Separate Assignments

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Next day, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Tey and Livia stood before the Jedi Council, giving their report of the previous night's events. "Track down this bounty hunter you must, Obi-Wan, Tey." Yoda said.

"Most importantly, find out who he's working for." Windu added.

"What about Senator Amidala? She will still need protecting." Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Handle that, your Padawans will." Yoda answered.

"Skywalker, Bescot, escort the Senator back to her home planet of Naboo. She'll be safer there." Windu instructed the surprised Anakin and Livia. "And don't use registered transport- travel as refugees."

"As the leader of the opposition, it will be very difficult to get Senator Amidala to leave the Capital." Anakin pointed out.

"Until caught this killer is, our judgement, she must respect." Yoda said firmly.

Plo was rather more helpful. "Skywalker, go to the Senate and ask Chancellor Palpatine to speak with her about this matter." he instructed.

~8~

Anakin was soon in Palpatine's office, repeating the Council's orders to him. "I will talk with her." Palpatine promised. "Senator Amidala will not refuse an executive order, I know her well enough to assure you of that."

"Thank you, your Excellency." Anakin bowed.

"And so they've finally given you an assignment." Palpatine commented. "Your patience has paid off."

"Your guidance more than my patience." Anakin said modestly.

"You don't need guidance, Anakin. In time, you will learn to trust your feelings. Then you will be invincible." Palaptine said as they began to walk around the room. "I have said it many times: you are one of the most gifted Jedi I have ever met."

"Thank you, your Excellency."

"I see you becoming the greatest of all the Jedi, Anakin... even more powerful than Master Yoda."

~8~

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Tey walking through the halls of the Jedi Temple together. "I am concerned for my Padawan. He's not ready to be given this assignment on his own yet." Obi-Wan said.

"Ah, but you're forgetting; Livia will be with him." Tey replied. "Besides, you can't keep coddling Anakin forever, Obi-Wan. He's gotta be given responsibility sooner or later."

"But he still has much to learn, Tey. His abilities have made him, well, arrogant."

"Padawans will be Padawans, Obi-Wan. Remember when we were that age?"

"That was different." Obi-Wan blushed.

"No, it wasn't." Tey smirked. "We were both just as bad as Anakin; we thought we knew better than our masters."

"Yes, well, we grew out of it." Obi-Wan said.

"And so will Anakin." Tey continued. "You just need a bit of patience, Obi-Wan. And maybe stop being such an over strict disciplinarian while ya at it. Anakin might start listening to you more then."

~8~

Presently, Anakin and Livia were traveling aboard the lift to Padme's penthouse. "Now, Anakin, remember to keep it professional in there." Livia said. "No trying to flirt with the Senator."

"Not you too, Liv." Anakin snorted. "You're starting to sound like Obi-Wan now. And I wasn't flirting!"

"Ya could've fooled me." Livia snorted.

The lift arrived at the penthouse and the two young Jedi stepped out to see Padme talking to Jar Jar, while Dorme packed Padme's luggage. "I'm taking an extended leave of absence." Padme was saying to the Gungan. "It will be your responsibility to take my place in the Senate. Representative Binks, I know I can count on you."

"Mesa honoured to be taking on dissa heavy burden." Jar Jar replied, doing his best to sound pompous. "Mesa accept this with muy, muy humility and, uh..."

"Jar Jar, I don't wish to hold you up." Padme interrupted. "I'm sure you have a great deal to do."

"Of course. Mi'lady." Jar Jar bowed, and left the room.

"I do not like this idea of hiding." Padme told the two Jedi irritably as she strode past them on her way to the bedroom to help her handmaiden with the packing.

"Don't worry, now that the Council's ordered an investigation, it won't take Master Obi-Wan and Master Tey long to find this bounty hunter." Anakin assured her, following her into the bedroom.

But Padme wasn't satisfied. "I haven't worked for a year to defeat the Military Creation Act to not be here when it's fate is decided." she grumbled as she folded some clothes up and put them in a travel case.

"With all due respect, mi'lady, we didn't exactly choose this assignment." Livia pointed out. "Believe me, I'd much rather be with my master, trying to find out who's behind this, than playing bodyguard."

