Deceptions Unveiled

Chapter 6

The Lucid Voice

'Preparing to exit Hyperspace!
The droid that announced the General resumed it's work while Grievous raised his head expectandly. He was casually sitting on the main chair of the bridge, his sharp fingers ticking on the sidebars. The blue space that was surrounding the ship sudennly disspeared and a planet appeared instantly. The General observed that it's orbit was surrounded by Separatist cruisers and more importantly, the Colicoid Swarm. He grinned internally and stood up. The cyborg straightened up and hit with his backhands his cape to arrange it, the clasped his claws behind his torso. General Kalani approached him from a console:
'Shall we hail their Admiral ship?
'Yes, let's see if Kaden did his work properly.
He awaited impatient in front of the holoconsole and after one minute, he pleasantly recognized the figure of the Zygerrian. He didn't look surprised at all but he was very nervous.
'General Grievous...
'Greetings, Darts o'Nar! I see you have been expecting me.
'Yes, indeed! I got word of your arrival.
'Very well. Where is my messager?
'He picked a fight and it didn't end up very well. During a drinking...
'I don't care. It is enough for me to know he foolishly involved himself in a pointless argument.
'Yes...Darts almost sighed relieved.
'Very well, then I can discuss the current situation of the war with you face to face.
'What?
'Prepare the Hangar. I will be arriving shortly.
The Zyggerian coughed and seemed unsure but quickly regained a relatively calm stance and said:
'Of course. We shall be waiting for you.
With that, the transmission finished. Grievous frowned , his eyed shooting flames of anger. He turned his whole body to the General.
'Be prepared for any hostilities from that fleet.
'Roger roger!
Grievous strode out of the Command Bridge and 4 magnaguards appeared on the long corridor, ready to escort their master. The General continued his walk until he reached his hangar. He decided that a shuttle was best suited for this meeting and entered a Nu-class ship along with his droids. The ship warmed it's engines and, along with 6 Vulture droids, it flew away in space.

