Author's Note: This has been a long time coming... hope y'all enjoy!
-Chapter 40: Rampage-
Location: Coruscant
"Violence is the physical manifestation hatred."
After the successful raid on the Republic fleet at Oetchi, Count Dooku himself had come aboard the Dominance to discuss matters with Mazari and The Wraith. Now that the Republic was aware of their big secret, it was time to move ahead with their plans. Currently, the three of them were standing on the bridge as battle droids manned their posts around them.
"Now that the Republic is aware of Iron Tyrant, we have no need to hide this vessel from them any longer." Dooku was saying. "Therefore you can expect to be summoned to active duty very soon."
"What is the status of the Eradictor?" Mazari inquired. The Eradicator was the second Subjugator-class cruiser that was in the process of being constructed.
"Nearing completion. Rear-Admiral Venaki has arrived and is prepared to take charge." The Sith replied. "Iron Tyrant is quickly moving towards completion. Nearly all components have been finished and two more cruisers are in the finishing stages."
"Well... now that we know that..." Wraith muttered, turning around to leave. "You'll excuse me if I take my leave, sir." Detecting a distinct dip in his mood, Dooku called after him,
"Where are you going soldier?"
"While I appreciate the new ship, I've been up here for too long. I've got work to do." Wraith answered, stopping for only a moment.
"The Republic still believes you to be dead, we can use this to our advantage." The Sith added, attempting to dissuade him.
"With all due respect, my lord, I stayed 'dead' so that these cruisers could be kept a secret. They know about them now, about all of them." Wraith replied, turning around to face him. "Now it's my turn to fully reveal my secret; the fact that I survived their assault on Utapau. They destroyed my home... now I'm gonna go make a mess of theirs." He added with a slight growl before turning to leave. "The Republic is going to learn that there's something a lot scarier than uncontrollable rage..."
"And that would be?" Dooku wondered. Wraith stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder.
"Calculated revenge." He answered.
That night, on Coruscant...
All was calm. All was quiet. Night had fallen across the ecumenopolis that was Coruscant. Lights from streets and buildings illuminated the still-bustling city and its inhabitants with a warm glow. The skylanes were still packed with speeders and sparse crowds milled about the streets. From the Jedi Temple, such an impressive display of civilization could be easily seen and observed with calculated efficiency. But most Jedi had retired for the night, tucked away within the Temple's walls as they slept soundly.
But one Jedi was having a rather restless sleep.
Ahsoka tossed and turned in her bed, images from a vision flashing rapidly through her mind. First she saw nothing, surrounded only by pitch blackness. Then came a spark, a spark that grew into a fire that quickly revealed her surroundings. She stood in a hallway within the Temple, flames licking at the walls and consuming the rest of the building around her. The butchered bodies of Clones and Jedi were spread out before her, scattered down the hall like some gruesome path to the inferno that threatened to burn them all. Ahsoka gasped and stepped back from the awful scene, drawing closer to a window that glowed red from the outside. Ahsoka turned to look and saw the whole of Coruscant engulfed in flames, burning to the ground before her very eyes.
Such death and destruction... what could it all mean?
"I'm doing this all for you, Ahsoka..." a familiar voice informed her, growling as it did. The frightened Togruta whirled about to see the familiar form of Wraith standing tall within the flames. His optics burned with a crimson fury, his body a mere shadowy silhouette within the fire. His optics flashed to life again, glowing with such remarkable intensity. "You WILL be MINE!" He growled, optics blazing so bright their crimson hue consumed Ahsoka's gaze...
Bolting upright in her bed, covered in sweat, Ahsoka gasped for breath as she awoke from her vision. She looked about her room with a frightful look in her eyes, determined to make sure that there was no fire and that all was as it should be.
It was.
Breathing a sigh of relief, the young Padawan rubbed her eyes as she tried to make sense of this. What could this all mean? Was Wraith still alive? How was that even possible? She had seen the remains of his blood-soaked helmet, concrete evidence of his demise.
That's when another thought came to her... had that 'evidence' been faked by Wraith himself?
"If he is alive... then..." She whispered, trying to gather her thoughts. The prospect of Wraith surviving plucked up her courage somehow. She felt determined to try to redeem him again, but this time she would give it her all.
But... what if the vision wasn't real? What if it was just a manifestation of some deeper feelings she needed to deal with?
Deciding she could not solve this on her own, and recalling her successful course of action the last time she'd had such a vision, Ahsoka climbed out of bed to get dressed. She would go to the Jedi Council to see if they might help her...
High in the Council chambers, twelve individuals, all high-ranking Jedi, sat in meeting in one of the towering spires of the Jedi Temple. Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi Mundi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, Agen Kolar, Master Yoda and Stass Allie were there in person while Even Piell and Oppo Rancisis were present via hologram, busy on various worlds and unable to attend in person. In their midst stood Anakin Skywalker, the only non-Councillor there but a man whose presence in the Clone Wars demanded his presence here before the Jedi.
Their topic of discussion was how to best combat the growing threat of the Separatists.
"We thought this war was escalating at best. But the appearance of these new heavy cruisers takes it to a whole new level." Kolar was saying. By now, everyone knew of the six Subjugator-class cruisers the Separatists were building and the immense threat they presented.
"Just when we thought we had evened the playing field with Wraith's demise, the Separatists present us with a new challenge to overcome." Plo agreed.
"You sound oddly optimistic about this, Master Koon." Kit mused with a grin.
"We were able to beat the Malevolence once before, Master Fisto. Now we just have to do it six more times." Koon replied.
"The question is, how do we find them? And how many resources can we allocate to their destruction?" Obi-Wan wondered. "We can all agree that they need to be stopped." His fellow councillors nodded in agreement.
"When we took down the Malevolence, all we had to do was destroy the mega ion cannon in order to open it up." Anakin stated. "As soon as we find one, I suggest we launch a two-fold attack. Round one cripples it and then round two destroys it."
"That may have been the case with the Malevolence, but the super tactical droid seemed so certain that they had perfected those flaws and improved the design." Mace said, recalling what Mazari had told him. "We may have to find another weakness."
"I can't stand a waiting game." Anakin sighed, crossing his arms.
"Even a man of action such as yourself, Skywalker, needs to pull back everynow and then." Mundi noted.
"Sounds like something Commander Thrawn would say."
"Speaking of pulling back, how is Ahsoka doing in all of this?" Shaak inquired.
"To be completely honest, I've noticed a bit of a change in her recently." Anakin reluctantly admitted. While he and many others had felt very relieved by Wraith's demise, he had visually noted Ahsoka's lack of celebratory feelings. On several occasions she feigned to be deep in thought, but a quick glance through their Force-bond revealed her downcast feelings.
"Dark have her thoughts been. Quiet has she been since Wraith's death." Yoda commented, having noted and observed the same things as Anakin.
"You don't think..." Skywalker slowly said, treading dangerously close to a subject he'd rather not broach unless absolutely necessary.
"To help him, determined she was." Yoda replied. "Gone is he and his redemption also."
"Ahsoka may be a little headstrong and stubborn, but she is pure of heart and compassionate. She claimed to see something in him that we could not: a tortured soul." Shaak replied, coming to the younger Togruta's defense.
"Maybe. But I still don't like the way he thought about her. If he really knew about the depth of her desire to save him, he could easily exploit those in order to try and turn her." Anakin responded.
"No faith have you in your apprentice, Skywalker?" Yoda asked him in a questioning tone. "Young, Ahsoka is. But also loyal is she. Through and through, a Jedi, she is."
High in the skies above the Jedi Temple, a cloaked Aka'jor shuttle sat motionless, hovering in place. Then the rear entry slid open as Wraith stepped to the edge of his ship. His optics quickly scanned over the Temple below and detected the numerous thermal signatures located in one of the Temple's spires. Taking a step off the edge, he pushed off as he began a dive down towards the structure, picking up speed with each passing second...
"I guess you're right. Sorry, masters. This whole situation has run me ragged."
"We can all sympathize with that, Anakin." Obi-Wan replied. "The important thing is to-" He suddenly stopped as his senses picked up a presence that stood out in stark contrast to the radiating nature of those around him.
Everyone else in the room sensed it as well, growing focused and losing track of the conversation.
"Hatred, I sense. Vengeful and powerful." Yoda finally said.
"I sense something too..." Anakin added, "something dark and... angry." The other Jedi nodded, their statements matching and accurately describing what they felt.
"It feels very... familiar." Obi-Wan said, brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, a figure crashed through one of the windows, pouncing on Anakin and throwing him to the ground. The stunned Jedi Knight could only look up as he recognized the pair of crimson optics staring back at him.
"Did you miss me?!" Wraith growled, grabbing Anakin by the robes and throwing him into the nearest wall. "Of course you did, that's why I'm here." He continued, reveling in his wordplay. The Jedi Council bolted up from their seats as the super-soldier raised himself to full height. They were shocked beyond words... but there was no mistaking it.
