Cay Qel-Droma

"By the ghost of Freedon Nadd! He's just one man! Can't you defeat one man?"

- Novar, to the troops of Iziz about Cay Qel-Droma

Cay Qel-Droma was a Human male who served as a Jedi Knight during the events of the Great Sith War. Born to a family with Jedi heritage on Alderaan, Cay and his brother, fellow Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma, were instructed by Master Arca Jeth at his training compound on Arkania. Cay's first mission came in 4,000 BBY, when, along with his brother and fellow trainee Tott Doneeta, he was sent to Onderon to put down an uprising of the Beast Riders from the planet's wilderness against the walled city of Iziz. The Jedi succeeded, but Cay's career on the fields of battle had just begun. He helped quell the Naddist Uprising started by a dark side cult on Onderon, and later fought in the Great Sith War, a galaxy-spanning conflict that started when the dark side organization known as the Krath took control of the Empress Teta system. During the war, Ulic turned to the dark side, becoming a Sith, and second-in-command under Dark Lord Exar Kun. In 3,996 BBY Cay dueled his brother on Ossus. Ulic killed Cay; however, this act stunned Ulic enough that he abandoned the dark side. Filled with guilt, Ulic lived the rest of his life a broken man.

First mission
"Did you think you were the only one with courage, Ulic?"

- Cay Qel-Droma

Cay was born on Alderaan to a mother who was a Jedi Master. Together with his brother, Ulic, Cay entered Jedi training. Both were very skilled in the use of the Force, and were sent to Arca Jeth's Jedi training center on Arkania for further instruction. Alongside the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta, the two learned the ways of the Force from the venerated Jedi Master. In 4,000 BBY, Jeth was chosen as the Jedi Watchman of the Onderon system. He hoped to resolve the centuries-long Beast Wars that had plagued Onderon. However, he was not to go himself. Instead, he sent his three apprentices on their first real test&mdash;a mission with lives hanging in the balance. Onderon was home to many savage beasts, some of which had been tamed by outlaws known as Beast Riders. These beasts had forced the other citizens of Onderon into one giant walled city, Iziz. Iziz was constantly under attack from the Beast Riders, who had been at war with the monarchy of the city for centuries.

When the three Jedi arrived in the Qel-Dromas' ship, the Nebulon Ranger, they were attacked by a group of Beast Riders on their drexl mounts. However, due to the expert piloting skills of Doneeta and the Qel-Droma brothers, the ship was able to land in Iziz intact. Once in the city, they introduced themselves to a group of security officers sent to welcome them, only to see Tott Doneeta nearly arrested, as the city had a policy against any alien species. Furious, Ulic and Cay drew their lightsabers, and the guards reluctantly released Doneeta. The three were then led to the throne room of Queen Amanoa.

The Jedi were introduced to the queen and her daughter, Galia. Seconds later, a group of Beast Riders swept into the palace, breaking the glass windows and landing in the throne room. The trio fought the Riders alongside the guards, but they were unable to stop them from kidnapping Princess Galia. After they had taken her, the Riders retreated. Queen Amanoa was furious at the Jedi, claiming that they had aided the Beast Riders. Ulic promised that the three of them would rescue her daughter, insisting that they would not return until they had freed her.

Flying above the forests, the Nebulon Ranger was fired on by Beast Riders, and crashed. Though the three Jedi survived, they would have to make it to the Beast Riders' fortress on foot. On their way to the Riders' citadel, they were attacked by Boma beasts. However, with Doneeta's ability to speak beast-languages, he was able to make the creatures halt, and even give them a ride to the fortress. Once there, they crashed in, interrupting the wedding between Galia and the Beast Riders' second-in-command, Oron Kira, son of chief Modon Kira. Though Ulic attempted to save Galia, he was stunned when she told him that she did not want to be rescued. Hoping to make peace with the Jedi, Kira invited them to put down their weapons and join the wedding banquet.

During the banquet, Kira explained that he had a secret route into Iziz, and on one of his undercover trips, he had encountered Galia. The two had fallen in love, but since the queen would never permit her daughter to marry a Beast Rider, Galia had arranged to be "kidnapped." She told the Jedi that she wished to escape her parents, who were practitioners the dark side. Kira explained that four hundred years before, a rogue Jedi named Freedon Nadd had brought knowledge of the dark side to Onderon. A Sith Lord, Nadd had ruled the planet for years before his death. The rulers after him learned his teachings, and Sith artifacts were passed down from generation to generation between the kings and queens, who continued Nadd's legacy.

