WARRIORS OF THE REPUBLIC
by Gunman
Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or Star Wars The Clone Wars, of it's characters.
Summary: A new team of villains makes their presence felt after Grievous and Gunray are caught. But their motives are anything but clear.
Authors Notes: It should be noted that I am slightly diverging from the original Clone Wars storyline in that the 'Lair of Grievous' is going to be before the 'Downfall of a Droid' and the 'Duel of the Droids' episodes. The latter two will appear in the next chapter.
Characters of Vrecks and Sana Keto courtesy of SerpentKing707.
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Chapter 4
New Threat
The Republic had gained a great victory.
Senator Padmé Amidala had captured Viceroy Nute Gunray on Rodia, along with the surprising help of Jar-Jar Binks, who had been mistaken for a Jedi Knight, and C-3PO, who had managed to contact the Republic clone troopers.
With Gunray captured, Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, padawan Ahsoka Tano, and clone Commander Gree are dispatched to escort the Viceroy to Coruscant to stand trial for his war crimes against the Republic, aboard the Jedi cruiser Tranquility.
However, Count Dooku had sent a battalion of super battle droids, aboard special boarding ships, to attack the Jedi cruiser in order to cause all kinds of chaos so that Dooku's assassin, Asajj Ventress, could sneak aboard virtually unnoticed and free Gunray.
But aside from Ventress, Dooku had also acquired the services of Captain Argyus, head of the Senate commandos assigned to escort Gunray to Coruscant, to help Ventress free the Viceroy. Together they managed to escape the Tranquility while the ship was in chaos.
It was upon their escape that Ahsoka managed to contact the one person she could think of to help her alleviate this problem.
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(CIS military depot, Fifteen Parsecs from Rodia)
"Explain to me why we agreed to this?" Chord asked as he threw a large piece of iron pipe into a squad of battle droids.
"We didn't agree! We were volunteered!" Shinji shouted as he shot down another pair of droids.
"Admiral Katsuragi could have at least made it challenging for us." Wass said as he cut down two more super battle droids with his swords.
"We Need To Get Out Of Here!" Argos shouted as he rushed ahead of the team, guarded by the clone called Frost, while looking down at the counter in his hands. "We Have Less Than A Minute!"
"Our ship was destroyed, sir! We need another one!" Tank said as he fired another rocket down the corridor to the advancing droids, destroying them in the blink of an eye.
Shinji continued firing his blasters and running, only to pass by a hanger where a white circular ship lay bidden. To Shinji, the ship was shaped something like an American hamburger with a toothpick sticking out of it with an olive on the end of it.
"That'll work. This Way!" he shouted as he dashed into the hanger, followed by his team.
The ramp for the YT-1300 light freighter was already down as the group quickly raced over to it and boarded quickly. Tank fired one last rocket at the entryway to the hanger, destroying it in order to block the rest of the droids.
"Nice ship." Frost said as Shinji raced to the bridge. "It's Corellian, isn't it?"
"Look's brand new." Tank said as he closed the ramp.
"Good thing for us." Shinji said as he started powering up the engines. "And I hope this thing is fast! Otherwise we're gonna be toast!"
"Toast?" Chord asked, not knowing what toast was, while sitting behind Shinji as the explosions started to sound.
"The Explosives Are Going!" Argos shouted from the seat just behind Wass, who sat next to Shinji.
"Everyone Strap In!" Shinji shouted as he gunned the engines and blasted the ship out of the depot right as the explosions caught up to the hanger.
The ship breached the upper atmosphere quickly, Shinji turning the freighter towards the nearest Republic outpost.
"Hmm. An impressive ship." Argos said as he brought up the schematics of the ship.
"What have you got, Professor?" Shinji asked as he plotted a course.
"This ship isn't even three months old. Let's see... two laser turrets on the top and bottom of the ship. Photon torpedo launcher. Medical bay. Small sleeping quarters. Hyper drive is also brand new and fully functional."
"That's good to know." Wass said. "Hate to get a lemon right out the lot."
"Minimum cargo holds. Which one would think is strange for a freighter. All in all... a fine ship we've acquired." Argos said.
"Right. Tank! Frost!" Shinji called out.
"Yes, sir?" the clone troopers replied as they appeared on the bridge.
"Man the laser turrets in case we run into any trouble before we get back to the fleet." he said.
"There is a ladder leading to both turrets near the center of the ship." Argos said, the Cerean scientist showing them on a map displayed on a monitor.
"Right." Tank said as the troopers headed out to man their posts.
"So... what's this ship called, anyway?" Chord asked.
"It's called... The Millennium Falcon." Argos said as he stared at the computer readout.
"Really? That's an odd name for a freighter." Wass said. "I would have chosen something more appropriate. Like... Minimum Freight Lifters Weapon-Armed Special Delivery!"
The trio just looked at the talkative Noghri swordsman.
"You can't be serious." Chord groaned.
"He's not, really." Shinji explained.
"It is equipt with weapons and an impressive hyper drive engine. I dare to say it was created for a more militaristic purpose." Argos said.
It was then that Shinji's communicator started beeping.
"Hmm?" Shinji gasped as he pressed the communicator and a holographic image of Ahsoka Tano appeared before him. "Ahsoka? Is something wrong?"
(Does there have to be an emergency for a girl to call her friend?) The Togruta padawan asked.
"If that girl is you, then yes. There usually is." Shinji said with a smirk.
