Author's note: This is my very first attempt at writing a star wars fanfic. Like Darth Vader, I believe in the notion that General Grievous has an ounce of good within him when it comes to family. I understand that I am not as well versed in the star wars universe as I once was years ago, making writing this a greater challenge. Please be kind with your constructive criticism. Flames are not appreciated.

Chapter 1

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Duranium metal claws clacked slowly against the armrest of the command chair. The supreme Commander of the droid armies sat in deep contemplation as he stared at the twinkling stars outside the massive viewport of his flagship, the Malevolence. It had been some time since he had taken on an assignment worthy of his skill set. Currently, the clone wars were in their infant stages had yet to truly begin.

How he longed for the thrill of battle! To crush his opponents beneath his feet and revel in the victories that were sure to be his. Right now, what did he have? Boredom. Not even the droids he commanded on his ship were enough to distract the cyborg Kaleesh from his silent ponderings. At this point he would welcome any distraction. It had been a few galactic weeks of traveling between separatist systems, awaiting word from his overlords to direct him on a course of action vital to the separatist cause. All of this waiting was starting to make him antsy. It was taking too long and he was itching for a fight! He got up from his chair and paced from one end of the command deck to the other, ignoring the monotonous tasks the droids were performing.

A B-1 battle droid approached him effectively halting his pacing.

"Sir, Count Dooku has ordered that you make contact with him immediately!"

At last!

General Grievous approached a holocom unit and activated it. Count Dooku appeared, his arms crossed seriously.

"Greetings, General. I have a mission for you. You will go to the Yavin system and assassinate a band of seven renegade jedi. Consider this a test. Once you have completed your mission, report back to me immediately."

General Grievous bowed graciously before his master.

"Consider it done!"

The holo-image of Count Dooku blinked out of existence.

Grievous clenched his mechanical hands into fists. Finally, a challenge worthy of his talent! Seven jedi! There would be plenty of new trophies to add to his ever growing collection. He whirled around and started barking orders.

"Fire up the engines, set coordinates for the Yavin system, and jump to lightspeed immediately!"

He turned to regard his droid captain.

"You're in charge while I am away. I have to prepare for the mission."

With that, the General left the bridge and went to his quarters where he kept his few meager possessions. He donned his cape and grabbed four lightsabers from his trophy case and stuffed them in his cloak. He then proceeded to go to the hangar bay where a squad of droids marched in perfect unison directly ahead of him and stopped to stand at attention awaiting further instruction.

"I want scouts to find where those seven rogue jedi are hiding!"

One of the B-1 battle droids stepped out of formation raising his hand.

"Uh…but sir, I'm not a scout…"

Grievous growled and stalked closer and towered over the quaking droid. This one must have had a serious defect in its processor. All droids on his ship were aware of the infamous General's angry outbursts and tendency to destroy any droid unlucky or stupid enough to cross him. Today however, he felt he was in a good mood and had patience enough to deal with this one.

"If you are not up to the task…I will scrap you here and now!"

"Uhh…no General. Scouting! How hard can that be?"

The fortunate droid stepped back in line.

"Any further questions?"

The droid squadron remained silent.

"Good. Once we reach the Yavin system, you will disperse and search the moons in the system capable of supporting life. I want those jedi found!"

"Roger, roger!"

In approximately two hours, the ship dropped out of hyperspace. Beside his flagship, two other support cruisers escorted them. General Grievous sent squadrons of droids to scout ahead, in the hopes of locating his targets. Sooner than expected, one squad reported in declaring they had located two of the seven jedi hiding out on Yavin 13. The cyborg clasped his hands behind his back and patiently awaited word from the others. A few more hours went by and another squad reported that two more jedi were discovered on Yavin 8.

Now where could those last three be hiding? General Grievous knew the question was rhetorical and laughed, coughing soon after.

One of the droid scouts appeared on a hand held holo-emitter.

