Zelina was the first knight on the scene.

When she heard that Grievous had directly contacted the Jedi Temple, she was there in a heartbeat, standing tense by the holoprojector that was displaying Grievous' twisted, vile form. It took a great deal of effort on Zelina's part to keep the hate out of her eyes under the watchful gaze of so many Jedi Masters.

Anakin and Obi-Wan stood like sentries on either side of her, as if guarding her from herself and ready to jump in just in case she started to do or say something stupid. Whenever Grievous was involved, it was a personal matter, and they both understood that.

Zelina's eyes narrowed to slits as Grievous spoke.

"Greetings Jedi. It would seem once again one of your Order has lost his way; and even better, a leading member of your Jedi Council," Grievous sneered, lifting Master Koth higher by his head. Zelina's gaze turned to daggers, but she kept still, doing her best to keep her anger at Grievous reigned in.

Someone had to stop this monster once and for all.

"Listen to me Jedi," Grievous growled, tossing Master Koth to the floor. "I do not care about your politics! I do not care about your Republic! I only live to see you die!"

A magna guard appeared into the view of the holo, spinning its electrostaff rapidly before jabbing at Master Koth without mercy. Master Koth screamed in agony and Zelina's fingers tightened on her arms that were crossed over her chest, the nails digging in painfully. She didn't feel it though, flashes of her vision of Ur-Sema's death flashing before her eyes when Grievous impaled her master with an electrostaff and electrocuted her to death. Around her there were several younglings who gasped and looked away, and the fact that they had to see that only fueled her anger.

"But death will not come so easily for Master Koth! I will make him suffer endlessly because I know that is more painful for you all!" Grievous declared before he erupted in maniacal laughter that was unique to that monster only; a sound that was burned into Zelina's brain from when he had murdered her master.

She could feel Anakin's tension and anger—though nowhere near Zelina's anger—while Obi-Wan simply stood tense behind her, more concerned for Zelina's well-being at the moment. Despite his own roiling emotions, Anakin was also concerned for her well-being and drew instinctively closer to her.

As the message ended, whispers of monster could be heard around the room, though Zelina wasn't paying any attention to it; her eyes stayed glued to the spot that grievous had been standing not moments before, a dangerous storm of emotions swirling inside of her.

She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her arm; when she saw the hand belonged to Anakin, she relaxed, letting his presence calm her as much as was possible at the moment.

"Are you all right?" he asked her softly. Zelina noticed Obi-Wan move slightly to shield Anakin and Zelina from at least some prying eyes.

"No," she said bluntly, though there was a soft edge to her voice simply because it was Anakin. Anakin's hand shifted on her shoulder to a comforting position at the side of her arm; he obviously wanted to pull her into a hug but dared not in front of so many Jedi Masters.

"We'll talk after this meeting," he murmured quietly to her.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Away with the younglings; much there is to discuss..." Yoda said, his voice troubled. There was movement throughout the room as the younger Padawans—Ahsoka included—and the younglings and initiates all left the room, leaving the Masters and a few Knights.

Anakin was the first to express his opinion.

"It's time someone finally put an end to that monster," he said, an underlying tone of gruff, raw emotion in his voice. Grievous had hurt his friend dearly and even if it had been indirectly, Anakin hadn't forgotten, nor forgiven.

"On that, agreed we are," Yoda said with a small nod. "How to find him, the question remains."

"After engaging Grievous, we lost contact with Master Koth," Obi-Wan informed everyone. "He could be anywhere."

"Commander Wolf has found a message in the holo-transmission," Plo Koon suddenly said. "Play back the message."

Zelina grimaced, but managed to tear her eyes from Grievous and focus instead on the Jedi Master that was currently reminding her painfully of Ur-Sema.

She was immediately drawn to some peculiar movements coming from the Jedi Master, more specifically his hand.

"Look! Hand signals!" Anakin said eagerly. Obi-Wan leaned in closer to observe the movements Master Koth was making with his hand.

"I'll admit my skills are rusty, but...Saleucami System, Sector J-19. Zero, eight, zero...five...two nine."

"Saleucami? But intelligence reported Grievous has no ships near that sector!" Master Adi Gallia commented.

Zelina gestured towards the holoimage in front of them. "Apparently intelligence is wrong."

