Chapter 21: Experiment 016
"STOP!"
Fenn paused mid-step; his back pressed against the black volcanic rocks.
He could feel the intense heat from them, if not for his enviro-suit, this journey would have been almost impossible.
He shook his head.
Sullust. Not the most pleasant of places, he thought to himself, but he supposed that the native Sullustans would say that about most human worlds.
He looked over his shoulder, Tara Valenthyne, also in an enviro-suit had spoken.
"We have another holo-cam up ahead," she informed him, "Don't worry, I've locked onto the signal, it will take just a moment.
The group moved single-file, a collection of Jedi, commandos, and one Sith Lord. Darth Agony brought up the rear, along with Shyra Viel.
The beast woman insisted on taking up such a position, to watch their Sith ally.
Despite everything that had happened, she still didn't trust either of the Sith in their company.
Fenn didn't blame her, especially where they were headed.
Shyra Viel had a special hatred for the Sith and their military labs.
Being born in one, had left its mark.
The troops waited as Tara worked on the security system, it would not take her long, she knew her way around Sith security, and served well, during the most recent war.
If anyone could get them inside, it was her.
Before them perched the Sith mobile lab, the massive spherical ship had anchored itself into the side of a volcanic mountain.
If Avy was to be believed, the ship was feeding off the planet's geothermal power, allowing it to function without drawing on the systems that allowed it to travel through space. This power…gave the lab almost unlimited resources to complete its mission, the release of the toxin known as Death Knell, and the extermination of the Sullustan race.
The survivors would not let that happen, and with Avaryss' help, they had more than enough intel to make this mission work.
Fenn looked up at the ship with a worried eye, he worried not only about Temmin, but Avy as well.
She said her brother meant to kill her, that he desired it above almost everything else. What if she had been wrong about his desire to gloat and bring her before him.
What if he had simply shot her on sight.
That didn't happen, he reminded himself, you would have felt it if she was gone.
The realization helped to keep him going.
He had lived with his connection to her his entire life. Since he had been a toddler, he had known that he was not alone. For years in dreams they had met, they had played together, grown up together, and comforted each other in their times of need.
Then…shortly after they had turned fifteen, she had vanished, he had felt a shockwave of pain and loss, and then…nothing. For the longest time he had reached out through the Force, trying to find her, the girl who was as much a part of him as he was her.
Then…they had met on Hoth. They had seen each other for the first time. Only then…had he understood.
Their bond remained, but her choice to embrace the dark side now clouded their connection. What they shared was no longer the innocent desire of children, but something that had been shaded by shadows cast by the dark side. Fear, anger, and a host of other emotions now colored the Force-bond that made them two parts of a single whole, but…that was not all. There was something else too, something that even he could not deny, that even his Jedi training could not stop.
Desire.
Need.
Lust.
He felt all those things when they were together, he could not deny them, even if he wished too. Maturity had changed not just them, but what they both wanted.
He could not deny it, and he never would.
"Got it!"
He looked over at Tara Valenthyne, the girl was grinning from ear to ear.
The cameras are down," she said proudly.
"Now, we can proceed."
Fenn took the lead again; he signaled to the others, and they advanced again. He had fought beside these people many times, but usually, he was only the second in command. The Survivors had always been Master Jas'
He hoped to be as good a leader, as his teacher.
H was surprised when he was given the lead. He had been surprised when Master Jas asked this of him. Fenn had assumed that his master would take point on this mission, given the stakes.
"You can do this," the senior Jedi assured him. Your connection with both Temmin and Avaryss make you the perfect man to lead this fight."
His master had not lied, Fenn knew that for sure, but…there was something more, something that his master was not telling him.
Fenn couldn't put his finger on it. Yet, something had changed with Master Jas, he had felt it, and it seemed to grow stronger every day.
"Nothing stays the same, my friend," Jas had reminded him once.
"Everything…changes."
He could not say if that change was for good or ill, but it was coming, he didn't need the Force to know that.
Stop it, he thought to himself, that is the future, you need to focus on the now.
Sullust, Death Knell, Temmin, and Avaryss.
Those are where your thoughts must be now, this world is in terrible danger…
…it falls to you, to end it.
Fenn took a deep breath, and pressed on. Tara and the others, all clad in combat enviro-suits, and all armed to the teeth.
The Sith weapon that now threatened Sullust could not be allowed to escape, the threat of Death Knell needed to end here.
