In the Aftermath

Going Off Script

The hum of Anakin's lightsaber rang in Padmé's ears as Grievous held it close, easily poised for another strike. Though he could not smile with his mask, there was no denying the deep sense of satisfaction Padmé was able to glean from his exposed yellow eyes. He was clearly enjoying his newfound position of power, like an uncaged beast set free to wreak havoc on the all set before him.  Dooku's body had since been unceremoniously dragged away by a B-1, leaving little in the way of a buffer between the droid general and the rest of his human captives.  Along with the B-2 occasionally poking her in the back with its blaster, Padmé was feeling the true danger of it all.  Anakin gave the Droid General a harsh glare after committing his dastardly deed, while Obi-Wan had chosen to look away.  It must have been rather distressing to witness the brutal murder of Qui-Gon's master like that.  And, despite all the atrocities that Dooku had committed, Padmé could sympathize with Obi-Wan's conflicted feelings on the matter.  After all, she too was forced to wrestle with her own personal misconceptions about a once respected mentor of her past.

Speaking of Palpatine, he had been rather quiet throughout the killing of his "secret" apprentice. Sure, he appeared just as aghast as the rest of their group at Grievous's action. However, that didn't negate the fact that he himself had been calling for Dooku's death earlier...just with Anakin as the executioner. Hypocrite. 

"Now that I have finally gotten 'ahead' of the Count," Grievous chuckled darkly, "the true campaign can begin!"

Immediately, Grievous pointed the lightsaber's blade at the two Jedi.  This effectively prevented either man from making a move whilst his attention was elsewhere. He turned to address his crew of droids.

"Status report!"  He ordered, causing a nearby B-1 to jump.

"Umm, heavy losses...mostly ours, General," it dejectedly reported. 

Grievous made a noise that was a mix between a growl and a whine.  Padmé didn't know what exactly he expected to hear.  It was quite obvious that the original battle plan had basically consisted of just throwing various droids at the Republic forces, with no true rhyme or reason past incidental carnage through the inevitable encounters. Even if Grievous wasn't aware that the entire thing was only a diversion in order to slow any interference with Palpatine's original intentions for Anakin, there was no way he could hope to salvage any semblance of a stalemate. Much less, even a partial Separatist victory.  The smart move would be to retreat, leaving behind his hostages in order to distract the enemy from pursuing their flagship as it escaped.  Unfortunately, Padmé had a feeling that Grievous might not be as keen on saving his army as he was on letting them die on the hill.

"Refocus all attacks, and reestablish the frontline!"

As the droids scrambled to relay and act upon their new orders, Grievous glared at the visible battles taking place a good distance away. Delight seemed to perk up his shoulders as the fights were dragged even further away. As the line began to tighten, fewer clones could be seen attempting to breach it. The stragglers caught up on the wrong side either fell back through rapidly shrinking gaps in the defense, or they were dealt with by the droids.

"It is just as I thought," Grievous boasted to his captives. "The Republic will not risk a direct attack on our flagship so long as their precious chancellor is still aboard."

Padmé bit back a swear. How did she not think of that? Of course the Republic was still banking on the "rescue" of Palpatine! While they and the Jedi might know the details of his true nature, that didn't mean everyone else did. For the Republic, this was still very much a rescue mission in progress. And, until they knew for certain that their leader was safe, there would be no frontal assault.