Author's Note: This chapter will cover the episodes that involve the Separatist warship Malevolence. How will I turn the tables against that Separatist superweapon? Read and find out.
Chapter 6: The Malevolence
With increasing favor, the Republic was earning in the war. The Separatists were getting desperate. The Council was getting reports of several of our fleets suddenly being destroyed with no survivors left behind. As we investigated the wreckage, it was hard to determine what happened. Count Dooku claimed responsibility with a new Separatist secret weapon. He vowed it would destroy the Republic if we didn't surrender. The entire Jedi Council was concerned by this latest development. The rest of the Council asked me to use all my connections and resources to discover this weapon. They knew I had established secret detection bases all over the galaxy. They were to act as early warning outposts to keep us ahead of the Separatists. I received the report that a new Subjugator-Class heavy cruiser was going around Republic space. However, what they couldn't find out was the secret weapon it was using. To find out, the Council elected to send Master Plo Koon to hunt down the enemy's new weapon and neutralize it if possible. The fleets of myself and Anakin were close to him, so we could reinforce him if necessary. Skywalker was at the Bith System while I was at Fondor. I stood on the bridge of the Stability, anxiously awaiting any news from Master Plo. "General," Fox said. "General Plo is contacting us, and General Skywalker." "Put them through," I said. "Yes, sir," Fox said. Soon the images of Anakin, Ahsoka, and Master Plo appeared before me. "Koh-to-ya, Master Plo," Ahsoka said, speaking her native tongue. "Koh-to-ya, little 'soka," Master Plo replied in turn. "How's the hunt for the mystery weapon, Master?" I asked. We've tracked it to the Abregado system. We need reinforcements," Master Plo said. "We'll have to ask the Council, Master Plo," Anakin pointed out. "I was given strict orders to protect our staging area." "As was I, but I'll contact the rest of the Council and see if we can't find a way to send you reinforcements," I said. At that moment, the transmission from Master Plo began to fizzle out. "Master Plo, what's happening?" Ahsoka asked. "Fox, what's going on?" I asked. "There's enemy inference, sir. We've lost General Plo's transmission." Fox said. "Blast," I said. I turned to Ahsoka and Anakin. "We'll contact Coruscant immediately. Standby," I said.
I turned my attention to contacting the Council for instructions. Master Yoda, Master Windu, Obi-Wan, and Chancellor Palatine appeared on the holo-communicator. "Masters, Master Plo requires help to take down the enemy weapon," I said. "We've lost all communications with his fleet." "This weapon has struck in a dozen systems and disappeared without a trace," Master Windu. "We cannot afford to lose any more ships, my friends," the Chancellor pointed out. Just then, Anakin and Ahsoka joined in on the meeting. "Ah, Master Skywalker. Have you had any success in finding General Grievous' secret weapon?" Palatine asked. Anakin pressed a button and showed an image of Master Plo's fleet. "Master Plo was here in the Abregado system when we lost contact," he said. "And we have no further contact from General Plo Koon. The absence of distress beacons indicates that his fleet was." Anakin paused, unable to complete the sentence. "His fleet fell victim to the weapon, as did the others." I finished with sorrow. "We are about to prepare a rescue mission," Anakin added. "Hasn't Clone and Jedi Intelligence reported this weapon never leaves any survivors?" the Chancellor asked. "Maybe because no one has acted fast enough to save survivors," I said. "The Separatists are being unusually tidy. They don't want any witnesses," Obi-Wan put in. "Because they know that if we learn about the weapon, we will find a way to defeat it," I said. "We have to take what they don't want us to have." "Tragic are these losses, but prevent more we must," Master Yoda said. "The only way to do that is to find what little survivors from Master Plo there are left and learn about the weapon," I said. "Only then can we form a plan to defeat it?" "All our battle groups will be reassigned to guard our supply convoys, including yours, Skywalker, and you too, Jones," Master Windu said. "I'm afraid we can't risk any more ships with a rescue mission." "Wait," Ahsoka spoke up. "Just because there haven't been any survivors before doesn't mean there won't be any this time." We all looked at Ahsoka. Some with surprise, while I was proud. "Boldly spoken for one so young," said the Chancellor. "She is learning from Anakin," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Who learned from you, Obi-Wan. But young Ahsoka has a critical point, my friends," I said. "Allow me to assemble a small rescue party to check the damage." "Just deploy as we have asked Master Jones," Windu said. "Excuse my Padawan, we will deploy as you have instructed, Master," Anakin said. The transmission ended, and I knew I had to do something. I called Alex up to the bridge. "What is it, Ammon?" he asked. "Master Plo needs help, and I will give it to him." "Against the instructions of the Council?" Alex asked. "Being a member of the Jedi Council gives me certain privileges," I said. "I need you to take over deploying our fleet in a defensive position. I'm taking a shuttle to the Resolute. I know Ahsoka will gladly join me in the rescue mission for Master Plo." "What should I tell the Council if they ask for you," Alex asked. "The truth, just the truth," I instructed. Alex nodded, and I headed for the hangar.
