Obi-Wan and Anakin split up. Obi-Wan took Zam Wessel to the Jedi Temple for detailed questioning. Anakin, on the other hand, pursued the Bounty Hunter, Jango Fett, according to Wessel.
On his way to the spaceport, Anakin entered a mission board for bounty hunters. He offered 5,000 credits for minor clues that led to the capture of Jango Fett and 10,000 credits for more substantial information. Any information that identified exactly where Fett was currently could be rewarded up to 500,000 credits. A direct, live capture of Jango would end in a payday of 1,000,000 credits.
The bounty would be paid by the Jedi. As a padawan he had access to a discretionary fund. The masters might take that from him later, but for now, he had up to fifty million credits available.
Anakin provided the bounty hunters with the location of Jango's last known coordinates and informed them that he had piloted a Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft. The name of the ship was Slave I.
As soon as the message went out, Cyrus was shocked to see the city seem to almost sweet out bounty hunters. They arrived from all directions, as if the buildings themselves were excreting them.
Cyrus felt the buzz from his communicator, clicking it on, he heard a rather surly voice, "I've got Jango pinned down, me and Bosk, and Dengar. Aurra Sing set his ship on fire; it's burning in the space port. You might want to send people to deal with that."
"Good work, send me your coordinates, and I'll get there as quickly as possible."
"Hey, I put a lot of work into this, and there's at least four of us," Cad Bane angled for more money.
"He's no good to me dead. If he's alive when I get there, everyone gets full credits, that's 1,000,000 credits each. If he's unconscious and you can keep the property damage down, I'll throw in a big bonus," Cyrus responded.
"How big?" Cad asked.
"It depends on how well you do your job. I would also watch out for other hunters."
"Don't worry, we'll take down the hunters and earn that bonus. You should get here quickly, he can't hold out forever," Cad responded, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Send me the coordinates, and I'll get there faster."
Within a few seconds, Cyrus received the location of the bounty hunters. He forwarded the location to his master, telling him to send some Jedi as backup. Jango's wily.
Several Jedi arrived not long after Cyrus. Jango was unconscious, stripped of his armor, bound, and in a net.
"You, Skywalker?" Cad asked him.
"You, Cad Bane?" He responded.
"So what's our bonus?" The Jedi were instructed by Anakin to take Jango back to the Temple for questioning.
"Alright, call your fourth member, Aura Sing? When she gets here, we'll settle accounts."
Aurra Sing joined them not long after, "Okay, each of you gets a million creds for the successful capture of Jango Fett. I'll give another million credits for the bonus since you did such a great job. Minimal property damage, aside from the damage to the port, but the Jedi will take care of that. Satisfied?"
The look of glee couldn't be hidden from their eyes, "Not bad, Jedi. I hope you'll call us again in the future if you have any more jobs." Cad turned to leave with the others.
"Why don't you stick around? It just so happens I have more credit-making opportunities," Cyrus caught their attention.
"Like what?" Cad wasn't one for small talk; most bounty hunters weren't. It's what gave them that mysterious flare people found so appealing.
"I need you to locate Count Dooku and find out what he's up to," Cyrus watched them get nervous.
"I'm not crazy enough to mess with Count Dooku," Cad admitted.
"Don't mess with him, just find out where he is, what he's doing, and who he's doing it with. That can't be too hard. Jango Fett was the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. You four took him down, now you're the best. Act like it, be bold."
"How much?" Cad asked.
"How much do you want?" Cyrus responded.
"Five million each," Cad offered.
"For five million, I could have Dooku assassinated."
"No one would take five million to kill that guy. He's too powerful, too well guarded, and if the assassination failed..."
"I'm not asking you to assassinate him, I'm asking for information. If you want five million each, then I need hole-in-one type information," Cyrus countered.
"What's hole-in-one information?" Aura Sing asked.
"It's information that could do so much damage that we can take him down for good at once," Cyrus explained what he was looking for.
"I can't guarantee that we'll get that kind of information," Cad responded.
"Then I can't guarantee that I can pay you twenty million. If you get me useful information that we can use against Dooku, then I'll pay each of you two million."
Cad and the other three bounty hunters talked quietly before turning to Anakin, "We agree."
"Great, the quicker you get it, the closer you'll get to the twenty million. You can contact me through my communicator code." Anakin left the group and went to the Temple.
At the Temple, the council convened and was waiting for Anakin before the meeting.
Entering the chamber, he found Obi-Wan stading before the council, quietly watching his padawan enter.
"A busy evening you had," Yoda laughed. "Many surprised to us you have brought, mmmh, many surprised."
"Hello Master Yoda, Members of the High Council," Cyrus gave a general bow to everyone.
"We've interrogated that bounty hunter, Wessel. Now, we have Jango Fett to question. Your master has also shared that you have some questions about your close friend the Supreme Chancellor?" Mace Windu sharply gazed at Cyrus.
