Darth Deeskor

*"The petty inner quarrels of Vowrawn's Order and the Jedi's ignorant ideals of mercy, which they would brand as an alternative to justice; neither shall perform with the efficiency required to rule, and so a third party must step in to reform the broken galaxy they have left in their wake. I stand before you now with a plea, to join with me now and lead our beloved Empire out of this war of attrition and into perpetual victory!"*

― Darth Deeskor addressing the Progressive Union

Darth Deeskor was a Sith reformist who served the Empire during the Great Galactic War and throughout the time of the Eternal Alliance. Born as Sendure, the Ziostian Human trained for many years at the Sith Academy of Dromund Kaas before leaving the Empire's service for a time, during which she went on a journey to gain power and influence. During this time, she traveled to Alderaan under the guise of an ambassador to an undecided great house. Her actions caught the attention of a servant of the Sphere of Expansion and Influence who recruited her to be a legitimate ambassador of the Empire. Some time after Alderaan Sendure was challenged by her father to a Kaggath. Through sacrifice of her people she defeated her father and took his authority, becoming Darth Deeskor an Imperial Governor, and a highly influential figure in the political sphere. After crusades of the Eternal Empire Darth Deeskor became a servant of Empress Acina and aided in the rebuilding of the Empire, until Acina's eventual death on Iokath. Darth Deeskor, soon after Emperor Vowrawn's ascension became direct opposition of his doctrine and went so far as to form and lead a political movement against him.

## **Biography**

### Flourishing Resentment

Sendure was born on the Sith-occupied Outer Rim Planet of Ziost around 3672 BBY, during the Age of Silence. The younger of two siblings, she was essentially ignored by her father Darth Extrovous, who favored her brother Jaruth. As a result, she was taught primarily by her mother, Asarie, in the ways of the force as well as the many intricacies of Sith politics. Once Asarie deemed Sendure old enough to prove herself, she was sent to the Sith Academy on Dromund Kaas. Knowing full well that her father had the means to train her began to fuel a well of rage within her, accompanied by resentment for her mother, which she would foster as she further embraced the Dark Side. For most of her time on Dromund Kaas she was able to perform adequately in keeping up with her fellow hopefuls, but, eventually, she chose to forego her hatred of her family as well as any notions of hoping to join her father's side as an apprentice for a greater source of power... a stark and unwavering belief in her own power. This allowed her to excel beyond those who would oppose her.

In time, Sendure became an apprentice to a Pureblood Sith Lord named Brolah, who treated her with far less respect than she felt deserving of. Brolah gave her a seemingly endless list of menial tasks to complete that did not benefit someone of her skill, which he interspersed with challenges that he had not prepared her for, which she would fail to complete, at which point he would punish her excessively. Naturally, Sendure would grow tired of the treatment he subjected her to and decide that it was time for a change. When her master sent her on a reconnaissance mission to Tatooine in order to gather information on Exchange activity there, Sendure instead informed the Exchange of the threat they posed to the Empire, and of the 'surprise' ambush to be carried out by her master that had been in the works for months prior. When Sendure returned to Lord Brolah, she gave him false intel, leading him directly into an ambush at the hands of the Exchange. The arrogant Brolah rushed straight into the pirate firing squads, the first to be gunned down. Sendure was free of his tyrannical control.

### Broken Chains

Freed from the grip of her master, the inexperienced yet still confident young Sith set out to foster her knowledge in the Dark Side, which led her to a Sith library on Dromund Kaas. She spent many an hour delving into the various histories, legends and all that fell in between that the Library had to offer, reading of long dead Sith lords, artifacts, and discoveries. One Sith who particularly stood out to her was Exar Kun, the fallen Jedi. She was enchanted by his dominant will, raising armies as a dark revolutionary... even more so when she learned of the legacy of his weapon and the unifying power it could provide its wielder.

