-------------------
"Then I guess we've reached an agreement." I resolved. "We'll give you the opportunity to test our payment first."
"That's very kind of you," he said.
"We'll be back tomorrow to collect our goods," Raena said as we both swept out of the store.
"Wow, you've outdone yourself," Raena complimented as we entered the shop the next day.
Every doorway held a hazy blue aura, which indicated a weak shield generated from a single crystal being overused. I knew that a few powerful hits to it would break it down but it would definitely serve its purpose, as I doubted Tatooine held any bandits strong enough to break the shield. Then again I didn't think a Sith and his master would personally hunt us down here. It seems the Federation has grown very comfortable with Sith Lords and they're technology. I've got to find out who's equipping these Droids.
"Thank you. It was easy after I had the materials." Watto bragged.
"Seems stretched a bit thin," I commented.
"Yes, I know. I'm having an amplifier put together as we speak," Watto waved off my observation.
"Now the access codes?" Raena pressed.
"Yes, here you go. Where it's at, and how to access the space pod." He laid a data pad in Raena's waiting hand.
"Then that concludes our business here," I bowed slightly to Watto in gratitude. "We'll be on our way."
"Good luck," Watto called as we left.
Outside of the store there seemed to be a mild commotion that caused the street to be crowded blocking our way. Wondering what was going on, I let my mind wander ahead of us I was slightly shocked at the desperate tactics now being taken to find Raena and I.
"They're passing our holo around," I told Raena's curious face as I lifted my hood over my face. "They hope someone will recognize us."
"Not likely," Raena shrouded her features as well. "These people here rarely give away criminals."
"There they are!" a brusque shout came from behind us. I froze in fear, but I didn't turn or move, as I hadn't felt any warnings to let me know the presence of danger.
"Wait, don't move," I told Raena who made to run.
The crowd surged past us towards a helpless couple shopping at a fruit stand. I had to admit, they did slightly resemble our visages but they're posture was completely unlike a Jedi. They scurried, more than ran, away from the mobbing crowd but were easily caught thanks to the jetpack-equipped bounty hunters. Three of them grabbed the helpless couple and tied their hands up quickly. I started towards the crowd with a determined stride.
"Wait here," I told her.
I roughly pushed my way into the center of the circle of onlookers, silencing them with merely my presence. I had to admit, the appearance of a hooded figure was probably unexpected but it had the appropriate affect for the situation. The crowd fell silenced, and the bounty hunters stopped to look at me.
"Tell me," I said in a strong voice. "Does anyone know the weapon of a Jedi?"
"Some kind of light sword!" a random bystander shouted.
"So," I paused and turned to face the bounty hunter. "What's a bounty hunters penalty for bringing in the wrong people to get paid for?"
"What are you getting at scum?" The head bounty hunter narrowed his eyes.
"Have you disarmed these 'Jedi'?" I questioned.
"We don't need to," a second bounty hunter interjected.
"Why not?" I raised an eyebrow. "A single Jedi is more dangerous open handed than the three of you fully locked and loaded."
"They're unarmed." He answered with a self-satisfied smirk.
"So you mean to tell me that these Jedi assassins are NOT carrying the only weapon they've had since they began their training?" I illustrated my point by explaining a fraction of Jedi teachings. "Jedi are taught that their light saber is the only self-defense they have. And, knowing the Trade Federation is after them, decided to NOT carry their only weapon?"
"You know," a little girl near the middle of the crowd, piped up. "You know a lot about Jedi's and their ways."
"This is true," I admitted. "I know a lot about a lot of things."
"Maybe you are a Jedi," The third bounty hunter dumbly concluded.
"Every Jedi is not the assassin you seek," I told him.
"But every Jedi is a suspect," the leader nodded to the other two bounty hunters letting them know to arrest me.
"Then this innocent couple is free to go?" I asked as they cautiously approached me.
"Let 'em out," he told the other two.
They turned and started to unlock the cuffs on their hands. At this exact moment, I turned and swiftly slipped back into the crowd amongst their mild applause for the good deed. I sensed for Raena and found her to be in a nearby alley. I turned down it and found her sitting down looking very bored. I grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.
"Ah," she smirked. "The hero returns."
I couldn't help but smile myself, "where's our ship?"
I was leaning back in my chair next to Raena as she expertly piloted us towards Coruscant. I felt more relaxed then I had since that fateful mission from the Jedi Council. Raena, however, had an odd focused look on her face however that worried me, and it made me sit up and look at her.
"What?" She noticed me.
"Why do you look so worried?" I asked.
"Well," she started slowly as if she didn't want to hurt my feelings. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Why?" I asked leaning back when I realized it wasn't anything immediately dangerous.
"I keep having visions of a small droid army waiting for us as we land on top of the Jedi Temple." She explained.
