Okay, I'm back! I ran into a slight delay because I had to replace my computer's battery. I also made a slight edit in chapter 15 as well. Now that is fixed, I have since been writing this chapter. With that out of the way let us begin with chapter 17!
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met?" Ben lied as he looked at Ventress.
"That's not important." Ventress said as she slowly approached Kenobi like a Nexu about to ambush its prey. "All that is important is for you to hand that idiot over." She threatened.
Ben looked at Jack who had an annoyed frown on his face.
"She's talking about me, I know." He said completely irritated.
"I'm afraid, I cannot do that. We were having a rather interesting discussion." Ben said. "I think you'd find it best for your personal health to walk away." He suggested.
Although, Ben had not seen Ventress in years following her death on Christophsis, he knew her banter was more of a means to keep him distracted until she struck. It was admirable, but she was a student while he was already a master of that technique by her age. Not to mention, he practically had two lifetimes of experience.
"I'll ask you this once more. Hand him over or else." Ventress threatened.
"No." Ben simply said.
Almost immediately Ventress growled and lunged at Ben. He blocked her attacks before using the force to push her back. Ventress was about to trip, but managed to regain her balance.
Ben could feel her anger flare up again. Ventress lunged again only this time aiming for his shoulder. He blocked her strike and dodged another strike towards his midsection.
Ben looked at Jack and noticed that he was slowly crawling away. Not that the Jedi could blame him. It was clear that the young man knew he was in way over his head.
Ventress delivered numerous strikes aimed towards Kenobi's head, arms, torso, and legs, which were all blocked by the Soresu master who delivered a strike of his own. Asajj blocked it with both blades putting them both into a blade lock. Ventress tried to push Ben off as she growled through gritted teeth while Ben struggled in a much more subtle manner.
He forgot how deadly Ventress was. She was no Dooku or Vader, but that didn't make her any less of a threat. Not helping the fact was shaking off nineteen years of combat rust wasn't so easy as he thought. Fortunately, Ben was starting to regain his old skill after a couple of sparring sessions and practice. Now was the time to see if his assumption was correct.
"I'll tell you this again, walk away." Ben said.
Ventress growled as she began to push back.
"NEVER!" She shouted defiantly.
Asajj managed to trip Ben causing him to fall down in the water. Ben had almost forgotten how powerful Ventress could be when sufficiently pushed. Memories of he and Anakin being briefly force choked by the assassin after Dooku discharged her came back to him.
Ventress roared as she brought down her lightsabers to Ben. In an instant, Kenobi blocked her attack locking their blades again. He could feel Ventress' frustration increase.
Suddenly, Ventress was knocked back by something. She rolled after being knocked down. She turned around with a murderous glare in her eyes.
It was Jack who was engaged in a combat stance.
"Who's the idiot now, baldy?!" Jack taunted the assassin.
Ventress growled like a feral beast glaring daggers at Jack.
"What are you doing?" Ben asked dumbfounded. Even Anakin would know to do better without a lightsaber. "Get out of here now!" He warned.
"Excuse me!" He protested. "I was trying to save your…" He was cut off when Ventress ran over to him and tackled and knocked them both down to the ground.
She began to deliver a series of punches to his face. Leaving him with what looked like a black eye, a broken nose, a couple of bruises around his face, and a gash down the right side of his head. Ventress then grabbed him by his shirt kneed him in his stomach eliciting a pained gasp from the young man. Ventress then grabbed his arm with one hand and placed another on his chest. Asajj threw Jack at the escape pod. For a moment, he screamed before colliding face first with the escape pod knocking the young fool out cold.
Ventress turned towards Ben who had gotten back up. Suddenly, a thermal detonator was thrown in front of her. The Dathomirians' eyes widened as she leaped away from it before it detonated. Kenobi was a safe distance away so he did not need to worry about the explosion. She was about to lunge again before a series of blaster fire prevented her from doing so. One shot managed to briefly skim passed her shoulder
Ben looked to his left and saw a familiar face, or rather a helmet. It was Rex wearing the same Phase I armor he had during the war.
