Rain stood in the open hangar, directly next to the table where the Separatist Council were seated. Grievous' voice droned in the background, but Rain's mind couldn't have been further from the matter at hand.

I still can't believe he's dead.

She had received the news of Count Dooku's death upon Grievous' return from their failed attack upon Coruscant.

I should've been there.

Unfortunately, she had been ordered to remain on Hypori by Dooku himself.

I should've insisted.

But instead she had answered, "Yes, Master," not knowing that it would be the last time she ever spoke to him.

He knew the risks they were taking.

With most of the Jedi forces occupied in the outer rim and Coruscant's defenses consequently lowered, it was the only chance the Separatists would get to strike a massive blow to the Republic. Dooku and Grievous had embarked on their mission with nearly the entire Confederate fleet at their disposal. Their goal had been to acquire the only hostage they knew would cause an inevitable, political collapse of the enemy capital.

Their chances of successfully kidnapping the Chancellor without a hitch were slim, especially after what happened last time.

But they had pulled it off. Only, that victory hadn't lasted long enough.

After eagerly awaiting the return of her superiors on Hypori, Rain had wasted no time in locating and interrogating Grievous upon his immediate arrival on the planet. He had appeared with no fleet, no flagship, and no Count. And Rain had known at once that this defeat would be crippling.

"General," she had said, her voice barely a whisper, "What happened?"

He had been pretty light on the details, and Rain had felt like she was walking on eggshells trying to keep him calm.

When she had asked regarding the Count's wellbeing, Grievous had simply answered, "Dead."

She was stunned, horrified, speechless.

No, she thought, He can't be dead.

But the General was unshakeable in his conviction that Dooku was indeed dead.

Rain wanted to scream, to yell, to do something, but nothing would make it better.

He's dead, and there's nothing I can do.

Upon asking who had been responsible, she had been informed that Kenobi and Skywalker had been the ones to free the Count's head from his shoulders. The news had only served to make her angry. Over time, the anger had died, replaced by a cold resignation. And somehow, the loss of the Invisible Hand had been almost just as depressing.

After everything I did to save that stupid ship...

General Grievous had left it to be reduced to rubble while he made off in an escape pod.

Well, I suppose it could have been worse.

Though Rain failed to see how. The General, however, had been quick to reassure her that the war was far from over. She had to admit that she admired his confidence, even if he didn't have much to back it up with, but she herself felt torn.

If the war was to end, I'd be that much closer to seeing Mira again. But...I don't want it to end like this.

Grievous had moved what remained of their forces to the Utapau system, where they had gone into hiding. The General planned to regroup before deciding their next strike. It was really the only course of action they had left to them.

But how long can we last like this? If we're found, or even if we're not...

She let the thought trail away, pulling herself back into the present moment.

"It is a volcanic planet," Grievous was explaining to the council, "You will be safe there."

The viceroy rose from his seat suddenly.

"Safe?" he echoed, "Chancellor Palpatine managed to escape your grip, General. Without Count Dooku, I have doubts about your ability to keep us safe."

Rain had never liked the Trade Federation representative, but she had to admit he had a point.

"Be thankful, Viceroy, you have not found yourself in my grip," the cyborg countered sharply.

The viceroy wisely chose to keep his silence. The rest of the council stood, the meeting at an end.

"Your ship is waiting," Grievous said, striding away from the table.

His magnaguards, scattered about the room, now moved closer to him. Rain fell in behind them.

"Neimoidian scum," she heard the General mutter.

"So you're not a fan of his either?" she asked.

Grievous scoffed, "If we were not dependent on the ingrateful coward's funds, I would have ended his miserable existence long ago."

A coward calling out a coward. Well, they DO say it takes one to know one.

Rain was about to offer a reply when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hello there."

She spun on her heel, Grievous and his magnaguards following suit. There stood the one and only General Kenobi. Rain's surprise quickly turned to dismay.

So much for staying hidden...

Grievous, however, seemed unshaken by the new arrival.

"General Kenobi," he rasped, "You are a bold one."

The super droids and B1 units dispersed about the hangar instantly closed in, surrounding the Jedi. Rain glanced around, confused.

He came alone? That can't be right. This is some sort of diversion.

Grievous stepped back just as his magnaguards moved forward.

"Kill him," he ordered.

Kenobi whipped out his lightsaber, waiting. As the magnaguards pressed nearer, he lifted a hand. Rain heard the groan of steel as a cargo module dislodged itself from the ceiling, crashing down onto the unsuspecting heads of the magnaguards. She resisted the urge to facepalm.

