Asajj Ventress hated the Jedi. And not because the Sith, to whom she now belonged, hated them — no, her hatred had far deeper roots.
Long ago, fate had brought her together with Ky Narec, a Jedi sent by the Council to resolve a conflict on Rattatak. His ship had crashed, and she had saved his life using the Force. Recognizing her innate gift, he began to train her — teaching her the ways of the Light Side.
He reported his discovery to the Council, but they were not pleased. "She has a strong inclination toward the Dark Side of the Force. You cannot teach her." Yet Ky disregarded their warning. He continued her instruction while trying to mediate peace on Rattatak — though the Jedi never offered assistance, even when he requested it.
Together, Asajj and Ky became heroes. They reduced the violence and encouraged dialogue among the warring clans. But not everyone on Rattatak welcomed peace. Her master was struck down by a sniper's single, perfect shot. And that was when Ventress fell. Consumed by grief and rage, she surrendered to the Dark Side. She hunted down the sniper and every member of the gang responsible. All that remained of her teacher were his lightsaber and a tattoo on her face — one he had given her himself.
He had told her about Dathomir and its customs. Asajj had gladly accepted the tattoo — its meaning was "wanderer." It was all she had left of him.
Soon, she added new tattoos of her own. Using a blood-tracking technique, she began hunting warlords, and each of her twelve new markings came to represent one she had slain. After seizing the territories of her defeated enemies, Ventress ordered her new slaves to build a great fortress for her — from which she ruled over her conquests.
Asajj kept her fallen master's lightsaber as a relic, even as her hatred for the Jedi who had abandoned Narec while he still lived burned ever deeper.
In time, fate brought her to another Master — Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatists. He demonstrated to her the true power of the Dark Side. In a short duel, he defeated her effortlessly and shattered Narec's lightsaber. In return, he offered her to be his apprentice, to which Ventress accepted. It was then that Count Dooku gave her her new lightsabers — curved-hilted, crimson-bladed. They suited her perfectly.
Asajj ran a gloved hand lovingly along one of the hilts.
After completing several lesser assignments, Ventress embarked on her first true mission. Her Master sent her to Randon. A group of Republic senators was traveling there under Jedi protection. Her orders were clear: eliminate Senator Mora Vol Dergar of the Glythe Sector. And the Jedi. The Master said nothing about him, he only informed that the other Senators should not be harmed. They are still needed.
In a few hours, a small transport ship would arrive in Randon's orbit. For now, she would meditate — preparing herself for the battle ahead.
***
Damn politicians drive me crazy. Nothing but blabbermouths and idealists. I need to distract myself, or my head's going to explode from all this talk. And then there's Chuchi and her request… and I, like an idiot, decided to play the hero and wag my tail like a puppy. Now I'll have to keep that promise — but how?
In search of solitude, I wandered into the cargo compartment where the battle droids were stored. Ahsoka was already there, busy with her training.
"To paraphrase the greats," I mused, "there are three things you can watch forever: flowing water, a burning fire, and a Jedi dancing with a lightsaber."
Ahsoka lacked polish, but her agility and grace more than compensated for any imperfections.
Thinking about all of this, I fell a little out of reality.
***
The cargo bay was almost entirely packed with droids, though there were still a few dozen square meters of open space — naturally, the area Ahsoka had claimed for practice.
Suddenly, the togruta noticed her Master standing near one of the crates, silently observing her.
"Master?"
"Huh?" blinked, he woke up.
"You've been looking at the same spot for about five minutes," she said with a grin.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. Practicing again?"
"Yes. What do you think, Master?"
"Not bad so far. Beautiful, even. If your blade were red, you'd look truly menacing."
"I'm not a Sith!" Ahsoka protested indignantly.
"Not a Sith, you say?" He replied. Then, with a small smirk, he rummaged through his belt pouch and pulled out a coil of sturdy rope. Cutting off a short length with my saber, he held out his hand. "Give me your lightsaber."
Puzzled, Ahsoka obeyed. He threaded the rope through the hilt's mounting ring and tied a firm knot. Then he stepped closer and fastened the other end to the safety ring on her belt.
"Um… Master, what's this for?" she asked, brow furrowed.
"In ancient times, Jedi carried their sabers like this — connected by a cord to a power pack on their belt. Those were called Jedi swords. And what you're holding in your hands right now is a Sith sword. It was the Dark Lords of the old Sith Empire who perfected the lightsaber by placing a power supply and energy cell in the hilt."
Ahsoka eyed her weapon curiously.
Hutt, Master's getting carried away again, she thought with a sigh. Still… although his stories are always fascinating, sometimes they stump me.
Under the Master's scrutinizing gaze, the Togruta made a few tentative movements. The rope restrained her movements, making her move faster and sharper at the same time.
***
"Master?"
What a stubborn person — she tried to practice the new way for fifteen minutes, but it seems she's finally ready to talk.
"Master," Ahsoka called again, "the Jedi use Sith lightsabers now — how did that happen?"
"A long time ago," I explained, "during Naga Sadow's invasion of the Republic — more than five thousand years ago — and the start of the Great Hyperspace War, the Sith Empire's technological innovations found their way to the Jedi as well. While the Sith wielded lightsabers, the Jedi still fought with protosabers, since they hadn't yet mastered the new technology. After the Sith were defeated, the Jedi fully adopted the modern lightsaber design."
"But then… it doesn't make us Sith, if we use their technology, does it?" she asked hesitantly.
"Well," I said with mock seriousness, "what's stopping you from making your blade red?"
Ahsoka's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"Nothing. Master, are you serious?" The Togruta stared at me, aghast.
"Of course not," I said with a grin, watching her face shift from confusion to indignation.
"Arrgh! Master!"
"What?" I asked innocently.