Chapter 36: A Bit of Revenge

The guards never knew what hit them.

The five of them had stood on the docks of the Hutt sanctuary. Three Gamorreans, and two Weequay, the type of toughs that always gravitated to service within the Hutt clans. Dangerous, most definitely, but limited by their species, and the hostility they brought to all things.

A hint of a smile played over Avaryss' lips.

Such thugs had their place, Emperor knew, she had used such thugs in the past, but today, their savagery and brutality would not save them.

They were lost.

The game was over before it had even begun.

They had left their posts, too far to reach the alarm, drawn out by the swirling call of their dreams, their eyes focused on the pleasures they could see; the rest of their sense's dead to the galaxy.

A simple spell, one from the earliest days of her training.

Against another Sith, it wouldn't have worked, but against these toughs…

…it was perfect.

Temmin and Fenn struck quickly, ghosts emerging from the shadows.

Avaryss watched through the Force. Fenn took three, the boy took two, the guards were down, disabled before they could even grunt or hiss.

Amazing, the dark lord thought.

Glorious!

Fenn's skill amazed her, and left a warmth growing through her body. He was so fast and decisive, and Temmin, under his guidance, was on the path to become more than Fenn, more than even he could understand.

Again…glorious.

"It is done, Your Lordship."

Teryn's words echoed to her distantly, even though he stood only a few feet from her.

The Dark Lord sighed.

Yes, she thought.

Time to come back to the physical world.

She could see her body. It floated five feet above the soil, the casting circle that surrounded her glowed with blue violet light. The ground inside it leeched of not only life, but death as well. Nothing would spring from it once she left, everything that the ground could be or might have been was gone, absorbed into her.

As it should be, she thought.

All life exists to serve my power.

Soon, the galaxy itself will learn that.

Slowly, she pulled away from the shadow, away from the heart of darkness, the full seething power of the dark side.

Back to the world of the mundane, of flesh, and crude matter.

A poor and necessary existence.

As always, when she used her dark magic, when she came to that place…she didn't want to leave.

The dark side was terrifying, it was like a beast, it stalked those who wielded it, held its teeth to their throats, and when it took you, that is when things really got interesting. It got into the bones, and filled the body like a terrible disease, but…it was also intoxicating, an abusive lover, someone who knew your body completely, every part of you, stimulated by its touch. It was someone who enjoyed your suffering, yet made sure you learned to enjoy that pain. It gave you moments of perfect bliss, ultimate pleasure…

A sigh escaped her lips. The moment of let down when the lover slipped from her body.

The dark side was a disease that no Sith wished to be cured of.

She could not remember where she heard those words, but they were as true today as when they were first spoken.

She loved the dark side, and the power it gave.

She never wished to part with it.

NEVER!

She settled to the ground, and opened her eyes.

Again, she found herself in the putrid swamps of Nal Hutta.

Ugh!

She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Oh how she hated this stinking world!

When the galaxy was hers, she would likely purge this fetid swamp, and the bloated denizens that called it paradise.

Teryn smiled down at her, and offered her a hand up.

She nodded, and took it, surprised at how stiff she felt. The spell had been a matter of moments. Yet, it had required her to enter a trance. To touch the minds of multiple beings, to ensorcelled them completely took effort.

The mercenary gave her a cruel smirk.

"Not bad," he said, "The guards didn't even realize what was going on."

She gave him a tired smile.

"Why would they? I gave them their dreams. Why would anyone wish to interrupt that?"

He chuckled.

"The wonders of witchcraft, huh?"

"Sorcery," she corrected him, "The power that once made my ancestors kings of entire star systems."

He said nothing more to that, not that she blamed him. Teryn, for all his desire and ambition, was not a Sith.

He would never understand.

Fenn…however…

…well…

…that would just take a little more time.

The swamp speeder that they had acquired rumbled up to the dock. Sith and mercenary disembarked together. Temmin and Fenn stood waiting for them, the guards secured with a length of cable torn from one of the light poles on the dock.

Avy snorted with distaste.

"It would have been easier just to kill them."

"They are no threat to us now, Avy," Fenn reminded her.

She sneered.

Sometimes Fenn's Jedi sentiment surprised her, made her wonder if he deserved her regard.

"You haven't saved them, you know. When we leave, their master will execute them for failing to stop us, and he will not be kind in that execution."

Fenn frowned

"I'm aware of Hutt cruelty," her dream friend responded.

"So why?" she inquired.

He looked down at the bound guards.

"That doesn't mean we have to accept it. I would rather do this peacefully, if the Hutt gives us what we want, but if he doesn't…"

Fenn shrugged.

"Who knows, he might not be around to punish these poor creatures."

Avaryss blinked, blinked and smiled.

There it is, she thought.

That hint of what he might become.

