Teta

For other uses, see Teta.

"My people, the battles are nearly over, the political strife at an end—and peace is upon us! The seven worlds have united in a glorious alliance for greater prosperity and military strength."

―Empress Teta^[3]

Teta was the Empress of the Koros system in 5000 BBY, the instigator of the Unification Wars of Koros, and a key military commander in the Great Hyperspace War. Born into nobility on the wealthy planet of Koros Major, Teta eventually inherited the Koros empire; she quickly became known as the "Warrior Empress," after leading her army into battle and personally foiling many assassination attempts. Over 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, Teta began the Unification Wars—an attempt to end the lawless poverty of the system's other worlds and bring them under her rule—with her Jedi advisor, Memit Nadill, at her side. Teta commanded her forces to victory, conquering the rebels on the other planets; she was helped by Nadill and Jedi apprentice Odan-Urr, who used battle meditation to prevent a bloodbath at the Battle of Kirrek.

Shortly after uniting the system, Teta was one of few to heed Odan-Urr's warnings about an impending invasion of the Galactic Republic from the Sith Empire, but her attempts to warn the Galactic Senate ended in failure. When the Sith launched their attack, Koros was one of the first planets to see combat; Teta's forces were successful in driving back the Sith fleet, and, alongside a Republic task force, she pursued the fleet to Primus Goluud, where Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow had ordered the remnants of his fleet to converge. Sadow managed to escape back to the Sith throneworld of Korriban, but again Teta's fleet followed, and crippled his forces at the Battle of Korriban. With the war ended, Teta returned home to allow her soldiers to recuperate; her reign lasted over 175 years in total, and for her benevolent leadership, the system was renamed in her honor.

Biography[]

Unification Wars[]

"The trade alliance benefits all worlds in this system—but these rebels prefer to live in squalor, without laws! I see no alternative but another full-fledged military assault. We will win—but I fear it will be a bloodbath!"

―Teta, before the Battle of Kirrek^[4]

Teta unification — Teta, wearing her trademark armor during the Unification Wars.

Teta was born into nobility on the world of Koros Major, located in the Deep Core, during the height of the Galactic Republic, some time before 5000 BBY.^[1] She became Empress of Koros in 5010 BBY,^[5] inheriting a palace and many valuables.^[6] Her system, the Koros system, was located on a prominent trade route, the Koros Trunk Line, and held considerable resources, including carbonite.^[7] However, Koros was the only planet on which true order had been established, and the inhabitants of the other six planets lived in lawless poverty—Teta made it her quest to unify the planets through whatever means necessary.^[4]

In her time, Teta personally directed many battles against potential usurpers.^[6] This experience would be of great benefit to her during her attempts to unify the Koros system, which were met by much resistance from many. With the help of a representative sent by the Jedi Order on Coruscant, a prominent Jedi Master named Memit Nadill, who served as her advisor, she established a trade alliance with some of the other worlds; it benefited the planets of the system and offered the people of the Korosian worlds an opportunity to leave their impoverished lives behind, if they handed control over to Teta and her administration. Many accepted, though some planets, such as Kirrek, were ruled by rebels and pirates who refused to acknowledge Teta. She led her forces into battle against the worlds who refused her offer, and all the rebels were defeated, save those on Kirrek. Soldiers from Koros Major were sent to Kirrek, but were overwhelmed by the rebels and were kept pinned down. Any ships that traveled within striking distance of the rebels' artillery were fired upon and destroyed, and, in response to Teta's attempts to send rescue parties down to the surface, the rebels executed fifty hostages. She resigned herself to laying siege to the world, though the Empress knew that it would be paid for in the blood of her men.^[4]

Moments before Teta launched her forces from Cinnagar, Koros Major's capital city, Memit Nadill arrived, accompanied by Odan-Urr, a young Draethos Jedi apprentice who had been sent to Koros by his master to get wartime experience. Odan-Urr told Nadill and Teta of a Jedi power he had learned of in his studies, called battle meditation. It allowed the user to alter the odds of a battle in the favor of his own forces, sapping enemy morale and giving friendly soldiers courage. Teta trusted in Nadill and the Force, and gave Odan-Urr permission to travel to Kirrek and use the power, which he claimed would avert much bloodshed. Odan-Urr and Nadill used battle meditation to great effect, until^[4] the rebel leader, Commander Llaban,^[8] surrendered. The seven worlds were finally unified, and Teta had brought peace to the Koros system.^[4]

Warning the Senate[]

"My wars to unify the seven worlds were devastating, but I have kept the armaments factories and shipyards up and running…preparing for our defense. Never again will we be left without weapons, without a fleet. Though Coruscant chooses to ignore this threat, we will fight for the glory of the Republic. Now that I have finally brought peace to these worlds, I will never let the Koros system fall to an outside enemy!"

