Tournament - General Grievous vs. NOS-4-A2

[Mercenaryblade]

      

      

There had been something there before, something long forgotten. The rocky planetoid was devoid of life, but the caverns below the barren surface had show signs of being carved before, to say nothing of the long dormant machinery and droids that were now nothing but scrap metal to be melted down and reused to fuel the Separatist war machine.

 

The base was still being constructed, but the critical areas had already been established. It would serve as a forward operating base in the ongoing campaign against the Republic. Already the stone and metal tunnels echoed with the rhythmic metallic footfalls of battledroids. 

 

A squad of five B1 Battledroids marched in a single file formation, E-5 blasters held in their skeletal hands. 

 

“What’s our mission again?” one of the droids asked in its nasally tone of voice. 

 

“Digger droids have gone missing in the recently excavated section.” the squad leader replied. 

 

“Those digger droids are always getting into trouble.” one of the other droids complained. 

 

As they drew further and further from the main hub of operations the caverns grew more quiet and desolate, only the droids footsteps and the drip of water could be heard. The light generators had gone out, the cavern lit only by the glowing phosphorescent fungus that grew there. 

 

One of the droids stumbled over something. 

 

“Hey!” a pause, “Hey. I found something!”

 

The droids gathered around to find a diggerdroid laying on its side, the paneling torn apart, wires and circuits exposed, no lights glowed within, no whirr of mechanics. The droid was well and truly dead. 

 

“Yikes. What a way to go. Something must have got it, but what?” one of the battledroids queried.  

 

“I don’t know, I say we just go back and report this.” 

 

“Roger-roger.” the other droids echoed, then they heard it a chittering sound.

 

“W-what was that?” a battledroid asked aiming his blaster into the shadows. 

 

“I don’t like this…” one droid stuttered. 

 

“Get a grip. We’re battledroids. We’re made for combat, so start acting like battledroids!” the squad leader shouted. 

 

The droids stood a bit straighter, all giving a confident “Roger-roger.” 

 

Then metallic talents came from the shadows and snatched one of them, the droid screamed as he was carried off, and then was silenced. There was a flash of sparks, and an eerie glow filled the cavern as the squad could just make out something hunched over their friend…. Feeding on him. 

 

“Open fire! For the Separatist alliance!” 

 

Blaster shrieked to life, crimson bolts flying through the air, landing in showers of gold sparks as the attacker took to the air flying and weaving through the blaster fire. 

 

“Such, amusing little morsels you are!” the figure taunted in a posh voice. Red eyes gleamed down at the desperate battledroids. 

 

**

 

 General Grievous sat hunched over a tactical display, his four clawed fingers drumming impatiently on the console.

 

A nervous B1 unit stumbled into the command center, followed closely by two more. Their photoreceptors flickered erratically.

 

“Uh, G-General Grievous, sir?” the lead droid stammered.

 

Grievous turned his skeletal head, eyes narrowing. “What is it, bucket of bolts?”

 

The droid hesitated, glancing at its companions. “W-we were patrolling Sector 12 like you ordered, but there’s—uh—something weird out there. A... flying thing.”

 

“A what?”

 

“A thing! With claws! And fangs! And glowing red eyes! It drained the power from OOM-9, and now he’s, he’s just a husk!”

 

Grievous’ talons clenched against the armrest. “Then shoot it, you imbeciles.”

 

The second droid stepped forward, shaking its head. “We did! It dodged everything! Our blasters didn’t work! It laughed at us!”

 

A mechanical, grating chuckle rumbled from Grievous’ throat. He stood to his full, imposing height and leaned toward the trembling droids.

 

“You incompetent rust heaps are afraid of a flying thing?” His voice oozed contempt. “Then I’ll give you something to fear.”

 

The droids took an uneasy step back.

 

“You will return to your patrol. You will engage this creature. And you will not waste my time with cowardice. Or I will personally dismantle every last one of you.” His eyes narrowed menacingly. “Now go.”

 

The droids exchanged uneasy glances, then reluctantly turned and shuffled back down the corridor.

 

“Idiots.” Grievous growled, he flicked a command from his console sending Commando droid reinforcements. He had a feeling the B1’s weren’t going to cut it.  

 

he squad of B1s trudged back toward the excavation site, their circuits humming with apprehension. Their mechanical hands tightened around their blasters, scanning the dark, fungus-lit tunnels for movement.

 

“I hate this. I really hate this,” one muttered.

 

“Maybe we should just pretend we didn’t hear anything and—”

 

A shriek from above.

 

A crimson blur dropped from the ceiling. Talons tore through plastoid armor as Nos-4-A2 descended upon them with eerie, predatory grace. One droid barely had time to scream before the energy vampire’s claws pierced its chassis. Nos threw his head back, drinking in the droid’s energy with an exaggerated flourish.

