Mill charges ahead, turning every which way through the streets, avoiding the beams of light from overhead and blending into each small crowd gathered in the dark. Menyoo and Sbeit struggle to keep up with him, while occasionally glancing behind to identify who is following them. Mill walks into an exceptionally large gathering of rough looking individuals, shoves his way directly through the center of a couple men—stirring up the crowd—then briskly shouts behind him, "with me," before cutting to his right down an alley.
Menyoo and Mill lurch their way out of the miniature mob that had formed, escaping the ensuing shouting and scuffling that could be heard from where they had entered. Sbeit rushes up and grabs Mill's arm, "Hey, Menyoo and I don't see anybody. What has you so worried?"
Mill was stopped at the end of the alley, where a meter-tall stone ledge extends down the backside of several shops, providing a barrier between the open alleys and a ten-meter drop down to the next level of the city. He turns to Sbeit and says, "I didn't see him, I felt him. I have felt him since we left the tunnel, but I didn't know he was here for us. I do now because he followed us to Plank's, stopped moving when we arrived, then began following again once we left. He could just be a council spy, or a local who was placed on our tail. Or, he could be something much worse. Either way, we have to confront him to know for sure, and we aren't leaving until we know."
Sbeit stutters on his words, "But I, we, don't, I don't sense anybody. If he is that strong we should have sensed him too. Is there something you are not telling me?"
Mill rests his hand on Sbeit's shoulder, "No, you just have to learn to sort out the many energies here on the planet. It can be hard to pick up on one specific source, but each energy carries with it a set of intentions, moods, feelings." Mill uses Sbeit's shoulder as support to lift himself up onto the barrier, "many people here have bad intentions and work under conditions of high stress. It's easy to read through their signatures if you are attuned to look for such things. But only one such signature has been traveling an equidistance from us and in the same direction as we have. Also, he is close. Up and over," then without warning, Mill jumps off the side of the barrier down into the lower level of the city.
He lands on a grated walkway, like the one that lowered them from the tunnel exit when they first arrived in the city. "Come on down! And hurry, he or she isn't far behind." Sbeit pulls himself over next and blindly jumps down to the walkway below where Mill awaits him, instinctually bending his knee to absorb the shock when he hits the rigid metal. Menyoo is next up on the ledge. Mill yells up to him, "about 3 meters, you know what to do!" Without hesitation, Menyoo steps off, falling to join his friends. He lands right next to Mill, who steadies his back after he wobbles upon landing. The jedi work their way down the stairs, skipping a step each stride to hurry into position for their stalker. Once they reach the bottom of the stairs, Mill immediately turns to his left and continues at the same pace.
This part of the city is different: the lights come from tilted street lamps with bases anchored into the ground, and the lights are white—unlike the dingy yellow ones above. These lights, due to their angle and placement, cover much more of the street, which appears virtually empty, but as Menyoo has learned, that may just mean the inhabitants are hidden out of sight.
The path continues along for a minute's worth of speed walking until the group reaches a round plaza. A long, paved walkway surrounds the exterior of a massive stone commons area, with a ring of lamp posts stretching along the back half illuminating the stonework. Behind the lamps sits empty land composed of pebble-sized sediment that is too dark to be seen far into. The plaza masonry features one large engraving cut into the rock. The picture is hard to work out, as the image was made to be viewed from above, likely from the hill that looms over the small arena. The hill is where the Jedi would have ended up had they not cut through the alley; the streets of Vakeyya weave continuously down-hill until reaching the pit of the city at the very bottom.
Between the hill and road above them, and the center of the plaza, stand the focal points of the public decorum: three tall stone statues, 5 meters in height, with unchiseled cubed bases that gradually morph into the images of men, unveiling increasingly complex features as one's eyes works their way up the front of the imposing monoliths. Each sculpted man holds his hands cupped full of different materials: the man to the left appears to be cupping a handful of water; the statue to the right holds sand (an impressive illusion considering it is a single column of stone;) and the statue in the very middle holds a shovel in his hands, with the handle extending down to the base, where the blade melds with the stone at his foot.