Encounter with the dark side
"I call upon the spirit of Freedon Nadd, a Jedi far greater than these impotent youths. May the dark power that he taught me and my husband and all our ancestors fill me now!"

- Queen Amanoa



Kira pleaded that the Jedi help them defeat Amanoa and her husband, King Ommin, a fellow dark-sider. The Jedi, with Ulic as their spokesman, agreed. As Kira gathered all the other Beast Lords and their Riders, the Nebulon Ranger headed back to Iziz, escorted by drexls. The ship landed in the city, and the Jedi headed to the palace with Galia. However, Amanoa did not give them a chance to talk, cursing her daughter for her betrayal. Then, claiming the darkness inside her would destroy the Jedi, she called for Freedon Nadd, unleashing her rage and creating a blanket of darkness. Realizing his allies had failed in their attempt at a peaceful solution, Kira called for the Riders to attack. And attack they did, swarming the city.

In the palace, the Jedi were fighting a group of security guards. Distracted by the perpetual night, Cay was shot in the hand by a guard. Unable to defend himself, he could not prevent a guard from cutting off his left arm. Grabbing his brother, Ulic fled from the throne room, away from the skirmish. Cay was able to survive thanks to a medkit, and he bonded an XT-6 droid arm to his body, giving him a replacement limb.

Though they fought hard, the Beast Riders were unable to best the soldiers. The reason for this was Amanoa's use of the dark side&mdash;using a form of Battle Meditation, she bolstered the morale of her forces while weakening that of the Riders. However, the tide turned upon the arrival of a strange starship. It was carrying Jedi Master Arca Jeth, who had arrived to aid his apprentices. With his Battle Meditation he was able to negate Amanoa's abilities and encourage the Riders to fight on. Though Arca was at first upset with the three Jedi, he admitted that perhaps this had been too great a test for them.

Jeth led the Jedi to the Tomb of Freedon Nadd, where Amanoa hid. Upon exposure to the light, she was weakened, and died. Jeth showed the group Nadd's remains, and explained that now the hold of the dark side over Onderon was broken. In the following days, Galia and Kira were made rulers of Onderon. However, the Jedi could still feel the darkness, and Master Arca believed that some supporters of Nadd still lived.

Naddist Uprising
"Something terrible is at work!"

- Arca Jeth

During the funeral procession of Queen Amanoa and Freedon Nadd, in which the remains of the beings would be transferred to a moon of Onderon, the darksiders struck. Using a groundborer, a group of Naddists drilled their way to the surface, interrupting the funeral. A mysterious armor-clad darksider attacked Cay and the Jedi Oss Wilum, while more Naddists grabbed the sarcophagi of Amanoa and Nadd. Struck by a blast of dark side energy, Arca was unable to help. Once they had seized the sarcophagi, the Naddists fled as soon as they had appeared.

Realizing the situation was desperate, Galia suggested that they see her father, King Ommin, who resided in a secret underground facility. Ulic and Arca decided to go with Galia, while Cay, Tott, and Oss stayed above to help secure the palace. However, things took a disastrous turn for the Jedi. Ommin, using the power of Freedon Nadd, unleashed a blast of dark side energy, paralyzing Master Arca. Ulic and Galia were forced to flee, while Arca was taken prisoner by Ommin and Nadd's spirit. Above, the three Jedi had lost the palace, and, along with Ulic, Galia, and Kira, had to abscond. They decided to head to Oron Kira's fortress, making it a base of operations.

The Jedi were pinned in the fortress by the Naddists when, suddenly, fortunes changed. A group of Jedi, sent along with the Republic Fleet from Coruscant, had arrived to aid those trapped on Onderon. Led by Nomi Sunrider, the Jedi and the Beast Riders forced the Naddists back. Ulic and his companions made their way to Iziz, where they confronted Ommin in his underground lair. Ommin had hung Arca on the wall as a trophy, and though he still lived, he was suffering greatly. During the skirmish, Cay lost his droid arm to a Sith War Droid, though he was able to keep fighting, and would later build another replacement limb for himself. Ulic, determined to rescue his master from the clutches of Freedon Nadd and his puppet Ommin, fought through the droid ranks, making his way to Ommin. He then confronted the king, slicing through his body. In his dying moments, Ommin called for Nadd, but the spirit announced that he was abandoning Ommin. He told the Jedi that one day, one of them would belong to the dark side, and they would realize the truth&mdash;they had lost. With that bold proclamation, Nadd's spirit departed.

Conflict in the Empress Teta system
"I thought the Sith teachings that were active here had been contained. Apparently, I was wrong."

