Tentacle Covered Chaos 21

Tentacle Covered Chaos

Chapter 21: Unexpected Meetings

<<<Randal Carver>>>

“Randal, explain why a fleet of your ships intruded on a CIS operation?” Admiral Trench didn’t hiss, but he knew warhawk fleet commanders well enough to know what he truly wished to do.

“They were hardly my ships,” The governor of the Corellia system replied with a frown, “Mercenaries that used ships purchased here, yes, but I have no authority over them. And before you ask- no, I do not have singular authorization to declare that the fleet can’t dock here and get repairs at the shipyards here, that would require the permission of our own congress.” His hands raised placatingly as Trench became visibly angry, “And I’ve already submitted the request to gain such power from them. Corellia is neutral, that means we don’t just turn away one side while letting the other through; we either ban both or allow both. Your fleet is getting maintenance here as well, are they not?”

Trench didn’t grumble but once more the governor was familiar enough to know how he really felt, though he did commend the admiral for having more control than most.

“Very well, you wouldn’t by chance know how he paid for a small fleet to enter the area of space? I refuse to believe it was a random chance,” Trench said with a barely audible grunt of irritation.

“For all I know, he promised them the use of the Katana Fleet itself,” Randal replied, “I’m not privy to their dealings. Frankly, I don’t even know who actually put the operation together. I’m working to find out, but my hands are tied.”

“And that vessel, the Venus Flytrap, do you know who owns it?” Trench asked, his multiple eyes staring into Randal’s soul and making him shiver even through a holo-call.

He cleared his throat, knowing the Confederate admiral wouldn’t like the answer. “It was formerly called the Ravenous Serpent, belonging to the pirate and slaver Dravik the Snake. Unfortunately, they either haven’t turned in the bounty yet or they’ve turned it directly in to the Republic because I have no information on it.”

Trench finally did hiss, “Someone’s being clever…” The governor silently agreed, the worst opponents to face were the ones that were clever, or thought they were at any rate.

In the political field or the battlefield. They tended to think outside the box, making them harder to predict and counter.

“No matter, I have a solution that will please everyone!” Trench suddenly said, Randall didn’t like the sound of his voice, “You see, a man higher in the chain of command than I will be visiting Corellia soon and, well, it’s customary to welcome such prestigious guests, isn’t it?”

The governor decided right then, he really didn’t like Trench… especially as a request to dock came to his tablet for a certain ship and its fleet.

“Yes, of course,” Randal started, sweat running down the back of his neck, “I wouldn’t want to disappoint such a special guest, would I?”

Trench just nodded before the call ended and the governor allowed himself a moment's indulgence by throwing a glass across his office in hopes to vent his frustration.

It didn’t work and he only found himself feeling more irate as he just wasted a glass of fine spirits in his pique of anger.

The next call didn’t soothe him, but… it did afford an opportunity.

If he could prove to General Greivous that he really did want to be neutral… Yes, inviting the woman talking to him from aboard the Venus Flytrap to the same dinner they could resolve their differences elsewhere.

Preferably at least a star sector away.

“If I survive this, I’m going to book a holiday to Zeltros…” Provided he even survived in the first place.

<<<Poppy>>>

“How nice of you to join us,” General Grievous said from his seat nearby the governor in a scene oh so painfully familiar to her. She, admittedly, was rather glad it wasn’t Vader in this iteration but… she’d have preferred it to not be occurring regardless. “I don’t think we have your name…?”

“It’s Poppy,” She started, voice low and careful, “Like the flower, and I’m just as intoxicating.” She wasn’t sure if they actually had poppies, she hadn’t checked, but it was a fun line to say. “To what do I owe the pleasure, General Greivous?”

Being courteous to people with multiple lightsabers was always wise; though she very much had to thank Anakin for having the idea about infiltrating his flagship. Having the Jedi around as she spoke to the man would have been a very poor life decision for everyone involved.

“Just curious about your intentions with the Katana Fleet.” Well, straight to the point then… not that Poppy wasn’t expecting it.

The Katana Fleet represented a large amount of firepower that could be brought to bear, regardless if it was updated or not. So she wasn’t surprised he cut straight to the chase, and if she didn’t know he would find any assurances that she had no intentions to target the Confederates suspicious she would’ve shared them. As they were the furthest thing from her mind, her main focus being Palpatine and that planet filled with his clones.

The Republic and Confederates could rip themselves apart for all she cared, her sole reason for getting the Katana Fleet, for all her plans and contingencies, was the ultimate end of that monster! She would gladly trade any foreknowledge she had if it would remove that thing from the galaxy!

Unfortunately, she did also need to gut the Confederacy to kill the bastard; or at least to make killing him safe for everyone else.

Honestly, she felt like Dooku could do well if he took over, but she doubted it would ever come to be. Palpatine had plans within plans, and even if he was gone she wouldn’t be surprised if he had contingencies to destroy everything. Sort of ‘If I can’t win, you can’t either’ type of deal…\

“And I just gave my nightmares even more inspiration, wonderful…” She thought.

Dooku would need to die as well then.

“Well, that’s quite simple I think,” Poppy replied with a smile, “I plan to use it to kill my enemies and hear the lamentations of their women. Do you want to be my enemy? I wouldn’t recommend it, I’ve killed plenty of those…”

If Grevious found her words amusing it didn’t show beyond a faint snort, “Yes, you seem to have a talent for killing anyone threatening you.” 

“That is how one survives, no?” Poppy asked with a grin, “And if nothing else I am a survivor, much like yourself. The way you protected your homeworld was phenomenal and it’s a shame that the Republic was so useless in helping you and your people.”

