Chapter 4: The Mask
"Where is it?"
Avaryss muttered under her breath as she rummaged through the various containers they had saved from the doomed shuttle, tossing them this way, and that. So far, she had not found what she was looking for, and it annoyed her to no end.
I'm usually better prepared than this, she thought angrily.
How could I have been so foolish?!
She finished looking through another container, nothing. She cursed and moved to the next one, hoping that this was the one she needed.
Foolish.
So very foolish!
She hated to admit it, but she hadn't actually been watching their supplies too carefully, they had been here a year and things had gotten…lazy.
I should have put it somewhere safe the moment we arrived, she thought with an evil hiss, I always knew this day would come and I let myself get too comfortable here, despite the fact that my enemies remain all around us, and my own resources are so limited here.
They would be here any time, her new allies, her future pawns.
She had to be ready, and she wasn't!
It was most galling to say the least!
She cursed under her breath, the type of oath that even her late Master Darth Feer would have been shocked to hear. You could say what you wanted about the ancient Sith but the old tongue was very colorful, they knew how to swear when they were angry, swear and do other terrible things.
She tossed the crate she had been looking through away, nothing, it was not in there.
So where is it?
She tore open the next one with the Force, not even bothering to care where the lid landed.
Where was it?!
"Can…can I help…master?"
The question came from Zay, the slave girl stood not far from the opening of the cave where they had stored their supplies.
Avaryss almost snapped at her, but held her tongue.
Had she been smart she would have given it to Zay when they arrived, the girl had a good memory and didn't lose things that Avaryss asked her to hold onto. Plus, if she couldn't find it, if Zay had lost it. She could have punished the girl for it, it would have been a break in the monotony of their life here, if nothing else.
That passing thought made her frown.
So…you would just hurt Zay…just for the fun of it?
She shook her head.
That is not what we do, she thought, it is not what I do.
She was rarely cruel for the simple enjoyment of it, especially not when it came to her underlings. That kind of amusement was the domain of cruel idiots and fools. She could be hard on her servants, but recognized their value as well. She would execute one for failure, but it was rare that she would do so lightly.
Besides, at the moment, she didn't have the minions to waste, she needed to hold onto all of her resources, at least until the plan was a little farther along.
So, for the moment, she would do nothing to Zay, besides, the girl was only trying to be helpful.
"I will need you in a moment," she informed her slave, "Just as soon as I find what I'm looking for."
She sensed the girl's acknowledgement, the barest nod of her head.
Good, at least, she would be ready.
She finished going through the crate she had just opened, nothing but more food packs.
She moved it aside and grabbed the next one.
Where was it?
IOI
Fenn reaching out to her should have come at no surprise, after all…it was a part of the plan. Yet, she had still be caught of guard. The fact that her old dream friend had been found and brought into orbit again was proof that the time to move was quickly approaching. She had done enough hiding here on Ambria, it was almost time to start making moves again, setting her own course towards the future…
And Fenn Shadowstone had a major role to play in that future, whether he realized it yet, or not.
They had not spoken long last night, it wasn't safe, the longer they were connected, the more likely of one of her enemies establishing a connection trace. He had promised to be here today, that they would finally link up. He was most eager to do something against the rising threat of Zakuul, he and all his allies were.
I should have known; she had thought when the transmission had ended. Fenn was not the type to simply hide and wait for someone to emerge, and try to fix things. He was a man of action.
It was one of the things she admired most about him, one of many.
Fenn, even thinking about him made her body warm, her heart beat a little faster.
They had kissed in dreams, and once in person, the memory of that stirred her blood now, eager for more.
Fenn was coming here.
She needed to be ready.
It had been far too long, they had not seen each other in the Force in almost two years, in the physical realm even longer.
Now, the Force had finally seen fit to place their lives back on an intersecting course. As a Sith Lord, she didn't like the fact that the Force could move her like a pawn, but it was a realization that she, that any Force-wielder, had to accept.
The Force offered much, but it also moved at its own pace, it could not be rushed, and it couldn't be controlled…
…at least…not yet.
As for Fenn himself, it…it would be good to be at his side again. The two of them had grown up together, indirectly. The Force had forged a bond between them when they were toddlers, and that bond had only grown as the years had gone by.
They had met often in dreams as children, playing through the halls of the Jedi Temple, Avaryss, of course, had not known it was the Jedi Temple, and might have backed away from Fenn had she known.
Her upbringing may have gotten in the way, which was why ignorance had been bliss back then.
It had allowed her to be…well…simply her. She had not cared for politics at the time, but might have had she realized who her friend truly was.
