Chapter 28: Jealousy and Hate

The Survivors, and their allies, all watched as Kivan Obando made his way into the galley. The dead Antiquarian paused briefly, to flash a winning smile, one that seemed so familiar after watching so many holo-recordings of the man swaggering into this galactic event or that.

Fenn couldn't help shaking his head, a hint of a smile on his face.

Unbelievable!

Avy had told them how skilled her changeling was, but to see it in person, and after only a few weeks of preparation.

Incredible.

The group sat around a large table, where the ship's crew took their meals, Captain Cooper sat at the head of it, nodding thoughtfully.

"Not bad," he murmured, "Not bad at all."

The changeling/Obando gave them all a familiar smirk, the man turned, striking a pose as if before a holo-cam, he chuckled arrogantly.

"I assume that I need no introductions."

Fenn almost laughed, the changeling even sounded like the man.

He had hoped that this might work, Avy seemed confident, seeing what he was seeing, hearing Obando's voice…

…Avy was right, the girl was good.

Fenn glanced over at his dream friend, she was grinning wickedly, proudly, like an indulgent parent watching a young child perform. In her mind, there was no doubt that the changeling was more than up to the task of getting them inside the antiquarian's vaults, and finding the second key.

It was impressive, Fenn couldn't deny that, but would it fool the locals of Kivan's Holdings?

Would it be enough to convince the people their god had returned?

She caught his glance, and the grin changed, no longer that cruel smirk, but something softer, gentler…

Fenn swallowed hard.

They had spent the last month together, working in close proximity. He had been charged by Master Jas to watch Avaryss and her changeling, make sure that nothing passed between them, nothing that would harm the Survivors. Fenn had thought such a task was unnecessary, but his Master had insisted, and he had done it. Using both his eyes, and his connection to Avaryss in the Force, he had kept a close watch on the two.

Perhaps…too close.

He brushed such thoughts away or tried to...at least.

They were on mission now, no longer holding at Cooper's safehouse.

The mission.

He was trying to stay focused on that.

They were currently aboard the Coop's Folly, Captain Cooper's flagship. The freighter was moving through hyperspace, still about two hours out, the vault world used by the dead man standing before them.

After almost a month of preparation, they were finally ready. Coop would have preferred that they do another week or so of training, but they didn't dare wait any longer.

Coop's agents in Zakuul space had heard rumors of Kivan's name in government communications, the invaders were talking about him. It was only a matter of time until a Zakuul ship headed to their destination.

They were out of time.

If they didn't move now, they would likely not get another chance.

Fenn glanced over at Captain Cooper, and the others at the table. Colonel Capistan and Master Jas had trusted the man to over see this mission, he had had the most experience in dealing with the Obando group.

He would have the final say if the mission was a go or not.

Coop looked at their companions, the men that had joined them aboard the Coop's Folly, and had been with them this last month at the safe house.

"What do you think? Will our friend here pass the test?"

Avaryss frowned at his question.

"You see for yourself, Captain? What more do you need?"

"It looks good, Sith. I won't deny that, but our friend has to be more than good, the people on the Holding worshipped Obando…"

He again turned to the other men at the table.

"What do you think? Any thoughts?"

There were three of them, men with cold eyes, and even colder presence in the Force. The men were mercenaries, men employed by the real Kivan Obando, they had seen to his security before his demise.

They were also agents of the Cooper organization, and had served as spies, his eyes and ears for the last few years, some of them, even longer.

They had known the man, if they thought their Obando was ready, then…he was ready.

The oldest of the three, a man named Olek Remek, nodded thoughtfully. Dark of skin, with a bald head, and short goatee, the other two looked to him for leadership.

"Not a bad show, boss," he answered, "If I didn't know better, I would say this was Obando."

The old merc smiled cruelly.

"This might just work after all."

The man to his right snorted. Also dark skinned, but about twenty years his superior's junior. Yet familiar in look, with the same eyes.

"I don't know, Dad," he answered, "Looking like "His Holy Grace" is all well and good, but fooling the priests and guards at the central tower, that is going to be something else."

The leader turned to the young man.

"That is where Jossef comes in, Teryn," he told his son, motioning to their companion, a pale skinned wiry man, with short greying brown hair, and data goggles, on his forehead.

"He'll make sure our Obando knows what he needs to know."

The third man, Jossef grinned.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Teryn," he said, "I've tested our Obando here, the codes, and stories we have fed him, he seems to have already memorized them. He'll pass inspection, I think."

In response, the false Kivan Obando chuckled.

"No need to worry," he said, flashing that winning smile again.

"I'm a fast learner."

