Chapter 67: And Avaryss
KER-RAAAASH!
The glass exploded beneath her as she fell through the skylight. The Force only just saving her from being shredded by the thick pane that protected the atrium below.
Again, her Force shield held, she struck the ground hard, but not hard enough to be killed or left broken.
It still hurt though.
She moaned painfully.
It kriffin' HURT!
She found herself laying in the middle of an open atrium, nothing in here but a few potted plants, and four large crimson banners bearing the sigil of the Empire.
No threats, she noted, no soldiers or sycophants in sight.
Good.
She had no desire to be distracted.
Darth Avaryss groaned and tried to rise, shaking her head, feeling the dozens of cuts she had got after being pulled through that window on the executive floor.
She had let her guard down, it had only been for a second, but that had been enough.
Her master had taken full advantage, and now he…
WHOA!
Avaryss leapt out of the way as large chunks of glass flew down through the broken skylight, like missiles, she had only just managed to get clear…only just.
Another second and she would have been impaled! She…
She heard laughter above her.
She glared upward.
Her master crouched on the edge of the now broken skylight, his golden Sith eyes glowing with malice and rage.
"It didn't have to be this way, my child," he called down.
"WE could have…"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The Force scream that the young Sith unleashed sent shockwaves rippling out in all directions. Her fury exploded up and out like a maelstrom, shattering the remaining glass of the skylight, causing her master, her former master, to lose his footing. He teetered where he stood.
Avaryss reached out with the Force and yanked.
Feer lost his balance and came down, but in a surprising showing of strength and skill, he turned his fall into a controlled tumble, he ended up before her on one knee, ready to receive her next attack.
He didn't need to wait long, she lunged forward, eager to taste his fear and his blood.
Her master ducked under her wild swing, her crimson lightsaber passing only an eyelash from the back of his head. He spun around and ignited his weapon.
The two Sith Lords danced back and forth, their weapons humming and sparking with each contact. At last, neither Sith was holding anything back, they struck out at each other with savage fury and cold ruthlessness.
Avaryss let the dark side flow through her, she let her rage and hate guide her blade.
This battle had been a long time coming.
She would accept nothing less but victory, victory and her master's head on a plate.
She had waited long…
…she would wait no longer.
Feer met her blade with his own, no taunts or jibes escaped her master's mouth, for the first time he was realizing just how strong she had become, he was focused entirely on winning this battle, or at least, surviving it.
No one will step between us, she thought, not this time. Even if Hissa had not locked down the tower, by now the council had likely made sure that no one would interfere in their duel. Feer was not well loved, but even if he won, they would prefer that he won cleanly, at least then his position would not be openly not challenged, not that she intended to give him any chance to win.
Still, he was no push over, his skill with a blade remained.
She found herself being pushed back.
Impressive.
Yes, his speed and strength were impressive, she had always wondered if his years of rule had weakened his combat skills, that didn't seem to be the case.
He met her strikes with his own, and those strikes were as lethal as any Sith warrior's.
You are too slow, she chided herself, her pain limited her speed, and made her cautious.
She tried to fight through that, to turn that weakness into a strength.
If she didn't…she would fail.
Yes, she was pain, Feer had made sure of that by yanking her out the window after him, her wounds burned. She could feel the glass that cut her, some shards still remained in her flesh, and that had not been the worst of it. She had caught up with her master in midair, but he had made her pay for it. He had tried to make it to one of the balconies that dotted the tower's face. He had used the Force to slow his descent to make a safe landing possible. She had denied him that, but in her haste had let her shield drop for a few seconds, giving him a chance to blast her with Force lightning. It had struck her, in the chest, the armor beneath her robes had protected her somewhat, but only just…
The two Sith had tumbled together trying to claw at each other as dark side lightning crackled between them. Feer's own blasts were affecting him as much as her, she refused to let go, making him pay for every jolt of lightning that had struck her.
Yet, he had somehow managed to come out on top, again.