"I guess sometimes we must let go of our pride and do what is requested of us." Anakin said nonchalantly, trying to sound wise.

Padme stopped packing for a moment and glanced at him. "Anakin, you've grown up."

"Master Obi-Wan manages not to see it." Anakin sighed, moving to stand by the window.

"Here we go." Livia said to herself, knowing what was coming.

"Don't get me wrong, Obi-Wan is a great mentor," Anakin said to Padme, using the Force to play around with a silver orb on the windowsill, "as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu. I am truly thankful to be his apprentice, although in some ways... a lot of ways, I'm really ahead of him. I'm ready for the Trials, I know I am. He knows it too, but he says that I'm 'too unpredictable'. Other Jedi my age have gone through the Trials and made it. I know I started my training late, but he won't let me move on!" he complained.

"That must be frustrating." Padme sympathised.

"It's worse. He's overly critical. He never listens. It's not fair!" Anakin burst out.

Livia couldn't help but snigger at Anakin's friend. "I'm sorry, but you should hear yourself." she chortled. "You sound just like a spoilt kid whining 'cos he can't get his own way!"

"Go ahead and laugh. You wouldn't understand; your master lets you do whatever ya want." Anakin said bitterly.

"Huh, don't you believe it." Livia retorted. "She won't let me face the Trials either. And I snuck out of the Temple to go down the Entertainment district once. When I got back, Tey went on at me as if I'd turned to the Dark Side or something."

"All mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like." Padme said wisely. "It's the only way we grow."

"I know." Anakin sighed.

"Anakin, don't try to grow up too fast." Padme told him gently.

"But I am grown up. You said it yourself." Anakin retorted, looking deep into Padme's eyes.

"Please don't look at me like that." Padme squirmed.

"Why not?"

"It makes me feel uncomfortable." Padme replied, and walked away to finish packing.

"Sorry, mi'lady." Anakin smirked, while Livia rolled her eyes at him. This was going to be a difficult assignment.

~8~

An airbus flew towards the massive freighter docks of Coruscant's industrial district. The spaceport was bustling with with activity; transports of different shapes and sizes moved supplies and passengers as giant cranes loaded and unloaded cargo from the starships. The airbus stopped before an intergalactic freighter. Aboard were Anakin, Livia and Padme, all dressed as Outland peasants. They got up and headed to the door, where Obi-Wan, Tey, Typho and Dorme were waiting to hand them their luggage. "Be safe, mi'lady." Typho said to the Senator.

"Thank you, Captain." Padme acknowledged. "Take good care of Dorme. The threat's on you two now."

"He'll be safe with me." Dorme joked, though Padme knew she was nervous.

"You'll be fine." she assured her.

"It's not me, mi'lady, I worry about you. What if they realise you've left the Capital?" Dorme asked.

"Well, then my Jedi protectors will have to prove how good they are." Padme said with a smile.

Obi-Wan meanwhile pulled his apprentice aside. "Anakin, you stay put on Naboo." he said sternly. "Don't attract attention. Don't do anything without first consulting either myself and Master Tey, or the Council."

"Yes, Master." Anakin nodded meekly.

Tey rolled her eyes at Obi-Wan's stuffiness and turned to her apprentice. "Good luck, Liv. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I won't, Master." Livia acknowledged.

"Got ya lightsabre?"

"Right here, Master." Livia lifted her trouser leg to reveal her lightsabre discreetly hidden beneath it.

"Good." Tey nodded. "And make sure you keep Anakin out of trouble."

"I will."

Tey then turned to Padme. "We'll get to the bottom of this plot quickly, mi'lady. You'll be back here in no time, I promise."

"I'll be most grateful for your speed, Master Jedi." Padme acknowledged.

"It's time to go." Anakin told her.

"I know." Padme acknowledged, and she and Livia picked up their luggage and exited the bus, where R2-D2 was waiting for them.

"Anakin, may the Force be with you." Obi-Wan called after his apprentice.

"May the Force be with you, Master." Anakin reciprocated as he picked up the remaining luggage and followed the two women.