"Sir, we have landed on Yavin 4…we see what appears to be a temple structure of some sort but we have been unable to determine if there are any—"

The droid was lifted up into the air by an unseen force and slammed violently into a nearby tree, destroying it. The holo-image disappeared before Grievous could identify the target. Bah, there was no need! It was a force user who destroyed his droid which meant, the last three jedi must be hiding there! Only three of the twenty six moons were habitable. So now he knew exactly where they were. What had Grievous in an even happier mood was that the seven jedi were foolish enough to split up into teams. It would have been near impossible to take on all seven at the same time. He decided to visit Yavin 13 first. It would be easy to locate the two jedi's encampment since the moon itself was composed mostly of rocky plains and deserts. Oh, they could certainly run from him but they sure couldn't hide!

Grievous had four magna guards, sixteen B2 battle droids, and twenty B1 battle droids accompany him in his assault craft to the surface of Yavin 13. They landed about a mile from the enemy's campsite. These jedi were foolish. The smoke from their campfire gave away their position.

"I want you droids to wait here. I will take care of this myself!"

The droids did as instructed and waited with the ship.

General Grievous set out to accomplish his task, eagerly fingering two of the lightsabers concealed within his cloak. It did not take him long to reach the campsite and fortune was on his side. The two jedi were sitting by the campfire, unknowingly eating their last meal. The elder of the two noticed Grievous's approach and stood to greet him.

"Welcome, stranger. What brings you out this way?"

Grievous clasped his hands behind his back in a non-threatening manner.

"Why to meet the two of you, of course."

The man looked rather confused.

"You know us?"

"Not personally. Only by association."

"Who are you?"

Grievious's name, his reputation, and his identity were still a secret. No one knew who he was. They soon would… for the first five minutes at least.

"I…am your doom jedi!"

Grievous pulled out his lightsabers and twirled them in eager anticipation. The young lad who accompanied the elder jedi, most likely the apprentice, ignited his lightsaber. The jedi master activated his violet blade and moved into a defensive stance.

"We have no quarrel with you."

"That makes one of us!" Grievous laughed maniacally.

"Then you leave us no choice!"

Grievous growled deeply and swung his lightsaber at the jedi master's head. The man easily blocked his attack and launched a flurry of his own. The cyborg locked blades with the master and saw the apprentice circling around in the hopes of attacking him from behind. Grievous kicked out a sharply taloned foot and knocked the lightsaber out of the boy's hand, also managing to wound him. He used all of his strength to shove the master back and ran at the boy who was scrambling madly for his lightsaber a few feet away.

"Say good-bye to your master, boy! He will soon meet your fate!"

Before he could destroy the jedi lad, his master came to his rescue. He dove beneath Grievous and met his downward slash with a high block. He attempted to leg sweep the cyborg but the sly general saw it coming and lifted his leg and brought it down hard in the hopes of crushing the man's ribs. The jedi rolled clear of his large duranium foot and slashed his saber at his leg. Grievous easily blocked with one saber and slashed at the man's neck line with the other. The master blocked and parried. He looked to be struggling under the vicious onslaught of the cyborg's assault. He was weakening…good.

"Run, Tesra! You must contact the others!"

The apprentice shook his head with tears forming in his eyes.

"I won't leave you!"

He re-ignited his green lightsaber with his left hand, cradling his injured arm against his chest.

"I can help you, master!"

The master struggled with all his might to keep Grievous at bay. He locked sabers with the general again, both opponents pushing with all their strength. His arms shook from exertion and sweat dripped down his face.

"I SAID RUN!"

Tesra nodded once and then fled from the deadly scene. Grievous laughed and shouted after the apprentice.

"I'm coming for you next, boy!"

The master was weakened and it was taking every ounce of effort to raise his lightsaber to block yet another crazed swing from his insane combatant. He force pushed Grievous from him, enough time to take a quick rest before resuming combat.

General Grievous used a comlink on his wrist to convey an order to his troops.

"Locate the jedi ship and destroy it!"

