717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 7
Kamino, Tipoca City
Tanya Kryze
The trip from Coruscant out to Wild Space, even the now-famous Kamino, should have taken much more time. However, the backing of the Supreme Chancellor unlocked access to marvels of ship designs. For this mission, we were given temporary access to some of the fastest prototypes and most well-equipped ships in the galaxy.
However, no marvels of ship designs could salvage my plans. Sure, the trip would have normally taken significant time, possibly months, definitely more than a week, yet it only took a single week with a Class 1 Hyperdrive. But it definitely kept me out of politics. Away from the current ongoing vote. Only a week, plus another week to return.
Wild Space was dangerous for more than one reason, not just because the inhabitants didn't usually adhere to galactic standards or laws. Journeys to and from anywhere of significance took much longer, even accounting for distance, lacking fast hyperlanes. Kamino was well and truly off the beaten path of the galaxy, almost into another galaxy. A relatively small cluster of stars that hugged our galaxy and would slowly, over the course of millions of years, join together into a larger whole. More worryingly, it is on the frontiers of the front line. Not a great place to be the sole provider of recruits for a galactic war.
If anything, the Chancellor should look into alternative habitable worlds for the population, perhaps nearer the Core, to migrate the people of Kamino off this water ball as quickly as possible. All the usable surface of the planet was already serving as the foundations for existing cities. They could only expand by building more of the increasingly delicate and exposed skyscrapers. I wasn't sure what purpose staying here served, since there was no indication the water would ever recede. Add in the fact that the cloners were on the frontier of the war with the Separatists, they were within striking distance of the CIS. But that was a point I could bring up with their senator another time.
For now, I was currently on Kamino, meeting with a Kaminoan by the name of Taun We. Hopefully, our meeting was the first step towards investigating, and ultimately, producing a report for the Senate about the risks inherent in the Clones' genetic engineering. She was guiding us through a tour of the installation. I was also escorted by my two handmaidens, Vai and Morson, though both were in their royal guard uniforms. In the rear of my entourage were the rest of my usual guards; Tabi, Kastel, Engiz, Struc, Skota, and Mok.
Perhaps too large a group for protection, but after my various life and death escapades as a senator, better to be safe than sorry. Looking down at a training simulation, I watched clones fighting their way up, using rather well-maneuvered teamwork to overwhelm each position before trying to satisfy the conditions of the match by taking control of the central tower.
"As you can see, these clones are trained to the highest standard available." Taun We said with what I couldn't help but interpret as a smug tone. "Each batch, in our opinion, is better than their progenitor in every way. He may have been good material, but we have refined it to the best material it could be."
I didn't react, though, observing the clones skeptically. "That is a nice statement. However, their training in this sense is not why I'm here. There's a general concern among the people of Mandalore and probably soon the rest of the galaxy about the amount of production and reproduction the clones can engage in."
Taun We seemed perplexed, speaking slowly. "I don't see why that would be an issue. Free production is usually a bonus among our buyers." Fortunately, she was looking away and so didn't spot Morson's shudder at that comment. I had to suppress a reaction of my own, the way they referred to human lives as a commodity was unethical at best and downright sinister at worst.
I shook my head at this last thought. "Yes, that is definitely one point of view. But we are more concerned about what sort of conditions could be passed on through these generations. After all, these soldiers," I struggled very hard not to say 'children', "grow to full maturity in 9 to 10 years. That's cutting down the lifespan of a human being quite a bit. What kind of effects would that have when intermingling with individuals closer to their species' average genetics?"
The clones managed to conquer the final tower, destroying the droids controlling it and throwing their helmets off in victory. It was all very reminiscent of ancient soldiers accomplishing a great victory. All they needed was a samurai banner on their back, and I think they wouldn't look too out of place in a painting back in my first life.
"Most of the genetic triggers that cause rapid aging are conditional triggers, that is, they only activate in the presence of specific proprietary engineered proteins and other enzymes that are only produced in our corporate lab environment. The Jedi High Council already agreed we don't have to share our trade secrets to fulfill our contracts." Taun We added extra stress to the word Jedi, I merely frowned and nodded. "Usually, we provide the tailored enzymes in their food. This helps accelerate the process of aging. Without those enzymes, the clones' aging process is equivalent to baseline, like a normal human. Maybe to a lesser degree during their adolescent years, one-third grade instead of one-half."
"Ah, that seems rather… efficient." I finally settled on saying. I wanted to say callous, but again, what was I to do? These people saw their clones as products rather than sentient beings, and clearly viewed me as potential competition. That they gave little thought to future generations of "naturally" grown clones was a matter of course. "Is there a reason why their growth rates aren't returned to normal after they reach maturity?"
"It was considered superfluous when the average life expectancy of the clones would not exceed one-to-two years of service. Once the war is over, what happens to the clones afterward is the Republic's responsibility." Spoken like a true corporation, I would approve of their mindset if they weren't basically slave traders by another name.
