Senate district - Coruscant
Following his heroics on Scipio, Chief was put in charge of a medium-sized protection taskforce that pre-emptively dealt with possible threats before the main security force moved in. Most of the time it was just making sure the Senate residences were clear before a senator arrived back from their homeworld. Chief usually just delegated this job to his subordinates while he handled the off-world assignments. It would generally consist of Chief arriving with around four to six other troopers, securing the conference center and landing pad before waiting for the senator to arrive. Then they would move on to the next location or return to Coruscant.
At the moment, Chief was stationed on Coruscant and was busy securing the top three floors of the Senate apartment building. There were dark clouds looming overhead, reflecting the mood of the Jedi Temple and many troopers in the GAR. General Kenobi had recently been assassinated by a bounty hunter by the name of Rako Hardeen while on a night out with Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. In response to his funeral, many people from across the galaxy were coming to pay their respects to the fallen master, three of these people included Padme Amidala, Ryio Chuchi, and even the dutchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryz.
Chief was personally making sure that the apartment building was safe. Not only out of respect for Senator Chuchi because of what she did during his trial, but also because if the Dutchess was harmed there would be a major galactic incident, one which the Republic could not afford at the moment. As the armored warrior made his last checks through his comm, an air speeder carrying the three female politicians came into view.
Landing just in front of the spartan, Chief saluted the congregation before offering a not-so-warm welcome to the group. Spartans were not good in social situations, especially when it came to grieving loved ones and emotional moments. When Chief talked to Fives after the Citadel mission it was completely different, Chief was talking to a brother and a fellow soldier about something that only warriors understand; the sacrifice of war. Echo gave his life in service of the Republic, something Chief could understand and justify. But what happened to General Kenobi can't be explained or reasoned, it was just pure cold-hearted murder and there were no words Chief had that could help.
Instead, Chief gave his briefing to Senator Amidala regarding the security measures in place. The Naboo senator understood why Chief was giving her this information, he was there to protect them, not to give them comfort. Everyone had their jobs to do and security was the Chief's, and Amidala wouldn't have it any other way, especially after what happened on Scipio.
Time skip
Jedi Temple - Coruscant
Master Kenobi's funeral was a standard Jedi ritual, from what Chief understood; the grandmaster of the order would give a few words before a moment of silence would be held in remembrance. Unlike most Jedi funerals, a surprising number of non-Jedi members were attending. The most obvious person was Dutchess Satine of Mandalore. Curious, Chief asked Padawan Tano what the relationship between her and the fallen general was. Telling him that when he was a padawan, Obi-wan and Satine secretly developed feelings for each other while on the run from bounty hunters. After the assignment finished, the two broke it off and rarely spoke to each other since.
Though his emotional capacity wasn't that high, Chief could clearly see that the Mandalorian ruler still had unresolved feelings for the bearded general by the way she was crying her eyes out in muffled whimpers while Senator Amidala comforted her. On completely the opposite side of the noise spectrum was Skywalker. Apparently, he had not said a word since the incident and was taking it even harder than the Dutchess. Even though Chief was not Force-sensitive, he could feel the anger coming off of Skywalker in waves and he wasn't alone, throughout the funeral almost every Jedi in the room glanced in his direction to make sure they were sensing things right.
Time skip
Following the funeral proceedings and allowing people to personally say their final goodbyes, Chief was called into the Council chambers. After saluting Grandmaster Yoda and standing at ease, Chief listened as Mace Windu let him in on the Council's secret. "Master Chief, as you know Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi is officially dead at the hands of bounty hunter Rako Hardeen. Unofficially, we faked his death and are switching him with Hardeen. This is being done due to a very credible threat against the Chancellor that will likely be executed by the galaxy's most elite bounty hunters."
"You are probably wondering why we had to fake his death." Master Shaak Ti continued in her hologram form. She was currently stationed on Kamino again, observing the next batches of clones that would soon join the war.
"No ma'am, you wanted to give the bounty hunter the reputation of killing a well-known Jedi Master, making it easier for General Kenobi to gain the trust of the other bounty hunters. Also, I suspect that matters had to be taken to this extreme point to wipe out any suspicions of foul play."
"You are correct Chief, we also kept this a secret from all the other Jedi, especially Skywalker to cause a state of genuine mourning at the Temple." Windu answered after acknowledging Chief's theory. Continuing on, Chief asked what they wanted him to do; "Sir, do you want me to monitor General Kenobi whilst he is undercover?"
