Valerio Partinax

> ***"There is no such thing as a turian civilian."***
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Valerio Partinax Haxamaninus (2135 - 2186 CE) was the infamous turian general responsible for the ruthless quashing of the Taetrian Uprising in 2185 CE. He is particularly famous for his duel to the death with Kihilix Tanus, the leader of the terrorist group Facinus and mastermind behind the Vallum Blast. After his defeat of Facinus and its separatist sympathisers, Valerio was promoted to *Duarch Exercitus* of Palaven, a move which placed him in line to inherit the imperial throne.

To the relief of many, however, he would never ascend to the rank of *primarch*. Valerio was instead killed in action while defending Taetrus from the reapers at the dawn of the Reaper War. The reapers would later reanimate his corpse to lead their troops against the Allied Forces and strike terror once again into the hearts of the native Taetrians. To this day, Taetrians still frighten their children with tales of the undead Palavenian general. He was survived by his wife, Officia Hieraen, and their two children, Valeria and Caherix Partinax, as well as his younger brother, Antraxes Partinax.

Many still call Valerio a war criminal for his actions on Taetrus during the civil war, most notably turians with separatist leanings and members of the human press. Under imperial law, however, no legal case has ever been brought against him. When asked to comment on the general's role in the Taetrian Uprising, *Primarch* Idus Valen of Taetrus simply responded: *"Whatever the truth of his actions, he has been exonerated in death. He gave his life for Taetrus. That is worthy of respect."*

## Biography

### Birth and childhood

Valerio was born in Cipritine on the turian homeworld of Palaven, in the year 2125 CE. He was the first son of Araxes Partinax and his wife, Roxana Haxamanis. He was the older brother of Antraxes Partinax. His father was emotionally distant from both his children, terse in speech and cantankerous in attitude, and beat his sons whenever they disappointed or inconvenienced him. His mother was obsessed with the family's Uchaldan ethnic heritage, choosing to express her narcissistic form of love by shaping her sons into vessels for the collective trauma of their people. This loveless upbringing would render Valerio and Antraxes emotionally volatile in adulthood, which would lead them to commit murderous atrocities in the future.

With a distant father and an emotionally manipulative mother, Valerio was closest to his brother. The pair were inseparable and shared a deep devotion for one another.

### Marriage

As per turian custom, Valerio's marriage was arranged for him by his father. Despite being descended from House Mehrkuri and several of its members serving with distinction during the Krogan Rebellions, House Partinax was still considered a relatively minor house among the empire's aristocratic *Familiae Martiales*. Being Uchaldan only made their predicament worse; Uchaldans are a displaced people, their home planet having been rendered uninhabitable by the krogan centuries earlier, thus most Uchaldans possess little to no political influence or wealth, making them undesirable marriage candidates for the unwed military elite. The best match Araxes could find for his eldest son was a minor relative of *Primarch* Sigestis Hieraen of Taetrus - a colony largely regarded by the rest of the empire as a provincial backwater, plagued by poverty and separatism - named Officia Hieraen.

While Officia was a relative of a ruling *primarch*, the pair possessing the same *nomen gentilicium*, she was so far removed from their house's power centre that she was not even considered a member of Taetrus' primatial family and thus not entitled to wear Tyrian Purple. Her service record was similarly unremarkable, having graduated from Bootcamp with average scores and been assigned to the Imperial Signalling Corps, where she served as a communications engineer, responsible for the installation, maintenance and operation of military communications equipment. She was never considered to be a great beauty either, merely pretty. But, despite these so-called drawbacks, a young Valerio found himself inexplicably drawn to her upon being introduced for the first time. And the more he spent time with her, the stronger his feelings became.

### Military career

#### Taetrian Uprising of 2185

Following the Vallum Blast, *Primarch* Regnaltus Fedorian I of Palaven officially declared war on Facinus, the terrorist group responsible for the attack. Naturally, he sent his most trusted friend and general to oversee the operation, permitting Valerio to use whatever means necessary to cow any anti-imperial sentiments into submission. Valerio promised that he would crush the separatist insurrection in under five months. He raised ten legions - eight Hierarchy and two Auxiliary - and requisitioned the use of heavy artillery, amphibious vehicles and several fighters wings. Knowing that he was in for a lengthy guerilla war, he also levied the Hastatim to deter any civilian insurrection.

