It had just been over forty eight hours since Lyra had landed back on Coruscant land. Not a long time given the grand scheme of things, but to some it might have served as enough in order to address the many unspoken truths that lingered around them. With everything had that happened thus far however, Lyra liked to believe she had a viable excuse to avoid the subject as a whole. At least until things quieted down around the temple. That was, if Obi-Wan even wanted to discuss it in the first place. He'd had ample opportunity to bring it up, to give his side of the story where she had been left empty handed.
But he hadn't, which either meant he had the same mindset as her, or the elder Jedi Knight didn't want to discuss it at all. She wasn't quite sure yet which of those options would be less unnerving, maybe they were both as bad as each other. Force knows, Lyra surely felt no real inclination to bring up the matter of their parting ten years ago. Felt it unnecessary and like it would simply stir old things which should be lain to rest by now.
Now was not the time for the past. She thought as she walked alongside Obi-Wan through the grand temple, their boots dulling their footsteps against the royal blue carpet that made out the pathway towards the small teaching room Yoda currently occupied with some youngling students. The large bronze statues of ancient Jedi Masters of the distant past waved by them as they walked, the intricate sculpture to her right holding up some sort of spherical orb in an elegant stance.
Would Master Yoda ever receive a stature of that kind of grandeur once he passed into the Force? He would certainly deserve it, for all he'd done and taught of the Jedi Order.
"Reach out. Sense the Force around you. Use your feelings you must" Her kind Master's words echoed as they neared the open doorway, the words like a distant memory in her head from the time Yoda had recited them to her too.
'To use one's feelings', the naive thought made her sneer internally as she entered into the room ahead of Obi-Wan, ever the gentlemen to let her pass with a wave of his hand and a bow of his head.
They stopped respectfully in patience side by side to wait for Master Yoda to halt his ongoing lesson.
"Wise words, Master. As always" Lyra bowed low to the smaller Master who offered her a small smile in return before turning to address his class.
"Younglings. Younglings!" He had to call twice for them all to pay attention, lowering their training sabers and removing their headgear.
"Visitors we have" Master Yoda stated slowly.
The careful looks on the younglings faces as they took in the sight of the Jedi knights made something stir in Lyra's mind. This looked so much like the days in which she too had been a youngling, of when she had looked to all the older Jedi in training and let awe and aspiration guide her life. The training had been hard and long, sometimes cruel in some aspects. These Younglings had to much potential, such a future ahead of them. Sadly one she wasn't quite sure anymore that she could completely recommend.
"Hello, Master Obi-Wan, Master Lyra" She was surprised they'd known her name.
Was it worth to give up everything to serve the Jedi Order? To her, yes, on most days. But for these innocent children...that would know no different. She saw the sideways glance Obi-Wan gave her and quickly reigned back her doubt and fleeting hesitation.
"Hello" Obi-Wan offered back gently, the small smile on his face making her bite back a smile of her own. He was good around kids.
"We're sorry to disturb you, Master" Lyra stepped closer to her Master with a small bow of her hooded head at the younglings, untucking her hands from her long dark Jedi robes to pull forth the object they needed assistance with.
"What help can I be, Lyra? Hmm?" Yoda asked his head lifting up to meet her eyes from under her hood.
"We're looking for a planet described to us by an old friend of mine" Obi-Wan offered, joining her side "I trusted him, but the systems don't show the archive maps".
"We checked the archives thoroughly, Master. If it had been there, we would've found it" The paler Jedi explained with a small sigh.
"Hmm. Lost a planet, Master Lyra and Master Obi-Wan has" Yoda hummed towards his class before shaking his head "How embarrassing" only to result in a round of giggled from the younglings.
"Hmm? Liam, the shades" The Master Jedi instructed, a young boy closest to the door happily raised his hand and lowered the shades in the room with the click of a button bu the door.
"Gather round the map reader" He went on while Lyra moved to place the small globe onto the map reader and stepped away again "Clear your minds, and find Lyra and Obi-Wan's wayward map we will" Yoda finished as the room darkened around them.
