On Mammalia, a wave of despair had fallen over the population, as their planet, specifically their metropolitan areas had all but been overrun by Void Screamers. Mammals that had been mutated from a drug, that caused anyone who had taken it to turn into large violent monsters.
Rural communities have been forced to take in these refugees, the resulting surge in population saw numerous Mammal communities overwhelmed by the needs of these new inhabitants, and the needs of the government trying to retake the cities.
Bunny Burrow, for instance, was forced to serve as a makeshift camp for the government in exile. With most of President Edward Swift-Hoof's cabinet staying in the small town.
At the Hopps farm, Cheif Bogo was helping the Hopps farm... or rather trying to. "Marek. Stu asked me to help with the farm chores." Bogo grumbled to the young Padawan as he lifted a container with the Force.
Galen didn't say anything, he just had a smug grin on his face as he lifted the container... at least until a door opened. Galen panicked and threw the container at the intruder.
The rabbit threw the barrel off of his head. "I'm going to tell dad about this... and he's going to give the both of you a field day for this." Davies Hopps, Judy's twin brother said, covered in blueberry jelly.
"Oh, now you've done it, boy!" Bogo said angrily at the young Jedi.
"Come on," Galen said mockingly. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a cute little-"
"BOGO!" Stu shouted, catching both of them off-guard. "Davies told me that you've been goofing off!"
"He's been goofing off!" Bogo said, pointing at Galen with a clear look of terror on his face.
"Hey, I was bored!" Galen said. "And besides that ladder clearly can't hold you're-"
"Knock it off!" Stu Hopps said in annoyance. "If you two didn't bicker so much, you'd actually get your chores done. WITHOUT causing a mess! Do you have any idea what the jelly is worth to me? Especially in a crisis like this?!"
"I'm... guessing a lot? Offhand?" Bogo asked nervously.
"Of course it'd be a lot!" Stu yelled in annoyance. "For crying out loud... that pirate that Judy sent over is doing better than you two! He ain't complaining about the work. He ain't pickin' fights. And he helps Bonnie with dinner!"
"Oh that's low," Galen said in exasperation with the rabbit farmer. "You use a frelling pirate-"
"Language young man!" Stu said, pointing a finger at Galen. Quickly putting the powerful Padawan in his place. "Now we're all on edge. You're all away from home, and you're friends and family."
"Mine got out," Bogo said.
"And my father is still on Kashyyyk," Galen said.
"Point is, we're all anxious about this Void Screamer crisis. But that's no excuse to lash out at each other... or to give anyone a reason to lash out at you." Stu said. "Now, you can either bury the hatchet. Or you ain't going to watch Davies play tonight."
The play in question was called. 'The Star Wars: An Abridged History of the Days before, during, and after the Clone Wars'. The latest production he made with his girlfriend, Anna Blackpaw.
"Come on Mr. Hopps, there's no need to do anything crazy!" Galen pleaded.
"Then I suggest that you shake, and try to get along," Stu said.
XXXX
Later that night. Bogo and Galen arrived at an open-air theater. "What took you so long?" Said a Jedi sitting down in the audience.
"Stu had us doing extra work." Bogo clarified.
"Did we miss anything?" Galen asked.
"No, fact is they just got to the scene where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are on the Trade Federation ship." The Jedi clarified.
"Master, I grow bored waiting for Nute Gunray and his cronies!" The actor playing 'Obi-Wan' complained.
"Be patient young Kenobi," Qui-Gon reassured.
"But this... he is blocking fair Naboo! We shouldn't even have to be here! For truly this is wrong, regardless of whether or not there's any manner of trade dispute!" Obi-Wan complained.
XXXX
The scene changed to see Naboo being invaded by the Trade Federation. Specifically Queen Amidala's council.
"A communications disruption can mean only one thing, invasion." Said the actor portraying 'Sio Bibble'. The Governor of Naboo.
"Really? That's you're take away from being cut off?" Galen snarked as the rest of the audience laughed.
XXXX
The scene changed to when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan met the Gungan Jar-Jar. "Verily! Thou hast saved my life!" 'Jar-Jar' proclaimed grandly.
"That is the worst suit I've ever seen," Bogo said.
XXXX
The scene changed to the Queen's ship escaping from Naboo. "So who'd they get to play R2-D2?" Bogo asked.
"If I were to guess, it'd be someone who could fit inside of the shell." The unnamed Jedi commented.
Then an accident caused 'R2-D2's' head to pop off, showing a certain fenneck fox underneath. "Well I'll be, he got that Finnick crook into his show!"
'Queen Amidala', played by Anna Blackpaw herself. Put the head back on.
XXXX
The scene changed to the first meeting between Anakin, and Padme. To everyone's consternation. Anakin was played by Davies himself. "Art thou an Angel?" 'Anakin' asked of 'Padme'.
"Oh, that actually hurt," Galen said, cringing in much the same way the rest of the audience did.
"I am but an ordinary maid of an alien world. Nothing more young squire." 'Padme' said.
"Why are they talking like Shakespike?" Bogo said.
XXXX
The scene then changed to the pod race that saw Anakin's freedom. Although rather than having the actors play out the scene. It was old footage of the Boonta Eve Classic race that saw Anakin's freedom. "Now how'd he get his paws on this? Holonet's down for the whole planet." Galen noted.
"Well if I've learned anything about the Hopps family since the Night Howler Crisis, they're a resourceful bunch of bunnies," Bogo said.
