A/N: Here we go folks, story number four in the life of Darth Avaryss! As with the earlier disclaimers, if you are new here, I will suggest that you read the first three stories in Avaryss' journey before starting this one. Most information will be explained in later chapters, but it will be an easier journey if you see where my little Sith has come from. Anyway, on with story number four.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fallen Hero
INVASION!
The Sith Empire reels under the attacks of a new and unknown enemy.
Emerging from the shadows, a massive fleet strikes hard into the heart of Sith space, decimating the forces of a war weary Empire.
Led by two mysterious Force users, the Sith have been caught off guard by this new foe, caught off guard, and driven back.
Lead by the Dark Council, the Sith fight back ruthlessly, and without mercy, but it is a losing fight. Worlds fall to the invaders as resources become scarce. The Empire's leaders find themselves divided by long held grudges and heavy losses.
Darth Avaryss, one of the newest Council members, is forced to flee. Her rival, the cunning Darth Acina, has placed a bounty on the former Councilor, accused of treason, the Dark Lord seeks refuge from the noose tightening around her neck.
Yet, Avaryss is not without a plan, and now free of political entanglements, the Dark Lord's grand plan may now begin.
Savior or conqueror, how she will be known matters not to Avaryss, at last…all will be hers.
Chapter 1: The Crash
Space shifted as the failing shuttle emerged from hyperspace. Far from a clean transition, the ship emerged belching flame and in a cloud of its own debris.
Before the ruined vessel, its destination grew in the view port, the planet's gravity reached out to the damaged ship, trying to pull it down, and to bring about its end in a flash of fire and death.
Had anyone else been at the controls, that death would have been certain, but the pilot was no ordinary being, she was no mere mundane.
She was a Dark Lord of the Sith, and the next ruler of the galaxy.
She would not be denied.
Darth Avaryss scowled as she pulled the pilot from the helm. The man had not been a member of her official entourage, just someone who had been intimidated into aiding her escape.
She shook her head as she looked at his ruined face, one of the screens on the bridge had exploded, throwing him back. His fate was not what mattered however, the ship was. She looked over the controls with a trained eye. The helm was still intact, but the man who truly knew how to use it was now dead. Shards from the broken screen had penetrated the fool's brain.
He is dead then, she realized, no matter.
She was not willing to accept defeat, not when she was so close.
She had walked at the very edge of death, felt the flames of hell scorch her feet…and…still…had managed to return.
She gritted her teeth.
She had come too far. She had not made it all this way, come so close to absolute victory to die in something as pointless as a shuttle crash.
No, she would not have it.
SHE.
WOULD.
NOT!
The hatch behind her hissed open, Avaryss didn't bother looking over her shoulder, she could sense who it was in the Force.
She shook her head.
She could not afford distraction, not now.
She had to focus. She was not done yet, but…
NO! No buts!
She would endure.
She was Avaryss.
It would be done!
"The fire in the passenger compartment is out, Avy," Her ally informed her, "We can…"
The other woman looked down, her golden Sith eyes widening in shock.
"Avy? Our pilot?"
"Not now," the dark lord hissed. Her hands dancing over the control console.
She tried to remember what to do.
Dump the fuel, open all flaps and extend all drag fins.
She checked their altitude; they were coming in…but they were coming in hot…too hot.
She could already see the shuttle's nose beginning to glow.
"Sit down and grab that lever," she ordered her companion, "Keep it pulled back, we have to keep from tumbling, we can use the heat shields, if they hold; we will make it down, if we don't burn to a crisp."
Her ally obeyed, but Avaryss could sense her fear, the sense of hopelessness trying to worm its way into her.
The sensation disgusted Avaryss.
"FOCUS, LORD AGONY," she snarled, "We are Lords of the Sith, we inspire fear, we do not surrender to it."
Darth Agony, her friend and companion nodded. She obeyed her superior's orders.
We can do this, Avaryss thought nodding.
I can do this.
"SLAVE!" she shouted over her shoulder, "Grab an emergency kit, and then strap yourself in. I will have need of you down on the surface!"
"Yes, master," her servant called back, her young voice thick with its own fear, but at the same time, the girl had not surrendered to it. She remained strong.
Good, the dark lord thought.
She had no time for weak servants, the future was on the move.
It would take strength to reach it.
Avaryss felt a single drop of sweat run down her back, the temperature in the cabin was rising quickly, the heat shields were holding, but she could not say for how long.
Agony remained at her post, holding the lever that her superior ordered her to keep steady. Her skin was already starting shine, a mix of fear sweat and the rising heat.
Avaryss' eyes narrowed.
This was not how it was supposed to be.
She had almost been ready; her plan had been progressing nicely. Even her fellows on the Dark Council had been unaware of her ambitions.
Death Knell, she thought with a hungry flicker in her eyes.
