17- Crisscross.
Alaris Prime, Kashyyyk System
In the middle of the forest, in middle of the night, General Grievous and a squad of commando droids were advancing cautiously with special guns at hand, Grievous included. It seems they were looking for something.
"Suppression fire only. I want this one alive."
"Roger roger." The commando droid captain nodded.
While the group advanced, something huge and fast crawled around them. They turned to see what was and Grievous fired at what seemed to be stalking them. The droids fired more rockets, which failed to hit it. Immediately, they started chasing it. Right in front of them they spotted a canyon, with webs all around the walls.
"Tight formation."
They advanced through the canyon, following the signal of whatever they were looking. While the droids went through the floor, Grievous decided to crawl on the rocks like a spider for surprise. Suddenly, the signal disappeared, and without warning multiple webs came from above and took the droids. When Grievous looked above he saw the droids trapped in some kind of spider web. There was no doubt, it was Airachnid's doing.
"What happened?"
"Sir, above you." One of the droids warned.
Grievous tried to fire at the Decepticon, but she grabbed him by the gun, which crushed with her hand before throwing him against the wall. She launched a web to trap him, but Grievous dodged it fast enough and start crawling around, surprising Airachnid. She tried to follow him, but Grievous was fast enough to make her lost his trail. She tried to find him, until he jumped on her back and tried to put on her back an electromagnetic grenade. She managed to take him off her with her spider legs, making him fall to the ground. Next, she fired a web that trapped him against the wall.
"I admit you are quite the sneaky type, and I like that. Don't tell me the Separatist Remnants never considered that an open channel distress signal from an injured Decepticon might be a trap." Airachnid revealed approaching her new prisoner.
"I'll bear that in mind, next time." Grievous promised.
Airachnid laughed. "Next time?"
Then she saw that while she talked, Grievous took the chance and cut her webs with his unique weapons.
"A lightsaber? Isn't that supposed to be used only by Jedi?"
"That's right, but I earned this with my skills when I faced them, and so as their fear."
"Well, that's something no one sees every day. The same as what happened recently. Decepticon radio chatters all a buzz about the work over you gave poor Breakdown. As an ex-Con myself, I really should have eviscerated you for that. But an old acquaintance and her nasty little Jedi destroyed my ship and skinned my knee." Airachnid said showing the scars Sky made her with his lightsaber.
"Yes, I see. Your first encounter with a Jedi wasn't that fruitful, am I right?"
"I admit it. I underestimated him, a lot. And that little one made me look like a fool."
"A little one?" Grievous asked interested. "Hum, if only a child was able to inflict you so much damage, it's because he comes from a very powerful Jedi."
"Oh really? That's quite an interesting fact. I mean to pay them back in kind, both of them. You see, I make it in and out of places most Decepticons can't, but I can't actually navigate other places of this galaxy giving my actual status."
"And what's in it for me?" Grievous demanded.
"I'll let you live. And since you came here to collect a Transformer droid, was it? I'll throw in whatever's left of Arcee, after I've broken her." Airachnid offered. "Besides of sharing some mutual personal experiences. I've heard some things about you, General Grievous. The most famous and the very first Jedi hunter. Most of all because of the Clone Wars, isn't that right?"
"It seems my reputation is still present in many places. Indeed, I struck down more Jedi than anyone did before in the war, and keeping their lightsabers as the trophies of my collection. And trust me, I intend to start a new one."
"A skilled hunter with a hobby. Who would know that both of us would be so similar? Then, to one hunter to another, I offer myself to share my cybertronian knowledge with you, for mutual beneficial, for the moment. And by professional courtesy, of course."
"I'm listening."
Onderon
It was half past midnight when Sky walked calmly toward his home with Arcee in vehicle mode, hand to hand.
"Thanks for walking me home, Sky. You're a real little gentleman."
"You're welcome, Arcee. I don't want you revved up before bedtime. But I'm going to be grounded for sure this time: look at the hour, I'm definitely too late." Sky sighed nervous. "How I'm going to explain this to my parents?"
