Chapter 49: A Loyal Daughter
Darth Baras had advised her to lay low and wait for him to contact her. Avaryss had decided to take that advice, and ordered Rink to bring them out of hyperspace and set course for one of the more…outlier space stations within the Empire. Finding such a place was not difficult; the Empire had expanded quickly since the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant. Dozens of supply and trade stations had popped up since the war had ended. Once again proving the superiority to the Empire over their Republic rivals
The Republic Senate would never have been able to move so quickly to consolidate new holdings. Only the Sith had the strength and skill to see such progress come to pass.
Was it any wonder why they had won the last war?
The station was familiar to Avaryss, or rather, its design was. In many ways it reminded her of the pleasure stops that the Empire had established for their acolytes to use during their brief stops between the various Sith Academies in the Empire.
She smiled slightly at the familiar sight, remembering her own training, her own adventures on such stations.
These were memories to be treasured that was for sure.
According to the ship's computer, the station here was used primarily for shipping military supplies to the Empire's newer holdings. It had a full crew compliment, somewhere between five hundred and six hundred soldiers and officers. The establishments offered visitors were not as extensive as one of the pleasure stations would have been, but there was several cantinas and even a fighting pit if one wished to test themselves.
As good a place as any to stop and wait, she thought, who knew how long it would take Darth Baras' agents to carry out their mission, quickly, she hoped.
She had no desire to give her enemies time to prepare a response to her recent actions. She wanted the conspirators angry and emotional.
It would make things easier, she had a plan, but everything needed to move quickly.
She hoped that the Dark Lords agents worked quickly.
She called her crew together before she allowed them to disembark. She was not really worried about Holli or Beric, they were both career military, they knew how to behave themselves around Sith and Imperial personal.
Quenya and Rink, however, she wanted to make sure they understood what they were getting into.
"If there are any Sith Acolytes on this station, do nothing to provoke them," she warned, "Most are only just learning about who they are, and their place in the dark side, when a person wields such power they can be…unpredictable."
"What could happen," Rink asked, "Would someone try to kill me for looking at them funny?"
"I would like to say no, but…"
Rink frowned.
"You're serious?"
Avaryss gave a cruel smile.
"Deadly serious, do not provoke anyone. I will have my comlink on, if trouble does seem eminent, contact me, my place as a Darth's apprentice should go far to diffusing any situation."
"What if you are being indisposed," Quenya asked.
Avaryss shrugged.
"Then pray that you are stronger than the one threatening you."
Both the former street rat and the Devish looked at each other.
Avaryss was not trying to scare them, but they needed to be mindful.
Sith acolytes could be dangerous, she knew that very well.
She had been quite dangerous herself during her time as a acolyte, she had felt the heady sensation of dark side power, to one so…unseasoned, unused to having such authority, that power could be too tempting to resist.
The young Sith shook her head, she knew what it was like, that feeling of almost invincibility, she had felt it herself once.
It could make someone foolish.
It had only been about two years since she had begun her apprenticeship under Darth Feer, and yet, her days as an acolyte now seemed like a lifetime ago. Her duties and missions had all but consumed her, her accomplishments and desires eclipsing those of the girl that had fled Oridanna in a cargo container so long ago.
Keera Lylos' life seemed like a dream to her now, barely remembered. Now that she truly thought about it, she was surprised by something. She tried to recall her family their faces, and the sound of their voices, she found that she couldn't.
A shiver ran down her spine.
Had she come so far that the past no longer mattered? She could not decide if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.
Let go of the past, the darkness whispered in her ear.
The future belongs to those strong enough to seize it.
You must be strong!
She smiled slightly.
"Enjoy yourselves but remain mindful," she said, "And be ready to move at a moment's notice, as soon as we have confirmation of our target's location, we will need to move swiftly.
Her crew nodded, they seemed as ready as they would ever be.
