Darth Vexatus/PartTwo

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Conquest of Antei (20 ABY – 21 ABY)

The Antei Campaign (20 ABY)

After the move to Orian, Trevarus Caerick manipulated his way onto the Council to gain access to the long lost archives on Antei. The sorcerer’s next move was to secure a position for his apprentice to allow them both to continue their plans. While Xanos oversaw the reconstruction of the Temple of Bellseph his Master worked to excavate the Krath ruins on Calabrex. Their research revealed more than just lost mysteries of the dark side and Caerick uncovered evidence Astronicus Sadow had no intention to become the next emperor. While the revelation was of little real consequence the pair saw a chance to secure their influence over the Dlarit Corporation by blackmailing Sadow.

Xanos had impressed the Star Chamber during the Battle of Phare and was put in charge of the Antei Defense Fleet. Having been forced to secede earlier than planned when the Bastion Accords were signed much of the Antei system remained hostile to the Brotherhood’s presence. Xanos was charged by Jac Cotelin with bringing the native populations under the Council’s control and began the systematic subjugation of the neighboring worlds.

The Nameless Ones (21 ABY)

"We see from beyond the stars / Through the glittering of a million eyes / In a sea of glass."

―From the Tenebric Conclusions

Xanos Zorrixor at the time of the Okemi Crisis

As commander of the Council’s fleet, Xanos oversaw the genocide of the entire Antaran civilization after an uprising on Antares Major threatened to alert the galaxy to the Brotherhood’s existence. Unknown to Xanos at the time their actions on Antares Major awoke Okemi on Antei. The Nameless Ones who now controlled the ancient Sith Lord quickly spread across the planet, infecting Jac Cotelin and using him to seal off the system. Trevarus Caerick became stuck on Antei after an assassination attempt, barely kept alive by the Amulet of Orian.

Xanos remained trapped on Antares Major as the Nameless Ones began to take control of the entire system. With all communications in and out of the Shroud cut off the Brotherhood remained in the dark and no help would come. Xanos eventually managed to sneak out of the system on a commercial transport and get word to the Grand Master. A fleet was assembled from the Clans who had not yet fallen to the Nameless Ones corruption and an all out assault launched on Antei. After reaching the planet, Xanos held off Kem-Shu Maeda while the Grand Master made his way to Okemi’s tomb and confronted Jac Cotelin before destroying Okemi and ending the corruption.

Xanos was mortally wounded during his duel with Kem-Shu Maeda and had to spend several days in a bacta tank to recover. As for his Master, the Amulet of Orian had kept Caerick alive but it had also preserved the last taint of the Nameless Ones. Caerick survived but was lost his mind to the rage he had tried to block out for years and was consumed by Shan Long. Xanos was troubled he had lost against Kem-Shu Maeda and without his Master’s guidance began to question the path he was on. Xanos departed Antei hoping to find answers elsewhere after the Star Chamber refused him access to their private archives.

Divided Loyalties (21 ABY – 26 ABY)

Ziost and the Holocron of Tulak Hord (21 ABY – 22 ABY)

"The dark side is strong here. Far stronger than it ever was on Antei."

―Xanos Zorrixor, after arriving on Ziost

Xanos Zorrixor during his exile

Little is known of what Xanos did during his year in exile other than that he eventually made his way to Ziost, the throne world of the ancient Sith Empire. Xanos felt a much stronger connection to the dark side on Ziost than he had on Antei which led him to believe the true Sith had surpassed Okemi and his splinter faction. Xanos discovered the Holocron of Tulak Hord inside the Sith Citadel. Xanos had grown powerful during his time in exile but was not quite yet a Master and was unable to unlock the holocron’s secrets alone.

Xanos returned to the Orian system to seek advice from the archives of Sadow Palace. With the aid of Muz Keibatsu and Macron Goura he began to transcribe the knowledge of the holocron. His work was interrupted when the Council requested aid in subjugating a pirate colony on Coratua. Xanos led the Dlarit Corporation’s forces against the planet’s droid armies to help capture the facilities intact. Once the situation on Coratua pacified Xanos returned to unlocking the holocron. After a year of toil the transcripts of the holocron were added to the Brotherhood’s compendium and Xanos was elevated to the status of Master.

