Chapter 46: The Message
"Watch it, boss, you got more incoming!"
Avaryss did not need to hear Rink though her ear piece to know that was true. It was within moments that the now familiar yodeling war cry of the Kaii people rang out, and with it, the yellow sky with its brown clouds filled, once again, with spears and throwing disks.
All around them the jungle echoed with shrieks and sounds of battle. The forest, a blend of giant mushrooms and trees that resembled long reeds with fluffy tops the forest hid the natives well…
…Right up until the time they tried to rain down death on the invaders.
Avaryss used the Force to seize one of the blue plumed aliens. They looked humanoid, bipedal, but the similarity ended there. The Kaii were about her height with white leathery skin, long arms and legs, and plumes of either blue or bright yellow fur. Their features were hidden behind what looked like gas masks with long stalk like eyes. The blue ones also had insect like wings, they fluttered through the air darting back and forth, avoiding blaster fire that gave them an edge over Avaryss and her followers.
It was an edge that Avaryss used the Force to remove.
She used the Force to fling the alien against the thick trunk of a large mushroom. The creature hit hard and fell to the ground. She would have gone in for the kill, finished the creature off before one of the Kaii healers could get the creature back on its feet, but she was cut off as another enemy emerged to challenge her.
She brought up her lightsaber as another native swordsman leapt down from one of the giant mushrooms that dotted that forest. The creature's sword of bone and plant fiber should have shredded under the crimson blade, but instead merely sparked, held and forced the young Sith to parry another wild attack.
Avaryss snarled in anger and lunged again, the creature's fighting style was rough and unorthodox, but it didn't fall apart under the strain of Makashi, between that and aid of the warrior's fellows, the Sith and her crew found themselves in jeopardy.
Filth, Avaryss thought as she parried another of the warrior's strikes, it does not matter how many of these things the Jedi throw at us, I will not be denied!
We will reach our target.
At her side Beric, HK Sigma 3, and Ensign Holli fired heavy blaster carbines, trying to keep the enemy at bay. Quenya stayed behind the group, using the Force to throw off the path of the projectiles raining down on them. The Kaii of the planet Vennoa-Skaii were a primitive race. They lived in communal villages, rode domesticated beasts, and harvested from the forest to survive. They should have been no problem for a Sith and her crew, but they were.
The Kaii were also moderately Force sensitive. They used that tinge of the Force to turn their throwing spears and disks into projectiles as fast and lethal as any rocket propelled ordinance.
They were far more than mere primitives; that was for sure.
She showed them…no mercy.
Avaryss' blade sliced off the warrior's hand; he tried to stumble away only to lose his head to spinning strike as the young Sith advanced.
I will not be denied, she thought.
She sent a blast of Force lightning up at the flying Kaii forcing them to withdrawal again, the aliens fell back into the foliage…
And then…just like that…they were gone.
Sighing, Avaryss lowered her lightsaber.
Another ambushed endured…for now.
"How are we looking, Rink?" she said into her comlink.
Her earpiece crackled as her pilot reported.
"They're falling back, boss, but the ship's sensors are losing them, something in the forest is interfering with our sensors.
Avaryss cursed under her breath. After the first ambush she had had Rink take to the air. The Fury was now in high orbit of their position. She had been hoping it would have given them more warning about future attacks.
It had not worked out that way.
They had arrived on the planet four hours ago, and had faced half dozen ambushes in that time. The natives were quickly proving more troublesome than Darth Baras had thought.
Unsurprising, Avaryss thought.
Why else would the dark lord use an agent outside of his own house?
If they succeeded he got to claim a victory.
If they failed, it cost him nothing.
Ah the beauty of Sith politics.
IOI
Darth Baras had responded quickly when Avaryss sent a request for an audience. It had not been twenty minutes, when the hyper-comm beeped and the image of the broad shouldered masked dark lord appeared before her.
She had smiled and tried to put her best foot forward, with Lord Feer currently occupied, Baras was likely their best option.
Avaryss was determined not to anger him.
He had been a bit surprised by her call, with everything that was happening in the Zahn system, he had suspected that she would have been called away to serve at her master's side.
"Lord Feer understands the value of my mission, Lord Baras," she had informed him, "He has trusted me to continue the hunt in his absence."