―Teta, to her Jedi companions^[9]

The rebels were rounded up and exiled to the prison world of Ronika,^[8] while Teta and her Jedi advisors returned to Cinnagar as heroes. A parade was held, and Nadill commented that, with lasting peace, Koros would become one of the richest and most influential systems in the galaxy.^[3] After the parade had subsided, Teta returned to bureaucratic matters, and planned a journey to Coruscant to address the Senate. Several days after the events on Kirrek, she met with Aarrba, a Hutt who owned a starship repair dock. Two of Aarrba's customers, Jori and Gav Daragon, had stolen one of his ships and fled Koros, and he hoped that he could be compensated and the two thieves punished accordingly. Their meeting was interrupted by the arrival of Odan-Urr, who informed Teta and Nadill that he had had a dream, which he believed to be precognitive, of the Sith, descendents of a group of banished Dark Jedi long thought to be extinct. Odan-Urr believed the Sith Empire was a threat to the Republic, and that they were starting an invasion attempt. Nadill vouched for Odan-Urr, and told Teta that, though the Force was unpredictable, it did not lie. The Empress agreed to raise the issue during her impending address to the Senate, even though she doubted the senators would listen.^[10]

Teta Nadill — Teta, conferring with Memit Nadill.

Teta, the two Jedi, and several other advisors traveled to the Senate Hall on Coruscant three days later. Odan-Urr felt that he should speak to the senators about his vision, but Teta, knowing that her vast experience in politics would make her a more suitable candidate, insisted that she make the speech. She told the senators—as well as a group of Jedi who had gathered to hear Teta's words—of Odan-Urr's vision and what it might spell for the Republic, though the majority of the senators were skeptical; they felt that the Republic had more pressing concerns than what they believed were simply the bad dreams of a young Jedi. Admitting failure, the Empress departed, though she told Odan-Urr that she had faith in his interpretation of the vision and would prepare her forces to defend the Koros system.^[11] They returned to Koros; the two Jedi spent many days studying ancient texts, while Teta began to build up her army again. Before long, she had amassed a huge force, ready to repel whatever attack the Sith could muster.^[9]

Soon thereafter, Odan-Urr's master, Ooroo, contacted Teta and asked if he could join Nadill and Odan-Urr on Koros;^[9] he, too, had been having premonitions and he wished to discuss the matter with his apprentice.^[12] When Ooroo arrived, Teta sent Nadill to fetch Odan-Urr, who was pleasantly surprised to see his master. Ooroo told them that if the Republic went to war with the Sith, there would be devastating consequences, and Teta later showed them her forces, amassed in the palace's courtyard, ready for the attack of the Sith.^[9] For several days, Teta kept up her military preparations, while the Jedi studied the history of the Sith. During this period, a young woman—Jori Daragon—infiltrated Teta's chambers via a window, claiming that she had something important to speak with the Empress about. Teta, believing it to be an assassination attempt, brandished a weapon, knowing that Daragon would reach her before the Empress's guards could apprehend her. Before Daragon came to any harm, she mentioned the Sith, and Teta beckoned her guards to stop. Daragon told Teta and the Jedi how she and her brother had stumbled upon the Sith world of Korriban and learned of an impending Sith attack, orchestrated by Dark Lord Naga Sadow. Her story corroborated with the visions of Odan-Urr, so Nadill traveled to Coruscant to rally the Senate and the Jedi, hoping that they would heed his warnings this time. Meanwhile, the Koros fleet prepared to engage the enemy.^[13]

Great Hyperspace War[]

"Launch my battleships. We must defend our world with our blood. Beautiful Cinnagar must not fall to the Sith! Many of our warships were damaged or destroyed in the recent Unification Wars…but I think we can make a good accounting of ourselves!"

