Chapter 4: Rain

She still thought of him.

It was not an easy thing to admit. It had been years after all, but still…after all this time, he still haunted her dreams.

Those fine broad shoulders, those lovely golden eyes, how he towered over her as they last spoke, the dark pink of his skin, a pink that would shift to red whenever they kissed…

Rain frowned.

She could not dispel the warmth such memories brought to her, nor could she deny the frustration that was now almost three years old.

We left him behind, she thought.

MY master left him behind.

Resentment boiled within her, both directed at Avaryss…and at herself.

Could he still live, she wondered, she had not felt him die.

The apprentice sighed.

What could have been…had become a sort of torture.

She lay back on her cushions, she stretched out her arms and arched her back. Music and voices blared below, the sounds of youth in celebration. Males, females, and all the various genders of the many species of the galaxy all bound together in a night of revelry and sin.

You should be among them, her master would have advised, you are young, and continue to add victories to your name…

Why not revel, why limit yourself to one foolish boy that you met so long ago?

Of course, that was the problem…wasn't it?

It wasn't just some random meeting…

…and Temmin Tagge had not simply been some random boy.

She rose from the cushions, her lightsaber banging against her hip as she did.

She went to the railing, and looked down upon the rest of those who had come to revel here. The night club was known as the Ebon Veil, a reference to the goddess for which the Shae moon was named. Four decades ago, Shae had been found to have an abundance of crystal wealth, and the mining guild came here in force to take all of it. Domed cities had sprung up in less than a year as creatures flowed here from across the mid rim to take advantage of the wealth that could be pulled from beneath the ground.

Shae was now one of the most populated of Bantoon's moons. It was still mined today, though the bulk of the heavy work had moved out and way from this outpost. The city remained though, and beneath the dome, offices, living quarters, and centers of pleasure were built, either to help the workers forget a hard day, or offer a place for the executives and their paramours to indulge themselves.

Rain and her…entourage could be placed in the latter category, she supposed.

Her friends had no problem losing themselves to their…revels.

Even now she could hear the moans coming from one of the alcoves. Calin and Lyka making out again, the two didn't need much of an excuse to touch each other, all they needed was a dark corner, and a little privacy.

Rain rolled her eyes.

They were skilled in their own ways. Calin, the younger brother of the Lady Taya, was his father's son, skilled in business, and decent with a lightsaber. Lyka, the daughter of High Alchemist Aarb, was a midlevel sorceress and an alchemist as well. She had learned well at her father's feet.

She just wished they would get a room, ANY room.

They had been smitten with each other since they were children, and weren't shy about it.

The way the two carried on could be…disconcerting…at times. Not everyone enjoyed them giggling and making doe eyes at each other. Rain certainly didn't

The Sith apprentice frowned.

She had no desire to see them slobber all over each other.

Right now, she was doing her best to tune them out, let them have their night. Someone should be having fun after all.

Again, she thought of Temmin, what they could have had…

The frustration gave way to anger and jealousy, rather than let it go, she used it.

She drew strength from it, reveling in the dark side.

Power for power's sake.

She closed her eyes, and reached out with the Force. The dancefloor below was full of young creatures from all across the galaxy, beings who had either come here to seek their fortune, or had been brought here by their sires and had been raised among the domed cities.

She could feel their passions, lust and desire, greed and a sense of simmering jealousy. Those of lower birth resented those of the executive class. Some of those creatures even looked up and saw her, and their envy burned brightly within them.

Rain sighed, enjoying the sensation.

The dark side fed on those feelings as well, and so did she…

She drew strength from the fact that she was envied.

For the moment, she considered going down to the stage below, the band was not bad, she supposed, but the music lacked something.

When she came to places like this, she often chose to take the opportunity to sing. She loved to be up on stage, and in the spotlight. Her wealth, position, and lightsaber made sure that no one complained, that and the fact that her voice was that of the darkest angels. Captivating and mesmerizing. It was something of a hobby for her, she loved it. The clubs across the Bann moons had come to know her as much for her voice as for her role as her master's apprentice and shadowhand.

She was Rain, a Siren of the Sith!

