Hey everyone I'm back with a new chapter , I do apologize for not updating sooner but thus Chapter was quite a challenge and I would like to Thank SaintsOfAllSaints01 for editing and also writing the action scene in this Chapter, thank you so much I would of not been able to do this chapter without your Help :) Anyways enjoy!
A few hours earlier..
We finally had enough time to start on our plan on how to stop the Jedi from capturing our paying Employer Raiji Some. As much as a sleemo he was this is just another job like the rest of them, I just hope Tano thinks the same way. As we went over our strategy for the tenth time to make sure there were no flaws, I sensed Raiji Some walk into our room as the doors swooshed opened.
As I turned around, feeling a few of my joints crack, I also sensed something in the force then as a moment passed the tingling sensation then suddenly disappeared.
"I hope this plan of yours will not fail Ventress , I do not like failure." Raiji's facial expression seemed as if he was running out of patience.
"Oh it will be very successful since I planned it." I gave him a mischievous smirk "Oh by the way Raiji, this job will cost you three times our usual rate if you wish us to use a sniper rifle."
The expression on Raiji's face tightened and was full of displeasure. As Ventress was looking at him, one of his guards roughly shoved the sniper rifle case into my arms.
"Fine I will pay you triple the rate, but head my words and I will only say this once. " He shoved his finger on my chest as he snarled at me. His breath smelt vial like rotten Nuna "I want the Jedi alive, is that understood?"
I crinkled up my nose in disgust and also in an attempt to block the scent of his vial stench. As I felt his finger jab me again I grabbed his wrist, digging my fingers into his pressure point.
"Don't you dare touch me again, understand this." I than pushed him away as I stood up. "We will get you your Jedi, you don't need to worry."
He then soon left after he nodded mumbling something under his breath. I looked over to Tano to see her glaring at me.
"We have a job to do Ventress remember! Stop messing around and staring at me like I melted Hoth!" She soon stood up with helmet in hand as she still glared at me.
"Well are you coming or what, Ventress?"
With that I nodded and we left for the Warehouse where we would spring our trap.
Ahsoka's POV
I knew I felt uncomfortable about the situation at hand and our strategy we had planned. I felt my nose crinkle at the thought of capturing the Jedi. My former comrades but I knew I just had to treat this as another job well I will keep on trying to think that way.
As we caught the speeder down to the warehouse my eyes widened as I let out a gasp, My eye marks furrowed as I looked down upon the warehouse. This warehouse was the very same one where I was framed, where my life had changed entirely. Why must my damn past keep catching up with me, reminding me? First it was Lux,, then the Jedi and now this kriffen Warehouse!
I could feel my frustration spoke as I noticed Ventress trying not to snicker at me but was failing miserably with her efforts futile she bursted out in laughter.
"It seems that you Tano, have lost your touch. Your temper is flaring again"
I scoffed and turned around to look to her, my glare was gazing her down "Oh Shut it Ventress, we have work to do"
All I wanted was to get this job over and done with and let it end. I leaned back against the speeders luxurious seat with a sigh.
"Well stop day dreaming and help, will you!" I noticed Ventress' tone had changed again.
I let out a soft sigh but not answering back, knowing it would cause an argument. I then noticed that the speeder had landed in front of the warehouse which of course brought back so many memories flooding my mind once more. Sometimes I just want space from everything and everyone but in this galaxy, that wasn't possible.
As I leaped out of the speeder, hearing my boots clad on impact with the ground I had a proper look at my surroundings, my eyes scanned the area just like I did before battle , I then noticed many rusted out industrial piping and other sorts of junk lying around the place.
So much still looked like it did back on that fateful day, Memories flashed in front of my eyes, the betrayal of Barriss, the moment when nearly everyone turned their backs on me but the betrayal was the hardest to deal with.
But on that very same day a new fire had ignited, a new found strength, my determination flared to life even though I was broken down deep inside that fire had ruled me throughout those hardships and still has.
As we continued our way inside, I noticed the slash marks of lightsabers melted onto the steel platform and rails, the whole place was a mess. I unclipped the detonators and stuck them around the place, this was only a last resort if we needed to capture the Jedi, an electro fence was also set up to trap the Jedi as it would activate and trap them inside the center of the Warehouse we would then would then take them down with stun blasts but no one can predict a Jedi, not even I. Though I knew that from the look Ventress was giving, it would appear that she had some extra plans of her own that she planned on using.