―Teta, before the Battle of Koros Major^[8]

Nadill was too late—Sadow launched his first attack on Coruscant, while a further portion of the Sith fleet was due to attack the Koros system. Teta met with Odan-Urr, Jori Daragon, and her chief military commander, Vontaige, relaying her desire to hold off the entire Sith invasion. Vontaige informed her that the size of their fleet was possibly insufficient to even defend their own planets, but Llaban, the leader of the defeated rebels on Kirrek, offered to lead his men into battle in exchange for amnesty, which would free some of Teta's forces on several worlds. Recalling how doggedly the rebels fought on Kirrek, Teta agreed, and arranged for the exiled rebels on Ronika to be transported to Kirrek; however, it was estimated that the Sith would arrive before them. Odan-Urr and Ooroo traveled to Kirrek to oversee the battle there, while Teta led her forces into battle on Koros Major, donning her armor and helmet and riding a tusked beast. She made a brief speech to her men, asking them to protect Cinnagar with their blood. By that point, the Sith task force had arrived and was attacking the city, though the Koros artillery was able to keep them at bay.^[8]

Thanks to Teta's skillful commanding^[14] and the fact that the Sith commander, Gav Daragon, had deserted his fleet, Teta's forces were successful and managed to drive the Sith forces back. Led by Teta and Jori Daragon, the Koros fleet^[15]—augmented by other Republic ships from various worlds—^[14]followed the fleeing Sith to the red giant star Primus Goluud, where Sadow, in his meditation sphere, had ordered all Sith forces to converge. Gav Daragon, who was believed to be loyal to Sadow, contacted them via comlink from the sphere, informing Teta that Sadow had brought all his forces for the attack on the Republic, leaving the Sith Empire completely undefended and a door open for the Koros fleet to ruin any chances of prolonged attacks from Sadow. Before Teta could act on the information, though, Sadow arrived with more remnants of his fleet, and with a plan; he used his flagship, the Corsair, to make Primus Goluud go supernova, sacrificing much of his fleet so that he could flee back to Korriban.^[15]

Although Empress Teta's forces incurred some losses, Sadow's own ships took the brunt of the damage. Gav Daragon redeemed himself before his death in the supernova explosion, transmitting the coordinates of Korriban to Teta. The Republic armada followed Sadow to Korriban via hyperspace, arriving in the midst of a large battle; Sadow's rival, Ludo Kressh, whom Sadow believed dead, had ambushed him and caused additional damage to his rival's frail contingent of warships. Kressh's flagship was quickly destroyed by Sadow, vanquishing that threat, and, with Teta at its head, the Republic armada decimated the remaining Sith forces. Teta knew the battle was over, and called for Sadow to surrender and save his remaining men and ships, knowing he would have no chance for escape. Sadow, however, had one more trick up his sleeve: he ordered his loyal Massassi warriors aboard his remaining ships to kill their captains and create a barricade. Sadow sacrificed his remaining ships so that he could flee again, but Teta sent her fastest ships to pursue him. Sadow used Corsair's unique weapon once again, manipulating the flares of the Denarii Nova to strike the Republic ships pursuing him; he used the resulting explosions to mask a jump to hyperspace, so Teta presumed him dead.^[16]

Later life and legacy[]

"The Sith invasion has been defeated all across the Republic, though at terrible cost to our own fleet…."
"But we can repair, Empress…we can always repair."

―Teta and Memit Nadill^[16]

Teta Korriban — Teta recalling her fleet at Korriban.

Bitter and heartbroken over the sheer loss of life the conflict with the Sith, later dubbed the Great Hyperspace War, had caused, Teta ordered her remaining forces to return to Koros and recuperate. There, she met with Odan-Urr, who had been successful on Kirrek, albeit at the cost of the life of Ooroo, who sacrificed himself to stop the onslaught of Massassi warriors making further ground. Nadill was also successful in driving the Sith from Coruscant, but with heavy damage to Coruscant's architecture, and he returned to Cinnagar several days after Teta.^[16]

Teta was devastated at the damage caused by the war, but Nadill did much to ease her pessimism, telling her that everything could be rebuilt and repaired. Teta asked Odan-Urr so stay on and continue as her advisor, though he declined, telling her of his intentions of building a Great Jedi Library on Ossus; he had recovered a Sith holocron from the ruins of one of Sadow's vessels, and wished to forge a place where such knowledge—dangerous in the hands of many—could be safely stored. Teta returned to ruling her empire; soon after the war's end, she was approached by Jori Daragon, to whom Teta offered whatever she wished for her part in stopping the threat of the Sith. Daragon's only request was that she be given Aarrba the Hutt's repair dock, as the Hutt had been killed during the attack on Koros Major, which Teta agreed to.^[16]

