A/N 1: Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter, where we are meeting a very dangerous and shadowy figure and getting ready to set the stage for a big-time explosive chapter that will shake the Jedi to the core. And you, if I do my job right. In the meantime, please read, review, and enjoy, and I'll see you next time!
Evil plans! With the Jedi Council focused on the war effort, criminal minds are left unchecked to spread fear and corruption. Galactic gangster Jabba the Hutt has sent the most dangerous bounty hunter in the galaxy on a nefarious mission, which shall strike at the heart of the Republic. But this bounty hunter has no intention of revealing his plans to anyone until it is too late. Meanwhile, the unsuspecting citizens of Coruscant go about their daily lives...
Three months after the battle of Mon Calamari and the start of the new year only a few days ago, Anakin and Padmé were back on Coruscant, getting ready for a party. This party was one of the most important ones of the season, causing Threepio quite a bit of stress, and Padmé as well. The party was intended to win over Senator Aang, who held the deciding vote on a particular piece of legislation Padmé was desperate to get passed. If passed, the amount of money spent in the Clone Wars would decrease, and more funds would be sent towards other vital parts of society, like education and medicine. It would also be a turning point in the war, which was entering its fifth year with seemingly no end in sight. This piece of legislation might help provide that end.
And so Padmé was getting ready for this party with the help of Threepio and Anakin, but preparations almost ground to a halt when it was revealed the Jogan fruit cake, Senator Aang's favorite dessert, was missing its garnish of Jogan at the top. Anakin had almost sent Threepio alone, but he insisted he couldn't leave at the moment, and then tried to send Artoo, but Threepio blamed him for this disaster. Not needing to deal with this stress, Padmé asked Anakin to deal with this problem, to which Anakin decided on a compromise, knowing how distracted the droids could get sometimes. He sent both of them on the trip, giving Artoo enough credits if they didn't get swindled, and they were soon on their way.
Walking through the market stalls of Coruscant, the two droids argued about who got distracted the most until they got to the fruit vendor's stall, where they were promptly swindled out of the majority of the credits Anakin had given them. Watching all this from above with a pair of macrobinoculars, a shadowy figure turned to a droid hovering nearby and said, "I want the gold one. Distract the other and separate them."
"At your service, sir," the little droid, a techno-service droid, said before quickly flying down to where the two droids were leaving the stand. Waiting until they were in the right place, he immediately started speaking to the two of them, offering them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for something droids very rarely allowed themselves: a bit of pampering at a droid spa right across the street. Artoo agreed to it immediately and headed inside, eager for a bit of pampering and wanting to look and feel like he was fresh off the assembly line.
Threepio tried to stop him, but before he had even taken two steps the techno-service droid suddenly turned and pushed him into a speeder that had come up behind them. Threepio, unable to keep his balance or stand up from where he lay on the seat, could only flail his arms and legs back and forth and cry out, but no one heard him, and the jogan fruit lay where it had fallen. The assassin droid piloting the speeder and the techno-service droid that had pushed him ignored his cries and protests as they took off, flying a few streets over to where their employer waited, leaning against a wall and inspecting his fingers before squishing a bug between two of them while another assassin droid waited nearby and kept an eye out for danger or the authorities. Stopping the speeder and dragging Threepio to his feet, the assassin droid put him down right in front of their employer before he and the techno-service droid left and a different speeder appeared, this time piloted by a Nikto.
As this was happening, Threepio looked around before seeing the one waiting for him and, seeming to recognize him, said happily, "Oh, General Fisto, I am so glad to see you. These barbarians have kidnapped me and taken me from Artoo. I need your help."
The Nautolan leaning against the wall only looked at him without turning his head before saying, "I'm afraid you're out of luck, pal," in an incredibly rough voice before turning his head and showing the massive scar on the left side of his face. Starting just below his eye, it ran a jagged, deep line down his throat, disappearing into the collar of his tunic. Over that tunic was a long overcoat made of nerf-leather, and two blasters were attached to his belt. His boots were also made of nerf-hide, and backup arms and equipment were stashed on his utility belt and bandolier around his waist. Wrist comms on both forearms helped him with his work as well. A long, unfamiliar-looking rifle was slung over his shoulder, and there were even a few daggers on his belt as well.
All in all, he was armed to the teeth, which became clearer as he stepped out of the shadows completely and Threepio backed away a few steps, realizing his mistake as he said, "Wait, you're not General Fisto! What are you, an impostor?" looking around for someone to help him or somewhere to run.
"No, pal," the Nautolan said, stepping closer, "Just your worst nightmare!" before shoving him into the speeder behind them and getting into the front seat next to the Nikto. The assassin droid that had been standing nearby the entire time shocked Threepio twice, shutting him down. The speeder took off then and headed for the industrial part of Coruscant, where no one respectable ever wandered.
When they arrived at where the Nautolan was currently working out and planning his next job, Threepio was suspended in the air, a restraining bolt put on his head and chest to keep him in place and access the information he had. When the Nautolan put the bolt on his head Threepio asked fearfully, "Why are you putting that….there?" to which the Nautolan replied, "To learn what's inside," before stepping back and nodding at the droid working the equipment nearby.
That droid nodded back and pushed two levers forward, bringing down stun prods that started shocking Threepio, making him call out, "This is a nightmare!" while the Nautolan only stood with his back turned and waited for the information the droid possessed. After a few minutes of this, the shocking stopped. The Nautolan turned to the large monitor behind Threepio, looking over everything in his memory banks before his eyes narrowed. He said, "I don't want this nonsense! I want the plans to the Senate building!" turning to the protocol droid and demanding, "Where are they?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Threepio exclaimed, but the Nautolan wasn't buying it when he said, "You're Senator Amidala's personal droid. You're with her in the Senate building and know the layout. I want that information and the security protocols. Don't give me that, and I will dismantle you!"
Threepio, despite being scared out of his circuits, only said, "I am a protocol droid, human-cyborg relations. I can translate and instruct on appropriate etiquette, which in your case, sir, if you don't mind me saying, is sorely lacking," the Nautolan didn't seem amused and may have been slightly offended, because he nodded at the droid nearby who shocked Threepio again, causing him to say, "That is exactly the sort of behavior I am talking about."
Once Threepio had stopped talking, the Nautolan turned to the other droid, who said, "According to the analyzer, he is not lying. His head's totally empty of any information useful to us," and the Nautolan's eyes narrowed at that, realizing his job had just gotten a lot harder if he was going to have to take over the Senate blind.
Threepio was immediately offended by the implications and started complaining, "Empty? I protest. I am fluent in over six million forms of communication. I have extensive programming in the correct..."
The Nautolan shook his head, "Ain't that great! A brainless droid. Worthless. I'd have better luck getting into the Jedi Temple and getting those plans."
"You look like General Fisto, sir," Threepio said, "You're just lacking in the manners I would expect of a Jedi Master," causing the Nautolan to grit his teeth in annoyance at the droid, but Threepio wasn't done speaking, and the Nautolan let him, knowing that some protocol droids could and would talk themselves into a corner if given the opportunity, "My lack of knowledge is not an impediment at all, though. Floor plans, blueprints are not in my programming. That was always Artoo's specialty," inadvertently revealing what the Nautolan wanted to know.
"Artoo?" he asked as he turned to Threepio, "The astromech," before turning to a nearby assassin droid and saying, "Go fetch me his little pal."
Seeing the assassin droid leave, Threepio realized he had just made a terrible mistake, "Oh, no! What have I done?" but was helpless to do anything as he waited with the Nautolan for the droid to return.
He did soon enough, coming not even fifteen minutes later with Artoo. By this time, Threepio had been released and was standing in the corner, the restraining bolt keeping him from going anywhere. Artoo was also fitted with a restraining bolt before being put in the restraints, and the droid working the equipment pushed all four levers forward, causing stun prods to come down from the ceiling and up from the floor as well. As this was happening, the Nautolan said, "Your friend was a massive waste of my time, something I don't have a lot of," before walking to the monitor and saying, "You know what's good for you, you'll give me what I want. I don't have a lot of patience left."
"I can't bear to watch," Threepio said as he turned away as Artoo was probed and stunned repeatedly, making him cry out. But this time, the probe was successful, and the Nautolan slowly smiled as the plans and security protocols for the Senate building were displayed on the monitor before him.
"Transfer all the information to a datapad," he told the assassin droid standing nearby, "Then erase all trace of our presence here. We go to the motel tonight to get the team up to date on the plan before we strike."
"What about them?" the assassin droid asked as he handed the datapad to the Nautolan and looked over at Threepio and Artoo. The Nautolan only said, "Wipe their memories and dump them back where you found them. They'll find their way home soon enough, and we can't have anything seeming out of place."
"Yes, sir," the assassin droid said as he began wiping the memories of the captured droid, leaving Ky Lan to move on. His associates here would do as he said and meet him later; right now, he had to report to his employers about how the assignment was going.
They didn't like to be kept waiting.
