Alarms blare in the ship as it gets jostled about. Reetha immediately scrambles out of her bed, veins already running with adrenaline. She stumbles to the door, only to be greeted by clone troopers running towards the main hangar. 

Slightly dazed from being just woken up, she stops a trooper to ask him about the situation. "Ma'am, there's an attack on the temple. Not a major strike but enough to cause damage. The attack is led by the Sith Assassin, Ventress." Reetha nodded to the trooper then quickly ran into her room to reach for her lightsaber. 

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The docking bay was already crawling with clankers by the time Reetha joined the fun. She drew her lightsaber and began slicing through battle droids as the men covered her flank. The began to take charge and march through the docking bay, advancing towards the temple's entrance. There, she could see several Jedi defending the main hangar, alongside the Coruscant guards, who were sent from the senate building to back up the Jedi. Among them, were her master and friend. 

Reetha had come in from the front of the temple, boxing any remaining droids between the crossfire from her group and that of defending the temple entrance. Blaster fire erupted back and forth, Reetha managed to deflect several shots away from the troopers beside her, ricocheting them back to the droids. Soon, the droids were thinned out and Reetha ran up to slice the remaining droids. The troopers began to scatter to help the wounded and clear out the droids. 

"Good to see you joining the fun." her master came up, followed by her padawan friend. "Sorry I'm late. I didn't miss the fun though." she replied shrugging her shoulders and Anakin smiled, happy to see his padawan cheery in the morning. 

"So, the droids, how did they even get into Coruscant?" Reetha asked, falling step beside her master, Ahsoka to his right. "We don't know. But, the theory is that someone smuggled them in." He replied with seriousness laced in his voice. 

Reetha nodded in understanding. "What about Ventress? Is she leading the attack?" "She is. Obi-Wan chased Ventress to the northern side of the temple. Thankfully, Dooku isn't here to join the party." Ahsoka added. 

"Skywalker!" a commanding voice called. It was Master Windu. "Obi-Wan just contacted me. Ventress managed to escape into the temple. He needs our help." Anakin's eye brows furrowed. "I'll be with you Master." Then her turned to Ahsoka and Reetha. 

"You two stay here. You must protect the temple's entrance. Masters Ti and Unduli will be by your side." Then, he took off, running after Master Windu and a few other Jedi, to help hunt down Ventress. 

The two padawans turned and began to walk towards Master Ti and Master Unduli, who were helping the medics attend to the injured clones. However, before they could reach the group, a shot rang through the entrance, hitting a pillar at the temple's entrance. "Clankas! In comng from point two four!" a clone warned. 

The droids began to fire down on the group. The two Master's drew their lightsabers and began deflecting the blasts away and the troopers began firing. Reetha and Ahsoka rushed to protect the injured clones, deflecting any blasts that came their way. 

"Padawans, move the into the temple now!" Master Unduli commanded. Ahsoka deactivated her lightsaber and began to help the medics move the injured, while Reetha feel back in step with them, still deflecting blaster shots away from the group.

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-Jedi Temple-

Anakin and Mace Windu ran down the the hallway of the temple. Mace stopped, and closed his eyes to listen to the force. "I sense the assassin is near by." Mace slowed his run to a walk. "Master, Master Windu and I are closing in on Ventress." Anakin spoke quietly through the comms. "She was last seen heading towards the Archives." Obi-Wan replied in heavy breaths. "We are about the reach the Archives. I'll let you know when we get to her." 

The doors to the Archive hissed open. Everything was quiet. "We know you here, assassin. Surrender, and we shall treat you fairly." When there was no reply, Mace turned to Anakin and signaled him to check out the right wing of the archives, while Mace turned to check the right.

Anakin walked down the book aisle. Large shelves towered above him, the light of the room filtered through all the thick books stacked upon the shelves. Anakin's comm lit up, "Skywalker. News on Ventress?" Anakin sighed 

"Nothing so far Master Windu. I still sense her though. Her presence is here alright. But I just can't say exactly where." A hum of agreement from the older Jedi crackled over the coms. "If Ventress was here, Madam Nu must have engaged her. We need to find her." "Will do Master." Anakin obeyed and continued his search.

