Chapter 57: The Test
Six years ago, a young woman left her home on a mission of vengeance. She swore to the Emperor to become a Dark Lord of the Sith or die trying…
That girl didn't understand the commitment she was making; she didn't understand that becoming what she wanted was no mere journey…but a metamorphosis. The dark side changes all that it touches, it changes people most of all.
The girl suffered, she endured…so much pain and torment, so much was taken from her by her enemies, even those enemies that pretended to be friends, people that tried to deny her destiny, to convince her to turn away and find her way back to who she had been before.
Jedi, she thought with an angry sneer.
They wanted to save me, that is what they said, but in the end, all they wanted to do was damn me, deny me the power that was rightfully mine!
She thought of the Jedi that aided her during the Battle of the Inferno Nebula, they had captured her, planned to take her back to their temple, to change her, and save her from herself.
They understood nothing. There was nothing wrong with her.
She was exactly where she wanted to be…exactly. They simply tried to steal her destiny; that had been a mistake.
No one stole from her…no one!
They would pay for that! She would make them suffer, but first…she had many more enemies to slay here at home. A purge of the disloyal was called for…
The young woman smiled.
Six years ago, a young woman had left her home, swore and oath, and began her great transformation, and now…that transformation was complete, the vow fulfilled.
She WAS a Dark Lord of the Sith!
And now…Darth Avaryss…was perfect!
She followed Talitha Lylos, saying nothing, watching all as she passed by. Evaluating the strength of her enemies, and yes…these people WERE her enemies.
When you were Sith…you were at war with the universe, anyone who tried to stop your rise…
Everyone was your enemy!
Perhaps her sister understood that on some level, she had offered Avaryss only a simple robe and slippers when they had left the medical bay. She had not returned the dark lord's armor and weapons. Her lightsaber and the Kuba venom poisoned dagger she had gotten over Pholis were not returned to her.
That choice showed that Talitha was not stupid, points for her, it was a smart move.
Her sister, Keera Lylos' sister, couldn't see the change, she still chatted with Avaryss like she was Keera, her beloved older sister.
She would find out how wrong she was soon enough.
"It is good that you have finally returned to us, Keera," Talitha said, "Mother has wanted this for so long. She has long desired that all of her remaining children be in one place, working towards a single goal.
In other words, her mother wished Avaryss to be yet another pawn. The Dark Lord had been a pawn for Darth Feer for almost five years.
She was done playing that role, but for the moment, humored the other girl, no reason to let her know the truth too soon.
She smiled.
"Yes, Talitha," she said in a silky, seemingly innocent voice.
"Today…will be a day long remembered."
Avaryss only just restrained her laughter.
Foolish, rebel, she thought staring at the back of the girl.
You have no idea what you have let into your sanctum!
The Dark Lord had no goals…but her own! She would no longer play the part of the innocent dupe, not to her master, the Empire, not to anyone!
The galaxy was hers to torment now.
She would not be denied that duty…that pleasure.
She hungered!
There was so much power here.
She desired only to seize it.
Avaryss shivered, trying to remember her training, not to let those desires overwhelm her, she was not an animal after all. The dark side was very strong here, it was making her giddy. She was so tempted to act without thinking. It took all her will to hold that in check, but she managed….
Yes, she needed to be patient.
Everything would fall into place, soon enough.
Her eyes drifted to the walls around her; the corridors cut into the very rock, it was impressive to say the least. She could both feel and see the Sith Glyphs carved into the halls, more restraint casts, meant to keep this place hidden, to keep its power from flowing outward, and being noticed.
Strange, she thought.
Why hide it? Why keep such a powerful nexus of dark side energy a secret?
"What is this place?" she asked, "When I saw the medical bay…I thought I was on a ship, now it appears we are underground?"
"It is a bit of both, actually," Talitha informed her, "We are within a Sith temple built under the plains of Oridanna, probably constructed by the first Sith to arrive here, and hidden from the people, a well-spring of dark side energy for which those of us that were strong in the Force could draw on. The medical bay was part of a ship once, it crashed years ago, and was buried, hidden, and the temple expanded to link with the few functional bays that remained, the ship has been absorbed, it is a part of this temple now."
"I see," Avaryss said, with a hint of a smile.
"It seems that Oridanna still hides many secrets."