Her master was nothing if not fortunate.
Feer had managed to get the better of their exchange, their fall from the executive level. He had flipped her over, and used the Force to send her speeding towards the skylight over one of the tower's atriums, she had managed to blast her way through, with only minor injuries, but the damage had been done.
Avaryss could feel the cuts on her body, the shards of glass that ground their way into her flesh as she met Feer blade upon blade.
Normally, pain would not have been a problem, it was just more fuel for the fire that was the dark side, but this…this was different. She felt her injuries slowing her.
Such a realization was not a good sign.
She hated to admit it, but she had not completely recovered from her fight with her mother's spirit. It was a small crack in her armor, her master had not fully realized it yet, but if he did…if he managed to exploit it…?
It doesn't matter, she realized, she was committed, she could not back away now.
Every challenge and test she had faced up until this moment had led to this.
She couldn't afford to turn back now.
She focused on the pain, using it to fuel her hate as she pushed forward, parrying the dark lord's attacks, and meeting them with her own.
Once Feer's power had dwarfed her own, that was no longer the case, they stood, it seemed, as equals.
She was intent on showing all that she was in fact…his superior!
Again, their blades locked, Avaryss stared into her master's golden eyes, she could see the tension on his face, the furrow of his brow as he tried to push her back.
That look of tension was mother's milk to her.
How many times had he lorded over her, forced her to bow down to his greatness? He had made her kneel in the rain and in the high temperatures of Dromund Kaas, she had endured exhaustion, dehydration, sleep deprivation, and so many other pains at his hands.
Yet, it had been worth it, she thought, each of those challenges made me stronger, fueled my hatred for this man.
As she stared into those yellow eyes, she had an epiphany.
Feer had been in her life for so long, she could no longer remember what it was like not to have him in it, not to hate him, and desire his end with every fiber of her being.
What had it been like before? Before she had seen that holo of Darth Feer in the public square of Orid? Before he had sent an enforcer to destroy her family, and started her down this path?
She truly could not remember what that was like, not to hate him.
Yet, you are now prepared to kill him, are you ready to live in a world where the one thing you hate is no longer in it? Are you ready to live in a world without the one driving force that has defined you for the last half a decade?
She smiled grimly.
It would be a challenge, yes, but it was one she was prepared to meet.
What would her life be like with Darth Feer gone?
She was most eager to find out.
Feer stopped trying to push her back, he shot out his elbow and struck her in the chin, his heavy gauntlet spun her around, but she recovered quickly, she lashed out with her metal arm, back handing her master across the face, making him stumble.
The two Sith Lords regarded each other coldly.
Darth Feer spat blood, and a broken tooth.
Avaryss sneered.
Oh, she had waited so long to see him bleed, to make him bleed.
It was a type of heaven all its own.
He continued to watch her, his golden eyes glowing fiercely.
"It didn't have to be like this, daughter," he hissed.
"It could have ended no other way," she growled back at him.
"I thought we had an agreement, to seize the Sith throne together?"
He shook his head.
"It could have been glorious! Oridanna is back under our control. It is only a matter of time until I removed Marr from his position. From there, the path to the throne would be open to us. We could have built a new world together, remade the Empire in our image, but you…you have thrown that all away, and for what?"
He glared hatefully at her.
"I thought we had moved past this. Are you still driven by the need to avenge Keera Lylos' family? Does the needs of a pathetic farm girl still govern the actions of a mighty Sith Lord?"
Avaryss sneered at that.
"This is not about the past, it never really was," she replied, "Keera died years ago, only the schemes of fools kept her alive."
Avaryss began to circle her master, she felt like a shark, one that smelled blood.
She was eager to surrender to that blood lust, to unleash a furious frenzy!
"This is not about the past; this is a about the future. My future, the one that you stole."
She glared at him.
"You never intended for me to surpass you. You had me sterilized like I was some pet cur, and that is not the worst of it. You sealed my medical records; you knew about the retro-virus in my blood. You knew that it was killing me."
