Asajj Ventress (SWAU)

## Asajj Ventress

**Asajj Ventress** was a Dathomirian female who, at various points throughout her life, was a slave, a Jedi Padawan, a Sith apprentice, a Nightsister, and a bounty hunter. In the final decades of the Galactic Republic's reign, 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 was later discovered by the Jedi Knight Ky Narec, who was stranded on Rattatak and waging a battle against the pirate marauders. Narec raised Ventress and taught her to use the Force in the ways of the Jedi Order, 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 an apprentice and aspiring Dark Lord.

When the pan-galactic Clone Wars erupted between the Galactic Republic and Dooku's Confederacy of Independent Systems, Ventress became a commander in her Master's Separatist droid military and an assassin in the employ of the Sith. Her exploits brought her into conflict with the Jedi Order and she became renown for her skill and cruelty as she waged war against the Republic. She frequently crossed 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 Confederate military leader General Grievous. As the war progressed, Dooku's own master, Darth Sidious, became increasingly wary of Ventress's growing strength in the Force and ultimately ordered the Confederate leader 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 together they conspired to kill Dooku. 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 the only 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 new-found 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 rescued Obi-Wan Kenobi from the clutches of Darth Maul and Savage Opress, who had recently apprenticed him self under Darth Maul—and worked alongside Skywalker’s apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, when Tano was falsely accused of bombing the Jedi Temple. Afterwards, Asajj would continue bounty hunting on her own until the end of the Clone Wars and the transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Soon after, Asajj would meet the bounty hunter Zaeed, a clone and former ARC Trooper who led a group of mercenaries known as the Eclipse Warriors. She would join the organization and formed a close friendship with the clone, which turned into something greater after the death of multiple members of their group at the hands of Han Solo and his ragtag group of smugglers. Afterwards, Ventress and her lover pursued Solo relentlessly, eventually teaming up with bounty hunters Boba Fett and Dengar to capture him, eventually being