On their side of the ship, Sam, Scott, and Kix linked up with Captain Rex, Fives, and Echo. Ant-Man was back in his suit, all of them waiting tensely for Anakin and Hope to return with Koth reportedly in tow.
Suddenly, the group tensed as the sound of running echoed through the corridors.
"Here we go!" Fives called out as both Avengers dropped into ready positions.
The metallic clanking of droid footsteps came from one corridor, so they aimed their weapons primarily in that direction.
The mechanical footsteps grew louder and louder until finally, several rows of battle droids rounded the corner, their wrist blasters raised and ready.
Sam reflexively spun around, his wings spreading wide to provide cover.
The clones used Sam's metallic wings as a barrier and opened fire on the droids, taking out the first few in the front ranks.
Ant-Man leaped forward, shrinking down as he charged toward the mechanical enemies. Using the increased strength-to-mass ratio of his shrunken form, Scott launched himself into the air, bringing his knees to his chest.
Upon reaching the first super battle droid, Scott planted both feet on its oval head. The metal dented heavily inward, and the droid crashed to the ground, sparking.
Using the fallen droids as stepping stones, Scott began leaping from one to the next, destroying or disabling each with precision strikes. The chaos he sowed through the droid ranks was exploited perfectly by Sam and the clones as the Falcon retracted his wings.
All six warriors stood together and unleashed a concentrated barrage of blaster fire, destroying the remaining battle droids in a coordinated assault.
With the area temporarily secured, the clones and Avengers checked themselves over—mostly unharmed from the skirmish.
Except for Scott, who quickly expanded back to normal size and slumped against the wall, sliding down to the floor while breathing heavily.
"Scott, you okay?" Sam jogged over to him, with Kix and the other clones forming a concerned circle.
Ant-Man's helmet retracted to reveal an exhausted Scott Lang, sweat beading on his forehead.
"I-I'm fine," Scott waved them off, wiping the perspiration from his face. "Guess I shouldn't have gone charging in like that after that shock treatment, huh?"
"For crying out loud." Falcon and Kix helped him to his feet. "Let's get you back to the ship."
Hearing this, Scott shook his head and pushed them away.
"No," Scott said firmly. "I'm not leaving until Anakin and Hope get back."
He gave the clone medic a wry smile. "Don't worry about Anakin. Safe bet he'll Force-push his way back no matter what."
"Scott." Sam's voice carried more authority this time. "Look, I know you can still fight, but for how long?"
"Would you leave Cap behind?" Scott's question immediately silenced Falcon, and the former thief looked at the clones. "Or would any of you leave your brothers behind? Your general or Ahsoka?"
He was met with telling silence that made him grin weakly.
"That's what I thought," Scott said. "I'm going to be fine."
"If you say so." Sam wasn't convinced, but decided to let the matter drop for now.
"Anakin, Hope, what's your status?" Falcon spoke into his comm unit. "We're waiting for you two and Koth."
The response they received was Anakin Skywalker sounding slightly strained.
Hearing the tension, Rex quickly spoke up. "General, is everything all right?"
Led by Anakin, Hope, and the wounded Koth, the unlikely heroes were currently engaged in a fierce duel with a very determined dark side adept who was apparently recovering faster than expected.
"I'm having some trouble here," Anakin grunted, blocking a vicious vertical strike.
Hope was behind him, supporting Koth as they tried to make their way back to the rendezvous point as quickly as possible.
"Let me pass, Jedi," Chezza hissed, her eyes gleaming with manic intensity. "You are not someone I wish to kill."
"Yeah, sorry, but that's really not going to happen," Anakin quipped, pushing her back and engaging in several more quick exchanges. "See, Hope's become a friend of mine, and I'd rather see my friends live long, fulfilling lives than have them cut short by some hypocritical Dark Jedi."
Chezza simply grinned and struck Anakin's lightsaber with her own, using a powerful Force-enhanced swing. Anakin gritted his teeth and stepped back slightly—which was exactly the opening Chezza was looking for as she kicked the Jedi hard in the stomach. He stumbled to the ground, raising his lightsaber defensively, but it was too late as Chezza sprinted past him toward Hope and Koth.
"Hope!" Anakin called out to her.
