Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 217-219 - Arrogance
Ventress changed her stance again, returning to the more aggressive "Jacquet" dual-sword stance.

“Ventris,” Naradan clearly noticed her change, “Don’t go looking for trouble. It was Count Dooku who betrayed you, not the entire Confederation. We have a common enemy.”

Ventress's gaze darted quickly between the control panel and Naradan. "Only I can kill Count Dooku."

"up to you."

Anakin paid almost no attention to their conversation, focusing all his energy on deciphering Ventress's intentions.

Her intentions seemed to change every second.

He returned to the initial question: How did Ventress survive the initial betrayal?
He recalled why the destroyers of the "Storm Fleet" suddenly stopped firing at each other and switched to formation operations.

Most people might assume they've concluded Asagi Ventress is dead, but a single life scan can overturn that assumption.

The only other plausible explanation for a fleet controlled by slave circuits suddenly turning around is that... they received conflicting instructions.

Ventress is stalling for time.

why?
Now he understands.

The last piece of the puzzle was put back into place in his mind.

The Storm Fleet opened fire on each other because Ventress managed to board one of the ships and, using control codes she had somehow intercepted, directed the fleet to turn its attention to the combined forces of the Mystral and the Opening Fleet.

Just then, Anakin and Naradan found her on the bridge.

She is still delaying because she is trying to extract flagship authority and control code rotors from the Storm-001.

This way, she can remotely control the entire "Storm Fleet" from anywhere.

Another explosion shook the ship.

Apo broke the unsettling silence: "General, our men and the Mistral have engaged in combat in the battle bay."

There was a brief pause.

"Fire!"

Soldiers from the 501st Legion broke the stalemate with blaster guns and, under cover of fire, gradually retreated towards the bulkhead behind them.

The Mistral people responded quickly.

First came a barrage of sharp, sharp needles.

Even with Anakin's enhanced senses, it would be nearly impossible to detect these fleeting shadows, let alone block and vaporize them all with a lightsaber.

After the first wave of needle rain, the front-line clone soldiers instantly fell to the ground and died, the air filled with screams and the sound of shattering armor.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of another weapon joined in, as the Mistral drew their concealed blaster guns and energy-absorbing Frick Vibration Blades, and opened fire on the 501st Legion.

"To the 'Shariheng'!" Anakin heard Naradan shout. "Ventris!"

Ventress transformed into a red whirlwind, a blazing defensive sphere, deflecting all attacks aimed at her or the control console.

She completely ignored Naradan, which made him both anxious and annoyed.

Anakin understood then.

Command privileges are still being downloaded.

“Apo!” he shouted urgently, “Don’t let them board the ship! Leave Ventress to me.”

Apo responded loudly, gathering the remaining soldiers to cross the bulkhead. For a few seconds, the sound of gunfire continued.

Then, accompanied by a piercing metallic scraping sound, everything suddenly fell silent.

Only he and Ventress remained on the bridge.

But the fighting did not stop.

Anakin cannot see, but he can sense the Force.

Like wildfire spreading inside the ship, laser cannon fire tore through the bulkheads and armor plating like a necrotic disease.

The Sith and the Jedi drew their swords against each other.

Ventress launched the first attack, and all the disguises vanished completely.

She leaped over the control panel and pounced on Anakin with deadly grace.

She was incredibly fast, and Anakin relied almost entirely on his instincts to retreat and block.

Ventress pressed down with all her might, but Anakin's mechanical arm's inhuman strength pushed her back.

The Sith assassin used the momentum to nimbly flip over his head and land on the wall behind him.

Ventress swiftly leaped over the wall and pounced again. Anakin turned sharply, narrowly avoiding being struck by Ventress because he was a fraction too slow.

The lightsabers clashed and hissed as she closed in on him, her face only centimeters away.

Normally, Anakin might have expected to see her display a cruel smile or a mocking expression, but to his surprise, he found her lips pressed into a resolute line, her eyes filled only with a tenacious will to survive.

"Let...me...go!" Ventress screamed as she flipped backward and crouched on the control panel.

“Impossible,” Anakin growled. “I’m here for one thing…to end you!”

The hum of the lightsaber was Ventress's only warning, and he swung it down with all his might.

Ventress's pale face contorted with rage. Knowing she was no match for him, she relaxed her joints and slid away from his sword.