"Back to the question of the proliferation of their genetics, why exactly did you let them keep the ability to reproduce? Most gene companies I'm aware of that deal with crops tend to go out of their way to make sure that the government and farmers buying from them can only get quality seeds from themselves." Have to cover all of my bases.
Taun We paused again, as if considering, before answering. "That question is outside my area of expertise. Our scientists in the cloning division should be qualified to answer any scientific questions you may have about our cloning process."
"I see." I answered neutrally, trying not to show my annoyance. I wasn't going to take no for an answer, though. "We should proceed there next, as I do have such questions as part of my investigation from the Supreme Chancellor." Based on how this conversation was going so far, throwing around titles couldn't hurt. It was even true.
Taun We's expression changed, and while I couldn't read it, her tone changed into sharpness. "You are ...permitted there. Follow me." Vai gave me a concerned look, but Taun only turned abruptly towards a nearby elevator. Once the large glass elevator arrived, I noticed it was large enough to service a considerable group, possibly as many as a hundred, and I considered what necessitated such large elevators. She entered and I quickly followed her in with my entourage not far behind.
Taun We took no notice as my guards chose to all crowd around me, rather than spread out into the vast space, as she focused on the elevator holo-controls. She keyed a security chip into the elevator controls, and we descended quickly in silence. Only a few seconds passed before it re-opened into a spacious, open office area carrying that smooth downed style that looked very clean and stereotypically sterile. It featured too much glass, white furniture, walls, and sleek, gray metal paneling. There were only a few Kaminoans in the room, making our large group conspicuous by its presence. Taun We walked straight up to the closest scientist and spoke more to her than me. "Please answer Senator Kryze's questions, Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se." She only took a few steps away, and stopped, as if supervising the pair of us.
I repeated my previous questions to the scientist. "Why exactly did you let the clones retain the ability to reproduce?" My guards finally spaced themselves around, moving several meters away from us.
Nala Se sat back down at her desk as I approached, and spoke eagerly in response to my question. I grabbed a nearby empty chair, ignoring the others. "In essence, human male reproductive organs produce a hormone that promotes the growth of muscle and bone whilst stimulating linear growth and maturation in bones. Experiments with removing or neutralizing that organ resulted in a multitude of issues including, reduced stamina, fragile bones, reduced muscle mass, and a lack of any sense of self-preservation."
"Kriff." Vai muttered too loudly, drawing both Nala Se and my attention for a moment. I was also troubled by the detailed response, Being X could have given me a much worse start, it seemed. However, I merely looked at and nodded for the scientist to continue.
Now a hopeful note entered Nala Se's voice. "Personally, I believe that the experimental batch's accelerated growth exacerbated the results. After all, we needed to see what they would end up looking like and how they would act before their usual mental stabilities of such processes would take over. The current contract doesn't have any room in the budget for exploring that any further. Which is a shame, there is still much that could be explored there." She definitely sounded vexed by what seemed like a rare outbreak of sanity by the bureaucrats back in Coruscant.
I ignored the minefield of topics that she brought up, and asked my next prepared question. This informal battlefield, one of question and answer, continued. And Nala Se's answers became more brisk and clipped with each exchange.
I was basically done, but had saved the most adversarial questions for last. Interviewing some Clone troopers had yielded me some interesting answers to these questions already, but it was best to confirm from the source. It was also slightly satisfying to draw upon my skills in human resources from my first life. "So I assume that you taught them to avoid fornicating and instructed them of the proper procedures for all of their capabilities, including reproduction? Otherwise, ignorant clones might go do something uninformed."
Nala Se's gaze sharpened, and her tone was cutting. "It wasn't deemed necessary."
The bureaucrat in me, the one who had served for years as a human resources officer, was screaming. I would have prepared these clones better than this. There was no cultural sensitivity training, so Clones didn't cause problems with the locals wherever they were deployed. There was no sexual education. There was barely any education at all — I realized I was speaking. "Who decided that? The Supreme Chancellor doesn't agree, nor do I."
Taun We was in motion, probably sensing the interview was over. She strode over, answering the question for the scientist. "We did. It wasn't deemed necessary, as the accelerated aging gene was designed to be recessive. In the event a clone fathered an offspring, the accelerated aging would not be passed on to the offspring." I wanted to strangle that long-necked alien. Why didn't she tell me that at the start?
But I kept myself calm, reminding myself that the recessive gene was, in fact, good news. "Is that so? Well, that is good news. But there are still some concerns I'll have to raise with the Supreme Chancellor, mostly in terms of sexual education. Currently, I don't think the Clones are capable of navigating their natural human reactions with your current resources. We'll need to get them some proper training to reduce the chance of something like this happening."
"If that's what the Chancellor wishes, I'm sure we can recommend a few people from the Silver Mandalorians. We've recently been acquiring quite a large selection of military trainers from them. I'm sure they can provide us with someone to help with that. Though it will require a little bit more funding from the Republic and a proper installation for this training." Taun We led us out of the office area into an unfamiliar hallway that seemed to connect this massive facility to another.
