Chapter 55 - Clues

"Ooh, this is good news." Obi-Wan announced.

Siri cocked her head to look at him.

"The council approved the mission to Niro," Obi-Wan elaborated. "And they've appointed Anakin and I.. Oh, hold on." He paused to continue reading. "Us and Master Jinn's team. A joint assignment, hmm." Obi-Wan was tempted to go into self doubt here, wondering if they assigned him to the mission with his former master because they were doubting his abilities.

"I'm sure they just know how good of a team you two are. They are hoping some of it will rub off on your padawans." Siri seemed to read his hesitation.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what it is." Obi-Wan accepted.

"Alex is here now, helping Anakin put something up in his room. If you want to tell the boys now…"

"Yes, I think I will."

"I will be taking my Padawan out to train then. I'll see you tonight." Siri kissed him, then turned towards Kent's room.

Obi-Wan got up from the computer desk and walked towards his Padawan's room. Then he stopped.

Behind the door, he could hear arguing. "No. I said Left a little more," Anakin insisted.

"But if you go left, it won't be in the light," Alex returned.

"I want to see it from the bed!" Anakin bossed him back.

Obi-Wan could feel Alex roll his eyes from behind the door. Maybe the council was right to assign this as a joint mission after all. His Anakin could be a bit type A, and that would create conflict if he didn't learn how to work with his peers. Obi-Wan knocked on the door.

There was a pause inside, where both boys looked up in surprise. Then a moment later, Anakin opened the door.

"Hello boys, I have some news for you…" Obi-Wan paused. His mouth left open in shock when he saw the exact poster both boys were putting up on the wall.

"Master?" Anakin almost waved his hands in front of Obi-Wan's face.

Obi-Wan blinked. After all, his Padawan was thirteen. It was only natural that he'd show interest in these things. Sure, they'd need to talk about all of that, but it was a conversation for another day. Of course, even though most teens in the temple would love a poster like this one, few could be found inside of Temple walls, leading to one question…

"Where did you get that?" Obi-Wan pointed up at the image.

"Master Jinn. Do you hate it?" Anakin asked.

"No. No," He denied. "We'll have to have a talk about it, Master Jinn and I. Anyways, come on out to the living room and I have some news for you." Obi-Wan glanced up one last time at the feminine frame of the Naboo royal, then he shut the door as he followed the boys out. His Master sure would be hearing about this.

Anakin excitedly followed Obi-Wan to the Temple Hangar. He couldn't believe it. Less than a month since he and Obi-Wan were declared Master and Padawan, and he already had his second mission. What's more, this mission would be a joint mission. Qui-Gon and Alex would be coming along too.

"Anakin, I want you to remember to use your social skills on this trip." Obi-Wan reminded.

His Padawan rolled his eyes. It was the second time that morning they were having this conversation.

"I'm serious. The council will be watching how you two work together, and should they find fault, there could be consequences."

"How can the council be watching us from Coruscant? We will be on another planet." Anakin pointed out.

Obi-Wan looked down in awe at his Padawan, before he replied, "The Council is always watching, young one."

Anakin rolled his eyes. He had no worries about being able to work with Alex. They were old clanmates, after all.

Together they joined Alex and Qui-Gon on the bridge of the ship they'd be taking. Both were busy preparing it for take-off.

The tension on the bridge was so thick, you could cut it with a lightsaber. Obi-Wan seemed to be in a particular mood today. He and Qui-Gon were standing back to back on the bridge, silent as ever. Whenever Qui-Gon would try to break the silence, Obi-Wan's cold responses would quell it.

"What's wrong, Padawan?" Qui-Gon had asked.

"Nothing's wrong?" Obi-Wan insisted, though everyone knew he was lying.

Anakin thought they could both use a distraction. "Master, can I help set our destination?" He had since given up asking to fly their ship, but sometimes he was allowed to help with co-piloting duties.