She dismissed them with a gesture. She had some things she wanted to accomplish before she left the ship. Two-Vee and HK would keep an eye on things in their absence, but there were some matters she wished to handle privately.
The visions she had seen back before her fight with Venari still held sway over her.
She wanted to do some research while the memory of what she had seen was still fresh, and she wanted to check in with Taya, it had been too long since they had been able to speak…unfettered.
She was eager to see what her ally had learned, and how it might impact her future endeavors.
Who knew, Taya might even have some more information on what was going on in the Zahn system.
Whatever was happening in her master's holdings, it was enough to draw the attention of several dark council members.
She wanted to know, and given Taya's distance from the events, she might have heard things that people in House Feer had chosen to keep quiet.
She remembered sensing her master's fear, and the things chasing him.
What is going on my lord, she thought with a smile…
…and how can I turn it to my advantage?
She returned to her quarters, she had a small hyper-comm there, one with a built in scrambler for private conversations.
She would contact Tay from there.
She was eager to hear what her friend had heard if anything.
Knowledge was power after all, and that is what she needed.
Power.
IOI
"Whatever was going on I think it is over."
Avaryss frowned as she stared down at the tiny image of her friend. Taya was still on Dromund Kaas, which meant she had access to a lot of rumors, but few hard facts.
"What makes you say that," she inquired, "Has there been any news? Has your master heard anything?"
"Nothing beyond what is to be expected," her friend replied, "reports of fleet movements, ships being stopped from entering the system, or having their flight plans aborted by Citadel control."
Taya shook her head.
"Whatever is going on, it is above what either me or my master is cleared to know."
She leaned in closer, her head filling the holo, making it look twice the size that it actually was.
It might have been amusing had Avaryss been in the mood.
"I did hear from my father, apparently one of his trade vessels were destroyed near a planet in the Zahn system."
"How did he find out about it?" Avaryss asked.
"Citadel control informed him, and apparently he is not the only one, apparently several of his associates also lost ships, and that is not all. There have been…rumors, according to my father; something similar happened to one his associates who do business in Republic space, a planet completely sealed off. No one is quite sure why…?"
"Is this what happened in the Zahn system? Was a planet sealed off? Did your father and his friends all lose ships in the same area?"
"He couldn't really speak about it, apparently," Taya sighed, "I only managed to hear about it in passing when I was speaking to my mother on holo."
"Something weird is going on Avy. You don't need the Force to know that is true."
Avaryss nodded.
Taya was not wrong.
There was something strange going on.
Though it was not unusual for Sith Citadel control to reroute ships, the decision to completely block off a planet was a new one.
She could not say for certain what reason they might have had. What would have prompted the Council to respond in such a way?
Plus, if Taya was right, it was happening in the Republic too. What events could prompt bot the Empire and the Republic to take the same measures? The isolation of a planet suggested…what…a quarantine?
What kind of quarantine affected a whole planet? She had never heard of a disease spreading that fast. She heard tales of planets being isolated in the past because they had been newly discovered, and had had diseases that the populous was immune to, but those quarantines had only lasted long enough for the space faring culture to take blood samples and create a vaccine.
But those had all been isolated incidents, what Taya was suggesting was that a known world had needed to be isolated, and that fact once again led back to her initial question.
What kind of disease or incident could have provoked such a response, not just in the Empire, but possibly the Republic as well?
I need to know more, she thought.
I must know more.
"Keep listening," Avaryss said, "If you hear anything more, contact me immediately, I'm in the middle of something right now, but as soon as it is done, I'm going to have to deal with this."
Avaryss' crimson eyes narrowed.
"Whatever is going on involves my house, and I can't afford to be kept in the dark about it."
"I understand," Taya said, "Speaking of House Feer, I've learned something recently, something you wanted me to take a look at for you."
"The picture I found in Lady Synestra's room," she said, "What have you found?"
Taya smiled gamely.