"I'm sure it will." I said, with a distaste for these aliens and the way they've treated humans settling darkly in my stomach. A general thought occurred to me that I could probably understand the Kaminoans on this. Whatever sex education they were planning, I knew Gargon could do much more, and with fewer credits. The lack of competition was just allowing these aliens to take more resources than they needed for everything.
Taun We gave a slight smile, but I kept being drawn back into her icy cold eyes. She kept up a decent pace, but I suspected she could move much faster. "Perhaps you'd like to see the cloning facilities in general. After all, the process is quite amazing. We've managed to create a top-of-the-line cloning process here, better than anywhere else in the Galaxy."
"Better than the Arkanians?" I questioned, poking at something I suspected. The glass and gray metal hallway passed over water, but fortunately, it offered little view for its guests.
"Much better than the Arkanians. From what I understand, most of their facilities were out of date or mothballed. Their facilities are still subpar, they were transferred to Republic control, and our processes are being implemented there. So obviously, our methods are the best."
"My understanding is that the Arkanians think their methodology is the best because they don't duplicate the DNA directly. Instead, they introduce alterations into each generation that will deviate the DNA and supposedly prevent clone madness, I think it was called."
"Ah yes, well, the Arkanians are welcome to have that opinion. I think their cloning is rather foolish. Most of their clones are just alternate species that they've redesigned for their uses. It is hardly justified to call them clones at all, they are more like genetically modified drones." At this, we reached the security hatch for the next facility, and Taun We performed a familiar series of steps to key in a security chip.
After the security hatch opened to reveal another hallway, Taun We continued answering my question while ushering us all through. "We already have Clone defect rates down to an acceptable level, using our own independent research. That's why you might notice a few clones with different eye shades and hair colors every now and again. We don't introduce much variation, but the medical statistics indicate it is enough to reduce the chances of the clones developing errors during their gestation period."
"So the Clones aren't all identical?" Engiz had apparently traded places with Vai after the security hatch, and was shadowing me, while Vai brought up the rear.
Taun We flashed another cryptic smile towards him. "Of course."
I raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Are alternate genetics models common? I thought we were just paying for this clone army. Are there any other clone variants I should know about?"
"Of course, pilots, for example, have very different requirements to the regular infantry. Muscle mass and bone density aren't essential for a pilot, yet reflexes and intelligence are prioritized. The Shock Troopers sent to the Coruscant Guard are some of our best productions. They are further improved than our base template, as we believe the best soldiers must be in place to defend the capital of the Republic. Beyond that, we have the Clone Commando program, the Clone Captain program, and the Clone Alpha program."
I chuckled, thinking about the long list of requirements. The administration to manage such efforts must have been sprawling. "The only thing you're missing is a logistics corps."
At this, Taun We slowed down, eventually pausing, her inhuman features coming into stark contrast as she leaned in conspiratorially. "There had been a project to develop a support variant — we did a bit of experimentation there too. My proposal for an expansion to the current units on order by the Republic with general support variants passed the prototype stage. Yet, mass production of this variant was seen as a low priority when compared to additional combat variants." We were standing still, only half-way down this second passageway, and I could make out the facility interior distantly at the end of the passage. Was this an attempt to sound me out for something? I didn't know Kaminoan behaviors well enough to tell, and she just gazed directly at me, blinking only once.
When I did not interject, she seemed enlightened for some reason; she resumed our previous pace. "Since it's not as necessary for the support models to be as aggressive and physically able, we can reduce the per unit costs and growth time by producing female templates of Jango Fett to work in support positions. I have produced an experimental model as a proof of concept and the results are highly encouraging. She is very detail-oriented. It's been suggested by some of the research that female human minds are more detail-oriented and thus able to comprehend reports better. She has been very adequate as a lab assistant." We reached the other facility lobby, and my guards spread out a bit once out of the passageway.
"I didn't know that." I said tonelessly, not rising to the insult. I seriously doubted that the biological sex of the clone would make any real difference in the types of roles the Kaminoan had in mind. What was far more likely was that the idea of making the clones female coming from her department would mean that she would have greater authority and prestige when more of the "support" type of clones were produced. The fact the clones were female was likely meaningless, little more than her personal stamp on the clones' genetic code.
"Yes, humans do tend to overlook these subtle differences between the sexes." She said rather condescendingly. But I ignored her in favor of scanning the lobby of the training facility. It was a wide lounge with a limited seating area in the same white and gray metal style as the rest of the facilities we had observed so far. Most of the lounge was simply open and unoccupied — a clone parade demonstration platform for customers, perhaps. And there were equally large corridors, no doubt for moving large groups.
In the distance, another Kaminoan, one I actually recognized from my time in the Senate on Coruscant was striding across the facility lobby, and rather quickly at that. It confirmed some of my suspicions about their physical capabilities. "Good afternoon, Senator Burtoni." I dropped a little curtsy—
"I'm surprised the Chancellor would rush you out here for this operation so quickly." Halle Burtoni, the Senator of Kamino, interrupted. "Really amusing, considering the ongoing threat right now."