I boarded a shuttle that flew me to Anakin's position in the Bith system. As we made our final approach, we received permission to land. Anakin and Ahsoka were already waiting in the hangar when I arrived. "Master Jones, it's a pleasure to have you here," Anakin said, bowing. "Save it, Ani," I said. "You know why I'm here. I've come to borrow your Padawan for a rescue mission." "You mean you're going to look for Master Plo?" Ahsoka asked hopefully. "Yes, young one. I cannot in any good conscience abandon a fellow member of the Jedi Council," I said. "Therefore, I'm going to look for Master Plo without the approval of the rest of my colleagues." "I guess I'll have to go with you then," Anakin said. I smiled. Anakin had planned this all along. He already had the Twilight prepared and ready. The Twilight was the freighter he and Ahsoka took from the Separatists, getting Rotta the Huttlet back to his father, Jabba. He didn't realize I would come too. At least we could say that we were acting under my authority. Ahsoka, Anakin, R2, and I boarded the Twilight and got ready for the Abregado system. As we flew from the hangar, Anakin and Ahsoka were both in the pilot seats while I was in a seat behind. "Set those new coordinators, R2?" Anakin asked. R2 beeped, saying that he had. "Masters, I should tell you why I spoke up before," Ahsoka started. "You don't have to explain anything," Anakin said. "I already know why you did, young one," I added. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. I wish more of the Council had your sense of loyalty." It was at that moment that we made our jump into hyperspace. It wasn't too long before we entered the Abregado system. "R2 tune the scanners for life-forms, highest sensitivity," Anakin said. "Master, did you always intend to come to look for survivors?" Ahsoka asked. "Yes, but I didn't expect Master Jones to come along and take the heat," Anakin said. "Better that I be the one to take the blame here, Anakin," I said. "Being a member of the Jedi Council gives me some privileges. Like doing things on my own authority" "So it's okay when you don't follow what the Council says, huh?" Ahsoka asked. "I am part of the Council, so we're technically following the Council's instructions," I said. "Following the Council's instructions is one thing. How we go about it, that's another," Anakin said. "That's what I'm trying to teach you, my young Padawan." "Just as I taught you, eh, Ani," I said. "There are lives at stake Master. We can't turn our backs on them." "That's what I said back in the briefing room," Ahsoka protested. "Perhaps, but it wasn't your place to speak out, young one. That's why I stepped in and covered your behind," I said. "Master Jones is right. It's the way you said it that was wrong," Anakin said. "Hurry up, Switch on the illuminator." I turned in my seat and worked the scanner. "We haven't got much time before the fleets miss us," Ahsoka said. "Oh, they won't miss us," I said. "I've asked Master Alex to tell the Council the truth." "You what," Anakin asked with surprise. "Honesty in what you do keeps you more out of trouble than lying when sneaking behind the Council's back, Anakin," I pointed out. "There's a lesson for you."
As we scanned the wreckage, we found a lot of pods that had been broken into. I could sense there were hunters out there. The Separatists used their boarding ships as pod hunters, as the claws that cut into an enemy ship could crush an escape pod just as quickly. Fortunately, Master Plo was not in any of the broken pods. I could sense he was still alive. The scanners are practically useless," Ahsoka said. "Got anything on the emergency channel, R2?" R2 beeped that he didn't have anything yet. "Now, Ahsoka, we might find something you don't want to find," Anakin warned. "I know, Master, but I have to believe," Ahsoka said. "Easy, Ahsoka, I can sense Master Plo is alive," I assured her. "The hunters haven't gotten him yet, so we must act fast before they do." "How do you know Master Plo anyway, Ahsoka?" Anakin asked. "He's Ahsoka's oldest friend," I answered. "Master Jones is right. It was Master Plo Koon who found me and brought me to the temple where I belonged," Ahsoka confirmed. "Now he's lost, so I thought maybe I could find him." "Just as I found you on Tatooine Ani," I said. R2, at that moment, began to beep alarmingly. "Incoming transmission, Masters. I think someone noticed we're gone," Ahsoka said. At that moment, Obi-Wan appeared on the communicator. "Anakin, where are you?" he asked. "Oh, hello, Master, we huh," Anakin started. "We are in the Abregado system looking for Master Plo," I said, getting up to face Obi-Wan myself. "A rescue mission, I suppose," Obi-Wan said. "Yes, my sense of loyalty to a fellow member of the Council is too great just to abandon him," I said. "It's all being done on my authorization Obi-Wan so don't take it out on Anakin or Ahsoka." "Have you found any survivors?" Obi-Wan asked. "No, you were right," Anakin said grimly. "The Separatists don't want any witnesses." "All the more reason for you all to rejoin your fleets," Obi-Wan said. "Not until I'm satisfied with our search, and that's going to happen when we find Master Plo," I said. "My brother is more than capable of filling in for me on the Stability, and I'm sure Admiral Yularen is doing fine on the Resolute." "Very well, Master, I concede," Obi-Wan said before ending his transmission.
R2 continued to be excitable. "What is it, R2?" asked Anakin. R2 beeped that he got something. "R2 thinks he's got something on the emergency channel," Ahsoka said. "Can he trace it?" Anakin asked. R2 beeped that he could. "Let's get going," Ahsoka said. "And fast," I added. "We're running out of time." We zoomed through the wreckage, looking for the source of the signal. R2 showed a holographic image of the system and wreckage. "Are we still picking up that signal?" Anakin asked. "Yes, but why aren't we finding anybody?" "In this mess, it's like looking for a smuggler on Coruscant," I said. "Patience, Ahsoka, as long as the signal is still coming, they're still alive. Master Plo was never one to give up without a fight." That seemed to lift Ahsoka's spirits a little bit. "Is there anybody out there? This is Ahsoka Tano," she said on the communicator. She kept calling and calling. "R2 see if you can boost the reception," she said. R2 beeped that he was trying. Ahsoka grunted in anger. "Patience. We're trying to boost the power. Hang on," Anakin said. "Keep your mind clear, Ahsoka. It's the only way we'll find them," I added. I began to stretch out my feelings to see if I could locate Master Plo that way. I was, however, interrupted by the Chancellor calling us. "Master Jones, the rest of Council is concerned," he said. "Why have you left your post and taken Anakin and his Padawan with you?" "With respect, Chancellor, my loyalty to Master Plo Koon as a fellow member of the Council was too strong to ignore," I said. "I had to try, and I knew Anakin and Ahsoka could help me." "A noble gesture Master Jedi. But the Council feels your daring may put others in danger," The Chancellor countered. "Master Plo and what remains of his men are in even more danger now, Chancellor, and I can't turn my back on them. I'll take whatever consequences the Council feels necessary after we have found Master Plo." I cut the transmission off because I was annoyed that I was the only sensible one here. "Master, please," Anakin pleaded. "We've looked and found no one. Maybe we should return to our fleets." "We have to find them dead or alive. At least it'll put many minds at ease," I said. "I know he's alive, I can sense it," Ahsoka interrupted. She steered the ship abruptly around, shaking Anakin, R2, and myself. Soon we found Master Plo's pod with whatever men he had with him. "There they are," Ahsoka said, pointing. "Ready the tow cable Ahsoka," I said. She did so quickly. "Cable loaded, Master," she said. "Fire the cable Anakin," I said. Anakin did so and brought Master Plo in through the space shield. We all went to the hull to check on Master Plo and his men.
