CHAPTER 2: THE BINDING
When I came to (an action that surprised me; I was expecting to be dead), I found myself bound to what seemed like some ancient stone tablet, by my hands and feet. I think I was drugged in some way, because though I tried to use the Force, I couldn't.
In front of me were the Nightsister and the man I couldn't make out earlier. He was a red Zabrak (a Nightbrother perhaps?), and I won't go into detail, but his body seemed to be literally decaying. At this point I noticed the stench- definitely decaying.
He was talking to the Nightsister as my senses came back.
"Massikus, are you sure?" she asked. "We can hold on to him for a while longer, your current host isn't in the worst shape."
A very raspy voice (I don't think his throat was in the best condition at this point) replied. "I need him now. You saw what happened out there. I'll need that kind of power to hunt down the other three."
During the conversation, Massikus' Force presence touched mine, and then attacked it furiously. He invaded my mind relentlessly searching for information on the Jedi who had escaped, and I was powerless to stop him.
"We can send the Assassins after them-"
"Who? Saris? He'll be caught or worse for sure, and we'll be exposed. We are not yet ready."
"There are some who would think otherwise."
"It's final." He walked onto a slab adjacent to mine with the same bindings, and activated them using the Force. With a sly grin on her face and her hands glowing a vibrant green she moved towards him and place her hands on his temple. He fell asleep quickly, and she turned to me, her hands now red.
"You, unfortunately, don't get to sleep. But don't worry; in time you will play your part."
I tried to escape, but I was too weak. While I was squirming, she put her hands to my head. Immediately an onslaught of pain was all I knew. In my body, in the Force, in my mind, in my very soul, I knew suffering for what it really was. She was wrong, though. The pain knocked me out pretty quickly.
When I awoke, I found myself once again bound to the tablet. I saw the three from before looking at me, expectantly. Talzin, the Nightsister, Arek Saris, the young apprentice, and Varad Zagg, his master. How did I know their names? For an answer, I reached into the Force, but I found only one thing. A massive, incredibly powerful presence in the Dark Side blocking me off from anything else. I tried to reach into it, but I couldn't. Shifting back to my previous goal, I strained to get off the slab, but it didn't even seem like my muscles were moving. Suddenly all the shackles were lifted, and I fell to the ground, straining to move a muscle but failing. Still, I landed on my feet, as though someone else had directed my body. Hold on... As if in response to that thought, my body stood up, but I wasn't in control. Someone else was.
"That's right, Ganner. You belong to me now."
In my mind his voice was a thousand times more insidious.
"Really, your consciousness wasn't even supposed to survive, but it is of no consequence. You are just another victim of Darth Massikus."
In my mind I tried to lash out, however I could. Nothing worked. Inside the head we shared, he let out a long cackle.
"Let the darkness consume you. I promise I will give you the least painful death I can." He was lying.
With my voice, he spoke. "This is a strong one, I can feel it. His mind still lingers by a thread."
"Does he pose a threat?" Varad questioned him. Of course Varad would want to know, the conniving little... Hold on. I could read Massikus' thoughts. Of course.
"No. He is but a small pond against the ocean of the Dark Side's power." Just as Varad was.
Just in the nick of time, Massikus reached out into the Force, and I could feel it within myself as well. Together though guided by him, we searched for Yula, Tyrral, and Bail. The three were together, escaping Umbara. Utilizing both of our respective levels of power in the Force, Massikus was able to locate them just outside orbit. During the events that followed, we were constantly tracking them.
"Yula, Tyrral, Bail. All vermin who will deserve the slow deaths they will be given."
"I know where the Jedi are," he said through me.
"You made your decision clear," Varad responded. "Go get them."
Without another word, Massikus left. He went to his quarters and found new robes to fit my body, and choose a doublesaber out of a large collection, mostly trophies from dead Force users, Jedi and Sith alike. As he walked through the Academy to the private hangar, each Sith we passed bowed down to him hesitantly. Weaklings.
Stunned by my thoughts, I tried to push him out to no avail. He laughed some more.
"Might as well get used to it, Slarwalker. Welcome to the rest of this body's pathetic life."
As he walked, I decided I might as well learn who my new enemy was, and I dove into his memories.
Massikus was able to block me from getting the full story, but I was able to slowly begin to piece it together. Massikus was an ancient Sith from thousands of years ago, dating back to the Great War. He was primarily a warrior, but when he uncovered ancient texts speaking of a way to live forever, he took a more studious position. He began experimenting on lesser Force users, mainly victims from the battlefield. While true immortality eluded him, he made a new breakthrough when he discovered how to transfer the consciousness of a Force user into the body of another. As his aging body began to lose its usefulness, he decided it was time to try it on himself. It worked, and he discovered he gained not only the body of his victims, but their power in the Force as well. For a long time, he went about causing chaos in the Republic, constantly shifting identities and getting stronger every single time.
However, this power came with a price. Eventually Massikus' power became more than his bodies could handle, and he had to step down from the battlefield before he ran out, and resolved to work from the shadows until he could find a body capable of holding his might. Somewhere between then and now, he ended up at the Sith Academy, where he waited for an Assassin to be produced worthy of his power. Then I came along. I was able to glimpse, through his eyes, the turning point. It was me, running rampant against the Sith, telling the others to run. They hesitantly complied, and I held the Sith off long enough for them to escape. It took Massikus letting out a barrage of blows that sealed his current body's fate to finally put me down. I could sense that not even he knew why I didn't remember.
As he began to take off, I learned his plan: Divide and conquer. Leave each one of them stranded and cut off from the outside world, then pick them off one by one. He was quiet now; he was too focused on the others. Silently, we took off into the night sky to kill my three best friends.