Tak Sakaros

"I've killed something on every planet I've been to. I've killed Jedi Knights in even combat. I killed a Krayt dragon with my bare hands.  Rest assured, I can kill you too."

- Tak Sakaros

Takariak Sakaros (tuh-KAH-ree-ahk suh-KAH-ros), known almost universally simply as Tak Sakaros, was a Sith Lord who lived during the time of the Old Republic, through the Empire, and into the New Republic. One of very few remaining members of the Sith species, Sakaros was a phenomenally talented lightsaber duelist and a powerful Force user, as well as a skilled tactician and general. Despite his messianic hatred of the Jedi, his contempt for Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader led him to occasionally ally with the New Republic against the Imperial Remnant.

Early life (89 – 71 BBY)
"What are we blowing up this morning?"

- Barreck

"The district power station. I thought we’d start small."

- Tak Sakaros

Tak Sakaros was born 89 BBY, on the world of Andaria. His father, Nagarian, was a mid-level bureaucrat in their home city. When Sakaros was eleven, the government of Andaria collapsed and the world was consumed in civil war between the remaining Nationalist factions and the rebels. The Sakaroses tried to maintain their standard of living for the first three years, until several locally cataclysmic events occurred at once.

Velian, when he turned seventeen, joined the Nationalist forces and became a Guardsman. Anticlea, the youngest Sakaros child, was born to Nagarian and Velia. For his refusal to pay double taxes to the Nationalist government, Nagarian was executed in a raid, along with his wife. Velian participated in the raid and was left to dispatch his siblings. Filled with rage and the burgeoning power of the Force lurking just below the surface, Tak took up his family’s ancestral Sith sword and cut his brother down, escaping with his sister.

For the next four years, Tak fought with the rebellion against the government, raising his sister with the aid of other rebels. He led several successful raids against Nationalist facilities with his best friends, Barreck and Ilyana, earning a name for himself as an uncannily good warrior and demolitions expert. When Tak was eighteen, though, his entire world would be totally shattered.

Returning from patrol one day, Tak spotted his sister across a clearing, and she ran toward him. However, a Guardsman spotted her as well, and opened fire, mortally wounding the girl. Consumed with rage, Tak forgot his blaster and beat the Guardsman to death with his own rifle. Holding his sister in his arms until she died, the young Sith lost his mind to bloodlust and went on a rampage, murdering a nearby garrison of forty-two Guardsmen with his bare hands, though he sustained several grievous injuries and needed a month to recover afterward.

After he healed, Tak was a changed man, cold and bitter even to his comrades. The ambush death of Ilyana less than two months later only made him more detached, and Tak’s comrades began to worry for his mental health. It was during this period that the young man began to unconsciously touch the dark side of the Force in his anger, setting the stage for the next period of his life.

Sith Apprentice and Conqueror (71 – 61 BBY)
"Learn the ways of the dark side of the Force and never lose anything – or anyone – again."

- Sithmaster

"Teach me!"

- Tak Sakaros

Six months after the death of Anticlea Sakaros, the Dark Lord of the Sith Khrado Ragnos led his Massassi army to Andaria, fresh from the conquest of three planets before. Leaving most of the fleet out of sensor range, the Dark Lord went on a recon mission to the planet alone. Guided by the whisperings of the Force, Khrado ventured down a dusty alley and, to the mutual surprise of both men, encountered Tak Sakaros.

Before either man could do more than realize they were the same species, they were attacked by a group of Guardsmen. Ragnos quickly felled several with his lightsaber, but tossed one to Tak when it became obvious the younger Sith, armed only with a blaster, was going to be overwhelmed. Confirming Khrado’s suspicions that Tak had the power of the Force, Sakaros activated the lightsaber, deflected three blaster bolts, and killed the remaining soldiers.

After retreating offworld for safety, Khrado explained and demonstrated the nature of the Force and informed his new companion of the history of the Sith and the Jedi. Convinced that the death of his sister had been just the latest in a long history of crimes against the Sith, and having no real attachment to his homeworld, Tak agreed to join Khrado and became his Sith apprentice.

Filled now with knowledge of the dark side that waited only for his summons, Tak went back to Andaria at the head of a contingent of Massassi warriors. Both rebels and Nationalists united against the invaders, but they were quickly massacred under the Massassi legions. In the midst of the battle, Tak confronted Barreck, offering him the chance to join the conquest. Outraged at the idea of his homeworld being subjugated by a foreigner and convinced that Tak had betrayed them, Barreck engaged his old friend in a fight instead. Though Barreck was bigger and stronger than Tak, the battle was short, and Sakaros angrily cut his friend apart with his new lightsaber, setting himself firmly on the path of the dark side. Having literally severed his final tie to his homeworld, Tak convinced Khrado to completely obliterate the world and all life on it.

Over the next ten years, the two Sith conquered a number of worlds, and made at least one voyage to the Sith worlds of Korriban and Ziost. All the while, Khrado trained Tak to use the dark side, forging him into a vicious and deadly warrior. Though not as strong in the Force as his master, Tak was nonetheless an incredibly dangerous lightsaber combatant, and proved to be an effective ground commander and pilot. Though he could never outspar Khrado with a lightsaber, Tak quickly became a worthy successor to the Sith legacy.

Seven years into their conquests, Khrado and Tak became blood-brothers in an ancient Sith ritual. Though neither of them knew of any living family, this would later become of great importance to Tak. Despite their close friendship, Khrado was still a cold and cruelly demanding master, giving Tak no quarter in his training. Nevertheless, the brothers had deep-seated affection for each other.

