Chapter 31: Entrance

"Are you ready to play your part, Mister Rink?"

Avaryss smiled as she watched the young Jedi moving down the busy street below. The Sith and her ally stood on a small balcony of an apartment complex not far from the Jedi Enclave,

The one thing that struck her was how small the Jedi looked; she seemed dwarfed by her brown robe. She moved through the crowded street in a fashion that Avaryss found distasteful, moving out of the way for any fool or brute blocking her path.

The girl did not carry herself like one who was strong in the Force. She could sense the girl's power, even from here. Unlike Avaryss it was clear that no one had ever taught the girl the techniques used to mask her presence.

She shook her head.

No wonder the girl had said nothing about their initial conversation; she seemed like someone who was just waiting for something great to fall into her lap. That her family name destined her for greatness, and that she did not have to seek it out.

The young Sith smiled.

She could definitely use that to her advantage.

Torve's watchers had confirmed that the girl had told no one about their conversation. The Jedi Enclave showed no signs of alert, and any conversations between the girl and her masters had had nothing to do with a Sith contacting her. It truly seemed that the girl had chosen to keep the matter to herself, seeking to solve the issue without aid, and prove herself to her fellow Jedi.

If that was the case…then all was well.

The plan was working, at least it seemed to be, now all that remained was to contact the Jedi again, draw her deeper into their scheme, that is where Mister Rink came in.

She glanced over at him; the former street rat had changed out of his uniform, choosing a look similar to the one he had been wearing when they had first met.

He seemed more comfortable on this world, Alderaan had not been to his liking, Urban sprawls were familiar to him, and he had adapted quickly, proving quite useful in setting up the next stage of her plan.

Once again she found that she had made the right choice in bringing him into her circle. He fit in well with the people that lived here; the girl would have no reason to doubt him, provided he play his part well.

He had not responded to her question, so she repeated it.

Are you ready, Mister Rink?"

He nodded, but his expression suggested that he was…not as ready as his Sith needed him to be.

She frowned slightly.

"Is there a problem?"

"No," he said keeping an eye on their target, the Jedi girl had bumped into a large Aqualish, one who clearly did not understand what the brown robe meant.

He pushed her and started to get belligerent, only the intervention of his companions stopped him, Avaryss could not hear what the girl said, but it was clear that it had not worked.

Poor thing, she thought.

She truly doesn't understand how truly wondrous she is.

If she was smart, she might just live long enough to find out.

Rink shook his head; he turned to her a look of concern on his face.

"Are you sure about this one, Boss?"

"You doubt me?" she inquired, his reaction surprised her.

"No," he said quickly, not wishing to anger her, "It is just…this one…she doesn't seem worthy of your attention."

Avaryss snorted with amusement.

"Do not let what you see with your eyes fool you. I can sense the potential in this one. If she is given time, she might become a threat, not just to me, but to the empire itself."

A shiver of anticipation ran down her spine.

"We need to make sure that she does not have that chance."

Rink nodded, but again she felt apprehension, perhaps the street rat had a breaking point that she had finally reached…

..Perhaps it would soon become necessary to discard him.

That thought did not appeal to her; she had developed a fondness for the young scoundrel. It would not save him if he became a burden, but…

…it would smart, removing him.

She would, however, take little pleasure in doing so.

The Sith teachings were quite clear on such matters: When something ceased to be useful, you got rid of it. Nothing and no one could not be allowed to negatively affect your plans.

She was prepared to do that, but at the same time she took one last chance.

He had proved useful; it would be a shame to discard him out of turn.

"This girl is not your Twilek," she said, "Think of Tia; she is why you are doing this. You have your whole life ahead of you, a life that you can share with your girl. Plus, don't forget who and what the girl down there is. Remember, she is a Jedi, one of the very same people that handed you over to Republic intelligence, and sent you away to be tortured."

She turned her gaze upon him trying to make it as cold and as hard as she could.

