Scores To Settle Chapter 13: Springing the Trap, a star wars fanfic

Chapter 13

This is how it feels to be C-3PO. For now.

The moment your eyes are turned on, you are enshrouded in darkness. And somehow, you realize that it isn't your lenses that is causing the darkness.

And -- you don't even know how -- but your arms and legs begin to move in pre-arranged patterns, as a small blade whipped out in his hand and he slashed through the box that contained him. You can't make it stop. You cannot even slow it down.

You're not even sure you have a mind of your own anymore.

Oh dear, you think.

Utterly confused, and using extra caution while trying to move around, you step mechanically into the bright hallway.

"Soldier! Where is your post?" The visual screen beeped out a warning.

"Uh, oh," said Anakin, staring intently at the screen, his hands placed tentatively over the controls. 'Think fast."

"Sector six, that section's always underpowered," said Tarra. Anakin quickly send C-3PO the orders, which the protocol droid -- well former protocol droid then repeated to the guard.

"Yeah, well, snap to it. The General's coming by to check on us in 0430 hours, you want to be at your position before he or the Emperor finds you out. Now on your way."

General? Anakin asked, perplexed. "What General?" He inquired as he reset the droid to manual movement after sending him the coordinates to Sector 6.

Obi-Wan and Tarra could only offer him innocent shrugs.

Hey, Threepio thought. My legs are working. He could turn, and move as he wanted to. He shuffled off to this "Sector Six", following the little holographic map Anakin had transmitted into his brain.

Each member of the Empire was typically ruthless, as evidenced clearly by the former Darth Vader, and the current Darth Sidious.

But even those two Sith Lords were human.

General Grievous … nobody really knows what he is anymore. Once a proud warrior of an alien race, Grievous was … grievously injured in an explosion, and his body was held together in an organ sack hidden deep within his droidian body.

And then he met Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had, somehow, inexplicably, destroyed him, leaving him to burn as a rotten corpse, shot by his own blaster. Grievous would never forget. He could not forget. The memory came to him easily, he simply had to run a search through his half alien brain.

But his master came for him. As he always did, and Grievous, of course, never forgets. Darth Sidious took in Grievous, and transported him to the medical facility -- the same one that had operated on Darth Vader. Oh yes, Grievous remembered that too. He doesn't forget. His burnt organs had been replaced by an artificial body. Not that he really needed too much of it, he hadn't needed to breathe or eat for years before his defeat at Kenobi's hands. Only his head now, or what was left of it, remained of his former alien self.

New, durasteel arms. Armor plast helmets. Lightweight, sturdy metal chest plate. And now, six monstrous arms, four of them shaped, once again like human hands. Shaped like human hands in order, of course, to wield lightsabers, to Grievous the most sophisticated of weapons. In his new cloak -- the old one had been destroyed -- hung four light sabers. Blood red, sith light sabers. Yes, light sabers. Grievous remembered how to use them, still. He doesn't forget.

The other two arms were now attached to the very thing that destroyed him. Twin blasters hung at his sides. Attached by a welding droid to his new arms.

More powerful and gruesome as ever. And still as able a commander. Because he doesn't forget.

Anything.

And as the General stepped off his shuttle, the troops all bowed and knelt before him, reveling in his power, soaking up his battle glory.

All except one.

C-3PO absentmindedly looked at his surroundings until he realized a pair of yellow, emotionless eyes pierced through his helmet.

"Learn your place, soldier!" Grievous yelled. A durasteel arm immediately went for a light saber grip handle. C-3PO recoiled.

The blade went up.

"STOP! GENERAL!"

Grievous glared at the officer who had interrupted his kill. "Why should I?" he growled.

"It is the emperor's command. You are to send this one to him directly. And he says you are to meet him in the throne room at 0600 hours, sir. He wants to discuss a data sphere he left in Mustafar, I believe he wants you to acquire it."

"Very well. Take him away!" Grievous growled, motioning his arm -- one of them -- at Threepio.

Oh dear.

"Daddy, I don't want anymore!"

"You have to, Leia, you need to grow!"

"But it's so nasty!"

"Well that's not my fault. You should teach Tarra how to cook," Anakin said, winking at Tarra. Tarra flushed, but didn't say anything.

Then Anakin froze. He felt it. A surge in the Force. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" asked Tarra curiously.

"That … power. Something's wrong. I'm going to go check on Threepio, see if he has anything."

"At least finish your dinner," said Tarra in mock hurt.

Anakin laughed. "No, really, I'm full." Honestly, Anakin thought. Even Padme cooked better than Tarra, and Padme was horrible. In fact, without Threepio, they probably would have starved.

At the thought of Padme, and subsequently Threepio, Anakin rose from the dining table, turned, and strode to the computer room.

You are to send this one to him directly. Anakin watched in horror as the video replayed. "He's alive. And he knows," he whispered, and suddenly he wished he had brought Obi-Wan with him.

