Anakin and Obi-Wan were both floored by the revelations before them. An assassin claiming to be a warrior of the Sith was standing before them, her lightsabers ready for the fight that lay ahead.

"A Sith?" Anakin let out as they slowly backed away. "Here?"

"What do you want here?" Obi-Wan demanded. "Who is your Master?"

"You should be less worried about my master…" Ventress taunted. "And more worried about me!"

Instantly, she darted forward, prompting Obi-Wan to raise his lightsaber to block hers. She quickly continued the offensive approach, swinging both lightsabers wildly at him. Obi-Wan quickly used his saber to block each blow, not wanting to let up and give Ventress an opening. Anakin then rushed into the fray, swinging his lightsaber at Ventress and prompting her to bring up a spare lightsaber to block it. She shoved both of them away, prompting both of them to move in and strike at her. Ventress' incredible speed allowed her to block and deflect the oncoming strikes, not allowing them to get a strike to connect.

Thinking fast, she leaped away, landing on the far side of the roof and giving them a sinister look, as if she was daring them to attack. Anakin took the bait first, clashing against her blades repeatedly. He slashed his saber repeatedly in the seemingly vain hope that one of his strikes would connect. Finally, Anakin's saber collided against Ventress' twin blades, locking them to a standstill in hopes of gaining an advantage over the other. Looking up, Ventress saw Obi-Wan fast approaching, prompting Ventress to use the Force on Anakin and pushing him back.

Obi-Wan quickly leaped over his flying apprentice before trying to bring his saber down on Ventress. She quickly brought her sabers up to block the blow as Obi-Wan landed on the ground. He shoved her away, pushing her closer to the edge as the two had at it. Obi-Wan swiftly blocked every blow and strike Ventress dealt his way. He blocked one saber strike before grabbing her other arm, keeping her from swinging her second blade.

As the two were locked, Anakin slowly picked himself up from his fall. Suddenly, something made him perk up in shock.

"Padme…"

-X-

Back at the palace, the delegates were still reeling from the attack.

"I can't believe this," Bec Lawise let out. "You promised us this palace would be secure!"

"No one is more surprised by this breach than I am," Bail tried to reason.

"Then how did this happen?" Amita demanded. "And that's not even mentioning the Jedi you had concealed here."

"The Jedi were an added security measure for an event such as this. And from the state of things, I'd like to think it was warranted."

"Well, it was certainly nice of you not to tell us."

As the two sides quibbled, Padme stood off to the side, still reeling from the attack, as one of her handmaidens came over to her.

"Everything alright, Milady?" She asked.

"Yes…" Padme answered, somewhat reluctantly.

"Come, let me get you something to drink."

Padme nodded as the handmaiden walked off, a sinister smirk gracing her face.

-X-

Anakin snapped out of his trance, realizing Padme was in immediate danger. He stared off blankly as Obi-Wan continued holding back Ventress.

"Anakin!" He called out, trying to get his attention. "Anakin, I need you!"

Obi-Wan managed to kick Ventress away, sending her skidding back as he turned back to Anakin.

"Anakin!"

Anakin snapped back to attention, turning toward Obi-Wan as he stared at him. Just then, Anakin got back up and leaped over to the side, much to Obi-Wan's surprise.

"Anakin!" He cried out to no avail, forcing him to sigh in response. "I hate it when he does that."

"Your apprentice has abandoned you," Ventress remarked, getting Obi-Wan's attention. "You are all alone, Jedi. There is no escape."

"I've dealt with Sith before," Obi-Wan replied, taking a fighting stance. "I assure you, escape won't be an issue."

Ventress snarled in response before promptly charging forward to engage in the fight.

-X-

Meanwhile, Anakin dove down to the street below, watching several speeders go to and fro on the ground. Finally picking one as it was passing by, flipping his body around so he could land on his feet as he touched down on the speeder as it passed. The driver and passenger yelped in surprise before looking out the window and seeing Anakin on the roof.

"Jedi business," Anakin relayed. "I'm going to need your vehicle."

-X-

Back with Obi-Wan, he leaped onto another rooftop, turning back to see Ventress leaping after him and rushing right at him. He swung his sword at the same time she swung hers. The two collided blades, locked in a struggle against each other. The two of them aimed their sabers down so they could get in face to face with each other.

