Ka kammala wannan jumlar: Domin su yi nasara wajen yaƙi da 'yan tawayen, Basil da babban ministansa, "parakoimomenos" Basil Lekapenos, an tilasta musu su kira janar Bardas Phokas the Younger, ɗan wan Sarkin sarakuna Nikephoros II, daga gudun hijira a shekara ta 978 kuma ya naɗa shi a matsayin shugaban rundunar sojojin gabas. Bayan nasarar da ya yi a kan Skleros, Phokas da mabiyansa yanzu sun fara makirci don kifar da sarki. Rikicin bai ɓarke nan da nan ba, amma bangarorin biyu sun zauna a cikin abin da masanin tarihi Mark Whittow ya kira "yakin sanyi". A cikin 985, sarki ya fara motsawa ta hanyar korar ko rage darajar wasu janar na gabas masu aminci ga dangin Phokas: Bardas Phokas da kansa an rage shi zuwa "doux" na Antakiya kuma Eustathios Maleinos an sallame shi daga sojojin. A cikin 986, duk da haka, bayan rashin nasarar Basil da kansa ta hanyar Bulgarian a
Kofofin Trajan da dawowar Skleros daga gudun hijira a Baghdad, an tilasta wa sarki ya sake nada Bardas Phokas a matsayin babban kwamandan Gabas. Ba da daɗewa ba Phokas ya yaudari Skleros a cikin taro kuma ya sa aka kama shi, amma yanzu rikici na ƙarshe game da kursiyin ba zai yiwu ba: a ranar 15 ga Agusta ko 14 ga Satumba, 987, a gidan Maleinos a cikin taken Charsianon, manyan iyalai masu daraja da suka taru sun ayyana Phokas a matsayin sarki.