Her answer could have been considered a lie, but the dark lord bought it, or at least pretended to.
She could sense his amusement through the Force.
"I'm surprised that your master would do so, youngster," he said, "My own master, Darth Vengean, as well as several council members have also made for the Zahn system."
The dark lord crossed his arms over his large chest.
"Given that…I would have thought your master would need you at his side."
"I'm sure with so many powerful Sith in attendance, the matter will be dealt with swiftly, Lord Baras, but in the meantime the stars continue to burn and the planets spin on."
She gave him a sly smile.
"The matters of empire still need to be tended to."
"Well said girl," Baras replied, he might have smiled, but she could not tell with the dark lord's mask in place.
"Well said."
"In the course of my investigation into the conspiracy against the empire, I've recently turned up a name. I was hoping that your agents might be able to turn up something useful on her, perhaps even her location.
She grinned.
"The two of us have matters to discuss."
The dark lord nodded, though he did not volunteer any information, not that she was surprised.
You did not rise to the rank of Darth by being trusting.
"My agents might be able to aid you child," he nodded, "But as you so put it so succinctly during our last conversation, what is in it for me?"
"I'm still owed that translation key for the report you sent me," she reminded him, "beyond that would you seriously say no to having me owe you a favor? I've proven my value among the order, have I not?"
"You are skilled; no one doubts that," he said, "As for the key, I will send it now. As for your question…feel free to ask, if I think it is worth my time I will tell you what I know."
It was not much Avaryss realized, but it was better than nothing.
She nodded and gave the dark lord the name of Xen Loor.
Lord Baras' reaction was…interesting.
Baras liked to be in control, to know more than either his allies or his adversaries. She sensed a brief sensation of surprise from the elder Sith, but that was quickly buried beneath his mental shields.
"Xen Loor," he said, "that is the person you wish to know about?"
"It is," Avaryss nodded, "She is a Jedi Padawan. I'm curious what you agents might be able to turn up on her."
The dark lord chuckled.
"It seems that our interests are once again aligned, youngster," he said, "I've heard that name several times in the course of my own investigations into this…conspiracy. In fact you will likely hear it again yourself when you are unlock the report I've sent you."
Baras reached off screen; his hologram shimmered and quickly returned to normal.
"I've just added a layer of security to our conversation," he informed her, "Can't be too careful in such interesting times."
""I guess what you have to tell me is a bit on the juicy side, my lord?"
"It could be called that, I suppose," he admitted.
"There are several names in the report I sent you, child. I'm sure you would take the time to investigate them all one by one, but perhaps there is a way to work around that. A central figure that might mean more to this than even I realized. This person, this name, stood out for me personally, a thorn in the side of the empire that should have been eliminated long ago."
Avaryss laughed.
"Let me guess, you would like me to…take care of this problem?"
"I would not be angry if you did," Baras admitted, "And as it happens this Xen Loor you mentioned does run in the same circles as the one I mentioned, his end might be just what you need to draw the Padawan into the open."
"It might," she replied, nodding, "Who is this person that vexes you so, my lord?"
"His name is Brandol Venari," the dark lord said, "A Jedi Master and former member of the Jedi High Council."
The dark lord's words sent a shiver down her spine.
Not just a Jedi Master, but one of the high masters.
She was…intrigued.
"Tell me about this man?"
IOI
As Avaryss and her crew made their way through the jungle, she thought about what Lord Baras had told her about their target.
Brandol Venari was one of the most venerated Jedi of his age. He was well into his second century of life, and had served for almost sixty years as a member of the Jedi council, a record among human Jedi.
He had also trained many Jedi during that time. Many of these had gone on to hold high posts within the order.
"What of Xen Loor," she had asked, "Is she one of Master Venari's students?"
She is not," Baras had informed her, "But the one who is training her was. The man holds great prominence among the Jedi, and has served for many years now as the liaison between the Jedi Order and the Republic Senate."
"Do you happen to know the name of this man?" she had asked, feeling a sense of excitement she had not felt before.
That excitement had only grown when he finally answered.
"Xen Loor is the Padawan learner of Jedi Master Sy Dar Bynn."
Avaryss' eyes had widened when she heard the name.
Sy Dar Bynn?
