Chapter 16
I.
Kim jerked the control yoke to the right, barreling her Jedi starfighter over a wing of vulture droids. She burned her starboard jet and her starfighter kicked back to the left, heading straight for the protruding command bridge of a Separatist frigate.
Her sensors screaming at her of the imminent deadly collision, at the same time her targeting computer bleeped in the excitement that the frigate's shields burned out and were free to engage. She pulled the trigger back and let out a barrage of fiery bolts. The enemy bridge blossomed into flames as she twisted around it.
She rounded the frigate's bombarded hull as the ship failed, finished off by Republic cruisers, and giving in to Bandomeer's gravity well. A pair of vulture droids cut in front of her, trying to evade ARC-170s. Unfortunately for them, they gave themselves up to her cannons.
She rolled the starfighter, ducking it under the remaining length of the frigate and past its engines exiting back into the open. The sight before her was disheartening. Dozens of Republic cruisers struggling to confront more than a hundred Separatist ships. The enemy force outnumbered them by over two to one.
All other battles paled in comparison to the one she now faced. She kicked her afterburners on, rocketing her fighter past more vultures and tri-fighters zipping around her, avoiding her weapons.
"Kim! Kim! Enemy fighters approaching from your six! They're tri's, so watch your back!" It was Ahsoka. Both she and Yori had followed her into battle, even though they thought she was headstrong to go ahead of their strike force.
Kim glanced over both shoulders, finding the enemy fighters closing in from behind and above. "Can you give me some backup?"
"I would… I'm a little busy myself at the moment," her strained voice crackling through Kim's headset.
She must be in a tough spot.
"Do not worry Possible-san!" It was Yori. She always appeared when someone was in need, especially Kim. If Ron was Kim's sidekick, then Yori stood as her foil.
"How many do I have on my tail?" Kim shouted over the headset as enemy fire impacted her port side wing. She tried to zigzag out of their sights, but the droids were closing in on their target.
"You have three. Do not worry Possible-san, I will make quick work of them! Just give me time as you say…"
Another blast hit near the same spot the last one had on Kim's wing. "Will you just hurry and get them off me!" Kim shouted at the sight of flames and gases trailing from the hit wing. "I don't know how much longer I'm gonna last."
Kim tried fiddling with the fighter's controls, inverting her jets, forcing her craft into a tailspin. The trick worked, throwing off the tri-fighters' accuracy as their cannon fire blazed past her and into another Separatist destroyer's hull.
Anti-fighter flak grazed her craft as she flew dangerously close to the cruiser's structure. The eruption of turbolaser fire from the destroyer's cannons was so close that Kim could feel the intense heat through the transparisteel cockpit.
She fiddled with more switches, tuning her comms with the new Wade-bot Wade installed into her fighter port side wing socket. Instead of an astromech-droid that other fighters carried, Wade installed his new Wade-astrobot. She still trusted Wade more than any astromech-droid. If she could only contact him and not the automated droid brain he had constructed to replace him.
"Hey, Kim!" Wade's picture flashed onto the screen next to her targeting computer. He had also made adjustments to her fighter's cabin.
Finally! About time! "Wade! It's good to see you!" Kim exclaimed with angst to the situation as it grew direr, shots grazing by her in all directions. "If you can't see, I'm in a bit of a sitch," Kim signaled with her fingers, sweat dripping down her forehead.
"That's obvious. You're taking heat from enemy fighters and enemy defense towers. Yori's trying to help, but those defense towers are keeping her back from your pursuers," Wade said, analyzing data that must have come from the Wade-bot.
A round of flak rocked her starfighter, giving her difficulty maintaining control as she passed from one enemy cruiser to another, nearly crashing into its hull. "Yeah, I got that. My problem is the wing on fire right now," Kim said through gritted teeth.
"Hold on!" Wade typed furiously on his keyboard. "Got it! The Wade-bot's got this. Those enemy fighters hit one of the fuel valves. You're lucky your ship didn't explode."
Kim let out a nervous laugh, "Thanks for the upbeat info, Wade." Kim continued struggling with her fighter's yoke. The battle was anything but upbeat. She was heading for an enemy antennae spire. "Wade, tell me you fixed my controls?"
"One second… There. You should have regained complete control," Kim didn't hesitate as the antennae spire came crashing toward her. She jerked her control yoke, her fighter tumbling out of control into less crowded space.
She braced herself, gripping her controls as her fighter continued to spiral. Kim didn't know if the enemy fighters were still on her tail, but they were becoming an ever-distant problem as she tumbled toward a Lucrehulk-battleship.