"More than you realize, sister," Talitha said proudly, "Mother will explain everything soon, you have my word."
"That will be nice," Avaryss said sweetly, "There is so much power here."
She almost giggled.
I can't wait until it is all mine!
The dark side had done so much for her, given her not only power, but prestige, but it also expanded her hunger. It had filled her with an almost insatiable desire for more!
I am truly Avaryss now, the dark lord thought, I am greed given form.
That change didn't trouble her. Once she would have feared it, once upon a time, Keera would have struggled, tried to stop, and think rationally…
Keera had been a fool. Avaryss would have tried to manipulate it, but she would never have gone far enough.
Darth Avaryss was different. She accepted the change; it was who she was now.
All that mattered was finishing what she had started. She needed to prove her new found superiority, she needed to slay her master and take his place, but first…she needed to survive what was coming. These people clearly had their own plans, she needed to discover what those plans were, either stop them, or turn them to her advantage.
Such was the way of the dark side, everything existed to serve the Sith, even Talitha Lylos and the ghost of her mother.
"How ever did you find this place," she asked, speaking in Keera's Oridannan accent, "If it was hidden by the first Sith to come here…?"
"I didn't find it," the girl replied, "The people that followed mother to Oridanna did. She had not been as successful as she had hoped in her flight from Dromund Kaas."
'What people?" the dark lord asked.
"See for yourself," Talitha said gesturing down one of the passage ways across from them; two figures were illuminated in the light of four torches; they were standing watch beside one of the doors.
Darth Avaryss' breath caught in her throat as she saw the two men, their crimson armor the color of dried blood in the torchlight. Their force pikes held at the ready, ready to meet any transgressor head on.
The Emperor's royal guard!
Darth Avaryss was shocked.
The Emperor's chosen…they were here?!
How?!
Why?!
She thought back to what Keera and Avy had discovered, the erased records, how so little information of Mya Lylos life had remained. It had been a mystery, a puzzle that she had not been sure how to solve…
Now she had found another piece.
The Emperor's guard was here!
The Master of them all might be dead, but his will clearly remained. It had been his office that removed any trace of Mya Lylos' past. Now his guards were here, defending this temple; this sanctum where Mya Lylos' daughter had hidden herself.
Avaryss knew the Force; she knew that there was no such thing as coincidence.
She was not sure how her mother fit into the Emperor's plans, but there was more going on here than a simple power play by Talitha Lylos and Darth Sadi.
Is this where the guard had fled to? She remembered well that they had fled Dromund Kaas after the Emperor had died. Had they come here to Oridanna to preserve this temple?!
She reached out with the Force, touching the minds of the guards. She sensed not only their iron will and sense of duty, but also the weariness of age, these were not young men, they had been here for quite a long time.
Interesting.
These men had likely assigned here, she realized, perhaps by the Emperor himself years ago.
"Did the guard expand the temple?" she asked, "Did they dig the tunnel to our home; that was that how you escaped the explosion the night our family was killed?"
Talitha's eyes widened.
"How did you know about the tunnel?"
Avaryss smirked.
"I am Sith," she said matter of factly.
Talitha was still surprised, but she did manage a sly smile.
"Your insight serves you well, sister."
The dark lord frowned.
"My lord," Avaryss said flatly.
"What?" Talitha replied.
"The proper way to address me, it is "my lord,'" Avaryss informed her.
"You expect me to address my sister, my own blood, like she is above me?"
Avaryss turned to her, her eyes cold, her anger radiating out like the heat from a star.
"You clearly want something from me, Talitha. Your mother wants something from me."
The dark lord gave her a venomous smile.
"The least you can do is show the proper respect."
She doubted that the girl understood how she had changed, suspected that she felt Avaryss' request was a matter of arrogance, but it was not.
She was so high above Talitha Lylos now. She had finally come into her full powers.
She deserved respect. She DEMANDED it.
"As you wish, my lord," Talitha said with a slight curtsey, "Hopefully you will come to see what mother, OUR mother, has to offer is more than mere titles, that you will come to accept that you are a part of something more, and move beyond your training, and accept your place here among your equals."
Equals? Avaryss thought.
She had no equal, only superiors or underlings, the former consisted of very few; the members of the dark council, the latter were nothing but common rabble.