That got a reaction from the cyborg, a small one but it was there. A faint tilting of his head as he regarded her curiously.

“And yet you work for the Republic,” He replied, “I would think someone working for them wouldn’t be vocal regarding their shortcomings.”

“I am contracted by them, there’s a difference,” She replied with a smile, “Besides… it isn’t all bad people there, just some of them. But, ah, there are rather sensitive and innocent ears here, aren’t there?” Poppy’s eyes slowly tracked towards the Governor and his terrified staff, “Why don’t you go and fetch us some drinks, mm?”

“A brilliant idea,” The governor said as he got up, “If you’ll excuse us.” He added as they quickly left the room

Grievous snorted once more, "Politicians," He spat, almost like it was a curse.

Poppy just shrugged. “Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” She said, “Something any people unfortunately develops once it's sufficiently advanced and achieves a certain degree of civilization,” She drawled, “Speaking of politicians… it wasn’t the Jedi’s fault-” Her tentacles raised in warning, glowing bright as Grievous became visibly enraged, “-they were being used. By Palpa-”

She didn’t manage to finish her statement before the cyborg slammed his fists down on the table; shattering it into splinters.

“DO NOT TRY TO TRICK ME!” He demanded, his eyes focused on her, “Regardless if they were or not, they’re still responsible!” He hissed.

“They weren’t the ones that blew you up either,” She replied, “Those were from the sith that found you in the wreckage. It’s rather too convenient for them to have just ‘been around’ at the time, no?”

She knew that she’d never get Grievous to flip, the brainwashing he went through was simply too much combined with the emotional devastation he’d. Honestly, she’d probably be better off just bodyjacking the cyborg and be done with it. But the prospect of fighting a cyborg with multiple limbs along with various lightsabers was a very daunting prospect that she wasn’t too keen on attempting.

Though she might have to, seeing as that was probably her only chance to actually bodyjack him. And she almost certainly had no chance to disarm the fight either.

Irritating.

The lightsaber was fast, sweeping by her head faster than any human could move, faster than most droids too. She dodged it by a hair’s breadth as her tentacles came up to block and deflect other strikes.

After the first two were sliced clean through she decided to coat them in energy to better withstand the lightsabers, though even that was a close thing.

Grievous was a blur, and the overwhelmingly bright sabers weren’t helping her see. He was even dodging her own blasts of light, though he was only aim dodging it did show just how impressive his cybernetics were.

For once, she was very glad he didn’t still have the Force; it would have turned the duel into an unwinnable matchup.

Tentacles met blades and, slowly, Poppy was forced backwards. Every attack was met by a parry, every blast narrowly dodged. And the cyborg was strong too, easily able to just walk through stray blunt strikes.

“The Malevolence has been ordered to destroy this ship if I die!” Grievous shouted, “You can’t win. Surrender your jedi allies and you might live!”

“And have your slave masters kill me instead? Not a chance!” She retorted, eyes forming across her tentacles as she searched for any advantage.

Nothing.

But… he could only see her when he looked at her. He undoubtedly had other sensors that would tell him where she was, but they’d have limits and he only had so much attention span…

Blasting the vents made more than a little smoke, but it wasn’t nearly enough to fill the room. But that wasn’t the goal anyway, she just didn’t want her poisons to get sucked away.

A bright, white poison; completely inert for humans but exceptionally lethal to certain species of flora. More importantly, it was completely opaque to both visible and infrared light and flame retardant.

Dodging to the right to avoid another precise strike was… not ideal, he could still see her thanks to the energy coating her tentacles.

But not all of her tentacles were coated and, slowly, the room’s walls were devoured by them. Better, he couldn’t see them well thanks to his own blades filling his vision with light. Too much light to see anything subtle.

“Clever but you’re only delaying the inevitable!” Grievous growled.

She didn’t bother replying, what would the point have been when she’d already won? Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka would have already gotten aboard the Malevolence and if they weren’t able to destroy it before it killed her… well, the timeline would have changed enough to alter the future anyway.

If her death was required to make things better, she’d accept that.

Poppy struck as Greivous raised his blades for one final killing blow, a bone spike punching through his Cybernetic body, reaching what remained of his flesh and stunning him; pouring paralytic venom directly into him.

His arms fell, lightsabers shutting off as they left his hands.

She felt horrible about what she was doing, but she couldn’t just kill him and leave a body. She needed to use him. She needed more reliable tools.

But she didn’t need his mind.

The egg was implanted quickly and it devoured what was left of his brain. The cybernetics, too, were integrated into itself. On the outside nothing would change, it had eaten and absorbed all of Greivous’s memories and would be able to mimic his mannerisms perfectly.

On the inside, it was a bio-organic crime against nature that existed in a perpetual state of absolute pleasure… enslaved to her, and only her. His mind would already have been near impossible to read, that’s why Jedi fell to him in such numbers, and a slight coating of Rage would hide the pleasure and Devotion it felt.

She had killed a man that had once been great, once been Good and Noble and all that which people strove to be.

And she felt nothing.

It was just a means to an end, a necessary sacrifice.

It wasn’t her first kill, nor even her second. But it should have meant more.

With a deep breath, she turned and left the room; slicing through the blast door that had closed behind the governor and his helpers.

“We have…” She started, “Worked through our differences and request escorts to our ships. Separate escorts.”

The men and women hurried to obey.

The men and women were perfectly safe.

She could not reassure them of that, not when she felt so… monstrous.