Chapter 22: The Name
We are being tested.
The idea came to Avaryss while she was meditating. As she slipped deeper and deeper into the darkside the world opened up to her in most…interesting ways.
The darkside is so much more than what we understand, she had thought to herself as she drifted among the shadows.
How little we truly know.
She heard a voice in the back of her mind, it whispered something, a name perhaps, but it was gone just as quickly as she had heard it.
It was quickly lost in the ether.
As she meditated in her quarters aboard the Fury, and floated several feet above her bed, the darkside appeared to her like a great shadowy sea. She could sense the cold currents of fear and terror. Feel the red hot waves of rage and hate that even now crashed against the shores of her knowledge and skill. She let her mind sink into that darkness, let it fill her up, let herself drown in the shadowy currents. Power washed over her, threatened to overwhelm her. If she had allowed it, had she let go completely, let it consume her, the darkside would have left her irrevocably changed. She would have emerged as a force of nature, a killing machine whose desire for blood and death would never be sated. Her crew would have been the first to die, followed by the crew of the Terror, and so on, and so on, and so on.
She smiled coldly.
That will never be my fate, she thought to herself. My will is too strong, my desires bent to serving the Empire, to expanding our control over the chaotic galaxy!
Control is what mattered to her, not losing herself in acts of blood and sadism.
No.
She did not simply want to lose herself, she wanted to be in control, to sit above her lessers and direct them.
Again she heard the whisper, louder this time, clearer…perhaps the darkness approved of her self-control, that or it was teasing her for not being willing to give in completely to the power it offered.
Either idea had merit.
It was only through direction, direction and the strength of will that the destructive conflict that was the galaxy as a whole would end. There would always be the potential for violence, the strong would have to defend their place in the galaxy, but that was the way of things, the way of the dark side.
The strong led, the weak followed.
Strength was not simply a tool to destroy, it could preserve as well, bring about a world with a purity and beauty undreamed of by anyone.
The Sith would bring that purity. They would bring that beautiful new world into being.
She had foreseen it.
We are not just the servants of the darkside. We are champions of stability and order.
The golden age of the Sith would return.
Again she heard the whisper, and yes, this time she knew it was a name, she strained her ears, reached out with her power, and it was almost there, almost within reach.
A Sith could do anything she set her mind to…anything.
Only the Sith can save our troubled civilization, she realized, only through security and order can the full potential of this galaxy be realized.
Only the Empire could do this, she thought.
Only we have the strength to see it done.
As she let the dark power wash over her, she became aware of the change in the currents of the Force, the darkness seemed…darker somehow. It felt to her like the air before a severe storm, or perhaps a forest left parched by too many dry days, all it took was a single spark and everything would explode.
The dark side is in ascendance, she realized with a hungry glint in her eyes. It would not be long now.
War, she thought with a shiver, after almost eight years of waiting, finally we are almost ready.
Soon we will finally move to conquer the Republic!
We will crush the JEDI!
She found herself eager to begin, to lead her master's forces in this new war, to bring a lasting order to the galaxy.
It was in that moment that the idea that they were being tested first came into her mind.
This conspiracy, this plot involving the Jedi Order and Republic SIS was the greatest threat the Empire had ever known. By striking at the Empire in this way, in inviting conflict between the lords, the Jedi involved had crossed a threshold, one in which there was no turning back.
It was a threat, even the greenest of hopefuls would have recognized that, and yet, the Emperor remained silent. The throne offered no guidance, no plan of attack to combat this threat.
What good was having an all-knowing immortal ruler if that ruler did nothing to aid his people? If an Emperor did not rule, then what good was he?
It was a subversive thought a treasonous one, but Avaryss could not help it. Here, surrounded by the dark side she was emboldened.
Perhaps new leadership was needed, she thought.
It takes an Emperor to rule an Empire…
…or perhaps…an Empress.
In that moment the darkness seemed to part, she saw a glimpse of what might yet be.
It took her breath away.
She so herself not as she was now, but an old woman, a very old woman, her features all but hidden by a black cowl, plain black robes cloaked her aged body, she walked with a limp, forcing her to rely on a cane, yet that did not change what she felt.
Her body was old and wizened, but the power that burned within her was as bright as a star, her crimson eyes blazed with red flame. The dark side was strong in her, perhaps the strongest it had ever been or ever would be.
All around her, soldiers stood at attention, paying homage to her, their Empress, the ultimate power in the universe, the dark side given physical form.
At her side walked a large armored apprentice. She sensed his resentment, but also his fear and awe of her, she was all that he inspired to be, but he feared that he was not strong enough, that he would never be strong enough.
That was good, that would keep her in power.
"Everything is proceeding exactly as I've foreseen," she told her student, he merely nodded.
