By My Side

Chapter 15 - The Unexpected

He's had worse plans, but Anakin can't quite say he's been in worse situations. The fight breaks out the moment the droids make it through the door. Anakin Force-shoves the door back, crushing the droids beyond, and the clones throw a bomb out just to cause chaos and (hopefully) cloak their escape by filling the area with smoke. The droids shouldn't notice.

They would have made it farther if Grievous hadn't stalked into the hangar right when he did, two lightsabers in his hands. "Stick to the plan," Anakin calls to Ahsoka, as he moves towards the cyborg, "And don't look back." The words are an echo of another time, another person, and he can only hope Ahsoka doesn't grow up to regret this as much as Anakin himself has.

She nods before darting after Artoo in search of a dataport.

Anakin stops a short distance from Grievous, and he idly notes it's the first time they've met.

"Surrender," the cyborg growls. "You are outnumbered."

"Not yet," Anakin replies, eyes narrowed.

"You are doomed," Grievous retaliates. Anakin doesn't reply verbally but raises his lightsaber defensively in front of himself.

Grievous is the first to move, standing straighter and moving forwards, spinning his lightsabers. Anakin doesn't wait for him to attack. He lunges forwards, unleashing a series of attacks on him before ducking and stepping back when the cyborg splits his arms in half and puts his other two hands to use. He would've been easy enough to defeat if he hadn't, but Grievous isn't stupid. (Most of the time.)

Anakin lets himself slip into the Force, letting it guide and time his movements. He gives ground when he needs to, trying to lead the fight away from the others. Dooku hasn't arrived yet, for which he is grateful. He doesn't know if he'd be able to fight them simultaneously.

Grievous's style is... sloppy. It's the first thing Anakin realizes. He doesn't have much of a style, which makes it even more difficult to counter. The way the four lightsabers work together, constantly on the move, makes it difficult to find a weak spot anywhere.

The cyborg's hands are metal, so Anakin has no qualms of chopping them off if he has to, but he'll have to find an opening first.

He suspects the cyborg realizes what's happening, because when Anakin finally finds an opening enough to lop off Grievous's lower left hand, the other three lightsabers slash down towards his head. Anakin steps back, swinging his blade up to block them, and Grievous kicks him back into what he thinks is the Twilight.

He slams against the cold metal surface, stars swimming in his vision. Pain jars through his head and back. It's not bad, but he should've paid more attention. It's not enough to stop him, just to knock him down for a moment, except that he's in danger of losing consciousness.

Instinctively, before Grievous can head towards him or the others, Anakin throws out a hand, sending a Force-shove at him that throws him across the hangar.

Anakin pushes himself up, but the hangar seems to tilt dangerously sideways, and he opts to stay where he is. His head is throbbing most of all, and it's distracting. Most injuries are easy to ignore. He gives himself a moment to breathe, to feel the Force flowing through him, letting the pain flow away to nothing, before standing again. They need to keep moving.

That, of course, is the precise moment another door opens to the hangar and Dooku steps inside, cape billowing behind him. Oh no. Nonono – at least he's here, not waiting for Master Plo Koon or Ahsoka somewhere, Anakin reminds himself as he raises his lightsaber again.

Dooku doesn't bother entering with eloquent speeches about surrender, unlike usual, which makes Anakin wonder exactly what he's up to. His greeting instead is a sudden, but expected, onslaught of lightning crackling towards him. Anakin already has his blade up to block it and forces it away from himself, looking away from the brilliant light.