Exile (61 – 55 BBY)
"And Sakaros wins again, ladies and gentlebeings, in a record five seconds…"

- Borgo Prime Death Ring announcer

Ten years after the destruction of Andaria, while he was still only a Sith apprentice, the conquest fleet was ambushed at Khar Delba. Apparently, the occupants of some thirty systems had received word of the Sith conquest, and united their defense forces to make a last stand. Caught offguard, the Sith responded with an ill-fated all-out assault.

In the midst of the space battle, Tak (who was leading the fighter squadrons from his Sith Hadrago) was hit by a turbolaser blast from one of the defense force ships. The hit completely fried his shields and activated his hyperdrive, sending him on an unplanned detour far into the Outer Rim. Sustaining a blow to the head on the way, Tak was given amnesia, and when his hyperdrive ran out of fuel and he reentered realspace at Borgo Prime, he had no clue where he was or had come from.

Crashing on Borgo Prime, his lightsaber damaged beyond repair, Tak entered into involuntary servitude to a Aqualish slaver, becoming a fighter in the Borgo Prime Death Ring (a frequent event when two opponents would fight to the death barehanded). So he remained for six years, an unprecedented winning streak attributable not only to his excellent physique and martial arts prowess, but also his latent Force talents. Despite being unable to consciously control the Force, the Sith nonetheless had guidance from his danger sense, and his rage drove him to kill mercilessly with the guidance of the dark side.

In his time on Borgo Prime, Tak killed a huge variety of enemies, including humans, Chiss, Wookiees, Gamorreans, Twi`leks, Devaronians, Bothans, Aqualish, Kel Dor, Gotals, Trandoshans, and Tusken raiders. He also befriended and fell in love with a fellow slave, a Chiss named Kai’tisy’ara, known usually as Tisya. After six years of fighting, the Aqualish slaver offered Tak a final fight for his freedom – against a Krayt dragon. Against all odds, Tak won, punching through one of the Krayt’s eyes and maiming its brain. However, he sustained severe injuries to his ribs, arms, and legs.

After a month of healing and solitude, the renewed Sakaros demanded his freedom from the newly-bankrupt slaver, who granted it reluctantly, but offered a parting shot; Tisya had been sold to someone else offworld. Filled with rage beyond words, Tak used the Force to strangle the slaver to death before he even realized what he was doing. Stunned and confused, but now free, fairly wealthy, and armed, the Sith escaped Borgo Prime and began the next stage of his life.

Bounty Hunter and Gun-for-Hire (55 – 31 BBY)
"Please, don’t take me back to Arba! Please! I’ll do anything!" "Anything?" "YES!" "Good. Hold still."

- Ryman Kel-Barri and Tak Sakaros

After escaping Borgo Prime, somewhat confused with his inexplicable power but recognizing the value of his eerie precognition, Tak became a bounty hunter and mercenary in the Outer Rim. Working both in the Corporate Sector and Hutt Space, his reputation for barehandedly killing a Krayt dragon preceding him, the Sith became a feared assassin. When money was tight, he would occasionally fight in death rings in the Rim and earn large sums, but this quickly became unnecessary, since his skill at murder was terrifying.

During this time, Tak took up residency on Nar Shaddaa, traveling in his Z-95 and living in various places elsewhere but always returning to the Smuggler’s Moon. It was around this time that he first became affiliated with Arba the Hutt, at first as a servant and eventually as a respected crime partner and confidante. On several assassination missions, Tak would also take his only close friend, the mysterious assassin Astariax Drago. When on Tatooine, Tak would often frequent the ship garage of fellow Sith and reputed mechanic Jehren Akai, who would become another rare friend. Throughout his life in the Rim, Tak became famed as a lover nearly as much as a warrior, seducing women (both for missions and for pleasure) in nearly every port. However, he never found his beloved Tisya, and never fell in love again.

In his long career, Tak tangled with some of the finest fighters outside the arm of the law, but it was a Jedi Knight and his Padawan who would put Sakaros on the next road of his life. Sent to assassinate a vacationing senator, Tak was unaware that the man had been assigned Jedi protection until he was fighting them. To the shock of all three, after gunning down the Padawan with a concealed explosive, Tak took up the fallen girl’s lightsaber and began to use it against the Jedi Knight. Though he had no conscious memory of his training, the study of Djem So was so deeply ingrained in the Sith’s subconscious mind that he managed to overwhelm and kill his enemy.

Taking the Knight’s green-bladed lightsaber for his own, Sakaros would continue to bounty hunt for another decade or so, but the mystery was deepening for him. After ascertaining the lightsaber’s capabilities, he practiced with it in all his spare time, rapidly recovering much of his forgotten talent. Though he primarily used blasters, the Sith carried the lightsaber with him, and surprised more than one target with it.

Having tapped into his latent danger sense and Force-driven fighting instincts but still lacking knowledge of what he was doing, able to use a lightsaber but clueless as to why, the Sith kept up bounty hunting until 32 BBY. After the events of the Second Battle of Theed, rumors of the existence of a “Sith”, the late Darth Maul, made their way to the Rim from both Naboo and Tatooine.

The Dark Fire Rekindled (31 – 22 BBY)
"Too long have you strayed from your path, Takariak. It is time for this charade to end."

