A/N: Hi everyone! So here's another semi-boring filler chapter. A few things do happen here, but they're definitely not as exciting as the next few chapters I have planned. The next one is actually already written, and hopefully, I'll have it posted soon after this one. I guess we'll see, but considering how bad I am about updating when I say I'll update, don't hold me to any promises!
Also, I made some changes to the story's properties, i.e., I changed it from a crossover to a regular AU fanfic. While NCIS will have a few cameos in later chapters, that won't happen for a while, and I didn't think it was worth giving this story crossover status for that. So….yeah, I guess that's all for now. Please read, review, and enjoy. See you next time!
The death toll rises! As the battles intensify, and threaten a growing number of Republic worlds, planets are left to survive on their own. While the Jedi struggle to fight a war on many fronts, a series of medical stations have been established as a lifeline for those in need, but the facilities are easy prey for Separatist attacks. After losing contact with the medical station orbiting Felucia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano are sent to investigate….
A few days before the Jedi had arrived to investigate the disappearance of the medical stations, Grievous had decided to do something about the station. In other words, destroy it. Kit was still uncooperative about the half-Nautolan, but he couldn't stop himself from speaking in other areas, especially when the pain became too much. The locations of several secretive medical stations and space stations vital to the Republic's war effort were revealed by the Nautolan, who, under the influence of powerful truth serum and pain, told Grievous where they were and what defenses they had. The rest of his silence was kept, and Grievous was hard-pressed to get anything useful out of him otherwise.
But he still enjoyed destroying unprotected targets and eagerly took the information Kit gave to destroy medical stations and transports throughout the Outer Rim.
In response, the Jedi sent out ships to investigate, and once the cause was determined to be Grievous and the likely reason was Kit unable to keep his silence, the transports were given protection, along with the stations that he was attacking. Grievous stopped then, but the message was clear: nothing was safe while he had someone who knew quite a lot about Republic supply lines in his possession.
As for Kit, his days passed in a drug-induced fog. It had been almost four months since the events of Sorrus and the promise from the king and queen of Glee Anselm to track down and deliver the half-Nautolan to Dooku, but so far, they hadn't had much luck if Grievous' complaining was any indication, not that Kit had enough presence of mind to care. The cyborg still came every day to torture him, and sometimes Dooku came to watch. Just the other day, they had brought out an electro-whip and beaten him for hours, Grievous never tiring. The end result was his clothing getting a bit torn, but that was all. Despite the pain, he stayed silent, eyes closed and head down as he hung suspended in the force field, refusing to give them anything they wanted. In the end, they were forced to stop when he lost consciousness.
Not because of the pain, but because a friend had decided that enough was enough and he needed a break.
But it would start again as soon as he woke up. Knowing this, his friend decided to keep him out of it for a few more days to give him a break from it all. She had no way of knowing that Grievous would keep him in the force field the entire time, causing his shoulder to slide out of place again since it hadn't really been given a chance to heal at all. Since Kit's weight was always pulling on it every day in the force field, the muscles and tendons hadn't had a chance to heal, so the joint was severely damaged, but Grievous would only let him out when he woke up again. But there was nothing she could do either way, and so she was forced to go about her other responsibilities while she waited for the Jedi to figure out how to rescue their friend. She had no choice; the Force wouldn't let her save her friend; that was something the Jedi needed to do, hopefully before it was too late.
As this was happening, she was also coordinating the change from the Republic ships she had been using to ferry supplies throughout the Outer Rim to more….dubious….ways to get the supplies where they needed to go. Tarkin was getting suspicious of all the runs they were making to locations that had nothing to do with the war, and so the half-Nautolan had decided it was time to use less official means to get what they needed where they needed it. And so she enlisted the help of Hondo Ohnaka and his gang, for a substantial fee, to transport what she needed where she needed it. Hondo was more than willing if it meant he got a lot of money out of it, especially when the money wasn't Republic credits and actually something he could spend.
His ferrying of supplies for her landed him on Felucia, where he tried to bully the farmers out of their nysillin crop, but he was unsuccessful after the Jedi showed up and taught the farmers how to stand up for themselves. He left after that, knowing it was impossible to bully people that had found their courage to stand up to bullies, leaving for Florrum since his real job was done and he had thought the nysillin would make a nice bonus.
More funds from the half-Nautolan also convinced him to leave the villagers alone.
