Darth Azard

"I am not one of you! I am Sith!"

- Darth Azard, to a Quarren Councilor

Darth Azard was a male Quarren Sith Lord of the One Sith, serving under Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Krayt and his Empire. By 137 ABY, Azard had been selected to oversee the Imperial Outer Rim Third Fleet, which was tasked with capturing commander of the Galactic Alliance Core Fleet Gar Stazi. Azard executed Kel Dor Admiral Sha Dun, who was commanding the fleet, for failing in his objective, and replaced him with the Human Admiral Dru Valan.

In response to the Mon Calamari aiding Gar Stazi in the capture of the new Advanced Star Destroyer Imperious, Darth Krayt traveled to Dac with a number of Sith Lords, including Darth Azard, to exact his revenge. Azard participated in the massacre of the Mon Calamari Council, where he killed many of his fellow Quarren. In the aftermath of the massacre, Azard pursued the escaping members of Rogue Squadron who had been involved in the plan to capture the Imperious. The Rogues were being rescued by Imperial Knights Treis Sinde and Sigel Dare, who were on a mission for Emperor-in-exile Roan Fel. Azard dueled Master Treis Sinde, which distracted the Quarren long enough for the members of Rogue Squadron and Sigel Dare to escape.

Despite his failure to stop the Rogues' escape, Darth Azard was appointed to oversee the extermination of the Mon Calamari people. With the aid of Sith scientist Vul Isen, Azard awoke a Sea Leviathan in the depths of Dac. A semi-sentient bio-weapon created via Sith Alchemy, the Leviathan had been adapted to undersea use. Azard and Isen sent the Leviathan to exterminate the Mon Calamari refugees who were hiding and by doing so draw out the Mon Calamari Rangers led by Treis Sinde, who had been fighting against the Sith. Azard and Isen followed the Leviathan as it led the way to the base of the Mon Calamari Rangers. During the ensuing battle, the Sith's Aquatic Terrain Armored Transport was rammed by one of the Mon Calamari, crippling the vessel. Isen managed to avoid serious injury, but Azard was pinned to his chair. Using the Quaren's lightsaber, Isen freed him, surprising Azard, and the two swam toward the surface. The Leviathan was meanwhile defeated by hordes of devilsquid, under Treis Sinde's command.

The Third Fleet
"Admiral Sha Dun, you were charged by our Master, His Majesty Darth Krayt, with ending the attacks by the renegade Gar Stazi. But Gar Stazi still lives."

- Darth Azard before executing Admiral Sha Dun

The Quarren Sith Lord known as Darth Azard was a member of the One Sith, serving Darth Krayt and his Galactic Empire, after Krayt deposed Emperor Roan Fel at the end of the Sith-Imperial War. In the time of the Anti-Sith Insurgency, he was selected to oversee the Outer Rim Third Fleet. In 137 ABY, the Imperial Outer Rim Third Fleet had been charged with capturing the fugitive commander of the Galactic Alliance Core Fleet, Admiral Gar Stazi, as well as destroying the unified fragments of the Alliance military, dubbed the Galactic Alliance Remnant. Emperor Krayt had placed Kel Dor Admiral Sha Dun in charge of the mission, and despite minor victories he had failed to stop Gar Stazi's attacks. On the command deck of the Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer Relentless, Lord Azard executed Admiral Dun for his failure, lifting and choking him with the Force, before cutting the admiral down with his double-bladed lightsaber. Azard then replaced Dun with the Humanocentric Admiral Dru Valan, who had already faced Stazi during the Battle of Caamas, the last major battle between the new Galactic Empire and the Galactic Alliance in the Sith-Imperial War, seven years previously. During the Battle of Caamas, Stazi had led a fighting retreat while the rest of the Alliance forces had surrendered, and Valan had been blamed for Stazi's escape. Azard told Valan not to underestimate Stazi as Sha Dun had, and warned the admiral not to fail him.