- Tulak Hord

Convinced that the “Sith” must have some connection with his strange powers, and equally sure he was no Jedi, Tak retreated to the second moon of Bogden to meditate. There, tapping into the energies of the nearby Bando Gora and his own dark side powers, he reached into the Force until he received a vision. Tulak Hord and Marka Ragnos, former Dark Lords of the Sith, restored his memory and knowledge of his powers, charging the newly enlightened Sith with recovering his former strength and becoming a Sith Lord in his own right.

His mind at last clear and many mysteries explained, Tak lived off his fortune for the next two years, constantly retraining himself to use his Force powers. He experimented with new things, honed old skills, and killed a variety of underworld scum with the Force and his lightsaber. Having remembered his messianic hatred of the Jedi, he discarded the Jedi Knight’s lightsaber and built a new one for himself, altering the emitter so it made the sound of a Krayt dragon’s cry when ignited. After he made his new weapon and mastered his powers, Tak took the title of Sith Lord.

Now on a quest to find his long-lost brother, whom he could occasionally perceive very distantly through the Force, Tak ventured out into the galaxy with new eyes. Along the way, he encountered a fellow member of the Sith race (ironically named Gav Daragon), to whom he taught many of the basics of the dark side, though never taking him as an official apprentice. Eight years later, though, he would be distracted by the outbreak of the Clone Wars.

The Clone Wars (22 – 19 BBY)
"I have good news, my lord. War has begun."

- Count Dooku

"Excellent. Everything is proceeding as planned."

- Darth Sidious

When the Separatists and the Republic broke into open conflict, Tak sided with the Separatists on instinct, given that the reputed dark sider Count Dooku was leading the Confederacy. He killed a number of Jedi, growing more dangerous all along and eventually attracting the notice of Wat Tambor, and through him Count Dooku himself. While the Count did not take Tak as an apprentice, he did teach him Makashi, forging the Sith Lord into an even more dangerous warrior, though it would be decades before Tak would use Form II regularly. Both dark siders kept details of their pasts from each other, but developed mutual respect.

Driven by his growing power and arrogance, Tak repeatedly sought to duel the great Jedi warriors Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker. He was never successful in this aim, and he grew to despise the Confederacy commander, General Grievous, viewing him as an unnatural beast. However, he remained supportive of the Confederacy because of the corruption of the Republic and his discomfort at the idea of cloned sentients. After several successful covert assassinations, Tak went to the Outer Rim, working with the Hutt clans to back the Confederacy.

Out of the Core during the Second Battle of Coruscant, Tak was not present for the death of Count Dooku, and only learned of it in retrospect after the Great Jedi Purge had begun. Killing several escaped Jedi himself, he nonetheless did not report to Coruscant, more than a bit suspicious of the Emperor. His fears would prove well founded not long after.

The Imperial Era (19 BBY – 4 ABY)
Both Palpatine and the newly minted Darth Vader had assumed the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith, and while it did not make much impression on Tak, it sat darkly in the mind of Khrado Ragnos. The Sithmaster had survived through the decades in the Rim and Wild Space, conquering here and there, but now he returned to the Core to do battle with those he perceived as worthless usurpers and upstarts. Surprising the Sith Lords while they were in the Works, Khrado incapacitated the Emperor and dueled Darth Vader, nearly killing him. However, when the Emperor revived, the two Sith together overpowered the Dark Lord. Struck down by Vader’s lightsaber, Khrado’s final scream rang through the Force and into Tak’s mind.

Bereaved of his brother and now obsessed with destroying the men who had killed him, Tak went back to the Rim, intensifying his training and waiting for a chance to kill Vader. He again encountered Daragon, as well as a rogue Dark Jedi calling himself Darth Maim, but these collaborations were shorter.

It was some time during the Imperial Era that Tak ventured alone into the Rim, spending a few months on a space station. There, to his everlasting shock, he discovered Razielle, the half-sister of Khrado Ragnos and illegitimate daughter of the Emperor. Respecting her for her indomitable warrior spirit and treasuring her as a long-lost family member, Sakaros was more amazed to realize that Razielle had met Khrado and was also still grieving his death. Though, as wanderers are inclined to do, they went their separate ways, both warriors would remain close for the rest of their lives.

During the rise of the Empire, in approximately 8 BBY, Tak met a sweet and endearing woman. Comforting the Sith Lord in his grief, offering him solace in his rage and something he convinced himself was safe, she became his wife and bore him three sons, Khrado, Marquand, and Tariun. However, this same wife would later betray him with other men. His trust at an all-time low, devastated anew and consumed by rage, Tak decapitated the woman himself and raised his three sons alone.

Hope, however, was rekindled for the dark side. Long had Tak known that, despite his impressive powers and almost unrivaled saber ability, his raw Force potential was not nearly enough to become a Dark Lord of the Sith himself. However, Khrado Sakaros had a midichlorian count far higher than Tak, higher even than his namesake. In truth, though Tak did not know it, only Anakin Skywalker himself had had greater Force potential. In Khrado, Tak saw the hope of the Sith, and began to train his son as such.

The New Republic Begins (4 ABY – 21 ABY)
In the midst of his relentless self-improvement and teaching his sons, though, Tak was suddenly without a mission: Luke Skywalker, as far as the galaxy knew, had succeeded in killing both Darth Vader and the Emperor. Devoid of a mission, he simply continued to train his sons until encountered yet another Sith surprise: Khrado Ragnos’s full sister, Valadyn. Sith relatives began to come out of the woodwork thereafter, including Kay Larr, a member of the New Jedi Order; Adrienne Keane, Khrado’s long-lost daughter; and Razielle, returned temporarily from the Rim.

