Battle of Coruscant (Great Sith War)

"The advance teams are deployed, we caught Coruscant completely by surprise&mdash;exactly as you said."

- Mandalore the Indomitable, to Ulic Qel-Droma

The First Battle of Coruscant occurred in the year 3,996 BBY during the Great Sith War, and witnessed the Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma and his forces invade the Republic capital of Coruscant. Following the Sith victory at the Battle of Foerost, Qel-Droma was able to add three hundred captured Republic warships to his already expansive Krath and Mandalorian fleets. With his forces bolstered, Qel-Droma believed that he now possessed the power to topple the central seat of government for the Republic, and therefore advised Exar Kun that he intended to attack Coruscant.

Qel-Droma, Aleema Keto, and Mandalore the Indomitable launched the invasion of Coruscant shortly after the celebration of the War Day holiday, and managed to catch the Republic and Jedi forces unprepared. Nonetheless, the Coruscanti forces were soon rallied by the Jedi and were able to halt the ground forces of Qel-Droma. Keto, however, used the invasion to further her own plans for power, and ordered the Mandalorian and Krath forces to retreat, claiming that Qel-Droma had been killed during the fighting. Abandoned by his warlords and soldiers, Qel-Droma was soon captured by the Jedi and handed over to the Inquisition to be tried for his crimes against the Republic.

Prelude
"I'm going to prove that the Republic is weak and vulnerable, Exar Kun."

- Ulic Qel-Droma, to Exar Kun

Following the Battle of Foerost, the Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma was able to capture three hundred new warships from the Republic shipyards there. Adding these new battleships to his already formidable fleet of Krath and Mandalorian vessels, Qel-Droma contacted Exar Kun, Dark Lord of the Sith, and advised him that he intended to demonstrate just how weak the Republic was by toppling their seat of power. To do this, he reasoned, he had to invade the Republic capital of Coruscant, and essentially bring an abrupt end to the war. After hearing what Qel-Droma had planned, Kun argued against invading Coruscant, stating that it would cause his plan to come apart. Kun continued by arguing that the Brotherhood of the Sith must first consolidate their combined forces, expand their resources, and then attack the Republic and Jedi along a combined front.

Qel-Droma, however, stated that his and Mandalore the Indomitable's forces could handle the invasion of Coruscant without the help of Kun and his Sith converts. Still believing that Qel-Droma and his forces were doomed to failure, Kun resigned himself to the fact that his allies would proceed with the attack with or without his blessing. Nevertheless, Kun advised Qel-Droma that if his attack failed, or he was killed during the coming invasion, then Kun would continue the war without him and his forces.

The battle
"Summon our defenses&hellip;whatever we've got left!"

- Netus

Filtering misleading information to the Republic and Jedi about the Krath's motives, leading them to believe that they were actually going to attack Kemplex IX, Qel-Droma and his forces set out for Coruscant. Responding to the misinformation provided, the Republic believed that they were going to be able to destroy the bulk of the Krath forces in one battle, and they ordered the majority of the Republic space forces, including parts of the Coruscant defense fleet, to Kemplex IX. Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Master Vodo-Siosk Baas and several other Jedi, including Cay Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider, arrived at Galactic City intent on speaking with the Senate. Master Baas wanted to speak in front of the Senate concerning a number of rumors that were circulating about a fallen Jedi Knight who was said to have been leading various raids, including Foerost, against the Republic. However, during the meeting Defense Minister Netus received information confirming that the Jedi in question was actually Ulic Qel-Droma.



It was during the Senate meeting that Qel-Droma's invasion force appeared out of hyperspace and began their assault upon the galactic capital. Appointing Mandalore the Indomitable and his Mandalorian warriors to lead the attack, Qel-Droma's forces besieged the main points of Coruscant's defense structure, including weapons platforms and strategic positions. However, under the leadership of Master Baas and other Jedi, the Republic ground forces were soon rallied and managed to halt the majority of the attacking Mandalorians.

Despite the organized defense mounted by the Jedi, Qel-Droma and Mandalore were able to fight their way to the central command structure of the Coruscant forces, where Republic military officers were attempting to help the Jedi with organizing the planet's defense. Utilizing his Sith powers, Qel-Droma attempted to compel the senior Republic officer to relay a set of commands to two separate Republic fleets, ordering them to the Vento system with the belief that a large Krath fleet was inbound. The Republic officer refused to relay Qel-Droma's false commands; in response, the Sith Lord prepared to kill the Republic personnel present. Qel-Droma, not aware of other events unfolding on Coruscant, was interrupted by a unit of Jedi, led by Master Baas.

While Qel-Droma was preoccupied at the Republic command building, the Jedi had continued in their efforts to mount a defense against the swarming hordes of Mandalorians. It was during this time that Aleema Keto made the decision to go ahead with her own private plan of usurping Qel-Droma's power and position for herself. Issuing an order of general retreat to Mandalore and the remaining Krath invasion force, Keto intended to leave Qel-Droma on Coruscant where he would hopefully be killed during the fighting. Mandalore, however, refused the initial order from Keto, arguing that he could not leave his commander while the fight was still ongoing. Realizing that she needed to convince Mandalore to withdraw, or risk having her coup realized, Keto advised him that Qel-Droma had been killed in the fighting and that her retreat order was intended to preserve the remainder of their forces. Believing what Keto had told him, Mandalore reluctantly ordered his warriors to withdraw from the surface, and retreat with the remaining Krath forces.

Aftermath
"I don't plead with fools. You are puppets of a tradition pretending to be important. The coming of a golden age has no place for you. Your Republic is an empty, self-indulgent diversion&hellip;signifying nothing. The lost glory of the Sith will turn all of your supposed accomplishments to dust!"

- Ulic Qel-Droma, to the Inquisition

Realizing too late that his forces had been ordered to retreat from Coruscant, Qel-Droma and the soldiers who were left with him were confronted by Master Baas and a group of other Jedi Knights. Neutralizing the Krath soldiers, the Jedi proceeded to use their combined Force powers to build a wall of light around Qel-Droma, temporarily paralyzing him. With the capture of Ulic Qel-Droma, known Sith Lord and leader of the Krath, the Republic's Supreme Chancellor branded him a traitor, advising those present that Qel-Droma would stand trial before the Senate for his crimes against the Republic.

Following Qel-Droma's capture by the Jedi, the Sith Lord was handed over to the Inquisition for trial and sentencing. Charged with various war crimes, including treason against the Republic and the Jedi Order, Qel-Droma was given a chance to speak in his defense. The Krath warlord, however, surprised all those present, including various Jedi, by pleading guilty to all charges. He then proceeded to express his contempt for the Republic, which he believed had grown weak. Stunned at the arrogance that he displayed during his trial, the Inquisition found Qel-Droma guilty on all counts, and sentenced him to death for his crimes against the Republic, but he escaped shortly after his sentencing.

Behind the scenes
The First Battle of Coruscant first appeared in the issue The Sith War 2: The Battle of Coruscant of the Tales of the Jedi series of comics. The battle was conceived and written by author Kevin J. Anderson, and was drawn by artist Dario Carrasco, Jr. Anderson used this battle to further demonstrate Ulic Qel-Droma's fall to the dark side, and to also set events in motion for Qel-Droma's fateful trial before the Inquisition in The Sith War 3: The Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma.

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