"Come on, hurry," Ahsoka said, running straight for Master Plo. "Are you okay, Master Plo?" she asked. "There's someone in the pod." Anakin used the Force to open the pod, and Commander Wolfe, Master Plo's commander, came out. I set the medical droid to work at once. "Will they be alright?" Anakin asked. "The pressure suits offer some protection, but they require a medical frigate for recovery," the medical droid said. "I will stabilize them, sir." Master Plo being a Kel Dor, wore a mask because his people can't breathe or see off their world otherwise. I knew that's why he could withstand the pressure vacuum of space. "Your men are safe now," Ahsoka said. "Tell me, were there any survivors," Master Plo asked. "I'm sorry, Master, but we didn't find anyone else," I said. "The hunters must have destroyed the rest," Master Plo said with great sorrow. "I'm sorry, Master Plo," Ahsoka hugged him. "But now we can prevent this same thing from happening again if you can tell us what the secret weapon on that ship was," I said. Master Plo came with Anakin, Ahsoka, and me to the cockpit of the Twilight. "We tracked down the weapon to this system. That is when we found out it was an ion cannon," he said. "An ion cannon?" Ahsoka asked. "A weapon that neutralizes all power to our ships, leaving the targets defenseless," Master Plo finished. "That's a new low even for the Separatists," I said. Anakin's scanners began to pick up something. "There's a massive vessel approaching," he said. "Shut down the power systems before they detect us," Master Plo said urgently. We all began to shut down power, hoping the enemy would only see us as another piece of debris and pass by. R2 beeped with worry. "The droid," Master Plo said. If the Separatists detected R2, they'd know we were here. Ahsoka ran right up to him. R2 beeped with worry again. "Sorry little guy," Ahsoka said as she shut him off. "Now, that's done. They should pass by and not notice us until too late," I said as the massive ship came into view and passed by. We were all shocked at its size. "That is one big cruiser-crusher," Ahsoka said. "I guess the Separatists feel bigger is better," I said. I could see the anger in Master Plo's eyes, not that I could blame him. That ship was responsible for the death of many of his men. Fortunately, they seem not to notice us. The ship continued to fly right by us. "Ani, as soon as they're out of sight, get us out of here," I said. "Yes, Master," he said. The enemy ship had its back ultimately to us now. Soon we'd be able to flee without them knowing we were here. Suddenly they began to turn around. "They're coming back," Anakin said. "Are all the systems shut down?" Master Plo asked. "I can't think of what we could've forgotten to turn off Master," I said. At that moment, we got our answer to the problem. "Is there a problem, sir?" the medical droid asked. "We forgot to shut off the medical droid," Ahsoka said. "Okay, no more waiting. Anakin, get us out of here," I shouted. "We have to get the power back up now," Anakin said. We all scrambled to get the ship powered back up so we could make a run for it. It would take Grievous' ship a moment to entirely turn around to face us.
"Can I be of assistance?" the medical droid asked. "No thanks," Anakin said. "Just get in the back and take care of the Clones." "That is my programming sir," the medical droid said and left us. "Come on, we've got to get out of here," Anakin said. "I know, I know," Ahsoka said. "Less talk, more action, please," I said. We were soon off and away. However, we weren't out of danger just yet. "R2, program the navi-computer. Be ready to get us out of here," Anakin said. "You forgot. We turned him off," Ahsoka pointed out. "Let's get him back online," I said. Master Plo and I got to that quickly enough. "Koh-to-ya, droid," he said. "R2, program the hyperdrive," Ahsoka said. R2 beeped where to. "Anywhere. Hurry!" Ahsoka said. "Take us to Fondor," I said. "Now." As R2 programmed the hyperdrive to take us to my fleet at Fondor. Grievous fired his ion blast at us. "Ani, we have company. And it's coming in fast," I said. "I see it, Master," he said. Anakin's quick pilot skills were getting us through the debris field fast enough, but the ion blast was undeterred by the mess and was gaining on us. Sure enough, R2 got our coordinates locked and ready. Anakin got us out of the debris field just in time. "We're clear," Ahsoka said, and Anakin wasted no time activating the hyperdrive. As soon as we were in hyperspace, I knew we were safe. I could sense that Grievous and Dooku were not happy that we escaped their grasp. We rendezvoused with my fleet at Fondor and landed safely on the Stability. "Thanks for getting us out of there, General Skywalker," Wolfe said. "You have my Padawan to thank for that," Anakin said. "She always said you guys would pull through, as did General Jones." "General Plo said someone would come for us," Wolf admitted. "We're glad he was right." "Skywalker, Jones, it is time to give our report to the Council," Master Plo said. "Yes, it's time for me to face the consequences of my actions," I added. "Right, the Council report," Anakin said. As we made our way to the bridge, I noticed Anakin fell behind. "Come on, Ahsoka," he said. "You want me there?" she questioned. "I figured, because of before," "Ahsoka, through it all, you never gave up," Anakin said. "You did a great job. Besides, I can't let Master Jones take all the blame here. You have to share some of the blame too. Now come on, let's go." "Right beside you, Skyguy," Ahsoka said. R2 followed closely behind us, too, beeping happily.
