Chapter 3

The three attack cruisers executed the plan flawlessly. Within minutes, Grievous's ships were surrounded. On the bridge, Anakin beamed at how well his plan had fallen into place. Grievous surrounded, our shields are holding, all ships and troops are ready for battle, his head pieced together all the facts, double-checking that he hadn't missed anything. This could be the long awaited day when Grievous was brought to justice. Anakin was less concerned about the rescue part of the mission, he'd been waiting for this capture far too long, rescuing the two captives would just be a bonus. But he was still worried at all, he shivered at the thought they were too late, that Grievous had learned of his mistake and killed them both. He tried not to think about it, if he let his emotions cloud his focus on the mission, Grievous would escape once again, he couldn't let that happen. He turned back to Yularen and asked, "Are all ships ready for launch?"

"Yes sir," he responded. "All the men are at their stations."

"Good, Ahsoka, you have the bridge."

"This still about my flying, isn't it?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all snips, I just believe you would be the better the better commander for this battle," he said, reassuringly as he walked away. "Artoo, prepare my and Plo's fighters for launch." A happy three-chirp came from the other end of his comlink.

"We must be sure we board the correct ship," Plo cautioned. "The clones will not be able to take Grievous alone."

"Knowing the good general, he'll probably be the one in the middle and prominently in front, fortunately for us Grievous likes to make his presence known, it's his weakness."

"Though he denies it, everyone has one," Plo agreed. Grievous did have a weakness, a weakness they were going to exploit.

Grievous looked out at the Republic cruisers surrounding him. Skywalker's strategy was quite clear, He not only intended to rescue his captives, but capture him as well. Grievous turned to Penny, still on the floor, and said, "Well child, it would appear that your friends have come to save you." Penny wanted to say something, but decided that anyone who tried to save her was friendly. "Sadly, they will never reach you. Guards!" Two of the MagnaGuards grabbed her shirt and pulled her up. Another quickly went to Bolt, seeing him recover from his sedation. "Quickly, transfer the information in the computer and erase it. All troops prepare for boarding." Then Grievous turned to Penny. "As for these two, take them to my shuttle and take off immediately, I can't risk them getting near her." The guard nodded and pulled the two off the bridge. "Prepare all fighters for launch."

Within moments, starfighters were swarming in the space in between the cruisers. Grievous looked at the bridge's consoles, awaiting the image of a Jedi Starfighter. With a beep, a small, triangular, yellow ship appeared on the screen. "So, Skywalker has arrived," he said to himself. Suddenly, another starfighter appeared, this one was blue. "Ah, and he's brought a friend. Good, and extra lightsaber for my collection."

Laser fire began to fill the space. Anakin and Plo's starfighters began spinning left and right, narrowly avoiding the volley of shots. However, the Jedi weren't going to win this battle just by performing tricks. They had a plan.

"All right men," Plo said into his built-in comlink. "Skywalker, you and Warthog take Gold Squadron and keep the fighters from destroying our boarding craft. Captain Jag, R7 will find hangers for you and I and expose so our ships can land."

"Understood, sir," Jag responded.

"OK boys, last to 20 droids cleans R2," Anakin said, instantly getting out of that task.

"Copy that, sir," Gold 2 said. "Hey Det, don't forget to clean the servo-motors."

The rest of Gold Squadron laughed in response. Though it was short lived. The hundreds of Vulture droids that were approaching them were still pouring fire down on them. The V-19s returned it, sending Vulture droid heads and wings flying everywhere. "Stand by Master Plo," Anakin alerted. "Our ships are going to form a distraction by attacking one of the cruisers. This will give you a small window of time and space for your attack."

"Very good Skywalker," Plo responded. "Arseven, have you found a vacant hanger on Grievous' ship?" Plo got a happy beep in response. "All right, all boarding ships follow me."