On multiple occasions, having spent a fair amount of time in the Library, Sendure noticed Sith Lords enter a sealed passage that only allowed those of sufficient status. She paid closer attention to each of the members of this secretive group, one of whom was an elderly yet beautiful woman who, on one fateful day, emerged from the passage carrying an old book. As she passed, the smallest pieced of tattered parchment came free from its ancient spine and fell at Sendure's feet. She pocketed the paper and moved to a secluded corner of the library to examine it further, discovering it to be a fragment of an illustration depicting the process of a Sith ritual. Now driven by a desire to enter the hidden chamber, Sendure observed that maids, usually non-force sensitives, would enter the chamber once a month to dust. This would be her opening.

When the time came for maids' routine cleaning of the secret passage, Sendure observed they stood one behind another in an orderly fashion, which presented her wit the opportunity of separating the last in line from the group. Hidden behind a tall shelf, Sendure used the force to cause a book to fall nearby. Just as she had hoped, the petite and timid maid who stood at the end of the line took notice of her bait, and approached the ancient text. Before she had time to react, Sendure jumped from the shadows and subdued her as a predator would its prey, calming her instantly with a mind trick. The maid returned to her duties before anyone noticed she had disappeared, however, unbeknownst to her colleagues, she had an alternative objective. When the maids re-emerged from the chamber, Sendure's new friend returned to the dark corner where she laid in wait, presented her with a single, small scroll. With no time to waste, Sendure fled Dromund Kaas, traveling to Korriban and disappearing into one of its many Sith tombs so as not to be disturbed whilst she studied. She was overjoyed to discover that the scroll documented a rare Sith ability known as force illusion, which she could use to bend any mind to her will through life-like mirage. After months of seclusion and dedicated practice, Sendure was able to perform the technique. Unfortunately, the missing scroll had not gone unnoticed by the Elders of Dromund Kaas, and her time had run out. A pair of Sith who bore insignias of the library invaded her hiding place and attacked her. Their combat abilities far outweighed Sendure's, however she now had the advantage of a power unfamiliar to most. She conjured an illusion to disoriented her attackers long enough for her to regain her bearings and promptly slash their torsos, killing them instantly. Now that she had been identified, she knew it was inevitable that the Library send more of its affiliates, likely in increasing quantity and skill. Sendure felt it most wise to hide herself amongst a society currently in conflict, and so travelled to Alderaan.

### **Manipulations and Diplomacy**

Arriving on the planet in the midst of the Alderaanian Civil War, the security of House Thul was strict, but still accommodating to members of the Sith Order. Unfortunately, mentioning her father, a Sith holding the title of Darth, garnered her unwanted attention from the Imperial Military. Soon after leaving the spaceport, Sendure was greeted by an Imperial escort that transported her to a secure location before introducing their regional leader, Moff Sarek, via hologram. He explained that he was the primary officer entrusted with gaining control of Alderaan for the Empire, and that, upon mention of Extrovous' name, he saw an opportunity through Sendure to better his relations with another noble house of Alderaan that had recently aligned themselves with the Thul Family: House Girard. He wanted her to become an advisor to the Lord Girard, acting as a manipulative voice incrementally swaying him ever-closer to favoring not only his allies in House Thul, but the Empire itself. Sendure, having been the subject of various manipulations throughout her life and now being adept in the art of illusion, could easily see the angle that the Moff was trying to play in diminishing his risk by employing the services of an unknown Sith. Through his plans, however, she saw an opportunity that could certainly benefit her. She intentionally omitted that she had little standing within her family, instead perpetuating the Moff's assumption that her actions and influence were an extension of her father's. Naturally, she accepted the Empire's offer without hesitation.