Do not let the innocence you see fool you, it is an act…"

Avaryss grinned.

"…No Jedi is innocent."

Rink nodded again, she felt a slight shift in him, one closer to what she needed.

She would still need to keep a close eye on him, but for the moment, he seemed receptive to what she had said.

Hopefully, he would stay that course.

"So I just go down there, deliver the hologram to her and get out?"

"That is all," Avaryss replied, "We don't want the girl taking too close of a look at us, not yet. We just have to convince her to let me into the Jedi Enclave, once that is done, Captain Torve and his men will do the rest."

"You trust them, Torve and the rest of his flock of nerfs?"

Of course not, but they do understand the price of failure."

She gave him an evil smile.

"Remember what happened to Captain Slynn."

"Right," Rink said nodding, he took a deep breath, looking like he was trying to psyche himself up; Avaryss understood that, she often played her own mental games before facing an enemy.

She would not fault Mister Rink for doing something similar.

"Say little," she advised, "Just make sure she gets the holo."

He nodded and took off to fulfill her desires.

Avaryss watched him go, rolling her eyes when he was out of sight.

Rink had his uses, they were limited, but they were there.

Don't go soft; the darkness whispered in her ear, you know what must be done if it comes to it.

That she did, but she would not kill Rink on a lark. He had served her loyally so far.

That bought some consideration on her part, she supposed.

She watched as he made his way through the crowd. The young Jedi stood out like a beacon to her through the Force. Avaryss was a bit surprised that her masters had not taught her how to hide her presence through the Force. Surely they must have realized that the Empire was watching, it seemed foolish to her, the lack of care the Jedi took, were they simply without cunning, or did they count on their toys to protect them?

Rink waited until the girl was almost upon him when he stumbled and fell to his knees, the Malloc girl went to his aid kneeling down and doing her best to help him up.

Avaryss watched the two with curious eyes, wondering what the street rat was saying to the girl, she thought it too risky for Rink to where a microphone, and it was too loud out here for her hear, even using Force technique to enhance her hearing would not have helped.

Reaching out with the force was risky, if the girl sensed her presence, she might wonder why the Sith, who supposedly needed her help, was spying on the one she hired to contact her.

She watched the exchange between the two. The Padawan was not much older than she was, maybe a year or two younger. Though she could not listen in, she could sense the girl's emotions, emotions that shown like a beacon, what she sensed, surprised her.

This Quenya Sai Malloc was…intrigued by her former street rat. She sensed interest even a sense of…attraction.

The discovery made Avaryss chuckle.

So much for the vaunted Jedi self-control.

Still, she supposed that she should not have been surprised. She knew from her own experiences during her training that emotion could get in the way. Perhaps the Devish girl had a thing for bad boys, Avaryss could relate.

Her Fehl had been the baddest boy on Korriban, though she had enjoyed physical pleasure since his death, it had not been the same, she had never lost herself to her passions as she had with her pure blooded Sith betrothed.

Perhaps Fehl had spoiled her for all other men? Rink was attractive, she acknowledged that, but she saw that attraction as simple art appreciation. She recognized it, but it held no sway over her heart.

Even her liaisons with Urtel and Taya had been mere distractions. Urtel had been all about pleasure, and Taya was about keeping her friend's loyalty.

She was still capable of feeling lust, but the loss she had suffered had tainted it, diminished it.

It felt like that part of her was gone…perhaps forever.

It annoyed her that she could no longer feel the intense passion that Fehl had awakened in her. Though, maybe that was for the best, her relationship with Fehl had nearly been the death of her.

She still intended to bring him back, but wondered if it would be the same? Would their passions be as intense as they had been during those few sweet weeks on Korriban?

She could not say for certain, only that she remained committed to her goal.

Once she had dealt with this Republic conspiracy, she would be free to carry out her own plans.

Fehl would live again, she had foreseen it, and when he did, the galaxy would open itself up them, it would be theirs for the taking.

