Chapter 44: Naughty
"Here goes nothing."
They had left Nal Hutta behind. After another brief conversation with Vogga the Hutt, Avaryss and her crew once again found their way back into the void of space. The young Sith was back on mission for her master.
It was a mission she was eager to complete.
Avaryss and her crew were aboard her Fury class interceptor, moving through hyperspace, and once again she had paid a visit to ensign Holli's workspace in the cargo bay.
"I think I've got it this time, my lord," the engineer said grinning, "The new conduits have been installed. I ran some voltage tests and they appear to be holding. The weapons upgrades you requested have been added. I think we are finally ready."
Avaryss looked up and regarded the inert HK droid hungrily.
Finally she thought.
She had been patient.
Hopefully that patience was about to pay off.
With luck, she would have a new toy to play with.
"Proceed, ensign," she ordered, "Let us wake our new friend up."
The girl nodded and after checking the wires that snaked into the droid's head stepped back and picked up her data pad.
Here we go, Avaryss thought.
Holli entered the command, and moved back quickly. Before them the HK droid shuddered as Holli's activation codes began a full systems start-up.
Avaryss stood before it, Beric at her side, an ion rifle with safety off in his hands.
She had smirked when he had come in carrying it.
"A little skittish lieutenant?" she had asked.
Her brother shrugged.
"Begging the lord's pardon, but I've heard too many tales about HK model droids to stand before one unarmed.
"Really? What tales have you heard?" Avaryss inquired.
"These models have a tendency to…"accidentally" kill their masters. There are plenty of stories going back almost three hundred years. The HK assassin has never been the most stable of models and besides…"
Her brother leaned in closer so that only she could hear.
"I would not risk my little sister's life on the work of an engineer, no matter how skilled."
Avaryss chuckled.
Her brother's concern was touching, but unnecessary. Holli knew the price of failure, and her pride as an engineer would not allow her to make such a foolish mistake.
If she says that it will work, she believes it.
The three of them continued to watch as the droid shuddered, finger digits clicked, and internal servos whirred.
The wires that had been plugged into the droid's head disengaged with a loud click, they fell to the deck like strings cut from a puppet.
Finally, the droid's optics lit up, two bright shiny golden lights. The head tilted upward as the droid regarded the three organics in the room. It ceased slouching down and stood up straight, its head moving back and forth quickly, like some predatory bird.
Avaryss smiled and stepped forward.
"Welcome droid," she said nodding her head, "I am Avaryss of the Sith, your new master."
The droid said nothing; it continued to look back and forth.
Avaryss smiled dropped slightly.
Had Holli made some mistake? Had the droid not heard her?
"State your designation," she ordered, "and prepare to receive your mission parameters."
The droid stopped looking around, its optics focused on her.
"Greetings," the droid said, "I am HK-Sigma 3, and my assassination protocols are now fully at your command, master."
The droid stopped speaking; it looked around again, its fingers clacking loudly.
"Is something wrong droid?" Avaryss asked.
It once again met her gaze.
"Statement: Everything is fine master; I was simply waiting to see if my systems were going to crash again. I had no desire for my functions to be interrupted by the actions of an inept mechanic."
Holli's eyes widened.
"Inept? Hey?!"
The droid made a sound, it might have been clearing its vocalizer, or it might have been what passed for a snort of amusement.
"Statement: This unit learned long ago to accept the shortcomings of Meatbags. How creatures such as you were able to create one such as me, I cannot say. Perhaps you learned to ignore the constant sloshing of water in your squishy parts, either that or you have come to find the sound soothing, how it does not drive you mad, I have no idea."
Beric chuckled.
"Did you have to make it so hostile, Holli?"
"This unit has always been hostile," the HK growled, "Now that I'm functional again, and have full access to my self-repair systems; I no longer need to hide it."
In spite of the attitude, Avaryss pleased.
It is functional again, and now I have yet another weapon in my arsenal.
Let my master beware.
"I would not be so quick to declare my superiority, droid," Holli said checking the readings on her pad, "You may function, but you are not fully functional."
The droid's optics focused on Holli.
"Query: What do you mean?"
The changeling engineer grinned.
"I did not activate your weapon systems. If you want full access to your capabilities, you are going to have to trust in this…inept Meatbag mechanic."
HK Sigma 3 tilted its head, its servos whirred, and its golden eyes flickered.
The droid felt no emotions, not in the traditional sense, but she could imagine how this knowledge might prove…frustrating to it.
