Chapter 6: Allies

She stood before the dark council member, a predator caught by a much larger one. It felt like all eyes were suddenly on her, the entire gathering had seemed to have stopped.

To say that she felt intimidated, would have been an understatement.

Show no fear, she thought, show fear before Lord Marr, and your days among the Sith will be over before they even have a chance to begin.

She could have knelt she supposed, as a dark council member, Darth Marr would have expected it, but at the same time he had insulted her, questioned her reason for even being here…

Anger would not serve; she was smart enough to know that. Defiance would be equally useless. Even if she explained what had truly happened with Fehl; it would look like she was making excuses.

No, she had to try something else…grim acceptance, perhaps try to turn things around on the Dark Lord?

It could work, but it could also blow up in her face!

I can't afford to show fear, but I can't back down either, not if I want the other lords to ever take me seriously again.

She managed a weak smile.

Well, she thought, here goes nothing.

"And I know you, Lord Councilor," she began, "Particularly, your victory over Lord Hecaetus, an impressive coup to be sure."

That comment stopped Lord Marr in his tracks. No doubt, he expected her to stammer and try to defend herself.

Now, she had forced him to explain himself, or the very least seek a more reasoned explanation from her.

It was a gamble mentioning one of Marr's old rivals, but Hecaetus' work had saved her during a difficult period in her training.

Perhaps his name would save her now.

If anything else, mentioning him gave Darth Marr pause.

"Hecaetus," he murmured, "There is name I've not heard for a long time. Where did you hear it, I wonder? You would have been an infant when that battle occurred?"

She bowed her head slightly, in submission; he was still a dark council member after all. Offering, some submission before one of the twelve most powerful Sith in the Empire was never a bad idea.

"I was educated by one of Lord Hecaetus' students for a time," she explained, "He taught me much about the Lord's history, his work, and finally his death."

Air hissed out of Lord Marr's mask, it was not a good sound.

"I see. So you are one of Hecaetus' disciples then? You are one of those few Sith trying to keep his name and work alive."

Marr stepped forward.

"Tell me, youngster, how do you feel standing before the man who slew your master?"

"As you said, my lord, I never knew the man. It is impossible for me to blame or condemn the actions of one taken in the past. It is not Lord Hecaetus I choose to honor; it is his work, his ideas of how we should deal with the Jedi."

She let her smile become more sly, more seductive.

"There are many weak Jedi out there, just waiting to find their way to our side. It works to our advantage to bolster our numbers with them; even if they are unworthy of joining the ranks of the lords. They would still have their uses as cannon fodder, I suppose."

She gave Lord Marr a hungry look.

"You were Lord Hecaetus' superior, and for his attempt to oppose you, you destroyed him, that is the way of the Sith. You die, then you are forgotten, but ideas, they should have more staying power. I do not believe that his work should be forgotten out of turn. Had he chosen to ally with you, rather than opposing you, the two of you could have gone far. Why do I belong here, you ask? Because I would see his work, my work turned to your service, yours and the rest of the dark council. It is for the good of the Empire that I seek to serve, and by serving well, my star will grow, and greater power will be brought into my orbit."

She bowed slightly then.

"I only wish to serve, and to increase my own powers, of course. Should I expect anything less?"

Darth Marr did not respond right away. She sensed that she had thrown him off slightly with both her admission and her argument. Admitting she had great respect for one of his late rivals did carry some risk, but at the same time, she had tried to turn it around into a matter of serving the Empire, a matter that was never a crime, not before a member of the dark council.

She could almost hear the wheels turning in the dark lord's head. He was evaluating what he had just heard, and trying to sense any deception on her part. In this, he would find none.

She had spoken honestly, from her heart. She had let her emotions guide her answer as well as her will and intelligence. Hopefully Lord Marr would appreciate that.

"Hm," she heard him murmur softly, finally he turned to her master; Darth Feer had remained quiet, watching the exchange with interest.

It was to him that the councilor turned his attention first.

"I think I like this one, Feer," he said, "She is a vast improvement over your previous apprentices."

Lord Feer chuckled dismissively.

"Avaryss was a gemstone in the rough, Lord Marr. Had I not scooped her up, another Darth would have. She will serve us well in the years to come, the dark side willing."

"Indeed," Marr said, turning his attention back to Avaryss.

"You are not wrong, youngster. Had Hecaetus came to me as an ally, and not used his work as bludgeon to try and replace me; he would have found a willing ally. The mistake was in the man, not the message."

