Teth — Monastery, Inner SanctumSeparatist Communication Node
Darkness surrounded her.
In the ruined heart of the monastery, Asajj Ventress stood before a crackling holocom unit, the infant Hutt nowhere to be seen. Dust danced through stale air as the battle above simmered to uneasy silence. Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
She reached out and activated the encrypted transmission.
"My lord, I have the recording you requested."
The blue image of Count Dooku flickered to life before her, taller than the machine that projected it. His arms were folded behind his back, cloak draping like a shadow, eyes cold and expectant.
"Transmit it at once. Your new objective is to recover the Hutt."
Ventress raised an eyebrow, surprised. "And deliver him to Jabba unharmed?"
"Precisely. Do not fail me."
The transmission ended. Ventress smiled faintly—tight-lipped and hungry.
Tatooine — Jabba's Palace, Throne Room
The hologram projector sparked to life, casting a sharp blue beam in the center of Jabba's audience chamber. Smoke lingered in the air. Courtiers leaned in. Bounty hunters watched with narrowed eyes.
Count Dooku, calm and composed, stood at the side of the projection system, watching his deception unfold in real time.
On the holographic image, frozen in grainy distortion, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, And Jason Shan stood beside the Huttlet's containment pod.
Ahsoka's and Anakin's voices echoed faintly from the recording:"Will you just let me do it?"
"I hate Hutts."
The crowd stirred at those words. Even Jabba's slugs shifted, and his tail twitched angrily.
Dooku stepped forward, voice perfectly timed with the display.
"As you can see, it is the Jedi who have your son and are plotting against you.My droid army has already initiated a rescue.Rest assured, mighty Jabba, your son will be saved."
Jabba let out a low, vibrating growl. His majordomo turned to Dooku with a narrowed gaze.
"Mighty Jabba wishes to know what you ask in return."
Dooku gave a slow, diplomatic bow.
"Perhaps you would consider joining our struggle against the Republic."
Jabba's yellow eyes flared.
The lie had taken root.
Teth – Monastery War RoomMinutes After Noon
The ancient monastery, battered and scorched, had fallen into an eerie stillness. From the upper chamber—a makeshift command post carved from a long-abandoned war shrine—Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Jason Shan stood around a portable holocom unit set atop a cracked stone altar.
The flickering blue image of Obi-Wan Kenobi shimmered in front of them, his arms folded and brow furrowed as he listened to the report. His silhouette cast a ghostly glow over the chamber walls.
Ahsoka shifted her weight, cradling the sick and groaning Huttlet swaddled tightly in a repulsor sling. Jason leaned against a wall behind them, one hand near his saber, listening quietly.
Obi-Wan's voice came through the transmission, crisp and level.
"Anakin, did you locate Jabba's son?"
Anakin nodded. His arms were crossed, jaw set. "We have him, but it looks like the Separatists are behind his abduction.This smells like Count Dooku to me."
Jason smirked and muttered, "I think it's little Stinky you smell."
Ahsoka gave him a narrow look, but said nothing. She checked the Huttlet's vitals again, concern building in her expression.
Anakin shook his head and kept going. "I'll bet Dooku is using us to get Jabba to join the Separatists."
A new alert flickered on the comm panel. Static. Rex's voice trying to punch through.
Ahsoka looked up quickly. "Master Kenobi, we have another problem.This Huttlet is very sick."
Jason stepped forward, glancing at the pale green tint spreading across the baby Hutt's skin.
"I'm not sure we can get him back to Tatooine alive, Master.This whole rescue may backfire on us."
Anakin folded his arms. "I still don't think dealing with the Hutts is a good idea."
Obi-Wan's image remained calm, but his tone sharpened.
"Anakin, you know they control shipping routes in the Outer Rim.Jabba's cooperation is crucial to the war effort.If you let anything happen to his son...our chances of a treaty with him will disappear."
Before Anakin could reply, a new alarm blared from the monastery's perimeter systems. Sirens lit the air, red lights strobing from crumbling towers. A clone's voice rang out from the upper deck.
"Master? We've got trouble!"
Outside the cracked windows, the sky began to darken—not with storm, but with descending Separatist troop ships breaking through the clouds. Gunships, vulture droids, and armored landing transports rained down like spears of metal.
"Defensive positions!" shouted Rex from above.
Ahsoka moved instinctively to protect Rotta, igniting one saber with a hiss.
