Duel in the Iron Citadel (Satal Keto)
Of the pair of strength contests that transpired there, the initial Iron Citadel duel took place in the earlier part of 3997 BBY. It was a confrontation between the sorrowful Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma and Emperor Satal Keto, who jointly led the Krath and governed the Empress Teta system. This confrontation unfolded on the very planet of Empress Teta, specifically in Cinnagar, the capital city, situated on the balcony of the Krath's fortress, known as the Iron Citadel. The battle began not long after Ulic Qel-Droma showcased some weaponry, as he was working covertly for the Jedi to infiltrate the dark side-leaning Krath cult.
As Qel-Droma detailed the improvements he'd made to the planetary defenses for the Tetan authorities, he was cut off by Satal Keto, who had just learned about a female Jedi captured in Cinnagar's streets. Keto accused Qel-Droma of being a spy and had the woman brought before them. Qel-Droma recognized her as his former love, Nomi Sunrider, but, not wanting to reveal his deception prematurely, he agreed to have her imprisoned until her execution. However, Qel-Droma managed to send Sunrider a clandestine message, explaining he needed more time to finish his assignment. This message never reached her; instead, Satal Keto intercepted it. Upon uncovering Qel-Droma's betrayal, Keto ordered his immediate assassination. The assassination failed, but it did succeed in infuriating Qel-Droma, who then immediately went looking for Lord Keto.
Meanwhile, Sunrider was able to get out of her confinement and also contacted her allies for an extraction because the situation was getting worse. Assistance arrived in the form of Qel-Droma's brother, Cay, along with the Twi'lek Jedi Tott Doneeta. They were getting ready to leave without Qel-Droma when Lord Keto encountered them from the Iron Citadel's balcony. To everyone's astonishment, Qel-Droma also showed up on the balcony, confronting the Krath warlord and engaging him in combat. The fight ended with Qel-Droma striking down Satal Keto in a fit of anger. With his last breath, Keto expressed satisfaction, knowing his death had pushed Ulic Qel-Droma to the dark side of the Force.
Prelude
In 3997 BBY, Lord Satal Keto, the Emperor who ruled the Empress Teta system, was actively at war with both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. As leaders of the Krath, a group that worshiped the dark side, Keto and his relative Aleema Keto had recently attacked a Jedi Convocation on the planet called Deneba. During this battle, Arcanian Jedi Master Arca Jeth was killed while his former student Ulic Qel-Droma was present. Overwhelmed with grief, Qel-Droma made a promise to bring down the Krath by infiltrating their ranks, discovering their secrets, and ultimately destroying them from the inside.
Soon after, he made his way to Cinnagar, the capital city of Empress Teta, where he gained favor with the Krath by stopping an assassination attempt on Aleema's life. As a result, she became fond of Qel-Droma, while Lord Keto grew suspicious of the Jedi and his reasons for being on Empress Teta. Against Aleema's wishes, Keto imprisoned Qel-Droma and tortured him in the dungeons of the Krath Iron Citadel, where he also injected the Jedi with a rage-inducing Sith poison. This poison quickly affected Qel-Droma, causing him to involuntarily unleash a surge of dark side energy that destroyed both the torture droids and the restraints. Aleema then took him to recover.
As Qel-Droma climbed the ranks of the Krath, some time passed. One day, he was helping the Tetans improve their outdated planetary weapons and defense systems. While he was discussing war strategies with the Krath leaders, they were suddenly interrupted by news of a Jedi woman captured in Cinnagar's streets. After accusing Qel-Droma of being a spy and conspiring with the intruder, Lord Keto ordered her to be brought before them. Qel-Droma immediately recognized the woman as Nomi Sunrider, a fellow Jedi and his former lover. Not wanting to reveal his covert operation too soon, Qel-Droma agreed to personally execute Sunrider in the morning, which surprised both her and pleased Keto. Later, Qel-Droma secretly recorded a message inside a G-12 service droid for Sunrider, saying that his mission was not yet complete and that he needed more time to see it through. He sent the droid off, hoping it would reach Sunrider in the dungeons. However, Keto intercepted the droid and discovered the hidden message. Enraged by the deception, the Emperor ordered his servant Norgor to assassinate the Jedi immediately.
The duel
A masked figure suddenly broke through the transparisteel window of Aleema and Qel-Droma's bedroom, firing two blasters at the Jedi. Qel-Droma quickly activated his lightsaber, deflected the shots, and killed the assassin instantly. Aleema recognized the dead man as Norgor, one of Lord Keto's henchmen. She also criticized her cousin's incompetence, adding that Keto was the one who orchestrated the assault on Deneba, which led to the death of Qel-Droma's Jedi Master, Arca Jeth. Seeking revenge, Qel-Droma stormed out of the bedroom to find Satal Keto.
Meanwhile, Lord Keto had been informed that Nomi Sunrider, the Jedi woman they had captured and detained in the Iron Citadel's dungeons, had managed to escape. Furious, he ordered his men to find her as he stepped onto a balcony, only to see Sunrider with two more Jedi, Tott Doneeta and Ulic Qel-Droma's brother Cay, fleeing through Cinnagar's streets and easily defeating his Krath forces. Keto ordered the three Jedi to be eliminated immediately, but before the order could be carried out, Qel-Droma appeared on the balcony behind him. Activating his lightsaber, he revealed that Keto was responsible for the massacre at Deneba. In response, the Tetan Emperor drew his sword, and as the Jedi on the platform below took care of the remaining Krath guards, a fierce duel between Ulic Qel-Droma and Lord Satal Keto began.
From the start of the duel, Qel-Droma had the advantage, pushing his opponent back with the force of his attacks. However, Keto was actually giving ground as he taunted the Jedi, provoking his hatred of the Krath and confirming his accusations that they were responsible for the battle at Deneba. As rage grew inside Qel-Droma, he steadily advanced on Keto while being drawn closer to the dark side; his hatred was amplified by the Sith poison Keto had injected him with months earlier. He became more enraged as the Krath warlord engaged him in a psychological battle, verbally attacking Qel-Droma's Jedi morals to force him to strike Lord Keto down in vengeance. His plan succeeded when he mocked Qel-Droma with the memory of Master Jeth's death, blaming him for the tragedy instead. The Jedi fully gave in to his anger and, unknowingly, to the dark side, and struck Keto down where he stood. The Emperor's dying words were a final taunt, telling Qel-Droma that the Sith poison was what ensured his transition to the dark side.
Aftermath
As alarms sounded throughout the Iron Citadel, the Jedi strike team prepared to escape the planet. They begged Qel-Droma to return with them to Ossus for debriefing. When they approached him, his poison-enhanced rage caused him to scream through the Force, unleashing a powerful wave of dark side energy that threw his friends away from him across the platform. Devastated that Ulic Qel-Droma had succumbed to the dark side of the Force and had even attacked his loved ones, the Jedi fled, promising to return for him as soon as possible. He rejected them and refused their attempts to dissuade him from completing his mission. As his disheartened friends left for Ossus, Ulic Qel-Droma realized that by giving in to his anger, he had indeed surrendered to the dark side of the Force—just as Satal Keto had proclaimed.
Behind the scenes
Authors Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson wrote and created the first Duel in the Iron Citadel for the fifth installment of the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith comic series, Sith Secrets. Veitch used this event to end the character of Satal Keto and to further Ulic Qel-Droma's descent down the path of the dark side of the Force, a transition that culminated in the following Dark Lords of the Sith issue, Jedi Assault. The duel was also featured in the Tales of the Jedi audio drama, which was written by John Whitman but based on Veitch and Anderson's script.