"As it turns out, your master does have a daughter. Finding out anything about her however, was a serious chore."
"How serious?"
"So serious that the girl has guards watching her movements, most would have called it a waste of time, I probably would have if I had not known who she was.
"And who exactly is my master's daughter," Avaryss demanded, "What have you managed to find out?"
"Her name is Cynn apparently; she is seventeen years old and works as a filing clerk for the office of Imperial supply."
Avaryss frowned.
"She works for supply?"
"Yes."
"…A dark lord's daughter working as a clerk in the supply office?"
Taya smiled.
"Not what you expected is it? I'm guessing the girl did not feel so either, but I doubted she had much choice."
"Why is that?"
Taya laughed.
"It took a bit of digging on my part, but according to what I've heard from the girl's coworkers, she had little choice, she was something of a…embarrassment to the family.
"What could she have done to embarrass her parents that badly," Avaryss inquired.
"It wasn't what she did," Taya said, "It is what she is."
Her friend's smile turned into a full blown grin.
"From what I've heard, the girl's Force potential is almost non-existent. Most of the people that she works with do not even realize that her parents are full Sith, and the girl seems to go out of the way to not mention that they are."
Avaryss blinked.
"She has little Force potential?"
"That is what I've heard."
"Have you checked into that?"
"I've reached out to the girl with the Force if that is what you mean," Taya answered, "I felt her emotions, but could barely sense the dark side within her. I don't even think she realized that I was touching her mind."
Avaryss' friend shook her head.
"I cannot imagine that went over well with the father and mother. Can you imagine, Avy? Being born with two Force sensitive parents and being so…so…mundane?"
Avaryss grinned.
Finally, she thought.
What a most interesting scandal!
Was this the reason that Neither Lord Feer or Lady Synestra chose to speak of their daughter, their eldest child?
Was this the reason why that Darth Feer had sought her out in the first place? If it was so, it showed a definite sense of weakness on her master's part.
He threw away his own child because she could never be the Sith he wanted, and in trying to replace that girl, he took on me.
Avaryss shook her head.
No wonder Lady Synestra hated her so. She probably saw her as a usurper trying to take her daughter's place, a daughter that even she could not accept because of how weak she was, how she had been born. Her master's daughter was a simple mundane born of two Force rich parents.
In the higher circles of Sith politics, it would be a scandal to be sure. It might even draw into question their union. Bael might have been strong in the Force, but his person weaknesses would be his end one day.
Of course sending his child away did say something about Darth Feer. It showed her master's commitment to the dark side, not wishing to be bound to such a weak family member, but perhaps…the girl might still have some use.
I will need to think on this, Avaryss thought, in the puzzle of destroying my master; I think I've just found a big piece.
She ordered Taya to continue watching the girl, but to do so…carefully. She had no desire to tip her master off to what she had discovered.
She erased any record of her communication with Taya, just in case any of her master's agents had access to her ship's systems. She then decided to go out into the station herself, to revel a little.
The young Sith grinned.
It had been some time since she had had a chance to truly cut loose and enjoy herself. It would have been better had Taya been at her side, more…enjoyable, but she was not above getting into a little trouble herself.
For the moment, everything was moving in a way that favored her plans. The conspiracy was drifting into her sights, and now…she had a new lever to pull against her master. When the time came, she would not be above using the girl to serve her ends.
It is all coming together she thought with a smile.
All she needed to do now…was wait.
IOI
"Boss?"
Avaryss groaned and rolled over in her bed, it felt like she had only just lay down.
She had enjoyed a lovely bottle of Alderaani wine. It had been a gift for her, on the house at station's cantina, proof of their place as a loyal establishment.
Avaryss had finished it in one sitting. The pleasures of the port had little interest to her beyond that. There had been several acolytes in the establishment, but they had needed to be removed, a fight had started over something, Avaryss was not entirely sure what it was, but she suspected that she might have been a part of it.
