Chapter 10 - Enemies

"If it isn't the hairless harpy," I respond, a mixture of happiness and dread rushing over me.

She grins, her facial markings shifting to accommodate her expression. She rarely ever smiles. She walks closer to me, her hand extended for a handshake. I take it, and lead her inside, descending into the rocky chasm we call the pit.

"It's been a while, Ventress," I say, guiding her down the staircase.

"You seem to be doing well 'on your own,'" she says, gesturing to the mass of people, a sarcastic expression on her face.

"Welcome to the Grays," I say. "Most of the people here are runaway Jedi, I think, if you join us, you'll be first runaway Sith to join us."

"Don't jump to any conclusions, child. I'm here for a quick recharge and refuel, and then I'll be off again. The bounty hunter business is booming for me lately."

"I'm surprised anyone would hire a bog witch like yourself."

She looks at me, a spark of anger and resurgence of anger in her eye. "Don't push it, youngling, I may not have my sabers, but I can still kill you."

"You'd have to answer to all my allies of you did," I say, gesturing to the pit.

She nods, biting her lip. "Excuse me. I'm a little riled up. Times have been hard lately.

I smile tentatively. "Can you promise a truce?"

"I thought the old one was still in effect," she smirks.

I nod. "Alright. But now that truce has to extend to all the people here. You can't attack any of them, under any circumstances unless they attack you first. And they will be under the same orders."

She nods. "As long as I'm here."

I set her up in a room relatively close to mine, hoping that if she leaves during the night, she won't disturb too many people.

All throughout the remainder of the day, people give us odd stares, pointing out her dark clothing, and her sullen expression as a mark of the Sith. People avoid me as long as I'm with her, so I stick around her, pretending to just be a caring host. She doesn't really notice, as most people didn't get very close to her normally.

Her mood never really improves, but then again, she's never happy.

We move to the mess hall for a quick meal, hoping to just get in and get out. The mess hall is the most used room in the base, and it's hard to find a place where we can just talk or stay out of view.

"You should take some extra," I tell her.

"Are you trying to fatten me, child," she asks sarcastically

"No, but I bet you haven't eaten in a while," I reply, grinning.

"Thanks but no thanks. I'll be fine with whatever I've got."

I frown. "How long has it been?"

"How long has what been?"

"How long has it been since you last ate?"

"A few days, perhaps," she says.

"Are you sure" I ask, "that you don't want our help?"

"Youngling, if I didn't want your help, I would have never come here in the first place."

I shake my head. "I can't see why you won't accept my help, then."

Ventress sighs. "Give it a rest, girl."

"I have a name, you know," I snap.

Ventress turns to me. "All creatures have a name."

"So call me by it," I bark.

"I'd rather not," she says, coolly.

Just then Hoonji enters the hall, and spots us.

"Ahsoka, get back," he orders.

"Hoonji, wait," I stutter, reaching out to stop him.

He jumps, flipping in the air, his lightsaber drawn.

"Sith," he spits, "prepare to meet your end."

"Your friend seems nice," Ventress scowls.

"How dare you talk to her that way," Hoonji says, his eyes burning with anger.

"Hoonji, leave her alone," I plead.

"I know who you are," Hoonji declares. "You are Ventress, the Sith assassin. You are here to destroy us, to kill our people, and you have deceived our brave leader to believe you are trustworthy. Well, I don't buy it, Sith."

Ventress scoffs. "I have no lightsabers on me, and my blaster is not drawn. It would seem the harbinger of violence in this situations is you, Rodian."

Hoonji yells, swinging his lightsaber at her, but Ventress slaps it away, sending it clattering across the floor.

"If you wish to fight me, fight me on equal terms," she says, provoking him.

He punches her, his fist pushing her jaw back. She kicks his feet out from under him, and as he falls, she kicks down on his face, breaking something. Blood seeps from Hoonji's mouth, but he wipes it away and stands up. He hooks with his right, but she dodges and pushes him with the force, sending him back a few feet. Hoonji snarls, kicking her back, and sending her halfway across the room.

"You are a fool, Ventress. There will be no betrayal against us. I will stop you."

She stares at him with cold eyes. "I have no intention of attacking these people. You, on the other hand, I shall take delight in beating."

"You will not defeat me, Sith."

"I am no Sith," she screams, spit flinging from her mouth as she challenges him, enraged. "I was betrayed by my master, Count Dooku. I was seen as a hindrance to the Sith. My master tried to kill me, and I barely escaped with my life. I learned that day that the way of the Sith is truly corrupt. Therefore I am no Sith."

Hoonji slaps her, and then punches her in the gut. "I don't believe you."

Suddenly, my hands seem to shake with energy and I feel as though my body will burst into flames at any moment.

Ventress collapses to the floor, coughing.

Hoonji uses the force to grab his lightsaber, and ignites it.

"Prepare to meet your end."

Suddenly, I push him back, and few crashes, hard, into the wall. His saber drops from his hand, clattering across the ground, and he collapses down onto the floor, unconscious.

"Ventress," I say, placing my hand on her back. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she spits. "He's a slimo, that guy."

I let out a sigh of relief, and help her to her feet.

"Listen, everyone. This is Asajj Ventress, a gray Sith. She is welcome among us as long as she stays, and she is not to be threatened, unless she threatens you first."

I scan the gathering, meeting the gaze f as many as I can.

"She is a friend, not an enemy. You should find her to be a help, and not a hindrance."

Ventress looks over at me, her mouth slightly open.

"Under no circumstances should a skirmish like this one ever occur, as long as she is with us, and for his actions, Hoonji will be doing extra work. Understand that I am not unwilling to place that same judgement upon any of you, and all of you."

Silence falls, as the Grays stare at me.

"That is all," I conclude. I turn to walk away, before realizing there's something else. "Can someone take Hoonji to the medical bay?"

"Did you really mean what you said," Ventress asks.

She's sitting cross-legged against the wall, and I'm sitting next to her in much the same way. She rests her tray of food in her lap, carefully drinking the soup from the bowl.

"What do you mean?"

She stuffs a piece of bread in her mouth. "I mean, you said I was welcome here."

"Yeah," I say.

She smiles. "It's just, nobody really welcomes me besides the night sisters, but they were wiped out."

I nod my head. "I remember hearing about that. But, honestly, I need you for a different reason."

"Oh? And what's that?"

I suddenly back off, and stuff some bread in my mouth. "It's stupid, really. Just a dumb thing I shouldn't even be thinking about doing."

"From what I've seen," Ventress says, "your ideas are never stupid."

I laugh. "You haven't been around for the stupid ones."

"Well, I'd like to know what this one is."

I scratch the back of my head. "It's really not important. I just," I sigh, "I need to talk to Lux Bonteri again."