Chapter 35: The Auction

Scum and Villainy.

They were words that Fenn didn't apply lightly. Growing up with Master Jas, he had come to see that the galaxy was rarely black and white.

What some people called scum, well…they could be rough around the edges, but there was honor there, maybe not the honor that a Jedi would see, but honor none the less.

Those around them now…well…that was different.

As they made their way through the casino, heading to the grand hall where the auction was to be held. They found themselves surrounded by many other buyers, many other guests that had come to bid on the wares offered by the Hutts.

Fenn suppressed a frown.

He recognized many of the people joining them tonight. Faces he had seen in many law enforcement offices, many on various wanted holos, or person of interest recordings.

He was surprised by how many had come. Travel was not an easy thing, not with Zakuul ships monitoring the comings and goings between Republic and Empire. Over a hundred beings made for the grand hall, all being gently herded by a small contingent of Weequay guards.

Fenn shook his head.

All well dressed, with beautiful femms or handsome gentles on their arms, powerful beings all, men, women, and creatures from many different worlds, but all with one thing in common.

All of them…were criminals.

As guardians of the peace, the Jedi DID have access to the resources used by the judicials of the Republic, and other forces of law enforcement, and in his travels with Master Jas, often across the rim and mid-rim worlds, usually among those considered the fringe of the galaxy's underworld, had further expanded the young Jedi's knowledge.

Yes.

He recognized many faces here tonight.

Gunrunners, smuggler chieftains, spice kings, and slavers had all turned out for the sale, all come to purchase the ill-gotten goods that the Hutts had on offer.

Had they known there was a Jedi in their midst, the other buyers might not have appeared so content, so sure of themselves, drinks or snacks in hand, with beautiful femms and gentles on their various arms and appendages.

They all ignored him, or at least accepted his presence among them.

Tonight, Fenn was not dressed as a Jedi.

If they were to accomplish their goals, they needed to blend in, hide among the shadows that frequented the smuggler's moon.

It was…disturbing to say the least.

Avaryss had set this up, with Captain Cooper's help, they had arrived dressed as Sith, a familiar sight among galactic gatherings of dangerous people. Teryn was dressed in the uniform of a Sith officer, Temmin in the garb of a Sith Acolyte, a role made more believable by his half Sith pureblood status.

Fenn wore the robes of a Sith warrior, the slate grey armor and black robes hiding his true allegiance. His hood pulled up, hiding most of his face. Avy was…

Fenn glanced over at her. Again his breath caught.

He couldn't help it.

Avy was…beautiful.

She had forgone the robes of her station, choosing instead a lovely black dress. Off the shoulder, secured at her neck with a single delicate strap. The dress had a slit in the side to give her legs freedom of movement. A deep red sash belted her waist, allowing her to carry her lightsaber. She wore her long black hair up, her features mostly hidden by a black sequined domino mask.

Avy smiled as they made their way down the corridor, several men, and even a few women, stared at their group, or rather, at Fenn, and the young woman on his arm.

He glanced over again, taking her in. She seemed almost to be floating among the other guests, the gown was cut very low in back, showing off the Sith tattoos that ran from her neck, down her spine, and stopping just at her hips.

But they were not tattoos, he noticed, they looked…well…they looked more like brands, that some intense heat had scorched them into her flesh. Had he been braver, he might have placed his hand on her back, but he was not.

He could sense of cold that seemed to come from those markings, an echo of intense dark side power, or the presence of power.

The thought troubled him.

It was as if the dark side itself had branded her with those markings. He found himself wondering if they had been done as a part of some Sith ritual. If so, it meant that Avy had dipped far deeper into the dark side than he would have preferred.

He…he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Her eyes found his, through their connection, she had likely sensed his disquiet.

She smiled.

"Do not let our fellow guests bother you," she said, "They are just something we must endure, at least, until the prize is in our hands."

Fenn nodded. She thought it was the company that they kept that bothered him, she was right, but that was only a minor inconvenience.

He was more worried about her. He remembered seeing the scars she had once had, especially the bad lightsaber-burn across her shoulders, the one that marred her tattoo.

That scar was gone, her back looked…pristine. It seems that the dark side had done more than simply restore her arm to her.

Fenn knew little about Sith Alchemy, but knew it was dangerous, and could be costly to those who used it.

He couldn't help but wonder, what price the dark side had asked for restoring his dream friend's body to what it had been before.

"I don't like this master," Temmin whispered, "These people…"

"Are of no consequence," Fenn advised, "Avy is right in this, Temm, we must stay focused on the goal."

"Yes," his padawan agreed, though, Fenn did sense a flash of anger directed at the woman on his arm. He could feel his student's glare, his eyes burning into Avy's back.