It would have washed away all opposition to her rule. The war with the Republic would have ended with a single order issued from her lips. Every trooper, sailor, and officer in the Republic would have been hers to command, and they would have carried out her first and most important order.
They would have hunted down and destroyed the Jedi Knights!
With the light no longer around to oppose her, she would have taken her new army and made straight for Korriban. She would have marched into the chambers of the Dark Council, as no mere member of the governing body, but as a conqueror.
She would not have needed to play any power games or make any political moves. Her fellow councilors would have had a choice. They would join her…or they would be destroyed.
At long last, she would have achieved her dream, her destiny.
She would have been able to ascend to Darth Vitiate's empty throne.
That wouldn't happen now, she realized, not unless she could stabilize this ship.
I won't give up, she thought angrily.
I've come too far!
"We've lost artificial gravity," Agony informed her, "Can you feel it?"
Avaryss nodded, her eyes moving quickly over the console before her.
They didn't need to worry about gravity, not right now, they would soon be entering the planet's atmosphere.
Flames began to dance on the dying shuttle's nose.
She ignored it, focused on the controls.
She suddenly had an idea.
She tapped quickly on one of the consoles.
Her ally's eyes widened.
"What are you doing?!"
"Transferring all power from the sub-light engines. We can use that energy to bolster the shields, give us more time. I just have to switch over to the repulsors after we clear the upper atmosphere."
"Will we be able to fly with only the repulsors?" Agony asked.
"We don't need to fly, just slow ourselves down, it will be a bumpy landing, but we shouldn't break up. Smugglers use this method sometimes, to hide from planetary scanners. Soon we will be…"
She glanced up at her fellow Sith, the look on her face…
"What?" Avaryss demanded.
"Nothing," Agony said, "I'm just…when did you learn to do this, Avy? I thought you said you didn't know how to fly?"
Avaryss snorted at her friend's comment.
Don't know how to fly? Please.
She had been flying in one form or another since she was six, her first real memory was of sitting on her father's lap. Her tiny hands grasping the controls, as he told her what to do. He had been so proud of her.
She still remembered it, his warm smile, that sense of love and affection through the Force.
"You catch on quick, Angel," he said, "One day you will be…"
Avaryss blinked.
She…she…
What?
The Dark Lord shook her head.
That…that had never happened!
That was not how she had grown up!
Darth Avaryss' father had been Darth Feer, the dark lord who had chosen her, manipulated her, molded her, and trained her to be the conqueror she was today. Before that, she had been a useless farm girl named Keera Lylos. Her father had been an overseer on the planet Oridanna.
Of course, she wasn't even Keera Lylos anymore. Keera's body had contracted a fatal disease, a bit of revenge from one of her rivals.
Avaryss had survived that scheme, the wonders of Sith Alchemy had saved her life, gave her a brand new one in fact. She had a new body now. She was strong, healthy, and deadlier than ever!
She frowned.
She had also never learned to fly. She remembered that much. As for Feer and Andur Lylos, the men who had shaped her, well…
Neither of those men had been pilots, and they had certainly never taught her how to fly! She…
The ship bucked as it continued to skim the atmosphere.
Avaryss gritted her teeth.
She had no time to worry about the past, not right now.
The future was what mattered, and the present, the here and now.
Now, she needed to get them down safely.
She still had a war to win, and enemies to destroy.
Agony looked over the controls, her expression remained on the verge of panic.
"We are slowing down, but we are still coming in too fast!"
Avaryss nodded, they needed to clear the upper atmosphere, but if they held it together a little longer.
I've got this, she thought.
It is nothing that I haven't done before.
The shuttle fell, finally emerging into the planet's orange colored sky. Avaryss slammed her fist down on the repulsor button, the ship jumped both from the turbulence and the repulsor lifts kicking on.
Something sparked in the panel behind her, yet she didn't have time to check it, they were at the point of no return now.
They either landed safely, or they didn't.
That was the only two options.
The flaps and drag fins caught the air, a few ripped off from the momentum, but the rest held, slowing them down even more. The shuttle's wings were starting to be useful again, they were starting to glide, not an easy thing considering how bulky the shuttle was.
It was working though, Avaryss thought smiling for the first time.
It's working!
She checked their gages, everything was looking better, they were no longer in danger of burning up, crashing however, that was still a possibility.
One that she was working hard to avoid.
She looked over at her companion. It was Darth Agony that had warned her of that shutta Acina's betrayal. She had given Avaryss the time she had needed to flee her holdings, to survive what should have been a lethal trap. Not that Avaryss was surprised by such a move. Agony had been her loyal servant since their student years. They had even been lovers once, briefly, when Avaryss needed someone that she could absolutely trust. That dalliance had ended when her friend had married, but…
The connection between the two Sith still remained strong.
