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Chapter Three -o- Look, Listen, Learn

Buffy looked down at the small black gun that Obi-Wan had just handed her. It was light-weight and had a good balance to it. Not nearly as nice as a lightsaber, but it was usable. She looked the whole thing over never pointing it at anything. Fighting demons and vampires she had never had much use for a gun but Riley had shown her how to shoot once or twice a long time ago. Buffy looked up at Obi-Wan and caught him staring at her. Something about the way he was watching her made her fidgety again.

"So, are there bullets?" she asked. He blinked and looked a little confused.

"Bullets?" he asked, sounding unfamiliar with the word.

"Yeah, little metal projectiles flying from the gun at high speeds?" Buffy asked and still he looked stumped. She looked the gun over, turned to the target at the end of the room and pulled the trigger. A green bolt of light flew from the gun hitting the target relatively close to the bull's-eye leaving a round singed hole in the target.

"So they're all laser guns then," Buffy said, turning back to Obi-Wan. "I think I like lightsabers better."

"Yes indeed," he agreed, nodding his head, an approving look on his face. "This is a Blaster pistol; you seem to be a good shot," Obi-Wan said, holding out a holster for Buffy as he looked down at the target. She handed him the blaster and pulled her cloak back and wrapped the holster around her waist buckling it at the side. Obi-Wan handed her the blaster and she put it in the holster. She was now wearing a dark brown tunic and knee high boots with an almost black robe; except for the coloring she was almost a mirror image of Obi-Wan, she had been a little surprised when she realized this.

"Yeah, someone back home taught me," she told him as she turned back to the target. She pulled the gun out, pointed and reholstered it over and over till the motion was smooth and flawless. "Ok," she said, turning back to Obi-Wan. "Where are we going to find out about that dart?"

-o-o-o-o-

"This is Dex's Diner," Obi-Wan said, as they rounded a corner on the street and an old beat up building came into view. "I've known Dex for a very long time." Buffy looked around the street they were on; it was obviously an older part of the city. Buffy couldn't see how Obi-Wan would have come across this place.

"How do you know him?" Buffy asked, looking the old building over. The neon sign outside said Dex's Diner on it, or at least Buffy assumed it did, it was in another language. The question seemed to faze Obi-Wan as he stopped and looked down at her.

"My master, Qui-Gon Jinn, helped Dex with a few things when I was still a Padawan." Buffy nodded her head and thought that over. She'd never even thought about Obi-Wan having a master train him. It was hard to picture him as a young Padawan like Anakin, with a braid and all. There was something about the way he talked about his master that made Buffy curious.

"Will I get to meet Qui-Gon?" Buffy asked and watched as Obi-Wan closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Qui-Gon was struck down in battle when Anakin was still a young boy." Obi-Wan turned and began to walk towards Dex's again and Buffy followed him. 'Oh,' Buffy thought, sighing. 'Sadness, that's what it had been in his voice.' So he'd lost his mentor too, not that Giles was dead, but he was far out of her reach now.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said, coming up next to him.

"So am I," Obi-Wan said as they approached the diner. Obi-Wan held the door open and Buffy walked in with him right behind her. The diner was full of people, but by now Buffy was beginning to get used to seeing aliens around every corner.

"Can I help ya?" a female droid asked, stopping in front of them.

"We're looking for Dexter," Obi-Wan said, indicating himself and Buffy. She wheeled over to them and glared, or as much glared as a droid could.

"Waddya want him for?" she asked, suspicion lacing her voice. It surprised Buffy, she would have thought droids were more, emotionless.

"He's not in trouble. It's personal," Obi-Wan assured her smiling. The droid looked him over then looked at Buffy and then nodded. She wheeled over to the back counter.

"Someone to see ya, honey," she yelled through the opening to the back of the diner. She lowered her voice as she looked over her shoulder. "Jedi, by the looks of 'um." Buffy had been wrong, she was not used to seeing aliens, or at least not very used to it. The alien who stuck his head out was huge, but he had a big smile on his face.

"Obi-Wan!" he called, his eyes drifting to Buffy.

"Hey, Dex," Obi-Wan said, walking farther into the diner.

"Take a seat! Be right with ya!" Dex called, disappearing back inside the back of the diner. Obi-Wan walked over to a booth and gestured Buffy in and he sat down next to her.

"You want a cup of ardees?" the droid waitress asked, wheeling to a stop next to them.

"Two thank you," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. Buffy looked sideways at Obi-Wan hoping ardees might be something she'll actually be able to drink. Buffy watched the waitress wheel over to the swinging doors and disappear. Dex came walking out seconds later a huge grin on his face.

