The lightsaber duel known as the Duel at The Home unfolded in the year 40 ABY. This confrontation involved Jedi Knights Jacen Solo and Nelani Dinn, and it was masterminded by Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith. The setting for this duel was The Home, a asteroid-based mansion that formerly belonged to Darth Vectivus, an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith. It was within these walls that Lumiya successfully swayed Jacen to embrace the Sith path, convincing him it was the only way to safeguard the galaxy from the pervasive chaos he perceived.
This duel marked the climax of a series of events that originated with an investigation into the origins of peculiar tassels. These tassels, discovered by Jaina Solo on the recently attacked Toryaz space station, were imbued with indecipherable Force energies. The quest to unravel their meaning, spearheaded by her brother Jacen and his apprentice Ben Skywalker, eventually led them to the planet Lorrd, renowned throughout the galaxy as a hub of scholarly pursuit. Upon arriving on the planet's surface, they joined forces with the Jedi Nelani Dinn, who guided them toward a specialist in the field of language decryption.
Nelani Dinn, a Jedi Knight who had crossed paths with Jacen around 33 ABY and received training in lightsaber combat from him, was present during Lumiya's attempt to corrupt him to the dark side. She intervened by engaging Lumiya in combat. Amidst his internal turmoil, Jacen turned against Nelani, driven by a Force vision foretelling the death of Luke Skywalker should Dinn remain alive. The duel culminated in Jacen impaling her with his lightsaber, resulting in her demise. In her triumph, Lumiya looked upon Jacen Solo, as he accepted her offer to lead him down the path of the dark side of the Force.
Jacen Solo, a celebrated Jedi Knight and hero of the galaxy, embarked on a mission to decipher the meaning of some odd tassels discovered by his sister, Jaina Solo. Upon receiving them from his twin, he immediately sensed a connection through the Force. While at Toryaz Station, Jacen consulted with the Twi'lek scholar For'ali via holocam, who translated one of the tassel strands as, "he will strengthen himself through pain". Unable to decipher the remaining eleven strands, For'ali suggested that the Jedi travel to the planet Lorrd, a well-known center of knowledge. Accompanied by his cousin Ben Skywalker, Jacen journeyed to Lorrd, hoping to uncover the hidden meanings.
Upon their arrival, Solo and Skywalker met Nelani Dinn, the Jedi Knight stationed on Lorrd. Nelani informed them that Dr. Heilan Rotham, a Lorrdian scholar, could assist in deciphering the tassels. She subsequently led her fellow Jedi to Dr. Rotham, who decoded the tassels one by one. As she explained them, Jacen began to perceive an underlying Sith philosophy within their meanings. He also noticed that Dr. Rotham omitted a tan tassel adorned with jagged black designs. When questioned, Dr. Rotham could only discern that the inscriptions resembled writings she had encountered from the Sith world of Ziost. To everyone's surprise, Jacen, through the Force, deciphered their meaning as, "He will be drawn from peace into conflict". Jacen then revealed that he believed the tassels were, in fact, referring to him.
Following their departure from Dr. Rotham, Ben informed Jacen and Nelani about the escaped shuttle from Toryaz station. These events turned out to be Lumiya testing Jacen on if he would deal with such situations like a Sith. Ben later discovered a shuttle that had fled Toryaz Station, leading them to a woman named Brisha Syo. Upon Brisha's capture, she refused to cooperate unless Jacen accompanied her to The Home. Intrigued by the tassels that the woman claimed to have left specifically for him, Jacen agreed. Despite Ben and Nelani's suspicions of a trap, they agreed to accompany him.
Brisha, who was actually Lumiya, transported the three Jedi to her asteroid home and revealed it to be the lair of a Sith Lord known as Darth Vectivus. The four descended into the caverns to confront Vectivus, where Lumiya managed to separate Nelani and Ben from the mining wagons they were using for transportation. While Ben and Nelani battled Force phantoms created by Lumiya, Jacen and Lumiya proceeded to the lower levels to confront the Sith.
While the Force phantoms occupied the other Jedi, Lumiya provided Jacen with a tour of Darth Vectivus's mansion, elucidating that a true Sith was not necessarily inherently evil and could be someone who made sacrifices to save the galaxy. Jacen soon discerned that Lumiya's objective was to persuade him to embrace the path of a Sith Lord. Lumiya asserted that Palpatine was a power-hungry psychopath and Darth Vader was too much of a machine to be a true Sith Master.
She proclaimed that it was his destiny to become the first active Dark Lord of the Sith in decades. Nelani then entered and urged Jacen to apprehend Lumiya. Jacen, still curious to hear her out, allowed her to continue. Lumiya then disclosed that Jacen's mentor during the Yuuzhan Vong War, Vergere, had secretly provided him with Sith training. As Jacen appeared to be considering Lumiya's claims, he instructed Nelani to watch the Dark Lady while he attempted to locate the unconscious Ben. However, Lumiya dissuaded Jacen, stating that bringing Ben there was unwise; she foresaw in the Force that one of those present would perish, and bringing Ben would only increase the likelihood of him being the one. To his dismay, Jacen sensed the truth in Lumiya's words through the Force as well.
As Lumiya continued her persuasion, Nelani arrived and revealed herself, attempting to sway Jacen back to the light. He remained unmoved by Nelani's pleas, as Lumiya persisted in her seduction. When Nelani could no longer bear it, she interrupted the Dark Lady and launched an attack. However, Lumiya easily countered, revealing her previously concealed lightwhip from within her prosthetic leg. Suddenly activating it, Lumiya lashed out with her whip, the first strike slightly cutting Nelani's face. The Jedi woman maintained her attack, and Lumiya flicked the strands of her lightwhip around Nelani's blade, this time cutting her chest and right biceps. Throughout the exchange, Lumiya continued to explain to Jacen the flaws of the Jedi, as Nelani cried out in pain. Nelani then began to hurl busts of Vectivus's family at Lumiya. Lumiya intercepted the second bust she threw, and the two struggled to push the statue back and forth, but neither gained an advantage.
Lumiya seized the opportunity to tell Jacen that he was the only one who could bring peace to the galaxy. Jacen questioned her about the Sith in Luke Skywalker's dream, the man that "didn't exist". Lumiya explained that the "Dark Man" was him, that Jacen would one day become him. Unable to hold onto the bust any longer, Nelani sent it crashing into her chest, causing her to drop her lightwhip. As Nelani lunged to finish her off, Jacen intercepted her blade with his own and told her Lumiya had no power over him.
Nelani deactivated her lightsaber and attempted to arrest Lumiya. As this occurred, Jacen experienced Force visions that invariably began with Nelani living and arresting Lumiya and ended with him killing his uncle Luke. Returning to the present, he saw Nelani leading Lumiya away with stun cuffs around her wrists. Jacen ignited his lightsaber and severed the cuffs, realizing that he had to kill Nelani.
Sensing his intent, Nelani looked at him and fled. Jacen pursued her, searching for her in the Force. She was moving toward him in a kicking motion, and Jacen's lightsaber struck her inner thigh. Jacen approached the wounded Nelani, and after a brief exchange, apologized before delivering the fatal blow.
Jacen's dilemma of either allowing a Sith Lord to be arrested or joining the Sith Order mirrors the Showdown on Coruscant, where Anakin Skywalker permitted Palpatine to kill Mace Windu and joined the Order of the Sith Lords to protect the one he loved.