"Yes, so often inaccurate, our intelligence is," Yoda said with a nod towards Zelina. Studying the holoimage, Zelina couldn't help but notice that the cyborg was carrying Ur-Sema's lightsaber.

"I shall go," Obi-Wan said immediately.

"So will I," Anakin added, stepping forward.

"I'm going as well," she said, shooting Obi-Wan and Anakin a look that said 'try and stop me' before they could argue.

"And I," Master Adi Gallia said, standing firmly beside Anakin. Zelina stared at the image of Grievous in front of her.

Watch your back Grievous...I'm coming for you. 

************************************

"Are you ready?"

Zelina stood beside Obi-Wan onboard the bridge of one of many Republic Cruisers. Commander Cody stood on the other side of Obi-Wan, while Captain Cruiser stood on the other side of Zelina.

She had to admit that she was relieved that her friend was all right. The entire incident with the brain worms had shaken him, but he had recovered quickly and was not one hundred percent Geonosian worm free and once more himself. It was nice to have her trusted captain back at her side; he'd had a short leave to give him time to recover from the experience before he returned to active duty.

Zelina shook herself out of her musings as Anakin's voice rang clear over the communication link between the Republic Cruiser Zelina and Obi-Wan was on and the separate, smaller ship Adi Gallia and Anakin was on.

"Ready and waiting," Anakin said, replying to Obi-Wan's query.

"Zelina and I shall engage the Separatist fleet and send you the coordinates of Grievous' command ship," Obi-Wan informed them.

"Just make sure you get it right," Anakin said snidely.

"I always do," Obi-Wan replied gracefully.

"How do you plan on getting Grievous onboard your ship?" Adi Gallia inquired.

"Oh...we have our ways," Zelina said, trying her hardest to keep her voice light and free of any dark notes.

"The good General has a history with both Zelina and I," Obi-Wan said vaguely. "I'm sure he'll want to even scores face-to-face."

Zelina could practically hear Anakin's thoughts take a displeased turn at the thought of Zelina acting as a bait of sorts for Grievous. Oh well; he'd have to get over it. There was no way she was going to let Grievous slip through her fingers unscathed this time.

"Meanwhile, we'll jump in undetected and board the command ship," Anakin said, quickly changing the topic.

"If Master Koth is still alive, we will find him," Adi Gallia said softly but with a strong underlying tone of conviction.

"Hopefully, by the end of this mission we will save Master Koth, and capture General Grievous," Obi-Wan said solemnly.

Obi-Wan ended the transmission, and Zelina turned to go. However, Obi-Wan lightly grabbed her arm, keeping her from slipping away. "Can I trust you to keep a level head this time Zelina?"

Zelina met his gaze calmly, unfazed. "Yes Obi-Wan, you can. My thoughts are much clearer on the matter now."

"It's not now, but in the heat of the moment that I'm worried about," Obi-Wan said sincerely. Zelina nodded slightly.

"I understand, but I do know what I'm doing."

"Remember, we're to capture Grievous," Obi-Wan stressed. It wasn't hard for Zelina to pick up on the underlying message.

Capture, not kill.

"I know Master Kenobi," Zelina said evenly. Obi-Wan's sharp eyes appraised her for several more moments before he finally let her go and she turned away, headed to the exit of the bridge with a long meditation in mind before the upcoming battle.

Cruiser strode beside her, having been assigned as her right hand man of sorts in this mission. Every time the two were on the same mission, they were assigned together; mostly because of their high success rate and how well they worked together, but also because they all but demanded to work together, putting in requests to be paired up every time.

Cruiser and Zelina walked in silence for a few moments before Zelina smiled slightly. She could sense her captain's curiosity and reluctance to broach whatever was on his mind. "Speak your mind Cruiser; your hesitation to ask whatever it is you're wondering about is rather obvious."

Cruiser cleared his throat slightly. "Just...thinking about what General Kenobi said General."

Zelina cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Which part or parts?"

"That you have a history with General Grievous, and I'm also wondering why General Kenobi is worried about you particularly on this mission," Cruiser said, sounding confident though Zelina could still sense strong hesitation from him. "Might I ask...?"