"Ongoing threat?" Captain Struc asked. Everyone in my entourage was adopting more alert postures.
"Yes, the listening posts the Republic set up for Kamino have recently gone silent. It's typically the first sign of a CIS invasion." Senator Burtoni said, as she looked out the transparent roof.
I blinked before asking, "How recently? I haven't heard anything about this, and we left Coruscant only a week ago."
Senator Burtoni stopped and touched her chin a few times, in thought. Her outfit had more jewelry and ostentation than any of the others at the facility, as far as I could tell. "I arrived with the fleet sent to reinforce the garrison. We had our first confirmation over a day ago now. The Republic has guaranteed the safety of the system, so the fleet will fight here if need be, we should be protected. But one can never be sure. Battles are battles."
"Yes, battles are battles. Do we have a secure location where we can move the princess if a battle makes it down to the surface?" Captain Struc asked in a sharper tone, folding his arms across his chest with rigidity.
Senator Burtoni stopped in thought for a moment. "Yes, there is a panic area in the central building for visiting diplomats and customers. It's built to withstand powerful elements, a massive storm, not a battle. The Republic Navy Fleet has set up a blockade to ensure the battle is further out — I don't think we need to worry."
Taun We nodded, seemingly also trying to calm down the situation. "We have complete confidence in the fleet, and there are several Jedi on the station here to protect us."
"Perhaps you should take us to this area where there is a working panic room, just so we know where it is in case of an emergency." Captain Struc asked, which got a nod of approval from the Senator.
She said, "It's on the way towards the training center in the cloning area, so that shouldn't be that hard. Just over ther-" A piece of burning debris crash-landed into the ocean just off to our left, cutting off her answer. It floated there for a moment before sinking into the depths. Looking up, I could just barely make out the signs of an orbital firefight going on, showing that something horrible was happening above us and that it was probably going to rain hell down on the planet soon enough.
Breaking the sudden silence, I spoke up. "Yes, perhaps showing us that panic room would be a good idea. Mind showing us the way now?" I'd rather minimize the chance I get dragged into a battle if I could help it.
"Follow me." Senator Burtoni was already moving quicker, leading us at a fast pace from the lobby of the training facility to another passageway between what appeared to be the largest central facilities. We just reached the largest facility when a giant tentacle arm of mechanical nature ripped out of the water, followed by what looked like a mechanical squid grabbing onto the side of the facility and holding tight as it shoved a reaching spike into the building.
"Perhaps we should go another way." Taun We said, and I agreed, as no doubt there were now droids inside the facility we were making our way to.
I turned to look at the other facility only to see, well, another mechanical squid latching onto the passageway that we had passed through and stabbing it with its spike. The spike then opened up and disgorged super battle droids onto the walkway behind us.
"The way back is closed. Looks like forward's the only option." I said, reaching my hand to my side, pulling up my dress enough so I could pull out my deactivator pistol. My other handmaidens drew their own weapons, with Morson pulling her own pistol out from her dress, and Vai dual-wielding a pair. Mok and Kastel held up the back, preparing their staves to knock any blaster fire off course or back.
"We can still make it to the panic room." Senator Burtoni said. "We'll just have to push through any attacks coming from the first droid lander."
"I'm not scared of a few droids, lead the way." I said, following the Senator and Taun We as closely as possible as we continued on our original path. Droids were starting to enter from the rents and breaches in the facility exterior on our right. Vai and Tabi maintained positions to prevent them from closing on us. Morson stayed with me, firing a couple of bolts from her deactivator into the battle droids. It wasn't very effective. Battle droids were hardened against such things, but it did slow them down, throwing off their aim. Engiz stayed beside me, spear ready to protect me from incoming fire as we moved further into the facility.
But before we got much further, an alarm sounded directly behind me. Spinning around, I caught sight of the previously clear passageway being barred, a seamless security door behind us closing. Only Engiz, Morson, Senator Burtoni, and I had made it before the alarm cleared, and the door latch clunked closed with a thud. The rest of the group, the other six members of my guard and Taun We, were stuck on the other side.
"Splitting the party — I have a bad feeling about this." Morson commented as the door locked into place. Banging on the door immediately followed her words. I reached into my bodice and pulled out my communication device I had stored there, quickly popping it on my ear. "Vai? Vai, can you hear me?"
There was a moment's pause before Vai's voice came over the comms, "Tanya, are you alright?"
I smiled as I looked at the door. "I should be the one asking that, you're closer to danger."
I heard Captain Struc came over the communications. "We're fine. Mok's working on trying to get the door open." He paused for a moment and I thought I could distinguish Taun We's shouts in the background. "But he says it will be easier to go around it. Seems the security is not as tight on the side doors."
"Which would take you further away from me, I know." I said, looking at the empty corridor and clear path leading straight towards our destination.
"Yep. You think you'll be fine, Princess? Can you make it to the panic room?"
Looking at Morson and Engiz, I said, "I'll be fine. I have Senator Burtoni here, and she can lead me there. It is safe to assume that she has access to some of the security systems, correct?"
