With Padmé and Anakin having left Coruscant for Tatooine a few hours prior, it was now time for Obi-Wan to get to work so he could help the Senator return to his job of stopping the war before it got too far out of hand. The temple archives had little information on the poison dart, and so he was forced to find information somewhere else. His first stop was a small diner in the middle of Coruscant, to visit an old friend. He stepped in, and bowed to the droid that was taking the information. "I'm here to see Dex."
"Someone to see ya, honey! Jedi, by the looks of him," The droid called in the back, and before long a besalisk emerged from the kitchen, a huge grin on his face.
"Obi-Wan!"
"Hello, Dex." Obi-Wan smiled. The visit may not have been a social visit, but it had been far too long since they'd last spoken anyways.
"Take a seat. I'll be right with ya." Dex indicated the booth by the door, and Obi-Wan sat down, accepting the droid's offer of jawa juice while he waited for his friend to re-emerge from the back of the diner.
It wasn't long before Dex finished his prep work and sat across from Obi-Wan. "Hey, old buddy! So, my friend, what can I do for ya?"
Obi-Wan pulled out the white dart, placing it in Dex's hand, watching as he looked at it with interest. "You can tell me what this is."
Thankfully, it didn't take long for recognition to form on Dex's face. "Well, whattaya know! I ain't seen one of these since I was prospectin' on Subterrel, beyond the outer rim." Beyond the Outer Rim? Just where had the bounty hunter after Anakin even come from?
"Can you tell me where it came from?" An answer of the system or planet would help greatly narrow down the search, perhaps he could find who was after Senator Skywalker long before the vote he was partaking in was decided.
"This baby belongs to them cloners. What you got here is a Kamino saberdart."
Obi-Wan frowned. Dex knew that so easily… "I wonder why it didn't show up in the analysis archives."
"It's these funny little cuts on the side that give it away. Those analysis droids only focus on symbols. Huh! I should think that you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom." Dex let out a laugh, and for a moment Obi-Wan let himself get caught up in joking with an old friend.
"Well, if droids could think, there'd be none of us here, would there?" He frowned moments later, trying to figure that out. Kamino? Cloners? "Kamino. I'm not familiar with it. Is it in the Republic?"
"No, no. It's beyond the outer rim. I'd say about, uh, twelve parsecs outside the Rishi Maze. Should be easy to find, even for those droids in your archives." That's right, Dex had mentioned that Kamino was outside the Outer Rim earlier, hadn't he? Either way, the knowledge that it was in the Rishi Maze greatly helped him reduce the search radius he'd need to check.
"These Kaminoans keep to themselves."
Dex nodded. "They're cloners. Damn good ones too."
There was the mention of the word again. Was there really an entire group of people who could clone others easily. "Cloners. Are they friendly?"
"Oh, depends." The way Dex said that made Obi-Wan feel ill at ease.
"Depends on what, Dex?" he asked, the way Dex leaned back with a smile made him feel a bit more like it was a joke, at least.
"On how good your manners are, and how big your pocketbook is." Well given how Obi-Wan had no intention of purchasing any clones, that second wasn't a matter of concern, and the first...well, Obi-Wan was rather popular. He was sure he could win the Kaminoans over without issue.
"That was quite informative, Dex." Obi-Wan smiled, thanking his friend. "I believe you've helped me tremendously with my search." Given him a starting point, if nothing else.
Dex simply laughed. "Always a pleasure Obi-Wan. Whatever mystery you Jedi are working on, I hope you manage to solve it soon." So did Obi-Wan, he could only imagine what Anakin was putting his poor Padawan through alone, given the reputation he had.
Having a place to start was helpful, at least in Obi-Wan's mind, as he searched through the Jedi archives with new energy and attention. Before, he'd relied exclusively on the Droid's intel, but with Dex's direction. It wasn't long before he'd gone over all the information on Kamino that the Jedi had.
