Suddenly, the metallic cadence of marching fell silent. It vanished, replaced by the thunder of explosions. Bombers plunged from the sky, carpeting the columns of droids with bombs. Nearby, LAAT gunships—packed with clones—loosed volleys of rockets; some of the troopers leapt straight down, igniting their jetpacks and joining the fight alongside Kenobi's and Skywalker's men.
"This is unbelievable timing," Kenobi said. Catching his breath, he clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt. "We wouldn't have survived another assault—we'd have been forced to abandon the capital."
Against the backdrop of the buildings, a landing ship appeared—the Acclamator—from which additional gunships peeled away, swinging around to land behind them. Not far off, two transport craft deployed a pair of AT-TE tanks, which immediately opened fire. Other gunships were unloading clone troopers. But one of them, banking sharply over the street, veered toward the square where the Jedi headquarters and communications center were located.
"Yes!" Rex thrust a fist skyward. "Give it to 'em, boys!"
Anakin turned to Kenobi.
"Master, it looks like the enemy's pulling back! But these clones—I've never seen them before."
"And that ship isn't from the mustached admiral's squadron either. Still, I'm glad to see the reinforcements," Scorch said as he approached, snapping a hand to the brim of his helmet while surveying the newcomers.
"They'll be here soon," Kenobi said. "I think they've brought not only reinforcements, but ammunition—and perhaps my new Padawan as well."
"Master, are you sure?" Anakin asked. "About the Padawan? I mean, I'm one thing—but dragging yesterday's youngling into a war—"
"I discussed it with Grand Master Yoda," Kenobi replied. "He did not object to my decision."
"This isn't the time or place to train a Padawan, Master. It's a liability," Anakin said as he walked beside Obi-Wan.
"Well, I don't know," Kenobi said, quickening his pace. Then he broke into an easy run and pulled ahead. "You weren't a liability. For the most part—you weren't."
"For the most part?!" Anakin protested.
"After all, the best way to learn is through practice. You should ask Grand Master Yoda to assign you a Padawan. You could teach a great deal. I'm certain it's something you need."
Anakin exchanged a glance with Rex behind Kenobi's back and raised an eyebrow in confusion. The captain merely shrugged in response.
"No, thank you," Skywalker said. "The prospect of teaching someone doesn't appeal to me—especially right now. A student would only slow me down. At the moment, I simply can't afford that kind of luxury."
Anakin could have sworn Rex was amused by the conversation. He couldn't see the captain's face beneath the T-shaped visor, but he caught the slight tilt of his chin—and through the Force that bound them together, he unmistakably sensed his mood. Rex discreetly gave Anakin a thumbs-up. Anakin winked back. Thanks, Rex.
Meanwhile, a gunship touched down between two artillery emplacements and opened its troop bay doors—just as Anakin and the others reached the landing pad. And they saw who disembarked.
They were not clone troopers. Nor were they militia quartermasters laden with crates and ammunition. And it certainly wasn't a youngling destined to become Obi-Wan's new padawan.
Instead, a young woman stepped onto the square. No longer a child, but not yet an adult—three or four years younger than Anakin himself. Chestnut hair framed her face, drawing attention to vivid green eyes flecked with amber. Her clothing marked her as a Padawan—but while a lightsaber hung at her belt, resting on her shoulder was a monstrous blaster rifle, so large it nearly swallowed her whole by comparison. Five clone troopers in Katarn-class armor followed her, along with a clone commander in standard gear.
Kenobi froze. So did Anakin—the group was that strange. Cody, apparently the clearest thinker among them at the moment, voiced the obvious question:
"Uh… where's our ship?! Where's the Spirit of the Republic?!"
The girl straightened to her full height and, tilting her head as she looked directly at them, replied,
"Master Yoda was unable to contact you—and sent me instead."
"He sent you?" Kenobi echoed. "But where is Admiral Yularen? Where are our reinforcements? The reserve forces?"