(Fine. Viceroy Nute Gunray was just broken out of Jedi custody by Dooku's assassin, Ventress.)
"They captured the Trade Federation's viceroy?" Argos asked, somewhat astonished.
"And lost him, apparently." Wass commented.
(It gets worse.) Ahsoka said. (Ventress was apparently aided by one of the Senate commandos. Captain Argyus. That said, I was kinda hoping maybe you could locate and bring him back. Maybe, both of them?) She asked.
"Somehow, I had a feeling you were going to ask me that." Shinji smirked.
(They stole a Republic ship so you should be able to track the beacon.) She added.
"We'll do what we can, Soka-chan." Shinji said. "Argos?" he queried the scientist.
"On it." Argos said, punching the keys of the computer he sat in front of.
(Thanks, Shinji. Ahsoka out.) The padawan said as the transmission ended.
"What? No kiss for good luck?" Wass teased the young captain.
"Shut up, Wass." Shinji warned.
"Easier said than done." he muttered.
"I've got a lock on the tracking beacon." Argos said, analyzing the data coming from the computer. "Hmm. That's odd."
"What's odd?" Shinji asked.
"The signal has apparently stopped moving. Which probably means they've landed." he stated.
"Sounds too easy." Chord commented.
"Especially if Ventress is the one who broke him out." Shinji said.
"I've located the planet. They're in the Vassak system." Argos said.
"I'd just like to go on record as saying that I don't like this." Wass said.
"Neither do I." Chord said.
"Agreed." Shinji said. "Still, it's the best lead we've got. Plot a course to intercept." he said to Wass.
"Prof?" Wass asked.
"Coordinates." the scientist said, punching in the coordinates from the Navi-Computer.
"Alright. Coordinates laid in." Wass said.
"Hang on, boys!" Shinji said to the clones. "We're going hunting."
With that, the Millennium Falcon engaged it's hyper drive, and blasted off to find it's prey.
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(Vassak system, one hour later)
"Nice planet." Wass commented as the ship entered the atmosphere. "Wonderful combination we've got here. Fog and rocks by the look of it."
"I'm picking up a clone gunship in the area." Argos said from his terminal.
"Sounds like we'd got some competition." Wass said.
"More like cooperation. Land near them and we'll see what's going on." Shinji said.
"Roger, roger." Wass said in a high-pitched voice.
"Not funny." Shinji groaned.
Wass landed the ship with ease, but while the group disembarked, Chord noticed Shinji seemed a little apprehensive.
"Are you alright, Shinji?" the tall Nelvaanian asked.
"I'm fine, Chord. Just... something about this planet feels... evil." he said, clutching his chest like he was having trouble breathing. "I'll be fine." Shinji said, straightening himself up. "Let's go."
Chord furrowed his brow and decided to keep an eye on his team leader.
The team stepped off the ship as another figure approached them through the fog.
"It seems I'm not the only one looking for the Viceroy." the green-skinned Jedi said.
"Master Fisto!" Shinji smiled as he recognized the Nautolan Jedi Master.
"It's good to see you, Captain Ikari. But what brings you here?" Fisto asked.
"Got a call from Ahsoka that Gunray had been liberated from Jedi custody. She asked for our help. She said that Ventress was the one who broke him out." Shinji explained.
"I received the same message from Master Luminara. She also informed me that my old padawan, Nahdar Vebb, is here as well. It's been a while since I've seen him." Fisto said.
"If we're going up against Ventress, we're gonna need all the help we can get." Shinji said.
"I heard you didn't do so bad against her." the Jedi Master grinned.
"I didn't beat her. It was... kind of a draw." Shinji said with humility.
"You underestimate yourself." he commented.
Shinji didn't reply to that as to turned to his troopers. "Tank. Frost." he said.
"Sir?" Tank said.
"Sir?" Frost said.
"Something doesn't feel right about this place. Stay with Argos, guard the ship. We'll call if there's trouble." Shinji said.
"Yes, sir." the pair saluted in unison.
"Argos?" Shinji said to the scientist.
"Yes?" the Cerean scientist replied.
"Keep scanning the area and let us know if anything bad heads our way."
"Of course." Argos said.
Master Fisto looked at the young man and cocked his head to the side. He stared at Shinji, mostly at his chest as if he could see his heart about to burst out from his torso.
"Is something wrong?" Fisto asked.
"No, sir. Just... not really used to giving orders." Shinji said.
"There's something else bothering you, isn't there?" he said, his face serious, and curious.
"I don't know. I just... I get the feeling there's something... wrong about this place." Shinji said. "It feels... evil."
He senses evil? Fisto wondered. Perhaps what Obi-Wan told me about him is true. "I too sense the disturbance on this planet." he said. "We must be careful."
The quartet walked through the fog and found the clone gunship, with a group of clones and a robed figure just standing around.
"Nahdar! Congratulations on passing the trials. I'm sorry the war kept me from seeing your training through to the end." Fisto called out to the younger Jedi.
"You were missed, Master. But it is an honor to finally serve beside you as a knight." Nahdar said, removing his hood to reveal himself to be a Mon Calamari.
It was then that Nahdar noticed the three figures behind him.
"And who are these?" Nahdar asked.
"Team Warrior. This is Captain Shinji Ikari. Swordmaster Wass Remm. And Chord the Nelvaanian." Kit Fisto introduced. "They were asked by Ahsoka Tano to... assist us."