Feer didn't deny it, he merely shrugged.
"I saw no reason to distract you."
"Distract me," she hissed, "You were willing to sit back and watch me die. You were content to do nothing and merely watch as I worked myself to death. Had I not discovered the truth…"
"Everything dies, child, even a Sith. There was nothing I could do about Terrog's little toy, you were already too far gone to try when you were taken to the citadel. Thanaton realized that, he told me, and I had the records sealed, as for your…sterilization…well…"
Feer chuckled.
"You nearly abandoned the path to power for a boy once. I wanted to make sure that you would not be so distracted again. It was not like you had much chance at breeding, not with your…limited pedigree."
Avaryss shook with anger.
She couldn't believe it!
He talked like she was his pet. His humble dog that he threw scraps to when he was bored.
It was almost more than she could bear, this man stole her future!
HE STOLE FROM HER!
She was more than eager to take it out on him, one pound of flesh at a time.
She could barely contain her rage in that moment.
He…he…
ARRRRRRRRGH!
"You USED me! You LIED to me! You have lied to me since day one! Yet, you are shocked that I now rise up against you. That I desire my freedom at long last."
Feer shook his head, she could feel his disappointment, it radiated out through the Force.
"And how free will you be," he asked, "Do you honestly believe that you can take what you want without me? You think I'm not aware of what you and Darth Marr have been doing? You and your little cabal of loyal Sith."
He shook his head.
"You think Marr will let you be free; his cabal binds you to the old ways. You will never be more than he allows. Even if you destroy me, you will be nothing more than Marr's figure head. He plays on your patriotism and love for the Empire to keep you in line, he always has."
She considered what he was saying, she even found herself agreeing.
"What you are saying is true," she admitted, "Or rather…it was."
She laughed coldly.
"Marr exploited my weaknesses for his own gain, but that day is done. I will continue to serve the cabal, but I will do so for MY reasons. The Emperor is gone, and the Empire needs new vision. The council will, of course, try to maintain the status quo, or at least, the illusion of it."
Her smile turned predatory.
"Once you are dead, I will be free to consolidate my power. I will have the Empire by the throat, our food and medical supplies will be the lever that I use to rise to greatness. I will continue to play Marr's little games. I will appear to be the perfect puppet; the council will look at me and see the figure-head the Empire needs. They will put me on the throne because they believe that they can control me, as you and Marr have done these many years."
Feer sneered at her.
"It won't be a throne, my child. It will be a gilded cage that you won't escape from. The council will never allow you to be more than you are now."
I'm willing to let them think that, she thought, at least, until it is too late.
She had a plan already in place, all she had to do was give the word.
It would be the work of years, but she could afford to be patient, or would be able to after she had claimed her new body.
If HK did what he was suppose to, she would have her pick of new bodies. The two she had chosen were perfect, either would serve to move her plan forward, and most important of all, taking either would hurt her enemies, and that was always a good thing.
Why simply win when you can destroy your foe's spirit?
Winning in such a way, it made a Sith a legend, and that is what she intended to be…
…legendary!
"On the day that I truly rise, they will not be able to deny me anything. I will have billions of loyal followers, or rather…followers that have no choice but to be loyal. The Republic will be a bug waiting to be squashed. The Jedi will be destroyed before they even realize that they are under threat."
Feer laughed.
"You have big dreams, my daughter."
"I have ambitions, father, and they no longer include you."
"You will find that my death is not easy to arrange."
"Nothing in life is easy, but I'm..."
Feer didn't give her a chance to finish.
He attacked.
It took all of her skill to turn back his strikes, his talent with a lightsaber was not to be underestimated.
I should not be surprised, she realized, he came up through the Fury, like me.
The Fury academies didn't produce weak Sith. You excelled or you perished, there was no in between.
Her blade whirled in a perfect example of Soresu. Her master's grasp of the duelist style was impressive, but it would not be enough to get through her guard. She…she…
She gasped.
