Chapter 37: A Perfect Failure
The assassins continued to circle, their weapons at the ready.
A ring of death, shifting like a lethal tide.
Avaryss had never sensed a Sith Assassin as it went about its business before. She had never had an opportunity to…until now.
They were like voids in the Force, she could sense the hunger they felt, and the pull upon her. They drank deep of her power, draining it like a leech, their own powers growing as the feeding continued. As a Darth her connection to the dark side was strong, and the power at her disposal almost limitless, but with six feeding at once…
Her eyes narrowed.
This…it didn't look good.
Distantly she could hear the spirit of her master laughing. Darth Feer would have been more than amused by her current predicament.
It is over, my child. You shall die at the hands of these pawns, directed by a failed apprentice! The mighty Darth Avaryss, Hero of the Empire, finally brought low!
"Silence, master," she nearly hissed out loud, "go back to your grave and leave me alone!"
She could almost see the dark lord's arrogant smirk.
You will be joining me shortly in a grave, dear daughter. I shall await your arrival.
The cackling amused voice of her late master left her thoughts, but that didn't change what had been said, nor the fact that he was correct.
This was not good.
If she didn't come up with something quick…
…she was dead.
She looked up at the dais, at the three beings there. Niro the Hutt and his major domo, Thom Istris. Both watched was curiosity, and a sense of hope.
They knew the kind of damage a Sith could do. They knew what would happen if she escaped the six killers that now ringed her.
Just behind the Hutt, stood Dym, her Muun apprentice. His presence here surprised her, but… it shouldn't have.
She had known that he had disappeared in Hutt space, and her agents had confirmed that rather than continue to serve her house and the empire, he had chosen to enter into business with the cartel. Carving out his own niche in the criminal underworld.
Vices were sought out now, more than ever in the galaxy. People looking to escape the uncertainty of these troubled times. Fear of the Zakuul, and the unknown future drew people to many illicit pursuits.
Dym had been profiting greatly from that, or so her agents had informed her.
Hearing that disgusted her.
Didn't the fool realize that if she was successful, their house would rule the empire, and the galaxy? He had had one job seek out any information that he could find on Hecaetus' keys. Yet, he had chosen to ally with the slugs, to work against her will.
Maybe he had believed he had no choice. That true power would never be his. The empire's discrimination against any Sith that wasn't human or of the old blood was legendary.
Why not seek out a new power base for himself? Still, that didn't explain his presence here.
She understood, but his presence here…why?
Why risk interfering in her business now? He had left the Sith behind, and she had come to view him as a loose end, something to be dealt with later, after the Zakuul had been smashed and her place in the Empire restored.
Her frown deepened.
It seems that had been an error on her part.
The Muun's successes had made him impudent, and arrogant, but still to test himself against his master, one who had achieved a position on the dark council…
Foolish, she might have said, but now…surrounded by killers in his employ…
Dym wasn't a fool, or at least she had thought that before this moment. The dark side was strong in him, so strong that the Sith had taken him in, and allowed him to study on Korriban.
Not a bad accomplishment for a lawyer from Muunilist.
She met his gaze, her cold eyes boring into his.
"I don't suppose we can discuss this like reasonable people, apprentice?"
Dym sneered down at her.
"This is not about reason, my master. It is about our house, a proper Sith House. One not divided by weak leadership, and dreams of glory, but a clear vision of the future. In the hands of one who knows how best to move our interests forward. Who is prepared to take the next step into a larger world."
"Weak leadership," she hissed, "I'm guessing that you are referring to me?"
"If the boot fits, my lord," he said with a shrug.
"And yours…fits perfectly."
A snarl escaped her lips, but she didn't attack, not yet.
She was stalling, giving Fenn and the others time to get into position. This fight would not be an easy one. Even if she and Fenn split the assassins up, it would still be a tough battle. Temmin wasn't a match for such an opponent, not yet, add in Dym and the Hutt's bullyboys, the odds were not in their favor. Teryn might have been a wild card in her favor, but still…
Still, she was not one to back down.
Keep him talking. Stall. Fenn will make his move when the time was right.