Through song, she could project whatever emotion she desired. The Force influencing all around her. The crowd became her puppets, and she adored pulling their strings. She could move a crowd to tears, get them lost in lust, turning a dance floor to an orgy, or even a battle field, having them tear themselves apart for her pleasure.

The thought excited her.

She reveled in her power, and the opportunity that her master had offered by sending her here.

She had not been sure about this assignment, not at first. Her master had dispatched her to deal with the various gangs that called the moons of Bantoon home. Four major groups vied for control of the vice trades on Bantoon's six moons. The Cooper Organization, the Combine Automata, the Hutts, and the Zugg family all had staked a claim. The strongest being the Cooper Organization, given its link to the royal family, particularly Prince Go, who did his best to keep the worst elements on the moons from turning the domed cities into bloodbaths.

The Sith could have obliterated the syndicates when they arrived, but Master Avaryss had had other plans. They maintained order through manipulation. Underlord Go would not act against Avaryss as long as his family were in Sith hands, and he served to keep the other gangs in check, allowing business to continue uninterrupted. Meanwhile, the Sith used the Combine, Zugg, and Hutt forces to watch the underlord, make sure he wasn't doing anything to undermine Sith rule.

It was a delicate dance, and for the last year or so, it had fallen to Rain to keep things as they were. When she was not using her battle meditation to aid Imperial interests, she and her entourage served as a reminder for all that the Sith were watching them.

It was an interesting arrangement, all in all.

Some Sith might have considered the task beneath them, especially one who was the first apprentice to the Sith ruler of this world, and the surrounding systems. Rain was not one of them. She had quickly come to realize what an opportunity her master had given her, whether she realized it or not.

The thought made the young Sith smile.

Everyday she was learning how to syphon more and more prestige for herself. No Sith could exist without a powerbase, and thanks to her master, she had begun building one of her own. She had quickly come to grasp how the vice trades worked, and used her position to gather not only funds for her own use, but made contacts as well. People were eager to speak with her, either for credits or political favors. She had begun to cultivate her own sources of information, sources that had no link with her master.

A shiver of excitement ran down her spine at the mere thought.

She was not ready to challenge Avaryss, not yet, but she was taking steps towards that goal. She had even managed to establish a link with the Sith Empire proper, and through that link, now had access to Sith teachings beyond what her master offered.

My knowledge grows without her knowledge, the girl thought to herself, it will make my takeover one day that much easier.

After almost four years of training under Avaryss, Rain was just now starting to spread her own wings, and one day, she would surpass Avaryss in every way, and it had all started because her master had sought to distract her with busy work.

Irony.

The young Sith almost laughed.

Let Avaryss conquer the galaxy, when the time was right, after she had done all the heavy lifting, Rain would slide her blade into her master's back, and roll the dead woman off the throne…

…Rain's throne.

She would become the empress, and the Dark Lord of the Sith! She would possess Hecaetus' keys, and project Death Knell, and SHE would rule the galaxy.

It was what her master expected of her. It would make her proud to know she had trained such a skilled Sith. When all was said and done, the new Empress would take Avaryss' son as her first apprentice, and the cycle would continue…

…of course, that was future, right now, she still needed to learn, train, and keep up with her duties in the here and now.

She was not Darth Rain, not yet.

For the moment, she was simply her master's apprentice, and her voice here on the moon's of Bantoon. The gangs obeyed, or they were…chastised. Not bad, considering where she had come from.

Fear of her was growing among the fringe. They knew what she could do, and who she spoke for.

Most here knew her name.

Six years ago, that would not have been so.

Six years ago, she had had nothing, she had been a slave living on Bogden, sold away from her mother, sold to a man that only saw value in risking her life, sending her into dark places that he was too frightened to tread himself.

He was dead now, slain by her master. Lord Avaryss had taken her in after that, at twelve, she had become the dark lord's serving girl, and at fourteen…

Rain smiled at the memory.

…at fourteen she had become Sith, Darth Avaryss' apprentice…

…and now…she had so much more! Far more than a mere slave deserved, but she wasn't a slave any more, was she?

She was Sith, and that was enough.

She caught her reflection in one of the mirrors that adorned the club, for the most part, she liked what she saw.