Avaryss had been born a diehard imperial. She had been raised to both believe and accept that the Empire was superior in all things. The Republic was a corrupt shadow of what the galaxy truly needed, the illusion of equality and democracy taking away from the strong, forcing them from the path of true greatness.
How could one be great of if everyone was equal? Equality was a lie, the powerful spun it just to keep the weak in line, and the Jedi enforced that lie while the Senators and business leaders of the galaxy despoiled all that was the Siths' by right.
Twice now, the Empire had tried to take what should have been theirs from the beginning. Two wars in the last fifty years had been fought to finally bring true order and stability to the troubled galaxy, but now…the game had changed.
The arrival of the Zakuul had changed everything.
Avaryss had been aware of Lana Beniko's continued search to oppose Arcann, but had done little to aid it, she had been in no shape to aid anyone, her own plans in tatters and her forces scattered.
Yet, she had always kept one eye out for Fenn, hoping that he was alright. Despite coming from two decidedly different worlds, Avaryss' caring for the young Jedi warrior remained.
No, she realized, it was NOT the Jedi she cared about, it was the MAN, the warrior that was Fenn Shadowstone at his core.
Avaryss…she knew that the Force had more in mind for the two them then simply being cold warriors and occasional friends.
We have a destiny; she had accepted that long ago.
Fenn would not just be another Jedi to her, he was part of her future, he was part of THE future.
Fenn would not just be a comrade; he would be her lover. He would be the father of her children, the future of her line, she had foreseen it. That vision had changed over the years, but one thing had remained a constant.
Fenn…he would not simply be a plaything to be enjoyed and discarded, he would not be like her past lovers…
Fenn…he was her endgame. He was the only one that mattered.
She wanted him, and she would have him…
…she NEEDED him.
She had done her best to try and keep an eye on him. She had dispatched her agents to search for him after the Jedi fell apart. The order had been on shaky ground even before the arrival of the invaders. Revan's sack of their temple world on Tython had scattered the champions of the light, and no sooner had they dealt with Revan, they found themselves facing a restored Darth Vitiate, the reborn emperor's attack on Ziost had caught everyone off guard, and left the order scrambling.
Now, they were all but gone, in hiding, the Jedi High Council had dissolved, and the remaining knights and padawans were fugitives trying to stay one step ahead of Arcann's forces, bounty hunters, and assassins who now saw an opportunity to profit from the Jedi's misfortune.
The state of affairs should have been pleasing to a Sith, and would have been, had their own government not been left so hobbled by Arcann and his minions. The Empire continued on, but it was a shadow of its former self, pinned beneath the heel of the Eternal Throne.
Avaryss desired to change that, and would, given time, but first…Fenn.
Not all of the Jedi had simply gone into hiding, some remained behind, resisting the state of freefall that the galaxy now found itself in. Those Jedi that stayed, that tried to fight, now allied themselves with the many resistance movements that had formed in the last year or so, men, women, and creatures that opposed the Eternal Throne, and sought to bring an end to Zakuul rule.
Several of these groups believed, or so her agents informed her, that the only way to stop Zakuul was to find and free the legendary Jedi battle master, the one who had defeated Vitiate on Dromund Kaas years ago. The man had vanished, around the time that Darth Marr had been killed.
The dreams of fools, Avaryss had thought when she heard that.
The battle master was more likely dead. Arcann would have been a fool to have left such a dangerous enemy alive, but people still looked, people including Lana Beniko.
Avaryss had heard…rumors about the two, before everything had started falling apart. The Jedi was said to be a paragon of their order, but…it was rumored, that he had developed…feelings for the Sith Minister of Intelligence, and she for him.
Avaryss would not have been surprised. Beniko was different than her fellows, she was unorthodox in her methods, and a bit of an oddity among the Sith, never even achieving the title of Dark Lord. Her curious choices might have been enough to catch the attention of their greatest enemy, maybe even intrigue him. The fact that she could catch the eye of a legendary Jedi was…intriguing in itself.
Several council members had wanted her killed when they first heard these rumors. Marr had forbidden it, and, with Avaryss and Nox on the council with him, now had a one fourth majority in all decisions.
Marr had believed Beniko was useful, and so she continued to live, and that was a good thing.
The rumors about Lana had allowed her to move freely among both Jedi and Sith, a useful skill given the current state of the galaxy.
Avaryss' agents had confirmed that she had been spending the last few months reaching out to any Jedi or Sith that would listen, trying to convince them to put aside their differences and oppose the threat of the Eternal Throne.
It was also possible that she searched for her Jedi, some might have called such a search pointless, and pathetic, but not Avaryss.