"Well, that's what we want to see."
Sky shivered when he heard his father's voice while he opened the garage door with the Force. His mother was also there.
"This is the first time you come home this late. I didn't expect this to happen until you became a teenager. Honey, we were so worry about you. Even I was about to send Morai to look after you." His mother told.
"We thought something could have happened to you." His father followed.
"I'm so sorry. My meeting with my friends endured longer than I expected. I wanted to call you but my com-device was without battery." Sky explained.
"This is strange. I mean, normally you make sure these situations don't happen. But that's not the point." She reminded.
"Son, your mother and I are starting to think that you're using that speeder bike for something you should not."
"No! I swear I'm not racing. I don't like those things."
"Then why you have it? You never separate from it." His mother said.
"Yeah, I know. But…"
"Sky, is us. You can tell us anything. There is something you want to tell us?" His mother asked.
"No, there is nothing." Sky said, but his mother could sense he was hiding something.
"Well, okay. But, just for precaution, I think you should start having more time far from that speeder bike." His mother declared.
"What?!" Sky asked in disbelief.
"Just for precaution. We don't want you to obsess yourself with this or any vehicle. Specially the military type." His father concreted.
"You're not grounded, just being a little time without using it. We know you can do it. If you don't, we would start imagining things. So, I don't want to see that speeder bike out of the garage." His mother warned.
Sky sighed in defeat. "Okay."
His mother kissed him in the forehead. "That's my boy. Now, go wash up and get some sleep."
"We love you." His father told him before they entered the house, leaving the two partners alone.
"I'm in big trouble now."
"You didn't tell your parents about me? Your friends already did it." Arcee reminded.
"I could not find the right moment to tell them. They're very busy lately." Sky defended.
"Well, sooner or later you will have to do it. Or I will miss you when you're grounded, if that happens."
"So, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know, Sky. You know I can't stay here sitting on my fat tires for a long time. Team Prime will need me when there is duty to do."
"I know. I already don't like to lie to them, but if you're not here they will think I'm disobeying them. And I think mom already knows I'm hiding something."
"How? Oh yeah, your special senses. But look at the bright side, your parents work late, so I'll try to be back in the garage before they get home. But I cannot do any promises. Want some advice? Tell them as soon as you can. Better late than never. I tell you as a big sister."
"Alright, Arcee. I will try."
"That's my boy. Good night." Arcee said goodbye.
The next day, Sky was near a lake near his home, trying to make a water ring with the Force, a huge one. It was taking him more than he expected. In that moment, his com-device sounded and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Sky, it's mom. I hope you're hungry today, cause I'm going to bring a surprise for you."
"Okay, I'll be here." He said before hanging up. "Primus, we have a problem." He said alarmed before typing another number. "Come one, pick up, pick up, pick up. Arcee, you wouldn't be in the garage right now, right?"
"Negative, Sky." Arcee answered as she dodged laser shots, probably from Decepticons who were protecting an energon mine. "Can we talk about this later? I'm a little busy right now."
"No! Mom's on her way home. If you're not here right now, then we'll have real problems." Sky begged as he ran back home.
"Guys, can you handle it?" Arcee asked his companions.
"(We'll be fine. Go.)"
"These guys are nothing. Go where you're needed, partner." Cliff said as he cut another Decepticon.
"Ratchet, I need a bridge." Arcee called.
Arcee went through the portal while Cliff and Bee blasted the remaining Decepticons. Ahsoka was heading home in her ship. Sky was already at home, but he got nervous seeing that Arcee wasn't arrived yet. He searched for her in the surroundings while his mom's ship arrived. In an attempt to gain some time, Sky decided to meet his mom.
"Mom! Have you seen the speeder bike?"
"Ah, no. I just arrived here. It's something wrong?"
"It isn't at the garage and I can't find it anywhere."
"Calm down. Let's check the garage once again. Maybe you missed it." She suggested.
When they arrived to the garage, for his surprise, Arcee was right inside in vehicle form.
"Whoa, she's right here. I guess you're right, I missed it." Sky said in relief.
