Great Territorial War

The Great Territorial War was fought twenty-five years after The Jedi Civil War. It was a war fought primarily to acquire new territory throughout the Galactic Reublic and the Outer Rim Territories. The war was fought with the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order on one side and the forces of the Sith Empire, the Mandalorian Clans and the House of EbonClaw. In the beginning, the Republic paid it no mind as it was simply the Jedi fighting the Sith away from Coruscant. However, as time progressed, the Republic was forced to become involved. The result was catastrophic destruction on all sides, almost resulting in the destruction of the Republic, the Sith and the Jedi.

Build Up To War
Twenty-five years after the end of The Jedi Civil War, the Sith Empire was in utter chaos. There was no one true Dark Lord of the Sith and the throne was open for the taking. The Sith had split into two powerful factions, these factions being led by Darth Woe and Darth Devlin. Because of this, the threat of the Sith Empire to the rest of the galaxy was nonexistent as they continued to fight within their own ranks. During this time, Mandalore the Deceitful allied himself with Darth Devlin. However, their combined efforts proved to be a failure and Darth Woe became the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Seizing the moment, Devlin led a race known as the Dematri and became the true threat of the galaxy. Devlin became an insane megalomaniac who controlled Onderon and it’s moons through fear of a weapon known as the Hex Canon. This weapon was capable of doing massive damage against anyone who opposed Devlin, which is why he was able to control the people of Onderon. The Dematri also were in control of what they referred to as “The Diamond”, which was a diamond shaped cluster of star systems they had captured and placed Hex Canons on. If anyone was to venture into “The Diamond”, they would always be in range of one of the weapons.

During this time, the pod carrying the cryogenically frozen Jedi Master Adena Qel-Droma was found by Lirreka, Matron of the House of EbonClaw in the temporal abyss that lies within the borders between the Unknown Regions and the neighboring galaxy. Thus, the House of EbonClaw now found themselves in a new galaxy. After being unfrozen, Adena became Vice-Matron of the House of EbonClaw as well as Supreme Admiral. Not even a year later, she had a change of heart. She wished to end the fighting and she soon began to end the chaos she was supposed to be ensuing, questioning the EbonClaws. She was dismissed by Lirreka and made a run for Coruscant. Soon after returning to the Jedi Order, she became a Jedi Master yet again. Not long after, she was appointed to the Jedi Council alongside of Jedi Master Dexon Kyjar, Jedi Master Kit Corwin Rendar, Jedi Master Mattez, Jedi Master Anakin Lishto and Jedi Master Lara Jace.

On Onderon, the Dematri were building up a massive army in an attempt to acquire new territory. Periodically, Devlin would return to Onderon simply to murder the citizens to make them behave the way he wanted them to. The Jedi tried to intervene once Adena rushed to Onderon to confront them. She was once the Matron in the name of the Queen of Onderon, so she felt it was her duty to help protect the planet.

While this was happening, a man named Tamir, who was the leader of a group known as the Nem’Vaah, became interested in Adena and began stalking her. This turned into a situation on Coruscant when Devlin sent his HK-56 to help carry out terrorist attacks. Kyra Maans, the apprentice of Kit Rendar and daughter of Queen Talia of Onderon, was with Adena in an attempt to stop him. During these attacks, Adena was injured and Tamir quickly showed up. They got into an argument and Tamir attempted to seduce her. Lirreka once again made herself known, whispering into Adena’s mind at the very same moment Devlin showed himself, already severely injured. Adena managed to push off Tamir while the Sith Lord Darth Cyris fought Devlin, killing him.

After the attacks, Adena ventured to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine and told Dexon and about Lirreka and the EbonClaws. Soon after, the Jedi began once again amending their training process and the activity within the Jedi Order skyrocketed to an all-time high.

While all of this was taking place, Darth Midknight had become the Dark Lord of the Sith. However, the Sith were very low in numbers and many questioned Lord Midknight’s ability to lead the Sith Order. To prove his might, he set out and attacked the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. Darth Sin, formally Mandalore the Deceitful, attacked the Enclave alone while Darth Midknight fought of attacks in orbit where he went down with his ship. This ended with Lord Sin’s defeat, so he was forced to retreat back to Korriban. However, it did help Lord Sin as it allowed him to usurp the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith. Because of this, the Sith Order was once again thrust into Civil War, the opposing sides being led by Darth Sin and Darth Boli.