Ventress POV
Knowing the risks involved I knew this was going to end terribly. The Jedi are smart enough to know this is a trap, but here we are in our positions waiting and everything was set.
One of the guards were on sniper duty whom was positioned on the top ledge of the structure while the another was awaiting to activate the electro fence. There was also a look pit whom will contact us when the Jedi arrive.
Sensing through the Force I could feel everyone in their positions and everything was set, but when I brushed up against Ahsoka's mind she seemed nervous and there was something else but before I could figure it out she slammed up her mental shields blocking me out and masking her presence.
Inside my helmet I cursed as I was ranting on we got the comm that the Jedi had arrived. I quickly shielded my presence as did Ahsoka and now all what we had to do was wait.
Anakin's POV
I had sensed a presence that I couldn't explain it felt like a wild fire, but before I could investigate it .. it well just vanished, disappeared without a trace. The force whispered a warning.
I knew this was a trap but we had no choice, for whatever laid in wait for us inside I knew we had to take it head on. The feeling of being blind to the situation however was the only problem that I had in entering the factory.
"Come on, Hannah." I say to my Padawan. I see her respond with a nod, giving her trust to me. I only hoped that I could be as trustworthy as she thought I was.
We walked off into the entry point, with me hoping that whatever was inside, we would be able to stop it... or them.
Ahsoka's POV
I watched the entrance as both me and Ventress waited in position for my old master to enter. With my anxieties continuing to affect my mind, I had to wonder whether or not hiding my Force signature was enough to avoid being found before we could strike. Jedi can sense emotions and hiding with my fear of Anakin knowing it was me would make things a lot worse. I have to do my best to avoid being discovered, even if I have to harm Skyguy. I just hope it doesn't come to that.
All of a sudden, both me and Ventress saw Anakin entering the building, allow with someone else behind him that I didn't recognize. It was clear that she was partnered with Anakin, but she looked as young as me. Why is she at his side?
Suddenly I look to Ventress, only to have my own eyes almost pop out of my head. Ventress had her secondary hand held out and she looked as if she was trying to give a loud introduction to Anakin and that girl following with him. I don't know if what Ventress was doing was wise, but it make me worry that she wanted to injure them badly before we capture them.
As I looked up above Anakin and the mystery girl, I see many pipes up above begin to rattle and shake heavily. They looked very unstable and quite dangerous to be standing under. I was just surprised that one of the two hadn't noticed the sudden 'present' that was waiting for them. The suspense was a killer for me, as I continued to worry about Ventress' plan. It was pretty risky, considering the sneakiness of this attack. I only hope it catches Anakin off guard.
Suddenly, the pipes had then snapped out of place and started to fall down violently like rain. My heart skipped a bit and I watched, wanting to turn away, but I just couldn't. If I resisted, then that would mean that I was letting weakness get to me. Despite how much I detested this, I had to do it. Just two seconds before the metal had impacted to the ground, I saw Anakin look up and with instinct, he quickly dived for the girl and covered her from the solid rain.
"Weak." Ventress says as I looked back to her with a questioning glance. "The Jedi should've sensed that attack earlier. Let's just hope that our targets aren't nothing but corpses."
I hoped for the best as well, but it wasn't just because of the two targets we were assigned to capture, but also because Anakin was still important to me. I only wish I could remove that personality at least for a temporarily amount of time to complete the two successfully.
Anakin's POV
Just two seconds before the metal had impacted to the ground, I looked up and with instinct and quickly dived for Hannah to protect her and covered her from the solid rain. It wasn't easy to keep us both from getting crushed, but I managed to slip us both away from getting hit. The only thing that seemed to be a problem was that we were stuck in the metal with little bits of space.
"Hannah, are you alright?" I asked.
"Yes, master." Hannah responded to me. "Thanks for covering me. I would've been done for if it weren't for you."
"Don't worry about it." I said. "However, we have a bit of a situation that we need to take care of." I say getting back on to the main priority.
"Yeah, we need to get out of this metal. I can't believe our luck, getting metal to fall on us like this." Hannah says clearly looking at this situation differently from me.
"That's the point, Hannah. It wasn't bad luck that had gotten us trapped down here, it would've been one in a million chance to have a lot of metal just suddenly fall right on top of us." I explained to Hannah.
"Well, now that you mention it, it does make sense..." Hannah says, making me glad that she had agreed with me. She would pick up from me in no time.
