Chapter Ten
I waited outside the throne room for Padmé's appearance. She had hesitated in the hallways approximately halfway there but turned back. After about ten minutes, she was headed toward the throne room, only she took a sharp right. The bond immediately alerted me of her intentions, although I wished she would've spoken to me first. I didn't need to give her permission, but I would like to be kept informed.
"Where are we going?" I asked as I caught up with her near the west exit. She had opted to dress as a handmaiden today complete with pants and boots. To my surprise, Captain Panaka was accompanying her.
"I thought you could read my mind," she teased without breaking her stride.
"Point taken," I conceded. Either this was a test or she wasn't entirely focused on her destination. I had no idea what she was up to.
"Sabé can handle today's visitors. Security is scanning everyone for weapons due to yesterday's event."
She hadn't entirely answered my question and I looked to her escort. I could tell my presence irritated Panaka, but he was the one who finally told me what I needed to know.
"No one has been able to identify the body of the farmer you dismembered yesterday. You actually didn't kill him, by the way. He'd been poisoned. Tortured first and then poisoned."
"Tortured?" I asked with genuine surprise. "His skin revealed burns. I assumed he was speaking the truth about his home being destroyed by the droids."
"The charring was electrical not caused by fire."
I wished they'd tell me everything. I suppose it will take time for either of them to trust me, but surely they understood I could help. I wanted to help.
"Wait," I suggested, hoping they'd at least pause, which thankfully they did. "You said he'd been tortured. On what evidence are you basing that assumption?"
Panaka sighed as if he didn't have time for me. "The patterns on the skin were determined to have come from an electrostaff."
"An electrostaff," I mumbled with an element of surprise. It was a unique weapon and not common in this part of the galaxy. Whoever had used it on that poor man wasn't from around here. But the real question was, who was he?
"You're headed to the village he mentioned," I guessed.
Finally, Padmé chose to speak and I just then began to sense the worry over the situation in her mind. Previously, her concern had been solely on Sabé taking her place in the throne room. She was quickly learning how to disguise her thoughts from me.
"I need to investigate the area myself, ask some questions, and see if anyone knew this man. I realized you were going to come along, but your appearance can be rather…intimidating. Captain, do you think there's something else Obi-Wan can wear? Something that doesn't make him stand out so much?"
I didn't know how I felt about removing my Jedi uniform. I had grown quite accustomed to wearing it. However, her wish was my command and within half an hour, I had switched to a palace guard's uniform. One of the older ones, Panaka had enjoyed informed me.
I pulled on the gray quilted vest which smelled of dust and musty storage, happy she had at least allowed me to keep on my boots. They were the one thing I couldn't part with. Other than my lightsaber of course. It hung slightly more discretely behind my left hip instead of in front.
Once Padmé was satisfied with my appearance, we headed out, choosing to take a public transport north of the city. It was an hour's journey to the village of Pontel, which was a seaside community known for its annual shuura harvest.
"My family visited Pontel," she explained during the trip, "for the Harvest Festival. I have fond memories of its people and community. The Naboo Council reported there had been minimal damage to the village during the occupation, but I need to see for myself, as well as discover who this man was."
I understood her reasoning, but not why she couldn't have sent a few members of her security force instead. I was slowly realizing, however, that when it came to leadership, Padmé preferred to be involved. She was definitely a hands-on type of person. I needed to keep that in mind.
We were greeted warmly and I quickly noted Captain Panaka was the one who was drawing the most attention. He was the only one of us in royal attire. Padmé and I both looked like tourists.
The village architecture was similar to Theed, although on a much smaller scale. The community center was the only structure with a domed roof, and it was there she led us. The rest of the village appeared intact and its people seemed happy.
"Good day to you, sir," Padmé announced in a friendly manner to the robust older man behind the wooden counter inside the main building.
He gazed at us over his lowered spectacles and then returned to his task of repairing what appeared to be some type of gearbox.
"We're looking for this man and was wondering if you knew him," Panaka revealed a replica of the attacker he'd taken in the morgue, although the image had been animated to make him appear healthy and alive.
"Nope. Never seen him before," the older gentleman replied.
He had glanced at the holoimage only for a second. Happy, but not very helpful, I amended.
