I find it interesting that we have fought the Sith for over 7,000 years to keep the galaxy safe and secure. And now, after all that time; it is a Sith that the people of the galaxy see as their greatest hero. Krayt brought peace, security and most important of all; unity to a galaxy ripped by turmoil and fear. What more could we have asked for?
—Tai painj
Darth Krayt was a former Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars and later a Learner, Sith Knight, Sith Lord and a Dark Lord of the Decreton Empire during, and following the Successors War. Born A'Sharad Hett, Hett was a promising Jedi throughout the waning days of the Old Republic, serving with distinction during the Clone Wars, where he proved his military prowess and tenacity, fighting in engagements such as the second battle of Jabiim and the battle of Boz Pity. Hett later survived the execution of Order 66, killing his would-be assassins and escaping the planet he was stationed upon.
Seemingly alone, Hett returned to his homeworld of Tatooine and once again took up his Tusken heritage and spread the fear of the Tusken people across the planet. Unfortunately for Hett, he became a victim of his own tenacity; when he challenged and was defeated by the fellow Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Cast out by both Jedi and Tusken society, Hett took to seeking out the one Jedi he believed could redeem him in the eyes of the Order—Anakin Skywalker. Unknowingly to Hett however, was the true story of Vader's rise to power and it was not long before Hett came to the realization that Skywalker and Vader were one and the same.
Empty of hope, Hett surrendered himself totally to the dark side, and for several decades honed his skills in the dark arts; surviving the Galactic Civil War and founding his own Sith Order. By the year 25 ABY, the galaxy was in the thrall of the Yuuzhan Vong War, and Krayt's Order took to combating the Yuuzhan Vong the "Sith way", but in 27 ABY Krayt was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong and tortured. Infected with Yorik-Kul, Krayt found himself being transformed by the deadly toxins hidden within. Escaping the Yuuzhan Vong, Krayt returned to his Sith Order and, after bringing peace to the fractured followers, continued his war against the Yuuzhan Vong, all the while battling the affects of the Yorik-Kul.
Krayt later formed an alliance of sorts with the self-proclaimed Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya, promising to aid the deranged former-Jedi in return for mutual silence with respect to Krayt's Order. Krayt survived Lumiya, remaining hidden on Korriban, although he found himself having to rely more and more on carbonite-induced suspended animation; and it was during one of these sleeps that Krayt received a rude awakening in the form of Darth Wyyrlok. Wyyrlok infrmed Krayt that his Sith Order had been absorbed into the greater Sith Order of Decreto, and that all those Sith who had survived had pledged their allegiance to the Dark Lord of the Decreton Empire Darth Abeonis. Begrudgingly, Krayt accepted Wyyrlok's offer, and became one of the many Sith Lords of the Sith Order of Decreto.
Krayt served Abeonis with distinction, furthering his own agenda whilst helping to strengthen the Empire whole. he became a distinguished member of the Hand and a ruthless assassin, personally assassinating various enemies of the state, including Cerras Ki. Following the Sith Crusade Krayt continued to serve faithfully, but following the death of Abeonis in 121 ABY decided the time had come to remove the only thing that stood in his way. His Decreton Sith Master, Darth Debello.
Following his overthrow of his Master in 126 ABY, Krayt slowly reclaimed all the Sith territories lost to the usurper, Darth Proditor and, within three years had become Emperor, and head of the Sith Council. He would later go on to rule the galaxy in a fair and just way, but made sure that no opposition to his power went unchecked.
Biography[]
Early years[]
Born on the desert world of Tatooine in 47 BBY, A'Sharad Hett was the son of the exiled Jedi Knight Sharad Hett, who had adopted the ways of the Tusken Raiders. Brought up as both a Jedi and a Tusken, A'Sharad only began to properly train as a Jedi in 32 BBY, after the death of his father, when he inherited Sharad's lightsaber.
A'Sharad reversed engineered the weapon, learning to build another of his own, and began training in the art of Jar'Kai, eventually mastering the art. During the time between his father's death, and A'Sharad's discovery by the Jedi; A'Sharad proved a capable warrior in Tusken eyes.