"Hold on Kim. I'm trying to stabilize it." Wade grimaced, typing in commands.
"For your sake Wade, you better!" Kim grimaced. It was too early to die. She needed to survive. If Wade couldn't get her fighter back, her fate would be sealed.
"Possible-san!" Yori's voice rang through her ears but fell on deaf attention. Kim raised her foot and slammed it into a control box under the yoke, a trick Anakin had taught her. The fifty-fifty chance of it working embraced her luck.
Her fighter leveled out in time, skimming over the enemy ship. She breathed a sigh of relief, looking to her left, finding Yori pulling up abreast of her. To her starboard side, Ahsoka pulled ahead.
"Well then, guess that took care of that," Kim reassured herself. More flak burst around them. There was a break in the enemy ships and Yori had taken care of the enemy tri-fighters.
"Glad you could take care of it. Need any other help?" Wade asked.
Kim looked ahead and spotted a large, sleeker Separatist ship with a tower rising near its stern. It hunkered amongst a crowd of smaller Commerce Guild destroyers and Banking Clan frigates. "Can you analyze that ship for me, Wade? I've never seen it before—"
Before Wade could answer, Ahsoka did. "That's a Separatist dreadnought. They have a lot of firepower. You're not thinking of anything crazy, are you?" Kim could hear Ahsoka's angst for something interesting and fun. In a way, Ahsoka and herself were cut from the same cloth. She was her type of girl.
"If there's anything else you could tell me about those ships, I might be," Kim's face muscles tensed in anticipation, smiling wryly. She wanted to at least rally the Republic above Bandomeer, even against hopeless odds. Getting to Grievous made Kim anxious, but it proved impossible if the Republic couldn't turn the tide.
"It's probably where the commander of their fleet is." Kim could hear Ahsoka's smile.
Kim found her answer to give the Republic its rallying cry. If she could take out the Separatist dreadnought and secure its destruction, then maybe.
II.
Admiral Norith watched the space battle over Bandomeer unfold, stalking the movement of both friendly and enemy capital ships outside her protective bubble. Just as Beta had predicted, the Republic's Open Circle Fleet, commanded by Obi-wan and Anakin Skywalker, were the first responders to their invasion. He knew that at the mention of Grievous's name, they would come.
And just as he expected, more Jedi would follow as he entangled Obi-wan and Skywalker in a battle of attrition. They followed Grievous's battle tactics of shock and awe and overwhelming force to make it look like the Supreme Commander himself.
He let out as much misinformation as he could about Bandomeer as an important target. Beta was talented at deceiving his enemies and had even forged holotapes of Grievous leading battle droids in the initial invasion. He sent the information all over the Republic Holonet while he hid deep in the planet's mines.
His trap ensnared clone troopers of the 501st Legion and their two Republic heroes in a battle of attrition planet-side, while Norith baited the Republic Navy. She maintained strict orders not to annihilate the enemy fleet but sustain equilibrium, even though her fleet had the firepower to wipe the face of Bandomeer clean a hundred times over. Needing to keep up the ruse that the enemy had a fighting chance, she didn't mind toying with them even at the loss of a few ships.
"Ma'am! We have three Jedi starfighters approaching from our port side," her senior communications officer shouted.
Kenobi and Skywalker were already ground-side. Norith didn't know exactly how many Jedi Beta wanted to face? "Contact General Beta. We'll see what he wants us to do."
"Yes, ma'am. Raising him on the transceiver," her subordinate answered back.
General Beta's hologram appeared before her. "What is it?"
"Three more Jedi fighters are inbound. How many do you want us to let pass? You've already confirmed Kenobi and Skywalker's arrival. And more of their reinforcements are arriving. The decision is yours, sir."
"Let one pass. Occupy the others. We'll then move our assault to phase three," Beta answered.
"And which one do you want to pass?" Norith asked.
His hologram disappeared. It was her choice. Admiral Norith watched as the Jedi starfighters grew closer on the scanners and tactical display. An enemy Venator-class cruiser also closed in straight off their bow. She didn't have time to play Beta's game of choice.
"Draw in the closest Jedi starfighter and draw them in with a tractor beam. Disperse the others with vultures and tri-fighters. If they get by that, have our frigates and cruisers form a defensive line on our starboard side. The Republic has let enough troops land onto the surface."
"Yes, ma'am!" Her crew yelled.
She clasped her hands behind her back. "It's time for us to tighten the noose," Norith muttered as her fleet and the enemy continued to clash.
III.
"So, that a plan everyone?" Kim asked over her headset as the Separatist dreadnought's port side loomed closer.