- Arca Jeth

However, the Jedi's job was not done. Shortly after cleansing Onderon of the dark side, Master Arca learned that the Empress Teta system now faced conflict. A political coup was apparently related to Freedon Nadd, and so Arca decided that the Jedi solve this problem. Arca informed the Jedi that two youths, Satal and Aleema Keto had taken control of the system. More to the point, they had somehow learned the ways of the dark side, forming a secret dark side society known as the Krath. Dace Diath, Oss Wilum, Qrrrl Toq, and Shoaneb Culu would travel to Ossus and attempt to recruit more Jedi, while the others would stay on Onderon. Arca planned to send Nomi and Ulic to the system soon after teaching Nomi more about battle meditation.

Several days later, a Jedi archaeologist named Exar Kun landed on Onderon, seeking to learn more about the Sith from the artifacts Ommin had owned. Cay and Tott Doneeta greeted him, although, on Arca's orders, Cay told Kun very little. Angered, Kun insisted he be allowed to see the relics, but he was confronted by Arca, who told Kun he knew he was no archaeologist, and ordered he leave. After Kun departed, Arca revealed to Cay and Tott that he had sensed Kun's malicious intent, and that nothing good would come of letting him view the Sith artifacts.

Meanwhile, in the Empress Teta system, a battle was raging for Koros Major, the last Tetan world still opposing the Ketos' coup. Though a joint Jedi/Republic fleet led by Captain Vanicus, Nomi, and Ulic arrived, the defenders were still unable to defeat the military forces of the Ketos, rulers of the system. Unable to gain an edge, the Republic force retreated. During the battle, Ulic was wounded by a piece of slag from a Chaos fighter covered in Sith magic.

Forced to flee the battle, the Jedi now had another destination&mdash;Deneba, host to a great meeting between Jedi from all across the galaxy. On Deneba, Cay saw his brother again, and was surprised to see him wounded. Ulic explained what had happened to him as the meeting got underway. Jedi Master Odan-Urr presided over the meeting, explaining the conclave's purpose&mdash;to discuss the recent failure of the task force in the Empress Teta system. Odan-Urr then welcomed Ulic Qel-Droma, newly appointed Watchman of the Teta system, to the stand. Qel-Droma informed the audience of his plan&mdash;to destroy the Krath from within. As he went into detail about his scheme, he was met with resistance from the crowd. Many Jedi, notably Master Arca, opposed Ulic joining the Krath.

During Qel-Droma's speech, the Jedi suddenly felt a great disturbance in the Force. A pain in the Force resonated strongly, striking all the Jedi. Unknown to anyone on the planet was that the disturbance was caused by Exar Kun, who had just renounced the light side, joining the Sith. At that moment, a group of ships jumped out of hyperspace above Deneba. A flurry of escape pods reigned down on the planet. They opened to reveal deadly Krath war droids, created by the Krath, who had declared war on the Jedi. The servant droids at the meeting suddenly turned on their masters, revealing themselves to be modified Krath battle droids as well. Cay had suspected something was up with the droids, but lacking anything more concrete than a feeling, had dismissed his intuition.

The Jedi engaged the deadly droids in combat, but found them to be nearly their match. Using methods learned during the Great Droid Revolution, Arca short-circuited the droids' systems, a skill he planned to teach his apprentices. However, he never got the chance. Attacked from behind by a droid, Arca Jeth, the beloved master of Cay and Ulic, was killed. Though the Jedi eventually won the day, it was not a complete victory. Ulic Qel-Droma was devastated by Arca's death, blaming himself for not sensing the droid. Distraught, he decided to put his plan in motion, against the advice of many Jedi, including his love Nomi Sunrider and Cay.

A brother's betrayal
"Cay&hellip;Ulic is lost to us."

- Nomi Sunrider

Promising everything would work out, Ulic left for the Empress Teta system, hoping to convince the Ketos he was a fallen Jedi intending to learn from the two darksiders. Ulic was discovered by the Ketos, and tortured. However, he was slowly seduced to the dark side, eventually losing sight of his original goal. Concerned with Ulic, who they could no longer sense in the Force, Cay, Nomi, and Tott decided to head to Cinnagar, hoping to find Ulic.

In keeping with his now all too real charade, Ulic imprisoned Nomi, ordering her to be executed. She was able to escape, sending her coordinates to Tott and Cay to pick her up in the Ranger. However, the Jedi were not yet ready to abandon Ulic. Using a secret passage discovered by Nomi, they made their way into the royal quarters. There, they confronted Satal. However, before he could attack them, Ulic appeared, and lunged for Satal, engaging him in combat. The two dueled, with Ulic, empowered by rage, emerging victorious. Cay encouraged Ulic to flee with them, but he refused. When Cay persisted, Ulic flattened his friends with a blast of dark side energy. Despite the misgivings of Nomi Sunrider, the Jedi retreated. Ulic had changed. He was no longer the kind brother Cay had known and loved.

