General Grievous stormed onto the bridge of the Providence-class dreadnought he called his flagship, rage flowing through him.
Everything had been going according to plan. His fleet had arrived above Coruscant, catching the Republic forces by complete surprise. His own ships had outnumbered the Republic's by at least three to one, and yet even then the Republic forces had fought back rather than retreat.
Grievous knew why of course. Why would the Republic retreat from their capital after all? If they lost it, they would easily lose the war. Kamino would in turn fall shortly afterwards, and then the Clone War would be over.
However, winning the Clone War had not been the intended goal of this mission, but rather, the creation of a ransom.
Still, it hadn't hurt to burn Coruscant as best as he could in the process. The Republic leadership would be so busy trying to repair what they could of their precious capital that they would be blind to Separatist troop movements in the Outer Rim.
And if they were blind to the movement of Grievous' fleet, then it would be easy to launch another, far more successful attack on Kamino, one that this time would be successful.
That was the plan at least. Distract the Republic by kidnapping their Chancellor, and whilst their government and politicians flailed around trying to get him back, Grievous would strike!
Up until now it had worked perfectly. He had kidnapped Palpatine, eliminated a pair of Jedi in the process whilst wounding another of their Council Members, and escaped the clutches of the fool Windu as well. It had all been going to plan.
That was until he arrived back on his ship, prisoner in tow. Then it had all gone to kriff.
Moving forward into the bridge, Grievous approached the Neimoidian commander. The 'Hand' hadn't always belonged to Grievous. He had 'acquired it' near the start of the Clone War, after the Malevolence had been destroyed. The dreadnought had originally been in the possession of Nute Gunray, but Grievous had been quite insistent about having it as his own.
As a gesture of good faith, and mainly to silence the whining leader of the Trade Federation, Grievous had allowed the original Neimoidian bridge crew to remain aboard the ship, only in service to him rather than Gunray.
Still, that didn't mean he liked them! They were a necessary evil, like many things in the war.
'Just one more thing that will change once Dooku and I are in power.'
"What's the situation, Captain?" Grievous spoke, addressing the Neimoidian in command in his absence. He already knew the answer, judging by what he could see out of the bridge's windows, but he wanted to hear what sort of excuse the Captain had.
"General Grievous. A Republic Venator approached our fleet at an odd angle, shielding it's bridge and hangar deck from fire. I ordered our ships to open fire, but…"
"But what Captain?" Grievous snarled.
"It appears to have been a diversion! Two Jedi Starfighters managed to bypass our fighter wings and have hkkkkkk…"
Grievous didn't hesitate to delve into his newly acquired powers, powers that were now more refined thanks to Dooku's teachings. He wasn't anywhere near the Sith Lord's level of power and control yet, but he could more than hold his own.
Grievous lifted a single clawed hand into the air as he used the Force to constrict the Captain's airways, watching as the pitiful slime's hands came clawing at his throat in a desperate yet vain attempt to save himself.
"So what you are telling me Captain, is that you failed to spot a simple trap and allowed two Jedi on board this ship! Utterly useless."
With that, Grievous jerked his hand to the side, sending the Captain flying across the bridge and into a nearby bulkhead. The sound of his body hitting the wall, and then the floor would have brought a smirk to Grievous' face, if he still had one, as would have the sputtering sounds of the Captain desperately trying to fill his lungs with air once more.
Rolling his eyes, Grievous turned to another Neimoidian, one that he knew was in charge of internal security across the 'Invisible Hand'.
"Do we have a visual on the hangar bay these Jedi have landed in?"
"Yes General."
"Show me."
The Neimoidian did not hesitate.
Taking the seat that had previously belonged to the Captain, Grievous watched as an image of the hangar bay flashed into existence.
The image was real time, taken by a hidden security camera that was installed in the ship. There were many aboard of course, but this one was the most useful right now.
