CHAPTER 11

"Quick hide!" Grievous ordered, shoving her behind one of the desks.

"What is it?" Shaak Ti asked, peeking out from behind the desk.

"Clone troopers," the cyborg replied knowingly, he'd encountered them enough to know what their footsteps sounded like.

"Clone troopers?" she asked, startled. "Like on Utapau?"

The General nodded and looked over at her. "I think I'd better take care of them before they come and take care of us."

"But..." she started to protest.

Too late.

Grievous had already left the room and ran down the corridor.

A few seconds later she heard a trooper shout. "There's one!"

"Wait, that's not a Jedi," another shouted. "Oh my god! That's-"

Shaak Ti heard blaster fire and screams. The Togruta ducked back behind the desk and put her hands over her ears. She did not want to hear their screams but she heard them through the Force anyway. It was even worse in the Force than in real life so she quickly put down her hands.

Silence.

"Grievous?" she asked, looking toward the entrance. "General Grievous?"

Still nothing. Worried, she got up and headed out of the room and looked around. Nobody was in the corridor, it was as if they had all vanished. Where is he? she headed down the hall, looking for the cyborg. Where would he be? Did the clone troopers kill him?

She'd almost reached the end of the hall when suddenly Grievous seemed to come out of nowhere. She gasped when she saw him. His whole body, even his cape, was covered in red. She knew what that was and it made her sick. She gasped and stumbled backward.

Oh stars, I'm going to faint!

She fell back but an arm caught her.

"Are you all right?"

The Jedi woman opened her eyes. They stared into deep golden ones. "Gr... Grievous!" she gasped. "What have you done?!"

"I think we'd better get out of here," he said, not answering her question. Before she could protest he picked her up. "I have a feeling more clone troopers are coming to make sure the Jedi are dead."

"Huh..."

Grievous ignored her attempts at talking and just headed down the hall with her held tightly in his arms.

Shaak Ti's eyes came open awhile later. She found herself staring at a dirty ceiling. Where am I? she thought, sitting up. This had not been where she had been only a few hours ago, it was different. Did I faint?

A noise somewhere else in the building, but close by, made her tense. She reached for her lightsaber and remembered it wasn't there. Grievous still had it, unless he'd lost it during their misadventures. Weaponless she watched the doorway, dreading what might be on the other side. In minute later Grievous came into the room, his big frame taking up the entire doorway.

"I see you have awakened," he said, facing her and putting his hands behind his back. "That's good. I was starting to worry."

Shaak Ti said nothing. She noticed his body was no longer covered in trooper blood. He must have cleaned himself up... "How did I get here?" she finally asked.

"After we left the Temple you fainted." he looked away. "I had to take you somewhere. Count Dooku told me about this place so I decided to take you here."

The Jedi woman looked around. She suddenly remembered this place. She'd come there about a week ago looking for Sidious. The Works. "What are we doing here?" she asked, slowly getting to her feet.

"Like I said, I had to take you somewhere until you regained consciousness." he handed her something. "This is the only place I could think of. And now that you are feeling better, we must be going."

"Where?" she asked, looking around at the thing he'd handed her. It looked like a water bottle. How had he known she was thirsty?

He looked at her. "You know where," he said. "The Senate building."

"The Senate Building? Why are we going there?"

"Because I have a feeling that is where Darth Sidious is," he replied, grabbing her arm. It was becoming a habit. "Let's go." he drug her into the main hall.

They quickly left the building and stepped onto a ship landing pad. "Where's the ship?" she asked, looking around for the small cruiser they had arrived in.

"It got shot down," he replied, dragging something out of the shadows. "We'll have to use this instead."

"A speeder bike?" she asked when she saw the machine. She wasn't sure she wanted to ride it, it didn't even look big enough for two people which would mean- "I don't think..."

"You got a better idea, female?" he demanded, glaring at her. as he climbed onto it

"No," she said. The reason she wasn't sure about the bike was because she'd have to ride it sitting behind Grievous and wrap her arms around his waist. She didn't really want to do that... did she?

Grievous had no time for procrastination. "Let's go," he said, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Okay," she said nervously.

She climbed on behind him.

"Hold on tight otherwise you will fall," he told her.

She said nothing. Slowly, very slowly, she wrapped her arms around his waist. She knew Grievous could tell she was nervous but he didn't say anything. Instead he started the speeder and sped through the city toward the Senate building. When they reached it Grievous jumped off the speeder bike and started inside.