Dym had always enjoyed the sound of his own voice; she could use that to her advantage.
She sneered up at her former student.
"Tell me, did you contact Acina yourself, or was this Hutt already looking for a chance to pay me back for what happened years ago?"
Dym smirked, his black teeth making his pale bald head look like a death's head skull.
"Oh the empress has no knowledge of this, not yet. As for the Hutts…well…can you really blame the cartel for wishing you dealt with, my master? The last time you were on Nar Shadda you set a blaze that destroyed an entire district, thousands killed, millions of credits worth of damage, not to mention all the merchandise that the Hutt clans lost in that fire."
Dym shook his head.
"The great Niro recognizes that delivering the one responsible for such a loss will earn him great prestige with his fellows. As for the assassins you now face, well, they were simply hidden on the smuggler's moon. The Empire is moving around its remaining assets, to make it harder for the invaders to target them.
The Muun gestured to the ring of death that currently surrounded her.
"These assassins don't desire much, merely the order of a dark lord, and a target to test their skills on."
Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
At least Acina wasn't actively pursuing her, yet.
Dym chuckled evilly.
"I knew you would come if I laid out the right bait. You always preferred to handle matters yourself, didn't you?"
Avaryss sneered back.
"Unlike you, who never liked to get your hands dirty."
The Muun shrugged.
"Still…you have disappointed me. I thought you would, at least, have brought the whore and the necrophile with you."
He shook his head.
"Now I must waste my time tracking them down. I will suffer no rivals for the command of my new house."
"A wise decision," Avaryss agreed, "Though…I am not dead yet."
"Yet," he reminded her.
The dark lord glared up at him.
"I am not so easy to kill, apprentice."
Niro belched and stared down at her.
"What are you waiting for, Muun? Give the order, deal with the piece of froth right now."
"Soon enough, mighty one," he promised.
Avaryss sneered.
She risked a glance at the passageway that led to where Fenn and Temmin would be coming from. Surely, they must have been inside by now, they had to see what was going on.
Why were they not coming to her aid?
She didn't doubt her dream friend. Teryn might have seen what was going on and fled, not that she blamed him.
The odds were not in their favor, but a Jedi, a Jedi protected those that needed it did they not?
That was weakness of their order, and Avaryss only needed a few seconds to turn the tide.
Stall, she thought to herself.
Keep on stalling.
She returned her attention to the Muun.
You won't face me yourself, Dym? At least extend the most common of courtesy's and try to kill me yourself. As a true apprentice should.
Again he gave her that arrogant smirk.
She would have loved to have pounded it off his face.
"Honor is a fool's prize, isn't that what you taught me, master? As for your eminent death, it can go two ways. Quick, or painful, it matters little to me."
"I'm listening," she replied, "What do you want?"
"As the one who defeated you. I deserve to possess all that you did. You shifted many of your assets around, even before your defeat on Pholus. I will have all the accounts that you possess, and any secrets that you have hidden away. Your holocron is mine as well, I would have it, to make sure any knowledge that I might be missing is mine as well."
"Is that all," she asked sarcastically.
"And," he added quickly, "You will tell me what you have been planning this last year. These…trinkets you have been hunting, these keys. You will show me what makes them so important, why you desired them. Your plan may yet prove useful to me and the Empire. I will be a hero for bringing it back to the Empress."
Avaryss almost burst out laughing.
Fat chance, councillor.
The fool!
"If that was so, you would not have sold one of the keys to the Zakuul. I would have advised you to keep it in your hands."
She sighed and shook her head.
"It is more valuable that the millions of credits the Zakuul offer, believe me."
Dym chuckled.
Again, you underestimate me, my master. We did not sell your precious toy to the invaders. After you dispatched me here to help seek them out, I managed slice into your private data banks, downloaded a description of the item you sought."
He straightened, proudly glaring down at her.
"It was easy enough to construct an item that looks like the ones you seek. Add in a little dark side energy, and a cap stone similar to what we use in holocrons, and…"
The Muun smiled wickedly.
