Fate of a World
Darth Trepid, the self-proclaimed Dark Lord of the Sith, sneered at his opponent, a single Jedi, from his place on the great throne that dominated the chamber. This man, this insignificant man, had been the only member of a strike team sent by the Republic to make it to the throne room of his flagship, Imperator. He had done well to make it so far, but his journey was at its end. He would be slain and conquest of New Holstice would continue.
"I congratulate you, Jedi." Darth Trepid said as he rose from his seat, "Of your comrades, only you possessed the strength to reach me. What is your name?"
The Jedi held his deep emerald lightsaber forth, meeting the Dark Lord's eyes with defiance, and shouted, "I am Jedi Master Johs Vitz. The Council sends its regards, Darth Trepid." He spat the name like poison, his face grimacing in disgust. Only a year ago, Darth Trepid had been a distinguished Jedi Master before he betrayed the Jedi and the Republic, and now he had declared war against the entire galaxy.
Darth Viscata smiled wickedly as he brushed aside his cloak and plucked his lightsaber from his belt. The crimson blade ignited with a hiss, its light glinting off the spiked hilt. The Dark Lord walked slowly down the flight of stairs leading to his throne, the raw power of the Dark Side itself distorting the very air in his wake.
Johs let out a wild shout and charged at the man responsible for so much evil. The destruction of worlds, genocide on a galactic scale, and the loss of billions upon billions of lives throughout the galaxy was on his hands. And now, Darth Trepid would pay the ultimate price for his deeds.
Johs' emerald blade met the Sith's crimson in an overhead swing, sending a shower of sparks over the two combatants. Johs strained against his opponent, slowly pushing his lightsaber down. Darth Trepid matched the Jedi's strength, stopping both lightsabers. With a wicked grin, the Sith advanced, closing the gap between himself and Johs until their faces were only inches apart, their lightsabers caught in a deadlock. In a sudden burst of movement, both warriors pulled their blades free of the deadlock and lashed out in a flurry, trading and blocking blows, illuminating the room in flashes of red and green. Johs advanced, forcing the Dark Lord into a defensive stance and he followed one strike after the next with blinding speed, his lightsaber streaking from side.
Darth Trepid parried each blow with masterful skill as he was pushed back, smile remaining even in the Jedi's assault. Three more steps, He thought, and I will be on the stairway. That was all he needed. Once he had the high ground this pointless duel would be all but over for the feeble Jedi!
Even as the Sith planned his next move, Johs covered a glance behind his opponent with a powerful overhead strike. The attack was blocked like all the others, but he had gotten what he needed. He had driven Trepid almost to the stairs that lead to the Dark Lord's throne. If he could push him back just a few more steps… The Jedi clenched his teeth as he took another step forward, forcing his opponent back as he continued his volley. One more step is all it would take.
Darth Trepid felt the first step hit his heel and his smile widened, showing his pointed teeth. The Dark Lord sidestepped the Jedi's next attack and jumped backwards, using the Force to propel himself up most of the steps. The moment his feet touched the ground, he thrust his free hand forward and unleashed blast of lightning at the surprised Jedi ten steps below. The lightning struck Johs, knocking him to the ground and sliding him across the polished ebony floors. His lightsaber flew out of his hand and clattered against the floor, its safety feature deactivating the blade.
Johs groaned as he lay upon the ground, convulsing slightly as residual electricity coursed through his body. Smoke rose from his singed robes, and he could smell burnt flesh from where the lightning had directly hit him. The Jedi lifted his head and looked around the room for his lightsaber even as Darth Trepid began to walk towards him. No! I have to find it! If I fail, then everyone will have died for nothing! Johs thought frantically. Memories of his now fallen Jedi brothers and sister streaked through his mind, including all-too-recent memories each one's death. Dex, Roth, Ulinara, Jeshir… I'm sorry.
"You have failed, Jedi." Darth Trepid announced as he reached the last stair, "Your actions have only angered me, and for that, you shall witness New Holstice burn." A low rumble rocked the room as the walls of the great chamber began to shift and split, receding into the ground and ceiling.