Perhaps those students had been trying to impress her, hoping to draw the attention of a full Sith, not realizing that she was still an apprentice herself.
Not that it mattered; she already had one Force sensitive follower with her. She had no desire to add another, not yet, anyway.
No, all she had wanted was sleep, but even that was being interrupted.
She tried to ignore it, to go back to sleep.
Whatever it was, she thought dimly, it can keep until morning.
She heard a loud pounding, then the sound of the ship's alarm
That sound finally woke her up, she sat up quickly, both fully alert, and also enraged!
What?! What the…?!
She glared.
What in the Emperor's name was going on?
"Boss, you gotta get up! We got incoming!
Rink's words penetrated the haze of rage and tiredness.
Avaryss leapt to her feet and pulled her lightsaber into her hand.
Incoming, she thought, an attack?!
Her eyes narrowed.
Was it the Republic?!
Had the war finally come?
She wrapped a robe around herself and made for the door, it opened with barely a hiss. Rink had to jump back to prevent being ran over. The warning siren continued to blare, not a good thing when a Sith was nursing a slight hangover.
"What is going on?" she demanded, "Someone turn off that damn alarm!"
As if by the Force itself the alarm finally stopped. It did not take Avaryss long to realize that the ship was in motion, and Rink was standing before her.
"What is going on," she repeated, "Who is at the controls?"
"Quenya," Rink said quickly, "She agreed to watch the helm while I came and got you."
Avaryss gave him a cold look.
"Where are Beric and Holli?"
"Still on the station," Rink informed her, "Control was adamant, we got a ship coming in and it cannot reach the station."
"Under whose authority," Avaryss asked.
"The Dark Council," the pilot said, "According to the dock master all ships were ordered off the station and to make sure the one coming in does not land."
Avaryss digested what was being said.
The Dark Council had the authority to issue such a command, sure, but why?
What was so important that they not even give the ship the chance to dock?
She pushed past Mister Rink and made for the bridge, he followed in her wake, and the two of them found Quenya sitting in the co-pilot's chair, her fingers dancing quickly over the controls.
"The enemy ship is being off our port side," the Devish said, "I have brought the weapons systems online."
She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Avaryss.
"We are awaiting your kill order," she said confidently, "We are now being at your command."
Avaryss said nothing; she merely continued to evaluate the girl.
She had had no idea that the other girl knew how to fly a starship, but perhaps it should not have come as so much a surprise. Jedi were often required to go on missions all over Republic space, often traveling by shuttle or long range starfighters.
If the girl was expected to accomplish such missions, of course she would have been trained to pilot, it made perfect sense.
It seemed that Quenya had been hiding a few things from her, good.
Avaryss smiled.
Her willingness to lie hinted at a bright future among the Sith, it was wise never to reveal everything about yourself, holding something in reserve could make the difference between victory and defeat.
She was…slightly impressed.
Rink slid past her and into the pilot's seat. Through the blackness of the void they could just now make out the advancing ship. It was moving slowly, the way it was listing suggested that it had sustained heavy damage.
"Have you identified the vessel?" Avaryss asked.
"It is being Sith, most definitely," Quenya answered, "Scans are suggesting that it is another Fury class interceptor."
A Sith vessel, Avaryss thought with a frown.
"Now why would the council want another Sith ship destroyed?
A brief glance out the viewport revealed that the council's order was being taken seriously; she counted no less than three other ships following close behind them in a ragged formation.
Her Fury was both the largest and most heavily armed of their little group. It was unsurprising that the other ships were looking for them to be the tip of the spear.
She also could not sense any other dark lords aboard the other vessels, she sensed acolytes perhaps, but no one whose own Force potential gave her pause.
If she was the highest ranked Sith here, so be it.
She would carry out the council's orders.
Avaryss regarded the damaged ship with a sense of…eagerness.
If the council wanted the ship destroyed, who was she to argue?
"Lock weapons on target," she said.
