Star Wars: Malevolence and the Intrigue of General Grievous

'''Deep in the Outer Rim, an enormous Separatist destroyer pelts a lone Jedi cruiser into submission. Aboard the Republic craft, Jedi Master Eeth Koth readies his troops to repel boarders. An armored docking tube connects both ships, and super battle droids march into the captured cruiser, blasting away at Captain Lock and his squads of clone trooper defenders. A lightsaber pierces through the bridge bulkhead doors and begins carving a large circle. Grievous kicks his way through the breach, flanked by a crack squad of commando droids. '''

'''The agile invaders cut through the clones, and one even lands a blaster shot on Eeth Koth's arm. Koth continues fighting, slicing through the last of the commandos before the next wave of invaders arrive: electrostaff-wielding MagnaGuard droids. Backed by his bodyguards, Grievous enters the fray. Koth valiantly defends himself, but he is outnumbered and injured, and Grievous inevitably overpowers him. '''

'''On Coruscant, within the Jedi Temple war room, the assembled Jedi receive a gloating holographic transmission from Grievous. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi examine the projected image, alongside much of the Jedi Council -- including Mace Windu, Yoda and Adi Gallia, and conferencing remotely, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Luminara Unduli and Ki-Adi-Mundi. Grievous boasts of his victory. To him, this war is not a matter of politics or separatism; the cyborg warrior only lives to see Jedi die. '''

'''Plo Koon's clone officer, Commander Wolffe, reports a discovery in Grievous' transmission. By focusing on the otherwise inert form of Eeth Koth, the Jedi spot hidden hand gestures that the fallen Jedi Master is using to communicate his location: the Saleucami system. Kenobi, Skywalker and Gallia volunteer to rescue Koth. '''

'''Before long, a Republic task force mobilizes from Coruscant, including three Jedi cruisers escorted by a light cruiser and three frigates. Kenobi commands from the bridge of the light cruiser, while Anakin, Captain Rex and Adi Gallia form the insertion team aboard a refitted ambassadorial shuttle. The plan is for Kenobi's forces to engage Grievous, luring the general aboard the light cruiser. While this happens, Kenobi will transmit precise vector coordinates for the general's command ship to the shuttle. '''

'''As Grievous prepares to land on Saleucami, the Republic ships pop out of hyperspace. Grievous hardly seems surprised. He brags to a captive Koth, suspended in a static-charged containment field, that he has been expecting this rescue mission and is prepared for it. '''

'''The smaller Republic escort vessels move forward to draw out the Separatist warships. Kenobi hails Grievous and they exchange terse words before Grievous cuts off the communications. The general orders all cannons to fire, but warns his droids to be alert -- where there is Kenobi, there is often also Skywalker. TV-94, a tactical droid on the bridge, warns Grievous that the escort vessels are faster and more maneuverable than Grievous' destroyer, but the general is set on boarding the light cruiser in order to face Kenobi face-to-face. '''

'''The space battle begins. Kenobi orders the Resolute to move in and keep Grievous' fleet engaged to cover Anakin's arrival. Admiral Yularen acknowledges and moves the cruisers into the fray. Grievous' destroyer locks onto Kenobi's cruiser with a tractor beam, and begins reeling it in. '''

'''Having received the exact coordinates of Grievous' destroyer from Commander Cody, Anakin leaps his shuttle through hyperspace, emerging in the thick of the battle only scant meters above Grievous' hull. Skywalker uses his amazing piloting skills to land undetected on the destroyer's superstructure, and powers down. Skywalker, Gallia, Rex and several other clones then cut their way aboard the destroyer. Anakin orders Rex and the clones to guard their entrance while he and Adi penetrate deeper into the flagship to find the bridge, where Eeth Koth is held. '''

'''Aboard the light cruiser, Kenobi and Cody prepare to face boarders as a docking tube connects both ships. Their plan is to keep Grievous engaged long enough for Skywalker to complete his mission. The first wave of invaders consists of commando droids. They are followed by MagnaGuards, and finally, Grievous himself. As Grievous engages Kenobi, he brags that he knows what Kenobi is plotting. He knows Skywalker has boarded his vessel and is attempting to free Koth. '''