It wasn’t long until Darth Taz, a powerful Lord within the Sith Order, left to seek out the Mandalorian Clans. All his life he had known he was a Mandalorian, but his heritage began calling to him and he sought them out. He soon became Mandalore the Crusader, leader of the Mandalorians. While on patrol, he ran into the EbonClaw and was soon face to face with Matron Lirreka herself. He was the first person in the galaxy to actually see the Danthiri, other than Adena. Their fleets engaged in a battle that, surprisingly, lasted for weeks. Impressed by each others skills, the Danthiri held a meeting with the Mandalorians and formed trade deals and alliances with one another.

For the first time in years, months went by without any battles or conflicts. However, this time of silence soon ended. Lirreka appeared to Kyra and Adena in a night club, talking about the death rights and returning the skulls of the Danthiri killed in Adena’s flight back into the galaxy. Lirreka told Adena to meet her on Dxun, however this proved to be a trap. Adena was triggered into letting her huntress side out an attacked Lirreka who used her on psychic abilities to reverse the attack, putting Adena into a coma. Lirreka searched Adena’s mind and learned of the tomb of Freedon Nadd. Lirreka entered the Tomb of Freedon Nadd and skinned his mummified hands off like gloves. After doing so, she was able to absorb any lingering knowledge from him which told her of other holy Sith and Jedi sites.

Kyra reported these events back to the Jedi Council. They soon began sending Knights and Masters to these sacred sights in an attempt to trap Lirreka. However, this was all a trick meant to break up and scatter the Jedi, then draw the attention of the Sith and other opposing factions.

These events led to a revival of the Dematri, thus beginning an arms race. The EbonClaws were supplying weapons to themselves and the Mandalorians while a now revived Adena led a string of campaigns to dismantle the hex cannons. During these campaigns, Kyra began to become a prominent Jedi within the Order.

During the next few months, the Dematri were wiped out. Adena opened some Jedi to the secrets of the Unifying Force, using it to kill openly when destroying the Dematri. This was due to the huntress side of her that Lirreka had triggered. Kyra took her place as the Queen of Onderon and tried to become close to Arael Maans, the daughter she had given birth to almost fifteen years before. She sent her to hide with the Nem’Vaah, talking about her plans with an “Adena masked Tiera”. Tiera in turn waited until the newly crowned Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Boli, had summoned Adena to a secret meeting to talk about a temporary truce due to the growing threat of the Mandalorians and EbonClaws. While she was gone, Tiera appeared as Kyra and begged Anakin Lishto, who was madly in love with Kyra, to rescue Arael. He did just that, only to have the image of Kyra fade into Tiera who soon vanished.

Due to constant infighting, the Sith Empire went through many Dark Lord changes within a period of just a few months. Darth Sin was forced into hiding and Darth Ember usurped the mantle of Dark Lord. However, this reign was again short lived as Lord Ember was redeemed and once again became Anakin Lishto. Lishto left the Sith Empire allowing Darth Boli to crown himself Dark Lord of the Sith. However, Anakin Lishto soon returned as Darth Ember and became the Apprentice of the Dark Lord Boli.

Months of silence once again passed and Kyra went to the EbonClaw stronghold on Danthomier to retrieve Arael, only to find that she was now rejected by her own daughter for everything she was. The loss of her daughter was the last emotional blow which brought out Salae, the dark side of Kyra Maans.

Darth Sin soon came out of hiding and attacked Concord Dawn. He moved his fleet into position and began attacking the enemy. All was going as he had intended, but the EbonClaw fleet soon showed up. The EbonClaws obliterated the Sith Fleet, but Darth Sin survived the attack and soon rejoined the order under the reign of Darth Boli.

The Sith soon learned of Lord Boli’s meeting with Adena, and Sith spies reported to Darth Sin that Boli not only tried to befriend the great Jedi Master but that he tried to romance her as well. Many angered Sith turned to Darth Sin to find an answer. But, this all caught the attention of Supreme Chancellor Stavan Jetzt, the man who was secretly the reclusive Darth Myst. It was then that he decided to react.

