Darth Vectivus

The male Human who would later be known as Darth Vectivus led a conventional life into adulthood, cherishing his family and a wide circle of friends. He acquired numerous skills from them, which he then integrated into his business practices as the administrator of the Jonex Mine Eight Eleven B mining complex within the MZX32905 system. Located in an asteroid belt near the planet Bimmiel, he established his base of operations on a specific asteroid known as the Home, which was abundant in the metal ores that his company extracted.

Neither he nor his employees were aware that the asteroid was saturated with the dark side of the Force, a consequence of an extinct sentient mynock-like species that had previously inhabited the Home. The dark side energies of their work environment gradually eroded the mental stability of Jonex Mine Eight Eleven B's personnel; those who were Force-sensitives experienced inexplicable visions, exhibited unusual abilities, and even began to emulate the behavior of the mynock-like species that had come before them. The director, who possessed Force sensitivity and also began to encounter strange occurrences, discreetly suppressed reports of these bizarre happenings, halting all of Jonex's mining activities to maintain secrecy amidst the ongoing operations within the asteroid field. He dedicated his time to experimenting with the intense darkness of the caverns, exploring and developing new Force abilities in the process.

When the operation was no longer profitable, the director subtly mismanaged it, leading to its complete closure. He used financial incentives and persuasion to encourage individuals to overlook the situation, effectively consigning the mine to obscurity. He then embarked on a journey throughout the galaxy, actively seeking out the Sith. The director's quest was successful; he located and became an apprentice to a Sith Master, who expanded his knowledge and capabilities in the dark side to the point of his own mastery. Upon completing his training in the ways of the Force, he assumed the title of Dark Lord of the Sith as Darth Vectivus.

The established moral code from his previous life as a business executive remained with Darth Vectivus even after his transformation into a Sith Lord, and his adherence to these ethical standards prevented him from succumbing to the typical shortcomings of his predecessors. Violence, galactic ambition, and the eradication of the Sith's philosophical Jedi rivals held no interest for him; his sole focus was to immerse himself in Sith lore and study the galaxy. Upon his return to the mine years later as a fully realized Sith Lord, Vectivus constructed a mansion at the heart of the asteroid's dark side potency. He also created a personal Sith holocron, which contained his philosophy on business practices, as well as a detailed explanation of the implementation of dark side–empowered projections. This ability, developed by Vectivus himself, involved the creation of controlled Force apparitions, or phantoms, that required the healthy soul of a living host to serve as the manifestation's anchor to the physical realm. Each was inextricably linked; if one was killed or destroyed, the other would suffer the same fate. Vectivus' skill was such that summoning hundreds of concurrent phantoms required minimal effort. Darth Vectivus ultimately passed away at the Home, having spent the remainder of his days surrounded by his friends and family.

Centuries following Darth Vectivus' demise, his former residence became the domain of Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith. The Home served as a sanctuary where she delved into the Force, the history of the Sith, and the legacy of Lord Vectivus himself. While residing in the Home, Lumiya also discovered the spirit of Darth Vectivus lingering within the depths of the asteroid. It was there that she learned to master his Force phantom technique to such a degree that she could dispatch them across the galaxy for her own purposes.

By 40 ABY, Lumiya had come to the conclusion that the galaxy was descending into a state of chaos and that the current government, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, was incapable of maintaining peace among its citizens. She believed that a Sith Lord with the moral integrity of Darth Vectivus was essential to restore stability to the galaxy; to achieve this, she planned to transform Jedi Knight Jacen Solo into the Sith dictator she envisioned. Disguised as "Brisha Syo," Lumiya lured Solo, his cousin Ben Skywalker, and the Jedi Nelani Dinn to the Home. She separated Solo from his companions and, using Darth Vectivus as her prime example of a benevolent darksider, began to persuade Solo to embrace what she claimed was his destiny as a Sith. After much deliberation, Solo was eventually convinced by the example of Darth Vectivus' strong moral foundation. Amidst the turmoil that later escalated into the Second Galactic Civil War, Solo ascended to mastery himself, becoming Darth Caedus, Dark Lord of the Sith.

