Xer VIII

Xer VIII was a Tionese nobleman and pirate, who lived during the Pre-Republic era.

Ascension
Xer VIII was a Tionese noble by birth. Hailing from Argai, he became a pirate chieftain. This was not uncommon for sons of Argai&mdash;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. Xer had his fleets explore 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 raider 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 would litter the spacelanes with chunks of ice&mdash;the collision warning systems of innocent travelers would force them to revert to realspace, allowing the pirates to move in. Xer's men would later melt the ice with their lasers. Xer would go on to sire a son, Xim.

In time, Xer grew to become incredibly wealthy, due to 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. 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 swathe 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, pushing towards 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 towards Chandaar. The lord of Argai engaged a Cronese battlefleet at Duinarbulon, and smashed the opposition, and allowing him 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
In 25,120 BBY, Xer initiated the Cronese Sweeps, during which he subjugated a series of pocket kingdoms. Xer was feared throughout the Kingdom of Cron, as he set about reforming his lands as he saw fit. Anyone in his court that was dismissed as being useless were 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. 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. He moved against Jaminere, Cadinth, and Barseg&mdash;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, and Tion, and had opulent palaces constructed on Raxus Prime. Soon, there was but one power standing against Xer in the Tion Cluster&mdash;the Livien League, a confederation of worlds comprising Livien, Desevro, and Kanaver. He moved against the League, 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&mdash;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 a Xer's 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 would be 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 would refer to Four Thrones of Cron, however&mdash;those three worlds, and the still-independent Deservro.

Xim, succeeded him in 25,130 BBY. Xim would become known as "the Despot." He greatly expanded the Tionese borders, and plundered Xer's holdings, but eventually ran afoul of the Hutt Empire, and died in a dungeon of Kossak Inijic Ar'durv. The Tion Cluster then had to suffer and endure invasion by the Hutts.

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 belong to which Tionese warlord. By and large, Xer's efforts were obscured by his son's later accomplishments. Xer's name would also go on to become part of a popular exclamation throughout the populace of the Outer Rim Territories&mdash;"Son of Xer!"

Sometime prior to 25,130 BBY, Xer began a series of conquests known as the Cronese Sweeps and gained control of the Kingdom of Cron. Xer had five sons, Xuc, Xic, Xim, Xom and Xil. Xer was eventually succeeded by his son and heir, Xim.

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&mdashl;the world was infamous for breeding hard-nosed raiders and spacers who would often resort 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 that 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 that was 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. Instead, he 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.