It wasn't long after her arrival in House Girard's court that Sendure discovered the negligence and narcissism that plagued many in the family. This was the case to the extent that she often found herself on the verge of commenting on their pompous stupidity - it was a lesson in restraint if nothing else. The Baron Zacar Girard, however, did not display the same failing. Far outshining the other members of the nobility, his competence would prove to be the only legitimate challenge she would encounter on this mission. Since the beginning of the Civil War, the Girards had refused to provide significant military of humanitarian aid to House Thul... it was Sendure's first mission to convince Zacar to be more generous with his resources. She experimented with several tactics to achieve this goal, from directly arguing on behalf of the Thuls in court to persuading other members of the family to rally behind the Empire's cause in order to inspire some kind of obligation in the Baron. None of her strategies worked. Growing impatient with her lack of progress, Sendure contacted another Sith advisor, Darth Jaga, who held far more authority on Alderaan, in order to devise a new plan. Several days later and seemingly out of the blue, a contingent of Thul commandos were dispatched to guard House Girard's land as a part of a new initiative by the Thullian government to protect its allies. Or at least, that was the story Sendure gave to the Baron. In reality, Jaga had selected some of the poorest trainees she could find, dressed them in Thul garb, and sent them to Sendure. Not even a month after their arrival, a surprise attack was launched on the Baron's estate: dozens of 'Republic' battle droids tore through Thul lines and left the survivors routing. Hope was not to be lost, though, because Sendure led a counterattack bolstered by the far superior Girardian soldiers, utterly crushing the droids and leading to a victory with few losses besides the incompetent trainees. Now having experienced the conflict on his own doorstep, Sendure was able to persuade Girard to aid the war effort further, albeit begrudgingly. Sendure had, with the use of minimal resources, completed her first objective, and earned praise from both Moff Sarek and Darth Jaga as a result. Regardless of this, she had yet to fully gain the trust of Zacar.

### **Venomous Determination**

Throughout the following years, Sendure made her own goals secondary to those of House Girard, for she recognized that the only way for her to become a true confidant of the Baron she needed to create the illusion of loyalty. By striking a careful balance between serving the interests of the Empire and Girard himself, sometimes providing Zacar with information that would benefit him at the expense of his Thul allies, Sendure was able to drastically improve her standing in his eyes. She became an increasingly valuable asset to the Baron, who trusted her to participate in the private meetings he held with his war council. As the Civil War progressed, and House Organa and the Republic applied increasing pressure on the Thuls and their allies, Zacar's generals began to act too conservatively with the House's military resources, prioritizing its wellbeing over the outcome of the war. As a result, Sendure was instructed by the displeased Thul leadership to manipulate the Baron into opposing these recommendations despite them being most beneficial to House Girard, an action she was reluctant to take, and rightfully so, as it did not go over well with the Baron. Having been in the midst of a family dispute with his cousin, who had left the court earlier that day, the Baron was temperamental and paranoid, which made convincing him of anything incredibly challenging. He didn't like what Sendure had to say, and instructed her to depart the war room. Returning to her chambers soon after, Sendure reported her failure to Jaga and Sarek on an encrypted call. Unbeknownst to her, Zacar witnessed everything, having left his meeting to apologize to her for his outburst. Although he slipped away before she noticed him, she sensed a presence through the force that prompted her to look back at a recording of her call, and upon expanding the range of the hologram, saw him watching from behind the chamber door. Her time was limited.

Over her years of service, Sendure orchestrated the infiltration of Girard's staff with Imperial Agents and loyalists, one of whom she knew was his private bartender, a woman by the name of Leosh Harvic. Being familiar with the fact that Zacar would gather his closest advisors to discuss the issue of her betrayal in one of his many personal quarters, and would desire a drink, she ordered Agent Harvic to poison him before the other members of his inner-circle could arrive. By the time the first of his family had barged into the room, he was dead, and just as she had hoped, their acrid nature got the better of them, and each one pointed fingers at the other. Although disappointed by this turn of events, both Sarek and Jaga agreed her course of action was necessary, and that whoever assumed the seat of Baron would be far esier to control than Zacar ever was. Darth Jaga summoned Sendure to meet her in person and, although not sparing her any criticism, congratulated her on her many years of rewarding service. Using her status as a Darth, Jaga then elevated Sendure to the status of Lord and offered her a new position in the Sphere of Expansion and Diplomacy, an offer she accepted with glee.