Shortly after the death of the Emperor, Tak began a love affair with Ysanne Isard, the Chief of Imperial Intelligence. Temporarily relocating to Coruscant and the Imperial Palace, the Sith Lord became her bodyguard and lover, and a commander of the Imperial forces. Hoping that the suppression of non-humans might abate with a Sith as her lover, Tak was nonetheless disappointed when Imperial policy failed to change, and abandoned Isard to her inevitable fate when the Lusankya left Coruscant.

Some time during the early years of the New Republic, guided by the Force, Tak found the remnants of Sithmaster’s fleet, still operational and run by a token Massassi crew. Although not possessing cloning technology and unable to generate more Massassi through Sith alchemy, the Sith Lord nonetheless slave-rigged the sixty-odd ships and started a conquest of the territory he and his brother had fought to recapture eighty years prior.

After a few lightly defended planets fell and their jaded occupants were easily persuaded to become new ground forces and starship crewers, Tak’s Sith fleet began to gobble up more systems. While the New Republic was distracted by the campaigns of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Admiral Daala, and the resurrected Emperor Palpatine, the revived “Sith Empire” spread. Recruiting both his old allies, Darth Maim and Gav Daragon, Tak came closer to reviving the Sith Empire than anyone since the time of Darth Malak.

Delays sprang up quickly, however. Fearing that they would be stretched too thin, the Sith Lords paused with their current conquests, trying to fund a larger fleet and a better army. In the meantime, Tak had finally attracted the attention of the New Jedi Order, and fought several skirmishes with Jedi Knights and Masters, winning some and fighting the rest to a draw. It was during this time of heightened power that Sakaros began to search for his niece, who had long been missing.

Though he did not find her, he did encounter Valadyn Ragnos, who had taken up her late brother’s alchemical studies. Attempting to genetically create successors to the Sith, she persuaded Tak to give her a sample of his DNA, an action which would have grave impact on the future of both Sith.

The Rise and Fall of Khrado Sakaros (21 – 31 ABY)
By 21 ABY, Khrado Sakaros could not only consistently outmatch his father and brothers in the use of the dark side and lightsaber combat, he was champing at the bit for a chance to confront the Republic head-on. The young Sith had mastered both Djem So and Juyo at a speed that was terrifying, and he was proficient in both single- and double-bladed lightsaber combat, though he preferred the latter. He needed more field experience (aside from a score of subtle Jedi kills) before he could claim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Nevertheless, Tak took a more moderated approach, picking off systems that bordered the Republic’s territory while never actually crossing over.

The flash point came at Cato Nemoidia. At the time, the Nemoidians were petitioning for admittance into the New Republic, but the matter hadn’t been decided when the Sith invaded. Though quickly subjugated, the Nemoidians claimed that Tak had attacked a Republic system. While this was not true, the Jedi, increasingly wary of the Sith Lords’ advances, persuaded the New Republic Security Council to side with the Nemoidians and declare war.

Though he could have mounted an almost impregnable defense from Ziost, as was the suggestion of both Khrado and Marquand, Tak refused to bring Jedi to the capital of the Sith and instead set up his forces on nearby Dorian IV. Khrado volunteered to lead the first charge of Massassi (through the aid of Gav Daragon, they had finally acquired a supply of cloning cylinders) with Darth Maim. Tariun and Daragon held the rear guard, and Tak and Marquand the fortress. Though he had wanted to lead the attack personally, Tak was persuaded by all to remain somewhat protected (a decision which would haunt him forever).

Khrado did indeed lead his Massassi legions against the Republic army and the Jedi Knights, personally slaying over a dozen Jedi with his double-bladed lightsaber, aside from countless soldiers. However, the Republic force was overwhelming, and eventually seven Jedi ganged up on Khrado and cut him apart. Tariun, who had been holding the rear, sensed his brother’s death and led a second wave in rage, which caused staggering Republic casualties but still couldn’t stem the tide. Injured, Tariun himself was forced to withdraw.

When the Jedi broke into the main fortress, Marquand defended the Sith archives while Tak confronted several Jedi Masters. Tak slew three Masters before being forced to flee with his bodyguards. Marquand was less successful; while he managed to wipe out the Sith archives before the Jedi could download them (leaving only one copy in the galaxy), he was slain by a Jedi Master and a Jedi Knight working in tandem. Tak managed to recover his son’s lightsaber before escaping.

Following the Battle of Dorian IV, Tak and Tariun Sakaros vanished with the shattered remnants of the Sith fleet and weren’t heard from for a decade.

The Naboo Crisis and the Return of the Dark Side (31 – 34 ABY)
(Note: Story deviates from canon here with non-acknowledgement of the New Jedi Order series.)

Defying all expectation, Tak Sakaros reappeared a decade later in 31 ABY, alone and on the planet of Naboo. After initially clashing with the Jedi Master Ye`keb Auroras, in whom Tak sensed both great power and the potential of the dark side, Sakaros became a “guest” on board a Republic ship commanded by the Jedi Master Maximus Kironis. Before the long-outstanding Imperial and Republic warrants on him could be served, though, a rogue Dark Jedi warlord named Teeron invaded Naboo with his fleet. Sakaros and Kironis temporarily set aside their differences, fleeing to Naboo as the Republic fleet withdrew. Teeron invaded with an army of battle droids and proclaimed himself the ruler of Naboo. A month later, however, a strengthened Republic fleet returned, and, aided by Tak’s Sith fleet, destroyed Teeron’s armada in a fantastic space battle. Teeron himself escaped to the surface, and while Tak and Auroras engaged him in a lightsaber duel, the Dark Jedi escaped. However, he was later assassinated by his own apprentice, who himself went insane and committed suicide, ending the threat. The battle droids were confiscated by the New Republic military.

