Chapter 28: Desires

The hologram was grainy, clearly taken from a distance or by a holo-cam not meant for close up work. What features it did show marked the subject as clearly non-human, the small button nose; the curve of the lips that suggested a feline origin, even what might have been whiskers.

Avaryss drank in the image, she wanted to burn it into her brain, when they finally met she wanted to be sure this was the one she was seeking, for he was the next link in the chain, the next step on the road to getting to the bottom of all this.

"Hello, Master Pondar," she murmured to herself, "I will be seeing you soon."

"Did you say something, apprentice?"

Avaryss smiled at Warmaster Feore.

"Just imagining my blade at that Jedi's throat, Warmaster," she replied.

From his place across from her, Darth Feer cackled, a cackle that turned into a coughing fit. She was still not entirely sure what had happened. All that Feore would tell her was that her master and his entourage had been caught in some kind of attack orchestrated by Darth Terrog, and that her master had been the only survivor. Both Avaryss and the old pure blood waited for their master to regain his composure.

Yet, as she listened to him cough, a new thought came into her head.

Is it time? She wondered.

Has my master grown weak enough to remove?

Feer stopped coughing and wiped at his mouth with the back of his scarred hand. He looked up at her; the golden eyes seemed to burn into her, seemingly looking beyond her face at something deeper.

Her master grinned.

There was much in that grin, both a warning and a challenge. It was as if he was daring her to try to fulfill the Sith imperative.

No, she thought, not yet, making that final move should not be taken lightly.

No, when the time came, it would not be on some lark, or in a moment of weakness. She would wait until she was sure that she could defeat him, when the Force whispered in her ear that it was time.

She would be patient.

She could wait.

"You will get your chance, apprentice," her master promised, whether he was referring to him or the Jedi she could not say. "We will find this one, and you will be the one who wrings the truth out of him. I've foreseen it."

"It will be done, my lord," she promised.

She would not hesitate.

She would see it done.

The comm room was fairly empty, this war council was as important as it was private. Lord Feer, Avaryss, and Warmaster Feore were meeting to discuss their next move in the investigation of the conspiracy that continued to plague the Empire, and given the leaks that they had been forced to endure, Feer had ordered the room cleared of all servants and techs, he had even had a scanning crew come in and sweep the room, to make sure that there were no hidden listening devices here to pick up what was said.

It seemed that everything was clear, or so Warmaster Feore said, Avaryss was not so sure. The Sith had access to abilities beyond the understanding of normal creatures.

Whether those abilities might allow their enemies to spy on them, the apprentice could not say. All she had to do was keep the faith, and trust in her master and Warmaster Feore.

The three of them wanted the same thing after all, the preservation of the Empire.

That was their main goal, and it was all important.

Her master turned to Feore, his eyes hungry.

"What have you found out old friend? What do we know of this alien Jedi?"

The old pureblood began his report.

"According to my sources, Master Pondar would never be considered as the greatest of his order. His accomplishments, though considerable, were never enough to see him rise to the height of the Jedi Order. He has been a Jedi Guardian for most of his life, and he has assisted in several major victories during the war."

"Assisted, but never led?" Avaryss asked.

"This appears to be a true assessment, apprentice," the pure blood said, "His name is often mentioned in the company of his betters. The more ambitious members of his order look to him when they need a solid ally, or so my agents claim."

The Warmaster tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"I don't think that this one is type to mastermind all the trouble that we have been experiencing. This one carries out plans, he does not conceive them."

"Even so," Darth Feer growled, "this man may know who is behind all this, or he can point us to someone who does."

Darth Feer chuckled.

"I never thought I would be spending time trying to untangle the schemes of a Jedi. I thought such games above them, or rather that they feel they are above such games."

"Our return changed much in the galaxy, my lord," Feore reminded him, "We hurt the Jedi during the last war. We hurt them badly.

"Such pain can lead to growth, things may have changed more than we realize."

Avaryss nodded.

What the pureblood was saying made sense.

The enemy had changed.

