For the most part, she let FA-4 control her trip to Wild Space, praying her father did not have a trace on Ferine like Maul had promised her. The very thought of Maul made a hard lump reform in her throat, peculiar as it was that she had not felt him die yet without a shadow of a doubt he had indeed departed from her. The water planet Kamino had shown on her scopes precisely where Maul had predicted it would be, at least something was going right for her. The young hybrid located Tipoca city and started the landing cycle with little to no idea of what awaited her. The danger was far from over "Akkhan Ji, help me" she whispered to the spirit of her mother as the light craft settled down in the middle of the tempestuous sea.
The high winds and torrential rains battered her slight frame as she rushed from the ramp toward the glowing light shining from the entry of the oddly formed complex. A curious behemoth shot heavenward from the waves to the right of her and vanished just as quickly. She was not startled, she had felt it there before she had exited her ship. Waving two fingers at the sealed doorway it opened unhesitatingly at her request, she detected an alarm bleeping softy along the sterile white hall that led off from the antechamber and stood perfectly still waiting to be discovered there. Removing her soggy robe she folded it neatly over her arm. Her lank black curls dripped quietly onto the polished black floor tiles soon to be drowned out by the rushed footsteps hurrying toward her. His Hair matched hers in colour but his skin was a lovely tan shade contrasting with her pallid white. Where her face was littered with freckles his was adorned with scars. He extended twin blasters and levelled them at her head, there was no hint of mercy in his eyes, he meant what he had declared.
"Who the hell are you?" he growled 'Why didn't you request permission to land?"
she held her palms up cautiously to show that she was unarmed and took a tentative step in his direction
"Stop or I will shoot"
he warned gruffly.
"Please,"
she requested softly
"I mean no alarm, my Name is Ana, Ana Ji, I came seeking a Jango Fett."
His brow creased and he jerked his fallen aim back up to her brow.
"What business do you have with Fett?"
he barked, finger on the trigger ready to let loose if need be.
"Jaggernath sent me,"
she whispered his eyes widened briefly at the mention of the name Jaggernath.
"He told me you can help me."
Wordlessly the bounty hunter sheathed one weapon his hand still keeping one for good measure and signalled her to follow him. He turned abruptly to the right and strode down the wide curving passage. The building had appeared to be circular on her descent to the landing pad and indeed the corridor continued to hug the edge of the structure.
Raging waves hammered the windows that lined the external walls continuously, not that one could see much through the approaching nightfall and unrelenting rainfall.
"This way" he growled ushering her off into a branching hall to their left that seemed to lead straight in to the centre of the complex.
His comlink buzzed and he unhooked it from his belt
"Jango"
he said softly, as he punched the button to call for the elevator
"Is everything alright down there?"
came a slow, soft voice in reply
"Aye, just a visitor for me."
His answers, in fact, his entire persona, seemed rather short. As if he had one million other things he could be doing.
"Very well,"
the smooth voice lulled
"Enjoy the rest of your evening Jango."
Static ensued and he switched the device off, shoving it into his pocket as the elevator opened.
"After you."
the right corner of his mouth jerked into a slight smirk, it didn't appear to be sinister at all and as Ana stepped into the lift she reached out looking for any trace of ill intent or treachery. There was none.
The pair traversed in awkward silence. Ana wanted to tell him everything, something about him even made her feel as though she must, but this was not the place.
"He warned me, you know,"
his dark eyes met hers
"That one day he may send someone my way."
He looked almost annoyed
"The man is lucky I owe him, this is not a good time."
The lift chimed as they came to their terminus and the doors slid back permitting them into yet another brightly lit sterile looking passageway. For any median being, it would've all been very disorienting, but Eiana was no ordinary being and could sense they were very near the top level now. Jango punched buttons in a keypad just off to the right of the turbo lift and the door retracted allowing him entry. The small apartment was rather spartan with only the necessities.
Jango reached out and gripped her arm, none too gently and tore her robe from her giving it a quick shake to ascertain it was hiding nothing. He spun her around and began to pat her down. When he was satisfied that she was unarmed he released her and she found herself rubbing her bicep.
He led the way into the kitchen, poured a small mug of coffee and handed it to her. He even pulled out a seat at the small dining suite and motioned for her to sit. Doing so she rested her drink on the hovering coaster.
