Chapter 15: Destroy Malevolence
A plan is only good as those who see it through.
Recap: Grievous in retreat. Before the battleship, Malevolence could destroy an Outer Rim clone medical base, a Republic strike force under the command of Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, and Storm crippled the warship, disabling its dreaded ion cannon. Now the Jedi relentlessly pursue the Malevolence ship.
After completing their mission, Storm contacted Luna and told her they had managed to destroy the weapon. Once that was done, he stopped in front of the room Twilight was inside and was about to knock when the door opened and revealed the girl. He asked if everything was okay, to which Twilight smiled as the boy seemed to buy it.
He informed Twilight that he told their masters about their mission. Twilight smiled as the pair were now making their way towards the bridge as they saw Obi-wan along with Admiral Yularen and Master Plo. They were looking out the window to see Grievous' ship was still on the run as their ships were still wailing on it.
"Commander, what is the damage to the ship?" asked Obi-wan.
"She's lost primary shields and stabilizers, but the ship is so massive it can take all the fire our cannons can give it."
"What the hell do we need then, a nuke?" stated Storm, as at this point, that might be what destroyed the ship fully.
"Let's be realistic, Storm," stated Twilight to her friend. "We just need some backup."
"Twilight is correct. We must summon reinforcements."
"That's why I'm here, Master Plo," said Anakin as he now made his present with Ahsoka.
"Anakin, were you able to contact Master Luminara?" asked Obi-wan to his student.
"Yes. She's busy with a fleet of Separatist reinforcements nearby. She won't be able to give support until she's turned them away. As for Luna and Celestia, they've got their problems as well." said Skywalker.
"Then we'll have to do with what we have," stated Obi-wan.
So the Republic ships continued to wail at the Malevolence as the massive ship was tanking the hits. Inside, the droids felt the ship being hit as they all fell.
"We've lost our primary weapons," said a droid in the ship's control room.
"Ah, the hyperdrive has been disabled," said the droid next to his comrade at the panel.
"General, the forward engines are shutting down,"
"Impossible," said General Grievous as he growled at all the problems.
"Admiral, status report," asked Obi-wan as their ship was still firing its guns at the Separatist ship.
"They're not attempting to jump at hyperspace. Their hyperdrive must be destroyed."
"This is our chance," said Kenobi. "All ships, target the bridge, maximum firepower."
The crew heard the Jedi Master's command as they now turned up the power on the guns. They were now firing at full force as they made more contact with the Separatist ship as more explosions went off. Inside, General Grievous was contacting Count Dooku.
"It has not sustained extensive damage," said the cyborg to the Sith Lord.
"General, I have arranged a trap which will give you an advantage over the Jedi," stated the man as the ship rocked again from the hits.
"I assure you, that is unnecessary."
"Do not compound your failures this day by allowing our prize warship to fall!" shouted Dooku at Grievous' stubbornness.
"My lord, they will never capture me or this ship."
"Heading towards you is a very important galactic senator. With her as your hostage, they will call off their attack."
"As you wish, my lord." said Grievous."
"Just try not to mess it up, dumbass," snickered Sunset as she made one last appearance before the transmission cut off. The cyborg growled at how Sunset embarrassed him with that comment.
In hyperspace, there was a ship. That ship belonged to none other than Padme, as 3PO was accompanying her.
"My lady, are you sure the information from Chancellor Palpatine is reliable?" asked 3PO.
"Yes, it was secretly given to him by the supreme executive of the Banking Clan himself. If they leave the Separatist Alliance, it will go a long way to shortening this war," said Padme.
"Indeed, though, I envy Lady Rarity for deciding to stay behind." stated the yellow droid.
"Unfortunately, she got sick, not to mention she's trying to come up with a plan to get her crush to notice her." stated the Senator.
"Still, to have a crush on a Jedi, she must be out of her mind to even think about it."
"Can't fault her for trying," said Padme with a smile. Soon the scanner beeped, "We're approaching the system now."
The ship exited out of hyperspace as they were now facing the Malevolence.
"Ah! My goodness!" shouted 3PO in fear.
"This isn't right. That's a droid warship," said Padme as she was caught off guard. "We're in the middle of a battle." The Senator was now turning her ship to escape their situation.
"Sir, we're scanning a small ship off our bow," said a droid.
"Good. Our hostage has arrived," chuckled Grievous.
Padme continued to go around the ship as it was hoping to get out of the line of fire.
"Master, I'm picking up a signal near the enemy vessel," said Ahsoka as she looked at the control panel. "Something just came out of hyperspace."
"Enemy reinforcements?" asked Anakin.
"No, it looks like a Naboo ship," said the girl.
That detail got the attention of Kenobi, Skywalker, and Storm.
"Gunners, stand down," shouted Obi-wan to the crew. "What the blazes are they doing out here?"