Mostly because, he realized with a frown, there was no info to be had. Which was a problem. How did Dex know about this system but not the Jedi? Evidently, he'd been radiating his displeasure enough for it to be sensed in the temple, because moments later the main Jedi archivist, Jocasta, arrived. "Are you having a problem, Master Kenobi?"
Well, if he couldn't find it, then perhaps she would be able to help him locate the hidden planet. "Yes, I'm looking for a planetary system called Kamino."
"Kamino?" The fact that it wasn't even recognizable to Jocasta, that she'd never even heard of it, was concerning. Did that mean that it didn't exist? But that still didn't make sense if Dex recognized it.
"It doesn't show up on the archive charts." Obi-Wan attempted to explain his problem, which in turn caused Jocasta to frown.
"It's not a system I'm familiar with. Are you sure you have the right coordinates?"
"According to my information, it should appear in this quadrant here... just south of the Rishi Maze." She stepped in afterwards, looking at the archives and starting to search for information. Something that never ceased to amaze Obi-Wan was just how well Jocasta knew them. He wouldn't be surprised if she was the only person who knew the entire system and how to work it best.
After a few moments of her search, she ceased, the frown growing deeper as her forehead creased, showing her displeasure. "I hate to say it, but it looks like the system you're searching for doesn't exist."
Didn't exist? But then how could Dex have been there? How could the dart have come from there? How could a bounty hunter be targeting Senator Skywalker from a place that simply didn't exist. It didn't make any sense. "Impossible. Perhaps the archives are incomplete." That had to be the explanation.
"If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist." Jocasta left the computer to allow Obi-Wan to continue his research. "I apologize, Master Kenobi, there's nothing more I can do to help.
"Thank you for your time then, Master Nu." He bowed his head and stood up, leaving the archives behind. He needed help from somebody older and wiser, perhaps somebody on the council could fit the bill. Mace was currently in the Senate, attempting to help navigate things and stall the vote as a favor to Anakin, and at the current moment hardly anybody else on the council was even on Coruscant, the efforts to delay the war and find peace having spread the Order out to barebones.
That left him with one option. He hoped Yoda wouldn't mind the interruption as he approached the creche, looking at the younglings as they learned the same lessons he had once been taught. There were several, most of them growing near the age where they could be considered to start becoming Padawans. He smiled, perhaps one of the faces here could end up under his tutelage, or the tutelage of Padmé should she so choose.
"Younglings! A visitor we have." It appeared he was unable to hide his presence for long, as the moment he entered the room, Yoda ceased his teaching and brought the attention of each of the kids to his presence. They greeted him in echo, each looking at him with wide eyes. The tales of him managing to kill a Sith had brought attention to him by these kids who thought of Sith as nothing more than nightmares and monsters in bedtime stories.
He waved to the younglings. "Hello. I'm sorry to disturb you, Master."
"What help can I be, Obi-Wan? Hmm?" Thankfully, the old master seemed unfazed, merely greeting Obi-Wan with a twinkle in his eye and a smile, which helped to alleviate some of the guilt he felt at interrupting the lesson.
"I'm looking for a planet described to me by an old friend." Obi-Wan explained, catching the look Yoda gave him as he attempted to continue his explanation. "I trust him, but the systems don't show on the archive maps."
"Lost a planet Master Obi-Wan has. How embarrassing." Yoda laughed, and so did many of the younglings watching him. Perhaps had Obi-Wan been less affected by the situation, he might have found it funny as well, if he was honest. Still, moments later, the laughter died down, and Yoda turned serious again. "Liam, the shades. Gather round the map reader. Clear your minds and find Obi-Wan's wayward planet we will." The room turned dark as one of the human Younglings, Obi-Wan assumed Liam, closed the window, reducing the light in the area.
Sensing that was his cue, Obi-Wan pulled out a holoprojector of the space around the area, what little information he had managed to find based on what Dex had said. "It ought to be here, but it isn't." He indicated a dark spot with nothing there. "Gravity is pulling all the stars in the area towards this spot."