"Always observed your surroundings, young Padawan." I say. "Now, we need to be careful. I'm going to use the Force to push all this mess away from us and then we need to watch for attackers. As the metal was being dropped, I sensed a Force signature appearing from somewhere ahead of us. If I am correct, these attackers are strong with the Force. We mustn't underestimate them, Hannah."
With my Padawan nodding to my words, I was more than sure that we would be able to get the job done. It was just a matter of taking our surroundings into account and figuring out how the enemy is striking and where.
"Alright, now get ready to use your Lightsaber. We probably won't be as lucky next time if we get attacked again." Anakin informed.
Ventress' POV
I watched the wreckage from the distance with Ahsoka at my side. We had our masks covering our faces, erasing our identities from view. The only thing that would possibly clue to us being known to that Skywalker was our attack postures. I watched Ahsoka as she tensed up at the sight of pipes still laying there silently for the moment. The mask may have covered her face from view, but even she knew that I could see it on her body. She was feeling a slight feeling of resistance in her blood. I'm going to have to keep her mind on track.
"Keep your mind focused, Ahsoka!" I snapped quietly and saw the Togruta face me at the speed of a flinch. Beyond her mask, her eyes were obviously widened by my intention to assist her in succeeding.
"I-I know." Ahsoka responded quickly. I watched as she looked back to the crashed rubble of pipes that still remained still. She then moved back a bit and then raised her right hand and pointed her index finger towards the mess. "Take a look, Ventress!"
I looked towards the mess and saw it beginning to shake rapidly. It grew more and more intense like a sudden earthquake beginning to threaten whatever was in its path. Suddenly, everything had exploded in all directions. I forced my hand onto Ahsoka's right shoulder and then forced her down with me. The pipes were also coming for us and it hit the barriers that we were hiding behind and then was heard bouncing off and landing on the ground as well as the other bits in the large room that didn't hit the barrier.
Slowly looking out from the cover, both me and Ahsoka watched as Skywalker and the girl had returned to their feet with their Lightsabers active. It was finally time for us to strike at them. I looked to Ahsoka who appeared to be in question about what her tactics would be. I notice that her stance carried a useless gesture, so I had a bit more of a reliability on the sniper.
Skywalker and his ally then observed the area with their weapons in a defensive position. The idea was no doubt to find where the culprit or culprits were located. I then decided make a fool out of them and then activated a device on my left arm. Ahsoka watched me for a second and knew that I was up to something.
Ahsoka's POV
I watched as Ventress made an unusual move. Whatever she did, it didn't seem to make sense since the sniper and the fence was enough, right?
Suddenly a sound had begun generating from the bottom of the ledge we sat on. The sound was directed from directly below us and sort of confused me. Then I figured out what the plan was that Ventress had done. She had planted a sound device below us to distract the Jedi. I wondered what good it would do. This device was something that wouldn't make Anakin come after it all. Ventress should've known well enough.
I looked slightly out of the cover I was hiding behind and looked towards the two Jedi standing there. They had clearly been notarized by the sound. However, I was surprised at what I saw happen next.
Hannah's POV
"Master, do you hear that?" I questioned to master.
Knowing how interesting the sound was, I decided to go and figure out what it was. I was running for it and then I felt as if something was not right. It was pretty clear that a mistake was made, because I heard my name being called from behind me.
"Hannah wait, that's a foolish move!" Master shouted. But it was too late.
Suddenly a blast came from the afar and then I get shot in the neck. A electrical current had then strung itself through my body and the pain I felt was unspeakable. Under the constant pain, I would've perhaps sheared more than a few tears, but instead I passed out only after a few seconds, unknowing what happened next.
Anakin's POV
"Hannah!" I shout with a lot of panic. While I was annoyed at the fact that my Padawan had walked into a trap too easily, I was more worried about how hurt she had been despite the lack of literal damage to her body. Though it would affect her after she wakes up. It looked like a serious shock that she had suffered from.
I looked around for the culprit that had fired the round. Just from the looks of it, it had appeared to be a sniper rifle that had fired off the shot. Though where did the shot come from? I saw it coming from somewhere in the distance on the right, but the problem was that I was most likely in the depths of where closer enemies were.
I looked at the knocked out body of Hannah and saw her passed out on her chest with her eyes closed and her mouth wide open. Her Lightsaber had been released from her grip and it had moved more than a few inches away from her body. It wasn't a question that she wasn't going to be able to give any support. I was all alone to fend off the attackers.
