The Vertical City, Nar Shaddaa. They call it the Smuggler's Moon—an apt description based on the myriad of sentients shuffling back and forth with their illegal wares and hidden weapons. The narrow streets below criss-cross endlessly, soaring miles above the planet's surface. Exposed and uncovered, the streets offer a nearly perfect setting for someone with some skills with ranged weapons. From a vantage point on the ledge of a towering structure of glass and steel offers a dizzying view of the cityscape.

Simple shops and merchants peddle both legitimate and illegitimate wares. Storefronts are just as plentiful as open-market pop-up tents, and the cantina's adapt the same lowlife air as the rest of the Smuggler's Moon. Enemies could be hidden in plain sight, whether one of the Hutts’ gangsters or mercenaries-for-hire looking to earn some credits. The streets are plagued with violent gangs and the general riff raff of the poor and destitute. The streets may be an ideal place for blasters, but the winding streets are difficult to disappear from. An opponent would be easily boxed in and simple to finish with a few quick slashes of a lightsaber. The moon is dangerous—even for one gifted in the Force.

The Smuggler’s Moon, possibly the only place in the whole galaxy that rivalled Tatooine for the dubious honour of being the most despicable home of scum and mischief. Kul’tak Drol would belong here if he weren't a Sith. Shadows made this planet their home, infesting the city world, if Kul had a spiritual home, it would be Nar Shaddaa. He was surprised that Kelly would arrange their second bout to be held in a location that seemingly provided the Zabrak male with a significant advantage. There had to be some kind of plan in mind, he thought to himself as he made his way to the coordinates provided in the message he had been sent. Out of the corner of his eye, the Knight spotted something. A potential shortcut that would save time and energy without risking exposing himself as a user of the Force. This was not a planet safe for anyone, particularly those with the Force. The native of Iridonia wore his usual black hooded cloak over an ensemble of black armour, the most notable exception was the red symbol of Plagueis ornamented on his belt.

Kelly Mendes needed to prove herself once again, she had found an ideal opponent against which to do so, the Zabrak that had come up on the losing end of their previous conflict. This wasn’t the same Kelly that Kul had fought on Karufr, completely revamping the way she fought as well as her wardrobe. Her knee height purple boots complimented her mainly purple attire though there were hints of black and gold that had been thrown in to give it a more complete look. A pair of new lightsabers were hooked on the left and right-hand sides of her belt and hung down. Better weaponry, a more captivating style, she had progressed while from what she had seen her upcoming opponent had not.

The fight for Aliso had barely finished and yet two people who had been on the same team found themselves heading towards a meeting that both were confident of achieving success in. The Savant was sure to arrive early, didn’t want to keep her victory waiting too long, she could also make sure that the Shadow couldn’t sneak up on her from behind to gain an early advantage. Though being punctual was something she knew he had to be at least trying to improve on with his appointment as a Battleteam Leader it took several minutes for her unforgettable horned adversary to appear.

Kul saw Kelly at the bottom of the alleyway, back against the wall, much like he hoped it would be during the fight. He took a single step towards his foe and stopped. His hand found its way to the hilt of his weapon and wrapped itself around it as it was lifted from his belt and into his preferred right hand. The hood was raised to show the trademark horns that were synonymous with the Zabrak. Kelly seemed to understand that this meant Kul was preparing to begin his assault. A wry smile spread its way across her face in response to the gesture.

Kelly responded in kind with the raising of her own hood. This was shortly followed by the lightsabers being unhooked from her belt slowly, as to see if her opponent attempted to rush her before she could adequately prepare. He stood still. He was obviously aware of what she was trying to do, bait him into ending his chances before he even swung his lightsaber. Unsure as to whether or not she should taunt him into action as she had in their previous skirmish she decided it was at least worth a try. “Oh, Kul’tak, you finally came, not very fitting to be late, the Dread Lord hates that, oooh maybe after we’re done here he will show you the mercy of never having to face me again. I’m not as weak as I was when we last fought. I’m so much more powerful the beating you received last time will feel like a massage compared to what I have in store for you.”

Kul just brushed it off, he had been too eager to fall for the bait last time. He had to be more mentally resilient and end the physical confrontation as quick as he could, if the last bout was any indication, Kelly could maintain her strength and speed for a much longer amount of time than he could. There was an extra weapon in the hand that had been empty in the last fight. It featured a bright cobalt hilt, the blade was presumably red so as to give some acknowledgement to the side of the Force both combatants favoured. Two red blades and one yellow blade were ignited as the warriors prepared for war.

It was the Human female who made the first move towards starting the process that would determine the better fighter.Her lightsaber blades pointing away from the Knight due to her use of the reverse grip. She moved her legs so that they formed a diagonal line, with her left foot being the closest to the Zabrak. She eagerly awaited the next move of her opponent.