"Hey, ol' buddy!" Dex exclaimed, nodding at Obi-Wan. Buffy had, as of now, not seen an alien that was so big, or had so many arms.

"Hey, Dex," Obi-Wan said again and Buffy smiled. Dex sat down across from them making the seats jump a little.

"So, who's this then? Not a new Padawan for sure, your Anakin's not been Knighted yet has he?" Dex asked smiling over at Buffy.

"No, she's a friend helping us find something," Obi-Wan told him and Buffy noticed that Dex didn't even blink at the vagueness of that. Dex nodded his head as the waitress set down three cups of something black and steaming. Buffy smelled it, it smelled kinda like coffee. She took a drink of it and nodded, it tasted kind of like coffee too.

"Not bad," she said, smiling at Dex. "I'm Elisa by the way," she said, holding out her hand. Dex took it into one of his hands and shook. It felt like he could have ripped her arm off if he'd wanted to and she was glad that he was one of the good guys.

"So, my friend. What can I do for ya?" Dex asked, turning back to Obi-Wan.

"You can tell me what this is," he said, pulling the dart out of his robes and laying it softly on the table between them. Buffy noticed Dex's eyes go large as he looked at the dart.

"Well, whaddya know..." he said softly as he carefully picked it up and turned it in his hands. "I ain't seen one of these since I was prospecting on Subterrel beyond the Outer Rim!" he told them, looking up from the dart.

"Can you tell us where it came from?" Obi-Wan asked, hope rising in his voice. Dex grinned, looking over at Buffy who smiled back; he put the dart back down and nodded.

"This baby belongs to them cloners," he told them. Buffy noticed Obi-Wan looked a little puzzled. "What you got here is a Kamino saberdart."

"Kamino saberdart?" Buffy asked and Obi-Wan looked to Dex. That was a new word; Buffy had started a list in her mind of new words. Saberdart was a good one, right up there with Lightsaber and Jedi.

"I don't know, it didn't show up in the droid analyses," Obi-Wan said and Dex snickered lightly.

"It's these funny little cuts on the side give it away," Dex said, pointing the cuts out with his huge fingers. "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," he said, drawing the last word out.

"Well, Dex, if droids could think, we wouldn't be here, would we?" They both laughed and Buffy smiled, she wanted to get out of here, they had a destination, why couldn't they go now? "Kamino, doesn't sound familiar. Is it part of the Republic?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy nodded, ah, that was why.

"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. These Kaminoans keep to themselves. They're cloners. Damned good ones, too." Buffy was curious if he meant real clones, like making someone out of someone else, that was a little creepy.

"Cloners? Are they friendly?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy decided it was a good question, but she was still itching to get going. This whole research thing had never been her thing.

"It depends," Dex said and Buffy realized he was drawing it out on purpose, probably because he could tell Obi-Wan was curious.

"On what, Dex?" Obi-Wan asked, obviously wishing Dex would get to the point.

"On how good your manners are... and how big your pocketbook is..." he told them and Buffy smiled. So they were in it for the money, well that didn't surprise her. Obi-Wan nodded his head before he stood up. Buffy got out after him smiling at Dex.

"Thanks Dex," Obi-Wan said, pocketing the dart again.

"It was nice meeting an old friend of Obi-Wan," Buffy said, smiling up at him.

"Indeed," Dex said, nodding his head as he too stood. He was a good foot taller than Buffy, but then, who wasn't. "Come back when you have more time, I'll tell you some stories about your new friend Obi-Wan here," he said, elbowing Obi-Wan with his lower arm.

"I'll do that," Buffy said, nodding her head. Now that might be worth sitting around for.

-o-o-o-o-

"It just doesn't make any sense," Obi-Wan said as he and Buffy walked through the Jedi archives. "It should be there."

"Maybe Dex got it wrong," Buffy suggested and put her hands up in mock surrender when Obi-Wan looked sideways at her. "Or not."

"So, who are all these guys?" Buffy asked, looking up at the busts of different people.

"They are the Lost Twenty," Obi-Wan said and Buffy nodded; that didn't mean anything to her. He must have seen that because he explained further. "The only Jedi ever to resign their commissions from the Jedi Order."

"Oh," Buffy said, nodding her head. The bust that Obi-Wan was looking at looked to be human, he had a short beard that for some reason Buffy imagined would have been white.

"This is Count Dooku," Obi-Wan told her, looking at the man she was looking at. "He was Qui-Gon's master." Buffy studied the man's bust closely, wondering who he was and why he'd left.

