The shuttles that escaped from Mammalia arrived at the Jedi Academy on Dantooine. As they disembarked, Nick got a good look at some sort of flying manta ray overhead. "Whoa... that manta ray is flying!"
"Yeah, brith are pretty amazing," Judy said as the Jedi that evacuated Mammalia disembarked the shuttles.
Chuz'siki breathed in the air. "The Dantooine Jedi Academy... my old home. Come on, I'll show you guys around."
"Well we're not going to be staying around that long," Nick said.
"I need to use the Academy's communication hub," Padme said as she left her shuttle. The High Chancellor made her way to the Academy's communication hub. And made contact with her husband.
"Padme?!" Anakin said. "Thank the Force you're alive. When we heard about Mammalia-"
"Anakin, listen carefully. I need you to send a Jedi Strike Team to Mammalia. There overrun by the Void Screamers. I don't know the full extent of the damages, but the people need aid!" Padme interrupted.
Anakin was taken aback. "Wow... I think the last time I've seen you like this was during the Corporate Sector Rebellion."
"This is serious 'Ani'," Padme said, using Anakin's childhood nickname. "The Shadow Collective made a brazen attack on a Republic world. We need to move, and move quickly before this spirals further out of control."
Anakin looked angry at the mention of the Shadow Collective. "Darth... Maul... is responsible?"
"Well we can't presume that he was present," Padme said.
"I'll call the council to a meeting about this. Do what you need to do. May the Force be with you." Anakin said.
"And also with you," Padme said as she ended her call to the Triumphant Phoenix.
XXXX
"And here, are my old quarters," Chuz'siki said, showing her Mammal friends her childhood bedroom.
"Yeesh!" Nick said clutching his nose. "Did you have this room fumigated or did you just use a lot of perfume?"
"It was the latter... I was a pretty vain Padawan, I'm not going to lie." Chuz'siki admitted.
"What teenager wasn't?" Judy quipped.
"True," Chuz'siki said. "Anyway, this is where we'll be staying."
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "Define, 'we'?"
"This... this is where I will be sleeping," Judy said.
Nick quickly put two and two together. "You're staying here?! But Carrots!" Nick objected. "You're a witness to what happened-"
"As are you." Judy interrupted. "You can deliver your testimony to the Senate."
"But you actually interrogated a guy!" Nick then had a thought. "Why don't you want to go to Coruscant? I mean beyond the whole 'senate won't like me being there that can't be the only reason you want to stay here."
"That depends... how familiar are you with the Pestilentia Vae?" Judy asked.
"What does an entire alien race have to do with it?" Nick demanded.
"Not a species." Chuz'siki corrected. "It's a cult. Specifically, a cult of rodent immigrants on Coruscant, over the last several decades since you're homeworld made contact with the Republic. It's gained traction in the Undercity, spreading pestilence and plague. Ranting about the end of days, the same sort of nonsense from all doomsday cults."
"In short, Mammals aren't especially welcome on Coruscant. And I do not want to be harassed by citizens who blame Mammals by and large for the actions of the Pestilentia Vae." Judy said. "That, and in addition, I'm not fond of ecumenopolis' in the first place."
Nick didn't like what he was hearing. Not only that Judy, wasn't coming with him, but that apparently the capital world of the Republic had a cult that worshiped plague. But apparently, Mammals were considered unwelcome on Coruscant altogether. "Okay... you win. I'll go to Coruscant alone." Nick walked out of the bedroom. "I mean... I don't know the first thing about Croissant, not even sure if anyone has actually been saying the name right. And of course, I could be in serious danger, from con artists who've probably had centuries of experience, gangsters and the like, these Pestilentia Vae rodents-"
"Wait!" Judy yelled as she ran to Nick. "I'll go with you... if only to protect you."
Chuz'siki was squeeing as she stuck her head out of the door. "You know, more and more she's reminding me of a very svelt Benjamin Clawhauser," Nick said sardonically.
XXXX
Several days later, Nick and Judy arrived at Coruscant. "Wow..." Nick said in awe as he saw the towering skyscrapers and ariel traffic.
