Chapter Text
~ ~ The respect of those who would demand your worth be proven is not worth earning… ~ ~
A traitorous plot! Displeased with the many recent missions failed by both droid army leader General Grievous and Sith assassin Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku’s mysterious master has ordered a grueling test of worth. Now the Sith lord stands poised to throw his pupils to the wolves, to see who returns in one piece.
Meanwhile, the pair of villainous rivals stand by awaiting command, ignorant of their imminent punishment…
★ ★ ★
The serene beauty of the stars did little to calm Grievous at the best of times, but while on the same ship as his bitter rival, perhaps the only thing that could have extinguished his short fuse would have been to personally kick her out of the airlock. Such an act certainly would have earned drastic punishment from their shared master, but the longer he spent with her presence digging into his mind, the more he was beginning to see such punishment as worth the satisfaction of being rid of her for good. As it was, he stood facing away from her, his hands clasped behind his back. It looked like a gesture of one deep in thought, but this time, at least, he was only trying to restrain his hands from acting on his thoughts.
This was taking too long. Ventress’s place was not on the bridge of a Separatist ship, it was on the battlefield, or in the shadows behind a target, waiting to strike. Dooku had ordered her to come, so what was taking him so long? Surely he had orders to give her, orders that might finally get her away from him.
She tried to regain her composure. There was no need to be so impatient, she knew that, and Dooku never liked it when she failed to retain a cool demeanor in his presence. Perhaps it was only the presence of Grievous that was putting her so on edge. It was impossible to tune out, like an ever-present gnawing, unpleasant feeling in the back of her mind. She didn’t want to look at any part of him, but she also didn’t want to turn her back to him. Surely he despised her as much as she hated him, so there could be no trust between them.
“Um…sir?” the nasally voice of a B1 battle droid broke the silence, as said droid cautiously approached its superiors. “Mistress? Uh…Count Dooku wants to speak to you now in his quarters. Both of you.”
Grievous turned only his head to face the droid, and felt quite certain he saw it flinch.
“Finally…” Ventress muttered, walking away from the bridge and toward the room her master had taken to. She wasn’t at all pleased to hear the sound of Grievous’s clanking footsteps following her. This had better not be another joint mission like Kamino. She thought to herself, dreading the thought of working with him again. Force forbid they be assigned to even the same planet again, or a bit of friendly fire might have ensured one of them would not return.
The door to their master’s quarters slid open with a whoosh, and both stepped into the darkened room. They each bowed their heads when Dooku met their eyes.
“Master.”
“My lord.”
Dooku didn’t exactly look pleased, but then again, he hardly ever did. “Well. It would seem there is at least one thing the two of you can accomplish,” Dooku said. His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the level of frustration he felt toward his pupils. “It was wise of you not to keep my master waiting. Seeing as you have already tried his patience and mine more than enough as of late.”
Ventress and Grievous watched as Dooku stepped aside and a hologram of the mysterious Lord Sidious appeared. At once, the pair knelt down and bowed their heads. Though they had never met the man in person, they knew well to greet him with the utmost respect and obedience. He was far more powerful than even their master, and a sinister air radiated from his visage that chilled the both of them deeper than any foe they had ever faced.
“Assassin…General…,” the hooded man began, his voice a harsh sort of croak. “I’m told you have failed to secure victory against the Jedi for quite some time now.”
“…My lord, I have been giving every mission my utmost,” Ventress began, albeit avoiding eye contact with Sidious. “I have achieved many victories in the past. If you would only–”
“Silence, young one,” Sidious cut her off. “There can be no further allowances. I have been patient enough. As it is I see no reason to keep either of you around when you continue to cost the Alliance more trouble than you are worth.”
“My lord, she alone is responsible for the failure at Kamino!”
Ventress shot a furious glare back at Grievous. “Liar! I would have retrieved the clone DNA if you hadn’t distracted me!” she snapped.
“You were the one to distract me!” he replied. “I offered you a droid escort! Clearly you could have used the support! It’s not my fault you were too proud of yourself to accept my offer!”
“I did not need your support! I am stronger than you or your droids will ever be!”
“WEAKLING! You will never surpass–!” He stopped, yellow eyes wide in shock as he clutched at his metal throat.
