Saleucami.
An Outer Rim world that few people had even mentioned before the war reached this remote planet.
General Grievous had lured the Republic forces here after capturing the late Eeth Koth and Avengers Scott and Hope.
Here they had been hunted down, and a fierce battle had ensued, culminating in Anakin, Sam, Rex, and Domino Squad infiltrating Grievous's flagship to rescue their captured comrades.
Unfortunately, despite their initial success, the deranged Asajj Ventress had murdered Koth, snatching victory away from the Republic forces.
Now, following that tragic loss, both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Sam Wilson were determined to capture the Separatists' mechanical general and bring him to justice. While they would also relish the opportunity to see Ventress imprisoned, Grievous was currently their primary target.
On the planet's surface, Grievous found himself surrounded by his contingent of B1 battle droids.
"We must locate a means of escape from this planet before they track us down," the cyborg general commanded. He then looked skyward and observed a Republic cruiser passing overhead. "Kenobi... we need to move quickly and find that surviving escape pod."
Their cruiser had landed several kilometers away from Grievous's position, extending its ramp to deploy numerous smaller Republic vehicles. Clone troopers poured out and began organizing their equipment while the command staff prepared to search for the Separatist leadership.
Multiple AT-RT walkers, AT-TE heavy assault vehicles, and speeder bikes were deployed across the landing zone.
"Rather than dispersing our forces to search for all possible escape pods, we should head directly for the main wreckage of their transport," Kenobi strategized.
"Understood, General," Rex acknowledged.
"Cody, spread the men out in a search pattern," Kenobi instructed, turning to his second-in-command.
"Yes, sir."
Sam adjusted his wingpack as the troops began their advance. "If you don't mind, I'll conduct some aerial reconnaissance on my own."
"Of course," Kenobi gestured forward, and Sam sprinted ahead before extending his arms and deploying his mechanical wings from his flight suit.
Sam launched into the air, soaring over the advancing troops while releasing Redwing to conduct additional surveillance.
Several of the clone troopers looked up at him with a mixture of admiration and envy.
While they possessed jetpacks for short-range flight, there was something undeniably impressive about having actual wings. Even though they were mechanical, the sight was genuinely inspiring.
"I wouldn't mind having wings like that," Rex commented appreciatively.
Kenobi simply gave the clone captain an amused glance as he and the other troopers began traversing the planet in search of the fugitive droid general.
Speaking of fugitive generals...
The battle droids had scavenged their crashed escape pod for any useful supplies, while General Grievous contemplated their next course of action.
"Establish contact with the fleet," Grievous barked at a droid operating from within their damaged escape craft.
"Sir, our primary transmitter array is destroyed," a B1 droid reported. "Only one escape pod from the initial landing survived intact."
"Then we must reach it immediately. Let's hope its communication systems remain functional," Grievous declared before issuing new orders. "Now locate suitable transportation for our group."
During this time, the Republic forces continued their methodical advance across Saleucami's terrain.
Positioned atop one of the AT-TE walkers, Kenobi stood surveying the landscape through his macrobinoculars.
Periodically he heard the sound of repulsors overhead and looked up to see Sam conducting aerial patrols.
"Sam, have you spotted anything significant from up there?" Obi-Wan asked through their comm channel.
High above, Sam hovered momentarily while waiting for Redwing to return from its reconnaissance sweep.
The small bird-shaped drone flew back to its operator and docked itself on the wingpack's charging port.
"Nothing substantial on my end," Sam reported. "Located one escape pod that's been disabled and destroyed. Much of the surrounding terrain shows impact damage. That pod definitely had a hard landing."
The Jedi Master hummed thoughtfully to himself.
"General Kenobi!"
Obi-Wan looked down from his AT-TE position to see Captain Rex approaching on a speeder bike.
"Sir, the cruiser has returned to orbital position," Rex reported. "Any indication of Grievous's location?"
The Jedi Master frowned and returned to studying the terrain through his scope until...
"I believe we've located his primary crash site," Kenobi announced. "Sam?"
"Copy that, I see it too."
Meanwhile...
Riding atop one of the planet's native fauna, Grievous was forced to endure the constant complaints from many of the droids accompanying him on foot. It was becoming extremely irritating.
"Power levels critically low."
"Requiring immediate shutdown sequence."
"Cannot continue much longer."
"Sir, we desperately need to recharge our systems."
"Cease this incessant whining! How are your power cells depleting so rapidly?" Grievous demanded in an exasperated tone.
"You refuse to allow us to ride on this creature with you, sir."
The B1 droid was silenced by a swift swing of Grievous's lightsaber, which instantly bisected the complaining unit.
"Anyone else have grievances to voice?" the general threatened menacingly.
The remaining droids immediately stopped their complaints, as none of them wished to risk destruction.
"That's what I expected," he said, deactivating his weapon. "Now let's locate that escape pod."
The droids continued their trek alongside their increasingly irritated general.
Meanwhile, Republic forces had arrived at Grievous's crashed transport, searching through the wreckage for anything useful.
Clone troopers either lifted sections of the damaged ship or sifted through the debris field, discovering nothing but deactivated droids scattered throughout the impact area.
Aboard the vessel, Cody, Rex, Obi-Wan, and Sam conducted their own detailed investigation.
"The engine housing is still radiating heat," Cody announced from the section he was examining. "This crash couldn't have occurred very long ago."
"The crew compartment has sustained almost complete structural failure," Rex reported, approaching the Jedi Master.
"We'll divide into search teams. Rex, take Jesse, Hardcase, and Kix and investigate those wetlands to the south," Obi-Wan ordered.
"Yes, sir," Rex acknowledged, looking back at Jesse and gesturing toward several nearby speeder bikes.
"Cody, you, Sam, and I will search northward from this position. Rex, if you encounter Grievous, do not engage without backup—contact us immediately," Kenobi added, and Rex simply nodded his understanding.
"Rex is a prudent commander," Kenobi observed. "But let's not forget who his general is."
"Hey, we Avengers are pretty reckless ourselves, you know," Sam pointed out. "And you're hardly a model of caution yourself, Obi-Wan."
Kenobi gave him a wry look, while Cody chuckled quietly to himself.
Waxer and Boil were investigating the droid wreckage alongside Crys, kicking through the scattered mechanical debris while Boil huffed in obvious frustration.
"How are we supposed to extract any intelligence from all this scrap metal?" Boil asked loudly, with Crys nodding in agreement while lifting the upper torso of a destroyed B1 droid.
"These droids are completely fried and won't provide any useful information," Crys announced, tossing the piece aside.
"There has to be something salvageable around here," Sam said, surveying the area. "The ship is still relatively intact, all things considered."
"Nothing significant so far, Lieutenant," Crys reported apologetically.
Waxer noticed a nearby escape pod with a cracked transparisteel window and walked over to investigate.
While peering inside the pod, he spotted a battle droid that appeared to still be intact.
"Found one!" he announced, causing the others to gather around his position.
"Excellent work," Sam said, patting Waxer on the shoulder approvingly. "Good eye."
"Let's load this droid into the walker," Obi-Wan decided, placing his hand against the transparisteel casing. With a focused application of the Force, the material shattered and the hatch opened. "We'll interrogate it during our advance."
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