 

“Ahhh, delicious! So crisp, so electric, so... underwhelming.” He tossed the empty husk aside. The droid’s body clattered lifelessly to the ground. “I do hope your reinforcements offer more flavor.”

 

The remaining B1s opened fire, but Nos-4-A2 danced between the bolts, pirouetting through the shadows. He was toying with them.

 

“You know,” Nos said, his glowing eyes narrowing with amusement, “I admire your tenacity, really I do! But my dear little morsels... your resistance is futile.”

 

With a flick of his wrist, arcs of crackling energy lashed out. The droids spasmed as their power drained, falling like puppets with their strings cut. Nos-4-A2 sighed contentedly.

 

“Much better.”

 

Then, from deeper within the tunnels, a new sound echoed. He turned his head, grinning.

 

Reinforcements.

 

The BX-series commando droids moved with silent efficiency, their glowing white photoreceptors illuminating the dark tunnel as they advanced. These were not the bumbling B1s—these were Grievous’ elite enforcers, programmed for precision and destruction.

 

Nos-4-A2 chuckled as they raised their blaster rifles.

 

“Ohhh, now this is interesting.”

 

The commandos wasted no time. They opened fire in coordinated bursts, their aim flawless. But Nos was faster. He weaved through the barrage, deflecting a shot with his talons, another with the flick of his wing.

 

“Ah-ah-ah! No touching,” he teased.

 

Then, before they could adjust tactics, he moved. A blur of red and black, Nos swooped behind the lead commando droid and seized its head. Its photoreceptors flickered violently as Nos-4-A2’s claws pulsed with sickly red energy.

 

“Oh, you are delightfully advanced,” Nos purred. “Let’s make you better.”

 

The commando droid twitched, its systems sparking as Nos’ influence wormed into its circuits. Then, suddenly, its white eyes flashed red.

 

Nos-4-A2 stepped back, admiring his work. The commando droid straightened, its posture eerily stiff. Then, without hesitation, it turned on its squadmates.

 

Blaster fire erupted. Two commandos went down before they realized what had happened.

 

The remaining droids tried to adapt, but Nos was already at work on another. A second commando stiffened as his glowing white eyes burned crimson.

 

“Ah-ha-ha! Marvelous!” Nos-4-A2 clapped his hands together gleefully.

 

**

 

General Grievous stood before the main viewport, arms crossed, scowling as he awaited further updates. The B1s were gone; unsurprising. The commandos, however, had yet to report in. That was... unusual.

 

A hiss of pneumatic doors sliding open.

 

Two commando droids entered the command center, their normally blue photoreceptors now glowing red.

 

Grievous’ eyes narrowed. Something was off.

 

“Report,” he growled.

 

The droids stood motionless.

 

Then, in unison, they raised their rifles.

 

Grievous moved.

 

In an instant, his arms split, and two lightsabers ignited with a hiss of green and blue. The commando droids fired, but Grievous deflected the bolts effortlessly, his blades spinning in a blur of energy.

 

With a metallic snarl, he lunged.

 

His first strike severed the blaster of the nearest commando droid. His second tore clean through its torso, slicing it in half with a shower of sparks. The remaining droid attempted to lunge at him, its vibrosword flashing, but Grievous caught its wrist in his clawed grip and crushed it. The droid struggled, red optics flickering, but Grievous impaled it through the chest, then kicked the smoking husk aside.

 

Silence.

 

Then, from the shadows, a slow, mocking clap.

 

Grievous turned, eyes narrowing.

 

“Well, well, well,” Nos-4-A2’s voice oozed with amusement as he emerged from the darkness. “You are impressive. I can see why these delightful little machines fear you so.” He gestured to the fallen commando droids. “A pity, really. They had such potential.”

 

Grievous growled. His lightsabers whirled in his grasp, their glow casting long shadows across the walls.

 

“You dare infiltrate my base?” His voice was a guttural snarl. “You parasite.”

 

Nos-4-A2’s wings flared dramatically. “Oh, my dear General, I am so much more than that.” His fanged grin widened. “You shall learn that you are living in a nightmare!”

 

Grievous’ claws flexed around his sabers. He took a menacing step forward.

 

Nos-4-A2 chuckled.

 

Then, with a gleam of crimson eyes and a dramatic swoop of his cape-like wings, the energy vampire vanished into the darkness.

 

Grievous exhaled a mechanical snarl.

 

“Enough.” 

 

If the droids were too weak to handle this abomination, then he would deal with it himself.

 

His talons dug into the floor as he stormed into the shadows.

 

This thing would learn what fear truly meant.

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
General Grievous
Read more about General Grievous at Wikipedia
Official Site: 20th Century Fox Films Links: Grievous Wikipedia page Grievous StarWars.com page StarWars.com

NOS-4-A2
Read more about NOS-4-A2 at Wikipedia
Official Site: Disney Links: Wikipedia