Revelations
Kyra was summoned to the Office of the Supreme Chancellor for a meeting, where Darth Myst seduced Kyra. This brought Salae to full bloom, the two acting alone to sabotage both the Sith order an the Jedi Order whenever they could. During this time, they met periodically to discuss their next plans. Kyra, now a Jedi Master, seemed fined and continued her duties as a Jedi, but she was slowly poisoning her teachings. Only one Jedi noticed this, and that Jedi was Adena. However, she said nothing and did not attempt to stop it.

Soon, Myst and Salae made it to Korriban. They challenged Darth Boli in the Valley of the Dark Lords. The exchange of few words revealed Boli’s corruption by the Light Side, its powers beginning to redeem the Dark Lord. Outraged that such a weakling could be holding the entire Sith Empire in his hand, Myst made the first move. Compared to the skills of Darth Myst, Darth Boli was nothing and he was easily disposed of in several blows. Unbeknownst to Myst was Boli’s suppressed Mancery power, along with his true persona for the mask he wore was, in truth, a Dematri Imprisonment Mask, an ancient mechanism used to contain those of purely malicious hearts and turning their persona inside-out so as to create a harmless and good person out of it. Unfortunately for Boli, this worked in opposite thus turning him into the Sith Lord he was. However, Myst was still able to defeat and seemingly kill Boli, leaving his shattered body to be covered by the sands of Korriban. However, it was not to be. Boli lived yet. All of these events were witnessed by Adena.

Adena returned to the Jedi Order and began trying to accelerate her students, while Lord Myst continued trying to organize the Sith. However, many Sith were hesitant as they had so many Dark Lords come and go within the past few years. However, that hesitation was calmed when Myst received a visit from an ancient power known as Plak’la Uss. She tested the Dark Lord’s resolve and he showed no fear.

Unforeseen events shook the foundation of the new Dark Lord’s Sith Empire. Sith Lords who had served under Darth Boli were not about to so quickly lay down all in honor of Myst. On top of it all, an ancient Sith Lord thought to be dead had once again appeared: Lord Exar Kun. However, he did not come alone. Along with the legendary Dark Lord came the great Nem’Vaah Master, Ranka Darkbroode, and a Sith Lord loyal to Lord Kun named Darth Invidius. The three met Myst and Selae at the entrance to the Sith Academy where Lord Kun and Lord Myst clashed blades in a fierce fight for the throne. Ranka made his way to attack Salae.

Selae found herself overwhelmed by the skills of the Nem’Vaah master and was unable to help her own master against Kun. Wanting to save her life and in fear of death, leaving Myst and the Sith behind. Myst, no longer having an apprentice, began to slowly disappear into the darkness again, no one knowing where he vanished to. Kun also vanished into the darkness, and it was later found that he was nothing more than an imposter of the true Exar Kun.

The Great Territorial War
Seizing the opportunity, Lady Viea crowned herself the Dark Lordess of the Sith, the first official Empress of the Sith Empire. It was then revealed that Plak’la Uss was Danthiri for “Golden Huntress” and that Viea was actually Adena, who had recently turned to the Dark Side of the Force.

Much like her predecessor, Viea did not yet have the loyalty of the Sith Order. Darth Sin and Darth Hawken came to challenge the Empress for her throne, but she was able to destroy them both. The Sith now started to see a leader who could follow through. She began to teach and carried out some small attacks and in an attempt to disrupt communications between the EbonClaw and the Mandalorians, she conquered Af’El and inflated the price of durasteel to where the Republic could barely afford it as replacement parts.

Amassing his hidden droid army on Geonosis, Jedi Knight Enishi Xagan led an entire ground army and space fleet against the planet Myrkr which was under the control of Lirreka and the Danthiri at the time. The assault turned out to be a massacre of metal as both Enishi’s land and space forces were crushed unmercifully, taking very few sentient lives in the process. Barely escaping with his life, Enishi returned to Coruscant where he had been summoned by the Jedi Council.

After informing the Jedi Council of the plot brewing on Myrkr and attempting to explain the plot, Enishi was shut out when the Jedi Council disapproved of his knowledge, as well as attempting to take Myrkr without their knowledge, they sent him into exile. However, before the Jedi Council could take his lightsaber Enishi gave a threat that his knowledge, shut out, would be their downfall. For reasons unknown, Jedi Master Kain Lightbringer attacked Enishi as the Jedi Council simply sat back and watched. Though he put up a good fight, Enishi was no match for the Jedi Master. After almost being struck down, Enishi’s droid bodyguards came in and swept him back to his ship before Kain had the chance to kill the outfought Jedi Knight. Enishi was never heard from again.

