Warning: The following chapter contains scenes depicting torture and graphic violence, which may be triggering to some readers. Reading discretion is advised.

Talyc was in excruciating pain when he came to. He couldn’t even remember what had caused him to be in this much pain. The residual effects of the torture should have dissipated by now. His body felt numb. His face itched and he wished he could scratch it. Although he didn’t have facial hair that grew quickly or thickly, he had by now grown a semblance of…scruff. He knew it must be more than stubble, and it itched his face.
Relsor walked into the room. As he did so, Talyc could swear his chest tightened, yet Relsor gave no sign he was using the Force on him.

‘How are you feeling today, Talyc?’ asked Relsor. His smile gave it away.

‘What are you doing to me?’ said Talyc.

‘I figured you must be hungry, so I am feeding you the dark side. Best I ensure your energy is kept up, so the level of malady I am about to unleash upon you is going to increase.’

Talyc’s stomach lurched, he belched and he felt as though his insides were on fire. He felt dizzy, nauseated. He began to sweat on his face, yet his body felt cold. He let his head loll to one side. Suddenly, his hands balled into fists as he felt an intense pain shoot up his spine. It felt like needles were all over his body. Then that pain turned into the sensation of knives slowly cutting into him. He looked at his hands, where he felt the knife sensation the most, but they were not bleeding.

Talyc began to shake as his body began to cramp up. He belched again as the feeling of nausea increased. He panted, gasping for air, and his heart began to palpitate. His mouth was dry; he tried to swallow. Finally, he vomited, his sick projecting onto the floor in front of Relsor.

Relsor creased his nose and looked down at the puddle of vomit.

‘I think we’re done here for today,’ he said.

‘You’re sick,’ said Talyc.

Relsor cocked an eyebrow. ‘I’m not the one who just vomited.’

‘Demagolka!‘

‘That an insult of some sort?’ asked Relsor non-challantly.

Talyc’s disdain for Relsor increased. ‘It’s Mando’a for monster.’ He swallowed. ‘You use the dark side to cause sickness and pain. Why? What is the purpose of making me, your weak prisoner, sick?’

Relsor smiled one of those condescending smiles. ‘I was hoping for you to be broken when lover-boy, Fane, arrived. I want you to be so broken that it breaks him.’

Talyc felt so ill he couldn’t feel the disdain anymore, couldn’t even feel the defiance he usually felt towards Relsor. He was too weak physically, and weakening with each passing moment.

Relsor sneered. ‘I will break you, I will break him, I will break all of them. And then when they are all broken, Shadie will turn, and I will succeed where Kromus failed.’

Talyc did not know how he should feel about this. ‘Is he on his way then? Fane is on his way?’

‘He will arrive soon, yes,’ said Relsor. ‘I best ready the welcoming party. I wouldn’t want the Jedi to get the wrong impression and think I’m only going to take Shadie captive.’ He smiled and left the room.

Talyc closed his eyes. This is all my fault, he thought. Or was it? Maybe he just felt it was while in this state. He couldn’t even think straight anymore. And once more, he couldn’T help but feel he had failed his friends, had failed Fane, had failed his clan, and had failed Mandalore.

Continue reading Chapter Seven

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Shadie story series.

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