19 BBY
Coruscant, Core Worlds
The elevator came to a stop, allowing Jaika to finally breathe as the traumatic journey up to the observation tower finally came to an end. The girl had no idea what was going on in the hanger, but neither R2 or Alpha would listen to their commands. While Anakin managed to climb through the elevator shaft, Jaika and Obi-Wan were stuck in the carriage while R2 made it plumet at high speeds towards the sub-level floors. Jaika could not place why neither droid listened to them, but knowing those two astromechs, she could only assume the worst.
Jaika followed after Obi-Wan and stepped out of the elevator into the observation room, which looked out into the space battle around them. The girl observed the many monitors scattered around the room, and the bridge that the three Jedi were stood on, which expanded the already large room. Her eyes darted forward to a large chair that was sat by the front window, as it slowly turned around where the three Jedi looked upon a restrained Chancellor.
Obi-Wan was quick to descend the stairs, as they moved within the tables towards the silent man. While the two men walked ahead of her, Jaika followed with caution as she observed her surroundings to make sure there were no Separatists ready to jump out at them. Once she approached the Chancellor, she followed Obi-Wan's lead and gently bowed down to the man. "Chancellor." Obi-Wan greeted. Jaika kept her eyes on the Chancellor, who sent them a friendly smile.
Anakin stepped towards the man, "Are you alright?" he questioned, while the man looked ahead of them with an expressionless gaze. "Count Dooku." The Chancellor spoke, making the Jedi turn around and look upon the older man who walked through the doors with two B2 droids beside him. When Jaika looked upon Dooku, she instantly sensed a disturbance as her mind became distorted with his darkness.
Obi-Wan gazed down at Jaika, observing the determined stare in her eyes as she watched Dooku with a close precision, before Obi-Wan quickly looked towards Anakin. "This time we will do it together." Obi-Wan muttered, as Anakin walked behind him and placed himself on the other side of Jaika, boxing her between the two Jedi. Jaika quickly shot a warning look towards her brother, "I was about to say that." He muttered in response.
Jaika's eyes peeled back to where Dooku stood, narrowing her eyes as he looked down onto them with an entertained glint in his deceptive eyes. Dooku flipped forward and leapt from the bridge, landing a couple of feet ahead of them as he unhooked his hilt from his belt. "Get help. You're no match for him. He's a Sith Lord." the Chancellor warned, as Jaika sent him a side eye before focusing back onto Dooku. "Sith Lord is a bit generous." She muttered.
Obi-Wan faced the Chancellor with comforting eyes, "Chancellor Palpatine. Sith Lords are our specialty." Obi-Wan assured with a smile. Jaika slid off her robes from her shoulders, allowing them to fall by her feet, the other Jedi did the same. Jaika reached for her belt and unhooked both of her lightsabers and held them in a tight grasp, Dooku took a step forward. "Your swords please. We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor." Dooku requested.
Anakin began to walk toward the approaching man, as Jaika followed after him. "You won't get away this time, Dooku." Obi-Wan challenged, placing himself beside the two other Jedi. Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber, pointing his blade upwards, while Anakin ignited his towards the ground. Between them, Jaika ignited both of her blades into a horizontal angle as she held them in a reverse grip. Dooku looked between the trio before igniting his red blade without moving.
Obi-Wan and Anakin charged towards Dooku, taking him from either side. Jaika was quick to join as she sprinted towards the man, before she jumped through the air to unleash a powerful blow. Before she could swing her lightsabers, Dooku quickly turned to her and pushed an arm out, throwing her away from the fight.
Jaika was thrown onto her back as she landed against the metallic paneling against the windows. Letting out a slight groan she rolled back onto her feet and held out her hands as both hilts smacked back into her palms. "Do be careful my child. He has killed many Jedi Masters before." Palpatine warned, making Jaika glance towards him. The Chancellor watched the Skywalker girl, as she took in his words while gripping the lightsabers beside her; the mix of blue shades lining her face in a blue haze. She quickly looked away from him and observed the fight, noticing how Dooku focused more on Obi-Wan than Anakin, who exerted himself even more to protect his Master.
