Chapter 39: Dark Distractions

"How many shuttles did we lose?"

Avaryss paced in her new quarters like a caged animal. Taya lounged on her bunk grateful to not only have her friend back, but also to having a bit of time away from her lady mother.

Parents can be hard sometimes, Avaryss knew, she remembered her own father and how hard that she had tried to please him, be the daughter he wanted her to be. Though she mourned his death, she had come to see the freedom of being without such attachments weighing her down.

The most dangerous people in the world were orphans, she had heard that once, and agreed with it.

If one sought power, having no attachments could be useful. It was why she had kept her ties to Beric hidden from her peers. She still desired him in her life, but did not want her enemies, or allies, thinking they had found a weak spot, a crack in her armor.

Protecting what was hers was hard. She had no intention of giving anyone ammunition to use against her.

We lost three shuttles on the way down," Taya informed her, "The supplies and troops onboard were destroyed. Our shuttle took damage in that attack, we came down hard, but between mother and my connection to the Force we managed to escape with only a few bumps and bruises."

Taya gave her a curious look.

"How about you Avy, how did you make it down in one piece?"

Avaryss smiled at her friend.

She continued to keep Holli's secret. By the time that Beric and Taya arrived at the smuggler settlement to collect them, the ensign had returned to her human form, and asked only that her lord not tell the others about what had truly happened. Namely, that Holli had transformed herself into a great winged creature she had seen during her travels with her parents, a creature that had been strong enough to carry them both down safely. The form was strong, but only able to carry one other person. The Ensign had wisely chosen her.

Holli knew who was most likely to aid her on her journey up the ranks, Avaryss thought, and at same time, it was good that there had been no other survivors, Avaryss would have needed to silence them, to protect Holli's secret.

She wondered if Holli realized that, if so, then it was another point in the changeling's column. It showed both wisdom and drive to succeed. She would need that if she wished to advance.

Knowledge was power, and all that Holli asked of her was to keep what she truly was between them.

Avaryss agreed, she lost nothing by keeping the changeling's secret, and by doing so had another card to play in future situations.

She could think of many uses for a changeling, and now…she had one. She was most pleased.

Taya may have been her friend, perhaps her one true best friend, but it was not in Avaryss' best interest to reveal what she had learned about the young engineer.

Taya was Sith.

She would understand…when the time came.

She smiled at her companion.

"The dark side is strong in me, remember. Between its gifts and a bit of good fortune, Holli and I managed to survive."

"Glad to hear it," Her friend said smiling.

"I was afraid I lost you."

"Understandable, considering what happened," Avaryss said, choosing to not acknowledge the warmth in her friend's voice, she did not have time to play the lover's card right now.

She tried to keep Taya on task, focused on what had happened.

Someone needed to pay for this.

"Now is not the time to dwell on such things. It is much more important that we find a way to move forward, which includes punishing those, responsible for this…this…outrage."

Avaryss turned to her friend.

"Has your mother figured out who tipped off those outlaws to our arrival? They seemed to have targeted our entry vector perfectly. They were clearly both well organized, and well-armed, and when they came for Holli and me, they moved with military precision."

The young Sith frowned.

"They did not strike me as thieves looking for plunder."

"Mercenaries are common enough here," Taya said dismissively, "There are many veterans of the last war that turned to killing for profit after the treaties were signed. As for who was responsible, or rather who shared our arrival time, mother found out, one of our communications technicians was making a little money on the side, selling our shuttle routes to one of the gangs here."

Taya sighed.

"She has been questioning the man since late last night."

Avaryss smiled slyly.

"I would like to have a few words with this tech," she said, "Find out who paid him."

Taya winced.

"That is going to be problem," she said.

"Why?"

"As I said, mother has been working on him since late last night. I'm afraid words are a little beyond him now."

Her friend looked chagrinned.

"Kind of hard to talk when you have lost first your tongue, and then your jaw."

In spite of herself, Avaryss shuddered. Her dark imagination filling in what was likely left of the man.

It was not a pretty sight.

"Mother likes her work," Taya said, "The fact that both of us almost died did not leave her in a merciful mood."

Avaryss remembered watching the lady briefly during her interrogation of the smuggler back on Dromund Kaas.

Lady Tazia did seem to know much about pain.

She almost felt sorry for the treacherous technician.

Almost.

"I trust she knows the value of restraint. We need answers."

"Mother will bring you what you need," Taya assured her, "You can trust me on that."

Avaryss nodded. So far their time on Hoth had not been a productive one. She had survived the attempt on her life, but…

She was no closer to finding how this all fit into the conspiracy, if it even did.