Grievous watched as a pair of figures, brandishing lightsabers, cut a swath through several squads of B1 battledroids. The Jedi moved in tandem with one another, deflecting blaster bolts back from their point of origins, destroying droid after droid without even breaking a sweat.
A group of B2's moved in after that, and just like the B1's, the Jedi made short work of them, not that Grievous was at all surprised.
"Tano and Skywalker… how predictable." Grievous snarled as he recognized the figure. The heavily armoured Togruta was unmistakable, considering the sheer number of run-ins he had had with her in the past. As for Skywalker, whilst they had never met face to face, aside from the brief glimpse Grievous had gotten of him during a prisoner exchange, Grievous knew enough about him to know his face on sight.
That, and who else would accompany Tano on such a foolhardy mission?
"Deploy a squad of Droidekas to the hangar bay immediately!"
Securing the hangar had proven to be a difficult task, even for the both of them. The sheer number of droids that had charged in from all directions, numbering near forty, had been a suitable challenge for both Anakin and Ahsoka. They had to fight perfectly, in tandem with one another, to even so much as survive the first barrage of blaster fire that had come that way.
Despite the odds however, as usual, they had survived.
"That was fun!" Ahsoka called out in jest to her former Master, watching as he smirked in response.
"Missions with me always are Snips. Now, Artoo… have you located the Chancellor?"
The blue and white astromech, who had vacated Anakin's starfighter in the midst of combat beeped in confirmation, before bringing up a holo map of the Providence-class dreadnought.
"Ok, he's in the central spire. Excellent. Map the fastest route for us would you buddy?" Anakin said, watching as a path was highlighted.
Ahsoka began to speak when another sound echoing from across the hangar hit her montrals.
Pivoting and igniting her saber on instinct, Ahsoka deflected the first barrage of blaster fire from the squad of seven Droidekas that had just rolled in.
Seconds later Anakin joined her side, his blue saber moving with her golden one, protecting each other.
"Have you got a plan?!" Ahsoka cried out in alarm, knowing how dangerous Droidekas were, especially to Jedi.
"Not as of yet!" Anakin replied over the blaster fire, his saber moving to deflect another barrage whilst he surveyed their surroundings, looking for options.
Luckily for them both, they didn't have to wait long for someone to come to their aid.
Ahsoka's starfighter rose off the ground, Ar-Seven taking control of the ship and angling it towards the group of Droidekas. Before the droids had a chance to respond, Ar-Seven opened fire.
Within seconds the Droidekas were reduced to piles of smoldering scrap metal on the floor, and Ar-Seven set the fighter back on the hangar bay floor.
"Ha! That's my astromech!" Ahsoka called out in glee, Ar-Seven releasing a series of happy beeps of their own in response.
"Over-dramatic astromech, just like it's owner." Anakin quipped in response as he extinguished his lightsaber once again, nudging Ahsoka with his arm.
"Yeah? Well I wonder where I learnt that one from?"
"Obi-Wan… obviously!"
"Keep telling yourself that Anakin!"
General Grievous watched as the Droidekas, much like the B1's and B2's that had come before, were made short work of… by an astromech!
Snarling under his breath, Grievous watched as Skywalker and Tano departed the hangar bay, cleaving a single B1 in half in the process as they passed through a doorway, no doubt on route to save the Chancellor.
Rolling his eyes at the way the now bisected B1 fell to the floor with a dramatic scream, Grievous spoke aloud.
"Stupid Battledroids!"
Traversing through the hallways of the 'Invisible Hand' had proven to be much easier than Ahsoka had expected, far easier than securing the hangar at least.
They had met minimal Separatist resistance, bar a squad of B1 droids inside of an elevator, as well as a pair of Droidekas who had ambushed them whilst waiting for said elevator.
The biggest problem they had encountered was the elevator itself, which had behaved like it had a mind of its own! Anakin sure as hell hadn't helped the situation when he had insisted on cutting a hole in the elevator's roof!