Fenn consulted the blue prints supplied by Avy; it showed the most likely access point while the lab was settled on a planet's surface. According to her, the best chance they had of entering was the central exhaust port built along the sphere's radius. If everything was going to plan, Temmin would be making for the control room for those ports, he would shut down both the ventilator fans, and any security measures. From there, the survivors would have easy access to both the ship, and the horrors that they needed to destroy.
"So far, so good," Tara said happily, "Looks like our resident dark lady has been telling the truth again."
"She has never lied to me," he replied, "We have always been honest with each other."
He waited to hear some glib remark, that is normally what happened when he spent any time with Tara, it is what he expected.
When he heard only silence, he looked over his shoulder, even through the face plate of her enviro-suit, he could see the serious expression on her face.
"What?" he asked.
"What did I say?"
"Nothing," she answered, but even without the Force he could tell that there was more.
He had known Tara Valenthyne for years, she was one of the few non-Jedi that he had spent any time with.
He could tell when she had more on her mind.
"Spill it," he ordered, "What're you thinking?"
The woman shrugged.
"Fenn…is…is there something going on with you and the Dark Lady? The look on your face when you talk about her, how you speak of her…"
Her question almost made him laugh.
Was there something going on between him and Avy?
Oh Tara…you have NO idea.
"Keera…Avaryss…whatever she chooses to call herself…we…we have always had a connection. I knew her for years, even before we actually met."
Fenn sighed, he could tell from the look on his friend's face that she didn't really understand, without the Force…who could really understand.
There were times where…he could barely understand himself.
"The Force flows strongly between us. It always has."
Tara nodded, but again, he didn't think that she understood.
"So…it is a Jedi-thing?"
"It is a Force-thing," he added, "Even as a boy in the temple, I dreamed of her, and she of me. We…we literally grew up together. The Force has some plan for us, and it was necessary for us to spend our earliest years together."
Again, the woman nodded.
Fenn was about to let it end there. They proceeded up the rocky outcropping, making for the exhaust port on the docked Sith vessel.
Tara didn't let it go.
"You want to turn her, don't you?" she said suddenly, "You want to bring her back…to the good side?"
Fenn didn't dignify that with an answer.
It was not THAT simple.
The Force was not about good and evil. The light and the dark were simply aspects of a single whole. It was the will of the wielders that were good and evil. In ancient times, the Jedi had practiced both the light and the dark. It was not until they made contact with the Republic that it was decided to turn away completely from the dark side, or as it had been known in those days…the bogan.
That…and the fact that some dark side students had begun to interfere with life itself, creating Alchemical beasts and other monstrosities.
Master Jas understood that, and, through his training, he had helped Fenn confront and overcome his own anger.
Through that training, the two had come to realize that, perhaps, there was a better way to deal with the dark side rather than try to destroy all its disciples.
"Avy may be the best hope to finally end the war with the Empire," Fenn admitted. "She has shown compassion, and even affection for her followers. She has fought beside us before, at the battle of the Inferno Nebula."
"And she has a connection to you," Tara added.
"Yes," he nodded, "Master Jas and I both believe that we can use that connection. I may be able to guide Avy. Help her find a new path for her people, and bring a lasting peace to both the Sith Empire, and the Republic. She is the highest ranking Sith that we have ever encountered that was at least willing to consider such a course of action."
The group finally came up to the exhaust port described on the map. Again, they paused, Tara brought up her datapad again, checking the blueprints, and scanning for any traps or security measures.
As they watched, the port open, and the exhaust fan shut down, the blade slowing to a stop.
Fenn almost cheered.
Yes, Temmin!
Good job, Keera!
He didn't dare reach out with the Force, to see if they were alright, it was too risky, any other Sith onboard might feel his touch.
As one, the Survivors filed inside the ship.
So far, so good, Fenn thought.
Everything is going according to plan.
IOI
"We're receiving reports of a failure in one of the main exhaust turbines, my lord," the lieutenant informed her.
"Shall I dispatch the guards?"
Avaryss shook her head no, there was no need to deploy the guards, not yet.
Her allies needed to feel secure, and that they could trust her completely.
It would make what came next that much easier.
Lieutenant Shaw was busy at work, copying all the data files regarding the research here, copying them, and preparing them for transit.
Avaryss' own scientists would examine the work back at Sanctuary Base. From there, she would be able to decide how best to use these new discoveries.
