Chapter 14: Conflicted
Kill him.
The phrase repeated with every beat of her heart, every breath she took.
Kill him.
Kill him.
Kill him.
Beneath her helmet, hidden behind her mask, Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
I could do it, she thought.
It would be easy.
She was riding in an air speeder. Ensign Holli was driving, with Beric sitting next to her. Avaryss rode in the back, her eyes focused on the young black ops soldier sitting in front of her. The Force roiled within her, like a pot of boiling oil ready to run over.
Once again the Sith's hand dipped to her belt, her fingers drifting over the hilt of her lightsaber.
She frowned.
It would be so easy.
All she would have to do was raise her lightsaber, hold it against the back of the soldier's seat and hit the activator button. The blade would extend and punch through the seat and the young man's back.
He would be dead before he even realized it.
It would be so easy.
The Force has offered you this gift, the dark side whispered, you wished to free yourself of the last tie to the life of Keera Lylos, and now…you can.
Beric Lylos sits right in front of you; all you have to do now…is take the initiative.
Use your weapon, the silky voice whispered.
Kill him.
"Is everything well, my lord?"
Her hand jerked away from her blade.
The question had come from the soldier, from Beric Lylos…
…from her brother.
"I'm fine," she said coolly, "Merely preparing to do what must be done."
He nodded, and said no more.
Avaryss hissed.
Damn you Beric, she thought.
Damn you.
IOI
He had not recognized her; the helmet and mask she wore hid her identity. He had stood before her, answering her questions and had not even realized that it was her.
It is more than that, she realized.
Beric was almost four years her senior, when he had enlisted at the age of sixteen, she had been only a ten years old. She had been a girl in shorts and pigtails.
It was no wonder that he did not know her. Avaryss was a far different person than Keera had been. When Beric looked at her now all he saw was just another Sith in armor and black robes.
He does not know who I am, she realized, he wouldn't recognize me even if he did.
The thought made her shiver.
He is a stranger to you.
Why is it so difficult to contemplate killing a stranger?
When he had first stood before her, she had thought of killing him right then and there. Shock and surprise had given way to anger and excitement.
Beric was here. The Force had brought him into her grip.
She should have crushed him. She should have freed herself.
Yet, she had hesitated.
He still has use. He can aid you on your mission.
Would you break your weapon before you brought it into battle?
Such a move would be foolish.
Her desire to free herself from Keera was at war with her need to complete her master's mission. In truth, seeing Beric again, it had left her…unsettled.
He stood before her, a symbol and living proof of what she had once been. Uncomfortable emotions rose when she looked at him. Yet, at the same time, she felt fear, worried what would happen to her state of mind if she killed him.
Would she be liberated, would she feel the dark side reward her for such an act, would it flow freely knowing that she had cast aside one of the last links to her past, or would the act break her in two, would it leave the part of her that was still Keera at war with the being that was Avaryss.
It was…a confusing conundrum to be sure.
I don't have time to deal with this now, she realized.
Beric, these men and women, they have value.
She would focus on that.
She had come here intending to use these black ops soldiers to help her breach Thunn Cyber Systems.
Murdering one of their number for simply sharing a blood tie with her would definitely put a bit of a dampener on their relationship.
Who cares what they think, they are your pawns, if you wish one to die that is your choice.
Their choice is either to obey or die.
Such is the way of the Sith.
She knew that to be true, but still she stayed her hand.
Right now, the soldiers were determined to serve her needs.
She would not distract them.
IOI
Colonel Essada briefed her on the security that his men had observed protecting Thunn Cyber Systems. Much of it was pretty standard. Alarms, some security guards, and assault droids that were on standby mode in the building's lobby, with more patrolling the buildings lower level watching out for would-be thieves and the Rakghoul packs that prowled the wasteland that were the planet's lower levels.
The building itself was one of the tallest in the sector, one of the few that had been restored. Given the value of Thunn's company, the Republic had wished it to stand as a symbol of the slow revitalization of Taris.
A symbol of Republic arrogance, Avaryss thought with a sneer.
"What of Thunn himself," she asked the Colonel, "Are we sure that he is inside the building, do we know if he is even on planet?"
