STAR WARS: Revenge of the CIS

by RogerRoger

The Clone Wars, one of the most devastating and expansive wars the galaxy has seen in centuries. The CIS and Republic wrestle for control over star systems, slaughtering hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, of innocents. However, as the war seems to be drawing to a close, something happens that not even General Grievous, and certainly not Palpatine, had seen coming.

2. Chapter 2

STAR WARS

Chapter 2 : Molding the Future

The death of heroes!

The Republic is shocked after General Grievous unveiled the dead bodies of Chancellor Sheev Palpatine and Jedi Anakin Skywalker. However, far from the effect of freezing the Republic in place, Grievous is being hunted across the galaxy.

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."

~ Joseph Campbell

Grievous stared at the unmoving body of his long-time foe. Grievous coughed heavily, turning around.

"Take him down to the cell block and put him under constant guard," Grievous growled at the form of the droid, who was still on his back.

"Roger, roger." With a swirl of his cape, Grievous stomped out of the observatory deck, and back into the elevator. The magnaguards slipped in behind him, one of them hitting a button on the panel next to the door. The dual doors closed, and with a slight lurch, the elevator went down. Grievous pulled out his holocommunicator, a small, circular device with a smooth, grey bottom and a rugged top. Grievous contacted the Captain of his ship, who was a Neimoidian that Grievous either couldn't, or wouldn't, remember the name of. The hologram flickered to life, the Captain sitting his chair and barking orders to the command crew.

"Captain, how goes the battle?" Grievous growled, causing the smaller being to jump in fright.

"General! The battle is turning against us, the Republic have called in further reinforcements and now are outnumbering our fleet, I recommend a tactical-"

"I know what you recommend, Captain, hold the fleet until I say otherwise!"

"Of course, sir." The hologram flickered out, and so Grievous stowed the holocommunicator and continued. However, instead of heading to the bridge. He turned down a separate corridor, heading to his private quarters. The door stood at the end of the hall, which opened upon him approaching it. He turned to his guards.

"Wait here, allow no one to interrupt me." Grievous growled. The magnaguard gave an unintelligible noise, at least, to anyone else listening. Grievous's mind had been programmed to understand them.

"Yes, sir." It said, then turned to face down the hall. Grievous stomped in, arms folded behind his back. In the center of the room was a large, circular platform that showcased the active battle happening outside the walls of the Invisible Hand. This was not what Grievous was here for, however, instead of hitting a button on the console and going into a deep bow.

"My lord, it is my deepest regret to tell you that Count Dooku and Chancellor Palpatine are dead," Grievous growled, his eyes on the cold, metal ground. However, the person whom he had contacted did not respond. Grievous dared a glance and saw that no one stood there. Confused, Grievous checked the contact, this was indeed the location that Dooku had told Grievous to contact.

"Lord Sidious?" Grievous dared ask, but still no one responded. He fiddled with a dial, but nothing changed.

"Odd." Grievous turned the console off and walked out of the room. His guards followed silently in his wake.

For whatever reason, Sidious was unable to respond. Perhaps he knew of the death of Palpatine and Dooku, and had to deal with something before he lost all of his precious power. Grievous didn't understand much about the sith, or the force in general. However, he knew full well that Sidious needed Dooku to be alive and the face of his little regime. His reason for wanting Palpatine alive was beyond Grievous, but regardless, without Dooku Sidious would have to come from the shadows and take control of the CIS himself, or rely on Grievous to continue follow his orders without Dooku watching over him. If Grievous could smile, he would be doing so very broadly, as, without Dooku to control Grievous, Sidious was powerless unless he personally came after Grievous, or the CIS High Council.

Oh yes, the High Council. Following the death of Dooku, it would be up to them to instate his successor. The obvious choice in the eyes of the people would be Grievous, being the second most powerful figure in the Confederacy. Of course, the council would NEVER pick him, due to the fact that what they want would be to have someone they could control in office. All they cared for was their coffers. Grievous would not be easily controlled, not when he had the entire military officer corps either afraid of him or respecting him. While, yes, the companies had their own armies, the CIS easily outnumbered them, and cut the companies off from their purse worlds. That would look bad if he had the companies wiped out, so Grievous tried to formulate a plan as he walked to the bridge in a very roundabout manner. Somehow, Grievous would have to either bring them all to his side, highly impossible with people like San Hill, who despised Grievous more than they feared him. Replacing them with other, more loyal members was also out of the question.

