Sorry for the long delay. Better something than nothing. :)

Chapter 2: Jedi and Jango (part 1)

Obi-Wan Kenobi leapt out of the speeder before it came to a complete stop. "Captain Typho, I came as soon as I heard of the attack. What more can you tell me?" he asked, his face as dark as the late evening sky.

The captain of Senator Amidala's security team gripped the Jedi's hand firmly, an empty, stoic expression on his face. "Little. And none of that good." The scars Typho earned during The Naboo War seemed to grab at his mouth, unwilling to keep it from frowning. "The Judicials are almost done with their preliminary scans," he said, turning his one-eyed gaze on the officers gathered by the emergency access lift that led from the parking-garage to the nearly completely demolished upper levels.

The Jedi craned his neck. "Is there anything left to scan? The damage looks…." His voice trailed off, unable to fully express his doubt.

"The missiles made precision strikes," announced a dark-haired woman in a white evening gown as she approached the two men. "The assassins knew what to hit to hide their… work."

"Master Kenobi, this is one of Senator Amidala's handmaidens, Dormé," Typho said by way of introduction. "We were enjoying a late dinner together when the attack happened."

Obi-Wan bowed and Dormé nodded in return. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you Commander Kenobi, but not under these circumstances."

"I had been meaning to finally schedule a meeting with the senator, but-."

"Master Kenobi!" The Jedi's padawan elbowed her way through the onlookers and displaced building residents before coming to Obi-Wan's side. "When I said I'd drop you off I thought you would allow me to stop the speeder first."

"Padawan Ria Daen, this is Senator Amidala's captain of the guard, Typho, and one of her handmaidens, Dormé."

The padawan bowed at each introduction, sensing an edge of sharpness in her master's voice. "My apologies for interrupting so rudely, Master."

"It seems that we were about to be interrupted anyway," Typho said, pointing to the Judicial approaching them. "What have you learned, Captain Barmill?"

Barmill handed Typho a datapad. "Here is what the droids have been able to identify so far. Some guards and one of your colleagues," he said with a nod to Dormé. "We've found nothing on the senator, yet."

After studying the findings for several seconds, Typho handed the datapad to Obi-Wan. "It appears that most of the damage was away from her sleeping quarters."

"Yes, but the bed was overturned and the windows were shattered," Barmill replied. "She may have been tossed out of the room and fallen to her death just as easily."

Obi-Wan's jaw was clenched, his expression distant as his padawan took the datapad from his hand to study it. The cold early morning winds tousled his hair as if mirroring the emotions boiling within him. "Please let us know when you learn more, Captain," Ria said by way of dismissal, realizing that her master needed some time alone with his thoughts.

Typho looked at the padawan and nodded understanding, guiding Dormé away to allow the Jedi privacy. "The commander is taking the news hard," Dormé observed.

"He became very fond of Amidala during the war," Typho said, glancing at the Jedi who was stroking his beard, eyes fixed firmly on the floor. "Those years made him as much of the man he is today as it made Amidala the woman she became."

"They were close?"

Typho took a second to think about his answer. "Their feelings for each other were similar, but not the same. I don't know how to explain it, really, but it appears that his feelings toward her are still strong."

After another minute studying the datapad, Ria spoke. "Master, I think I-."

"I sense something," Obi-Wan interrupted, his expression still elsewhere. "A presence I've not sense in years."

Ria looked at the small crowd. "There certainly was a disturbance in the Force here not long ago, but-."

"It has fled," Obi-Wan declared, finally looking at his padawan. "Something strong in the Force was here when this happened, but it is not here anymore."

"Another Jedi?"

"No, search deeper, padawan."

Ria closed her eyes and reached into the Force. There was a whiteness there, dim but distant. She reached further and it became brighter, blindingly brighter. Her eyes flew open, fear coming to her face. "Not a Jedi, something greater." She couldn't believe she said the words, but they were true. Jedi did not know fear, but she was sure it was gripping her heart. "What does it-."

"The datapad," Obi-Wan interrupted again. "What did you discover?"

His padawan swallowed, trying to think of what she was going to say before she saw that blinding light in the Force. "It's what I didn't discover that made me curious. Senator Amidala's droid, the artoo-unit."

"Yes, Artoo-Detoo," Obi-Wan said, a hint of a smile coming to his face. "A very loyal little friend who saved our lives more than once during the war, it was her constant companion."

"No droid remains are listed here," Ria said, gesturing with the datapad. "Outside of being disintegrated, there should be some remains, shouldn't there?"

Obi-Wan studied the evidence again. "But there are remains of the missiles that struck the apartment. No manufacturing markings were found, but energy weapons wouldn't have left any evidence." He slapped the datapad, an expression of optimism finally returning to his face. "This is our first step in finding Padmé."

Kamino.

"I thought you said that we wouldn't be going anywhere with extreme weather conditions."

"I hadn't made up my mind where we would be going when you asked me that," Anakin said, which was only half true; he hadn't decided whether to bring her here or not when she asked him that question back in her apartment on Coruscant. "Don't worry; it's only a light rain."

Padmé pulled her hood over her face. "For a boy who grew up in a desert, you certainly have a unique definition of 'light rain.'" Even on Naboo, a planet once called a fathomless sponge, this amount of rain at one time would be cause for concern. "Is it usually worse than this?"

Anakin shrugged. "I've seen worse."

The answer sounded elusive. "So why do they have exterior landing platforms?"

Anakin frowned at her. "Do you want to stay on the ship?"

The senator from Naboo wanted to find out who was behind her attempted assassination, but she didn't want to drown walking from door to door in the attempt either. "Stay with the ship, Artoo," she said to the astromech nervously eyeing the sheets of rain. He was sealed against severe weather, but even this downpour could dampen his enthusiasm-circuits.

"Shall I stay behind as well, Master Anakin?"

"As always," Anakin answered Threepio, marching across the platform, careless of the puddles that came up to his ankles.

After a quick glance to the sky, Padmé rushed after Anakin. "So, this Jango Fett actually lives here? By choice?"

"Yes, and no," Anakin said cryptically. "He gets paid very well to live here."

"Why?"

Anakin shook his head. "That question is not one I can answer."