One of the few incidences of his early life A'Sharad would later reveal to anyone, was an attack on his village by a young Greater Krayt dragon. The dragon had been manipulated into attacking the village by a hooded figure, when the dark warrior discovered that the Tusken's would not assist him in his search of Tatooine. A'Sharad dealt the killer blow, ripping open the soft under-belly of the great beast with his lightsaber. Following the attack, A'Sharad had the village moved, so as to avoid detection by further Krayt dragons, but the skeletal remains of the deceased dragon remained in the same location for several years.
For several weeks, A'Sharad's Tusken clan made its way across the Dune Sea, surviving off what little water remained buried beneath the surface, but the clan slowly whittled away. Even at his early age, A'Sharad was manipulative, and he managed to convince a core majority to follow him regardless of hardship. After two more weeks of travel, A'Sharad's clan finally made it across the Dune Sea. They took shelter in a secluded cave near the old city of Anchorhead. It was here that A'Sharad was first discovered by the Jedi.
At first, the Jedi and A'Sharad's clan reacted wearily to one-another. A'Sharad was questioned constantly about the hooded figure that had attacked his village, before finally being told the identity of said individual — Darth Maul.
Becoming a Knight[]
I am a Tusken, but no longer one with the desert. I am also a Padawan, seeking to complete his Jedi training.
—A'Sharad Hett to An'ya Kuro
Just days after his discovery, A'Sharad was taken as the Padawan of Ki-Adi-Mundi, and under the Jedi Master's watchful eye he partook in several peaceful missions. A year after his training began, A'Sharad and Ki-Adi-Mundi were located on the planet Chandrila, investigating rumors of cultists in the ruins of an ancient Chandrilan Jedi Watchman tomb. A'Sharad found that the Force flowed through every crevice of the tomb, greatly increasing his stamina, speed and strength in the Force whilst he was in the tomb.
Although the cultists threat proved false, Ki-Adi-Mundi booby-trapped the tomb so that, should anyone attempt to harness the Nexus, the tomb would collapse, sealing the location forever.
For the next years A'Sharad continued to train under Ki-Adi-Mundi until one fateful day when his father's killer, Aurra Sing resurfaced. A'Sharad accompanied Ki-Adi Mundi to track down the Jedi killer to end the threat. Tracking Sing to a planet in the Outer rim, A'Sharad and Ki-Adi-Mundi engaged Sing in a duel, at first Sing had the upper hand, incapacitating Ki-Adi-Mundi. However, during the fight, A'Sharad used his anger to overcome Sing, and was able to knock her unconscious. He was, though, able to regain control over his anger and was able to will himself not to kill the felled bounty hunter. Instead, he turned his prisoner over to the other Jedi Masters who had just arrived.
Adult life[]
The Clone Wars[]
A'Sharad while attending a memorial for fallen Jedi.
During the Clone Wars, A'Sharad served as a General for the Galactic Republic, and flew his Jedi starfighter in air support during the Battle of Geonosis. Following this initial battle however, Hett choose to continue the war fighting on the ground, and would often lead entire armies of clone troopers on worlds such as Metalorn and Aargonar
Following the Second Battle of Jabiim, A'Sharad Hett and the recently befriended Anakin Skywalker were on New Holstice helping at the Republic military hospital established there. A'Sharad confronted Anakin about many of his actions during the previous battle, and realized that Anakin was having a difficult time accepting that death was a natural state of life, and essentially, the Force.
Following a much needed break from combat A'Sharad and Skywalker led the Republic defense of Aargonar. During the battle, Hett became marooned behind enemy lines after their gunship was shot down.
Unaware of Anakin's dark feelings towards Tuskens, A'Sharad pointed out to him that the two of them shared many qualities. He even remarked that, had the chance presented itself, Anakin would have made a good Tusken. A'Sharad intended the comment as a compliment, but Anakin took it as an insult, which was influenced by the death of his mother at the hands of Tusken Raiders.
A'Sharad during the Siege of Saleucami.
