Chapter 6: The Way

MOVE!

It was not a word at that moment, not even a thought, it was a compulsion, a command that resonated out through the Force.

Time seemed to slow down, above the camp and the landed ship, a small green flash emerged from the Sith destroyer The Emperor's Wisdom; that flash seemed to expand, everything became tinged with an emerald hue.

Avaryss had no time to think, no time to plan.

She grabbed Zay and leapt forward, Agony at her side, gripping the two duffel bags the Sith had packed for their departure…

Death.

…It was a good thing too, the camp and everything in it was about to be vaporized. They would not have a chance to retrieve anything else.

Death.

The Force screamed that single word in their minds, letting them know that if they paused even for a moment…

Death.

…all the plans in the galaxy would not save them, their lives would end here.

The Jedi vessel rose quickly banking out over Lake Natth; alarms were no doubt blaring in the cockpit, warning the pilot of the impending doom. Avaryss knew what a destroyer's turbo-lasers could do to an unshielded planet, she had visited several worlds that had suffered that fate, a fate ordered by her directly, or by her now late master.

She knew what was to come, and at the same time, knew that they needed to be as far away as possible when that moment occurred.

The ship continued to pull away, for the briefest of moments, Avaryss feared that they had not jumped far enough, and that the ship would move out of range before they reached it, that the three would fall into the lake and if they were not vaporized by the laser blast, they would be consumed by whatever hungry beasts lay trapped at the bottom of the lake, dark side monsters that would briefly find freedom by the destruction raining down on them, they would be…

"UGH!"

The dark lord felt herself be yanked forward, a sudden pulling that drew them further than they could have leapt on their own.

The three flew through the ship's open hatch, and no sooner did they clear it, did it shut.

The three came down hard, all tangled together, tangled, but alive.

Avaryss shook her head, her and followers a tangle of limbs and groans, aboard the ship, but they were not out of danger…yet, the Force continued to wail, heralding impending doom.

Death. Death. Death.

They still needed to get clear. If not…

…it was over.

The Jedi pilot seemed to share that knowledge, they had barely made it inside when the ship shot away at almost full sub-light speed, and still…it was almost not enough.

The blast struck mere footsteps from where Avaryss and Agony had once stood. Rock turned to water and sand to glass.

The camp vanished in a blinding explosion, nothing in the galaxy could have lived, and yet, the Sith destroyer was not done. Its fighters were still incoming.

The Stolen Heart's race to escape had begun.

Avaryss cursed under her breath, pushing Agony off of her. The dark lord tried to stumble to her feet; angry at the way their escape had begun, and also aware that doom remained overhead, more laser blasts would follow, and if that was not enough, fighters were already on their way.

"Fenn?" she called out, she could sense him, he was here.

"FENN!"

The ship bucked again, a loud explosion off to their right, another turbo blast, this one striking Lake Natth itself. Hundreds of gallons of water vaporized in seconds.

Their pilot continued to employ evasive maneuvers, but how long that would last under fire from a capital ship, not even a dark lord could say. She…

"KEERA?"

Avaryss paused, the voice calling out the name of at dead farm girl drew back to the here and now, no longer focusing on the fire, or the traitor ordering their attackers on.

Avaryss blinked and looked up, he descended through a hatch to their left, likely coming from the cockpit.

Her golden eyes widened as the Force between them brightened, becoming that comfortable shade of silver that she had missed for so long.

The screams of death and destruction went away, a single word filled her mind, and with it…she was soothed.

Fenn.

He was here.

Fenn.

She smiled in spite of the danger.

Finally…

…he was here.

Fenn Shadowstone stood before her, clad not in the robes of the Jedi, but in a simple combat suit, his lightsaber hung from his belt where most people would carry a blaster. He still wore his blond hair short and spiky, and carried himself with the same easy confidence she remembered from before. The last time she had seen him, he had grown a short goatee, perhaps seeking to look older now that his days as a padawan learner were passed. The beard was gone now, making her dream friend look younger than his years, more like the boy she had grown up with. She took solace from that, pleased that with so much changing in the galaxy, some small things could still remain the same.

