Master Windu descended to the special Jedi Jail where Jango Fett and Zam Wessel were held. Zam lay in her cell with a new prosthetic arm, having lost the original when she tried to sneak-attack Obi-Wan.
"I see you caught that traitor, good. You should ask him about his son," Zam said as Mace was passing by.
"Son?"
"Yeah, he's got a kid, keeps him wherever Jango's been hiding the last few years. I met him once a few years ago, a cute kid, for a human. If anything, his son can give you leverage, if you can find him," Zam sat up in her bed and looked at Mace.
"You wouldn't shy away from using a kid, would you? I know you're a Jedi..." Zam pushed.
"I won't harm a child, but leverage can be a good thing. Thanks for the tip, I'll use your cooperation to lighten your sentence to reckless endangerment, sound fair?"
"Sounds good to me, Master Jedi," Zam smiled and leaned back into her bed.
Continuing down the hall, Mace saw Jango sitting upright on his bed, looking straight ahead.
"Good evening, Mr. Fett. You've nearly cost a Senator her life; you did manage to kill her close friend and body double."
Jango didn't say anything.
"What would you like us to do with your son? Any close relatives?" Mace asked.
That got Jango's attention; he leered at Mace, "You don't need to worry about my son. I taught him how to survive. With or without me, he'll do well in this galaxy."
"So, if we come across him, what do you think we should do with him?"
"You Jedi won't hurt my son, you might lie and kill my brothers, but you won't kill children. Whatever you do with him, it'll be temporary."
"I take it cooperation is off the table?" Mace asked.
"I took the money; my loyalty belongs to my employer," Jango went back to staring forward.
"Your employer, you mean Palpatine?" Mace felt the man's emotions. There was a reaction, but only a slight one, "Or do you mean Dooku?" Mace caught it; that was a big reaction. "Your feelings betray you, so it was Dooku who hired you. Did he hire you just to kill the Senator?" Mace felt Jango's emotions through the force, but now Jango's presence didn't react.
"I see he taught you a few tricks, but this gives me enough to lock you up forever and charge you as a traitor. You'll never see your son again," Master Windu continued to probe, but Jango stopped reacting.
"I can see why Dooku likes you. The Sith like people like you. I wonder what he'll do with your son," Mace felt a slight ripple.
"Okay, Mr. Fett, I'll end this interview with you here." Mace turned to leave.
"You're wrong," Fett said.
"About what?" Mace turned back.
"My employer is a man named Tyranus. I'm not mixed up with those Separatists. You might say, I'm working for the Republic."
That caught Mace's attention. "What do you mean you work for the Republic?"
"I was recruited by a Jedi named Tyranus, at least that's what he told me. Oh, there was another Master...Sifo-Dyas. He placed an order for a clone army, a big order. The first batch is ready for action now," Jango commented.
"Why would you know this?" Mace analyzed the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy.
"They used me as a template for the clones, you'll have the best army in the Galaxy, I guarantee it." Jango didn't smile, but there was pride in his voice.
"And where is this clone army? Who made it?" Mace demanded.
"It was the Kaminoans on Kamino, go there and you'll find your army. Although, strangely, the Republic and even your Master Sifo-Dyas kept this quiet. It's like they say there are sixty-six ways of betrayal in politics." Jango smiled for the first time.
"Fine. Thank you for your cooperation," Mace turned to leave.
"My cooperation ought to lead to some consideration, my freedom, for example. I would hate for my son to live as an orphan," Jango shouted. Mace didn't respond, but a knowing smile crept over Jango's face, "Jedi."
Obi-Wan and Typho were giving their last reminders to Cyrus and Padme at the spaceport.
"Be sure to keep a low-profile, no doubt assassins are looking for the senator," Obi-Wan cautioned Cyrus.
"Yes, Master," Cyrus looked at Padme, who was getting final reminders from Captain Typho.
"Alright, I don't have much to say, may the force be with you," Obi-Wan finished and approached Typho, who also finished his chat with Padme. R2D2 followed the pair as they headed toward their shuttle.
Once they were out of sight, Cyrus took a sudden detour. Padme looked at him, confused, "Why aren't we headed toward our ship?"
"We have a different mission?"
"I'm sorry to do this to you, but I needed a way to get away from the Jedi."
Padme stopped moving, demanding an explanation, "Listen, Padme, you remember my mother, right?"
"Of course, she was a kind woman," Padme had always been fond of Shmi Skywalker. Although it was a brief meeting, she remembered her fondly.
"I've been having nightmares about my mother; she's in trouble," Cyrus did his best to look panicked.
"I don't understand. If it's just a nightmare, that doesn't mean it's true. I used to have many nightmares when I was young. I had several dreams about my parents--"
"Padme, for a Jedi, dreams aren't just dreams, and nightmares aren't just nightmares. We can see the future to some extent, but we don't always trust these visions.