Remaining on Naboo, Tak allied with a Kel Dor Dark Jedi named Serus. Employing his remaining Massassi, Sakaros began to build a Sith Temple on Naboo. Having fought boldly to rally the citizens of Naboo against Teeron’s forces, he enjoyed the good favor of Naboo’s queen, and was thus unimpeded. With his servants working night and day, the Temple was soon completed, and established as a center of dark side power.

Lorelai
"Leave the lies of the Jedi behind you and embrace the dark side."

- Tak to Lorelai

The Jedi, however, were not as tolerant as the Naboo. Jedi Knight Kai-Dyn Velzar and his Padawan Lorelai Whitesun were sent to investigate and deal with Tak. The two Jedi dueled the Sith Lord, but Velzar was injured and knocked unconscious. Though capable of killing Lorelai, who couldn’t balance between Sith aggression and Jedi control, Tak instead was fascinated by the rage he sensed in her. Planting the seeds of doubt in the Jedi in her, against all odds the Sith Lord withdrew from battle.

The next time Tak and Lorelai met, the result was different. Without even drawing blades, the two debated fiercely the nature of the Force, but Lorelai was eventually persuaded to abandon the Jedi and become Tak’s new apprentice. The two bonded quickly in a way Tak never had with any of his apprentices, and though he pushed Lorelai terribly hard, he also came to look on her as a daughter. Freed from her Jedi restraints, Lorelai adapted so quickly to the dark side that outside observers were terrified.

An impediment surfaced in Kai-Dyn Velzar, who had come to reclaim – or destroy – his wayward student. He engaged Lorelai in a duel at the Jedi Praxeum on Naboo, until finally overwhelming her with Force lightning. Realizing his student had done everything she could, Tak finally intervened and cut off Velzar’s hands, and then his head. Lorelai’s link to the Jedi thus severed, the two Sith resumed her training.

The Jedi Masters and the Sith Lords
Conflict was brewing amongst the powerful Force users on Naboo, and it soon spilled over. Tak again fought with Ye`keb, and then later with her husband, Viprous Auroras. However, Sakaros was beginning to see that Ye`keb could be led away from the Jedi, to which she was already something of a rebel despite her considerable power. A supreme test for her came when she inadvertently discovered that Tariun Sakaros was still alive; both Sith Lords were prepared to kill the Jedi Master, or die trying, until she swore to keep the secret. The bonds that held Ye`keb Auroras to the Jedi were fraying, but they were not yet ready to break.

In the meantime, defying all expectation, Syrth Akai, the daughter of Tak’s old friend and mechanic Jehren Akai, showed up on Naboo, her father and grandfather apparently having been killed by Jedi. Taking the young girl under his wing, Tak nonetheless caused tension by his continued attention to Lorelai, his chosen apprentice. The fact that all three were inhabiting the same Sith Temple (along with Serus and his apprentice) only increased the hostility.

During this period, claiming to represent the Sith as a non-voting species-without-a-planet, Tak petitioned for membership in the New Republic Senate. Despite defending himself against lingering criminal suspicions and reminding the Committee for Membership of the oppression the Sith had suffered at the hands of the Jedi and the Republic, the Committee members, swayed by both Maximus Kironis and Luke Skywalker, voted to deny the application. Tak returned, frustrated, to Naboo.

Lorelai was rapidly becoming a talented fighter, choosing Makashi, the same style Marquand had used, and which Tak had begun to work on anew after the Battle of Dorian IV. After she had developed proficiency in the style, Tak gave his apprentice Marquand’s lightsaber to use as her own weapon, which only served to increase the bond between master and apprentice.

From nowhere, though, the Jedi brought forth their next generation hope: Hayden, who was quickly revealed to be descended of royal Sith blood from the Ragnos clan. Wondering how this had happened, Tak soon had his answer when his sister Valadyn arrived: she had used the DNA sample he gave her to artificially create a child for them. Horrified at this scientific abomination and that his “son” was a Jedi, but simultaneously hoping he could be turned, Tak endeavored to bring Hayden to the dark side, to no avail. It was a constant struggle that would aggravate the Sith to no end.

Tak was beginning to attract something of a cult following of dark siders; aside from Lorelai and Serus, a Dark Jedi called Rayf and a few assorted adepts found their way to the Sith Temple on Naboo. Gav Daragon returned too, but now with a twist; he was at the head of the Imperial Remnant, and had styled himself Emperor and Dark Lord of the Sith. While not at all pleased that his comrade had claimed the title, Tak agreed to a deception with Gav to betray the Republic to him.

The Plot
The Sith Lords intended to pull a deception on the level of Palpatine. Gav would lead the Empire against the Republic, and Tak would bravely volunteer to fight the Imperials for the Republic. Once he had earned their trust, it would be irrelevant which side won; either way, the winner would bring the other into power. Unfortunately, the scheme was doubly flawed. First, the Republic, at the urgings of Maximus Kironis, did not trust Tak with nearly the forces he wanted. Second, each Sith Lord was leery of the other, and both were contemplating betraying the other if victory was achieved.