"What happened?" Zelina asked, a dull note creeping into her tone. She was silent for a moment before she sighed. "General Grievous killed my mentor, Master Ur-Sema, during the Battle of Geonosis at the beginning of the war. He murdered her in cold blood and stole her lightsaber from her body before leaving her in the mud and grime of the catacombs far below the arena. Master Kenobi is worried that my thoughts won't be clear on the matter and that I will make this a personal revenge mission, costing us a chance to capture him and possibly my life."

Cruiser walked beside her for a few moments, processing what she had said in silence. "And are they clear? Your position on the matter...no disrespect, General," Cruiser added hastily at the end.

Zelina sighed, stopping by the door to her quarters. "Truthfully Cruiser? We'll have to see what happens whenever Grievous really do come face to face again."

**********************************

When they came out of hyperspace, the tension was so thick on the bridge Zelina couldn't have cut it with her lightsaber if she'd wanted to. Her gaze remained fixed on Grievous' ship dead ahead, standing firmly beside Obi-Wan as they hailed the cyborg general's ship.

Grievous accepted the communication, and Zelina visibly stiffened beside Obi-Wan, her expression blank as Grievous appeared on the view screen in front of them.

"General; I knew one day I'd catch up to you," Obi-Wan said as soon as the communication was stable.

"Kenobi, what a surprise; and I see you brought that Padawan filth with you too," Grievous said, his eyes flickering briefly to Zelina. She didn't like the glint that shone in his lizard-like eyes before they flicked back to Obi-Wan, dismissing her almost immediately. "I assume you are here to bring me to justice?" Grievous sneered.

"You know me too well," Obi-Wan said graciously.

"Indeed I do," Grievous rasped before suddenly cutting off the connection.

"Get ready," Zelina called out to the numerous operators surrounding them. "A cut call from Grievous is usually quickly followed by lots of immediate heavy fire."

As if to confirm her words, Grievous' ships almost immediately erupted into heavy fire on their ships. She watched as the fighters were deployed, frowning slightly as her eyes darted across the viewport to follow the movements of the battle. She was so used to being out there in the thick of battle, but if she wanted to confront Grievous she had to tolerate the bridge a little longer.

"Well we certainly have his attention," Obi-Wan quipped before contacting Admiral Yularen on his com link. "Admiral Yularen; keep Grievous' fleet occupied so Anakin's arrival is undetected."

"Yes General," came Yularen's curt reply. Moments later, the Republic ships opened up their own fire. Zelina fingered her lightsaber, shifting from foot to foot while Obi-Wan watched her closely. She was not oblivious to the fact that her good friend was keeping a careful watch over her.

"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked her.

"Just ready for some action Master Kenobi," she said lightly, eyes stilled glued to the heavy fire in front of her.

"I'll bet," Obi-Wan said skeptically.

Nor was she oblivious to the fact that he understood just how she felt.

"Commander Cody; do you have the exact coordinates of the command ship yet?" Obi-Wan asked, turning away from Zelina for a moment. Cody looked down to check the progress.

"We're patching them through now, sir."

Obi-Wan nodded, and Zelina watched anxiously, eyes scanning the firefight and numerous dogfights outside in search of Anakin's arrival.

Knowing he was close by would help to sooth her nerves.

It didn't take long for the ship to suddenly lurch. Obi-Wan was thrown off balance and sent to his knees, Cruiser tumbled to the floor flat on his back, and Cody and Zelina managed to brace themselves against two chairs in front of them.

"Tractor beam!" Zelina declared, eyes flashing murderously towards Grievous' command ship. It was time for that confrontation.

"Should we fire on the source?" Cody asked Obi-Wan.

"N-no Cody!" Obi-Wan said, pushing himself back up and dusting himself off. "Let them think they have us; we need a diversion for Anakin," Obi-Wan informed him.

"And I wouldn't mind a boarding from the Good General myself," Zelina murmured. Only Cruiser seemed to hear, seeing as she was helping her captain back to his feet.

Her lightsaber was already in her hand.

*******************************************

"Remember, we need to keep General Grievous on this ship until General Skywalker is clear."

Zelina listened half-heartedly to Obi-Wan's repeat of orders to Cody and the others as they made their way down the halls to the point Grievous would board, fully aware that the reminder was partially aimed at her.

Capture not kill, I know Obi-Wan, I got it, she thought. But no promises. If it comes down to him or me, or him or you, he's going.