Her silver eyes met his for what seemed an eternity, she took a breath and was about to clear her throat when he spoke for her
"You're a Bog Witch,"
The derogatory term made her cringe, he caught it but carried on speaking anyway.
"What does Jaggernath care for protecting you? As I understand it the Nightsisters terminate their Zabrak mates when they've given them living offspring?"
She swallowed believing she felt the nerves she had first experienced departing from Coruscant returning to her belly now.
"I am of Nightsister blood, it's true. But I was stolen from my coven in infancy. I do not live by their creed."
She paused
"How did you know?"
His mouth tugged in the same smirk she had spied earlier
"Not too many humans have naturally occurring silver eyes, they are that? Naturally occurring?"
She didn't answer, he merely shrugged dismissively, stood and took the few steps back to the counter to pour his own drink.
"What are you to Jaggernath?"
"Does it matter?"
Ana retorted hearing the shortness in her own voice.
"Lover?"
He turned and stared at her. Her face gave away nothing of the truth he had guessed at.
"Oh that has to be it"
he chuckled and nodded as he sat back down. Placing his drink down her folded his arms over his broad chest
"Why would you assume that?"
she queried. Fett ignored her question entirely.
"He has taste I'll give him that"
Raising the cup to his lips he sipped and she frowned again, her forehead wrinkling, he only laughed.
"What are you running from?"
He looked as though he were about to make another smart remark when a shrill cry interrupted them. Ana was startled momentarily, Fett, unperturbed, pushed back his chair and left the room. Her curiosity got the better of her and she rose, following the cries through the apartment. They stopped as she came to the doorway and witnessed the bounty hunter hushing the babe now held in his arms. She could feel her face draining, thunder roared in her ears. Reaching out in the force she steadied herself and fell into the window seat with a thud. Her heart pounded fast and she felt completely overwhelmed by the mere sight of the infant.
This became, in her mind, her own reality. A reality that she had not even had the time to realize, A reality where she would be responsible for a helpless bawling infant such as the one Jango held. It overcame her now, it terrified her.
She knew nothing of caring for children, she had no place to go and no one to help her with this.
He had checked in on her frequently during the night and the consequent morning. It was near noon before she had begun to stir at all. Her sleep became shallower as the draft he had given her wore off, she tossed and turned, murmured and cried out.
Jango had given up his bed and slept in the nursery with Boba, leaving water and pain pills on his night-stand for her when she finally roused.
His mind was full of questions, who was she? Where was she from? The shuttle she had arrived in was registered to Jaggernath. The log indicated that she had come from Coruscant and the craft appeared to have state of the art cloaking and he could find no signs of any trace.
Movement caught Jangos eye and he looked up from his infant son. She was dressed in one of his own shirts and he had seen to it that the laundry droids tended her clothes. Her long raven hair was tousled and unkempt. Her eyes wet and red-rimmed from recent tears.
"Food in the kitchen if you're hungry"
He tore his eyes away from her and back to Boba but she didn't leave. Settling herself on the floor in front of him she crossed her legs tucking his shirt between them, she watched his every move
"What are you doing?"
he asked, amused. Her silver eyes blinked
"Observing."
"You're an odd thing"
he commented aloud
"Have you never seen a baby before?"
"No."
came her simple answer
"At least not in person."
He was taken aback, what kind of sheltered soul had never seen an infant? He rose and crouched before her transferring Boba into her arms, adjusting her hold gently guiding her elbows to a correct angle.
"He's so very small"
she whispered to herself
"He's only 3 days old."
Jango stroked his cheek
"Where is his mother?"
"He has no mother Ana, he's a clone"
She looked puzzled
"Do you not know what Tipoca city is?"
She shook her head no.
"It's a cloning facility."
"I see."
She fell silent absorbing this information, she was completely fixated on the baby and Boba seemed perfectly content in her arms So Jango picked himself up and collected an assortment of ration packs, fruits and freshly brewed coffee and brought them to her. Laying them out on the table behind Ana he motioned for her to pass Boba back so he could put him down in the sleeping pod beside the couch.
His stomach grumbled as the smell of the varos fruit hit his nostrils, he had the Kaminoans import it from Mandalore for him, not a standard week before. Cutting one open he offered half to her, she received it tentatively her face deathly serious as she tried it. She looked neither pleased nor disgusted and he found himself wondering how a young woman so clearly naive would ever survive on her own in the galaxy.