'''Skywalker and Gallia cut their way past battle droid security to arrive at the bridge. There, they see Master Koth suspended in a containment field, but the tactical droid tending to him hardly seems surprised to see the Jedi. At his order, commando droids pop out from behind control stations, ready to face the Jedi. The whole rescue mission is a trap! '''

'''Grievous and his bodyguard droids overwhelm Kenobi. Grievous extends all four of his mechanical arms to land a finishing blow. '''

'''At the press of a button on his wrist control, the tactical droid sends painful electric surges through Koth's helpless body. He warns that one more shock will kill the Jedi Master. Skywalker uses the Force to pull the droid toward him, and severs the droid's arm, knocking the wrist control away. A frenzied melee then erupts between the Jedi and the commando droids, all the while the armless tactical droid scrambles to recover his device and his only source of leverage. Skywalker and Gallia narrowly defeat the droids, and free Koth from his prison. '''

'''Kenobi desperately dodges Grievous' whirlwind attacks. He uses the Force to hurl the shattered body of a MagnaGuard droid directly into Grievous. Rather than surrender, Grievous scurries away on his spiky limbs like a startled arachnid. Kenobi radios to Skywalker that Grievous is on the move. With Koth rescued, the mission's priority shifts to preventing Grievous' escape. Anakin takes the injured Koth back to his shuttle, while Adi Gallia races ahead to intercept Grievous. '''

'''Commander Cody and his troops try to cut off Grievous as he makes his way to the airlock, but the slippery cyborg overpowers them. Grievous orders his ship to open fire on the light cruiser's engines, despite the point blank range. He commands his troops to prepare their landing ships for transit to Saleucami. '''

'''The light cruiser begins to wilt under the heavy assault, its engines erupting in flame. The clone crew desperately attempts to detach their ship from the Separatist destroyer, but they have lost all control. Kenobi arrives inside the docking tube, chasing Grievous as the whole conduit shudders and buckles from the death throes of the light cruiser. The two generals cross lightsabers again, but Grievous kicks his way free and makes it to his destroyer. There, he faces Adi Gallia, but their duel is cut short as the docking tube finally splits open. A gust of air rushing into vacuum blows the combatants apart. Cody grabs onto Kenobi before he goes tumbling into the void. Grievous' metal claws allow him purchase across the tilted deckplates, and he scrambles away. Gallia braces herself against a bulkhead, and fires a cable to Cody and Kenobi, who climb their way onto Grievous ship. '''

'''As Anakin's shuttle departs from the destroyer, he receives a distress message from Obi-Wan. Skywalker tells Obi-Wan to meet him at the destroyer's hangar, where he can extract them. Anakin soars into the hangar, hastily picking up Kenobi, Gallia, Cody and a surviving clone onto his shuttle. '''

'''Meanwhile, the infantry battle droids aboard the destroyer are boarding long-winged landing ships to make planetfall on Saleucami. Grievous, too, boards one of the vessels. The light cruiser finally erupts in a huge explosion that washes over the destroyer. Shrapnel from the cruiser slams into Grievous' landing ship, sending it tumbling to Saleucami's surface. '''

'''The Jedi return to their flagships as Grievous' destroyer lists away harmlessly. Obi-Wan Kenobi plans to take Commander Cody and Captain Rex with him to Saleucami to search for Grievous. Anakin will stay in orbit to mop up the space battle. Eeth Koth, grateful to be rescued, will be taken to a medical frigate. '''

'''In the Abregado system, Plo Koon's flotilla of three Republic attack cruisers close in on a silhouetted enemy vessel. Aboard the Triumphant, Plo Koon orders his first officer, Commander Wolffe, to contact Coruscant and relay their position prior to attack. Master Plo makes contact with Anakin Skywalker's fleet stationed in the nearby Bith system, and warmly greets Ahsoka Tano. There is little Skywalker can do to support Plo Koon, as he has been ordered to protect the staging area. Just then, the communications are cut off -- jammed from the Separatist warship, Malevolence. '''