Fenn nodded, and looked at Avaryss who also nodded, they both turned to Captain Cooper, who sighed.

"Looks like we're ready, though, it is kinda late to back out now.

The smuggler chieftain rose from the table, looking down and the three men, and the two Force wielders.

Coop nodded.

"The mission is a go."

"The Folly will drop out of hyperspace near the edge of the Obando system. You will take the shuttle in from there. Know that you have the Stolen Heart on standby. If things turn sideways, you can count on Tara Valenthyne to provide support. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Teryn Remek said, glaring at Avaryss.

"Why do we need the Sith along?"

Fenn felt a slight shift in the Force, his connection to Avy…

He glanced her way.

Uh oh!

Fenn knew Avy. He knew how she responded when someone challenged her. They didn't need this…not right now.

He glanced at his dream friend, reaching out, hoping she would understand.

Strangely enough, she did.

She smiled at Teryn. Fenn felt no sense of anger, if anything…he…he felt…

…playfulness?

Before she could respond, the false-Obando chuckled, and waved his hand dismissively.

"You need not worry about Her Lordship, dear boy. I assure you, she comes with the Obando seal of approval."

The comment drew the attention of everyone, to anyone who had seen recordings of the real Obando, they would recognize the phrase and the movement used in stating it.

Olek Remek snorted with amusement, he turned to Captain Cooper.

"Where did you find this guy?"

Cooper shrugged.

"It wasn't easy."

Fenn nodded thoughtfully.

He was happy to see that Cooper was keeping to the deal they had struck with Avaryss.

She had agreed to find Holli and have her to do this. All she asked was that they keep the fact that she was a changeling a secret.

Many cultures in the galaxy viewed changelings as untrustworthy. Many tales, from many worlds, cast the beings that could change their shape as villains, or liars. The threat of a changeling replacing a loved one, and causing harm was a story known to most in the galaxy.

So far, Holli had not shown that bent. She was loyal to Avaryss, and his dream friend considered her not only an ally, but a friend and confidant.

For Fenn, that was enough to keep the woman's secret. She had done nothing to warrant distrust. Even her rescue of Avaryss years ago had been motivated by a desire to save a friend, she had harmed no one in the attempt, Everyone had survived it, including Fenn and Shyra.

As for Avaryss her attention remained focused on Teryn, not willing to let go of the fact that he had questioned her.

She continued to smile at the man.

"What's the matter, big boy," she said playfully, "Don't like strong women?"

He looked at her, the Force around him still vibrated with a sense of hostility, but his expression showed an equally predatory smile.

"I happen to like strong women," he confessed, "It is backstabbing Sith that don't impress me."

Avaryss chuckled.

"Mister Remek, I have many skills that could impress you. Alas, we are on mission and there are others present."

Her posture changed, into something more seductive, she leaned forward, giving him a better look at her figure.

"WE will have to discuss such matters later."

Fenn blinked.

What?!

Olek looked at his son, the predatory look on the young man's face matched the one on Avaryss, and through the Force…Fenn sensed…excitement?

He blinked.

Desire?

Lust?

Fenn looked back and forth between the mercenary and the woman he had known his whole life.

He…he didn't understand.

A flicker of something ugly rose up inside of him. He looked at Teryn Remek.

Part of him…it…it wanted to wipe the smile off the mercenary's face.

How dare he look at Avy like that?

Olek Remek laughed, he squeezed his son's shoulder with the fondness of not only a farther, but a confident and brother in arms.

"Down, boy," he said, "There will be time for celebrations later…after we have concluded this business."

"Sure, Dad," he said dismissively, but his eyes remained focused on Avy, and she held that gaze, smiling cruelly, but…gamely?

Fenn looked back and forth between the two.

What was happening?

Avy had never responded like this to another man before, not around him anyway.

He…he…

He took a slow cleansing breath, trying to center himself, to focus.

Yet, even as he closed his eyes, he could still see Teryn's face, and the expression of playful excitement on Avy's face.

He…he didn't like it.

He didn't like it one bit.

Stop it.

He shook his head, yet, even when the young mercenary broke eye contact with Fenn's dream friend, he still stole glances at her, even as Coop outlined what would happen when they exited hyperspace, when they reached the world of Obando's Holding.

He didn't hear everything that Captain Cooper said, he kept watching Avy and Teryn. He was forced to hold his tongue.

Stop looking at each other!

He took another cleansing breath,

Yet the look between the girl and the mercenary remained.

STOP IT!

IOI

The crew broke up to finish up their duties. The Remeks headed down to prepare the shuttle they had prepped to fool the locals who worshipped the dead antiquarian. The man Jossef remained at the side of Holli informing her of what she needed to know to complete this mission, the information that those on the planet would expect their lord to know, and so she could respond accordingly.

