A/N: Hi everyone! Here's chapter 9, and I hope you like it. Things are heating up a bit, and we're starting to deviate from the original plotlines. We're going to be seeing a bit more action in this chapter and later on. The next chapter isn't written yet (sorry), but I will have it started eventually. But anyone who reads my stories knows I'm terrible at uploading chapters, so bear with me until the next one comes out. All the same, I hope you like this chapter and find it interesting.
Until next time, please read, review, and enjoy!
The Clone War threatens the unity of the Republic! As battles rage across the galaxy, more worlds succumb to the seductive lure of the Separatists and leave the Republic. On a vital mission of peace, Senator Padmé Amidala journeys to the Outer Rim world of Rodia, desperate to ensure its loyalty remains to the Republic….
Several weeks after the destruction of the planet where Starkiller Base would have been, the woman had sent word she would be going to Rodia. Padmé was also on her way to meet with her old friend Onaconda Farr, the Senator of Rodia. Landing on the planet, she had been greeted by Senator Farr's aide, Silood, who took her to see the Senator. Arriving where Farr was waiting, Padmé greeted him warmly in his language, to which he responded before she said, "I've missed you so much."
"I was afraid you might not come. We are such a small and humble system," Onaconda said as they started walking across the courtyard.
"Uncle Ono, you are very important to me. We've been friends since I was a little girl, when you were my father's strongest ally in the Senate. Rodia is very important to the Republic, and of course I'd come to help you," Padmé said as they walked.
Her words were no comfort to Onaconda, though, as he said, "You speak of friendship I have not witnessed of late. Where was the Republic when our supply ships were destroyed by pirates? Where was the Republic as my people starved? We have been stranded out here without any help at all. I know it is not your fault, but my people starve all the same," as they stopped walking and faced each other.
"I'm sure the Republic Senate will approve a relief effort. The vote was postponed, but you will get your food," Padmé said, trying to convince him that the Republic would send help.
"I am sorry. It is too late, my sweet. The Separatist leader Nute Gunray has promised to support us with a very generous relief effort," Onaconda said, trailing off for a moment to murmur in his own language before saying, "He is giving us food, ships, and protection."
"Nute Gunray cannot be trusted. He will bring war to your system just as he did to mine many years ago," thinking quickly, Padmé asked, "What about our friend? She is on her way here. She could help you get food more quickly."
Farr sighed, "I thought about asking for her help, but I know that that food comes with a price attached to it. I can't bring myself to accept it."
"That price is something she pays; she made that clear, Uncle Ono," Padmé said urgently, "She would never ask your people to pay anything for it or ask you for something you cannot give. And if the Separatists start looking for her when she becomes more active, will you keep your silence about her if it means your people starve? She trusts your loyalty and silence, and you can ask for her help when she gets here. She can't stand seeing innocents hurt. She will get you your food!"
Farr sighed and lowered his head, "I am afraid I have already done what I must for my people," as droids rushed out and surrounded Padmé.
Onaconda activated a holoprojector, revealing someone Padmé loathed completely, "Viceroy, I should have known," Padmé said when she saw him.
"You won't get away this time, Senator. Your friend made a deal with me, and you are part of it," Gunray said, clearly savoring the moment.
Seeing no good way out of the situation, Padmé looked around for a few seconds before grabbing her comlink and activating it, "Threepio, come in, Threepio!" desperately trying to get Threepio to help her.
"Stop her!" Gunray exclaimed, and a droid grabbed her arm and crushed the comlink just as she was trying again, "Three –"
"No one can help you now," Gunray said, while Onaconda added sadly, "I am so sorry, my sweet. I had no choice."
"There's always a choice! To live in fear is no life at all!" Padmé said, trying to get him to see reason, but Gunray gave her no chance to try harder, "Take her away!" he ordered the droids, who immediately obeyed and started walking her away, leaving Onaconda no choice but to listen to her pleas as she was led away, "Please, Uncle Ono, don't do this."
"You have made a wise decision, Senator. I will be there within the hour to bring food for your people and collect my prize," Nute Gunray said, ending the transmission and leaving Senator Farr to wonder if he truly was making a grave mistake.
At that moment, Silood came and said, "There is a ship approaching. It is not the Viceroy."
Farr stared at him a moment before saying, "She has terrible timing. Try and get her to land in another city while the Viceroy is here. She can't stand droids and will destroy them, and then there will be no food for our people."
Silood nodded and left but secretly knew that the woman they were trying to deflect wouldn't be fooled for very long and relied on them to keep her secret. She wouldn't let herself land anywhere else but this city, and he would be hard-pressed to prevent her.
Half an hour later, the woman touched down in the domed city with her starfighter. The Ghost was a useful vessel and well adapted to anything she wanted it to do, but sometimes she just needed her starfighter to get her into places the Ghost couldn't. And while what looked like a Jedi starfighter could land here without anyone being the wiser, a light freighter would have drawn more attention, especially on a planet where people were starving and hoping every freighter was carrying food and supplies. Once landed and outside her fighter, she was greeted by Silood, who only said quietly, "Senator Farr has aligned us with the Separatists in a bid to get food and supplies to us. You should stay away and leave while you can. He won't betray you, I don't think, but he has already betrayed Senator Amidala to Nute Gunray."
Hearing this, the woman was surprised. She never would have imagined that Senator Farr would turn against Padmé like that, even to save his own people. They had known each other for so long it hadn't even seemed like a possibility to her. But she knew he was desperate for any way to keep his people alive, and this was the only option he thought would work.
Shaking her head slightly, she turned to Silood and nodded towards the entrance to the city, and he sighed. Sometimes, there was no stopping this woman, but at least he had convinced her to hide her ship at a lesser-used hangar. Hopefully, Gunray wouldn't notice her when he arrived. He led her quickly through the city, keeping to the more deserted hallways and avoiding the droids that were now everywhere. Finally, they arrived at a balcony that gave them a view of the entire landing area where Gunray would soon arrive but left them invisible to everyone below them. Once there, Silood left her to assist Senator Farr, leaving the woman no option but to watch and wait and see what would happen.
Fifteen minutes later, Gunray's shuttle arrived, and the woman watched as he disembarked, followed by battle droids. Onaconda and his people folded their arms over their chests in their customary greeting, with Onaconda saying, "The citizens of Rodia welcome you, Viceroy."
Gunray clearly was in no mood for niceties since he only asked, "Where is Senator Amidala?" to which Onaconda replied, "Awaiting your arrival as promised."
"Excellent. I do not wish to keep her waiting. Shall we go?" Gunray asked with a smile. Then he, Onaconda, and Silood started walking towards the detention tower, with Onaconda explaining, "We are holding the Senator in the detention tower." Gunray scowled before saying darkly, "I hope it is not too painful for her."
From her vantage point, the woman was able to see that Jar Jar and Threepio were hiding from the droids and craning her ears; she was able to hear Jar Jar say, "Sheesa up in that tower?" looking up at the tower, "Weesa got to rescuing her."
"And how precisely do you propose to do that?" Threepio asked, but Jar Jar wasn't really able to think of anything because at that moment, one of the battle droids escorting Onaconda, Gunray, and Silood turned around and saw Jar Jar. Assuming, with the Jedi robe he was wearing, that Jar Jar was a Jedi, the droid exclaimed, "Look, a Jedi!"
"We're doomed," Threepio said when he heard that, while Gunray turned around and exclaimed, "A Jedi?!"
"Jedi? Where's a Jedi?" Jar Jar asked, turning around and looking for the supposed Jedi, but Threepio was able to guess exactly who the droids and Gunray assumed was a Jedi, "I do believe they mean you."
"Meesa not a Jedi!" Jar Jar exclaimed, but Gunray clearly wasn't going to believe him since he ordered his droids, "Kill the Jedi!"
"Don't shoot. We surrender! We surrender!" Threepio said as he put his hands up, but Jar Jar had other ideas: "Forget surrender! Weesa run!" as he turned and ran, the droids chasing after him as they shot at him.
"Jar Jar!" Threepio exclaimed as the droids stopped running and removed the cloak from an open grate. Gunray called, "Is he dead?"
"The Jedi got away," one of the droids said, "He slipped through this grate and went underwater."
Watching from above, the woman smiled as she watched all that was happening, although she was also surprised that Jar Jar had been able to successfully elude the droids that had been chasing him since she had heard he was incredibly accident-prone. Turning back to what was happening, she listened as Gunray started ordering his droids around while Onaconda watched from the background, "Sound the alarm! Find that Jedi!"
"I can see you're busy, so I'll just be going now," Threepio said quietly, putting his hands down and trying to disappear without anyone noticing, but Gunray saw and added, "And take that Republic droid scum to the dismantling center."
"Dismantling center? Wait, wait. I'm innocent. I'm innocent, I tell you," as the droids started forcing Threepio in that direction.
