Chapter 61: The Survivor

She was lost in darkness.

It was the only words that could describe it, if she could still speak.

Darth Avaryss felt the darkness all around her, it held her tightly, like a million hands reaching out and pinning her in place.

She didn't struggle, she had no strength for that. She simply floated, staring up into the nothingness.

Is this the end, she wondered…?

.am I dead?

As she drifted, she realized soon enough that the darkness was not empty, she could hear voices in the ether, whispers either of what had been or what was to come.

As she remained there, the voices became more insistent, easier to hear.

There were so many, she thought.

So many…of what was to come…

When you finally betray me, I hope you care enough to try and kill me yourself.

Someone here once told me the Darth title was no longer used…

Do you understand the true nature of the dark side?

In time I will teach you everything…

To hide in plain sight, to smile in the face of a victim, is the galaxy's most delicious irony.

To exist incognito…is a most intriguing state of being.

Love is but another mask.

Yes, master, your death comes at my bidding…

It's a dark path into a trackless wilderness from which few return.

You're heartless, ambitious, arrogant, insidious and without shame or empathy…

abiding submission is your only road to salvation.

whose pride never allowed him to question that he would no longer be needed…

A tragedy, really, for one so wise…

Avaryss began to struggle, the grip of the darkness was starting to pinch, just starting to become painful!

She gasped.

She could feel the flames starting to lick at her flesh, she could almost imagine the darkest of hells opening beneath her.

NO!

Let me go!

LET ME GO!

And still the voices grew louder and more insistent, one voice, in particular, at first, she thought she was hearing Beric or her father speaking, the voice sounded much like them, but it was…different, older and somehow…more powerful.

The end of the war is near…

We must catch them off balance.

Do not hesitate…show no mercy!

Do what must be done!

Arise, my friend.

I look forward to completing your training. Soon, you will call me…master.

If you will not turn…you must be destroyed.

I've been dead before…

Finally, she saw something, a young man in black, a handsome boy with a scarred face, holding a red lightsaber, its blood shine illuminating has angry eyes, turning them molten.

"What could you…offer me?"

Something in the darkness smiled.

It said one word.

"Everything."

Avaryss found herself standing on a high tower, looking down over a calm sea, and atop that sea were many floating landing platforms, as far as the eye could see, and aboard each one…

Her breath caught in her throat.

Soldiers…thousands, maybe millions, a billion strong!

They all looked up at the tower with Sith eyes, they all radiated with anger and ambition.

Overhead, in low orbit, a massive war fleet, she had never seen anything like it, ships of an unknown design, but powerful! The precision of the ships as they held their formation was flawless, they moved like a flock of birds.

My fleet, she realized, and now…my army, ready to spread my gospel.

It will be a song of power. A song of…destruction!

It is time, she realized, the Age of Avaryss was about to begin!

She almost laughed as she heard the soldiers calling out to her, their voices a cold angry monotone, their desire for blood…undeniable and unsatiable.

HAIL!

HAIL!

HAIL!

AV-AR-YSS!

AV-AR-YSS!

AV-AR-YSS!

Her name echoed across this strange tropical world and across the stars.

It is time, Avaryss realized with a satisfied smile.

This…was the end.

The Galaxy would fall!

She realized she had an audience, she turned to see hooded figures standing behind her, allies and enemies both, they were shocked by what they were seeing below, shocked and in awe.

She grinned triumphantly, holding out her arms.

"Look about you," she crowed, "IT IS ALL MINE! It is mine because I took it!

She laughed.

"I TOOK IT ALL!"

Lightsabers emerged, blue, green and even one of violet. Avaryss was not concerned.

She ignited her blade.

And now, she thought.

You fall.

She leapt forward, eager to taste the blood of her foes, and then…

Nothing.

She was back in the darkness, back lost in the shadows.

She was struggling now, the grip that had held her now pulled at her arms and legs. It felt like she was being pricked by a million claws, claws that wanted to hold onto her, keep her from rising and achieving her destiny!

Her flesh began to smolder, or perhaps her very spirit!

NO!

YOU WILL LET ME GO!