While Lumiya was enticing Jacen Solo to accept dark power without the corruption of evil ambition, she also conjured a phantom of Darth Vectivus that encountered one of Solo's comrades, the Jedi Knight Nelani Dinn, within the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the Home. The Sith specter attacked Dinn with mynock phantoms, forcing her to defend herself against them. The creatures abruptly ceased their assault on Dinn just before the cloaked figure of Vectivus materialized. He introduced himself to the Jedi, who recognized him as the cause of all her troubles; however, Vectivus suggested that he was merely a figment of her imagination. When Dinn refuted his claim, citing her ability to sense his immense dark side presence, Vectivus corrected her, explaining that what she sensed was the Force aura of the being to whom he was connected. He informed her that, like all the mynocks, he was in fact a Force phantom. He further stated that for every phantom she destroyed, a person or animal somewhere in the universe would die as well. Dinn was skeptical of Vectivus' claim, but the Dark Lord assured her that he was telling the truth. Weary of the phantom's incessant conversation, Dinn inquired about how to rid herself of his Sith presence. Vectivus advised that the only way to do so was to kill him, and if she did, the mynocks would vanish and Dinn would be able to locate both Skywalker and Solo once again.

However, Vectivus' suggestion presented a dilemma; if Dinn eliminated him, the life to which he was linked would also end—an outcome Dinn found unacceptable. The Sith Lord continued to provoke her into killing him, but Dinn refused to take the life of an innocent being. Vectivus explained his motivation for attempting to pressure the Jedi into action; countless lives would be saved at his expense, and the potential influence of his dark side teachings would be eliminated. He then assumed the form of the former Galactic Emperor Palpatine, hoping that the image of a notorious villain would simplify Dinn's decision, but the Jedi still declined. Reverting to his original form, Vectivus rebuked Dinn for her inability to sacrifice one life for the benefit of many. He also deemed the Jedi's willingness to sacrifice herself in place of an innocent unacceptable and, through the Force, illuminated the tunnel so that Dinn could find her way out. Before she departed, Vectivus cautioned Nelani Dinn to avoid interfering in the affairs of others lest she meet an unnecessary end. He then bid her farewell as he disappeared into the Force. Dinn failed to heed Vectivus' warning and was ultimately killed by Jacen Solo after attempting to prevent Lumiya from seducing him to the dark side of the Force.

Following the death of Lumiya, who had surrendered herself to death in mortal combat against the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vectivus' residence remained unoccupied for a brief period. Vectivus' asteroid domain then became the residence of the Twi'lek Dark Jedi Alema Rar, who had been in league with Lumiya prior to her death. Rar later traveled to the Sith homeworld of Korriban, where she met with representatives of a secret Sith order who presented her with Vectivus' holocron to deliver as a gift to Darth Caedus. Rar concluded that the information contained within would be of no use to Caedus and chose not to give him the holocron. Following the conclusion of the Battle of Kashyyyk, Rar returned to Vectivus' asteroid and began to practice the ancient Dark Lord's Force phantom technique.

The Korriban Sith became aware of Darth Vectivus' asteroid and Alema Rar's possession of it through one of their operatives, a female Sith Lord named Dician. While the mention of Vectivus' name by Dician elicited considerable disdain from those to whom she reported, the Force phantom power that he had commanded during his life was well-known among them and remained unchallenged. The Sith ultimately decided to destroy Vectivus' asteroid in an attempt to prevent the Jedi from discovering its significance. Vectivus' asteroid was soon attacked by the Interceptor-class frigate Poison Moon under Dician's command, which arrived simultaneously with a team of Jedi and Galactic Alliance agents who had tracked Rar to that location. While Rar employed Vectivus' Force phantom technique to combat the Alliance task force, the habitat was infiltrated by shuttled crews from the Poison Moon, who planted fission bombs in various locations as they prepared to destroy the asteroid. The subsequent detonation of the bombs resulted in the complete annihilation of Vectivus' former home.

