"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond.
AN: Hi guys! I hoped everyone enjoyed the last chapter! Thank you to princesselsaamidala22 for the reviews!
Since I want the episode-based chapters to be as good as they possibly can be, I might only be able to get these up once a week since I have to rewatch the episode, do a little research, write the actual chapter, edit it and post it. The interludes will be a little quicker (but they will still take me a few days to write) since they won't be as long and they will mostly be focused on Rosella and her family (Ahsoka and Barriss will be making an appearance in a few of them)
Anyways, here's part two of the Malevolence arc. I will not be writing an episode based on the last part of the arc, but it will be referenced in the interlude that I am currently writing.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Don't forget to review and let me know what you think of this story so far!
Now that the Republic knows what the Separatists have in their possession, they race against the clock to destroy it before it can continue to destroy any more of their fleets.
Chapter 2: Going After the Malevolence
A few hours later, after they had gotten a chance to rest and eat some food, Rosella, along with Master Plo, walked towards Anakin and R2, who were down in one of the hangar bays with Admiral Yularen and a squad of clones, who were seated in rows of two in front of the pair. Since the dorsal doors were open, there was a small squad of V-19's coming back from their patrol, the shields were up to prevent anyone from accidentally wandering out into the main flight deck.
"This strike force has been commissioned in response to a request by the Senate to hunt down the Separatist's new battleship," Admiral Yularen said as he stood at the front beside Anakin. R2 was in front of them as he was projecting a holographic picture of the Malevolence into the air. "As the majority of our fleets are engaged in other battles on the front lines, we are, unfortunately, on our own. General Skywalker is in charge and has prepared our attack strategy."
Rosella glanced at the men and then paid attention to what her father was saying.
"Thank you, Admiral," Anakin said as they both nodded at each other. Then he walked towards the hologram as he pointed to it. "Our main issue is going to be our ships. While our destroyers are more vulnerable to the enemy's attack, I believe that a small squadron of bombers can outmaneuver the large warship, as well as their ion weapon. Our target will be the bridge and General Grievous."
Chatter broke out amongst the group of clones.
One of the clones leaned towards another of his fellow troopers. "The head clanker," he said. "Skywalker's getting pretty ambitious." The trooper chuckled to himself and then they both paid attention as Anakin continued with the briefing.
"We are going to take advantage of the bomber's high speed by having them attack quickly in order to evade any blasts from the ion weapon," Anakin said. Everyone paid attention to the holo display as a small squad of little bombers flew above the Malevolence and then dropped bombs once they reached the bridge. Then they flew away. "I want all of you to concentrate your firepower on the bridge superstructure, here." The Knight made sure to point at the bridge to further emphasize his point. "Once we take out Grievous, then the ship will fall with him and we won't have to worry about it ever attacking our fleets again." He finished speaking and looked out at the men. "Now, does anyone have any questions?"
One of the clones jumped to his feet and said, "Just tell us where that metalhead is sir!"
"Yeah," another clone said as he stood up beside his brother. "We've been waiting for our chance to take him and the rest of that ship out of commission."
The other troopers began to cheer and encourage one another. Rosella even thought she heard a couple of threats that were aimed at the cyborg General from a few of them.
Anakin chuckled. "Alright men, settle down," he said, watching as the two clones sat back down and soon the room was silent again. "This is an important mission. If Grievous is destroyed, it will help bring this war to a quicker end." Even with those words, Anakin knew what he said was somewhat true. Even if that metal cyborg was destroyed, he doubted that the war would end as long as the Sith were still in power. "Pilots! Prepare your bombers!"
The troopers got up and filed out of the hangar bay as R2 turned off his holoprojection of the warship and turned around.
"Skywalker," Plo said, causing Anakin to turn and face him. "This is an aggressive plan that you have come up with. Are you sure that this squadron will be able to pull it off?"
"Why don't we ask them?" Anakin said as he turned and called out to a small group of clones. "Hey, Matchstick." A clone with a buzzcut for his hairstyle cut off the conversation that he had been in the middle of with two of his brothers and turned around to see what Skywalker wanted. "Do you think the boys will be able to handle this?"
"Yes, sir!" Matchstick said, standing at attention. "There hasn't been a mission that Shadow Squadron couldn't complete."
"That's right," the trooper who was standing on Matchstick's right said. "Minimal casualties, maximum effectiveness. That's us."
"I admire your bravery, as well as your confidence, pilot," Plo said as he nodded to the men who continued with their previous conversation as they walked away. Then he turned around and spoke to Anakin. "Even so, if we have just one casualty while on this mission, it may be enough to prevent you from breaking through Grievous' defences."
"I agree with Master Plo," Rosella said. "With Grievous on that bridge, it's bound to be well protected."
"Don't worry Rosella," Anakin told her. "We'll destroy that bridge and Grievous as well." Then he turned around and walked away.
Admiral Yularen bowed to Rosella and Plo as he too turned around and walked away.
"I have to say that Master Skywalker seems to inspire great confidence in his men," Master Plo said.
Rosella chuckled as she was standing right next to him. "Well, he does lead by example," she responded as she turned to watch him speak with the Admiral.