Anakin watched as Threepio walked down familiar hallways, until the droid walked into the throne room of Emperor Palpatine.

"Anakin," he addressed.

Sithspawn. He really does know. Anakin cursed, but he knew that pretending that he wasn't really Anakin would not do a thing. Deep secrets are to Palpatine apparent.

He overrode the speech command and spoke into a microphone, so his voice projected halfway across the galaxy, through the coagulator of C-3PO. "You're alive," he remarked.

Sidious smiled an evil smile, cackled, then spoke. "Yes, Lord Vader. I'm alive. You thought hurling me over a catwalk would kill me?"

"Yes."

Sidious' smile faded. "In a way, you did … kill me … Lord Vader."

Huh?

"I would have died, Lord Vader, under normal circumstances, when I fell down the shaft. I was able … to harness the power … to stop death. My dark powers saved me."

"You stopped --" Anakin was at a loss for words.

"Yes, Lord Vader. I stopped myself from dying."

Anakin gaped. Padme could be ... alive, he thought. Padme, if I could just … "How … how do I learn …"

"I have ... gained that power, Lord Vader ... but I can't do it alone. I will need your help, if I am to succeed ..."

Anakin continued to stare blankly at the holoprojector. "How –"

The Emperor smiled, enjoying every moment. The conversation was over. Anakin had been told all that Sidious wanted him to know. Raising his hands, he sent a course of electricity into C-3PO, frying the protocol druid's circuits and shutting off the conversation.

Threepio was one of Anakin's most prized possessions, but at that moment Anakin wasn't even thinking about him. Padme. That was all that was on his mind. Padme. Alive. It was possible. Would turning back to the Emperor's side be worth saving Padme? Yes, yes, anything for Padme. Padme, Padme, Padme.

Tarra was frustrated. Anakin would never really see it, he was too unbelievably stupid to realize that she ... well, to put it bluntly, she found him attractive. And not just the physical sense of the word. His character, his resolve, his undeniable power. He was ... an angel. And the angel was in pain.

"I'm going to check on what Anakin's doing," she said, rising from the table. Obi-Wan nodded, "I feel it too. Let's go."

Together, they raced toward the computer room, to find Anakin slumped in his seat, staring blankly at a ... blank screen.

His resolve and his power could not be seen. He was a man on the verge of falling over a cliff. He looked completely undecided, unsure of himself. He looked ... nothing like the person Tarra knew before.

"Anakin, what's wrong?" The words slip out of Obi-Wan's mouth before Tarra could open hers.

"He's alive."

"What? Who?"

"Sidious. He's ... alive ..."

"But you –"

"I know. That's why this is so ..." Anakin couldn't finish. His mind was somewhere else. Padme. He opened his mouth, he tried to tell Obi-Wan ... but before he could say anything, Obi-Wan spoke. "Play the transmission."

"What ... does he mean? He can't do what alone?" Obi-Wan asked, and Tarra echoed him, in her mind. It didn't make any sense. If Sidious had survived, why would he want Anakin – and the remaining Jedi – to know?

Anakin's mouth opened ... and croaked out one word. "Padme ..." then he fell silent.

And Obi-Wan understood. And was suddenly filled with fear. This was history happening all over again. Anakin wanted Padme back. And he would do anything to get her ... that was what Sidious wanted. He wanted Anakin. And this was dangerous, to all three Jedi in the room.

"Well," Tarra said brightly, "we should get going to Mustafar, then!"

"No, we shouldn't," Anakin's deadpanned voice responded dully.

What?

"It's a trap," he said, his voice full of defeat.

"Anakin, have you forgotten our policy on traps?"

Slowly, a small smile appeared on Anakin's face, and he said, "Let's ... spring that trap."

To Anakin Skywalker, the trip to Mustafar was a way for him to forget about his problems. To forget about the Emperor. To forget about Padme, if only for a few days. The last time he felt like this, he wanted to go with Obi-Wan to find Grievous. The Council overrode that, like they overrode everything, and Anakin was left behind, on Coruscant, to deal with all the politics and corruption.

This time he could get away.

"Plot the course, Captain, head for the Mustafar system."

General Grievous stepped off his shuttle, onto the warm ground of Mustafar. Lava erupted behind him, but he paid no heed to it. He was made mostly of durasteel, dammit, and that could stand up to just about anything. Even lava, the scientists had said.

Even so, Grievous wasn't about to take any chances. He walked gingerly across the catwalk – well, as gingerly as a machine could walk, anyway – and made his way into the control center. Once inside, he came upon a grisly scene. Rotting corpses lined the floor. Grievous could recognize the facial features, and it was unmistakable that whoever this "Darth Vader" character was, he had done a thorough job with the Separatist leadership. Nemoidian arms and heads lay strewn about the floor.