"An excellent plan indeed Possible-san," Yori's voice echoed through her headset.
"If we take out that command ship, their entire fleet will be in disarray," Ahsoka sounded excited over tactical comm.
The idea amused Kim. If they put the Separatist fleet into disarray, then it would make it impossible for the cyborg general to escape. The only challenge would be facing the monster.
"Kim, you're about to have a slight problem…" Wade said with a nervous smile.
"What—" Kim's starfighter jerked from its flight path.
"What the heck is the sitch Wade?" Kim gritted through her teeth. She tried to fiddle with the controls and the stabilizers but to no avail. Her fighter wouldn't budge from its alternative path toward the enemy dreadnought, specifically, its hangar bay.
"You're caught in a tractor beam," Wade said alarmed.
"That doesn't sound like what I had in mind, Wade," Kim grumbled. "Is there nothing you can do?"
Wade typed furiously on his keyboard. "Sorry Kim, I'd have to be connected to a port inside the ship to hack it. They have crazy tight security."
"Great."
Kim feared the worst. What if Grievous deceived Obi-wan and Anakin into landing planetside? What if Grievous was on that ship? Surely he wanted revenge against her for escaping him on Ord Canfre.
"Enemy fighters! And lots of them!" Ahsoka's voice crackled. Kim looked ahead as swarms of vulture droids and tri-fighters streamed toward them. This was it. The Separatists had them right where they wanted. Grievous didn't even see them as a challenge worthy of himself.
She never thought she would face the dreaded Death and his scythe so soon, but as the horde of vultures closed in, it seemed her fate was certain.
"Evade, Ahsoka-san!" Yori yelled.
"I'm trying, there's just too many of them," Ahsoka gritted.
"What?" Kim watched as Ahsoka and Yori broke off, evading the swarm of droids. "The tractor beam didn't affect you guys?"
"You're caught in a tractor beam?" Ahsoka yelled.
"Have you not seen that I can't deviate my flight path? They're dragging me in!" Kim yelled back. Her fighter wouldn't budge, like being caught in an invisible vat of concrete. "Wade, can't you do anything?"
"I'm trying Kim. I'm not getting anything!" Wade shouted back, trying desperately to hack into the Separatist ship's computers. But unless he got access to the ship's computer ports, his chances were a trillion to one. He didn't have enough time.
Kim's eyes grew wide as the fighters approached from her front. They weren't firing their cannons. No, they were going to crash into her, obliterating her starfighter in a kamikaze storm. A humiliating end for the heroine Kim Possible. Memories of her childhood until this moment flashed through her thoughts. Time slowed as the fighters closed in on her. She couldn't let it end. Not here, not now.
Kim tried the controls one more time, this time giving her fighter full throttle. The ship lurched forward, hurtling toward the Separatist dreadnought's hanger. Behind her, the fighters flew through the space she once filled, banking left and right, going after Ahsoka and Yori. It felt as if she had finally gotten free from the tractor beam.
"Kim! Watch out!" Ahsoka shouted… too late. Kim's fighter shot through the enemy hangar and quickly to the other side. Her eyes grew wide and worried as the opposite side of the hangar doors unfolded out and slammed shut. Her fighter barely made it through to the other side.
"Wade..? What just happened?" Kim asked as her fighter flew past the Separatist blockade.
"I don't know Kim. The effects of the tractor beam are gone… it's almost like they wanted you to go through their hangar?" Wade asked himself the question.
"I noticed none of their fighters attacked me once. They were all after Ahsoka and Yori. I don't like this Wade, it's like they want me to go planetside," Kim replied.
Wade nodded. "I hate to agree with you, Kim, but I think you're right. No enemy fighters are approaching you from any direction." Kim didn't like it. If Grievous wasn't on his ship, then he was on the ground where Obi-wan and Anakin were.
"Possible-san! Ahsoka-san and I have many enemies to face." Kim could hear Yori crackle.
"Don't worry about us, Kim. Yori and I will take care of everything up here. Hopefully, by the time you're back, it'll be all over. Just help Obi-wan and Anakin take care of Grievous," Ahsoka reassured.
"I guess that settles that Kim, you'll reach the ground at General Skywalker's location in five minutes," Wade informed, her fighter descending through the clouds.
Fear took root in her heart where it had never set foot before. Secretly, she hoped that her first encounter with the cyborg would be her last. For the first time in her life, she was having doubts about confronting a threat. Maybe facing General Grievous wasn't possible for a Possible.
IV.
