Two women maneuvered through the crowded diner towards an empty booth in one corner, They both had olive skin, wore identical heavy outer robes, hiding their more functional wide skirts, tight tops, and lightsabers clipped at their waist. The older of the two had her chin tattooed in a navy diamond grid pattern, with her lower lip dyed a deep black. The younger woman, of about sixteen years, had an identical pattern tattooed on her face, except hers ran across the bridge of her nose and along her cheekbones. Both kept their heads covered, the older woman with a wimple, the younger, a hood. They reached their destination, and slid into the worn booth. A waitress stopped to get their drink orders, and sauntered away.
"Master, when is this mysterious man going to arrive?" the younger woman asked.
"Patience, my young apprentice," responded the older woman calmly. "He will show himself."
The younger woman nodded and leaned back in her seat, stretching tight muscles. The waitress reappeared with drinks, and then was called away by another customer.
Just then, a man, hooded and cloaked, approached their table. "May I join you?" he asked. The older woman nodded, and the man sat next to the younger woman. "Am I correct in assuming that you," he indicated the older woman, "Are you Jedi Master Luminara Unduli?" Luminara nodded again. "Then this young lady must be Bariss Offee," he concluded, nodding at the younger woman. Bariss nodded.
Luminara took a sip out of glass, then leaned forward. "What is your name?" she asked, taking another sip of her drink.
The man leaned forward. "My name is Kalidos," he whispered. " And I need your protection."
Bariss cocked her head to the left. "Why?" she asked innocently.
Kalidos looked around, then said in an even lower voice, "Not here. Meet me in the alleyway behind this diner after you are finished with your drinks" He slid out of the booth and left the diner.
Luminara threw back the rest of her drink and glanced at Bariss. "Have your weapon ready," she cautioned, and the two women casually left their booth and followed Kalidos out, Luminara leaving three Republic credits on the table.
Once out of the diner, Luminara and Bariss strolled casually around the left corner of the building, ending in a dark and dingy alley. Bariss's hand hovered near her lightsaber, but Luminara remained calm. They found Kalidos half hidden in the shadows behind an outhouse. When he saw them, he gestured for them to follow him deeper into the shadows. Luminara nodded to Bariss, who followed her Master into the shadows. They watched in fascination as the man began to remove his respirator and ratty over garments, to reveal the rich outfit of a politician.
"Just who are you?" blurted Bariss.
Kalidos smiled. "My name is Senator Kalidos Satangue, the Senator for all the Outer Rim Territories."
"But I thought that the Outer Rim didn't get senators," objected Bariss.
It was Luminara who answered. "They get one Senator, since they are not technically a member of the Republic."
Senator Kalidos nodded, smiling. "That is true, Jedi Master Luminara." Then he suddenly moved deeper into the shadows. "But there is another problem," he began. "The Separatists have been courting me to get the Outer Rim territories to secede form the Republic, as it would be a commercial blow to the Republic." He winced. "From a personal level, seceding would mean personal loss as well as a Republic loss, but we won't get into that." He sighed. "There has already been an attempt on my life. It would make matters simpler if you were to, well, protect me until the danger has passed." He looked pleading at the two Jedi. "Please? The Chancellor won't assign guards to me because I am just a non-important of territories, not a system."
Luminara smiled at the Senator. "You're in luck," she said. "The Jedi Council has already recognized your plight and assigned Bariss and I to your protection."
The Senator gasped. "Thank you so much, Master Jedi! You don't know what this means to me!"
Luminara shook out her outer robes. "Lets get to our speeders," she suggested. "And get you back into respectable property." The Jedi steered Kalidos to the three seater speeder, and climbed in. Bariss sat in the back, lightsaber ready in her hand to deflect any attacking bolts. Luminara sat at the controls, and Kalidos sat next to her. Firing up the engines, Luminara flew the speeder back to the heart of Coruscant.
From a high vantage point by a lit up sign, a bounty hunter used a pair of binoculars to peer at the Jedi speeder leaving the seediest section of Coruscant, which was saying something, as the city of Coruscant covered the entire planet. Right on schedule, she thought grimly. Kalidos was going to get what was his, and hopefully Lord Sidious's plan would work. She lowered the binoculars and got into her nondescript speeder. She checked to make sure that her blaster rifle was secure at her feet, then sped off after the other speeder.