Admiral Valan plotted to set up a trap for Stazi by baiting him with the possibility of capturing the Advanced Star Destroyer Imperious, which was under construction at the shipyards of the planet Dac. The Toydarian information broker Niffla informed Valan that she had seen Monia Gahan, the niece of former Galactic Alliance Triumvir Gial Gahan and a member of Rogue Squadron, at the shipyards, showing that Stazi had taken the bait. Several days later, Stazi's fleet jumped into the system to take the Imperious, and Valan sprung his trap. Valan believed he had Stazi's fleet trapped between his fleet and the shipyards; however, Stazi had prepared for Valan's trap by setting his own trap with the aid of the Mon Calamari. The battle resulted in the Alliance capturing the Imperious and destroying a third of the shipyards. Valan's fleet was devastated and Stazi once again escaped, though Stazi was unaware that the Imperious had been sabotaged by Emperor-in-exile Roan Fel's Imperial Knights. Disgraced, Valan gave command to Captain Hoge and retired to his quarters to commit suicide rather than face Darth Azard.

Massacre of Mon Calamari
"My Lord! No! The Mon Calamari are not our species, and I am not overly fond of them, but they do not deserve this!"

- A Quarren Councilor pleads with Azard, in vain

After the defeat of the Imperials at the Battle of Mon Calamari, Darth Krayt wanted retribution against the Mon Calamari for their betrayal in supporting Gar Stazi. The Emperor traveled to Dac with a number of Sith Lords, including Darth Azard, to exact his revenge. Meeting with the Mon Calamari Council, Krayt presented the recently captured Gial Gahan, explaining that he had long known that the Mon Calamari had been secretly supporting Stazi and that he had had enough. As punishment for their actions, Krayt ordered the execution of ten percent of the Mon Calamari population of Dac&mdash;starting with the members of the Mon Calamari Council. The remainder of Dac's citizens were to be placed in internment camps.

As soon as Krayt gave the order, Darth Azard, the other Sith Lords, and Krayt's stormtoopers began to execute all of the Mon Calamari present. Many of the Quarren members of Mon Calamari Council who opposed or questioned the Emperor's will were also executed. One of the Quarren members pleaded with Darth Azard, stating that although the Mon Calamari were not one of their people and he was not particularly partial to them, they did not deserve to be slaughtered. Darth Azard replied to the Quarren that he was not one of their people&mdash;he was a Sith&mdash;and cut him down with his lightsaber. With the massacre underway, Darth Krayt personally executed Gial Gahan.

As a result of the massacre and the beginning of Krayt's genocide, the Mon Calamari began a resistance movement. To encourage a possible alliance with the Galactic Alliance Remnant, Emperor-in-exile Roan Fel ordered Imperial Knights Treis Sinde and Sigel Dare to warn Admiral Gar Stazi that they had placed explosives within the stolen Star Destroyer Imperious, unaware of Stazi's plans. The two Knights contacted Rogue Squadron pilot Monia Gahan, and she convinced them to help rescue her fellow Rogues who had helped set up Gar Stazi's trap for stealing the Imperious. The Knights were successful in their rescue, helping the Rogues escape the prison in which they were being held. While making their escape, the Imperial Knights commandeered Darth Azard's personal shuttle by influencing the mind of the Imperial guarding the vessel.

Duel with a Knight
"Jedi! No&mdash;one of Fel's Forcelings. Pity. I'd hoped for a match."

- Darth Azard, to Imperial Knight Treis Sinde

Darth Azard sensed a disturbance in the Force and tracked it back to his shuttle. The Imperial officer standing outside informed Azard that he had put the Alliance prisoners aboard per the Sith Lord's orders. Realizing the officer had been mind-tricked, Azard killed him, calling him a weak-minded fool, and rushed to his shuttle.

