| abstract
| - Taun We took him to an apartment on the upper levels of Tipoca City the following morning, she pressed the bell panel and a small dark-haired boy answered. He was identical to the younger clones that Obi-Wan had seen yesterday. “Boba,” said Taun We in a friendly tone, “is your father here?” “Yep,” the boy replied. Father? wondered Obi-Wan. “May we see him?” Taun We asked. “Sure,” Boba answered, he turned and walked into the apartment. “Dad! Taun We’s here!” Obi-Wan walked in after him with Taun We shutting the door behind him. A dark-skinned stocky human in his thirties emerged drying his hands on a towel that Obi-Wan took to be Jango Fett. His face was familiar as Obi-Wan had already seen it one the clones that were ready for combat. But they hadn't looked as hardened as Jango’s, nor did they have the obvious suspicion hanging around them like a cloud. “Welcome back, Jango,” Taun We said brightly, “was your trip productive?” “Fairly,” the bounty hunter replied, examining Obi-Wan with great interest. Obi-Wan found him interesting too, as there was some else familiar in the way he carried himself that he didn’t associate with the clones. “This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Taun We introduced. “He has come to check on our progress.” “Your clones are very impressive,” Obi-Wan said cordially, “you must be proud.” “I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe,” Jango replied. Obi-Wan circled the bounty hunter, scanning the room with the corners of his vision. He needed more information here. “Ever made you way as far as to the interior of Coruscant?” Obi-Wan asked. “Once or twice,” Jango said reluctantly. “Recently?” the Jedi pressed. “Perhaps,” the bounty hunter conceded. “Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas,” Obi-Wan said. The question was really unwarranted and he had thrown it to simply gauge the bounty hunter’s surprise. That he saw something in a room behind Jango that made him start, the same armour from the one who had shot the saberdart that was still in his pocket. “Master who?” Jango moved in front of Obi-Wan’s line of vision and gave a significant nod to his son. “Sifo-Dyas,” Obi-Wan repeated as he heard a door close. “Isn’t he the Jedi that hired you for this?” “Never heard of him,” Jango replied, though Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not. “I was hired by a man named Tyrannus on one of the moons of Bogden.” “Curious,” Obi-Wan remarked, circling Jango again. “Do you like your army?” Jango asked, trying to test the Jedi himself. “I’ll be looking forward to seeing them in action,” Obi-Wan replied coolly “They’ll do their job,” Jango said, crossing his arms, “I guarantee that.” “Like their source?” Obi-Wan asked, but there was no reaction from him. There was nothing more he would get out of this man voluntarily. “Thank you for your time, Jango.” “Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi,” Jango said, smiling until Obi-Wan had left. He stared ahead, the fact that a Jedi had shown up here did not bode well at all. “What is it, Dad?” Boba asked, his face anxious. “Pack your things,” Jango instructed, “we’re leaving.” Taun We escorted Obi-Wan back to the landing platform. “Please inform the Jedi Council that the first units are ready,” she said to him, “and remind them that if they require more it will take time to grow them.” “I will, and thankyou,” Obi-Wan said, pulling his hood over his head and gathering his cloak around him. Rain was still relentlessly coming down, he looked behind him to make sure Taun We was gone. He wasn't planning on leaving this planet yet. “Arfour!” The little red astromech droid tittered in response. “Scramble Code Five, care of ‘The Old Folks Home’.” Obi-Wan folded his arms to block out the wind and prepared to broadcast. Obi-Wan’s hologram appeared in a small room in the Jedi Temple where Mace Windu and Yoda were sitting. Due to the distance it kept flickering in and out, but it was still discernable. “Masters I have made contact with the Prime Minister of Kamino,” Obi-Wan began, “he says that Master Sifo-Dyas commissioned the creation of a clone army for the Republic almost ten years ago. I had the impression that he was killed before that. Did you know about this?” “No, we did not,” Mace replied, his surprise apparent, “whoever placed that order did not have the authority of the Jedi Council.” “There’s more,” Obi-Wan said, “I have reasons to believe that the source of this clone army, a bounty hunter named Jango Fett, was involved in the assassination attempts on Senator Nalanda.” “Are the Kaminoans involved with this as well?” Mace asked. “No, Master, there appears to be no motive,” Obi-Wan replied. Yoda and Mace Windu exchanged significant glances. “Assume nothing you must, Obi-Wan,” Yoda murmured. “Clear your mind must be to discover who is behind this plot.” “The Prime Minister says the clones are ready for delivery,” Obi-Wan continued, “two hundred thousand ready with a million more well on the way.” “A million clone warriors?” Mace asked. “Yes Master,” Obi-Wan replied. “And from what I've seen these cloners are the best in the galaxy.” Mace and Yoda stared at each other again, there was only one who could give any sort of explanation to this mystery. “Take this Jango Fett into custody,” Yoda instructed, “question him, we will.” “Yes