Chapter 11

Meanwhile, Anakin and Katara were running through the halls. Katara: "Where do you think we're going?" Anakin: "We'll know when we get there!" Katara: "Are things always this exciting for you Jedi?" Anakin: "Are you kidding me? This is part of our normal routine."

They kept running until they ran into more battle droids. Anakin and Katara both pulled out their weapons. Katara groaned a little. Anakin: "You seem disappointed. Is all of this too exciting for you?" Katara: "No…not really. I had my fare share of danger during my journeys with Aang." Anakin: "Then you should be use to this by now."

They went in and fought the droids with everything they had. As Katara fought on, she opened up both sacks that she wore and pulled out all of the water in them with her Waterbending. She then cut through some and shot out several large ice needles at the others. After the battle was over, Katara and Anakin took a break and looked at all of the damage that they caused, including from Katara's Waterbending. Anakin: "Whoa! You always surprise me each time you do that. I didn't know you can create ice, just like that." Katara: "There's still a lot you don't know about my Waterbending." Anakin: "Clearly, I still have a lot to learn."

Just then, Anakin spotted something from a distance. He kept staring at it until he realized what it was that he saw: a mysterious girl clad in a pink robe. Anakin: "You!"

The girl kept facing him, then turned around and ran away. Anakin: "Hey! Wait! Come back!"

Anakin ran after the girl. Katara: "Anakin! Wait!"

Katara ran after him.

Meanwhile, Obi-wan and Toph kept running down their hallway. Toph: "Heads up, Obi-wan! We're about to run into a whole lot of battle droids."

Soon enough, they turn a corner and ran into the battle droids, just as Toph had anticipated. Obi-wan: "I have to admit, I'm really impressed with your Earthbending senses; I could have never been able to foresee any of this."

Toph readied herself. Toph: "And they would never be able to foresee this!"

With the use of her Earthbending abilities, she pushed back all of the battle droids. Obi-wan: "Well, that wasn't so hard." Toph: "It's now over, yet." Obi-wan: "What?"

The battle droids soon got up and approached them. Toph: "These droids feel different. They're a lot tougher than those whiny, metal stick figures." Obi-wan: "I'm afraid you're right, these aren't like the other droids we encountered earlier. They're stronger and more durable than they look."

Toph smiled. Toph: "So am I."

She then ripped apart each of the droids with her Earthbending abilities until all of them were left in pieces. Obi-wan smiled at Toph. Obi-wan: "Nice work, Toph."

She smiled back at him.

Just then, they heard something approach them. They turned their attention towards the other end of the hallway and sure enough, General Grievous was standing in front of them. Obi-wan: "Grievous!" Grievous: "Kenobi!"

Obi-wan pulled his weapon out. Toph: "You know this guy?" Obi-wan: "All too well!" Grievous: "It has been a while, has it?" Obi-wan: "I'll say it has! Killed any good Jedi lately?" Grievous: "More than you can stomach!"

He then pulled out his numerous weapons. Grievous: "And now, it's your turn!" Obi-wan: "I beg to differ, General. Have you met my young friend here?"

General Grievous looked down at Toph, then burst into a huge laugh. Grievous: "This has to be some kind of joke! You know adding a little girl to your ranks isn't going to help you; it does even less considering that she's blind."

Toph let out a conspicuous scowl. Toph: "Wanna bet?" Obi-wan: "You'll find that she's more than capable of bringing you down. As a matter of fact, she's laid waste to every single droid we've come across." Toph: "I'm going to do to you what I did to all of these droids. I'm going to bring you down, hard!" Grievous: "If that's how it's going to be, that's fine. The friend of my enemy is MY enemy, as well."

Toph did an Earthbending stance and prepared herself. Toph: "Well, if you're so sure of yourself, then bring it on!"

General Grievous let out an ireful screech then charged towards them. Within less than a few seconds, the vibrations from Grievous' first step traveled towards Toph and with that, she smiled. She then stomped her foot back and pushed back the raging general with the use of her Earthbending, then pinned him to the wall. Obi-wan and Toph approached him as he struggled to break free. Grievous: "What? How is this…how are you doing this?" Toph: "Let's see, you're almost completely made of metal, I'm an Earthbender who happens to know how to bend metal; do the math!" Grievous: "Who are you?" Obi-wan: "This is my good friend Toph the Earthbender. Get use to the name, Grievous, because you're going to be hearing it a lot during our next few encounters, assuming you can survive this one."