The room was filled with light from the distant sun as the Imperator turned its broadside towards the green planet below. Even from this far out in space, sprawling networks of lights glimmered like gold, marking the planet's massive cities. Streaks of red, green, and blue dotted the space between the Sith flagship and the planet. Soaring just beyond New Holstice's orbit was a small Republic fleet, led by the Corusca Monarch, a Praetorian-class frigate. Its firepower matched that of the Imperator, but the Sith fleet was more than twice the size of the Republic's. Even as Johs stared with wide eyes, one of the eight remaining Republic cruisers split apart as three Sith corvettes continued to fire a hailstorm of turbolasers. The few escape pods that launched were caught in the corvettes' attack and all but vaporized. A brilliant explosion suddenly blossomed out from the fallen cruiser enveloping it entirely.
Johs looked away and shut his eyes at the sight of the cruiser's destruction. He could feel the deaths of the hundreds of people aboard that ship as they were engulfed in flame or pulled into the vacuum of space. I cannot allow this. I will not allow this! He looked up at Darth Trepid. The Sith was marveling in the destruction of the Republic fleet as another cruiser was isolated and surrounded by a Sith cruiser and two corvettes. He's distracted. The Jedi realized. He quickly looked around, now mostly recovered from the lightning attack. Johs spotted his lightsaber almost twenty feet away. Right next to Darth Trepid. I have to try. Johs thought. He carefully extended his arm, making sure not to move so fast as to catch the Dark Lord's attention, and concentrated on his lightsaber. The weapon wobbled briefly before slowly sliding back to him. It picked up speed then, sliding faster and scraping against the floor as Johs opened his hand to catch it. It stopped. What? The weapon hung there, an inch off ground. Johs looked up, his eyes widening with realization. Darth Trepid held his hand out to his side—directly at the lightsaber. His smile was gone now; he glared at the Jedi with annoyance.
The Sith said nothing. His expression told Johs enough, though. He shouldn't have done that. Darth Trepid was going to kill him! To blazes with that! The Jedi thought defiantly. He doubled his efforts to bring his lightsaber to him, fighting against the Sith's strength. And the Dark Side was strong. Slowly, the lightsaber floated away from him, toward Darth Trepid's open hand, rising higher as it went. Johs's heart sank as he watched his only hope of defeating the Dark Lord fly straight to his enemy's hand, despite his best efforts. As it rose near Trepid's waist, Johs caught a metallic glint from something on the Sith's belt. Darth Trepid's lightsaber.
The Jedi suddenly jumped to his feet and thrust both his arms forward. A wave of the Force hit Darth Trepid even as his lightsaber was yanked from his belt. Johs' lightsaber, caught in the blast, shot past and hit the stairs near the throne. The Sith Lord staggered back, surprised by the sudden attack. His lightsaber ignited in the hands of the Jedi. He reached back and pulled the green lightsaber to himself even as Johs charged and leaped, lightsaber held back for a powerful swing. Trepid caught the Jedi's lightsaber and ignited it as he turned. Red and green clashed once more in the throne room. Another Republic ship began to plummet to the planet's surface far below.
Johs glared at Darth Trepid from behind his lightsaber. This had to end now. As he struggled against the Dark Lord, he thought of his friends' lives, the lives of the now thousands of soldiers, and those of the billions of civilians that this man had taken. He. Would. Pay. A dark power suddenly swelled up within the Jedi, bolstering his strength.
Darth Trepid's eyes went wide as Johs began to overpower him. There was only one thing this could be. The Sith knew it well. The same power that had served him had now manifested itself in the heart of the young Jedi before him. Pure, unrestrained hatred. And so my legacy continues. The Dark Lord conceded.