"According to all the data we have collected, he is," the Imperial said, "His private ship is still docked on the roof, all of his messages remain routed to his private apartment in the tower. None of the transmissions we have intercepted suggest that he is planning to leave, or has left."
"That will change," Avaryss said, "Especially after I breach the tower."
The Colonel nodded.
"When Lord Feer first issued our orders, I had my men do a thorough examination of the tower, looking for any escape points, points that might have allowed us to slip in unnoticed, or that might need to be blocked to prevent the quarry from fleeing.
"And, your conclusion," Avaryss inquired.
"There are some bolt holes, but my men will have them covered. If this man tries to run, he will be ours. In truth, our main concern is his private starship, once he learns of any trouble in the building, he would be able to be aboard and away, in a matter of minutes."
"Then we have to make sure that he cannot reach the ship," Holli said, "That or find some way to disable it."
The engineer's brow furrowed.
"What of the ship's service crew?" she asked.
"His service crew?" the Colonel asked.
"Are they organic or droid?"
"They are droids, at least from what we observed."
Holli smiled.
"I have an idea then. Have you gained access to the building's main computer?
"Limited access only I'm afraid," the Colonel admitted.
"That should be enough," Holli said grinning.
She turned to Avaryss.
"I'm no slicer," she admitted, "But if I could gain access to a computer terminal, I might be able to plant an order into the system, convince the ship's service droids that the ship needs to be locked down, either because someone is trying to steal it, or because of some major service job."
"You could do that?" Avaryss said.
"It is possible."
"For how long?"
"An hour, maybe, possibly two."
Avaryss grinned, starting to like this plan.
"From here?"
"She could not," Essada said, "Any direct links to the building's main computer's systems, even the non-vital ones, are firewalled, any attempt to breach them from the outside would set off an alarm."
"Thunn sounds paranoid," Avaryss said grimly, "then again, I suppose most wealthy beings are."
"What about a direct link," Holli asked, "From one of the neighboring buildings?"
Colonel Essada shook his head.
"Most of those buildings are condemned, they are over-grown ruins, likely swarming with Rakghouls and whoever knows what else. Any terminal you find would likely not even work."
Holli smiled gamely.
"I'm good with out-of-date tech, if it is possible to restore it, I can."
She turned to Avaryss.
"I would need protection, my lord. The colonel is not wrong about the dangers. The Rakghouls…"
"Will be no match for the power of the dark side," Avaryss said eagerly, "The beasts will fall before my blade, and you will have all the time you need."
The chance of spilling blood excited her. She could imagine Sego Thunn hiding in his tower, the look on his face as she stood before him with her lightsaber drawn, seeing the blood shine of its blade reflected in his terrified eyes.
A lovely thought.
She turned to Beric; he continued to look at her like she was a stranger.
That look helped keep her centered.
"Are you up for a little side mission, lieutenant?"
"I go where I'm ordered, my lord," he said professionally.
She nodded, pleased.
She turned back to Essada.
"You said the Republic Forces here are being drawn away?"
"They are being kept occupied, or will be once we are ready to make our move."
"Good," Avaryss said.
"How long will it take to get everything ready?" she asked.
"Most of my men are on stand-by," Essada assured her, "When you give the order it should take about twenty minutes for the Republic forces to be distracted.
"Are you sure about that time?' she asked him.
The Colonel chuckled.
"Their best response time is ten minutes, they will be late. We have observed that the forces here are not the pub's best."
"So much the better," Avaryss said.
She once again turned to her brother.
"We will need to cover our tracks when this is done. I trust you are prepared to make that so?"
Beric smiled coldly.
"Detonators erase most everything, my lord," he said.
Avaryss nodded.
This could work.
She would need to send word to Rink first, make sure that the ship was ready to go if they needed to make a quick exit, but…if everything went as planned.
She should have time to have a nice hour to two hour conversation with Sego Thunn.
He would not enjoy that.
She turned to the black ops commander, a shiver of anticipation ran down her spine.
"Prepare your men, Colonel. We will strike just after dark; you will send word when the Republic forces here are otherwise engaged."
"It will be done, my lord," he promised.
He glanced over at Holli.
"If you manage to breach the main computer, I have a data spike prepared that will allow you to disable the building's alarms. Once that is done, you should have no problem avoiding security.
He looked at Avaryss.