"Uh, you know what? Why don't you go with Alex to the engine room. I think something might be loose." Qui-Gon hit one of the buttons to demonstrate, and of course it did nothing. The display was switched off.

But Qui-Gon knew how to pilot a ship. If he thought he was having an issue with the hyperdrive, Anakin would go take a look. "Okay. Come on Alex."

Obi-Wan sighed.

Immediately after both padawans were out of earshot, Qui-Gon turned to look at him. "Come on now, Padawan. You have that same face every time you're mad at me. I think I'd know how to spot it by now. What did I do?"

"I understand you gave my Padawan a poster for his wall." Qui-Gon nodded in recognition but when he failed to apologize Obi-Wan glared at him.

It was too similar to the way Siri reacted when he'd first complained about it. She'd actually laughed at him. "Baby, I know why you're reacting, but come on… If he had come to me, I'd have gotten him one from the undercity, where more than the girl's knees would be showing."

He did not expect the same from his Master. "I know he is a teenager now. And I should expect this sort of thing. It's just that… I don't expect you to encourage his hormones. At least warn me first!"

"Hold on…" Qui-Gon blinked. "The Poster of Queen Amidala. He met her, remember, when he was nine. And I only gave him that because he had been asking for one. He's been following her election over the holonet. Anyways, he was specific that he wanted one of the 'real' Queen. Few posters, actually, are real. I think she gets her stand ins to do a lot of the press meetings. Anyways, if you have a problem with that poster, I got it from grandmaster Yoda."

Obi-Wan's lips tightened in a firm line. He was still mad. Anakin had been obsessed with Padme Amidala lately. It was more than just a childish interest, he had a crush on her. Only before now, he would just be reading her speeches and asking Obi-Wan if he thought she remembered him. Even if Qui-Gon had intended it as an innocent gift, he should've known better. His Master never let him keep a poster like that. But there was no time to complain. A buzzer on the panel was blinking, so he nodded to permit his master to answer it.

"Yes," Qui-Gon touched a button and spoke into the microphone.

"Master Jinn." Came the voice of Anakin over the ships comm.

"What did you find?"

"Everything's connected in here. Are you sure the switches aren't working?"

Qui-Gon hit the main switch on his panel, then playfully smacked himself in the head. "Of course! Now we're working. Come on down to the bridge, and Obi-Wan will let you enter our destination coordinates into the computer."

"Yay!" Anakin happily replied. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

"Okay, We are approaching Niro." Obi-Wan turned around to lecture the two younger Padawans. "Qui-Gon is going to give our credentials to their landing authority. When we get out, we are going to have to split up. You two," he pointed to both Anakin and Alex, "will be talking to the secretaries and lower employees. Try to be less direct with your questions. And pay attention to every detail. Little clues that don't seem like much can become very important in cases like this. While you are doing your investigation, we will be meeting with the senior office here, seeing what they are prepared to release to us regarding the missing senator." He stopped and made sure both boys were nodding along. "We will find you when we can. Remember to stay together and look out for one another."

"You don't need to worry about us," Anakin said confidently.

"Good, good." Obi-Wan got up to grab the case file filled with flimsy they would need. He heard Anakin whisper to Alex before he was out.

"We should try to solve this case first."

"Yeah!"

Obi-Wan silently laughed at his Padawan. A little competition could be what they'd need to work together.

"Come this way," Anakin loudly whispered.

"But Ani," Alex complained.

"Sssssshhhhhh," Anakin hushed. The Munn they were watching stepped out of the office. Anakin held up his hand and used the Force to prevent the door from clicking shut. "Come on."

Alex shook his head but followed him into the room. "Now what are you going to do? It still requires a password."

Anakin smiled, and his fingers itched, ready to type. "Now, I hack."

Alex still didn't look impressed. "I still think we should've gone to the lunchroom. If he came through this place and didn't get a bite to eat, it would've been strange."

