Sashar Arconae/PartOne

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History

Tragic Beginnings

Born upon Onderon, this Human's life would start with tragedy. The transport carrying Sashar and his birth family suffered a critical malfunction, causing it to crash upon the jungle moon of Dxun. No information on the crash or the passengers and crew was ever recorded, and so nothing was known of Sashar's blood family. Miraculously, the 6 month old infant survived the crash.

His life would have ended there had it not been for the timely arrival of the Patriarch of the Kodiak Clan. Happening upon the wailing child in the wilderness, the Patriarch decided to take Sashar with him. Perhaps it was the close proximity with which the transport crashed to the Mandalorian camp, or perhaps it was that a child capable of surviving a crash that killed so many adults should be able to endure what would come next. In any event, what came next was to be raised as a Mandalorian.

Like with so many other "Mandalorians," Sashar was an orphan raised as one of them. And being raised a Mandalorian meant that he underwent the same grueling training and labor as his brothers and sisters. And like all Mandalorians, Sashar was fiercely loyal to his family, and even as he surpassed his brothers and sisters in training, not once did it cause friction amongst them. The bond between family and clan was incredibly strong. Hubris or bravado could break it, yet none would be forthcoming from the boy who put his family before himself.

But, still life would change things – as it always does. At nine, the young Sashar had visions and nightmares of a giant, dark and foreboding structure calling him into the depths of the jungle. Troubled, he told his father of these visions. After much discussion with the elders and leaders of the Clan, it was surmised that the young Sashar had nascent ties to the Force. The information was kept from him, to keep him from believing he was different from his siblings and cousins.

Once more life's current would sweep Sashar up, leaving the past floating behind. Sashar was keyed for more rigorous training in leadership, tactical command and grand strategy. It was hoped that Sashar would one day take part in a grand campaign – a great Mandalorian Army. Still, life would not let the young boy fulfill the desires of his family. Sashar and his brother, Kieran, were inseparable. The two wreaked much havoc and caused much mischief within the Clan's enclave. Breaking into the Clan's archives, the two discovered their father's journal and his account of the discussion with the leaders of the Clan. That Sashar was sensitive to the Force. Immediately, the two youths set off. Commandeering one of the Clan's transports and making their way from the moon Dxun to the planet Onderon. At the temple, dark side entities accosted Sashar's mind. It was only through Kieran's intervention that Sashar arrived, dragging his comatose brother away from the temple and back to Dxun. Sashar would remain in a coma for more than a month.

The youth awoke distracted. Upon his return to consciousness, he proceeded to fall ever further behind in his studies. No one knew what plagued him, Sashar keeps mute about the affair, perhaps he himself did not know the reason for his distraction. In any event, he quickly was shuffled away from Super-Commando training and put into more technical aspects. And still the distractions continued. After a series of minor mishaps due to his distractions, Kieran took his brother once more to the tomb. There, Sashar came face to face with his demons and emerged from the tomb much more sombre.

Chrysalis

The second trip to the temple brought out something much darker and much more ferocious in Sashar. His efforts in training were redoubled and he was returned to Super-Commando training. It was not only in his training that he became more ruthless, but he developed a disturbing and quiet insight on how best to proceed with interrogations, when someone was lying and how to cause the most damage in a situation with the least effort. Troubled by this turn of events, it was decided that Sashar would be sent to Eos, there to learn the ways of the Dark Jedi – the ways of the Sith.

Within the Brotherhood, Sashar rose quickly. Assigned to Clan Alvaak, the Mandalorian was Knighted within a year. From there, he took up command of a squadron of fighters for the Clan, as well as taking on his first apprentice - a young Sith called Zandro Savric Erinos. A rising star, he eventually became a Sith Battlemaster, and Aedile of his House, while in Alvaak. Unfortunately, as is with life, the path he was currently on would be derailed once more. This time, forces beyond him would conspire. Members of the Brotherhood's Star Chamber and other prominent Elders chafed and balked at the liberties taken against their order and severed all ties to their sister organization – The Emperor's Hammer. The Hammer, one of many Imperial Remnant factions, acted quickly to staunch the haemorrhaging of talented Dark Siders from their ranks. Sashar and his command, Sentinel Squadron, were ordered to halt any attempting to secede from Alvaak. Sashar, however, would stay his own hand, unable to fire upon compatriots and those he grew to trust, and consider "vode" - siblings. He was summarily stripped of his rank and charge and exiled from Imperial space.

Without a place in the Empire, Sashar returned home rather than joining the Separatists. There he spent time meditating and conversing with the Elders of his Kodiak Clan. It was decided that he should instead venture once more out into the Galaxy, and learn more of the life that existed away from the cloistered Halls of the Sith, Krath and Obelisk. He would in his journeys, eventually stumble across the Bounty Hunter's Guild. There he would find new comrades in a group known as the Phoenix Kabal. Within the Kabal, he grew close to Dash Kuatir – a Kuati youth renown as both a marksman and a sharpshooter. The two would get into a great deal of trouble as well, as the brash young Kuati complimented the much more stoic Mandalorian. They would in fact enter into a relationship for a number of years.