Baras tilted his head.
"You have heard the name before?"
"I know a Jas Dar Bynn," she admitted, "We've have…encountered each other in the past."
"Jas Dar Bynn is the man's twin brother, his identical twin I've been told."
Darth Baras chuckled.
"Given their reputations though, I cannot think of two brothers who are farther alike."
Avaryss nodded.
Jas Dar Bynn's brother, she thought, was that why he was hesitant to tell me what he had learned about the conspiracy?
Did he suspect that his own brother was involved?
If that was true, then she could certainly understand why the Jedi had chosen to say nothing. Family was family after all. She had heard that the Jedi try to minimize their feelings of attachment, but…
…A man's twin brother, his identical twin…that might be enough to motivate even a Jedi to remain silent about someone's wrong doings.
"The report I've sent you will confirm that this…Xen Loor has visited Master Venari several times, and all of them on the behalf of Republic SIS. One might think that she was being sent to get orders from a leader."
It was possible, she thought.
"What kind of man is this Master Venari? What are his politics?"
"He was most unhappy about the signing of the treaty of Coruscant, or so my agents have led me to believe. It seems that he chose to enter exile rather than accept the Senate and Council's decision on the matter. He has lived like a hermit since the war ended, choosing to remain on a primitive world on the fringes of Republic space."
Baras stood a little straighter.
"Venari is not the first Jedi to choose such a fate, several high ranking Jedi chose to step down from the order proper in protest of the Senate's choice to end the war. They now live simply, trying to stay hidden as they meditate on what went wrong."
"And the Empire just allows such tempting targets to exist?" Avaryss inquired, "You would think that the Emperor would want such possible threats removed."
"We are of a like mind in this matter, youngster," Baras has agreed, "When I first learned of the existence of these…Jedi hermits, I advised the dark council to act quickly and eliminate them."
The Dark Lord shook his head.
"They refused to act, not wishing to jeopardize the treaty."
"Yet they will shed no tears if one of these Jedi falls," Avaryss said grinning, "I can't imagine that they will be too upset to hear of the death of one of the high masters of the Jedi Council."
"I suspect that they wouldn't, child," he nodded, "Especially if this Jedi is caught up in a conspiracy against us."
"Killing the master might just draw out the former student," she added, "If Venari is the leader of this conspiracy his death will send a message to the others, and if he is not, if his former student is behind all this…"
"Such a death may convince the student to act rashly, to come into the open."
Baras chuckled.
"You have a sharp mind, child. You will make a fine lord one day."
Avaryss was not flattered by his comment; she had already deduced what was going on.
He said it himself, he wanted this Jedi eliminated. Right now he was playing to her sense of patriotism and vanity, but the endgame was the death of a senior Jedi Master.
If she failed, then one of Baras' rivals had lost an apprentice, and if she succeeded, the old man could go to his master Darth Vengean and tell the tale of how he manipulated his rival's apprentice to get the job done, while their hands remained clean.
It was a good scheme, she had to admit, and if she wanted any further aid from him she would need to play along, but carefully, mindfully.
She had no desire to simply become another one of the Baras' pawns.
"Tell me more about Sy Dar Bynn and Xen Loor; surely you have had agents looking into them, considering their involvement with Master Venari?"
Baras chuckled.
"Let us call that information child, the reward for finishing this job. I will give you the location of Mater Venari's hermitage. If he is slain, I will tell you what I know about Sy Dar Bynn and his apprentice."
Avaryss shrugged.
It was likely she would have to kill the old Jedi anyway; she might as well get something out of it.
"So be it," she said, "I will deal with this problem for you."
"Oh it is more than a mere problem girl; do not let your own pride blind you to the danger. Despite his advanced age, Master Venari is still quite dangerous. If I were you, I would be very cautious in confronting him."
"I will be mindful," she promised, "Now…where can I find this Jedi?"
He had told her, and that knowledge had brought her to Vennoa-Skaii, and once again they found themselves under attack.
This time the locals popped up out of a small river to their right, trying to flank them. While that was going on more of the blue furred winged creatures lobbed down spears and throwing disks from the giant mushrooms high above.
Once again Avaryss blocked these attacks; she sent a blast of Force lightning into the water, trying to draw out their attackers.