The planetary system that bounced forth from the map reader was a wonder to behold. It wasn't the first time Lyra had seen one displayed like this of course, but it had been so long she'd almost forgotten how beautiful it could look. Stars, planets, galaxies stretching out around the room in glimmering lights that bounced off of every available surface including the handsome face of Obi-Wan as he paced the circle of the room while he spoke. Luckily he didn't catch her staring.
"It ought to be...here" He pointing to the empty space with his finger "but it isn't" he looked towards Master Yoda expectantly "Gravity is pulling all the stars in the area towards this spot".
"It's like all the physical signs of it's existence are there but..." She left the thought sitting there as she wandered around the empty spot past Obi-Wan with a thoughtful hand on her chin. It just didn't add up.
"Hmm. Gravity's silhouette remains, but the star and all the planets, disappeared they have" Yoda explained to his class which had gathered closely into a little circle around the map reader, their heads intently turned towards the Jedi Master as he spoke.
"How can this be?" The elder Jedi Master asked with a hum "Hmm? A thought?".
They all remained patiently waiting for an answer, for any sort of idea that might solve this mystery.
"Anyone?"
"Master?" A small youngling with rosy cheeks offered quietly, Master Yoda hummed instantly for him to continue "Because someone erased it from the archive memory".
The thought was...well, odd. To have someone erase parts of the Jedi archives?! Absurd really, it would be a disgrace to hear of it. But even so, it made sense. The mind of a child was truly a fascinating thing at times, she would give the young boy credit for his bold idea.
The only question now was why?
"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is" Yoda chuckled to himself "the Padawan is right. Go to the centre of gravity's pull and find your planet you will".
"Thank you, for your wisdom, youngling" Lyra crouched down to the small boys height and placed a light hand on his shoulder to show her gratitude past the veil of her hood. He all but beamed up at her face with an eager nod, before she rose again and followed after Obi-Wan and Master Yoda who had begun their walk towards the doorway.
"Hmm. The data must have been erased" Yoda said seriously while Obi-Wan called the orb from the map reader back into his hands with a small pull in the Force, tucking it into his robe picket.
"But, Master Yoda, who could empty information from the archives. That's impossible isn't it?" Obi-Wan asked the question that too had been lingering on her mind while the lights were switched back on in the room.
"I've never heard of such a thing in the history of the Jedi, not even Master Nu would have the authority to do such a thing" Lyra added crossing her arms alongside Kenobi without meaning to.
"Dangerous and disturbing this puzzle is" Yoda scratched his chin in serious contemplation "Only a Jedi could have erased those files" he said "But who and why, harder to answer. Mediate on this I will. Hmm" He nodded to himself as if to solidify this thought before giving his goodbye to the pair with a small nod. "Go now, find this planet and perhaps more answers you will find".
"I suggest we rest for a few hours while our ships are readied"
They were walking back through the temple when Obi-Wan spoke up, she was surprised he would at all. He hadn't spoken to her directly in a short while now.
"Is it not wiser to leave immediately? The life of Senator Amidala is at steak here" Lyra frowned up at him in confusion. Up until now they hadn't rested in days, sure it was an inconvenience, but they had more important matters to attend to right now besides their redundant sleep schedule. She would've thought Kenobi shared that sentiment with her, Padme was an old friend of his too after all.
"I agree we should make haste for Kamino, but it will do us no good going while we're exhausted" He countered stopping in his tracks once they'd reached the wing of the temple that housed the Jedi sleeping quarters. Ah, so he hadn't steered them in this direction for no reason then. "I will make sure to contact the landing bay of what we will need, and inform the council of Master Yoda's instructions".
"Would I not be better suited to do that?" Lyra interjected with a raised eyebrow "I'm certain you've received much less sleep in the past week than I have" she offered gesturing to his form as if the signs of his exhaustion were all there out in the open for anyone to see. Clearly she meant them in a less obvious manner, letting her Force signature brush against his own to emphasise her point "Your exhaustion is easier to pick up on than you might believe, Master Kenobi".