To convince the Republic that they were enemies, Tak agreed to Gav bombing his Sith Temple out of existence, with the condition that the Empire would fund a new one. Once this was affected, Tak publicly defected to the Republic. Skirmishes on the Rim went back and forth, as the Sith Lords had intended, with Tak scoring major victories and Gav defeating Republic forces elsewhere. As agreed beforehand, Gav invaded Kamino, and though Tak led a valiant rescue that drove the Imperials off again, they had already stolen millions of cloning cylinders. Over a hundred thousand were given to Tak, who immediately set them up in a remote corner of the Rim (at great personal expense) and began breeding a new Massassi army.

The plan, unfortunately, hit a snag. Delving too deeply into the dark side, with too little control, Gav fell into madness, and relinquished command of the Empire to Tak, of all people. Trying to keep the bargain working, Tak publicly took the office and suggested it as a form of surrender from the Imperials to the New Republic. In reality, however, he was worried for Gav’s health, and had him surrounded with ysalamiri so that the Force madness would leave him. Massassi guards were set up to ensure that the Emperor was neither disturbed nor released, and Tak reigned as de facto Emperor for a period of weeks, trying to undo Imperial institutions he despised, such as slavery. Whether Sakaros had a change of heart was unknown, though it is known that his hatred of slavery stemmed from his own time in that position and was quite heartfelt.

A more significant snag came when a Royal Guard named Xiere killed the Massassi and sprang Gav, who proclaimed himself cured and resumed the throne. Beside himself with rage at the murder of his men, Tak demanded the Guardsman’s head. Gav agreed, but before the matter could be settled he also revealed the extent of his plans to his comrade. The stolen cloning cylinders were not just for stormtroopers; Gav intended to mass-produce clones of Sith to repopulate the species. Aside himself with disgust, Tak went down to Naboo to meditate.

The House of Cards Falls
Tak soon took a great personal tragedy. His sister Valadyn came back from the Rim, bringing with her Adrienne Keane, trapped in a coma, and Andromeda, Adrienne’s daughter and Tak’s grand-niece. Before Valadyn could use her alchemical skill to devise a cure for Adrienne, though, she succumbed to a mysterious disease and died in her brother’s arms. Beside himself with grief, Tak went into solitude.

Tariun Sakaros took over in his father’s stead, keeping an eye on Syrth, protecting his cousin, and practicing with Lorelai. The young, debonair Sith Lord wound up sleeping with both young women, thinking to add them to his list of conquests. However, he found something in Lorelai that stunned him, something he had never discovered before: a match. When Tak returned, he drew the confession from his son, and though irate, grudgingly accepted the situation.

Soon it would be Tariun turning the critical lense, though, when Tak romanced Ye`keb Auroras into sleeping with him. When Viprous Auroras found out, he challenged Tak to a lightsaber duel. The clash was violent and terrible, and ended with Tak’s lightsaber jammed through Viprous’s chest. Though he had destroyed a major enemy and led Ye`keb one step further to the dark side, the real ramifications of this were to come later, when it was revealed that the widow Auroras was pregnant.

Things went from bad to worse. Gav Daragon journeyed to Korriban, seeking the approval of Dathka Graush for his cloning plan. When Graush reacted just as Tak had, Daragon responded by destroying the Dark Lord’s tomb and severing his connection with the mortal world. Called from across the galaxy by his brother’s enraged spirit, Tak journeyed to Korriban at full speed and confronted Gav. The two Sith dueled briefly, but Gav fled with his forces, and Tak withdrew before he could be overwhelmed.

Into Hiding (34 ABY – 40 ABY)
Faced with Imperial destruction of his home, Tak fled into the Outer Rim with Lorelai, Ye`keb, Jade Star, Tariun, Adrienne, and Andromeda. Syrth Akai was captured by Gav and made his unwilling apprentice. Initially holing up in his apartment on Nar Shaddaa, Tak dispersed his company throughout the galaxy, keeping only Lorelai with him at first. In 38 ABY, though, she killed a Jedi Knight in even single combat, and Tak gave her the rank of Sith Lord.

Lorelai remained an agent of her former master, but was essentially sent her own way to do as she pleased. Tak immediately took Andromeda out of Tariun’s protection and into his own, training her as his new apprentice (she had been taught the basics by Tariun, but nothing in-depth). The two spent the next two years on the run, killing Imperial assassins here and there, training constantly. Tariun (and occasionally Lorelai, his now permanent lover) hid with the Sith fleet in the Denarii Nova, steadily incorporating new Massassi units and preparing for war.

During Tak’s period of running, his daughter was born. Apart from Tak’s influence, Ye`keb named her Katherine. The Sith Lord rarely saw his daughter except in holos, though he constantly sent vast sums of money to them, as well as sending Tariun or Lorelai to check on them.

Back to the Battles (40 ABY – Present)
Six years after he fled Naboo, Tak returned with his niece. He found Ye`keb and Jade, as well as his daughter, Rin. Though still a toddler, Rin was already demonstrating incredible Force talent, and her midichlorian count was higher than that of either of her parents.

Before much else could happen, though, Syrth Akai returned to Naboo, closely pursued by Gav. Sending his niece into hiding, Tak decided the time had come and challenged Gav to a one-on-one final duel. The other Sith accepted the challenge and journeyed to the surface alone to confront his old friend.

