Hi folks. First things first, I am really sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. I have been delayed over the past month by several factors, and as such have only just managed to find the time to finish this chapter. So to all of you who have been waiting anxiously sorry for the suspension.
Anyway before we proceed I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who viewed the last chapter and thanks for the comments, (those who left one). Having reviewed my last chapter I am not entirely convinced that it came out the way I wanted too. As I said, I intend to review each chapter again and make any corrections / amendments so please feel free to tell me about areas that you think could use improvement. But first things first, I intend to complete the story!
There has also been a slight change of plan and this story is now aimed to be seven chapters long. I have been writing this chapter for the past few weeks now and I realised that if I put everything that I originally intended to into it, this chapter alone would end up being over 30,000 words in length perhaps more. So to make things easier and get the next instalment up I decided to split it in two.
Early warning this chapter is quite long. It shall focus on the side effects of this conflict, some occurrences that led up to it and an insight as to what to expect in the next chapter. Anyway I have said too much, so here is the next instalment of the Prove Your Worth Storyline.
Please enjoy and as usual, do not forget to read and review!
Disclaimer: As always I do not own Star Wars or any of its canonical characters.
Chapter 4: The Battle for Kalee: Part 2 – Retribution
War! War had once again come to the plains of Kalee's eastern hemisphere. On one side, the clone troopers with their Jedi commanders, Yam'rii allies and the small addition of Admiral Namlick's Star Destroyer fleet. On the other side the planets natives, the Kaleesh. Born and breed on the world that they now fought to reclaim, this small band of a few thousand warriors was all that remained of the once mighty Kaleesh tribes that just days ago had walked across these fields uncontested. Liberated from imprisonment and falsified 're-education programs' these warriors fought alongside their battle droid allies and the Separatist fleet that commanded it. At the head of their army stood Grievous, the key figure of this conflict whose actions through this ensuing conflict would decide their fate.
Nearly twenty three hours had passed since the cyborgs arrival, almost a full day by Kaleesh time frame. During this time much had happened. The Separatists had succeeded in establishing their base upon Kalee. Spanning across a vast quarter of the Fields of Banen, the station now stood as a mighty bastion, which held the entirety of the Separatist ground contingency. This was a good thing for the Kaleesh. During the day that had passed, the Separatists and the Republic forces had seen their fair share of battle, having clashed no fewer than five times.
Grievous was crouched low, his eyes shut. Slowly and with as little noise as possible his hands reached underneath his long cloak and brushed the hilt of his lightsabers.
Five times that day, following the surprise attack on the Fields of Banen, which advertised the Separatists presence, the armies had battled. The Republic clone troopers had clicked the safety off of their carbines and rifles, whilst the Kaleesh kolkpravis primed their outland rifles and sharpened their blades. As the Jedi activated their lightsabers, so did the Magna Guards arm their electro staffs.
Grievous' eyes snapped open! With an almost incomprehensible speed about him, the cyborg drew and activated two of his lightsabers. He sprang upright briskly and ready to face his opponents. Their weapons smashed against his, with a loud hiss!
The first battle had been attempt by the Republic to drive the Separatists back off world. It had occurred within hours of Grievous' initial victory. Now attempting to reclaim the lost territory and avenge their fallen brethren, the Republic aimed to stop the Separatists from completing their base. Led by a Devaronian Jedi and a hulking great Huk general, a coalition of clone troopers and Yam'rii had attempted the assault. Blue and red blaster bolts hailed from one side as red and yellow projectiles responded in kind.
Yet the Kaleesh barricade held firm and the security task force, though initially outnumbered rose to the occasion splendidly. Within minutes of the engagement it became clear that the Republic forces could not win this bout. Although they had contributed nearly one thousand warriors to the fight they had sent in to small a task force. Though currently contending with two hundred Separatist soldiers the full might of the Separatist army was being rallied, and there was no chance of standing up to it.
Furthermore the terrain provided another obstacle; it did not suit the coalition forces either. Having utilized the landscape to their advantage, the only viable entrance to CIS base for the clone forces was at the mouth of a gorge, where the savannah meet the opening to the Ausez steppes. Coupled with the erected fences, the opening had been narrowed further, so as to hem the attackers inwards as they advanced towards a pair of large energy field gates. On top of the field mounted turrets the Separatists had already erected hollows and platforms into the cliff face which allowed snipers and riflemen to fire into the packed Republic ranks from above whilst the main battle droid lines held firm. Ultimately, once clone command spotted HAG artillery tanks bearing down on their location they decided to pull out of the conflict and the battle ended just as quickly as it had begun.
With a small satisfied growl, Grievous countered the would be attackers strike and brought one blade up at an angle, stopping the Form 4 Ataru attack. Caught off in mid leap the attacking Magna Guard was thrown backwards, as Grievous combined his cybernetic strength with Form 5 Djem So defense. Another Magna Guard rushed at the cyborg from the right flank, weapon held aloft as it focused upon executing a Form 1 Shii-Cho strike, the target being Grievous' head. Barely looking at the droid, Grievous let out a brief roar, brought his second lightsaber downwards in a slicing movement to stop that Magna Guards strike. He then kicked the droid in the chest plate throwing him back, there was a nasty screech as his talons scrapped the droids metal frame. As the second warrior fell back, Grievous span his body around a full one eighty to incept a third attack, this time from a Magna Guard who had adopted the form seven fighting style: Juyo.
The next three encounters were hardly worth any ones time let alone mentioning, at least not in the big picture anyway. At best they served as minor incidents and delaying procedures. For the few remaining hours of day light that proceeded the completion of the Separatist perimeter, both Grievous and the Jedi had sent forth scouting parties.
Both were ordered to scan the enemy establishments, gather as much intel they could about force size and deployment, and search out any obstacles that might give them an advantage in a battle. Sometimes one of the force commanders led a unit out for a time, sometimes the scout units operated of their own accord. Whatever the case, three of these parties had run into each other. Nobody bothered to determine who won the conflicts, most ended with one side dead, particularly if Grievous or the Jedi were involved. All that the leaders really wanted was to bring this conflict to an end, and in order to this; they needed the intel that their soldiers brought back with them!
The four droids attacked simultaneously, their moves a mirror image of each other. As was the defensive tactic that caught them. Now using all four lightsabers, Grievous crouched low and with minimal effort used the Form 3; Soresu style to block each attack. Such was the tenacity of Grievous that even with his arms split like this he was able to hold back the immensely powerful droids. Thinking they had Grievous in their power, the Magna Guards threw their whole weight against their staffs hoping to pin their opponent down. It was a costly miscalculation.
Eyes narrowed, Grievous stepped forwards. The two Magna Guards at the rear of the formation slipped as their staffs suddenly rested against nothing but thin air. Adopting the Form 2 Makashi style, Grievous lunged forwards. Using his advanced speed and superior foot manoeuvres he side stepped the oncoming attacks as he brought his blades up. Eighty eight strikes / four seconds later both droids were disarmed, their own attempts at Soresu useless against Grievous' Niman onslaught. Barely a moment after the form 6 onslaught both droids were sent flying as Grievous kicked them in the chests. Using the memento the cyborg flew up into the air and with a graceful arc, landed behind his two remaining opponents.