"Let's find that Jedi," one of the droids said, the others agreeing and spreading out to search. At the same time, Gunray turned to Onaconda and said, "Take me to Senator Amidala at once!"
The Viceroy and Onaconda left after that, and a few minutes later, Jar Jar appeared out of the water and shut the grate with a bang. Craning her ears again, the woman was able to hear him say, "There's a bad boogie monster down there, you betcha," putting the cloak back on and saying firmly to himself, "Don't be fearing, Padmé. Meesa coming."
Above him, the woman couldn't help but smile, but soon the smile disappeared as she watched Jar Jar start the difficult task of saving Senator Amidala, unable to know that she was already saving herself rather well. Knowing there was nothing else for her to do at this point, the woman slipped away from the balcony, eventually coming to a hallway that ran perpendicular to the one Gunray, Senator Farr, and Silood were walking along. Gunray didn't see her, but Silood did, nudging Farr. Farr turned to the hallway briefly, and upon seeing the cloaked being leaning against the wall, he shut his eyes and sighed inwardly. He should have known she wouldn't stay away, and now she was making her presence known as a way to tell him he had made a grave mistake.
Once on the walkway leading to the detention tower, and after they had fallen behind Gunray and his droids, he and Silood were able to speak privately, with Silood voicing his concern about what was happening. Onaconda couldn't help but agree, "Padmé was right. I have made a grave mistake joining with the Separatists."
Silood agreed but also added a concern of his own regarding what Gunray would do to them if he realized they were no longer loyal to him, "I know, I know. We must appease Viceroy Gunray so he does not destroy us all. Be on alert for that Jedi. He is our only hope," both of them knowing the woman wouldn't help them since it would mean giving herself away before she was ready.
Silood agreed, but soon the woman was forgotten about when it became clear Padmé had escaped. Once Gunray was captured and the Republic had arrived, they were able to take a breath.
As the clones spread out to deal with any surviving droids and the Kwazel Maw that had helped them by pushing Gunray's shuttle into the water, Padmé and Farr were able to slip away for a few minutes while Silood distracted Jar Jar and Threepio and the clone officer. Once they were alone, the woman came out of hiding, and Farr was able to say sadly, "I am sorry, my friend, for what I did. I should have known better," turning to Padmé.
Padmé only smiled and said, "It's alright, Uncle Ono. We all make mistakes, and thankfully this one can be fixed."
The woman nodded along with her, and a few seconds later, the two senators turned to her. Farr asked then, "Now that Gunray has been arrested and things are settled down here, what brings you here, old friend? Do you need something from us?"
The woman nodded seriously and took out a small holoprojector, activating it and showing them a wanted poster. Both senators read it carefully, then reread it to make sure it was real. Sure enough, it was real, and finally, Padmé looked up and asked, "Is this an active threat?" when the woman nodded, Padmé turned to Onaconda and said, "We need to alert Master Fisto as soon as possible."
Onaconda finally looked up from the wanted poster that detailed everything there was to know about Kit Fisto and the amount being offered for his capture, as well as who was allowed to take such a bounty and said, "It will be difficult to get word to him. Neither of us have a reason to know him, except for you," nodding at the woman with them, "and you can't reveal that you even exist yet. There is no way to send a warning to him in time."
"Maybe not," Padmé agreed, "but we should definitely try. He is holding the Conspiracy together as much as anyone else, and if he falls or is killed, then it will be difficult to carry on. Some of our more secretive allies in the Conspiracy are only in it because he is involved."
Onaconda nodded while the woman put the holoprojector away and looked out at the courtyard, watching as more gunships arrived. The doors of one of them opened, and out came two Jedi, Master Luminara Unduli and Ahsoka Tano. They immediately headed for Gunray, and the two senators looked at each other for a moment before Padmé said, "We should get out there before anyone notices we're gone. We'll try to send word to…." trailing off as she turned back around and realized she was talking to empty air.
The woman was gone, likely to get back to her starfighter and hide it from any curious clones, leaving the senators no choice but to look at each other before Onaconda said, "We can try to figure out a way to get word to Master Fisto. I think she was only here to warn us there was something wrong, and we would need to be on our guards more so than usual. And, likely, she has already sent word to him."
Padmé shook her head, "She won't send a transmission to his fleet when Captain Tarkin is on board and can intercept it. She doesn't trust him. Or like him, for that matter."
Onaconda sighed before saying quietly, "Just what have we gotten ourselves into?" to himself and walking out to speak with Master Unduli and Ahsoka. Padmé followed a few seconds later, also wondering if she was doing the right thing. In the end, she decided she was if only to save the galaxy some pain and a lot of death, and so could only follow her old friend out to the courtyard to speak with the Jedi taking Gunray into custody.
Behind them, a cloaked starfighter took off and headed for space and the unknown, the pilot knowing she had done all she could here for the moment. Whether the Republic delivered food or not didn't matter; she had already sent her own supply ships, complete with protection, to Rodia, and they would be there soon.
Viceroy Gunray captured! Senator Padmé Amidala has scored a victory against the Separatist Alliance on the remote world of Rodia, securing the arrest of the diabolical Confederate leader Nute Gunray. The Jedi Council has dispatched Master Luminara Unduli and Anakin Skywalker's Padawan Ahsoka to escort the Viceroy to Coruscant under heavy guard. Once there, he will face trial for his many war crimes….
As the Jedi prepared to start the journey to Coruscant with Nute Gunray, the Separatists were planning something of their own. On board his frigate and accompanied by a fleet, Dooku quickly got down on one knee when a transmission came through. Darth Sidious stood before him, "Gunray's capture could be a serious threat to us, my friend. The Viceroy will not last long under Jedi interrogation."
"I have already put a plan into action, my lord." Dooku said, "My best agent, Asajj Ventress, will infiltrate the Jedi ship and either free Gunray or silence him."
"Ventress?" Sidious asked, not quite believing it was a good idea, "You are putting a great deal of faith in an operative who has failed us in the past."
"She is a gifted assassin," Dooku said quickly, trying to convince his lord, "You have my word. She will complete her mission to the letter."
"Very well," Sidious agreed, deciding to allow Dooku to prove Ventress was capable of completing the mission, "You may proceed," ending the transmission. Seconds later, the doors opened, and Ventress walked in, "Master," she said.
"There is no margin for error this time, child," Dooku said, the weight of what he was saying more than clear to Ventress, "You must prove yourself worthy of being my apprentice."
"I am worthy, as you shall see," smiling as she said this before leaving the bridge to prepare for her mission. But she didn't head for the hangar right away to get the boarding ships and vulture droids prepared. Instead, she went to her quarters for a few minutes, locking the door behind her and taking a small but powerful transmitter out from a hidden panel in the wall. After a few minutes, she warmed it up and was able to get someone on the other end: a hologram of the woman Dooku's master would have rewarded Ventress handsomely for if she had thought to betray her.
But she didn't, and so only said, "My master is sending me out to release Viceroy Gunray. I will be going up against Jedi and clones, something you warned me to be cautious of. Are you certain about this path? I can't turn away or think of an excuse to get out of this mission."
The woman only nodded slowly, and Ventress sighed, "Just be careful and hope things work out the way they are supposed to, right?" the woman nodded again, a slight smile on her lips, and Ventress nodded, "Alright, I'll see what happens. If nothing else, I'll be able to hone my skills and get some practice in. I doubt the Jedi will be much of a challenge, and the clones are easy pickings no matter what."
The woman only looked at her a moment before abruptly ending the transmission, clearly not interested in what came next, and Ventress quickly hid the transmitter in the wall again after turning it off. She looked around her quarters one last time before leaving to start her mission.
No matter what happened, Gunray would walk free today.
Hours later, Ventress was able to free Gunray with the help of Captain Argyus. Unfortunately for the captain his greed spoke for him a little too much, especially his desire to impress Dooku and make it seem like he was the mastermind behind the entire plan, something Ventress' pride wouldn't tolerate. Once free of the Tranquility, Ventress killed the captain almost immediately before she greeted the Viceroy, who was quick to say, "I always had a good feeling about you, assassin."
Ventress smiled slightly as she took the pilot's seat and said, "We'll be heading for the Separatist fleet, but first I have something I need you to do for me," she turned and looked the Viceroy dead in the eye, "Something Count Dooku can never know about. I'm sure you can remember to keep that promise," inclining her head ever-so-slightly toward Argyus' dead body.
Gunray immediately gulped and said, "Whatever you need, assassin, I will be more than happy to help. Just let me know what it is."
Ventress smiled slightly as she prepared the ship for hyperspace, and minutes later, they had disappeared as the hyperdrive was activated, and they jumped away from the hobbled Republic cruiser behind them.
Viceroy Gunray escapes! En route to Coruscant to stand trial for war crimes, evil Separatist leader Nute Gunray has broken free of his Jedi escort. With the help of Count Dooku's sinister agents, the villainous viceroy has made a daring getaway. Alerted to the bold prison break, Jedi Master Kit Fisto has traced the stolen ship to a remote system, hoping to recapture Gunray and return him to justice….