The girl sprinted towards Dooku, as he took a step back and slammed her lightsabers down onto him, which he narrowly dodged with his blade. He pushed her back, as she turned and faced him again, spinning her lightsabers around her wrists, while Anakin attacked him. He forced his blade against Anakin's, before the boy took a step back. As soon as he took a step away, Jaika returned with her slashes and swung one blade towards him, which he quickly blocked with his own, before she brought her other upon him and swung it towards his torso.
Dooku withdrew his blade and dipped it to block her second attack. Both of her blades pressed against his, as her strength leaned against his lightsaber. The mix of blue and red created a purple hue, which reflected in Jaika's eyes as she glared back at the man. Dooku quickly took a step away from Jaika and the other Jedi. "I've been lookin forward to this." Dooku confessed, as he looked from each Jedi.
Anakin walked around from his place behind Jaika, "My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Dooku." Anakin warned, as he glared back at the old man. Dooku smirked as he observed the young man. "Good. Twice the pride, double the fall." Dooku anticipated, as Jaika looked back at him, twirling her blades into a reverse grip. He kept his eyes on her as she charged towards him, slamming one blade against him, before she twisted back as Anakin took her place and slammed his blade down onto Dooku's. Obi-Wan quickly ran to the other side of the man and swung his blade, which the old man quickly blocked.
A clearing opened up in front of Dooku, as he looked upon Jaika with suppressed dread. The girl quickly ran towards him and leapt into the air, slamming both blades onto his raised one, before she flipped over him and landed behind him; swinging both blades towards his torso at the same time. Dooku spun around and held his blade vertically to her horizontal ones. She pushed her blades against his, while he pressed back. "You fight valiantly, Skywalker. I can see the calm precision which Master Plo Koon favored; but it weakens you, he was a fool to rely on such a cowardly form." Dooku analyzed, as he observed her grip on her lightsabers.
Jaika knew that Dooku was trying to aggravate an angered reaction from her, but Plo's teachings over the years had taught her a couple of effective ways to deal with instigators such as himself. Her eyes met his, before a calm smile spread across her lips; allowing Dooku to sense the girl's serenity. Dooku could see she was in control of her emotions, as his words did not phase through her. Her smile caused shivers to run against his skin, as her feelings did not faulter.
Dooku quickly took a step back as Jaika lunged towards him and bashed her blade against his, before she twisted her body around and hit his blade with her other lightsaber. Obi-Wan quickly intervened as Jaika turned, re-focusing Dooku's attention onto him, while Anakin jumped him from behind, making Dooku twist his blade from all directions.
Pushing a hand forward, Dooku pushed Obi-Wan away and threw him across the room. Anakin was quick to chase Dooku up the stairs, as Jaika leapt up the staircase, landing on the other side of him. Dooku quickly twisted around while he scaled the steps, and swung his blade down onto her, which she caught by crossing her blades over before she pushed his lightsaber off, making him stumble where he stood.
They reached the top of the bridge. Dooku stood in the centre, while the two twins circled around him. Anakin ran towards him and lowered his blade upon Dooku, while Jaika charged from behind. As Dooku anxiously twisted his body around to dodge the attacks from the talented twins, Obi-Wan caught up to the fight. Before he could unleash a fatal blow onto the occupied man. Dooku forced both of his arms outwards, pushing Jaika and Anakin away.
While Anakin was thrown against the door frame and collapsed to the ground, Jaika began to recover. Dooku held a hand out, restraining Jaika in place against the wall as she struggled against his grasp. Obi-Wan ran towards him with his lightsaber drawn, only for Dooku to hold his other arm up and hurl him into the air, before he closed a tight grasp around his neck. Jaika watched with panicked eyes as Obi-Wan struggled against his suffocation, before Dooku threw him across the room, as he crashed into another railing before he fell to the ground. Dooku lowered his hand, collapsing a platform from the bridge as it fell on top of Obi-Wan and trapped him.
