Somehow, the Clones that had rescued them seemed to know the way back, not that Caleb was going to argue about it mind you. Running through these seemingly endless hallways would only spell certain doom if they didn't have some sort of guide, not to mention the fact that a murderous cyborg general was still on the loose.
If he had to blindly trust the men who had trusted him to lead them, then so be it.
"Thanks for the rescue Big-Mouth. Things were looking grim for a second there." Ahsoka spoke as she ran alongside the Clone, following his every move as he was. Behind them two other troopers watched the rear, just in case Grievous decided to follow. So far he had not.
"No problem 'Huntress'. When the power came back up General Billaba ordered us to come find you whilst she downloaded the data. Wasn't too hard to reach you once the sound of lightsabers started flooding these hallways. You two did good against the General back there." Big-Mouth replied, nodding his head at Ahsoka in the process, an evident sign of respect.
"Don't be so modest trooper. Without you we'd be in pieces. I owe you one." Ahsoka called back, turning a corner in the process as indicated by Big-Mouth.
"You can pay me back later." Big-Mouth responded, continuing to lead the way, turning another corner in the process.
However, this time he stopped, skidding to a halt as so to not run into the people before him. Ahsoka too was able to stop herself in time, pausing to regain her breath before standing tall.
Caleb, however, was not so lucky. Rather than stop in time he barrelled into the back of the armoured Togruta, knocking her to the floor, his own body tumbling over hers in the process.
"Sorry Ahsoka!" Caleb apologised, pushing himself off of Ahsoka's collapsed body, reaching a hand down to help her up. He knew he was blushing from the embarrassment of what he had just done, but he didn't want to come across as any more of a disappointment. What sort of Jedi Padawan ran into and knocked people over?
Ahsoka's response however was not what he expected. Rather than chastise or grumble at him, the Togruta merely began laughing, the voice modulated by the helmet, but clearly full of humour at the situation. If she found it funny, then maybe he didn't need to be so worried?
"It's fine Caleb. No damage done."
If he could see behind her helmet, Caleb was certain she would be smirking as she accepted the offered hand up, standing back up to face him, her free hand moving to his head to ruffle his hair affectionately.
That got another blush out of Caleb… not that he would admit it… even if everyone could see it.
"Did you get the data General?" Big-Mouth inquired, his helmeted visage facing towards Depa, who stood before them, the remaining clone troopers standing behind her.
"I did. Hopefully this will be all we need to create a plan of action on how the deal with this bioweapon." Depa answered, extracting a small disc from a pouch she was wearing on her waist, offering it to Ahsoka, who accepted it.
"Combined with the data I got on Myrkr it should be. Now it's just a case of escaping this damned place."
"And not getting murdered by a scary cyborg General in the process." Big-Mouth finished off Ahsoka's thoughts, nudging Caleb with his arm, to which Caleb nudged him back.
"Well then, that should be simple enough." Another Clone spoke, one whose name Caleb couldn't remember. Caleb was about to laugh at the obvious sarcasm in the Clone's voice before everything went dark. The dim lights that had come on after connecting the backup generator fizzled out suddenly, bathing the team in blackness once again.
No one moved for a second, and then a single headlight appeared on the top of Commander Grey's helmet, blinding Caleb for a moment until his eyes adjusted.
All head turned to look at Grey, who spoke what everyone was thinking.
"Poodoo."
General Grievous stood as the backup generator sparked before his golden eyes, a molten line of cut metal embedded deep into it, the evident marking of a lightsaber scoring.
And in his clawed hand was said lightsaber, bathing him in a green glow.
The Jedi had been foolish to come here, hoping to restore the power. He had been the one to cut off the backup in the first place. And then he had laid in wait, hoping for a Jedi.
And then two had come, one of them being the target he needed.
The duel had been quick, and it had been clear that he was vastly overpowering the two Jedi younglings. In a way, he was disappointed. Tano had proven herself in the past to be a competent duelist, and a formidable challenge when pushed too hard.