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It was fun getting to watch the ships that belonged to the Republic fleet fall beneath his ion cannon. As laser after laser pounded into the disabled Republic ship, it wasn't long before the cruiser broke apart and everyone aboard, who hadn't made it onto one of the transport vessels or even an escape pod, died in the fiery explosion.
Aboard the bridge of the Malevolence, Grievous let out a hacking cough as he entered the room, not caring that Dooku was observing him via hologram as Darth Sidious had need of his services elsewhere. "So much for the Jedi escort!" He said.
"There is one more ship that is trying to escape General," one of the droids reported.
Grievous growled as he came over and stood behind the seats that the droids were currently occupying. "They will not get far," he said. "Charge the plasma rotors!"
The droids did as Grievous ordered and soon the ion cannon was charging, getting ready to fire another blast of energy at the fleeing transport.
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On the bridge of the frigate, three clones were in the cockpit. They had been tasked with taking their injured brethren to the secret medical station that was located in the Outer Rim for further treatment.
One of them turned to his commanding officer and said, "The warship is moving into attack position sir."
"I'm still locking in the coordinates!" The other medic said as he looked back at the man in charge.
"Are we clear to at least make the jump into hyperspace?" The clone who was in charge asked, knowing that there was no way that the frigate had enough power to outrun the large warship.
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Grievous didn't want to wait one more second. He wanted that frigate destroyed and he wanted it done now. "Fire the ion weapon!" He commanded and felt some sort of pleasure bubble up inside what was left of his organic components as he watched the transport get hit by the energy blast.
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The frigate shook as the ion pulse passed over it and then it started to dive downwards as it began to lose power.
"We've been hit and are losing all our power!" One of the medical personnel cried out.
Then all three of the clones almost pitched forward as the ship began to shake from numerous blasts from the warship's turbolasers. Then there was an explosion near the back of the frigate, after which more lasers began to rain down onto it, causing another explosion on top.
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"Boy, this is a lot more fun when they can't return fire," one of the battle droids said.
The droid beside it looked over and said, "I still can't seem to hit anything."
Grievous growled in anger and lashed out, giving absolutely no notice in advance as his left hand curled into a fist and tore the droid's head off its body.
"Grievous, you should be more careful with those droids. They are expensive but easy to manufacture," Dooku said, frowning as he watched another battle droid come over and take the place of the one that get destroyed. "I'm sure that the Jedi are not as harsh with their clones when they don't win a battle."
Grievous snarled in frustration and whirled around to face the Count. "Ha! The compassion that those Jedi show their troops is a weakness," he said, clenching one of his fists.
"And one that we can use to our advantage," Dooku said. "I am giving you coordinates for a new target." He reached into his belt and brought out his holocaster. Flipping the device on, a floating image of a medical station appeared in front of them both. "This is the secret medical station that the Republic has in the Outer Rim. It is currently treating over 60,000 wounded clones and has no protection. We are going to do them a favour and end their lives before they have a chance to recover and head back into battle. Once you have destroyed it, the Jedi will have nowhere else to send their wounded and they will die." Dooku then turned off his holocaster and drew his hand back beneath his cloak.
"It will be a pleasure, my lord," Grievous responded.
"Excellent," Dooku said. "I hope I have not made a mistake in trusting you with this warship General." Then the hologram disappeared as the Count terminated his connection.
"General," one of the battle droids called, causing the cyborg to walk over to where the droids were.
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A loud blast came from the frigate and a handful of escape pods were launched from it.
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When Grievous saw the escape pods, he pointed to them and said, "Target those escape pods! I have a reputation to uphold!" He knew that they would send out another pod hunter to go after them and once the occupants were no longer alive, then he would head for the medical station.
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In another part of the Resolute's hangar where the members of Shadow Squadron were busy preparing for the attack on the warship, Anakin, Rosella and R2 made their way into the room that was reserved for the new Y-Wings.
The Knight glanced at his daughter and softly grinned as he saw that she was looking up at one of the fighters with their gold and white paint. Koensayr Manufacturing had certainly delivered on their latest batch of fighters for the Republic. Each bomber could be flown by a single pilot, as long as they had an astromech with them to help with the navigation.
For this mission, a gunner would also be needed to help protect the pilot as he dropped his payload of bombs onto the large warship.
R2 beeped as his domed head spun around, scanning each fighter.
"So, which fighter is mine?" Rosella asked, a small hint of excitement in her voice. She had never flown these types of ships before and couldn't wait to try one out.
"You're not getting one," Anakin responded, watching as Rosella stopped in her tracks. Although he couldn't see her face, he could sense that she was a little upset about not getting to fly one. "You're going to be flying with me instead as my gunner."
Rosella turned around and looked at her father with an incredulous look of disbelief on her face.
"Hey, someone's got to watch my back while I'm busy flying the ship," Anakin told her.
Rosella rolled her eyes as she placed her right hand on her hip. Then she gestured with her left and said, "Broadside could do that." Turning to her right, she switched hands as she gestured to R2. "Besides, you're going to have R2 with you."
R2 happily whistled.
"You do know I enjoy the time we get to spend together, right?" Anakin asked, softly smiling at her.
"I know," Rosella said, her lips curling up into a grin as she wasn't about to admit this to anyone, not even Ahsoka, who still didn't know that Anakin was her adoptive father, but she loved getting to spend time with her family and was hoping to get to spend some time with Padmè soon as the only time that she had been with her was at the wedding reception. Ever since she had come back from Tatooine, she had barely spent any time on Coruscant.
