The Emerald King - The Fall of Nal Hutta. (Patreon)

Harold Potter, The Marauder – Orbit of Nal Hutta.

The satisfaction the Emperor felt at that moment could not be expressed through words alone. This moment…Harry had dreamed of this moment for years, the very moment when he would purge the galaxy of its scum.

"Is everything ready?" Harry asked firmly, although his gaze was distracted, his eyes focused on what the enormous window of the Marauder's observation deck revealed.

The crown jewel of the Hutts, the origin of the Hutt infection and corruption, Nal Hutta.

"It is, Your Grace. Reports from Nar Shaddaa indicate that the Hutts present on the moon were executed on the spot. Their severed heads are being transported to the capital as we speak. According to your orders, the credits, ships, and raw materials were confiscated, the pirates and slavers executed immediately, and two hundred thousand slaves of various species have been freed," Sarina said softly, walking over to stand beside him.

His consort, lover, and one of his most competent admirals gently crossed her arms, observing the broken and desolate surface of Nal Hutta.

"Will you destroy it?" the Twi'lek asked softly, staring at the Emperor, and Harry could see the surprise on Sarina's face, followed by sadness, when he shook his head.

"No. Nar Shaddaa is practically a garden world, with enviable infrastructure. We'll transform it into an Imperial colony. Given its location, it will make a perfect commercial hub, especially considering what I intend to do with Nal Hutta."

The Emperor's words made Sarina nod gently, both of them watching in silence from the observation deck as more and more ships departed the planet.

The campaign in Hutt Space had ended. Nal Hutta had been besieged and conquered, and now…the Imperial Chapters were beginning to return to their posts, all carrying hundreds of thousands of former prisoners who had entrusted their lives to the Empire, hoping for a new beginning.

And Harry wasn't going to disappoint them.

"Say what you will about the Hutt vermin, but their records were impeccable. As you ordered, the former slaves were classified by profession and distributed equally among all the Chapters. The Queens will have plenty of work to do on their respective planets," Sarina said with a small giggle, which Harry answered with a calm smile, although sadness still lingered in his eyes.

"We saved many, but not everyone," he said in frustration, making Sarina sigh and nod gently before the Emperor spoke again.

"Do we have an estimated casualty count?" he asked, solemnly clasping his hands behind his back.

The beautiful Twi'lek hesitated, visibly uncomfortable with the information she was about to share. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with sadness, and her delicate lips remained tightly pressed together for a few moments as she gathered the courage to continue. However, no matter how much it hurt, she knew she couldn't hide the truth from her Emperor.

Even years later, even while commanding a hundred ships and being one of his greatest strategists and veterans, the submission Sarina felt toward Harry was profound. It was an almost religious devotion that the Emperor found extremely addictive.

Sarina Potter's loyalty was ironclad, absolute, and unbreakable. She would sooner die than betray a direct order from Harry, much less dare to lie to him to soften a reality they were both obligated to face. Therefore, the young Fleet Mistress straightened her back slightly, intertwined her delicate hands in front of her body, and finally began to speak.

"The numbers are disheartening, my Emperor," she confessed softly, momentarily lowering her gaze in respect for all the lives lost during the Siege. "At least two-thirds of the slaves died during the operation. Many of them as a direct consequence of the Hutts' actions, as they preferred to execute them rather than allow them to be freed, although many perished as a result of our orbital bombardments," Sarina said, evident pain in her voice.

The beautiful Twi'lek paused briefly, swallowing with difficulty as she recalled the reports she had received. The figures were terrible, but what truly disturbed her was the deliberate cruelty with which the Hutt lords had condemned so many innocents, even when their own defeat had become inevitable.

"Without a doubt, it was some kind of final insult toward us," the Twi'lek added, a mixture of sadness and bitterness in her voice, before watching the Emperor take a couple of steps toward the center of the observation deck.

The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating. Through the enormous windows of the observation deck, the darkness of space could be seen, along with the pathetic sight of Nal Hutta. Much of its surface had been burned, entire continents had disappeared, and several oceans were now nothing more than enormous lakes of lava and minerals. The fleet was preparing the planet for the Exterminatus Protocol.

The complete crystallization of the entire planet, using the Marauder's runic cannons not merely to carbonize the surface, but to transfigure the planet itself into something useful for his Empire.