'''Ahsoka is gravely concerned about her old friend, Plo Koon, and urges Skywalker to launch a rescue. Anakin demands patience and silence from her as he contacts the Jedi Council. The holographic avatars of Mace Windu, Chancellor Palpatine, Yoda and Obi-Wan are discussing the predations of General Grievous' mystery weapon, which has managed to strike in over a dozen systems and disappear without a trace. Anakin updates the Council of Master Plo's entrance into the Abregado system. '''

'''Meanwhile. the Triumphant and the Malevolence close distance. At Count Dooku's order, General Grievous fires the vessel's primary weapon, an immense ion cannon that blasts a disc of disruptive energy that washes over the three Republic ships. As lightning dances across their hulls, energy is leeched from the warships, leaving the taskforce without shields or weapons. The Malevolence opens fire, blasting apart the defenseless ships. Plo Koon orders all hands to the escape pods. Master Plo enters a pod with Wolffe, and the clone troopers Sinker and Boost. Wolffe reports the grim news that their power grid has burned out, limiting life support and communications. '''

'''Aboard the Malevolence, Grievous relishes the destructive power of his new weapon. Count Dooku orders pod-hunters dispatched into the wreckage to ensure that there are no survivors who could report on the weapon's location or capabilities. '''

'''Anakin continues his report to the Council. Plo Koon's taskforce has vanished, and the absence of distress beacons suggests that the vessels were wiped out. Given the precedence set by the previous Malevolence strikes, Plo Koon is believed to be dead. Mace Windu assigns Skywalker's taskforce to protect vital convoy missions, but Ahsoka speaks up, urging the Council to search for Plo Koon. Anakin chastises her for speaking out of turn. Anakin orders Admiral Yularen to deploy the task force to protect against any enemies who may threaten the convoys, while he and Ahsoka scout ahead aboard the Twilight. '''

'''The air in the pod is beginning to thin. Trooper Sinker points out that, strategically, it makes little sense to come looking for a missing pod over looking for the Malevolence, but Master Plo stresses the value of the troopers' lives. Suddenly, the clones spot another pod floating in the wreckage. It has been sliced open, and the clone troopers within float lifelessly. Something is out there... something that can breach escape pod hulls. '''

'''The Twilight lifts off from Anakin's flagship, Resolute, and Skywalker orders Artoo to input coordinates. The spice freighter blasts into hyperspace. '''

'''Obi-Wan Kenobi's flagship, Negotiator, does its part in protecting the vital Republic convoys. Kenobi radios Admiral Yularen to check on Anakin's progress, and Yularen reveals that Skywalker has "redeployed" himself. '''

'''The Twilight emerges in the Abregado system, and rather than search for the Malevolence, Anakin orders Artoo to calibrate the sensors to look for life-forms. Ahsoka is surprised to find that Anakin has bent the rules to look for Plo Koon. Skywalker explains that he had always intended to look for survivors, but how he dealt with the Jedi Council is what he was trying to teach to Ahsoka. Rather than be directly confrontational, as Ahsoka was, Anakin instead is choosing to creatively interpret his mandate. '''

'''Meanwhile, aboard the escape pod, Sinker and Boost restart the power grid. Wolffe intercepts a signal from Pod 1977, currently under attack. Elsewhere in the debris field, the pod-hunter vessel latches its pincers onto Pod 1977. A squad of four rocket-equipped battle droids emerges from the pod-hunter and uses built-in torches to cut into the pod. Plo Koon and his clones listen in horror at the sounds of men suffocating to death in cold vacuum as the droids breach the Pod 1977's hull. '''

'''The Twilight's scanners probe the debris field with little luck. Ahsoka explains to Anakin that Master Plo was the Jedi Master who found her and brought her to the Jedi Temple. Obi-Wan Kenobi, sounding tired of once again dealing with Anakin's maverick stunts, communicates with Skywalker to get his position. Ahsoka tries to take the blame, but there are more pressing matters. Obi-Wan urges Anakin to return to the defensive escorts. The Republic needs him at the rendezvous point. Anakin agrees, and starts to turn the Twilight around. Suddenly, R2-D2 picks up a signal on the emergency channel. '''