Shinji looked at Master Fisto, figuring that the whole 'assist us' thing was just to keep Nahdar from getting upset. Despite how 'out-of-character' that would be for a Jedi.
"Sir! We've pinpointed the tracking beacons location to the south end of the gorge." Commander Fil said to him. "Less than half a klick away? That's odd."
"Then let's have a look." Master Fisto said.
"Allow me to show the way." Nahdar said, pushing back his cloak and waving his hands at the large fog-bank, the Force pushing back the massive and thick blanket of fog.
However, once he did, the departing fog revealed a large citadel dozens of meters high. It was tall, dark and foreboding, emanating a feeling of cold ruthlessness and lack of sympathy.
Reminds me of my father. Shinji mentally groaned.
"Charming." Kit Fisto said. "Well, let's not keep the Viceroy waiting."
"Bel. Niner. Stay here and watch the ships." Commander Fil said to two of the clones.
"Yes, sir!" the pair of troopers said.
The group headed towards the citadel, the Jedi leading the way, the Clone Commander and three troopers behind them, and Team Warrior bringing up the rear.
"No guards. That's odd." Master Fisto said.
"Not really. It's large, creepy, dark and foreboding. Kinda reminds of this Hutt I used to work for. The whole place says 'go away'." Wass said.
"Just the place for someone to hide out." Shinji said.
"Why?" the swordsman asked.
"If you're going to hide, hide in a place no one wants to enter." he replied.
"The entrance appears to be sealed." Nahdar noticed as they approached the large citadel.
"We specialize in making entrances." Commander Fil said, holding up a thermal detonator.
"This will make less noise." Nahdar said, igniting his lightsaber.
"Patience, both of you. A second look usually reveals an answer." Master Fisto said as he found a switch that opened the door.
"I'm going on record, again, as saying that going in, is a very bad idea." Wass said.
"I second that." Chord said.
"Then we're all in agreement." Shinji said.
"Not scared, are you?" Nahdar asked, in an almost teasing tone.
"Wise man once say, 'Only fools are unafraid to walk into a trap willingly'. And this feels like a trap." Wass said.
"I'd have to agree." Fisto said.
Fisto lead Nahdar and the troopers ahead first, while Shinji and his team followed them.
But as they walked through the dark and foreboding hallways of the citadel, Shinji felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
It feels like... like someone is watching us. Shinji thought. "Master Fisto!"
"I know. I sense it too." Fisto replied.
"Sense what, Master?" Nahdar asked.
"Can't you feel it, Nahdar?"
"All I sense is a faint unknown presence. Almost as if it were... cloaked." he replied.
"The Dark Side clouds many things, Nahdar."
(Sniff, sniff) "Uh-oh." Chord said, pausing in mid-step.
"What's wrong?" Shinji asked the team's muscle.
"I smell... it can't be!" he gasped, nearly backing up.
"Can't be what? And don't tell me it's someone's dirty laundry." Wass said.
"There's something here! Large! Reptilian! And I smell blood as well!" Chord said.
"That doesn't sound good." one of the clone troopers said.
"RRRRAGH!" a deep roar sounded throughout the hallways.
"Neither does that!" another trooper said.
Quicker than expected, the group found Gunray, sitting in a room surrounded by armed battle droids.
(You must protect me! Double shifts for everyone!) Gunray shouted.
"Sir! The Jedi are here!" one of the droids said.
(I know. Once they get my scent they never leave me alone.)
"No. I mean they're right here!"
Shinji was about to go with the Jedi, when Chord held him back.
"Something's wrong." Chord said, gripping Shinji's shoulder.
"What?" Shinji asked the Nelvaanian.
"I don't smell a Nemodian in there." he said.
Shinji looked at the two Jedi and realized the truth.
"It's a trap!" he gasped.
The Jedi quickly destroy the battle droids, only to find a holographic image of Gunray in his seat.
(HAHAHAHAHAHA! Jedi Fools! Thought you had me! Perhaps we'll meet again some day!) Gunray cackled as his image vanished, revealing a blinking device on the seat.
"The tracking beacon!" Nahdar said, grabbing and holding up said device from the Republic ship. "We were set up!"
"I should have known Gunray wasn't here. The second he heard our voices he should have run off like the coward he is." Fisto said.
Suddenly a new image appeared before them.
"Count Dooku!" Fisto huffed.
Shinji held his team back for a second, just listening to the conversation.
(Forgive the deception, Master Jedi.) Dooku said.
"You have an amazing talent for showing up in unexpected places." Fisto said.
(While the Viceroy is currently unavailable for capture, allow me to offer you an alternative prize.) Dooku stated as his image vanished and a blinking light on the chair started up.
"Far be it for me to state the obvious..." Shinji said as he entered the room, Chord and Wass right behind him.
"It's obvious that Dooku is trying to trap someone." Fisto said.
"But who has the trap been set for?" Nahdar asked.
They looked down at the chair, the light still blinking and beeping.
"Let's see who this trap is for." Fisto said, pressing the button.
The blinking stopped, a side door opened, and the group walked through the long, dark hallways where they see various statues of the same warrior in various victorious poses.
"Strange. This place appears to be a shrine to this strange warrior." Fisto said.
"Or his home." Shinji added.
However, at the end of the hallway, they came to a final room where they see dozens of replacement parts... for a certain droid general.
"This is the lair of General Grievous!" Kit Fisto gasped.
Suddenly their wrist communicators beeped.
(Sir!) One of Nahdar's clone troopers said.
"Yes?" Fisto replied.