At first, Ventress thought it was Dooku’s doing, but his hands remained at his sides. Instead, it was Sidious who had his hand raised to execute the Force Choke technique. She…hadn’t known he could do that from so far away. Judging by the shock and, in fact, terror in her rival’s eyes, neither had he.
Ventress quickly bowed further in an attempt to spare herself from the same punishment. “Forgive me, my lord. I spoke out of turn.”
“And you are still speaking out of turn,” Sidious replied. “Your petty rivalry has only cost you victory over the Republic. Time and again you two have shown that you see the war as a mere contest to prove yourself the stronger apprentice. And if that is what you want, then perhaps you should be granted it.”
His hand returned to his side, and Ventress heard Grievous gasp desperately as he was released from the cruel incorporeal grip. Not wanting to speak out of turn again, Ventress stayed quiet despite her racing mind.
“Yes, since you have both proven to be more trouble than you’re worth, I have decided to dispose of you. However, I think you’ll find I can be quite reasonable in trying times such as these. That is why I am giving you both one final chance to prove your worth to the Alliance. Tyranus, seeing as you are their master, I believe it is you who should give them their new orders.”
Dooku nodded once to the hooded man. “As you wish, master.” The Count turned back to his pupils, looking down upon them as though they were much smaller and less significant than they truly were. “The two of you are to survive unaided, evading capture by both the Republic and your own troops, for the full duration of five days. Should you be captured by the Alliance, you will be swiftly executed. Should you be captured by the Republic, forces will be sent to silence you. Should either of you survive and evade capture for the full five day period, you will be allowed to continue serving the Alliance. Have I made myself clear?”
The pair could hardly believe what they had heard.
“Fool!” Grievous exclaimed, raising his head to glare at the Count. “This army needs me! I cannot be replaced! No one else can keep your mindless machines in line!”
“Master, I am worthy!” Ventress pleaded. “I will prove myself! You can’t do this!”
“I trust, then, that the both of you will pass this test of worth with flying colors,” Dooku replied, undeterred. “You have both faced much worse before, have you not?”
Ventress tried to protest further, but Dooku cut her off. “And there is one more thing. In case either of you were contemplating rebellion–” He raised his hands, palms outward, and pulled their lightsabers to him before either could attempt to stop him. “You will not be permitted to use these.”
“This is outrageous!” Grievous declared.
“It’s unfair!” Ventress protested further.
“Now, there’s no need for that,” Dooku replied. “Save your anger for the field. Now, you will both make your way to an escape pod. It has been pre-programmed to take you to the starting point of the test. From there, you are free to travel anywhere you wish…provided you can find adequate transport. Away with you, now. Should you linger too long, the droids onboard will be given the order to terminate you.”
Still utterly shocked and outraged, Ventress and Grievous rose to their feet and turned to leave the room.
“Good luck to you two. I do hope you emerge victorious.”
Dooku’s insincere words of encouragement earned a snarl from Grievous and a silent gritting of teeth from Ventress. Still, the pair left and made their way toward the escape pod, unable to attempt anything else.
“You place too much faith in them, Tyranus,” Sidious declared once the two had left. “Do not make me regret allowing this plan of yours.”
Dooku said nothing.
★ ★ ★
The two made their way to the escape pod in silence, and in a considerable hurry. It was only once they were both inside that either of them spoke.
"This can’t be…,” Ventress muttered. “He can’t do this to me! After everything–!”
“Have you never been tested before, Assassin?” Grievous replied dryly.
Before she could respond, the pod launched and began speeding them toward their pre-programmed destination.
“…Is that…?” Grievous stared out through the viewport.
Hyperspace. They were in hyperspace.
“This bucket has a hyperdrive?” Ventress remarked.
“The Confederacy can afford to install a fully-functional hyperdrive motivator into an escape pod for the purpose of a single use,” Grievous ranted. “But asking for more droids less incompetent than the B1 models is demanding too much?”
“This obsession with budget…,” Ventress unwittingly agreed. “I don’t see why it’s even a concern. When the Jedi are dead, then we can talk about money.” She sighed. “Still, this could only mean that wherever they’re sending us, it’s far, far away.” She approached the control panel, and tried to, well, take control of their vessel.
“Be careful with that!” Grievous scolded her. “You’ll kill us both before we get a chance!”
“Relax, I know what I’m doing,” she replied. That was, before the control panel gave her a nasty shock and forced her hands away.
“Apparently not.”