Viea soon ordered Darth Invidius, who was now the Grand Admiral of the Sith Fleet, and a few other Sith to infiltrate Centerpoint Station masquerading as technicians, only to have them lock down the station to run a “test drill”, meaning the staff would evacuate to the docking bays. Invidius shut them in and lowered the shield barriers sucking them into space. More Sith soon entered the station, murdering the rest of the staff. Centerpoint Station was now in the hands of the Sith Order.

With the only source for durosteel and the Corellian trade spine in the hands of the Sith, the Empress began working to install fear in the common populations. She explained in holo-broadcasts that the recent rise in prices and limited supplies was the fault of the Republic and the Jedi Order. She also explained how the Jedi could reverse this. The Jedi Order reacted by trying to make small attacks on Sith positions. But, Kit Rendar, who was in actuality a Sith Lord but still acting as a Jedi, led them on a false attack. He destroyed the Republic’s main source of technology on Pho’Pheah and then murdered his crew, thus revealing himself as the Apprentice of the Dark Lordess: Darth Ravinos.

The Jedi, in a desperate time, called on a long-forgotten and desperate measure. Jedi Master Kain Lightbringer and Jedi Master Sirius ‘Deadeye Duncan’ Venn found an ancient holocron with the location of Ossus. Once there, they found Ossus to be reasonably intact, though uninhabitable. The Jedi Order set up a relief area around the now rebuilt Great Jedi Library where one could stay for short periods of time. It soon became a focal point for the Jedi’s planned counterattack, with fleets being built in the masses in the skies of Ossus.

During this time, Viea sent a single, terminally ill peasant to Coruscant. This dying man carried a single vial of a virus created by the Sith which was an airborne virus that killed all who were exposed to it within an hour. This person entered the most heavily populated level of the city in a very common area with the Upper Middle Class types. He then released the virus, killing thousands of innocent civilians. The Sith quickly capitalized on this, giving an antivirus to the common people and spinning more propaganda into the public spotlight.

Dexon Kyjar, Sabre Aralion and Bo Madet soon came to Korriban to arrest Darth Viea, but she was able to coax the Dark Side out of Dexon by telling him that the Galactic Republic would fall along with the Jedi Order and that lives of his wife and future children would be in danger. She told him that there was only one person who could save them, and that was him if he joined her. He did just that, and was dubbed Darth Brenos. Sabre tried to save him, but he was held back in a duel with Darth Pestilence and was then secretly taken to Tatooine where he was tortured and sold to the Hutt’s. He was later rescued by Kain Lightbringer and a force of Jedi Knights before being returned safely to Telos IV and his Jedi Master Bo Madet.

In an attempt to regain territory, the Jedi Order attempted to retake Centerpoint Station using the fleet that had been built at Ossus. However, it proved to be a trap. The Sith released the virus, killing most of the Jedi. However, only one survived: Master Lightbringer. He soon entered the chambers he believed to be Viea’s, but it proved to be futile. Kain was forced to flee back to the Jedi Order.

Now that the citizens of the Republic were broken spiritually, Viea took the chance to make a deal through the Mandalorians for exclusive sales rights to Kolto supplies, offering passage through Sith space and a heavy discount on durosteel. The motives were that you cannot wage war without money, and the Sith Order understood this.

Sabre Aralion and Master Lightbringer were soon assigned to infiltrate a Sith ship, however Sabre was seduced to the Dark Side on board the vessel. He engaged Master Lightbringer and killed him, the Jedi Order stating that Kain died heroically against the forces of the Dark Side and the Sith Empire.

For the next few months, the Sith had been generating money and supplies above all else. With these, they had been creating massive armadas in hidden locations within the Droma sector, the gravity void of the maw, Byss and Korriban. Some of the armada was even held within Republic space.

The Macabre Alliance
After learning of Kit Rendar’s turn to the Dark Side of the Force, Laili Jeyna Rendar, who claimed to be the sister of the now Dark Apprentice Darth Ravinos, traveled to Coruscant to enlist the help of a Jedi Knight in what many would consider to be a foolish crusade to save her brother from the Dark Side of the Force. She found a Jedi Padawan named Ussej Padric Bac, but she got more than she bargained for. After fending off a bounty hunter, the two went off to a hotel and spent the night in each other’s embrace.