Admiral Norith continued to watch the battle unfold outside, her fleet clashing with the enemy. They had forced the Jedi starfighter through the hangar and out the other side toward the northern hemisphere of Bandomeer, where Beta waited. The other Jedi preoccupied themselves with the wing of vulture and tri-fighters now swarming around them.
She gazed across space, zooming her sight onto a Republic ship of the Open Circle Fleet. She recognized the markings. It was Admiral Yularen's Venator-class, the Resolute. Co-officer to Kenobi and Skywalker, and the admiral of the Open Circle Fleet.
She turned to her crew. "Prepare for battle! Forward shields at maximum. Charge forward batteries and fire for effect," Admiral Norith shouted out to her crew. "It's time to move to phase three of our plan," she said to herself in a quieter voice.
V.
Beta watched the ground battle of Bandomeer unfold on a large holo-table from the safety of his bunker buried deep within the mountains. On the other side, opposite to him, the end of a large maze of caves and mines that extended dozens of miles throughout the mountain range from thousands of years of mining and excavation. Behind him, the far face of the tallest peak on Bandomeer's northern continent.
OM-1 and the other commandos stood guard throughout the room. Battle droids stood guard at the entrance of the cavern, a pair of super battle droids stood opposite each other against the walls.
Compared to most official staff of the Confederacy, Beta gave the false impression that his security detail bordered on non-existent. Advanced magna-guards protected Count Dooku and General Grievous. Squads of commando droids and destroyer droids protected other military officers. Not him. He took a mere token force of battle droids and his personal commando droid team led by OM-1. To any Republic intruders, he seemed easy prey.
"Our forces have the Republic Army pinned down in the valley on the other side of the range. Their air power has been greatly diminished by our point defenses." OM-1 pointed down at the battlefield's hologram. Heavy artillery guns nestled on the slopes of the mountains pounded away at the clones below.
"What about near the planet's capital?" Beta asked.
"Our forces have it surrounded but are not firing upon it, as you have instructed. Republic Forces continue to land there and have begun aggressive reconnaissance looking for weak spots in our perimeter," OM-1 replied.
"The Republic is going to make a push out the north side and attempt to connect with their forces in the valley."
"Would you like to give the order for us to reinforce there?" OM-1 asked.
"They'll react to it and it'll give away that we've figured them out. We'll let them through," Beta replied, placing his hands on the table leaning over the projection.
"Sir," OM-2 interjected, "The Jedi have cut off our forces at the entrance to the mine shafts. One is defending against us from regaining the entrance with an element of clones. The other has entered the cave system."
"General Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Our propaganda has brought us the Republic's two rising stars just as intended," Beta commented firmly. With the Republic advancing slowly in the ground battle and with two of the Republic's heroes, it would boost enemy morale. Then he would unveil his surprise on the Republic once they entered the center of the valley.
"We have another Jedi starfighter approaching the landing platform outside of the entrance," OM-2 informed, pointing at the Delta-7B Aethersprite-class interceptor on its approach from the skies on the holo-projector.
As the Delta-7B landed, a disturbance in the Force rocked his well to it deep within his gut. It wrenched at his very being. His pillars to the living and cosmic Force shook, his foundations cracking. What is this? He screamed in his head, putting his hand up to his battle helmet. His soul contorted, twisted as the starfighter made its touchdown.
"Bring up the holocam at the entrance to the cave system. Now!" Beta barked his sudden order.
If a droid could be perturbed, OM-1 exhibited through his hesitation. He waved his hand over the projector, which brought the image in closer to where they could see Jedi Anakin Skywalker and clone troopers defending the entrance from Beta's combat droids.
Out of the Delta-7B, a young, human female Jedi jumped out of the starfighter's cockpit, dodging and deflecting fire, making her way to Skywalker.
At her sight, the disturbance gonged louder than ever before. There! It's her! Why? The thoughts ran through his head. Ron hadn't caused so much as a ripple in the Force. He entered the galaxy in less than a whisper. When a Jedi passed, Beta could feel a ripple. When there was calamity, shock reverberated throughout his spirit. This was more than any previous connection.
A connection usually came on gradually, building foundation and structure. Friendships, romantic connections, family bonds, and even enemies. The connections through the Force generally took time to build. The connection with an enemy, even a brief encounter, was akin to a gust of wind licking the ground. This shook him to his core, amplifying his very connection to the Force, so much so that he could feel Kenobi's feet fall to the rocky floor.
"Do you want us to take care of the Jedi?" OM-1 asked, waking Beta out of his stupor.
"You know that wasn't part of the plan, so why do you ask?"
"Never mind, sir. We'll stand guard and wait just as you asked." OM-1 turned away to converse with OM-2.
