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Chapter 233 - Chapter 233: Arrogant Grievous

Steve stood on the bridge of Aayla's flagship, with the Jedi Master herself beside him along with Commander Bly. The three of them were gathered around the ship's holographic communications array as they attended an emergency meeting convened by the Jedi Council.

On the other end of the transmission, multiple Jedi Masters, clone commanders, and several Avengers were participating in the crisis briefing.

Back at the Jedi Temple, Anakin had just returned from the battle on Tatooine while Obi-Wan was fresh from his mission to Mandalore. Sam, Natasha, and Peter stood alongside the Jedi as they observed a horrifying message that had been transmitted to them by General Grievous. Held captive under his mechanical thumb were Master Koth and Scott, both of whom appeared to have been severely beaten.

"This is what Hope's emergency broadcast led us to," Steve said grimly, staring at Scott's battered form with obvious distress.

"Jedi scum," the cyborg general's voice rasped through the transmission as he towered over Koth and planted his foot firmly on Scott's back. "It appears another of your precious Order has lost his way, along with one of your Avenger allies. Listen carefully, Jedi—I care nothing for your politics or your dying Republic. I live for one purpose: to watch you all suffer and die."

Master Koth was then thrown roughly to Scott's side, and a pair of MagnaGuards stepped forward to strike both prisoners across their backs with electrified staffs. They cried out in agony from the electrical torture.

"But for Master Koth, death will not come quickly or easily. I will ensure his suffering is prolonged, because I know that will cause all of you even greater pain."

"As for this Avenger..." Grievous reached down and seized Scott by the throat, lifting him effortlessly into the air. The former thief desperately grasped at the general's mechanical hands, trying futilely to break free. "While I would prefer to execute him here and now, his unique abilities could prove valuable to the Separatist cause. He will remain alive... for the time being."

Scott was then hurled back to the ground with brutal force.

"Until his usefulness is exhausted."

When the transmission ended, urgent conversations erupted on all communication channels.

"He's a complete monster."

"How can we possibly rescue them?"

"How did he manage to capture them in the first place?"

Master Yoda simply grunted loudly and looked toward Ahsoka Tano, Barriss Offee, and Peter Parker, who were present for the briefing. Several young Padawans were gathered around them, clearly traumatized by witnessing the cyborg general's brutal torture.

"Take the younglings away. Much to discuss, there is," Yoda instructed firmly.

Following this directive, the three teenagers escorted the younger students from the chamber, trying to distract them from the horrific scenes they had just witnessed.

A palpable sense of dread hung over the assembled leaders.

"Sadistic bastard," Sam growled with obvious fury. "What the hell are we going to do about him?"

"That's simple enough," Anakin muttered darkly. "It's time someone put an end to that mechanical monster permanently."

"Agree with this sentiment, we do," Yoda acknowledged. "Find him, however—the problem this remains."

At one end of the group, Commander Wolffe approached his Jedi General and began whispering urgent information while the others continued their strategic discussion.

"We completely lost contact with Master Koth's fleet after their engagement with Grievous. He could be anywhere in the galaxy by now," Kenobi observed with frustration.

"Steve," Anakin turned to Steve with a questioning look. "You have your own communication methods, right? You mentioned those emergency beacons and the quantum communications that Tony uses to help coordinate your team across different planets."

"We're experiencing some technical difficulties with those systems," Natasha explained on Steve's behalf.

Anakin frowned and crossed his arms in frustration as Master Plo Koon stepped forward to address the group.

"Commander Wolffe has discovered something significant hidden within the holotransmission. Play the message again," Plo requested.

The recording played once more, cycling through the torture sequence until it focused specifically on the moment when Koth and Scott were being electrocuted. The image paused, then replayed that section twice more at different angles.

"Look carefully," Anakin pointed at Koth's restrained form. "Hand signals."

As Anakin spoke, Eeth Koth could be seen making a series of subtle hand gestures that made everyone lean forward to study them more intently.

Obi-Wan examined the holographic message carefully, analyzing Master Koth's deliberate movements. "My skills are somewhat rusty, but... Saleucami, Sector J-19. Coordinates: zero-eight, zero-five, twenty-nine."

"Saleucami?" Adi Gallia asked with obvious confusion. "But intelligence reports indicate Grievous has no significant fleet presence in that sector."

"Yes, but our intelligence networks are often incomplete or deliberately compromised," Yoda pointed out sagely.

"So what's our tactical approach?" Sam demanded. "We have one missing Avenger, a captured Jedi Master, and another Avenger being held prisoner."

"He's obviously attempting to draw us into a trap," Mace Windu observed with tactical caution.

"Then the crucial question becomes: who will take the bait?" Master Plo asked the assembled group.

"I will lead the rescue mission," Obi-Wan volunteered immediately. "My forces are ready and prepared for immediate deployment."

"As will I," Anakin added firmly. "My fleet is currently in orbit above Coruscant and fully operational."

"Don't forget about me," Sam interjected suddenly. "Someone needs to extract our people from that ship."

"Agreed, all of you are?" Yoda asked the entire assembly, and no one raised any objections to the plan. "Then go, you must. May the Force be with you."

"We will not fail, Master Yoda," Kenobi promised with determination.

Soon after, the 501st and 212th Battle Groups departed from Coruscant, with Obi-Wan coordinating the joint fleet operations.

Aboard Skywalker's personal command vessel, the Resolute, Sam stood behind the Jedi Knight and Captain Rex along with the elite Domino Squad and the clone medic Kix.

Currently, they were maintaining communication with Obi-Wan, who had Commander Cody at his side on the bridge of his flagship.

"Are your forces ready for engagement?" the Jedi Master asked over the secure channel.

"Ready and eager, Master," Anakin responded confidently as he, Sam, and Rex coordinated from the Resolute's bridge, with Domino Squad preparing for boarding operations.

"I will engage the main Separatist fleet and transmit the exact coordinates of Grievous's command ship to your tactical systems."

"Just make sure you don't miss this time," Anakin replied with his characteristic cockiness.

"I never miss."

Sam quickly interjected with a tactical question. "How exactly are you planning to lure Grievous aboard your vessel?"

"Don't worry about that detail. General Grievous and I have considerable history together. I'm certain he'll want to settle our personal score face-to-face."

"Meanwhile, we'll insert covertly and board his command ship during the chaos."

"Leave the rescue of Koth, Scott, and Hope to us," Sam said with quiet confidence.

"With any luck, by the end of this operation we'll have rescued our people and captured General Grievous himself."

After ending the strategic transmission, multiple Republic Star Destroyers jumped into hyperspace, racing toward their dangerous rendezvous with the galaxy's most feared Jedi hunter.

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