Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma

"Ulic Qel-Droma, Jedi and traitor&hellip;you will stand trial&hellip;and you will be sentenced to death."

- Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic

The Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma was a criminal proceeding carried out in 3,996 BBY when the Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma was arrested and charged with perpetrating a menace to galactic society. He was taken into custody by the Knights of the Jedi Order after being abandoned by his accomplice, the Sith sorceress Aleema Keto, following the Krath's failed surprise attack on the galactic capital of Coruscant. Qel-Droma was immediately placed under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Chancellor who advised him that death would be the only acceptable restitution for the Sith Lord's crimes against the citizens of the Republic.

Qel-Droma was shortly thereafter brought into the center of the Senate Hall to stand before the Republic Inquisition, where a list of offenses was read by the Chancellor for all to hear. When asked to enter a plea on his own behalf, Qel-Droma denounced those present as short-sighted individuals who only served as obstacles in the way of the Sith Brotherhood's plan to restore a Golden Age of Sith splendor through conquest of the galaxy. It was then that Qel-Droma's Master, Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun, arrived with Mandalore the Indomitable at his side to take control of the judicial process.

A Sith spell conjured by Exar Kun prevented anyone from intervening as the Dark Lord freed Qel-Droma and made his way to the Chancellor's podium. The present Jedi Knights were detained by Kun's Massassi warriors while he accosted the Supreme Chancellor and, through his sorcerous influence, forced him to profess both the insignificance of the Republic and the superiority of the Brotherhood of the Sith. Kun then murdered the Chancellor before the impotent masses, effectively eliminating the judge and jury whose determination it was to see Ulic Qel-Droma found guilty for his infractions. With none left to oppose them, the acquitted and his comrades prepared to depart but they were delayed by the arrival of one more, Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas. The Krevaaki Master attempted to reason with the Sith, but he too met his demise on the floor of the Senate Chamber in a duel with Exar Kun. The events that unfolded during Ulic Qel-Droma's trial had only served as proof of what both he and Kun had previously stated: that the Galactic Republic was powerless against the machinations of the Sith.

Background
"Now I remember&mdash;he is a Jedi! Our enemy is Ulic Qel-Droma! We must report this to Coruscant at once. This is a dark day for the Republic."

- Captain Orley Vanicus

In 3,996 BBY, an unprovoked attack on the seven planets of the Empress Teta star system by the warrior clans of Mandalore the Indomitable led them into direct conflict with the system's governing body, the Sith-inspired Krath cult. In response, Sith Lord and Krath leader Ulic Qel-Droma accepted a challenge of personal combat against Mandalore with control of either man's factions wagered as spoils for the victor. Qel-Droma triumphed over his opponent in battle in the planet Kuar's plains of Harkul, and he absorbed both Mandalore and his armies into the ranks of the Krath. Under Qel-Droma's heel, the Mandalorian and Tetan forces then commenced a series of raids on several instrumental starship construction facilities under the service of the Galactic Republic designed to augment the strength of the Sith militaries in preparation for an all-out-war against their enemies. piracy, destruction, and the deaths of innocents were their trademarks, and the swift efficiency with which they operated left the Republic unable to determine the identities of the aggressors at each turn. It was not until the Krath legions carried out an assault on the influential shipyards at Foerost did the Republic learn that, much to their dismay, Jedi expatriate Ulic Qel-Droma had been the mastermind behind these criminal acts.

Qel-Droma's final offense, a surprise attack on the galactic capital of Coruscant, would end in folly. He was betrayed and abandoned to his own resources by his lover, the Krath witch Aleema Keto, even as victory was in his grasp; before he could escape, he was arrested by Knights of the Jedi Order to which he once belonged who imprisoned him within a wall of light&mdash;a fortress of light-side Force energy used to block access to his Jedi powers. Custody of Qel-Droma was then given over to the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, who declared that not only would the Sith Lord stand trial for his crimes against the galaxy, he would most assuredly executed for them.

Inquisition begins
"Ulic Qel-Droma, you are a threat to the peace and security of the Galactic Republic. Your list of crimes is long&mdash;the destruction of shipyards, the looting of supply bases, the enslavement of mercenaries. And, even worse&mdash;you have betrayed your training as a Jedi Knight&mdash;your vow to protect the Republic! How do you plead?''" "I don't plead with fools. You are puppets of tradition pretending to be important. The coming Golden Age has no place for you. Your Republic is an empty, self-indulgent diversion&hellip;signifying nothing''."

- The Supreme Chancellor and Ulic Qel-Droma



Ulic Qel-Droma was shackled and confined in total darkness within a cell until the hour of his arraignment. He was then escorted by a pair of Republic soldiers into the Grand Convocation Chamber of the Senate Hall and led to the center of the auditorium to face the entirety of the Galactic Senate&mdash;who comprised the body of the Inquisition that would oversee the criminal procedure. The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, who presided over the trial as both judge and jury, towered over Qel-Droma on a podium much larger than the one on which the accused stood.

