Ahsoka navigated her way down the droid racks. It had been a few minutes after she found out that Goldie was a turncoat, a spy for Grievous. All the misfortune Master Skywalker had been experiencing lately now made a bunch of sense.
She needed to contact her Master and the others. That droid hadn't been causing accidents but diligently trying to kill them. To do that, Ahsoka first needed to get out of here and away from Grievous. She had lost sight of the cyborg a little bit after Goldie revealed its true nature.
With no sign of Grievous, she makes her chance for the door.
That plan failed when a metal hand grasped tightly around her throat. Looking up, she stared up at the upside-down metal face of the cyborg she'd been avoiding. Before Ahsoka could react, Grievous swats away her lightsaber before she could ignite it.
Grievous rights himself upon the ground, not letting go of his new Jedi prisoner, and brings up the Padawan's weapon.
"Another lightsaber to add to my collection." Said Grievous as he activated the Padawan's green lightsaber. "My spy droid R3 should be with your Master. Once I'm finished with you, he's next."
The Padawan struggled to suck some air. "You're wrong...he's gone by now...and he's going to blow up your precious spy station." Ahsoka glared into the cyborg's yellow eyes.
"Not this time."
Ruby ducked and swung her scythe at the legs of three B1 battle droids. She didn't check to finish them off; instead, she kept on running. Rounding another corner and entered what looked like a droid repair bay. There directly ahead was a tall white droid chasing after Ahsoka with a blue lightsaber as she climbed the racks. Ahsoka climbed into an air vent just as the big droid started slicing into it.
Ruby aimed at the tall cyborg and fired a shot hitting it squared in the back.
Grievous was surprised when he felt a shot connect against his armor. So shocked that he ended up cutting a piece of metal overhead that caused the shaft where Ahsoka hid collapse. Making a pile of rubble stand between her and Grievous and friend.
Turning to face his attacker, the cyborg spotted his assailant at the exit. Standing no taller than the Jedi Padawan, wielding a strange rifle, red cape, and a clone trooper helmet. The General of the Droid army advanced.
"Aren't you a little short to be a Clone trooper?" Mocked Grievous.
Ruby narrowed her eyes as she recognized who it was that was coming at her. "General Grievous. Your the one lead the Separatists droid army."
"That is correct. I had heard that Skywalker had possibly taken another child as a student. You must be this child." The cyborg put up his lightsaber, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
Ruby transformed her weapon to its scythe mode and ready for any attack while being overly cautious of the lightsaber in the General's grasp. Uncle Qrow's lessons of not underestimating your opponent were coming back. She had seen what they could do thanks to Anakin and Ahsoka giving a demonstration of its ability to cut through most metals. She doubts the Dust-fused metals in her Crescent Rose could stand against the plasma blade. "Well, he has taught me a few things. But I've fought criminals way before meeting you."
Grievous gave the child a skeptical look. Her weapon was not a lightsaber, the Jedi's signature weapon, but stood out enough to look impressive. Now to test if it was. "Then let us see if you put up more of a fight than his Padawan did."
He charged with his lightsaber in an overhead strike. Ruby just barely sidestep in time to avoid the plasma blade. She continued with a spin to bring Crescent Rose in a low spin. Ruby was hoping to hook one of Grievous' legs. She insisted ended the strike early when he followed up with an upward slash that nearly costed her an arm.
Ruby's scythe was almost a blur as she attacked the General with a series of spins and slashes. To which Grievous expertly avoided every one of the attacks.
On the seventh slash to attack him, Grievous retaliated with a single horizontal slash with his single lightsaber against Ruby's scythe.
The blue blade cleaved through Crescent Rose's scythe blade.
Confusion, shock, and fear ran through the teen's mind at the state of her weapon. Before she knew it, a metal claw foot encased around her chest. Ruby felt lifted and being slammed down hard to the metal floor. The Beacon student's aura held up but would probably guess it was in the yellow from that. She could feel her jet pack digging into her spine. Looking up, she the silted yellow eyes of Grievous.
"Your efforts were better than those Republic clones, and the fight was more interesting if only for your weapon. But like the rest, you all will fall before me!" Then he squeezed his talons around the girl.
Ruby did her best to not scream as the talons dug into her side, aura barely keeping in back. Only when she felt her ribs starting to crack did she allow herself to cry out as pain flooded her body. Ruby thought about using her semblance and turn into rose petals to escape, yet she couldn't concentrate long enough to do so.
That's when her aura gave out, and felt one of her ribs broke from the pressure.
Before either of them knew it, Grievous was hit with several blue blaster bolts. The cyborg released ruby as he fell back and crawled on the floor away from the shooters.
"Ruby!" A clone trooper shouted as he raced to her downed form.
The girl looked up to see one of the clone troopers and recognized him. "Fives?"
Fives quickly got Ruby onto her feet, much to her discomfort. Looking up, she saw Hevy with his Z-6 spraying a stream of blaster fire at a retreating General Grievous. "You guys came for me?"
Fives put her arm over his shoulder. "You came for us back on Rishi, Ruby. We're not going to let you face something like Grievous all by yourself!"
Blue blaster shot's made the Droid General take cover down the hallway. "Head clanker taking cover!" Hevy shouted.
