The Tetan carbonite smelters, situated within the Empress Teta system, were facilities dedicated to processing carbonite. This processing enriched both the Carbonite Guild and the Keto family significantly. In the year 3997 BBY, the space stations fell under the control of the Krath during their successful coup of the system. Lord Keto, alongside his sister Magda, who were the leaders of the Empress Teta system, were inspecting one such carbonite smelter when Satal and Aleema Keto of the Krath arrived. These Krath members killed the Tetan rulers by trapping them within molten carbonite. The following year, the Mandalorian Crusaders attacked another station, deploying an atomic compression bomb against the space station. This resulted in a massive explosion, causing the station to plummet to the planet's surface.
The Tetan carbonite smelters, a type of space station, served as processing hubs for the Carbonite Guild to smelt carbonite ore. These stations exhibited varying colors, including a red one and a black one. These metal structures were characterized by numerous antennae on their top and bottom surfaces. At least two of the Tetan carbonite smelters featured a minimum of four intake vents. These vents drew in asteroids rich in carbonite ore for processing. The ore underwent smelting within large vats inside the station to extract the carbonite. The carbonite smelters were armed with laser cannons to break down larger asteroids into smaller, manageable pieces. The interiors of the space stations were spacious, accommodating a constant flow of repulsorlift-equipped vehicles. They also featured docking facilities capable of housing at least two Tetan royal starships. A Tetan carbonite smelter typically housed a crew of at least three carbonite workers, could accommodate at least sixteen passengers, and maintained an onboard security force.
By the year 3997 BBY, the Carbonite Guild utilized the Tetan carbonite smelters for processing carbonite ore. Bearus, the Chairman of the Guild, had successfully increased one smelter's profit margins by fifteen percent by 3997 BBY. During that year, Lord Keto, the leader of the Tetan Monarchy, and his sister [Magda](/article/magda_keto], along with their royal entourage, conducted their annual inspection tour of a carbonite smelter. Bearus personally welcomed the royals aboard the station. Following initial greetings, the group received notification of the unexpected and imminent arrival of the royal tutor Korus and his group of six students, including the royal heirs Satal and Aleema Keto, all of whom belonged to the Krath, a secret Sith cult. Bearus and the royals began the tour, with Bearus highlighting the operational efficiency of the carbonite smelters. Meanwhile, Korus and the students approached the group, only to be immediately confronted by Lord Keto, who reprimanded Korus for violating protocol by bringing the students to the carbonite smelter during the royal inspection.
In response to Keto's accusations, Korus fell into a comatose state, a victim of a Force illusion cast by Aleema, who had been practicing Sith sorcery. This horrified the royals and prompted Bearus to attempt to summon the security force. However, employing illusions, Aleema managed to both thwart Bearus's attempt and incapacitate the advancing Tetan royal guards with catatonic shock. As the next phase of their political uprising, the Krath members dragged the royals toward the molten carbonite vats. After a carbonite worker, disoriented by one of Aleema's illusions, stumbled into the vat, the Krath proceeded to slowly lower Lord Keto and his sister into the carbonite, killing them and encasing them within the metal. Following the successful coup, the Krath seized control of the entire Empress Teta system, including all the Tetan carbonite smelters, and displayed the metal cases containing the remains of Lord Keto and his sister on the wall of the Krath citadel. During the Krath takeover of the Empress Teta system, the Krath captured all of the Tetan carbonite smelters. Shortly before the Krath celebration of their takeover's success, the Krath General Vulpe informed Aleema Keto, one of the cult's leaders, about the surrender of the last Carbonite Guild–owned carbonite smelter. Keto then relayed this information to her brother Satal during the celebration.
One space station, orbiting a yellow-colored planet, continued its operations under Krath rule. A year later, the warriors known as the Mandalorian Crusaders sought conflict and aimed to provoke a battle with the Krath cult's military forces. To achieve this, the Mandalorians, under the leadership of Mandalore the Indomitable, attacked the carbonite smelter. Approaching the space station on their Basilisk war droid mounts, the warriors destroyed several laser cannon emplacements that were actively firing upon them. Eventually, a pair of Mandalorians towing an atomic compression bomb, a particularly powerful explosive, launched the bomb toward the station. The weapon attached itself to the station's hull, causing a massive explosion that resulted in the carbonite smelter crashing onto the planet's surface. Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma, a leader within the Krath cult at the time, witnessed the Mandalorian attack and the subsequent crash of the carbonite smelter. This attack prompted Qel-Droma to contact the Mandalorian leader and demand his surrender.
The Tetan carbonite smelter made its debut in the first issue of the Dark Lords of the Sith story arc within the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi series of comic books. This issue, written by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson and penciled by Chris Gossett, was published on October 1, 1994.