Alex was already waiting with the Council and the Chancellor on the holo-communicator when we got to the bridge. "Master Plo, it's good to see you alive, my friend," Master Windu said. "I assure you the feeling is mutual, Master Windu," said Master Plo. "I always knew that someone would come for us." "Admit we must, that only Master Jones decided on a rescue," Master Yoda said. "Sorry, we are, that we gave up on you, we did." "Perhaps Master Jones' loyalty is something we all can learn from," Obi-Wan added. "Indeed, argue we cannot that effective was Master Jones' decision," Master Yoda said. "It wasn't all him, Master," Ahsoka said. "I think Master Jones just wanted to help me find Master Plo because he knew of my strong friendship with him." "And I was planning to execute a rescue mission from the start, too," Anakin admitted. "Yet the fact remains that it was done with my authority ultimately," I said. "Still, the right decision you all made," Master Yoda said. "And now, more information on the weapon we have." "I fully understand, my friends," said Master Plo. "We were the only survivors from this weapon." "What is General Grievous' new weapon," the Chancellor asked. "It's an ion cannon that neutralized all power to our ships. It leaves its targets completely defenseless," Master Plo reported. "So, there is no way to counter it," Master Windu said. "Maybe for the moment, Master," I said. "If we can develop a shield that can absorb the electric field from the ion blast. It would be useless." "If anyone can develop such a shield, it would be you, Master," Obi-Wan said. "Until then, what do we do about the threat posed by that vessel now?" Palatine asked. "We need to plan an attack to take that ship out and General Grievous along with it," Anakin said. "I will call an emergency meeting of the Senate right away to commission a force to take out that ship," Chancellor Palpatine said.
In the following days, Grievous' new warship, which I learned was named the Malevolence, continued to strike throughout Republic Space. It attacked our battle fleets, supply convoys, civilian frigates, and medical transports. I could see why they named the ship Malevolence. In response, I had already started construction on my own massive ship. It was a giant super starcruiser class that would rival the Malevolence in her size and power. More importantly, I equipped it with a new ion shield. It would absorb the blast from Grievous' ion cannons and use the power to strengthen itself. Similar to how the shields on my Jedi cruisers did. I named my new flagship the Restoration because I knew it would restore peace to the Republic and the galaxy. The Senate had also commissioned Anakin's Shadow Squadron to hunt down the Malevolence. When I received word that Grievous had attacked our medical transports near Ryndellia, I knew our medical base, the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center nearby, would be a ripe target. It had been unprotected for the most part and was treating over 60,000 of our wounded men. That's why I had the Restoration positioned at the medical station. I was on the bridge with Alex and Fox, waiting for our quarry to arrive. "General, we're receiving an incoming transmission from Admiral Yularen and General Kenobi," Fox said. "Put them through," I instructed. "General, we have heard of your new battleship and that you've placed it near the medical station," Yularen said. "Yes, Admiral," I confirmed. "I've been working on this ship since we first learned of the enemy's new secret weapon. When I heard that Grievous attacked our medical transports nearby, I moved it here quickly." "Do you think your shield can withstand the ion blast?" Obi-Wan asked. "As far as all test results indicate, yes," I said. "But this will be the first battlefield test." "We're having the station evacuate all the wounded that they can, just in case," Obi-Wan said. "Anakin is taking a shortcut to meet up with you, and we are also on our way." "Very well, gentlemen," I said. "I look forward to showing you my new flagship." "Hopefully, we can block Grievous' path to the medical base, allowing the transports to escape unharmed," Alex said. "Prepare all fighters as well," I said. "I feel that Anakin will need some help when he gets here." Alex and Fox did as I asked. I sat in my commander's chair, anxiously waiting for everyone to arrive for the party. "Master, I'm picking some Republic Y-Wings coming out of the nebula," one of my female Jedi said. "That must be Shadow Squadron and Anakin," I said. "It looks like Master Plo is flying fighter escort," Alex added. "Sally, contact Skywalker at once," I said. "Yes, Master," she said. "Restoration Command calling Shadow Leader. Come in, Shadow Leader," "This is Shadow Leader," I heard Anakin reply. "Anakin, welcome to the Ryndellia System," I said. "Thank You, Master Jones," Anakin said. "I see you have a new flagship of your own." "Yes, she's impressive, isn't she not," I said. I looked and saw one of his ships smoking a little. "Did you have some trouble getting through the nebula?" I asked.