Just as Anakin was about to hug Rosella as he could tell that she missed Padmè, he heard someone call his name.
"Skywalker," Master Plo called as he and Admiral Yularen approached the pair.
"General, we've just received word that the enemy warship has attacked our convoy of medical transports near Ryndellia," Admiral Yularen told him, a grim looking expression on his face.
"Medical transports?" Rosella almost screeched, her voice betraying the shock that she had first felt upon hearing the news. "Grievous is the only being cruel enough to go after our injured troopers since he knows that they can't fight back."
"The Ryndellia system," Anakin said looking at the floor of the hanger as he thought about the location. "That's close to Naboo." Then his head snapped up as he looked at Yularen. "Don't we have a medical base out there?" Upon getting confirmation via a nod from the Admiral, he narrowed his eyes. "I'm pretty sure that will be his next target."
"There happen to be many star clusters in that particular area," Plo said. "With the warship being such a large vessel, Grievous will be unable to chart a course that is less than ten parsecs."
"We might have to take a shortcut if we want to make it there before he does," Anakin replied. Then he looked at Yularen. "Admiral, get up to the bridge and warn that station about what's heading their way."
Yularen nodded and turned around, making his way out of the hangar.
"This journey may be a treacherous one," Plo said, his voice having suddenly turned serious. "If you even lose one ship before you catch up to Grievous and the Malevolence-"
"We are not going to lose anyone," Anakin said, a fierce look of determination in his eyes. Then he turned around and began boarding his fighter.
Rosella couldn't help but be a little concerned for him.
"Nevertheless, I will come with you and fly as your fighter escort," Plo told him.
"Any help is more than welcome Master Plo," Anakin said from his position atop of the ladder. R2 let out a whistle as he was carried to his spot behind the gunner's bubble. "Just try not to fall behind."
Rosella had already begun to climb the ladder when she turned her head to look at Master Plo. "I had a feeling that you would be joining us, Master," she said, a small smile appearing on her face. "Your ship has already been prepped."
Plo nodded in appreciation.
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Meanwhile, at the medical station, Nala Se, who was a Kaminoan and was using her medical skills to help treat the wounded clones who were stationed there, was speaking with Admiral Yularen who had called ahead to warn them of what was going to happen.
"Even if we did have the necessary transports available, I'm afraid that it just wouldn't be possible for us to evacuate all of our wounded in time," Nala Se said as she expressed her concerns to the Admiral.
"Please, you must try," Yularen said. "If you don't then I fear that you and your staff won't stand a chance against that battleship."
Then Obi-Wan appeared next to the Admiral. "Nala Se, I just got word and have contacted the Naboo," he said. "They will be sending what ships they can spare to help you. I am also on my way."
"Thank you, Master Jedi," Nala Se said, bowing to Obi-Wan and watching as both holograms vanished.
Then one of the medical clones got her attention. "Ma'am, even if they do get here in time, do you honestly think they're going to even have a chance at stopping that thing?"
"It is our only hope," Nala Se replied and then both she and the medic turned to the window.
Beyond it was a large group of clones, all of them in bacta tanks, each wearing nothing but a mask to help them breathe.
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On the Resolute, the dorsal doors opened up as Admiral Yularen walked up and stood beside another officer. "Launch the fighters," he said.
Below the bridge, two of the energy shields near the back of the hanger that had been raised over the sections where the Y-Wings rested turned off, allowing the fighters to leave. One by one, they flew free from the hangar onto the main flight deck. Then they took off, coming to rest in a circular formation as they awaited word that they were clear to launch into hyperspace.
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"I honestly don't know why I keep saying this, but I hope you know what you're doing Anakin," Obi-Wan said as his voice came over the speaker in Anakin's Y-Wing.
"Well, even if I don't," Anakin said as he began to prep his fighter for the trip. "I won't be around for you to tell me that you told me so."
"That is somewhat reassuring," Obi-Wan dryly responded, watching as Anakin and his squadron flew past his flagship. "Go ahead and take your shortcut. I'll take the long way, but you had better be there before I arrive."
"Don't worry Obi-Wan," Anakin responded. "I'll be there."
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Anakin then switched frequencies so he was on the one that was meant for his squadron. "Shadow Squadron. Tighten formation and call in!"
"Shadow Two, standing by."
"Shadow Three, standing by."
"Shadow Four, standing by."
R2 beeped from his place behind the gunner's bubble, which was occupied by Rosella.
"I know R2," Rosella said. "This is going to be one tough mission"
"Rosella, I need you to be quiet, so I can make sure that everyone is here," Anakin sharply told her.
Rosella turned her head and listened to her father.
"Shadow Eleven, standing by."
"Shadow Twelve, standing by."
Plo came up behind the squadron in his blue and white starfighter that was attached to a hyperspace ring of the same colour. "Fighter escort ready," he said.
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Yularen, who was still on the bridge and said, "This is Admiral Yularen. You are cleared for hyperspace jump. Good hunting, General."
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"Thank you, Admiral," Anakin said. "All right, boys, let's go."
Rosella threw one more glance in her father's direction before turning her turret around so she could get a good look at the entire squadron, as well as Master Plo's fighter.