Kul’s right hand was now tightly wrapped around the hilt of his lightsaber. Eager for the battle to begin, he began advancing on his enemy, who responded in kind. Kul drew back his lightsaber before unleashing a mighty blow. Perhaps in an attempt to win promptly, Kelly raised her yellow bladed lightsaber to block and brought her blue hilted weapon to strike at the Zabrak’s torso. With a little glance downwards the Iridonian native saw what his opponent was attempting and took a couple of steps back after pulling his weapon out of the blade lock. Just like the last time, this would not be an easy bout to win for either of them.

Kul landed softly on the balls of his feet, rocking back into a balanced stance. Kelly’s new approach to combat was certainly going to be a challenge. That secondary blade had come closer than he liked. Fortunately, it did not appear his fellow Plagueian had noticed or she might have pushed the advantage. Perhaps she was still getting used to her new style. A possible weakness amidst all her daunting strengths. The challenge called out to the visceral desire in Kul’s hearts. There was no better feeling than the rush of power he needed to bring forth to combat a stronger opponent. It was...intoxicating.

The Zabrak found his rhythm again as his body swayed side to side. He stalked towards his quarry, still confident he could exact revenge for his previous bout with her. The long shadows in the alley caressed his crimson face, and he embraced their comforting touch. His right hand began to think for itself and spun his saber to a reverse grip in parallel with his opponent’s. His left curled into a ball and crackled at the joints. He knew he needed to conserve energy, so he took what ground he could before she struck. He hoped in her own confidence she might retaliate to a feint. She struck so readily before, and her eagerness would be his tool to survive.

With a swift movement, Kul dashed into Kelly’s reach, and like a moth to flame she responded. In the tight quarters of the alleyway movement was restricted. As she came at him, the Savant’s sabers flashed and carved into the walls on either side. She brought them over her head and attempted to channel the downward force and slice Kul from shoulders to waist. He evaded the blows by throwing himself against the wall. Raising a gauntlet, he grabbed Kelly’s overextended left hand with his own and drove his foot into her side, forcing her to take a few steps backwards. A grin of his own appeared at the look on her face.

“You may be stronger than before, Kelly, but I have not sat idly by. I continue to learn. To grow. Come, Demon of Florrum, and I’ll show you how a real warrior fights,” he growled to her.

Kelly tried to hide the displeasure she felt at being tricked so simply. She ached to put the Journeyman in his place, but she knew such a reckless action would only jeopardize herself again. The Zabrak was indeed a worthy opponent. His prowess in close quarters would outmatch her own only if it became a battle of fists. She would need to keep him at enough range to keep her advantage with the saber. Perhaps then she could utilize her strengths efficiently. Time to switch it up.

Kelly delicately spun her sabers back into a neutral position, blades tilted towards Kul’tak. With a sneer befitting a Demon, she launched her assault. Instead of swirling attacks meant to slice she instead tried to overwhelm him with sharp jabs. With limited space for evasive action, Kul was forced back in his defense. He tried to hold firm, knowing full well the advantage he had in such a locale, but the Savant was skilled. It took everything he had just to avoid being gored by her blades. He found himself bending his body in stretched positions in order to dodge her. As a blade flashed by his hood, close enough he could see the surging yellow plasma within, he decided a risk might be necessary to remain in control.

As Kelly drew back one blade and struck with the other, Kul made his move. He deflected her blade with his own and slipped in between the spaces of her arms. Before she could adapt he grabbed her head from behind. Then aggressively rammed his own into it. Their skulls collided with a crack and Kelly lost some of the strength in her legs, collapsing to a knee from the blow. Kul himself fell back and rubbed his forehead with an agonized look. The pain was fleeting for him, as his two hearts pumped to dull it quickly. Still, it did hurt.

“Nobody wins in a headbash. Ugggh.”

As they both struggled to see past the stars encircling their heads they slowly rose to their feet. Kul could feel the anger writhing inside Kelly, and he realized how ironic the situation was. Normally he would be the one to burst into an emotional state, but here he was rather calm and collected. Was it because he had fought beside her recently? He did not know, but instead decided to strike while clarity was his ally. He raised his left hand and called upon the raw power of the Force. It responded with a crackling emergence as tendrils of electrical energy surged from his fingertips. Seeking a willing conduit, it surged forth towards Kelly, urged on by Kul’s desire to see the battle ended. The burst of power smashed into the Savant, and Kul grinned expectantly. However, his smile quickly fled as he witnessed the thrashing current coalesce into a single point: a ball of energy held in Kelly’s open palm. He sabers lay beside her now, unneeded weight for the precision she required.

“Aw, Sithspit.”

Kul turned to run, but was already in the path of Kelly’s retaliation. With a shove, the Savant launched the energy back at her opponent, followed by an equal gesture with her opposite hand. Managing a roll, the Zabrak successfully dodged the streaking blue-white voltage. He did not dodge the telekinetic blast.