She doubted her mother, a woman who had died a slave, would recognize her now.

Rain barely recognized herself.

She was petite for her age, petite but shapely. Sith Training had toned her body, her build that of a swimmer or an acrobat. Her blonde hair had grown long and curly, it now fell to the small of her back. Her skin was clear and pale. Her green eyes had long ago turned the yellow color of the Sith. Everything about her suggested danger, her gaze was fierce, her body a coiled spring.

Her very presence drew looks, often she needed to use the Force to conceal herself in an aura of…unimportance. She was attractive, she knew that, men were drawn to her, and women looked on her with a sense of jealousy.

Avaryss' tank born daughter Blyss had called her beautiful, and envied her. At eighteen, Rain seemed to have everything going for her.

Of course, that was not true, not really.

Temmin was not here.

Then there were the nightmares.

Rain could have done without the nightmares.

The things she done to win her position, not many would have had the courage, she thought. She had murdered in her master's name, and in the name of her own power.

She had taken many innocent lives.

Those lives still haunted her conscience, or what was left of it.

At fourteen she had poisoned an innocent family, they had stood in her way, the way of completing her mission. Then later, she had murdered Colonel Krys Capistan, the leader of Survivor Squad.

That kill should not have troubled her as much as it did, but she couldn't help it. She had gotten to know the man during her time working with the Survivors. He had been Republic scum, sure, but he had also been a man with his own dreams, and an artistic soul.

He had faced his death bravely, even as she plunged her lightsaber into his chest. He had not begged, only looked upon her with a sense of pity and disappointment.

Sometimes, she awoke stifling a scream, that final look he had given her haunting her rest.

I called him a coward and a failure; I told him the alcoholic fool that had been his father had been right about him.

She didn't agree, and as the years had gone on, she had come to…regret those last few words. The man had died well.

She should have granted him some respect.

Rain's brow furrowed.

Hate was an important part of Sith training, she knew that to be true. Most Sith chose to use the Jedi and the Republic to direct that hatred. Rain had learned a better way.

Who could she hate more than herself? Her guilt fueled her power, as much as her ambition did.

Master Avaryss says that one day, I will not care about what the mundanes think of me. She eagerly awaited that day, for now though…

…now she endured many a sleepless night.

"You seem troubled, my dear."

Rain sneered. Not bothering to turn.

"Do I?" she responded, "I don't see why."

Only then, did she turn to speaker, another of her entourage.

He held up two flute glasses.

"Something to quench your thirst, fair Rain?"

She took one, with a smile.

"Thank you, Gul, that is very thoughtful.

Gul Ashak gave her a toothy grin. The grin of a predator looking at prey.

If he only knew, she thought.

Rain was no one prey!

They had first met about six months ago, right here on the Shae moon. Gul Ashak was male Twi'lek, and a handsome one at that, with green skin and bright ruby red eyes. Born on distant Ryloth, he was the son of a merchant prince of the Shak clan, out of the city of Leb'reen.

He was also a wanted criminal. He had murdered a Corellian merchant in a knife fight a few years back, in what should have only been a duel to first blood. That crime had forced him to flee his home, and he had ended up here, working as an enforcer for the Zugg family.

Her eyes drifted over his form; she could not deny that she liked what saw.

He was muscular, yet very light on his feet. His arms were thick with corded muscle, he wore no shirt beneath the simple black vest, it was now open showing a flat toned stomach.

Like many of noble birth her was also vain, cruel, and far too sure of himself, considering he didn't possess the Force.

She had been drawn to that confidence, and he had been drawn to her beauty.

For the first time, since Temm, she had been able to relax. Gul had been the first man, since Temm, that she had allowed to see her foot, the one warped by the dark side.

She hated the deformity, and the limp that had come with it. Yet, she chose not to remove it, she could have had a cybernetic replacement, but...

She could not bring herself to do it, and Gul...

...well...

...Gul had not cared.

A single imperfection on a beautiful piece of art," he had said, "Something that serves to remind that you are no mere dream, but a true being. A being to be celebrated and worshipped, and you do deserve to be worshipped, my fair Lady Rain."

She hated to admit it, but she melted at his words that night...