Talitha was nothing to her.
Avaryss had become…so much more.
"This way, my lord," she said, "We are almost to the main chamber, mother is waiting."
Avaryss nodded, eager to reach the end game, to see this threat to her rule ended.
You have no idea what you have let in your front door, Talitha, but you will learn so enough.
You will learn.
IOI
Talitha Lylos showed her to a small chamber off the main one, there were small peep holes cut into the wall.
"You should wait here for a moment," the scarred girl informed her, "Mother will summon you when she is ready. There are…matters that the leadership must discuss before we can bring you fully into our plans."
Darth Avaryss nodded.
"I take it I can watch from here," she asked, pointing to the peep holes.
Keera Lylos' younger sister smiled, her mouth twisting into a grimace because of her burned face.
"You should find what is about to happen most enlightening."
The dark lord nodded, still willing to play their game, for a little longer, anyway.
Talitha left her, radiating a sense of triumph, perhaps believing that everything was going her way; that all her plans were close to fruition.
She would know the truth soon enough.
Again Avaryss reached out with the Force, again she felt the high concentration of the dark side; this place had been locked away for so long, hidden for so long, the power that existed here was now very strong.
She shivered with anticipation.
Oh how she desired to take it all in, and unleash it on someone.
The darkness of this place begged to be unleashed, for a true master of the dark side to wield it.
She was tempted, so very tempted, but held herself in check.
Patience, she reminded herself.
Patience.
The hidden room that Talitha had brought her to was, once again, shielded against detection, whoever had built this place had been so determined to keep their secrets; they must have been on the verge of being paranoid.
She peered through the eye slits, curious what was on the other side. When she saw it, her breath caught in her throat.
The next chamber existed in perpetual twilight, it was dark, with only the barest sense of illumination, but the dark lord could still see, and what she saw…was…very familiar.
I know this place, she realized, I've seen it before…in visions!
She smiled.
Everything was starting to fall into place.
The eye slits opened into what looked like a throne room or audience chamber. The massive throne sat in the center of the room, cut from a piece of single black stone, sharp spikes rising from the back like the blades of swords... Four more royal guards stood sentinel; defending this place, and before the throne, lay ancient skeletons, bones wrapped in long-rusted chains.
The sight confused her
What was this? Had someone been sacrificed to consecrate this place, make it strong in the dark side? The ancient Sith had practiced the sacrifice of sentient beings to empower places like this, but…?
She reached out with the Force try to get a sense of what had happened here and also to get a better look at the bones.
She felt the echo of what had occurred long ago, she felt fear and defiance, power and rage. The bones had a story to tell, to one who was strong in the Force, and could hear it.
Again the Force offered her a vision, she saw six men being brought to this place, men of power, men of vision.
They were leaders, she realized, leaders of Oridanna, they had been brought here by the Sith long ago and…she realized something else as well…
She smiled slightly.
These men had not wanted the Sith here, they had not wanted to accept the offer of Vaiken and the Emperor.
These men…they had tried to say no to the Empire.
The realization surprised her; there had been no mention of any dissension in the histories she had read as a child. The Sith had come and been accepted with open arms, they had protected Oridanna against its enemies, they brought security and order.
Why would the native Oridannans refuse?
Do not be so childish, she thought to herself, you know people, and you know Sith propaganda when you hear it.
Think like a Sith and not an indoctrinated farm girl!
She nodded.
Yes.
It made sense.
The leaders of Oridanna…they would not have wanted to give up their power, perhaps they had even had deals with the creatures that had preyed on their home before the Sith had arrived; they would have had an interest in seeing things stay as they were.
The Empire would not have tolerated that, they needed Oridanna's resources. After the holocaust the Sith needed Oridanna's food stuffs and medicine, Grand Moff Vaiken had been trusted by the Emperor to secure places such as this.
Of course the Sith would not have allowed a few dissenting voices to get in the way of that. The Empire may even have had deals with those men's successors.
Nothing could stand in the way of the Empire, or its goals.
No, Avaryss realized.
These men needed to die.
She could almost hear the screams, the men had not expected this, they had come to negotiate, only to be bound and slaughtered like animals before the throne, slain by the lords of the Sith that had travelled with Vaiken, the future Grand Moff had likely stood watch while those men were slain.
For the good of the Empire, the executions had been carried out.