Valerio and his legions arrived over Taetrus within one solar day of being mustered, transported from Palaven through the Mactare Relay by the Second Fleet. Almost immediately he began to devise his plan of operations, coordinating with *Legatus* Timus Aurelos and the newly invested *Primarch* Idus Valen of Taetrus. Timus clashed with Valerio over most of his decisions, the two men having a strong dislike for their counterpart's military strategy. Timus viewed Valerio as little more than a thug dressed in imperial uniform, while Valerio saw Timus as a separatist sympathiser for not being prepared to accept civilian casualties.

> **TIMUS**: *You care nothing for this planet. This war is just a convenient stepstone on your rise to power in Fedorian's court. What did he promise you, Valerio? The rank of duarch? Aurelion's throne?*
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> **VALERIO**: *I am here because Fedorian instructed me to root out the separatists. That is what I am doing. Separatism is a cancer at the heart of our empire that needs to be cut out, lest it spread to other worlds. Taetrus is to be made an example of what happens to those who dare to break Fedorian's peace. I am following orders.*
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> **TIMUS**: *You're raising cities to the ground! Spaedar is a smoking ruin, and Iratiana and Madra are not far behind. How many innocents have you turned into martyrs for Facinus' cause? You're spreading separatism, not destroying it.*
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> **VALERIO**: *And what would you have me do, hmm? Promise amnesty to those murderers if they turn themselves in? Lay down my arms and go back to Palaven with promises of independence for Eluria? No. Those who turn now are just as traitorous as the scum who inflicted the Vallum Blast upon us.*
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> **TIMUS**: *Facinus is our target, not the people of Eluria.*
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> **VALERIO**: *They hide among the people. Their blood is on Facinus' talons, not mine. Collateral damage is to be expected in a war such as this.*
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> **TIMUS**: *Facinus isn't the one bombarding their cities and raiding their homes.*
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> **VALERIO**: *Every good imperial citizen knows that the many are worth more than the few. They should feel honoured to die in service to a greater cause.*
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> **TIMUS**: *They had no choice! You took that choice from them.*
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> **VALERIO**: *Enough! I am more than motivated to end this war as quickly and decisively as possible. My wife lost her entire house in that blast. But we are dealing with cowards, who hide behind those they claim to fight for. They have forced my hand. This war and all its consequences are on them. Never question my intentions.*
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> **TIMUS**: *And I am deeply sorry for your wife's loss. But brutalising the Elurians won't bring them back...and neither will it make her love you.*
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> **VALERIO**: *You speak above your station! What are the lives of a few separatist sympathisers on this backwater of a colony?! I gave them the chance to hand the perpetrators over and they refused. Their inaction makes them complicit. Do I honestly have to remind you of your ancestor's military doctrine? How many cities did Aurelion burn, Timus? How many colonial insurgents did he put to the sword? Think about that next time you attempt to lecture me on the ethics of war. Now, get out of my sight.*
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## Family and lineage

Valerio is a descendant of Valeria Mehrkuri, the founder of House Mehrkuri and first *Primarch* of Digeris, through an illegitimate line. This illegitimate line branched from the Mehrkuri bloodline just 1,400 years ago, during the Krogan Rebellions, making House Partinax a relatively new house when compared to its peers.

His marriage to his wife was an arranged one, as is turian custom. While Valerio would grow to love her deeply, Officia could never truly reciprocate his feelings in kind, albeit she was fond of and greatly respected him. The pair had two children together - a daughter named Valeria and a son named Caherix.

As *parriarch* of his house, Valerio was responsible for bettering his family's position within the insular circle of the empire's old military families - a duty which he took extremely seriously. A trusted friend of *Primarch* Regnaltus Fedorian I, he successfully cemented this alliance between their two families by marrying his daughter to Regnaltus' son, Regnaltus Fedorian II. This match made him, for a time, one of the most politically powerful men in the empire.

## Quotes

* *"We have a saying that hopefully translates appropriately: there is no such thing as a turian civilian."*
* *"I don't hide."*
* *"The prize here is the life of one enemy, not the entire course of the war."*
* *"It's not in our interests to meet the enemy unprepared."*
* *"Those are our terms. There will be no deviation."*
* *"We are here because we were attacked. End of message."*
* *"Collateral damage is to be expected in war."*
* *"The unknown factor is the number of citizen insurgents who will continue to resist. This war's prolongation is on their heads."*
* *"I can say giving Facinus access to another FTL craft is quite low on my list of desirable outcomes."*
* *"We are grateful to the brave men and women who got us this far, and we now call on the people to contribute to the great task ahead."*

## Trivia

* General Partinax has a sandwich named after him. It comes in levo and dextro versions.