"That doesn't sound like a serious problem." I shrugged. "You don't plan on landing on top of the Jedi Temple do you?"
"No, but I can't get rid of this feeling." She pressed.
"Then let's go somewhere else," I told her. "If you feel
uncomfortable with it we shouldn't go through with it."
"No," she said carefully again. "You said we would be fine,
so…we'll go there."
"Raena," I sat up to face her again. "You shouldn't base your
decisions solely on my judgement."
"You think I'm right?"
she raised an eyebrow.
"You probably are," I said. "Whether you are or not isn't the
issue. It's your self-confidence that is."
"Then what do
you think?" she asked finally.
"Hmm," I closed my eyes and meditated for a few moments trying to sense our fate. A task I was never truly accomplished at as I usually only had to deal with real-time situations. Not future problems. "I was never really good at sensing the future. But I have faith in Trance and Senator Amidala."
"Then where should I put us down?" Raena asked with a trusting smile.
She brought us in quietly in a secluded landing pad that wasn't closely watched, or well known for that matter, and we slipped out of sleek space pod quickly.
"We need to find a library," I said.
"Déshawn, what are you doing here?" Trance thought in my mind.
"We, kind of slipped up on Tatooine." I explained.
"And you'll do better here?" Trance scolded me.
"Look we'll be fine," I thought reassuringly. I could sense that he was distracted by the fact that he was in session with the Senate at the moment. "Focus on your case."
"Well, while you're here. Do me a favor," I felt his sudden impulse in my mind.
"Anything," I thought back.
"This should be right up your current direction anyways." I could almost see his devilish smirk. "They want actual documentation of the Serum's effects."
"Other than mythology and our word and experience?" I reasoned.
"Déshawn?" Raena questioned my sudden quietness.
"Yes?" I acknowledged her.
"What's wrong?" she asked me moving closer.
"Exactly," Trance told me. "We have a week."
"Tell Deuce," I gave Trance a final message.
"The Senate wants actual documentation of what the Serum can do." I told her solemnly.
"What?" she sounded confused.
"Trance just told me, he needs factual references to the Serum's dangers. I think he's proved that the Count was using it. Now we just need to prove that it has no positive intentions because of its uses." I explained.
"Well, I know where to get the first bit." Raena smiled.
"You do?" I was shocked.
"That mission was on the record Déshawn," she explained. "So…"
"It would have a vague reference to its effects at the bare minimum." I finished for her.
"Exactly, and since Shomari stole a known component to the machine, that's another piece of evidence," Raena added happily.
"I hope Master Yoda managed to hang onto the Force Jar till now," I voiced my concerns. "We must move quickly."
I moved silently along the ledge shakily, as I wasn't comfortable with our extreme heights, but Raena thought it would be better to not go into the Jedi Temple the front way. At our current location, about 3 floors below the Council's window, I had wished we just tried our hand with the massive opposition that faced us otherwise. It was windy outside, not to mention the hordes of interplanetary transports that created a gust whenever they drove past our position. I had to commend Raena's focus on keeping us blended in while she climbed the side of the mostly smooth building. The material that made up most of the building but was smoother than well refined marble, but luckily there were countless ledges, or other places to grab on safely due to the many windows.
"Almost there," Raena needlessly reassured me.
She used two more Force boosted jumps to reach the outside of the Council's window and she knocked playfully. I quickly joined her and stood as still as possible. It took a few seconds for Mace Windu to let us in the room but I was infinitely more comfortable on the firm ground.
"Why are you two not in hiding?" Adi Gallia rarely spoke first, but our appearance merited more than unorthodox behavior.
"We were discovered by a Sith Lord named Darth Brogan and his apprentice," I explained after bowing to the Council. "Jabba the Hutt tried to have us killed."
"Seek his assistance, you should not have." Yoda said in a meditative voice. "Relentlessly against the Jedi, he is."
"We've learned that thoroughly." I told him.
"But why come back here?" Mace Windu pressed.
"We need the record of our original mission to the Federation ship, when we stole the Force Jar," I told him quickly, sensing his rush.
"Find it, you will, in the archives. Clearance, you will have." Yoda said immediately.
"Now you must go quickly," Ki Adi Mundi voiced from my right. "The Federation has posted troops here in the hopes of you doing exactly what you are doing now."
"We under-" Raena stopped the same time I felt a flash of heat in my right arm.
I grabbed her quickly and pulled her backwards into the shadows of a large support pole near the back of the room. I found it ironic it was the same place she'd concealed herself when I was first introduced to her. I gripped my light saber handle tightly with my left hand as the droid walked into the room brusquely. Raena and I both sat down on our knees in the Jedi meditative posture as the droid turned in our direction and started to approach.
"Do not breathe or move," Raena warned in my head.
My heart pounded violently as the droid came within 5 feet of us, gun aimed directly for my head, and it seemingly looked at us.