"Hey Broadside, if we manage to make it through this fight, drinks are on me," one of the clones said.
"Heh," Broadside responded. "I can already taste them."
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One by one, all the fighters pulled down on their levers and jumped into the swirling blue, black and silver that was hyperspace.
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Currently making its way through hyperspace was the Malevolence. Grievous paced back and forth up on the small elevated platform on the bridge. "What is taking so long?" He asked. "I want to reach that station before too many of the wounded clones have the chance to escape."
"I'm sorry, sir," one of the battle droids said. "But there happens to be a large nebula near the station. Due to that circumstance, the navi-computer has been forced to calculate a complex route around it."
"Argh, I was told that this was a fast ship!" Grievous said. Then he growled and went back to his pacing.
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Anakin's squadron dropped out of hyperspace. In front of them was a nebula that captured Rosella's attention as the colours seemed to shift and dance in and around each other. It was mostly orange and yellow, with hints of blue, green, red and even a little bit of purple mixed in.
Before she had been made a padawan, Rosella had only seen pictures of these in her classes at the temple. This was her first time seeing one up close. According to one of her lessons, these formations were made out of dust and gas that came from old stars when they died.
"We made it!" Anakin said, causing Rosella to glance over her shoulder at him. "Now all we need to do is make it through my shortcut in one piece and we'll be ok."
"A nebula can be very unpredictable," Plo said. "I think we should proceed with caution."
"Don't worry about us, Master Jedi," one of the troopers said, his voice coming out of the communication system. "We can hold our own. Isn't that right, Shadow Squadron?"
"Copy that, shadow 2," another trooper replied.
Rosella turned around in her seat, since she was Anakin's gunner. "Does anyone care about my opinion?" She asked.
Anakin softly chuckled from his seat. "Of course, we care, Rosella," he told her, a lighthearted, teasing tone to his voice. "But we're still going through that nebula."
R2 beeped, causing Rosella to turn around and smile at the astromech. "Thanks, R2," she replied, knowing that he was trying to make her feel better. She watched from her seat as every Y-Wing, including the one that she was in, along with Master Plo's fighter, entered the nebula.
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Two more frigates headed towards the medical station as another two proceed to dock with the station. Once the two that were docked were full of wounded troopers, the ships were going to leave and transport the wounded troopers to other medical centers that were far away, in locations that the Malevolence did not know about.
"We are moving as quickly as we can, Madame, but it is proceeding rather slowly," one of the medics says.
"We will have to move a little quicker if we want to save as many lives as we can," Nala Se said. "Here is what we are going to do. Move all the patients who are in stable condition onto the transports first. The ones who are more critically injured will have to wait."
"What about the men who are still in the bacta tanks?" The medic asked. "Some of them can't be moved at all."
"I know Commander," the female Kaminoan said. "Guide the patients that can be moved onto the transports first."
"I'll see that it is done at once Madame!" The medic said.
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As Shadow Squadron flew through the nebula, the trooper whose callsign was Shadow 2 glanced around. All he could see was a heavy fog that seemed to blanket the entire area. "Man, this stuff is really thick," he said. "Can you see anything?"
"Stay calm and keep an eye on my thruster, Shadow 2," Anakin responded.
Rosella pressed the button next to her scanner. When all it did was beep at her, she proceeded to whack the right side of it twice with her other hand. "He'll have to," she said. "In fact, I think everyone will have to keep an eye on your thrusters as the scanners are pretty much useless."
"This is what you would call old-fashioned flying Rosella," Anakin said from the pilot's seat. Then he glanced up at her and softly smiled when she glanced down at him. "You have to feel your way through in order to stay on course."
"Your Master is correct, young one," Master Plo said. "Clear your mind and then you will be able to see the path."
'I'll keep that in mind," Rosella said. "Thank you, Master Plo." Then she looked around and sighed, quietly muttering to herself, "I don't see how that is supposed to help me right now since I can't see anything at all."
Anakin picked up on what she had said and smirked.
"I know exactly where I'm headed," Broadside said.
"Oh yeah?" Another clone asked. "And where's that Broadside?"
"I'm going to blow up that battleship!" He responded.
"A clear path if there ever was one," Plo commented rather dryly.
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On the bridge of the Malevolence, one of the battle droids managed to get Grievous' attention as it said, "Sir, the navi-computer is indicating that we only have one more parsec to go until we reach our destination."
"Good," Grievous said. "By attacking the medical station, we will be able to create even more casualties."
The other battle droid that was behind the cyborg spoke up as an alarm went off near its workstation. "Sir, there is an incoming transmission from Count Dooku."
Grievous walked towards the small circular device that was in front of the larger display on the bridge. Then Dooku's hologram appeared. "General, I bring word from Lord Sidious," he said. "The Republic has sent a small strike force to attack the Malevolence."
Grievous nearly let out a laugh that probably would have sounded more like a cough. "Let the Republic come," he said as he clenched both of his fists. "This battleship is unstoppable."
Dooku narrowed his eyes. "I should warn you that Skywalker is the one who is leading this strike force," he said. "Do not underestimate him."
"Ha!" Grievous said. "I'm not that worried Count. I assure you; Skywalker is the one who will underestimate this ship and what it can do!"
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Shadow Squadron, along with Master Plo, continued to make their way through the nebula.