Kiln Tobasa (23 ABY)

"I am the Herald of the Final Way! The time when all shall fade into darkness draws near!"

―Kiln Tobasa

In early 23 ABY troops marched on Sadow Palace after several senior officers were assassinated forcing Xanos into hiding. The situation did not reach armed conflict until rogue units attacked Alabrek Castle on Tarthos and placed the Orian system on the brink of civil war. With the risk to the archives too great Xanos returned to Sadow Palace to confront the source of the disturbance. In the throne room he discovered Kiln Tobasa, apparently still alive but utterly insane, muttering about how the time of darkness was near. Xanos confronted Tobasa and defeated him to discover he had merely been a shade. With Tobasa defeated the situation throughout Orian relaxed and Xanos was able to return to his research. However, he remained troubled by whether he had destroyed Tobasa’s spirit forever or if it had been nothing but an illusion.

Visions (23 ABY – 24 ABY)

"I have seen the Star Chamber in ruins, the Dark Hall smashed, and Antei itself shattered by orbital bombardment from immense ships of impossible design. I have seen Antei, the seat of the new order, become a jungle far more hostile and alien than any on Ziost. I have seen the end of civilization."

―Xanos Zorrixor

Xanos Zorrixor's vision of Antei being set on fire

Xanos was troubled by Kiln Tobasa’s warning. The visions he had experienced almost a decade earlier returned to plague him when he slept. Xanos was now able to tell the world rendered dead to the Force was Antei. He became concerned for were Antei to fall the answers he sought would be lost forever. The Council were confident Antei was in no danger and dismissed his concerns. They said the visions were probably being caused by whoever had conjured the shade of Kiln Tobasa or were the lingering specter of Kurien and told Xanos to ignore them.

Despite being dismissed by the Council Xanos remained troubled. He used his influence in the Dlarit Corporation to begin reinforcing the Orian system, ordering the construction of Marakith Skyhook. Xanos also had additional funds diverted to Kaldex Transport Inc to speed up construction of the new defense force they had ordered after first moving to Orian.

Return of Trevarus Caerick (24 ABY)

"I have shown you the path of visions. Do you doubt the dark side, my apprentice?"

―Trevarus Caerick

Two years after Trevarus Caerick had lost his mind to Shan Long the Council decided they would divine nothing more of worth from his insane prattle. Caerick was delivered in chains to Sadow Palace and locked up until Xanos could decide what to do with him. Xanos would have let him die but as the Star Chamber refused to help he realized he needed his Master to learn the meaning of his visions. Xanos managed to pull Caerick back from the madness and restore his broke mind.

Caerick returned a changed man and now understood what must be done. His first action was to head out and deal with Kiln Tobasa for good. Next he deciphered the meaning of Xanos’s visions, realizing them to be of the aliens he had encountered decades before. With the truth revealed, Caerick convinced the Star Chamber to train his apprentice in order to fully decipher his visions.

Caerick did not reveal his true intention to use his apprentice to learn the secrets locked away in the Star Chamber’s archives. But nor did the Star Chamber reveal their plan was not to ward off the impending disaster but work out how best they could use it to their advantage.

Betrayed (25 ABY – 26 ABY)

Third Brotherhood Civil War (25 ABY)

"Any master who instructs more than one apprentice in the ways of the dark side is a fool. In time, the apprentices will unite their strengths and overthrow the master. It is inevitable; axiomatic. That is why each master must have only one student. This is also the reason there can only be one Dark Lord."

―Darth Maestus

The truth of Xanos Zorrixor's visions revealed

Jac Cotelin took Xanos as his apprentice and Shadow Hand to train, having a clone grown to find more time to manage his affairs. In addition to his formal training Xanos began to study the holocrons stored in the once forbidden archives of the Star Chamber. A few months into the next year, while Jac Cotelin was out of the system his clone declared itself the true Grand Master and sealed the Shroud off. Tensions between the Clans had been rising as the Selen and Aranna incidents earlier that year had shown, but the public emergence of Jaac Cotelin sent the Brotherhood into civil war.

Xanos sealed himself away in the archives as the clone took control of Antei. While the Brotherhood was distracted with its own problems a tribe of [[Alien invaders| Aliens] began their invasion of the galaxy in the Outer Rim. Xanos began to experience visions of his own death in the arms of the Alien-invaders. He also began to be driven mad by the great tremors he felt in the Force. Within the archives, the Holocron of Darth Maestus began to poison Xanos’s mind against the Star Chamber and convinced him they were to blame should his death come to pass for their failure to heed his warnings and take action.

