Ventress stared down at the ball of unconscious Jedi Master before her. It had been stupidly easy to capture him. She thought she'd have to fight a battalion alongside the Jedi, but instead, she found him splitting from the others. She even saw him distracted during the middle of a war zone.

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was distracted by a butterfly!

She'd managed to capture him off guard, knocking him out and took him back to her ship. His clones were too occupied with the ambush they'd fallen into to stop her.

Now it left her at a loss; he was now curled up on the harsh floor, blood trickling down his forehead. And it had Ventress at a loss.

She was not used to her plans coming to fruition, let alone capturing the Master Jedi with a simple blow to the back of the head.

Does she notify someone?

Gloat?

Laugh?

Cry?

Well, laughing to the point of crying did seem right. But so did gloating the moment he woke.

Would she be able to do both?

There should be a way to do that, surely? She needs time to figure it out. Yes, before he wakes, she'll figure it out!

A soft groan met her ears as the curled ball shifted slightly.

Ah, Kenobi's waking up and already ruining her plans.

-----

Obi-Wan moved one shaky hand to his head, groaning as his migraine-worthy headache exploded.

"I never expected you to be one that gets distracted," Ventress' voice carried loudly against his ears, "and by a little butterfly of all things."

"Maybe I just wanted you to find me?" Obi-Wan grinned as he pushed himself up.

"I doubt that," Ventress huffed before moving towards him.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened, his body trying to move against his will. The chain went taught as he backed up to its full length, tugging at his neck.

Ventress kicked her head to the side in curiosity. She'd never seen the Jedi anything less than composed, let alone for him to back away from her. "This is new," she commented.

"Not as new as you think," Obi-Wan grumbled, not taking his eyes off Ventress.

"Oh?"

"Don't get bit by Tookas; you never know what might happen," Obi-Wan grinned.

"You got defeated by a Tooka?"

"It only bit me," Obi-Wan scoffed.

"A Jedi Master got bitten? By a Tooka? When trained and programed machines are unable to?"

"Technically, yes," Obi-Wan smirked.

"I presume it left some side effects. Otherwise, you would not be reacting like this," Ventress stated, before purring, "you're nothing more than an overgrown pet!"

As Ventress pushed herself into Obi-Wan's space, he could not stop the low hiss from bubbling within his chest. He blinked, the hissing stopping as he felt something tap him against the head.

Ventress placed her lightsaber back on her belt with a tight smirk as the Jedi went silent. "Bad, hissing at me is very bad," Ventress stated, before tapping the man on the head again with her lightsaber when he proceeded to growl instead, "no, growling at me is very bad as well."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, and - wanting just a little control of the situation again - began to growl again, to spite her. He glared again when he was hit on the head with the lightsaber.

"If I have to get one of those Tooka training water sprayers, I will," Ventress stated, tapping Obi-Wan on the head when he growled again.

-----

"It's empty, a decoy, most likely," the scout reported, "she must have known she was being tracked."

Resisting the urge to throw the datapad in his hand at the wall, Cody gritted out, "it's a strategic move more than her realising she was being tracked. Designed to make any potential trail go cold."

"What are you saying, Commander?" Anakin growled.

"This was planned, sir, the wasn't just opportunistic, she was aiming to kidnap the General," Cody stated, "this will make it more difficult and critical that we act and rescue the General."

"Then get on with it," Anakin growled before switching off his comm.

-----

"Sir!" Tree shouted as he ran down the corridor and nearly collided with the Commander, "we found information on where the General might be being kept!"

Scanning through the datapad that Cody accepted (snatched) from Tree, Cody ordered, "set course. I'll contact General Skywalker."

-----

"Two groups, the frontal attack to bring out Ventress and another to retrieve Obi-Wan," Anakin ordered.

"Sir, you will need to be in the frontal attack, so that we can stand against Ventress" Cody stated, "I'll lead a squad through to retrieve the General."

Anakin sent a glare at Cody before nodding. It was a sound plan.

-----

It was after he'd cut down the two-hundredth droid that Anakin realised something. Ventress hadn't appeared. "Damn it!"