"Did you call for assistance?" an older woman asked, coming up next to the pair. Buffy looked over at her as Obi-Wan blinked.

"Yes, we did," Buffy said finally, when Obi-Wan didn't speak up.

"Are you having a problem, Master Kenobi?" she asked, looking to Obi-Wan then back to Buffy.

"Yes, we're trying to find a planet system called Kamino. It doesn't seem to show up on any of the archive charts," Obi-Wan said as the three of them walked back towards the computers.

"I'm Elisa," Buffy said, smiling at the older woman.

"I'm Jocasta Nu," she said, smiling sweetly at Buffy. "You must be who has the council in a buzz." Obi-Wan looked up from the computer and Jocasta smiled.

"Kamino?" she asked, leaning over Obi-Wan's shoulder to look at the screen. "It's not a system I'm familiar with... Let me see...Are you sure you have the right coordinates?"

"According to my information, it should be in this quadrant somewhere... just south of the Rishi Maze," Obi-Wan said, tapping the screen where the planet should be. She looked over at Obi-Wan, a frown on her face.

"No coordinates?" she asked, sounding a little disgusted. "It sounds like the sort of directions you'd get from a street tout...or some old miner or Furbog trader."

"All three, actually," Obi-Wan told her and Buffy could see he was holding back the smirk.

"Are you sure it exists?" she asked skeptically.

"Absolutely," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. Buffy was surprised by Obi-Wan's faith in Dex. He didn't seem the kind for blind faith, so this Dex must be a very reliable guy. She'd have to remember that.

"I hate to say it, but it looks like the system you're searching for doesn't exist," she said after a few more moments.

"That's impossible... perhaps the archives are incomplete," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head as he stood up.

"The archives are comprehensive and totally secure, my young Jedi. One thing you may be absolutely sure of - if an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist!" she told them hotly before turning and walking away.

"Well," Buffy said, nodding her head. "She was helpful."

"We'll go to Yoda, perhaps he can help us," Obi-Wan said, looking over his shoulder at her. "Have the council in a buzz?" he asked, his tone teasing and Buffy shrugged.

"I guess," she said, frowning a little.

"Don't worry, things will work themselves out," Obi-Wan said, putting his hand on her shoulder. He was so sincere it made Buffy smile, she hoped he was right.

-o-o-o-o-

Buffy and Obi-Wan stood back as a group of younglings exited the room they were walking towards. They all looked up at Obi-Wan and smiled or waved. He seemed to know them all. They were all dressed in mini Jedi robes and Buffy thought they all looked so cute.

"Yoda has just finished a class," Obi-Wan said as they walked into the room. Yoda looked up at them as they entered and smiled. He walked slowly towards them leaning heavily on his walking stick.

"Welcome Obi-Wan, Buffy, or Mara is it now?" Yoda asked, a small smirk on his face.

"Actually I'm going with Elisa now," Buffy said, bending down so she was eye level with him. "I don't suppose you guys have come to any kind of a decision have you?"

"Discussing this, the council is," Yoda said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Your fate, I cannot see. Give them time, you must." Buffy nodded her head as she slowly stood back up. Obi-Wan looked over at her, smiling reassuringly.

"What help to you, can I be?" Yoda asked, walking farther into the room with them.

"I'm looking for a planet described to me by an old friend. I trust him. But the system doesn't show up on the archive maps." Obi-Wan explained shaking his head; Buffy could feel his confusion, which was starting to confuse her. She'd never been dense when it came to people's feelings but she'd never been very empathic either. Now though, she could feel his confusion like she could feel her own. Yoda looked up at her, he watched her for a moment before he turned back to Obi-Wan.

"Ah, lost a planet you have." Yoda looked over at Buffy again and shook his head slowly. "How embarrassing, how embarrassing." Buffy giggled as Obi-Wan smiled. "An interesting puzzle," Yoda said, walking to the very middle of the room. "Put it in the map reader and find your wayward planet we will."

Obi-Wan put a little glass ball on the tall shaft in the center of the room. Yoda raised his arm and brought it down and with it the shades fell. The room filled with a light show unlike any Buffy had ever seen before. Stars shone all around her, they were floating, a kind of 3D hologram that filled the room.

"This is where it ought to be... but it isn't. Gravity is pulling all the stars in this area inward to this spot. There should be a star here... but there isn't," Obi-Wan said, walking to a spot in the stars and pointing out the empty spot to Yoda, where there was obviously a gravity pull, but no planet.

