The Mission to Empress Teta represents a Jedi undertaking that occurred in 3997 BBY, a few months subsequent to the Battle of Deneba. In the wake of Jedi Master Arca Jeth's demise during that conflict, Ulic Qel-Droma resolved to move forward with his proposed strategy to infiltrate the Krath and dismantle them from the inside. After several months passed without any communication from the undercover Ulic, Nomi Sunrider, Cay Qel-Droma, and Tott Doneeta assembled a strike team and departed from Ossus, heading towards the last known location of the Jedi operative—Empress Teta, the capital of the Krath dominion. The trio of Jedi ultimately managed to locate the undercover Qel-Droma, which led to a brief, yet intense, confrontation between Ulic Qel-Droma and Satal Keto, who had uncovered the spy within their ranks. After the conclusion of the duel, which resulted in Keto's death, Ulic turned against his companions who sought his return to Ossus. Still convinced that he could eradicate the Krath, and ultimately the Sith, from within, Ulic Qel-Droma persisted down the dark path before him.
The Battle of Deneba was a brutal engagement that left a scar on many Jedi, particularly the Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma. The passing of his former Master, Arca Jeth, on Mount Meru, deeply affected Qel-Droma, who then pledged to proceed with his plan to infiltrate the Krath and destroy them, along with their Sith magic, from within. However, some Jedi, including Masters Odan-Urr and Ood Bnar, considered Qel-Droma's path to be fraught with peril. Nevertheless, they accepted that the young Jedi's potential downfall would be in accordance with the will of the Force. Unable to prevent Qel-Droma from embarking on his self-imposed mission, the Masters and other Knights bid him farewell as he departed from the library world of Ossus.
However, Nomi Sunrider and others grew concerned when months passed without any updates reaching the Jedi or the Republic regarding Ulic Qel-Droma's infiltration status. Suspecting that Qel-Droma might have succumbed to the dark side in his efforts to destroy the Krath, the Jedi decided it was imperative to contact Qel-Droma and, if necessary, extract him as soon as possible. Volunteering for the mission, Jedi Knights Nomi Sunrider, Cay Qel-Droma, and Tott Doneeta formulated a plan for Sunrider to establish contact with their target on the Krath capital of Empress Teta. With the Jedi Masters' approval, the three Jedi promptly boarded the Nebulon Ranger and set course for the Empress Teta system.
Unbeknownst to the other Jedi, Ulic Qel-Droma had been unable to transmit any communication back to Ossus or the Republic due to circumstances beyond his control. Qel-Droma understood the need for caution during his mission to prevent his true intentions from being exposed. While he had managed to convince Aleema Keto of his supposed "conversion," her cousin Satal remained wary of the alleged fallen Jedi claiming to be a Krath sympathizer. Convinced of his suspicions regarding Qel-Droma, Satal yielded to them and ordered Qel-Droma's imprisonment beneath the Iron Citadel. As a Krath detainee, he endured various torture methods and was even injected with Sith poisons. These poisons would cloud and eventually corrupt Qel-Droma's mind, leading him down the path to the dark side. Despite his ordeal, Qel-Droma survived the torture and even managed to persuade Keto of his sincere devotion to the Krath. Now believing that Qel-Droma was indeed a Krath sympathizer, Satal and Aleema decided to capitalize on Qel-Droma's military expertise and promoted him to warlord of all Krath military forces.
In the meantime, Nomi Sunrider and her Jedi strike team successfully traveled to Cinnagar and deposited Sunrider near the Iron Citadel. Recognizing that the only way to meet Qel-Droma face-to-face was to reveal her identity as a Jedi Knight, Sunrider proceeded to the Krath palace. Upon arrival, Sunrider activated her lightsaber and was immediately confronted by Krath soldiers. Knowing that fighting the soldiers would not advance her cause, Sunrider allowed herself to be taken into custody, hoping to be brought before Qel-Droma and the other Krath leaders. Seeing the prisoner brought before him, Qel-Droma faced a difficult choice: save the woman he loved, thus compromising his cover, or play the role expected of him by the Krath and treat Sunrider like any other prisoner.