Temmin was not happy with her, that was clear.

He didn't need the Force to know that, the boy had been troubled since they had met up for the auction.

He didn't need to guess the reason.

He is worried, Fenn realized, worried about Zay, the two of them have grown pretty close over the last few weeks.

Again, troubling.

He realized he would need to speak with the boy. Friendship was good, it kept you grounded, but strong attachments could be troublesome, especially in the early part of a Jedi's training.

The thought almost made him laugh.

Was he really the one to lecture the boy about the dangers of attachment. After years of separation, the girl he had dreamed of most of his life was finally on his arm. For the first time in, well, ever, he felt…strangely complete, it had been like he had been searching for a part of himself his entire life, now…he had found it.

Now…he felt whole.

If that was not attachment, he didn't know what was.

"LORD AVARYSS!"

Hearing her name made her stop, He felt tension in her arm, and through the Force. A flash of fear that was unlike Avy. Her grip became hard, she almost pushed him before her…almost.

The fear vanished quickly, again, she was back in control.

Avaryss turned to see a scarred human dressed in finery approaching, a pretty young girl on his arm.

Avy smiled.

"Gravid Sachuff," she purred, "It has been some time."

"Indeed it has, my lord," the man chuckled, "Though, I must confess, I wasn't sure it was you. The last we spoke; you were in such a bad way. You were in a hover chair, breathing through an oxygen mask."

"Recovering from an injury, nothing more," she assured him, "It took some time, but, as you can say. I've fully recovered, and ready to take on the galaxy again.

The man chuckled, he seemed amused. The woman on his arm said nothing, she didn't see aware of what was going on, not fully.

From the glazed expression, Fenn guessed she had been drugged, whether by her own hand, or by the man they were speaking with, he could not be sure.

The man, Gravid Sachuff didn't seem to notice.

He remained focused on Avy; she spoke like they were old friends.

"I trust matters are running smoothly on Oridanna? I've had no contact with any of your people in months."

At the mention of the world, she frowned, a frown that fled quickly, replaced by a strained smile.

She didn't like talking about this, Fenn was sure of that.

"I was removed from my place as administrator of my home world, Mister Sachuff," she answered, "In fact, I needed to take a sabbatical from by duties on the dark council as well."

"Really," the man said, 'That's…unfortunate."

"Isn't it though," the dark lord agreed, "But don't worry, it is only a temporary thing. I intend to be back in my old position soon, it has been an…interesting year away, but I'm most eager to get back to work."

"Happy to hear it," the man answered, "Just know, that should you need any extra laborers, my stock is more than replenished, even after the size of your last order. I will be more than able to meet your needs."

Again, Avaryss twitched, Fenn felt it, the tension in her arm, her grim becoming almost painful, briefly.

"I will keep that in mind," she promised, "For now, enjoy the evening, and the auction, of course."

The man nodded and turned away, noticing another familiar face in the crowd.

Fenn watched the exchange with a frown, just being able to hide his surprise.

Gravid Sachuff?

It had taken him a moment, but he remembered the name, and why he knew it.

He looked at Avy.

"That man is a slaver," he said flatly.

"Yes," she answered.

He was aghast.

He had expected her to deny it, make some excuse for why she had dealings with someone who traded in innocent people.

"Avy? You…you dealt with slavers?"

"My master dealt with slavers," she clarified, "He brought slavery to my home world. He needed it to meet the expanded quotas."

Avaryss frowned. Fenn could sense her distaste, and disdain.

"It is not something that I would have allowed. I stopped it as soon as my master…was retired."

"Fine," Fenn said, "Yet, I can still sense, your…familiarity with many of the people in this room. They know you. Some of them fear you. The fact that you could move so freely through a world of slavers and…"

He stopped; he had no more words.

He wanted an explanation.

She gave him a cold smile.

"I know many of the people in this room, Fenn. I was on the dark council, after all. One does not serve on the dark council without getting one's hands dirty. Darth Marr and the others had their fingers in all kinds of shady deals, deals that I was drawn into once I was on the council."

She glanced around the room, her smile turning to a sneer.

"That does not mean that I approve of those deals. Many…I did not, but I didn't have the authority to stand up to my fellow lords. I was not my master. Feer was known, and was from a respected line. I was the new girl on the council, and, despite my powers, and position, I was isolated from so many choices. The other councilors never accepted me, not really. Marr and I had an understanding, but now, I realize that he just needed me to further his own agenda. He manipulated me, promising to aid me when I needed it, but never giving me the opportunity to call in those favors."

Fenn nodded.

That made sense, she had told him several times that the council did its best to limit her authority.