The Jedi moved on from Felucia, having been given a ride from the planet by the bounty hunter Sugi back to the Republic, leaving the half-Nautolan the chance to pick up her shipment of nysillin from the farmers. Unlike the pirates, she actually paid for the crops but didn't say what they were used for or where it was going. She had friends that needed the healing power of the nysillin but couldn't come to get it themselves because they may have gotten on the wrong side of the Republic at one point or another and needed to stay hidden for the time being.
Besides, she would have more important things to worry about in a little while.
Much bigger things to worry about.
Desperate times call for desperate measures! In one of the longest and fiercest battles of the war, Separatist forces are on the verge of claiming the planet of Malastare. If the Republic loses this planet it will cost them vital fuel resources necessary for maintaining their armies. In a final effort to turn the tide of this battle, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has authorized the use of the Republic's newest weapon: the Electro-Proton Bomb. Now, at the Imperial palace of Doge Urus, the leader of the Dugs, the Jedi count down the minutes until the detonation of their doomsday device….
The awakening of the Zillo Beast wasn't something the half-Nautolan thought would have been a problem. But the Dugs clearly thought it was, and as the Jedi worked to find another way of saving the Beast while keeping the peace with the Dugs, the half-Nautolan sent an ally of hers via hologram to try and convince the Dugs to wait.
"I understand your concern, Doge Urus," Senator Farr said, "But you must know that she is true to her word. If she says she can get rid of the Beast without risking your people, she will. She just needs time to get there."
"Time is something we don't have, Senator," Doge Urus said, "Every second that Beast is alive, my people are threatened. I won't stand for this threat; and will do what I have to. Even if that means killing this Beast. And besides," he added with a sly look at the Rodian senator, "I heard that she has revealed herself to the galaxy at large, and there are already significant bounties on her head. Why would she show up here and risk capture? And for the sake of one Beast that would eat her if given a chance?"
"She cares about its life," Onaconda said softly, "She cares for all life in this galaxy, including yours. She just doesn't want you destroying it because of your fear. Please, give her some time. She will get there and get rid of the Beast, and you won't have to do a thing."
"I don't believe you, Senator," the Dug replied, "If not even the Jedi can get rid of it safely and get it off my planet, what chance does this person have? She has no allies with large enough ships, no funds, nothing. There is no way for her to get it off my planet."
"Yes, there is," Onaconda said urgently, "She can do it, and your people will be safe. Just give her a chance to get there."
"She's out of chances, Senator," Doge Urus said, "And has been for a long while. She promised us, years ago, that she would remove all the Zillo Beasts. And she did, but she missed one. And now it has turned up, and she sends you to convince me to wait and watch it kill my people. I refuse to let that happen!" ending the communication and leaving the room, heading for his quarters. He reached into an old chest and pulled out an ancient manuscript when he got there. Unfurling it, he smiled at the image and ancient words written there.
He and his people would take care of this Beast, just as their ancestors had done in the past.
The communication ended, and Onaconda sighed as he turned to the young woman standing nearby. She had stayed silent and out of the conversation, wanting to know what Doge Urus' opinion would be of the whole thing, and it was more than evident now. He clearly didn't expect much from her and considered her lack of ability to remove the Zillo Beast a failure.
Never mind the fact that the other Zillo Beasts she had removed from the planet were much smaller than the adult currently threatening the Dugs.
"I guess that's that," Onaconda said, "The Dugs will certainly kill the Beast now, unless the Jedi can successfully intervene. Do you still want to go to Malastare? I will be more than happy to take you there."
The woman thought for a moment, eyes distant, before finally shaking her head. Whatever happened next was out of her hands, which meant she would have to be ready for whatever conclusion came next. And that meant being on Coruscant, even though it was the last place she wanted to be right now.
Seeing her decision and knowing he wouldn't be able to change her mind even if he wanted to, the Rodian sighed again and asked, "Coruscant?"
The young one smiled ever so slightly before nodding, and Onaconda shook his head before leaving the aft communication center of his ship to tell his pilot they would be going to Coruscant. The half-Nautolan sat down on a nearby couch and settled herself as he did so. Once relaxed and centered, she closed her eyes and released herself to the Force, reaching far out into the galaxy to see what was happening on Malastare. After a few minutes, she smiled slightly again; the Zillo Beast was giving the Jedi and Dugs a hard time. She actually found herself enjoying it slightly before moving on to see what else was going on in the galaxy. Feeling the pulse of electricity an hour or so later, she reached out again and felt the Zillo Beast succumb to the blasts delivered from the ion cannons and fall into a deep sleep. She actually smiled when she sensed Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker leave their tank and walk over to the Beast, marveling at its size while Skywalker was still a bit scared of it. A while later, the treaty was signed, and the Dugs were satisfied, and that was when she decided it was time to return.
