//------------------------------// // Visitors // Story: Friendship is Grievous // by Snake Staff //------------------------------// The Republic fleet soared through hyperspace in a tight v-formation, the Victory-class destroyer taking point, Venator-class ships flanking it on both sides. It was an aggressive formation, ready to start firing almost as soon as it reverted out of hypserspace. Thanks to Master Kenobi’s positioning of the jump point near the borders of the Unknown Regions, the fleet burst back into realspace to find a system completely devoid of opposition, or, for that matter, any other spacecraft at all. “Commence your approach vectors,” ordered Admiral Tarkin from the bridge of his Victory-class flagship, Liberator. “Converge on the location of the Jedi homing beacon and begin immediate scanning. Let us put General Kenobi’s theory to the test.” With that, Tarkin folded his hands behind his back and stared out into the void as the fleet around him moved to execute his orders. Formation shifted, putting two Venator’s ahead of the Liberator, two behind. The lighter, faster cruisers sped ahead of the formation to ensure no surprises awaited the fleet on the way to its destination. The target area was a large, barren moon orbiting what looked to be a pleasant world of forests and oceans. Tarkin didn’t buy the peaceful facade for a moment. His homeworld, Eriadu, had once been comparably lush, and in undeveloped areas it still was. It was also red in tooth and claw, its jungles ready to devour any who entered unprepared. “Well, so far so good,” commented the holographic figure of General Kenobi. “At least the Separatists haven’t beaten us here.” “What makes you think they have not, Master Kenobi? They might well have already seized the general and left the system – assuming he was ever here in the first place.” Obi Wan shook his head. “No, he’s here. I can sense it.” “Well then, let us hope we are able to locate him soon.” “Indeed.” “He’s no good, Twily,” Shining Armor declared from his seat around one of his sister’s many tables, where the two were drinking cocoa and discussing her alien houseguest. “I don’t think you should be letting him stay here. He’s dangerous and volatile.” Twilight had asked for her brother’s presence in hopes that at the very least their shared military careers would serve to arouse General Grievous’ interest in their world. That, like most everything else she had tried to get anything but gruff irritation out the cyborg, had not worked out. Grievous had at first been slightly more talkative with Shining than he had with herself and her own friends, and for a while Twilight had dared to hope that she was finally making progress. And then Grievous had promptly declared Shining Armor a rank amateur in the arts of war. Though her brother was both the highest-ranking member of the Royal Guard and a veteran of several of Equestria’s rare battles, Grievous seemed to think that because he had been defeated by Chrysalis once he knew nothing of war. Going further, he had declared that Equestria was so poorly defended that it could be taken by “three men with a butter knife and a bad attitude”. The ensuing verbal spar between the outraged unicorn and cyborg general had culminated with Grievous bodily hurling the Prince of the Crystal Empire from the room where he had taken up residence. “He resorts to violence to settle a dispute very quickly, and from what your letters said he doesn’t hesitate to kill, either,” Shining shook his head. “He’s too dangerous. I think he should be locked up before he can hurt anypony. Heck, I could already write him up on assault charges. He definitely shouldn’t be staying in your unguarded castle. And speaking of which-” “No, Shiny,” Twilight shook her head. “For the hundredth time, I am not taking on a guard contingent in this castle. Ponyville is a peaceful town, and I don’t need any distance between me and my friends.” “With him around, I wouldn’t say it was so safe,” her brother argued. “The only time he ever killed was in self-defense,” she countered. He snorted. “And according to your own letters, he almost strangled one of your friends over an insult until you forced him to let go.” “I didn’t force him…” Shining raised an eyebrow. “You think he would have left go on his own?” Twilight hesitated. “…Yes?” Her brother’s eyes pierced her own. “…Maybe?” she offered. “Uh huh,” he said skeptically. “I can’t order you around, but tell me, why are you defending him? You know as well as I do that he can’t be trusted.” “He’s an alien from an alien culture and we can’t just automatically dub him evil for following his own customs!” “Nice story, sis. Now give me the real reason.” “…Princess Celestia trusted me with him, alright! She wanted me to assess his character and try and show him the magic of friendship!” she shook