'But they didn't,' Floria said.
'But they could have,' Dane shoot back.
'Who are you two?' Obi-Wan asked angrily, his patience exhausted.
'Bounty hunter,' Floria said.
Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged an incredulous look. These two young people, bounty hunters?
'Who are you hunting?' Anakin asked.
'You,' Floria told him. 'We're supposed to find the Jedi and bring you back, dead or alive.'
'Bring us back where?' Obi-Wan asked. 'Who hired you?'
'Let me point out that we weren't going to kill you,' Floria said quickly, not answering Obi-Wan's question. 'We weren't the ones that planted the sleeper bomb, obviously.'
'What about the blaster fire?' Anakin asked.
'We knew you could handle that. We just wanted to add a little urgency to the situation,' Dan said. 'You'd take off if you thought you were under attack.'
'We didn't to kill you,' Floria assured them. 'We don't kill beings. We just trick them. Just like we tricked you. It would have worked if there hadn't been that bomb. Listen, tricking is much safer.'
'Are you actually successful at this?' Anakin asked.
Floria and Dane exchanged a look. Floria sighed. 'Nobody ever believes we're bounty hunters. It's so insulting. Yes, we're successful. Take our last case. We — '
'Who hired you?' Obi-Wan asked in frustration, interrupting her brusquely.
'If you're going to confess to everything, you might try to be organized about it,' Dane said to Floria. 'You always get off the subject.'
'I don't,' Floria protested.
'You do, too. Always.'
'You shouldn't say always,' Anakin broke in. 'Absolutes are rarely true.'
'Enough!' Obi-Wan roared. 'Who hired you> I want answers and I want them now.'
Obi-Wan's thunderous look cowed Floria and Dane.
'Granta Omega,' Floria said. 'Do you know him? He's on his ship, orbiting the planet. Our plan was to lure you onto your own ship and get you to pilot it to what you'd think was my rendezvous ship but was actually Omega's transport. Then we'd leave you there, collect our reward, and take off. Easy right?'
'Obviously not, since your standing here with us now,' Obi- Wan said. 'So who put the sleeper bomb on the ship?'
'I don't know,' Floria admitted.
'It could be anyone.' Dane said. 'Omega hired four other bounty hunters besides us. The first one to succeed wins the prize — an enormous fortune. The only rule is that the bounty hunters aren't allowed the harm one another.'
'Obviously, someone broke the rules,' Floria said disapprovingly. 'I could have died aboard that ship.'
'Not to mention us,' Anakin said.
What about the other Jedi?' Obi-Wan asked.
'He's not part of the deal,' Dane said. 'We're supposed to ga after the Master-Padawan team. That was it.'
'What information were you given about us?' Obi-Wan asked. 'How did you know where to find us?'
'We knew you were on a training mission to Ragoon-6,' Floria said. 'That's all.'
That's all? That's too much. Obi-Wan couldn't believe it. The training missions weren't secret. But Jedi did not speak of them to outsiders. Of course, there were those in the Senate who knew about them. And Senators, Obi-Wan knew too well, could be bribed.
'Tell me about the other bounty hunters,' Obi-Wan said. 'Do you know them?'
Dane nodded. 'They are well known to those who know about these things. Teleq is one. We know him by reputation only. He's known for his cunning use of technology. Then there is Mol Arcasite. She is ruthless. She will take innocent lives to get what she wants. And she doesn't care if she brings her prey back dead. Most bounty hunters prefer to catch beings alive. It saves them a possible security arrest themselves. You never know who is watching.'
'Mol gives us all a bad name,' Floria said. 'Come to think of it, she could have planted that sleeper bomb. It's just her style.'
'What about the bounty hunter with the Stokhli stick?' Obi- Wan asked.
'Don't know him,' Floria said. 'he was awfully good. But he almost blew my cover when he saw me. I couldn't believe it when he said 'They were mine.''
'So he was talking about us,' Anakin said, indicating himself and Obi-Wan. 'And you made us think you were concerned about your friends!'
Floria's eyes shone. 'Wasn't I good?'