Prosecution began without any further delay as Qel-Droma stood silently listening to the Chancellor recite his long list of offenses. Destruction of Republic property, terrorism, and enslavement were among them; the most damning, however, was the accusation that Ulic Qel-Droma had forsaken his commitment of sworn service to the Galactic Republic as a Knight of the Jedi Order. When asked to enter a plea on his own behalf, the Sith Lord remained defiant and refused to even acknowledge the authority of the Inquisition. He instead denounced the entire Republic as a self-serving, meaningless organization, one that was insignificant in the Golden Age that was to be restored by the efforts of the Brotherhood of the Sith. His claim rocked the Senate Chamber and horrified all those present&mdash;including Jedi Knights Nomi Sunrider and Sylvar, whose heads hung in shame at their fallen comrade's proclamation. His own brother Cay, who was also in attendance, rushed the Senate floor in disbelief of what he believed to be Ulic's Sith delusions. Cay attempted to enter a plea of trial incompetence on his brother's behalf, but was rebuked by the same man on whose behalf he was trying to intercede. No one noticed the petrification of the Senate body that silently swept through the chamber during the exchange, even as Ulic Qel-Droma's restraints suddenly became undone seemingly on their own. What was observed, however, was the unexpected arrival at that moment of Qel-Droma's superior: Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun.

Sith objections
"Excuse me, might I join the discussion? I've got something I'm sure you'll find interesting."

- Exar Kun



After he discovered the nature of Aleema's betrayal, Mandalore the Indomitable solicited assistance from Exar Kun as he prepared to go and rescue Ulic Qel-Droma. The pair traveled with Kun's Massassi warriors to Coruscant and stormed the Senate Hall where they immediately seized control of the trial. The senators of the Republic could do nothing to prevent Exar Kun from freeing Ulic Qel-Droma while enthralled by the Dark Lord's mind control spell. The Jedi remained unaffected and rushed the Senate floor in opposition of the intruders, with Nomi Sunrider pleading for Ulic to entertain reason while Sylvar slaughtered several Massassi in combat. Exar Kun meanwhile ascended the podium of the Chancellor, who himself called for his guards. When he realized their failure to respond he attempted to futilely defend himself against Exar Kun, but the Dark Lord bore his fingers into the Chancellor's skull and forced him to repeat the words of Kun's plan of galactic conquest for a captive audience as though he were a puppet. Kun closed by stating that his actions thus far had been a demonstation of the Republic's uselessness, and that they did not even factor into the Brotherhood's grand design of a galaxy ruled under the magnificence of a Sith Golden Age. He then released his Force-empowered grip on the Chancellor, whose lifeless body fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood, and prepared to depart with his associates. When it appeared that no one dared to stand in the way, however, Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas arrived and barred their exit. Not to be hindered, Exar Kun exchanged several words with his former teacher before the two of them engaged in a vicious duel. Kun was ultimately victorious, slaying the Krevaaki Master on the floor of the Senate Chamber. With the trial effectively over, Ulic Qel-Droma had been absolved of guilt by his Sith Master, and together they left to continue the war which would precede the Sith dynasty wherein they intended to rule the galaxy.

Aftermath
Following the Sith Brotherhood's flight from Coruscant and return to Exar Kun's temple on Yavin 4, Mandalore the Indomitable made Ulic Qel-Droma aware of Aleema Keto's betrayal and order to leave him stranded on Coruscant. Qel-Droma realized that the Tetan empress had manipulated their partnership since its inception, and her actions on Coruscant were a result of her desire to eliminate the Sith Lord so that she might assume sole leadership of the Krath. He dealt with Aleema's treachery by allowing her to lead the next offensive on the Kemplex IX jump station, where she used an ancient Sith weapon far beyond her capabilities of controlling. The supernova that she caused annihilated her enemies, but consumed her as well&mdash;just as Qel-Droma had planned.

Exar Kun continued to lead the Great Sith War with Ulic Qel-Droma at his side, defeating the Republic and Jedi repeatedly in battle; it seemed that the Sith Brotherhood would indeed rule the galaxy just as Kun declared at Qel-Droma's trial. When the supernova that resulted from Aleema Keto's misuse of Sith powers at Kemplex IX forced the Jedi to evacuate the library-world of Ossus, Kun and Qel-Droma led their forces in an invasion of the planet. While Exar Kun counted on the conflagration providing him with an opportunity to pilfer as much Jedi lore as he could obtain, he had not expected that Qel-Droma would ultimately betray him. After murdering his brother Cay in a lightsaber duel and being totally stripped of the Force by an outraged Nomi Sunrider, Ulic renounced his dark side ways and turned on Kun by assisting the Jedi in his final defeat at Yavin 4. Because of this, the vision of a Sith Golden Age spoken of by the Dark Lord during Qel-Droma's trial never came to pass.