As the administrator of Jonex Mine Eight Eleven B, he was a prominent businessman whose stringent moral principles propelled him to a position of authority within the galactic mining industry. Skills acquired from family, friends, and other acquaintances further aided him in managing the lives of tens of thousands of employees. He amassed a considerable fortune and used his resources to construct a lavish estate, adorned with statues of those who had influenced him. Vectivus particularly admired architectural styles originating from the planet Naboo, and he incorporated materials from that world and others in the construction of the Home.

The darkness emanating from the mines beneath his residence piqued the administrator's interest in Sith lore and the dark side, eventually compelling him to seek out the Sith. Upon his own ascension to Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vectivus retained the principles and ethical standards of his previous existence. With this foundation, he avoided the pitfalls of the Sith who had come before him; he was never driven by galactic domination or an all-consuming hatred of the Jedi, and instead chose to live out his days in luxury, surrounded by his loved ones. However, Vectivus remained a ruthless individual, partly due to his background as a businessman, and was willing to do whatever it took to succeed, a trait he encouraged in others. Darth Vectivus highly valued his skills in business and money management, and he documented his various principles in his personal holocron. However, these ideals held no value for the One Sith, nor for Alema Rar.

When he revealed himself to Nelani Dinn, Darth Vectivus appeared as a tall, dark-haired man of considerable girth, loosely dressed in garments that suggested he was as muscular as he was obese. His phantom moved with grace and spoke in a smooth tone. He repeatedly tested Dinn's resolve by attempting to force her to strike him down, and he regarded her with disdain when he finally realized that she lacked the necessary ruthlessness to sacrifice an innocent life in order to save many others. He pitied her weakness and advised her not to meddle in the affairs of others for her own safety. Despite his ruthlessness, Darth Vectivus possessed a softer side, particularly when it came to the young of animals. He believed that nearly every creature was visually appealing in its youth, especially baby banthas. However, he recognized that this was not true of all species; in fact, Vectivus considered Kowakian monkey-lizards to be the most hideous-looking creatures in the galaxy.

Upon discovering the dark energy residing in the mines of his asteroid, the administrator of Jonex Mine Eight Eleven B began to experiment with and learn various Force powers. As a Sith Lord, he mastered the ability to create phantoms fueled by the dark side of the Force, to the point where he could summon hundreds of them at will. His phantom power became legendary and was coveted by many. Although the members of the One Sith held Vectivus in contempt, they acknowledged and respected the benefits of his Force phantom technique, so much so that they sought to possess its power source and chose to destroy his habitat rather than risk the Jedi learning of its existence. After his death, he achieved the ability to become a Force ghost and retained his powers in that state. As a spirit, Vectivus could both change his shape at will and levitate above the ground. He also wielded a red-bladed lightsaber, the silver hilt of which was adorned with polished black stones shaped like diamonds.

Darth Vectivus was created by Aaron Allston for the first novel of the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series, Legacy of the Force: Betrayal. He appeared as a spirit to Nelani Dinn and served as a means for Lumiya to convince Jacen Solo to become Darth Caedus by demonstrating that not all Sith were inherently evil. He was also mentioned numerous times later in the series and was depicted—albeit with his face obscured—in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. According to Leland Chee's blog, Darth Vectivus' name is derived from the word "invective," which carries several meanings, including vehement or violent denunciation, censure, or reproach; a railing accusation; vituperation, an insulting or abusive word or expression, vituperative; denunciatory, or censoriously abusive.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, published in 2008, contained several errors regarding Darth Vectivus in its entries. Firstly, the Encyclopedia states that Vectivus met Jacen Solo and informed him that he was akin to a Force spirit. However, Solo never encountered Vectivus throughout the Legacy of the Force series or in any other Star Wars Legends story. The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia also claims that Lumiya met Vectivus' spirit at the Home millennia after his death, a contradiction to the phantom of Vectivus' statement to Nelani Dinn that he died centuries before their meeting within the mines beneath the Home. Furthermore, the entry asserts that Vectivus died thousands of years before the events of Legacy of Force, directly contradicting Betrayal. The final discrepancy concerns the discovery of Vectivus' holocron, which the Encyclopedia states was found by Alema Rar on Korriban. However, in Legacy of the Force: Inferno, the members of the One Sith already possess the holocron and give it to Rar, rather than the Twi'lek finding it independently.