"No Master Chief, we need you to continue your assignment as security recon for the Senate. The location is going to be the Light Festival in Theed on Naboo. We want you to search the location as usual but be on stand-by should things occur with Master Kenobi." Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi explained thoroughly before the Grandmaster continued. "Go with you, Windu and Skywalker will. Protect the Chancellor, you must."
"Sir yes sir, I'll depart for Theed with the expeditionary unit immediately." Chief responded before quickly saluting the green Jedi and leaving the Council room. Heading down to the landing pad where a transport waited for him, 117 sped over to the Senate building where his security task force was located. The security room was located on one of the lower levels of the Senate building and contained a small armoury, war-table, a few bunk beds, and some medical supplies.
The task force itself was made up of Coruscant Guard troopers hand-picked by Captain Fordo. Most of these soldiers were veteran protection troopers who specialized in CQB, riot control, and anti-sniper warfare. For this specific task force, they were the best Chief could ask for, but when it came down to anything else, Chief would pick Blue Team in a heartbeat.
Briefing the men on their next location, the troopers all got up and started packing their things. This op was all-hands-on-deck, with the Chancellor's life at risk there wasn't a precaution not taken, that included the recon element. Normally only eight or nine troopers would scout the area, but this time all thirty troopers along with the Master Chief would be deployed. Telling the men to go prepare a medical frigate, Chief went up to the Chancellor's office to notify him of the unit's departure. Exiting the lift, Chief was immediately greeted by Commanders Thorn and Fox.
Giving Fox a cold salute before giving a more warm greeting to Thorn, Chief asked what the plan was. Thorn explained that Fox was put in charge of preparing everything leading up to the event whilst he was being placed in charge of the Chancellor's protection detail. Chief would lead the recon party before falling under Thorn's command again, however seeing as what happened the last time they were paired together, it would be more of a partnership than anything less.
A Chief left the pair to go into the Chancellor's office, Thorn looked at his brother in red. "Fox vod, you are deep in bantha shit now. Why the hell did you order those spies on the Chief."
"I had my orders okay, and they came straight from Admiral Tarkin. It wasn't like I could say no."
"I know, I know. But still, you could have at least given Chief a heads up, not leave him in the dark." Thorn rebutted, much to Fox's annoyance. Fox had always been a firm believer in 'good soldiers follow orders', but now he was starting to question whether it was the right to throw Chief under the speeder like that.
Meanwhile, inside the Chancellor's office, 117 asked Palpatine if there were any threats other than the bounty hunters that the recon team should be on the lookout for. Dismissing his questions with a effortless wave of his hand, the Chancellor asked whether or not General Skywalker would be coming on this mission. Hesitant to discuss details of the mission, Chief gave in and informed the commander-in-chief that Anakin Skywalker along with Mace Windu would be accompanying the security detail on Naboo.
"Thank you Master Chief, you may leave now. I hear that the shuttle is awaiting your arrival."
Time skip
Theed - Naboo
Like most of the other places he had been to recently, Chief ignited moments of silence whenever he stepped into a room of security personnel. With his exploits in the war being made public a few weeks ago, everyone with a security clearance knew about him, with most regarding him as a figure of myth or a mere urban legend. But when the green armoured super soldier walked into the room, everyone quickly realised that he was not a myth.
After all the precautions were taken and it was time for the Chancellor to arrive, Chief boarded a gunship before taking off alongside two other transports. Each carried members of the security task force that were equipped with heavy weapons such as rocket launchers, miniguns and sniper rifles. The idea was that should the Chancellor's ship go down or he gets attacked on the landing pad, the trio of gunships would be able to immediately respond with as much firepower as possible while the rest of the Republic forces make their way over.
As the Chancellor's cruiser broke through the clouds, the three gunships flew alongside the ship as they guided it towards the landing zone. Once landing procedures commenced, the gunships started flying in a holding pattern above the group of dignitaries, troopers and maintenance personnel. Looking through his orange visor, Chief could spot the Chancellor talking to Skywalker, Windu, Tano, Senator Amidala and the Queen of Naboo. As he monitored the conversation, an alert came through on his HUD. It was a transmission from Kenobi that stated that the team of elite bounty hunters have made it on Naboo and are preparing to strike tonight during the festival.
Ordering the pilot to commence landing procedures, Chief rushed over to General Windu to inform him of Kenobi's message. Unfortunately, Anakin overheard the conversation and did not seem happy to be left in the dark. Marching towards the pair, Skywalker was enraged but before he could make a scene, Windu quickly ushered him to the side beneath a balcony in the shadows. "I demand to know what is going on. Why wasn't I told that Obi-wan is still alive?""