He huffed a chuckle back at her while he averted his gaze out of the window to his right "Seeing as I am to lead this investigation, I don't think you have much say in the matter, dear Lyra".
Unfortunately he was right with that, though it didn't mean he was correct overall in his argument and the smaller Jedi crossed her arms stubbornly "The only reason you are to lead, Kenobi, is because the Council believes I need time adjusting back into the capital and the way of things in the temple" she tightened her jaw at the truth they both had picked up on before drawing her gaze out the window alongside him "Either of us could have handled this matter on our own, it quite fails me on how Master Yoda has found so little trust in my abilities after all this time" she confessed quietly before shaking her head free of the turmoil of doubt.
"You forget I am older than you, Master Din-So, which holds with it more experience and wisdom. Regardless of what the Council might think" Obi-Wan pointed out matter of factly only to cause her eyes to roll around her head as a response to his confidence.
"And you forget, Master Kenobi, that age does not always equate to wisdom" She shot back easily, faltering back to the challenging mindset she'd held onto as a child before even realising it "I like to believe experience outranks any amount of time spent alive".
An invisible line had been metaphorically drawn in the sand, one neither would tread over in their firm belief and Obi-Wan surrendered with a sigh of defeat and a hand through his long hair "If you must, I'll retire then if you want to handle everything else" He breathed while looking her over, just to make sure that she still looked awake enough to handle the task she'd set her mind to. He could tell easily Lyra was just as tired as he felt, she just found it a lot easier to conceal that fact.
"I'll be sure to meet you in four hours at the readied ships then, Kenobi. Rest well" Lyra held back the smug look threatening to take over her face and gave him a bow before turning away and walking back through the temple alone towards the Council Chamber. Her older Jedi companion spared her no further words beyond a small bow in return before he headed for his own quarters for some much needed sleep.
Lyra had always found space travel to be a tricky necessity in her life. It wasn't often she got herself into a ship to travel through space, she probably had spent more time in the temple than anywhere else combined. But ever since her very first hyperspace flight she hated travelling at lightspeed. It wasn't that she feared the action itself, she knew the safety in these ships was unparalleled. However the feeling of nausea that came when the starfighter slipped in and out of light speed was definitely not something she held in high regard.
Kenobi knew it too, they had travelled together before this in their youth, and assignment off Coruscant that ended up in a pursuit of deep space pirates. Which meant of course he had to comment on it the second their ships began to slow down near the planet of Kamino.
"How are you holding up Lyra?" He all but teased through the com link between their ships.
"Wonderful" Lyra placed a hand on her head and swallowed down the cold sweat before trying more firmer words "Always a pleasure flying with you Kenobi" she groaned before parting her eyelids to take in the distant planet.
"I assume flying still isn't your favourite past time" Obi-Wan chuckled before turning serious when his own eyes landed on their destination "There it is, right where it should be" he mumbled.
"Our missing planet Kamino" Lyra finished the sentence for him with a hum in recognition. It was quite a large planet, dark blue and grey for most part with over ninety percent water coverage from what her scanners could pick up.
R4, the astromech on Obi-Wan's ship beeped something unintelligible down his mic before Obi-Wan gestured for her to follow him from his cockpit and began his descent into the planet's atmosphere.
"At least the weather is pleasant" Lyra remarked dryly as they ships lowered onto the large circular man made landing platform. The whole planet seemed to be encased in a big thunderstorm, with harsh winds and unrelenting cold rain that chilled her to the bone the second the canopy of her ship opened up to let it all flood inside. Quickly readjusting her robes over herself, she jumped from the cockpit alongside Kenobi who fashioned his own hood over his head.
"Let's handle this with as much finesse as we can manage" Obi-Wan all but shouted over the weather as they made their way towards the large metal building at the end of the platform "I'll do the talking, if that's alright with you?".
She might've been offended with the notion from Kenobi that she couldn't handle the fineries of conversation, but seeing as this was something much to delicate to argue about. And that Obi-Wan did have a way with words she could not fault, Lyra simply gave a quick nod "As you wish" and they entered through the sliding doors with thunder rumbling out behind them.