She fought to free herself, she snarled and bit at the shadows, she pulled up trying to rip away what bound her; the chains that held her in place.

"I cannot die!" she shouted.

"I WILL LIVE!"

"I MUST RULE!"

"I WILL HAVE EVERYTHING!"

She howled in rage; her fury undeniable.

She fell away, perhaps…was pulled away.

She felt the shadow's grip loosen; the heat of the fires quenched by the cold air as she fell through eternity.

Free!

I'm free!

She cackled as she fell.

I can't be contained, she laughed.

The Future…is MINE!

She hit what felt like hard stone, hit with enough force to knock the wind from her lungs.

She gasped.

Not over!

She gasped for breath.

MINE!

IOI

"Mine."

The words were on her lips as she opened her eyes.

She blinked, her head fuzzy, her memory…unclear.

What?

Where?

She blinked again.

She awoke under an orange sky.

Avaryss stared up into the strange light. She was no longer lost in the shadows. She could feel hard stone beneath her fingers, hard stone, and the grit of sand, and something soft…beneath her.

Her brow furrowed.

A blanket?

She sat up quickly and looked around, confusion reigned in her troubled mind. She felt…lost.

She tried to make sense of it all, but nothing was clear, her memory…it was so foggy.

She shook her head, and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

What...?

What had happened?

She…she couldn't remember!

She was on a beach, that much was clear, a harsh and rocky shore. The air tasted strange in her lungs, the sun beat down weakly, but was still enough to warm the stone on which she lay.

She looked down at herself, checking her body for injuries.

She had…been in a battle, a terrible battle, she remembered her flesh being desiccated, drained of all life.

She saw no sign of that now. Her body appeared fine. She might have been a little under-dressed but…

She quirked her lips.

This was…interesting.

Where ever she was, it was clearly not a place where she felt threatened. She had awoken on a rock wearing next to nothing, a small two-piece bathing suit. She remembered it of course, one of Vogga the Hutt's minions had provided her with it while she had been his guest back on Hutta.

That memory was clear at least, and with it came names, both of enemies and allies.

Cyn, Bael, Lujayne Holli, Mister Rink…

Yes, her head was starting to clear.

She nodded.

Slowly, it was starting to come back to her.

She stood up and tried to get her bearings, there were no settlements around, at least, none that she could see, she appeared to be alone here, just her, a few birds cawing overhead, and a strangely calm mirror-like lake not far from where she had been lounging.

She looked down upon the lake and frowned.

She…she remembered this place. She…she could almost remember the name…almost.

She looked down into the water, she could sense great power here, great, but somehow, muted.

The breeze didn't affect the water's surface, it was so still, like a mirror, or any other pane of glass.

She smiled.

What she saw in that mirror pleased her.

At last, she thought.

There I am.

The reflection staring back at her was one she had missed. The bone white skin, the dark ringed eyes; eyes that even now blazed a molten red.

Her expression turned sly.

Finally, she thought, no longer was she forced to look at Keera Lylos in the mirror.

She nodded, most pleased with herself.

It was good to see the face of Darth Avaryss again.

It was very good indeed!

As she looked down, her head began to clear. She started…to remember.

She remembered Talitha and Bael, and how they had met their end.

She also remembered her mother, how her attack had…

No, she realized. Not mother…that…was Vitiate, or at least…a part of him.

She frowned.

Vitiate, she thought angrily, Darth Vitiate, the so-called immortal and all-knowing Emperor of the Sith.

Her entire life she had looked up to the Emperor, offered her prayers to him, treated him like a living god.

Now…she understood the truth, or at least, the beginnings of it.

Vitiate was no god, and he was no longer her Emperor. His defeat had proven his fallibility, he had been destroyed by a mere Jedi Knight, his invulnerability was finally disproven.

The Sith rewarded failure in only one way, and now…she knew that the creature that had ruled them for so long had truly failed his people.

Vitiate was no longer worthy of her worship. New leadership was needed.

The thought excited her.

Vitiate was not their god anymore. The Sith would need a new one; one that looked out for their people.

I could do it, she thought.

I…could be that god.

