Lost Tribe of the Sith: Skyborn

After a Jedi ambush, the Sith vessel Omen finds itself wrecked on a far-off alien planet. The survivors are at the mercy of the harsh environment and face almost certain doom. However, the Sith refuse to surrender to fate or their enemies' weapons. Yaru Korsin, the Omen's shrewd commander, will stop at nothing to return to the stars and rejoin the Sith order's galactic conquest. He has already proven his ruthlessness by murdering his own brother, but now he faces an entire race standing in his path.

The Keshiri, a primitive and superstitious people, worship unseen deities known as the Skyborn, reject science, and punish those who don't believe with death. Adari Vaal, a widowed young geologist, is branded a heretic and is running for her life. She discovers powerful sanctuary among the mysterious Sith castaways, and her saviors find a way to survive. With Adari as their willing tool, the Skyborn as their Trojan horse, and the immense power of the dark side of the Force at their disposal, the lost tribe of the Omen embarks on a mission to conquer a planet and its people, laying the groundwork for a new and merciless Sith nation.

Skyborn unfolds in 5000 BBY, primarily through the perspective of Adari Vaal, a female Keshiri geologist and the widow of Zhari Vaal, a member of the Neshtovar. The Neshtovar, an elite aristocratic priesthood, rode uvaks, winged reptilian beasts of burden, and held sway over Keshiri society on Keshtah Minor, one of the two major continents on Keshtah Minor. At the story's beginning, Adari faces persecution from her community for teaching that the landmasses of her homeworld Kesh were formed by volcanic activity. This contradicted the Neshtovar's doctrine that Kesh's land was created by a conflict between two divine factions, the Skyborn and the Otherside. This persecution involved citizens regularly throwing stones at her residence and verbally abusing her and her family. Even Adari's mother Eulyn did not sympathize with her daughter for challenging established beliefs and feared for the well-being of Adari's two sons, Tona and Finn.

Subsequently, Izri Dazh, the leader of the Neshtovar, summoned Adari for a public trial at the Circle Eternal, a large plaza in the center of Tahv. During the trial, Adari passionately defended her research despite the hostile atmosphere. Izri frequently berated the geologist and accused her of serving the Otherside. Their argument was interrupted by a powerful explosion that shook the Cetajan Mountains. Like most attendees, Adari initially fled to her home, but it was soon surrounded by angry Neshtovar who believed her "heresy" had provoked the Skyborn's wrath. She instructed Eulyn and her children to seek refuge at her uncle's residence. Adari was then pursued by the enraged townsfolk but escaped by riding her uvak Nink towards the Cetajan Mountains.

Adari's intention was to investigate the cause of the explosion. After traveling for two days, Adari and Nink arrived at the Cetajan Mountains and rested in a mountainside roost. Adari directed Nink towards the explosion's origin. Instead of a volcanic crater, Adari discovered a large metallic shell, later identified as the Sith starship Omen, which had crashed into a mountainside. She also observed a man wielding a red light discarding an object over a cliff. This incident startled Nink, causing Adari to fall off. However, she managed to grab Nink's foot and held on until they reached a seaside perch.

Later that night, Adari noticed a series of fires on the mountainside. Initially fearing that the Neshtovar had caught up with her, Adari then received a strange calming message from the mountains and felt drawn to approach. She moved towards the fires and was overpowered and attacked by "strangers," who turned out to be stranded Sith from the Sith Empire. Before she could be harmed by the other Sith, she was rescued by the man she had encountered earlier on the mountains. He introduced himself as Yaru Korsin just as she lost consciousness. Over the following days, Adari was nursed back to health by her Sith captors and quickly learned about the Sith's identity and their starship. Yaru Korsin was the captain of the Sith ship Omen, which had crashed on Kesh during the Great Hyperspace War. In return, Adari shared information with her captors about her people, her town of Tahv, and the mythical Skyborn. During this time, Adari also formed a friendship with Yaru Korsin. However, Seelah Korsin, the wife of the deceased Devore Korsin, remained wary of Adari.

Ultimately, Adari convinced Yaru Korsin to allow her to leave with Nink and seek help from the Keshiri. After eight days, Adari returned with the Neshtovar and introduced them to the Sith. The Sith impressed the Neshtovar with their lightsabers, a technology unknown to the Keshiri, and their ability to levitate objects. Most importantly, they claimed to be the mythical Skyborn, the deities revered by the Neshtovar. As a result, Adari's status quickly rose from ostracized heretic to esteemed "Daughter of the Skyborn." Adari became the spokesperson for the "Skyborn," announcing that they would reside in Tahv until they could repair their starship and return to the stars. The Skyborn then moved into the homes of the Neshtovar, replacing the former elite as the new rulers of Keshtah Minor.

Eventually, Adari confronted Yaru Korsin about her earlier observation of him throwing something over the mountainside. She revealed that she had investigated the object and discovered it was a dead man, who had been carried away by the tide. Korsin admitted that the dead man was his estranged brother Devore Korsin but justified his actions by claiming his brother posed a threat to his people. He also emphasized that the Sith did not condemn murder. Yaru also read Adari's mind and learned about her persecution and her deceased husband Zhari. In the end, Korsin persuaded Adari to keep the incident a secret in exchange for teaching her to develop her Force powers. Adari agreed and became Korsin's student. However, she began to understand that the Sith were not gods despite their Force abilities.