15th day of Month 15 ABG
The Separatist headquarters on Bandomeer is now located on the battle-damaged Munificent-class frigate known as the Demask, which Grievous has relocated to since the loss of his larger flagship Huakil. Thankfully, Separatist warships are of relatively standard design, so it took little adapting to move onto a different ship. Grievous occupies the sizable captain's quarters, which feature a basic kitchenette and 'fresher inside the suite. Due to his cybernetics, neither are of particular use to him, but he did frequently use the extra space to practice lightsaber combat with his three IG-100 MagnaGuard droids. For now, however, he is in bed for maintenance, and there's only one MagnaGuard left.
Grievous lies on his side, the damaged arm above him, as bright lights shine down to illuminate its damaged servomotors. A plethora of tools lay about his quarters as his mechanic goes about his work.
"You do manage to frequently get yourself into quite the messes," remarks the Mustafarian cyberneticist, his trunk flailing as he speaks in a nasally voice. Chiv Dol is his name, and he's been present to take care of Grievous ever since they first met on Hypori. Relatively young but brilliant in his field, his three-fingered hands move deftly across the general's body, polishing away grime, welding damage, and removing screws over that damaged shoulder. He is as good of an engineer as Grievous has ever seen, and he couldn't ask for a better caretaker.
Chiv, for what it's worth, seems to enjoy his job, and this is probably the first time that he has been in any real danger. For the past year, he has stayed on secure command ships and in Separatist strongholds, protected behind Grievous's front lines, and he certainly has seemed more out of his element now that they are all trapped and facing a Republic takeover.
These are difficult times, and resources of all kinds are hard to come by. This procedure has been delayed by over three weeks since Grievous's skirmish with the Feeorin mercenaries, just because Chiv didn't have some of the necessary circuits readily available.
"I do what I must," Grievous finally responds, explaining his injuries, "It's part of the job."
Chiv removes one last screw from Grievous's shoulder armor, and with a metal bar, he pries the heavy piece off and out of the way, revealing the circuitry underneath. Without warning, he pulls out a wire, and suddenly Grievous loses all feeling of the limb.
It's a unique sensation, with no pain, not as if it was severed. It is just gone, wiped from existence. Before, he had function in the hand and wrist, and it could even feel without issue, just that the shoulder couldn't move. Suddenly, it has been cut off from him. It's a harsh reminder that the cybernetics are not a real part of him, that they can be taken off and removed almost like a piece of clothing. But he is truly not the same without them. Without the cybernetics, who is he?
He would die without them, for many support his most essential functions, replacing the organs that he lost in the crash. Perhaps, in that sense, he might be better off without the cybernetics.
But on the other hand, this metal prison that almost permanently surrounds him is also very necessary, very essential. All of his prowess as a warrior is ultimately rooted in the physical capabilities given to him by those very same cursed cybernetics. What good can a handicapped General Grievous do? Everything about the design - his design - is optimized for going into head-to-head combat with Jedi and defeating them, and he can hardly think of anything that gives him any more purpose than taking revenge on the monks who sat in their ivory tower, leaving only to help the Huk maintain tyranny over his people.
He has nothing else even coming close to giving him purpose: His work in the war is for the benefit of the Banking Clan, the Separatists, Dooku, and whatever the mysterious ends of Lord Sidious are, but all of that does nothing for him. He gains no wealth, no prestige, no honors, from any of it, but even if he did, they would accomplish little. He serves these people because he owes them for his reconstruction, and because they are powerful. He would be dead if they just said the word. By way of friends or family, he now has nothing. The last being he truly cared about was the precious, beautiful Ronderu… but she is no more. Now there is no one. Even Chiv, as helpful as he is, is ultimately just an underling.
So, the only thing left is to rid the galaxy of Jedi, taking away from those who supported the Huk. But even for that goal, is it done by his own merits, or by these cybernetics?