"What in the universe was a man like Jaggernath doing with a girl like you?"
For the first time, the slightest hint of a smile pulled at the corners of her rosy lips.
"It takes many types of being to make a galaxy bounty hunter."
She stared at his face unblinking for a long moment before taking a sip of her brew.
"Pressing matters first,"
He changed the subject.
"I want to take you to the med-centre for a full checkup."
"That won't be necessary-"
"It will be, and you will do it."
He finished firmly and inhaled before taking a stab in the dark,
"Correct vitamins are essential in early stages of foetal development, and screening will make sure that it is developing as it should."
She looked taken aback if for only a moment before regaining her composure.
"How did you know?"
"A lucky guess"
He replied on a relieved exhale, relieved that he wasn't wrong, He didn't like to be wrong, he prided himself on his intuition, The girl remained silent and avoided his gaze.
"Does Jaggernath know?"
"It's why he sent me to you. He knew we weren't safe with-"
she stopped short a look of fear crossing her face and he knew she had almost revealed more than she wanted to.
"We weren't safe."
she finished sharply.
"So many secrets,"
he mused and the pair continued to eat in silence. After their meal, he began to collect the empty packages and trays and disposed of them. He pointed out the refresher and her clean pressed travel suit on the side table and left her to wash. Laying back on the couch and crossing his arms over his chest, he shut his eyes, intending to take a nap before taking her to the head of foetal development.
Eiana lay perfectly still as the tall slender Kaminoan, Udun Ki, sampled her blood and took her statistics. He directed her to raise her arms above her head and closed the scanner down over her abdomen adjusting it so it lay firmly against her skin. The force kept her breathing calm and at her head, Fett took her hand in his and squeezed as he watched the screens.
"Everything looks as it should."
The long-necked alien spoke softly
"Let us see how the embryo is developing."
He punched several commands into the computer and the scanner whirred to life emitting a pale blue light from under the band.
"I stand corrected"
the Kaminoan stated as images began to flash onto the console
"This is indeed a foetus, my estimation would be 10 standard weeks and 3 days"
His long fingers probed more buttons and his large grey eyes studied the images intently. "Interesting"
He murmured
"Twin hearts, the father is a Zabrak?"
She nodded
"Your blood work indicates you are a hybrid as well, Though a significantly higher percentage of human DNA-"
"My mother was a hybrid, my father is a human."
"Ahhh"
"Can she hear the heartbeats?"
the bounty hunter interjected
"Is it too soon to discern a gender?"
"The hearts should indeed be audible at this stage but the genitals will not begin to develop for another few days at the earliest."
The Kaminoan shifted a slider and a loud strong thudding filled the room. Ana closed her eyes and reached out once more trying to find Maul. Filling her thoughts with the sounds her ears were hearing her teeth clamped down hard on her lower lip in concentration. She thought she felt a flicker but it was gone just as quickly as it made itself known. She could taste blood in her mouth when she was done and her heart ached dully.
The emotionless Kaminoan powered the scanner down and released her before leaving the room. Ana pulled her shirt back on and asked Fett if he was satisfied now.
"It was for your own peace of mind."
he laughed as he shifted a sleeping Boba to his other arm leading the way to the corridor.
"Why are you here bounty hunter?"
she asked
"You obviously reside here, you haven't just come for business, collect a clone pay a fee and leave."
"No, follow me."
he led the way through large arched frames into a transparent hallway and pointed down
"This is why I'm here."
the walls were lined with test tubes and pods containing embryos and foetuses all at different stages of development.
"They're all me."
"But what are they for?"
"A private army"
he replied
"Who for?"
"I don't know, I don't care. I was recruited and I was paid well, the rest is no concern of mine"
He nodded back in the direction that they entered
"Let's go."
"So they keep you here?"
"They need my genetics, but I have downtime to do what I need to do."
"What does a bounty hunter need to do?"
she emphasized the need in her inquiry
"Make money."
"I thought you were paid to be here?"
"Can never make to much money Ana, besides that, I actually enjoy my line of work."
She remained silent for a time as they made their way back to his suite
"What will you do Ana, where will you go?"
He accessed the apartment and turned to face her as he sealed the door closed behind them.