Ventress' POV
I watched as I saw the other Jedi go down. Silently I snickered to myself, disbelieving that someone would actually fall for that trap. It literally wouldn't trick a smart person. While one of the Jedi had been dealt with, the smarter one was still the problem and judging by the past experiences with Skywalker, it would seem that he might had a fair chance to deal with them. If the sniper was accurate enough though, then we could take him down easily.
"Now, we attack!" I shout, with my voice changing beyond my mask, making my voice unfamiliar to my partner. Hearing my natural voice being unnoticed by Skywalker who now saw me made everything seem easier. Now, if only Tano would do the same.
I watched as Ahsoka made her voice change by using a device on the left side of her helmet. She then jumped up too and stood right next to me. We looked down to Skywalker who already spotted us and then he was about to obviously give his pointless introduction speech that he seemed to do every time they had an encounter
Ahsoka's POV
I stood next to Ventress and watched as Skyguy looked up at us, with an angry glare that burned my and possibly my partner. Clearly Anakin held a grudge with me and Ventress. It felt awkward imposing as an enemy of him instead of being at his side. Now my old position appeared to be replaced by someone else while Ventress was my next teammate.
"So, looks like I have found two of suspects already." Anakin called out to the two of us with his blue blade moving into an attack stance, but still stood where he was.
"On the contrary, Skywalker. You've intentionally let yourself walk into your trap, and now you'll see that you'll regret your actions." Ventress called out to Skyguy.
"Not a chance, you're going to be the ones who are going to regret giving harm to my Padawan!" Anakin shouted back, leaving me speechless and feeling a bit of pain.
"Then prepare yourself, Skywalker!" Ventress shouted as she then dashed towards the air with her one curved red bladed Lightsaber activated and then went down towards Anakin. Only slightly caught off guard, Anakin brought his weapon and it met Ventress' blade. The conflict between Anakin and Ventress reminded me of the old days, but I had to keep my head in the game. I wasn't on Anakin's side anymore. I was against him now.
With a hesitant breath, I jumped from my cover and then decided to join the fight. I activated by green Lightsaber and then also jumped for Skyguy. I had never truly fought against my master before, but now I had to learn to accept that.
Ventress' POV
I swung my blade at Skywalker very fast to try and keep him from taking any opening he could, but it was only a matter of time before he found that opening. I quietly wonder where Ahsoka was. She had better not abandon her attack on the Jedi, otherwise she'll regret it.
Suddenly I turn back as I hear something jump from behind me. I saw Ahsoka's green blade activate and she dives down at Skywalker fast, in an attempt to make a threatening entrance. But he was smart enough to dodge the attack and back flipped out of it.
Anakin's POV
I dived back from the attack and noted what I saw. Two Lightsabers were being used by two individual attackers, which means that I was dealing with two Force users. But I didn't understand who they were and how they got their training. One of the attackers felt dark, but the other... I felt something a bit different, and somehow familiar. I then noticed something about the two Lightsabers that I couldn't ignore. It perked my interests quite easily. What I saw was shocking and angering me.
"You!" Anakin shouted with annoyance. "How did you get those Lightsabers?!"
"There are some pretty good finders and sellers in the illegal markets, Skywalker." The first attack responded to me. " A fool like you wouldn't be able to figure it out."
The anger I felt was pretty great. It wasn't at the main attacker, but at the second one that hadn't spoken directly yet. They had the Lightsaber of my old Padawan Ahsoka, and I couldn't hide the fact that I was offended that someone else was using it. Despite the fact that they had the Lightsaber, I was also concerned about Ventress' weapon being used. What I should've done was made sure that the Lightsabers were secured before anyone with bad intentions could grab them.
Anakin watched the second attack and noticed that they were holding the Lightsaber in a common grip, but seemed to hold it awkwardly. It could've been because they were a notably untrained fighter, but there was also something off too. It was as if there was also something sort of skill to be noted.
Ahsoka's POV
Both me and Ventress kept on keeping up the attack, but it wasn't easy. The way my Lightsaber grip was wasn't my usual kind, as I normally kept the backhand as my main form. Now was the time to test my adaptively for the Lightsaber grip I was currently maintaining.
Before I knew it, Skyguy went at me pretty quickly and violently. He seemed really annoyed at me for some reason. Clearly it was personal for him. I figured that when I flashed my Lightsaber at him that it was because I had his old Padawan's weapon. Considering that he was angry at me, it was pretty ironic. Since I was that Padawan.