Avaryss threw back her head and cackled, it was an eerie sound, like a blade scraping on a sheet of metal, and in that sound, and she heard the name, the one that had been denied her for so long.
Noldan Alde.
Noldan Alde.
She smiled.
She had no idea who this person was, and she did not care.
He was the next step on her road to power, the next piece in the puzzle of destroying the Jedi conspiracy.
She welcomed his arrival, and soon the Jedi would come to regret it, yes.
They would indeed regret what was coming!
Perhaps these Jedi did not realize what they had done? Perhaps they thought that this passive aggressive strategy would allow them to maintain their precious calm and serenity, while at the same time bring them the satisfaction of harming the Sith Empire, paying them back for the destruction of their temple during the last days of the last war.
If that was so, then they were fools. They understood so little.
Cunning, stealth, and deception were weapons of the dark side. Whether they realized it or not, these Jedi conspirators were using the weapons of the dark side, and the more they used them, the more they would be drawn into the service of the dark. Even if their scheme worked, even if it did cause the Empire to implode, it would not be the end of the dark side, oh no.
It would be the beginning of something else.
If the Empire was to collapse, if the lords annihilated each other in a frenzy of fire and retribution, the ones that had caused that end would find themselves made strong by the dark side. Who knew, the Empire itself might be reborn in them, by destroying the old, they might just usher in a new era for the dark side. In time they might be the ones to bring down the Jedi Order.
In seeking to destroy the Empire, these firebrands might become the new Sith. They might become the new masters of the darkside.
She shivered.
She would not allow that to happen. She had worked too hard, trained too hard.
She would not let others claim the prize she had grown to desire for herself.
She needed to get to the bottom of this conspiracy, not just for the Empire, but for herself as well. The dark side was in ascendance, she would use that to her advantage, she would work her way up the food chain, and find the masterminds behind this plot to bring down the Empire that she loved, and when she did…when she did…
She would have a choice to make.
Most Sith would say that the conspirators should be annihilated. That anyone who would dare try to bring down the Empire should be made an example of, that was one solution to the problem, but hardly the only one.
As she drifted in the darkness a new idea came to her, one that made her tingle with excitement.
What a wonderful idea, she thought, what a wonderfully delicious thought.
The Jedi involved in this, they were already playing with the dark side, taking sips from the well that was its power. She would seek out the strongest of these Jedi, the strongest, and the most impressionable. She would find the ones most eager to find success, to find power and glory.
They had drunk from the well once; she would make sure they drank more than their fill. She would offer them their dreams.
It would be interesting to see how many came to accept her offer.
The best way to deal with an enemy was to make him your friend. Darth Hecaetus had understood that. In seeking to destroy the Sith, there were bound to be Jedi who had grown intrigued by the deceptions and schemes they were using, some might just hunger for more.
She would be there to offer them exactly that.
She would take what she wanted, a few of the conspirators might just make good Sith. She would offer those the chance to join the Empire, to continue their exploration of the dark side. No doubt some of their fellows would remain stubborn, unwilling to join, unwilling to accept that the dark side owned them now.
These would prove an excellent test for her new disciples; the thought of turning apprentice upon master excited her. How those fights would all play out, what she would gain from them.
That was the endgame, but first she needed to find the next step.
She needed to find Noldan Alde, after that, the fun would really begin.
The very thought of it…it was delicious! It excited her. She would be…
"Boss?"
The voice drifted through the darkness, it seemed very far away, but she could hear it none the less.
"Boss? Can you hear me?"
Avaryss sighed.
Yes, she thought.
Unfortunately.
She willed herself back into the mundane world. Her body still tingled with realization of her new plan, but at the same time, she realized that she still had a ways to go before she could implement it in the way she saw fit.
The enemy is cunning, she knew, she would have to be even more so.
She looked around her chambers, she was alone, sitting cross-legged on her bed; her comlink was blinking.
She sighed and pulled it to her with the Force.
"Yes, Mister Rink," she said coldly, "What is it?"
"Sorry to disturb you, boss," her pilot said nervously, "But you told me to contact you as soon as we heard back from Dromund Kaas. Well, you have a call coming in, it Warmaster Feore, he wants to speak with you."
Avaryss frowned.
Warmaster Feore?
She had assumed it would be her master contacting her directly. What they had found on the freighter, what it meant as they moved forward was quite important.
Surely Darth Feer understood that. She had nothing but respect for Feore, the old pure blood was a cunning ally.
She just wondered if her master was not taking what was going on as seriously as he should.
She sighed.
"Very well," she said, "I will confer with the Warmaster; inform him that I'm on my way."
"Sure thing, boss, whatever you say."
Avaryss' comlink clicked as Rink broke the connection.