His mother could sense that. Thinking it might be related with what he was hiding she approached him. "I thought you were not going to worry about that the rest of the day."
"Well, I only took a small look."
"Sky, what's going on here? I can feel your nervousness and you know that. So, what are you hiding?"
Sky sighed in defeat. "Okay, I will tell you the truth. She's not a speeder bike, is a sentient robotic organism from a planet far away out of the galaxy. She's part of a team stationed in a base on Naboo fighting a secret ancient war. And I and my friends spend a lot of our free time with she and her teammates at their base. Oh, and her name is Arcee."
Surprisingly, his mother didn't seem very surprised.
"And this is only her alternate form. She's a big droid which can transform into a vehicle. I'm sure you can sense life from her."
Ahsoka sighed. "I know."
"Eh? What?" Sky asked surprised. "Since when?"
"Since the beginning. I knew it all the time, since I have seen that speeder bike before, fighting alongside the Republic long ago during the Clone Wars."
"Whoa, and I thought I managed to fool you so well, commander."
"Arcee?" Sky said surprised.
"You wish." Ahsoka answered proud. "But that's not what displease me. What makes me mad it's that you didn't tell me this during all this time. Both of you. But specially you, Sky. How do you want me to trust you if you don't give me reasons to and don't trust your father and me? And believe me: it's not the first time I pass through that experience."
"Just like that huge mistake with the High Jedi Council that happened very long ago." Arcee reminded.
"What? You didn't tell me that." Sky said.
"And it will not be today. I'm going to pick up your father, and we'll continue this conversation later. And the next chat will be between you and me, Arcee. You're not going to get away with this."
Sky saw his mother got back to her ship and flew away. Seeing how much affected Sky was, Arce returned back to robot form and knelt to his height.
"I'm sorry, Sky."
"No Arcee, this is my fault. She's right, I didn't tell them when I should." He said, dropping a few tears.
Meanwhile, aboard his command ship, Grievous was seeing how his droids were finishing connecting some cables to some kind of metallic box.
"Okay… a little more…and…got it." A B1 droid said connecting the last cable, making a lot of images appeared on the main screen.
"The ship's black box sustained serious damage in the explosion. But our software was able to reconstruct a few frames of the security feed." General Kraken informed as the screen stopped at an image of Sky.
"That's him. My little Sky." Airachnid recognized, also aboard Grievous ship.
"So is true that the Jedi are not only starting to train their brethren by their own, but also their offspring, even when they are not inside their community." Grievous realized. "I want to know more about this little survivor."
"Our facial recognition algorithm will send Sky's image across the web." Kraken reported as the droids did the command.
"Another kind of web." Grievous clarified before they got it. "Ah, the motherload."
"Republic database?" Airachnid asked.
"The Holonet: a galactic social network. Everything worth knowing about any individual is right here. Now, let's see what you can offer to us, little Jedi." Grievous said before he started reading about Sky's profile page. "This little one seems to be between 8 and 9, home world: Onderon, parents…" When Grievous reached that part, he started to laugh.
"Something hilarious?" Airachnid asked confused.
"Now I see why he's very powerful. His mother is commander Ahsoka Tano, a former adversary that I faced a couple of times long ago, Skywalker's apprentice. Also, it seems his father is senator Lux Bonteri, representant of Onderon. An old Separatist that betrayed his cause and took his system back to the Republic. I'm going to enjoy this." Grievous smirked.
Already at night, Ahsoka went to pick up her husband at the market.
"Lux, do you think I'm being too hard on Sky?"
"I'm not sure. He has not done anything that need to get him grounded, so this is new for me too."
"I know, but he lied to us. Maybe Arcee made him do it."
"You know? Maybe he did to protect her. For some reason." Lux suggested.
"Well, by any way, we're now going to know every single detail of…"
They were not being aware of the Neimoidian shuttle that landed behind them, opened its door and a couple of commando droids showed aiming their guns at them and fired stun shots before they could react. Fortunately, a little creature with feathers saw it and flew away. As for Sky, he was still at home when he saw Arcee arriving.