Afterwards, Hett served as part of the Jedi force dispatched to the planet of Saleucami. There, he befriended the Jedi Ausar Auset, who would later die in battle. On Saleucami, A'Sharad worked together with his friend, Xiaan Amersu, to destroy the Separatist's planetary gun, but Xiaan was forced to sacrifice herself to destroy their target. Saddened by Amersu's death, Hett used his controlled anger to aid in the brutal struggle that eventually saw the Republic being successful in their attempts on Saleucami.
But the deaths of so many of his friend's during the battle brought Hett to the verge of collapse, and he fled the planet endorsed in anger and rage.
Fall to the dark side[]
Following the end of the Clone Wars, A'Sharad was one of the few survivors of the Great Jedi Purge. Returning to his homeworld of Tatooine, Hett once again took to disguising himself as a Tusken Raider. While on Tatooine he silently prepared for his own private war against the Galactic Empire. On Tatooine, he had an encounter with his former Jedi comrade, Obi-Wan Kenobi, now himself living in exile on the desert world. The outcome of this fateful encounter would drive the remorseful Jedi over the edge, forcing him to call upon the dark side for the first time.
Hett made numerous attempts to make contact with his former friend, Anakin Skywalker during the early years of the Galactic Empire, but wherever he turned he encountered none-other than Darth Vader. After six years of searching, Hett drew upon the dismal conclusion that Vader and Skywalker were one and the same. This was the final straw for Hett, and he surrendered to the dark side whole-heartedly.
For several decades, Hett trained in the ways of the Sith, remaining outside the detection of both the Empire, and later the New Jedi Order. But with the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong in 25 ABY, Hett seized upon the opportunity to become a fully fledged Sith.
Adopting the name of Darth Krayt, after the Krayt dragons, Krayt surrounded himself in a core group of followers who believed like him, that the Yuuzhan Vong could only be defeated by an Order such as the Sith. Krayt and his followers waged a secret war against the Yuuzhan Vong and the Jedi, assisting both throughout the war. It was not until the year of 27 ABY that the Yuuzhan Vong finally discovered the Sith influence in their ranks.
Following his failed mission to Coruscant in 27 ABY, Nom Anor was tasked with tracking down the Solo twins, and his path lead him directly to Korriban, where he encountered the newly deigned Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Krayt. Nom Anor seized upon the chance and captured the Dark Lord, bringing him before Tsavong Lah.
Capture of Darth Krayt[]
Sending Nom Anor back to his mission to capture the Solo twins, Tsavong Lah tortured Darth Krayt with coomb spore and a variety of other torture devices. Lah, eventually growing weary of torturing Krayt, devised a plan so as to use Krayt to his advantage. Lah order his Shapers to "shape" Darth Krayt into a Yuuzhan Vong warrior; but Lah underestimated the resolve of Krayt.
Darth Krayt being shaped.
Mid-way through the shaping process Krayt broke free of his shackles and killed the shapers after causing the roof to collapse in on them. Krayt then proceeded to escape from the facility, but not before losing his eye in a duel with Nas Choka.
Having escaped the Yuuzhan Vong, Krayt returned to Korriban to find his Order in near total disarray. The Sith had turned on themselves, and only the arrival of Krayt averted a full-scale civil war.
Replacing his lost eye, Krayt modified his Vonduun Skerr Kyrric to accommodate his human body and re-commenced his war against the Yuuzhan Vong, all the mean time looking over his shoulder for Nom Anor or Tsavong Lah. Krayt's campaign continued for another two years until the eventual defeat of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Victorious, Darth Krayt led his Sith into a sphere of seclusion. For over ten years Krayt remained on Korriban, training his Sith in the combined ways of the ancient Jedi and Sith. Then, one day, a lone warrior arrived on Korriban seeking the one who commanded that world. Krayt, hiding his true identity, approached the lone warrior, and was surprised to discover that he needn't reveal himself. Lumiya made Krayt an offer.
A dark alliance[]
If Krayt would support Lumiya in her mission to turn Jacen Solo to the Sith, she would keep the location of Krayt's Order a secret. Blatant bribery though it was, the deal would help Krayt in a multitude of ways; and so he agreed.
Krayt's exact actions during this alliance remained a mystery for many years after his death, as hardly any of those Sith who followed him in his early days survived the Sith Crusade. However, during this time, Krayt's past began to catch up on him.
