The Battle of Sullust represented a key engagement during the Clone Wars. This conflict pitted the forces of the Galactic Republic against those of the Confederacy of Independent Systems in a struggle to gain dominance over the planet of Sullust.
During this particular clash, the Separatist forces were under the command of Asajj Ventress. However, Count Dooku targeted her, seeking to demonstrate his unwavering loyalty to his Sith Master, Lord Sidious, by killing his would-be apprentice. Although Ventress was believed to have perished in the battle, she managed to escape. The Galactic Republic, meanwhile, achieved its objectives, albeit with some losses.
Despite suffering setbacks in previous engagements on Teth, Rugosa, and Kamino, Ventress remained the most trusted and resourceful assassin in the service of Count Dooku. However, Darth Sidious, his master, harbored concerns that Dooku was grooming her to eventually overthrow him, positioning Dooku as the master with Ventress as his apprentice. Subsequently, Dooku dispatched Ventress to Sullust to engage in combat.
In the year 20 BBY, Ventress, along with TJ-912, spearheaded the Confederacy navy in a confrontation against the Republic Navy. The Republic forces were led by Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Admiral Wullf Yularen. Piloting her Ginivex-class fanblade starfighter, Ventress commanded two distinct groups of fighters in an assault on the Republic's flagship, the Resolute. Trident group one targeted the starboard engines, while Trident group two successfully disabled the port shield generators. Capitalizing on the opportunity created by the droid tri-fighters, Ventress managed to destroy the Resolute. However, Yularen was able to survive the destruction of the Resolute.
Following this, Ventress and her squadron pursued Kenobi and Skywalker in their respective fighters. Ventress focused her pursuit on Kenobi, while her fighters engaged Skywalker. Ventress successfully shot down Kenobi, forcing him to crash-land on the Separatist command ship. Subsequently, Skywalker shot down Ventress, forcing her to crash-land on the same command ship.
As the battle raged, Dooku received a communication from Lord Sidious. Sidious expressed his sensing of a disturbance in the Force. Suspecting that Dooku was secretly training Ventress as his Sith apprentice with the intention of overthrowing him, Sidious demanded that Dooku eliminate her as proof of his unwavering loyalty. Despite his reservations about killing her, Dooku complied with his master's directive, recalling Ventress's reinforcements. Dooku then contacted Ventress, informing her that she had failed him for the final time, that she was no longer his apprentice, and that her death was imminent.
Subsequently, Ventress engaged Kenobi and Skywalker in a duel within the command ship's hangar. She skillfully evaded the Jedi's attacks until they employed the Force to push her against her fighter. However, Ventress retaliated by using the Force to choke them, until TJ-912, acting under Dooku's orders, directed her ship to fire upon the command ship with the intent of killing her. Hyena bombers, along with the destroyer's cannons, breached the Providence's shields, rendering it vulnerable to enemy fire. One bomber, sustaining significant damage, crashed into the hangar. Recognizing the imminent destruction of the flagship, Skywalker and Kenobi decided to flee. Ventress narrowly escaped the cruiser's hangar before the ship was completely destroyed. However, her fighter's life support systems failed, leaving her unconscious. TJ-912 reported to Dooku that Ventress had been killed. Dooku then instructed the tactical droid to withdraw the remaining Separatist fleet from Sullust.
Dooku then informed Darth Sidious of Ventress's demise, which pleased Sidious as it reaffirmed Dooku's loyalty. Both Dooku and the Jedi Order believed that Ventress had perished during the battle. In reality, Ventress was discovered alive by Ratch's crew aboard the Raider. They revived her, but she demanded that they transport her back to Dathomir. When they refused, Ventress used the Force to choke and kill them. She then commandeered the Raider and piloted it to Dathomir. Upon arrival, she was taken in by Mother Talzin and her Nightsisters, where she recovered her strength using the Water of Life. Together, Ventress and the Nightsisters plotted their revenge against Count Dooku.
The betrayal of Ventress by Sidious and Dooku at Sullust inadvertently set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately lead to the resurgence of Darth Maul, Sidious’ original apprentice, into the galaxy, leading to growing challenges for the Sith and their plans for the remainder of the war.