These questions haunted Grievous all the way to the bridge, only dragging him back when the doors gave the signature whine as they opened. Standing in front of him was one of the crew members. The droid quickly stepped aside, calling out.

"General on deck!" Then it slipped out to get to work at whatever task it was set out to complete. The Captain looked over the back of his chair at Grievous, who was stomping over. He quickly waved over the droid at his side, a commander named OOM-19.

"General! The fleet is being depleted, we cannot hold on much longer, I advise-"

"Silence! Patch me through to the Captains of all ships still active!" The Captain quickly punched in several commands into his console. A screen suspended from the ceiling lit up, several rectangles containing the face of each Captain. Most were droids, populated with a few humans and other species.

"Captains, your new orders are to retreat to the Utapau system. I will meet you there, am I understood?" A hail of 'yessirs' followed.

"Then go." All the screens flickered out, the screen darkening again.

"Shall I set course, sir?" The Captain asked, hopefully.

"No." Grievous said flatly, turning back to the door.

"Do we have the means to broadcast over the Holonet?"

"Yes…?"

"Send a droid with a camera down to escape pod bay 2-A."

"Why-"

"Are you questioning my orders, Captain?!"

"N-no, sir! Right away, sir!" Grievous snorted, stomping out of the bridge, his arms folded behind his back again.

"Guard, contact a maintenance crew to gather the bodies of the Chancellor and Jedi and bring them down to the escape pod bay. His other guard spoke as the other pulle dout its own holocommunicator.

"Supreme Commander, I share the Captain Kurway's concern, for what reason do you wish to broadcast over the holonet?" Grievous did not answer, breathing heavily and glaring down the hallway. He barely heard the question, deep in his own thoughts.

Upon arriving at the escape pod bay, Grievous found a dozen or so battle droids, most with the signature blue of crew droids. Four more were regular B1s armed with blaster rifles. A camera sat in the middle of the hall, facing an open escape pod. Grievous was pleasantly surprised the the B1s had some idea of what he was planning.

"The bodies?" Grievous growled once he was close enough. A B1 looked down the hall to its right, waving at some unseen droids. Several engineer droids, yellow markings on their chest and arms, walked by, one with a datapad. It pushed a button, and two machines were wheeled in, the bodies of Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker suspended in mid air bay their ankles and wrists. Grievous coughed lightly, looking up at the. Both had their eyes closed, the color drained from their faces. It felt odd, seeing his long time foe, Skywalker, dead. All his time spent trying to kill him, and he died by a droid's blaster. How ironic.

And then the Chancellor. Grievous never had the displeasure of speaking to him or very much interacting with him, unless one would count the violent affair of kidnapping him, that which Grievous did not count. Grievous dragged his eyes free, looking to the two engineers behind the camera.

"Is the camera prepared?"

"Yes, sir!" The droid said in its unreasonably cheery voice. Grievous looked to either side of himself. Directly next to him was his Magnaguards, two droids down either way. Grievous nodded to the camera droids.

"Begin."

Admiral Yularen, along with the entire command crew of the Resolute looked at the viewscreen in the bridge, all of them watching with baited breath. The hovering forms of General Anakin Skywalker and Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine filled the screen, grievous in between them. They all hoped, prayed even, that they were alive, but with a sinking feeling, they knew that if they were not already dead they would be soon.

Several senators, gathered in the office of Senator Padme Amidala, looked at the viewscreen on her wall, horror struck. Their Chancellor and the war hero Anakin were hovering in mid air by their limbs, dead or unconscious. The sound of a glass shattering forced them all to drag their eyes from the screen, to the form of a woman now on her knees, hands over her mouth. Tear poured down her face as her gaze locked on the face of Anakin Skywalker, aimed down and lifeless.