Eventually, Sashar would join the Separatist Brotherhood, and would join Clan Arcona. As is with all things, Sashar made friends, allies and enemies within Arcona. Instrumental in the Selen Incident, Sashar also aided in molding Soulfire Strike Team, utilizing his training on Dxun. The Mandalorian made a name for himself in the Arcona/Taldryan Feud, even though Arcona came off worse in that particular engagement. Eventually, he would be promoted to Aedile of House Galeres, and took on two apprentices Malidir and his own brother Kieran. Both would rise steadily. Sashar would leave however, after he was sacked by his own Quaestor – acting under the direction and request of those outside of Arcona. This would be the start of a long animosity between him and Quejo Drakai Xyler.

Revelations

Sashar spent the time productively. He took an extended LoA with Zandro and his first apprentices’ brother, Xayun Erinos to help Zandro avenge his former fiancé’s death at the hands of Pirates. Sashar and Xayun worked closely during the incursion into the Pirate base, finding that their different force philosophies complemented each other – the Prelate put it down to their both being Mandalorians. However, a chance meeting of Xayun and Zandro’s sisters in the command centre of the facility. Sashar watched as the two brothers cut down their own flesh and blood – a disturbing sight for the grey Jedi who had always hoped that his first apprentice would follow his own ethos in the force.

After the conflict, the trio traveled to the Erinos family home on Yaga Minor. The mother of the two Erinos brothers, upon laying eyes on Sashar, divulged a confession. The Mandalorian was her son – she had had a child before meeting Zandro and Xayun’s father, and the father of the child had insisted that he be taken to a Mandalorian Clan to be brought up a warrior. Not wanting children at the time, their mother had agreed and had heard that the transport carrying Sashar and his father had crashed and assumed that all aboard were killed. Sashar apparently was the spitting image of his father, thus explaining their mother’s reaction. While it was shocking to discover that Zandro, Xayun and Sashar were all related, it was, for the Mandalorian not entirely unexpected – his Force Chain with Zandro when they were training was a testament to that.

Sashar could not enjoy any time with his mother for two reasons: First, neither the mother or the father of the Erinos Boys seemed too keen on dredging up the past, and the Mandalorian was to be recalled by Strategos Thanatos Entar, the former Proconsul, now Consul, of Clan Arcona. He would be asked to return, but rather than rejoin Arcona, be asked to join The Clan of Death – Tarentum.

This transfer was short-lived. While Sashar felt at home and at ease with the more military-orientated mindset of clan Tarentum, he desperately missed his vode in Arcona. He rushed through the assignment given to him by the Consul of Arcona (perform an in depth political and hierarchal reconnaissance of Tarentum) and returned to Dajorra. This was not before making the acquaintance of one Oberst - the Marshal of Tarentum's military assets. Their single encounter would leave quite an impression on the Mandalorian. Again, he rejoined Soulfire Strike Team and was elated to discover that his second apprentice, Malidir, had completed his training under a different master and was now a Knight.

In a secret ceremony known only to a few Sashar was named ‘Shadesworn’ of Arcona – a position given to the most loyal to the Consul who would act as his bodyguard, personal assassin and commander of Arcona’s Special Forces. Sashar immediately set to work training a unit of ‘mundanes’ to combat force users and nicknamed them the Sentinels - a homeage to his first command. He equipped them with superior gear to their compatriots in the Arcona Armed forces and made sure they could pilot all of Clan Arcona’s ships should they need to.

Onslaught

Unrest would spread through Arcona once again and soon there was a vacuum of power in House Galeres when Selene d’Tana, formerly one of the most trusted members of clan Arcona and a prodigy of Shadowcrafting, abruptly upped and left. Malidir was promoted to Quaestor and Sashar’s first apprentice, Zandro Savric Erinos was given back command of Soulfire Strike Team. Sashar took on another apprentice in addition to his brother Kieran – the Nagai known as Rho. Shortly thereafter there was a series of skirmishes between Clan Scholae Palatinae and Clan Arcona. Soulfire was able to put their new gear designed by Sashar and Kieran to use and their first tour of duty as a reformed unit was a success, however the unit did suffer losses, and was somewhat depleted. To combat this, Sashar sent out a call through the force for one of his ner’vod on Dxun – Juda. The Mandalorian answered the call and made his way to the Dajorra System (much to the dismay of the Clan Kodiak Elders). He was immediately placed in Soulfire Strike Team and kept explicitly away from the Shadow Academy – Sashar didn’t want Juda being warped by the Dark Side of the Force. Instead, he took Juda under his wing as an apprentice in everything but name – he still had Kieran and Rho’s training to complete and the Clan Summit would surely never allow him to take on a third; Sashar, however, was of the mindset that what the Summit did not know could not hurt them.

During this time, Sashar trained tirelessly with Strategos on his finesse with a lightsaber – he finally perfected his control of Soresu and was declared a Master of the defensive Form, and also started work on training to combat Vapaad – indeed Strategos was one of the few truly respected Vapaad duelists and there couldn’t have been a better teacher for the Mandalorian.