“Shut it!” Ventress snapped. “I’d like to see you do any better! The whole thing’s rigged!”
“Which means our destination is fixed,” Grievous said with a glare suggesting frustration. “We’re not getting out of this the easy way.”
“You keep saying ‘we’. There is no 'we’,” Ventress said, crossing her arms and leaning back against one wall of the pod. “As soon as this bucket lands, you’re on your own.”
“Fine,” Grievous replied. “I couldn’t care less what happens to you. It would be better to not have you slowing me down.”
“Slowing you down?” Ventress scoffed. “That’s rich. You’re the one without a connection to the Force!”
“I’m more powerful than you could ever imagine, and that is without your Force!”
“Says the one who needs four lightsabers to take down a single Jedi. Who can’t win a battle even with an entire army behind him.”
“I do not need such things! ”
“I don’t need metal and wires to keep me alive, either.”
“ENOUGH!” Grievous’s eyes blazed with fury. “I will not hear this from Dooku’s spoiled brat!”
“Spoiled?!” Ventress snapped, dropping her arms to her sides. “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked for this?!”
“Your effort is nothing! He’s hardly ever punished you!”
“He hardly punishes me because I can actually do what I’m told!”
“Yes, he leaves you to creep through shadows and strike from behind, because he knows you can’t strike a man unless his back is turned!”
“That’s not true!”
“I defeated you when we first met. I have always been stronger than you, and I will always be stronger than you!”
“You’re wrong!”
“You are nothing to me! You are a pathetic, weak little creature! Sith apprentice or not, you will never surpass me! You are a stubborn remnant of a forgotten age! I am the future!”
Ventress gritted her teeth and clenched her fists at her sides. The rage that had been building within her had reached its boiling point. “You–are such–a CHILD!” Her hands shot out before her, and it was as though her rage became a concussive force of energy.
Grievous was sent backward into the opposite wall with enough power and speed to press his body into the metal. The noise nearly deafened her. In the next moment, the pod landed roughly, launching her backward as well.
Ventress groaned, sat up from the floor and shook her head to clear her senses. She got to her feet, and looked over her rival, who’d fallen forward in the landing and was lying face down on the floor of the pod, apparently unconscious. She scoffed. Such a position befit him, she thought to herself.
“I keep my word,” she said, pushing her way out of the small craft. “You’re on your own.”
★ ★ ★
“Can you hear me, warrior?”
There was a sound of waves crashing upon a shore. There was the feeling of gritty sand against his face.
…Face?
Yes, it felt as though he had far more of his skin than he could recall. He opened his eyes. His vision was hazy, but he could see a figure standing before him, its true form shrouded by fog.
“Ah, there are those eyes. Can you hear me?”
It wasn’t a voice he recognized. It sounded like a man, one likely not older than him.
The figure looked around, before addressing him again. “It seems our time is short, warrior. I am sorry. Do not lose hope. As long as I can speak to you, I will help you break free.”
“Hh…Who are—?”
Grievous raised his head, and just like that, he was back. Lying on the floor of the escape pod, a persistent dull ache in the back of his brain. He recalled that Ventress had sent him flying into the wall, and a feeling of humiliation came over him, which quickly turned to anger. He rose to his feet quickly, ignoring the ache at the back of what had once been his skull.
Grievous left the small craft and took a moment to survey his surroundings and attempt to figure out which planet he was on. The sky as well as every visible stretch of land was a dull gray, but the rocky formations that populated the landscape sparkled in what sparse daylight was able to break through the gray clouds overhead. The surface was otherwise barren, and there was no sign of either flora or fauna, nor any sign of civilization.
Vanqor, he thought. He could recall being sent to this planet once before to train against the native cave-dwelling beasts known as gundarks. That was some time ago, shortly after he’d gained his cybernetic form.
Looking back at the ground, he noticed a set of shallow tracks in the dust that led north for a while, then veered off to the east around a crystalline formation. Grievous narrowed his eyes at the sight. He didn’t exactly want to find and rejoin Ventress, but after giving the situation some thorough strategic thought, he’d determined that his best chance for success was to stay with her and…cooperate. He wasn’t exactly fond of her, but she would probably be far more resistant to the prospect of working together than he was.