Glasses clinked together, the members of the Separatist Council drinking and laughing, the viewscreen showing them the same scene as everyone else in the galaxy. Wat Tambor toasted anyone he could reach from his seat at the table, though he was incapable of drinking without removing his very necessary suit. He was saying things along the lines of 'a good investment' and 'never had a doubt'. Nute Gunray was equally elated, saying the same things. Po Nudo slammed his hand on the table, raising his glass.

"I call for a toast, to the CIS!" A round of cheers from the businessmen and women.

"To good business!" Nute Gunray added, another round of cheers.

"To the Supreme Leader and Commander!"

Jar Jar Binks, Representative for the Gungans of Naboo, was asleep during the whole battle and was not affected by it in the slightest.

"People of the Republic, Confederacy, and neutral worlds, my name is General Grievous of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. As you all know, the warlord Sheev Palpatine, or as he is more formally know by the brainwashed fools of the Republic, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, has waged a war of aggression against the free peoples of the Confederacy for the last 3 years. He believed himself safe behind the shield and sword that is the Jedi, a twisted order that calls for peace by mercilessly slaughtering millions! None of these was more prevalent than Anakin Skywalker, but like his mad master, Skywalker has fallen to the relentless machine that is the Confederacy War Machine. Now, you all witness the final flight of these two monsters." Grievous nodded to the engineer droid with the datapad. It hit a button, and the limp bodies fell to the ground in the least ceremonial way possible. The four B1s went forwards, lifting up the bodies by their arms and dragging them into the escape pod. The droids walked back out, one hitting the launch button on its way. Grievous stepped aside as the camera moved forwards to watch the escape pod as it grew smaller and smaller. General grievous pulled up a holocommunicator.

"Squad Leader AA-1, destroy the escape pod that was just launched from my ship." A noise came from the other end, and within moments, a wing of Vulture droids bared down on the escape pod. Missiles and blasters hit it, tearing the pod to pieces. Grievous watched, a laugh beginning in the back of his throat. He cut it off quickly, speaking again from off camera.

"So begins the end, Republic." He nodded to the camera droid, who switched the camera off. Quickly, Grievous pulled out his holocommunicator again, contacting the Captain.

"Captain!"

"Sir?"

"Get us out of here, now!"

"Aye, sir!" The ship, moments later, lurched forwards as it jumped into hyperspace. Grievous went to deactivate the holo-communicator, but the Captain stopped him.

"Sir, may I ask you something?" Grievous debated telling him no, but folded, deciding this was a good day and he could be a bit more patient.

"Speak." When the Captain spoke again, his voice had an edge of surprise.

"Sir, did you mean all that, everything you said?" Grievous thought for a second, looking out the window as space passed him. The droids had all walked off to go back to their original tasks, only his Magnaguards staying with him.

"Almost none of it." He deactivated the holo-communicator, walking away. He had plans to formulate, and not a lot of time to do so.

"What happened to the body of the Count?"

"It was moved to a stasis chamber, sir." One of the Magnaguards said.

"Good, take the body with us upon landing."

"Yes, sir."

A second earlier, the space around Utapau was empty excluding one or two frigates acting as a defence. The captain of one of these ships sat in his seat, head supported by a hand. This had been his whole career since the start of the war, guard duty on remote planets…

However, what happened next would be enough interesting for the Captain. A moment earlier, where absolutely nothing was suddenly appeared a horribly battered ship far larger than his frigate. It was not just a Providence-Class Carrier, but it was also, based on the color patterns from so many propaganda films, was the ship of General Grievous. The Captain quickly straightened up as he took in the ship, which was growing larger and larger as it became closer. He fumbled with the console at his hand, eventually opening communications with the far larger craft.

"U-Unidentified Carrier, please confirm-"

"We are here under CIS governmental business. We are landing this ship at point 223-229. Expect the rest of the fleet and prepare for battle, the Republic have certainly followed us here."

"Uh- W-wait!" However, the comms were closed and the massive ship continued past the small frigate and its partner. He watched, helplessly, as the ship entered the atmosphere and began its landing procedures.

General Grievous stomped down the ramp of a shuttle, the massive Invisible Hand behind him, trying to land in a grounded repair bay. Several droids met him, one of them a commander.

