DISCLAIMERS: Star Wars is copyright 1977-present to George Lucas, LucasArts, and Lucasfilm Limited. Crimson Empire I & II are copyright 1996-present to George Lucas, Lucasfilm Limited, and Dark Horse Comics Inc. The artwork displayed here belongs to the above people/organizations and Dave Dorman. The creator/author of this and related websites makes NO claim of ownership to any of the artwork, characters, events, images, locations, quotes, situations, stories, and tales associated with the above movie series and comic books. This character profile and all related addresses, descriptions, and opinions are the author's property and CANNOT be used without permission. No profit is made off of this page.
BACKGROUND
Name: Kir Kanos (pronounced KEER KAE-nos)
Other aliases: Kenix Kil (anagram for his real name in the Imperial Guards' secret battle language)
Occupation: Imperial Guard, briefly a bounty hunter working for Grappa the Hutt
Planet of Birth: Unknown
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: None
Significant Others: Mirith Sinn (sort of)
Group Affiliations: Imperial Guards
Base of Operations: Yinchorr during initial training, later mobile in the Empire, still later mobile in Council-controlled space
Time Frame: 11 years after Star Wars: A New Hope
STRENGTHS: Kanos is intelligent, relentless, resourceful, and has few true equals as a warrior. His body has been trained to the peak of human perfection and has superior agility, stamina, and strength. Hair-trigger reflexes make his moves accurate, deadly, and quick. He is a master of hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and vehicle artillery. Kanos is one of the galaxy's foremost experts in the use of the double-bladed staff. In battle he never stops until his opponent is dead and/or captured. He possesses superior demolitions, intimidation, military, piloting, planning, security, strategy, and survival skills. Other assets include high pain tolerance, nerves of steel, a sharp mind, and undying loyalty. He also thinks at least three steps ahead of everyone else and always pays back personal debts. Tav Kennede, Mirith Sinn, and Baron Ragez D'Asta count as friendly contacts as of the end of Crimson Empire II. Kanos is brave, driven, fearless, honor-bound, and tireless in achieving his goals.
WEAKNESSES: He will be loyal to the Emperor and his memory until death, seeking to avenge his master's demise at all costs. His usual confidant stance -- apparent even when he's in disguise -- sometimes causes others to notice, investigate, and/or attack him. Battle lust consumes him when fighting a particularly hated foe (i.e. Carnor Jax). This cannot be calmed until the object of his vendetta is destroyed -- even if innocents and allies suffer along the way, though he feels remorse afterwards. If Kanos feels that he owes a debt to someone and has a chance to honor it, he'll drop what he's doing to fulfill that obligation.
APPEARANCE: Kir Kanos is a tall human male in his thirties to early forties with brown hair and eyes, tanned skin, and a muscular build. He has rugged features and a long lightsaber scar running from above his right eyebrow over his nose to move diagonally down his left cheek. Lines signifying a hard life are etched on his forehead and by the outer edges of his eyes. His hair was slightly grown-out in the first mini-series and close-cut in the second one. A half-grown beard was present through most of the latter series. Between Crimson Empire I and II, he had his fingerprints removed to make identification difficult. When on the hunt or a personal mission, Kanos is intense and focused. The rest of the time he is usually reserved. He speaks in a precise formal manner, although recently some casual slang found its way in; during combat he tends to be silent. He is bluntly honest, especially when stating his position on something -- definitely NOT one to mince words or soften an emotional blow. Kanos carries himself with confidence, strength, and a quiet sense of purpose.
*When he trained on Yinchorr, Kanos wore a gold helmet (covered everything except the eyes), shoulder armor, and "gi" top, black undershirt, gold-and-black padded gloves, gray pants, and brown boots. His personal "open-eye" crest, outlined in bands of green-gray and black, decorated the forehead of the helmet and the back of the gi. When fighting in the Squall area, he wielded two short swords. Kanos' eyes were red in color and larger, reflecting his youth at the time. He seemed relaxed, eager, and approachable.
