Battle of Ossus (Great Sith War)

"We have arrived, Exar Kun." "Yes, Ulic&mdash;Ossus is ours for the taking."

- Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun

The Battle of Ossus took place in the year 3,996 BBY during the Great Sith War, and was one of the last major battles to be fought during that conflict. With Aleema Keto's destruction of the Cron Cluster through the use of Sith magic, an enormous supernova was on a direct course for the Jedi library world of Ossus. With the knowledge that the Sith-created supernova would force the Jedi to evacuate Ossus, the Sith Lords Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma led an attack against the Jedi planet, intent on capturing the vast amount of Force knowledge and tomes that had been collected there over the millennia. Armed with a number of Mandalorian warriors, as well as their army of Krath soldiers, Qel-Droma and Kun stormed Ossus, taking advantage of the confusion and chaos surrounding the devastation headed for the planet.

Following their initial invasion, both Sith Lords were involved with various skirmishes, until Ulic was confronted by his brother Cay, who was attempting to turn Ulic back to the light side. The two brothers eventually battled, and the resulting fight saw the death of Cay Qel-Droma at the hands of Ulic. Nomi Sunrider, devastated by having witnessed the death of Cay, managed to use her powers to strip Ulic from the Force. Finally realizing how he had allowed the dark side to manipulate him, Ulic repented and offered to lead the Jedi to Kun's hidden fortress on the jungle moon of Yavin 4.

Prelude


"Mandalore and most of his warriors have been sent to take the Dark Citadel of Iziz on Onderon. For us, though, Ossus will be easy pickings."

- Exar Kun, speaking to Ulic Qel-Droma

During the Battle of Kemplex IX, a sabotaged ancient Sith device used to manipulate matter within the cores of stars caused the detonation of the nearby Cron Cluster stellar group, triggering a massive supernova shockwave in whose direct path lay the Jedi scholar world of Ossus.

A large-scale planetary evacuation was called, with military, civilian, and Jedi personnel alike struggling to escape the planet before the nova-wave arrived. The Jedi Masters planetside began a rescue operation focused upon salvaging as many relics, manuscripts, and other antiquities as possible from the enclave while there still was time. This would, in part, prove to be too tempting an opportunity for Exar Kun to pass up. Linking up with fellow Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma and reinforcements of Mandalorian and Massassi warriors, and redirecting Lord Mandalore the Indomitable's main battle group to Onderon, Kun launched a raid upon Ossus itself, intent on capturing the vast quantities of Jedi knowledge stored there.

The battle


"You have corrupted my mate Crado! You have slain Master Vodo! You have shattered the peace of our galaxy!"

- Sylvar, speaking to Exar Kun

With the evacuation already reaching critical levels, the Sith and Mandalorian ships converged upon the planet, targeting numerous civilian and military transport craft and engaging the Jedi defenses long enough for Kun to slip beneath the screens and land in the enclave. Among his first targets of choice was the residence of Master Ood Bnar, himself attempting to preserve a cache of antique Jedi lightsabers from the oncoming destruction. Engaging Kun and his Massassi, Master Bnar realized that his true skills lay not in combat, but in the powers of the Force. Drawing upon it, the Neti Jedi Master sealed the cache, metamorphosing into a great tree and thwarting the incredulous Dark Lord.

Not far afield, the Cathar Jedi Sylvar assaulted Kun near his ship, seeking revenge for her mate Crado's death at Kemplex IX, but was beaten by his elite Massassi guard.



Meanwhile, Cay Qel-Droma sensed his brother Ulic's presence amongst the battling orbital and sub-orbital ships, and took the Nebulon Ranger to the skies in an effort to sway Ulic back to the light. Shot down by Mandalorian ships during the melée, Cay was forced to crash-land in the city, where the two brothers confronted each other for the very last time. Attempting to reason with him, Cay only succeeded in provoking Ulic's temper&mdash;the dark side surging within him, Ulic instigated a violent lightsaber duel, shearing off his younger brother's mechanical arm. Pleading with him, Cay tried to reach through to the Jedi deep beneath Ulic...but in one final surge of anger, Ulic slew his brother where he knelt.

Aftermath
"Ulic, you are forever cursed for what you have done. See what has come from your own pride and your appetite for revenge. You brought this upon yourself. The Jedi Masters were right, Ulic&hellip;you must face the consequences of what you have begun. Ulic&mdash;I loved you, but this&hellip;this! I imprison you in a wall of light. A fortress to block you from the Force&hellip;"

- Nomi Sunrider, to Ulic Qel-Droma following the death of Cay



As a final act of punishment and retribution, Nomi Sunrider imprisoned Ulic beneath a wall of light side Force-energy. Ulic was forever cut off from the Force and captured by the Republic, thereby becoming the last casualty of the battle. The stage would now be set for the final showdown with Exar Kun at Yavin IV and elsewhere.

Behind the scenes
The Battle of Ossus first appeared in the issue The Sith War 5: Brother Against Brother 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. The cover art for Brother Against Brother, which featured a dueling Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, was created by Hugh Fleming, a veteran Tales of the Jedi artist.

Anderson used the Battle of Ossus to bring an end to Ulic Qel-Droma's reign as a Sith Lord, and continue the chain of events, begun during the writing of the Battle of Kemplex IX, which would see the fall of Exar Kun and the end of the Great Sith War.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 5: Brother Against Brother
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Vector
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Notes and references
Schlacht von Ossus (3996 VSY) Batalla de Ossus (Gran Guerra Sith)