What was happening to him? He didn't know. What this strong connection was, he wasn't sure. But he needed to recompose himself. Kenobi stalked the caverns. The other Jedi were going to follow. He knew they were looking for Grievous, but if he let off the cloak, the Jedi would catch on.
He couldn't. He had to keep the cloak of deception on until they arrived at his Jedi trap. If he timed it right, the clone forces would walk over their trap at the same time. Admiral Norith required this time to tighten the noose. Enough time for him to give the Jedi something new to chase other than Grievous.
VI.
"Master Skywalker!" Kim shouted, deflecting incoming energy bolts from combat droids. She side-stepped her way past clone troopers, some already fallen from the intense fire-fight.
"Possible!" Anakin's haughty, thrilled demeanor displayed ever more in the heated battle. As Kim knew, he would defend his troops to his last breath, though he never reached that point.
"Where's Master Kenobi? Why isn't he with you?" Kim shouted over the battle. A rocket from the enemy whizzed by them, slamming into the mountainside.
"He's in the caves! You should go back him up! I have to hold back the droids from taking back this point with Commander Cody!" Anakin answered, deflected a bolt that would have hit his head. "These droids are persistent."
Kim deflected a bolt back at a lanky combat droid whose metal chest burst into white-fiery sparks. "What about you?"
"Don't worry! I have things under control here. Go find Obi-wan and get that monster Grievous. If we can capture him, this war can end quicker than before!" Kim's ears perked at his comment. The war could end and with the capture of Grievous.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a pang of pain washed over her head. She nearly doubled over as if something raked at her insides, trying to escape but then forming a knot in her chest. Is this the Force? Is Ron — Is Ron that close. Kim took it that what just assaulted her senses was the Force. The Force telling her that Ron was close.
"Kim!"
Before she could react, Skywalker deflected a combat droid's well-aimed shot. One that would have been her end had Skywalker not been swift.
Kim shook her head, jolting her mind free of whatever took over her. "Do — n — n't worry, I'm fine," she fibbed, clearly confused. Briefly, Anakin's concerned eyes locked with Kim's dazed one.
Blaster fire and screeching rockets brought them both back to the fast-paced reality of war. "Get to Obi-wan. Help him take Grievous!" Kim looked back before she could take her second step. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you, Master," Kim yelled, deflecting one last bolt before entering the dark cave.
The old mines were dark and long, hardly lit. The ceilings above neatly carved out thousands of years ago by precise laser mining technology. Water dripped down from the ceiling, probably from the thick glaciers on the tops of the mountain range, melting away with long sways in climate.
Just like herself, she heard Grievous to be a relatively new foe to the conflict, and a deadly one. Most of the Jedi now believe the blame lies on the cyborg for the Catacomb massacre on Geonosis, a battle that Kim thanked the Force she missed. But with none alive to tell the tale of what actually killed them, they could find no proof. It would take until the fourth month of the war when he faced off with Master Mundi and six other Jedi Knights to be revealed, slaughtering four of them and forcing the others to flee.
His infamous, grotesque nickname, 'The Knight Slayer' by the Republic Holonet news and the 'Face of the Confederacy'. The Jedi Council saw him as a threat that could even surpass Count Dooku as the war dragged on. Thinking about the horror stories some of the younger Jedi, like herself, shared didn't comfort her as she wandered deeper into the labyrinth.
The deeper she walked into the system, the more she could feel the fear and darkness deep within. She didn't know whether it was Separatist officers or her own fear slowly building up inside her heart. Footsteps! Battle droids. She could take them — no! If she did, Grievous would know, and… wouldn't Master Kenobi have taken them out by now.
She hid in the nearest crevice and waited. Two B-1's walked by, patrolling the caves, watching out for sneaky Jedi no doubt. They would never catch her. She learned the trade of stealth long before becoming a disciple of the Jedi. She smirked as they passed. If they continued down the path, they'd meet their fate with Anakin.
After they were out of sight, Kim continued her way through the tunnels, blindly following the Force where it led her. Being so new to the Force, it still challenged her senses and her faith in the mysterious cosmic energy.
She wished the Force would aid her other senses, the perceptions of her skin itching from the sweltering heat, for example. The deeper she went, the hotter it became. Even the lightweight tan robes felt heavy, burdened by her sweat soaking in. Now was a time she wished she still wore her breathable crop top and khaki cargo pants.
No more battle droids. Her legs weathered the miles they trekked through the dark. At least that's how it felt. More disturbingly, battle droids were nowhere to be found since the two she passed earlier.