"Do you have a plan for this child, where are you going to raise it?"
"I don't know,"
she admitted quietly
"Will the Nightsisters help you?"
he questioned
"I can shelter you for now, maybe even until after it's born if all goes well. But before long the entire galaxy will be at war and Kamino will be far from the safest place for a child."
"I know,"
she sighed and her shoulders slumped forward, She felt defeated by everything happening, everything that had happened in the past few days.
"You need to tell me everything," He demanded.
"I don't know if I can, not without endangering you."
"Try me."
Jango folded his arms across his chest and stared her down, the bounty hunter was more than curious now
"I can take care of my own."
he probed for an answer.
"Very well, don't say I didn't warn you beforehand."
He settled Boba and seeing he was fast asleep and in good care with the nanny droid the pair proceeded to the living area.
Sitting in the window seat overlooking the crashing waves Ana told him everything. A complex story of Dark, light, Sith, Jedi, a grand master plan a thousand years in the making for domination. Everything that she knew. Fett absorbed all this information rather nonchalantly.
He wasn't completely surprised, The struggle between the Jedi and Mandalore was still as alive in his mind as if it had happened yesterday. And he had seen first hand what powers Tyranus, the man who had recruited him possessed, he may have been a Jedi once but he certainly was no Jedi now.
"And you know for a fact that Jaggernath is dead?"
"Maul, his name is Maul, Darth Maul, No, I don't know that for certain,"
she admitted, biting her lip and wringing her hands together uneasily.
"I saw he was grievously injured and then nothing but darkness since. Either he is gone, or he's using what little strength he has left to hide." Jango took all this in.
"Can you fight?"
"I can defend myself well enough but I was never officially trained in combat. Maul began to spar with me a little before-"
She stopped abruptly too pained to finish her sentence.
"Well we're going to have to change that, you won't survive two standard days out there alone with no combat skills."
She looked like she was about to protest
"Force proficiency should make combat training easy for you."
He finished firmly. Jango didn't know why but he felt a strange sense of affection for this girl. He didn't want to break from his code of complete self-servitude but something about her compelled him to want to help her, It had from the moment he had handed her that cup of coffee in his dining area when she first arrived. There was something oddly pure about her, she had no real affiliations, no loyalties and only wanted to protect her unborn child.
"Do you want to return to Dathomir? It would be much safer for you."
She seemed to dwell on his advice for just a moment
"I'm more worried my father will expect me to return to my home world and seek me there."
She confessed to him, lines of worry again creasing her forehead.
"I think that will be the first place he looks, you'll be in the clear to return when he learns you are not there. I don't claim to know much about this force stuff, but can you somehow hide yourself from him?"
"Yes, we're safe here, for now at least."
She looked sad as she dwelt on some thought unknown to him,
"I taught Maul to hide his force signature, if he is alive, it's my own fault that I can't feel him."
Jango knelt before her and took her hands in his own.
"Stay here with me Ana, At least until your child is born and you feel comfortable caring for it alone, This is what Jaggernath would want me to do, He saved my life once, he didn't need to do it and I still don't know why he did, Maybe it was just for this, maybe it was fated, just so I would one day aid you, the very least I can do to repay my debt is to help you."
"Where is she?!"
Sheev was enraged, spinning around he levelled a blaster at him.
"Where is my daughter?"
Bail raised his hands in passivity and took a small step backwards courting the doorway.
"Chancellor, please. I have not seen nor heard from Eiana in days. Please, put the blaster down." The last time Bail saw Eiana had been on the promenade a few days prior where she had made what had seemed to be a decidedly final goodbye, although she had stated that it was not forever. Her eyes had been melancholy and her aura aphotic when Antillies had interrupted them giving her opportunity to slip away from him.
Sheev's hand lowered in defeat, his head along with the weapon and he fell to the floor in failure. Bail rushed to his side.
"I swear to you sir, I do not know her location, you must believe me."
Sheev sobbed, it was a ghastly thing to hear, a broken man who had lost his greatest wealth in all the universe completely beside himself with grief.
"I'm sorry my boy, please forgive me."
Bail helped the newly elected chancellor up from the office floor and aided him into his seat taking the blaster from his frail and quivering fingers.
"I can not begin to comprehend what you are going through but be assured if there is anything I can do to help in this instance I am at your disposal."
