In the cold grip of space, they moved as one, none taking lead or falling behind. For right now, the Separatist fleet could afford a slip-up. And in the center of the group, was the Enforcer, Count Dooku's own personal flagship. An entirely droid occupied craft, lest the Sith Lord declared otherwise. And a certain feature he enjoyed greatly was the lack of security cameras in the back.
The windowless room was dimly lit, a single strip of a pale yellow light stretching along top the four claustrophobic steel walls. Though was illuminated by a bright blue flash, as lightning shot from Dooku's wrinkled hands and slammed into his disciple, Asajj Ventress, invoking another terrible yelp as she fell to the floor.
Her body tingled through stinging pain while her burnt lungs begged for fresh air. For a moment nothing happened, letting Asajj believe the torture was done. But was quickly proved wrong when another burst hit her as she tried to roll to her feet.
"You fail me, Ventress," Dooku said, his voice echoing off the wall as he lowered his arm. "Time and time again. Perhaps you aren't worthy of being my apprentice."
Though her vision was clouded, Asajj looked up at him, catching a glimmer of the curved metallic cylinder hanging next to his weapon on his belt.
Her lightsaber. The one she had lost in her battle with Kenobi, and the one Dooku had sent his droids to collect before leaving the Teth system. He caught this, and rested a hand on its pommel. "You don't deserve this," He raised his arm up, fingers pointed straight at her. "not anymore." Blue lightning arced through his fingertips and knocked her back down.
If she could speak, Asajj wasn't sure she would beg for this to end. But probably wasn't far off. He taunted her further as he approached.
"Such potential, wasted." Dooku scolded, keeping his arm aloft. "A shame." Lightning coursed through his fingers—
But it never reached Ventress, as the Dark Jedi pulled her first lightsaber from her torn belt and caught the blue/violet sparks on the red blade. The lightning continued for a few moments before dissipating. Dooku lowered his arm slowly, with a strange sense of calm on his face. This pause that Asajj knew would be temporary allowed her to rest her frail arms. The active weapon was heavier then what she was used to, like she was hefting a massive steel pipe instead of a hilt with a weightless energy blade.
"So this is how you wish it to end?" Dooku asked plainly, his expression hiding whatever emotions were bubbling under the surface. Yes, she wanted to answer, but couldn't. If she was going to die, it was going to be with a lightsaber in hand. "So be it." He grabbed the curved hilt next to hers and activated the crimson blade in a single elegant move. He stood for a moment, and then charged.
Asajj had seen him fight, of course, in their sparring sessions. But never had she had the honor of seeing him actually mean it. His blade was an extension of himself; lethal yet cunning. The strikes were all carefully coordinated, meaning to knock her off balance, and almost succeeded more then once, but she grudgingly got her own blade up to stop it.
And ten seconds into the fight, Dooku stopped playing with her.
In the span of three heartbeats, he burned the tip of his saber into her body a half a dozen times, including her arms, belly, and once in her lower earlobe. She staggered back, but refused to fall to him again, though did need to brace herself against the wall behind her. Asajj watched as the Count approached slowly, lightsaber in one hand with its tip pointed at her and blue sparks beginning to engulf the other. Beads of sweat prickled down her forehead as her heel hit the wall.
A quick thought flashed through her mind, and with her exceedingly limited options, decided to use it. Stretching out with the Force, she threw herself up, binding the soles of her feet to the cool steel. Asajj had to catch a quick breath before beginning her sprint along the wall. Dooku was on her, casting the lightning from his hand and having to whip his body around to keep up, but to no avail as it stayed centimeters behind the blur that was her feet. Light conduit after light conduit shattered in cascade of bright sparks, disappearing before reaching the floor. The last one exploded, and after the initial flash, Dooku was left standing in the center of the room with only the faint glow of his lightsaber to give him his sight.
He disconnected the metal flaps of his cape as he turned his head from one side to the other, shrugging it off his shoulders and finding no sign of Ventress. In neither the edges of his weak, crimson-tinted vision or in the Force.
She watched wearily from her corner in the ceiling, trying to conceal her presence or make herself 'small' in the Force. Dooku's nostrils flared slightly, and immediately Asajj silently inhaled the air, and almost sighed in relief; the strong odor of ozone had mixed with the lingering stench of spoiled meat from her burns.
Asajj released her grip, falling and landing on the soles of her heels and proceeding against the wall, just outside the red glow's reach. Dooku turned his back to her, and despite the nagging precautious voice in the back of her head telling her otherwise, Asajj knew this would probably be her best, possibly only, opening. Curved lightsaber in hand, she leapt at him.
But either he heard her or sensed her, as Dooku whipped around to catch a freshly-ignited crimson blade on his own, centimeters from his head.
She grimaced. There was nowhere for her to run now, and Ventress doubted Dooku would fall for the same trick twice. Few Sith Lord's ever did. But like her promise, if she was going to perish here in this room, it'd be fighting. She pressed the attack, pouring anything she could dig up into her strikes, surface pain and inner pain from her past memories. Her moves were sloppy, but it was enough to drive Dooku back to the wall behind him. But that was it.
With a flick of his wrist, he knocked her weapon from her hands, sending it skidding across the room and Asajj watching aimlessly as the blade winked out of existence. The Sith Lord reached out and shot a burst of lightning into Asajj's belly, throwing her onto her back in the center of the room, arms spread wide and a thin pillar of smoke rising from the spot.
Her mind was scattered in a dozen different places, with the ability to focus any one of them now beyond her. Asajj's head rolled to the right, and found a glimmer of light almost shining in her face. It took a second for it to register as her lightsaber; she reached out with her senses—
And found a red blade plunging into her palm.
Asajj screamed, even through her fragmented mind, until Dooku finally pulled it free and with a simple gesture and another flick of his wrist, had her pinned to the floor and the tip of his lightsaber at her throat.
"Finish it," Asajj spat out.
A white eyebrow raised a little. "No plea's of mercy at the final hour?" Dooku asked softly.
"Peace is a lie," She hissed, almost an automatic response. Then met his gaze. "You know that, Count."
A smile touched the corners of his mouth. "Perhaps there's hope for you yet." He brought the crimson tip away from her throat and Asajj suddenly felt the pressure pinning her dissipate. She didn't want to move, but bit her lip and forced herself to get to her feet just as Dooku strode off, heading for the exit.
"My spies in the Outer Rim have reported in," Dooku informed, stopping for a moment to grab his cape and reconnect the metal flaps to the slots on his tunic. "King Katuunko of Toydaria is meeting with Master Yoda on the remote moon of Rugosa in two standard rotations."
He stopped in front of the door. "You will intercept the Jedi. Do whatever you must in order to secure Toydaria's allegiance to us." He thumbed the controls and the door wisped open, bringing the first true light Asajj had seen in hours and allowing Dooku to shut down his weapon.
"Make yourself presentable for the king." He ordered. Two things hit the deck at his feet with a dead clank. "I'll be in touch." Dooku walked off, and Asajj could see a small, holographic comnlink and her other lightsaber on the ground.
And with another gesture by Dooku, the door slid shut.