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| Bane of the Sith |
| SHORT STORY (2001) |
| Kevin J. Anderson |
| Wizards of the Coast |
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Synopsis:
The last surviving member of the Sith Brotherhood, Darth
Bane, flees the slaughter of his fellow Sith at the
Battle of Ruusan. Flying off Ruusan in his ship, the 'Valcyn',
Bane is taunted by the spectral image of his former
master, Lord Qordis (killed in the recent battle), who
accuses Bane of cowardice. Doing his best to ignore the
ghost, he flies to the Onderon system, and the infamous
Sith moon of Dxun. As it is about to land, Bane's ship
is suddenly attacked and torn to bits by Qordis' dark
side energies and crashes in the jungle. Bane pulls
himself from the wreckage and hacks his way into the
wilderness, fighting, and killing a panther-like animal.
Suddenly another spectral image appears before him -
Lord Kaan himself. Kaan's ghost leads Bane through the
jungle, bringing him to the tomb of the ancient Sith
Lord Freedon Nadd. Bane enters the tomb, searches
through the ancient tunnels, and finally comes upon what
he needs - a Sith Holocron. As he moves to take it,
however, several barnacle-like things fall from the
ceiling and affix themselves to his body like leeches.
As Bane screams in pain, the creatures fuse themselves
into his very body, forming an organic suit of armour.
Qordis appears and tells him that the creatures are
called orbalisks, symbiotic creatures that will
eventually breed and cover his entire body. Furious with
them, Bane starts to delve into the Holocron…
A long time later, Bane emerges from the Sith tomb. Bane
now knows what Qordis meant - as the orbalisks spread
over his body, they infuse him with adrenalin and
strength. He considers the fall of his brothers at
Ruusan, and decides that the Sith have been their own
worst enemy - from now on, their numbers must be few
(one master, one apprentice), their existence must be
kept absolutely secret, and their will must be focused
on one thing and one thing alone - destroying the
Republic and the Jedi. From within. Wrestling and taking
control of a flying Dxun beast, he flies toward nearby
Onderon in search of an apprentice…
Synopsis taken from Christopher
G. McElroy's Time Tales, www.theforce.net/timetales.
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Chronology:
This story occurs approximately 1000 years before the
Battle of Yavin. |
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| Related Stories (in
chronological order):
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