Avaryss sighed again and rose from her bed.
It had been four days since she had sent her latest report back to House Feer. She hoped that the Warmaster had some good news for her. Though her time on the Terror had been informative, she was eager to get back on the hunt.
The longer they waited, the more time that their adversaries had to prepare for their eventual coming, either that or they might choose to scatter, leave the Sith with no clear enemy to face.
Neither thought pleased her, they would need to move quickly find the culprits and deal with them.
Avaryss intended to be the tip of that spear.
She had begun this investigation after all, she was eager to see it through to the end.
If they were successful, House Feer and its members would be heralded as Heroes of the Empire.
Avaryss was eager to claim that title.
It was the first step in her own plans.
Her masters teaching were making her stronger, but it was not enough.
She wanted more, she needed more!
This would be the way to get it; she knew it to be true.
She had foreseen it.
It would be done.
As she made her way to comm room, she acknowledged the crew as she passed. Holli continued work on the HK droid that she had found on Tatooine, and had made quite a bit of progress with it. The droid now stood on its own legs, its chassis polished; components within the droid were blinking from inside the droid's open chassis.
It was still not ready yet, of course, Holli was still having problems with the CPU, but she was working on them. Avaryss had faith in the girl. She would not disappoint her.
Beric was checking over their weapon's stores, he had raided the Terror's armory to bring their compliment of hand weapons and explosives up to what he felt were a…acceptable level.
Which meant that they were now armed to the teeth, she thought with an amused smile.
Wherever their next stop was, they would not want for weapons to do damage.
Rink was likely up in the cockpit, making sure that the ship was ready when she gave the order for them to leave. She had to admit, the former street rat had proved to a most able man when properly motivated. Warmaster Feore was still looking into what had happened to that Twilek girl of his, and would no doubt have answers soon.
The promise of those answers did much to keep Rink in line. He understood that their interests were aligned, and would go to any length to ensure that they reached their goal.
I get what I want, and he will get what he wants. It was a relationship that Avaryss both understood, and accepted.
She had no problem rewarded a servant who served her well.
She came to the comm station and powered it up; she stood at attention as the call coming in from Dromund Kaas connected the air above her shimmered as Warmaster Feore's form appeared in the blue haze.
"Apprentice," he said bowing his head in greetings.
"Warmaster," she said with a slight nod, "You have something for me?"
The old Sith smiled.
"Our master has conversed with Lord Vawrawn," he informed her.
"We have learned some interesting things."
Darth Vawrawn had been the Sith Lord that had hired the freighter that the Terror had captured. A longtime member of the dark council, Vawrawn had been put in charge of overseeing a new statue on Dromund Kaas; it was to be a new monument to the Empire's greatness.
Sadly the construction had suffered a slew of setbacks, chief among them a series of revolts among the slaves tasked with building the new colossal statue. Execution was proving to be a poor deterrent, too many escaped slaves hiding in the jungle, they continued to harass the workers, recruiting more and more among their numbers.
The freighter's cargo was supposed to change that, twelve new security droids, to both protect the workers and make sure no more decided to slip their leashes, one hundred new slave collars were all supposed to be on board, to enforce moral among the workers, not to mention new construction materials, permacrete mix, sonic drills, and other technology that would allow the work to move more easily, and therefore speed up construction. At least that is what the freighter had supposed to have been carrying.
After the poison gas had been cleared, after the ship been secured, they discovered the cargo on board was something else entirely.
It was certainly not what Darth Vawrawn had ordered.
"I do hope the councilor is not too unhappy with us," she said, "Seizing that freighter was the only option we had."
"He is not unhappy," the Warmaster said, "Especially after reading your report on what cargo that ship was carrying. If anything the dark lord is most grateful. Our work saved him from a major embarrassment; he is most pleased with our master."
Avaryss nodded but silently bristled.
She and Feore had done all the ground work, now Lord Feer was taking all the credit.
It was not right.
"'ve read the report Captain Brandei sent," Feore continued, "Is the manifest that he sent us accurate?"
"I believe it is," she nodded, "I inspected the cargo myself. Ten crates of heavy blaster rifles, four crates of disruptor pistols, five hundred military grade detonators, and four class-C shield generators, enough firepower to start a small war, and shields strong enough to deflect everything but the most heavy bombardment."
Avaryss shook her head.
She could only imagine what would have happened had that ship made it to the construction site, all those weapons. They would have turned a minor slave revolt into a full-fledged rebellion.
They had been fortunate; the Force had served them well.
The arming of slaves was nothing new in Sith politics. The dark lords had used armed slaves as pawns before, either to embarrass a rival, or to simply disrupt their organization. What made this attempt so problematic was the type of weapons. No Sith was foolish enough to offer up military hardware to slaves, not on the homeworld, it was a recipe for disaster.