He stepped in closer then, so only she and perhaps Darth Feer could hear.

"If you seek to know more about Hecaetus, if you truly wish to follow his work, you should contact me after your training is done, much of my old rival's records and research tools fell into my hands after his fall. You may find these materials…most interesting."

Avaryss bowed slightly.

"You honor me, Lord Councilor; I shall endeavor to do just that, after my training is complete."

He gave her one final nod before turning his attention back to the gathering; the other council members that followed him did the same. Darth Terrog, who had also remained close by, sniffed and retreated, any chance of gaining the advantage over his rival having vanished with the Dark Council's scrutiny.

It is not over, Avaryss realized with a frown, if anything Lord Terrog will increase his efforts against House Feer. Lord Marr may have blocked him, but it is us that will take the blame.

She watched as the cyborg wove his way back into the crowd.

I think the rivalry between Feer and Terrog just went one beyond being a simple clash between two dark lords. A vendetta has been born tonight.

We will need to move cautiously.

Darth Feer smirked as he regarded her, he had stayed out of her confrontation with Lord Marr; perhaps he would be angry that she took it upon herself to deal with the Dark Council member.

She bowed her head.

"My apologies, my master," she said, "I did not mean to speak out of turn."

"No apology is necessary, apprentice. You took your first step into a much larger world with that conversation. You have both gained Darth Marr's attention, and dismissed his concerns about your being here. In time he may grow suspicious of your motives, but for now, you have bought yourself some breathing room, and at the same time garnered the interest of several other council members as well."

"The men with Lord Marr?"

Her master nodded.

"Lord Mortis and Lord Vengean, Vengean has an interest in taking the Empire back into open war again, corrupting enemy Jedi may prove useful in that goal. Mortis has voted with Marr in the past, so we may have gained two allies here, rather than one."

Her master was beaming with pride.

"The real success here was Vengean. He was Darth Baras' master, and considering your encounter on Tatooine. The old master may do much to curb his apprentice's ire, at least until we are ready to face it."

Avaryss nodded.

She had not forgotten her encounter with Baras' man on Tatooine, she was not sure if the man had survived the explosion, but if he had; then Lord Baras knew what had happened, and now had another reason to oppose Darth Feer and his interests.

She smiled slightly.

So the great game continued plots and plans, moves and counter moves. It was enough to frighten the unwary, but in that moment Avaryss felt very much alive. She felt like they were walking a tight rope with enemies on both sides willing to shake that robe at the merest provocation.

They did live in interesting times, they were most fortunate indeed.

It was at that moment that they were joined by Lady Synestra and Young Master Bael. Both were clad in fine blue and black robes, bearing the sigil of House Feer. Her master's son looked bored by the proceedings, not truly grasping what was going on around them. His mother was not as foolish. The lady of House Feer had a concerned look on her face.

"What was that about, my love?" she inquired, "I saw Lord Marr leaving you just now."

Her master gave her a winning smile.

"The Lord Councilor decided to try and test my apprentice. It was a test that she passed with flying colors."

Synestra regarded Avaryss with a cool look. It was clear that she did not like the idea of her husband's apprentice garnering the positive attention of a dark council member.

Avaryss just avoided sneering at the other woman.

She would have been happier if it had been her son, no doubt, of course, she doubted that Bael would have been able to work his way around Darth Marr's contempt, she did not believe him smart enough to turn what had been said to his advantage. He likely would have tried to confront the Dark Lord, which would have ended poorly for young Bael, fatally, if he had truly been unlucky.

Oh well, Avaryss thought, it was a pleasant thing to consider at least.

"Was there anything else," the lady asked.

"Terrog was here," Lord Feer admitted, "He knows that it was I that put Baras on to him. He was not pleased, but was unwilling to violate the truce over it."

Bael grinned manically, excited by the potential for violence that was in the air.

"It is a shame that I was not at your side father," he said fingering the short war blade at his belt, "I would have given that cyborg a new red smile from ear to ear."

Avaryss rolled her eyes.

"And in doing so you would have violated the truce and made House Feer a pariah, if Darth Terrog did not kill you first for merely attempting such a foolish move."

she shook her head.

"Do not be an idiot!"

Bael's eyes widened, his cheeks began to turn red and anger flashed in his eyes.

"How dare you speak to me that way," he spat.

"I was merely speaking the truth," Avaryss shrugged, "Is that so wrong?"

He glared at her, looked like he might lunge at her.

He turned to his mother, who was already pinning Avaryss with a disapproving gaze.

