Bathed in the flickering red glow of the bridge's emergency lights—aboard a ship that had barely managed to execute a hyperspace jump to escape its pursuers—Ventress knelt on one knee before her Master: Darth Tyranus, also known as Count Dooku. She had just finished delivering a detailed report on the events that had transpired on Tatooine and expected to receive his praise for a flawlessly executed operation; instead, he remained silent, his gaze fixed somewhere in the distance above her head—a silence that only served to heighten her anxiety.
Finally, as the silence began to grow awkward, he spoke; yet in his voice, instead of the satisfaction she had anticipated, there was only disappointment:
"It was a failure, Ventress." That single sentence caused the witch to snap her head up, eager to offer a defense:
"Master, what did I do wrong!? Everything went perfectly—even better than expected! I..." He cut her off, however, silencing her with a condescending gesture as he added:
"Did you imagine why I asked you to carry out this mission as 'quietly' as possible? Listen to me, apprentice: from now on, do not take such liberties in your interpretation of orders. There are situations where excessive initiative is unacceptable, and this was one of them," he stated, his face devoid of any emotion. Yet, noticing that Ventress was still awaiting a more detailed explanation, he elaborated:
"You succeeded in making Jabba doubt the Jedi; however, to assume the Hutts are fools is a grave error. Were they truly so dim-witted, they would never have been able to keep so many bandits under their control in one place. This holds true for the vast majority of their species; therefore, I have absolutely no confidence that your little trick actually worked." "Furthermore—by releasing this Sith (the 'oldest' of the entire collection, it must be noted, and likely possessed of the most extensive knowledge)—you have forced the entire galaxy to take notice of this incident. Especially the Jedi, and... *Him*." Having finished speaking—as if merely thinking aloud—he paused, and Ventress immediately interjected:
"Master, my agents on Tatooine report that this Sith is still alive and has fled somewhere. We can still retrieve him—along with all the knowledge you require!" But Dooku merely shook his head, explaining wearily:
"Forget it; he is lost to us. His fate now lies in Sidious's hands—as does ours. But let us get down to business. Transport half of all the 'acquired' Sith far away—to Base 26, let us say—and leave them there in stasis, under droid supervision... A thousand should suffice. The remaining half you will bring to Special Base 9681, where I will arrive personally to collect them... as a gift for the appropriate party. And remember: if anyone asks questions regarding the number of Sith delivered, claim that the ship sustained damage during evacuation and that part of the cargo was destroyed. I trust that explanation will suffice. It is rather crude, but on such short notice, nothing better comes to mind. Do not fail me in this mission, my apprentice." To this, Ventress—with a spark in her eyes—replied, watching the fading hologram vanish from sight:
"As you command, Master."