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🪐Chapter Seventeen🪐

"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man"

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Chapter Seventeen

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You were woken up from the best sleep you'd gotten in months by a chirp from your comm.

Groaning, you blindly reached for it and answered, "Master Pavond."

"Master Pavond, this is Chancellor Palpatine."

Shooting up in bed, you ignored the annoyed shifting from the person beside you. Why would the Chancellor of all people be calling your personal comm? You'd maintained a professional distance with him ever since he'd been elected into office. You'd even sent him a toxic plant that gave him hives once in retaliation for trying to get close with Anakin and you knew he was aware it was you.

"Your Excellency, how may I assist you?"

"There is a rather powerful creature on its way to Coruscant called the Zillo Beast. Masters Skywalker and Windu discovered it on Malastare. It is my understanding that all living creatures create a presence in the Force, is that correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"I am also under the impression that Jedi have the ability to create bonds with animals."

"Yes, although I would suggest contacting a Jedi who specializes in creature bonding if that is what you are seeking. I'm afraid it's not something I'm very adept at."

"That is no matter, my dear. I would like for you to come look over the Zillo Beast once it arrives on Coruscant. I will have you picked up at the Temple in an hour."

The call ended. Staring at your comm in stunned silence, you found it hard to process what just happened. The Chancellor had left you with no choice but to go look over the Zillo Beast, even though you said that you weren't adept at communicating with animals.

"Darling? What is it?" Obi-Wan finally woke up fully, sitting up and shifting to press a kiss to your shoulder.

"Apparently a Zillo Beast was found on Malastare and the Chancellor wishes to have me... look it over. He didn't go into much further detail. He's having me picked up in an hour."

Obi-Wan frowned, "You're on leave. There's no reason for you to be doing any official business until the end of the week. There are plenty of other Jedi much more experienced in working with animals."

"It doesn't seem as though the Chancellor cares," you sighed, getting out of bed and moving over to the closet to put on a set of robes, "If they truly find a Zillo Beast then it will likely be subdued when they bring it in. I won't be able to do much in terms of communication anyway."

"A strange move, even for him," Obi-Wan agreed.

"He makes a lot of strange moves, I just wish we could make sense of them," finished pulling on your robes, you leaned over the bed to give Obi-Wan a kiss, "Take your time. I'll make breakfast."

You and Obi-Wan shared a quiet breakfast together, discussing things other than the war like how your family was doing and the karaoke night Obi-Wan had joined the 212th in at 79s. It was moments like these that allowed you to forget the war that was raging on outside the Temple walls.

"I need to head to the front of the Temple," you checked the chrono on the wall, "Would you like to walk with me there, Master Kenobi?"

"It would be my pleasure, Master Pavond," Obi-Wan smiled.

The two of you left your apartment, idly chatting on the way to the Temple entrance and greeting any familiar Jedi you came across. Bant even walked with you for a few minutes, talking about how Master Che was about to put her up for mastership. She was needed in the Healing Halls, but she gave you and Obi-Wan a cheerful goodbye before she left.

By the time you reached the Temple steps, there was already a military transport waiting outside. There were five minutes until the hour mark, but it seemed that the Chancellor was very eager for you to get to wherever the Zillo Beast was being taken.

"I'll see you later, Master Kenobi," you bowed to Obi-Wan, sharing an affectionate smile with him when he returned the gesture.

Walking toward the military transport, you stepped on when the doors opened and greeted the Coruscanti guard that was escorting you.

"Commander Fox, I thought you'd be escorting the Chancellor," you greeted.

"The Chancellor wished for me to escort you whilst he took some of the natborn guard," Fox's distaste toward the natborn guard was evident, but you knew he didn't like working with the Chancellor so closely, for some reasons he shared and others he refused to, so this was likely a nice break for him.

"Well, let's not waste this opportunity," you looked over the guard mischievously, "What's the latest news in the Senate? Who's been the worst dressed lately?"

