The battle between Darth Malthael and Master Yoda continued, but Malthael had only been stalling for time, with no intention of confronting Master Yoda head-on.
Time was on his side. The longer he delayed, the greater Bangjila-Ulan's chances of taking control of Rendili Planet, and the more time there would be for the Confederacy of Independent Systems' reinforcements to arrive.
In fact, even on this battlefield, dragging things out was enormously advantageous to him.
In the vacuum of space, Master Yoda had to endure the double weakening effects of the vacuum and the Death Force while fighting him. If Master Yoda had been even a hundred years younger, his mastery of the Force would have allowed him to fear no such environment. But now, with his lifespan nearly at its end, this double drain was more than he could bear.
Moreover, Master Yoda was not in good condition to begin with. Earlier, he had forcibly opened a hyperspace route to the Modell Sector, and the strain had pushed his body further beyond its limits. His situation was now growing worse by the moment.
He not only had to use the Force to shield himself from the vacuum, but also to resist Darth Malthael's Death Force!
"Your true enemy was never me, Master Yoda." Darth Malthael sent his voice directly into Master Yoda's ear through the Force. "You ignored Darth Sidious, who is sucking the lifeblood from the heart of the Republic, yet came here to fight me to the death... Have you forgotten your true mission over such a pointless clash of pride?"
"Destroyed, all Sith Lords must be," Master Yoda said firmly. "Restored, balance to the river of the Force shall be."
"Have you considered that even if you truly kill me here, the increasingly powerful Light Side Force