Dark Disciple - Books and Novels (Canon)

Review | Key Characters & Locations | Summary | Talking Points | Discussion

For years, the galaxy-wide conflict known as the Clone Wars has raged. The struggle between the rightful government of the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems has claimed the lives of untold billions.

The Force-wielding Jedi, for millennia the guardians of peace in the galaxy, have been thwarted at nearly every turn by the Separatists and their leader, the Sith Lord Count Dooku.

With the war showing no signs of ending, and the casualties mounting each day, the Jedi must consider every possible means of defeating their cunning foe. Whether some means are too unthinkable—and some allies too untrustworthy—has yet to be revealed...

Main Characters

• Asajj Ventress (female Dathomiri) - At various points throughout her life, was a slave, a Jedi Padawan, a Sith apprentice, a Nightsister, and a bounty hunter.
• Quinlan Vos (male Kiffar) - A maverick Jedi who garnered a reputation for bending the rules. He was renowned for his ability to perceive the memories of other beings by touching objects that those beings had come into contact with. Vos, an expert tracker as a result of his abilities, often took missions that dealt with the criminal underworld.

Secondary Characters

• Count Dooku (male Human) - A Sith Lord and the political leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Dooku was once a Jedi Master of the Jedi Order, but he left the Jedi and the Galactic Republic after growing disillusioned with the corruption in the government. He turned to the dark side and became the apprentice of Darth Sidious, taking on the name Darth Tyranus.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi (male Human) - Jedi Master who served the Galactic Republic. He was mentor to Anakin Skywalker.
• Akar-Deshu (Desh) (male Mahran) - Jedi Knight who served during the Clone Wars, and close personal friend of Quinlan Vos.

Key Locations

• Coruscant - Also known as Imperial Center during the reign of the Galactic Empire, was arguably the most influential planet in the entire galaxy, located in the Inner Core. At various times in its history, it was the galactic capital and seat of government for the Old Republic, Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire, and was the homeworld of the human species.
• Orto Plutonia - A frigid planet located in the Pantora system of the Outer Rim Territories' Sujimis sector. It was orbited by the moon Pantora, which was long believed to be the only habitable world in the system.
• Mustafar - A small volcanic planet located in the Mustafar system, situated between two gas giants in the Outer Rim Territories that was aligned with the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars and later taken over by the Galactic Empire after the Techno union was nationalized at the conclusion of the conflict.
• Dathomir - A remote, neutral planet in the Quelli sector and the home of the Nightsisters. The planet, lit red by its central star, had numerous continents that were overrun with vegetation, forests, and swamplands.
• Oba Diah - A planet upon which the Pyke Syndicate operated. From their Oba Diah stronghold, the Pykes managed the distribution of spice from Kessel as it was delivered throughout the galaxy.
• Christophsis - Christophsis's surface was covered in large crystalline forests and had an atmosphere that was breathable for most humanoid species. The planet was orbited by a moon.

Key Species

• Human - The galaxy's most numerous and politically dominant sentient species with millions of major and minor colonies galaxy wide.
• Dathomiri - A sentient near-Human species native to the Outer Rim world of Dathomir.
• Kiffar - The Kiffar were a near-human species from the planets Kiffu and Kiffex. Although they seemed human in appearance, Kiffar were distinguished by their scarlet blood and facial tattoos, which indicated their clan affiliation on their species' homeworlds.
• Mahran - They had four-fingered hands, sharp tufted ears, a blue muzzle with a keen sense of smell and a coat of fur. Every Mahran also had a stinger that could release venom. However, a Mahran could only use his or her stinger once, as its venom would not only kill the targets, but also travel to his slayer's heart. Although the Mahran were not telepaths, they could effectively determine other people's faint emotions through scent.
• Volpai - Volpai had multiple eyes and four arms. They were rather skinny with yellow skin with violet stripes.
• Pyke - The Pykes were humanoid, although slimmer and taller than the majority of humans. They had two long, lanky legs, and two arms that ended in three-fingered hands. Their most striking feature, however, was their large and tapered skull, with an undersized face—small as that of a human child. Because of their unsettling appearance, other species always took getting used to the Pykes. The species had at least two sexes, male and female. They had two narrow, almond-shaped eyes which could be magenta or blue in color, and could weep.
• Falleen - The Falleen were an exotic, cold-blooded reptomammalian species known to be long lived, with life spans averaging 250 years. The sleek symmetry of their features, calculating and cold demeanors, their exotic looks, and their ability to alter their skin pigmentation meant that the Falleen were often considered to be among the most aesthetically pleasing beings in the galaxy. In addition to their strikingly beautiful appearance, the Falleen exuded pheromones which made them all but irresistible to both sexes. They had small scales all over their bodies, as well as slightly clawed fingers and toes. In addition, the Falleen displayed prominent facial and spinal ridges, though females tended to have slighter, more subtle growths.
• Chagrian - An amphibious species of tall, horned humanoids with blue skin. They were distinguished by two fleshy head tentacles protruding from the back side of their skull, wrapping down over their shoulders and ending in brownish-tipped horns. They also sported another pair of horns, standing straight above their heads. Chagrians also had very long black forked tongues they would sometimes flicker in a gesture of authority.
• Gossam - A small saurian species native to the planet Castell in the Colonies region of the galaxy, with colonies on the Outer Rim worlds of Felucia and Saleucami. Averaging slightly over one meter in height, Gossams had wrinkled skin, with narrowing, shriveled heads on elongated necks.

