We climbed out of our starfighters and into the storm. "Nice weather!" I called to my master.

"Wonderful," he said sarcastically. I laughed.

Against all odds, we managed to get to the building in one piece. We went through the entrance way and were greeted by a bright white light. We pushed our soaking hoods from our faces.

"Welcome to Tipoca City, Masters Jedi," something said. By its voice, I was guessing it was a female, but I could be wrong.

I wiped the rain from my face and blinked in surprise at a tall, pasty-white... thing named with a name card saying Taun We. He had large, almond shaped eyes.

"Everything is ready. The Prime Minister expects you," Taun We said.

"Prime Minister?" I asked in confusion.

"We're expected?" Obi-Wan asked warily.

"Of course," Taun We stated. "He is anxious to see you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now please, this way!

I exchanged a surprised look with Obi-Wan as we move away along the corridor.

The door slid open. Obi-Wan, Taun We and me enter and cross to where another Kaminoan rose, smiling, from behind his desk, which, like all the furniture on Kamino, seemed to be made out of pure light.

"May I present Lama Su, Prime Minister of Kamino... and this is Masters Jedi..."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," my master replied.

"Padawan Vaessa Olin," I added.

"Please..." Lama Su indicated a chair. Obi-Wan sat down. "We are sorry. We did not expect them to send a padawan with the master."

"It's fine," I said, standing behind Obi-Wan's chair.

Taun We hovered. The room was bathed in brilliant white light. The whole place was ultra high-tech.

"I trust you are going to enjoy your stay," Lama Su began. "We are most happy you have arrived at the best part of the season."

"You have made us feel most welcome," my master said politely.

"And now to business. You will be delighted to hear we are on schedule. Two hundred thousand units are ready, with another million well on the way."

I frowned. What did he mean?

"That is... good news," Obi-Wan said, obviously improvising.

"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that we have every confidence his order will be met on time and in full. He is well, I hope?

Master Sifo-Dyas? Now something was way off.

"I'm sorry, Master - ?" my master began.

"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. He's still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?

"Oh, yes. Sifo-Dyas." There weren't any jedi masters by that name.

Lama Su rose from his chair. "You must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself."

"That's why we're here," Obi-Wan said.

Lama Su led us to a balcony. Below was a huge parade ground. The rain and wind were brutal. thousands of clone troopers, faces covered by helmets, were marching and drilling in formations of several hundred.

"Magnificent, aren't they?" Lama Su beamed.

"Magnificent's certainly one way to put it," I muttered. I didn't find it wonderful at all, I found it barbaric.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly.

Lama Su conducted Obi-Wan and me through a large eating area. Taun We followed as we walked by hundreds of clones who looked exactly alike, all about twenty years old, dressed in black. They were seated at tables, eating.

"We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host," Lama Su explained. "As a result they are totally obedient, taking any order without question."

You took away their independence? I thought. That's straight up slavery. But I buttoned my lip and stayed silent.

"Who was the original host?" Obi-Wan asked.

"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett. We felt a Jedi would be the perfect choice, but Sifo-Dyas hand-picked Jango Fett himself."

I stiffened. I'd heard of Jango Fett before. He was a deadly bounty hunter that criminals tended to hire when dealing with jedi. He was also incredibly hard to catch.

"Where is this bounty hunter now?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Oh, we keep him here. After a few hundred thousand clones, the genetic pattern starts to fade, so we take a fresh supply. He lives here, but he's free to come and go as he pleases."

The tour continued through a long corridor filled with narrow, transparent tubes into which clones were climbing. Once in the tube, the clone goes to sleep.

"Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing - an unaltered clone for himself. Curious isn't it?

"Unaltered?" My master asked.

"Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile... and no growth acceleration...

"I would like to meet this Jango Fett," Obi-Wan said decidedly.

"I would be most happy to arrange it for you," Taun We stated. He then bowed and left.

The tour continued through a classroom filled with identical young boy clones.

"You mentioned growth acceleration..." Obi-Wan stated.

"Oh yes, it's essential. Otherwise, a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now, we can do it in half the time. Those items you saw on the parade ground were started ten years ago, when Sifo-Dyas first placed the order, and they're already mature..."

I looked at the young clones. "And these?

"About five years ago."

We entered a space filled with great racks of glass spheres, which are filled with fluid in which what looked like embryos were suspended.

"They're immensely superior to droids, capable of independent thought and action."

"Very impressive." said Obi-Wan.

"I'd hoped you would be pleased. "

Obi-Wan gazed at the nearest embryos. "Tell me, prime minister, when my Master Sifo-Dyas first contacted you, did he say the order was for... himself... or?" he asked carefully.

"Himself? Of course not. This army is for the Republic."

I stopped cold. "The Republic?" Obi-Wan asked in surprise.

"We are also very much against this Count Dooku and his secessionist movement. We are proud to be of help to the Republic.

Taun We showed Obi-Wan and me into our room.