(Your droid has detected an incoming ship. The description matches that belonging to General Grievous.) The trooper replied.
"Argos?" Shinji asked into his wrist communicator. "A ship is approaching. I need to know who it is." he said.
(I have the ship. Biological and electronic signatures indicate... General Grievous!) Argos voice came over Shinji's communicator.
"Capturing Grievous would go a long way to ending this war." Nahdar realized.
"And if he doesn't know we're here, we can take him down easy." Commander Fil said.
"Ambush or not, Grievous won't go down easy." Shinji said.
"Agreed. We'll need a plan." Fisto said.
While the others started making their plans, Shinji looked around, as if nervous about something.
"Is something wrong, Shinji?" Chord asked.
"Nothing. Just... thought I felt something." Shinji stated.
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(Another location in the citadel)
"Do you think he suspects that we are here?" a mysterious man asked.
"If he didn't, he wouldn't be worth the effort." a shadowed woman smiled.
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Grievous arrived at his citadel through his personal star ship entrance, and headed deeper into the base.
"Doctor? Gor? Where are you?" the wheezing droid general called out as he entered the hallways and saw that no one was around. "Where is everyone?"
As he continued down the dark corridors, his warriors instinct seemed to fail him as he was suddenly set upon by nearly a dozen figures.
"Freeze Grievous!" Nahdar shouted, his lightsaber out as three clone troopers flanked him, their own weapons raised.
Grievous hissed as he saw Kit Fisto and Commander Fil to his left, and Shinji, Wass and Chord off to his right.
"Jedi Scum!" the half-droid general shouted as he went for his sabers.
"Shoot!" Fisto shouted, as the clones fired their grappling hooks at Grievous, tangling his arms and legs up with their cables.
Grievous managed to get two of his sabers out, struggling against the clones, as both Fisto and Nahdar leap at the droid general, their lightsabers colliding against his. Grievous flicked his wrists, slamming his sabers against the Jedi's, even as he backed up to get some room from the battle. While all this was going on, Shinji and his team moved up behind Grievous in an attempt to take him from behind.
Shinji was glad that Grievous wasn't a Jedi, or a Sith, otherwise he would have sensed this coming.
"AAHHH!" Grievous shouted as Shinji fired a stun-bolt into his back.
However, the droid general's back-up systems negated the stun-bolts effects. Enraged by this attack, Grievous angrily twisted his body and hurled two of the troopers into Chord, knocking them down.
He's not going down! Shinji mentally gasped as he reset his blaster. Armor must be equipt to nullify stun beams. He thought as he fired again, using regular laser fire, striking his armor in the back and damaging his electrical systems, causing them to flicker.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Grievous shouted as his life-support systems began to waver, which caused him to weaken.
Fisto gripped his saber and leapt at Grievous, disabling (cutting off) his right two arms. Stunned by this, Grievous was easy prey for Shinji, who shot him again with a stun bolt, causing him to start to black out. Nahdar took the opportunity and leapt at the droid general, slicing off his other arms and then his legs in the process.
Grievous fell to the ground, unconscious and disarmed, even as Kit looked at Nahdar as if in shock.
"Is something wrong, Master?" Nahdar asked.
"Was it really necessary to cut off his arms and legs once Shinji had immobilized him?" Fisto asked his former padawan.
"Forgive me, Master. But it felt... safer... to completely disarm him." Nahdar stated.
"Perhaps. But remember... excessive force is not the Jedi way." Fisto said.
"Yes, Master." Nahdar said.
"Did that seem a little easy?" Wass asked.
"He's still alive. But weak. We need to get him back to your ship." Shinji said, checking on the droid general, as well as collecting two of the lightsabers that he had dropped.
"Agreed. Get the cables on him, men!" Commander Fil said.
While the troopers quickly secured Grievous with the cables from their guns, and were in the process of dragging him out of the citadel and back to the ship, Shinji and the Jedi felt that something was wrong, as the numerous doors of the citadel started closing one by one.
"What the..." Nahdar gasped.
"Something's overriding the citadel's controls!" Commander Fil gasped.
"No... it's Them!" Shinji stated.
Before Nahdar and Fisto could ask, a pair of holographic figures appeared in the hallway via wall-mounted projectors.
(Well, well, well. We have Jedi Knights, Clone Troopers, and the infamous Team Warrior. How exciting!) A young-looking Chissian said. He was taller than his age let on, dark-blue skin with black-blue hair, glowing red eyes, and dressed in a dark-blue admirals uniform with white gloves and boots.
Next to him stood a female figure shrouded in a thick cloak. At first the others thought it was the Sith assassin Ventress. But somehow Shinji knew differently.
"We're famous?" Chord asked the others.
"I like 'infamous' better." Wass stated. "Sounds cooler."
"But how could we be? We haven't been active that long." Shinji said.
(Long enough, Captain Shinji Ikari.) the man said, staring at the young captain.
The group looked at Shinji, wondering why he was being singled out.
"I don't think we've met." Shinji said to the blue-skinned man.
(No. Because I'm sure you would remember.) the woman said, removing her hood.
The group found themselves looking at an attractive human-looking woman with tan skin, pink hair with red stripes, and blue eyes with amber flickers.
"I didn't know your holo-projectors were so color-efficient. I can even see the amber specks in your eyes." Wass said moving up close to the female form.
(It helps me see your pale gray skin, sword boy.) She snapped.
"Boy?" he asked, recognizing the insult.