her head. “But I just don’t know how. He’s angry and reclusive and lashes out whenever he’s annoyed, which is all the time!” “Well then-” “And there’s more! He represents an unparalleled opportunity for Equestria, one that we may never see again! His technology is amazing, beyond anything we have on this planet! He comes from a state that’s not made of part of a planet, or even a whole planet, but tens of thousands of star systems, all joined under one umbrella! Can you imagine that, Shining?” Twilight asked, her eyes aglow with passion. “News worlds! Peoples! Technologies! Magicks! Think of the opportunity if we could reach out to them to them all! Imagine Equestria joining this galactic community, taking our first steps into the stars! If we could befriend him, I know he could help us!” “I also heard he’s leading a bloody war,” the white unicorn replied, deflating his sister slightly. “And that he has every intention of going right back to the Clone Wars as soon as he can. Do you think we should get involved in that?” “We could stay neutral!” Twilight protested. “We don’t need to fight in a war to join the galactic community!” “After harboring the Supreme Commander of one of the warring sides on our planet?” Shining appeared skeptical. “I don’t think so. That’d almost certainly be taken for an act of support for one side, which could make us the target for the other. It’s happened on this world, so why not on a larger scale? If we ever let him get back to the moon, mark my words, he’ll be calling down devastation on our heads.” “Wait,” Twilight’s ears folded back. She cast a spell to prevent eavesdropping. “The moon? You know?” “Of course I know, Twily! It’s my business to know! Princess Celestia informed Cadence and I all about it some time ago,” he shook his head. “I think she’s doing the right thing keeping him here. But I don’t think he should just be hunkering down in my little sister’s castle. A house arrest would be better. A gilded cage, if you will.” “We’re not going to imprison him without cause!” “Animal cruelty, destruction of property, assault, abuse of soldiers under his command…” Shining retorted. “Need I go on?” Twilight sighed. “We can’t just stick him in a cell over such things. What if his friends arrive for him and take offense?” Shining Armor bit his lip, looking a bit uncertain at the prospect. Eventually, he sighed. “I just don’t know, Twily. But I’m worried for your safety as long as he’s around,” he looked at her as he once had when she was a filly. “Call it big brother instinct.” Twilight softened a bit. “I know. I care about you too, you know?” The two siblings embraced for a few seconds, hooves wrapped tightly around one another before coming apart again. “I can keep Grievous in check,” Twilight said confidently. “I hope you’re right, Twily. I really hope you’re right.” A clone officer saluted Tarkin sharply. “Preliminary scans are in, Admiral!” “And what have you found?” Tarkin asked. “Sir, the Fateful has been located on a crash site on the planet’s moon. Scans suggest that General Ceidia’s body is still on board, but there’s no sign of any kind of life-form or clanker left aboard the ship.” “Go on,” said the hologram of General Kenobi, stroking his beard. At a nod from Tarkin, the clone continued. “Reports indicate that several escape pods detached from the ship. Homing signals for the pods are coming from the planet below.” “I see,” said Tarkin. “Begin moving the fleet into orbit above these signals and do a full scan. Locate any survivors or pods. And prepare all ground troops for a surface attack.” “Right away sir!” the clone officer saluted, before turning his back and striding off to implement the new directive.” “A surface attack?” Obi Wan looked skeptical. “You really think that a full invasion will be necessary?” “General Kenobi, if Grievous is down there, we not permit him to escape. No matter the cost.” “I see your point.” Slowly, the vast bulk of the Liberator and its fellows came about, circling around the moon to get into a better position for their scans. It would not be long now. “I think we’ve got something, sir,” came the sound of a clone’s voice on the bridge of the Peacemaker. Obi Wan Kenobi walked over to where the officer was sitting and looked down at his console. “Yes, Lieutenant Stal? What is it?” “We’ve traced the escape pods’ homing beacons to a small forested area on the surface,” Stal said, indicating a number of glowing points on the newly-made map. “I see,” Obi Wan ran his hand through his beard again, as was his habit while deep in thought. “Please go on.” “Yes sir!” he saluted. “We’re also picking up readings consistent with a small number of clankers in a nearby area,” he zoomed the map out to show what appeared to be some kind of moderately-sized village by the forest’s edge. “Along with several hundred