#qypost

"General!" Asajj Ventress snapped. "Snap out of it!"

Grievous came back to his senses in a disorienting jolt. He shook his head for a moment, as though his exhaustion could be simply shaken loose and dislodged.

Asajj sighed. "Tell me you heard even some part of that briefing."

...Oh.

"...Of course," Asajj muttered. "I'm surprised he didn't seem to notice." She turned to face him. "I know you always seem to be tired, but I've never seen you like this before. ...Are you sure you're fit for this mission?"

"...What?" Grievous replied, eyes narrowed.

"I know," Asajj said. "It's not concern. Or, it's concern for whether we'll be defeated again."

Grievous sighed. "I am not...too 'tired' to fight. Or to command."

Ventress slightly arched one brow as she met his gaze. A split second later, she retrieved one of her lightsabers and took a wild swing at him.

Grievous staggered back, just barely out of her reach. He stared at her for a moment, bewildered, then thought to arm himself as well.

"Put your toys away," Ventress said, deactivating her lightsaber and replacing it upon her belt. "I was testing you. And from our sparring matches, I know you should have blocked that swing without needing to dodge. But you barely avoided it to begin with. How do you expect to survive on the battlefield like this?"

Grievous deactivated his sabers and put them away as well. "That was reckless," he scolded.

"So is facing the enemy head-on while you're sleepwalking," she retorted. "Go get some rest. I can do this alone much better than I could while having to watch your back."

"...Don't be a fool," Grievous scoffed. "If you think my absence will go unnoticed--"

"Your exhaustion being the sole cause of our defeat would be far more noticeable," Ventress continued. "Do you know what he'd do?" She paused, and turned her gaze to the floor. "...Of course you know."

"And if he finds out?"

"He won't," she insisted. "Not if I'm the one making the lie." Ventress took a step toward him. "I'm not asking. I'm ordering. And it doesn't matter to me one bit that you outrank me."

He wanted to protest further, but his body suddenly began to feel very heavy. He staggered again, and heard Ventress remark, "If you collapse here, it might be easier to explain."

"No," he relented. "I'll go."

Ventress watched Grievous turn and leave, still staggering occasionally as he went. She called out to one of the MagnaGuard droids standing by. "You--follow him. Make sure he actually gets to his quarters," she commanded.

The droid nodded once and left the room.

...

Grievous awoke gradually, as though the galaxy was slowly fading back in around him. When he was back in his own body without the added weight of severe sleep deprivation, he happened to glance up and catch sight of Ventress standing by in his quarters.

"I told you I could handle it alone," she said, turning to meet his gaze. "I didn't expect you to sleep for an entire two days, but I kept my word."

"Two days?!" Grievous cried, nearly choking on the astonishment and coughing as Ventress continued her story.

"As far as Dooku knows, you came down with a severe respiratory infection and were ordered to rest for a few days by the medical droid," she said. "The mission itself took longer than expected. I only just got back. I think Kenobi was surprised not to see you."

"You should probably get back to Dooku," she continued. "Before he thinks to contact the medic directly. As for me...I'm going to bed. Hopefully not for as long as you."

Grievous stood up and met her at the doorway. "...Thank you," he said softly.

"Don't mention it," Ventress replied. "Seriously, don't. I don't want to be reminded of how nice I've been to you lately."