It had been…necessary.
The former leaders of her home had been executed before this throne; they had died to appease the Emperor and what he was trying to build. This throne room had been important once, but once Oridanna had been brought into the Empire, it had been forgotten.
Now, once again, this place had a role to play in the history of the Empire. It once was the playing field of a much larger game.
Avaryss shivered.
She was looking forward to her part in such a game.
She heard voices approaching, not down the corridor that she had been brought, but through the main one, the one that led to the throne room.
"Things are moving quickly out in the galaxy Talitha. We must be ready to meet what is coming."
Avaryss scowled.
Darth Sadi was here.
"You needn't concern yourself with such matters, master. We are as ready as we can be; everything is proceeding according to our design."
Bael Feer was here to, she realized.
Good.
Most of the players were here, ready to play their parts.
Avaryss watched as the three entered the throne room. Sadi was flanked by four bodyguards; Sith Marauders clad in black armor and mirrored face plated helmets. Talitha and Bael followed in her wake, walking hand in hand.
Disgusting, Avaryss thought, she remembered well what kind of boy Bael Feer was…
Seeing him behaving in such a way and around her little sister, it was infuriating!
But Talitha is not my little sister, is she, the Dark Lord thought to herself.
She was not Keera Lylos anymore. Avaryss was no longer a house divided.
The two had been made one, Keera's rage and vengefulness had been yoked, and combined with Avaryss' cunning mind. She was now the best of both worlds.
Darth Avaryss was far greater than what had come before.
She was…superior!
"You are right apprentice," Sadi said to Bael, "Everything is going my way."
The Lord of the Itae system laughed.
"I've informed Lord Feer of our victory. The rebellion is all but crushed on Oridanna! He is most pleased with our success."
"And what of Lord Avaryss," Talitha asked, "Has the lord asked after her?"
"Not yet, but he will," Sadi replied, her normally pretty smile was replaced by something colder, more cunning.
The Dark Lord had finally taken off her mask. She was no longer pretending to be a friend and ally to all that she met.
Darth Sadi grinned savagely.
"Now all that remains is to decide how best to use our dear departed Inquisitor. Shall we make her a hero, or should we pin the blame for the rebellion all on her?"
She laughed again.
"Either would please, Lord Feer, I think. He knows that his student was starting to plot against him, he will be most grateful to know that we have removed her."
Avaryss blinked.
What?
Sadi thought her dead?
Now she understood why Talitha had led her to this place, the glyphs hid her presence from the other Darth.
Avaryss grinned.
Talitha had been right.
What she was hearing was most enlightening indeed.
"How pleased is the dark lord?" Talitha asked Sadi, "This game is all for nothing if he does not move where we need him to."
"You need not worry about that, love," Bael said warmly, stroking Talitha's scarred cheek.
"My father is nothing if not predictable."
"Bale is right Talitha. Feer is predictable, and he is not above trying to claim the victory of others for himself," Sadi grinned as she regarded her two young companions. "He is coming here…to Oridanna, he is already on his way. He and the rest of the members of the dark council, only the ones dealing with Revan will not be in attendance, and they will likely be here by holo.
Avaryss could sense the other dark lord's excitement. She believed that she had the entire galaxy in the palm of her hands.
Avaryss' hands twisted into angry fists.
The woman knew nothing.
"What of House Avaryss," Talitha asked, "Are they going to be a problem?"
"You need not worry about Avaryss' pawns. Captain Lylos is doing his job," Sadi replied, "The loss of their leader has hurt them, but they do remain a threat, a small one, but it is still there. The inquisitor's senior apprentice had taken charge."
Sadi giggled.
"I don't think that the fool Devish realizes that it is over, that Avaryss has been removed from the board. Sooner or later, the apprentices will fight over their late master's holdings and I will be able to scoop up what is left when the dust clears. My dear pawn, Beric, will make sure of that."
Avaryss' eyes flashed with anger.
Beric, she thought.
She wasn't sure how Sadi had gotten her hooks into him, and she didn't care.
He would pay for his weakness.
She would make him pay…dearly!
The air around the throne changed, Avaryss felt a shiver run down her spine. The shadows above the throne changed. They seemed to swirl like an oil slick in an ocean, taking shape…
It is time, the dark lord realized.
