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Author's Notes: Mostly hoping that this chapter doesn't come off as too anticlimactic, really.
It was long after the news of the assassin, long after he had bid both Obi-Wan and Satine farewell and good luck that Anakin Skywalker headed off to the Jedi Archives. He could not say that they were his favorite place to be – not because he disliked the information there, but because of the archivist, Jocasta Nu.
Jocasta Nu wasn’t a cruel woman, per se, but there was something about her – precise, almost ruthlessly precise – that more than slightly unsettled Anakin. The other Padawans had given him advice in the past on how to deal with her (“Just don’t screw around in her library or patronize her, and you’ll be fine.”), but even so…he could not help but feel uneasy around her.
If anything, at times, she reminded him rather unpleasantly of Watto. More than slightly short-tempered, efficient, pragmatic – admirable traits, yes, but also more than slightly intimidating.
So even now, Anakin Skywalker stepped into the Jedi Archives, large and roomy and grand – he felt almost small in them. Then he made his way to the analysis droids, handed them the toxic dart (carefully), to analyze.
“Interesting. It seems the closest approximate match to this dart is the old Kaminoan designs…”
Kamino. Anakin had heard of the planet in passing – as long as you had plenty of wealth and prestige and good manners under your belt, you could find cloners and other people (or Kaminoans) to do things for you. So someone had put a hit on Satine, and the bounty hunter took it up if only for…
Some sort of vengeance killing? Putting the war in motion? Credits? It was probably the last one.
Anakin sighed, placed the Kaminoan dart in his pocket again, thanking the droid for its assistance. Now…now the best he could do was go to the Archives and find a way to get the Kamino coordinates. And then…then he could get into action.
It was on the way to the planetary database that Anakin bumped into one of the well-carved sculptures that seemed to line the Archives. Quickly putting it back into place (he doubted Jocasta would be happy if he broke anything), Anakin took a while to look it over.
Count Dooku. Anakin had heard of him in passing, once again – a renowned Jedi Master who left the Jedi Order if only because of the disgust he had with the Republic. Somehow, Anakin didn’t blame him – if anything, if what he had seen as a boy was any indication, the Republic was worse than useless. It had taken a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum’s leadership in order to even remotely get things done.
Not that he was complaining about Valorum’s replacement. While Valorum was no doubt a good man, Palpatine got things done much quicker. And that was perhaps an understatement.
Palpatine was a good, honest man.
If only Obi-Wan realized this.
And then there was the matter of Dooku…Anakin only wished he hadn’t had to leave the Order. Even thinking about it, he wished that the Jedi Order didn’t seem irrevocably tied to the Republic. They claimed to be keepers of the peace, not soldiers, but if anything, they seemed more concerned about maintaining their public image than actually getting anything done.
Or perhaps he was being too harsh. After all, they were doing the best they could. At least that’s what Obi-Wan told him. Perhaps that was what it was like in this bizarre, almost upside-down world, but even so…
“Padawan Skywalker.”
Anakin almost jumped at the sound, almost knocking over the statue again, righting it just in time. There stood the Archivist herself, dressed in white robes, her hair up in a strict bun, accentuating her sharp features.
“I am so sorry…” Even now, apologizing profusely to Jocasta Nu, he was relieved when she, gently, held up a hand.
“It’s perfectly all right,” she said. “You require anything?”
“Oh. Right.” Anakin cleared his throat. “Is there any chance I can access the databases? I need to look up…a planet that may have a role in Satine Kryze’s attempted assassination.”
“I see. Do you have a name? There could be multiple planets that are, shall we say, suspect.”
“Kamino.”
It was later looking it up that Anakin found, to his utter bewilderment, that Kamino wasn’t found.
“Interesting.” Jocasta Nu cocked a brow. “I would normally say that if an item is not in our archives, it does not exist – but if anything…”
“Maybe it’s incomplete.”
Jocasta let out a bark of laughter. “Padawan Skywalker,” she said, “I do assure you that our archives are very thorough.”
“Nobody’s perfect.”
“Perhaps there is some sort of bug in the Archives. Let us try again.”
They did.
Still nothing.
Anakin sighed. “Maybe someone deleted it?”
“Perhaps. But the Archives are very high-security. It would have required someone with access to the Archives, or exceptional skills, to accomplish such a feat.”
Whoever was trying to kill Duchess Satine Kryze must have been trying to cover their tracks. In the end, that was the only thing that Anakin could conclude.
Bidding a quick farewell to Jocasta Nu, Anakin left the Archives, sighing in half-disappointment, half-relief. On the one hand, talking with Jocasta Nu was less difficult than he thought it would be – perhaps she was in a good mood today.
But on the other hand, there was the matter of Satine’s attempted assassin being very clever and deft.
And in regards to a Padawan on his first mission, that couldn’t be good.
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Date: 2012-09-14 12:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-14 04:04 pm (UTC)And I loved writing that scene as well. Oh, Anakin... :)