Author's Note: Howdy! I'm so excited to see new readers joining Jana's journey. Please leave reviews if you have any feedback for me! I'd love to hear from you guys. Thank y'all for the support and hope you can enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars as much as I wish I did.
"Jana? Where are we exactly?" Anakin asked Jana. She smiled weakly at him- at this point she just wanted to be off this planet. Luckily her work was mostly done; the healing oils the Lurmens used worked quickly.
"We're in a village called Lurmen." She cleared her throat. "The creatures that live here are neutral, but I worry that it will be their downfall." She explained. Around her she sensed many mixed emotions, particularly around Wag Too. The boy was not like his father, but he still tried to conform to his father's wishes.
Hours had passed since Wag Too left the hut they stayed in. Jana hadn't heard anything from the others of their group, but she assumed things weren't going well. A type of anxiety crept over the village.
"Ma'am, I'm bringing news from General Secura." Bly walked in suddenly. Anakin tried to sit up, but Jana kept him from doing so.
"Proceed, then, Bly." She answered.
"We've got clankers incoming. We'll need you on the battlefield. Wag Too and a group of the Lurmens have agreed it's time to defend their home." Bly informed. Oh, so that's why I didn't hear from anyone for so long. I bet Tee does not like this. Jana hoped in her heart none of the Lurmens would be killed in this battle. She felt some comfort that they had General Secura, but still.
"Alright, lets go, then." She rose from her seat beside Anakin.
"Why can't I come with you?" Anakin pouted. Jana nearly laughed at the poor look on his face.
"Oh, Golden Boy." He glared at her. "You're still hurt. You can't just sit out all the boring parts and come in on the fun parts."
"Sure I can!" He argued childishly.
"No, Annie. If I see you out there I will personally make it so you are bedridden again." She snapped, coughing afterwards. Anakin looked at her sympathetically. "Just the dust." She explained and turned to follow Bly. She was surprised by how quickly the Lurmens has jumped into action.
The sound of clankers on the move reached her ears, and Jana looked to Bly with purpose.
"You handle the borders with Aayla, I'm taking middle grounds with Ahsoka. Don't let any of the Lurmens get hurt! That's top priority!" Bly nodded at her order and sprinted toward the left front corner of the village.
The battle had not been too taxing. In fact, the Lurmens performed well throughout battle. At the end, Jana smiled as some of the creatures surrounded her with thanks and cheers. She found them endearing.
"Alright, Padawan. It's time we leave." General Secura said. Jana turned in confusion.
"We have a ship?" Behind Aayla was a shuttle, already revved and ready for take off.
"A lot happened while you were tending to Anakin." Ahsoka laughed. "Let's go home." Across the way, Rex was already helping Anakin back into the ship. Jana let out a breath of relief and followed her fellow Jedi back aboard. Bout time we got off this planet.
"Well done, you three. We are pleased with the outcome of this mission and will keep an eye on this Lurmen village." Mace Windu remarked after Anakin, Jana, and Ashoka reported.
"You are dismissed, Master Skywalker, Padawan Tano. Padawan Kinall, please stay here." The two left, giving strange looks to Jana who stood unshaken. What could be going on now?
"Padawan, we are still confused about your discoveries on Kamino." Master Mundi said. Jana refused to flinch at the mention of it. Her nightmares still came from that ship, that planet. She hoped she wouldn't have to go back for a long while. What do they think I know? Why wouldn't I have told them everything?
"Young one, we need you to investigate this bounty hunter." Jana's eyes went wide in a mixture of feelings at Obi Wan's words. Oh. "Although she refused to reveal her employer, we have succeeded in identifying her as Karman Mischeef." From the head.
"She also didn't get the chance to wipe the ship's memory. We discovered the last transmission she received was somewhere on the planet Tatooine." Jana looked at Plo Koon, her eyes asking Are you coming this time? He gave a small nod only she would catch.