Had Grievous and the Separatists already fled? Was the battle outside already over? Had the Republic won? No, it couldn't happen yet. Grievous couldn't have already left! She needed to find Ron!
"Hnghhh! Hmphhffff!"
Kim tried to scream as a hand covered her mouth. She calmed down as soon as she recognized Obi-wan's face. His finger slowly crept up to his lips signaling her to hush. He pointed down the hall where Kim could make out two silhouettes, battle droids making their way into a dimly lit room. She was here. The beast just beyond the doorway. Grievous.
VII.
"Damn it! Where are you two?" Ahsoka tried to focus on the dozens of vulture droids swarming throughout the space above Bandomeer all while avoiding the enemy flak guns and defense towers. But when Admiral Yularen needed help, he was always pestering her or Skywalker to save the day.
"I'm kind of busy, sir. I think Yori is dealing with her own problems…" She looked to her right, watching Yori's starfighter barreling away from her, trying to avoid five tri-fighters cannon fire. "Yea, she's definitely handling her own issues at the moment."
"Well, when you get the chance, organize a bomber squadron and try to do some damage to that enemy dreadnought. It's bearing down on us and nothing we're hitting it with will deter it!" Admiral Yularen's hologram grumbled.
Ahsoka turned her fighter away from the vultures and toward Admiral Yularen's position. He wasn't lying. That massive dreadnought she, Kim, and Yori had encountered earlier. It had deviated from its escort and taken a direct path toward the Resolute. From where she was, she could see it dwarfed Admiral Yularen's ship. His ship stood no chance.
"We'll do our best." A turbolaser exploded too close for comfort. "But I can't make any promises."
VIII.
Obi-wan and Kim peered around the rounded hallway into the entrance of what they had presumed were the brains of the droid ground force. They were dead on. It perturbed them, eating away at both of their minds. General Grievous was absent.
Instead, in the room's center, a holotable projected the battlefield of Bandomeer. Where one would presume a monstrous cyborg would stand, there was a fully armored warrior that looked like a futuristic knight commando, adorned from head to toe in lustrous, silver armor, with a jet-pack clipped to his back.
Besides the mysterious knight, Kim counted five droids she hadn't encountered before. They're body burnished in an onyx resin or epoxy. It had white photo-receptors, different from the typical black and red receptors of other combat droids. These must be the commando droids she heard about, yet as she stared at the one with captain markings, they felt… alive.
"Who is that?" Kim whispered into Kenobi's ear, turning her attention back to the metal-clad knight.
He shook his head. "I have no clue. I'm as befuddled as you are." Whoever it was, he had his back turned to them. "What I can tell you… is that is a Mandalorian."
"A Mandalorian?"
"Yes. A Mandalorian Commando to be more precise."
"Who… who are they?" Kim blinked, raising her brow.
"A group of super-soldiers, so to speak. Highly proficient in blasters, unique-wonder weapons, and martial arts. Just because it's not Grievous, doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious."
Kim grumbled, "All I know is it's not Grievous."
"This is interesting?" Obi-wan mused, rubbing his beard.
"What is?" Kim asked, confused.
"We had intel that General Grievous was leading this assault. Yet I haven't seen a single sign that he's here and then we stumble upon a Mandalorian where Grievous was believed to be…" Obi-wan's whispers trailed off into thought.
"So?"
"The Mandalorians have been involved in the war, but in small numbers. But they're usually hired as mercenaries. I've never heard or seen one hold command of a Separatist force, especially one this large. The fact that until we landed, we had been intercepting Separatist transmissions from Grievous himself. Then they broke off. Now we stumble upon… this?" Obi-wan seemed frustrated with his find.
Kim frowned at Obi-wan's thoughts. "Will, that could mean that he's already fled? Maybe…"
"No. Ever since I entered the cave system, something was wrong. The entire time I've been here, only calm waves in the Force. No darkness. Just neutrality…" Obi-wan wandered into thought again.
Kim didn't know what Obi-wan was so worried about. But she understood his point. Here in front of them was a Mandalorian standing in the Separatist command center, yet she hadn't sensed his presence until she saw the warrior. What Obi-wan was so worried about?
Just as she focused on the Mandalorian warrior again, a pang reverberated through her ribs and into her heart. The Force called to her again. Her heart pulsed against its cage as if to warn her not to enter the room. Like it would change her forever.
"Kim!" Obi-wan whispered with urgency, pointing in the room's direction. The mysterious Mandalorian had turned around, hands hidden behind his back. They slowly stepped forward, believing that no one had spotted them in the darkness. Kim watched as the warrior pointed to the ceiling in their direction and then motioned his hand across his neck.