Despite the minor setbacks… and Anakin being Anakin, they had made it to their destination.
Stepping into the large room, Ahsoka saw the battle raging outside of the ship and around Coruscant. It hadn't changed much in comparison to what she had seen onboard the bridge of Yularen's Venator, but it was certainly much closer now. The Republic fleet, or what was left of it at least had dispatched all of it's vessels with the sole purpose of stopping Grievous' escape. Fire was being exchanged on both sides, but no real damage was being done to the dreadnought, not yet at least.
Ahsoka was thankful for that.
Moving further into the room alongside Anakin, Ahsoka spotted a figure, sitting in a chair, watching the battle rage outside. Through the Force she could tell who it was, as could Anakin.
As they approached, the chair swiveled round, revealing the tired face of Chancellor Palpatine.
"Your Excellency." Ahsoka said as she bowed before the man, receiving a look of relief on his face as a response.
"Are you alright?" Anakin inquired as he moved to free the Chancellor from his restraints.
The Chancellor however shook his head and spoke only two words.
"Count Dooku."
The sudden shift in the Force was not hard to miss. The way it suddenly got darker, creeping into her very mind, as if probing for something was incredibly uncomfortable.
The dark side was like that. It wormed its way in. Tried to destabilize you before a fight even broke out. She had felt it before, in the Sith Shrine below Coruscant's surface, and again in a much more painful way when Maul had pierced her mind with his abuse of the Force.
It was not a nice feeling. How anyone could feel comfortable in such a state was unknown to her.
Pivoting on her heels, Ahsoka glanced up at the doorway she and Anakin had entered through moments earlier.
There stood Count Dooku, flanked by two Magnaguards, electrostaffs already primed and bristling with purple energy.
Delving into the Force, Ahsoka tugged on her bond with Anakin and spoke through it.
'Right… unlike you I've never fought this sleemo. Any advice?'
'Makashi specialist. Single curved hilt lightsaber. Strong Force powers. Loves his Force lightning.'
'Oh… so… easy then?'
'Hardly. He's bested me and Obi-Wan before... multiple times. It might be safer if you sit this one out.'
'Can't do that. So what you are really saying is that we're screwed?'
'Nah. We got this. Just gotta play this one safe. Don't let his pompous nature or old age fool you. Dooku is perhaps the greatest lightsaber duelist I've ever seen.'
'Well…. I say it's time for the new generation to show the old just what we can do.'
'I admire your enthusiasm Snips.'
Movement from Dooku drew both Ahsoka and Anakin out of their internal thoughts. Ahsoka watched as the man vaulted down with a forward flip from the raised platform, landing effortlessly before continuing to advance on the two. The Magnaguards remained by the door. Clearly Dooku wanted to do this alone.
"Young Master Skywalker and his ever loyal protege. How disappointing. I was hoping for a challenge today." Dooku spoke, his tone reeking of snide aristocracy. He clearly thought himself superior to them both.
"Get help! You are no match for him, he's a Sith Lord!" Palpatine's voice, alarmed and concerned, hit her montrals, reminding her of his presence.
"It's ok Chancellor. We'll have you out of here in no time." Anakin reassured the elderly man as he turned his full attention to Dooku, dropping his cloak from his robes in the process, hand gripping his saber hilt tightly. Ahsoka nearly rolled her eyes at Anakin's behaviour. There were times he acted more like Obi-Wan than Anakin would ever admit.
"I'm afraid that won't be happening Skywalker. This will be your end, as well as your student's, unless of course, she desires to join me? I'd imagine she has even less love of the Jedi and Republic than you do?"
Ahsoka knew better than to rise to the taunting, but that didn't stop her from igniting her lightsaber first, bathing her in a bright golden glow.
"Hate to say it Count, but after speaking to Ventress, I can't say being your apprentice comes highly recommended. I think I'll stay where I am."