In his starfighter and away from his fleet, Kit had tracked the stolen ship and was now ready to relay his position to the fleet. R6 wasn't so sure about the mission, turning his head behind to his master and beeping his concern, and Kit laughed before saying, "I know we're in the middle of nowhere, R6, but that's the Republic beacon we're looking for. Contact the Outer Rim command," he said, and R6 agreed, putting through a transmission to the ship in question and immediately getting Luminara Unduli and Ahsoka Tano, "Master Luminara, I have tracked the location of our stolen ship to the Vassek system," Kit said.
"So has your old Padawan, Nahdar Vebb. He's already on the surface," Luminara said, and Kit smiled, "It'll be great to see Nahdar again."
"I'll transmit the coordinates for the rendezvous point," Ahsoka said before adding, "And Master Fisto, sorry we lost that slimy double-dealer."
"Don't worry, Ahsoka, we'll catch Gunray yet," Kit said with a wink and a smile. Ahsoka smiled as well before saying, "Good hunting," and bowing before the transmission ended.
After Ahsoka signed off, Kit had R6 detach the hyperspace ring and head for the moon's surface. As he brought the ship in for a landing, he felt a ripple in the Force and smiled slightly before getting out of his ship, hiding the wince the action caused. His stomach was acting up more than usual today, but still, he was glad to feel that presence. An old friend was here, and it wasn't Nahdar Vebb, even though he was glad to see his old Padawan again. She must be here for either the same reason as he or something close to it. Whatever was here was worth her while, so it was definitely something worth checking out. He had gotten word from a contact in the underworld that there was a significant bounty on his head, and he knew what it was about, but that wouldn't stop him from doing what was required of him. And that meant leaving his fleet and its safety for this moon and finding Nute Gunray.
But still, he couldn't help but smile as he headed over to where Nahdar and his clones were waiting, laughing before saying, "Nahdar. Congratulations on passing the trials. I'm sorry the war prevented me from seeing your training through to the end."
"You were missed, Master," the Mon Calamari said, pushing his cloak hood back, "but it is an honor to finally serve beside you as a Knight."
"General," Nahdar's commander spoke up then, "we've pinpointed the tracking beacon's location to the south end of the gorge," pointing in that direction.
"Then let's have a look," Kit said, turning back to his old Padawan. Nahdar said eagerly, "Allow me to show the way," using the Force to push away the fog and mist that surrounded them and the gorge they were standing next to, revealing an entryway into a fortress built into the mountain.
"Charming," Kit said, hiding the fact that it was not something he would have done but deciding to let Nahdar have this moment as a Knight, "Let's not keep the Viceroy waiting," walking over to the entrance of the fortress, while Commander Fil gave out orders to two of his clones, "Niner, Bel, look after the ships," and the two clones immediately obeyed, "Yes, sir."
Stepping up to the entrance, Kit couldn't help but wonder aloud, "No guards? That's odd." At the same time, Nahdar said, "The entrance looks sealed," and Fil added, "We specialize in making entrances," a grenade armed and ready. Nahdar also ignited his lightsaber, "This will make less noise," both of them heading for the door, but were stopped by Kit's outstretched hand before he said, "Patience, the both of you. A second look usually pays off," looking more closely at the door before asking almost to himself, "What's this?" as he pushed a panel of one of the doors, causing both to open. He started walking inside, followed by Nahdar and the clones.
Once inside and walking along the hallways, the clones couldn't help but notice something….different, "You smell that?" Fil asked the clone walking behind him, who said, "Doesn't smell like droids to me."
After a few minutes of walking, another clone said, "It's too dark to see anything," the clones stopping for a moment to turn their head lamps on, and then Kit couldn't help but sense something was off, "I sense there's something here," looking around and up as they continued walking.
"Scanners are negative, General," Fil said moments before….something….hissed in the darkness, causing their guards to go up instantly. Another clone said, "Well, that was something," as they started heading down another corridor, eventually making their way to a large room where a familiar voice could be heard.
Hiding behind doors and listening, the Jedi and clones could easily hear Gunray's voice, "All droids stay on guard. Be ready for anything," a droid immediately replying, "Roger, roger."
"Double shifts for everyone," Gunray continued as the Jedi and clones started sneaking closer and closer to be in a better position to attack, inadvertently catching the attention of the droids, but not the Viceroy who was sitting in a chair facing away from them, one of whom tried to get the Viceroy's attention: "Uh, Viceroy?"
"You must protect me at all costs," Gunray said. The droid tried again, "Uh, Viceroy, the Jedi are here," as the Jedi walked into the room, both smiling at the droid's attempts and Gunray's response, "I know they're near. Once those Jedi pick up my trail, they never leave me alone."
The Jedi ignited their lightsabers, and one of the droids said, "They're right behind you!" and this time Gunray paid attention: "What?! Where?! Do something! You! Blast them!" and the droids responded immediately, firing at the Jedi and the clones right behind them. The Jedi began deflecting the bolts with their lightsabers, and the droids started realizing that this likely wouldn't end well for them, with one of them asking the one next to him, "Have you ever killed a Jedi?" to which the other one replied, "No, never," before shooting at the Jedi some more, "Me neither," the first droid said, but that was when the Jedi increased their attack, with Nahdar flipping through the air and cutting a droid in two before moving on, displaying more force and aggression than before.
"Don't even think about it, Republic dogs!" one droid exclaimed but was immediately destroyed by Nahdar, who used the Force to separate the pieces even more. That was the last droid, and Kit asked as he sheathed his lightsaber, "I didn't forget to teach you restraint, did I, my old Padawan?"
"I am sorry, Master," Nahdar said, "I got carried away," and Kit added, "Those who have power should restrain themselves from using it," a hard-taught lesson for him and one that he always made sure to teach his Padawans.
"Lieutenant," Gunray's voice interrupted the conversation, "Did you get them?" and they walked over to the chair. Nahdar answered, "No, but we have you, Viceroy," using the Force again to push the chair around, expecting to see the real Gunray. Instead, they were greeted by a hologram, who said gloatingly, "You have nothing, Jedi fools. I welcome you to your doom," laughing as the transmission ended.
"The tracking beacon," Nahdar said, finding it and tossing it in the air, catching it one-handed as he said, "They knew we were coming," and Kit replied, "I should have known Gunray wasn't here. At the first sight of us, he would have run off screaming like the coward he is."
Nahdar frowned a moment, but just then, the chair in front of them displayed another hologram of someone equally familiar to the Jedi, as he used to be one of them: Count Dooku.
"I apologize for the deception, Master Jedi," the fallen Jedi said, and Kit narrowed his eyes, "Count Dooku. You have a great talent for unexpected appearances."
"It's a shame you came so far to be frustrated," Dooku continued, "While the Viceroy is unavailable for capture, allow me to offer you an alternative prize," and the transmission ended, with a button the chair arm activating, blinking red, and Fil immediately said, "This has got to be a trap."
Kit couldn't help but agree, "It looks like Dooku is trying to catch someone, and we're the bait."
"But who has the trap been set to catch?" Nahdar asked, "Shall we find out?" reaching down and pushing the button, which caused a door at the far end to slide open slowly. They headed for the door, Kit in the lead. Walking down the hallway that had appeared, they passed several doors. The first door opened to reveal a room filled with statues of what looked like a warrior. Slightly disturbed now, the Jedi and clones continued on to the second room, which opened to reveal even more statues, but these statues were of what looked like someone in the middle of a transformation, as well as a holotable, and Kit couldn't help but say, "This place looks like a shrine to that strange warrior," continuing on to the last room, which opened to reveal a rather familiar sight to anyone who had ever faced one of the Separatists most feared generals: rows upon rows of armor, and Kit immediately realized where they were, "This is the lair of General Grievous," turning to Nahdar as he said this, who nodded. The younger Jedi looked around with narrowed eyes, while Kit felt a nagging twinge in his gut that had nothing to do with the pain in his stomach.
Things had just gotten a lot more dangerous.
Elsewhere in the fortress, the woman sprinted down another corridor and up a flight of stairs, avoiding a few unpleasant traps she had been warned of beforehand, eventually coming to a wall with a vent in it. Slipping into the vent and sliding down it as quickly as she could, she finally made it to the control room, avoiding the droid that seemed to be the caretaker of the place as she did so. It only took her a few seconds to plug into the system and download the entire contents before disappearing back into the vent and slipping out the way she had come in: through the front door, just like Kit and his companions.
Hopefully, some of what she needed was in that download, but she would stay until Kit left and safely returned to his fleet or was back on Coruscant. She didn't like this bounty being out there for him, but there wasn't much she could do for him without blowing her cover.
And hopefully, Kit could handle himself and stay safe.
