Saal Kesyk

Saal Kesyk
Biographical Information
Homeworld:	Coruscant
Date of Birth:	12 ABY
Physical Description
Species:	Human
Gender:	Male
Height:	appr. 5'8
Weight:	150 lbs
Hair:	Brown
Eyes:	Blue
Personal Information
Lightsaber Color(s):	Red
Lightsaber Form(s):	Djem So Juyo
Fighting Style(s):	Corellian Kickboxing Whiptree
Chronology & Political Information
Profession:	Soldier
Era(s):	NEW, NJO, DJB,
Affiliation:	Sith, Clan Plagueis Black Flag
Personal Ship:	The Blood Eagle
Known masters:	Kamalis Creed
Dossier:	13033
[ Source ]

Saal Kesyk is a Sith Warrior, currently allied with Clan Plagueis. He is responsible for the creation of Black Flag, a criminal network of pirates, smugglers and spies which he employs the use of to attain his social and political goals.

Joining the Brotherhood

In 27 ABY, Saal graduated from the Shadow Academy at the age of 15. He was selected to apprentice under the Arconan Sith Kamalis Creed. Creed was a Zabrak whose lineage traced back to Darth Kraygus, a Sith Lord and Wrath of an ancient Emperor. A cunning tactician and ruthless master, Creed would lay the political foundations of and set the stage for Kesyk’s rise to status and power within the Brotherhood. Under his tutelage, Saal Kesyk was trained to be a marauder, a ferocious force on the battlefield. Excelling in the dominant forms of Djem So and Juyo and possessing a natural aptitude for conjuring Sith Lightning, the young Sith quickly became outfitted as a weapon of warfare.

The Dark Crusade

In 30 ABY, the Sith was given his first taste of warfare. Recovering from the Horizons Plague and Zoraan’s attempts at revenge, the Brotherhood now found itself in conflict with the One Sith. After Muz Ashen issued the order for the Brotherhood to conquer their new enemy, Kesyk was dispatched to aid the Arconan war efforts on Barghebba. The Sith would operate within a covert Arconan strike team comprised of other Dark Jedi, their mission being to perform a raid on a Mecrosa outpost.

The strike team, composed of seven Dark Jedi, took heavy casualties, to the point that by the time the Arconans had infiltrated the stronghold, cleared it of enemies and deactivated the anti-aircraft artillery around the base to make way for Arconan freighters, there were only three remaining: Kesyk, a fellow Sith knight and an acolyte. Upon completion of the mission, Kesyk plunged a Mecrosan dagger from a nearby corpse into the acolytes heart. Being the strongest warriors of the group, Kesyk and the knight had plotted to provide minimal aid and coverage to their allies, allowing their comrades die and even killing some in the midst of the chaos so that they could thin out some of the weaker Sith competition within their ranks. Kesyk and his master also believed that a scroll containing the teachings of Darth Kraygus and hinting at the location of his scattered strongholds was within the confines of the warehouse, which had supposedly been one of the Sith Lord’s safe houses in his time. After locating and recovering it through the Force, Kesyk and the knight made a pact of silence, agreeing to contend that their allies had fallen to the Mecrosa’s defensive tactics and that only they had survived. This raised the eyebrows of some Arconan military officers, as the strike team was considered sufficient in size and was expected to make easy work of this operation, but Kamalis Creed’s influence within this Arconan military ranks allowed him to keep the results of the operation under the radar. Together, he and his apprentice planned to work in the shadows to locate the vast resources that Darth Kraygus was said to have left behind, and use it to build their own Sith Empire under his teachings, unbeknownst to the other members of the Brotherhood.

A few weeks after the raid on Barghebba, the Sith Knight who had plotted with Kesyk was found dead under suspicious circumstances involving a spice overdose.

Building a Network

Through years of hard training and participation in various Arconan military operations, Saal rose through the ranks and eventually surpassed the rank of Knight. In the shadows, he and his master worked to build the foundations for an extensive network of spies, allied politicians, and a plethora of unsavory black market connections. This network reached across the galaxy, and would serve as both an important intelligence-gathering effort for the Sith duo and as a channel of power which they would use to excel in their goals.

Ascension

By the time of 42 ABY, Kesyk had become disillusioned with his place in Clan Arcona. Annoyed at the Clan’s tilt towards a more “gray” approach, coupled with his disdain of the unit’s decisions to not only welcome Jedi to join Arconan ranks, but to take on leadership roles, Saal disappeared from Selen and surrounding airspace. Eventually, Arconan intelligence revealed that the missing Sith had resurfaced on the planet Aliso.

Seeing the newly reformed and momentum-gaining Ascendant Clan as a better means through which to expand his power base, the Sith Warrior had chosen to abandon the clan that he had known for so long, sympathizing with Clan Plagueis’ expansionist policies and their aggressive interpretation of the Final Way Doctrine that was first conceived by Kane Vader. Though the clan’s summit was hesitant to accept him, due to their foreknowledge of his actions within Clan Arcona and his willingness to turn his back on the unit, they ultimately recognized his capabilities as a potential asset and chose to take him into the Plagueian ranks. Over time, he began to forge connections with other members, like the then-proconsul Nora Olen and the Quaestor of House Ventress, Tahiri. His first mission as a member of Clan Plagueis led to his being dispatched to Nar Shadaa, along with TuQ'uan Varick.

The Rise of Black Flag

With his master out of the picture, Saal would now hijack Creed’s plans to usurp the Sith and usher in a new Sith Empire, completely hidden from the prying eyes of those within the ranks of the Brotherhood. Recognizing his need for manpower, the Sith laid the foundations for Black Flag, a loose coalition of pirate groups, smugglers, and other criminal elements. In an effort to keep himself from being publicly tied to the organization, he worked behind the scenes to install the ruthless raider, Thaddon, as the group’s leader, fashioned as the “Pirate King.” While Saal does not directly lead the organization, he was responsible for putting it together, and as such, he would continue to partner with Thaddon, calling on him for aid in accomplishing his power plays and furthering his political goals through the use of underground elements.