*As an Imperial Guard, he wore one of two outfits. His ceremonial uniform consisted of a red helmet (covered everything except the eyes, which were shaded by a built-in visor), flowing robes, gloves, and thigh-high boots, black bodysuit, and light gray force pike. The warrior look, the one he assumed during the events of both Crimson Empires, had a red helmet, long cape, shoulder/chest/torso pieces of armor, and gauntlets, red-and-black padded gloves, black bodysuit (with a wide vertical red stripe on the outside of each arm and side), and a belt (gray in first series, red in the second) with several compartments and right pistol holster. A left gray gauntlet with a targeting scope on the outer edge was part of his initial attire, later replaced by a standard red one. He wore thigh-high red boots in Crimson Empire I and armored knee-high red-and-black ones afterwards. Red plates fitted to the upper legs were also added in the latter stories. Whatever the case, he was intimidating and fearsome by appearance alone.
*During his time as a "traveling merchant," he had simple-looking clothes: dark gray hooded shoulder cape (concealed his features and scar in deep shadow), long-sleeved brown-tan cape and robe, black shirt, and brown gloves, pants, and shoes. His double-bladed staff and heavy blaster pistol were kept hidden inside the left half his cloak; both could be pulled out at a moment's notice. Kanos tried to remain inconspicuous, but his stance quickly gave him away at the tapcafe in Phaeda.
*When he assumed the guise of Kenix Kil, he wore a battered gold-and-gray red-lensed helmet (covered everything save the neck, lower face, and eyes; built-in filters make a positive voice I.D. impossible), gold-and-gray padded gloves and knee-high armored boots, dark gray-blue net-like body cape, black bodysuit, and gold upper leg plates, belt (with a left pistol holster), back and chest shields (CE II #1 only), and bracers (knife on right one in CE II #3). He openly carried a blaster rifle and heavy blaster pistol, keeping his double-bladed staff hidden beneath the cape. As a bounty hunter, he maintained a no-nonsense hands-off attitude.
EQUIPMENT
*Blaster rifles (Crimson Empire #5, Crimson Empire II #1 & 3-4): The first one was a dark gray infantry weapon Kanos grabbed from one of Jax's stormtroopers on Yinchorr. He shot down the unfortunate Imperial-in-question with it plus all but one of the last stragglers. A similar model was part of his arsenal as a bounty hunter, utilized for target practice and killing one of Xo's native predators. Afterwards, he pulled an old infantry trick: causing a controlled feedback to make it glow blue, thus providing warmth with a minimal heat signature and no smoke but rendering it useless afterwards.
*Bounty hunter armor (Crimson Empire II #1-4): Separate pieces worn as "Kenix Kil" to conceal his true identity. These consisted of a battered gold-and-gray red-lensed helmet (covered everything save the neck, lower face, and eyes; built-in filters make a positive voice I.D. impossible), gold-and-gray knee-high boots, and gold belt, upper leg plates, bracers (knife strapped on the right one in CE II #3 only), and back and chest shields (CE II #1 only). Some of the items appeared identical to those in his Imperial Guard suit -- it was possible that both armors were one and the same, just disguised by different paint jobs.
*Credits (Crimson Empire #1): Several dull gold coins of varying denominations and sizes that Kanos used to bribe an arrivals guard on Phaeda.
*Double-bladed staff (Most issues of both series): Kanos' weapon of choice. This could be comfortably wielded with one or both hands in combat. At first glance it looked like a simple long brown handle with crisscrossed carvings along the shaft and bronze-gold guards at both ends. In an instant, long razor-sharp silver-gray vibroblades were sprung from either end, either separately (which made it a spear) or together (what usually happened). The blades' cutting edges could face the same way or be rotated in opposite directions. Pointed tips at the ends enabled them to be thrust through anything, including living targets. They had several minor nicks and scratches earned during battle. The weapon as a whole -- handle and blades -- was strong enough to withstand multiple blows and slashes without breaking. In addition, the blades could be used to stop blaster bolts cold. It was usually worn on his left hip, sometimes hidden in his cloak or kept in the duffel bag. He was presented with the first staff when Palpatine asked him and Tauk to fight (to the death) after their training was complete. In Crimson Empire II #4, a second one appeared on his hip while he wielded the first weapon to kill one of Xo's predators; he either had a spare, took Carnor Jax's after killing him, or got it somewhere else. Kanos always struck to kill with this weapon, going for the quickest way to slay an opponent.