Her head spiked painfully!
"AHHHH!"
Avaryss staggered back, it took all of her strength to stay focused on the fight. Blood seemed to pound in her ears.
Not now, she wanted to wail.
NOT NOW!
She tasted her own blood; her nose was bleeding profusely.
Her vision began to darken, but she refused to give up.
I will not be beaten!
I!
WILL!
NOT!
She tried to blast him with Force lightning, but he sidestepped her attack, and closed in, his blade moving faster and faster. She barely had time to block, barely time for a spell…
Feer's blade came around and sliced at her face, she back pedaled, but miscalculated, his blade grazed her face plate, she felt the barest of stings from his lightsaber, as it cut through her mirrored mask.
Kolto dribbled down the front of her robes, no longer was it being fed directly into her.
She whirled around and ended up on her knees, she panted, feeling the pounding in her head, and the loud beating of her heart.
Her lower lip burned from the cold, the tip of the lightsaber had brushed it, but that was enough.
Kolto spurted from the damaged mask, it got in her eyes, angering her, she tore the mask away and threw it across the room.
Feer stepped back he looked down upon her with disdain, yet she could sense his sick amusement as well.
He enjoyed watching her suffer.
"Look at my pretty one," he purred, "My beautiful daughter, look what my enemies have done to you?"
She could see her reflection in the mirrored floor, her eyes blazing red with the barest flecks of violet within them. Her flesh was bubbled up under her eyes, eyes that were sunken into purple darkened sockets.
Not a pretty sight at all, her master was right on that point, but it didn't matter, not in the end.
Blood from her nose filled her mouth, she spat it at Darth Feer.
She smiled with bloody teeth.
"Keera was pretty," she agreed, "But the face of Darth Avaryss is what the people will remember, it is that face that I shall carve into the stone of our history, the future of our glorious Empire!"
She cackled.
"Though…perhaps I will show a different face when the time comes. Why settle for something scarred when you can have the pristine?"
Feer sneered at that.
"What you hope to accomplish is impossible," he said.
"We are Sith," she replied, "Nothing is impossible."
"My poor Avaryss," he said shaking his head, "you are not the first Sith to go running off in search of immortality."
"I do not seek to live forever, father, merely to cement a legacy."
She struggled to her feet, her head was still pounding, but she was able to force much of the pain away, she would not allow it to stand in her way, not now.
I have studied long and hard. The ancients knew things that we have abandoned, they were not stopped by such weaknesses as Terrog's diseases. I shall soon be reborn. I will undo all your attempts to hold me back. I will have all that I desire, an Empire, a consort, and heirs to construct a glorious dynasty that will last for the next thousand years. My progeny will be the stuff of legends, and you will be but a footnote in my reign. A single page in the history of the Empire's long line of rulers."
"You are kidding yourself, apprentice. You will not…"
She leapt forward.
He tried to catch her, but this time he had miscalculated.
The plants that dotted the atrium tore themselves from the ground and flew at his back, he dodged them, but could not escape the imperial banner she had freed from its moorings.
It fell down as she pushed him back, he was unable to completely get out of the way.
The metal bar holding up the banner fell with a crash, Feer dodged that, but the heavy cloth caught his leg while he was trying to flee. He stumbled as he tried to break away.
It was only a moment, but it was all she needed.
She moved in and…
"AHHHHH!"
Feer gasped as her blade sliced across his chest, it was not deep enough for a killing blow, but it had wounded him, he had been raising his left arm as he lost his balance, her blade caught him in the bicep, cutting deep into the muscle.
She tried to end it quickly, she brought her blade around and…
She gasped as all the air was driven from her lungs.
The large metal bar that had held up the banner struck her like a missile, it caught her in the belly sending her flying back. Before she could recover, Feer was on her again.
He reached out with the Force, picked her up and slammed her back against the wall…hard! Before she could recover; he sent her flying back across the chamber. In her dazed state she had not had the strength to block it.
