Judy walked through the halls of the Jedi Academy on Mammalia. Thinking back to her days as a Padawan Learner... and her friendship with Dawn Bellwether before her fall to the Dark Side.
"How didn't I see it?..." Judy asked herself as she remembered back to when Bellwether officially left the Order. She cast aside these thoughts as she went to the office of the Academy Headmaster. The Headmaster was a female Twi'lek with pink skin and a cybernetic left arm.
"Knight Judy... it's been a while." The Headmaster said with a smile on her face.
"Good to see you to Cruz'siki," Judy said. "I'd love to catch up. But I'm here to pick up my new Padawan."
"Right, I'll summon him." Cruz'siki then pressed a button on her desk. "I'm glad that you're getting your own Padawan. After everything you've been through, the Battle of Bogdan, the Mandalorian Civil War, and that mission you and Master Tano had on Kahlee-"
"Yes, but all those things happened when I was still a Padawan," Judy said. "What about the Night Howler Crisis? Or rescuing Leia from the Testament of Varl?"
"True... but let's be honest. Being involved in one of the most infamous conflicts of the last few years, and bringing Kahlee, a planet that had long-standing reasons to hate the Galactic Republic, back into the fold. Almost by your lonesome from the old reports I read." Cruz'siki said.
"Yeah... the Mandalorian Civil War wasn't as fun as you might think it was," Judy said. "The only reason I was even there, was because Ahsoka believed that it would be a good learning experience. As for Kalee, please don't remind me what happened there. I'm not kidding, even though that got me promoted to Knighthood like that." She said snapping her fingers for emphasis. "I'd really, REALLY appreciate it if you didn't bring it up!"
"Excuse me, Ms. Cruzsiki?" A protocol droid said, sticking its head into the office. "Padawan Watership is here."
"Then what are you waiting for? Send him in." Then a small male rabbit entered the office. "Padawan Fiver Watership. This is your new master, Knight Judy Hopps."
"Another rabbit? Really?" Judy asked. "And he's shaking like a leaf."
"Look, the little guy has potential... but he's an anxious mess around anyone who isn't a rabbit. So your basically the only one who CAN teach him anything outside of the classroom." Cruz'siki said. "Not even I've been able to get him out of his shell, and I was sent here to help the more anxious students!"
Judy looked at Fiver. "Hello... I'm Judy, I'm a rabbit, like you."
Fiver looked apprehensive. "I... I'm Fiver." He said anxiously. "I'm Fiver Watership." He said, shaking Judy's paw.
"I know, and I'll be your master. And you'll be my first Padawan." Judy then felt something odd about this rabbit.
"Can... can you see it as well?" Fiver asked.
"See what?" Judy asked.
"The fields... the fields of blood," Fiver said ominously.
"Did I forget to mention that Fiver has highly advanced precognition? Because if I did forget, I'm sorry for not bringing it up in the first place." Cruz'siki said. "Lately, he's been having visions of fields of blood. No idea if he's actually seeing the past, or the future... or somewhere in the galaxy there's a field of blood. I honestly don't know." She said in exasperation. "And the Academy psychiatrist can't get through to him."
"Does he have any skill with the Force... or at least light saber contact?" Just asked.
"Oh his powers with the Force are quite powerful... but as for Lightsaber Combat. He's got the basic forms down, anything beyond that he hasn't gotten the hang of them." Cruz'siki said. "I just hope that some of your skills will rub off on him. And before you throw any accusations around. He's the last Padawan here who didn't already have a Knight or Master."
XXXX
"-our main focus. Is this individual." Bogo said in the bullpen as he briefed his officers, and Judy and Fiver. He then showed a picture of a grey-skinned, blue-haired, and red-eyed humanoid being. "This is P-DS-1831. Mainly known by the alias P'dis. She's also known as the Grey Lady of Tatooine, Red Eyes, and Ms. D'lor-As... I have no idea why I got the name of a diner waitress."
"That's because that's the name she went under when she worked at a diner one of her targets frequented." Judy clarified.
"That makes WAY too much sense," Bogo said. "According to the Republic Intelligence Agency. She's one of the most unpredictable Bounty Hunters in the entire galaxy, an ex-Separatist droid that survived the Clone Wars. And according to there records never even saw active combat before a Clone strike team attacked the lab where she was being developed, and she escaped in the chaos."