*Duffel bags (Crimson Empire #3, Crimson Empire II #1 & 4): Nondescript dull green one was used to hold his costume, double-bladed staff, and Imperial Guard armor when he wanted to slip by unnoticed on Phaeda. An equally unassuming brown-gray one with a long brown strap served the same purpose when he was in bounty hunter guise.
*Force pike (flashback in Crimson Empire #3): Standard weapon of the Imperial Guards whenever they accompanied Palpatine. This looked like a thin, long, light gray metallic staff with various protrusions at either end. It was made of spun graphite, giving it the ability to bend instead of break. The top end held a vibroblade and power tip that could kill, shock, or stun whatever it touched; switches located on the shaft gave the wielder control over both. Kanos used this to fight off invading stormtroopers sent by Jax to kill the surviving Imperial Guards shortly after the Emperor's death.
*Heavy blaster pistols (Crimson Empire #1-3, Crimson Empire II #1 & 4-5): Kanos initially kept one for self-defense, later using it to shoot invading stormtroopers and kill a TIE Fighter pilot (while he was zooming towards Kanos IN the vehicle) by the New Republic's secret base on Phaeda. Another was part of his bounty hunter attire, worn in a left pistol holster and utilized on Xo hold off Zanzibar warriors. A third one was used in the fight against Xandel Carivus' private guards. All three were either the same model or similar in appearance. Kanos never missed unless he wanted to stall for time or provide a distraction.
*Imperial Guard ceremonial battle armor (Crimson Empire #2-3 & 5-6, Crimson Empire II #4-6): Both practical and ceremonial, this was worn under a crimson cape or flowing robes. It consisted of a metallic crimson helmet (covered everything except the eyes, which were shaded by a built-in visor), shoulder pieces, chest and torso plates, and right gauntlet. A gray bracer with targeting scope was worn above his left wrist. Crimson upper leg plates, left bracer, and knee-high armored boots were added in Crimson Empire II. Everything had numerous scratches from Kanos' many fights. This armor offered some protection against physical and energy attacks; the back of the helmet protected Kanos from a direct hit via boulder, but cracked at the point of impact. It was repaired or replaced after that particular fight. The overall style was patterned after the uniforms worn by the ferocious Mandalorian Death Watch and Thyrsus Sun Guards.
*Modified Skipray Blastboat (Crimson Empire #1 & 5-6): Kanos' personal ship in the first series. Originally a Skipray Blastboat with "the power of a Star Cruiser," this was disguised to look like a tramp freighter when he traveled incognito. He arrived on Phaeda in this vessel and left it behind while sneaking past the Imperials in a TIE Fighter. Sinn and Sadeet grabbed it in time to see the New Republic take control of the situation, disengaging the false outer plates in the process to reveal its true appearance. They flew it to Yinchorr to help Kanos, and he left the planet in this shortly after killing Carnor Jax and Sadeet. It was red in color with black, gray, and gold accents, had three engines, three wings (arranged in a triangular formation with lazers at the tips), a long gray-barreled lazer fused into either side of the two-seat cockpit, and a small swiveling blue-gray dual-lazer turret above and behind it that could fire anywhere.
*Modified X-Wing (Crimson Empire II #1 & 5-6): His personal ship in Crimson Empire II. It was identical to the standard model save that it could land with its x-foils fanned out in the attack position. A broad, dull red stripe decorated the nose of this gray-white fighter. The four engines were dark gray, each of the four foils (wings) was equipped with a long-barreled lazer (with red-and-white swirls running down each one), there were gold and gray accents along with several dirt marks, and it came complete with a built-in Astromech droid. He arrived at Grappa's headquarters on Genon in this; Kennede flew it to Xo and rescued Sinn as per the Imperial Guard's plan. Kanos later departed D'Asta's ship in this, heading for parts unknown.