Nal Hutta would be completely mineralized, and the planet had been sentenced to serve in the construction of stations, the building of fleets, and the forging of a bright and prosperous future for all those whom the Hutts had sought to crush.

However, although all his actions were designed to humiliate the putrid beasts as much as possible, none of that would bring back the lives that had been lost.

Lives that would weigh upon Harry's conscience forever.

"Two-thirds…" the Emperor finally murmured, his gaze distant as he released a heavy sigh, still trembling with fury merely from remembering the atrocities he had witnessed down there.

His voice was so quiet that Sarina barely managed to hear him, and the Emperor was grateful that she remained silent.

Harry remained lost in thought, his jaw slightly tense and his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze remained distant as his mind returned again and again to the operation's reports, as well as his own memories.

Hundreds of thousands of slaves.

Men, women, and children who had spent their lives subjected to the Hutts' cruelty, waiting for a freedom that had finally arrived too late for them. Hundreds of thousands of lives Harry had intended to save and which, despite all the power he possessed, he had failed to protect.

The Emperor slowly closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as he attempted to control the bitter mixture of sadness and fury beginning to grow within his chest.

"And what do you think of my decision, Sarina? Regarding the eggs of those putrid beasts," Harry asked calmly, remembering the…questionable decision he had made on the planet's surface.

The day Harry destroyed an empire but decided to preserve a species.

Flashback.

The Emperor was levitating above the immense Hutt Council Chamber, suspended several meters above the ground as he contemplated with a grim expression the devastation spreading around him. His cloak fluttered gently thanks to the arcane power emanating from his body, while his eyes remained fixed upon the pathetic figures of the Hutts, levitating helplessly and uselessly for his amusement.

The battle was won. The planet had fallen, and the Hutt criminal Empire was finished.

In the distance, one of the colossal Imperial Titans continued advancing between the buildings of the Hutt capital, reducing the enemy's last fortified positions to rubble. Its enormous footsteps made the ground tremble, while the emerald flashes of its weapons illuminated the horizon, announcing the definitive end of organized resistance.

Meanwhile, Imperial troops moved through the streets, freeing the slaves who remained captive and eliminating the Gamorreans who continued offering resistance. The banners of the Emerald Empire flew above the conquered fortresses, and military communications confirmed, one after another, the fall of the last enemy strongholds.

Sector after sector, city after city, street after street.

The Imperial Legionaries had a single mission: the total extermination of the Hutts, no prisoners, no surrenders.

No mercy.

And yet, even with all his loyal troops following his orders to the letter, cleansing and purifying this putrid planet…the Emperor couldn't help hesitating before what he had to do.

Harry slowly clenched his fists, feeling fury course through his body once again as he remembered the atrocities he had witnessed during the campaign. He had seen what those vile creatures had done to children. Thousands of little humans subjected to suffering that no innocent creature should ever have to endure.

The Lady was…suspiciously quiet, as though she somehow wanted to know what decision Harry would make on his own. And if he was honest with himself, he wondered the same thing.

Because what Harry was about to do…wasn't merely about eliminating enemies of the Empire. The Hutts were a plague, yes. They were all disgusting criminals who deserved to die in agony and despair.

The putrid beasts knew they couldn't hurt him directly. They couldn't stand against his power, much less seriously threaten his existence. Therefore, they had decided to unleash their cruelty upon other humans, people who shared his species but lacked the means to defend themselves.

People who physically resembled him, in a pathetic attempt to soothe their wounded pride.

It was despicable.

An indescribable act of cowardice.

And unfortunately, behavior perfectly consistent with everything Harry had learned about those creatures. The Hutts were nothing more than galactic refuse, beings consumed by greed, cruelty, and such boundless arrogance that they had come to believe themselves untouchable.

And they had paid for it with their pathetic lives, their families destroyed, their wealth confiscated, and their pride shattered and broken. The great families and the largest criminal Empire in the galaxy…were history. Harry had every single member of the Council, and although there were surely some stray larvae scattered throughout the galaxy, Hutt power and influence would never be the same again.

Not after he destroyed this disgusting planet, the Emperor thought, filled with fury.

Every adult Hutt would be executed without exception. Harry had felt no remorse when passing that sentence, and he knew perfectly well that his soldiers had obeyed it with complete devotion. There had even been reports of some Iron Wolves executing Hutts by throwing salt upon them and watching them agonize, while others, such as the Praetorians of Naboo, executed them immediately with a shot to the head, making it quick and clean. Although, after witnessing the horrors committed against countless innocents, nobody had the slightest mercy for any Hutt.

