Varykino Villa's dining room was perhaps the most extravagant part of the villa. It was round and made with tan and red marble. Decorative columns ran around the perimeter with burgundy drapes hung between them. The far wall had a door that led out onto a balcony overlooking the lake.
Anakin and Padmé sat at the round dining table as the orange glow of sunset poured through the open door. "...and when we got to them, we went into 'aggressive negotiations,'" Anakin said to Padmé as one of the live-in servants refilled his crystal goblet. "Thank you."
Padmé cocked her head. "'Aggressive negotiations?' What are those?"
"Uh, well, negotiations with a Lightblade."
They both laughed. Neither one of them could remember a time when they had genuinely laughed so much over such a short period. Another servant brought out two plates with their dessert of honey braised pears, one of Padmé's favorites.
After the plates had been set in front of them, Padmé reached for her dessert fork before Anakin stopped her. "No, wait, allow me."
He raised his hand and Padmé's fork lifted off the table as if held by an unseen hand. It hovered over the plate before delicately picking up a piece of pear. Padmé watched with a sense whimsy as it gently moved towards her mouth. As she savored the taste of the fruit, the fork floated down and rested onto the plate.
"Obi-Wan would be very grumpy it he knew I used the Force for that," Anakin said, smiling.
After their meal, they retired to the villa's sitting room. They sat close to one another with only the fireplace lighting the room. In the dim firelight, once more their eyes were drawn to each other.
Anakin had to be honest with her about how he felt. Even if she rejected his feelings, he couldn't hold them in any longer. After he had worked up the courage to, he spoke. "From the moment I met you, all those years ago, not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about you... Now that I'm with you again, I'm- there's a conflict in my heart."
Padmé listened to his words carefully. She too felt a conflict, but she hadn't wanted to speak earlier for fear of how Anakin would respond, positive or negative.
"The more I'm with you, Padmé, the more I don't want to leave. Knowing that this assignment is only temporary and that we have to go our separate ways- it... It hurts." He paused and looked at the burning logs in the fireplace. When he spoke again, his voice was much quieter. "The kiss by the lake... I know it never should have happened, but I can't get it out of my mind. It felt... Right. Like it was meant to be..."
Padmé's pulse quickened and her eyes drifted away from him in thought. Despite her better judgement, she had to agree. She had feelings for others before, like Palo, but never anything this strong. They had only been with one another for a few days, but those days felt like a happy lifetime. With Anakin, she felt safe, but they each had deep oaths.
When Padmé looked back to Anakin, it looked as though he was about to cry. "Please, I need to know how you feel. No matter which way it is."
"I... I can't..." This was the most difficult thing Padmé had ever said. "We can't... It's... Just not possible... I want to, but..."
"Anything is possible, Padmé."
"No... Maybe in another life, another time it could work, but look at us. You're studying to be a Jedi and I'm- I'm a senator." A tear appeared in the corner of her eye. "If we follow this road, it will only lead to tragedy for both of us. You would be expelled and my opponents could use our love as leverage."
There was a wrenching pain in Anakin's chest as she spoke, but one of the last words caught his attention. "But you do feel love for me?"
She looked deep into his eyes as the tear rolled down her cheek. "I can't let you give up your future for me."
Anakin's eyes fell to the rug. "I wish that I could just... Brush away my feelings and act how I was taught... I know that's what I need to do, but I don't know if I have the strength..."
Padmé looked down as well. She whispered, only just audible. "I don't know if I do either..."
There was a long pause.
"We... Could... Keep it a secret," said Anakin with just the barest hint of hope in his voice.
Padmé shook her head weakly. "We'd be living a lie... One we couldn't keep even if we wanted to. I don't know if I could do that..." She looked up. "Could you, Anakin? Could you live like that?"
He sighed. "No... You're right... It would destroy us.
Taun We escorted Obi-Wan through the maze of hallways back to the door he had first entered. Despite how unsettling his visit had been, he had to admit that the Kaminoans were rather hospitable, and with the wonders he had seen, he was glad they were at the very least not hostile to the Republic.
"By the way Master Jedi, please tell your Council that while the first battalions are ready, if they need more it will take time to grow them."
"I won't forget. And thank you." Obi-Wan bowed.
"Thank you," replied Taun We.
Obi-Wan pulled his hood up and walked through the glass door as it slid open. The rain had not let up even the slightest since he had arrived and it immediately soaked his robes. At Obi-Wan's approach, his delsev lifted its arrow shaped head and snorted at him. The rain didn't bother it, but it was starting to get a bit hungry. Arfor wasn't bothered by the rain either, nautical automata were made to be watertight.