"Why do you want the delegates dead?" Obi-Wan questioned. "What do the Sith have to gain?"

Ventress just chuckled in response. "The inner workings of the Sith are beyond anything you can possibly imagine. Just you think you have a grasp on their plans…" She kicked his feet out from under him, knocking him to the ground and pointing his saber at him. "It is already too late."

Obi-Wan looked up at Ventress, scowling at her words. Thinking fast, he kicked her legs out from under her, knocking her to the ground as he got back to his feet.

"Somehow, I don't think I'll have to worry about that," Obi-Wan remarked, taking a fighting stance.

Ventress got back to her feet, staring Obi-Wan down for a moment. Just then, she stabbed her sabers into the ground before moving them in the circle. Once she was done, the part of the ground she was standing on dropped down, much to Obi-Wan's surprise. He ran toward the hole and looked down it, seeing her running down a long hallway inside. Having a feeling he knew where she was heading, he took off across the roof in the same direction, hoping to intercept her.

-X-

Inside the building, Ventress continued running forward down the hallway. Her lightsabers were still active, scraping lightly on the floor as she ran toward a nearby window. He raised one hand, flexing her fingers so she could still hold onto the hilt while using the Force to shatter the window. She leaped out of it, landing on the wall of the building across from her before springing back and forth between the two walls so as to make her way upward.

She then reached the top just as Obi-Wan was catching up, prompting her to slice at the top of a nearby spire and use the Force to send it flying at Obi-Wan before rushing forward, hoping the oncoming debris would slow him down. Obi-Wan quickly sliced through the piece of debris before rushing forward, doing everything he could to make sure he didn't lose his target.

-X-

Meanwhile, Anakin managed to commandeer the speeder and drive it as fast as he could toward the palace. Upon reaching the front, Anakin leaped out of the speeder and ran inside, hoping he wasn't too late.

-X-

Inside, the handmaiden finished pouring Padme a drink while discreetly adding something into it. Once it was ready, the handmaiden turned toward Padme with the cup in hand.

"Here," she spoke. "Drink this. It should make you feel better."

"Thank you," Padme replied.

She took the cup and was about to take a sip, much to the handmaiden's satisfaction. Before she could, though, Anakin busted into the room, surprising everyone inside, including Padme.

"Anakin?"

"There's another assassin here."

Anakin looked around, noting the cup in Padme's hand. Acting on instinct, Anakin used the Force to pull the cup out of her hand and into his. He took a whiff, reeling in shock.

"Poison…"

Padme gasped, turning toward the handmaiden who gave it to her, only to find she was running down a hallway.

"Hey!" Anakin cried out, running after her.

-X-

Back with Obi-Wan, he continued pursuing Ventress across the rooftops, leading them closer and closer toward the palace. Ventress then leaped onto a nearby balcony, deactivating her sabers so she could fall into a roll. She then got to her feet and kept running as Obi-Wan landed on the balcony. She was about to leap off when Obi-Wan used the Force to pull her to the ground. He ran over to her as she flipped to her feet, activating her lightsabers before spinning around and engaging him.

He activated his lightsaber, blocking and deflecting her oncoming strikes in rapid succession. He quickly ducked under one of her strikes before spinning around and striking at her. She caught the blade with both of her own before aiming them down and kicking him in the chest, knocking him back.

He collided against the wall of the building before quickly moving out of the way as Ventress swung at him. He quickly went on the offensive, swinging his saber at her repeatedly and forcing her backward toward the edge of the balcony. She dodged one strike before springing forward with both sabers, only for Obi-Wan's blade to catch them both.

"You'll have to do better than that, my dear," Obi-Wan remarked.

-X-

Back at the palace, the handmaiden ran out onto the landing platform, hopping into the nearest ship and preparing to take off. As she did, Anakin ran out and saw the ship starting to take off. Not wasting a moment, he ran forward and leaped up onto the ship as it flew forward, away from the palace. Anakin gripped onto the side of the ship, doing everything in his power to keep from falling off as it continued to build up speed.