"I have seen other Sith engage the enemy during the war. I trust that TCS's security forces will offer little challenge for you, my lord?"
Avaryss chuckled.
"You assume correctly Colonel."
"They will fall."
"They will all fall."
IOI
"Killshot One to Killshot leader: you have incoming."
Avaryss turned and ignited her blade. The dark overgrown office lit with crimson light.
Twenty minutes had passed since they had arrived. It had taken Holli five of those to find a terminal that was still intact enough to receive orders, another two to get it powered up and now she was trying to establish a connection.
"Still trying to establish a link with target," the engineer said over the comlink, "Stand by."
Beric, or Killshot One, had fallen back to find a proper nest to cover them with his sniper rifle. As they had come down, they had noticed several pale shaped forms moving through the ruins below them. Rakghouls, the locals called them; Beric had told her it was only a matter of time before they found their way up to them.
As turned out, that matter of time was only twenty minutes.
Avaryss stood before Holli, ready to shield the engineer from attack.
"Do not let them touch you, lead," Beric said over the comm, "One infects you with the disease they carry and you will turn into one in a matter of hours."
"Understood," Avaryss said dropping into a combat stance. She reached out with the Force; she could sense the Rakghouls approaching…
What she felt…surprised her.
She sensed…the dark side…Sith magic?
Had the Sith created these creatures? Had it created the disease they carried?
She did not have time to contemplate it.
The monsters fell upon her.
They were extremely fast.
Behind her mask, Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
Ugly beasts, she thought, and even that was an understatement.
The Rakghouls were hideous.
Pale monsters with wide hungry mouths jumped out of the shadows, lunging at her with teeth and roaring snarls.
Beric fired his rifle.
The two at the head of the pack fell, a single bolt striking them both in the temple.
Avaryss did not let the bodies fall; she reached out with the Force.
She propelled them back into their fellows.
The Rakghouls howled in rage and confusion.
They did not know what was going on.
Avaryss intended to keep in that way.
She sent them bouncing back and forth; the bodies had become a pair of organic wrecking balls, their tough hides serving her purpose as they battered their fellow monsters.
Beric's rifle fired again and again.
Two more Rakghouls fell. Her brother…
The Force screamed a warning.
Avaryss looked up at Beric's sniper nest; a Rakghoul lunged from the broken level above. Through the Force, in that moment, she got a glimpse of the future, of a Rakghoul stumbling along inside this ruin, a Rakghoul wearing the tattered remnant of her brother's uniform.
Let it happen, the darkside whispered.
Such is the fate of all who oppose you, who threaten your rise to true power.
Avaryss did not listen.
She lashed out.
Jags of blue-violet lightning flashed from her upraised hand, it struck the Rakghoul leaping at her brother, flinging the monster back.
Beric released his rifle, spun with his side arm, and shot the beast twice in the head, and then, with barely any pause, he was back at his post firing at the creature's trying to assault Avaryss.
It had been the matter of seconds, he…he should not have been able to do that!
Avaryss had no time to contemplate what happened.
The Rakghouls had come in close. Her lightsaber flashed, turning their pale skin pink with its light as she severed limbs and heads.
The young Sith let go, she let her anger and frustration at the whole Beric situation flow.
In that moment, she became death itself.
And death was hungry for Rakghoul souls.
Her blade became an extension of the Force.
She howled with rage, a howl that none of these monsters could ever hope to match!
In that moment the shadows opened up to her, showed her visions of what could come, what might come.
In many of those possibilities she saw Beric at her side. She saw him dressed not as a common soldier but as an Imperial diplomat. She saw her brother as a Moff of the Empire, a Grand Moff.
The vision gave her pause.
She saw herself sitting on a throne, with her brother standing behind her, and there, before them, she saw children…her brother's children.
The future she thought
It is the future of our family.
She owed it to the Empire to see her bloodline continue, but same could be said for Beric.
Like her, he was a child of Andur and Mya Lylos. Their union had produced her, why could Beric not produce the same level of offspring?
He was not Force sensitive, but he carried the potential to produce more Force sensitives.
The realization surprised her.
Perhaps the Force had not brought him back to her for her to slay him. Maybe he was meant to join her. He was skilled, she could see that, and loyal. When he found out whom she was, that loyalty might be reinforced even more.