Mya Lylos was here.
The Force spirit appeared out of the darkness, its yellow eyes blazing in the light, it flowed like smoke or water down the throne, radiating a sense of anger.
"I do not like the fact that you used my son is such a way, Sadi," it said in its disembodied voice, "Beric still has value you to me."
"He is unharmed," the dark lord said dismissively, "He is simply like my other pawns now, agreeable, and willing to do what I ask."
The spirit remained unconvinced.
"And what do you think Avaryss' servants will do to him when they learn the truth? You can say what you want about Feer's apprentice, but she knew how to cultivate the loyalty of her underlings."
"Again, there is nothing to concern yourself with; I've already drawn up arrest warrants for several of Avaryss' followers, Moff Galek will make sure that they are carried out if needed. Avaryss' fools will be neutralized, at least, the ones that won't sign on with us. Beric will offer any testimony that I require of him now, and besides."
Sadi radiated with satisfaction.
"I've already taken one of the woman's more troubling pawns."
Sadi gestured, and two Tahl Moritza droids came forward dragging in a wounded figure, dragging it, and tossing it at the foot of the throne.
Avaryss blinked, she was not sure who she was seeing at first, but realization came soon enough.
It was a woman, dark skinned with a shaved head, one of her eyes was blackened and blood leaked from a broken nose. Her strong arms were bound by manacles behind her back. She wore the remains of trooper armor, armor that looked like it had been through a war, that and the tattered remnant of a cape.
Avaryss knew who it was in that moment, though she had never seen the trooper without her helmet, and yes, it was most definitely…a her.
It was Bleez.
Beric had helped Sadi capture Bleez! Yet another betrayal…her anger at her brother, Keera's brother, continued to grow.
Avaryss shook her head.
At least she now knew what Bleez looked like under her helmet, not that she was pleased by what she was seeing. No.
This was not the way she would have wished to find out what the Warmaster looked like without her helmet.
Bleez, though beaten and bleeding remained defiant! She glared up at her captors.
"You will all answer for this," the trooper growled, spitting blood on the base of the throne.
"My master will see you all pay!"
Sadi chuckled and shook her head.
"Your master has been dealt with, Warmaster," Sadi said arrogantly.
She smiled and raised Bleez's chin with two delicate fingers.
"And after a few hours in my company, you will agree that all that dear Avaryss possessed should be mine. After all, her plans were just my plans, and the two of you did everything in your power to serve me and the Itae system, you were both my most loyal servants."
Through the Force, Avaryss could sense Sadi's Force enhanced charisma; it was powerful to be sure. It no longer had any sway on her, but she feared that Bleez would be vulnerable to it.
She need not have worried.
The Warmaster glared hatefully at the Lord of the Itae system.
"Kriff you," she spat at her.
Sadi, now insulted, slapped the bound trooper across the face.
"Such language," she said sounding miffed.
"You should not speak so to your dark lord."
Bleez didn't dignify the other woman's words with a response.
She simply continued to glare.
Bleez, at least still possessed a will of her own. For how long, Avaryss could only guess.
"Whatever shall we do with you, Warmaster," Sadi asked, "Shall we say that you died in the Empire's service, or return you after my will has done its work. Shall I return you so that you can confess your role in aiding the rebellion that I've crushed with my wisdom and courage?"
Avaryss snarled.
Her wisdom, she thought, her courage?"
The Dark Lord growled.
She had seen enough.
She turned and made her way towards the exit, towards the throne room. She passed by two more of Talitha's droids, the same type as the Tahl Moritza droid had been.
They made her shiver as she walked past.
These droids…they felt…strange…in the Force.
She was not sure what to make of that?
For the briefest of moments, Avaryss nearly hesitated. She considered what she was about to do.
She was about to confront the conspirators of this plot, not to mention Sadi's bodyguards, the members of the royal guard, and Mya Lylos' Force spirit.
She was most definitely outnumbered, weaponless, and Bleez was a prisoner as well, and in no shape to help her.
It was enough to give anyone pause, but…Avaryss was no longer simply anyone.
She was a Sith Master, a Dark Lord of the Sith.
Sadi didn't scare her, and neither did Bael Feer. The marauders that Sadi had brought were animals, nothing more; she could deal with them easily enough. The royal guard might have been a problem, but from what she sensed, these men were far from their prime.