With their only ship destroyed, the accursed jedi would have no means of escape and would be unable to warn the rest of their ilk hiding on the other moons nearby. It was time to end this! Grievous used a stunning technique learned from Dooku, twirling his lightsaber around and effectively disarmed his opponent. The jedi master was panting now, hunched over with both hands on his knees. It appeared that this elder had seen better days. He eyed his lightsaber where it had landed a yard away and made a run for it. The general laughed and ran in hot pursuit. He leaped high in the air and kicked the man in the head, knocking him a few feet away where he lay stunned. Blood dripped down his face and he stared in grim defeat when he saw the cyborg confiscate his only weapon. Grievous approached the elder man and pointed his purple lightsaber at him.

"You are beaten! Any last words?"

"Why?"

Grievous cocked his head sideways to consider the one word question.

"Simple. I hate jedi!"

The master caught sight of two additional lightsabers within the general's cloak. He outstretched both hands and used the force to call the weapons to him. The general in one quick move severed the man's hands from his body, eliciting an agonizing scream.

"Those belong to me jedi filth!"

Grievous retrieved the weapons from the ground and attached them to his hip armor.

"Your blade is a fine addition to my collection! I did not have a purple lightsaber before today. Now…you die!"

He impaled the jedi master with his own purple blade. He stood by and watched the life ebb from the man's eyes. When he was sure he was dead, he moved on. The apprentice was next! Finding him was not difficult. Grievous knew he had at least broken the young one's arm but he had been bleeding from a gash sustained from one of his sharp talons as well. The boy was despairing next to the wreckage of his former star cruiser. He turned around when he heard the sound of a lightsaber twirling, hoping it was his master. It wasn't.

"Hand me your lightsaber and I will make your death swift!"

The boy stubbornly shook his head.

"You aren't taking me without a fight, sleemo!"

"Very well…have it your way," the general chuckled and slowly advanced in a predatory fashion.

He twirled his lightsabers incredibly fast at a dizzying speed and then ran at him with a roar.

The boy fumbled with his lightsaber for a moment and activated it just in time to block the first blow. His good arm shook from the strain, his injured arm hanging limply at his side. He used the force to shove Grievous back, suddenly realizing he was far outmatched. He turned and made a desperate run for it. The cyborg cackled madly in delight to see him flee. He took one lightsaber, the purple one, and threw it sideways. It spun around and around and in the blink of an eye, decapitated the apprentice. The separatist general retrieved the boy's green lightsaber and walked calmly away from the grizzly scene. He returned to the assault craft and ordered his troops to take him to Yavin 8.

He had two more lightsabers to collect.

The next two jedi weren't even a challenge for him! They were weak. He slew them relatively quickly and set off to destroy the remaining three on Yavin 4. The assault craft destroyed some of the local flora as it landed but Grievous cared not. The temple structure was about two miles from their landing site. Grievous ordered all of his mechanized troops to march on the structure and destroy all and any jedi they might find there. They obeyed his orders without question and marched in synchronized platoons towards the ancient stone structure. When they arrived it was unnervingly quiet. Something wasn't right…where were the jedi?

With a flourish, two jedi with blue lightsabers soundlessly leaped down and began dispatching the B1 battle droids effortlessly. Grievous brought up the rear and watched the growing battle with interest. The jedi blocked the laser blasts in complete harmony and used the force to hurl large chunks of rubble at the super battle droids. Before long, the entire platoon of B1 battle droids was decimated and the jedi were already making quick work of the B2's. Perhaps finally, Grievous would at last be permitted to fight worthy opponents. It did not escape his notice that the third jedi was unaccounted for. Perhaps that jedi was cowering in fear within the structure. Regardless…the General was going to slay them without mercy. All of the droids were now destroyed apart from his four magna guards.

One of the two jedi already looked to be tiring. Grievous's two mechanical arms split into two more and Grievous attacked the stronger of the two with four arms equipped with lightsabers, twirling and slicing, bearing down on his enemy. His four magna guards joined the fray, attacking the weaker jedi. The middle aged man shouted at his partner who was having a very difficult time defending herself from the deadly magna guards.

