The Dark Hand was an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer serving in the Imperial Navy throughout the Galactic Civil War, and later the Dark Order War.
History[]
The Dark Hand was constructed one year after the Battle of Yavin at the Imperial shipyards over Kuat. After its departure under the command of Captain Kel Brenston, it was assigned to patrol the Mid Rim border for several years, where it was frequently called upon to intercept freighters and other vessels suspected of aiding the Rebel Alliance. After the Battle of Endor and the fragmentation of the Empire into the Imperial Remnant, the Dark Hand stayed under the command of Captain Brenston, who continually declared allegiance to factions of the Imperial Remnant, all of which were eventually defeated by the New Republic.
After over a decade of drifting from one failed Imperial faction to the next, the Dark Hand eventually became the flagship of the Disciples of Ragnos, a group of Imperials led by the Dark Jedi Tavion Axmis. During this time, the vessel saw little combat, but was more often used for transporting Tavion's cultists across the galaxy for their numerous operations against the Jedi. Following the death of the Tavion in the Battle of Korriban, fallen Jedi Jaden Korr infiltrated the Dark Hand, intending to take control of the cult. He swiftly executed Brenston when the captain refused to follow him, putting the rest of the cult's leaders in line through fear.
Following the change in leadership, the Dark Hand served as the main headquarters for the Dark Order of Korr, which replaced the Cult of Ragnos. The primary reason for this new role was that until Eriadu was convinced to join the Order, there was no planet that would serve as an effective headquarters. Therefore, all meetings between Jaden and his subordinates occurred on the vessel. Jaden also had the vessel outfitted with a superior backup hyperdrive system. After Eriadu was claimed, the Dark Hand participated in many of the battles throughout the Dark Order War, usually on the front lines of its major battles. It was eventually replaced by the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Persia as the flagship of the fleet, but continued to serve in the Dark Order's successor organization, the Greater Sith Empire.