If the conspirators were behind this, it was clear that she had finally gotten their attention; this may even have been in respond to her destruction of their Jedi Enclave.

If it was them, then we are getting closer, Avaryss thought with a hungry smile. Eventually, the leaders of this conspiracy will have to realize that I'm not going to stop, that they will have to take action personally.

When that happened, Avaryss would be ready.

In that moment, she would have them all.

"Mother will get what you need," Taya assured her, "For now, let us speak of other things, more interesting things."

Her friend smiled broadly.

"Tell me about this Jedi of yours?"

Avaryss rolled her eyes.

She should not have said anything, but, after everything that had happened; she needed to tell someone. Holli had not been there for their farewell, and even if she had, she would not understand.

Taya knew her. She knew her drives and desires. She was also sworn to serve Avaryss in all things.

If anyone could understand what passed between her and Fenn, it was she.

"He is not my Jedi," Avaryss said resuming her pacing, "He is a Jedi, and I do not intend to let our encounter influence my judgment. In fact it may be wise that I do not speak of him, ever again."

She sighed.

"He is dangerous."

Taya grinned broadly.

"You've always had a thing for dangerous men, Avy. I'm surprised that this one worries you so much."

Avaryss' eyes narrowed.

"I'm not worried, I'm concerned. This…connection between him and me is dangerous. It could be exploited."

She stopped and faced her friend.

"He could destroy us all."

She expected Taya to understand what she was saying, she expected her to agree with what she had said…

…What she did not expect…was for her friend to laugh.

The young Sith's frown deepened, she waited until her friend regained control of herself before continuing, and held her temper in check.

"Aren't you being a little over dramatic?" Taya giggled.

"He is just one man, one Jedi."

"One Jedi that is closer to me than anyone else has ever gotten," Avaryss reminded her, "We grew up together through the Force. In our dreams we met often, our connection to each other growing stronger and stronger as the years went by. Now that we have met, truly met, I can't say if that connection will continue to grow stronger. He picked up on one of my surface thoughts when we just talking."

Taya gave her a mischievous look.

"It sounds romantic, knowing someone that intimately, it is a connection to be savored."

"Are you forgetting the fact that he is an enemy," Avaryss growled, "He is a Jedi."

"He also has great anger in him. You told me that you sensed it. You told me you felt his rage."

"I did."

"Then I don't see what the problem is," Taya shrugged, Aren't you the one who told me once that you wanted as many Jedi as you could converted? Isn't that what you first master wanted you to work for, to follow the work of…of…what was his name again?"

"Lord Hecaetus."

"Right, well, why don't you use what you learned? This connection you have with this boy works both ways. If he is as close to you as you say, why not use that connection to your advantage? Why do you not seek to bring him over to our side?"

In truth, she had thought about doing just that. Taya was not wrong, the connection did work both ways. Yes, she could feel the light through her connection to Fenn, but, at the same time, he should be able to sense the darkness through her."

Could it be done? She wondered. Could he be brought over to the dark side?

If she could get him to tap into his anger again, maybe. She had felt their mutual passions. Could she not turn those passions to her advantage? Could she not reawaken the anger and betrayal he felt when he first emerged from the temple's destruction years ago?

Could she do it?

It would not be easy, but nothing worth doing ever was.

The true danger in making such an attempt would be opening herself up to him fully, to let him in with her shields down.

She was not sure if she trusted herself enough to do that. The part of her that was still Keera rose easily inside her in Fenn Shadowstone's presence. He might seek to undo everything that she had done to herself, to bring Keera back. The hunter could get captured by the game.

She could not allow that to happen.

She shook her head, many thoughts bouncing around inside her mind.

She had had several visions of Fenn over the years. She should have realized that it was only a matter of time until they met. Once she had seen herself fighting at his side. She had been clad in the robes of the Jedi, and the two of them had seemed to fit together like hand in glove.

Another vision had been of Fenn sharing her bed, the two of them locked in an embrace as they indulged their darkest fantasies and physical pleasures. Taya had been in that vision too. The two female Sith had been sharing Fenn, or perhaps she and Fenn had simply been sharing Taya…

The future is always in motion, she knew, her training had made that abundantly clear. It was not just the will of the Force that governed such things, but the choices of men and women as well. It was ever changing. Any event could tip the balance. Fenn could be either her future lover, or her slayer, depending on the choices they made. The Force might guide you to the door, but it was you who had to decide to step through it.

It was yet another reason that she needed to keep her distance from this right now. All of her skills and mind should be focused on dealing with the conspiracy, and those enacting it.