Key Creatures

• Lava Flea - A species of six-legged insect native to the volcanic planet Mustafar. They were well adapted to life on the world's fiery surface due to their tough exoskeletons, and ate through the planet's crust, forming a variety of underground caves where the native Mustafarian species would inhabit. They were tamed and used as mounts by the sentient northern Mustafarian species who also dwelt on the planet, as well as by visitors from other species.

Review

Dark Disciple is a bit of a new experiment, rather than being written completely by the author, it was instead based on the scripts for eight (8) episodes of The Clone Wars. That being said, it does leave the reader wondering just how these episodes would have looked on the screen, broken up into the various episodes. It is difficult to say where in the timeline this story takes place as multiple times there are references to weeks or months having passed in between chapters, this is likely where the episode arcs would have ended and allowed for other stories to be told, instead we get odd time jumps. Other than that the story is fairly cohesive and does provide a finale to a Clone Wars favorite.

At its core,  Dark Disciple, is both a story of love and of redemption. Time and again throughout the story we are shown that the characters are all very fallible, yet the one thing that never falters is the love between Vos and Asajj, which at the end proves to be stronger than the errors in judgement that everyone performs.

That brings me to my biggest issue with this book. The death of Asajj Ventress at the end. This was completely wasteful, and feels like they just didn’t care anymore to try and come up with ideas for her future. Even the way they killed her was unsatisfying, having her die, saving Vos. NO, let Vos die and show that not everyone can be or should be saved. Let Ventress go off and live as a bounty hunter a la EU Legends Aurra Sing.

Overall the book is pretty interesting and while I think it would have benefited more being shown in the original format planned, it does work, and provides a useful way to tell other “unfinished” stories from the Clone Wars. If you are a fan of the Clone Wars or of these characters in particular, then this is a pretty good book. I give it 3.5 holocrons out of 5.

Character Reviews

Asajj Ventress – Finally we get to see more of Ventress as a bounty hunter, and for most of the book she is still the hardened warrior woman we were first introduced to. But by the end she has opened herself up to her emotions and to trusting others. On one hand it is nice to see this kind of character growth and the change that comes with being in such situations, however she changes so much, that by the time of her death it is not even the same Asajj. Character Grade: B

Quinlan Vos – The “handsome idiot” as Asajj calls him, here we get to see a much more expanded view of Vos. An energetic, quick witted, and aggravating but well liked Jedi. Vos is resilient and incredibly stubborn while also refusing to ask for help when he needs it, making him a very flawed and human character. Character Grade: B-

Obi-Wan Kenobi – Here again we see Kenobi as the “father” figure to many other Jedi, always concerned with their well being and future. We also see how desperate he is not to kill his friend even though he suffers greatly from the betrayal. This gives us a glimpse into the future when Anakin falls and once again, Obi-Wan cannot bring himself to kill. Character Grade: A

Akar Deshu – A brand new character and close friend of Vos, sadly we don’t get to see much of Desh other than the loyalty he has to his friends. I would have liked to see him used much more. Character Grade: C-

Count Dooku – Again we are shown his arrogance and penchant for cruelty based on social class, but we are also shown his cruelty in general when he orders the genocide of the Mahran race. While this kind of murderous behavior is not uncommon to the Sith, Dooku has always come across as being too cultured to debase himself with such violence. Character Grade: B

Story Summary

Chapter 1: The Mahrahnee people are being evacuated, the Jedi in charge of the evacuation calls Count Dooku to beg for the lives of the refugees. Declaring them to be enemies of the Confederacy and knowing that the Jedi Council is monitoring the call, Dooku orders the evacuation ships destroyed.