*Scimitar-class TIE Fighter (Crimson Empire #4-5): A stolen craft Sinn gave Kanos to escape Phaeda, he used this to sneak past the Imperial fighters around the planet and traveled to Yinchorr via the hyperdrive. Once there, he rigged it to explode and programmed a mess hall droid to keep it in orbit around the deserted world. When it was pulled into the Star Destroyer _Emperor's_Revenge_, the detonation blew out half the ship and all hands were lost. It had a long gray-blue metallic body with a single-seat cockpit, dark windows, and broad six-sided gray wings fanning out on either side.
*Sinn's A-Wing (Crimson Empire II #1 & 3-4): Mirith Sinn had originally arrived at Grappa's base in this. Since his own ship was watched after his true identity was revealed, Kanos took Sinn's and made it out. It was a silver-gray-blue in color, very fast with two engines, had hyperdrive and a targeting lazer on either side, the navigation droid could set courses by voice command, and the cockpit could only hold one person -- the pilot. Passengers could hitch a ride on the wings, but that limited it to atmospheric flight. This was shot down while they were fleeing from the Zanibar; with the engines and starboard wing destroyed, it was impossible to get airborne without heavy-duty repairs.
*Trainee armor (Crimson Empire #1-2): Gold helmet and winglike shoulder armor worn on Yinchorr. The headpiece was identical to that of an Imperial Guard save that it had no visor, bore the student's personal crest on the forehead, and was an individualized color depending on who it was made for. Kanos' symbol was a stylized "open eye" colored green-gray and black. The long thin plates comprising the shoulder pieces were arranged horizontally with sharp tips at the end, giving the impression of outstretched wings. He wore this armor all through his training, right up to when he killed Tauk in one-on-one combat.
*Twin short swords (Crimson Empire #1): Razor-sharp weapons trainees used in one-on-one combat when fighting each other in the Squall arena on Yinchorr. The bronze-tan handles looked similar to those of lightsabers and their straight white-gray blades were pointed at the end.
*Universal jammer (Crimson Empire II #1): This was used to hopelessly scramble any and all outgoing transmissions in a small area -- including the live feed from the hidden cameras Grappa had installed in "Kenix Kil's" quarters. Stored in his duffel bag and set up on a table when activated, it looked like small gray-silver metallic handle with a base to stand on and various angled prongs sticking out of the sides.
QUOTES: CRIMSON EMPIRE
"I am but a traveling merchant, looking for a new trade."
"If you look closely, I think you'll find everything is in order."
"...Return to your table and you won't be harmed."
"And why should I trust YOU?"
"It's a big galaxy..."
"...It prepares me for a lifetime of service to my Emperor."
"Though we share a common enemy, I never agreed to JOIN you... or your yapping pet."
"My name is Kir Kanos. It will not be difficult for you to discover that the Empire has placed a price on my head. I will not trouble you with my presence for long."
"I assure you that I'm no more of royal lineage than yourself."
"I have never betrayed anyone."
"...The Council has seized power in an illegal manner. Every man on it is a traitor, and I've sworn to do everything in my power to bring about it's downfall."
"Whatever test awaits us, Master Kennede believes we're ready for it. Rely on your training."
"Do not thank me. I fight for no causes but my own, and what I did, I did for no man but myself."
"...Call what I did a thanks for the hospitality you have shown me. But do not read too much into my actions, Mirith Sinn -- for someday I may be forced to fight _against_ you."
"The Imperials _will_ return -- and with a far greater force than you can hope to repel. I advise you to flee while there's still time. As I said, it's ME they want."
"I suppose I owe you an explanation..."
"On our lives, we swore DEATH to the traitor."