He hadn’t done their already strained relationship any good with his choice of antagonizing her during the trip, but he wasn’t about to accept blame for that. She’d started it. She always started it. He was willing to work with her, if only she’d swallow her pride and stop being so defiant.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
He followed the tracks all the way into the mouth of a cave, likely a gundark-infested one at that. This was starting to become more trouble than it might have been worth. Still, no better option had made itself clear, so he continued into the cave.
The sparse daylight from the surface didn’t reach far, but his eyes saw well in dim light. However, the trail left by Ventress had ended, leaving him idly walking farther into the cave in the direction the trail had last been facing.
She was a skilled assassin, adept at the art of stealth. Yet she could not fully conceal her presence. A soft pat gave her position away, and Grievous turned around in an instant to face her.
Ventress was poised as though she had only just landed, and she glared at Grievous while she rose to her full height. “I thought I made it clear you were on your own,” she said. “If you think there’s any chance for us to work together on this, you’re an even bigger fool than I thought.”
“Don’t push me, Assassin,” Grievous replied, pointing a single finger at her. “I’ve considered many options thoroughly, and as much as I dislike it, the best outcome involves our cooperation.”
“Cooperation…,” she muttered irritably. “As if you aren’t planning to just push me aside when it’s convenient for you. Why should I trust you?”
“I’m not asking you to trust me,” he replied. “I’m asking you to work with me.”
Ventress’s brow furrowed and she pouted somewhat, silently contemplating.
“Or we can just part ways here," he continued. "But I don’t see either of us succeeding alone. Not without our sabers.”
“I still don’t think–”
Ventress’s words were cut off by a ferocious, semi-distant roar. Both she and Grievous turned their heads toward the sound, and were at once met with the sight of an approaching gundark.
Grievous quickly turned back to Ventress. “We should leave. It won’t follow us to the surface.”
Ventress shook her head. “If we go back to the surface, we’ll have no shelter!”
“Would you prefer becoming that creature’s next meal?”
It was much too close for comfort now. Ventress hissed. “I think I have another plan.” She turned and began to run back toward the mouth of the cave.
Grievous followed close behind her, the gundark hot on their heels. Once the mouth of the cave was within sight, Ventress halted and turned back to face the creature. Grievous gave her a doubtful look, but she quickly snapped to action.
“Distract it,” she commanded.
“What?!”
“Distract it! I’m going to cause a cave-in and trap it behind us, but I need to concentrate. You’re nimble enough, and your armor should keep it from being able to actually eat you.”
Grievous growled at her, but begrudgingly complied, rushing toward the creature and splitting his arms to make himself seem like a more interesting target. “You had better get this right!” he called back to Ventress, as the creature hissed at him and took a swipe that he swiftly evaded.
“Or what, you’ll haunt me?” she called back, before raising her hands toward the roof of the cave and closing her eyes. She drew in a deep breath, summoning great strength to pull part of it free. She thought of the apparent betrayal at the hands of her master, and the fact that he didn’t trust her to fulfill her duties. She then thought of how she wasn’t likely to get a moment’s peace from Grievous’s horrid presence for a full five days to come, and the anger she’d been drawing from became a deeper feeling of rage. It was more than enough to grant her enough Force strength to pull part of the cave roof free, then release it.
Grievous, meanwhile, had been holding the creature’s jaws at bay with his unarmed cybernetic strength alone. At the sound of crumbling rock, he quickly kicked the gundark and wriggled free, then skittered like a spider toward the other side of the falling rocky barrier.
Narrowly, he slipped through just as the rocks fell and kicked up a massive cloud of dust. The gundark screeched furiously, but the barrier seemed to hold firm.
Safe for the moment, the pair began to cough, irritated by the large amount of dust they’d unintentionally inhaled. Ventress recovered her breath before Grievous did, and for a moment she grimaced a bit at her unwilling partner’s coughing fit.
“Come on, the dust isn’t that bad,” Ventress said to him, placing a hand on her hip. She smirked when she saw him glare at her.
“You–koff!–aren’t the one missing most of your body,” he replied with an edge of annoyance to his gruff voice. “Whatever irritants you breathe in, it’s worse for me.”
Ventress scoffed. “Whoever put you together didn’t do a very good job, then, did they?”
“The benefits outweigh the cost,” he replied dismissively.
“Whatever you say.”
The pair took to opposite sides of their shallow shelter. Once again, neither wanted to turn their back on the other.
“Where is this, anyway?” Ventress spoke up after they’d both been silent for a moment.
“Vanqor,” Grievous replied simply.