'''The battle droid hunting team spot Plo Koon's escape pod and close in. Its pincers enclose the pod. Plo Koon, whose Kel Dor physiology can withstand vacuum for a brief time, decides to face the threat head-on. He orders Boost and Sinker to accompany him. They done their helmets and leave the pod, just as the pod-hunter's pincers squeeze their tiny lifeboat. Wolffe stays behind to keep the emergency communication signal alive. '''

'''Plo Koon and his clones intercept the battle droid team, while the Twilight searches the wreckage to pinpoint the source of the weak emergency signal. The pod-hunters pincers start to squeeze the pod, which immediately begins venting its precious atmosphere. '''

'''With Sinker and Boost covering him, Plo Koon cuts through the pod-hunter's heavy arms with his lightsaber. Using the Force, Master Plo shoves the pod away, causing it to collide in the debris field. '''

'''On Coruscant, Palpatine continues conferring with the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan reveals that Anakin -- on his own authority -- is searching for survivors amid the wreckage of Plo Koon's fleet. Mace and Yoda grouse about Anakin's reckless decisions. '''

'''Palpatine contacts Anakin, relaying the disappointment among the Council. Palpatine implores Anakin to return to the fleet. Ahsoka, meanwhile, reaches out with the Force, and senses a connection to Plo Koon. Before the Twilight can depart, she takes control of the ship, and charges into the debris field. She finds Plo Koon's pod, and launches a tow cable, reeling the lifeboat into the Twilight's cramped hold. '''

'''Exhausted, Plo Koon, Boost and Sinker are inspected by the Twilight's 2-1B medical droid. Master Plo asks if there were any other survivors, but Anakin confirms there were none. '''

'''As the clones recover in the hold, Plo Koon follows Anakin and Ahsoka to the bridge of the Twilight for debriefing. He explains that the mystery weapon is an ion cannon. The sensors detect a massive vessel approaching. Plo Koon quickly orders them to shut down all power systems before they are detected. Reluctantly, Ahsoka shuts down R2-D2. In their haste, however, they forgot about the medical droid tending to the clones. '''

'''The droid sensor operators aboard the Malevolence detect the 2-1B's energy signature. The Twilight is found! Dooku wants no witnesses; General Grievous orders the warship to attack. Anakin hurriedly restarts the Twilight, and attempts to flee through the debris field. Plo Koon reactivates Artoo, and the little droid must program the navicomputer to jump... anywhere! The Malovelence fires its ion cannon. '''

'''Anakin twists and turns the vessels through the debris field, narrowly outrunning the ion blast. R2-D2 delivers a viable set of coordinates at the last instant, and the ship clears the wreckage, leaping into hyperspace. Grievous has failed Dooku: the Republic now knows the nature of the superweapon threat. '''

'''At the Republic rendezvous point, the Twilight lands aboard the Resolute. In talking with Wolffe, Anakin credits Ahsoka for their rescue. Plo Koon and Skywalker then head to report to the Council. Anakin insists Ahsoka accompany him, because, after all, if he's getting in trouble for this, she should share in the blame as well. '''

'''Within the hangar bay of the Resolute, Anakin Skywalker and Admiral Yularen brief the assembled clone pilots of Shadow Squadron on their strike mission against the Malevolence. As the bulk of the fleet is engaged elsewhere, this strike mission will operate on its own. The Malevolence's primary weapon is geared against capital ships, so Anakin believes a small squad of bombers could outmaneuver it and target the warship's bridge, knocking out the ship and General Grievous. The clones -- including Matchstick and Broadside -- are eager for a fight. Jedi Master Plo Koon, however, expresses his reservations about Anakin's aggressive attack strategies, an opinion that Ahsoka Tano shares. '''

'''In the Ryndellia system, the Malevolence continues its assault, blasting apart another Republic convoy. A lone medical transport flees the carnage, but it is overtaken by the weapon's ion plasma blast. Even its escape pods are targeted for annihilation. General Grievous relishes the destructive power of his weapon, but continues to be frustrated by the incompetence of his battle droid troops. He smacks one to pieces out of anger, and gets a brief chastisement from a holographic Count Dooku, who notes that these droids are pricey and the Republic are never so callous with their soldiers. '''