She knew what was going to happen next.
Coming back to herself and opening her eyes revealed Senator Farr walking back into the room. He only looked at her strangely before saying, "The Chancellor has ordered the Zillo Beast to go to Coruscant for study. I don't think that is a good idea."
The half-Nautolan nodded; she didn't think so either, but that was more because she understood the Beast's sentience. He was aware and would know what was happening to him, which meant he would become dangerous once he realized who was responsible for his circumstances. And as much as she wanted to let the Zillo Beast deal with Palpatine, she knew that with the Jedi fooled, they would protect him, and the Beast would suffer.
Which meant she would have to intervene and show more of her skill than she was willing to at the moment. But she had no choice; the Beast had to be protected.
Turning to Onaconda, she only nodded again, and he said, "We will arrive on Coruscant before the Beast, and then you can get whatever plan that mind of yours is thinking up in motion. I'll be up on the bridge if you need me. I honestly don't want to know what you have planned."
He left then, leaving the woman to plan and strategize. Walking over to the holotable, she pulled up an image of the Senate compound and area surrounding it, making calculations and guessing heights and distances. After a few hours of this, she had the beginnings of a plan in her mind and decided to make up the rest as she went along, as she usually did. Stretching her back for a few seconds, she felt the pull of Rig Nema's stitches in her back. They were well healed now and needed to be removed, so she may stop by the Jedi Temple and have that done while she was there.
Whether or not she did it before or after she dealt with the Zillo Beast remained to be seen.
A calculated risk! Following a costly victory on the planet Malastare, Chancellor Palpatine orders Jedi Knights Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker to transport a fearsome Zillo Beast captured during the battle back to Coruscant. After seeing that not even a lightsaber could harm the beast, Chancellor Palpatine hopes to unlock the secret of its invulnerability to create new armor for the Republic's clone troopers. Tensions run high as the most dangerous life form in the galaxy touches down on the Republic's most populous planet….
With the Zillo Beast secured in the warehouse district of Coruscant and seemingly secure, not many people knew it was there. But those that did were concerned, especially when the Chancellor didn't seem interested in preserving his life. Even from where she was hidden near the Senate compound, the half-Nautolan could feel his rage when the Chancellor called him just an animal and knew the Beast would want to go after Palpatine if given a chance.
Which meant a lot of innocent people could get hurt.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu seemed to have reached the same conclusion, and so Obi-Wan found himself in the Senate meeting with Senator Amidala when Skywalker joined them. The younger Jedi didn't seem all that convinced by their arguments but agreed to speak to the Chancellor about it, and Padmé activated a comlink hidden in her dress just as they walked into the Chancellor's office. While security scanners would have detected any other unauthorized communication device, this one was specially made by the half-Nautolan to operate on a much higher frequency than what the scanners would have normally picked up, and therefore was essentially invisible.
And so the half-Nautolan could hear the entire conversation regarding the Zillo Beast and draw her own conclusions as well.
"I should have known secrets do not stay secret for long around here," the Chancellor said as he sat behind his desk with Mas Amedda nearby; Anakin and Padmé standing before his desk with Threepio and Artoo nearby.
"Isn't that precisely the point of a democracy?" Padmé asked.
"Of course, in wartime, some things must be kept secret. Even from the people, so as not to aid the enemy," Anakin said, earning himself a glare from Padmé, who was clearly unimpressed by the argument.
"It is unfortunate that the Beast must die, senator," Mas Amedda said bluntly, "But the greater good demands it."
"How is killing the last of a species, in secret and without debate, good for anyone?" Padmé asked, taking a step towards the speaker and asking him to see reason, but he had no interest in her or her stance on the matter if his following words were any indication, "Don't you have more….pressing issues that require your attention today?"
"No, Mr. Speaker," Padmé said, turning to the Chancellor and ignoring the Speaker, "I do not."