"Sir, the Council awaits your arrival." It said, Grievous just pushed past it, stomping towards a land craft.

"I will be with them after far more important matters are attended to." Grievous entered the craft, followed by his guard. They took off, leaving the entourage behind at the landing zone. As the craft sped along, Grievous further thought of his plan to deal with the council. He would unveil the dead body of Dooku to them, then stake his claim on the position of Supreme Leader. First things first, to attempt another contact with Sidious. His transport stopped at a communications building, or Count Dooku's HQ on this backwater planet. He entered the elevator, leaving his two guards behind. The elevator lurched upwards as it brought him to the top floor. The two doors opened, revealing an empty room all except for a large, circular table not far from the one in his personal quarters aboard the Invisible Hand. He walked up to the small console on one side and entered the same code he did on the one is his own quarters, then entered the same bow as he did there.

"My lord, I have arrived at Utapau with the Separatist Council…" Still no voice or even breathing, aside from his own ragged, wheezing breath. Once again, there was no hologram of the Sith. Grievous growled, turning around with a sweep of his cape. How was he supposed to report to the blasted Sith if he wasn't even going to be present to answer his calls. Grievous stomped to the elevator again, entering it and returning to his guards. The transport still waited for them, so he clambered aboard with his guards. The ship lurched forwards again, heading for the designated meeting room, which was more or less a hangar. Several battle droids jumped out of the way as the transport roared into the hangar. Grievous stepped out, finding the council and his remaining guards, whom he had left to defend the council.

"General Grievous!" San Hill has risen to his feet, looking furious, "Where is Count Dooku? He said he would meet us here." Grievous chuckled, which shocked the chairman. He looked to the Magna guard standing next to a hovering box-like object. It pushed it over, moving it so it was standing up. The droid took its time walking over to the other side, punching in a code on the console. They had not seen anything yet, the whole council knew what was coming. The door fell forwards, and there, suspended, was the body of Count Dooku, a clear divide between his neck and head. San Hill fell back in his seat, his eyes wide and mouth open. He was too shocked for words. All he could get out was: "You… You…" That was all Grievous need, though.

"Me? No, I didn't kill him, he died at the hands of Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. One of which is dead, the other is in my custody.

"And the Chancellor?" Grievous stopped, as he had now begun walking towards the large opening that lead to the massive pit in which the city had been built.

"... Dead. He was killed in the firefight following Dooku's death." Wat Tambor looked up and down the aisle, seeing that everyone was still shocked into silence, so he spoke.

"If the Count is dead, does that mean you will take the position of Supreme Leader, General?" Grievous smiled a little inwardly, he despised all the council members, but Tambor the least. He had some understanding of creating, operating and deploying a military force, controlling a massive army and decently sized fleet as the head of the Techno Union. Of course, its numbers weren't even comparable to the CIS, but this was because most of the Techno Union's creations were sent to the armies of the Confederacy.

"No! That is up to the vote of the council!" San Hill snarled, getting over his own shock, glaring at Tambor who returned the looked at him with equal hate.

"Then we vote, now!" Tambor yelled, looking over all the other members. Most looked uncertain, exchanging quick glances with their neighbors. A voice of reason raised up, the clicking of Poggle the Lesser breaking the awkward silence. His droid translated.

"Poggle the Lesser believes that we should wait on a vote until the council is somewhere far safer. As he remembers, meaning no disrespect to General Grievous, the Battle of Coruscant was a failure from a military standpoint, and if the Republic has followed Grievous's forces here, then the entire leadership of the CIS was in danger." Grievous also hated Poggle a bit less than the rest of the council, due to the fact that he didn't insult Grievous and directly aligned his entire planet, and their companies, with the CIS, unlike almost all present in the council.

"I agree. Did the Count say where we should go, General?" Said some minor member of the council, whom Grievous believed was with the Commerce Guild.

"No, but I am perfectly capable to make decisions. As my fleet will be arriving here shortly, along with the entire Republic fleet on their tail, you will be sent to Raxus." Grievous gave a heavy cough, slouching further.

"I have sent several shuttles to the next hangar. You may leave." The council all left quickly as the body of Dooku was moved away. A battle droid walked over, holding a datapad.

