Cloak of Darkness

"Ignore your instincts at your peril."

- Moral

"Cloak of Darkness" is the ninth episode in Season One of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series.

Official description
Ahsoka and Jedi Master Luminara escort captured Viceroy Nute Gunray to trial, unaware that Count Dooku has dispatched his deadly apprentice assassin Asajj Ventress to free the prisoner and eliminate the Jedi.

Plot summary
Viceroy Gunray has been transferred to the Tranquility under Luminara Unduli where he was to be carefully taken to Coruscant to face trial for war crimes. Ahsoka and a number of Senate Commandoes under Captain Faro Argyus had also been transferred. Though Ahsoka doesn't think that all the extra security is necessary, Luminara says that the Neimoidian is more dangerous than he looks. Luminara tells her his allies could be conspiring against them as they speak.

Elsewhere, Lord Sidious informs Count Dooku that Gunray poses a significant danger to them and their plans if he is interrogated. Dooku tells him that he has already put a plan into motion. Dooku is sending his assassin/best agent Asajj Ventress, despite her previous failures, to either rescue or silence Gunray. Once Sidious is gone, Dooku impresses on Ventress the fact that failure is not an option.



Back on the Tranquility, Luminara and Ahsoka interrogate the Viceroy. When they are getting nowhere and the Viceroy refuses to answer their questions, Ahsoka threatens him only to be chastised by Luminara: however, the threats coerce Gunray to start talking. Unfortunately, a swarm of Vulture Droids escorting three Separatist boarding ships attack the Tranquility. Super battle droids assault the cruiser and hold off the clones, allowing Ventress to slip inside undetected. Commander Gree, a squad of Green Company, and Luminara goes off to deal with the droids, leaving Ahsoka to guard Gunray. Ventress infiltrates the engine room and plants a number of thermal charges on the cruiser's generators before going to the brig. The Super Battle Droids are destroyed, leaving Ventress the last enemy on board. She duels Ahsoka for a short while before ironically locking her in Gunray's cell. Luckily, Luminara's timely arrival prevents Ventress from rescuing Gunray. Unfortunately, she detonates the charges, rocking the ship before fleeing down the elevator shaft. Luminara goes after Ventress, confident that she can defeat the assassin, leaving Ahsoka again, in spite of Ahsoka's insistence Ventress is too dangerous for any Jedi to tackle alone. Argyus advises Ahsoka to do what she thinks is right.

In the generator room, Ventress and Luminara duel: Luminara is swiftly outmatched as Ventress, outraged at Luminara's taunts her fighting style is a sloppy and amateurish imitation of Dooku's, overpowers Luminara and traps her under a number of collapsed pipes. Ahsoka makes a timely save only for Ventress to escape again. Back in the brig, Argyus betrays his fellow commandos and frees Gunray, revealing that he was bribed by Dooku to help rescue the viceroy. Commander Gree manages to overpower him after a brief fight, only to be knocked out by Gunray. They make their escape on the docked Republic ship in the lower hangar, joined by Asajj, who uses an escape pod. Argyus gloats that he will take most of the glory in his report to Count Dooku, but Ventress impaled him.

Later, Ahsoka and Luminara report to Yoda and Anakin about the loss. Luckily, they're told they may be able to track the ship they've stolen. Ahsoka leaves to join Anakin with Kit Fisto's fleet, but not before having an apology from Luminara for not listening to her.

Cast

 * Ian Abercrombie as Darth Sidious
 * Corey Burton as Count Dooku, Senate Guard
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Clone troopers
 * Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
 * Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress
 * Olivia d'Abo as Luminara Unduli
 * Tom Kane as Yoda, Narrator
 * Tom Kenny as Nute Gunray
 * Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
 * James Marsters as Captain Faro Argyus