The men all took their positions, flanking Obi-Wan and Zelina while the others stood at tactical positions all the way down the corridor. Cruiser had gone elsewhere to help keep Grievous' forces from overwhelming the ship, and Zelina couldn't help but worry about her trusted Captain. Now wasn't the time for worrying though. Obi-Wan stood with his arms crossed over his chest while Zelina stood tense and at the ready, lightsaber in hand.

"Clear your mind; calm yourself," Obi-Wan murmured to her. "You'll need to be balanced for this fight."

"I know Obi-Wan," she said automatically.

"Do you?"

She didn't get the chance to respond.

Grievous' forces took no time in penetrating the ship, and Zelina and Obi-Wan had to duck to avoid the large chunk of their ship that suddenly went flying down the corridor.

The next moment saw seven droid commandoes or so pour through the hole, blasters blazing. Immediately the blaster fire rang through the hall with fire from both sides. Zelina and Obi-Wan both activated their lightsabers, stepping forward to engage the commandoes before they could do too much damage to their forces.

Behind them, Zelina saw MagnaGuards arrive. And she just knew by the way the hairs stood on the back of her neck that Grievous was just behind them.

The commandoes were down, but now there were the MagnaGuards, one for each Zelina and Obi-Wan who stood side to side, backing up wearily and not taking their eyes off of the guards' electrostaffs.

Zelina especially.

"Kenobi; child," Grievous sneered derisively.

Zelina grit her teeth but ignored them; Obi-Wan and Zelina already had a plan, and that was to lead him back to the bridge.

Though truthfully, she would rather deal with these MagnaGuards Grievous was hiding behind now and engage Grievous head on. She didn't want to find herself without Obi-Wan's support though, and they were supposed to drag this out as long as possible.

She heard a familiar snap-hiss sound and glanced back to see Grievous walking forward with his lightsabers ignited.

Or rather, the stolen lightsabers.

One of them Ur-Sema's.

Zelina clamped down on the growl that threatened to rip out of her throat at the sight. Instead, she continued to back up with Obi-Wan to the platform in the bridge, drawing Grievous into the room

"So Kenobi; is everything going as planned?" Grievous jeered. "If you are depending on a pathetic child for support, you must be truly desperate."

"That depends on your point of view General," Obi-Wan said forcefully. His wit was Zelina's signal to finally jump into action, and she launched herself at the MagnaGuard that was stalking her, engaging it viciously in a lightsaber attack that was probably a little too aggressive. She kept its electrostaff at bay before she suddenly felt the strong impression to duck and roll to Obi-Wan's side. She followed the prompting immediately, coming up to find herself in the perfect position to shove her lightsaber through the neck of the MagnaGuard that had been stalking Obi-Wan, giving her the perfect chance to decapitate it. Behind her, Obi-Wan had twisted to do the same to the MagnaGuard that had been tailing her.

With the MagnaGuards fallen, they could finally turn their attention to Grievous. Obi-Wan stood at the ready beside a tense Zelina as Grievous slowly approached them, his tone low and threatening.

"You wouldn't come here without a plan, and considering your company you might as well have come alone. Tell me; do you think Skywalker has rescued Master Koth yet?"

A spike of fear pierced Zelina's heart. Anakin! How did he know?

She didn't get long to dwell on her fear for her friend's safety, because Grievous descended on them quickly; one arm swinging towards Obi-Wan while the other lashed out at Zelina. They both moved on the offensive, blocking Grievous' first advance successfully. Zelina couldn't help but feel a trill of vengeful excitement at finally being able to confront Ur-Sema's murderer.

They both managed to hold their ground against the General, four lightsabers a blur of motion in on the bridge as Grievous worked for the advantage. He found an opening when Zelina made a step that accidentally left Obi-Wan's right unprotected, and Grievous took the opportunity to step between them, separating their efforts. He suddenly lashed out, nailing them both simultaneously with a metal elbow in the chest and sending them flying into different walls. Obi-Wan was the first to recover, though Zelina had hit her head rather hard and was dazed.

"Bah! Your plans have come to ruination Jedi!" Grievous sneered at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was quick to engage Grievous on his own as Zelina dragged herself back to her feet, feeling the back of her head to make sure that there wasn't any blood. She was surprised she wasn't considering how dazed she was; perhaps the blow had given her a concussion...