"And believe it or not. She's not as dangerous as most of you are probably thinking." Judy said. "I've encountered her multiple times on missions when I was a Padawan. P'dis regularly takes in targets alive, with the only exceptions being whenever her targets are especially vile and scummy."
"You want to cover this briefing? You obviously know more then I would've expected." Bogo said, they then changed seats. "Continue."
"Right, so a few important things to know if you do confront P'dis." Judy said. "I need you to write these down. First, she can run on organic material... mainly food before anyone panics, from what we've seen her favorite seems to be bantha steaks, again, nobody panic about her eating sentients. Second, despite largely being a lone wolf she enjoys company, buy her a cup of coffee or a Bantha steak dinner."
"Are you giving us information to deal with a potentially dangerous individual or are you trying to set her up on a date?" An officer asked.
"My point is if you earn her trust you'll not only be safe but learn more about what exactly she's doing on Mammalia." Judy clarified. "Third, P'dis absolutely despises any language that betrays a lack of empathy or dismissal for droids, if your lucky she might ONLY verbally snap at you."
"And if we're unlucky?" An officer asked.
"She'll leave you in an alleyway with all your limbs broken, your tongue cut out, and for some reason, she cuts the address of Dextars Dinner on Coruscant in their flesh... never understood that last part. I mean his place is a dive, and everything he serves always has a layer of grease." Judy said, not noticing the entire bullpen looked shocked.
"Y-You mean she does that to small species right?" An officer asked. "S-S-She couldn't do that to a-"
"Oh no, I've seen Mammals of your caliber go through her entire meltdown. Though I might be exaggerating, I've only ever seen that once and that was so long ago that I might be misremembering the entire thing. Just, in general, don't demean droids when she's around." Judy said. "And fourth... and this is the most important thing. If you do encounter P'dis. Do. Not. Provoke her. By that, I mean don't shoot her, don't grapple her, don't do anything that would give her a reason to defend herself. That, I have seen her do before, and she won't hesitate to put you through a galaxy of pain to protect herself."
"So in short. P'dis is normally humane unless it's to the worst of the worst. If we want more information, we go through her stomach or whatever equivalent she has. Don't talk ill about droids and I'm assuming droid rights. And don't give her a reason to engage in self-defense." Francine the elephant surmised.
"Exactly! And before I forget. Don't do anything unless me, or another Jedi is in the area. Our powers are enough to keep her in place... well for a while. Just long enough for you to get away." Judy explained. "You all may all be Zootopia's finest. But remember, not only is P'dis a learned and experience killing machine. But she was created for the specific purpose of being a next-generation droid soldier. And I for one, would not forgive myself if any of you died in the line of duty to this droid without at least having a guide to avoid being killed by her."
"And that kid... that's what a hero looks like," Nick said to Fiver.
"I... I am sorry for what those children did to you." Fiver said ominously.
"Wait, what?" Nick said in surprise. "Did Judy tell you about?-"
"No... she didn't breath a word about it," Fiver said. "You hide your pain well, but even I. A novice in the Force can see the scars on your soul, and there cause."
"Okay, that's just freaky," Nick said in disbelief. "Although... rabbits that can see the future makes WAY too much sense to me."
XXXX
A few days later, a new Jedi/Police Officer duo was starting there first day at the ZPD... on parking duty. Harry Carrotson the rabbit, and Jedi Knight Sawa Otocyon the bat-eared fox. Harry was grumbling as he wrote parking tickets. "Harry, what have I told you about giving in to anger and frustration?" Sawa said as she used her Force powers to levitate some cones.
"Sawa... I did not go through years of training at the MPA. Just to be yelled at by idgit's who know there cities laws even less then I should." Harry said as he wrote up another ticket. "My first day on the job... and THIS is what that buffalo has me doing. And remind me again why you're here? Isn't there some kind of renegade robot in town?"
"You saved my life when my ship crash-landed in Bunny Burrow," Sawa said.
"Any Mammal worth his salt would've done what I did. Dad was irate at having a fox on the farm, but I don't regret helping ya." Harry said as he got into his cart. "But really, squander telekinesis on traffic violations?"
"Listen, it's a Jedi's duty to serve. No matter how small the task might be, and you did save me. That needs to be repaid somehow." Sawa said as she sat next to Harry.
"And it this rate, that debt'll be repaid in years... how long do Jedi live for anyway?" Harry asked.