Arriving back where they had first found Threepio and Artoo, the assassin droid and the techno-service droid removed the restraining bolts. They threw the two captured droids onto the street before taking off, leaving the astromech and protocol droid to get up and head for home; Threepio convinced they would be deactivated when they got back for being late.
As this was happening, Ky Lan had reached his safe house in the slums of Coruscant and was waiting for the transmission to go through to Tattoine. He had already sent word to the others involved in the job to meet him at the safe house and they were on their way. It had taken him three months to get this crew together, mostly because he knew he would need the best for this job, and negotiating the terms for each of them had taken a while. But they were now hired and heading towards him, so the job would start as soon as they got here.
He just needed the go-ahead from his employers, and he would be all set.
As he waited for the transmission to go through, he thought about all he would have to do to make this job successful. Not least of which was hiding his appearance a bit more. He didn't want anyone to recognize him or know what he actually looked like. There would be a time for that later, he knew as he pulled a cup of water to his hand with the Force. For now, he had a job to do, and he couldn't let anything distract him from it.
Especially his absolute disgust and hatred when it came to his employers. But he had no choice for the moment. In time, and if he played his cards right, he would be able to break their hold on him, and he would have a powerful bargaining tool to use against them to keep them away and, perhaps, lure them into a trap.
He looked up then as he was suddenly surrounded by the leaders of the Five Hutt families, all of whom looked less than pleased to see him. Especially Jabba, but there had been no choice in the matter. The Hutts had wanted Cad Bane from the beginning, but he was busy with another job and was out of communications for the moment. So they had turned to Ky, and even if they hated each other, at least the Hutts knew he wouldn't fail in the job.
And now that they saw the datapad in his hand, they knew he had succeeded in part of the job and was ready for the next part.
Jabba looked at him and scowled before saying, "Uba doo bu takka-tak uba need?"
Ky Lan nodded, and Jabba turned to the other Hutts, who debated for a few minutes. Though he understood every word, Ky pretended he had no idea what they were saying, mostly because he didn't care about the politics of it all. Finally, Jabba turned back to him and said, "Bu job seel continue. Oon't come an tedd uba fayloh, otherwise bu che copah widd shulu severe."
The transmission ended then, and Ky scowled. He knew what the price of failure was, and he had every intention of making sure he was the one giving orders to the Hutts the next time they saw each other. Turning away from the transmitter, Ky headed for the mirror in the dingy refresher and closed the door. When he came out an hour later, his appearance had changed completely, and no one would recognize him. Especially the hunters he had hired for this job.
While he would have preferred working with hunters from his guild, he didn't want anyone tracking him down before it was too late and he was long gone. And if any of the hunters he had hired knew what he actually looked like or where he was from, and they got caught, it would make disappearing much harder than it needed to be.
There was no way he was taking that risk.
Going out into the common room, he found the hunters he had hired had finally arrived and were waiting around for the job. Aurra Sing was reclining in a chair, her feet on the table, helping herself to some grog Ky had bought on his way there, looking as though her recent escape from prison hadn't been all that difficult. Robonino, a Patrolian, was typing away on a datapad while Shahan Alama was getting his blaster cleaned and making a few repairs to his prosthetic arm. Ky had never asked him how he lost the arm and didn't care as long as he could do the job. The assassin and commando droids he had bought and programmed were also waiting for whatever the plan was. The grog Ky had bought wasn't the most expensive in the galaxy, but it was good enough that the mercenaries in the room would do the job regardless of the risk.
Mercenary etiquette required the employer to bring drinks to let the others know he was serious and would pay them handsomely for the job they were about to undertake. Especially if that job had the potential to be more dangerous than any of them were expecting.
Looking around at those gathered, he said, "We got the okay for the job. Everyone gather round; I'm only going to explain it once," his rough voice catching the attention of all there and making a few of them sit up straighter, Aurra getting her feet off the table.
Ky Lan was the best bounty hunter they knew of; working for him would be the highlight of their careers.
Ky stepped forward and activated a holotransmitter, showing them the Senate building plans and explaining the plan, knowing they would be able to fill in the gaps and improvise when it was called for.
These bounty hunters were some of the best on Coruscant; they would have no trouble pulling this off.
It was time to do the impossible and capture the Senate.
Danger looms! Despite recent victories in the Outer Rim, criminal minds plot at the very heart of the Republic! The bounty hunter Ky Lan has assembled some of the deadliest criminals in the galaxy and plans a daring attack to seize members of the Senate. What can be the aim of this despicable act?
Heading for the Senate in a speeder the next day, Ky Lan and a few members of his crew, including the assassin droids, commando droids, and Shahan Alama, were soon close enough that Ky looked over his shoulder and said, "Here we go," to the droids, making them duck down and hide so that the Senate commandos guarding the building would be none the wiser.
Ky steered the speeder directly for the Senate building, bringing it around and landing while ignoring the blasted announcement: "Attention! Attention! This is a restricted area. No landing is permitted without permission. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
Ky got out of the speeder and started walking towards the commandos that were ready to meet him, "Put up your hands," the lead commando said, and Ky said, "I got business with the Senate. How about you fellows step aside?"
"On your knees!" the commando said, "Raise your hands. Slowly," the others with him aimed their weapons at Ky as he slowly put his hands up. Ky only shook his head slowly before saying, "Son, I wouldn't be so hasty if I were you."
"Cuff him," the lead commando ordered another standing next to him, who started walking forward as he reached for a pair of cuffs. But he never got the chance to use them as he was suddenly shot by a sniper. Two more commandos were hit by the sniper before the others could react, and at that time, Shahan and the droids attacked as well. Ky body slammed the lead commando as Aurra continued to shoot with her rifle. A few seconds later, the lead commando fell to the ground with a broken neck, courtesy of Ky.
Up on the tower, Aurra looked around with the scope of her rifle, looking for any survivors, but then she focused on Ky, who raised a hand and clenched his fist, signaling everything was clear. Aurra smiled and lowered her rifle before jumping into the speeder nearby that immediately started flying down to the Senate platform where the others were gathered. As this was happening, Ky turned to the commando droids and said, "You two, get these uniforms on and get this platform clear."
Before the droids could start cleaning up the mess, the comlink on one of the dead commando's arm beeped, and a voice said, "Base to platform. What was all that? Report."
The commando droid looked at Ky, who nodded, and the droid picked up the arm and comlink, changing his voice to say, "Protesters against the war. We've taken care of them."
By then, Aurra, Robonino, and the others had joined them. The commando droids were in uniform minutes later, leaving Ky to say, "Finish getting those uniforms on and clear this platform now," and the disguised droids nodded. Ky said, "Everybody else, follow me."
The bounty hunters and droids followed him into the building, unaware Anakin Skywalker was also in the building to spend time with Padmé. They pressed on, eventually coming to the central control room, the assassin droids shooting the commando standing guard before forcing their way into the room and shooting the droids inside. Robonino entered then, with Ky behind him, who asked, "You know what to do?"
Robonino only said, "I'll figure it out," as he started typing keys, leaving Ky to say, "You better not fail me, bubble brain," tapping a finger on the blaster in his right holster.
The Patrolian only turned to him and said, "Don't worry, I'll have the power off in no time."
Ky stared at him a moment before nodding and saying, "Let's go; we still have a lot more commandos to deal with," turning and leaving the room, followed by the rest of the hunters.
As this was happening, Anakin was being forced to hide in Padmé's office as Bail Organa and Threepio came in. Even though Bail knew they were married, Anakin didn't know he knew and didn't want to raise any suspicions or questions. Thankfully Bail was none the wiser but still insisted Padmé leave with him and Threepio to meet with others in the lobby to discuss blocking a bill the chancellor was pushing. She did so, with Anakin's lightsaber hidden in her sleeve, Anakin signaling with his eyes for her to go so that it wouldn't arouse suspicion.
With a few senators starting to gather in one place, Ky and his bounty hunters were heading for the Senate commando staging room, knowing the guard change was happening then. Watching the commandos head into the room, Ky only said, "Here we go," stepping forward quietly with a grenade armed and ready. The door to the staging room opened, and he threw the grenade inside, the door shutting immediately and containing the blast. The door fell forward then, blown off its hinges, and Ky said without turning around, "Time to talk to some senators," the others following him, Aurra shooting a surviving commando as she passed.
In the lobby of the Senate, Bail was saying, "We cannot allow the Chancellor to move this enhanced privacy invasion bill forward."
Senator Philo, a three-eyed Gran, said it for them all, "We're all in agreement, then," just before the door opened behind him. Two blaster shots rang out, and they all turned to see a Nautolan and an assassin droid enter the room, the droid's rifle aimed at them. The Nautolan was a male, his face completely covered in jagged scars that ran into his head-tentacles, and he stood tall and proud. A rifle was slung over a shoulder, one the senators had never seen before, and he was armed to the teeth.
