Hunt for Shae

The hunt for Shae was a two-year long manhunt conducted by the Sith Lords of the Sith Order of Decreto between 3,990 BBY and 3,988 BBY, in the search for the deserter Shae. A secretive affair, kept from the knowledge of the general public, the manhunt spanned the entire Sith Empire and would often spread beyond its borders as well. Involving members from all levels of Sith society, from the normal civilian to the Commander of the Home Fleet; Shae, the first of the Sith Lords to ever renounce the Order, was deemed a heretic and pursued tirelessly throughout the two year time span.

Prologue
In 3,996 BBY Shae was a member of the prestigious Scimitar Guard on the Chalactan colony world of Hashlahan; a Master Assassin and trainee in the Force, Shae was not present when the headquarters of the Scimitar Guard was destroyed by Hashlahan's Sith invaders. Eventually confronting the Sith Lord leading the invasion, Shae was overpowered and brought before the Commander of the Home Fleet – Konopka, and indoctrinated into the Sith Order.

For five years Shae trained as a Sith warrior under Konopka's tutelage, attaining the title of both Hand and Sith Lord after just four years, and building up his mastery over the Force. But despite his quick ascension to such heights Shae still believed he was being held back by his Master and soon begun to believe he could only better himself by abandoning the Empire for a time. In order to do this, Shae approached his Master in 3,990 BBY and asked how he could best leave the Order; although calmly rebuked, the aspiring Sith Lord would not change his mind, and left the Order the following day. Although accepting of his apprentice's choice, Konopka was duty-bound to report Shae's desertion to Hekas-ni, the Dark Lord of the Decreton Empire.

Konopka was ordered to bring Shae before the Dark Lord, so that he could punish the "traitor" personally.

The first hunt
Fleeing Ni, Shae made for his homeworld of Hashlahan so as to gather what materials and supplies he could for his journey. Arriving on the now mostly desolate world, Shae was shocked by the devastation he and his kind had wrought upon his once green homeworld. Equipping himself with his now rusting Scimitar Guard weapons, the rogue Sith Lord prepared himself for the journey ahead. He rested the night, but was woken in the night by the sound of Sith cruisers skimming across the skies of Hashlahan. Looking out of his window, Shae saw a vast legion of Sith soldiers led by Konopka approaching his position. Leaving Hashlahan behind him forever, Shae fled in the opposite direction towards the city's only spaceport, now a crumbling wreck within the city's skyline. Seizing a partially unloaded cargo freighter, Shae left Hashlahan and jumped to hyperspace as soon as he could; narrowly escaping from a pursuing Dragon-class Decimator.

Two days later, Shae arrived in orbit of the planet Gelaas, in the hopes of entailing the assistance of one of the Empire's foremost metallurgists in order to repair his damaged weaponry. Although the metallurgist repaired Shae's weaponry, free of charge, the Sith warrior knew he could not leave anyone who would know his identity alive, and subsequently killed him; crushing his bones with the force and destroying the factory in which the metallurgist operated. Remaining on Gelaas, Shae sought out the services of the local hospital in order to acquire a prosthetic replacement for his amputated finger; in order to make any identification of him via that means impossible. He was unsuccessful, and forced to flee Gelaas before word of his presence there reached Konopka. Purchasing a dilapidated civilian cruiser, Shae left Gelaas for parts unknown, and would spend the next twenty months on the run from the Sith.

During this time, Shae expanded upon his already extensive knowledge by studying the history of the Sith Empire, as well as the languages of its populations, medicines and much more. Unfortunately for the rogue Sith, one who knew of his presences (although not his identity) managed to reveal Shae's location to the Sith, and as a result was captured by his old Master in the dead of night. Having been captured, Konopka informed Shae that he was to be brought before Hekas-ni, and then executed for his desertion; letting slip that he himself wished it had not come to this. However, the timely arrival of a Chiss warship within the Lehon system allowed Shae a chance for escape.

Escape from the Sith
With the warship Shae was being held on on minimal systems so as to prevent the Chiss from detecting them, Shae managed to overcome the security system holding him, as well as his guards and reacquired his equipment, this time removing the lightsaber of one the Sith Lords felled by his blade. Shae made his way through the ship and escaped to the planet Lehon via an escape pod, whose increased energy signal subsequently alerted the Chiss to his presence. By the time the Chiss arrived, he had already landed on Lehon and the Sith warship had fled before being detected. Although free once again, Shae was fully aware that it would only be a matter of hours until Konopka once again returned to capture him, and that he was going to have to fight his way out. Making his way to the age-old Temple of the Ancients, Shae sealed himself within and prepared himself for the battle to come.

Within a few hours, Konopka's warship had returned and a party of Sith Lords had landed on Lehon; making their way towards the ancient temple. Although prevented from accessing the temple, the Sith Lords were not put off, and set about hot wiring the temple doors to force them open. By the time they finally succeeded Shae was ready for them, and quickly instigated battle. Despite the skill and mastery of seven of the Order's greatest warriors, the Sith Lords' were no match for the Chalactan warrior, each falling to his blade; whilst one was thrown from the site of battle to his death. Although killed seconds after, the final Sith attacker managed to hit Shae with a blast of Force lightning, and knocked him unconscious; Konopka, watching the battle from orbit above realized that Shae would never allow himself to be brought before the Dark Lord alive, and ordered his warship to return to Ni, where he reported all on Lehon to be dead.

When Shae finally awoke, he could sense the emptiness in the skies above, and that Konopka had allowed him to live. Shae escaped Lehon on the vessel that had previously carried his opponents down to the planet, contemplating the possibility of eventually repaying the debt he owed his old Master.

Settling down
Not long after escaping Lehon, Shae picked up on rumors of his survival of Lehon, rumors that had spread across the empire. With his identity known, the Sith Lord decided that the time for running had ended, and that it would be best if he simply settled down under a new identity. Fashioning himself a new biomechanical ring finger to replace that which had previously been amputated, Shae took up the name of Ezio and settled down upon a planet within the territory of the House of Set. Ezio eventually met, and fell in love with a young local women and wedded her; starting a family which could continue his lineage.

It would be an entire generation before the Sith returned in search of the Master Assassin named Shae. At first Ezio was able to misdirect any Sith warriors searching for him, but it was not long before Konopka himself arrived before him. Konopka offered Shae a chance at redemption, for both him and his family, if he would assist the House of Ni in the civil war that had engulfed the Sith Empire. Reluctantly, Shae accepted, and returned to Ni with his family in order to meet the Dark Lord – Setal-ni.