THAT…is why she desired him.

Temmin came up to them.

"The docks are secure, masters. I've disabled all holo-cams and alarms, on the outside of the structure at least."

Fenn smiled at him.

"Well done, Temmin."

"Indeed," Avaryss added, she reached into a pouch on her belt, drawing out a small holo-map, it flicked on showing them a diagram of the inside of the dwelling.

"WE should probably split up, draw off attention to any one entrance. There is a small loading bay, just to the right there. Fenn, you and Temmin could slip in there. Teryn. To the left is a service entrance to the speeders, I've acquired an access code for that door, you should be able to enter through there."

And where are you going to be?" Teryn asked.

Avaryss smirked.

"I'm coming in through the front door, of course. If I'm not wrong. I'm expected."

Her words surprised Fenn.

"They know YOU are coming?"

"Yes," she replied.

"How?" Fenn asked, his concern for her radiating out through the Force.

She smiled sadly.

"I know, because this has all been for me. The auction, us finding out about it, the key being sold to the Zakuul."

Her smile turned cold.

"I know because I've waited a long time for this revenge. I have waited just as long as the Hutt inside."

"You know him?" Temmin asked.

"Yes, Avy answered.

Niro the Hutt.

Yes, she knew him.

IOI

After the auction she had returned to her room, and contacted Vogga the Hutt immediately.

Avaryss was still fuming. She didn't like to lose, on top of that, she felt a slight disturbance in the Force.

It poked at her, like an annoying child, yet refused to reveal itself.

As she had waited for the Hutt's response, Fenn had been on the commlink with someone. Tara Valenthyne, she supposed. After their brief encounter with the Zakuul at the auction, an encounter that suggested that they had been recognized…

Avaryss frowned.

The knight would do nothing on the smuggler's moon, but that didn't mean that they were safe. Lenix Gul could just as easily hired bounty hunters and assassins. People that could act on Nar Shadda.

If that was the case, they didn't have much time.

Yet, Avaryss knew she would need to wait for Vogga's response. The Hutt's contacts were what they needed now.

He could find out who had the key, and where it might be found.

It would not be easy to convince him to tell her where it was. Hutts didn't betray Hutts, not openly, and not on Nal Hutta.

It the seller WAS another Hutt; it would be expensive to get Vogga to give him up…

…very expensive.

So, while Avaryss had waited by the hyper-comm, the group had prepared for a quick exit.

The Dark Lord had expected a wait of at least four hours, that was about average for a Hutt, this was their world after all, no Hutt moved fast for an outsider, especially not on Hutta and the Smuggler's Moon.

At just under the two-hour mark, Vogga had contacted her, not one of his underlings, but the Hutt himself.

Such a quick response surprised her, but not as much as the Hutt's first words to her.

No introduction, no… "Hello, Little Sith."

No Vogga wasted no time on formalities.

"Young Niro has your toy, Little Sith. He is back in his old residence."

Vogga had given that cruel wide smile that Hutt crime lords were so famous for.

"I trust you know what to do with this information."

Avaryss had smiled then, a predatory cruel smile.

"Yes, Lord Vogga," she replied.

She DID know what to do with such information.

She knew…very well.

IOI

It was all about revenge.

Fenn frowned as he and Tem made their way around the Hutt's domed residence. Though wary of any guards, they quickly reached their destination.

The Jedi pursed his lips.

He didn't like this, not one bit!

It had not taken long for Avaryss to gather what she needed for this mission, as soon as she had gotten off the holo with the Hutt, she had contacted someone she said could help, a Gotal living on the smuggler's moon, one of her most reliable contacts.

This Gotal, a tailor by trade, had only needed an hour to gather what Avaryss had needed. It was information had had looked into for Avaryss in the past, but had abandoned it when the Hutt they sought had fled Nal Hutta.

Now he was back, and Avy's revenge was back on.

According to both the crime lord Vogga, and the tailor Feltipern Trevagg, Niro the Hutt had been selling the key they sought, and not only that, but that he had been hunting for information on Avaryss before the sale.

Had he known she sought the key? How that could be, neither Avaryss, not her contacts could be sure, but one thing was certain. The Hutt HAD known.

All of this, this whole sale and trip, was likely a trap.

The Hutt capacity to hold a grudge was legendary. A capacity that, perhaps only the Sith Lords matched, and considering what he was feeling through his connection to Avy, well...

Things were not going well, no, not well at all.

Not that he didn't understand why she was doing this. Before they had set out, she had told them the story of her first meeting with this…Niro.

Avaryss had first met the Hutt years ago, during her investigation into the Rogue Jedi conspiracy that had threatened her empire. Back then, Niro had been working with Sy Dar Bynn, brother to Fenn's master.