"You will research anything from her family to her armor, Padawan. Find as much as you can on her. We know from Madame Nu you spend a great deal in the archives." Obi Wan said.
"Then, Padawan, we will depart together in search for her employer." Master Plo Koon finished. Of course, I get to do the research on my own and then he joins me for the fun part.
"Horrors, you have seen, Padawan. Horrors that only happen from the dark side. Deeply, this incident is rooted. Careful you must be to not fall victim as well." Master Yoda wisely advised her. Jana nodded in determination and bowed before exiting. She immediately was bombarded by Anakin and Ahsoka.
"So, where's you're next mission?" Anakin asked, nosey as ever. Jana gave him and uncomfortable look and then glanced to Ahsoka. His shit eating grin disappeared instantly. Thinking fast, he slapped his hand on Jana's back with a thud, knocking the wind out of her lungs and making her cough. What in the nebula, Annie?!
"Say, Snips." His Padawan looked up to him. "Can you get Jana a tea? I really think that dust is hurting her."
"Sure thing, Master! Stay right here." Ahsoka smiled brightly and bounced down the corridor. Jana kept coughing while trying to catch her breath, leaning against the wall for support.
"Geez, Annie!" She wheezed out.
"What? You needed her to go so I got her to go." He defended himself. Jana rolled her eyes and finally managed to take deep breaths. "You gonna tell me what's up now?"
"They want me to find more out about the bounty hunter from Kamino." She said, avoiding eye contact with him while crossing her arms.
"The dead one?"
"Yep. The dead one." She sighed in frustration. I should've just knocked her out or something. Then, we could have interrogated her here, and this would be over with.
"And how do you plan to do that?" Anakin asked hesitantly. He knew the Kamino mission was a bit of a touchy subject, though he thought Jana had taken everything in stride.
"No idea." She hesitated for a moment. "I'm most struck by the fact that she wore painted Mandolorian armor." Her gears were obviously turning.
"Mandolorian? That's strange." Anakin hummed in thought. "Perhaps she killed one, then. Why else would she paint such expensive armor, unless she didn't know its value?" He suggested. Hey, Golden Boy. You may actually be on to something.
"That's... actually, a good point." She thought aloud. Along the corridor she sensed Ahsoka coming around the corner and another exiting the Council room.
"Here you go, Jana. Remember your vocal warm ups in the morning and evening. I know you hate them, but they really do make your voice sound better." Ahsoka presented Jana with a thermos.
"Thank you, Ashoka." Jana smelled it to figure out what kind of flavor it was. Lemon-ginger, the best. Her eyes lit up. "Lemon ginger! You remembered." She smiled at Ashoka who smiled back.
"Well, I see you're not eager to begin your mission, Padawan." Obi-Wan's voice said. Jana looked over and couldn't help but want to roll her eyes. I'm going to head to the archives momentarily. Just give me a second. "Give her a break, Master. The Kamino mission isn't all that interesting anyways." Anakin discreetly gestured at Ashoka, and Obi-Wan understood immediately.
"Ah, well. I'm afraid I must steal your Golden Boy and his Padawan. We have much to discuss about the next mission and Ahsoka's Temple training." He said. Ahsoka's face immediately fell, and Anakin followed the older man with a wave to Jana. She watched them go around the bend before sipping on her tea. Well, to Madame Nu now, I suppose.
Once she entered the archives, Madame Nu looked eagerly to her with light in her eyes. Seeing the child brought her such joy. She had already read the briefing on Jana's most recent mission while archiving it and felt sympathy for her. It was good to see it not slowing her down outwardly at least.
"Jana, dear! Waiting on another assignment again? Come to review your languages?" The Madame asked as she drifted from behind her desk to the Padawan's side. Jana shook her head.
"Unfortunately, no. I'm here on a research mission." She sipped part of her tea to ease the pain in her throat. "I need to do a check on Karmen Mischeef, a passed bounty hunter." She elaborated.
"What good will this information do on a dead woman, Child?" Madame Nu cocked her head to the side in confusion.