Back on Ossus, the Jedi planned for their next move against the Krath, still hoping to rescue Ulic Qel-Droma. Cay was involved in testing the new Star Saber XC-01 fighters along with Dace Diath. However, due to bugs in the fighter, Dace was unable to respond in time during a test run, and his fighter slammed into a rock. The Jedi believed Dace had perished, but were thrilled to find out he had evacuated in time to avoid death. Following this incident, Oron Kira arrived with his Beast Riders. The Jedi were planning another rescue mission, this time with the help of the Riders and their drexl mounts.

However, before they could leave, the Masters wished to speak with them. Vodo-Siosk Baas and Thon informed the young Jedi that Ulic had to be the one to see the error of his ways, and turn from the dark side under his own volition. If he did not, he would destroy himself, as was the way of the Force. And so, with that fateful message, the Jedi prepared for departure. Flying Star Sabers and Stingers, they headed for Cinnagar, hoping to succeed where Cay's crew had failed earlier. Once again, Nomi and Cay would be the ones who would have the responsibility of speaking to Cay while the other Jedi and the Beast Riders held the enemy at bay.

Caught by surprise, the Jedi were able to breach the defenses and fly into the inner city. Disembarking, Cay, Nomi and Qrrrl Toq leapt into the Iron Citadel, the capitol building. Though Aleema Keto attempted to use her Sith sorcery to force the Jedi to retreat, Nomi negated her powers with her newly-improved battle meditation. Then, Nomi tried to convince Ulic to leave with her, calling on the love the two felt for each other. However, Ulic refused. When Cay and Nomi persisted, he attacked them with dark side energy. Qrrrl and Cay grabbed Ulic, planning to haul him to their ship and force him to come to Ossus with them. They were stopped, however, by Nomi, who reminded the Jedi what the Masters said&mdash;Ulic must renounce the dark side under his own power. Ultimately, Cay relented and the Jedi left. Ulic had changed, Cay now realized. He had fallen to the darkness, although Cay refused to accept the notion that his brother was beyond saving.

Great Sith War
"Who else will resist my order?" "I will, Ulic."

- Ulic and Cay

Not long after this, Exar Kun met with several Jedi Knights, including Cay, on Ossus. He attempted to convince them to join him, claiming he had found new methods feared by the Masters. He had been given great power, he said, and he could teach it to the young Jedi. Cay, however, was skeptical, and questioned Kun. Ultimately, Kun left with several Jedi aboard his starship, although Cay was not among them. Unknown to all of them was that Exar Kun had fallen to the dark side of the Force, and was attempting to subvert them. Kun had also taken Ulic Qel-Droma as his apprentice, and the two were plotting to conquer the galaxy.

Cay and Ulic were to meet again. While Kun trained his new students on Yavin 4, the Krath forces, led by Ulic and aided by the Mandalorians, attacked Coruscant, capital of the Galactic Republic. Caught by surprise, the planet was nearly defenseless at first, but the Jedi fought to repel the invaders. As the Republic fleet arrived, the battle began to turn back to the Jedi's favor. Suddenly, the Krath forces retreated. Aleema Keto betrayed Ulic, her lover, hoping to gain more power for herself. Left by himself, Ulic was confronted by the Jedi, including his brother. They arrested Ulic, using a Wall of Light to prevent him from utilizing his dark powers.

Ulic was brought before the Senate's Inquisition to answer for his crimes, and Cay was one of the few who spoke in his brother's defense, despite being repeatedly rejected by him. Unfortunately for Cay, the Senate would not listen to him, and it seemed inevitable that Ulic Qel-Droma would be sentenced to death. However, the proceedings were interrupted by Exar Kun, who had come to save his apprentice. Cay attempted to stop Ulic, but when left with no choice but to kill his brother, he found himself unable to do it. Frozen by Kun's Sith magic, the Senate's guards were powerless. Cursing the Republic, Kun and Ulic headed for the exit, although Kun was confronted by Vodo-Siosk Baas, his old master. Kun cut him down without remorse, and the two Sith left the Senate behind. Coruscant remained in the hands of the Republic, but Ulic had escaped, and the Sith remained strong.

