Hypori was, for all intents and purposes, a deserted wasteland covered in seemingly endless desert plains. Very little life existed on the planet, and that which did was more often than not consumed by the storms that seemed to ravage the surface. One such storm had blown in not too long ago, kicking up dust and sand up into the air, turning the sky a hue of orange. To anyone caught in the storm, it would have most likely led to either major disorientation…
Or death. It was at times like these that General Grievous was glad for the 'upgrades' he had received. His cybernetic form may be ungainly and downright insulting, but it did provide him with some useful benefits. Back when he had been flesh and blood, when he had been himself, and not some General of the Droid army, he had been a respected hunter of his people. Kaleesh were natural warriors, and despite the mutilation of his body years ago, he still held the warrior traditions of his people sacred.
Having four arms certainly helped him in that regard. Jedi ran from him in fear, something that always made him laugh with glee. The thought that the honoured monks of the Jedi Order, who spouted bravery and self-sacrifice would run in fear from a simple cyborg brought joy to Grievous, when little else did.
Hopefully today would be one of those days.
Glancing up at the facility before him, his legions of battledroids moving to create a circle around it, Grievous chuckled. Someone had walked right into his trap, just as Count Dooku had predicted. Now all he had to do was wait for confirmation from the Sith Lord. Hopefully there was at least one Jedi who had come for the slaughter.
General Grievous' thoughts were pulled away from the mental image of himself disemboweling a Jedi when his comlink began to blink, a harsh beeping sounding out from it at the same time.
Placing the lightsaber he was holding in his right hand back to into his cloak, Grievous grasped the commlink in his metallic palm, holding it before him and activating it.
The commlink flared to life, a small hologram of Count Dooku appearing in his palm, golden eyes focused directly on the General's face plate.
"General Grievous, Republic forces under the command of Jedi Master Depa Billaba have infiltrated the facility. My Master wishes us to send a message to the Jedi. Destroy all who dwell within, General." The Count's voice was sharp and crisp, even over the holo-transmission. Clearly he was not in a patient mood.
"But of course Count, I will relish the opportunity to finish Billaba and her Clones this time around." Grievous responded, cackling in response.
Dooku's face changed again, his eyes flaring a brighter gold, if only for a moment, before he spoke again.
"Do not allow your pursuit of trophies to cloud your judgment, General. Whilst this operation must result in the deaths of Billaba and her men, my Master has a secondary objective for you that you must not fail!"
Now that was intriguing… and certainly made life more difficult… and less fun. Usually Grievous was only ever deployed for scorched earth policies, not what sounded like a delicate operation.
"I assume it has to do with the research conducted at this facility. Rest assured Count, it will remain in one piece." Grievous replied, assuming the nature of his secondary objective. It made sense to him at least. No point wasting the research being conducted here.
However, judging by the Count's reaction, that was not what he had in mind.
"Whilst I appreciate your desire to safeguard the information within this facility, we do possess backups at our main facility in the Albarrio sector. If need be, destroy the facility at will. That said, your secondary objective does indeed involve ensuring the survival of a very important person."
Blinking twice in confusion, Grievous responded.
"Is there a scientist within the facility to evacuate?"
Again, Dooku shook his head, his face never changing from barely concealed anger.
"No General. Billaba is not the only Jedi to have come to this facility. She has a young Padawan with her, as well as the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker."
"Tano?! She is here? I will destroy her and send her head back to Skywalker and Kenobi!" Grievous boasted in response, his other hand gripping the lightsaber hilt he held even tighter, glee rushing through him. He 'owed' Tano one for his defeat the last time he had encountered her.
"No, General!" Dooku spoke again, his voice bordering on shouting. "My Master has ordered that she be allowed to escape. Failure to do so will ruin my Master's future plans. Slaughter Billaba and her apprentice, as well as the Clones, but leave Tano alive!"
And with that the hologram of Dooku faded, leaving Grievous astounded at the order. Why would Lord Sidious want Tano to escape alive?
Still, orders were orders, and he would endeavor to follow them through.
Tano would escape alive… but that didn't mean he couldn't hurt her at least.
Turning to face his legion of droids, Grievous spoke.
"Ensure that no one leaves the facility alive. I will deal with these intruders myself!"
The occupants of the room had exploded into action upon the realization of who was coming for them, something which filled Caleb Dume with confidence, but also a sense of trepidation.
They were surrounded, that much was certain. This entire operation now appeared to be nothing but an elaborate trap, designed to lure in high ranking Republic forces to their deaths. The fact that General Grievous himself appeared to be leading the operation only made the situation more dire. Master Billaba made no secret of her past defeat at the cyborg Kaleesh's clawed hands, her tone hinting at what Caleb would call fear, her signature only serving to back that feeling up. If his Master was afraid, then surely he should be too?
Glancing up from the terminal that showed the droid army awaiting outside, Caleb's eyes locked onto the figure of another person, one who was hard at work at a terminal of her own, fingers moving swiftly across the holographic display, as if she was typing something out.
