The Old Republic: Tiamat
The Siege
Coruscant was burning.
Striding through the wreckage on the ground level of the planet, Varixx Tarnock gazed upward at the forest of buildings that seemingly rose without end towards the distant pitch above. The stink of the slums wafted into his nostrils and he surveyed the disgusting environment while marveling at the Republic's arrogance. Creatures twisted by the hazardous environment stopped gorging on rubbish as the Sith knight and his forces approached, disappearing back into whatever dark corners they had first crawled from.
Varixx fought down his revulsion. How the pompous senators lording in stately offices above could blatantly ignore such abhorrent living conditions in streets just a few miles down from the senate building was absolutely mind boggling. The very justification he needed to fight this war was personified by the area around him. If the galactic-wide corruption was to be burned way, it was best to start with the roots.
On a normal day this wouldn't be a safe area to stroll through. The Imperial attack on the city world had changed that. With wedge shaped Centurion-class battle cruisers in low orbit spewing out interceptor fighters and well-disciplined ground troops occupying vast tracks of Republic territory, most of the population had fled to whatever hole or sanctuary they could reach. These burrows or bunkers filled many with an unwarranted sense of security.
The problem they did not perceive was that there was nowhere to truly hide from the Sith Empire.
The warrior continued his almost casual walk down the war-ravaged streets. He ignored the cacophony of screams from the Republic citizens who hadn't managed to escape in time. His thought on the word citizen in this case was highly exaggerated as most of the sentient life forms that dwelled in the bowls of Coruscant were absolute scum, the dregs of a corrupt society.
Fires flared up as a result of various firefights, spreading to buildings clustered close together. More than one screaming figure shot across the open road, screaming and stamping at the flames that licked at their filthy clothes. Many of the Imperial soldiers moving through the area held their fire.
Varixx just smiled. Good. Let the trash burn.
Still, the fire alone was not enough. The dense populations feeling began to hinder the march of the soldiers. Varixx's raised hand was an instrument to further purge this scum, either in the form of hand signals to the platoon of Sith shock troops trailing in his wake or in a more direction fashion as he occasionally choked the life out of any sentient that offered even token resistance.
With another signal the soldiers fanned out in front of him, scanning various alley ways, their firearms blasting away indiscriminately. Varixx reveled in this chaos, drank it in while allowing the anguish of the dying souls to reverberate through his body via the Force. Satisfaction flooded his mind and he knew that this was the personification of his purpose as a warrior striving to bring order to a decrepit government. Only violence and ruthlessness could create a lasting sense of order. He was but a part of a larger force that would wipe corruption and weakness from the galaxy.
In order for that to happen the Republic had to die.
The part he'd so far played in reaching that goal had been considerable. He smiled at the thought. Not bad for a man some would call a second rate Sith.
Somewhere near the front of the formation, Imperial troops engaged in a brisk fire fight with one of the local street gangs in the area. Varixx left the matter to them, continuing to lead the offensive whose singular purpose was to cause as much damage and chaos as possible.
There was little in the way of true Republic resistance. While regrettable, Varixx had expected it. There was no law in this region to begin with. Law enforcement stayed away and there was no way any military commander worth his rank would risk valuable troops to protect criminals when more vulnerable and important targets were being bombarded or invaded from the skies above.
A Sith anti-air rocket streaked from some rooftop high overhead, drawing Varixx's attention. Craning his neck, he watched the projectile strike a hover car that had desperately tried to get away. The missile impacted with the engine compartment but failed to explode. A dud perhaps, but it still crippled the small craft and brought it crashing down into the streets a mile or so ahead.
Explosions from energy grenades thrown by his soldiers rocked several of the nearby buildings as gang resistance experienced Imperial efficiency first hand. Their screams of agony sang out like a well-tuned instrument. The armored Sith and a contingent of troops not already occupied with the street denizens pressed on toward the craft.
When he reached the downed car, Varixx noticed that the driver side door was raised. Rounding the hood, he saw a Miralan female crouching behind the vehicle in an attempt to be as inconspicuous as possible. The tattooed features on her face, a trait her species was known for, was obscured by blood as it trickled down her head from a gash inflicted by the crash landing. Upon inspection, Varixx saw the frightened women clutched a small child in her arms, a little girl just old enough to understand the situation at hand and not cry out in fright.
One soldier moved forward and raised his rifle. Varixx slapped the weapon down.
The squad leader, a sergeant by the insignia on his chest, moved forward, looking at the unfolding situation in confusion. "Sir?"