"'Always in motion, the future is', that's what Master Yoda told me. For the last ten years, I have never been allowed to return home to see my mother. Attachment is forbidden for a Jedi. I've had to force myself to let go of the feelings I hold for you, but it's my mother, Padme."
"Your feelings for me?"
"Yeah, I've had a thing for you since I was a kid, but I'm a Jedi. That's my path, and as long as I'm a Jedi, romantic love is forbidden. This is aside from the point I'm trying to make. My mother is in trouble. I've spent the last ten years saving strangers. I don't think it's wrong to save someone I love, do you?"
"No." Something bothered her, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"That's why I have to take this opportunity to try and save her, but I have to protect you. If I go to save her, you have to come along. I'm sorry, I know I'm putting you at risk, but I --"
"--I understand, Anakin. I would do the same thing for my family. Besides, I've been watching you, and I think no matter where we go, you can keep me safe."
"Thank you, Padme, it means a lot."
"No problem, Ani," Padme smiled brightly at him.
"Please don't call me Ani, I'm not a red-headed war-orphan."
"What?"
"I'm a grown man, please call me Anakin or Handsome Stranger," Cyrus responded.
"Handsome Stranger? Why would I call you that?"
"It was my father's name," Anakin responded straightly.
"I thought you didn't have a father."
"Everyone has a father, I just don't know who he is, and given how handsome I am, he must also be handsome," Anaking deduced.
"Master Obi-Wan said you were a vergence in the force," Padmen continued to push back.
"Right, of course, my mother was definitely a virgin when she had me, it happens all the time."
Padme was shocked by his words, "But Anakin, you aren't accusing your mother of soemthing are you?"
"I'm not accusing her of anything, but there are some suspicious points to the story, and the night all of you stayed at my house, the next day Qui Gon Gin is acting super suspiciously nice--"
"Enough! Enough information, I don't want to know. La La La La La, can we go save your mother?"
"Uh, sure, I have everything worked out. R2, lock down bay 381." The droid tweedled and inserted its droid arm into a panel at a nearby wall-socket.
Okay, I've prepared some things for us. Here, let's step into this alley. They entered a moldy-smelling alleyway, but the smell didn't bother Cyrus much. The look on her face made it clear exactly what she thought about the smell.
Cyrus unrolled the blanket he pulled from one of his suitcases that R2 was carrying. There was what looked like bounty-hunter armor. He pulled out another blanket with another set of armor, only this one was smaller, looking like it was made for a woman.
"Put this on; it will fit over your clothes," Cyrus commanded her.
Padme took the plastoid armor and put it on, it was a mixture of orange and brown with thin visor. When she put it on, there was a simple Heads Up Display (HUD) in her helmet as well as a filtrated breathing apparatus. Mini-rockets on her armguards, electro-shock gloves, there was a backpack form fitted for her back that held various ordinances, power cells, as well as medical kits, Meal-Ready-to_Eat (MRE) bars. A small ELG-3A blaster pistol, was in a holster on her left leg, and a A-180 blaster for her right holster. A few thermal detonators were tucked in a side pouch.
Anakin's armor was dark blue and black with orange details. The black gauntlets could be electrified and three spines on the side of the gloves could function as vibro blades. Handy for cutting through thin walls, droids, or people. Cyrus had a RSKF-44 heavy blaster holstered on his right thigh, and a A300 blaster rifle that he carried in a two-handed carry. On his back, he carried a vibro-ax. His helmet had a series of five circular sensor and vision orbs, a Sub-Zero type lower breathing apparatus, and a wing-styled array of sensors, communication, and scanning 'feathers' that were constantly moving. A side-haning half-cape drapped over his right shoulder.
"Where did you get these?" Padme couldn't help but wonder, she liked her armor a great deal.
"I made them," Cyrus responded through the internal communicator.
"Can I keep it?" She asked.
"Of course, I made it for you afterall, but for now you're a new bounty hunter named, Paxzor Trahn, and I'm Novo Solo. Your identification, papers, and everything are in your right pouch," Cyrus pointed at the pocket.
"How do you get all of this prepared?"
"Jedi network. We have a department that takes care of things like this for undercover assignments. They love me over there. Now, we need to get our ship."
"How are we going to get a ship?" Padme couldn't help but ask. She was surprised by the methodical preparations Anakin made.
"We're bounty hunters, we've got a bounty for a guy, and I've already worked out a deal to take a smaller ammount of credits in exchange for keeping his ship," Cyrus was getting used to his armor. It was comfortable, but he wasn't used to wearing helmets.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Padme watched as Cyrus took apart R2's outer shell and replaced it with a few new tools, thicker blaster resistant armored shell, a new R4 dome. The new colors for his plating were dark green, brown, and metalic gray.
"Now you look like a proper bounty hunter's droid," Cyrus laughed and packed up R2's original shell into the suitcase.
"Alright, let's go," Anakin motioned for Padme to follow as R2 Dragged the suitcase behind him.
Padme, Cyrus, and R2 were on their way to catch a bounty.