Across the galaxy, the Jedi Council is watching the message and destruction play out live. Upon viewing the atrocity, the council begins to debate if they are doing enough to prevent acts such as this from occurring. Eventually it is suggested that they should assassinate Count Dooku. When asked who could undertake such a mission, Obi-Wan has an idea.

Chapter 2: Quinlan Vos is undercover working to break a smuggling ring of exotic goods. During one meeting he is interrupted by Desh, with orders from the Jedi Council that Quinlan is to be reassigned to a different mission. Working together the two of them quickly dispatch with the supplier and his guards before returning to Coruscant.

Chapter 3: At the Jedi Temple, Quinlan meets with the council and is given his briefing. During the briefing, Yoda surprises all those present when he states that Quinlan is to get the help of Asajj Ventress to complete the mission. The next morning, while eating, Quinlan speaks with Obi-Wan about Ventress and gets a bit of advice for how to deal with her. He is also informed that she is not to know that he is a Jedi.

Chapter 4: Quinlan starts off his mission by going to level 1313 to find Boba Fett’s crew. Upon meeting them he makes it known that he is looking for Asajj so that he can cause trouble for her. Hearing this, Boba gives Quinlan information on a bounty that he knows Asajj is working.

Asajj is on Orto Plutonia, searching for her bounty, a Volpai. Shortly into her stakeout she spots him and gives chase. Quickly running down her quarry she is about to capture him when an unknown assailant leaps in and tackles the Volpai.

Chapter 5: In fury Asajj punches Quinlan, knocking him down, the Volpai takes a moment to look at both before he takes off running again. After an elaborate chase across rooftops, through gardens, and down thoroughfares the Volpai escapes. Frustrated, Asajj heads to a bar. Quinlan tails behind keeping an eye on her.

Chapter 6: Asajj sits down at the bar and just begins to enjoy her drink when Quinlan sits down and tries speaking with her. Just as she begins to respond to him, his comm goes off. Excusing himself he steps away to speak with Obi-Wan who is already seeking a progress report. Going back to Ventress, he notices she has a small metal item. Asking to see it, he uses his psychometry skills to gain a rough idea of where the Volpai is hiding. Agreeing to work together, at least temporarily, they leave the bar. Reaching the door to the apartment where the Volpai is hiding he ask her to “open it”.

Chapter 7: Following a brief tussle in the apartment the bounty runs out a window. Vos and Ventress give chase quickly subduing him. Vos hits her up again about becoming partners and Ventress agrees this time.

Chapter 8: Ventress and Vos go on a series of successful hunts collecting a handful of bounties together. Interspersed between the hunts the pair focus on training, and after doing a bit a drinking they get to know each other a bit.

Chapter 9: Back on Coruscant, in a bar on level 1313, Vos meets with Obi-Wan. There he learns that the Jedi Council is growing impatient with the progress he is making towards his mission. After a short meeting Obi-Wan leaves and Vos stays and meditates for a short while before returning to the ship. Ventress is making upgrades to the ship when Vos arrives. She has another job lined up. They arrive at Oba Diah to speak with the Pykes. There they learn that they are to rescue the family of Marg Krim, from Black Sun.

Chapter 10: Back at the ship, Vos can tell that Ventress is slightly shaken up by being required to rescue children. She tells him nothing is bothering her even as her mind replays bits of her past. Arriving at Mustafar, the duo get a couple of lava fleas to ride and head into town looking for information. At the towns only bar, they spot a group of Falleen. Ventress approaches one of them and lures him into the bathroom where both she and Vos interrogate him for the whereabouts of the family.