"Yeah... I had no idea there could be this much grey in the entire galaxy." Judy said, ruining Nick's sense of childlike awe. "Give me wide open spaces and clean air any day."
"You would say that wouldn't you?" Nick said, clearly annoyed at Judy.
"Hey, you wanted me to come," Judy said defensively.
Padme exited the shuttle. "I'd love to show you around, Officer Wilde. But we're on a timetable if we want to help Mammalia before things get worse." They then made their way to the mushroom-shaped Galactic Senate Building. There, they met up with Senator Gcarin Fy'nyx and his son G'hayz.
"My dear, when we heard of what happened on Mammalia. We feared the worst." The elder Togruta said thankfully.
"It's wonderful to see you alive!" G'hayz said, wrapping his arms around the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.
"Likewise G'hayz... but now isn't the time," Padme said politely to the representative of Shili, the Togruta homeworld.
"Why do I get the feeling that everyone else we're going to meet today won't be as friendly as them?" Nick asked rhetorically.
"Because you're cynical... and because you're absolutely right. We're going to get few friendly faces in the Rotunda itself." Judy said, and the two Mammals followed after the representatives, while Padme met up with a Kaleesh in the holding office. "Vice-Chancellor Cerg san Saza. What's it look like in the senate chamber?"
"More of the same. Senators revealing their pettiness and stupidity with every speech and breath they take." Cerg said. "But after what happened on Mammalia... well there another push away from turning it into a blood bath."
"Then there's no time to waste," Padme said as she took her place on the podium.
"Heh, an oxymoron." Cerg chuckled to himself. "Where is the Staff Aide anyway? She's usually better about these sessions."
Then a Mirialian woman ran into the room. Looking haggard and tired. "Varanis, have you been overworking yourself again?" Padme kindly admonished.
"I'm sorry, but with everything going on... I've barely even had a chance to sleep. One... two hours at most since the war started." Varanis apologized.
"You're in no shape to attend this session." C-3PO then entered the office after Varanis. "I do apologize, Chancellor Amidala, I have been trying to get Varanis to take a break. But she was just insistent."
"Varanis, look me in the eyes," Padme said firmly to the Miralian woman. "Take a nap. Get some rest. You've done more than enough for me, and the Republic."
Varanis slumped down in a corner. "I'm going to presume that means 'yes'." C-3PO joined Padme and Cerg on the podium.
It rose into the senate chamber... and it was pandemonium. As the chambers echoed with pitched arguments, screaming and threats in a hundred different alien languages, even a few senators were bashing each other with their viewing platforms.
"Good, they've settled down a little," Cerg said sardonically. "Still, it's going to be difficult getting a word in edgewise." He then pressed a button on his console that caused the repulsor pods to their docks. "SILENCE!" He roared as he thrust his staff of office. "Whatever grudges you've brought to these halls! Whatever reasons for scorn you have! Whatever crisis' you seek aid for! Be silent... and listen."
"Thank you, Vice-Chancellor san Saza." Padme said.
XXXX
In the pod containing the Mammalian delegation. Nick was looking around the great chamber of the senate. "How... how many of those are there?"
"The pods? A little over one thousand." Judy said. "Just keep quiet, she might ask us to testify."
"Agreed." Said the Senator for Mammalia, Jack Savage.
"-while the war with the Hutts takes precedence. What has befallen Mammalia, one of our newest member worlds cannot be ignored." Padme said sternly. "The Shadow Collective has made a deliberate and blatant terrorist attack on this planet. Plunging it into chaos!"
The representatives of Kashyyyk started roaring. "Uh... translation?" Nick asked.
"All I'm going to say is that Senator Grelbacaa is infamous for his dirty mouth," Judy said, cringing at the senator's swear-ridden ranting.
"Suffice it to say, we at least have Kashyyyk on our side in this crisis," Jack said with relief.
"Senator Grelbacca! You should be ashamed of you're course language!" C-3PO admonished.
"Wish me luck." Jack then stood forward. "I request the floor!"
"The Chancellor recognizes the senator from Mammalia," Padme answered as Jack's pod levitated towards the podium.