Soulfire Strike Team was still less than full strength when the Rite of Supremacy began. While initially faring well, Soulfire, like the rest of Arcona and indeed the Brotherhood, found themselves simply unable to match the sheer weight of numbers and left the Rite of Supremacy demoralized, however the failure was a crucible of sorts – it did forge the Clan in general and Soulfire in particular closer together, giving them a common enemy to fight against. Sashar finally also took on the duties of Clan Envoy during the Rite of Supremacy.

The Shadow Clan was not to have a redoubt. Bare days after the conclusion of the Rite of Supremacy a Hutt Armada led by the Besadii Clan invaded the Dajorra System. Sashar and Soulfire were immediately sent to Eldar to hold an area of dense forest being used by the invading Hutt forces to land the majority of their Mechanised units and Walkers. The Commando team were pulled out before they could complete their mission by an urgent call from the Consul – the attack on Eldar was a feint, and the Hutt’s real target was Selen.

Soulfire were brought back to the ACC Thanatos and quickly briefed on their mission – to retake the spaceport being used as a main landing area for the Hutt forces while their Sergeant, Zandro, was sent on a recon mission, utilising his singular experience in a TIE Phantom. Sashar was given command of the squad. Again, Soulfire were in their element and even went as far as taking down a Gallofree transport and two AT-AT’s (one with the aid of air support from Zandro), however they were struck a double blow when first Wolv was killed by a blast from the second AT-AT. The shock of the death through the battle meld caused both Sashar and Zandro to lose their cool (a rare occurrence). While Sashar had his comrades to back him up and bring him down from his blood drunk craze, Zandro wasn’t so lucky. Sashar’s first apprentice was captured.

Once again, Soulfire was picked up mid-way through their mission and together with the Consul assaulted Decca the Hutt’s stronghold in Arcona’s Capital – coincidentally where Zandro was being held. In one fell swoop Soulfire freed their Sergeant and killed off the Hutt leader – thereby ending the threat to Clan Arcona and the Dajorra system.

For his bravery in the Hutt Invasion and his completion of the Trials set out before him, Kieran was promoted to Dark Jedi Knight, joining Sashar as a Knight of Arcona. After the Hutt Invasion, Arcona entered a period of relative peace. House Galeres’ Quaestor stepped down and Sashar was appointed the role for his work as Clan Envoy and his repeated dedication during Soulfire’s numerous tours of duty.

Building a Better Future

The 'Vode Erinos'

During this relatively quiet time, Sashar, Xayun and Zandro embarked on a project; to form their own Mandalorian clan – The Erinos Family. They realized that to accomplish this, they’d need to recruit from outside and so made sure to offer the first 6 founding ‘places’ to their friends who had displayed an uncanny edge in combat – Kieran, Juda, and Malidir. Once they had established a core member base of force sensitivies – five of six who were Mandalorian – The Erinos brothers set out to create a small colony on the Arcona-held world of Arconae Primus – to that end, Zandro and Xayun sought out the raw materials for the colony such as pre-fab buildings and construction/farming droids while Kieran and Malidir returned to Dxun to offer some families from the Kodiak clan the chance to be part of a new Mandalorian Clan. They returned with 70 men and women, and work was started to establish this blossoming family.

Soon, others were welcomed into the Erinos fold, partially because of their warrior prowess, and also to strengthen the bond blossoming between Clan Tarentum and Clan Arcona. However, before the neophyte family could settle, the Eighth Great Jedi War washed through the Brotherhood, with devastating results.

Before the invasion of Antei, Galeres only saw one brief conflict with the Vong – specifically when Sashar led a contingent of Galeres to the planet Krant and eradicated a nest of peace Brigaders that had taken up residence inside an ancient Sith Temple. Sashar used the attack to cover his own entry and went through his own personal duel with the Shadow-wraith Malachi – a duel that left him with a cursed right arm, his skin turned jet black up to the shoulder, however the lost pages of the Abyssal Tome were retrieved, and Sashar found that his right arm was curiously better at channelling his latent Shadowcrafting abilities, however to conceal this alteration from his peers, he made sure to wear a black glove – he was not yet ready to assume the mantle of Shade Warrior.

Further, upon returning to Dajorra he discovered that there had been an assassination attempt on the Consul Strategos Entar. Intelligence Analysts from Arcona’s military discerned that the Taanis Syndicate, a supplier of bulk transports for Arcona, was behind it. Sashar led a team to Sukhur, where the Taanis syndicate were holed up to apprehend the culprits, and let his ner’vode into battle with a savagery he’d seldom displayed before. Indeed, it was during the Vitriol operation that the Mandalorian first used his Shadowcrafting abilities in combat.

Ruin

Straight after, Arcona was summonned along with the other clans to Antei.

Much of the Brotherhood’s military strength was located around Antei for an award ceremony to commemorate the recent Rite of Supremacy and as such, much of the Brotherhood’s military strength was scuttled when the Yuuzhan Vong swept in with unknown ships, unpredictable technology and superior numbers. The clans were decimated and scattered into the Shroud.

