Built from the shell of an ancient foundation, the Arx Colosseum has undergone renovations to allow multiple new configurations for battle. Its spectator setup remains largely the same, with high walls, tall enough for even the most savvy Jedi to find unscalable that lead up to spectator chairs which are divided into nearly organized sections to accommodate several thousand people. At the center, an elongated platform “box” contains a central throne of stone with various seats of smaller scale lined beside it in both directions. Two large holo-projection screens are set up on each side of the Colosseum, offering different angles of the match bia holocam drones.

Today’s setup is known as The Shanty Town.

Hundreds of shipping containers line the arena floor, some stacked tall, others singular obstacles forming the walls of a complex maze. Each has been converted to function as housing, windows, doors, even furnishments added to further sell the illusion of it being a living town.

While the only real life contained within is today’s combatants, that is far from the only level of danger found within.

Dozens of armed and battle-ready droids hide in wait. Turrets and barricades line the narrow passageways of the town. Expertly hidden mines wait to trigger with every step. Make no mistake, the Shanty Town is ready to kill all who enter it. Embracing its chaos, and surviving is no easy feat.

“You’re an idiot, Halc”.

The lift rumbled as it carried the aged force-user upwards into the Colosseum. The words of his current “boss”, the Master-at-Arms, rang faintly in his ears.

“I am, sure, but did you want to narrow that down a bit more, Howie?” Halcyon asked, with a small smile tugging at his lips.
“This damned tournament. Didn’t you even win one of those things already? Why’d you even want to go through it again?”
“That was a long time ago. And I don’t know if I can still do it.”
“And? What else do you have to prove?”
“That I can do more than just read through these reports and listen to your inane babbling.”
“Like I said, you’re an idiot.”

The lift slowed, as a metal circle suddenly opened, pouring in natural light as the life went through the opening and stopped. Lord Halcyon, a Son of Taldryan and Emeritus of many things, looked at his surroundings. His squinting eyes, adjusting to the sudden light, began to make out the details around him. It was the crowd he noticed first, circling high all around him, and in the distance some special seating appeared to be arranged.

Guess we’re going with spectacle.

He had sensed coming in a large gathering of people, but did not expect to be the centre of attention.

See Howie, something new and different already.

One last fleeting thought was given to his friend before his focus fully turned to the rest of the arena. What appeared to be a part of a ramshackle town spread out around him. Housing and shops made of old shipping containers and other refuse made up much of what he could see. It was the lack of sentients, with all of the noise and smells they made, that caused a few of the hairs on Halcyon’s neck to raise. This was a place that should have been full and alive, even in such squalor conditions. Yet only soundless death seemed to whistle back at him.

Death was not an unknown companion of Halcyon’s, and neither was having to battle someone without knowing who they were. No specifics had been given to the contestants. Halcyon knew a few who had entered, but who he would be facing was completely unknown. As he opened himself to the Force and took a step forward, a piercing shock of warning shot through his system. Instinct honed through decades of war saved him as an invisible barrier of force popped into place just as the mine at his foot exploded.

The impact sent Halcyon flying backwards into one of the container doors, his body coming to a stop next to what appeared to be a make-shift sink.

“So, that’s how it’s going to be,” he groaned to himself, more out of habit than actual pain. He had come in focused on an opponent, and that singular-focus had nearly killed him. The Voice of the Brotherhood wanted the audience to have a true show, it seemed.

As he walked back out through the rubble he had caused, he could see the blast radius that the mine had caused. It was nothing special in terms of explosives he had seen in the past, but it was more than enough to tear his body apart had he not been saved by the Force. Before stepping back out, he ensured he was fully enmeshed with all his senses, both physical and ethereal. It was his ears that caught something first, the distinct sound of blaster-fire nearby.

Pockets of danger lit up around him, but it was the distinct sound of blaster-fire nearby that caught his attention. With quick, but careful movements, Halcyon worked his way towards the noise. He kept close to structures as much as he could, moving around the various pockets that his senses warned him about. Stealth wasn’t his forte, but he hoped that the noises he was hearing would cover his approach.

Rounding a corner, he was brought to the scene of the action. A teal-hued lightsaber flashed before a shorter-Twi’lek as it batted away the blaster fire from an old B-2 battle droid. With deft swiftness, the lightsaber bisected the droid, it’s pieces joining the other three droids that already littered the ground.

Halcyon was moving before the droid hit the ground, unleashing an invisible hammer of pure Force. The Twi’lek’s eyes met his for the briefest of moments before he bounded away, easily jumping up onto a set of containers and gracefully disappearing behind them. Halcyon heard the crunch of metal as his attack had missed it’s target, slamming into the side of another container instead.