"Your archive librarian said that if the information wasn't in the archive then it didn't exist," Buffy said, walking around the two of them thinking it over. "But we're sure it's there." Obi-Wan watched her as she walked around the stars; she had a most thoughtful look on her face. Finally she stopped and looked down at Yoda.

"Couldn't someone have just erased it?" she finally asked after a moment. Buffy decided it must be a stupid suggestion, because Obi-Wan just stared at her and Yoda chuckled a little.

"Right, you are," Yoda said, nodding his head after a moment. He smiled up at her as Obi-Wan took the glass ball off the stand.

"I am?" Buffy asked, a little surprised. The stars disappeared and Yoda brought the shades back up.

"Go to the center of the gravity's pull, and find your planet you will," Yoda said, looking up at Obi-Wan.

"But Master Yoda, who could have erased information from the archives? That's impossible, isn't it?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy listened; it must be heavily guarded if they thought it was impossible to erase something from it. Yoda looked from Buffy to Obi-Wan and sighed.

"Dangerous and disturbing this puzzle is. Only a Jedi could have erased those files. But who and why, harder to answer. Meditate on this, I will. May the Force be with you," Yoda said and Obi-Wan nodded his head. He walked past Buffy towards the doors; Buffy looked back over at Yoda before following him out.

"Why would a Jedi erase something like a planet from the archives?" Buffy asked widening her step to keep up with Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan looked down at her but didn't answer, had no answer she was sure.

-o-o-o-o-

"There it is, Elisa, right where it should be. Our missing planet, Kamino. Those files were altered." He looked over his shoulder at Buffy; she was trying to hold onto her composure because it seemed lightspeed didn't quite agree with her. She was gripping the side of the starship so hard her knuckles were starting to turn white. "You were right."

"Ok, great," Buffy said, nodding her head as she tried to loosen her grip. "We're not going to do that again for a while are we?"

"No," Obi-Wan told her as he disengaged from the hyperspace transport ring. Slowly he flew towards the planet; it was easy to forget that she was not used to this kind of travel.

"It looks very wet," Buffy said after they broke atmosphere and she could see the hard rain falling. The wide buildings built on stilts seemed like they would withstand any kind of storm though. 'Why would anyone erase this planet?' Buffy thought as Obi-Wan brought the ship closer.

"Shall we see what's so important about this planet?" Obi-Wan asked as he touched down on the landing platform. He was thinking along the same lines as Buffy, what could be here worth erasing?

"Well, we've come all this way," Buffy said, smirking at him when he turned and looked at her; he had an odd little smile on his face. They both climbed out of the starship as best they could as the rain pounded at them. Buffy pulled her hood up after Obi-Wan and they both hurried to the doors. They slid open and they stepped in and looked around. Buffy pushed her hood back and ran her hands through her hair, it was soaked, as was Obi-Wan's.

"Master Jedi, so good to see you." Both of them looked up as a very tall thin alien walked over to them. She had some kind of smile on her face; her lips were so small it was hard to tell. "The Prime Minister expects you."

"We're expected?" Obi-Wan asked warily, looking over to Buffy then back to the tall alien.

"Of course! He is anxious to meet you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now please, this way!" she said, sweeping her hands in front of her. Buffy could tell Obi-Wan had been surprised by the fact that they had known they were coming, but he hid it well.

"All these years?" Buffy said in such a low whisper she knew only Obi-Wan would hear her. He looked from Buffy back to Taun We and back again and shrugged. After only a little while they came to some, surprise, surprise, white doors. Everything here, Buffy was starting to see, was white, or some close shade. The doors slid open and Buffy followed Obi-Wan into the small round room. There was another tall thin alien sitting in an egg shaped chair in the middle of the room. He stood up when they walked in and smiled at them both. One chair lowered from the ceiling and Obi-Wan sat down, Buffy stood to his right.

"May I present Lama Su, Prime Minister of Kamino... and this is Master Jedi..." She trailed off, looking over to Obi-Wan and Buffy.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan said, then looking to his right he smiled. "And my companion Elisa."

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

"You make us feel most welcome," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. Buffy was starting to consider the fact that maybe Obi-Wan didn't know what was going on any better than she did.

"And now to business. You will be delighted to hear we are on schedule. Two hundred thousand units are ready, with another million well on the way," Lama Su told them, obviously expecting them to know just what he was talking about.

"That is... good news." Neither of the Kaminoans seemed to notice the pause but Buffy did, he was improvising. He didn't know what was going on; Buffy wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse. Nope, worse, it definitely made her feel worse.