"You have courage to stick to your beliefs and morals at very least. I am glad to see that my lineage has not fallen completely into disgrace." Dooku replied, directing the last part of his sentence towards Anakin with a sneer on his lips, one that evolved into a dark and sadistic smirk as Anakin's own saber flashed to life.
"The only one who tainted Master Yoda's line was you when you betrayed the Jedi for the Sith, Dooku." Anakin spat before he advanced suddenly, angling his lightsaber with the intent of bisecting Dooku.
Naturally, Dooku reacted. A flash of red burst into existence, and then the duel was on.
Blue glanced off of red, which in turn moved to deflect gold as both Anakin and Ahsoka advanced on Dooku, trying to unbalance and break through his defences. Dooku's defences however were in prime condition, despite his age. The Sith Lord effortlessly battered away strike after strike, defending his centre line with ease.
A trio of strikes from Anakin, each once more easily deflected by the Count led to a brief break in the duel.
"I've been looking forward to this." Dooku said, the same sadistic smirk that had been on his face at the start never leaving.
"My powers have doubled since last we met Count."
"Good. Twice the pride, double the fall."
The duel began again, this time with the Sith Lord on the offensive. His strikes, whilst not particularly heavy handed like the ones Grievous and Maul liked to deliver, were still dangerous. They were fast and elegant, designed to overwhelm an opponent in a matter of seconds. Each strike could easily slip past your defences, and whilst it might not be lethal, it would do enough damage to wear you down over time. Slowly, but surely, Dooku would ensure your defeat.
"Argh!" Ahsoka yelped in surprise as Dooku's blade caught her armoured wrist, sparks flying off the surface of the beskar plating. Once again she thanked the Force for the extra protection her armour offered.
At the sound of Ahsoka's surprise, Anakin redoubled his efforts against the Count, twirling his blade in a series of successive strikes that rivaled even the speed of Dooku, forcing the Sith Lord back on the defensive.
Dooku retaliated by leaping backwards, before extending his free hand, fingers pointing towards Anakin. Through the Force she felt Anakin's surprise, before his determination returned, just in time for his lightsaber to block the oncoming burst of Force lightning that Dooku had sent his way.
The stream of deadly energy only lasted a few seconds before it ended, and Dooku went back on the offensive, forcing Anakin back.
Ahsoka moved to join before she heard the Chancellor cry out in alarm.
Spinning on her heel, she saw the elderly man, terror in his eyes as the two Magnaguards from before advanced on him, electrostaffs primed and ready.
How had they snuck past them? Had she and Anakin been so engrossed in the duel with Dooku that they hadn't…
"Ahsoka! The Chancellor!"
"On it!" Ahsoka called out to Anakin as she darted across the room, her speed enhanced by the Force.
She eviscerated the first Magnaguard with ease, catching it unaware, before bringing her golden saber up just in time to lock against the purple energy tipped end of the electrostaff that had been mere inches away from Palpatine's face.
Her lightsaber bathed the Chancellor in a bright golden glow for a brief moment before she redirected the strike from the Magnaguard, forcing it back. A sigh of relief could be heard escaping the Chancellor's throat in the process.
Crouching to avoid a counterattack from the droid, Ahsoka reached into the Force to unleash a push in the Magnaguard's direction, sending it sprawling to the ground, putting some distance between it and the Chancellor, ensuring the elderly man's safety.
Wasting no time, Ahsoka advanced upon the Magnaguard as it rose back to its feet, twirling the electrostaff around in a vicious arc before lunging towards Ahsoka, who used her saber to deflect the strike with ease.
The droid pulled the staff back for a brief moment, clearly considering its options before it attacked again, the staff crashing against Ahsoka's saber with four successive strikes.
Reaching into the Force once again, Ahsoka pulled the droid up, sending it flying towards the ceiling, before it came crashing down onto her waiting lightsaber, splitting it in two.