Their feeble skills would be no match for the power of the dark side, not in this place.
This place belonged to the Sith, the TRUE Sith.
Darth Avaryss' eyes narrowed
Caution had its place, true, but hesitation could make someone's worse nightmares come true.
Avaryss no longer feared nightmares.
She WAS the stuff of nightmares.
Sadi would learn that, soon enough.
Dear Sadi, Avaryss thought, the Sith with the silver tongue. She had used it to ensnare Beric, and turn him against his own flesh and blood.
Keera would see her answer for that.
We will see how silver your tongue is, my lord," she thought to herself, "I will tear it out of your head and examine it for myself.
Then we shall see just how witty and clever you are.
The thought of such an act, the violence of it; it made Avaryss shiver with anticipation.
Sadi would pay for her role in Avaryss' humiliation.
They would all answer for it.
She passed by two more of her sister's droids, the Force…it flowed strangely around them…Avaryss could not put her finger on it, but they felt…wrong somehow.
What had her sister don? She wondered.
Droids were not alive; they shouldn't have a signature in the Force.
It was most strange.
She ignored it, what did it matter how Talitha made her toys. Plus not a one of them tried to block her passage.
Wise of them, she thought, in the mood she was in, they would be scrap if they tried to stand in her way.
Darth Avaryss had matters to discuss with the leadership of this conspiracy.
She would not be stopped now.
She put on her most winning smile as she stepped into the throne room, the guards noticed her, but did not move.
She cleared her throat loudly, making sure that her presence was acknowledged.
" A most interesting place you have here, mother," she called out to the Force spirit, "It is most lovely, add a carpet here or there, a banner behind the throne, a few more lights…I would call it home."
Sadi spun around, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Avaryss!" she gasped.
"DARTH Avaryss, Sadi," she replied with a warm smile, "We should always remember our manners should we not? Manners do remain important, even in such stressful times as these.
"Master," Bleez said, smiling.
"You are alive!"
"Alive and well rested, Warmaster," she said passing by the conspirators and their prisoner. She made for the throne without hesitation, the shock of her sudden appearance having left her enemies in a state of immobility.
She climbed the steps of the throne and sat down, immediately she felt the cold rush of the dark side, it felt like she had plunged into an icy lake, but there was no pain, only the grim acceptance of what was rightfully hers.
So much power here, she realized with a shark like grin.
So much power!
"A bit uncomfortable," she said to herself, "The ancient Sith must have had cheeks of durasteel, but…I can endure this seat, and the view from up here is so lovely.
The royal guards tensed, they started to raise their weapons, no doubt unhappy that she dared claim the throne for herself.
She turned to the closest, her eyes blazing with purple fire.
"TRY IT!" she warned, "See what happens!"
The Emperor's chosen tensed, but didn't attack.
She sneered.
They had been hidden away on Oridanna for too long.
They had lost their edge!
Mya's spirit swirled around her, her face appearing before Avaryss.
"This throne is not meant for you, my child."
"A Sith takes what is hers, mother," she replied, "An empty throne serves no one. I claim this seat because no one in this room is powerful enough to stop me."
The spirit didn't look happy, but it retreated, slithering back to its place between the throne's blades.
Avaryss looked down upon Sadi and her companions.
"By all means," she said dismissively, "Continue your plotting, I find it all…most enlightening."
Sadi glared at up at her, and at the spirit of Mya Lylos.
"What is the meaning of this," she demanded, "Why is she here?!"
Avaryss grinned down at her fellow Darth.
"You thought me dead, didn't you, my dear? Not surprising, considering you had Beric blast me belly…twice."
The dark lord leaned back on throne, drinking in the anger and hate of the past, letting her lift her up.
"I will confess, Sadi, I didn't see it coming. I let my feelings for Captain Lylos blind me to the truth.
Avaryss looked down at her mechanical hand, the crystals within were alight, glowing from the dark side energies of this place.
She ran a single crystal nail down the arm rest of the throne; the sound it made was grating, and satisfying at the same time.
She enjoyed the uncomfortable looks the others in the room had, by claiming the throne for herself, she had claimed dominance over them all, and she was just getting started.
The fun was just beginning.
"Bleez," she ordered, "Come stand by me."