Master,” Obi-Wan answered, “I will report back when I have him.” When the hologram died, Yoda and Mace were left looking at each other. “A clone army,” Mace murmured, rolling the words around his mouth as if to see how they tasted. “When placed this order was might provide insight,” Yoda said and Mace nodded. As far as he figured it would have happened right before Sifo-Dyas died. Yet that did not alleviate the questions about the bounty hunter and Senator Nalanda. “Yet how can one tie in with the other?” Mace asked. “Jango Fett as the source for this clone army, and involved in the assassination attempts?” It just doesn’t make sense, Mace thought, the further we probe the more there is to find. “Blind we were to not see the creation of this army,” Yoda murmured. “I think the time has come to tell the Senate that our knowledge of the Force is diminishing,” Mace suggested. “Only the Dark Lord of the Sith knows of our weakness,” Yoda reminded him. “Notify the Senate and multiply our adversaries will.” When Obi-Wan found the apartment deserted, he assumed the worst. There were obvious signs of a hasty exit so Obi-Wan went to the nearest docking bay to find Jango’s ship. He didn’t have to look far. On the ramp of an oddly-shaped starship stood a distinctly familiar armoured figure, the resemblance was unmistakable as Obi-Wan forced open the door and walked out into the pouring rain. “Boba, get on board!” the bounty hunter order, walking towards the Jedi with an experienced ease. “You’re coming with me, Jango!” Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and twirled it in his hands. He had no idea what Jango would be like to fight, but he knew that it was not going to be easy. Jango fired several shots which Obi-Wan quickly deflected as he advanced towards Jango, he had to get in close otherwise Jango would have him easy. But Jango wasn't giving any ground, he kept his distance from the Jedi, firing in quick succession. One, two, three, Obi-Wan deflected the blaster bolts with practised ease, knocking them all wide so he could get close to the bounty hunter. He deliberately moved so Jango’s starship was behind him, the last thing he needed was for Jango to make a fast getaway. But he didn’t think about everything. Inside the ship Boba quickly got behind the controls and turned the ship so he could watch the fight. With a wicked grin he activated the weapons and fired on the Jedi. “Yes!” He couldn’t help but laugh as he saw the Jedi thrown to the side by the explosion. Obi-Wan chastised himself as he got to his feet, he was making the sort of mistakes Anakin usually made. Focusing intently on one thing rather than casting out his senses like a net. Yet this was the moment Jango needed to activated his jetpack and fly up to the metalwork above Obi-Wan. Quickly he crawled around the back and lowered his head to activate the rocket. Obi-Wan managed to avoid the rocket by diving to slick durasteel ground, yet he still was able to divert the course of the rocket to send it slamming into the metal beneath where Jango was. The explosion sent the bounty hunter falling to the ground, which gave Obi-Wan enough time to run over and press his attack. But Jango was on one knee in an instant, firing at such close range that Obi-Wan’s lightsaber flew from his grip. A Jedi is never unarmed, he told himself as he shoved the bounty hunter back. Jango stepped aside and caught Obi-Wan’s push on his left side, shoving his fists towards Obi-Wan’s chest and bringing his knee up. Yet the Jedi intercepted the knee without hesitation, shoving Jango back again and kicking him to the ground. When the bounty hunter showed no sign of stirring Obi-Wan used the Force to retrieve his lightsaber. Suddenly a thick cable wound itself around him and before he could move again he was being dragged across the platform. Jango had ignited his jetpack and was pulling him along the ground. Whether it was preoccupation or miscalculation, Jango overshot the platform and started sliding down the side of the building below. Obi-Wan saw it coming and tried to roll and control his fall, but nothing could stop him sliding down the slick metal and hanging over the churning ocean by the cable. Now he knew why Jango had been hired to be the source of the clone army, he was full of tricks that even he himself had had a hard time avoiding. There had to be a better way of capturing him other than this. Above, Jango had managed to stop his fall and staggered back up to the edge. Sitting down precariously, he released the cable from his gauntlet. That would be the end of him, Jedi or no Jedi. For the second time in as many days, Obi-Wan found himself freefalling. Fortunately he had something in his favour this time, the cable was still wrapped around his wrist. Quickly he found the barb on the end and threw it towards an overhanging on the level below, the cable caught and Obi-Wan came to rest on another platform. He untangled the wire and opened the door, racing up through the corridor to find that Jango’s ship was taking off. Cursing, he took out a homing beacon from a pouch and threw it onto the hull of the ship. Jango would eventually detect it, but by the time he did Obi-Wan would be there. He had no idea where Jango was headed, but he knew he had to be there.
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