Final Blow (Star Wars Rebels)

An Old Enemy

The Dathomirian was obviously not young anymore, but that didn't mean she was weak. She had white skin with dark marks at the edges of her mouth. She had blue eyes and silver hair.

Conner suddenly swung himself to his feet, using his leg to send the Dathomirian to the ground in the same motion. Ezra's eyesight cleared and he climbed to his feet as well, although he felt a bit unsteady. Evelyn had fallen to the ground when the Dathomirian had lost her hold on her, but now she was standing as well.

"So you didn't kill them," the Dathomirian said, standing up and glancing at Conner and Ezra. "I suppose I really shouldn't care either way. After all, they're not the ones I'm after."

"Why are you hunting me?" Evelyn asked.

"As a favor to Luam. He doesn't appreciate you following him around," the Dathomirian explained.

"Wait, so you're not here to kill me?" Ezra asked. The Dathomirian hardly glanced at him.

"I don't get involved in Jedi/Sith matters anymore," she said. "I've done it all. Jedi Padawan, Sith Apprentice, bounty hunter who aided a Jedi Padawan . . . I'm not going down those paths again. I'm only here to kill the girl. If you fight back, I suppose I'll have to eliminate you as well."

"You can't kill her," Conner said stubbornly. "She's our guide and friend."

The Dathomirian chuckled and smiled.

"You haven't even known her for more than a day, and already you three are best buddies?" she asked. "Here's a lesson from me kid: don't be so quick to trust. You can help a person faithfully for your whole life, never question them or betray them, and then they try to kill you for no reason."

"You seem to be speaking from experience," Ezra said. The Dathomirian scowled.

"Don't speak lightly of what you don't understand," she hissed. "You don't know the pain I've suffered."

"You're Asajj Ventress," Conner realized. The Dathomirian snapped around to stare at him.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Very few know the names of the Sith apprentices from the dark days."

"There are stories about you and the padawan Ahsoka Tano," Conner explained. "You were archenemies with Obi-Wan Kenobi. But then you were betrayed by your master and became a bounty hunter."

Ezra felt a stir in the force. He turned slightly to see Evelyn. Her normal lighthearted mask of calm was gone. In its place was unrestrained hatred. She snatched Ezra's lightsaber from its place on his belt and activated it, launching herself forward with the same motion. Ventress raised her own lightsabers to defend herself. Conner stumbled back in surprise, dodging away from the flashing blades.

Ezra glanced around for something he could use to help. The nearest weapon was Evelyn's blaster, but the battle was moving too quickly for Ezra to feel confident he wouldn't hit Evelyn. He ran for the blaster anyway.

Ezra heard the swish of a lightsaber and Evelyn crying out in pain. When he turned around Ventress kicked Evelyn into Conner, sending them both falling to the ground. Ventress extended a hand in the direction of the controls. They sparked and smoked, becoming unusable in mere seconds.

"Enjoy your final moments children," Ventress said as she panted heavily. "I have more important issues to deal with."

Ventress turned and ran out of the cockpit. Evelyn and Conner climbed to their feet.

"Ezra! My blaster!" Evelyn demanded. Ezra threw her the pistol and she caught it. She turned and chased after Ventress.

"She's about to do something stupid," Conner warned. Ezra picked up his deactivated lightsaber from the ground. The very bottom of it had been melted by a lightsaber. He clipped it to his belt and ran into the hallway.

Ventress was still running. Evelyn raised the blaster with her left hand. Her right hand was clutched against her stomach. She took a moment to aim and fired. Ventress whipped around and deflected the bolt, sending it flying back at Evelyn. It missed, hitting the nearby wall instead.

"Revenge never leads to happiness, only darkness!" Ventress said. "You would do well to remember that girl!"

Then she entered the airlock, sealed in, and vanished into her own ship. It detached and rocketed away.

Ventress was gone, leaving the Windcast dead in space.