An Unthinkable Alliance

Chapter 5

Nal Hutta

The Separatist Shuttle landed directly in the front of the entrance to the Hutt Palace. 6 magnaguards exited the ship and made a royal corridor for the General to appear. The gamorreans were looking curious at the droid behiavour. Dako was also there, waiting quitely. Then, the dark figure of the cyborg appeared. With his dark cloak on him, his size was certainly bigger in the eyes of the pirates and more threatening. The reptilian eyes looked around and scanned the area then walked to the Majordomo.
'Welcome to Nal Hutta, General.
'Why isn't your master welcoming me, puny pirate?
Dako frowned, but answered:
'Given his old age, my master is not moving as he used to. He almost always sits on couches.
'Like the coward he is. Escort me to him then!
Dako nodded and turned around. He began climbing the ramp to the Main Hall. Grievous was very cautious, looking suspicious at all the guards and bounty hunters that were looking at him. Eventually, after crossing a long corridor, the door opened, and Grievous entered Tabarous's room.
He was standing on his large red coach. At his belly was Shaak Ti, in a slave suit, chained to him. Everywhere Grievous looked were armed men, ready to lunge at him if he attacked the Hutt. Still, the cyborg ignored the surrounding and approached Tabarous.
'So, the separatist leader finally came to me! Huhuhu...
Grievous glanced at Shaak Ti and didn't see much hope in her eyes. She was after all, surrounded by enemies and helpless.
'Do you recognize your little spy, droid?
'You half-wicked creature. You are keeping a Jedi Master as your slave!
Everyone in the room looked at Shaak Ti surprised. Tabarous started laughing in his deep tone.
'Good... then this will be better than I have expected! Two leaders of the Repubic and Confederacy in my hands!
Grievous looked confused at the Hutt.
'I will let you get reaqcuainted then! Hahaha...
The Hut pushed the button and Grievous fell down. He fell on sand, in a dark pit with only a shourd of light coming from the ceiling. Before he could rise up, another person fell on him. The General found himself staring into Shaak Ti's purple eyes. He was still shocked after all the events and didn't do anything to push the togruta away. She eventually got up from him. Grievous followed her lead and rose to his feet.
'Strange times we live in...
Grievous looked again at the Jedi Master, but he didn't feel the same hatred for her.
'Indeed. I see the Republic sent it's own spies, rather than act.
'I am on the Order's behest...
Grievous growled when she reminded him of her friends. He wanted to ask her about the "plan" Tabarous mentioned, but the dark laugh of the Hutt came from the ceiling.
'Face my beasts! Die in agony!
From the darkness of the pit, strange growls and snarls came. Grievous armed himself with two lightsabers. He remebered he wasn't alone when he heard Shaak Ti gasp while a manka cat was approaching her. The General was reluctant to give her a lightsaber. She let out a scream when the animal jumped at her. Grievous sighed internally and jumped at the cat, cutting her in half. A boo-hoo sound was heard from the ceiling. Grievous turned to see Shaak Ti on the ground, half-scared. Being in a slave suit didn't help but to make her more defenseless. Grievous took her hand and pulled her up. He offered her a blue lightsaber hilt.
'Defend yourself and try not to die.
She looked at his hand suspicious. Then he stared at him and thanked him quitely. Grievous started to whirl his hands and walk into the darkness. Many growls where heard, but Grievous wasn't afraid. He started slicing down all kinds of animals: Shyrackks, flying beasts with shark-like teeth. Then a Tu'kata, a Sith spawned species of beasts millenieas ago. More and more dissapointing sounds were coming from the ceiling. Then a laugh from the Hutt. Grievous turned to see a Gundark charge at Shaak Ti. She was occupied with fending a manka cat. The cyborg charged at the monster and entered in him like a bullet. They both crashed into a wall and broke it. Still, the gundark wasn't dead and, while Grievous recovered from the hit, tried to bite his torso. The cyborg was chewed a bit then thrown in the sand. The clawed teeth destroyed some circuits and damaged his durastell armor. Grievous looked at the beast coming to finish the job. Then a lightsaber cut him in two from behind. The corpse fell away while Shaak Ti ran to Grievous to help him stand up.
'The beasts are dead. An army of gamorreans will arrive to kill us.
'They don't frighten me!
'That gundark has weakened you. We can't kill them all.
'Fine.
Grievous went to a wall and used his lightsabers to carve an exit. They ran into some tunnels and then found the sewer system. Eventually , after one hour of endless walking, they escaped their pursures. Grievous chose to rest in an opening where the poisoned water wasn't reaching the ground. Even if the planet was lighted by a warm sun, the air in the sewer was cold, barely passing the limit to the ice formation. After a while, he heard the Jedi clasp her teeth. Grievous was soon annoyed by the endless sound of her and broke the silence:
