Sithy Sithy Heart

Bastila shrieked in pain as another wave of Force Lightning coursed through her body. Having spent the past several days as Malak's prisoner, she would have thought she was used to his torture by now. Yet she never seemed able to accustom herself to the near-endless volleys of lightning Malak shocked her with.

In this strange temple, on a planet she had neither heard of nor seen; the dim shadows that played across the walls only seemed to add to the sinister feeling coiling in her gut. She could sense the Dark Side's intense power here, felt it ooze around her like a poisonous worm, seeking any vulnerability in her that it could exploit. It was much the same as it had been when the Ebon Hawk had first landed on Korriban, only here it was stronger by a hundredfold.

Malak himself seemed far more sinister than he had aboard the Leviathan. Here, unbridled by any Jedi interference, he could revel in the darkness of both the temple and the Star Forge. She had sacrificed herself to save Revan, hoping that in her still lay the salvation of the Republic. Now, both seeing and feeling the massive power Malak wielded, Bastila could not help but doubt if even Revan would be powerful enough to defeat her former Apprentice.

Gritting her teeth, she struggled with her remaining strength against the chains that bound her to the rock she lay upon. She refused to give up, refused to give in despite the temptation that pricked at her heart. She would never allow him to turn her without a fight!

Malak laughed coldly as he watched his young victim struggle. 'You are strong, Bastila.' He mocked. 'But I will break you.'

She spat viciously in his face. 'You're wasting your time, Malak!' She responded. 'I'll never join the Dark Side!'

He turned away briefly as he wiped his brow, waiting for Bastila to drop her guard only slightly before sending another bolt of Force Lightning searing through her. He enjoyed taunting her like this, enjoyed watching her feeble attempts to resist his torture, only to watch her as she felt her strength crumble away incrementally as he exploited her vulnerabilities. Hearing her screams pleased him greatly, for he knew she would not be able to resist for much longer. She would make a fine Apprentice when he was through with her, but only if she surrendered and swore loyalty to him by her own free will.

She gasped for breath as she struggled to recover from his assault. 'You think torture alone will turn me? You are a fool.' She stated coldly.

'Why no, dear Bastila. What I am offering is but a taste of the Dark Side, to whet your appetite.' Malak's metallic-toned voice echoed ominously through the small room. 'When you swear loyalty to me, it will be willingly!'

'Never! I'll never bow to you!' She spat back.

'Such resolve in your words, and yet I see the truth in your heart.' Malak continued to mock her. 'The Dark Side calls to you, Bastila. You hunger to taste it.'

He walked silently to the far end of the room, seeming to meld into the very shadows that surrounded him. Bastila felt a fleeting moment of panic...what did he plan to do to her now?

Her answer came soon enough as Malak returned, accompanied by a cadre of Dark Jedi. 'I believe it's time I changed tactics.' He explained. 'Since merely using the Dark Side to break your will isn't working, I will have to resort to a more...insidious means of doing so.' As he spoke, the Dark Jedi surrounding him parted, revealing the Dark Lord in all his glory.

Bastila's eyes grew to the size of Krayt Dragon pearls when she saw his 'glory' consisted of a tan leather vest over a red plaid shirt, worn with matching tan leather chaps and silver spurs. Hurrying to his Master's side, one tardy acolyte hastily handed him a large ten-gallon hat, which he put on over his bald head. His ensemble complete, he turned to the late arrival, quickly catching him in a Force Choke attack before tossing him across the room.

'Since you will soon be my new Apprentice, Bastila, I will let you in on a secret.' Malak said as he approached her. 'Several years ago, before Revan and I left to fight the Mandalorians, I wanted to leave the Order to pursue my dream of being a famous singer. Horrified at the idea, the Council quickly rejected my wish, shattering my dream of touring the Galaxy, mobbed by adoring fans, hooking up with random nameless women, each more beautiful than the last...'

Hearing one Dark Jedi laugh softly, he electrocuted the insolent fool with a bolt of Force Lightning before continuing. 'My dream as broken as my heart, I decided that if I couldn't travel the galaxy with a band as 'Malak', I would do so with a different name. So, in between battles with the Mandalorians, I traveled to the far reaches of the Galaxy, performing for the masses...'

He trailed off as another Dark Jedi approached what appeared to be a microphone, clearing his throat before speaking into it in his best announcer's voice. 'Ladies and Gentlemen! Quarrens and Duros! Selkath of all ages! We now present to you our featured entertainment! You've heard him perform in clubs and on street corners from here to Taris. You've watched his songs climb the charts on the Galactic Top Forty. Now, performing for the very first time, live and in person, singing his debut hit Sithy Sithy Heart, please welcome...Railly Bae Rycus!'

The Dark Jedi broke into brief cheers before splitting into two groups. One armed several strange-looking items that seemed to make music, while the other stood in a line behind Malak, all looking quite nervous.

The already-dim lights went completely dark for several moments, the darkness punctuated by muted rustling sounds, before a sudden burst of light and music temporarily left Bastila both blinded and slightly deafened as she was forced to watch helplessly.

The Dark Jedi had all traded in their black robes and masks, and were now dressed in outfits identical to Malak's. The ones standing behind him began to dance in a straight line, crossing one foot behind the other, pausing only long enough to kick, turn, or change direction.

After a few moments of music, Malak strutted to the front of the 'stage', his metallic voice clashing horribly with the instrumentals.

Tell the galaxy you'll never join with me

Exactly what the Jedi are about.

Bastila goggled at the Dark Lord. She had tried to imagine what horrible torture he had in store for her to bend her to his will. Apparently her imagination was quite limited, however, for she could have never imagined anything so horrible as watching this 'performance'!

At this point, the Dark Jedi cowboys danced closely behind their leader, their voices sounding just as awful as his as they backed him up on the chorus.

But don't tell my heart,

He might Force Choke you something bad.

Malak broke into his own version of the Dark Cowboy dance, tripping occasionally over his long chaps. At one point he fell flat on his face when his spurs became tangled in one another, and when one of the backups dared to laugh, he Force Choked him before dropping him lifelessly in the middle of the group.

Satisfied that he had sufficiently squelched any further criticism of his 'talent', Malak continued.

Torture doesn't work, you think I am a jerk,

Because you wanna join with me today.

Bastila wished she could plug her ears, keep her eyes closed...anything to stop what she was seeing! She wished it would stop, began thinking she would do anything to make it stop. Horrified at herself, she bit her lip and forced herself to continue enduring the painful song.

The surviving backups formed two lines, one on either side of their Master, as they all chimed in again.

But don't tell my heart,

My Sithy Sithy heart,

The Dark Side might make him get mad.

And if you tell my heart,

My Sithy Sithy heart,

He might Force Choke you something bad.

The backups began their awful dancing again as Malak worked the 'crowd'. Walking up to Bastila, he worked an arm around her waist despite her struggles. Gesturing for a spotlight to shine upon them, much to her embarrassment, he continued singing.

But don't tell my heart,

He might Force Choke you something bad.

'Stop, STOP!' Bastila finally shouted, causing the musicians to nearly drop their instruments in shock. 'All right, you win! I'll join you!' She gasped. 'Just please stop that Force-awful singing! I can't take it any more!'

Malak laughed coldly as he swept off his hat. 'I knew you'd see things my way, Bastila.' He said, his voice betraying his malicious triumph.