The Colicoid Swarm

'Ugggghhh...
Kaden shook his head tired. He tried to touch his face but he realised he couldn't. He opened his eyes scared and noticed that both his arms were put in handcuffs and he was in a dark tiny cell. Literally under him was the uncounscious body of Shaak Ti. The Twi'lek squeeled surprised when he saw her and jumped up. She still didn't move.
'What a... pleasant cell we have!
The smuggler smirked. The two of them barely had any space to walk or stretch but he wasn't actually upset about it. After all, he was comfied in a space with a good looking female...
'Ow...
He turned his head back to the Togruta which rubbed her horn filled with dirt. She blinked a few times until she started seeing clearly and the sight didn't leave a good mark on her. She gritted her teeth and growled at the pain coming from the fact that a certain someone stood on her sensibile head.
'Are you alright?
'No! My head hurts very much...
'I know.. mine too.
'How did we get here?
'When I landed the ship in their hangar, we were boarded and they shot us with eletric bullets.
'That was so stupid! I shouldn't have come with you. It only complicated things.
'Hey, it's not your fault... I wasn't such a good negotiator in the first place.
'Stop groveling! We must get out of here before Grievous arrives.
'Why? He will free us, so why bother?
'Don't you have any pride? I won't ve saved by him again... hmmm...
The Jedi Master analyzed the room and then started hitting the door with her foot.
'What are you doing?
'A warden will show up. Be prepared to fight him.
'You are crazy!
Footsteps were quickly heard and Kaden frowned. He wasn't in a mood for breakouts... the door opened and a Zygerrian appeared, fliping an electrical whip. Shaak Ti ducked under, and the tip of the weapon hit the confused Twi'lek. He screamed in pain and a similar sound followed when the Togruta hit the Zygerrian in the belly with her fists. She then force pushed him away, leaving the exit open.
'Come, Kaden. Sorry for that.
'It hurt so much!
'Come on...
The two of them left the cell quietly and the Jedi checked the warden for the keys for their handcuffs. She smirked when she found them, freeing their hands from the bindings.
'Now, let's get to a hangar. This ship is identycal to the Invisible Hand. It should be easy...
'If you say so...
A few hundred of meters away from the cell block, in the huge hangar of the battleship, a Nu-shuttle emerged from space, landing on the cold floor. Darts was already there with a group of his own slaves and underlings. But, there was another force too. The General exited the ship and was startled when he observed a black figure standing not too far from him, with an army of clone troopers behind him, but not actually clone troopers. They looked differently at their helmets... more stupid. One of them was keeping a rocket launcher that fired instantly. A missile flied through the air, hitting the shuttle and causing an explosion that destroyed it. Grievous stood unshaken with his magnaguards by the event. But his senses were in a blitz rush, calculating the possible outcomes of this battle and the crude fact that he had been deceived.
'Welcome, General!
The slavemaster smiled darkly and retreated a few steps, leaving the black armored figure to approach them. Grievous observed that he was a cyborg, because certain circuits could be seen going through and out his body. A dark cape was covering his back and a mask was hiding the face of the new enemy. A mechanical breathing was the only sound that indicated he was a living being. The General however wasn't impressed. He too made some steps, closing in.
'So... it seems you have already chosen your side, worthless scum!
Grievous pointed his fingers at him and curled them into a fist.
'I will make sure you will suffer for this deception!
The mechanical breathing reminded Grievous of his misterious enemy and he turned his covered body to face him.
'And who would you be?
'We know each other all too well, General.
'I am afraid I don't recollect your pitifull face. Now, a name should he enough before I slaughter you!
'Darth Vader.
Grievous gasped surprised. This was unexpected. The figure before him was Anakin Skywalker.
'So, you have take your new title by reshaping your image already?
'It wasn't intentional.
'Hahahaha...I will finish what happened on Mustafar, Jedi scum!
'I am no Jedi!
Grievous ignored him and ignited two lightsabers. He was very confident that he could easily best the fallen Chosen One without any help so he sent a silent order over the comlink to his magnaguards:"Kill everyone and capture the traitor!" His guards nodded and activated their electrostaffs. Vader followed the General's move and pulled a lightsaber of his own that let out a red glow. He took his position and waited for his enemy to attack first. The General didn't need any encouragement and threw himself into the dark cyborg, swinging his lightsabers with a powerfull force. The clash almost seemed to shake the ground, and Vader was pushed back a step by the impact. He exited the saberlock and tried to cut the General's midsection but a third arm splitted with a lightsaber and blocked the attack. The other two slashed at the Dark Lord that was forced to duck away from the counterattack. Grievous revealed his last arm and started spinning threatening all his 4 blades in a dizzing image. The stormstroopers behind Vader took initiative and started shooting the cyborg who was closing in, but the bullets were deflected with ease, some killing back the shooters while others hit Vader. The Dark Lord defended himself with the Force, still trying to figure out a way to break the General's onslaught. He noticed that soon, the magnaguards will be joining the fight as they have already killed most of the Zygerrians and were rampaging the remaining ones with no mercy. Vader remembered that while he couldn't use the Force as a regular Sith, summoning the dreaded lightining, he could still have powerfull telekinetic abillities. He raised his right hand at Grievous and concentrated, then curled it into a fist. The effect of it was the sudden crushing of the General's chest, making him crash into the ground, choughing frenetically with great pain. Vader smirked and prepared himself to deliver a final swing but the magnaguards appeared between him and their master. The Sith Lord was forced to back away as two droids started jumping and hitting him with electrostaffs with great presicion. The cyborg rose up wounded , keeping of his hands on his gutsack. The organs had suffered severe cuts from the penetration of his duranium armor in the synthethic skin and now they were in peril of falling away. Grievous glared at his occupied opponent. He had not expected such a cowardly act of him. He growled and decided that the odds have turned in his disfavor. One of the reasons he was still alive and survived the most harsh battles of the Clone Wars was his ability to leave a battle when it's outcome had already been decided. Many called him a coward... but those who did were now dead and he was still a warrior. He coughed again and cursed the Sith Lord, then took the remaining two magnaguards and left to search for a shuttle in the other hangars of the ship. Vader realised that his enemy was escaping, but the IG-100 magnaguards were pressing him hard. A shock that hit him in his chest sent a great amount of pain in his burned body that cause the Sith Lord to scream furious. His shout was so powerfull that obliterated the magnaguards, sending their spare parts flying away in all directions. Vader calmed himself and analyzed the hangar. The ground was full of bodies and destroyed scrap. The Zygerrian Darts o'Nar was also dead, slashed by a lightsaber. The Sith Lord was pleased by his death.