"Lori! We need to get the others out of here! Evacuate immediately!"

So they wanted to retreat did they? Grievous cackled madly as he shoved the man back, nearly cornering him. The weight of his words finally sank in. Wait…others? There were more than just three jedi on this moon?! Good…he needed the challenge and his lightsaber trophies were accumulating. He roared furiously when the man used the force to somersault over his head and neatly sliced off one of his extra appendages, forcing Grievous to drop one of his prized trophies.

"You'll pay for that, jedi scum!"

His rage fueled his vicious attacks and the man had to scramble to defend himself from the whirlwind of death that bore down on him. Grievous was lost in a fit of absolute bloodlust and completely ignored the second jedi. She was of no importance if the sounds of her screams were anything to go by. The Magna guards succeeded in slaying her for him. The droids immediately turned to aid Grievous in his duel. One of them assisted their lord, adding additional blows for the struggling man to block. The two combatants were too focused in their fight to trade any taunts or insults. Grievous usually liked to provoke his opponents into doing something that would surely cost them and ultimately rob them of even the slimmest hope of victory. There was no need to do so now. This man was on the brink of death. Grievous parried and once again, disarmed his opponent. He knocked the man down and stomped a large taloned foot on his chest, breaking his ribs. The human wheezed as he struggled for life sustaining breath. The cyborg laughed wickedly.

"You are defeated and the others you spoke of will soon join you in eternal sleep!"

The man closed his eyes and Grievous thought for a brief moment that he had succumbed to death. It was only when a nearby tree cracked and began to fall right on top of him that the cyborg Kaleesh realized the jedi's treachery. He cursed and leaped aside. The tree hovered a moment before dropping harmlessly next to the dying jedi.

The audacity! No matter, Grievous was finished toying with this one. He broke the man's neck, ending the jedi's life thus putting him out of his misery. Now…to find the others.

He walked into the temple structure, merging his two extra appendages with his two arms. He held two lightsaber hilts within his hands but did not activate them. He wanted to be a bit stealthier and hoped to have a slight element of surprise when he found the vermin. His Magna guards marched quietly behind him. He turned a corner and found a room that appeared to be abandoned. There was a drab looking blanket covering a small lump of…something. Before he could investigate further, a shriek as well as the sound of a lightsaber activating alerted him to the danger long before it presented itself. Grievous thumbed the triggers of his sabers and held them up defensively. A lithe form leaped down from a ledge above him and landed a few feet in front of him. His golden eyes widened in complete surprise.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Before him, stood a female Kaleesh jedi.

"You are a traitor to your kind, woman!" Grievous spat venomously.

"The jedi were not responsible for our people's suffering!"

"LIES! They aided our enemy! The enemy that enslaved our race and brought starvation and death to our people!"

"You have a hateful and bitter heart, Sheelal."

He took a step back, his golden eyes revealing his shock.

"Yes…I know who you truly are. You do not know me, for we have never met before now. I have met one of your wives on Kalee."

"That matters not. You will die for your betrayal!"

The two engaged in a duel to the death. She was a skilled warrior and was the worthiest opponent Grievous had the privilege of fighting in such a long time.

"Because you are Kaleesh…I will grant you an honorable death worthy of a true warrior," Grievous promised as he continued to dodge and weave in a deadly dance with her.

"I will not be the one to die today," she countered as she ducked to avoid a close swing.

"You are a true Kaleesh to defy death so stubbornly," Grievous laughed.

The two continued to fight, the female showing no signs of tiring. It was almost going to be a shame to kill her. Almost.

A whimper and movement from the blanket caught Grievous's attention.

"What is that?!"

She rolled clear of one of his downward slashes and crouched in a defensive stance in front of the blanket, protecting it.

"Your fight is with me. Leave this other matter alone."

"What are you hiding from me, jedi?"

