Delliak Marquand Sakaros was the first child and only son of the Sith Lord Tariun Sakaros, Phoenix Prince of the Golden Empire, and Executor Breek Zagrev. As such, he was the nephew of Rin and Nagarian Sakaros and the first grandchild of Tak Sakaros. He was given the middle name "Marquand" after his paternal uncle.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Breek and Tariun agreed to deny their children royal titles until maturity to control their attitudes. Delliak spent much of his early life with his mother, although during the Nightmare War he was kept safe in the Citadel along with his sister Nike. It was there that he first met Terra Zaffrod, the silver-skinned Kasci daughter of Breek's best friend Jira. Only three years old, Delliak thought with amazement that the silver girl was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Delliak and Nike moved to Baes in 150 ABY when their mother became Consul. They were the target of an assassination attempt by the Human Unity Front, but were protected by Breek, Zeth Kezzerek, Benzeel Rikos, and Kyriel Windrunner. As a young boy, Delliak enjoyed The Adventures of Fuego the Phoenix, and had a toy replica of Fuego's starship.
Novitiate[]
In preparation for the 151 ABY Consular Assembly, Dell and Nike were returned to the Sith Star for their safety. After the Assembly, he was introduced to his new sister Amina, but had only a week with her before his mother informed him he would be staying aboard the Star to become a Centurion. Dell was initially very resistant to the idea, but was persuaded by his aunt—and by the presence of his friend Terra, also a new Novice.
Terra and Delliak quickly became inseparable, the best friends of their age group. Training as a Novice and a desire not to look bad in front of Terra broke Dell of his childish tendency to whine, and he worked hard to live up to his parents' legend in the Order. When Nike joined the Order in 153 ABY, Dell was happy to be reunited with her, though there was some brief friction when Nike resented Delliak's closeness with Terra. By the following year, however, the two Sakaroses and Terra all got along well, and Nike often tagged along with them for games.
Delliak emerged as one of the most adept swordsmen of his age group. Tall for his age, his gravitated toward a strong style which prefigured his ultimate adoption of Djem So as an adult. He enjoyed sparring with both his comrades and older Novices, such as Seeg-Til, and idolized his uncle Nagarian. When Amina became a Novice, Dell occasionally joined motherly Nike in trying to keep their chaotic baby sister restrained. He was close with his parents and both his sisters, but more than one Praetor observed that the bond between Delliak and Terra was almost unnaturally strong. The two friends spent much of their free time together and hated being separated for long periods. They trained together almost every day, and as Delliak helped the smaller Terra learn to fight against more powerful opponents, quick and graceful Terra made sure Dell's strong fighting style did not become brute force at the expense of skill.
At his fervent request, Delliak was allowed to stand a Centurion's vigil for Eskol Kaartinen along with his mother, wearing one of his father's lightsabers. He was protective of people he loved, and when Sarvhak accidentally broke Nike's arm in a sparring session in 158 ABY, Delliak fell on him in a rage with a training saber until Vos'elk'eetash brought him to heel. After he had calmed down, though, Delliak was deeply remorseful and ashamed, and after apologizing to Sarvhak made a special effort not to rise to provocation.
Something there that wasn't there before[]
As he became a teenager, Delliak continued to grow more skillful and powerful. However, he found his relationship with Terra more awkward than it had ever been. By his teen years he towered over her and was substantially stronger. He began to pull back his sparring with her, not wanting to hurt her as he had seen Sarvhak hurt Nike. Terra, for her part, was offended by Delliak babying her, and the two had their first serious fight over the issue. The tension spread through their friend groups; Siobhan, who had always been close with Dell, kicked him in the shin and ignored him, and Amina—when she finally noticed something was wrong in the first place—summarily told both Dell and Terra "You're both stupid and you suck!" After Delliak was distracted by Terra's annoyance and broke a finger during a training duel, Rayne Turgachia advised him to push Terra hard. He eventually resumed his harder practice with Terra, and they made amends.
Dell and Terra's relationship continued to change, and he earned Siobhan's ire again when he unthinkingly remarked that Terra looked beautiful.
Powers and abilities[]
Scion of a Forceful dynasty, Delliak was strong in the Force and took naturally to Centurion training. Even when he was a preteen, his instructors felt he had a gift for swordfighting which exceeded natural Force talents, comparing him favorably to lightsaber prodigies Kieran Sapphire and Aria Nikina.
Appearance and personality[]
Delliak had black hair like his father, though curly like his mother's, and gray-green eyes. He looked mostly Human, although he had a slightly flushed look due to his red-skinned Sith heritage. As he grew older, his features settled into a swarthy complexion. He was always tall, and after hitting puberty developed a strong build.
As a child, Delliak was inquisitive and usually well-mannered, though he had a tendency to whine when he did not get his way. He became less complaining and more boisterous as a Novice, usually rising to any challenge set before him. Like most children of the Sakaros line, he was raised around Massassi, and consequently did not develop a fear of the imposing aliens. Dell was fascinated with stories of great Centurion heroes who had come before him, including Keltrayu, Aquila Corcer, Sato Raltharan, and his living siblings Te`net Organi, Vem, Aria Nikina, and his own mother. He often daydreamed about being a hero himself and saving people from monsters. As he grew older he began to study the military and combat in greater depth, and sought advice from his parents and other Centurions he respected.
Delliak was close with both of his parents and both of his younger sisters, as well as his aunt Rin. As his novitiate began and continued, however, his friendship with Terra Zaffrod became one of the deepest bonds in his life; both their parents, their Praetor-Instructors, and even Centurions passing through the Citadel remarked at how oddly close the two were, often sensing and reacting to one another's slight shifts in mood.