Yoda looked over the map as though he was solving the puzzle as he looked at it. "Gravity's silhouette remains, but the star and all the planets, disappeared they have." He turned to the younglings, waiting for an answer. "How can this be? Hmm? A thought? Anyone?"
One of the initiates, a girl with dark hair and eyes raised her hand. "Because someone erased it from the archive memory." The answer was the most simple and obvious of the explanations, and yet...
"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is." Yoda smiled, proud of the girl. "The youngling is right. Go to the center of gravity's pull... and find your planet you will." Moments later, he stopped, as though realizing exactly what he had said. "The data must have been erased."
"But, Master Yoda, who could empty information from the archives? That's impossible, isn't it?" It didn't make sense. None of them would have had motive to remove Kamino from the archives entirely, it seemed that none of them had even heard of the system before. If that was the case, then why had it been removed?
Yoda remained silent for a moment before finally responding, "Dangerous and disturbing this puzzle is. Only a Jedi could have erased those files." Yoda had come up to the same conclusion he had, that the removal of the files was an inside job. "But who and why, harder to answer. Meditate on this I will."
"Thank you, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan bowed to the Grandmaster, grateful for his help, and turned to leave.
"Wait! Master Kenobi!" Before he could step out, another young girl, a Togruta, smiled at him. "Why do you need to find this planet anyways? I know if it was deleted it had to be important at some point, but that doesn't explain why you're looking for it now."
Obi-Wan hesitated. "What is your name?"
"Ahsoka Tano," she answered with no hesitation.
"Well, Ahsoka, I'll tell you what. Once I return from my mission, come look for me. I'll be happy to answer that question when somebody's life is no longer in jeopardy should people find out I'm searching."
Ahsoka's eyes shined. "I'll hold you to it."
It had taken a few days to make it outside of the Outer Rim to the dead space where Kamino lay. Obi-Wan had expected it to be empty. If he was honest, a part of him couldn't wrap his head around the fact that a Jedi had willingly erased an entire system from the archives, yet the evidence was right in front of him as he came across a storm covered planet. It was raining, but R4 was a good copilot and a reliable astromech, he could rely on the droid to get him down with ease, and it wasn't long before he was stepping out of his ship and onto the only building in what had appeared otherwise as a giant ocean.
He entered, expecting a cold welcome from what appeared to be a strange species of sentients. They were tall, taller than most other sentient species he had met though most of their height came from their necks, and a sickly shade of white, the same colors as the walls and floors they favored. They were harsh looking creatures, and a part of Obi-Wan couldn't help but worry for his safety as was noticed by one. "Master Jedi. The prime minister is expecting you."
What? "I'm expected?" That had been about as far from what Obi-Wan had been planning for when he set foot on the strange planet as this could get. His hand went to his lightsaber, just in case he needed to make a quick escape.
"Of course. He is anxious to meet you." The Kaminoan smiled at Obi-Wan, an expression that left him uncomfortable, as though it was an appearance for his sake over genuine happiness at the Jedi's arrival. "After all these years we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now, please, this way." She led the way deeper into the facility, and Obi-Wan tried to take in as much as he could, keeping his eye out for the potential assassins or bounty hunters. "May I present Lama Su, prime minister of Kamino. And this is MasterJedi…" She indicated Obi-Wan, who bowed out of respect.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Lama Su nodded, showing acknowledgement of the introduction. "I trust you're going to enjoy your stay." He continued immediately, not giving Obi-Wan a chance to respond. "And now to business. You will be delighted to hear that we are on schedule. Two hundred thousand units are ready with a million more well on the way."
It took all of his energy to keep the surprise out of his voice. "That's good news." Two hundred thousand units of what? He remembered what Dex had told him of the Kaminoans. They couldn't mean…
"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that his order will be met on time." Lama Su's voice pulled him out from his thoughts, reminding him he couldn't linger on what exactly this meant right now if he wanted to know more.