The two halves of the Magnaguard lay at her feet, the legs out of operation, but the head, arms and torso still in action. Ahsoka ended the threat with a simple lunge of her blade into the Magnaguard's torso.
Content that the threat had ended, Ahsoka turned his attention to finding where Anakin and Dooku had gone.
Only to receive a computer terminal in the face.
"NO!"
Anakin couldn't help the cry of alarm and anger that escaped him as he watched Dooku manipulate the Force, tearing a computer terminal off a nearby wall, and throwing at the unaware Togruta in the room. The sound of metal crashing against her armour, as well as the way her body was sent sprawling to the floor under a heap of debris only served to make him angrier.
How dare Dooku hurt his Padawan!
The smug grin on Dooku's face was wiped off moments later when Anakin vaulted up from his position on the ground. The Count had knocked him down with a simple, yet unexpected Force push in the midst of a saber lock. It had been a rookie mistake on Anakin's part, and one that had led to Ahsoka quite possibly being badly hurt.
He prayed to the Force that her armour had protected her.
Anakin attacked with his saber, a harsh volley of strikes each aimed at Dooku's neck, each of which were parried by the Sith with ease, much like every other attack Anakin had made prior.
When it was clear that his strategy would not work, Anakin changed his approach. He feigned a fifth strike towards Dooku's neck, only to alter the trajectory of his saber at the last moment, sweeping downwards instead, aiming for the Count's legs.
Once again however, Dooku evaded, jumping over the swing as if he was an acrobatic youth, before bringing his red blade up to clash against Anakin's.
The two pushed their blades against one another, trying to gain ground.
"I sense great fear in you Skywalker. You have hate. You have anger. But you don't use them!"
Anakin released a growl of rage from within his throat in a manner that reminded him of Ahsoka's own growls when they had been on missions together. Having a Padawan of another species had certainly been an illuminating experience, that was for sure. There were times he had forgotten that she was a member of a species of apex predators.
Along with the growl, Anakin mustered some additional physical strength, pushing forward with his lightsaber and out of the blade lock, causing Dooku to stumble backwards momentarily.
The two exchange a fast volley of strikes against one another, bringing their duel ever closer to the Chancellor before they locked blades once more.
Pushing his saber against the Count's, Anakin tried to formulate a plan.
Dooku was the superior duelist out of them both, that wasn't hard to determine. There was no way he was going to beat him conventionally.
Luckily for Anakin, he had a wild card on him.
Or better yet, with him, judging by the figure charging towards Dooku's unprotected back.
Ahsoka groaned as she slowly pushed the broken machinery off of her, freeing herself as carefully as she could.
She'd lost track of how many times her armour had saved her life now. It had certainly proven it's worth.
Glancing around, she spotted Anakin and Dooku, their duel moving towards the Chancellor. Through the Force she could feel Anakin's anger, as well as Dooku's calm and collected demeanor.
It wasn't unusual for Anakin to fight with his anger, despite how often he was warned against it. But in this situation, that wasn't what was needed, and it certainly wouldn't help him defeat Dooku. The Sith Lord was too powerful for them, both in terms of saber skills and Force power.
'Then you need to find a way to remove his advantage from him.' Her mind whispered to her, sending her thoughts sprawling.
It was true. The best way to defeat an enemy that had a distinct advantage over you was to remove said advantage. Anakin himself had taught her that. You either removed a foe's advantage, or found a way to use it against them.
It was then that an idea came into her mind.
On instinct, Ahsoka found her free hand moving towards a pouch on her armour. Reaching into it, she removed a small syringe filled with a cream coloured fluid.
"Use their advantages against them." Ahsoka whispered to herself, understanding what she needed to do.
The Chancellor had allowed her to keep the last sample of 'Project Nullify' for a reason, and now she had found said reason.
Smirking beneath her helmet, she vaulted to her feet, and charged towards Count Dooku.
