Political uprising of the Empress Teta system The political uprising of the Empress Teta system was a military and political coup that happened in the year 3997 BBY , staged against Lord Keto and Lady Magda Keto , the rulers of the Deep Core planet Empress Teta . The coup was instigated by Lord Keto ' s own son , Satal , and Lady Keto ' s daughter , Aleema , who , as cousins , were also the leaders of a newly established Sith cult known as the Krath . The coup was initiated when Aleema and Satal , accompanied by the royal tutor Korus , boarded the orbital Tetan carbonite smelter where Lord and Lady Keto were attending to matters of state . After a heated confrontation with Lord Keto and the subsequent humiliation of tutor Korus , Aleema and Satal reintroduced themselves as the Krath — dark side magicians under the tutelage of the ancient Dark Lord Freedon Nadd . The Krath then declared themselves the new rulers of the Empress Teta system and proceeded to execute the present Tetan officials , including Lady Keto . Lord Keto himself was slowly dipped into the vat of molten carbonite by Satal , to further symbolize the end of the old regime . What emerged was a freshly - molded carbonite frieze of Lord Keto , which Satal visibly displayed on one of the walls of their newly inherited palace , the Iron Citadel . After solidifying the military and political might of the seven worlds of the Empress Teta system , the Krath were prepared to face the Jedi Order , who themselves recognized the Krath ' s Sith powers to be the remnants of an uprising that was recently quelled on the planet Onderon . Their chance came when the Jedi , again supported by the Galactic Republic , arrived in Tetan space with intentions of restoring a legitimate government . However , the Jedi were unprepared for the depth of the Krath ' s Sith powers ; they were repelled and forced to leave the Tetan worlds under the heel of the dark side . Background . The Empress Teta system was well known in the galaxy as being a prominent producer of carbonite , a metal alloy popular for its many uses , including being an essential component in hyperdrive engine production . The Carbonite Guild , a powerful mining conglomerate under the jurisdiction of the Tetan Monarchy , regularly oversaw its production . On one particular occasion , Lord Keto , Emperor of the Empress Teta system , was making a routine inspection of the Carbonite Guild ' s progress of carbonite production . Arriving on the Guild ' s orbital smelter , Keto was escorted along the tour by the Guild chairman , Bearus . Keto was quite pleased with Bearus , noting that mining efforts had been successful in improving the station ' s profit margin by a substantial amount , resulting in a significant boost in the Tetan economy . Bearus proceeded with the tour , but was interrupted by a comlink . Keto ' s son , Satal , and his cousin Aleema had arrived at the station , escorted by the royal tutor Korus . Hesitant at first , Bearus allowed for the Emperor ' s children to join he and Keto on the inspection . Keto , on the other hand , was displeased with the arrival of the royal children , since they were not usually allowed to attend to matters of state . He saw no real reason for them not to join the tour , but as he cursed Korus under his breath for being foolish enough to bring the Keto children on a governmental inspection , Aleema and Satal entered the room . The coup . Keto immediately reminded Satal and Aleema that they were not usually allowed on royal inspections , to which Satal replied that they brought Korus along as a chaperon . Keto turned his attention to Korus , demanding to know why he would blatantly allow such a breach in protocol . Korus was not forthcoming with any answers , however . When Keto again asked him what his reasons were , Satal and Aleema goaded Korus to speak , and when he attempted to , he revealed that his tongue had been replaced by an Adegan eel . He regurgitated the eel and fell to the floor , appearing dead . Completely dumbfounded , Keto demanded to know what was going on . Aleema explained to him that Korus had fallen victim to Sith magic — ancient sorcery that Aleema and Satal had found on Onderon and had been practicing under the spirit of the Dark Lord Freedon Nadd for months . Bearus was completely shocked ; Korus had been seemingly murdered and by his own pupils , no less . Satal explained that the tutor was simply unconscious . Keto tried to have Satal and Aleema arrested , but when the guard reached for the control console to call for help , Aleema stopped him short by turning the console into a womp rat . Keto then called for his royal bodyguards , but Satal denounced them and turned their swords into snakes that constricted the terrorized guards . Keto was completely defeated . With none left standing to challenge them , Satal and Aleema proclaimed themselves the new rulers of