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 Jungle.

A simple design, hot, humid, muddy, and murky, the imported jungle setting has plenty of dangers to be found within its thick growth of plant life. Quicksand, sticky mud, and entangling vines all wait for the ill-prepared combatant. Yet something more causes a chill down your spine.

Within the shadows even more dangers lurk. Deadly creatures such as the Nexu, Acklay, and Gundar hide away in the lush vegetation waiting for their next meal. And even then the periodic roars and thudding ground hint that maybe something even more deadly waits in the jungle's depth.

It only took what seemed like one minute after stepping into this humid hot hell hole for her hair to transform into a frizzy bush on her head, her emerald twists losing their hold and fighting to return to their natural curls. Diyrian reached up and pulled a leaf and a twig that had snagged in her locs, and flicked them to the side. She followed closely behind her KX-series security droid, who forged the faintly traveled path ahead — a possible game trail if what she learned from her two beloved nature-loving Zabraks was correct. The implications of that led to suspicions she’d rather choose to ignore, clearly the trail was trodden by previous contestants. Clearly.

Don’t mind the odd chirps, hoots, and calls sounding from the jungle.

The soft thwaps and not so light ka-thunks of leaves and branches hitting the silver and gold plating of 4R-7H3R were far more prevalent and slowly garnering her nerves. Eventually, she piped up about it, tone laced with mild annoyance, “Artie, ya Iron Champ, could ya move a bit more quietly?”

The unit halted and twisted his torso partially around at the waist to look back and down at the shorter faux-Zelosian. Pale yellow, glowing photoreceptors stared for a moment in an almost perplexed fashion. The security droid hefted the heavy blaster support unit in his armsto bring her attention to it. “Lady Diyrian, my apologies. Agile movement is hampered while carrying this equipment for yours. Shall I discard it in favor of stealth?”

Damn, she really should have left it at the gates.

“No, let’s keep it. Better to mow a motherfreighta down…Thanks for the muscles, Artie,” Diy answered, adding the gratitude on second thought. Preserving her own mobility waspreferred at the moment. Fixing the big blaster on her back, she dipped around him, pulled out her amethyst kukri and started hacking at some vines blocking their path ahead. “Keep an eye out for any baddies, sapients and creatures. They’re out here somewhere…”

‘Somewhere’ was a fair distance into the heart of the foliage dense arena and a good twenty meters in the air. The Mandalorian, Aiden Lee Deshra, sat in one of the larger trees overlooking a small clearing of sorts where the jungle split just a sliver to expose a fair sized waterhole. Wet patches of mud and murky puddles spanned a fair bit of the open ground, the rest of the forest floor covered in thick leaf litter turned mulch. There were tracks strewn through the sodden ground, an evident sign wildlife was present. There was a high chance his target would converge here from one of several trails connected to the waterhole.

Secured on his perch with his climbing claws, ignoring the X-OX droid hovering nearby, it wasn’t long before Aiden heard several branches snap and the rustling of leaves below. He activated his helmet’s MFTAS scan, watching as two sets of brackets on his visor’s interface latched onto the glimpses of silhouettes in the bushes. A moment later a familiar near-human and a KX-Series droid walked out into the clearing. Pulling out the grappling hook that had granted him easy access to his vantage point and conserved some early energy, Aiden fired it around a second tree and leapt to rappel down to the jungle floor below.

“Proconsul Diyrain Grivna,” the Arconae greeted. He released the hook when his boots hit the ground.

The woman jerked her head up, forest green curls bouncing as her eyes locked on the Mandalorian’s visor. A grin played upon her lips as she pulled up to a stop a few meters away from the armored man. She flipped the violet blade in hand before sheathing it, and crossed her arms casually. Her gaze wandered once over him as she attempted to determine who was behind the beskar. “Mm, Aiden Lee Deshra, fancy meetin’ ya here.”

“Well, pitted against each other we are. I consider this an honor to face you. First, the Consul, and now the current Shadow Scion. With my own history of the position, I’m eager to see where we compare.”

“That feels like a bit of extra stakes, like my reputation on the line or somethin’.” A dark eyebrow raised with interest and consideration. Diy signaled to the droid looming behind her, who crouched and deposited the large kit in its arms onto the ground. 4R-7H3R then proceeded to erect a tripod in the meantime. The Kiffar shrugged off her rifle and let it drop onto the mulch below.

“A’right, I’m game,” she popped her lips and shot a wink, which Aiden dismissed without a thought. He was locked in to the challenge.

“Good. Let us see if you have what maketh a Procon—”

— a jolt of warning tugged his psyche and urged him to act. Aiden retreated a step and threw up his hand to swiftly catch several crimson blaster bolts one at a time and redirect them to their sender. Grivna ducked and rolled out of the way as the plasma seared into the wet leaves and grazed the metal casing of 4R-7H3R. She popped back up with a bounce on the balls of her feet, that grin of hers tugging up the golden line of her clan tattoo.