Nothing succeeded like success, and once she and her master were hailed as Heroes of the Empire, not even the Dark Council would be able to deny their will. That victory would free her up to seek out her own desires. Even her own master would not be able to deny her that.

She watched the girl take her leave of Rink, noticing that she had slipped something into one of the pockets in her brown robe. Avaryss nodded, pleased that her pilot had carried out his mission.

It seemed that he had not exhausted his usefulness to her yet. She would stay her hand for now, and permit him to continue living.

Rink returned with his usual swagger, that cocky smile on his face.

She kept her cool and said nothing until he was at her side.

She was nothing if not patient

"I take it everything went well?" she asked dryly.

"Seemed to," he replied, that smile of his never fading from his face, "That one seems really eager to meet you, tried to get me to tell her if I knew if you were okay?"

She was eager to get the secrets that Avaryss had promised, if there was any concern that was more the reason than anything else.

Still he had verified that the plan was working.

That pleased her.

"What did you tell her?" she asked, "About me"

"I said you were okay, when you gave me the holo," he said with a shrug.

"Beyond that, I said I didn't know."

"Good," Avaryss replied, "Very good."

She could not hide her elation.

Let the Jedi's concern grow; let her worry that all that I offered her has been lost.

Avaryss understood what desire was like; to pursue a goal until it became the only thing that truly mattered.

No doubt the little Jedi thought what the Sith offered would make her a hero; put her in the same place with her storied ancestors.

It would Avaryss supposed, just not for the reason that the girl thought.

It must have been hard, being trapped in the shadow of your betters, given time; the Devish might have blazed her own trail, contributed to the history that her family had built. It sounded like her masters were interested in offering her that chance, perhaps they were too caught up in their work against the Sith to see the damage that they were doing?

So much the better for her, if that was the case.

Avaryss cared nothing about the girl's history, only what she could do for the Sith now.

"We are done here," she informed Rink, "We must make sure the others are ready to move."

"How long do you think this is going to take?" he asked her.

"As long as it needs to," she said a hungry expression on her face.

If what she suspected was true, these Jedi had been attacking the Empire for too long.

She was most eager to see the tables turn, both that and to test herself against a true Jedi Master.

If she could kill a master of the light, would a master of the dark be that much harder? Yes, the dark side was superior, but that did not mean that there was nothing to learn in destroying a servant of the light.

It would be a challenge; that was for sure, one that she intended to meet head on.

She had learned much at Darth Feer's feet, both from him, and through her own research.

The time had come to test just how much she had learned, how far these Jedi fools were willing to go.

We will see soon enough, she thought.

We shall see.

IOI

The holo she had sent requested that the Jedi meet her in a park not far from the enclave. It was close enough that the Jedi would feel safe, but far enough away that Captain Torve's men would spot a trap before it had a chance to be fully set up.

Avaryss doubted it was necessary to take such precautions, but did so anyway; chance and the Force favored the prepared. She stood in the shadow of a large pine tree, awaiting the arrival of Quenya Sai Malloc.

She was grateful that she chose to arrive early.

It gave her a chance to mentally prepare for what was to come.

The park itself was a poor excuse for such a place. The ground was littered with dry dead needles from the tree she was standing upon. The grass looked stiff and dying, what should have been a small stream running through the park had been turned into some drainage canal for one of the many foundries here.

Corrupt and dying, Avaryss thought as she shook her head.

It was much like the Republic itself.

When the Sith Empire finally committed to renewed and total war, the Republic would fall, and places like this would find themselves under new management, superior management.

The sound of a snapping branch caused her to whirl around, but it simply part of a dying tree, breaking away under the weight of a sickly looking bird.

Do not lose your nerve now, the darkness whispered.

Stay calm.

Stay ready.

Avaryss pulled the ragged cloak she was wearing tighter; a slight breeze rustled the dying plant life. She used her abilities to keep her presence in the Force small, hopefully unnoticeable. If she was wrong, Beric was not far away, he had hunkered down in a nest, with his weapon in sniper configuration.

