Marquand Sakaros

"A Sith is only as useful as he can kill Jedi. Which makes you useless." "And a man is only as intelligent as he thinks before he acts. Which makes you brainless."

- Khrado and Marquand Sakaros

Marquand Sakaros was the second son of the Sith Lord Tak Sakaros. An intelligent, bookish, and somewhat reticent man, Marquand was something of a disappointment to his father and a perennial source of disdain to his older brother Khrado. Despite his hesitant nature and seemingly reluctance to engage in combat, Marquand was nonetheless a talented swordsman and a competent Force user.

Early Life and Training
Born in 6 BBY onboard his father's flagship, hidden at the Denarii Nova, Marquand was immediately a mild disappointment; his Force potential was markedly less than his brother Khrado, and a bit less than his father as well. Seemingly ignorant of the fact that Marquand was simply less powerful rather than unpowerful, Tak was only consoled when his wife pointed out that there could be only one Dark Lord of the Sith, and Marquand's lesser potential guaranteed that Khrado wouldn't kill him in a struggle for power - ironic given the number of times Khrado considered or attempted doing just that over the years, not for power but simply for dislike. Lady Sakaros's intervention to protect her son was the first of many such occasions.

Marquand was always much closer to his mother than Khrado; Lady Sakaros found Khrado's single-minded ferocity inhuman, whereas Marquand was more gentle and agreeable. Khrado perceived this as weakness and it amplified his dislike for his younger brother. Both boys were trained intensely by their father; where Khrado exceeded the standards, Marquand sometimes struggled to meet them. His guarded fighting style during dueling practice led him frequently to be overwhelmed by his brother.

A year after the Battle of Yavin, another brother, Tariun was born. Shortly after, Tak found his wife had betrayed him with another man and personally beheaded her. While it fit Khrado's sense of justice and seemed only logical, Marquand was horrified. Suddenly, he had only his father to defend him from Khrado. While Tak did his best to encourage harmony among the brothers, he did not intervene nearly as much as his late wife had, and Marquand was largely left to fend for himself.

Growing tired of constantly losing to his increasingly powerful brother, Marquand at some point begged his father to teach him some other means of combat. After reflection, Tak drew upon lessons he had received from Count Dooku and taught his son Makashi. Taking his time to construct a curved lightsaber, Marquand mastered the elegant fencing style to a degree where he even bested Khrado once.

Studies and Research
Though he did not become a fully-qualified Sith Lord until 18 ABY, Marquand spent his time at the end of his apprenticeship and following his promotion learning. A brilliant man, the young Sith could learn almost anything after a single perusal, and his thirst for learning led his father to entrust the portable version of the Ziost Archives to him. Though derided by his older brother as a librarian and a waste of a lightsaber, Marquand had finally found his place in service to his father.

Perusal of ancient Sith holocrons led Marquand to master the difficult Ancient starwars:Sith (language):Sith language, leading to deeper discoveries of the mysteries of the Force. Sharing of these secrets caused Khrado's hatred to finally (though temporarily) abate, since his brother now finally had a purpose. In addition, Marquand was able to help in the training of his younger brother, to whom he was very close. He also dabbled in alchemy, an interest he shared with Khrado.

The Book is Closed
As his father and brother led conquests of the Rim up through 21 ABY, participating on occasion but usually keeping to his research. He did, however, discover various techniques for improving the performance of Sith warships and the cloning techniques used on his father's Massassi warriors.

The invasion of Cato Neimoidia, though, put the Sith squarely in the sights of the New Republic and revived Jedi Order, leading Tak and Khrado to establish a defensive position on the nearby fourth moon of Dorian. The Ziost Archives were set up in the core of the fortress the Sith had occupied, and Tak gave Marquand strict orders that they were not to fall into the hands of the Jedi, even if he had to bring the fortress down to prevent it.

Marquand was present with his brothers to eliminate a force of Republic Special Forces operatives, but had little part in the ensuing Battle of Dorian IV. When the Jedi broke into the fortress, Marquand killed the Republic soldiers who assailed him, as well as two Jedi Knights and an Apprentice. However, he was attacked by two more powerful Knights, and died from a lightsaber slash through the throat. Before escaping the planet, his begrieved father recovered Marquand's lightsaber, which would later be given to Lorelai Whitesun.

Powers and Abilities
Though his raw Force powers did not compare to those of his older brother, and were slightly below those of his father and younger brother, Marquand nonetheless had a deeply insightful view of the Force. He was a talented duelist when he deigned to engage in lightsaber combat, a master of Makashi and more than proficient with Soresu. His ability to perceive the currents of the Force and even the future was impressive, a direct result of the extensive time he spent learning and meditating.

Apart from his Force and dueling skills, Marquand was a genius, and demonstrated both a photographic memory and a remarkable command of language. At the time he died, he could fluently speak Huttese, Basic, Ancient and Modern Sith, Bocce, and Ryl - all at the age of twenty-seven.

=Appearance and Personality==

Though almost as tall as his brother Khrado and taller than both his father and his younger brother Tariun, Marquand had a muscular but thin frame, in keeping with his mastery of Makashi and his preference of grace and elegance over raw power. He kept his dark hair neatly combed, and his deep blue eyes were indicative of the incredible mind beneath. His skin was the palest of the three Sakaros brothers, showing his human heritage. He usually wore robes, though he favored a body-fitting tunic when dueling.

"Of course I loved him! He was my SON! But that does not change the fact that he was the weakest of my sons."

- Tak Sakaros

From infancy Marquand was more hesitant and withdrawn than anyone else in his family, due both to his mother's influence and being constantly beaten down by his elder brother. He was always last to seek a fight and first to resolve things calmly, though he could defend himself if need be. Where Khrado preferred bloodshed and Tariun romance, Marquand was most often studying and learning. He was noted for being calm, professional, elegant, and very well-spoken, as well as always controlled. While this sometimes interfered with his command of the dark side, it also gave him an advantage over more reckless enemies.

Influenced, perhaps, by both of his parents, Marquand was very protective of his family; it was the loss of his mother that led to his first real harnessing of the dark side. When Tariun was still training, Marquand became very protective of him, though the younger Sith quickly became more than capable of protecting himself. He also made several attempts to find his wayward cousin, Adrienne Keane, though never successfully.