"We had a brush with some giant gas gulpers," Ahsoka said. "Met the giant neebray mantis, did you?" I said. "Yes, Ammon, we did," Master Plo said. "Do you want to have your pilots get their ship fixed before the battle starts?" I asked. "I'm fine, sir," said the Clone pilot Matchstick. "It's just a scratch," "We must not take any unnecessary risks," Master Plo said. "If we lose even a single ship, our mission will be that much closer to failure." "Understood, Master Plo," Anakin replied. "I'll launch my fighters and bombers once Grievous arrives," I said. "They'll give you support." "Sir, the medical station has evacuated 50% of patients," Fox reported. "While at least some of our wounded are out of harm's way," I responded. "But we still need to be ready when Grievous gets here." "You think your shields can take the ion cannon blast, Master?" asked Anakin. "I certainly hope so, Ani," I said. "Sir, we getting a contact coming out of hyperspace," Rockdrill, one of my Clone operatives, said. "It's the Malevolence." "Launch all fighters and bombers, set the shields to full, and ready all guns and weapons," I ordered. "Anakin, I hope you and your men are ready for this." My Jedi took Master Plo's hyperspace ring for him so it'd be safe from the fight. The Malevolence came out from hyperspace locked, loaded, and ready for a fight. Looking at it, I knew this would be a battle of titans. The Restoration against the Malevolence, each of the largest, most powerful ships the Separatists and the Republic had to offer. My fighters and bombers joined up with Anakin's squadron. "Restoration Command to all fighters," I called. "Follow General Skywalker's lead, and we'll cover you." "Sir, the enemy is trying to target the medical transports," Fox said. "Move to the side to cover their escape," I ordered. "We can use this as an opportunity to test our shields." Grievous fired his starboard ion cannon just as the Restoration covered the medical transport. "Brace yourselves for impact," I shouted. The ion ray hit us and soon was absorbed by our shields. "Damage Report," I said. "None," Alex said. "Our shields consumed the power of the blast. It never got to the transports." The entire bridge cheered as we had our first successful field test. I could sense Grievous was a little angry. The Malevolence fired her cannons on us as their vulture droid fighters launched and headed for ours. I could see Grievous was turning his ship around to face Anakin and our fighters. "Return fire, keep Grievous' attention on us," I said.
As we fired all the weapons we had on the Restoration, I could see Anakin was having difficulty getting past the enemy fighters. "Master, Grievous is preparing to fire the port side ion cannon," Sally said. "He can't. His own fighters will be caught in the blast," Alex said. "He doesn't care about his own fighters," I said. "He just cares about taking out ours. Warn Skywalker now." "Shadow Leader, this is the Restoration. Urgent warning, the Malevolence is about to fire its ion cannon on you," Sally called. Just then, that's what happened. "Incoming," I heard Ahsoka say. "Make towards the edge of the ray now!" Anakin ordered. All our ships quickly flew up to avoid the blast. "Give it everything you've got," Anakin said. "Shadow 2, your speed is dropping," Ahsoka said. "What's wrong," "Nothing sir," Matchstick said. "Just trying to keep it together." "You can make it Matchstick. Just hang on," Anakin said. At that moment, Shadow 2 fell was consumed by smoke and fell toward the others. Everyone did their best to avoid being hit, slowing them down. Three of the Y-Wings didn't make it out of the blast. A few of my fighters were caught too. Of course, all the droid fighters were shut down at least. "Shadow Squadron, check in," Anakin called. "We lost Matchstick and Tag," Ahsoka reported. "Shadows 6, 7, and 10 were caught in the ray." "Fred, about our fighters?" I called. "Blue Squadron 2, 5, and 11 were caught in the ray Master," Fred reported. He was one of my best squadron leaders. "Green Squadron 9 and 12 were also caught," he said. "Everyone else barely managed to make it to the outer edges." "Send relief ships to gather the disabled fighters," I said. "Already on it brother," Alex said. "Anakin what's the plan," I asked. "We're going to take out the bridge and Grievous with it. "Good luck, we'll try to keep Grievous' attention," I said. "Fire all cannons."
We did our best to keep Grievous' attention, but he was no fool. Not to mention that a ship that big couldn't turn around quickly. Anakin and our fighters dived toward the Malevolence. However, the flak from the enemy guns was heavy, even for my Jedi pilots. "Stay on course," Master Plo said. "This flak is heavy," one clone said. "All deflectors double front," Anakin said. "I don't think that's going to help," I said. "There are too many cannons protecting that bridge." "Master, we need a new plan," Ahsoka said. "We can make it Ahsoka. Hang in there," Anakin said. "Watch those towers boys." "Master," Sally said. "The Malevolence is beginning to target the station." "Blast, it was uncovered when we moved to protect the transports," I said. "Move in front of the medical station quickly." "We'll never fully cover it before the enemy fires," Sally said. "We have to try. Grievous needs to recharge his ion cannon after firing them both so soon. That'll buy Skywalker and us some time," I said. We continued to fire as we moved in front of the medical station. Though I knew we may not make it in time. Also, I could see that we were losing more ships to that flak. A point that Ahsoka was anxious to make. "Master, you can make it," she said. "But everyone else is getting shot down. Master!" It didn't seem that Anakin was paying attention to his Padawan. "If we can do enough damage, the weapon may overload when Grievous tries to fire," Master Plo suggested. Anakin again seemed to not want to listen, so I decided to try. "Stop the weapon now and we can get Grievous later," I advised. "It's more important to save endangered lives than eliminating one vile foe." Finally, Anakin gave in. "Shadow Squadron, new target," he said. "We're takin out the starboard ion cannon." I could feel that Ahsoka and Master Plo were relieved to hear that. Grievous was moving his ship to the right trying to get around me and to the station. We had to stop firing in order to avoid hitting the station or our fighters in the crossfire. I saw Anakin leading our fighters down toward the port side cannon. "Torpedoes away," he called. All our fighters fired their proton torpedoes and took out the cannon. When Grievous tried to fire, the cannon backfired and seemed to cripple the entire ship. "Good work Shadow Squadron," Master Plo said. "Nice Job, Ahsoka," Anakin said. "Prepare to open fire on the enemy again," I ordered. "General, three Republic cruisers are coming out of hyperspace behind us," Rockdrill said. "Good, now we'll show Grievous a thing or two," I said. The Vigilance, the Resolute, and one other Venator come out of hyperspace, joining the Restoration. Obi-Wan contacted Anakin and me. "Anakin do you copy?" he asked. "I'm here," Anakin replied. "Congratulations. It looks like your mission was a success," Obi-Wan complimented. "Partially, but Grievous is still alive," Anakin admitted. "The battle was pretty rough on my men. We're heading for the medical station." I could hear the remorse in Anakin's voice over the lives he lost. "We'll take it from here," Obi-Wan said. "But don't worry, we'll call when we need you." "That goes double for me," I put in. "I'll be waiting, Obi-Wan," Anakin said. "Okay, people, let's finish this," I said. "All ahead full, fire all weapons. Hit the engines first, I don't want Grievous getting away." The Malevolence began to limp away in a slow retreat as the Venators joined us in firing on it. Even though I could see that she had lost her shields. The Malevolence was still so massive that it was able to take quite a beating. Even the Restoration's cannons were barely blasting the surface. This was going to take some time. However, time was now on our side.