Ventress blocked and dodged a couple of shots about to use the force to throw the Clone Captain away. Ben was about to run up to the push, but before he could reach it Anakin had appeared and countered it with his own. Causing Ventress to skid back a couple of meters. Anakin jumped down and charged towards Ventress. She jumped up back the cliff before Anakin could deliver a fatal cut.
"Keep the fool!" Ventress shouted. "Your deaths will be my ascension to the Sith!" She declared.
Ventress retreated into the forest.
"Thank you for the assistance, Anakin." Ben said feeling grateful. "Now we just need to…Anakin no!" He cried out as Anakin went to pursue Ventress in the forest.
He was about to give chase when Rex came by.
"General, I'm Captain CT-7567, or Rex. I received your signal about the neutral combatant. That's him?" He asked pointing to a beaten and unconscious Jack.
"Yes that's him, and thank you for the help as well captain." Ben said shaking hands with him.
"I'll take him back to base camp." Rex said as he walked towards the unconscious body. "You go after that witch and give her one for me." Rex said.
"I'll certainly try to." Ben said as he began to chase after Anakin.
It took a while, but Ben had managed to catch up to Anakin with Ventress not far ahead.
"Nice of you to finally catch up." Anakin said sarcastically.
"I would've have done so earlier if you had just waited." Ben admonished. "Do you know who this is?" He asked feigning ignorance while leaping over a boulder Ventress force threw at him.
"She said her name was, Asajj Ventress." Anakin said.
Anakin cut through a tree branch the assassin threw at them.
"Funny she didn't give me her name at all." Ben said pretending to feel jealous.
"She seems more interested in me than you, and for what its worth master, I don't think she's your type." Anakin joked back.
"Well, you never know." Ben joked.
Despite the fact they were trading their usual verbal barbs, it was clear to Ben that Anakin was growing increasingly angry towards their opponent. The Jedi Master was beginning to worry. Hopefully, he'd be able to rein Anakin and snap him back to his senses.
He ran quicker and was now next to Anakin. It was then that he noticed Anakin's scar. Ben noticed that it was eerily in the same shape and location when he last saw it. He figured that it was another inevitability like the war, and Anakin's arm.
Ventress cut through a series of trees trying to have them collapse on the Jedi duo. Anakin cut the trees on his side while Ben used the force to hold them up as he ran. Once he got passed them they fell down. Anakin managed to catch up to Ventress briefly and had a brief exchange with the assassin. Ben managed to catch up briefly as well and joined their duel. It was at that moment; they reached one of the Planets' ruins.
He suddenly felt a slight wetness on his forehead. He looked up and noticed that it was beginning to rain. The rain droplets that hit his lightsaber began to evaporate emanating steam from his lightsaber. He began to hear thunder and saw a flash of lightning in the distance.
As he began to try and find his padawan and their opponent, the old Jedi master began to reminisce about the weather. It felt like an eternity since the last time he had ever felt the rain, heard thunder, and saw lightning. He actually missed it. He actually missed weather that was not scorching temperatures, sandstorms, and a lack of humidity.
Ben heard the sound of clashing lightsabers and began to follow it. He ran past a collapsed monument and saw the two fighting on an arch. He was about to join, but then paused as he sensed Anakin. His anger was growing, not as bad as it did in his timeline, but it was still there. Anakin kicked Ventress across her face distracting her before he used the force to push her away. The Dathomirian bounced off a couple of rocks before falling down into a cavern that led inside the basement of a temple. Anakin jumped off the arch and was about to continue the fight when Ben appeared behind him and touched his shoulder. Anakin stopped and gave his master an annoyed glare.
"Don't look at me like that." Ben admonished.
"Why are you stopping me? I have her on the ropes." Anakin protested.
"I'm well aware of that, and it is not Ventress or her killing you that I'm worried about. It's you." Ben told Anakin.
"I'm fine, master, I have complete and total control over my temper." Anakin said trying to sound calm although he was seething a little during the final two words.
"Are you?" Ben asked rhetorically.
"I'm fine!" He protested.
Ben simply raised his eyebrow in a sarcastic fashion with his arms crossed.