"Sir, I have the reports on the repairs of Invisible Hand." It showed Grievous the datapad, which he read. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his ship was not nearly as damaged as he had expected earlier.

As Grievous read intently, he did not notice the sound of three pairs of feet landing on the ground behind him. What he did hear, though, was their lightsabers activating. Grievous spun around, looking down at three Jedi. One of them, the middle one with a purple lightsaber, pointed his blade at Grievous.

"General Grievous, by order of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest." Grievous turned fully to face them, growling.

"Kill them." He said, and all the droids leveled their blasters. The Jedi all went back to back, deflecting all incoming blaster fire. Droid after droid fell as Grievous walked around the fight, followed by his ten or so guards. The Jedi armed with the purple lightsaber watched him walk off and yelled to his companions.

"We don't have time, push through!" The other two Jedi, Shaak-Ti and Ki-Adi-Mundi, nodded, deflecting a few more shots, then running after their companion. Mace ducked around the blazing blaster of one of the droids, driving his blade through another, then was through the line. Before he could reach Grievous, though, one of the guards spun around, bringing its staff to Windu's lightsaber. This stopped his attack, but knocked the droid back a few paces. Two more joined, both trying to bash him with their staffs. Windu dodged one, redirecting his force to throw the first guard's staff in the way. Ki-Adi-Mundi joined, decapitating one of the droids, then cutting it in half. This allowed Windu to dispatch the other two, and the trio raced after the disappearing form of Grievous.

Several more did get in their way.

"Kill the Jedi!" One droid barked, firing at the group with its blaster. Mace deflected the bolt back to the droid, killing it. They made short work of this obstacle. Grievous was crossing a bridge to an adjacent hangar. He turned to his guards, said something quietly, then took off a large wheel-like transport.

"Take care of the guards, I'm going after Grievous!" Mace yelled at his companions, and, without waiting for an answer, ran forwards. He cleared the whole crowd in one jump and kept running after Grievous. Grievous's transport was far faster than he was, unfortunately. Mace turned and saw his saving grace. A STAP hovered nearby, its occupant walking over with its blaster raised. Mace stabbed the droid as he ran by, jumping on the STAP and kicking it into gear. It raced after Grievous, who still had the lead in this little race. Mace pulled up his comms.

"Admiral!"

"Sir?"

"Change of plans, attack now, we can't let Grievous slip through our fingers yet again."

"Yes, sir." Windu sped up, slowly catching with Grievous. The advantage of Windu's craft is that it isn't hampered by roads or obstacles. Grievous looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Windu. The droid General looked forwards again, grabbing something from the side of his craft, a heavy blaster pistol. He twisted around, firing on Mace. It was easy to avoid the General's pitiful attempts at stopping the Jedi Master with a simple deflection with his lightsaber. The speeder pulled up next to the racing transport. However, Grievous was in no mood to give in quite yet. He grabbed an electrostaff from the side of his vehicle, activating it and trying to stab Mace. The Jedi hit the breaks briefly, avoiding the staff. The he pushed the bike forwards, knocking the staff out of Grievous's hands. The General growled and resulted to trying to ram Windu with his transport. This, too, was avoided by the Jedi Master. He pulled behind Grievous, firing the blasters on the STAP. Several shots found their way into the wheel, igniting it. Up ahead, a sheer drop lead to the next hangar. Grievous, now without the ability to control his craft, went over, bailing of and landing on the floor of the hangar. He got up, glaring at the Jedi who had now dismounted from his speeder. Mace jumped down, igniting his lightsaber. Grievous drew two, one green and one red. The Jedi Master immediately recognised the blade.

"That's… Count Dooku's lightsaber." Grievous made a noise that sounded like a mix between a cough and a laugh. This made Grievous all the more unsettling, if that was more possible. Even after all the damage he sustained, he would fight to his death. This was an outcome that Windu had no choice but to strive for.

"Indeed it is, I saw no reason for him to hold on to it any longer. After this battle, another shall be added to my collection." Grievous growled as Mace tightened his grip on his own blade.

"That is not something I will allow, General."