She found herself remembering her two previous encounters with members of the Jedi order. Both the Padawan on Butcher's Clearing and the knight she faced on Taris had both seemed obsessed with what the Sith had done to the Jedi Temple during the war. Both had seemed eager to see her dead. They might have called it justice, but it would have been revenge.

It might have gone a long way towards their conversion, but she would not have been around to see it.

No, for those two enemies, death had been preferable, she had destroyed them, and in doing so, continued her rise among the Sith.

They had deserved their fate, she did not question that.

Only Jas Dar Bynn and the beast-girl Shyra Viel showed her a different side to her enemies. They would still have to die in the end, but that was for the good of the Empire.

She did not trust an enemy who resisted the dark side's call. Such an enemy was dangerous.

When the war finally came, she would not hesitate to kill them.

It would be for the good of the Empire.

Of course, right now, the mission did not involve Jas Dar Bynn and the Padawan; it involved the Jedi aiding the Republic SIS. They would all need to be killed before they became rivals to the Empire, and it was clear that usual methods would not work.

The Sith needed to change as well, to adapt their tactics to deal with this foe, to match what was going on around them.

It could mean the difference between victory or defeat, and the Empire could not afford for them to be defeated.

If House Feer failed, the Empire itself might fall with it, torn apart by infighting.

She would not allow that.

She would stop it.

Whatever it takes!

Avaryss turned to the Warmaster; they were in his hands now. He had passed the Jedi's name on to his agents.

Hopefully they had managed to turn something up.

"Do we know where this Master Pondar is," Avaryss asked.

"It took a bit of doing on my part, but yes, I did manage to find him."

The Warmaster adjusted the holocams; the grainy image of the Jedi vanished and was replaced with the rotating holo of a planet, thick grey clouds raced across the surface that was mostly black and grey.

A lot of cities, Avaryss thought.

It might make things easier when the time came to sneak up on the Jedi, but at the same time it offered the chance for too many witnesses to see what was going on, or even to offer aid.

They would need to move carefully when they tried to take this one.

"Lord Feer, apprentice, may I present Myrnn 8; it is one of only three moons capable of supporting life in orbit of the gas giant, Myrnn. For the most part the planet has gone unnoticed. It is a Republic world but not far from the Imperial border. Technically it is a mining world, but its profits were never enough to draw Imperial attention during the last war. Our forces passed it over in search of more…profitable targets."

Her master leaned in for a closer look, his golden eyes glittering.

"Close to our border, you say?"

"It is only about eighty parsecs away from our closest outpost. It is well within range of our long range probes and we have never really found anything worth contesting the world for."

Avaryss smiled slightly.

"An unremarkable world, you say, but with a close enough proximity to us that it might serve as a beachhead of sorts for our conspirators."

She turned to her master.

"Perhaps it is this world where the bulk of our problems are coming from?"

Her master nodded sagely.

It is possible," he said, looking at the map with new eyes, seeking some new insight perhaps, through the Force.

Avaryss was not sure what he would find. Her own senses revealed nothing, hopefully that would change when she arrived on this Myrnn 8.

Her master turned to Feore.

"Does the Empire have any agents on that world?"

"A few, my lord," the pureblood informed him, "I'm in the process of looking for the one in charge, but given the degree of discretion you have asked for, it will take time."

"It will be worth it, provided we can keep our movements secret," Feer said, he turned back to his apprentice.

"How well do you trust your crew?"

"They know the consequences of betrayal." She replied.

Her master chuckled again.

"Never the less, we must keep this on a need to know basis, at least for now. Terrog has grown bolder, his choice to strike at me, and send an agent after you is proof of that."

Avaryss frowned.

"Are we certain that this attack was not caused by the conspirators we are hunting, master? If they know we are looking for them…"

"It is possible," he agreed, "but that is a matter of motivations, and at this moment, motivations do not concern me. Terrog struck at me, wounded me, such an insult must be answered in kind, and it will, once we have these Republic dogs properly collared.

Her master's eyes narrowed.

"Prepare yourself my apprentice, you and your crew must be ready to leave on a moment's notice. As soon as the Warmaster has what we need you will be deployed immediately."