She gestured, and the binders holding the Warmaster fell away. Sadi's bodyguards started to raise their weapons, but didn't attack.
Avaryss glared down on them, daring one of them to make the first move.
Sadi stopped them; likely wondering what was going on.
Bleez staggered to her feet, and joined her mistress.
"I fear…I'm not at my best, my lord," she said shaking her head, "Forgive my weakness."
"It sounds like we were both surprised, my friend," Avaryss replied, "You have nothing to apologize for."
She once again turned her attention to Sadi."
"So, what is the plan, my dear," she said, "You said that Darth Feer is coming here, that you have lured him away from Dromund Kaas."
Avaryss grinned triumphantly.
"Well done, I will make good use of that."
Sadi sneered at her.
"You don't realize where you are, do you?" she spat, "You think that you are in charge here?"
Sadi smiled coldly, her face turning into mask of barely contained rage.
"The reign of House Feer is done! The galaxy is changing, the Empire itself is changing! The Emperor is gone, and new leadership is needed."
"I couldn't agree more," Avaryss purred.
Sadi continued to glare at her, her rage building, she tried to reach out with her powers, to ensnare Avaryss and make her afraid and pliable.
It was nothing that the dark lord couldn't endure; she was no longer divided, fighting against herself.
Avaryss was one, and whole.
Sadi had no power over her now.
"When Feer arrives, he will find his enemies united against him," Sadi continued, "Mya has offered me her aid and power. Together we shall confront Darth Feer, and we shall defeat him. I will claim his seat on the Dark Council and his holdings as well."
Sadi laughed coldly.
"If you play along, maybe I will allow you to live, Avaryss, you can have a piece of my holdings, fall in line with the rest of your rabble, and I will be generous."
The Dark Lord smirked.
"You are no match for us," she said gesturing to those around her, "Despite your arrogance, I'm still willing to be merciful, girl. Submit, and serve me, and you will be granted a chance to live."
Avaryss said nothing she listened as Sadi droned on, she heard, but didn't really take the woman seriously.
She must be joking Avaryss thought.
She chuckled. She couldn't help it.
It was funny.
She laughed loudly, her mirth echoing off the chambered ceiling.
Sadi blinked, unsure of what was going on.
The spirt of My Lylos once again slithered down from the shadows; it looked at Avaryss with curiosity in its golden eyes.
"What are you doing, Keera?" it asked.
"What is so amusing?"
Avaryss continued to giggle, tears running down her cheeks.
"Her," she said motioning to Sadi.
The apprentice of Darth Feer shook her head.
"The fool actually believes that you brought her here for her benefit? She still thinks that you intend to aid her in her schemes."
Avaryss shook her head.
"You are not here because you are part of some glorious scheme, Sadi," she said, "You are just another test, MY test."
She looked into the eyes of her mother's spirit.
"Only the strongest deserves to lead, you know that, that is why you spared my life, why you healed me."
She glared down at Sadi.
"You need a Darth to make this plan of yours work, but you are unsure if Sadi is the one to bring it to fruition."
Avaryss smirked, her attention once again focused on her mother's spirit.
"You have wanted this from the beginning," Avaryss said to her, "you wanted me to prove myself to you, to prove my dominance."
She glared down at her fellow Darth, her rival.
"I can defeat her; her blood will be my offering to you, proof that I'm ready and willing to take the next step."
"What is this Mya?" Sadi demanded, "We had a deal! Help me deal with Feer's cur, and let's be done with it."
The spirit of Mya Lylos smiled; her golden eyes radiated a pleasure.
"Let the choice be made," she murmured, she turned to her younger daughter.
"Now, Talitha."
"Yes, mother," the girl replied. She gestured, called on the Force.
From behind the throne, something leapt into the air, into the air, and into the waiting hands of Darth Avaryss.
The young Darth smiled.
It was her belt, her weapons, both her poison dagger and lightsaber.
Avaryss rose before Sadi could strike; she wrapped the belt around her waist and drew her weapon, the crimson blade ignited with an evil hiss.
Sadi stepped back, her eyes widening, she drew her own blade, igniting it.
"What is this?" she shouted, "MYA! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
"It is a test," Avaryss purred, smiling cruelly down on her next victim, "my test."
She laughed a cold and wicked sound.
"Let us begin."