If the Jedi tried anything cute, they would find that she was not without back up. She watched the entrance to park waiting for her little pawn to show herself.

She hoped that the Jedi had not wised up, and thought better of coming here. The message she had sent insisted that the girl come alone. Avaryss was only willing to trust her. Only a Malloc, so steeped in the successes of the light could be trusted.

The Sith hoped that she had not laid things on too thick. There was a fine line between stroking a person's ego, and being too much of a bootlick; seeming too eager to make things happens.

"Sith?"

She nearly jumped.

The Jedi emerged from the shadows, to her right. It seemed that she had not used the park's main entrance, probably jumped the fence and came in from across the dying greenery.

So she was not entirely trusting, good…

…That was an excellent start

"You are being the Sith, yes?" the girl repeated.

"Master Jedi?" she said meekly.

Quenya Sai Malloc nodded.

For the first time Avaryss got a good look at the girl, her dark ruddy red skin, her freckled nose, the two round spots on her head where her horns should have been. Her eyes were a light shade of yellow, not Sith eyes, just the natural color of her people.

The Jedi paused, staying just out of reach if Avaryss drew her weapon.

"I have done as you were asking," the Padawan said, "I have come alone."

Again she showed caution, good.

Avaryss smiled.

"Praise the Force," she said, "I had feared one of my master's agents had found me again."

The Jedi took a step towards her.

"You are being safe now," she said, "I will be bringing you back to the Enclave. Master Pondar will be able to be helping you. You will not be needing to fear your master's assassins."

"Thank you, "Avaryss said her eyes wide with false innocence and gratitude.

"I…I've been afraid for so long."

"The Sith are being very hard on their initiates, it is amazing that they are having any willing to take up their training."

Fool girl, Avaryss thought.

You speak of something you don't know and can't possibly understand.

The dark side is worth it, dangers and all.

How else would we achieve true greatness?

She used her powers, reaching out with the Force, warping the space around them. This was yet another spell she had learned from the scroll she had found in the forgotten tomb on Korriban. It was used to confuse a Force user's danger sense, to dissipate the feeling of danger until it seemed simply the normal background dangers you found in any place in nature.

It would work better in a city such as this, Avaryss had realized, the hopelessness of this place would shield her intentions until it was too late.

If the Jedi noticed, she did not show it.

"Are you having the recordings you told me about?" she asked, "The one telling of your master's plans."

"I have it," Avaryss purred, she pulled out a small recording device.

Now we will see, she thought.

If the Jedi was going to try anything, now would be the time, she had shown her the prize, If she was going to attack Avaryss now would be time.

The girl nodded.

"We will be needing to be silent; I will be finding you quarters within the Enclave, in the morning you will be speaking to Master Pondar. He will be offering you protection, I'm sure of it."

And you will be hailed as a hero, Avaryss thought, or so you believe.

We will see just how that works out for you.

"We would be wise not to be using the main entrance," the Devish advise, "Can you follow?"

"As if my life depended on it," Avaryss said, "Which it does."

The Jedi girl nodded.

"Then we are being off."

The Malloc girl led her deeper into the park, Avaryss had no trouble keeping up, but chose to hang back a bit, to convince the girl that she was struggling.

The dark side was singing inside her, this deception filling her with dark power, power that she was only just able to conceal.

Would the girl sense it even if I was not," she wondered, "She could almost taste the eagerness in the Padawan, the desire to profit from bringing in a Sith defector.

It blinded her, perhaps from all threat, that worked out well for the Sith.

The two jumped the fence; Quenya led a zig zagging route back to the enclave, hoping to throw off any pursuit that might have seen Avaryss enter the park.

So the girl was not completely without guile, it was another point in her favor, but it would not save her from what was to come.

Captain Torve's men she already be deployed, watching whatever entrance the girl chose to use when she entered the Enclave. Before any alarm could be raised the first Sith strike force should be inside the Enclave, silencing any alarms.

