The Eternal Emperor

In the depths of space, Anakin, Kenobi, Plo Koon, and Captain Fordo raced towards the Ryndellia system, their ships moving through hyperspace at breakneck speed. 

"It'll be dropping out of hyperspace in a few minutes," Anakin announced, his tone one of focused determination. "Get ready for anything." 

Ahsoka Tano, seated behind Anakin in the cockpit, was equally tense. She could feel the gravity of the mission weighing on her and on Anakin as well. They were on a desperate mission with limited time to act. 

The super-cruiser dropped out of hyperspace, the massive warship was already on a direct course for the medical station, and the glow of its charging ion cannon was visible from afar. 

"There it is," Anakin said, his voice tight with determination. "We've got to stop it before it can fire." 

"Shadow Squadron, stay in formation and follow my lead," Plo Koon, in his personal starfighter, took up position alongside Anakin, his calm presence a reassuring contrast to the tense atmosphere. 

As the Republic bombers closed in on the Malevolence, a swarm of droid fighters came to life, spewing a deadly barrage of laser fire. Without the protection of fighter escorts, the bombers were vulnerable, and the droids took full advantage. 

"Break left!" Anakin shouted as the squadron dodged a particularly heavy volley. Despite their best efforts, the first of their bombers was caught in the crossfire, exploding into a ball of fire. 

"Shadow Five is down!" a clone pilot called out, panic evident in his voice. 

"Stay focused!" Anakin urged, pushing his ship harder as they approached the Malevolence. "We've got to get closer!" 

As they drew nearer, the Malevolence's massive ion cannon suddenly fired, sending a wave of disabling energy hurtling toward the squadron. The bright blue energy arced through space, threatening to disable their ships in an instant. 

"Bank to the edge of the ring, now!" Anakin commanded, pulling his controls hard. The squadron followed their commander's lead, heading towards the edge of the ring and pushing their engines as hard as they could. 

"Shadow 2, you're speed is droping, what's wrong?!" - Came Ahsoka's hurried report. 

"Nothing sir, just trying to keep it together!!!" - Came the pilots startled reply. 

"You can make it Matchstick." Anakin encoureged... but it was for naught... 

"AGH!!! WATCH OUT!!!" A scream followed as the bomber was caught in a blazing fire, taking another shadow squadron member behind him as they burned together through the emptiness of space. 

With the ion cannon momentarily offline as it recharged, and now 2 members down with an additional 3 following, out of power due to the Ion cannon, the squadron made their move, diving toward the Malevolence's exposed superstructure. But the point-defense turrets were relentless, and one by one, more bombers fell to the barrage of laser fire. 

"We're losing too many!" Ahsoka called out, her voice tinged with fear as another bomber went up in flames. 

"Just a little closer," Anakin muttered, his eyes locked on the Malevolence's massive frame. But even he could see the futility in trying to reach the bridge in time. 

"Anakin," Plo Koon's calm voice cut through the chaos. "The Ion cannon is exposed on the port side of the superstructure. If we hit it, we might be able to cause a chain reaction and disable it." 

Anakin hesitated, glancing at the flickering status readouts of his dwindling squadron. His initial plan had been to target the bridge and disable the ship's command, but with so many losses, it was becoming clearer with every passing moment that they wouldn't make it. 

"Alright, new plan," Anakin said, his voice firm. "Shadow Squadron, target the ion cannon. We'll take it out before it can fire again." 

The bombers realigned their approach, zeroing in on the ion cannon as it began to glow with a menacing blue light, signaling that it was nearly ready to fire. 

"Now! Hit it with everything you've got!" Anakin ordered as they unleashed their torpedoes and blaster fire. 

Explosions rippled across the cannon's surface as the torpedoes found their mark. The ion cannon shuddered under the assault, its systems struggling to maintain stability. 

On the Malevolence's bridge, Grievous snarled in frustration as he watched the attack unfold. Realizing the danger, he ordered the cannon to fire immediately, hoping to disable the bombers before they could do more damage. 

But it was too late. The damage to the cannon caused it to malfunction as it attempted to discharge. Energy surged uncontrollably through the weapon, sparks and flames erupting from its surface as it struggled to maintain integrity. 

"Fall back!" Anakin shouted as the squadron pulled away, the ion cannon's systems continuing to overload. 

Instead of a catastrophic explosion, the ion cannon went dark, its power systems completely fried by the overload. The Malevolence was left crippled, its primary weapon neutralized and its systems failing. 

Grievous, realizing his ship was now vulnerable, gave the order to retreat. The Malevolence, once the most feared weapon in the Separatist arsenal, was now a wounded giant, limping away from the battlefield. 

Anakin watched as the Malevolence began to retreat, relief washing over him, though it was tempered by the loss of so many brave pilots. "Good work, everyone," he said, though his voice carried the weight of their losses. "Let's get back to the fleet." 

The survivors of Shadow Squadron turned back toward the Republic fleet, their mission accomplished but at a heavy cost. The Malevolence, though still intact, was no longer a threat, and the medical station was safe—for now. 

As they relayed the news, it was now left to the republic fleet of 3 Venator Class Star Destroyers jumping in from hyperspace to finish the job. 

As the Malevolence limped away, crippled and still under continuous fire from the Republic fleet, Anakin, Kenobi, and Plo Koon gathered on the bridge of Anakin's Venator-class Star Destroyer. The tension among them was palpable as they considered their next move. 

"Even with its hyperdrive damaged, that ship is still a monster," Kenobi observed, his brow furrowed in concern. "It will take considerable time to bring it down." 

"And we only have three Venators in the area with no reinforcements in sight," Plo Koon added. "We may have neutralized its ion cannon, but it's still heavily armored. This isn't going to be easy." 