Darth Krayt, frozen in carbonite.
As his body aged, he found it more and more difficult to battle the Yuuzhan Vong shaping that was overrunning his body. Krayt turned to all sorts of answers, but none satisfied him, and he began to believe that his death was closing. Determined to live, Krayt suspended himself in a carbonite crypt, and gave his followers orders to awake him only in times of great need. But even this did not free Krayt totally from the Yuuzhan Vong, for he still dreamed.
Krayt remained in suspended animation for many years until he was eventually awoke by a Sith he did not recognize. The Chagrian told Krayt that his Sith Order had been "absorbed" into a greater order, known as the Sith Order of Decreto; and that its Dark Lord sought the assistance of Krayt.
Introducing himself as Darth Wyyrlok, the Chagrian filled Krayt in on the history of the galaxy during his time in carbonite, and how the Sith had returned to the galaxy to wage war. Wyyrlok told Krayt that his master, Lord Abeonis had been searching for Krayt for many years, and now that he had been found, Abeonis wished an alliance with the former Dark Lord.
Sith Order of Decreto[]
Sith Crusade[]
Krayt followed the Chagrian out of his crypt into the glaring Korribani sunlight, and was surrounded by Sith of numerous race and creed. Amongst them stood many he recognized, and many more he suspected to be former Jedi like himself. It was already 63 ABY, and the war was in full motion. Wyyrlok offered Krayt a position in Sith Intelligence, were he excelled, and made him an official Sith Knight.
During this year, Darth Krayt was made the temporary Lord of Mandalore, and was responsible for the torture of Cerras Ki, but was unable to prevent the Jedi Knight's escape. He later assisted the Hand Darth Korin in his mission to track down Cerras Ki and discover the reason for his trespass in Sith space.
Krayt survived the deadly duel on Zonama Sekot and returned to Korriban to report to the Dark Lord, although he left out certain key details.
In 66 ABY, the last year of the war, Krayt left Sith Intelligence to become a Hand. This drew the attention of the Decreton Order's second highest ranking Sith, Darth Micail, who would later attempt to seduce Krayt into becoming his apprentice. Krayt was highly insulted, and showed Micail that he was above the Sith Lord in many ways, including lightsaber combat. Micail was left humiliated and enraged.
In 74 ABY Krayt finally proved his alliance worthy when Abeonis ordered an invasion of Coruscant. His action during the battle catapulted him into the eyes of Abeonis himself, and the two met for the first time.
Between the wars[]
Little was known of Krayt's actions between the wars. It was known that it was Krayt that lead the re-invasion of Rakata Prime in 97 ABY after Darth Cannae's failure ten years earlier, becoming a public icon in the process. Krayt's was appointed by Darth Wyyrlok as one of the public faces of the Sith Order.
Trained to hide his Sith-nature, Krayt developed his skills in manipulation and seduction on a massive scale, sometimes manipulation whole worlds to do his, and his Masters bidding. All the meantime maintaining his public face as a fair and righteous individual. But despite this, it was not hard for many of his fellow Sith to ascertain Krayt's intentions. Darth Wyyrlok himself noted that Krayt was "…ambitious, a man to be watched, a man of worth…".
For the next thirty years Krayt would train himself so that he could surpass his Sith Master and become a Sith Lord, until word spread of Darth Abeonis' death. He would use the death of Darth Abeonis to his advantage.
In this time period, Krayt was responsible for the torture of both Mariz and Jacen Kenobi Solo. Nathaniel Kenobi Solo came to free them from their prisons, but fell victim to Krayt as he watched him kill Jacen.
The Successors War[]
Darth Krayt without his mask.
Darth Krayt? Oh, him. He's, shall we say, a growing threat to my domain. Eliminate him Berrek.
—Darth Proditor to Berrek Verk
When, in 121 ABY his high lord, Darth Abeonis died, the circumstances surrounding his death unknown. A Decreton civil war broke out and Krayt was quickly drawn into the fighting. By 126 ABY Krayt had become so influential among his own soldiers that he eliminated his Sith Master and took command of his former Master's forces.