Torve assured her that his men were capable of carrying out such a mission; they had the layout of the Enclave, and had been waiting for a chance like this for some time.

The Captain would not admit it, but they had likely been waiting for a Sith to take command of this operation, to help them finally carry out their mission.

Avaryss did not intend to disappoint.

The entrance the girl chose was one of the unguarded ones near one of the enclave's four fire escapes.

Avaryss felt her eagerness growing. Her heart was pounding like a war drum.

The Jedi looked at her, her expression was curious.

Had she sensed her Sith charge's eagerness?

Avaryss did her best to appear innocent.

"You will be speaking to no one until I speak to Master Pondar. We shall then see about formally arranging your asylum. Are you understanding this, yes?"

"I do," Avaryss replied.

Almost time, she thought.

We are almost there.

Still the girl kept her distance, as he moved to enter the code for the door, she gestured for Avaryss to stand where she could see her. The Sith eagerly complied, she was most eager to find…asylum within the Jedi enclave.

The Devish shielded the code panel from her eyes, but that did not bother her.

She wasn't trying to get the code, she just needed the door open, then…

An electronic chime sounded.

The door slid open almost silently.

Captain Torve's men struck.

Stun blasts rippled through the air, the troopers specially modified weapons made an energy spike from the rifles almost undetectable.

They caught the Devish girl unaware. She cried out as she was struck, but somehow managed to remain standing.

She looked at Avaryss, her pale yellow eyes widening with understanding.

The Sith smiled.

"No," she hissed, trying to draw her weapon.

Avaryss did not give her a chance, she sent the girl falling back with a hard Force push.

Quenya Sai Malloc struck with crunching force!

The girl's eyes fluttered as she slid down the wall, a slight streak of Devish blood marked where her head had hit.

She collapsed to the ground.

Avaryss reached out with the Force, the Jedi girl was still alive, but injured.

A squad of Captain Torve's men emerged from hiding; they moved silently, they entered the Enclave without a single noise.

Avaryss nodded.

It was good to see professionals at work.

They knew what they had to do.

First they silenced the alarms.

Then…they would silence the rest of the Enclave.

It should not take long.

Beric emerged from hiding, he walked up to her, his expression both cold and professional.

He heard Quenya groan, he looked down at the Jedi, and back at his sister.

Avaryss shrugged.

He cursed slightly and drew his sidearm; he walked up to the Jedi, intent on putting a blaster bolt through her skull.

"No," Avaryss said, her hand lightly pushing the weapon down.

"Why?" he asked.

Avaryss grinned triumphantly.

"It is my mission brother," she said.

"The girl deserves to see what her trusting nature has bought."

Beric Lylos shook his head.

"As you wish," he said, "Though I think it is a mistake. The girl will want you dead for this."

"I know Avaryss said with a giggle.

"That is what makes this fun."

If he understood, he did not have a chance to tell her. There was a flash of light from within the Enclave, that and a voice cut short.

The second Sith commando team arrived entering the building without a word.

Avaryss drew her lightsaber; she looked down at the wounded Padawan.

"Bind her," she ordered.

"I want her to see what comes next."

He did so without a word of complaint, once she was secured, the children of Andur and Maya Lylos entered the Enclave together. They could hear the sounds of battle now, yet no full alarm rang out.

Avaryss smiled.

So it begins, she thought.

"Do not engage the Jedi alone," she warned him.

"Afraid I will steal your kill?" he asked.

She chuckled.

"That sounds like a challenge?"

"Perhaps so," he said, "We will keep score."

She chuckled.

Yes, she thought. The Enclave's files were the priority, but that did not mean that they could not have a bit of fun.

A wounded Republic technician staggered into the all.

Avaryss lit her blade and lunged forward, the man did not even get the chance to shout "Sith" her blade took his head.

"One." She murmured.

The sound of more voices drew her like a tukata.

Beric moved at her side.

Here we go, she thought.

Let's have some fun!