Ventress was sitting on her ship, flying away from Kashyyyk. She heard about Order 66 and was worried that Quinlan Vos hadn't survived. That he had died thinking he was going to reunite with her. But he was wrong. And so was she. Having heard a rumour about a Jedi on Kashyyyk, she had flown there and, to her shock, found Quinlan Vos alive. Now, she needed to find a place in the Unknown Regions to stash him until she had finished her latest bounty. It was warm on the ship, and the craft was lit by artificial light and the glow of Hyperspace. The sound of the craft's engines echoed, and the scent of metal and fabrics wafted as Ventress sat on the solid chair. Everyone recognised the ship's design, though only Ventress knew the backstory.
"So, where are we going on our first adventure?" Quinlan asked.
"I'm taking you to the Unknown Regions, away from the Empire. I've got a bounty to collect, and I don't want to risk you when I've only just gotten you back," Ventress hissed.
"Right, right. So long as I can hang with you," Quinlan teased.
"Once I've finished with the bounty, we can," Ventress replied.
Suddenly, their banter is interrupted by a call from the communicator.
"Who is this?" Ventress wondered as Quinlan Vos walked to the cockpit. Ventress turned on the communicator, and a virtual Fennec Shand appeared.
"Who's this?" Quinlan Vos asked.
"Fennec Shand," Ventress sneered, "What brings you here?"
"I just finished a job with some Clones. They're asking about the Empire's M-Count experiments. What can you tell me?" Fennec replied.
"What do you have on these Clones? And where are they?" Ventress asked.
"I'm sure you can track them down easily enough. I'll send you what I have," Fennec replied.
Fennec sent the information over to Ventress.
Ventress took a moment to check the information that Fennec had supplied before she smiled.
"Very interesting. I'll be sure to follow this up," Ventress said.
"By the way, who's that just behind you?" Fennec wondered.
"Name's Quinlan Vos," Quinlan Vos eyes Fennec suspiciously.
"A Jedi that survived the purge? Those are rare," Fennec sneered.
"Yeah, I survived," Quinlan replied, "I had to fight every day to survive in that world for a year, but I managed to escape. More than I can say for most Jedi," Quinlan replied.
"Fascinating," Fennec replied, "I hope that you will accept my proposition,"
"I need to drop Quinlan off somewhere first. I'm not risking him after I got him back," Ventress hissed.
"I can easily inform the Empire about you two, you know?" Ventress taunted.
"Careful, Ventress. We've both had tastes of the Dark Side. You wouldn't like it when we're angry," Quinlan warned.
"Back down, my dear," Ventress cupped Quinlan's face in her hand, and after a moment, Quinlan backed off. Ventress then turned back and glared at Fennec.
"I need to drop him off before I can take this up. You leak any information about us to the Empire, and I'll hunt you down and kill you myself," Ventress snarled.
"You think I haven't handled Force Sensitives before?" Fennec taunted.
Ventress suddenly picked Fennec up off her seat through the communicator.
"Let me go!" Fennec yelled as Ventress dangled her in the air.
"Ventress, that's enough. You've made your point," Quinlan replied.
"Maybe you're not as prepared for a Force Sensitive like me as you thought," Ventress sneered. After a moment, she let Fennec go, and Fennec dropped onto the chair.
"You know you'll attract more attention if you keep doing that," Fennec growled.
"I'd like to see the Empire try to fine me," Ventress snarled.
"I recommend worrying more about your boyfriend than yourself," Fennec sneered.
"I know," Ventress replied, "I'll have to stash him away somewhere first. Then I'll handle your assignment," Ventress stated.
"That's fine. Be quick about it," Fennec replied before cutting the communication.
"I don't trust her," Quinlan said.
"Neither do I," Ventress growled, "But this sounds important, and she has a deal with these Clones. This information is curious. I'll have to investigate this,"
Ventress then pulled the craft towards a green-and-black world lit by a primary Yellow dwarf star and a distant, secondary Brown dwarf.
"Are we in the Unknown Regions?" Quinlan asked Ventress.
"Just on the edge," Ventress replied, "Don't cause trouble, or else,"
"I won't," Quinlan replied innocently, making Ventress glare at him suspiciously.
"I need to take this assignment. I'll find a small settlement for you to hide in. Stay there," Ventress replied.
"I will, my dear," Quinlan replied as Ventress brought the craft to the surface.
The dark green grass greeted Ventress and Quinlan as they exited the craft. Ventress did a few quick checks and realised it was spring in this hemisphere. It was early at night, and light was provided by the stars and lamps dotted on the road to a small settlement. The sounds of animals playing and patrons being rowdy echoed, and the scent of grass, wood and alcohol wafted as the duo walked on the soft ground.
"What planet is this?" Quinlan asked.
"Mal-Zenta. It's a world sitting at the edge between the greater galaxy and the Unknown Regions. You'll be safe here if you behave," Ventress replied.
"Aw, but that isn't fun," Quinlan teased.
"This isn't about fun," Ventress snapped, "This isn't about having fun, you idiot. This is about keeping you safe while I'm off on assignment. I've only just saved your ass on that Wookie world. Risking your life would be a poor repayment,"
"Alright, alright, I'll behave, Ventress," Quinlan replied, his hands held in surrender.
"Good," Ventress replied, "Now, let's see if we can find something for you to do while I'm gone,"
Thankfully for Ventress, it didn't take long before she found an abandoned house for Quinlan to stay at. It looked like a homely place, and judging by the note on the door, the residents would be out for a couple of weeks.
