Star Wars Rebels: Time Travel

Chapter 9

(Hera pov)

"General Grievous, sir," I call, trying not to let my voice quake. Remember, this guy thinks you're on his side. Just relax and play your part. "We've exited hyperspace above Coruscant's atmosphere."

The general stalks up to me, wheezing in and out as he breathes, but in a different way from Darth Vader. "Good work, Commander. We–"

"Sir!" A young man, a human lieutenant, looks up sharply from his station. "We have incoming ships on the scanners!"

"What kind?" Grievous growls. "And how many?"

The man scans his panels and instruments, pressing buttons frantically. "Five Jedi Starfighters, sir. All directly inbound."

"No one was supposed to know of our attack," The cyborg muses angrily.

"Could be a routine patrol, sir," the lieutenant suggests warily.

"Perhaps." The General eyes the bridge window. Now I can see five tiny yellow dots in the distance, heading straight for us at very fast speeds. Their images grow distinctly larger with every passing second. "Or perhaps not."

He turns to me, coughing heavily, his cape swirling. "Destroy them. No survivors! My attack will not be hindered."

I swallow, suddenly feeling as though someone dumped a bucket of ice water over my lekku. "Sir yes sir."

I reluctantly eye the button that will activate all of the crew's comlinks aboard the Star Destroyer, hesitant to give the order to fire. My hand hovers over the button.

"Get on with it," Grevious scoffs, agitated.

My finger presses down on the button at the same time as all of the lights on the bridge turn off.

Panic immediately ensues.

"Emergency lights!" Grievous barks. "Where are those blasted Jedi Starfighters?"

"Out of range. Our scanners are being jammed!" Someone calls out.

"Sir! There's a breach in Corridor 311!" Another Separatist cries.

"Commander!" Grevious roars angrily.

"Yes sir?" I'm visibly shaking now. I'm terrified.

"Take a squadron of battle droids and investigate the breach! If it's any Republican, they are to be killed!" He shouts. "I want them to suffer!"

"Sir yes sir!" I stumble off of the darkened bridge as fast as I can, red emergency lights coming on as I scurry away.

A few minutes later, I'm holding my two blasters, accompanied by a squadron of standard battle droids, creeping down Corridor 311.

"The breach should be right around here...." The commanding battle droid reports. "My suggestion is that we–ack!"

A hooded figure tackles the droid, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Dressed in all black, he or she throws the droid into another one. Both droids collapse in a yelping heap at the front of the pack.

The figure's hand creeps into their robes and returns holding a long tube.

A beam of bright blue light extends from it.