We chased the Malevolence away from the Medical Centre and towards the Dead Moon of Antar. It was in a system between Ryndellia and Naboo. We continued to relentlessly pursue Grievous and his warship, constantly blasting more and more pieces off her. I joined Obi-Wan, Anakin, Yularen, and Master Plo on the Vigilance, leaving Alex responsible for the Restoration. I was on the Vigilance's bridge with Obi-Wan, Master Plo, and Admiral Yularen as we watch our pursuit of Grievous' ship play out. "Commander, what is the damage level to the enemy ship?" Obi-Wan asked. "She's lost her primary shields and stabilizers," the commander said. "But the ship is so massive, it can take all the fire our cannons can give it. Even General Jones' new super starcruiser is getting a workout. Though it is making things easier than they would be otherwise." "I'm certainly glad of that," Obi-Wan said, smiling at me. I just shrugged wanting to stay humble. "Still, we must summon reinforcements," Master Plo advised. "That's why I'm here Master Plo," Anakin said from behind us. We all turned and watched Anakin and Ahsoka join us on the bridge. "Anakin, were you able to contact Master Luminara?" Obi-Wan asked. "Yes, Master," Anakin replied. "She's busy with a fleet of Separatist reinforcements nearby. She won't be able to give support until she's turned them away." "Then we'll have to make do with what we have," Obi-Wan said. "Admiral, contact my brother on the Restoration, and make sure her cannons use maximum firepower," I said. "Yes, General," Yularen said. When Alex turned up the Restorations cannons up to maximum firepower. We began to really blast holes into the Malevolence. She was shaking and smoking more with every minute. I could tell the Malevolence's engines couldn't take much more. "Admiral, status report," Obi-Wan said. "They're not attempting to jump to hyperspace. Their hyperdrive must be damaged," Yularen reported. "Now the rest of the engines are damaged too much," I pointed out. "Grievous is trapped but good." "This is our chance," Obi-Wan said with excitement. "All ships, target the bridge, maximum firepower." That's precisely what we did. All our ships' cannons targeted the bridge tower. If we took that down, the rest of the ship would fall. However, that wasn't as easy of a task as you might think. The bridge was relatively small compared to the rest of the ship.
Suddenly Ahsoka picked up something strange. "Master, I'm picking up a signal near the enemy vessel," she said. "Something just came out of hyperspace." "Enemy reinforcements?" Anakin asked. "No, it looks like a Naboo ship," Ahsoka reported. "All gunners stand down," I ordered. "What in blazes are they doing out here?" Obi-Wan asked. "Ahsoka contact that ship," Anakin ordered. "Yes, Master," Ahsoka said. "Naboo cruiser, identify yourself." Suddenly Padmé's image came up on the communicator. "This is Senator Amidala," she said. "Padmé," Anakin said with surprise. "What are you doing out here?" "I was sent on a special mission," she replied. "The Senate was told the Banking Clan wanted to negotiate a treaty." It was evident to me that this was a trap set up by Dooku to keep us from destroying the Malevolence. "Get out of there as fast as you can," Anakin said. Before Padmé could do that, however, the Separatists acted quicker. "Have we been hit?" I heard 3PO ask. "I'm afraid it's much worse than that," Padmé said. "Padmé, what's happening?" Anakin asked. "I'm being pulled inside the droid cruiser by a tractor beam," she said. "I will not be made a Separatist bargaining chip. Continue your attack. You must destroy this monstrous ship." With Padmé being his wife, even if I was the only one who knew that. I knew what I had to do. "It's your decision Ani," I said. He only needed to think for a minute. "Admiral, order our ships to stop firing," he said. All the Venators and the Restoration ceased fire right there. We all could understand that. Padmé was important to many people in the Republic. She was one of the few senators who cared more about her people than anything else in her job. She was a vital ally to the Jedi Order. We couldn't risk her safety while pursuing the Malevolence and Grievous. Though we certainly couldn't leave her as a Separatist prisoner. Which is why Anakin and I headed for the Twilight in his hangar. "Where do you two think you're going?" Obi-Wan asked. "Somebody has to save her skin," Anakin said. "So, are you coming along or not?" I asked. Anakin and I continued to walk as Obi-Wan followed us. Anakin and I were getting the Twilight ready with R2 as Obi-Wan approached the cockpit. "I trust you've already formulated a brilliant plan to rescue the senator," he said as he sat next to Anakin. "As a matter of fact, I have," Anakin said. "A very brilliant plan might I add," I said. "But do we have a plan 'B'?" Obi-Wan asked. "Every operation needs a backup, Anakin." "That's my job, Obi-Wan," I said. "Just hear Anakin out." "I do have a plan for getting on that ship," Anakin said. "Really?" Obi-Wan said. "The enemy sensors are obviously damaged," Anakin said. "So, we'll sneak in behind them and dock at the emergency airlock." "That's your plan?" Obi-Wan asked. "Just fly there, land, hope they don't spot us and walk in the door?" "Basically," Anakin admitted. "Oh, brilliant," Obi-Wan said. "Let's get going."
