Summary:

Anakin captures Dooku.

Ahsoka takes Jinn to see a medic.

Ahsoka talks to Ventress.

Ventress talks to Jinn.

.

13.

Ashoka wasted no time telling the others where they could find Jinn. It didn't take long before they were in hyperspace and they found the Count Dooku's ship. They opened fire to disable the ship. They soon boarded and disabled the droids on the bridge. The 501st and the 212th started sweeping the ship.

Ahsoka companied the troops as they cleared the ship. She still shared her a connection to Jinn since her vision. She could sense his presence and knew he was close by.

"Come on, he's this way."

Obi-Wan said, "Anakin go with her. I'll stay here on the bridge in case there's any trouble."

"Right," said Anakin. "Let's go."

The halls were quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. It wasn't until they got close to the brig that they started seeing the broken remains of droids. The walls were covered in blaster fire and the smell of burnt metal filled the air. Anakin was on alert and silently signaled for Ashoka to hang back. He grabbed his lightsaber and stepped out to see around the corner.

Anakin was stunned to see Count Dooku was wrapped up in a sheet of metal with Ventress of all people holding him captive.

"It looks like you two had a falling out."

"Skywalker," sneered the Count. "I should have known it you who attacked my ship."

Ahsoka stepped forward and saw Jinn was sitting on the floor. "Jinn!"

She ran to him and saw that he was weak, but alive. She helped him get to his feet and pulled one of his arms over her shoulders. He was heavy compared to her young body, but she was glad he was alright.

He said, "I'm only tried, Miss Tano. My poor habits are catching up to me."

Anakin said, "Ventress, I'll take the Count from here."

Ventress deactivated her lightsaber and clipped it back onto her belt. She glared at the Count before turning away. She followed Ahsoka as she helped Jinn down the hall and out of the Separatists ship.

Count Dooku said, "You will regret betraying me, Ventress."

"Not a chance," said Anakin. "You'll be too busy answering for your crimes against the Republic."

XXX

Ahsoka brought Jinn to the medical room to get checked out. She sat him down on a medical bed. Kix quickly looked him over and gave him a bacta-patch over his black eye and for a cut on his neck. Jinn winced when Kix put the eye-patch on him. Kix noticed he was holding his side with a frown.

Kix narrowed his brow and said, "Alright, kit off."

Jinn said, "I beg your pardon?"

Kix frowned and said, "You heard me. I'm responsible for the health of all the men and that includes you, sir. Now, kit off."

With a groan, Jinn began to take off his belt and his robes. Kix was shocked at his quick response. Normally, it would take a lot more to convince Kenobi or Skywalker to get treatment. Once Jinn was topless, Kix saw that his sides were bruised like he'd been kicked in the ribs. Kix ran his hand over the bruises.

"It's not so bad. A few bacta-patches and you'll be as good as new. Hold still and I'll get a dressing."

"Thank you, Kix."

Ahsoka asked, "Did Dooku do that?"

Jinn nearly forgot Ahsoka was there and said, "No, it was Miss Ventress."

Ahsoka was startled and said, "Ventress? I thought she turned on Dooku. At least that's what it looked like."

"It's not her fault. I asked her to hit me."

"What! Why would you do that?"

"I wanted to leave behind the comm without Dooku knowing. I also didn't want Dooku to become suspicious of her. Anyway, how did you find me?"

Ahsoka said, "You connected with Mother Talzin through the Force. I connected with her so I could create a bridge and connect with you. I was the one who deactivated the gravity field on the Separatists ship."

Jinn gave her a smile and said, "Thank you, Miss Tano. That's impressive. That's one trick I don't know. You'll have to teach it to me one day."

Ahsoka watched as Kix began to apply the bacta-patches on Jinn's chest and then started to wrap a dressing. Jinn complied and raised his arms to make it easier for Kix to work. Jinn knew what it was like to be a healer. He had his fair share of difficult patients in the past.

"You're welcome, Jinn. Actually, I wanted to ask you about how you use the Force."

"What would you like to know?"

"It's dark. It doesn't feel like you're a Jedi."