"I hear a lot of talking, General, but in the final accounting, what does all the talk get you? A futile quest for power? A mutilated body? Your place is Dooku's errand boy!"

"I'm no errand boy! I am not in this war for Dooku's politics. I am the leader of the most powerful droid army the Galaxy has ever seen!" Grievous barked, coming down on Obi-Wan with both lightsabers.

"An army with no loyalty, no spirit, just programming! What have you to show from all your power? What have you to gain?" Obi-Wan asked through grit teeth. Zelina had the feeling that something bad was about to happen and she shook her head in an attempt to dispel the dizziness that had her staggering, reaching out to the Force for further stability.

"The future," Grievous replied simply. As he spoke, he retrieved two more lightsabers, activating two more arms. "A future where there are no Jedi!"

Obi-Wan was already locked with two of Grievous' lightsabers.

He couldn't defend himself from the other two.

Zelina grabbed an electrostaff off of the floor, lunging at Grievous as the other two arms came down on Obi-Wan. One lightsaber she caught on the electrostaff, the other she caught on her lightsaber. However, she did not like how open she was to a deadly attack, extending herself to halt the progress of a lightsaber on the opposite side of where she stood with three more between' she was running the risk of getting sliced clean in two by Grievous' lightsabers.

Grievous' head whipped around to her. "Ah, finally, a challenge; now it's the child, and Kenobi," he sneered. Zelina was forced to disengage as Grievous broke away from Obi-Wan's blade, freeing the other two lightsabers to swing at Zelina. She backed away immediately with Obi-Wan; they needed a new angle now that there were four arms to the General.

Obi-Wan summoned the other electrostaff to his hand and they both charged Grievous, engaging in a deadly dance that involved not only avoiding Grievous' four blades, but staying out of the path of each other's blades as well. She was too focused on her own actions to worry much about what Obi-Wan was doing; the slightest misstep would mean the death of her.

That was why she didn't notice when Grievous demolished the electrostaff in Obi-Wan's hands.

It was also why she almost missed it when Obi-Wan tried to flip over Grievous and took a hard kick to the back, the force of the blow causing him to hit the wall hard and crumple to the floor unmoving.

"The story of Obi-Wan Kenobi ends here," Grievous growled, turning his full attention to the fallen Obi-Wan. Zelina felt fear rush through her for a few moments stumbling back from a heavy blow to the stomach by Grievous' forearm. She couldn't allow herself to dwell on the injury for long. She wasn't going to stand by and let Grievous kill Obi-Wan!

All four of Grievous' lightsaber's swung downwards in a deadly arch towards Obi-Wan, but Zelina flung herself forward, placing herself between Grievous and the lightsabers with her violet blade raised high to stop the four incoming blades. The impact sent her to one knee, but she managed to hold, releasing a cry of pain when one of Grievous' lightsabers went down the length of her arm, barely missing Obi-Wan behind her.

Grievous' lizard-like eyes narrowed at her spitefully.

"You again child? Do I need to teach you the same lesson I taught your dear Master? The lesson in pain you seem to have missed?"

Zelina grit her teeth and stared straight into Ur-Sema's murderer's eyes, pushing herself back up into a standing position. "Not him; not today. I personally will make sure you don't ever last a metal finger on someone I know Grievous," Zelina growled determinedly at him.

Grievous laughed at her, backing up slightly as he prepared to engage her again.

"How does it feel to be injured by the weapon of your fallen Master, child?" Grievous sneered. Zelina glanced at the weapon's in Grievous' hands; it was indeed true that the blade that had got past her defenses was Ur-Sema's blade. She refused to be baited though. She stood at the ready, lightsaber held firmly in both hands while the electrostaff lay forgotten off to her left.

"Your friends shall die child; and you will follow!" Grievous sneered at her as he suddenly attacked her with lightning speed. She moved desperately to hold off all four lightsabers, but she wasn't having much luck.

However, the taunt about Anakin dying...sparked a reaction in her. Zelina glared at Grievous in determined fury, putting a powerful Force Push behind her next lightsaber attack. The general only slid back a few steps, his metal claws of feet digging into the steel floor.

Instead of waiting to attack, however, Zelina lunged forward, aiming at a specific arm in particular.

She gave a loud war cry laced with pain and anger, her lightsaber falling in a deadly arch as she flipped over Grievous' right shoulder and slashed downward. Her action was followed by an enraged shriek from Grievous and the sound of something heavy and metal dropping to the floor of the ship.

