Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.

CH. 10

"TURNING POINT"

He knew he had to hurry. He kept his back against the face of the building while he cautiously crept towards the window of the room he had been seeking out – knowing he would find General Grievous and the senators taken hostage inside. He silently cursed to himself as he glanced down at the streets of Coruscant that rested far below him, more stories down than he cared to count. From his vantage point he could barely make out the bottom of the massive city.

The ledge protruding from the side of the building that he slid along gave him the space he needed to move, but it was far from comforting. He had never been particularly fond of heights and his current situation only made him dislike them even more.

Looking up at the sky, he could make out the faint flashes of the battle taking place above the planet. He sighed when he thought of what Padme had told him about Anakin…he had regained consciousness, but hastily fled to partake in the airborne assault that was being waged against the Separatist fleet advancing on Coruscant. In his opinion, his old padawan was in no condition to be doing anything so soon after a recovery from injuries such as his – most of all piloting a fighter.

It is just like Anakin to volunteer to do something so dangerous, he thought. He has always been reckless – always rushing into things without thinking of the consequences. I can only hope he will be as fortunate as he has been in the past and refrain from doing anything that might get himself killed.

As he neared his destination, Obi-Wan cleared his mind and turned his attention to the window just ahead of him.

This is it…

Slowly and quietly crouching down beside the window, he peered into the room and immediately spotted Grievous and his group of prisoners. Among them was Bail Organa.

I wonder where Master Yoda is?

He proceeded to watch while one of the senators debated something with the General, but he couldn't make out what they were saying from his place on the ledge. His eyes widened a moment later when one of Grievous' bodyguard droids struck down the senator that had been talking – killing him instantly.

"Blasted droids," he muttered to himself as he pulled his lightsaber from his belt.

Without skipping a beat, Obi-Wan called upon the Force and pushed against the window before him. He quickly leapt through the opening and into the room, shards of glass tumbling to the floor all around him.

Grievous was clearly infuriated by the unexpected appearance of the Jedi. "General Kenobi!"

"This has gone on long enough," Obi-Wan said, activating his lightsaber and bracing himself for any attack that might come his way.

Sure enough, Grievous' three bodyguard droids were stalking towards him within a matter of seconds.

"Dispose of this scum," Grievous sneered.

"What's the matter, General, afraid to face me yourself?" Obi-Wan mocked with a slight grin. "I never would have taken you for a coward."

His only response was a sinister cackle from the cybernetic General.

The bodyguard droids drew closer, electrostaffs scintillating with coursing energy while they prepared for their duel.

Great, Obi-Wan thought sarcastically. I'm going to have trouble penetrating those. Leave it to Grievous to supply his bodyguards with weapons that can deflect my strikes.

He effortlessly parried the swipe of the first droids staff and swiftly spun around, slicing through its neck and decapitating it.

A slight smile of satisfaction tugged at the corners of his mouth. This may be easier than I thought…

His smile quickly faded when the headless droid continued to swing at him.

Maybe not.

He flipped back to create some distance between him and his opponents as the other two droids charged forward to join in the fight. His glowing blade clashed with their staffs while he did his best to hold them off – knowing that he would need to devise a plan if he wanted to come out of the skirmish as the victor.

Speedily ducking a staff swipe meant to sever his own head from his shoulders, Obi-Wan took advantage of the nearest droids susceptible position and brought his lightsaber down on it. His blade sliced through the bodyguard that had already been beheaded, cutting it clean in half down the center of its body.

"One down, two to go," he remarked, watching the two halves of the droid fall to the floor.

He had little time to celebrate as the two bodyguard droids that were still standing once again advanced on him. He deflected the blows from his two adversaries and continued to fight them off.

Then an idea hit him and he quickly turned his attention to the electrostaff that belonged to the defeated droid that now lay in pieces on the ground. Using the Force to propel it through the air, the weapon flew into one of the remaining enemy droids and stabbed through its midsection. Sparks erupted from its torso and it sputtered before dropping to the floor with a loud thud.

"That makes two."

He didn't waste any time as he lunged at the last droid and began to take the offensive. Releasing a powerful barrage of blows, he pushed it back towards the opened window in hopes of knocking it out of the building. However, the tables soon turned and he suddenly found himself reeling back from the onslaught of strikes coming from the droid instead of delivering them himself.

Grievous watched in anticipation while his bodyguard gained the upper hand and confidently glanced over at the gathered politicians. He thoroughly enjoyed the expressions of pure horror plastered on all of their faces.

Padme held her blaster rifle in front of her protectively as she kept pace with the clone soldiers that were rushing through the halls of the Senate building.

Obi-Wan, I hope you're okay, she thought to herself. The stubborn Jedi had refused to let them accompany him – his reasoning; he could sneak up on the Separatist invaders and remain stealth much easier without their presence there to draw attention. She had reluctantly agreed and was now making her way up towards the floor that held Grievous and his hostages with a squad of troopers.

When they finally rounded the corner and approached the room they were looking for, a sound quite similar to lightsabers clashing could be heard from the other side of the door that led inside.

"Hurry!" Padme exclaimed.

Firmly clutching her blaster, her eyes widened when the door slid open and she saw Obi-Wan in a heated duel with a bodyguard droid. Unfortunately, it appeared as if the Jedi Knight was not winning.

"Obi-Wan, look out!"

He curiously glanced back over his shoulder when she called out to him. Diving aside to safety, Obi-Wan moved out of the way while Padme and the soldiers opened fire on the droid. Grievous angrily growled as the shots knocked his bodyguard back and it stumbled, tripping on the ledge behind it and falling through the shattered window. The enraged General turned to the former Queen of Naboo and the clone troopers while his only means of protection plummeted to its certain demise.

Obi-Wan panted from exertion, but raised his blade in a challenging gesture and took a step towards the Separatist leader. "Yield now, General, it is over. You are alone and outmatched."

"I do not need any help in taking care of you," Grievous spat in disgust.

Two robotic arms split into four, each of them holding the hilt of a lightsaber.

"I can see you have been repaired since we last met," Obi-Wan mocked, securely gripping his own weapon. "I suppose that is one of the advantages of being a machine."

Grievous took a menacing step forward and ignited his four blades. "I am no machine, General Kenobi."

"Padme, get the senators out of here," Obi-Wan ordered as he moved to block Grievous' only path to the exit.

Padme almost protested the idea, but thought better of it and quickly escorted them out of the room. She turned her attention back to Obi-Wan and Grievous' ensuing standoff for a long moment before hesitantly resuming her course.

Anakin jumped out of the cockpit of his starfighter the second it touched down. Ignoring the confused beeps coming from his R4 unit, he hurriedly started out of the hangar.

Don't worry, I'm coming.

He felt the pit of his stomach twist at the recent memory of what he had felt through the Force. It had been a warning -- a glimpse of what was going to happen…something that he would not let happen. They were in trouble and he was going to help them.

Hold on, he silently pleaded. I'll be there soon. Just hold on, please…