There would be a time for her to decide what to do with Fenn later.

Right now, she had bigger fish to fry.

"I don't have time for this right now, Tay," she said coldly, I cannot allow my encounter with Fenn to distract me from what is really important, and besides, I still have Fehl to consider.

Avaryss smiled grimly.

I've spent so much time preparing for his return, seeking out the necessary rituals and components. I do not wish my love to feel that I've betrayed his memory."

Taya nodded, but from her expression, and what Avaryss was sensing from her through the Force, it was clear that her friend had other ideas about her goals."

"What?" Avaryss demanded.

Have I said something wrong?"

Taya sighed. Avaryss could sense her trepidation, clearly the other girl did not wish to say what she was about to say.

"Speak your mind," she ordered her friend, "Go on…say your piece."

The other girl nodded, but did not respond quickly.

When she did, Avaryss could see why she had held back.

Her opinion was not one that Avaryss favored, how could she?

Tay was asking her to abandon almost two hard years of work and research.

"I know you loved Fehl. He was a strong Sith and I respected and feared him, but Avy…he is gone. He died years ago, and you still have not let that go."

"He saved me in my hour of need," Avaryss replied, "He gave me the strength I needed to reclaim the dark side and pass my final trial."

"And I'm grateful for that, as you should be, but…maybe he meant that to be his final gift to you. It might have been his way of telling you goodbye."

"Or it is a reminder that he is still out there. That he trusts me to bring him back, to restore what we had, to take back what that witch Nass ripped away from us."

Taya frowned.

"I just don't want you to get your heart broken again, Avy. Even if you do this, even if you manage to bring Fehl back, who is to say that he will be the same man you fell in love with? There is a good reason that our Sith ancestors chose to bind their souls to the tombs on Korriban. The chaos, the madness beyond death that awaits us is called that for a reason. Even if you can bring Fehl back, who is to say what his mental state would be after being lost there for so long."

Avaryss said nothing, her hands clenching into angry fists and opening again as her mind worked.

"Fehl is gone," Taya repeated, "And now the Force has seen fit to offer you someone new, and could give you the future you deserve. This Fenn…he could be the one that finally heals your heart after having it been hardened for so long. I can sense that you would not be opposed to that. I can sense your confusion about him, but also your desire."

Her friend grinned.

"I haven't sensed these kinds of feelings from you since you first met Fehl. I say give the boy a chance. Reestablish your dream connection, open him up the dark side, and let him see its power and what it can offer. Let him know that you are part of that offering, and what the two of you could accomplish together. Wear down his defenses, and then strike when it is time, you can do it Avy. I know you can."

"Take what is yours."

Avaryss shivered, her friend made a valid point. Fehl was gone, and Fenn was here, perhaps she could open his mind to the darkside, perhaps she could seduce him and bring him back into her sphere. Perhaps she could…

Fehl's face appeared before her, his golden eyes cold and hard. Her breath caught in her throat.

No, she could not do it.

She would not give up on what they had shared.

The image of him seemed to nod, both accepting and agreeing with her choice.

Yes…Fenn was nothing.

She would not give up on her love.

Not now.

She had worked too hard to see it all fall apart when she was so close to absolute victory. Fehl would come back. She would bring him back, and they would be together again, they would love again, not just as fellow Sith but as equals.

She shook her head, pushing back all thoughts of the men in her life and what might yet be.

"Now is not the time for this," she informed her friend, "Our houses are threatened, our masters' very positions are being threatened."

She gave her friend a cool look.

"Love and talk of it has its place, but not here, and not now."

We have enemies to deal with.

Taya nodded.

"Consider what I said," she advised, "The future is full of possibilities, if we allow ourselves to see them."

Avaryss nodded.

She would follow her friend's advice, but it would not change her mind.

Her future, her destiny led her back to Fehl, she was sure of it.

It was now…only a matter of time.

IOI

"It seems that your masters were right girls," Taya's mother informed them, "The Red Eclipse, the ones you came her seeking were behind the attack on our shuttles."

Avaryss nodded.

She wished that she could say she was surprised.

The Sith met in the small meeting room inside the Dresco facility. A series of pre-furbished domes owned by Taya's father, the structures had been designed for work on worlds with harsh environments. The ones used here used the very snow that fell on them to provide not only a form of insulation from the cold, but also provide water and power once processed through the structures generators.

An ingenious set up, but for the moment, Avaryss was not really concerned with the technological marvel around her.

She was eager for blood.

She and Taya set next to each other while Lady Tazia sat across from them. Baron Dresco had joined them by hyper-comm, his holographic image flickering at the head of the table.

