Xer VIII Xer VIII was a Tionese nobleman , born circa 25 , 200 BBY , who became a pirate chieftain and later a King of Cron , forging an empire from the disparate elements of the Tion Cluster . With the loot he had gained as a pirate providing him with the ambition and drive , Xer began claiming territories for his own , establishing the Kingdom of Argai from Dravione to Panna . This attracted the attention of the Kingdom of Cron , and its king , Ferece , offered Xer all manner of titles in exchange for fealty . Xer , insulted , conquered the Cronese capital of Chandaar , and established himself as the new king . He then initiated the Cronese Sweeps , expanding his territories and establishing his new empire . His son , Xim , proved to be an effective and competent leader , laying waste to various worlds and attracting an infamy that eclipsed even that of his father . When Xer had unified three of the Four Thrones of Cron , he looked to push on toward Desevro , and the dominion of the Livien League . He was pushed back , however , and decided to focus on strengthening his existing holdings . In time , he allowed Xim to take his place as ruler . His son went on to greatly expand the territories held by his father , before disastrously clashing with the Hutt Empire years later . Biography . Ascension . Xer VIII , born circa 25 , 200 BBY , was a Human Tionese noble by birth . Hailing from Argai , he became a pirate chieftain . This was not uncommon for sons of Argai — the cold and bitter planet was known for producing tough pilots and traders who had a tendency to resort to piracy at any given point . According to the play " The Pirate Prince " , when Xer discovered that his father was being unfaithful to his mother , he took his sword to the man , killing him . Xer had his fleets explored the Ihala Spiral , where they managed to carve out new secret routes and hiding places . The chieftain then had his fleets hide within the Spiral , from which they harassed shipping within the more backwater regions of the Kingdom of Cron . They also struck out and raided distant worlds such as Caluula and Rudrig . Xer ' s forces utilized the " lighthouse network " of navigational beacons set up throughout the Tion Cluster in order to move from world to world , and by tapping into the wealth of navigational data at their fingertips , were able to hide in the interstellar dark between star systems and wait for their prey . Xer ' s pirates littered the spacelanes with chunks of ice — the collision warning systems of innocent travelers would then force them to revert to realspace , allowing the pirates to move in . Xer ' s men would later melt the ice with their lasers . The pirate chieftain went on to sire a son , Xim , who followed in his father ' s footsteps , and became a raider . In time , Xer grew to become incredibly wealthy from the excessive plunder he and his men had raided . As a result , he became far more ambitious and sought to claim territory for himself . He had already been hailed as the lord of Argai , and so he moved against Dravione . Taking the planet , he had carved out a pocket realm for himself , which became known as the Kingdom of Argai . An early victory also saw Xer defeat raiders from Algor , a deed that was revered throughout the kingdom for years to come . The Kingdom of Cron , however , was too involved in their own internal issues , and paid little attention to the advances of Xer . This emboldened the pirate chieftain , and he began cutting a swath through the Ihala Route , overcoming the satrapies of younger Cronese nobles and weak descendants of long - dead warlords . Over the space of ten years , Xer pushed the boundaries of the Kingdom of Argai , advancing toward Panna via Corlass . By the time the kingdom spanned from Davione to Panna , Xer had finally garnered the attention of the Cronese rulers on Chandaar . King Ferece of Cron , in response to Xer ' s rapid expansions , summoned the " lord of Argai " to Chandaar . There , Xer was offered a series of noble titles in exchange for an oath of fealty to Ferece and the Kingdom of Cron . Xer scorned the offer and was unimpressed by the court of Ferece and Chandaar . He vowed to return in a month with what he deigned to be a suitable tribute for the court . Departing , he mustered a considerable fleet at Panna and launched a campaign toward Chandaar . The Lord of Argai engaged a Cronese battlefleet at Duinarbulon and smashed the opposition , allowing him to push on . Pasmin , Soruus , and Barancar fell to Xer ' s forces , leaving him free to finally move against Chandaar . His forces swept into the capital , forcing King Ferece and his retinue to flee in terror . Xer was named the new King of Cron , and he made a vow to his new , cowering court that he would make the stars tremble at his name . The Cronese Sweeps of the Pirate King . Xer initiated the Cronese Sweeps , during which he subjugated a series of pocket kingdoms , including Nuswatta , Eibon , and Pasmin . Xer was feared throughout the Kingdom of Cron , as he set about reforming his lands as he saw fit . Anyone in his court who was dismissed as being useless was swiftly eliminated , along with their families and their followers . Any warlords perceived to be of worth , however , were dispatched to combat various rebellious Cronese worlds , as well as any independent territories on the fringes of the kingdom . In order to achieve this , Xer had his warlords capture the heirs of the rebel leaders as hostages , assuring their fealty . The warriors of Duinarbulon , in particular , served Xer with vigor . During the Sweeps , Xer ' s reputation came to be eclipsed by that of his teenage son , Xim , who emerged as a warlord during the campaign . Xim quickly became an infamous figure throughout the kingdom , laying waste to the Timber Palace of Pasmin and the High Fane of Xo on Nuswatta . By the time the Cronese Sweeps had come to a conclusion , Xer had greatly expanded the Kingdom of Cron and strengthened its existing holdings . The King also now had a battle - hardened fleet at his disposal , and he looked to further expansion . From Dravione , he