Chapter 25: A Game of Chance
Kill her.
Avaryss stood over the sleeping girl. The only sound in the room the slow in and out of their breathing.
Yet, the words repeated in the Dark Lord's head, over and over again, with each beat of her heart.
Kill her.
Kill her…now!
Avaryss stared down at Zay with amber eyes, their glow almost non-existent in that moment.
She knew what she should do, but…it could jeopardize every thing she was working towards. An accident would be better, but…
Her fingers clenched into angry fists.
This was not how it was supposed to be, but…what choice did she have.
She had had another dream, this one…so clear.
She could end the risk of that dream, that nightmare, with the taking of a single life. If Zay died here, now, the Force would be left to shift, but if it would shift in her favor, she couldn't say.
The future was always in motion, the smallest act could send it down a path that not even a Sith Lord could predict, but that was not surprising.
The Force was not the only thing that shaped people's lives, luck was a factor as well.
Some Force users believed that there was no such thing as luck, but Avaryss was not one of them.
All life was a game of chance.
Was she ready to gamble on this?
Did she dare?
Zay.
Avaryss took a deep breath.
Kill her.
It would save her from what she saw, but it would end so much more.
Was she ready to do that?
Even now, the dream that had drawn her from bunk came back to her, reminding her of why she was here.
She was used to nightmares; she had lived with them for almost a decade now. It was rare that she could find peaceful rest, not alone anyway.
Her eyes narrowed.
Do I take this gamble.
Do I dare?
IOI
She had dreamed of an ending, but that was not surprising, most of her dreams ended in death, for either herself or others.
She preferred the latter to the former.
In this she found herself standing on a long walkway, Force lightning flashing from her fingertips.
She had reveled in that moment. She loved the smell of ozone, and burnt flesh, and most of all the screams of an arrogant Jedi.
The screams were the best of all.
She didn't recognize where she was, or who the young Jedi was, but it didn't matter. What she felt through the Force, it told her all she needed to know.
She could feel the power rushing through her. Clad in a fine robe of midnight black, she was at the height of her power. She could feel it, the galaxy at her fingertips, everything hers to command.
First though, she had to kill this arrogant Jedi…and…then…
…all would be well.
She paused briefly in her attack, savoring what had been done. The Jedi, who only moments before, had stood before her and declared her reign a failure, now lay whimpering at her feet.
Delicious!
She heard the sound of a heavy boot behind her, her apprentice standing with her.
The heavy step, the sound of someone limping…
…Zay?
Her apprentice wheezed, still trying to recover from the trouncing the Jedi had dished out.
I will need to punish her; she is better than that.
The Jedi should have killed her, at least then Avaryss would have been free to choose another student. Who knew, if the Jedi had killed the girl in anger, HE might have been a good replacement.
Yet, he had not, and in doing so found himself here, on the floor of her chambers, whimpering in agony.
Glorious.
Avaryss smirked.
"And now," she murmured, almost lovingly, enjoying this moment.
"You will die."
She giggled as she raised her hands, and let the power of the dark side flow anew.
Force Lightning lit the Jedi like a candle.
With each crackling blast, her anger grew, her hatred of the Jedi feeding her power, her frustration at being denied this man, that he had dared to say no to her, the rightful ruler of the galaxy she…
The world turned crazily.
Avaryss found herself in the air, her hands had flown back towards her face from the force that had lifted her off her feet.
The Dark Lord howled in pain.
Her own Force Lightning crackling over her.
The pain was incredible.
She could not think, she could not even speak.
ARRRRRRRR!
The pain was excruciating. Her own lightning blasted her, the pain she was in fed the dark side, and it in turn fed the lightning, the stronger the lightning became the more pain she was in, and the more pain she was in the stronger the lightning became.
It was a vicious cycle building and building. She could not stop herself; she was being consumed by her own power.
She couldn't stop. Every neuron in her brain was firing, she couldn't…
Finally, she flew away from the deadly arc, the lightning was no longer focused on her, and with it, her thoughts returned, they were jumbled but…
No.
Avaryss looked down in horror.
Her short-circuited brain just now realizing what had happened.
NOOOO!
She was falling, no not just falling…plummeting.
The height that she was falling from looked bottomless. She could have used the Force to save herself, normally, but her brain was still recovering from the lightning. She could not call on the dark side.
She could do nothing.
Yet, in that moment, she realized what had happened.