"Suddenly I'm afraid." Padme remarked as the trio walked along the dock towards the waiting freighter to Naboo.

"This is my first assignment without Obi-Wan. I am too." Anakin replied. "Don't worry, we have R2 with us." he joked as he saw R2 trundling along behind them.

"What is the story between you and that droid, anyway?" Livia asked.

"We went through a lot together 10 years ago." Anakin replied nonchalantly.

Obi-Wan, Tey and Typho watched them walking away. "I hope he doesn't try anything foolish." Obi-Wan sighed.

"I'd be more concerned about Senator Amidala doing something, than him." Typho remarked.

"Well then, it's a good thing my apprentice is there to keep them both out of trouble." Tey said nonchalantly. "C'mon, Obi-Wan, let's get to work."

~8~

After the freighter had left for Naboo, Obi-Wan and Tey returned to the Jedi Temple and made their way to the analysis room to begin their investigation. They entered an unoccupied cubicle and sat down in front of a console. A PK-4 Analysis Droid came to life and a tray slide out of the console. "Place the subject for analysis on the sensor tray, please." the droid instructed.

Obi-Wan placed the dart recovered from Zam Wesell's body onto the tray, which retracted into the console. "It's a toxic dart. We need to know where it came from and who made it." he said as a computer screen lit-up in front of him.

The droid on the other side of the glass took the dart. "One moment, please." It took the dart over to a scanner and diagrams and data flashed across Obi-Wan's screen at great speed, before going blank. "Markings cannot be identified." the droid reported. "As you can see on your screen, subject weapon does not exist in any known culture. Probably self-made by a warrior, not associated with any known society." It placed the dart back on the tray, which extended out to the two Jedi and Tey recovered the dart.

"Thank you for your assistance." Obi-Wan told the droid.

"Guess we'll just have to try somewhere else." Tey remarked, slipping the dart into the pocket of her robe. "There's more than one way to find out information."

"And I think I know who can identify that." Obi-Wan concurred.

~8~

The freighter flew though hyperspace towards Naboo. It's hold was full of immigrants and their belongings. To one side, R2 and Liva were working their way up to the head of a food line, where serving droids were distributing food to the passengers. R2 was holding two bowls full of and extended a tube into a tub of mush and sucked up large quantity, which he poured into one of the bowls, then he used one of his grabber arms to help himself to a quantity of Colo Claw Fish eggs, which he placed in the other bowl. One of the server droids saw him. "Hey you! No droids!" it shouted. "Get outta here!"

R2 gave an indignant beep in response and trundled away to where Padme was sitting at a table. "Huh, ya know, that's a bit rich considering you're a droid yourself." Livia said to the server droid, then she helped herself to some food and went over to where Anakin was asleep. She noticed that he seemed very restless in his sleep.

"No, no, Mom, no..." Anakin muttered in his sleep. Concerned, Livia nudged him and he jerked awake. "What?" he blinked as he remembered where he was.

"Looked like you were having a nightmare." Livia told him.

"Yeah." Anakin admitted, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"You were dreaming about ya mother, weren't you?" Livia probed. "It's alright, you can tell me."

"I left Tatooine so long ago that... my memory of her is fading, and I don't wanna lose it." Anakin sighed. "Recently, I've been seeing her in my dreams. Scary dreams. I worry about her, Liv."

"I'm sure she's fine, Anakin." Livia tried to reassure him. "They're just dreams; they're not real. C'mon, you'll feel better after you've eaten." And the two Jedi joined Padme at her table.

"So what did I miss?" Anakin asked as they sat down.

"We went into lightspeed a while ago." Padme replied. "We should reach Naboo in a few hours."

"I've never been to Naboo before. What's it like?" Livia asked.

"Wonderful." Anakin replied. "It's by far the most beautiful place I've ever seen."

"It must be difficult, having sworn your lives to the Jedi," Padme remarked, "not being able to visit the places you like, or do the things you like..."

"Or be with the people that I love." Anakin finished.

"Anakin..." Livia began.

"Are you allowed to love?" Padme asked. "I thought that was forbidden for a Jedi."