"Ahsoka, contact that ship," said Storm.
"Naboo cruiser, identify yourself," said Ahsoka through the radio.
"This is Senator Amidala."
"Padme, what are you doing here?" asked Anakin as he and everybody saw the hologram image of the girl.
"I was sent on a special mission. The Senate was told the Banking Clan wanted to negotiate a treaty," said Padme.
"Get out of there as fast as you can!" shouted Anakin to his wife.
"Activate the tractor beam," stated Grievous. Padme's ship was about to escape them when suddenly their ship stopped in its tracks.
"Have we been hit?" asked 3PO.
"I'm afraid it's much worst than that," stated the Senator to her companion as she began to contact her husband and friends.
"Padme, what's happening?" asked Anakin.
"I'm being pulled inside the droid cruiser by a tractor beam. I will not be made a Separatist bargaining chip. Continue your attack. You must destroy this monstrous ship."
"But Padme..." stated Storm as he looked at the girl.
The boy now looked at his pal as Anakin struggled to make the call that his special someone was requesting. He soon turned towards the Admiral.
"Admiral, order our ships to stop firing."
Ahsoka and Twilight looked at Anakin as he said that. It surprised them, but Twilight remembered the little glance the two had back at Jabba's palace as she observed how Skywalker acted when the Senator was in trouble. With the command, the Republic cruisers stopped their assault on the Separatist ship.
Inside the warship, the Naboo vehicle was in the hangar as all around was smoke and fire from all the damage the ship had taken up to this point.
"It does not look safe out there, my lady," said C-3PO.
"I see now this whole thing was a trap. And I'm afraid I walked right into it," said Padme trying to get the ship to leave.
"Sir, the Republic cruisers have halted their attack," said a droid.
"Jedi are so predictable," chuckled the cyborg. "Get the repair team up here. Continue working on the hyperspace. I'm going down to the main hangar."
The General had a few droids as they made their way to the hangar. Some trains were passing by as the main part of the ship while walking in one of the tunnels.
"This ship must be returned to Count Dooku intact," said the General.
A train pulled up, stopping in front of the cyborg and his droids. The General then got on board.
"There is no room for failure," said Grievous as the train raced away, taking him towards the main hangar bay.
"Rail jet departing." said the P.A. system.
Back in the hangar, Padme was still pushing all the buttons on the panel. She was hoping she could leave before the General arrived, but nothing was responding. She then got an idea as she began to mess with the panel.
"Come on, I've overloaded the power system." said the Senator.
"Oh, we're doomed," said 3PO in his usual worried tone as he began to follow his mistress.
Back with our heroes, Anakin was now starting to leave.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Obi-wan as he saw his student starting to walk.
"Somebody has to save her skin." said the boy as Obi-wan started to follow him.
"I thought you might say that," groaned Kenobi as he knew what Anakin was thinking of doing.
"Wait up for me, guys," said Storm.
"Storm, I'm coming as well."
That response got the boy to stop in his tracks as Twilight bumped into him. He then turned around to look at the girl.
"Twilight, no." stated the boy. "Look, it's best if you stay here and let us handle this."
"Why?" asked the girl.
"Trust me on this; it's best if you don't come."
"But..."
"Trust me!" stated Storm as he now put his hands on Twilight's shoulder. "Twilight, stay here."
Twilight raised an eyebrow at what was being asked of her by the boy. To think he called her by her actual name added more seriousness to the situation. However, she was also suspicious of why Storm was telling her not to come.
"Alright, I'll stay," said Twilight as she breathed. "Just make sure you don't die."
"Sparky, it's me. I'm indestructible." chuckled Storm as he now began to chase after his pals.
"There they go again, craving adventure and excitement," said Master Plo as he saw the trio of friends going off to save the Senator.
"You get used to it," stated Ahsoka.
"Still, I can't put my finger on why Storm wanted me to stay behind," said Twilight to the two of them. "It's like he's trying to protect something secret, but what?" stated the girl as that last part she muttered to herself.
Back with Padme and 3PO, the pair were now exiting their ship.
"Come on, 3PO, hurry." said the girl as they needed to leave before General Grievous arrived.
"Hurrying, my lady," said the yellow droid. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."
"Welcome to rail jet substation 9-4. Mind the gap. Mind the gap." said the P.A. system.
Grievous now got off the train and onto the platform. He now began to walk down the tunnel towards the main hangar. His metal feet could be heard with each step he took.
"You two, come with me," commanded the General to some B1 droids.
Around them were some droids as they were grabbing some hoses to put some of the fires out. The General made it to the ship as he was preparing to enter. From behind some crates were Padme and 3PO as they saw the cyborg enter their ship. The General entered the ship to find it was empty. He then heard the alarm as he looked at the panel.