Deep in space, Soulless One headed for the third moon of Vassek with Grievous in the cockpit, having fled another disastrous fight against the Jedi that hadn't gone his way. He was grumbling to himself about the loss when his communications equipment signaled he was getting a transmission. He immediately accepted the message, already knowing who it would be, "Yes, my lord?"
"General, the ongoing stalemate in the war has become unacceptable," Dooku said, "There is concern you have lost your focus." Grievous narrowed his eyes at that, not liking the insinuation, and Dooku continued, "Lord Sidious demands more dramatic results. More dead Jedi."
Dooku's comments enraged Grievous, who immediately said, "You expect victory over Jedi, but all you give me to fight them is battle droids," slamming his metallic hand down and ending the transmission, not at all caring about the fact he had just cut communication with his lord, that was how upset he was.
On the other side of the transmission, Dooku smiled to himself. Grievous was heading for his lair, the Jedi were already there and were likely getting a trap ready for the cyborg, and things were preceding as planned.
The fact Kit Fisto was at Grievous' lair made this all the better, especially if Grievous could accomplish the task of actually capturing the Jedi Master.
Back in Grievous' lair, the Jedi and clones were looking over the trophies Grievous had collected from fallen Jedi, and Nahdar couldn't help but feel his anger grow at the sight before him, "These must be trophies taken from the Jedi he's murdered," running a webbed hand over the braids spread out before him, "There are so many."
"Why would Dooku want to set a trap for his best General?" Kit asked, looking at a lightsaber in his hand as he did so, "It doesn't make sense," and Nahdar asked, "Are we the bait, or is Grievous the bait?"
"We must consider who this trap is for," Kit said, but at that moment, his comlink beeped. He raised his arm in time to hear the clones on the other end say, "General, your droid is tracking an incoming ship. It matches a description of General Grievous' fighter. It's headed our way."
"Keep out of sight and stand by for further orders," Kit said, while Nahdar added, "Capturing Grievous could turn the tide of the war."
"And if he doesn't know we're here, we can take him down easy," Fil said, realizing what it could mean as he drew a pistol, but Kit was a bit more cautious, "Don't underestimate him. We need a plan."
Minutes later, a plan was figured out and agreed upon, and then the Jedi and clones got into position, waiting for Grievous. He came soon enough, clanking down the hallway as he looked around, "Guards? Gor?" looking left and right for his guards and whatever Gor was, "Gor, where are you?" only to be blinded by bright lights and ambushed by Jedi and clones; the Jedi with their lightsabers ready and the clones with their blasters loaded.
"Welcome home, General," Kit said, "I'm afraid I must request your surrender," pointing his lightsaber at Grievous before getting into ready position, "Cooperate, Grievous, and perhaps the Senate will be merciful."
"It is you who shall get no mercy," Grievous said menacingly as he dropped his cloak and ignited two lightsabers, one blue and one green. He lunged forward, but his two lightsabers got caught in the wall. Seeing this, the two Jedi lunged forward, trapping his blades, but he only detached his extra arms and ignited two more blades. He attacked Kit with the blue blades, but Kit held his ground easily and successfully countered before pining those blades. At the same time, Nahdar ducked under the two green blades, getting out of the way of the clones as Kit called, "Cables!" the clones launching their cables into Grievous' legs to keep him from going anywhere.
Grievous roared in anger, trying to get his lightsabers down to where he could cut the cables, but the Jedi held firm, not giving him a chance. At the same time, the clones strained against the strength of the cyborg, pulling back on the cables to keep him in place, "Don't let him go!" one clone called, while another yelled, "We got him!"
"Don't let him cut the lines!" Kit ordered, his arms shaking with the strain of holding Grievous back, disengaging for a moment to cut Grievous' legs off so that he couldn't stand any longer. Grievous immediately jumped up to the ceiling, holding on tight as the clones tried to force him back to the ground, "Hold him!" one clone yelled, pulling hard on the cable and finally forcing Grievous back to the ground, where he tried to spider crawl away, but Nahdar was faster. As the clones continued pulling back, Nahdar swung his blade, and Grievous blocked it. As he did so, Nahdar said quietly, "Don't make me destroy you."
Grievous only spun his blade, forcing Nahdar to jump back, before throwing the lightsaber at Kit, who quickly deflected it. It hit the wall and went out, and Grievous jumped back onto the ceiling. But this time, one of the cables retracted, sending the clone holding the rifle straight to Grievous. The cyborg grabbed the clone and used him to hit Kit, making him fall back into Fil and another clone, "Come and get me!" the cyborg taunted as Fil helped Kit up and Kit reignited his blade.
Grievous threw the clone he was holding at Nahdar, and Nahdar had no choice but to get him off as Grievous dropped back down to the ground, laughing hoarsely. He took off then, using the ceiling to get moving, but not before Fil shot him in the eye and damaged his faceplate. He took off then, with Kit and two clones following, while Nahdar called to two other clones, "Cut him off!" before also running after the cyborg.
Somehow Kit found himself alone but followed his ears to the sound of blaster fire. He found two clones down and Grievous nowhere in sight when he got there. Nahdar, Fil, and the other clone appeared then, and they grouped together and went after where they thought Grievous had gone, but he was gone. They split up then, but it was clear he was really gone, and Fil asked, "Where'd he go?"
"The clones got in the way," Nahdar said in frustration, "I could have taken him."
Kit frowned at that but only said, "Let's take care of our wounded," walking back to where they had left the two downed clones.
Grievous had retreated deep into his lair, specifically the control room, where he was met with his cranky repair droid, A4-D. The droid was less than impressed when he saw the state of his master, saying, "Look what you let those Jedi do to you. You're a walking scrap pile. What a mess. It's going to take me forever to get you back into decent shape. I'll go fetch your spare parts," turning and leaving the room as he said this.
Grievous followed by the roof, asking, "What happened to my bodyguards?" when he saw the Magnaguards hanging from the ceiling, and A4 said, "They were remotely deactivated for recharge. I thought you did it."
Grievous coughed as he hit a button on the side of the door, activating a few of his guards. Their eyes turned red as they were turned on, and they dropped to the ground, ready for orders, which came soon enough: "Lock down the perimeter," Grievous said before pulling up in his chair to the control room monitors to watch the Jedi and their clones as they tended their wounded, "Let me go after Grievous myself, Master," Nahdar said as he kneeled next to one of the fallen clones.
"Patience, Nahdar," Kit said, "You may no longer be a Padawan, but you are not ready to take on Grievous. It's time we retreated," and the remaining clones turned and left with the Jedi, Nahdar following a few seconds later.
"You are not going anywhere," Grievous said as he watched them run down the hall towards the exit, pushing buttons on his controls and shutting the doors. Kit stopped then, saying, "It looks like we're going to have to fight after all," turning to Fil, who immediately activated his comlink.
"Green scout to watcher base," he said and was responded to immediately, "Copy. This is watcher base, over," Niner said.
"Contact the fleet at Besteene," Fil continued, "Inform them we've engaged Grievous and require reinforcements."
"Right away, sir," was the reply and the communication ended. Seconds later, the Magnaguards destroyed the shuttle, leaving R6 in a bit of a bind and deciding to contact his master for advice, especially when he saw the Magnaguards approaching the starfighter.
Running down the hallway, Kit heard his droid and actually stopped to give the droid some very clear instructions: "Get out of there, R6, now!" and R6 did so, but doing so caused him to go out of range and lose contact with his master, and Kit tried a few more times, "R6? R6?" before a hologram in front of him caught his attention.
It was Grievous who said, "You've run out of time."
"Why don't you come out, General?" Kit asked mockingly, trying to draw the general out of hiding, "Show us some of that Separatist hospitality."
"Patience," Grievous said, not falling for it, "In the meantime, please experience all my home has to offer. It has been prepared for uninvited guests like you," the hologram ending and apparently giving Nahdar a bad impression, since he said, "I have a bad feeling about this."
Seconds later, the floor opened underneath them. While Kit and Nahdar were able to jump clear and Fil could use the cable from his blaster, the other clone wasn't so lucky, falling and instantly dying as he landed in a pit of lava. Turning back, Kit saw that Nahdar was struggling to pull Fil up and was about to fall forward. Grabbing his hand, Kit pulled as well, and soon all of them were on solid ground. All three collapsed to the ground then, Kit's hand going to his stomach to try and ease the pain while they caught their breaths. Finally, he was able to say, "General, I know you're watching. We've seen the lower levels of your home. We're not impressed," standing as he said this.
Grievous laughed when he heard that, watching as Kit clenched his fists in frustration, "Good, Jedi, good. You will provide some sport for me yet," his voice coming over the camera feed. Seconds later, Kit put his lightsaber through the surveillance camera and caused the image to fade away. Grievous wasn't deterred by this either way and so only turned to another monitor, saying, "Gor, time to entertain our guests."