The powerful limbs allow him to have far superior strength than even the best Jedi power duelists; with just one of his four limbs, so long as they're functioning properly, he can outmuscle his adversaries in blade locks. His legs, which also are in need of a minor tune up and cleaning, have an incredible power output, allowing him to quickly bound across the battlefield and even rival some of the Jedi's Force leaps. His feet have claws and magnetic clamps that allow him to latch onto surfaces, making him nearly immune to Force pushes and allowing him to anchor.
Grievous himself is little aware of the details, but apparently even his mind has implants, enhancing his reflexes and helping him achieve resistance to telepathic Force powers. But what else might they have changed?
He has little idea, for he has no memory of the procedure, no recollection of anything between the crash and his awakening as a cyborg. Could even my memories from before the crash be constructed by the Muuns? Could my past have been altered or rebuilt entirely, intentionally designed to create the psyche of an optimal warrior?
It's a question he's asked before, but every historical record seems to indicate that Qymaen jai Sheelal was a real figure who led his people in a war against the Huk. But an even deeper question lurks at the back of his mind, too: What would I be without these cybernetics? Are my achievements my own, or are they the work of people like Chiv, the ones who have designed and maintained me?
Chiv continues to work through the general's reverie, and Grievous barely notices as he makes changes to the deactivated arm, removing the destroyed servomotor and rewiring where needed. "We're going through parts quickly, and I don't assume I'll be getting a resupply," Chiv remarks, "You're making my project harder and harder."
Chiv has, on multiple occasions, alluded to a personal project that has apparently used up a great deal of the spare parts, but he hasn't wanted to show it off or even go into any more detail until it is complete. "I'll do my best not to waste these, then," Grievous replies, looking to Chiv as he brings over a large servomotor, holding it carefully as if it's a treasured relic or holy item.
"That would be preferable," he responds. "This and the one on your other shoulder are the only working ones we have. I had plans for this one, too." As he gets to work installing it, Grievous again leans back into reverie, wondering what will become of him if he were unable to be repaired, if they ran out of something or if Chiv were killed.
I'd rather die in a battle, fully functioning as I go out, than be lying helpless once the Republic gets through our defenses and storms this city. The thoughts of his last days being marked by helplessness, or if he had to settle for inferior components, is as horrifying as any other outcome he could imagine. I can just picture the triumphant Jedi, storming through this town as if they accomplished something, arriving confidently with smirks on their faces, knowing that there is nothing I can do to defend myself.
"You better not be hoarding any parts for your project," Grievous warns, again breaking a long silence and causing Chiv to momentarily stop. The Mustafarian's dark eyes widen at the accusation, which perhaps came off as a bit more threatening than Grievous intended.
He shakes his head, responding, "No, General, I wouldn't dream of that."
"That's good. Once we get off-planet, I'll supply you with what you need," Grievous adds, figuring that whatever credits could be spent on a pet project to keep Chiv happy are well spent. And who knows, given his brilliance, whatever he can engineer will probably be quite useful.
The next few more minutes of repairs continue in silence, with the cyberneticist carefully focused on his work as Grievous continues to daydream. Slowly but surely, the new servomotor is installed into his right shoulder, and occasionally, Grievous gets weird sensations of movement and feeling in the limb as Chiv applies small voltages to different parts as a way of testing. The process is suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door, to which Grievous responds, "Come in," looking in that direction. A young and very tired-looking Meerian enters the room, his uniform indicating a low rank in the Babteer Pil militia.
Without preamble, the man announces, "Palti WanThir found something on the holocams of the Republic camp that he thinks he should see," and he hurriedly hands Grievous a datapad, who grabs it with his working hand.
Once unlocked by Grievous's code cylinder, the datapad plays a recent hologram from this evening, showing the Republic High General Keldon getting into a speeder, accompanied by four clone troopers. The footage follows the speeder off into the distance, demonstrating as it leaves the Republic camp to go west of Selbar along the highway, far from any place of military importance.
She could just be on some kind of personal errand or even just wanting to get away for some time alone, but it's certainly an interesting site to have their most important leader away from camp. But where could she be going?