### Father's Demise

When the time came Lord Sendure was called upon to join the coalition lead by Darth Serevin to turn the planet Voss to the Empire, for nearly a year she served with them daily, surprisingly she seemed to be one of the few ambassadors gaining traction with some of the Voss, even a Mystic grew to be less abrasive to her. However, one night Sendure found a letter in her room which read very plainly that she had been challenged to a Kaggath by her father Darth Extrovous. Extrovous was at this time the governor of a remote moon-world which made profit off of a network of state owned salt mines, thus he was not able to keep in touch with the galaxy as much as most, which why only now he heard of his daughters ascension. Sendure could not refuse a Kaggath, it would mean shame to the council and the loss of everything, so she accepted. She quickly pulled together what armies she had mustered in her time -which was meager to a governors army- and marched to the set location, their family home on Ziost.

In one huge battle their armies clashed in the streets of the city their family mansion was built into, Sendure directed her armies as strategically as she could but she had no chance of winning through numbers or tactics. Instead while her army destructed the larger force she and her two most skilled Sith launched themselves in a pod over the battle through the front wall of her fathers mansion. With most of the army occupied it was a simple task to rip through the defenses, now finding Darth Extrovous waiting for her in the ballroom, supporters crowded around the room, leaving an open area for them to duel. Jaruth -now Lord Jaruth- stood with his father, mocking Sendure with ruined childhood toys she had left behind. Sendure made the first move, It was a flash a motion the five blades clashing in together, for moments there was only flurries of lightsabers. In seconds Sendure was fighting alone against two opponents, but she refused to waver under the damnable enemy. For the first time in the dual she utilized her illusions and decapitated Jaruth, while also staggering her father. They continued to duel for some time until both of their bodies became tired and wounded, then the show of lightning lightning and aura began. Darth Extrovous clearly had the upper hand over Sendure and she was quite definitely defeated, left smoking in a blackened pile. Extrovous lifted his weapon to finish her off but she vanished moments before connection, it was another illusion that had given the still injured Sendure enough time drive her lightsaber into the great Darth Extrovous' back, killing him slowly and painfully.

Sendure went before the Dark Council and presented her fathers weapon to them, according the rule of Kaggath she now took his authority, becoming Darth Deeskor, now the governor of Extrovous' backwater world she would begin to build a more powerful powerbase which she'd use to carry out her will in time.

### Legacies Reform

During the crisis of the Eternal Empire Darth Deeskor prepared her world for any attacks that would transpire, as a Governor she was not required to offer her recourses to the Empires efforts because her army was needed for any attacks on her world. Despite this she was required to frequently send supplies to worlds that were ravaged by the war as most of the Empire was too occupied to do so. When the Empire finally surrendered Deeskor joined Acina's coalition to begin rebuilding the Empire and its worlds without breaching the Emperor Arcann's demands. Deeskor had several short conversations with Acina during this time and found that she agreed with many of the reforms she wished to enact, which led Deeskor to be one of the Sith who supported Acina's official ascension to the Sith throne. Acina put a handful of Sith in charge of rebuilding certain sectors as she plotted to reignite the war against Arcann, one of these Sith was Deeskor.

Acina allying with the Alliance Commander impressed Deeskor even further, after all, few Sith would ally with a Jedi for the greater good. However upon Acina's disastrous defeat on Iokath after double crossing the Commander Deeskor's faith in her legacy was shaken. This was further illustrated when Darth Vowrawn -a man who embodied the opposite of what Acina stood for in the Sith faith- ascended to the throne. With hope that Vowrawn would prove her wrong Deeskor waited for further change but none came from the Emperor. Only when Vowrawn began utilizing Darth Malgus -a known traitor to the Empire- to lead his forces did Deeskor begin openly criticizing him. It was clear soon after that many agreed with her beliefs, dozens of Sith began echoing her beliefs, including names such as Darth Doctrous, an archeologist and philosopher of the Sith code and Darth Ageresh, who was one of the few military leaders to survive the battle of Correlia. They each soon came to Deeskor and began discussing plans to impeach the emperor however some in the meeting had served Vowrawn before and knew any political attempt to unseat him would fail, open force would be the only option.

Following the battle for the Meridien Complex Deeskor and her allies officially formed their party of opposition, 'The Progressive Union for the Empire' and dubbing Vowrawn's efforts as acts of regression back into the old, flawed ways. More rallied to the cause daily, an army could soon form that could quite possibly challenge Vowrawns supporters if not dealt with swiftly, the coup would soon begin.