The Guard always had the best information concerning what was happening in the Senate, but sometimes it was nice for them just to complain and make fun of the worst Senators they had to deal with. You weren't going to punish them for it, on the contrary, you joined in more often than not.

By the time the transport landed, you learned of the progress on three proposed bills for clone rights (two of them were carefully worded and expected to pass, while the other was asking for too much so early in the game), heard some news concerning other bills relating to the war, and decided the Top Three Worst Dressed list for the month.

"Oh kriff," you swore when you saw the Zillo Beast being removed from the star destroyer it was transported in.

Chancellor Palpatine and Mas Amedda stepped out of their transport at nearly the same time you did. Across the platform, you spotted Anakin and Mace - who were the ones to find the Zillo Beast on Malastare.

"Ah, Master Pavond," the chancellor greeted you cheerfully, "I am glad that you could make it."

As if I had a choice

You plastered on a smile, "Thank you for inviting me to such an occasion, Chancellor. There hasn't been a Zillo Beast confirmed to be alive for many years. It is a shame we couldn't just immediately relocate it."

Obi-Wan had brought that up over breakfast. If this Zillo Beast was the last of its kind then conservation and relocation were more important than any military pursuits. Of course, the Chancellor didn't see it that way.

"Yes, however studying the natural armor of the beast may prove essential in improving the survival odds of the soldiers in the field."

Ah, so now that there was an interesting creature to study and experiment on it was time to truly care about the men constantly dying in the field to keep a fractured Republic together.

The Zillo Beast was heavily sedated and foggy in the Force, but there was intelligence there. This wasn't a true beast, but an intelligent creature. Perhaps not sentient, but not nearly as instinct-driven as any other animal.

"Do you sense anything, Master Pavond?" The Chancellor asked curiously.

"I'm afraid the sedation is a bit too heavy at the moment, perhaps when the beast wakes up I will be able to pick something up."

Accepting your answer, the Chancellor walked across the platform to speak to Anakin and Mace. Anakin seemed generally indifferent to the situation, though you had to wonder if that was because of the Chancellor's presence. Mace hid it well, but he didn't enjoy what was going on in the slightest.

"Such size, such power," the Chancellor marveled over the Zillo Beast.

"With respect, Chancellor, I believe this creature could pose any number of dangers. Bringing it here to Coruscant is a mistake."

"Oh I assure you, I did not make this decision lightly, Master Jedi. The sooner we unlock the Zillo Beast's secrets the sooner we can end this terrible war."

"I hope you're right, Chancellor." Who you assumed to be the head doctor concerning the Zillo beast approached flanked by two Coruscanti Guards, "I'm turning the Zillo Beast over to you, Doctor. I trust it will be given good care."

"The Zillo Beast is a priceless resource, Master Windu. It will be well treated, I assure you."

Mace glanced over at you, obviously wondering why you were there- but he was also smart enough to realize that asking in front of the Chancellor would be unwise, so he bowed and left. Anakin also sent you a look, but unlike Mace, he wasn't bound by verbal communication.

What are you doing here?

The Chancellor wishes for me to look the beast over in an attempt to connect with it through the Force

Confusion-shock-annoyance. Aren't there Jedi who specialize in connecting with animals?

Yes, but the Chancellor contacted me instead. I'll try to figure out why

Be careful, for once Anakin was the one giving you a warning concerning the Chancellor. You weren't sure you enjoyed the flipped dynamic.

Now left with the Chancellor, Mas Amedda, and the doctor, you were anxious to look over the beast and return to the Temple. Something didn't seem right about this situation, and it was making you uneasy.

The four of you went inside the lab, where the Zillo Beast was being set up in a strong ray field as it slowly woke up from sedation. The Chancellor ushered you into a hover pod with himself, Mas Amedda, and Fox. The two of you shared a look as you got on, and you knew he was just as unsettled as you were.

"Is it easier to reach out to the creature now that it is coming out of sedation, Master Pavond?" The chancellor asked.

