Battle of Kemplex Nine

The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based on official information from theStar Wars Legends continuity, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

Battle of Kemplex Nine

In3996 BBY,Jedi andSith forces fought anengagement at theKemplex Ninespace station that proved to be one of the major turning-points of theGreat Sith War. TheSith LordUlic Qel-Droma originally conceived of a plan to attack theRepublic base at Kemplex Nine as a feint, in order to draw forces away in preparation for the upcomingattack on Coruscant. Following the capture of Qel-Droma during that battle,Aleema Keto again proposed the idea to attack Kemplex Nine and capture the jump-station there. Events, however, conspired against Keto and her plans for herself andMandalore the Indomitable to attack thespace station; Qel-Droma was rescued fromCoruscant by theDark Lord of the SithExar Kun and Mandalore. Following his rescue, Qel-Droma decided that Keto andCrado would lead an attack on Kemplex Nine in preparation for anattack on Ossus. Through the use ofSith magic, Keto unwittinglyset off achain reaction of explosions in theCron Cluster, which destroyed all forces present, both Sith and Jedi. The resultingsupernova also sent out a massive wave of destruction from its source, which eventually devastated the Jedi planet ofOssus.

Prelude[]

Following the capture ofUlic Qel-Droma during hisinvasion of Coruscant, and his subsequent rescue byExar Kun during thetrial of Qel-Droma, the leaders of theBrotherhood of the Sith began planning the next phase in their war of conquest. Qel-Droma devised an initial part of the plan that called for a strike against a keyRepublichyperspace jump-station atKemplex Nine, located in theAuril sector near theCron Cluster.^[3]

Initially, Qel-Droma had used a fictitious attack on Kemplex Nine as a ruse to draw Republic defenders away from the capital of Coruscant, in preparation for his invasion of that planet.^[5] Likewise, followingAleema Keto's betrayal of Qel-Droma, and his capture by the Jedi, Keto had assumed command of theKrath forces. One of her first actions as supreme commander was to orderMandalore the Indomitable and hisMandalorian warriors to attack the jump-station at Kemplex Nine. Mandalore set Keto's orders in motion, knowing that his warriors would carry out his commands to the letter. However, Mandalore also suspected Keto of betraying Qel-Droma on Coruscant, and set out forYavin 4 to meet with theDark Lord of the SithExar Kun, in an effort to convince him to help rescue Qel-Droma from the Republic. Due to Mandalore's intervention, Qel-Droma was rescued from the Republic by Kun, and was able to set the original plans of the twoSith Lords in motion, beginning with a strike on Kemplex Nine.^[3]

Though the two Sith Lords were outwardly working towards the same goals, both Qel-Droma and Kun harbored their own agendas for staging an attack against the jump-station at Kemplex Nine. Following his rescue, Qel-Droma learned from Mandalore how Keto had betrayed him during the invasion of Coruscant. Aware of Kun's agenda for a strike at Kemplex Nine, Qel-Droma ordered Keto to take command of the attack there, confident that she would be rewarded in turn for her treachery against him. What Qel-Droma was aware of, which the others were not, was that Kun had an ulterior motive for also wanting a strike against Kemplex Nine. Originally intending on using Sith magic to create a supernova in the Cron Cluster in an effort to wipe outOssus, Kun altered his planning since he was now aware of Keto's own ambitious motives—Keto, Kun realized, was a threat to his and Qel-Droma's Sith legacy. To that end, Kun gave Keto command of an ancient ship, which had once belonged to the ancient Sith LordNaga Sadow, that possessed a powerful arsenal of Sith weaponry—weaponry that hadthe ability to createsupernovae by ripping the cores fromstars. Excited to have the chance to use such a powerful ship, Keto listened as Kun explained that she was to use the ship's armament to destroy one of the Cron Cluster's stars, thus destroying her enemies' forces. Kun, however, neglected to advise Keto that the Sith magic imbued in the ship would not protect her from the destruction caused by the resulting supernova. Likewise, the Sith Lord failed to mention that he had altered the ship's arsenal so that after the one supernova had been created, it would then set off a chain reaction in the stars immediately surrounding it. This, Kun knew, would cause an enormous supernova to be created, though which the planet of Ossus would be devastated. Known only to Kun and Qel-Droma, it was Ossus that was the true objective, not the jump-station at Kemplex Nine.^[3]

The battle[]

Anxious to use the Sith magic at her disposal, Aleema Keto, accompanied by her co-commanderCrado, took command of Naga Sadow's ship and set course for the Auril Sector.^[3] Upon arriving in thesector, Keto and Crado began their attack against Kemplex Nine, thus using several weapons aboardSadow's battleship to successfully destroy all of the Republic defenses and personnel in the immediate area.^[3]

However, word of a planned Sith attack on Kemplex Nine eventually reached theJedi who were stationed on Ossus, and among many, includingMasterThon, it was thought that these reports were yet another ruse aimed at diverting the Jedi's attention from elsewhere. Believing everything that Kun and Qel-Droma could desire was located on Ossus, the Jedi Masters decided that a small fleet would be dispatched to Kemplex Nine, led by theKnightsDace Diath,Shoaneb Culu, andQrrrl Toq, in an effort to thwart any plans that the Sith might have had for the jump-station. Setting out immediately for Kemplex Nine, the three Jedi arrived at the head of their fleet to discover that the jump-station had already been destroyed, and that all Republic personnel were dead. Discovering that the Sith attack had been real, the Jedi believed that they had missed their chance to strike back at those responsible. On the other hand, Dace Diath managed to use hisstarfighter'ssensors to detect a fleeing capital ship's ion-wake, which was originating from theCron Cluster, a nearby stellar body of ten densely packed stars.^[3]