life-forms.” “Interesting,” Kenobi replied. “It appears that this planet harbors a sapient species of some kind. Do we have a visual?” Stal nodded and pressed a few buttons. The holographic table near the center of the bridge generated a 3-D image of some of kind of alien that Kenobi had never seen before. Observing it, the creature was equine in shape, but with a head and eyes that looked far too large for its body, and much smaller muzzle than was found on comparable species throughout the galaxy. The hologram of Admiral Tarkin was also studying the image, though what he thought of it was not evident from his neutral expression. “Do you suppose Grievous to be occupying this settlement?” Tarkin asked with an aside glance. “Patterns aren’t consistent with that, sir,” Stal answered. “The clankers look to be clustered in one place, not on known patrol or garrison patterns. More like they’re guarding something – or someone.” “Then these creatures have invited our enemy into their midst,” the admiral said, expression darkening. “It would appear that way,” Obi Wan replied. “I see,” Tarkin put a hand to his chin and looked thoughtful. “In that case, I recommend we begin an immediate full-scale ground assault on the area. Surround the entire village, then move in to take Grievous by storm.” “Now hold on,” Obi Wan cautioned. “A full-scale attack on such a backwards village could result in hundreds of civilian casualties, especially if Grievous has them convinced to fight us.” Admiral Tarkin gave the Jedi General a querying glance, as if to say “So what?”. “These newcomers are not our enemies,” he continued. “And we must treat them as we would any other neutral people caught up in the Separatists’ grip.” “General Kenobi, these little creatures have welcomed into their community one of the Republic’s chiefest and fiercest enemies. That should be more than enough to determine whose side they are on.” “They don’t know who he is, what he’s capable of,” Kenobi retorted. “Out here, with such low technology, how could they? All they know about the war is whatever lie Grievous told them when he arrived.” “Well then, if you are so concerned with the welfare of these aliens, tell me what you propose to do,” Tarkin said. “Because we cannot simply leave General Grievous sitting where he is now.” “Of course not,” Obi Wan replied, shaking his head. “I want to go down and negotiate with their leaders. If we can sure the natives’ cooperation in apprehending Grievous, the operation will be much easier – and far less bloody – than if they fight us.” “You believe you can simply march into a Separatist-occupied township and speak to its leadership?” Tarkin’s expression was incredulous. “No.” Kenobi pressed a few buttons, and image on the holographic display table changed from a model of the alien species to an image of a mountain with an elaborate-looking city built onto its side. “This is where we will find their leaders,” he declared confidently. Tarkin looked dubious. “And how can you be sure of that?” Kenobi smiled knowingly. “I can sense it.” “I see…” muttered the admiral. “In any case, how do you plan to communicate with these creatures? If their language has evolved in complete isolation from galactic norms, it is doubtful that you will be able to understand a single word that comes out of their lips.” “Grievous must have found a way to communicate with them,” the Jedi reasoned. “I don’t think I should have much trouble in doing the same. And I’ll bring a protocol droid.” “I have my reservations as to the feasibility of this plan, General Kenobi. It seems to me as though far too much relies on chance and the cooperation of a species we know nothing about. All simply to avoid a paltry amount of casualties?” “All innocent life must be defended,” Obi Wan declared adamantly. “May I remind you that that is a founding principle of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, Admiral?” “Indeed, General Kenobi. Indeed.” Before the conversation could go any further, an alarmed clone officer looked up from his console. “Sirs!” he said, “Scanners are picking up an artificial object in space off the starboard bow!” “Visuals,” ordered Kenobi. The map of the city faded away, to be replaced by an image Obi Wan found all too familiar. “A Separatist reconnaissance probe,” he muttered. “All ships,” Tarkin ordered. “Target that device and open fire!” Brief flashes of turbolaser fire lashed out from the Republic fleet, lancing out into space to blow the drone into space dust within seconds. Still, the mood inside the ships had changed, and not for the better. “It appears, General Kenobi,” said Admiral Tarkin after the scanners registered clean of further enemy scouts. “That we may expect company soon.” “Then I had better hurry, hadn’t I?” Tarkin’s expression was dark. “Yes, General. You had better hurry.”