The last engagement of the day had occurred in space. It seemed that even up here in the dark reaches, where time had no recourse, there was no escape from the ensuing conflict that had taken hold of the planet below. A small number of Republic ETA interceptors and V wing fighters, under orders from Admiral Namlick were sent out ahead of the main armada so as to test the Separatist fleets strengths, whilst simultaneously probing for its weaknesses.
In response to this TS-192 had sent a detachment of Vulture and Tri fighters to engage them, whilst making sure to keep the rest of his forces back so that the Republic could gather nothing conclusive, and were left to provide estimations to the fleets overall star fighter strength. There was nothing he could do about the Star Destroyers though, not without Grievous' command anyway. Although Grievous had left the fleet in his command so as to take control of the ground assault, the cyborg was still the true fleet commander and all orders of engagement had to be relayed through him. As this order was not given, TS-192 could only watch tensely as the four Star Destroyers moved glided through space so as to appear off of the Separatist's port side view.
Like him though Admiral Namlick made no move to engage his opponents, at least not yet. A cautious man, Namlick did not like to waste the lives of his men if he could help it and never rushed into a battle unless he had all of the facts. Despite his distain for the insectoid allies, Namlick felt comfortable with the reassurance that everything was currently under control and that the second battle for this world would soon turn in their favour. As such there was no need for the human to rush things until the moment was right. He didn't know it but deep down this sentiment was shared by his enemies, Grievous and TS-192.
As for the confrontation between the fighters itself; it had ended in a stalemate. As neither of the fleets felt quite ready to engage the other yet, it soon became clear that no decisive action would be yielded that day. As such, the attitude of the ships commanders soon became reflected upon their fighter pilots, who after many minutes of shooting at each other decided to withdraw of their own accord.
Grievous landed behind his two foes. One droid had foolishly made a lunge at Grievous whilst he had been attacking the other two droids, leaving him exposed. Without even bothering to use his lightsabers Grievous reached out caught the droid in the middle of his back with a taloned appendage and threw him from him. The droid staggered forwards and then toppled, his balance lost. Quick as a flash, Grievous turned to his last opponent. Simultaneously they lunged at each other.
Only a few casualties had been sustained within this engagement but it was barely a footnote within the expanse of the actual forces that both fleets commanded, and did not quite tally up to the slaughter that might have been expected in this war. A slaughter that was almost to certain to come within this second war! Admiral Namlick, and TS-192 watched their pilots return with tense expressions, each glaring in the direction of the enemy fleet.
The hisses and clashes of their weapons resonated as one combatant adopted Form 4, whilst the other applied Form 6, obliterating all other sound around them. They held quarter for a moment. Then finally Grievous brought his second saber up and under, knocking the droids staff aside marginally.
On the planet below them, dusk began to settle over the eastern hemisphere, transforming the luxurious warm day into another cold, merciless night. With this another day of this extended conflict came to an end. Once more the conflict upon the small outer rim world of Kalee, had been protracted.
Pressing his advantage, Grievous smashed the electro staff aside entirely with the lightsaber clutched in his right hand. With a roar he brought his second blade up and sliced it across the droids left leg, tripping him up. The Magna Guard fell onto his side with a gasp, as Grievous raised his right hand high above his head.
With that ended the first true day of Grievous' campaign. It had now been twenty four hours since he set out from Serenno, alone and unaided save for the forces he had brought with him. Now everything was set. The battle field had been chosen, allies had been rallied, and his full strength gathered. If war was a game, then the board was set and the pieces were poised ready to be moved out. They would be played and sacrificed to a strategy that would hopefully lead to victory, and a decisive one at that. All of this would be determined by the stratagems mastermind. Him!
This is what it would take!
He brought the blade down to stab the ground next to the droid!
This was what was required of him!
His duranium fist smashed into the side of the droids head with a loud ping!
This is what it would take to win!
The droid collapsed onto his side, and the red lights that served as his visual receptors went out!
This was how he had to play, in order to win this dark and twisted game test of wills!
He stood up tall and straight, all eyes of the surveying crowd upon him. His blue lightsaber still active as he clutched the hilt of the deactivated one in his free hand, glaring in the direction of the three conscious Magna Guards who all simultaneously declared that the training session was over.
What must be established in to win this case. To prove his worth and value, in the cruel harsh reality that was Dooku's game
It had started to rain by now. A strong breeze picked up at that moment, making his cloak swoosh in the air behind him. A lightening bolt rent the air with a loud clap of thunder. Yet all eyes remained upon him, never wavering never faltering.
Then all faded into darkness, so that no one existed but him, alone within this dark, wet atmosphere. There was a fresh clap of thunder and another flash of lightening, then just as quickly as it had begun the silence was broken, only to be replaced by harsh echoing words and the voice of Count Dooku. "Prove your worth to me General". Grievous glared at the silhouette of his master that had appeared in front of him. As fresh lightning bolt cut the sky, and is it did so he became whole again, so that Qymaen jai Sheelal stood where the cyborg had. "Show me that you are worthy to carry out your command. Prove it!" There was a fresh streak and he was a cyborg again. "Or do not return at all!"
"Sir"
"AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!" with a loud buzz a weapon was drawn and brought to bear against the would be assailant. A few heartbeats had to pass in order for the situation to unfold calmly, and stiflingly. They were not outside upon the Fields of Banen, but within Grievous personnel shelter. After an intense training session and another bunch of failed reports from his scouting forces, Grievous had decided to retire for a while so as to contemplate the situation.
Here, alone, in the self-imposed tranquillity of his army's camp the cyborg had been able to drift into am uncomfortable and restless sleep. Even one as strong and capable as him needed to rest every now and then, although in his case the cyborg never truly slept. Grievous had learnt a long time ago, even before his upgrade that a warrior must never let his guard down, and as such he had trained himself so as to always remain on alert even when dozing. Now as a direct result of this preparation and anticipation, the kolkpravis, who had dared to disturb him now found himself starring straight down at the sharp pointed end of a green lightsaber blade.
The warrior stood tense, his attention focused squarely on the blade how hovering in front of his face. Underneath the bone mask a thin trail of sweat cascaded from the warriors face, and prayed swiftly to the gods, less the end come now and his Khagan strike him down. Grievous himself stared at the warrior intently, allowing the anger within him to die down slightly at the sight of one of his kinsman. Though as there was a war on the tension within him did not truly die.
After taking a few deep steadying breaths to compose himself the cyborg deactivated his lightsaber and gave the warrior his full attention. "What do you want, Kal [an abbreviation for Kaleesh]?" Grievous inquired as he tucked his lightsaber back into its holster.
Relieved that he was no longer in danger, the solider placed a hand over his heart and bowed low to the cyborg, ignoring the intense tone that had come from his masters voice. "Begging your pardon my Khagan, but Lord Sk'ar sent me to tell you that the latest scout supporters have returned from their missions, as per your instruction."
Grievous arched an eyebrow with vague interest. "Have they anything to report?" he asked hopefully. The warrior shook his head, "I'm afraid not my lord. The rest of the war chiefs are gathered opposite the training grounds, they and await your arrival and instructions."
Grievous groaned wheezily, his duranium digits scrapping across the gritty surface of the soil beneath him. He had chosen to sleep in a sitting position, ignoring the soft blankets that had been salvaged for him. Long ago in the distant pass, before the shuttle accident which had transformed him into a cyborg, Qymaen jai Sheelal had learnt the importance of never letting your guard down. As his very life depend upon success within this campaign, Grievous saw no reason to make an exception now.