"With or without your reinforcements, you must realize you are doomed, Jedi."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Grievous's eyes went wide as he looked out the hangar. High above, where there had been empty sky a moment earlier, Republic cruisers new filled the air space, thousands of craft coming from their hangars.

The Republic were here and his fleet was nowhere in sight.

"- Captain, our ETA is five minutes." The tactical droid said in its monotone voice, standing behind the Captain's chair. It was dark green with gold stripes on its arms, which were folded behind its back. The person to whom it was speaking, the Captain, sat in his chair with his legs crossed, one gloved hand resting on the arm rest and the other at his chin. The crew of his ship worked tirelessly, of course, that was to be expected of battle droids. The ship itself was a Lucrehulk-Class carrier, which was a colossal ship made by the Trade Federation to blockade, invade, and transport. It was one of the biggest ships in the entire galaxy with enough firepower to overwhelm any space station or ship by themselves. The ship was named the 'Morpheus', her captain going by the name of Rudolphus Carver.

"How many ships do we have at our disposal?" The Captain asked his droid. The droid looked at a datapad held in one of its robotic hands.

"Not including the 'Morpheus', there is two more Lucrehulk-Class carriers, one Providence-Class Destroyer, three Droid Carriers, thirteen Munificent-Class frigates, five Diamond-Class frigates, and a mix of 20 or 30 corvettes, sir." Carver looked disgruntled, folding his hands on his lap.

"We lost a lot of ships in that engagement, more than half. Has the Invisible Hand responded?"

"No, sir. Oddly enough, the entire system has gone dark."

"WHAT?!" Carver shot to his feet, turning to actually look at the droid.

"Why wasn't I told this?! For all we know, the planet could be under siege!"

"Sir, the probability that they made it there before we did is 9,891,762 to-"

"Don't tell me the odds, and order all ships to raise shields and recycle their batteries! Be ready to go in weapons hot!"

"Roger, roger." The droid opened comms and relayed the order as the Captain retook his seat. Another droid walked up, holding a datapad.

"Sir, the Geonosis garrison is prepared to jump and join us at Utapau, but they will wait until we arrive and confirm danger is present."

"Good, hold them on standby."

"Roger, roger." The B1 walked back to its post, leaving the Captain with his thoughts once again.

"ETA 2 minutes." The navigator called into the once again silent bridge.

For a moment or two, the pilot of the LA/AT and Grievous just looked at each other. That was only a moment, then its weapons went live. Blaster bolts hurtled at breakneck speed at the injured General. However, with or without lungs, he was still part droid and one of the most elite Jedi killers in the galaxy. He quickly bolted to one side, towards the Soulless 1, his personal fighter. The LA/AT anticipated this, firing a hailstorm of missiles which quickly decimated the small craft. Grievous redirected, now running in Windu's direction. Both the pilot and Mace realized too late what Grievous was up to. Blast bolts followed grievous all the way to Mace, the Jedi barely avoiding the blaster. The resulting clouds of smoke and debris blinded Windu and hid Grievous from the LA/AT. Windu looked around wildly, his lightsaber held out. What he heard, over the deep engines of the LA/AT and the explosions of the battle closing in around them, was the familiar sound of the unintelligible Magnaguards that protected General Grievous, the ones that were supposed to be fighting his comrades. With a sinking feeling, he feared the worst as their staffs came to life. The force guided his moves, pushing him back as one of the staffs swung down from above him. Another push and he ducked under a second, disappearing back into the smoke. He moved his lightsaber, finding a droid.

However, this one kill was not going to win him the battle. On the ramparts above, another Magnaguard, holding a bazooka, aimed at the top of the LA/AT. One shot and the gunship spiraled into the hangar.

Mace quickly moved, along with all his assailants, as the huge gunship slid into the opposite wall. He coughed heavily from where he had landed, looking around. However, the last guard disappeared from the ramparts.

Grievous had gotten away again.

"Arriving in T-minus ten…"

"Weapon's check?"

"Active and ready, sir."

"Nine…"

"Shields?"

"Recycled and at full, prepared for combat."

"Eight."

"All other ships?"

"Checking out."

"Seven."