A throwing disk knocked HK off his feet, but the natives did not have time to take advantage of that. The droid fired the grenade launcher built into its hip, and after three grenades set one of the mushrooms above them on fire, the Kaii once again retreated into the forest, leaving the broken bodies of several of their fellows behind some burned from HK's attack, and others hacked down by Avaryss and Quenya's lightsabers.
Avaryss shivered.
After so many attacks, even she was starting to get rattled.
The natives were proving to be more dangerous than she could have anticipated.
She could feel the fear from her crew as well; even Beric and Holli who were used to dangerous environments seemed rattled. She could feel the sense of panic they held in check, but any more such attacks and they would likely flee, or ask that she summon Rink so that they could escape.
To be honest she was contemplating such an escape herself.
This hunt was not going the way she had hoped.
Beric looked exhausted, he was sweating buckets. Holli swallowed hard, the grease stains that her changeling abilities always seemed to create on her face flowed over her skin like water. Only Quenya and HK seemed unaffected. Droids could not be demoralized, they would fight despite the odds, and the Devish had developed a sort of death wish, she did not care if she lived or died.
Avaryss wished she could be so fatalistic.
I can't die here, she thought.
I CAN'T!
The Kaii were not going to give up, they were scared of her, but they were also motivated, they would give their lives if need be to drive off the invaders threatening their world, and the one that had settled here, the Jedi that had come here as a friend.
We will never reach him; a fearful voice within Avaryss seemed to say.
Never!
Avaryss shook her head; she had never felt so helpless; not since the night her family had been taken from her. She…
"Master Avaryss?"
Avaryss ignored Quenya, what did the fool Devish want now; could she not see they were in a bad way? Did she not understand?
"We are being under attack, Master Avaryss," the alien girl growled, "Reach out with your mind; defend yourself."
Avaryss shook her head.
They were…under attack, but the Kaii had retreated... they had survived and she was so tired. She had lowered her shields to rest after pushing herself so hard, how could they be…
The young Sith blinked again, she reached down inside her, calling on the dark side again. She wrapped herself in its cold embrace, forming a shield as hard and unforgiving as Mandalorean iron.
The panic…the sense of hopelessness receded, her will pushed it back like the tide, and when it fled, new emotions came in.
Anger.
Hate.
Fury!
She growled like a hungry Tukata.
Quenya had been right, they were under attack!
"Aid me Quenya," she ordered, "Draw on your power, help me shield the group."
The Devish nodded.
The two Force users connected, Avaryss immediately felt the change in the air, and in her companions.
She sneered.
Damn you Jedi.
She thought.
Damn you straight to hell!
"What…what was that," Holli asked.
"My lord," Beric said shaking his head, "I feel…"
"The Jedi filth is playing games," she growled, "Baras warned me to be mindful and I didn't listen."
She shook her head.
"He could have told me the Jedi knew the art of the battle meditation. I could have prepared us better."
"Battle meditation?" Holli asked, sounding confused.
Avaryss nodded.
Yes, she knew.
Battle meditation.
She should have known.
Battle meditation was the art of using the Force to not only demoralize your enemies, but to also inspire your allies. A single skilled Force user could use the ability to terrifying effect during combat. The archives back on Korriban had given many examples of both Jedi and Sith using the ability to turn the tides of battle. The clearest example of such was the Battle of the Star Forge some three centuries ago. It was said that Darth Malak's apprentice had switched sides during the conflict, whether to simply destroy her master or because she had grown weak and fallen to the light, few scholars could agree on what had happened; all they knew was the result.
The Sith had failed, and the Star Forge had been lost.
The Empire would have to wait three more centuries before it was strong enough to try again.
Avaryss sighed.
It was another ability that she had no talent for. It, like Force Persuasion, was beyond her, but she could shield herself, and the others, at least for now.
But what happens when another ambush comes?
What will you do when the battle meditation enhanced Kaii fall on you again?
What am I going to do?
What can I do?
Simple, the dark voice within her said, you stop playing the mundane hunter and you start acting like a Sith Lord.
How would a Sith Lord solve this problem?
How would one of the sorcerers of old solve it?
You send a message, a very strong message.
Avaryss grinned.
She knew a way.