Senator Burtoni nodded. "Yes, that's correct."
"You guys will be okay, right?" I asked.
"We'll be fine, Tanya." Vai reassured me. "I can already hear some clones coming the other way, probably to secure the area. Just get to the panic room. We'll meet you there."
"Will do. Good luck, Vai." I said as I lowered my communicator and looked at the others. "Alright, to the panic room!"
Kamino Orbit, Invisible Hand, Bridge
Qymaen jai Sheelal, "Grievous"
I watched the holo-display showing the organization of the forces in the Kamino system as a cough racked me. Damn this broken body, but the plan was going smoothly. The Republic was on the back foot and their Jedi allies were locked in combat here in orbit against my fleet. This kept their forces pinned and unable to respond to the landing forces breaking through their lines.
Overwhelming the enemy with superior numbers is a very simple strategy, one that even those idiotic battle droids can understand. I swept out several arms across the controls, and Recusant-class light destroyers received my commands, obeying orders for suicidal engagements with Republic forces. As I watched, their destruction greatly reduced the incoming fire towards my flagship, and concealed the existence of protected compartments inside the destroyers, "debris" falling unopposed to the surface along carefully selected trajectories.
The holo-display updated, showing most of the debris survived to the surface and updating the IFFs as transponders emerged. Droids were dropping into the water around the city, hidden inside the debris from the space battle. Amphibious attack crafts inside those same debris would also transport the droids into the city itself. At the same time, more conventional transports were prepared for a frontal assault.
Durge was displayed a special icon by the holoprojector, his signature silver helmet with blue and red markings. That monster had eagerly boarded one of the doomed destroyers, just so he could be deployed with the droid vanguard directly into the city. That was the one thing I liked about Durge; he was rather simple to use. I pointed him in a direction, and he would go and break it, taking the fight as deep as he could into the enemy lines.
Granted, it helped that he had some personal hatred for all things Mandalorian. So, deploying him to the city should create enough chaos and destruction for the other elements to do their jobs. One of the goals of this whole attack was just to cause as much damage as possible, preferably by leveling everything. The more dead clones here, meant fewer clones elsewhere, especially if we got to them before they grew to their full age.
The primary objective of this operation was to diminish the production of clones, hampering their replenishment rate. Destroying the Cloning facilities would have a significant strategic impact. The Republic would lack an adequate number of replacements, and entire fronts would begin to crumble due to a shortage of fresh troops. Of course, even if Kamino itself is destroyed, there were still the clones already on the front to eliminate as well. They would enter a defensive posture to preserve as much of their troops as possible, which would yield the initiative to us.
We will use that window to our advantage by launching multiple invasions across many sectors. It wasn't a complex stratagem, but it played to our strengths, our greater numbers. The Republic will not be able to defend every sector at once, enabling our forces to advance further and expand CIS territorial control. Without enough star systems and resources, the Republic will be forced to submit.
There were secondary objectives to further damage the Republic indirectly. My predecessor and her new underling had been deployed to retrieve as many DNA samples as possible and destroy the rest. The possibility of growing our own clone infiltrators or developing a biological weapon to wipe every clone from the battlefield was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Seizing or destroying the Clone DNA presented an opportunity to create friction between the CNS and the Republic, hopefully generating a long-term dispute. If the Republic compels Fett to leave the CNS to restore their DNA samples, the CNS would lose significant credibility. In addition, it would paint Fett as a Republic agent, giving the CIS the excuse to send assassins after him without risking significant political problems. Fett might be skilled enough to evade his fellow bounty hunters and assassins, but I knew Durge was eager for the opportunity to go after him.
Granted, to successfully eliminate the source entirely, we would need to hunt down the DNA's source, Jango Fett. However, Dooku didn't want us to invade the CNS, not while he was working on pulling them to our side diplomatically. Strategically, I agreed that a diplomatic outcome would be the most efficient use of our resources, considering the forces that would be necessary to occupy their territory.
Despite this, I wanted a military solution. Kenobi's affair with that Mandalorian politician had produced an illegitimate daughter. If I could somehow capture her, she would be the perfect bait to lure Kenobi into a trap so that I can finally kill him for all of the trouble he had caused me. Unfortunately, she is beyond my reach, at least while on Coruscant.
Ventress was also deployed to the planet below. Her job was quite straightforward — oversee the ground elements, and distract or destroy any Jedi she encounters.
I would have preferred to go down there myself, but Dooku had made it clear that I was not to go down there. Too many valuable assets were deployed there already, and we couldn't risk something going wrong with us all concentrated in one location. Losing one battlefield commander would be a blunder — losing the entirety of CIS Strategic Command would be a disaster. Better for me to be up here and oversee victory than to be down there and oversee defeat. It grated on me. I enjoyed the rush of battle in all forms, even before I had been cyberized. Now, well, there is nothing left for me to enjoy but combat.
It was galling, but I also knew I would be outclassed by some Jedi in a fight, as their Force foresight gave them too much of an edge. There had been attempts to grant me use of the Force myself, but the operations to transfer Force powers by blood transfusion had not been successful.
