Previous Skirmish in the Shock Drum Facility[1] Next Skirmish in the Dune Sea mining complex[2] Duel on the Esus Mesa Conflict Mission to Tatooine, Desolator crisis[3] Date 3,643 BBY[4] Place Esus Mesa, Tatooine[3] Outcome Praven joins the Jedi Order[3] Praven gives the Jedi Knight the Shock Drum codes[3] Combatants Sith Empire[3] Jedi Order[3] Strength 1 Sith Lord[3] 1 Jedi Knight[3] 1 companion[3] Casualties None[3] None[3] [Source]

During the Sith Lord Darth Angral's crusade of revenge against the Galactic Republic for the death of his son Tarnis in 3,643 BBY, a duel occurred on the planet Tatooine between Angral's apprentice Lord Praven and the young Jedi Knight who had slain Tarnis. Desiring justice for Tarnis' death but disagreeing with his Master's dishonorable order to destroy the deactivation codes for the Shock Drum superweapon and therefore prevent the Jedi from stopping the active weapon from destroying Tatooine, Praven challenged the Knight to a duel for the codes on the Esus Mesa in the Jundland Mountains. The duel ended with Praven's defeat at the hands of the Knight, but the Jedi refused to kill the honorable warrior and convinced him to abandon the ways of the Sith and become a Jedi, and the Knight then departed to the Dune Sea region in order to deactivate the Shock Drum weapon while Praven surrendered himself to the Jedi Order.

The duelEdit

The Jedi was attempting to deactivate the stolen Republic superweapon known as the Shock Drum, and Praven had offered to give up the deactivation codes if the Knight could defeat him. After receiving Praven's offer, the Knight and their Padawan Kira Carsen traveled into the rock formations separating the Jundland Wastes and the Dune Sea on Tatooine. They arrived at the Esus Mesa, where they found the Sith Lord waiting for them.^[5]

Praven informed the Knight that he was Tarnis' master, and that he should have trained his apprentice better. The Knight attempted to convince the Massassi to turn away from the dark side, appealing to the Sith's strong values of honor and courage, but Praven believed that the Jedi and the Sith held no common ground. Forced to duel, the Knight and their Padawan were able to defeat Praven, but the Jedi refused to strike down the wounded Sith.^[5]

The Jedi appealed to Praven again, asking him to reject the dark side and embrace the light. The Knight swore to him that he would be accepted into the ranks of the Jedi Order, and that his past did not matter—only his choices now. The Knight very well may have been drawing on their recent experiences, as their own Padawan had just been revealed to be a former Child of the Emperor.^[5]

Convinced, Praven accepted the Knight's offer, and gave them the deactivation codes as per their agreement. He told the pair that he would contact the Republic and the Jedi, as he was too injured to aid the Knight. The Jedi continued on into the Dune Sea, determined to destroy the Shock Drum.^[5]

Behind the scenesEdit

The duel on the Esus Mesa appears in Star Wars: The Old Republic, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game released by BioWare on December 20, 2011. The mission "Desert Duel" serves as the first major boss battle on the planet Tatooine for the Jedi Knight class, followed by the battle with the sand demon in the Shock Drum facility.^[5] Robert Chestney developed the scenario behind the mission, and Hall Hood wrote the dialogue for the conversation.^[6]

AppearancesEdit

• Star Wars: The Old Republic (First appearance)

Notes and referencesEdit