Menyoo stares up at them in silence, while Mill and Sbeit survey their surroundings. Mill pulls Menyoo out of his trance, "hey, with us. I need you to walk the outskirts and displace anybody who would be too close to the action. It's happening here. Once you know everybody is at a safe distance, stay out of sight, but be prepared to defend yourself in case they make a move on you." Menyoo nods then leaves to see to his task, disappearing into the shadow-laden perimeter. Mill then looks to Sbeit, whose chest is puffed out and jouncing in preparation for a fight. "Sbeit."
Sbeit's head springs to the right to face Mill, "I'm staying with you."
Mill lowers his legs into a defensive stance and rests his hand along the hilt of his weapon, "I was going to say he's here." Sbeit in turn enters into his stance; his has a slighter bend at the knees, prioritizing reach and mobility over defensive posture. Walking toward them from the street the three jedi used as a shortcut approaches a figure the size of an average human, with a cheap brown cloak covering the head and face, and extending down to its calves. It walks up with its arms stiff, and a confident lope that covers ground quickly. Mill and Sbeit watch as it positions itself 5 meters away— half the length of the stone plaza. Mill relaxes his stance and tells the stranger, "look, it is clear you have business with us. We are busy men, so it is to our benefit that we make this quick. Are you working for somebody? Is this personal? Is there any way we can avoid violence? Is this a dead or alive situation? What are we working with?"
The person facing them looks Sbeit up and down first, then turns to Mill. The figure places its left leg far back behind its right and lowers its back by thirty centimeters. A male voice drones from under the cloak, "Mill Kandor, my business is with you alone." The man straightens his arm behind his back, causing the cloak to fall to the ground and reveal his slender frame underneath. The man is fitted with a tight, crimson tunic hugged by a black holster running diagonally around the shoulder, connecting horizontally around the midsection. On the chest strap, a lightsaber is clasped and hanging down to his stomach. A blaster is holstered at his side. An undertunic accents the v at his chest with a lighter red, and a black belt sits over a decorative sash at his waist. The man is dressed unlike anybody Mill has ever seen, clearly equipped as a jedi would be and sporting similar garbs, but featuring colors unseen in the order.
Mill says to Sbeit while keeping his eyes on the unknown visitor, "sit this one out, and get Menyoo to safety if I'm in over my head. He's a jedi and here for me. This may get me kicked out of the order if he is legit."
Sbeit answers back, "You're going to fight him still?" Then Sbeit yells to the crimson Jedi, "are you on council orders!? If so, we will go back with you. There is no need for a fight!"
Mill puts his hand over Sbeit's chest, "enough. Do as I said. He is here to kill me, I can sense it. There is no reasoning with him. Go to Menyoo and watch for an advantage. His or mine."
"Mill, you had better not kill him. There must be an explanation."
"I won't, now go!"
Sbeit straightens his body and runs toward the outskirts of the arena to join with Menyoo. Mill pulls out his lightsaber and ignites the blue blade. He lowers his legs once again, placing his weight on his back foot and bringing the blade up over his head with two hands, tilting the blade diagonally over his face, "Okay, now it's just the two of us."
The Jedi opposite Mill, still lowered into position, bolts toward Mill with tremendous force off his back leg. The jedi ignites his lightsaber mid-approach after filling the 5 meter gap in mere seconds, leaving a pulsating trail of blue afterimages in the wake of his rush. The assailant begins with an extended lunge at Mill's gut, but Mill, skilled in the Djem So variant of form five, immediately sidesteps the lunge and meets the stab with an underhand parry that ricochets the attack into the air. Mill tries to follow up with a side slash, but his enemy backflipped out of the strong parry, using Mill's force to his advantage. He lands, then kicking off with the foot he landed on, immediately moves in for another attack at a blinding speed. He darts past Mill with his back arched in an attempt to cut through his side, but Mill was able to lower his lightsaber in time. Catching the tip of the other blade, Mill catapults it into the ground beside his right foot, sending his assailant to his knees.