At which point, Anakin stopped looking frustrated to ashamed.
"You're right…" He said looking down. "I'm sorry." Anakin continued.
"Apology accepted, Anakin." Ben said. "I have no doubt you can defeat this assassin. Its that you are playing into the Sith's game. You have increasingly given into your anger and even if you defeat Ventress, you will not come out victorious." He continued.
"I understand, it's just… I've felt like I'm under a lot of pressure since the war started. I'm afraid of failing." Anakin said.
"I have felt the same as you have regarding failure, but there is something that I have learned about failure: it's an excellent teacher. Sure it causes us to stumble for a while, but in the end, we learn how we stumbled as we pick ourselves up." Ben said speaking from personal experience. "The nature of failure is not always negative." Ben said.
"You really believe that?" Anakin asked sound interested.
"I know so." The Jedi Master replied before walking down the cavern. Anakin followed him to the cavern as well.
"Nice speech." Obi-Wan said.
"Thank you." Ben said. "You're free to enter anytime you want." He suggested.
"No, I feel you need the experience." Obi-Wan said. "After all, you still owe me an ear." Obi-Wan teased.
"I never realized how snide, I was." Ben said.
It was dark and the floor was wet. Ben pushed back any feelings of annoyance he felt as they walked through the water. The splashes that they made echoed around the chamber as they moved through. Their lightsabers provided the only source of light around the chamber. Of course, there was no red light emitting anywhere. Ventress had either fled or she was waiting. Anakin figured it was unlikely, while Ben knew it was.
"Keep close. She'll want us separated." Ben warned Anakin.
"Understood." Anakin said as he moved closer to Ben.
They both looked around the chamber. Turning their heads with each step as the sound of water splashing and hums of their lightsabers filled the room. After a minute or so, Ben looked up and in a flash of red light, Ventress appeared right on top of him about to cut his head off. Ben swiftly ducked and rolled out of the way.
Ventress swung with one lightsaber at Anakin and used the other to try and cut down Ben as well. Both were blocked and the Jedi duo used the force to push her towards the stairs. Ventress hit the wall creating a small crater before falling down on her knees. She made a pained grunt as she stood back up. Anakin lunged towards her, but she leaped onto the staircase and dodged it. Ben jumped behind Ventress, and blocked a cut from her causing their blades to lock. Anakin began to attack her while she was locked in a struggle with Kenobi. The three began to walk up the stairs; Ben was the first one to reach the outside and saw that it stopped raining. Ben looked at Ventress and began to realize that she was more focused on Anakin rather than him. He took advantage of this and began to move his lightsaber around in a circle. Ventress began to notice, but was too late to act when Ben moved his lightsaber up making the blade fall out of her hand.
In an instant, the assassins' eyes opened up in fear and briefly loosened her grip on her other lightsaber. Anakin's next blow caused her to drop her other lightsaber. Anakin used the force to push her into the pillar of an arch. She landed on her knees and began to seethe with anger and hate. Ventress looked at Anakin and Ben with pure and utter scorn. Ben felt a little unease as memories from Mustafar came back to his mind. He pushed them aside for a moment and said:
"I believe this is the part where you surrender."
"This isn't over." She said as her temper began to rise.
"Really?" Anakin asked sardonically. "Because it seems that way to me." He continued with a smug grin on his face.
With a roar from Ventress, the arch began to rumble and crack. It broke apart before the Jedi could react. Anakin and Ben moved used the force to prevent the rubble from falling on top of them.
Ventress used the force to call both of her lightsabers to her hands and ignited them. Anakin took notice of this and briefly let his Master handle the arch. Just as Ventress was about to kill Ben, Anakin blocked her attack. Anakin blocked many blows from an unfocussed Ventress before pushing her off of him. Ventress was about to charge until the Padawan used both of his hands to force push her off the temple. He pushed Ben out of the way before the arch could topple on top of them. Both Jedi went between different pillars. Dust began to rise up causing them both to choke. Ben fanned the smoke until he noticed Anakin.
"Nice job," Ben said. "Next time try and warn me next time." He said as calmly as he could.