Really, the only chance I've had if I ever ran into a Jedi was a surprise attack. Hit them with overwhelming surprise and fear, causing them to make a mistake and leave an opening. That's how I've been able to pull off my victories against Jedi in the past.
As I manipulated the holo-display showing the arrangement of the Republic fleet, another cough racked me, but I was able to ignore it, bringing up the galactic view. Instead, I dreamed of a lance that would pierce through the defenses of the Republic and lead towards the Core. At the end of this year, my newest operation will be sprung. Then, I would have free rein to do whatever I pleased, but that day had not yet arrived. I would prefer to reach Coruscant and blast it to bits for what they did to my planet.
In the meantime, in-between then and now, I would have free rein to take a fleet and deliver my vengeance on the Huk by wiping their disgusting race from the Galaxy. I almost accomplished it before with only my Kaleeshi warriors and scavenged Huk technology before the Republic intervened. Now, with the might of a CIS fleet at my beck and call, I could accomplish it in a day. I can't wait to finish what I started and burn their homeworld to the ground. Once every Huk life is extinguished, I will be satisfied. Then I can focus all of my effort on the Republic and Jedi who came to the Huk's aid, who meted out "justice," without even verifying if those insects were telling the truth. If they actually did their jobs, they wouldn't have made me; thus they'll reap what they sow. But those were thoughts for another time, after we got what we came for on Kamino.
I reset the holo-display to view the ongoing battle. My task force and other friendly ships were in various green blobs on the naval overview while the local defensive emplacements were in orange, but there aren't any active in orbit, the few remaining are only on the planet's surface now.
The Jedi starfighters in low orbit were marked as ominous purple, while the Republic Navy was an angry red, making up the minority of the space forces. Judging by their chosen lower orbits, the Republic ships were trying to intercept any more landings. Their tradeoff for the closer proximity to their cloning city is that lower orbits greatly reduced shield and acceleration capabilities, as the ships also had to fight against the atmosphere.
I shifted between my four arms on the controls and adjusted the task force around the flagship to shift further away from their forces. No reason to waste these ships when I am going to make use of them again after this. The enemy tactic was unlikely to be successful because our position kept them pinned here with our ships trading fire from above.
Not to mention, there were other ways to get down to the planet. It's not like they had an entire planetary shield around the city, a mistake they were likely regretting at this moment. Another task force was flanking to the far side of the planet, transporting more droids and assault watercraft to the ocean surface.
It would take a while for them to reach the city, but with the attack already underway, defenses would be too overwhelmed to intercept. That's also what the Mandalorians were for — a surprise addition to all of these attacks, one that Dooku had only given permission to rather recently. The Mandalorian Protectors were going to be doing their own version of destruction by abducting the child clones before they were fully grown.
I imagined that the Protectors's leadership had issues with the way clones were indoctrinated. What the exact issues are, I didn't really care, as they weren't my people. The important part was that they would cause problems for the Republic and force them to respond. If they were successful, good. If they weren't successful, maybe they would make enough noise to ensure the other operations were successful.
"Sir." One of the bridge droids designated as a watchstander said, standing up from its seat and turning to look at me. "Republic assets are down to 25% in orbit. The Jedi forces seem to be pulling back, perhaps preparing for a defensive action in depth or in preparation of a counter-attack. Are we to proceed on schedule with the main landing operation?"
"Proceed." I said matter-of-factly, waving one of my hands. "Keep a sensor on the lookout. The Republic has to have heard what's going on here. The moment they enter the system, prepare to pull our forces out." Holding Kamino is useless if we haven't occupied the surrounding sectors.
As much as I'd like to continue this fight, my long-term goals require my survival. I would not entrust my mission against the Huk to any other. Never again.
Kamino, Tipoca City
Vai Viktis Kregg
"This is ridiculous." I muttered as we moved along the passageway back to our guest rooms. The clones had, in fact, been the ones to break through the side door, allowing us to escape. While they tried to crack open the door in Tanya's direction, we decided to go back to our guest rooms so we could arm up.
Taun We hadn't been able to override the security door controls. I was judging this purely by her reactions, she was pretty tight-lipped about what was wrong with the doors, and the displays were all in Kaminoan. However, the clones had to cut their way through them, so I assumed some droid had hacked their systems to cause issues. We could only go where the clones controlled, and luckily, they controlled the area from here to the guest rooms where our gear had been stored upon arrival. We met another group of Kaminoans evacuating themselves and Taun We decided to join them once she knew that we were going back to search for Tanya.
So, we grabbed our gear, Tanya's, Khae's and my own armor. When we got back together, we would hold our ground until either we were forced to surrender because we got captured or the Clones successfully drove the droids out.
I thought about raising her on the comms to check up on her, but I was sure she would message me if she needed anything. Instead, I focused on leading the group with Captain Struc towards our rooms, passing clones who were in a rush and obviously not very well-trained in a few cases.