Once, Darth Agony had been known to her as Taya. She had been a grey Sith in those early days, someone that Avaryss had thought a useful pawn. In the years since, Agony had finally learned to embrace the darkness, cast aside the weaknesses of the past, and was now committed to Avaryss' goals, and would be handsomely rewarded for aiding her one day.
Yet, it was not for the rewards offered that Agony served her, it was about revenge more than anything else.
Revenge against the immortal being that had destroyed her life, murdered her family.
Especially, Aya, Avaryss thought, remembering her ally's sweet and innocent daughter.
Aya had been her god child, Avaryss had loved her too.
The Dark Lord's golden eyes narrowed.
They would have their revenge.
The girl had perished with her father, and everyone else on the planet Ziost. The former Sith Emperor had descended on the world. Though no longer possessing a physical form, the thing that had been Darth Vitiate had drained the life energy of every living thing on the planet, plants, animals, and… more importantly…people.
Including Agony's husband and daughter, with their deaths, something had broken in her old friend. The light she had always hidden finally went out. Though the loss had pained both her and Avaryss, it had served a valuable purpose.
It took away any questions that Avaryss had had about her friend's loyalty. It had been Agony that performed the ceremony that saw Avaryss into her new body. She had conducted that ritual, and now…here they both were.
Avaryss had promised her vengeance, and she always tried to deliver on her promises.
Her thoughts briefly turned to the former Emperor, the one that had cost them Aya's life, and in recent weeks…so much more.
It was all the motivation that she needed, not that she wouldn't have sought the creature's destruction any way, not after what had happened recently.
You will answer for what you did on Ziost, Vitiate, she thought coldly.
You will lose…everything!
Avaryss hit the button for the sub-lights, hoping that there was still enough power within the drive to jump start them, it wouldn't give them much flight time, but it would allow them to coast down safely.
There was no response…
…great, she thought.
How wonderful!
Agony looked over at her.
"Are we going to crash, Avy?"
Avaryss shook her head no.
"Right now, we are falling with style," she said, "We've caught the wind, and we've dumped our fuel, at least we won't explode on landfall."
The shuttle glided down through the cloud layer, below them the rocky surface of the planet appeared, it was still far off, but they were still coming down.
Avaryss gripped the steering column tighter.
She had no idea how she had learned how to fly, and in that moment, she didn't care.
The knowledge was useful, that was all that mattered.
This isn't the end for us, she thought with a determined look.
I will get us down safely.
She gritted her teeth and prepared to deploy the landing struts.
I will get us down.
IOI
"Do you think it will fly again?"
Avaryss resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Agony's comment. All you had to do was look at the shuttle and know the answer to that question.
She shook her head.
Nope, she thought.
Hopefully, we will not be here long, but one thing was certain.
The shuttle was a total loss.
They had come in hot and hard, but somehow, she had managed to hold it together. The repulsors had failed shortly before landfall, and they had ended up skidding in. The landing struts and one of the wings had snapped off as the shuttle had slid to its final stop.
It hadn't been the prettiest of landings, but at least, they had all walked away from it, well, almost all, their pilot had died, but he was unimportant, now that they were down on the surface.
Any landing you can walk away from…is a good one.
The Dark Lord was not sure where she had heard that, but it did prove true.
They had made it down safely.
They were here…on Ambria.
For the moment…they were safe.
Avaryss glanced around, taking in the desolate world with her eyes.
This was her first time on Ambria, well, her first physical time anyway, she had seen this world several times in Force visions, and knew a little of its history.
Ambria had been a battle ground once, the light and the dark had scarred this world, leaving marks that she could feel even today, centuries after the fighting had ended. Now, neither the light nor the dark held sway here, the titanic forces that had left this place so desolate had settled, making it a world of grey.
There were great pockets of light side energy on this world, and of the dark as well, the Dark Lord could sense them.
She smiled.
Perfect, she thought, she and her party would be able to hide here, one of those pockets of dark side energy would mask their presence nicely.
At least, until it was time for them to leave.
The sound of shifting metal drew her attention back to the ship, as she watched, a lone young girl emerged from the ramp carrying the last of the three survival packs they had brought. She limped along her left leg almost covered in a heavy brace and boot. Clad in a slate grey jump suit the girl might have been considered pretty in some circles. She was blonde haired with green eyes, eyes that seemed far older than they should on a girl of thirteen.
Unsurprising, Avaryss thought, given her history.
The girl made to put the pack down.
"No," Avaryss called out, "Bring it closer, slave, the ship could still explode. I will not lose any of my supplies."
The girl, jumped at the first syllable her master had spoken, proof of a life lived in servitude.
"Yes, master," she squeaked picking up the pack again, "Sorry master."
The girl made her way over to the rest of their gear.
At Avaryss' side, Agony shook her head.