The brief interaction had been enough for Halcyon to recognize his opponent. Alaris Jinn was Plagueian, but he was also a former Taldryan and a veteran of the Brotherhood. Halcyon was more than aware of his reputation, and knew that his opponent wouldn’t have allowed himself to get as rusty as he had.

Trying to get a sense as to where Alaris had gone was not as easy as it should have been, as the surrounding crowed was filled with other Force-users as well. As he sifted through the sea of presences to find the one he wanted, Halcyon felt an unknown aura caress his mind. There was a malevolence to it, as Halcyon mentally shuttered his mind with the equivalent of blast doors, throwing back whatever had tried to pierce it. As he felt the unknown presence back away, he followed its signature to its source. High above him, on the roof of a three-story structure, he could feel Alaris hiding behind the sloped roof.

Annoyed at the intrusion into his mind, Halcyon reached out with his hand, grabbing hold of the roof above him and yanking a section of it away. Metal groaned and crunched as it was ripped apart, the piece of roof thrown haphazardly to the side, revealing the Twi’lek crouched behind it. Any surprise on Alaris’ part was quickly covered up as he looked down at the green-haired man below him. With a small shrug, he dove backwards, once more out of line-of-sight with his opponent.

Karking acrobats were Halcyon’s only thoughts as he began his hunt of the Twi’lek.

The old Taldyran darted between shack and shanty, tailing his quarry through the arena. His agility belied his age, and he needed it to chase down the karking Twi’lek. Following him wasn’t difficult. Alaris wasn’t hiding his presence from him, and the clangs and twangs of the flimsy durasteel roofs were loud enough over the sounds of the crowd, though he found them growing quieter and quieter.

Halcyon came to a stop in a makeshift market square and glanced around. The presence of the Twi’lek lingered, but had faded drastically. He turned his attention up toward the roofs for any hint of where the Plagueian had disappeared to. The Twi’lek tickled his mind again and he shoved him out just as fast. He shook his head. “Uh uh,” he whispered out loud.

His ears and the Force both informed him of something at the same time. He spun around and looked up at the moment a lightsaber extinguished and the corner of a high shanty slid down the side of the facade, molten slag dripping from where it used to be connected. He leapt aside as it crashed onto the hard ground. No sooner had he landed than another part began to fall, aided with a slight push through the Force.

“This game?” He leapt again and turned it into a run. He looked up to see the Twi’lek darting back and forth between the buildings. He slashed at entire chunks of affordable housing, sending them tumbling down to crash upon Halcyon’s path. He could feel Alaris probe in his mind again and though belaboured slightly, he locked another synapse down, forcing the Twi’lek to find another entry.

He received barely any warning of the change of pace. His emerald saber burst to life at the same moment a falling Alaris would have cleaved through his head. Halcyon dropped into a wide stance, parrying the incoming blade away with a simple angle. The Force guided his parries and ripostes searching for openings while Alaris forced the issue. The Twi’lek was comically shorter than Halycon but the old bull still found himself taking retreating steps from the flurry of arcing swipes and quick jabs.

The Son of Taldrya watched the Twi’lek carefully. He focused on the wielder, not the blade. His long hilt made moving from position to position easy. Halcyon watched Alaris wall jump superfluously into a ridiculous aerial flip and used the opportunity to step toward the Twi’lek. Instead of landing in an arcing slash as intended, Halcyon tried to stagger his foe and end the battle here. Instead, it looked like Alaris had completely anticipated this and used the landing opportunity to climb up the side of the containers like a monkey.

A moment later, another large piece of debris came free and fell, slag and all, down toward the Force Lord.

“Ah, dammit,” he cursed between breaths. He looked at the large piece falling. He crouched for a brief second and he commanded the Force to coil in his legs. With two unreasonably powerful leaps, he springboarded off the falling debris and grabbed the roof of the nearest set of containers.

He pulled himself upright and glared at the grinning Twi’lek who stood only twenty feet away. Alaris Jinn's grin faded into what appeared to be concern. Halcyon turned around and saw twenty battle droids of various make raise weapons and fire. Halcyon didn’t know when they had arrived but his lightsaber did the thinking for him and proceeded to bat the Tibanna bolts back at the attackers. He allowed several to go by him and interrupt any advance by the Twi’lek and even ricocheted several of them in the direction of his quarry.

In retaliation, he felt the pang of forced entry into his hippocampus. He sneered and clamped it shut again, but he knew something slipped out this time. He didn’t have time to focus on what memory Alaris happened to glean. Almost letting his anger get the better of him, he lashed out with his left hand and sent a wave of Force energy at what remained of the approaching droids. It slammed into the vanguard, severing their bodies at their knees, and sent them flying backward into those who followed.