"Morning, Senators," the Nautolan said, his voice incredibly rough and painful sounding, nothing like the smooth, easy way of speaking that seemed normal to Nautolans, "You should all consider yourselves to be in my power," as another door opened behind them. A Weequay with a prosthetic arm and another assassin droid entered, aiming their blasters at them as well, "As long as everybody behaves, this will be quick and painless," as another door opened. A pale, humanoid woman Padmé recognized as Aurra Sing entered the room, "Do nothing, and it will all be over soon."
Senator Philo wasn't impressed by the display and had no idea what he was dealing with when he said, "I don't know who you think you are, but I, for one, have no intention of listening to this kind of insolence," starting to leave the room and walking past the Nautolan as he said this.
The Nautolan let him get maybe a few feet behind him before suddenly shooting from behind, hitting the Gran in the back and killing him.
The senators in the room were shocked at the brutality of the display and the lack of regard the Nautolan had, who paid no attention to the dead body behind him as he said, "All right, then. If you'll all gather at the center of this atrium, my coworkers and I will relieve you of any communication devices."
The bounty hunters started collecting communication devices from the senators, while Padmé started thinking over their options and saying quietly to Bail, "I see five of them here in the room. If we…." but Bail cut her off since he knew this situation was beyond their control, "What are you going to do? It's not like we carry weapons."
Padmé looked down at her hands then, seeing the lightsaber in her sleeve and wondering if it was possible to use it.
As for the Nautolan, seeing that his associates had things under control, he turned to the wrist comm on his right arm and sent a communication to the Chancellor, who at the moment was standing at the window of his office looking out at Coruscant when Orn Free Taa came in and said, "Chancellor Palpatine."
"What is it, Senator Free Taa?" the chancellor asked as he turned away from the window to address the Twi'lek, who said, "I think you should see this," activating the transmitter in front of them and revealing the hologram of a Nautolan covered in scars.
"Sorry to bother you, Chancellor," the Nautolan said calmly, "but I've taken control of the east wing of your Senate building, and the occupants are now my hostages. If you care about them, free Ziro the Hutt from your detention center."
"You should know that the Republic does not take kindly to such threats," the chancellor said as he glared at the bounty hunter standing before him, refusing to be intimidated, "If you have attempted such a foolhardy action as to kidnap a senator, I assure you that it will be met with appropriate force."
At that moment, the power shut down and emergency power came on as Robonino also sealed the doors. The Nautolan smiled slightly when the power shut down, saying to the Chancellor, "I'm in control. I make the rules now."
With the building sealed and no way to call in or out, the chancellor was left in the position of not having any way out. Try as he might, he couldn't open the door or get a call out to anyone outside the Senate, leaving him in the position of having to negotiate with a bounty hunter.
As this was happening, the Nautolan and his associates were relieving the senators of their communication devices, leaving Padmé in the impossible situation of knowing she couldn't be searched. She said to Bail, "I can't let them search me."
"Why not?" Bail asked as he looked at his friend, to which Padmé said, "I have something they must not find."
"What is it?" Bail asked but could not get an answer as he suddenly looked up behind Padmé, who turned to see the Nautolan was right in front of her, staring at her. Up this close, Padmé could see the deep scars all over his face were haphazard and brutal, leaving her to wonder who he was and what he was capable of. And what kind of life he was willing to lead where those scars were the end result.
"Hello there, little lady," the Nautolan said, his voice unbelievably rough and scratchy like there were nails stuck in his throat permanently, "and who might you be?" reaching out and forcing her head up with his hand under her chin, since he was easily a foot taller than her.
Padmé tried to get away but couldn't, and so only said, "I'm Padmé Amidala, Senator from Naboo, and I demand that you release us immediately. The Galactic Senate will not treat with terrorists," as above them, Anakin listened and watched.
The Nautolan seemed amused, but the scars covering his face made it hard to tell, "Ain't you awful young and pretty to be a senator?"
At that moment, Padmé looked behind him, but only for a second, but the Nautolan noticed it all the same and whipped his head around, seeing someone take off running. Seconds later, he exclaimed, "Skywalker! After him!" at one of the assassin droids and the Weequay, who immediately took off running. The Nautolan fired a few shots up to the second floor, but the Jedi was gone. The Nautolan walked away from Padmé then, completely forgetting to search her. The next few minutes passed in tense silence as they waited for the hunters to return.
Which they did, but only one of them. It was the Weequay, and seeing him alone, the Nautolan asked, "What happened? Where's the droid?"
"The droid's destroyed, but there's good news," the Weequay said, "The Jedi's unarmed," causing the Nautolan to actually be surprised enough to ask, "What?"
"It doesn't look like he's got his lightsaber with him," the mercenary replied, and the Nautolan turned to Aurra Sing and said, "Go, bring him back to me," she leaving with the Weequay and leaving the Nautolan alone with just the remaining assassin droids. Once they were gone Padmé actually thought about attacking the Nautolan, knowing she may actually have a chance of taking him on, but he looked at her with a knowing look in his eyes, and she stopped short. His lips twisted in what might have been a smile then, and she stopped herself when she realized she had seen a version of that smile before. But the last time she had seen it was when the person conveying it meant kindness and friendliness, not the hardness and brutality this one displayed.
She was no match for this Nautolan, especially now that she knew who he was. Not even a Jedi would be a match for him.
Well….one would be, but he would never let himself get in the position of fighting this one.
Seeing that that option wouldn't work, she turned to Bail and said quietly, "The lightsaber, I've got it," the murmuring and whispers of the other senators with them covering up their conversation.
"What?" Bail asked in surprise, and looked down as Padmé revealed the lightsaber hidden in her sleeve, "Why do you have a Jedi's lightsaber?" he asked, although he could guess the answer.
"The question is whether we should try and get it back to….the Jedi knight or use it ourselves," Padmé said just as quietly, right before blaster shots hit the roof and the Nautolan ordered, "Everybody, quiet. I've got a call to make," reaching for the wrist comm on his right wrist and getting in touch with the chancellor again, saying, "So here's what you're going to do. First, you're going to make a pardon disk. You can give it to your friend there," nodding at Orn Free Taa standing next to the chancellor. The Twi'lek asked in surprise, "Who? Me?" unable to believe what was being asked of him.
The Nautolan ignored what he said and continued, "My ship will come and pick him up and take him to the prison. Once Ziro has been released and is handed over to me, then your associates will be released. Understand?"
"Oh, I do," the chancellor said, "but I feel it is my duty to warn you that you will end up paying for this outrage."
The Nautolan actually smiled at that, clearly not intimidated, "I can live with that," was all he said before ending the transmission.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and the Nautolan turned as the Weequay and Aurra Sing entered, dragging someone by their legs. Seeing who it was, Padmé's heart sank, especially when the bounty hunters stopped pulling him for a minute. It was Anakin, unconscious with his hands bound with binders, and the Nautolan smiled as he crouched next to the Jedi's unconscious body, saying, "Young Skywalker. Not so impressive without your lightsaber, are you, Jedi? Toss him in with the others," he told the hunters as he stood up, who picked him up by the arms and threw him at the senators, the Jedi's unconscious body hitting the ground painfully. Padmé rushed over then and turned him over, concerned. As this was happening, the Nautolan reached out with the comm on his left wrist to the droid that was taking Orn Free Taa to the prison, "3D, are we on schedule?"
"Arriving at the prison now," a robotic voice said over the communicator. A few minutes later, the Nautolan turned to his associates and said, "Go and get the parting gifts," The Weequay and Aurra nodded and headed for the Patrolian that had come back with them when they had captured Anakin. More specifically, his backpack. They all started taking small devices from his backpack and putting them around the room, leaving the senators to wonder what was happening.
While the bounty hunters got things ready to go, the Nautolan turned back to his comlink and contacted the chancellor again, "Well, Mr. Chancellor, thanks to your calm leadership, the crisis is passed. I got what I want, so I'll return your Senate and your senators. Enjoy them, but don't try anything until the sun has set. Understand?"
The chancellor didn't answer, not that the Nautolan would have cared, and the transmission ended. A few minutes later, he turned to the Patrolian and asked, "Is everything ready?" to which the small being said, "Yep, yep."
The Nautolan turned to his associates and said, "Turn on the field," and they did. Lasers started to crisscross the room, and the Nautolan continued, "If you so much as breathe on one of these lasers, the whole room will blow up. Senators, Jedi, I bid you all a most respectful farewell," bowing his head ever-so-slightly as he saluted them with his blaster before turning to his companions and saying, "Let's go."
The bounty hunters and droids left then, unaware Orn Free Taa had sent the clones of the Coruscant Guard in to take control of the situation. But they found out soon enough when they reached the landing platform and found their way blocked by clones and gunships. The two commando droids that had been impersonating guards were shot to pieces, causing Ky to raise an eye-ridge but quickly not care as he turned to the clones. Seeing them blocking their escape, the Nautolan activated a holoprojector revealing the chancellor standing with two clones, who said, "You were foolish to think you could get away with this, bounty hunter. Now lay down your arms and come quietly."