The jedi stands back up immediately and wildly twists his blade in diagonal patterns over his chest, closing distance with Mill once again. Mill backs up, trying to anticipate an attack that he can counter— a particular strength of Mill's, especially against a form four user. Unfortunately for Mill, this jedi is a good lightsaber dueler— an outdated Jedi skill reserved for specialty classes. The Jedi takes an aggressive step forward, and begins a flurry of sporadic attacks that hammer at Mill's defenses. Mill manages to block each one, before the jedi twists his body and lowers to one knee. He faints with a weak stab, then follows up with a wicked fast grab at his side. Unholstering his gun he shoots at Mill's left foot. Mill saw the move the moment he redirected the stab; he lowers his lightsaber to the ground and deflects the bolt back at the Jedi. The jedi rolls sideways out of the trajectory, and begins another flurry of attacks without a moments rest. Mill continues to block each attack, but is forced back by each strike, carrying the struggle over to the front of the statues.
Mill discovers a pattern in his strikes, then spots a weakness in his transition from lower to higher strikes. Taking advantage, Mill feigns losing the struggle, and the jedi presses his advantage with harder strikes, slowing each successive swing. As he transitions into his higher stance, Mill thrusts his saber into the space between the jedi's forearm and bicep, holding the ultra-heated plasma to his neck. The assassin takes his left hand off the lightsaber and holds it in the air, then begins lowering himself in surrender. Mill traces his movement, keeping the blade close to his neck.
The fighter continues to lower himself to the ground, until Mill opens his mouth to make demands, at which point he drops the saber from his right hand, catches it in his left, and makes a desperate slash at Mill's waist. Mill backs up in the nick of time, pulling his light saber out straight to avoid accidentally killing his assailant, and narrowly dodging the wild slash at his waist.
Another round of back and forth strikes and blocks ensues: swing, block, swing, parry, counter-attack, dodge, swing. The two warriors exchange blows for a couple of minutes, dancing along the stonework underfoot, providing a spectacle of light as the azure blades bounce off one another in rapid succession. The jedi assassin grows increasingly impatient at their matching prowess. Mill continues to pick out patterns in his opponent's behavior, and takes advantage of each weakness to get in counter-attacks between blocks. The assassin is resilient and acute, correcting each flawed move Mill capitalizes on. Mill's opponent resolves to end the fight quickly, and begins using an abundance of the force in his following movements, applying extra force to each strike, and moving at an increased speed between slashes. Mill holds his composure, blocking and countering between predictable movements, but the attacks grow wilder, as the Jedi resorts to jumping into the air, sliding, and spinning amongst his attacks. Between a series of blocks, Mill shouts to his opponent, "I had you beat. It would have been honorable to surrender!"
The Jedi took another cheap shot with his blaster at Mill's center of mass. Mill deflects it into the air, leaving his chest open for the opportunistic assassin to kick off the ground with a force-infused lunge, directing the tip of his weapon at Mill's heart. Mill lowers his blade in time to tilt the end of the opposing saber and hold him at the chest, interlocking their weapons in a test of strength. The two blades vie for dominance. The Jedi leans into the X formed by the two sabers and says back to Mill, "I don't fight for honor, I fight to complete my objectives." He then lowers his body and thrusts his shoulders into the air, sending Mill's arms and saber above his head. Within one fluid motion, he uses the momentum of his propulsion to transition into a back flip and kicks the hilt of Mill's lightsaber, sending it high into the air above his head. The assassin lands on his feet, then kicks off the ground once more, with his lightsaber trained on Mill's heart once more. Mill uses his trick against him; willing the lightsaber back toward his hand, he forces his weapon back down to the ground, catches it during its descent, and infusing the force into a downward swing, intercepts the rival lightsaber with enough force to make the assassin stumble and fall forward.
