Chapter 34: Trial and Error

Nar Shadda…had grown worse.

One did not need the Force to know this, they could see it with their eyes, even smell it in the air.

Avaryss looked down on the vast cityscape that was the smuggler's moon. Even through the smog, glowing from the many neon lights, she could sense so much…

So much pain here, so much suffering…

A shiver ran down her spine as she reached out, drinking it all in.

A sigh escaped her lips.

Delicious!

She was currently standing in a state room of a Hutt owned casino. The Gilded Hoard was like many such establishments across the industrialized surface of Nar Shadda, yet another place for the Hutt Cartel to fleece the many travelers that found their way here. Like all casinos, the chances of winning a fortune here were slim, a snare for the desperate and the corrupt.

It was not enough to rob the foolish, having them give you their wealth was so much more…satisfying.

Avaryss…could sympathize. Her own wealth, the legitimate part of it, had been earned through the selling of droids. The types of droids that average, and wealthy citizens took into their households.

Droids with special programming, programming that allowed her to…appropriate certain materials when needed, and to her knowledge, few, if any had been the wiser.

That was one way to acquire wealth, what the Hutts did hear was even more impressive. To have people gamble away the last of what they had in an attempt to secure a dream was…impressive.

The Gilded Hoard was a monument to greed. The dark lord was…impressed.

Even with a war on, even with the arrival of the Zakuul invaders, such places still found their marks, and those marks were the easiest of targets.

She should have looked away; she was here on business. She still needed to get ready. the Hutt auction was set for late evening. Thanks to Captain Cooper, it had been easy to buy her way into the sale, to put herself in place to acquire the third key.

Avaryss frowned.

It was the least the fool could do, considering his failure on Kivan's Holdings, his lack of foresight, trusting his people too much, had nearly gotten her and Fenn killed. It was just another black mark in the book she kept inside her head, her list of enemies to deal with when everything was hers.

She had disliked the man before, for no reason, now…she had found one, and it had taken great self-control on her part not to crush the life out of him.

Teryn probably would have approved of that, given how their last mission had turned out.

She sensed his approach. He had volunteered to be among the group that would serve as her entourage. She, the mercenary, Temmin, and Fenn had come to Nar Shadda, disguised as imperials and their Sith Masters. Zay had come as well, but she had left quickly, off to complete her master's desires, and atone for her mistake. Shyra Viel had volunteered to come as well, but Avaryss had convinced the others that that would have been a bad idea. Being a species of one, Shyra was easily identified, and if the Zakuul managed to identify her, her known associates would soon be known as well.

Yes, it was better that the mongrel wasn't here, and besides.

She might have interfered with Zay's punishment, and that could not be allowed.

The punishment was necessary, as well as the act of atonement that the Sith Master expected.

Nothing could jeopardize that.

Nothing.

Nar Shadda was the perfect test, the girl would easier succeed, or she would not.

Succeed or perish.

That…was the way of things.

Once they had learned the time of the sale, everything had fallen into place. Her contacts among the Hutt Cartel remained intact, and were far more extensive than Cooper's own. Though, she had needed the man's contacts, the avenues of communication that he possessed. They had been useful in contacting her old allies, allies that she had not wished to reach out to through old Imperial channels, channels that were no doubt being watched.

She didn't bother to turn when the door opened. She could sense the mercenary, both by his presence and desire.

The former was necessary, the latter was…amusing.

She had only just finishing freshening up from their journey. A true bath in clean water, not the tepid showers offered within Survivor base. Vogga's agents had been accommodating in finding her clothing that would allow her to blend in with the rest of the wealthy creatures that would attend the sale. Among those clothes was a very nice bath robe, made of the finest shimmer silk, and…almost, but not quite, see through.

The old crime lord had come through again.

She had done much business with Vogga the Hutt. The old worm had proven a valuable ally, though, his tastes when it came to more…intimate garments for human females surprised even her. She probably shouldn't have been. She had seen how the Hutts clothed their female servants.

She should have been grateful that the garments were not even more revealing.

Teryn seemed to be enjoying the view. She could feel the man's eyes on her, his desire was plain, especially after the aid she had offered him on Kivan's Holdings. By slaying the man who had betrayed him, and murdered his father, he was now bound to her.

The fact that he aided her in her little game with Fenn was also useful. She was more than happy to continue to fuel the fires of jealousy within her dream friend. Teryn didn't seem to care that she played this game, all he saw was her, the prize before him.

Again…it was useful.

He was no longer a threat to her, if he ever had been.

He may not have realized it, but he was now…hers. His anger at Cooper and the Jedi, his hatred still boiling after the loss of his father.

That hatred kept him where he was needed, and served her well.

It would bind him to her tighter than any chain.

"The others are settling in," he informed her, "Master Fenn and his kid will be ready to accompany you to the sale."

"Good," she answered reaching out with the Force, reaching out, and trying to sense the one in their party that would not be joining them. The one who would not be returning to Survivor Base, not with them, anyway.