"No, Chancellor," the Nautolan said, clearly knowing something he didn't, "I'm afraid it is you who have been foolish with your senators' lives," the chancellor didn't understand what he meant by that, but it became clear a few moments later when the bounty hunter added, "One false move and the east wing of the Senate building goes up in smoke. Those bombs we planted will kill everyone there. You think your citizens will appreciate you taking such a gamble and getting those people killed to stop us?"
Realizing he had no way out of this situation that he liked, the chancellor decided there was only one thing he could do to keep his senators alive and said as much to the Nautolan, "You win, bounty hunter."
The Nautolan ended the transmission and turned to the clones, still watching as he slowly put the holoprojector into his coat, smiling and saying, "Holster 'em!" a finger only a few inches above the button on his comlink that would trigger the bombs in the Senate building.
Clone Commander Fox, having heard most of the conversation, had no choice but to order his men to stand down, which they did, allowing the bounty hunters to pass and get on the speeder that was waiting for them, Ziro in a separate cart being pulled by the speeder. The bounty hunters escaped then, with Ky standing at the back of the one pulling Ziro to give the others enough room, and minutes later, once they were far enough away, the bombs in the Senate blew as the Nautolan set them off, deciding to give the clones and Jedi something else to worry about first.
Knowing how the Jedi thought, they would be focused on helping the senators first. Then they would start worrying about Ziro and the hunters that had broken him out of prison.
It would give them more than enough time to get off-world.
True to Ky's prediction, the Jedi and clones spent the next few days getting everything settled at the Senate and getting repairs started on the atrium. The Jedi Council wasn't impressed that Anakin had been there when he was supposed to be on a meditative retreat. However, they were still glad he was there to save the senators from the explosion. Meeting in the communication center with the chancellor joining in by hologram, the Jedi were able to piece together all that had happened from the accounts of the senators and the few pieces of surveillance that could be obtained before the Senate building security had been shut down.
Seeing the Nautolan and how he led the bounty hunters and droids, the Jedi were surprised to see him, with Mace saying, "I don't think I've encountered him before. He certainly is a brutal mercenary and leads the others with him well. According to the senators, he has a rough, raspy voice, narrowing it down a bit. Not many Nautolans sound that way."
"I haven't encountered him either," Obi-Wan said, "We've run his face through every databank we can think of, here in the Temple and the local police records as well, and have come up with nothing. They didn't leave anything behind that can be used to track them down, and we have no way of knowing where they are going."
"No way, you say?" Yoda asked, and they all turned to him, "Freed Ziro, they did. Possible it is, take him to Nal Hutta; they will."
"You may be right, Master Yoda," Chancellor Palpatine said, "And perhaps those bounty hunters will be there as well."
"That is doubtful, Chancellor," Mace said, "Bounty hunters are loners by nature and rarely work together. Now that the job they were given is done and they have doubtlessly been paid, they will go their separate ways. But the Nautolan was the leader, that much is clear, so it would make sense that it would be his job to deliver Ziro wherever they were going. Finding Ziro may lead us directly to him."
The chancellor nodded while Mace said, "Master Vos is on his way to help with the search. If you would accompany him, Master Kenobi, the search may go just a bit faster," he paused a moment before adding, "And you can smooth over any irritated feathers caused by Master Vos'….unconventional ways."
Obi-Wan resisted the urge to shut his eyes and flat-out refuse and instead said, "As you wish, Master Windu. I will go meet him as soon as he arrives."
"He should be here in a few hours," Mace said as Obi-Wan left the room after bowing his head to Master Yoda and the chancellor. Once he was gone, Mace turned to the chancellor and said, "We will let you know as soon as we have information to share, Chancellor."
"Thank you, Master Windu," the chancellor said, "I would be much relieved to have that bounty hunter answer for the crimes he committed against the Senate and anyone else in the galaxy that has suffered because of him. Please keep me apprised of new information as it comes in," nodding his head respectfully and ending the transmission.
Yoda and Mace looked at each other before turning back to the holotable before them, knowing there was still work to be done regarding the war. And finding the half-Nautolan, who hadn't been seen or heard from since the battle of Mon Calamari.
Neither of them were comfortable with not knowing what she was doing, especially now that they knew just how dangerous she was.
In her office in the Senate, Padmé, Bail, and Chuchi were meeting to speak about all that had happened when the bounty hunters came, with Padmé saying, "I think I knew who that Nautolan was. It was hard to recognize him with all the scars on his face, but if you looked past them, it was easy to see who he is."
"Who is he?" Bail asked, "I wasn't paying attention to his face; I was more focused on the blaster he was carrying, but if you know, please say. We should tell the Jedi Council about him so they can find him."
"I – I can't, Bail," Padmé said softly, and Bail stared at her in surprise, as did Chuchi. The Pantoran senator asked, "Why not, Padmé? He threatened us and killed Senator Philo, not to mention many Senate guards. We owe it to them to help find their killer."
Padmé sighed, but before she could say anything, the hidden computer in her desk started to beep. Immediately, Bail locked the doors, glad they had sent Threepio to power down for a bit and not be so irritating. The droid hadn't taken the entire situation in the atrium well, so Padmé had granted him some time to power down and get out of the way.
Padmé quickly retrieved the computer and set it up. A few seconds later, a small hologram of Kit Fisto was visible. The Nautolan Jedi was sitting at his desk on his cruiser, which was out with the rest of his fleet monitoring for Separatist threats in the Mid-Rim, and smiled slightly when he saw the three senators, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when he saw them, "Senators," he said softly, "I'm glad to see you are alright. I just heard about what happened."
"Thank you, Kit, for contacting us," Padmé said, "We truly do appreciate it," she paused a moment before asking, "Is there anything you can tell us about this bounty hunter?" knowing he knew more than anyone else about the mercenary, but whether or not he would say anything was hard to tell.
Kit froze for a moment before saying softly, "I'm afraid not, Senator, but I can tell you that you have my apologies for what happened the other day. Ky Lan is that bounty hunter's name, and he is more dangerous than even Cad Bane. And a lot smarter. I'm afraid it will be hard for the Jedi to catch him. Perhaps even impossible."
"I thought you would say something like that, Kit," Padmé said, unaware of the look of disbelief Chuchi shot her, but then Kit said, "You know what is happening, Padmé, better than anyone. I am sorry about Senator Philo, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do to help the Jedi in this venture. This is one situation where no one will win, I'm afraid. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
"We are, thank you, Kit," Padmé said, "We will see you again soon," and the transmission ended as Kit smiled slightly and bowed his head, and then Padmé was turning to those with her. Seeing their faces, she said, "I can't tell you what's going on, so please don't ask."
"Why not?" Bail asked, "You and Master Fisto clearly know what is happening and more about that bounty hunter, so why don't you just say what it is? Master Fisto is a Jedi; he must tell the Council what he knows so that justice can be brought."
"He won't," Padmé said, "I can't fully explain it, not now. But when it comes to Ky Lan, Kit's silence is kept. He won't say anything, not to the Jedi, not to anyone. It would be a waste of time to push him on this and won't do any good in the long run. We have to wait for him to decide to take that step himself."
"I don't like this," Chuchi said, "Master Fisto keeps a lot of secrets, but I never thought he would keep this one since revealing what it is would bring a senator's killer to justice. This doesn't make a lot of sense."
Padmé smiled softly, "It does if you know him, Chuchi. And I know him very well. Trust me when I say the answers you're looking for won't be revealed soon. We need to wait."
Chuchi still didn't look very happy about it but left it alone for now. If there was one thing Padmé and Kit did have in common, it was being incredibly stubborn. If neither wanted to talk about this, you could generally have a more productive conversation with a chair.
Deep in the mid-Rim, Kit sat silently for several minutes before sighing and reaching inside himself for the bond he shared with his brother. He knew his brother wouldn't listen, not completely, but perhaps Kit could convince him not to do something so stupid ever again.
It had nearly blown everything they were working to accomplish.
After a few minutes, Kit gave up. The pain in his stomach was so intense it was starting to hurt to breathe, and he was relying on illicit drugs more and more to keep functioning. The half-Nautolan had told him he was running out of time, and it was becoming clearer and clearer she was right. A little while longer, and he wouldn't be able to keep going.
Sighing again, Kit stood up, only to double over as white-hot pain lanced through his abdomen. Breathing heavily, he leaned on the table as he got himself under control and resisted the urge to cough because he knew it would bring up blood, feeling the half-Nautolan come and soothe the pain as best she could, but it wasn't enough anymore.
The pain receded a little, but not enough to convince him he could keep going. Sooner or later, his body would give out, and his strength would fail, and when that happened, he had no idea what would happen.
Or if he was going to survive when it did.
A great escape! Ky Lan and his notorious crew of bounty hunters liberated Ziro the Hutt from a Republic prison after holding the Galactic Senate hostage. The Jedi Council has assigned Obi-Wan Kenobi to retrieve Ziro the Hutt with the help of Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos. Unknown to the Jedi, we find Ziro in the clutches of the five Hutt families on the distant world of Nal Hutta...