"Very well" he said darkly as he rose magisterially to his feet. "I shall go and meet them. Tell all stations to keep on constant alert, and have the troops standing by!" He marched past the soldier without looking at him. The kolkpravis bowed once more, in salute to his Khagan, but Grievous had already left.
The Shrupak Temple, The Republic's Main Base
Compared to twenty three hours ago, an air of suspense and tension now hung over Huk Reprimand. The soldiers, both clone and Yam'rii alike were running to and fro as if with no one to direct their actions. All were, battle hardened and ready for conflict. The only thing stopping the mass of soldiers from rushing out to meet their foe, was the word of their commanders. Or some of them at least.
As such the soldiers busied themselves in other ways, so as to primed and ready, for when that order came. There was no shortage of things to do. Maintaining the radar watch, so as to ensure that no surprises were sprung upon them whilst unprepared. Ensuring that vital supplies were carried off to Echo, Alpha and Liberty Base. This was now far too risky to carry out by land, in case of Kaleesh ambush, as such large numbers of LAAT Gunships were flying to and from the base at a frequency unseen until this point. Compiling and delivering frequent reports, not only to the commanders but to the fleet as why.
All of the twelve thousand troops had been distributed, with two thousand marines in space alongside the pilots and Star Destroyer staff, less the CIS space forces attempt a boarding mission. The rest were spread out across the three bases, although the majority had been stationed at the most forward of these command stations, Liberty Base. Isolated to the south Shrupak and stocked with most of the Republic armaments, this station was the most vulnerable and most open to attack. As such most of the clone and Yam'rii troops had been posted here. Even so, the establishment had been well chosen and reinforced by Republic defences and as such, seemed ready to hold back anything the diminished Kaleesh forces threw at it.
The other positions although less armed in terms of man power were still very well protected. With Liberty acting as a buffer between Reprimand and the Kaleesh establishment an attack there was unlikely. As such only one thousand warriors were there to defend it. Alpha and Bravo Base were also less likely to be taken either, owing to strategical positions. Situated within the high mountains to the west and east of Shrupak, with high gulley's on either side the only way to attack them, as the Scout Commander had told Sk'ar the previous night was a direct assault. Unsupported by air units this would be suicide, and even with air support a bombing run would be difficult. The large quantities of anti-troop turrets, field trenches and heavy support guns made meant any ground units would be cut to pieces before they could even get within firing range of the Republic's grand army. As such the five hundred soldiers at each location felt confident of victory should the Separatists attempt an assault there at least. he heavily bolstered with troops, whilst ensuring that the other bases were both well-staffed and heavily fortified.
As such, despite the tension and mild unease, the Republic Yam'rii coalition felt confident of victory. I's soldiers were gratified and overwhelmed by the sheer excitement and comprehension that the war within this sector would soon be over. From what they gathered their own forces comfortably outnumbered the Separatist movement, within this sector. Dawn was still a number of hours away. With the right tactics employed, by the following day Kalee would be theirs once more.
One figure who was not joining in with all of this activity was the Jedi Knight Soltark Romalta. Instead the Devaronian male was leaning up against one of the expansive walls of the temple staring blankly into the vast expansive sky up in front of him. There was a stoic expression upon his face but his brown eyes portrayed an image of sombreness and mourning to anyone who dared to look into them closely.
It is not the way of the Jedi to express emotion, nor for one to bear upon the dwellings of the past, when the future was all that mattered. Yet this did not stop the Jedi from mourning, even the crafty and manipulative Devaronian species were not above such emotions, especially those trained in the light side of the force. Nor when the mourning was focused upon someone whom you had spent the last few decades of your life with.
Soltark had picked Hurok to be his Padawan when the human had been five years old. Since then they had been an inseparable team. Soltark had trained the human boy in the ways of the Jedi for the past eighteen years, watching him blossom from a young idealistic boy, into a strong capable Jedi Sentinel. This had been a good thing because the pair had been numerous missions together, fought side by side on countless occasions, and saved the other's lives more times than they dared to count. This battle upon Kalee was to have been the boys final act, before his return to Coruscant in order to face the Jedi trials.
And now, the boy was dead, along with the small force that had been sent to accompany him. All of those years, all of that patience and nurturing had been wasted. Soltark was not saddened by the lost time, for he would not have traded it for anything. Instead what upset and annoyed him was the manner in which his apprentice had met his end. He had been alone, without his masters guidance, outmatched by his opponent.
The expressionless look on Soltark's face vanished, and his features crumpled into a look of sinister outrage. Grievous! He thought to himself darkly as he called the transmission that had taken place earlier that day. The one that signified the continuation of the war upon this front, and the death of his Padawan.
After that final call from Hurok reassuring the Jedi Masters that all was well upon the Fields of Banen, everything had been quiet on the transmission front, too quiet! Despite instructions to keep in regular contact with his commanders at the Shrupak Temple no further transmissions had been received. Minutes went by, then an hour and then another. Three hours passed before Admiral Namlick called in via holographic projection to tell Master Koth and the other commanders that there had been no transmissions on his line to provide any inclination to the shuttle activity.
Suspecting that something might be wrong Koth had ordered Kolback Nil'bitmi to prepare a scouting party for immediate action, whilst Soltark and Master Betrini tried to contact the young Padawan. Willis and Admiral Namlick had stood in the background waiting for orders, whilst General Mal and the twitchy Senator Derm waited anxiously, desperate for the Republic forces to move on to Oben.
Then much to the horror of everybody involved an answer had been received. At first the oversized image was unclear an indication that the small holo-terminal was being picked up. The image traced over an inhumane body and when the hologram settled the Jedi and clone soldiers stiffened, when instead of settling upon the welcoming face of an ally, the cold sharp glare of a figure clad within cybernetic armour had starred back at them. It was General Grievous!
His hands balled into fists, the leather creaking slightly under the strain of the force being applied to it. The exchange that had followed this initial discovery was now blurry and unfathomable to Soltark especially when compared to the sense of rage and lose that he now felt. Yet snippets of the conversation were still clearly visible to him, adding fuel to the anger he felt.
The Devaronian distinctly remember the soothing mockery of a greeting that the cyborg had applied when he came face to face with his foes for the first time. "Ah, Master Koth nice to see you again. Oh and you brought friends of yours along with you I see. I'm guessing that you were expecting someone else to reply to this transmission were you?"
After overcoming the initial shock of seeing his ancient foe again, the Zarbrak had applied questions to the cyborg. Grievous was vague in his answers but it never the less soon became apparent that the cyborg had come to Kalee, seeking one thing and one thing only: dead Jedi! What was more it soon became apparent that he had already sated his first and obtained first blood in this new conflict.
In an act that some would call bold, and others daft, when the question as to his location was asked, Grievous answered it openly and directly. "I am here with my forces [he stepped aside as if expecting to show the commanders something, whilst gesturing with his right hand as he turned away from the Republican warriors] upon the Fields of Banen. [He turned back to his foes, glaring]. Those who you sought to deport from this world now stand at my sides as my soldiers and this plane which you exploited for such unethical uses shall now become our playing fields. As you can see [liar] manufacturing of our headquarters is already underway and has been for a quite few hours now. That which you sought to use against us shall now be the key to your undoing Jedi scum."