She struck hard, likely cracking several ribs. She slid down the wall.
Feer closed in for the kill.
She blasted him with Force lightning!
He caught it on his blade, and responded in kind.
Her skeleton glowed as the blast caught her in the chest. Yet, she didn't relent…
She continued to attack!
Feer stood over her, almost being bowled over by the sheer strength of her lightning, he continued the attack but it was taking much of his strength to resist her, to hold back the sheer force of her power.
Avaryss screamed but didn't stop.
She wouldn't stop.
She would destroy him.
She HAD to!
She…
Feer stumbled back, ending the maelstrom he had been unleashing on her.
Avaryss lay on the ground, gasping for breath, wheezing for her very life.
Her skin was burned, her red eyes flared. Her bald head was smoking; the few wisps of hair she had possessed were now burned away.
She hissed and tried to stand.
She could barely make it to her knees.
She still held her lightsaber in a death grip.
To lose her weapon now would have been a death sentence.
Her master rose unsteadily to his feet, he was not in much better shape that she was.
The battle was taking its toll on him as well.
She took some solace in that.
"Still, you struggle," he gasped, "Still…you resist?"
"Yesss," she hissed, "I will alwaysss resssist!"
He smiled despite the pain; his left arm hung limp at his side.
"Your death brings me no pleasure," he assured her, "But perhaps it is better for you to die like this, rather than wasting away from your illness. Besides…"
He chuckled, a chuckle that turned into a cough.
"None will dare question my reign after this. Your end will improve my standing among the council, and it will be a good lesson to my next apprentice."
"I'm not dead yet," she gasped, glaring up at him.
She ignited her lightsaber, but the blade was unsteady, easily block-able.
"Any last words?" he asked.
She looked up at him, her eyes cold and defiant.
She smiled coldly.
"Scream for me," she said.
Feer brought his blade around and…
"URRRRRRRRRK!"
Avaryss sprang her trap.
She held up her lightsaber, Feer's strike would have easily pushed it out of the way, and opened her defenses up so that he could take her head.
That had not happened.
She pressed a button on her lightsaber.
The blade gained an extra foot of length. It was a little trick she had built into her weapon, one using the extra crystals she had gotten from dissembling Sadi and Bael's lightsabers.
Feer's weapon had been out of position.
Her saber's blade pierced his stomach, just above the waistline.
Feer gasped in surprise, in disbelief.
"Wha…?" he gasped.
"No."
Avaryss felt him trying to gather his power, perhaps seeking to use life drain to heal himself, to save him.
She didn't give him the chance.
She picked him up with the Force.
She slammed him into the wall to the right of them, and then sent him flying across the chamber.
She finally managed to find her feet. She grinned as the blood flowed from her nose.
She watched as her master bounced back and forth. Each strike harder than the first, breaking first his shield, and then his bones.
"SCREAM FOR ME!" she snarled, "YOU OWE ME A SCREAM!"
She thought of what he had done to her before she came to Oridanna. She remembered being helpless in his grip.
She would never feel that way again.
Never!
She finally let him drop to the floor, she heard the wet sound of bones snapping as he struck the ground, but still she didn't let up.
She blasted him with Force lightning, she blasted him again and again.
She was in pain, but with each strike that pain was turning to ecstasy.
I have you now, she thought.
I HAVE YOU!
Feer tried to counter, he raised his hand; blasted her with lightning.
She easily blocked his attack, it was a desperation move, nothing more.
She had nothing to fear from it.
Her blade returned to its original length as she advanced on him. He tried to lash out with his weapon, but she easily ripped it from his dying hand.
She sent it flying out of reach, and gave him another blast of lightning.
Her master screamed, his first real scream of agony!
She shivered, drinking up the sound.
It was music to her ears.
"Can you see me?" she called out, "Members of the council, can you see my victory? Do you see?!"
"We can, my dear," Darth Vowrawn's voice came in strong over the loudspeaker.
