Crimson Empire Crimson Empire was a series of comic books written by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley . They were originally released by Dark Horse Comics in 1997 and 1998 as a 6 - issue monthly series , which were later compiled and sold as a trade paperback . Its sequel , " " , was released later in 1998 and 1999 . It is primarily acclaimed for the twelve - page final duel between Kir Kanos and Carnor Jax . In late 2008 , it was claimed that work on " " , Crimson Empire ' s second sequel , would begin ; Randy Stradley later debunked this claim . At Celebration V it was announced Crimson Empire III would be released in 2011 . Publisher ' s summary . " In all the Empire , there are no more fearsome warriors than the Emperor ' s Imperial Guard , and none is more loyal than Kir Kanos . But when Carnor Jax — the most formidable of this elite brotherhood — betrays the Emperor and orders the murder of the Guard , Kir must escape to carry out his duty to avenge his master . Devoted to the last , Kir must nonetheless ally himself with Rebel forces to help him attain his retribution in the face of the Empire ' s full might brought down to destroy him . For Kir Kanos , the last royal Imperial Guard and the final threat to Jax ' s rise to power , there are no alternatives — loyalty never dies . " Plot summary . On the planet of Zaddja in the Trilon sector , General Wessel ' s men have tracked down former Imperial Royal Guardsman Kir Kanos . Upon the closer inspection , the dwelling is revealed to be empty except for a time bomb that Kanos left behind , which detonates , killing every troop in the strike team . Kir Kanos finds himself on a remote Imperial planet called Phaeda . After a group of drunk off - duty stormtroopers start a cantina brawl , Kanos is forced to violence , killing the entire group and revealing his presence . A man named Merkon offers him a place to hide and rest before reinforcements arrive . While he waits , Kanos recounts his first experiences as a royal guardsman . He is fighting on a faraway world alongside his onetime ally Carnor Jax . Their fighting skills impress their commanding officer , who transfers them to Yinchorr , the secret training grounds for the Emperor ' s red guard . Time jumps forward several years to his first meeting with the Emperor and Darth Vader during one of their inspections of the guardsmen - to - be . Darth Vader challenges the most talented recruit , Burr Danid , to a duel in the Squall , a terrifying arena suspended over a bottomless pit . Vader crushes him mercilessly in combat and kicks him into the abyss . Kanos recalls this as the moment he realizes that mere perfection is not enough in the service of the Emperor . Meanwhile , in present day , Colonel Shev , the corrupt bureaucratic ruler of Phaeda , investigates the cantina murders . He seeks to capture Kanos and turn him in before the murders bring undue attention to his corrupt activities . Merkon brings Sadeet and Mirith Sinn to Kanos ' s hiding place . After a tense incident in which Kanos threatens Mirith and Sadeet with a blaster , Mirith offers him a place among the Phaeda rebels . As they leave , Merkon promises to sidetrack Shev ' s investigation . The cantina incident has attracted the attention of General Wessel and the reigning Imperial lord , Carnor Jax . They are en route to Phaeda and order Colonel Shev to stand down . Shev disobeys the order and continues the search . He is aided in his search by his informant , Tem Merkon , the man who hid Kanos . Merkon gives him the location of the rebel base . Shev orders an assault on the Rebel base in the remote mountains around the spaceport . Upon arriving at the rebel base , Kanos wastes no time in making Sadeet and Massimo feel threatened . Unaware that Kanos is a former royal guardsman , the rebels set him up in temporary quarters and offer him shelter . Over a meal , Mirith tells Kanos about her past on Nez Peron and her motives in rebelling against the empire . Mirith leaves Kanos alone , and Kanos continues recounting his past into his recording device . This time , he recalls the final day of his training on Yinchorr . After killing Lemmet Tauk , his training partner , during a forced duel for a place in the Royal Guard , Kanos graduates and joins the Royal Guard . Darth Vader strikes him across the face with his lightsaber and gives him his scar . After a poor command decision by Mirith Sinn , one squad of rebel troops ends up surrounded by Shev ' s troops and without reinforcements . As Massimo is about to be captured , a mysterious royal guard begins single - handedly eliminating Shev ' s army . As Mirith confronts him , a TIE