Asajj Ventress

> "I never knew you like Ahsoka, Anakin and Obi-Wan did, but I do know that you changed! You rejected the dark side in order to save Quinlan Vos, and now you've given yourself to evil once again!"
> — Jarik Shan to Asajj Ventress
>
>

**Asajj Ventress** was a Dathomirian female who, at various points throughout her life, was a slave, a Jedi Padawan, an assassin of the Sith, a Nightsister, and a bounty hunter. During the Age of the Galactic Republic, Ventress was born into a clan of Force-sensitive Nightsister witches led by Mother Talzin on the planet Dathomir. Early in her life, her coven was forced to surrender Ventress to the criminal Hal'Sted, who spirited Ventress away from her sisters to the war-torn world of Rattatak where she was raised as a slave in his service. She was orphaned when her master was killed by Weequay pirates, but discovered by Jedi Knight Ky Narec, who was stranded on Rattatak and waged a battle against pirate marauders. Narec raised Ventress and taught her to use the Force in the ways of the Jedi, and together they protected the people of Rattatak and fought back against the predatory attacks of pirates and warlords. After a decade of helping the local population, Ventress was orphaned once more when Narec was killed by pirates seeking to end the Jedi's crusade on their world. Enraged by the loss and bereft of guidance, Ventress embraced the dark side of the Force, deposing the local warlords and ruling in their stead. She was eventually discovered by the Sith Lord Count Dooku and fell under his guidance and tutelage as a dark acolyte and aspiring apprentice.

When the pan-galactic Clone Wars erupted between the Galactic Republic and Dooku's Confederacy of Independent Systems, Ventress became a commander in the Separatist Droid Army and an assassin in the employ of the Sith. Her exploits brought her into conflict with the Jedi Order, and she became renowned for her skill and cruelty as she waged war against the Republic, frequently crossing lightsabers with Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, heroes of the Republic who were often assigned to counter Ventress's efforts. Although she was highly talented and saw success in the kidnapping of Rotta the Hutt, the rescue of Nute Gunray, and the infiltration of the Republic fortress world of Kamino, Ventress was repeatedly forced to compete for her master's favor against Separatist military leader General Grievous. As the war progressed, Dooku's own master, Darth Sidious, became wary of Ventress' growing strength in the Force and ordered the Separatist Head of State to eliminate his apprentice in a show of loyalty. Dooku complied, and during the Battle of Sullust, betrayed Ventress and ordered her own forces to execute her.

Left for dead, Ventress survived and clawed her way back to her homeworld of Dathomir to seek refuge and revenge. Mother Talzin and her coven welcomed Ventress back to their sisterhood and conspired to kill Dooku together. After a failed attempt to assassinate the Count, Ventress and Talzin moved to install a pawn of their own close to Dooku as his new assassin and apprentice. To that end, Ventress selected the Zabrak Nightbrother Savage Opress to be gifted to Dooku and eventually to aid her in his murder. This plan also went awry after Opress rejected both Ventress and Dooku and nearly killed them both. Resolving to make a new life for herself, Ventress returned to Dathomir to formally rejoin her clan and forgo further plans for revenge, but Dooku would not have it. The Count targeted the Nightsisters for harboring his former apprentice and dispatched Grievous and his droid army to massacre the Dathomirian witches. Mother Talzin and Ventress were among the few survivors of the slaughter and were forced to separately flee Dathomir to escape Dooku's wrath.

Ventress was deeply hurt by the loss of her newfound family and so took to wandering the galaxy in search of a purpose, ultimately turning to bounty hunting, and finding a good measure of success in the business. This work forced her to adopt a series of unexpected alliances — she worked to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi alongside his Padawan Jarik Shan from the clutches of the former Sith Lord Maul and Savage Opress — and worked alongside Skywalker's apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, when Tano was falsely accused of bombing the Jedi Temple. Near the end of the Clone Wars, she encountered Quinlan Vos, a Jedi Master tasked with assassinating Count Dooku to end the war. Vos partnered with Ventress under the guise of a fellow bounty hunter but ultimately revealed his identity and purpose after the two fell in love. Ventress trained Vos in Nightsister culture and dark-side skills to prepare for a strike against Dooku, but their attempt to kill the Count failed, and she was forced to flee while he was taken into Separatist custody, where he fell to the dark side. Eventually, she sacrificed herself when Dooku attempted to kill Vos with Force lightning by absorbing the blast to protect her lover. Her death finally motivated Vos to renounce the dark side, and she was honored for her sacrifice by the Jedi Council. Ventress' body was later laid to rest in the waters of her clan's village on Dathomir.

Years later, however, Ventress' spirit remained alive on Dathomir along with the other deceased Nightsisters. In 2 BBY, she attempted to rebuilt her Nightsister clan after possessing Jarik Shan, though she and her sisters would ultimately be stopped, by the combined efforts of Jedi Padawans Mara Jade and Ezra Bridger — bested by Jade's more unorthodox tactics during their lightsaber duel, Ventress would ultimately die her final death after the Nightsisters' altar was destroyed by Bridger, though she accepted her fate.

## **Personality and traits**

> "Remember... you always have a choice to be better. You always have a choice to... to pick the right path. Even if that choice comes a little late."
> — Asajj Ventress to Quinlan Vos
>
>

As a child Ventress was kind and caring, but became dark and brooding after the death of her master, Ky Narec. Giving in to rage and resentment, she subsequently spiraled into darkness. Known to be quick to anger, Ventress could easily be infuriated, such as when her formidable lightsaber skills were described to her as those of an amateur by Luminara Unduli. Despite her quick temper, she was very cunning and swift, allowing her to outsmart most foes.

