Chapter 16
Meeting With the Family

Vader stood stiff with discomfort out in the back garden. The flowers were pretty and smelled quite nice, but he couldn't really enjoy them all that much at the moment. Right now, he was being subtly grilled by the Senator's father.

Well, maybe not grilled, or even interrogated, but definitely questioned. And the day had been going so well before. They'd gotten off the crowded transport and arrived on beautiful Naboo, visited the Royal Palace, met the Queen, and had a great lunch. Then somehow he'd been pulled away from his charge to take a walk with her father, and now the man was asking questions.

"I know Padmé is down-playing the seriousness of the situation so that we don't worry…but please, tell me, how bad is it really?" The father, introduced as Ruwee, asked.

"Well, it's certainly not 'nothing' as she claims." Vader replied evasively. He didn't want to piss the Senator off, but he didn't want to lie to her family either. They were nice people and he didn't want to mislead them, not to mention that it was against the Jedi Code. At Ruwee's expectant look, Vader reluctantly continued.

"When she returned to Coruscant, a bomb planted on her landing pad destroyed her ship and killed some security personnel and Handmaidens. This prompted the Chancellor to ask the Jedi Council to put her under the Order's protection. My Master and I were assigned to augment her security and we managed to ward off a second attempt on her life. The Council then decided to send my Master to investigate the assassination attempts and send the Senator and I here to lay low until my Master resolves things." Vader explained and then prayed that Amidala wouldn't kill him later for this.

"I see," Ruwee sighed worriedly. The older silver-haired man appeared to study some flowering bush before speaking again. "I've noticed that you and my daughter don't seem to be on the best of terms."

"We aren't," Vader shrugged stiffly. "Bad first impressions combined with poor moods, mainly. My Master's poor opinion of politicians has probably rubbed off on me." He added lamely.

"Who is your master?" Ruwee inquired curiously.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi." Vader answered, hoping that the questions would end soon.

"Really?" Ruwee seemed startled at the reply. "He's your Master?"

"Yes," Vader nodded, confused at the awe he was sensing from the older man.

Ruwee looked Vader over thoughtfully, before smiling. "Well with your master on the case I'm sure this mess will be over with quickly. And I'm sure you'll do a fine job looking after my daughter, whether she thinks she needs your help or not."

Vader was stunned, flattered, and confused all at once, and simply settled on saying: "um, thanks."

And then, to his great relief, the uncomfortable questions stopped, and Ruwee rambled on about his daughter. All Vader had to do was listen and nod at the appropriate points. Now he could enjoy the beautiful garden. And he did.

Padmé studiously ignored the piercing gaze of her older sister as she helped clean the dishes. Instead of acknowledging her sister, she stared out the kitchen window at her father and Vader as they meandered through the garden. At first things had appeared tense between them, but now her father looked like he'd taken a shine to the frustrating Jedi Padawan.

"So you have a Jedi as a bodyguard." Sola commented.

"He's only a Padawan Learner." Padmé corrected, giving a drinking glass an extra thorough scrub.

"Still, a Jedi," Sola mused. "A cute Jedi."

"Stop it," Padmé interrupted her sister before she could really get going.

"Stop what? I only pointed out that he's cute." Sola replied innocently.

"I know what you're trying to do, so stop. It couldn't work out anyway; it's against their Code to get romantically involved with anyone." Padmé informed her sister. "And I don't like him."

"Why not? He looks nice enough." Sola wondered.

"Appearances can be deceiving." Padmé reminded her older sibling. "There's something about him I don't like. I feel like he's hiding something, and I just can't bring myself to trust him, let alone like him."

"Hiding something from you? Why would a Jedi do that?" Sola frowned.

"That's a very good question." Padmé sighed. "Though there is one thing that I'd really like to know that has nothing to do with him."

"Oh, and what is that little sister?" Sola inquired.

"Who wants me off Coruscant so much that they go to all the trouble that they did. It's been driving me crazy!" Padmé growled.

"I'd like to know the answer to that too, Padmé. Because then I'd track them down and give them a piece of my mind. I'm the only one allowed to pick on you." Sola acted all indignant, but Padmé could tell that her big sister was truly upset.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough, Knight Kenobi is looking into things for me." Padmé replied with only partly forced optimism.

"Thank goodness for that." Sola smiled, though there were traces of tears in her eyes.

Padmé smiled weakly back at her sister and they continued cleaning the dishes in silence.

Obi-Wan peered through the cockpit view-screen of his Jedi Starfighter as he dropped out of the craggy blue mist of hyperspace. Before him hung a stormy looking planet that, according to the Jedi Archives, shouldn't exist. In fact, this entire star system shouldn't exist. And the reason that it supposedly didn't exist was a disturbing mystery.

First the analysis droids had been unable to tell him anything about the poison dart he'd pulled from the dead Changeling bounty hunter. So he'd gone to his old friend Dexster Jettster the Besalisk. After a quick bite to eat at Dex's Diner, his friend's wonderful little restaurant hidden in Coruscant's mid-level district of Coco Town. Dex had had many careers over his long life and seen many places and things. He'd known what the dart was and where it came from. With directions and the name of a planet, he'd gone to the Archives to get the coordinates and information he'd need.

And then he'd really run into trouble. He'd faithfully followed Dex's instructions, but found an empty void. His study of the star charts showed that all the surrounding stars acted like there was a star there, but it did not appear where it should be. Jedi Master Jocasta Nu, the head Archivist, had come over to assist him and assured him that if it wasn't on their charts, then it must not exist. Obi-Wan trusted Dex; he knew the Besalisk would never lie to him or lead him astray. So, troubled by his conflicting information, he'd sought the wisest master he knew for council.

Master Yoda had been in the middle of teaching a class of Initiates, Jedi younglings not yet old enough to be chosen as Padawans. He'd paused the lesson, a little saber training, to see what Obi-Wan had needed. Obi-Wan presented his little problem and the aged Jedi Master had, in turn, passed it on to the class. And it took the simple, uncluttered mind of a child to find the answer. The reason why the planet he sought was not in the Archives was that someone had erased all data pertaining to it.

Only a Jedi could gain access to the Temple Archives. Only a Master could alter the data the massive library held. Who in the Jedi Order would do such a thing as drastic as erase an entire star system? Why? There were many questions and no answers.

Obi-Wan sighed, releasing his unease into the calm river of the Force. "There it is Arfour," he murmured to his Astromech droid, "the planet of Kamino. Just where it should be." He studied the cloudy atmosphere of the mysterious world before locking onto the signal of a large city. "Here we go!"