Powers and Abilities
After the death of Darth Vader in 4 ABY, Tak Sakaros was held to be one of the greatest living Djem So stylists in the galaxy, and among the best lightsaber fighters. The ability to focus his rage into the use of his lightsaber was considered by many (including Sakaros himself) to be his greatest Force talent, giving rise to his reputation as a warrior. In his long life, he mastered Djem So and Makashi, as well as developing working knowledge of both Juyo and Vaapad (learned from stolen holocrons that had belonged to Mace Windu). Knowledge of Vaapad made Sakaros an especially deadly combatant when he used it; instead of letting himself act as a circuit loop for the dark side, he would add his own rage into the mix. As a result, when fighting Dark Jedi, Sakaros could quickly achieve power levels exponentially greater than those of his enemies. Though he was not one to readily admit it, Tak also had working knowledge of Soresu, developed from years of training with Khrado Ragnos and being constantly on the defensive, waiting for an opening. In addition, Sakaros was known to use Dun Moch and saber throws in combat, and was proficient in the Jar`Kai style.

Having lived much of his life on Borgo Prime and Nar Shaddaa, Tak was well-versed in mechanics and was a rather proficient starfighter mechanic himself. He was known to endlessly modify his Z-95 Headhunter Mark II rather than replacing it with a more modern vehicle, and also made modifications to other small craft he owned. From years of using the Headhunter as his only means of transport, Tak was also a very competent fighter pilot, and usually only Force-adept pilots could hope to rival him.

Though powerful enough to earn the title of “Sith Lord”, Sakaros’s real gift for the Force seems to have been his legendary lightsaber proficiency; almost none of his other powers were extraordinary. His concentration during battle was noted by many opponents; the Sith was known for using the Force to fling objects at enemies, casting Force lightning at one enemy with one hand while dueling another with his other hand, etc. However, he seems to have lacked the more fantastic dark side disciplines, such as Battle Meditation and the ability to conjure Force Storms (though he is known to have done the latter with help from a few Dark Jedi). Sakaros is known to have used the Force to perceive the future, but only rarely and generally in a very narrow context. His use of telepathic powers to invade people’s minds were generally limited to those weaker than himself, though it took beings on the order of Yoda or Palpatine to penetrate Tak’s mind.

Tak Sakaros was also known to be a formidable battle commander, though better in space than on the ground. Whether using his own personal fleet or those of allies, Tak was almost unbeatable as a starship commander. His success on the ground was much more limited; though he had an unusual gift for making any defeat a Pyrrhic victory for his enemies, Sakaros was nonetheless beaten as often as triumphant in ground command.

Often the most unexpected aspect of Tak’s character was his skill at language. He was fluent in Huttese, Sith, Basic, and Bocce, and even mastered the difficult Ryl, usually holding up his left hand and twitching his fingers to mime the movements of Twi`lek lekku. During his time on Borgo Prime, his lover Tisya taught him the basic of the Chiss language Cheunh, and though he used it rarely thereafter he could recall parts of it when needed. Additionally, Sakaros could understand Rodese and speak enough to get his point across, as well as understanding bits and pieces of Shyriiwook. He could read Ancient Sith, but could not speak it.

While most famed for his lightsaber skills, Tak was also proficient in other modes of combat. His years as a bounty hunter made him a good marksman with a blaster pistol, but it was martial arts that were his favorite form of combat. Known to have mastered Sith and Twi`lek combat styles and having at least a knowledge of Teras Kasi, Sakaros was unbeaten in hand-to-hand combat for his entire life.

Title
Though Tak was an exceptional lightsaber duelist even early in his conquests under Khrado Ragnos, his training was incomplete by the time of the Battle of Khar Delba and he remained a Sith Apprentice. After escaping Borgo Prime, he slowly recovered some of his Force powers and a shadow of his former lightsaber skill, but it was not until released from amnesia by Tulak Hord that the Sith would recover any serious powers. After years of solitary training, he claimed the title of Sith Lord.

Only Sakaros's close confidantes were aware that he did this only reluctantly, and due to what he called "extenuating circumstances". In truth, as Tak himself said, if the old empire still stood, he would have never risen higher than the rank of Sith Marauder; his skill was combat and in combat he was a master, but his Force powers were simply insufficient to meet the classical standards of the Sith Lords. However, with the Sith species exterminated almost to extinction, Tak was one of only a handful in the entire galaxy, and even fewer who had been trained in the dark arts.

Sakaros's followers (of which, for all his relatively average powers, he amassed an astonishing number) repeatedly pressed him to claim the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith, a call Tak always resisted. With so few dark siders the galaxy over, his claim to being a Sith Lord was at least defensible; a claim to the Dark Lord's throne would not be. Though he at one point during the early New Republic era finally yielded and briefly referred to himself as Dark Lord, Sakaros did so only to appease his allies and forge political unity; he relinquished the title after the Battle of Dorian IV and did not take it up again.

In 63 BBY, during the reconquest of the old Sith Empire, Khrado Ragnos appointed his brother Tak as Steward of Ziost; in essence, were no man fit to be Dark Lord, Sakaros would have administrative reign over the Sith Empire until a worthy Dark Lord emerged. Almost a century later, Sakaros did still refer to himself by this title, and used it to establish his rank to those with any knowledge of Sith history.

Though he fit the technical definition of a Sith Master (one who has trained another to full competence in the dark side; the equivalent of a Jedi Master) many times over, Tak never referred to himself as such, since Ragnos had used "Sith Master" as a pseudonym to keep his true name from him his enemies.

Appearance and Personality
At six feet tall, Tak Sakaros was not incredibly tall, but he was powerfully built and had the hard features of the Sith species, giving him a somewhat more formidable appearance. He also had lightsaber scars on his left cheek and stomach, both from duels with Jedi Knights. Sakaros sported a tattoo of a dragon and a star on his right upper arm, its providence known only to the Sith Lord himself. While often dressed in typical Sith robes, Tak was also at home wearing a flight suit and jacket, which he often wore in disguise. Tak was also ambidextrous, which contributed to his love for Jar'Kai.