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Mace Windu scanned the long aisles of the archives. Jocasta Nu was a woman who was fond of learning. She lived her life to study about the galaxy and the relationships of the creatures that dwelled in it. However, Mace knew that she was also skilled with the lightsaber. Deep down he knew that if Nu was defeated by the assassin, they'd very much be walking into a trap. 

The calm Jedi walked down the aisle when he saw several books scattered on the floor. "Nu?" he called cautiously. He walked towards the scene, and saw slash marks on the nearby wall. It clicked in his mind that a fight must have broke out here between Nu and the assassin. A sharp intake of a breath startled the Jedi.

 Mace towards the sound, and found Nu passed out on the floor. "Nu, are you alright?" Mace landed on his knees and shook the other Jedi's shoulder. Madam Jocasta stirred but didn't wake up. At least she is alive, he thought. "Skywalker, come in. I have found Master Nu. Come to aisle 24 now."

Anakin arrived a moment after. He's eyes soften when he saw the frail female Jedi resting against the floor. "The assassin seemed to have engaged in a fight with Master Nu. We have to lure her out since she does not seem to want to appear on her own." Anakin nodded and was about to suggest a plan when a sudden presence froze the two. 

"I see you've finally met my friend. Took you two long enough." It was Ventress. Mace offered Ventress a peaceful surrender to which she scoffed and drew her lightsabers, ready for a fight. "So much for that idea." Anakin sassed as he and Mace whipped out their own sabers. Without hesitation, Ventress lunged herself at the two men. 

Her lightsabers aggressively coming down upon her enemies. Anakin shifted on his feet and pushed back Ventress' right saber. In asplit second when Ventress let down her guard, Mace kicked her in the stomach. Ventress feel backwards, bracing herself on a table. Anakin seized the oportunity and force leaped, his lightsaber coming down straight at Ventress. 

She ducked and Anakin's saber went right through the table, shattering the glass. He ran towards Ventress again, but she managed to force push him, sending him flying to the wall. The younger jedi was know unconscious and slumped on the floor.

Mace ran in and locked his lightsaber against Ventress'. "Surrender Ventress, your're outnumbered." Ventress' eyes darkened and she let out a laugh. "Not the way I see it." She crossed her lightsabers and pushed back against Mace, putting him off balance. Mace lifted his lightsaber off before swinging it towards Ventress. 

"What are you hear for?" He commanded. Ventress chuckled deeply. "I came as only a humble messenger today." Ventress pushed her sabers against Windu's and kicked him in the jaw, before swinging her lightsaber to attack again. Mace's eyebrows furrowed as a question ran through his mind. "Care to share for whom is message is for?" Ventress snickered. 

She gathered her strength to push Mace backward and hold him down with the force with her right hand, then used the force to push down the tall shelves down upon the Jedi with her left. Mace got caught under the rubble, the heavy books pilling upon him and the shelves only made it worse. He was now pinned down. 

Ventress, satisfied with her work, walked too the downed Jedi. "My message, unfortunately, is none of your business."  Mace tried to get up, but the impact of Ventress' last attack only weakened him. His eyes grew heavy and he let out a straggled breath, finally passing out. Ventress hummed in satisfaction. 

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The temple's entrance was now swarmed by droids. The enemies forces have pushed the four jedi towards the entrance of the temple, overtaking the courtyard. "Master! We need back up." Ahsoka shouted over to Master Unduli. 

"Unfortunately we can't. We have sent our troops to the city centres to fight the droids." Ahsoka shared a surprised look with Reetha. "We're on our own! Padawans, we must defend the entrance." Ahsoka and Reetha swung their lightsabers defensively. Blaster fire streaked across the court. 