"Arcee, have you seen mom and dad? Their ship hasn't arrived yet." Sky asked.
"I don't know. I just bridge from base to beat them here."
"It's starting to get late. They never come that late, I'm starting to worry."
"Just calm down, Sky. They will come sooner or later. There is a first time for everyone."
In that moment, Morai arrived and landed in Sky shoulder.
"Morai? What's wrong?"
"What's the matter with that owl?" Arcee asked.
"I don't know. She seems very nervous, and I never saw her this way. Something must have happened." Sky deduced before hearing a beeping sound coming from a package. "Strange, that package wasn't here before. And it says is for me, but I wasn't expecting anything."
When Sky opened the package, a com-link device came out. And it seemed to be active.
"Hello, Sky." A voice said through the device.
"That voice." Sky said alarmed as Arcee changed to robot form.
"Grievous." She recognized, while Morai bristled its feathers.
"The Jedi hunter cyborg?" Sky asked scared. "What's going on?"
"The Separatist Remnants." Arcee answered.
"He knows where I live?" He asked very worried.
"I know things about your family that even you don't know. For example, do you know where your parents are?" Grievous said.
That scared Sky more. "What did you…?"
"Understand, Sky. I have no intention of hurting them."
"I don't believe you, monster. I know the things you did in the Clone Wars. You hate Jedi above anything else."
"Hahaha, you're smarter than I thought. But now is different, kid. In fact, I'd like to reunite the three of you as soon as possible. I just need you and Arcee to follow the GPS coordinates programmed into this communicator. They'll lead you to the temporary facility I've set up." Grievous instructed.
Arcee tried to call the base with her com-link quietly. "Ratchet…"
But when she tried, she clutched her head in pain and screamed.
"Arcee! What happens?"
"Did I not mention our communicator scrambles the signal and your brains? Any break in communication or attempt to reach the other Autobots and senator Bonteri and ex-commander Tano… Well, I wouldn't want to feel responsible for the outcome." Grievous menaced before hang up.
"You know it's a trap."
"I know, Sky. But we don't any other choice. Besides, we maybe can change the tides." Arcee tried to cheer.
Moments later, the two were following the coordinates the communicator showed. It was leading them inside the jungle. Morai was following them from the sky.
"Are you hanging in there fine?" Arcee asked.
"No. If anything happens to them because of my connection to all this…"
"Sky, is not your fault. Grievous maybe hate Jedi, but right now he's more interested in me. Once he gets what he wants he'll let your parents go."
They were not aware that Grievous was listening their conversation.
"That's not exactly reassuring. We cannot trust him and you know. Besides, you're part of my family too. And we're not going to follow the communicator, Morai will lead us where they are."
"Are you sure she knows where to go? What do you know about her?" Arcee asked.
"Morai is a special friend of my mother. She told me that she saved her one time, and since I was a baby, she has been taking care of me. She doesn't look much at first look, but I sense that she is special. Like…if once she was another important person. Or what's left of her."
"I hope you're right."
Morai led them to an abandoned facility, probably from the Clone Wars. They only saw a couple of little dinosaur-like creatures running around, until when they entered the entrance, they spotted a lot of droids aiming their weapons at them.
"So, what's the plan?" Sky asked.
"The usual." Arcee simply answered.
They moved slowly at the entrance as Kraken waited for them. And suddenly, Arcee fired her vehicle form's guns, taking down some droids, as she speeded up and drove at the building, dodging the laser shots. They entered the warehouse, but there was no one waiting for them there, except Grievous on a platform.
"Grievous! Where's mom and dad?!"
"Looking for Ahsoka and Lux? They're hanging around here somewhere."
They saw on the ceiling the same Decepticon who they encountered previously.
Arcee changed to robot form immediately. "Airachnid."
But she had no time to act: Airachnid trapped her with webs.
"What's she doing here?" Sky asked.
While Airachnid came down to the floor, Grievous and his droids surrounded them.