The alleyway burst into dust and debris, hunks of duracrete and alloy steels exploding out into the open street. Kul’s body was ejected along with the bits of alley where he rolled several meters before stopping. His body complained in agony and his sturdy resilience to pain struggled to kick in. Feeling around briefly, he realized he had lost his saber in the tumult, as well. He was going to take the time to sigh, but instead rolled to his left with wide eyes. The ground where he’d been sparked as Kelly landed with her sabers. In the swirling atmosphere of the dust, the shadows upon her gave her a grim look. Kul fully understood now why she’d been called a demon.

Kelly smiled as she saw the destruction she had wrought. It was beautiful and deserving of a moment to be admired.In the chaos, it appeared as if Kul’tak had lost his lightsaber. The red blade of his weapon smothered by the debris.Luckily for him at least, his opponent was taking the time to rid herself of the adverse effects caused by the clash of heads the two had shortly before Kelly unleashed her destructive power. Knowing that time as temporarily on his side, the Zabrak extended his right arm and focused his mind on his lightsaber. Feeling it call to him he managed to dislodge it from some of the rubble. The Knight rushed over to pick up his weapon. He wouldn’t be able to last too long against two blades if he was weaponless.

Kelly, seeing that her opponent had finally managed to find his weapon, began to advance towards him with a deliberately slow pace. If her adversary thought he would be able to use his pace get in and strike at her, he would be in for a brutal possibly deadly surprise. However, Kelly was surprised to find that her adversary was also advancing towards her with a patient and calm demeanour she was not used to seeing from her opponent. The jabbing style seemed to be more tactically useful in the current situation than her usual broad, sweeping strokes given the confines of the alley.

Kul saw the surprise on Kelly’s face and a confident grin spread across his crimson face. His right hand firmly wrapped around the hilt of his lightsaber. The Knight was ready to begin fighting again. So was his opponent, who had deactivated the lightsaber and hooked back onto her belt the lightsaber that had occupied her right hand. This new weapon caught Kul by surprise, but he had to adapt or face defeat once more. Red and yellow blades clashed, the owners throwing their strength into the strike. Kelly moved her feet quickly backwards in a dynamic, agile and evasive manner. She was now free from Kul but needed to create an advantage or wait until one presented itself.

Kul couldn’t keep up an intense battle for as long as the Savant and both of them knew it, which made Kul want to try and end it quickly but he had to temper this with caution. A sudden movement could end up costing him more than his pride. The Iridonian native lunged forward in a swift fashion, aiming to land a blow anywhere on his opponent. The arm was the preferred target with Kul’s lightsaber viciously thrashing towards the Nar Shaddaa skyline. Kelly arched her arm to avoid the strike at an inhuman speed. This was suddenly followed by a quick sidestep that sent the Zabrak past her and with his back to her temporarily. Both combatants turned to face each other, Kul in a more practical way than the flowery show of confidence in the pirouette performed by the woman who was becoming increasingly referred to as the Demon of Florrum for her actions during the war with Odan-Urr.

It was becoming apparent that Kelly wanted to end the conflict sooner rather than later when she once again drew her secondary lightsaber into her right hand and reignited the blade. The duracrete pavement provided an opportunity to be seized. The lightsaber in Kelly’s right hand was pointed at the floor in a reverse grip, with Kell’s right hand being firmly wrapped around the bottom of the blue hilt, just short of the pommel. Sparks flew in the direction of the Zabrak male as Kelly’s right arm would swoop down before being swung upwards, allowing the blade of the lightsaber to aim the sparks towards Kul’tak. This strategy allowed her to keep advancing while also forcing her opponent to keep backpedalling and risk ending up backed into a corner.

Kul was becoming ever more frustrated by his failure to put his opponent down. To add to that, he had to keep moving closer towards a dead-end. The sparks were coming in thick and fast. Surely Kelly had to stop at some point if only to try and finish him off. The sparks stopped but the onslaught did not. Kelly threw her strength into each and every blow, hoping to force Kul’s lightsaber from his hand to leave him at her mercy. Kul held on as power attack after power attack weakened his usually resolute grip with both lightsabers coming down at once to finally disarm the Zabrak. The battle was not yet lost however as Kul threw his right leg in a flashy yet still aggressive manner to land on the inside of Kelly’s left leg. The unexpected move caught the Savant by surprise and dropped her to a single knee. Eager to press his new found advantage, Kul planted his left hand into the ground and raised his right leg high enough to kick Kelly square in the head. She slumped to the floor, and her Zabrak opponent stood over her collapsed body victorious. Now he just had to move her, if he just left her some local scum would steal her possessions and Kul couldn’t have that. She would need all the equipment and maybe even an expanded repertoire to defeat him in the battle to determine once and for all which of them was the better fighter.