Battle of Deneba

In the aftermath of the Battle of Koros Major, where a combined task force of the Republic and the Jedi, sent to restore order, suffered defeat, the Jedi Order convened a significant gathering on the planet Deneba. This assembly was set to take place at Mount Meru.

Responding to the call transmitted through the Force, thousands of Jedi Masters and Knights journeyed to Deneba. They gathered under the guidance of Master Odan-Urr. As the conclave commenced, Odan-Urr permitted Nomi Sunrider and Ulic Qel-Droma to address the assembly. They recounted their experiences with the Sith during the Freedon Nadd Uprising, as well as the more recent engagement within the Empress Teta system, to the assembled Jedi.

Qel-Droma elucidated the danger that the Krath and their Sith magic presented to the continued safety of both the Jedi and the Republic. He then put forth a strategy to the assembled Jedi through which he could confront the Krath and ultimately eliminate the threat of the Sith. Among those present on Deneba, many held the belief that only by mobilizing the full military strength of the Jedi and the Republic and initiating a comprehensive counteroffensive could the Krath be vanquished. However, Qel-Droma was convinced that by infiltrating the ranks of the enemy, he could dismantle them from within, thus averting the loss of countless lives that a prolonged military campaign would inevitably incur. Firmly convinced of the validity of his plan, Qel-Droma advocated for his strategy before those who had gathered.

Nevertheless, numerous Jedi, including Qel-Droma's former mentor, Arca Jeth, as well as Knights Shoaneb Culu, Dace Diath, and Master Shayoto, voiced their concerns regarding the perils of attempting to eradicate the dark side from within. To bolster this viewpoint, Master Jeth cautioned Qel-Droma that he could not completely destroy the dark side, but merely contain it, as Master Thon had done with the dark forces on the planet Ambria. Expanding on this line of reasoning, Master Jeth further asserted that while the Jedi could never hope to annihilate the dark side, they could, through their collective endeavors, construct a wall of light to confine any dark presence they encountered.

As the conclave was in progress, an unidentified Tetan Corsair had managed to infiltrate the mass of Jedi ships clustered in orbit around Deneba. At a predetermined moment, orchestrated by Satal Keto, who remained securely positioned within the Empress Teta system, the Corsair deployed its full complement of escape pods. Each pod contained a contingent of lethal Krath war droids. Unbeknownst to the assembled Jedi, the Krath war droids had initiated their descent through the atmosphere of the planet. The Krath intended to take the Jedi by surprise, aiming to inflict a devastating blow to their numbers. This would sow further chaos and disarray within the Jedi Order, diverting their attention from subsequent Krath offensives.

The war droids descended upon the Jedi assembly gathered on Mount Meru. As the Jedi responded to the unexpected Krath assault, their servant droids, which had been sabotaged by Krath spies, were activated and instructed to attack the Jedi. With two distinct groups of droids now attacking on two fronts, the conflict rapidly devolved into a disorganized melee. The initial phases of the battle saw the demise of numerous unsuspecting Jedi. Nevertheless, the majority of the Jedi managed to mount a barely-organized defense, successfully halting the Krath attack and eventually pushing it back. It was during this period that Master Jeth showcased his mastery of the Force talent of Droid Disable, a skill he had honed during the Great Droid Revolution of 4015 BBY.

Despite the efforts of the Jedi defenders, many more of their ranks perished in the fighting. Among the casualties was Arca Jeth himself, who sustained a fatal blaster wound to the back while simultaneously saving the life of Ulic Qel-Droma. Qel-Droma, overcome with immense sorrow, cradled Master Jeth in his arms as the aged Arkanian passed away and became one with the Force. Following the battle, Qel-Droma remained at the site of Master Jeth's death for many hours. As a consequence of the battle's outcome, Qel-Droma resolved to proceed with his proposed plan of infiltrating the Krath, vowing to dismantle them from within, regardless of the personal cost or the impact on those around him.

In the wake of the battle on Mount Meru, Qel-Droma prepared for his mission into Krath territory and departed the Jedi assembly with the intention of infiltrating the Krath. However, his mission was presumed to have failed after several months elapsed without any word of his status emerging from enemy territory. In response to this development, Nomi Sunrider organized a search and rescue mission with the hope of extracting Qel-Droma from the Empress Teta system.

The battle on Deneba was initially depicted in the comic book Dark Lords of the Sith 3: Descent to the Dark Side from the Tales of the Jedi comic series. The battle was conceptualized and written by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson, and the artwork was done by Chris Gossett. Veitch and Anderson selected this battle as the pivotal moment from which their main character, Ulic Qel-Droma, would commence his descent into the dark side of the Force.

The battle was later presented in the Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith audio drama, where the death and destruction of the battle were brought to life through the voice acting of John Cygan as Ulic Qel-Droma, Glynnis Talken as Nomi Sunrider, and Jim Ward as Arca Jeth.