They resumed their duel, the female Kaleesh leading the General away from the thing on the floor. Lightsabers flashed and spun in a blur of light and a cacophony of sound. They locked sabers and she growled at him, using all of her strength to push him back. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see her charge no longer prone on the floor but standing with the blanket draped over his head. He was garbed in youngling jedi attire, appearing to be at least four years of age. The distraction cost her greatly. Grievous shoved her back, twirled his saber and impaled her. Her eyes widened and she stared at the General wordlessly. She fell down, her body slowly going into shock. Grievous walked past her and stalked closer to the child she had been concealing.

"N-no…don't…please!" She pleaded with him but it fell on deaf audios.

Grievous pulled the blanket off of the child to get a better look at him and his golden eyes widened yet again in complete shock.

"This child is Kaleesh! You were training it to be a filthy jedi?! It's bad enough that you betrayed your people but to drag a youngling into this was the greatest treachery of all!"

Grievous took the lightsaber and prepared to slay the child.

"Sheelal! Don't! He's your son."

Her words stayed his hand. He whirled on her angrily.

"What do you mean? SPEAK!"

"The jedi…wanted to train him. He's…powerful."

"You KIDNAPPED my son from Kalee?!"

"Yes. Your son…is…your last…child…"

She struggled to breathe as the life ebbed from her body. She felt cold.

"He can't…fall into the wrong hands. Protect him Sheelal."

With those words she breathed her last and became one with the force. The young Kaleesh cried and ran to her body and rested his head on her chest in sorrow. It disgusted Grievous greatly.

"BAH! Don't cry for that wench! She got what she deserved."

The child looked up at him with mixed emotions. Grievous wasn't sure if this child really was his son. That jedi scum could have been lying just so he would spare the boy! He felt conflicted for the first time in a long time. He could just abandon the Kaleesh youngling and leave it to fend for itself on this moon. What if it was his son? Did he really have the heart to kill or abandon it? It wasn't the child's fault that the jedi whelps kidnapped him and took him far from home. The thought angered him greatly. How DARE they! He stood for the longest time internally debating with himself. He accomplished his mission. Seven jedi were dead. This child wasn't considered a jedi in Grievous's mind. It couldn't use the force and had no warrior's training.

He turned his back on the child and began to stalk out of the room. The four year old ran after him with a high pitched cry when he believed he was going to leave him there. The four Magna Guards turned their electrostaffs on the child who was overcome with emotion and couldn't control what happened next. With a great cry, an invisible shockwave rippled out and slammed the Magna guards away from his small body, destroying two that slammed forcefully into a stone wall. Grievous had turned around to command his droids to leave the child be and witnessed what took place.

So he could use the force….great. In a way, Grievous was jealous that this Kaleesh child had that power when he didn't.

With a growl, Grievous towered over the youngling finally making his decision.

"You are coming with me"

He picked up the little one, holding him protectively and returned to the assault craft. The boy did not fight him or protest and remained quiet. They returned to the Malevolence and he ordered his droids to set course for Kalee. They jumped to lightspeed minutes later. He strode into the medical bay and ordered a blood analysis on the child immediately. An hour later, the results were confirmed.

The child was his son.

Grievous looked down on the young Kaleesh and studied him more closely. The child's tusks were just beginning to grow. His ears were pointed back in a show of submission. He had scaly reddish brown skin as was customary for any Kaleesh and had ebony hair, some of it braided. His golden yellow eyes matched his father's perfectly. His four clawed hands were resting in his lap, the claws not as intimidating as a fully grown Kaleesh's however. This child was the spitting image of Sheelal. The resemblance was uncanny. The youngling stared into Grievous's own reptilian eyes, looking into his very soul. Neither spoke and simply regarded each other in silent wonder.

It was time to return home. The first thing Grievous was going to do, was get his son out of those ridiculous jedi clothes…

TO BE CONTINUED!

Author's Note: I have big plans for this story. That's all I can tell you at this point. Updates might be a little slow since I work both a full time and a part time job. In my free time, all I want to do is write however so never fear!