The ease with which Exar Kun entered the Convocation Chamber of the Senate and disrupted the trial of Ulic Qel-Droma caused the Galactic to take measures prevent such travesties from ever happening again. A modernized facility was constructed to replace the Senate Hall as the new venue for governmental affairs, but the Hall itself remained as a place of ceremonial reverence, occasionally used to house important events due to its large seating capacity. In 3,963 BBY, the Inquisition which presided over Ulic Qel-Droma's trial convened again to determine the fate of another galactic criminal: the Mandalorian scientist Demagol.

Supreme Chancellor
"I just wanted to say that you, and the whole Republic Senate, are irrelevant. The Jedi Knights have coddled you for centuries."

- Exar Kun to the Supreme Chancellor

This grey-skinned, mollusk-like being became Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic following the death of Jedi Master Sidrona Diath at the Battle of Basilisk in 3,997 BBY. He was present on Coruscant when his friend Vodo-Siosk Baas arrived to discuss the possibility of Jedi involvement in the terrorist attacks that had been plaguing the Republic, though he was reluctant to believe what he perceived as a rumor. However, the Chancellor's worst fears were realized when Minister of Defense Netus confirmed the criminal's identity as that of Ulic Qel-Droma. After the battle of Coruscant and Qel-Droma's subsequent apprehension, the Chancellor felt that a preponderance of the overwhelming evidence would be enough to sway the senatorial Inquisition into accepting a proposition of capital punishment as penance for Ulic Qel-Droma's crimes.

Exar Kun
"We did all this to show you how useless and ineffective the Republic is. We don't want your cooperation. The Republic is not even part of the plan."

- Exar Kun, after the murder of the Supreme Chancellor

Exar Kun was once a Jedi apprentice under Master Vodo-Siosk Baas on Dantooine, whose curiosity about the ways of renegade Jedi led him into a quest to acquire Sith knowledge on his own, against the suggestions of his former teacher. Kun found what he was looking for and embraced the dark side, eventually becoming a Lord of the Sith. As the new Dark Lord, Exar Kun embarked on a campaign with Ulic Qel-Droma's Krath to destroy the Republic in preparation for the re-institution of a Sith Golden Age. Patience and meticulous calculation were his tools though, and he spoke against the hasty invasion of Coruscant that ultimately resulted in Qel-Droma's arrest. Nevertheless, when Mandalore the Indomitable arrived on Yavin 4 requesting Kun's assistance in liberating Qel-Droma from the clutches of the Republic, the Dark Lord obliged. He believed that the Republic was powerless against what was to come, and demonstrated their impotence upon his arrival in the Senate Hall when he freed Qel-Droma, killed the Supreme Chancellor, and Vodo-Siosk Baas shortly afterward.

Cay Qel-Droma
"Just trying to help my own brother."

- Cay Qel-Droma

The younger son of Jedi Master Lien-Tsai Qel-Droma, Cay was one of the Jedi who, alongside his brother, were regarded as heroes following their success in eradicating the Onderon system of the oppression of the Sith. Cay was hesitant to allow his brother to embark on an infiltration mission to the Empress Teta system, and was devastated to learn that the mission resulted in his older brother's fall to the dark side of the Force. He also found it difficult to fathom Ulic as capable of committing the atrocities against the very Republic he had sworn to protect as a Jedi Knight. At Ulic's trial, Cay was dumbfounded when he heard his brother's response to the charges levied against him. Cay implored the senators to ignore Ulic's delusional tirade, but to no avail; Exar Kun had already arrived and incapacitated the entire Inquisition with his Sith sorcery. Cay was among those who watched helplessly as Kun freed his brother, killed the Chancellor, and even a Jedi Master Baas.

Ulic Qel-Droma
"If you expect me to repent, you'll be sorely disappointed. Stopping us now will be like standing at the bottom of a mountain trying to stop an avalanche."

- Ulic Qel-Droma

Former Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma was once a hero of the Galactic Republic; however, his transgressions as a Dark Lord of the Sith far overshadowed any benevolence that had once been associated with his character. Regardless of the headstrong assessment given by both his previous Jedi allies and his current Sith Master Exar Kun, Qel-Droma believed that he and his Krath forces were powerful enough to overthrow the seat of the Galactic Republic on Coruscant itself. He had not counted on the treachery of Aleema Keto, which would lead to his arrest and subsequent trial as a war criminal. Even after being temporarily blocked from his Force powers and forced to answer to the Inquisition for his actions, Qel-Droma remained indignant, and determined to show the Republic that their demise was at hand. To see their former comrade and loved one behave in this manner was enough to deeply upset the Jedi, although their expressed distress did little to sway him from the destiny he had chosen for himself.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 2: The Battle of Coruscant
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 3: The Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma

Notes and references
Juicio de Ulic Qel-Droma