Rosella looked at her surroundings and then glanced down at her father as she asked, "So, Master, how did you come across this shortcut?"
"This is an old smuggler's route," Anakin responded. "I heard some pilots talking about it on Tatooine when I was a boy."
"Did you say smuggler's route?" Rosella asked in surprise. Then she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "That doesn't make me feel any better about this."
"They call it the Balmorra Run," Anakin told her.
"Balmorra Run?" Plo asked, his voice somewhat panicked as if he was worried about something.
Rosella glanced at her scanner as it suddenly began to beep, alerting her to something. "Um...I think there's something's out there," she said.
"Skywalker, we need to turn around," Plo said rather urgently.
"We can't do that Master Plo," Anakin replied. "If we turn around now, then we won't be able to catch up to Grievous."
"I've got another contact!" Rosella said. "This one is much bigger!"
"Skywalker," Plo said, his voice now taking on a more frantic tone. "Balmorra is the nesting ground of the giant neebray mantas."
"Another...Another!" Rosella said. Then she gasped as she swung the turret around and came face to face with one of the creatures. As the reptile flew close to the Y-Wing and opened its mouth, the teenager saw that it had a lot of teeth.
"Shadow Squadron!" Anakin said, knowing that everyone could hear him. "Take evasive action!"
As soon as the words left Anakin's mouth, the fighters broke apart as they flew around the large creature. As they regrouped on the other side, they saw that they had flown into a nest that was full of the giant creatures.
Rosella looked around in awe, fascination and a tiny bit of shock as R2 beeped in alarm. "Those gas-gulpers are enormous," she said, her hands coming off of the controls for the lasers.
"Do not shoot at any of them!" Plo told the entire squadron. "If you do that, they might panic."
"They are the ones who'll panic?" Rosella asked, sounding a little terrified at the thought of seeing what a terrified neebray manta looked like. "I'm about to panic!"
"There are so many of them!" Matchstick said as he and the other fighters continued to dodge and weave their way around the creatures. As he flew underneath one of the mantas, part of his wing scraped against one of the creature's tails. He brought his fighter out of the spin that it had been sent into. "Argh!" An alarm began to beep inside his cockpit as he struggled to get the ship under control. "I'm hit! My stabilizer's out!"
"Come on Matchstick," Anakin said as he flew close to the Y-Wing that Matchstick was piloting. "Pull it together."
As Matchstick began to gain control over his fighter, keeping it nice and steady, the fire was suddenly snuffed out and the alarm stopped making noise. "I'm alright," he said. "I got it under control."
The entire group flew towards a few more of the neebrays.
"I hope we get out of here soon or else those things are going to make a meal out of us," Rosella said as she glanced around, her eyes widening a little as she saw just how many of them there were.
R2 beeped and whirred nervously as he heard that.
"All wings, line up behind me!" Anakin said.
"We're on it boss," Matchstick replied.
Plo and the other Y-Wings all fell in line behind Anakin's fighter as he led them on a winding, but safe path through the neebrays. As one of the troopers was looking at the creatures, he nearly jumped in surprise as one of the neebrays wings came a little too close and took off the head of one of the astromech's that every Y-Wing had with them.
Plo saw the head as it sailed past him. "Hurry," he said, urging them on. "If we manage to make it out of here, they will not follow us."
Rosella's eyes widened as she saw one of them open its mouth. "I think that one might be hungry," she said, letting a little of her nervousness leak across the bond that she shared with her father.
"Nope," Anakin said in a teasing voice, trying to get her to calm down. "I think it's smiling at you."
The group kept doing and weaving their way through the pack of neebrays and Rosella smiled as they finally made it out of the nebula. "Yes!" She cheered. "We've made it!" Then she calmed down. "I hope your shortcut paid off."
Anakin smirked. "Don't worry Rosella," he said. "We can't be that far behind Grievous."
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The Negotiator is currently travelling through hyperspace.
Obi-Wan was on the bridge, speaking to Admiral Yularen with one hand on his chin, the other one laying across his chest.
"The station has reported that fifty percent of their patients have been evacuated, General," Yularen said.
"That isn't good enough," Obi-Wan replied. "They'll never finish before that warship arrives."
"If General Skywalker can reach the station before Grievous, he may still have a chance to catch him off guard," Yularen responded.
"If he manages to do that, then we will have to be ready," Obi-Wan told him.
"Yes, Sir," Admiral Yularen said as he bowed a little.
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They were so close.
Even Plo had to admit that the shortcut that Anakin had taken had worked. Even though it had meant going through a nest of neebrays. From his place above the squadron, he looked out of his cockpit and saw a yellow glow coming off of one of the Y-Wings. "Shadow Two, how bad is the damage to your ship?" He asked.
"It's not that bad, Sir," Matchstick responded. "It's just a scratch."
"We must not take any more unnecessary risks," Plo said. "If we were to lose even one member of this squadron, then we risk failing our mission."
"I understand, Master," Anakin responded. "But we haven't lost anyone yet and-"
"Sir, something just appeared on my scanner," one of the clones said, cutting Anakin off from finishing his sentence.
"I thought those creatures weren't going to follow us," Rosella said.
"It's not following us, Commander," the trooper said. "It's coming out of hyperspace." He glanced down at the panel in front of him. "It's a ship, which means that it has to be the Malevolence."