"Looks like the engines are set to destroy themselves," said one of the droids in a casual tone.
"Get out of my way!" growled Grievous as she shoved aside the two droids as he escaped from the ship.
"Hey, that's just rude," said the droid, Grievous shoved down.
Within a few seconds, the ship denoted as it flew into pieces as another fire started. Alarms went off as the firefighter droids finished putting the flames out. One of them fell to the ground as the hose reached the end of the limit.
"Watch what you're doing with that thing," said the other firefighter droid to his comrade.
He turned his hose on, but the pressure was too much that he was now flying in the air. He then fell as some more firefighters came to put the flames out. As a single hand emerged from the fire. Grievous then tossed the rubble on him away as he was angry.
"Sound the alarm. We have stowaways on board." ordered the General.
Anakin was already in the main hangar as he was making the last preparations. At that moment, both Storm and Obi-wan entered the ship.
"I trust you've already formulated a brilliant plan to rescue the senator," stated the Jedi Master.
"As a matter of fact, I have," said Anakin.
"I'm scared of what it is," stated Storm as he took a seat.
"But do we have a plan B?" asked Kenobi. "Every operation needs a backup, Anakin."
"I don't have a backup... yet, but I do have a plan for getting on that ship."
"Really?" asked Storm to his friend.
"The enemy sensors are obviously damaged, so we'll sneak in behind them and dock at the emergency airlock," said Skywalker.
"That's your plan- Just fly there, land, hope they don't spot us and walk in the door?" asked Obi-wan to his friend.
"Basically," smiled Anakin.
"Oh, brilliant. Let's get going," groaned the Jedi Master.
"Another adventure for the three of us," stated Storm as the ship was now powering up.
Anakin then pulled the lever as the ship levitated into the air as they now exited out of the hangar doors. They exited the Republic cruisers as the ship was heading towards the Separatist warship as the Jedi were hoping to rescue their friends. Padme and 3PO had left the hangar inside the ship as they were looking for a way out.
"Pardon me, but might I suggest we keep moving?" asked 3PO to Padme as she stopped at a panel on the wall. "I think I hear battle droids approaching."
"But we also need to contact the fleet," said the Senator. "If I can just get this comm panel working."
The sound of metal clanging was heard down the hall; General Grievous was now walking with a battalion of droids behind him. 3PO saw this as he turned back to Padme, who was still busy with the panel.
"My lady, I'm afraid I was right."
Grievous now was shown walking as he looked to the left and right. He then stopped as he looked at the comm panel that Padme was trying to use, but the pair was nowhere to be seen.
"Uh, General?" asked one of the B1 droids.
"What?" growled Grievous in anger.
"The damage to the hyperdrive was not as bad as we first thought," said the droid over the communicator. "We should be able to get it underway again shortly."
"I must inform Count Dooku," said the cyborg. "Stay here. Continue the search. Find the stowaway and bring them to me."
"Roger, roger." said the commander droid.
The General now left the way he came back as the droids now continued to walk forward. Padme had been listening to the conversation next to the comm panel she was trying to use. There was a tall panel that she had managed to use and put in front of them as the disguise made it seem like the piece of metal was part of the wall. Once the coast was clear, the Senator began to work on getting the comm panel to respond.
At the same time, the Jedi trio was approaching one of the emergency airlocks that the Malevolence had.
"If they spot us, we'll be pulverized," stated Obi-wan.
"They're too busy repairing the ship. They don't have time to notice us," said Anakin.
"Subtlety has never been one of your strong points, Anakin."
"Everything I know I learned from you, Master." smiled the boy to his friend.
"Oh, if that were true," stated Storm as he looked at his pals and Kenobi as the two had the same look.
It didn't take long as the ship now docked at the emergency airlock. Their landing didn't go unnoticed as some droids heard their ship with a loud thud when it landed.
"Ah, what was that?" asked a B1 droid as he lost his balance from the thud for a moment.
"What?" asked the droid next to him.
"That noise. Didn't you hear it? It sounded like a ship docking at one of the emergency airlocks."
"Your circuits are loose. No one's crazy enough to do that." stated the droid to his pal.
"Anakin, you're crazy," stated Obi-wan. "Spinning is not flying."
The Jedi trio entered the elevator as it took them to the entrance of the airlock as the door was in front of them.
"But it's a good trick," smiled Anakin smugly.
"We do not want to be spotted," said Obi-wan as the doors opened for the three Jedi standing there where the droids were just talking about hearing the noise.
"Ah, I knew it! It's them!" shouted one of the droids as he saw the Jedi and got scared.
"Oh, no." said the other.
"Well, so much for stealth!" stated Storm as Anakin and Obi-wan ignited their lightsabers and slashed the two droids down with R2 rolling in behind the trio.
