Star Wars: The Old Republic - "Shroud of Darkness"

Chapter III

Tylin awoke after what he suspected had been an hour or so. He found himself chained to a metal table. A bright light on the ceiling was shining in his face. Suddenly, the table tilted forwards until Tylin was at about an 85-degree angle. As Tylin got a better idea of where he was, he realized the room he was locked in was very small. A blast door in front of Tylin slid open, and a man stepped into the room.

The man was clad in black robes with red trim, with a hood up. His red Sith eyes gave off an eerie, low-light glow under the shade of the hood. His lightsaber hung from his belt. He walked into the room, looking down at his feet. As the man rose his head to look at Tylin directly, it was apparent that he had red skin with black tattoos covering his face. The Sith put his hood down, revealing a bald head covered in small, thumb-sized horns. He was not human, but a Zabrak.

The Zabrak Sith looked at Tylin. "How pathetic," he said. "You Jedi are nothing. The dark side consumes everything, even the light."

Tylin said nothing.

"We are looking for your master," the Sith continued. "Your base on Shola has been destroyed. Tell me... Where has your master fled to?"

Tylin remained silent.

"No?" asked the Sith. "Hmm..." He paused. "You know, your master has deceived you. The Jedi are not what you think. On my home planet, my tribe exiled me for accidentally killing three of my peers. I was banished, sent offworld on a starship with little food or fuel. My ship happened to drift into Republic space, where I was taken in by a Jedi expedition transport. They brought me back to health, and asked me where I was from. I simply told them it didn't matter; I could never go back. One of the Jedi sat down beside me, trying to tell me I had special powers, and that the Jedi Order could help me. They said I could join them and let go of my anger. But I could never be free of the pain. I ended up killing every living thing on that ship out of rage. When the Republic found me again, they imprisoned me on Belsavis. I had to fight just to survive every single day. The Jedi and the Republic did not show me any mercy. I was beaten daily by my captors, like an animal in a cage. When the planetwide jailbreak occurred, I escaped that cesspit of a planet and found the Shadow's Hand. My master, Darth Braviss, taught me to channel my hatred, rather than bottling it up. I knew the Sith were the only choice for me, not the Jedi. 'Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.' This is the Sith Code. The Jedi believe in self-restraint. They limit their teachings in order to turn their followers into drones for their own dogmatic purposes. But as a Sith, I have true power. I am free."

Tylin looked at the Sith directly. "What is your name, Sith?" he asked.

"My real name is lost. I am called Lord Solvus."

Tylin took a deep breath. "Solvus," he continued. "The Sith are only interested in themselves, not those around them. Your masters are using you. To them, you are only a tool. A weapon. A slave. They use you for your power. When they finally have what they want, they will crush you under their heels."

"More Jedi lies," muttered Solvus.

Tylin closed his eyes. "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony..."

He opened his eyes. "There is no death, there is the Force. That is the Jedi Code. It guides us. It shows us the way. The Sith believe that the Force is a conduit through which their individual wills and desires are carried out. In the eyes of the Sith, the Force serves them, not the other way around. As a Jedi, I believe in the will of the Force. It flows through all living things. It ties everything together. The Force is the very fabric of the galaxy. If you are plagued by emotions such as anger or sadness, you can never achieve inner peace. Where these things are found, the Force is not in balance."

Tylin took another deep breath, and concentrated. Reaching out with the Force, Tylin peered into Solvus' mind.

He continued, "I sense much conflict in you, Sith. Your past still torments you... You have trouble sleeping at night... You hear voices, whispers of those you have killed... You desperately want to break free from your pain."

Lord Solvus shook his head, trying to shake Tylin's grip on his mind.

"Get out of my head," he sneered.

Tylin closed his eyes, focusing all his energy into Solvus' thoughts. "You're afraid," he said. "You're afraid of my words. You fear that they hold truth in them. That is the curse of the dark side... Fear brings anger, anger causes hate, and hate leads to suffering." Tylin paused again. "There is much fear in you, Sith... Much anger."

Suddenly, Lord Solvus let out a blood-curdling scream, igniting his lightsaber. Solvus brought his red blade just short of Tylin's throat.

"Where is your master?!" Solvus loudly demanded. His voice echoed off the walls in the tiny room. "Where is he?!"

Tylin went silent again. After a few moments of listening to the somewhat loud, heavy, angry breathing of Solvus, he replied, "You will get nothing out of me, Sith."

Lord Solvus pulled his lightsaber away from Tylin's throat. He deactivated it, putting it back on his belt.

"If you will not tell me what I want to know," he growled. "I will make you suffer." Solvus extended his left hand, emitting Force lightning from his fingertips. The lightning struck Tylin in the chest, and coursed throughout his body. Tylin cried out in tremendous pain.

"You will soon realize," Solvus went on. "The dark side is superior to you, Jedi. The longer you resist, the more you suffer."

Tylin tried to catch his breath after Solvus let up the lightning. "You... Will get nothing," he repeated slowly. Solvus resumed shocking him with Force lightning.