He then started climbing forward, inching his way toward the blast shield over the cockpit. Once he was over the cockpit, he pulled out his lightsaber and turned it on, stabbing it next to the disguised handmaiden. Instinctively, the handmaiden went for a blaster she kept on him and aimed it upward, firing it at Anakin. His maneuvering to avoid the shots caused the lightsaber hilt to slip from his hands and fall toward the city below.

-X-

Obi-Wan, meanwhile, was forced back by Ventress, who was starting to gain the upper hand against her Jedi opponent. He blocked and deflected each saber strike dealt his way, but they were starting to become almost more than he could handle. Finally, one of her attacks angled his saber down before moving the other up against his throat, seemingly ending the fight.

"And now, you die," Ventress declared.

As Obi-Wan's mind raced to find a way out of this, he happened to look up and see the ship flying overhead and Anakin's lightsaber falling toward him. Acting fast, he used the Force to push her back before leaping up and catching the lightsaber. She skidded backward as Obi-Wan landed on the ground, activating his apprentice's weapon and engaging her again.

The two clashed twin lightsabers against each other, with Obi-Wan quickly regaining the upper hand against his opponent. While twin lightsabers weren't his specialty, he handled himself skillfully as he matched Ventress' attacks blow for blow.

As the fight continued, Obi-Wan pushed Ventress back toward the ledge, the Sith assassin put back on the offensive with the Jedi's new weapon. Finally, Obi-Wan managed to knock one of the sabers from her hand, sending it flying off the edge of the roof. She looked down at the fallen weapon before looking up and seeing Obi-Wan pointing one of his blades at her.

"You were saying?"

-X-

Anakin, meanwhile, reached into the hole in the cockpit and grabbed hold of the handmaiden's blaster. The two tussled for control of the weapon, causing a few stray shots to be fired out. One of them hit the control console, causing the ship to start to shake. Suddenly, the ship began sailing downward toward the street below, prompting Anakin to hang on tight as the ground approached fast.

-X-

Obi-Wan and Ventress watched the crashing ship, with Obi-Wan turning back toward the assassin.

"It would seem your plan has failed, assassin," He declared.

"For now," Ventress replied, falling back over the edge of the balcony.

Obi-Wan quickly ran forward toward the edge, trying to find any sign of her. As he looked, though, there was no sign of her. As if she had simply vanished. Realizing he had other things to take care of, he ran toward the inside of the building, hoping to catch up with Anakin.

-X-

On the streets below, several citizens looked up in horror as the damaged ship came crashing down toward them, causing them to run in fear. The handmaiden tried to maintain control of the craft, but it was doing very little as even the engine caught on fire. Anakin tried to maintain his grip on the ship, but it was quickly giving out as they made their way closer and closer to the ground. Finally, he gave out, dropping off the side of the ship and rolling onto the ground hard. Anakin looked up, seeing the ship crash down onto the ground, skidding across the street before crashing into the side of a building.

Anakin picked himself up, rushing toward the wreckage of the ship, and seeing the handmaiden, pulled herself out of the ship. She held her head in pain as her form began to shift back into that of Zam Wessel. Anakin went wide-eyed at the sight, but didn't waste a second rushing after her. Zam reacted quickly, running in the opposite direction away from him. The two rushed down the street, moving past various people in their way as Anakin tried to catch up with Zam.

-X-

Finally, Obi-Wan managed to get down to street level, spotting the downed ship as crowds gathered around it. Looking around, he found the direction Anakin had taken off in and proceeded to follow after.

-X-

Back with Zam, she kept running down the street, trying to find a way to ditch her Jedi pursuer. Spotting a socialist club at the end of the road, she veered into it, hoping to lose him. Anakin managed to catch up with her and was about to run in after her when he heard his name called.

"Anakin!"

Anakin turned around, seeing Obi-Wan running up to him.

"She went into the club, Master," Anakin explained as Obi-Wan approached. "Come on, we can still catch her."

"Patience. Use the Force. Think. Was she injured?"

"Yes…" Anakin replied, getting where he was coming from. "Which means she couldn't run far."

"Meaning she went in there to hide, not to run. And next time you run off on your own, give me some form of notification."

"Yes, Master."

"And please," Obi-Wan continued, holding up Anakin's lightsaber. "Try to lose this."

Anakin took the lightsaber back, slightly irritated. "Sorry, Master."