But instead, she had been so focused on protecting the Padawan of Billaba that she had left herself open and weak.
"Foolish Jedi sentiment." Grievous snarled, reaching his free hand down to grasp his communicator.
"All Forces, storm the facility. Eliminate the Jedi and Clones, but bring the Togruta to me alive!"
"Ok, so the power has been cut off again and we are stuck in the dark completely and utterly surrounded by a droid army whilst their General stalks these halls ready to kill us. Did I miss anything?" Big-Mouth commented, his own flashlight on now, helmeted face moving between his various higher ups, waiting for orders.
"We need to get to the roof if we can. Hopefully either Styles can pick us up in my ship, or my friend will show up to help us." Ahsoka answered, arms crossed as she considered the situation they were in. Neither option was really looking too good as it stood, and Caleb didn't even want to begin considering their odds of escape, let alone survival.
"Assuming your message even got through that is." Grey replied to Ahsoka, helmeted face hiding his expression. Judging by the tone of his voice he was not exactly pleased at their predicament.
"It is the only path open to us Commander, and thus we must walk it regardless of our feelings. Let's see if we can find a hatch that leads to the roof." Depa spoke, hand coming to rest of the armoured shoulder of her Commander, clearly trying to calm him down. It was a rare sight to see Grey so uncomfortable. For all the time Caleb had known him Grey had been a symbol of strength and steadfastness. Usually it was Styles that was the grumpy one who complained about everything.
For Clones, they were really all unique.
"We will follow your lead General Billaba." Grey replied, snapping into a salute in a sign of respect, one that Depa bowed to in return.
It was then that a sound echoed through the hallways, one that resembled the metallic clunking made by battle droids.
"Ohhh that can't be good!" Big-Mouth whispered, hand gripping his blaster tightly as he surveyed the darkness around them, lighting up what he could with his helmet flashlight.
"Agreed, let's move." Depa responded, instantly shifting towards her 'General' persona rather than 'Jedi Master' one as she turned to lead the way, lightsaber igniting in the process to provide extra light. Caleb moved to keep up with his Master, coming to stand side by side with her, his own blade ignited, further illuminating the hallways. Glancing up at his Master's face, he saw her shoot him a confident smile, one that he reciprocated.
If she believed they could escape, then so could he.
Following his Master as she lead the way, Caleb glanced behind him to make sure the others were following safely. Big-Mouth was in the back alongside Ahsoka, who also had her golden saber lit up, covering their six. Between them was Commander Grey and the rest of the small strike team, cautiously following their commanding officers, hoping to find something that would lead to an escape.
"Whilst the data was being transferred from the main computer I was able to get a brief glance at the schematics of this facility. There should be a series of hatches somewhere within this quadrant that lead to the roof. We only need to find them." Depa spoke as she lead, addressing everyone and informing them of the plan. It was simple enough, but relied entirely on finding one of these hatches in the first place
"Well I hope you are good at reading maps then." Caleb quipped, shooting his master a small smile, one she returned with ease.
"Here's hoping Padawan." Was his Master's reply, leading the team towards a junction, turning down the left path in the process.
Continuing to follow his Master, Caleb glanced behind him again to see both Ahsoka and Big-mouth turn the corner as well, bringing the rear up safely.
That was until another sound echoed through the hallways, and a large hulking silver figure emerged from the shadows behind the rear guard.
"Behind you!" Caleb called out pushing through the Clones in the middle of the group and bringing his lightsaber up in time to deflect a barrage of blaster fire from the Super Battle Droid that had literally emerged from the shadows to strike. Beside him he felt Ahsoka move into position to help, her own lightsaber catching and deflecting any blaster bolts he missed. Over his head the roar of more blaster fire sounded as his troopers moved to assist, going on the offensive whilst the two lightsaber wielders focused on defence.