Chapter 11: Ventress and Vos find the fortress in which the family in being held. After observing the outside for a bit they spot a small balcony near where the family should be held. Climbing their way up, Ventress uses her lightsaber to cut an opening into the room. There they find the children but learn that the mother has been taken elsewhere in the fortress. Just at that time the alarms go off. Grabbing the children they jump off the balcony as the guards shoot at them. While making the final jump back to his lava flea, Vos is hit in the shoulder by a blaster bolt, causing him to lose his concentration, hit the side of the flea and fall towards a lava flow. Using the force he is just able to save himself and the young boy he is carrying.

Back at the ship, Ventress tends to the blaster wound on Vos’ shoulder. As she works Vos begins to look at her differently and grabs her hand causing an uncertain moment to pass between them. Asajj storms off talking about finding the mother and Vos notices the little girl has something. When he holds it he uses his psychometry to learn that she is being held in another part of the fortress.

Chapter 12: The Black Sun leader is furious. Someone rescued two of his hostages and they have not been found. Just as he decides to execute the mother a group of his guards enter, escorting a woman claiming to be an envoy from the Pykes. He speaks with her for a moment until the mother is brought out. Just then Vos makes his appearance. Ventress quickly moves into action, and between her and Vos they are able to incapacitate the guards long enough to grab the mother and escape.

On the ship Vos tries to make conversation but Ventress is too unsure of things. They return the family to Marg Krim, gather their payment and leave. Just before they go to hyperspace a small fleet of ships with Black Sun markings enter orbit. Knowing what is about to happen all they can do is flee. They reach a new planet and immediately go to a bar where Vos attempts to drown away his feelings before admitting to Ventress that he is a Jedi.

Chapter 13: Asajj tells him that she knows he is a Jedi because of the abilities he has shown. Vos breaks down somewhat and tells her everything about his mission.

Back on Coruscant, Obi-Wan sits in a bar waiting and finally Vos enters. Quinlan brings Obi-Wan up to date on the progress of his mission and tells him that Ventress has agreed to help. Obi-Wan again warns him about trusting Ventress too much.

Vos and Ventress have arrived at Dathomir. They land on a battlefield and the ground is burnt and littered with the remains of battle droids and Nightsisters. Ventress tells him the story of her past, being taken as a slave, gaining her freedom, joining and serving Dooku, her return to Dathomir and her Sisters and their deaths. She begins to teach him of the dark side, urging him to use his hatred, even tricking him into believing that Dooku killed his former Master. With an agonized scream, Vos yields to his emotions and kisses Ventress.

Chapter 14: The pair set up a camp, and began daily training routines. One day while running, Ventress leads Vos to the mountain fortress that her sisters lived in. As they walked the ruins she explains to him how the Nightsisters use the dark side. Back at camp Ventress has Vos summon a snake and orders him to use the dark side to kill it. Unable to kill the dark with the force the snake bites down on his hand. Ventress says the venom will help him to use the dark side.

Chapter 15: The venom within his body tortures Vos. He wakes slowly still struggling with the effects. As he stands Ventress comes out of the fog to attack him. Repeatedly she runs into and out of sight attacking him swiftly and forcing him to defend himself until finally he snaps and uses the dark side to stop her. She then runs away into the fog causing him to chase her. She leads him back into her village where she tells him about the next trial he will have to face.

Chapter 16: Vos begins his training for the next trial, spending time in the ocean working on controlling his breathing and controlling his use of the Force. One day after training, they have a discussion about the future and Vos tells her that he will leave the Jedi order to be with her. After saying so he smashes his comm cutting off communication with the Order. As they head back to the ship, they receive a comm informing them of the location of Count Dooku.

Chapter 17: Ventress and Vos journey back to her clan village, where on the edge of a black pool Vos must face the Sleeper. Channeling the Dark side, Vos is able to summon the creature up from the depths and bend it to his will. But when he is informed he must kill the creature he loses control and is dragged into the water to battle for his life. Upon reaching shore once more, Vos is able to channel the Dark side fully and slay the creature.

Chapter 18: Vos has missed his meeting with Obi-Wan. Concerned, Obi-Wan contacts Yoda and meets him in the temple. Both express their concerns with the mission and for Vos.

Ventress and Vos have reached the capital of the Confederacy. Before attending the gala where Dooku is to be they stop off to pick up outfits. Then once arriving at Raxulon, they are greeted at the spaceport by Ventress’ informant Sumdin. After getting the passes they need to be admitted to the gala, Ventress quickly executes Sumdin.