"Yes, but I'd have to move closer in order to properly connect with it. If you'll excuse me," ducking under the half windshield covering the front of the pod, you pushed off the front and jumped onto the platform just in front of the Zillo Beast. The rest of the group behind you simultaneously sucked in an anxious breath, but the beast did nothing but look at you.

"Hello there," you greeted, slowly reaching out a hand. The beast growled low in its throat and you backed off for a moment, "It's all right, I'm not going to hurt you."

Reaching out with the Force, you found that the beast, while not Force-sensitive, was still highly perceptive to your use of it. So much so that it seemed to embrace the feelings of calm and reassurance that you were sending over.

"See?" Pressing your hand to the side of its face, you bit back a gasp as you fully embraced the bond that was forming. Immediately you could feel its fear and anger at being taken away from its home. They weren't standard emotions you'd feel from an animal, but were complex and intelligent, "Oh."

The Zillo Beast was frightened and angry, yes, but this wasn't so much for itself. She was carrying eggs. Her mate had died many years ago with the last of her kind on Malastare, but she had already been fertilized by that point and fell into hibernation in order to save herself and her children. The bomb dropped on Malastare woke her, and subsequently began the development process for her children. If she were to die or be injured too harshly, then her children would die as well.

"Master Pavond, what of the beast's Force signature?" Chancellor Palpatine called out, breaking you from your concentration. The Zillo Beast growled deeply as he spoke, tilting her head as if to protect you from him.

"Their Force signature?" You questioned. Why would he wish to know about the beast's Force signature?

"Yes, is it Light or Dark?"

Surprised by the same question, you struggled to ascertain where the Zillo Beast fell on the scale. It was hard to tell when something wasn't inherently Force-sensitive, but someone's general nature was usually able to be seen with the Force and an assumption could be made from there.

"The beast is neither, Chancellor."

"They are Gray, then?" Something about the Chancellor's tone made your heart stop. Everything in you screamed that he knew despite that being an impossibility. You masked your natural Force Signature and even if you didn't he wasn't Force-sensitive and wouldn't be able to tell either way, "Master Pavond?"

"Gray is one way to put it," you forced out, trying to keep calm. "The Zillo Beast simply is, it doesn't need to be assigned a side of the Force to exist."

"Yes, well, perhaps that is why you connected so well with it," the Chancellor smiled, his tone casual and kind.

Unsure of what to say because Force it really sounded like he knew you were a Gray Jedi, but again, that was impossible, you thanked the Force when your commlink rang with a message from Mace requesting a meeting as soon as possible.

"My apologies, Chancellor, but I'm afraid I am needed by the Council," it wasn't a lie. Mace was on the Council and he needed you.

"Of course, thank you for your help. The beast seems much calmer now that you have been within its mind," Palpatine made your connection with the Zillo Beast sound like an invasion, an attack against you. You didn't like that.

You didn't like any of this.

~*~

"Master Windu," you greeted Mace as you stepped into the private meditation room. Your words drew him out of the light meditation he was resting in, his Force signature now attent and fully active.

"(Y/n), why did the Chancellor request that you come to the platform when the Zillo Beast arrived?"

Sitting on the seat opposite him, you glanced out the window at the Coruscant skyline in an attempt to gather your thoughts, "I'm not sure. He said it was because he wanted me there to look over the Zillo Beast, he never really got much more specific than that."

"An odd move from the Chancellor," Mace stated contemplatively.

"He asked me where the creature fell in the Force- if it was Dark or Light. The way he said it... it seemed off, Mace," you paused, and Mace motioned for you to continue, "I told him that it didn't fall into either category, and he asked me if it was Gray. He then suggested that it was perhaps because of that that I bonded so quickly with it."

Mace froze, just as you had when you were in that situation with the Chancellor. Thinking back on the situation made you feel nauseous. Something was so wrong there. The Zillo Beast was scared and alone and the Chancellor was focusing on the side of the Force it fell into while making comments about your own designation.