"A lightsaber is a symbol of everything a Jedi stands for. It deserves proper respect."

Anakin let out a sigh as he and Obi-Wan went inside. "I know, Master. You've said so many times before."

"Yet, you don't seem to listen."

"I try…" Anakin replied. "It just doesn't always come easily to me."

"So I've noticed."

Anakin turned toward Obi-Wan as they entered the club. "I don't mean to disappoint you. I really do value your wisdom. The truth is, you're the closest thing to a father I've ever had."

Obi-Wan perked up at that, before focusing back up. "I see… though you still have issues listening to me."

"I am trying."

The two stood at the front of the club. It was a pristine room with a central bar and several tables spread out across the room. The number of people inside was immense, all of them sharing drinks and carrying on in casual conversation. The two Jedi scanned across the area, trying to find any sign of their target.

"You mentioned our assailant was female?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"She was disguised as a handmaiden," Anakin explained. "And she's a Changeling."

Obi-Wan made note of that. "In that case, be extra careful. You take the right side, I'll go on the left."

"Understood," Anakin replied, heading off in one direction while Obi-Wan went off in another.

Anakin scanned around the area. The whole club was very high-class and sophisticated. A far cry from the seedy tavern and drunken fools he had encountered since becoming a Jedi. He kept looking around, trying to sense where the mysterious assassin would be.

Obi-Wan, meanwhile, made his way up to the bar so he could keep an eye out for the assailant. He ordered a drink, all the while keeping his eyes out across the room for anyone out of the ordinary. As he took a sip of his beverage, he noted a male aristocrat walking across the room toward the exit. What caught his notice was the slight limp the person had. Narrowing his eyes in response, Obi-Wan set his drink down and followed.

The aristocrat kept hobbling along, trying to get out quickly without drawing attention to himself. As he kept moving, he glanced behind him and caught a glimpse of Obi-Wan walking behind him. He tried to keep moving, hoping to pick up the pace, but his injuries seemed to prevent that. Seeing little alternative, he reached to his side, hoping to grab the blaster concealed under his guise. All of a sudden, just as Obi-Wan approached, he grabbed the blaster and spun around to shoot at Obi-Wan. Barely phased, Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber and activated it, slicing the would-be attacker's hand off in the process.

It dropped to the ground as the man's disguise faded out, revealing himself to be Zam. She dropped to the ground as Anakin rushed over to check on them. The patrons all looked on in shock and surprise, whispering to themselves as Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber so he and Anakin could get Zam back to her feet.

"It's alright," Anakin spoke up, addressing the crowd. "Jedi business, go back to your drinks."

While some did return to their conversations, others continued looking on in surprise as Anakin and Obi-Wan took Zam outside. Once out of the club, they made it down a nearby alleyway and set Zam down so they could speak to her.

"Do you know who you were hired to kill?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The Senator from Naboo…" Zam mustered, wincing in pain.

"And who hired you?" Anakin asked.

"It was just a job."

Anakin's demeanor became more intense. "That's not good enough."

"The Senator's dead anyway… and the others won't make the same mistakes I did…"

"And who are those others?" Obi-Wan pressed. "The Sith assassin, who is she?"

"Don't know… didn't ask…"

"What about the man in armor?" Anakin asked. "You know who he is?"

Zam just winced in pain, holding her injured arm.

"That arm looks like it's gonna need treatment," Obi-Wan noted.

Zam snarled in response, not wanting to seem weak in the face of the Jedi.

"Just tell us who your partner is," Anakin insisted. "Now."

Zam tried to keep strong, but the pain became too much for her to bear. Finally, her resolve broke.

"He's a bounty hunter called-"

Before she could finish, a metal dart sailed through the sky and nailed her in the neck. Anakin and Obi-Wan turned to see Jango Fett standing on a building before flying off into the air, fleeing the Jedi. The two then turned back to Zam as her face reverted to her green alien skin.

"He shot me…" She muttered in an alien language. "Sleemo…"

Finally, she dropped to the ground dead. Both Jedi were shocked by this, with Obi-Wan pulling out the dart from her neck and giving it a small sniff.

"Toxic dart…" He informed, dreading the world of death and intrigue, he and his apprentice had been pulled into.