“Pretty sure that was already determined by Lottie. Yer late to the game,” she toyed.

Aiden twitched two fingers, and from his belt two cylinders flew into his palms. Opposing twin blades of glowing black and pale white, a resemblance of the balance of the Force he held. Inhaling, he pressed forward and after the nimble gunslinger as he batted away volleys of bolts from the woman’s pistols with refined precise counters. His strikes abruptly shifted and spun in intimidating swirls once the Seeker was within striking range. The Kiffar managed to evade within a hair's breadth, and shifted closer towards her droid. Aiden pursued, leaving no room to react aside from retreat. His blackcore saber hummed as it arced down—

“Artie!”

A buzzing thrum and a shiver down the Mandalorian’s spine forced him to abort his swing and redirect it with a sweep of his arm towards his left. The move opened his defenses up, and thankfully so, as a force pike cut through the air where his arm had been prior and sliced into the mulch beneath them. Though his beskar armor would have protected it, the strength of the security droid’s blow could have caused more bludgeoning damage.

This time, Aiden retreated a pace back or two, recovering his fighting stance and assessing the situation as the droid approached. An easy opponent to drop swiftly, the plating no match against plasma and neither that force pike. He shifted his grip on his leading saber, prepared to counterstrike the KX-series.

Aiden smirked beneath his helmet, his focus on the droid before him. Two targets were standing in the way of his victory, and one would go down much easier than the other. Diy was a formidable opponent, but with this droid at her side striking in tandem with her efforts, her threat increased greatly. This tournament was proving to be everything he wanted it to be. And while his previous match wasn’t a fight, per se, the victory was still greatly welcomed. And now he needed another one. Diy would soon find that one of her predecessors would prove why they were the Shadow Scion.

“My lady has determined you to be a threat. Any threat to Lady Diyrian must be stopped at all costs. I’m sure you understand.”

“Less talk, more action,” Aiden playfully bantered as he readied to jump back into the fray.

“Oh indeed, you are said to be a great warrior, a master of his lightsaber techniques. I will fight my hardest for my lady, and I will probably fall. Though, currently, I am merely the distraction.”

Aiden’s attention was snapped away from the droid, to a new threat. A faint red dot appeared on his armor and his senses pulsed with alarm. The light whir of a heavy blaster turning on caused the Mandalorian to roll out of the way as a series of red tibanna bolts littered the spot he once stood. Diy stood off to the side wielding a large rifle attached to the tripod base, a smirk painted across her face. She continued to shoot at Aiden as he darted off into the jungle, small clouds of smoke and dirt rising from the impact points.

The Mandalorian did not enjoy running, but a strategic retreat was a different story. He had let his guard down, too absorbed in the heat of battle. That weakness of his mind almost cost him his victory, which was unacceptable. He could hear his father’s insistent tone berating him for such weakness.

Aiden stilled, standing behind a tree. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, centering himself and focusing his thoughts. He needed to be smart about this. Defeat was not an option today, and while the odds were ever slightly against him at this moment, victory was still within reach. Diyrian was indeed a dangerous opponent.

Beneath silvery-black beskar, brilliant blue-green eyes shot open at the sound of a snapping branch. His senses picked up an intruder, and his grip on his lightsabers increased. He felt ready for the droid and its master. But the sounds he heard next were not what he expected.

A deep growling from the bushes in front of him made Aiden realize two things. One, whoever made this arena was a sadistic schutta who deserved years of pain. And two, Diyrian wasn’t the only danger in this jungle. And for that reason, a devilish smile crossed his face.

…

“Lady Diy, should I begin the breaking down of your gear?”

“Nah, he’ll be back Artie. Aiden ain't much one for backing from a fight. Boy’s just bidin’ his time, I think.” Diy quickly checked over her equipment, making sure everything was straight and true. She’d gotten the upper hand before, but the ex-Proconsul would be ready for such tricks next time. She’d just need to make sure to have some new ones to share with the lad. As she looked through her gear, the rustling of leaves caught her attention. “Did ya hear that, Artie?”

“Yes, Lady Diy. It would seem that we have a target heading our way.” 4R-7H3R brought up his Force pike to defend his master.

“He didn’t seem the type to rush in this foolishly.” Diyshook her head as she aimed with her heavy repeating rifle again.

The Mandalorian crashed through the jungle, diving forward, rolling across the ground, and landing back on his feet. He glanced over at Diy before the jet thrusters on his boots activated.

“Consider this a belated gift for your promotion. Have fun!”

He burst forward into the trees, leaving Diy looking on in half-amused shock. Loud roars pulled her focus back, as a trio of Nexu emerged from the brush. Their original prey was nowhere in sight, but there was still fresh meat available.