"This is concerning," Mace ran a hand over his face with a tired sigh, "Have you ever made any mention of your Force designation to the Chancellor?"

"Never. The only ones who are aware are the Council, Obi-Wan's lineage, and members of the Vode who would never betray my confidence."

Humming in understanding, Mace sighed again, "For now I'm afraid there's not much we can do about it. Your designation in the Force is wholly a concern of the Order, a concern that we've already addressed. If he made nothing other than cryptic comments then perhaps it was a mere coincidence."

"Yes..." You were still uncertain, still uncomfortable and frightened about what the Chancellor would do if he knew you weren't a Light Jedi, but there were more pressing concerns at the moment, "I was able to form a bond with the Zillo Beast."

"Oh? What did you gather from that bond?"

"It's a female and she's carrying eggs. Her mate died with the rest of her kind but she fell into hibernation in order to protect herself and her children. Now she's awake, away from her home, and in danger. I don't think they'll be keeping her alive for long."

"If the only way to properly research her scales is to kill her then you're right, she won't be safe."

"We need to do something."

Mace gave you a look, "You act as though you already have a plan."

"I don't, at least, not a full one, but I have some ideas. It'll be a bit... not legal. Are you willing to help me, or will you pretend this conversation never happened?"

Pondering only for a few moments, Mace answered confidently, "She is a unique lifeform carrying the last of her kind, I could not call myself a proper Jedi if I did not help her."

You'd hoped he would say something like that, "Good. I need to make a few calls. In the meantime, I need you to go to the Archives and track down copies of maps of the lower levels and the sublevels of the Temple, preferably ones that intersect. Avoid Master Nu at all costs, she'll figure out what you're doing immediately."

Mace nodded dutifully, and for a moment you had to hold back a laugh. The Master of the Order was taking orders from a Jedi who could barely consider themself qualified to be a member of the very same Order he led.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind if I pull another person into this. He'll be a great help."

Mace's lips quirked up in a ghost of a smile, "I'm sure Obi-Wan would be more than happy to help."

~*~

After calling Obi-Wan back from the Senate, you explained the situation to him and together the two of you called in several favors in order to both enact the plan properly and protect yourselves from persecution afterward.

Shortly before sunset, all of you came together again and loaded onto a military transport currently being piloted by Oddball. All of you were dressed in Shadow gear delivered by Quinlan who knew better than to ask questions. On the way to the lab, you reviewed the maps Mace had copied and charted out the fastest and safest path to take through the lower levels back to the Temple.

"Approaching dropzone," Oddball called out.

"Thank you for the help, Oddball," Obi-Wan called out as all of you walked toward the open doors.

"Anything for you, General. Time to drop."

All of you jumped, using a slight push from the Force to propel yourselves to the side of the lab. Grabbing a tight hold of the wall, you searched for a way in. You'd rather not have to go through the front doors.

"There," Obi-Wan pointed out a vent shaft that looked like it could fit all of you.

The three of you climbed up to the shaft. Obi-Wan reached it first and pulled off the cover, slipping inside. You followed after him and Mace was after you.

"I'd like the two of you to know that if we get caught I'm going to place the blame on Mace," Obi-Wan announced.

"Why on me? I'm not the one who asked you to do this," Mace grumbled from behind you.

"Because you're a senior Council member, and I, as a new member, would be amiss to disobey direct orders from the Master of the Order."

"As if anyone would believe that," you chuckled, trying to focus on the dire situation but getting distracted due to your prime view of Obi-Wan's ass.

"You'll find I can be very convincing."

Mace groaned from behind the two of you. There were several Jedi whom you suspected knew of your relationship with Obi-Wan - perhaps not of your marriage, but of your relationship at least - and as one of Plo's closest friends and a close friend of your own, Mace was at the top of that list.

Obi-Wan had a strange amount of experience both finding his way through vent shafts and breaking and entering, so with him leading it wasn't difficult to find the main area of the lab. You assumed you had made it when Obi-Wan paused at a certain vent open and pushed it off with little to no effort.