Anakin's eyes narrowed when he heard that.
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The Malevolence emerged from hyperspace. Directly in front of it was the medical station. Three transports, full of wounded troopers were making their way away from the station and two more were in the process of leaving.
"General!" One of the droids said. "There's a squad of Republic fighters coming up behind us."
"Skywalker is here," Grievous said, narrowing his yellow eyes that were lit up in some sort of twisted anticipation at getting to see Skywalker fall in battle against his powerful ion cannon.
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Anakin and the rest of Shadow Squadron made their way towards the Malevolence.
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Grievous stood on the elevated platform in the middle of the room, giving orders to the droids who were below him. "Launch all of our fighters and turn this ship around," he said.
"Sir, there are several medical frigates surrounding the station," one of the battle droids said.
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At the station, two more frigates were given the all-clear to leave and join the other five who had already left and were trying to put as much distance between them and the large warship as possible.
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"Target those frigates first. Make sure they are all destroyed," Grievous told the droids.
"Roger, roger," one of the droids said.
Grievous watched with anticipated glee as the droid carried out his command and the ion cannon fired a few moments later.
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The pulse that was fired from the cannon was too fast for the medical frigates to outrun. As the wave of purple and white energy passed over them, the medics inside nearly fell over as their ships suddenly lost all their power. One of the medics had a panicked look on his face.
Then the turbolasers started firing.
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It was a wonderful sight to behold.
"Ha! This is far too easy!" Grievous said. Then he began to laugh at the sight of the medical frigates being torn apart.
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Rosella spotted them. A wave of vulture droids were flying towards her and the rest of Shadow Squadron. "Get ready boys!" She said. "We've got fighters inbound on our position!"
The Y-Wings were quick to break their formation as both the pilots and gunners started to fire back, hoping to take out as many of the flying droids as they possibly could. Plo managed to find some time and drop his hyperspace ring away from the ongoing battle before joining in. The clones could hear Anakin over their communication system as he encouraged them to keep it together and stay steady.
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"Charge the ion cannon!" Grievous ordered. "Get ready to fire on my command!"
"Are you sure General?" One of the droids asked. "We still have fighters out there. They're going to get caught in the blast."
"I don't care!" Grievous said. "Prepare to fire when I say so."
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"Rosella! Keep those fighters off of us!" Anakin told her as he continued to dodge and weave away from the vulture droids.
"I'm trying to, but your fancy flying is making it hard!" Rosella retorted as she took a moment to glance down at him.
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"FIRE" Grievous yelled.
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The pulse instantly shot out from the cannon, heading towards Anakin's group of fighters who were still engaged with some vulture droids that they hadn't taken out yet.
"Incoming!" Rosella cried out, a small amount of fear in her voice. It had been one thing to watch the crackling pulse race towards the rear of the Twilight on her scanner as she, Anakin, R2, Master Plo and three of his troopers had been inside the freighter, trying to outrun the deadly circular wave of energy. Now, she was more than a little frightened as she watched the circle of energy race towards their Y-Wings, while sitting in the gunner's seat of the one that her father was piloting. After seeing the damage that had been done to Master Plo's fleet in the Abregado system, she knew that it would be the same for them. That blast was going to suck all the energy that it could from their systems and leave them utterly helpless against the turbolasers that would be firing once they were just floating in space.
"All ships, make your way towards the edge of the ray now!" Anakin called over the communications system as he yanked on his controls and led the group into a steep vertical climb, pushing the engines of his own Y-Wing to its maximum limit. "Give it everything you've got!"
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Aboard the Malevolence, Grievous sinisterly cackled.
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Rosella glanced to her right. "Shadow Two, what's wrong?" She asked, her voice a little tense as she tried to stay calm. "Your speed is dropping."
"It's nothing Commander!" Matchstick responded, his voice just as tense as Rosella's had been, laced with a small amount of fear as if he knew that he wasn't going to make it. Then an alarm began to go off in his cockpit. "Just trying to keep it together!"
"Come on Matchstick!" Anakin said. "I know you can make it!"
Suddenly Matchstick screamed as an explosion went off in his cockpit that sent his fighter spiralling out of control. Then his right engine caught on fire.
Rosella gasped as she saw what was happening. There was nothing she could do except watch as the fighter began to fall, causing two more to move out of the way as it exploded.
"Watch out!" Another trooper cried before the fighter that he was in got hit by the one that Matchstick had been piloting. They both went down in a fiery blaze.
Almost everyone in Anakin's group, including Master Plo, made it, cresting up and over the edge of the ray. The only ones who didn't were three ships, as they had been forced to dodge Matchstick's fallen vessel. They now were a part of the makeshift graveyard that was made up of the vulture droids who had gotten caught in the purple pulse of energy that was now heading further into space.
"Shadow Squadron," Anakin said, his voice low as that hadn't been the outcome that he had been hoping for. "Call it in."
"We lost Matchstick and Tag," Rosella replied, trying to keep it together, a small hint of sadness in her voice. She wished she could let herself cry for the lives that had just been lost, but knew that would not happen until this mission was over. Yes, she was a Jedi who had been taught how to deal with her emotions, but if one was able to look past that, they would see that she was still a child who hadn't deserved to see that. "We also lost Shadows Six, Seven and Ten as they got caught in the ray."