"My fellow Senators, many of you no doubt, doubt the validity of the Chancellors claims that the Shadow Collective is behind the calamity that has befallen Mammalia. That does not change the fact that our homeworld." Jack said as he gestured to Nick, Judy, and Skye. "Is in the throughs of terror thanks to the inexplicable mutation of Mammals that had ingested a narcotic substance known as 'Void Screaming'. Someone had to have made it, someone distributed it across the planet, and someone must have had something to gain from all of this."
The senate went into hushed whispers. "Okay, now's you're time... tell the Senate what exactly happened when the Void Screamers went savage," Skye whispered to the Jedi and her partner.
"Two of my own fellow Mammals journeyed with the Chancellor herself from Mammalia, to plead their case. May I introduce Officer Nicholas Piberius Wilde of the Zootopia Police Department, and Jedi Knight Judith Laverne Hopps." Jack introduced.
Nick and Judy stepped forward. "The day started simply enough. We were escorting Chancellor Amidala to her meeting with President Swift-Hoof. We got her there without major incident." Judy began. "But I couldn't help but shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen... I mean someone would try to make an attempt on the Chancellor's life, and most of you know her past exploits better than I do." Padme gave an amused smirk, at the memories of her adventures since the Trade Federation occupation of her homeworld.
"Was I skeptical of Master Hopp's paranoia?... yes, at least until roughly twelve in the afternoon, local Zootopia time. Then I started hearing panicked reports of Void Screamer users mutating and turning into violent maniacs. It was mayhem as we got the Chancellor back to the spaceport. As in the chaos, on top of Void Screamer mutants, there were also looters, rioters, and all the other things that tend to happen when a major metropolitan area is hit by a catastrophe like... well I've got no frame of reference for that sort of thing but it happened." Nick explained.
"During our retreat, I caught a glimpse of something strange... Weequey's." Judy said grimly. "Wequey pirates had apparently gotten a tip about the chaos well before it actually happened. I interrogated one, and learned they got this tip from the-"
"OBJECTION!" Shouted another senator. "How dare you claim that Wequey's had a hand in this travesty!"
"And she is?" Nick asked with a sardonic look on his face.
"That would be Senator Aoc. The entire reason she's even allowed into the Senate is that she slept her way to the top." Skye said spitefully.
"Ms. Winter, I hate that hysterical excuse of a politician as much as you do." Jack admonished. "But there's no need in spreading around rumors like that. But yes, she's completely incompetent as representing her planet, Taris's causes, and just rants and raves every time species are mentioned by name. Regardless of the actual context. Nevermind of course that she comes from a historically xenophobic world, and actually comes from one of the noble families that survived the Jedi Civil War some four-thousand years ago." He explained at length.
"Put simply, she ain't making friends by pretending to be tolerant of every alien race in the galaxy, screamin' bloody murder every time the words, 'Twi'lek', 'Mon Calamari', or 'Kaleesh' are brought up in casual conversation," Skye said as Seneter Aoc's pod jerked towards the podium. "And now, the only good part with her ranting."
"Senator Aoc..." Vice-Chancellor Cegre seethed. "If you have reprimanded once for interrupting someone, then you have reprimanded over one-hundred thousand times throughout you're entire career. Do not. Interrupt someone, when they have the floor. You do not have the floor. You've never requested the floor even once since you entered these halls. And I imagine you will never request the floor, even as I finally lose full patients with you, and kill you with my bare hands in a fit of psychotic rage." He glared angrily at the Human senator, making no effort to conceal his scorn for the woman. "Knight Hopps. Please continue you're testimony before she says another word."
"It was the Shadow Collective." Judy continued. "The Shadow Collective hired pirates to further their agenda on Mammalia, there's evidence that Shadow Collective ships have been sighted around Mammalia's space."
"I can vouch for these assertions," Padme added. "RSI has been shadowing suspected Shadow Collective smugglers in the area. Most likely they were responsible for Void Screamers arriving on Mammalia."
"Exactly," Judy said.
"Mesa would like to spake, please." Said a squeaky-sounding voice.
"The Chancellor recognizes Representative Jar Jar Binks of Naboo," Cegre said.