The new power flooding through his veins, Johs raised his lightsaber and struck, staggering Darth Trepid again. He unleashed flurry of blows with speed granted to him by the Force itself. His arms became a blur as he swung the red lightsaber to and fro, leaving shallow cuts in the Sith even when he blocked. The hiss and hum of the lightsabers drowned out Darth Trepid's pained shouts. The Jedi screamed in rage as he advanced, once again driving the Sith towards the stairs, but this time much faster. He was practically running when Darth Trepid tripped on the stairs and fell back with a yelp. The man raised his lightsaber to defend himself only to have his hand and half his arm severed by Johs. He howled in pain before Johs thrust his hand forward and a wave of the Force crashed over him, pressing him into the steps.
"Forty-thousand soldiers and crew have been killed because of you." Johs growled, his voice seemingly amplified by the power of the Dark Side. The Jedi's skin had gone pale, and his irises had begun to slowly shift from their normal blue to a dark yellow. The Dark Side had fully claimed him now. "Fifteen billion innocents, three billion military personnel, six thousand starships. All lost because of you. My friends, my master… You killed them!" Johs shouted and sent another wave of the Force hurtling into Darth Trepid. The man yelled in pain and began to cough violently.
"You have done well, young Jedi." The man said weakly. "Give in to your hatred. Let it control you. Empower you. Strike down any who stand in your way!" Another wave of the Force hit him, nearly crushing him. "My legacy is complete…" Yet another wave of the Force hit, snapping several bones. The Dark Lord screamed in pain. "The cycle repeats itself."
Hatred and rage in his eyes, Johs dropped the lightsaber he'd been holding and began to slowly force his hands closer together as he channeled a continuous stream of the Force through each hand, creating a concentrated sphere of the Force. Dust particles whirled around in the sphere as it grew more intense, and a strong wind began to emanate from it. Johs screamed and his face contorted with pain as he forced his shaking hands even closer together, concentrating the power of the Force further. He could feel the muscles in his arms beginning to fail. It was time to end this.
"This is the punishment of your crimes, Trepid!" The Jedi roared as he thrust his arms forward, into Trepid's chest. The Sith Lord didn't even have time to scream as the full power of the Force struck him. The steps cracked and gave way beneath him as his body was rent apart, turning to dust before the Force. A moment later, the Dark Lord was gone. The Force hit the staircase and the floor tossed and pitched before exploding, sending shards of steel flying in all directions.
Johs stood there, panting, as rubble rained down around him. He snarled at the crater where the Dark Lord of the Sith had been just a moment ago. He pulled his communicator from his pocket and switched to an open channel. "Attention all ships! This is Johs… No, this is Darth Vitz, new Dark Lord of the Sith! I have slain the weakling Darth Trepid. Cease fire immediately or you will meet his fate." Johs ordered. He outstretched his hands to his sides and summoned both lightsabers to himself as he walked to the window and looked down at the planet below. He glared at one cluster of lights on the world's equator and focused. The newly fallen Jedi concentrated all of this hatred and anger onto that cluster on the world his friends had died for. They had died saving it, and now it would pay him back. The lights in the cluster began to flicker erratically, wavering in and out. Then they went dark one by one, until the cluster was gone. Motes of light suddenly appeared where the cluster was, flashing to life and illuminating the area around them for hundreds of miles. Explosions. That city had been destroyed, the powerful reactors that powered it rapidly reaching critical mass and detonating like colossal bombs. The clouds burned red as they were seemingly pushed away from the explosions.
Darth Vitz looked up at the three remaining Republic ships. Two of them had stopped firing, but one of them, the Corusca Monarch, continued to fire at one of the Sith corvettes that had also ceased fire. He glared at the vessel, reaching out across space to it and its crew. No survivors. Defiance will be crushed, and I will have peace. Johs Vitz thought. He closed his eyes and envisioned the ship. A crack formed along its armored hull, growing until it ran the length of the ship. A second crack appeared just behind the "head." And so, the Monarch is dethroned. Johs opened his eyes and cocked his head to the side. At the same time, a massive crack appeared on the Corusca Monarch and its command bridge was severed from the hull. The rest of the ship split into two before slowly dropping down to the planet.
The battle was over. He had won. He had achieved peace here. "All ships, prepare for planetside landing. Make any necessary repairs immediately. It's about time New Holstice was liberated."