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos were unaware of the circumstances Ziro was finding himself in on Nal Hutta, nor did they know that Ziro was being watched, and not by someone friendly to him. They didn't know the Hutts had hired Cad Bane to track Ziro down and get the holodiary he had that had incriminating evidence against the Hutts on it or that Ziro was being hunted the second he and his former lover, Sy Snootles, left the Hutt palace on Nal Hutta. So when the Jedi arrived and found he had escaped from the Five Hutt families, they instantly pursued him into the swamps.
Ziro and Snootles were tracked, unrelentingly, through the swamps to the home of Ziro's mother, and their hunter knew immediately what Ziro was planning next and placed a tracking device on the starship belonging to Ziro's mother. He then disappeared back into the swamp and retrieved his own ship, waiting in the atmosphere for Ziro and Snootles to leave. Once they entered hyperspace, their hunter followed and actually arrived on Teth before they did, giving him more than enough time to set up and get ready.
And so, when Ziro and Snootles showed up, and Ziro revealed the location of the holodiary, their hunter was ready. He was also surprised when Snootles turned a blaster on Ziro, and even though he was too far away to hear what they were saying, he knew how to read lips easily enough.
"But…." Ziro stammered, "What about Solarine?" starting to hyperventilate at the sight of his old lover leveling a blaster at him and more than surprised at what she was doing, "The sunsets? You and me sharing a future?"
Snootles wasn't even remotely impressed and was also a scorned woman, saying, "Next time, you'll think twice about breaking someone's heart. Oh, wait. There won't be a next time," aiming her blaster at him.
Ziro shut his eyes and waited for the end to come, and it did come as a blaster shot rang out in the canyon. But death didn't follow for Ziro, and he slowly opened his eyes to see Snootles was dead on the canyon floor, and he was still alive. Ziro breathed a sigh of relief, but seconds later, he was looking around in fear when he realized that whoever had just killed Snootles was still nearby. He called out, "Whoever you are, if you help me get the holodiary somewhere safe, I will reward you beyond your wildest dreams. Name your price, and it's yours. You have my word as an honorable Hutt."
Ziro smiled as he looked around, but seconds later, he fell over dead from a sniper bolt. A few thousand meters away, the sniper lowered their rifle and smiled to themselves before packing up the rifle and heading down to the canyon. Arriving there, they quickly retrieved the holodiary and disappeared into the fog of Teth, reaching their ship and leaving the planet minutes later, disappearing into hyperspace just as Cad Bane arrived with Todo 360, his techno-service droid.
Reaching the bottom of the canyon after landing his ship, he was angered at the sight of Ziro and Snootles lying dead on the ground, saying, "Oh….I just hate it when someone does my job."
Looking around the area, Todo turned to Bane and said, "And the holodiary is gone as well!"
"Oh, drat!" was all Bane said, but then an approaching shuttle caught his attention, and he looked up to see a familiar craft and realized his fortunes may have just changed, "Jedi."
Obi-Wan and Quinlan were quick to jump down to the canyon floor and find the dead Hutt and Pa'lowick, with Obi-Wan asking, "Who could have done this?"
Quinlan had no idea, but before he could start guessing movement and the noise of two small repulsors caught their attention, and they turned as a figure came out of the shadows, accompanied by a droid, "Bane!" Obi-Wan said in near-surprise, having somewhat expected the bounty hunter to be there.
"Looks like we're both too late for the party," Bane said as he and the Jedi turned to face each other.
"So this is not your handiwork?" Obi-Wan asked as he motioned at Ziro and his dead companion.
"No," Bane said, "This kill is too clean for me to pull off. There's only one bounty hunter in the galaxy more skilled than me, who could make shots like these from a few thousand meters away. He's the one that did this," jerking his head at the dead Hutt and his girlfriend.
Quinlan's mind was churning before he asked softly, "Ky Lan?" causing Obi-Wan to glance at him in confusion and Bane to start smiling, "Are you sure about that?"
"Oh yeah," Bane said, "He's the only one I know that has the guts to take the Senate hostage, for example, or defy the Hutts so completely. They'll ripe him to shreds if he doesn't return the information Ziro had, but he doesn't care. He's the kind of guy I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley."
"Good to know," Quinlan said sarcastically, but his mind was still reeling from the information he had just gotten, while Bane said, "But….since we're all too late for the party and Ky Lan is long gone, doesn't seem like much sense hanging around here, or making any trouble between us."
"I may not be capturing Ziro, but you are going to prison," Obi-Wan said, "You might not have taken the Senate hostage, but there is still a price on your head."
"Well, now that you mention it," Bane said as he inspected his fingers for a moment, "the Separatists are paying a million credits a head for Jedi," resting his hands over his blasters but not drawing them.
That was the cue that things were about to go wrong, and seconds later, the two Jedi had ignited their lightsabers and were deflecting blaster bolts as Bane ran for higher ground. He jumped onto higher rocks, firing behind him all the while, before turning suddenly and throwing a bolas at Quinlan, which tangled around his feet and caused him to fall. Obi-Wan kept going as Quinlan cut the rope, deflecting more blaster bolts as Bane drew his other pistol and dropped down into a cloud bank. Obi-Wan followed with Quinlan right behind him. Bane kept firing and this time shot out the rocks Obi-Wan was standing on, causing him to fall and have to climb back onto solid ground.
Quinlan kept going after Bane, who continued to shoot at him, but then Todo got involved in the fight and started pulling at Quinlan's dreadlocks. Bane was able to slide between his legs then and kick him, causing Quinlan to fall to the ground. Bane kicked him again, this time in the stomach, and he fell lower down, his lightsaber falling out of sight. Bane was ready for the kill then, but Obi-Wan was back on his feet by now and quickly jumped down to where Bane was and pushed him back with the Force, causing him to fall over the side of the ledge. Obi-Wan kicked Bane's dropped blaster over the edge as he walked over, unaware of Todo finding Quinlan's lightsaber, picking it up and igniting it, and flying around the cliff to come at Obi-Wan from behind.
Obi-Wan heard him coming, though, and easily grabbed the lightsaber and Force-pushed Todo far away just as Bane ignited the rocket boosts on his feet and came level with Obi-Wan, firing with his remaining pistol. Obi-Wan deflected the bolts with both lightsabers until finally deflecting a bolt back at Bane that hit his pistol and knocked it out of his hand. Bane had darts in his wrist comms and fired them before retreating, but Obi-Wan jumped clear over him and landed in front of him. He kicked Bane away, but unfortunately Bane was able to grab Quinlan's lightsaber in the process. The bounty hunter laughed and attacked Obi-Wan with it, but he didn't have the skill to fight with it for long, and it was soon knocked out of Bane's hand. Before Obi-Wan could do anything, Bane had rushed in and grabbed his wrist, hitting a button on his wrist comm that caused electricity to generate out and shock Obi-Wan.
He started crying out in pain, but Quinlan appeared then and forced Bane to retreat again. He activated his rocket boosts again, but Quinlan interrupted him and caused them both to fall to the ground. Quinlan came up on his feet, both fists ready, but Bane only activated his rocket boosts again, this time activating a flame thrower on his wrist. Seeing this and Quinlan leaping to avoid getting burned, Obi-Wan jumped back into the fight, catching Quinlan before he lost his balance and running after Bane again.
But Bane had decided enough was enough, and was at his ship as well, and so landed in the cockpit. Todo came along then with his hat, and just as the Jedi were getting close, they were forced to jump out of the way as Bane fired up his engines and took off, leaving the Jedi hanging from the cliff, with Obi-Wan saying tiredly, "I never did enjoy hanging out with you," making Quinlan smile recklessly as they started climbing back up the cliff.
Once safely back on solid ground, Quinlan turned to Obi-Wan and said, "We need to get back to the Temple, now," heading for their ship as quickly as he could and leaving Obi-Wan with no choice but to follow, which he did grudgingly. Once back on board and heading for Coruscant, Obi-Wan tried to ask Quinlan what was going on, but he was focused entirely on sending a transmission to the Temple asking Masters Mundi and Sinube to meet him and Obi-Wan in the communication center. Obi-Wan stayed silent after that, unable to understand what was happening and deciding to let events play out. Arriving back at the Temple, he almost couldn't keep up with Quinlan as the Jedi ran for the communication center, arriving there just as Ki-Adi and Tera were and saying breathlessly, "We've finally got a solid lead!"
"A solid lead on what?" Obi-Wan asked irritably, somewhat annoyed that Quinlan had spent the better part of the journey ignoring him and leaving him in the dark about what was happening.
Quinlan didn't seem to hear him since he said, "Cad Bane just confirmed the identity of the one who took the Senate hostage!" causing Mundi and Sinube to look at him with interest, as did Yoda and Mace, who had entered the room.
