Obi-Wan holds a holodisc in his palm as he stand son a rooftop, overlooking a sunrise. Mace Windu emerges in a ray of light.
"Another attempt was made on Senator Amidala's life?," he clarifies.
"Yes, Master Windu. The bounty hunter was killed before we could get any answers. The person behind this made sure there were no loose ends."
"Have you found any clues as to the identity of this second bounty hunter?"
"He left a toxin dart. I had a droid analyze it but we found no records of where it came from."
"Perhaps we should investigate the matter further. In the meantime, get the Senator somewhere safe."
The next morning, Padme stands in her chambers along with the two Jedi, Panaka, her handmaidens, and Bail, "I do not like this idea of hiding. I haven't worked for a year to defeat the 'Military Creation Act' not to be here when its fate is decided."
"I'm afraid you are no longer safe in your chambers, M'Lady," Obi-Wan tells her.
"These assassins are bolder than we thought," Panaka agrees.
"I understand, but it doesn't make the decision any easier."
"Chancellor Palpatine and I will take up the fight for you in the Senate," Bail tells her, "He has already agreed to call recess until you can safely return to the Senate. In the meantime, I'll prepare a few speeches to sway them to our cause."
"I know you'll do well to make an argument in my absence."
"I don't know if I have the same oratory skills as you, but I'll try."
"You're too modest."
"It's not wise to stay here any longer," Anakins says with an annoyed tone, "We've agreed Senator Amidala should not stay here, so where will she go?"
"Of course," Bail notices Anakin's attitude but continues, "More assassins could be waiting for her on Naboo, so I took the liberty of preparing my palace for her arrival."
"You have?," Padme seems surprised.
"You have?," Anakin seems annoyed.
"Captain Panaka and I talked and decided that would be a proper place to hide until this mess is over," he turns to Obi-Wan, "We talked about this while you and your padawan were going after the bounty hunter. I hope you find that agreeable, Master Obi-Wan."
"It's a wise decision, Senator Organa. We need to find the identity of who is trying to kill Padme and I know of at least one person on Alderaan who might be of assistance."
Padme kisses Bail lightly on the cheek, "You are a good man. Thank you."
Anakin bristles with jealousy, "I don't mean to rush, but I think we should get going, Senators."
Hours later, Padme and the two Jedi step off a rail speeder, wearing peasant clothes with luggage hovering behind them. They quickly blend into the crowd as they make their way to a public transport ship for Alderaan. The ship lifts off, leaves Coruscant, and quickly goes into hyperspace. In the passenger area, they sit in a compartment as the images of hyperspace fly past the window. Obi-Wan studies the poison dart in his hand.
"That's the dart used to kill my assassin?," Padme asks.
"It is. The bounty hunter seemed to think she had a partner, but the person in the Mandalorian armor killed her before she could give much information."
"Which means he was never paid to come after me. He was actually paid to make sure there were no witnesses."
"Very astute, Padme," Anakin smiles.
"I have my moments."
"I can't identify where this dart came from," Obi-Wan continues, "I know an expert, however. Luckily, he lives on Alderaan, so we'll stop there on our way to the palace. Hopefully, he can trace the origins of the dart and that could be a clue to finding our mysterious armored man."
"I'm glad we're finally investigating the person behind these attacks," Anakin admits.
"You had the right instinct," Padme tells him sweetly.
"Indeed, I think they were," Obi-Wan adds.
Alderaan is a mountainous planet with clear skies. The public ship lands on a platform overlooking snow-capped peaks and clouds. They soon climb into a speeder and fly down the mountain slopes to greener hills. Eventually, they arrive in a city built on the sides of mountains and cliffs with multiple bridges and ladders between each building. Anakin sets the speeder to hover in front of one particular structure and they step out onto the platform and go inside.
The structure is filled with trinkets and exotic objects from around the galaxy. Obi-Wan stands in the doorway with a smile, "Hello, Dex." A large alien rises from a work bench wearing magnifying lenses over his eyes, "Obi-Wan Kenobi?," he quickly moves around the work bench to hug him, "Hey, ol' buddy! I haven't seen you in years. Is that your apprentice?"
"Hey, Dex. This is Anakin Skywalker and our companion..."
"Bennita Amidala," Padme says as she tells him her fake name.
"Come in. See anything you like? I got stuff from the outer rim that not even a Jawa has seen."
"I'm afraid we're here on business," Obi-Wan tells him, "I'd like you to take a look at something."
"Sure. Let's go in the back," they leave the other two behind.
"Bennita?," Anakin whispers.
"We have to stay hidden," she whispers back, "Might as well use a fake name."
"Not bad."
In the backroom, Obi-Wan and Dex sits across from each other with an examination table between them, "So, my friend. What can I do for ya?"
"You can tell me what this is," he places the dart on the table between them.
Dex's eyes widen, "Well, whattaya know...," he picks up the dart delicately between his puffy fingers and peers at it, "I ain't seen one of these since I was prospecting on Subterrel beyond the outer rim!"
"Do you know where it came from?"
"This baby belongs to them cloners. What you got here is a Kamino Kyberdart. Very deadly toxins if you wanna make sure someone is good and... quiet."
"Kamino Kyberdart... I wonder why it didn't show up in any analysis archive."
"It's these funny little cuts on the side give it away... Those analysis droids you've got over there only focus on symbols, you know. I should think you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom."
"Kamino... doesn't sound familiar. Is it part of the Republic?"
"No, it's beyond the outer rim. I'd say about twelve parsecs outside the Rishi Maze, toward the south. It should be easy to find, even for those droids in your archive to find. Those Kaminoans keep to themselves. They're cloners. Damned good ones, too."
"Cloners? Are they friendly?"
"It depends on how good your manners are... and how big your pocketbook is."