Besides, he wanted to believe her. She had never lied to him.

I trust her.

He NEEDED to trust her.

She shrugged.

"My past is in the past, Fenn. Know that things will not go back to business as usual in the Empire, not when the Zakuul are defeated, and I'm in charge.

She smiled slyly.

"Many things will change when I'm on the throne. I promise you."

In this, Fenn didn't doubt her. He could sense it. She was not trying to deceive him.

She believed what she was telling him.

He nodded accepting her words.

He had to accept.

He believed her.

He needed to believe her.

IOI

As they filed into the auction hall, and found their seats, Avaryss could not entirely kill the sense of anger that was boiling beneath the surface.

The seats that Vogga had arranged for her party was on the main floor of the auction hall, meaning that she would need to sit among the rabble. They were wealthy rabble, perhaps, but still mundanes, not the proper company for the next ruler of the galaxy.

She wondered if Vogga had done this on purpose. He may have been an ally, but that didn't mean he was not above reminding her of the position the Hutts wielded in their territory, making the Dark Lord of the Sith sit was the mundanes were likely part of that. A mild chastisement for believing herself superior, or rather, knowing she WAS superior.

Yet that was not the reason she was troubled, not the whole reason.

As she found her seat, she looked at her hands, normally they were so steady, but now, they trembled slightly, and had since her encounter with that fool Gravid Sachuff.

All it had taken was his voice, hearing it, and…

She frowned.

Avy had lost control.

Though he had not been threatening her, a sense of fear spiked in her from seemingly out of nowhere. She had never feared the slaver in the past, had had no reason to, but…

She had felt it now, none the less.

It should have been impossible, she was a Darth, she was Death itself. Fear was for lesser beings, for slave and…

She blinked.

Slaves.

Her eyes narrowed.

A thought occurred to her.

A most uncomfortable thought, indeed.

Sachuff had mentioned their last meeting, she remembered it now, she had been in a hover chair, and on oxygen. The mutation disease that Darth Terrog had infected her with had gotten worse, she had needed to keep calm and still, it had helped with the seizures.

That had all ended with the sacrifice of a thousand souls. They had cleansed the Jedi body she now called her own, but…it seemed that the spell had not done everything that it had promised.

"Are you okay?"

She smiled at Fenn and found her seat, Teryn took one to her left, protecting her, while Temmin sat to the right of his master, sandwiching the two of them in between.

She nodded.

Of course, everything was fine, why wouldn't it be?

She had her new body, and two of the keys, soon she would have the third, and be ready to move her relationship with Fenn forward.

Yet, that didn't change the fact that things were not perfect.

She looked down at her hands, the memory of the fear she had felt when she heard Sachuff's voice worried her.

Things were not as clear as they seemed.

The ritual she had used to save her life had been crafted from the works of Naga Sadow, and her own research. It had suggested that the energies that she needed, the life force of the thousand was pure and neutral. It was a flame that would cleanse her new body, and it would leave nothing behind, no trace of the Jedi, whose soul would be obliterated, and lives of the thousand would be consumed in the flames leaving no trace of who they were, or had been in life.

Avaryss looked down at her hand and frowned.

It seems that Naga Sadow had been wrong.

The ritual, it had done its work, but the transfer was not as clean as it should have been. Avaryss had ample evidence of that. Flashes of memories that weren't hers. She had access to skills she should not have, could do things that she had never trained for, and now…this.

The Fear.

Avaryss licked her suddenly dry lips.

She didn't like thinking about this, but she couldn't deny it.

Damn.

Many of the people sacrificed to return her to life had been slaves brought to Oridanna by Sachuff, they had known him, and known his anger. The irrational sense of fear, it was their fear, not her own. At least, that is what she believed.

It made sense.

She didn't like it, but…

…There it was.

She fought the desire to curse, long and loudly.

She…she didn't want this, any of it!

She was on the edge of absolute victory. The galaxy would soon fall into her lap.

Yet, she now had to contend with what was left of those that had saved her life, not to mention the remnant of the Jedi who had once had this body.

It was galling.

It was not like she was hearing voices, or feeling the will of another. No, she had conquered that along with the mutation sickness of Terrog's.

No, this was different, this was a coloring of the tapestry of her soul. A part of her that was both new, and strangely familiar.

What it meant in the long run, she couldn't say.

Does it matter, the darkness within her hissed, so there were minor side effect of the ritual that saved your life, so what? They are nothing, mere shades of lesser beings.

YOU are the Dark Lord of the Sith. The heir to the emperor, and the dark side itself.

What you are experiencing will not stop you.

You CAN'T let it stop you.

