Chapter Forty-Two
Fallon

Since the republic has finally opened their eyes to the struggle Taris is going through, there isn't anything for me to do on Bretta. Ashoka has won Cardellia, which is currently under clone occupation like Bretta is. She and I have returned to Taris to help Anakin with the last of the siege.

Aiden and Padmé are taking care of the refugees on Naboo, Genevieve and Obi Wan are still gone, so it's up to the three of us to drive the separatists away. Grevious has returned to Taris, jumping back and forth between fighting us on the front lines and attacking the innocent people in the villages. He was attacking the villages before to lure Genevieve out of hiding, but now he's just doing it for his own sick pleasure.

We have defended the cities for past two days, driving the droid forces out only to have them latch onto another city. They're like a disease, spreading from one place to the next, mindless and heartless in their attempts to snuff out all life.

Grevious is the greatest disease of all, a cold blooded killer that shows no mercy and only knows his own ambition. The only positive about this whole situation is the aggravation that is flowing through Grevious now, his frustrated groans every time we win a battle. We are winning the war on Taris and he is loosing. This fact drives him insane.

The battle today will decide who will truly win this fight. We are defending the city of Amare, which is the second largest city on the planet, surrounded by the primary villages that create the medicine we ship out to the trade ports. If the separatists take this city over then they will have a stable base to take the capital and the other cities. But if we kick them out, then they will have to retreat.

Ashoka and I are using the tunnel systems under the city right now, which provides us an advantage against the clanking battle droids above. Anakin on the other hand is up in the sky, defending the planet from the separatist starfighters. Something I have come to learn about Anakin is his enjoyment of battle, of fighting for his cause. He's a true warrior, although more childish than most warriors tend to be. In our com links I can hear his cheers of self victory every time he shoots a ship down, every time he blows something up.

"I think you're enjoying yourself too much up there." I say into the coms, shooting down another droid.

I hear a chuckle from his end. "Jealous? I'm destroying ships up here that are at least double the points. How many droids have you taken down?"

I roll my eyes. "Ships do not count for more points. And for your information, I have taken down thirty six."

Ashoka throws a charge at a destroyer droid, grinning at me. "I've destroyed forty two."

I hear Anakin groan. "You're such a show off."

Ashoka takes this as a compliment. "I learned from the best, Sky Guy."

"We need a new plan, Ani," I tell him, throwing another charge and ducking back into the tunnel to avoid the blast. "The droids are really kicking our ass down here."

"I have a plan, but you aren't going to like it."

"Try me."

"We need to take down the main ship, the separatist dreadnought. Once it's destroyed the smaller cruisers will be vulnerable, our own cruisers can destroy them. If the clones down there push the droids out of the city, out of cover from the buildings, the star cruisers can lay waste to them. We'll win."

I raise my eyebrows, rather impressed. "That doesn't sound like a bad plan at all. Why did you think I wouldn't like it?"

"You won't like how we are going to blow the ship up."

"How will we blow up the ship?"

"We need to blow the main reactor of the dreadnought, which means we need to get inside the ship. The two of you need to get into ships and fly up here to me. You two will destroy the shield generator covering the hanger bay and cover me while I fly inside. I'll place bombs in the main reactor room, and then I'll get out before the thing blows up."

I let out a sigh. "You're right, I don't like this plan. It sounds dangerous, reckless."

"You sound like Aiden. Since when do you care about being reckless?"

"I don't mind being reckless, I don't mind taking risks. What I'm concerned about is you. What if something happens to you?"

Anakin takes a moment to answer, and I don't have to see his expression to know that he's taken aback, even moved by my deep concern. "I'll be fine, Fal. I've got you and Snips to watch my back."

I find myself smiling. "Is that the nickname you've come up for me? It isn't nearly as bad as the one you gave Ashoka."

She scoffs, deflecting another blast. "Tell me about it."

Anakin chuckles again, a light playfulness to his laugh that sounds different than it did before. "It's a fair trade; you call me 'Ani', I call you 'Fal'."

"Definitely a fair trade."

Ashoka rolls her eyes. "If you two are done, can we refocus on the battle? Fallon, we need to get onto ships and fly up there. I want to finish this."

I nod to her. "You're right," I direct my attention back to Anakin. "We will meet you up there in a few minutes."

"Hurry," he says, his tone becoming competitive. "You're missing all the fun."

-

Anakin

"You ready?" I ask Fallon and Ashoka, watching their ships flank mine.

"Ready, Sky Guy."

"Let's send these separatists back to hell."

I smile to myself, increasing the speed of my starfighter and heading towards the dreadnought. Almost immediately there are ships firing at us, causing Ashoka and Fallon to fall a bit behind. I shoot at one separatist starfighter that charges at me, shooting down another directly behind it. Ashoka shoots at the vulture droids that swarm around us, with Fallon flying around me to help her. As the two of them are distracted, R2 beeps at me, informing me that the vulture droids are attached to the bottom of Fallon's ship. I pull my ship a bit closer to her, giving R2 enough room to send electric shocks at the vulture droids.