On that note, that's actually what we did. Anakin's plan for getting on board the Malevolence worked quite well. The enemy was clearly more focused on getting the ship up and run so they could retreat than they were about watching out for ships sneaking up on them. "If they spot us, we'll be pulverized," Obi-Wan said. "They're too busy repairing the ship," Anakin pointed out. "He's right, the droids don't have the time to notice us," I said. "Subtlety has never been one of Anakin's strong points," Obi-Wan said. "That's part of his charm Obi-Wan," I said. "Everything I know I learned from the two of you, Masters," Anakin said. "Oh, if only that were true," Obi-Wan said. Though again, Anakin was proven right. We managed to dock on the emergency airlock without being seen. We exited the ship and found an elevator that got us into the Malevolence. "Anakin, you're crazy," Obi-Wan said. "Spinning is not flying." "But it's a good trick," Anakin said. "Well, it all depends on your point of view, boys," I said. "Can we focus on that task at hand, please?" "Master Jones is right," Obi-Wan said. "We do not want to be spotted." As the doors opened, we saw three b1 battle droids facing us. "Ah, I knew it! It's them!" one droid said. "Oh no," said another. "We're not going to like this are we?" said the third. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and I drew our sabers and slashed those droids in half. "You stay here R2," Anakin said. R2 beeped that he wanted us to hurry back. "We'll be back in no time," I assured him. We began to rush through the halls while being careful, we didn't get noticed. Otherwise, we might have more than just battle droids to worry about. Grievous himself would love to deal with us personally. Obi-Wan and I had faced him multiple times during the war. Each time we both injured his pride. Grievous prided himself on being able to defeat Jedi easily. Though we always managed to give him trouble. As we ran, Anakin's comlink beeped. "Yes?" he said. "Master, we've found the senator," Ahsoka said. "I'm patching her through." I was impressed that Padmé managed to get a transmission to our fleet. "Padmé," Anakin said. "Anakin," Padmé replied. "Are you all, right? Where are you?" he asked. "On the lower levels," Padmé said. "I'm fine, but I don't know for how long. Droids are everywhere." "Obi-Wan, Master Jones, and I are on board, too," Anakin said. "What! What are you doing here?" Padmé said. "We came to get you off this ship," Ani said. That's a load of gratitude for you. We risk our lives for hers, and that's all she can say. "Ahsoka, how can we get to the senator?" Anakin asked. "According to our scans, there seems to be a large open area in the center of the ship," Ahsoka said. "It should be halfway between the two of you." "Good job Ahsoka. We're on our way," I said. "Did you hear that, Padmé?" Anakin asked. "I'll be there," she said. We made a mad dash forward and soon came to a tram system. Now I knew the ship was large if they had the space for a tram system. "I don't see her, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "She's here, Master, I sense it," Anakin replied. "As do I," I said. "Be ready. She may need help. Grievous had to have noticed her transmission. Plus, we know he's likely on the hunt for her and probably us now too." That's when all three of us noticed blaster fire coming from the lower levels. "There," Anakin said with excitement. "Looks like she has company," I said. "Let's go, boys."
We activated our lightsabers and jumped down to meet up with Padmé. We jumped onto a tram that was heading in her direction. Some battle droids on higher levels tried to shoot us, but we deflected their shots right back at them. We saw that Padmé and 3PO jump onto a tram. However, 3PO bounced down to another tram at a lower level. Once Anakin saw which tram Padmé he called "Padmé," he jumped to her level. "I hate it when he does that," Obi-Wan said. "Calm down, Obi-Wan. He knows what he's doing," I said. At least, I hoped Anakin knew what he was doing. "Anakin," Padmé called back. Some droids on a higher level saw us and fired a missile destroying the track in front of Padmé's tram. "The bridge is out," she called. "Jump to me. I'll use the Force. You have to trust me," Anakin called. Knowing Padmé, all she did was trust in her husband. She jumped, and he used the Force to catch and bring her to him. "I've got you," he said. "Nice catch," Obi-Wan said. "We'll fetch the droid," I added. On that, both Obi-Wan and I dashed off in 3PO's direction, leaving the young lovers to themselves. We jumped over several trams before we finally found him. "There he is," I said. Obi-Wan tried to use the Force to lift 3PO to us. Then another tram came in the other direction and intercepted him. "Blast, that's not good," Obi-Wan said. "We better tell Anakin," I added. We called him on the comlink. "Anakin, we got separated from your droid," Obi-Wan said. "3PO," I heard Padmé say. "I'll take care of it," Anakin responded. "We'll meet you back at the Twilight." "No, we can't leave yet," Padmé said. "I overheard Grievous. Their hyperdrive is almost repaired." "We're already heading in that direction, Padmé," I said. "We'll make sure the hyperdrive stays offline." Obi-Wan and I jumped off when we got to the station that led to the hyperdrive. "This way," I said. We ran through a door and found two droids working on the hyperdrive controls. I could guess that the hyperdrive covered the entirety of the room. It would have to in order to move a ship this large. Suddenly lights came on, and three droidekas rolled from behind the control panel. Super battle droids and regular battle droids appeared on all sides. General Grievous himself was behind us, and I heard him chuckle. He jumped ahead to meet us face to face. While Grievous prided himself on being able to take on any Jedi in the Order. Obi-Wan and I still always gave him a run for his money. He had yet to defeat either of us in single combat. "Hello there," he said. "Generals Jones and Kenobi, did you really think I would leave the hyperdrive unguarded?" "Anything's possible with you, Grievous," I said. "You haven't exactly impressed us today," Obi-Wan added. Grievous merely chuckled. "Kill them," he said. He had a droid blaster in his hand. Obi-Wan and I looked at each other and knew we had the same idea. The moment the droids opened fire. We jumped in between the destroyer droids. We used their shields to cover us. Obi-Wan used the Force to push one droideka toward the droids on the right of us, and I did the same with the droids on the left. With Grievous line, the last one left. He tried to fire on us with his troops. We used the destroyer droid's shield for cover. While Obi-Wan Force Pushed it toward Grievous. I took the opportunity to slash down on the control console. It was only minor damage, but I hoped it would at least slow down their repairs. Grievous caught the droideka and slammed it down. We managed to escape using the pathway to our right. We both saluted Grievous and dashed off.