Soltark felt his temper recoil at the sense of foreboding he had felt at that particular time. Grievous had been on the world for a number of hours and yet it had not been until that moment that they learnt of his presence along with that of any other Separatist forces that were on world. Sensing his distress Kolback Nil'bitmi had demanded to know what had happened to the soldiers they had sent out alongside the Kaleesh prisoners that very morning.
Even over the holo-terminal it was impossible to mistake the glint that had appeared within Grievous' eye. "Ah yes, your warriors! Well …" once again, the cyborg turned away from the Republic commanders as he extracted something, from either his belt or his cloak. The Jedi watched with bated breath, as Grievous returned his attention to them something clutched tightly within his right hand, which he brandished at them like a pistol. "Your soldiers put up a brave fight, but in the end they were no match for the combined might of the Kaleesh Separatist onslaught. It's amazing really, but very poignant; it highlights one of the key factors about war. Never let your guard down, not at any time. Otherwise you might end up paying the price like they did, and we weren't even using our full force at the time". He laughed evilly at the look of the shock upon each the Jedi's faces.
As he did so the cyborg lowered his hand slightly, allowing a better a look at the object clutched within it. It was then that the Jedi realised that it was a lightsaber that Grievous had clutched within his mechanical appendage, and to Soltark Romalta, it was an all too familiar instrument. "Hurok?" Soltark gasped, as he stared at the hilt of the weapon he had watched his Padawan built and amend numerous times over the years they had spent together.
This brief utterance did not go unnoticed by any of his comrades, nor did it escape the attention of General Grievous. "Ahhh" the cyborg wheezed excitedly, eyes narrowing with amusement, as he stared between the confused Jedi knight to the weapon clutched in his hand and back again. "You are familiar with the owner of this weapon. A colleague of your perhaps, an old friend instead? No, ah! I know, he was your Padawan wasn't he?" Soltark didn't answer him, he just stared up at the image not sure what to say or do.
"Well" Grievous said quite cheerfully as he now tucked the lightsaber back into the left side of his cloak. "Rest assured you Padawan put up a great fight, although it was hardly worth my time he was none the less valiant in his effort. He highlighted the need for me to improve myself both in terms of a warrior and in terms of stratagem upon the battlefield. I can honestly say that I am eternally grateful to him for that, but regrettably for him, he killed one of my Kaleesh warriors. We cannot have anyone doing that. Rest assured that the boy will no longer be needing his lightsaber anymore. In fact …" there was a brief pause once again as Grievous stooped down to pick something up. When he stood up the whole world seemed to freeze around Soltark Romalta, as he gapped at laughing image of Grievous. "He won't be needing anything else again!" and he turned his gloating head to look in the direction of his outstretched appendage. For there, clutched within the cold duranium digits of Grievous' six fingered hand, was the severed head of Jedi Padawan Hurok Nabalam!
Breathing heavily now Soltark, stepped away from the wall of the Shrupak Temple, his body rigid and tenses, his head bowed. Hands still clenched he looked back up at the sky once more, eyes blazing. The vacant empty stare of Hurok Nabalam's dead eyes seemed to bear into the Devaronians soul like a sword, the tense terrified expression upon his dead Padawan's face forever etched into the dark recessive corners of his mind. And every time he saw that image a dark audio tune seemed to follow it. A high cold, cruel mechanical laugh, which would then transcend from the darkness until all that Soltark could see and hear was the figure who killed Hurok.
The Devaronian didn't remember much else after that. All that he recalled was the fury he had felt, and the threat he had made, whilst Master Koth and Commander Willis tried to restrain him. That was all that he remembered, before leaving the temple so as to mourn in peace. He hardly recalled the preliminary attack he had led along with Jedi Kolback against the Separatist base, nor did he have any recollection of any words that had been said to him before or after his return. All that he could think about now was the promise of vengeance that he had made against Grievous and the cold stoic response that had followed. "I daresay you will get your chance Jedi fool. For the war in this sector is not over. The Battle for Kalee is far from done and will only conclude when either I am dead or you and the rest of your people are. As for your threat my dear Devaronian friend; get in line!" with that the transmission had ended.
"Soltark" a voice spoke up from the darkness, bringing the Jedi Knight back to reality. Drawing in several deep soothing breaths, the Jedi realised that he had been sweating. The damp humid air soothed his tense muscles and water vapour escaped him as continued to inhale and exhale at an unsteady rate. Looking around he noticed that it was Master Sashi Betrini who had called his name.
Her mere presence seemed to offer some small sense of comfort to the dismayed Jedi Knight. "Oh its you Master Betrini. You uh you gave me quite a fright there" he spoke slowly with his head bowed to the ground once more.
The woman smiled at him. Tentatively she approached and rested a comforting hand upon his shoulder. "There is no need for you address me by my title, Soltark and I apologise for startling you. I know that I would be forcing you to deceive both me and yourself if I were to inquire as to you well-being but I want to assure you that if there is anything I can do for you, you have but to ask. "
Soltark stood rigid still but his eyes darted sideways and the smallest of smiles touched his face. Out of all of the Jedi with him on this Sashi Betrini was by far the most approachable. Eager to help, she spoke to everyone around her, whether they be Yam'rii, clone or fellow Jedi. She had even played some participation in aiding the injured Kaleesh following the conclusion of each and every battle across this cursed sector, although her generosity had been less well received by the saurischian natives of this world. On Coruscant she could often be found either in the meditation chamber or wandering around aiding the temple aiding anyone who needed it. Though words and guidance were her preferential weapons she was an excellent swordsman and was just as skilled in the force as well. Although not a member of the Jedi Council, it was very clear why she was a Jedi Master.
"Thank you Sashi, I really appreciate that. Sigh, there is however nothing you can do." He turned to look up at the sky. Master Sashi followed his gaze her hand still on his shoulder. "It really is beautiful isn't it the night sky, here tonight. You can really see the brightness of the stars".
The woman nodded. "With all the goings on nobody really takes the time to look at them anymore, but the stars are bright and beautiful. In its way space is by far more complex than the goings on a worlds surface. Its reach is endless, the mystery's and depths of its understanding as broad and complex as the force" she agreed.
The Devaronian grunted, lowering his head to the ground once more. "Ever the stars have shone across the surface of the worlds of this galaxy. Countless lives whittle away beneath their wake. Forever they have illuminated the graves of our forefathers, now they shall cover the grave of my Padawan. Wherever it is that he may rest."
Sashi became apprehensive, she didn't quite like the dark tone within her comrades voice. It sounded as if he were a caged beast anxious to be unleashed, so that he might vent his furry. An action which went against everything within the Jedi code. Yet she was understanding grief, however brief or deep could transform people, so that they were not who they truly were. Having spent the past few weeks with him, she knew Soltark to be better than this. He just needed time, and reassurance that was all, and a friend by his side.
Her hand gripped his shoulder a little more tightly and when she spoke it was with the gentlest of tones. "Hurok's death wasn't your fault Soltark, so there is no need to blame yourself for actions that were beyond your control or understanding. It was the antics of a cowardly villain that brought your Padawan down, and I am certain that he did everything he could to defend himself, using the skills you taught him. I know that you probably don't want to hear this but … I am afraid to say, yours is not the first example that has happened within this war. Nor I am sad to say will it probably be the last before this conflict as a whole is over."