Sashar, Zandro and Kieran were thrown into the chaos as their Consul sent them back into the fray to the VSD Vae Victus in efforts to ascertain the fate of the Deputy Grand Master. The trio of Mandalorians were escorted through the maelstrom by Juda and Bendak, two of Soulfire Strike Team’s best pilots. Unfortunately, only Juda survived to get his charges to the dying Destroyer.

The trio met with fierce combat on-board the dying ship and Yuuzhan Vong warriors were already overrunning the defenses. The bridge was lost before their feet touched the Hangar floor and the Vode Erinos instead shifted their mission profile – hurt the Vong and deny them the capture of one of the Brotherhood’s more powerful craft. They battled their way to the Reactor Core and set the ship to blow up. The trio escaped via an escape pod (sacrificing the Clan’s Diplomatic Yacht, Serenity in the process) and were stranded in the darkness of the shroud. Unfortunately, they had to sit out the rest of the initial conflict around Dajorra until a patrol from clan Tarentum found their escape pod. From there, they were escorted to the Clan’s Marshal and shipped back to Dajorra, where Arcona was regrouping. The Arconan military had reacted brilliantly to the threat the Yuuzhan Vong posed. Rather than attempt to combat a threat with virtually no naval strength, the remaining forces had withdrawn to Arcona’s last stand – a contingency set in place by Sashar himself – they had retreated to Sukhur and awaited the return of the battered remnants of Arcona’s forces.

After the dust had settled, Sashar was appointed a senior military aide for the purpose of advising the new consul, Mejas Doto, and helped re-organise the newly minted task force assigned to Arcona into a fighting force that could both defend Dajorra and combat the threat the Vong represented. However, due to his being unable to fight with his brothers for most of the Antei conflict, he felt he was no longer fit for command and resigned as Quaestor, returning to Soulfire. This, coupled with his having a disagreement with the new Knight Commander of the Brotherhood left him without any pull on the Clan Summit – a situation he was grateful for. Nevertheless, Sashar was above all a survivor and set plans in motion to ensure the survival of both the Erinos Clan and Soulfire Strike team.

Mejas’s surprise reappearance in Arcona and unprecedented appointment as Consul alarmed the Mandalorian and prompted him to prepare a safe home in Tarentum for the Erinos family, however this was a last resort - to do so would likely damage the clan irreparably. Instead, Sashar took it upon himself to approach the Shadow Lord and act as his advisor, bringing Mejas Doto up to speed on member histories, recent events and the potential ramifications of some of his more radical reforms. The partnership blossomed and it didn’t take long for the Shadow Lord to appoint Sashar as his de-facto right arm.

A brief tour of the Shroud in the newly completed Eye of the Abyss II searching for survivors from the recent Antei conflict let the clan regain some confidence and bolster its members. As Sashar was still officially attached to Soulfire, he accompanied them on the hellish excursion to a derelict observation platform to rescue a motley collection of surviving Dark Jedi who had stumbled across the platform as they fled Antei. Unfortunately the Yuuzhan Vong had found them too.

Soulfire, as always, fought bravely and succeeded in extracting the stragglers, however the Exarch was captured and briefly tortured before his vode could retrieve him. Upon returning to the Abyss, Sashar was rushed to the medical ward and his own apprentice Juda operated on him to save his vision, grafting in a pair of prosthetic eyes for the short term until a more suitable replacement could be found. The Mandalorian was unperturbed by his capture and temporary loss of sight and carried on assisting Mejas during the tumultuous Resurrection of Arcona, where every single summit member in the clan was stripped of their position and forced through the Rite. Soulfire was once again called on to assist the Consul, hunting through the Darkest Night cloud the Shadow Lord created about Qel-Droma’s temple and the Exarch was placed as a last guard for anyone that could make it through the Shadowcrafted arena. Only one made it as far as him – Timeros, former Consul and deserter.

Sashar and Timeros engaged in a brief duel, however the Mandalorian was rested and prepared – he took the Heregan’s arm and sent him tumbling back into the dark maelstrom. Secretly, Sashar returned to the Battle site after the Rite and had Timeros' body shipped to a facility on Gethsemane for experimentation - the Mandalorian was determined to make use of the Consul even in death.

With his being confirmed the Proconsul of Arcona, Sashar sought to fully exploit his new position. His first act was to request that the Shadow Lord tutor him in the ways of Shadowcrafting so that he may one day attain mastery of the secretive art. His second was to fix the problem of his eyes. Mejas Doto and Juda Erinos worked together to clone a pair of eyes that were imbued with the force. This meant that in addition to granting the Mandalorian his usual sight, he was also able to see well in complete darkness (a homage to his Shadowcrafting) and also occasionally see currents in the force. The eyes, unlike his originals, were a dark blue with an unusual pupil pattern, signifying their cloned nature.

