Satal Keto

"Father, you've had your day. Now we will have ours!"

- Satal Keto

Satal Keto was the the son of Lord Keto and nephew of Lady Magda Keto, as well as the cousin of Aleema Keto. He and Aleema co-founded the Krath, a secret dark side society, and together succeeded in overthrowing the Tetan Monarchy just prior to the Great Sith War. As the new co-rulers of the Empress Teta system, Satal and his cousin instigated the conflict known as the Krath Holy Crusade. Satal's progression down the path of the dark side saw him transformed into an accomplished Sith magician, though his true talents were in the creation of poisons and other alchemical Sith practices.

Shortly after the First Battle of Empress Teta, Satal and Aleema accepted a rogue Jedi named Ulic Qel-Droma into their fold. Time passed, and Satal grew increasingly suspicious of Qel-Droma, fearing he had ulterior motives for joining the Krath. As Qel-Droma advanced through the Krath ranks, he became the lover of Aleema, further spurning Satal's jealosy and his suspicions of Qel-Droma's true purpose. It was not until another Jedi was captured in the streets of Cinnagar that Qel-Droma's infiltration plot was exposed, and Satal decided to have Qel-Droma assassinated. The assassination attempt failed, and during the resulting confrontation, Satal was struck down by Qel-Droma in a fit of rage.

Coruscant endeavor
The son and daughter&mdash;though not siblings&mdash;of the then-rulers of the Empress Teta star system, Satal and his cousin Aleema were the successors of the throne of Empress Teta. Out of boredom, Satal, his cousin Aleema, and some of their socialite friends formed a secret society called the Krath, so named after a fairy-tale magician-god. The cousins learned much about the ancient Sith Empire, which instigated the Great Hyperspace War in 5,000 BBY&mdash;so much so that they were compelled to explore the history further on their own.



To appease their curiosity, Satal and Aleema planned and then took a trip to the Galactic Museum on Coruscant, with hopes of finding anything related to the ancient Sith. As they browsed the Museum, they were allowed access by the Museum curator into the Hall of the Sith: a section dedicated exclusively to Sith history. The Museum was currently in production of a new exhibit entitled "Dark Lords of the Sith", and from what the Ketos could see, there would be much to explore. The curator finally was convinced into allowing the Satal and Aleema to peruse the restricted exhibit, reasoning that it was highly unlikely someone would steal any of the various dark side artifacts, and even less likely that they would be used in an attempt to dominate the galaxy. Satal proved the curator wrong however, when at Aleema's prodding he stole an ancient Sith spell book.

The book was written in the ancient Sith text, a language neither he nor Aleema was able to decipher. The downheartened cousins returned to their lodgings, where they scanned the current holonet news reports. Aleema scanned to a report about dark side users who, with their dark powers, were terrorizing the citizens of the planet Onderon. Satal and Aleema were intrigued by the fact that there were still dark side practitioners throughout the galaxy, and decided that traveling Onderon was their best chance in learning the secrets of their stolen book. Armed with this new knowledge, the pair ditched their quarters, and left Coruscant onboard their pleasure yacht dubbed the Krath Enchanter on a direct path for Onderon.

Battle on Onderon
"Repulsor systems are gone! This is it! This is the end!" "This is not the end! Can't you feel it? There is power here&hellip;waiting for us."

- Satal & Aleema Keto



When the Ketos exited hyperspace, they found that they had arrived in the midst of the Galactic Republic naval battle formation, stationed in orbit around Onderon. The Republic fleet noticed the Ketos as well, and the captain of the Republic command ship Alliance I hailed the Krath Enchanter, informing its passengers of the current situation, and advising them to steer clear of Onderon's orbit. Despite additional caution expressed by Aleema, Satal instead chose to disconnect the comlink and ignore the Republic ship captain's warning.

Satal piloted the Enchanter through the formation, through the atmosphere of the planet, only to find that Republic troops were already engaging the Onderonian forces. Trying to evade the battle, the Enchanter was caught in the crossfire of a Rocket-jumper air-to-ground assault, and crash-landed in the center of Iziz, Onderon's great walled city. Escaping the wreckage unscathed, the Ketos began wandering the streets of Iziz, searching for any practitioners of Sith teachings. They eventually made contact with several darksiders, who in turn lead them to Onderon's ruler, the sorcerer King Ommin.