Soltark was quiet for a while, his gaze stoic and his expression unresponsive. Sashi waited cautiously, in case he wanted her to leave him be. In the end though the man shook his head. "It is ok, Master Sashi there is no point denying the truth to your words. Though it saddens me to admit it, there will unquestionably be more deaths before the Clone Wars is over. All we can hope for is that it is resolved quickly and decisively. Even so …" he paused, as if the words caused him great pain, as he finally turned to look at her. "No teacher should ever have to bury their student, just like no parent should be forced to lay their child to rest."
A silence followed this in which a single tear slid down the Devaronian's cheek. Sashi Bentrini, nodded slowly and with a reassuring pat slowly transferred her hand from his shoulder to his fingers. When they reach it his fingers entwined around hers as they held hands, not in a romantic gesture but as a sign of friendship and comfort. In accordance with the Jedi Code, neither of these two beings had any children, nor any romantic interests. Soltark's statement about family relations was an emphasis of what had been brought on by this galactic struggle.
To every system this war touched, the native population, whether they aided the Republic or Separatists always paid a price in both life and blood. Sons, daughters, fathers and mothers were lost on a daily basis, and it was up to the two campaigning sides to ensure that their soldiers did not die in vain. Soltark could see why the Separatists used battle droids as their main force. Grafted and constructed within a factory, these emotionless automatons did not need to worry about emotion or relations. There was nobody to miss them if they fell for they could just be replaced, or recycled and reconstructed. Unlike the sentient's, unlike the Jedi who although they strove to free themselves of emotion so as to better connect with the force, still formed attachments to the people they met.
The bond between a master and his apprentice was perhaps the most strongest of these, and now because of a murdering psychopathic monster, more machine than sentient, Soltark Romalta had to live with the burden of that lose. An image of Grievous laughing seemed to flash before the Devaronian's eyes once more, stirring up the darkness inside him like some evil beast or of a feeling long repressed, now striving to be released.
Sashi turned to look at the devil like creature, as a small animalistic growl escaped his lips. Through the force she sensed the dark emotions beginning to stimulate every fibre of her comrades being. For a Jedi, this was not a reflection of the light side they were supposed to embellish. It resembled the entity of beings who succumbed to their emotions and let its government dictate their actions. It was a reflection of the dark side.
Tightening his grip upon Sashi's hand the Devaronian heartily declared: "I will not let my grief blind me to my course. Nor shall I let my emotions govern my actions. Instead I shall use them to bolster my strength, so that I might to strive towards my desired objective. To end the destruction wrought on by Grievous and his followers, so that we might end this war! By the time the conflict in this sector is over, I shall have avenged my fallen Padawan and Grievous [he waved a fist in front of him] shall be no more."
"Soltark …" the woman gasped with a sense of foreboding and dread. Her worst fears seemed to have been confirmed. Her friend was clearly not thinking clearly, and now his feelings were letting him totter that much closer towards the dark side of the force. If left unchecked he could become like Dooku had been, or worse still a pawn of the dark side, just like Grievous. "Soltark listen to me …" she let go of his hand and stepped away slightly so that she might be able to apply the force, if it became necessary. However, before anything else could transpire two things happened.
First of all a clone trooper came over waving and calling their names. As soon as he reached them the template warrior revealed that Master Koth had summoned them to the audience chamber deep within Shrupak. At the same time, Sashi felt the emotions within her companion fading, as the darkness within him slowly ebbed away to be replaced by a sense of loyalty and duty. Then finally, finally much to her relief, the shroud of evil was suppressed within the Devaronian. Throughout his whole being a vast quantity of the light, clarity and a clearness seemed to emanate through him once more. Even so the touch of the dark side did not truly leave Soltark. Like some parasitic virus, it still persisted, tugging at the corners of his mind.
The worst part was that Soltark himself didn't seem to realise this. Indeed acknowledging the troopers directive he said quite merrily to her: "We best be on our way Sashi, we have our duty to fulfil". Though she nodded and trudged after him, the Jedi Master felt quite tense and concerned for the well-being of her friend. The dark side of the force was now present on Kalee, not just within Grievous, but within Soltark Romalta as well and if he was not careful, the evil that Grievous had planted within Soltark's heart, would all to quickly consume him.
At Liberty Base, upon the Republic frontier.
As with all of the Republic stations Liberty was fully functional and its forces standing by. Each warrior was equipped and sufficiently armed to counter the CIS offensive. It was here, more than any other Republic establishment that the impact of an inevitable attack was being felt the most. Situated as the most forward of the Republics command posts it was this base that was closest to the Separatists establishment, and therefore the most vulnerable to attack. Partially restricted by the surrounding mountains and large rock formations, conditions within Liberty were cramped and uncompromising. Yet not a single soldier gave mention to their discomfort, nor walked about unaccompanied by a fellow soldier or part of his squad. As with the Separatists headquarters, this base was much broader and vaster when compared to Alpha, Beta, and Echo Bases, and to a lesser extent Shrupak. Sufficiently enough to host a large part of the Republic forces arsenal, and this branch of soldiers were therefore leaving nothing to chance.
When the Republic had first invaded Kalee's eastern hemisphere, all those days ago Shrupak had been the intended destination, but the thick jungles, luscious plains, marshy swamps and high mountains had made a direct assault virtually impossible. Thanks to the Yam'rii however, not only had the clones found a viable entrance through which to enter the mountains virtually unopposed, they had also found a suitable place to set up their first base. At one time in Kalee's ancient pass a massive lake had existed part way between what would later become the Fields of Banen and the Shrupak Temple. The water reservoir had long since dried up, its watery source now diverted towards a new location. Never the less the remaining exposure now served as the perfect location for a Republic outpost.
Surrounded by tall solid walls of jagged rock and a high cliff face, Liberty more than any other base served as the life blood for the Republics base. It was here that the Republic command stored much of their artillery, war machines and general arsenal. Dozens of ATTE's could be found nestled next to squadrons of LAAT's, amid hundreds of speeder bikes, and AT-RT scout walkers. At the southernmost entrance to Liberty's vast establishment, which was closest to the Separatist base and by all means narrow enough for only a few individuals to traverse at a time, two large anti troop and vehicle turrets had been erected. Combined with the half a dozen more established upon the topmost sections of the cliff faces, the Republic was now certain that nothing the Separatist forces threw at them would get past them in one piece.
Even so, clone trooper commander Conan, the man in charge of the seven thousand warriors (five thousand Yam'rii and two thousand clones) was taking no chances. Snipers were positioned along the small wall and trenches that had been dug along the turret perimeters, armed with night vision goggles, and long range sniper scopes, virtually everything within sweeping range was visible to them. Now for the sixteenth time that night, Conan checked on his soldiers progress.
"Anything to report yet Sergeant?"
"No sir" came the reply. "All quiet on this front"
"Excellent keep up the good work lads. Every minute we hold out brings us that much closer to victory. With boys like you at work, Grievous and his Kaleesh allies are all but done for. They just don't know it yet!" A series of cheers and joyous acknowledgements greeted this moral stirring appraisal. As with everyone upon this base Conan was convinced of an inevitable victory and wanted his men to be fully prepared for when that time came.
Yet little did he know, even as he and his soldiers talked about their inevitable victory over the Kaleesh and their Separatist allies, the clones of Liberty Base were being watched themselves. Although the clone snipers night vision equipment permitted them a good look over most of the terrain, there were none the less a few locations were their equipment was obscured by the natural terrain. One such example was a small rocky outcrop that extended from the southern cliff face and ran parallel to the bases eastern perimeters. It was from here that five figures sat crouched low and observant. Two of them were Kaleesh kolkpravis, the others were Commando droids. The last one, was Grievous himself.