Kim recognized the motion. To terminate something. But what? She and Obi-wan looked up as rapid beeping sounded above them. She got her answer, and she didn't like it. They both leaped forward, rolling into the room. The burst of rock and rubble collapsing, burying their previous redoubt.
Two B-1's standing on guard aimed their blasters but stood no chance. Kim and Kenobi's sabers ripped through their torsos. The super battle droids charged, arm cannons blasting away at them. Kim and Obi-wan deflected the fire with ease, but what Kim couldn't understand was why the Mandalorian and the other commando droids made no moves. Instead, they stood there in silence, not even lifting their blasters.
The supers fell upon their fiery blades. Kim and Obi-wan assumed a defensive stance. "Where's Grievous?" Obi-wan wasted no time.
"It's nice of you both to drop by, but where are the usual pleasantries I hear so much about from my comrades," the Mandalorian replied.
"It's not like you said hi either. Now, he asked you a question. Where's Grievous?" Kim didn't have time for games. This wasn't who they were looking for. "If you tell us, maybe we won't have to do this the hard way—" the Mandalorian chuckled, which deeply confused Kim.
"What's funny?" Obi-wan asked. This Mandalorian had trapped himself with two Jedi and had only five battle droids for his protection, of which none had yet raised their blasters at them. More disturbing, the Mandalorian remained completely calm.
"OM-three, show them General Grievous," the Mandalorian ordered.
The farthest battle droid to the Mandalorian's left turned to them. He threw an object to the ground and a hologram of the cyborg appeared. "Greetings, General Kenobi, we've been expecting you…" the crackle of Grievous's cyborg mech voice was perfect. Too perfect and now Obi-wan understood. This commander had used his droid to copy the infamous general's voice and a hologram trick. He used it to draw their forces and him to Bandomeer. Now the question was, why?
"Just as I suspected, my trap worked flawlessly. I lured here you. The 501st Legion, the best the Republic offers. All of you lured into my trap," the man replied, looking over the battlefield.
"So this was all your clever plan?" Kim glared at the man. He was wasting her time. "So Grievous isn't here."
"Clever? No, not clever… deceitful. Propaganda. It was all up to you. Both of you fell for the trap," the mysterious Mandalorian explained.
"So why did you lure us here?" Kim asked grudgingly.
"Isn't it obvious? I have all the Republic's best chips in front of me and it's up to me what to do with them," he replied, walking around the corner of the stone plateau, the battle in the valley still playing out below.
"You're not in control here. So what do you want?" Obi-wan smirked back. Kim sensed he didn't know what the Mandalorian was getting at, but he knew he was out of his league.
The Mandalorian sighed at what they couldn't tell, throwing his hands up. "I have to admit that it would seem that I am done for with a renowned Jedi and his apprentice in my presence. However, your eyes deceive you…"
IX.
The Lucrehulk-class battleship, Indomitable. It bristled with over a hundred quad-turbolasers, over sixty long guns, and just thirty heavy guns. It had over five hundred point-defense laser cannons to defend itself from enemy fighters and bombers. That wasn't all though.
The massive three-kilometer, crescent-shaped battleship with its large, inner spheroidal ball for a reactor, could land an army of combat droids, with over fifty landing craft and over a thousand vulture droids to compliment them. This wasn't counting the armor or various other droids the ship could land.
This was all Wade could find logged on the control terminal. Over half a day passing and still nothing to report back to Kim. It seemed to Wade that Rufus cut the connection too late, not that that was Rufus's aim.
Wade sighed out in frustration, grabbing at his hair. Why couldn't he find the answers?
"Is everything alright, sir?" A clone trooper asked from the door.
Wade groaned, "Everything is great." Wade went back to his work, searching for any other loophole in mainframe's security protocols.
He stopped. The key that Rufus found earlier called to him, sitting temptingly close to his hand. His fingers took the suspicious device and started looking for a port where it would match. Wade found it at the head of the tower.
Inserting the key caused the tactical screen to power down and shut off completely. His hands raised to grasp his hair as if he committed a cardinal sin. He forgot to scan the device for anything that would trip the Lucrehulk's mainframe and its security. He held his breath as static popped across the screen.
Then it flourished. The screen flashed troves of information across the display. Ship movements. Ship types. Weapons systems. Battle droid tactics. It wasn't just anything either. It displayed current movements happening.
Operation Durge's Lance? Operation Windfall? Wade quickly used his fingers to dig into the files. Various names came up. Commanders. Generals. Operation Windfall's mastermind turned out to be a General in that went by the name Beta. That was it. Just like Grievous. No first name. No middle. No last. Just a name.