"I sympathize, my dear," Palpatine said, "Truly, I do. But consider this. A democracy is only as strong as the people who comprise it. At present, the people I am charged with protecting are dying faster than I can count," the Chancellor continued, rising from his seat to walk around his desk and join the Senator and the Jedi, "It is my moral imperative to take action. Anakin," patting the Jedi on the shoulder and leading him over to Padmé, "is it not worth the life of one savage beast to give our brave troops the advantage they need to win this war?"
Anakin cleared his throat before saying, "My role is not to set policy, Chancellor, but I do see both points of view. I'm certain a reasonable solution will present itself," facing both Palpatine and his wife as he said this, knowing it wouldn't be received well by one party.
"Master Kenobi has taught you well," Palpatine said with a smile before the Speaker said suddenly, "Chancellor," calling him back to his desk for a brief moment.
"Excuse me," he said, walking back to his desk and leaving Anakin to face his wife's anger, "You are supposed to be helping. Whose side are you on, anyway?" she asked quietly.
"Yours, but….you must admit the Chancellor makes some good points," Anakin said just as quietly, trying to placate her as much as he could, which wasn't very much from what the half-Nautolan listening in could hear.
"Ah, Dr. Boll," Palpatine said as he looked at a hologram of the scientist, "I trust you have some progress to report?"
"Yes, Chancellor," the doctor said almost hesitantly, "I was able to convert the Malastare fuel toxin into a poison gas. I believe it's now strong enough to kill the Zillo beast, if that's still how you wish to proceed?"
"I wish I saw an alternative," the Chancellor said, but the half-Nautolan listening could sense he wouldn't have cared no matter what happened to the Beast, "However, sadly, I must ask you to proceed with your assignment."
Hearing this conversation wasn't something the woman wanted to hear, and she turned her attention back to those in the office below as Mas Amedda left for whatever he had to do next. Minutes later, she felt a sudden surge in the Force, and looking up, she was able to see fire and destruction in the night. Narrowing her eyes and focusing them to see more clearly, using her night vision as a Nautolan and her ability to expand and contract her pupils to see far away, she could just make out the Zillo Beast.
Heading straight for the Senate.
Looking down into the window of the Chancellor's office, she could see them realizing the problem just when she did. A roar caught her attention then, and she looked up in time to see the Zillo Beast had reached the Senate and was starting to climb up the side of the giant building. She quickly scrambled out of the way as the Beast zeroed in on the Chancellor's office, peering inside with one giant eye to look for his target. He found it a moment later and growled softly, but that was when the Chancellor and those with him left and headed for the lower levels.
Seeing them leave, the Beast looked around in confusion before letting out another bellow, climbing up onto the roof of the building and looking around. Minutes later, a ship tried to take off from the lower levels, but the Beast was ready for it and grabbed it before it could get very far.
Down below, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi had just arrived with more stun tanks and were getting ready to stun the beast again: "All tanks acquire solution and prepare to fire on my order," Mace ordered over his comlink as the tanks were set on the ground near the Senate building, but Yoda was already there, "Hold your fire. In the beast's clutches, the Chancellor is."
"Anakin might be with him, and Senator Amidala," Obi-Wan said as Yoda and Aayla Secura joined him and Mace.
"If the beast falls, at risk their lives shall be," Yoda said, voicing a concern they all shared as they looked up to see what the Beast was doing. At the same time, Rex approached, having noticed something through the macrobinoculars, "Sir, looks like the general's up to something."
"What is Skywalker doing?" Mace asked as he looked through the macrobinoculars and saw that Anakin had his lightsaber out and looked like he was cutting something. He passed the macrobinoculars to Obi-Wan, who looked before saying, "It appears to be one of Anakin's….improvised plans."
"How can it be a plan if it's improvised?" Mace asked almost sarcastically with a raised eyebrow, to which Obi-Wan said quickly, "Not to worry. Just catch them when they fall."
"A lot of the general's plans involve falling," Rex was quick to say, causing Mace and Obi-Wan to look at him, Mace with a disbelieving look and Obi-Wan with just a look of resignation. Clearly, he had been down this path with Anakin before.
"Distract the beast we shall to give Skywalker more time," Yoda said then; he and Aayla quickly getting onto a nearby gunship and heading for the Zillo Beast.