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

"I'm sorry? Master...?" Obi-Wan asked, looking a little confused.

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

"Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago," Obi-Wan told him and Buffy had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was going on here, something none of them had expected.

"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," Lama Su told them, nodding his head proudly.

"The army?" Buffy couldn't help but ask. Obi-Wan looked up at her and she smiled sheepishly at him.

"Yes, a clone army. And, I must say, one of the finest we've ever created," Lama Su told them, looking from Buffy to Obi-Wan.

"Tell me, Prime Minister, when my Master first contacted you about the army, did he say who it was for?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy could feel, even though she wasn't sure how, that Obi-Wan was uneasy about this too.

"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic. But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself," Lama Su told them as he stood up and looked down at them.

"That's why we're here," Obi-Wan said, standing up too. He looked over at Buffy when Lama Su was ahead of them; he let her see his confusion for a moment before he covered it again. She was feeling exactly the same, what was going on here?

-o-o-o-o-

"Anakin, this is Paddy Accu, he's the retreat caretaker," Padme introduced an older man with a balding head. He had a big smile on his face as Anakin reached out and shook his hand.

"So nice to have people up here for a while," Paddy told them, helping them load their luggage into the water speeder. "Been a while, no one seems to have time anymore these days."

"I'm very excited about seeing it," Padme said as Anakin helped her into the speeder. "It has been far too long." Paddy nodded and Anakin climbed into the speeder. The water was calm and the ride was smooth and easy. Padme pointed out a few of the different birds that flew over them.

"Oh, Anakin, there it is!" Padme gasped as the large retreat came into view. It sat just on the edge of the water, the sun sparkling off the windows.

"It's beautiful," Anakin agreed, nodding his head and Padme smiled at him.

"I can't wait to show you around, Anakin," she said, looking from it to him, a smile on her face that made her whole face light up.

"How long has it been here?" he asked, looking the huge lake house over. It was probably one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen on Naboo.

"A very long time," Padme told him as they got closer. "It's been here for almost 200 years," Padme said and fell easily into the history of the lake retreat. Anakin sat back and listened as she told him all about it. It was so easy to listen to her talk; she had such a soft comforting voice. It was no wonder she was such a good senator. She got so into it that she was surprised when they docked at the retreat. Anakin smiled at her and got out then reached down for her. She took his hand and he helped her out of the water speeder.

"I'll have your stuff taken up to your rooms," Paddy told them and Padme smiled nodding her head.

"Thank you, Paddy," Padme said. He nodded his head and walked towards the main house. Padme looked up at Anakin; she looked like an excited child.

"Come on, I'd like to show you something," she said, walking up some stairs to their right. Anakin followed her up the stairs out onto a small balcony that overlooked the water.

"When I was in Level Three, we used to come here for school retreat. See that island? We used to swim there every day. I love the water," she told him as they came to the edge of the balcony. She leaned on the railing and sighed wistfully.

"I do too. I guess it comes from growing up on a desert planet," he told her and she smiled up at him. Padme blinked a few times at his gaze then turned back to the water.

"We used to lie on the sand and let the sun dry us... and try to guess the names of the birds singing," she said, trying to fill the empty air. There was something in the air here, something she couldn't quite identify.

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything's soft... and smooth," Anakin said, running his fingers lightly over Padme's arm. Padme looked up into his eyes and felt almost caught there. He leaned over and did catch her lips with his. It was such a feeling, so much emotion and passion in that one little kiss. It only took a moment for Mara's words to come floating back to her, 'don't let him do anything stupid' - is this what she meant? Padme pulled away and looked down at the water a few feet below them.

"No, I shouldn't have done that," she told him, not sure what this feeling in the pit of her stomach was, but she knew it was going to be a problem.

"I'm sorry," Anakin said quietly as he too looked out at the water.

-o-o-o-o-

'Another hall made of all glass,' Buffy thought as Lama Su and Taun We led them through their facility. Outside the glass, there were little pods with what looked like babies in them, all over. It was a little frightening for Buffy; she had never even imagined something like this. 'Xander on the other hand,' she thought, looking at Obi-Wan as he talked with Lama Su, 'he'd be right at home here.' Buffy stopped in front of what looked to be some kind of a classroom.

"We take great pride in our combat education and training programs. This group was created about five years ago," Lama Su told them as they looked over the small boys. They all looked exactly the same, hair, height, age, they were all the same.

"You mentioned growth acceleration?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy looked back at Lama Su. Lama Su nodded his head as he walked towards the glass walls.