The reasons that had brought the droids here were vast and numerous, but chief among them was Grievous' desire to see this war done, and the desire to prove himself to both his troops and Dooku. Never one for politics' Grievous had only met with his war chieftain's and other droid commanders out of necessity to discuss viable stratagems and other tactics that could enable them victory. For over an hour the group argued with each other, each one trying to propose an appropriate solution to win the war in this sector and counteract the coalition's many problems.
There were many of them to offer: a few proposed the idea of guerrilla warfare, harassing the Republic forces at key locations until they were crippled enough to enable the Separatists to strike. Others thought it might be better to try a variety of assassination attempts, hoping that by wiping out the Republic command the troops moral would become low, permitting a crucial window of opportunity for the Kaleesh to launch a counter offensive. Another idea was to establish smaller bases around the Fields of Banen, so as to divide up the Republic forces further and thus make them more vulnerable to an assault. Each proposal had both merit and flaws to it, but the greatest reservations were held by Grievous himself.
For Grievous the biggest constraints were his time restraint and troop quantity. He now had just six days in which to prove himself both to Dooku and the CIS at large. Though some would argue that this was a considerable amount of time, it felt like nothing more than a few heart beats to the Kaleesh cyborg. What was more if he was going to have any chance of winning; he had to find a way to effectively utilise his understaffed force. The Republic ground forces outnumbered the Separatist troops almost two to one and although Grievous was certain that he had a larger star fighter fleet compared to his foes, the cyborg had been unable to come up with any viable stratagem to enable his beleaguered forces the viable victory they so desperately needed.
Finally after an hour of persistent shouting and exchanging of harsh words, Grievous' impatience could take no more. "ENOUGH!" he had shouted and all had fallen silent. "Fighting amongst ourselves is getting us nowhere. I am determined for this battle to end in our victory just as much as any of you are, but we are not going to get anywhere with this constant bickering and incessant whining amongst within our own ranks! We need action to achieve our objective and we need it now. It is clear to me now that we require intel and more advanced scooping of the Republic militia if we are to stand any chance, and since none of you can be bothered to take any of these necessary steps then I will!"
Pointing to one of his Magna Guards, Grievous ordered: "Gather up a band of twenty warriors! I want both Kaleesh and Battle droid's within this unit riding on STAP's. Also make sure that three of my guards are within the unit as well. All warriors are to be primed and prepped for battle. Then ready my Roggwart!"
For those not in the know, the Roggwart is a large bipedal predator native to the planet Vendaxa. Though feared and revered by the native populace, they did have their uses and were often exported for trade purposes. It was not uncommon to find them within Gladiator arena's across many of the outer rim worlds, fighting against other spectacular creatures or valiant warriors, usually in a pitched battle to the death. The Kaleesh however sometimes utilised them as beasts of war, but this was rare as to subvert one of the beasts to a special kind of warrior.
Sk'ar had never the less brought thirty of them to the conflict upon setting out for Kalee. Each one was battle seasoned and armoured, making them deadly foes virtually immune to blaster bolts. Grievous had been impressed by Sk'ar's foresight and wasted no time in taming the largest and most aggressive member of the herd to his will. Though it would never replace his beloved steed Gor, who had been murdered by Jedi Master FIsto (another reason for Grievous' hatred of the Jedi), the huge male had so far proven himself to be a loyal and mighty steed.
Though the Kaleesh valued the safety of their Khagan, and many of the war chiefs including Sk'ar had offered to either led the mission in his stead or better yet accompany the cyborg on his mission, Grievous had been adamant that they stay behind. The time had come for Grievous to take control of things and if part of that included leading his troops by example then so be it. In the end the cyborg had set out from the Separatist HQ with twenty warriors accompanying him, just as he had planned, all riding STAP's or in Grievous' case a huge armoured Roggwart, who was somehow able to stay ahead of the rest of the unit. Before he left though, Grievous had spoken to Sk'ar, telling his trusted lieutenant that he wished for him to take command in his absence, whilst also informing the former Izvoshra of his intended vector. "The key to this solution lies at Liberty base" he said, tapping to the dotted location upon the hand drawn sketch with a cold duranium finger. "This is where the Republic stores much of its forces and artillery. The answer lies here, somewhere around this location. I am certain of it. We just need to find it!"
"Fall back" Grievous whispered with a brief gesture of the hand. As quietly as a mouse upon a floor board, the five figures melted into the background, slithering across the rocky outcrop like snakes upon a sandbank. Within a few minutes they entered the narrow gap within the rock face that they had used to access the small overhang, and the Republic never even knew that they were there.
Grievous had left the majority of his scout unit behind at the entrance to this small ravine. It would several minutes to traverse the thin, windy paths that separated him from them. This provided the cyborg general an opportunity to think and reflect upon what he had just seen.
Mostly it the excursion had confirmed what he had been told and suspected. The Republic troops did indeed store much of their arsenal here, and by the looks of things the majority of their troops were stationed here also. The only trouble was that those turrets at the southernmost end posed a real threat to any would be attackers. Having sealed off most of the entrances, the one gap left in the southern wall was a narrow ravine through which ten men could stand comfortably side by side and no more. If anything troops even attempted to get through that narrow passage the turrets at the other end would just cut them down before they even reached the extremity of the fortifications itself.
The only chink in Liberty's armour was that small rocky outcrop that they had just left. Small and unguarded this small rock extension could be used to spring an ambush, and with the right equipment those turrets would quickly dispatched. A further advantage was that the high walls surround the base made radar and echo location useless. With all the goings on around you, how would a Republic soldier be able to distinguish friend from foe, and since the rock growth extended past the first turret arrays and into the first outreaches of Liberty base, by the time any Republic soldiers learnt of the Kaleesh's presence, it would be far to late. It sounded like the perfect scenario and seemed almost too good to be true, and indeed, it was!
Throughout the Clone Wars Grievous had seen, both to his benefit and cost, that once a trap was sprung there was closing it. Furthermore the only way to spring this trap was via the small enclave and although vast enough to hold a few dozen warriors there was no way that the outgrowth would support the thousands of troops at Grievous' disposal. Rallying reinforcements to the location would be difficult, and even then the troops that did make it through would have to fight against thousands of fully armed and prepared clone and Yam'rii warriors, not to mention the vehicles and aircraft which the Republic would then call upon to aid them. This combined with the other forces that the Republic had in reserve was just screaming out the word MASSACRE!
No! What they needed was to be cunning, and deceitful. Grievous had to find a way to turn the tide against the Republic, to use their own strategy against them. It was impossible to get non flying vehicles behind the rocky barrier but it was also impossible and impractical to get them out either.
What he needed to do was to find a way to lure the Republic's soldiers out! To fight a battle on his terms. Grievous knew for a fact the Huk did not have the patience of a trained clone soldier or Jedi knight. The insectoids had come to Kalee for blood and waste no opportunity that they thought might enable them to gain 'vengeance' against their former slaves, and to shed Kaleesh blood!
Another thing that concerned him was the Star Destroyer Fleet hovering above them. Although outnumbered by the Separatist armada, Grievous didn't want to risk the chance that the clone soldiers might call for reinforcements or worse still move on to further exploitation of Kaleesh territory. No, the fleet had to be dealt with and fast. Fortunately Grievous had an idea upon how to deal with the said cruisers. The only trouble was, it involved conquering Liberty and so the question remained: 'How to get rid of the soldiers?'