A tall figure approached them almost immediately. A species she had never seen before with a long slender neck and body, two large black eyes that could almost resemble the deep space and pale blue skin that blended into the ashen grey and white walls. They were...pretty, in a way.
First to lower his hood, Obi-Wan stared in awe at the slender alien species from beside her. Tempting her to lower her own only to hesitate and wait, patience, Master Yoda's lesson rang in her head, would be her virtue.
"Master Jedi" The voice was feminine from what Lyra could pick up "The prime minister is expecting you" she said slowly.
"We're expected?" Obi-Wan inquired quizzically, hands tucked into his robes around his torso for warmth. She too was feeling the cold through her soaked robes, the thick scratchy fabric may be warm to wear, but definitely wasn't waterproof.
"Of course. He is anxious to meet you" she went on to express, "after all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming" her eyes lingering unnervingly on Lyra as if she were waiting for something.
Manners, Lyra remembered the advice from Dex and took the look as one of expectation. She lowered her hood and gave a small bow of her chin.
"Now, please, this way" It seemed all the female required before she gestured for them to follow her.
The hallways were so painfully opposite to the Jedi Temple Lyra had to squint for several long seconds when they turned into another one. They practically glowed with artificial lighting, every wall a blinding white light of endless white with no windows in sight to inform them of the raging storm outside. Though, they probably knew it was there and chose to block it out for a reason. There were no real comforts here, no carpets or rugs, no classrooms filled with younglings to teach and no colours beyond the clinical white and grey tones they had seen upon entering. It felt cold, devoid of individuality.
When they finally reached their meeting room, the finned figure of the prime minister greeted them as he rose from his chair that seemed to be attached to the ceiling.
"May I present Lama Su, prime minister of Kamino" their guide introduced while Lyra and Obi-Wan delivered a deep bow that was returned back at them.
"And these are Master Jedi—"
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" The older Jedi knight said.
"Lyra Din-So" Lyra finished tucking her hands back into her sleeves as they spoke.
"I trust you're going to enjoy your stay" The prime minister gestured to a chair which lowered itself off to their side, another joining it right after to indicate they were meant for the Jedi present "please".
The pair sat warily to their seats, Lyra tucking her heavy robes tucked over her legs for warmth while Obi-Wan took a much more relaxed approach and leaned one elbow onto his knee while the other rested on his hip. Always so self assured.
"Now to business. You will be delighted to hear that we are on schedule" He began to explain only to result in a puzzled look from Obi-Wan and Lyra.
"On schedule?" Lyra inquired carefully.
The tall Kamino prime minister nodded back at her slowly "200,000 units are ready, with a million more on the way"
What in Force's name was he talking about Lyra had no idea, and from the confusion coming from Obi-Wan neither did he even while he let none of it show.
"That's good news" The elder Jedi said simply, a forced smile on his lips.
"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that his order will be met on time"
"I'm sorry. Master—" Obi-Wan asked quickly.
"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas os still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?" Lama Su hummed.
"I'm sorry to say, Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost then years ago" Lyra piped in gently, getting an appreciative look from Kenobi from beside her. She hadn't personally met the deceased Jedi Master herself, but read a few things about him from the archives in the past.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that" The prime minister sounded disappointing at that revelation and lowered his gaze for a moment "But I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've build for him".
An army, they were building an army! 200,00 units to be exact, it was on a scale so large Lyra had never even come across a number so big. Her heart picked up in her rib cage at the thought. Why would a Jedi Master commission an army of all things? They were peacekeepers, not warmongers and soldiers eager to fight in a war. This should never have happened in the first place.
The hold on her cloak tightened.
"The army?" This time Obi-Wan did sound as bewildered as she felt, asking with wide eyes and a lowered head.
"Yes" Came a simple answer back at him from the prime minister "A clone army, and I must say, one of the finest we've ever created".