Deciding that the success of his mission outweighed even his love for Nomi Sunrider, Qel-Droma advised his fellow Krath that he would personally execute the captured Jedi the following morning—though he secretly intended to arrange her escape. Disbelieving what she had heard and unaware that Qel-Droma believed he was acting, Sunrider was led in chains to the Iron Citadel's dungeons. Wanting Sunrider to know his plans, Qel-Droma attempted to contact her in her prison cell by programming a Krath droid with a hidden recording. The message explained his intention to remain undercover for a while longer to prevent future attacks against the Jedi like the one on Deneba. However, the droid was intercepted by Satal, and Qel-Droma's hidden message was discovered. Realizing that his initial suspicions about Qel-Droma were correct, Satal resolved to execute both Sunrider and Qel-Droma.
Unaware of Qel-Droma's true plan, Sunrider used her battle meditation against the soldiers guarding her, causing them to turn on each other. Free to escape, Sunrider made her way out of the palace and contacted Cay Qel-Droma and Tott Doneeta, who were orbiting the planet in the Nebulon Ranger. When the two Jedi arrived to retrieve Sunrider, the strike team agreed to attempt to extract the undercover Qel-Droma as well. However, their mission was abruptly interrupted when Satal Keto intercepted the team. Shortly before this, Aleema had informed Ulic that Satal had conceived the attack on the Jedi assembly on Mount Meru. Enraged by this revelation, Ulic allowed his emotions to cloud his judgment and rushed to confront Satal—only to find the Krath leader confronting Sunrider and the rest of the strike team. Revealing his presence, Ulic informed Sunrider, Cay, and Doneeta that Satal had orchestrated the Krath offensive that had claimed Master Jeth's life. Letting out a scream, Ulic succumbed to his anger and engaged Satal in a brutal and swift duel. Using his knowledge of the Force, Ulic quickly overwhelmed Satal's defenses, and the Krath leader was struck down, killed by Ulic's rage. Finally realizing how close Ulic was to falling to the dark side, Sunrider, Cay, and Doneeta tried to persuade the rogue Jedi to return to Ossus with them. However, Ulic used his anger to unleash a wave of dark side energy at his friends, pushing them back towards their ship. Refusing to believe that Ulic was lost, the Jedi strike team boarded the Nebulon Ranger and departed from Empress Teta.
Stunned by what they had witnessed on Empress Teta, Sunrider and the other Jedi of the strike team developed a new plan and presented it to the Jedi Masters, aiming to extract Ulic Qel-Droma from the Krath fortress on Cinnagar. The final phase of their plan involved capturing Qel-Droma by force, but only as a last resort. However, the Masters advised against forcefully capturing Qel-Droma and bringing him back to Ossus. They argued that the decision to return and renounce the dark side must be made by Qel-Droma himself. Otherwise, they believed, the struggling Jedi would not learn from his mistakes, which could have even more severe consequences. Heeding the Masters' wisdom, Sunrider and the others modified their plan to accommodate this perspective. Under the guidance of Sunrider and other veteran Jedi, a task force was assembled, including the Beast Riders of Onderon, and set off for Cinnagar to confront the growing darkness threatening to engulf Ulic Qel-Droma once again.
The Mission to Empress Teta first appeared in the issue Dark Lords of the Sith 4: Death of a Dark Jedi of the Tales of the Jedi comic series. The mission was conceived and written by authors Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson, and was illustrated by artist Chris Gossett. Veitch and Anderson utilized this mission to further depict Ulic Qel-Droma's descent into the dark side of the Force.
Following the publication of the Dark Lords of the Sith story arc, the Mission to Empress Teta was featured in the Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith audio drama, which was brought to life through the voice acting of various cast members, including John Cygan (Ulic Qel-Droma), Glynnis Talken (Nomi Sunrider), and Jack Noseworthy (Cay Qel-Droma).