Shortly after this, the a Jedi task force encountered a Sith battle group in the Cron system. However, this was a trap, and the Sith battleship Corsair was ready to destroy the Jedi&mdash;and the star system. Using ancient magic developed by the Sith Lord Naga Sadow, the ship tore one of the stars apart, creating a chain reaction which swallowed the system, killing all in it, including Qrrrl Toq, Dace Diath, and Shoaneb Culu. Also killed was Aleema Keto, commander of the Corsair, who had been betrayed by Ulic, as he had failed to inform her the explosion would consume her ship as well. The massive shock wave moved on to Ossus, where the Great Jedi Library was located. This had all been planned by Kun. When the Jedi were evacuating, he would sweep in and steal as many artifacts as he could before the firestorm hit.

As the Jedi began to gather up what they could in the short time they had, Kun and Ulic arrived. After raiding the storehouses, the two Sith boarded their ships and took off. However, Ulic was unable to make a clean getaway, as he was attacked by a ship in the atmosphere and forced to go evasive. This ship was in fact the Nebulon Ranger, piloted by Cay. Cay was still unable to kill his brother and so attempted to disable his ship. With the aid of a Mandalorian on a Basilisk war droid, Ulic was able to gain the upper hand, and attacked Cay. Ulic was now the predator. Cay's ship was damaged and he crashed on Ossus, with Ulic right behind him, ready to fight.

Brother against brother
"&hellip;but I have to save you from yourself, from the dark side."

- Cay Qel-Droma, to his brother

Unlike Cay, Ulic was prepared to kill his brother. Drawing their lightsabers, the two dueled, with Cay urging Ulic to rejoin the light. Ulic refused, boasting of his new-found power. Finally, in a fit of rage, he sliced through Cay's droid arm and his chest, mortally wounding his brother. However, this act shocked Ulic. Horrified at what he had done, Ulic abandoned the dark side, crying for Cay, who died in Ulic's arms. If unsuccessful at redeeming his brother while living, Cay had saved his brother in death.

Legacy
"Cay&hellip;Cay, forgive me!"

- Ulic Qel-Droma

Stunned at Ulic's slaying of his brother, Nomi Sunrider used the rarely seen technique Wall of Light to permanently bind Ulic from the Force, robbing him of what made him a Jedi. Distraught at his killing of Cay and now his inability to feel the Force, Ulic surrendered to the Jedi, a Sith no longer. He led the Jedi to Yavin IV, where Exar Kun was. The Jedi were able to defeat Kun, ending the Great Sith War. However, Ulic had been damaged beyond repair. Unable to forgive himself, he spent the next several years of his life wandering the galaxy in his ship Cay's Dream.

Ulic would later encounter visions of Cay on both Yavin IV and Rhen Var, echoes of the past caused by his guilt. However, in 3,986 BBY, he was finally able to pardon himself, thanks to Nomi's daughter Vima, who became his apprentice of her own volition, seeking to learn about the Force. Shortly after coming to terms with himself, Ulic was killed by the spacer Hoggon. However, he died at peace, finally able to remit his actions.

Personality and traits
"Hold to the light, Oss! It's all we've got!"

- Cay Qel-Droma

Cay Qel-Droma was a kind person. He loved his brother, and was broken up when Ulic turned to the dark side. Ulic and Cay were very close, and Cay's death broke the dark side's hold on Ulic. Cay enjoyed the life of a Jedi, following the path with great pleasure and determination. He was also very fond of his master Arca Jeth. When Arca died, Cay was stunned and greatly hurt, although he was not affected as badly as his brother. He also cared for his fellow Jedi, and was pained whenever one of his friends died. Cay was especially close with Nomi Sunrider and Tott Doneeta, whom he trained with under Arca Jeth.

Power and abilities
Cay was strong in the light side of the Force. He was also a talented duelist, nearly the equal of his brother, who was regarded as one of the most powerful Jedi of his time. He was also perceptive, as evidenced by the fact that he was the only one to sense the servant droids' true intent on Deneba. Cay was mechanically minded and enjoyed tinkering with machines. Cay was reprimanded by Master Arca at least once for working on a droid, rather than listening to Arca speak. Having lost his left arm during the Beast Wars, he replaced it with a prosthetic limb, made from parts of an abandoned XT-6 service droid. He was a talented pilot as well, and was selected to test fly the Star Saber starfighter due to his piloting skills.

Behind the scenes
Cay Qel-Droma was created for the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comic series by Tom Veitch. He first appeared in Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon as one of the main protagonists, and later reappeared in three more story arcs as one of the major heroes. He was voiced by Skip Lackey and Jack Noseworthy in the Tales of the Jedi audio drama.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * Tales of the Jedi: Redemption
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic