Rebel Alliance: Polordio
  2143 active members
  228 are Online

Year

25

Day

123

Time

06:53:09

Guest
Login
Welcome to the Galactic News Service
The Fall of the One Sith: An Interview with Morgan Sathel
Posted by: Vagnar Fivkei, Exelis Runners
Date: Year 21 Day 223 Onboard the Crusader-class Corvette [EXL] Black King in system Venaari (183, 198).
On Day 212 of Year 21, the Order of the One Sith filed bankruptcy and dissolved after suffering a crippling loss of assets and resources at the hand of would-be conspirators. The coup against the former Dark Lord of the One Sith, Darin Byrch, was led by Morgan Sathel, at the time Byrch’s second in command and leader of the so-called One Sith Armada. Involved in the plot was also Kaze Zill, formerly known as Darth Drachen—another high ranking member of the now defunct Order of the One Sith.

Sathel and Zill attempted to assassinate Byrch while the Chagrian Force user was traveling aboard the Corona-class Relentless, which was scheduled to reach the planet of Serocco for a live-fire exercise previously organized by the One Sith Armada. During the voyage, mutineers loyal to Morgan Sathel took up arms and attempted to take control of the ship. Leading the action was Kaze Zill, who personally engaged Byrch in a lightsaber duel that lasted hours. While the details of this confrontation remain unknown, the mutiny resulted in a hostage situation in favor of the insurgents. Several officers of the One Sith Armada were captured, including the Force attuned Akoshla Zel and Natasha Fox. Among those caught in the crossfire was also former Dark Lord of the Sith Dorian Tecto, who acted as Byrch’s master after allegedly defecting from Black Sun.

bandogora_news_01.png

According to reports, after the intense firefight aboard the Relentless, Morgan Sathel conducted negotiations with Byrch from a secure location, communicating via holoprojector transmissions. Sathel informed Byrch that the majority of the One Sith warships and civilian vessels had capitulated to her loyalists, and that many lives on both sides had been lost during the fierce fighting. The planet of Venaari, the former seat of power of the One Sith, as well as a large number of other assets, had also fallen under the control of Sathel’s insurrectionists. Allegedly, Sathel requested ownership of all remaining facilities on Venaari still under the control of Byrch’s followers. She also dictated that Byrch step down voluntarily, allowing Sathel to gain control of the organization without further bloodshed.

Reports state that the former Dark Lord of the One Sith had agreed to such demands, in exchange for all remaining ships under his control, and the lives of those who had been captured and were being used as leverage. During the negotiations, Kaze Zill revealed his true hand. After intense, chaotic fighting, troops loyal to Zill acquired control of nearly every city and facility on Venaari. Sathel’s communications were jammed, allowing Zill to directly negotiate his own terms with Byrch and his retinue. The Venaari planet was swiftly sold to the LodeCorp Mining group for an undisclosed amount of credits. In the meanwhile, Zill reached an agreement with the One Sith leader: the life of five of the high-profile hostages in exchange for one of Byrch's fabled lightsabers. Our sources indicate that Byrch had agreed to the exchange, but under unclear circumstances, the prisoners managed to escape and reach safety aboard one of Byrch’s vessels. At that point, Byrch considered the agreement with Kaze Zill void, and thus decided to keep his lightsaber. The fate of one of the hostages, former Dark Lord of the Sith Dorian Tecto, remains unknown; Tecto was not part of the exchange as negotiated between Zill and Byrch, presumably to remain Zill’s prisoner until further notice.

bandogora_news_02.png

More recently, the news was released that the planet of Venaari was bought back by Sathel for a staggering sum of eight billion credits. Sathel, who now leads the Exelis Crime Syndicate, agreed to an exclusive holorecorded interview. Due to security concerns, the location of the interview shall remain undisclosed. The following is a faithful transcription of the interview.

Reporter: According to our sources, you first joined the Order of the One Sith after being captured by Darin Byrch during a botched raid.

Morgan Sathel: That would be correct. I led a group of Exelis Hunters in a boarding action against the YV-666 Light Freighter Fallen Grace. Little did I know that the ship wasn’t owned by some phony company, but by one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy. Darin Byrch and his Togruta lackey, Kuuda Ki, showed up while we were still dealing with stragglers among the Fallen Grace’s crew. Between the two of them, they slaughtered my entire band. As if that wasn’t enough, Byrch proceeded to take one of my eyes as a trophy and then beat me savagely. I nearly died that day, but I was kept alive through cybernetic implants.

R: And you then agreed to join Byrch’s group?

MS: More or less. The group was known as the Bando Gora at the time. I was indoctrinated and convinced that I had a higher purpose, that my path wasn’t one of blind crime and unprovoked violence. You see, the Bando Gora was a cult. We were brainwashed into believing Byrch was the answer to everything. I witnessed sentients who I would consider far smarter than I am become nothing more than shambling thralls blindly loyal to Byrch and his Sith teachings. I also bought into Byrch’s preachings and I made myself busy in his organization. I was trusted enough to lead, at some point or another, every aspect of the organization. I was first in charge of the Bando Gora’s naval forces. I was then placed as the head of an intelligence division known as the Silent Watchers. When Kaze Zill replaced me in that department, I was put in control of the industrial branch of the group. And finally, I returned to military life when Byrch trusted me to lead the One Sith Armada.

R: By all accounts, it seemed as if Darin Byrch trusted you and gave you a great deal of power. So, why betray him?

MS: Because that sentient is rotten, and pure evil. He has an intrinsic charm and he is very capable of manipulating and ingratiating himself. The truth is: Darin Byrch was on a petty power trip and he had little respect for those who aided him in achieving his goals. When I accepted to join his organization, I met one of my current companions, Xyre Weltmon, who had agreed to relinquish the planet Venaari and a large number of ships and vehicles, her own property, in the care of Darin Byrch. The agreement was that if Xyre ever felt the need to step away from Byrch’s group, she could have taken everything back, no questions asked.

R: Why not simply ask Byrch to honor the agreement? Was the bloodshed you caused truly necessary?

MS: I had no other choice. I had long snapped out of my would-be indoctrination and realized that Byrch is a manipulative individual motivated by his ego and his selfish needs. Everything that was promised to me and others never truly materialized. He worked us into the ground while he enjoyed the power he had achieved thanks to our dedication, often not even giving credit where credit was due. He flaunted to all those who would listen how important his planet was, and how powerful his fleet of warships was. The truth is that none of the wealth in his group was actually his, or the fruit of his own labor. Xyre and I discussed the situation at length; we knew that we had to get out of a reality that was growing darker with each day passing. I attempted to reason with Byrch, believing he would listen.

R: And what was Byrch’s response? Obviously, things must have gone awry.

MS: I exposed my concerns to Byrch and told him clearly that I expected a new and better direction based on fairness and recognition of established roles and protocols. I was particularly unhappy with how Xyre had been relegated to the fringes of the organization, while Kuuda Ki, who had contributed very little until that point, was now blatantly favored at the expense of others who had worked hard every single day. I deemed this process unjust, considering all that was graciously donated to Byrch and his organization by Xyre, myself and others now suddenly marginalized. All my worries were rejected and dismissed with excuses and lies. Not only that, but the blame was unjustly shifted on me, and I realized that I was being manipulated into believing that I was at fault. It was clear to me that Byrch would have never given back what he had acquired through Xyre, evidenced by the fact that he had made sure to be the sole individual in control of the planetary shield protecting Venaari.

bandogora_news_03.png

R: In other words, you believe to have been mistreated? Am I to understand that this is what really led to the coup, then?

MS: Yes. He was holding Venaari hostage through the shield and I knew I had to do something to rectify the situation. Despite my criminal past, I had fully committed to Byrch and his cause, and I spent untold time and energy working for him and his power cult. My decision wasn’t one that I took lightly. When I understood that I had to act, I staged the coup wirth Kaze Zill’s aid. I kept Xyre in the dark, as she was going through a difficult period and I didn’t want to burden her with even darker deeds. I spent weeks organizing our insurrection, which resulted in what the news have described, for the most part. My only goal was to regain control of the planet and all of Xyre’s donated assets. Nothing more, nothing less.

R: What about Zill’s betrayal? Sources say that you were caught unprepared.

MS: We didn’t agree to discuss this. All I will say is that Zill aided me when I needed it and then put a knife in my back. I am not resentful. He did what he felt was best for him. In the end, we all walked away with something. My priority was to get Xyre’s property back. Even though the planet was sold, I managed to gain control of it again. Venaari and everything else is back where it belongs. What matters to me is that Byrch was left with very little. I do not care about his fate or what he’ll do now. I have no doubts that he will play the long game and attempt to visit vengeance upon me and mine, but he will fail, as he always does.

R: You did not steal Xyre Welmon’s property, as some claim?

MS: Absolutely not. Xyre was not aware of my scheming, but the fact that she enjoys a position of power in my organization should speak volumes. There is true loyalty between her and me; something that Byrch will never understand. I have control of Venaari and all the assets with her blessing. She has retired for now, hoping to avoid having to confront those who have hurt her and wanted to steal her property. We are glad to be rid of Byrch and his Sith ramblings. The future is ours again, at last, and now we’ll live free according to our own terms. It’s all we ever wanted, and thankfully, we managed to get away from the manipulations and lies of a selfish individual whose only goal is to inflate his ego.


[Main Page]
Events in Brief
Year 25 Day 122: The Whisperers Network was dissolved today.
Year 25 Day 121: Grim Tech Group was dissolved today due to bankruptcy.
Year 25 Day 120: Regulators officially approved a new institution today. The Restored Empire will be led by Hatori Hoorl. The first headquarters of The Restored Empire opened today in Kether 4,14 on Kether.
Year 25 Day 120: Cantrell Consulting was dissolved today.
Year 25 Day 120: Falleen Engineering Contracts has been renamed to Slayn & Korpil. The press is still waiting for comments on the change.