They emerged from the tight enclave, out into the more open area. Swarms of insects hung in the air, but the Kaleesh who were used to the bites of such parasites simply paid them no head. Grievous who was unaffected by the biting swarms simply ignored them and instead turned his attention upon their surroundings. Reunited with his scout troopers and steads the group were now situated within the confinements of a curved gorge. The rock face to their left was all that separated him and his unit from seven thousand Republic soldiers who if they found them, would surely kill them.
Pushing this thought aside the cyborg began to march cautiously down the steep slope. Originally a small tributary used to run off of the ancient lake that had been situated on the other side of the rock wall, where Liberty base now stood. After navigating a small opening within the sandstone rock face the water had eventually eroded an opening away into the rocky terrain, which given erosion and time had led to the formation a windy but broad v shaped valley. The Kaleesh called this place 'Stabolaz Gorge', owing to the steep sides making it a gorge and Stabolaz because it was a sacred pilgrimage route on the way to Shrupak.
The rocky walls of the gorges western banks were over a hundred feet high and at an adjacent right angle to the canyon floor. They did level off slightly after that onto a small flat road like path, before giving way to another high cliff face, but this was hardly worth knowing. Yet the river had flooded quite regularly causing a levee to build up on the eastern side of the river formation. Although of a very steep angle, the slope had permitted the Kaleesh access to the narrow passage leading to the Liberty base rock outcrop. It was therefore lucky that a wily Kaleesh scout had found this opening, whilst the Republic forces no doubt driven by their desire to conquer and maintain their hold over Shrupak and their other establishments had failed to notice it. A good thing on Grievous' part.
Never the less the levees were at a steep seventy degree angle and littered with cobles and sharp stones. As such it made ascension difficult unless you had a speeder or better yet cybernetic feet. It was however very difficult to encourage a Roggwart to ascend, especially when he did not want too. So whilst the rest of his companions mounted up, Grievous moved on ahead. Traversing the angled slope as if was a slide, Grievous sailed down the incline with relative ease, throwing up pebbles and grit as he did so.
The rest of the unit were waiting in the gulley at the base of the channel, in close proximity to the rock face. Some were still sitting on their STAP's the low engines buzzing steadily. Others had dismounted and were standing beside their silent vehicles watching their master, with swords, spears and guns clutched at the ready. The three Magna Guards all held their staff in one hand, whilst with the others the droids held upon the reins of Grievous' Roggwart. The mighty beast was struggling against its bindings, twitching and fidgeting noisily, it occasionally arched its neck into the air and let out a long mourning screech, before crouching low again and emitting a series of low menacing growls, bearing its fangs at the droids.
Grievous reached the bottom of the dry plateau and marched over to the rest of the units, his four companions now mounted up, now tailed along beside him in a line. The cyborg kept his attention straight ahead thought. Striding towards his stead, he approached one of the Magna Guards and knocked the droid out of the way with a sideways blow to the head. "You stupid beast" he said harshly to his predatory mount, "Do you want the whole Republic army to descend upon us? If not then I suggest you put a cork in it before I make you shut up."
The Roggwart snarled at him, its face etched with fury at the insult it had just endured. Unafraid Grievous looked the creature straight back in the eye and hissed angrily at it. They fell silent but after a brief staring match the Roggwart crouched down low on all fours in a gesture of submission. With a nod Grievous swung his leg over and mounted the creatures armoured back and pulled himself up into the saddle. The two remaining Magna Guards let go of the harness and stepped away as Grievous steed stood up. The cyborg tugged on the bindings and reigned the creature in the direction he wanted it to go. The Roggwart let off a minor snort of discomfort but otherwise obliged.
"Mount up, we're getting out of here! YAH!" Grievous ordered as cracked the whips in and the Roggwart swaggered forward at a casual stroll. With a small zoom, the rest of the entourage followed suit, saddling their speeders to travel at the same speed as Grievous' mount. The group stayed in close formation, paying meticulous attention so as to guard the flanks and the rear, whilst leaving the front line open. That way their Khagan could make an escape, and might be able to make it back to Separatist territory if the Republic decided to launch a surprise attack.
One of the cloaked Magna Guards accelerated slightly, riding parallel to its master. Turning its head towards the cyborg, the droid spoke. "Trup oie back ni?" it asked in a crisp metallic voice. Though capable of speaking in many dialects the soldier chose to speak in the secret binary code that only a few Separatist commanders had been educated in. The cyborg, being one of them, snorted in response to his soldier's folly.
"That side entrance is of minimal significance to us. It offers neither a strategical advantage nor a possible ambush site. The journey into that enclave was a complete waste of time. Time that could have been used more directly in finding a way to win this war!" Grievous replied waving a hand dismissively in the droids direction. The automaton swerved aside slightly but stayed paramount to the rest of the riders.
"But my Lord surely that outcrop could warrant some level of merit and intrigue to your battle strategy?" The voice this time came from one of the kolkpravis who had accompanied Grievous into the escarpment itself. Clearly like most of the squadron (who were nodding in agreement with him) this warrior believed this discovery to be the turning point that the Separatist forces so desperately needed.
Grievous growled in response before spinning round to face the warrior. "Think carefully about what you say before you dare to question my decisions again soldier!" the cyborg snapped harshly. "I did not become a Kaleesh Khagan by rushing into things, battles are not just won by brute strength and speed alone. They require cunning and consideration in order to achieve victory!" This sounded just like something Dooku would say to him, had said to him on numerous occasions. He made a nasty snarling noise, as this thought crossed his mind.
Then swallowing his pride a little Grievous spoke harsh revealing words. "I have been taught in the art of war for as long I can remember" he said in a dark, loathing tone. "My experiences both on and off the battlefield have taught me many things about the craft of warfare. I have learnt that you have to pay heed and attention to each and every lesson life throws at you. If you don't then the consequences that follow are yours to bear for all of eternity." The Roggwart snorted and arched its head slightly to look at his rider. All eyes were upon Grievous, the warriors of every gender, origin and rank were paying close attention as their master divulged a small factor, in regards to his origins.
"Our current predicament is no less a finer example than any!" Grievous spat darkly, speaking more to himself than to the rest of his unit. "All those years ago, following the death of my beloved, I tried so hard to ensure the safety of my people. To make sure that they did not have to suffer, the way that I did with the loss and grievances over a loved one. But in the end all I did was fail. The Huk tricked us, lured us into a false sense of security and stability before vanquishing us. Not by some grant army of theirs, nor on the parade grounds of conquest but through politics and idealness. All that I could do in the end was sit back and watch, as my own people starved to death, and suffered financially under the harsh terms imposed by the Jedi." The cyborgs eyes narrowed at the mention of his loathsome foes.
"I watched in the darkness, a tormented a soul, whilst those closest to me paid the price for my mistakes, including … my own family!" The cyborg paused here, for the briefest of moments a touch of grief flickered across what remained of the warrior now hid beneath the mask of duranium and steel. Though never of the same equivocal that he had felt for his beloved Ronderu, his other wives and children had been important for him. They had been a minor reason as to why he had renewed his war against the Huk. Now, because of the insectoids and the Jedi order, many of them lay ten feet under. He clearly remembered crouching down over two of them, hand resting upon the shoulder of each child and watching mirthlessly as one teenage daughter clutched tightly to the emaciated boy of her younger, child brother, head resting against his limb one, before in her grief she succumbed to the temptations of her own plight.
