A/N: Another chapter has arrived!

Thanks to Houndeye, Celgress, and ShadowBlah2 (ffnet) and May-Chan (ao3) for your comments on the previous chapter!

I'm really enjoying writing this story. It's always hard to find more source material for Grievous. Even when he's in something, there's not usually a lot of depth to his characterization. Now, I have plenty of my own ideas for how to detail him as a character, many of which I can't expect to find much source material on, anyway. Still, it would be great to find more tidbits to build off of. I have the Star Wars: Visionaries comic that gives his origin story, I have a comic simply entitled Star Wars:General Grievous (are there others about him?), I've read Labyrinth of Evil, seen the Revenge of the Sith movie, and of course I've used a lot of material from both Clone Wars cartoons. But if you think I'm missing something important, or even just mildly interesting, please feel free to let me know!

Sidious is definitely plotting to get the Separatists back into his clutches. I've done quite a lot of thought on what he has in mind, and as some have guessed, it's not going to be pretty.

Also, there's definitely going to be more Obi-Wan in this story, starting now!

Grievous paced the length of the shuttle. The cyborg general had had all the clone troopers placed in cells. However, since he didn't think that a Jedi could be as easily contained, he had decided to keep watch on Obi-Wan himself. His original plan had been to place the Jedi in the containment field in his shuttle. But he'd been overtaken with an unusual reluctance to do so when they had finally arrived in the shuttle. So, though he had of course taken the Jedi's lightsaber and blaster, he had not restrained him. Obi-Wan simply wandered the area freely, examining everything from the MagnaGuards to the decor, which Grievous had supplemented with various pieces of Kaleesh art. I'll put him there when I go to sleep. I don't think he'll try to escape anyway. He wants the prisoner exchange to go smoothly.

Still, Kenobi had upset his plans with his unexpected appearance. Now Grievous would be expected to treat Kenobi as a prisoner to be exchanged, and thus he was honor-bound not to harm him in any way. Which conflicted with his oath to the Separatist Senate that he would mete out vengeance on the Jedi if he encountered him again. Not to mention his own need for vengeance. As far as he was concerned, every single one of the Jedi Order was complicit in the enslavement of his people. Still, Kenobi had seemed legitimately willing to put aside his own assumptions to help Grievous, first to defeat Dooku, and then to surrender rather than fighting Grievous when they had met again. Grievous had begun to get the strange sense that he could actually trust Kenobi, of all people.

In any event, he didn't have much choice. For this peace treaty to work out, he had to keep his end of the bargain. Even if that meant sparing his hated enemy's life.

Grievous had somehow, in this one battle, won the war. It seemed almost too good to be true. At the same time, it had required-compromises he had not even remotely contemplated until that moment. Like sparing Kenobi. And taking Palpatine at his word.

"I wasn't expecting that to go so smoothly," Grievous said, pacing inside the shuttle. "Do you think he meant what he said?"

"Hmmm?" Obi-wan murmured.

"Your Chancellor," Grievous said. "Is he trustworthy?"

"I'm sorry, is this an interrogation?" Kenobi asked. "Are you asking me for intel on the Chancellor? Will there be punishments if I don't comply?"

"Are you always this irritating?" Grievous said, glaring down at him.

Obi-Wan gave him a lop-sided smile. "Only when I try to be."

"Just answer the question."

"I'm not really sure if I can," Kenobi said, shaking his head and shrugging. "You've tried to kill me and you did kill Piell- and now you're asking me ifour Chancellor is trustworthy?"

Grievous growled. "Your friend would have got me killed."

Kenobi sighed, his eyes downcast. "Sadly, I didn't know Even Piell that well. If I had, maybe I could have convinced him to forgo the capture attempt. Maybe he'd still be alive even now."

Grievous narrowed his eyes. "Are you blaming yourself for his death? I assure you, you can take no credit for that. It was his choices and my actions that led to his demise."

Kenobi looked up at him, his expression perplexed. "Thanks-I suppose?" He sighed.

"I'd still like an answer to my question," Grievous said. "About the Chancellor."

Kenobi looked thoughtful. "I've never detected any deception from him before."

"That's not an answer," Grievous said.

