Ugh... The whole town has been getting sick, I've felt like crap all week :/ Oh well, at least I get to write.
Anyway, a LOT of you have been wondering about a romance version of this story. And the answer is... I don't know XD Whether this remains friendship or not I have absolutely no clue. Hmmm... Perhaps I'll have an answer by the time I have finished writing this out. Alright then! At the end of this chapter will be an author's note with my official answer! ;D Happy reading, everyone.
...
"Qymaen? Qymaen?"
A soft voice pierced through the heavy darkness the general floated in, uplifting his spirits as he tried opening his eyes. It was proven to be a difficult task, he never felt this weighed down before. A fire burned on his chest, stinging his lungs as he attempted to sit up and regulate his breathing.
"Don't push yourself, Qymaen."
Again, the same voice rang all around him. Groaning softly, Grievous felt his singed chest plate, noticing how delicate it now felt. His breath raspy, he forced himself to open his eyes, a bright light casting the darkness away.
"Qymaen?"
Grievous finally opened his eyes, and gasped softly. A beautiful creature stood in front of him, dressed in tribal clothing holding a small blaster at her hip. Small tusks poked from her face as her golden eyes looked Grievous up and down. "Qymaen?" She asked, leaning forward. Grievous attempted to stand, but couldn't, and collapsed back onto his knees. He looked up at the woman once again.
"Ronderu..." He whispered.
Suddenly, the image of his lost love faded away, replaced by a familiar Togruta woman, observing him through the other side of his cell window. Shaak Ti tilted her head, not understanding what the general had just said. "What was that?" She asked.
It took a minute for Grievous to be able to respond, still trying to get adjusted to his awakening. His tired eyes scanned over his surroundings slowly and carefully, before returning to the beautiful ebony eyes of the Jedi master. "It was nothing.." He answered, his voice slightly slurred. "W-what... What happened?"
"You were shot by an assassin," Shaak Ti reminded him. "It almost cut through your armor, Qymaen." She looked down. "I almost lost you," she murmured, mostly to herself. Grievous heard her words, but didn't give a sign that he had. Instead he gingerly placed his hand on his chest plate, inspecting it carefully. Most of the damage seemed to have been repaired, but the spot where the near penetration appeared was not as thick as the rest of the metal, and the edges still had singes.
"When did this happen?" He questioned, referring to his almost fixed chest plate.
"That would be my handiwork." A new voice popped up, and a strange Ongree appeared from behind Shaak Ti, arms folded across his chest. "When Shaak Ti brought you in, a couple troopers and I patched you up. A medical droid should be coming by later today to fix up the rest."
"..." Grievous was silent, and nodded his thanks. "Who are you?" He asked the new visitor.
"Coleman Kjac." The Ongree stated, before turning his attention back to his fellow Jedi. "Palpatine has called most of us to a meeting, but he's allowing you and Obi Wan to skip out in order to question that Kamarian." Shaak Ti nodded, and allowed her friend to pass by. After the Ongree left, she looked back at Grievous.
"I want us to start over, Qymaen," she told him. "Never think of me as your enemy, I am here for you." She paused. "I... I want to be your friend, Qymaen. I hope you feel the same."
General Grievous stared at the woman in silence. She certainly was strange, being so open to him. And the emotions that came from her... Weren't Jedi supposed to be cold and unfeeling? But Shaak Ti was a Jedi that made him question everything he once thought he knew. He questioned the Jedi and their emotionless nature, he questioned his side of the war.
He questioned whether or not his quest for revenge was ever worth it.
Sighing, he looked down. "How long have I been out?" He asked.
Shaak Ti's disappointment was written clearly all over her face, but she swallowed it and answered the prisoner. "It's been a few hours, actually," she said, hiding her sorrow. "It's almost noon, to be precise." She glanced at the cyborg, biting her lip. "Qymaen?" She called out, noticing his rather quiet behavior.
"Yes?" He grunted, not looking up.
Shaak Ti pressed her hand against the glass. "Promise me you'll think about what I said?"
A moment passed, then two, then three, then finally four.
"I'll..." Grievous made an odd inhaling noise. "I'll try."
Shaak Ti knew this was the best answer she would get, so she had no choice but to accept it. Nodding softly, she then asked, "what's wrong, Qymaen? This isn't like you."
"I was weak," he responded. "I was overpowered by a bug, and I had to rely on a Jedi to save me. I've dishonored my tribe..."
Shaak Ti felt the truth in his words, but she also knew there was something missing. She leaned forward, her face nearly against the glass. "And?" She pressed on, hoping to get more from him. "What else?"
Grievous looked up at her, reptilian eyes locking on to hers. She was almost swept away by the amount of doubt and even guilt that swam through them. "What else is there to tell, Jedi?" He countered sadly.