Anakin's eyes narrowed and grew hard.
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"It looks as if General Skywalker has failed," the clone medic said as he looked at the holotable on which the battle was being played out. "He's lost over half of his ships." Then he looked up at Nala Se, who had stayed behind. "Madame, I think it would be in your best interest if we left now."
"No," Nala Se said as she placed her left hand on her chest. "These clones still need our help, so I am going to stay and help them."
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The turbolasers on the Malevolence fired laser upon laser at the Republic group.
"Stay on our current course!" Plo told the rest of the group.
"We're doing our best Master Jedi, but this flak is heavy," one of the troopers said.
"All fighters, raise your deflectors double front," Anakin told the remaining members of his squadron.
As Rosella looked ahead of her, she could sense that her father was a little too overconfident in his plan to head straight for the bridge and attempt to destroy Grievous. She kept her mental shields up as she was a little unsure about how their plan was going to play out now that they had lost over half of their men. She knew that she had to say something, but was nervous about how her father would react to what she had to say. "Master," she said, wincing as another laser came a little too close to where she was sitting in the gunner's turret. She felt the ship shake, but it soon leveled out as Anakin got it back under his control. "We need to come up with a new plan."
"We're going to make it Rosella!" Anakin told her, a tiny hint of unease in his voice as he knew that Rosella was right, even though a part of him still wanted to continue with his original plan. "I just need you to hang in there!"
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On the bridge of the Malevolence, General Grievous was busy on the elevated platform as he watched one of the two droids who were up there with him.
"Sir," one of the droids said as it turned its chair to face Grievous. "The Republic's fighters are closing in."
Grievous turned around from where he had been looking at the medical station as he said in an overconfident tone of voice, "Let them approach." Then he held up one of his metal digits. "Prepare the ion cannon. First, we are going to target and destroy that medical station and then we will deal with Skywalker."
The droid turned around and followed the orders that Grievous had called out, while saying, "I have a bad feeling about this."
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"Watch out for those towers boys!" Anakin called as he and the remainder of Shadow Squadron made their way towards the bridge.
Rosella, who was in the gunner's seat above him, held her breath for a little bit and then exhaled as she wondered just how much trouble her father had gotten them into with his overconfident and somewhat reckless nature.
"We're way too close!" One of the pilots called out. "We need to get some breathing room." Then his Y-Wing was clipped by one of the lasers, causing the left engine to completely snap off and disappear. There was another explosion in the cockpit of the fighter and this time, it went crashing right into the Malevolence, leaving them with only a few fighters left and Master Plo, who was their escort.
Rosella had a shocked expression on her face and she gasped for a second time as she saw yet another Y-Wing explode with parts of the ship breaking free. She knew that if her father this up, none of their troops would make it out alive.
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'The ion cannon is ready, General," one of the droids said.
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"They're going to target the station," the medic said as he pointed to a screen that had the station on it. "We're running out of time."
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"Master!" Rosella said, knowing that trying to use their bond in a situation like this would not be of much help. "If you keep this up, none of the men are going to make it as they're all getting shot down!"
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"The station has been targeted, sir," another droid said.
"Good!" Grievous said. "Do not waste another second and start the ion acceleration sequence!"
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"Anakin!" Plo said. "Your Padawan is correct! If we can do enough damage to the weapon, it may overload when Grievous tries to fire it. That would render it unusable and also give Master Kenobi's fleet more than enough time to come in and destroy it."
Anakin heard the Jedi Master's words and glanced up at the bridge, which wasn't that far away. Only a few more miles to go and they would reach it. But deep down, he knew that they were right. There was no way that his small group could do so much damage to the bridge, not with his men's lives on the line. Then he reached forward and pressed the button that opened up the communication lines for his squadron. "Alright Shadow Squadron," he said. "Listen up! We are going to hit the starboard ion cannon with everything that we've got!"
Rosella softly sighed to herself as she heard what their new target was and smiled, glad that Master Plo had helped convince him to change their original plan.
Suddenly, Shadow Squadron darted around the base of the bridge and headed for the ion cannon that was on the starboard side of the large warship.
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"The ion cannon is seventy-five percent charged," one of the droids on the bridge reported.
"Hurry!" Grievous said as he was beginning to grow impatient.
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The weapon was almost finished charging as Anakin led Shadow Squadron, or what remained of the group, towards it. The Knight was very glad that the weapon jutted out from the side of the ship instead of being directly attached to it. Rather than go directly over it, he was able to lead his men underneath it.
"Alright, boys!" Anakin said. "Launch those torpedoes and let's get out of here!" He pressed the trigger button on his controls and watched as a single torpedo launched from his ship, aiming straight for the base of the weapon.
One after another, the other men who were with him launched their torpedoes at the ion cannon. They all watched as the missiles slammed into the base, creating a wonderful series of explosions.
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The entire warship jolted and Grievous stumbled up on the bridge.
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Then Anakin and his squadron of five fighters, along with Plo, flew away from the Malevolence.
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One Grievous was standing up straight, he held up his right hand, his metal fingers curled into a fist. "FIRE!" He commanded.
