An Unthinkable Alliance

Chapter 13

Serenno

Palpatine was standing frowning in front of Dooku. To his apprentice surprise, the dark lord was in front of him alive, not a hologram. It was an unexpected visit, so Dooku was worried about it's purpose. After one minute of kneeling and suspense, Darth Sidious said calmly:
'Rise, Lord Tyrannus.
Dooku obliged.
'What a surprise to see you in flesh , my lord!
The dark lord strode past the Count and went to his desk. He started checking some files.
'What is the reason you came all the way here, Master?
Under his dark cloak, the Chancellor of the Republic said sternly:
'It is about General Grievous. Where is he?
'That is unkown to me , my lord. He told me he will arrive back on Serenno when the next strike will begin.
'So, he is pursuing his own agendas...
'His flagship has not reported back to Vassek so I assume he is commanding it to a location.
'Indeed. I wonder...
Palpatine grinned, making Dooku raise an eyebrow confused.
'There are few places where that cyborg can lurk. One which is his homeplanet.
'Shall I order him back to Serrenno?
Sidious seemed to think about it, but he answered quickly:
'No! We shall use his visit there to strenghten his hatred towards the Republic. You shall not intervene.
'What do you plan to do?
The Dark Lord chuckled darkly:
'The Republic is going to take Grievous arrival on Kalee as a sign of him building a staging point. I'm afraid the Senate won't stand idly by and let him...
Dooku smirked when he picked the idea.
'These poor Kaleesh people... always taking the harderst hits the Galaxy has to offer... we'll have to hope they'll survive this one too...

Coruscant

One week had passed since the destruction of the Hutt Empire and still no sign of Shaak Ti. In the Jedi Council's room, every master was attenting the emergency meeting. All the chairs were occupied besides the one of the Togruta.
'It is with deep sorrow that, Shaak Ti no longer with us is. In this war, many have lost their lives, but a Council Member to have such a mysterious death, tragic it is.  Assume, we shall that she died during the siege. Forgotten, she shall not be!
With that, the little Grandmaster finished his speech. Obi-Wan glanced sad at Shaak Ti's seat. He remembered their last encounter and how casually he acted to her, even after her imprisonment during the mission. The hard voice of Mace Windu caught everyone's attention in the room.
'The war is still open, my friends. I just received word that General Grievous is on Kalee.
'It is a strange place to visit...Plo-Koon said stroking his masked chin.
'Agreed. Chancellor Palpatine believes the Separatist are preparing to assault key Core Worlds from there.
'Any more intel about Grievous whereabouts do we have?
'Intelligence suggests he is only there with his flagship, The Invisible Hand!Mace Windu said loudly.
'That is hardly a way to establish a powerbase... Obi-Wan said skeptically.
Kalee is a jungle world with little strategic importance. The last time that planet even came to our attention was 60 years ago. Why would the Seperatist want to set a staging point in such a useless location?
Mace Windu frowned at Master Kenobi:
'Regardless, it is the perfect moment to catch that coward and shorten this war right after the stalemate. The Republic will send 3 Venator Cruisers and an invasion force for the planet. Master Kenobi, we shall go and capture the General.
'We? It seems I always have to catch a meeting with Grievous...
'Hopefully, this will be your last encounter with him...

Kalee's orbit

The Invisible Hand was the only ship that floated above Kalee's orbit. Grievous stood in his quarters watching the panoramic image of his homeworld. So many memories... a past that was lost to him. Now, he wasn't a Kaleesh anymore, not outside anyway... he was just an avenger of his people. A dark justicar that wanted to eradicate his people's enemies. He was wearing his dark cloak on him, and his magnaguards IG-101 and IG-102 where wearing dark clothing too, an unusual choice. A droid entered the room.
'Sir, the shuttle and it's escort are ready.
'Very well. Have the guest prepared for departure when I arrive.
'Roger roger!
The droid left the room. Before Grievous could enjoy another moment at the window, Captain Dofine entered the room. Grievous growled angry and turned around to see the Neimoidian.
'Why am I always disturbed?! What is it, Dofine?
'Sir, it is Count Dooku, he left a message.
'So it isn't so important. What did it say?
Grievous went to his desk and activated the commlinks. The recording of Dooku  appeared in front of him.
'General, I am aware that you are on Kalee. Whatever you are doing there, I hope you shall finish before your next mission.
Grievous waited annoyed by the old man's voice speaking into his antennas.
'I wish you a good visit!
The Count finished with a dark smirk. Grievous blinked when he saw it confused.
'Is there more?
'No, sir.
'Very well, return to your post.
Grievous moved his eyes around glancing at the room, hidding his thoughts.
'Be... be prepared if any inconvience appears here, in space.
'What do you mean , sir?
'Well, Kalee could be frequented by pirates, bloody Huks... even the Republic. Be sure to contact me!
With that, he strode out of the room with his magnaguards following him closely.