There is some Shaak/GG pairing in the following chapters. Don't' flame, because they're staying whether you like it or not! Thanks once again for the reviews! Keep my flame free streak going!

Ch. 5 Splitting up

Anakin's speeder roared through the lines of Coruscant traffic. Shaak was gripping the side with all her strength. She had faith in Anakin's abilities, but she wasn't used to his wide range of stunts. Urgency compelled him to be as reckless as possible and they had long since left the speed limit behind. Anakin's face was set in grim determination, though the shadow of a smile appeared whenever he pulled off a particularly steep nosedive.

They left the living sectors far behind and the industrial sector was almost upon them. Shaak glanced at Yoda's map, searching for landmarks similar to the ones that towered above them. There were a lot of warehouses of different shapes and sizes and a traffic system that wasn't much quieter than the living sector's. One major difference was that there were no night-clubs or diners in sight. Speeder and swoop parks surrounded each warehouse and factory. The sounds were strange too, no raucous music, no drunken laughter. Just the endless drone of factory droids and land speeders.

Anakin was not paying attention to the scenery, he was thinking about Padme. The speeder ride reminded him of the assassin they protected her from.

Shaak was staring out to the east.

"There it is. That's the area Yoda marked."

"Then that's where Obi-Wan is."

Anakin turned sharply and rocketed towards the building. Shaak gasped.

"Anakin, please don't-"

Anakin did the steepest dive yet, pulling up in the nick of time and stopping suddenly.

"-Do that…"

Anakin leapt out of the speeder and glanced at his surroundings. Shaak got shakily out of her seat. There were two doors in front of them, both leading into the building.

"Which one should we take?"

Anakin said to Shaak. Shaak glanced at the doors again.

"Both. It's the quickest way."

Anakin nodded.

"Ok, I'll take the one on the left."

"Alright, but we need a rendezvous point."

"How about here?"

Shaak sighed.

"Well, I suppose so."

The words had barely left her mouth, when Anakin flung open the left door. Shaak called after him.

"Wait! Do you have your comlink with you?"

"Yes."

And with that he ran down the tunnel. Shaak turned and walked to the other door.

"I hope he doesn't get in trouble."

. …

Anakin ignited and held his lightsaber ahead of him, as the door swung closed behind him. Its pale blue light reflected off the metal walls. He had encountered nothing but he was still tense. It was pitch black, the only light coming from the saber, but he had long ago conquered the childhood fear of the dark. His thoughts returned to Obi-Wan, and he started jogging along the passage. He glanced suspiciously at the emptiness. Why had he not been challenged yet? It was the perfect setting; he almost wanted a fight. He ran on, the only sound his footsteps. After a while of hard sprinting, he stopped. Something was here. Anakin concentrated. It wasn't a threat. He walked now, slowly. Clank. Instead of the usual tap, tap of his feet, he had stepped on something hollow. He got down on his knees and felt the floor. A file that felt slightly raised at the edges. He tried to pull at it but it wouldn't budge. Obi-Wan's words came to mind. Use the Force. Concentrate. He stood up and Force-lifted the tile up. It was light underneath, another tunnel. He jumped down into it. He landed softly and looked at the tunnel. It had fallen into disuse, the walls were cracked, and the floor dusty. It was illuminated by small neon lights that peppered the ceiling. Why there were lights in a tunnel that no one used was a mystery to Anakin. He began to walk down this tunnel too, feeling impatient. The tunnel seemed to lead nowhere and Obi-Wan could be in grave danger. He reached out for a clue to the tunnel's length; he must be under the building by now.

He froze. Finally, something was coming. A low humming started coming up the passage. It was a droid, but he couldn't tell what kind. Anakin heard it getting closer and pressed himself against the wall. There was more than one. His lightsaber rose a few inches as a black sphere appeared quite close to him with several appendages sticking out and one large red photoreceptor fixed on him. A probe droid. Anakin took no chances. He slashed it cleanly in two, the pieces falling heavily to the floor. He was aware of more droids coming. He was ready for them. The pieces piled around him as the probes kept coming. I wonder is Shaak having better luck.

The droids suddenly opened fire from hidden blasters, and Anakin dived to the side, and his lightsaber whirled and caught some of the bolts.

. …

Shaak's choice of tunnel was clean, and lit. She was beginning to like this tunnel. There were old pictures on the walls of herbs that the Jedi Healers used. She wondered why they were here, what this building was used for in the past. There was an elevator near by, and she walked up to it. The walls were transparisteel, she noted as she stepped inside.

