Star Wars: Saviors of the Broken

Chapter XXIX

"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."

- The Sith Code

The first thing Patrick noticed when he awoke was that he was alone. Pete, Joe, and Mikey were all gone, and Patrick had no clue what had happened to them. For all he knew, his friends could all be dead. He might never get to fly in Joe's ship again, he might never get to see Mikey become a Jedi Knight, he might never hear Pete crack another joke. He might never see his gorgeous face again.

Patrick had been alone plenty of times, but he'd never felt quite this lonely.

The second thing Patrick noticed was that he was strapped to an interrogation chair. There were metal restraints holding his arms and legs in place, and if he tried to move, even a little bit, he'd get an electric shock. If he had his lightsaber, he could cut himself free, but it was on the other side of the room, far out of reach. He was trapped.

Patrick glanced out the window, but he still couldn't tell exactly where he was. He was aboard a ship of some kind, but his drab gray surroundings couldn't tell him any more than that. All he knew for sure was that he wasn't on the Horseshoe Crab anymore. Someone had taken him here, but why?

All of a sudden, the door opened, and Brendon Urie walked into the room, spinning his double-bladed lightsaber. "Patrick Stump," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"What's going on, Brendon?" Patrick asked.

"The Fourth Brother," Brendon said.

"Whatever," Patrick said. "Why am I here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Brendon said. "Either you're going to turn to the dark side, or I'm going to kill you. It's up to you, really. I don't care if you live or die. Either way, I'm taking back the crown."

"I'm never turning to the dark side."

Brendon shrugged. "That's a shame," he said. "You're far too young to die."

"But why me?" Patrick asked. "I'm not the one you want."

"Very good, Patrick. You figured it out," Brendon said. "You're no use to me. I'm only using you as bait."

"Bait for what?"

"For Pete, of course!"

Patrick breathed a sigh of relief. He was being held hostage by an Inquisitor, but at least Pete was alive. For a moment, Patrick felt like he had hope.

"Pete loves you," Brendon said. "He'd live for you, he'd die for you, he'd bleed himself dry if it meant you would be okay. Once he sees what I've done to you, once he sees that the only person he's ever loved is gone, he'll have no choice but to turn to the dark side."

Patrick wanted to do something, anything. He had to warn Pete somehow, but his powers were weak after being hit with Force lightning. He couldn't even get his lightsaber to budge, no matter how hard he tried. There was no way he could get a message to Pete when he couldn't even move.

"All of the Jedi tell me that they'll never turn to the dark side, but everyone has their price," Brendon said as he paced across the room. "For Pete, it's you. He'd do anything for you. He'd even turn to the dark side."

Patrick looked away from Brendon for a moment, and in his mind's eye, he saw Pete. He had dark black makeup lining his eyes and a bright blue lightsaber in his hands, and Patrick thought he looked absolutely beautiful.