The Wraith lived.
"Wraith...? Impossible...!" Ki-Adi gasped. Without another word, the Separatist berserker surged forward and grabbed Obi-Wan by the throat, lifting him into the air. The other Jedi drew their lightsabers, but dared not move for fear of endangering Obi-Wan even further.
"You assumed that I had been defeated." Wraith rumbled, loud enough for them all to hear. "That you had won. But the truth is... you were all too easily deceived." Turning around, he hurled Obi-Wan across the room until he tumbled to a halt beside the rising Anakin. "Your gullibility is almost appalling, if I didn't find it so laughable." He continued, hands balling into fists.
"How did you survive that?!" Mace demanded. "We saw the helmet... the blood..."
"You never killed me. Your pathetic raid on my base was hardly enough to scratch me." Wraith retorted, not directly answering his question. "But you did hurt someone close to me and took something of mine... so I'm here to repay the favor." Taking a single step forward, Wraith's body became taught, like a predator ready to pounce on his prey. "Retribution is at hand... Welcome to your living hell, Jedi!" He roared. Not waiting another second, the entire Jedi Council rushed him. Wraith quickly scanned over the crowd of Jedi before him and calculated his retaliatory attack within a few quick seconds. The nearest Jedi to him was Agen Kolar, his green lightsaber raised high. Wraith parried with a raised arm and struck the exposed Zabrak's face with a quick punch before he turned on the Jedi opposite him, Kit Fisto, and swung his arm wide to shove his lightsaber out of the way and delivered an equally hard punch right to his face. A kick to his thigh forced him away as Wraith lunged at the other Jedi attacking him. Windu was next, slashing with his purple lightsaber. Wraith parried him and struck with two hard blows to the midsection before following up with two blows across the face before he kicked him away. Shaak and Ki-Adi advanced upon him next and Wraith blocked each slash of their blue lightsabers before he leapt up and struck with a split kick that caught them both on the chin. Adi Galli leapt over her staggered allies and brought her blade crashing into Wraith's raised gauntlets. He met her every blow, blocking each slash, thrust and strike of her blade before he lashed out with a kick that she narrowly avoided. Her lightsaber met his gauntlets again, sparks flaring out from their stalemate.
"You would hit me, Wraith?" The Tholothian wondered as she pulled back and readied herself to advance again. "Such a low blow would be beneath you-"
"My wrath does not discriminate!" Wraith growled, blocking Adi's incoming strike and parrying with a hard blow to her exposed torso. The Tholothian gasped as the air rushed from her lungs, lurching forward as Wraith grabbed her around the shoulders and drove his knee into her gut. Stumbling away, Adi wheezed for air as she clutched her bruised torso, desperate for a moment of peace so she could recover.
But Wraith was in no mood to give her one.
Rounding first one kick, then another to the staggered Tholothian, Wraith devastated Adi with a mighty uppercut that put her flat on her back. Stass lunged forward with lightsaber drawn, ready to help bail her cousin out of trouble. But she soon found herself to be in trouble as Wraith countered her leaping strike with a well-timed roundhouse kick to the abdomen, successfully knocking the wind out of her. As she collapsed to the floor, Wraith lept forward and stomped on her abdomen, crushing several ribs under his boot. Ki-Adi rushed to her aid, but was stopped in his tracks as Wraith grabbed his free arm, snapped it, then slammed his head into the nearest wall. The combat was quick and fierce, one Jedi Master attacking after another only to be rebuffed by Wraith as he attacked them all without restraint. Sure this might be a suicide mission; challenging the whole Jedi Council at once. But his vengeful anger was driving him to do the impossible. He held nothing back, unleashing his mighty potential upon the Jedi Council, proving his superiority over even the likes of them who many in the galaxy deemed 'unstoppable' and 'legendary'. Despite Wraith's power, every Jedi he felled got back up again, drawing on the Force to blot out their wounds and empower them to strike back.
They refused to let this monster win again.
As Plo brought his lightsaber around in a low sweep, Wraith leapt up and lashed out with a hard kick, solid metal boot connecting with the Jedi Master's face. Grunting in pain, Koon barely had time to see Wraith lunge forward, extending his left wrist blade. Mere seconds later, a sharp pain shot through Plo's body as Wraith stabbed him in his left shoulder. As blood seeped into his robes, Wraith spun around and drove his elbow into the Jedi's face. Rearing backward from the impact, Plo Koon was unable to prevent the multiple blows to his body before Wraith grabbed his head and, summoning his vast arm strength, whipped the Jedi around and smashed him into the nearby wall. A resounding crack echoed from Plo Koon as his respirator was cracked, along with his skull. Battered and bleeding, he was helplessly at Wraith's mercy until Mace Windu and Obi-Wan charged in to help him. Together they summoned the Force to push Wraith back into the nearest wall, but the super-soldier retaliated by pushing off and lunging at them, catching Kenobi in a spear as he tackled him to the ground. He bashed his face with his fist several times before Mace picked him up and pushed him away from his friend.
"Hold nothing back! Use the Force on him!" He called to his fellow Jedi. Knowing there was few other means to stop the super-soldier, the Jedi followed suit, raising their hands and trapping Wraith where he was within the Force. Forced to his knees, Wraith growled violently as he struggled to rise to no avail. The Jedi quickly surrounded him, arms still raised and hands still open as they focused on keeping Wraith in place.
They couldn't afford for him to get loose.
"It's over Wraith!" Obi-Wan stated. "You've lost!" From his downed position, Wraith stared up at him, crimson optics ablaze with pure fury.
"You presume too much... again!" He rumbled, anger growing and surging within him. It didn't take long for the RGE-7 to take control, his body consumed by rage as red clouded his vision. Uttering a spine-tingling roar of pure rage, Wraith succumbed to his chemical implant and was totally engulfed by his Feral Rage. The Jedi were overwhelmed as a wave of anger overtook them through the Force, creating a feedback loop that sent many of them to the ground. Such raw emotion was enough to cause them to lose their control over Wraith, allowing him to rise up and deliver swift, bone-crushing blows to Kit, Adi, Ki-Adi and Agen. Shoulders heaving and breath coming in heavy, shallow pants, the super-soldier turned his gaze to Anakin. "I've been saving the best for last, Skywalker." He growled, charging him.
"Aw, you flatter me!" Anakin retorted as he leapt up and swung his blade hard. His lightsaber slammed into Wraith's shoulder, but the super-soldier powered through, surprising the Knight. Before Anakin could even think of a plan of defense, Wraith was already upon him. Rounding a punch to his abdomen, the wind was knocked clean from Anakin's lungs before his jaw was driven into Wraith's knee. Suddenly shoved back into a wall, Anakin found his body pitched forward and into the outstretched arm of his foe. The blow knocked him to the floor and Wraith dropped an armored elbow right into his face, shattering his nose. Rolling to his feet, Wraith turned and delivered a hard stomp to the Jedi's chest, guaranteeing a few cracked ribs or at least a major bruise. Stooping down, Wraith picked up his victim by the throat, hoisting Anakin into the air as the other Jedi fought to regain their senses.
But this battle was about to take a turn.
Master Yoda recovered first and turned to Mace.
"Down to the Temple, all of you. Seal him here we will. Distract him I shall."
"It'll only buy us some time." Mace replied, knowing nothing could keep a determined Wraith from his goals.
"All we need, it is." Yoda replied, grasping the hilt of his lightsaber. Approaching Wraith, Yoda ignited his lightsaber as he stood before his fallen allies. The sound of his blade powering up grabbed Wraith's attention, his head swivelling to spy Yoda standing alone. "With me, your fight is." The short Grand Master declared, ignited green lightsaber in hand. Dumping Anakin on the ground, Wraith turned to face him, anger still hot and boiling within his veins. Reaching behind him, he drew his firesaber and Tyth ignited with a crackle, red flames shooting out until they formed a deadly blade.
"Suit yourself, Yoda." He retorted with a growl. Advancing towards the short Grand Master, Wraith swung Tyth around, a fiery trail behind him. Yoda lept out of the way, exercising extreme agility through the Force as he somersaulted over the super-soldier, his lightsaber grazing his armored back with a shower of sparks. The downed Jedi looked on as The Wraith took on Master Yoda, swinging his blade hard in wide, furious slashes, only for the Grand Master to dance around him, periodically slashing at his armor and leaving a glowing mark behind. Mace turned to Ki-Adi and helped him up.
"We need to go!" He stated.
"But Master Yoda-"
"He's buying us time, go!" The other Jedi heard him and quickly stood, making to leave. A bloody Obi-Wan picked up the equally bloodied Anakin, helping him towards the chamber exit. Meanwhile, Yoda continued to bounce around Wraith, dodging his every strike with a level-head.
"Deny you much, your anger does. Limited your mind is in such a state." He commented, flipping over Wraith and leaving two slashmarks of his own behind in his armor. Wraith was quickly growing frustrated as the short Grand Master dodged every swing of his fiery blade, yet successfully marked him with every strike of his own.