As we ran, we watched for more droids or Grievous himself. I knew he'd be anxious to settle the score with us. "We'd better contact Anakin," I said. However, Anakin beat us to the push "Obi-Wan, Master Jones, come in," he said. "Anakin, I'm afraid Grievous is on to us," Obi-Wan said. "Yeah, we've noticed," Anakin said. We could hear blaster fire on the other end of the comlink. "Get yourself and the Senator back to the Twilight now," I ordered. "We'll rendezvous there. The fleet must engage the Malevolence before she escapes. Understand?" "Anakin, do you understand," Obi-Wan asked. "Anakin, do you copy," I said. "It seems the enemy is jamming us," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Great, the fleet can't delay their attack much longer," I said. Just then, we were back at the rail jet system. We jumped onto the next one that came by. Unfortunately, Grievous was hot on our heels. We could hear him behind us. I drew my lightsaber and ran right to him. Grievous had two of his own lightsabers activated and engaged me. He was known for taking lightsabers and other trophies from the Jedi he defeated or killed. He always had four on hand to use in combat when he felt the need. His cybernetic arms could split in two, allowing him to use all four sabers at once. Though many times during my fights with him, he would only use two. I exchanged blows with Grievous, hoping to give Obi-Wan a chance to escape. Dooku may have taught Grievous well and even embedded a chip in his brain to give him better skills with a lightsaber. He still wasn't a match for me. Obi-Wan came swinging in on a crane arm and kicked Grievous away from me before drawing his own lightsaber. Now Grievous was fighting both of us. Grievous was getting mad and backed us up to the front of the tram. I saw another tram on the lower level coming our way. I signaled to Obi-Wan, who understood my plan. I Force Pushed Grievous back a bit while he used his feet to grip the tram. Obi-Wan jumped, slashing the engine of the tram on his way down. I shortly followed him, and we again saluted Grievous as we made our getaway. With more droidekas behind us, we rushed to the Twilight. "Power up the engines, R2," I heard Anakin say. "Hold the ship," Obi-Wan called. We got back to the ship, and Anakin used the Force to cover us with crates. "I'll contact the fleet," I said as we entered the cockpit. "R2, release the docking clamp," Anakin said. "Master Jones to Restoration Command, come in," I called. "Ammon, thank the Force, we've been worried," Alex said. "Alex, tell the fleet that we're clear. Engage and destroy the Malevolence now," I ordered. "Got ya," Alex said. Grievous in his fighter, along with several vulture droids, were hot on our tail. "Time for some clever tricks Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "That's what I was thinking," Anakin said. "Don't think. Just do," I said. At that moment, the fleet resumed attacking the Malevolence, giving us cover. As the Twilight shook from enemy fire, Anakin got annoyed. "You know, we have guns," he told us. "You can shoot back any time." "I was just about to," Obi-Wan started. "I got it," Padmé said. She armed the rotating gun with the scope. "She seems to know her way around," Obi-Wan commented. "She's used to it just as we are," I said. Padmé was as good of a shot with ship guns as she was with a handgun. "Nice shot, Senator," Obi-Wan complimented as she shot down another droid fighter. "Beginner's luck," she said. "Beginner's luck, nothing," I said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a Jedi." Padmé felt flattered by that.
R2 began to beep alarmingly. "Pardon me, sir," 3PO said. "But R2's scan of the enemy ship indicates that their hyperdrive is activating." "Don't worry about it," Anakin said. "What?" Obi-Wan asked in surprise. "I take it then you took care of that little problem, Ani?" I asked with confidence. "You know me too well, Master Jones," he admitted. I was excited to see what Anakin had done. The Malevolence ran straight into the Dead Moon of Antar. It completely exploded. It was a relief that the dreaded ship was gone for good. "I imagine you had something to do with that," Obi-Wan said. "All part of the plan Master," Anakin said. We flew to the Resolute, where Master Plo, Admiral Yularen, Master Luminara Ahsoka, and Alex were all waiting with congratulations. We reported to the Council and the Chancellor, letting them know the Malevolence was no more. Having that menace gone was a great relief to the entire Republic. Though I knew we had achieved a great victory against the Separatists. We couldn't rest now. Dooku would find a new way to strike at us, and soon. I knew we needed to be ready for his next move and be ready to make one of our own.
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. However, I plan to start submitting chapters of my Avatar the Last Airbender fanfiction while I continue working on my Star Wars fanfic. What did I change in that world, you might ask? Well, you'll have to read it to find out.