However, this was different. What lay beneath Harry weren't adults. They weren't crime lords with crimes to answer for. What Harry had beneath him was something that seemed…truly incredible even to say.

Innocent Hutts.

The Emperor remained suspended above the Council's armored chamber. Its ceiling had been destroyed, revealing more than a hundred Huttlets, baby Hutts, helpless and innocent. The soldier within him told him that the decision was clear, that he should exterminate the entire species to prevent future problems, that if any species deserved extinction, it was the Hutts.

And despite everything, he was uneasy, watching them there. Ugly and fat, yes, but at the end of the day, infants innocent of their parents' putrid actions.

Fay watched him with concern, almost ready to kneel and beg. Sirius regarded him firmly, trusting Harry's judgment, something Harry himself didn't, to be honest.

The magic flowing through his veins responded to his emotional state, stirring the invisible currents that kept him levitating. Harry could feel that power awaiting an order, ready to manifest with an intensity very few living beings would have been capable of comprehending, much less resisting.

He was moments away from doing it.

Part of him considered that it would be divine justice, so to speak. A definitive sentence against a civilization that had turned slavery, exploitation, and the suffering of millions into the fundamental pillars of its existence. The Dark Side within him wouldn't stop whispering about retribution, that the larvae had to pay for everything they had done, that the galaxy had to be rid of the Hutt corruption.

And yet, Harry knew he couldn't do it. Killing in battle or executing an enemy was one thing, but this…the Emperor wasn't cold-blooded enough to murder Hutt hatchlings.

No matter how repulsive he found them.

The Emperor released a sigh as he extinguished the Fiendfyre in his hand and began descending toward the chamber floor, under Sirius's proud gaze and Fay's relieved one.

The Emperor gestured with his hand, causing every Council member Harry had levitating around him to plummet toward the ground at tremendous speed, striking it with precisely enough force to leave them unconscious, just as a platoon of Emerald Lions entered the Hall, awaiting orders.

Fay and Sirius watched him silently, making him sigh before ordering with irritation.

"Get every last larval hatchling off the planet. Counselor Fay will be responsible for relocating and supervising the larvae. They'll receive the same fate as the Zygerrians: a new blank canvas, a new beginning."

At the Emperor's orders, the Lions struck their chests before beginning the operation to rescue the purulent larvae from within the armored chamber, while Sirius and Fay approached him gently, the woman with relief on her face and Sirius with an expression of quiet acceptance.

Before either could say anything, Harry intervened, his tone firm.

"Counselor Fay, you'll be in charge of reeducating the Hutt infants. They'll be assigned to an artificial facility on the edge of the galaxy. I'll give them the opportunity to emerge as a better species, just like the Zygerrians. Don't make me regret it," Harry said with determination, making the beautiful woman nod gently, her face radiant with a smile.

"As you command, my Emperor. Thank you for your mercy," the woman said with genuine gratitude.

Harry simply sighed and replied.

"Just remember one thing. Remember the hundreds of thousands of lives lost on this rock, Fay. I won't allow the sparks of life belonging to the slaves and soldiers who died today to be forgotten, and I expect your pets not to forget them either," Harry said fiercely.

The Jedi simply nodded without saying another word, while Sirius regarded him with a proud smile, one with which no one had seen Harry in…longer than he could remember.

And without another word, the Emperor disappeared. There was still far too much to do.

End of Flashback.

That meeting had taken place almost two months earlier, two long months during which the fleets had moved tirelessly to transport the millions of freed slaves, while the planet was prepared for its crystallization.

But that didn't matter. Harry returned his gaze to Sarina, who was looking thoughtfully through the observation deck, considering her answer.

And the Emperor listened.

"I…don't consider you a fool, my love. Quite the opposite. The fact that you possess the capacity to show compassion…reassures me in ways you can't imagine," said one of his oldest followers, making the Emperor frown slightly.

"What do you mean, darling?" he asked curiously, while the beautiful Twi'lek maiden sighed heavily, leaning against him and nestling into the Lord's chest.

"I mean that, contrary to what you think, sparing the Hutt hatchlings was a demonstration of mercy that many of your subjects didn't know you possessed. And it shows that despite everything we've suffered, despite those we've lost…you're still yourself. You're still a good man, and that thought alone fills me with immense relief," Sarina said, gently caressing his face.