Shaak Ti felt something awful form in her chest, weighing her down. Her eyes began to water as she stared at the general. She realized how big of a blow this must have been to his pride and self image, and knew that her presence would not help him for now. Nodding silently, she wrung her fingers together. "I understand," she muttered. "I'm sorry, Qymaen, I must go. Obi-Wan Kenobi expects me to help him interrogate the Kamarian." Grievous grunted in response, turning his back to her. Shaak Ti shook her head, and quickly but reluctantly left the general alone.
...
"Where were you?" Obi-Wan asked when Shaak Ti finally arrived. He gestured to the bug in the cell. "We were waiting."
"Actually you were waiting, buddy," Zipps chipped in, raising a finger. "I'm perfectly fine with her not being here." He was about to say more, but was silenced by the two Jedi with harsh glares. Gulping, he muttered, "but we can continue with this, I guess..."
Sighing, Shaak Ti turned back to Obi-Wan. "My apologies, Master Kenobi," she said in a professional Jedi way. "I was conversing with our other prisoner." Obi-Wan nodded, and folded his hand behind his back as he looked over at Zipps.
"Zipps, correct?" He assumed. Zipps nodded his head up and down rapidly.
"The one and only, Mr. Jedi," he answered.
"Good, then we won't have to waste time." Obi-Wan stared right through the assassin with unnerving eyes. "Why did you attempt to take Grievous's life, Zipps?"
"That, Mr. Jedi, is a very interesting question," the Kamarian responded. "And the answer to that very interesting question is certainly a very interes-"
"Stop stalling!" Shaak Ti spat out angrily, baring her carnivorous teeth to the insect that attempted to kill Grievous. Coming from a tribal world, Shaak Ti's people all had sharp teeth made for piercing through meat, or for sheer intimidation.
Zipps yelped in fear, backing far into a cell corner. "Alright, alright!" He cried out. "I admit it, ma'am! I was hired by Sidious to off the droid, that's right!"
Shaak Ti snarled dangerously. "He's not a droid!" She yelled. A hand suddenly yanked her back, and she was greeted by a stern look from Kenobi.
"Calm down, Shaak Ti," he told her firmly, gripping her shoulder. "Perhaps I should do the talking."
Shaak Ti looked down, nodding. She felt Obi-Wan release her shoulder, and she clenched her fists. How embarrassing! She, a member of the high Jedi Council, losing control of her emotions like that! Shaak Ti felt a familiar feeling of shame wash over her, and she stood there in total silence.
"Why would Sidious want Grievous dead?" Obi-Wan questioned the Kamarian. Zipps shrugged.
"Hell if I know, mate," he admitted. "I would guess it would be to keep any info from getting out?"
"Hmmm..." Obi-Wan closed his eyes, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "What do you think, Shaak Ti?" He turned, but was shocked to find that Shaak Ti had left. "Where did she...?"
"Maybe she went to visit her boyfriend." Zipps suggested, chuckling at his own joke like a small child. He was quickly silenced by Obi-Wan staring him down though, and the Jedi sighed. 'I knew she shouldn't have taken up the task,' he thought to himself.
...
Shaak Ti was almost out of the prison when Grievous's voice broke her sad wall. "I'm sorry," he murmured. Confused, Shaak Ti wiped her eyes and turned to the general, who still sat in his cell with his back turned to her.
"W-what for?" Shaak Ti wondered, trying to seem professional again. Grievous stood up, and turned around to face her.
"For everything," he answered. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you yesterday, I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused the galaxy, I..." He looked down. "I believed I was protecting it from you Jedi, but... I was doing more harm than good.."
To his surprise, he heard the sound of the glass sliding open, and when he looked back up Shaak Ti stood there right in front of him. "You really are still in there, aren't you, Qymaen?" She inquired, smiling for the first time that day. She reached up, her hand resting on the mask that hid the Kaleesh from the outside world.
"I hope so..." Grievous admitted. "And... I want to be your friend, it's just... I don't really know how."
"It's easy, really," Shaak Ti lightly teased. "You talk, I talk, and we both feel something good inside us."
Grievous stood there in silence, before nodding his head slowly. "I... Think I understand," he said. "It's been so long since I've accepted my living emotions."
"Accept them, then," Shaak Ti simply told him. She backed away, reluctantly leaving the cell and closing it once more. "If there is anything you ever need, Qymaen, never hesitate to tell me."
"In that case," Grievous pointed to where his right arm used to be. "May I have a new arm?" Shaak Ti couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head.
"I'll see what we can do," she promised. "The medical droid will be here very soon, maybe you can ask it." Then, she walked away, a definite skip in her steps that wasn't there before.
When she was gone, Grievous sighed. "Stupid damn feelings," he growled. "Worthless, they are." A few moments passed before he spoke again.
"Still... Maybe it can be worth the try?"
...
Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, FINE! I'll submit! We'll hold a vote! Starting RIGHT NOW, vote whether or not you want this to be romance in the reviews! This is KingWykkyd57, and someone get me a DAMN BALONEY SANDWICH WITH EXTRA MUSTARD