"...We sold our lives at an incredible _price._"
"In his place, I would have made the same choice -- a _warrior's_ death."
"Fate brought me here, just as it has thus far denied me a noble death."
"_NO._ I told you -- I fight for no cause but my own..."
"Shut up, or I'll KILL you where you stand!"
"This will end when you are DEAD!"
"Those on the Council will be the next to die... after YOU!"
"...Let's _finish_ this."
"Sounds as though your contingency has _failed._"
"Carnor Jax, for your part in the assassination of Emperor Palpatine, and for the murder of your fellow Guardsmen, I condemn you to death!"
"...Thus die all traitors."
"I did not ASK for your help. And I warned you that only our common enemy united us."
"...You should not have interfered. Now you will live with the consequences of your actions. I'm sorry for your friend... and you."
QUOTES: CRIMSON EMPIRE II
"...What does my past _matter_ if I can get the job DONE?"
"Keep an eye on her. I'll contact you."
"...Get in. YOU drive."
"I'll explain everything _later._ Right now we have to GO!"
"I _always_ have a plan."
"That's the SECOND time tonight I've had to _save_ your _life._"
"Let's call it _even._"
"Those were dangerous times. The Emperor had to take drastic action to preserve the Empire -- "
"I... I do what I was trained to do..."
"Relax. I told you I had a _plan._"
"Come on! We'll only get _one_chance_ at this!"
"Yeah. Too bad. You could have had the entire reward for _yourself._"
"You should not have come. You risked too much for my safety."
"There can be NO MERCY for the enemies of the Emperor!"
"Your guards will arrest no one, Xandel Carivus. They can't even _protect_you._"
"For your BETRAYAL of the Emperor Palpatine -- the penalty is DEATH."
"There has been enough killing for one day."
"It seems to be the time for farewells..."
"I'm sorry, but we both know that your heart still belongs to the New Republic... and my allegiance is still to the Emperor."
HISTORY
Kir Kanos is the last surviving member of the Imperial Guard, an elite group of warriors who defended Emperor Palpatine with their deadly skills, unbreakable honor, and very lives. He is on a personal vendetta to slay those who engineered his ruler's death, namely the members of the Interim Ruling Council who now control what's left of the Empire, and will not stop until they are all dead or he is killed.
The top soldiers from a dozen of the Empire's stormtrooper squads were sent to the planet Yinchorr to be trained as Imperial Guards. Whatever his life was like beforehand, the talents and fortitude he already possessed saw him through the grueling ordeals in the year he spent there. In addition to perfecting his deadly combat and survival skills, Kanos also became a master of the "Echani" martial art, double-bladed staff, and twin short swords. Carnor Jax trained at the same time he did, besting him in the Squall arena. He also first met Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader there, the former impressed with his dedication to service even then. Lemmet Tauk was his sparring partner and good friend. They learned to work as a team, make the other's strengths their own, and see and overcome personal weaknesses. When Kanos, Jax, and their respective fighting partners completed their training, they were sent in pairs before the Emperor for one final test. Kanos and Tauk wished each other good luck while going in. Palpatine claimed that there was only one more opening in his Imperial Guard and, giving them double-bladed staffs, told them to fight for him. They initially hesitated, but after Vader commanded them to obey and the Emperor asked once more, "their training took over." In the melee, Kanos killed Tauk. After Palpatine accepted his service and left, Kanos apologized to his friend's corpse. Vader said he had no right to do that and challenged him. The Sith Lord's lightsaber sliced through Kanos' helmet, giving him a distinctive facial scar -- thus he was inducted into the Imperial Guard.
He served Palpatine well for several years before the latter's death at the Battle of Endor, then between that and the Emperor's resurrection (in the Dark Empire comic series), Kanos worked by himself to live up to the harsh ideals installed in him. At the news of his ruler's return in a young clone body, he returned to full-time duty. However, this was cut short when the prematurely aging Palpatine was killed by Han Solo on Onderon, with the rest of his clone bodies corrupted beyond hope of possession by his evil spirit. The surviving members of the Imperial Guard assembled under Master Ved Kennede in their old training barracks on Yinchorr to mourn his permanent passing.