Concentrating, Zelina called on the Force to summon the fallen limb to her before prying her Master's lightsaber from the metal claws. "You do not deserve this," Zelina hissed, activating the green blade so that now she wielded two lightsabers. Grievous lunged at Zelina with a murderous cry, but they had both forgotten about the third person in the room.

Obi-Wan.

No longer down, he used the body of a MagnaGuard to pummel Grievous into the wall, getting to his feet in a heartbeat and pointing his lightsaber at the downed general.

"Surrender General!"

"Never!" Grievous screeched. He launched himself forward, knocking Obi-Wan and Zelina to the ground as he sailed over their heads, landing on all six limbs and scuttling out the door like some possessed arachnid.

"After him!" Zelina cried out.

"Be careful, he has the other electrostaff!" Obi-Wan warned as they both rushed towards the door in pursuit of the General. It shut in their face, curtsy of Grievous, and they both cut into the door with their lightsabers, slowly carving a hole they could get through. Obi-Wan activated his com link.

"Anakin, I hope you've rescued Master Koth, because Grievous is headed back to his ship!"

"Not if we can help it," Zelina growled, teeth grit as she used both lightsabers to speed up the progress. They were through in moments, but it was all the head start that Grievous needed. Frantically they started to sprint forward, making their way back to where Obi-Wan had entered a little too slow for Zelina's taste.

It didn't help Obi-Wan slowed down at one point to address two troopers they ran into as they navigated the halls.

"Get back to the bridge; we need to detach before Grievous jumps ship!" he commanded. Zelina didn't pause, but kept running. Grievous was not going to get away this time!

Obi-Wan raced to catch up with her, activating his com link again. "Cody, come in! Grievous is headed your way," he warned his commander. Zelina picked up her pace, both lightsabers activated and ready to confront the murderer.

The ship lurched, setting them both off balance halfway down one of the halls.

When she looked up, Grievous was just a few meters from them. She made eye contact with the monster for a few seconds before they both launched into action, racing after the general with a speed she knew she had hardly ever reached before; even Obi-Wan was hard pressed to keep up.

She raced down the hall that had connected to their Republic Cruiser, eyes fixated firmly on Grievous as she continued to gain ground. She deactivated her lightsaber, clipping it firmly to her belt so that she had one hand free to grab onto anything she needed to.

Suddenly the lights flickered and the hall tipped down.

Just what Zelina needed.

Grievous lost his footing, sliding quickly down towards Zelina, who had grabbed onto the wall beside her when she felt the shift below her. Green blade activated, she tried to get a hit at Grievous before he slid out of reach. He flipped around, blocking the blade with the electrostaff he still held tight in his hand. As Zelina disengaged and tried to get a hit at him time and time again, the General cackled madly.

"Now, why is this familiar?" he asked, his features cast in a creepy light since the hall was now running off of red emergency lights.

Zelina tried not to think of the answer to his question as the hall tipped even lower. She lost her footing for a moment, and she paid dearly for it.

Grievous lifted the electrostaff high in the air. "Feel your Master's agony!"

The next moment she screamed in agony as the electrostaff made a dangerous stab at her abdomen. She felt it's sharp tip pierce skin, but luckily it didn't impale her; she was just far enough out of the General's reach for that.

Still, it hurt like no other, and Zelina felt her throat go raw from her scream of pain. Distantly, she heard Obi-Wan shout her name and felt Anakin's presence suddenly reach out for her, full of fear. She was in too much pain to care though as darkness gathered at the edge of her vision.

She had the slight impression of falling before she lost consciousness.

***********************************************

Obi-Wan had only been so scared a few times in his life.

When he had found himself unable to keep up with Zelina, it had been the beginning of his fear. The girl was going to get herself into a situation and he was going to be unable to catch up to help her. The next moment had been when she recklessly engaged Grievous alone, despite the discovery they already had that it was hard enough to take him on together. Finally, it had been her scream of agony as Grievous electrocuted her mercilessly with the electrostaff he wielded. He saw it with his own eyes, but was unable to climb up the tilting hall to help her.