"Let's make sure that the council's order is obeyed."
The comm system suddenly lit up, the red light signaling an open transmission being broadcast on all frequencies, both holo and audio.
The other Sith vessels began to slow.
"What is it?" Avaryss asked.
"We are receiving a signal from the enemy," Quenya said, "I am being patching it in now."
There was a brief sound of static from the comm, and then a strong commanding voice filled the bridge.
"This is Lord Farshaw to all approaching ships. By order of House Farshaw, and in the name of the Emperor, I am ordering you all to stand down, and escort me safely to the station. I…I require medical attention and will be most displeased if I am delayed any further. Repeat, this is Lord Farshaw of House Farshaw; you will all stand down…"
Rink killed the audio. He glanced over his shoulder at Avaryss.
"Looks like one of the dark lords are aboard that ship, boss," he said lamely, "What are we gonna do?"
Avaryss frowned.
She had never heard of the name Lord Farshaw before, but that did not really matter. There were many lords in the empire, all bowing to the Emperor and the dark council.
If there was a lord on that ship, they were all required by law to aid him, but at the same time, the kill order from the council…?
This could have something to do with the conspiracy, the darkness within whimpered, what if some dark council member has been manipulated into having an issue with Lord Farshaw?
Killing the man could be playing right into the hands of her enemy.
She reached out with the Force to the damaged vessel, trying to get an idea of what kind of Sith this Lord Farshaw was, If he was who he says he was, then she could…
What she felt from that ship nearly knocked her over, the mere sensation of what it was made her wail a she staggered back.
Her red eyes widened with fear, her heart beat so fast it felt like it was about to tear through her rib cage.
"Boss? Boss?!"
"Master Avaryss? Master Avaryss are you being all right?!"
She only distantly heard Quenya and Rink's words, her mind with still on the damaged ship, and what she had felt when she touched the minds of the damage ship's crew.
It felt…it felt like nothing she had ever felt before! Like the very Force that surrounded that vessel was being…eaten away. She had sensed the dark lord briefly, felt his fear and panic, panic he had only just managed to hide because of years of experience giving orders to underlings.
The man was terrified, at least it felt like he was, but even that was in question. It felt like he was covered in some type of carnivorous insects and that they were devouring him alive, or rather, his presence in the Force!
It felt like a disease some horrible stain on the Force! She almost retched from the mere sense of it!
The entire interceptor reeked of that strange sensation, if felt diseased. It felt wrong.
She shook her head realizing then that she was on her knees, and that Quenya was standing beside her with a worried look.
"Master Avaryss, we should be getting you to the medical bay," the Devish said.
Avaryss shook her head no, there wasn't time.
"Target the damaged vessel," she ordered, "Kill everything on that ship."
"Boss," Rink said looking over his shoulder, a concerned look on his face, "The other ships have already backed off. That lord said…"
Avaryss reached out with the Force, she grabbed Rink by the throat and began to squeeze.
He gasped, the grip was not hard enough to kill, but it was enough to remind him who was in charge.
"Destroy that ship," Avaryss growled, "NOW!"
Rink did not hesitate this time.
He hit the firing stud on the console.
The Fury's forward weapons blazed to life.
Lord Farshaw should have sensed what was coming, but his ship had not even tried to go evasive. The laser blasts slammed into both the bridge and one of the solar arrays of the enemy Fury. There was a brief flash of light from the damaged ships bridge and it quickly began to spin.
"Do not let up," Avaryss ordered.
"Fire again!"
Their ship slipped past the now disabled vessel Rink brought them around and quickly lit up the vessel again with laser fire. This time the blasts struck the Fury's engines, and fuel cell. It vanished in a flash of light and burst of debris that were now no larger than a drinking cup.
Avaryss shuddered she reached out again with the Force, that sick hungry sensation was finally gone, whatever had caused it had died with Lord Farshaw and whatever men he had had with him.