The Sith soon used their armada to attack Coruscant. During the battle, Viea attempted to hold the Supreme Chancellor hostage but he had already been evacuated. Jedi Grandmaster Damien Nightblade led a force of almost ten Jedi Knights in an attempt to root out a few reported Sith Lords that were still in the area. But, the Jedi were soon overwhelmed in the chaos. Darth Invidius’ fleet soon broke through the Republic defenses and bombarded the Jedi Temple, damaging it heavily which triggered the Jedi to evacuate, these evacuees being led by Bo Madet. After waiting patiently to try to gain immense power within the Sith, Sabre sprung out upon Viea during the battle during her weakest point. However, this act was thwarted with the arrival of Salae, who threw Sabre from the building to his death. As the Jedi were planning where to go, they realized that as a whole they were easy targets. Because the Empress had been a prominent Jedi Master, she knew of the Jedi safe havens in the area. So, the Jedi knew that they were now forced into exile and moved into remote areas to regroup.

Weeks later, after the successful completion of his trials, Ussej chased Laili to Corellia where they were both attacked by Darth Ravinos at the graves of Corwin and Jeyna Rendar. They were able to temporarily stun him and quickly made their way back to a starport where Laili agreed to be trained as a Jedi Knight.

Ussej soon received a new assignment as one of the Watchmen of Onderon with Damien Nightblade. Ussej brought Laili with him where the two began training with one another. Most in the small Jedi Outpost could sense the feelings they had towards one another, though the only one who thought much of it was Damien Nightblade. During one of the training sessions, Ussej and Laili confessed their love for one another and became engaged to be married. Later that night, they conceived a child. The next morning, Ussej received a message that he was to go to Kashyyyk and meet with Damien Nightblade near the lakeside Jedi Retreat. Damien consoled Ussej on the benefits and dangers of love. In Ussej’s mind, Damien was telling him that he was happy for him but that he shouldn’t love Laili. Ussej could draw only one conclusion: Damien was attempting to steal Laili away from him. After verbally abusing the Jedi Grandmaster, Ussej left in anger and flew out into the stars towards Onderon.

While Ussej was en route to Onderon, another conflict was taking place. The Second Battle for Coruscant erupted over the skies of Coruscant, as well as the ground. During the battle, Bo Madet broadcasted a propaganda filled speech over the HoloNet, telling the people about the Sith wanting to annihilate people simply because of their existence. This caused some unrest in the population, but most were too afraid of the Sith to rise up against them. The Jedi attempted to retake Coruscant and the Jedi Temple, but it proved to be an utter failure.

After the attack on Coruscant had failed, Queen Arael had a vision of the future. She saw the silhouette of a Jedi Knight shrouded in darkness, both physically and spiritually, engaged in a duel with a Sith Lord. The Jedi Knight’s azure blade soon disappeared and was replaced by a crimson blade. She could feel the presence of two people, fearing that one of them could be the one who would be turning to the Dark Side of the Force: Damien Nightblade or Ussej Padric Bac. Not knowing who to turn to, she traveled to find Matron Lirreka who comforted her about her vision though she still could not help but worry about Damien’s fate.

Ussej returned to Onderon where he revealed to Laili his suspicions about Damien. Laili was inclined not to believe it, and she comforted Ussej by telling him that no man could ever take her from him. He didn’t believe it, and once again was thrown into a violent rage. He and Laili soon had their first fight. When Ussej tried to get into the bedroom to go to bed, Laili stood in front of the door and said that they had to work out their issues. However, he picked her up and threw her across the room onto the bed. He began yelling again, telling her that he would be leaving for the night and wouldn’t be coming back. She begged him to come back as he walked down the street, but he did not return. The next morning, Laili received orders from Queen Arael to head out to Manaan on a smuggling run for the Onderonian people. She complied and boarded her ship just as Ussej was waking up drunk in a dumpster.

