The Clone Wars Gets A New Victim

Chapter 32: The Game Of Chess

As the elevator door opened, the Jedi walked to the deciding moment. They found Palpatine bound to a chair watching the battle raging outside.

The battle he had orchestrated.

Grim felt her hands form fists at her side as a familiar rage threatened to bubble to the surface.

She forced herself to breathe. None of that mattered here and yet it held every shard of significance.

She allowed her hands to relax and forced a more concerned look on her face.

She knew it would not fool him but he was not who she was trying to deceive.

This was a game of chess.

To win she had to take every move into consideration.

She had to plan five steps ahead.

Grim had to know her enemy.

As much as she would never admit to the fact.

Right here and now he was in control.

Grim had to play to his rules.

Alerted to the presence of the Jedi, he spun his chair around and faced the trio. He gave Grim no more but a glance.

  For now he was the chancellor, and as such a padawan like Grim wasn't of much importance.

It was clear to her the angle he played.

  She knew his tactics and she allowed herself to abide by the same.

"Chancellor," Obi-Wan said as they rushed over to him.

He bowed ever slightly as a sign of respect. A Jedi Master who was going about his mission, nothing more to the action.

Grim said nothing but simply gave a respectful nod. A normal padawan, showing respect to the leader of the Republic, although it was only a disguise.

  She slipped into the role of a mere padawan unburdened by the knowledge she held with ease.  It was the role she always played only allowing the guise to disappear around the Council and its members.  Although she had once been foolish enough to allow this disguise to slip, so her enemy was not fooled by her deception.

“Are you alright?” Anakin asked. It was a simple question but it carried much more. The worry and concern was clear, this was the man whom Skywalker saw as a father. He wasn't just rescuing the chancellor of the Republic, he was rescuing his family.

The implications caused a brief flash of fear within Grim.

However none noticed as she masked her emotions well.

Although the Jedi taught her to be mindful of her feelings Grim often ignored the teachings, suppressing any fear that crawled its way into her heart. As she did now, she ignored the fear and pushed it deep. Rather than to acknowledge that it existed.

“Count Dooku,” was all the chancellor replied to Anakin’s question.

As if on cue the trio of Jedi turned to face the Count as he entered with two super battle droids as his guards.

“This time we’ll do it together,” Obi-Wan told his former padawan. Referring to that day many years ago that seemed a lifetime ago when the two had first encountered the Count.

“I was about to say that,” Skywalker replied.

The Jedi Master then turned to his current apprentice. "You are to stay with the chancellor, and get him to safety. Anakin and I shall handle Dooku," he informed her.