"We can see," Darth Mortis said, "Well done, little sister…"
"Well done, indeed."
Yes, she thought with a wicked smile.
Yes.
Let them all see.
My master's destruction is complete!
"Is my brother still there?" she asked, "Can he see?"
"He is here, Avaryss," Darth Nox assured her, "He cannot speak, but he is watching."
Good, she thought.
She had promised Beric long ago that he could watch the end of Darth Feer.
She always endeavored to keep her promises.
She looked down at her master.
Darth Feer, Dark Lord of the Sith, didn't look very well.
Blood ran from his nose and mouth, his hair smoked from her Force lightning. He gripped his wounded belly. His golden eyes were cloudy with pain, but he didn't take his eyes off of her.
She sneered down at him.
How quickly the tide could turn.
"It is over, my master!"
Feer took a shuddering breath.
He nodded.
"I…know."
She smirked.
Oh…she had waited so long for this moment, she…
She held her blade to his throat.
"Any last words," she asked, "Any oaths of vengeance or curses?"
He shook his head.
"No more curses, and no more…schemes."
He coughed, perhaps it had been an attempt to laugh.
"I always…swore that I…I wouldn't end like…this."
Avaryss shrugged.
"It could have ended no other way."
He nodded, and then…
…he smiled.
"You are so…predatory, my daughter. You…you're now…perfect!"
He reached out for her.
"Come closer," he asked, "Grant me this last request."
She didn't…
She knew several spells that only required touch, vicious ones.
She would not risk being caught up in one.
Feer, realizing that she wouldn't fall for it, chuckled.
"And so… the apprentice learns the final lesson."
She nodded.
Yes, she had.
Trust no one!
He continued to smile; a single tear ran down his cheek.
"In spite of everything, know that I hold no ill will. Let our past die with me."
"It will," she promised.
"Then…then I die not simply as a Sith Lord but a proud father."
She swallowed hard; she was surprised that she had a lump in her throat.
She took a shuddering breath. She was shocked by what she was feeling.
She would…actually miss him?!
Amazing!
Her eyes stung.
"You…you are proud of me?"
He nodded.
"You are MY legacy, far more than Bael ever was. My teachings will live on in you. You shall pass them, and they will, in turn, path them on to theirs. I shall live on in you. Feer and Avaryss will be one…forever."
"I WILL rule the Empire," she promised.
"Do that too," he said, "Make what I made you mean something."
"It will," she promised.
"Survive your sickness, become immortal if you can, bring the whole galaxy to its knees. You must grind it beneath your boot."
"It will be done, father."
A tired sigh escaped his lips.
"Then…my work is done. I…I have won!"
She raised her lightsaber.
"Good bye, Feer."
He looked upon her, his eyes radiating a sense of acceptance, and…happiness.
He had taught her well.
That fact…was what truly mattered to him.
"Farewell, Avaryss. I love you, my child."
She hesitated, for the briefest of moments, just enough to whisper one last phrase.
He deserved to hear it. She had to say it.
She felt a single tear roll down her cheek.
"I love you…Dad."
Feer nodded and offered his neck.
Her blade fell.
She took off his head with one mighty stroke.
She stumbled back as she felt her master enter the Force, enter the madness beyond death.
She took a shuddering breath.
It is over, she realized, it is finally over!
She giggled.
Tears of joy and sadness came in equal measure.
Feer was gone.
Her father was dead!
He WAS dead.
I've won.
She roared in victory, letting her Force scream shake the very windows of the tower.
"I'VE WON!"
A/N: Thus, ends Darth Feer, Dark Lord of the Sith. I hate to admit it, but after two years of writing this character I will kind of miss him. When I saw Darth Feer in my head, I always thought of him as being played by Alan Tudyk, if you have seen Doom Patrol you know what a great evil character he can play. Well…the master is dead. Long live the master! Dark Reflection will be concluding soon, and with it the next Avaryss story will begin.
Until next time, dear readers.
DG
