Chapter 8 - Clues!

Grievous Lives On!
Chapter 8: Clues!

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All of the senators silently left, but only two were important right now. Senator Galick, a sniveling male Twi-lek, and Senator Herolt, an elderly human who was deeply under Palpatine's control. They both shuffled out, trying to keep unnoticed, and took off in a luxurious sports air-car.

"We've got to tell the Emperor!" Herolt said to Galick with great urgency. Galick was at the controls and he sped up towards the senate chambers.

"Try to contact the Senate Chambers, maybe we can get a meeting," Galick told Herolt, who turned on the car's holo-transceiver. It came to life and then burst into sparks as a blaster bolt from behind nailed the screen.

"Oh crap! Grievous knows!" Herolt turned to see Griff and Ugly pursuing them aboard a small, aerodynamic spacecraft.

"Time for my military training to kick in!" Galick exclaimed as he made a sudden, completely vertical dive, dodging the baffled magna guards for the moment. Ugly quickly spun the craft around and began following once more. Griff aimed a blaster rifle and fired three shots in a row, all of them hitting the senators' car. Galick watched as the back of his car burst into flames.

"Dang it!" Galick yelled as his vehicle spun out of control. He then saw an open bed mattress freighter, and he grabbed Herolt and jumped out of his ruined car onto the mattresses below. Ugly spotted the jumpers but had to quickly pull up before they ran into the monstrous skyscraper in front of them.

"Are you crazy, Galick?" Herolt demanded.

"We're alive aren't we? Now lets keep moving!" Galick pulled up Herolt and both climbed off the now docked freighter.

They ran into the closest building, but unknown to them, Griff and Ugly were already trailing them. Galick stopped in front of a plump dock worker and exclaimed," We're Senators and two assassin droids are pursuing us! Can you help us?" Galick inquired. The man grew pale and began sweating.

"Assassin droids? I'm sorry, but I don't want any trouble," the dockworker scurried into a door marked 'employees only' and locked the door.

"Spineless whelp!" Galick cursed.

He then spotted a small blaster pistol behind the main desk. He hopped over the table and grabbed the weapon and checked it for ammo.

"Good. Herolt, you head off to safety through the back doors! I'll hold these guys off!" He ordered the human senator.

"Are you...?"

"There's no time for hesitation! Get going!" Herolt dashed away while Galick hid behind the desk with his pistol.

A few minutes later, the two magna guards broke down the office door and paced through the building searching for their target. Ugly approached the desk and began to peer over the table, when suddenly a blaster poked out and blasted Ugly in the face. Its head sparked as the droid fell back, but it was far from dead. Galick sprang from his hiding place and began firing with adequate precision, but Griff ignited its lightsaber and easily deflected the shot back into Galick. The Twi-lek hit the wall hard and slid onto his rear, his chest sizzling from the several reflected blaster shots.

"There's still one more. Check for footsteps," Ugly told Griff.

Griff had three eyes, unlike Ugly, who had only two. Griff's extra eye could detect the smallest of details. Griff immediately spotted a trail and led Ugly along. They began sprinting and soon caught sight of their target.

Herolt was just about to make it into the Senate Chambers, but Ugly bounded forward and landed on the senator's leg. Herolt's leg snapped painfully under Ugly's immense weight. Ugly pulled out its double bladed lightsaber and cut off the senator's head in a swift, vertical saber spin. But Ugly had failed to identify the clone troopers dashing up.

"Stop right there, droids!" the troopers let loose a volley of shots, shredding Ugly's cape while the droid attempted to escape. Ugly and Griff disappeared, but the clone commander picked up the remaining pieces of Ugly's cape.

"The Emperor will be pleased with this," the clones spoke.

Vader paced quickly into Palpatine's throne room, stopped ten feet away, and kneeled respectfully. Since his injuries on Mustafar, Vader had to have many mechanical enhancements, from organ replacement to a type of armor suit. But he wasn't burdened by a helmet or to many external injuries.

"My Master," Vader spoke, his young voice overshadowed by the hate within. Palpatine smiled evilly.

