Duel at The Home

"We strenghen ourselves through sacrifice" "Yes."

- Lumiya and Jacen Solo

The Duel at The Home was a lightsaber duel that took place in the year 40 BBY between Jedi Knights Jacen Solo, and Nelani Dinn, orchestrated by the Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya. The duel took place in The Home; an asteroid-mansion that was once the domain of Darth Vectivus, an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith. It was here that Lumiya convinced Jacen to become a Sith, in order to save the galaxy from anarchy.

Jacen's former Padawan Nelani, was present while Lumiya corrupted Jacen, and thus intervened by engaging Lumiya in a duel. In his own confusion, Jacen turned on Nelani and battled her, spurred by a Force vision of one of the three of them dying. The duel ended with the death of Nelani, but also marked the beginning of Jacen Solo's path down the dark side of the Force.

Background
"I used them as a test for you. Sith, like Jedi, have to determine the fates of others. Unlike Jedi, they know that sometimes this means sacrificing one so that twenty might live. I had to find out whether you understood that. And you do."

- Lumiya to Jacen Solo

After Aidel Saxan was assassinated, Jacen was given some tassels found by his sister, Jaina Solo. Jacen felt a special connection to these tassels, so he traveled with his informal apprentice Ben Skywalker to Lorrd to discover their meaning. Once at Lorrd they met up with Jacen's former apprentice, a Jedi named Nelani Dinn.

Nelani informed them that Dr. Heilan Rotham could help with the tassels. As the Dr. began translating them they seemed to be encoded with Sith philosophy. Jacen was particularly moved by the passage He will strengthen himself through pain. It was almost as if the tassels were describing Jacen. As time went on, random terrorist incidents occurred with people influenced by a Force ghost. At each situation, Jacen used aggressive and extreme methods to deal with them.

These events turned out to be Lumiya testing Jacen on if he would deal with such situations like a Sith. Later, Ben found a shuttle that escaped from Toraz Station which led to a woman named Brisha Syo. When Brisha was captured, she refused to cooperate unless Jacen came with her to The Home. Intrigued by the tassels the woman claimed to leave specifically for him, Jacen agreed. Ben and Nelani believed it may be a trap, but agreed to go with him anyway.

Brisha who was actually Lumiya, took the three Jedi back to her asteroid home and told them that it was the lair of a Sith Lord called Darth Vectivus. The four of them went down to the caverns to confront Vectivus, where Lumiya separated them. Ben and Nelani battled Force ghosts created by Lumiya, while Jacen and Lumiya continued to the lower levels to confront the Sith.

The duel
"Nelani, I'm sorry. You're a deflector that would send the future spinning into tragedy. And you're too young, too weak to understand it, to correct it."

- Jacen Solo to Nelani Dinn

While the Force phantoms kept the other Jedi distracted, Lumiya gave Jacen a tour of Darth Vectivus's mansion while explaining how a true Sith was not always unspeakably evil and could be someone who sacrificed to save the Galaxy. Jacen soon realized that Lumiya's plan was to persuade him to take up the path of a Sith Lord. Lumiya stated that Palpatine was a psychopath consumed by power and Darth Vader was too much of a machine to be a true Sith Master.

She told him that it was his destiny to become the first active Dark Lord of the Sith in decades. Nelani then walked in and encouraged Jacen to arrest Lumiya. Jacen still wanted to hear what she had to say and let her continue. Lumiya then revealed that Jacen's mentor during the Yuuzhan Vong War, Vergere had actually given him Sith training. As Jacen seemed to be considering Lumiya's claims, he told Nelani to watch Lumiya while he found the unconscious Ben, but Lumiya told Jacen that Ben shouldn't be there; in the Force she felt that someone in their group would die, a feeling Jacen felt as well.

As Lumiya continued to seduce Jacen, Nelani finally attacked her. Lumiya twirled behind a bust as it was sliced off by the Jedi's blade. Lumiya then reached into her thigh and pulled out her lightwhip. Her first strike slightly cut Nelani's face and Jacen tried to calm Nelani down. But she kept up her attack, and Lumiya flicked the strands or her lightwhip around Nelani's blade and cut her chest and right bicep. Lumiya continued to explain to Jacen the faults of the Jedi as Nelani cried out in pain. Nelani then began to throw busts of Vectivus's family at Lumiya. The second bust she threw was stopped by Lumiya, and the two pushed the statue back and forth, but neither woman gained an advantage.

Lumiya took the opportunity to tell Jacen he was the only one who could bring peace to the galaxy. Jacen questioned her about the Sith in Luke Skywalker's dream, the man that "didn't exist". Lumiya explained that the "Dark Man" was him, that Jacen would one day become him. She couldn't hold on the bust any longer and Nelani sent it hurtling into her chest, causing her to drop her lightwhip. As Nelani lunged to finish her off, Jacen stopped her blade with his own and told her Lumiya had no power over him.

Nelani turned off her lightsaber and attempted to arrest Lumiya. As this happened, Jacen had Force visions that always began with Nelani living and arresting Lumiya and ended with him killing his uncle Luke. As he entered into the present day he saw Nelani guiding Lumiya away with stun cuffs around her wrists. Jacen ignited his lightsaber and cut them off, and realized that he had to kill Nelani.

Nelani looked at him, seeing his intent and ran off. Jacen chased after her and searched for her in the Force. She was heading towards him in a kicking motion, and Jacen caught her inner thigh with his lightsaber. Jacen approached the wounded Nelani, and after a few words apologized to her before he killed her.

Behind the scenes
Jacens options of letting a Sith Lord being arrested or joining the Sith Order is similar to to the Duel in the Chancellor's Office, in which Anakin Skywalker killed Mace Windu so that he could protect the ones he loved and joined the Order of the Sith Lords.

Appearances

 * Betrayal
 * Bloodlines
 * Fury