"I wonder how long it will take before the Zakuul realize that they have been cheated? Perhaps they will assume the item is just locked, or that they need the others to bring the device to full functionality. Regardless, it doesn't matter. While they seek to understand what they have in hand, it will give me time to locate the others. From there I will be able to turn the power within them to the glory of the empire, and myself, of course."
The dark lord considered what her soon to be late student was saying.
She hated to admit it, but she was impressed.
She had never considered the idea of making a false key for her enemies to find. Dym was not wrong, who knew how much the Zakuul had gotten from Marr's archivist? Let the enemy take all the time in the galaxy trying to access the fake. It would give her more time to find the real ones.
At least, the third key was still lost, safe in the galaxy, it would be found. She was certain.
She looked upon Dym with a grudging growing respect.
She had never shared her fellow Sith's discriminating view against aliens in their order. Yes, humans and purebloods had a great capacity for the dark side, but that didn't mean that other species couldn't stand as their equals. It didn't matter how many hearts you had, only that they were filled with hate. It didn't matter what color your blood was, as long as the dark side could pump through your veins.
Dym had definitely proved that today. Cunning, betrayal, manipulation, the Muun proved that he was worthy to be called a Sith. Had this betrayal been directed at another Sith, she would have honored him. Hell, she would have been tempted to name her first apprentice.
Yet, he had betrayed her.
He needed to die for that.
She again risked another glance at the hall where Temmin and Fenn should be ready to emerge, again, she saw nothing.
She almost cursed.
What was taking so damn long?!
Come on, Fenn. Anytime now.
She reached out with the Force, trying to sense her dream friend. It was a risk, but as the assassins drew closer, she…she…
Avaryss' eyes widened.
No!
It couldn't be?!
NO!
She sensed Fenn's presence, and Temmin's too. The two were retreating, heading back out the way they had come.
They kept their presence in the Force small, hiding from the assassins, but she could sense it. She knew it!
She shot a glance at the assassins, feeding off her anger, anger that was now tinged with disbelief and a growing despair.
Fenn isn't coming, she realized.
He left.
He left me here to die.
He…he…
A small squeak escaped her lips.
He had abandoned me!
Again, she heard Feer's voice, the triumph in it was unmistakable.
Now, my dear, you are dead!
Dym picked up on it as well, her growing sense of despair. The few times they had trained together linking them to a limited degree.
"Your end is here, my lord," he said, "Tell me what I need to preserve my house so that your work need not die with you."
He drew his lightsaber from his belt, the one she had gifted him after his final trial on Korriban.
"It truly is for the good of the empire."
Avaryss had only partially heard him, his voice coming from a great distance.
She…
She…
Fenn?
Fenn. He…
He abandoned her.
He betrayed her.
HE!
BETRAYED !
HER!
Had this been the plan all along? Had Master Jas ordered her dream friend to stand by her until the moment the battle they faced would be unwinnable? Had he intended for her to die fighting their mutual enemies.
Another Sith would have done it, but Fenn…Fenn?
NO!
In that moment, she felt it, that all annihilating rage that first come over her years ago outside the Lylos family farm. That desire to destroy everything and everyone.
Her heart pounded in her ears; her left eye twitched. She gripped her lightsaber so tightly that it would likely have finger marks in the hilt.
The world turned red.
Through her rage, the heart of darkness opened. The dark side offering visions of the future. The assassins overwhelming her. Her fighting he way through them, only to emerge badly injured and be finished off by Dym. She saw herself killing the Muun first, blasting him with lightning or a spell, only to be struck down by the ring of weapons before her.
No way out, she realized.
None.
Betrayal.
Betrayal.
Death.
In that moment, she was not a person, she was not even sentient. She was a hungry beast, an animal that would tear off its own foot to escape a trap.
An animal eager for blood and death.
Her life was about to end, but it wouldn't end alone, she would take some of her killers with her.
A sad end to a great destiny, and all because the Jedi had betrayed her.
Sad.
Pointless.
Through the red haze of her fury she saw Dym, and Dym alone.
He did this.
He set this trap.
A brilliant move, but…don't trap what you can't kill.
It would not make the same mistake.
