Chapter 5- No Regrets.
Upon their departure, Grievous' wives had given the Geonosians many of the Generals personal effects. Most of which, had been destroyed shortly after. But Piqu had kept a few for her research. Also, if the experiment had failed the small holo images of his family could be used in some form or blackmail perhaps? Along with these holo's she had kept hold of his original Mumuu mask. All else had been destroyed on Dooku's orders.
Buzzing over to a small desk like structure, Piqu opened a small compartmented drawer, there inside lay the holo's she had thought about.
Taking them in her bony hands, she glanced back over at the General.
'One last chance to escape all this' She thought again.
Grievous had been silent for many moments now. A brooding look in his eyes, his mind was doing overtime. She 'was' telling him the truth, somehow he just knew it. But this family he may have had, they remained faceless, ageless to him. That cursed crash, it had cost him more than his body, it had cost him his whole life!
No, the Jedi had cost him his life, and not just his, but that of his family too. The sound of mechanical tendons tensing was broken by Piqu's shrill Geonosian voice.
" These are yours," She stated,
Extending her hand to him as she landed beside the General. Opening her hand out, two Holo discs could clearly be seen in her palm.
Grievous' eyes widened slightly as he focussed on the items.
He then snatched them out of her hand so suddenly, that Piqu flinched, skittering back into a pile of containers that had been, until now, neatly stacked. Sending them crashing down to roll about the floor as she tumbled.
Sitting amongst the toppled containers, Piqu could only watch on in dear of the Generals reaction.
Grievous activated one of the small holos he now held in his skeletal droid hand.
An image sprung to life from within the disc.
A group of Kaleesh females sat down in a formal looking fashion, with several Children at their feet. The children not looking quite as orderly, but appearing to have tried their best to sit still. A family, HIS family.
Again, somehow he just knew it. Although inside him, something was doing it's best to try and get him to deny the fact. Why had dooku not shown him this? Why had this been kept from him!
He deactivated the first holo, and activated the second. The three dimensional image of a Kaleesh adolescent male appeared.
" I...I was informed that he was your eldest son, and heir so to speak..." Piqu informed him gingerly, scooting back more so across the floor.
Grievous did not so much as acknowledge he had heard her, despite the fact he had.
He continued to stare at the image in disbelief, if he had had a jaw, it would have more than likely been gaping open by now.
The image of the boy stared back at him, looking painfully familiar, and yet not at the same time.
The adolescents red/brown mottled skin was adorned with several painted symbols Grievous recognised as the traditional Kaleesh symbols for a males coming of age ceremony. A ceremony he could not remember. Had he even been there for his son as his father must have been for him?
Pain turned to anger just as every feeling he had these days did. And more anger continued to seep into his thoughts when he noted how painfully thin the boy looked.
Granted, the Kaleesh were thin by nature, but every bone seemed to be pronounced, making the boy appear rather feminine looking. Grievous winced inwardly, if his eldest son looked like that, what state of starvation were his wives and other children in? In the large group holo, they had been wearing long robes which would conceal the tell tale signs of malnutrition.
The true extent of just how the Republic, the Jedi, had decimated the lives of he and his people, was reiterated by these images. Serving only to strengthen his pure hatred for them...All of them, Masters, down to the lowliest of Padawas, they would ALL pay.
The General showed no sign of gratitude to Piqu for allowing him this memory at least, and Piqu expected none, they were even now. To tell him everything would be to unleash pure destruction on the confederacy, and despite the fact Dooku had double crossed her, she could never side with the Republic. It was beyond her now.
And so she remained silent, having finished her work, waiting to be returned to her cell, or clinging to the hope she may be turned loose to go into hiding.
The sudden hiss of the doors to the workshop opening , startled both Grievous and Piqu at once.
Turning to face the door sharply, the Generals golden eyes came to rest upon the familiar form of Count Dooku, who was accompanied by several Super Battle Droids.
Dooku's gaze moved swiftly from Grievous to the cowering form of the Geonosian female, who sat amongst the containers she had toppled previously.
And in that instant, The Count let a cruel smirk play across his lips.
" Ah, good. General, I see you found our escapee?"
Quirking a brow, Dooku continued before Grievous had chance to reply.
" It seems that our little friend here has somehow informed the Jedi of our operations here."
The Generals gaze darted to Piqu suddenly. Piqu frantically shook her head in protest as she tried desperately to skitter to her feet.
"The Geonosians apprehended only hours ago, two Jedi and a senator loyal to the republic, our operations here had been kept completely secret, until we realised we had a traitor in our mists." Dooku's explanation was flawless, two Jedi and a senator had indeed arrived on Geonosis, but the reason behind their being here, or how they had come to know about operations on Geonosis, was unknown to Piqu.
"No! It is not true! I have only ever been loyal to the Confederacy!" she began in a loud shrill verbal protest.
"What of all the work I have done for this cause in my years here? Why would I provide you with such innovative ideas if I were only going to betray you!"