"I will and, hey it worked." Anakin said as he walked towards where Ventress fell off. His eyes widened when he could not see a body anywhere below. He sensed the surrounding area and could not find her presence.
"Master!" He called out.
"I know, but I believe we've seen the last of Ventress for a while." Ben simply said.
"You think that?" Anakin asked feeling unsure.
"This was a desperation tactic." He said pointing to the rubble. "Considering that failed she must've decided to live and fight another day." He continued.
Suddenly his comm buzzed, Ben activated it. It was Plo Koon.
"Master Kenobi, Separatist forces have been driven back." Plo Koon informed. "What has happened? Did you defeat the Assailant?" The Kel Dor asked.
"Anakin and I have defeated her. However, she's still alive and has run off." He informed the Jedi Master.
"Not bad, old friend. Did you manage to get a name?" Plo asked.
"Yes, she told me her name was Asajj Ventress." Anakin said.
For a moment, Plo Koon was shocked and saddened to hear this.
"I see." He simply said. "I feared something like this would happen." Plo Koon lamented.
"What do you mean?" Ben asked feigning ignorance.
"Sometime after the Battle of Naboo, Jedi Knight Ky Narec found a Dathomirian slave named Asajj Ventress on Rattatak. Master Narec saw that the force was strong with her and decided to take her on as his pupil." Plo Koon said. "Together they spent the next ten years fighting warlords and pirates on the planet until he was killed one day. Without a master or any other form of guidance, Ventress turned to the dark side." Plo Koon said.
"How do you know about this?" Anakin asked.
"Narec may have been somewhat of a renegade, but he did keep us informed about his time on Rattatak daily. We offered to take Ventress back to Coruscant in order to train her, but he convinced us he could handle it himself. When Narec died a Jedi strike team found his body as well as the corpses of his potential murderers. One of the locals told us what had transpired. We've been trying to find her since." Plo Koon told him. It was clear that there was some regret in his voice.
Anakin did not speak, but nodded.
"We're prepared to pick both of you up." Plo Koon told them. "Or would you prefer to head back to your starfighters?" He asked.
Ben looked out to the horizon and saw the vast distance from where he was standing. He looked at his GPS and saw how far his ship was. Upon seeing it and feeling the continued downpour, he knew his answer.
"I feel that I've had my fair share of walking for today, you may pick me up." Ben said. "Anakin?" He asked.
"I'll go with you, just make sure you pick up our ships." Anakin said.
"Understood. May the force be with you." Plo Koon said before turning off his communicator.
"You've done enough work for today. I'd like to be back into control." Obi-Wan said.
"Have I paid you back enough for losing our ear?" Ben asked sarcastically.
"Yes, you have." Obi-Wan said.
Obi-Wan was now in control of his body and approached Anakin.
"You did a good job, Anakin." Obi-Wan said.
"Thank you master." Anakin said. "Though I don't feel I deserve your praise." He continued feeling slightly guilty.
"Anakin if I did not trust you to control your rage, I would've fought Ventress by myself." Obi-Wan said. "Not only did you defeat Ventress, you did so not from your own anger, but rather through skill and knowledge in the force." He continued praising Anakin.
Anakin smiled before wincing a bit. He started to rub his new scar to try and ease the stinging sensation. For a brief moment, he was worried what Padmé would think about it. He shook off such thoughts finding the odds of her being disgusted by his new injury ridiculous.
"If she could handle the new arm then she won't mind the scar." Anakin thought.
Obi-Wan looked at Anakin and knew what he needed to be done next. He was going to discuss with the council about getting Anakin knighted. Both Kenobis knew that Anakin was ready probably even more than in the previous timeline to become a Jedi Knight.
Okay, now that we're done with Yavin, we only have one more chapter until we can start with the Clone Wars movie. However, I am willing to skip to the movie if they want me to. If anything it'll just be the conclusion of a filler arc I just made, to see if I can work on other plot points that were not already touched upon any other Star Wars movies, shows, and novels. Until then, if you want to leave a review on what you think about the story I encourage you to do so, if not then I'll hopefully be back with another update soon.