"The Darkness and the Light are all part of us, Miss Tano. The trick is not to choose one side, but to be able to choose both. The two Forces are always at war. They sort of swirl together. It's a dynamo. I've learned to harness that power. There isn't a limit to how much power I can use. There's only a limit on how much power I can contain. My limit is three miracles a day. Any more than that and I'll pass out."

Ahsoka raised her brow. She had never thought of the Force in that way. She had always let the Light side of the Force guide her. She never thought of utilizing both Darkness and Light. It seemed to go against everything she ever learned.

She waited for Kix to finish treating Jinn. Kix then gave Jinn a shot in the arm. The amber Jedi picked up his grey inner robe and put it back on. He left his black outer robe and weapons beside him on a table. Ahsoka realized that the grey color suited him.

She asked, "Who taught you to use the Force like that?"

Jinn groggily replied, "My mother."

Ahsoka was stunned and asked, "Your what?"

However, Jinn didn't answer. He was fast asleep. Ahsoka realized there was a great deal she didn't know about him. She realized she should try and talk to him about where he came from and who he was. Though, it would have to wait. Jinn clearly needed his rest.

XXX

When Ahsoka left the medical room, she was startled to see Ventress waiting outside. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

"So, how is he?"

"Fine. He's asleep. Were you worried about him?"

Ventress looked away from her peeved and said, "No, but I owe him. Master Jinn and I have an arrangement."

Ahsoka narrowed her brow and said, "What kind of arrangement?"

Ventress said, "One that doesn't concern you, youngling. You're probably too young to even understand."

Ahsoka opened her mouth and was about to tell Ventress that she knew a lot more than she realized but decided it would be wise to pretend to be a naive youngling. After all, younglings were curious. Maybe she could get the assassin to talk.

"What do you mean?"

"You obviously don't know how men think."

Ahsoka exaggeratedly opened her eyes wide in shock and exclaimed, "Oh! You mean like kissing?"

Ventress turned to glare at her and said, "No! I don't mean-forget it."

The assassin then turned to leave, but Ahsoka caught up to her and matched her pace. "Wait, let me show you to a room so you can rest."

Ventress glanced at her suspiciously and said, "Why are you being nice to me?"

Ahsoka shrugged and said, "Well, you helped Master Jinn and helped us capture Count Dooku. Offering you a room is the least I could do. So, does that mean you and Master Jinn are friends?"

Ventress followed Ahsoka down the halls to the officer's quarters. She didn't think of Master Jinn as a friend. She didn't have friends. She was an assassin. She was only doing what was best for her. She was an opportunist. She knew that somewhere down the road that Dooku would try to betray her. She simply betrayed him first. Her motives had nothing to do with feelings. In fact, she was using Jinn's feelings to her advantage. He would be much easier to manipulate than Dooku. He was also a lot easier on the eyes.

"We're not friends. We're associates."

"I guess that means you must trust him."

Ventress stopped walking and said, "What makes you think I trust him?"

Ahsoka put her finger under her chin thoughtfully and said, "Well, if you didn't trust him than you wouldn't have agreed to be his associate, right?"

Ventress scuffed and said, "Trust has nothing to do with it, youngling."

Ahsoka paused in front of a door and opened it. Inside was a plain officer's quarters. There was a bunk, a desk and a private refresher. Ahsoka gestured for Ventress to walk inside.

"I know it's not much, but it's standard."

"It's fine. You can go now, kid."

"It's Ahsoka Tano. Not kid."

"Whatever you say, brat."

"Hey!"

Ventress then shut the door. Ahsoka thoughtfully rubbed her chin and dropped her youngling act. She needed to ask Jinn about what exactly his arrangement was with Ventress. It was just another item to add to the list of questions she had for him. For now, treating Ventress as a guest was fine for now. However, she would have to be monitored. She glanced at a trooper walking down the hall and motioned him to approach her.

"What can I do for you, Commander?"

"Axel, I want two men stationed to guard Ventress while she is on board the ship at all times. I want you to report in if you see her acting suspiciously."

"Yes, sir."

XXX

Anakin was glad to see Ahsoka when she entered the conference room. He and Obi-Wan had finished securing Count Dooku in the brig. They gave him a light sedative to dampen his connection to the Force. It would ensure he wouldn't try anything as they jumped back into hyperspace.