Interceptor strafes the group . The guardsman takes a hand blaster and shoots the pilot through the viewport , killing him and causing the ship to careen out of control and crash into the remote command post , winning the battle . After the battle , the guardsman reveals himself as Kir Kanos . The rebels , their base discovered , begin evacuations . Mirith , looking for Kanos , finds his recorder lying around in his room . She listens to his third recorded entry , which recounts the events following the battle of Onderon . Kyle Hannad , who barely survived the battle , returns to Yinchorr to tell the other guardsmen what he has learned : Carnor Jax was not killed when Byss was destroyed ; Jax is alive , he had paid the Emperor ' s physician to create faulty clones for the Emperor , and he had gained control of two divisions of stormtroopers . He orders the troops into the guardsmen ' s stronghold on Yinchorr . Though the former Royal Guards killed hundreds of stormtroopers in the battle , sheer numbers overwhelmed even immeasurable talent , and all of the guardsmen died that day , save Kanos , who escaped , and Jax , his sworn enemy . In the present day , Kanos plans to leave the planet . In the aftermath of the battle , Merkon goes once more to Colonel Shev to offer him the location of Kanos ' s ship , just before Jax and Wessel drop out of hyperspace . Merkon returns to the rebel base once more to rendezvous with Mirith and Sadeet . Sadeet has already begun to suspect Merkon at this point and tries to mislead him about where the rebels are going , but Mirith corrects Sadeet and tells Merkon about the fallback point at Collo Fauale . Jax scolds Colonel Shev and receives information from Merkon about the location of the rebel base and Kanos ' s ship . The rebels discover Merkon ' s treachery and kill him . To save Kanos , Mirith disguises herself and goes to Kanos ' s ship to be captured in Kanos ' s place . Jax tortures her ( to no avail ) to find out Kanos ' s location . She talks when he threatens to destroy the rebel base using the turbolasers aboard his orbiting star destroyer , the Emperor ' s Revenge . Jax does not keep his promise , ordering the Steadfast to bombard the rebel base even though Mirith talked . However he does allow Mirith to leave safely . Jax leaves for Yinchorr , where Kir Kanos is waiting for him . The Steadfast is left alone in orbit over Phaeda , where Rogue Squadron delays them until General Wedge Antilles and the captured Imperial Super Star Destroyer Lusankya drop out of hyperspace and capture the Steadfast . Mirith and Sadeet commandeer Kir Kanos ' s old ship in the Phaeda spaceport and leave for Yinchorr . In orbit around Yinchorr , the Emperor ' s Revenge boards a lone Scimitar - class fighter . The ship is found empty but for a pilot droid and another of Kanos ' s bombs , which detonates , destroying the Emperor ' s Revenge . Carnor Jax has already taken 6 stormtroopers and left for the planet ' s surface , having predicted Kanos ' s move . Upon arrival on the planet ' s surface , Jax tells the troops that they are the best in the Empire and that if anyone can beat Kanos , it will be them . Kanos eliminates them quickly and efficiently , leaving him alone with Jax in the Squall . Jax offers him a place at his side , ruling the Empire . Kanos refuses , reminding Jax that he murdered the emperor , and attacks . Kanos and Jax fight their final battle in the Squall on Yinchorr . Jax is confident in his victory , reminding Kanos that in the squall , he always wins . Kanos disarms and nearly defeats Jax , but Jax has been fostering his newfound dark force powers and uses them to knock Kanos back and regain his weapon . Mirith ' s and Sadeet ' s arrival on Yinchorr provide enough of a distraction for Kanos to regain his feet . He renews his attack on Jax , disarming him and knocking him to the ground . Mirith realizes that Jax has information that would enable the rebels to swiftly and efficiently destroy the Empire . She cries out for Kanos to stop , but Kanos ignores her and executes Jax anyway . Sadeet is drawn into a murderous rage and charges Kanos . Kanos , left with no choice , kills him in self - defense . Angry and grief - stricken , Mirith asks Kanos what he will do now that Jax is dead . Kanos swears to eliminate the rest of the Imperial ruling council , and leaves the planet . Some time later , Massimo arrives on the planet to find Mirith alone . Mirith swears to find and someday kill Kir Kanos for what he has done . Development . The original idea was conceived for a one - shot by Stradley . This project never materialized and eventually became the " Crimson Empire " series .