"You stay here, R2," instructed Skywalker, to which the droid responded with a beep.
On the Republic cruiser, both girls and Master Plo contacted Master Luminara.
"Another bold strategy by Skywalker, I presume," said the female Jedi Master.
"That's my master," stated Ahsoka.
"Once they make it off that ship, we'll need reinforcements to finish off the enemy," said Master Plo.
"I am on my way, Master Plo," said the Jedi Master as their transmission cut off.
"We're receiving a transmission from inside the Malevolence. I believe it's the senator," stated the Admiral.
"Better contact them," said Twilight as she approached one of the control panels and began contacting the trio inside. All three of their commlinks were going off as they answered them.
"Yes?"
"Master, we've found the senator. We're patching her through," stated Ahsoka with Twilight's technical help.
"Padme?"
"Anakin."
"Are you all right? Where are you?"
"On the lower levels. I'm fine, but I don't know for how long." said the Senator as 3PO kept watch. "Droids are everywhere."
"Obi-wan, Storm, and I are on board, too."
"What? What are you doing here?" asked the girl.
"Saving your ass, that's what!" responded Storm into the commlink.
"We came to get you off this ship," stated Anakin. "Ahsoka, how can we get to the senator?"
"According to our scans, there seems to be a large open area in the center of the ship." said the girl as she looked at the blueprints that Twilight was able to provide for them to see.
"It should be halfway between the two of you," stated Twilight as she also saw the schematics.
"We're on our way," responded Anakin. "Did you hear that, Padme?"
"I'll be there," said the girl as she ended their channel and began to leave with 3PO following behind her.
Grievous now made it back to the bridge of the ship.
"General, we just detected an unauthorized communication coming from within the ship," said a droid.
"What did it say?" shouted Grievous.
"Well, we don't know. We didn't catch it in time."
Grievous let out a roar as he was angry, "Monitor all internal communications. I want that senator on this bridge." ordered the cyborg to the droids at the panels.
The Jedi had made it to the open area that the girls mentioned. All they could see were some jet rails moving about in all directions at high speeds. But they had yet to see their friends.
"I don't see her, Anakin," said Obi-wan.
"She's here, Master. I sense it."
Padme and 3PO had it to the open area and looked out from their station, hoping to see the boys.
"This is where we're supposed to meet them," said the girl. "He's probably late again."
"But we do have company of another sort," said 3PO as he turned around as it got Padme's attention.
"Blast them!" shouted the B1 droids as they turned the corner and found the senator.
The droids pointed their blasters at the two as Padme pulled her out and shot one of them. The sound of guns caught the attention of Anakin as he followed the sound and looked down below at one of the ports on the other side as he saw the two.
"There!" said the boy as he got the attention of his friends as they too saw the girl and the droid.
The pair backed it up as they slid down the ramp while Padme continued to fire back. All three of them turned their lightsabers on as they all collectively jumped down onto a rail jet. They ran and then jumped into the air again as they landed on another one as it was moving them toward the senator.
"Look, Jedi," said one of the droids as he pointed.
"Fire!" said another droid.
"No, wait, " said the one that pointed as the other three fired a blast as the trio merely deflected the shots back at the droids as they fell.
"I knew that was a bad idea," said the last droid as he saw his comrades get shot.
"Jump!" shouted Padme to 3PO as she continued to provide them cover fire.
"Who, me?" asked 3PO as Padme just pushed the droid onto a passing rail jet. 3PO hit the train as he bounced off. The senator got on and ducked down as she rode the train.
"Padme!" shouted Anakin as he jumped onto another rail jet that was riding next to the one his wife was on.
"Anakin!" said the girl as she saw her husband.
"There they are." said the commander droid as he pointed at where the couple was. "Fire!" At his command, a Superbattle droid pointed his gun at the track ahead of the train Padme was on top of as it destroyed it.
"The bridge is out." said the girl as she stood up.
"Jump to me," stated Anakin as he had his arms out, ready to catch her. "I'll use the Force. You have to trust me."
Padme looked at Anakin as she gave the nod. She leaped off as Anakin got a hold of her using his force powers and pulled her in as the pair spun around for a bit in an embrace.
"I've got you," said the boy as he had the girl in his arms.
"Nice catch," shouted Obi-wan from above as he was still on the train when Anakin jumped. "I'll fetch the droid," stated the Jedi Master through his commlink. He then began to look for 3PO. However, Storm wasn't anywhere when it was only Anakin who had jumped away from the group.
The couple's rail jet turned the corner as it went down a tunnel. It was just the two of them as they looked at one another with a smile.
"Oh, the things you do to get me alone," smiled the boy.
"Stop talking," said the girl as the pair now closed their eyes as they were bringing their lips closer to each other.