Before she could fully regain her footing, Anakin had already turned around and parried her attack from a blind spot.

“You Jedi are all the same!” Ventress gritted her teeth. “How does it feel to throw your apprentices to the enemy? Don’t you always do that?” “We are not like you, Ventress,” Anakin reached out his organic hand to destroy the control panel, but Ventress swiftly countered with another lightsaber. “We Jedi trust each other! That’s what you crave but will never have, isn’t it?”

That statement hit the nail on the head.

Ventress let out a furious roar, losing all her elegance, and lunged at him with all her might, launching a frenzied attack after a series of blows.

Enrage drove her to hold nothing back, her sole aim being to kill. Anakin retreated, step by step, focusing on deflecting her increasingly ferocious attacks.

He only needs her to make one mistake.

The air was thick with the smell of mildew and the acrid odor of burning wires, drowning out the hissing sounds of lightsabers clashing.

"You really think your little trick will work?" Ventress attacked fiercely, the Force amplifying her power to an astonishing degree. "Do you know who you've put her up against?"

"Is that praise I heard?" Anakin asked incredulously. "You must be blinded by the dark side!"

"Anyone who can make the Republic bow down deserves my praise!" Ventress swung her twin swords, unexpectedly breaking Anakin's defense.

Both of them were taken aback.

But Ventress reacted faster, taking advantage of his loss of balance to kick him into the wall.

“Asoka is not alone,” Anakin gasped, forcing himself to breathe in the polluted air. “I will not let her fight alone.”

“You… you’ve already done it.” Ventress was also panting.

“No. I never trained her using the Jedi method,” Anakin straightened up, his sapphire flames flaring up again. “Everything she learned was something she sought out herself, either from me or from people who knew more than me. I never restricted her.”

"Do you think this will help her defeat Hydra?"

“You don’t understand, Ventress. The Jedi Order and the Republic Navy don’t get along well,” Anakin said with a wry smile. “If she loses, it won’t be because she can’t trust the crew of the Pioneer.”

Anakin knew that if the Jedi High Council found out that he had "abandoned" his apprentice, they would not let him off easily.

But war requires flexibility.

Anakin Skywalker himself was never a rule-abiding apprentice, nor would he become a traditional master.

Ahsoka never experienced the galactic adventures and quests that form the basis of a Jedi apprentice's life.

For Ahsoka, the Pioneer was like Anakin Skywalker, her mentor.

Whether it was General Yularen, the sensor team with Lieutenant Clive, communications experts like Afre, or even artillery officers—

Anakin never stopped her from learning what she wanted to learn.

This fleet is her foundation.

Anakin was well aware of the long-standing discord between the Jedi Command and the Navy, and on the surface, Ahsoka did indeed seem to be left among a group of opposing strangers.

But she's not.

Anakin ensured this.

He made sure she was surrounded by outstanding people, friends and comrades, people whose abilities surpassed his.

What if she dies?

“She won’t,” Anakin said with absolute confidence, and for a moment Ventress almost believed him. “After all, I am still her master.”

Moreover, regardless of whether the Chosen One is present, the "Open Ring Fleet" is always the most elite.

“Your arrogance will ruin you,” Ventress retorted.

"I'm looking forward to that day."

A tense silence descended.

The two soldiers faced off around the central control console, analyzing each other's responses and subtly adjusting their postures, each change barely perceptible.

The console emitted a soft beep... followed by a notification sound.

A small data card popped out of the slot.

Anakin and Ventress exchanged glances.

Anakin made the first move.

Ventress is faster.

Ventress was as agile as a cheetah. Because she held the sword with both hands, she used her mouth to pick up the data card, being very careful not to damage it with her teeth.

Then, she landed and rolled, rushing off the bridge.

"Ventress!" Anakin roared and chased after him.

By the time he caught up, Ventress had already hidden the chip.

The lightsabers clashed again, and then she rushed down the next corridor.

The battle between the two unfolded in the labyrinthine interior of the "Storm Fleet" destroyer, with lightsabers flashing against a backdrop of chaotic footsteps, shouts, and the sounds of blast guns.

They rushed through the narrow corridor, where combat robots and clones were firing at each other from both sides.

boom!
They smashed open the hatch and rushed through the abandoned rest area.

Finally, they charged into the center of another battlefield where Mistral mercenaries were fighting with even more soldiers.

(End of this chapter)