Taya's father did not look happy.

"I should have seen this coming," the man said shaking his head, "Despite the money that I pay to ensure our security, we've always had problems with the local gangs. I've always figured in the loss of a cargo shipment or two. That is just part of the game on Hoth, the cost of doing business."

He glanced over at his wife, his expression one of concern.

"I underestimated the gangs, and almost lost my wife and my first born."

"We are safe husband," Lady Tazia said in a soothing voice, "The Force provided, and we managed to escape unscathed."

"Now it falls to us to decide on how best to respond to all of this," Avaryss added, "This attack has to be answered, my master will be most displeased if I do nothing."

"Mine as well," Taya said, "And by striking at us, these criminals prove that they are involved with what Avy here has been investigating."

Avaryss turned to Lady Tazia.

"Did the communications officer that you interrogated give up anything else before he ran out of breath?"

"Very little, I'm afraid," she said with disgust, "I pushed him beyond the realm of lying, in his agony he told me all that he knew."

Avaryss pursed her lips.

She wasn't so sure.

Torture could be counter-productive some times. If the pain got too bad, if the subject broke completely, then the person might start telling you anything just to make it stop.

Not everyone had the will of a Sith.

Avaryss hissed in disgust.

"Regardless, we have probably lost any chance of dealing with this scum. If I were them I would have boarded a ship and fled as soon as I learned of the mercenaries' failure. The whole group could be on the other side of the galaxy by now."

Baron Dresco smiled.

"You do not understand how things are done on Hoth, young Avaryss. Those men could have fled, yes, but they have not. They are still in their base even now, tending to business as usual."

Taya blinked.

"How do you know that, father?"

The baron chuckled.

"As I said this is not the first time that I've lost a shuttle on that ice ball. As soon as my love informed me that the Red Eclipse was involved, I contacted them, or rather the man I keep inside of their organization. I let him know of my displeasure, and my willingness to see at least some of the group offered up as sacrificial lambs. My man inside seems to think that this could work to his advantage that he could move up in the organization if our response was…appropriate."

Taya's mother smirked.

"And just how appropriate of a response would you man require?"

"A few key members removed from the organization, stumbling blocks in his path. If I was to provide that, and a generous stipend, my man inside is willing to arrange for a malfunction of their bases defenses."

Baron Dresco smiled at Avaryss.

"You would be able to walk right in the front door."

The young Sith laughed.

Fools, she thought.

Greedy fools!

She was about to say as much to the baron, but his lady wife beat her to it.

"Make it look like you are going to pay the money, husband, but do not release the funds, you will not need to."

"Wife?"

Lady Tazia smiled wickedly.

"I know how these fools believe the game on this world is played, but they have forgotten one important fact."

"And that is?"

"They are not playing the game with you, they are playing it with me, and a Sith does not let such an affront go unanswered, not when are very powerbase is threatened by common thugs."

Dresco nodded, he had been married to his wife long enough to understand he moods.

"I think it best that you leave no survivors then. We cannot be seen at reneging on a deal. I still do a lot of business on Hoth and with these gang's off-world members."

The Baron cleared his throat.

"Find what you need, and make a clean sweep of the rest, wife. Let us not be sloppy in dealing with this."

Lady Tazia grinned.

"Have you ever known me to be sloppy, husband? You have my assurance, there will be no survivors."

He nodded and grinned pleasantly, the fact that he had just condemned the full roster of the Red Eclipse to death seemed to have had no effect on him. Already Taya's father was back to business as usual.

Avaryss grinned.

She could see why the Baron and Taya's mother still had such a successful relationship. The man could be ruthless as a Sith if he needed to.

Both love and ruthlessness, the Lady Tazia could not have asked for a better partner.

Hopefully, she would have her own one day, once Fehl had returned.

"My man inside the Red Eclipse is named Greene," The Baron informed them, "He is one of the few humans that work for the group, so he should not be hard to find. He may know more about who put them up to hiring the mercenaries. He has served my house well in the past but…business is business."

He looked over at his wife.

"I leave his fate to you, my darling. See to his end in any way you see fit."

"I will keep in mind his service to our house, husband," she promised.

"He will find the end that he deserves."

IOI

Two hours later it was all over.

The Baron's man on the inside had been true to his word. The Sith had entered the Red Eclipse base unopposed. The base itself, another modified ship wreck had once been a Republic capital ship. Thanks to the human Greene the Sith knew the full layout of the base.

It had made their work even easier.