"I need to retrace her steps, find out who she typically associates with and who employed her for her Kamino attacks. Master Plo and I will be searching the galaxy once I have information for our starting point."
"Very well, follow me and I will assist you however I can." The elderly woman escorted Jana to their usual spot in the back of the archives. She typically left Jedi to their own accords, but she needed some sort of adventure in her life, too. With Jana, whom she lived vicariously through, she could hear second hand about all the missions she went on. The adventures always sounded better coming from an eager child. It's part of what she had missed so much about Jana.
"Karmen Mischeef, a typical low life. She's been found guilty of murder on a number of records and planets, yet she's not classified as an assassin." The Madame observed. How peculiar. Perhaps it was due to whatever evil had taken over her brain that she killed who she tortured.
The two continued to read what else the file had to say. She had worked for gangsters such as the Pikes, Zero, and even small local crime lords. So she's primarily used as an interrogator.
Furthermore, most of her warrants came from Coruscant, which helped Jana little to none. The cities on the planet were too commonly polluted with villainy. Her family background was normal, a human child to a farming family. It was all too familiar to Jana. So what made her snap?
"Ah, she lost her family and the farm in a raid. She and her brother were the sole survivors. She must have taken up being a bounty hunter to provide." Madame Nu mentioned to the blonde while helping to skim the article.
"It says here she's from Dantooine." Jana's tone attracted the archivist's attention.
"Yes, Dear? What is it?"
"Well, first, if she was providing for a sibling on Dantooine she would return there frequently." She crossed her arms in pondering. "Second, Karmen wore Mandolorian armor. She had painted it, though. Bright red." Jana learned back in the seat with a huff. Why can't these investigations be any easier?
"Well, Young One, if you want to know more about Mandolorian culture, I would suggest inquiring Master Kenobi about it." Jana turned to face the woman with a cocked eyebrow. "In his younger days he spent many moons on Mandalor. He even has connections on the planet to this day, if I'm not mistaken." She then left Jana to tend to an older Jedi entering the archives. Hm, I'll have to contact Master Kenobi by transmission. I assume he and Anakin are on their way to complete a mission right now.
Pulling out her communicator, Jana contacted Obi-Wan. His image as well as a confused Anakin Skywalker appeared.
"Hello, Master Kenobi. I hope I am not troubling you." She offered politely.
"Not to worry, Young One. We are simply helping escort a political party to investigate an attack on a Clone station. You aren't a bother at all. How can I be of service?" He asked, Anakin rolling his eyes at the mission. Obi-Wan really is so charming sometimes. Jana gave a small smile back, completely forgetting how irritated she had been with him earlier. And poor Annie must be bored out of his mind. The battlefield is much more suited to him, unfortunately.
"This bounty hunter I'm investigating, as you may know, styled Mandolorian armor. However, according to the archives she was a Dantooine farm girl." Obi-Wan placed his hand to his chin in thought at this information while Anakin gave her the I told you so look. "Madame Nu informed me you would know the most about the culture and possibly have a connection for me. If she stole or killed a Mandolorian just before meeting up with an employer, I may have a lead." She finished.
"Yes, I am familiar with Mandalor." He seemed dazed for a second, and Jana sensed a form of regret wafting from him. Curious. From the glance Anakin gave her, he could sense it as well. "I can get you a contact of Satine Kryz, an old friend and current ruler of Mandalor. Just remember, Mandalor now proclaims itself as a neutral planet." Jana mentally made a bold note of this.
"Thank you, Master. Is there any chance Karmen could have been of Mandalorian descent?"
"Very unlikely. In fact, I'd say it's more than just improbable- it's impossible. The armor was also painted, correct?" Jana nodded in confirmation. "Then she was definitely not apart of Mandalor officially by any means. Contact the Duchess and follow her instruction. I hope this helps your mission, Padawan."
"I hope so, too. Thank you, Master Kenobi." Jana was sure to express her gratitude for his time.