Ten days into this, a survivor of the battle made it back to his fellows. He had eavesdropped on the interrogation of the Emperor's personal physician, discovering that he had been paid off by Carnor Jax and those who later comprised the Ruling Council to create defective clones, making Palpatine's permanent death inevitable. The Imperial Guard swore on their lives to kill Jax. Seconds later, they were attacked by hordes of stormtroopers sent by the traitor to destroy them.
Everyone save Kanos and Kile Hannad, a fellow Guard, fell in the fight -- taking many more invaders with them. They tossed a coin to determine who stayed... and who left to carry out their vengeance. Hannad won and held off the Imperials, dying a warrior's death while Kanos escaped.
Kanos moved from place to place, never remaining long in one area due to Jax's forces scouring the galaxy for him -- the traitor knew that he was the only serious threat to becoming the new Emperor. Desiring a place to hide and plan, he disguised his ship and traveled to Phaeda, gaining entry after bribing an arrivals guard.
Dressed in the humble clothing of a merchant, he went into a local tapcafe and eavesdropped on four rather loud Imperial officers to learn the latest news. They noticed and threatened him. He gave them a couple of "friendly warnings." When one pulled a blaster pistol on him, HE yanked out his double-bladed staff and slew them plus some stormtroopers who ran in to investigate.
Kanos heeded the urgings of Tem Merkon, a local snitch who sold information to both sides, to escape with him before more troops arrived. He took cover inside a private shelter the snitch led him into.
Sometime later, Merkon brought back Mirith Sinn and Sish Sadeet, commander of the New Republic forces in that sector and her second-in-command. Kanos warned her that only their common enemy united them and he never agreed to join her band. Nevertheless, he agreed to go back with them to the Republic's secret base on his fighting skills alone. He was close-mouthed to Sinn's questions, but found out a bit about her past. When stormtrooper regiments attacked in search of him, he donned his Imperial Guard armor and helped the Rebels drive them away. After the battle, he explained his mission to Sinn and advised that she evacuate her people before more enemy forces came.
Thanks to a captured TIE fighter she gave him, he flew through the orbiting Imperial ships undetected and went to Yinchorr to await his enemy. He set his vessel to auto-destruct and used a mess-hall droid taken from the base to orbit the planet till it was captured. Sure enough, when Jax's Star Destroyer _Emperor's_Revenge_ captured his booby-trapped vessel, the resulting explosion blew out half the massive ship with all hands lost.
After Kanos picked off Jax's personal stormtroopers, who were sent in to give the assassin Blim time to get into position, the two Imperial Guards faced each other on the Squall arena.
Kanos had grown since they fought as trainees, parrying Jax's best moves while making quite a few of his own. Rage and vengeance controlled his actions as he sought to destroy the traitor in honorable combat. But Jax had access to the Dark Side and Blim to even the odds.
When Sinn and Sadeet arrived in Kanos' first ship to help out, the latter killed the assassin, thus eliminating the traitor's contingency plan. After a no-holds-barred fight that resulted in major physical damage for both sides, Kanos got the upper hand. He dealt Jax a mortal wound to the chest, then carried out the death sentence.
When Sadeet tried to stop him, protesting that the Imperial leader was needed alive for information, he got killed as well due to the Imperial Guard's battle lust. Kanos apologized to the grieving Sinn and left in his returned ship, intending to continue his mission against those who were responsible for the Emperor's death.
During the six months after that, Kanos did three important things while laying low and plotting his next move: assumed the guise of bounty hunter Kenix Kil & got his rep by destroying the bounty hunters hunting for him, had his fingerprints removed so that positive identification would be more difficult, and discovered that Sinn had vowed to kill him in revenge for Sadeet's death.