"Hold! Still! You! Little! Imp!" He roared with each swing of his blade. Yoda backflipped over him, double slashes marring his armor some more.
"Why?" He wondered. Wraith turned hard, Tyth in hand as he made to thrust his blade forward.
"So I can kill you!" He shouted in response, stabbing Tyth into the air where Yoda had been. But the green Jedi was already somewhere else, the blow nowhere near him.
"Listen to yourself, do you?" He chided with a slight shake of his head. Wraith struck again with an overhead swing that came crashing into the floor, an attack Yoda dodged as he jumped up and landed on Wraith's back, his lightsaber nicking his shoulder amor. "Foolish you are. Foolish this is. Desperate you must be." Yoda commented as he flipped through the air again. Wraith whipped about with a roar and sent a wave of fire shooting from his blade. It missed Yoda by a significant mile, scorching the wall of the Council chamber and barely missing a few of the fleeing Jedi. "Not so 'super' are you." Yoda commented again with a dry chuckle.
"Shut up!" Wraith roared, driving Tyth into the floor where Yoda had once been standing. By now the rest of the Jedi had piled into the turbolift that would take them down into the Temple. The Council chambers could be remotely sealed off, something only a Jedi would be able to disable. It would buy them enough time to plan their next move and keep Wraith occupied.
"Master Yoda!" Anakin called, letting him know they were clear. Yoda didn't respond, but heard Anakin well enough to know what to do next. Summoning the Force he sent a blast of telekinetic energy right at Wraith's head, staggering the super-soldier. Stumbling back, Wraith was momentarily offset by the move, losing his offensive edge.
Now it was Yoda's turn to go on the attack.
Having sufficiently frustrated Wraith to a point where clarity was far from him, Yoda rushed ahead and assaulted Wraith with a series of fast, acrobatic strikes, flexing his powerful abilities as the Jedi Grand Master. Multiple glowing slashmarks appeared across his armored body as Yoda made to disassemble the super-soldier's armor. He knew he wouln't, as Phrik was incapable of being destroyed by a lightsaber.
But it would certainly do away with Wraith's 'invincible' image.
Putting his lightsaber away, the Jedi Grand Master raised his hands and began to levitate the chairs in the room. With Wraith stuck in the middle, Yoda was able to assault him with the levitated furniture. Wraith saw the first chair flying at him out of the corner of his left optic. Turning to face the impromptu projectile, he ducked just in time as the chair when whizzing by overhead. Another chair came hurtling towards him and he quickly cut it in half with his firesaber. But another one came at him from behind and bashed him upside the head. Wraith gave a deep growl of frustration as he recovered. Another chair came whizzing towards him and he hacked it apart with a flash of flame.
"Kill you...!" He growled, slicing clean through the chair. He cut down two more with ease, severing the chairs into pieces. "KILL YOU!" He thundered as he spun around and cleaved another in two.
"Repeating yourself you are. Healthy that is not." Yoda observed as he continued to throw chairs at The Wraith. The super-soldier did his best to destroy every one aimed at him, but Yoda eventually achieved the upperhand as he used one to take his legs out from under him before dropping another chair on Wraith's head. The dazed berserker looked up from the ground only to see Yoda looking back at him. Yoda himself glanced up, a tempted Wraith following his gaze only to see a cluster of chairs suspended above him.
"Oh kriffing sithspit-" He muttered just as Yoda dropped them on top of him. Wraith was buried beneath the pile of chairs, satisfying the Grand Master as he retreated to join his fellow Jedi in the turbolift.
"Remind me to do that next time I run into him." Anakin mused.
"If you can find enough chairs." Obi-Wan joked.
"Uncomfortable they were." Yoda commented as the lift began to descend, the Council chamber locked down. With the Jedi safely away, all that remained was Wraith beneath the pile of chairs. He soon broke free of his confines, throwing off chairs and pieces of chairs as he stood. Looking around and realizing the Jedi had avoided him, Wraith gave a growl of displeasure as he realized he would need a new plan. He'd come to leave some corpses behind, and all he'd gotten was some slashed armor and an embarrassing setback. Tucking Tyth away in his belt, Wraith turned and stared out the shattered window through which he'd entered.
"If I can't leave my mark in blood, I'll leave it another way..." He growled, arming a series of explosive disks.
Down below, the Council exited the turbolift to be greeted by Ahsoka, stopped in her tracks when the Council she had been going to see was now before her.
"Master?" She wondered, looking at Anakin. As he drew closer, helped by Obi-Wan she could quickly see his bloody face and obvious injuries. "Master! What happened? I felt a surge of anger through the Force. It was unlike anything I've ever felt before."
"It's Wraith. He's alive." Anakin replied, still feeling a little winded after the battle. Ahsoka was taken aback, eyes wide and mouth hung open in shock.
Her vision had been foretelling his return.
"He's what?!" She exclaimed, incredulous. "I-I thought he died on Utapau."
"Unfortunately, he survived." Obi-Wan told her. "And he's none too happy about what we did to his base." He added, stating the obvious. But it could've been worse. Despite many of the Jedi being injured, they were all still standing. Wraith's attack had been rebuffed and Master Yoda's interference had saved them all.
"Deal with him we must. Trapped in the Council chambers he is." The Grand Master stated. Suddenly, a distant rumbled resounded from above them, bringing with it the sound of debris raining on the roof of the Temple.
"I get the feeling we're going to need a new meeting room." Mace sighed.
Outside, Wraith jumped down from the smoking, fiery Council chambers, made so thanks to his high-explosive disks. Landing on the roof below, Wraith stood up as he planned his next move. Considering the mod he was in, dropping down into the Temple and storming the halls wasn't such far-fetched idea-
"Wraith..." A distant voice called within his head. Glancing around, wondering if someone had tampered with his comms, the voice came again again, reverberating within the confines of his skull. "You will come to the Senate and you will meet me in the office of the Supreme Chancellor." The voice commanded him. Shaking his head in an effort to clear his mind, Wraith realized the voice sounded vaguely like Darth Sidious. He'd only ever encountered him once, but it had left a lasting impact on him.
Feeling compelled to obey this voice, Wraith began to plot the quickest course to the Senate...
At the Senate Building...
Chancellor Palpatine sat in his office, eyes closed as he completed his telepathic communication to The Wraith. He had sensed the super-soldier's arrival almost immediately and had bided his time before reaching out to him through the Force. With him was Mas Amedda, the one of the very few people who knew about his identity as Darth Sidious. Palpatine was planning on having words with this super-soldier concerning this unsanctioned assault on Coruscant. No doubt it had something to do with the destruction of his base, but revenge was something to be dished out at the proper time. Specifically, when he deemed it allowable.
Perhaps the soldier was getting too reliant on himself again...
"What do you plan to do, Chancellor?" Amedda inquired.
"Once I have occupied The Wraith's attention, you must find a way to alert the Jedi. I will make this seem like a natural progression, that this was where he intended to go next." Palpatine replied. "The Jedi must never know the truth behind the super-soldier's connection to me."
Outside the Senate building, a random airspeeder suddenly veered out of the nearby skylane and crashed into the nearest dock entrance, killing two senate guards who were standing outside. From the burning wreck, Wraith lept out and hit the ground with a heavy thud. Little did he realize that his every move was being sensed by Palpatine, even as he entered the building. Making his way through the corridors, Wraith's thunderous presence scared passing senators into running away, screaming in terror. Some of them he cut down, shot where they stood by his slugthrowers. Others he allowed to run so that they might live in fear of his presence here on Coruscant.
Their home was no longer safe.
All the while he followed after this innate sense that was leading him deeper into the senate building. He didn't know who or what was drawing him in the direction he took, but all he knew was he had to find the source of this.
His path took him to the door of the Chancellor's office and he tore it open with his bare hands, stalking inside much to the fear of Mas Amedda. Palpatine simply regarded him with a calm, even attitude.
"Chairman Amedda, if you would kindly give us a moment." Palpatine stated. Mas was all too happy to leave, stepping past the super-soldier and avoiding his withering gaze. "Your focus is me, soldier." Palpatine stated, drawing his attention back to him.
"You presume to command me, Palpatine? You overstep yourself!" Wraith growled in retort.
"As do you. You overstep your reach by coming here, unsanctioned and without just cause." Palpatine replied. "State your business here."
"I do not answer to you, you old fool!" Wraith shot back. "My mission is my own, as are my motives!" He firmly stated. With a sudden snarl, Palpatine quickly stood up and blasted Wraith with bolts of Force lightning, knocking the super-soldier onto his back.
"Rebellious cur!" He hissed, finally becoming his true self. "Again you step out of line and assume a control you do not possess!" Shaking off the assault, Wraith looked up from the floor as he suddenly recognized that there was a lot more to Palpatine than he first thought.
But then... everything made sense.