Bringing his saber backward out of the lock, Anakin unleashed a quick barrage of strikes at the Count in an attempt to distract him from the rapidly approaching Togruta. Dooku met each saber strike with one of his own and then…
Anakin felt a sudden rush of the Force crash into him, sending him stumbling backwards. In that time, Dooku pivoted and outstretched his hands, fingers pointing towards Ahsoka.
The next thing Anakin knew the Togruta was on the floor writhing in pain mere feet away from Dooku as Force lightning coursed through her body. Her scream of agony sent a roar of hatred through Anakin as he attacked the Count, who turned to meet him, his assault on Ahsoka stopping.
The Togruta barely moved, her armour smoldering from the lightning, but she was still alive, that Anakin could feel.
"You'll pay for that!" Anakin snarled as he struck with his blade, crashing it against Dooku's and forcing the Sith Lord to shift from a one handed grip to a two handed one to better block and resist Anakin's sheer strength.
Once more Dooku smirked across the saber lock, his golden eyes burning bright.
"You are a stubborn one, Skywalker. How Kenobi, yet alone Yoda, had the patience to see you trained I will never know."
Resisting the urge to spit in the Count's face, Anakin pushed harder with his blade, the Count meeting his strength with ease.
The Force prodded Anakin lightly, as if directing him towards something, and in that moment, he understood perfectly.
His wild card was not out of the fight just yet.
Allowing a broad cocky smirk to come to his face, one that made Dooku sneer, Anakin replied.
"Stubborn? Maybe. But I honestly prefer Master Plo's description of me."
"And what, pray tell, is that?"
"That no one has my kind of determination."
Dooku's eyebrow raised in confusion at Anakin's words, further cementing the cocky smirk on Anakin's face. The Sith Lord didn't know it yet, but he had already lost.
"Well…" Anakin continued, "No one except for her, that is."
At the mention of 'her', Dooku's eyes widened in realization, but it was already too late.
From her position on the floor, Ahsoka lunged forward, embedding what looked like a syringe into Dooku's shin, administering cream coloured liquid whilst extracting a blood sample at the same time.
Judging by the way Dooku yelped in shock, Anakin could tell it was bad.
The Count broke out of the saber lock and swung his blade towards where Ahsoka lay, but Anakin wasn't concerned.
Despite being shocked only moments earlier, Ahsoka expertly rolled out of the way of the saber strike, pushing herself to her feet, her own saber igniting in her hand and she rose beside Anakin.
The Force shifted suddenly, the presence of Dooku snapping away in a blink of an eye.
"Wha…. what have you done?!" Dooku exclaimed, the gold fading from his eyes as he glanced down at her free hand, aged face contorting in pain.
From beneath her helmet, Anakin heard Ahsoka speak as she held out the syringe she had just used on Dooku.
"Project Nullify. The last active sample. Knew it would come in handy one day."
Anakin knew firsthand what had happened. Dooku's own weapon, used to extract Force sensitivity from a user, had been turned against him. Anakin didn't know where Ahsoka had gotten a sample from, but he honestly didn't care. If it took down the pompous fool that was Count Dooku, that was all that truly mattered.
"You dare…" Dooku snarled at Ahsoka, pointing the tip of his red blade at her.
"Oh… I dare. He's all yours Master."
"Good." Was all Anakin said before he launched a final assault against the now weakened Count.
Whereas before the Sith Lord had been an immovable object, now he was nothing more than an old man with a laser sword. Without the Force to support him, Dooku was no more dangerous than a youngling, something that was proven moments later.
It only took four swings of Anakin's saber to bypass the defences, his blue saber making contact with the hands of the Count with ease, slicing them clean off.
A cry of pain escaped the Count as he collapsed to his knees before Ahsoka, Palpatine, and Anakin, who had caught Dooku's hilt mid fall, and was now holding both blades to the Count's neck.
A triumphant laugh escaped the Chancellor in that moment as he began to congratulate Anakin.