It would kill…all.
In that moment, she saw a twinge of fear in her former student. The very sight of him filling her with fury.
In that moment, had she been able to explode like a fission bomb she would have, she would have detonated and took everyone in this room with her, and if she could get Fenn and Temmin too, so be it. She…
"Enough of this, master," the Muun shouted, his voice cracking, "Tell me what I wish to know, now!"
She was beyond words, she snarled, igniting her lightsaber!
TRAITOR!
Dym gestured; the assassins surged forward.
And in that moment, a single word filled Avaryss' mind.
DOWN!
The word barely penetrated the haze of fury, but it did.
She dropped to the ground, and…
KAH-BOOM!
The western wall of the Hutt's residence exploded. Chunks of duracrete flew through the air.
The three assassins with their backs to the wall were thrown forward. Two managed to raise Force shields, protect themselves from the debris and shock wave. They rolled to their feet. The third hit the wall hard, breaking every bone in his body. He died instantly.
Avaryss sensed it, but could do little else, she was deafened by the explosion. Calling on the dark side she found her feet, blade in hand. Through the cloud of dust and debris, blasterfire filled the chamber. Blaster fire and the light of lightsaber blades.
Blues, greens, and reds, the light and dark filled the chamber.
She had no time to think about what was going on.
She was under attack.
Two of the assassins swarmed her, their weapons crackling and snapping.
A light whip cracked in her face sending her falling back. Its tip barely missing her right eye, while its coil nearly wrapped around her right arm. She pulled it away quickly, nearly losing her weapon, and her arm for the second time.
The whip whirled and circled, trying to take one of her limbs, and all the while the assassin with dagger's worked her defenses, the whip went high, he went low. The whip went low, he went high.
Avaryss dropped deep into the Force, giving herself over to the dark side and the skill of Soresu. The defender's style wove a perfect defense, buying her time, giving her options.
All around them soldiers, assassins and the Hutt's thugs clashed. Dym sent a blast of Force lightning at one of the crimson blade wielders. That wielder, Lord Agony caught the blast with her lightsaber, before she could engage Avaryss' fool apprentice, another of the assassins cut her off.
Agony didn't retreat, she met the killer blade upon blade, giving herself over to her own rage and hate.
From his place on the dais, Niro the Hutt roared like an enraged rancor. The creature leaned back on his heavily muscled tail, and sprang down with more speed than the dark lord would have credited the Hutt with.
He crashed down on two of the attacking soldiers, crushing them with his girth, and then whirled around his tail striking both one of the soldiers and one of Dym's assassins, sending both flying.
Wielding a vibro-axe, the Hutt roared as blaster fire struck him, his heavy flesh and muscle preventing a killing shot.
A warning in the Force, caused Avaryss to spin to the right.
Another assassin, this one wielding a force pike just missed striking her in the small of the back.
Now facing three killers she found herself with her back to the wall. The smoke-filled air filled with screams and the stench of death.
PEW!
The air flashed as the assassin closest to the hole in the wall, the one wielding the light whip, lost a good third of his head. His weapon fell from his hands as he toppled over, struck by a shot from a high-power powered sniper blaster.
Through the Force, Avaryss could sense another familiar presence, Major Galadriel, Gilly Locke, known to the others in Survivor squad as Sunner, their sniper for almost two decades.
She could almost see the woman now, sighting in on another target of opportunity.
"You're Welcome, Sith," the woman muttered in her nest.
Avaryss grinned, and engaged the two assassins, the death of their fellow making them hesitate.
It was all the chance she needed.
The battle was turning.
The dark lord couldn't believe it, but…
Survivor Squad were here, all of them!
They had come to the rescue!
How, she wondered.
And more importantly…why?
Why risk themselves for her?
The last of the assassins found himself pinned between Shyra Viel and Xen Loor, both Jedi and Sith harried the killer, giving him no chance to fade into the shadows and escape.
Temmin had joined with Agony, the two of them holding one of the passage entrances, cutting of the surge of Hutt thugs, Weequay, Gamorrean, and Aqualish found themselves pinned behind a red and blue wall of spinning death.