Of course, they were cloners were they not? It would make sense for them to build and sell of their wares to the galaxy. But to this scale? Neither had expected this outcome.
"Tell me, Prime Minister, when my Master first contacted you about the army, did— did he say who it was for?" Master Kenobi said.
"Of course he did" and a breath followed "This army is for the Republic. But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself" somehow it irked her that he was calling them units instead of beings, sentient beings for that matter. Clones or not, they held feeling and a life within them. To be reduced to numbers like that didn't feel right.
"That's why we're here" Kenobi agreed politely, as if he'd known the turn out of this investigation from the moment they'd landed on Kamino. Which he definitely hadn't known.
An army for the Republic, was certainly an interesting turn of events. But why ask a Jedi to commission such a thing, why not ask a Senator or the chancellor himself for that matter? It didn't add up.
"Very impressive" Obi-Wan nodded to Lama Su as they found themselves amongst the large hallways that showed off the inner workings of the clone factories. Blue glowing capsules filled with embryos circling by them on conveyer belts like a mass production, everything worked in sync with one another to hand off the process flawlessly. They definitely were efficient with that they did, Lyra would give them that.
"I'd hoped you would be pleased" the prime minister said "Clones can think creatively. You will find that they are immensely superior to droids" he explained as they walked down the seemingly endless hall covered in glass windows on either side.
"We take great pride in our combat education and training programs" The more the explained the more uneasy Lyra felt about all of this, it felt wrong to be here, to witness this. It felt like another excuse for slavery. She knew it wasn't the same realistically, but the connection was easy to make regardless. To be created and raised for the simple purpose of fighting and following orders, to have no opinion on the matter and no choice as you worked your life till death without pay or thanks.
Why was that parallel suddenly so similar to a Jedi's...?
"This group was created about five years ago"
They certainly looked older than ten, the row upon row of younglings hooked onto small screens with large helmets on their heads looked at least ten if not older.
"You mentioned growth acceleration" Obi-Wan pointed out as they halted by the window to examine the small clones, barely children.
"Oh, yes, it's essential otherwise a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now we can do it in half the time" Lama said with pride in his tone.
"I see" Obi-Wan hummed and they continued along to the older clones who sat eating in a large hall filled with rows of tables.
"They are totally obedient, taking any order without question. We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host" He went on only for Lyra to quirk an eyebrow.
"Isn't there a contradiction?" She spoke up as she watched the Clone army below them "Prime Minister, you said they have creativity in their thoughts, yet they have been modified to be completely obedient and less independent" she explained when he remained silent and stared down at her "How could they ever hope to express creativity without independent thought?" She mused, only to earn a sceptic look from Obi-Wan at her side that told her she should heed her words.
"They only possess the capacity for creative ideas which would further whatever order had been given to them, Master Din-So" He said finally after a long tense silence "Anything further becomes redundant". She could tell she had thrown him off with her observation, the spike in his emotion even with how calm it had remained throughout their own meeting hadn't gone unnoticed. It would be the only victory she could take from this and gave him a slow nod in acknowledgment at his words.
"And who was the original host?" Obi-Wan quickly picked up the conversation from where it had diverged into ethics.
"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett"
What a coincidence they were looking for a bounty hunter associated with Kamino.
"And where might this bounty hunter be now?" Lyra beat Obi-Wan to the question before he could voice it himself.
"Oh, we keep him here. Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing: an unaltered clone for himself. Curious, isn't it?" Lama Su explained while they continued their tour past the training grounds on which she caught glimpses of sparring matches.
"Unaltered?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile" She hated the word use of 'it' in this instance but bit her tongue "and no growth acceleration".
"I should very much like to meet this Jango Fett" Obi-Wan slowed to gesture to Lyra who nodded in agreement.
"We both would" she said quickly.
"I would be very happy to arrange it for you" The female guide in their company spoke from behind them with a gesture of her han to which both Jedi nodded in thanks.