Harry merely laughed. It wasn't really the answer he had expected.

"I feared the Chapters and their respective generals might question the decision. The last thing we need is division within our ranks," the Emperor replied softly, making the Twi'lek nod.

"Aye, I understand that perfectly, my love. But our Legionaries are warriors, not murderers. None of them object to executing the putrid adult Hutts on the spot. The hatchlings, on the other hand…"

Harry sighed and nodded. The Lady was pleased with his decision. There was a purring presence around him, both the Light Side because of the mercy he had shown, and the Dark Side because of the overwhelming display of power and domination he had inflicted upon his enemies.

"Do we have news from the rest of the galaxy?" he asked, looking toward the planet with his hand resting on his Twi'lek's hip, while she nodded gently.

"Aye, we do. As was inevitable, news of the Siege of Nal Hutta has spread throughout the galaxy. The Senate has been holding weekly sessions, paralyzed because they have no fucking idea what to do. Our borders have been breached by corsairs, but the orbital defense platforms have managed to deter the vast majority. The entire galaxy is holding its breath, awaiting the crescendo of your symphony of death, my Emperor," the beautiful maiden said.

Harry nodded with determination, inhaling deeply and preparing for the grand finale.

"Perfect. Then let's send a decisive message. The Marauder is ready, as is FATE. The prisoners?" the black-haired man asked, making Sarina straighten her back at the mention of the mysterious project.

After all, his beautiful Twi'lek was one of the few who knew its true nature.

"They're being escorted to this very deck by your daughters, my Lord," the woman said, just as the room's doors opened, revealing a regiment of Imperial droids, led by his beloved daughters, escorting the galactic refuse known as the Hutt Council.

Or at least what remained of them, he thought cruelly, fully aware that more than half its members had already been dead by the time the invasion began.

The larvae were, evidently, completely fucked up. Harry had made it clear that although they had to remain alive for the final spectacle, the guards could do practically whatever they wanted with the Hutts.

And former slaves with years of resentment could be…very imaginative, he thought, observing the pathetic condition of the now considerably less obese larvae.

"Good. They're here," was all Harry said before turning around and beginning to move his hands in a specific pattern, causing his beloved and trusted ship to respond to his will.

A kind of digital interface, completely unlike anything else in the galaxy, appeared before the Emperor: the command consoles of Project FATE.

His ultimate weapon, his greatest secret…

The Force-Amplified Transmutation Emitter, that is to say…

A fucking planetary wand, Harry thought with amusement as he finished preparing the firing parameters.

"Runic clusters ready, warp cells supercharged, energy dissipators prepared and ready. All parameters for FATE's discharge are ready," the Emperor said to himself, ignoring, yet simultaneously enjoying, the way the putrid larvae squirmed with discomfort.

One of them even had the audacity to address him directly.

"Emperor Harold, I'm certain we can reach some kind of…AHHHHG!"

The oily voice was silenced by Eva's spear, charged with electricity, nonlethal but painful.

After all, he wanted the putrid beings to witness what was about to happen. Then, and only then, would they be permitted to die.

Harry didn't deign to address the Hutts. There was nothing to say. Their fate was sealed, and everyone present knew it. This final act was merely the icing on the cake.

The coup de grâce and the ultimate humiliation.

"Attention, all Imperial units present on Nal Hutta. This is the Marauder, requesting confirmation that all our personnel are off the planet," Harry said through the ship's systems, bringing up digital projections beside him as he awaited his captains' responses.

One by one, every single Imperial ship began transmitting positive responses. All the war machinery, Titans, and droids had been withdrawn from Nal Hutta. Everything that could be recovered from the campaign was already aboard the ships.

And what couldn't…well, it would soon be history.

And when the final status report appeared on the Marauder's screen, confirming that there were indeed no Imperial stragglers left on the planet, Harry spoke again.

"Perfect. Everything important has been removed from the planet. Prepare to return home. Remain on standby until the execution of the Exterminatus Protocol. All ships must position themselves a quarter of an Astronomical Unit from Nal Hutta."

The Emperor didn't wait for confirmation of any kind. He simply severed communications with the fleet and instead projected the initial runic clusters for FATE.

And evidently, the arrogant larvae couldn't wait to say something stupid.

