of Oridanna, seeing what Feer had been doing, or what he would likely do to her home angered her, it enraged her. She could only imagine how the common folk, who do not understand what was truly happening, would react.
It is all falling apart she realized, she had hoped to win the people of Oridanna over to her side with her speech, now she looked complacent in every cruel act that Feer had carried out here, she looked like a willing participant in his crimes.
Avaryss did not like being blamed for something she had never done. That her own people would think so little of her only added more fuel to her anger…her rage.
Her temper continued to build, she wanted to find the rebels and crush them utterly, but they were not here.
Her fury rose.
They are ruining everything, she thought.
Everything!
"Oridanna no longer needs the Empire, the Empire needs us," the rebel shouted, "The Itae system is strong and wealthy, and we have more than enough resources to buy our way into any legitimate government. We no longer need the Sith Empire to survive.
It does not matter to whom we turn, the Republic, the Mandalorians, or even the Hutts would be more hospitable the Empire. We have what we need to free ourselves, but we need you now good people, stand with us, fight with us. Together we can save Oridanna, together we can…
The hologram finally cut out, the image of the spinning disk and the scenes of violence and death were gone. Sadly, the trick had done its work.
Despite its ending, before the screens cut out from lack of power, she saw that the damage had been done.
Several settlements were now openly rioting. Avaryss could see the destruction on the screen; feel the fury that was a part of it.
That very same fury danced inside her now, growing hotter and brighter by the second.
Darth Avaryss, Dark Lord of the Sith was not pleased.
Ruined, she thought.
They ruined me today!
She could almost see her master's face, he would be furious with her, or…perhaps he wouldn't. Maybe…her embarrassment would amuse him. He might enjoy seeing her brought so low before the people she was trying to protect.
She imaged him laughing; she imagined Darth Sadi and Moff Galek laughing…it was too much.
It was far too much.
She stood on the holo field generator, her heard pounding in her ears, her vision tinged with red.
The last of the reserve power failed, the room was plunged into darkness.
Red emergency lights kicked on, turning everything around her the color of blood, blood and shadows.
"Did we get a connection trace, at least," she asked in a cold silky voice.
"Tell me we know that signal's point of origin?"
There was silence; it seemed to go on forever, as it continued her fury threatened to boil over.
"The signal was being relayed from half a dozen sources, my lord," the officer replied in a small frightened voice.
"We…we were not able to pin it down. We…I…I am sorry."
Avaryss took a shuddering breath.
It was too much.
It was far too much!
In the flickering red lights she saw the technician who had cut the power, a young woman in an olive grey uniform. Only she had responded accordingly, only she had truly tried to fulfill her master's will.
Avaryss had just enough self-control left to reward those actions.
She reached out with the Force and cast a sleep spell, the technicians eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed to the floor.
Service, like failure, should be rewarded, Avaryss thought, her fury and hate boiling over, threatening to take away all conscious thought.
She had rewarded service…
Now…it was time to reward failure, the only reward that a Sith could offer such stupidity.
She reached out with the Force, the broadcast room's security doors responded, they hissed as they came online and slid down. The technicians and officers looked up in surprise, not really sure what was happening.
Avaryss growled they were all about to find out.
The rebels ruined me, she thought, glaring at them.
You all failed me!
Somewhere the rebels were laughing at her. Somewhere Darth Feer was laughing at her. Darth Sadi was no doubt laughing in her quarters right now.
They're all in on it, the dark side whispered in her ear, the technicians, the officers in this room, they helped the rebels, they are laughing at you too, they enjoyed making you look like a fool!
A mistake, she thought.
She ignited her lightsaber, its bright crimson blade glowing like the fury inside of her.
It was a fatal mistake.
Later Colonel Glasc would ask what happened; her brother would ask what had happened. Avaryss did not have a straight answer. The fury was upon her in seconds, the rage within her overflowed, and the dark side took over.
She lashed out at the technicians, and the officers that had failed her. She used not just her lightsaber but her spells as well. She drove the men and women in the room to insanity, they aided in their own destruction tearing each other apart in blind unthinking terror and rage.
There was only one survivor, the tech who she had spared; the girl was asleep during the carnage.
She was the lucky one.
By the time Beric Colonel Glasc and Beric finally opened the doors, the screams of terror and rage had ceased. They found Avaryss panting, kneeling in the middle of the carnage she had wrought, her uniform stained with blood.
She looked around the dead, and basked in the power of the dark side.
These fools at least would not be laughing at her.
"My lord," Glasc asked, visibly disturbed by what she had done.
"My lord," Beric said drawing in closer.
"Sister," he whispered when no one else could hear.
"Can you hear me?"
Avaryss took a shuddering breath.
The anger had retreated, but the power remained it was a heady sensation indeed.
She looked up at her brother, underneath her mask she smiled.
"It is okay," she murmured, "I'm here to save them."
She laughed coldly.
"I will save them all."