At that time, Obi-wan jumped onto another rail jet while still searching for 3PO. The yellow droid had managed to fall into a crate on a lower train below the Jedi Master as he saw his head pop out. Kenobi saw the droid as he extended his hand out using the Force.
"What, what is going on?" asked 3PO as he was lifted out of the crate and into the air.
He was about to reach Obi-wan when the Jedi Master saw another training coming as 3PO was in the line of sight as the train collided with the droid, as he was sent in the opposite direction.
"Stop me, please!" screamed 3PO as he was in the front of the train.
"Blast, that's not good," said Obi-wan as he saw 3PO being taken away. "Anakin, I got separated from your droid." stated the Jedi Master through his commlink.
At that moment, the couple was about to kiss when the boy's commlink came on. They heard Obi-wan as it got them to stop just mere inches from connecting.
"3PO," said Padme.
"Ugh, I'll take care of it." groaned Anakin as he hated that his master ruined the special moment between him and Padme.
"He always calls at the worst time, doesn't he?" said Storm as he was a few meters behind the pair as they turned to see the boy leaning back with his arms folded.
Seems Storm quietly sneaked away from Obi-wan and secretly jumped a few seconds after Anakin did as he landed a bit farther back on the train. He had made his way to where Anakin was when the trained turned the corner and entered the tunnel about the same time Obi-wan said he'd go after 3PO. Till then, he was just standing there watching the couple about to have their special moment, undetected.
"Nice to see you're doing fine, Padme." said the boy to the girl who was like his big sister.
"We'll meet you back at the Twilight," stated Anakin to his wife.
"No, we can't leave yet. I overheard Grievous," said Padme. "Their hyperdrive is almost repaired."
"I'm already headed in that direction, so I'll make certain that the hyperdrive stays offline," said Obi-wan through his wrist comm.
Our heroes were unaware that the conversation they were having was being tracked and heard by General Grievous and his troops as he laughed menacingly.
"We'll see about that, Jedi. Come with me." said the general to some droids as they began to follow him and were looking to head towards where Obi-wan was going.
"I'm getting you out of here," said Anakin. "R2, I need you to help me find 3PO. He's on the rail jet."
R2 responded with a chirp.
"I know. I know. He does," stuttered the Jedi Knight at what the blue droid was telling him with beeps and chirps. "Look, just find him for me, and I'll be there soon."
"Well, I'm off to help Kenobi," said Storm as he got the attention of his friends. "I figured I'd give him some backup and allow you two to spend time with each other. And don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't interrupt you guys." winked the boy.
"Thanks," smiled Anakin.
"Be safe, Storm," said Padme hugging the boy.
"Just try not to have too much fun with each other," smiled the boy. "Well, this is my stop. I'll see you guys later."
Another train approached them as Storm leaped off and landed as the rail jet, then turned left as the one Anakin and Padme were on kept going forward.
"Obi-wan, I'm on my way," informed Storm through his wrist comm to his friend.
R2 was doing as Anakin requested him to do. The small blue Astro droid approached one of the ports in the ship as he began to hack into the entire mainframe. He then began to look for his droid buddy.
"Someone stop this contraption, please!" shouted 3PO as he was still hanging on the front of the rail jet for dear life.
As if on cue, the brakes came online. R2 had managed to find the train 3PO was on as he applied the brakes of the rail jet as it came to a sudden halt. The droid was now jerked forward as he flew into some crates on the platform just a few meters in front of the locomotive.
"Well, I suppose I did ask for that," said the yellow droid.
Storm had managed to meet up with Obi-wan. The pair was now at the place where the hyperdrive was. He informed the Jedi Master that Anakin was with Padme as he was getting the two of them back to the ship. They both then entered inside as the doors slid open. At the control panel were some droids as they didn't notice the Jedi had entered.
They turned around to see the Jedi as they had a smile on their faces. Just then, the lights came on as on the entrances to the side were tons of droids approaching on the walkway. Some Destroyer droids rolled out from behind the control panel as they activated their shields and pointed their guns. As they looked around, all the droids now had blasters on the two Jedi. From up above was General Grievous as he laughed at how he managed to capture the Jedi with his trap. He landed with a thud which caused the two to look at him as Obi-wan had a smile.
"It's him," said Storm as he now had an up-close and personal view of the enemy that Luna told him to be careful of. He heard stories from his master about just how tough the cyborg was.
"Hello there," said the cyborg. "General Kenobi, did you think I would leave the hyperdrive unguarded?"
"Anything is possible. You haven't exactly impressed me today," said the Jedi Master.
The General laughed at Obi-wan's comment as he then saw Storm. He was hoping to catch the Jedi Master, but seeing that the student of Master Luna was present made him much happier as he was looking forward to killing the girl's student.
"Kill them." said the general to the droids as they aimed their guns at the Jedi.