Of course, her allies would not know that, they would leave here, satisfied Death Knell had been ended.
It was necessary that they feel that way.
Alas, they would not understand what she truly desired.
It would not do to simply destroy everything the Sith had accomplished here. Avaryss was especially intrigued by the possible use of the Rakghoul disease.
She was curious to see what her own scientists could do with what had been discovered here.
"My lord," the lieutenant said, "May I present Dr. Thanas, he is one of this facility's top researchers, and…he is yours."
The lieutenant flashed her a winning smile.
"You may speak freely around him.
"It is a pleasure to meet you at last, My Lord," the doctor said offering her a slight bow.
"I've been a great admirer of your work. I've been…"
"TRAITORS!"
Beric still lay before them, holding the ruined stump that had once been his hand. Avaryss was surprised to see that it had stopped bleeding, and was now…
She wrinkled her nose.
The wound had become caked in some white gelatinous substance, a substance that seemed to be growing on her former brother's ruined hand.
At her side, Dr. Thanas smiled.
"Ah, perfect timing," he said
He turned to his master.
"You will find this most interesting, my lord. Watch what is about to happen."
She did as he suggested, Beric had still not tried to rise, not with so many blasters pointed at him. He hissed in pain, and suddenly lashed out with his ruined arm. Avaryss used the Force to pin him in place, and hold him down, all so that she could observe what was happening.
Her golden eyes widened.
Amazing!
The white…goop split open, and inside…a…a new hand. There were no fingernails, and the skin looked too smooth for a human, scaly-almost, but…four fingers and a thumb, and all in the normal position.
The dark lord grinned.
"Tell me this is a new feature of the death knell strain," she purred, "that I now have the option of creating Knell-Troopers that can grow back severed limbs."
The doctor bowed his head.
"Sadly, not, my lord, the virus used to accomplish this remains keyed to the DNA of the governor's family, regeneration is only possible in those possessing that bloodline. What you just witnessed is an early experiment of Dr. Vrann, my mentor, she managed to successfully, alter the Terrog Retro-Virus, the one engineered to transform his servants into his apprentices."
Avaryss pursed her lips in disgust.
"I'm aware of Darth Terrog's work," she said with no small amount of disdain.
After all, she had been infected with that virus, it had killed her original body.
She looked at the scientist.
"Will this experiment perish from the disease as well?"
On the floor before her, Beric chuckled, despite the pain he was in, he still remained defiant.
"Would you miss me, sister? I'm touched…"
"Silence," she said holding up her hand, her attention now fully on the scientist.
"Well, doctor?"
The man shook his head.
"Vrann, before she fled, believed that she had removed the virus' more…negative side effects. Causing the destruction of the brain was…wasteful in her eyes. No, the governor's mind will not cease to function, the virus was…altered enough to prevent that. It now works in concert with a strain of the death knell poison. The body continues to regenerate, but Death Knell now holds it in check, it doesn't spread as it did in its earlier version."
Avaryss nodded.
"I see," she said, "So the relationship is more symbiotic in nature, both Death Knell and the virus working for a mutual advantage?"
That is one way to look at it, my lord."
Avaryss regarded her former brother with a cold eye. Now he understood what had happened to her, but, unlike her, his suffering would be long lasting, as long lasting as she desired it to be.
The realization made her shiver with excitement.
She was doubly pleased.
What she saw was impressive, but still…the fact that her more loyal soldiers would not be able to regenerate.
Damn.
It seems that her servants were not as smart as Darth Terrog, they could adapt his work, but not improve upon it.
Most unfortunate, but…perhaps…for the best.
Terrog had been dangerous.
She would rather that her more scientifically minded underlings NOT have access to that type of power.
She regarded Moff Lylos, Experiment 016, Keera Lylos' brother.
Strangely enough, she felt a sense of…sympathy?
Why…she could not say.
He had betrayed her, after all.
Why did she still care?
He held his new hand; the process had been far from pleasant. She could feel his pain radiating out through the Force. He was also sweating terribly, another side effect of the experiments that had been performed on him.
She gave him a sad look.
"I didn't want it to be this way, 016," she said, "I wanted Beric Lylos back. I had hoped that, whatever Sadi had did to your mind would wear off, and that you would recover your senses."
She sighed.
"This was not how I wished our relationship to be."