When Kanos worked for Grappa the Hutt along with his friend Tav Kennede, who was the son of his training Master, he discovered that Sinn was on the crime-boss' payroll as well. He had Kennede keep tabs on her while he himself captured Tarrant Snil for their new employer. His ultimate goal was to establish a good enough reputation so that the Ruling Council would hire Kenix Kil to track down Kir Kanos.
Sinn was supposedly there in hopes of tracking Kanos down, but was instead exposed as a spy when the traitorous Massimo revealed her real mission: discover who was hijacking shipments bound for the New Republic. They were both turned over to the Zanibar to serve as ritual sacrifices.
Feeling that he owed a debt to her, Kanos followed them to Xo in Sinn's A-Wing and freed her, but the natives didn't take kindly to that. Their ship was shot down and crashed in the jungles. Along the escape route they ran into a huge woman-eating Venus flytrap, the hideous monster in question, Kanos' own misconceptions about the Empire, and hordes of Zanibar warriors. Kennede came in Kanos' X-Wing to save him and Sinn.
Kanos let himself be captured by the attacking Zanibar to let her get away. They took him to Grappa, needing a go-between for the insanely HUGE reward offered for his capture. The Hutt imprisoned him in his headquarters on Genon until Sinn, Kennede, and a fleet of X-Wings broke him out.
In the process he discovered that Feena D'Asta had been Grappa's prisoner there for four years. A clone of her had been placed on the Ruling Council to serve the interests of the Black Sun crime syndicate. Her father the Baron was leading his armada against the scattered fleet of Xandel Carivus (most of his ships were searching for Kanos elsewhere), the self-styled Emperor who imprisoned the Council, in a bid to get his "daughter" back. The Baron agreed to a cease-fire in exchange for her safe return.
Moments after she was brought to him, Sinn and Kanos showed up with the REAL Feena in tow. After initially denying it, the fake one confessed that she was a clone. Kanos wanted to kill her for her role in the Emperor's death, but Sinn talked him out of it. She pointed out that the clone was an unwilling participant and had an idea for getting to Carivus -- one of the true traitors.
Under the guise of accompanying the Baron and his real daughter, Sinn and Kennede got inside while Kanos took care of the outside guards. Carivus ordered more of his private troops in, ordering them to kill everyone while he escaped. In the ensuing battle the D'Astas took cover, Kennede got blasted in the right shoulder getting the Baron to safety, and Kanos and Sinn wiped the floor with the attackers.
Going after Carivus, Kanos executed him for his betrayal of Palpatine. He left the imprisoned Council members alone, though, claiming that there was enough killing for one day; they were captured by invading New Republic forces.
The Baron resolved to govern his sector alone, Kennede went into his service, and Kanos and Sinn shared a kiss before they went their separate ways: his allegiance was to the Emperor, her heart belonged to the New Republic.
(Author's Notes: NO, I *don't* think the Kir Kanos in Star Wars: Union was the same one who starred in Crimson Empire I & II!! There's NO way the real Kanos would be beaten *that* easily, and without a foolproof plan, yet!! As far as I'm concerned, the Union version was a hideously defective clone. I sincerely hope Crimson Empire III will be published someday, with the promised battle royale between Kir Kanos & Luke Skywalker!!)
CHRONOLOGY
*Star Wars: Crimson Empire #1-6 (later TPB) by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley
*Star Wars: Bounty Hunters: Kenix Kil by Randy Stradley
*Star Wars: Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood #1-6 (later TPB) by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley
*Star Wars Handbook, Volume 2: Crimson Empire by Michael D. Hansen
OTHER SOURCES
*Star Wars: Crimson Empire Audio Cassettes/CDs
*Star Wars Imperial Sourcebook by Greg Gorden (Imperial Royal Guard)
*Star Wars: The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook (Imperial Royal Guard)
*Star Wars Sourcebook by Curtis Smith and Bill Slavicsek (Force Pikes)
*Star Wars: The Dark Side Sourcebook by Bill Slavicsek & J.D. Wiker (Royal Guard & Imperial Sovreign Protector)