Chapter 19: Vos and Ventress enter the room and blend in with the crowd of rich and powerful attendees in time to listen to Dooku give a small acceptance speech. However Dooku is not alone, he has General Grievous with him. After the speech, Ventress goes into the banquet hall to ensure a confrontation with Dooku, and Vos goes off to make sure Grievous will be too busy to interrupt them.

Chapter 20: Asajj confronts Dooku in the middle of a crowd. There she challenges him to a final battle between them before melting back into the crowd. Dooku contacts Grievous and tells him to meet at the balcony, but just after making contact Vos traps Grievous and a handful of battle droids inside the security hub, leaving them with no communication. Dooku approaches Ventress on the balcony, first offering her a glass of wine before Vos approaches from behind. Realizing the possible repercussions of the battle Dooku draws his saber. During the battle Dooku is able to force Ventress into a retreat and uses Vos’s emotions towards her to distract him long enough to slam Ventress into the ground.

Chapter 21: Fear for Ventress fuels Vos and he goes on the offensive, forcing Dooku to retreat. As he prepares to deliver the killing blow, Asajj yells to him. As he looks up he sees General Grievous charging in with a handful of battle droids. Vos kicks out and Grievous knocking him off the balcony. Too late, he realizes that Grievous has grabbed Asajj and drags her over the balcony with him. Vos is distracted and Dooku uses the chance to send his lightsaber flying over the railing before using force lightning to incapacitate Vos. Down on the ground Ventress gets Vos’ lightsaber and uses it on a handful of battle droids before she is forced to retreat, leaving Vos to the mercy of Dooku.

Chapter 22: Vos is being tortured, a prisoner of Count Dooku, who randomly appears to question Vos why he was partnered with Ventress. Not satisfied with the answer, Dooku goes on to inform Vos that he will complete his training in the dark side and calls him his apprentice.

At the Jedi temple, Desh, Obi-Wan, and the Jedi council all worry about what has happened to Vos. He has missed another check in and no trace of him can be found. Ventress has come to Mos Eisley looking for help. She speaks with Boba Fett about hiring his syndicate to help rescue Quinlan from the prison he is being held at on Serenno.

Chapter 23: Vos is freed from his torture and brought into a banquet hall full of food where Dooku sits. They discuss Ventress and Vos’ former Master Tholme. Dooku informs Vos that it was Asajj who killed him, against orders no less. Vos denies it even when Dooku shows his a recording of the battle, so Dooku goes to a small trophy case and withdraws Tholme’s lightsaber and presents it to Vos who then refuses to use his psychometry to read it. Dooku orders Vos returned to his cell but left unbound and given the lightsaber.

Chapter 24: Ventress and Boba Fett’s syndicate have landed on Serenno to rescue Vos. The syndicate is tasked with distracting the guards so that Ventress can get into the prison. To start the mission they attack the landing bay near the back of the palace when a trio of supply shuttles arrive.

Ventress is inside the prison, running through the corridors until she finds Vos. When she reaches him, he is kneeling faced away from her, as she deactivates the force field he turns around, using the force to choke her, calling her a liar and a murderer.

Chapter 25: Ventress tries to convince Vos that she truly cared for and trusted him, but he now believes she was using him all along. He violently attacks her forcing her to retreat time and time again. They gradually work their way back outside fighting the entire time. Outside on the landing field Dooku is pinned underneath a type of webbing. Vos goes to free him as Fett drags Asajj onto their ship. As they leave, the last thing she sees is Vos and Dooku standing together as Master and apprentice.

Kenobi is waiting at the rendezvous point, it is almost two hours past time, but he is stubborn. Suddenly a shadow appears, it is Ventress. She tells Obi-Wan that Vos belongs to Dooku now.

Chapter 26: Ventress is lost and without direction. Days, then weeks, and months go by. She spends most of her time drinking to try and forget what she has lost. One night as she leaves a bar she is followed. Desh has tracked her down to ask her to come to the Jedi temple to help convince the council to rescue Vos.

Ventress appears before the Jedi council with Obi-Wan, Desh, and Anakin. There the council briefly interrogates her about the nature of her relationship with Vos and how she pushed him to the dark side.