Beric sneered at her.
"You think I want anything you have to offer? You betray your empire, turn my men against me…"
"Shaw was always mine," she informed him, "We first met years ago, on the former Emperor's space station. He stood up to Bleez. After that, I took special interest in his career, such bravery should be honored, don't you think?"
The young lieutenant smiled, he had been surprised when she first contacted him years ago, after she had joined the dark council, but…had wisely accepted her patronage.
Unlike certain lab animals she knew.
Avaryss leaned down, she wanted to look Experiment 016 in the eye, let him know exactly what it was that he had spurned. The price of betrayal.
"Had you been smarter," she said, "Had you listened to my warnings about Sadi, and Xen, you would have had all you have now, and more. I would have made you governor of the Itae system. I would have given you Lord Agony, after her husband was gone, of course. You could have healed her heart, and bound her loyalty to me in blood. You would have found me a loving sister, and my love would have been a gift that would keep on giving for as long as you drew breath."
The Dark Lord sneered.
"You chose a different path. You allowed yourself to become a pawn in Sadi's game, and so…I gave you far different gift, but one no less deserved."
He snarled angrily.
"You call this a gift?" he spat, holding up his hand.
"I do," she purred, "It is the last gift that I could give you, one far more informative than mere death…"
She touched his chin, making him look into her amber eyes.
"I gave you…pain. You will hate me for it, but that is good too. Use your pain, 016, use it to grow stronger. You are not Sith, but that doesn't change the fact that hate and pain will make you stronger, it will make you my servant, no matter how you may desire my end."
She smirked.
"You…are now…and forever…mine."
Moff Lylos did something then that she didn't expect.
He laughed.
She continued to smirk.
"Did I say something amusing?"
"You underestimate me, sister, and you underestimate the Empress. Acina knew that Death Knell doesn't work, that it will never be viable, but she understood that it was yours, and knew that you would come to make sure that no else played with your toys."
He looked at the troopers, at Dr. Thanas, and Lieutenant Shaw.
"She also knew that you still had servants hidden among my staff, and planned accordingly, WE planned accordingly."
Beric reached down to his belt, a switch hidden on the buckle, a switch that Avaryss only now saw.
She hissed and leapt to her feet.
"Good bye, Keera," Moff Lylos snarled.
"GO TO HELL!"
He pressed the button.
A high-pitched wail filled the room, the lights flashed brighter than a star, a strobe effect.
The floor plates around Avaryss opened up, auto-targeting cannons rose and locked on target.
They fired as one.
What happened next…was chaos!
The two Sith troopers leapt, one in front, one behind their master. The cannons tore both men to pieces, their armor offering little protection.
Thanas and Shaw also fell, the first barrage ripping the doctor in half. Avaryss used the Force to yank Shaw into the path of fourth cannon, both the officer and his datapad exploded.
The deaths took about five second, but that was all the time the dark lord needed.
All the time in the world for one who had mastered the dark side of the Force!
At her feet Beric Lylos watched the destruction with a delighted eye, delight that quickly faded, faded and turned to terror.
"No," he gasped.
"NOOOOO!"
Avaryss didn't answer him, she couldn't.
She stood in the center of the maelstrom, her hands outstretched, her eyes closed. The cannons continued to fire, but not a single blast touched her.
Only her shoulder showed any sign of damage, a blast had gotten through before she had managed to react. Her men had died, but they had given her the time she had needed.
The Dark Lord of the Sith now stood inside a bubble of glowing red energy, each blast feeding it, the Force collecting each shot, collecting it, and redirecting it.
Blasts lanced out from the bubble, first striking the loudspeakers that were emitting the horrible whine. Then they struck the lights, silencing the annoying strobe effect.
Finally, the cannons themselves were silenced. The bubble dissipated as all its energy fed back into the cannons, they exploded in a flash of light and debris.
None of the wreckage touched the dark lord, but one small piece did bury itself deep into the Imperial governor's leg, he cried out as the might of the blow flipped him physically over.
Then, as quick as it had begun, it was over.
Silence reigned once more.
Moff Lylos lay gasping for breath, he ignored the shrapnel in his leg, pulling a small hold out blaster from his boot.
He aimed at Darth Avaryss, the dark lord said nothing, she stared down at him, a cold and vengeful god looking down upon an unruly and unrepentant servant.
