Star Wars One-Shots

Wrath of the Beast

Author's Note: When we watched the arc about the Zillo Beast, I couldn't help but wonder: what if Anakin realized what it was trying to do? And so, this story was born! :D

~ Amina Gila

The Zillo beast wasn't simply attacking at random. Anakin Skywalker touches its mind through the Force and understands its motives. It doesn't seek destruction. It seeks to destroy the darkness.

"I've got an idea, but it's risky," Anakin Skywalker declares urgently, jumping to his feet from his place in the pilot's seat. It's the only thing he can think of if they're going to get out of here alive. Any second, the Zillo beast is going to crush the ship, and them with it.

"Considering the circumstances, I'll take the risk!" yells Padme, as the bright, nearly glowing, green eye of the beast appears in the window of the ship.

Anakin darts to the center of the ship, activating his lightsaber and stabbing it through the side.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," worries Palpatine in the background.

The beast growls furiously again, the ship trembling from the very force of it. Anakin continues his work, frantically cutting through the ship. Outside, he can see a gun ship overhead. Master Yoda and Aayla jump out onto the beast with their lightsabers, momentarily distracting it. He sends a mental 'thank you' in their direction before returning his focus to his work.

"Here is where the fun begins. Hang on," he says grimly. It's taking far too long for his liking, but after what feels like forever, he finally manages to complete his task.

The ship falls in two pieces, the Zillo beast still holding onto the bottom half and the top half – still containing everyone for now – falls and starts sliding down the nearby building. Anakin grabs onto the back of Padme's chair in an attempt to stop himself from falling out, but the angle of the ship continues to tilt, throwing everyone out. Except Palpatine, who has moved to the safety of the front of the ship.

Padme is the furthest down, sliding rapidly towards the edge of the building as she desperately tries in vain to slow her fall.

Anakin isn't far behind, but he'll never be able to reach her in time. "Ani!" Padme cries, as she slides right to the edge of the building, desperately trying to catch a hold on it. Anakin skids to a stop a distance above, reaching out to grab her. Their hands are only inches apart. He scoots a little closer, dangerously near the edge, finally managing to grab her hand, barely in time, pulling her back up to safety.

Meanwhile, Windu and Obi-Wan throw up their hands, attempting to slow the fall of the part of the ship that Palpatine is still in. Artoo, squealing in alarm as he rolls upside down along the slope fires a cable, finally halting his own fall. With an exclamation of alarm, Threepio lands hard on top of his astromech friend.

The Zillo Beast roars angrily as Yoda and Aayla, with their lightsabers still ignited, continue to run along it's back. Three gunships swoop down from the sky, open firing on the creature. The blaster bolts bounce harmlessly off the monster's unimaginably thick scales; the shooting is only serving to incense the beast even further.

With a snarl, it hurdles the remains of the ship it had been holding through the air onto the ground below where it explodes in flames. Nothing seems to stop the beast as the blasts continue striking it, just making it even angrier. It suddenly spins around so fast it knocks one of the gunships right out of the sky with a flailing limb. The ship explodes it into an array of smoke and flames. Stun cannons starts firing on it next, but the beams also appear to have no immediate effect.

Anakin and Padme scramble down for the ground below, running up to where Obi-Wan and Windu have caught the remains of the ship that slipped over the edge. Palpatine and a Senate guard are scrambling out of it, just a short distance from the Zillo beast's mouth.