More importantly, she knew WHO!
Zay.
The damnable girl had killed her, but that was not what mattered most, no.
What mattered was that she felt what the girl felt through their connection, she felt no anger or ambition, but love…love, and the desire to protect the boy, the Jedi.
The girl had thrown it all away, all that Avaryss had given her. She had murdered her master, and didn't even have the strength to continue on the path.
She was betrayed.
Zay…had betrayed her!
This realization came to pass in a microsecond, and it was gone just as quick.
Avaryss could do nothing.
She fell, and…she screamed.
She fell…and…she died.
AHHHHHHHHH!
Fury and the dark side tore her apart as her life ended, her body exploding in a maelstrom of dark side energy.
She died wailing.
NOOOOO!
ZAY!
TRAITOR!
IOI
"AHHHH!"
Avaryss awoke. She was left with a dizzy feeling… a sense of vertigo, typical enough for when dreams of falling from a great height.
She rose without a word, dressed with barely a thought.
She went right to the girl's room.
Now she stood over her, ready to deal out death.
She betrayed me, Avaryss knew.
She WOULD betray me!
In that moment, the girl stirred, Avaryss almost struck before she could truly waken, but she hesitated…she…
"Master?"
Zay yawned and rubbed her eyes, the girl looked up at her with a look of both confusion and trust.
That gave Avaryss pause.
Zay…
She had done nothing yet to warrant death, yet, Avaryss had come to kill her.
Why?
Was she so weak that she feared the steps of a child with a twisted foot. Force sensitive or not, Zay was no threat to her…not yet…
Avaryss closed her eyes.
…not…yet.
"Master," the girl repeated, sitting up.
"Do…you need me to get you something?"
The girl's question stopped her in her tracks.
In that moment, the dark lord felt foolish, it was not a feeling she liked.
Do not hesitate, my child, Feer's voice echoed out through the Force.
Do not take the chance.
Kill the girl…now!
Her hand almost went to her lightsaber, almost.
She…she…
She shook her head.
No.
It was in that moment that the girl must have felt it. A sense of fear filled the Force.
"Master…have…have I done something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You have done nothing wrong," Avaryss answered.
Not yet.
The girl shifted in her bed.
"Is…is it Master Fenn…is…did he make a turn for the worst?"
Avaryss blinked.
Fenn.
His face swam up before her, again, and again, it gave her pause.
It stopped her from acting.
Clever, Avaryss thought with a sigh, that and a slight sagging of her shoulders.
Had the girl done that at purpose, she wondered.
Did she realize that mentioning Fenn's name was likely the only thing that saved her.
It was clever of her, using his name, but was it done on purpose? Had it been actual cunning to distract her master, or merely foolish sentiment?
Avaryss could not say for certain. Despite their time together, she realized she still knew very little about Zay.
The time had come to change that.
"Fenn is…doing better," she informed her servant, sitting down at the foot of the girl's bed.
The Dark Lord smiled wearily.
"Dr. Tagge has figured out what was wrong with him, and the others who were wounded on Sullust. A parasitic lifeform that dwells in the volcanic vents. The native Sullustans are immune, but humans do not possess that protection. When their suits were damaged, the creatures got in, and from there…into their lungs."
"Will they recover?" Zay asked.
"In time, Dr. Tagge was able to synthesize a treatment for our injured. Already, Fenn and the others are out of the kolto tanks. The common soldiers will recover soon, and Fenn, with the Force as his ally, should recover that much sooner."
"I'm glad," Zay said grinning, "Master Fenn has always been nice to me."
Avaryss nodded.
Yes.
She was glad as well.
The Force seemed intent on denying her the act of love, at least, that is how it seemed. Every time she had grown comfortable with a paramour, they had been ripped from her, by either chance or her rivals.
Fenn…she…she would not allow that to come to pass with him.
She was tired of losing.
She would keep him, and nothing would stand in her way.
Yet, she had not come here to speak of Fenn.
Death had brought her here, and now…she found herself reconsidering her choice.
Are you really ready to play this game?
Do you dare take the chance?
She knew what she had seen, but…was their only one solution to this particular problem.
Her vision would say, yes, but she was not so sure.
Despite its many advantages, the gift of foresight did have its drawbacks.