Several blue bolts courtesy of Big-Mouth hit the Super Battle Droid square in its chest, burning through vital components and destroying the droid in the process.
But that was only one of the droids. As the murderous machine fell, Caleb spotted dozens more appeared behind it, blasters aimed in their direction, before they too opened fire.
Caleb pivoted his blade, angling it in all directions as he tried to deflect as much fire away from the Clones as he could. Beside him, Ahsoka did the same, covering his own gaps as well as hers and the Clones. He hoped he could fight as well as she could one day.
Blaster fire continued to travel over his head and the Clones played their part, downing droid after droid with precision shots whilst their leaders defended them.
It occurred to Caleb suddenly that his Master was not up front helping them. Worry flooded through him for a second, worry that turned into terror when he glanced round to see why she hadn't come to help.
As it turned out, she had been protecting all of them from a much greater threat.
Depa too was twirling her blade in various directions, deflecting and clashing with several more lightsabers at the same time, pushing against them and keeping them away from her men. The towering figure of General Grievous stood before her, four arms wielding four deadly blades, fighting with a ferocity that Caleb had never seen before. Had he been toying with them earlier?
"Kriff! Master!?" Caleb called out, his attention diverted back to the advancing droid army in the shadows by Ahsoka.
"She'll be fine Caleb, focus on the droids!"
Trusting that his Master was more than a match for the General of the Separatist army, Caleb turned his sight away from the duel, focusing again on the encroaching droid army. For every droid that seemed to fall, two more took its place, something that made the already claustrophobic hallways of the facility even more terrifying.
"We can't hold this position for long!" Commander Grey called out above the ongoing sound of blaster fire and lightsaber swings, firing his own blaster with ferocity over his Padawan Commander's head, downing another Super Battle Droid in the process.
"Agreed Commander! Caleb focus with the Force and push on my mark. We've got to make a path out through the droids!" Ahsoka commanded from beside him her tone of voice serious, yet respectful, her blade pivoting as she spoke, reflecting yet another shot that otherwise would have struck Caleb in his leg. Had he been a younger more inexperienced Padawan he probably would have objected to following the orders of someone only three years his senior.
But Ahsoka had been in this fight from the start, unlike him. She knew what to do, perhaps far better than he ever would. One didn't become the personal agent of Chancellor Palpatine without proving themselves worthy.
"Ready when you are!" Caleb called back, twirling his blade whilst reaching into the Force in preparation. Hopefully this would work. It had to!
Behind him he could hear as lightsabers clashed and pushed against one another again, signifying the ongoing duel between his Master and a monster. Depa only needed to buy them a few more seconds before...
"NOW!"
Ahsoka's call thrust Caleb into action, as he in turn thrust his hand out, palm facing towards the approaching droids. Through the Force he felt the energy rush out from both himself and Ahsoka, her own palm facing towards the droids in the darkness beyond.
Caleb watched as the droids were thrown backwards, crashing against one another whilst the Clones continued to fire over their heads, destroying the droids as they were pushed to the floor.
"There's our opening. Everyone move!"
The Clones burst into action, sprinting ahead of both Caleb and Ahsoka, firing on any downed droids that were still operational as they sought a way out. Turning his head Caleb saw the duel between his Master and Grievous come to an end, the Jedi Master thrusting her palm out towards the cyborg General, sending him careening backwards with the Force, snarls echoing down the hallways in the process.
Without stopping to check her handiwork, Depa turned and sprinted after the Clones, her Padawan falling in beside her, Ahsoka covering the rear. Caleb knew his Master was powerful, but the fact that she had held off Grievous single-handed reminded him of why she used to be on the Jedi Council.
He truly was lucky to have someone as wise and powerful as Depa Billaba as his Master.
Following the path his Master ran led to another corner, one with a door partially opened. The gap between the door and the floor was wide enough for them to slide under, and would hopefully slow any pursuers down, even if it was just for a moment.