Ommin himself was operating in his secret underground lair, while his dark side warriors were heavily engaged in combat with the combined forces of the Republic military and the Jedi Order. While the King was coordinating battle strategies, he was interrupted by his servant Novar, who informed Ommin that in the midst of the battle, two visitors had arrived on Onderon claiming to be in possession of dark side treasures, and were requesting audience with the King. Curious that visitors would choose a tumultuous time such as this for a visit, and even more curious in these supposed treasures, Ommin allowed for the two individuals to brought before him.

King Ommin


The Ketos entered Ommin's lair, escorted by his royal guards. Satal and Aleema were surprised to find that Ommin had been expecting them. Ommin, an elderly man confined to a steel contraption that supported his weakened body, welcomed the cousins and expressed his interest in their "Sith treasures". Satal then unfurled his stolen Sith spellbook, and asked the King if he was able to translate the text. Pleased with the the ancient book, Ommin was eager to own a copy for himself. Apprehensive at first, Satal challenged Ommin, asking what made him so trustworthy. The King replied, that he sensed a strong propensity for learning within his young guests. In a demonstration of his ability, Ommin weaved his fingers in an intricate pattern, and channeled the conjured energy into feelings of malaise that directly affected Satal. Aleema however, was unphased by Ommin's magic; she instead felt as though Ommin's power was legitimate, and that the old King was genuinely interested in helping them. Ommin then showed Satal and Aleema his collection of Sith artifacts, treasures that were given to the him by the ancient Dark Lord Freedon Nadd. The King took one of the treasures, an amulet, and gave it to Satal saying:


 * "When I wish to read the ancient Sith writings&hellip;I wear this. Put it on. Go ahead try it!"

Satal did as he was commanded, and much to his astonishment, he was able to understand the previously unintelligible script. Now thoroughly convinced, Satal allowed King Ommin to take the book, which was in turn gave to Novar to be transcribed. Ommin then showed the Ketos his "greatest prize", the Jedi Master Arca Jeth, who was hanging on a wall and suffering heavily under the power of Sith magic. Ommin's plan for the Jedi Master, as he explained to Satal and Aleema, was to destroy his body with the power of the dark side, and then restore him as a dark side spirit.

They were interrupted however, when seven lightsaber-brandishing Jedi stormed Ommin's stronghold, catching everyone by surprise. The King's army of dark side warriors immediately assumed the offensive, but were quickly bested by the Jedi Knights. Ommin meanwhile proved himself to be a formidable adversary, as he blasted the Jedi with waves of dark side energy. The King was defeated when one of the young Jedi, a human male named Ulic Qel-Droma, slashed through his metal armature, utterly incapacitating him. In the midst of the skirmish, Satal and Aleema managed to escape further into the catacombs of Ommin's lair.

Escape from Iziz
"Now leave&hellip;this passage will bring you to the surface!"

- Freedon Nadd guiding the Ketos to safety.



While searching for an exit to the surface from the underground tunnels, Satal and his cousin were confronted by a dark side spirit. The spirit introduced himself as Freedon Nadd, and the Ketos were taken aback by his spectral presence. Nadd presented them with two archaic Sith swords, as well as returning their spellbook and allowing Satal to keep the talismans. The ancient Dark Lord then explained to them that Ommin was correct; Satal and Aleema were indeed the heirs to Nadd's Sith legacy, and that Nadd himself would personally complete their training. He guided them to the surface of Onderon, telling them to leave and that they went, he would find them.

Nadd's spirit then returned to Ommin's underground lair just as the Jedi were freeing Master Arca, only to find Ommin on the ground, helpless and writhing about. When Ommin realized that Nadd's spirit had returned, he begged for assistanace, but Nadd quickly refused him. Releasing the defeated King from his service, Nadd addressed the Jedi, telling them that Ommin's day was over, but perhaps several of the Jedi would join the dark side instead. The rescued Arca Jeth then faced Nadd, and banished his spirit from Onderon. His remains would later be interred on the far side of Onderon's jungle moon Dxun, along with those of King Ommin and his late wife Amanoa.