(I am High General Vrecks of the Separatist military.) The blue-skinned man said. (And this is Sana Keto. We've been monitoring your progress and have yet to be thoroughly impressed.)
(Though you have been... interesting to watch.) Sana said.
"Who are you?" Master Fisto asked.
(We already told you our names.) Sana said.
"I know that. I mean.. 'who are you'?" Fisto asked.
Vrecks smiled. (You see through to the truth, Master Fisto.)
(We are... your end.) Sana Keto said. (We serve Count Dooku, and are just above Grievous and Ventress, in terms of rank, in the Separatist army.)
"What do you want?" Fisto asked.
(Well, we would like our ship, The Malevolence, returned to us. But for now, merely your undivided attention, as we destroy you utterly.) Vrecks said as his hologram vanished and doors on both sides of the room opened up to reveal Grievous's bodyguards, the Magna Guards!
"And here I thought this was going to be boring." Wass said as he drew his swords at the six Guards.
"Commander! Get the prisoner out of here!" Nahdar shouted to Fil as the Magna Guards advanced upon the heroes. "We'll deal with this!"
"Yes, sir!" Commander Fil shouted as the droid guards attacked.
Nahdar's lightsaber slammed against one of the Magna Guards lances as Fisto fell in behind him, his own attacker trying to cleave the Jedi in two. Wass leapt into the air and kicked one of the Guards down, his swords slamming into the lances of two Guards that attacked. Chord gripped his own lance and hurled it at the Guard Wass kicked down, impaling it into the wall with one mighty throw. Being impaled to the wall, its power core quickly died out as the other guards continued to attack. Shinji dodged the sixth Guard who was trying to slash him down, firing his blasters to try and disable him. The Guard blocked the attacks, allowing Chord to grab it from behind and crushed its head.
"Thanks." Shinji said.
"You're welcome." Chord said.
Right as the fighting had started, the troopers had grabbed General Grievous's body and dashed out of the citadel, blowing a hole through the front door with their detonators, while Shinji and his team backed up the Jedi Knights as they continued fighting against the remaining four Guards.
"We Have To Get Out Of Here!" Fisto said as he blocked his Magna Guard's energy attack.
"But Master! We Can Defeat Them!" Nahdar shouted as he knocked back his attacker.
"This whole thing was a trap, Nahdar! We have to get out, before those two destroy this citadel with us inside it!" Fisto shouted as he destroyed his attacker.
"What do you want to do? Fight on the roof?" Wass asked as he blocked the droids attack with his swords, before slicing it into three pieces with his swords.
"That's not a bad idea." Shinji said, shooting at the Guards to cover the clones retreat. He turned around and blasted at another panel that revealed a stairwell.
How did he know about that? Fisto mentally asked.
"Shinji to Argos! Get the Falcon fired up and meet us at the top of the citadel!" he shouted into his wrist communicator.
(Understood!) Argos replied.
"We're leaving?" Chord asked, right as more Magna Guards suddenly showed up.
"This was a trap from the beginning! We stay, we're dead!" Shinji shouted as he dashed up the stairs.
Chord and then Wass followed him, followed by the Jedi Knights.
"Nahdar! Come On!" Fisto shouted as he sliced down another Guard.
"Running away is not the Jedi way!" Nahdar shouted as he Force-Pushed two of the Guards into a wall.
"Neither is staying where there is obvious danger!" Fisto said, using the Force to knock the other Guards to allow Nahdar to catch up to him.
On the roof, Shinji Wass and Chord looked around for The Falcon to arrive. As they did, the two Jedi Knights appeared through the doorway that lead to the roof.
"I do not like this idea of running away." Nahdar said.
"Don't worry. You won't have to go far. To die!" a female voice said, causing the five heroes to turn and gasped when they saw Sana Keto there... astride a monstrous rancor-like creature with large horns and armor. "Allow me to introduce you to Grievous's pet. Gor." Sana said.
"RRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" the great beast shouted.
Just then six fully functioning Magna Guards arrived on the roof.
"Oh, look. Everyone's here." Wass chuckled.
Suddenly, The Millennium Falcon exploded through the fog and hovered near the roof.
"ARGOS!" Shinji shouted happily.
"I don't think so." Sana grimaced and waved her hands, the fog around the ship suddenly taking the form of a giant hand, grabbed the ship, and pulled it back into the fog.
"What the..." Wass asked.
"Argos? Tank! Frost!" Shinji shouted into his communicator.
"Kill Them!" Sana shouted as the Guards.
The Magna Guards lunged for Kit Fisto and Nahdar Vebb.
"Master Fisto!" Shinji shouted, tossing the Jedi Master one of the lightsabers he had taken from Grievous.
Fisto caught the saber and flew into full battle mode, deflecting attack after attack from the droid bodyguards as Nahdar leapt to his aid.
The Rancor-like creature growled and lunged at Wass and Chord.
"Just out of curiosity... Is This The Thing You Were Smelling Earlier?" Wass asked as he leapt out of the way of the creature's claws.
"Yes!" Chord shouted, narrowly avoiding it's tail.
Shinji was about to go and help his teammates, only to have the mysterious female Sith drop right into his path. Shinji raised his gun up and pulled the trigger, only to have nothing happen.
"Looking for something?" Sana asked, holding up the power cells for his blasters.
"How did..." Shinji gasped in shock.
"I hope you don't mind, but I wanted you to myself." she said with a scary, lustful grin on her face as she dropped the cells onto the roof.