Watching all this from above, the woman was able to see Yoda and Aayla Secura leap from a hovering gunship onto the Beast, igniting their lightsabers and starting to run all over the Beast, trying to give Anakin the time he needed to complete whatever plan he had made up. A few minutes later, the woman couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight of half the ship falling out of the Beasts grip and starting to slide down the side of the Senate. Moments later, Padmé, Artoo, Threepio, and Anakin all fell out, Padmé almost falling off the building entirely. At first, the woman thought she would need to intervene and save her, but Anakin was able to pull her to safety. From there, he called over Artoo to save the Chancellor, the little droid performing bravely and not letting his master down.
And once again proved the statement that one should never underestimate a droid.
The guard wasn't so lucky, crushed by the Beast, and that was when the woman decided it was time to step in. The gunships were on their way with toxic gas bombs, and she needed to intervene before the Beast was killed. With that thought, she took off running down the side of the building, the metal on her comlink catching the light and catching Obi-Wan's attention.
"What is that?" he asked aloud as he reached for his macrobinoculars, Mace doing the same. Both Jedi drew in a surprised breath a few seconds later at the sight that greeted them. The half-Nautolan was there, running hard and fast along the Senate roof, parallel to the Beast and trying to get ahead of it as much as she could. She ran quickly, and a few seconds later, Palpatine's voice came over the comlink: "Use the gas bombs!"
"Hold your fire!" Mace ordered firmly, "We have an unexpected visitor. She will catch the full force of those bombs if you detonate!"
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Look up," was all Obi-Wan said, and the group running from the Beast all looked up simultaneously, revealing the running form of a young woman. She was slightly ahead of them, but not by much. But as they watched, she started leaping, priming herself for a jump. As Yoda and the Jedi gathered there felt the Force start to respond to her, she gathered it to herself, taking in more and more and more until seconds later she was leaping onto the neck of the Zillo Beast behind them.
But that wasn't accomplished with the Force, not completely, and the Jedi quickly sensed that even without the Force helping her was incredibly strong and incredibly agile.
Still running, the group watched as she ran up the Beast's neck to its head, causing it to stop and swat at her, but she was too quick. Seeing the Beast distracted, the group slowed and stopped, turning to watch her as she ran up and down the Beast. But he wouldn't let himself be distracted for long; turning back to look at the Chancellor and snarled, deciding he could ignore the person running all over him and focus on what he wanted.
But the young woman, now visible with a spotlight illuminating her, wouldn't let him, gathering the Force to herself even more and causing the very air to crackle with it, the power growing more and more. Finally, she seemed to be ready, turning on her heel and racing along the back of the Zillo Beast, running up its neck to its head, leaping off the head to fall down in front of it. And almost in slow motion, everyone gathered was able to see her reach out and touch her hand to the Beast's rounded nose, and that was when there was the most powerful surge in the Force anyone there had ever felt, followed by the brightest light any of them had ever seen, and it wasn't just them that felt it. It turned night to day and blinded everyone there, and the Force throughout the entire galaxy was affected. Far away, Kit Fisto's eyes flew open and he gasped in shock at the surge, recognizing it from a time long ago and knowing who and what it was, while Dooku almost collapsed from the shockwave he felt through the Force. Jedi, and Sith, all throughout the galaxy felt it, and many were afraid of what it could mean.
Moments later, the light receded, and everyone could open their eyes and look around.
"What the –?" Anakin said in surprise, staring at the Zillo Beast.
At least, where the Beast was supposed to be.
Turning, the group he was with was shocked and surprised at what they saw. Or rather, what they didn't see. The Beast, and the half-Nautolan, were gone, nothing to indicate where they had gone or the fact they had been there in the first place, leaving everyone there baffled and incredibly confused.
"What just happened? Where did the Beast go?" Palpatine asked into the silence, and Yoda shook his head, "Understand this, I do not."
The elderly Jedi said no more on the subject as a gunship arrived and brought them down to where Obi-Wan and Mace were, with Obi-Wan asking, "Did that just happen? Or did I imagine that?"
"Imagine it, you did not," Yoda said quietly, "Unaware I was, how strong she was. Trained she is, in the ways of the Force. Knows it well, she does. Understand what she has done, I do not. Where she has gone, I know not."
"Maybe she –" Padmé started to say, but just then, the Jedi all turned as one as they felt the Force move again, looking down the way past the tanks. Seconds later they were all running, Padmé and the Chancellor following at a more sedate pace, followed by Dr. Boll who had just arrived and Rex, arriving just as the Force built itself up even more for a few seconds before there was another flash of light. But instead of lasting several minutes like the previous one, this one only lasted a few seconds.