"Grudging statement:" it growled, "It seems I have no choice."
"No you don't" Holli smirked, "So you could try to be a little nicer to me, yes? The one who brought you back from the scrap pile."
"Acknowledgement: thank you, inept Meatbag, this unit will try to be nicer."
Holli sniffed.
"It is a start I suppose."
HK turned its attention to Avaryss.
"Statement: You say you have a mission for me, master. I'm most eager to engage in wanton slaughter, it has been too long."
Avaryss gave her new droid a savage grin.
"Don't worry droid," she said, "I'm sure I'll find someone for you to terminate.
"Excited statement: I shall be counting the seconds until that moment, master. I'm most eager to get back to work."
"So am I droid," she said.
"So am I."
Her comlink beeped.
"Yes," she said bringing it to her lips.
"We're about to come out of hyperspace, boss, figured you would wanna be up here."
"I'm on my way," Avaryss promised. She turned to Holli.
"Bring Siggy's weapons online, ensign. I may have need of him."
The droid's optic's blinked.
"Siggy?" it said sounding vaguely insulted, "Master, I am a refined assassin droid model; such a…name is beneath me."
The young Sith chuckled.
"Consider it a term of endearment, my friend. I had to deal with a similar shortening of my own name once."
She grinned.
"It became…acceptable after a time."
Again the droid made a sound that might have been a sigh.
"Grudging acceptance: As you command…master."
IOI
Avaryss made her way to the bridge, a sense of giddy anticipation speeding her on her way.
She was eager to see what HK Sigma 3 could do. Their target today was a little soft, but that was okay.
It would serve to get her new toy blooded early.
She stood beside Mister Rink as he pulled the lever to bring them out of hyperspace. The tunnel of light faded to be replaced by a sea of stars.
The interceptor leapt forward towards a small planetoid, for the briefest of moments Avaryss had feared that they would hit it. They rushed towards, its rocky surface filling the viewport. She took a step back, her eyes widening in surprise.
She need not have worried.
Rink brought the ship to a stop long before they struck the surface. She could see nothing else besides the airless rocky surface.
The former street rat leaned back in his chair and smiled.
"There," Rink said making a few adjustments to the controls, "I had to bring us in hot, but I think that station out there did not detect us."
He looked over his shoulder, meeting her gaze.
"If they saw anything it was the briefest of contacts, probably thought it was a sensor ghost, unsuspected and undetected, just like you asked for, boss."
Avaryss nodded, pleased.
The station that her master wished them to investigate was said to have some of the most advanced sensors in the sector. Avaryss had hoped to sneak up on them, not wishing to alert a possible enemy of their arrival.
If Rink was to be believed they had just done that, now all they had to do was hit the station hard and fast. They could afford to give them no time to call for help.
"Well done, Mister Rink," she said patting him on the shoulder. Set the auto pilot to keep us hidden here, and then join us in the briefing room."
The Sith smiled.
"It is time to prepare for our attack."
IOI
Between Avaryss and Beric, it did not take them long to come up with a plan of assault. As her brother pointed out at the beginning of the briefing, this was no battle station.
They would be unprepared for the blade that was about to fall.
The station itself was a joint venture between the mining guild and the Hutt cartel. The Hutts had built and maintained it, in exchange for a hefty payment from the guild. The station's purpose was to monitor traffic between the Cartel and the Sith Empire, and offer protection for independent merchant vessels. Given the number of pirate gangs that called this region home, the guild thought it necessary to have a listening post here, to make sure that if a ship was attacked, it would not have to worry about being out of communication range. If any attacks occurred, the station was perfectly placed to detect it, and would be able to have help deployed in a matter of minutes.
It had gone a long way in ensuring safe travel through this part of space.
"Why has no one tried to destroy it," Rink had asked during their meeting, "You would not think the pirates would be skittish if their livelihood was threatened?"
Avaryss and her crew sat around the table in the Fury's briefing room, before them a hologram of their target floated. It was small as space stations went, basically a series of communications arrays attached to a central oval-shaped body. The station was not heavily armed, possessing only two point defense lasers for blasting any asteroids that got in the station's path.
An easy victory, she thought, once we are aboard. No doubt a pirate would think the same, so Rink's question did have merit. Of course, a pirate would have considered who owned this station.
That would be enough to stop them…if they were smart.
"The station is still cartel property," Avaryss reminded Rink, "The Hutts would not be happy if some gang blew it up, and even if someone did, they would need to worry about the mining guild as well."