"Who is it?" Mace asked, to which Quinlan said almost excitedly, "Ky Lan," and the others stared at him in surprise before Master Sinube asked, "Are you sure? We have gotten plenty of leads on Ky Lan in the past, but they never panned out. What makes you think Cad Bane was telling the truth?"
Quinlan shook his head as he pulled up a hologram image of the Nautolan that had taken the Senate hostage, "Bane wouldn't lie about another hunter doing his job and costing him credits, especially if those credits were coming from the Hutts. And we know Ky Lan is fearless and doesn't care what job he takes as long as the money is good, so for him to take on a job for the Hutts, the money must have been very good."
"And now we know Ky Lan is a Nautolan," Master Mundi said softly as he looked at the hologram of the scarred Nautolan, "He certainly has seen better days."
"I wouldn't be so sure that is what he actually looks like, Master," Quinlan said, "He's gone to great lengths to conceal his identity and appearance in the past, and that was before he took on such a major and visible job as taking the Senate hostage. While he is Nautolan, it's likely a safe bet those scars aren't real, even though they do an excellent job hiding his real face. The way he sounded may not be his voice either; he likely disguised it to hide himself even more."
Ki-Adi nodded slowly while Obi-Wan asked, patience spent, "Can someone please tell me what is going on?" causing the others in the room to turn to him and Quinlan to grimace before saying, "Sorry, Kenobi, I forgot you were there in the excitement."
Obi-Wan still looked as though he was expecting an answer, and Quinlan said, "Ky Lan is a bounty hunter we've been trying to track down for several decades. He's stayed one step ahead of us all that time, though, and we didn't even know what he looked like until now. It became such an issue because of the jobs he was taking on: assassinations of political figures, causing civil wars because of those assassinations, kidnappings, thefts; we had to create a task force of our own to track him down," nodding at Masters Mundi and Sinube, "He's arrogant, to a point. He believes he won't get caught, but careful enough to not get caught either way. He's so confident we won't catch him he takes more risks than other bounty hunters, but he's such a brilliant planner we're usually too late to stop him. We aren't sure where he operates out of or what planet he calls home, but there always seems to be a trail of bodies that follows him wherever he goes. We know he is an expert marksman and sniper, as was proven on Teth, but other than that, we didn't know much about him until now. We still don't know much about him; other than that all our sources in the underworld would rather be arrested for attempting to kill the chancellor than rat him out."
"He's that dangerous? And that feared?" Obi-Wan asked, to which Master Mundi nodded, "Yes, he is. He has proven himself ruthless and willing to go to any length to keep his identity secret. We also aren't sure what his client base would be, although perhaps the Hutts are in it if it is true he freed Ziro. Why he would then kill Ziro is still something I don't understand."
"Hmmmm," Obi-Wan hummed as he stroked his beard. A few seconds later, Quinlan said, "If we can track down Ky Lan, we can possibly find the holodiary and have the Hutts answer for their crimes. We just need a place to start."
"I have an idea," Obi-Wan said, and the others turned to him, "You have tried your contacts in the underworld that don't know anything about this bounty hunter or are too scared to talk about him. Why not try someone we all know who seems to know everything happening in the underworld and see what they know. They are friends of ours after all," turning to Mace and Yoda as he said this.
Yoda smiled as he caught on to what Obi-Wan was suggesting, while Mace nodded. Obi-Wan turned to Quinlan then and asked, "You hungry? I know a good spot."
As this was happening, Jabba was seething in anger as he realized that Ky Lan wasn't coming back with the holodiary, and nothing was stopping him from turning it over to the Senate or the Jedi. The rest of the council was furious that this had been the result and kept saying he should have seen this coming when he hired Ky, but it's not like Jabba had a way to fix this. There was nothing he could do, no way to find Ky Lan or get to him even if he did. Everyone in the underworld knew he had plenty of mercenaries at his back to help him, and there were rumors that people in the Dark underworld were his allies as well. Jabba would have to wait for a chance to go after Ky and force him to give up the holodiary.
He just needed the right opportunity.
Didi's Café had certainly seen better days than the last time Obi-Wan had been there, but it was still as busy as ever. He and Quinlan had to squeeze between patrons and tables to make it to the bar, where there was even less space. Seeing all the chaos around them, Quinlan whistled under his breath and said, "Never would have thought you would hang around in a place like this, Kenobi. Seems a little rough around the edges for you," as a Weequay punched a Rodian nearby.
"It has its charms," Obi-Wan said before a voice could be heard over the crowd that Obi-Wan recognized immediately: "Here you go, fresh nuna legs and a round of spotchka for the table. Please don't skimp on the tip; I know you made a lot on that last run of spice you had."
Obi-Wan smiled at that, and a few seconds later a small, round man with a somewhat melancholy face jumped up onto the stool behind the bar and reached for a bottle above his head. He turned around then and saw Obi-Wan, saying, "Stars and moons above, it's Obi-Wan Kenobi! Look out, friends, I've got a greeting to bestow!"
Quicker than Quinlan would have thought possible, the small man was leaping over the counter between two patrons and wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan, who hugged him back. No matter what happened, he was always glad to see Didi. Didi seemed just as happy to see him and said as much after pulling out of the hug, "Obi-Wan, it's so good to see you! I haven't seen as much of you as I should have for a while now. Didn't Qui-Gon teach you any better? The least you could do was leave a note!" ushering him and Quinlan towards the office in the back while another waiter took over the bar, "And how are things at the Temple? I haven't had anyone stop by to say hello since the war began!"
"Everything is fine, Didi," Obi-Wan said warmly, "We've just been a bit busy to come around and visit," entering the office with Quinlan right behind him as Didi shut the door. Astri Oddo, Didi's daughter, was also there taking care of the café's books and smiled when she saw Obi-Wan, saying, "Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are a sight for sore eyes. How are you?"
"Well enough, Astri, thank you," Obi-Wan said as he and Quinlan sat down in nearby chairs with Didi sitting behind the messy desk. The entire office was messy, if Obi-Wan was honest with himself, but that was how it usually was, "I should have come by to see you sooner, but I have been a bit busy."
"The war," Astri said softly, and tears welled in her eyes as she said, "We heard about Qui-Gon. I'm so sorry, Obi-Wan; I know how much he meant to you. But I promise, we haven't forgotten his kindness."
"No, we have not," Didi agreed with a sad smile, and Obi-Wan had to swallow a bit to keep his throat from closing. It had been a long time since his master's death, but it still pained him, and he knew the pain would never leave. For Astri and Didi, though, the pain was just as intense. Qui-Gon had been their friend, helping Didi when he had been poisoned by a bounty hunter named Ona Nobis, who was working for crazed scientist Jenna Zan Arbor, who wanted to unlock the secrets of the Force for her own gains. Astri had risked her life to bring Zan Arbor and Nobis to justice, and the money they had received from the effort had been enough for them to purchase the café and pay for some remodeling.
Judging from the chipping paint and the streaks of soot from blaster fire, it still could use some work though.
"Thank you, Astri," Obi-Wan said quietly, "I am glad to know you keep him close to your heart."
Astri nodded while Didi asked, "Is there something you need from us? Anything we can do, we will. You only have to ask. You saved my life, Obi-Wan, and that is something I don't forget."
This was it, Obi-Wan thought as he glanced at Quinlan, who looked at him in return. If Ky Lan really was as ruthless as people said, if Astri and Didi had heard of him, they wouldn't want to talk about him and may ask them to leave. Hopefully, their desire to help them would override that fear.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath and said, "We're looking for someone, Quinlan and I," nodding at the other Jedi, "His name is Ky Lan."
Dead silence.
Astri was staring at him in horror, and a healthy amount of fear, and Didi had blanched so white he looked like he was about to faint. The poor man literally had to grip the arms of his chair to stay in it and needed a few moments to regain his composure. Only then did he ask quietly, "What did you just say?"
"Ky Lan," Obi-Wan said gently, not wanting to shock Didi again, "We're looking for Ky Lan, Didi. Do you know how to find him?"
"Why are you looking for him, Obi-Wan?" Astri asked instead of her father, the fear in her voice and not just her eyes now, "He has spies and informants everywhere and wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone threatening his secrecy. Some of them could be down in the diner right now!"
"Ky Lan took the Senate hostage a few days ago, Astri," Obi-Wan said, "That's why we're looking for him. He broke Ziro the Hutt out of prison by holding senators hostage. He also killed a senator and over twenty Senate guards. Then, when we tracked Ziro to Teth, we found the Hutt dead, with Cad Bane saying Ky Lan had killed him for whatever reason. We want to find and bring him to justice; we just don't know where to start."
"That was done on purpose, Obi-Wan," Didi said, having regained his composure, "That bounty hunter makes Cad Bane look nice and friendly and will do anything for a score. He also isn't stupid and is a brilliant strategist. We know he's a Nautolan, but I'm guessing you've already figured that out."
"Yes," Quinlan said, speaking for the first time, "And we know he isn't afraid to cross the Hutts if it came to that. We just want to know where to start looking for him. Anything you say won't go beyond us, you know that. We will stay silent about anything you tell us; you have my word."