"What's the plan, Obi-wan?" asked Storm.
"Follow my lead," said the Jedi Master as he now did a backflip with Storm doing the same.
The droids were now firing their guns as their blasts followed the Jedi's movements into the air. The pair landed between the Destroyer droids as both turned on their lightsabers. Obi-wan pushed the droid on his left as it was now rolling through all the droids on the left walkway as it knocked them down like a bowling ball, with them being the pins. Storm did the same thing on the right as he managed to roll a strike. Both rolling droids fell off the platform after taking the others out.
General Grievous fired his blaster at the two Jedi as they hid behind the remaining Destroyer droid. Its shield deflected the shots as they bounced all over the place. They both did a Force push as the last droid was now rolling towards the cyborg, hoping the same effect would happen as they previously did, but Grievous stopped the droid with his strength before it could make contact. That bought enough time for the duo as they now began to run. Grievous got rid of the Destroyer droid by tossing it off to the side and below. As the B1 droids next to him were firing at the Jedi running, they managed to deflect some shots from hitting them as they escaped.
"That was impressive." said one of the droids.
Grievous just smacked the droid for saying that as down he went. "Guard the hyperdrive! I will deal with these Jedi myself!" ordered the cyborg to the rest of the troops.
Anakin and Padme were dealing with their fair share of trouble. After separating from Storm and getting off the rail jet, they managed to walk down a corridor and into some more droids. The married couple was running as the boy had his lightsaber out while the girl was firing her blaster.
"Obi-wan? Storm? Come in," said the boy to his friends.
"Anakin, I'm afraid Grievous is onto us," responded Kenobi over the commlink as Padme provided them cover fire.
"Yeah, we noticed," said the boy as he stepped out from his cover to block a blast from hitting his wife.
The Superbattle droids were getting closer and closer with each step they took.
"We'll rendezvous back at the Twilight," instructed Storm to his friend.
"The fleet must engag-"
"Obi-wan?" asked Anakin as their transmission was cut off. "Come in, Obi-wan!"
"What's wrong?" asked Padme.
"They're jamming us," said the boy. Anakin then got out from behind the cover, turned his lightsaber on, and deflected the shots from the droids as he got closer and sliced them down. "That might buy us some time."
"I suppose you have a plan," stated Padme.
"Follow me."
In another part of the ship, 3PO was wondering about a hallway.
"I do believe I'm lost... in enemy territory... and all alone," said the droid. A spotlight shined on him as he put his hands up in fear. "Don't shoot! I surrender!"
The spotlight then got smaller as it belonged to the flashlight for R2 as he found his companion.
"R2-D2, oh, my, you are a sight for short circuits," said 3PO as he was happy with his droid buddy.
R2 responded with a beep.
"Master Anakin sent you to find me? Well, what kept you then?"
R2 responded with a beep as he began to roll down the corridor as 3PO followed behind him.
On the bridge of the ship, several droids were trying to get the ship back online.
"Is the hyperdrive repaired yet?" asked the commander B1 droid.
"It's almost done," said one of the droids as he slid from the control panel.
"I'll give him the good news. Uh..." as soon as the commander droid turned to leave, the elevator to the bridge opened up, and there were Anakin and Padme.
Anakin turned his lightsaber on as he took out the three B1 droids by the control panel, slicing them.
"Anakin!" shouted Padme as two Superbattle droids appeared as they had their guns aimed at the Jedi.
One of them turned to Padme as it looked to shoot her. Anakin saw this, and right before the droid could fire at Padme, he Force pushed the girl back into the elevator as the door closed, and the blasts hit the metal surface as she was safe. He then got to work on taking the tough robots out as he dodged and blocked their blasts before slamming them down and falling. At that moment, the door opened as Padme got up from the ground and pushed the button to see the boy putting his lightsaber away as she approached him.
"Ever since I've known you, you've been playing with droids," smiled Padme.
"I used to put them together. Now I only take them apart," said the boy looking at the droids.
"So, where do we start?" asked the girl.
"First, we need to get rid of those droids, so they won't know we were here," said Anakin as he began to sit at one of the control panels. "I'm gonna hot-wire this ship; give Grievous a little surprise."
"I guess I'll clean up the droids then," said Padme with a sigh as she had to fix another mess that her husband did.
Back with the Republic cruisers, they were all waiting for the boys to finish their mission.
"Our ships are in attack position," said Ahsoka as she walked onto the bridge as Master Plo and Twilight looked out the window. "Any word from Master Skywalker?"
"No, the droids are jamming our transmissions," said Master Plo.
"We need to give them more time," said Ahsoka.
"I'm not sure we can."
"Please, Master Plo. The boys just need a bit more to save the senator. Just give them time; they'll succeed. I know they will." pleaded Twilight to the Jedi Master.