The Invisible Hand

While the ambush was taking place on the Colicoid Swarm, Captain Dofine and Kalani experienced a surprise as well when they saw 3 Star Destroyers jump out of Hyperspace that started attacking them. Most of the Zygerrian fleet also turned on them, catching the Separatist forces between.
'This is madness!the Neimoidian shouted at Kalani. We will be turned in ash and dust if we break formation to board the Colicoid Swarm!
'The General is aboard. He will need a means to escape.
They were both intrerrupted by the beeping of the hololink. Lushros Dofine pressed the button and a hunched back and wounded General appeared on the top of the screen.
'Dofine, I need an escort! Now!
'But sir, we are in a middle of an ambush here! I am sure...
'Imbecile! I won't die on this acursed ship because you fail to grasp my orders!
The Neimoidian jumped back scared by his words.
'Kalani, take command of the fleet and get us out of here! But send a pickup team in Hangar 32-B!
'Yes General!
The image faded and Dofine backed a few steps in the shadows, ashamed by his cowardice of leaving his master behind.

The Colicoid Swarm

Both Shaak Ti and Kaden were running through the corridors. The Jedi Master knew they were approaching a hangar. Only two turns and they will reach it. She turned her body in the right but she hit a hard duranium allow that made her fall on her back. Kaden stopped at the right time to evade such an impact. Grievous glanced at the fallen Jedi and shook his head relieved.
'You! I was worried where have you been.
Shaak Ti scratched her lekku horn and blinked her eyes surprised. The tall figure of the cyborg was towering over her small body. He offered his hand and she picked it to stand up.
'Follow me. We must ...
'What happened? How did you?
She gazed at the open torso that was leaking a green substance on the ground. The chestplate pannels were kept by the cyborg hand united to keep the rest of his gutsack intact.
'We were betrayed and ambushed. How you got here is a bigger question. We'll discuss it later.
'Yes! Let's go before all your organs flood the floor.
Grievous growled at her comment, but opened the door and entered the hangar. A battalion of stormtroopers were there , pointing their blasters at them. Their commander raised his hand and yelled:
'Fire at will!
The two magnaguards started spinning their staffs in a protective shield and covered the three weaponless organics.
'We must deal with them fast!Kaden shouted panicked.
'I have everything under my control, puny smuggler. Be satisfied that I deemed your existence still usefull to me and didn't kill you for failing me!
The cyborg threatened him with a hard look on his eyes.
'But...
'Look, some ships enter the hangar!
Shaak Ti pointed her finger at two droid gunships and a shuttle emerging from space. The two battleships eliberated a barge of missiles that annihilated the stormtroopers and then the Nu-shuttle landed. The doors opened and some commando droids exited , shooting the surviving enemies and securing the place.
'Let's leave!
Grievous rolled his eyes at Kaden, then crawled weakly into the shuttle followed by the two. The commando droids threw some mines around the shuttle and boarded it too. The escort took flight while the whole hangar exploded, sending a shockwave across the Colicoid Swarm.
Vader watched the escort flee back to the safety of their fleet from the bridge of the crippled flagship. A stormtrooper asked:
'Sir, what are your orders?
Vader stared at the formation of the Separatist fleet and recognized a pattern employed by the Tactical Droids across the Clone Wars. A tactic he knew all too well.
'Order the Star Destroyers too take a turn up and start bombarding their fleet from above while we will face them directly.
'Yes sir!