"Just in time, Snips. We just finished talking with the High Council. They want us to report back to Coruscant and drop off Dooku at a detention center. He's going to be put on trial for his crimes against the Republic."

Ahsoka said, "Actually, I think Dooku can help us confirm the Sith Lord's identity. We need him to reveal it to us on record so we can go after the Chancellor."

Obi-Wan said, "How do you propose we do that?"

Ahsoka said, "I think if we tell him that the Sith Lord intends to betray him and not choose him for his apprentice, may sway Dooku to agree. However, I don't know if that will be enough to convince him."

Anakin suggested, "Maybe we can force the information out of him. The Masters at the Temple would be able to read his mind."

Obi-Wan said, "That can be very dangerous, Anakin. Breaking into someone's mind is not an easy task. We should explore all our options before agreeing to do that."

Anakin sighed and crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Fine, it will be our last resort. Snips, have you talked to Jinn yet?"

She said, "Yes, he's fine. He's resting. He's just exhausted from neglecting his health while working on the cure. Apparently, he was able to make some sort of arrangement with Ventress. I don't have the details yet. I have men stationed to keep watch over her and to report in if she acts suspiciously."

Anakin smiled and said, "Good work, Ahsoka."

Obi-Wan said, "Yes, you were quite impressive today. I have never seen a Jedi locate another without a bond."

Ahsoka said, "Thank you, Master. Jinn said the same thing. I am curious about his use of the Force. He said he could use both the Darkness and the Light. Have either of you ever heard of anyone being able to do that?"

Obi-Wan and Anakin shared a look before finally the elder Jedi said, "I'm sorry, Ahsoka. There isn't anyone to my knowledge that possess such an ability."

Ahsoka crossed her arms over her chest and turned to stare out the window. Anakin approached her till he stood beside her. There wasn't much to look at in hyperspace. He sensed she had more to say.

However, Anakin was never good at being patient and asked, "What is it?"

She said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking that maybe Jinn might know away for us to defeat the Sith."

XXX

Jinn slept for an entire day. He woke up in the medical room and saw that he was the only one there. He groaned and picked up his black robe and belt and tossed it over his shoulder. He needed a shower and something to eat. He silently made it back to his quarters. Once he was inside, he started stripping off his clothes and stepped into the refresher. He turned on the water to a steamy temperature and let it wash down his back. He didn't care for the dressing around his bruised ribs and took them off. With a healing mediation, he would be as good as new. When he was done with his dressing, he removed the bacta-patch on his neck and over his eye. He blinked a few times before washing up.

He didn't have many personal items and he was sad to discover that he didn't have any other set of black robes to change into.

"Suns and moons, not again."

Jinn saw that he was left with standard Jedi robes. He begrudgingly put on the white robes before putting on the rest of his gear. He knew that he was in for it. The troops would confuse him with Obi-Wan all over again. He sighed and resigned himself to his fate and left his quarters.

Once he was in the hall, he saw Ventress was waiting for him.

"Did you get enough beauty sleep?"

Jinn beamed at her and said, "Nightingale, what a pleasant surprise."

Ventress reached over and opened Jinn's door and shoved him back in. Jinn stumbled back as she walked in and shut the door.

He asked, "Is something wrong?"

"It depends on you, Jedi." She then narrowed her brow when she took in his appearance and said, "You know, you really do look like Master Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

Jinn frowned and looked away from her and said, "So I've heard. Though, I doubt you pushed me back into my quarters to comment on my looks."

She crossed her arms and said, "Oh, I see. You don't like being compared to him. Though, you're right. I didn't come here to talk about that. I wanted to talk about our arrangement."

Jinn mirrored her pose and crossed his arms as well. He leaned against the wall by his desk and said, "You mean our partnership."

"Yes, I want to know exactly what you want from me?"

Jinn lifted a hand from his elbow and said, "Simple. In a fight, you have my back and if you are in a fight, I will have yours."

Ventress said, "So, you expect me to fight with you against the Separatists?"

Jinn raised his brow and asked, "Is that a problem?"

"I don't work for free."

"Funny, you didn't pay me when I helped you fight Dooku."

"It's not my fault if you're bad at making deals."

Jinn laughed and said, "Yes, you have me there. However, if it's a salary you want then I will see to it that it be arranged. Is there anything else you want to ask me, Miss Ventress?"

