Qui-Gon stood upon a balcony overlooking one of the training simulators the cloning facility housed. From there he was able to watch as a squadron of clone troopers ran their drills. This was the third squadron he had watched since stepping onto the balcony, and this one was excelling just as much as the previous two had. Qui-Gon was impressed, and perhaps a little bit frightened, at the level of precision and coordination these clone troopers demonstrated. The more he watched, the more he felt it was imperative that he discover the reason this army had been commissioned. If the Jedi Council had indeed secretly ordered this army be created, the fact that the order was placed almost ten years ago showed an alarming level of foresight and planning on the Council's part. On the other hand, if they had not ordered it, the convenient timing of his discovery of this army just as the Senate was voting on the formation of a military was not lost upon Qui-Gon. It could not be a coincidence that an army was practically being handed to the Republic on a silver platter now, and Qui-Gon had a bad feeling about it.

As Qui-Gon was mulling these things over in his mind, Taun We appeared beside him. "Are you pleased with their performance?" she asked.

Qui-Gon snapped out of his thoughts in an instant and hid his true feelings behind a nod and a brief, "I am."

"I am very pleased to hear that," she nodded back.

An alarm blared through the room indicating the conclusion of the squadron's drills. Qui-Gon and Taun We watched in silence as the clones formed ranks and marched out of the simulator. Once they were gone, Taun We turned to Qui-Gon and said, "I have come to take you to see Jango Fett. He is waiting for us in his quarters."

"Very well," Qui-Gon replied. "Lead the way."

Taun We gave a slight bow and turned toward the door that led back to the corridor. Qui-Gon followed her in silence as they made their way through the labyrinth of corridors that made up the cloning facility. After some time, Taun We said, "You are rather quiet, Master Jedi."

Qui-Gon found this observation rather amusing since he knew certain members of the Jedi Order such as Mace Windu likely wouldn't describe him that way. After all, Qui-Gon was known in the Order for being something of an individual thinker and an idealist who was rather opinionated and wasn't afraid to speak his mind when the occasion arose. "I prefer to keep my own counsel," Qui-Gon said as he held back a smirk.

"I see," Taun We said.

They continued in silence for a little longer until Taun We stopped before a closed door. "We're here," she said.

She reached for the panel beside the door and rang the doorbell. After a moment, the door opened, and a boy of about ten years old stood before them. He was dressed in blue garments and his dark eyes gave a piercing stare from beneath his shaggy head of hair. "Boba," Taun We greeted the boy, "is your father home?"

"Yep," the boy nodded.

"May we see him?" Taun We asked.

"Sure," Boba replied.

Boba eyed Qui-Gon suspiciously and then led them into the living quarters. "Dad!" he called out. "Taun We's here!"

Qui-Gon discreetly scanned the main living space, looking for anything that might connect Jango to the toxic dart that had led him to Kamino. Unfortunately, the room was completely clean and yielded no clues whatsoever.

A door hissed open and Qui-Gon turned in the direction of the sound just in time to see a man who bore a striking resemblance to the boy enter from an adjacent room. "Jango," Taun We bowed. "Was your trip successful?"

"Very," Jango replied.

Qui-Gon took advantage of the momentary distraction Taun We's question had provided to look over Jango's shoulder into the other room. The quick glance paid off. There just inside the doorway, Qui-Gon saw Mandalorian armor with paint that matched that worn by the Mandalorian who shot the toxic dart. And Taun We had just asked about a trip Jango had apparently recently returned from. Chances were good that this man was the Mandalorian Qui-Gon was looking for.

"May I present Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn," Taun We gestured toward Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon gave Jango a slight bow, which Jango returned with a nod. "Welcome, Master Jedi," Jango said.

"Thank you," Qui-Gon answered. "I take it you're the famous bounty hunter Jango Fett?"

"I wouldn't say famous, nor am I much of a bounty hunter these days, but yes, I am Jango Fett," Jango replied.

"You do not bounty hunt anymore?" Qui-Gon asked.

"I do from time to time," Jango said. "I do it more to get away than for the bounties. I haven't much need for such things since taking this job. The Kaminoans keep me very well paid."

"Was that part of the agreement you made with Sifo-Dyas?" Qui-Gon asked.

Jango looked puzzled. "Who?"

"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas," Qui-Gon repeated. "Did he not hire you for this job?"

"No" Jango shook his head. "I was hired by a man called Tyranus."

Qui-Gon had never heard of anyone called Tyranus before, but he thought it best given the circumstances to give the others in the room no indication of this. "Ah, yes, of course," Qui-Gon smiled.

"You know Tyranus?" Jango asked.

"Not personally, no," Qui-Gon said, "but I know him by reputation."

"I see," Jango nodded.

"You mentioned you only bounty hunt to get away," Qui-Gon crossed his arms. "I take it this trip you've just returned from was one of these hunts?"

"It was."

"Did you succeed in capturing your target?"

"The bounty was not for capture."

"Assassination then?"

"Perhaps."

"Well? Were you successful?"

"Why? Are you looking to hire a bounty hunter?"

"Perhaps."

"Then let's just say the client was satisfied with my efforts."