Obi-wan and Storm had managed to escape from Grievous as they were both making their way back to their ship. They both jumped from the platform onto a moving rail jet. However, behind them, they were unaware of Grievous as he jumped and landed on another platform on the same rail jet behind the Jedi. The three B1 droids he had with him also jumped as two missed the jump completely, while the third one landed safely on the rails only to be run over by another rail jet.
"Think we lost him?" asked Storm to Kenobi as the Jedi Master was looking around.
The boy soon got his answer behind them; Grievous was jumping up to the platform the two of them were on as he took out the crates with his lightsabers. Obi-wan heard the droid getting closer as he got Storm's attention; he told him to look up as a crane was about to pass overhead. Both Jedi then jumped as they grabbed it as Grievous saw them. They spun around for a bit as both Jedi then let go and delivered a dropkick to the cyborg's chest as they recovered and landed. Both pulled out their lightsabers as they prepared to battle.
"Alright, Luna. Wish me luck," Storm muttered as he prepared to fight a tough-looking opponent.
Grievous turned his lightsabers on as he swung them downwards at the boys as both turned their blades sideways to block the strike. The three began to trade attacks as Storm listened to Obi-wan's command on when to back off for a bit and when to strike instead of trying to take him single-handly. Even with their coordinated teamwork, the battle was a stalemate as Obi-wan pushed the lightsaber from Grievous back a bit as he told Storm to run as the two were now running forward.
They jumped onto the next part of the train in front of them as Grievous was hot on their tails. With nowhere left to run, the pair turned back, but at that time, the cyborg caught up to them as he delivered a powerful swing with his lightsabers and knocked the pair down onto their backs. The droid now stood over the boys as he prepared to strike them down. Obi-wan looked down to his side as he had a plan and got Storm's attention to follow his lead. Grievous raised his lightsabers and brought them down to slash at the Jedi; Obi-wan then rolled to the left while Storm rolled to his right as the pair fell but pulled their lightsaber out and slashed at the part Grievous was standing on as the train slowed down a bit. The boys managed to land on another rail jet passing under them as it was going at high speeds in the opposite direction.
Grievous saw the Jedi escaping as Obi-wan gave a salute. Storm was on the ground in front of his friend as he took deep breaths.
"Okay, I'll admit. I saw my life flash before my eyes just a little bit," said the boy as he was a bit scared at how tough the cyborg was. Obi-wan calmed his friend's nerves as he patted the teen on the shoulder.
Back with Anakin, he was putting the finishing touches on the ship.''
"That ought to do it. How's the housecleaning going?" asked the boy to Padme.
"Done. Let's get out of here." said the girl as she was putting the last of the droids away in the elevator they came in. The pair entered it as the second one closed, and the other opened up as three B1 droids entered.
"I guess repairs are finished," said one of the droids. "Prepare to charge the hyperdrive."
"Roger, roger," responded the other two as they sat at the panel and began to turn it on.
R2 and 3PO were now on their way back to the ship as they turned a corner.
"R2, are you sure the ship is in this direction?" asked the yellow droid.
The blue droid responded with a beep.
"This way looks potentially dangerous."
R2 gave a shouting chirp sound.
"I know the whole place is dangerous!" shouted the droid to his buddy. "I suggest we stay here and let Master Anakin find us."
At that moment, the elevator next to the yellow droid opened up as Anakin and Padme stood there.
"3PO, what are you doing? Don't just stand there. Let's get back to the ship." said Anakin as he began walking with Padme and the droids following him. They walked a bit more as they arrived at the emergency airlock they used to enter as he opened the doors.
"Power up the engines, R2," instructed the Jedi Knight.
"Wait for us!" shouted Storm as he appeared from the corner. He was running with his lightsaber out.
"Hold the ship!" shouted Obi-wan as well as he was a few meters behind Storm, running with his lightsaber out as the pair were being chased by some Destroyer droids they managed to bump into after escaping from Grievous.
Both of them deflected some blasts from hitting them as they ran. Anakin helped out his buddies by using the Force as he pulled some crates in front of the droids and blocked their shots long enough for Storm and Obi-wan to get on board as the door closed.
"I'll contact the fleet," said Obi-wan as they all entered their ship, as he sat down.
"R2, release the docking clamp," instructed Anakin.
The small blue droid heard his orders as he let out a beep. He then plugged himself into the ship's port as their transport now detached from the airlock as they were now flying away.
Grievous had managed to hop into his ship as he took off with a few vulture droids behind him as they were going after our heroes. They fired some lasers as the ship rocked back and forth.
"Time for some clever tricks, Anakin," said Obi-wan.
"That's what I was thinking."
The ship did a few barrel rolls as they were dodging the lasers. They were leading Grievous and his forces towards the Republic cruisers.