He lead his forces to their first victory during the pivotal Battle of Manaan. But he quickly made himself a target for the other factions involved in the conflict, so much so that Darth Proditior considered him a "growing threat". Proditor would later request the services of the famed Sith Knight turned mercenary/bounty hunter; Berrek Verk in an attempt to eliminate Krayt.
And so, in 127 ABY, Berrek Verk tracked down Krayt and attacked him. It became all too apparent all too quickly to Verk however that Krayt could not be bested in lightsaber combat and so he fled.
Darth Krayt and Darth Wyyrlok discuss the war.
By 128 ABY he had conquered all the Sith Knights fighting Darth Proditor, the usurper of the throne and by 129 ABY; he had taken the throne himself.
Darth Krayt quickly realized that, although his rule was secure, that of his successor was not. So he returned the Sith to the age-old feudal system of control. One Dark Lord, many Sith Lords vying for power; but for once difference. If a Sith Lord usurped the throne without the full support of the Sith Council, he would become an enemy of the Sith and declared and outlaw. This ruling secured the reigns of many successors to Krayt and secured peace and unity throughout the galaxy. He called this, the Rule of One.
I find it interesting that before his death Abeonis spoke of a new era of peace and unity. And that; following his death, this era began with a civil war.
—Darth Krayt commenting on Darth Abeonis' Unity era
Darth Krayt succeeded where Abeonis had failed, he had achieved peace, security and unity throughout the galaxy. By the time of his own death he was regarded, even by his enemies as a hero of the galaxy, and one of the greatest Dark Lord's ever, alongside Darth Abeonis. Although Krayt himself had, in the early years of his reign at least, seen himself as second-rate compared to Abeonis.
Darth Krayt, Dark Lord of the Decreton Empire.
In the year 143 ABY Darth Krayt returned his thoughts to an old enemy; Berrek Verk. Word had reached Darth Wyyrlok that Verk had left his self-imposed exile and returned to Dantooine. Krayt, seizing upon this opportunity ordered his two hands — Darth Nihl, and Darth Talon — to Dantooine with the mission of executing Berrek Verk. They later returned to Krayt bearing Verk's double-bladed lightsaber.
Even after a century, some Jedi admitted that Darth Krayt was one of the greatest things to happen to the galaxy in terms of bringing it peace and unity.
Krayt's reign[]
Following the Successors War, Krayt lead many reforms throughout the galaxy. He continued Abeonis' policy of Mass terraforming on many worlds that had been ravaged by both the Sith Crusade and the Successors War.
During the early days of his reign, Krayt stilled faced challenges to his rule by many of the Sith who had joined him against Proditor. At first, Darth Krayt simply ignored these individuals, but when he ordered the execution of Berrek Verk in 143 ABY, following Verk's assassination attempt during the Successors War, Krayt made use of the public uproar and began a systematic purge of all Sith Knights that would disobey Krayt's rule of one. In doing so secured the hatred and enmity of many of his followers, but they followed him loyally. The purges also served to increase Krayt's standing among the galactic populous, as many of the Sith Knights and Lords that had died during Krayt's purges had been ruthless rulers, and had done much to gain the hatred of their subjects. Krayt was seen as a savior, a hero even.
But not all Krayt's subject thought this way, 17 years later Krayt's Decreton Empire was confronted with a new, serious threat. The Octom Coalition was the first serious threat to the Decreton Empire since the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances but it did not take long for Krayt's closest followers, Darth Nihl and Darth Talon to destroy the forces of Octa Nuun and dissolve the Coalition.
At some point following the Octom War, Darth Krayt succeeded in discovering the holocron of Sam Sinays, placing it in the Temple of the Sith'ari on Sith'ika. He then continued his search for the equally valuable holocron of Ater Phasas'a.
Legacy[]
Krayt's legacy was much greater than that of most of his contemporaries. With a life spanning over two-hundred years, Darth Krayt held a significant amount of influence on galactic affairs throughout his lifetime.
Several galactic conflicts, including the Clone Wars, Galactic Civil War, Yuuzhan Vong and Confederation-Galactic Alliance War all had the outcomes heavily influenced by Krayt and his Sith Order.