Grievous then became even more furious, he then attempted to break through Toph's Earthbending. Toph struggled to hold him back. Eventually, he broke free, Toph was knocked off her feet. General Grievous then approached them slowly, holding out his weapons. Obi-wan went over to tend to her. Obi-wan: "Toph, are you OK?"

Toph got herself up. Toph: "Yeah, I'm fine!" Obi-wan: "What happened back there? You seem as though you were having a hard time just holding him back." Toph: "I don't know; I've never bend metal that can move around so much!" Obi-wan: "Hmm…perhaps we should try to work on that, after we get out of here." Grievous: "I'll see to it that you'll never do that to me again." Obi-wan: "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

The 2 of them charged towards each other and began fighting. Toph assisted by bending the different droid parts, mainly torsos, towards Grievous from the front and from behind. He managed to deflect and slice up some of them but the ones from behind took him by surprise and slammed him hard. Toph then did a few stances that seemed like they did nothing, then went back to bending some of the droid parts. Grievous: "Your blind friend is a very strange person, Kenobi; I find it highly unusual the way she moves around like that with nothing else available. I have no idea what she hopes to accomplish." Obi-wan: "I don't know what she's planning, either, but I assure you it isn't for nothing."

He looked back at her. Obi-wan: "She's hasn't failed to impress me so far."

He then looked back at Grievous. Obi-wan: "And I have complete faith in her."

They went back to their fight. As they continued on, neither of them seem to be getting the upper hand. Toph: "Obi-wan! Get out of the way!"

Obi-wan then blocked Grievous' last attack then leapt out of the way towards Toph. Obi-wan: "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

Toph smiled again. Toph: "Don't worry; I have him right where I want him."

She then brought both her hands towards one another and pulled of the metal surroundings towards Grievous, encasing him completely. Obi-wan was extremely startled. Obi-wan: "Whoa! How you did…how is that…" Toph: "You realize by now why I was doing all of those Earthbending moves, right?" Obi-wan: "You were loosening the entire metal haul around us, weren't you?" Toph: "Yep, the metal that you couldn't see because it was all buried underneath the floor, the walls, everything, but I can feel them out from the vibrations all over this ship." Obi-wan: "Allowing you to gain access to them and bend them to your will. Very clever." Toph: "Thanks. You know the funny thing? I learned it, just now." Obi-wan: "Hmm…interesting; sounds as though you Benders are capable of adaptability." Grievous: "Enough!"

They looked towards Grievous; he then pulled out his weapons and sliced through the metal surrounding him. Damaged by the Metalbending, he was barely able to walk towards them. Grievous: "I will not be beaten by a mere child! It appears that I have underestimated you! You are a lot stronger than anyone could have suspected. Today was not my lucky day! You may have bested me but next time, I'll see to it that you will not do this to me again!"

She bend the metal towards Grievous again and threw him towards the wall, then walked up to him. Toph: "You know, I would have ripped you to shreds if I didn't enjoy hearing you talk so much."

She then tossed him further away from him and with that, General Grievous spit his limbs and crawled away. Toph: "Whoa! This guy's a monster!" Obi-wan: "That would be considered an understatement, Toph." Aang: "Master Kenobi! Toph!"

Obi-wan and Toph turned around and spotted Aang and Zuko standing right behind them. Aang: "Are you guys OK?" Obi-wan: "Yes, we're fine." Zuko: "Sorry it took so long, what happened here?" Obi-wan: "Oh, nothing really. Toph just out bested one of our strongest adversaries." Zuko: "Is that what was going on? Nice going." Toph: "Eh! It's was nothing. The guy was a big, scary monster, but he wasn't all that tough. In fact, he was a major pushover. I look forward to fighting him again." Zuko: "Let's not think about that now. We need to get out of here!" Aang: "Come on."

Aang and Zuko turned around and ran out. Obi-wan and Toph paused right before they followed them. Obi-wan: "By the way, what did you mean when you said that General Grievous was "almost completely made of metal"?" Toph: "I felt the vibrations emitting off of him and from what I was able to tell, his heart was the only thing about him that wasn't made of metal. I don't know much about mechanics but that heart of his is undoubtedly organic. I don't think any machine can simulate an organic heart beat that authentic." Obi-wan: "Once again, Toph, you're Earthbending senses never fail to astound me."