"All batteries, open fire!" shouted Master Plo as he saw the ship.
The Republic cruisers began to fire at the Separatist warship as the small droids chased after our heroes.
"You know, we have guns. You can shoot back at any time," said Anakin to his master as their ship rocked.
"I was just about to-" responded Obi-wan.
"I got it!" shouted Padme as she couldn't take any more of their bickering. "Help me out, Storm."
Grievous was in hot pursuit of the ship as he began to fire. His blasts managed to hit one of the wings on the ship as it was damaged, and smoke and fire were shown. Storm and Padme were operating the guns as they began to look and shoot back at any enemies firing at them.
"She seems to know her way around," smiled Obi-wan as he saw Padme firing the guns.
"General, the hyperdrive has been completely repaired," said one of the droids on the bridge as he was contacting the cyborg. "Should we retreat to friendly space?"
"Engage the hyperdrive. I'll meet you at our secret base in Sector Four."
"You heard the General. Prepare to make the jump to hyperspace," said the droid to the other two at the control panel.
"Yes, sir."
The Separatist warship was now powering up, as our heroes were still trying to get back to their cruisers. Padme had managed to take out a few more vulture droids closing in.
"Nice shot, Senator," said Obi-wan.
"Beginner's luck," smiled Padme.
"Hey, you did better than when I started," stated Storm as Padme chuckled at the teen boy.
"Pardon me, sir, but R2's scan of the enemy's ship indicates their hyperdrive is activating," said 3PO.
"Don't worry about it," said Anakin.
"What?" said Storm and Obi-wan in unison.
"Coordinates are locked. Hyperdrive is engaging." said one of the droids at the panels.
"Uh, I think we have a problem." said the other droid at the panel as some sparks were flying.
"General, there's something wrong with the hyperdrive." said the droid contacting the cyborg.
"I thought the hyperdrive was fixed," stated Grievous.
"Uh, the Navi-computer is heading us right into that moon!" said one of the droids at the panels as they saw the ship change course.
"Fools, reset the Navi-computer!" shouted Grievous.
"Quick, reset the Navi-computer!" shouted the droid in charge to the others as he flailed his arms.
At that moment, Grievous was now being contacted by Count Dooku as Sunset was also present.
"General, we await the Malevolence at the rendezvous point," said the Sith Lord. "Have you made your escape yet?"
"No, reset it! Res-" shouted the droid as the ship was racing forward towards the moon.
"General?" asked Dooku as Grievous cut ended the transmission.
"General?" responded Dooku as the connection was cut. At that moment, Grievous was making his escape as he entered hyperdrive and disappeared.
"Transmission has been cut, sir." said a droid at the control panel of the ship the two Sith lords were on. "I think the General did it himself."
Dooku's eyes now became furious.
"I knew that piece of shit couldn't get the job." snickered Sunset with her arms crossed. "You'd have better luck if I were in command of the ship."
"It would seem that way," said Dooku as he agreed with the girl on that statement.
"We're going to die! Abandon ship!" shouted the droids still on the bridge as they were about to crash.
The warship made contact with the moon's surface in a few seconds. An explosion and some light occurred as Master Plo, the Admiral, and the girls saw the explosion from the ship's bridge as they smiled.
"I imagine you had something to do with that," smiled Obi-wan to his student.
"All part of the plan, Master." smiled Anakin.
Storm then put his fist in, as did Kenobi and Skywalker; they all had smiles.
"Another adventure to add to our lists. Not to mention another successful mission," stated Storm as all three broke from their little pow-pow as they held their smiles.
All the people inside the Republic cruisers were now cheering as they saw the dreaded warship was gone. Our heroes continued the course as they flew back to their side. The ship then landed as the trio of Jedi, the droids, and the Senator all got out as they were some clapping from a small crowd cheering them.
Storm saw his friends talking with everybody else as Twilight approached the boy and hugged him.
"Sparky, I said no hugs!" shouted Storm.
"I was worried," said Twilight as she let go of her partner.
"So, this is Twilight?" said Padme as she happened to pass by and saw the teen girl who released her embrace of Storm.
"Senator?" said Twilight.
"Just call me Padme. I'll say Storm's lucky to have a girl like you." She then did a quick wink to Storm as he rolled his eyes at what Padme's hidden meaning behind that was.
"So, how do you know the senator?" asked Twilight as she saw Padme leave. Storm then began to walk away as Twilight saw this and stopped him. "Storm? Answer me!"
"You have your secret, Sparky. And I have mine," said Storm turning his head to look at Twilight with serious eyes. "Seems we're both not saying something; the question is: Who's gonna come clean, first?" With that, the boy began to walk away as he left Twilight with her thoughts.
"So it seems," said Twilight as she was now clutching her arm as she thought back to the conversation she had with Storm calling her a princess.