"The woman and her child offer no resistance," Varixx replied evenly. "They are normal upstanding citizens, unlike the disgusting creatures down here. Their deaths would not give us any advantage in the war. They are to be left alone. Unharmed."
He stressed the importance of this word, letting it hang in the air as he glanced around at the soldiers in his vicinity.
The sergeant shifted nervously. "Begging your pardon sir, they are Republic citizens. The enemy."
Varixx turned to face the sergeant. While they were both about the same height, Varixx's presence within the dark side gave him the presence of a towering statue. "My orders are final."
The sergeant, to his credit, seemed resolute to conduct himself strictly by the regulations. While intimidated, his duty to orders kept him in check and he did not bow to the fear of addressing a Darth directly. "Darth Malgus' standing orders are-"
Varixx had had enough. many of these soldiers were not his. For the campaign commands had been shuffled and reformed for the assault on the Republic capital world. This sergeant was clearly an outsider and it became clear to the Sith knight that an example had to be made. After all, an order disputed or ignored in battle could be fatal for everyone.
With a raised hand, Varixx picked the startled NCO off of the ground and promptly snapped the man's neck. Not content with this action alone, he allowed a flicker of the dark side to touch his hand. The flare of energy reflected off of his mask as a series of snaps and cracks radiated out as the lifeless body as it was suspended in mid air for all to see. The corpse was systematically crushed and the bones were pulverized by the Force.
The mangled corpse was allowed to fall to the ground without further fanfare. Varixx put his boot on what was left of the sergeant's chest and addressed the frightened troops around him. "Darth Malgus is in command of the operation against the Jedi temple. I am in command here. Does anyone else wish to dispute my orders?"
There was no response. Given the proper demonstration, these soldiers learned fast.
Varixx nodded. "I thought as much. Women and small children are no threat. Some will die as unavoidable casualties of war but there is no point in wasting ammunition and time in such a distasteful manner. The Republic once decimated our people in such a fashion. No one in my command will act in a similar display. Resume your tasks soldiers." He pointed out towards the distant streets and the remnants of stubborn gangs still putting up a fight. "Purge."
The Miralan was so frightened that her body shook, yet she stood up, still clutching her child as though the little one would slip from her fingers and fall into the shadows that clung to Varixx's form. Disbelief and a sliver of hope touched her tear-stricken features. "T-thank you, my lord. Thank you!"
Varixx nodded his head once. He was gone a second later, his cloak trailing behind as he moved on. Resistance crumbled as the underbelly of Coruscant was tamed one block at a time. Several buildings in the vicinity crumbled as they took direct hits from orbital bombardments. Smoke and debris rose from the fallen husks and obscured visibility through the street levels.
A sensation pierced Varixx's skull, a warning in the Force. Instantly his lightsaber was in his hand, the crimson blade up in front of his face, deflecting a laser bolt from above. A second shot rang out from a different location, faster than Varixx could counter. He took the shot in the chest and the impact knocked him onto his back where he lay, unmoving on the dirty street.
"Sith lord down!" a lieutenant named Veria yelled from somewhere behind. "Medic to the front! Soldiers, find those snipers and deliver a solid cover fire!"
As the shock troops laid down suppressive fire on two nearby rooftops, a winded medic ran up the street to where Varixx lay. As the soldier skidded to a halt and fell to one knee, he opened his medic case to begin treatment. A soft laughter gave pause to his work.
Varixx's eyes were open and alert and he continued to chuckle. His heavy armor had taken the brunt of the attack and all that would be left to deal with, at best, was a painful bruise. He stared straight upward and continued to laugh, using the Force to recall his blade into his ready grasp.
"At last. A bit of sport."
Before the medic could reply Varixx was mobile, moving forward and jumping high into the air. The Force aided his limbs and he began to scale up the side of the nearest building, jumping onto the roof and putting the startled Republic snipers under the blade before the pair could turn and run. Pivoting, he faced the other building and preformed a graceful jump, vaulting the distance between the two buildings and landing amidst the other sniper position even as the duo moved to train their weapons on him.
He impaled the one to his right through the heart with his lightsaber. Glancing to his left, the palm of his other hand briefly touched the enemy combatant's chest before the unfortunate being was hurled off the roof with a push from the Force.
Task complete, Varixx deactivated his blade, allowing the remaining corpse to fall to the ground. He looked skyward, marveling at the beauty of ensuing battle. Imperial ships high above under the command of Darth Angral continued their campaign of terror. The cannons of the ships in his fleet cut huge wounds into the cityscape that was the Heart of the Republic. Somewhere up there, the Tiamat, Varixx's heavy destroyer was also taking part despite the wounds it had sustained during a heavy round of naval combat in a previous campaign.