"It is my custom, as it is a Sith custom, to test the true limits of my new apprentice. All your training before was nothing compared to this final test. Prepare to defend yourself," Palpatine commanded.

Vader rose without hesitation and drew his newly crafted red lightsaber, ignited the blade, and fell into his stance. Palpatine stood also, and his two royal guards left. Vader stood still, waiting for Palpatine's attack, but was surprised when a burst of lightning shot out from Palpatine's hands. Vader barely blocked the blast, and was finally launched backwards into the air. Palpatine soared into the air and attacked with a lightsaber this time. Vader recovered and parried Palpatine's blow, only to suddenly get jabbed at. Vader was fighting faster then he had ever fought before. Even Obi-wan was not this fast! Vader tried to Force push his master, but Palpatine held it and reflected it, throwing Vader hard against the wall. Vader tried to rise, but Palpatine's saber was already at Vader's neck.

"You've done well my apprentice, considering your injuries," Palpatine chided. Palpatine's lightsaber once again disappeared and he stood normal. "Continue to train, and you will be unstoppable," Palpatine added.

He walked back to his throne and Vader put away his own saber and began to leave. When Palpatine reached his throne his communicator activated.

"Emperor, there was a disturbance earlier and two loyal senators were killed. We have evidence that the killers were somehow in league with someone from Kalee," a Clone Commander reported. "It may be linked also to the Temple raid."

"Kalee?" Palpatine questioned. "Fine. Go back to your business. Lord Vader will deal with this."

"Yes sir," the Clone Commander replied. Palpatine turned to Vader, who stood ready since hearing his name mentioned.

"Lord Vader, you will send for bounty hunters and have them search Kalee for any strange activity. They will most likely be the same bounty hunters contacted after the Temple raid. Now with more information, I can have my holocron. You will also stand by in case of their failure. You are dismissed," Palpatine finished.

"It will be done, my master," Vader kneeled quickly, and then left.

"You were spotted!" Grievous yelled in fury. He paced back in forth, ruining the starship flooring with his heavy, metal feet. "If you weren't so expensive I would kill you right now!" Grievous raged on.

"Maybe I can make their programming better," Jorgon suggested. Grievous turned in interest.

"Then get on with it. You do not need my permission to make these idiot droids smarter," Grievous sneered.

Jorgon instantly began working on Ugly, tweaking the droid's components here and there.

"We will have to relocate for the time being. I believe Kalee is in need of visiting," Grievous said to Griff. Griff started punching in coordinates, readying their departure. The large starship then blasted off, leaving Corusaunt's atmosphere.

Mace Windu sat on a dead log with crossed legs, meditating on the Force. He could feel the Force Echo. He could sense his movement. At that moment, Yoda appeared from the dense jungle.

"Obsessing over Grievous you are," Yoda spoke. "Not healthy is this behavior."

Mace turned towards the green Jedi with a scowl.

"I didn't ask you for advice," Mace angrily replied.

"But need my advice, you do," Yoda answered.

"The Jedi are no more! So you're not my superior. To defeat both Grievous and Palpatine will take more then a Jedi. Its time to fight fire with fire."

"Then truly won Palpatine has, if turn to the dark side you do," Yoda warned.

"I lost against Palpatine because I hesitated. I must become stronger. I will kill him!" Mace seethed. He got up from his seat and walked past Yoda. "I'm getting off this planet. I'm going to Tatooine and then Kalee. Grievous will be destroyed." Mace left for his ship in the distance.

"Master Yoda, please stay here. You must stay hidden," Qui-gon's spirit demanded from behind Yoda.

"For once, make more sense then Mace you do," Yoda responded as he turned to face the ghostly image of Qui-gon.

"I'll take that as a complement," Qui-gon replied with a smile.

"Your mission is to hunt down and destroy the one who is responsible for killing two senators and raiding the Jedi Temple. You will go to Kalee and search for any strange or dangerous activity. I will not accept failure. Do not return without results,' Vader concluded his briefing for the ensemble of bounty hunters aboard his personal Star Destroyer.

Vader turned to a bounty hunter in complete Mandalorian armor.

"I expect the best from you, Fett," Vader said.

"Then you'll get the best," Boba Fett replied.

To be continued...

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