Toph smiled. Toph: "Come on, let's catch up with the others."

Obi-wan nodded and ran off with Toph after Zuko and Aang.

At that time, General Grievous arrived in a dark room. Voice: "What's the matter, General, is 1 little girl really too hard to handle?" Grievous: "The blind girl that was with Kenobi was more powerful than I could have ever anticipated. She manipulated the ship's interiors in ways no Jedi could." Voice: "Hmm…is that so? Perhaps I should step out and see for myself who these kids really are."

Meanwhile, Ahsoka, Suki and Sokka continued their fight with Ventress. Ahsoka and Suki were giving it their all while Sokka hardly joined in on the fight as he trembled with fear. Ahsoka: "Come on, Sokka! You've got to fight back!"

Sokka shook his head as he kept trembling. Sokka: "No way am I going up against that bald lady! She's so scary! Besides, I don't even know what she is!" Ahsoka: "Ugh! For crying out loud!"

Ventress chuckled a little under her breath. Ventress: "Sound as though your little friend over there can barely hold his own in a fight. How someone like him passes himself up as a warrior is hardly understandable." Sokka: "Hey! Cut me some slack, will ya? I've never fought against pale, ugly women, before; not to mention bald ones!"

Ventress paused, overpowered Ahsoka and then leapt towards him. Sokka then shrieked and held his weapon in front of him. As Ventress approached him, Suki blocked her with her Keyblade, then pushed her back. Suki: "We're not going to defend you, forever, you have to fight back or she will take advantage of you!" Sokka: "How can I possibly do that when she has 2 big, red, glowing, stick thingies?" Suki: "They're called Lightsabers, Sokka; I thought we went over this."

She then leapt out and continued fighting on. Sokka stood back and trembled. Ventress: "Your boyfriend is not very brave, is he?" Suki: "No, not really, but he's way better than putting up with the likes of you!"

They kept fighting on. Ventress: "Enough of this! I have no time to play with children!"

She eventually overpowered Suki and pushed her back. Sokka: "SUKI!"

He looked back at Ventress and glared at her. He then let out a big yell and swung his weapon towards Ventress, then the 2 of them fought. Sokka fought against her furiously. As Ventress attempted to stab him, he dodged every hit. Ventress: "So, you do have some fight in you, after all?" Sokka: "Shut up! I'll make you pay for what you did to my friends!"

He continued fighting him. Suki eventually got up. Just then, she heard something go off. She touched a part of the front of her headdress and then, strange, goggles appeared from the headdress. Suki: "Hmm…fascinating. Ahsoka! Can you hear me?"

Ahsoka got up. Ahsoka: "Yes, I'm here." Suki: "Good! I need you and Sokka to keep her busy. I have a plan but I need her to lower defenses. Got all that?" Ahsoka: "Yes…I…I think I understand."

Ahsoka stood up and went back to fighting Ventress with Sokka. They kept fighting until the 2 of them blocked her weapons with theirs. Ventress: "Did you 2 really think you could defeat me?" Ahsoka: "We weren't trying to beat you, we were trying to divert your attention." Ventress: "From what?" Suki: "From me!"

Suki then leapt towards her and did some quick jabs on several areas of her body, causing her to fall over. The 3 of them then stood in front of her and held their weapons directly at her. Ahsoka: "End of the line. There's nothing else for you to do now but surrender."

Throbbing in pain, Ventress barely manages to get herself up. Ventress: "This isn't over."

She put her weapons away and ran off. Suki: "Glad to be finished with that." Sokka: "Phew! I'll say, I don't know how long I could keep fighting against that ugly witch!" Ahsoka: "No wonder my master has a hard time putting up with you. You complain too much." Suki: "Come on, we need to get back with the others." Ahsoka: "Right."

Ahsoka chased after the others along with Sokka and Suki.

At that time, Anakin attempted to chase after the girl in the pink hood. He followed her into one of the chambers on the ship, but when he entered it, she was nowhere to be found. Anakin: "Now where did she go?"

Soon enough, he was surrounded by several Destroyer Droids. He pulled out his Lightsaber. Anakin: "Great! I've gotten myself into another fix!" Voice: "Don't worry."

He turned around and saw the girl standing behind him. She wore a hood over her head, so only her mouth and a little bit of her nose could be seen. The rest of her face was shrouded in the shadow of her hood. Girl: "Everything's going to be OK." Anakin: "What?"

