Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith #3 represents the third installment of the Star Wars Legends comic book limited series titled Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Golden Age of the Sith. Kevin J. Anderson served as the writer, Dario Carrasco, Jr. provided the illustrations, and Dark Horse Comics initially released it on December 11, 1996.
The narrative of this particular issue, titled "The Fabric of an Empire," revolves around Naga Sadow's liberation of the Daragon siblings and his subsequent ascension to the position of Dark Lord of the Sith.
Gav and Jori Daragon were well aware of the dangers involved when they embarked on their mission to chart the unknown regions of hyperspace. However, they anticipated being thwarted by an unexpected field of space debris, rather than by the consequences of their successful discovery of hyperspace "shortcuts." The Sith Empire is determined to acquire the map to these routes, seeking to maintain absolute control over the galaxy. To them, the lives of a couple of explorers hold little significance against their dark ambitions.
Within the Sith Empire's capital world of Ziost, the Sith Lords deliberate on the fate of their new prisoners, Gav and Jori Daragon. Naga Sadow advocates for their potential use in expanding the Sith Empire, whereas Ludo Kressh fears they herald an impending invasion and proposes their execution. Sadow passionately argues for an assault on the Galactic Republic, but fails to garner the necessary support from his fellow Sith Lords.
Ultimately, Simus visits Gav and Jori in their frigid, subterranean cell, informing them of their impending execution. He further mentions that the Sith will determine the fate of their ship, Starbreaker 12, during their next assembly. The distressed siblings offer each other comfort, with Jori expressing her longing to return home.
Naga Sadow, however, is not so easily deterred. He dispatches one of his Massassi warriors to retrieve a Republic blaster from the Starbreaker 12. At his citadel situated on the moon Khar Shian, the Sith Lord decides to incorporate the Daragons into his grand scheme to enlarge the Sith Empire. He gives orders to his commanders to gather his devoted Massassi, collect weaponry, and prepare for an assault on Ziost.
Sadow and his Massassi warriors launch an attack on the Ziost prison fortress, eliminating several guards. Meanwhile, Gav reminds his sister Jori that their parents achieved something significant by delivering supplies to Empress Teta's forces during the Unification War. He expresses regret for not continuing his Jedi training and bemoans their "misfortune." Jori then detects approaching footsteps.
Naga Sadow greets the siblings, informing them that he is there to liberate them. He instructs the Daragons to follow his Massassi warriors to his ship. Before departing, Sadow eliminates Simus and his servant, strategically leaving the blaster behind to frame the incident as an attack orchestrated by the Republic.
After escorting Gav and Jori to his fortress on Khar Shian, Sadow returns to the Sith Council, which has convened an emergency session in response to the assault on the Ziost fortress and the murder of Simus. Leveraging the planted evidence, Sadow asserts that Gav and Jori were spies acting as the vanguard for a Republic offensive.
Capitalizing on the outrage stemming from the alleged Republic "incursion," Sadow demands to be crowned Dark Lord, so he can safeguard the Empire from this perceived threat. Much to the dismay of Ludo Kressh, the Sith Lords acquiesce, and Sadow is proclaimed the new Dark Lord of the Sith. They also commit their ships and factions to the command of their newly appointed Dark Lord.
- UPC 761568954166; December 11 , 1996 ; Dark Horse Comics ; Initial print run [1]
- (No UPC) ; November 10 , 2015 ; Marvel Comics ; Digital release [2]