“You’re so certain?”
He nodded. “Dooku sent me here once, to practice my lightsaber skills on gundarks.”
“Hm.” Ventress once again crossed her arms. “You…handled that one well enough without them.”
Had that been a compliment? From Ventress? Toward him?
“……Thank you,” he replied, deciding that as…strange as it felt, it would be better for him to humbly accept the remark rather than attempt to insult her again.
It seemed Ventress had only just realized she’d complimented him, and she sort of grimaced, embarrassed. “Well…don’t get cocky.” She stepped away from the wall she’d been leaning against and walked over to the mouth of the cave. She sighed. “We probably don’t have long before they find us.”
“They chose to send us here,” Grievous agreed. “They already know we’re on this planet.”
“I’m sure they’ve already sent droids after us,” Ventress added. “We need to find a way off this rock.”
“Not exactly a simple task. We’re unlikely to find another ship on Vanqor, even if we could search the entire surface.”
“Well, we can’t just wait around for them to find us!” Ventress thought for a moment. “We could steal a ship from the droids they send after us.”
Grievous didn’t say anything, but his skeptical look hadn’t gone unnoticed.
She quickly tried to defend her idea. “We’re unarmed, but they are pretty stupid. Besides, a Sith is never truly unarmed.”
“Still, we would have to get the drop on them first,” Grievous replied. “As idiotic as most battle droids are, they’re built to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers. And if they cornered us in here…”
“That would be a humiliating way to die,” Ventress muttered. “Fine. Well, if you’ve got anything better, don’t keep it to yourself.”
“…Your plan will do.”
“HA!”
Before Ventress could gloat any further, the weather outside the cave changed drastically in mere moments. Fierce winds whipped by, and a haze of gray obscured the view of Vanqor’s surface.
“I had a feeling this rock had dust storms. Looks like I was right in seeking out shelter.” Ventress looked back over her shoulder at Grievous, smiling smugly. “Want to go searching for spare ships now?”
“At least the storm will cover our tracks,” Grievous said, attempting to ignore her attempt at taunting him for the moment. “And the droids won’t be able to navigate through it either. We’re safest in here, for now.”
“So we just sit by and wait?” Ventress replied.
He nodded.
She scowled a bit, but walked back over to her side of the cave and sat down, cross-legged.
“You got over me giving you a concussion pretty quickly,” she mused.
He sat down as well. “I’ve had far worse.”
“I suppose after losing all of your limbs and most of your flesh, a mere blow to the head is nothing,” she remarked. “But it was satisfying to see you face down, dead to the galaxy, even for a short time.”
“You won’t get the better of me like that again, Assassin,” Grievous replied.
She chuckled. “You’re all talk. You’ve lost your edge, and our master knows it, too.”
“You seem to forget that he subjected you to this test as well,” Grievous said with a slight glare. “If I have lost my edge, then so have you.”
Ventress’s scowl returned. “If only that blow to the head had made you less arrogant.”
“Perhaps we should try it on you?”
“Very funny.”
★ ★ ★
He was back on that shore, sand against his face and the sound of crashing waves in his ears. He felt aware of the rest of his body as well. It was…organic. Warm. Confined to a kneeling position, his upper half bent over onto the ground. Sore from laying in this position for who-knew-how-long.
“Hello again, warrior,” the voice called to him.
He tried to sit up. Tried to. Something held him low to the ground. He tried again. Pulled harder. Strained against his own muscles. Snarled in frustration. Slumped forward, breathing heavily.
“Hm. That isn’t doing much good, is it?”
“YOU!” He cried, furious. “You did this!”
“Far from it, my friend,” the figure replied. “I am as much of a prisoner as you are.”
“You are not bound!”
“I am bound to your blood. Your mind.”
“Who–are you?!”
“My name isn’t important. You don’t know me. I hardly know you. We never met in life. What matters is breaking free of your chains. Only you can do that.”
“You–said you would help me!”
“I will do what I can. But you, warrior, must remember.”
“Remember what?!”
“He’s hidden them from you. Your memories. You must remember, only when you are your true self will you be able to break your bonds.”
“GRAH! STOP TALKING LIKE THAT! I DON’T KNOW WHAT SORCERY YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!”
“She can help you,” the figure said calmly. “You must stop fighting her. Make her your ally.”
He stopped for a moment. “…the Assassin?”