She held out both of her hands and unleashed huge gusts of ice, which overpowered the droids, and then, finished them off very quickly and very easily. Anakin stared at all of the fallen droids, then looked back at the girl. Anakin: "Who are you and why do you keep saying that?"

The girl shushed him. Girl: "You'll understand…in time."

She then disappeared into the shadows. Anakin: "Wait! How does she keep doing that?" Katara: "Anakin!" Anakin: "Huh?"

Katara ran in and stopped in front of him. Katara: "There you are! Where were you? You took off on me without saying anything!" Anakin: "I was…never mind, you wouldn't understand. Let's keep moving."

Katara nodded then turned around and ran off. Anakin went after her, but then stopped. He turned around and looked back. He made a serious look on his face as he looked back, then turned around and ran off.

Later on, Obi-wan ran through the hallways with Toph, Zuko and Aang. Soon enough, all 4 of them were standing in front of Count Dooku. Obi-wan: "Dooku!" Dooku: "It has been a long time, hasn't it, Master Kenobi?" Obi-wan: "Not long enough!" Aang: "Who is this guy?" Obi-wan: "Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatists. He is perhaps our world's equivalence to your evil Firelord." Toph: "The one who started our war? Yeah, we know just the type." Zuko: "How powerful is this guy?" Obi-wan: "Very powerful. He's a Sith lord." Zuko: "Sith?" Obi-wan: "They're Jedi who have gone rouge and turned evil." Aang: "Katara mentioned something about Jedi turning to the Dark Side." Obi-wan: "Yes, they succumb to dark temptations and violent forces; this is the aftermath." Dooku: "There is a lot more to the Sith than you children could possibly understand. We are the most powerful beings in the galaxy and we are the ones who will rule over every living thing in this galaxy." Aang: "You're not ruling over anyone!" Dooku: "And what makes you think you can stop me?" Aang: "Where I come from, I'm the most powerful being! I saved one world; I will save another!" Toph: "And we'll gladly help." Zuko: "Same here." Dooku: "Clearly, you do not know what sort of power I can wield." Zuko: "Maybe not, but the Avatar did defeat the most powerful evil of our world." Dooku: "Really, now? Can the most powerful evil of your world do this?"

With the use of his Dark Side powers, Dooku unleashed a shockwave so powerful it pushed all of them back, knocking them off their feet. As the Sith Lord approached them, they got up, nearly battered. Toph: "Whoa! That was intense…!" Zuko: "Uh…tell me about it. That guy really is strong. I've never felt anything like it." Obi-wan: "That's the Sith, for you."

Dooku chuckled under his breath. Dooku: "That's because unlike the Jedi Order, the Sith are not being suppressed by the refusal to carry out such violent techniques. The Sith overpower all because they look past such feeble desires. Only true power shall triumph over all." Aang: "That's absurd! You Sith guys are nothing but savages! Having power is never about oppressing others!" Dooku: "So, you still think your peaceful ways will out best my superior influences over the Dark Side of the Force?" Aang: "Certainly! There's no doubt in my mind that we will defeat you! That's a promise!"

With the use of his Airbending abilities, Aang blew back Count Dooku. Toph then bend all of the metal surroundings from within the walls, floors and ceilings towards Dooku, but he managed block them. Zuko then shot out several fire balls from his fists at him, but deflected each attack using only his hands. Dooku: "Hmm…interesting. You truly have some potential, though I doubt they'll do any good against me. I barely have shown you the full extent of my dark power. We Sith are capable of learning techniques that are considered forbidden in the eyes of the weak."

He then shot lightning out of the tips of his fingers. Zuko ran in front of him and held out his left hand, he was hit directly by the lightning. Obi-wan: "ZUKO!"

Obi-wan watched in terror as lightning surged all around Zuko, then much to the Jedi Master's surprise, Zuko, holding out his fingers, moved his hands around, pulling the surge along with the movements, then, combined them, held out his right hand and shot the lightning back towards Count Dooku. The Sith Lord managed to dodge his own lightning. He then looked back at them and glared. Dooku: "Perhaps another time!"

He turned around and ran off. Zuko paused for a bit, then looked back at Obi-wan, who stood in awe. Zuko then became concerned with him. Zuko: "Obi-wan, are you alright?"

Obi-wan still stood in awe for a moment. Obi-wan: "Firebenders…bend lightning?"

Zuko continued staring at him in a concerned manner.