Maestus taught Xanos the Rule of Two and the history of the Darth title. She explained to achieve true mastery of the dark side one must be prepared to sacrifice everything. By the time Jac Cotelin broke through the blockade around Antei and slew his clone, Xanos had been utterly corrupted by Maestus’s teachings. Cotelin recognized his apprentice had become a Sith Lord in his absence, but did not realize he had been poisoned against the Star Chamber. No sooner than Jaac Cotelin had been slain, the Clans rallied together and blockaded the Shroud to call the Star Chamber to account for what had happened. The siege lasted two months before the Star Chamber relented and granted each Clan an emissary to the Council. As soon as the blockade was over, Xanos openly denounced the Star Chamber, claiming their lack of leadership had caused the civil war and turned his back on the Iron Throne.

Return to Phare (26 ABY)

Trevarus Caerick was exuberant when his apprentice denounced the Star Chamber. The sorcerer proceeded to convince Xanos the Brotherhood, like the Jedi Order, must be destroyed if they were to free themselves from all restrictions. Caerick believed the Holocron of Antar IV which had been lost during the Battle of Phare held the key and they returned to the Orian system to enlist the aid of the Dlarit Corporation in retrieving it. The mission back to the Phare system took them across the Outer Rim. They were forced to evade the Imperial forces now occupying the planet to sneak into the ruins of Sadow Palace and recover the holocron in addition to the other lost artefacts.

Captivity (26 ABY)

"Pain is itself a god: the taskmaster of life. Pain cracks the whip, and all that lives will move. To live is to be a slave to pain. To be beyond pain is to be dead."

―Phaa Shul, Alien priest

Xanos Zorrixor shortly before being captured by the Force-devoid Aliens on Falleen

Following the mission Xanos made his way to Yavin 4 after hearing the Jedi Praxeum had fallen to the Aliens. Xanos’s ship was shot down and he was forced to team up with a group of Jedi survivors to steal a Peace Brigade shuttle and escape. To Xanos’s amazement among the survivors was his sister, Xora. Xora had survived the explosion on Falleen and grown up to join the Jedi after hearing rumors Xanos had become a Jedi Knight.

Believing her brother would help them, Xora convinced the other Jedi to take them to Falleen to rescue her adoptive parents. On Falleen, Xora realized her brother had fallen to the dark side when he attacked her after she tried to prevent him from stealing their ship. A squad of Alien warriors interrupted their fight and took them both captive. Taking aboard a worldship, the pair were placed in the Embrace of Pain and tortured by the Alien priest Phaa Shul.

Xanos endured months of torture. The Alien invaders inserted a tizowyrm into his ear to converse with him. He was forced to surrender himself completely to the dark side to survive, causing his remaining organic eye to become tainted with a sulfuric yellow ring. The Force-devoid Aliens tattooed over the scar where he had lost his right eye and removed his prosthetic eye, replacing it with an mqaaq’it implant which matched his surviving eye. His hair was also plucked out during his time strung up on the Embrace. Xanos eventually encountered Vykan after his old Master was captured and the three devised a plan to escape. However, believing Xora would never keep their encounter secret; Xanos left her behind to die. Vykan led his former apprentice to Korriban to weather the storm.

Darth Vexatus is Born (26 ABY)

"The Force will change you. It will transform you. Some fear this change. The teachings of the Jedi are focused on fighting and controlling this transformation. That is why those who serve the light are limited in what they accomplish. True power can come only to those who embrace the transformation."

―Darth Maestus

Darth Vexatus at the time of killing Vykan

Vykan led Xanos to the Valley of the Dark Lords where he explained the miasma of dark energy would keep them hidden. Vykan sought to make Xanos his apprentice again, to convince him to embrace the Rule of One. The Prophet was intrigued, and on Korriban he came to know a brotherhood of a different kind in this new Sith Order. Unlike the dregs of Antei, the One comprised ennobled figures, past legends, generals from the Clone Wars, adepts of the Empire. But it did not take long for Xanos to realize they were no different than the blind fools he had left behind: still ignorant to the Alien threat. True, there were some who saw the threat for what it was, however even with the few who had heeded the same portents that stretched back to Kiln Tobasa's first warnings years earlier, still they were blind to what the Sith Code truly was about.