"What? Why?" Shinji asked, obviously nervous at seeing her expression.
"I wanted to see how good you were!" she said, dropping her cloak, revealing she was wearing a very skin-tight bodysuit with silver metal piping that did nothing to hide her shapely figure. It was glossy enough that you could almost see yourself in it. It reminded Shinji of the plugsuits he used to wear. Her left arm was behind her back, obviously holding something.
Holstering his guns, Shinji revealed something hidden behind his back.
"Oh. You have a lightsaber. One of Grievous's no doubt. Mine is borrowed as well." she said, revealing a rather long looking lightsaber.
"I... I recognize that saber!" Shinji gasped.
"You do?" Sana asked coyly.
"It was used by another Sith... to kill Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo!" he said.
"How do you know that?" she asked.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi told me about it." he replied.
"Well... let's hope you last longer than his master did." she grinned as she ignited both of her sabers blades and lunged at Shinji.
Shinji quickly ignited his borrowed lightsaber and deflected all of her attacks quickly.
"Have you considered fighting back?" Sana asked after a few seconds of battle as Shinji blocked each of her attacks with expert skill and reflex.
"I'm Not A Jedi!" Shinji stated as he continued to defend himself.
Sana gripped her saber tightly and lunged at Shinji, who blocked it even as Sana pushed him up against the wall of the citadel. She had him pinned as she moved in and got close to his face. Close enough to whisper in his ear.
"You could be... Shinji." she said huskily, which sent a shiver up his spine. "Or maybe even a Sith. Come with me... and I will turn you into a fine saber fighter. Maybe even a talented Force-user."
"The Force isn't with me!" Shinji grunted, trying to push her off of him.
She looked at him, slightly shocked. "You mean you don't know?" she asked, right as another figure burst through the fog, his own lightsaber glowing brightly.
Sana broke away from Shinji as Nahdar swung and missed the female Sith.
"Are you alright, captain?" Nahdar asked.
"Yes." Shinji replied, even as Nahdar looked at the lightsaber in his hand.
"Where did you get that?" the Jedi Knight asked.
"General Grievous." he replied.
"You should not have interrupted us, Jedi. Shinji and I have much to discuss." Sana hissed as she twirled her lightsaber around and around and attacked Nahdar.
While Sith and Jedi clashed, Wass had jumped up on Gor's back and was trying to lead him towards the edge of the citadel. Chord jumped back onto his feet, the rancor's tail knocking him down, and charged towards the massive creature, leaping up and slamming his shoulder into the side of Gor. The impact stumbled the creature to the side, tripping and heading towards the edge, even as Master Fisto was on his last three Magna Guards, out of the previous six. His back to the edge of the citadel, Fisto saw the tumbling creature descend upon them, and quickly leapt straight up into the air.
The Magna Guards looked back just in time to see Gor slam into them and take them over the edge of the citadel, all four tumbling down into the fog-covered rocks below.
Fisto landed on the edge of the citadel, right next to Wass.
"Hope they have a nice trip." Fisto said.
"Won't see them next fall." Wass stated.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!"
The trio turned as they heard Nahdar scream, racing over to where his voice had come from. When they arrived they saw Shinji dueling with two lightsabers against Sana's two-bladed lightsaber. Fisto went over to Nahdar and gasped when he saw that while his former padawan was alive, he was also missing his left arm.
"Nahdar!" Fisto shouted as Wass and Chord raced to Shinji's aid.
The trio surrounded the female Sith, backing her against the wall, all while she was grinning.
"Three-on-one? Not exactly fair." Sana smirked.
"For you?" Chord asked.
"For you!" Sana hissed as she tossed her lightsaber into the air, distracting them a second as she threw her hands forward, hitting them all with a powerful Force-Blast that knocked them and the two Jedi away from her and right off the edge of the citadel, sending them tumbling down into the fog.
The lightsaber came down and Sana caught it before deactivating it and walking to the edge.
"Too bad, Shinji. It could have been fun!" she sighed.
As she turned to walk away, picking up her cloak, she paused as she heard the low hum of a ships engines approach. She spun around as a circular ship breached the fog... with five figures on top of it's hull.
Sana grinned seeing Kit Fisto, Nahdar Vebb, Was, Chord and Shinji Ikari standing on the hull of the Millennium Falcon. One by one they descended into the ship, Shinji being the last one, even as the ship started to ascend towards the upper atmosphere.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
(The Millennium Falcon)
"I'll be fine, Master." Nahdar said as Argos attached the medical stabilizer to the Mon Calamari's left arm while they were in the ships medical bay.
"You lost an arm, Nahdar. You will not be 'Fine' for a while." Fisto said.
"Perhaps. But... our mission was successful. We captured Grievous." Nahdar said as Argos injected him with a mild sedative.
"Yes. But now we have two new threats to contend with." Fisto said.
"Vrecks... and Keto." Nahdar said weakly. "Master... before I pass out... I wanted to say... that... I am... sorry."
"For what, Nahdar?" Fisto asked.
"Not being... the Jedi... you... wanted." he said, his eyes closing and his head fell to the side.
Perhaps you will be, Nahdar. Fisto thought, hearing humility in his voice.
"He needs rest. Once we're back to the fleet we can get him proper medical aid." Argos said.
"Yes. Thank you, doctor." Fisto replied.
"Actually, it's Professor." the Cerean scientist said as he walked out.