"You... You are Darth Sidious...!" He realized, putting two and two together. Palpatine calmly accepted Wraith's understanding of his twin identities, but knew this would be an issue he needed to remedy, sooner rather than later. He couldn't afford to have a volatile super-soldier knowing his true identity.
"I am." He calmly replied, slowly beginning to take on his identity as a Sith Lord. "I am your master. And you will do as I command." He ordered. Rising to his feet, Wraith said nothing as he raised himself to full height, comprehending the fact that Chancellor Palpatine of the Republic was also Darth Sidious of the Sith. Then, Wraith slowly raised his arm and extended a finger, pointing at Palpatine.
"Here's what I'm going to do: I am going to kill you. Then I am going to kill everyone in the senate tonight. Then I'm going to leave and lead the Separatists to victory..." He growled, threatening the Chancellor. Palpatine nodded slowly.
"Your hatred is... admirable. Your anger is strong, I can sense it. This is good. As representatives of Sith ideals, anger is a very important trait." Palpatine told him, walking around his desk. "Let it grow, let it consume you. Let your hatred fill your heart entirely." He darkly encouraged. "Until there is no room left... for anyone else."
"My anger is a fuel. It strengthens me, empowers me." Wraith replied, ignoring his final words. "I do not let it consume me. Rather, I control it." He stated. "And I will unleash it upon you and your two-faced nature!" Palpatine's gaze narrowed, frowning as he glared at Wraith.
"You would dare to strike your master?!" He responded angrily.
"I would dare strike a cowardly fool!" Wraith thundered, drawing Tyth from behind him. "The Separatists deserve true, powerful leaders. Not conniving old men who lie through their teeth!" Palpatine summoned his own lightsaber to him from within the sleeve of his clothes and switched on its red blade. Wraith responded by igniting Tyth, the flames of his firesaber glowing red in reflection of his own anger. Without any further prelude, Sith and super-soldier lunged towards the other. Lightsaber crashed into firesaber as a wild duel broke out between the two, Palpatine summoning all of his power and skills to counter Wraith's own. He was a formidable opponent, but so was The Wraith. Already tense and with his anger bubbling just under the surface, the super-soldier's already impressive base-abailities were enhanced mightily by his unstable state. He fought with a passion, a desire wrought from agitation and resentment. He would prove himself mightier than Palpatine, he would show him once and for all!
Striking hard with whizzing, winding slashes, the two opponents struck and parried, struck and parried. Both of them were proving to be equal in many regards... but Palpatine still had one more ploy up his sleeve.
Reaching out through the Force he invaded Wraith's mind, forcefully exploring his thoughts as they duelled. Wraith was momentarily overwhelmed by the mental barrage, but surged back into the action with a roar, Tyth's blazing blade melting the floor as he narrowly missed Palpatine.
"So, you still have feelings for Anakin Skywalker's apprentice... I thought I'd rooted that out of you..." The Sith commented.
"Never..." The super-soldier growled, swinging Tyth around and slamming his blade into Palpatine's. Their weapons became locked in a clash, both combatants struggling to overwhelm the other.
"Your pursuit is useless, Wraith! Your desires for her will only end in heartbreak!" Sidious declared.
"What do you know of my desires?" Wraith growled in reply, summoning enough strength to throw Palpatine back. The Sith Lord recovered quickly, but did not move to follow up.
Perhaps his words would serve as far more potent weapons.
"The Force has allowed me to foresee your future... and hers. She will break your heart, for her heart desires someone else-" Palpatine started to say. But his words sparked something within Wraith and he interrupted him.
"Who? Tell me!" He demanded. In his current state, Wraith was ready to rip off anyone's head. But Palaptine didn't know who. The answer had eluded him. All he saw was the phantom spectre of a man, a man who was not The Wraith, standing with Ahsoka.
"Captain Rex." He lied. Wraith shook his head in disbelief, shocked by the answer he thought was the truth.
"That... That Clone?" He sputtered, fury quickly rising within him. "She would fall for a waste of flesh like him?!" He shouted.
"You have not been in my position. As an overseer of the entire army, I have seen their interactions... how they 'work' together..." Palpatine continued, building upon his lie. Wraith may be angry right now, but his intense emotions left him susceptible to influences. As long as he didn't know the truth, this lie might as well be the truth. "There is a definite spark between them, one that could grow and bloom into something far greater. She doesn't care for you Wraith. It's all just a facade. She truly cares for Captain Rex. She wants him, she desires hi-"
"RRRAAAWWWRRR!" A pure scream of hatred left Wraith's mouth as his fury was inflamed tenfold. That wretched Clone would die! He would burn in hell with the rest of the Clones Wraith had slaughtered! Tyth burned hotly in response to his enraged state, flames turning white.
Few times had it ever reached its full potential.
"Although, perhaps she has something illicit going on with her master as well." Palaptine added off-hand, as if goading Wraith towards a rage unlike any other. "You never know these days-"
"ENOUGH! Enough of your lies!" Wraith roared, swinging Tyth around before him. "I will find him and tear him apart!" He shouted, mind still set on Rex. Palpatine simply grinned at his furious reply.
"Yes... Good, good!" He encouraged with a villainous smile. "Unleash your anger. Let it consume you..."
"Oh, I will unleash it... and you and the rest of the Force-forsaken Republic will feel my wrath!" Wraith growled, not yet in a state of Feral Rage but dangerously close to it. Raising his blade high, Wraith stormed Palpatine with a furious roar. But the Sith Lord calmly stepped back and reached out with the Force, invading Wraith's mind once again.
This time, he did a lot more than just look around...
Palpatine began to mess with Wraith's mental state, rewriting recent memories and wreaking havoc with him in general. He removed his knowledge of his dual identities of Chancellor and Sith Lord, removed his memory of ever coming to the Senate building and redirected his hatred towards the Clone army... and Captain Rex. His lingering words about Ahsoka and the Clone remained, fuelling Wraith's anger and shifting his focus. Wraith forgot all about Palpatine, the focus of his anger now directed towards Rex and the Clones.
And thoughts of Ahsoka with him, with any of them, inflamed his anger tenfold.
Stopped in mid stride, Wraith's brain took a second to sort itself out as Palpatine ducked down behind his desk. The instant his senses returned, Wraith stowed Tyth and charged the window at the back of Palpatine's office. He crashed through it, not slowing down at all, propelled out into the crisp night air of Coruscant. Taking control of his flight, Wraith launched himself towards a lower skylane, firing a tether from his wrist that latched on to the nearest speeder. Drawn in, he mounted the vehicle, surprising its two occupants; a man and a woman. Drawing his slugthrower, he killed both of them with point-blank headshots before he dumped their bodies and took the controls, veering out of the skylane and towards the local garrison...
Minutes later...
The Jedi Council burst into the office of the Supreme Chancellor, many of them looking worse for wear after Wraith's attack on the Temple. Word from Mas Amedda had circulated quickly and the Jedi deemed it best they tended to others first before tending to their own needs.
"Chancellor Palpatine!" Obi-Wan called, scanning the seemingly empty room for any sign of the Chancellor. It was then that the old man poked his head up from behind his desk.
"Master Jedi! Thank goodness you've arrived!" He exclaimed in relief. The Jedi were by his side immediately.
"Are you well, Chancellor?" Mace inquired.
"I... I think so. But I'm... I'm feeling a bit faint." Palpatine admitted as he was helped into his chair. "Such a whirlwind of panic..." He muttered as the Jedi examined the broken window.
"What happened? Where has Wraith gone?" Mundi inquired.
"I don't know." Palpatine replied, sounding tired and short of breath. "It was all so sudden. He shows up here, looking like he's on the warpath, and then just like that he leaves without warning." He told him. "I heard him uttering something about..." the Chancellor paused, as if trying to gather his thoughts after such a hurried moment. It was then that the light appeared to dawn on him and he looked up wit wide eyes and quietly said, "about the garrison." The Jedi recoiled in shock.
"The garrison..." Obi-Wan gasped. "Those Clones won't stand a chance, we need to stop him!"
"Many of our own forces are stationed there! He could wipe out our army!" Kit fearfully realized.
"Someone send word in advance, we need to go there, right now!" Mace commanded.
At the Coruscant Garrison...
The Clones at the Coruscant Garrison were on alert. After having witnessed an explosion over at the Jedi Temple, many senior officers feared something was afoot. A double guard was posted with several Clones ordered to prep for an attack or for an immediate mobilization in defence of whatever was here.
As of yet, no official or auxiliary orders had come through.
The Clones milling about were uneasy. Something about the situation seemed off, yet they kept silent and continued about their duties, carrying on like normal. Four Clones strolled through the open grounds outside the central garrison. Equipment slung over their shoulders, they were a mix of engineers and regular troopers, out for a late-night check on a new transport that had some wiring on the fritz. Problem solved, they were headed back to their barracks to join the rest of their brothers for the night.
Little did they realize that they would never make it that far...