You could tell a veteran soldier from the regular troops. The ones who had been serving since the start of the war tended to have some sort of coloration on their armor, not camo, thankfully. More like individuality markings that represented what legion and unit they were part of. It filled me with Mandalorian pride, knowing that this was most likely one of the traditions that had been passed on from the original trainers and some of the Silver Mandalorian trainers who had been acquired over the past few months.
The newer recruits tended to have plain, shiny armor that looked brand new. They ran past us at a faster pace, more concerned with where they were going than the possibility of getting ambushed. Shaking my head, I had to wonder if they had even completed their training. Then again, how old could they be? It was hard to tell with clones, since they reached full maturity in their first decade. Normally, a warrior from Mandalore would take a decade to train, starting at six or seven and beginning their real training when they hit thirteen. Most Mandalorian soldiers didn't truly start fighting until they were sixteen or eighteen.
They were just kids compared to most Mandalorian warriors. One thing that scared me about Jango was that he had sold an entire generation of people to this fate, and he was not being punished for it.
I trusted Tanya's decision on that matter, but once the war was over, I would probably ask her if there was any way to ensure that Jango faced some sort of justice for this monstrosity.
"Here's our room." Captain Struc said as he pressed a button to open the door. It opened to reveal an ongoing fight outside the guest room window. I could see LAATs and several droid aircraft engaging each other, with droids and men fighting on the ground as well.
Blaster bolts were flying in all directions, with one of them hitting just above the window. I was looking out of it when Mok quickly moved over towards the window and pressed a button. A covering of reinforced durasteel clunked into place over the window, protecting us from the battle.
"Tabi, you're helping me carry Tanya and Morson's beskar'gam." Captain Struc said before telling me, "Ma'am, you put your armor on. You're the only one with full beskar'gam here, and we're going to need it if something goes terribly wrong. Skota bring your medkits. Mok, get in contact with Tanya and give her a sitrep."
"Got it." I replied, as I ran over to my room. I quickly made my way to my suitcase pile and rummaged through it until I found the one holding my armor.
Stripping out of my dress, I swiftly pulled on a bodysuit and started strapping the armor onto myself. I considered grabbing my jetpack as well, but since we were indoors, there likely wouldn't be enough room for maneuvering. Plus, getting shot in the jetpack and being launched into a ceiling did not sound fun.
Instead, I just grabbed a beskar vibroblade and strapped it to my side in case I had to engage in close combat with any droids that got too close.
Stepping out of the room, Captain Struc acknowledged me with a nod. "Alright, we'll be on our way." His voice was tinged with stress.
"What's wrong?" I asked as he looked my beskar'gam over.
"Tanya's locked out of the panic room. Some wealthy merchant from off-world apparently had his guards take over the panic room and are preventing anyone from getting in. She's making her way towards a secondary panic room, which is closer to the hangar."
"The hangar? That'll be the first place the droids took over as their staging point." I questioned, receiving another nod from him.
"She doesn't like it either, but it's the best option for her own protection, and we can get there from where we are now. So, we've got to go."
"Give me a moment." I pulled open a communication device and quickly checked my contacts. "I might be able to get us a little extra help on this."
"What are you thinking?" He asked.
I ignored him as I held up a finger and activated my Silver helmet's voice changer and comms. "Commander Zyrr? Commander Zyrr, can you hear me?"
The voice that came back sounded surprised and a bit in awe. "S-Silver? Why are you here?"
"I'm here because I'm here. It doesn't matter how. What matters is that the young senator from Mandalore and the Kaminoan senator has been locked out of the panic room in the central building and is currently making her way towards the hangar bays, where there's another panic room she can use to hide out from the ongoing firefight. Do you think you can have some men routed in that direction to give her some aid?"
I heard a laugh before the response came back. "Yeah, I can make sure that your girlfriend is taken care of. Patch, Storm! Pick out six of your best clones and get your asses to the hangar bay. There are VIPs that need defending." Captain Struc was giving me a strange look, so at least he figured out which comm channel I was transmitting on. That would speed up the explanation at least.
"Understood, sir!" A new voice promptly replied.
"Consider it done." A third answered.
I grinned back at Captain Struc — he couldn't see through the helmet, so whatever — and spoke into the transmitter again. "Thank you, Commander Zyrr."
"Will do, but after this is over, I do want an explanation for where the hell you are and how you're close enough to get this information at some point."
"I'm White Silver. I'm everywhere the Mandalorians need me to be. Over and out." I corrected him before I cut the transmission.
Captain Struc looked amused now. "She's going to wring your neck for abusing her Silver identity, but I think she'll be fine with having a little extra support either way. How'd you know that her mercs are here?"
"I helped Tanya with some of the paperwork, and there was a list of Silver Mandos that volunteered to be Clone trainers. Let's get moving."
Captain Struc nodded as we made our way into the hallway, past the area where we got separated, and heading towards the hangar bay. We moved as fast as we could, hoping to catch up and meet Tanya there, or at least secure the location for her when she arrived.