Sliding under the doorway Caleb pushed himself back to his feet, taking the offered hand of one of the Clone troopers in the process.
"Thanks" Caleb said, shooting a brief smile at the Clone's faceplate, who nodded in reply.
"General Billaba, we found a ladder. Hopefully it leads to the surface of the facility." Commander Grey spoke, hand pointing into the darkness of the room, towards a single ladder that led upwards into what looked like a pipe of some kind.
"Excellent work Commander. Let's get up there and hope that Captain Styles is waiting for us." Depa replied, moving towards the ladder, with Caleb following digilantly. The ladder was not particularly wide, but it would serve their purpose. Even if it didn't lead to the roof it would still put more distance between them and General Grievous.
It was then that a harrowing sound echoed through the hallways beyond the partially closed door, one that would flood even the bravest of soul with nightmares.
"I get the feeling that Grievous is pretty pissed off right now." The comment came from Ahsoka, who was watching the doorway, her posture tense, as if expecting another ambush. Caleb couldn't say he blamed her after what they encountered earlier.
"He'll be here faster than we can all climb the ladder." Big-Mouth spoke, coming to stand beside Caleb, helmet off for some reason. He had a deep thoughtful look on his face, as if he knew something… as if he was planning something.
"Then we better move fast Big-Mouth." Depa replied, bracing a hand on one of the bars of the ladder before vaulting herself up, beginning to climb.
And then Big-Mouth spoke again, and Caleb felt his heart plummet in his stomach.
"You go ahead General. I'll buy you some time."
Depa's response was instantaneous, dropping down form where she had previously been climbing and coming to stand before Big-Mouth, face to face.
"No… I can't let you do that Big-Mouth."
"With all due respect General Grievous will catch us. We can only climb that ladder one at a time. If I stay then maybe a few more of us will get out alive."
"And if you come with us we will all get out of this alive!"
"I think we both know that's not happening General. It's been a great honor to serve with you and your Padawan. You are both fine Jedi, and downright brilliant people. Let me do this for you at the very least."
Caleb didn't even realize that he had been holding his breath, not until he saw the way his Jedi Master's shoulders sagged slightly in despair, understanding and remorse on her face. Clearly some part of her knew that Big-Mouth was telling the truth, no matter how horrible of a truth it was to hear. Beside her Commander Grey now stood, his own helmet clutched in his hands as he stared at his brother, a stoically calm expression covering his face. His eyes however betrayed his true emotions. A fire burned deep within them, one showing hurt and loss, but also despair, knowing he could do nothing to stop Big-Mouth.
Depa's head lowered briefly, eyes narrowed as she contemplated Big-Mouth's words, her breathing slow and steady as she tried to balance herself in the Force. Caleb could feel her mood sour through it, before a sense of acceptance passed over their bond.
In that moment Caleb watched as Depa raised her head, locking eyes with Big-Mouth before speaking.
"You are one brave man Big-Mouth. I'm so sorry."
"I'm not General. Has to be done. Get everyone to safety and find out exactly what the Separatist scum were up to here." Big-Mouth responded, snapping into a salute, to which Depa and the surrounding Clones responded in kind.
Caleb knew that nothing he would say would change the trooper's mind in that moment. If his loyal General was unable to make him do so, what chance did a mere Padawan have?
That still didn't stop Caleb from feeling immensely guilty at the decision. Big-Mouth was about to sacrifice himself, all for a slim chance that they might possibly escape the facility alive.
And even if they did manage to climb the ladder to the roof their escape hinged entirely on Captain Styles actually showing up to extract them… that or whoever Ahsoka had called for help arriving on time, if at all.
Suffice to say, Caleb really didn't like their chances.
"Hey kid?" Big-Mouth's voice startled Caleb out of his internal thoughts, bringing his attention to the Clone who now wore his helmet standing before him.
"Yeah?" Caleb replied, not trusting himself to be able to form larger sentences in the current situation. Looking up at the faceplate of Big-Mouth's helmet it occurred to him that he would likely never see his face again, despite sharing it with several million brothers.