This could be an excellent opportunity to strike, either to assassinate her or to attack the rest of the camp while they're unprepared. But why is she going that way?
Figuring that she might be following something, he has the datapad go further back in time, skimming through the footage of that road at three times the speed. For a while, it seems futile, but after about ten minutes of carefully watching the feed, he finally finds something that catches his eye. Zooming in on the grainy hologram of the speeder that had gone that way about 40 minutes before High General Keldon, he sees exactly what was looking for.
"He has at last arrived," Grievous announces.
Not far outside Selbar at the local Hotel 4, Kuallue slowly slides his tank toward the door, bracing himself for the Republic forces that he knows are likely on the other side. Extending his telepathic awareness in the Force, he can indeed sense the uniformity among four minds, each eager to obey yet rigid and uncompromising, the types to perceive reality in strict black and white. They are undeniably clone troopers.
There is a fifth presence as well, a woman distinct from the others, who carries about her an air of confidence and authority. Yet not unlike the troopers, she is determined and obsessive. Most importantly, her aura is strong in the Force, with hints of both light and darkness swirling about her. It would seem that he has earned a visit from none other than the former Jedi and current High General Keldon.
Taking one last moment to prepare himself, he telekinetically slides the door open, and the Republic forces stand before him.
"Kuallue," General Keldon greets curtly, nodding to him. She stands in front of the motionless clones, wearing dark robes, something somewhere in between those of Jedi and Sith. He can spot a lightsaber attached to her belt. She stares at him carefully with golden eyes, and he notes that she has dark hair and a scar over her lip. Judging by her face, she looks to be in her thirties or forties, although Kuallue is hardly an expert on human aging.
He responds back telepathically with the idea that they are welcome to come in but gives no indication of whether or not he's actually happy to see them.
"Do you truly expect," she begins, walking past him into the room, "to come to Bandomeer from offworld as a former Jedi and circle around my military camp without being noticed?" The clones remain standing still by the door, as if to prevent his escape, while Sadiya looks out the window into the forest, her back still turned to Kuallue.
He explains that he ignored no signs and circumvented no roadblocks, for there was no indication that he was ever doing anything illegal.
She shakes her head briefly before turning halfway back toward Kuallue, replying, "I'm not saying that you have done anything illegal… I'm saying that you might be planning on it. Why exactly are you here?"
There's no dodging the question this time, and Kuallue realizes that General Keldon is going to be a part of whatever happens here whether he would like it or not. Perhaps he should have been more stealthy after all. He conveys to her that if he were planning anything of the sort, he would've done a much better job of sneaking around, and that he is only here to support the Republic's war effort.
She cuts him off, asking, "If you wanted to join the Grand Army of the Republic, then there are people you should be talking to before you just start working. Why didn't you tell us before now?"
He responds that frankly, he was afraid of her, for she had heard that she wasn't keen on working with Jedi and felt it best he operate independently from the rest of the troops. He wants to continue explaining why he's here, but she cuts him off again, retorting, "So you don't believe I'm a capable leader?"
He isn't immediately sure how to respond, so she continues, "Kuallue, I've literally spent more time studying at the Republic's military academies than every other Jedi General combined. I'm here to win battles, and whatever biases you think I have, I can assure you that I would never let a personal grudge get in the way of duty. Djinn Altis wouldn't take kindly to you making these kinds of judgments before you even met me, would he?"
That's a low blow, for Djinn is one of Kuallue's most trusted friends, and indeed, the founder of the Altisian Jedi has always had an emphasis on giving people the benefit of the doubt, especially those you haven't met. Kuallue, too, once thought of himself as having that virtue of amiability, but in light of these recent events, maybe something in him has changed. He can see Sadiya smile, as the silence drags on, and her ego in the Force swells, for she knows that her point hit home. Kuallue conveys a message of apology, which is at least somewhat sincere. It's unfortunate that he had to make such a bad first impression to her, although if they were to kill Grievous together, that would certainly make up for it.