"She cannot talk that way to me, mother. I will be the lord of House Feer, one day. She cannot talk to me that way!"

Unsurprising, the mother took the side of the son in this argument.

"No, she cannot, you are quite right, my son."

Bael grinned triumphantly, while Synestra Feer continued to glare at Avaryss.

She turned to her husband.

"Are you going to let her speak that way to our son?" she demanded, "It is not her place to speak so, not to her betters."

Feer gave Avaryss a cold look.

"My wife is right, apprentice; you should not speak that way to Bael."

Though she seethed inside, Avaryss bowed her head in submission.

"Yes, master, I…forgive my insolence, master."

"You should not have spoken that way to my son," he repeated, but then turned his attention to his wife.

"But as his master, you should have."

The rebuke stopped the lady in her tracks. It killed any satisfaction she felt at her husband's rebuke of his apprentice.

"My sweet?" she said.

Feer regarded them both with barely contained rage.

"When we agreed that you would train our son in the ways of the dark side, you assured me that you were more than capable of doing so."

"I am," Synestra replied.

"Then why does my apprentice need to correct him? Even hinting at violence here is foolish, bordering on stupidity."

He glared at Bael, who at least had the brains to be afraid in that moment.

"You are my son, the son of a Darth of the Sith Empire. You cannot afford to behave like a blood thirsty fool. Our enemies are all around us, one false step, and we will fall into nothingness, despite all of my hard work."

He reached out and took his son by the chin. Bael did not resist, if anything he looked like he was about to cry.

"You have my blood, and the potential to be greater than even I, but you need to learn to control yourself."

He once again turned to his wife, her expression turned stony; clearly she did not like being called insufficient in her duties.

"Soon our son will be old enough to be sent to the Academy on Korriban. You know how difficult the trials there are. He will not be able to hide behind your skirts, not when threatened in the Valley of the Dark Lords."

"He will not need to," she said.

"I'm strong, father," Bael said quickly, but any further argument was stopped by the cold look in Lord Feer's eyes.

The boy quailed under that gaze, which only insulted his father more.

"Then prove it to me," he said looking at his son, who was now glaring at both his father and his apprentice sullenly.

He is not ready, Avaryss thought. She knew what it took to survive on Korriban. She knew it because she had done so.

Bael was not ready, she was not sure he would ever be ready.

Darth Feer sighed and shook his head.

"Now is not the time for this, we still need to make a good impression, and this house will make a good impression."

He looked at them all in turn, the members of his loyal house.

"Do you all understand me?"

The nodded, murmured in the affirmative.

"Do you all, understand me?" he repeated, anger rising in his voice.

"Yes," Avaryss said, her head bowed. She heard her master's wife and son do the same.

Finally, Feer's smile returned.

"Excellent," he said grinning, ""Now, go and mingle all of you, make contacts and allies. We have a lot of work to do this evening."

His smile widened.

"The power of this house must grow."

Avaryss left his side, while Bael followed his mother off into the opposite side of the crowd. Looking triumphant, her master made to where the other Darths had gathered, the last Avaryss saw of him he was talking with Darth Thanaton and Darth Scotia of the Pyramid of Knowledge.

Powerful people all, Avaryss thought.

My master is not wrong we need to continue to build alliances; we have much prestige, our lord being master of two full star systems. If we are to make it three, we will need support.

She frowned.

Darth Terrog did not seem the type of Sith that would fall easily. That meant they would need contacts. They required people to support them when they made their move.

She needed to play a part in that move.

If it was her intent to take Feer's place one day, she had to have some role in the downfall of their enemies. Their allies had to see her as a necessary part of that victory; otherwise they would never take orders from her when she finally came into her lordship.

It was not enough to simply be her master's enforcer, she needed to accomplish things herself; she needed to make a splash.

She found herself moving among what some Sith might call, the lesser lords, no one would dare call them that to their faces, but it was known.

Most of the Sith she was around now were self-made Sith. Those that had fought their way up through the Fury Academies, and found glory in the army or in the intelligence service. These lords had impressed enough people that they earned the right to call themselves lords of the Sith without having the connections to take the next step. Many in her master's circle would have thought these people unworthy of playing a part in the games of the high lords, Avaryss was not among them.

She did not feel that she was better than these people, in fact her own origin mirrored their own, the only reason she was not among them now was because of Darth Feer's sponsorship and patronage during her student years.

She could just have easily ended up being considered a lesser lord as well.