For Arcona

Sashar’s time settling into Proconsul was spent well. He worked closely with Oberst and other members of the Tarentum Summit to forge a treaty of alliance between the two maverick clans. Dubbed the Treaty of Kessel, it bonded them together, with the Erinos the driving force behind the scenes to pair the clans together. Immediately following this, the Exarch spearheaded a ‘Great Hunt’ for Arcona in an effort to aid the Tarentum/Arcona research efforts – namely, he intended to capture a live Terentatek. The Hunt was a success and Sashar had the specimen moved to ‘The Project’ on Boral – the former location of Kaek’s terraforming project that had fallen under during the GJW as the budget was needed to re-build the military.

The Mark of the di Tenebrous Arconae

With Sashar’s ascension as Shadow Scion, he was also granted the title of di Tenebrous Arcona – on the condition that he renounce his allegiance with the Erinos family and swear a blood oath of fealty to his clan. Reluctantly, Sashar agreed and convened the first Erinos convocation, where he passed on the role of Patriarch to Malidir. Secretly, Sashar had no intention of abandoning his family, however he was only confident in his own ability to deceive Mejas – he couldn’t be sure that the Shadow Lord would rip the information from his brother’s heads. As such, it was the first time the Mandalorian had ever been truly alone. For completing this ‘test’ of his allegiance, Sashar was also granted a Sapphire Blade.

The Proconsul was sent to Fondor on a recruitment mission for Arcona, hoping to track down a potential lead on a Force User. Taking with him Kieran, the pair discovered a young Kiffar who seemed to be ‘lost’ – the youth rebelled against any authority figure that imposed itself in his life, however Sashar was able to get through to him after some persuasion, and offered him the chance to become a fearsome warrior – at a price. Celahir agreed, and was first sent to Dxun to be trained up by Kieran in the ways of the Mandalorian before he’d begin his tutelage in the Force. Sashar reported the mission a failure and kept Celahir’s existence from Mejas, fearing that his attachment to the Kiffar would result in Mejas displaying a more cruel side of leadership.

Shortly following this, Sashar assigned one of the newer members of Arcona a dangerous mission of espionage against the Shadow Clan’s long time rivals – Scholae Palatinae. The journeyman was caught and unable to kill himself: instead, the Palatinaeans used him to bring the full fervor of the Justicar down on Arcona. Rather than see his clan take the brunt of the political fallout, Sashar assumed responsibility and was promptly demoted for letting his personal vendettas interfere with his command and create a potentially disastrous situation in the brotherhood that was still reeling from the Vong attack.

Instead of taking his demotion and licking his wounds, the Mandalorian decided to use the momentum to his advantage and pressed for peace between the long-time rivals. In secret meetings with their Consul and Proconsul, he and Mejas were able to negotiate a cease fire of sorts with their counterparts and both clans charged for an immediate cease of hostilities. This single act prompted the Quaestor of House Qel-Droma – Sashar’s former betrayer to turn on the Summit once more. Defying the orders of the Clan Summit, Quejo and his Aedile Orv Dessrx mobilised their house using the BAC Shadow to take them to the temporary Redoubt of the Jedi – Eclipse Base in hopes of massacring the Jedi Order while they were on their back feet from the Yuuzhan Vong War.

House Galeres, lead by Sashar’s first apprentice Zandro mobilised as well in efforts to pursue Qel-Droma and prevent the massacre. The two Houses entered into a brief war before the battle was abruptly ended with the arrival of Mejas and Sashar, who brought their clan back in order. Shortly following the attempted secession of House Qel-Droma, The Dajorra system finally caught the eye of the Warmaster Nas Choka. To complete his dominion of Hutt Space, he sent a task force of his reserves to wipe out the Clan of Dark Jedi nestled on the outskirts of the Maw. Mejas Doto charged Sashar with marshalling the flotilla to defend the Clan from the oncoming invasion, however before they could adequately prepare the Vong’s vanguard arrived. While The Dajorra Defense Force barely held its own, The Proconsul sent Zandro out with Shade Squadron to do a close bombing run on the lead Miid Ro’ik. The Radiation bombs were enough to slow the offensive but not stop it completely, and even with the timely arrival of the Arcona Expeditionary Force wasn’t enough to halt the offensive. As such, in order to preserve the fleet, Mejas ordered the fleet to withdraw into the Maw, drawing the opposing fleet away.

For the most part, the ploy worked and The Arcona flotilla was able to draw the other two destroyer analogs from the Dajorra system and chase them through the Maw, however the crippled Destroyer crashed into the surface of Selen near the Citadel, allowing the dying warriors within to lay siege to the Citadel. The Consul was left with no other option but to petition the aid of another Clan – Naga Sadow.

The Sadowans did send support that arrived before the Arcona Armed Forces could return, however the arrival of a further three destroyer analogs and their support ships (as well as one of the original destroyers trailing the Arcona flotilla) left the combined clans fighting a losing battle. Given no other choice, the Arcona forces had to order a retreat. Braving the surface, Sashar and Zandro ventured into the besieged Estle City and met with the remaining Caste Leaders, giving them a few last instructions before heading to the Citadel.

