Battle of Kemplex IX In 3996 BBY , Jedi and Sith forces fought an engagement at the Kemplex IX space station that proved to be one of the major turning - points of the Great Sith War . The Sith Lord Ulic Qel - Droma originally conceived of a plan to attack the Republic base at Kemplex IX as a feint , in order to draw forces away in preparation for the upcoming attack on Coruscant . Following the capture of Qel - Droma during that battle , Aleema Keto again proposed the idea to attack Kemplex IX and capture the jump - station there . Events , however , conspired against Keto and her plans for herself and Mandalore the Indomitable to attack the space station ; Qel - Droma was rescued from Coruscant by the Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun and Mandalore . Following his rescue , Qel - Droma decided that Keto and Crado would lead an attack on Kemplex IX in preparation for an attack on Ossus . Through the use of Sith magic , Keto unwittingly set off a chain reaction of explosions in the Cron Cluster , which destroyed all forces present , both Sith and Jedi . The resulting supernova also sent out a massive wave of destruction from its source , which eventually devastated the Jedi planet of Ossus . Prelude . Following the capture of Ulic Qel - Droma during his invasion of Coruscant , and his subsequent rescue by Exar Kun during the trial of Qel - Droma , the leaders of the Brotherhood 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 key Republic hyperspace jump - station at Kemplex IX , located in the Auril sector near the Cron Cluster . Initially , Qel - Droma had used a fictitious attack on Kemplex IX as a ruse to draw Republic defenders away from the capital of Coruscant , in preparation for his invasion of that planet . Likewise , following Aleema Keto ' s betrayal of Qel - Droma , and his capture by the Jedi , Keto had assumed command of the Krath forces . One of her first actions as supreme commander was to order Mandalore the Indomitable and his Mandalorian warriors to attack the jump - station at Kemplex IX . 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 for Yavin 4 to meet with the Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun , in an effort to convince him to help rescue Qel - Droma from the Republic Inquisition . Due to Mandalore ' s intervention , Qel - Droma was rescued from the Republic by Kun , and was able to set the original plans of the two Sith Lords in motion , beginning with a strike on Kemplex IX . 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 IX . Following his rescue from the Inquisition , 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 IX , 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 IX . Originally intending on using Sith magic to create a supernova in the Cron Cluster in an effort to wipe out Ossus , 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 Lord Naga Sadow , that possessed a powerful arsenal of Sith weaponry — weaponry that had the ability to create supernovae by ripping the cores from stars . 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 IX . The battle . Anxious to use the Sith magic at her disposal , Aleema Keto , accompanied by her co - commander Crado , took command of Naga Sadow ' s ship and set course for the Auril Sector . Upon arriving in the sector , Keto and Crado began their attack against Kemplex IX , thus using several weapons aboard Sadow ' s battleship to successfully destroy all of the Republic defenses and personnel in the immediate area . However , word of a planned Sith attack on Kemplex IX eventually reached the Jedi who were stationed on Ossus , and among many , including Master Thon , 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 IX , led by the Knights Dace Diath , Shoaneb Culu , and Qrrrl Toq , in an effort to thwart any plans that the Sith might have had for the jump - station . Setting out immediately for Kemplex IX , 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 his starfighter ' s sensors to detect a fleeing capital ship ' s ion - wake , which was originating from the Cron Cluster , a nearby stellar body of ten densely packed stars . 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 , a Miraluka 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 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 a chain 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 . Aftermath . With the destruction of Kemplex IX 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 IX 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 as Nomi Sunrider and Cay 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 . Behind the scenes . The battle at Kemplex IX first appeared in the issue " " of the " " series of comics . The battle was conceived and written by author Kevin J . Anderson , and was drawn by artist Dario Carrasco , Jr . Anderson used the battle as one of the main turning points in the sub - series " " , effectively using the battle as a climax for the Great Sith War , which began in the sub - series " " and which Anderson planned to end in the sixth and final issue of " The 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 issue " The Sith War 3 : The Trial of Ulic Qel - Droma " , Keto speaks with Mandalore , ordering an attack on Kemplex IX . 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 IX , either in the comics or source books . The next instance where Kemplex IX 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 IX 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 from Lucasfilm Ltd . has explained this situation , or offered any sort of explanation for the initial order by Keto to the Mandalorians .