...and several nights afterward.

She held up the drink, examining it with both her eyes and the Force. A simple drink in a place like this could be as dangerous as a knife, if one was not careful.

Drinks were not he only thing sold at the bar down below, for enough credits you could buy almost anything, from low level poisons to love wallop pills that made both male and females far more compliant when it came to intimate matters.

Gul had more than enough credits if he desired anything like that.

That knowledge made her cautious.

"Should I be worried," she purred.

He chuckled.

"Do you think that I would take advantage of you, fair one? Do you think I need anything…provocative to claim a companion for the eve?"

Rain laughed lightly, and downed the drink in a single gulp.

She was not worried.

One of her master's first lessons had been how to dispel poison from the body. Considering what she had done to the Celchu family all those years ago, she had felt that lesson prudent.

She used that training now, not that her companion noticed. Couldn't be too careful, after all.

Besides, she had warned Gul shortly after they had met.

The moment he tried something funny, the very moment he gave her a drink with a love wallop pill inside, was the moment she would geld him with her lightsaber.

"Mmm," she sighed, "Yummy."

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. One of his Lekku sliding out over her left shoulder.

"If you liked that, you will enjoy this."

She didn't resist, she let his mouth close over hers.

Mmm.

She could not deny it.

This was nice too!

She had first taken him to her bed a month ago, and that had been after five months of coy looks and verbal come-ons.

It had been her first time, and she could not deny that Gul was skilled. He had pleased her. Though she had still needed to be careful.

That first time, she had almost called out Temmin's name during the climax of their revels.

Almost.

Fortunately, she had held her tongue.

Gul Ashak was a dangerous young man, dangerous and jealous of what he thought was his.

He was no real threat to her, but why take risks?

She sighed as they broke the kiss, as Gul kissed down her neck.

She could not help but shudder.

Yes, she thought.

He did know his business when it came to physical love.

Long clawed fingers started to slide down the strap of her dress, exposing more pale flesh.

She groaned as her hands slid beneath the Twi'lek's vest, she enjoyed the feel of his smooth skin, the smell and taste, so male…so…exciting. She…

A series of grunts and squeals behind them drew her attention, causing her to pull away.

Gul cursed under his breath. He turned with a cruel sneer on his lips.

"We are busy, Tront. GO AWAY, you swinish…!"

Rain stopped him with a raised hand, stepping back, and pulling up the strap of her dress.

"What is it, Tront?"

He stood before her; a green-skinned Gamorrean Guard dressed in the traditional way of his people. Tront was one of the first creatures that Rain had recruited into her crew, and was probably the most loyal of them all.

He grunted and squealed, making his report as Rain nodded.

Gul shook his head.

"I still don't get how you understand this thing."

"It takes practice," she replied, not bothering to mention that she was wearing a translator implant that Commander Holli had developed.

A necessary tool here on the moons, so many of the creatures here didn't speak basic.

Rain turned to Gul.

"It seems that I have business, lover. We will need to pick up on this…later."

The Twi'lek snorted.

"I suppose that I can get us another drink."

She nodded dismissively. As he slipped past Tront and made his way back through the crowd below.

Rain, now all business, drifted back to the cushions she had been reclining on earlier, readying herself.

She gestured to Tront.

"Send him up, I'm ready."

The Gamorrean saluted, and waddled over to fulfil her order. A few moments later, another alien joined her. This one slender with blue skin, a long trunk-like snout sticking out from beneath his cowl, even in the dark of the club, he still wore dark goggles.

A Kubaz, she recognized, the Hutts used them here, it was said that those trunks of theirs sniffed out secrets the way a Tukata sniffed out a squelbug.

She smiled, she thought she recognized this one. Gazza…something, they called him long nose in the Hutt sector.

"You have something for me?" she asked.

The Kubaz bowed.

"The little Sith has been asking questions," he began.

"I've asked many questions," she said dismissively.

"Not like this, I think, not info from the moons, and not from Bantoon, no. Personal desires perhaps. I have heard. I know."

Rain pursed her lips.

Not info from the moons? What could the snoot have heard? She…

"How much?" she asked.

"Five hundred."