"That depends on the Jedi," Sawa said, they then saw at a crossing. A humanoid woman with grey skin, glowing red eyes, and blue hair. "Harry," Sawa said with concern as Harry gained a mischievous grin formed on Harry's face. "Whatever your thinking. You are not prepared to take on-"
P'dis then fired at Nick, Judy, and Fiver who were behind her. "Okay! I was seriously hoping for some kind of conversation before any shooting started!" Nick said as he fired back at P'dis.
"Boring workday anyway!" Harry said as he leaped out of his cart.
Sawa rolled her eyes. "Why do I always end up working with the hotheads?" She then activated her blue colored lightsaber and joined in the fray that had broken out.
Harry fired his gun at P'dis. But it quickly proved ineffective. "Officers, I have no quarrel with you. All I require is Officer Nicholas Piberius Wilde and Jedi Knight Judith Laverne Hopps." P'dis said as she juggled fighting off two Jedi at once.
"Sawa, been a while." Judy quipped.
"Likewise, but this really isn't the time for reminiscing." Sawa answered as the two Jedi traded blows with P'dis.
Eventually, however, P'dis gained the upper hand, and from her blaster pistol fired a stun blast at Nick and Judy. "I am not charging that freak enough for this." She then grabbed Sawa by the throat. "I will make this as clear as I can Jedi. I am bound to fulfill my contract." She threw Sawa at Fiver. Knocking them both out. "And now, to make a quick getaway." She then activated a smoke bomb that obscured her, giving her time to disappear.
When the smoke disappeared. The droid bounty hunter and her quarry were missing.
XXXX
"So, in short. You have no idea where P'dis took Nick and Judy?" Bogo asked as Harry, Sawa, and Fiver sat in his office.
"No sir... P'dis didn't say a word as to where she was going." Harry said.
"And... and I'm just waking up from that beating I took," Sawa said as she held an ice pack to her head. "So right now, I can't feel Judy with the Force."
"What about you?" Bogo said to Fiver. "You haven't said a word."
"Rain..." Fiver said ominously.
"Excuse me?" Bogo said in bewilderment.
"They have been taken through the maze... to a place wreathed in rain. To pods astride the seas." Fiver said cryptically.
Bogo rolled his eyes. "Unless someone on in Seattle could afford a bounty hunter from outer space. I don't see that helping at all."
"Your probably right... though that description does sound familiar." Sawa said. "The Rishi Maze... the planet Kamino is on the other side of it, and on that world it's almost always raining. And pod shaped buildings on stilts- that has to be where they are."
XXXX
"So remind me again why you insisted on coming along?" Sawa asked of Harry as her repaired ship arrived at Kamino.
"You're a friend, and I've known Judy since we were kitts, and Nick's an officer as well," Harry said. "And besides, Bogo was insistent on a ZPD officer coming along on this trip."
"Bogo is a good man... though he earned that goodness through great pain," Fiver said ominously.
"Padawan, can you at least wait until we're looking for Nick and Judy BEFORE you share cryptic visions?" Sawa said as she landed the ship at Tipoca City, the capital of Kamino.
A Kaminoan met up with them. "Master Jedi, we don't have a record of your arrival."
"We come and go as we please," Sawa said. "We don't need 'appointments', and frankly there more of a hassle for our work then a help... usually. The point is I need to speak with Prime Minister Ci So. Now." She demanded.
Eventually, the party got to see the Prime Minister. "I'm sorry to hear that one of your colleagues has been abducted." Ci So said dispassionately. "But what makes you so certain they are on Kamino?"
"Never mind why," Harry said. "Just tell us if this ship has even been on this planet." He said as he showed a hologram of P'dis's ship.
"Hmm... an old Maxillipede shuttle. The Neimodians haven't made that model since the end of the Clone Wars." Ci So noted. "There was one such ship that has entered the ship, we've been monitoring it since then. I'll give you it's current location."
"This world... hides one-trillion secrets," Fiver said ominously. "Most blacker than the void between the stars... some even worse."
"Yeah, he does that," Sawa said as they left.
XXXX
The team arrived at P'dis's ship and found the droid bounty hunter in short order. "I'm impressed. I expected to wait much longer before you came along." P'dis noted.
"Look... we've had a VERY long trip to this planet." Harry said with aggravation as he pointed his gun at P'dis. "So we're only going to ask this once. Where. Are. Nick, and Judy?"