In time, Xanos recognized the vision of his own death had already come to pass. Darth Maestus had told him he must surrender all attachment, that he must let go of everything belonging to his past life, but it was not until he was strung up on the Embrace of Pain he had truly understood what she had meant. Realizing the last traces of Xanos Zorrixor had died on the Embrace, he abandoned the One and declared himself Darth Vexatus. Vykan saw his old apprentice had surrendered to the teachings of Darth Bane, and Darth Revan before him, and concluded Xanos was as much a threat to the One Sith as to the Brotherhood itself. Vykan took up his lightsaber against the newly proclaimed Darth Vexatus to destroy the new Sith Lord. However, despite all Vykan's years of training and experience, he was struck down by his former student.

The Betrayer (26 ABY – 29 ABY)

Fall of Antei (26 ABY – 27 ABY)

"The Brotherhood is weak, failing, you brought this upon yourselves."

―Darth Vexatus

Darth Vexatus at the time of the Fall of Antei

Darth Vexatus remained on Korriban until he felt the Star Chamber issue a summons through the Force. He returned to Antei to learn the new Grand Master was assembling his forces in response to the Alien threat. Vexatus met with the Star Chamber only to learn they still did not believe Antei was in danger.

When the Alien attack on Antei began the Brotherhood fleets took refuge inside the Shroud believing it to be safe but discovered it had already been mined with dovin basals. Vexatus refused to lend his aid, content to watch the Brotherhood fall for its refusal to heed his warnings. When Trevarus Caerick was struck down by a Alien warrior Vexatus realized should Kalekka fall all their work would be lost. Vexatus pulled Caerick back from the brink of death, the strain of the act forever scarring his face. The pair manipulated Astronicus Sadow into leading his forces to Antei instead of withdrawing directly to Orian. Upon arriving at Antei, Sadow realized their betrayal and opened fire on their ship. After recovering the holocrons of Antar IV and Darth Maestus from Kalekka, the pair used their power to guide the Covenant safely out of the system, convincing the rank and file they had been on their side the entire time.

Following the Battle of Antei Caerick learned Sadow had been party to the Star Chamber’s plan to use the attack by the Force-devoid Aliens to cull the Brotherhood. The pair used the information to blackmail Sadow, rendering him unable to move against them without his own duplicity being revealed.

Battle of Tarthos (27 ABY)

They returned to find Orian had been besieged by a rogue cult of darksiders. Darth Vexatus sensed an echo in the Force and recognized it from his encounter with Kiln Tobasa to be the mark of a flow-walker. Vexatus and Trevarus Caerick infiltrated Marakith Skyhook slaying several cultists but Anaxela, their leader escaped. Caerick headed to Tarthos to secure Alabrek Castle while Vexatus went after Anaxela in Seng Karash. Vexatus chased the witch to Tarthos where he rendezvoused with Caerick before pursuing her to the Dark Fusion. The pair dealt with the remaining cultists, saving Astronicus Sadow’s life from Jingi Moksuna, but Anaxela managed to escape to Kangaras.

Aftermath (27 ABY)

"Lehon. The Heart of the Force is located on Lehon."

―Darth Vexatus

Darth Vexatus following the Battle of Antei

After Caerick’s actions at Antei the Star Chamber had tired of their treachery. With the Alien invaders tightening their hold on the galaxy the pair was unable to seek refuge elsewhere and forced to remain in the Orian system to avoid the Star Chamber’s assassins. When Vexatus had been held captive by the Aliens, his Master had begun to corrupt Macron Goura. Together they now proceeded to seduce him with the offer of training and used him to restore their influence over the Dlarit Corporation in spite of Astronicus Sadow’s objections. Through Goura, Caerick convinced the Grand Master he could be of service against his rivals on the Star Chamber.

While Caerick continued his political machinations, Vexatus completed his study of the Holocron of Darth Maestus, learning of the lost planet Lehon in the Unknown Regions. They were able to connect Lehon with the planet spoken of in the Holocron of Antar IV which was said to contain a source of great power known as the Heart of the Force. To reach Lehon they recognized they would need to break through the Aliens' stranglehold on the Hydian Way. To that end, Caerick worked to use his influence with Goura and Sarin to take control of the Dlarit Navy.

