Forged By Dark Fire
It was a dark day on the planet Rattatak, a world far out from the center of the galaxy, which was known for being inhabited by savages and monsters, as well as misunderstood lost ones, who stayed alive by constantly warring each other in a perpetual bloodbath. And it was towards this world that Count Dooku and Mumm-Ra were presently headed towards.
Under the ground was a drab but very bloody gladiatorial arena where countless creatures and warriors were fighting each other until only one was left standing, who would then become Dooku's next personal lieutenant in the Confederacy, a successor to Jango Fett, if you will. Dooku would take anybody who won, but he had a secret he was keeping from the other beasts in the arena, which was that he had arranged for a warrior very skilled with the dark side of the Force to come to the pit and prevail over all those other disgusting creatures.
A variety of different kinds of one-on-one battles were going on as Dooku almost arrived at his destination with Mumm-Ra. A Shiktari named Carl, a monstrous man-beast without much of a face, held up a Bugnaught droid and tore it apart, howling in triumph, but before it shut down completely, the droid unleashed its flamethrower arm on Carl's head, killing the beast. A reptilian creature named Crockagor attacked an insectoid named Krutch, but the bug dodged the attack and threw its net over Crockagor, killing it subsequently. But soon afterwards, Krutch was killed by Kulltu Kutta, a humanoid gladiator on a sowsquatch. An Aqualish named Grunda Dolma destroyed a mantoid droid in close combat. An L8-L9 combat droid fired its flamethrower hands at its foes.
The Solar Sailer and the Storm Charger landed on a natural rock landing platform outside a cave that led into the gladiator arena. As Dooku and Mumm-Ra disembarked from their respective vessels, with Mumm-Ra closely followed by Pumyra, they noticed a henchman, dressed to the nines, standing there waiting for them. The henchman grinned from ear to ear, which Mumm-Ra found very unnerving, yet annoying, and said to them in a foreign language:
"Everything has been arranged precisely as you have requested, most illustrious Count Dooku and Lord Mumm-Ra."
Dooku stared at him and said simply, "Indeed."
The henchman led the two evil lords of darkness into one of the several viewing boxes, which looked down on the arena. Dooku and Mumm-Ra each took a seat, while Pumyra stood behind Mumm-Ra. The henchman said, "I trust you will find what you seek," and sat besides Dooku.
As they watched the battles down below rage on, Mumm-Ra said to Pumyra, "This is your chance, beloved. Soon, you shall prove that you are the ultimate fighter in all my arsenal, greater even than my four Animal generals. And to do it, you must take on all those beasts and creatures down there and kill them all, to show that nothing can stand against you."
Pumyra smirked. "No problem, my master," she replied, "If I could survive in the Dog City's Pit through so many battles before Lion-O came and freed me, I can sure as hell prevail here."
Mumm-Ra smiled. "Good. Very good. But according to a hint our friend the Count dropped to me, you will not be fighting alone down there. There is another who wishes to impress Dooku, just as you wish to impress me."
Pumyra glanced down at the arena. "Which one of those ugly things am I supposed to be partnered with?"
"She is not down there," corrected Mumm-Ra, "She is in here, in this very viewing box, in fact."
"Where?" asked Pumyra, looking around, "It can't be that grinning henchman-" She stopped looking around.
The henchman was nowhere to be seen. But his seat wasn't empty. Another figure, dressed in a long, black cloak and hood, was in his place. She seemed to have an air of menace about her than unnerved, and yet intrigued, Pumyra.
Finally, Dooku, whose head had never turned from the viewing window, spoke: "Impressive. You mask your presence well. Flawless timing; perfect control; you have great skill of infiltration. My host would applaud your abilities, posthumously. However, I am not looking for a spy."
Pumyra blinked. This person snuck in and killed the henchman without her even noticing? Dooku was certainly very perceptive! But then the person in the cloak stood up and leapt out the window, landing in the middle of the arena. She then cast off her cloak and hood, revealing her to be Asajj Ventress, a hornless, Force-sensitive Zabrak lady, who, presently unbeknownst to Mumm-Ra and Pumyra, was connected with the Nightsisters of Dathomir.
Pumyra wasn't too sure about this, but Mumm-Ra said, "Relax, beloved Pumyra. Do you think I would send you into a situation you certainly would not come away alive from?"
"Yes," said Dooku, "Ventress is under orders not to kill or harm you. She is simply to help you defeat the other gladiators and impress Mumm-Ra and I. Now get down there before Ventress destroys all of them for you!"