"All right, boys, girls and droids, ya best buckle up, because we are going in hot!"

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two…"

"One." The ship lurched to a stop, filling the immediate space with a deafening boom. Its company following in short order, ending with a small Diamond-Class Frigate. A few Kilometers away floated one dozen Venators, the Republic's main ship for combating the Confederacy's navy. Both sides faced each other for a few moments, their weapons silent. The Venators had ceased firing on the surface as the Captains and Admirals realized what they were looking at was the missing fleet from Coruscant.

"FIRE EVERYTHING!" Carver shouted, pointing at the opposing fleet.

"Roger, roger. Emptying all batteries." Thousands or crimson and bright blue EMP bolts hurtled across the empty space, faster than the eye could follow. The Republic ships returned the favor, their own barrage meeting. Where a moment before, deadly silence filled space, now deafening explosion after deafening explosion shook the ships.

"Deploy all fighters and gunships, we need to get communications on the planet's surface."
"Roger, roger." The tactical droid hit a button on its datapad. Thousands of Vulture Droids and Tri-Fighters spilled from the hangars of all CIS ships present. They were followed quickly by gunships and troop transports, heading towards the surface. The radio chatter across the CIS captains and officers went into chaos.

"Battery one empty, cycling, cover me!"

"Copy, D-1, how copy?"
"My shields are out, I can't take any more- AHHH-" One of the Diamond-Class ignited into an explosion, its pieces bouncing harmlessly off its neighbors.

"Fleet, this is Captain Carver, close the distance between us and the enemy fleet. Diamond-Class and corvettes, stay behind me until we pass into the optimal range for your weapons. Droid, put all our power into our forwards deflector shields."

"Roger, roger." The massive Lucrehulk bared forwards, the blasts from Venator turbo lasers bouncing harmlessly off of its superior shielding. The fleet came closer, one of the Munificent-Class Frigates falling away, flames spewing from its bridge as the first Venator ignited in a spectacular display of destruction.

"Ten thousand kilometers and closing."
"Shall we divert some energy to our weapons, sir?"

"What is the optimal range for the Diamond-Class?"

"Five thousand-"

"Then hold till there, communications!"

"Sir?"

"Can you raise any comms with our ground forces?"

"No, sir."

Grievous stomped down the hallway, his breathing growing even more laboured. The fight with the Jedi had overworked his damaged lungs. He had to rest, as odd as that sounded, and find his doctor. Grievous knew full well he would not last long with his lungs in such a condition. However, fate seemed to have a different course of action set for him. Footfall echoed from around the next turn, and it was certainly not that of a droid or clone. A little ways away, the other two Jedi appeared, battered and very tired, but alive all the same. Both parties watched each other, not moving. The male of the duo whispered something to his companion, and they both went to either side of Grievous, their lightsabers risen and prepared for combat. Grievous swiveled his head side to side, his hands grabbing the hilts of his own lightsabers.

Then, the battle began. The Jedi to his right ran forwards, trying to dismember Grievous. The General's arm extended, lightsaber in hand. The green blade shot out, catching the other blade in mid attack. The other Jedi tried to attack from his other side, which was also blocked by Grievous. The stood there for a moment longer, then their fight continued. Grievous kicked the Jedi at his left away, pressing an offensive on the other. The Jedi began to fall back, deflecting the endless onslaught that was Grievous's offensive. The other Jedi found her bearings, and rejoined the battle, attempting to stab Grievous in the back. The General was far faster, one of his lightsabers blocking her foolish attack. He had pushed the other Jedi to the wall, but now was fighting both again. He knocked the newcomer back, then pushed the first Jedi he was fighting into the wall. The General kicked the newcomer to the ground, her lightsaber flying from her grip and off into the chasm. She landed on her stomach, the air knocked out of her. She didn't have time to move, as the cold, clawlike foot of Grievous gripped the back of her neck in a vice like grip. The other Jedi's eyes went wide, and he tried to fight Grievous off of her. The General easily deflected his desperate attacks as he tightened his grip on the other Jedi's neck. She gave a choking sound, trying to pry the claw from her neck. Grievous gave the other Jedi a heavy blow, causing him to stumble a few steps. This was enough for Grievous as, with a sharp twist of his claw-like feet, a sickening snap filled the hall.