"Anytime- besides, I believe we will be seeing you soon. New intel about the mission we are embarking on has revealed we may need more help than originally thought." Then why am I doing this research right now? Jana's thoughts sparked at his words, a touch of irritation at the situation enveloping her.
"Understood, Master. May the force be with you until then." The elder nodded his head before his and Anakin's figure disappeared from her sight.
Wasting no time, Jana used the transmission from Obi-Wan to contact the Duchess. A touch of social anxiety brewed in her stomach as she had never spoken to a planetary leader alone before.
"This is Duchess Satine of Mandalor. And who might you be?" A beautiful woman appeared on the hologram. Her headdress topped even those of Senator Amidala's, and her presence was more than overwhelming. Jana bowed her head in respect while setting aside her awe.
"My lady. I am Jedi Jana Kinall. Jedi Master Obi-Wan provided me with your contact in hopes that you could aid the Jedi Order with a murder investigation." Jana chose her words carefully to ensure the woman did not become defensive about the war. Neutral planets and systems were always difficult to negotiate with since they were fearful of picking sides. By not involving the Republic, Jana had made sure she could receive answers.
"If Obi-Wan has sent you, and you are of the Jedi Order, then I will help you. But I do not understand what you imply- was there a Mandolorian murderer?" The woman asked somewhat coldly, but Jana had already caught the fondness she had spoken with about Master Kenobi. Even curiouser.
"Well, I don't believe the murderer to be Mandolorian, but she wore Mandolorian armor, painted red." She explained. The woman's eyes sparkled with what seemed to be disgust.
"No Mandolorian would wear painted armor like that. Besides that, our people are those of peace and would never strike citizens of other planets, much less those of the Jedi." The woman thought in silence for a moment. "However, I do recall an attack on one of our ships the other day." Jana felt hope rise in her chest.
"There is a local gang, though their harmless, called Death Watch. One of the members had taken our ship, and when we found him he had been stripped of his armor and killed. Two of my guards watched him be tossed overboard from the ship, but we never caught up to the stolen ship." She reported with a grave look on her face. This woman is strong, but she is a politician. She is not meant for the horrors of war.
"Do you remember anything about the killed man? Had he seemed to be... toyed with? Beforehand?" Jana asked, and the Duchess looked up with a stunned but horrified face.
"Yes, in fact. He had been tortured before being killed, or at least that's what our investigators reported to me. Does this align with whomever you are seeking?" She gave off a sense of fear.
"Yes, it does. Her name was Karmen Mischeef, and you may be happy to know you are safe from her since she is dead." The ruler let out a breath of relief. "I simply am tracking her employer to discover why they would want information from us. Thank you for your cooperation, my lady. Please, you and your people stay safe in these trialing times." She bowed her head once again to the hologram.
"And may you, Jedi Kinall. I hope you find what you're looking for." And with that the woman disappeared from the screen. So, the last place Karmen contacted was Tatooine, where most likely the employer last was. But before she departed for Kamino, or possibly even before contacting her employer possibly on Tatooine, at all she was on Mandalor. She stole a Mandolorian ship, probably to change appearances to avoid recognition from whatever job she did last... which means somewhere there's a Mando ship with possible record of her employer. And she may still settle at home on Dantooine. Jana struggled to sort through what was useful versus useless out of the information and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Don't stress, Jana. Drink your tea and think through it piece by piece." Her elder reminded her as she approached Jana once more. Jana huffed slightly but obeyed. "Have you found what you're looking for?" Madame Nu asked.
"I believe so. I've found many things." The blonde admitted.
"Then go, console your master. Together you will find exactly what you are looking for." Madame Nu advised firmly, then proceeded to walk off. Jana knew she had given her an order, not a suggestion. Taking the last swig of her tea, she set off to find her master. For the first time, her mind did not wander to Master Jeng or Geonosis. Instead, she focused solely on the mission at hand with her master at hand, a first step in a long process.