Chapter 27: The council discusses sending a rescue mission to retrieve Vos. As they talk about it Yularan comms to inform them of new intelligence. Vos has been spotted leading a fleet that is about to attack Taris. The council agrees to send a rescue mission, led by Obi-Wan who will take Anakin and Asajj with him.

On Ventress’ ship the three arrive, cloaked, in the middle of the Separatist fleet. Using her knowledge of their systems Asajj manages to sneak the cloaked ship into the hangar bay of the flagship.

Chapter 28: The trio sneak through the ship on the way to the bridge. Once there they encounter not Vos, but Dooku. Anakin leaps to the attack as Ventress deals with the battle droids. Obi-Wan searches through the computer for Vos and learns he is being held in the brig. Ventress and Kenobi leave the bridge to go get Vos. When they reach him, he tells Asajj that his previous attack was all a ruse to try and trick Dooku, but she senses that he has fallen fully to the Dark side and is hiding it from Kenobi. She moves to swing her lightsaber at Vos and end him.

Chapter 29: Kenobi blocks the blow and moves to protect Vos. Asajj is convinced he is a Sith now and determined to kill him. After a moment battle droids begin to appear and they are all forced to run back to the ship. Along the way Anakin joins them. When they reach the hangar the shields are up and the door is closing. Vos leaves the ship to reopen the doors and disable the shields. Ventress does not trust him and refuses to even speak further with him. Anakin and Kenobi both believe it is still the Vos that they knew.

Chapter 30: Ventress, Kenobi, Anakin, and Vos all enter the Jedi council chamber. The masters all feel that Vos is still and always was a Jedi. To reward Ventress for her aid they grant her a pardon for all her past misdeeds. As she leaves the temple she tells Desh that Vos isn’t himself. Before being confronted by Vos, she again rebukes him before leaving the temple.

Anakin arrives at the home he shares with Padme and tells her about the mission, including Vos’ relationship with Asajj. Padme points out that if Vos truly did fall it could be his love for Asajj that could save him.

Chapter 31: It has been several weeks since Vos returned, and he has been under the careful watch of Kenobi the entire time. After an evaluation of his physical healing and a report from Kenobi, the council believes it is time for Vos to return to the front. They then send Vos and Kenobi, with Anakin and Desh, to a rumored Separatist supply base hidden inside an asteroid.

Arriving at the location of the supply base the four Jedi quickly eliminate the token defenses. Entering the base they discover that there is a great deal more supplies than they thought they would find.

Chapter 32: Desh goes to fetch the clones and transport ships. As they wait, Vos volunteers to go in search of anything special the Count may have hidden. After a couple minutes the clones and transports arrive. Obi-Wan uses the Force to load a cannon as the clones begin the work of loading all the supply crates. Suddenly there is a comm call. Vos is yelling at them to get everyone out, he has found bombs. Everyone manages to get out just as the bombs go off. From outside the asteroid it appears that the explosion was limited. Obi-Wan orders Desh to stay behind with the clones and salvage whatever is possible, as he, Vos, and Anakin return to Coruscant.

Ventress is in a bar on Pantora when Vos finds her. He has come to apologize and to fully open himself to her once more. They discuss what happened and why. They agree to be together once more after Vos helps the Jedi with a couple more things against Dooku.

Chapter 33: After the successful mission to the supply base, the Jedi council is sending Vos and Kenobi to attack a listening station on Vanqor.  They arrive at Vanqor with a small fleet, expecting to face a moderate defense force. They are instead met with nothing. On Vos’ suggestion they land and begin to explore the base. It is there that Vos, using his psychometry, is able to learn that the base had been abandoned two weeks previous. Obi-Wan begins to grow suspicious at the odd luck they have encountered on their last couple missions.

Chapter 34: Back on Coruscant, Obi-Wan meets privately with Yoda to discuss his misgivings. Yoda tells him to allow a couple days for Yoda to investigate what has happened. A couple days later Kenobi is summoned to the Jedi council where Yoda reveals to all of them that Vos has indeed fallen to the Dark side and has been hiding it from all of them. They then contact Desh, who is still at the asteroid and learn that the supplies were destroyed using Republic bombs. The council now knows that Vos is a traitor, and several members call for his execution. Kenobi argues against it and with the aid of Yoda manages to persuade the council to send Vos once more to try and kill Dooku so that they can discover his true motives.