It was an…unusual thought, likely bordering on crazy, but that didn't change the fact that she now knew it to be true.

What she had felt when she had battled the spirit, how it had felt to rip out the shard of the Emperor's power, the very thing that had sustained her mother after death.

It had been most enlightening, and…of course…there was the power to consider.

She smiled slyly.

The power…it…it felt fantastic!

In the past, when she had absorbed large amounts of life energy, she had never had the physical strength to truly internalize that power. The bulk of what she had taken had always faded away, slipping through her fingers like water in her hands.

What she had taken from the spirit had been different. Even now, that power didn't dissipate, it remained strong, and a part of her. Her body was a tingle from it, she felt like the entire galaxy had, for that brief and single moment when she had destroyed her mother's spirit, been in her hands.

It had been…such an amazing sensation.

She shook her head.

She had never wanted it to end.

Lake Nath, a voice inside her whispered.

Lake Nath…Ambria.

She nodded.

At last, she remembered where she was, and now…knew how she had gotten here.

She reached out with the Force, her connection with it strengthened by her newly acquired power.

She would have to thank Necris for that later, the Devish had given her just the edge she had needed to finally behead the leadership of the rebellion on Oridanna, and now…only a single problem remained.

Feer.

She smiled hungrily.

The time…had finally come, her time.

She was finally ready.

The time of the challenging was here.

As she looked around, she realized that she was not alone. She had never, in fact, been to Ambria in person before, but she had been brought here once, in a dream state.

If I'm here, she realized, then I'm not alone, he is here too!

"FENN?" she called out looking around.

"FENN SHADOWSTONE? SHOW YOU FACE?"

She could sense his presence now, the light side of the Force shown in his presence, and like before, that light didn't try to eclipse the darkness within in her, it seemed to connect with it, creating a place of shimmering silver, neither light nor dark.

Avaryss felt the change, but unlike before she was not bombarded with weaker emotions, she kept her feet firmly planted in the darkness.

I've made my choice, she thought to herself.

I will not seek to question it again.

She jumped down from the rock and began walking, the small lizard like Neeks that lived on the shore chittered and ran as she passed them by.

She ignored the creatures, they were nothing to her, and had no value in her future plans.

Fenn, however, he would likely figure greatly in what was to come.

She smiled slyly.

How am I going to play this, she thought to herself, what form should I take?

She was no longer bothered by indecision or doubt, the future was now…a certainty to her.

The Jedi would be destroyed.

The Republic broken, and an Empress would rise and bring about a new era of order and security!

Fenn would likely not understand the change within her. He might even try to stop her if he understood what she was planning.

She would need to keep things quiet, at least for now.

He still had his uses, she was sure, but it wouldn't do to give up her plans so quickly, not when there was the slimmest chance of him stopping them.

No, she would be patient.

Their time…would come.

"Keera?"

She heard his voice calling a name, THAT name.

She bristled when she heard.

Must he? She thought to herself.

Why couldn't he just accept the truth. She was not that person anymore!

She spotted him coming down a ridge on her right, dressed simply in a plain brown vest and leggings.

Not Jedi robes, she noticed, she made note of that.

Then again, she should not have been surprised.

He had called this place neutral ground once; it would not be fitting for him to appear in full Jedi garb.

She decided to follow his example.

She closed her eyes and imagined herself not so scantily clad.

He would likely be disappointed, but that was okay.

He would get to see the real her again soon enough, and hopefully in a new and healthy body.

She welcomed that meeting and what would come afterward.

Her garments changed.

The outfit she had chosen was similar to the one she had appeared in the last time she had been drawn here, but with one difference, this time the skirt and top were midnight black. A pendant bearing the sigil of the Empire adorned her neck.

She brushed off any loose sand on her clothes and made for her dream friend, where he was descending.

She found herself…looking forward to this, they hadn't spoken in months.

She was curious to see why he had reached out to her. Had something changed? Had the war turned in a direction that he had not expected.

She was most eager to find out what was going on, and to see him again.

Despite everything that had happened in the last few months, just being around him again, even if it was only through the Force made her body warm and stir.

She was looking forward to this meeting.