Hopefully they don't fail because of the tensions between them. But regardless, she had asked him about why he came to Bandomeer, and he never had the chance to answer. Certainly, an explanation would help to win her over and convince her that he genuinely wants to help.
He begins by explaining that he is an Altisian Jedi, one who follows the Light side but not necessarily the will of the Jedi Council. Unlike mainstream Jedi, emotional relationships are encouraged, whether they be familial bonds, friendships, or close ties with apprentices, and he has been able to experience all of those things in his time with them, just over a decade. He married a wonderful woman named Uyuo, and they had a child together five years ago, continuing to live aboard the Chu'unthor.
Sayida raises her eyebrow curiously, no doubt because she probably experienced something similar in her time outside of the Jedi Order or perhaps as the cause of why she left. He doesn't ask and instead continues to explain, talking about how all Altisian Jedi have declined a spot in the war, for they felt that active military service could lead to Dark temptations, and that they didn't trust the Senate to always do the right thing.
At this, she seems significantly more disappointed, and she clearly disagrees with multiple of those points based on her angry haughtiness that he senses in the Force, but she seems to be just curious enough that doesn't interject anything, so he continues to explain that there were actually a few among the Altisian Jedi who wanted them to fight, and that it was still something of a debate between the group. One of them, Ik Millur, even left to rejoin the mainstream Jedi Order so that he could fight.
Realizing that he's getting off track, as he so often does when telling stories, Kuallue goes on, portraying how he and Uyuo moved to Obroa-skai in order to research potential planets for R'tunb refugees to resettle on. It was initially such a wonderful place…
"Until Grievous came," she guesses.
He affirms as much, that they were caught in the attack, and a crashing vulture droid damaged their home, causing a Cyanogen leak that killed both Uyuo and their son. At that point, he realized just how evil this war is, and how crucial it is for them to stop the Separatists. Grievous in particular must be brought to justice, for he sensed the general's mind during the battle and found the vilest monster he could have ever imagined. A passive role helping refugees is like putting a bacta patch on the problems, but they need militaristic action to prevent the damage from ever occurring. Grievous's ruthless attacks on the Republic must come to an end, plain and simple, so Kuallue has come to Bandomeer to help finish the job.
General Keldon now nods, her face appropriately somber but her aura in the Force glowing with an odd sort of delight. "That's tragic, but you have come to the right conclusion, Kuallue. I've seen the dangers that we face firsthand, and I can assure you that no amount of loyal help in fighting against these forces of anarchy could ever be too much."
She pauses, and choosing her words very carefully, she continues "This decision you've made will save lives. In the end, you will honor your family's memory by ensuring that in a few days, there won't be so many citizens of the Republic sharing their fate."
It's a sobering thought to say that their deaths were a good thing for the galaxy or even the will of the Force, but it's even more sobering to consider the fact that perhaps it was his inaction that caused the Force to do this in retaliation. Perhaps he grew too selfish, too comfortable, too timid, and this was both his punishment and the kick in the pants to change. In response, he confirms that he will do whatever he can to prevent anyone else from sharing in his family's fate.
"So then… if you are to do this, I have one more question for you," she states, taking a few steps toward Kuallue to look at him more closely, "If you are truly committed to our cause, will you trust my experience when I say that the most effective way to achieve this goal is together? Will you remember the principles of amiability that you were taught and be willing to work with me regardless of whatever ideological differences we hold?"
He pauses, not wanting to make this decision in haste, and even though it seems like yes is the obvious answer, he still wants to listen to the Force first.
"An attack on your own against their fortress of a city would be suicide, and your life, Uyuo's life, and your son's life would all be lost in vain. But I have resources. I have an army at my disposal. I have intelligence on what the Separatists are doing. And I have a plan that will eliminate Grievous. Would you like to hear it?"
Kuallue is about to answer that he would when his mind is suddenly swept away in the currents of the Force, taking him to a distant place and time.