What little resistance the Republic military could scrap together after the crippling and lightning fast Sith sneak attack was being torn apart by fast moving Imperial ISF interceptors. As he watched, three Republic PT-7 fighters engaged a Sith fighter wing in a heroic yet futile attack. The Republic pilots paid for the act of desperate bravado with their lives. Triple explosions accompanied their deaths as the broken ships crashed into the surface amidst a shower of debris.
Every direction he looked there was fire and chaos. He smiled even as his heart felt a little sad. There was so much work to do; Coruscant could become a shining example of a world devoid of corruption and crime. Yet there would not be sufficient time to purge the world of such pestilences before it was handed back to the Republic. There was no official order to do so yet, but Varixx had served in the military long enough to know that the Empire did not have the current strength or resources to hold the world and protect all of its other gains. The bulk of the Imperial military might was spread across the galaxy, protecting the half it had dominated. There simply wasn't the troop strength available to end the war decisively.
He looked down at the computer built into the armor on his wrist and checked the chrono in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Malgus' assault on the Jedi temple should be reaching its final stages of completion.
An explosion sent a burst of air screaming out in all directions, rushing through past Varixx. He watched as smoke rose from the husk of the Jedi temple. Centuries of Jedi history and prestige began to burn.
His computer chimed again and he glanced at it, activating the built in speaker.
"Darth Tarnok," Lieutenant Veria said, her steady voice sounding miniscule as it emanated from the tiny speaker built into the wrist computer. "Enemy elements in the area have been pacified. Do you wish us to continue the advance toward House Corruption?"
He couldn't help but chuckle at the designated code word for the senate building. "Continue your advance. I'll be down presently."
He had something to do first.
As ever, Varixx felt her presence. She was always with him and the sensation of her proximity only seemed to feel more intense when his life was in danger. Turning around he saw her standing before him, the shimmering form an imperfect silhouette of blue. Her sad eyes gazed first at him and then at the rampant chaos ravaging through the city unchecked.
Varixx was taken aback. Not by her presence, she often appeared before him in some fashion or another. What was surprising was that she would materialize from the Force in the middle of a warzone. Striding toward her, he longed to bring a smile to her face and dampen out the sadness that stole away her lovely features.
"Ver'ola," he whispered longingly, wishing to wrap his arms around her. "I know this scene troubles you."
"Of course it does, my love." She sighed once and turned to look at the destruction. "I am a Jedi. Coruscant was my home. Now it is burning."
"The war will soon be over," he said soothingly. "The Republic will have its world back and so shall the galaxy know two different authorities."
"Yes, but for how long?" Ver'ola wrapped her arms around her waist, her lekku twitching with distress.
"You regret sacrificing your life facing down my former master to save me, my love?" Varixx moved to stand beside her. "You wish you were here now to fight to save the Republic?"
She shook her head slightly. "I fear for your life." A slight pause. "And for your salvation. There is so much conflict within in you… and yet I felt such warmth when you spared the life of that woman and her child."
"I'm a warrior," he replied. "I have my own standards."
At last she issued him a small smile. "There is hope that our souls will be yet reunited in the Force one day. You continue to give me hope."
"I desire nothing else, you know that. Besides, I will not slaughter noncombatants the way the Republic slaughtered my people all those hundreds of years ago."
"Ah yes," Her sad expression returned. "Perhaps there is a debt to be paid… but violence never quenches violence."
"I must return to this violence," he reminded her. "Though I wish to only stay here with you, my troops need commands."
She nodded her head. "Be safe, Varixx. I will continue to watch over you, as I always do. I only hope when this war is over that it will be enough to mend your wounded soul."
"The only thing that could do that is if you could be returned to life. That, we both know is impossible. It was my master who struck you down due to my weakness."
"Stop," she reprimanded gently. "It wasn't your fault."
Varixx clenched is hand into a fist and looked a away for a minute, trying to hold fast to his emotions. "Let us both not forget that it was the Republic that sacrificed you and stranded you on Duos. If not for that decision, you would not have met my master in battle. You would still draw breath. For this sin, I will make the Republic howl."
"But if I had been recalled, we would not have met," she said, looking up at him quietly.
He had no retort and simply conceded the point with a nod.
She said nothing further, instead choosing folding her hands gently in front of her and watching as he reluctantly left her to rejoin the battle. Varixx reactivated his saber and took a running start, leaping off the building and using the Force to slow his descent. He couldn't help but notice, before his view was obscured by the network of buildings, how beautiful the planet looked as it bathed in fire, pain, and death.