Identifying the ship as belonging to the Sith, the Jedi led their fleet in an attack run on the enemy craft. However, during the battle Shoaneb Culu, aMiraluka Jedi, sensed something strange in the Force—something that neither of her fellow Jedi could detect. Realizing too late that something dangerous and deadly was about to happen, Culu attempted to call out to the fleet and other Jedi to warn them. Despite Culu's best efforts, Keto managed to activate the Sith technology aboard Sadow's ship, and was able to successfully rip the core out of a nearby star. The resulting supernova was enormous, and immediately destroyed the entire Republic fleet and the three Jedi. However, unbeknown to Keto were the alterations that Exar Kun had made to the ship's Sith weapons. Unable to control the weapons after the initial use, Keto was forced to watch in horror as the first supernova set off achain reaction among the remaining nine stars. The subsequent explosion completely destroyed Naga Sadow's ship, and all hands aboard, which included Aleema Keto and Crado. In her final moments, Keto was able to piece the parts together and realize that Qel-Droma had returned her betrayal of him on Coruscant.^[3]

Aftermath[]

With the destruction of Kemplex Nine complete, the supernova caused by Keto and her Sith magic was on a direct course for the Jedi-held world of Ossus—exactly as Exar Kun had planned. When word of the devastation of Kemplex Nine and the impending supernova reached Jedi ears on Ossus, the planet's authorities issued orders for the planet to be evacuated of all personnel, and whatever Jedi artifacts could be gathered. Many Jedi had already managed to load their individual ships full of Jedi lore and valuables, and still, others, such asNomi Sunrider andCay Qel-Droma, chose to stay behind until the last possible moment to preserve what they could. It was during this chaotic time on Ossus that the Sith Lords Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma saw their chance to directly attack the planet and its still enormously wealthy storehouses of ancient Jedi knowledge.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

The battle at Kemplex Nine first appeared in the issueThe Sith War 4: Jedi Holocaust of theTales of the Jedi series of comics. The battle was conceived and written by authorKevin J. Anderson, and was drawn by artistDario Carrasco, Jr. Anderson used the battle as one of the main turning points in the sub-seriesThe Sith War, effectively using the battle as a climax for the Great Sith War, which began in the sub-seriesDark Lords of the Sith and which Anderson planned to end in the sixth and final issue ofThe Sith War.

There has been some confusion since the first appearance of the battle surrounding a set of orders given by the character Aleema Keto to Mandalore the Indomitable. In the issueThe Sith War 3: The Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma, Keto speaks with Mandalore, ordering an attack on Kemplex Nine. Specifically, Keto says to Mandalore, "We will do a double-feint and strike the Kemplex Nine jump-station after all! The Republic forces thought it was a diversion of Ulic's, and now they will have left it virtually unguarded!" Following this exchange, the narration of the comic goes on to say that, "Mandalore sets Aleema's orders in motion, following them to the letter. He knows his warriors will see that they are carried out." However, following this there is no information or pictures of the Mandalorians in action at Kemplex Nine, either in the comics or source books. The next instance where Kemplex Nine is mentioned, it shows the ruined and destroyed jump-station, and the narration of the comic says, "Kemplex Nine was a bustling city in space…the only inhabited station in a hot, unstable cluster of ten stars known as the Cron Cluster. After Aleema's attack, though, it is no longer inhabited." Specifically the last line regarding Keto has led to some wonderment regarding exactly who was responsible for the destruction of the Kemplex Nine jump station, or if perhaps two separate battles had occurred. Due to these factors, there is room for argument to say that the Mandalorians, without Mandalore, attacked the jump station following Keto's initial orders. However, due to the fact that Keto and Crado were already present in the Cron Cluster prior to the arrival of the Jedi, and combined with the comic's narration, there is also the argument that it was Keto and Crado who attacked the jump station prior to the Jedi's arrival. To date, no official source fromLucasfilm has explained this situation, or offered any sort of explanation for the initial order by Keto to the Mandalorians.

Appearances[]

• Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War 4(First appearance)
• Tales of the Jedi – Redemption 2(Indirect mention only)
• Tales of the Jedi – Redemption 3(Indirect mention only)
• Tales of the Jedi – Redemption 4(Indirect mention only)
• Tales of the Jedi – Redemption 5(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic(Codex entry)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire(Mentioned only)

Sources[]

• The Essential Guide to Characters
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Chronology
• The Dark Side Sourcebook
• Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 107OSS 3-4: Ossus(Indirect mention only)
• Chronicles of the Old Republic onLucasArts'sofficial website(backup link) (original site is defunct)
• The New Essential Chronology
• Kun, Exar in theDatabank(original site is defunct)
• Qel-Droma, Ulic in theDatabank(original site is defunct)

Notes and references[]