"Gather round," she informed her crew.
"Things are about to get interesting."
She gestured towards the ground, using the Force she drew a line in the dirt around them, it moved quickly around the group, forming a perfect circle, one large enough to include them all. She spoke quickly into her comlink, informing Rink to go to a higher orbit, just in case.
She had never attempted this before.
She had no intention of being stranded on this rock of something went wrong.
"Shield the others Quenya," she ordered, "the rest of you, keep the Kaii back if they try to advance again. They must not break my concentration."
"What are you going to do?" her brother asked.
"I'm going to be a Sith," she said with a smile, "This forest stands in our way. It shields our enemy and gives him succor, there is only one answer…when in doubt…don't fight through the forest…"
Her smile turned predatory.
"Destroy the Forest."
"Excited exclamation," HK said looking at her, "Shall I engage my flamethrower, master? I'm most eager to burn something."
"Save your fuel, HK," she said, "I can handle this."
"Destroy the forest," Holli said, "How?"
"Like this," Avaryss said turning away from them and gesturing with her hands, all the while she reached down deep within her, seeking the heart of darkness, the true power of the dark side.
Her eyes rolled back into her head as she began the chant. The spell she was calling on was powerful, but not dangerous as some she had learned over the years.
It would serve her well.
She had first discovered it while studying the scrolls she had liberated from the forgotten tomb on Korriban. Those scrolls had proved to be the true treasure of her final trial. After her adventure on Hoth, she had returned to her studies, reread the scroll, and memorized this particular spell just for this sort of occasion.
Their Sith ancestors knew how to deal with enemies, the one in the forgotten tomb equally so. Though Avaryss had found no record of her name, she had been intrigued by what the woman had accomplished.
The ancient Sith who had been buried there had been a woman of great power, according to the scrolls she had been one of the first Dark Jedi to choose to mate with one of the Sith High priests. She had been ostracized for that act at the time, but their union had not only yielded strong Force sensitive progeny, but it had also given the girl access to spells that her fellows would not come to understand until much later. When they finally realized that she had been right to embrace their red skinned servants as not only weapons, but an excellent breeding stock as well.
Thinking about that made her think of Fehl again, and with that thought the rage at his death returned, giving her even more power for her spell.
She did not deny that anger, that pain, she let it flow into her feeding the darkness.
It would feed her spell, and the power she was about to unleash.
She welcomed it.
"You got contact coming in from the west, boss," Rink said over his communicator.
"Can't say how many."
Avaryss ignored him; she trusted Beric and the others.
They would keep the Kaii at bay.
"Contact! Contact!" Beric shouted.
"Open fire!"
"Assassination protocols engaged die meat bags!"
"Shield Master Avaryss!
"HK don't waste your ammo, use your secondary weapons too, they are part of your defensive protocols."
Avaryss only partially heard her crew. She was someplace beyond them now, beyond the world of flesh.
It was an extraordinary experience.
The world had fallen away, her body seemed distant; she felt…she felt like a snake that had shed its skin.
She had emerged glistening, lost in a world of pure emotion.
She could feel her crew's fears, their courage, and their anger. She could feel the Kaii people's emotions as well, that and the bolstering they were enjoying from the Jedi Master, the puppeteer hiding behind the wall of spears, swords and throwing disks.
Avaryss almost laughed.
She could sense the Jedi's concern; he knew something was wrong; he tried to will the Kaii on, no doubt hoping they would destroy her before she could complete her work.
He would be disappointed.
She found that she could look down, that she could see her own body. The shell of Avaryss now floated a good two feet off the ground, surrounded by a bubble of violet blue energy. The blades and spears of the Kaii could not breach it, but Avaryss' people's blaster bolts seemed to emerge just fine.
Her body seemed to be glowing with dark side energy, energy that was feeding off the conflict around them. The crystals built into her helmet mask and wrist bracer glowed bright crimson, beneath her black cloak the Sith tattoos that adorned her spine pulsed with each beat of her heart. Her eyes were open but unseeing, they glowed like twin suns.
Twin suns?
A sense of vertigo overwhelmed her.
She felt herself be carried away from the battle.
The galaxy opened up to her.
She saw a small blonde haired boy sitting amidst a sea of junk, he wiping at tears threatening to fall as he tried to fix an old droid.