In quite the contrast to his Master, the Force signature of Ahsoka Tano, as well as her body language suggested a calm collected confidence, as if she was at ease in such a situation. How anyone could feel at ease in a situation where their lives were at stake, much less one where they were completed and utterly surrounded was unknown to Caleb. Here he was, nervous and downright terrified, but this Togruta who was only a few years his elder was content, radiating no fear whatsoever.
He'd have to ask her how she did it… assuming they survived that is.
"Caleb what's going on with Grievous and his army?" The voice of his Master brought him out of his musings, his focus moving back to the display screen before him. The image wasn't exactly perfect, if anything he would describe it as rather grainy, but it still revealed what he needed.
Or more like revealed what wasn't there anymore.
"Grievous isn't with his army anymore. He's vanished into thin air!"
The helmeted faces of several Clones turned to face him, as well as each other as they contemplated this revelation. Through the Force he felt a spike of concern and dread from his Master, one that only further pushed him towards the feeling of trepidation.
"That means he's coming for us alone." Ahsoka spoke up from where she was, her own gaze never leaving the terminal in front of her. Her voice didn't waiver, perhaps in an attempt to show some confidence at the situation. That said, Caleb would say that her tone held something of a sense of familiarity, as if she had been through this sort of scenario before. Had she really been fighting this war for so long that this was just a normal day for her? Would he become like that one day too?
"Oh great. A crazy cyborg with lightsabers is coming to kill us all. Wonderful!" the familiar voice of a Clone echoed out next, sarcasm evident.
"Not on my watch their not!" Ahsoka spoke again, turning to glance at the trooper briefly, her own tone still strong and confident.
So what's the plan then?" Commander Grey questioned, moving up to the terminal next to Ahsoka. The Togruta continued to type away with her hands, swiping from left to right on occasion, moving information around.
"Well we can't march out the front door. We'll be slaughtered on sight!" Big-Mouth replied, joining Caleb next to his terminal, a small smile on his face, one that was directed at Caleb alone. Caleb was grateful for the trooper's attempt at support and comfort. He only wished he had more confidence about whatever the plan was.
"Extraction from the roof is now out of the question, especially with the droid army surrounding us. No doubt Grievous will have his fleet in orbit too. Getting past that, even in an invisible ship, will not be easy. The droids could place a tracker on it when it extracts us." Depa spoke, a hint of trepidation and hesitance in her voice. Caleb would never question it, but he could tell that the droid General was a sore spot for his Master. It was only natural, even as a Jedi, that she might be cautious, or even fear him.
Caleb certainly did.
"It's not as out of the question as you may think General Billaba." Ahsoka interrupted, turning to glance over at Caleb, nodding her head once, before turning back to her own work.
"What exactly are you doing?" Caleb couldn't help but inquire, his own natural curiosity once again getting the better of him.
But then, someone had to ask these sorts of questions. After all, Ahsoka had revealed nothing yet.
The Togruta continued to work for a few more seconds, before stepping back from the terminal and allowing others to see what she had done.
It took Caleb a few seconds to realize what he was looking at. On the screen was a short collection of words, one that formed a message. Why Ahsoka was typing out a message to someone in this situation however eluded the young Padawan. That was until Ahsoka began to explain.
"This terminal was how Dooku was able to broadcast his message to us, thus it must be a communication device of some kind. I'm going to use it to send a message to someone who I believe will be able to help us in this situation."
"What's to stop the Separatists from blocking the transmission though? It is their facility after all." Commander Grey spoke next, his tone confused. Caleb had to agree with the Commander's assessment. Ahsoka's plan seemed very weak.
"Because I'm not sending a hologram, but a simple worded message to a private account of a friend, one who I know has a vested interest in dealing with General Grievous. Hopefully he gets the message in time."
"And if not?" Caleb asked, his own voice meak. He didn't want to appear scared to anyone, less they think he was weak. A Jedi was not weak after all, and feared nothing, even death.
"Then we come up with a new plan." Ahsoka replied, her gaze looked onto Caleb's, the Force singing encouragement and confidence around her.
He only hoped that her plan paid off, and that whoever Ahsoka's friend was would come quickly.
Taking another glance at the message the Togruta had typed, he memorized what he could, just in case.
'General Grievous is on Hypori. Blockade in orbit. Pinned down. Need help. Only hope. Snips.'
Caleb managed to reread the message three times before Ahsoka sent it, the text disappearing from the display screen in a blink of an eye.
"Let's just hope that the Separatists aren't watching their own communication lines as well as they are ours." His Master spoke, nodding her head in acceptance of the plan. Clearly it meant waiting out the no doubt incoming siege until whatever reinforcements Ahsoka had requested came… assuming they did at all.
"Now all we need to do is download whatever data it is we came her for in the first place." Another voice, the one belonging to Big-Mouth, sounded out. As if she had been expecting the statement, Ahsoka moved over to another terminal, the first one she had read from regarding the experiments conducted in the facility itself. Reaching into a pouch, Caleb watched as the Togruta extracted a small disc, one that was clearly used for downloading and transferring information.