Casually walking, conversing like always, none of the troopers were expecting the airspeeder to suddenly drop down from above, careen out of control and crash into a nearby shuttle, both exploding in a fireball and sending a column of smoke high into the sky. The Clones stopped in their tracks, the sudden rush of action too much for them to comprehend. They stood in awe of what they witnessed, not knowing how or what had happened. One of them took a few tentative steps closer, shaking off the stun.
"What was that?" One of them wondered aloud.
"I don't know..." His partner answered with a shrug.
"Maybe we oughtta call for backup, or get somebody else out here." Another suggested. While the others agreed with his suggestion, none of them moved, still fixated on the burning wreck before them. The more adventurous Clone eyed the flames with a curious gaze, not seeing any movement within the wrecks.
"Doesn't seem like there's any survivors." He reported. He turned back to his brothers, a theory in mind. "Maybe it was just-" Suddenly, a blade tied to a chain exploded out from within the flames and speared clean through the Clone's chest. Blood seeped from the open wound, staining his armor crimson. Gasping in pain, the Clone was pulled back into the flames and into the grasp of a shadowy silhouette within the fire. The Clone was promptly beheaded, blood spraying as his decapitated body fell to the ground. It was then that a pair of red optics flashed to life within the flames before Wraith charged forward with a roar, chain blades in hand.
"Holy Sithspit!" One of the Clones shouted in disbelief.
"Alert! Alert!" Another one exclaimed as he scrambled to move.
"Call for backup!" The other cried before Wraith's blades ripped through his body, splitting him into pieces. Handling them by their chains, Wraith swung his blades around in a vicious, sweeping circle that carved through the remaining Clones, blood trailing behind his weapons. Their bodies hit the floor as Wraith turned on the building, stalking forward towards the barracks.
As anticipated, the cries of the Clones and his raucous entry had summoned a crowd of unprepared Clones to the scene of his arrival. They ran outside, barely armored, to see what was happening. The came face to face with four dismembered bodies, a single burning wreck whose fire threatened to spread and a lone hulking super-soldier, dark and shadowy save for his glowing optics. Frozen in place with raw fear, the Clones failed to move as Wraith charged them, blades flying as they carved through the crowd, massacring Clones left and right as his blades tore through them all. Only then did the survivors start moving, scrambling to run as they tripped over the portions of their brothers' bodies and slid through their blood as it spread across the ground. Wraith took advantage of the chaos as he continued to kill his way through the Clones, intent on storming the barracks and gutting both the building and its inhabitants. Amid the chaos, a single sergeant had the foreknowledge to get his squad together, properly equipped and readied for battle. The group of twelve Clones, members of the Coruscant Guard, burst onto the scene with blasters ready. Spying The Wraith, the sergeant commanded his men to open fire and they did, a hail of blue energy bolts flying through the air and peppering Wraith's armored back. The rounds did nothing save for draw his attention, a single red optic looking over his shoulder and casting the most ominous of glares in the squad's direction. Whirling about, Wraith sent one of his chain blades flying through the air and into the head of a Clone, nearly splitting his helmeted head in two. Tearing his blade free, the Clone fell over dead, the halves of his brain spilling out across the ground.
"Kriffin' hell!" One of his squadmates exclaimed.
"How the hell are we supposed to fight this thing?!" Another shouted as he continued firing.
"I'll tell you how," his buddy started, drawing not one but two batons from within his kama, "you show him up, force for force!" He declared, charging the berserker who had just slaughtered his brother.
"Trooper! Get back here now! That's an order!" The sergeant demanded. But the Clone was too hellbent on his own plan to listen. Finding his rush borderline amusing, Wraith stowed his chain blades and advanced towards the Clone.
"Come on, Bucket-head!" He trooper called, twirling his batons. "Come here and get a piece of me!" He challenged. Wraith stepped right up to him, ignoring his offensive capabilities. Triggering an arm blade he shoved it deep into the Clone's waist, causing him to sputter as blood exploded from his wound, the pain forcing him to drop his batons.
"Just one?" Wraith wondered with a growl, his other arm blade appearing as he stabbed through the Clone's chest and hefted his body over his head. "But I want TWO!" He roared, ripping the Clone in half with his raw strength. Screaming in pain, the trooper's innards and blood were dumped from his upper half onto the ground, a portion of his spine dangling from his severed upper body. Throwing away the remains, his shoulders and helmet showered with a smattering of blood, Wraith surged ahead at the remaining Clones, his swords stabbing and hacking and slashing his way through white-armored bodies, blood flying in his wake.
Near the Garrison, a collection of Jedi ran towards the sealed outer gate, the shouts of battle and the column of rising smoke alerting them to the chaos unfolding within.
"We're too late!" Obi-Wan cried.
"Maybe we can still do something!" Mace replied, running alongside his fellow Jedi.
More and more battle-ready Clones were pouring into the exterior grounds, reports of Wraith's presence quickly permeating the ranks at all levels. Commanders and captains began rallying the men under their command, forming units of opposition to stand against The Wraith. Sergeants started prepping their troopers, ensuring each one was prepared for battle. Lieutenants started to draft plans for repulsing the soldier, rad ops and engineers working on getting a Jaeger Company up and runnning.
All out war was consuming the Coruscant Garrison.
And in the thick of it all, surrounded by fire and smoke, Wraith continued his vengeance-filled rampage.
His blaster pistols were running hot, red rounds streaking through the air and tearing through Clones. Multiple units of his explosive disks had been thrown and detonated, select buildings and vehicles coming undone as their explosive power was unleashed. Debris, bodies and blood littered the walkways, left behind in the wake of Wraith's path of destruction. The Clones did their best to counterattack, forming defensive lines and opening fire as soon as they had an opportunity. But none of their tactics worked against him, resulting in only more bodies piling up across the ground.
No established tactic was working against The Wraith.
Worked up into a total frenzy, Wraith was running on autopilot. His Feral Rage had been so inflamed it was now completely dictating his actions. His hijacked brain instructed him to kill and kill and kill. Part of him wanted to hunt down Rex and pay the Clone back for Palpatine's statements concerning him and Ahsoka. The rest of him wanted to burn down their 'home' here on Coruscant, like they had done to his base on Utapau.
Either opportunity was welcome to him in his rage-addled state.
Some of the armies stationed here included the 501st Legion, the 212th Attack Battalion, the 187th and the 327th Star Corps, each of them containing some of the best and brightest Clones produced for the Republic army. It was these Clones that rallied together in an effort to stop Wraith, using advanced tactics in order to prolong their own survival as well as redirect the super-soldier's attention. They knew the Jedi were coming, they just needed to survive until proper leadership could take over.
Several squads of Clones grouped together, deciding to try and take him out en masse with a barrage of all kinds of firepower. Blasters, rockets, thermal detonators, whatever was on hand. The clustered together to focus their fire, trying to maintain a sense of regimental unity despite the odds. Their assault managed to draw Wraith's attention and a few of their attacks scorched his already seared and scuffed armor. But no physical harm had been done to Wraith.
Even if there had been, he would not have felt it. He was too far enraged for his pain receptors to properly notify his brain.
He holstered his blasters as he turned on the Clones. Drawing his less-used slugthrower pistols, Wraith took aim and unleashed a storm of lead, spent shell casings ejecting from his twin weapons and littering the ground behind him as he continued to stalk forward towards the cluster of troopers. Clone after Clone fell to his relentless barrage, bloody holes bored clean through their exploded skulls. When his clips were empty, he reloaded within half a second and kept firing, refusing to let up. The offensive ultimately came to nothing, resulting in more Clone lives added to Wraith's already deadly tally. But this didn't stop the Clones from trying. They were in for the fight of their lives, to them Coruscant itself was on the line, and they'd be damned if they just stood by. If The Wraith wanted a fight, he'd get one...
Which is exactly what the berserker wanted.
The Star Corps were on the battlefield next, the Clones with yellow-stripes adorning their armor kneeling next to their dismembered brothers as they opened fire on Wraith. They did their best to hold some kind of line and to form some kind of defensive maneuver. Any semblance of order was soon lost to the chaos, vanquished by the absolute mayhem brought on by Wraith's onslaught and, one by one, parts and pieces of yellow-plated Clones joined the corpses piling up across the garrison grounds. Galle and Tyto were next to fall, becoming impaled on his blades before they were both beheaded. Their deaths marked the end of the original leaders of the Star Corps, the others had been slaughtered by Wraith on Honoghr many months ago.
But even more men would fall before his bloodlust would be satiated.