Well, that went splendidly.

Rain turned to Grievous, "General—"

The cyborg raised a hand, cutting her off.

"Back away," he said, "I will deal with this Jedi slime myself."

Rain had to stop herself from screaming.

You're falling right into his trap!

"Your move," Kenobi said, striding past the wreck and positioning himself in front of Grievous.

"You fool," the General chided, loosening his cape and letting it slip off his durasteel shoulders, "I've been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku."

His talons closed around his acquired lightsabers, his arms splitting down the center so he could grip all four weapons at once. He ignited them one by one, spinning them in quick succession before assuming a ready stance.

"Attack, Kenobi," he dared.

Kenobi mirrored the General's bearing, choosing to bide his time instead. Grievous hunkered down, his mechanical form crouched like a creature of prey. He spun his lightsabers again, then a third time, and a fourth till they were whirring in an endless motion, round and round faster than the eye could see. The General advanced, his sabers cutting into the floor and leaving bright orange streaks of melted metal. Kenobi pulled back slightly, suddenly seeming uncertain. He stepped back onto a catwalk, Grievous following closely. The Jedi appeared to be watching the arc of the blades coming at him with careful attention. Then, in a quick forward motion, he stabbed at Grievous, interrupting the unending loop. Grievous knocked his lightsaber aside, pulling back for a heavy overhead blow. Kenobi caught it and pushed back, giving himself enough space to somersault directly over the cyborg's head. The General turned in a flash, resuming his attack. Kenobi quickly fell back on Form III, maintaining an unbreakable defense. Grievous slashed wildly, seamlessly blending one lightsaber form into the next. Rain could hardly keep up with the bladework, but still Kenobi's defense seemed unshakeable. He ducked a sweeping blow aimed at him, rebounding instantly with a quick cut that severed one of the General's hands. It clattered onto the catwalk, the lightsaber still clutched in its clawed digits. Grievous pulled back, regarding his metallic stump with an angry rasp. He struck at Kenobi with undiminished vigor, Rain watching as the Jedi's face twisted in concentration. Blue and green blades melded together, then Kenobi shifted ever so slightly, and his lightsaber streaked downward, cleaving another hand from Grievous' body. The General didn't even pause this time. Swinging both his remaining sabers, he pressed against Kenobi, neither relenting. They stayed like that a moment, weapons locked. Then Grievous tried to strike at Kenobi's exposed side. The Jedi sprang back, breathing heavily. The General moved to attack again but stopped dead in his tracks as a shot rang out. Rain turned to face the direction of the sound, watching as a number of Republic ships descended toward the hangar.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I knew it.

She wasted no time waiting to see how the lightsaber duel would be decided. She snatched up her dual blades and raced toward the oncoming clones.

Mira's P.O.V.

Mira gazed down at the mayhem breaking out below her, the gunship she stood in descending quickly toward the chaos. The padawan clutched her lightsaber tightly, her heart hammering in her chest.

I pray Master Kenobi is all right.

"Prepare for landing!" a clone next to her shouted.

And I pray we are successful. If we are, this may be the last battle I ever fight.

There had been moments in the past when Mira hadn't dared to hope she would live to see the end of the war, but now that the possibility was within her grasp, she was determined to fight harder than ever before.

No matter what stands in my way, I won't be afraid.

But her shaking hands and sweaty palms said otherwise.

The gunship touched down onto one of the upper levels of the underground city and its passengers spilled out, laying down cover fire as they advanced on their enemy. The droids were spread thin, obviously caught off guard, but more were arriving by the second. Mira stuck close to her team, deflecting any stray blaster bolts. A superdroid seemed to single her out almost immediately. It directed a stream of fire at her, advancing steadily. The droid's shots rebounded off Mira's saber, striking it again and again. Still, it moved forward. Mira tapped into the force, repelling the lifeless clanker with a thrust of her hand. It slid back a few feet, then stopped, taking a moment to recover. Then it pressed onward again.

A blaster bolt caught it off-center, shattering its sensor. Mira turned in the direction of the shot, mouthing a silent 'thank you' to the clone standing there. He gave her a nod in response before focusing in on some other quarry.

Come on, Mira. You can do this. Just focus. Focus.

Rain's P.O.V.

Rain's boot caught the clone directly in the visor of his helmet, grounding him. A downward slash finished him off and she turned to face her next opponent, force-pushing him off the edge of the landing platform. She shot a quick glance at her surroundings, noting the utterly disorganized state of the droid army.