The same day, another Sith Civil War began taking shape. Darth Invidius awoke an ancient Sith Lord named Darth Apocalus from hyperspace. The two formed an alliance with one another called the Macabre Alliance. Their goal was to overthrow Darth Viea and have Darth Apocalus take the throne with Darth Invidius by his side as his Dark Apprentice. The two walked the halls of Korriban’s Sith Academy, turning many Sith to their side.

Later in the day, Ussej was summoned by Queen Arael who informed him of Laili’s new assignment on Manaan. She also confessed that Laili told her what happened, and Ussej broke down. He regretted what he had done to Laili, though he felt that what he said about Damien had to be said. Arael tried to assure him that Damien would never do such a thing, but he would hear no such thing. Ussej was adamant about what he heard and saw, and vowed that he would do anything to prevent Damien from doing anything to pull Laili and him apart. She advised him, however, to apologize to Laili and show her that he truly loved her. Arael believed that a love as strong as Ussej and Laili’s could not be turn apart by a mere fight.

Darth Boli soon returned and engaged Darth Brenos in combat, both masters of the powers of Mancery. Brenos killed Boli’s wife, sending the former Dark Lord into a homicidal rage which almost cost Brenos his life. However, Brenos let loose a large attack against the former Dark Lord, releasing all of his Dark Side energy onto Darth Boli. This act turned him back into Dexon Kyjar. However, when he returned to the exiled Jedi Order, his request for reassignment was rejected so he left and became a Grey Jedi, teaching Mancery and the Unified Force to anyone who wanted to learn it. One morning, however, Dexon flew off without warning or known reason and was never seen nor heard from again.

Before making her run on Manaan, Laili flew to a backwater Jedi Space Station to visit an old friend of her fiancée’s: Jedi Master Remer Ather. She told him what was happening to Ussej, and also revealed her suspicions of pregnancy. Remer could not help but worry at the fate of his friend. Laili left and flew to Manaan where she was stalked by a Sith Lieutenant. He revealed her position to Darth Ravinos who made his way to Manaan with a legion of armed Sith Troopers. They attempted to corner Laili, but the Republic Soldiers living in Ahto City protected her. A large and violent battle broke out and Laili was shot in the leg. However, she was rescued by Mathias, an old Bounty Hunter friend of hers who brought her to the nearby hotel. He bandaged her wounds, but she passed out from the bleeding and trauma. They quickly ran out, covered by Republic Soldiers, and were able to escape in Mathias’ ship. Republic fighters covered them as they made the jump into hyperspace.

When Laili returned, Ussej stood at the starport waiting for her with flowers. As the ship landed, Mathias carried her down the ramp. Ussej believed this to be an act of adultery and betrayal on Laili’s part. He left and Laili limped after him, but she collapsed in pain. Lying in Ussej’s arms, her life signs began to fade. He rushed her to the nearby Medical Center and she was placed into their care. Damien soon arrived and bestowed the rank of Jedi Master upon Ussej. Unsure of why he would choose this moment to do so, Ussej questioned Damien’s motives. Before Damien could respond, however, the doctor revealed to Ussej that Laili was pregnant. Ussej was shocked, though incredibly happy at the idea of fatherhood. When Laili awoke, Ussej told her the good news and she was ecstatic. However, Ussej could not help but wonder if the child was really his.

After spending a few days in the hospital, Ussej and Laili returned to their home and began talking of their future together. Ussej told her that he believed that even if the Galactic Republic was to return to power again it would not last forever, and neither would the Jedi Order. However, he told her that it would most certainly happen in the far future. As he got up to go to bed, Ussej began to turn ghostly white. He collapsed to the floor, and all became white as a vision of a woman dying in childbirth came to him. Ussej passed out in a cold sweat and almost fell into shock. Soon, he quickly awoke and ran outside only to throw up in the streets. He fell against the wall of the apartment, believing the woman in the vision to be Laili after an attack by Darth Ravinos, who was still hell-bent on finding her. The next morning, Ussej told her that he had to speak with Damien once again on Kashyyyk. Fearing that the Jedi would try to make a move on her while he was away, he brought her to a small moon of an Outer Rim world and dropped her off with enough supplies to last for weeks, should the worst happen.