On their way, Zandro and Sashar passed over the battlefield surrounding the Citadel and felt their brother, Juda, in dire need of assistance. Sashar chose to ignore it in favor of reaching Mejas faster, which ultimately drew Zandro and the Proconsul into a duel at the outer trench. A swift duel which resulted in the destruction of Sashar’s lightsaber, and Zandro being incapacitated. Faced with hordes of irradiated Vagh Rodiek, Sashar prepared to die fighting, however the timely intervention of Juda wielding Zandro’s saber and the pair of Krite Dragons being controlled by Mejas Doto gave Major Malay the time to return with a LAAT/i transport and extract the trio of brothers to the Citadel. It was during this fateful duel that Sashar finally revealed to Zandro the reasons for his betrayal, which brought him some measure of understanding, but not forgiveness. As soon as Sashar reached the Consul, a splinter group of Naga Sadowans spearheaded by Ylith Atema targeted the exposed Citadel from orbit and demanded that the Arconans surrender to him, however the Sadowan summit quickly regained control of the situation and stopped the insane usurper.

The retreat from the Citadel was brief but intense, with an honor guard forming around the Consul in the form of Malidir, Kieran, Juda, Zandro, Sashar and Illian Syn, while the remnants of the Citadel Guard held off the Vong hordes in the lower Citadel. A climactic holding action took place at the top of the Citadel, where even the Shadow Lord had to draw his saber to hold off the Vong until the timely arrival of Cyris Oscura, who saved his life. From there, the AGV Valour's Fall extracted the last survivors from Selen and Arcona were forced to flee Dajorra.

From there, the Remnants of the Arconan flotilla, now full of refugees extracted by the Larties during the pitched battle traveled to the Yridia System for repairs and resupplies. Almost as an afterthought, Sashar was sent to the Naga Sadowans to start negoatiations towards a possible alliance, however he used the premise as an excuse to abduct Ylith Atema (through a squad of TAMs and Illian Syn) as well as meeting in secret with then Jedi Hunter Vorion. With no home, the Clan was left to traverse the stars as a nomad flotilla. During this time, Sashar worked closely with Illian Syn rounding up various underworld contacts forming ‘Ghost Cells’ of indoctrinated mercenaries with singular skill sets in the hopes of having the first element of what would later become known as the Dajorra Intelligence Agency – highly specialized black ops squads.

Nomads

With the loss of the Dajorra system morale in the clan hit an all-time low. The Flotilla became a refugee camp with many of the cargo bays and corridors in the fleet turning into shanty towns and med-centers. Life support systems on all of the ships were augmented way beyond their original specs and suddenly Quartermasters, Galley Chefs and Doctors became everyone’s best friend and supplies became scarce. With few choices left to them, the clan turned to piracy, primarily targeting Peace Brigade convoys and even occasionally other clan’s merchant contractors – naturally, this did not make the clan the most popular in the Brotherhood.

During this period, Sashar and Kieran visited Mandalore on hopes of relocating the Kodiak Clan. The trip was a failure, as Force Sensitivity proved to be more of a liability than anything among the locals, however Sashar did rescue a youth being assaulted by a half-dozen rowdy natives. The Erinos disposed of them, and following a nudge from the Force, took in the boy, who could’ve been no more than sixteen. He nursed the boy back to health and investigated his origins, which seemed to have been a cabana boy to a visiting wealthy merchant from Dantooine. Deciding that such a life was a waste for a clearly Force Sensitive youth, Sashar sent him to Dxun for indoctrination into the Mandalorian ways. He was renamed Voden. Whilst there, he took Celahir, who had completed his training and become a member of the Clan and sent him to Tarentum, safe from the reach of Mejas Doto, to be trained up by Archean Erinos – a powerful Dark Jedi who had befriended and joined the Erinos before accompanying Xayun to Clan Tarentum.

However, it wasn’t until the combined forces of Clan Plagueis and Scholae Palatinae were engaged with the Yuuzhan Vong that Mejas Doto, the tinges of madness gripping his vision, ordered Arcona’s forces to stand by until they were both at their weakest, then finish them off that Sashar finally began to enact his plans of betraying the Shadow Lord. His first phase was to dispatch Illian Syn in secret to the Dark Council and inform them of Mejas’s plans, thereby isolating him from the Council and his strongest support base. As the Shadow Lord became more and more erratic and reclusive, it became dangerous for anyone to speak to him other than Sashar, as he was prone to lashing out and maiming or even killing officers and Jedi whose only crime was to have the misfortune of being near the Consul when he fell into such a frustrated rage. As such, the Proconsul decreed that the entire clan would first answer to him, and he would then report to the Consul to save on the loss of life. The CSP/CP/Arcona feud ended in shambles with the Shadow Clan barely escaping with their lives, such were the almost self-destructive orders of the Consul – only the timely intervention of the Dark Council saved all three clans from heavy losses. To placate the growing unrest from the majority of the native Dajorran crew, Sashar organised a reconnoitre which the majority of the clan’s force users joined as well as a select crew of mundanes loyal to Sashar in the TAM brigades. It was during this secret excursion onto Selen that the Proconsul finally met in person then Jedi Hunter Vorion, a defector from Naga Sadow that would come to play a large role in Arcona’s future, though neither knew it at the time. The main objective of the expedition was to assess the defenses the Vong had established and connect with the resistance. The Consul and House Qel-Droma handled the former, while Sashar took on Galeres and the second house. Unfortunately, early on into the operation, Vong scouts spotted the Shadow Clan (their numbers were too large to effectively hide themselves for long) and Arcona had to pull out once more, however a fleeting rendezvous with the local resistance leader was accomplished.