She took a deep breath, and nodded slightly.

Yes, that was true.

What did it matter if an echo of souls she had taken remained?

She had a plan, and they would not stop it.

She would destroy the Zakuul.

She would destroy the Republic!

She would build an Empire that would last for millennia!

The lords of House Avaryss would be a dynasty that would hold sway over the galaxy until the stars burned themselves out.

She could deal with anything, as long as she could hold onto that, but first, the key.

She needed to acquire it.

Avaryss looked down at the arm of her chair, a small datapad was there, she picked it up, quickly accessing it.

She smirked as she went through the list the pad contained, a complete list of all the items on offer. Her eyes falling on the seventeenth.

It looked slightly different than the others, but she could not deny that it was one of Hecaetus' keys.

The third one, three of five.

So close now, she thought.

So VERY close.

Fenn looked around; he was still troubled by the dark company that he found himself among.

She reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

He looked down and smiled gratefully.

That smile warmed her, but also amused her as well.

Dear Fenn.

She wondered if he realized that when all was said and done, the most evil person in the room, was the one that was on his arm.

She almost laughed at the thought.

Amazing.

Evil was only a point of view, of course, she knew that from her own training. The galaxy was just a collection of beings struggling for power and identity. They would call her evil because she sought to end their chaotic struggle.

If the Jedi and the Sith agreed on anything, it was that the galaxy needed order to function. The foolish Jedi believed that they could bring order through working with mundanes.

Foolish, and a waste of time.

Avaryss shivered with excitement, thought of the endgame filling her was a dark delight.

So close now.

Free will: THAT was TRUE evil! It was a lie that had torn the galaxy apart so many times. The Republic was proof of that, legions of dumb panicky creatures attacking the truly great among them. That fear and free will had caused the ancient Jedi to turn on themselves, caused the schism that led to the creation of the Sith Order.

Avaryss…would make sure that those fools and their ideas never hurt anyone else again.

Soon she would have the power to bind the galaxy to one will, and with that power she would unify all against the Zakuul the ones who had survived her first attack anyway.

The thought warmed her, and she almost cackled with glee.

It would be delicious.

The galaxy would be a much better place when it was of one will, hers, and her family. Oh, how they galaxy would advance when everyone worked toward the common good. Everything would function as a well-oiled machine, droid like, only better, because order would be enforced with firm yet gentle hand.

Her hand.

She reached out with the Force, trying to sense the key, but found nothing.

She shouldn't have been surprised, she supposed.

It was more than likely the Hutts had the items up for auction off site, and they would need to go and pick it up once the sale was over.

Fine with me.

She looked again on the pad, entering her account number, showing the credits she had transferred for the sale.

She nodded approvingly.

One point five million credits.

She doubted that anyone else could match the bids she would make towards the key.

She leaned back and tried to relax. Forget about Sachuff and how he had made her feel.

She frowned as she looked upward, the VIP boxes for the sale were already filled.

I should be up there, she thought angrily, not down here with the rabble.

She put such thoughts out of her mind.

In the end it didn't matter where she sat.

The prize would soon be hers, and without bloodshed.

She almost smirked.

If anyone knew how valuable the key was, they wouldn't be so relaxed as they waited, hell, the Hutts wouldn't be selling the thing if they knew.

So much the better that they didn't, she thought with a happy sigh.

The auction started, a Toydarian barker brining up a holo of the first item up for bid.

Avaryss sat back watching the big spenders, wondering if any would try to outbid her.

They would lose of course.

She had come too far.

She would not stop now.

IOI

Fenn watched as the items were auctioned off one by one.

Avy didn't even bother trying to bid on anything, if anything, she seemed bored by the whole event.

Fenn wished he could say the same.

Some of the things being sold here…

It made him uneasy.

On the surface everything seemed so…harmless, but his training, and taught him that this was no mere transfer of goods.

Some of these sales.

They were nightmares waiting to happen.

The second sale was a crate of G26 power cells, he knew the name, and knew what such cells were used for. They powered A-11 heavy disruptors, weapons that were outlawed in every civilized system, outlawed because of what they could do to living tissue.

And someone now had a crate to power two hundred of them.

Dangerous.

The tenth sale was of fifty liters of bio reactive gel, an enzyme brew used in most hospital on civilized worlds, used and highly regulated.

Most systems only required a half liter for one hospital per planet. A few drops were all that were required for most medicinal uses.

There were several uses for such a high amount.

Genetic experimentation at the best, bio and viral weaponry at the worst. Fenn didn't recognize the femm that bought the gel, but she didn't look like a medical professional.

Again…dangerous.