He gathered himself and straightened his cloak
"I had every intention of marrying your daughter Sheev,"
Bail spoke softly as though thousands of senators were in the room and he did not want them privy to their conversation.
"I have loved her above all others for quite some time, my heart is broken that she has left us this way."
Sheevs hands grasped his
"Dear boy, don't blame yourself, there is nothing you could've done to prevent this." He brought his hands back to himself and folded them in his lap, suddenly calm and full of resolve.
"I will see her returned, I will stop at nothing to have my daughter by my side."
Bail could only smile, Sheev's words did little to raise his spirits, He knew that Eiana would not return to Coruscant no matter who remained there who loved her.
Her stare was chilling, yet at the same time broken. Her finger pointed directly at him accusing him and the babe in her arms bawled as he fell to the ground and sobbed into his knees. It was clear to him, the Sith he killed was a lover, a father. But only metres away from him lay his masters still body, Qui-Gon was gone. The father he never knew had been replaced with his master and the Sith Lord had robbed him of his most cherished guidance.
"Don't you see!?"
he shouted through his salty tears in her direction, he could no longer see her through the downfall
"You're not the only one who has lost all that you loved!"
She was silent, as her figure came back into his focus the babe was gone from her embrace and she sat before him, cross-legged and head bowed, her small thin hands cradling her belly. Rain fell all around her, her long black hair plastered to her face and her black cloak seemed to be one with the puddles around it. Enormous waves crashed around her but not one of them touching her. She only watched him remaining in her stoic silence only breaking her gaze with the occasional slow blink.
He lifted his chin from his knees and sniffled back the tears that seemed as though they would never cease, she was so very close to him now, almost close enough to touch. She did not look like any ordinary girl, the way she presented and carried herself she was someone high born and trained in proper etiquette, He felt like he had seen her before but could not place where.
The young woman raised her chin and looked at him once more, her eyes glimmering pools of silver her pupils large dark and empty, he felt a great sadness sweep over him. Was it his? Hers? A combination of both? He wasn't sure but he desperately needed comfort from this great void inside him, perhaps she did too, perhaps this was why the force was connecting them this way.
He breathed in deeply and unwrapped his arms from around his tucked legs, slowly he extended his right hand toward her intending for it to rest on her left knee.
As it was about to make contact her face contorted with fury and a scream of the highest pitch he had ever heard invaded his ears in the most agonizing way. He clapped his hands over them tightly and shrugged his shoulders up fighting off the unwelcome assault on his auditory sense as he fell to his side.
His eyes scrunched shut and as the loud noise began to die off he eased them open and loosened his grip over his ears.
Scrambling to his feet he looked in every direction for her to no avail, she was gone, at least from his vision, her whispers filled his head.
"You, this is all on you."
"You have taken my love from me."
"My son will never know his father."
"I will avenge him."
"You will pay, your life for Mauls."
The whispers swirled around in his mind like a cyclone building and he found his body braced for the worst when suddenly he woke with a start, sweating, panting in the darkness of the sleeping quarters on the Republic starship.
Obi-Wan reached out for the force and pulled it around him like a warm and consolatory blanket, basking in its warmth and familiarity as he huddled in his bunk in the darkness.
In afterthought, he reached out for the boy, hoping that he had not woken him, Anakin was fast asleep through it all.
Who was she? His mind struggled to piece together the pieces of his dream, though it had transpired only moments ago her face was already fading from his memory.
It was the emotions that stayed with him, the heartache and devastation, like shattered glass they stabbed at him reminding him of the life he had taken, and the life that had been taken from him.
The feelings and the name, Maul, Darth Maul, that was the mysterious Zabrak warriors name.
Yoda, he would meet with Yoda when he returned to the temple, The wise Jedi master would be able to help him understand all of this, he would be able to help him lay these rogue and entirely unwanted thoughts and emotions to rest.
Ana woke with a shriek grasping for his solid frame for only a moment before she remembered when and where she was. Rain pattered against the transparisteel quietly, she knew his meant it was extremely heavy, it didn't make a sound through the soundproof materials otherwise.
White light filtered into the otherwise dark and quiet room from the passageway and the silence of the apartment was deafening.
The shadow he cast over the bed was not an unwelcome one.
"You ok?"