"We have fifteen minutes," Obi-Wan announced before dropping down.

You followed after him, finding yourself staring straight into the Zillo Beast's eyes. Obi-Wan had begun to incapacitate the guards on duty, and Mace was quick to follow when you landed, which left you with the job of convincing the Zillo Beast to go where you needed her to.

Setting a hand on her face, you closed your eyes and reached out for the fresh bond you'd created with her. You pushed images of the lower levels into her mind, mapping out exactly where she needed to go. You followed that with a strong sense of safety and home.

In response, she sent back feelings of anger and an image of Chancellor Palpatine saturated in colors you couldn't see as a humanoid.

"(Y/n)?" Obi-Wan placed a supportive hand on your shoulder.

"She wants to eat the Chancellor," you answered shortly, going back to trying to mentally explain why that wasn't a good idea.

Mace stepped up with the keycard to open the restraints. A quick glance over at the hoverpods confirmed that Doctor Boll was currently unconscious. You knew Mace was smart enough to Force suggest that she forget that it was three Jedi here. Mace unlocked the Zillo Beast, and she immediately began to move.

Jumping onto her long neck before she could get too far, you motioned for Obi-wan and Mace to do the same. Keeping the connection open with such a strong-minded creature was difficult, but if you were to close it there'd be nothing stopping her from going after the Chancellor and eating him. No matter how much you disliked him it didn't seem like a good idea.

Despite her insistence that she should eat evil-harm-danger, the Zillo Beast seemed quite content to just stretch her legs. Something told you that she hadn't been able to roam so freely in a very long time.

"Why are there no alarms going off?" Mace yelled over the wind. It was a good question. You were taking a less-traveled route but there were still people in every corner of Coruscant and the guards outside the facility most certainly saw you.

"We called in some big favors," was Obi-Wan's cheeky response.

Really all you did was let Fox know what was happening and he passed the information along to the trustworthy Coruscant Guard. They were more than willing to pull one over on the Chancellor too. None of the guard was going to sound any alarms or make note of any reports that came in.

The lower down you all went into Coruscant the more excited the Zillo Beast became. You didn't begrudge her curiosity when it came to neon signs and flashy lights, though you gave her gentle nudges to keep her moving. You were on the clock, after all.

When the borders of the Temple came into view, the Zillo Beast sped up, aware of how close she was to safety. There was a service tunnel nearly as old as the Temple itself that the Zillo Beast easily slid into, following your mental directions without question.

Finally, all of you emerged into a brightly lit sanctuary. The old Temple blueprints marked it as the precursor to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, though the Temple had been expanded since then and the room had been all but forgotten. For nearly a thousand years the fauna had been allowed to grow freely under the Temple-wide environmental control.

Here, the Zillo Beast would be allowed to roam freely without fear of confinement. She'd be able to lay her eggs in peace, although once her children grew a new place for them would have to be found. Luckily, in this situation, you now had the group of time.

"That was easier than I expected it to be," Mace admitted.

"Never doubt what the power of owed favors can do for you," Obi-Wan advised.

"You must hold onto them and wait for the right moment to strike," you added.

"The two of you frighten me sometimes."

You and Obi-Wan shared a proud look before exchanging laughs. Next to you, Mace let out a small chuckle. Together, the three of you made your way across the gigantic room, in no hurry to leave. The Zillo Beast was still exploring her new home, sniffing out each corner and zooming through the tall trees.

When all of you made it to the entrance, tired but content, the Zillo Beast slowly approached. All three of you placed your hands on her snout, though you lingered for a moment.

Home-safe-happy, you projected.

Home-safe-happy, she echoed before moving away.

The three of you left her to her new home.

"They're going to look at me and you before anyone else," you pointed at the obvious, looking at Mace.

"You said you had alibis prepared?"

"We do, but we don't think you're going to like it," Obi-Wan said, though the devious smile spreading across his face implied that he would enjoy it very much.