During one resupply trip to [Alpheridies], A stowaway was encountered in the hangar bay of the Clan’s Flagship. Sashar chased the youth down and found him to be an exceptionally powerful Miraluka Force User, but he was untrained. He’d been attempting to run away and see more of the galaxy, and the Proconsul was only too happy to oblige. He sent Maaks to Dxun to train up and become Mandalorian before he’d allow him into Soulfire, however.

It was nearly time. Mejas’s madness was reaching a fever-pitch. He spent weeks endlessly scouring the Abyssal Tome, sequestered away in his private chambers and his orders became few and far between. His obsession over the loss of shadowcrafting left him switching between muttering indecipherably as he poured over the pages to force-fuelled rages. More and more responsibility was heaped on Sashar until it became clear that the Consul wasn’t even a figurehead or dark mystic, merely an insane Dark Jedi Master with a mind so shattered and fragmented that he was a danger to the entire clan. Plans that had been made nearly four years before were finally set in motion.

Usurper

Sashar gathered the Arconae and divulged his plans to confront the Consul and take his place, asking for their support. Seeing the decline of the Clan, there was unanimous support. His next act was to organise a training exercise that involved both houses and the majority of the Consul’s Guard left on board the Abyss – the only troops Mejas had left loyal to him. With the Quaestors out of the way, they wouldn’t be forced to choose sides, nor could they be implicated in the coup if it failed. He then requested that Commodore Sulaco and the majority of the Command Staff aboard the flagship perform a tour of the fleet to insure that all of the ships were up to scratch. Finally, unable to stall with preparations anymore, Sashar disabled the communications aboard the flagship and left to confront the insane Shadow Lord, enlisting the help of Zandro and Malidir Erinos as well as Strategos and Timeros Entar. The battle was bloody, dirty and swift. Without his Shadowcrafting, Mejas proved dangerous, but unable to contend with another elder as well as three of the most senior equites in the clan. It culminated with him being incapacitated and placed in stasis. Strangely, the Consul’s guard left aboard didn’t interfere with the battle and recognized Sashar as the rightful leader after the dust had settled. As soon as his rule was authenticated by the Dark Council, the newly minted Consul sent Timeros and Strategos along with a Carbonite-frozen Mejas Doto to the Yridia system, where Oberst Tarentae constructed a [beskar] inhibiting collar that prevented the Dark Jedi Master from even thinking about using the force against his brethren. Only when the Zabrak was ‘muzzled’ was he allowed back to the Arconan flotilla.

The next few months were violent and tumultuous within the clan as the Mandalorian’s control was cemented. There were various explosive disputes with the clan, and Sashar raised some eyebrows by picking a newly anointed Knight as his Proconsul – the [Ubese] Vorion. Together, the pair quickly silenced any dissent by being far more violent than was usual in Sashar’s leadership style, however it was necessary to frustrate any attempts to unseat him before he was ‘settled.’

Eventually, the clan regained some semblance of order, and with the new Clan summit appointing a number of individuals they could trust into the various positions of power within the Houses, order was restored. Finally, plans were set in motion to go home. Vorion, Sashar and eight other equites and elders hatched a plot to stage a ‘betrayal’ of their clan and at the same time, form an elite organization called the Shadesworn who’s primary goal was to test Arcona and make sure they were ready for the trials ahead. The clan passed the test by offering the Shadesworn a considerable challenge as they wreaked havoc throughout the flotilla, and finally the Shadesworn staged a dramatic escape by hijacking the INT Creeping Darkness and jumping to the [Maw].

The rest of the clan, now led by the Quaestors, pursued the ‘traitors’ into the maw and decanted to find a research station waiting for them, acting as a gatekeeper to the ‘Stair of Doto’ – a massive singularity that provided a ‘back door’ through a previously impassable portion of the Maw. Strangely, the Consul and Proconsul contacted the rest of their clan and revealed the Shadesworn’s true objective: retaking Dajorra.

Bolstered, the Clan once again unified under the Consul’s banner and the entire fleet ascended the Stair of Doto. The Battleplan was simple – Vorion would command the Fleet and Sashar would command the ground forces in re-taking Selen, for whoever controlled Estle City controlled the System. The battle was quick, but brutal. The Vong forces were in disarray, as a lot of the resources had been redirected closer to the Core for the climactic battle of Coruscant, leaving only a token garrison. The Arconan fleet, battle-hardened and eager to retake their homes easily proved more than a match. Similarly, caught unprepared, and with hundreds of resistance camps simultaneously rising up all over the system, the Vong on the ground were quickly overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, Arconae Secundus had been extensively Vongformed and had numerous considerable garrisons and shaper damuteks littered all over the surface – it had been transformed into a manufacturing world and there was little chance of saving it. Rather than commit the clan to a years-long campaign to re-take the planet, Sashar ordered it Orbitally Bombarded – a Base Delta Zero. The planet was slagged. While the fires still burned on Secundus, the entire brotherhood was charged with aiding the Dark Council in taking back Antei.