"Tanken." The pod for the Naboo delegation approached the podium. "Mesa propose dat wesa send humanitarian aid to mammalia until wesa can organize forces to hep them-sa restore order todhair planet."
Nick was trying not to laugh at Jar Jar's accent. "Clam up Wilde!" Skye shot back.
"After all, wesa at war. It would be an altogether foolish thing to do to remove our forces from dha frontlines on such neb neb notice." Jar Jar continiued.
"Representative Binks, as usual, you're proposals are of sound and practical mind," Cegra said.
"I hereby propose a relief bill for Mammalia. All in favor, vote yes. All opposed, vote no." Padme instructed.
"I'll be honest." Jack said as he voted 'yes' on the bill. "This has actually gone better than I hoped for."
"I know... let's hope it stays that way," Skye said.
XXXX
That following night. Padme had dinner with the representatives of Mammalia, along with Nick and Judy at her apartment. "Well, I must say, Chancellor, I'm glad that you've honored us with your presence," Jack said earnestly.
"Unfortunately, this visit isn't strictly for pleasure," Padme said regretfully.
"Please don't talk about politics," Nick said nervously.
"Relax Nick, it's more business than actual politics," Judy said. "I hope."
"I don't blame you for your anxiety," Padme said sympathetically as she knelt down by the small table. "I'd sit in a chair, but they look too small to support me."
"Reminds me when I had the ambassador from Kinyen... that Gran howled with pain when the chair splintered into his-" Jack was laughing at the memory. "And he wouldn't stop apologizing for breaking a chair sized for non-megafauna."
Skye burst out laughing. "Any... anyway. Dinner is served." Skye brought out dinner.
"Fried crickets?" Nick asked, unsure as to what exactly the arctic fox served.
"Sort of, I think this species is native to Kashyyyk or some other planet like it," Skye said.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" C-3PO asked. "After all, you and Knight Hopps are herbivorous."
"Thank you for being condescending," Jack said sardonically as he took a bite of alien cricket.
"I used to have chicken back on Mammalia. It wasn't often... once or twice a month, sometimes in the Academy cafeteria." Judy admitted.
Padme took a bite. "This is pretty good!"
"Is it?" Skye asked tentatively. "See, I wasn't sure how it would turn out."
Nick took a bite out of his cricket. "Yep, lady ain't wrong." He said with a smile on his face.
Eventually, everyone finished dinner, everybody had contented looks on their faces. "Oh, that was good," Jack said as he licked his lips.
Everyone except for Padme started burping. "Oh my!" C-3PO said in disbelief as the small Mammals kept making louder and louder burps. "Surely you know what bad manners burping is-" There was then a farting noise, all eyes looked at Padme. Who blushed with embarrassment before laughing. "If anyone has need of me. I'll be at the door." C-3PO said in resignation as he left the apartment.
XXXX
On Had Abbadon. "We're on Mammalia, and we've arrived at the safe house." Darth Aries, formally Jedi Knight Dawn Bellweather said over hologram to Darth Maul. "We should begin synthesizing a cure for the Void Screamers soon."
"Good, but I fear that you're timetable is smaller than I was expecting." Darth Maul said grimly. "I just got word that the Senate is going to vote on a humanitarian aid bill for Mammalia, what's worse. The Mammalian government has hired Wookie mercenaries... specifically, Mad Claw Company."
"We'll keep our heads down." Darth Aries said, clearly not looking forward to the idea of facing Wookies. "But how could the government know about Mad Claw Company?"
"I saw the session on Holovision. No doubt the Kashyyyk Senator forwarded the contact information to Swift-Hoof and his people." Darth Maul surmised.
"Can you at least get someone on Coruscant to delay this?" Darth Aries asked.
"I can only promise to pursue the idea. The CSF has an almost uncanny talent of ferreting out my agents before they can do any damage on the capital. So I may have to employ pirates after a successful vote on this bill." Darth Maul said.
"I understand Lord Maul. I won't detain you any further." Darth Aries said. "May the Force serve you well."
"May the Force serve you well." Darth Maul replied, and he turned off his communications panel. "This was so much easier when I was young... not much for me to do anymore."