And deep in Grievous' lair, a roggwart roared and started walking towards where the Jedi and clone were making a stand back-to-back, ready for whatever came next, "Stand firm. There might be worse things here than Grievous," Kit said, his lightsaber out and ready, as was Nahdar's.
A door opened then, and Fil said, "Looks like you're right about that, sir," the Jedi turning and actually taking a step back as a roggwart entered the room. He had armor on his chest and head, as well as extra arms attached to his back. Seeing him actually caused some anxiety in Kit; this wouldn't be an easy opponent.
Watching from the control room, Grievous couldn't help but feel gleeful, knowing that the Jedi would be hard-pressed to defend themselves against Gor, "Good-bye, Jedi," he said with a laugh before suddenly coughing, and that was A4 came in, ready to start the repairs, saying, "Master, the armor patches are getting cold, and contrary to your belief, I do have other things to do," and the chair moved away from the monitors and into the other room, laying itself flat and converting into a table.
Once settled, Grievous ordered, "Proceed with my repair," and A4 got to work. However, he couldn't help but observe, "Sometimes I wonder why you submitted to the changes."
Immediately Grievous became defensive, "Improvements! I submit to no one. I chose them. Now get on with it," as A4 removed the stump of one leg and replaced it with a new one. He then said, "There may be some discomfort," before slowly starting to remove the faceplate that hid whatever was left of Grievous' face.
And it did indeed cause Grievous quite a bit of discomfort.
As this was happening, Kit and his companions were fighting the roggwart as best they could. But they were almost outmatched by the monstrous animal and the extra limbs someone had attached to him, which became evident when the monster somehow knocked Kit's lightsaber out of his hands and sent it flying across the room. Looking up, Kit watched as the roggwart tried to decide which of them to go after next but couldn't seem to decide. In the end, it lunged at all of them, allowing Kit to jump clear and retrieve his lightsaber. As this happened, Nahdar and Fil spread out until they were on either side of the roggwart and Kit was in front of him.
"Shoot him, commander!" Nahdar shouted, the clone doing just that, but to no effect. The creature's hide was too thick. Seeing this, Nahdar jumped onto his back, plunging his lightsaber in deep, which only aggravated the animal more. He moved violently, trying to shake Nahdar off, and eventually succeeded. He also grabbed Fil in his tail before using it to knock Nahdar to the ground. Kit rushed in, seeing his former Padawan on the ground, slashing his lightsaber across the roggwart's eyes. Unfortunately, doing so caused the animal quite a bit of pain, and he reared up on his back legs, flinging his tail and Fil around in the process before slamming the clone into the ground and making him go limp. Nahdar immediately cut off his tail while Kit cut off his front legs, causing him to collapse to the ground. Kit put his lightsaber through his neck then, killing the roggwart but not seeing another way to end this.
Once the animal stopped roaring and went limp, Kit put his lightsaber away, feeling the rush of the kill fade away quickly. Even though he hadn't wanted to, it was a choice he had had to make to protect himself and Nahdar, even if the kill caused darker instincts to come to the fore for a few seconds before he forced them back down. He wouldn't give in to those if he could help it, he decided, turning to Nahdar then and seeing he was holding his commander's body, who was now clearly dead. Kit was surprised, though, to feel the anger and pain coming from his old student, and became concerned with Nahdar's next words, "Grievous is going to pay for this. I will destroy him."
"I understand your pain, but you forget your teachings, Nahdar," Kit said, wanting his former Padawan to remember what they had both been taught, "Revenge is not the Jedi way."
"But in this war, strength prevails," Nahdar said as he turned to him, "The rules have changed."
Hearing that, Kit couldn't help but say, "Perhaps you are the one who has changed," making Nahdar turn away back to his commander, "Come now, we need to keep moving," Kit said, knowing there was no time to talk about what had just happened and they needed to escape while they could.
Back in his control room, Grievous had been fully repaired and was ready to see how things had gone between the Jedi and his pet, accessing the monitor and surveillance cameras to see what had happened, "Let's see if Gor is finished playing with the Jedi," one of the monitors showing the room where Gor had fought with the Jedi. But the Jedi were gone, and Gor was lying there and not moving, "Huh? Where are they? Gor? Gor!" the cyborg yelled as he slammed his fists into the computer; infuriated when he saw that the Jedi had killed his pet.
A4 appeared then, saying, "Master, you have an incoming transmission from Count Dooku," accessing the transmission and causing a hologram of Dooku to appear before the droid disappeared back into the control room to continue his responsibilities.
"General, I understand the Jedi have infiltrated your lair," Dooku began, "Your recent defeats at their hands have shaken my faith in your ability to lead the droid army," Grievous didn't respond, knowing it was true and knowing that Dooku wouldn't let him continue leading the droids if he kept complaining, "I'm sure you can understand my need to reassess your effectiveness," the Count concluded with a small smile, knowing the general would understand what he had done quickly enough.
And so he did, "You!" he exclaimed, pointing at the hologram, "You deactivated my guards. You let the Jedi in here. So you would test me."
"I do hope you emerge victorious," Dooku said with a self-satisfied smile, "especially since Lord Sidious has a request that you need to obey regarding one of those Jedi."
"And that would be what?" Grievous rasped, unable to imagine what it could possibly be. Dooku smirked before saying, "That Nautolan Jedi is Kit Fisto, and Lord Sidious requires him to be captured alive, as I'm sure you know. If you want me to consider you capable of leading the droid army, you will capture this Jedi alive, and unspoiled. Prove that, and you can remain at your post," with that, the transmission ended, leaving Grievous with the task of capturing Kit Fisto, something he hadn't been planning on doing.
But he feared Sidious and would do whatever that shadowy figure required of him.
Even if it was something he wouldn't have imagined doing under any other circumstances, as he stood up and left the control room, followed by his Magnaguards and A4-D, who said, "In your condition, you need your rest," as he followed the cyborg to the control room exit, but Grievous only said, "I will rest when the Jedi are dead," unaware he was being watched.
Down the hall a bit, Kit and Nahdar watched Grievous as he pushed the code into the wall to shut the control room door, Nahdar saying, "You were right, Master. That exit must lead to the control room," Kit nodding in agreement. Once Grievous was far enough away, the two Jedi headed over to the wall, and Kit started pushing in the code he had memorized to get into the control room, unaware he was being watched, "Uh-oh, what have we here?" A4 said as he watched the Jedi pushing the code into the wall to open the door, "The uninvited guests."
"Let's go," Kit said as the door opened, Nahdar nodding and starting to follow him inside, but just then, there was an unexpected voice coming over the surveillance system that said, "Master, the Jedi are about to enter the control room," and Grievous whipped around. Seeing them, he rushed back in the direction of the control room, which was now open.
Seeing him coming, Kit decided they needed to get away and said as much, "Nahdar, inside, hurry!" but Nahdar was clearly tired of running, since he shot back, "No, you go. I will hold him off."
"There's no time to argue," Kit said firmly, feeling his control over the situation slipping away with every passing second. Again Nahdar refused to follow, "We can't just run. We must finish him."
"Nahdar, hurry!" Kit said but was cut off from his Padawan and the hallway by the door coming back down and locking in place. Nahdar turned to Grievous and his guards, drawing his lightsaber and saying, "I have been waiting for this."
"Nahdar!" Kit called uselessly, but the Mon Calamari couldn't hear him. Separated from him, Kit had no choice but to continue deeper into the control room and find the master control that would unlock everything and get him back to his old Padawan.
As this was happening, Nahdar confronted Grievous after destroying his Magnaguards, who said, "Greetings, young Jedi," Nahdar destroying another Magnaguard before Grievous asked, "Where is your Master?"
"You will find out soon enough," Nahdar said, convinced he could defeat Grievous, "You can't defeat us all!"
Grievous seemed to think differently, lightsabers drawn and ready, "Of course I can," he said before attacking. For the first few minutes Nahdar was able to keep up, A4 watching and enjoying the show from the safety of the control room, "Get him, master. Kill him!" behind him, Kit ignited his lightsaber. The droid suddenly remembered something important: "Wait. Where's the other Jedi?" as Kit walked closer.
"Oh, no," was all the droid could say before Kit cut through him and the chair to see how the fight was going between Nahdar and Grievous.
Poorly, was all he could think as he watched in dismay. Nahdar was doing the one thing he had been taught to never do, and that was match his power with Grievous'. That was dangerous and left him open to attack and no way to go on the defensive effectively, and it was something he knew he had taught Nahdar to be wary of, since it was a trait of his he had worked for many years to tame. But watching the fight on the monitor made it clear there was only one conclusion to it, and he saw it coming when Grievous disengaged one of his arms to draw a pistol, shooting Nahdar several times in the side and killing him instantly.