If it had been Fenn that had gone missing, I would be out searching as well. Avaryss had never blamed Beniko for her feelings, she would have been a hypocrite if she had.
Avaryss also desired a Jedi, she would not fault another for sharing similar wants.
The only difference between them is that Avaryss did not intend for Fenn to stay a Jedi. She had developed a talent for corrupting people, she was good at it, and even drew a measure of satisfaction and pleasure from it.
The thought of corrupting Fenn, it…excited her, she was eager to make the attempt, to feel his shift from the light, and to accept the darkness as she had.
We are two parts of the same whole, she thought, man and woman, light and dark.
She longed to see them simply be man and woman, Fenn and Avaryss, united in darkness.
Together, they would build a new and glorious future. They would forge a dynasty of unlimited power, and the Force save anyone who got in their way.
It could be done, she knew it could be, but first…she needed to move carefully, the plan required a bit of stealth and cunning.
Stealth would be key in the beginning, Fenn would not understand what she had done, not at first.
She would not be able to stand before him as she was now, not yet. She would need…to wear a mask for a time, it would put him at ease, and make things easier as they moved forward.
He was coming to find his old dream friend Keera Lylos, a girl that was long dead, Avaryss had killed her back on Oridanna, choked the life from that part of herself, it had been holding her back, and making her weak.
She had rid herself of it, but now…now…
The dark lord frowned.
…she would need to pretend to be someone long dead, it was the only way forward.
Avaryss would need to be Keera, at least for a short time, until Fenn had come to accept her as she was now, but he needed to be eased into the change, she had no desire to shock him.
What she was searching for, it would make that possible, it would…
Avaryss smiled.
Ah!
There you are!
IOI
She had found it. Finally, it the last crate she had opened, she knew it was here the moment she opened it, sensed its presence.
A sigh of relief escaped her.
Praise the Empire!
She had it.
She pulled it out, a small black box, a box bearing the sigil of her house. She pressed her thumb to the clasp, triggering the release. The box's defenses disarmed, and allowed her entry.
She opened it, and felt a slight tingle go up her arms.
Finally, she thought with a nod.
Something, that has gone according to plan.
She gestured Zay forward, she would need her aid for this, the slave girl hobbled over, her heavy boot clinking loudly.
Her eyes widened at what her master was holding.
"What is it," she asked, "It is beautiful!"
Avaryss nodded.
It was beautiful, but not for the reason the girl thought.
The object was a small piece of polished ivory, a piece that had once been a tooth of one of the tomb-guardian monsters on Korriban. Avaryss had claimed it herself, shortly after her rise to the dark council.
It had been a bit of a fight that, she had only needed a tooth, and not wanted to kill the beast for simply doing its duty, she had had no desire for the trinkets that had been hidden in the tomb it had guarded. Sadly, she had had no choice, the beast hadn't given her one. Her success had not gone unnoticed, several of her fellow Sith had not liked that she had taken such initiative, but so what?
Being on the dark council did have some perks, no one bothered to speak too loudly, lest they incur her wrath, but that was the way it should be.
The weak got out of the way of the strong.
It had taken weeks to forge the item as it was now. She had not yet been in her new body when she had begun, and her mind had not been at its best. She had worked hard, using the dark side energy in the ivory to bind her spell to it, to prepare it for what was to come, this day, a day that needed to come if her plan was to come to fruition.
If I truly want Fenn, she had thought at the time, everything in this…it…it must be flawless.
Avaryss was a sorceress, a powerful one, what she had attempted was not difficult, merely time consuming. The spell was fairly basic, but to bind it to an object, to make the spell stay within the object, that was not simple, it took time and patience, both had been in short supply back then, but she had succeeded, she had succeeded because she had to.
Now, that patience would pay off, she had exactly what she needed.
She had carved the ivory herself, working as much with the dark side as she had with her humble knife, the piece was now as big as a large coin and fitted to a fine silken ribbon, just long enough to fit comfortably around her neck.
At a distance it looked like a small tear drop stone, but up close, one could see that a face had been cut into its surface, a familiar face.
The face of Keera Lylos stared back at her.
Avaryss smiled.
The perfect mask for when she met with Fenn again.
One that even his vaunted Jedi skills would not see through.
A shiver of excitement ran down her spine.
The perfect snare for her future lover, the father of her children!
DELICIOUS!
She turned to Zay, handing her the silken ribbon.
"Wrap this around my neck, Zay."
The girl shivered when she touched it, she looked down, her eyes widening in surprise. She nearly dropped the item as soon as it touched her hand.
Avaryss glared at the girl, clumsy little fool!
"What is it?" she demanded.
The girl gave her a worried look.
