Mission to assassinate Jenza

During 24 BBY, Count Dooku established the Confederacy of Independent Systems, asserting that this action was a direct reaction to the pervasive corruption within the Galactic Republic. As increasing numbers of star systems began to align themselves with the Confederacy, thereby withdrawing from the Republic, the Separatist Crisis took hold. As 23 BBY approached, operatives from Republic Intelligence abducted Dooku's sibling, Lady Jenza. Upon discovering this event, Dooku charged his Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress with the task of locating his missing relative, insisting that Ventress utilize the Windrunner to reach the Carannia Spaceport, granting her the opportunity to examine old personal holos and Dooku's journal, revealing Dooku's character before his departure from the Jedi Order, all while observing Serenno from an aerial perspective.

Upon the Windrunner's arrival at the spaceport, Ventress abandoned the vessel without landing it. She positioned herself behind the duracrete hangar, noting the uniformity of spaceports, and proceeded towards the Trannon district. Once there, she discreetly entered the Portmaster's office, outpacing a port employee named Yepa. She employed a mind trick on Yepa, directing him to acquire caf in Saffia, a location over one hundred kilometers distant. With the absence of interruptions, Asajj interrogated Raz Fellidrone, the purported portmaster, regarding the whereabouts of Dooku's sister. Upon learning that Jenza had purchased a ticket the previous day for Coruscant in the [Core systems](/article/core_worlds] but had not used it, Ventress utilized the office's surveillance system to ascertain that she had proceeded towards the spaceport's primary terminal. Amidst the bustling streets, with Togorian younglings obscuring the recording, Ventress observed Jenza being apprehended by a Crolute criminal. She departed the office, cautioning Raz Fellidrone against disclosing the conversation, with the intention of tracking down the Crolute.

The only clue led Ventress to the Belsallian Cantina; while there, she engaged in a physical altercation with a Khormai and obtained information from a waitress droid that a Crolute had formerly been associated with the Razorclaw Gang, who were present within the cantina. She questioned them concerning his location, and upon their refusal to cooperate, she severed Pendago's limb with a lightsaber. After three more strikes, she learned his name was Glute, and a Gran informed Ventress that he resided in a dilapidated residential block near the cargo storage facilities.

Asajj forcibly entered the building, breaching the corroded lock. Once inside, the trail dissipated, as the structure comprised a labyrinth of corridors, and she sensed Glute's absence. She opted to wait on the rooftop of a nearby warehouse, while viewing another holo using a data disk reader. She paused the reader to scan the street for any sign of a Crolute, before resuming the final data disk. When it concluded, she perceived that the narrative was incomplete, so she extracted Dooku's journal from her pocket, concealing herself beneath a cooling tower to shield the datapad screen, learning about the Mission to Asusto, Rael Averross, the history of Ky Narec, and the Summit on Station Zeta. Switching the datapad back and forth, she located another data disk within the pad's case, inserting it into the reader once more; it recounted the events of Forty-eighth annual Dragonfire Air Rally.

Eventually, Glute returned home, as Ventress observed him from the rooftop. She descended behind him, activating her lightsabers, demanding to know where he had taken Jenza. Asajj intended to sever his mechanical ankles, but Glute propelled himself into the air, kicking her backward. As she rebounded, he advanced toward her, his metal-plated head positioned like a battering ram. As Ventress pivoted over his back, she slashed at his legs, her lightsaber encountering armor plating and alloy tendons. Subsequently, she employed the Force to thrust him onto the fractured sidewalk. Before Ventress could extract information from Glute, a sudden blaster shot struck the Crolute's head. Ventress ascended back to the warehouse, recognizing a Zim-Jumper rocket pack as the sniper escaped, while she pursued him across the buildings, already knowing it was Raz Fellidrone.

Following Glute's unexpected death, Ventress overtook Raz Fellidrone, forcing entry through the window into his apartment. Employing a mind trick, she commanded Raz to reveal Jenza's location. The trick proved ineffective, but Fellidrone, feigning its success, disclosed that Jenza was concealed behind a false wall in the adjacent room, and that there was a control panel with a hidden switch behind the picture of Glee Anselm on the wall that opened it. Asajj activated the switch, which was, in reality, a booby trap, and electricity coursed through her body, causing her to collapse to the floor. Immediately upon losing consciousness, Fellidrone checked her pulse and requested extraction via the comlink. While Raz was preparing to use an injector to sedate Jenza for the extraction, Asajj Ventress impaled him through his chest with her lightsaber. After introducing herself to Jenza, Ventress assisted her in removing the restraints with the lightsaber, and during this process, learned about Invasion of Serenno from her.

As she severed Jenza's final restraint, Ventress proceeded to the console to examine Fellidrone's security feeds. On the feeds, she observed that his handlers were en route to the apartment, so she activated her holocomm to request assistance from Dooku. While Ventress was occupied listening to Jenza's story, Republic Intelligence agents had already entered the building, advancing towards the apartment. Ventress sealed the secret compartment, preparing a lightsaber assault. But while two agents attempted to input the access code into the control panel behind the picture, Dooku entered the room and Force choked them, making his way to Jenza.

Jenza attempted to reason with Dooku, asserting that he had lost his way and that Republic agents had been unable to break her, but Dooku remained unmoved, turning to Ventress, and only concerned with the data that had been transmitted to Republic Intelligence. Asajj was unaware of this, so she examined the transmissions that had been sent, discovering only short-range communication with Fellidrone's handler on Serenno.

Jenza implored her brother once more, stating that the Jedi could assist him and that a "hooded man" had corrupted him rather than aiding Dooku. He asserted that she had attempted to betray him to the Jedi and reveal his plans, while Jenza maintained that she was unaware of any plans. Dooku continued, disclosing his intentions to transform Serenno into the beating heart of a new Empire, but Jenza rejected this proposal, disowning Dooku as her brother and desiring no involvement in this Empire.

Dooku's true intention was for Jenza to be killed, due to the information she possessed. He instructed Ventress to carry out this act, reminding her of her role as an assassin and revealing the true nature of her mission. While hearing her pleas to stop this, Asajj walked towards Jenza and said "I'm sorry" as she plunged her lightsaber into Jenza's chest. Her body slumped to the floor as she uttered her last words: "Brother."

Following the successful assassination mission, Asajj Ventress received orders to eliminate the evidence, so she placed the agent's blaster with a cranked power pack in the paralene fuel, hoping for an overload. She proceeded to exit the apartment via the same window through which she had entered. There, she gazed upward and observed the Windrunner in the clouds above, and while she was looking at it, she reached out for Dooku's journal in her pocket, throwing it into the paralene as well. As Ventress departed through the window, a massive explosion tore the building apart.