The Hutt had tried to trick Avy, use her to start a conflict between the Sith and the Hutt Cartel. She had seen through the ruse, though, and managed to strike her own deal. Niro had been forced to flee, and had only recently returned to Hutta, having finally bribed all the right members of the cartel.

That didn't mean the other Hutts had forgotten, certainly not the one that Niro had tried to use Avy to assassinate. This Vogga the Hutt had given them what they needed to land on Hutta safely, and promised to shield them from any reprisals, provided that Niro be dealt with.

That should have been it, get in, deal with the Hutt, and find the key.

Yet, that wasn't their only problem.

This wasn't just the matter of the Hutt wanting revenge, Avy did too, Fenn could feel that desire burning through their connection. A sensation that he felt only more sharply after she had used that Sith spell to deal with Niro's guards.

A cold shiver ran down Fenn's spine.

He didn't like her dependence on the dark side, and he didn't like what it did to her. It had taken all his self-control not to recoil when she and Teryn had arrived.

That spell…it…it had left its mark on her. It looked like she had not slept in a month. Her eyes red rimmed and glowing like amber fires. Her cheeks bruised and sunken in.

In the dim light, it had looked like she had aged twenty years in minutes.

He worried about her, and worried about how unconcerned she was about the damage that the powers she wielded did to her body.

It is who she is, his conscience reminded him, it was how she was trained, the world she inhabits.

You…cannot change that.

Fenn's eyes narrowed.

Well, we will just see about that.

He couldn't stop her using the dark side, but he could offer her something more. She craved power, as all Sith did, but that wasn't the only thing she wanted.

Fenn knew what she wanted; he could feel it through their bond.

Desire.

Need.

If he was being honest, it was something he wanted as well, to finally give in. He had always held back because of the Jedi teachings. The sense of control that the master's had drilled into him.

He pursed his lips.

Maybe…it was time.

Perhaps, to save the galaxy, to save the one he was bound to, he would need to let go of that control, or at least, loosen his grip upon it.

Would that be enough, he wondered.

Could he reach Avy, pull her out of the darkness and into a place more in the middle?

Could he offer her more than power?

Could…he…could they…be like everyone else in the galaxy.

Could they…be happy?

What he had seen tonight had only strengthened his resolve to help her. He would continue to work on Agony, get her to trust him, and…perhaps…help him.

Yet, he could do more.

It was risky, he didn't doubt that. After their first encounter on Hoth, he had spoken with Master Jas about her, wondered if it would be possible to save her, bring her into the light.

Master Jas' response…had been one of caution.

Was it possible, sure, but you couldn't just rip someone from the grip of the dark side.

During the war, the Jedi had turned several dark lords to the light, but…it wasn't something that could be forced. The lords that had come back…something in them, they…they had wanted to come into the light.

Temmin's grandfather had been a dark lord, a general. His son's choices during the war, and his eventual death had finally got through to the old pure blood. That love and pride between father and son had freed the old man of the dark side.

Could Avy be saved the same way?

Maybe.

Fenn shook his head.

Why did this have to be so damn complicated.

Why were emotions so hard to grasp.

Avy was Sith, she should have been his enemy, but…she was also Avy, the girl he had grown up with. They had dreamed their whole childhoods together. They…

"Master?"

Fenn blinked, Temmin was standing before the door, the half blood's eyes filled with concern.

"Are we going to do this, master?

Fenn took a deep breath, and let it out, letting go of his confusion, or perhaps, simply putting it away for now.

He would think about Avy later.

Now, he was needed in the here and now.

They had a Hutt to deal with.

He looked at his student.

"I'm ready Tem," he said drawing his lightsaber.

"Let's do this."

IOI

Avy stood before the door to Niro's dwelling, she was breathing hard, her vision tinged with red.

A snarl escaped her lips as she played the mental games she played before every fight. Focusing on her hate, her memory of the Hutt and his many insults all those years ago.

She held her lightsaber, but had not ignited it, not yet.

She looked at the armored door with disdain.

Part of her wanted to tear it from its hinges, fling it into the Hutt's audience chamber.

She took another slow breath.

No.

No, caution was better.

If the Hutt had drawn her here, he likely had a plan, best to proceed with caution, draw out any surprises, and let her allies help her in dealing with them.

The spell she had cast earlier had masked the presence of Fenn and the others. If anyone was watching the holo cams, they would see only her emerge from the jungle.

A hidden blade in the back of an enemy could be very useful.

She raised her hand, and with the Force triggered the door.

It slid up with barely a hiss.

Darth Avaryss, Dark Lord of the Sith stepped inside.

She walked with her head high, straight into the main audience chamber.

The dwelling might have very well been her own.

The Hutt's court was smaller than she remembered, in the dark she could see few thugs sitting in the alcoves along the wall. They all looked up as she arrived.