Mace, unaware of what he was getting into but requiring an alibi, sighed and acquiesced to your judgment. He would soon regret that decision.

~*~

The next morning you woke up to urgent knocking at your apartment door. Smacking Obi-Wan on the arm to wake him up as well, you put your plan into action. Pulling on one of Obi-Wan's inner tunics and a pair of sleep shorts, you held back a snort as Obi-Wan slipped on Mace's outer robe and practically drowned in it.

As you and Obi-Wan stepped out of your bedroom, Mace was walking out of your extra guest room in nothing but his pants.

"Out of all the things you could have come up with, all of us sleeping together was your best bet?" Mace grumbled as you approached the door.

"Don't act as if all Jedi are celibate, Mace," you opened the door to find Commander Fox, Cody, Ponds, and Drifter all standing outside.

All of them blanched and immediately attempted to avert their eyes, but stuck having to choose between you in Obi-Wan's tunic, Obi-Wan in Mace's outer robe, and Mace in only pants, there weren't many places to look.

"Generals," Fox greeted formally, "Are you aware that at approximately 2100 hours last night the Zillo Beast was stolen from the laboratory and presumably smuggled to another location?"

All of you feigned shock, "Oh goodness no!"

"How could they smuggle an animal of such size?"

"Do you know the beast's whereabouts?"

Fox was also a very good actor it seemed, as he remained completely serious and acted as though he had no idea that the three of you were the ones to take the Zillo Beast, "We don't know, Sers, it is an ongoing investigation. Can you please state where you were last night from 2100 to 2200?"

"We were together," Mace stated truthfully, "May I ask why we are being questioned?"

"You expressed concerns with the Zillo Beast being on Coruscant and General Pavond was granted direct access to it."

"I was concerned for the safety of the Coruscanti citizens."

"Yes, and I was only granted access for a short time in order to garner more information about the beast."

"I see, and General Kenobi, can you confirm that these two were with you within that time frame?"

"Yes, I can."

"And where exactly were you?"

You answered that one, "Within the Temple, then in my rooms to be more specific."

"Is there any proof you could give?"

"The Temple only has security in communal and public areas, not in the residential halls I'm afraid."

"Commander Cody and I commed both of our generals between 2000 and 2100 hours and both answered mentioning a meeting with Master Windu, the pings from their comms could be traced back to the Temple," Drifter, your wonderful commander, cut in.

"Would you like our comms to confirm what our Commanders said?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, thank you. If further proof is required we will follow up. Thank you for your time," Fox bowed his head, and you just knew he was smirking under his helmet as he left.

Cody and Drifter sent all of you informal nods and followed after their vod. You'd be buying a lot of men's drinks at 79s tonight.

"Would you like to stay for breakfast, Mace?" You asked your fellow Jedi.

"Am I required to stay shirtless?"

"I don't think either of us would complain if you did but we won't torture you any further," Obi-Wan said, then laughed as Mace rushed toward the guest room to put on the rest of his robes.

"Well done, darling," Obi-Wan kissed you deeply, pulling an appreciative hum from your throat.

"How the rest of the universe isn't aware of your marriage I'll never know," Mace let out a long-suffering sigh as he stepped back into the kitchen and took a seat at the table.

"Perhaps we just like to bother you, Mace."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

~*~*~*~

"We can have the guard sent to search the lower levels of the Jedi Temple immediately-"

Palpatine waved a dismissive hand at Mas Amedda, "No, no. Leave the beast where it is. It would have been useful, but the time for it has run out. The beast still served a purpose."

"And what purpose is that, my Lord?"

Palpatine looked out of his window at the Jedi Temple. There was a wolf among the sheep, dangerous in ways none of them were aware of. Palpatine was well-aware, and he wanted that wolf all to himself.

"I believe I have found my Head Inquisitor," Palpatine admitted, already arranging the chess pieces in his mind, "Now we must simply wait for the pieces to fall into place."

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