"Good, Anakin… Good!"
A rush of pride flooded through Anakin at the support.
"Kill him."
His pride turned to shock! Surely the Chancellor wasn't…
"Kill him now."
Anakin froze. Kill Dooku? That was what the Chancellor wanted him to do? Murder a defenseless prisoner?
That wasn't the Jedi way. Dooku could no longer harm anyone. His connection to the Force was gone, and without his hands he could no longer fight back conventionally.
But then, he was the leader of the Separatists, and had been responsible personally for many war crimes that had been committed. He was perhaps the greatest threat to peace in the galaxy, and this was war.
But still… killing him in cold blood… that was wrong… wasn't it?
'He did cut off your hand!' One part of Anakin's mind whispered to him.
'Yes… and you've already returned the favour.' The other part whispered seconds later.
Anakin looked deep into Dooku's eyes. The old man's face shifted from surprise at Palpatine's words, to almost challenging as he started back at Anakin, as if daring him to do as the Chancellor commanded.
Through the Force Anakin could feel Dooku's terror as well, along with the concern emanating from Ahsoka, who stood nearby, but made no move to intervene. Why wasn't she helping him?
Anakin glanced back at the Chancellor again and spoke.
"I… I shouldn't."
Palpatine's response was fast and harsh.
"Do it!"
The Chancellor had ordered it again, and still, Anakin didn't know what to do. Palpatine was the leader of the Republic. Surely that meant he had to follow his orders above all else. If he was telling him to kill Dooku, then shouldn't he obey without question?
Risking a glance at Ahsoka, whilst keeping both his and Dooku's lightsabers poised around Dooku's neck, Anakin sent a pleading look to the armoured Togruta. He couldn't see her face behind the helmet, but he could tell she was equally shocked and unsure of what to do.
The Togruta shrugged at him slowly, images of enslaved Togruta coming across their bond briefly, clear evidence of Ahsoka remembering their trip to Zygerria.
The sight of those slaves, the memory of what Dooku had done angered Anakin. This man before him was not helpless. He was slaver scum, like the kind that had enslaved him and his mother years ago.
Scum that had eventually sold her, only to get her killed.
"Skywalker… you have no idea who he…"
Anakin didn't let Dooku finish his words. He brought both sabers across the Count's neck, separating his head from his body, and ending the Sith Lord's life.
"No."
General Grievous could not stop the word as it escaped him, not as he watched Skywalker remove Count Dooku's head over the camera.
Dooku… dead? Just like that?
What was he to do now? Grievous was relying on Dooku to teach him, to train him, so that they could…
So that they could destroy Sidious together… and now… now that opportunity was lost!
Everything they had worked towards in the war, rendered pointless in a single moment. A simple swing of a blade, and it was all gone.
Grievous honestly did not know what to do. Without Dooku…
Resisting the urge to go into a rage, Grievous closed his eyes and began to think.
Right now, survival was the most important thing. He had to escape, and regroup with the other Seperatist leaders on Utapau. Without Dooku, he stood no chance against Sidious, and if Dooku's beliefs about how the Clone War would end were true, it was clear that Grievous needed to find a way out, and find it fast.
In that moment, despite the loss of his Master, Grievous resolved to survive. That was all he could do.
"Count Dooku… defeated by a pair of Jedi? So much for our all powerful leader!"
This time round Grievous allowed himself to delve into his rage, grabbing the Neimoidian Captain by the throat with the Force and snapping his neck for the disrespect shown.
Author's thoughts
Yes... I know it's been a while. That's what happens when depression kicks in and ruins one of your few hobbies for a whole month. Hopefully it's over now and I can resume normal upload and writing patterns, at least till this story is over. Can't come soon enough if you ask me. This has been going on too long now.