Many Sith Masters claimed to be able to see the future, but experience had taught Avaryss that the gift was far rarer than most believed. The dark side, like the Sith themselves, horded its secrets. Only a few among the order truly possessed the gift. The rest simply saw their own blind ambition as foresight, without truly understanding that it was their desire they were pushing, not the will of the Force.
They wanted to believe their desires were the true future, and ignored everything else in seeking to make it true.
Foolish…very foolish.
Avaryss had had visions since entering the order, she believed it was foresight, a gift from her grandfather, the Emperor. He had been the greatest when it came to foresight, how else could he have achieved so much?
The warning of her death was important, but perhaps there was another way to deal with the matter. The final destination had to have more than one path.
"Tell me, Zay," she began, "Did anything happen while we were away? Something to you specifically?"
The girl shifted in her bed, an uncomfortable look on her face.
"Master Jas came to visit me, while I was recovering in the med bay."
"I see," Avaryss said.
"He offered to train me in the ways of the Force. He…he says that I have potential."
The dark lord's eyes narrowed.
"I see."
Was THIS why the dark side showed her that vision? Had Master Jas tried to steal her would-be apprentice?
The thought angered her. How dare the Jedi try to take from her, but she didn't let that anger show. She didn't want to scare the girl, risk her accepting the old Jedi's offer.
"I would never accept such a thing," Zay assured her, "Not without your permission, master."
A small smile came to Avaryss' lips.
They could not start like this.
Zay needed to understand that.
"What is it that you want, Zay?"
The girl shook her head.
"I don't understand, master."
"It is a simple question, one that you must answer for yourself, and you alone. What do YOU want?"
The girl lowered her eyes, she bit her lower lip in thought.
"I'm…I'm not used to answering such a question. It is not proper for a servant to question."
"You are used to servitude. You have lived in bondage for so long."
Avaryss nodded.
"I understand."
"How could you?" the girl murmured under her breath.
Avaryss arched an eyebrow.
"Pardon?"
Zay met her gaze; a hint of the fire she had shown in the cafeteria flashed in her eyes.
"You are a master of the Force, a Lord of the Sith, you have so much. How…how could you understand?"
The girl's words amused the dark lord, insolent perhaps, but understandable.
After all…why wouldn't the girl believe that, all she had ever seen of Avaryss was her power as both a lord and a master.
There was so much more than what the girl realized.
"When I was your age, I was forced to leave my home in a packing crate. I was smuggled off world with just the clothes on my back."
Zay tilted her head, surprised perhaps by her master's admission.
"Did you do something bad?"
"I was the daughter of an overseer, an overseer whose lord had lost in the game of Sith politics. All of his servants, those that ran his operations, their lives were forfeit. It was the only way to ensure that the new powerbase on my world took root."
Avaryss shook her head.
"I showed potential too."
A sudden chill ran down the dark lord's spine.
It was rare that she talked about this, what had brought her to the dark side. Nor did she mention that all her suffering during her student years was by Darth Feer's design. She didn't wish to confuse Zay. All she had to know that her master succeeded, that should have been enough, but…it wasn't.
The loss, it still burned in her gut. Even with her victory over Feer, that emptiness remained.
She would have thought the pain of that night, and what came afterwards would fade. She had figured, by learning the truth about her mother, that the loss she had felt would no longer bother her.
She was surprised to find that it didn't. The pain and cold anger remained, even with the man responsible now long dead.
It still hurt, after all these years…maybe…
…it always would.
"I lost everything that night," she murmured, I had nothing. I WAS nothing. All I had was my pain, potential, and my desire. I still had what I wanted."
"What was it?" Zay asked.
"Revenge," her master hissed, "It took me years to take it, and cost me more than I realized that it would, but…in the end, I did have it. The man who hurt me died by MY hand, and I took everything that was his and made it my own. I was…I was…"
Zay gave her a curious look.
"You were what?"
Avaryss blinked.
She was about to say…free, but she realized, in that moment, that it was not the case. She had never been truly free.
Being Darth Feer's heir had dragged her down. Yes, she had had his power, but now she was bound by the Empire and her position. It had limited her, and set her on the course to failure. Zakuul had sped up what would have happened anyway. Her rivals were attacking her as soon as she ascended to the dark council.
In the end, perhaps the loss of her position had been necessary, it had helped her break her chains, and now she was free to reshape the Empire the way she wanted. No Darth Marr looking over her shoulder, and no Darth Acina looking to stab her in the back.
