"Shoot to kill! Shoot to kill, you idiots!" Grievous shouted.
The Separatist general snarled in rage as yet another one of his droid soldiers collapsed, his own bullet lodged in his skull.
"Move out of the way!"
Grievous whisked his cloak off and his other two robotic arms sprung out, lightsabers in each of his four hands. Quickly, he tore a path toward the Jedi pair, taking out droid and clone alike without remorse. Screams echoed against the canyon walls.
Obi-wan's lightsaber was almost within reach when Grievous was slammed backward by an invisible hand, he skidded wildly. Anakin Skywalker's fingers were stretched straight out, his face a mask of concentrated fury.
"Do you always hide behind your puppy, Kenobi?" Grievous spat.
At this Anakin's feet twitched forward and he lowered his lightsaber. That was all the droid needed to fire a blast, hitting the clone who stood behind the Jedi in the neck. Immediately Anakin lifted the unlucky robot into the air with the force and crushed him, snapping him in two and throwing his mangled body at another group of clankers.
"Anakin! Do not lose yourself!" Obi-wan warned as he fended off a batch of incoming blasts.
Grievous laughed.
"Down dog!"
No longer able to control himself, the young Jedi rushed forward, taking down several droids as he went. Grievous met him with equal enthusiasm and the two began a deadly dance.
"Why is it that I am always left with brunt of the work…"Obi-wan muttered, centering himself in front of his battalion, covering the hole Anakin had made.
Their mission had been to discover and nullify the lucrative weapon trade on Tatooine. Separatists had a practical monopoly on it and had begun to greatly out-gun their opponents, whose armaments were depleting rapidly.
Yet, where Obi-wan went Grievous always seemed to follow, determined to add the Jedi knight's pelt to his wall.
The Jedis had managed to strike a new deal with the arms traders, promising higher interests and new business opportunities with a variety of Republic markets. It had seemed almost too easy. On the way back to the ships, Grievous had ambushed, pushing the Republic troops into a desolate ravine, hoping to flank and surround them.
Yet the flank had failed—Grievous had mistakenly tried to use tanks, which could not maneuver well on the rocky, sand-ridden terrain. Now he pushed all of his forces upon the front, hoping to overrun the weakening Republic troops as the canyon walls grew narrower and narrower.
Of course Obi-wan knew the intention of his nemesis and, unfortunately, he did not know how to escape it. They did not have the men or means to mount a successful assault, cutting a way through the Separatists. Anakin had foolishly abandoned his defense for a risky one-on-one with Grievous.
"Rex!" Obi-wan shouted, not taking his eyes off the barrage of red shots that threatened to annihilate them.
The grizzled trooper was at his side immediately, his two guns firing expertly—several droids crumpled, a singed circle in the middle of their heads.
"Sir!" he responded, his mask muffling his ragged breath. "How do you suppose we get out of this mess?"
Obi-wan had noticed a few cliffs hanging precariously above them in their retreat, giving him an idea.
"How close are we to the end of this ravine?" he asked.
"Not too far I think, but there's a problem," he grunted, blasting another droid in the chest. "The canyon diverges in two, and one or both of the paths might lead to a dead-end."
"That is troubling, but I think I have a plan that can buy us some time to figure a way out regardless."
"I'm all ears, sir."
Obi-wan smiled.
"Get the rocket launchers."
Without a word, Rex sprinted off.
Obi-wan resumed his task of blocking shots, but his mind began to cloud with concern. Anakin was still out there. His lightsaber glittered in the distance from time to time, followed by loud battle cries and grunts. It seemed to be an intense battle.
One that Obi-wan was not sure his friend could win alone.
Especially now that cover fire was getting further away, soon Anakin would be surrounded and captured, or worse.
The clones would be decimated if Obi-wan left his position to help, but he also knew that he had to inform Anakin of his plan before he was beyond his reach.
He heard Rex's steps come up behind him.
"Got the launchers, sir!"
"Good, how many shots are left?"
"Three, general."
Finally some luck, he thought.
"Alright, do you see that bit of cliff up there?"
Rex grunted a confirmation.
"On my signal fire at it," he commanded. "But, Rex you only have one shot, we cannot waste anything."
Rex kneeled and heaved the launcher on his shoulder, cocking his head.
Obi-wan took a deep, dusty breath and centered himself. His mind began to clear with new purpose as he sharpened his senses. Leaning forward, he bent his knees and shifted his weight, almost crouching while still parrying with his saber, not missing a shot.
"Now!" he shouted.
Before the boom of the launcher could sound, the Jedi knight shot off. His feet were a blur, his saber a death warrant. Although chaos ensued, his senses saw everything in twenty-twenty. The universe had its own sense, its own soul, which it infused in everything. The air was crisp, the rocks were lumbering, heartbeats drummed all around him.
The ground shook, Rex had hit his target. The confusion of battle was disrupted, the ebb and flow halted.
The expected hesitation was what Obi-wan relied on.
Sweat sprouted upon his brow, but he knew he was close. Anakin's mounting anger was easily identified. He whisked through a cloud of smoke, and entered onto the dueling scene.
It was clear Anakin was losing, but Greivous was not clean either. The two had paused to watch the avalanche of rock cascade when Obi-wan bounded in and quickly sliced Greivous's legs and threw him backward with the force.
Blood was trickling out of Anakin's mouth, his face and body were covered in dirt.
"Let's go, Anakin," Obi-wan declared, lending a hand. "Fight another day."
Although it was obvious he wanted to finish the Jedi-murderer off, Anakin did not delay in accepting the help and followed Obi-wan back to the front.