“She is a prisoner, like you. And warriors are stronger together. Heed my words.”
“What are you–?”
“GENERAL!”
He opened his eyes. Back in the cave. Back on Vanqor. Ventress was glaring at him. No surprise there.
“Were you…asleep?”
He growled.
Ventress cracked a rather obnoxious smirk. “The fearsome grand general of the droid army. You’re nothing but an old man in a metal cage, aren’t you?”
“And what were you doing?” Grievous replied.
“Meditating.”
“I fail to see the difference.” He stood up and turned to the mouth of the cave. “…The storm’s stopped.”
“Yes,” Ventress replied, irritably. “That’s why I was trying to get your attention.”
Still watching the surface, he picked up a particular sort of distant noise. “Wait….do you hear that, Assassin?”
She’d since stood up as well, and walked over to him. Her brow furrowed in concentration. “…Droids.”
Grievous nodded once. “Stay hidden. We may be able to ambush them.”
“I don’t need your advice…,” she muttered. She retreated into the shadows of the cave, but kept a close eye on the surface.
The pair listened closely as the droids drew nearer. Once they were in view, it became clear that it was only a small group of four B1 battle droids. Both thought of this as odd. After all, Dooku didn’t underestimate them so much that he would only have sent four droids to dispose of them…did he?
“If you ask me, I hope we don’t find them,” remarked one of the droids. “I mean, we’d need an army to take out our supreme leaders!”
“Don’t be such a pessimist, 24758,” replied another droid. “There’s two of them, and four of us! Besides, they’re unarmed!”
“Your circuits are loose, 24756,” added a third droid. “You must have never seen the General in action. He’s never needed a lightsaber to scrap one of us before.”
“Yeah, and the bald one’s got the same powers as a Jedi,” chimed the fourth droid. “If we find them, we’re scrap-metal.”
“If we don’t find them, we’re also scrap-metal,” replied the second. “Remember what Dooku said?”
Ventress and Grievous exchanged a glance. They had thought the same thing: Why would a party sent to exterminate them consist only of four standard battle droids?
The small search party had gotten very close to the mouth of the cave. Exchanging another glance, Ventress and Grievous pounced onto the two nearest droids and ambushed the search party.
“GAAAAH!” the pair of droids screamed.
“H-hey, guys?! Get him off me!” pleaded Grievous’s target.
The remaining two droids turned their blasters on Grievous, but barely fired before pieces of Ventress’s droid struck them both at high speed. The two blaster bolts barely put a dent in Grievous’s armor, and he dragged the now lone survivor droid up to his eye level, viciously gripping its thin neck.
“Assassin, disable its radio,” he commanded.
Ventress reached out one hand, and with the Force, yanked the antenna from the droid’s back and crushed it. “I didn’t hear a ‘please’,” she then remarked to Grievous, who answered her with a low growl and something muttered about him outranking her.
“Uh…heheh, heyyyy, boss!” the droid said nervously. “And o-other boss…We were just kidding about betraying you. We’d never betray our supreme leaders!”
“Silence.” Grievous dropped the droid, and stood back as it tried to scramble away. “Where are you coming from, you waste of metal?”
“Wh-where am I–” The droid suddenly nodded furiously. “OH, yeah–yeah! I get it! Uhh, we were sent out from the listening post.”
“Listening post?” Ventress approached the droid. “Of course, they didn’t have to send a search party from somewhere else, they already had one waiting nearby.”
“Where is this post?” Grievous persisted.
“…You’re gonna scrap me as soon as I give you the info, aren’t you?”
“Maybe they are getting smarter…” Ventress mused.
Grievous was undeterred. He brought his metal talons down upon the droid, pressing its head against the ground. “You’re going to take us there, or we’ll rip you apart bolt by bolt!”
The droid trembled somewhat. “Roger Roger.”
★ ★ ★
“Yyy’know, you two made a pretty great team back there!” the droid spoke up as it led its superiors to the listening post, no doubt a vain attempt to appease them.
“We’re not a team,” Ventress replied. As she said this, she cast a quick glance at Grievous, and then widened the gap between the two of them as they walked. “We’re only working together for survival.”
“Yes, survival,” Grievous added.
“Do not agree with me,” Ventress snapped back. “We’re not friends.”
“So I cannot even agree with you?” Grievous scoffed. “Some nerve you had to call me childish.”
