The rhythmic thrumming of ocean waves brushing against granules of sand. A warm summer's breeze whistles amongst the trees. The footfalls and stomps of creatures both big and small shook the earth like mighty drums. The strings of the insects, the flutes of birds, the singing of storms that rolled far in the distance. At the core of this magnificent symphony was a beating bass, an underlying note that carried the music of life that otherwise went unnoticed to those untrained to hear it. A heartbeat that thumped in tandem with her own, encasing her like a comforting embrace. The Force.

Shika took in a slow and steady breath through her nostrils, the palms of her hands flat against the stone pathway she sat upon; fingers stretched wide. Eiattu 6 was overflowing with life, like a wellspring of nature that flooded all her senses with calm. She exhaled through partially parted lips, a smile gently spreading across her fair features. She treasured this connection she had with the Force, the way it allowed her to commune with the world around her, with the flora and fauna. It was only when she was on worlds as lush as this one that she felt truly at peace.

"Uh… What is the Jedi doing?"

"I'm not sure. Uh… Surrender!"

Shika's smile faltered at the disruptive shouting, her moment of connection with the Force so rudely interrupted. She wanted to ignore it, to pretend that no one was actually there so she could enjoy her brief visit to Eiattu before returning to the natureless Coruscant. Unfortunately, she knew better. She was going to have to address this matter one way or another, what with the war and all.

A heavy sigh heaved out of her as her posture drooped and her eyes opened. She was sitting cross legged in the middle of an abandoned street-the stark white buildings of Eiattu's capital stood out against the clear blue sky, their wide windows glittering in the bright sun. She was, of course, not alone anymore. She was instead surrounded by B1 battle droids that had her at blasterpoint.

They hadn't shot at her. Instead they stood about, looking at each other with confused idle motions while chattering softly to one another. They were probably wondering if she had agreed to surrender since she hadn't been moving. In a fluid swift movement, Shika was on her knees in a crouched position, her double-bladed lightsaber in hand, a singular purple beam humming brilliantly.

"Blast her!" One of the droids called out in a panic.

Time almost slowed, granting Shika a mere second to react as blaster bolts flew in her direction. She reached out to the Force, feeling its presence surround her once more and empower her with immeasurable strength. Concentrating that energy below her, she shoved up and leapt high into the air. She flipped over the heads of the droids and landed outside their circle as they shot wildly at the area where she previously sat. When one of the droids turned to look at her in surprise, she smiled and sliced into it, watching it collapse into a heap on the ground. The rest of the B1 units spun around to resume shooting her in response. She deflected their blasts with her lightsaber before leaping at them in a flurry of violet streaks of light. A head here, a blaster barrel there. It didn't take long before she had taken the group out entirely.

Shika stood at ease as the final droid fell, the humming blade of her lightsaber retracting into its hilt. She stared curiously at the pile of droid remains strewn about in front of her. One of her eyebrows raised as she tapped the tip of her boot against one of the still-smouldering torsos. She resisted the urge to frown at the sight with disappointment.

"Is this really all they sent?" She murmured thoughtfully as she stepped back a little.

"On your six."

The voice over her comlink startled her to react. Shika spun around to look behind her: Down the street, more B1 droids marched toward her position with a single AAT-1 Hover Tank looming behind them. Her eyes widened a bit. The street wasn't particularly large, it was a side street that could be taken straight to the royal palace. If that tank managed to get a shot off, it could cause a lot of collateral damage and a lot of people would likely lose their homes-if not their lives.

She had to act fast.

Author's Note:

Hey its been a while. :)

Probably wondering why this chapter is so different and weirdly out of place compared to the chapters before it.

Well, for the last several years I've been quietly on-and-off working on the total and complete rewrite of this fanfic of mine, and at long last, its finally ready to be shared to the public. "Her Rival, His Attempt" will always be here on this site for all to enjoy that teen me had written, but it has been years. Star Wars has changed, lore was changed, and Clone Wars was officially concluded... And I, personally, have grown and so have my skills in storytelling.

I thought: Maybe it was time to give this fanfic the proper story it deserved. Not only for my past self who adored Grievous and was writing this silly lil thing for funsies, but because I wanted to give my favorite Star Wars character a story he deserved. Taking a page from Timothy Zahn's "Thrawn" novels and how they changed the way Rebels could be viewed, I wanted readers to go through my fic and then rewatch the Clone Wars and experience Grievous' moments from a different perspective.

Because, lets face it, our favorite cyborg got the "villain of the day" treatment LOL

(And of course, I wanted Shika to feel like she was part of the Star Wars universe, like she was really there in the Clone Wars, just always offscreen. ;D)

So I am here to announce that "Her Rival, His Attempt" is now "Thread of Fate" on Archive of Our Own! With three chapters readily available and future chapters to be added gradually over time. I will be announcing chapter releases over on my Star Wars centric tumblr: thrawn-created-reylo! So if you're looking for updates or proper links-since I can't link anything here- be sure to give both sites a follow or a favorite. :)

And to those who have read this fanfic, enjoyed it, waited for its updates, made fanart and simply treasured this piece of my personal writing history: Thank you. Sincerely. I may not have responded to all the comments and DMs I received over the years, but I read every single one. It brought me so much joy that my silly teenager self wrote a fanfic that made so many people happy. I can only hope this remake will bring the same amount of joy.

May the Force be with you all!