"Do you think you've won, disgusting human? Nal Hutta is our home. We know every cave and crevice within it. Rest assured that there are Hutt brothers hidden inside, waiting for your putrid soldiers to leave so they can emerge. You may have defeated the Council, but the Hutts are…"

However, the alien's words were immediately silenced by Lilith, who kicked him in the back of the head, sending him crashing to the floor in a daze, although Harry didn't even bother commenting on it. His current task required all his concentration.

"Firing matrices prepared and ready. Inversion vector entered. FATE prepared. Initiating Exterminatus Protocol," the Emperor said solemnly, activating the runic clusters, which shone with an emerald radiance that rapidly spread across the ship's entire hull, illuminating it with hundreds of thousands of nested matrices, all with a single purpose.

To function as a planetary wand for the Emperor's will.

Several seconds of silence allowed the spectators to watch as the immense Imperial ship began to glow. The floor beneath their feet trembled under the monstrous contained power roaring to be released, while the Lady screamed with joy, anticipation, and pleasure, all at once.

The Emperor knew that, throughout the galaxy, both Jedi and Sith would experience…quite a shock, he thought with amusement, nodding to himself as he watched FATE's levels reach their maximum, under the now uneasy and terrified gazes of the Hutts.

"Fire," the Emperor whispered, releasing the accumulated power, which shot voraciously toward the planet in the form of a monstrous spear of emerald energy, descending upon the Hutt capital with impunity.

"NOOOOO!!!"

That was the strangled scream of all the larvae as they watched in terror while the powerful attack not only struck the planet's surface but actually pierced its crust, destabilizing Nal Hutta's very core.

At the same time, enormous magma-filled fissures, so gigantic they could be seen from the planet's orbit, began tearing the continents apart. The atmosphere was completely burned away, while enormous planetary fragments began breaking free, ensuring the destruction of every surviving Hutt.

Not a single living being remained on that damned rock. That was a promise.

However, much to the Hutts' surprise, the planetary fragments began to change. The enormous rocks transformed into immense mineral deposits, courtesy of the spell Harry had configured within FATE.

Colossal crystalline structures emerged from the planet's remains, crystals that resonated within the Force itself, while Nal Hutta slowly transformed from a planet…into an immense mineral deposit that the Empire would use to fuel its growing war machine.

Long live Transfiguration, the Emperor thought, feeling the Lady roar with joy. Even he, accustomed to his own power, couldn't help shuddering as he felt the wave of overwhelming power expand throughout the galaxy.

Without a doubt, this would send a loud and clear message to both the Republic and the Jedi. Nal Hutta had been transformed into a nexus of the Force, a planet that resonated with space itself, something of extreme importance to the Empire.

"Have the Council designate Nar Shaddaa as a Grade One Imperial Stronghold. A new Chapter shall be formed around this system, the Amethyst Salamanders, in honor of the beautiful crystals that emerged from the conquest and destruction of Nal Hutta," Harry said solemnly, making Sarina nod in astonishment at what she had just witnessed, still unable to believe what she had seen.

However, this wasn't over. The final blow still remained, so the Emperor turned around, observing the expressions of shock and devastation upon the obese beings, preparing for the grand finale.

With a gesture of his hand, his droids acted without hesitation. The mechanical beings walked toward the defeated creatures, using their powerful mechanical hands to tear out the eyes of every single Hutt present, who naturally released shrieks of absolute terror, powerless for the first time in their putrid lives.

"AHHHHHGG NAHHH!"

"MY EYES!!! MY EYES!!"

"NOOOO!"

The droids, under the Emperor's orders, inflicted as much damage as possible, destroying nerves and flesh while ensuring that the Hutts remained alive.

And then, the Emperor spoke.

"Remember this moment, the fall of the Hutts. The last thing you'll ever see during your long lives in prison will be the destruction of your world, your people, and everything you've ever known. Death is…far too sweet for you. You'll spend the rest of your lives in darkness, with the final memory your eyes ever witnessed…being the destruction of your world."

And with that order, Harry gestured for the droids to remove the broken Hutts, dragging them away as they groaned, wept, and begged.

Empty words to his ears, evidently.

"What now, my love?" Sarina asked, making the Emperor inhale deeply.

"Now…the real war begins," he replied coldly.

Harry had made his move. The Outer Rim was his, with more than a thousand systems under his command, a considerable force, but a small one compared to the Republic.

He had made his move. Now it was the Senate's turn.

There was no time to waste.