'''That is precisely a weakness the Separatists plot to exploit by targeting the Republic's secret Outer Rim medical station. The Kaliida Shoals Med Station, not far from Naboo, is unprotected and treating over 60,000 wounded clones. Once destroyed, the Jedi in the Outer Rim theater will have no place to send their wounded troops. '''

'''Back in the Resolute's hangar, Shadow Squadron's Y-wing bombers undergo preparation, and Anakin assigns Ahsoka as his tailgunner. Admiral Yularen reports in with news of the Ryndellia attack. Anakin theorizes that Grievous will likely target the Kaliida Shoals station. Stellar densities in that area of space limit the Malevolence's hyperspace capabilities, giving Shadow Squadron the opportunity to intercept it via a shortcut. Plo Koon decides to join Anakin's squadron flying fighter escort. '''

'''At the Kaliida Shoals station, Kaminoan administrator Nala Se receives a warning from Admiral Yularen. It is impossible to evacuate all the wounded from the station. Obi-Wan Kenobi also chimes in via holocom. He has contacted the Naboo, who are sending ships to assist in the evacuation, and he plans to arrive as well aboard the Negotiator. '''

'''The Y-wings depart from the Resolute's central hangar deck, tailed by master Plo's Delta-7B fighter. They check in, and then blast off into hyperspace. The nimble fighters will take Anakin's shortcut to Kaliida Shoals, while Obi-Wan's warship will take the longer route. '''

'''The Malevolence travels through hyperspace at a velocity well past lightspeed, but it's not fast enough for the impatient General Grievous. The navicomputer has had to calculate a complex course sidestepping the Kaliida nebula. The Y-wings, however, can negotiate the dust cloud, so Shadow Squadron emerges from hyperspace to traverse the nebula: a short cut dubbed the Balmorra Run that Anakin Skywalker learned from smugglers in his youth. Entering the cloud completely obscures the fighters' scanners. Ahsoka is increasingly concerned by this dangerous course of action. '''

'''At Kaliida Shoals, the evacuation proceeds slowly, with the stabilized patients being moved to medical transports first. The more critically wounded and those in bacta tanks cannot be moved just yet. '''

'''The Malevolence is in its last parsec of travel when Count Dooku reports in. He has received intelligence from Lord Sidious: the Republic has launched a small strike force led by Anakin Skywalker to intercept and attack the Malevolence. Grievous fears nothing, for his ship is unstoppable. '''

'''In the heart of the nebula, Shadow Squadron suddenly stumbles upon a swarm of giant neebray mantas, deep space leviathans. The annoyed hulks begin to swim around the Y-wing fighters, and Anakin orders evasive maneuvers. Shadow Two (Matchstick) grazes a neebray wing as he flies by, causing damage to his portside thruster stabilizer. Anakin orders bantha formation -- a single-file flight pattern that allows the squadron to thread its way past the beasts. The fighters emerge from the nebula, where the neebrays will not follow. '''

'''At this point, half of the Kaliida Shoals facility has been evacuated. Still not enough, to Obi-Wan Kenobi's thinking, as the Negotiator plies through hyperspace. Kenobi hopes Skywalker will intercept Grievous in time, or else 30,000 clones still lie at risk. '''

'''The Malevolence bursts into realspace and is immediately swarmed by Anakin's squadron. Grievous orders the ship brought about, and vulture droid fighters launched. A group of medical transports flee the Kaliida Shoals station, and Grievous targets them with an ion blast, followed by a turbolaser volley. The battle is joined. '''

'''Grievous next targets the jumble of dogfighting fighters, even though his vulture droids are in the mix. Anakin orders his fighters to fly to the edge of the incoming disc of crippling energy. The Y-wings pour on all the speed they can, but Shadow Two's crippled stabilizer slows him down. Matchstick's engine blows, and he spins out of control, plowing into trooper Tag's Y-wing. Both fighters erupt in flames. The rest of the squadron crests the ion wave, though three other fighters, Shadows Six, Seven and Ten, are caught in the blast and immobilized. Anakin is now down to almost half his original squadron, possibly not enough for him to continue his mission. '''