"They are in the cloning lab." P'dis said, pointing to the lab in question. "A Kaminoan cloning technician calling himself the 'Clone Master' hired me."
"And the reason you even took the contract?" Sawa demanded with her lightsaber ignited.
"Look, all he asked for was genetic samples. Nothing as big as this, but I panicked when I recognized them." P'dis said indignantly. "And when I was last in there I saw what he was doing with the genetic material he asked for. I don't know what exactly he's planning to do with those clones. But it cannot be for anything good. So I decided to wait here, in the hopes of getting the help of confronting the 'Clone Master' on what exactly he's doing." She explained.
"Enough!" Fiver yelled. "We are each of us tired of this ordeal. It benefits no one to argue like this!" Everyone was surprised by his outburst. "Please... if you wish to help us save our friends. Then help us. Otherwise, stand aside."
"Is this the same rabbit that's been making creepy comments since before we left Mammalia?" Harry said in surprise.
P'dis actually looked impressed. "Follow me." The droid then led them inside of the cloning lab. Inside the Mammals found a number of cloning pods.
"What the heck is this guy doing?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Sawa said, she then recognized one of the clones. "Wait... is that Master Skywalker?"
"Yes, that clone was created from Grand-Master Anakin Skywalkers genetic material. Nearly all of these clones were created from the genetic material of figures that were played a role during the Clone Wars and beyond." P'dis clarified. "And their creator paid me enough for each that I could've retired to my own planet by now."
"Okay... but why?" Harry asked.
"Well I know that might be silly seeing as how I'm a droid. But I've honestly always wanted to go to a beach and with my work-"
"No I mean, why take these people in particular?" Harry asked.
"Madness... madness is what drives this creature of logic and dispassion to do this," Fiver said.
"I could've told you that." P'dis said sardonically. Then without warning, a Kaminoan in a highly customized lab coat "Ah, we were just talking about you."
"What are you doing here?" The Clone Master demanded.
Sawa jumped on the Clone Master. "Where. Are they?" Sawa demanded.
"Where are who?-" Harry then cocked his gun.
"Don't play dumb with us. Nick and Judy are here. And we know about your doing weird cloning experiments." Harry said. "So you can either free them. Or we can-" Then without warning, Nick and Judy burst through a door.
"Master?... you are alright?" Fiver asked.
"Yeah, we just spent the last few days having our blood harvested," Nick said sardonically. "Couldn't tell you why. The only evidence we got on the way out was scattered reports on specific clones."
"No... you will not disrupt my experiments!" The Clone Master said.
"Just tell us what they are you melodramatic meat bag." P'dis said in exasperation.
The Clone Master grumbled. "Fine... as a young man. I worked as a technician on the Republic Clone Troopers. As the war progressed, I had heard the stories of the so-called 'Heroes of the Republic'. The various deeds of figures like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Padme Amidala, and other figures. Since the war's end, I have been gathering their genetic material."
"For reference. I've gotten him DNA samples from six-hundred and twenty-six individuals. Six twenty-eight including you two." P'dis said candidly.
"And what exactly are you doing with these clones?" Nick demanded. "And why take Judy and me? The Clone Wars was years ago, we were just kits when it happened!"
"I... I wanted to examine your genetic material. To see what made you so special... how you managed to overcome impossible odds." The Clone Master said. "I wanted to find the genes that allowed them to survive the Clone Wars, and as the years went on. Other non-Kaminoan's that gained fame and notoriety... that fool of a Prime Minister dismissed my project. Claimed that it was a waste of time, but I know that somewhere is the genes that will allow my people to attain dominance over this galaxy!"
The organics looked at each other in bewilderment at the Clone Master's apparent insanity. "Oh! You're doing some kind of eugenics experiment. See I thought you were making some kind of clone harem." P'dis said frankly.
"And... that brings us to A113. Where is she?" Judy demanded.
XXXX
"So in short," Bogo said as both of his officers, both of the Jedi, and P'dis sat in his office. "This... 'Clone Master' cloned you two, and a whole mess of other people."
"Yeah, apparently he thought there was some kind of gene that allowed everyone to get through certain things," Nick said.
"And he wanted to find that 'gene' in order to incorporate it into the Kaminoan genome," Judy said. "Apparently he was sick that day in cloning school that they taught that personality and physical conditions can't be recreated from genetic material."
"And what is A113?" Bogo asked.