XXXX
The scene then changed to Coruscant and all of the politickings that resulted in Palpatine's election as Chancellor. Despite the monumental implications of the scene. Most people were asleep by the time the main characters returned to Naboo.
XXXX
"I am Queen Amidala! Who you believed was the Queen, was in fact my faithful handmaiden Sabee standing in my place!" 'Padme' declared, standing before 'Boss Nass'.
Bogo was on the edge of his seat. "Easy there big guy, that's just common knowledge at this point," Galen said.
XXXX
The scene then changed to the Naboo royal hanger. Where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon met with the now infamous Darth Maul. Unknown to anyone, a Shadow Collective sniper was watching the play as well through her scope.
"Tremble Jedi dogs! For you face a Lord of the Sith!" 'Darth Maul' proclaimed.
"Nay! Evil shall not prevail this day!" 'Qui-Gon' declared as he and 'Obi-Wan' ignited their fake lightsabers.
'Darth Maul' ignited his double-bladed lightsaber. "We shall see!"
"Oh... mademoiselle Bellwether will be livid to see this." The fox sniper said to herself.
XXXX
"Of course I'm aware of Davies Hopps plays." Darth Aries said in annoyance over a com channel. "A few days ago he made one about his sister... and I don't want to talk about how I was represented. I would've had him killed by now. But that would just attract the wrong kind of attention. The kind that would involve a certain rabbit Jedi barring down on us. And if people figured out that the Shadow Collective was actively working on Mammalia like this, then the inhabitants turning against us will be the least of our troubles. Am I clear on this Delphine?"
"Oui, mademoiselle Bellwether-"
"For the last time! My name is Darth Aries!" Darth Aries shouted. "We've been over this a thousand times since I returned. I'm a Lord of the Sith, which means that I can't just use my old name like that! Now keep watch over Bunny Burrow! Over and out!" She then ended the call between her and Delphine. "I swear, out of all of the Preds I've met, she's the dumbest."
XXXX
The audience cheered as the victory parade on Naboo scene ended. "And thus," Davies said as he stood up. "Comes the end to our story. But this is far from the end of, 'The Star Wars: An Abridged History of the Days before, during, and after the Clone Wars'... and if I hear any snarking about the title at any point over the next week. There'll be no plays next week. Which will include a continuation of this series."
"Yeesh, that gut just can't take criticism." Galen snarked.
"Speak for yourself, I actually want to see how this continues," Bogo said.
XXXX
Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Nick and Judy were waiting impatiently as the Senate continued debating a relief bill for Mammalia. "Does it usually take the Senate this long?" Nick asked.
"No idea, I've never actually been in the Senate building before now. But to be honest, this slow pace is pretty much typical." Judy said, just as frustrated as Nick was. "At this rate, there might not be anything to save when they do agree on something."
Unknown to any of them. The Backbiter was in orbit, cloaked from prying eyes. "Are the droids ready?" Maul asked of a Nautolen with a cybernetic foot.
"Yes, and they meet the specifications you requested. Almost identical to the same droids that caused the Great Coruscant Blackout during the Clone Wars." The Nautolen technician said. "But I have to ask... will the Republic buy that these are Hutt droids?"
"That depends," Maul said. "Was you're successes with the Void Screamers a fluke of some sort? Because unless it was a fluke. I suspect that you're concerns are unfounded. This scheme will work for us, draw the Senates attention away from Mammalia, to the Hutts."
"Fair enough. Now deploy them to the Governmental Archology central power station." Maul ordered.
"And the rest, you want them spread around the rest of the planet to maximize the chaos?" The Nautelon asked.
"No, I want them to drum up donations across the planet. Maybe sell some cookies or- of course, I want them to spread chaos around the planet you fool." Maul said in annoyance. "I need those droids ready to disable Coruscants infrastructure as the Senate begins debating the relief bill."
"Lord Maul, with all due respect. Why are you even bothering with Mammalia?" The Nautelon asked.
"Because I ordain it a priority for the Shadow Collective! Now do as you were told!" Maul yelled in aggravation.
And slowly but surely, the droids were deployed to Coruscant's surface.
XXXX
Back on Mammalia, Davies and his actors were having an after-party. "So... how'd you think we did?" Davies asked, breathing anxiously.
"Well, despite in you're inconsistent writing. Especially with random changes to how the characters spoke... and some cringe-worthy moments in dialogue." Anna said tenderly to Davies. "I do believe that we did rather well."
"Why was I all of the bad guys again?" Asked Gideon Grey, still dressed as Palpatine.
"You honestly got off light," Travis said, still wearing the Jar Jar Binks costume.
"I think we should've just cut out the scene in the Senate altogether." One of Davies relatives complained. "I mean... if there's a faster way for people to get disinterested in a story. It's getting bogged down in interstellar politics that have nothing to do with the story."
"That's actual history there!" Davies snapped.
"Easy big guy..." Anna said as she hugged her boyfriend. "But he's right... the politics were kind of boring."
"I was just working with the files that my twin gave me!" Davies said. "It was some of the driest writing I ever read. But it was mostly historic fact... the rest I had to fill in with my own imagination. There were a lot of skimmed over details about the Battle of Naboo."
"Still, I hope that the next episode will be better," Travis complained. "And less of that Jar Jar guy won't make any more appearances... he won't right?"
"That depends, does authorizing the Chancellor's emergency powers literally days before the Battle of Geonosis count?" Davies said frankly. Travis fainted before another word was said. "I'll try to get him more roles in time."