The time for diplomacy is over my friend, you are my enemy now! And so it shall remain.
—Dark Lord Abeonis to Luke Skywalker
Following Skywalker's dream on Ossus, Luke knew what had to be done. He made his way to the gas giant Gand knowing that his presence there would draw out the Dark Lord Darth Abeonis. Skywalker waited for several hours before his vessel's scanners detected the Hidden Side entering the planet's atmosphere. This marked the beginning of the Duel on Gand.
Skywalker attempted to reason with the Sith Lord, telling him of his dreams just the day before. He informed Abeonis that he now believed what he had said almost a year before, on Ossus and that the time had come for the war to end , and diplomacy to resume. Darth Abeonis humored the Jedi Master at first, but quickly revealed that the time for diplomacy had long since past; and that if he stemmed his advance now, than he would likely be deposed by on of his followers, and the war would continue nonetheless.
He also informed the Jedi that the Sith Council was fully aware of his reasons for coming to Gand, and that if he returned without having killed the Jedi Master, it would stir unrest within the Sith ranks.
The Battle[]
Why? Because the galaxy needs a good war every now and then!
—Darth Abeonis
Skywalker knew now that he had failed to turn the Sith Lord back to the light, and that, for the moment at least, all hope was lost. Before he could utter another word he was struck by a strong blast of dark side energy that launched him across the hall. Luke attempted to flee, but Abeonis blocked his way and ignited his lightsaber. The Grand Jedi Master realized he would have to fight the Dark Lord blade-to-blade; and ignited his own lightsaber; and the duel began.
The battle moved on to the Governor's podium that rose through a retractable ceiling into the Grand Council Chamber. Abeonis jumped and safely landed on the steady floor, whilst Luke leapt into on of the many repulsorpod that lined the lower wall. In one of the most extreme examples of Dun Möch ever seen, Luke attempted to overpower Abeonis with an avalanche of repulsorpods whilst he himself strengthen his own position upon one, seeming to grow more content as the battle progressed.
It was at this very moment of the ultimate clash between light and darkness that Skywalker finally saw the truth: He had lost before he started. Abeonis had grown so powerful in the dark side of the Force that he, quite literally ripped both Skywalker, and all his surroundings of the solid metal floor and launched them across the Grand Chamber.
With this, Luke understood that he could not fall, and that if he did, the Galactic Alliance would not last even two years before Coruscant fell to the Sith Order of Decreto. The Jedi Master, trapped under several tonnes of debris blasted his way out of the wreckage and sent it flying in the Sith Lord's direction, forcing him to jump to the floor to avoid being crushed.
Abeonis rose to his feet and, greatly angered, launched a strong blast of Sith lightning against the Jedi Master. Once again finding himself attacked with great intensity, Luke used the same method to overcome the attack: he turned his enemy's weapon against him. The Jedi Master reflected the Force lightning back to Abeonis in a blast so powerful that it pushed the two masters apart. But while this may have saved Luke's life, it cost him his last chance of obliterating the Sith. He fell back down to the lower chamber whilst Abeonis retrieved his weapon which he had dropped. Engaging Skywalker in an intense duel, Abeonis put also his power into his attack, and very soon, began to overwhelm the aging Jedi Master. Had the two dueled just a decade before, than both knew that Luke would probably have won, but Skywalker was suffering from old age, and quickly tired; using one last thrust of power, he threw the Sith Lord against the wall, incapacitating him long enough to flee to his vessel, the Sith Lord cackling behind him.
Aftermath[]
The Gand Megaplex, the site of the duel
I have Failed. And now, I fear the Alliance shall fall.
—Skywalker to his wife
SpecOps led by Commander 001 were not able to locate Skywalker anywhere on the planet, and Abeonis was convinced that the Grand Master had escaped. Darth Abeonis had no choice but to assign 001 to continue the search, as he had to leave for Tund immediately—he sensed that his apprentice, had a prisoner.
The magnitude of damage in the Gand Megaplex caught the eyes of the Sith, and Jedi Councils. Rumors circulated in the Senate that Skywalker had attempted to, and defeated the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord realized that his failure to kill Skywalker would mean that more than a few Sith Knights would attempt to throw in their lot, fairly soon.
In the years following the Dark Lord's death, many of his more loyal followers would come to know this duel as the Duel of the Gods.
Behind the scenes[]
The Duel on Gand is heavily based upon the Duel in the Senate in Star Wars Canon.
External links[]