Ashoka guards the two of us as R2 takes care of the droids, telling me through the coms; "We are approaching the dreadnought, Master."

I look up and see that she's right. The gigantic looming ship is just up ahead. With the last of the vulture droids taken care of thanks to R2, I pull away from Fallon's ship, responding to my padawan; "Alright, on my word you shoot the ray shield."

I wait a few seconds, watching the shield grow closer and closer before I shout into the coms; "Now!"

Blasts come out of both of their ships, causing the ray shields to flicker out and vanish. My window is closing, because as soon as the ray shield disappears, a solid metal door begins to cover the entrance into the hanger. I increase the speed even more, making it through just in time. There aren't many ships or droids in the hanger, but there are enough that I am immediately shot at when I exit my ship. I see a shot be fired from behind me, and I turn around to find Fallon exiting her ship, shooting down the droids.

I swing my lightsaber and start slicing through the droids, giving her an incredulous look. "What are you doing here? You are supposed to be guarding the hanger door."

She shoots down another droid, giving me an obvious look. "I'm not letting you do this alone. Ashoka can handle this."

I glance at the other side of the hanger, the side that still has an operating ray shield, seeing Ashoka's ship shooting down separatist ships just on the other side. I roll my eyes, nodding to her. I refocus my attention on the droids around us, using the force to crash a group of them into the wall.

"Here," I yell to her, throwing her the bombs. "I'll take care of the droids, you set the bombs."

"Where is the reactor room?"

"Behind that door over there. All you have to do is place the bombs on the reactors and press the silver button, not the red button. That will give us enough time to leave."

She nods to me, shooting at another droid as she runs towards the reactor room. As I take care of the last droid, I wipe my forehead with my arm, more than ready for this battle to be over. I am about to join Fallon, but I stop myself before I even take a step. I grow alert, looking towards the elevator on the other side of the hanger, finding General Grevious walking out, his lightsabers already ready.

"Skywalker, you fool. Did you think you could come here and take down this ship singlehandedly?"

I shrug. "I am a man of many talents, you would be surprised what I can accomplish by myself."

"Jedi scum, I will enjoy killing you." He says, coughing as he begins spinning his lightsabers.

"The feeling is mutual." I say, launching myself towards him. He easily deflects my blow, already swinging at me with his second lightsaber, then his third. I stare at these lightsabers in growing anger, knowing full well that he stole these lightsabers from the dead Jedi he has slain. It makes my next blow even more aggressive, completely forgetting about our missing here. I am only focused on Grevious.

Grevious can see how angry I am growing, and it makes his mechanical laugh grow louder, filling my ears until I hear nothing else. I strike at him again, nearly grazing one of his metal arms, but I miss, having to deflect all four of his lightsabers at once. He pushes against my blade hard, making me shrink towards the ground, my own strength no match for his.

Just as I am about to fall over, lose my balance and perhaps this fight, a ship fires down at Grevious, forcing him to step away from me. I look up to see Fallon shooting at him, a look of pure fury on her face. I smile up at her, turning back around in time to see Grevious have another coughing fit as he runs towards the room where all of the escape pods are.

I am about to follow after him when Fallon's voice fills my ears from the com link. "Ani! We have to go, this thing is gonna blow any minute. Come on!" She shouts.

I clench my metal fist, contemplating this a moment longer before placing my lightsaber back on my belt, running back towards my ship.

As I start my engine up and the two of us begin to fly out of the hanger, I alert Ashoka to blast the last ray shield, allowing us to exit. As the three of us fly away from the ship, the explosives go off, causing the entire thing to burst, taking several separatist ships with it. I look around the wreckage of the ship to find a lonely escape pod floating in the air, picked up by a small separatist starship before shooting off into lightspeed. Grevious got away.

With the dreadnought gone and a lot of the separatist starships, the remaining ships are torn apart by our own starships, the sounds of the gleeful clones yelling victory through the coms. Captain Rex alerts me that the clones have pushed the droids out of the city. The starcruiser begins raining hell down on the droids, with several of our starships chipping in to wipe out the rest of the army down below.

What ships are left of the separatist army, of the siege of Taris, flee the planet at high speeds. With their leader retreated, their ships mostly gone and their army reduced to dust, we have finally won.

I smile to myself, saying into the coms; "Fal...Taris is finally free."

Fallon doesn't sound as victorious as I thought she would. "Now all we need is our queen back."

I soften my voice, believing what I say when I tell her; "Obi Wan will find her. I know he will."

"I hope you're right," She says. "If she doesn't return, this victory doesn't mean anything."