"He always seems sincere."

"And yet you seem hesitant to say he can be trusted."

"Good intentions don't always lead to good actions."

Grievous snorted. "At least we agree on one thing, then. Though I must wonder if you've ever applied that thought to your vaunted Jedi Order?"

Kenobi looked down. "I looked into what you told me. I'd never heard of this conflict between the Kaleesh and the Yamrii. But you were right. The Yamrii were keeping slaves-that is expressly against Republic law, which they are very much subject to. When I return to Coruscant, I will ensure these facts are brought before the Senate. The Yamrii responsible will be removed from power and brought to justice."

Grievous looked down at the Jedi. "That is good to hear. But if this was so easy for you to uncover, then why did none of the rest of your Order ever notice it?"

"I suppose the Senate never told them they should look," Kenobi said.

"So you just do what you're told, then?" Grievous said.

Kenobi gave him a pained smile. "We are the servants of the Republic, not its masters. But you are right. We should make it a habit to always question what we are told. Qui-Gon said those very words to me, once."

"Qui-Gon Jinn. Your old Master. He died at the Battle of Naboo ten years ago."

Kenobi raised an eyebrow. "And what do you know about that?"

"Everything there is to know," Grievous said. "Everything that is public record, at least. I've always had a good memory, but my ability to recall facts was greatly enhanced when I was-turned into this monstrosity," he said, gesturing a clawed hand towards himself. "Even as my personal memories were inhibited."

"I see, then," Kenobi said. He looked thoughtful. "You call yourself a monstrosity, but I don't think that's true."

"Even if I tried to kill you and killed a Jedi right before your eyes?" Grievous said, throwing the Jedi's earlier words back at him.

"Neither of those facts, as painful as they may be to me, mean that you are a threat now. The Jedi do not seek vengeance, but justice."

Grievous walked up to the Jedi, bending his head down to his level. "If I'm not a monster to you, Jedi, then what am I?"

Kenobi frowned. "Complicated. The Sith tried to turn you into a monster, but that's not what you are. That's why they tried to control you, I'm sure. You wanted justice, and yes, revenge too, but you were never willing to go as far as the Sith wanted you to in order to achieve those goals."

Grievous wasn't sure what to say to that. Now that he'd had more time to reflect on what had happened during the time the Sith had controlled him, he'd realized just how little he remembered of it. He remembered-feelings. Hate, anger, and a constant, nagging fear. Always those same feelings, again and again in a neverending loop he'd been unable to grasp or stop. He recalled objectives. Kill this Jedi, capture that one. He remembered flashes here and there, particularly from his battles with Kenobi, but nothing quite as coherent as it should be, even now. Even as his memories of his time as a creature of flesh-and-blood had become crystal clear, his memories of his time as a mind-controlled cyborg were still-vague, elusive. He would have to ask the Doctor about it. EV-A4-D hadn't mentioned it when he'd asked about the side effects of the implant removal, but he would surely know why it was happening.

"Are you all right?" Kenobi asked.

"Sorry. I-just find it surprising that you, of all people, would say that. I-"

"I present to you the results of your-investment, Chairman," Dooku said, gesturing to Grievous.

Grievous resented this. He'd been told that this meeting would be important. San Hill was not important!

For his part, the Muun looked surprised. "It worked," he said.

Dooku laughed jovially. "What were you expecting? Surely not failure?"

"Of course not," Hill said quickly, walking closer to Grievous.

"Grievous," he said. "Do you, ah, remember me?"

"You are San Hill," Grievous growled. He loathed the creature in front of him. He started to say more, but then nothing more seemed to come to mind. It wasn't important, anyway. This creature wasn't important. He was nothing.

"Do you remember our conversation the last time we spoke?" Hill asked.

Again, Grievous started to say something, but the words didn't come to him. Instead he growled, rage building in him. "You are wasting my time!"

Hill glanced at Dooku.

"You should call him by his title, Chairman," Dooku said.

Hill laughed. "Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies? What a mouthful!" He walked around Grievous, seeming to examine the cyborg Kaleesh. "Perhaps it should just be General Grievous. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"He seemed to think so, too," Dooku said. "That's what he declared himself after he took out his entire MagnaGuard contingent."