New regime
"&hellip;And as for the power&hellip;well, thanks to the Sith magic we discovered on Onderon, we have plenty of that."

- Satal Keto

Satal and his cousin fled Onderon with their new collection of ancient Sith artifacts and texts onboard an evacuation vessel. They would spend the next months learning to harness the dark side from Freedon Nadd, and, through his instruction, Satal and Aleema became proficient in Sith magic. While Aleema preferred the magical aspects of her newfound Sith powers, Satal chose also to delve into the daunting alchemical practice of creating Sith poison. Armed with their new Sith knowledge, Satal and Aleema next devised a plan to overthrow their parents: Lord Keto and Lady Magda Keto, the Emperor and Empress of the Tetan star system.

As Lord and Lady Keto were conducting a routine inspection of Empress Teta's orbital carbonite production facility, Satal and Aleema arrived unexpectedly, accompanied by the royal tutor Korus. They stormed the carbonite smelter, at which time Satal confronted his father. Lord Keto demanded that Korus explain his reason for allowing such a breach of protocol, knowing full well that the royal children were not allowed to attend matters of state. At Satal's behest, Korus attempted to respond, only to display the Adegan eel which newly-replaced his tongue. Aleema then informed her uncle that Korus had fallen victim to Sith magic; ancient power that she and Satal had discovered on Onderon. The cousins next revealed the existence of their Krath cult, and proclaimed themselves the new rulers of the Tetan worlds. To solidify the Krath takeover, Satal forced the Tetan officials into the adjacent smelter, where he had each of them executed by dropping them into vats of carbonite, save Lord Keto. Satal instead chose to have his father slowly lowered in the molten metal, and in doing so made a carbonite frieze of him. Lord Keto would spend the rest of his days as a hanging decoration in his own former palace, the Krath's newly acquired Iron Citadel.

War with the Republic
"Koros Major is the last planet to resist our will, Aleema. This is a test of our power&hellip;If the proud soldiers of Koros Major can be confounded by Sith magic, certainly we can take on the Jedi themselves!" "Check the scanners, Satal&hellip;I think you're about to get your's chance."

- Aleema and Satal Keto, as the Republic fleet drops out of hyperspace



The Krath takeover had been swift and violent; however, many Tetan citizens refused to acknowledge the dominion of the Sith-inspired regime, and so rebelled against their new Krath rulers. Factions on the planet Kirrek were offering resistance, while the citizens of Empress Teta refused to submit themselves to the Krath as well. In response, the Ketos used their Sith powers against the mutinists; Aleema put down the insurrectionist groups in both the capital city of Cinnagar, while Satal personally saw to the leveling of Kirrek.

In response to the unrest in the Tetan system, a combined Jedi/Republic fleet under the command of Nomi Sunrider and Jedi advisor Ulic Qel-Droma was sent to deal with the Krath. During the battle at Empress Teta, Aleema used her powers to conjure illusions of ancient starship-devouring space grazers to fool the Republic fleet, while Satal hypnotized his Krath Chaos starfighter pilots, and used them as suicide bombers. The Chaos fighters were further supported by Aleema's illusions, and many Republic ships sustained heavy damage. In the heat of kamikaze attack, one Chaos fighter crashed into the bridge of the Republic command ship Reliance. Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma was seriously injured by a piece of shrapnel as the starfighter breached the hull. The Republic then exited Tetan space to rethink their strategy in the face of defeat.

Jedi ambush
"Don't worry, my cousin. We'll let the power of the Sith speak to them directly."