Operation Windfall. Wade learned its true intentions. Grievous wasn't on Bandomeer. He masked himself with Beta's attacks to make his first strikes into the southern core. That meant General Beta stood in his place where Obi-wan and Kim were now.
Wade, about to make the call to his friend before she duped herself with just a nobody sideshow, noticed a piece of intriguing information that stuck out. The information stated that the New Territories, all the systems and sectors north of Coruscant on the galactic plane, were under his responsibility.
This General Beta concerned himself with administrating the sectors he controlled and how to advance into the sectors of the Republic he didn't control. As Wade scrolled through the systems that he directly administered, he found it. General Beta controlled Ord Canfre. Not only did he control it, but Ord Canfre was also his headquarters.
General Beta controlled Ord Canfre. This tidbit of knowledge pulled at Wade's curiosity. If this general controlled Ord Canfre and all the Separatist military forces in the New Territories, he wondered. Did that mean he controlled those detained in his territory?
X.
The Lucid Voice took punishment that it hadn't received in over a year since the Clone Wars started. After the first initial battles and skirmishes in the first two months of the war, the ship remained docked and in refit, being enlarged to a sturdier size, to complement its more organic crew, and to fit its heavier armament.
Part of the addition to the Lucid Voice were new, more powerful anti-matter units which let Admiral Norith install a plethora of new weapons and shielding. To protect her command center, she ensured her crew received the best, which included two main shield generators, one deflector, and one thermal. To ensure she never received the same punishment as Admiral Trench, she installed backup generators.
She smirked as the ship absorbed the punishment of three Venator-class star cruisers bearing down on them from about twenty kilometers out. She ordered her escort of frigates and destroyers to disperse, shedding the disillusionment her ship needed protection.
The Republic cruiser, Cantex IV, budded bright orange frames from its dorsal-port side as Lucid Voice's turbolasers connected with its armor.
"Ma'am!" Before she could savor any relief from taking down the opposing ship, Admiral Norith turned to find Captain Ginn leaning over the ship's network security officer.
"What is it?" Admiral Norith replied.
"Someone has accessed our mainframe and bypassed our firewalls. They're currently sifting through our operations and personal."
"Someone hacked our Shadow-feed?"
"No. They're accessing it from one of our ships?"
"Which one?"
"The Indomitable?" the security officer said, unsure of where that specific ship was.
Admiral Norith knew straight away just whose ship it was, and it angered her. At least, that was what Norith presumed. If Republic Intelligence did indeed hack into their network and was currently sifting through all the information they could, they would be in trouble.
XI.
Kim stared down at the stand-in for General Grievous. Obi-wan described a Mandalorian warrior as someone who wasn't to be taken lightly. To Kim, these precautions were an overestimation of the Mandalorian's abilities. With just five commando droids at his guard, Kim felt a child from the order could take him on.
"Careful, Kim. We don't know why he's so confident yet," Obi-wan warned, feeling Kim's anxious feelings propagate through the air. Their mission had changed. Obi-wan wanted to capture the Mandalorian and question him.
"Your Master is right. You should listen to his advice. You don't know what you're up against."
Kim tightened her glare on the general. What she could only assume was him sneering at her, upset her as no other villain had. Once again, she felt the Force pull at her, her head aching as they locked their sights on each other. Her head pounded. What is this?
"Forgive me for my rudeness, but please keep your advice to my padawan to yourself. Whatever you're trying to pull will not work," Obi-wan smirked.
"My apologies. It just seems your padawan is like a crouched Buffosas. I can feel her fear and anger slowly building in her."
The Mandalorian wasn't wrong. The pressure building in her head and the rest of her body screamed. Screamed for her to run. Her body and spirit disputed each other. Legs shook, willing her to run away. Her heart, courageous, told her to face the threat and apprehend when the order came.
The Force. The Force told her to listen. To sit and listen to the enemy she was now faced with. To listen to all his words, because somehow, the mysterious Force told her in its own way that the Mandalorian too confronted himself over her.
"Kim! Kim! Kim, come in!" Wade's voice burst through her earpiece. Her attention divided since the Mandalorian talked again. However, Wade's next words gained Kim's ear. His words chilled her to the very core of her heart until a fit of icy anger took its place as her eyes narrowed in on the Mandalorian general.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think! Don't be shy. Until next time. Sorry in advance of any grammar errors. I've been using a new program that'll hopefully help me get content out quicker, but it seems to be buggy, or I'm not understanding the way it works.
General Quin.