The army laid out before their eyes at the end of the viewing balcony they reached was more vast than even Lyra could've imagined in her head. Battalion upon battalion of clone troops marching in sync with practice drills and blaster rifles covered head to toe in white reflective armour and helmets that concealed every inch of their bodies from the world. It was if they they had been designed to be as inhuman looking as possible, so far removed from something alive and breathing that one could forget they weren't just mindless droids. It was impressively horrifying to witness.
"Magnificent, aren't they?" Lama sounded so prideful and in awe of his own creation that Lyra had to turn her eyes away from him to compose herself, to calm and let the Force carry of the wave of emotions she hadn't felt in years. It wasn't the word she would use to describe this, not at all.
"Need I suggest you at least try to keep the discussion of Clone philosophy and ethics to a minimum while we're here?"
Rolling her eyes, Lyra gave Obi-Wan an exasperated look. It wasn't like she had wanted to bring up the sensitive topic on purpose, it just slipped out in the heat of the moment and overcame her until she reigned it in again. Just because clone technology was complex and rarely seen in the galaxy, didn't mean it didn't warrant a discussion. Though not perhaps in the presence of the prime minister of a planet in which these said clones were currently in mass production.
They had been left by Lama and were currently being guided by the female who had first met them through the complex towards this mysterious bounty hunter. It sounded hopeful, and couldn't be a coincidence they were looking for one around this exact location which linked back to the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala.
Speaking in hushed tones from behind their guide, Lyra leaned a little closer to the taller Jedi to ensure no one caught onto their whispers "You can't agree that any of this is in anyway ethical, can you?" she would be hugely surprised if his indifferent approach so far was in anyway not accompanied by hidden doubt and disgruntlement he kept concealed for the purpose of appearance for their hosts.
"No, but we are here as guests" Obi-Wan reminded her slowly, tucking his arms closer to himself as they walked "And I would rather leave as such, than to be tied down in a debate which could see this army in the hands of somebody else".
"The hands of somebody else?" Lyra mused, she hadn't even entertained the idea that the Republic would allow this. But to have the clone army in the hands of somebody who wasn't the Republic or the Jedi, now that was a frightful thought.
"The separatists, the Sith" He shrugged down at her "Let's just try not to agitate anyone further on Kamino, for the time being" the pointed look was enough to let her sigh and give him a nod in defeat as they rounded and halted in front of a white door which appeared just like all the others in the long blinding hallway.
Lyra quickly adjusted her Jedi hood back over her head as she watched Taun reach her hand forwards towards the doors touch pad "Boba, is your father here?" The Kaminonian inquires as the door slid open under her large palm to reveal a small shaggy haired boy. He looked exactly like the younger clones they'd come across, with longer hair, tanned skin but a harder expression, he looked wary.
"Yep" Came the boys simple reply as he looked over the two Jedi.
"May we see him?" Their guide inquired carefully.
"Sure" Again he gave a sceptical look over her and Obi-Wan before shrugging and waking back into the room.
"Dad, Taun We's here" He called out while Obi-Wan followed with Lyra at his heels. They both surveyed the living quarters with every careful step, on alert for any danger this bounty hunter might posses. Manners aside, he had most likely been the one who had hired an assassin on a Senator, which meant he wasn't one to mess around.
The room was just as starkly white as the rest of Kamino, though at least this room possessed an actual window to the outside that showed the rainstorm and crashing waves outside.
Just as soon as Obi-Wan had circled past the window, Lyra sensed the other presence joining them and turned back towards the hall they had walked down to stand here.
"Jango, welcome back" Taun said to him with a wave of her hand.
He emerged from what looked like his sleeping quarters, rolling back the large blue sleeves of his blue tunic.
"Was your trip productive?" Taun inquired as Obi-Wan and Lyra bowed their head silently in greeting.
"Fairly" He too had that wary, defence aura about him when Lyra studied him. She stood a little further than Obi-Wan did direct facing him, but could tell even from the meter between them that he was reacting far to calmly to a situation such as this. To have two Jedi turn up to greet you on Kamino, a planet which currently didn't even exist in the archives, after your return from wherever was definitely not a common occurrence.