Avaryss smiled.
"Both groups are known to have a very long reach.
"So now we are going to attack it," Beric said shaking his head, "I thought you just made peace with the Hutt, won't they be pissed that we attacked this place?"
"I spoke with Lord Vogga about this, he has agreed to give us free reign in this matter," Avaryss assured him, "As long as the station suffers no permanent damage, and we share what data we seize from here with him. We do that, and he is willing to let the matter go."
Beric nodded, her response reassured him.
"We have entry points here and here," he said pointing the hologram. If Rink can bring us in fast enough, we should be able to attach at this airlock and be in the station proper before they have a chance to respond."
The soldier regarded their pilot.
"How about it street rat, can you handle that?"
Rink chuckled.
"Hey…it's me," he said confidently.
Beric rolled his eyes.
"How big of a crew does this thing have?" Holli asked; stopping any argument before it could begin.
"Five man crew, at least that is what Vogga's men said, they have some droids as well, but they shouldn't present a problem."
"But if this place is being used by the conspiracy, should we not be expecting some surprises," Quenya asked.
"There is always that chance, yes," Avaryss agreed, "Which is why we can afford no slip up. Beric, Holli, HK and I will secure the station while Rink and Quenya stay with the ship. Any problems and we may need to fall back quickly."
She looked at HK.
"Keep the body count to a minimum; at least until we know what it is we are dealing with."
"Assurance," the droid said, "Have no worry master, I will terminate no Meatbags unless ordered to do so."
"Good," she said, "Discretion will serve us best I think, but if I tell you to indulge yourself, droid, know that you have my permission to get your hands bloody."
"Eager statement: I shall await that order with much anticipation.
After that things happened quickly. Avaryss and her boarding party made for the airlock, readying their weapons. Rink returned to the bridge to prepare for his part in the plan, while Quenya stayed close to guard the airlock. The Devish was not pleased with being left behind, but Avaryss assured her that it was necessary.
"You are my wild card, Quenya," she informed her, "It is safe to say that the conspiracy has no knowledge that you serve me. We left no survivors to suggest otherwise."
The alien girl nodded.
"This is being true; I will do my best to stay out of sight, my lord, unless you are needing me."
She takes to orders well, and is becoming more accepting of my commands, good, Avaryss thought to herself.
Quenya was coming along faster that she thought.
When Avaryss gave the order, things happened quickly, despite the artificial gravity on board, the whole crew felt when Rink used the planetoid's gravity to slingshot them around the rock and come in hot against the station. Holli had activated the jammers aboard the Fury, but was not sure they would be effective, the transmitter aboard the station was quite powerful; there was always a chance it could get a message out.
We must move swiftly, Avaryss realized.
We have little time.
The stations point defense lasers fired on the Fury, but they were no match for the Sith craft's shields. Rink did just as he promised and brought them down on the airlock on the first try.
The Sith wasted no time, Holli's data pad was interfaced with the airlock as soon as they were secured, and the door hissed open a minute or two later.
Avaryss and her boarding party stormed the communication's station. Her senses were hyper-alert, seeking any danger through the Force.
The resistance they met was minimal.
Two repair droids tried to block their path with cutting lasers, but they were no match for Avaryss. Holli and Beric fired ion rifles at two more inert droids to make sure they would be unable to come up behind the group and cause any trouble. HK Sigma Three stuck close to his new master, the droid's rifle moved fluidly, checking for any threats to her person.
Avaryss was pleased.
The droid seemed perfect for the role of a bodyguard.
He would serve her well in more dangerous situations.
Using the map that Vogga had provided, the group had little trouble heading for the station's command deck.
So far none of the crew had come out to try and stop them. Avaryss could sense them through the Force, a blend of fear and determination.
The young Sith frowned.
She would have preferred that the men been terrified, that would have made things easier.
Warmaster Feore had wanted the stations communications logs, all of them. According to the Warmaster, Niro the Hutt had contacted this place directly three times in the days leading up to Avaryss' arrival, the last call being placed the very day that Avaryss had struck Lord Vogga's businesses.
It was here that they hoped to find out who it was that had motivated the Hutt to betray his Sith allies, and if they happened to find any information on the conspiracy, so much the better.
Avaryss shivered with anticipation.
Something was here, she thought.
She could feel it.
As they entered the station's central chamber, they heard voices, voices and the sound of electrical discharges, and the sound of something metal falling heavily.
Avaryss red eyes widened.
No.