“You started it!”
“Uhhh, not to interrupt you two, Supreme Leaders, but–,” the droid broke in. “We’re here.”
The droid had led them to the mouth of a canyon, and just ahead was a relatively small outpost nestled between the glimmering canyon walls. It was actually fairly well hidden–likely not by the choice of a droid.
“So we are…,” Ventress gave the droid an insincere smile. “Well done.” She dropped her smile and looked over at Grievous. “What do you want to do with him?”
Grievous once again seized the droid by his neck. “As if you even have to ask.”
“Aaa–w-wait!” the droid cried, flailing. “Hold it! Wait! I-I can get you two inside the post! I can help you get a ride off-world, too!”
Grievous and Ventress exchanged a glance.
“How do we know you won’t just turn us over to your friends?” Ventress replied.
“Because I swear on it!” the droid pleaded.
“That’s not good enough.”
“Alright, then I’ll tell Dooku you weren’t here!” he continued. “Just please don’t do this!”
“I still don’t trust him,” Ventress said to Grievous. “But you’re the one with the droid hatred. I’ll let you scrap this one.”
“OH COME ON! PLEASE?! I SURRENDERED AND COMPLIED AND EVERYTHING!”
“I seem to recall Dooku ordering us not to accept surrenders anymore,” Ventress sneered. “On account of the deception of the Jedi.”
On any other occasion, Grievous would have had no qualms about reducing a meddling battle droid to scrap with his bare cybernetic hands. He despised this particular droid just as much as he did others of its kind, and yet…
This one is obedient. Carries out tasks to the letter when threatened. Perhaps a useful trait during this test….and certainly if I were to turn the droid army against Dooku. Grievous hadn’t really considered that last point before, but the way he saw it, someone would have to pay for this humiliating game of Dooku’s…and it might as well be the man himself.
Grievous narrowed his eyes at the droid, then let go of its neck and once again let it fall.
“AA–!” the droid stopped, confused. “Huh?”
“What are you doing?” Ventress added, seemingly just as surprised. “You really are losing your edge if you’re granting mercy to battle droids.”
“This is not mercy,” Grievous replied. “You will do exactly as I tell you, droid! Do I make myself clear?”
The droid nodded vigorously.
“Then get up and get us onto a ship heading away from this rock NOW!”
“A–aah!–sir, yes, sir!” the droid cried, scrambling to stand and hurriedly leading Grievous and Ventress toward the post.
24758 brought them around to the small airfield near the back of the post. A small handful of equally small ships populated the yard. A few battle droids milled about between them, going about their business.
Peering around the corner, Ventress spoke up. “Let’s just grab the closest one. We don’t exactly have the luxury of being picky.”
“These had better all work,” Grievous once again threatened the droid. “Or your worthless body goes down with us.”
“W-wait, what?” 24758 replied. “You’re not letting me go?!”
“Think of yourself as a weapon,” Grievous elaborated. “We need a weapon, don’t we, Assassin?”
“So you did have a plan,” Ventress remarked. “Whatever mechanical part you’ve got in there in place of a brain, it’s capable of some strategy after all.”
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop pushing me?!” Grievous snarled. “Go along with what you’re told, and maybe we won’t all die!”
“Sooo are we getting on a ship or what?”
The two rivals turned to glare at the droid, but for the moment, it was enough to make them retire their feud.
“Then why don’t you follow my lead this time?” Ventress said, before darting into the shadows ahead.
“She’s pretty fast,” 24758 remarked. “How are we supposed to keep u–AAAAGH!”
Grievous dragged the droid along as he too darted into the shadows. Vanqor was already a dimly lit planet, and the sun was beginning to set at that. They had plenty of cover.
“This one will do,” Ventress said, concealed from the working droids by the side of a Separatist shuttle. She opened the hatch without any sort of challenge, and scoffed. “Luckily for us, these bucket-heads never lock up.”
“It doesn’t seem like they even hear us,” Grievous remarked, as all three of them entered the shuttle. “I know first-hand how incompetent they can be, but this? This is insulting.”
“Well, come on, we’re not all that stupid,” 24758 muttered. “We’re just…built on a budget. Y’know?”
“You’re not doing yourself any favors,” Grievous replied.
“Get the door,” Ventress spoke up, standing by the controls. “This thing can definitely be tracked, so I need to disable that before we can take off.”