Her smile widened as they drew closer.

It had been…far…too…long.

IOI

"You've changed again."

His statement amused her; she couldn't completely kill the smile that wanted to spread across her face.

Oh…my sweet Fenn, she thought.

You don't know the half of it.

He remained as he had always been, the strong and handsome young knight that intrigued her as she had first taken steps into adolescence. As an adult, she could still appreciate what had drawn her to him, it was not simply their connection in the Force, though…that was part of it.

We were made for each other, she didn't doubt that, two pieces of a single whole. There was so much she wished to tell him, but again she hesitated.

He would not understand what had happened, the choices she had made, not yet.

She tried to put him at ease.

"This is who I am," she purred, Doing a quick pirouette for him, letting him get a good look at her.

"Is that so bad?"

"Not at all," he replied, his smile was soft, despite the changes, or rather the return of her former looks, he didn't seem troubled in the least.

Was that naivety on his part, or blindness?

She couldn't say for certain.

She would need to probe deeper.

"You were in pain," he said, "You were screaming, calling out for help!

"I was," she admitted, "Things have progressed…in ways that I had not expected."

She shrugged.

"I nearly died."

She felt his fear, his desire to see that she was fine. He reached out to her through the Force.

"Are you okay, now?" he asked.

She blinked.

That was a very good question, and at that moment, she wasn't sure.

This was not the real world after all, this was a dream, a safe place within the Force that their spirits could retreat to when they desired.

She realized that, at that moment, she had no idea what condition she was in in the real world.

She had been badly wounded, the spirit had all but destroyed her physical form, the power she had absorbed was regenerating it, but it was hard to say what shape she would be in when she woke up.

I will need to do what is necessary, she realized, my survival is all that matters, fortunately she had not been alone, Bleez was with her. Hopefully, the Warmaster would summon help, another Sith would have tried to eliminate her in her weakened state, but the Warmaster would likely do what she could to ensure her mistress' survival.

She, she thought with amusement.

That would take some getting used to.

She had suspected that Bleez was human, but not a woman, she never had given her master any clue.

What happened to you, Bleez, she wondered, she was curious now what had made the trooper who she was, why she had elected to be the trooper and nothing else.

Questions for another time, she thought, for now…there was Fenn.

He needed to be put at ease.

"I'm…here," she said to him, "I'm not sure what shape my body is in, but here at least, I'm whole."

She could sense his concern, he reached out and touched her face, again she was shocked at how real his touch felt here, how strong their connection had truly become.

She could feel his concern, he reached out with the Force, touching not just her body, but her spirit as well.

"You…you were slipping away," he said, "I…I felt it. I tried to hold onto you, to pull you back."

She smiled.

She remembered struggling against the darkness, that sense of almost being consumed by it.

Had Fenn intervened on her behalf?

Had he truly saved her.

His brow furrowed as he touched her, she could sense…pain, fear.

"I…I think you are in a bad way…where ever you are, Keera."

She frowned.

There was that damn name again!

It took all her self-control not to lash out at him.

Why did he have to be like this?

Why couldn't he just accept the way things were?

Through their connection, she was able to feel what he had sensed, what was likely going on beyond this place.

She frowned.

She could almost see her withered body laying on the floor of the temple, her hair was all but gone, her eyes shriveled inside her head, her skin pulled so tight against her bones it looked like they might punch through.

The image of it made her shiver.

What was going to happen now?!

She could sense Bleez there as well, the Warmaster had a commlink in hand, likely trying to call for help. She…

She rushed over to one of Sadi's dead bodyguards, she pulled off the mirrored face plate the dead Marauder was wearing.

What was she planning to do with that? Avaryss wondered.

She…

Bleez slipped the mask over her near mummified head, pressing one of the switches on the side.

Avaryss smiled.

Ah, she thought, so that was why.

Some battle-ragers had their gear rigged with life support systems, kolto sprayers or injectors build into their armor, to keep their bodies going as long as they could, even when lost in a dark side frenzy.

Smart thinking, Avaryss thought, but she should not have been surprised.

Bleez was doing her best to keep her alive in the real world, which made things easier here.