"Arfor?"
The automaton chirped.
"Is there any way we would be able to boost the range of my communication font? I need to reach Coruscant."
Arfor let out a series of whistles and beeps.
"Really? The wonders of technology." Obi-Wan placed his pocket font in a round opening on the Hyperion Ring. "Could you patch me through to the Old Folks' Home?"
An affirmative pair of beeps.
Far, far away in Coruscant, the font in the Jedi Temple's meditation chamber stirred, snapping Masters Yoda and Windu out of their trances. Master Yoda waved a hand and a miniature silver figure of Obi-Wan materialized.
"Hello Masters. I have successfully made contact with the Prime Minister of Kamino. They are using a Mandalorian bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create an army of homunculi. I have reason to believe that this bounty hunter is the assassin we are looking for."
Mace Windu nodded, pleased with Obi-Wan's progress. "Do you think the Kaminoans are involved in the plot to assassinate Senator Amidala?"
"No, Master. There appears to be no motive."
"Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan," said Yoda. "Clear, your mind must be if you are to discover the real masterminds behind this plot."
"Yes, Master. They also said Master Sifo-Dyas placed the order for the army at the Senate's request almost ten years ago." Obi-Wan's words alarmed the two masters. "I was under the impression he vanished before then. Did the Council ever authorize any masters to make such an order?"
"No," said Master Windu. "Whoever placed the order, if they were a Jedi, did so without the authorization of the Council."
"Bring this Jango Fett here," Yoda said. "Question him, we will."
"Yes, Master. I will report back when I have him." Obi-Wan's silver form melted away.
Yoda shook his head. "Blind, we are if see the creation of this army, we could not.
Mace Windu sighed. "I think it's time we tell the Senate that our ability to use the Force has diminished."
"Only the Dark Lord of the Sith knows of our weakness. If informed, the Senate is, multiply, our adversaries will."
That night, Anakin lay in bed, groaning and whimpering. The most vivid and disturbing nightmares he had yet had about his mother tormented him. She called out his name, pleading for him to save her. He awoke yelling and drenched in sweat.
For the rest of the night he stood on the villa's large veranda, meditating. For how long he stood there, he didn't know, but as the time passed, he gradually felt the warmth of the rising sun. He was tired, but he feared what new horrors his dreams would show him if he dared to try to sleep again.
Padmé came out onto the veranda and saw Anakin silhouetted by the dawn sun. She realized at once that he was meditating and went to walk back inside.
"Don't go," Anakin said without looking at her.
"I don't want to disturb you."
"Your presence is soothing."
"You had another nightmare last night, didn't you?"
"Jedi aren't supposed to have nightmares..."
There was a long, contemplative pause.
"I saw my mother... She's suffering, Padmé." He turned and now she could see the tears that had been streaming down his face for almost the entire night. "I saw her as clearly as I see you now."
"Anakin..."
"I... I know I'd be disobeying my mandate to protect you, Senator, but I have to go. I have to help her."
"...I'll go with you."
On the rough stormy seas of Kamino, an armored Jango Fett readied his blue clipper ship for their journey away. The ship was small, manageable by a single person if needed, and it had been specially modified by the Kaminoans. The nameplate on the stern once read "Firespray" but Jango had crudely carved the word "SLAVE" over it.
"Are we all set Boba?"
"Just about, Dad."
Jango looked up the dock as he had nervously been doing for the last few minutes. This time he saw what he had been expecting. Obi-Wan was running up the dock straight towards him. "Boba! Raise the anchor!"
Obi-Wan readied his Lightblade as Jango drew a pair of ornate flintlock revolvers. Jango fired a shot at Obi-Wan, who cut it out of the air. Obi-Wan charged forward while Jango lifted himself off the ground with his enchanted beskar wings. He fired another shot at the Jedi but it missed him. Obi-Wan rolled just in time for a third shot to whizz past.
Boba cranked the capstan as fast as he could, hauling up the Slave's anchor. He pushed his rain-soaked hair out of his eyes just as his father flew past, firing another round. Jango grabbed hold of the mast and braced himself before firing an explosive rocket from between his wings.
Obi-Wan's eyes widened at the rocket and he dove to the side. Not quite quick enough, though. The rocket exploded on impact with the stone dock and Obi-Wan landed flat on his face with his Lightblade clattering away. He hopped to his feet, shaking his head to try and dispell the ringing in his ears.