No good. Those dumb droids are all split up between the different levels and Grievous is off dealing with Kenobi.

She paused.

Wait. Where ARE those two?

A ripple in the force and her lightsaber arced through the air, sending the incoming blaster bolt barrelling straight through the chest of the clone who had shot it. Rain ran to the edge of the catwalk, kicking an isolated trooper down to the level below. Her eyes followed his journey downward before doing a sweep of the platform. A speeding object caught her attention as it streaked below her. Then Rain spied Kenobi in its wake.

There you are.

She jumped, landing on the catwalk opposite to the one on which the Jedi stood. Kenobi spotted her instantly, but instead of going for his lightsaber, he brought his fingers to his lips, uttering a high, piercing whistle. A distant cry rang out in response, and Rain could see Kenobi's eyes following something on the dock below. She bounded forward, reaching the catwalk just as Kenobi's feet left it. Rain leaned over the edge, watching as the Jedi landed on the scaly back of massive lizard-like creature which promptly raced away. Rain leaped down, silently cursing as she saw Kenobi's mount plummet straight off the end of the landing platform. She ran forward, staring down into the enormous sinkhole. The creature had struck the steep slope of a raised dock and was scrabbling rapidly downward.

I can't believe I'm doing this, Rain thought just as her boots left solid ground.

Mira's P.O.V.

Mira slashed at the B2, cutting a diagonal line right through its center. A side glance at her scattered team revealed that all of them were still fighting strong. A B1 tried sneaking up on one of the clones and she dispatched it with a wave of her hand. She turned, ducking a blaster bolt and charging the nearest threat. Mira swung into Form II, aiming controlled strikes at her enemy in an effort to conserve her energy.

As her opponent fell, she heard someone shout, "Look out!"

She spun around, dodging just in the nick of time. A mechanical pincer shot past her, so close she could feel the wind of it as it snapped back. A ten-foot crab droid towered over her, its crimson sensor fixed on her. Its twin blasters fired a double shot which Mira barely managed to deflect at such close range. Wasting no time, she dealt a counterstrike, cutting the twin blasters right off their mount. She quickly ducked under the droid, removing herself from its line of sight. A vertical cut freed one of the pincers from its frame and Mira rolled out from underneath it just as it came crashing down. Its metal pincers scratched at the docking platform, making a horrible noise. As the crab droid, balanced precariously on its three remaining legs, managed to find its target once more. It scuttled toward Mira, undeterred from its purpose. The padawan raised her hand and the droid froze, trying vainly to propel itself forward against the invisible force that held it. Then Mira's saber whipped out, hissing as it struck metal. She cut off her enemy's frontal limbs in a single swipe, plunging her weapon straight into the crab droid's sensor as it descended. The droid lay unmoving, defeated. Mira paused to catch her breath.

I'm not done yet, she thought, I have to keep going.

Rain's P.O.V.

Rain's feet pounded on the turf, her lungs heaved for air, a stitch had long since formed in her side, but she pressed on, despite the fact that she had lost sight of what she was pursuing a long time ago.

I can't keep up with them, she thought, But I know where they're going.

She was well aware that Grievous knew there was no hope of the Separatist forces winning the battle, and for once she agreed with him that running away was the best course of action.

He'll be heading to his private transport, and hopefully, I'll be able to make it there in time.

In time for what, who knew.

Rain ignored the soreness in her feet as she ran, wondering at how empty and silent the streets of Pau City were.

I guess the citizens are all hiding somewhere. That's probably wise. No doubt the fighting will find its way down here eventually.

She gave a mental pause.

Or maybe it won't. Maybe the battle will be even shorter than I thought, in which case, I'd like to be out of here sooner rather than later.

She brushed a sleeve across her forehead, wiping away perspiration.

Oh, force, she thought, I should have looked for a bloody transport before chasing after those maniacs!

Rain could just see the distant sunlight at the end of the tunnel, and sure enough, there stood the General's transport, waiting. And next to it was the General himself, locked in combat with Kenobi. The Jedi Master seemed to have lost his lightsaber because he was attempting to fight the cyborg hand to hand.

Oh dear. That's not a good idea.

A shout of pain from Kenobi confirmed her train of thought.

Come on, Rain. Almost there.

The assassin felt ready to drop. Her side ached terribly, but she refused to stop.

Close. I'm so close.