A fair amount went down in this chapter for sure, chief among them being Dooku's demise, as well as the 'theft' of his Force sensitivity via the 'Project Nullify' sample. Sorry if people expected him to survive. I'm afraid it wasn't on the cards this time round. I needed him out of the way for future events, as you can expect. That said, I hope you guys enjoyed his final scenes. I didn't want him to go down easily like he did in canon. Were it not for the surprise 'Project Nullify' attack, he would of easily bested both Anakin and Ahsoka in the duel.
Also, to anyone disappointed that I cut out a vast majority of the canon hallway action from the movie, I'm sorry, but it added nothing to the story aside from mindless action. If the action has a purpose to the story I might have added it it, but we all already know that Anakin and Ahsoka are badasses who can easily storm a Separatist Dreadnought with ease.
On the bright side, at least Palpatine has been rescued. That's a good thing... right?
Once again, thanks to my beta reader 'ArrinSnyders' for all his hard work.
Next time round we have the second half of the Invisible Hand stuff, only this time with a far more powerful Grievous.
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Mysterious Guest One: I'm glad you at least enjoy the story then. That's the main thing.
Fires of Eden Red Rose Aurora: I guess you'll have to wait and see how it all goes down in the end then. I've tried to put a lot of thought into the ending. Hopefully I'm successful and this hasn't been a colossal waste of time.
Alfredo12StarLegionaire: Interesting speculation you've got there. Only time will tell if you are right or wrong. Perhaps the flashforward in chapter 1 has a different meaning? Or maybe it doesn't?
Adamantium-Soldier74: Thanks. I'm pleased you've enjoyed the story thus far. It means a lot and is partly why I've bothered to keep writing for this long when I really should of waved the white flag. Hopefully this final arc doesn't disappoint you.
StolenKiss32: I'm flattered you binged it that quickly, but pleased you enjoyed it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
DroidePlane: I wanted some things changed so that they weren't 100% predictable for the readers. Gotta make it unique and interesting after all or else it would be boring to anyone who has seen ROTS more than once.
Triconda: Wait and see. There are other Jedi capable of taking out Grievous after all.
amerdism: The opinions of the Empire are subjective to the person. As a historian, I view them as fundamentally evil, since they were based on and had influences taken from Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Russia, both of which were evil dictatorships. Whilst both did have benefits for their societies, mainly the economy, they were still evil. That's my opinion though. No doubt I'm wrong.
As for Evil Ahsoka making an appearance... wait and see.
the Mandalorian terminator: Glad you enjoyed the changes I put in. I wanted things to be different rather than a complete scene for scene copy, hence the Marg Sabl and Obi-Wan heading off to Mandalore. You won't see much of Mandalore in this story, but you've not seen the last of Caleb or Obi-Wan just yet. They had a very important chapter dedicated to them later on.
TragicFiction: I mean... what else was Thrawn gonna do?
1saaa: No worries about missing a chapter. Read at your own pace. I don't mind.
That's a good bit of predicting you are doing there, and nice evidence to support it as well. I guess you'll have to see in time if you are right or not.
beard boy: That it is.
DojoYoyo: Pro Gamer move indeed. I'm sure the re-ordering of things and where people are won't change much at all.
Cat-Gods-Of-The-Cat-People: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, as well as the changes to the storyline. If I kept it 100% canon, it would be boring and predictable after all.
tf330129: Trying to keep it up. Not always easy.
Lovely: Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.
RyanSquad: I mean... Bo isn't a nice or good person by any stretch of the imagination for sure. It is odd that Ahsoka was so willing to forgive her for Carlac, but whatever. Probably just plot convenience. She is a morally grey character, much like Anakin. Both have the ability to do good, and both have the ability to do very bad things.
You'll have to wait and see what happens with Anakin and the others. Suffice to say things aren't going to do exactly how they did in canon.
Moonpetal1: Grievous was really underpowered in both the show and movie so it's been fun to give him more of an intimidating presence in this AU. Hopefully you like what is to come with him in the next chapter.