Chapter 3: The Recluse
"Everything has been arranged to your specifications, Baroness," the little man said with an oily smile.
"I do hope that you are pleased?"
Darth Avaryss smiled. When Agony's father had first introduced her to this man a few years ago, she was unsure that he would be able to provide her with what she needed moving forward. That his reach would not be up to the task in helping her grasp the future.
She was pleased to see that she was wrong.
"You have done good work here, councilor," she said nodding, pressing her thumb print to the last of many documents that she had needed to sign here today.
She gave the man a slight nod of gratitude.
"You have more than renewed my faith in you, good sir."
Her guest, Samund Bineer, banker, and sometimes lawyer, for the Tapan Financial Group smiled.
It didn't take much to please such a man. His main desire was making money, and seeing to the investments of his many wealthy clients, clients such as the Sith Lord sitting in front of him.
It was greed that truly drove the man, and that was something that Darth Avaryss understood very well. She was the Lady of Greed after all.
Even before the two of them had met, he had been her servant.
Almost a year had passed since Avaryss and Agony had arrived on Ambria, and in that time she had done much to not only push her endeavors throughout the galaxy, but also gather necessary intelligence on the invaders that had so decimated both the Republic and the Sith Empire. It had not been an easy challenge at first, Avaryss was accustom to being seen, especially after her short stint on the Dark Council.
She had needed to learn quickly to be more…covert…more…insidious.
After almost a year of practice, she had come to…enjoy the new status quo.
Time had taught her much about her enemy, and the more she learned, the deeper her hatred for them grew. She didn't resist that growing hatred, if anything she fed it with each new morsel of information she gathered.
It would make things easier when the final battle began. She wanted to feel nothing but hatred for her rivals, and in that hatred, she would revel as they crumbled around her, crumbled and served as heralds for her rule.
It would be…glorious!
She handed the banker's data pad back to him, they had just finished their quarterly meeting, Bineer, having made the long journey to Ambria from his offices on Corellia, had needed her signature before pushing through several new investment opportunities. Though not a man well-travelled, he made an exception when it came to Avaryss, the woman he knew only as the Baroness.
As he should, she thought to herself, the two of them had done millions of credits worth of business in the last few years, seeking her out in her hermitage was the least that the banker could do.
As far as Bineer knew, the Baroness was simply a wealthy recluse, someone who possessed massive wealth, but preferred to live simply in her hovel on the shores of Lake Natth.
Given the amount of money they traded in, he had no reason to question her reasoning, he was simply here to keep the credits flowing, and to protect her wealth.
Such wealth was a necessary element in these most unstable of times.
Avaryss had needed to move quickly after Pholis. Darth Acina, and several other rivals on the Dark Council had moved quickly against her. Their first act had been to try and seize all her bank accounts, the actives one she used to fund her various operations on Dromund Kaas and abroad.
The dark lord hated to admit it, but they had been far more successful than she would have preferred. They had cost her somewhere between fifty and forty-three million credits, a large amount of wealth to be sure, but not enough to shut down all her operations.
She had invested well these last few years. Baron Dresco, and men like Bineer had assured that she would never be without funding again, her reach extended like a many tentacled beast throughout the cosmos.
To be a power within the Empire you needed several things, the Force, wealth, information, and an army and navy to enforce your will.
She had three of those four, and, if Death knell paid off, she would have the fourth soon enough, that… and revenge.
The thought warmed her.
She welcomed that day's arrival.
She looked over the hard copy of the files he had provided her, taking note of the various numbers she was seeing, so many credits, and so many locations; these would be most necessary in the coming months.
"My agents will have no trouble accessing the accounts, I trust? My work is entering a critical stage, councilor. I would hate to see it hindered by any minor financial issue."
"You have no need to worry, Baroness," he said with a wave of a hand, "Your people will find that everything is in order when the time comes."
"Good," she said with a nod, "And what of Zakuul? Have any of the Eternal Throne's agents been a problem in the sectors we've discussed?"
"Zakuul has its own interests, my lady," He said with a dismissive shrug, "They are more worried about collecting their war reparations and keeping the Republic and Sith in their place; the business interests of the galaxy are finding it easier to maneuver in such times."
The man shrugged again.
"Emperor Arcann has little interest in such matters, especially now that he has his enemies all held firmly under his heel."
Avaryss considered that, her own brief encounter with Arcann back on Pholis flashed through her mind.
He and his brother had left her for dead. They would pay for their arrogance. She would make sure that everyone who kneeled to this so-called Emperor paid.
