Ashen Devout - Tales of Dõermir

*- Capture! Part 1 -*

Aurra crouched low on the rocky ledge, her eyes fixed on the Separatist outpost below. The night air was still, thick with the quiet anticipation that comes just before a storm. This mission was critical: she was to infiltrate the facility, recover intel on the Separatists' latest movement, and escape undetected. She had done covert ops before, but this was different-she was alone, no backup, no Jedi Masters watching her every move. This was her test, a solo mission to prove her skill and determination.

As she surveyed the compound, she couldn't help but think of her brother. She imagined him teasing her, saying she was too cautious, too by-the-book, the responsible one. Etan would probably charge right in, trusting his raw power to get him through. But that wasn't her way. Aurra preferred to rely on precision and patience.

She took a deep breath, reaching out through the Force to feel for the droids guarding the perimeter. Their movements were mechanical and predictable, their patrol paths intersecting at precise intervals. Timing her approach, she slipped down from her ledge and silently made her way to a side entrance, moving quickly to avoid detection.

Inside the facility, the hallways were dimly lit and eerily silent. Something felt... off. She had expected to hear battle droids shuffling about or even the hum of machinery, but there was only silence. Her instincts flared, and she kept her senses on high alert as she made her way toward the control room.

As she rounded a corner, she froze, catching sight of a tall, slender figure shrouded in shadows at the end of the corridor. Her blood ran cold as she recognized the unmistakable silhouette: Asajj Ventress. Her bald head gleamed faintly under the dim lights, and her sharp, predatory gaze fixed on Aurra with a hint of amusement.

"Well, well," Ventress drawled, her voice dripping with venomous charm. "What's a little Jedi doing sneaking around here all alone? Didn't your Masters tell you it's dangerous out here?"

Aurra swallowed, her hand instinctively reaching for her lightsaber. She knew Ventress by reputation-fierce, relentless, and utterly without mercy. This wasn't just a rogue opponent; this was a highly trained assassin who had cut down many Jedi before her. Aurra's mind raced, weighing her options, but her feet remained rooted in place. This wasn't a mission to engage, but if Ventress was here, there was a reason for it.

"Last I checked, Ventress," Aurra replied, keeping her voice calm,
"it's dangerous everywhere you're involved."

Ventress's smirk widened, her eyes gleaming with a dark humor.
"Oh, brave words for a Jedi on her own." She tilted her head, observing Aurra with a kind of predatory curiosity.
"But you're young. Fresh. Let me guess-your first solo mission?"

Aurra's grip tightened on her lightsaber, her pulse quickening.
"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"No," Ventress purred, her voice soft but menacing,
"you don't. But I do wonder if your precious Jedi Order ever told you just how fragile they are. All that talk of strength, and yet they send children to do their dirty work."

Aurra ignited her lightsaber, the blue blade casting an eerie glow in the dim corridor.
"I'm not here to debate the Jedi with you. Leave now, and I won't have to fight you."

Ventress's laugh was low and mocking, echoing down the empty hall.
"Fight me? Oh, little Jedi, I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

Without another word, Ventress's twin crimson blades ignited, her stance shifting as she prepared to strike. Aurra barely had time to react before Ventress lunged, her movements as fluid as they were deadly. Aurra blocked the initial strike, the force of the blow vibrating up her arm, but Ventress's attacks were relentless. Each swing of her lightsabers was precise, calculated to keep Aurra on the defensive.

Aurra struggled to keep up, forced to give ground as Ventress pressed her back. She dodged, twisted, parried, her mind racing to anticipate Ventress's next move. Every strike, every slash, felt like it could be her last. The raw power and intensity of Ventress's attacks were staggering, and yet Aurra felt something else underneath the assault-a kind of bitter rage that simmered just beneath the surface.

As they fought, Aurra saw an opening, a split-second vulnerability as Ventress overextended in one of her sweeping strikes. Summoning every ounce of focus, she lunged forward, her blade angling toward Ventress's side. But Ventress countered with effortless grace, deflecting the attack and forcing Aurra back with a wicked grin.

"Is that all the Jedi teach you?" Ventress taunted, her eyes glinting with cruel amusement.
"Parry, retreat, parry, retreat-hardly the stuff of legends."

Aurra's breath came in quick, controlled bursts. Her mind was sharp, focused, refusing to let Ventress's taunts unsettle her. She wasn't fighting for glory or even to defeat Ventress; she was fighting to survive, to complete her mission and get the intel she needed. She let Ventress's insults roll off her, focusing only on the next move, the next opportunity.

"I don't need to impress you," Aurra replied, her voice steady, her gaze unwavering.
"I just need to stop you."

Ventress's grin widened, her gaze gleaming with dark delight.
"Then by all means, try."

They clashed again, their blades illuminating the narrow hallway in flashes of red and blue. Ventress's movements were graceful, almost dance-like, as she weaved in and out of Aurra's strikes, her expression one of twisted enjoyment. But Aurra held her ground, using her agility and quick reflexes to stay just out of reach, parrying Ventress's strikes with focused precision.

But as the duel wore on, Aurra could feel her strength waning, each parry growing heavier, each movement slower. Ventress's onslaught was unrelenting, her strikes coming faster and harder, as if feeding off the fear and tension in the air.

Ventress lunged forward, and Aurra blocked, but the impact sent her staggering backward. She stumbled, barely keeping her footing, as Ventress closed the distance between them.

"I can feel your fear, little Jedi," Ventress sneered, her voice a venomous whisper.
"It's delicious. You're outmatched, and you know it."

Aurra steadied herself, her gaze steely despite the fatigue weighing on her. "Fear...isn't the same as surrender."

Ventress paused, eyeing her with a raised brow. For a moment, something shifted in her expression-a flicker of curiosity, of recognition. Then, with a smirk, she raised her blades again.

"Good," she said softly.
"You'll need that spirit to survive what's coming."