She fluttered to her feet now still edging away.
In amongst the flurry of raised voices, General Grievous discerned only one thing. The Geonosian was a traitor, a traitor with a death sentence on her head, and SHE had brought the Jedi here. Just as the Huk had brought the Jedi to his home world.
There was no honour in what they had done, an act of cowardice. They had to die for their actions, the Kaleesh' s hatred for their old enemy renewed. He know now what he had to do.
Piqu had no time to think before she found herself pressed against a harshly cold durasteel wall. Only the warmth of the blood trickling down the side of her face stirred her from the threat of unconsciousness. If she could have seen behind her, she would have seen that the General had pinned her in lace with one foot.
Dooku watched expectantly, that ever present look of superiority on his face.
Grievous paused for a second, she knew things, about his life, she had been able to tell him things about his life as an organic that until then had been forgotten, concealed from him. The feeling of the holo discs in his droid hand, a sharp reminder of what had transpired here. General Grievous, Kaleesh warlord, flesh and blood, would have thought that after all this Geonosian had done for him, she deserved the chance to explain herself. But that life was far behind him now, she had braught the Jedi here, his now sworn enemy.
Piqu had somehow managed to twist in his grim, so that she faced him. Deep Black eyes wide with fear, almost doing all her pleading for her. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but it was all too late.
A powerful, mechanised leg, lifted her from the ground. A grip so tight she could feel her ribs crack one by one beneath the magnetised foot that encompassed her torso.
As the very life was crushed out of her, Piqu realised in her last agonising moments, that she had gotten her last wish. She would indeed get to see her finest creation in action, first hand.
CRACK! Another final rib gave way
The sound of her own desperate gasps for air did not reach her now deafened ears, she no longer felt pain as her spine was crushed as easily as if it had been made of flimsy. All faded to black, her last thoughts fading with her,
'no regrets.'
The sound of Piqu's lifeless body slumping to the ground echoed off the walls, shortly followed by the sound of a few shirt claps as Dooku applauded, if not somewhat sarcastically, the Generals move.
Grievous stared down into the lifeless eyes of the Geonosian female, he himself emotionless. He wondered, shouldn't he feel something? Pity? Remorse? Disgust even? Yet there was nothing, nothing but the faintest trickle of anger winding its way back into his mind.
"You have done well, consider this a test passed." The Count mused arrogantly.
"However, we should be on our guard, the Jedi that were captured, may have had chance to get word out to the rest of the council, if that is so, they will undoubtedly send more to rescue the prisoners.
Grievous turned to face his mentor,
" If that is so, consider the Jedi taken care of." He rasped.
Dooku gave another quick condescending smile, before turning to exit the room, briefly ordering one of the droids to 'clean up the mess.'
Dooku had given no mention of his thoughts concerning Grievous' new adornments to his armour. Though it had raised a few questions in the old Sith Lords mind. He would note these things along with others.
Grievous waited until the Count had left the room to turn to the battle droids who were disposing of Piqu's corpse.
" Have all of this Geonosians personal effects and records searched, send all the details to me as soon as you have them."
The droid in turn speaking out a tinny sounding,
"Yes sir."
The General then took his leave to lay in wait for the Jedi that would inevitably come. It began here.
NOW:
Orbiting Geonosis, the Invisible Hand, was an imposing and impressive sight.
Dooku had informed the General, along with this magnificent ship, he had something else he wished the cyborg to have.
"This once belonged to an old friend of mine, and now it is yours, as reward for your impressive training."
The Count held out the familiar silvery hilt of a lightsaber, Grievous in turn reached out with one armourplast hand, to take the weapon.
" The Jedi shall fall to their own weapon..." The count sounded confident, but could never miss a chance to stick the proverbial vibroblade in.
" No one has ever received a lightsaber as a 'gift' before, especially not a DROID"
That word grated on Grievous nerves now more than ever. Is this how people saw him? As a mere droid!
And now the old Sith Lord was expecting him to show gratitude?
The only thing Grievous felt right now, was Anger and bitterness. He would not give Dooku the satisfaction of seeing his humiliation again.
Dooku departed, clearly satisfied he'd made the General know his place.
The anger inside Grievous however, did not subside. And eyeing out the only targets worth taking his anger out on, he leapt into action.
The Magnaguards, who had just become test subjects for Grievous' new sabre, all chimed mechanically in unison, asking over and over what was wrong. Had their leader malfunctioned? Their efforts to stop him were futile, as e sliced ad slashed through them with ease. The smell of smouldering alloy filled the air, accompanied by the sound of mechanical screams, as each droid was dispatched as easily as the last.
Only when the droids were in a state of complete disrepair, did Grievous stop.
Reaching into his cape with one free hand, he pulled out two small and slightly battered holodiscs. Eyes narrowed as he remembered.
" I, am, NOT, a DROID!" he ground out loud as if his ancestors would hear him.
" I am General Grievous!"