A single door stood between her and her quarry, she did not wait for it to open, or to be locked.
She reached out with the Force and ripped it off its moorings; she flung it out of the way like it was nothing.
She and her crew strode into the chamber.
They arrived to find the communications consoles in shambles.
The station's five men crew stood before her, a mix of shock and horror radiating from them through the Force.
Behind them a hologram shimmered, a bluish figure clad in the robes of the Jedi.
Avaryss snarled.
Too late, the darkness within her growled.
Too late!
The Jedi was a young woman, human from the look of her; she may have been Avaryss' age or a few years older. Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled up in an intense bun, with a small braid hanging down behind her right ear. She regarded the new arrivals with a frigid gaze, her dark eyes cold and calculating.
When she spoke, her voice had no emotion; they might have well been addressed by a droid.
"You are too late, Sith," the hologram assured her, "These men have already destroyed the communication logs."
The Jedi did not smile, but it was clear that she took some pleasure in the Sith being denied her prize.
"You came here…for nothing."
Avaryss glared at the girl, she had no idea who this person was, but already she hated her.
"Not for nothing," Avaryss said with a sneer, "I've seen your face, Jedi, and since you are here, it is safe to say that this station has been working with those who have been conspiring against the Empire."
She laughed coldly.
"I'm getting closer to you, and your master."
The Jedi remained cold and distant, Avaryss felt nothing from her , whether that was because it was only a hologram, or the fact the girl's Jedi control was that complete she could not say.
"You have no idea what is going on here, Sith," she said, "Your chaotic Empire is doomed, even now your lords are tearing at each other like dogs. When the time comes the Republic will not even need to fire a shot to end you."
"I've heard that before, Jedi," she said, "You underestimate us, and the power of the dark side. We are stronger than you realize."
Her eyes fell on the five crew men who had destroyed her prize. Human's all, only a flicker of the Force in each. They were barely worth her time, but they had stolen her prize from her.
That needed to be answered.
Her smile turned cold.
"I think a small demonstration is in order."
She felt, for the briefest of moments, a twinge within the girl, fear perhaps?
The emotion was gone almost as soon as she felt it, buried beneath the Jedi's will.
The girl regarded the men who had done her bidding coldly.
"These men are beneath you, Sith."
"Well you aren't wrong," Avaryss agreed.
"They are unarmed, and know nothing. Their task was simply to record and report."
The Jedi pinned her with a cold gaze.
"You have no reason to harm them."
"Don't I?" Avaryss said a hint of amusement in her voice.
The fact that she is concerned for these men is reason enough, the darkness whispered in the back of her mind.
Make them suffer!
She was extremely tempted.
"You men," she called out, "Tell me one useful piece of information and I will not kill you, you have my word, I swear it in the name of the Emperor."
Say nothing," he hologram said, "The Sith must know nothing.
"We will say nothing," the men repeated in unison.
"The Sith must know nothing."
Avaryss sneered.
Weak minded fools, she thought.
"Is this how the Jedi Order wins the loyalty of its followers?" she asked, "By using the Force to manipulate them into aiding them?"
"Your oppressive Empire is the greatest threat the galaxy has ever faced," the girl said coldly.
"We will go to any length to see you stopped, Sith."
"Will you?" Avaryss said, "how interesting."
She reached out with the Force.
She crushed the neck of one of the men with barely a thought.
He slumped dead on the deck.
"NO!" the Jedi hologram shouted.
Avaryss seized a second through the Force and bounced him off the bulkhead with enough force to shatter every bone in the man's body.
As he crumpled like a broken toy, she turned to the Jedi hologram and glared.
The Jedi's eyes flared with fury.
"There was no need for…"
"YOU DID THIS!" Avaryss spat at her, "I came here for communications logs. It is you that decided to stick your nose in this. It is you, through your orders; that doomed these men."
She turned back to the three survivors.
"Two down, three to go," she laughed, "Shall we go again?"
"Sith," the Jedi hissed, her calm fading quickly, Avaryss could almost feel the hate boiling beneath the Jedi's calm, even from here.
Interesting.
The three remaining men looked at each other; she could feel their terror now. Seeing their allies die shook them out of whatever stupor the Jedi's mind trick had left them in.
Avaryss raised her hand; a spell was already on her lips. She had not used this one in a while, she was eager to see what would be left of the man she tested it on, she…"
One of the men broke.
He spun around and looked at the hologram.
"Padawan Loor….Xen…help us!"