"We will be ready, my lord," she promised," Just give the word, and we will be on our way."

The wounded dark lord smiled He raised his head enough that she got a look at the scarring that was visible beneath his hood. It was not a pretty picture.

Whatever weapon Terrog had used had made a mess of her master.

If that was not yet another reason to handle this business with the Republic quickly, she did not know what was. Whatever his reasons were, Terrog was now an open rival of House Feer. Normally, the dark council kept the lords in check, but with so many power plays happening at once…

No, they could not count on the council, not in this.

Avaryss frowned.

She remembered Hezzan's warning the one about Terrog's apprentice, his grand experiment.

They would need to move to neutralize him…and soon. Hezzan had been strong, if this new apprentice was as equally strong, he could become a problem.

"Take care of any business you might have here on Dromund Kaas, my dear," Feer told her, "I sense that when the time comes to move, you will be very busy. This Republic conspiracy has gone on long enough."

He smiled wickedly.

"It is time…to end it."

IOI

Avaryss found her crew at a small cantina not far from the spaceport. It was the type of place that few dark lords frequented, a place for those that lived and worked on the lower rungs of the Empire.

Not that there was anything wrong with that of course. Everyone needed to blow off steam every now and again; she would not deny those who served her that one simple pleasure.

She arrived to find them playing cards at one of the far tables. The three noticed her approach and started to rise to greet her.

"Continue with your game," she said, "What I have to say will be brief."

Despite her words only Holli seemed to take them to heart. Rink remained as cautious as ever, and Beric, given his training and history, was not the type to let his guard down.

She informed them of Darth Feer's orders, and the fact they would be off world for some time, likely not to return until the conspirators behind the attacks on the Empire had been dealt with.

"Does the dark lord know our final target yet," Beric inquired, "What kind of security are we looking at?"

"Warmaster Feore will give us the full details when we are on route," she promised, "After that, we follow the chain back to where ever it leads, and make sure that the Republic realizes the folly of its actions."

"Once that is done, we will be in a position of great power and respect," she smiled slyly, "We will all be heroes of the Empire, and free to choose whatever reward we desire."

"I'll finally be free to go after Tia?" Rink murmured.

"You will, and will be able to offer her more than anything you could have ever offered during your days on the streets of Nar Shadda.

That made Rink smile, Avaryss could feel his eagerness through the Force.

She grinned.

"What of you, Holli?" she asked, "What reward would you ask for?"

Before the engineer could respond, Beric spoke up.

"We're getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we? We haven't even left yet."

He frowned.

"It is a bit early to beginning planning our victory celebration."

Avaryss eyed him; he may have been her blood, but…

She sighed.

"There is nothing wrong with planning ahead," she informed him, "Incentive can go a long way towards finding success."

Her brother did not break his gaze; it remained as hard and cold as her father's had ever been, especially when he was feeling cross.

They are so much alike, she thought.

…Which sometimes made it hard to look him in the eye, that and the memory of destroying the shades of her family during her final trial on Korriban.

They had not been real, but still…it had certainly felt real.

She knew what reward he wanted, the full story of what had happened to the rest of their family. Yet, it was a story she could not give him, not yet. She needed him fully focused on the mission, not obsessing on the fact that they were serving the man who had ordered their family's extermination.

It had taken her a long time to get use to that fact, that and the knowledge that this was the only way to get close enough to see Darth Feer answer for what had happened.

He will blame me, she thought, when I do tell him, he will think that I've betrayed our family.

She could not handle that, not right now.

She wanted Beric with her.

She needed him to be with her.

He rose, his gaze cold.

"May I be excused, my lord," he said professionally, his training of how to act around a dark lord ever present.

"You may, lieutenant," she said flatly.

He saluted and left the table.

Avaryss, Holli and Rink watched him go.

Avaryss only just suppressed the snarl.

Damn him, she thought.

Damn him to the void!

"What was that about?" Holli asked, "Lieutenant Lylos isn't usually that harsh.

Rink chuckled.

"I think he needs to find a woman," he suggested, "Might help him relax."

Avaryss rolled her eyes.