Reetha jumped in front of a trooper that just got hit, saving him from more blaster shots. "Medic!" she shouted. Reetha tightened her defenses as the blaster fire increased. Several droids had focused their fire on her. Master Ti saw this and quickly rushed to aid Reetha, deflecting shots as she ran up to help.

 However, with the overwhelming number of droids, one managed to aim their fire directly on Master Ti's shoulder. "Master!" Reetha screamed, running up to help the wounded jedi. "I'm fine padawan. Continue fighting." 

The droids began to box them in. More troopers began to fall as their forces weren't enough to hold off the droids, not without backup. Master Unduli forced pushed a group of the droids and pinned them down, giving the clones a small time gap to shoot the droids. She did this another two times before a set of twin red lightsabers came crashing down upon the unsuspecting jedi. Luminara ducked and fell back to the troops. 

"Ventress" Ahsoka hissed. "Anakin's pet." Ventress spat back. "As much fun as I would have fighting you, I am here for the other." Ahsoka's eyes widened as she came to a realization that Ventress came for Reetha. Ventress deflected several blaster shot before calling of the droids. "Dear jedi" she spoke. " I come here peacefully in my master's will to talk." 

Shaak Ti held a fist to call of the troops. "Speak" she prompted. "My master has sent me to deliver a message to, that padawan." the Dathomarian dragged out the last two words as she pointed to Reetha. "Unfortunately, I cannot let that happen."  Luminara spoke. 

"How sad. Here I thought Jedi were always open to negotiations." Ventress screamed and lunged at Luminara. The battle ground screamed back to life as the droids began shooting. Shaak Ti held her ground, unable to aid Luminara. Ahsoka leaped forward and came down hard on Ventress, allowing Master Unduli to take a breath from Ventress' relentless fight. 

"Hand me your friend and I will spare your troops." "I don't think so!" Ahsoka pushed Ventress backwards, before herself and Master Unduli engaged Ventress. Shaak Ti's injured shoulder began to slow her down. Reetha made her way to the Togruta. 

"Master, you need to get your shoulder looked at. I can hold off the droids." Shaak Ti nodded, knowing that her injuries would not help much in the situation. She retreated and Reetha continued to fight. 

Ventress was loosing her patience. She came with a goal, and that was to convey her master's message to the young padawan. Ventress, whose sabers were locked against Ahsoka's, kicked the Togruta in the stomach, the  quickly summersaulted over to the Mirialan. Unduli striked her weapons against Ventress', temporarily breaking her momentum. 

Ventress drew back and pounced onto the Jedi. The momentum from Ventress was amplified by the force, enough to push Luminara off balance. Then, Ventress force pushed Luminara against a wall, rendering her unconscious, then proceeded to attack Shaak Ti. 

The clones protecting her fired against Ventress relentlessly, but Ventress simple deflected the shots as she ran up to them. The clones formed a barricade to stop her, but she just simply sliced through the clones. A wicked smile played on her lips as she heard the pleading calls of a certain padawan to stop. 

Ventress turned her attention to an angry young Jedi. "With pleasure my dear." Instead of charging at Reetha, Ventress called of the droids assault. The enemy fire ceased, so did the clones. Ahsoka picked up on the change but still stayed on alert. 

"What do you want Ventress?" Reetha hissed. The assassin just replied nonchalantly "I, have a message for you, from my master." Reetha lowered her weapons, but didn't move from her spot. "And I should trust you, why?" 

"Simple, child. I just want to talk and get out of this planet as soon as possible. So, let me deliver this message, or, I will command my droids so fire down on your little group." Ventress threatened. 

Reetha's mind raced with questions. Reetha didn't want to have any sort of conversation with the sith, but if she declined, she knew Ventress would be truthful to her threat. The clones were already pushed to the brink. 

Anymore fire from the droids would mean that they would loose their hold at the temple's entrance. If, Reetha did follow Ventress, who knows what she'll do. Reetha was not strong enough to fend of Ventress on her own, not yet at least. Reetha pushed her shoulders back and looked into Ventress' eyes. "Let's talk."

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