"Oh yes, it's essential. Otherwise, a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now, we can do it in half the time," he explained, looking down at Obi-Wan. This whole thing was just all kinds of wrong, growing people? And not just that, but as an army, made to fight, with no will of their own.

"You'll find they are totally obedient, taking any order without question. We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host," Lama Su explained as they moved on past the classroom.

"Who was the original host?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy nodded; at least he was keeping up with all this, it was a little mind boggling for her.

"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett. We felt a Jedi would be the perfect choice, but Sifo-Dyas hand-picked Jango Fett himself," Lama Su told them and Buffy's ears perked up at the words bounty hunter. Could this be the guy they were looking for?

"Where is this bounty hunter now?" Obi-Wan asked, looking back at the two Kaminoans; obviously he was thinking the same thing she was.

"Oh, we keep him here," Lama Su said, nodding his head.

"Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing - an unaltered clone for himself. Curious, isn't it?" Lama Su explained as they passed by a group of clones who were all sitting down to eat. They looked like fully grown adults and Buffy found herself contemplating how old they really were.

"Unaltered?" Buffy asked, seconds before Obi-Wan could utter the same word.

"Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile... and no growth acceleration," Lama Su explained to Buffy, a semi patronizing look on his face.

"We would very much like to meet this Jango Fett," Obi-Wan said and Buffy nodded her head. She sure would like to have a few words with this guy.

"I would be most happy to arrange it for you," Taun We told him, smiling. She bowed and turned and walked back the way they had come. Lama Su led them out onto a balcony, Buffy walked to the edge and had to hold back the gasp of surprise. There had to be hundreds of them, thousands. They were all wearing white armor and had helmets on, but Buffy could see their faces in her mind, all exactly the same.

"Magnificent, aren't they?" Lama Su asked, walking over to the edge and looking out at the clone army too. 'Grotesque,' Buffy thought, wondering what Obi-Wan thought of all this. Maybe here, in this world, this kind of thing was normal. Buffy took a deep breath as Obi-Wan slowly nodded his head.

-o-o-o-o-

"So she reached over and kissed me," Anakin told Padme, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "Obi-Wan had a hard time not laughing outright at the whole thing." Padme nodded her head chuckling a little at his story. Anakin was telling her about his first kiss, it had been a girl he'd helped Obi-Wan save almost right after he'd become a Padawan.

"What about you?" Anakin asked as Padme leaned off the blanket they were sitting on in the huge meadow and picked a flower. She looked up at him and he smiled at the faint blush on her cheeks.

"I don't know," she said, shrugging her shoulders a little and looking back at the flower.

"Sure you do... you just don't want to tell me," Anakin said, playfully nudging her with his elbow.

"Are you going to use one of your Jedi mind tricks on me?" Padme asked teasingly as she looked back up at him. She turned the little flower into a ring and slid it onto her finger.

"They only work on the weak-minded. You are anything but weak-minded," Anakin assured her, a semi serious look on his face.

"All right," Padme said, laughing lightly. "I was twelve. His name was Palo. We were both in the Legislative Youth Program. He was a few years older than I...very cute...dark curly hair...dreamy eyes." Padme giggled at the look of disgust on Anakin's face.

"All right, I get the picture," Anakin said, shaking his head. "Whatever happened to him?"

"I went into public service. He went on to become an artist," Padme told him, picking up a piece of fruit.

"Maybe he was the smart one," Anakin said, an edge of humor in his voice.

"You really don't like politicians, do you?" Padme asked, laughing at the look on his face.

"I like two or three." He looked sideways at her and smirked. "But I'm not really sure about one of them." He paused and seemed to be thinking about something. "I don't think the system works."

"How would you have it work?" Padme asked, leaning back onto her arms.

"We need a system where the politicians sit down and discuss the problem, agree what's in the best interests of all the people, and then do it," Anakin said and Padme shook her head.

"That is exactly what we do. The trouble is that people don't always agree. In fact, they hardly ever do," Padme said, getting into the discussion, unaware that Anakin was purposely winding her up.

"Then they should be made to," Anakin told her, a slight frown on his face.

"By whom? Who's going to make them?" Padme asked seriously.

"I don't know. Someone."

"You?" Padme asked and Anakin shook his head.

"Of course not me," Anakin said, knowing a system like that could never work, not in reality.

"But someone."

"Someone wise," Anakin said, enjoying his teasing. She shook her head and frowned.

"That sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me," she said, looking sideways at Anakin. A mischievous little grin crept across his face.