The Muun finished his walk around Grievous and stood in front of him again, examining him with narrowed eyes. "Yes, it was his title when he fought as a warrior of Kalee."

Dooku rolled his eyes. "He does seem to be rather fixated on such vanities."

"He seems quite different from-before," Hill said, frowning.

"Of course he is," Dooku said. "He is much more deadly now than he ever was."

The Muun's gaze snapped over to meet Dooku's, his eyes narrowing and his face contorting into a grimace. "You say that, but I've seen no evidence that this procedure has preserved all of his-relevant abilities. I gave you the complete oversight you asked for, but I'm not sure you made the best of it."

Dooku gave the Muun a small smile. "You want a demonstration, then?"

Hill crossed his arms. "Yes."

"As you wish," Dooku said. He pulled a datapad out from under his cloak and tapped it a few times before looking over to Grievous. "I've released a Jedi from the cell block. He should be along here shortly. Kill him for us, would you, General? Oh, and do be sure you do that before he makes a mess of the Chairman here. I'm afraid the torture has not been kind to our dear Jedi's-state of mind."

An objective. Finally. Grievous immediately sprang into action, walking towards the three entrances to secure them.

"I thought you said this was a demonstration! Not a real scenario!" Hill hissed at Dooku. Even though the two were now behind Grievous, he could easily triangulate Hill's position from the sound.

Grievous selected one of his lightsabers and ignited it.

"It is a demonstration," Dooku said nonchalantly. "A real scenario would be if I didn't know the Jedi's skill level in advance, and if I wasn't leading him along every step of the way. Oh, and if I wasn't here to make sure nothing happened even if our fearless General suffers a-glitch."

Grievous waited, coiled and ready to strike.

A sudden scream punctuated the silence, followed by a yelp of surprise from Hill. Grievous turned around. The Jedi had come through the ventilation shaft! Grievous converted his form into its insectoid configuration and skittered over to his opponent, converting seamlessly back as he reached him and blocking the Jedi's blows with his own lightsaber. Looking into his enemy's eyes, he could see that Dooku's earlier statement had not been an exaggeration. This Jedi was all rage and desperation. No deliberation or planning. As the Jedi brought his hand up in a vise-like gesture to begin choking Hill, Grievous sliced the appendage off, earning a scream from his opponent and another yelp from Hill as he fell to the floor.

He finished the Jedi with a few lightning-quick stabs through the chest, and grabbed his lightsaber as it fell from his adversary's limp hand.

Silence. Grievous tucked the new lightsaber into his cloak and turned around. Hill was sprawled haphazardly on the floor, staring at the dead Jedi's body and looking decidedly green. It was clear to Grievous that he'd suffered no severe physical damage from the attack, however. Grievous turned to Dooku.

The Count clapped, a small smile forming on his face again. "Excellent. What do say, Chairman? Did he perform adequately?"

"Yes," Hill said quietly.

"I'm glad you think so. Your approval is, as always, vital to this operation."

"General?" Kenobi said, his expression concerned.

Grievous growled, his mind recalling his current situation. And also the memory that had just replayed itself to him. A memory that until now he'd been unable to recall. He mentally filed it away for future consideration.

"What happened? Are you alright?" The Jedi was still giving him a worried look, placing a hand on his artificial shoulder.

"Just a-side effect of removing Dooku's control chips from my mind," Grievous said, displeased. He checked the lightsabers in his cloak. There were five, the same number as before. "Surprised you didn't try to escape," he muttered. Or worse, take me prisoner. Kenobi could have easily done both, given such a perfect opportunity. Grievous had expected Kenobi not to make trouble if he was being watched. Being left unattended was a different matter entirely.

"That would be at cross purposes with my goals. I want this peace treaty to happen, General. Any shift in the balance of power could upset that."

"Even one in your favor?"

Kenobi smiled. "I'd hardly call betraying your trust to be a shift in my favor. Especially when we were just getting to know each other."

"This is welcome news," Amidala said, her voice calm but her eyes bright with hope. "It is encouraging to know that we are in agreement this once, at least."