- Satal Keto

The Krath were successful in driving the Republic back, but during the battle, Aleema was rendered unconscious by the psychic assault of the Jedi woman, Nomi Sunrider. After some time, Satal managed to revive Aleema, explaining to her that she had been overcome by Jedi powers during the battle. He then quickly brought her up to speed on their current standing. While Aleema was comatose, Satal had been busy arranging the next stage of their attack. Intelligence reports told him that the Jedi were currently gathering en masse on the planet Deneba. Satal then secretly inserted one of his Tetan warcruisers in orbit around Deneba, just as thousands of Jedi also made their descent onto the planet. The Tetan corsair carried life-pods, and within them rested Krath War Droids, who at a specific time of Satal's choosing, would be deployed to the surface of Deneba, emerge from their pods, and catch the Jedi off guard. The second phase of the plan was to simultaneously engage a secret command that reprogrammed the Jedi servant droids to attack their masters, instead of assisting them. The assault commenced unfettered, and countless Jedi were killed in the battle. The droids were ultimately defeated, but not without severe Jedi casualties, one of which was Master Arca Jeth, who died as a war droid blasted him from behind.

Suspicious Jedi
"&hellip; And I tell you Qel-Droma has been sent by the Jedi Masters. He is a spy. He will betray us&hellip;"

- Satal Keto

The death of Arca Jeth ignited the feelings of grief within Ulic Qel-Droma, who at one time had been his apprentice, and was also present when Jeth was killed. So overcome with guilt and revenge, Qel-Droma sought to infiltrate the Krath, hoping to learn from them the dark side, and then betray them to the Jedi. He arrived in Empress Teta's capital city of Cinnagar, just as Satal and Aleema were performing public executions on local dissidents and offenders. In the midst of the display, several individuals within the crowd caused a riot, in which one of the attackers attempted to murder Aleema. Qel-Droma was also in the crowd, and upon seeing this, he raced to her aid, striking the assailant down and effectively saving Aleema. In reality, the Ketos were aware that he was on Empress Teta, and allowed the riot to commence in order to bring Qel-Droma into contact with them. Qel-Droma introduced himself as a fallen Jedi as Aleema thanked him for the timely "rescue". She then bid Satal continue with the executions, while she and her guest retired to the Iron Citadel. Satal gladly obliged.



Satal did not believe Qel-Droma's story of being a Jedi defector, however; rather, he was suspicious of Qel-Droma's reasons for being in Cinnagar, believing him to actually be a Jedi spy. Despite Qel-Droma's repeated denials of this claim, Satal imprisoned him, and then interrogated tortured him in the dungeons of the Iron Citadel. During the torture session, Satal injected Qel-Droma with a Sith poison, a toxin designed to weaken his resistance to the dark side while simultaneously amplifying his rage. Aleema admonished Satal for administering the toxin, as the poison was capable of killing those not strong enough to withstand its effects. Satal, however, saw it as a test of Qel-Droma's Jedi powers, and ensured his cousin that if he survived the injection, it would guarantee his fall to the dark side. Qel-Droma had an immediate reaction to the poison, so much so that he lashed out with the Force, destroying the restraints he was being held with along with the torture droids administering his punishment. Satal was indeed pleased with the results, and left Aleema to tend to the unconscious Jedi.

Months had passed, and during that time, Qel-Droma had become ingratiated in the Krath, and also been taken by Aleema as her lover. His Jedi colleagues on the Jedi planet of Ossus became concerned when they heard no word from the entrenched Ulic Qel-Droma. As a result, a team of Knights was dispatched, consisting of Nomi Sunrider, Tott Doneeta, and Qel-Droma's brother Cay, to locate Qel-Droma and report on his progress. Arriving in the starship Nebulon Ranger, Sunrider ejected from the ship inside of an escape pod, and inserted herself into the capital city of Cinnagar, with intentions of being captured by the Krath. Once in custody, she hoped to get close to Qel-Droma, and attempt to persuade him to return to Ossus with her. The initial part of Sunrider's plan was successful, for shortly after her arrival in Cinnagar, she was apprehended by agents of the Krath, and placed in the dungeon of the Iron Citadel. Simultaneously, Qel-Droma was meeting with Satal and Aleema, discussing Republic military secrets and assisting them in updating the their weapons and defensive systems with the latest in galactic technology. Recognizing his superior expertise in military affairs, Aleema made Qel-Droma warlord of the Krath, placing him in command over all of Empress Teta's military forces. Satal, however, still harbored suspicions of Qel-Droma being a Jedi spy. His skepticisms were further realized when he received report that another Jedi had been located and captured in Cinnagar.