"Well, if it works." Padme looked at him shocked for a moment. But Anakin couldn't hold the serious look for very long and she shook her head when the smile broke out on his face.

"You're making fun of me!" she demanded, laughing at the look on his face.

"Oh no," he said sarcastically, shaking his head. "I'd be much too frightened to
tease a Senator."

"You're so bad!" Padme told him. She leaned over to swat him playfully on the arm but he dodged out of the way. She picked up a piece of fruit and threw it at him. He caught it in his right hand and wiggled his eyebrows. She picked up more fruit and threw it at him too. As soon as he had three pieces he started to juggle them. She kept throwing them and he kept adding them to his juggling.

"You're so serious," Anakin said, now juggling six pieces of fruit, and doing it pretty well too.

"I'm so serious?!" Padme asked as he started to lose control of all the fruit. She laughed as all the fruit rained down on him. He fell back down next to her, their laughter ringing through the waterfalls that surrounded them.

"What is that?" Anakin asked after a while when he caught sight of the huge four legged animal off in the distance. Padme regained her breath and looked up where he was looking.

"That's a shaak," Padme said, looking over at Anakin as he stood up.

"Is it mean?" Anakin asked, helping her up off the blanket too.

"No," Padme said shaking her head. "They're not domesticated though," she said and caught a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Ok," Anakin said, starting over to them.

"Anakin, what are you doing?" Padme asked, running up next to him.

"Stand back, M'Lady," Anakin said with false bravado as he swaggered up to the shaak. Padme giggled as she watched him walk around the shaak.

"Annie, be careful," she called. Anakin began to be a little more cautious as he reached out with the force to calm the shaak. The shaak huffed as Anakin began to ease himself onto its back, standing. Anakin let go of the force and when the shaak realized there was something on its back it began to run.

"Anakin!" Padme laughed, running after them. She stopped in horror when the shaak bucked Anakin off its back and he landed on the ground in front of it. She ran to him as the shaak trampled him then ran off. Anakin tried to pull himself up but couldn't do it.

"Annie, Annie!" Padme called as she got closer. "Are you all right?" She asked frantically as she turned him over. She pulled away when she saw his smiling face.

"Oh!" she yelped as she began to pound on his chest lightly. "You-" she was cut off as Anakin grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down, she flipped them over and they rolled through the grass a little before coming to a stop with Padme lying on top of Anakin; she was now looking down as they both laughed. Their laughter died off and they both just stared at each other.

"I want to try," Padme said, quickly sitting up and moving away from Anakin.

"Ok," Anakin said, nodding his head. He stood up and reached down for her hand. She let him help her up and they slowly walked over to another shaak. Anakin calmed it a little and then climbed on, sitting down this time. He helped Padme up and she sat behind him. Anakin smiled when she wrapped her arms around his stomach.

"Let's see what this thing can do," Padme said and Anakin nodded his head, digging his heels into the shaak's side and laughing at Padme's muffled cry of shock as the shaak started off.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Could this have been hidden from the council?" Buffy asked Obi-Wan as they sat in a small room alone. Lama Su had some things to see to so they were waiting for Taun We to show them to the bounty hunter.

"Not easily, no," Obi-Wan said as he rubbed his bearded chin in thought. Buffy watched and wondered why he had a beard, it made him look older than he was.

"Why the beard?" she asked after a moments thought. "I mean, is it like a Jedi thing or do you just like it?" Obi-Wan looked up at her from his musings and smiled.

"I started it after I took on Anakin as my Padawan, I don't know, it just seemed the thing to do," he told her, shrugging his shoulders a little. "Why do you put false coloring into your hair?"

"What?!" Buffy asked, reaching up to the top of her head. "How can you tell?" Obi-Wan reached up and ran his hands over the roots of his hair. "Oh, are my roots showing?" She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "I don't suppose you guys have hair dyes?"

"I'm sure we could find something," Obi-Wan told her, nodding his head. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Oh." Buffy thought, nodding her head. "I don't know, I just like being blonde." She smirked when she saw his point and nodded. "You just like having a beard, gotcha."

"My-"

"He's back," Taun We said, interrupting Obi-Wan as she walked into the room. "I will show you to his apartment."

"Cool," Buffy said, standing up with Obi-Wan. Buffy wished she could see what he looked like without the beard; she was willing to bet it would take ten years off his face.

-o-o-

The three of them walked down another long white hallway and stopped at a door on the right side. Taun We waved her hand and they could hear an almost silent bell go off inside. Buffy looked down at the door where Obi-Wan was looking and noticed the odd locks on the doors. When the doors finally slid open a few seconds later, a ten year old boy was standing there looking up at them.