His hazel eyes found her golden ones, and in that one sweet moment, the Force bridged a gap that had existed for far too long.

It was soothing, waking up what had been forgotten for so long.

Fenn.

He has changed, Avaryss realized, not so much physically, but in the Force, I can feel it. He was more powerful, more confident, that should have bothered her, but it didn't. He was here, they were here…together.

It was a joy all its own…they…

POOM!

Another blast struck the lake, again the small scout vessel went evasive, and again Avaryss was thrown down to the deck, she cursed as she hit hard. Fenn kept his feet, no doubt used to such maneuvers.

She envied him in that moment, and hated that she looked so out of sorts.

This was not how it was supposed to be.

This was not how she had wanted her reunion to go.

"TARA!" Fenn called out, "Get us out of here…NOW!"

"What do you think I'm doing," an angry voice called back, young and full of bravado, "We got fighters incoming. You and Temmin get to the turrets, we're going to need to blast our way free!"

It was at that moment that the sounds of turbo laser fire ceased, and then, it came, Avaryss could almost hear the sound; the scream of Sith fighters breaking through the atmosphere. The Wisdom had only been buying time for their pilots to arrive.

Now…the real battle was about to begin.

Fenn turned his attention to Avaryss and her allies, she felt him reach out with the Force, checking her for injuries.

I'm fine, she informed him without speaking.

He nodded, but again she felt him reaching out, making sure, just in case.

I'm fine, she repeated, glaring at him, but there was no heat in that glare.

We'll be fine.

She nodded and looked into his eyes.

"You have work to do."

Fenn nodded and slipped past her, he ascended a ladder just behind the boarding ramp, likely leading up to the turret the pilot had mentioned. Fenn and the pilot were not alone on the ship, she sensed another, another Jedi she suspected, strong in the Force, manning the scout vessel's tail gun. Again, the ship shook, this time, not from a cruiser's near misses, but from the weapons of a starfighter. The Jedi vessel answered in kind; its own weapons singing to life.

Agony and Zay struggled to their feet, finding seats and strapping themselves in, the ship continued to buck as it maneuvered avoiding enemy fire.

Avaryss now in possession of her full faculties again didn't bother, she stood straight and proud.

She was no mere mortal; she was a Lord of the Sith.

No one would see her scrambling to find cover.

The pilot seemed to know what she was doing, and yes, Avaryss was sure it was a she now, the voice too high pitched to be anything but.

Fenn had called her Tara, she didn't know this person, yet, but it seemed her dream friend's faith was justified.

Avaryss had to admit, whoever the pilot was, she knew what she was doing, Fenn may have guided them down but…

UGH!

Avaryss felt a flash of pain as one of the Jedi's shots found its mark, one of their pursuers vanishing in a ball of flame and shrapnel.

One down, she thought.

…many more to go.

She looked forward, towards the ship's cockpit.

"Stay low," she ordered, "It will confuse the destroyer's sensors."

"Gee," the pilot responded dryly, "Why didn't I think of that."

Avaryss frowned, she was…unused to an underling being so flip.

She rarely tolerated such insolence.

Yet, I must tolerate it, she realized.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, breathing out her anger.

You are not in the Empire anymore, her conscience chided.

You will need to cultivate patience with your lessers.

The thought was annoying, but it was also correct.

True, she hated to admit, she had risen to the height of power, but for now…she needed to step away from that.

It was all…part of the plan.

The ship juked out over the quickly moving landscape, they were away from Lake Natth now, but the Jedi ship had still not risen, still not tried to make for an exit window, and escape into hyperspace. Avaryss could sense their pursuers overhead, their frustration…and…fear?

"Where are they," the pilot grumbled, Avaryss could just hear her over the roar of the battle, the Force enhancing her hearing.

"Come on, imps, you can't stay here. Trouble is coming, and you have already been here too long."

Avaryss was not sure what the pilot was talking about, the Empire's forces didn't run from…

A shiver ran down her spine.

She…she felt it.

OH!

Though she could not look up through the ship's hull, she didn't have to. She knew what was happening.

Ah!

Now she understood.

The TRUE enemy had arrived.