"The admiral escorted our Acclamator to the system and immediately departed again to load ammunition. The ship delivered only me and elements of the Forty-Second Legion—one regiment and three battalions. That's everything we managed to evacuate from Quellor. Commander Tapan is in command of those units. And there's also Omega Squad," the girl indicated the elite troopers, "Niner, Darman, Atin, Fi, and Corr. They're accompanying me."
"And what message did you bring?" Kenobi asked, catching himself.
"The Grand Master reports that there is a new assignment for you… however, I'm not certain you have the time for it. So the task may have to be handled by another Jedi."
"Didn't the Republic receive our distress signals?" Kenobi asked. "We've been requesting assistance for several days now."
"I don't know what the problem is," the girl replied. "Perhaps we can relay the information using the ship that brought me here? But we need to hurry—there's quite a mess in orbit. The Separatists are attacking our vessels."
"A good idea…" Obi-Wan fell silent, then added, "Forgive me, but… who are you?"
"I am Etain Tur-Mukan, Padawan. My former master, Kast Fulier… was killed on Qiilura."
"Oh. I see. Then you must be my new padawan… though I was expecting a youngling…" Obi-Wan muttered, clearly taken aback.
Etain looked at the Master in confusion.
"You're mistaken, Master," she said, then turned to Anakin and slid the rifle from her shoulder, resting its stock against the pavement. "The Council assigned me as Padawan to Knight Skywalker."
"What?" Anakin asked blankly, hoping he had misheard—that it was some kind of joke.
"I said that Grand Master Yoda designated me your student," the girl repeated dutifully.
Scorch snorted with laughter and jabbed Rex in the shoulder. Anakin caught his whisper: "Told you they'd saddle him with a tagalong. Trust me, brother—I've got plenty of experience."
The young man sighed gloomily. Well… at least she's got a rifle.
***
The Jedi once again assembled in the Chancellor's office to discuss the situation at hand.
"How are our efforts progressing?" Palpatine asked. "I've been informed that Lord Jabba will be contacting us at any moment to inquire about the search for his son."
"We were unable to establish contact with Kenobi and Skywalker. We had to send a courier instead. The only thing we know is that the fighting on Christophsis has flared up again—the Separatists have deployed a new army. It's entirely possible we'll need to divert additional forces there," Master Windu replied. "As for—"
At that moment, the datapad in Shaak Ti's hands chirped softly. The Togruta glanced at the display.
"Jedi Knight Mikore Vikt is requesting a channel," she announced.
"Excellent. Put him on the projector."
"Greetings, Masters. I've received your message… and greetings to you as well, Chancellor," Vikt began, hesitating slightly.
"You're just in time. Where are you currently located?" Palpatine asked.
"Near Glottal…"
"Excellent. Your assignment will be to locate Jabba's abducted son."
At that moment, a hologram of the Hutt appeared before them, accompanied by a protocol droid. Jabba uttered several phrases, and the droid hurried to translate.
"Lord Jabba wishes to know whether the Jedi are searching for his son."
"Without a doubt," Palpatine replied smoothly. "We are making every effort to return the child to his family as soon as possible."
Then, to everyone's surprise, Vikt spoke—in Huttese. After delivering a rather lengthy phrase, he looked expectantly at Jabba. The Hutt perked up and replied energetically. The Jedi nodded and fell silent.
Jabba then addressed the others once more.
"Lord Jabba hopes that within three days, his son will be safely home."
The hologram flickered and vanished.
"Um… Knight Vikt," Shaak Ti said, studying him intently, "what exactly were you discussing?"
"I asked for the name of his son. A matter of basic courtesy," Vikt replied calmly.
"Do you have any ideas on where the search should begin?" Plo Koon asked.
"Yes." The Jedi made a brief gesture, signaling someone off-screen, and a schematic star map appeared before them.
"I believe Jabba's son is located somewhere around here," Vikt said, tracing a small region of the galaxy east of Hutt Space. "I'll start by checking… Teth. Several busy trade routes pass through the area, and yet the planet itself is a complete backwater. A perfect place to hide something—or someone."
"Excellent. Excellent," Palpatine smiled broadly. "Depart at once."
"Yes, Masters. Chancellor," the Jedi replied—and the transmission ended.