"It's not ideal, but I know this assignment is important," Quinlan admitted.
"I'm sure you're tired after fighting in the jungles of Kashyyyk for a year," Ventress replied in a falsely soppy voice that Quinlan loved so much, "This could be a great time to get some hard-earned rest. Will you wait for me?"
"I will, dear, don't worry," Quinlan patted Ventress' cheek before using the Force to open the door and enter the building.
After helping to get Quinlan settled, Ventress returned to the craft. It was warmer than she had last occupied it and emptier without Quinlan. Ventress contacted Fennec and said, "I have found a place to stash him,"
"Good. Here's the location information I've collected for you," Fennec replied. When Ventress obtained the location, she said, "Another world on the edge of the Unknown Regions. Near Dantooine, too. Interesting,"
"Agreed. How long those Clones can hide from the Empire, I don't know, and honestly, I don't care," Fennec replied.
"Then I'll check it out for you," Ventress replied.
"Thank you. By the way, what is your relationship with that Jedi?" Fennec asked.
Ventress gave Fennec a cold look, "That is classified. Got it?"
"He must be important to you if you're so insistent on stashing him away," Fennec taunted.
"None of your business," Ventress replied, cutting the communication.
The events of The Bad Batch Season 3, Episode 9 would happen. Soon, Ventress is back on her craft, flying back to Mal-Zenta. Ventress turned on the communicator to talk with Fennec.
"So, how did it go?" Fennec asked.
"I found out what's going on. Those Clones were talking about that kid they've adopted," Ventress replied.
"Omega," Fennec replied, "So, is she Force Sensitive?"
"She might be, slightly," Ventress replied, "I felt something similar with the other Fett kid, Boba. Her brothers fought me during the visit, and I sensed something odd about one of them,"
"Oh? Which one?" Fennec asked.
"The one with the bandana and the skull tattoo. Hunter, I believe his name is," Ventress replied.
Fennec's eyes widened hearing this, "You mean Hunter might be Force Sensitive, too?"
"It's the same feeling I had with the other two. There was no way I was going to train either of them. Omega's brothers are far too overprotective of her, and I know Hunter wouldn't accept any training from me," Ventress explained.
"Fascinating," Fennec replied thoughtfully, "Can I go now?"
"One final question. Where is Boba?" Ventress replied.
"The only person who might know where he is would be Cad Bane," Fennec replied.
"I don't imagine he's happy with me, so I'll leave that fool alone," Ventress replied.
"You had best do that," Fennec replied before she cut the communication.
When Ventress returned to Mal-Zenta, she quickly headed for the settlement she had left Quinlan on. A full rotation had passed since she left, and Ventress hoped Quinlan had been a good boy.
Ventress checked on the house she had left Quinlan in and was annoyed to see he'd left. She headed for the nearby pub and was doubly annoyed to see Quinlan joking, talking, and sparring with others within the pub. The pub was warmer than outside for a Spring evening, and light flooded into the pub from a large chandelier in the brown ceiling. The sound of music and Quinlan joking and sparring echoed, and the scents of spice and alcohol wafted as Ventress walked on the hard floor.
The pubgoers were intimidated by Ventress' arrival and quickly got out of her way as she approached Quinlan, who was sparring with a middle-aged, muscular Togruta male.
When Ventress reached the boxing ring, Quinlan saw Ventress approach and laughed awkwardly.
"Ah, my girlfriend is here," Quinlan said, waving to Ventress. There was a collective gasp from the pub.
"She's your girlfriend?" the Togruta asked as Ventress climbed through the ropes onto the ring.
"Ma'am, we're in the middle of a sanctioned match. Could you please not interfere?" a human male called once Ventress entered the ring.
"Don't interfere," Ventress replied, "I need to talk with my boyfriend,"
Ventress had decided to play along with Quinlan if it helped them escape this situation.
"Hey babe," Quinlan awkwardly said as Ventress barged past the Togruta.
"Are you serious? What part of staying hidden didn't you understand?" Ventress snarled at Quinlan. Unsurprisingly, Quinlan retreated several steps.
"I got bored. There was nothing to do in the house," Quinlan replied.
"Hey, ma'am, you're interrupting a match," the referee called again, but Ventress turned to the referee with a paralysing glare.
"I don't care about this match. My boyfriend almost blew our cover when I specifically told him not to attract attention to himself," Ventress replied before she turned back to Quinlan.
"Did you?" the referee asked.
Quinlan laughed awkwardly, "Yeah. I'm sorry, babe, I couldn't resist,"
Ventress groaned as she held the bridge of her nose with her fingers, "You're frustrating sometimes, Quinlan. How many drinks have you had?"
"Just one," Quinlan replied, "And I've already paid for that drink,"
"Fine," Ventress sighed, "At least you made some money for us,"
"Are you two gamblers?" came another voice from nearby.
"We're Bounty Hunters," Ventress snarled, "You all will allow us to leave, and nobody gets hurt. Got it?"
After a moment, everyone parted and allowed Ventress and Quinlan to depart. As he left, Quinlan grabbed his winnings.
Ventress and Quinlan would depart Mal-Zenta and get to a safe location in the Unknown Regions, far from the Empire. After a lengthy make-up process, Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos would eventually settle down and hook up in a distant world far from the Empire.