Anakin stood up and launched himself towards Dooku, who dodged his attack as he flipped from the bridge. Dooku's grasp over Jaika was released, as she was thrown onto her knees, while Anakin chased after Dooku. Letting out a heavy breath, Jaika stood up and leaned against the railing of the bridge, as her eyes traveled from the unconscious Obi-Wan, towards Anakin who battled against Dooku.
Jaika leapt from the bridge and sprinted towards the fight. She jumped on top of a table and used its platform to boost her jump as she launched towards Dooku. The man saw her coming and held a hand out, freezing her in the air as he tightened his grip over her. Jaika struggled against his grip, as the space around her neck suddenly felt strained, as her breaths became more hoarse. Her exhales were blocked as she tried to breathe under Dooku's capture of her. Sending her an evil smile, he extended his arm and threw her across the room.
She crashed against the stairs, as her back slammed against the edges of the steps. Jaika was winded, as she rolled onto her side to catch her breath. The girl sensed a strange darkness fuel her veins, as her chest ached in fright. Jaika frowned before she glanced towards Anakin through her tired eyes, where he held his blade against Dooku's, "I sense great fear in you, Skywalker. You have hate, you have anger. But you don't use them." Dooku spoke, before Anakin pushed him away and swung his blade towards him.
Jaika shook off her frown and carefully crawled down the steps, as she shifted towards Obi-Wan. She panted as she caught her breath, hovering over his unconscious state. Jaika could sense his conscience, he was alright. A sudden groan caught Jaika's attention, making her eyes shoot up as she watched Anakin catch Dooku's lightsaber, while he looked back at him in fear as he was now defenseless, and handless.
The girl concealed herself against Obi-Wan as she watched Dooku kneel before Anakin, who crossed the blades over and held them to Dooku's neck. Jaika's eyes widened, as her breath got caught in her chest. "Good, Anakin. Good." Jaika heard the Chancellor comment with a proud smile. Jaika frowned, as she looked between a two. A strange disturbance suffocated Jaika as the air around her thickened, making it hard for her to breathe. "Kill him. Kill him now." He ordered, making her eyes widen.
Jaika noticed the way Dooku looked back at the Chancellor in fear, who seemed completely unphased by the situation. The girl frowned as she observed Anakin, sensing his fear and nerves, as he looked down at Dooku with resentment. "I shouldn't." Anakin spoke, remembering his Jedi training. Jaika remained in her hidden place while she watched, noticing how the men were too engulfed in their conflict to notice her.
A frown broke upon her face as she watched Anakin with intent eyes. Anakin forced both blades apart, detaching Dooku's head from his body, killing him. Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open, while a suppressed gasp forced itself out of her lungs. Jaika could feel her arms numb as she watched her brother lower the lightsabers, while the Chancellor smiled at him.
"You did well, Anakin. He was too dangerous to be kept alive." The Chancellor commended, while Anakin caught his breath as a frown spread across his face. Jaika peeled her eyes off of Anakin and looked down at Obi-Wan, nudging him in an attempt to stir him to wake up. Jaika got no response, he was out cold. "Obi-Wan, come on." Jaika muttered, not knowing how the mission would end.
"Yes, but he was an unarmed prisoner." Anakin answered, as he freed the Chancellor from the chair. "I shouldn't have done that, it's not the Jedi way." Anakin stated, as he stepped away from the Chancellor who stood up and recovered from his restrained place. Jaika felt a stir come from up ahead, but she forced herself to not meet either of their gazes. "It is only natural. He cut off your arm, and you wanted revenge. It wasn't the first time, Anakin. Remember what you told me about your mother and the Sand People?" The Chancellor asked, making Jaika frown. Revenge. She did not believe in all of the Jedi's methods, but revenge was something she refused to act through. "Now we must leave before more security droids arrive." Palpatine ushered.