Another group of Clones tried to ambush him from his left, opening fire with a barrage of blaster fire. Reloading his slugthrowers within a split second, Wraith gunned them all down without hesitation. Still more poured out of the central building, scrambling to help their brothers dying in the ruins of the barracks. Wraith stowed his slugthrowers, knowing they needed to cool off lest the barrels started to warp, and planned how to handle this new onrush of disposable duplicates. Spying a piece of rebar on the ground next to him, Wraith picked it up and gripped it firmly, turning it into a club as he bashed in the head of the Clone nearest him. His immense strength meant he could bash someone across the skull at speeds hard enough to break bone. And break bone he did, and then some. Those who weren't wearing helmets tasted his brutal wrath first as he clubbed them across the face and then proceeded to bludgeon their heads, reducing the Clones to a messy pile of blood, skull fragments and brain matter. Those who wore helmets didn't stand a chance and their armor was cracked before Wraith unloaded into their exposed heads, the end of his club becoming slick with the blood of Clones.
He was on the warpath, unleashing a hellish fury the likes of which the galaxy had never seen before. Up until this moment, most thought the fury of the Sith was great and terrible.
He was worse.
Clone after Clone fell before his terrible onslaught. Either shot, bludgeoned, ripped apart, gored... the Clone Army was getting slaughtered, facing an onslaught in the form of a single man.
A man who, when incensed, was absolutely unstoppable. Literal hatred incarnate.
Clones continued to fall, the body count rising as Wraith's jacket grew slicker and slicker with the blood of his enemies. By now the Jedi had arrived and took stock of the horror that faced them.
Despite all the battles they'd fought and all the battlefields they'd been to, none of them looked quite like the hellscape this one had turned into... and it was right in their own backyard.
"This has to stop." Obi-Wan determined.
"I think I've got an idea for that." Anakin piped up.
"Believe me, we're all ears, Skywalker." Mace replied. Anakin turn to face his fellow Jedi.
"Master Obi-Wan, you and I will lead our forces in a defensive counterattack. Snips, Master Windu, Master Ti, Master Mundi, you're with us. We'll need the extra manpower against Wraith." He stated first. "Master Secura, Master Fisto, go and help whatever Clones you can. See if you can round up your own forces to try and save the rest." The Jedi nodded in understanding and then broke off into their separate teams. Obi-Wan jumped on his wrist comms.
"Cody! Where are you?"
"South side, General!" Came the reply. "Nearest the wall." The Jedi made a beeline for his position, being sure to avoid informing Wraith of their presence as he butchered another company of Clones. Soon enough they found Commander Cody and his orange-plated 212th Clones, taking shelter behind some storage sheds.
"Glad to see you General." Cody stated as he saluted Kenobi.
"Glad to see you're all still alive." The Jedi replied.
"Do we have a plan, sir?" The Clone wondered.
"We're going to try and force him out through a combined effort." Obi-Wan explained. "Have you made contact with Rex or Appo at all?"
"Yes sir. The Five-Oh-First is to the west of us. They had to relocate once Bucket-head started rampaging through the barracks." Cody reported.
"I'd rather not dwell on how many we've lost today." Kenobi sighed.
"I'll get in contact with him. Obi-Wan, you, Master Ti and Master Mundi strike first. We'll grab my troops and back you up." Anakin stated as he, Ahsoka and Mace started moving. Obi-Wan looked back and forth between his fellow Jedi and the Clones under his command.
"Well, you heard him, let's give Wraith something else to worry about." He said, drawing and igniting his lightsaber.
Dropping his bloody impromptu weapon, Wraith was jarred by a hail of blaster fire that struck him from behind. He turned around, unable to savour his total slaughtering of the Clones before him, realizing the 212th had been rounded up by three Jedi and were attacking him en masse.
Big mistake.
Drawing his carbine, Wraith unleashed his own hail of blaster fire in response, bolts of energy pinging off his heavy armor as he slowly advanced on the newly-amassed Republic forces. Several Clones fell to his barrage before the three Jedi quickly stepped between their Clones and The Wraith, deflecting his blaster fire with their lightsabers. Stowing his carbine, Wraith began picking up speed, his lumbering form looming over them as he drew closer.
"Waxer, Boil, covering fire!" Cody yelled as he moved to aid a fallen Clone. The two Clones were quick to obey, always obedient when it came to fulfilling orders. They stepped out alongside the Jedi and began firing concentrated bursts, drawing Wraith's focus to them.
Their obedience would be the death of them.
"Troopers, behind us!" Shaak commanded them. Before either of them could respond, Wraith had pounced upon Obi-Wan, throwing him to the ground before crushing his ribs under his boot. Shaak and Ki-Adi were quick to come to his aid, but fared just as worse. Mundi's saber was parried, Wraith grabbing his arm and throwing him over his shoulder, laying him flat on the ground. Striking with a back kick, his boot collided with Shaak's hip, causing her to stumble as Wraith whirled about and delivered a high kick that caught her on the chin, knocking her flat on the ground. With the Jedi down, Waxer and Boil had no choice but to keep firing. Wraith turned on them next, ignoring the blue blaster bolts ricocheting off his body. Lunging towards Waxer, Wraith thrust his hand into the Clones side and proceeded to tear out a rib. The Clone fell with a scream of pain, bleeding profusely from his wounded side. Turning the broken rib into a shiv, Wraith stabbed Boil in the neck before tearing away his weapon, a large splatter of blood and flesh hitting the ground as blood freely flowed down Boil's body, staining his white armor crimson. Raising his hands, Wraith thrust the broken rib down and into Boil's helmeted head, impaling his brain on his friend's rib. Kicking the dead Clone aside, Wraith turned back to the wounded Waxer and ripped away his helmet. Blood dripped from Waxer's mouth as the Clone struggled to breath. Wraith had no intention of ending his suffering, but wished to prolong it. Grabbing Waxer's head, Wraith sank his thumbs into the Clone's eyes, Waxer screaming in pain as he was brutally blinded. With a firm grip on his skull, Wraith summoned his incredible strength to tear the Clone's head apart, ripping apart flesh and bone as though it were nothing. Blood sprayed from ruptured veins and artreries, coating Wraith's jacket in thick splatters of red fluid. Finally ripping off the two halves of the Clone's head, Wraith crushed them in his hands before discarding the remains and continuing his rampage. Shaak and Ki-Adi shakily rose in time to see Wraith descend upon the Clones of the 212th, snapping the neck of one before he backhanded Cody with a hit so hard the Clone crashed into a nearby building and crumpled in a heap on the ground. Another Clone he grabbed by the neck and promptly tore out his throat, blood and flesh splattering across the ground as he kicked the soon-to-be corpse away. Crawling to their feet, the Jedi drew their lightsabers again and made to attack Wraith again. However, the berserker stood ready and drew Tyth from behind him, the white blade of pure firing igniting with a fury. Whipping about, Wraith lashed out with his blade with a roar, a wave of flame following his blade and arcing out towards the Jedi. The Force-fire slammed into Shaak and Ki-Adi and bowled them over, their senses overwhelmed by a fiery presence within the Force.
"That blade... is tied to the Force..." Ki-Adi realized, gasping for air.
"How... How can he wield it so...?" Shaak wondered with a cough. Just as Wraith was about to descend upon them, an explosion of blaster fire riddled his body and announced the arrival of the 501st, Anakin, Mace and Appo leading the charge. With a growl, Tyth disappeared behind Wraith as the super-soldier made to engage his new foes. Mace Windu engaged him first, purple blade humming through the air and crashing into Wraith's gunatlets. Winding up and striking again, Wraith allowed Windu's saber to crash into his helmet, striking the raw cortosis guarding it and shorting out the blade. Within a second, Wraith was on the offensive, striking Windu with hard blow after hard blow across the face. Rearing back his left arm, his wrist blade slid out from underneath his hand before he stabbed it deep into Mace, blood staining the Jedi's robes as he gasped in pain. Wrenching his blade free, Wraith punched the new wound, forcing Mace to double over.
"Not so fearsome without your precious Council, are you?!" He shouted, driving another hard blow to Mace's midsection. One more punch knocked the wind out of him, enough for Wraith to throw Windu aside and turn on the Clones. They came in waves, shooting and striking, trying to overwhelm him. But Wraith drew his blades and retaliated with equal, unyielding force, snapping limbs and crushing bodies, tearing through Clones and ripping them apart. Blood splattered the ground, covering debris until it become one solid color across the landscape. Blue-plated bodies now joined the corpses piling up across the ground, pieces of 501st Clones joining the growing dead. Clone after Clone rushed at Wraith, desperate to bring this long nightmare to an end... and Clone after Clone met a bloody, gruesome fate at the hands of The Wraith. All the while, Ahsoka hung back and watched with mixed sadness and horror at the carnage that unfolded. Only one man had caused all of this, a fact that sort of defied her hopes that Wraith was merely a man forced to do the Separatists bidding. This was rage. This was pure human emotion. Wraith felt this, he did this because of how he felt. This was not the tortured soul Ahsoka always thought him to be.
This was the beast within him. Unleashed for all to see.