"Do you want me to contact Cody, sir?"

"Yes, do that, Rex."

-----

"Cody, come in," Rex started the moment that the comm units connected.

"Cody here."

"Ventress hasn't appeared; she might be coming for all of you," Rex stated.

"There has been no-" whatever else Cody was going to say was cut off as a scream came through the comm, "found her," he hissed before shutting off the comm.

-----

"Little clones, defenceless against me," Ventress whispered as she cut through the group.

"Commander, get to the General," one of the 501st lieutenants whispered to him.

Nodding, Cody broke off from the group and ran at full pace towards the Generals location.

-----

Cody didn't stop running until he'd reached the door. The shouting and screaming of his men had long since faded. He almost broke the doors hinge as he rammed into it, his momentum only stopping as his eyes set sight on the General.

He was curled up, soaking, a chain connecting a collar to the floor rattling as he shook. Other than that, there were no visuals of their being damage.

"Sir?" Cody whispered as he crouched down next to the shaking Jedi.

"C-Cody?"

"Yes, I am here, General," Cody whispered back, moving a hand to the man's shoulder, "I'm here with the 212th and 501st to rescue you."

"Cody, she's right–" Obi-Wan's voice was hoarse as a hand raised to point behind Cody.

"–Right behind you." A voice finished for him, a hum of a sabre activating.

Cody flung around, his body moving automatically to shield the General as the red blade came down.

-----

After finishing with the droids, Anakin and his group ran towards where the other team were heading—only stopping to deal with droid stragglers along the way. But, when they reached Cody's group, they saw the clones scattered around, all dead by a lightsaber's blade.

Rex scanned the bodies visible but counted one short. "Cody is not here," he commented, "he probably went on while the group brought him some time."

"Right, we need to go now, if the Commander is still alive, he might be about to find himself in great danger," Anakin stated, "Waxer, do you have an idea of where they might have headed?"

"They look like they were guarding this route, the Commander probably went that way," Waxer stated, pointing to one of the corridors off to the side.

"Then let's go!"

-----

Cody grunted as he was thrown into the wall. He only just managed to bring the arm with the beskar strip up to block the next blow before the harpy was at him again.

"You are certainly more difficult to kill than the other clones," Ventress purred as she continued to attack Cody.

Cody grunted as the blade hit hard against his armour, a hiss escaped him as the edge started to skate towards his face. In desperation, he flung out his leg, the boot connecting with Ventress' stomach.

Ventress gasped, staggering back. Her eyes narrowed in anger, teeth bearing in her fury. "You will pay for that, clone," she hissed, stalking forwards, the stone hissing around her 'sabre.

"Ventress!"

Snarling, Ventress turned to face the source of the shout, "ah, looking for another scar, hero?"

"Decided it was time I returned the favour," Anakin growled, leaping forwards as the two Force-users began to battle.

Cody quickly dragged Obi-Wan closer to the wall, checking him over before turning to work on the chain. "General, do you know how it will disconnect?" Cody whispered to the General, touching the chain lightly.

"I don't know; I was never conscious," Obi-Wan muttered, his eyes struggling to focus on the blurry shape of Cody.

"Shh, that's fine," Cody whispered, resting a hand on the man's shoulder, "do you think we have something to cut it?"

"It's blaster proof, nothing short of a missile powered blaster will scratch it," Obi-Wan groaned, "Anakin will have to cut it."

"Alright, sir, do you know where you lightsaber is?" Cody asked, moving the conversation along, keeping an eye on the battle. No matter how much his instincts screamed to move, the General was unable, so he wasn't going anywhere.

"Mmm, she has a control room; it is being displayed there," Obi-Wan muttered, "she was happy to keep pointing it out."

Cody felt his head quickly pushed down by the General before General Skywalker went flying overhead, crashing into the wall. Leaning forwards, Cody shoved General Skywalker so that he didn't fall onto General Kenobi.

Anakin threw Cody a glare before took off down the corridor after Ventress.

"Well then, we'll be stuck here for a while," Obi-Wan commented with a broken laugh.

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