"If there's still a good part of your original self, you have to help them, please. They're native, like you." Arcee begged. "He's only a child. You can't let Airachnid…"
"A few lives, specially Jedi, are a small price to pay for a miracle of science like yourself." Grievous answered.
"Okay, forget what I said before. You're still the same monster from the war created by Dooku." Arcee corrected.
"He didn't create me!" Grievous shouted as he grabbed her by the neck. "He was only the push that allowed me to evolve. I chose that way. Guards!"
Three IG-100 MagnaGuards approached Arcee and hit her with their electrostaffs, knocking her down.
"Arcee!" Sky cried going next to her.
"You and I will have a private session later. Promise." Airachnid smirked.
"Units." Grievous called.
Two B1 droids approached Sky, but he cut them quickly with his lightsaber.
"See? I knew he was going to do that." Another B1 announced.
"Immobilize him!" Kraken ordered.
The MagnaGuards tried to catch him, but Sky pushed them back with the Force. But he didn't saw a B2 grapple droid that grabbed him from behind and allowed the MagnaGuards to take his com-device and his lightsaber.
"This will be a great start for my new collection, alongside the other two." Grievous said taking Sky's lightsaber, and revealing that he already had his mother's.
"I'm still learning about the natives, but one thing is clear to me, Sky. You people care deeply about family. Therefore, the sweetest revenge I could possibly devise would be to make you watch as I take your family apart." Airachnid said approaching Sky, after the grapple droid released him.
"If you hurt my parents…" Sky confronted her.
"You what? Make her pay? That's not the Jedi way. Actually, trying to avenge them in destroying her will only turn you into what they don't: a being imprisoned by the dark side, like the Sith. Am I right?" Grievous warned.
"I'm talking to her, not you. You will be next." Sky said.
"That's correct, respect the chat times. You remember how much I enjoy sport, don't you Sky? So, I'll give you the opportunity to save your parents. I've stashed them close by. If you can rescue them before the stroke of 12:00, I will let you go unharmed. Deal?" Airachnid explained as Sky looked at countdown in a screen.
"And if I can't?"
"What do you think?" Airachnid retorted.
Sky ran at Grievous. "Please, don't let her do this. You can let us go; we won't tell anyone."
But Grievous just pushed him away with his foot. "Sorry, child. But those things don't work with me. Specially with Jedi. If this was only of my concern, I will simply eliminate you all. But I find her suggestion quite entertainment, so I will let you resolve this alone."
"Yes, Sky. Time to grow up already. Six minutes." Airachnid reminded looking the clock.
Sky had no choice but to play Airachnid's game, so he ran out of the building and started looking the surrounding.
"Mom! Dad!"
Grievous was seeing it inside the warehouse with some surveillance cameras.
"Now, I know we promised the spider droid that she would have first crack at you, but something tells me she plans to turn our mutual crisscross into a double-cross." Grievous said, referring to an unconscious Arcee.
"Sir, we don't have the means of transporting it right now." Kraken reported.
"We'll have to cut and run. Open her up." Grievous ordered.
Sky continued searching for his parents while Airachnid watched. He decided to relax and tracked them with the Force. He sensed them right behind, and saw Airachnid too standing before him on a container. He backed away a little, but Airachnid simply gestured to his parents, who were hanging from a platform covered in webs.
"Mom! Dad!" Sky shouted running at them.
They slowly opened their eyes hearing their son calling them and looked down to see him running at them.
"Sky?!" Lux asked. "But, what in the…What's this? I'm tied. Ahsoka?"
"Yeah, me too." She said struggling.
Sky started to climb up a ladder. Airachnid jumped closer as he was getting closer. Sky finally reached them.
"Sky, what are you doing here?" His mother asked. "Aren't those the droids from the Separatist Remnants?"
"How did we get in this…stuff?" His father asked.
"Don't worry. I'm gonna get you out." Sky reassured.
But Airachnid ruined the moment climbing up next to them.
"Is that…a Decepticon?" Lux asked.
"I think so." Ahsoka answered.