Having seen enough of his men slaughtered, Anakin surged ahead to attack Wraith with his own war cry. Wraith rushed to meet him with his own roar of fury, tackling Anakin in mid-air and throwing him to the ground, slugging the Jedi with blow after blow. Anakin struggled, fighting back and trying to kick Wraith off of him. But Wraith promptly grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground, stunning him. Grabbing Anakin by the robes and hoisting him off the ground, Wraith battered him with heavy punch after heavy punch until he was slowed as a series of blaster rounds that ricocheted off his helmet.
"Hands off the General, you!" A Clone demanded. Turning to see who was responsible, Wraith's gaze landed on the smoking blaster pistols belonging to Captain Rex.
"Rex... No..." Anakin groaned, trying to keep his friend from suffering a similar fate. Wraith silenced him with a hard punch to the head, knocking Anakin down. His mind flashed back to Scipio's comments on Jabiim, about how Ahsoka could very well be in a relationship with Rex. Then they flashed to Palpatine's words, about the things he claimed to have seen.
With those simple thoughts, his blood boiled and his rage overflowed.
"Rex...!" He growled as he began stalking towards the famed 501st captain.
"That's right, come get me!" Rex responded as he took aim and fired his pistols. But his rounds bounced off Wraith's armoured body, not dissuading him in the slightest. Charging ahead, Wraith lunged at the Clone, ready to spill more blood. Dropping his pistols, Rex quickly readied himself for a fist fight, hoping to gain the upper hand by throwing a quick punch.
But Wraith was ready to counter.
Grabbing the Clone's fist, Wraith viciously twisted his arm so hard he nearly ripped off his hand, shredded skin revealing exposed muscle and protruding bone beneath a torn sleeve. Rex's growl of pain evolved into an agonized cry as Wraith stomped on his knee, snapping it backwards and forcing him to the ground. Grabbing his helmeted head in one hand, Wraith smashed Rex's head into a nearby wall, his helmet cracking under the ferocity of the blow. As Rex slumped forward, Wraith delivered a knee to his face, the impact slamming his head into the wall, which was followed up with a hard punch across his face and a knee to his chest, knocking the wind from his lungs. Rex was slammed back into the wall by a hard kick that crushed his armor and cracked his ribs. Wraith mercilessly continued by punching him across the face again and then delivering a quick jab that shattered the front of his helmet. Grabbing Rex's head and slammed him into the wall again, his head cracking with the impact, the Clone was knocked senseless as a crack was opened across the front of his helmet and Wraith promptly tore it in two, exposing Rex's face and the blood dripping from his mouth. The super-soldier then grasped his head and drove his knee into Rex's exposed face, shattering his nose with a spurt of blood. Rex cried out in pain, but Wraith gave him no room to recover as he proceeded to lay into the Clone with powerful left and right hooks, taking out his anger on Rex. Each heavy blow pounded Rex's face, sending blood and spittle flying from his mouth as Wraith mercilessly unloaded punch after punch, anger and hatred fuelling his blows. He finally let up, anger slightly vented and shoulders heaving in time with his breaths. Rex slumped over, thoroughly beaten. But Wraith grabbed the Clone by the neck and lifted him off the ground, Rex dangling within his firm grip.
"What makes you think you're so special? Just because your General says so?" Wraith growled before rounding a hard punch to Rex's torso, crushing another rib. "Well he's wrong, there's nothing special about you Clones! You're all the same! You're all just duplicates of the same man: a dead bounty hunter!" He roared, clubbing Rex across the face. "And you... you are nothing but a number!" Wraith continued, belittling Rex with every insult his anger-fueled mind could conjure. Pitching the Clone into another wall, Rex crumpled and fell to the ground in a heap, groaning and wincing in pain. "Seven-five-six-seven..." Wraith growled as he stalked over to his downed victim and picked him up by the throat again. "You're expendable! You can be easily replaced, easily copied over and over again! There's nothing special about you, about any of your kind!" He sneered, eyeing the bloody Rex through his optics. "It's no wonder I was able to slaughter your men on Eridicon so easily." His words seemed to shock some life back into Rex's bruised and bloody as he looked to Wraith through wide eyes despite the soldier's crushing grip on his neck.
"You..." He rasped.
"Yes, that's right. I killed them. All of them. Ripped them apart, bathed in their blood and savoured their dying screams. They begged me for mercy... but I tore them to pieces." Wraith growled. Thinking about Fives and Echo and all the other brothers lost to this monster in such a horrific fashion, Rex started to flail against Wraith's grip, clawing at his arm with his good hand. Wraith remained unfazed. "You are no different from your own kind, Rex. Let me show you..." suddenly dropping Rex to the ground, Wraith took hold of his broken arm, "Let me show you how disposable you really are!" He roared, tearing off Rex's arm with a shower of blood erupting in its wake. Rex screamed in pain as his limb was removed, ripped away by brute force. Wraith's sheer power was incredible and undeniable, this much was certain.
But he wasn't even near finished.
The super-soldier proceeded to beat Rex with his own arm, turning the severed limb into a club as he pummeled Rex with hit after hit, so incensed he didn't care how much damage his improvised weapon really did, only caring about how much pain he could inflict. Discarding the limb, Wraith crouched over Rex and delivered another quick jab, this time punching Rex straight in the throat with an audible crack, fracturing his larynx. He coughed, sputtering from the hard impact as his hand reached for his neck. But Wraith laid into him while he was down, mercilessly beating the Clone with his fists over and over again, bashing his face repeatedly until Rex was a bloody mess. Suddenly grabbing him by the throat again and hoisted Rex up before him, blood gushing from the wound in his shoulder as Wraith reared back his arm and deployed his blade.
But before he could inflict another blow, Wraith suddenly stilled as a soft, weak voice called his name.
"Wraith?" Looking behind, Wraith suddenly found himself facing an obviously frightened Ahsoka. Dropping Rex and sheathing his arm blade, he turned around to face her. Anakin looked up in shock as she suddenly made her appearance known.
"Ahsoka! Get away from him!" He weakly cried, thinking his apprentice was doing something foolish. His outburst brought the attention of the other Jedi present, who also looked on in both shock and fear at Ahsoka's presence. This could very well be the death of her!
But she ignored them, her attention solely focused on Wraith's blazing optics.
"What are you doing?" She wondered, looking at him with fear-filled eyes. The soft tone in her words moved Wraith to the core as the adrenaline wore off and a sense of clarity suddenly returned to him, his rage finally dissipating.
"I... I-I... I'm... taking my revenge." He muttered, the words sounding so pathetic to his own hearing as he drew a little closer to her. Ahsoka pressed the issue.
"Revenge?"
"They destroyed my base... my home... wounded my doctor." He said, tilting his head as he surveyed the destruction he'd caused out of the corner of his eye. Ahsoka continued to gaze at him, thinking there was something else going on inside his head.
"You're... lashing out?"
"I... I guess. I'm just doing things on... well... autopilot..." He mumbled, trying to sort out his own head. All he could think about was vengeance, this was done in a blind rage. He wasn't even in control. The past few days had been one long adrenaline rush, his mind constantly saturated in anger until it had finally come to a head. He turned back to Ahsoka, realizing she had witnessed all of this... and he suddenly decided he had made a huge mistake.
His heart was racing now, and not from the adrenaline rush.
His knees felt weak as his head swam, forming a coherent thought was suddenly proving to be very difficult... especially when his mouth was so dry. Wraith suddenly fell to his hands and knees and Ahsoka was instantly by his side. He felt sick, not nearly as sick as he had been after his rampage on Jabiim, but this was pretty close to it. He looked away from her, towards the carnage he had created. The burning buildings, blood-strewn ground, bodies of eviscerated Clones lying here and there.
Surely she hated him now. Maybe this was why she wouldn't end up with him...
"Wraith, what's wrong?" Ahsoka softly asked him, noticing he appeared distracted.
"It's a fantasy." He muttered. Ahsoka cocked her head.
"I'm sorry?" Hoping for some kind of response, Ahsoka was very surprised by Wraith's next movements. Turning to look at her and straightening up, the super-soldier reached up and triggered a switch on the side of his helmet, prompting the guard over his mouth to fold away and reveal a very human mouth and chin.
"You hate me, don't you?" He stated, his voice sounding deep, masculine and clear without the synthetic modifications. Although taken aback, Ahsoka managed to reply,
"I hate what it is you do. Not necessarily you."
"But what I do stems from who I am." He stated. Pausing for a moment, he dwelt on his own personal thoughts for a brief second. "All I've wanted..." Leaving his though unfinished, Wraith stopped talking as he slowly shook his head. "No. I dare not say it." He didn't want his words to push her further away.
"Say what?" Ahsoka asked, hesitantly reaching to touch the exposed part of his face.
"Have you... Did you..." Wraith stammered, trying to find the right words. "Are you in a relationship?" He bluntly asked. Ahsoka shook her head in bewilderment.
"No. I'm a Jedi, I can't." She quickly answered.
"That hasn't stopped others." Wraith mumbled, recalling history. "Have you ever slept with someone?"