However, Ussej never traveled to Kashyyyk. He went to Korriban to confront Darth Ravinos, as he knew that he would somehow be behind whatever would happen to Laili. After a heated exchange of words and a brutal fight that injured them both greatly, Ussej conceded. He knew that he had to find out the truth about Laili and Mathias while trying to save her at the same time. He bowed before the Apprentice to the Dark Lordess Viea and was dubbed Darth Mantus, Lord of the Sith. The two Sith Lords left Korriban to find Laili once again on the Outer Rim world. As they were attempting to persuade her to come back with them, Mathias arrived. In his anger, Ussej murdered Mathias and tried to put that part of his life behind him. Using her strong sense of family values against her, Ussej was able to finally convince Laili to come with them. She took his hand and they left together, along with Darth Ravinos.

Three months later, Laili went for a walk in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban. In an attempt to anger Darth Ravinos and Darth Mantus, the Grand Admiral Invidius attempted to kill Laili and her unborn child. Mantus was able to save her, but she had lost a great deal of blood and was suffering from heavy premature contractions. Mantus was able to sustain her injuries in his shuttle and took her to Telos IV where she would be far from the hands of the Grand Admiral. When they landed, Laili received medical attention. It was there that the vision that had plagued him months earlier returned to him. Soon after, it seemed they were not the only ones who had traveled to Telos IV. Damien, along with Jedi Master Remer Ather who was a good friend of the former Ussej Padric Bac, followed them to the world and engaged Darth Mantus. Mantus thought it hardly worthy of a challenge and continued the fight, toying with them. Damien was knocked across the room and Mantus faked an injury, allowing him access into Remer’s guard. Remer fell to the ground and died soon after. Realizing that his effort’s had been futile, Damien fled the medical center and Mantus went back to check on Laili. To protect Laili, Mantus had her and a medical team moved into the ancient Jedi Academy in the northern pole of Telos IV, as it had been abandoned for some time. He also assigned a small militia to guard it.

Months passed by and the Macabre Alliance gained a large following. Nearly half, if not more, of the Sith Empire had defected to their side, declaring their intentions to help overthrow Empress Viea and instate Darth Apocalus and Darth Invidius in her place. The Empress began worrying how she would hold together a strong Empire and remain in power; however Darth Ravinos was not as worried. Darth Invidius soon engaged him in a violent duel in the Valley of the Dark Lords, though both were forced to flee for their lives.

After nine perilous months of pregnancy complications, Laili finally went into labor in the abandoned Jedi Academy on Telos IV. After along and perilous labor, a baby boy was born whom the happy couple named Ussej Padric Bac II. As the baby was being born, something happened within the mind of Darth Mantus. Through the combined power of love and happiness that the birth of his son brought him and the power of the Light Side coursing through the Telosian Jedi Temple, the goodness that was Ussej Padric Bac began to re-surface inside the mind of the Sith Lord, conflicting him. Days later, Mantus and Laili were married by a Telosian Holy Man with only Darth Ravinos and Empress Viea as witnesses.

Victory of the Sith
In an attempt to finally usurp the throne of the Sith Empire, the Macabre Alliance moved their fleet into a position to attack Korriban. However, their forces would have been torn to shreds by the orbital and ground defenses set up on the barren wasteland. So, Darth Invidius covertly flew a small shuttle to the surface and captured Laili and her child while they were sleeping. Mantus, who was acting as the “Governor” of Korriban while the Empress and Ravinos were away, became aware of this and chased after them. He soon found them in the Sith Academies torture chamber, and was thrust into the same device that his family was in. Invidius threatened that should Mantus not shut down the defenses, as only he had the codes, a wave of tremendously deadly light would flood through Laili’s body and, should she die, the infant would be next. At first, Mantus refused to give up the codes. But, as he saw Laili being attacked, he became aware of a fundamental truth: he needed neither the Jedi or the Sith to be happy. The Jedi Code attempted to pull him away from Laili, but the infighting within the Sith had threatened her life more than once. As he had never fully fallen to the Dark Side, his next decision was easy. Darth Mantus ceased to be, and Ussej Padric Bac returned. He would confess the codes, but only he could enter them in due to a retina scan by the computers. Invidius let him out but Ussej attacked him, engaging the two warriors in a violent fist fight. Ussej was thrown against the computer console, and as the Sith Lord stalked towards him he quickly entered in the codes to release the orbital defenses. If there was one thing he wanted to see happen today, it was the Sith destroying themselves. Ussej called his lightsaber to him and a violent lightsaber duel erupted between him and Darth Invidius, all while an immense ground battle took place all around them. Invidius was nearly killed by Ussej, who in turn was nearly killed by Invidius. With Korriban now in the hands of the Macabre Alliance, Invidius returned to his flagship for medical treatment, ignoring the fact that Ussej was still alive. Ussej returned to the torture chamber and freed Laili and the baby, letting her know that though he was redeemed and they could be truly happy for once, he still had to fight.