"Ask down at the watering hole. Terra knows everyone around these parts."
"Thank you for your time," Padmé said kindly as we departed.
I knew there were better and more effective ways to interrogate people and to gain information, but my duties as a Protector did not include those types of tactics. I was now the Queen's bodyguard and that was all.
The watering hole was a cantina at the end of the street. It was a rugged but attractively built from timber. Inside, it was warm and well-lit, and there were pleasant patrons inside. Very different from some of the bars I'd seen in my days as a Jedi.
Cleaning one of the tables was an attractive young woman with red hair tied behind her head. She had a bright smile and appeared to be kind.
"Hello, I'm looking for someone named Terra?" Padmé asked her.
"You're speaking to her. How can I help you?" She lifted her head from her work and her blue eyes flew wide. "You're from the palace! What are you doing in this neck of the woods?"
"We're searching for someone," Panaka cut in, showing the young lady the image.
Terra studied the features of the man for a short while and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize him. Is he dangerous?"
"He's dead," Padmé announced bluntly. "We were hoping to get in touch with his family.
"I know that man," grumbled a deep voice from the corner, where a human male sat sipping on a beer.
My first impression was that he was a traveler passing through, although on second glance, I noticed mud on his work boots and calluses on his fingers. He was a farmer, just like most of the men I'd seen in this village.
"What can you tell us about him?" Panaka asked as the three of us stepped to the man's table.
"That all depends on how many credits you have," he announced.
My hand was itching to convince the man to give us the information for free, but it was no longer my responsibility, and I clasped my fingers together and waited patiently while Captain Panaka dug into his pockets. He tossed at least twenty credits onto the table and the stranger grabbed them greedily before tossing back the last of his drink.
"His name is…Well, I guess it was Galdon. He didn't have any family so there's no one to notify him of his death. I told him not to make a deal with that fancy-dressed fella, but like all of us, the harvest wasn't very profitable this year and we all need the funds."
"What fancy-dressed fella?" I asked.
"Some rich, snotty older gentleman came into town looking for a sucker and Galdon fit the bill. He got paid good too, but I guess that don't matter none now."
"How do you know all this?" Panaka asked.
"Because he asked me first, but I refused. Too risky. To me, it sounded like a one-way trip."
It seemed as if he were being honest, but it was hard to tell. There were many things I wanted to ask, but I held my tongue and allowed Panaka to lead the investigation.
"What was the job?"
"To assassinate Queen Amidala," the man stated openly. "No way I was going to be a part of that. It paid 1,000 credits though and Galdon needed it badly, so I guess he thought it was worth it."
Either by the shock of the news or to try and use friendlier persuasion, Padmé sat down at the table and smiled at the informant.
"We are from the palace," she admitted before removing a golden ring from her finger and passing it across the table. "It's important that you tell us who tried to hire you to do such an awful thing."
The man picked up the piece of jewelry and studied it carefully before he neatly tucked it into the pocket on his vest.
"He said he was the Count of Serreno. He was slick, I tell you. Dressed real nice. All in black with one of those neat little gray beards and slicked back white hair. He spoke real smartly too. He's not from around here, I can tell you that.
No, he wasn't, I thought before Padmé stood and thanked the man.
The three of us exited the building and stood in the street just outside. She looked at Captain Panaka first and then me as if to confirm her thoughts.
"Dooku," she said grimly. "We've heard rumors of his possible involvement with the Banking Clan."
"Who we believe helped fund the Trade Federation's invasion by providing their droid army," Panaka added.
They were on the right track, although I wasn't going to tell them that. They were digging into something that could prove to be quite dangerous. It was best to let the Jedi handle it.
During the Council's investigation of a possible uprising against the Republic, Count Dooku's name kept coming up. There were Masters who refused to believe that someone who was once a Jedi himself could be responsible for such violence. Mace Windu was one of them.
I had been taught not to believe in rumors, but I'd also learned that where there is smoke, there's usually fire. This wasn't the first time Dooku's name had been linked to an assassination attempt.
"We need to find Count Dooku and bring him before the courts. He should pay for the evil he's done here," Padmé said with a surprising amount of force.
It was my job to protect her. I just had no idea what a magnet to danger she could be.