"No," was all Kit could say as he sat heavily in the chair behind him, feeling the grief overtake him as he watched Grievous pick up his former Padawan's lightsaber from where it had fallen out of his hand. He watched as the cyborg turned to the cameras and swore, "I will kill you all. Do you hear me, Jedi? Do you hear me?"
At that second, R6 came back online, having finally gotten through to his master and having secured communications, "R6? Is that you?" Kit asked and was rewarded by an affirmative beep from the droid, "Meet me at the south landing platform. I'll be right there."
"I'm coming for you next, Fisto," Grievous said, knowing the Nautolan was listening if he was in the control room. Kit had to force his anger and pain down, knowing it wouldn't get him out of the fortress in one piece if he didn't control them then and there.
"I'll be gone by the time you get here," Kit said, putting his lightsaber through the controls to shut down the power and short out any locks that stood between him and the platform. As he turned to leave, a stab of pain shot through his stomach, and he grimaced; he wouldn't be able to continue for much longer without relief of some kind, and he could sense the woman was out of the fortress now and wouldn't be able to help him. But he grit his teeth all the same and left the control room, making it to the south platform quickly to wait for R6, "R6, I'm at the platform. Where are you?" putting his hand and comlink down as he waited.
The sound of gravel falling caught his attention, though, and he looked down as Grievous climbed up to the platform, "Going somewhere?" the cyborg asked as he joined the Jedi on the platform, all four arms extended and spinning four lightsabers around in circles. Kit ignited his own blade and got into a ready position, holding his blade close as he waited for an opening. It came soon enough, and he attacked Grievous' front, but the cyborg blocked it and laughed, lashing out again, but Kit only jumped back and disappeared into the fog, switching off his lightsaber as he did so. Now he could move without Grievous seeing him; a Nautolan's eyesight was designed for these kinds of conditions, and he could see perfectly. But Grievous clearly couldn't, since he could only narrow his eyes and look around in confusion, "Huh?"
Movement behind him caught his attention and he turned, but he wasn't fast enough to see what it was. He continued to look around carefully, still spinning his lightsabers so that he couldn't be attacked. At the last second, instinct screamed at him. He turned around, successfully blocking another attack from Kit, who only said over the sound of the blades being locked together, "You might have been a proud warrior once, but now you're just a pawn in Dooku's game!"
"I wield great power, Jedi fool!" Grievous exclaimed, pulling a blade back and spinning it before lashing out with it, but Kit was ready. In a move almost too quick to be seen, he cut that hand off and sent the lightsaber flying into the air, where he caught it one-handed, saying, "That power will only consume you."
Kit crossed the blades in front of him and charged in, easily holding his own against the cyborg for several minutes, using Form I to its full potential. Wide sweeping arcs and somersaults kept the general guessing and on the defensive, Kit eventually using the Force to push Grievous to the ground. As Kit walked over, Grievous looked over his shoulder at him, and Kit couldn't help but smile. While Grievous was skilled and used to the forms of lightsaber combat, Form I was more dangerous in that it was more unpredictable, and Grievous just wasn't prepared for that. It didn't stop the cyborg from trying, though, and he pushed himself to his feet again, but still Kit was ready. Keeping his lightsabers close and using only small moves to save energy and because the pain in his stomach was reaching unbearable levels again, he quickly gained the upper hand. He started pushing Grievous back, but the Magnaguards showed up just then. Kit was forced to defend himself against them instead, using Form I against them so effectively they weren't able to get a blow in that would have stunned the Jedi. Still, it did allow Grievous to approach since the Jedi was cornered and unable to flee. Finally, Kit stopped and faced the cyborg, who said, "How quickly power can change hands. Surrender, and I promise you will die quickly," even though that was the last thing Grievous planned to do. Somehow he had to capture the Jedi, and luring him into a false sense of security just might work.
Kit surprised him, though, since he stood tall and sheathed his blades, and Grievous lowered his own in surprise, not expecting that. But Kit had heard or sensed something Grievous and his droids couldn't, and at that moment, R6 and the starfighter appeared out of the fog behind him, and Kit grinned.
He was getting away and going back to his fleet, and there wasn't much Grievous could do to stop him.
"Stop him!" Grievous shouted at his guards, but it seemed like they wouldn't be able to as Kit launched himself backwards into the air to land on top of his fighter and get away. But at the last second, pain shot again through Kit's stomach, and this time he wasn't able to do anything about it, so his jump wasn't high enough. He might have been able to compensate with another leap later on, but at the last second, one of the Magnaguards grabbed his ankle and threw him down to the platform floor. R6 whistled in alarm as Kit flew across the platform, eventually skidding to a stop against the fortress wall. The Nautolan shook his head quickly to clear it and tried to get up, fumbling for his lightsaber on his belt as he did so, but Grievous grabbed his tunic and threw him again.
Again, Kit couldn't stop himself or land on his feet, quickly pushing himself up by his hands and looking around. Seeing how close he was to his fighter, he yelled, "R6, open the cockpit!" and the droid did so immediately. Kit threw his lightsaber inside, and R6 closed the cockpit again, not understanding. He did understand when Kit yelled, "Get out of here, R6, now!" as Grievous came closer and closer, his guards right behind him, "Get back to the fleet and tell them what's happening! Get help!" trying to get up and fight one more time, but Grievous wasn't having any of that.
One kick by the cyborg and a shock from the Magnaguard's electrostaff was enough to knock out the Nautolan, leaving R6 no choice but to leave the moon as quickly as possible for help. The little droid knew he was no match against the cyborg, and orders were orders, even if he didn't want to follow them at all.
High above, the woman watched with shock and horror as her friend was grabbed and dragged inside, a prisoner of the Separatists. For a moment, she considered rescuing him but knew that Grievous wouldn't stay long now that his fortress had been discovered and would leave within the hour if she knew him at all. The most she could do was get a tracking device on whatever ship he left in and try and come up with a rescue plan after that.
Back in the room where Kit, Nahdar, and their clones had first encountered the hologram of Gunray and the battle droids, Grievous and his guards walked over to where a hologram of Dooku was waiting, hands clasped in his lap and his leg crossed over the other. If Grievous could have smiled, he would have, since he said, "Count Dooku, the Jedi have been defeated."
"Victory over the clones and the young Jedi was expected," Dooku said, standing out of the chair as he said this, "but how did it go with Kit Fisto?"
"See for yourself, my lord," the cyborg said and raised his hand. Clasped in his claw-like hand was Kit Fisto's neck. The Jedi was awake now, his hands around Grievous' metal fingers, pulling at them and trying to get them to loosen their hold so he could breathe. His own hands were cuffed with binders, a wire of energy between them, but that didn't stop him from struggling. Dooku smiled, "Well done, General, you have certainly earned your position now."
"Thank you, my lord," Grievous said, bowing his head and ignoring the Jedi's struggles. Moments later, another hologram appeared, catching Kit's attention, and he looked up as best he could while still pulling at Grievous' claw-like hand. Fear entered his body then because he knew what the person who stood there cloaked and hooded wanted before he did what he could to tamp it down.
No matter what happened today, he wouldn't betray anyone.
That person stared at him for a few minutes before saying, "General, if you please," and the cyborg nodded. He let Kit go, and the Jedi dropped to the ground, unable to stop his fall. Before he could even think of getting up and fighting, the cyborg grabbed his arm and dragged him onto his knees in front of the hologram. He let go then, but only to grab the top of Kit's head and force it up so that he could look at the hologram, the Jedi still on his knees and kneeling in front of the holograms. One of Grievous' cybernetic feet was on Kit's hands to keep them in place off to the side, and Kit was having a hard time ignoring the fact that Grievous seemed intent on breaking both of them.
Once he was done, there was a tense silence as Kit tried to get away, but Grievous was too strong and the guards too capable. In the end, a shock from an electrostaff stopped his struggling, and he decided to save his strength, staying silent as he looked at the Sith Lord before him, Dooku and Grievous forgotten for the moment. Seconds later, the Sith Lord finally said, "After all this time, we meet again. You certainly have not changed all that much, have you? Still fighting when you should just give in to the inevitable?"
Kit stayed silent, refusing to take the bait, and Sidious smiled slightly before leaning forward and asking quietly, "Where is she?"
Kit smiled then, "Who?"
Sidious scowled as he straightened, "You know who. Where is she? What is she doing, and what are her plans? You know something, and if you don't tell me, your death will come all the faster!"
Kit smiled again before actually laughing, clearly not intimidated or afraid, and Grievous punched him in the stomach. At the last moment, though, a Force-shield came up around him, protecting him from the worst of the blow, and so he only felt the blow at a third of the strength he would normally have. Seconds later, he was being straightened up again, since the blow still winded him, and smiled again, even though this time there was blood coming from a corner of his mouth. A few seconds later, he had gotten the pain under control and said, "The threat of death for one who is already dying? Is that the best you can do?" he became serious then, and his smile faded away, "You cannot threaten me with death, Sidious, not when that is what waits for you."