She glanced back and Koth foolishly did the same, and she was about to deploy her stingers when Chezza lunged at her. However, the Mirialan suddenly seemed suspended in mid-air, struggling against an invisible force.
Hope looked past the floating dark adept and saw Anakin with his arm outstretched, using the Force to hold Chezza in place.
Taking advantage of the opportunity Anakin had given her, Hope fired an electric disc into Chezza's chest. It latched on and released a powerful shock that completely incapacitated the dark side warrior.
"Come on," Hope called to Anakin. "We need to keep moving."
Anakin's brow furrowed in confusion. "Right, yeah."
"Oh come on, Koth is suffering here," Hope shot back, jolting Anakin into realization.
"Oh, right. Sorry about that."
"It's all right," Koth said with a pained smile.
"Hang in there a little longer, Koth," Hope said as she and Anakin resumed supporting the injured Jedi Master.
"I wonder if Obi-Wan managed to capture Grievous," Anakin mused.
Currently, aboard Obi-Wan's ship, the remaining clones were still dealing with scattered groups of droids that lingered in the corridors.
Commander Cody led a small squad of troopers to help clear out Separatist forces in a nearby passage. Just as they finished eliminating the last of them, the commander's wrist comm crackled to life.
"Cody."
Hearing Kenobi's voice, he responded immediately. "Yes, sir."
"Grievous is heading your way."
At the mention of the infamous droid general, Cody heard a series of loud mechanical clanking growing closer and closer. He wasn't the only one—the rest of the clone troopers drew their blasters just in time to see Grievous round the corner into the hallway they currently occupied.
The clones unleashed a barrage of blaster fire, doing their best to hit the mechanical monster. However, it was futile as the feared Jedi killer drew four lightsabers simultaneously, igniting them and deflecting the incoming bolts with practiced ease. He quickly advanced past the clones, continuing to use his spinning sabers for defense.
After putting some distance between himself and the troopers, Grievous contacted one of his ship's B1 battle droid commanders. "Open fire on the Republic ship. Target their engines."
"But, sir, the ships are still connected—"
"That's fine. Have all our forces prepare for planetfall on Saleucami."
The order was given, and Grievous spotted the airlock breach he had created during his earlier arrival. Once he passed through there, he would be in relatively safe territory. But before he could reach his final destination, he was jerked backward.
For the briefest moment, he thought it was Kenobi using the Force to restrain him. That wasn't the case—he felt a jolt of electricity surge through parts of his cybernetic systems as he was yanked back roughly. Stumbling, the fearsome Jedi killer glanced back and saw that several clones from the 212th Attack Battalion were pulling with all their might on grappling cables that had ensnared him.
It didn't take long before one clone from the 212th broke away from the others and charged forward, diving at the droid general. Grievous roared in fury, spun away from the attacking trooper, then severed the restraining cables with his lightsaber. Freed, the Separatist commander sprinted back toward the airlock.
As he approached his destination, the Republic ship shuddered violently as his own vessel opened fire, inflicting considerable damage.
Grievous braced against the wall for support, turning to make eye contact with Kenobi in the distance. He glared at his longtime adversary, briefly tempted to continue their duel, but chose not to—he needed to evacuate the ship immediately.
Moving through the airlock, Grievous was well aware that Kenobi and his clones were giving chase, determined not to let him escape.
Halfway through the docking tube, the Republic ship shook violently again, causing everyone inside to crash to the floor. The connecting tube was still linked between vessels, and Grievous lost his footing as his ship's stabilizers were knocked offline.
As the tube tilted at a steep angle, Grievous slid downward. When he turned around, he saw Kenobi with lightsaber raised, ready to strike him down when he came within range. The cyborg general would have been finished if he hadn't ignited his own weapon to block the potentially fatal blow. Grievous quickly regained his footing and fought back against the Jedi Master before the connecting tube began shaking again. In a brief moment when Kenobi was distracted by the instability, Grievous kicked him away, then scrambled on all fours to climb aboard his own ship.
Standing on the opposite side of the docking tube, Grievous glared at the Jedi. "Until we meet again, Kenobi."
After his parting taunt, Grievous fled deeper into his ship as he searched for the nearest escape pod he could use to either jump to hyperspace or reach Saleucami's surface.