"Yes, I thought Jedi were forbidden to form attachments. Aren't you worried you'll be expelled? You are fraternizing with the enemy."

Jinn smiled and said, "I told you, I don't consider myself a Jedi or a Sith. I don't follow the code, so I'm not worried. Besides, fraternizing with the enemy is a lot more pleasant than the alternative. Though, you're not exactly the enemy anymore. You agreed to be my partner."

Ventress closed the distance between them and said, "I don't fraternize."

Jinn leaned in closer and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Jinn broke away from her gaze. He didn't want her to see his disappointment and turned his back to her and said, "Then, I will respect your decision. However, I can't stop how I feel about you, nightingale."

Ventress scuffed at his words and said, "Oh, please. You expect me to believe that you really like me?"

Bewildered, he turned to face her and said, "Of course, you felt it."

"You can't like someone you don't even know."

Jinn stepped towards her and said, "I know that you are strong both in mind and body. I know that you make a living fighting. I know that you're alone. Probably for a long time. I know that your life has been hard, and it's made you hard. Uncompromising. Opportunistic. Distrustful. You know Darkness because it has squeezed out the Light in your life, but it's your strength that makes you beautiful. Do you know why I call you nightingale? It's because even in Darkness you fly."

Ventress looked away from him. No one had ever described her like that before. She wondered how much he saw of her when she took his hand and read his Force-presence.

"Is that really how you see me?"

"Yes."

"I was right. You are a fool."

Jinn looked away from her and closed his eyes and said, "Then, I'll say no more, Miss-"

Ventress wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Jinn was speechless. He was sure she had rejected him, but when she reached up to kiss him again, he didn't resist. He wrapped his arm around her waist and the other hand behind her shoulder. He turned and pressed her against the wall and deepened the kiss. Ventress tangled her hands into his red-brown hair and tugged on his collar to nip at his throat. It was just above the place where she cut him. He groaned as their breathes and hearts began to race.

Jinn wanted to touch every part of her and drown in her ice blue eyes like he told her on Dathomir, but he reluctantly pulled away.

"Asajj, please. I'm confused."

Ventress hadn't heard anyone call her by her first name in years and no one had ever said it the way Jinn did. He said it with such a desperate and vulnerable tone that it thrilled her. She could get used to him calling out her name.

"You're the one that's confusing."

"Can we be confused together?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

Jinn didn't need to be told twice. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her passionately. He pressed her flush against him in order to feel her curves. She broke the kiss with a gasp, and he moved to kiss down her jaw and throat. Ventress moaned at the feel of his broad shoulders and the scent of his freshly showered skin. Ventress never had a lover before.

Jinn stopped when he read her thoughts.

"I want to follow your lead."

"What?"

Jinn nuzzled her ear and whispered, "Touch me how you like. Tell me what you want."

Ventress gasped at his words and turned her head away from him. She couldn't remember the last time someone asked her what she wanted. Normally, others wanted something from her. She was used to taking what she wanted. Nobody ever offered her anything for free. She didn't know if Jinn meant what he said.

Jinn sensed the change in her mood and said, "I can stop if you want me to."

Ventress shut her eyes and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his back and said, "Why are you treating me like this? What do you want from me?"

He stepped back from her and raised her chin so he could stare into her ice blue eyes and said, "I don't want you to be confused." He lowered his gaze with embarrassment and said, "I told you that I like you. I want you to like me too."

He then moved to the middle of the room and offered her his hand. "Would you like to meditate?"

Ventress thought about what Jinn said. He wanted her to like him. He wanted the one thing that was forbidden to both Jedi and Sith. Attachment was a weakness, but Ventress had never met a Force-user as strong as Jinn. She remembered what he did to Dooku and the Nightsisters. His manipulated of the Force was as cold and merciless as a Sith.

It was the complete opposite of how he treated her. She didn't know why someone like him would want to be with her. She wasn't a goody-goody like the Jedi believed themselves to be. She wasn't even an ideal beauty either. He was a completed idiot, but he was also gorgeous and kind.

"Sure, why not."

XXX

TBC

XXX

Note: I'm getting my information on Ventress from the following website:

wiki/Asajj_Ventress

.