In order to buy time for their escape, Imperial Knight Treis Sinde jumped out of the shuttle to engage the Sith Lord. The two dueled, with Azard using only a single blade of his lightsaber. Azard was disappointed that he was dueling an Imperial Knight instead of a Jedi, believing an Imperial Knight would be no match for him. When several stormtroopers tried to intervene and bring down Sinde, Azard dismissed them and ordered them to focus on the shuttle instead. Sinde, however, Force pushed all of the stormtroopers, impressing Azard. As they dueled, Azard stated that Sinde would not be able to defeat him and that they both knew it. He was also aware that Sinde was trying to delay him long enough to allow the shuttle to leave. Azard assured Sinde that he had enough time to kill him and destroy his friends, however the duel was abruptly ended by a well-timed explosion set off by blaster fire from the shuttle. The explosion allowed Sinde to escape, and Azard was forced to protect himself from both the explosion and a fall with the Force. Azard was furious that he had failed to stop the escape of the Imperial Knights and the Rogues.

Sea Leviathan
"Lord Krayt's commands were clear. For now, only Mon Calamari die."

- Darth Azard, to Vul Isen

Despite his failure to stop the Rogues escape, Darth Azard was appointed to oversee the extermination of the Mon Calamari people. Givin Sith scientist Vul Isen was sent to aid Azard in his task and speed the extermination along. The Sith Master Darth Wyyrlok had provided Isen with the knowledge necessary to create a Sea Leviathan, a semi-sentient bio-weapon which was the product of Sith Alchemy. After adapting it to undersea use, Isen and Azard invoked the Force to awaken the monster, which was hibernating in the depths of Soheras Trench. The Leviathan rose from the depths and attacked the Mon Calamari being held in the Imperial Extermination Camp 28, absorbing their life energy and sentience, leaving nothing but empty husks. By absorbing the Mon Calamari's sentience, the Leviathan would start to think like a Mon Calamari, enabling it to better locate their hiding places. Azard was concerned that the Leviathan might start to think too much like a Mon Calamari, and attack the Imperials, however Isen assured him that it would not. Azard and Isen sent the Leviathan to exterminate the Mon Calamari refugees who were in hiding, believing it would draw out the Mon Calamari Rangers led by Imperial Knight Treis Sinde, who had attacked the Sea Lion, an Acklay Battle Fortress which had been tracking the refugees. Azard believed that by doing so they could wipe out the Rangers all at once, a plan which impressed Isen.

Azard and Isen followed the Leviathan in their transport, and soon came upon two Mon Calamari rangers piloting underwater Krakana fighters. The Mon Calamari tried to evade the creature, but the shuttle managed to damage one which had escaped the Leviathan's reach. The creature proceeded to absorb the life energies of the damaged ship's occupant, but one Krakana managed to escape, and its pilot sped back to her comrades in the rangers' base. Isen allowed the Mon Calamari to escape so that she could inform the Rangers of the Imperials' impending attack, which would lead the Rangers to swarm out to meet them, rather than the Imperials having to search them out. The Givin remarked that he would be glad when the extermination was complete, as he preferred breaking a population's will. Azard believed that Lord Krayt's commands were all that a true Sith required, and made as much clear to Isen. He also expressed his contempt for any Sith who was not a Darth, commenting that Isen questioned too much.

Defeat
"You will see, lieutenant. Valuing life&mdash;even your own&mdash;is a weakness. I am not weak."

- Darth Azard to one of the shuttle's crew

The Leviathan continued to follow the Mon Calamari's trail toward the rangers' base, with Azard and Isen close behind. During the long journey, Isen became impatient, regularly asking Azard whether they had arrived at their destination. This repetitive questioning agitated Azard, and he made this clear to Isen. When they finally reached the base, swarms of Krakana came out to meet them. The Mon Calamari had developed a plan; they avoided the Leviathan, and instead targeted the shuttle, hoping that by doing so they could stop the Leviathan. Isen believed this tactic was foolish, as the Krakana's plasma weapons could not penetrate the shuttle's shields, and the Krakana's&mdash;built for speed as they were&mdash;had no missiles or shielding of their own.

