The Mandalorian system had become something no one in the Republic could have imagined. Its surface cities thrived with trade, markets, and a rising birthrate, but above them, etched into the void of space, Shepard's vision had taken form.
Orbiting at calculated distances, five titanic rings, each hundreds of kilometers in diameter, shimmered in the starlight. The Halo Array. To the untrained eye, they might have looked like colossal orbital habitats or industrial relics, but to those who knew the truth, they were weapons of staggering potential.
Inside their cores were energy reservoirs capable of channeling destruction on a planetary scale. Shepard stood aboard a command platform anchored to one of the rings, watching engineers, Spartans, and droid overseers complete final adjustments.
"My masterpiece…" he muttered under his breath, gaze fixed on the curvature of the nearest Halo. "You will be the shield against tyrants, the sword against those who seek to enslave. The Republic may birth its Death Star one day but Mandalore will not cower."
Behind him, council members whispered in awe and fear. They knew these constructs would deter even the most ambitious warlord. Shepard had made Mandalore untouchable.
But shadows stirred elsewhere.
That night, aboard his private quarters, Shepard received a secure transmission. The blue holo-image of Jango Fett flickered into being, the bounty hunter's face grim but steady.
"Got word from the client. High-profile target." Jango paused before speaking the name. "Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo."
Shepard's eyes narrowed. "A senator? The client is playing a dangerous game. Too much attention."
Jango gave a shrug, though the faintest hesitation crossed his features. "Credits are good. Orders are clear. You know how it works."
Shepard studied his brother for a long moment, then spoke with quiet weight. "Then be careful. Cover your tracks, Jango. The galaxy's watching Naboo after what happened with the Trade Federation. A single misstep, and you'll be hunted across every system."
Jango smirked, though the edge in his voice betrayed his seriousness. "No problem, brother. I'll handle it."
The transmission cut, leaving Shepard with unease in his chest. He knew how tangled the web around Amidala had become. And behind it, he suspected, was the hand of Sidious.
Coruscant. The galactic capital glittered beneath the night sky as the starship Radiant VII descended toward the Senate landing platform. Security droids lined the perimeter, and Naboo's handmaidens stood ready.
From the bridge, Senator Padmé Amidala gazed out, suspicion already heavy in her eyes. "I still feel this is a mistake," she whispered.
Her decoy, Cordé, turned with a calm smile. "You are worth too much to your people to risk yourself. Let me serve, my lady."
The ship touched down. Engines hissed, ramp lowering. And then—
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the craft, fireball engulfing the fuselage. Screams tore through the platform as the hull caved, flames consuming everything in their path. Security rushed forward, smoke rising into the Coruscanti sky.
Amidst the chaos, Padmé emerged from a side transport, shaken but alive. Cordé, her loyal decoy, lay broken amidst the wreckage, her final breath spent in duty.
"I've failed you, Senator…" Cordé whispered before the light faded from her eyes.
Padmé knelt beside her, grief carved into her face. The attempt was unmistakable. Someone wanted her dead.
Within the hallowed chambers of the Jedi Temple, the Council gathered. Yoda's ears drooped, his tone grave.
"Grave threat this is. Targeted, Senator Amidala has been. Shrouded in darkness, the future becomes."
Mace Windu folded his arms. "The Separatists are bold. Killing one of the Republic's most outspoken defenders of peace would ignite the Senate like wildfire."
Across the chamber, Palpatine now Chancellor played his role to perfection. His voice dripped with concern. "It grieves me deeply to see such violence visited upon Senator Amidala. Her survival is a blessing, but we cannot take another chance. I urge the Council: protect her. The Republic needs her voice."
Yoda's gaze narrowed. "Protect her, young Skywalker will. Watched closely, he must be. His attachment to her dangerous, it may become."
Obi-Wan glanced toward Anakin, who stood silently at his side. The boy, now grown into a skilled Padawan, burned with a mixture of pride and tension. Guarding Padmé was no ordinary mission to him.
Assigned to her protection, Obi-Wan and Anakin escorted Padmé to her secured chambers.
Anakin's voice broke the silence as they walked. "I haven't seen her in years, Master. She's He stopped himself, but the flush in his cheeks betrayed his thoughts.
Obi-Wan arched a brow. "Remember, Anakin. You are a Jedi. Guard her life, not your emotions."
Inside the chambers, they set up surveillance droids, the city's glow spilling through the windows. Padmé tried to rest, though unease lingered in the air.
High above the skylanes, Jango Fett guided his ship, Prowler, silently orbiting. He didn't intend to strike directly subtlety was safer. He released a canister, sending his chosen assassin down into the depths of the city.
Zam Wesell, changeling bounty hunter, slithered through the shadows with her tools prepared. A mechanical drone slipped into Padmé's chambers, releasing two deadly kouhuns venomous worms that slithered across the bed toward the sleeping figure.
But Anakin stirred. The Force rippled through him like a warning. His eyes snapped open, saber igniting in a blue flash. With a single motion, he cut the assassin's creatures to pieces.
"Someone's trying to kill her!"
Padmé gasped awake as Obi-Wan hurled himself through the window, seizing the fleeing probe droid in a daring leap. Glass shattered, wind screaming as he clung to the droid while it shot across the cityscape.
"Always the dramatic one…" Anakin muttered before leaping onto a speeder to pursue.
The chase through Coruscant began sky lanes erupting in chaos as two Jedi pursued Zam Wesell through traffic, neon signs streaking past at breakneck speed. Blaster fire lit up the air, engines roared, and crowds scattered as the hunt tore across the endless city.
Finally, Anakin's precision forced Zam's speeder to crash. Obi-Wan dragged her from the wreckage, saber ignited at her throat.
"Who hired you?" he demanded.
Her eyes flicked nervously to the rooftops, knowing her master watched. She hesitated, lips parting to speak
Pffft!
The whisper of a rifle shot echoed. Zam stiffened, shock in her eyes, before collapsing to the ground. A Kamino saberdart protruded from her neck.
Obi-Wan crouched, examining the weapon as Anakin looked around, but the assassin's killer was already gone. High above, the engines of Prowler faded into the night.
Jango Fett had erased the trail, leaving only mystery behind.