Speaking of, that was another surprise to hear. "I'm sorry. Master–"
"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas is still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?" If they were waiting on Sifo-Dyas, that explained a fair amount of just what was going on, and why they had waited so long.
"Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago."
Lama Su frowned, though he didn't seem all that bothered. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. But I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've built for him."
"The army?" For the third time today, Obi-Wan was thrown off balance by information from the Kaminoans, and he'd only been there ten minutes.
"Yes. A clone army, and I must say, one of the finest we've ever created." There was pride in his voice. Pride at the clones, and at the army he had made, yet Obi-Wan was bothered. An army of people specifically crafted for war showing up now of all times. It seemed almost...too perfect. He thought back to Senator Skywalker's concerns about the bill that would be coming up soon. Could it all be connected?
"Tell me, Prime Minister, when my master first contacted you about the army, did he say who it was for?" There was only one way for Obi-Wan to confirm his theory, at least.
"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic." Obi-Wan felt his blood run cold at the answer. "But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself."
He put on a fake smile. "That's why I'm here."
"Then in that case, let us begin the tour." Lama Su placed his hands on a scanner, and within moments they were allowed inside the clone facility. It was, in its own way, a feat of ingenuity, and an impressive sight to see. On either side of them as they walked, hundreds of individual clones, most with a Mandalorian esque white armor on though some with their helmets off, wandered the floors of the facility. Some were practicing using blasters, others were simply conversing, and others studying in a classroom. It was...a lot to take in, to say the least.
The Kaminoan, who had left him with Lama Su, had briefly left, but returned moments later with one of the many clones, though this one slightly different due to his blond hair. "Sir."
"Jedi Master Kenobi, might I introduce you to CT-7567." She indicated the clone, who was standing rigidly at attention waiting for orders. It was...uncomfortable.
"At ease." Obi-Wan watched as the clone relaxed moments later, and stuck out his hand, which the clone looked at warily. "Don't worry, my friend, I have no intentions of harming you with it, just introductions."
"Of course." The clone grabbed his hand to shake it, but was still clearly ill at ease in all of this. "As you've already been told I'm CT-7567. I was a part of the first batch, sir."
Obi-Wan frowned slightly. "Yes, so I can assume. Tell me, do you have a name besides these designation numbers?"
"Rex, sir." If he was going to end up working with these clones at some point, Obi-Wan was definitely going to make sure that the numbers first introduction was long gone. That was one thing he'd work on.
"Very well, Rex." He smiled, and Rex further relaxed, as though sensing that Obi-Wan meant him no harm. Deciding he could use this as a moment to ask questions without seeming clueless as to what was happening, Obi-Wan decided to take advantage of it. "Rex, can you tell me why you and the other clones were created?"
"My brothers and I were created to serve the Republic if there was ever a need." They were on the Republic's side, though the answer told Obi-Wan little. "I'm assuming there's a need for us now?" He almost seemed...eager, as though he was dying to get out and see the world outside the cloning facilities. His desire to explore almost reminded Obi-Wan of a young initiate who had stolen away on the ship of another Jedi to prove that she could handle the outside world. If this army was ever needed, he'd have to do his best to ensure that Padmé was the one who got a chance to work with Rex. The two would work well together.
"Not quite, a war hasn't broken out–" yet "-but there may be one on the horizon. Perhaps you and your brothers will be out in the real world sooner than you think." He purposefully used the term brothers. The clone's terms for how they define themselves were more important than anything else.
"Understood." Rex nodded, before the Kaminoan left to return him to the rest of the clones, leaving Obi-Wan once more alone with Lama Su.
"Very impressive."
"I'd hoped you would be pleased." Lama Su certainly seemed happy with the fact that Obi-Wan was impressed, at least. "Clones can think creatively. You will find that they are immensely superior to droids. We take great pride in our combat education and training programs. It's important to prepare them as quickly as possible, so they'll be prepared for any situation they might encounter."
