The ship was being attacked. That much was clear, even before the status report from green team came into the detention levels where the three jedi and their clone troopers now stood in a circle. Sola stood, lightsaber at her waist and robes folded nicely, not yet having seen combat this day but, from the looks of things, about to. Of course it'd have to happen on her first mission alongside the great Master Luminara Unduli. The turn of capturing Viceroy Nute Gunray of the trade federation had finally come, by the commendable Senator Amidala's doing, and Sola was stationed here because of her connections to the senator herself—alongside Master Luminara Unduli was also Padawan Ahsoka Tano.
"Commander, I'll need your assistance." Luminara said to Green Leader as she began to move forward. Ahsoka and Sola Valda watched her make her way across the stretch, reacting instantly to the attack on their ship.
"Let's go." Ahsoka said, attempting to follow.
"You will stay here with Captain Argyus. Guard the viceroy." Luminara said sternly to Ahsoka. She turned to Sola. "And you will stay as well."
"But—" Ahsoka started to protest but was silenced by Luminara's stare. "As you wish master."
But Sola was not yet satisfied. There was a disturbance here alright. And it wasn't just because of the attack.
"Master, allow me to accompany you." Sola said. "Padawan Tano is capable of handling guard duty herself. And two Jedi…" Her voice was persuasive.
"Very well." Luminara said and she and Sola headed out into the corridor. Sola had just arrived on the ship days before to assist in escort duty and already a strange occurrence had broken out. The disturbance she felt was past the physical aspect here. Sola knew something…somewhere… was lurking…and washing a wave of darkness closer and closer toward them with every minute.
Luminara and Sola made it to green team in the midst of the fray. Nearly obliterated, green team was sticking it out and giving it all they had. Luminara activated her lightsaber, followed instantly by Sola, and the two sprang into action with clones at their sides.
"Take the right!" Luminara instructed Sola and began to deflect bolts back at the battle droids. Sola ignited her double-bladed lightsaber and followed behind her. As she picked up the defense, Master Luminara rushed forward to take the offensive. Droids went down one by one, leaving behind only smoking, fizzling metal corpses. Green leader commended her yet Master Luminara merely looked off balance.
"I sense our troubles aren't over." She said gravely.
"No…" Sola agreed. Things were going from bad to worse and all over slime like Gunray. It didn't quite make sense. She moved toward one droid to examine them. She began to count them off…a dozen…two dozen… how many more had invaded for this single target and what did that mean for her and the troops? How many more would be on the way?
Sola sensed it right as Master Luminara gasped.
"Padawan!" She cried and jetted back down the corridor to the detention level. Sola followed swiftly behind, using the force to speed her movements.
"Master?" She called from behind Luminara—who was but a blur at this point.
"No time!" Luminara called back. "Ahsoka is in danger!"
Sola followed, giving no objections. But she felt out of sorts. She could perceive something but couldn't perceive it—like having a taste on your tongue and not quite knowing what flavor.
She soon received an answer when the lift reached the detention level floor. And a hairless Dathomirian woman stood before the blast-shielded door of the detention level, with Gunray now outside of it. Sola bristled. Luminara was calm but her brow furrowed as she began forward.
"Halt assassin!" She cried out, lightsaber swinging. Sola was hot on her heels but her stomach had dropped nearly to the floor. They were facing off with none other than Asajj Ventress. Flashes of her failure against the lady sith assassin filled Sola's mind. It had been some time yet she was still haunted with insecurities, remembering her failure against the woman. But she remained stubbornly resolute, despite her quivering stomach.
Using the force, Luminara shut down the containment fields, letting Ahsoka out behind Ventress. It was now three against one. As Ventress parried their blows, her movements slowed with caution.
"Surrender," Luminara said fiercely. Asajj looked at the trio before clipping her sabers to her belt and raising both arms above her head in a surrender. It took them all a moment to center their focus on the blinking indication light on Asajj's wrists.
The ship shakes with the explosion. Sola is thrown off her feet and against a wall by the force, everyone grabbing onto something in order to keep footing. And that split second was all Asajj needed. Dodging and weaving, she managed to knock Luminara from her feet and sprint down the passageway and away from her attackers.
"What are we waiting for?" Ahsoka asked and jumped down into the shaft.
"Ahsoka!" Both Luminara and Sola cried, grabbing a wrist each. They jerked her back up just as an elevator came plummeting down—one that would have broken Ahsoka's skull.
"Thanks." She replied sheepishly. Sola bent back over and looked into the black abyss. She barely heard Argyus's report on their standing, knowing it was nothing spectacular. They were sitting ducks at this point and were going haywire in the systems. The only thing to do was catch the attacker by hand…catch Ventress by hand. Sola sighed.