She had sensed the ships of the Eternal Fleet before, back before the Empire had lost Pholis, it was a strange sensation, Zakuul's droid battleships felt off in the Force, the presence of them both foreboding, but at the same time, hard to pin down.

Though she could not see it, the Wisdom's crew realized they had overstayed their welcome in this system. Sith Warships were no longer the threat they had once been, they were targets for the Eternal Fleet, the treaty that had been forced on the Empire limited their navy, and the invaders were not above simply destroying a random war ship.

The Emperor's Wisdom had no choice.

Moff Lylos had no choice.

Avaryss reached out again, pleased that the work that had been done to Keera Lylos' brother had yielded such a wonderful bounty. She barely had to focus when searching for him through the Force.

All she needed to do was close her eyes and reach out, and there…there he was…

We are so close now, but not as siblings, he is simply a lab animal that has yielded positive results, a useful tool and nothing more.

Yet, caution was still called for, even a lab animal could bite if provoked, and she had done more than enough to provoke her dear sweet brother.

Yet, even he could not escape their bond, it was a part of him now, and it made it easy to keep track of him, especially when he was so close.

She smiled hungrily.

Far too easy.

She could sense his frustration, his anger at being denied what he thought should have been his kill. The crew of the Wisdom were in panic mode, they knew their duty, but they also understood that the arrival of Zakuul warships meant death. They were already calculating the jump out of here, anticipating the Moff's orders.

So far…he had not given it.

Avaryss' smile turned to a frown.

This…this would not do, she knew what needed to happen, and so did Beric.

She reached out to him.

He would see sense.

You need to withdraw, she called out through the Force.

This game…is over.

You will not escape me.

The thought was cold, and without emotion. She could sense the simmering anger, the memory of what she had done to him, her own flesh and blood.

That was the problem though, Avaryss thought.

She was no longer his sister; she had given up being Keera Lylos long ago. By the time she had had him…altered, she was entirely a different person, and besides.

He had betrayed her.

She could not let that pass…no Sith could let that pass.

Do not be foolish, she continued, you will die.

You think my life matters to me? You think the lives of these fools around me matter? You won't escape Avaryss…I won't let you.

She rolled her eyes.

She agreed with the sentiment. She understood how he was feeling, but it was not yet the time, he still had value to her, or rather, the people under his command did.

The Wisdom is my ship, she reminded him, MINE! I will be reclaiming it, along with the rest of my holdings, when my plans are done. You will not sacrifice it in some mindless vendetta.

Her frown deepened.

You will withdraw NOW!

Again, she felt his resistance, he had no desire to let her go, his hate for her was all-consuming, as a Sith, she could respect that, but as she had said, the Wisdom was hers, and it would be again when all was said and done.

She would not waste a single crewer, not if she could help it, they all lived to serve her.

My life doesn't matter, she heard him repeat, only your death matters, I will be avenged, for what you did to me…and my master.

Again, Avaryss almost rolled her eyes.

Sadi, she thought angrily.

It had been almost two years, and he was still obsessed with Darth Sadi.

Her rival had sunk her claws deep into Beric, altered who he was. Once a loyal soldier and brother to her, the dark side had twisted him, made him Sadi's pet dog. Avaryss had hoped that the woman's death would free Beric from her control, but that was not the case, he was still in her pocket, even though she had been dead for so long, killed by Avaryss herself back on Oridanna.

The face of the long dead dark lord swam up into Avaryss' mind, that silly pouty smile of hers.

The mere thought of it made her want to vomit, but she held it in check.

Avaryss sighed.

Fine, she thought, we will do this another way then.

She reached out to Beric again, this time letting their connection fill with her rage.

Let us try this another way then, she thought, you will withdraw now, or your daughter dies.

Avaryss thought about the baby, the girl she had left behind, she would be about a year old now, almost a toddler, but that would not save her.

She then thought about the nanny droid she had left behind to watch the girl, HK Sigma Three, her loyal assassin, she had uploaded the proper protocols so that he could see to the child's needs, but at the same time placed a kill order within those protocols, HK would protect the child until she either gave the order, or he had not heard from her in a set amount of time; a failsafe she had built in, just in case Beric got lucky, and managed to fulfil his desires.