Obi-Wan frowned at the sound of that. Something about the way Lama Su mentioned speed. "You mentioned that they need to be prepared as quickly as possible. Is there a reason for that?"
"Of course. The clones are genetically modified to age at an accelerated rate for quick production and results. If they weren't, a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now we can do it in half the time."
He could understand why, disturbing implications into what that meant for the clones aside. "I see."
"They are totally obedient, taking any order without question." Lama Su continued on as though nothing out of the ordinary had been said, Obi-Wan felt his skin crawl. That wasn't like an army. That was like a slave. "We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host."
Had he not been looking for somebody clearly not Kaminoan, he might have focused on that detail in particular, but right now, his mission for Anakin took precedence. He could worry about the clones later. "And who was the original host?"
"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett."
"And where is this bounty hunter now?" This might be the lead Obi-Wan was looking for, and if not, it might have enough info to allow for him to ascertain whether or not at least there was something more disturbing at the center of this mystery.
"Oh, we keep him here." That made his life significantly easier. "Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing: an unaltered clone for himself. Curious, isn't it?"
"Unaltered?"
Lama Su nodded, confirming that Obi-Wan had heard correct. "Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile and no growth acceleration." So the clone with him wouldn't be an older man, but a younger boy.
"I should very much like to meet this Jango Fett." He supposed it didn't matter.
"I will talk to Tuan We about introducing you when she returns." Lama Su turned back to the facility, looking over the clones. "For now, I will continue our tour."
Not longer after, the Kaminoan, Tuan We, returned from taking Rex back to his fellow and Obi-Wan was following her through pristine white halls. Despite that no clones would be here aside from the single, unaltered one that Tuan We mentioned, the facility had not felt anymore welcome in what were clearly its living areas. She stopped at a door and knocked, and a young boy opened the door. "Boba, is your father here?"
"Yep." Boba gave a short answer, and a glare at Obi-Wan.
"May we see him?"
"Sure." After a moment more of uncomfortable staring, Boba stepped out of the way of the door to let Obi-Wan in. "Dad, Taun We's here."
Tuan We entered and smiled at the bounty hunter, although Obi-Wan doubted she cared one way or the other about how he was doing. "Jango, welcome back. Was your trip productive?"
"Fairly." A Mandalorian man stood off to the side of the room, clearly the bounty hunter template for the clones. Obi-Wan however frowned. If Jango had recently left the world, then it was possible that…
"This is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's come to check on our progress." Tuan We's introduction forced Obi-Wan to move on from his train of thought for now, and he put on an attempt at a pleasant grin, likely only succeeding due to his ability to keep a facade in the most trying of circumstances.
"Your clones are very impressive. You must be very proud."
"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe." Jango's answer was evasive, a bad sign if Obi-Wan had ever seen one.
He decided to press him for more answers. "Ever made your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?"
"Once or twice."
"Recently?"
"Possibly."
"Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas." Obi-Wan watched as Jango stiffened slightly, it was for but a moment, and something somebody who wasn't trained as a Jedi would be unlikely to catch, but the change in body language was all Obi-Wan needed to know that Jango was hiding something.
Jango said something to Boba in another language, possibly two seeing as he recognized some of it as Mando'a from his time guarding the Duchess from harm. "Master who?" he asked.
"Sifo-Dyas. Is he not the Jedi who hired you for this job?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Never heard of him," Jango said.
"Really?"
"I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden." The answer to Obi-Wan's question could not have possibly been worse, if he was honest. There were no Jedi he'd even heard of named Tyranus.
"Curious." And leading to so many more questions. If Sifo-Dyas commissioned the army, then why hadn't he found Jango for this.
"Do you like your army?" Jango took back control of the conversation, making it relatively clear that this line of questioning was over, or at least it was for now.
