Duel on Mimban

Following a battle against Imperial forces within Mimban's jungles, aided by local inhabitants, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, alongside the Yuzzem pair Hin and Kee, and Halla, made their way to the Temple of Pomojema. Their goal was to locate and secure the Kaiburr crystal. They found the crystal inside the ceremonial statue of Pomojema with relative ease. However, their retrieval was interrupted by a large Hssiss that dwelled beneath the statue.

Luke, instructing the Yuzzem to retrieve rifles from their vehicle, engaged the creature with his lightsaber. During the extended fight, the Yuzzem never arrived. Luke then made a desperate decision, slicing through one of the temple's support columns. While the Hssiss was defeated, Luke became trapped under a sizable boulder. As preparations were made for someone to retrieve the Yuzzem, Darth Vader appeared. His intention was to seize the Force-amplifying Kaiburr crystal and capture both Luke and Leia.

Vader casually informed the rebels that he had eliminated the Yuzzem and deactivated the droids. He then digressed into a monologue about the difficulties he faced in locating Luke and confirming his identity, before igniting his lightsaber. Vader playfully swung his saber, damaging the stone walls, while subtly threatening Luke. Turning his attention to Leia, he mocked her about the "interview" she had with Governor Tarkin aboard the Death Star. This proved to be Leia's breaking point, as she grabbed Luke's lightsaber and prepared to face Vader.

Vader expressed his approval of her bravery, but dismissed her attempt as futile. Choosing to indulge her, Vader lowered his weapon arm in a deceptive maneuver. A disheartened Luke urged Leia to use the weapon to end both their lives, as he believed their situation was hopeless. However, Leia, fueled by Vader's taunts, refused to yield and launched an attack. Vader effortlessly blocked her initial strike, but Leia suddenly spun around and aimed a blow at Vader's head. Her blade actually made contact with Vader's helmet, and only the Sith Lord's extraordinary reflexes allowed him to block the attack in time.

Witnessing this, Luke began to feel a glimmer of hope and struggled to free his leg. Vader complimented Leia while acknowledging his own overconfidence and adjusted his stance. Declaring that he would not repeat his mistake, he attacked. Leia, retreating, managed to parry the first attack and the subsequent blow, but she was quickly forced into a defensive position. She was unable to launch her own offensive against Vader's relentless assault.

As the duel continued, Halla, unnoticed by the combatants, climbed the statue of Pomojema towards the crystal. Upon reaching it, she detached it from its setting and began her descent.

Just as Halla secured the crystal, Vader struck down at Leia before feinting and slashing her across her torso. As Leia instinctively reached for the wound, Vader pressed his attack, giving her no chance to recover, and slashed her across the cheek. As Leia's movements slowed due to pain and exhaustion, Vader resumed his taunting, provoking her to attack. Vader easily blocked the strike and countered, the force of his blow sending her sprawling. He swiftly slashed her across the back of her left leg as Leia attempted to stand.

Screaming, Leia rolled away from Vader and somehow managed to regain her footing, but it was evident that she was spent. As Leia retreated from Vader, Luke suddenly noticed that the rock pinning him was shifting. Looking over, he saw that a severely wounded Hin was moving it. As the critically injured Hin managed to begin moving the stone, Vader continued to torment Leia with a series of false attacks, before slashing her across the chest.

At that precise moment, Hin succeeded in freeing Luke.

Luke immediately charged towards the duelists, calling out to Leia. Despite Vader's attempt to intercept it, Leia managed to throw the lightsaber to Luke. As Luke rolled across the floor and grabbed the saber, he found himself positioned behind Vader, between the Sith Lord and the fallen Leia. When he tried to assess Leia's condition, Vader retorted that he should be more concerned about his own well-being.

Surprisingly, Luke responded that he was not concerned at all, before announcing his intention to kill Vader. As Vader mocked him, Luke declared that he was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Initially taken aback, Vader countered with the fact of Kenobi's death. Claiming that he had Kenobi and the Force on his side, Luke dared Vader to attack.

Vader charged at Luke, and as Luke evaded, Vader telekinetically hurled a piece of debris at him. Luke managed to intercept the rock with his own, significantly smaller rock. Upon impact, Vader's rock was deflected just enough by Luke's that it missed him. Praising Luke's skill, Vader continued to assert his belief in his own superior strength, claiming that "my stone was heavier. My powers are stronger."

Luke quietly retorted, before initiating his own attack. Aided by the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, he managed to push the Sith Lord back. In desperation, Vader telekinetically toppled a section of the walls onto Luke, who leapt back just in time.

Vader again complimented Luke's skill, before charging over the collapsed wall, pushing Luke back with his relentless combination of lightsaber attacks and telekinetic assaults. As the two circled in the center of the temple, Leia finally succumbed to her injuries and lost consciousness. During a brief lull in their combat, Vader acknowledged that Kenobi had trained Luke well, well enough to pose a challenge for Vader. But Vader quickly added that he enjoyed a challenge. As Luke responded, Vader suddenly leapt into the air and hurled his lightsaber at Luke.

Luke managed to block the lightsaber, but the kinetic energy of the throw proved sufficient to disarm him, sending both of their lightsabers sliding towards a sacrificial well within the temple.

As the duel progressed, Vader had come to the realization that the Kaiburr crystal was not only enhancing both his and Luke's connection to the Force, but also causing him to lose control of his anger. Vader had arrived on Mimban intending only to capture Luke and Leia, but had ultimately nearly tortured Leia to death and was now actively trying to kill Luke. With his emotional control and powers affected by his proximity to the crystal, Vader unleashed a sphere of "Force energized lightning" at Luke.

Operating purely on instinct, Luke was able to deflect the lightning back at Vader, who was knocked off his feet. As a stunned Vader rolled onto his side, Luke crawled towards his lightsaber. As both of them retrieved their lightsabers, Luke attacked, knocking aside the Sith Lord's block and severing his right arm. Luke dropped the lightsaber and collapsed, completely exhausted, his power and Kenobi's power pushed to their limits.

Vader, also incredibly fatigued, managed to remain standing. Stumbling towards his severed arm, the Sith Lord calmly retrieved his saber from its lifeless, mechanical grip. As Vader raised his weapon in his left hand to deliver the killing blow, the unbelievable occurred. Darth Vader, in his exhausted and disoriented state, lost his balance and tripped over his own arm, falling into the sacrificial well of the temple, his fall punctuated by his inhuman scream.

However, Vader survived the fall, regaining consciousness more than an hour after hitting the bottom of the well.

As Luke dragged himself towards Leia, he encountered Halla. Admitting that she was a fraud with no real understanding of the Force, Halla gave the Kaiburr crystal to Luke. As Halla turned away, cursing herself, she noticed that the crystal was emitting light. Unconsciously, Luke was using the crystal to heal both himself and Leia. As he was rejuvenated and her wounds closed, Halla watched in amazement. Now in possession of the crystal, the group departed from the temple, reactivating the droids and leaving.

Unfortunately, the Kaiburr crystal's ability to amplify the Force was contingent upon its proximity to the Temple of Pomojema. As the distance from the temple increased, its power diminished. Eventually, the crystal became little more than a curiosity in Luke Skywalker's possession, although he did experiment with it, using a fragment of it as a lightsaber crystal. The resulting blade was exceptionally strong and energy efficient.