“That mother-kriffin bantha-fracker.” Diy glared after her Clan-mate, annoyed at the game he was playing here.

Diy opened fire, a series of fast bolts catching one of the beasts in the side and drawing the attention of the others. They lunged in unison as the third hobbled back towards the brush, near death. The Kiffar abandoned her mounted weapon, ran from the two Nexu, and launched herself up grabbing a tree branch. She swung herself up, grabbing hold of branch after branch as she climbed, hopefully, to safety. The Nexu’s claws dug into the bark as they followed, nipping at her heels.

“Lady Diy!”

4R-7H3R pulled back a mechanical arm and launched his pike at one of the beasts. The spear-like armament pierced the animal's side, shocking it from the inside with its stunning tip. The Nexu cried out in pain as it fell out of the tree, blood gushing from the open wound, and collapsed hard in a heap on the ground. It fell silent and still as the droid ripped the pike free. “Artie” then walked over to the wounded Nexu that tried crawling away before ending its suffering as well.

Diy shakily stood on a large branch before leaping into another tree. The third Nexu climbed up the branch after snarling at its meal. She pulled out her dual-blasters and opened fire, catching the predator multiple times before it hissed in pain and fell from the tree. Not happy about the situation Aiden had placed her in, she carefully climbed down before walking up to the felled beast. She knelt beside the Nexu and petted its fur.

“What a waste. And for what?”

“Lady Diy, I am pleased to see you well.”

“All thanks ta you, Artie. Ya saved me yet again…” the Proconsul stood back up and turned to her companion. “Now let's go get that son-of-a-nerf herder.”

“As you wish, Lady Diy—”

With a searing hiss, a silvery-white blade ripped through the front of the droid's chassis. Artie's systems seized as his long limbs shook and his voice broke. His eyes flashed before darkening as the blade was torn free. Artie toppled over, revealing Aiden standing behind him, lightsabers in hand.

“And now, it's just you and me.”

Diy stared at her companion lying stiffer than normal and smoking. The sparks of electricity emitting from the melted gash through his center reflected in her aquamarine eyes. Her lower lip quivered, then set in a thin line as her head twisted towards the Mandalorian, an eyebrow twitching.

“Ya motherfreightin’ she-akk! First, he gets disassembled, then thrown the bloody piss on, falls off some karkin’ bridges! And now— Worst of all, I have to explain to Luka babes why we had to kill three bloody nexus!”

The faux-Zelosian gestured angrily, stepping closer to the man in a way that might have left Aiden wondering if she recalled that they were in a match and he was the guy with the burning glow stick in hand. Her hands, however, swiftly grabbed her blasters once more and as the barrels just cleared the leather and durasteel holsters, she started firing. The human easily batted the bolts aside, pressing into the barrage. He spun his ghostly white saber, angling to sear the blaster pistols in half as they met at the fallen security droid’s corpse.

Diyrian evaded the blow, weaving her hands back and stepping forward between 4R-7H3R’s legs, and brought her elbow down on his outstretched arm. She dropped quickly into a roll as the opening closed fast with Aiden twisting to counter with his blackcore blade. The plasma near vibrated her skin with how close it passed. Ankles locking around one metal leg, Diy yanked the droid’s lanky appendage up with her momentum, throwing it into the former Proconsul’s leg and buckling it slightly. She followed through, coiling up and over her shoulder to pop back up in a kneel, firing towards the grunt of pain.

Aiden pivoted to follow his opponent and side stepped quickly to evade the shots fired at him. He thrusted his left arm forward and activated a small shield, angling it to protect vulnerable spots in his armor where beskar would not protect against the blaster bolts. His other hand outstretched towards Diyrian, concentrating and visualizing the Force destabilizing the muddy sand beneath her. The tightly packed grains loosened and over saturated with water.

“Ya really gonna stand there and just tank me?!” Diy called. She moved to run towards him, tired of the distance game and unafraid to dance with lightsabers.

But her feet didn’t budge.

“What the— ?!” The Kiffar glanced down and found her legs sunk up above the ankles in the mud around the waterhole. “You nerfherder—”

RROOOOAAAAAARRRRR!

The ground beneath the Arconan’s feet rumbled as the sound of breaking branches came closer. From behind Diy, a large and imposing form could be seen moving towards the two combatants.

“You’ve gotta be frackin kiddin me,” Diy muttered as she looked back at what was coming. “Just my karkin luck.”

Aiden desired his victory, but not at the cost of his Proconsul’s life. He knew she could handle the nexu, but in her current position, she was in danger. Quickly reacting to the situation, he thrust his left arm forward, a fibrecord rope firing out from his vambrace. It wrapped around Diy, securing the woman within the grappling line.