the Empress Teta system . Their first official order of business as the new heads of state was to finish the facilities tour Keto started . The deposed Emperor led the way as Satal and Aleema ordered him into the carbonite chamber . The death of Keto . Proceeding straightaway into the carbonite smelting chamber , the new Tetan rulers had Keto and the other present officials strung up by machinery . To Keto ' s horror , his son and niece were planning on having them all executed by lowering them into the vats of molten carbonite , with Keto himself as the coup de grâce . Keto begged for his life , but his pleas fell upon deaf ears . Satal ordered him into the carbonite , and Keto screamed for mercy all the way down . Afterwards , Satal took the carbonite friezes and hung them on the dining room wall in the Iron Citadel , where they would spend the rest of their days . Satal and Aleema had now symbolically become the new Emperor and Empress of the Tetan worlds . Final stages . Aleema and Satal held court in their newly acquired palace , the Iron Citadel . From there they would establish their base of operations . Their takeover had been a success ; six of the seven Tetan planets were subdued , and nearly all of the planetary leaders swore fealty to the Krath . Satal saw to the complete leveling of three cities on Kirrek as Aleema located several of the insurrectionists on Empress Teta , and had them wiped out . However , in spite of the growing Krath dominance over the system , Empress Teta was the only world that continued to offer any resistance . While discussing plans for permanently ending the revolts on the Krath homeworld , Korus , whose face had been hideously disfigured by Aleema ' s sorcery , approached with wine for the Krath leaders . Reduced to nothing more than a lowly servant , Korus was continually berated by the Ketos . As he was attempting to serve Aleema her wine , he tripped , and spilled it all over her new gown . Enraged , Aleema reached out with the dark side and burned Korus alive with her sorcery . When Satal asked her what she had done , Aleema admitted that she was not quite sure , but she liked it nonetheless . Korus was dead , and the last of Keto ' s old regime was erased . Now all that was left was for the Krath to gain military dominance over all of Empress Teta ' s seven worlds , and they immediately went to work in bringing that to pass . Aftermath . With the military forces of the in check and the former political leadership out of the way , the Krath was now firmly in control of the Tetan governmental infrastructure , save for Empress Teta itself . The system ' s namesake world refused to allow an illegal coup to take place , and thus rose up in rebellion against Satal and Aleema . This , however , was only a minor thorn in the Keto cousins ' side . Using their new Sith powers , they took command from an orbital relay station and consolidated their military might , staging an assault on their own homeworld . Before long , word of the planet ' s war against the Krath reached both the Galactic Republic government on Coruscant , and Jedi leadership , respectively . The Jedi were suspicious of the Krath , recognizing their dark side powers to be the same as those they encountered recently on Onderon . On behalf of the Jedi Order , Master Thon went to Coruscant and requested Republic intervention . The Republic in turn sent the full might and support of the Galactic Republic Navy to deal with the Krath usurpers . The Krath Holy Crusade had officially begun . Eventually , the Krath overcame the joint Jedi - Republic effort and drove them out of Tetan space . With the Tetan resistance crushed and the Republic relief efforts repelled , the Empress Teta system remained in unchallenged control of the Krath . Their takeover was a complete success on all fronts . Behind the scenes . The political uprising of the Empress Teta system was first mentioned in the " Dark Empire " endnotes , and first appeared in first issue of the " " story arc , written and conceived by authors Tom Veitch and Kevin J . Anderson . It was also captured in the , written by John Whitman and based on the script by Veitch and Anderson . The authors used this event as the touch - off for the Krath Holy Crusade , as well as the deaths of the characters Lord and Lady Keto . This event also introduced the audience to Aleema and Satal ' s Krath , which would go on to play a significant role in the remainder of the " Dark Lords of the Sith " story arc , as well as the following " " story arc . The " Star Wars Insider 26 " article " Straight from the Horse ' s Mouth : A Guide to the Star Wars : Tales of the Jedi Universe , Part 1 " says that the uprising took place in 3996 BBY , while the " Tales of the Jedi " comic places the event at 3997 BBY . As " Insider 26 " contradicts many other established dates , this article treats the comic as being correct .