"That's because it is." Livia answered. "The Code expressly forbids Jedi from forming attachments. No exceptions." she aimed that last remark towards Anakin.

"Attachment is forbidden." Anakin said to Padme. "Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as an unconditional love, is central to a Jedi's life, so you might say that we are encouraged to love."

"Huh, you're obviously reading the Code wrong." Livia muttered.

~8~

Obi-Wan and Tey walked along one of Coruscant's back streets until they reached Dex's Diner. They entered the diner and were approached by a waitress droid, WA-7. "Can I help ya?" she asked.

"We're looking for Dexter." Obi-Wan replied.

"Waddaya want him for?" WA-7 asked.

"Don't worry, he's not in trouble. We're friends of his." Tey replied.

WA-7 wheeled over to the open serving hatch behind the counter. "Someone to see ya, honey." she called. "Jedi by the looks of 'em."

The huge head of a Besalisk, Dexter Jettser, emerged from the serving hatch. "Obi-Wan! Tey!" he exclaimed in delight.

"Hello, Dex." Obi-Wan smiled.

"Long time no see." Tey added cheerfully.

"Take a seat. I'll be right with ya both." Dexter said, and so the two Jedi headed over to a vacant table.

"You want a couple of Juri juices?" WA-7 called to them.

"Oh yes, thank you." Obi-Wan responded.

"And I'll have some deep-fried chokie." Tey added.

Just then, Dexter emerged from the kitchen. "Hey, ol' buddies!" he beamed, and hugged both Jedi tightly, then the trio sat down in the booth; Dexter squeezing in on one side, while Obi-Wan and Tey sat opposite. "So, my friends, what can I do for ya both?" Dexter asked.

"Well, we were wandering if you could tell us what this is." Tey said, taking out the toxic dart and placing it on the table. "My apprentice pulled it out of an assassin right here on Coruscant last night."

Dexter's eyes widened in recognition. "Well, whattaya know... I ain't seen one of these since I was prospectin' on Subterrel, beyond the Outer Rim."

"Can you tell us where it came from?" Obi-Wan asked.

"This baby belongs to them cloners." Dexter replied. "What you got here is a Kamino sabredart."

"I wonder why it didn't show up in the analysis archives." Obi-Wan mused.

"It's these funny little cuts on the side that give it away. Those analysis droids only focus on symbols." Dexter snorted dismissively. "Huh! I should think that you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom." he chuckled.

"Well, if droids could think, there'd be none of us here, would there?" Obi-Wan rebutted.

"Oh, I dunno. Most Astro-droids I've met seen quite clever." Tey said nonchalantly. "Kamino, I don't think I've ever heard of it. It's not in the Republic, I'm assuming?" she asked Dexter.

"No, it's beyond the Outer Rim." Dexter confirmed. "I'd say about, uh, 12 parsecs outside the Rishi Maze. Should be easy to find, even for those droids in your archive. These, uh, Kaminoans keep to themselves. They're cloners. Damned good ones too."

"Cloners? Are they friendly?" Obi-Wan asked, picking up the dart and examining it.

"It depends." Dexter replied.

"Depends on what, Dex?"

Dexter grinned. "On how good ya manners are... and how big your pocketbook is."

Just then, WA-7 returned with the Jedi's drinks and Tey's chokie. "Ah, now there's a sight for sore eyes." Tey grinned.

"I can never understand why you like that." Obi-Wan remarked.

"Well, doing assignments in the Outer Rim gives ya an appreciation for the simpler foods." Tey replied simply, settling down to eat. "I wonder how the Padawans are getting on.

Author's notes: And here's the third chapter. The four Jedi now all have their assignments; the Masters handling the investigation into the assassination attempts, and the Padawans escorting Padme. Here we get to see Palpatine manipulating Anakin for the first time. It's insidious how Palpatine was able to slowly but surely twist mould Anakin into Darth Vader, and the Jedi rather stupidly drove Anakin straight towards Palpatine with their stuffy attitudes. Note that I had Tey tell Obi-Wan to stop being such a strict disciplinarian with Anakin, as that was part of the problem. I like to imagine that Tey is a more laid-back Jedi. So, until next time.