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The ignition sequence for the cannon started up as it normally did, but instead of firing a pulse of energy at the medical station, it backfired, causing a massive internal explosion that raced throughout the large ship to the ion cannon on the other side. A series of multiple smaller explosions popped up all over the now battered and broken ship and soon, small fires started to appear.
Inside the warship, Grievous stumbled backwards and fell over onto the ground.
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Anakin led his remaining men, along with Plo, towards the medical station, knowing that they would want to rest and regroup before rejoining the rest of the fleet. He smiled, knowing that they had just dealt a serious, if not deadly blow to the Separatists.
"Good work Shadow Squadron!" Plo said.
"You were amazing out there Rosella," Anakin told her, sending a wave of love and affection to her over their bond. 'I'm so proud of you sweetheart.'
Rosella smiled, sending a wave of love that was mixed with happiness and affection back to him. 'Thanks, Dad.'
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The Malevolence limped away from the medical station. On the bridge, General Grievous was pulling himself up off the floor. "Give me a damage report," he said.
"We've lost both of our primary weapons," one of the droids reported.
"What?" Grievous asked. He couldn't believe it. Both of the ion cannons were destroyed? He knew that neither Count Dooku nor Darth Sidious would be very happy to hear that when it came time for him to report on how the battle had gone.
"Also, the hyperdrive has been disabled," another droid reported as it swivelled its chair around to face the cyborg. "We're not going anywhere without it."
"That's impossible!" Grievous said, holding back a growl.
'General," a third droid said, causing the General to turn to his left and look at the droid. "I'm picking up three Republic cruisers entering the system."
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The Negotiator, the Resolute and one other Republic cruiser entered the system, having just emerged from hyperspace. Obi-Wan was standing in the middle of the bridge, softly smirking as he saw the Malevolence slowly escaping from the battle. He was also filled with relief to see that the medical station was still where it was supposed to be. One of the personnel who was stationed in the sunken pits on either side of the bridge held up one of his hands and said something that Obi-Wan couldn't hear. It was then that he knew that a connection had been established with Anakin and his group of Y-Wings.
"Anakin," he said, "Do you copy?"
"I'm here Obi-Wan," Anakin responded.
"Congratulations," Obi-Wan told him. "It looks like you have completed your mission."
"Thanks," Anakin responded. "I partially completed it as Grievous is still alive. The battle was pretty hard on my men. We're heading for the medical station to rest and regroup."
"We have the rest of this battle covered," Obi-Wan said as he saw Anakin and his squadron fly past the Negotiator. "But don't worry. We'll call when we need the support."
"I'll be waiting Obi-Wan," Anakin replied.
Once the communication was over, Obi-Wan focused on the fleeing ship. "Alright then," he said. "Let's finish what Anakin started. Ahead full."
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"Full retreat!" Grievous ordered. "Make for Separatist space."
The droids didn't say anything as they turned around and followed his orders.
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Obi-Wan looked out at the fleeing warship as the turbolasers on all three of the cruisers under his command fired on the large ship.
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Back at the medical station, a transport was heading towards it as three more Y-Wings flew towards it as well. Inside one of the docking bays, another Y-Wing was landing as Anakin was getting out of his own fighter. He was about to join Rosella, who was already on the ground waiting for him when Plo walked up to them.
"You did an excellent job out there, Master Skywalker," Plo said as he and Rosella watched Anakin make his way down the ladder that had been placed against the side of his Y-Wing. "I found your leadership skills to be most impressive."
"Thank you, Master Plo," Anakin responded. "You weren't too bad yourself."
Rosella smiled a little before looking at her father as she planted her right hand on her hip. "What about me?" She asked. "I was the one who suggested that we change the plan in the first place!"
"That's sort of true Rosella," Anakin said as he looked at her.
"From a certain point of view," Plo agreed, before walking off with the Knight.
Rosella crossed her arms as she watched them walk out of the hanger bay. Then she dropped her arms and followed them.
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"Make sure our ships are ready to go. It won't be too long before Obi-Wan calls on us for support," Anakin told one of his troopers.
"Yes Sir," the trooper responded before departing to follow those orders.
Then Anakin, with Rosella at his side, walked into the main area of the station and stopped on the other side of the holotable.
"General Skywalker," Nala Se said. "I wanted to personally thank you for your valiant actions out there today, I hope that you do not take the lives of the men that you have saved lightly."
"I don't," Anakin responded, closing his eyes and then opening them again. "But I also can't take the lives that I lost lightly either."
"I see," Nala Se said.
"If you will excuse me, I need to get prepared for the upcoming battle," Anakin said. With a short bow, he turned around and left the room.
Rosella turned around and watched as he walked away. She knew that he was going to meditate as soon as he was alone to help relieve the stress of the last battle that they had just fought in.
"Your Master is a very unusual Jedi," Nala Se said.
Rosella softly smiled to herself. "He is one of a kind," she responded before heading out of the room.
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When Rosella arrived in the hangar bay, she saw her father standing there with his hands behind his back and R2 by his side. She could sense that he had finished meditating and was now staring out at the stars beyond the energy shield that protected them from being blown out into space.
She joined him but didn't say anything as she quietly began her own meditation. She felt him wrap his force signature around hers since it was his way of letting her know that he was here for her, even if they didn't physically say anything to each other. When she finished with her meditation, they both stood there, just looking out at all the stars.