Teardrops & Doctrine

Flashback

The warehouse dimmed, the stacked crates around him turning into dark boulders and pulsating red plants. Not again, he'd left that darkened hell behind, left brothers there to rot in the poisoned air, devoured by wildlife. Too many brothers gone...

Tup slowed to a halt, bringing a palm to his face and shaking his head slightly.

"Tup, hey, this is not the time to freeze up! Hold together - we're on to the finish line, come on!" Fives yelled as he ran past, and suddenly Tup came back to the present.

For a moment.

Other troopers continued on past him, firing as they ran, the strong scent of discharged tibanna heavy in the Umbaran night. Tup smacked his helmet, sure he was seeing the past, only to watch a brother rise high into the air then hurled down against the traitor's knee with a sickening crunch. He flinched, ducking away, this time avoiding the large hand that wanted to fling him through the midnight jungle.

Taking cover behind a rubbery tree, Tup surveyed his battlefield. Automatically sighting up with his blaster, he paused, lowering the weapon as a twirling glow of green caught his attention.

You're a good soldier Tup, never forget, a brother's voice told him.

Dogma.

"Jedi," he sneered, removing his helmet, completely ignorant of the battle around him.

The Jedi made them feel unique, honorable, that their short lives meant something. Then they took Dogma away, separated him from his brother before Tup had had a chance for a proper goodbye, taken him away for doing the right thing. The Jedi sent his brothers into battle, to slaughter, to prove themselves worthy of their lofty rank. Sent brothers to kill brothers because of some petty philosophical difference.

They used him, used all of them.

Kill the Jedi! the past whispered to him.

"Good soldiers follow orders." His helmet clattered forgotten on the floor as he moved purposefully toward the glowing green blade.

Battle sounded louder without a bucket, but Tup didn't care. Ten feet away from the traitor, he brought up the blaster. The numb thoughtlessness of his intent masked his actions in the Force until the last moment, when the Jedi paused, watching him from the corner of her eye with confusion.

But Tup only saw the cruel Besalisk's smile.

For Dogma, he thought, and fired.