"I look forward to seeing them in action." Obi-Wan bowed, making it clear that he was ending the conversation as well. Besides, he'd gotten the information he'd needed, or at least a new lead to explore. "They'll do their job well. I'll guarantee that. Thank you for your time, Jango."
"Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi." From Jango's remarks, it was clear to Obi-Wan that he was being dismissed. So he left. Besides, he was sure he'd need to contact the council on these matters. It was urgent that they be kept in the loop of what was going on.
As soon as he left the facility and the Kaminoans behind, Obi-Wan pulled up his comm unit, and within moments, a holographic version of Yoda and Master Windu appeared in front of him. "I have successfully made contact with the prime minister of Kamino." He reported, not wanting to waste any time. "They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army. I have a strong feeling that this bounty hunter is the assassin we are looking for."
Mace frowned, and Obi-Wan couldn't blame him. The whole situation reeked of suspicious circumstances. "Do you think these cloners are involved in the plot to assassinate Senator Skywalker?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. As far as he could tell, the clones were unrelated. Or he wanted to believe they were, at least. Rex had left a good impression on him, after all. "No, Master. There appears to be no connection between them."
"Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan. Clear your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind this plot." Yoda was right, even if Rex and as a result, his brothers, seemed like they were good. He had to try to look at this objectively. Anything involved with Kamino was suspicious.
"Yes, Master." For now though, Obi-Wan decided not to linger. "They say Master Sifo-Dyas placed an order for a clone army at the request of the senate almost ten years ago. I was under the impression he was killed before that. Did the council ever authorize the creation of a clone army?"
There was a look of surprise on both Mace's and Yoda's faces, as though they had not expected this. Their reaction was enough that no answer would be necessary, but Mace still gave him one anyways. "No. Whoever placed that order did not have the authorization of the Jedi Council."
"Bring him here. Question him we will." It made the most sense. Jango was the most suspicious figure here. Perhaps he could shed some light on the mysterious events.
"Yes, Master. I will report back when I have him." Obi-Wan hung up for now, and looked to the corner of the building to see Jango preparing to escape.
That was going to make his job a lot harder.
Obi-Wan had planted a tracker on the Fetts' ship, and fortunately for him, it seemed to have paid off as he piloted himself down towards the desert planet of Geonosis. He landed the ship down on a plateau, and entered one of the caves. He needed to avoid being seen if he wanted to gather as much information as he could. He extended his senses using the Force, careful of any other beings he ran into as he went deeper in.
Slowly, his footsteps started getting louder, despite attempts to silence them, and he looked down to see that the floor had become metal. Geonosis wasn't known for an industrial sector, and he felt ill at ease. As he continued down the hallway, everything felt more and more wrong, the stalactites replaced by metal columns, and the cave walls smoothed down. At the sight of a window, Obi-Wan looked down to see thousands of droids being manufactured. Battle droids, similar to those they had faced on Naboo a little over ten years ago.
He continued down the hallway, only to freeze as he heard voices.
"We must persuade the Commerce Guild and Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty."
"What about the senator from Tatooine." Obi-Wan froze at that statement. These people...they were the ones who hired the assassins to go after Anakin. "Is he dead yet? I'm not signing your treaty until I have his head on my desk. Every policy he pitches for the 'good' of his people is making it harder and harder for us to make a profit."
He thought back to the bills Anakin had been working on recently. He hadn't been following the young Senator closely (that had been Padmé who'd kept tabs on what he was doing in the political sphere) but it was clear that within the year he had been working in the Senate, he'd managed to find quite a few enemies.
"I am a man of my word, viceroy." Obi-Wan frowned. Viceroy. There were dozens of viceroys in the galaxy, but only one who was invested in profit to the point that what Anakin was doing was likely a detriment. He heard more voices further down, likely the Commerce Guild and Corporate Alliance signing an agreement to join this cause, but Obi-Wan didn't have time to listen in.
The Viceroy of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray, was the one behind the assassination attempts.
He had to tell the council.