Jedi Padawan Bariss Offee paced in front of the door leading to Senator Satangue's apartment. Just when Bariss thought she would have to sit down, Luminara Unduli stepped off the lift.
"All's silent up here, Master," Bariss said. Luminara flipped open a mini security screen and gazed at it. She showed it to Bariss, who saw that the Senator was at his desk, reviewing reports and hologram messages.
"All appears to be fine inside as well," Luminara commented.
"Master, why would the Separatists want the Outer Rim to join in their movement?" Bariss asked, confused.
Luminara shook her head. "That is one thing I do not understand," she said slowly. "If they wanted the Hutts' lucrative gambling and smuggling profits, they would court the Hutts directly. Other than that, and the gambling done on Podraces, there is nothing to the Outer Rim Territories."
Bariss nodded. "That's what I thought." She glanced back at the security screen. Nothing seemed wrong. "Master, this Senator's from Datooine, correct?"
Luminara nodded and said, "You are right, Bariss. Senator Kalidos Satangue is from the system of Datooine, which is poorer than its neighbor, Tatooine."
Bariss pursed her lips and checked the security monitor again. Something was wrong. The Senator was gone, simply, vanished. "Master?" she said, puzzled, handing the little computer back to her Master.
Luminara checked it, then pressed two buttons and frowned. "He's not anywhere in his apartments," she said, worry in her voice. The two Jedi shed their outer robes and flipped lightsabers into their hands. Luminara Force-pushed the door open. "Lets split up and check that way," she suggested. Bariss nodded and headed into the office area. The entire place was tidy and neat, except for one thing. A round holodisk lay on the floor, shiny and new. Bariss bent down to examine it. As soon as her fingers touched it, her world went black.
Luminara searched the apartment, and when she found no one, she went back to look for Bariss. "Bariss?" she called, seeing no sign of her Padawan. She entered the office area, and saw no one. The only thing out of place was a small holodisk lying on the floor. Luminara bent down to pick it up, then jerked back. Her instincts told her not to touch it, whatever it was. Instead, she looked carefully around. There was no sign of Bariss anywhere. A sound at the window made her whirl around, and just by chance, her hand brushed the holodisk. Luminara collapsed in a heap.
Bariss awoke to find herself hanging from electrobonds that bound her wrists and ankles to a wall. She twisted her head to the left, saw only a blast door, then swiveled her head to her right, to see her master identically imprisoned. "Master?" her voice came out as a croak.
Luminara raised her head and smiled at Bariss. "We appear to be in a predicament," she said casually, flexing her fingers. Bariss grinned. Whatever 'predicament' they were in, they could get out of it. Bariss heard a noise to her left and turned her head just in time to see a stocky, broad featured woman dressed in blast armor enter the room. She held in gloved hands two blocks of ice, with Bariss's and Luminara's lightsabers imprisoned in them.
"My trophies," the woman explained calmly. She placed the two blocks on a table and turned to face the Jedi. "Are you tired?" she asked kindly. But then she laughed. " Oh no, I know what havoc you Jedi fanatics can bring on, she said, hand resting on her blaster gun. "But both of you seem to be uncommonly stupid Jedi, since you fell for my trick immediately."
"The holodisk?" inquired Luminara politely. Bariss suddenly remembered her one encounter with the passionate Anakin Skywalker, who wouldn't have taken this well at all.
The bounty hunter cackled with glee. "So you do recognize it! It was of course, Satangue's idea to use a holodisk for the bait, as it would be an item that could be picked up thoughtlessly, and one that wouldn't be out of place in a Senator's office."
"Traitor," muttered Bariss. She realized how stupid she and her master had been. She pursed her black lips and thought of all the clues that had pointed to this being a ruse.
The bounty hunter continued. "I am aware of course, that the Jedi Council will send rescuers. When they are lying dead in these halls, The Council will be forced to accept our ransom demands."
"And what are these demands?" asked Luminara, bored.
The bounty hunter laughed. "Now, it wouldn't be a secret then, would it?" She turned to leave, then turned back to her prisoners. "And don't try to escape. The Trade Federation has blessed me with a hundred battle droids. Even Jedi won't be able to escape." She left. Luminara closed her eyes and dropped into the Force. Her bonds popped open and she dropped to the floor. Bariss tried the same trick, to the same success.