Arcona answered the call and joined the rest of the Brotherhood on their journey through the Shroud, however instead of Vong, Crask’s Jedi forces awaited them, along with legions of Battle Droids. The Clan was thrown into the worst of the fighting, their forces being spread across the surface of Antei. The Battle dragged on and a lot of the Clan’s junior members met their end there. In one climactic duel, their Proconsul and Sashar’s right arm Vorion was seen to be struck down by one of the Jedi and was listed as Killed in Action, forcing the Mandalorian to swiftly appoint Strategos as his new second in command. The losses were horrible. Arcona suffered 66% casualties among her Journeymen and Equites, leaving Sashar with just under fifty Dark Jedi to command. Nevertheless, the Shadow Clan outdid herself and was charged with helping pacify the area around the Dark Hall. For their services and dedication to the Dark Council in what would later be known as the Ninth Great Jedi War, Arcona was rewarded handsomely and declared the new First Clan of the Brotherhood – a title never before held by any other clan than Taldryan.

Champions

The clan returned to Dajorra battered but jubilant. However, their hard work was far from over. Their home system still had numerous pockets of Yuuzhan Vong resistance, and a massive reconstruction project lay ahead of them. The first act was to reconstruct the Arcona Citadel. The tiered Estle City, seen as the central location of the entire Dajorra system, was chosen to be the site. At the top of the City on the plateau where there had been historically many Clan rituals performed, was transformed into a massive Tower that stretched far into the mountain beneath it. Sashar was very involved in the design and construction of the facility, making sure to add a secondary list of secret passages and chambers that honeycombed the Citadel and made sure to memory wipe every single droid involved in the process. Unfortunately, he also had to silence the chief architect and five native workers, disguising their deaths as a construction accident, however he reasoned that six lives were a small price to pay to guarantee an additional level of security in the long run.

Soon after Dajorra was pacified, and the reconstruction efforts began, the new Grand Master Muz Ashen visited Arcona personally to deliver their reward – two unique Force Techniques that would be restricted to the Shadow Clan. Sashar chose Force Wraiths and the Dathomiri Blood Trail. Being the first that had access to both, he devoted all of his energy into mastering both. He did not fail in this endeavour and privately developed both techniques, as well as coming up with innovative uses for both, but made sure that he kept such developments quiet from the rest of the clan (fearing yet another coup attempt, and his own knowledge used against him), and also made sure that they were only released to the wider clan once he was comfortable with them.

Confident that no more significant threats from within Arcona would challenge him, Sashar sent for Voden and personally trained him up to Dark Jedi Knight (though Voden’s own latent skill with the Force was considerable, and he’d picked up a fair bit from Kieran during his Mandalorian indoctrination. He made it to Knight in less than six months. During his tutelage, Sashar and Voden became very close, and struck with a freedom to attachment he’d not felt since his sabbatical from the Brotherhood, the Consul entered into a relationship with Voden which was as tempestuous and as filled with arguments and fights as it was filled with a fierce love for one another.

Unfortunately, the period of peace was short-lived. Mejas Doto was approached by a mysterious figure, offering to help him reassert control of Arcona for seemingly no reward. Mejas agreed, and Mr. Lorden (who claimed to represent a group of larger and powerful individuals) freed the Zabrak of his beskar collar, then set in motion a series of events to help isolate Sashar. Mejas wasted no time in assaulting the Citadel, whilst the Consul was attacked by two force-using assassins. The Consul’s fight spilled out onto the plateau atop Estle City and he was forced off, presumably to his death. However, one of the modifications to the Citadel on its construction was a bestiary, complete with two Drexls, beneath the plateau. Sashar was able to seize control of one of the beasts and catch him mid air before returning to the Beastiary. However, almost all of his weapons had been lost during the fight, leaving him with only his SSK-7.

Mejas worked quickly to consolidate his rule and incapacitated or killed several of Arcona’s members closest to Sashar, notably Xuthen, who had been working as his Aide. Soulfire Strike Team, in retaliation for their support of Sashar during the previous coup, were fitted with beskar collars and sent on a suicide mission, and even Commodore Sulaco, commander of Arcona’s Expeditionary Force, was killed, then served unknowingly to the members of the Clan during a feast.

Eventually, Sashar regained his strength and utilised the secret tunnels within the Citadel to wreak havoc, tormenting the Shadow Lord repeatedly before escaping on one of the very Drexls that had saved him days before. He regrouped with Soulfire, and together with the rest of the summit and his favoured Battleteam, won back the Throne in a climactic duel, which resulted in Mejas being put into a coma. Investigations were put into effect as to the origin of the mysterious Sith Assassins, but given that Sashar recognised neither, the other Clans were above suspicion.