A fading “Roger, Roger,” among the metallic clang could be heard as Halcyon spun around to stare down Alaris. The twi’lek had disappeared.

Halcyon tamped down on the frustration that was bubbling to the surface, as he used his unseen senses to find his prey. Alaris’ presence glowed ever so brightly against the cacophony of the Colosseum. The presence was unmoving, however; seemingly waiting for something.

“Halc, seriously, why are you even bothering with this? You have to know when to stop,”

Howlader’s familiar voice rang through his mind again, their conversation creeping back into his thoughts. As he made to shake the sudden doubt that crept into his consciousness, Halcyon could just feel an alien presence ticking at the edges of his psyche.

“Is that what you stole?” Halcyon sent out, following the foreign threads back to their source. “You think a talk with a friend will slow me down?”

Halcyon allowed the natural defenses of his mind to give way, as the Twi’lek’s presence wound itself further into his thoughts.

“You think the likes of you can stop me?”

A cavalcade of images flew through Halcyon’s mind, showering Alaris with the full scale of his past. A constant beat of battles flew by, each one punctuated by the physical and mental toll they enacted. Countless friends lay strewn about, lost to death and time. A brother flashed by, impaled upon an emerald blade, before disappearing into the midst. Yet through it all there was a constant form coming through the images, before fully coalescing into Halcyon’s current visage, resolute and tempered by time.

With that last image Halcyon slammed down his mental defenses, completely cutting Alaris off from the hold he had. Alaris’ presence in the Force flared briefly at the abruptness, before quelling his surprise. Alaris had slowly crept closer as he invaded Halcyon’s mind, and the older man wasted no time. Fully opening himself to his power, Halcyon exploded towards the Sith, bounding over a low-rise shelter and watching as a short Twi’lek raced out from around a corner.

A telekinetic hammer shot out at Alaris, who managed to pirouette around the strike, before throwing himself at the side of a container, hoping to use his momentum to throw him to the other side. Halcyon did not bother to attack Alaris directly, focusing instead on the container itself, crushing the cheap metal under his mental assault just as the Twi’lek jumped. Alaris could only save himself from a hard fall as what he intended as a jumping point instead crumpled under him.

Managing to tuck himself into a roll, Alaris hit the street and quickly came back to his feet. There was only a moment for his body to register the image, as an emerald blade came crashing down at his head. His arms moved of their own volition, a hilt in his palm and a blade springing to life, managing to knock the incoming attack aside. Halcyon pivoted with ease, unleashing another hammer-blow, this time connecting with the Twi’lek, sending him sprawling backwards.

The town itself came alive as well, joining in on the sudden action, as the rooftops around the combatants exploded to reveal blaster turrets. The automated machines rained death upon the street, forcing the duelists further away from one another. Alaris quickly picked himself off the ground, using his blade to knock aside the attacks.

Halcyon turned to see Alaris quickly moving to find cover. Allowing his experience to help bat away the continued assault, he allowed a part of himself to focus on his opponent. A tendril of his power reached out, and with precision it sliced as the ethereal connection between the Twi’lek and the Force. He watched as Alaris’ footwork suddenly faltered as his lightsaber wavered for a moment, a blaster bolt digging into his shoulder and twisting his body around.

Fear.

Pain.

These old allies reared their heads again. The Twi’lek didn’t run so much as stumbled toward cover as fast as his legs would allow. The dark side wasn’t ignoring his commands. In order to ignore commands, it would have to hear them and if Alaris hadn’t had access before, he might doubt its existence. He slammed into the side of a durasteel container and collapsed in a spot that seemed clear of blaster burns. He dropped his now extinguished lightsaber and quickly glanced around, searching for the blaze of green that would have identified Halcyon among the shower of plasma. There was no sight of him.

The Adept looked down at his left shoulder. He quickly slapped away the smouldering hole, putting out the lingering heat. The pain in the shoulder was not nearly what it should have been. Alaris cursed and slammed the bottom of his fist against it, trying to bring feeling back into the area to no avail. The pain in his chest was bearable, but persistent. He was sure of at least several cracked ribs if not a complete break. This would require bacta.

Or at least SOME access to the Force, he thought to himself.

His mind, however, was a different story. The memories of the physical pain didn’t bother Alaris, but watching the trauma of Halcyon’s life was visceral. He tried to shake away the anguish but that particular lady suffocated him in her powerful arms.

