=Palace Gardens=
Throwing his hood back over his head, Ricco Bene swore. He'd been so close. If he'd just listened a little while longer he could have discovered perhaps a little bit more…
But somehow, despite all his careful planning, the Jedi had anticipated his move and were still a step ahead of him.
He vaulted over a wall to exit the palace gardens, rolling out of the fall to land on a cobblestone street. He took off at a run, drawing his cloak close to him.
How could he have been so stupid? Of course, he definitely could have used the younglings as a bargaining chip to get the Jedi to work with him. That much had been a solid plan from the start. He knew the younglings would be curious and would try to find out what the Jedi were up to- his intel on them was good. So, he had used the tried-and-true mind trick to force the handmaiden into letting them go if they asked. He'd wanted to make her look like a traitor to the Jedi, but of course Plo Koon would show up and see right through that.
Bene knew what the Jedi were up to, and he knew what kind of meeting the younglings would find once they were loose. The Jedi on Naboo had just been summoned to join a rescue mission on Geonosis to liberate Jedi Knight Kenobi and his little pet Skywalker, along with some stuffy senator he didn't care much for.
Bene's master Tyranus, known to the galaxy publicly as separatist leader Count Dooku, was behind their capture, and had briefed Bene on all that already. The Jedi had just now become aware of the situation, and were planning to counterattack this move by the separatist Confederacy of Independent Systems… The Confederacy was, of course, just a puppet for the Sith to take down the Republic, but the Jedi didn't know about this. And they wouldn't until it was too late.
Darth Tyranus had shared many of his plan's details with Bene, expecting him to serve as a spy, an investigator, and an intimidator. But from this mission Bene hadn't gotten much new information. Aside from perhaps stirring up a little fear and chaos, he had failed, and despite his best planning had acted too rashly, too impatiently. His master would not be pleased.
Shoving aside a group of slow-moving merchants, Bene tore down the street. It wouldn't be best for him to leave the system now, not like this. If Bene couldn't discover more of the Jedi's plans, then perhaps he could at least delay them from leaving for Geonosis. Yes, he could delay them. He could not fail the Sith, not if he planned on becoming one of them someday.
I'll make sure that's someday soon, he thought, as a plan formed in his head.