"Wait!" Shaak Ti shouted, reaching over to grab his cape.

When he felt resistance he turned and cast an annoyed glance at her. "What?" he demanded. Why was she hesitating?

"You can't just go barging into that building!" she protested.

"Why not?"

"Look at you!" she said, spreading out her arms to take him all in. "You look like a monster! If you go in there and someone sees you things could get complicated."

"So what do you suggest?" he asked, turning to face her.

The answer was easy to come up with. "A disguise."

"A what?"

"Yes," she said nodding, satisfied with her plan. "And one for me too."

"Why?"

"I'm a Jedi. Someone might recognize me."

"So what do you suggest?"

"I'll have to dress up as a Senator from Shili." It was the best she could come up with at such short notice.

Well thta took care of her, but what about him? "And I?"

She stared at him thoughtfully a minute then said with a straight face. "You can be... my bodyguard."

"What!" he raged. He did not like that idea at all.

"Yes, and you'll have to wear something to cover your face," she went on, staring him up and down. "Otherwise your mask will give us away."

Grievous didn't seem to like this plan at all. He would have preferred just going inside and killing anything that got in his way until he reached his target. Shaak Ti would have been angry at his thoughts. Most of the Senators were unarmed anyway and he could see the wisdom in her idea. It was best just to get things done without creating a huge scene.

Finall, after he thought things over, he nodded. "Fine," he said. "We'll do it your way."

"I won't even ask what your way was," she said. She looked around then took his hand. "Come with me."

The two tiptoed down the hall (well Griev can't exactly do that but you know what I mean) and went into what looked like a coat closet. A minute later the two came out looking totally different.

"I hope this works for your sake," Grievous grumbled in bad temper as he glared at his disguise then at Shaak Ti.

"If it doesn't work it won't be my fault," she shot back, not really in the mood to argue with him about it. "It will be yours."

He stared at her, startled. "How will it be mine?"

"Watch your temper." she was giving him a hint.

"Huh?"

"Your temper could give us away."

"Whatever," he pushed past her. "Let's just get inside before the Chancellor's speech is over."

The two entered the the room where the speeches were made. Once inside they stood in an empty hovercraft thing and listened. Shaak Ti felt ripples through the Force. She had a feeling Grievous was trying his best to keep still, while at the same time keep a look out for anyone who could be the Sith Lord he was after. "What is wrong?" she asked after a minute.

"Palpatine..." he growled softly. "He... I think he is Sidious..."

"How do you know?"

"Listen to that speech." he instructed, pointing at Palpatine.

So she did. She heard Palpatine mention Jedi trying to kill him. That could only mean one thing. He had to be who Grievous thought he was. Oh stars, he's a Sith Lord and I didn't even know! I protected a Sith Lord!

Shaak Ti didn't not hear the end of his speech and that was a good thing anyway. The last thing she heard before everyone started to head out was people cheering loudly.

A few minutes later Palpatine finished his speech and all the Senators began to leave the room. As everyone mulled around in the hall, leaving the building or just stopping to talk, Shaak Ti felt a disturbance in the Force and looked over her shoulder. She saw Palpatine staring at her. He didn't look friendly at all.

Grievous noticed this too. "He recognizes you," he muttered, clenching a fist.

"I don't think so," she said but she couldn't be sure.

His fist clenched tighter and it began to shake and make faint whirring sounds. "Then why is he coming over here?"

"What?" The Torguta looked back at Palpatine. He stood right behind her. She jumped, startled. "Oh, Chancellor," she gasped trying to accent her voice. "You startled me."

"Oh, I'm sorry,' he responded his eyes looking her up and down. "Could I talk to you in my office?'

This question made her nervous. "Um... why?" she wanted to know.

He shrugged. "Call it a formality," was his response.

"Just do it,." Grievous whispered in her ear. "If you don't he'll suspect something."

"Okay," she agreed nodding.

Palpatine thought she was addressing him. "Good," he said satisfied. He turned away from her. "Come with me, please."

Shaak Ti cast a worried glance at Grievous who shrugged. Not wanting Palpatine to know she was hesitating, she quickly followed him with Grievous right behind her. All the way to the office she kept on getting a bad feeling she couldn't push away.

A/N

There isn't much I can say for this chapter. I just hope I haven't confused anyone.