Jaika moved around Obi-Wan as she tried to lift up the platform that had trapped him. Her attempts caused the metal to creak, catching Anakin's attention as he ran towards Obi-Wan to assist Jaika. "Anakin, there's no time. We must get off this ship before it's too late." the Chancellor ordered from his place on the stairs. Jaika continued to shift the platform away from Obi-Wan, while Anakin analyzed Obi-Wan for any injuries. "He seems to be alright."
"Leave him, or we'll never make it. She can handle him and they can catch up with us. Now come, Anakin!" Palpatine ordered, making Jaika frown, as she finally pushed the platform away, freeing Obi-Wan. Why was the Chancellor that eager to ditch her and Obi-Wan? Jaika gazed back at the Chancellor, who refused to look her way, refused to even acknowledge that she was in the room. Anakin gazed over his shoulder and sent Jaika a determined look before he gazed back to the Chancellor. "Their fate will be the same as ours." Anakin defended.
Jaika pulled Obi-Wan out from his previous position and met Anakin's gaze, looking at him with pleading eyes which he returned with a nod. Anakin stood up and hauled Obi-Wan over his shoulders, before he scaled up the stairs. Jaika quickly observed the room, before she followed after him. He pressed the button to the elevator, only for it to not respond. Jaika pulled out her communicator, "R2, Alpha, activate elevator 3224." Jaika commanded, receiving a beep from R2.
As he responded, a thunderous creaking resonated throughout the ship. The floor suddenly began to tilt as their surroundings began to lean. Jaika quickly latched onto the door frame around the elevator as the ship banked downwards, making any loose droids or objects fall downwards. Jaika knew it meant a Republic success, which she would have been more excited about if she wasn't clinging for her life.
Jaika clung onto the brim of the open door frame and pulled herself up, rolling inside and into the exterior of the shaft. The girl stood on what used to be the wall, as she observed the spacious area. Anakin climbed through with Obi-Wan slumped over his shoulders, while the Chancellor struggled to climb over the edge. Jaika crouched down and held out a hand for the man to take, which he tightly grasped onto as she pulled him up.
They began to run through the elevator shaft like it was a normal corridor, as the Separatist dreadnaught had been knocked into a vertical angle. Jaika could hear the ship creak around her, as parts of the cruiser snapped off from the outside. The girl gazed ahead to the end of the shaft which lead to the hanger, where they needed to escape through.
The girl continued to run, before the ship began to shift again. As it did so the angle of the cruiser changed, as it began to tilt backwards into its original, upright position. The ground that they ran upon began to slant, as they lost their footing. Jaika was suddenly thrown onto her back as she began to slide down the shaft, along with the two Jedi and the Chancellor as the ship levelled out.
While she slid down, Jaika reached into one of her pockets and whipped out a wire and swung it onto a metallic structure, stopping her fall as she latched onto the wire. Jaika crawled up the wire and placed herself against the metallic structure of the shaft, while Anakin held onto a piece of loose wire, while holding Obi-Wan on his back, with the extra weight of the Chancellor clutching onto his leg. Jaika did not envy him.
Jaika gazed down at the many miles of space below them, knowing that a fall from that height would not be pleasant. A gasp from beside her drew her attention, as Obi-Wan suddenly woke up in fear as he clung onto Anakin. Obi-Wan's heart hammered against his chest once he gazed downwards, noticing the Chancellor below him and the long distance of elevator shaft below him. "Easy. We're in a bit of a situation here." Anakin assured, as Obi-Wan glanced next to him where Jaika hung from her grapple wire. He noticed her attention was stuck onto something from above her. "Did I miss something?" Obi-Wan questioned, observing the concerning scene to suddenly wake up in. "Hold on." Anakin told him.
Obi-Wan suddenly looked upwards and narrowed his eyes as he tried to identify the bright light which descended down the shaft, getting closer to them. "What is that?" Obi-Wan questioned as it got closer. Jaika cursed to herself as she gripped the wire tighter, getting her communicator out. "R2, Alpha. One of you, shut down the elevator." Jaika ordered, getting no reply.
