'Play it cool,' he whispered to himself. 'You're nothing more than a clone source, well paid enough to want to know nothing about why you're being cloned.'
That was his litany, that was his plan. And it had to work. For Boba's sake.
A wave of Taun We's hand brought forth the chime of an unseen bell, reminding Obi-Wan yet again of how foreign this world of Kamino, this city of Tipoca, really was. He didn't give it much thought, though, for he was focused on the locking mechanism on the door before him, an elaborate electronic clasp and bolt. Quite a bit of security, it seemed to him, given the supposedly genteel nature of Jango Fett's relationship with the Kaminoans, and the obvious control the cloners held over their city. Was the locking mechanism designed to keep people out, or to keep Jango in? Likely the former, he reasoned. Jango was a bounty hunter, after all.
Perhaps he had made more than a few dangerous enemies.
He was still studying the device when the door suddenly opened, revealing a young boy, an exact replica of those Obi-Wan had been viewing all day. The identical one that Jango had demanded, only this one was actually ten years old.
'Boba,' Taun We said with great familiarity, 'is your father home?' Boba Fett stood staring at the human visitor for a long moment. 'Yep.'
'May we see him?'
'Sure,' Boba answered. He stepped back, but his eyes never left Obi-Wan as the Jedi and Taun We stepped across the threshold.
'Dad! 'Boba yelled.
The title struck Obi-Wan as curious, given that this was a clone and not a natural son. Was there a connection here? A real one? Had Jango wanted the exact replica not for any professional gain but simply because he had wanted a son?
'Dad!' the boy shouted again. 'Taun We's here!'
Jango Fett walked in, dressed in simple shirt and trousers. Obi-Wan recognized him immediately, though he was many years older than the oldest clone, his face scarred and pitted, and unshaven. His body had thickened with age, but he was still physically imposing, much like many of the old gutter dwellers Obi-Wan encountered in far-flung places. A few extra pounds, sure, but those covered muscles hardened by years of tough living. Tattoos crossed both of Jango's muscular forearms, of a strange design that Obi-Wan did not recognize.
As he glanced up, he recognized the clear suspicion with which Jango was eyeing him. The man was on edge here, dangerously so, Obi-Wan understood.
'Welcome back, Jango,' Taun We remarked. 'Was your trip productive?'
Obi-Wan studied the bounty hunter intensely. Back from where? But Jango was a professional, and his expression revealed not the slightest tic or wince.
'Fairly,' the man casually offered. He continued to size up Obi-Wan as he spoke, his eyes narrowing in an almost open threat.
'This is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi,' Taun We said, her tone lighter, obviously an attempt to relieve some of the palpable tension. 'He's come to check on our progress.'
'That right?' If Jango cared, his tone didn't show it.
'Your clones are very impressive,' Obi-Wan said. 'You must be very proud.'
'I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe, Master Jedi.'
'Aren't we all?' Obi-Wan finally broke eye contact with Jango as he spoke, scanning the room, looking for clues. He focused on the half-open door through which Jango had appeared, and thought he saw pieces of body armor in there, battered and stained, much like that worn by a rocket-man after delivering a toxic dart into the changeling Zam Wesell. And he saw a curving bluish line, like the goggle and breather area of the helmet he had seen back on Coruscant. Before he could scrutinize the sight any more closely, though, Jango walked in front of him, pointedly blocking his view.
'Ever make your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?' Obi-Wan asked, rather bluntly.
'Once or twice.'
'Recently?'
Again the bounty hunter's gaze became obviously suspicious. 'Possibly…'
'Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas,' Obi-Wan remarked, not out of any logical follow-up reasoning, but simply to gauge the man's reaction. There was none, nor did Jango Fett move a centimeter out of Obi-Wan's line of sight, and when the Jedi tried to subtly alter his angle to gain a view,
Jango said, in a coded language, 'Boba, close the door.'
Not until that bedroom door shut did Jango Fett move to the side, and then it seemed to Obi-Wan as if the man was stalking him. 'Master who?' Jango asked.
'Sifo-Dyas. Isn't he the one who hired you for this job?'
'Never heard of him,' Jango replied, and if there was a lie in his words, Obi-Wan could not detect it.
'Really?'
'I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden,' Jango explained, and again it seemed to Obi-Wan as if he was speaking truthfully.
'Curious…' Obi-Wan muttered. He glanced down, surprised and at a loss as to what all of this might mean.
'Do you like your army?' Jango Fett asked him.
'I look forward to seeing them in action,' the Jedi replied.