"Stay safe yeah? You're gonna make one fine Jedi Master one day. Maybe even a Council member?"
Caleb didn't know how to respond. How did one respond to someone who was quite literally going to walk off to meet their deaths whilst others survived?
Instead, he chose to simply bow to the heroic trooper, showing the respect most often reserved for a Jedi Master. The slight tip of Big-Mouth's helmet in response showed that he recognized and appreciated the gesture.
Big-Mouth then turned to Ahsoka who was still watching the partially closed doorway, anticipating an attack, and spoke directly to her.
"You watch out for this one for me?"
It was a simple request, one that made Caleb's heart hurt more than it already did. Why was Big-Mouth doing this?
"Consider it done trooper." Came Ahsoka's response as she moved past Big-Mouth towards the ladder. Several Clones had already begun their ascent, following their Jedi General's lead up the ladder to hopefully their salvation.
But Caleb made no move to follow. He couldn't leave Big-Mouth to face Grievous alone. He hadn't abandoned Ahsoka, and he wouldn't abandon his men.
Big-Mouth could quite clearly see he wasn't leaving. Instead the two stood before each other, staring, watching, waiting. Caleb couldn't see Big-Mouth's eyes, or his expression, but he hoped it was not one of fear, or terror.
In fact, if anything, Caleb was willing to bet that Big-Mouth had a rather large smirk on his face, confident even when facing the end.
"Get out of here Commander!" Big-Mouth said his tone raised in what Caleb would call commanding, authority resonating in his voice before he lowering his body to the ground, slipping under the exposed gap in the door.
Seconds later, the door slammed shut.
"Caleb, we have to go now!" Ahsoka's voice brought him back around, her hand gently gripping his arm as she lightly tugged him towards the ladder.
Caleb had little choice but to follow.
Author's thoughts
Oh look, an action packed chapter for once. Did you guys like it?
Oddly enough this chapter and the next one were quite easy to write up for once. Usually I struggle with the battle centric chapters as I find it hard to cover all the ongoing combat at once, hence why I like to focus on one or two aspects of it rather than the battle overall if that makes any sense. Hopefully it was still enjoyable to read regardless.
As for what has happened to Big-Mouth... I'll leave it up to interpretation for now. I was originally going to include a scene in this chapter that had him facing Grievous and being brutally cut to shreds, but decided against it in the end. Whether or not he survived his encounter with the General remains to be seen, but I wanted a heroic sacrifice to occur, and knew that a Clone doing it would have a more profound effect on young Caleb at the moment rather than Depa going down. We'll see how it changes the future.
Next chapter is already fully drafted, its just a case of getting it to my beta reader to do, however he is going to be busy for a bit so I can't say when it will come. He's entitled to time off as I am. :)
Next time round the team reaches the roof, and all hell breaks loose!
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Travis Middleton: Thanks, glad Grievous was scary in the previous chapter. I wanted him to be a force to be reckoned with, as well as in this one. People seem to forget that he has obviously slaughtered many Jedi himself. Every lightsaber he has belonged to a Jedi once for example, and how many of those things does he go through throughout the Clone Wars?
Hope you liked this chapter as well.
Mysterious Guest one: Thanks for the compliment. Glad you enjoyed it and than Grievous was menacing enough. Hopefully that continued in this chapter.
1saaa: I know I know, I'm sorry for making you wait so long, and am grateful you've been willing to wait so long. I do feel bad about it, honest.
Anyway, glad you were excited for the previous chapter. I was happy to finally release it. Getting Grievous' power right was important, as well as Caleb being downright terrified of him but facing him regardless.
As for wanting more Palpatine/Sidious... I'll let you know that I wrote a future scene with him in today. As for some manipulation stuff from him, boy do I have something pretty big and evil planned for a much loved character. Muhahahaahaha!