She smiled.

Fenn might have saved her from the darkness, but Bleez would be able to truly pull her back to the land of the living.

She was glad.

She still had so much to do.

She turned her attention to Fenn again, he might not have known it, but he had saved her life.

"You saved me," she murmured.

"I couldn't just let you go; you know…"

She had heard enough.

No more talking!

She grabbed him pressing her lips to his. He resisted at first, but only at first.

Mmmm, she thought.

This was nice!

They stood together on the shores of Ambria, kissing and becoming sweetly entangled in the Force, light and dark merging into something that was both strong and…somehow…comfortable.

When they broke for air, he looked down at her, almost panting.

"I've missed you," he gasped, "Keera…I…"

She kissed him again, her passions inflamed by his touch.

When they broke again, she gave him a sly smile.

"It is Avy now," she said, "Now…and forever."

His brow furrowed.

"I can feel it," he said, lightly stroking her face.

"You…you are different now. I don't sense…any conflict.

"The time of me questioning myself is done," she whispered, "But that doesn't mean that I wish to forget about you. I…I can't."

He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. She hated to admit it, but she felt…comfortable here, if she could remain in this sweet moment for all of eternity, she would do it.

But that will not give you what you truly desire, the darkness reminded her, it is time to move the plan forward.

She sighed.

Yes, it was time.

"Fenn," she said, "I've come to a plateau in my training. The time has come to strike out on my own."

He gave her a curious look.

"Is that good or bad?"

"I'm not sure," she confessed, "What I do know is that I'm finally free to be more than simply my master's apprentice."

She gave him a soft smile.

"Perhaps…I will be able to help you, to help all of us."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Her smile turned into a hungry grin.

"Your master once told me that he believed that peace between the Empire and the Republic was possible, that it simply required a leader brave enough, and strong enough to make it a reality."

He frowned; he had a skeptical look on his face.

"Would you support peace?" he asked, "I can't imagine your fellow Sith would agree?"

"It couldn't be brought about all at once, no. Yet, if someone in a position of power was to reach out in just the right way, with the right type of allies…"

She nodded.

"This business with Revan maybe exactly what we need, a common foe to unite both sides."

"The order is doing what it can to fight the Revanists," he promised, "But Revan himself is not to be underestimated, he seems to be three or four steps ahead of us in all that we are doing."

"All the more reason to think outside of the box, an alliance between Sith and Jedi might be just what we need. He can't seize the Sith throne if we present a united front."

Fenn shook his head.

"I don't think that that is his plan, Avy. It doesn't feel right."

She frowned.

Okay, so Fenn would only let her lead him so far, but that was good too.

Still…he called her Avy, that was a good sign!

Perhaps he was not a lost cause after all, and he was apparently adaptable.

Excellent!

She preferred a strong man as her consort, and she could do much if he let down his guard and thought that they had a common goal.

We both want Revan and the war stopped, she thought. Order must return to the galaxy.

Sith order.

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Know that what ever happens in the next few days, I'm with you. My master is coming here, I can feel it. The time has come to step out of his shadow, and blaze my own path in the Empire."

He gave her a troubled look.

"You are going to challenge him?"

She nodded.

"Apprentice versus master, that is the way of the Sith."

"He could kill you, Avy! If your body is in as bad a way as I'm sensing…"

"Don't underestimate me," she replied, I've learned some things in the last few months, things that even my dear master won't expect."

He nodded, but she still felt hesitation.

"It is the only way," she growled stepping back, "The Dark Council needs a new voice on it if what your master wishes is to come to pass. There are Sith on the Council that would be willing to accept a shift in policy, especially with the Emperor now gone."

"I don't like the thought of you walking into danger," he said.

She almost laughed.

"I've been walking through danger since I first left to begin my training as a Sith. Fear not Fenn, I'm a big girl, I know how to take care of myself."

Accept this, she thought, wishing so badly that she had the ability of Force persuasion, not that it would likely work here."

"I have to do this," she said.

"It is the only way."

She couldn't say if he accepted that, but he was smart enough to recognize that he wasn't going to talk her out of it either.