Qel-Droma's revenge
"It is the anger&hellip;the anger ignites the Sith poison I injected the day you arrived&hellip;you'll seeeeeeee&hellip;"

- Satal Keto's dying words



Confronting Qel-Droma, Satal accused him of being the harbinger of a Jedi invasion. Satal immediately had the intruder brought before them, who was revealed to be Qel-Droma's former companion, Nomi Sunrider. Satal then tested the defected Jedi's proclaimed "loyalty" by asking him what to do with Sunrider. Maintaining his cover, Qel-Droma ordered for her to be imprisoned for questioning. Satal refused this, fearing that Sunrider posed a potential threat, and instead advocated for her to be immediately executed. Qel-Droma agreed to execute her personally in the morning, but in the meanwhile, she was to be taken to the dungeons for interrogation. Later that day, Qel-Droma used a service droid to compose a secret message for Sunrider, expressing to her that his mission was not yet complete, and that he would return to Ossus when it was. He then sent the droid on a "routine" maintenance run to the dungeons, but it was intercepted by Satal's assistant Norgor, who himself was suspicious of the droid's activity and brought it before Lord Keto. Satal immediately discovered the hidden message, which confirmed his original misgivings about Qel-Droma being on Empress Teta for the sole purpose of infiltrating the Krath. He destroyed the droid and then ordered Norgor to both assassinate Qel-Droma, and have the Jedi woman brought to him.

Firing twin blaster pistols, Norgor crashed through the window of the bedroom where Qel-Droma was with Aleema, in an attempt to catch them off guard. Qel-Droma was able to quickly ignite his lightsaber in time to deflect the incoming blaster bolts. He slew Norgor just as Aleema awoke, who recognized the dead assassin as one of Satal's minions. Aleema then confessed to Qel-Droma that it was Satal who orchestrated the attack on Deneba. Upon hearing this, Qel-Droma became enraged, and left her in search of Satal.

Meanwhile, Sunrider managed to escape the dungeons, and called both Cay Qel-Droma and Tott Doneeta for reinforcements. Fighting their way through Krath's defenses, the two Jedi met their comrade in the courtyard of the Iron Citadel, and became engaged in a firefight with the persuing Krath soldiers. After defeating the soldiers, the Jedi trio went in search of Qel-Droma, but were stopped short when Satal appeared in front of them on the balcony, and vowed to imprison them all. At that same moment, Qel-Droma arrived on the balcony behind Satal, and confronted him over the death of Arca Jeth. He then drew his lightsaber and issued a challenge to Satal, who withdrew his own sword, and a heated battle ensued.

The two men clashed weapons as Satal chided Qel-Droma, further inciting his rage and catalyzing the Sith poison that he injected the fallen Jedi with months ago. Qel-Droma gave deeper into his anger, blaming Satal for Master Jeth's death as he continued to drive Satal back. Satal continued to taunt his adversary, mocking him even more with the memory of Jeth's demise. This, however, proved to be the breaking point for Ulic Qel-Droma. Unable to restain himself any longer, Qel-Droma submitted himself fully to his rage, and struck Satal down. With his dying words, Satal revealed that Qel-Droma had been successfully drawn to the dark side, thanks to his rage-enhancing Sith poison. Upon learning of her cousin's death, Aleema then took Ulic Qel-Droma as her partner, giving him full dominion over herself as well as the Krath cult.

Legacy
Satal's legacy would be realized many thousands of years later in the form of Satal's descendant, Sebban Keto. Sebban, was a Tetan businessman who, like his ancestors, practiced dark side magic and used it to reestablish the Krath traditions on Empress Teta.