She nodded.

She expected it to be a bit more pricy, but…

"What have you heard?"

"Words came from slaver, member of the Red Eclipse. Their transport attacked. Slaves liberated."

"So what?" she said with a frown, "The alliance has been on the move, everyone knows that. Their commander has been playing the hero. Not surprising that he would start leaning on the fringe."

Rain felt a flicker of anger.

Did the Kubaz think her foolish.

Was he wasting her time?

"Not alliance," he replied, "Pirate gang, it hit the transport. Pirates led by Sith, old blood."

"A privateer then," Rain said cutting him off, "Still probably alliance, the usurper Acina is working with them, or so I've heard. So what? Please get to the point?"

"Again, not alliance," the spy insisted, "Old blood wielded a blue saber blade, large old blood, young giant. Fought with a Wookie at his side, slaver heard a name. Vokai, yes, that…that was name."

Rain paused.

Vokai?

She…she knew that name.

It was Temmin's family name, his grandfather and father's name.

"You are sure of this?" she demanded.

The spy's head bobbed up and down.

"Vokai, yes," he repeated, "tall old blood, big and young, and wielding a…

" A blue lightsaber," Rain said, more to herself than her visitor.

She frowned.

Could it be possible?

But…Temm?

A pirate?

That didn't seem right.

Temm was a Jedi!

Why would he be with…?

"I will need to speak with this slaver," she said.

The Kubaz held out his hand.

"Five hundred," he repeated.

" I will pay two thousand if you can find this slaver, and any that might confirm this story."

The spy made a whistling sound from his trunk.

Rain could sense his greed.

She had him now, hopefully, for his sake, this wasn't some wild Bantha chase.

She pulled out a thousand credits from her purse.

"Half now, and the other when I speak with the Red Eclipse, and the extra credits are for your discretion, do not tell anyone else about this, or I WILL know."

The Kubaz bobbed his head and rushed off with his credits.

Rain leaned back, pondering what she heard.

Temm…

…was it possible?

She had put her sources to work, looking for Temmin Tagge, but was it possible he had left that name behind?

Was that why her agents had turned up nothing?

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Why not, she had left her childhood name behind, had she not?

She had ceased to the serving girl Zay, when she embraced the dark side.

Maybe Temm had fallen too. Who could say what had happened in the last few years. Maybe he had embraced his old heritage.

But still…a pirate? Had Temm actually turned pirate?

If so, he might be more open to her advances than he had been previously.

She shivered her body warmed.

All thoughts of Gul vanished, not that they were there regularly.

He was a good distraction, and helped relieve some tensions, nothing more, but Temm...

...Temm...

She still remembered their last conversation, she had been trying to convince him to stay with her, to leave the order behind, and be with her.

Why not, his master had been considering it, had he not?

If Avaryss had not sprung her trap so early, both the men in their lives might have fallen, and joined them.

Regardless, she could not let this lead grow cold.

She rose from her seat, gathered up her purse, and looked around.

She found a pitcher of ice water on the nearest table, she picked it up, and flung its contents at Calin and Lyka.

The two squealed.

"RAINY" Lyka cried.

" Rain," Calin sputtered, "What the hell?!"

"Pull your dress up," Rain ordered the girl, " Calin tuck in your shirt."

She gestured with the Force, pulling her cloak to her, wrapping herself in the black cloth and red lining.

She needed to contact her master.

If the Kubaz was right, if Temmin was still alive, maybe he was not the only one.

It was possible that Temm might know the location of other remaining Survivors.

He might even know where Fenn Shadowstone was hiding.

Rain smiled.

She couldn't act alone, her master would not let her, but if it led her to Fenn…

Rain knew Avaryss.

She had waited for three years, they both had.

Temmin…Fenn…

Find one, perhaps they could find the other.

That was how she would sell it to her master.

She would need a ship, but that wouldn't be a problem.

Images of Temmin Tagge danced through the young Sith's mind.

If he had gone dark...?

Oh.

The possibilities!

Rain hurried down the steps, out of the executive suite of the club.

She had had enough fun for one night.

It was time to get back to work.

Don't worry, Temm. She thought to herself.

I'm coming.