"And mine," Obi-Wan said, and Astri and Didi looked at each other before Astri nodded. Didi only shook his head and said, "This is for Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, alright? In his memory, otherwise we would be showing you the door right now and forsaking our friendship with the Jedi. We would rather have you as enemies than have Ky Lan as an enemy."
"Fair enough," Obi-Wan said with a slight smile, even though he knew the Jedi would never see Didi as an enemy when he was this clearly afraid of the bounty hunter.
Didi sighed before saying quietly, almost looking as though he was doing so to make sure no one heard him, "Ky Lan operates out of the lava world Nevarro in the Outer Rim. He leads a bounty hunter's guild there, and the bounty hunters there are some of the best in the galaxy. His clients are anyone who can pay, which aren't many. His rates are rather high."
"How high?" Quinlan asked, trying to understand this bounty hunter so they would know what to expect when they finally met him.
Astri answered instead of her father, "He charges 90,000 credits to even listen to a job, then another 15,000 per day plus expenses if the job is more dangerous than he expected. But his clients know they are getting their money's worth because he will get the job done, and done fast. I'd bet it only took him a few days to put together the plan to take over the Senate, if that. Based on Nevarro, his guild is responsible for bounties in that sector, and they never fail to deliver."
There was a pause for a moment, and then Didi added, "Ky Lan very rarely meets with clients face-to-face; instead, he sends a droid to hear out potential clients while he listens in. He'll turn it down if he doesn't like how the job sounds. And since the 90,000 is a down payment, you aren't getting that money back. But he rarely turns down jobs; only the ones he suspects are traps. And if you really want to talk to him face-to-face, you have to get through a gauntlet of bounty hunters and mercenaries. Most people decide it isn't worth it and just deal with the droid. Once the job is complete, he will have the droid deliver the bounty or proof of kill to his employer and collect the payment. He is very careful not to get caught, so be careful. I doubt he would be afraid of Jedi, and definitely wouldn't think twice about killing them."
"Good to know," Quinlan said sarcastically, "So we just have to get through a lot of bounty hunters to get to him, and then somehow get him back here without getting killed. That's just great," standing up and getting ready to leave.
Didi had one more thing to add, though, "There is something else, Obi-Wan," and the Jedi looked at him, "Years ago, it's rumored Ky Lan had a falling-out with the Hutts and now refuses any jobs from them. Apparently, they did something to him so bad he now hates them with a passion. If he does a job for the Hutts, then it is because they have something he wants, and he's decided it's worth the risk of them killing him to get it. He isn't afraid to double-cross them, and it's rumored that Ziro had a holodiary that cataloged the deals the Hutt council engaged in over the years. If Ky Lan has it, he might be planning to go after the Hutts and kill them. That holodiary would go a long way as an insurance policy to keep the Hutts from coming after him until he is ready to come after them. It would also be excellent bait for them. He is crazy enough to go to war against the Hutts by himself, and is rumored to be a highly skilled fighter, not just a marksman. Underestimating him is a mistake that has killed a lot of people."
"We won't underestimate him, Didi, don't worry," Obi-Wan said, "and thank you for telling us this. I know how risky it is for you. If something happens or you need help, come to the Temple, and we will do everything we can; you have my word."
Didi nodded, but the worry didn't leave his eyes or his daughter's as they watched the two Jedi leave, wondering if they would see their friends again.
Ky Lan was so dangerous even a Jedi shouldn't mess with him.
Arriving on Nevarro, the two Jedi easily found the town where the bounty hunter's guild had their base, since it was the only large point of habitation on the planet. The two of them had changed out of their Jedi robes and hidden their lightsabers in their clothes, deciding working undercover was the best way to flush out Ky Lan. They would say they had a job, wait for him to leave the planet, and then follow him. While they negotiated terms with him, a Republic cruiser would be waiting just out of range of any planetary sensors, ready with a tractor beam to pull his ship into the hangar.
Landing just outside the base, the two Jedi quickly collected the case of unmarked credits the Temple had given them. Mace had suggested using regular credits, but Quinlan had convinced him unmarked was the way to go since a bounty hunter like Ky Lan would never do a job with credits so easily traced. Despite their misgivings about this, Mace and Yoda had approved Obi-Wan and Quinlan going to Nevarro and attempting to flush Ky Lan out, especially when Quinlan was pretty sure it would work.
Leaving their ship, they headed into town, watching the inhabitants warily. The people who lived on Nevarro clearly weren't used to visitors and didn't like them there but let them pass as they walked through. The two Jedi only looked at each other before heading into the cantina. Entering, they weren't surprised that the place was rather dingy and almost completely dark from the lack of light. It was also packed with even more people, all of whom looked at the two Jedi before returning to what they were doing: either drinking or playing cards or placing bets on which side would win in a large battle nearby between Separatist and Republic forces. The cruiser reinforcing Obi-Wan and Quinlan was actually on its way to that battle, so hopefully, this wouldn't take too long.
The two Jedi again looked at each other before heading deeper into the cantina, eventually finding a droid sitting alone at a table in the back. The droid was a techno-service droid watching everything around him with indifference. Seeing the droid, the two Jedi immediately guessed he was the one they were looking for. They sat down across from him, waiting patiently. After a few minutes, the droid looked at them and said, "Can I help you?"
"I think you can," Quinlan said, "We're looking to hire a bounty hunter, and we hear your boss is the best in the business."
Obi-Wan and Quinlan had decided that Quinlan would do the talking before they landed. Not only did he know how to speak to criminals, but he also knew what to say to make it sound genuine.
"That he may be," the droid said, "But there is the fact there is a price for his services. And if you've heard of him, you must know that the asking price is rather extreme. Most don't pay it and go looking for cheaper hunters. There are plenty to choose from here," gesturing behind them.
"Maybe," Quinlan agreed, "But this job is the kind of job that requires the best, and we know it'll be the kind of dangerous he's used to and can manage. And we do have the asking price," nodding at Obi-Wan, who put the case of credits on the table and opened it, revealing the unmarked credits.
The droid was rather impressed and said, "90,000 credits? Unmarked? You certainly are serious," he looked up at the two Jedi, "Why don't you just leave that with me, and I will make sure my employer gets it?" and Obi-Wan nodded, closing the case and handing it over to the droid, who put it behind him and leaned against it, "So….what's the job?"
This was it. If they weren't convincing enough, or too convincing, the plan would fail, and they would have to deal with a town full of bounty hunters and mercenaries.
"We work as….private contractors for the Confederacy of Independent Systems," Quinlan began, and the droid cut him off immediately, "My master has no interest in the war and won't take sides. If this is a request for wartime services, I suggest you look elsewhere."
"No, it's not," Quinlan said, knowing the droid meant soldier for hire, "Our work for the Separatists usually involves the assassination of anyone who gets in their way, but the job they asked us to do this time was a little too dangerous. We thought we would look for outside help. The kind of help that no one would expect. Your boss's skill at taking the Senate hostage has caught our interest, and we were hoping to employ those skills."
"In what way?" the droid asked.
"We want him to kill Yoda of the Jedi Order, and will pay him ten million unmarked credits to do it," Quinlan said, waiting for whatever the droid had to say and hoping it was tempting enough bait. Obi-Wan hoped it was as well, knowing most would immediately turn that kind of job down as too dangerous. But a bounty hunter like Ky Lan should hopefully see it has a challenge worth attempting and a payday too great to resist. It would also raise his status among bounty hunters, giving him the kind of reputation other hunters could only dream about.
Master Yoda hadn't been entirely pleased to offer himself up as bait when Quinlan told him the plan, but Obi-Wan had agreed it was the best way to lure Ky Lan out. Yoda was a powerful opponent, and getting into the Temple to kill him would be the kind of challenge a hunter like Ky Lan couldn't ignore or resist. Yoda had reluctantly agreed but wasn't pleased about it, and neither was the rest of the Council, for that matter. But it was a good idea, otherwise the Council wouldn't have allowed the plan to go ahead.
Now they only had to wait for the droid to think so as well.
"That certainly is a challenging assignment," the droid finally said, "And one most wouldn't think of taking. But I will see what my master has to say," standing up on the table as he said this, "and let you know. If you will wait here while I speak with him?"
"Our time is short," Quinlan said, remembering the battle and the cruiser in orbit here that was desperately needed, "Our employers are waiting for us to get this job done, and they don't like excuses. How long do you think it will take for your boss to give us an answer?"
"Not long, fine sirs, not long at all," the droid said, "Within the hour, I'm sure. Please, make yourselves comfortable until then."
Quinlan and Obi-Wan nodded, and the droid left, hefting the case of credits with him into a back room and closing the door behind him. Once the door was closed, an assassin droid appeared and stood guard at the door, keeping people from eavesdropping on the head of the guild.