"I have arranged for you to meet Jango Fett in the morning. Sleep well." Taun We left. The door slid closed behind him.

Obi-Wan and I stood with Lama Su and Taun We just inside the open door.

"Tell your Council the first battalions are ready. And remind them that if they need more troops, we will need time to grow them."

"I won't forget," my master replied.

Obi-Wan and I came out from the tower into the driving rain. The door closed behind as we pulled our robes around us and stood braced against the gale.

Below, a huge wave crashed against the stilts. Spray flew high and whipped across the platform where we were standing. We walked over to our Starfighters. My master looked around to see if anyone was watching, then turned and went back to the door. It slid open.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Following a hunch!" he called back, and went inside the building. I hesitated before running after him.

I entered cautiously. Ahead, the corridor was deserted apart from my master.

"You coming?" he asked, and I smiled and went after him.

Obi-Wan walked in to a room. I followed close behind, and saw an apartment in complete disorder. The bedroom door was wide open - a clear sign of hurried departure. "This is the Fett's place, isn't it?" I asked.

My master nodded wordlessly. He went to an ultra-thin computer screen. He punched up an onscreen picture of a clone and a younger clone - I assumed this was Jango and his son - and a video of Jango unhitching the lines securing their ship to the landing platform. Jango Fett was wearing armour and a rocket pack. Boba climbed aboard the small Fighter.

"We're going to stop him, aren't we?" I asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied.

"What's so bad about Jango Fett anyway?" I asked as we ran down the corridors.

"I contacted the council last night. Anakin managed to get a name out of the bounty hunter before she died."

"And it was Jango Fett?"

"Yeah."

We burst out of the building into the pouring rain.

Jango Fett was picking up a case and swinging it up to Boba, who stowed it inside the ship. Jango picked up another case and was about to swing it, when -

"Dad!" Boba cried. He'd clearly seen us.

Jango Fett turned to see me and my master charging out of the tower toward him. As we ran, we drew our lightsabers from our belts. They flashed on.

Jango Fett drew his gun and fired at us. Obi-Wan deflected the blast and swung at Jango.

The bounty hunter rocketed up and over my master, landing behind him. He fired a thin wire from his wrist pack, trying to entangle him. I swung my lightsaber and wounded his shoulder, making him double over in pain.

He fired several Kamino Kyber Darts from his elbow launcher. We deflected them back at Jango, but they struck harmlessly against the bounty hunter's armour.

Obi-Wan and Jango circled each other, sizing each other up - feinting. "Master, look out!" I yelled, as the starfighter's gun aimed at him.

Obi-Wan ducked just in time for the shot to miss him. He then made a sudden attack, swinging at Jango, who deflected the blows. One sliced off a piece of the bounty hunter's shoulder plate. Jango rocketed into the air and hovered above us.

Boba fired again. The laser shell streaked past us to strike the edge of the tower. Jango fired down at Obi-Wan. We deflected the shots back, but Jango evaded them. Then he swooped down, swinging around my master. As he shot past, he kicked the lightsabers out of our hands.

Our lightsabers skidded across the wet surface of the landing platform. Obi-Wan dived after them. Jango zoomed in front of him and grabbed his lightsaber. Obi-Wan punched it out of his hand.

My master and Jango grappled and fought, punching, kicking, grabbing hold, and throwing each other around. Obi-Wan grabbed Jango tightly, and Jango rocketed up into the air and kicked Obi-Wan loose. Obi-Wan crashed to the deck and slid towards the edge. He grappled desperately for a handhold on the slick surface.

Jango rocketed down to kick at him. Obi-Wan hauled himself up. Jango zoomed to the far side of the platform.

Me and my master together used the force to pull part of the structure loose. It hit Jango, who lost his balance, teetering on the edge. Obi-Wan charged across, dived, and grabbed hold of Jango just as he fell over the edge.

Locked together, Obi-Wan and Jango plummeted down towards the raging ocean. At the last moment, Jango fired a cable out of his backpack that shot upward and locked onto a metal strut on the underside of the platform. Obi-Wan and Jango swung and crashed onto one of the stilts.

Obi-Wan was knocked clear and dropped onto a small service platform just above the waves. He hauled himself to his feet. Jango hovered in mid-air opposite him, as a huge wave crashed over Obi-Wan. When it subsided, my master had disappeared.

Jango rocketed up to the landing platform, where he dropped down beside his ship. I summoned my lightsaber and attacked him, but a blast from Boba knocked me off my feet. I looked up to see a starfighter lifting off from the platform and heading up into the lowering sky. It disappeared.

I ran to the edge of the platform. "Master!" I cried in desperation.

A hand suddenly clutched at the very edge of the platform. A moment later, another hand grabbed hold.

"Master!" I pulled Obi-Wan up onto the platform.

"Vaessa..." he started, panting for breath.

"He got away, Master," I said. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Vaessa," he replied. "You did well. Besides, we know where they are going."