Azard ordered the crew to kill all the Mon Calamari, and the shuttle's weapons opened up, spraying blaster fire in all directions. The rangers were undeterred, however; even as the Leviathan continued its pursuit of the escaping refugees, they continued to attack the shuttle, searching for chink in its armor. Things turned against the Sith, however, when Azard's adversary, Treis Sinde, entered the battle with a large group of devilsquids. Under Sinde's command, the squids swarmed around the Leviathan, attacking it. In response, Azard ordered the deployment of the shuttle's Shark fighters to deal with the Krakana, while the shuttle would kill the devilsquids. Though the shields had to be lowered to launch the Sharks, Azard was confident that by concentrating fire on the area of the launch they would be able to clear out the Krakana. Azard believed the Mon Calamari were not aggressive and they valued life too much, something he considered a weakness. This assumption was proven wrong moments later, as a lone Mon Calamari ranger made a suicide run on the shuttle, crippling it and disconnecting the bridge area from the rest of the vessel. Isen managed to avoid serious injury, but Azard was pinned to his chair. Isen freed him, using the Quarren's lightsaber, and smashed one of the vessel's windows with the Force, allowing them to escape. This act surprised Azard, but Vul Isen explained that they were both part of the One Sith, and that Krayt would have wanted him to do. The two Sith then swam through the hole Isen had created, escaping the wreckage. The Leviathan they had unleashed upon the Mon Calamari was defeated by the devilsquid, who dragged the beast into the Devil's Crevasse.

Personality and traits
"We may all be One Sith, Isen, but we are not equals. I am, as you say, a Darth. Our loyalty is unquestioning as our wills are unbending."

- Darth Azard, to Vul Isen

As a member of the One Sith, Darth Azard considered himself a Sith first and not one of his own species. He followed Darth Krayt's commands unquestioningly, believing his Lord's commands were all that a true Sith required. When Azard was working with Sith scientist Vul Isen, tension developed between the two as Azard believed Isen's inquisitive nature was contradictory to the ways of a true Sith, and displayed contempt for any member of the One Sith that was not a Darth. As a result of this view, Azard was surprised when Isen saved him in the wreckage of their shuttle. Azard also demonstrated his ignorance of Sith lore and history, having little knowledge of the Leviathan.

Like most members of the Order, Azard's face and body were fully covered in red and black Sith tattoos. He was aggressive and short-tempered, executing subordinates instantly for failure. He was feared by those under his command; Admiral Dru Valan chose suicide over facing the Sith Lord following his failure. He was also arrogant, believing the Imperial Knight Treis Sinde to be beneath his abilities.

Powers and abilities
"I sensed a disturbance in the Force and tracked it here. It's coming from my shuttle."

- Darth Azard sensing the attempt to steal his shuttle

Darth Azard was a skilled wielder of the double-bladed lightsaber in combat, using a unique curved hilt similar to that of Asajj Ventress. He also showed his skill in using his lightsaber with only a single blade during his duel with Imperial Knight Treis Sinde. Despite Sinde being a Master in the Imperial Knights he was not able to defeat Azard and was saved by an explosion set off by the Rogues. Apart from his skill with lightsaber, Azard was a proficient wielder of the Force. He was capable of telekinetic uses of the Force such as Force Choke, and like many of the One Sith,  was proficient in the use of Force lightning. Darth Azard was also able to sense disturbances in the Force and track them back to their source, as well as invoking the Force to awaken a Sith Leviathan with the help of Vul Isen. Defensively, Azard was able to shield himself from damage by projecting a bubble of Force energy around himself.

Behind the scenes
The character of Darth Azard was created by writer John Ostrander, and first appeared in the twentieth issue of the Star Wars: Legacy series, Indomitable, Part 1. He later appeared in the issue, The Wrath of the Dragon. Lord Azard is the third Quarren Sith Lord portrayed in Star Wars: Legacy after Darth Maleval and the unidentified Quarren Sith.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Legacy 20: Indomitable, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 21: Indomitable, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 22: The Wrath of the Dragon
 * Star Wars Legacy 32: Fight Another Day, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 33: Fight Another Day, Part 2