"Well, he tried splicing DNA to see if that could bring out his desired results." P'dis then picked up a canister. "This was one of the spliced clones. Specifically, it's derived from Officer Wilde and Knight Hopp's genetic material. So naturally, it's comparatively young when compared to the rest of the Clone Master's experiments."
Bogo was taken aback. "That.. that shouldn't be possible."
"Your not wrong chief," Harry said. "I ain't much of a scientist... but my family has bred enough birds to know how crossbreeding should work-" Then everyone reacted with disgust. "My point is. Even with really advanced aliens science. It shouldn't be possible for a fox and a bunny to be crossbred. Ain't even the same kind of family, nevermind that one's Predator and the other's Prey." Hary explained.
"A fair point. Though I have heard that sometimes the Kaminoan's created hybrid children for mixed species couples." Sawa said.
"And what of the Clone Master?" Bogo asked.
"The Republic arrested him for his experiments," Nick said. "Which... brings us to the elephant in the room." Then right there, Francine the elephant entered the office.
"I'm sorry Francine I'm kind of in the middle of something," Bogo said the elephant left after making a quick apology. "You are right Wilde... what exactly do we do with this kitt? I mean... what are the rights of a clone anyway? In the greater Republic, I mean. Sure they fought and bled for them... but that's only because some sociopathic politician engineered an entire war just so he could make an attempt to control the galaxy." Bogo mused.
"Enough," Judy said. "The Clone Troopers were implanted with organic microchips that MADE them obedient slaves for Order 66. The fact that they were cloned does not make the survivors any less people." She said sternly. "But... I still don't know what should be done with her. Where to send her, she's bound to be Force-sensitive... I just don't know."
XXXX
"Whose a good hybrid? Is it you? Yes, it's you!" Chuz'siki said tenderly to the hybrid child.
"All I ask is that you take care of her... of Pandora," Judy said.
"Yeah... it's not that we don't want her. It's more that we're not ready to be parents... at all." Nick said.
"I've had to help my parents with enough of my younger brothers and sisters, not to mention nieces and nephews. To know how much of a handful it can be." Judy said.
"Yeah... that and I don't know the first thing about childcare," Nick said.
"I'm sorry to hear that... although there is a loophole." Cuzu'siki said.
"No... I honestly don't know Nick well enough to marry him." Judy said.
"Exact- wait what?" Nick said in bewilderment.
"Don't get me wrong Nick, I appreciate you as a person and as an officer... but marriage? Really?" Judy said. "I'm not against the idea. I mean... I sound like I'm rambling aren't I?"
"Yes... but in our defense Carrots. We did spend a week having our blood drained." Nick said.
"May we leave now?" Fiver asked. "I do not think that Headmaster Chuzu'siki approves of this conversation."
"And you'd be right, I need to get this little one to her new home anyway." Chuzu'siki said.
They then left the Academy. "Could've been worse. The RAM's could've gotten themselves involved, or even worse. Grandmaster Skywalker's Padawan, Galen Marek." Judy said.
"I have no idea what either of those things means. But I'm guessing that 'RAM's' aren't a kind of sheep, and you don't like Galen." Nick said.
"The Republic Armored Marines would've probably sunk that lab... by accident, not even thinking beforehand that getting people out of there alive without. As for Galen... well let's just say he didn't earn the nickname 'Starkiller' by being careful." Judy said. "I swear- how do you accidentally destroy an entire star system? I still don't care that it was technically uninhabited, one-hundred thousand people still lost there lives from that-"
"No more talk please!" Nick said anxiously. "Let's find some way to relax, yes?"
"Master... I want to apologize for failing you." Fiver said to Judy.
"How? Your visions allowed Sawa and Harry to find us. Not to mention that you stumbled on a mad scientist that wanted to conquer the galaxy." Judy said with a smile on her face. "I'm... proud of you! You worked with what you had and worked with people that you might not have ever even talked to... I'm actually surprised that you worked with Sawa."
"She's a Jedi... as much as I distrust Predators. I valued your survival more." Fiver said, he then went on at length about his phobias.
"And I thought I had issues," Nick said in shock after Fiver finished.
"Yes... the deaths I saw still haunt me to this day." Fiver said.
"We're getting ice-cream," Judy said quickly. "After everything we've been through over the last few days, we need a frozen treat."
"Amen sister," Nick said in agreement.