'''The remaining Y-wings close in on the Malevolence, and the warship's point defense batteries create a withering curtain of anti-starfigher fire. As another Y-wing is blasted out of the sky, Ahsoka urges Anakin to abandon this course of action: they need a new plan. "Master, you can make it, but everyone else is getting shot down!" she urges. Meanwhile, Grievous charges up the ion cannon to target the medical station. Anakin realizes his Padawan is right: he abandons his bid to destroy the bridge and General Grievous, and instead targets the prime weapon. '''

'''The remaining fighters of Shadow Squadron change course, and fly toward the starboard ion cannon. Volley after volley of proton torpedoes launch from the fighters and strike the disc emitter as it builds up its ion charge. A cascade of explosions rock the Malevolence. The ion cannon fires, but the blast loses direction and expands outward, backfiring and crippling both ion emitters and disabling the vessel's hyperdrive. Kaliida Shoals is saved, but the Malevolence lives on, defanged and limping away. '''

'''Just then, Obi-Wan Kenobi's taskforce emerges from hyperspace. The Negotiator continues pursuit of the Malevolence while Anakin's Y-wing fighters head to the medical station. '''

'''Docked at the medical station hangar, Plo Koon congratulates Anakin on his successful run. Anakin meets with Nala Se, who thanks Skywalker for the lives he saved. Skywalker, though, remains focused on the lives he has lost.'''

'''The smoldering warship Malevolence limps away from the barrage of turbolaser fire from a trio of pursuing Republic Star Destroyers. Its primary stabilizer and hyperdrive are damaged, and its forward drive begins to fail, but the ship is so immense, it can nonetheless continue to absorb the pounding the Republic vessels deliver. Aboard a flagship, Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, and Anakin Skywalker convene for a tactical update. Skywalker has attempted to contact Luminara Unduli for additional support, but she is tied up dealing with Separatist reinforcements nearby. Kenobi orders all cannons to target the Malevolence's bridge. '''

'''Count Dooku contacts Grievous holographically. The count has arranged a trap that will give Grievous an advantage over the Jedi: an important Galactic Senator is heading towards the Malevolence. Grievous is to take this representative hostage in order to stop the Republic attack. '''

'''A silvery Naboo yacht hurtles through hyperspace with Senator Padmé Amidala and C-3PO at the helm. She in on a diplomatic mission to secure a potential separate peace with an executive from the Banking Clan that supposedly contacted Chancellor Palpatine with overtures of alliance. Emerging from hyperspace, the ship nearly collides with the fleeing Malevolence. '''

'''Ahsoka Tano picks up the incoming vessel on the Republic flagship's scanners. The Jedi desperately try to contact Padmé's ship while the Republic taskforce holds its fire. The Malevolence snags the yacht in its tractor beam and reels the unarmed ship into its hold. Padmé demands that the Jedi continue their attack, but Anakin cannot bring himself to order fire to resume with his beloved trapped within the Malevolence. Anakin decides to mount an infiltration mission to rescue Padmé, and Obi-Wan accompanies him. '''

'''General Grievous orders a repair crew to resume work on the ship's hyperdrive while he traverses the huge distances within the ship via its rail system in order to arrive at the main hangar. There, Padmé begins overloading the yacht's power systems and flees the ship with C-3PO. Grievous spots the explosive trap before it is too late, and leaves the captive yacht before it erupts in flames. Firefighting battle droids try to douse the flames while Grievous orders an alert to capture the stowaways. '''

'''Within the Malevolence, Padmé attempts to rig a comm panel to contact the Republic fleet, but her work is cut short when she and Threepio need to hide as Grievous and his troops approach. She overhears that the warship's hyperdrive was not as badly damaged as originally feared, and the ship should be able to achieve superluminal flight in good order. Grievous leaves to contact Dooku. '''