Now bound, Aiden pulled Diy free from the mud she’d begun sinking into. The Force fueled his efforts and the Kiffar was safely extracted before he pushed her away from the danger.

A large bipedal figure emerged from the trees, its large maw open in a hungry roar.

“Idris, I hate you.”

Aiden found himself face to face with a rancor. The Mandalorian considered himself lucky that it wasn’t a full-grown alpha, but it was a menacing threat nonetheless. Drool dripped down its misshapen face, clearly excited for its future meal. As the creature charged him, Aiden rolled forward and to its side, dragging his silvery white saber along the beast’s leg as he did. The rancor cried out in pain as the lightsaber cleaved along its flesh, burning and searing the limb.

Climbing to his feet, the Human turned to the animal and threw both lightsabers forward. The blades spun and arced in the air, controlled by their owner’s power, before twisting and impaling the rancor. One buried itself into the creature’s chest, and the other into its left shoulder joint. The beast howled in agony, clawing at the still-burning blades and piercing its own flesh.

Aiden felt sharp remorse flood through him. He hated causing pain unnecessarily, but this was the situation he was placed in. The negative emotions enraptured part of his mind, drawing out memories of his experiences at the Corrino Research Lab facility. Experimentally altered animals that needed to be put down, and he was one of those sent to deal with the problems. So many lives had been extinguished because of the failed experiments of the morally depraved scientists.

The recollections fueled the growing rage inside. He felt the flames within his heart expanding, the sheer power growing in strength. Behind his visor, his eyes took in the screeching rancor and he channeled the strength to his fingertips. The surging Force grew as electricity sparked in his palms. Releasing his pent-up rage, lightning exploded from his hands, cascading onto the rancor. The beast roared out as its leathery skin smoked and burned under the intense shocking assault.

Eventually, the streams of electricity stopped, and the rancor went still. Its body twitched before collapsing backward, crashing to the jungle floor. Its breath was ragged and weak, overwhelmed by the sheer pain. Aiden’s form wavered for a moment, his last attack having taken a lot out of him. Shifting his weight, he paused and took in a few deep breaths before walking towards the fallen beast.

With a slight twitch of his fingers, the two lightsabers tore free from the rancor and flew back into his grasp. The large creature groaned as the blades exited its body, but it couldn’t move. Aiden approached the animal's head. Its glazed eyes were wet with pain-fueled tears.

“I am truly sorry. You did not deserve such a fate. Your misery will end though, I promise. Return to the Force and become whole once more.”

The Mandalorian thrust the black core saber into the rancor’s skull, releasing the beast from its suffering. He felt his own eyes well up but kept his composure. A loud click from behind him reminded Aiden of where he was and why.

“It’s about time we end this, dontcha think?”

Behind him, his Proconsul stood with blasters aimed and ready. Aiden let out a loud sigh before looking up into the sky. His lust for battle seemed lesser than when the match began. While any other day, a prolonged fun bout would’ve given the Mandalorian significant satisfaction, something about the wave of emotion that overcame him had dulled his need for violence.

At least the spectators were getting a good show.

“Don’t tell me your feelin' bad bout that rancor. After what you made me do to those nexu? Or what you did to Artie?” Diy was angry about his actions in the match. She was ready to go all out and kick his ass, but Aiden was ready to end this fight. He was tired and emotionally drained.

The Mandalorian froze in place and closed his eyes, his concentration fully placed on the Kiffar behind him. Invisible tendrils of the Force pulsed away from him and entered the mind of the unaware Diyrian.

“You gonna say anything? Or shall we just get this dance over with?”

The Human’s eyes snapped open and spoke, his voice laced with mesmeric power activating the waiting tendrils.

“You will drop your weapons, and announce your resignation from this fight.”

“What are you—? ”

Diy froze in place as her mind attempted to fight Aiden’s intrusive words. The orders he gave went against her wants, her desires. Her mental fortitude was a wall attempting to resist the oncoming flood. Unfortunately for the Kiffar, the wall was overrun by the crashing waves of his will. Her hands acted on their own accord as her blasters were holstered. She raised one hand high in the air, and a smile was forced on her face. She almost didn’t recognize her own voice as it happily rang out to all who were watching the conflict.

“I give up!”

As the siren announcing the match's end sounded, and the cheers of the crowd deafening the stadium, Aiden walked over to his Proconsul. A look of shock and defeat broke across her features. He could feel her anger, her embarrassment.

“I do apologize for what I did to your droid. I shall ensure he gets fixed up, sparing no expense. You fought well, Diy. And I will follow you and our Consul to whatever end may come. Or whatever beginnings you both may bring. You have my respect.”

“Thank you,” Diy had to force the remark from her lips. She didn’t want to seem weak in front of her clanmates. “It was…a good fight.”

Without another word, the two Arconans made their way out of this jungle arena. Both could only wonder…what was next?