Personality and traits


Satal Keto was a pompous young man (something he accused his father of being), having grown up the son of the Emperor of Empress Teta. His ambitious nature led him on a journey to Coruscant, where he, along with Aleema, discovered ancient Sith relics. Their combined hunger for dark side knowledge led them to Onderon, solely for the purpose of unlocking the mysteries of the Sith treasure they pilfered on Coruscant. Once able to understand the Sith teachings, Satal proved to be an insatiable learner who quickly mastered his newfound abilities.The fact that Satal was able to formulate Sith poisons, a skill limited to only the most experienced of Sith alchemists, was a testament to the capacity for knowledge first recognized in him by King Ommin. After mastering the power of his newfound Sith abilities, Satal became more ruthless, executing individuals at a whim for seemingly minor offenses. As the Emperor of the Tetan worlds, Satal ruled with an iron fist, but preferred to play the background, while his cousin Aleema acted as the visible face of the new government.

As a young man, Satal was apprehensive about things with which he was not familiar. Upon meeting King Ommin, he initially refused to give the King his stolen spell book, but he quickly relented when Ommin displayed his Sith powers. As leader of the Krath, Satal often displayed envious tendencies, something Aleema made note of on several occasions. His jealous nature was further realized with the arrival of Ulic Qel-Droma, whom he was also very suspicious of, fearing the Jedi to be the forebearer of an invasion. He was also a very determined man, and saw the romantic relationship shared by his cousin and Qel-Droma as a hindrance to the progress of the Krath. His suspicions led him to the ends of poisoning, torturing, and finally attempting to have Qel-Droma murdered. His suspicious nature would ultimately be his undoing, as the failed assassination attempt ultimately resulted in Ulic murdering Satal.

Powers and abilites
"They're ignoring my lovely mind-forms, Satal What are we going to do? " " Something they don't expect, of course. All I need is a little more of your magic&mdash;"

- Satal and Aleema Keto



Satal's early experiences with the dark side started on Coruscant, where he and his cousin Aleema explored the Galactic Museum's exhibit on dark side antiquities. His actual Sith training began on Onderon, where he first learned how to used Sith amulets and read ancient Sith writings from King Ommin. After receiving further instruction under Freedon Nadd, Satal's proficiency with Sith magic was considerable. As a Sith sorcerer, Satal developed a working mastery with creating life-like illusions, such as those he projected against his father and aunt on the orbtal carbonite smelter. Satal was also proficient with mind control, a talent he displayed during the battle for Empress Teta. Under Satal's power, his Krath chaos fighters became kamikaze pilots, crashing themselves into the enemy Republic ships while bound by the dark influence of Keto's will. While Aleema mastered the dark arts of Sith magic, Satal learned to create Sith poisons, a task reserved for only the most accomplished Sith alchemists. Satal was also proficient with hand blasters and bladed melee weapons.

Behind the scenes
The character of Satal Keto was first conceived and written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Tony Akins for the Tales of the Jedi comic series, first appearing in the issue The Freedon Nadd Uprising: Initiates of the Sith, published in 1994. However, he was first mentioned in the Dark Empire endnotes, a series of short essays that provided back stories for several Star Wars topics, including Ulic Qel-Droma and the Krath. The endnotes' mention of the Krath laid the foundation for Keto's involvement in the upcoming Tales of the Jedi story arcs.

For the Tales of the Jedi audio drama, Keto was voiced by Christopher Sena, the same voice actor used for the character of Andur Sunrider. Satal was voiced again for the Dark Lords of the Sith audio drama, though the name of the voice actor is currently unknown. Even though his involvement was minimal, Satal Keto's role for the Freedon Nadd Uprising was an important one, and provided sufficient background for the character to be further explored in the Dark Lords of the Sith story, where his actions would directly influence the fall to the dark side of another character, Ulic Qel-Droma.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising 2: Initiates of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi (audio)
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith Special Ashcan Edition
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 1: Masters and Students of the Force
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 2: The Quest for the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 4: Death of a Dark Jedi
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 5: Sith Secrets
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 6: Jedi Assault
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 1: Edge of the Whirlwind
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 2: The Battle of Coruscant
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith (audio)
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 4: Jedi Holocaust

Notes & references
Satal Keto