Jango asked, short and gruff as she had become accustomed to during the past couple of weeks since making Kamino a temporary home.
The bounty hunter had cleared out the spare room of all his equipment and belongings and had the Kaminoans organize a new bed be delivered for her, and as grateful as she was to have space of her own she could not escape the deep loneliness that suffocated her, especially now at night when she was left to the mercy of her dreams.
Ana only nodded in reply, sinking back into the pillows as he crossed the small expanse to sit beside her.
"Nightmares?"
She nodded again, not certain she could find the words to express herself.
Jango cocked his head to the side and held his arm out to her, she pulled herself to him as he circled it around her shoulders
"Nightmares run their course-"
"Not these,"
She replied simply as she drew away from him.
Ana had resigned her heart to the fact that she could no longer feel Maul, and logically the only thing that made sense was that he was dead. She could not let her heart fool her into believing in a false sense of hope that would destroy her as it would likely be one day dashed.
She heard Boba begin to whimper in the next room,
"Go to your son Jango, I'll be fine," she assured him patting his forearm before rolling over to face the dark of night showing through the window. Jango hesitated but when Boba's whimpers became cries he wavered no longer and left her alone.
The solitude scared her, but not as much as her dreams. When she dreamed her emotions were stirred, nettled, and when she awoke like this she was agitated and angered.
The anger she felt terrified her, it threatened to consume her fully, smothering the balance she had trained her whole life to attain.
The temptation was there in her waking hours, the urge to take revenge was overpowering and it took every last ounce of strength she possessed not to take her ship and seek him out.
She could hide from the insatiable urges when she slept, but in her dreams only felt heartache on repeat, she had no guidance, no advice, no idea how to deal with the emotions she felt.
The Darkside shrouded her and she found herself unable to meditate nor find any peace or clarity.
Her heart was still beating rapidly, adrenaline coursing through her body, she couldn't sleep like this.
"How long will this last?"
she whispered to the darkness, but the night had no answers for her.
"Mother Talzin claims no one has shown in her village matching your daughters description my Master."
Dooku's hologram flickered slightly in and out as he spoke but the audio remained constant
"Do we trust this witch?"
The fallen Jedi asked Sidious with a stroke of his beard, his stern, noble face set in permanent seriousness.
"We cannot trust her, but I do not believe she would risk the lives of her clan by lying to us." The Sith Master paused a moment withdrawn into his thoughts,
"Let it be Lord Tyranus, the girl cannot hide forever. Return to your training, I will be in contact."
He cut off the transmission abruptly as Tyranus bowed to his image.
Sheev stood, removing the hooded cloak and hanging it tidily away in the back of the closet behind the sumptuous and lavish garments he wore every day.
Crossing the room the blinds lifted from the windows on his command, revealing the view from his Senate chambers that had been previously blocked out and he took a seat in the armchair overlooking some small part of the planet-city.
He now knew what the emptiness he felt after the death of his master had been, It had been his daughter. He had never known how heavily he relied upon her counsel until he no longer had it.
Her visions and prophecies had been a valuable asset to him, not invaluable, but they would be sorely missed. As strong and balanced as Tyranus was he did not possess such a foresight as the young Dathomiri did, he was no prophet.
He could still carry on with his plan without The Grey, The destination remained, only the journey would be changed.
It puzzled him that he had not sensed her disloyalty, He was well aware that she had not wanted to become senator after him, That she did not fancy marrying into a family of his choosing, But as far as her purpose in the grand plan he had felt no inkling that she would run, that she would not be by his side when he came to power. Her duty, to the best of his knowledge and keen senses, had given her a sense of purpose.
At one point he had imagined his heart felt heavy at so many losses all at once, but such feelings had been brushed away immediately. He would bide his time, Tyranus would do his bidding until the time was right to bring his new protégé into the fold.
The boy Anakin was the direct result of his masters' experiments, in that he had no doubt after meeting the young human after the battle for Naboo.
The young and newly appointed Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi would do his duty and train Anakin, But Kenobi was barely a man, he would try as best he could, but ultimately fail to keep his apprentice on his path, Sheev would make sure of that.
Sheevs thoughts were interrupted by a buzz at the door followed by a young female Rodian intern, Datapad in hand, she spoke to him but her words were barely heard as he took the device from her and went back to his work.