He sighed.

"Just be careful, okay. I will let Master Jas know that I've spoken to you, that you are considering trying to help us."

"Please do," she said, "When the time comes, you will be surprised how good of an ally I can be."

She almost laughed as she said those words.

She did want to bring peace, but not in the way that the Jedi thought.

She imagined a galaxy not divided by Sith Empire or Galactic Republic; a single galaxy governed with a single vision.

She imagined herself standing before the galactic senate, not as a conquer like Exar Kun, but as a leader ushering in a new era.

"In the interest of peace and continued security, the Republic will be reorganized…into the First GALACTIC EMPIRE! For a safe and secure society!

And they would cheer, she thought with a smile.

How the rabble would cheer for her! She…

She frowned.

She felt it…a tugging in her gut.

"Are you okay?" Fenn asked.

"I…I think I'm waking up," she said.

She looked up at him.

"Remember what I said, there is still a chance for us, and for peace. I just need to get into the right position. I will try…"

She gasped; the world fell away beneath her feet.

She heard Fenn cry out, but there was nothing she or he could do.

She was being pulled back into the real world.

She hoped that that was a good thing.

IOI

She gasped loudly, her back arched painfully as she emerged from the dream.

She emerged into a world of darkness.

She growled and flailed weakly. Her limbs felt like they were made of iron, slow and sluggish.

She couldn't see.

She was blind!

"Calm yourself, master," Bleez said, her voice sounding a parsec away, Avaryss' ears had never been that good, and they were even worse now.

"Your heart is beating," the Warmaster informed her, "I feared you dead when I put the mask on your face…

She heard the trooper chuckle.

"You have no idea how glad I am that I was wrong.

Avaryss didn't respond, not with words, her tongue was a dried piece of meat in her mouth.

This body is all but ruined, she thought.

How in the name of the dark side will I ever challenge Lord Feer now?!

She reached down inside herself, feeling the power she had absorbed earlier, it was still there, within her. Slowly, it was repairing the damage.

She wheezed, what passed for a sigh of relief at that moment.

So…it is not over, she thought.

I'm not done…yet.

Since her eyes didn't work, she had to use the Force to see. She could almost see Bleez kneeling beside her, making sure that she was still among the land of living.

Avaryss was grateful for that, at least she didn't have to worry about an enemy finding her in such a weakened state.

We can't stay here, she realized, what if more rebels come looking for us. What if Darth Feer catches me here, if he finds me in such a state…?

She thought of Bael laying dead not far from where she was, she could imagine how her master would react seeing his son dead at her hands.

It would not be pretty that was for sure.

Bleez had wrapped her ravaged body in a crimson cloak, despite the damage she has suffered, she felt warmer having the warrior here.

"I'm going to try and find a communicator," the Warmaster informed her, "My commlink isn't working. We need to call for help."

Avaryss nodded, or at least tried to.

She remembered Darth Sadi's warning, about Beric making sure that she would be blamed for all that had happened here. That the members of her house would pay.

If that had come to pass, she and Bleez might be on their own, but she didn't think it would be as easy as the late Darth Sadi believed.

Her people were not spit and polish imperials, they were survivors, if anyone could see through the plots of her rivals, it was them.

In the meantime, she turned her thoughts inward, focusing on healing, drawing deep on the darkness and the power that she had absorbed, and the power of this place, it was a Sith Temple after all. The death energy she had taken from the spirit was so potent.

If anything could restore her ravaged body, it could.

As she delved deeper into the darkness she focused entirely on her hate for her master, his treatment of her in the almost five years she had been his apprentice.

Hate came so easily to her now, it was almost her natural state.

She felt the power bloom, and with it, she could almost feel her veins starting to open again, her blood returning from its sludge-like state and starting to flow freely again.

If she could…she would have smiled.

This is not the end, she thought, it is the end of the beginning.

A hissing rasp escaped her mummified throat.

My time has come.

She tried to sit up, and somehow, she just managed to, she felt the dark side of the Force caress her, welcome her back into its embrace.

It is my time now, she thought.

And then…for the first time since her near death, she spoke.

"I…live."