When she fell, his fear reached that height it had rarely reached in all his life. Stretching out with the Force, he caught the unconscious girl in midair, her lightsaber falling behind him. Glancing back, he saw one of the clones grab it before he turned his attention forward again to where Grievous had reached the end of the connecting hall.

"Until we meet again, Kenobi," Grievous sneered before turning around.

Obi-Wan was surprised when the general met resistance, his lightsaber springing to life to block the lightsaber of Adi Gallia. With a small sigh of relief, Obi-Wan focused on bringing Zelina's unconscious form to his side, silently praying to the Force that she was all right.

Suddenly the hall broke away completely from the Cruiser, and Obi-Wan lost his grip on the wall, finding himself falling through open space, Zelina precariously held to his side.

No! his mind was screaming at him.

Suddenly, there was a strong grip on his arm as he was yanked to a halt, and he barely managed to maintain his hold on Zelina. Looking up, he saw that Commander Cody had grabbed him before he could fall into the vacuum of space. Sighing in slight relief, Obi-Wan shifted Zelina closer to him, trying his hardest to keep a hold on her.

Hopefully Cody could hold them both.

Suddenly, a grappling hook whizzed by him, and Obi-Wan quickly got the hint, grabbing onto it without a second thought. Cody and one other trooper did the same, and Master Adi Gallia up ahead started to pull them up to safety. Obi-Wan kept his tight hold on the unconscious girl in his arms, refusing to let her slip out of his grasp.

She was going to make it through this mission.

Once they safely made it to the top of the hall and onboard Grievous' ship, Adi Gallia hit the button for the door, stopping the pull of the vacuum. Obi-Wan shifted Zelina better in his arms, picking her up completely as he met Adi Gallia's gaze, panting.

"Hurry, you might still be able to catch him!" Obi-Wan said firmly. The monster couldn't get away, not now.

"Obi-Wan, Anakin's leaving," Adi Gallia informed him. "We'll be trapped on this ship."

Obi-Wan's shoulders drooped visibly before he reached over blindly and tapped on his com link. "Anakin, come in," Obi-Wan said softly. "We're in a bit of a spot and we need a way off of Grievous' ship."

Anakin's voice was strained as he answered. "There's a large hanger near your position; make your way there and I'll pick you up."

He must have sensed Zelina's pain, Obi-Wan realized. Unfortunately, he would have to wait until later to fill him in.

*******************************************

Anakin was forced to hold his fear and worries in as he piloted the group to safety. They were cutting it close with the ships blowing up all around them, but he couldn't get his mind off of Zelina.

He had felt the intense pain she had been in and heard General Grievous' words echo in his mind.

"Feel your Master's pain!"

All he wanted was to know that she was all right.

Unfortunately, he was made to wait. No one came into the cockpit until he was a safe distance away from the ship. The doors opened behind him, and his head immediately swiveled around to face Obi-Wan.

He was holding an unconscious and limp Zelina tightly in his arms.

"Anakin, get me Admiral Yularen," Obi-Wan said tiredly.

"What happened to her?" Anakin asked immediately.

"Grievous," Obi-Wan said shortly. "An electrostaff; she's going to need medical treatment."

"General," said a clone behind Obi-Wan. The man handed him a cylindrical object, which Obi-Wan took with a nod of gratitude.

Zelina's lightsaber.

"Obi-Wan—" Anakin started, but Obi-Wan shook his head and cut him off.

"Admiral Yularen Anakin; you can worry about Zelina when we get back on the ship. You can stay by her bedside if you wish, but right now I need Yularen."

Anakin grit his teeth but did as Obi-Wan asked, fuming silently in his seat while Admiral Yularen and Obi-Wan discussed a pursuit of Grievous. Anakin was going to stay and keep an eye on the space battle while Obi-Wan followed Grievous to the surface. As soon as the conversation was over, Obi-Wan leaned forward, putting a hand on Anakin's shoulder; Zelina was nestled safely in Obi-Wan's lap.

"I'm worried about her too Anakin, but we can't forget what we're trying to do here, and I would like to catch Grievous for this," Obi-Wan said softly.

That caused Anakin to relax a little and he nodded curtly.

"Keep me updated on how she's doing while I'm on the planet's surface. I'm worried about her," Obi-Wan murmured.

"I will," Anakin said shortly. He pressed the speed to get to the Cruiser, his heart pounding.

Please be okay Zelina, please.