She smiled up at the central dais.

"Hello Niro," she called out.

"It has been some time."

The Hutt had not changed much in the years since she had last seen him. Slimmer than most Hutts, with deep yellow skins spotted with green. His small muscular arms rested on his belly.

Larger saucer-sized blue eyes regarded her coldly, the data monocle he wore flashing data like some droid's HUD, feeding information directly to its master.

Niro belched loudly; he didn't seem the least bit surprised to see her here.

It was at that moment that a large ugly human stepped out of the shadows; his greasy blond hair slicked back against his skull.

Avaryss sneered.

She remembered this one, he had been at the auction, and had been in this very hall years ago during her hunt for Sy Dar Bynn's Jedi conspiracy.

The man bowed.

"Lord Avaryss of the Sith, yes?"

"DARTH Avaryss," she corrected him, "Formerly of the Dark Council."

"Of course," the man replied, "I am Thom Istris, major domo, of the splendid Niro."

"I remember," she said using the Force to gently push the lackey out of the way.

She glared up at his master.

"You have something that I want, Niro. A Sith Artifact you sold the Zakuul."

She gave him a wicked smile.

"I'll be taking that item, now."

Niro did something then she didn't expect.

The Hutt laughed. His entourage laughed as well, though more nervously than their master.

They knew what an angry Sith could do if provoked.

And Avaryss was just a few steps past mere anger.

The dark lord's eyes narrowed.

Niro turned to his major domo.

"Feer's whore thinks much of herself, doesn't she, servant?"

Istris wisely didn't respond, though he kept his eye on Avaryss, likely to see if he needed to run.

Acting as his master's translator the man spoke up.

"Splendid Niro believes you're are mistaken, Your Lordship, we have nothing…"

"Spare me, worm," Avaryss spat in perfect Huttese.

She turned back to his master.

She had never learned to speak the language herself, but it, like her flying skills, had once been possessed by the Jedi whose body she now inhabited.

Yet, another gift the fool girl had left her.

The Hutt was surprised that she could speak his tongue.

She gave him a wicked smile.

She could do more than just speak it.

Avaryss called Niro the worst curse word she could think of, demanding that he turn over the key to her. To turn it over, or die squealing.

The slug sat up, his eyes narrowing.

The dark lord sneered.

She had hoped that would get his attention.

In basic, the curse literally translated to "slender one" something that the size oriented Hutts considered the most offensive of insults.

The effect on Niro was as she had hoped.

He leaned forward, his purple tongue wetting his lips with brown slime.

"Do you know who you speak with, whore?!"

Sure I do," she grinned, "A tiny insignificant worm."

The Hutt puffed up, and raised his hand.

The Sith stepped back, her lightsaber in hand, ready to deal with the thugs and retainers.

They didn't move.

The real threat seemed to materialize out of thin air.

Avaryss looked around in surprise.

There were six of them, all clad in black body suits with slate grey armor. Helmets with faceless masks made them almost distinguishable from each other.

All were armed with a different melee weapon. Vibro-whip,vibro-daggers, force pike, steel vibro-saber staff, light whip, and an electro staff, the six began to circle her, their presence in the Force filled her senses.

Like six dark voids, drawing from her, they might as well have been shadows, rather than people, all six bore the sigil of the Sith Empire, that and the mark of the dark council.

Avaryss' eyes narrowed.

Sith Assassin's all, but not the kind used in the army, these were elites, the hand of vengeance for the dark council.

She knew how dangerous they could be, shortly after joining the council she had used a team of them to eliminate one of the Sith warriors that her late master had trusted to run one of this purse worlds in the Zahn system.

Now, they were here.

She looked at Niro, the Hutt watched eagerly, hungry to see her bleed.

She glared at him.

"Darth Acina has been generous to you."

The Hutt didn't answer, though from behind him, deep in the shadows, another voice did, a familiar voice.

"Acina didn't send these men, master. I did."

Avaryss' golden eyes narrowed.

She knew that voice.

She sighed.

Why was she not surprised?

The pale skinned Muun with golden eyes stepped out the darkness, and stood beside the Hutt's major domo. He was dressed, not in the robes of the order, but the fine clothes of a business being from Munnilist, or Scipio. Black coat, with matching leggings, white shimmer-silk shirt, with a golden waist coat.

The only link to his former allegiance was the lightsaber he wore on his belt. The blade that she had presented him with, after he defeated his fellow acolytes in the Valley of the dark lord's back on Korriban.

A snarl escaped her lips.

She should have known.

"Dym," she hissed, her lips pulled back like an angry Tukata.

The Muun smirked at her, showing the black stained teeth common among the influential of his people.

"Hello, Master Avaryss," he said with a slight bow, his eyes flickering with savage joy.

"Welcome…to your death."