"Avaryss shivered.
She was still not sure what to make of that.
Rink gave her a sour look, rubbing his neck. She had released her grip, but from the way he was looking at her, he knew what she had done.
"Target destroyed, boss," he said flatly.
She glared at the pilot.
If he expected an apology he would not get it, but that did not mean she had to make the situation worse.
"Well done, mister Rink," she said standing straighter, "I understand your hesitation, but do not let it happen again."
She pinned him with a cool stare.
"When I give an order, it must be obeyed. Am I clear?"
Rink pursed his lips, it looked like he might try to argue with her, but finally he shrugged.
"Sure," he said dismissively, "Sorry, boss, it was…just…that was a dark lord's vessel."
"I know," she said, "But we had orders from higher up. That ship was not to reach the station or any other destination.
At her side, Quenya quivered.
"Did you feel that," the former Padawan asked, "Am I being the only one that felt that horrible sensation, from that ship?"
"No," Avaryss assured her, "I felt it too. We were right to…"
The control panel before them flashed again. Rink looked down to check the readings.
"There is another ship coming in," Rink informed them, "It is big, I think.
The space before them rippled, and then…a Harrier class dreadnaught suddenly transitioned to real space right before them.
Avaryss blinked shocked by the sudden arrival of the massive wedge shaped warship.
Again their comm panel lit up, Rink waited until Avaryss nodded before answering the incoming call.
"Attention all Sith vessels," the cold, and familiar voice, filled the bridge, "This is Darth Marr of the Dark Council. Report your status?"
Avaryss reached over Rink and answered the audio call herself.
"This is Avaryss, Apprentice to Darth Feer. This is an unexpected pleasure, lord councilor; you honor us by your presence."
There was a brief pause, perhaps Marr did not remember who she was, or he had his people checking their ship's identification code.
"Ah yes," the Dark Lord said, "I remember you now. We spoke briefly at the Gathering; you wished to continue the work of Lord Hecaetus?"
"My Lord has an excellent memory," she said bowing her head respectfully, He could not see it of course, but he could no doubt feel her submission through the Force.
"We have no time for pleasantries child," he said quickly, his voice the crack of a whip, "Lord Farshaw? His ship? Did it reach the station?"
"It did not, Lord Marr," she informed him, "I carried out the kill order, myself, Lord Farshaw is no more."
Again there was a brief pause; she could picture Lord Marr standing on his bridge, his hand at his chin, evaluating what she had just told him.
Hopefully she had not made a mistake; hopefully the kill order on Lord Farshaw had been genuine.
"Well done, youngster," Marr finally said, his voice burning away any sense of fear she had felt. "I was concerned that Farshaw's title would have been enough for him to gain access to the station itself. If that had occurred…"
Avaryss did not need to guess what would have happened next.
Marr would have destroyed the station, she realized, whatever Lord Farshaw had brought with him…it couldn't be allowed to spread, if it had reached the station?
"There was a moment of hesitation, my lord," she informed him, "But my crew and I made sure that it did not cripple us."
She stood a little straighter.
"The danger has passed then? Are we now safe?"
"She felt Darth Marr's fatigue, through the Force.
The Dark Lord sighed loudly.
"The danger has only just begun, youngster," He said, "I wish to speak with you in person, set course for my vessel."
"It will be done, my lord," she promised, "Though some of my crew is still on the station, we needed to leave quickly to intercept the enemy vessel."
"Understood," Darth Marr said, ""Go and collect your people then, and return quickly, the Empire may be in peril, all loyal Sith, and those of us that serve the Empire first must rally. This threat must be ended."
Avaryss almost blushed.
Marr saw her as a loyal daughter of the Empire? She liked to think it was true, but…?"
"I shall be their shortly, my lord."
"As soon as possible, girl," he said, "This matter must be dealt with, and swiftly."
The dark lord sighed again.
"Time is not on our side."