Due to her actions in helping to defeat Sadow, Teta gained much favor on Coruscant, and Koros became more powerful and influential as a result, eclipsing the likes of Koros' rival, Kaikielius, within the century.^[17] Teta continued to rule over Koros Major for a time; eventually, aged 175, she wrote a history of the system, which ultimately came into the possession of Odan-Urr and Ood Bnar.^[18] She passed away sometime later, though she was not forgotten; centuries later, the system's inhabitants remembered the semi-mythical Empress who unified the worlds of Koros and fended off the foreign invaders. In her honor, the people of the Koros system named it "Empress Teta's system" and later "the Empress Teta system,"^[6] and it became an affluent and influential region.^[7]

Empress Teta's Crown Jewels were kept and maintained by her heirs, and eventually proclaimed a Wonder of the Galaxy. Teta's heirs were never as successful as her,^[6] and in 3997 BBY, Aleema and Satal Keto overthrew Lord Keto and Magda Keto, beginning their assault on the Republic, which was later known as the Krath Holy Crusade, which laid waste to much of the Republic in conjunction with the Great Sith War.^[14] During this period, a Tetan loyalist stole much of the Empress's Crown Jewels and hid them; millennia later, they had yet to be entirely recovered.^[6] Eventually, the Krath were stopped by the Jedi,^[14] and the system returned to its former glory. During the Imperial Period, the planet was occupied by the Galactic Empire, which wrestled control of the carbonite mines from the nobles and used Empress Teta as a staging point for exploratory excursions into the Deep Core. The system returned to prominence, though, after the Emperor's fall, once again becoming a rich and economically stable world.^[7]

Personality and traits[]

"Politics is my skill, and this is my environment."

―Teta, to Odan-Urr^[11]

Teta was known for both her martial and diplomatic skills, and she had no qualms about leading her troops from the front. She donned a suit of ceremonial armor during many of her public appearances, and during her reign, she personally led many conflicts against rebels and would-be usurpers.^[6]

Teta was considered a wise^[6] and benevolent leader.^[7] She had compassion for the impoverished inhabitants of the other worlds in her system, and even though she had a palace and great wealth herself, she chose to try and unite the system's planets, believing it was in the interest of its people.^[6] Teta had a great respect for life, and did her best to ensure that as little blood was shed as possible during the Unification Wars. When she had to order her men into dangerous situations in which they were likely to be killed, such as the Battle of Kirrek, she did so with great regret.^[4] However, Teta expected all those under her command to be patriotic, and she hoped they would give their lives for the good of the empire—as would she.^[8]

Teta was an expert military commander^[14] and hand-to-hand combatant,^[13]^[6] and she always led from the front, during both the Unification Wars^[4] and the Great Hyperspace War.^[8] Teta was a trusting individual; although she could not touch the Force and had little experience with it, she trusted in her advisors, Memit Nadill and Odan-Urr, in the buildup to the final skirmish of the Unification Wars, allowing them use Odan-Urr's newly-learned Force power against Llaban's rebels. Later, she spoke to the Senate about Odan-Urr's vision at the behest of Odan-Urr and Nadill, even though she knew her reputation would be tarnished for suggesting the Republic act on the dreams of a "Jedi pup."^[11] While Teta's military advisor, Vontaige, informed her that she should decline Llaban's offer to fight with the empire during the Great Hyperspace War, Teta trusted the former pirate, and accepted.^[8]

Although she was a warrior at heart, Teta was also a talented politician, and knew the tricks of the trade. During their visit to Coruscant, the Empress requested Odan-Urr to let her inform the Senate of the Jedi's vision, even though the Jedi apprentice wanted to tell them himself; she explained that, because of her experience with politics, she would be more likely to sway the politicians.^[11] Teta was a merciful woman, and she bore no grudges against past enemies. When Llaban made his offer to her before the Battle of Koros Major, her advisors would have had her turn him down, but she showed her leniency, granting him immunity for his force's assistance in fighting the Sith. When Jori Daragon managed to sneak into the Empress's chambers, Teta initially prepared to fight her off, but when she heard about the young woman's plight, she showed mercy, calling off her guards and allowing Daragon to finish her story.^[13]

Behind the scenes[]

The character of Teta was created by Tom Veitch, and was first mentioned in Veitch's Dark Empire endnotes in 1992. The "Empress Teta system" later appeared in Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson's The Freedon Nadd Uprising, Dark Lords of the Sith, and The Sith War story arcs, part of the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comic series, with Teta herself being mentioned in Dark Lords of the Sith. Anderson then used the character in the prequel story arcs of Tales of the Jedi, The Golden Age of the Sith, and The Fall of the Sith Empire, wherein she played a major role and was illustrated by Dario Carrasco, Jr.