Teryn had come back too, he joined the fray next to Colonel Capistan of all people, the old soldier barking orders as he blasted down thugs.
"Target those assassins," he called out, "Keep them busy, and away from our Force-wielders."
The assassin with the daggers lunged towards Avaryss once again, she danced out of the way, while the one wielding the Force pike ducked, another shot from Major Locke flashed over his head, missing him.
Yet, in escaping the blast he had left himself vulnerable.
Avaryss stepped forward and slashed him across the chest.
The killer stumbled and fell.
That left the one with the force pike to deal with.
Avaryss pressed the attack pushing him back.
Assassins were powerful and dangerous, but they were not front-line fighters, they liked hitting a target before he or she realized they were there.
That was their weakness.
Darth Avaryss was comfortable on the front line.
She chopped and slashed viciously at the killer.
He was alone, and it was only a matter of time now.
She smiled wickedly.
She was going to enjoy this.
IOI
"DIE JEDI!"
Fenn barely had time to move when the massive Hutt roared and lunged in his direction.
He tumbled out of the way as the creature came down, and whirled around, its tail whipping towards him, capable of breaking every bone in his body.
Fenn flipped over the tail. Came down into a roll and bounded back to his feet. Niro slashed at him with his vibro-axe. He met the weapon with his lightsaber and blasted the Hutt with light side lightning.
Niro didn't even try to avoid it.
The Hutt was used to his body protecting him, multiple blaster shots had already scarred his huge form, doing only cosmetic damage. Light side lightning, also known as Force Judgment, did more than burn the body, it illuminated the soul, the more corrupt the being, the worse the damage.
Niro the Hutt was a very corrupt being.
His whole frame shook under the assault.
The Hutt wailed in agony!
Fenn felt a desire to continue the attack, to leave the crime lord and empty burned-out vessel, but he was not that cruel.
Most Jedi frowned on the use of Force Judgment, it had been developed early in the orders history to compel Dark Jedi to face their sins, to feel the pain of their victims. Yet, the council acknowledged it could also be used for torture, and discouraged the study of the art, even now, in a time when the dark side, and its followers, were at war with the order. Both Xen and Avy had felt the effects of his lightning, they wouldn't admit it, but they feared what it did, and so, he was cautious as well in giving into it.
Cutting his lightning, he swept in with his lightsaber. Niro, enraged beyond reason from the pain of his burning spirit, swept in again with his axe. Fenn ducked beneath his strike, and spun twice, his blade finding its mark.
The first slit opened the Hutt's belly, the second caught him across the throat.
Fenn spun away, his blue blade at the ready, but it was no longer necessary.
Niro the Hutt, the one they had come to stop slumped on the floor of his ruined residence. His blue eyes bulging out, his brown tongue lolling from his dead form.
Fenn took a shuddering breath.
The Hutt had killed three of their men, he had had the power to make sure that it killed no more.
He had done it.
He was not proud, but he didn't need to be.
What was done was done.
He took another cleansing breath.
Justice be done.
IOI
Avaryss felt his presence even as she ended the life of the last assassin.
A sense of the familiar, back from when they first met back on Korriban.
Dym had not fought for his lightsaber then either, he had chosen to back stab his final rival. She had allowed him his victory then, impressed by his cunning.
She was not so impressed now.
She spun around, catching the Muun's blade with hers.
She powered him back, switching to Makashi, the duelist's style.
Dym retreated. He tried to meet her strikes with a combination of Djem So and Makashi. The two Sith danced back across the chamber.
Avaryss remained focused on the fight, but still, she knew the fight had swung fully into the favor of her Survivor allies. The assassins were down, freeing up the Jedi and Sith in the group to deal with the remaining enforcers. Skilled they may have been, but not much for those with the Force.
To their credit, the Survivors were not taking any prisoners. The group could not afford to leave any witnesses. A Republic force, even an independent militia like the Survivors, acting on Nal Hutta was a huge violation of treaty.
The Republic couldn't risk a war with the Hutt cartel.
It was better to deal with the enemy, make sure that no one knew they were here.