"Skywalker, it would be best if you remembered your place in this situation. But given the circumstances, I'll let this outburst slide. You were kept in the dark about this mission because the Council knew that your emotional reaction to Master Kenobi's death would solidify his infiltration into the assassination attempt on the Chancellor. Thereby giving us the only meaningful lead we've had this entire time."
"Sirs, the festival's opening proceedings are about to commence. I recommend this matter be discussed at a later time when the target is safe." 117 interjected, seeing that this conversation would likely become heated argument if it were to continue. Agreeing to table it for later, the trio split off with Windu going to the command center and the other two going to escort the Chancellor.
Turning around the corner, Chief was abruptly lifted into the air and pushed into the wall. Trying to resist, 117 quickly realised that Skywalker's Force abilities were so much greater than anyone he had previously engaged. "Chief, I'm only going to ask this once; did you know?"
"Sir, I was informed shortly after the funeral proceedings. However my mission was only the direct protection of the Chancellor, a last line of defence. I had no involvement in General Kenobi's assignment, against my recommendations." Dropping Chief with a heavy thud, Anakin pondered. "How so?"
"I suggested that I be assigned to watch over General Kenobi whilst he is undercover and to provide extraction should he fail. The Council decided that it would be best if I simply remained as the final shield for the Chancellor, sir."
"Alright Master Chief, this is what I need from you. There is a small cellar underneath the platform on which the Chancellor will officially commence the celebration, I need you to remain there until further instructions. I have a feeling that when this whole thing blows up we're gonna need all of our big guns as close as possible."
Time skip
Well, General Skywalker was right when he said the whole thing was going to blow up. The bounty hunters had disguised themselves with hologram projectors to look like guards, giving them the opportunity to sabotage the shield generator and kidnap the Chancellor. Luckily, Skywalker, Kenobi and Windu managed to chase after the speeder carrying Palpatine while Chief dealt with Cad Bane and a handful of other bounty hunters that took off in a different speeder.
Now all was quiet, the massive military escort had just departed and the only extra security presence that remained was the Chancellor's personal escort, Master Chief, Skywalker and Kenobi. Currently the Chancellor was supposed to be having a private dinner with one of the Gungan representatives and a guest he was entertaining.
Calling just to make sure the Chancellor was still safe, Chief was intrigued when his head of security didn't pick up the radio. Comming the two Jedi to meet him at the dining room ASAP, Master Chief rushed over to find two guards still keeping watch outside. Demanding to be let inside, the guards quickly opened the door, what waited on the other side shook Chief.
Dooku, the head of the Separatist and one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy was standing across from the Chancellor and... talking? Noticing his arrival, Dooku Force pushed Palpatine across the table, sending plates and cutlery everywhere before releasing a torrent of lightning at Chief and the pair of guards, incinerating the latter.
With his shields down, Chief charged at Dooku with his vibroblade. Slashing at the Sith with fast and precise strikes to no avail, Chief attempted to tackle the Count but got Force pushed through the window onto the balcony. Luckily, before Dooku could do anything else, Kenobi and Skywalker rushed through the doors and ignited their sabers. As an intense dual raged across the dining room and unto the balcony, Master Chief took his shot at Palpatine, grabbing the Chancellor and carrying him out of the room.
As they made their way down the hallway, a platoon of commando droids dropped from the ceiling and starting firing at the pair. Shielding the Chancellor with his large frame, Chief blasted back at the commando droids. However, due to their extreme agility and acrobatics, not many of the shots found their mark. "Chancellor, stay here. I'll take care of them."
Holstering his rifle and taking an ancient axe from a nearby statue, Chief rushed at the droids with ferocious intent. Swinging and decapitating three advancing commandoes, causing the blunt axe to break at the shaft. Dropping the melee weapon and picking up two vibroswords off the droid corpses, 117 expertly fought against the remaining droids before grabbing the last one by the head and crushing the cybernetic's main processor.
Marching back to the Chancellor's location, Chief was met by the two Jedi. Apparently Dooku had escaped via a waiting CIS transport that had been stationed here since before Chief had even arrived. Checking that the VIP was alright, Palpatine thanked the three men for protecting him from Count Dooku. "Master Chief, I hereby reinstate you as a special operations commander. I want you to hunt down the Separatist high command and eliminate them with utmost prejudice. Anything you need will be provided, this attempt on my life can not go unpunished."
"Sir, I need my team back."
"Of course Master Chief, anything you need." Palpatine replied with a small smirk trailing off his face.