In 3960 BBY, a duel occurred within the aqueduct system of Tahv on Kesh, the capital city belonging to the Sith Tribe. The participants were Jelph Marrian, formerly a Jedi Shadow, and Orielle Kitai, previously a Sith Saber. Kitai, now a [slave](/article/slavery/legends] after having been a Sith, made her way to Tahv with the aspiration of leveraging Marrian's Aurek-class tactical strikefighter, which she had found concealed in his barn. Through the architect Gadin Badolfa, Kitai extended invitations to Marrian's farm for four High Lords. Subsequently, she ventured into the city's aqueduct system, relying on her familiarity with it to entice an aerial sentry, aiming to commandeer an uvak for her return to the farm. It was there that she encountered Marrian, who had arrived at the aqueduct in search of her, leading to an ambush of the former Jedi. The confrontation resulted in both individuals losing their footing in the water, and Kitai losing her lightsaber. Subsequently, Marrian managed to gain Kitai's trust, and together they made their way back to his farm. At the farm, they encountered Grand Lord Lillia Venn, who had learned about the starship from Kitai's mother, Candra.
Jelph Marrian, who was once a Covenant Shadow, found himself marooned on Kesh in 3963 BBY when his Aurek-class tactical strikefighter was ensnared by a meteor storm. Over the next three years, he secretly repaired the starfighter while earning a living as a local horticulturalist. Eventually, he entered into a romantic relationship with Orielle Kitai, a local Sith Saber and the daughter of High Lord Candra Kitai. In 3960 BBY, Kitai and her mother were unjustly accused of participating in an assassination attempt against the ruling Grand Lord Lillia Venn, leading to their demotion to the status of slaves. To escape the repercussions, Orielle sought sanctuary at Jelph's farm, which was situated along the banks of the Marisota River.
While Marrian was out hunting in the nearby jungle, Orielle received a visit from the Grand Lord's enforcers, the two Luzo brothers Flen and Sawj Luzo. They killed her uvak steed and informed her that her mother, Candra, had confessed to conspiring with the Red and Gold Factions to assassinate the Grand Lord. To further humiliate her, they confiscated her Sith lightsaber and presented her with a spade, symbolizing her new status as a slave. Orielle was deeply humiliated and distraught by this event. She flew into a rage, destroying several of Marrian's plants and possessions.
While searching through Marrian's barn, she stumbled upon his starfighter hidden beneath a pile of manure. Kitai then returned to the Sith capital, Tahv, where she informed her mother about its existence in an attempt to restore her family's former standing. Her mother advised her to notify four other High Lords through the architect Gadin Badolfa, a close family acquaintance. During her visit with her mother, Orielle seized the opportunity to steal another lightsaber from a Sith sentry she had rendered unconscious. However, Candra secretly informed Lillia about the existence of the starship in exchange for better working conditions. Unaware of her mother's secret arrangement, Kitai followed her mother's advice and went to Tahv's aqueduct, where she planned to ambush an uvak rider and steal his uvak in order to fly back to Marrian's farm.
Meanwhile, Jelph returned to his farm and quickly realized that Orielle had discovered his secret and had run away. Fearing that the Sith Tribe would endanger the wider galaxy if they rediscovered interstellar travel, he journeyed to Tahv to stop her. By the time Jelph arrived, Orielle had already informed her mother and Badolfa. While walking through the streets of Tahv, the former Jedi Shadow was disturbed by the powerful dark side presence and psychic energies emanating from the Sith inhabitants. Remembering that Kitai had told him that the city's aqueducts were her favorite place, he headed there.
Jelph and Orielle crossed paths in the aqueducts. While Jelph was using his macrobinoculars to scan the streets below, Orielle pushed him into the canal. However, the Jedi retaliated using his Force powers and lightsaber. After locating Orielle in the aqueduct's flume, he admitted that he owned the starship and that he was also a Jedi. Ori was initially angry to see him and blamed him for all the misfortunes that had befallen her. She was angry with him for withholding his offworld origins from her. Marrian admitted that the starship belonged to him and that he come from the wider galaxy. When Jelph asked Orielle what she was doing in Tahv, she told him that she had already informed her mother about the existence of Jelph's starship.
Marrian attempted to reason with Orielle by telling her that she was not power-hungry by nature unlike the other Sith. Orielle angrily retorted that she had not been herself and had succumbed to defeat. In response, Jelph replied that he had been attracted to her by her positive attributes. Orielle attempted to deny these attributes by stressing her Sith identity and her Tribe's ambitions of returning to the stars. Jelph countered by claiming that there were no more Sith in the wider galaxy. When Kitai counter-argued that Marrian's ship was a military starfighter, he acknowledged that a Sith known as Exar Kun had triggered the Great Sith War but that he and his followers had been eradicated by the Jedi. Jelph reiterated that the Tribe was the only remaining Sith community in the entire galaxy. He asked her to feel his thoughts and to sense that he was telling the truth.
When Orielle vowed that her people would fight against the Jedi, Jelph responded that the Jedi were out looking for him and that they would also eventually discover the Tribe. Marrian reasoned that as long as his former colleague Jedi Master Lucien Draay was still alive, someone in the Jedi Order would be looking for the Sith. Unable to counter Marrian's arguments, Kitai asked what she could do if she could not save her family or her people. Marrian replied that Orielle should decide to choose her own course. Kitai also commented that the two of them would never be able to trust each other after that night.
Orielle also sensed that Jelph had feelings for her. She sensed that he thought she was beautiful, desirable and trustworthy. However, she also sensed that Marrian was scrutinizing her every word in an attempt to trap her because she was as Sith. When Jelph acknowledged his feelings for her, Kitai expressed her discomfort and claimed that she was not able to live up to his expectations since she did not want to be weak and live a simple life. Jelph consoled Orielle by telling her that she could be strong but that she did not need to rule the galaxy. When Orielle replied that it was part of the Tribe's identity, Jelph countered that the Tribe was built on a lie since everyone was fighting for power, something that only one person could have. He reasoned that this was the primary reason why Sith philosophy was flawed and was doomed to failure.
Ultimately, Orielle reconciled with Jelph. She then admitted she had contacted several rival High Lords and told them that she had discovered something that would interest them. She had told them to meet her at Jelph's farm but conceded that she did not reveal the existence of the starship to them. These High Lords were supposed to meet Orielle at Jelph's farm tomorrow at sunset. Having reached an agreement that they had to hide the existence of the starship from the other Sith, Kitai and Marrian lured an uvak rider into the aqueduct with Marrian's blue lightsaber. After overpowering the Sith rider, they flew the uvak back to Jelph's farm. During their journey, Jelph and Orielle concocted a story to tell the High Lords in order to hide the starship. As part of their plan, Orielle would claim that she had found a sack of blasters, a technology unknown to the Sith. This would hopefully satisfy the visitors and possibly allow the Kitai family to regain their former status
Orielle and Jelph were pursued by several uvak riders but managed to arrive back at the farm. However, the visitors turned out to be the Grand Lord Lillia Venn herself. She had already been informed by Orielle's mother Kitai and wanted the starship for herself. However, she was stopped by Jelph who succeeded in killing the intruders by blowing up both the farm and the starfighter, destroying all evidence of his offworld existence and depriving the Tribe of a means of offworld travel. These events would be remembered as the Night of the Upside-Down Meteor.
The climax of John Jackson Miller's EBook Lost Tribe of the Sith: Sentinel, which was released on February 21, 2011, featured the Duel in the Tahv aqueduct. The story was presented from the perspective of Jelph Marrian, one of the story's central characters.