Shadows of the Past

Chapter 20

Medbay

'Well, we have secured ourselves a bigger ship thanks to Hondo...
Shaak Ti's look on the brighter side didn't actually upset Grievous as the General was a very pragmatic man. He could see that some good came out of that. While the Jedi was on a bed, bandaged on her wound, Grievous was stroding through the large medbay. They had got themselves a pretty good ship, capable of fighting smaller escorts and even Corvettes.
'A shame that the pirate had already escaped...Grievous stated, scowling with anger. The next time I will see him, he shall die by my hands!
Shaak Ti wanted to say something against that idea but shrugged it off as Grievous won't be changed by her words.
'Grievous...
'Yes?the General turned to her more concerned.
'How do you... sustain yourself?
'That is... rather complicated.
'You can explain. I am not stupid.
'Indeed... actually, my body is capable of sustaining me for several weeks before I am forced to supply my organs with nutrients.
'But I have never seen you do that...
'The last time I resupplied it was shortly before we met. Hm... speaking of that, I may be in need to do that again soon.
'How do you do it?
'Stab my gutsack with the tubes that "feed" my organs with nutrients. I could show you, but there is not the time yet for this.
'What happens if you can't do that at the right time?
'Die of starvation. Seems straight-forward for me.
'Yes, it does...
'Your wound should be fine by the way. It would heal soon enough.
'Thank you for helping me.
'No need, we are bound to help each other after all and satisfy our dire needs. Now, I should go and set course for Terminus...
Grievous turned around and started walking to the door. Shaak Ti smirked darkly and raised her hand slowly and silently. When the General reached the exit, he pressed the button and the door opened. This time however when he placed his talon on the ground, an invisible force pushed his other leg on the ground away, making him fall on his face. A soft chuckle escaped the Jedi when it all finished. Jedi or not, she knew the importance of entertainment in the mind of a being and she decided to enjoy herself. A deep growl escaped the Kaleesh. He stood up and turned to Shaak Ti a bit glaring, but more annoyed.
'You were supposed to be a Jedi Master, mature and intelligent... yet you use the Force on me to amuse yourself?
'Fun is crucial to survive this harsh world, Grievous... you ought to do that sometimes.
'I am having very much fun in my life, don't worry.
Shaak Ti was still smiling when she replied:
'But you scowl and growl so many times!
'I also laugh a lot, regardless of the reason...

The Jedi raised an eyebrow still smiling. She wasn't so certain Grieovus would laugh as often as he claimed to... however, she knew he was already on the edge of annoyance and anger so she dismissed him off:
'Very well... Now that the fun is over, you can go.
Grievous sighed and walked away from the medbay, more cautious this time. Once the door closed, he muttered to himself, albeit more silently as he feared the Jedi could hear him, how he should have thought twice about his companion...
Continuing his walk towards the bridge, Grievous couldn't feel a bit insecure about it, it was very unnatural that all the pirates had been in that room... there must have been left survivors...
He went directly to the Surveillance console in the Main Bridge, which was devoid of any life. Typing a few commands, the screen was filled with little windows that showed all the monitored rooms. Checking each and one of them, he saw Shaak Ti analyzing something in her right, but Grievous couldn't see so he moved on. Continuing his search, he noticed a image that flickered. It showed a large almost empty hall with some cages now and there. However, they were empty. The General stared more intently into that window. The cages were broken, meaning that what it once belonged there had escaped. Making himself a mental note to check that room personally, he continued to check the other footage, and was ready to take his eyes away when he noticed a movement with the corner of his eye. Returning in an instant, Grievous scowled as he saw two trandoshans walking alongside a corridor with blaster in their hands. They were disgusting even to look at, but hearing them talk made Grievous cringe.
'What are we going to do, Vask? We have to leave before the two find us!
The larger lizzard snarled to his companion and glared at him:
'Shut up, you fool! Do you think they are the biggest danger here? If the defense system has gone offline, those two creatures must have escaped! I'd rather meet that cyborg than being torn to pieces by that freak of a beast!
Grievous smirked and wanted to confirm Vask's choice, but the news of the beasts worried him. What could have the pirate been holding in his cells? After all, there were a few windows where there was only static. The two trandoshans dissapeared into another room, and Grievous decided to return to the Medbay as soon as possilble. He would have to jump into Hyperspace first... walking fast towards the Main Console, he analyzed the map and their position in the Galaxy. The Next Course should be Nal Hutta... the cyborg growled but pulled the lever nonetheless, plunging the ship into Hyperspace. It would take a day or two to reach the centre of Hutt Space, but he was sure the threats in the ship will be dealt with by then...