Anakin's frustration was evident as he looked at the holo-display showing the Malevolence slowly drifting away from the battlefield. "We can't just let it escape. If Grievous repairs that hyperdrive, he'll be back with a vengeance." 

"We'll have to be patient," Kenobi advised, though he shared Anakin's sense of urgency. "It might take time, but we'll wear it down." 

Just as they were strategizing, an urgent message came through the communications console. 

"General Skywalker, General Kenobi, we have a ship entering the system," the clone officer reported. "It's Senator Amidala's ship, coming in from Coruscant." 

Anakin's eyes widened. "What? Why is Padmé here?" 

Before Kenobi could respond, another alert blared through the bridge. 

"Sir, the Malevolence has locked onto the senator's ship with a tractor beam. She's being pulled in." 

"No!" Anakin shouted, his heart racing as he saw Padmé's ship being dragged toward the looming bulk of the Malevolence. 

Kenobi immediately turned to him, already anticipating his next move. "Anakin, we need to think this through. Charging in without a plan will only get her killed or worse." 

Anakin clenched his fists, his mind racing. He knew Kenobi was right, but the thought of Padmé in Grievous's clutches was unbearable. "Order our ships to stop firing." 

The officer relayed the orders immediately. 

Plo Koon, ever the calm presence, nodded. "We'll stage a rescue operation. We'll board the Malevolence and get the senator out before Grievous can use her against us." 

Anakin didn't hesitate. 

Kenobi sighed, "Where do you think you are going?" 

"Somebody has to save her skin." 

With another sigh... "Figured you'd say that." Obi Wan followed right behind. 

As they made their way into the hangar and prepared to board the ship, Obi Wan was not surprised to find a certain captain there. 

"Captain Fordo? I assume you are going to come with us?" 

"Not just me sir, Us." Fordo said as he pointed at Anakin's ship's open loading bay door. 

"We haven't been able to contact general Lelouch in some time. Am i to assume these are outstanding orders?" 

A nod was all he needed as he turned to his student. "Anakin, your nanny team is coming with us." 

A groan was all he got in return. 

As the Republic assault shuttle approached the Malevolence, the plan was rather straightforward: infiltrate the super-cruiser through one of its emergency airlocks, locate Padmé, and get her out before Grievous could do any further damage. 

Once the shuttle docked and the airlock sealed, Anakin, Kenobi, and Plo Koon led a team of clone troopers down the hallway, their footsteps echoing in the cold, dimly lit corridors of the Malevolence. 

Anakin turned to R2-D2, who beeped in acknowledgement. "R2, stay with the ship. We might need a quick getaway." 

"Lockdown, I want your team to secure this hallway and prevent any droid reinforcements from getting through. Fordo, Spider, your teams will follow us." 

Fordo didn't move. He stood silent for a moment under Kenobi's questioning gaze. Then, with a firm shake of his head, he replied, "I'm sorry General, but I have different orders." 

Anakin and Kenobi exchanged a glance, both shocked and confused by Fordo's response. 

"What do you mean, different orders?" Anakin demanded, taking a step toward the captain. "We're in the middle of a rescue operation. Your orders are to assist us." 

Fordo's expression remained impassive, but his voice was firm. "My orders come directly from the general. We're to take control of the bridge. I'm afraid I can't let anything stand in the way of that mission." 

"Lelouch?" Kenobi echoed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "This is a rescue operation, Captain! We need every available hand." 

But Fordo was unmoved. "I understand, General. But my orders are clear." 

As their exchange heated a bit, Kenobi could see the squads behind Fordo clutch their weapons and spread out, very slowly tilting their bodies to be ready to take cover at any moment. 

Without waiting for a response, Fordo signaled to his team, and they began moving down a separate corridor, leaving Anakin and Kenobi standing in stunned silence. 

"They're abandoning the mission?" Anakin growled, barely able to contain his anger. 

Kenobi's jaw tightened as he watched the tactical teams disappear into the shadows. "It seems so. But we don't have time to dwell on this. We have to find Padmé and get out of here." 

"We'll deal with this later," Anakin agreed, though his voice was filled with frustration. "Once we're back, I'm getting answers from Lelouch." 

With that, the two Jedi Generals refocused on their mission, pushing their concerns aside as they led their remaining forces deeper into the Malevolence. 

---------------------- 

'Lockdown wait here until we give the all clear from above, afterwards make your way up to us.' A few hand signals afterwards, a nod was all he received as the squad deployed their heavy weapons and blocked the entrance to the elevator. 

As Fordo entered the elevator together with his two squads, he quickly relayed his next orders. 

'No Weapons. No equipment damage. Secure the bridge intact.' 

Another nod later, all weapons were pointed down as Fordo took out his double blasters, twisting and holding them from the barrel. 

As the door opened, a single B1 battle droid was standing in front of it. 

"Oh-Oh..." Was all it could say before it was taken apart. A swipe to the head from Fordo as he rushed past the droid, followed by the clone behind him with an overhead strike using his blaster as a bat. 

The clones burst forth from the elevator, rushing with practiced ease and securing the bridge through a brutal brawl... for the Separatist droids. 

As they finished, only pieces were left lying around as Fordo sent the all-clear message to Lockdown. 

Facing the terminal, and ignoring the still on adrenaline clones, the ones chest-bumping and the two head-bumping in the back in celebration, Fordo inputted the holodisk as it displayed the next steps to his mission. 

As the information appeared on the screen, a wicked smile couldn't help but stretch through his face as well as on the faces of his teams as they turned their helmets to look at each other. 

P.S: Lockdown and his team are sad they didn't get to participate in the brawl :(