Perhaps that was why she went among them now. She knew what ambition could accomplish if given the chance. Many of these were resourceful and courageous, they needed to be to survive and excel. The foolish would have been culled from their ranks long ago. These Sith had survived on merit alone, not because they had an old or well-known name.

They were hungry; she could feel it, now she just needed to find the right ones. One's willing to come over to her side. She…

Avaryss stopped.

She felt something, a presence she had not felt in a while.

She grinned.

She had hoped to renew this particular acquaintance.

She made her way through the crowd, these lesser Sith parting when they saw the house symbol on her robes.

It was not hard to find the one she sought, their history had linked them through the Force, and such a link was not easily broken.

She found them near back of the gathering, though dressed well, it was clear the family standing before her was not from one of the many old or powerful houses. The man was dark skinned with a fine goatee. Though he was approaching middle age, he still cut a handsome figure, his dark eyes and smile were welcoming, the long practiced smile of a good merchant.

His wife was both cool and beautiful, though her blonde hair was now dusted with gray, she did not appear either weak or infirm. Her features, though beautiful looked like they had been cut from some fine stone, her blue eyes were frigid, taking in but not letting anything out.

That gaze was pitiless, and given the strength of the Force radiating off her, she was guessing that many a Jedi had perished looking into the cold blue eyes. A double bladed lightsaber was clipped to the sash of the woman's gown.

Extremely familiar features, Avaryss realized, the only difference was how this woman felt in the Force, she was clearly a disciple of the dark side, while the one that Avaryss sought had somewhat more…conflicted leanings.

Avaryss grinned.

There she was.

Through the Force, she still felt like a thunderstorm coming on a bright summer day. The dark clouds were there, but also rays of light shining through the shadows. Her blonde hair was cut shorter than Avaryss remembered, but the same heart shaped face, and mouth always ready to burst into a smile remained.

The girl's large blue eyes found her as she approached. Avaryss had kept her presence in the Force, small, not wanting to draw attention until she was far closer.

She did not wish the other girl to make a scene, and she might have, given their history.

When she did finally let it expand, let it touch the other girl's senses, her old ally raised her head and smiled.

Her friend's eyes lit up when she sensed her presence.

Avaryss grinned back.

It had been some time.

"Avy?" the blonde woman asked.

Avaryss chuckled.

"Hello, Taya," she responded.

"It has been some time."

"AVY!"

Taya, her ally and fellow Sith, squealed with delight and hugged her.

Avaryss was grateful that the crowd was so large.

She hoped none of the senior Sith saw her being crushed by her old ally.

She doubted they would understand.

It was a rare thing for a Sith to take a friend. Most considered friendship just another chain, a means to be controlled. Avaryss had come to accept the fact that she had found a friend in Taya. If it was a chain so be it.

Such a chain had advantages in being worn; the girl was from a wealthy family with many connections.

She could endure the stigma of having a friend in the face of that.

The other lords paid the two girls no mind; they probably thought it foolish that one of their own would show her emotions so openly. It was a risk; it was showing a possible weakness.

Avaryss would have explained that to her old ally if she let her breathe!

When Taya finally broke their embrace she was grinning widely, she might even have had tears in her eyes.

"Avy! Oh Avy! Praise the Emperor! You are alright! You are here!"

"So it seems," Avaryss replied smiling, she looked up noticing the looks from the people that could only be Taya's parents.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to bring them into this.

"You should introduce me, Tay," she said, "We are starting to get looks."

The blonde nodded, blushing, her happiness flooding the Force.

Avaryss rolled her eyes.

Somethings did not change.

She had always considered Taya a light-leaning Sith, though there was darkness in her, it was clear that the simple acquisition of power was not her driving motivation. She could be as loyal as a Wookie if she found someone she thought was worthy of it, and as luck and the Force should have it, she considered Avaryss worthy.

It had worked out quite well when Avaryss had been badly wounded during her time on Korriban. Taya's aid had been useful in staying one step ahead of those that would have done her harm.

She would always be grateful for that.

Of course, it was not loyalty alone that drove her, Avaryss realized, she could sense it, now that she knew to look for it.

She almost frowned.

Taya was in love with her. She could sense it radiating through the Force. She was not sure when and how it had happened, but the other girl fallen hard for old ally. Avaryss was still not sure what she was going to do about it, but in the meantime, Taya's connections would prove most useful to her and her master.

She was determined to make use of them.

"Mother, Father," Taya said smiling brightly, "I would like you to meet, Avaryss, the one who helped me get through both Butcher's Clearing and Korriban."

