Sitting in the Jedi Archives, Spider-Man was studying to learn more about the galaxy at large. From what he'd been told, the library he was currently in contained more accumulated knowledge than anywhere else in the known galaxy.
Peter had even learned from Obi-Wan and that distinctive masked Jedi Master Plo Koon that there were texts somewhere in the Archives that were forbidden to read. The repository held countless secrets that could prove dangerous in the wrong hands.
"So you're heading out soon?" Spider-Man asked Barriss, who was sitting beside him at one of the study tables.
"Yes, Master Luminara and I have been assigned to the Outer Rim again. Master Plo Koon will be accompanying us to our next destination."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not certain yet. Master Luminara will brief me when the time is appropriate."
"Well, good luck out there."
"Thank you, Peter."
Spider-Man looked up as he heard soft footsteps on the polished floor of the Archives. He turned to see Ahsoka walking alongside Jocasta Nu, the Chief Librarian.
"Hey, Ahsoka," Spider-Man called out. "Back so soon?"
"Hey, Peter," Ahsoka responded with less enthusiasm than usual. "Hi, Barriss. I have... duties to attend to here."
Spider-Man tilted his head curiously. "In the Archives? For research?"
"Ah, yes. I heard about what happened on Felucia. I assume her punishment was to be expected," Barriss observed.
"Punishment?" Spider-Man asked with confusion. "What punishment? What did you do wrong?"
Ahsoka flinched at the direct question. "I... disobeyed direct orders. And put my troops' lives at unnecessary risk."
"Ahsoka, you should know better than that," Barriss said with a disapproving tone. "You know those clones follow and trust you completely."
"I know," Ahsoka said with visible shame. "I acted foolishly in the heat of battle, so now I have to face the consequences."
"So what's your punishment exactly?" Spider-Man asked.
"Archive security duty."
"You mean you're a library guard?"
"If that's how you want to put it, yes," Ahsoka said with a sigh.
"So what exactly are you doing now?"
"Right now, just helping Madam Jocasta with whatever needs to be done. Since nothing particularly urgent is happening, that's basically my assignment."
"So you're basically her assistant?" Spider-Man teased.
"Don't push it, Parker," Ahsoka muttered, while Jocasta, who had remained silent during their exchange, chuckled good-naturedly.
"Is such an assignment really so terrible, young one?" Jocasta said in a kindly tone.
Ahsoka sighed, feeling a bit chastened. At least Jocasta was pleasant company.
"No, it's not that bad," Ahsoka admitted with a small smile.
The sound of an incoming transmission on Barriss's comlink caught their attention.
"Master Luminara is calling for me," Barriss said, rising from her seat. "I should go now."
Barriss stood and bowed respectfully to Jocasta.
Jocasta nodded acknowledgment, then looked at the restless Ahsoka and said calmly, "Ahsoka, please escort your friend out of the Archives and return when you're ready to focus."
"Thank you, Madam Nu," Ahsoka said gratefully.
"I'll walk with you," Spider-Man offered.
The three of them headed toward the Archives' exit, and Ahsoka recounted what had happened on Felucia in more detail.
"Look, Ahsoka, even I know better than that. You can't be that reckless in combat situations," Spider-Man said gently.
"I know, I know," Ahsoka said with exasperation.
"It seems you have more of Master Skywalker in you than I initially realized," Barriss observed with a slight smirk.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Barriss said nothing more, only offered a knowing smile as she walked away.
"Don't listen to her, Ahsoka," Spider-Man said reassuringly. "When you think about it, this punishment isn't really so bad."
"Oh? How do you figure that?"
Spider-Man opened his mouth and thought for a long moment about how to comfort his friend, but struggled to find the right words. Looking at Ahsoka's hopeful expression, the young hero finally managed, "Well... the job you're doing now is very safe."
Ahsoka's expression shifted from hope to indignation, while Barriss covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Cad Bane sat in his safehouse, carefully working on his droid companion, Todo 360.