Turning to look around behind them, Obi-Wan could only say, "I hope this works and we can get out of here. I don't like the look of some of these characters," nodding at a Besalisk nearby who was staring at them, while a Trandoshan nearby watched them with crossed arms. Now that he thought about it, everyone in the cantina was watching them while pretending not to, and it was starting to make him uncomfortable.
The discomfort didn't go away when the droid returned, and he was silent as he sat down on the table before saying, "My master has heard your job offer and thought it over. He asked me to convey some messages to you."
"And those would be?" Quinlan asked, and the droid continued, "First, don't think he's stupid. He was listening to the entire conversation and heard what you said," nodding at Obi-Wan, "when I left. This cantina is wired for him to hear everything going on, especially at this table. Also, don't think the junker you flew in on is a convincing ship for contractors. He knows it is the Twilight, which I believe belongs to a Jedi. And since it wasn't stolen from him, since it's as famous and recognizable as the Jedi that owns it and no one would steal it, that must mean it was given to you."
Obi-Wan's instincts immediately flared, and his nerves started thrumming, realizing things were sliding downhill rather fast. Next to him, Quinlan realized the same thing and quietly reached for his lightsaber as the droid added, "Second, you stink at approaching a bounty hunter for a job. Only the stupid come here and ask my master directly for a job, which means you are either stupid or not good at this. With a bounty hunter like my master, you ask for a job done and the money sent over secure frequencies and transactions. It wouldn't surprise him, or me, that you don't know what you are doing because, again, you don't work for the Separatists."
"Yes, we do," Quinlan said firmly, trying to regain control of the conversation but knowing it was a losing fight, but the droid only looked at him before saying, "The third thing my master wanted to tell you is that attempting to kill the leader of your own Order is rather low, and something not even he would do. But he admires your creativity in attempting to get him to leave the planet and get captured by that Republic cruiser orbiting the planet. We may be bounty hunters, but we did spend quite a bit of money on long-range sensors to be able to tell us exactly when someone was coming and who they were."
Hearing that they had been found out, and were now surrounded, the two Jedi looked at each other seconds before springing up with lightsabers in hand and ignited as a few dozen blasters and various other weapons were pointed at them. The droid behind them continued to speak, "If you don't leave within the next two minutes, you will be terminated. Killing Jedi is bad for business, so you are being given a chance to leave. If you don't take it, you will regret it."
"We'll take it," Quinlan said, knowing they were outnumbered and didn't stand a chance against this many opponents, "If you tell us how your boss knew we were Jedi. And how he recognized our ship."
The droid shrugged, "I don't know, and he didn't tell me. I suggest you go before your time runs out. And thanks for the credits; my master appreciates it."
Obi-Wan and Quinlan looked at each other before slowly walking through the cantina, watching every mercenary they passed as they did so, and eventually reached the door. Once through the door, they were greeted by even more mercenaries, who tensely escorted them through the streets to where the Twilight was waiting. Only once they were onboard did they extinguish their lightsabers, heading inside their ship and taking off, heading for the cruiser in orbit.
Behind them and hidden inside the cantina, Ky Lan raised his head as he sensed the Jedi leave, the Force responding to him as well as it responded to a Jedi, and smiled. Good thing his brother had told him the Jedi were coming, and he had just made an easy 90,000 credits without even getting up.
They would go a long way.
Arriving in the cruiser's hangar, Obi-Wan and Quinlan were greeted by Anakin, who asked rather cheekily, "How'd it go? You make any new friends?"
"If a rather talkative techno-service droid, and a few dozen mercenaries, counts, then yes, we made lots of friends," Obi-Wan said irritably as the three of them headed for the bridge, "And we were completely outsmarted and outmaneuvered by Ky Lan, which was unpleasant. Oh, by the way, that techno-service droid called your ship a junker, Anakin, and I have to agree. I felt like it wanted to fall apart with every strange jolt it made."
"It's not a junker," Anakin protested, "It just needs some help and maintenance. But that can wait until later. What happened with the bounty hunter?" Anakin asked, to which Obi-Wan shook his head while Quinlan stayed silent. When they arrived on the bridge, they were met by holograms of the Council, with Master Windu saying, "Do we need to increase security at the Temple, Master Kenobi? Or is Ky Lan in custody right now?"
"Neither, I'm afraid, Master Windu," Obi-Wan said, "We were just outmaneuvered by him, and it was a rather unpleasant experience."
Mace, indeed everyone on the council, was surprised to hear that, and Master Plo asked, "What happened?"
Obi-Wan sighed and said, "He accepted the credits through his droid, but when his droid came back from speaking with him, the droid told us his master knew we were Jedi, and the deal was off. It was then we were surrounded by mercenaries, all armed, and given the choice to stay and be killed or leave. We decided to leave, and did so before those mercenaries got itchy trigger fingers. Apparently, they have long-range sensors that detected the cruiser and gave us away. But Ky Lan did turn down the job, so I don't think we have to worry about security at the Temple."
"That's good to know," Master Tiin said slowly, "but it doesn't explain how he knew you were Jedi. From what we know about this bounty hunter, he hasn't spent much time on Coruscant and keeps to parts of the galaxy the Jedi don't travel, especially with the war happening. How could he have possibly known what you were?"
"I don't know," Quinlan said, speaking for the first time, "But I'd like to check a few of my sources and see if there's another way to get this bounty hunter away from Nevarro and on equal footing with us. He may not be so confident without a town full of mercenaries protecting him. Perhaps his arrogance can be used against him."
"With caution, proceed we should," Yoda said quietly, "but for now, return to the war effort, you should. Pursue this later; we can. Allow this bounty hunter time to drop his guard, we should. Let his arrogance become his undoing, we will."
The Jedi on the cruiser bowed their heads to Yoda then. The meeting ended, Quinlan leaving a few minutes later to return to his own cruiser. At the same time, Anakin and Obi-Wan headed for the space battle nearby, unaware that events were unfolding and pieces were being set in motion far beyond their control.
When those events happened, they would strike at the heart of the Jedi, and they would be powerless to stop them.
Down on Nevarro, a transmission was accepted by Ky Lan, and a hologram of another Nautolan appeared. This Nautolan was similar in appearance but had a lightsaber on his belt. Ky Lan looked at him and waited, and a few seconds later, the Jedi said, "Thank you for not harming Obi-Wan and Quinlan. I know it was a lot to ask, so thanks."
Ky Lan only inclined his head, but his eyes stayed on the other Nautolan, taking in the heavier-than-normal breathing and the way he was slightly hunched over from pain, and he shifted, waiting. The Jedi only sighed and said, "Yes, I know, I'm running out of time. But I need you to do something for me, and our half-Nautolan friend," that caught Ky Lan's attention, and he focused more on the Jedi as he said, "She wants you to send a bounty hunter to the third moon of Vassek, specifically where Grievous' lair was before he abandoned it. The bounty hunter's name is Mando, she told me, saying that you would know who she was talking about," Ky nodded. The Jedi continued, "She wants him to know it's time for him to pay his debt to her and that he will know what she is talking about," Ky nodded again. The Jedi sighed again, saying, "That's all for now, I think. I'll let you know if something comes up," he looked Ky directly in the eye then and said, "Be careful, brother, I won't be able to cover for you for much longer. And I won't be able to hide you from the Jedi if they truly start looking for you again. Your secrecy is becoming harder and harder to maintain, and I don't know how much longer my silence can be kept on the matter," resting a hand on his stomach and grimacing, and Ky felt phantom pain in his stomach as well as he did so.
Ky nodded again, and the Jedi turned to look over his shoulder before saying, "I have to go; I will talk to you as soon as I can. Be careful, brother," ending the transmission and leaving Ky to think over everything his brother had said before shaking his head and looking over at the darkened corner of the room where a figure dressed in armor, wearing a Mandalorian helmet, had waited and listened to the conversation.
This figure only nodded and left the room, saying nothing. Ky sighed and shook his head before opening a different door and heading to his quarters to get his weapons and get ready to leave the planet. When it was revealed his brother was a Jedi, the mercenaries here would turn on him in a heartbeat, even the droids, and he had no intention of being there when that happened. It was almost time to reunite with his brother; this time, not even the Jedi would keep them apart.
Not again.
Huttese translations:
Uba doo bu takka-tak uba need? – You have the information you need?
Bu job seel continue. Oon't come an tedd uba fayloh, otherwise bu che copah widd shulu severe. – The job can continue. Don't come to us and tell us you failed, otherwise the price will be severe.
A/N 2: So I know I'm changing things around a little bit with ages and things to make this work, but please remember this is AU and allowed to change. Also, Didi and Astri Oddo are characters in the Jedi Apprentice book series by Jude Watson, appearing in books 11 through 13. They'll have a few repeat appearances in this story, so look out for that. And I felt leaving Mando out of this story would just be wrong, even though I know he was just a child during the Clone Wars. But we're making him an adult for this story, and I hope you like it. I hope you like where this story is headed, and see you next time. Things are coming to a head in the next chapter, and hopefully, it's exciting! Big reveals next chapter, as soon as it's written ;)!