That was all the motivation Pumyra needed. She too leapt down and landed squarely on her feet, near Ventress.
By now, some of the other gladiators had noticed their presence in the arena and were charging them with the intent to kill. Blorga the Gamorrean and Grunda Dolma were the first to attack, but Pumyra hit Blogra in the head with a very sharp pellet from her wrist crossbow, killing him, while Ventress Force pushed Dolma backwards against a wall, breaking his back. The L8-L9 droid was next. It attempted to incinerate them with its flamethrowers, but both women nimbly leapt out of the way. L8-L9 fired fireballs at them like lasers, and with expert training in survival and some assistance from the Force, Ventress and Pumyra outran every shot. As they ran, some of the fireballs wiped out other gladiators who were still fighting among themselves, including a tough guy named Nilo, saving the women a lot of trouble. Then they both leapt again and landed behind L8-L9. They gave the droid just enough time to realize that they were standing beside it and to turn around, and then Ventress used the Force to launch it into the air. It hit the ceiling and exploded, its head falling off its body and rolling to a stop by Ventress' feet.
By this time, all the remaining gladiators were focused on the two dark side women. With a gesture, Pumyra invited them to try and kill her and Ventress. Most of them were dumb enough to fall for it, and charged from a distance. But Pumyra and Ventress were ready. Pumyra shot a rancor keeper in the head with her crossbow, and then jumped up and cracked the skull of Jasper McKnives. At the same time, Ventress concentrated on the Force and caused rubble to fall from the ceiling in precise places, taking out most of the other creatures, including a hideous thing called Anchor Blue, the aforementioned Krutch, and a Trogodile named Swyy'me. They both got ready to kill a giant wampa that was near the front of the charge, but a huge stone on a chain swung around and accidentally battered the wampa for them.
They turned and saw one more creature there with them, a semi-humanoid beast known as Giant Flog. He swung his stone-on-a-chain in the air and attempted to mash the women flat, but Ventress and Pumyra easily dodged it. As the creature attempted to attack them again, Ventress ignited two lightsabers, one blue, one green, and cut the chain in two, sending the boulder flying. It hit a viewing box, killing none other than Kesivo, the Giant Flog's owner. Giant Flog stared at his broken chain for a moment, and then noticed Ventress and Pumyra were still alive and unharmed. Roaring in frustration and rage, the beast charged them once more. Ventress and Pumyra charged at it, as well. As the two parties passed each other, Ventress swung her lightsabers at Giant Flog's legs, while Pumyra fired her crossbow once more.
For a moment, all was still and silent.
And finally, Giant Flog, the last gladiator still standing, fell to the ground dead, its legs severed at the shins.
Ventress and Pumyra relaxed from their fight, as they noticed Dooku and Mumm-Ra applauding their efforts sincerely. The two women bowed at the waist.
"Well done, my beloved," said Mumm-Ra, "You have most certainly earned your place as my greatest individual warrior in the Confederacy of Independent Systems."
"And you, too, are more powerful than I had sensed," Dooku complimented Ventress.
Ventress was evidently very ambitious, because she said, "The dark side is strong in me, for I am Sith!" She stared steadily and coldly into Dooku's gaze.
But Dooku merely laughed at that, and said, "A bold claim. But you are not Sith!"
The Sith Lord used his powers to glide into the air and down to the arena below, landing slowly and upright. Looking Ventress over, he said, "You wear the trappings of the Sith, you fight like the Sith, but this can be imitated, however. You lack a vital quality found in all Sith; Sith have no fear. And I sense much fear in you."
Ventress was insulted by this remark, to say the least. "You are a foolish old man, who knows nothing of the dark side!" She ignited her lightsabers again.
Dooku chuckled. "Indeed."
Suddenly, Mumm-Ra ordered Pumyra to "Move, Pumyra!" She moved just in time, for Ventress attempted to attack Dooku from behind. But the Sith turned quickly and fired Force lightning at her, and she apparently wasn't trained to deflect such power, because the lightning struck her full on. She dropped the lightsabers and writhed in pain, although she managed to remain standing for a few moments. Nonetheless, it was soon too much to take, and Ventress passed out…
When she came around a short while later, she found herself lying on a hard bed in her penthouse with no mattress, pillow, or sheets. Her body was still smarting from the pain of the electricity, but she could still move almost as well as before. She got up and looked around the seemingly empty room she was in. No sign of Pumyra, Dooku, or Mumm-Ra anywhere.