"Yes, Master Windu, I have some suspicions about the Chancellor," Cyrus looked at the other members of the council who examined him quietly. Their faces were inscrutable.
"Obi-Wan tells us you weren't able to fully share your concerns due to tonight's events. Why don't you go ahead and finish sharing your thoughts?" Mace leaned back in his chair.
Cyrus organized his thoughts taking a cleansing breath and centering himself in the Force. Yod approved nodding his head commenting, "Yes, yes, good! Let go of your fear and anger, the light flow through you it will."
"Masters, I have found myself questioning certain aspects about my relationship with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Many of you know, that since I have come to train in the Temple, the Chancellor has often checked on me and mentored me over the years. I always felt like his concern was something like a father's care," Cyrus paused.
"But you feel otherwise now?" Ki-Adi-Mundi, the Cerean Jedi Master asked.
"I don't know, but given the attacks on Senator Amidala, and some of our conversations, I no longer believe the Chancellor's intentions toward me are pure. I feel like he has been grooming me for somthing.
The attacks on the Senator required inside information. This information could have come from anyone, but I have noticed that from the beginning of our unofficial war with the Separatists, the Chancellor has benefitted the most. Master Kenobi and I have often discussed the Chancellor's opportunistic nature, and for a long time I defended the Chancellor, but perhaps I was wrong.
If you look at the requests of many Separatists from the beginning, their requests were originally small. If not stubbornness from the Chancellor's office, the small matter could have been resolved easily.
Why be stubborn, I have watched the Chancellor over the years, and noticed that whatever the situation he is able to address the matter with a light hand.
Why does he find this matter so difficult to resolve. Furthermore, on the opposite side of this conflict sits Count Dooku, who is a former Jedi Master. He is just as capable as the Chancelor to make a small issue small.
Both men are reasonable, intelligent, and wise, but they cannot come to an agreement!"
"What do you suspect, padawan," Mace leaned in searching Anakin's face.
"I don't want to say it," Cyrus hesitated.
"Say it you must, better out than in your fears," Yoda encouraged the young man.
Encouraged, Cyrus finally spoke, "I'm sure my master retold my meeting with the Chancellor regarding Darth Plageius the Wise. A seemingly significant Sith that no Jedi has heard of, and there aren't any records of him. For the last thousand years there has been a series of apprentices and masters, and we don't know anything about them. So, I ask you, my masters, how does a politician with no connection to the force know about him?"
The Council members murmurred to one another. "The is circumstantial, you do not hae any evidence!" Ki-Adi-Mundi chimed in.
"That's right, I don't have any evidence, but doesn't all of this strike you as suspicious? Then there's Count Dooku," Cyrus baited the council members.
"You don't plan to accuse Count Dooku of something, do you? Ki-Adi-Mundi rose to the defense of Dooku once more.
"I'm only suggesting certain lines of inquiry, but Master Kenobi killed the last apprentice of hidden dark lord. Perhaps that hidden dark lord is one of these two individual. Additionally, with the death of Darth Maul, a student position is open for the Dark lord to fill. One may be the master and the other the student."
Cyrus's thundering word shook the council causing them to debate and argue. Mace quieted them down, and Yoda spoke up, "For sending bounty hunters to investigate Dooku, your reason is this?"
"Yes master," Cyrus ceased to speak.
"Grave matters are these, accuse lightly, we cannot. Investigate, we must. Young Skywalker, results of your research, send to us you will," Yoda commanded.
"Yes, Master."
Although Cyrus was clearly dismissed, he remained standing, "More have you to say?" Yoda looked at Cyrus confused.
"Yes, I do not believe that the Senator is safe on Corescant. I believe she should be sent somewhere with her security detail. Perhaps she should even have a Jedi escort, like myself, Master Kenobi, or someone else appointed by the Council."
"See through you, we do. Desire to be assigned to the Senator, you do, hmmm? Master Kenobi spoke of your new state of mind, fled it has. About the Senator you think," Master Yoda kept pestering until Cyrus relented.
"Master Yoda, I am trying to do as my Master suggests, but Corescant wasn't built in a day. Having said that, the Senator is already used to my presence, I am the ideal candidate. I'm sure the Council is too busy to send anyone else to watch the Senator, but owing the Senator a favor, I would like to repay it now. Perhaps this will be the final thread for me to sever between myself and the Senator," Cyrus admitted.
"The young padawan speaks wisely, I vote we send him to escort the Senator to her homeworld of Naboo. There she will be safest knowing the terrain and the people, Ki-Adi-Mundi added. Other members of the Council murmurred their agreement.
"Then I shall take my leave and make preparations," Cyrus bowed and left.
Mace watched as he left, "I still don't trust the boy, but at least I trust him more now.
"Provided many possible clues to the Sith he has," Yoda thoughtfully spoke.
"If this mission goes well, the boy will have earned my trust," Mace promised and looked at the boy's master.
"Good." Was all that Obi-Wan could say. He was pondering Anakin's analysis, "Another great mind, the Council has. A powerful master become he will,"