Krayt's own life was itself influenced by the legacies of numerous individuals before him. He held the holocrons of numerous Sith Lords including Darth Bane's and Darth Vectivus (the latter of which he passed on to the Twi'lek Dark Jedi, Alema Rar during the Confederation-Galactic Alliance War. These holocrons gave Krayt much information, which allowed him to best dictate his control over the Sith, and later his rule over the galaxy.
At some point following his death, Ryan Vex explored the tomb of Darth Krayt, and was encountered by the Dark Lord's ghostly spirit. Krayt attempted to seduce Ryan Vex, seemingly in vain; as it was Krayt's seducing nature that helped clear the path for others to convert Vex.
Personality and traits[]
Krayt, like many Dark Lords before him felt pressured by the achievements of his predecessor. He believed that he had to surpass the achievements of Abeonis in order to be the greatest of the Dark Lords, and that that required nothing short of pacifying the entire galaxy. He was highly manipulative, much like his closest adviser, Darth Wyyrlok, and was skilled in seduction.
He was noted by Darth Wyyrlok as being consumed by his need for power. But due to his life as a Jedi, Krayt knew his limits. He trained in various lightsaber forms, including defensive ones.
Krayt was skilled in pyrokenesis due to his training by his former master and had an unrivaled mastery of using the Force and his Yuuzhan Vong bioengineering, to sustain his life almost indefinitely.
Darth Krayt (Jasca Ducato) was a sufferer of Power syndrome.
Talents[]
Power and Force potential[]
…the Yuuzhan Vong could not kill him, not even his carbonite freezing did that.…
—Darth Proditor in private to Darth Sucasa
During his lifetime, Krayt failed to reach his full potential. Many close to him believed that those few crucial years in suspended animation were wasted time for Krayt to strengthen himself. But despite this, Krayt was widely considered one of the most powerful Sith in the history, let alone the Decreton Order.
However, after his death, Krayt's power reached their full potential when he became one with the Force. The first known Sith to ever ascend to such a high plain, Krayt's body vanished into the Force, leaving only his armor to be buried in his crypt on Korriban.
Lightsaber training[]
Skilled is an understatement.
—Darth Wyyrlok
A'Sharad Hett was trained by one of the Jedi Order's most skillful Jedi Masters, Ki-Adi-Mundi. Through him, A'Sharad Hett inherited much skill in the lightsaber art. Anakin's style, and his focus on dual blade combat, made him outstandingly talented with a lightsaber.
Hett was well versed in the style of Ataru. Ataru, an aggressive style that was fast-paced and effective against single opponents, though weaker in prolonged combat and confined spaces, was characterized by Force-assisted acrobatics, both for attack and defense, and fast, powerful strikes. Krayt would later develop the skill with the defensive nature of Atra-Manua to great affect. By the time of the Confederation-Galactic Alliance War, Krayt was one of the best swordsmen in the galaxy. However, Krayt's near dominant nature of attacking lead him to leave himself exposed, and he bore his fair share of battle wounds.
Eventually, during his time as a Decreton Sith, Krayt began to appreciate how much he had to learn, and began to focus more on Soresu. Apart from Ataru and Soresu, Skywalker mastered Vaapad during the Sith Crusade, a Form VII style beyond the classic Juyo. According to many in the Sith Order of Decreto, Krayt's mastery of Vaapad was the greatest they had ever seen.
When Darth Krayt became Dark Lord of the Decreton Empire he maintained his Form VII mastery, but he used it much more aggressively, becoming a brutal opponent. However, he would often become controlled by his anger, and give in to his darker emotions, which often lead to Krayt forgetting events which had happened literally seconds beforehand. Though aged, he still had several advantages over many of his adversaries. His experience, calmness, skill, focus and raw power often made up for his over-extended age.
By the time of his death, Krayt had completely mastered Jar'Kai and was still a dangerous opponent to all who opposed him.
Behind the scenes[]
Readers have noticed that Darth Krayt, was actually the oldest Sith to take the title of Dark Lord of the Decreton Empire (he had been Dark Lord of the Sith previously), being a staggering one hundred and seventy-seven years old at the time. In fact, Krayt did not take the title of Decreton Sith Lord until his mutiny against his former master, Darth Debello.
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