Then she noticed a table, on which were placed her lightsabers on a platter. She walked over to get them, and suddenly became aware of a lightsaber igniting behind her. She also heard the sound of some really powerful sword being drawn. Count Dooku and Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living charged her from behind. But she leapt into the air again and used a Force pull to grab her lightsabers, igniting them, too. Dooku cut the table in two. And for the next few minutes, Ventress' blades, the red plasma blade of Dooku, and the mighty Sword of Plun-Darr crossed paths. Mumm-Ra attacked with a powerful ferocity that was his signature, but Ventress was somehow able to hold her own under the devastating weapon's powers. However, Ventress was surprised when the plasma blades of her sabers didn't cut through the metal of the Sword of Plun-Darr. She fought back and attempted to cut through Mumm-Ra's attacks and wound him, but Dooku was also hounding her like a rabid dog.
As their blades crossed again, Dooku said sarcastically, "Truly, if you were Sith, would this contest be not over?"
Ventress growled and lunged at Dooku, who calmly backed away and kept up his defenses, occasionally switching places as the attacker. Ventress found an ornate pillar nearby, and cut it down with the intent of flattening Dooku and Mumm-Ra, but Mumm-Ra chopped through it easily. Ventress moved into hiding, and then attempted again to take Dooku from behind, but he was alert, and used the remains of the pillar to slow down her strike. They clashed swords, and Dooku used the Force to pull Ventress' blades out of her hands, subsequently cutting the hilts in two, rendering them useless. Then Dooku used a Force push to shove Ventress to the floor.
She looked up as the two dark lords pointed their blades at her head. "It would not be so easy to defeat a Sith," proclaimed Dooku.
"So finish it," said Ventress defiantly.
But Dooku said, "We have other plans." Then he looked at the top of a nearby staircase and said, "Have you been watching, Master?"
An ornate, Neimoidian mechno chair began walking down the steps, and Ventress soon noticed that there was a hologram of a man dressed in a long, black hood and cloak coming out of it.
"I have indeed, Lord Tyranus," said the figure, "The child's skills with a lightsaber are most impressive. You have found a promising disciple, my apprentice. She shall serve us well."
Ventress stood up and noticed that Pumyra was also in the room and gave her own quiet applause to the young Nightsister. A hint of a wicked smile was on Ventress' face as she turned to the hologram and bowed her head. "I am honored," she said.
"Let me introduce my Master," said Dooku, "The true Lord of the Sith; Darth Sidious."
"I am quite impressed with your beloved, as well, mighty Mumm-Ra," said Sidious, "She will serve well as a partner for Asajj Ventress, as well as a commander in the Separatist Droid and Lizard Army. Both of them will."
"It's a pleasure, Lord Sidious," said Pumyra.
"What is your bidding?" asked Ventress.
"You and Pumyra will serve the CIS as Separatist army commanders and messengers," Sidious began, "And you will find Jedi whenever and wherever you can, and eliminate them in any way you see fit. But your first bidding is to find a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker and his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and eliminate them. They are often found with two of those ThunderCats that have joined the enemy's side in this war, Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats, and his brother, Tygra. If necessary, you will terminate them, as well."
Ventress had a wicked look in her eyes. "Jedi," she said with a note of comtempt, "Their Order is a fading light in the dark, corrupt and arrogant. And any who help the Jedi or sympathize with their plight are fading away into the darkness, also. The galaxy is in need of a Jedi purge, and soon. They must be punished! The Jedi shall fall!"
"Consider this… a gift?" said Dooku, opening a metal box. Inside were two lightsabers with curved hilts like Dooku's. Ventress looked at them with glee, especially after learning that their blades shone red just like a Sith saber. Mumm-Ra also gave Pumyra a sword with magical properties to match Lion-O's Sword of Omens. Both of them were provided with a spaceship, and they went on their way, Ventress to find Kenobi and Skywalker, and Pumyra to make another attempt at revenge on Lion-O and his friends.
Dooku, Mumm-Ra, and Sidious' hologram watched them go. Dooku said to Sidious, "She will be more than a match for young Skywalker."
"And I'm certain that Pumyra is more than ready to take on Lion-O again," said Mumm-Ra.
But Sidious replied, "It matters not. Mumm-Ra should account for Pumyra, but Ventress is merely an instrument to bring forth the eradication of the Jedi."
A/N: The story will be continued in chapter 4 of "Thundera Joins the Republic and Jedi," where Obi-Wan and Lion-O take down Durge and capture San Hill, while Anakin and Tygra lead the space forces over Muunilinst to victory, and Anakin subsequently follows the trespasser Ventress out of the system.