Obi-Wan panicked, "Too late, jump!" Obi-Wan commanded, as he released his grip from Anakin, who let go of the loose wire. Jaika quickly let go of her wire and fell from where she hung. The girl quickly caught onto Obi-Wan's plan, before realizing that she had left her grapple wire behind. The girl continued to slide against the walls, before Anakin and Obi-Wan took out their grapples.
They latched onto one of the beams, as Jaika quickly clung onto Obi-Wan's shoulders, before they swung through the open door. They were thrown onto the ground, as Jaika rolled from Obi-Wan and landed on her front. Obi-Wan quickly shot up and knelt down to Jaika's level, holding out a hand as he helped her onto her feet. The girl shot him a grateful smile which he returned with kind eyes, before he turned to the other two recovering men. "Let's see if we can find something in the hanger bay that's still flyable." Obi-Wan plotted, as Anakin stood up and the Chancellor dusted himself off.
"R2, get down here." Anakin ordered through the commlink. Before he turned around and walked after the others.
~☆~
They continued through the halls, as they traveled through the repetitive bends of the corridors. Running down another corridor, they were forced to stop when a ray shield activated around them. "Kriff." Jaika muttered, as she stopped in her tracks, looking the ray shield up and down. "Ray shields." Anakin grumbled.
"Wait a minute, how did this happen? We're smarter than this." Obi-Wan critiqued, as Jaika raised an eyebrow. "Apparently not." Jaika retorted, as she crossed her arms. Anakin observed his sister, who kept her distance from him since their encounter with Dooku. Anakin pushed his worries to the side and faced Obi-Wan, "I say patience." Anakin suggested, as Jaika sent him a side eye, knowing her brother better than anyone when dealing with patience.
"Patience?" Obi-Wan questioned, crossing his arms as he judged Anakin's choices. Anakin shrugged back at him, "Yes, R2 and Alpha will be along in a few moments, and then R2 will release the ray shields." Anakin explained, while observing the source of the ray shield. Jaika raised an eyebrow as Anakin continued to question the ability of her faulty and cross-wired sociopathic droid.
The door to their side suddenly shot open as R2 rolled through and slammed into the wall opposite him, screaming as he did so. Jaika could not even prove her case of having the superior droid, as a chain of droid curses spluttered before Alpha was thrown through the air, crashing straight into the wall, before he slowly peeled from the dent he made in the wall and crashed down to the floor. Jaika sighed as she buried her face in her hands. "See? No problem." Anakin shrugged, while Obi-Wan shot him a questioning gaze.
A group of destroyers rolled into the corridor, before Alpha and R2 were surrounded by a small group of B1 and B2 battle droids. One of the B2 droids aimed its blaster arm at R2, who fired it with his taser, while Alpha whacked it in the leg with his mechanical arms. The B2 droid groaned before slapping both astromechs. "Do you have a plan B?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin, as they watched their escape plan get beaten.
~☆~
Jaika stepped through the halls with her wrists bound, while a patrol of B1 droids pointed their blasters in their direction. They were lead into the observation deck of the dreadnaught, where she looked upon many monitors which had droids typing away, and stood in the centre of the room was General Grievous. Who quickly turned to face the newcomers, as he peered down to them with entertained eyes. "Ah, yes. The negotiator." Grievous wheezed, making Jaika peer towards Obi-Wan. "General Kenobi, we've been waiting for you."
The three Jedi and the Chancellor were lined up on the General's platform, as he stared them down. Jaika stared back at him, glad to cross paths with Grievous once again. Her months of hunting finally came down to this moment, and she was committed to not let him get away. "That wasn't much of a rescue." Grievous laughed, before falling into a choking fit.
Once he recovered, Grievous peered towards the Jedi who stood beside Obi-Wan, staring Jaika in the eye. "Jaika Skywalker. The Jedi who had been hunting me down, how does it feel to fail your one task?" Grievous questioned, as he towered over Jaika in an attempt to intimidate the girl. Her face did not faulter once, as she looked up at the cyborg with an expressionless gaze. "I'm here now, aren't I?" She answered in nonchalance.