She thought of HK standing over the girl, a blade in hand.

She let Beric digest that thought for a moment.

She felt his anger, could almost see his eyes narrowing.

You're bluffing.

Her smile returned, cruel and predatory.

I don't bluff about such things Ric. HK will do it; he enjoys such tasks. He enjoys letting the water out of meat bags, you remember that don't you? Oh, the poor sweet little dear, all alone in the galaxy, it is so sad. You have never seen your child in person, have you? You have only seen the holos that I allowed during your…training; the ones that I showed to hurt you while you were being experimented on.

The thought brought a smile to her face. The memory of his suffering making her quiver inside.

Ah… the memories.

She truly is a pretty little thing, Beric. I named her Mya; did you know that? I named her for Keera Lylos' mother, so I would always remember that she is related to the treacherous shutta that betrayed me, that chose our lesser sister over me, and sided with my enemies. I named her that so that I could have the pleasure of destroying a Mya Lylos for the second time.

Again, the thought made her shudder.

Such sweet, sweet memories.

Beric's emotions boiled in the Force, she could sense his rage so clearly, he was mostly rage now, Sadi had stripped away most of his lesser emotions, and Avaryss' experiments had finished the job.

Beric may have been elevated in the Empire after her flight, but it didn't change what she had done to him. He would carry those changes the rest of his life, as he should.

Betrayal should be punished.

I snatched her out of Xen's arms when she was born, she was mine by right, to do with as I saw fit, just as you were…just as your dear lover was.

Again, she felt Beric's anger, he had cared for Xen Loor, her failed apprentice, ruined her for Avaryss, and the Sith Order as a whole.

She should have died in front of him, Avaryss thought, she should have let Beric watch her die, alas, Xen had escaped shortly after birthing Beric's whelp. Avaryss' forces had lost track of her, but it didn't matter, in the end she would find the witch, and end her.

No one escaped the justice of the Sith.

You would kill your own blood, Beric asked.

Of course, Avaryss responded, your point?

She could feel the tension in his body, he desired her end, his every fiber sang for it, but he was out of time, and knew what would happen if did.

Avaryss had left the part of him intact, that piece that wanted to keep his child safe.

It served her well…now.

Beric still had that one tiny hope, to preserve his future. He had still not grasped how hope was a poison, when you were without hope, you could focus entirely on your desires, and on power.

Avaryss had realized that, and it made her stronger than ever.

It was a shame that her dear brother, her former brother, never had.

It made him foolish.

It…made him weak.

She felt it, Beric's fury as he gave the order to withdraw, and again she felt his presence in the Force, touching her mind, the result of her experiments.

I will find you, he promised.

You will die for this.

She smiled; his threat was small; considering everything she stood to gain.

He was small, just a piece of a much larger puzzle, and when it was solved, she would have everything she had ever desired, everything.

Damn you, Avaryss!

The Dark Lord gigged.

"Good bye, Beric," she purred.

"Kill you next time."

The Wisdom didn't even wait to collect its fighters, it jumped away just as the eternal fleet vessels entered weapons range.

Finally, the Jedi vessel shot skyward, its pursuers firing, trying to fulfil their last objective, no doubt realizing that they were doomed.

The ships of the Eternal Fleet opened fire.

Again, the scout vessel proved its value, it couldn't match a Zakuul ship, but it didn't need to, just avoid its attacks, the remaining Sith fighters died, unable to fulfil Beric's order. They died with a mix of hopeless and despair.

Avaryss drank up such emotions, enjoying their end.

Such is the way in MY galaxy, the dark lord thought, there is no hope, and no future, only a greater darkness.

The thought made her shiver with anticipation.

Soon the galaxy would learn, all would learn.

There was only one true path, one truth.

Avaryss…rules.

She almost laughed, grateful that in death the fallen pilots proved her right.

The Stolen Heart made it through the still developing blockade. It made it through, and then…leapt away, vanishing into hyperspace.

The dark lord let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

They had escaped, and finally…her plans were in motion.

It was finally time, Avaryss thought excitedly, now all will know…

…I…am the way.