I slashed my green blade back fast, but I was still pretty sloppy compared to his forms. He was once my master and even recording his movements with my mind, it still wasn't enough to figure out how to beat him. Maybe he isn't called 'the Chosen One' for nothing after all.
I watched as Ventress kept on fighting as well. Since Anakin was aiming directly after me, it posed as a good advantage to get him while his back remained turned. Normally I would've snapped at someone for aiming from behind, but things have changed so much that the concept of a fair fight didn't really seem to mean anything. It especially didn't mean anything with the line of job I was now working in.
"I will beat you! And after I am done with you, I'm going to make sure you lose those Lightsabers!" Anakin roared at us. He was clearly annoyed, not only because of what both me and Ventress carried, but also because of his Padawan being struck. Originally, the plan was to get them into the fence first and then take them down, but since Ventress appeared to have changed the plan, it seemed to have made the job a bit easier. However, if we are to beat Anakin, we're going to have to use the fence.
Watching Anakin fighting back against Ventress, it made it clear that we weren't in the proper position to be fighting him. His new Padawan may have not been as strong, but stopping her was a wise decision. Now all we needed was to make the best plan we could to get Anakin trapped. However, I had no idea how Ventress would go about this.
Just then, I saw Ventress look like she was beat. Anakin thought he had the upper hand and held his blue Lightsaber up into the air and gave a battle cry, before he attempted to slash down at the fighter. I looked at Ventress with concern, worried that she actually was about to be slain by Anakin. But then I noticed her hand was pulling at something with the Force. Then a group of pipes, I was guessing four of them, had flown from behind me and charged for my old master. Anakin saw this and attempted to slashing the incoming pipes, but narrowly missed one of them and it hit him in the face, sending him flying back with a yell and pushing him directly into the center of the room.
I then realized that this was my cue and I observed Ventress doing a back flip with the Force. I followed by with a Force jump and landed next to her on another ledge. We turned around and saw Anakin beginning to recover after the hit he had received from Ventress. He stood up and viewed us from the distance. I then noticed him looking at his Padawan with some concern, but ignored it after a second, indicating that he knew she would live. I was absolutely certain that he would come up here to fight us again, until I notice a large energetic circle spring about him. I then knew what it was: the electric fence. I turned to Ventress who clearly had a successful smile buried under her helmet. It was just a matter of taking down Anakin. I had to admit that being on the opposing team and taking down Anakin seemed sad, but I had a job and I was going to see this to the end.
"You better let me out of this fence if you know what's good for you!" Anakin shouted at us.
He then looked towards the ground and noted the metal floor that he was standing on and it was at that instance that I noticed that he was already planning his escape from the prison he was in. But Ventress also noticed this and wanted Anakin right where he was.
"Shoot him! Shoot him now!"
Suddenly, a blue stun bolt shot from the distance and it hit Anakin right in the neck. He yelled and tried to fight off the effects, but he could only stay on his feet for a few more seconds, before he dropped completely to the ground with no sign of being able to fight back. I gave a frown beneath my helmet, as the sight seemed typically sad for me. I had served with Anakin for over a year and he taught me a lot. Now he was an enemy.
I watched as both Jedi were down and out. Ventress then quickly jumped down and I soon quickly followed closely. As I approached the fence with Ventress ahead of me, I noticed the witch remove her helmet and smile darkly. It was no doubt about the fact that she had finally had Anakin captured. She didn't need Dooku or anyone else's help for this. Well, except me of course.
"Looks like we've got the job done. Now let's make sure Skywalker and his new pet are... safely secured from harm." Ventress says.
I only continued to watch silently as I kept my helmet on. I didn't want any particular chances of Anakin finding out about this. He was so close to me once, but now our lives are nothing but different. He is a Jedi Knight and I am a Bounty Hunter. The titles sounded simply different, but the jobs and commitments were much more diverse to compare each other to.
I could only wonder as to what Anakin would think, now that I have done this. My anxiety had returned, assuming that some form of adrenaline had possessed me into ignoring it. If only it could go as smoothly as this like it just did. I could only think about what we might have to do next.
Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter,and until next time
May the force be with you all :)
And another big thanks to SaintsOfAllSaints01 for helping me with this chapter and writing the fighting Scene , you all should check out his Stories :)
~ahsokatano191