You will need to tread lightly, The Force advised, he would never understand the whole siding with her family's murderer thing.
He would not understand.
Yes, she would need to be careful, but she could do it.
She…
"Killshot Lead: Respond."
Avaryss blinked, her brother's words bringing her out of her dark side trance.
She looked around her in amazement.
No Rakghouls remained, only burnt meat that had once been Rakghouls.
She giggled, drunk on the destruction she had caused, that and the realization she had come to.
She had a reason to keep her brother alive.
Family could be a chain, yes, but they could also be a shield. What defense was better against betrayal than blood?
He would serve her well.
"Are you planning on killing every Rakghoul on Taris, lead?" her brother said over the comm, "I think there might be a few million more down among the ruins.
Avaryss chuckled.
"You are insolent, Killshot one," she said, "But given our success I will forgive it, this time."
That, and one other reason, she thought.
You have value to me...
…Though you do not know it, yet.
"Are we clear?" she asked.
"For the moment, lead."
"Then let us finish this business and be away."
She turned back to Holli; the Ensign's attention was still on the terminal in front of her.
"Are you finished?" she asked.
"Just introducing the Colonel's data spike now," Holli said, grinning triumphantly.
The pad the engineer carried beeped loudly.
"It is done," she said unplugging the pad from the terminal.
"We are done."
Avaryss nodded.
"Get down here, Killshot One," she said, "phase one, complete."
"As ordered, lead."
Avaryss brought her comlink to her lips.
"Killshot team, this is lead."
"Acknowledged lead," Colonel Essada's voice responded.
"Begin phase two."
A few moments later, the air speeder carrying Avaryss and her two allies sped away from the ruined skyscraper, as soon as they had cleared it; Beric Lylos pressed a button on his belt.
The detonators he had brought triggered.
The ruins crumbled, compacting down in a cloud of debris and smoke.
Avaryss grinned as she looked down.
They would circle the block and come back, by then the destruction of the building should have stirred up every Rakghoul for a kilometer. The beasts would be scattering looking for something to attack.
The lower sections of the TCS building would soon find itself in a great deal of trouble, distracting the security forces inside even more, and thanks to the data spike that Holli had uploaded there would be no outside alarm. Even if the Republic did have someone to send they would not realize that anything was wrong until it was far too late.
Avaryss was more than pleased.
So far, the plan was going smoothly.
Soon she would be having her conversation with Sego Thunn
The man had a lot of explaining to do.
IOI
They landed before the main doors, and they waited. It did not take long until only a single receptionist droid remained in the lobby, standing behind a large desk. As one, Avaryss and her two companions made their way inside, the droid turned its photo-receptors towards them.
"Welcome to Thunn Cyber Systems," it said in a soft feminine voice, "We are unfortunately closed for the day, if you would like to make an appointment, I can…"
Avaryss threw her lightsaber; it took the droid's head off, before returning to her hand, and was quickly deactivated and back on her belt.
Beric leapt behind the desk as it fell, his fingers danced over the controls.
"It did not manage to alert security, my lord," He informed her, "We are still undetected."
She nodded.
That would not last for long, she knew.
"Destroy the droid's head and upper torso," she ordered, "Leave no sign of lightsaber damage."
Beric did as he was told, and followed them to the turbolift.
Holli had her pad out again, and was already interfacing with the lift's systems.
It took her only a minute or two to gain control of the lift and start them on their journey toward Thunn's penthouse.
Avaryss readied herself.
Who knew what she was about to face.
If Thunn was a Republic agent, she would have to secure him quickly. She remembered all those holo-novels she had read as a kid, about captured spies taking poison rather than be interrogated.
He would not get that chance.
He will tell me what I want to know. He will explain what is going on with this droid espionage program, and he will give me the carrier frequency it is using. He will not die until I decide it is time. If he resists he will suffer.
She smiled.
Oh please, let him try to resist.
The lift was fast, as one would come to expect in the home of a wealthy executive.
Avaryss reached out with the Force, trying to sense her quarry.
She felt…something.
She frowned.
What was this? She expected fear, at least excitement from their prey.
Yet, the Force remained…cloudy.
What was up with that?
The door opened, and the three stepped out into a large hallway bathed in the glow of soft golden light. The walls decorated with posters for TCS as well as display cases for some of the company's early successes.