After healing, Invidius and Apocalus attacked Coruscant. After bringing Laili to Telos IV once more for safe harbor, Ussej managed to slip through the defenses of Coruscant and land in the Imperial Palace. He made his way to the Dark Lordess’ Throne Room where he found Empress Viea and Darth Ravinos. Ussej revealed that he had been redeemed and was attacked by Darth Ravinos. After becoming overconfident, Ussej managed to exploit Ravinos’ weakness and destroyed his lightsaber, sending him to the ground. After revealing how the promise of love had saved him from the Dark Side and speaking to Ravinos of family values, the Apprentice of the Dark Lordess ceased to be and Kit Corwin Rendar returned. Viea quickly attacked them both, and Kit was knocked into the wall, whiting out for a moment. While he was out, a Macabre Alliance strike force bombarded the Imperial Palace, caving in a portion of the roof. Ussej dove out of the way, but Viea’s leg became trapped under the rubble. She told Ussej to kill him and, with Kit by his side, he vowed that although he would not kill her, he would not save her either. The ceiling caved in, seemingly killing the Dark Lordess Viea while Ussej and Kit dove into the hallway.

Apocalus and Invidius sensed the death of the Dark Empress, assuming that bombardment had killed her. However, when they made their way to the Throne Room they found Ussej and Kit standing before her battered body. They thanked them for making their take over easier for them, and soon engaged them as they vowed that no one would stand in their way. Already tired from the two fights that took place in the Throne Room, Apocalus and Invidius easily took the upper hand in the battle. However, Ussej and Kit forced them into the Throne Room and caused the entrance to cave in, giving them time to flee. When the two Sith Lords cut easily blew through the rubble, they found their enemies gone. With that, Apocalus moved into the rear of the Throne Room and sat upon the throne. He then crowned himself Darth Apocalus, Dark Lord of the Sith and Invidius as the Apprentice to the Dark Lord.

The Republic Strikes Back
After breaking free of the two Sith Fleets in orbit, Ussej and Kit flew to Telos IV to pick up Laili and Ussej II. When the entered the Jedi Academy, they found Damien Nightblade there with her. Damien told them that he had sensed their turning from the Dark Side and had to see if it was true for himself. Damien tried to comfort Ussej by telling him that he was not there to be with Laili, but Ussej revealed that the idea of that happening no longer worried him at all as he knew that a true love such as the one shared between him and Laili could never be torn apart by anyone. Damien asked if Ussej would return to the Jedi Order to help rid Coruscant of the Sith, but Ussej turned down the offer as he knew that he was never truly meant for the Order, and Kit vowed to stay with his family. Damien, though somewhat upset, understood and respected their decisions. Damien said goodbye to his friends and they boarded their ship, heading towards the Unknown Regions as they knew that the Sith Empire would hunt them down tirelessly.

For the weeks following the rise of Darth Apocalus and Darth Invidius, the Jedi Order and the Republic continuously bombarded Coruscant with hit-and-run tactics. Day after day, night after night, week after week, key Sith Empire installations were hit with constant fire causing the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of Sith warriors, Lords and workers, along with Republic collateral damage. After three months of holding the planet, Apocalus and Invidius were forced to retreat to Korriban. However, they did not do so empty handed. Before leaving, they looted the Jedi Temple of many priceless artifacts and holocrons to place within their own archives on Korriban. As soon as they were finished, they fled the Republic forces and remained on Korriban for the rest of their tenures as Dark Lord of the Sith. Though they lost Coruscant, the Sith Empire continued to remain strong in the following years with Apocalus and Invidius at the helm and would continue to remain strong for forty years until the end of The Great Rim Lines War.

Behind the Scenes

 * This event was RPd on TheStarWarsRP.Com from 2004 - 2005 and was documented in the novel Shadows of the Jedi: The Legend of Ussej Padric Bac