"Readings are back, Master."

"Nothing showed up."

"Looks that way, unless Fett ditched his armor."

"No Mandalorian would ever abandon their armor, even if it compromised their hiding place. That is as important to them as our lightsabers are to us."

"I thought you said he wasn't wearing it when you met him."

"Not all Mandalorians are as strict at taking it off. Besides, I doubt he wanted the Kaminoans to know he had been out when his contract didn't allow him to leave without permission."

"That would make sense. Where to now?"

"Aris. It's not far from here and often a stopping point for different trade routes. The board in Mos Eisley mentioned that other jobs could be found there. While looking at it, we can also glean information by listening to the travelers to see if they spotted a Mandalorian with a young boy."

Anakin nodded and plotted the course. "Sounds good to me. Do we need to "report" in?"

"Since we didn't find anything, no." Obi-Wan paused as the Outer Rim comm he'd set up beeped and displayed a number he didn't recognize. "This is Ben and Son."

"You're a very hard man to find, Ben." Came Dooku's voice. "This is Darth Tyranus and I have a job for you. Is there a planet you would like to meet?"

Obi-Wan exchanged looks with Anakin before he replied: "Any chance we could rendezvous on Aris, Darth Tyranus?"

"Yes, I should be there in two days."

Anakin waited till the transmission was cut. "I don't like it, it could be a trap."

"Indeed." Obi-Wan dialed Yoda on his regular comm.

"Have something do you, Obi-Wan?"

"Our contact reached out to us and we arranged a meeting on Aris, Master Yoda. My Padawan has expressed concern that it may be a trap."

"Agree with him, I do. Be careful, you must. Send Master Ki-Adi-Mundi as backup, I will. Sightings of Fett, there have not been?"

"Thus far we have had no luck, but the good news is Senator Amidala wasn't on any hit lists."

"Perhaps find a bigger fish, he did. Sense anything, do you?"

"Nothing connected to him or his son. They could be laying low since I almost got Jango arrested."

"A possibility, that is. Reached out to Duchess Kryze, have you?"

Obi-Wan shoved all his complicated feelings into the Force when he heard her name. "No. There is enough unrest on Mandalore now that Death Watch has reared it's long dormant head. I don't wish to trouble her unless I know for certain he has gone there."

"Good instincts you have, Obi-Wan. Leave the matter to your judgement, I will. Think I do, radio silence should be maintained. See this through, you must."

"I agree, Master."

"Be with you, the Force will."

"And you, Master." Obi-Wan ended the call and withheld a sigh. "How long until we reach Aris, Padawan?"

"About eight hours. Do you want me to take the helm?"

"I would certainly appreciate it. If you need me, I will be meditating."

"You should get some sleep too, Master."

Obi-Wan felt his lips twitch under his beard as he patted the younger man's shoulder. "I will fit that in if I can."

They pulled out of hyperspace at Aris exactly on schedule and landed their Corellian ship in the dense forests where it would be concealed from view both in the air and from the settlements that had sprung up all over the otherwise uninhabited planet. The only native creatures were wok-woks, a monkey-like scavenger that mostly lived in the rainforests that were in much larger quantities than it's regular cousin.

"This place certainly would have appeal to all sorts of travelers." Anakin muttered as they made their way to the main city, which only distinguished itself as such because it had an official spaceport unlike everywhere else on the planet. "Plenty of spots to hide."

"It is certainly beneficial to us. Let's do some reconnaissance."

They memorized the layout of the land around the capital and it's main landing docks for vantage points, choosing a few as backup if they had to flee. Even at full speed from Coruscant, it would take Master Ki-Adi-Mundi almost four days to get to Agris and Dooku had said he would be there in two. If they had to stall for time and hide, the terrain and prosperous forests were going to be a great asset.

"You think anyone will have seen Fett?" Anakin asked as they finally headed into the port's bar.

"His unique ship alone would be hard to miss, but if he's wearing his Mandalorian armor to hide his appearance that would also catch attention."

"Wouldn't he be smart enough to know that?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I am certain he does, but is also very aware other Mandalorians in the area will side with and help him out. They're a very close-knit community."

"It would be surprising that we don't get along if you hadn't told me about what happened back when Dooku was still in the Order."

"Yes, unfortunately it may take longer than our lifetimes for relations to return between our groups, if it happens at all." Obi-Wan looked at the job board near the counter seats and felt relief at not seeing Padmé's name on the lists. Fett's name was also absent from the taken postings.

"What kind of employment you looking for, hunter?" The bar tender asked.

"Stuck here waiting for a potential employer." Obi-Wan slid some credits across the table. "But I am also looking for an acquaintance of mine, wears Mandalorian armor. Seen anybody like that?"

"Not for a season or two. Them types tend to only pass through this area with targets in the Braxant or Relgim Run." The bar tender paused as he served out drinks to patrons who'd ordered. "Your Mando got a name?"

"He changes it quite often." Anakin leaned casually on the counter. "But he'd have a young boy with him if he passed through here."

"I definitely would have noticed something like that. Not very often you see a Mando with a kid. What can I get you to drink?"

"He might have not been wearing his armor at the time." Obi-Wan pointed to the blue ale. "However, he often pilots a modified Firespray thirty-one class patrol and attack craft."

The bar tender slid them glasses of their beverage across the counter. "It's very rare we see something from Kuat Systems Engineering all the way out here. If he's smart and he did pass through, he would have parked it somewhere out in the brush. We have plenty of people who would love to get their hands on a ship like that legitimately or otherwise."

"He's definitely no idiot."