"These are Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lyra Din-So" Taun introduced gesturing to the two Jedi in turn "They have come to check on our progress".
Obi-Wan flashed a small smile to Jango before he spoke "Your clones are very impressive. You must be very proud" he said, careful to pick his words.
"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe" Jango didn't break eye contact with the elder Jedi, neither of them did. As if it may shatter the illusion of formality which had formed.
All three of them knew this was not what it looked like to the outsider looking in. They knew more than they were letting on.
"A curious and unique way to make a living" Lyra offered from under her hood, turning her eyes away and out the window when she saw Jango glance at her from the corner of his eyes.
"Ever made your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?" Obi-Wan brought his attention back to himself with the heavy question, ever one to keep up the polite smile and careful posture even while the tension in the room was palpable and ever expanding with the exchange of words. It felt like an interrogation more than anything else.
"Once or twice" Jango answered back casually.
"Recently?" Obi-Wan added quickly.
"Possibly"
"Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas" Lyra cut in, turning her head back towards him and tilting it in question.
Jango failed to answer this time, instead moving to stand next to Boba as he addressed him "Uh, Boba, rood eht so-heeck" he said in a language she did not recognise before Boba left and Jango took up his spot by the window beside Lyra, turning towards her with interwoven fingers.
"Master who?"
"Sifo-Dyas" She repeated slower "Is he not the Jedi who hired you for this job?". Obi-Wan instinctively neared her shoulder when Jango stepped up to her closer than was necessary, it looked like he was trying to find her eyes from under her brown cloak and when he did he spoke again to her directly.
"Never heard of him" It's like the words were meant to mock her, mock both the Jedi in the room with information so astoundingly factual that disregarding them as a whole was a joke to him.
"Really?" The older Jedi over her shoulder was staring hard down at the bounty hunter now, the smile all but forgotten in favour of a dangerous glint in his eyes Lyra barely caught when she nicked her head up at him.
"I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden" Jango said breaking eye contact with her in favour of the older, taller bearded Jedi to her left.
"Curious" Obi-Wan smiled back slowly.
You could cut the tension with a lightsaber.
"Do you like your army?" The bounty hunter asked, eyes lingering on them both in turn.
"They're quite something" Lyra hummed.
"I look forward to seeing them in action" Obi-Wan said firmly.
"They'll do their job well. I'll guarantee that"
She hated that guarantee, hated the implication behind it. Of violence, of war. To serve only to destroy, that's what soldiers were made for right?
"Thank you for your time, Jango" As soon as Obi-Wan finished his goodbye, they bowed in sync, Lyra taking his lead in this matter as she took a step away and squeezed past the thin space between the two and towards the doorway.
"Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi, or two"
Obi-Wan followed her with their guide Taun in tow, Lyra spared no more looks over her shoulder even if she was tempted to see the fleeing looks on Jango and his son's faces to try and gauge their reactions in this whole matter when they thought no one would see.
The small discussion that followed as they were shown their way back to the landing platform wasn't one she cared much to remember. The intricacies of the clone army, it's functions, it's resources being the topic between the three as they wandered the halls. By the time they reached the large glass sliding doors that lead outside, the mind had reeled its way back from the calming presence of the Force and to the matter at hand.
"Tell your council that the first battalions are ready" Taun was saying "And remind them, if they need more troops, it will take more time to grow them" she was very much stating the obvious there. You couldn't really grow troops over night unless they were droids.
"We won't forget, and thank you" Obi-Wan smiled up at her with kind eyes, bowing along side Lyra.
"Thank you for everything" The younger Jedi felt inclined to add.
"Thank you" Were the Kaminonian's parting words before the two Jedi turned in unison and walked through the door which parted for them and out into the heavy rain and thunder.
Adjusting her hood and dark robes tightly over her head, Lyra hugged the cloth to herself alongside Obi-Wan as they approached their starships.
"R4" The older Jedi called several paces away from his ship where he stopped "Scramble code five, to Coruscant, care of the old folks' home!" His red R4 unit beeped before a small hatch opened and a small antenna sprung from the ship to begin the intended transmission.