“Then hurry!” Grievous replied, shutting the hatch.
“What do you think I’m doing?!” Ventress snapped back, before returning her focus to messing with the controls.
“Sheesh,” remarked the droid. “I take back what I said about you two making a good team. You guys have issues.”
“SILENCE!” the pair shouted at once. They then froze, looked at each other, and quickly turned away as though flustered.
The droid quietly chuckled to himself.
“There,” Ventress said as she stood up from underneath the control panel. “Causing some kind of distraction might have been wise, but it’s a bit late for that. Let’s just hope they’re really as stupid as we think.”
Meanwhile…
“Uh…was that one cleared for takeoff?” One battle droid turned to its comrades, gesturing to the shuttle that was already making a speedy getaway from the listening post.
While the droids present stood around, a previously unseen Commando droid watched the fleeing craft with suspicion.
Back inside the stolen shuttle, a transmission came through. Ventress let out a startled curse and leapt back from the view of the hologram depicting a Commando droid that appeared a moment later. Grievous moved back as well, but pushed the droid hostage in front of the hologram.
“24758, this shuttle was not cleared for takeoff,” said the deep monotone-voiced droid. “Explain yourself or we will be forced to treat you as AWOL.”
“Um…well…,” 24758 stammered. He nervously looked between his two captors. “…The reason is…”
“24758–”
“THE GENERAL AND ASAJJ VENTRESS ARE HERE! THEY’VE TAKEN ME HOSTAGE!”
“You backstabbing bucket of bolts!” Ventress cried. She used the Force to open the hatch, and then to send the traitorous battle droid flying from the shuttle.
Closing the hatch, she turned back to see Grievous forcibly cutting off communications, smashing his cybernetic fist into the display.
“So much for that plan,” she said, returning to her seat at the controls. “We need to get out of here before they’re able to follow us.”
“We could have done all of that ourselves!” Grievous snarled. “I should have destroyed it when I had the chance.”
“Yeah, you should have listened to me,” she replied. “If we live, maybe you can learn from that.” She began punching a set of coordinates into the navicomputer. “We might be able to lay low on Rattatak. It’s the best option I can think of.”
“Rattatak?”
“I have a hideout there. Dooku knows about it, but considering all the other planets we could be on, he might not think to check it until we’ve passed his test. And even if he does send units to search there, he doesn’t know about all the secret passageways and hidden rooms.”
“For someone who respects him so much, you certainly seem to underestimate him.”
She scoffed. “Do you have any better ideas?”
“I had a hideout of my own on Vassek 3. Dooku sent Jedi to hunt me down in my own home, as a test of worth. One lone Jedi escaped, and it’s been on their radar ever since.”
“So I take it that’s a ‘no’?”
He growled quietly. “I have a smaller hideout on Kalee now.”
“Kalee?” She considered it. “From what I know, it’s about as backwater as Rattatak, so…hm. Alright, that can be our backup plan.”
“We still need weapons. My lightsabers are there.”
Ventress paused. “…I suppose you have…some sort of point. I take lightsabers too, but they’re with Dooku. As trophies. Because I never needed to use them. But…Kalee isn’t just Outer Rim. It’s Separatist space. There’s bound to be droids there, possibly organics too, who will rat us out.”
“It won’t take us long to collect six lightsabers for the two of us and leave.”
Her brow furrowed slightly. She looked from Grievous to directly ahead of her and back. “…Fine.”
Admittedly, her acceptance of the idea surprised him a bit. Grievous had expected more of an argument. Was he…grateful that it hadn’t resulted in that?
There wasn’t time to wonder about that, nor was there time to wonder about anything else that had been plaguing his mind since the start of the test. The identity of the voice that had spoken to him in his dreams, the meaning of the “freedom” this voice promised him, and what exactly he was meant to remember. He didn’t exactly want to think about it, either.
After inputting the coordinates for Kalee into the navicomputer, Grievous looked back to Ventress, and didn’t feel the immediate urge to break eye contact for the first time he could recall.
Ventress briefly looked away, then arched a brow at him. “What are you looking at?”
“…” Why should we be rivals? But he didn’t say it. “…Perhaps we could be a powerful force together.”
Her irritated expression changed to one of surprise and perhaps confliction. But she soon shook her head and her face returned to its usual scowl. “It’s just until the end of the test. Don’t fool yourself.”
~ ~ ~