Ahsoka charged into the hangar first, the acrid smell of burning metal assaulting her nostrils.
The walls were scarred with burns from lightsabers and energy blasts, and dozens of bodies in orange uniforms lay stiff on the ground, congealed blood snaking across the metallic floor.
"Commander Tano," a Clone Trooper Sergeant hurried forward, his voice hoarse from battle. "The enemy assault has been repelled, and the robot units are clearing the surrounding approach routes."
"Hold the line until Master returns!" Ahsoka nodded, then turned to the panicked Senators behind her and shouted, "Quickly! Everyone board the ship immediately!"
Before her words had even faded, she was already sprinting up the boarding ramp of the ship.
Rushing into the bridge, Ahsoka grabbed the Clone Trooper Ensign at the console and urged, "Send Master the withdrawal signal—tell him it's safe to retreat!"
"It's impossible, Commander!" Ensign Miro's fingers flew over the console, but the screen was distorted with chaotic interference patterns. "The enemy is jamming our communications with strong electromagnetic interference. We can't get the signal through!"
"Contact the Hutts! Connect through their private network!" Ahsoka pressed down on Miro's shoulders, her voice carrying an unyielding resolve.
"Don't you find this... somewhat illegal?" Senator Organa entered the bridge, his voice tinged with resignation as he watched the screen display the continuously flashing code of an unauthorized intrusion.
But no one paid attention to his objection. All eyes were fixed on the console screen.
Finally, Miro's fingers stilled. Several surveillance feeds flashed across the main screen, revealing hundreds of battle droids scattered throughout the palace, locked in fierce combat with local guards.
Corridors were littered with wreckage, occasional bursts of energy blast light flashing through the debris.
Then a frame froze. The screen showed a dimly lit corridor. A lithe female figure moved with deadly precision, weaving a net of death with two crimson lightsabers. Surrounded, a figure in rock-solid armor parried with a faintly glowing blue lightsaber.
Ahsoka gasped, her heart clenching. "It's a Sith! Master is there! He's fighting a Sith!"
A Togrutan wail escaped her throat, only to be interrupted by Senator Zeltlong's scream.
On the screen, Ventress's red lightsaber pierced the armor's chest with precision.
"Master—!!!" Ahsoka cried out, her fingers digging into Miro's shoulders so hard her nails nearly pierced through his armor.
Miro felt no pain, his gaze fixed on the screen, his breath forgotten.
Just as everyone thought the Jedi had fallen, the armored figure on the screen suddenly raised a gauntleted hand and landed a heavy punch on Ventress's face, sending her flying.
Then, the blue lightsaber lit up again as the scarred armor resumed its combat stance.
Ahsoka whirled around and sprinted toward the bridge exit, shouting, "RC-00-0173! Chuck!"
"Present, Commander!" Clone Trooper Chuck appeared instantly at the door, followed by two heavily armed Clone Trooper warriors.
"Take Drew and Axe and go support Master immediately!" Ahsoka's voice trembled but remained clear. "He's in the northwest corridor, near the main atrium—about three hundred meters from here!"
"Understood, Commander!" Chuck saluted and quickly led two team members toward the hangar exit, their heavy footsteps echoing down the corridor.
"How come the Hutt still hasn't established communications? Master won't last much longer!"
Ahsoka wanted to rush out after them, but her feet felt like lead. She couldn't disobey her Master's orders, nor could she disappoint him again.
In the corridor, Solo's armor bore fresh scars.
He barely managed to parry Ventress's attacks, gradually losing ground against her speed.
Each of Ventress's strikes carried frenzied power, the Dark Side of the Force boiling within her, making her movements terrifyingly swift and her strength far surpassing that of ordinary Force users.
His armor was Solo's only defense.
Initially, energy shields withstood the attacks, but once they depleted, the coated Mandalorian iron barely held on. Even this material, however, was not invincible, quickly riddled with cracks.
In the end, only the inner layer of fabric armor remained, desperately clinging on. This thin layer of defense gradually frayed under the searing heat of the red lightsaber.
The most critical wound was on his chest. Ventress's attack had struck the same spot with pinpoint accuracy. The edges of the wound were charred black by the lightsaber's glow, the searing pain biting into his nerves like a venomous snake.
Solo could only suppress the agony through sheer willpower, preventing it from overwhelming his mind.
Ventress's attacks grew increasingly relentless. He barely managed to parry her downward strikes, only to be immediately struck by a surge of Force energy.
Just as Solo leaped upward to evade, Ventress's dual lightsabers transformed into the Makashi style, aimed directly at his throat.
His kneepads shattered completely during a block. Solo lunged backward, but a sudden burst of Force energy still struck him, sending him flying into the wall. The searing pain made his vision darken.
Ventress advanced with quick, measured steps, her lightsabers spinning in her hands. Then, with a fierce leap, the two crimson blades descended like the reaper's scythes, aimed squarely at Solo's skull.
He tried to block, but his movements were impossibly sluggish. Time had thickened into a viscous sludge, each lift of his arm requiring monumental effort.
He watched the crimson lightsaber blade descend slowly, knowing the excruciating pain that would follow. His only option was to muster his last ounce of strength to shift his body to the right while clearing his mind and entering the "Center of Being" state.
*No pain!*
The tip of the red lightsaber blade touched the ear area of Solo's helmet. The thin lacquer layer peeled off instantly, and the metal armor was effortlessly sliced through as the blade continued its downward path.
Solo continued to tilt slowly to the right, using his remaining strength to parry the second lightsaber until the red blade hovered above his shoulder.
*No pain!*
The lightsaber pierced the shoulder blade, and the grating sound of burning metal echoed through the corridor. The inner lining fabric ignited, and moments later, the scorching plasma finally made contact with his skin.
*No pain!*
The pain exploded violently, as if a fireball had ignited within his shoulder.
"Bitch! Bitch! Bitch—!"
The burning sensation pierced through the muscles, reached the bone, then tore through the marrow, completely shredding the nerves in his left arm.
Solo's wrist snapped, the blue lightsaber blade grazing Ventress's arm.
Ventress cried out in pain. Her burned fingers could no longer grip the lightsaber, and one of the red blades clattered to the stone floor, its energy sizzling out.
Time resumed its normal flow.
The bloodstained armor covering Solo's arm clattered to the corridor floor, rolled toward the railing, and plummeted into the atrium below.
Ventress's other red lightsaber, following its momentum, slashed into the stone floor, sending sparks flying. Her extinguished blade also tumbled down into the atrium.
Meanwhile, the active blue lightsaber in Solo's hand pierced Ventress's thigh with pinpoint accuracy. Though it didn't fully penetrate, the force was enough to knock her off balance.
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