Grievous hauled a worse-for-wear Kenobi off his feet, hurling him aside. The Jedi tumbled off the edge of the platform, but he didn't fall. Rain saw his head pop back into view as he clung to the end of the dock. Grievous advanced on him, wielding one of his magnaguard's electrostaffs. As he raised the weapon to strike, a dark object flashed across the platform and flew into Kenobi's hand. He fired off a shot, and Rain saw the electrostaff clatter onto the dock. Grievous bent forward, his hands cradling his abdomen. As Rain's boot struck the landing platform, she saw flames licking at the inside of the General's durasteel armor.

He's been shot. Grievous has been shot.

As the information registered in her brain, a thousand thoughts started flowing endlessly through her head, overlapping each other. Time seemed to slow, but she never stopped running.

What good would I do by saving him? We've lost the war. All we can do is run and hide. I'd just be prolonging a miserable existence. I don't even like him that much.

Rain saw Kenobi raise the blaster once more. Her fingers closed around one of her dual sabers.

But...I'd have to be a soulless insufferable slime if I were to stand here and watch him die. I couldn't help my Master, but I can help my General.

She ignited her lightsaber and switched to a reverse grip, her blade cutting a path in front of Grievous at just the right angle to deflect the shot back to its source. The blaster spiralled out of Kenobi's grip, causing his hold on the edge of the dock to slip. Rain didn't know what compelled her to try to race to his rescue in that moment, but before she knew it she was lying where he had been just seconds ago, her hand outstretched, but to no avail. Kenobi had already fallen beyond her reach. She got to her feet, turning back to the General, who was still clutching at his midsection. Rain put out a hand, letting the force flow through her. Slowly, the flames died.

"General, are you all right?" she asked in between deep breaths.

Her side still felt as though someone had stuck her with a knife a couple times.Grievous straightened gradually, his silence stretching on for several beats.

"Naturally," he said at last.

Rain narrowed her eyes.

"Naturally," she echoed.

Is it just me or does he seem a little shaken?

"So," she began, "What say you we get out of here?"

Mira's P.O.V.

This level is cleared. Good.

Mira approached the clone commander. He was surrounded by a small band of fellow troopers and stood with a pair of binocs raised to his eye level, gazing down into the sinkhole.

"Commander Cody, have your men located Master Kenobi yet?"

"No, sir."

Mira's hopes plummeted.

"But I did find this."

Cody held out a shiny cylindrical object to her which Mira instantly recognized as a lightsaber. She took it, turning it over in her hands.

"Master Kenobi's lightsaber."

Her hopes sank even further.

"He must have dropped it when he was engaged with Grievous," Cody said.

Mira's brows furrowed with worry.

How could he fight Grievous without a lightsaber?

A beeping sound registered in her ears. Cody disconnected his communicator from his belt, turning away from Mira.

"Excuse me, sir."

Mira nodded in acknowledgement, moving to the edge of the platform. She looked down at the lightsaber still clutched in her hands.

He's okay, isn't he? He has to be. Master Kenobi is one of the most skilled Jedi Masters there are. Surely he found some way to fight Grievous without his lightsaber.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Mira lifted her head, her expression one of confusion.

"Sorry for what, Command—"

She turned, the words dying in her throat as she saw Cody with his blaster trained on her.

"Wha-what are you do—"

The blaster bolt tore through her shoulder, knocking her backwards into the chasm below. The last thing she heard was the wind whistling in her ears and her own screaming.

"No!"

Subconsciously, she gripped Kenobi's saber tighter. Then she hit the water, and everything went black.

What woke her was the sound of a familiar voice calling her name. She sat bolt upright, coughing up water.

"What happened?" she asked weakly.

"I guess we both decided to go for a swim."

Mira turned toward the voice, coming face to face with Kenobi. He held up his lightsaber, a smile on his face.

"Thanks for returning this. Are you all right?"

"Master Kenobi, I thought you might be dead. I'm so glad."

A stab of pain ran through her and her hand shot to her shoulder, her teeth gritted in agony.

"Take it easy. You've been shot."

"Cody..." Mira murmured, "Cody shot me."

Confusion flooded Kenobi's features, "What? Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Mira insisted agitatedly, "Yes, he shot me point blank! And his men stood there and did nothing! Why would they do that? I don't understand."

Kenobi was stunned. Mira could see him struggling to make sense of this new information.

"Come on," he said, getting to his feet, "We need to get out of here. Let's find ourselves a ship, shall we?"