"It…it is cold, master…too cold. It…it doesn't feel…"
Avaryss frowned.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, only that you obey."
Her eyes narrowed with barely contained anger.
"I said put it around my neck…NOW."
The girl winced as if struck, though Avaryss had never struck her, and never intended to.
The girl was too useful.
She turned giving her servant easy access.
She felt the silken ribbon wrap around her throat, and in that brief moment, Avaryss felt a sense of fear and paranoia, she imagined the girl choking her with the ribbon, about her pulling it taut and…
She dismissed such things.
It was not long enough to truly choke her, and besides.
Zay didn't have the courage to try such a move, and even if she did, Agony would make sure that she didn't live long enough to enjoy her victory.
No, Avaryss had nothing to fear of her slave, the girl had no where to go here on Ambria, if she fled her master's service, who would take her in?
Avaryss knew the answer to that question…it brought a cruel smile to her face.
No one.
The girl was hers, body and soul…and she always would be.
Such was the way of things.
Zay…was hers.
She shivered slightly as the magic took effect, it felt…strange. The cold stone pressed to her neck, and then the sensation of thousands of tiny insects crawling over her face, she had been tempted to scratch her cheek, but realized it was pointless, it was just the magic taking effect, nothing more.
She took a deep breath, and ignored the sensation, which passed quickly.
"It…it is done, master," Zay said shyly.
Avaryss grinned.
Finally.
She looked inside the crate. She was sure she had packed a hand mirror, just for this particular moment. She had known that she would need one; knew that she would want to check the spell's final result.
She pulled it out now, and took a look at her reflection.
What she saw…pleased her.
Her face had changed, or rather the glamour had settled over it, changing her features.
Once again, the face of Keera Lylos stared back at her.
Avaryss nodded.
She was most pleased.
There, she thought, as long as she had the stone around her neck, everything would be fine. The magic was subtle enough that it would not be noticed, a Jedi would sense it as a simple expression of her power.
It was a necessary deception, given what was to come.
Avaryss' new face would have been noticed; she was sure of it. The Jedi she had taken was not unknown, and though her servants had gone to great pains to make sure that no one realized the little fool was missing. Her followers had accepted her new look quickly, but a Jedi wouldn't understand.
Plus, they might blame her for what she had done. They might call her a murderer and a thief, that would not serve, not with the plans she was hatching.
She needed them to trust her, or at least, be willing to work with her.
Yes, the deception was necessary.
These Jedi, Fenn and his allies, they would have known had they seen, Fenn definitely would have known.
At least now, she would not have to explain anything, not yet. Well, she would have to explain how she had gotten her left arm back, but given what the Jedi knew of Sith Alchemy, she could explain that away easily enough.
The point was, is that she looked the part now. Fenn and his friends would only see the Sith Lord they remembered.
It would put them at ease, at least, until the time came that she no longer needed them to be.
When that time came, she would crush them all beneath her heel, and Fenn would be hers forever!
The mere thought excited her.
She turned to Zay, a smile on her face.
"How do I look?"
"Different," the girl said shyly, not wanting to meet her gaze.
Avaryss frowned.
She sensed a desire to be anywhere else from the girl, she was bothered by her master's harsh words.
Such weakness would not do, she expected more from one so close to her.
"I may speak harshly with you from time to time, but I will never strike you," she snapped, "I have no time for servants who turn into whipped curs when they hear a single mean word. You should be comfortable looking me in the eye when I address you, when I want your opinion, I will not only ask for it, but I expect you to be honest, do you understand?"
The girl nodded and looked up.
"Yes…yes master."
Avaryss nodded.
Well, it wasn't perfect, but it would do for now.
She shook her head.
She really needed to toughen Zay up a bit.
The girl was about to become the hand maiden of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy, a future Empress of the Sith. She, at least, could act like it, she…
Avaryss paused; tilting her head to the sky.
She…she felt it, through the Force!
She smiled.
It seemed they had guests.
Good.
Her mask was in place, and she was ready.
She rose from the crate and dusted herself off, not an easy thing on Ambria, where the red sand seemed to get everywhere.
"Come Zay," she ordered, "It seems we have visitors."
She smiled Keera's sly smile, the one she had known so well once.
Avaryss was most pleased, she had the physical mask down.
Now, she needed to put on the verbal one, turn on the charm, and drawn her little Jedi insects into her web.
This is going to be interesting, she though, eager to experience something more than the simple routine that her life had become. Things were about to get dangerous again, and she couldn't be happier.
It is time, she thought reaching out with the Force, sensing the approaching transport, and the people aboard.
Yes.
This…would be fun.