"Shaak-Ti!" The other Jedi shouted, looking at his dead comrade lying in a heap on the ground. Grievous gave another ragged cough, turning back to face the remaining Jedi.

"It is over, Jedi scum! You are all alone!" Ki-Adi-Mundi raised his blade, would he get so lucky for reinforcements to arrive again, like his last duel with Grievous. As if responding to his unspoken question, heavy footsteps shook the floor. Down the corridor, a massive walker crawled forwards, commonly known as a AT-TE. It was accompanied by the group of thirty or so clones.

However, that luck ran out as, at the opposite end, a line of AATs and battle droids marched.

"It's Grievous! Open fire!"

"Clones! Fire!" Red and blue hurtled across the corridor, past the two combatants, and into the two forces. The front AAT rocked under the blast from the clone's walker, only to get itself hit by the next in line. Grievous decided this was the best time for him to make his getaway. Grievous knocked the Jedi away, tearing down the hall towards the clones. They tried to hit him, but he was far faster than they were. He cleanly decapitated the first clone that crossed his path, throwing the body at two others. This knocked them aside, giving him more room. He made it to the AT/TE, quickly scaling it. He jumped on top of the gun, directly in front of the gunner. The clone slowly looked up, looking at Grievous through the visor of his helmet.

"Oh…" He was sent flying from the tank, through the window and into the chasm. Grievous jumped to the ceiling, attaching himself to it and scurrying away. Ki-Adi-Mundi got up just in time to see Grievous disappear. He didn't have time to worry about that, however, turning and deflecting the hail of blast fire from the droid reinforcements.

"- Attention all Confederate ground forces, this is Captain Carver of the 3rd Navy Fleet, we have broken through the blockade and have now established a communications post on Utapau's surface. Its designation is Overlord, we are beginning evacuation of the planet."

"Calling 3rd, this is OOM-17, our forces have established an LZ! General Grievous requests a shuttle immediately!"

"Copy, OOM-17, we have a shuttle enroute, along with landing transports." Carver closed the comms, turning his attention back to the battle. The remaining four Venators had put distance between themselves and the fleet, however, they were in no condition to match the overwhelming firepower of the Confederate ships.

"Sir, the Geonosis Garrison has arrived." His tactical droid said in its monotone voice, pointing a little ways to the left. A fleet equal to the 3rd appeared, headed by a Providence. They immediately opened fire, hammering the remaining Republican ships with renewed fire. Two of them immediately ignited into flames.

"Sir, the command ship is trying to contact us." The tactical droid said.

"Raise comms."

"Roger, roger." Carver turned around, the huge vidscreen in front of him showing the face of the elderly admiral.

"Confederate officer, we are offering our formal surrender. Hold your fire and we will turn over our remaining two ships for the continued survival of their crews." Carver gave a devious grin, folding his hands behind his back.

"A surrender, huh? I have been well-versed in the treachery of the Republic, why would I trust you and what would I gain from obtaining two worthless Republican cruisers?" The enemy Admiral knew what he spoke of, his eyes narrowing.

"The actions of the late General Skywalker does not reflect that of the entire Republican navy."

"Still… As rewarding as it is to hear the officer of a Republican fleet begging for me to allow them to survive, I have to turn this down with a heavy heart. Droid, order the fleets to maximize our firepower, obliterate the remaining ships."

"What?! You can't do this-" The comms were cut as the ship exploded along with its partner. Carver watched with disinterest.

"Sir, General grievous has arrived, and the Invisible Hand has joined the fleet."

"Good, order the fleets to jump into hyperspace, we are going to Geonosis."

"But, sir, there are still thousands of droids on the surface!" The communications droid said, swiveling his chair to face Carver.

"They will have to fend for themselves, we have a VIP aboard our ship! Hyperspace, now!"

"Roger, roger…" One of the droids flipped a switch and the planet and fleet disappeared as they went into hyperspace.

Chapter 2 complete, how did ya like it?

Anywho, don't forget to Review and tell me how I can improve!