The world changed again.
She saw two men sitting in a luxurious apartment, one human, and one alien. The alien slouched in his chair, his eyes out of focus as the red haired older human talked.
She watched as the alien's head finally dipped down, the glass he had been holding fell from his hand.
The human paused mid-speech, he stared at the alien, and then, with a slight nod, he raised his hand.
Force lightning blasted the alien as the human vented years of hate and vengeance.
A Sith must arrange his own promotion, she thought, and then she was gone again.
The galaxy shifted.
She saw her master; he had his lightsaber in hand. He was…retreating.
All around him she saw shambling wrecks that had once been people. The mere sight of them made her shudder.
They had been living…once. Now they were kept aloft by mechanical devices. All were clad in the ruins of imperial uniforms, their rotted flesh barely holding their frames together.
She watched as her master fought, blasting the creatures with Force lightning, and then…then…
A strange red cloud seemed to rush from out of nowhere.
Her master shrieked and fled.
The world shifted again.
What had happened!
I NEED TO KNOW!
She tried to control her path, but it was no use.
Darth Feer was beyond her vision again. she…she…
She gasped.
She found herself back with her crew. The air roiled the wind shrieked like an abandoned child. Lightning crackled off the bubble of pure dark side energy she had gathered.
In that briefest of moments, she saw the old Jedi Master. She saw Brandol Venari. He was small and wizened; he was bald except for a thin ring of hair around his head, that and the long silver braid that ran down his back. He was still muscular despite his advanced years. His arms and chest hinted at the physical power he must have wielded in his youth. His eyes were closed and he was bathed in sweat, she could feel him trying to reach out to the Kaii, trying to warn them away.
Too late for that, she thought.
Far too late, Jedi fool!
In that moment, she thought he could see her standing before her.
No, she thought she heard him whisper.
Stop.
She smiled.
No, she thought.
I have a message for you old one.
She raised her hands.
"Behold the dark side!"
She brought her hands together, the clap sounded like thunder.
The world roared around her.
Avaryss gasped.
She was back in her body, she found herself kneeling on the ground.
All around her the world had become a fiery hell.
The dark side spell she had unleashed pulsed out like a tidal wave and what it touched it obliterated! Giant mushrooms withered and collapsed the fluffy trees burst into flames, their tops blowing away in bright orange cinders.
She felt the Kaii panic when she set off the blast. They had tried to flee.
They were not fast enough.
Those consumed by her spell withered to skeletons in a microsecond. Those who made it to cover burst into flames, their agony, their death cries filling the Force with a terrible cacophony of pain and torment.
Avaryss giggled.
It was delicious!
"My lord?"
She took a deep breath, and swallowed hard.
"I'm…here," she gasped, "I'm back."
She laughed.
"Beware the dark side," she cackled.
In a small puddle where she knelt she saw her reflection, she had lost her mask during the spell.
The sight gave her pause.
She looked exhausted, like she had not slept for weeks; great dark bags were prominent beneath her eyes. Her cheeks were sunken in and bruised. Her forehead creased with wrinkles.
She shook her head.
The price of power, she thought, but not permanent for one who knows the ancient ways.
Her vanity made her laugh; did it really matter if she looked twenty years older? She had done it.
She looked up.
The path was now clear.
The jungle had been blasted away for several miles in every direction. The spell seemed to have run its course, but the damage had been done.
She tried to stand, her joints creaked, but she managed to find her feet. Her cloak and gloves were covered with frost, the cold had been so intense that she could even see her crew mates breath in the air.
An impressive display to be sure, she thought, a most impressive display.
She could see why the ancient Sith had coveted such a spell.
She reached out with the Force.
She felt the Jedi's presence, his horror at what she had unleashed.
His reaction amused.
Don't worry Jedi you will not have to feel such pain much longer.
"This way," she ordered.
She stumbled only once, but Beric had made sure she had not fallen.
The crew looked at her with a sense of…awe…fear?
It was probably both.
She smiled as she drank in the dark side energy that now permeated this place, using it to restore her features and physical strength.
She would need both if she was to defeat a Jedi high master.
She was eager to face that test.
Ready or not, she thought with a smile.
Here I come.