She doubted that Beric would do so even if he could. He was after all a child of Andur Lylos, like she was.

She had no interest in pleasure slaves. When she sought out companionship she preferred someone who she actually cared for.

Like Fehl, she thought morosely…

…Or Taya.

That last thought gave her pause.

Taya certainly would not have denied her if she asked for…companionship. She remembered their one night together. How her friend had held her in her arms, and soothed her to sleep. They had done nothing but kiss, but it had been nice to feel safe, to feel…protected.

It had not been the same as it had been with Fehl, the fiery passion was not there, but it had been…nice, that feeling of safety.

For a Sith, safety was often an illusion, threats were everywhere.

She turned to her Holli and Rink.

"Take care of whatever business you have here in the capital," she said, repeating her master's words, "We will be very busy soon."

Both the engineer and the pilot nodded.

Avaryss rose and made for the door, a pair of off duty troopers just barely managed to get out of her way.

She shook her head, her mood much darker than it had been when she entered. Thinking of Beric and her family had left a need in her.

She was about to march into harm's way.

She wanted to feel safe, for one night, at least.

She brought out her comlink.

She knew just who to contact.

IOI

"How long will you be gone?"

Avaryss sighed, her head resting on her friend's bare shoulder.

"As long as it takes," she murmured contently, "my master wants this handled."

Taya nodded as she stroked her back, her touch sending ripples of pleasure down Avaryss' spine. The smell of Taya's skin soothing her as much of the silken sheets of the bed they shared. She had already been in the city when Avaryss had sent word to her, handling a matter for her master Lord Goss.

Avaryss had aided her; it had been a simple matter, reminding one of her master's underlings of their place. It had gone extremely well; they had not even needed to kill the fool.

The excitement had been just what they had needed, they had returned to the apartment where they had spent their first night together. Now they once again lay in each other's arms.

Avaryss sighed contently.

If only Fehl could be here, then…this would have been perfect.

"The alchemist you sent us finally finished the item you requested," The blonde girl informed her. I will have it sent your ship in the morning."

"Thanks," Avaryss sighed, her finger tracing lazy lines over the other girl's heart.

Taya murmured softly, clearly enjoying the sensation.

Avaryss smiled, it was such a simple thing to insure Tay's loyalty.

It was almost too easy.

"How are things going with your master?"

"Good," Taya moaned, though whether she was referring to her master or Avaryss' touch, she could not say.

"He is not a Darth, but that is not necessarily a bad thing."

She looked down fondly into Avy's red eyes.

"I would hate for us to be rivals."

"Enjoy it while you can," Avaryss told her, "when I rise to lead House Feer, you will find yourself elevated as well."

She smiled slyly.

"We will have much to do, when that time comes. I'm sure your family will look proudly upon you when that day comes."

"That will be nice," Taya said leaning in, she kissed her on the lips.

Avaryss returned the kiss, her heart beginning to beat faster. She began to kiss down Taya's throat, maneuvering her friend fully onto her back.

"Avy," the blonde groaned, "Yesss, Avy."

Avaryss sat up; she could see the desire in her friend's eyes. Her breathing was heavy, her back arching slightly.

Almost there, she thought.

Now I seal the deal.

"I want you to keep an eye on House Feer for me while I'm gone," she said, "My master is injured; Bael and Synestra might try something, send word if you hear anything suspicious."

"Yes," Taya gasped, she looked on her friend with barely controlled desire, "Whatever you need."

Avaryss smiled. She ran her finger from Taya' ear and down her jaw, the other girl whimpered, leaning into her touch.

"And continue looking into the matter of Lord Feer's daughter, "His injuries might be enough to convince someone to speak out of turn, if they think he is in a weakened state, but be careful, this is not a game for the faint hearted."

Avy's hand drifted up the Taya's thigh, but slowly, very slowly, and that was all it took.

Her friend looked ready to explode.

"I will do it. I swear," she nodded, "Please…please Avy!"

"Do you need something," Avaryss teased.

"Yes, oh yes."

Avaryss giggled.

The things she did for power, and the Empire.

"Here," she purred leaning in for another kiss.

"I have just what you need.