"If you could explain what you're doing, I might be able to assist," Todo 360 said.
The Duros bounty hunter simply grunted. "Just running some diagnostics. Your memory core is acting up."
It was a lie, but Todo didn't need to know that.
Bane had recently acquired a shipment of high-end components for Todo 360, which had just arrived. He was being generous because he'd recently received a lucrative contract with a substantial down payment.
The mission: steal a holocron from the Jedi Temple.
Not only was this considered virtually impossible, but potentially suicidal. Fortunately for the bounty hunter, his mysterious client had made the task somewhat more manageable.
In addition to his negotiated fee, Bane had also received a Rogue-class starfighter equipped with military-grade weapons, cloaking technology, and advanced countermeasures.
Of course, his client—a shadowy Sith Lord—expected the job done flawlessly.
"This is preposterous," Todo exclaimed. "I don't recall experiencing any malfunctions." It wasn't long before the droid's voice took on a panicked tone. "Oh my! Bane, you must help me!"
"Relax." After closing the access panel on the droid, Bane stood up from his workstation. "Everything's fine now."
"Oh, thank you."
The entrance to his safehouse chimed, and Bane instructed his security droids to admit the visitor.
When the door opened, Todo saw a female bounty hunter.
"Who might you be?"
"I am Todo 360, personal assistance droid. And you are?"
"None of your business."
Brushing past Todo, the woman entered Bane's safehouse.
"What's the situation, Bane?" said the bounty hunter who'd just arrived. "You told me you had work for me."
"Indeed, Cato."
The identified Cato Parasitti approached the Duros male and noticed a figure displayed on his computer screen.
"Who's that?"
"Bolla Ropal, Jedi Master."
"Are we going to eliminate him?"
"Not yet. But for now, our mission is to steal a holocron."
"That's impossible. The only places you can acquire holocrons these days are on the black market, or—"
"The Jedi Temple, exactly. My client has requested that a specific holocron be stolen from their secure vault. Fortunately, he's provided us with some assistance." Bane activated a holographic projection showing the Jedi Temple's layout. "First, what you're seeing now is the complete architectural plans of the Jedi Temple, and second, I've uploaded security protocols into my droid."
Todo 360 approached them and announced cheerfully, "I have acquired comprehensive technical data on the Jedi Temple's security systems."
"The ventilation systems and the vault itself are protected by numerous traps and defensive measures," Bane explained. "Todo can neutralize them, but we'll need coordinated efforts from both inside and outside."
"What do you mean?"
"Two key elements." Bane swiveled in his chair and gestured toward the corpse of a humanoid male lying across the room. "Using your shapeshifting abilities, you'll assume his identity and infiltrate the Archives, while we coordinate from within."
Cato examined the body and noticed something significant. "He appears to be a Jedi."
"His name was Ord Enisence, and he was indeed a Jedi Knight. Our client has helped us establish a false identity record." Bane returned to his console and input additional data. "You should be able to access the Archives without arousing suspicion."
Cato approached Ord's corpse and placed her hands on the deceased Jedi. After concentrating briefly, Cato's form shifted to perfectly match the dead man's appearance.
"Now I am a Jedi," Cato said, then adjusted her vocal patterns. "I can make this work."
"Good. You'll need this." Bane tossed her a small device, which she caught expertly. It was a subdermal communicator.
Inserting the device behind her ear, Cato considered their plan. "If I recall correctly, the vault is located within the Archives, which is adjacent to the communications center. There will be multiple Jedi in the vicinity."
"Precisely, and we're going to use that to our advantage."
"Even if you penetrate the vault, how do you plan to crack the security?" Cato realized something. "Wait, you mentioned two elements. The corpse was the first, but what's the second?"
Bane stared at the disguised Cato and smiled coldly. "Don't concern yourself with that detail. He merely provided the body. You'll understand soon enough."