Very early in life, prior to the death of his sister, Tak Sakaros was a fairly friendly and outgoing, if occasionally brooding, young man. He was fanatically loyal to allies, and expected loyalty in turn; treachery was the utmost sin to his mind. After his sister was killed, Sakaros became cold and distant, and a dark fire kept him constantly gnawing at himself. It was this change that made him a perfect candidate to be trained as a Sith mere months later.

Common perceptions of Tak’s personality represent a duality; his enemies found him to be cold, vicious, sadistic, ruthless, and evil, while friends and family considered him warm, comforting, protective, and loyal. Both sides agreed, however, that he could be very detached and calculating if the need arose. This last, however, developed progressively in life; earlier on, even while training as a Sith Lord, Tak was rash and confrontational almost regularly.

Unlike Darth Sidious, who valued nothing except his life, his power, and his ambitions, and also unlike Khrado Ragnos, who was truly merciless and cared for almost nothing, Tak was not completely evil. He had a highly developed sense of honor which distinguished him from other dark siders; notably, Sakaros disliked killing unarmed or vastly weaker enemies, and though skilled at the practice he rarely indulged in torture. He also earned the respect of his troops by repeatedly fighting at the front lines.

Even more distinct is Tak’s relationship with his apprentices. He was known to subject them to barbarous and dangerous conditions repeatedly, but only for the purpose of crafting them into stronger warriors. He held genuine affection for all of them, especially Lorelai Whitesun, and while he often tried them against powerful opponents, he would intervene to defend them if need be.

If he was noticeably protective about his apprentices, Sakaros was almost frighteningly so with his family. The loss of his sister early in life scarred him badly, and he initially sought the power of the dark side to prevent ever losing anything so valuable again. Tak went to extraordinary lengths to safeguard his niece, Adrienne Keane, and her daughter, and spent a fortune keeping his own daughter safe. Notably, Tak was less protective of his sons, though he lamented the loss of his elder two. This is possibly because they were not only male, but powerful fighters in their own right (Khrado was actually more powerful than his father).

Like many Sith males (including Khrado Ragnos and his own eldest son), Tak suffered from bloodlust. He first experienced it when his sister was murdered, and subsequently killed forty-three people with his bare hands. After decades, he began to exert some control over the disease, though it could still flare up unexpectedly when sudden and extreme emotional distress occurred.

Notable Possessions
"“A work of art, as indestructible as his will and as powerful as his rage.”"

- Tak Sakaros, about Khrado Ragnos’s lightsaber

After over a century of life on many worlds, Tak had amassed an odd collection of things, some very valuable.

Tak for a long time kept his son Marquand’s fencing saber, but eventually gave it to his apprentice, Lorelai Whitesun.
 * Lightsabers
 * A straight-hilt lightsaber made of Mandalorian iron, a possession of the late Khrado Ragnos
 * A curve-hilted lightsaber, patterned after the weapon of Count Dooku
 * An electrum lightsaber, a gift from Ye`keb Millennium
 * Two WESTAR-34 blasters
 * A heavily modified Z-95 Headhunter Mark II
 * A modified Skipray Blastboat, another former possession of Khrado
 * A safehouse apartment on Nar Shaddaa
 * A fleet of warships, with almost full fighter complements
 * A vast fortune in credits (total unknown, but estimated to be over 100,000,000 credits)
 * The broken pieces of Khrado Sakaros’s double-bladed lightsaber
 * Two tuk`ata, Tyrant and Terror (yet another inherited possession of Sithmaster’s); both are usually sent with Adrienne Keane
 * A ring, worn on his right ring finger, a gift from his sister (worn concealed under a glove almost all the time)

Family
Main Article: Sakaros Family

"Touch her and die."

- Tak Sakaros, to a bounty hunter, about his niece

Tak was born the second of three children, and the second of two sons, to Nagarian and Velia Sakaros on Andaria. He had an older brother, Velian, and later a younger sister named Anticlea. Nagarian and Velia were both killed by Velian (a Nationalist Guardsman), who was himself killed by Tak in rage. Anticlea was murdered four years later by Guardsmen, an event that was to forever alter Tak’s personality.

Seven years into their association, Tak and Khrado Ragnos underwent the ritual of blood-brotherhood, by which they eternally bound themselves and their families to each other. As a result, Tak considered Khrado’s family his own, and treated them as such. He was particularly fond of Khrado’s sisters, Valadyn and Razielle, as well as Khrado’s daughter and granddaughter.

Tak’s only wife bore him three sons, Khrado, Marquand, and Tariun. Barely three years after Tariun’s birth, the wife slept with another man in one of her husband’s military absences. Devastated, Sakaros put her to death permanently and resolved never to marry again. His only other child, Katherine, was by the former Jedi Ye`keb Millennium, and the two never married.

Behind the Scenes

 * Tak Sakaros is something of a “Banquo” character in the Star Wars universe; he is the relative of several people who either claim the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith or have the power to, but he does not have the power to do so himself. As such, he is frequently in the position of aiding or training future Dark Lord potentials.


 * The title "Steward of Ziost" was based on the Steward of Gondor from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series; both titles, though the holder wields political power over a formerly great kingdom, afford only a shadow of the power of a superior title (Dark Lord of the Sith and King of Gondor, respectively) and can be immediately revoked by the arrival of a legitimate claimant.