Taya's mother had taken the lead with Avaryss and Taya following behind, accompanied by Beric, a company of Sith soldiers, and Dresco security troops as well.

The cleansing of the base had begun with the igniting of the Siths' lightsabers, Taya and her mother's double blades, and Avaryss' single bladed hilt.

The killing had begun in earnest.

The lower thugs fell first, the ones that come out to greet the new arrivals, they had been unprepared for the Sith to come at them with weapons hot. Beric had taken their soldiers deeper into the base to secure the officers, the ones most likely to know who had put them up to the attack on the Dresco shuttles.

Avaryss had eagerly applied herself to the slaughter, that a chance to get to see Taya's mother in action. Avaryss had long noted her blonde friend's skill, but her mother was several degrees higher. As the slaughter around them continued, she saw the battle rager that Taya's mother had been in her youth.

It was a bit terrifying to be sure.

The older Sith was like a scythe in a farmer's field, anything that got in her way got cut down, and the blood and death only seemed to drive her even further into darkness, the force increasing both her speed and savagery with every kill.

Avaryss had never really seen a fully trained Sith marauder fight until that moment. She had known Sith who had been sent to train with them, but seeing a fully trained marauder in action.

No wonder the Sith army was so feared.

Taya's mother's skill with a lightsaber was astonishing. She blended acrobatic Ataru, and aggressive Juyo into a dance of death.

Avaryss grinned.

One day she hoped to have such control over the Force. She would never be a battle rager of course, but the sweet skill that Lady Tazia possessed was the envy of many a Sith.

Avaryss hoped to match such skill one day.

After the blood had come the interrogations. Taya's mother, still drunk on blood and the dark side conducted most of these, her eyes blazed golden as applied pressure to the surviving criminals.

As For Greene, the human that had let them in, Lady Tazia let Avaryss see to his interrogation and end.

It was…a very educational experience.

"BUT I HELPED YOU!" the man had wailed.

"I HELPED YOU!"

"Oh I know you did, good sir," Avaryss purred, picking up a rather nasty looking drilling tool.

She turned to the man and with a smile held it up, the drill whirring to life in her hand.

Her eyes blazed with the fire of the dark side as she advanced.

"BUT LET US PRETEND THAT YOU DIDN'T!" she laughed.

She lunged forward.

The man screamed anew.

Avaryss still feeling after the encounter with Fenn and her worries about Fehl's resurrection welcomed the man's screams. The fires of the dark side burned brightest when one was dominating a foe.

Those fires burned away both doubt, and confusion.

She welcomed that sweet release, it would not last, but for the moment, the darkness was the sweetest of balms, a drug that washed away all but anger and fury.

The dark side was an addiction that no Sith would ever wish to be cured of, she had read that somewhere, but at that moment she could not say where, or who had said it.

She had not cared.

The man's screams consumed all, that and the savage pleasure of destruction.

What some Sith scholar had said years ago mattered not.

All that mattered was the pain, and the screaming.

It was all, the darkside was all.

It was all that mattered.

IOI

The Sith followed the Baron's suggestion to the letter, no survivors remained of the Red Eclipse here on Hoth.

Still buzzing from her encounter with the human Greene, Avaryss was feeling quite giddy as she boarded the Dresco transport, not just because the man had died in agony, but because she had found another link in the chain of the conspiracy, a very high level link.

She was most pleased.

Several of the captured Red Eclipse outlaws had told them the same story. The money used to hire the mercenaries that shot down the Dresco shuttles had come from a single source, a single creature.

His name was Goobik, a Rodian, and that was not all.

This Goobik was no mere thug, he was a high level representative for his world, or so the outlaws had claimed, he served on several committees in the Republic Senate.

Avaryss grinned.

A stooge of the Senate she thought.

Excellent.

The higher up the chain they went, the closer they came to the one behind it, and considering the decisive respond they had gotten here on Hoth she was certain that if you went high enough up the chain you would come to one being, one single leader.

It was that person that she wanted to speak with. It was that person that she would need to kill.

She wanted that meeting, hungered for it. She wanted to hear his blood crackling on the blade of her lightsaber!

She giggled.

You are blood drunk, her conscience chided, drunk on the power of the darkside.

Perhaps, she thought, but who cared.

The power felt fantastic!

She caught Beric giving her a dirty look, but chose to ignore it. She was too high on victory right now to care what her mundane brother thought.

They had a name, and soon they would have a location.

She would find this Goobik, and then…and then…

He would learn the power of the dark side.

And then…he would know fear…no terror!

She grinned.

He would know terror!

He would know.

She would show him.

It would be fun!