Furthermore, Caerick had found reason to believe the secret of Lehon's resting place was hidden somewhere in the records of Urias Orian, who was known to have once visited the lost world. Caerick renewed his search for the missing fragments of the Star of Ombus, hoping to piece together the puzzle that might lead him and Vexatus to the answers they sought. While Caerick delved into the archives, Vexatus scoured the surrounding systems, voyaging to Thule in pursuit of rumors of the lost Sword of Orian.

Mission to Kangaras (28 ABY)

At the end of the year, Goura’s training started taking its toll on his mind and he began to lapse back into insanity. Caerick used the development to his advantage, intending to replace Goura should his mind become lost. In early 28 ABY the freighter Anaxela had used to escape the Battle of Tarthos was located on Kangaras. During the expedition to uncover what had happened, Goura’s mind finally broke. Their quarry escaped but after learning of Goura’s fate, Sarin relieved him of his command and granted Caerick his place on the Council.

More importantly, however, in the wilds of Kangaras, Caerick came across the hidden tomb of Hafa Chun, once a servant of Urias Orian. Inside, Caerick and Vexatus discovered the Scepter of Orian, an artifact long believed lost–and the answer they had been looking for. Among Caerick's first acts as governor was to order the reconstruction of the ruined Temple of the Void which had stood empty since its destruction during his duel with Kiln Tobasa twelve years earlier. From their research the pair had discovered the temple held the secret of an ancient Star Map which, together with the Scepter now in their possession, would at last unlock the way to Lehon.

Retaliation (28 ABY)

"How fares your search for Lehon, apprentice? The first stage of our plans nears completion. The fool disciples of Sadow will soon ensure my Master and I safe passage to the Unknown Regions."

―Darth Maestus and Darth Vexatus

The Alien invaders' armada encountered at Telos

With control of the Dlarit Navy, Trevarus Caerick moved to break free of the cage they had been confined to since the Battle of Antei. With reports of an Alien fleet amassing at Telos an operation was launched to break their hold on the Hydian Way. The Dlarit Navy was sent in to divert the fleet at Telos while the Final Way deployed a team to the worldship stationed there.

Darth Vexatus was shot down and he and Caerick were forced to join the infiltration team. They encountered a Shamed One named Eshin Shul who led them to the yammosk. On the way they were attacked by Drathul Amnan, the worldship’s commander. Caerick and Vexatus opted to hold the commander and his retinue off while the rest of the team went on to the yammosk chamber. They killed Amnan but Caerick was captured when Eshin Shul betrayed them and taken to the Embrace of Pain.

While Vexatus attempted to rescue him the others slew the yammosk and returned to their ship. On orders from Astronicus Sadow, Muz Keibatsu issued a retreat, leaving Caerick and Vexatus to die, but they were rescued following the unlikely arrival of Jedgar Paladin. It seemed the Star Chamber was split on whether or not to destroy them. Following the battle the pair took advantage of Paladin's apparent certainty they would destroy themselves should they make it to Lehon. They convinced him to help them draw the dark side back into the temple being reconstructed on Sepros, seeking to reactivate the ancient Star Map buried there.

The year ended with Clan Arcona requesting aid after the Alien invaders launched an invasion of the Dajorra system. Darth Vexatus saw little reason to assist until Darth Maestus scolded him for focusing too much on Lehon and losing sight of his true goal. Vexatus convinced his old pawn Macron Goura and the visiting envoy Vallen'dere to join him in sabotaging the planet Selen's defenses. During the battle, the party succeeded in secretly blowing up the anti-air defenses of Estle City, forcing the rest of the Clan to abandon the world to the invaders.

Betrayal (29 ABY)

"The Third Sun has risen."

"Who is the Sword and who the Shield? Which the hero, and which the villain?"