No sooner was he standing than he had to dodge a volley of fire from the Slave's deck guns. The Kaminoans, crafty as they were, had not only devised a deck gun that could shoot several times before reloading, but they had linked them to a control sphere so the captain could aim and fire them from the helm. Boba laughed as the Jedi rolled across the docks trying to avoid the hail of iron shot.
Obi-Wan tried to steady himself again, and saw Jango diving straight for him. Obi-Wan leapt high in the air and planted a flying drop kick square in Jango's chest. As Jango fell to the rainy dock, one of his revolvers flew out of his hand and skipped across the stones.
Jango got to his knees, trying to stand. Obi-Wan attempted another drop kick, aiming for Jango's helmeted head, but the Mandalorian caught his foot and twisted, flipping Obi-Wan. He fell to the dock, but used the remaining momentum to land a kick to the side of Jango's head with his other foot.
Boba watched from the Slave's helm as his father and the Jedi began punching at one another, but failed to land blows. They threw punches that the other caught and strained to overpower each other. Then Jango headbutted Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan staggered backwards, holding his nose as a trickle of blood leaked from it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his Lightblade. He held out his hands to pull it towards him, but Jango used this opportunity to shoot a weighted cord from one of his gauntlets. It wrapped around Obi-Wan's wrists and Jango took flight again, carrying Obi-Wan away without his Lightblade.
Jango dragged Obi-Wan along the smooth wet stones of the dock before lifting him higher and higher above. Jango flew upwards, heading for the disks of the city. Obi-Wan twisted and struggled, trying to free himself, but to no avail. As he was lifted higher, he saw a pole protruding from the top of a disk, just an arm's reach away.
Desperately, he reached out with the Force and pulled himself towards it, pulling the cord around it. Jango jerked violently downwards and started tumbling towards the sea below. For just a second, Obi-Wan was proud of his quick thinking before he realized he was still attached to the cord as well.
They fell together until Jango gave a quick wing flap that propelled him towards the edge of one of the city's disks. Gritting his teeth, he dug his gauntlets' climbing claws into the sleek white surface. They bit deep and Jango let our a victorious chuckle. Then Obi-Wan fell past him and he groaned in realization. Obi-Wan's weight jerked on the gauntlet he was tethered to and Jango's climbing claws tore free of the disk, almost dislocating his arm in the process.
From above him, Jango heard the sound of tearing metal. He looked up and saw that his claws were ripping through the white material. He tried gaining a foothold, but the leather of his boots just squeaked against the surface of the rain spattered disk.
The metal tore a bit more and Jango's muscles were burning. He had to detach the cord from his gauntlet. With all his strength, he pulled the cord up to his other hand. He strained under Obi-Wan's weight, arm shaking as he tried to detach. After a few misses, the cord finally detached. Obi-Wan fell, hands still tied.
Jango breathed quickly for a few seconds, trying to calm himself from the near death experience. He was used to most of them, but almost falling to his death with a Jedi attached to him was a new one. He pushed off the disk, gliding towards the Slave, not seeing any evidence that the Jedi had survived the fall into the sea.
Obi-Wan hadn't fallen into the sea though. After Jango detached the cord, it loosened just enough for him to free himself. On the underside of the disk he fell from was a landing platform, likely for one of the native creatures. He swung the far end of the cord with help from the Force and it wrapped around one of the support poles.
The cord cut into his hands as he jerked to a stop. Gritting through the pain, he swung back and forth with the aid of the Force until he was able to reach the platform itself. Once back on his feet, he removed the cord from his hands and rushed inside to try to get back to the dock before Jango could escape.
When Jango tried landing on the dock, he found that while he could glide, his wings had become too damaged to flap. Unable to slow himself as much as he would have liked, he landed hard, falling to his knees. It worked in his favor though, as he saw his lost revolver. Jango picked it up and after ensuring nothing was broken, he returned it to its holster.
Jango also noticed Obi-Wan's Lightblade on the edge of the dock. He made to kick it into the water, but right before his foot made contact, the Lightblade flew off to the side and into the waiting hand of Obi-Wan, who ignited it. Jango made a mad dash for the Slave yelling for Boba to give it full sail.
Obi-Wan wasn't able to get to the Slave before Mandalorian jumped aboard, but he did the next best thing. Obi-Wan pulled a tracking beetle out of his pouch and threw it as hard as he could. The beetle latched onto the Slave's hull scant seconds before it opened a Hyperion gate and disappeared.