Revenge would be hers, and the Sith flame would flare brightly in the galaxy once more.
And I shall be the spark, she thought hungrily.
I shall burn this entire wretched galaxy to the ground!
She smiled slightly; her face mostly hidden by her heavy hood.
"Tell me, councilor. What is your take on these…Zakuul? I must confess I've had little interaction with them."
"An interesting people," Bineer responded, "They don't really act like imperials, not the ones that I've had the privilege of working with anyway. You know who you are dealing with when you speak with the Sith or one of their underlings. They make no secret of their ambitions and desires."
Avaryss almost laughed.
She wondered if he would be so flip if he knew he was talking to a born and bred Sith Imperial, and a former member of the Dark Council to boot.
It would be interesting to find out…one day.
"The Zakuul, they are different, aside from their army, they don't seem to like travelling from their home systems, not that I'm surprised. From what I hear about the Zakuul capitol and purse worlds, the people there live a fairly idyllic existence. Their droids and technology see to most of their needs. For the most part, the people want for nothing, I can't imagine living like that myself."
Avaryss nodded.
"That fits with some of what I've heard, but I've also heard what happens to the criminals of Zakuul if they say something those in power don't like."
"Exile," Bineer said, "they are thrown out of their cities and left fend for themselves in the wilderness, a harsh treatment for people so cared for, and apparently one used more openly now that Arcann sits the throne."
Again, Avaryss nodded.
Though they had only met briefly in battle, she had tried to expand her knowledge of the new eternal Emperor. There were many rumors circulating about Arcann.
The more she learned of the man, the greater her disdain for him grew.
I still can't believe he defeated me, she thought morosely, but it was two against one, he and that brother of his.
The memory of her defeat did little to sooth her anger, if anything, it expanded it.
It would make her final victory over Arcann and his lapdogs that much more satisfying.
She had a sudden vision of Arcann laying beaten on the floor of his throne room, melting from the inside out. He would live just long enough to know that his empire had fallen, and that the weapons of war that he had used so foolishly had passed into the hands of a true aristocrat.
Darth Avaryss would seize the Eternal Throne, and the massive fleet that served it.
She would enjoy watching him suffer. She would revel as he coughed up his own lungs and died in a puddle of well…him.
Delicious.
"Baroness?"
She blinked recognizing that she had gotten distracted by her honeyed daydreams of vengeance.
"My apologies," she told her banker, "My mind was elsewhere. Did you say something?"
"Merely inquiring when you would next like me to return? Shall we confer again next quarter?"
"That sounds good," she replied, "One last thing, though, does anyone else know about these transactions? What you have set up for me?"
"You pay well for anonymity, Baroness," he reminded her, "The only two people that know about these transactions are us, and well…"
He gestured over her shoulder.
Zay stood five feet away, respectfully holding a jug of water, should Avaryss or her guest have a thirst.
No threat there, Avaryss knew, Zay would never betray her master. Her little slave knew her place.
Just the two of us, she thought with a smirk.
How…fortuitous.
"Until next time, Baroness," Bineer said rising with a bow.
"Until next time," she replied, "Have a safe journey."
The man turned, heading back towards his ship.
Avaryss didn't bother rising, she had no need to.
She snapped her fingers, Zay reacted quickly, hobbling over to refill her drinking cup. The two watched as the banker's ship began to rise, firing its maneuvering thrusters.
The Dark Lord leaned back, enjoying the cold water on this hot day.
"Has he outlived his usefulness, master?"
Zay's question surprised her.
"What makes you say that, my dear?"
The slave girl shrugged.
"I heard you inquiring if anyone else knew about your dealings. I thought…"
Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
"Did I give you permission to think?"
The girl paused, and bowed her head.
"No master," she said quickly, "Sorry master."
Avaryss said nothing as the ship carrying the banker rose higher, disappearing into the upper atmosphere.
Avaryss sighed.
"It is not for you to try and anticipate my movements Zay, not in matters such as this. Such thoughts are above your station, do not forget that."
"Yes, master," the girl said shyly.
Avaryss nodded.
"That being said, it is good that you know how to listen, there will come times that I will ask you to pay attention to my meetings. This meeting was not one of those times, but it is good that you are practicing, you merely need to learn to hold your tongue. Knowledge is power, my dear Zay, never reveal all your cards, not to anyone."
"Not even you, master?" the girl asked.
Her comment amused the dark lord.
Her loyalty was appreciated, and once again proved why Avaryss had kept her on this last year.