Avaryss did not believe for a minute that a dark council member would make such a mistake. She had had Captain Brandei's best team go over the freighter with a fine a fine toothed comb. As she had suspected, the crew had used their final moments to erase their computers, but a single file did remain miraculously. After easily breaking its encryption, it revealed that the Dark Council member Darth Vengean had ordered the cargo replaced at the last minute, during the freighter's last stop.
Avaryss did not accept that file as genuine, the only one that just happened to survive erasure? The one that would no doubt put Lords Vawrawn and Vengean at each other's throats.
No she had not bought that story, and neither did her master.
"Have we explained to Lord Vawrawn what is going on," she asked Feore, "Our work will all be for nothing if the councilor decides to start feuding with his rival."
"The dark lord has been informed that the file you found is suspect," the pure blood assured her, "He has agreed not to seek any retribution until we have gotten to the bottom of this matter."
Avaryss nodded.
Praise the Force for small favors.
By their quick actions, House Feer had prevented a major catastrophe on Dromund Kaas. Now they needed to get to the bottom of who was truly behind it. Captain Brandei's scanning crews had swept the captured freighter, its cargo, and the bodies on board for clues. Reports had been sent back and forth between the Terror and House Feer, as Lord Feer's staff had analyzed the data and compared notes.
Avaryss hoped that they had found something; she was climbing the walls here. She wanted to bloody her lightsaber again.
She wanted action!
"Have we turned up anything on the freighter or its crew?" she asked Feore, "Any lead that might point us to where we go next?"
"The erasure was quite thorough apprentice," the Warmaster said, "but the ship's computer was not the only lead we have. The weapons you seized were unmarked, any identifying marks had been removed, but that does not mean that there was nothing to be found."
Avaryss grinned.
"You found something?"
The old Sith nodded, grinning.
"The generators and weapons themselves were unmarked, but the components within had to be manufactured somewhere. We have been able to name at least five companies involved in fabrication of those components, nothing really telling by itself, but if you put them all together…"
"You found a common thread?" Avaryss smirked.
Two of those companies were simple heavy weapons manufacture, their involvement was not surprising. However three of those companies were traced back to a single holding company. A company that not only placed the order, but made sure those components got where they needed to go, likely with no questions asked."
We have a lead, Avaryss said only just stifling a girlish giggle.
We have them!
The people they sought may not be pub SIS, but Avaryss was willing to bet that they would be able to point them in the right direction, provided they were still alive.
We need to move quickly, before the Republic agents can cover their tracks.
"What is the company's name? We must make haste."
"Everything we found traced the components back to a shipping company on Alderaan. Its director is a member of noble houses there. His name is…
"Noldan Alde," they both said at the same time.
Warmaster Feore blinked. Avaryss realized in that moment what she said.
She cursed herself for a fool.
Knowledge was power; it was foolish to reveal her cards in her hand so quickly.
"The Force serves you well, young one," the old pure blood said, "You managed to pick the name from my mind with little or no effort."
"The dark side is generous," she said bowing her head, "Our master has trained me well."
She knew this would get back to Darth Feer. Feore was too loyal not to mention it to him. Would her master be pleased or concerned?
Avaryss would need to keep her guard up.
"Should I inform Captain Brandei of our destination? The Terror should be able to reach Alderaan in a few hours."
"Discretion is better here that brute force, apprentice," Feore advised her, "Bringing a Harrier class dreadnaught to Alderaan may not send the best message. The continued secrecy of your mission would be better served if you took you went alone to Alderaan. Your Interceptor would not cause the alarm that a Sith Capital ship would."
"It will be done, Warmaster," she said bowing slightly, "Does the Empire have any friends on Alderaan; it is pretty deep in the Republic, one of the original members if I remember my lessons."
"Alderaan was a Republic member," Feore said, "A recent matter of succession among the nobles has resulted in the planet reevaluating its stance. Things are quite tense there; the chance of a Civil War breaking out is high. House Thul of Alderaan owes the Empire much; they are proving to be useful pawns for the Empire. They will aid you, once they've been properly motivated."
The old pure blood smiled.
"You can use this to your advantage, girl."
She almost laughed.
As always the Warmaster offered sage advice. She could use this chaos to her advantage. Plus, if things had gotten that bad, it would not be hard to find people eager to sell out their own world to better their chances to get the throne.
She could not have asked for a better situation to walk into.
"We shall leave immediately," she promised him, "Contact our agents within House Thul. I will need to move quickly once I've arrived."
"It will be done, apprentice," the old man nodded, "Good luck in the hunt, and may the Force serve you well."
"Have no fear, Warmaster," she said grinning.
"This is going to be most interesting visit."