"Boba, is your father here?" Taun We asked politely, smiling down at him. Boba's eyes lingered on Buffy and Obi-Wan, then he nodded.

"Yep," he said, nodding his head but making no move to invite them in.

"May we see him?" Taun We asked still smiling down at the kid.

"Sure," he said, now moving back from the doorway so they could enter. "Dad! Taun We's here!" he called, walking into the living room area. Buffy was not surprised by the look of the man who came in from some side room. He had dark hair, just like the kid and had weird tattoos all down his left arm, and of course, looked just like all the clones. He had a suspicious look on his face as he too eyed Obi-Wan and Buffy, his eyes lingering on Buffy in a way that was not unfamiliar to her.

"Jango, welcome back. Was your trip productive?" Taun We asked, walking farther into the room.

"Fairly," Jango said, nodding his head as he and Obi-Wan sized each other up.

"This is Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's come to check on our progress," she said, sweeping her arm back to Obi-Wan and Buffy. "And this is his companion, Elisa."

"That right?" Jango asked, fixing his eyes coldly on Obi-Wan.

"Your clones are very impressive. You must be very proud," Obi-Wan told him with utterly no emotion, clearly not impressed. Buffy wondered how he did that; she wasn't sure how much more of Jango's staring she was going to be able to take.

"I'm just a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe, Master Jedi." The words 'Master Jedi' were mocking ones and not meant to show any respect.

"Yeah right," Buffy muttered under her breath, just loud enough that Boba heard her and glared. Something about this kid made her way uneasy. While Obi-Wan and Jango continued to size each other up Buffy looked around the room a little. She caught sight of something sitting in the corner of a room off to the left. She lightly nudged Obi-Wan and he turned to look at her and she looked towards the room. He followed her gaze and saw the armor sitting on the floor too. Jango saw them both looking and moved so he was now standing in the way.

"Ever make your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?" And now Buffy could hear a little bit of emotion in Obi-Wan's voice.

"Once or twice," Jango said smugly, nodding his head.

"Recently?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy felt him stiffen a little.

"Possibly..." he said, drawing the word out.

"Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas?" Obi-Wan asked, watching Jango's every move. Buffy knew, without a doubt this was the guy, for sure. Why was Obi-Wan pussy footing around it? Was there some information he was hoping to glean first? She tried to look at it from his point of view, he must know what he was doing, she could wait.

"Master who?" Jango asked. He turned to his son and said something that Buffy didn't understand and a few seconds later Boba closed the door where the armor was.

"Sifo-Dyas. Is he not the Jedi who hired you for this job?" Obi-Wan asked, watching as Boba closed the door.

"Never heard of him," Jango told them, shrugging his shoulders.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked; the suspicion in his voice was clear.

"I was recruited by a man called Darth Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden," Jango said, nodding his head.

"No? I thought-"

"Sifo-Dyas told us to expect him," Taun We interrupted Obi-Wan, turning to look back at him. "And he showed up just when your Jedi Master said he would. We have kept the Jedi's involvement a secret until your arrival, just as your Master requested." She smiled at him and seemed genuinely confused by the tension in the room.

"Curious," Obi-Wan said under his breath so only Buffy could hear him.

"Do you like your army?" Jango asked after a moment of silence.

"I look forward to seeing them in action," Obi-Wan told him, nodding his head.

"They'll do their job well, I'll guarantee that," Jango told them smiling. 'Man, he has a creepy smile,' Buffy thought as Obi-Wan nodded.

"Thanks for your time, Jango," Obi-Wan said, smiling thinly at him.

"Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi," Jango said, nodding his head at them.

Buffy followed Obi-Wan and Taun We out the door. It slid shut behind them and Buffy had to shake an odd feeling away as they walked down the hall. The two of them hung back a little ways from Taun We as she led them out.

"He knows something," Buffy said quietly, looking down at the ground.

"Yes, he does," Obi-Wan agreed, nodding his head lightly.

"Why don't we go ask him then?" Buffy asked, still not understanding why they hadn't asked more pointed questions.

"We must take this to the council first," Obi-Wan said, looking over at her. "Though I'm sure they'll feel the same way."

"Ok, check in first." Buffy was having a little bit of a hard time falling into the follower role. Not that she considered herself that big a leader, but this was very different from the way things worked back home. She hadn't 'checked in' with the council in years. "Then we can question him?"

"Most likely," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head.

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