Fisto kept close to Nahdar while he slept, as Shinji entered the Med-Bay.
"I just received a message from Commander Fil. He and his men got back to the fleet. Grievous is in custody." Shinji said.
"That's good news. But we've traded one general for another general. And a second assassin." Fisto said.
"I know. But we're all alive. That counts for something." Shinji said. "How's Nahdar?"
"Asleep. Stable. He should be... fine, until we get back to the fleet." Fisto replied.
"He saved me from Keto. She wanted me to come with her." Shinji explained.
"She tried to recruit you?" Fisto asked, curiously.
"Yes. But... you might think this is crazy, but... she said she could turn me into a Sith like her. I don't know how. I don't have the Force like her, or you, Master Fisto." Shinji stated.
Fisto said nothing to that, not wanting to give away anything that Keto might have already.
"Did she say anything else?" Fisto asked.
"When I told her the Force wasn't with me, she said...'you mean you don't know'? What did she mean by that?" Shinji asked. "What don't I know?"
"Most people know more than they let on. But Keto is a Sith. Lies and deception are her ways. There is nothing to fear, Shinji. Best to forget what she tried to fill your head with." Fisto said, trying to sound convincing.
"Right. Anyway, I came to return this." he said, handing the Jedi Master a lightsaber. "It belonged to Nahdar."
"Thank you, Shinji. He'll be glad to have it back." he said, accepting the saber.
"Oh. There was something else. Sana Keto. She had a double-bladed lightsaber. I think it was the same one used to kill Master Qui-Gon on Naboo." Shinji said.
Fisto looked strangely at Shinji. "But... I thought Master Obi-Wan split that weapon in half when he killed the Sith?"
"Maybe she put it back togther. All I know is what Obi-Wan told me about that weapon." he said, looking at his chrono-counter. "I need to inform Misato of this. She'll be worried sick about me by now." he replied.
Fisto smiled at that. "Of course." Fisto said as Shinji went back to the bridge.
While Shinji went to report to Admiral Katsuragi, Fisto's mind became troubled. Had Keto lead him on that Shinji did have Force abilities, even if they were underdeveloped? If Shinji were to discover this, it could be trouble. Even if Fisto was of the opinion that Shinji could handle himself better than most who were in his position.
I will need to inform Master Yoda about this. He thought as the ship continued to fly through hyper space back towards the fleet.
However, Fisto was also troubled by this Vrecks. He recognize his species through a report from Master Quinlan Vos, on the actions of Sev'rance Tann, a female Chiss strategist and Grievous's first rival before she was killed a year earlier in a brutal battle on Krant, an Outer Rim world. The council hadn't paid too much attention to it at the time, but with this new player in the game, they would no longer be able to ignore small details like this from now on.
But Vrecks being a High General aside, Fisto was worried about this new Sith. This... Sana Keto. She seemed unusually powerful. At least so that she could cloak her true strength, but he had felt her power when she pushed all of them over the edge of the citadel roof. He had never faced Dooku or Ventress, but he knew that they were not lightweights. And he got an uneasy feeling about this new Sith player. But what made him really curious, was her apparent interest in Shinji. She had actually tried to recruit him.
But is her interest professional... or personal? Fisto asked.
Whatever the reason, Fisto decided that Shinji would need to be watched more closely.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
(Is everything alright, Shinji?) The holographic image of Ahsoka asked.
"No Soka-chan, not really." Shinji said to the female Togruta Jedi.
(But... you guys captured General Grievous! That's something. Heck, it's better than Gunray.) She stated.
"We traded one general for another. This Vrecks seems to be more dangerous than Grievous. And then there is that woman." Shinji exclaimed.
(What about her?) Ahsoka asked curiously.
"She seemed... strong. Stronger than Ventress. More powerful. And..."
(And what?)
"I think... she seemed interested in me."
(WHAT?) Ahsoka suddenly snapped.
"Maybe I was exaggerating that part." Shinji grimaced at his own words.
"Really? So her trying to kiss you was an illusion?" Wass asked.
"Shut up, Wass!" Shinji hissed.
(She Tried To What?) Ahsoka shouted.
Shinji glared at Wass. "You're gonna get it for that!" Shinji hissed as Ahsoka started yelling at him, demanding answers.
"So worth it." Wass grinned.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
(Private space ship)
(Report, General.) The dark cloaked figure said.
"Team Warrior preformed much like you said they would, Lord Sidious." Vrecks stated. "Though they seem more lucky than talented."
(Whether it is luck or talent, they are potentially dangerous. We will need to eliminate them and soon. Especially this... Shinji Ikari.) Sidious said, turning to Sana Keto. (And what of you, Keto? What is your opinion of these men? You managed to get closer than Vrecks did.)
"Yes, master. I was close. Close enough to sense Shinji's potential. It would be a shame to waste such talent. He could be useful to us. Especially after what I found out." she said.
(What did you find out?) He asked.
"That the Jedi have not told him yet of his own Force abilities." she replied.
(Indeed!) He said, intrigued. (That will be useful in turning him. However, if he cannot be turned, you must destroy him before he becomes a threat to our very existence.)
"Yes, my lord." Keto replied, internally upset at hearing that.
Darth Sidious's image vanished and Vrecks switched to another signal, as an image of two armored figures appeared.
(General Vrecks!) The tough-looking female warrior said. (How nice to see you. Do you have another assignment for us, or is this a social call?)
"Both, actually. Team Warrior managed to escape from Grievous's citadel. Our next course of action will be Operation Ocher. I trust you know what to do." he stated.