Ventress could also be vindictive and inconsiderate. After being betrayed, abandoned, and nearly killed by Dooku, Ventress desired to kill him and went to the Nightsisters to find a way to defeat her former Master. She recruited Savage Opress and treated him like a slave, which ultimately caused him to turn against her.

After becoming a bounty hunter, her attitude softened somewhat, as seen when she allowed Pluma Sodi to return to her people. Likewise, she lost interest in killing some of her former enemies, including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano. In fact, she rescued Kenobi from Darth Maul and Opress, more interested in the latter's bounty reward than her previous enmity with the Jedi Master. On the other hand, she helped Tano, as she empathized with the Padawan's situation, likening it to her own with Count Dooku. She also incapacitated a group of clones without seriously harming any of them, and implied that not killing people was her new modus operandi. To highlight her misunderstood status, she used a snake as the icon on her bounty hunter armor; they were thought to be evil, even when they were not.

Near the end of the war, as she traveled with Quinlan Vos to assassinate Count Dooku, her more compassionate and trusting side was even more strengthened—to the point of her developing a romantic attraction to him. In the end, she sacrificed herself to save Vos, who was influenced by the dark side, fully redeeming herself into the light.

## **Powers and abilities**

### **Lightsaber abilities**

> "So, you use Makashi like my Dad... You make it look like he's fighting drunk!"
> —Mara Jade to Asajj Ventress
>
>

Asajj Ventress was a master of Jar'Kai, a style she acquired after the death of her first master, Ky Narec, taking up his lightsaber alongside her own. Under Count Dooku, the mechanisms in her new curved lightsabers enabled her to combine them into a bizarre, though effective, S-shaped double-bladed weapon known as a split saber.

Under the tutelage of Dooku, Ventress learned to utilize Form II. However, her technique still was not without its flaws; notably her version was criticized by a temporarily blinded Luminara Unduli as being "unrefined," "amateurish," and "sloppy." By the time of their duel, Ventress had already developed a physical strength to hold up simultaneous bladelocks with multiple duelists at a time, and Ahsoka Tano recognized her as "too powerful for any one Jedi to fight alone." Ventress proved a match for both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in many of their encounters. On Teth, she disarmed Kenobi—a member of the Jedi Council—who later deprived her of one of her weapons in return. She was able to contend with General Grievous, as she gained the upper hand and cut one of his robotic arms in a lightsaber duel.

While possessing Jarik Shan on Dathomir, Ventress proved to still be a deadly lightsaber combatant, however, she was a bit more clumsy and off-balanced due to controlling a body different from her own. As such, she was evenly matched by the younger Mara Jade, and eventually bested by the Jedi Padawan as well during their duel.

### **Force powers**

> "When Ky Narec was killed, I allowed my hatred to take over. Hatred gave me access to abilities the Jedi think are too unnatural. But the Sith know that hatred is the path to ultimate power."
> — Asajj Ventress
>
>

Ventress was viewed by Obi-Wan Kenobi as having immense willpower, with more experience in the Force than any Jedi. Darth Sidious himself sensed that the Dathomirian was growing more powerful and feared that his apprentice, Darth Tyranus, would use her to help overthrow him as the Dark Lord of the Sith. All of this had been in due part to her close connection with the dark side.

Ventress displayed a great aptitude for Force-enhanced jumps, frequently employing them during her duels. She was also skilled with telekinesis, as witnessed when she lifted Captain Rex in the air, while simultaneously choking him. Later, the assassin proved herself capable of Force-choking and telekinetically levitating Skywalker and Kenobi simultaneously, when fueled by her rage, pain and desperation. Shortly after, she used that same power on Ratch and his three men, this time achieving a lethal result. Ventress demonstrated an aptitude for using mind tricks, though Rex was able to avoid her influence when contacting Skywalker.

### **Hunting skill**

Ventress also displayed skill in unarmed combat, being able to easily fight a group of Nightbrothers when she was looking for a suitable servant on Dathomir. Her hand-to-hand combat skills were later displayed when she fought Savage Opress and Maul alongside Kenobi and Shan, dodging Opress's aggressive blows and striking back with a flurry of punches and kicks until Kenobi returned her lightsaber to her.

## **Appearances**

* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 2: The Clone Wars* — "Chapter 3: Brain Invaders" (first mentioned)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 2: The Clone Wars* — "Chapter 12: ARC Troopers" (first appearance) (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 2: The Clone Wars* — "Chapter 16: How to Infiltrate a Base" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 2: The Clone Wars* — "Chapter 37: Revenge"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 2: The Clone Wars* — "Chapter 50: Revival" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 2: The Clone Wars* — "Chapter 55: To Catch a Jedi"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 2: The Clone Wars* — "Chapter 56: The Wrong Jedi" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 3: Revenge of the Sith* — "Chapter 15: Confronting the Sith" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 48: The Hssiss Pack" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 69: Alvin and the Outcasts" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 78: Stealth Strike" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 23: The Discovery" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 24: Restarting a Cruiser" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 38: The Nightsisters" (ghost or spirit)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 68: Wolves of Dume Pt 1" (indirect mention only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 6: Children of the Force* — "Chapter 4: The Weeping Tree" (mentioned only)