As for Dym, the Muun didn't bother begging or trying to talk his way out of this. He fought her savagely, giving into his rage and hate.
He held nothing back, his skill was great, but that was not unexpected for one trained on Korriban.
The dark lord toyed with him, letting hopelessness and defeat set in.
She was savoring the turn of events.
Let him feel despair, let him know he was lost. Let him…
The Muun snarled and thrust his hand forward.
Avaryss put up her shield, realizing too late that she had not been the Muun's target.
A frag mine laying on the body of a dead Aqualish leaped into the air, its activator switch triggered by the Force.
The Force screamed a warning, but Avaryss had no time to escape.
The mine detonated.
Avaryss cried out as shrapnel tore through her right arm and shoulder. Her right leg buckling as hot metal tore through something important. The Force shielded her from the killing blow, but…
She collapsed to the floor, howling in pain.
Dym was on her in seconds, his eyes wild with rage.
He no longer cared about her holding or the empire.
He just wanted her dead.
He chopped down on her, once, twice, three times.
She dodged, but she was reaching the limits of her endurance.
Only one chance left.
The dark lord drew on the pain, and with it, she reached out with the Force.
She cast a spell.
The Force manifested as she blew out an angry breath. She spat freezing cold into the face of the treacherous Muun. He staggered back, losing his lightsaber.
Avaryss lay panting on the floor, watching him, her lips blue, and her teeth chattering from the intense cold she had summoned from her own body.
Dym staggered and fell to the floor, his body convulsing. As Avaryss watched the cold spread from his head, and down, his veins turning to rivers of ice. It took only a few moments, but…then…it was over.
She smiled weakly.
Dym lay on the floor of the Hutt's chamber, his body frozen solid. The fire in his golden eyes faded as they too froze up, his features a mask of shock and pain.
Distantly she could still hear blaster fire, the fight finally winding down.
Yet, she only had eyes for her former apprentice, the first to try to kill her, and the first to fail.
She offered him a brief thanks.
Despite his failings, he had proven what she believed about alien Sith to be true, and he had given a false key to the Zakuul. A useful deception that bought her valuable time.
Who knew, perhaps Arcann would abandon his search for the keys if he believed the fake was real, and was simply powerless.
She wasn't sure she was that lucky, but still…she could dream.
"Avy?"
Agony came to her, her friend suffering from a cut across the face, she likely needed medical attention, as did the dark lord herself.
"I'm here, my friend," she gasped.
"I still live."
Agony sighed with relief, she had to be in incredible pain, but had still worried about her friend and sometime lover.
Avaryss was touched.
"Survivors," Colonel Capistan called out, "Set the charges and fall back to the ships. We are out of here in ten."
"Better make it five, Krys," Gilly Locke said running up to him.
"We have ships incoming, Hutt security."
The soldier nodded grimly.
"You all heard, Sunner. Fall back, we are gone in five."
"Sir! Yes, Sir!"
Avaryss tried to make it to her feet. Agony was there, as always, helping her up. Her right leg felt stiff, and burned like a funeral pyre, but she could move it.
Avy glanced at Fenn. She could sense his concern.
Her earlier sense of abandonment was gone, in its place was confusion.
What was going on?
Why were the other survivors here?
A question she would be able to answer later.
For now.
She looked over her shoulder, looking down at the Muun's frozen body.
She reached out with the Force.
She pulled his lightsaber to her; it was no longer his.
She had someone else in mind to give it to, provided she survived her mission.
She looked up at a damaged overhead light, it rocked back and forth above the floor.
Again, she reached out with the Force.
The chain snapped; the light fell. It fell on the Muun's frozen form.
CRAAASSH!
Dym's body shattered as metal struck it, pink frozen shards scattered across the chamber, even cutting the body of the fallen Hutt dead before his own dais.
Avaryss suppressed a smirk.
Farewell, Councilor.
The purging of House Avaryss had begun.
Dym had had potential, but he had died a perfect failure.
Unfortunate, but necessary.
Avaryss almost laughed.
Extinction to all who opposed her, Dym was the first, but…
…he would not be…the last.