Shaak didn't know what floor she wanted, so she pressed a 'random' button. The force of the elevator's upward acceleration threw her back. The elevator was climbing higher and it didn't show any sign of stopping. Shaak began to worry. Where was it taking her? There was no way to stop it, except the Force. Shaak concentrated, trying to ignore the rushing sound filling her ears. She bent her will towards the top of the elevator and put pressure on it. She felt it slow slightly and she was encouraged. She put all her strength to the task and the elevator slowed again then stopped. She raised a hand and the door slid open. Exhausted, but relieved, she stepped out of the elevator. She leaned against the nearest wall, panting.

After a minute she got back her feet and walked casually down the hall. She pushed open the nearest door and entered. It was an arena of some sort, memories of duels and anger, mixed with regret and fear, spoke to her out of the ground. There were no stands, but many doors scattered across the walls. Shaak took a deep breath and walked out to the centre of the room. There she sensed a presence somewhere behind the far door, approaching fast.

She sensed a troubled mind, a stubborn nature, an immeasurable rage that could never be quenched, and behind that, a deep sense of loneliness. Shaak froze, intrigued as the footsteps came closer. They were metallic footsteps, but no droid could house such a personality. The door opened slowly and she heard ragged breathing from damaged lungs. She felt this being spirit had been strong and fearless, but now broken, its energy spent, lost among old memories locked away. Taken from the prime of life, the only thing keeping it alive was the desperate need for revenge.

Shaak tensed as she sensed his moodiness and prepared herself for an interrogation as soon as she was spotted maybe even a fight. She was very glad of her lightsaber at her waist. A metal foot appeared, clawed like a Vraxtican eagle's talons. It was followed by another, but Shaak was watching the rest of the body come through. The being was very tall about seven feet at full height, she guessed, but very thin about his waist. A bone-white mask pocked and scored lightly with an ultrasonic vocabulator built into the bottom of it served as a face. Eye sockets with tribal markings similar to those on his body stretched above them and two fan-like structures lined the sides of the mask.

But his eyes held Shaak's gaze more than anything else did. Organic, golden with the fire of life still in the elongated pupils that narrowed when they saw her. The reddish-brown skin that surrounded and embedded them creased and matched the expression of shock and hatred in his bright eyes.

Time was going unnaturally slow, as Shaak stepped back cautiously and the cyborg reached down with a six digited hand to take a lightsaber from his long cloak's pockets. Shaak did not reach for hers, though her instincts screamed at her to do so, but she was too taken aback by this living and breathing being to heed them.

. …

The cyborg hesitated, seeing no return of aggression, just an astonished look. This Jedi seemed to be looking into his very soul. He never liked when people tried to read his thoughts, they were his own and strictly private. He ignited his lightsaber, deciding on only one. His opponent finally reacted and in one fluid movement had activated her lightsaber. He stepped forward menacingly bent on intimidation. The Jedi stepped back again and a barely audible whisper escaped her lips.

"Who are you?"

She didn't say it fearfully which was what Grievous expected. She sounded…just naturally curious. Why wasn't she begging for mercy if she had to speak?

"I am General Grievous."

The voice was deep with an alien accent. It was strangely familiar to Shaak. Where did it come from? Not from Shili, her home planet, but somewhere close.

As Grievous advanced she shifted her lightsaber into a defence position. He swung, she parried. He slashed, she ducked. Their eyes never left the others'. He was fast, and used an actively offensive style. She was experienced and used a more passive style. He jabbed at her legs, she jumped. Their lightsabers clashed and he towered over her.

Grievous was getting bored with the duel, he increased the speed of his attacks looking for more action, but Shaak only defended. Then she did the last thing Grievous had expected her to do in the midst of a battle; she smiled.

Shaak saw the confusion in his eyes and for a split second, she felt the desire to laugh. She decided to come clean.

"You're from Kalee."

The cyborg froze in mid slash, but she didn't attack in his moment of weakness. His tone was gruff.

"How do you know?"

"Your accent. I recognised it. Kalee is only two parsecs away from my homeworld. I had a Kaleesh friend in my childhood, before the Temple."

Just keep him distracted until I get out of here, she thought.

Grievous overcame his shock and resumed his attack, almost severing Shaak's arm.

"It doesn't matter that you know. You will soon be dead and that knowledge with you."

Shaak thought quickly.

"What do you remember from your childhood?"

Grievous didn't reply, but Shaak wasn't sure whether he was refusing to, or couldn't.