Fenn had gone back to his quarters to meditate, to prepare for the mission, and to find his center.

Avaryss smiled slightly.

If what she was feeling from him was true, finding his center would not be easy.

She almost laughed.

What you are feeling, my love, she thought, is jealousy.

Enjoy it.

She had followed Captain Cooper back to his quarters. There were a few matters he wanted to discuss before the mission truly got underway. She had been grateful for that, it gave Fenn time to stew in the throes of his emotions, and that was not a bad thing.

She had hoped he would give into his desires for her by now, especially after being in close quarters for as long as they had.

Yet, he remained distant, and that distance had started to frustrate her.

She had needed a new plan, and thanks to Xen, and the presence of a certain young mercenary, she now had it.

"Jealousy, is the key, master," the fallen Jedi had assured her, "Fenn is a true Jedi, which means that the masters have never taught him how to deal with…possessive emotions. He views your past together as something special, eternal, you have to show him that others have caught your eye, that they can catch your eye."

Xen had smiled wickedly then.

"I know what that feels like. I felt it myself when you first freed me of the Jedi's shackles. I was unused to the concept of competition for a male's attention. I was a bit…harsh on that competition in the beginning."

"I remember," Avaryss had said, "I saw what was left of several of the bodies."

Xen shrugged, never losing that cruel smirk.

"I guess I went a little boy crazy."

Avaryss had not responded, boy crazy was not the word she would use to describe Xen Loor.

Maneater felt more accurate, which was why she had disapproved of the girl's relationship with Beric.

Still, the dark lord could not fault her former student's advice.

Fenn…he did not know how to deal with seeing another man looking at her, she had felt it. She could still feel the hurt, the confusion, and most importantly, the anger.

Anger was good, she would simply have to make sure that it got directed at the correct target, and that it turned into a chain, a chain that bound he and her even tighter together.

Avaryss could do that. Though…she was used to having men pursue her, as many of her previous suitors had, she was not ignorant of the game to get a man's attention.

No, she knew how to play, and Fenn seemed willing to play along.

Again…perfect.

She was most pleased.

For now, though, she put such thoughts aside, she still had a hostile world to infiltrate, and a key to recover.

To that end, she needed to deal with their host, a man she hated for some reason she didn't know.

Captain Cooper.

The smuggler offered her a drink as they arrived in his small cabin. She refused, though she did pause briefly breathing in the air, the scent of this place.

Somehow…it felt…familiar?

The cabin was cluttered with papers and datapads, but that clutter was not...messy, it felt…somehow in harmony with the room. It seemed like a form of controlled chaos. The cabin, like the ship itself, felt more like a home than a trading vessel, the very bulkheads here seemed to radiate with emotions. This ship, like its skipper, had a long history.

Much had happened here, many years of life.

Cooper's life.

He gave her an evaluating look, cool, and intelligent.

"You are sure your… 'friend' is up to this?" he asked.

Again, Avaryss felt that strange sense of dislike for the man, dislike bordering on hatred.

She didn't understand it. If anything, she should have been comfortable working with Cooper. She had always enjoyed dealing with roguish types. Mister Rink, the bounty hunter Kalo Nord, she was unsure why Captain Cooper prompted such hostility.

She was unwilling to accept it at face value. Especially, since she needed Cooper's aid in acquiring the second key.

She was not a slave to her emotions, they were tools to access her power, and bend the galaxy, and its people, to her will.

She bowed to nothing, but the dark side and her own ambitions.

She would not be a slave to emotion.

"Holli will do her duty," she assured him, "Lujayne has never failed me before, she would not start now."

Cooper nodded, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes falling on a projector on his desk.

Avaryss glanced at it.

Interesting.

The images changed every few seconds, most of Cooper in years past, him, and with this person or that, all at different times in the man's life.

Surprisingly, she noticed Jas Dar Bynn in many of those holos, many of them appearing decades old, when the old Jedi had been a boy.

Most interesting.

"Getting into Obando's Holdings will be the easy part," Cooper said, "Getting out will not be as simple."

"Your three mercenaries seem confident," Avaryss said with a shrug.

"They're good men," he replied, "After Jas and my earliest dealings with Obando, I made sure to find people in his organization, people that could watch him, and make sure he tried nothing new against Jas and his family."

Cooper shook his head.

"Olek and Jossef were there first. Teryn joined up after he got discharged out of the Republic military. It was he; that confirmed Obando's death. News that didn't disappoint me, that is for sure."

Avaryss smiled.