"I... What?" She shook her head again in surprise. Ahsoka was quite shocked by his sudden barrage of questions.
"Ever made love? Found somebody you couldn't help but... want to sleep with?" He continued.
"Wraith..." She paused, deciding to find the root of these problems instead of rebuffing them. "What brought this on?"
"You didn't answer me." He replied, his jaw visibly tensing and his heart rate accelerating. Although she thought the question to be both private and personal, the answer embarrassing to say out loud, Ahsoka didn't want to trigger his rage all over again.
"No. I've never slept with anyone. I'm still... you know... a virgin." She told him, feeling warmth rush across her face with every word she said. Wraith seemed to relax but remained silent. "Why do you ask?"
"Someone... said something..." Was all he managed to say, desperately trying to avoid any mental images that might jumpstart his rage all over again. Ahsoka quickly put two and two together.
"Well they're wrong. They lied to you!" She earnestly answered. Wraith seemed to relax a little more at her response, knowing that she was not with anybody and that Palpatine had lied. Ahsoka suddenly had a thought. Perhaps this was another method of torturing him: using his desires against him. "Wraith, look at me." She whispered, guiding his face towards her as her fingers touched the skin of the man beneath the armor. "We can help you. I saw the torture you were put through, remember?" He slowly nodded, wishing to accept her touch but feeling unworthy of it at the same time. "Just surrender. Come with me." She whispered. "Take my hand and come with me. I want to be your friend, not your enemy."
I would take that offer. The voice in his head quietly encouraged him, appearing quite suddenly.
"What makes you so certain I can be saved?" He replied, discouraged. "What makes you so certain you can change me?"
Don't look a gift-bantha in the mouth.
"Because, deep down, I know that behind that helmet there is someone who needs my help." Ahsoka told him. "I can see there's some good in you. Good that's been locked away because the Separatists didn't want to see it."
She's a smart one. Can she hear me? I need help.
"Maybe it should stay there." Wraith muttered.
Aw, for real? Come on! Accept her help! Before Ahsoka could say anything, Wraith continued, "I just wish you could like me for who I am."
"Wraith, this isn't who you are-"
"Yes it is." He answered, cutting her off. "This is who I've been trained to be. This is who they want me, no, need me to be. And I will honour those choices."
"But you didn't make them, they were made for you!" Ahsoka responded, trying to convince him otherwise. "You don't have to let someone else choose your life for you!"
"And yet you let it happen to you." He quietly shot back. Turning to look at her, they were so close Ahsoka could've sworn she saw true eyes behind his optics. "You deserve to be yourself, to live, to learn... to love." He whispered. As he did, his gloved hand reached out and caught her cheek, holding her so she faced him. "I'm sorry to part on such terms, but I fear a rift will form if we continue this discussion. I don't want that and I don't think you do either." He told her. Ahsoka slowly nodded, still believing in her heart that Wraith could change. To her utter surprise, he reached down and took her hand. Bringing it back to his face, he pressed a quick kiss to the backs of her fingers. His touch was warm and soft, so very human despite the facade of a cold-hearted monster he often wore. "Until next time, my dear." He breathed before triggering his face guard, rising to his feet and bounding away, heading back through the ruins of the garrison, his cloaking device activating and helping him to disappear into thin air. Ahsoka remained crouched on her knees, watching him leave. That little conversation was enough to spark a great desire to continue her efforts to try and save Wraith. Clearly there was a man in there, she had seen him! There had to be a way to get to him...
The Jedi finally recovered and returned to their feet, but did not go after their quarry.
Instead, they made a beeline straight for Ahsoka.
"Padawan, what were you thinking?!" Anakin shouted, looking quite angry despite his wounded and bloodied appearance.
"If Wraith cares so much about me, then maybe I can get through to him!" She urgently replied, rising from the ground. "You saw how softly he spoke with me, how calm he was. What if Thrawn's right about him being forced to do these things? What if he really doesn't want to fight us?!"
"Then he sure fooled me!" Anakin growled, wincing a little as pain surged through his face. Then he turned and saw Rex on the ground, looking more dead than alive. "Rex... Oh Force, Rex!" He grunted, stumbling over to his Captain. A battered Cody limped over to them, his hand covering a bloody wound in his side.
"Generals, should we pursue him?" He wondered, referring to Wraith.
"Negative. There's been enough bloodshed for one day... no need to waste any more men." Obi-Wan stated, thoroughly winded himself. The Jedi looked around the ruined garrison, taking note of the blood and bodies covering almost every inch of space.
There would be a lot of clean up to do...
Later, on the Dominance...
"The death toll continues to climb..."
"Millions in property damage..."
"Estimates say around five-hundred and fifty-six people have been killed so far, but that number continues to rise..."
"Fire and medical services are being pushed to their limit..."
"Chaos has broken out in the Senate District..."
"The Coruscant Barracks are in flames..."
"Is there anything that can be done to stop the infamous Wraith?"
Headline after headline and bulletin after bulletin flashed before Scipio's eyes as the Pau'an took in the countless news broadcasts being displayed before him. Lying in bed, the doctor slowly grinned as the intercepted news reports appeared before him on his datapad. It had been brought in by Mazari a few minutes ago and Scipio knew there was only one person who was capable of doing such damage.
His creation had struck again.
The sound of the door opening minutes later and the echoing sound of metal footsteps drew his attention to Wraith's arrival in his room.
"Mazari said you wanted to see me?" He spoke, voicing his presence.
"Yes... I was just watching the news." Scipio stated, gesturing to his datapad and indicating he knew about Wraith's actions. "All for me, my boy?" He wondered, glancing up and smiling a little. "You shouldn't have."
"No. They shouldn't have." Wraith replied as he walked over to Scipio's bed. The doctor got a very close look at his thoroughly bloodied attire. "They brought this on themselves." He stated as justification of his actions. Scipio slowly nodded.
"Yes... Yes, I suppose you're right. Every action breeds a reaction." Scipio mused. "Much like how your presence here, dirty as you are, will caused the medical droid to throw a fit." He jokingly continued. Wraith snorted a laugh as he turned to go. "Are you alright, my boy? Have you worked everything out of your system?" Scipio wondered, switching back to his caring physician mode. Wraith looked over his shoulder.
"I'm tired Doc. I'm gonna go take a nap." He admitted.
"I'll be here when you wake up." Scipio reassured him.
"If you were anywhere else, I'd be worried." Wraith remarked as he left.
The next day, on Coruscant...
The next day, everybody was feeling the results of Wraith's rampage across Coruscant.
One of the Jedi Temple's spires had been blackened and scorched, the Council Chambers thoroughly destroyed, courtesy of Wraith. The Senate building hadn't suffered a scratch, but the Clone Garrison suffered the most structural damage, with the majority of the base looking like it had been hit by a bombing run. This resulted in Chancellor Palpatine ordering most of the Clones stationed on Coruscant to be moved offworld, either to medical facilities or to other Republic Military bases.
Considering the death count, which mostly consisted of Clones, had risen to the point where staticians guessed that one-third to half of the reserve forces on Coruscant had been slaughtered, there were significantly less able-bodied Clones to move. But there were an innumerable amount of wounded that needed to be shipped out. Captain Rex was one of those staggering statistics.
Not just the Clone army, but the Jedi Council, suffice to say, looked to be in rough shape as well.
Despite their connections to the Force, which often allowed for an increased rate of healing, some injuries were simply going to take time due to their severity. Obi-Wan, Mace, Shaak, Plo Koon, all of them were sporting bandages of varying size covering wounds of varying severity. Some had their limbs in slings but all of them were bearing some brutal reminder of Wraith's visit last night. Anakin had been one of the few to receive a double thrashing and appeared to be more bandaged than the rest.
And right to next him, standing tall without a single scratch on her body, was Ahsoka.
Having been spared any abuse at Wraith's hands, the young Togruta knew she had fared quite well compared to the rest of the Jedi. All because she had chosen to act, rather than react.
The Council was meeting in the Halls of Healing this morning, considering they had no true meeting place available and that most of their members were now residents of the ward.
"Last night revealed a most horrific reality to us. The attack on Utapau failed... The Wraith still lives." Mace began, speaking quite grimly.
"The Republic is going to need more Clones to replace the ones lost. Many of us had our forces halved or quartered last night." Aayla reported.
"Neither of which add to our already growing predicament." Kit continued. "What with the Subjugators somewhere out there."
"So, we've lost up to one-third of our forces here, six ships able to annihilate our fleets at any given time are running about, and the super-soldier we tried to kill is still alive." Anakin recapped, the grim reality setting in with them all. The Jedi Council slowly nodded, realizing that this war was far from over.
If anything, it seemed to be ramping up.
"The Wraith lives... and there are six Subjugator-class cruisers ready to terrorize us..." Obi-Wan mused with dismay. "What more will this cursed war force upon us?"
Author's Note: Not sure when I'll be able to post again, but hopefully it'll be soon!