And it was accompanied by the sound of something hitting the metal ground, hard, at an incredible speed.
When the light cleared, everyone could see a form lying prone on the ground. It wasn't the Zillo Beast; it was the half-Nautolan. She was lying still, nothing to indicate she was even alive, half on her side and her head resting on her outstretched arm, facing away from everyone gathered there. Her hair was tied back tight today, a single long braid down her back tied at the crown of her head. With it out of the way and her cloak gone, they could see the cuts the Karkarodon had left all those weeks ago. They were healed, only deep scars that would fade and lighten, but never go away.
Another thing that surprised them was the other scar they hadn't been able to see before now. It started just behind her right ear and went down her neck and back, disappearing into her trousers and skirt. It went down her right arm as well, disappearing into the elbow-length glove. It wasn't that unusual of a scar, except that it was black.
And it looked like a lightsaber cut.
The half-Nautolan suddenly drew in a shallow, shuddering breath, then another and another that got deeper and deeper as she collected herself before she raised her head slowly and tried to get up. It took a few tries before she could level herself up on her hands, head bowed and eyes closed as she reached deep inside herself for the strength she needed. She coughed then, a dry hacking cough, before coughing again and again in a coughing fit.
And this time, she coughed up blood. A lot of it.
Almost without thinking, Aayla started forward, but that might not have been the right move. The second she stepped in her direction, the half-Nautolan snapped her head around, the braid flying and her cough subsiding immediately. Seeing Aayla hurrying over, her face became guarded, her eyes distrustful. She struggled with her legs for a few moments before finding them and forcing herself onto her feet. She took off running then, ignoring Obi-Wan's call of "Wait! We just want to talk!"
She kept running, heading straight for the supply docks for the Senate. The Jedi ran after her but stopped as one after a few seconds, except for Skywalker, who attempted to chase after her. As they watched, she started leaping from one storage container to the next, moving much too quickly for them to follow if they had wanted to, especially when she started knocking them over with the Force to slow them down. Seconds later, she had reached the end of the loading dock, looking back for a few moments at the Jedi and clones gathered there before jumping down from the wall and disappearing into the city's depths. Anakin came back after following her, having dodged the containers, and said, "I lost her; she was too fast, and those containers she started throwing at me didn't make it any easier."
The others nodded and turned to the Palpatine, who asked, "Why did you stop chasing her?"
"Catch her, we cannot," Yoda said, "Swift she is, and strong in the Force. Too powerful, she may be," turning and looking at Mace.
"I agree," Mace said quietly, "We may need to warn all Jedi not to engage her unless they are capable of doing so. No Padawans, and certainly no younglings. For her to make a creature as large as the Zillo Beast disappear, she must be powerful. And we are missing something. Something we need to consider before we meet her again."
Obi-Wan nodded while Anakin and Aayla looked confused, but the confusion went away when Obi-Wan said, "She certainly was trained by a Jedi, I think. She knows our tactics and our way of harnessing the Force, and her ability to restrain herself is something a Jedi is taught. Perhaps a Jedi that left the Order taught her?"
"Like Dooku?" Anakin asked, "I could sense some of the Dark Side in her, on Sorrus and now here. Perhaps she is a Sith apprentice?"
"A Sith wouldn't have done what she did," Aayla argued, "She risked her life to save innocents. That is not something a Sith is capable of doing."
"Whatever she is," Palpatine said, "An effort should be made to find her and discover what there is to know about her. Perhaps more Jedi should be assigned to find her," turning to Mace as he said this.
Mace shook his head, "It won't be easy, Chancellor. Between engaging the Separatists and finding Master Fisto, and continuing the training of younglings and Padawans in the Temple, we don't truly have the Jedi to spare to track down one person in a galaxy of trillions. It is searching for a needle in a pile of nails; it won't be that simple. We should truly only do so if she becomes a security threat to the Republic or starts causing trouble for us."
Palpatine bowed his head in respect to the Jedi Master, "Of course, Master Jedi, I don't mean to suggest we stretch ourselves too thin. I'm sure another opportunity will present itself."
"Hopefully, without an entire city looking for her like it seemed on Sorrus," Obi-Wan said before looking where the half-Nautolan had gone, "She certainly has a knack for disappearing when she wants to. And she knows the area very well, not just here, but on Sorrus and Naboo as well. That suggests that she planned ahead for this. She knew it would happen."