"So, you and Jas had trouble with the man?"

Coop nodded.

"Jas did but considering what happened. I took the matter personally, for many reasons."

The dark lord laughed lightly.

"Oh, now I'm just curious. You can't say something like that and not expand on it further."

"You're right, I can't," the captain said, "And I'm going to tell you, so you know what to expect going in. Obando was unpredictable in life, a world that he set up himself is going to be equally so. We can only prepare so much with what we know. The unexpected will happen, you, Fenn, and your changeling will have to be ready to adapt."

"What did the man do that was so unpredictable, what did he do that have both you, and Master Jas, so jumpy about this mission?"

Coop poured himself another drink. He looked again at the holo-viewer on his desk, and image of him, a woman and two small children were there.

The captain sighed.

"Obando was curious about the dark side and the Force in general. He wanted to see how far he could push a Jedi. How far one would bend before they broke. Yet, he had needed to be careful your people had just returned, and the war was in full swing. Finding a Jedi wasn't easy, and most didn't have buttons to push, they were not easily manipulated, not when they were focused on the war. Most Jedi have the order and they have their duty, that is it."

"Master Jas was different," Avaryss said.

"You could say that" the man answered, "Unlike most Jedi, Jas had a life, he had things he loves, things he had given up. He would have done anything to protect them."

The holo changed again. An image showing Cooper, Jas, along with a pair of women, and their children. What could only be their respective families. Avaryss knew Jas had a family of course, his intel file had contained several documents on that fact. It was part of the reason the Jedi Order had looked down on the man.

He had given into attachment, he had people he loved.

"What happened?" Avaryss asked.

"Obando poisoned Jas' son. The boy was only seven at the time. Orys survived, but…Jas couldn't let that go. He paused his efforts in the war to hunt the men who did it. Kivan had planned that, course. His agents had left clues to draw Jas in. Jas pursued. We hunted the men responsible, everything they did was tailored to drive Jas towards his anger. Obando wanted him angry, wanted him to hate him. The hunt ended on Nar Shadda. We killed the men responsible, and found ourselves facing Obando himself"

Avaryss blinked.

What?

The intel file had said nothing about this.

She frowned.

Knowledge was power in this galaxy; such a happening should have been found out by imperial intelligence.

Hopefully, someone had died for not discovering such information. For losing track of a Jedi on the hunt for someone who would harm their child.

The Sith Lord frowned.

She remembered what Cooper had said.

We.

"You went with him, didn't you?"

Cooper nodded.

"Jas is my clan brother; his son is my god son. I loved the kid, just like I love my own. Of course, I went with him."

A shiver ran down her spine.

I love my own, the man had said.

Her eyes narrowed.

Liar!

The thought came unbidden and was very strong.

Avaryss shook her head.

Something about Cooper and his kids. She…she wasn't sure…

She felt…anger.

Disappointment?

Why?

She tried to imagine Jas Dar Bynn, lightsaber in hand, standing above a cringing Kivan Obando. What would have he said?

What might he have done?

Avaryss' eyes gleamed; a sly look came to her face.

"Obando poisoned Jas' son, and yet…he died only recently?"

Cooper nodded.

"Jas didn't kill him; he was still a Jedi."

The smuggler shook his head.

"He insisted that Obando be turned over to the Republic courts. Both Jas' wife, Tara's aunt, and I advised him against it. The law couldn't handle something like this, we warned him. Obando was too powerful, and the Republic was caught up in the war with your people, a war that Obando helped fund. The law did its thing, but nothing came of it. There were four trials, two of them in the supreme court on Coruscant. Nothing came of any of them, Kivan Obando walked."

Cooper leaned forward, his expression cold and serious.

"This man was willing to risk creating a Dark Jedi, just so he could see one up close. He risked his own life, not caring about the consequences. That is the man whose world you are about land on and try to steal from. Even in death, Kivan Obando has a long reach. That is why Jas didn't come along on this mission. There is too much feeling here, too many dark memories.

Avaryss said nothing, what could she say.

One man's tragedy was another's opportunity.

No wonder the key had ended up in Kivan Obando's collection. He had probably been drawn to it.

The man would have made a good Sith.

Jas and Cooper had every reason to hate the man.

It is a shame that they didn't give in.

Such hatred led to great power.

Cooper sighed again.

"Watch your back down there, girl, and Fenn's too."

Avaryss smiled.

"You have nothing to worry about, Captain," she promised him. Her thoughts turning to jealousy and hate. Obando had tried with Jas and failed, but she would not.

Fenn would know the darkness, and he would come…to her.

"You have nothing to fear…

…I have everything under control."

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day 2023!

DG