Agony saw Zay as nothing more than hired help, that was a weakness on her part. Avaryss did not keep boot-licks and sycophants around, there was too great a chance of betrayal from such people.
Zay, like Agony, had skills the dark lord prized, and was willing to nurture. If she was to defeat Zakuul, conquer the Republic, destroy the Jedi, and become Empress of a true Galactic Empire, she needed to be both clever and cunning.
She was outgunned and outnumbered right now, her forces scattered, and not in a position to aid her, not yet, anyway.
The three of us against the galaxy, Avaryss thought, two Sith Lords and a slave girl.
The thought made her smile.
Once the keys are in my possession…numbers won't matter.
A shudder of pleasure ran down her spine.
My enemies will never know what hit them.
One thing that Arcann had done that she had approved of, he had scattered the Jedi Order. Satele Shan and the rest of the high council had been driven into hiding, into hiding, or been killed by the so-called Knights of Zakuul. Arcann was wise enough not to tolerate their presence, the do-gooding Jedi would have remained a problem for him, despite what treaties the Republic signed.
The Sith had been equally cowed, an embarrassing state of affairs that. The remaining Dark Lords on Dromund Kaas had come to accept Zakuul rule. They still tried to continue rebuild, despite the treaty they had signed, but they were in no position to challenge Arcann, not yet anyway.
The whole situation was almost enough to make Avaryss want to vomit.
We are Sith, it is our destiny to destroy and to conquer!
Perhaps that fool Malgus was right.
Perhaps the Empire has lost its way.
Of course, not every Force user in the galaxy had fled or given up. Avaryss' agents still heard rumors about certain well-known people striking back at Arcann and his war machine. Among them, the former minister of Sith Intelligence.
Lana Beniko, Avaryss thought with a sneer.
She had never had much respect for the woman, she had the power to ascend to the rank of lordship, but she squandered that on serving the Empire as a whole.
Avaryss despised that, not just because Beniko wasted her talents, but because she, herself, had once labored under such naïve idealism.
Putting the Empire first had brought her nothing but pain.
A Sith that doesn't think about themselves is a fool!
Her master Darth Feer had played on that idealism, he had nearly worked his apprentice to death. Had she not encountered an unexpected enemy, one with information that she had not known, she might have died without ever knowing how deeply her dear master and father had betrayed her.
Not that it mattered now, she realized, Feer was long dead, and she was making her own moves towards the throne. Sure, the arrival of the Zakuul had slowed that rise, but it was just another test, and…a means to acquire a fleet to supplement her soon to be massive army.
The thought amused her.
It was funny, the instrument of the empire's subjugation would soon be its deliverance.
Avaryss rose from where she was sitting, the banker's ship was gone, having vanished back into hyperspace. She gathered up the files he had left behind, she would be able to study them in more detail later.
For right now, she was hungry, Zay would need to get started on her meal, and she would need to confer with Agony.
Her plans were progressing, if a bit slowly, but that couldn't be helped.
If she moved too quickly, she might attract unwanted attention, namely Zakuul or the remnant of the Jedi.
Neither side would welcome the moves she was preparing. Which was funny considering both sides had their individual parts to play in her schemes.
She could not trust them with everything, but she didn't need to.
They were predictable enough that she could anticipate what they would do.
It was one of the many rules she had come to understand.
The galaxy was a predictable place, its people more so…
She enjoyed manipulating it. Even Zay and Agony were not exempt from that, they had their own parts to play.
All live to serve me, she thought, but that is the way it should be.
I am Sith, she thought proudly.
I…am all.
IOI
The rest of her day passed as so many others had passed in the last year.
Avaryss meditated, and did her lightsaber drills. She spared with Agony, in the traditional Echani style, and rewarded her lover/friend appropriately before returning to their little camp.
It was then that she turned her attention to future, not just the immediate future, but the one that would define her legacy as a member of the Sith Order.
She went to her favorite place on the lakeshore and continue working on her holocron. The small crystal pyramid had eaten up many of the long hours of her exile. She had programmed it with many of the spells and rituals she had collected over the years, and still found herself needing to enter in even more.
She had learned so much since leaving her home world all those years ago, and now that she tried to find a place store all that knowledge, and the experiences that defined both them and her, she was left amazed by what she had accomplished.
And there is still so much to do, she realized.
Far too much.
Her face was bathed in the crimson light of the holocron as she worked. The gate keeper for the device had been recorded while she had still worn the body of Keera Lylos. Seeing it now annoyed her slightly, but it was too late to change it now.