Embarrassed and frustrated, he picks himself up off the ground, straightens his posture, and glares at Mill with killer intent in his eyes. He brushes off the dusty red fabric on his chest, then begins circling Mill, staring with revulsion. Mill stands stationary, turning on every third step to keep his opponent at his front. "Who do you work for?" Mill asks, steadying his blade in preparation for another rapid assault. The Jedi says nothing, and continues to circle his prey. Mill powers down his lightsaber. "Please, we can reach an agreement. We are evenly matched, so let's settle this with our words." The assassin turns his head from side to side in a slow, creepy fashion; his eyes remain locked onto Mill's, burning with enmity.
Mill sighs, then reignites his weapon. Following in his adversary's stead, they form a new circle as they stalk one another with intense concentration. Mill breaks the respite first by taking a step forward, but his foe responds with greater aggression. The assassin sends a force push at the ground between them, causing a flurry of dust and sand to bombard Mill's face. He clenches his jaw closed to avoid breathing in the harsh pollutants, and brings his saber down to his chest to block an incoming attack. As expected, the Jedi ran up the middle and took a wide slash at Mill's waist. Despite the debris in his eyes, Mill was too fast. Catching the blade under its tip, he forces the lightsaber into the air, staggering the Jedi and opening his right side to Mill. Mill follows the parry with a sideways kick, hurting both the ribs and the pride of the opposing Jedi. He rolls out of the kick, holding his side in pain. He backs up until he reaches the statues. Mill closes in, pressing his advantage.
Seeing no way around, the Jedi decides to make one last desperate attack. He jumps halfway up the statue, then uses it as a spring board to launch himself at Mill. Mill finds his center of mass, goes into a deep squat, and braces for impact. The Jedi slams his light saber into Mill's, sending Mill toppling over onto his back. Enraged, the assassin lifts his blade and hammers another strike down unto Mill. Mill blocks the next attack, but struggles to keep the lightsaber from breaching his defenses while he tries to clamber backward away from the assault. After five overhead swings at Mill's abdomen, with increasing force behind each blow, Mill establishes a lock between his opponent's weapon and his own. During the struggle, Mill kicks the assassin's shin, causing him to limp away and giving Mill time to roll backward onto his feet.
Mill goes on the offensive. With a slew of controlled attacks from different directions, he forces his opponent back toward the statues, acknowledging a lack of training in his defensive technique. The assassin hops back a meter and pulls out his blaster. He jumps up to the base of the middle statue, scrambles up the center using the narrowly sculpted shovel's shaft as a grip, then leaps off a fold in the man's robe and lands in the clenched hands protruding from the front. The blue glow surrounding the statue fades as the assassin turns off his lightsaber. Leveling his blaster, he rains a cluster of bolts down on Mill.
Mill does his best to deflect them somewhere safe, but several stray bolts go flying up over the hill. Mill reflects one bolt back at the shooter by mistake. In response, the assassin begins jumping back and forth between the statues, shooting wildly at Mill. Mill does his best to keep the bolts under control, but they come too fast for Mill to ground each one. A few bolts deflect up over the hill again, while a handful of others hit the statues. The Jedi does a side flip back onto the central statue as one bolt hits the center of it, jeopardizing the integrity of the structure. The assassin continues to shoot at Mill, and Mill in turn continues to deflect the barrage, but he starts to lose concentration due to the physical and mental tax.
Mill reflects a few more toward the assassin, which serves to anger him more. In response, with one hand he continues to shoot liberally at Mill; while with the other, he pulls his lightsaber out once more and reaches for stray bolts to send back at Mill. A furious light display begins as glowing blue sticks wave back and forth to contain an increasingly rhythmic ping pong of red light-beams bouncing between them. As the chaos ensues, so does the destruction. As the environmental damage becomes apparent in the fighter's arena, Mill begins to worry about the population above. The lavish masonry work under Mill's feet has already been scarred by long, black streaks, and chunks of stone crumble off the statue as renegade bolts wreck the monolithic artwork. Recognizing that he cannot handle much more, Mill begins looking for a way to end the fight quickly when he gets a lucky break.
