Pew—pew.
After firing two shots, Max Vizsla handed the energy bow back to the Nightsister beside him.
"A weapon like this belongs in a museum display case, not in a warrior's hands."
Then Max drew a WESTAR-35 blaster pistol from his belt, raised it, and fired a single shot, blasting one of the targets into splinters.
"This is an ordinary blaster pistol, and it already surpasses an energy bow by a ridiculous margin."
"By a ridiculous margin?" Mother Talzin did not agree. "Judging by the power alone, it seems perhaps only two or three times stronger than the bow."
Max shook his head and explained, "It is not just that its power is two or three times greater. Compared with an energy bow, a blaster's advantages are broader than that."
"Oh?"
"Look at it this way. To fire an arrow, you must first draw the string and then loose it. But with a blaster, all it takes is the slightest pressure of a finger to fire a bolt. By the time an energy bow has released one arrow, a blaster can fire three to five shots. If you take both rate of fire and per-shot power into account, the fire output of a single blaster pistol is six to fifteen times that of a single energy bow."
"If necessary..." As he spoke, Max switched the WESTAR-35 to full-auto. "A blaster can also fire in automatic bursts."
"Like this."
He swept his arm, and a row of targets vanished into dust beneath the storm of bolts.
"The gap gets even wider."
When Mother Talzin nodded in acknowledgment, Max continued.
"Drawing and firing a bow requires both hands, while—"
"You can use your feet too," a young Nightsister suddenly cut in. "I can."
"Er... then good for you!" Max gave her a thumbs-up. "But a blaster pistol like this can be operated one-handed. That leaves the other hand free for a second weapon, or for a shield. It opens up far more tactical options."
"Whether you draw the string with your hands or your feet, it still consumes a great deal of stamina. Using a blaster..."
"Training a competent archer takes years at minimum, whereas..."
...
"Two thousand longarms and sidearms," Max said with a slight nod, "as a gift of first meeting. I hope they help Mother Talzin unite Dathomir sooner rather than later."
"In that case, I accept with thanks." Mother Talzin did not refuse. After returning his nod, she accepted the gift with easy composure and a satisfied smile.
"No, no—don't set them sideways," Max called to the Nightsisters who were rearranging the targets. "Face them this way. Stand them upright in a single line."
"Do as Mandalore the Ultimate instructs."
"Yes, Great Mother."
"Mother Talzin, the two thousand blasters I mentioned are a gift for your clan. But this one..." Max drew another pistol from his belt—a custom Kohlen crystal blaster pistol marked with the Nightsisters' sigil. "This is a personal gift for you."
Crack—BOOM!
Max raised the pistol and fired once. The bolt punched cleanly through five targets in a row and then blasted a hole nearly a meter wide in the stone wall of the indoor range.
"This is the kind of power you get when science and the Force are brought together."
After engaging the mechanical safety, Max handed the custom pistol to Mother Talzin.
"Then why is a weapon like this not already in widespread use?" Mother Talzin asked, running a hand over the small but terrifying pistol.
"When we departed Bespin, the Bespin armory was not yet capable of mass-producing Kohlen crystal blasters. But the research is progressing very smoothly. By the day you unify Dathomir, we may be able to present you with a batch of them as a gift of celebration."
"You are truly generous." Mother Talzin lowered her head in thanks. "On behalf of the Nightsisters and Dathomir, I offer you our sincere gratitude."
"No need for ceremony." Max waved it off. "We are short on neither credits nor matériel—though more is always welcome. What we do lack, badly, is people. Especially talented people."
"Oh?" Mother Talzin smiled. "Do you require the help of the Nightsisters? You may choose from any among my clan."
"Thank you for the offer, but now is not the time to discuss that." Max declined politely. "Whether it is the unification of Dathomir or the work of rebuilding after that, you will need every hand you have. I will not poach your people out from under you. Still, on the matter of talent, there are indeed two favors I would ask of you."
At that, Mother Talzin's smile only deepened. She had no wish to remain indebted.
"Mandalore the Ultimate, speak freely. I gave you my word—within the limits of my power, I will grant you three favors without charge."
"In my meditations, I did not hear only your son Maul's cry for help. I also heard the cry of another daughter of Dathomir—Asajj Ventress."
"Asajj Ventress?" Mother Talzin said. "That name sounds familiar."
"You remember correctly. She came from your clan."
"I remember now." Green fire flared once more in Mother Talzin's eyes. "The infant taken by pirates twenty-one years ago was named Asajj Ventress."
"I am the heart of the Force, and the will of the Force is my will. Since I heard her call for help, I must go and save her. I already know the world where she is trapped is called Rattatak, and I know its approximate region of space—but that is not enough. I need exact coordinates. So I ask Mother Talzin to grant me this favor."
"That, I can do." Mother Talzin turned to a Nightsister and gave an order. "Fetch the keepsakes of Rulai Ventress, and the cord blood of Asajj Ventress."
"Yes, Great Mother."
"Keepsakes?" Max asked.
"Rulai Ventress, Asajj Ventress's mother, died young—worn down by grief for her daughter," Mother Talzin explained. "Helping a daughter of Dathomir is my duty. You may ask three favors more."
"Thank you for your generosity." Max nodded in gratitude. "But I should be upfront with you. The Force tells me that Asajj Ventress and I are meant to cross paths. After I rescue her, I intend to recruit her to work for me."
"That is your freedom," Mother Talzin said. "Still, I hope you will bring her back to her homeworld, at least once, so she may mourn her mother and pay her respects."
"I will." Max nodded firmly.
"And the second matter you wished my help with?" Mother Talzin asked.
"It also concerns Asajj Ventress."
"Oh?"
"Asajj Ventress has already grown into a Jedi—a warrior of the light side. She is not suited to remain on Dathomir, where the dark side runs so strong."
"So that is how it is?" Mother Talzin frowned. Plainly, she had little love for the Jedi.
"Whether in the material world or in the Force, light and shadow are always intertwined, always in pursuit of one another. I believe that among the Nightsisters, the Blue Coral Divers, and the other witch clans of Dathomir, there must be some who are born naturally more attuned to the light side of the Force. Am I right?"
Mother Talzin nodded.
"Then I ask one thing of you. In the future, do not exile those witches of the light, and do not reshape them with shadow magick. Let them go to Bespin and work for me instead."
PS: The energy bow, as a concept, is clearly a little absurd, so there is no need to take it too seriously.
PPS: The official reference works say nothing specific about Asajj Ventress's mother. The name Rulai Ventress, and the detail that she died from grief over her daughter, are both inventions by this story's author.
PPPS: In the early Legends material, Asajj Ventress was originally a native of Rattatak.
Then, in The Clone Wars animated series, the writers stitched elements of Ros Lai and Khaleen Hentz into Asajj Ventress's character in order to tie her to the Nightsisters. Just like that, Asajj Ventress became a daughter of the Nightsisters, born on Dathomir.
No one knows how a pirate from Rattatak somehow acquired the means for interstellar travel, crossed the galaxy, and reached Dathomir in order to abduct Asajj Ventress.
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