Keera had been her crystallis period, before she had emerged as the true dark lord she was today.
Her experiences and rage had been useful, but were now easily discarded. Avaryss had outgrown the farm girl that Keera had been, her desires had been tiny and insignificant in the true scheme of things.
Yet, her experiences could not be entirely discounted, they had made Avaryss the Sith she was today, and would define the future of her line.
Avaryss recognized the fact that her bloodline both couldn't and shouldn't end with her. She needed not only to rule, but reproduce, to contribute to the future success of the Sith Order.
She had no intention being immortal, but that didn't mean that she didn't wish for her legacy to be eternal.
She would be Empress, and more importantly, the mother and grandmother of Emperors and Empresses.
The blood of Avaryss would rule the galaxy one day, she had foreseen it.
She would bring all her enemies to their knees.
As she worked, she caught the sound of a beautiful voice on the air, sweet and somehow…enthralling.
She shook her head.
That would be Zay, she thought, shaking her head.
Damn kid!
Zay had one other skill besides her desire to serve, one that made her more valuable than a simple serving girl. She sang with a voice that would ensnare the Force itself. Many times, in the last year she and Agony had fallen asleep to the beautiful strains floating on the wind.
She forced herself to ignore it, though…it was not easy.
An impressive display, she thought, to be sure.
She found herself wondering what the girl might have become had she not been born into servitude, with a voice like that…she could…
"Avy?"
She blinked, between the gentle glow of the holocron and Zay's distant song, she had gotten distracted.
She turned off the holocron, and looked over her shoulder.
Agony stood there, holding their portable hyper-comm. Her lover/friend looked…concerned.
Avaryss frowned.
What was this now?
"What is it?" she demanded, "I have no need for that now."
Agony shrugged.
"You have an incoming call; they've been trying to reach you since last night."
The dark lord frowned.
A call, well…that was new.
She had already spoken to all her pawns this month, and besides them, no one else knew she was here.
Well…almost no one.
The thought disturbed her.
Had something happened?
She pinned Agony with her cold gaze.
"Have you looked at it yet? Who has been trying to call?"
Agony nodded, but didn't answer.
Avaryss hissed under her breath.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Play it already!"
"You are not going to be happy," Agony said, "Just figured I would prepare you for that."
She sat the device down and turned it on. She stepped back quickly, as a familiar shape appeared in the blue tinted holo field.
Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
"General Glasc," she hissed coldly.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
General Henin Glasc had once been a loyalty officer of the Imperial navy, and a great crony of her master, Darth Feer. He had also been one of the first to defect to Avaryss' side when things started to shift in her favor.
She was surprised to hear from him now.
The man had had his orders, he was not to contact her for any reason. She had thought that he understood that. The man may have been born with features similar to the legendary Grand Moff Vaiken, but he didn't have a tenth of the man's abilities.
He was a good attack dog, but that was it.
And an attack dog should know its place, she thought, calling her like this…
…It was unacceptable.
"I do hope you have a good reason for interrupting me, General," she said, "Matters are quite tense right now."
"It is worth your time, my lord," he promised, "Patching you through now."
The general vanished, there was a brief hiss as the signal connected with another.
Glasc, you fool, Avaryss thought, she would see him punished for this mistake. He would…
The image appeared, and her breath caught in her throat.
She…she…could.
She swallowed hard.
Oh my!
There were two images facing her, one male and one female, and both known to her.
The woman was a blond-haired woman in the armor of the Sith, her features untouched by the usual wear of dark side necrosis, only her golden eyes marked her as a member of the order.
Lana Beniko.
It wasn't the presence of the former minister of intelligence that drew her attention however, it was the young man at her side.
He…he…
Avaryss was speechless.
They hadn't spoken in almost two years. Her place on the dark council had hurt their relationship, she didn't deny that, but now…seeing him, the past suddenly came flooding back. The connection she thought long severed reasserted itself.
It was beyond flesh. It was the Force, that is what made it so strong.
He hadn't changed much, he had a beard now, but despite that, he still looked like the boyish young padawan she had known as a child, her dream friend all grown up.
He still wore the robes of the Jedi, an annoyance that, but one she had come to accept, she had…
"Fenn," she murmured, all thought of punishment and conquest forgotten.
"Oh Fenn,"
He gave that boyish smile she remembered; her heart fluttered nervously.
"Hey, Keera," he said warmly.
"It has been some time."
She swallowed hard; her throat suddenly very dry.
Great, she thought, unexpected, but not unwelcomed.
She only just resisted rolling her eyes.
Here we go again.