The suffering of Nar Shadda drowned out her attempt. So many refugees had fled the Sith when hostilities with the Republic had resumed, and many more had fled when the Zakuul first began their own invasion. Arcann's armies sweeping away all that stood before him.

Those refugees had fled to Nar Shadda, as so many before them had, and now, they were being processed by the Hutts' systems. Being slowly digested into the smuggler's moon's many vice trades. Slavery, both standard and the pleasure variety, fighting men and women found their ways into gangs and pirate crews, feeding the spice and smuggling trades. Then there were those that would not survive, the ones that would be consumed by the despair of this place, those who would vanish into the moon's shadows, and not rise again.

Zay was among them now, armed only with a small knife in her boot. Avaryss had left her alone to wander the smuggler's moon, limping through its dark alleys. She had a mission, but the chances of her succeeding were few.

She brought this on herself, the dark lord thought, but still…this was Zay.

Despite her training, she still carried a soft spot in her heart for the serving girl.

She gave you no choice, Darth Feer's voice reminded her, you could not let her off easy, not after what she did.

She could almost see her master's grinning face, he would have approved of what she had done, he did approve.

The girl tried to steal from me, Avaryss thought with a hint of anger flashing through her golden eyes.

She deserved to be punished, needed to be punished.

Avaryss felt no shame for doing so.

The girl…had it coming.

Teryn didn't move, normally she might have reached out to Fenn, drew his attention so he could see the man staring at her, if she had been feeling more playful, she might have done just that, but…for the moment, she was not in a gaming mood.

"Is there anything else?" she asked.

"Not really, he replied, "though…you seem distracted."

She frowned.

"Am I?"

"Looks like it. You worried about your little bird? The smuggler's moon isn't the safest place for a girl. You sure she will be able to find this safe house of yours? You sure your agent will be there?"

Avaryss sneered.

Little Bird.

Teryn had given Zay that nickname, given her singing and her limp, he claimed it was more of a waddle than a limp. The girl hadn't really cared for the nickname, but Avaryss believed it would stick. Several of the soldiers at Survivor Base had started using it.

Like me and "Farm Girl," the dark lord mused.

It seems that Zay and I both are now bound to nicknames.

She once again reached out, trying to sense the girl, again…nothing.

Her frown deepened.

"Your agent does know to expect the kid, right?"

Teryn's concern surprised her, he didn't seem the type to care about people.

Avaryss' eyes narrowed.

"There is no agent," she informed him, "there is no safehouse. I sent Zay out on a mission, as penance for her mistake."

Teryn blinked.

"Penance? Why? What did the kid do?"

Avaryss turned, she shouldn't have said anything, but…at that moment, she needed to talk, and since Agony was not here, Teryn would do.

It was a risk, telling him, but only a small one.

It is not like he would go running to tell the Jedi.

She smiled. A cold conniving smile, that was both cruel and vindictive.

"She tried to steal from me. That is not something that I allow in a servant. While I was tending to other matters at Survivor Base, she accessed my holocron, without my permission. I caught her…"

Avaryss shrugged.

"Such an insult, it…it cannot be forgiven."

The look on the mercenary's face made it clear that he didn't understand. She shouldn't have been surprised.

"So you just kick the kid out, just like that?

Avaryss shook her head.

"I've given her a mission, if she succeeds, all will be forgiven."

"What kind of mission?"

"She needs to find her way back to Survivor Base on her own, with no help from me, or any of the survivors."

The dark lord nodded.

"It will be…a challenge for her."

The look Teryn gave her was one of disgust.

"How do you expect the kid to do that? Especially, from a planet like Nar Shadda, this place eats kids like your little bird. You didn't give her a mission. You killed her, this place is going to destroy her."

"I think you underestimate her chances," the Sith replied.

Her smile turned cold.

"The Force is with Zay. I can sense it, the fact that she was able to open my holocron, and access its secrets is proof of that. I doubt she understood what she was seeing, but she has gained knowledge that she should not have. I have rediscovered many secrets of the first Sith Empire, spells that frighten even me. Zay has some of that knowledge, it may be useful, that, and the Force will serve her well. She is not helpless; she just needs the strength to trust her instincts and feel her way home."

Teryn shook his head, he seemed angry with her.

"All because the kid peeked into your toy, don't you think this…punishment is overkill?"

Avaryss considered that.

Curiosity by itself was not a crime, had Zay asked for a chance to explore Avaryss' holocron, she might have allowed it, let her see some of the tales of her master's victories, but she had not done that.

While Avaryss had been away on Kivan's Holdings, Xen had gotten into the girl's head. Convincing her that if she truly wanted to know the secrets of the Sith, she needed to seek them out for herself. The dark lord would normally have been pleased by her former student's desire to help the girl, but Xen was Sith, she did nothing out of kindness or charity.

On the very day that Zay had gone to access the holocron, Xen had informed her former master that someone had been sneaking around her quarters, she had convinced Avaryss to return to them to check, to see if anything was amiss.

She had found Zay, the holocron glowing in her hand, the gatekeeper within accessing data for her.

Avaryss…had been furious!