'Why did Tabarous even captured you? What did you do to become my ally?
Shaak Ti answered, shivering:
'The palace... had an Ion Cannon... I knew you were coming and sabotaged it...
'Aaah... an Ion Cannon. Well, you just saved my life in the space battle... curious thing. Saving the life of the bane of your order...
Grievous laughed at her. He looked at her tiny red body barely able to resist the cold. He unclasped his cloak and put it around her.
'I have forgotten the weakness of the flesh. Try not to freeze now.
'Thank you.
The silence returned, now only the sound of the poisoned water pouring out of the canal was heard. Grievous was sick of this. Firstly the droids, now this. He was sick of silence.
'I hope you are thinking about a plan to escape.
Shaak Ti turned at him surprised:
'Me? but General, you are the one leading an army above the skies. Why not just invade the palace.
'We... can't. We need reinforcements.
'I am sure Dooku will send for you. You are quite an asset for you cause.
'You are too. A fine warrior and a Council member.
'Thanks, but my mission is secret. The Jedi can't send help without alerting the Chancellor.
'Hah... your Chancellor. Always bowing to the leader of your precious Republic, are you?
The Jedi glanced at Grievous curiously:
'I sense much hatred in you. Toward the Jedi Order and the Republic. Why?
'You are servants of the corrupt. My planet was enslaved because of your actions.
'Enslaved. The Republic would never support this.
'Maybe you were too young, but back 50 years ago, my planet was in a war with a bug race, the Yam'rii.
'I knew you are organic, but how old are you?
'Quite old. You may say Dooku isn't far from my age.
Shaak Ti looked shocked at him. Yet, he caught her curiosity. Standing with her knees crossed and covered by tbe General's huge cloak, she asked like a child:
'Tell me then. What happened?
'Back then, I was a warlord on my planet, Kalee. Seeing as my people were threatened, I took act and started a war with the Yam'rii. But, as we won victories and conquered the Yam'rii, their senators bribed your Republic. Soon, Jedi were dispached and slaughtered my warriors. We were driven back to Kalee and forced to live up to a great famine. Childs were dying like flies. And then the Yam'rii returned and forced most of us into slavery.
Shaak Ti was truly saddened by his story.
'I am sorry for your people. For you...
'Your Order doesn't always support the good. They support the Republic, be it corrupt or not.
'But how did you become this?
'As my people were dying, I signed up as the InterGalactic Banking Clan enforcer. The chairman, San Hill, offered to pay for my planet's debts and helped them with supplies. The Yam'rii didn't like that. They threatened to wage war again. I had to return to my homeworld to defend it , when I had a fatal crash accident. My ships has been bombed by the Jedi to stop me. I barely survived. However, one of your Master, Dooku decided to help me. Togheter with his new alliance, they forged me this body.
Shaak Ti wanted to defend her Order but she couldn't.
'You are right, actually. But why hate all the members? Why slaughter them?
'That's the way you slaughtered my friends and children. However, I do respect some if your Order. The Negotiator is a fine duelist that has escaped my wrath more than once. I wish I could have met Skywalker.
'He's not the most idealistic Jedi...
'His padawan was a joke. He should thank me I didn't kill her on that Space Station.
'What? Why did you spare Ashoka?
'I didn't spare her. It is no honor in killing someone so inferior to you.
Shaak Ti stared into his reptilian eyes. So did Grievous. He saw much compassion in her.
'I wish you weren't my enemy...
Grievous felt weird to see a Jedi being sympathetic to him. Usually, his separatist allies wouldn't care or say anything to him other than insults or orders.
'Well, until we deal with this Hutt, I can't see why not to be allies.
'A truce then between us? How long do you supposed that will last?
'As long as it's mutually beneficial.
'And when it is over?
'I will try not to meet you again on the battlefield.
Sudennly, the sewer's water was touched by metallic legs. Grievous opened his lightsabers. From the darkness, 5 commando droids appeared.
'Sir, we have found you!
'I didn't request your help?
The commander observed the Jedi behind him.
'General, there is a Jedi behind your back. Count Dooku told us to find the inside help and eliminate it.
Shaak Ti was ready to ignited her lightsaber when she found out she didn't have one anymore. Grievous must have took it.
'I'm afraid our inside help is still helpfull, so you won't kill her.
'My lord, Count Dooku ordered it. Please, stand aside.
Grievous growled and started slicing their sleek bodies. Before anyone could shoot, they were all down, spare parts and wreckage. Grievous turned back to Shaak Ti.
'We have to move. There will be coming more of them.
'Where?
'We are going to kill the Hutt. Follow me.
Both of them started running in the directio they came.
'Wait!
'What is it?
'Give me a lightsaber.
'Very well. Blue or green?
'Does it matter?
'I suppose not.
He threw her a hilt and continued their mission...