The rocks were colliding with the ground, crushing all who unluckily stood under them. The Jedi, however, flowed seamlessly through, avoiding each pebble deftly, dancing around destruction. Before the last boulder fell, the two were back amongst allies.
"Rex!" Obi-wan yelled as he ran. "Hit it again and let's move out!"
The missile squealed out and more rocks tumbled with a thunderous explosion.
"Are you trying to box us in?" Anakin barked, breathing heavy and holding his side. "We're sitting ducks!"
"I'm trying to buy us time," his former master responded, stroking his beard. "If we can get to the end of this canyon quickly, we can outrun Grievous and leave him in the dust."
"What if we can't get out?"
"That's just a risk we'll have to take."
Anakin nodded resolutely, and jogged forward, trying to mask his pain.
Obi-wan sighed, and motioned for a chuckling Rex to follow.
"C'mon, let's make sure there's someone there to catch him when he falls."
"You have been most cooperative."
Maul grinned malevolently at the former Duchess, who glared right back at him through the ray-shielded prison wall.
The two locked gazes for a time before Savage coughed uncomfortably.
"Almec, brother."
"Yes, yes, I know," Maul snapped, tearing his eyes away from the feisty, yet imprisoned woman.
Savage dragged the disgraced prime minister by the scruff of his worn shirt, and Maul turned his back to Satine; however, before he went on with his plans, he looked over his shoulder at her, his unnerving smile growing again on his face.
"Until we meet again, Duchess."
The three of them walked away, leaving Satine, who stared after them, feeling as if a hornet's nest had burst in her chest.
"Satine…" Obi-wan whispered, his head lowering in pain while the hologram buzzed in front of him.
Her look of determination did not fool him, he saw the terror that sparkled in her eyes. Hair unkempt, clothes tattered, she had fought bravely for just a chance to call for help. But his masters were hesitant, if not outright opposed, to get involved. They knew how much he cared for her—even he could not deny his feelings. Detachment never seemed possible when Satine was involved.
Perhaps Anakin's methods were not so foolhardy after all.
They were lucky, managing to scramble out of the canyon before the Separatists could catch up. All had seemed tranquil, peaceful on the way back to the cruiser. Then that bubble popped when Obi-wan saw her panicked face, calling for his help.
If only he had gotten back sooner! Hours went by and he had had no idea! Grievous had cost him precious time.
A bundle of repressed emotion bloomed inside him: Fear, anger, guilt, and of course an overwhelming desire to save her. He lifted his crestfallen head, and stood stock straight, clenching his fist until his knuckles hurt.
"That is not the Jedi way, master," Anakin whispered in his ear, smirking.
Too keen for his own good…Obi-wan grumbled in his mind.
His former pupil sensed his curmudgeonly attitude and laughed again, although it did not reach his eyes. Obi-wan supposed he was simply trying to lighten his mood. Only seeing Satine safe once again would accomplish that, however.
"We cannot get involved in a neutral system," Mace Windu ordered, his dark eyes piercing Kenobi. "You know this."
Was it that obvious? Obi-wan wondered.
Calmness began to creep back in, a new plan in mind. Obi relaxed and looked coolly back at the Jedi master.
"Of course," he practically drawled, a smile playing on his face. "Just as you said, it is an internal matter. There's no doubt that the Duchess will figure it out in due time. Now, shall we discuss more pressing things?"
Even Anakin flinched, surprised by his friend's oddly collected presence. The young Jedi was not the only one capable of hiding his feelings well.
Windu continued to stare, trying to sense Obi-wan's true emotions, but the knight blocked him at every turn, numbing his entire body.
Nothing but vacant detachment greeted the scowling master.
That is what a Jedi does best, right? He challenged in his mind.
Obi-wan's smile enlarged, he radiated confidence, completely composed. Finally, Windu relinquished his probing and switched the hologram from Satine's crouched body to some distant planet where yet another battle would eventually take place, business as usual.
Obi-wan barely listened, nodding at the appropriate moments, making trite remarks when he had to. Yet, his mind did not wander; it was as sharp as it had been on the battlefield. Windu would sense if Obi-wan let his concern for Satine overrun his body, so he simply floated, became a void. It wasn't totally believable, but he only had to convince the councilman for a short time.
Then, he could let himself go, free his building emotion. The meeting seemed to last a lifetime. Anticipation rose and fell, and Kenobi prayed that the others would only correlate it with an eagerness for the next battle, the next mission.
It finally ended, the room went dark. Obi-wan turned and walked right out, leaving them all behind without a word. Anakin looked on, not fooled—he easily caught up to him.
"You shouldn't go tonight," he said quietly as he came up beside Obi, smiling benignly as if they were only discussing the weather. "They'll expect it."
Obi-wan sped up his pace.
"I'm not leaving tonight," he confirmed, not bothering to mask his plan. "I'm leaving right now."
Anakin nodded sagely.
"Take my ship," he offered, a more genuine grin stretching. "Destroy it and I'll never forgive you."
Obi-wan simply huffed thanks and continued his quick stride down the hall. Every step was agony, just like last time Satine was in trouble. Just like every time.
When they were at the entryway to the landing docks, Anakin placed a gentle hand on Obi-wan's shoulder, halting him for a moment. The knight oozed anxiety—he almost swatted his former Padawan away.
"Don't lose yourself, my friend."
Obi-wan simply nodded again, his tongue swollen, his throat dry.
"You cannot underestimate Death Watch. There are more sinister things lurking behind this whole thing then what meets the eye," Anakin warned again, eyes full of concern and equal determination.
Obi-wan could not stay still any longer and he shook his friend off and stormed toward the ships sitting on the bay.
"Now I know where I get it…" Anakin muttered, staring at the resolute back of Kenobi.