moved against Jaminere , Cadinth , and Barseg — the Three Allied Kingdoms that occupied the ringward flank of Xer ' s existing holdings . Xer ' s next targets were the worlds along the Back Spiral . He carved new territories through Caluula , Brigia , Eredenn Prime , Rudrig , and Tion , and had opulent palaces constructed on Raxus Prime , which was also known as the Circlet of the Tion . Soon , there was but one power standing against Xer in the Tion Cluster — the Livien League , a confederation of worlds comprising Livien , Desevro , and Kanaver . He moved against the League , launching from Corlax and Barseg , but the Cronese fleets suffered defeat at both Amarin and Lorrad in turn . The Livien campaign had proved costly , and Xer took his errors to heart — he understood that he had overextended himself with his latest expansion efforts . Retreating from the Livien League ' s borders in , he looked to solidify his existing holdings , transforming the Kingdom of Cron into an empire . To augment this , he had the network of navigational beacons extended along the Back Spiral and the Cadinth Run , while establishing a bureaucracy that was both effective at commerce and warfare . At the same time , Xer made sure that it was clear his ambitions were merely deferred to his successors , and not to be ultimately denied . He reorganized his empire into three provinces , with the capitals being Chandaar , Cadinth , and Raxus Prime . Court rituals referred to Four Thrones of Cron , however — those three worlds , and the still - independent Deservro . Raxus Prime received Xer ' s favored attention , and he eventually deeded it to his concubines , as well as their retainers . The son , the Despot . In 25 , 130 BBY , Xer VIII relinquished the throne to Prince Xim . He was able to unify Deservo under his father ' s existing empire , giving way to the Xim Empire . Although Xer had created an able bureaucracy , the empire was still finding it difficult to integrate new worlds into its fold — the conquest of Deservo allowed the Tionese to abandon their logographic writing system and adopt a new alphabetic standard . According to " The Pirate Prince " , Xer had sired four other sons during his reign : Xic , Xil , Xom , and Xuc , with Queen Hylei Indrexu Cortess . According to Direus ' pei ' s play " Evocar " , Indrexu was the eighth wife of Xer . Xim , having killed King Ferece and recovered the crown of Cron , learned of this and slew his half - brothers , before killing his father , which then allowed him to declare himself Emperor . Xim used the skilled beings of the former Livien League to launch new campaigns that dwarfed the conquests of Xer and consequently earned the epithet of " the Despot . " He greatly expanded the Tionese borders , and plundered some of Xer ' s former holdings , but eventually ran afoul of the Hutt Empire . Xim ' s treatment by the Hutts reminded him of how the Cronese nobles had scorned his father , and he used Xer ' s response as his inspiration , kindling the Hutt – Xim conflict . Xim eventually died in a dungeon of the Hutt lord Kossak Inijic Ar ' durv . The Tion Cluster then had to suffer and endure invasion by the Hutts . The strength of the foundations that Xer built , however , ensured that the center of the Xim Empire stood for nearly a century before fragmenting . Xer was later referenced in " The Despotica " , a drama based on the life of Xim . A character based on Xer VIII also appeared in the play " The Pirate Prince " , penned by Lisst ' n dramatist Lyechusas . Thousands of years later , the history of Xer ' s and Xim ' s reigns became less and less clear to scholars , and it became difficult for historians to distinguish just which accomplishment belonged to which Tionese warlord . By and large , Xer ' s efforts were obscured by his son ' s later accomplishments . Xer ' s name also went on to become part of a popular exclamation throughout the populace of the Outer Rim Territories — " Son of Xer ! " Personality and traits . Xer was a bloodthirsty individual and an aggressive warrior , claiming many territories during his reign . Although he was of noble birth , he chose to pursue the life of a pirate . This was not uncommon for those hailing from Argai — the world was infamous for breeding hard - nosed raiders and spacers who often resorted to piracy . He felt insulted when the Cronese King offered him titles in exchange for a vow of fealty , and apparently glowered at what he perceived to be the simpering courtesans who populated the court of Chandaar . In response to the insult , he waged a bloody campaign against the Cronese , and vowed to become an object of fear and respect once he had seized the capital . His ruthless governing techniques allowed him to ascertain his reputation , as he effectively destroyed anyone under his rule whom he considered weak and useless , while implementing the talents of those he perceived to have worth . Under his rule , the Kingdom of Cron saw massive expansions , although he was infuriated by his defeats at the hands of the Livien League . He took the setbacks to heart and understood that he had overextended himself . He then chose to allow his successors to reap the future glories , while he spent the rest of his tenure as the ruler of his new Empire solidifying his holdings . Xer was also capable of respect for his fellow beings — the populace of Eibon , in particular , earned the consideration of the Pirate King . Behind the scenes . Xer VIII was first alluded to as the father of the character Xim in " The New Essential Chronology " , penned by Daniel Wallace and Kevin J . Anderson , and published in 2005 . He was later identified in 2008 ' s " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " . The character was greatly expounded upon in the article " " , which was published on StarWars . com several months after the publication of " The Essential Atlas " , and was written by Jason Fry . The character was then referenced in " " , an in - universe play written by Michael Kogge . In 2010 , the character was mentioned in " The Written Word " , another Hyperspace article , written by John Hazlett .