The Sith Lord scowled again, but Kit wasn't done yet, "Can you see it coming for you? It will meet you, and you will have no choice but submit to it. All do in the end, and so will you. Whoever's hand it comes by won't matter in the end. Mine or hers, it makes no difference. Your end is decided, and nothing is to be done about that. Not even your fear of death will stop it from happening to you."
Sidious stared at him for many long seconds before finally saying, "If that's how you want it to end, so be it," turning to Grievous and saying, "General, I leave this Jedi in your care. Make sure he tells me what I want to know, and I don't care what you have to do to get the information out of him."
"Yes, my lord," Grievous said, bowing low as the hologram of the Dark Lord faded away. A few seconds later, Dooku said, "The Jedi will be coming soon to rescue their friend. I suggest you not be there when that happens," before also ending his transmission.
Grievous nodded to empty air before turning to his guards and saying, "Prepare the shuttle; we need to get our guest to the fleet. And one of you fly my personal ship to the fleet as well. I wouldn't want it getting damaged when the Jedi arrive. I will be escorting this one myself," looking down at the Jedi still on his knees in front of him.
The Magnaguards all nodded, parting so that Grievous could walk between them, dragging Kit by his head now and not his neck, the Jedi's hands around his own again to try and get him to let go. Grievous ignored his attempts either way and went straight to the control room, where he had his backup medical droid come out of hiding.
"Yes, master, what do you need?" the droid asked, another A4-D unit that had been just as defective and sadistic as the last one but not as talkative or annoying.
Grievous rasped, "I need this Jedi ready for travel. Make sure he can't fight back, let alone think of it," throwing Kit against a wall and stunning the Nautolan, making him lie still as he tried to collect his wits.
Between the pain in his stomach and his head, it was getting a bit difficult.
"Yes, master, of course," the droid said, hurrying off for a minute while the Magnaguards stood guard over Kit and made sure he wouldn't try anything. Grievous had disappeared by then to ensure the droids were prepping the shuttle correctly. The medical droid came back quickly with a syringe full of drugs. He immediately gave it to the Jedi, watching as the Nautolan tried to fight the effects, but to no avail in the end. Seconds later, the Jedi was unconscious from the drugs, unable to resist or fight back any longer, and the droid was hurrying away while the Magnaguards picked up and dragged Kit towards the shuttle.
Half an hour later, the shuttle left the fortress, disappearing into the Outer Rim with Grievous and an unconscious Kit on board, unable to leave any clues as to where he was going for those coming after him.
As this was happening, R6 had decided there was only one thing to do. He had attached the hyperspace ring and set coordinates for Coruscant, knowing that he was missing the rendezvous by not caring. His master needed help, and the Jedi were the best chance he had of getting it. He raced through hyperspace, pushing the ship as hard as he could, and soon he was back home.
He raced through the space traffic surrounding Coruscant, barely taking the seconds he needed to detach the hyperspace ring before heading for the atmosphere. Once through, he immediately went to the Jedi Temple, almost causing a few mid-air collisions before landing in the hangar. It was just in time, as Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi were there discussing something with Anakin Skywalker. All three looked up when the starfighter entered the hangar and landed rather dangerously close to them.
Mace Windu frowned at that, while Skywalker smiled slightly, but the smile faded when R6 nearly launched himself out of his slot at them and started beeping at them in a panic. After a few seconds of this, Skywalker finally said, "Hey, calm down, little guy. You're safe and we want to help, but you got to calm down first."
R6 understood that and fell silent as he calmed down. A few seconds later, he beeped again, and Skywalker said, "You feel up to telling us what's wrong? And who you're assigned to?"
Instead of telling them, R6 showed them the last few minutes of seeing his master. The three Jedi watched in disbelief as Kit was thrown against a wall, reaching for his lightsaber but not fast enough to get it before he was again thrown by Grievous and skidded across the platform before coming to a stop again. The Nautolan looked up then but clearly was too injured to get up and keep fighting since he only yelled, "R6, open the cockpit!" and the astromech did so; Kit throwing his lightsaber inside before yelling at his droid, "Get out of here, R6, now!" looking back to where Grievous was stalking closer and closer with his guards right behind him, "Get back to the fleet and tell them what's happening! Get help!" as he tried to struggle to his feet one more time, but Grievous wasn't allowing that as he gave the Nautolan a kick before one of his guards shocked him and knocked him out with its electrostaff.
The holovideo ended then, and the three Jedi looked at each other in disbelief and shock before Skywalker turned to the starfighter. He went over and opened the cockpit, reaching in and pulling out Kit's lightsaber. Seeing it seemed to make everything all the more real, and Mace turned to Obi-Wan and said, "We need to tell Master Yoda about this immediately, as well as the carrier group close to Master Fisto's last location. Even if he is no longer there, they may be able to pick up some clues," he looked down at the droid then and said, "Well done, little one, for bringing this information to us," R6 beeped again, asking a question, and Obi-Wan smiled slightly.
The little droid's concern for his master was rather heartwarming.
"We will do everything we can to find Master Fisto, R6, don't you worry. For now, stay here and help Anakin with the starfighter. We will tell the Council," Obi-Wan said as Skywalker handed him Kit's lightsaber, and they left the hangar. Quinlan Vos was entering and nodded respectfully to them before noticing the lightsaber in Obi-Wan's hand as they were going.
Seeing it, he recognized it immediately and knew what it meant. But to make it seem like nothing was wrong, he continued on his way into the hangar, heading for his own ship. On his way, he quietly hit a button on his comlink, sending out a signal far and wide as it bounced between Conspiracy members in every corner of the galaxy.
On Coruscant, Bail and Padmé, along with Chuchi and Mon Mothma, looked at the computer in Padmé's office with dismay as they read the news. At the same time, deep in Separatist territory, Ventress almost paled in fear at what it could mean. Deep in the Dark underworld, criminals were stirred to action, criminals who were more than they seemed, ready for whatever came next and prepared to do what they had to. Hidden away on a far-off planet, a close friend of Kit Fisto closed her eyes in terror and fear as she looked at their sleeping daughter, hoping the next time her daughter asked about her father, it would be good news. Throughout the galaxy, fear entered many beings at what it could mean, but seconds later, resolve followed. Whatever happened, they wouldn't let it stop their work.
And following the tracking beacon she had hidden on Soulless One, the woman tracked Kit Fisto to a Separatist fleet before leaving, knowing there was nothing else she could do but wait for the Jedi to free him.
The Force wouldn't allow her to rescue him, his path curved away from her, this she knew even if she would help him resist what Grievous did to him for now; it had to be the Jedi this time, and hopefully, they would be able to in time.
It was night on Coruscant many hours later, but the Temple communication center was still active. They were waiting for news about Master Fisto, and many Jedi were waiting since he was a friend to many in the Temple. Finally, a red indicator light started blinking, signaling a message was coming through, and Master Plo quickly answered it. A hologram appeared of Master Fisto's commander, Monnk, and his captain, Tarkin.
The clone looked apologetic, and immediately the Jedi gathered knew it wasn't good news, "We searched the location General Fisto's droid gave us, sir, but it's deserted. There is no sign of life here. I'm afraid General Fisto and Grievous are long gone, and there is nothing to indicate where they have gone. The computers have been wiped clean, and there are no ships left. Wherever they went, Grievous made sure we couldn't find him. I'm sorry sir."
"Of life, you found no sign?" Master Yoda asked, and the clone nodded. Yoda continued, "Found something, you did."
The clone hesitated a moment before saying, "Yes, sir, we did. We found the bodies of the troopers that accompanied General Fisto and Commander Vebb into the lair. We also found Commander Vebb's body, general. It is on its way to the Temple as we speak. The remains of a Republic shuttle were outside as well."
Master Yoda nodded slowly, already thinking, while the Jedi gathered looked around at each other before waiting for whatever Yoda decided to do next. In the end, he said, "I'm afraid, wait, we must, for Grievous' next move. Hope we must, that Master Fisto can stay strong."
Mace Windu nodded before turning to the hologram and saying, "General Vos is on his way to your fleet, captain. He will assume command until General Fisto has been found."
"Yes, general," Tarkin said quickly, "We are ready for him. Would you like us to do anything on our end regarding General Fisto? Perhaps there are some clues here that can aid in finding him."
Master Plo shook his head, "I doubt you will find anything of use in his quarters, captain. Master Fisto likely wouldn't have left anything for what was supposed to be a routine mission."
Mace agreed, "I agree," before turning to the hologram, "For now, captain, make sure General Vos has everything he needs. We will do our best to locate General Fisto from here and will keep you posted."
"Yes, sir," Tarkin said, Monnk standing at attention for a brief moment before the transmission ended. Once it was gone, the Jedi turned to each other, Adi Gallia saying, "How are we going to find Master Fisto? The Separatist fleet is spread everywhere throughout the Outer Rim, and Separatist-controlled space is impossible to get through."