"Anakin?" Obi-Wan's voice called through the distortion.
Anakin turned back toward the holocom. "I'll have to call you back, Master.We're under attack. We could use a little help here if you have the time."
Obi-Wan's image gave the faintest nod, already turning to move.
"I'll get there as soon as I can.Protect the Hutt, Anakin."
The holocom blinked out.
Anakin turned, drawing his lightsaber with one sharp motion. "Positions. Now."
Outside, the Separatists had come for war.
Teth — Monastery Walls, Outer BattlementsMoments Later
The sky cracked open with flame.
Separatist dropships blotted out the sun as vulture droids screamed overhead, strafing the monastery ruins with blaster fire. Clones scrambled to defensive lines, bracing behind shattered columns and makeshift barricades.
A sergeant's voice rang out from the upper deck as a new threat emerged from the jungle floor.
"We've got spiders inbound!"
Down below, massive octuptarra droids marched through the haze—legs like spears, eyes glowing, blaster cannons already charging.
Inside the main archway, Rex barked into his helmet com.
"Get inside!"
Clone troopers fell back in organized lines as the courtyard erupted with fire.
"Fall back!"
A second wave of fire hit the gates.
"Fall back! Fall back!"
Teth — Lower Levels, Command Vault
Inside the monastery's last defensible chamber—a vaulted stone vault lined with relics and Republic crates—Anakin, Ahsoka, Jason, and Rex regrouped alongside what remained of their detachment. Rotta, curled in his sling, whimpered in his fevered sleep.
Near a broken pillar, a battle droid scout watched silently through a cracked wall. It turned and whispered into its communicator.
"Mistress, the Jedi have barricaded themselves inside the main vault.They have nowhere to run."
Far off, Asajj Ventress stood at the edge of the cliffs, gazing up at the ancient structure now smoking beneath the storm-churned sky. Her face twisted into a slow smile.
"Let them rot in their little tomb," she murmured.
Vault Interior
Jason was pacing. Ahsoka checked Rotta's temperature for the fifth time. Anakin stood near the door, arms folded, face unreadable.
Rex moved to his side. "Captain, we'll stay here until General Kenobi arrives with reinforcements."
"What?" Jason asked, turning sharply.
Ahsoka stepped forward, uncertain. "Master...do you honestly think we can hold them off?"
Anakin's eyes flicked toward the ceiling as another distant explosion rattled the stone.
"We've got to find a way out of here."
He turned to Ahsoka, voice firm.
"Our mandate is to protect this Hutt...and that's what we're going to do, Ahsoka."
A beat.
"Our mandate was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine..." she replied, quietly.
Jason added under his breath, "And time is running out."
Anakin met both their eyes.
"I suppose you have a plan."
Ahsoka straightened, trying not to look too hopeful. "Yes, or I think so—R2 willing."
Anakin exhaled, then nodded. "All right, Snips. I'll trust you on this one."
He turned to Rex. "Captain, hold them here as long as you can."
Rex saluted. "Will do, sir. You heard the General!Get ready to turn those clankers into scrap metal!"
Jason tapped his comlink, checking signal strength. "We've got one shot at this."
Anakin turned to the astromech beside them. "If there's a way out of here, Artooie will find it."
The droid gave a sharp chirp and rolled off toward the far corridor.
Anakin called after it. "Make it quick."
Later — Same Chamber
The sounds of battle were distant now, muffled behind stone and steel. The chamber glowed dimly under the soft light of a flickering fixture.
Rotta, finally exhausted, had fallen asleep in Ahsoka's arms.
Anakin sat nearby, watching. "Finally asleep, huh?Put him down. Get some rest yourself.It's been a long day for you, little one."
Ahsoka smiled faintly. "I can hold him, Master. I'm not tired."
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Okay, suit yourself.I don't see why you won't just listen to me."
She looked away, still holding the Huttlet close. "I do listen to you, Master.I just don't like being treated like a youngling."
Anakin's gaze softened. "You must have patience.What are you trying to prove anyway?"
Ahsoka looked up at him. Her voice was steady now.
"That I'm not too young to be your Padawan."
He leaned back slightly, considering her.
"Ahsoka, a very wise Jedi once said,'Nothing happens by accident.'It is the will of the Force that you are at my side."
He gave her a small smile.
"I just want to keep you there in one piece."