The others nodded and started to walk away but stopped when they saw Dr. Boll. She was crouched next to the blood the half-Nautolan had left behind and was analyzing it on a datapad. After a few minutes, she stood up, confusion written over her face. Turning to those gathered there, she said, "This is the strangest sample of blood I have ever seen. Based on a cursory exam of it now, there is DNA of human and Nautolan. But I'm not getting any matches to anyone anywhere in the galaxy. There is no record of her being born through her DNA anywhere and no DNA record of her parents. It's like they don't exist at all."
"There are plenty of worlds where those kinds of things aren't tracked, Dr. Boll," Padmé said, speaking for the first time in a while, "Perhaps she came from one of them."
"Maybe," the scientist said, "But I'm seeing genetic markers that indicate her DNA was modified to make it more receptive to the other half of her heritage," she looked up then, "She was genetically modified before she was born. That requires an expensive, highly advanced genetics lab and a skilled doctor and geneticist. I would need to analyze this more carefully, but I would guess that whoever helped create her is a more skilled geneticist than the Kaminoans."
"Do you recognize the work?" Palpatine asked, to which Dr. Boll shook her head, "I'm afraid not, Chancellor. I am not a specialist in genetics; I would need to consult some of my colleagues in that field to see if they recognize it."
"Please do so," Mace said, "If we can find the person that modified her DNA, we get closer to finding out who she is."
Dr. Boll nodded, "In the meantime, I will analyze her DNA and see what I can find out about her. Maybe one of the answers of who she is is hidden there," she paused for a second before asking tentatively, "What about the Zillo Beast, Chancellor? Do I stop that project now that it's gone and we don't know where it is?"
"I'm afraid so, doctor," the Chancellor said, "I don't see how we can continue without it."
"Maybe we'll figure out what she did with it one day," Mace said softly, "In the meantime, we should see if anyone that was in the Zillo Beast's path needs medical attention and start figuring out what damages were done by the Beast that needs to be repaired or rebuilt."
The Chancellor nodded as he followed the Jedi back towards the gunships, leaving Master Yoda behind for a few brief moments before he followed. But as he turned to leave, a flicker of movement caught his eye, and he looked deep into the storage containers nearby. Not seeing anything, he shook his head and followed the others. Behind him, the half-Nautolan watched closely before disappearing back into the shadows of the containers and into the depths of the city, heading for Padmé's apartment.
Her work here was done, and now it was time to get some much-needed rest before leaving again.
Far away from Coruscant, deep in the Outer Rim on a deserted planet similar to Malastare, the Zillo Beast let out a roar before rearing up on his back legs to look around more, unable to understand how he had gotten there. One moment he was surrounded by things he didn't understand; the next, he was here. An answering roar caught his attention just then, and he followed it into a large valley, and it was there he found a female Zillo Beast. She welcomed him with a roar of her own, then started crooning in a low growl, sending out a mating call that the male heard and welcomed. He followed her deeper into the valley, while outside, more Beasts walked and lived and thrived, living peacefully on a world that had been found for them so long ago.
And it was here they would be safe.
Deep in Separatist space, Kit Fisto still hung in the force field, waiting for whatever came next. The energy brought by the Force had cleared the drugs from his system, and his head was clear for the first time in a long time. It didn't help his shoulder and made the pain brought on by the injury more intense, but that did keep his mind clear.
Dooku stormed into the cell then, and Kit smiled slightly as he sensed the rage in the Sith Lord. Seconds later, Force lightning filled the room; Kit crying out in pain as the lightning coursed through his body and sent pain everywhere. Seconds later, it was done, and Kit was collapsing limply in the force field, breathing heavily. It was only then that Dooku asked, "What is she? What have you unleashed on this galaxy, Jedi?"
Kit only smiled slightly as he raised his head as much as possible, "She is more than you or I could ever hope to be, Dooku. She is the beginning and the end of everything, and there is no stopping her now."
Dooku scowled and said, "We'll see about that Jedi," unleashing more Force lightning until Kit finally lost consciousness and went limp. Dooku left the cell then, knowing he was about to be late for a meeting with his Master to help them coordinate where their next attack against the Republic would be.
Despite the half-Nautolan and whatever she was, there was still a war that needed to be fought.
And they weren't about to let whatever that half-Nautolan was stop them.