In the year 137 ABY, a confrontation occurred within the Imperial Mission temple courtyard on the planet Socorro. This confrontation was a duel between Darth Talon, a member of the Sith Hand, and Elke Vetter, an Imperial Knight. Vetter, along with Princess Marasiah Fel from the Empire-in-exile, was on a mission to identify loyalists to exiled Emperor Roan Fel (Marasiah's father) within Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire. They were welcomed at the temple by Imperial Missionary Astraal Vao.
Upon learning this, Darth Krayt, a Sith Lord, dispatched Talon to Socorro with the intention of forcing Marasiah to flee. Krayt hoped this would ultimately lead his One Sith to Roan Fel. Talon initiated a fire within the temple, and as Marasiah and Vao made their escape, Talon engaged Vetter in combat. Talon emerged victorious by removing the Imperial Knight's left hand and then impaling her thigh utilizing her lightsaber. Subsequently, Talon employed the Force to extract the Princess's destination from Vetter's mind before ending her life with Force lightning.
After seizing the Imperial throne from Emperor Roan Fel in 130 ABY and forcing him into exile, Darth Krayt, the Sith Lord, dedicated seven years to deploying his new Galactic Empire's forces to pursue both Fel and his daughter, Princess Marasiah. The Princess frequently evaded Krayt's agents with assistance from Astraal Vao, an Imperial Missionary. Despite the Imperial Mission's allegiance to Krayt's Empire, Vao was a trusted ally of Marasiah and consistently defied the Empire to aid her.
In 137 ABY, amidst the Second Imperial Civil War between Krayt's forces and Fel's Empire-in-exile, Marasiah, accompanied by her bodyguard [Elke Vetter](/article/elke_vetter], an Imperial Knight, journeyed to the planet Socorro. Their objective was to identify those within Krayt's Empire who remained loyal to Marasiah's father. Vao welcomed them into the Imperial Mission temple situated on Socorro. Upon receiving news of the Princess's presence, Krayt dispatched Darth Talon, his most recent Sith Hand, to drive Marasiah from the temple, hoping she would lead Krayt's One Sith to her father.
Upon arriving on Socorro, Talon ignited a fire within the Imperial Mission Temple, prompting Marasiah and Vao to flee while Vetter confronted the Sith Hand in lightsaber combat. The two fought in the burning temple's courtyard until Talon removed her adversary's left hand at the wrist, followed by a piercing blow to Vetter's right thigh and a kick to her chest. Vetter dropped her lightsaber and fell, satisfied that Marasiah had escaped. However, Talon revealed that this was her intention, then used the Force to extract knowledge of the Princess's destination from Vetter's mind. Subsequently, she ended the Imperial Knight's life with a surge of Force lightning.
Marasiah sensed Vetter's demise through the Force and initially intended to turn back and avenge her bodyguard. However, Vao persuaded her to honor Vetter's sacrifice and continue their escape. Vao later contacted her brother, Shado Vao, a Jedi Knight, and arranged a meeting on the planet Vendaxa. They secured passage offworld aboard the pirate ship Mynock, but Talon, already aware of their destination, pursued them there. When the Sith Hand attacked the group, Marasiah fought with great determination to prevent Talon from harming another who had defended her. News of Vetter's death and Marasiah's escape reached Roan Fel's ears on his new fortified world of Bastion, but he suppressed the urge to launch a rescue mission to maintain the secrecy of his recent capture of Bastion. Antares Draco, an Imperial Knight who harbored feelings for the Princess, defied Fel's orders and departed for Vendaxa with his comrade Ganner Krieg.
The clash between Darth Talon and Elke Vetter is depicted in the second edition of the Star Wars: Legacy comic book series, authored by John Ostrander and illustrated by Jan Duursema. This edition was published in July of 2006. The confrontation shows Talon severing Vetter's hand, but the thirteenth edition of Legacy later revealed that all Imperial Knights wear cortosis gauntlets resistant to lightsabers on their wrists. In 2010, Duursema confirmed that Vetter's hand was severed at a point beyond the gauntlet's protective area.