The Toydarian barker wasted no time in moving from item to item. At his side stood a large man with dirty thinning blonde hair. He had strong arms, and a thick neck, but his waist line was greatly expanded showing that he had not been on the field of action in quite some time.

The Toydarian flapped over to the second podium bringing up the next hologram, a familiar looking one.

Avaryss grinned hungrily.

Fenn shivered.

The key.

He wondered how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands.

As bad as the other items that had been sold here.

The Toydarian gestured to the holo.

"And now…on to the next item, eh. A crystalline artifact, possibly of Jedi origin."

The little alien clasped his hands before him.

"WE shall start the bidding at five thousand, eh. Do I hear five?"

A man in the front row said five.

"Do I hear ten?"

"Ten," Avaryss said, raising her pad.

"Fifteen," said the woman who bought the gel.

"Twenty-five," said a scarred Twi'lek male across the room.

"Thirty," said an obese Sullustan, a known arms dealer, if Fenn remembered correctly.

"WE have thirty," the Toydarian called out, "Do we have forty, eh?"

"Forty-five," Avaryss said confidently.

"Sixty," the Sullustan exclaimed.

"Sixty-five," the woman who bought the gel, shouted.

"WE have Sixty-five," the barker said, "Anymore, eh?

"A hundred," Avaryss exclaimed.

"One hundred thousand credits, do I hear more, eh?"

No answer.

"Do I hear more?" the Toydarian asked.

"One ten," the Sullustan growled, glaring at Avaryss.

She gave him a cruel, yet sweet smirk."

She was clearly enjoying this.

"One hundred ten thousand credits," the barker exclaimed, "the bid is a hundred ten thousand, any more, eh? Any more?"

The blonde man standing next the Toydarian blinked, he looked at Avaryss before leaving the stage, speaking quickly into his commlink.

Fenn frowned.

What was that about.

"Any more?"

"Two hundred," the Twi'lek shouted.

Avaryss giggled.

Fenn knew how much money she had brought, the fact that she could drop a million credits with such ease was shocking, but then again.

She had been on the dark council, and she had told him more than once that she had invested her credits well.

She had been extremely wealthy once. She had lost some of that when she had been cast out, but she still had wealth, not as rich has she had once been but still.

"Five hundred thousand," she said, earning more than a few gasps from the other patrons.

The Toydarian's eyes sparkled greedily.

This was, by far the highest the auction had gone, even the gel had only been forty thousand.

"Anyone else, eh?" the barker asked, "Five hundred thousand credits, we have five, any one for five fifty? Six, eh?"

Fenn felt Avaryss grip his hand, her golden eyes sparkled.

She sensed victory.

She…

"TWO MILLION CREDITS!"

The bid shocked the room, even Avaryss her eyes widened, and she looked up, trying to see who would dare…

Her breath caught in her throat.

Fenn looked up quickly, and realized why.

No, he thought.

Oh no!

"TWO MILLION!" the Toydarian shouted, "Any more bids, eh?"

"No," Avaryss growled under her breath.

"Damn it!"

"Going once!"

"Damn," Avaryss hissed.

"Going twice!"

She looked at her pad, impotently, she knew she couldn't…

Fenn helped her back to her seat, she was fuming.

"SOLD!"

The crowd looked up, shocked by the high bid, but quickly looked away.

They all knew better.

The bid had come from one of the VIP boxes, one empty when Fenn and company had arrived.

It was occupied by three Zakuul knights. Hutt space was technically neutral after all.

The man who purchased the key smirked down at Fenn and Avaryss, and in that moment, Fenn realized he must have known who they were, how, he could not say.

Yet, Fenn knew it to be true.

The buyer was Lenix Gul, the knight that had destroyed Veldora for Emperor Arcann.

The Zakuul now had one of the keys.

Avaryss was practically shaking with rage, Fenn could feel it through their connection. Black clouds rolling into the normally silver sheen of the Force that surround the two dream friends.

Gul and his two knights left quickly, no doubt rushing to speak with someone who could get him his prize.

"We can't let this happen," Avaryss hissed under her breath.

Fenn, despite his Jedi training let a bit of her rage wash over him, letting it fill him up, he breathed it out quickly, but not before feeling a brief flash of it.

Zakuul could not be allowed to have those keys, any of them.

"WE can't let this happen," Avy repeated.

Their group rose from their chair, following the fleeing knights.

They needed to be careful, Hutts took their neutrality seriously.

Thought of Arcann, or his sister with those keys. If half of what Fenn had heard.

No.

NO!

WE can't let this happen; the phrase echoed through the Force bond between the two dream friends.

Avy was almost shouting it through the Force.

"Don't worry," Fenn promised her.

"WE won't."