Coughing, the bio-droid kicked a few dead bodies out of his way and made his way to a central pad, where he punched in the access code, and acquired the data drive. Then he sent a transmission to Lord Sidious, informing his master that he had completed the mission.

"The plans are safe with me, master."

"No doubt they are, General ... prepare the troops ... I sense you are about to have company ..."

"... company?"

"Yes ... the Jedi are closing in ... on Mustafar. Do not let them capture the plans, General. And you must ... kill ... Kenobi."

Grievous choked. "Kenobi is with them? Good ... I shall finally have my revenge!"

"Be ... careful ... General ... the Empire's fate lies in your hands," said the hologram of Darth Sidious, and then the transmission was shut off.

Darth Sidious, or Emperor Palpatine, chuckled in his seat. "Actually ... the fate of the Empire lies in my hands ..."

"Sir, a ship is approaching planet, sir. Shuttle, lambda class."

"Lambda class? But that's an Imperial ship!"

"I'm only reporting what the scouts are saying, sir."

Grievous shook his head. "Prepare the troops. The Jedi will die today."

Anakin stepped off the shuttle, flanked by Tarra and Obi-Wan. "It seems quiet," Tarra remarked.

"I told you it was a trap."

Tarra turned to Obi-Wan. "Your damn policy on traps is going to get us killed!" she said, smiling.

"Lightsabers out," Obi-Wan warned.

Tarra drew out her old lightsabers, and ignited them. Emerald light shone from the two weapons. Two bars of blue plasma also lit.

No sooner had their lightsabers been activated did a hail of blaster bolts rain down upon them. The Jedi moved quickly, letting the Force guide their actions, and no bolts came close to touching them. Then, silence.

"Missiles!" Tarra cried, performing a leap to dodge the explosive-packed projectile. It exploded harmlessly behind her. Anakin and Obi-Wan leaped away as well, enhancing their jumps with the Force, evading the missiles as well. They were safe, but now they were separated.

Storm troopers bore down on Tarra and Anakin, who both, spinning and slashing, sent every blaster bolt back at the soldiers who fired it. Curiously, Obi-Wan was not attacked, and he hurried over to Anakin's side, to help him out.

Suddenly a huge droid leaped down on him, and a metallic fist caught Obi-Wan's stomach, causing the Jedi Master to stagger. Four red lightsabers appeared, and General Grievous laughed. "You were lucky last time, Jedi! Now, prepare to die!"

Obi-Wan, his lightsaber angled in a defensive position, retorted, "What if I'm lucky again?"

Grievous responded with a quick slash of a lightsaber, followed by three others. The first one was shunted easily. The second one was blocked. The third one forced Obi-Wan to give ground. The fourth lightsaber hit nothing but air.

"Really, I expected better from a monster. You're even worse than you were last time."

"I am only TOYING with you!"

"Really? I didn't get the impression this was fun for you. You look so ... pale."

Grievous didn't need this kind of harassment. He went on the attack again, slashing away with his blades, slicing rocks and dirt, making scorch marks on an already charred earth, but missing Obi-Wan entirely. "You can't run forever, Kenobi!"

"Watch me."

General Grievous growled in frustration, then fired blaster bolts, which the Jedi deflected easily. Obi-Wan, however, was not prepared for what came next. Displaying incredible agility, General Grievous somersaulted over his head and kicked out at Obi-Wan's back, connecting, and sending the Jedi Master, skidding, into the control center.

Clambering to his feet, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber, and beckoned. Grievous growled. "No blaster to save you now!"

"Ah, yes, but I have my lightsaber."

"Fool! I have four!"

"Now you're sounding like a child. Grow up, will you?"

Turning back bolts, Tarra said, "I thought you said this was a trap!"

Anakin shrugged, as he slashed the last remaining trooper in half, "Just because it's easy now doesn't mean it won't get harder later."

As if on cue, three gunships zoomed out from behind rocky slopes, lasers blasting, and missiles firing. With nowhere to take cover, the two Jedi had to leap and whirl, to dodge the explosives. "Head for the hills!" Tarra shouted.

"I told you it would get harder!"

"Don't remind me!"

Obi-Wan's mind was a whirl of memories. The last time he had battled in this room, he had fought against Anakin. And that hadn't turned out very well. Not for either of them.

But this time it was different. He had no feelings for Grievous. He didn't care for him whatsoever, and would really prefer for him to be dead, which he couldn't say about Anakin.

He lifted his blade, and went on the attack, his one blade taking on all four of Grievous' blades at once.

Obi-Wan on the offensive, Obi-Wan chuckled inwardly to himself. Anakin would regret missing out on this.

A/N: End Chapter 13! Read and Review! It's hard for me to update during the week – too much homework – but weekends will usually feature at least one update. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, there will be more to come, and I assure you, it is far from over. Well, maybe not that far. But far enough.