Chapter Text
Plo Koon shifted his weight, he still hadn’t adapted to the loss of his leg yet, and entering in coordinates on the Ruination’s navigation computer was ... .difficult to say the least on crutches. Ct-1019 held onto Plo Koon’s right arm to help steady him. “By fate, there’s a chance your actions saved the lives of at least one of your children, Grievous.”
This was the first time the Separatist General had left the Medical Bay since his arrival from Utapau. Even now, he was swaying on his feet and holding on to railings and consoles on the bridge. “How would that be?”
Plo Koon continued his work at the navigation computer. Magnet and CT-1019 exchanging nervous glances with each other.“The other masters and I on the Jedi Council decided that Ahch-To’s isolated location and secrecy made it a perfect location to teach younglings. If my memory serves, a young Kaleesh girl was among the Younglings sent to Ahch-To for training. I've been meditating on it and I believe she may still be there.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” Grievous coughed, he used a B1 droid to hold himself up, the small battledroid’s body physically shaking under the strain Grievous’ weight put on its joints.
“We weren’t conscious at the same time, and with her age there was a chance she’d been selected as a Padawan and was no longer on world. After meditating on the girl I’m certain she’s safe.” Plo Koon explained, this had to be the will of the Force. For IG-113 to choose the Unknown Regions out of every part of the Galaxy to hide in, to choose a location already so close to the Jedi Sanctuary…
“Where is Ahch-To?” Grievous demanded.
“Here in the Unknown Regions, not exactly somewhere the Republic would have to fear Separatist Invasion...There I’ve used the Ruination’s computer to calculate the Hyperspace jump, you could transfer these coordinates to one of the ships in the hangar, or make the jump with the Ruination herself…Though might I suggest against that? ” Plo Koon stepped back from the navigation computer, letting the B1 droid who had been manning the station take his position back.
Grievous shook his head no. “Baa! Making the jump would use too much fuel, we’ll have to send another ship…IG-165, take a squadron with you and search Ahch-To for my daughter.”
“Yes, General.” IG-165 replied without hesitation. The MagnaGuard left the bridge, pausing only once to look at IG-113. Who could only offer a small wave to acknowledge his little brother.
Grievous’ breathing was labored, he wobbled over to the captain’s chair and collapsed onto it. He kicked at the metal floor beneath him making the chair spin around so he could face Plo Koon and two of the clone troopers; Magnet and CT-1019. “How long is this….How long will it take?” He wheezed before falling into another coughing fit.
“You have enough time to rest in a Bacta Tank, I doubt IG-165 and his droids will be able to find anyone quickly, the Masters supervising those younglings’ training must have sensed the fall of the order. They’ll be hiding on Ahch-To, though they might not be too far from the old Jedi Temple…” Plo Koon’s fingers tapped against part of his crutches.
IG-113 , ever the observant, listened to the entire scene from his station at the logistics console. With their recent standoff; he wasn’t sure how Grievous would take it if he approached or attempted to talk with the General. A quiet coexistence was the best he could ask for at the moment. He searched his memory banks for any key terms Grievous might have said, perhaps he’d mentioned the birth order of his children in a past conversation whilst ranting about what the Jedi had stolen from him. Or, if he’d said a child’s name in passing on what would have been their birthday.
With Grievous becoming the Separatist’s general ten years ago, and Plo Koon stating that this girl was at the cusp of Padawan age. This missing daughter had to be one of Grievous’ youngest children. IG-113 knew that Grievous’ lastborn had been a son named after his father, so it obviously wasn’t him. Which made IG-113 think about the next three youngest; one of the girls would have been fourteen by now, too old to still be a Jedi youngling in training. The other yet another boy.
Which…left Aisha Jai Sheelal as the only possible child of Grievous’ young enough to be on Ahch-To. IG-113 paused his work, his photoreceptors dimmed. His memory banks had decided to fixate on Grievous’ youngest child, the infant Qymaen. The baby’s death was the only one IG-113 felt he could confirm. With all of Grievous’ wives falling to illness, war, or starvation there was no possible way that an infant could survive on its own. IG-113 doubted that Qymaen would have lasted long enough without his mother to even be discovered by the Jedi even if he was force sensitive.
He continued to listen to Grievous’ and Plo Koon’s conversation, noting how much concern the Kel Dor had for the Kaleesh Cyborg’s wellbeing. If all Jedi were like Master Plo…then maybe Grievous would still be on his homeworld raising his children with his wives. Instead of existing in a state of consistent purgatory and misery practically dancing with death.
IG-113 said nothing as he overheard Master Plo finally convince Grievous to return to the Medical Bay. The dice was cast, the orders sent. There was nothing more to be done; the only thing they could do was wait for IG-165’s return from Ahch-To.
Once Master Plo, Grievous, and the clones all left IG-113 decided to man communications, at least until Magnet returned. The screen flashed, the signal identification matching IG-219’s holoprojector.
IG-113 accepted the call. The constant sound of blaster fire in the background and seeing IG-219 spinning his electro staff around to deflect gave IG-113 a horrible feeling. “IG-219, what is your report?”
“Jedi Master Luminara Unduli has been successfully recovered from Kashyyyk. She was…convinced by the holo recordings of the Meatbag Jedi Plo Koon explaining the situation.We have been met with heavy Imperial Resistance..” IG-219’s image flickered, IG-113 watched him rotate his body around 180 degrees at the hip, grab a clone trooper by the throat, twist and throw it out of view.
“Do you require evac?” IG-113 visibly recoiled at the brutal killing of the clone.
IG-219 retrieved the dead clone’s DC-15A blaster rifle and started firing one handed.“Negative. I am requesting permission to wipe my memory banks and self-destruct to prevent capture. I wiped the memories of the battle droids under my command before we landed to prevent any intelligence compromises. Their capture is insignificant. I am the only security vulnerability. With this channel open I can transfer data to preserve…myself until reconstruction. ”
“...Are you sure you do not require Evac?” IG-113 repeated, hoping that he’d misheard IG-219’s request.
“Negative. I require authorization for self destruction.” IG-219 stated again, “Hurry with your decision High Commander, my position is being overrun. I greatly advise against my body falling into enemy hands.”
“Permission Granted.” IG-113’s hands slipped from the console, he fell to his knees after uttering the command. This was his fault, this was all his fault, he was the one that ordered IG-219 to Kashyyyk.
“Acknowledged, Commencing data transfer ... .Self destruct protocol initiated, bypassing countdown timer for maximum Meatbag casualties…” IG-219 turned again, this time to look directly at IG-113’s holo image.
“Good night IG-100-Serial-113.” There was a flash of light, and then nothing. The line with IG-219 was gone.
IG-113 punched the durasteel floor beneath him as hard as he could. The blow left a sizable mark on the floor. He felt a hand on his back and nearly turned around swinging, stopping only when he recognized Magnet standing there.
“Your comfort is…acknowledged. My apologies for unwarranted hostility.” IG-113 mumbled.
“You’re alright Sir, you just made one of the hardest decisions any of us could.” Magnet sat down on the floor next to him.
Magnet took his helmet off, he placed it in his lap. “So what next, Sir?”
“We tell Master Plo to expect Master Unduli’s arrival.” IG-113 stayed where he was on the floor, did they even have enough spare parts to completely rebuild a MagnaGuard? Would he have to send IG-404 back to Vassek 3 for supplies? Would IG-219 even be IG-219 anymore after being rebuilt? Reconstruction did not guarantee continuity. Memory could be copied, but identity—conscious experience—was not a file that could be easily transferred.
How many times could he repair something until it was no longer original? How many times could a droid's memory be copied until they lost their soul?