Perhaps…her loss had brought her a freedom of sorts, and now she was free, free to deal with them all.
The thought…it…it excited her.
Now, she was free.
Avaryss looked at the girl, even now she could feel the Force inside her, it was there, yet, it was clear that the child had not chosen which road she would walk. She possessed the innocence usually associated with the young, but her history had left its mark, anger and fear remained in the girl's heart, marking her as a potential servant and master of the dark side.
It was the latter that Avaryss needed to cultivate.
"You do not have to answer the question just yet, Zay. One day you will though, you need to decide what you want in this life, what person you wish to become.
The Dark Lord smiled slightly.
"We find ourselves in a strange place, surrounded by those who should be our enemies, but against the Eternal Throne, our differences seem so small.
"We both want the same thing," Zay said, "the invaders defeated."
"Yes," Avaryss nodded, "What is happening here shows us something. That despite our beliefs, the Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way. Of course, there is one difference, and that stands out above all."
What it that, master?"
The Sith sighed.
"A Sith would ask you what you want. A Jedi would deny you the chance to answer it. They would give you their dogma and their rules, and say, for the greater good, that you must deny what you desire, that you must put aside those wants for the good of others."
Avaryss shook her head.
"They miss the point, the one thing that truly matters."
She reached out and put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, her golden eyes glowing in the low light.
The galaxy, the mundane rabble that populate it. They are not worthy of your sacrifice. Those that feel the Force, they stand above such creatures. We are gods living in a world of nerfs, and we, WE, are expected to serve THEM. It is unnatural for the strong to bind themselves so."
Zay blinked, it was unlikely that anyone had ever considered her godlike, it flattered the child.
Avaryss didn't quite smile.
She was glad that the child was starting to understand.
"The Jedi have bound themselves to the Republic for centuries, corrupt politicians that use the Jedi to protect what they desire. The Jedi delude themselves in believing that they serving others when really, they are simply propping up a system that is unworthy of them. They lie to themselves about doing what they do to preserve their place in the galaxy. They protect only themselves, and the power that the senate gives them. At least the Sith are honest, we seek power for powers sake, we do not make excuses or quibble over points of view. Good or evil, they are matters of perspective, and have no real relevance in our world."
The girl nodded, but Avaryss sensed that she didn't understand, not yet. She was wrestling with what she was, and trying to make sense of this alliance that Avaryss had made with the Jedi.
She was not yet ready, but Avaryss was patient, there was still time.
She…could wait.
This game…was just beginning.
"I will not force the choice upon you, child, but you must be willing to live with the consequences of that choice. A life of continued subjugation, or to rise higher than any one else, to surpass even me, when the time comes."
Zay nodded.
"I…I think that I understand, master."
"It is okay if you don't," Avaryss assured her, "There is still time, just make sure that you make the choice that suits you best. The Force chose you for a reason, it is now up to you to discover what that is."
The dark lord rose from the girl's bed, and made for the door.
There was risk in letting her live, she acknowledged that, but the reward if she chose the dark, what she could offer her master, was great indeed.
No risk, no reward.
"Master?"
She paused, and looked back at her servant, her would-be, apprentice."
"Yes, Zay?"
"The choice you made, what you wanted…was…was it worth it? Everything that you lost?"
"I lost nothing. I sacrificed for what I wanted."
"Yes, but was it worth it?"
Avaryss considered that.
She had made many choices, some that had caused her great pain, endured much on her path to power, to freedom.
She had let go of much along the way, but it had brought her here. Now she stood on the precipice of absolute triumph.
The galaxy itself was within her reach, just a few more moves, and once the keys were hers…
She gave the girl a sad smile.
"It IS worth it, my child," she said.
"If you are strong enough."
Zay nodded.
"I can be strong, master. I will show you. You will see!"
Avaryss nodded.
"I will be watching, my dear," she promised.
And so…she would.
This scheme of hers, it would put the war in her hands, and with it, the chance for final victory. She could not afford to gamble, not even when a prize as rich as Zay was on the table.
It seems we both desire that same pawn, Master Jas, she thought as she left the girl's room.
Fine.
She was ready to play, and was curious to see what the Jedi's next move was.
Let him try, maybe the distraction would serve her, blind Master Jas and other Jedi here, if they were so focused on Zay, they might miss what was really going on.
It would be most interesting. She was eager to see what came next.
I'm ready, Jedi fools!
Let the game begin.