"Our attacker has come for Gunray." Luminara said. "Stay here and guard him. I'll confront her myself." Sola's eyes snapped open wide at the announcement but it was Ahsoka who spoke first.
"Master, all due respect," she said. "But Ventress is too powerful for any one Jedi to fight alone. Let me help you." She glanced at Sola's vacant face. "And Sola."
"I am more than capable of dealing with a lone assassin armed with undisciplined fighting skills," Luminara said firmly.
"She is right, Master." Sola said softly. "Ventress is too dangerous to engage by yourself. At least take one of us."
"I understand concern but I will find her myself." Luminara insisted. "You two make sure nothing else goes wrong up here."
"But—" Ahsoka tried to say.
"Stay here," Luminara said, half-glaring at the two of them, "and keep a clear head."
Sola sat in a corner, meditating. Or trying to. Peace would not come today. She tried to wipe away her thoughts and sit in utter calm like Master Luminara was exhibiting but that was impossible with the visions of possibilities that kept filling her thoughts. Sola sighed heavily, leaning her head back. She had begun to sweat in her palms and underarms. Before her, a ways away, Ahsoka paced back and forth, speaking to the guards. Sola did her best to tune her and all other sounds out but that left her with just the pounding in her mind. She was calm and collected just moments before and now, with Ventress onboard, she was out of sorts. She'd been unable to do anything as Ventress choked Rex so long ago back on Christophsis. She could not help Obi-Wan either, and even hindered him. She learned that Master Obi-Wan had faced off with her yet again on her next visit to Chrisophsis and was beginning to feel as though Ventress was following her. And every time she showed up, Sola somehow ended up with the lower hand. It this kept up, she might as well just stay escorting senators like that of Amidala to and from their peace negotiations and treaty signings. She'd be useless out here.
Ahsoka took off, abandoning the post of guard before the ray shields. Startled, Sola finally stood up, shaking off whatever she'd gotten from her meditative trance. She walked over to the guards and Captain Argyus.
"Where had padawan Tano gone off to?" She asked bluntly.
"She went to go and help Master Luminara." The captain said.
"On whose authority?" Sola eyed him suspiciously.
"On her own." The captain said simply. "She figured…sometimes…doing what you felt was better than doing what was ordered. She thinks Master Unduli's in trouble."
Sola paused for a moment. She looked from the captain to the clones and then to the passageway the Ahsoka had run down, heading for Master Luminara's aid and rescue—if she needed as much. Sola knew she would. But would padawan Tano be enough?
"Captain…I'm going as well." Sola said to him. "I trust you can handle things here."
"You can count on us, sir." The captain bowed his head to her.
"Thank you…Master Unduli will need all the help she can get." Sola said seriously.
"Then you have no time to waste." The captain gave her a nod and inclined his gun away and down the corridor, signaling her to go on swiftly. And swiftly, Sola ran off to hopefully aid in Ventress's capture.
Sola sprinted, her heart rate accelerating despite her best efforts to remain calm in her movement. She jumped down the shaft, feeling her robe billowing in the wind as she made her way down to the engine room. She landed cat-like and silently, unclipping her lightsaber from her belt. The room was dark but light with flashing reds and oranges and yellows. Combusted pipes shrieked and metal banged loudly against each other.
And she felt it—the anger and rage that could only belong to one such as Ventress. She sprinted towards that section, watching as Ahsoka and Luminara struggled with the sith lady. Sola crept slowly forward, jumping along precarious structures, remaining undetected for now. But with each clash of sabers, she felt the hairs on her arms raise in fear and anticipation. And then she finally found her chance.
Ducking out from her hiding place, Sola flung her lightsaber straight for Ventress's head. Hearing the whooshing, Ventress managed to duck in time yet caught a slight cut in her side upon Sola's saber's return to her hands. Sola jumped from her perch and onto Ventress's position, fighting with furious and ferocious fervor. Asajj warded her off but Ahsoka and Luminara were fast approaching, ready to aid Sola in her steady campaign. She jumped back and, as Sola and Ahsoka jumped at her, busted a pipe and let the scorching air engulf them and rocket them away from her as she jumped to safety through the ceiling vent.
Sola felt herself falling, her arms slightly flailing. She saw ground and quickly tilted and caught onto a hanging piece of scrap, alternating her course in the direction of the structure Luminara was standing on. Ahsoka was not as lucky. She nearly fell to her death, needing Luminara's full strength to pull her up. Sola, half on her back, could not summon energy after her fall just yet. She just watched the vent shaft where Ventress escaped…wondering….