(Of course. Just leave it to us.) The woman said as the transmission cut out.
On the other side of the transmission, the Mandalorian woman turned to her companion, who removed his helmet to reveal a tough-looking young man of Japanese descent.
"I don't like this, Larsa." the young man said.
"I know, Toji. But we don't have much choice. Sidious and Vrecks are not the sort of people you want to cross, especially with that damned bounty hunter Durge still out there and working for the Seps. And with their Sith assassins in the game, we need to play this close to the vest. Alright?" she asked, gently caressing the side of his face.
Toji nodded even as he blushed at her touch, hoping to see his old friend Shinji real soon.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Author's Notes
It's been a while since I've updated this story. So hopefully, this will keep everyone entertained until the next one.
And yes, Toji Suzuhara is here as well. That will be explained later on.
And just so everyone knows, I am going to be altering the timeline and sequence of events slightly. The next chapter will involve Team Warrior helping Anakin and his team take out the Separatist Listening post. Grievous won't be there like he was in the canon, but I have a special plan for Vrecks taking his place. Keto will be there as well.
Also, Sana Keto is a highly trained Sith assassin, but she is also a mystic with more powers than Ventress. And yes, she is hot for Shinji.
Also, this chapter is 25 pages long, including omakes.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
OMAKE
(Sir?) Frost asked. (This is Frost.)
"Go ahead, Frost." Shinji said.
(May I ask who or what we're hunting?)
"A Nemodian named Nute Gunray."
(Of the Trade Federation?) Tank asked.
"Exactly. He was in Jedi custody a few hours ago, until he was rescued by Asajj Ventress. Ahsoka Tano asked us to locate and bring him in."
(Great. We're going after someone who's killed more troopers than a super battle droid.) Tank huffed.
(Sounds like fun.) Frost stated to his partner.
(It'll be fun once we get them in our sights) Tank stated.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
OMAKE 2 (Extended scene on about what happened to Captain Argyus)
(I am High General Vrecks of the Separatist military.) The blue-skinned man said. (And this is Sana Keto. We've been monitoring your progress and have yet to be thoroughly impressed.)
(Though you have been... interesting to watch.) Sana said.
"Who are you?" Master Fisto asked.
(We already told you our names.) Sana said.
"I know that. I mean.. 'who are you'?" Fisto asked.
Vrecks smiled. (You see through to the truth, Master Fisto.)
(We are... your end.) Sana Keto said. (We serve Count Dooku, and are just above Grievous and Ventress, in terms of rank, in the Separatist army.)
"What do you want?" Fisto asked.
(Well, we would like our ship, The Malevolence, returned to us. It was most difficult to build.)
"We'll trade you The Malevolence, if you give us back Viceroy Gunray and that traitor Captain Argyus!" Shinji said.
(Unfortunately, Captain Argyus is dead. Ventress eliminated him. So, I'm afraid we have little to trade in that respect.) Vrecks said.
"Sounds like you did us a favor." Commander Fil said.
"So I guess we won't be giving you back your ship." Fisto said.
(True. But for now, all we want is your undivided attention, as we destroy you utterly.) Vrecks said as his hologram vanished and doors on both sides of the room opened up to reveal Grievous's bodyguards, the Magna Guards!
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
OMAKE 3 (This has nothing to do with the story)
"I think... she seemed interested in me." Shinji said.
(WHAT?) Ahsoka suddenly snapped.
"Maybe I was exaggerating that part." Shinji grimaced at his own words.
"Really? So her trying to kiss you was an illusion?" Wass asked.
"Shut up, Wass!" Shinji hissed.
(She Tried To What?) Ahsoka shouted.
Shinji glared at Wass. "You're gonna get it for that!" Shinji hissed as Ahsoka started yelling at him, demanding answers.
"So worth it." Wass grinned.
(What Do You Mean She Tried To Kiss You?) Ahsoka shouted.
"Ahsoka..."
(You Didn't Give Her Any Incentive Did You?)
"What? How can you ask me that?"
(Because I don't see you for weeks at a time, who knows what kind of repressed feelings you could be having?)
"Repressed? Now wait a minute!"
(I mean honestly! How do I know you're not cheating on me?)
"Cheat on you? We're not even dating!"
(You Said That You Had Feelings For Me! That You Would Always Be There For Me! Just Because I'm Not There Now Doesn't Give You The Right To Go Behind My Back!)
"Oh, God! You sound like Asuka!" he groaned. "And I didn't lie to you! She came on to me!"
(And How Am I Supposed To Know That?)
"You're The Jedi! You Tell Me!"
(What Do I Have To Do? Marry You To Make Sure You Don't Cheat On Me?)
"ALRIGHT, FINE!" Shinji snapped, causing everyone to look shocked.
(What?) She asked, her anger disappearing.
"I'll Marry You!" Shinji shouted.
(You... you will?) She asked, shocked.
"Yes! I'll have Misato preform the ceremony when I get back to the fleet! Shinji Out!" he huffed as he terminated the communication.
It was then that reality hit him.
"Did I just agree to marry Ahsoka?" Shinji asked.
"I believe you did." Argos said.
"I've got to call her back."
Just then a transmission came in over the communicator.
"Hello?" Shinji asked.
(Shinji-kun!) Misato shouted. (What's this I hear about you asking Ahsoka to marry you?)
"Oh, Kami!" he groaned and hid his face with his hand.