'''Obi-Wan and Anakin leave the Resolute's hangar bay aboard the Twilight, and Kenobi is less-than-impressed with Anakin's plan to dock with the Malevolence's emergency airlocks. Skywalker correctly assesses that those aboard the warship are too occupied with the ship's catastrophic damage to detect the spice freighter. The Jedi pass through the airlock, cut through some hapless battle droids, and enter the ship. Anakin orders Artoo to stay behind. '''

'''Meanwhile, back at the Republic fleet, Ahsoka and Plo Koon have contacted Luminara Unduli, who pledges her forces as reinforcements. Yularen reports that they're receiving a transmission from Senator Amidala. Ahsoka patches the signal through to Anakin. Padmé reports from the lower levels, and she is surprised to hear that Obi-Wan and Anakin are also aboard the Malevolence. Working from data gathered from scans, Ahsoka advises the infiltrators to rendezvous within a large open area that runs through the center of the ship. '''

'''The central channel of the ship is dominated by an extensive rail jet system. Padmé and C-3PO and Anakin and Obi-Wan are on opposite sides of the chasm. With battle droids in pursuit, the intruders leap onto approaching rail jet cars. A super battle droid launches a warhead at the rails ahead, knocking out a bridge in front of Padmé. She leaps towards Anakin's train, and he uses the Force to carry her over the distance and into his arms. As the train enters a tunnel, the two share a brief private moment of affection. '''

'''Poor C-3PO has fallen onto another car and into a crate. Obi-Wan Kenobi tries to lift him to safety using the Force, but the droid instead is intercepted by another rail jet car, taking him deeper into the ship. Padmé informs the Jedi that she overheard that the hyperdrive was nearing reactivation, so Kenobi agrees to venture towards the ship's engineering station and ensure that it remains offline. Grievous overhears this communication, and plans to intercept Kenobi.'''

'''Anakin contacts Artoo and asks him to help find Threepio. R2-D2 plugs into the Malevolence's computer network and stops Threepio's train. '''

'''Kenobi arrives at the engineering station, only to be surrounded by battle droids, super battle droids and droidekas. Then, General Grievous emerges from the shadows, itching for a fight.'''

'''Grievous orders his droids to open fire. Kenobi leaps his way past their fire, and uses the force to shove the droidekas into wheel form, bowling over his attackers. Kenobi then flees engineering. Grievous orders the droids to guard the hyperdrive while he gives pursuit. '''

'''Elsewhere in the ship, Anakin and Padmé outrun battle droids. Contact with Obi-Wan is cut off by jamming. Skywalker hatches another plan. Meanwhile, C-3PO and R2-D2 are reunited within another section of the Malevolence. '''

'''Skywalker storms the bridge, where battle droids near completion of bringing the hyperdrive back online. He cuts through the guards. Then, as Padmé clears the battered droids to hide their presence, Anakin hotwires the ship's guidance systems to give General Grievous "a little surprise." '''

'''The reinforced Republic Star Destroyers achieve attack position. Plo Koon is unable to contact Skywalker or Kenobi. Ahsoka urges Master Plo to give them more time, but the chrono is ticking... the Malevolence must be stopped. '''

'''Kenobi flees to a rail-jet tunnel, but Grievous dogs his leaps and bounds. Their lightsaber duel is cut short and Obi-Wan dodges an attack by jumping onto an opposite train. '''

'''R2-D2 and C-3PO return to the Twilight, and Anakin, Padmé and Obi-Wan all reunite at the spice freighter. The ship undocks from the Malevolence and flies away. Grievous is determined to catch these Jedi, so he leaps aboard his starfighter and lifts off, accompanied by vulture droid wingmates. Padmé mans the turret guns, blasting away at their pursuers. '''

'''The Star Destroyers open fire, pelting the Malevolence. A battle droid reports to Grievous that the hyperdrive is repaired. Grievous orders the ship to flee to Separatist space; he will rendezvous with them in Sector Four. '''

'''The Malevolennce begins its jump sequence... but something is wrong. The ship is aiming toward a dead moon. Grievous orders the hyperdrive to reset, but it is too late. Just then, Count Dooku contacts the general for an update. Grievous cuts off all communication as the Malevolence slams into the moon. The threat of the Malevolence is over. Grievous flees into parts unknown. '''