"I see. Well then I shall take that into consideration."

Silence fell over the room as the two men studied each other, searching for the slightest indication of the true meaning behind each other's words. Finally, Jango spoke. "Do you like your army?"

"Yes, your clones are quite impressive. You must be very proud."

"I am. They'll do their jobs well, I can promise you that."

"Well that is very good to hear. I look forward to seeing them in action."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

"Of course. We shall leave you in peace. Thank you for your time."

"Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi."

Qui-Gon nodded and followed Taun We out of Jango's quarters. Once they were in the corridor and the door was shut behind them, Qui-Gon turned to Taun We and asked, "The boy, did he arrive here with his father?"

"No," Taun We replied. "Boba is a part of Jango's payment for supplying us with his DNA for your army."

"Payment?"

"Yes. Boba is an unaltered clone that has none of the genetic or behavioral modifications we normally give clones."

That certainly explained how Jango and Boba looked so alike. "I see," Qui-Gon nodded. "Is Jango close with the boy?"

"Of course," Taun We said. "He's been teaching Boba how to be a bounty hunter, and he has been quite successful at it. I believe Boba has potential to surpass his father as a bounty hunter."

"Is that so?" Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows. That information was good to know. It meant Qui-Gon would have to watch out for Boba in the event of a confrontation with Jango.

Qui-Gon knew he was going to need some time to think, so he took his leave of Taun We and made his way through the facility's corridors alone. He could feel deep within his spirit that something was wrong. As he walked the corridors, his mind began to race with questions. If this Jango Fett was indeed the Mandalorian who had shot the toxic dart, it certainly was a strange coincidence that the bounty hunter that was hired to assassinate Senator Amidala was the same bounty hunter who was hired to provide his DNA for a clone army of the Republic. And with all of the weapons Qui-Gon knew every Mandalorian warrior had at their disposal, why chose the one that would lead Qui-Gon directly here? Jango had commented that his client had been satisfied with his efforts. Qui-Gon hadn't heard from Obi-Wan and Anakin about subsequent attempts on Senator Amidala's life, so was it possible the purpose of these assassination attempts was never to kill her? Could it be possible that someone had hired Jango to do something that would garner the attention of the Jedi and then lead them directly to Kamino? If so, why? To reveal the existence of the clone army to the Jedi and therefore the Republic?

This led Qui-Gon's mind toward the clone army itself. Was Sifo-Dyas working on behalf of the Jedi Council when he ordered the army? If so, it made little sense that someone would need to lure the Jedi to Kamino. Unless of course the Council needed to absolve themselves of making that order without the approval of the Senate. If this was the action of a lone Jedi gone rogue who was also conveniently dead, the Council could posit to the Senate that while they certainly had no part in having this army made, now that it's existence was known it would be foolish to not take advantage of this gift. That could explain this Tyranus that Jango spoke of. Perhaps he was some kind of middle man. Or perhaps he was a representative of Kamino just as Sifo-Dyas was a representative of the Jedi Council. And wait, if Sifo-Dyas was meant to be the scapegoat for all of this, did the Jedi have him killed after he served his purpose as the Council's representative?

This was a disturbing train of thoughts, and Qui-Gon did not want to believe it. He had his disagreements with the Jedi Order, but he wanted to believe they weren't that corrupt. Could there be another explanation he was not seeing? Maybe Tyranus was the key. Could he perhaps be some mysterious benefactor working behind the scenes to assist the Republic in forming its army? Maybe he hired Jango to lure the Jedi here? But if that was the case, why do it? What could this Tyranus be gaining from such an effort? And could anyone really be sure Tyranus's motives were entirely altruistic? For all Qui-Gon knew, this whole thing could be some kind of trap. If it was a trap, it was hard to say who exactly the trap was for or how and when the trap would be sprung. And in the event it was a trap, was it better to spring the trap or avoid it entirely?

One thing was clear, Qui-Gon had to find Tyranus. Tyranus was the major unknown factor in this equation, and finding him would surely shed some light on the whole situation. In the meantime, Qui-Gon knew he could trust no one. There were too many unanswered questions to be able to rely on anyone else. Unfortunately, this meant that Qui-Gon's best shot at finding Tyranus was Jango. Getting that information out of Jango would not be easy since Jango already believed Qui-Gon knew who Tyranus was. Qui-Gon needing to pretend he understood more of what was going on than he actually did was finally beginning to pose a problem for him. If he was going to keep Jango from becoming suspicious, he would have to use a more subtle line of questioning that would gently coax the information he needed out of Jango.

Once he decided on his course of action, Qui-Gon went to the living quarters the Kaminoans had prepared for him. He would need to wait a little while before he could go back to see Jango again in order to avoid raising suspicion. Besides, some time spent in meditation to quiet his mind before speaking with Jango would likely be beneficial. Once he was inside his quarters, he knelt down on the floor and closed his eyes. As he began to steady his breathing, his mind wandered to Obi-Wan and Anakin, and he wondered how they were faring on Naboo. He hoped that his theory about Jango's mission to Coruscant was correct and that his Padawans had truly been in no further danger since they departed for Naboo.