"Find a solution, we must," Yoda said softly, "Rescue Master Fisto, we will."
That was all Yoda said on the subject, and the rest of the night was spent discussing the matter and the best ways to try and find Kit Fisto.
Deep in Separatist space, Grievous was heading for the detention center on his juggernaut, ready to have some fun. It wasn't often that he could torture a Jedi, and it might be a greater thrill than killing one.
And perhaps Lord Sidious would let him kill this one after he was done with him.
Finally arriving at the cells, Grievous walked down a row before stopping in front of one, opening the door, and walking in. Once inside, he stopped as he looked over the scene in front of him. Kit Fisto was suspended in a force field, hands over his head and his head drooping, even though his eyes were open halfway. But they were dull and unfocused; the Jedi heavily drugged and not fully aware of what was going on around him, as evidenced when he looked at Grievous but made no move to get away or fight before going back to staring at nothing.
Grievous turned to the medical droid in the room and asked, "Has he said anything?"
The droid shook his head, "No, sir, he hasn't. He says nothing despite the truth serum we have given him and the high doses of ryll spice. And we gave him several doses. He just hangs there and stares."
Grievous nodded before walking over and grabbing the Jedi's chin, forcing his head up. Even though his mouth hung open slightly as his eyes slid half shut, Kit made no sound. Grievous turned his head from side to side before letting go, watching as it hung limp again, Kit having no strength to hold it up on his own. Grievous nodded inwardly; he was going to enjoy this.
Turning to the medical droid, he said, "Double the doses of all drugs you are giving him and have the Magnaguards in here. That should loosen his tongue."
"Yes, general," the droid said, and Grievous turned to Kit one last time, watching as he hung there limply for several more moments before leaving as the medical droid started preparing his doses. As he left the detention center to head for the bridge, he passed a few of his Magnaguards heading for the cells. Just before Grievous got on the lift, he laughed as he heard a scream of pain Kit Fisto couldn't hold back.
Yes, he was going to enjoy this a lot.
It wasn't every day he was able to break a Jedi.
As this was happening, Bail, Padmé, Mon Mothma, and Chuchi were gathered in Padmé's office, having dismissed all her staff for a while as they spoke about what was happening. However, a transmission on the secret computer distracted them, and they all turned to it as the woman appeared via hologram. When they saw her, they all breathed a sigh of relief, with Padmé saying, "You must have heard by now; Kit has been captured. There has to be something we can do!"
The woman only looked sympathetic, as well as frustrated. Seeing that look, Bail could only guess, "You know where he is, don't you?" and the woman looked at him in a way that clearly confirmed the answer. Bail continued, "But you can't tell us because we have no business knowing Master Fisto, and we wouldn't be able to give the information to the Jedi without them asking where it came from. Not even Quinlan Vos would be able to accept it because of that fact. So all we can do is wait and see what happens, while you do whatever you want. I hope some of that includes nudging the Jedi towards wherever Master Fisto is."
The other senators turned to him in shock, while the woman could only nod sadly. Whatever happened next was in the hands of the Force and the Jedi that would do everything they could to find their missing friend.
Having been introduced to Kit's command structure, officially now since he had already met Monnk and a few others at Conspiracy meetings, Quinlan Vos had quickly taken over Kit's fleet and filled the void he had left behind when he had been taken. Once everything had settled down, he had gone to his quarters to relax and rest for a bit, where he was quickly joined by Monnk and a few officers. Once they were settled and the door locked, Monnk said, "We aren't sure what to do, General. General Fisto coordinated everything with our friend, and now without him, we aren't sure what happens next."
"Don't worry about it, Monnk," Quinlan said, "She trusts me as much as she trusts Kit, so we will keep doing what we are doing. Without anyone noticing, of course. The good news is that Kit's lightsaber is back on Coruscant, so we can talk a bit more freely now. The bad news is that our friend does know where he is but can't act on that intel because she doesn't exist right now or give it to us because there is no way we can account for it or verify it."
Hearing that, the clones stared at him in shock before Monnk said softly, "So essentially we have to wait for the right moment to rescue General Fisto, assuming he's still alive when that time comes. We all know there is something wrong with him, and he told me himself that not even the Jedi can help him with that. What are we supposed to do?"
"Hope," was all Quinlan said, "We have no other choice."
The clones looked at each other before nodding slowly; they would do what they could to help the Conspiracy and hope that General Fisto came back soon.
They had no way of knowing how long it would actually be.
In another part of the ship, Tarkin accepted a secure transmission from Captain Thrawn and Chancellor Palpatine, the latter of which looked very pleased. Seeing this, Tarkin said, "Everything is ready here, my lord, but I still haven't found anything to be used against General Fisto. He guards his secrets very well."
"Do nothing more for right now, Captain," Palpatine said, "Pretend you are concerned for your general and say you hope he comes back quickly. Quinlan Vos is an expert in the criminal underworld; he may catch on to what we are doing, and I don't want him to get suspicious. The bounty for Kit Fisto was taken down as soon as he was captured so that the Jedi won't be able to understand why he was captured, so no one should be looking for him other than the Jedi. And suppose someone does mention the bounty to them. In that case, they will just assume it's because he has information regarding the Republic's war effort. We will take care of everything else," nodding at Captain Thrawn.
"Yes, my lord," Tarkin said, "Let me know if there is anything else you need."
Palpatine smiled and nodded before ending the transmission, and Tarkin smiled. He was already anticipating the day when he would be able to rule the galaxy alongside Darth Sidious.
That day actually seemed possible now with Kit Fisto out of the picture.
And hopefully, he stayed out of the picture.
Back on Coruscant, Yoda quietly walked down a hallway in the Temple alone, deep in thought. The funeral for Nahdar Vebb had just taken place, a solemn affair as they bid him farewell and he continued his journey in the Force, and many Jedi had secretly wished Kit had been there to bid his former Padawan farewell as well, but that couldn't be the case, and Yoda had felt his absence keenly. So much so that he had decided to seek out some solitude, and thankfully the other Jedi had sensed this as well and left him alone.
He had wanted this time alone and was secretly glad of it. It wasn't often, especially now that there was a war, that he could get away and find some solitude, and he found himself missing it.
Especially with his former Padawan missing and alone.
Looking up then he realized his wandering feet had taken him to Kit's quarters. He went inside then, allowing his eyes to adjust to the near-darkness before looking around. The rooms were just as they had been when Kit had left, everything still in place. Although some Jedi preferred simple rooms, Kit's quarters weren't as bare. They had several rooms, a small kitchen, and a larger refresher with a small saltwater pool for when he wanted to swim, leading to one of the larger pools in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It led back as well, but not many came uninvited that way. A small communal area with a few couches and chairs made up the front room where Kit would allow anyone to visit whenever they wanted, invited or not. In the back was another room where Kit slept.
It was definitely a bit lavish for a Jedi, but because of Kit's outgoing personality and his ease with making friends, it just made sense that these quarters would belong to him in the end. It was also close to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, giving Kit easy access to water when he needed it. Some vents pumped in steam from the fountains to keep the rooms a bit damp for him if he wanted as well.
Yoda looked around at everything, looking it all over as he remembered instructing Kit in the ways of the Force and feeling something that might have been pride at the skill his former Padawan had shown. Kit's aptitude for the Force was one of the reasons he had chosen the Nautolan as an apprentice, and he found himself never regretting that action. Even though Yoda tried to distance himself from his Padawans when they became Knights, living by the rule that Jedi could never form attachments, for some reason, Kit was one he had been reluctant to let go of completely. He had often checked on the Nautolan over the years and watched out for him as much as he could, always there to give advice or sympathy when needed, whether it was asked for or not.
Perhaps it was because Kit was an orphan with no family and therefore didn't have any origins to speak of, even if his family was now the Jedi Order. Jedi were rarely curious about their birth families, but Kit had been for a few years. Unfortunately, not even the extensive knowledge of the Archives had yielded anything for him, and eventually, he gave up. Perhaps that was why he was so worried for his former apprentice and couldn't help but hope that Kit could come back safely. There was nothing else he could do but hope Kit was ready and capable and could stay as strong as he thought until he could be found and rescued. Yoda walked into the sleeping area then, taking in the sleep couch in the corner and the window that faced east towards the rising sun, looking around a moment at the arrangement before gently placing Kit's lightsaber on the sleeping couch, right in the center. He then left the room, turning back to look at the lightsaber one more time.
It would be waiting for his Padawan, and so would he.
Far away from the Jedi Temple and Coruscant, the woman meditated on the Force. The capture of Kit had accelerated her timeline a bit, but not as much as she had thought. Feeling the Force, letting it flow through her, she felt it give the signals she had been waiting for.
It was time to reveal herself and let the galaxy know she was still here.
And that now she was ready for a fight the likes of which no one had ever seen before.