The cyborg sneered and growled before he faced her brother, quickly looking between the two young Jedi. "Anakin Skywalker. I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little...older." Grievous admitted, looking down to Anakin as if he were prey. Jaika quickly recognised the small smirk which crept its way across his lips, making her release a breath in preparation. Grievous wheezed in Anakin's face, making him turn his head away while Jaika cringed at his foul stench which swarmed the air around them. "General Grievous, you're shorter than I expected." Anakin answered back. Grievous glared down at Anakin, as he coughed again, "Jedi scum".
Obi-Wan sighed as Grievous stalked away, "We have a job to do, Anakin. Try not to upset him." Obi-Wan advised. Jaika kept her eyes on Grievous, as he took the lightsabers from one of the droids that captured them. She watched as he eyed the four hilts, passing them around in his grasp. "Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection." He wheezed, as he chucked the four lightsaber hilts into his cloak pocket.
Obi-Wan shook his head at him, "Not this time. And this time, you won't escape." Obi-Wan threatened with an assured glance. Jaika gazed down to Alpha and nodded her head, making the light in his eyes brightened ever so slightly. "R2." Anakin muttered. While R2 opened all of his hatches and released many electric currents around him, Alpha spun in his place and smacked his arms around, firing his rocket to fend off nearby droids. Jaika quickly turned around and held out her palms, as both of her lightsaber hilts smacked into her hands, allowing her to slice through her restraints. "Crush them! Make them suffer!" Grievous ordered.
The magna-guards which stood either side of Grievous, charged towards the Jedi as they activated their electro staffs, making purple currents of energy burst from both ends of their staff. Jaika quickly leapt over the droid which approached her and landed behind them, as she swung her blades towards their back, they twisted their body round and forced its staff upon her.
Jaika took a step back, as her blue blades blocked the purple whisps of energy. The droid twisted its body as it spun the staff around, as the current neared her legs. Jaika spun one blade as it caught onto the bottom end of the staff. Jaika quickly forced both hands forward, force pushing it into a table, before Jaika rushed forward and jumped over it, cutting through its neck. She landed behind it as its head rolled from its body, before she twirled her lightsabers around and stabbed her blades down its neck and through its body. The droid shook and staggered, prompting Jaika to withdraw her blades as she jumped from it before spinning one of her lightsabers as she cut through the body of the droid.
Once the droid collapsed, Jaika turned to the remaining B1 droids and leapt towards them, cutting her lightsabers through them. Once Anakin and the Chancellor returned to the room, after he saved Palpatine from being taken by a droid escort, a disturbing noise echoed within the room. Gazing over her shoulder, Jaika's eyes widened in concern.
Alpha launched himself through the air, holding onto two blasters with his mechanical hands and released a stream of blasts onto the droids. Jaika let her droid tackle the droids, as Grievous attempted to pin Obi-Wan to find a way to escape once again. Jaika quickly ran towards the front of the observation deck and placed herself behind Grievous, with Anakin quickly joining her side. Grievous gazed between the three of them, as they all held their lightsabers in ready positions, while he clutched an electro-staff.
"You lose, General Kenobi." Grievous laughed, before he threw the staff towards one of the windows and smashed through it. In an instant an extreme wind blew through the bridge, as the pressure within the space pulled everything out of the ship into the vacuum of space. Jaika quickly lunged towards one of the monitor desks and clung onto it with Obi-Wan and Anakin. As they did so, Grievous was flung out of the window as the air sucked past them.
Jaika's fingers ached as she gripped against the current, using all of her strength to hold on. She let out a small groan, as the two droids magnetized to the ground. A loud clanking echoed within the room as an emergency shield swept across the windows, sealing off the void as the pressure within the bridge stabilized.
The three Jedi attacked the last of the droids, with the help of Alpha. While many explosions echoed in the distance, making the ship shake from its impact. A loud crunch vibrated against the ship, as a thundering creak hummed within the walls. "The ship is breaking apart." Jaika revealed, as she observed one of the screens within the observation deck, watching as the chart of the ship flashed in red.
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