He tried to lift his bad arm. There was some movement, but Alaris was sure the ligaments had been burned away with the nerve endings. He had a weak grip and could bend his elbow slightly, but it was otherwise completely useless. The Twi’lek returned his lightsaber to its home on his hip and laboured to stand. He crept down the metallic alleyway away from the street, keeping his back as close to the wall as possible. With his good hand, he opened his robes and slid them off his shoulders. They fell to his waist and eventually, with some fanangling, he managed to tie the arms around his waist leaving only his dart shooter, a ring, and a black crystal dangling from his neck on his upper body.

Hello again, Jinn. The voice in his head jarred him. It was as real as if someone had spoken it aloud. The sounds brought an echo and the images flashed in front of him again. Halcyon had focused his trauma; he had faced it. This was decades of unfaced anger, hatred, sadness, abuse, and angst all smothering a mind that hadn’t lived long enough to endure it.

“NO!” The scream didn’t ask for permission. It exploded from Alaris violently and echoed through the streets. The crowd watching forgot any semblance of entertainment and looked on with unease. Their holoprojectors showed Alaris collapse to his knees as Halcyon approached from behind.

Despair wracked Alaris and it manifested itself physically as vomit. The Twi’lek fell forward to his hands, staring down into his own detritus. He blinked his eyes hard and shook his head. Pulling himself into a partial kneel, he wiped the sweat from his face and looked up at the end of the open alleyway.

He was nearly ready to accept his demise when a tendril connected to him. The dark side began to trickle in and it started to help immediately. It began by telling him where Halcyon was standing. He screamed in rage and in one motion spun and threw the Sith Dagger from his waist.

Halcyon swatted it aside with his lightsaber. Its alchemy treated blade allowed it to deflect aside in one piece instead of continuing forward as super-heated shrapnel. The same couldn’t be said about the kukri that followed it up. The blade was carved down the middle by viridian plasma. The hilt end changed its centre of gravity and flung harmlessly to the ground. The bladed end cut into Halcyon’s robes, barely avoiding contact with his skin.

Alaris continued his painful spin and, with an excruciating grunt, managed to use the momentum of the spin to lift his left arm. He fired off a dart from the shooter gifted to him by a former Dark Lord of the Sith. A net expanded quickly from the source. Halcyon leapt to the side just as the net reached him. The net became a fuel air bomb and exploded with violent heat. Some of the accelerent had coated Halcyon’s foot which all but immediately burst into flame.

The Force Lord cursed audibly and quickly kicked off his boot. The boot fell into where the net, and subsequent explosion, had just been and the gas burned away against the boot quickly. With a sneer, Halcyon lifted his holdout blaster from his holster and aimed down the alley where Alaris had been. The Twi’lek was gone. Again.

The world was eerie and wispy for Alaris. The walls seemed to be gaseous more than solid and as if to prove it, the Twi’lek walked through them without difficulty. The screams of the Ethereal Realm were as poignant now as they were during the invasion through the gate. More memories came flooding back, but these memories were of victories on the field of battle. He was emboldened. The pain wracking him faded like a memory; lingering, but dull like the glow of the onyx crystal that hung from his neck.

The Force Lord crept into the alleyway where Alaris had left vomit and pain. He took slow deliberate steps. Alaris wasn’t gone. He was here, but even Halcyon’s peak awareness couldn’t identify exactly where he was. The crowd had dropped into silence, save some quiet rumblings. They didn’t know where Alaris was either. The holoprojectors showed him fading into a veiled blur of himself and seemingly disappearing into a wall like a phantom.

Each step was deliberate. Each movement was slow and smooth. Each turn of the head was calculated and measured. Even with only one boot Lord Halcyon moved with no hindrance. The malevolence he could feel from Alaris weighed heavy, but it was a weight he had carried himself for so long.

He stopped suddenly.

Something had changed.

The malevolence was coalescing.

With a speed that rivalled his opponent’s, he spun and drew his vibroblade in one movement. The blade seemed to glide through Alaris’s body without harm until there was sudden resistance. Alaris had phased back into existence with a blade in his heart. His heart continued to pump as if the knife were are part of his body.

Both combatants looked down at the blade and knew this battle was over.

“Finish it,” Alaris spat. “Add another murder to your memories of violence.”

Halcyon stared at his hand and the weapon it held. The blade hadn’t created a wound. It wasn’t leaking blood. The body had just re-manifested around it. Any movement would have changed that immediately. Instead of that, Halcyon just let go.

He turned and began to walk down the alleyway, his victory secured.

Alaris stood as still as possible, his eyes full of fury. He want to lash out. He wanted to murder Halcyon. For now, he would have to wait for assistance to arrive.