Avaryss ignored them, her eyes focused entirely on the office before her.
The door opened and a slender stick-man like droid emerged, its head shaped like a beak with one single optic near the back of the head.
It approached them on spindly legs, its gate suggested nervousness, or perhaps it simply needed maintenance.
"Welcome gentle and femms," it said in a high pitched nasally voice, "I am 1A-K3, you may call me lackey, I am the personal assistant to Mister Sego Thunn. How may I serve you today?"
Avaryss laughed.
"I'm here to see your master, Lackey" she said, "You will let me pass or be scrapped."
The droid took a step back. Avaryss activated her lightsaber.
The droid's hands went up in submission.
"There is no reason for violence, mistress," it said, "I only wish to point out that Mister Thunn is indisposed. He will not be able to answer your questions today."
"And why is that?" Avaryss asked.
The droid paused, clearly trying to come up with an answer.
Avaryss frowned.
She had never seen a droid left speechless before.
"My master is indisposed," the droid repeated, "he will not be able to speak with you today. I, however, have been authorized to lend my full assistance. Whatever you need, I can tell you."
Avaryss rolled her eyes.
She had no time for this.
What the droid knew did not interest her.
She wanted to speak with Thunn.
"Clear the path, lieutenant," she told Beric.
"I'm done speaking with this droid."
Beric stepped forward, and Lackey, backed up to the wall.
"Out of the way, clanker," he growled, "A Sith will not be denied."
Avaryss smiled.
She could not have said it better herself.
She passed the droid without another word; a sound escaped its vocoder, like a sigh. She knew that droids did not do that, but the facsimile was quite good.
She would still have to scrap the droid at the conclusion of this meeting, no evidence, and no witnesses.
She used the Force to fling about the doors.
She stepped inside.
"SEGO THUNN" She called out, "You will…UGH!"
She stopped mid-step.
The sickeningly-sweet smell of rot assaulted her.
It turned her stomach, and she almost regretted wearing a mask, almost…
The apartment was quite spacious, two tiers, the bottom level was a state of the art office, with all the modern conveniences. Above she could see Thunn's living quarters, lamps, an entertainment station.
She assumed his bedroom was up there as well, but it would not be necessary to hunt for that.
Sego Thunn sat behind a large desk in the back of the room, before a great window that opened up on the blasted city scape of Taris, the window was currently darkened to prevent anyone from seeing in.
The reason for that was Thunn himself, or rather…what was left up him.
Behind her, she heard Holli make a retching noise, she did not blame her.
Avaryss wrinkled her nose.
She wished her helmet had a nasal filter.
Sego Thunn, CEO and head designer of Thunn Cyber Systems was literally dead at his desk. The body slumped down, his head resting on the table. From the look of things, the man had been dead for a while; his skin had gone a gray-green, the stink alone almost made the large office unlivable.
Beric stepped up beside her, a look of grim distaste on his face.
"What is this?" he said.
Avaryss growled.
She was thinking the exact same thing.
The droid, Lackey came up behind them; it wrung its metal hands in an almost human like gesture.
"Ummmm," it said, "As you can see, gentle and femms, my master will not be able to answer your questions today."
Avaryss growled.
Today, she thought, more like ever!
She wheeled on the droid.
"What happened here?" she demanded.
"Your master is dead, droid." Holli added wiping her mouth.
"Uh…yes…um...I am well aware of that mistresses, Master Thunn ceased to function twelve days, thirteen hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty four seconds ago."
The droid shrugged.
"It has been quite a…inconvenience."
A fatalistic laugh escaped Avaryss.
Droids, she thought, the masters of the understatement.
"Speak droid," she snarled, only just being able to restrain her rage, "What happened to your master?"
"It…it is a long story, mistress," Lackey said making the sighing sound again, "With the termination of Master Thunn I am no longer bound to keep his secrets. If you so desire I can tell you what I know."
Avaryss's hand drifted to the hilt of her lightsaber. She would enjoy cutting the metal being up into scrap, but she dared not, not yet.
She still wanted answers.
"Speak droid," she ordered.
"Tell me everything."
1A-K3, otherwise known as Lackey, began his tale.
It was interesting at least.