"And we need to get to the hanger. This place is falling right out of the sky, and I don't want to be here when it lands!" Fives stated as he helped his charge down the corridor and away from Grievous, with Hevy providing cover for their retreat.
When they were out of the area, Grievous stepped out of cover. His armored body now sported a dozen scorch. His anger soared as their battle was interrupted by the clones. "You'll get to live, for now, youngling. But next time, our fight will not be ended in such as it did." With that declaration, he left to escape his falling station.
It didn't take long for Ruby, Fives, and Hevy to reach the hanger where a firefight was taking place. The Twilight had landed, and they could see Anakin and Ahsoka, along with the rest of the clones fighting back a dozen Super Battle Droids and a Vulture droid.
"They need help." Said Ruby as her weapon folded up to its sniper mode before turning to Hevy. "Head off to the side and attack them! Fives, and I will back you up from here." She told the heavy weapon trooper.
"I'm on it!" He ran to the hanger's side where some create were and started firing them from the side, taking two SBD's in the first few seconds and confusing the Droids. Fives rested Ruby against a set of cargo containers that provided enough cover for the both up while supporting the heavy trooper.
Being attacked from two sides divided the droid's attention. Allowing them to get picked off one by one in rapid succession until it was just the Vulture fighter. That is till Anakin through a fuel tank using the Force and Captain Rex firing at it, destroying the walking fighter. When the smoke settled, the two sides went over to the other to meet.
"Ruby!" The Padawan ran over to the Huntress in training. "Are you okay?"
Ruby nodded a little to her fellow teen and took her helmet off. "My Aura is broken...and a few ribs to think as well." She winced at a sharp pain that flared at her side.
The doors to the station's hanger opened up just then.
"R2 did it!" Said Ahsoka.
"Of course he did," Anakin said without a doubt, then looked at Domino. "Troopers, get Ruby onto the Twilight. Have the medical droid look her over."
Everyone boarded the stock freighter, and a moment later took off from the station. While the Twilight flew off, Anakin hopped back in his fighter to retrieve R2. Later, after a scolding from Obi-wan about priorities. The Jedi onboard visited their resident Huntress, who was under the care of Domino squad.
Walking in, they saw Ruby on her back with Cut up and the medical droid looking over her. The Knight noticed the rest of Domino standing or sitting in a sorta protective circle around the girl.
"Can you give us a moment, fellas?" Anakin asked the clones.
"Sure thing, General," Echo replied. Domino left the cargo hold, taking the medical droid with them, leaving just the Jedi and Remnant native. With the clones gone, Anakin motioned Ahsoka forward.
"Go on."
The Padawan looked at her friend in shame. "Ruby, I'm sorry. It was my fault you ended up facing Grievous alone I wanted to stay and help but when the area behind me collapsed, so did my way to you. I was overconfident and underestimated him. In doing so, I endangered the mission, endangered the men, and almost gut the both of us killed..."
Ahsoka felt a hand over her and looked up to see the kind, understanding smile that Ruby had.
"It was my decision to go after you, Ahsoka. No one else," Ruby replied.
"But-" Ahsoka started to protests, but Ruby held her hand up to stop before pulling the Togruta in a hug.
"The day Beacon was attacked... I failed to save a friend." Ruby said in a small voice. "When I heard you were in danger, I ran as fast as I could to you. Hoping I wasn't too late again." She pulled back to look the stunned Ahsoka in the eyes. "I don't want to lose another friend."
Ahsoka smiled. "We've only known each other for a few weeks, and you already see me as a friend?"
"Of course!" Ruby responded. Her smile fell down next. "I lost a good friend at Beacon...turned to ashes right in front of me."
"Phyrra was a great friend and one of the best fighters at the Academy...and Cinder killed her right as I got there to her. I didn't want to see you die in front of me too. Not if I have the strength to prevent it and wouldn't stop me from doing it again."
Ahsoka felt touched by what Ruby said and brought her in for a hug of her own. One which the redhead embraced. "Thank you, Ruby."
"Always, Ahsoka."
Behind the girls, Anakin Skywalker smiled at the scene.
As a Jedi Knight and Ahoska's teacher, he should pull them apart and reprimand her on the dangers of forming attachments. But then he would be labeling himself a hypocrite for having a wife under the Council's noses'. Plus, he wouldn't pull them apart anyway, even if he wanted to, for what he saw through the Force. He may not be as proficient in sensing through the Force as his Master Obi-wan or Master Yoda. But even he can see the Force shining brightly within Ruby and spilling her light into his Padawan, increasing the light within her. He would have to look into the Jedi archive about this event in the Force, for he never heard of something like this.
As he observed the two talk while their light shined brightly, Anakin wondered how the Jedi Council would view it. Through the Force, he could string of light forming between them. A Force bond. It was not unheard of to his understanding, just something that the Jedi and the Council especially, often looked down upon.
He may need to talk to Obi-wan in private. Get his opinion on the event that his Padawan is now in.
'Never a dull moment around here,' Anakin thought as he shrugged his shoulders and left for the cockpit.
.
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And another chapter done!
I had to sit down and think a bit on the fight between the Young Huntress vs General Cyborg fight. Like Ruby has never faced the likes of Grievous before and certainly not with skilled warrior with a weapon like a lightsaber. Making Ruby unprepared to handle such a foe.
What would be Ruby's plan next for Crescent Rose?
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