"Now, lets free our lightsabers," Luminara said. Both reached out with their hands and pulled on the lightsabers, popping the weapons free of their prisons. The lightsabers flew into their owners' hands, and blue and green blades ignited immediately. Luminara carved a hole in the blast doors and climbed through. Bariss followed.
"WE need to find the main hanger, or whatever," Bariss said. " And for that, we need a map readout of this building." Luminara nodded, and the two of them went off in search of the main computer room. IT wasn't hard to find. Luminara hacked into the system while Bariss guarded the door.
"Here," Luminara said, tracing a route with her finger. "And if I'm not mistaken, Obi- Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are headed this way.
Bariss smiled. "Lets go meet them," she said sweetly. Luminara glanced sharply at her, then covered a smile with her hand. They burst out of the room and began running towards where Anakin and Obi-Wan were. They met no droids on their way, which puzzled them. Suddenly, Obi-Wan and his new companion, not apprentice, came whipping around a corner. Luminara stopped just in time to stop herself from slamming into Obi-Wan, while Anakin and Bariss crashed into each other.
"Which way to the main hanger?" Luminara asked. Obi-Wan pointed back the way he and Anakin had come. "Well, lets get out of here," Luminara said resolutely. All four sprinted back down the hall, only to come to a halt at a wall of battle droids. Four lightsabers blazed into life, and when the droids started to fire, the lightsaber flashed back and forth, deflecting bolts back to the sender,
"Charge!" yelled Anakin, and he plunged into the ranks of battle droids, lightsaber cutting down every droid near him. Obi-Wan followed with a curse, and the Luminara, then Bariss. After getting to the end of the droid ranks, they bolted through a small doorway into the main hanger.
"Grab a speeder!" shouted Obi-Wan, and all four did.
"We'll split up and meet at the Jedi temple," Luminara said. They all got into speeders and zoomed out of the hanger, and into the streets of Coruscant
The four Jedi stood before the Council at the Jedi Temple. Mace Windu, Yoda, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, Aayla, and Ki-Adi-Mundi were all present. Obi-Wan Kenobi resumed his seat in the Jedi Council's circle of seats, and Anakin stayed where he was. Luminara and Bariss had their hands folded in front of them, but Anakin's were clenched into fists. Bariss noticed this, but then Mace Windu began to speak.
"It seems as though they wanted the Jedi Council to surrender all power to the Senate," he said thoughtfully. "What would their motive be for that?"
"If under the control of Darth Sidious the Senate is, then clear is the motive," said Yoda. He looked at Bariss. "Done well, you have, Unduli's Padawan. Ready you are to take the Trials."
Bariss bowed. "I am honored by your confidence, Master Yoda," she said awed. The Jedi Trials were not to be taken lightly.
Luminara spoke up. "What is to happen to the Senator Satangue?" she asked.
Ki-Adi-Mundi shook his head. "He was assassinated thirty minutes ago. No one knows how."
Bariss felt just a little bit sorry for the dead Senator. Not much, though. Anakin shifted, drawing the Council's attention to him. He blushed and looked down.
"Anakin Skywalker, we are sending you and Obi-Wan to the Outer Rim on patrol. Report to the hanger bay tomorrow morning." That was Mace.
Anakin bowed, saying, "Yes, Master Windu." He turned and left the chamber.
"Padawan Offee, Master Luminara," Mace Windu began. "Report to the Temple at midday to begin the Padawan's Trials." The two women bowed and left the chamber.
Yoda and Mace Windu looked at each other. "Blind we are if this kidnapping we could not foresee," Yoda commented.
"The Dark Side clouds everything, my friend," Mace said, and the Jedi around the circle nodded their agreement.
The bounty hunter stood before the hologram of Darth Sidious.
"You have failed me," The hologram figure hissed.
"It wasn't my fault," complained the bounty hunter. "They had reinforcements."
"I cannot afford failure, bounty hunter!" he snapped. "Droids!" The battle droids that had been guarding the doors turned and cocked their rifles at the bounty hunter. Her lips tightened. "Good-bye," the hologram snarled. Thirty blaster rifles went off, and the bounty hunter dropped to the ground, dead. Before the hologram went out, Darth Sidious said. "This turn is unfortunate. Dispose of her body." After the droids left, he said in an emotionally charged voice, "My new apprentice will not be so foolish." He laughed. "Once more the Sith shall rule the galaxy!"