"I have always tried to make the best out of this difficult situation," Sidious said. "It has pained me that we are so often in disagreement. But it seems that current events call most definitively for diplomacy, which I know you will appreciate."

Amidala gave Sidious a genuine smile, which he returned with his most convincing fake.

"Diplomacy is always more powerful than force, Chancellor," she said. "I believe it was you who taught me that."

Yes. I lied, Sidious thought. But I knew it was what you wanted to hear. His congenial smile betrayed nothing of his inner loathing for his former Queen.

If my plans did not require your continued existence, I would have disposed of you long ago.

One day, when the Jedi had been destroyed, and Anakin turned, he would finally be rid of her. Patience. Patience is key.

"You have always been my most astute student," Sidious said. Sadly true. Anakin is-quite lacking in that regard. Anakin's relevant aptitudes lay strictly in battle, not in the political realm. And Sidious thought that all for the best. An apprentice with no ambition for or ability to rule. One who will serve as my most powerful enforcer but will never succeed me as Master.

Amidala gave a self-deprecating response, and then began talking excitedly. Sidious smiled absently, ignoring what he judged to be a trite and exceedingly premature celebration of galactic peace.

He only wished that Anakin's secret wife could have been as naturally accommodating of his plans as her husband. But she had always been strong-willed and entirely too clever for his liking. Of course, the control of other minds by the Sith was restricted only by natural barriers such as those present in the minds of the Yinchorri or the Hutts and not by the subject's will, as was the case for the Jedi. But he couldn't utilize control of that sort here on Coruscant without calling the Jedi's attention to himself. He was, as usual, limited to persuasion and the powers of his office.

"-so I wanted to let you know," she finished.

"Apologies," Sidious said. "My mind wandered a bit back there. What were you saying?"

"I'm going to visit Raxus on a diplomatic mission as a representative of the Senate," she replied. "I believe that I can-"

"That won't be necessary," Sidious said smoothly. "I assure you, I have this matter well in hand. And we would not wish to inadvertently give conflicting messages at this delicate juncture."Such as actually pursuing any sort of lasting peace.

"I understand," she said. "And I don't doubt your ability. But I am unsure of whether we should pin all our hopes for this treaty on General Grievous. I strongly suspect that things might go more smoothly if we directly involve the Separatist Senate as well."

Ah, but I do not desire for things to go smoothly.

"Perhaps you have a point," Sidious said. "But I think it might be better if a different delegate was sent."

"Did you have someone in mind?" Amidala asked.

"Not at the moment, but-"

"I believe I am uniquely qualified for this mission," she said.

"And how is that?"

"I know one of the Separatist senators personally," she said. "We haven't talked in a long time, but I know that-"

"I see," Sidious said. "Who is this Senator?"

"Senator Bonteri," she said.

"Bonteri," Sidious said, frowning. He wasn't familiar with the name. He resolved to remedy that situation very soon, though. The name did tell him one thing, however. This Senator is not part of the inner circle and thus would know nothing about the true magnitude of what has changed in their government. He relaxed slightly. He knew how to contain this. And contain this I must. Because if I try to stop it, she will just go around behind my back and do it anyway.

"If you are sure you can trust this Separatist," he said, giving her a concerned expression. "I know a number of them have tried to have you killed over the years."

"I know I can trust her," Amidala said confidently.

"Good," Sidious said. "But perhaps you might want to avoid the attention of any of the other senators, for your own safety."

"Of course," she said. "They'll never notice I was there. I'll be taking a Jedi along to assist me, too."

Sidious raised an eyebrow. "A Jedi? Who?" Under no circumstances would he allow her to drag Anakin off onto this pointless-

"Ahsoka," she said brightly.

He smiled, and this time he really was pleased. "Then I wish you both the best." A brief respite from Anakin's nosy apprentice and from my former Queen? Most good news indeed.

As he watched her leave, he made a mental note to send someone to silently track her and make certain she didn't disrupt his plans during her trip to the Separatist world.

One day, she would outlive her usefulness. Unfortunately, I must tolerate her continued existence until that day has come. He wondered idly if there was some way to utterly crush her spirit so that she would at least stay out of his way until the day when he could finally destroy her once and for all.