The Republic Security Training Facility had been bombed once before.
Nobody remembered, of course. The last time someone had bothered to bomb it, it was still a Jedi training facility. Those had been dark days for the Order, and some surmise it was sheer stubbornness that motivated the handful of Jedi that were left to rebuild upon the ashes of their former home. Four millennia later, no one seemed to care. The scars that Darth Malak's fleet had left in the countryside had long since healed. The citizens of Khoonda carried on much as they ever had before the destruction of the Enclave and much of the surrounding countryside. Dantooine remained complacent for thousands of years, converting the one-time Jedi Enclave into a training facility for Republic Security forces. Dantooine was remote, largely agrarian, and generally speaking, no one paid it much mind.
The first time, it was bombed to make a statement to three specific individuals. A high cost for such a point to be made, to be sure. The second time, however, nobody could discern why it could have been bombed. Chancellor Palpatine decided to personally accompany a team of investigators sent to discover the motive behind the attack. During his stay, a second, much more violent explosion happened, and Jedi teams were dispatched immediately to investigate the situation. The Chancellor escaped unharmed. His Jedi protector, however, did not.
Masters Yoda and Mace Windu stood somberly before Sifo-Dyas' funeral pyre, illuminated only by the flickering flames. It was only his robes and personal effects, as Jedi vanished upon becoming one with the Force, but that did little to ease the blow. Sifo-Dyas had been a superb Master, a talented warrior, and a good friend.
"Master Yoda, Master Windu, I cannot express how sorry I am that this accident cost you one of your Jedi."
The Masters looked up at the sound of the Chancellor's voice. Of course, the Chancellor was present. Every politician on Dantooine seemed to be present. To be fair, however, Sifo-Dyas had been his personal bodyguard, so it was a proper show of respect to be there.
Yoda, however, was more interested in the Chancellor's choice of words. "Accident? Accident, you say?"
Seeing Palpatine's confused look, Mace elaborated. "Master Yoda suspects- and I agree with him- that the first attack was simply to lure you to Dantooine, and the second was designed specifically to kill you."
"Attack?" His face shifted from confusion to incredulity. "Masters, I greatly appreciate your concern for me, but there are many would-be assassins of any chancellor. I see no reason to believe that the first explosion was anything but negligence and the second could have easily been some stray mercenary."
"You said that Sifo-Dyas gave you no warning, that he did not feel the danger," Mace probed.
Palpatine shook his head slowly. "No. If he felt anything, he certainly did not speak of it to me."
"Then believe me when I tell you he felt nothing." Palpatine looked ready to protest, but Mace continued. "A Jedi of Sifo-Dyas' training would have sensed a mercenary or bounty hunter and told you immediately. Another power is at work here."
"Unforseeable this malice was, and plotted carefully," Yoda nodded in agreement. "You must tread with care, Chancellor."
"The Jedi Council has agreed that you should be extended our constant protection- and we would prefer it if you would accept a guard of Jedi at all times."
There was a long pause as the Chancellor considered this. Finally, he replied, "My own guard will stand well enough on Coruscant, Master Windu. When I leave, however… I think I shall be quite glad of your offer." He gave a very slight bow and turned away to greet an approaching senator.
The Jedi returned their attention to the effects turning to ash under the flames. It was a long while before either of them spoke, not wishing to pay any disrespect to their friend.
"The Chancellor is an impatient man when it comes to his own security," Mace observed once the fires started to die down. "But we can hardly force him to accept our offer if he is determined to resist."
"But track him we can," Yoda stated firmly. "And should."
"He will need the Jedi if he has indeed been marked by a dark power-"
"Feel it also do you?" Yoda shook his head. "No stray mercenary was this. No hired hunter. The mark of the Dark Side is branded on this deed."
Mace turned back to the smoldering embers and closed his eyes. "That is what I fear."