"I found them. Now let us go!" Sky told her.
"I'm afraid not, Sky. The task wasn't for you to find your parents by midnight, you had to rescue them. And time's up." Airachnid corrected as the clock marked the 12:00. "Now." She started launching a web at Sky, but he dodged it with a jump. "Take a seat, sit back and enjoy the horror show."
Grievous was seeing the scene, and it looked like he was enjoying it.
"Make haste. And don't worry about making a mess." Grievous ordered.
"Roger roger." A droid answered.
Back with Sky…
"So, you're still ready to try to stop me? I'm honored, really. Not many preys had decided to confront me directly. But you know, Sky? They are your parents. Why should I have all the fun? So, you get to choose: agonizing or excruciating?" Airachnid proposed as she spat out acid from her mouth, making a little drop fell close to Sky.
"Sky, don't listen what she's saying! We know you're stronger than she thinks!" His mother encouraged.
"Don't think about using those tricks! Is not going to work!" His father added.
Inside the warehouse, a B1 droid was using some kind of chain saw to cut the webs which wrapped Arcee, but they were not aware that she was already back online. She simply watched with one eye Airachnid's doing.
"Sky, your parents want to know. Don't leave them dangling." Airachnid repeated.
"You monster! Stop this!" Ahsoka demanded.
"You're nothing but a coward, like Grievous!" Lux added.
Noticing that her webs were already cut and two demolition droids pulled the webs out of her, Arcee decided to wait for the right time.
"We only have time to take one part. Go straight for the heart." Grievous instructed.
One of the droids approached an active drill to Arcee's chest, but before it could touch her, she pushed it aside and punched the droids next to her. Four LR-57 combat droids fired at her, but she simply changed to vehicle form and exited the building. Grievous ordered the droid to stop firing.
"Let her go. No matter the outcome the spoils will be ours."
Sky was still trying to figure out how to battle Airachnid and save his parents.
"Well Sky, if you won't decide, I guess it's adults' choice." Airachnid finally said going near Ahsoka and Lux.
"Not this time." Sky said as he moved his hand at her.
Airachnid was expecting a Force push, but what happened caught her off guard. She started to feel her neck being constricted, like if she was being strangled by an invisible hand. It also started to make some cracks in her neck.
"Ahsoka, that wouldn't be…" Lux said worried.
"Sky, no! Stop please! That's not the way!" Ahsoka asked. "We know you're a good boy. And better than her. Remember what I taught you. Let the anger aside. You know that is right."
Hearing his mother's words, Sky calmed down and let Airachnid fall. Airachnid fell to the ground and scoffed as she got back to her spider legs.
"Why…you…little…!" She said charging back at him.
"First you have to go through me!"
Arcee called as she came at her firing in vehicle mode before change back to robot form and kicked her. Sky took the chance to use the Force to levitate his parents up and next he used his lightsaber to cut the webs.
"Mom, dad, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. And I'm sorry for letting the anger took me."
"Is okay. What matters now is that everyone is alright." Lux reassured.
Arcee did a couple of back flips on a chute as Airachnid stood in front of her.
"The Separatists lost Breakdown. What were the odds they could hold onto you?" Airachnid told.
Airachnid jumped and tried to hit Arcee with her spider legs, but she dodged. But Airachnid grabbed her with her spider legs and put her back on the chute. She tried to hit her, but Arcee covered herself, getting backwards before charging against her rival and punched her three times, sending her to another pillar. She tried to follow her, but Airachnid pushed her off, back to the ground.
"Like I had enough troubles trying to get rid of your little human pest, and now I have to get rid of you too."
Arcee smirked "I told you he was stronger than you thought. But you didn't listen, very obvious for Decepticons."