"Well… that answers my question then." Big-Mouth spoke again, moving to the doorway the team had entered through, taking up a position as a sentry.
And then, just as Ahsoka moved to place the disc into a terminal, the displays screens abruptly shut off, and all the terminals went dark.
"General Grievous, we have deactivated the exterior generators of the facility. The Republic forces within no longer have life support and will be forced to leave the facility or asphyxiate."
"Excellent work Commander. I have entered the facility and will flush the Jedi out shortly!"
"And now the power's out… this day just gets better and better!" Big-Mouth exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in protest, earning a few chuckles from some of the troopers, as well as looks of disapproval from the others.
"Without the power we have no way of downloading the information. Not only that but we'll have no life support either. Grievous is forcing us out." Depa spoke, taking position in the centre of the room, addressing and rallying the troops in what was a dire situation. Ahsoka was glad to see that she was maintaining her composure despite the severity of the situation.
"Master? Do you think there might be a backup generator somewhere in the facility, in case of emergencies?" Caleb inquired, his expression deep in thought.
"Most likely Padawan, and if we are to stand any chance against Grievous we need the power online." Depa replied, a wide smile on her face as she praised her apprentice, something that caused Caleb to blush slightly.
"We can't just abandon this room though. We need the information on the terminals." Commander Grey joined in, moving to stand next to Depa, drawing the attention of the remaining Clone troopers.
Grey's words were true. They needed the data, and that meant they had to hold the laboratory no matter the cost. But they couldn't download the data without the power being restored. That meant that someone was going to have to go in search for the backup generator and restore power.
All while General Grievous stalked through the shadows.
Still, even that wouldn't stop her.
Opening her mouth to volunteer to search for the backup generator, Ahsoka was surprised when someone beat her to it.
"I'll go Master. I can move the fastest and get the power restored quicker than the rest of you." Caleb spoke, his face hardened with steely determination. Ahsoka admired that in a way, but felt guilty at the same time. She couldn't in good conscience let her new friend go alone, especially with General Grievous lurking about. If Caleb faced him alone…
Ahsoka didn't even want to think about that possibility.
"I'll go with him, watch his back just in case." Ahsoka said, moving to stand by Caleb's side, his face turning to hers with a grateful smile on it.
Turning her own gaze towards Depa Billaba, Ahsoka spotted a look of concern come over the Jedi Master, before being replaced as quickly as it had appeared with one of complete composure.
"If you are both certain?" The Jedi Master spoke softly, her voice warm and encouraging, but worry clearly present.
"I can do it Master. You've taught me well."
Ahsoka watched Depa's face for her reaction, felt for her signature in the Force. It was steady, and confident, ready to face anything.
And from what Ahsoka was feeling, Depa believed in Caleb's words. That was a good sign.
"So I have, Padawan. So I have."
Author's thoughts
So, been a while, hope you don't mind. This chapter took a lot of going back and forth with and while I still think it could have been better, I couldn't figure out what else to do with it. Still, hopefully it is engaging enough for you all. I wonder why Sidious has ordered Ahsoka be allowed to escape? XD
Now, time for a more overall update I'm afraid. I'm going to take a brief break from this story till sometime in January/February as I am feeling burned out. I still intend on finishing this marathon of a story, but I need some time to rethink some ideas and do some planning.
Furthermore, I think part of the reason I've been burned out is due to the fact that I am writing the same story over and over, so I decided to do something else for a bit and found I was having great success at writing that instead. Perhaps I just needed a break from this particular story. As for what I have been writing... well... fans of my Rebels AU might want to keep an eye on the 'One-Shot Saga' for some new crazy stuff coming your way. I'll give you one hint with it... it involves both Mortis and Anakin in some fashion. If you've never read my Rebels AU please feel free to, even if its not your thing. If not that's cool too. XD
Once again, thanks to my beta reader 'ArrinSnyders' for all his help. XD
Oh, and I hope you all had a good whatever you celebrate, doubly so if like me you are part of the 'Bah Humbug!' squad. XD
Next time in this story will be a lightsaber duel... that's all I'll give away.
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Juxshoa: I wonder indeed. Hopefully this chapter offered a bit of a hint how. :)
SWGoji2001: Glad you enjoyed the atmosphere. It was paramount in getting the chapter right.
Let's hope Grievous doesn't get another trophy, cause that would mean someone dying. :(
Mysterious Guest 1: Grievous is back, and he is better than ever. He will be no pushover this time round. Cower in fear. :)
Mysterious Guest 2: It's not me doing the killing... blame Vader if it happens. (though it technically is my fault as well, so sorry for that)
Jayfeathers Friend: He is indeed. Hopefully you like how he is portrayed in the coming scenes.
1saaa: No problem for the answer. I love answering the questions and am glad you asked rather than sat and wondered.
The Ysalamir, while not a huge plot twist, was an interesting idea I thought of. If someone could harness their power to block the Force, imagine what they could do the the Jedi Order!
The introduction of Caleb is to parallel Ahsoka in a way, especially as the story progresses. He is very much who she was at the start of the Clone War. Where his path will lead him however will be an interesting one.