Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 21 - One Step at a Time

Perhaps it's because Severn Tann and Asagi Ventress's performances on the dark side were relatively mild.

In fact, it could be said to be quite normal.

So once Renn gets used to their appearance, it's easy for him to overlook their "evil" side.

To be honest, at this moment, Raine even doubted that Tann was actually a Sith.

He had only seen her lightsaber once, a bright yellow lightsaber.

Instead of red.

Not to mention, aside from her peculiar ability to almost predict the future, he had never actually seen her use the Force.

For example, the chokehold trick that the Sith liked to play.

Raine was so engrossed in the civil war that he forgot it was all a Sith conspiracy.

He really should have made some contingency plans for this...

He doubted he could do anything to the main villain Palpatine himself.

But he could think about how to survive after the rise of the empire.

Maybe he'll defect... but that's not necessarily true. Just think about the average lifespan of an Imperial officer or ordinary citizen.

Raine didn't want to live in a bloodthirsty interstellar empire, where his planet might be destroyed one day without even a week's notice of evacuation.

Well, in his grand plan to avoid an early death, the most pressing matter was preventing the birth of a new Sith.

Ventress and Tann have not appeared in the canonical films, so they will likely die sooner or later.

Unless he unintentionally did something that changed their fate.

But considering the existence of the Force, he felt that such a situation was unlikely.

Moore is dead, Dooku and Grievous will die... that's about it.

So, what would happen if this newly captured apprentice, Baris Orpheus, became a Sith?
The answer is: a new Sith will emerge, and it will be completely out of the ordinary.

As someone with a moral obligation not to help the obviously evil side, it is also out of a self-preservation instinct.

Renn cannot let this happen.

He stated bluntly, "I must lodge a protest."

Perhaps saying this in front of two Siths wasn't the wisest decision, and he also knew that Severn Tann possessed a quality most Siths lacked: calmness and military rationality.

He was truly a perfect officer.

Ventress looked like she wanted to twist Rein's head off right then and there, while General Tann just raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Go on."

Raine took a deep breath and said seriously, "Please forgive my ignorance of these... profound matters... but as a frontline officer, I believe that trying to turn the Jedi into the dark side is, at best, a waste of precious time, energy and resources, with only negligible gains."

Ventress suddenly roared, "So we should just let her run back to the Jedi Order?"

“Far from it,” Raine shook his head, showing no sign of backing down. “We must treat the Force as a tool, a means to an end, not the end itself. We are all Separatists, and we all agree that the Republic has become a Jedi dictatorship. The Jedi have created a privileged class above the law and justice through their beliefs, persecuting anyone who does not conform to their beliefs in the name of protecting the public interest, for example…”

He gestured vaguely, pretending not to know the word "Sis".

“The Sith,” Ventress suddenly interjected.

“Yes, Sith.” Raine nodded in agreement. “If we treat all light-side users as Jedi, just as they treat all dark-side users as Sith, then we will make the same mistake as the Republic. We have already… and may continue to recruit dark-side users as a natural check on the Jedi and the Republic, resulting in the formation of a unique dark-side class within the Confederation.”

This does indeed contradict the republican system, but contradiction is not the Confederation's goal. The Confederation's goal is to refute the republican system: to establish a fair and just society without a religious hierarchy.

“An interesting point of view,” General Tann said thoughtfully, “but turning this Jedi apprentice into the dark side could be an asset in our fight against the Jedi.”

That's right.

General Tann clearly wanted a military asset: another Sith to fight the Jedi, which would relieve pressure on one front.

but……

Rennes cannot let things continue like this.

“Killing the Jedi won’t win this war, sir,” he retorted. “Overthrowing the Republic will. I suggest that instead of turning the Jedi into the dark side, we show her the injustices of the system we’re now rebelling against, let her know that we’re not the enemy she thinks we are, that she’s rebelling against the Republic, not the light side, and then we put her in the spotlight, let her image fill the ‘Shadow News,’ and mold her into a symbol of separatism, a Jedi who rebels against the Republic.”

“The Jedi Order cannot refute this, because she did not turn to the dark side,” Ventress realized, and quickly reacted, “We must make them confront what they have done.”

“That’s right, if we’re lucky,” Raine added, “more Jedi will turn to our side, and as long as the citizens of the Republic are still convinced by the propaganda and see us as the ‘evil side,’ we’ll never be able to persuade them to sign a treaty. So please forgive me for saying this, but having the Jedi on our side will be very beneficial to our cause.”

Upon hearing this, even Ventress nodded somewhat reluctantly.

Ryan knew very well that she was still struggling with some personal emotions, but at least she didn't directly object.

“I’m not entirely convinced yet, but I can see the value in your suggestion,” General Tann said, arms crossed. “Captain, you take this apprentice to Geonosis, and I will handle her myself. Ventress, is there anything else you’d like to add?”

"..." Ventress opened her mouth, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start, her momentum somewhat weakened, and finally she just mumbled, "No."

General Tann nodded decisively, and then the image disappeared.

As soon as she left, Ryan felt a sudden loss of security.

Ventress turned around abruptly, her gaze somewhere between a death stare and a hint of admiration.

The scene was silent for a while.

In the end, she stepped inside the spaceship.

Once he could no longer sense Ventress's presence, Renn slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon, wiping the cold sweat from his face.

He thought he could consider this a success?
At least, he saved the girl from the terrible fate that usually comes with "Sis training".

Although it wasn't exactly what he had hoped for.

The general is too shrewd.

But the current progress is good.

One step at a time.

Ryan told himself that again.

One step at a time.

(End of this chapter)