Airachnid jumped down and went after her, who started to climb up the tower. She also tried to shot at her, but his shots only hit the platform where Sky's parents supposed to be hanging up. Seeing that they were not there anymore, Airachnid climbed up to see where they could be. Almost at the top, Sky appeared right in front of her and launched a storm of Force lightning at her. Airachnid felt the lightning running across all her body that also sent her down. That also made activate a system that allowed concrete to fall into a cement transport, which gave him an idea. He saw an open container which seemed to be the perfect place for a trap. Arcee saw that too as she was blocking Airachnid's spider legs, until she kicked her down. Fortunately, Arcee managed to hang to the structure before kicking Airachnid two times, sending her to the same container.
"Arcee! I have an idea!"
"Bring it on!"
Sky operated the control with the Force while Arcee pushed the pipe above Airachnid. What she saw next was Arcee looking at her while the concrete rained over her, covering her entirely. Airachnid screamed while the concrete solidified, frozen her. Unfortunately, the tower received too much damage from Airachnid's shot and it was about to collapse, with the little family above. Seeing that Airachnid was trying to free herself, Arcee decided to go and help them.
"Arcee, I have a bad feeling about this."
"Hang on, Sky."
Then, Arcee was pulled down by webs and trapped against the floor: Airachnid, still with concrete on her chassis, escaped from her prison. She laughed as she was about to fire at her, until a sound coming from the sky caught her attention: three Republic gunships arrived to the scene. In one of them was agent Kallus commanding the forces.
"Aim for the creepy droid."
They started firing at Airachnid, forcing her to cover herself. Grievous also saw them.
"How did they find us?" He asked, until he checked the back of his waist and discovered that his com-device and his lightsabers, the three of them, were gone. He realized that when Sky approached him, he grabbed them. That made him groan in anger. "Clever boy."
Indeed, it was Sky who called them.
"Thanks for coming, agent Kallus." Sky thanked through the com-device.
"If I knew a Con was involved, I would've called Prime." Kallus remarked.
"That might have been too much for my parents to handle in one night." Sky informed.
Kallus nodded as they continued firing. After a while firing, they stopped to see if Airachnid was still alive. She was indeed, and took the chance to turn her eyes green as she scanned a vehicle nearby: a Mankvim-814 light interceptor. Grievous spotted that too, which interested him. After scanning her new vehicle form, Airachnid changed to her new vehicle form and took flight out of the planet.
"No!" Arcee cursed.
When she was gone, Grievous turned off the screen.
"So that's how it's done. Genius." Grievous said before he turned off the lights with a snap of his fingers.
Moments later, the clones secured and started to check the area in search of the droids. By the other hand, Sky was next to his parents trying to comfort them, alongside Morai.
"Mom, dad, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I just didn't find the right moment to do it, because you are always busy." Sky apologized.
Fortunately, his father gave him a hug. "We know. And we're sorry too. We should have told you that we know about the Autobots too."
"Now I understand why you did it. You were trying to protect your friend, the same as she did for you. And for that, I'm very proud of you." His mother said hugging him.
"Senator Bonteri, commander Tano, I'm agent Kallus. We're searching the entire area to make sure we find something that can help us discover where Grievous escaped."
"Sir." One clone soldier called.
"Let me guess, without a trace." Kallus deduced, earning a nod from the clone.
"It was to be expected. Grievous used to get away a lot during the war." Ahsoka reminded.
"Let's hope they will find him soon. And so that spider droid." Lux added.
"You can leave Airachnid to me." Arcee said walking to them.
"Allow me to do it right now. Mom, dad, this is Arcee. My speeder bike, Autobot guardian, and big sister."
"You can consider yourselves lucky on having such a strong kid." Arcee commended.
"Indeed, we are. More than you realize." Lux said getting up.
"And thank you, for keeping him safe."
"It is a pleasure, commander." Arcee said.
"Hey, how about this? What if you come with us tomorrow to our usual place?" Sky proposed.
His parents looked at each other before they responded. At the next day, Arcee and Sky, with his parents, drove in the base and went to the main hall, where the rest of the children and Autobots got surprised when they saw Sky with his parents.
"Mom, dad, meet my new secret team." Sky introduced.
"Commander Tano, senator Bonteri, welcome to our base."
"Nice to see you again, Optimus. It's been a while." Ahsoka saluted.