ℝ𝔼ℂ𝕂𝕃𝔼𝕊𝕊 ➵ o. kenobi {my only hope; book 2}

【 FIFTEEN 】

Taun We took it upon herself to do the honors. "These are Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Emeré Naberrie," she said, gesturing toward the two of us. "They've come to check on our progress."

I forced a smile onto my face as I slowly edged my foot over to Obi-Wan's, treading on his toes slightly to let him know I'd take this. "Your clones are very impressive. You must be very proud," I put forth, lacing what I hoped would come across as charm into my voice.

"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe," Jango said evasively.

"Ever made your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?" I wondered, keeping my voice offhand.

"Once or twice," he said, still continuing to edge around my questions. Some of the smile disappeared from my face, and I allowed my voice to become slightly more aggressive.

"Recently?"

Jango stared at me, his eyes boring into mine as silence reigned throughout the room. He didn't budge. "Possibly."

"Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas," I tried, holding my ground as well.

Jango once again continued to stare, before finally taking his eyes off of me and moving towards his clone, speaking in a foreign tongue I didn't recognize. While he was distracted, I shot a glance toward Obi-Wan, who nodded at me. This had to be him. When Jango turned back to us, his clone was moving toward the room Jango had come out of upon our arrival. Boba pressed a few buttons, and the door hissed shut. I pretended not to notice.

"Master who?" Jango asked, trying to keep our attention on him.

"Sifo-Dyas," I repeated. "Is he not the Jedi who hired you for this job?"

As I took a step forward, Jango took several towards me, until we were merely inches away from each other. "Never heard of him," he insisted.

I waited for a couple of moments, trying to get a read on him, but there was nothing. Growing frustrated, I cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

Jango wasn't phased. "I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden."

No change in emotion whatsoever. He was telling the truth. I pulled what had to be a very fake looking pleasant smile. "Curious."

We stood for what had to be ten seconds, staring at each other, not saying a word. Then Jango finally took a step back. "Do you like your army?" He queried.

I dodged my way around that question. "I look forward to seeing them in action."

Jango nodded. "They'll do their job well. I'll guarantee that."

I swallowed, fiddling with my lightsaber handle under my cloak. Then I nodded respectfully. I knew I wouldn't get any more information out of him... at least not now. "Thank you for your time, Jango," I said.

"Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi," he replied in turn, his eyes flickering between me and Obi-Wan, who was waiting patiently behind me.

I didn't say a word--I merely turned around and walked for the door. I could tell Obi-Wan and Taun We were following close behind, but more importantly, that Jango's and Boba's eyes were locked on me. They were hiding something. I just couldn't put my finger on what.

Taun We led us to the door, back to the platform where we had landed our ships. Despite us having been here for several hours already, the rain was still coming down heavy, not having let up at all. I looked out at the terrible weather in trepidation as Obi-Wan said goodbye to the Kaminoan.