The image lit a new fire into his heart, and the cyborg hissed audibly. "Well some good did come of that war" he said sinisterly. "My old body may have been destroyed but a new better warrior was reborn from the ashes. Now with the improvements I have garnered and the teachings and machinations of Dooku at my disposal, I have the means with which to accomplish my actions. With so much hanging on this particular battlefield, not just for myself but for my people as well I will apply these extensions to the full extent of their worth in this conquest".
Grievous took one hand of the reigns and held up a clenched fist. In a barely audible hiss the Khagan spoke determinedly to himself with a self-motivated proclamation, his mind now set and focused. "There will be no retreat this time. I will not flee like some fledgling mongrel if things go wrong. Not this time Dooku. I will find a way to win this battle, with my beleaguered forces, so that I might atone for my mistakes. Both upon this planet and all of the other circumstances where my failures yielded unwarranted results. That or I will die trying. If I fail then so be it, I can go to my death knowing that I tried. But if I succeed then I promise a storm of vengeance unlike any other that the Republic and those who fight for them across Kalee have ever seen before or will see again. Our ancient enemies and their stinking Jedi commanders will suffer as they have never suffered before, and after I am done with them, they will understand what it means to truly cross the Kaleesh. For we will show them no quarter and warrant such a high price in blood, that they shall never question the definition of 'retribution' ever again. Whether it be across this world or upon another, perhaps even both, I vow to make them suffer for the trouble they have wrought. And if that means taking a little more time to assess the situation within its entirety, so that I might attain that victory, along with the glory and the recognition that I so rightfully deserve THEN SO BE IT!"
The Kaleesh warriors within the scout unit jumped at this proclamation, though the droids remained motionless. The Roggwart grunted, shaking its head slightly as if to dislodge an irritating insect. Still the group continued to march on. They had come to a bend in the canyon now, the site of the ancient rivers meander. Now as the group marched gracefully through this terrain, the moon shone down in front of them, illuminating their pathway. Barely conscious of his surroundings at first Grievous continued with his edict.
"This is my promise to all of you, my brother and sister warriors. I swear this to you, both as your commander and a fellow warrior that I shall give it my all, so that we may have the reprisal that we so desperately deserve." Focusing now upon his surroundings the cyborg gestured at the terrain around him, his hand traversing everything from the high cliff faces to the shingled surface of the dried up banks.
"These sacred grounds once rang out with the distant cries of our people, as they made their way upon annual pilgrimages to offer up bounties and prayers to our gods and fallen ancestors at Shrupak. I desire them to do so again. The Republic may hold it temporarily but in time we shall reclaim that temple. We shall amend the atrocities that they have committed against it and restore it to its former glory. All that the Republic has done, by taking shelter in those holed out slug belch hutches is to buy themselves some time. But while they do that they remind to what goes on around them, out here in the real world. All that we have to do is find the right opening and we can -"
The cyborgs words faltered, and he stopped in mid-sentence. Not only that but he brought his Roggwart to a halt as well. The creature craned its neck around and roared most discomfortingly in Grievous' direction but the rider paid his predatory mount no attention. Unknown to anyone else, the cyborgs mind was already focused on the task it had been breed and designed for. Endless schemes and devises were running through his mind at phenomenal rate. Every stratagem clearly laid itself out before him, all of his observations were taking into account as he visualised the proficiency and effectiveness of the Republic / Huk coalition against the might and prowess of his own armada.
Troop deployments, tank formations all seemed to be taken into account as he stared into the space in front of him The rest of his Separatist detachment stared at their commander as he remained fixed in this trance like state. Having brought their own transportation to a halt many of the bewildered forces followed his gaze, wondering what the heck the cyborg was staring at. All that lay before them was a slightly narrower extension of the gorge that lay before and behind them.
There was nothing of interest anywhere within this barren, slightly gravelled gully. Aside from the tall cliff face and the high levees the only other objects of discernable interest were the moss covered boulders that littered the floor around them. The deposits of infrequent but extensive landslides these expansive sharp angled deposits narrowed the southernmost entrance of Stabolaz Gorge. Originally the Kaleesh had attendants on hand to deal with such infringements but in the current circumstances it looked as though nobody had attended to these deposits for weeks at an end.
All of this was of little consequence and understanding to the majority of the figures within this unit, but it clearly meant something to Grievous. The Kaleesh cyborgs eyes now had a glazed look about them as he surveyed the landscape around him at an inhumane speed, taking in every site and spectacle before him at an inhumane speed. Subconsciously and without paying attention to what he was doing Grievous tugged on the reins of his steed, urging and willing the beast to turn back in the direction from whence they came. The beast roared with discomfort and distain for this action but otherwise obeyed his will as Grievous whirled him around so as to gain a better view of the canyons western barrier.
The Kaleesh and droid soldiers looked at each other with confusion, having seen no injury nor prestigious item to warrant such reaction from their master. Yet just before they could inquire as to the masters wellbeing, the cyborg spoke to them. "Up there" Grievous said, pointing to the top most section of the plateau before them. At its top most section, the plateau that separated the two rock edges extended a good few hundred metres horizontally. The Kaleesh sometimes used this route to transport slaves, along with other prisoners or beasts of war during the time of plenty. Now in this moment of crisis only one question remained; was the path to it still open?
"Sir?"
"That path up there?" Grievous demanded, rounding on the warriors that surrounded him. His situation was desperate. There was every possibility that the Republic had closed this route off, whilst neglecting all of the other tracks and trails around them, but if remained open?! Then it was possible, just possible?
"It remains open sir" a voice stuttered in. Grievous turned to the kolkpravis that spoke it, his eyes bearing into him with such intensity, that the warrior felt as if he stood before some mighty demon, rather than a cybernetic warrior of Kaleesh kinship. "There uhm, there are some trails and escarpments that lead along this way that remain untouched. Though I fear that none of them lead directly into Liberty or Shrupak sir this path aims directly in the trail way towards the Republics Alpha base. Uhm Sir?"
Grievous gave no reaction. At the simple mention that the path was open to him, the cyborg had turned away to stare briefly back in the direction of the Republics Liberty base before turning his head southwards in the direction and bearing of his own fortification. After a moment of silence what little flesh was visible beneath Grievous cybernetic mask became twisted and furrowed. The warriors watched in confusion as their Khagan's features eerily transcended from the transfixed stoic stare into a sneering smirk of comprehension and excitement.
"The Ausez Steppes. The Shrupak Temple. These surrounding mountain paths and rock faces!" Grievous breathed triumphantly. "That's it! THAT IS THE REPUBLIC BASE'S WEAK SPOT!" And with those words came a foreclosure of understanding to all present that General Grievous had formulated a plan! One that anticipated something that the Clone and Yam'rii soldiers had overlooked in their desire to take Kalee from its native population and that in turn promised a battle that would reap a high tally in terms of both carnage and bloodshed.
End of Chapter 4
Well I hope you enjoyed the Chapter, please don't hesitate to let me know what you think about it.
So, what exactly does Grievous have planned for the Republic forces and their Jedi allies?
Well, you're just going to have to wait and see, but feel free to take a guess.
Until then thanks for reading!
Chapter 5 coming soon!