"We have successfully made contact with the prime minister of Kamino" Obi-Wan began, almost needing to shout over the sound of the raging storm around them to relay the information "They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army".
Lyra walked closer, ensuring both Master Yoda and Master Windu say her figure in the back of the hologram transmission.
"I have a strong feeling that this bounty hunter is the assassin we are looking for" Obi-Wan concluded, Lyra giving a nod from behind him to indicate that she agreed on that matter.
"Do you think these cloners are involved in the plot to assassinate Senator Amidala?" Master Windu inquired over the transmission.
"No, Master. There appears to be no motive" Kenobi shook his head as he spoke.
"Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan" Master Yoda interjected "Clear your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind this plot".
"Yes, Master"
Ever the wise Jedi, her Master never did fail to disappoint in his teachings and patient approach to everything.
"They say Master Sifo-Dyas placed an order for a clone army at the request of the senate almost ten years ago" Lyra's voice carried over the transmission as she took a step forward from behind Obi-Wan to relay the concerning facts.
Neither Masters offered an answer, understandably just as confused as they were.
"I was under the impression he was killed before that" The younger Jedi knight pointed out "At least from my knowledge and research of the archives. Did the council ever authorise the creation of a clone army?" She felt the need to ask, though already had in inclination to the answer she would expect.
"No" and she was right when Mace continued "Whoever placed that order did not have the authorisation of the Jedi Council".
"Bring him here. Question him we will" Master Yoda instructed.
"Yes Master" Lyra nodded her head over the transmission respectfully.
"We will report back when we have him" Obi-Wan bowed too before R2 cut the signal off and their transmission faded out into nothingness.
"Are you able to locate which landing platform Jango is currently occupying?" Obi-Wan turned towards her in the storm, his face scrunched up and arms tight around his frame. They had the same idea then, foreseeing that the bounty hunter would now want to make a hasty exit from the planet and away from them after everything that had just occurred.
"Have you so little faith in me, Master Kenobi?" To even question her ability, what a thought. Taking a slow breath to try and centre herself in the Force, Lyra let her thoughts and feelings even out. Let them merge and reach out into the surrounding area until they caught into the many presences on Kamino. Taun, the prime minister, even the clones passed her by until she reached the familiar life force of Jango and his son close by.
"They seem to be in quite a rush" She mumbled eyes remaining shut while she delved deeper into their feelings and took ahold of them like they were her own. Anxious, stressed, panicked almost. They were anticipating the Jedi interference.
"I guess it's our job to interrupt their untimely departure then" The bearded Jedi joked before he tapped her shoulder to pull her away from her concentration and gesture for them to start walking.
"They're two platforms to our right, a large ship by the amount of packing they have been doing in the short time" Lyra nodded and followed after him in a jog. There was no time to waste if they wanted to intercept their transport ship off of Kamino.
"Dad, look!"
As soon as they stormed through the parting doors to the platform, Boba's voice rung out from the ramp of the ship, unfortunately altering Jango to their presence who turned to face them dressed in full Mandalorian armour. Ready for a confrontation it seemed.
Obi-Wan pulled the saber from his holster without hesitation, igniting the blue blade and raising it at his side in a defensive stance.
Lyra could not share this action, her hands shook at her belt under her robes. Her body giving up compliance for rationality in favour of a panic which arose out of the depths of her unconscious. Why was it to hard now, she was only defending herself with the blade so why would her hand not grasp ahold of the metal hilt?! This was her life at steak here.
Her companion easily reflected the red blaster fire from the bounty hunter as soon as he began firing, stepping forward to defend them both with easy swings of his saber. "Your lightsaber Lyra!" He called over his shoulder with furred brows.
That's all she had to do, just ignite her weapon and raise it into the air.
Swallowing hard, she took the hilt into her unsure hands and held it out to her side. The rain and wind pelting onto her face as soon as the unrelenting wind swept the hood away from her head, she had no time to focus on covering up at that moment and with a sharp breath she ignited the blade.