She had not been enraged merely by the girl's audacity. If anything, the dark lord admired the girl for her courage. It had been the fact that the girl had trusted Xen so blindly, after everything she had seen in Avaryss' service, she had not even considered the fact that Xen had an ulterior motive for telling her about going into the holocron without permission.

No, the Sith had not been angry at the girl's theft.

She was enraged that the girl had been put in a position to get caught!

Such naiveite in a Sith hopeful was unforgivable.

The girl had needed to be corrected.

"The punishment IS harsh," she said with a nod to Teryn, "But…if the girl wishes to be more than my servant, she needs to learn to survive on her own. The galaxy is a dangerous place, far too dangerous for a mere serving girl with a bad foot."

Avaryss' smile turned sadistic.

"Zay wants to be more. I'm giving her a chance to prove it. Plus, I wish to know the exact coordinates of survivor base. Zay will find that information out, or…she will not come back at all."

Avaryss smiled.

"Such a challenge is worthy of one who wishes to know the ways of the Sith."

It was in that moment that she sensed it, she turned quickly, reaching out, she found the girl in the Force.

What she sensed…pleased her.

Zay was hiding in a dark alley, her master not sure where. The girl had just escaped a bit of trouble, Avaryss could tell that much. She could feel the thrill of success, and the adrenaline rush from escaping danger…

…and, beneath that…

Avaryss shuddered.

Yes.

She could feel it, hate swelling in the young girl's heart. Angry at her master for giving her such a difficult challenge, but…her hate, that was reserved for another.

Xen Loor.

The girl blamed the former Jedi for this, as she should. She would never trust so freely again, and more to the point, she had come to understand the first lesson of being a Sith.

Zay…wanted power.

Avaryss could sense it, the craving had taken root. She wanted power to survive her mission, but that was only part of it.

She wanted the strength to make Xen pay for her betrayal. Avaryss had made sure she understood that she HAD been betrayed.

Avaryss nodded.

She understood the value of having an enemy, how that motivated a young hopeful to excel.

Zay would never forgive Xen for what she had done. She would dedicate her life to seeing her destroyed, the more she suffered on this journey, the deeper her hate would grow, fester, and take root.

It was delicious.

It was flawless!

It was…

Avaryss gasped.

A realization striking her like a blaster bolt.

Darth Feer, she thought.

His name sent a chill down her spine.

All that she had suffered, all that SHE had endured at her master's hands, and that of his sycophants came back to her.

She had promised herself that she would be better, stronger, and yet…

She now used her late master's methods, making her own student suffer as she had suffered.

No, the dark lord thought.

NO!

Anger flashed in her eyes.

I've turned into Darth Feer!

The thought was as depressing as it was repellant!

Again she could see her master's face, his cruel eyes, his every gesture radiating insult.

I'm a bit offended by your reaction, girl.

Avaryss frowned.

Good.

What did it matter if Feer would take offense now.

He was long dead.

The future…belonged to her.

She took another deep breath, centering herself.

Zay faded from her sight, again off on her mission.

The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed.

She no longer had time for self-reflection.

She needed to get ready.

The auction would begin soon, and she and Fenn would be in attendance.

She would need to keep her guard up. Fenn was not ready to the galaxy as she did, not yet.

No, that time would come soon.

She turned her eyes again on the neon lit skies of Nar Shadda, the smuggler's moon had served her well in the past.

She hoped it would do so again.

"Have you spent much time on this world, Teryn?"

The mercenary shrugged.

"Dad brought me here a few times sure."

"And what do you make of it?"

The man wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"It is a cesspit, and considering the world's I've been to, that says something, nothing is worse than Nar Shadda."

Avaryss smirked.

"Well, you are not wrong," she agreed, "But even a cesspit serves its purpose. It was a crucible for me, forging me into the Sith I am today, but perhaps that time is coming to a close."

She shook her head.

"Places like this will not exist under my rule. I am not like those arrogant fools on the dark council. I care nothing for the existence of pure blood and breeding. All will be welcome in MY empire. Under me the Hutt clans will cease to exist, just as the Zakuul shall soon enough. I will transform this galaxy into a vast dark machine, all parts turning towards a single goal, the betterment of all. The suffering of Nar Shadda will end, as it will on all other worlds that I touch."

She turned to the mercenary then, a hungry smile on her face.

"The galaxy needs to change, and under my rule…it will."

If he believed her, he didn't show it, she sensed no stirring in him, no blaze of loyalty.

If anything, the young man was amused.

He chuckled.

"You Sith-types have been saying that for years. I don't see how your take on the galaxy will be any different, or how you will even be able to do it."

Avaryss smiled.

She thought of Zay on her mission, and of the third key just waiting for her to purchase. She had faith that both would be hers, both would return to her hands soon enough.

Then with the power of the keys at hand, and a new crafty, and deadly apprentice at her side, she would be indominable, she would be…unstoppable.

She giggled her golden eyes shining brighter.

"You will understand soon enough, Teryn," she promised.

Soon…ALL would understand.