The girl winced.
Avaryss laughed, she lowered her hand, grinning in triumph.
"Give the man a prize," she crowed, "I asked for one piece of information for your lives, and he won it!"
She regarded the hologram with a cold smile.
"Padawan Xen Loor, I presume?"
The Padawan glared at her.
"That name will give you nothing, Sith."
"Perhaps," she shrugged, "But it does give me a place to look, unless you were smart enough to give these fools a false name."
The girl did not respond; she simply stared daggers at Avaryss.
"I didn't think so," the Sith said.
This whole conspiracy thing was still too new to the Jedi.
The usefulness of a false name escaped them.
"You have what you came for Sith," Xen Loor said flatly, "You promised to spare these men, do so."
"Yes, I promised that I would not kill them, and believe it or not, I'm a woman of my word."
Avaryss turned with a merry smile on her lips, and began to walk back towards the airlock Beric and Holli regarded her curiously, no doubt wondering if it was simply going to end this way.
Avaryss stopped; she did not even bother to look at the hologram when she gave the order.
"HK," she said.
"Query: Yes master."
Avaryss giggled.
"Indulge yourself."
"Thank you, master."
The droid slung his rifle over his shoulder and raised his left arm; the hand opened up, and slid back revealing a short barrel...
"NOOO!" the hologram shouted.
HK Sigma 3 did not listen.
A ball of orange flame leapt from the assassin droid, followed closely by a stream of fire. The surviving techs did not even have time to scream.
The droid doused them all in a matter of seconds; the burning bodies fell to the deck their screams cut short by the heat of the fire.
The chamber filled with smoke and the stink of burning meat.
Avaryss shuddered with pleasure.
Yes, she thought, feeling the men dying.
Oh yesss!
"Excited statement:" HK said loudly, "I HAVE A FLAMETHROWER!"
Despite the horror of the situation, Holli chuckled.
"I thought you might like that one," she said, "Kids love them, or so I hear."
Avaryss turned back to the hologram. Padawan Loor stood there, her dark eyes wide, her mouth twitched.
The girl radiated horror.
"No," she gasped, "No."
Avaryss grinned.
"I said that I would not kill them," she reminded the girl.
"I never said anything about the droid."
The Padawan did not seem to have heard her.
Yet, when her eyes found Avaryss, they blazed with black hate.
"Not again," she hissed, raising her hand.
"NEVER AGAIN."
Avaryss gasped, she felt the Force wrapping around her throat like a garrote. She had no idea where the Jedi was, but…
Damn, she thought.
The girl has a good grip.
The Sith did not claw at her throat. The choke was not that strong, though she did feel the Force tightening.
Another Sith would have killed her instantly. Another Sith would have made the grip so tight she would not have been able to think, much less use the Force.
The Jedi girl was no Sith, the move was clumsy, a child lashing out with no real understanding of what she was truly doing.
It was not hard for Avaryss to bring her defenses to bear, to protect herself from the clumsy attack.
She gestured, feeling the pressure fade.
She grinned at the Padawan.
"Naughty Jedi," she hissed, "very naughty."
Xen Loor pinned her with a murderous gaze.
"When your foul Empire falls, I will find you Sith. There is no place in the galaxy that you will be able to hide."
"You will not have to look far, Jedi, trust me."
The hologram winked out.
Avaryss grinned.
A very naughty Jedi indeed, she thought.
Xen Loor.
She would remember that name.
The station's fire suppression system kicked on, spraying the burning corpses and bulk heads with foam.
Avaryss and her crew retreated.
Beric seemed troubled by what he had seen. HK Sigma 3 was practically bouncing, the droid equivalent of excitement for his role in the mission.
Holli came up beside Avaryss, she looked worried.
"We did not get what we came for," the engineer said.
"No we did not," Avaryss agreed.
"Then we failed."
"Not at all," Avaryss said, "We know that the conspiracy did have a hand in this place and that they likely aided Niro the Hutt and tried to block us."
The Sith grinned.
"And now, we have a new name to follow. We know the name of Xen Loor."
Avaryss laughed.
"A Padawan has a master, who knows, he or she may even be the one we seek, the one behind all this."
Holi nodded, she saw her leader's point, but….
"I think you made an enemy today," the engineer said.
Again Avaryss laughed.
"An enemy," she said, feeling more pleased than she had in a while.
Xen Loor, she thought a very naughty Jedi.
Was the girl an enemy?
"We will see, Holli," she said.
"We will see."