The blaster runs out of ammunition. The Jedi clicks his blaster three times, then realizing he had lost count of his shots, once again disignites his lightsaber and scrambles for a gas cartridge. Mill, fearful of another round of the shooting gallery, panics and reaches out to the force for an answer. Various scenarios play out in his head at once, as if the force were presenting to him his options on a reel: one sequence shows him climbing up the statue and continuing the duel atop it as it crumbles; another shows him running deeper into the city, toward the dark outskirts of the plaza where Sbeit and Menyoo are hiding, which ends in him taking two blaster bolts in the back; and the third and final scenario features Mill reaching his hand toward his assailant and putting him into some sort of statis, tensing his body and causing him to drop the gas cartridge in the process. Mill comes to as the present continues along just as it was before the visions played out in his head: the assassin reaches for more ammunition, and Mill is still contemplating his next move.
He stretches his hand out toward his enemy, just as he was shown, and he feels something happen. It feels as if he were holding a long hook, and digging into the assassin above—like a fisherman with a catch on the line. Mill feels the tendrils of the force work their way into the assassin, creep over his skin and dig under the surface, before his hand begins to tense. It is a similar sensation to how he felt when he created the implosion above the bridge back on Mygeeto. He feels a need to take control, to grab at the reigns and release a malicious energy from his body. Mill squeezes, but this time it feels more like pulling; the invisible tendrils continue to dig into the Jedi. Also similar to his experience on Mygeeto, the move saps all of Mill's strength, taking all of Mill's reserves putting it toward this last desperate move. His arms begin to shake. His heart pounds through his chest. Mill holds on, fighting through the pain and discomfort to pull at whatever force construct is binding him to his foe. He looks up at the assassin and the picturesque moment plays out in real time before his eyes: his body becomes tense, before ceasing to move altogether. His back arcs as his arms drop weightlessly to his side. The gas cartridge slips out of his fingers and drops to the ground below. This is the point that the vision cut out, concealing the consequences that follow.
Mill becomes light headed and drops down to one knee. He steadies himself to keep from passing out. Looking up at the assassin, Mill watches through blurred vision his adversary beginning to move. The assassin looks around frantically, then down at his fingertips, assessing them for some devious trick. The assassin panics as he paces the small area of the statue that he trapped himself on. Hunks of stone continue to fall from the structure, hitting the ground with incredible force, leaving divots and chipping sections of the stone courtyard. The assassin bends and straightens his knee in rapid succession, preparing for a jump he should have no trouble making. As an audible crack forms toward the backside of the monument, the Jedi panics and leaps from the statue.
A weak jump for Jedi standards, he only makes it about 2 and a half meters, bounces off the side of the adjacent statue. Gravity rushes his body to the ground. He tries to roll out of it, but on impact, a nasty pop reverberates off the stone as his legs trail behind him lifelessly.
Mill, seeing that something went wrong, begins crawling over to the Jedi to help. He does not reach him in time. A sound like the splintering of a stone tree arcs down the back side of the statue. As top starts to wobble, the statue leans off kilter, hovering precariously over the fallen assassin laying hurt in the plaza. It hesitates in the air for a moment before collapsing with the full weight of the massive, five-meter tall stone slab.
The scene passes slowly for Mill in his weakened state. He watches as the Jedi-assassin, laying on his side with his leg bent painfully to the left, lifts his hand above his head to force aside the mass of stone intent on entombing him—to no avail. The center column of the statue envelops his body, swallowing the image of the helpless Jedi, before sending a whirl of dust and debris into the air, like the release of a macabre confetti cannon. Mill stays down on one knee, staring up at the scene in shock before dropping to two. A wave of nausea rolls him onto to his back. He stares into the night above; Stars cannot be seen in the Vakeyya sky, but blurry bright lights from the spying lamp posts convince him he is staring dizzily up at the stars. He begins to drift slowly into a comatose slumber, as if closing his eyes during a bad dream and losing sense of his surroundings, until a set of pebbly, black unforgiving eyes breaks him out of his stupor. "Mill! You killed him!"