―Darth Vexatus

Finally, on the anniversary of the Exodus, Darth Vexatus and Trevarus Caerick conducted a ritual to draw the dark side back into the Temple of the Void and, using the Scepter of Orian, reactivated the ancient Star Map matrix they had kept secret. After Caerick took control of the crew’s minds, they stole the Harbinger and headed to Telos to rendezvous with the Sanguinous and forces from the Obsidian Cohort led by Kem-Shu Maeda. Resisting the Caerick’s mind control, Maeda stood against them only to be slain by Vexatus. With Maeda dead and no need to hide his true allegiance from the Brotherhood any longer, Vexatus at last accepted the Mark from his Master. Looking upon the three eyes of his apprentice for the first time, Trevarus Caerick experienced a vision of the prophecy of his ancestor and when the line of Alain Caer would end, realizing the "third sun" spoke of the third burning red eye of Darth Vexatus.

At last believing her apprentice had become worthy of succeeding her, Darth Maestus instructed Vexatus to destroy her holocron. The Falleen crushed the device, absorbing the fragments into his flesh and becoming permanently bound with the shade of the ancient Sith Lord. Upon meeting Trevarus Caerick for the first time, Maestus unlocked the shade of Urias Orian which had been hidden inside the Amulet of Orian.

Mount Kazinal

The Harbinger headed to Lehon but the Disciples of Sadow were able to follow thanks to Macron Goura’s shared connection with the deserters. At Lehon, Caerick activated a number of illusion generators that had been brought onboard the Harbinger from the Sanguinus, creating a fleet of ghost ships to hold the Clan off. The pair took the Sanguinus and landed at the ruined Temple of the Ancients before making their way through the jungle to the Temple of Lost Souls, located within the dormant volcano named Mount Kazinal on the outskirts of the jungle. Inside, Vexatus was confronted with a vision of his sister, Renko Yast, Taraeis Alaviel and a man he did not yet know. While exploring the temple Darth Vexatus was attacked by a swarm of parasites, some of which managed to latch onto his right arm. Separately, he and Caerick made their way to two ancient hypergates which transported them inside a chamber at the core of the dormant volcano.

Duel on Lehon (29 ABY)

The Heart of the Force

"I am the Sword and the Darkness. I am the Destroyer. I am Death."

―Darth Vexatus

Upon locating the Heart of the Force, Caerick and Vexatus were attacked by a massive dark side wyrm and the Iron Fist brigade who had found them. The pair united to defeat their adversaries before turning on each other and dueling for the right to wield the power of the object they had so long sought. During the fight both were horrifically burned in addition to each losing an arm. Caerick suffered a broken rib while Vexatus lost the lower half of his left leg and one of his kidneys as well as being stabbed through the gut. After losing both his lightsabers, Vexatus flew out of control and launched a ray of energy at his Master, the two becoming linked in a battle of pure will. The fight ended when Vexatus caused the Heart to explode, impaling them both with thousands of shards.

The Clan arrived in time to witness what they believed to be the death of the two traitors. However, a second battle had been going on inside the sorcerer’s head and he emerged from the dead, reborn as Shan Long. The Dragon proceeded to battle the entire Clan. During the fight what remained of Vexatus came to, bursting into flames and losing all control as, rather than heal himself as Shan Long had, he sought to use the power of the Heart still pulsing through him to destroy them all. Muz Keibatsu battled the Dark Lord in vain until Macron Goura managed to stab him with a syringe filled with a potent neurotoxin. Defying death itself, Vexatus threatened to consume them all in his rage until Ylith Atema, with the Dark Lord utterly oblivious to his presence, the Valheru being cut off from the Force, was able to get close enough to stab the Falleen through the heart.

The depths of Kazinal Core, what was to be Darth Vexatus's final resting place.

Vexatus went into meltdown, drawing the volcano itself back to life in one last ditch attempt. Realizing the battle was over, the threat of annihilation having subsided, Jedgar Paladin sounded the retreat, ordering the Clan to fall back. Shan Long made one final attempt to summon the Sith Lord back from the brink of the abyss but Vexatus was lost, his mind and spirit shattered. The Dragon fled alone, leaving the Falleen to be consumed by the fires he had unleashed, having doomed himself. Vexatus tumbled into the depths of Kazinal Core, into the fiery heart of the volcano. Shan Long sensed Darth Vexatus blink out of existence, his essence falling silent. The Clan left Lehon content, Shan Long having escaped but his influence and dark schemes thwarted and the monster Darth Vexatus presumed dead. Following the events on Lehon, Shan Long had a vision of a jawless skull mocking him.