"Why that one," she asked, "She has to be the least useful slave in your house, and that foot of hers…"
The blond Sith sighed.
"Surely, you could have done better.
Avaryss shrugged.
"Zay is more than you might realize, Agony, and besides…"
Avaryss smirked.
"The poor girl would be lost without me."
The dark lord regarded her slave thoughtfully. Though she was not the strongest or the wisest of Avaryss' servants, there was a connection between the two of them.
How could there not be, she thought.
There is blood between us after all.
IOI
Zay had first entered her service a little over a year and a half ago. She had found the girl while hunting Sith artifacts, relics left behind by the great Sith Lord Darth Hecaetus. She had hired Zay's original owner, the man was something of a fortune hunter, known for successfully penetrating several Sith vaults, and retrieving valuables from inside.
Avaryss probably could have gone herself, but she was still recovering at the time, still getting used to her new body, she had been unsure of her physical skills, and elected to have another blaze that particular trail.
A few days after first approaching the man, he had contacted her, informed her that he had recovered what she had been seeking. She had made the journey herself, not wishing any of her servants or apprentices to know just what it was she had retrieved.
It had been a profitable journey, not only had she recovered an important clue to Hecaetus' own research, but she had gained Zay out of the deal as well.
She had been doubly rewarded.
As it turns out, the fortune hunter didn't enter the vault himself, he used his personal slaves for the task. Young boys and girls whose small forms could slip easily into tight places, and, to their master, expendable should one of the Sith traps claim their lives.
The man had sent five slaves into Hecaetus' vault. Only one had returned, the girl who was now Avaryss' personal slave. Zay had retrieved the artifact, but had been injured in the attempt, her foot had been caught in one of the dead Dark Lord's security devices, the wound wasn't bad really, but like most Sith, Hecaetus made sure that those that tried to steal from him paid the price for their actions.
The girl's foot began to change, the flesh began to painfully misshape, thanks to some alchemical concoction that had gotten into the wound. Had Avaryss not saved the girl, she would have died in a matter of days. She would have died in terrible agony.
Avaryss had been able to neutralize the Sith toxin, the girl was no longer in any pain, and the mutations of her flesh had stopped. There was no fixing Zay's foot, however, the damage had been done.
She could have put the girl out of her misery, her deformity did lower her value, but…in the end she had decided against it. She had felt something in the child, a fire that if properly nurtured might be valuable.
She had decided to help her, and let her continue to live, to live in the service of her new master.
The Dark Lord could be generous after all, when she felt like it.
She had offered to cut the foot off, replace it with something mechanical, but the girl had been too scared to accept the offer, instead, she now wore a special boot, Zay would never be able to run quickly, but she hobbled well enough to get along when she needed to.
As for the girl's master, he had mistakenly chosen to try to drive up the price for the item that Zay had gotten for him. Avaryss had killed him, of course, and then, by right of conquest, claimed both the artifact and his slave as spoils of war.
The memory of that day brought a smile to her face.
It had been the first real test of her new body, and it had performed, famously.
It was not the body I wanted originally, she thought, but it was clear that it would serve her needs.
A new face for the new lord of the galaxy, this form would serve her well, in all her endeavors.
She was most pleased.
IOI
The three stood on a small ridge, not far from where the ship had gone down. Avaryss had out a small holo-map, looking for the location of their original landing zone.
It wasn't far, she realized, but it would be a bit of a hike. She and Agony would be able to make it on their own easily, but Zay, with her injured foot, would struggle.
Avaryss could have left the girl behind, but again decided against it.
Zay was hers, and she was not one to throw away her toys, not until they ceased to be useful.
"Lake Nath is that way," she said pointing off into the distance.
"We shall make our camp there."
"It will be a bit of a journey," Agony said, "We can make it, but…"
"MASTER! LOOK!"
Avaryss raised her head, looking off in the direction that Zay was pointing.
The dark lord smiled.
Well, well, she thought.
The dark side provides again.
The small wheeled vehicle rumbled its way across the ruined landscape, hauling a small trailer behind it. Avaryss sensed three lifeforms, weak in the Force, yes, but hearty none the less.
The three women waited as the vehicle approached. The driver must have seen their ship come down, and was now on the way to help.
How nice of him, Avaryss thought, her hand drifting to the hilt of her lightsaber.
If she needed any proof of her decision coming here was the right one, here it was.
She remained in the dark side's favor, despite her recent losses.
It matters not, she knew, everything that I've lost to Acina, the invaders, and my other enemies will be restored to me.
It will come to pass.
"Hello there," the driver of the transport called out, he had to shout over the loud rumble of the vehicle's motor.
"Do you folks need some help?!"
The dark lord's smile widened.
Most definitely, she thought pulling the hilt of her weapon.
Again…the dark side provides.