Beric Lylos pointed the blaster at her, he pointed it, and tried to pull the firing stud. He wailed in anger, desiring only to slay the woman before him, the one who had once been his younger sister.
He couldn't do it; his finger would not obey.
For almost a minute they stood there, the two facing each other.
Finally, Avaryss smiled.
"Oh, what is wrong," she said in a mocking tone, "Can't shoot me yourself, how come?"
Beric continued to try and pull the stud, he had tears in his eyes, he breathed heavily.
"Damn you," he spat. "Damn you!"
He threw the blaster at her, it stopped in midair, floating an inch from her head.
"I hate you, Keera!" he roared, "You are a curse on this Empire, our family!"
He spit on her.
"You should never have been born!"
If the dark lord was angry, she didn't show it, she merely chuckled and shook her head.
"Poor, 016," she said, "You really tried to give Acina all my secrets, didn't you? The strobe lights, the loud sound, all weaknesses that I once possessed. A few years ago, this trap WOULD have killed me."
She gestured with her right hand.
The Moff rose into the air, she flexed her fingers, pulling on his arms and legs, a rack of pure Force Energy.
He hissed, trying not to scream.
She shuddered with pleasure.
Oh, she almost cooed.
Delicious!
She watched, enjoying his torment.
Insolence, he had showed such insolence, she was tempted to kill him for it.
Yet, she held back, she was not that generous.
She took a deep breath, tried to focus on the mission, and not let the howling psychopath within out.
"I let you out of the lab for one reason, 016. You were to play the villain in my story. My Jedi allies had to be convinced that you were my enemy, that the Empire was against me. It was the only way they would have bought this ruse."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You can't kill me; your conditioning will NOT allow it. You are mine, body and soul. You can play the villain, order my death, but you can't carry it out."
She laughed.
"Ironic, is it not?"
He hissed, growling something that she could not make out.
"What?" she asked, loosening her grip.
"What're you trying to say?"
He found his voice, his eyes flashing with impotent rage.
"YOU ARE NO SISTER OF MINE! DAUGHTER OF FEER!"
She blinked, strangely enough, she felt the sting of that remark.
Ouch!
Yet, her amusement returned quickly, his first statement truer than he realized.
She grinned.
"Not your sister?" she said, "Well at least you are right about something…"
She raised her left arm, letting him see that it was flesh and blood.
"As you can see, I'm not what I once was. New arm, new eyes, new ears…
She reached up and plucked the choker from her neck, letting the glamour fall away, revealing her true face.
She enjoyed the look her former brother gave her the realization of how much had changed.
Delicious!
"You," he gasped, "You…you're…"
"Not Keera, I know," she chortled, "I do not have a single drop of filthy Lylos blood in my veins, but I'm still…Avaryss, and I will always be her."
She walked up to him, again tempted to tear his limbs from his body, to sit back and savor the moment, to see if his body still had the strength to let those limbs grow back, she…
Avaryss' eyes narrowed, she whirled around, her hand going to her belt.
Her lightsaber was not there, of course, it still lay on the burned body of the late Lieutenant Shaw.
No matter.
She scanned the room with her eyes and the Force.
She…had felt something, a presence she had not sensed in a while.
"I know you are here," she growled, "Show yourself!"
"As you will, my master."
The voice was familiar to her, soft as velvet, but still strong and commanding, not to command her of course, but the underlings that once served the Dark Lord.
The shadows parted revealing the one that had hidden from her sight. Avaryss was impressed, this one's skill of infiltration had grown, she had not sensed her when she had arrived, only now did the other Sith reveal herself.
Avaryss sneered.
It had been a while.
The woman was about her age, but seemed more mature than the last they met. She was clad in the black robes and armor of the Sith, but wore it with a sense of flamboyance that most of their order could not pull off. Her mid-drift top cut low in front showing off a generous amount of skin. Her armored skirt slit up once side showing off one shapely leg.
She had always been an exhibitionist, Avaryss knew that, what did surprise her was how she had bounced back from the last time she had seen her. She had been very pregnant, about to give birth, and now, she showed no sign of that.
She was back in fighting shape, but that was good.
Avaryss was spoiling for a fight anyway.
"I should have known you would be here," the dark lord purred.
"Yes, my master," Xen Loor, her former apprentice, Beric's lover, and mother to his child said.
The other Sith bowed respectfully, her cross-guarded lightsaber in hand.
"where else…would I be."