Anakin waved him off. "I hacked into systems like these before. I was eight, and Watto wanted to take back a bet he made." Anakin lapsed into a story as he typed. "The big casinos on Tatooine had computers like this to keep track of your bets. And since he was betting Mom and me, I didn't want him to lose… Ah, here we go." Anakin hit download.

In a few moments they had what they needed. All the information his Master was supposedly receiving in the office upstairs and more. The entire file on Representative Meck the banking clan had. Anakin grabbed his datastick from the computer.

"Now we can go." Anakin said triumphantly. Alex sighed and turned to leave in a hurry.

"What's in there?" Alex impatiently tapped his feet.

Anakin had been staring at the banking forms for several minutes now. Nothing but numbers filled the pages he'd seized. He had expected something more obvious. "I don't…"

"Can we go talk to the lunchroom staff now?" Alex asked.

"I guess," Anakin shrugged. If this is all his Master and Grandmaster were receiving on their end, maybe they wouldn't know how to interpret it either.

"Good, it's this way." Alex's head shot up and he turned excitedly to go.

"How can I help you?" The server turned and, not finding anyone at his own height, looked down.

"We'd like to know if you've seen this man." Alex held out a holo-image.

"Not today. We don't get many Geonosians here," He answered.

"It wouldn't have been today, It would've been a while ago?" Alex specified.

The server leaned forwards to study the image. "Look, I'm not really allowed to share information…" He started to sweat.

"It's Jedi business." Alex tried.

Anakin held up his hand. "You will tell us what you know." He used the old Jedi mind trick. His Master might object to him using it in this situation, but he was getting impatient.

"I will tell you what I know." The server repeated in a daze. "I have seen him before. We don't often get a single Geonosian here. Usually they come together in a little swarm. But he came here alone several times. It's why I remembered it.

"Did he meet with anyone, or say where he was headed next?" Alex asked.

The man shook his head as the mind trick was wearing off. Unsure of why he was talking, he continued to share, "He never did business in the bank right away. There was someone else here who he'd meet first. After that he'd go to the bank. I don't know anything else."

"Alright, thank you." Alex disappointedly finished.

The server shook his head again, then walked back to his station.

"I'm sorry, I really thought we'd get more from him." Alex turned back to Anakin, who wasn't responding. So he waved his fingers in front of the boy's face. "Anakin. Yoh. ANAKIN."

Anakin blinked. "No, you were right to come here." Anakin pulled out his tablet with the information they received from the computers earlier. "He met with someone right before he went to the bank. Want to bet his business in the bank was concerning this transaction?" Anakin scanned down the list of transactions the bank had records of. "Here. He would often transfer money out of different accounts. Not enough to flag off anything official, but together it equals quite a sum. It went to a different account…" Anakin squinted at the screen. "C I S, What does that stand for?"

"Hmm, I haven't heard it before." Alex hummed.

"Neither have I," Anakin returned.

"Maybe if we go back to the bank's server room." Alex suggested.

"No wait. We should stay and ask more people about him while we're here." Anakin countered. If he learned anything in this, it's that working together means listening to your team-mates. And Alex's idea did give them their first lead.

"Okay," Alex turned to look around the room. "Lets go to the caff station next. How many times has your Master not stopped to get caff." Anakin agreed, so he stood up and turned towards the barista.

Hello,

I had been meaning to tease Anakin's crush on Padme for a while. In Attack of the Clones, when Anakin goes on about how good of a queen she was, and he heard the people were trying to get her to serve another term, I pictured a little Anakin, on his Jedi computers starting a Holonet petition and reading anything Naboo news related. He probably drove Obi-Wan nuts.

I decided to have Obi-Wan react a bit conservative over the poster issue. He is a Jedi and even though he's got a kid of his own, he's got the training too.

And Anakin's working with Alex got me to add a little character growth, with Anakin learning teamwork and such. I hope it feels natural to you. Next chapter we will probably get back to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. And we'll learn what Yoda meant when he warned that the Kenobi + Skywalker team attract disaster. Not like any of you don't know that already.