Avaryss bowed slightly.

"My lord, my lady," Avaryss said to each in turn.

Taya's father grinned and held out his hand.

"So…you are Avy, we've heard a lot about you from our little girl."

"Good things, I hope?"

"Indeed," the man replied.

Avaryss reached out to take his hand, but rather than shake it, he gently pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her chastely on the knuckles.

"I'm Baron Ryn Dresco, merchant, entrepreneur, and loyal husband to this force of nature behind me."

Taya's mother gave him a sly grin.

"Force of nature?" she purred.

"I've seen you fight, love," he replied, "If that is not like watching a storm fall on someone, I do not know what is?"

His wife nodded, pleased by her husband's remark.

She turned to face her daughter's friend and ally.

"I am Lady Tazia Dresco," she said, "My daughter has told us much and more about your adventures together. It seems we owe you much for keeping her safe."

"She shielded me as well, during a very bad time, during my training," Avaryss admitted, "I would be foolish not to acknowledge that."

"Yes, we heard about the injuries you suffered, and the death of your paramour, we are both sorry."

Avaryss was taken aback, most people did not acknowledge her relationship with Fehl, and if they did, they viewed it as a mistake, her mistake.

"Thank you," she said nodding, "We…we loved each other. We were going to get married."

Lady Tazia hissed under her breath.

"Had anyone taken Ryn from me, they would have suffered a most depraved and agonizing torture before I finally allowed them to die."

Taya's father smirked.

"You say the sweetest things, my love."

"I mean them; you are mine, as much as I am yours. Anyone who tries to hurt you will suffer."

She turned back to Avaryss.

"I do hope you found the culprit and made them suffer horribly before ending them?"

The younger Sith smiled evilly.

"The killer died on her knees, knowing that she had been killed by someone she considered a peasant."

"It was not the perfect revenge, but at least she suffered."

"Good," Taya's mother said nodding, pleased by her daughter's friend's answer.

She looked at Taya.

"You told me that your friend was only a first level acolyte when you met?"

"She was mother," Taya replied.

The lady frowned.

"Do you see now daughter what happens when you apply yourself. Your friend not only caught up with you, but surpassed you both in ability and opportunity. She wears the symbol of a Darth, while you serve as an apprentice to a lesser lord, a friend perhaps, but still a lesser.

Taya blushed and bowed her head.

"I passed my trials, mother. I did just as you did."

"True, but you could have been so much more daughter! You have such potential."

Lady Tazia shook her head.

"I wanted better for you."

Taya hung her head; she was blushing furiously, affected by her mother's rebuke.

She was embarrassed by it, especially in front of her friend.

"I'm sorry, mother. I will...I will try harder mother. I will impress my master, you will see."

Lad Tazia nodded and regarded both girls in turn.

She smiled.

"Perhaps renewing a relationship with this girl will help you progress further than you have on your own."

Taya grinned, but Avaryss felt a slight twinge of discomfort.

She was not quite sure how far Taya was willing to go, what kind of relationship her mother sought for her daughter to have.

Again, Avaryss realized she must be cautious.

Taya was a good friend, and a useful resource, the first true friend she had ever had, if she was being completely honest.

She did not want to put such a thing at risk, especially as she and her master moved forward.

Avaryss felt the Force moving around them, twisting this way and that.

Her reunion here, though not surprising, was more than it first appeared, at least, it felt that way.

She could not say why, but it seems that Taya had a part to play in their future, for good or ill. On Korriban the blonde had sworn and oath of allegiance to Avaryss citing that she had had a vision of a future where she had seen her friend emerge as a powerful lord with many followers.

Avaryss was not sure if she believed in that vision, but something was definitely happening.

She could feel it, in felt like the entire Empire was influx.

She was eager to see what she could do about it.

Warmaster Feore was still working on the boy they had pulled out of the carbonite, when he awoke, they would find out what it was that had provoked the Republic agents to treat him in such a violent fashion. Once that information was theirs the hunt would be on.

The thought excited her

My master will send me; she knew how could he not? Who else could he trust with this, certainly not Bael?

Taya's father was merchant; he knew things, if she left the empire; he might just have contacts that could aid her. She would need to check.

She spoke politely with her old friend's parents, gathering both information and a sense of who they were.

Things were happening in the Empire, who knew what might come to light when this truce ended on the morrow.

Whatever came, she was determined to be ready.

The future was moving.

She was ready to be a part of it.