Chapter 35: Vos and Ventress meet at a floating park on Coruscant. He tells her that he has been assigned to finish the mission to assassinate Dooku. She objects to it and tries to convince him to leave the Jedi completely so that they can just be together, but in the end she ends up agreeing to help him with it.

Vos takes Ventress with him into the Jedi Temple for the most updated briefing for his mission. The council is unhappy but ultimately agrees on her going with him. Looking over the maps and battle Asajj is able to point out that Dooku will be at Christophsis and on which ship he will be. On their way to the hangar Asajj senses that Vos is still hiding something from her and questions him. He avoids it, insisting that she trust him a bit longer.

Chapter 36: Arriving at Christophsis, Vos convinces Ventress to stay behind on her ship and wait for him as he goes in alone. Shortly afterward, Kenobi and Anakin arrive and sneak aboard the ship as well. While laying in wait, Kenobi and Anakin hear and witness a brief but brutal fight between Vos and Dooku, and then as Dooku lay on the ground beaten he convinces Vos to join him and together overthrow Sidious. Upon hearing Vos agree, Kenobi and Anakin jump out to arrest them both under charge of treason.

Chapter 37: Kenobi and Anakin escort Vos and Dooku to the Republic ship Vigilance, there they hand them over to Desh and a Chagrian knight, Kav Bayons, to be escorted to the brig. As they are being led to the brig, Vos manages to distract Desh long enough to steal his lightsaber, enabling himself and Dooku to free themselves. Desh triggers his poison spine and leaps for Vos, only to be thrown instead at Bayons, the spine breaks the skin and poisons Bayons, as well as, leaving Desh on the ground suffering the effects himself. Vos then delivers the death blow with Desh’s lightsaber.

Vos contacts Ventress and arranges for her to pick him and Dooku up from the Republic cruiser. She is furious, but agrees to take them to a Separatist warship that is awaiting them.

Chapter 38: The Republic cruiser manages to shoot down Ventress’ ship. They crash down on Christophsis, injured but alive. Anakin and Kenobi land with a detachment of clones and receive orders from Mace to execute them all.

Chapter 39: Dooku, Ventress, and Vos are found by a patrol of droids and taken back to base. There Dooku is speaking with Sidious and introduces Vos as his new assassin. Just as the call ends, the tower they are in comes under heavy bombardment. The clones are blasting the tower to pieces. Outside, Kenobi, orders the clones to back off, he still wants to capture them alive. But even as the clones ease off, the tower comes crashing down.

Chapter 40: Ventress wakes up in darkness. Dooku’s injuries have reopened, Vos is wounded, they are all arguing about what will happen next. Vos goes off to try and find a way out. As Ventress helps Dooku he points out that Vos is a Sith Lord and she has no idea what Vos plans.  Kenobi and Anakin plan to sneak up on them under the guise of a cease-fire.

Chapter 41: Asajj and Vos get into an argument about their future when she confronts him about having joined the Sith. As they fight she gets a vision and shoves Vos away, just in time to receive a blast of force lightning from Count Dooku. Vos manages to block the last of the lightning as he attacks Dooku. As Dooku lay beaten Vos refuses to kill him, instead choosing his love for Asajj. They have a moment together where they both finally admit to the other that they love each other just before she dies.

Chapter 42: Kenobi and Anakin find Vos holding the body of Asajj. Dooku escapes and Vos is taken into custody. When he is brought before the Council he confesses to all his crimes. When asked about Asajj, Kenobi gives an impassioned speech about how she saved not only Vos, but also the Jedi themselves, for they had sanctioned assassination, which is of the dark side.

Several months later, Yoda grants clearance for Vos to journey with Kenobi to Dathomir to bury Asajj. They take her body back to the Nightsister village. There Kenobi steps away to allow some privacy while Vos gives a vow to Asajj. Then using the force he lifts her body and takes her to one of the pools. There as her body slowly sinks into the water, green smoke arises from the water and in the air both Kenobi and Vos can hear the echo of women singing and the word Sister.

Points of Discussion

• Would you like to see more unfinished The Clone Wars scripts turned into novels in this fashion?
• Would you rather have seen Quinlan Vos die instead of Asajj?
• Since this was based on existing scripts for the The Clone Wars, do you think Filoni and crew should have come up with a different ending for Asajj? Or were they just trying to tie up loose ends?

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