The next hallway we ran through was quieter, and louder. The battle from outside seemed more muted somehow. And loud screams were coming from somewhere distantly ahead, before the latest voice cut off ominously.
Kastel must have noticed my confused expression. "Life support is offline here. No air from the vents." He pointed at a small recessed vent above us, as we passed by. Before I could consider the implications further, we rounded the bend and were at a three-way junction.
The new corridor was a mess, a dozen wounded and under equipped clones were scattered about, taking cover in the wide passageway. The battle was reversed from our expectations, the intruders coming from the interior, the clones defending the exterior hallway. A large portion of the ceiling lights were missing, and the Kaminoans' preferred sterile floor tiles only emphasized its wetness. Haggard officers and sergeants shouted out orders and tried to organize a firing line centered on a distant adversary further down the passageway.
Captain Struc raised a hand, and we pulled back slightly; the passageway we needed was only twenty meters ahead, but crossing would expose us. While I considered if we could break for it, a clone trooper only half-garbed in armor and half in obvious sleepwear sprinted from our direction, ignoring us entirely, and rushed towards danger to reinforce his comrades. He moved as if death itself were snapping at his heels; none of his fellows paid their new arrival much mind, nor seemed to detect us. They focused their weapons down the passage and intensified their blaster fire, to no apparent effect. Someone new started screaming.
Another clone trooper, distinct from the previous, broke. He ignored his fellows' attempt to make a stand and rushed past our position, fleeing the battle despite the shouts of the clone officers.
As I watched, a clone came flying all the way down the side passage, through the junction, and smashed through the large window. One moment, it overlooked the raging storm and endless sea, the next, there was an explosion of glass. The sounds of battle in the distance seemed to subside, overtaken by the deadly mix of transparisteel, rain, and blaster fire that invited the storm outside into the hallway. A final glance confirmed the last elements of organized resistance had fallen, only a pair of clones remained.
Pulling out my blasters, I wondered what massive robotic menace was coming our way. I looked up at the passageway with both guns ready to fire, while the other Royal Guards around me prepared their weapons to defend themselves.
The sounds of the storm in the distance seemed to subside, giving way to a confident rhythmic clicking with every footfall of a stranger in pale white robes that stood in stark contrast to the smoke and blaster scoured walls of Kamino. The figure seemed undaunted, untouched by the surrounding chaos. A mask obscured her face, but even the featureless silvery facade was shrouded in an unnatural shadow cast by a white hood.
There was something wrong with her strident advance, I felt an odd familiarity with her sway of the hips, her head scanning the room. In her hand was a short crimson blade in a low, relaxed guard position. She regarded the hanger, looking at the breach in the window that she had thrown the clone trooper through, then the scattered and damaged equipment, and finally, she turned to regard us. Even without seeing her face, I could feel her eyes meeting mine, and the sensation of ice coursing through me as her head tilted to the side curiously.
"Not another step!" Roared one brave clone, as he charged at the figure from behind. Casting aside his blaster, he drew a blade and swung — it marked him as a veteran who had seen what Jedi could do with a lightsaber against blasters. Without visibly reacting, the Sith let go of her blade and as if with a mind of its own, the short lightsaber flew towards the clone, directed by some dark magic to spin it about. A moment later, the bisected clone body fell to the ground in two pieces, still screaming.
She lifted her hand and the lightsaber began a lazy orbit of her head. Both parts of the clone were plucked from the ground by invisible forces and casually thrown through the same breach in the window. The woman showing some strange compulsion to clean her battlefield, perhaps?
Without a word, the Sith reached out to grasp the hilt of her blade and pointed it at us. At me. My heart thundering in my chest, my breath caught in my throat. Every Mandalorian — every Real Mandalorian trained for this moment. The chance to do battle with the Force sorcerers that made the galaxy their plaything. Jedi or Sith, I felt the rush of battle and shifted my form, carefully considering how her blade might depart from her. It would be a battle unlike any normal Jedi, but perhaps her flying Lightsaber trick was also a weakness? Perha-
Captain Struc put his hand on my shoulder, saying, loud enough for the Sith to hear. "Hold it, Mando. We're here to save Princess Tanya of Mandalore, not to get involved in this war, we are neutral."
I was about to let out a sigh of agreement, but apparently something Captain Struc said set the little Sith off. She darted forwards with blinding speed in a lunging thrust. I shifted to the side more from muscle memory than conscious thought, and the crimson blade slid harmlessly over my beskar'gam. With her extremely wide open, I retaliated without mercy, my right knee impacted her stomach like a hammer before I followed up with a left hook to her face.
Before I could continue the beat down, she used the momentum of my punch to spin around and delivered a wide sweep with her blade. I ducked under it while I closed in under her guard and retaliated with a left hook to her liver while I pinned her right arm in place.
She let go of her lightsaber and sent it flying towards my face. I front kicked her stomach to push myself away and break her concentration. The lightsaber sliced the air where my neck had been and embedded itself into the ceiling. The other guards gave a shout, seeing that the Sith lacked her lightsaber, opened fire once I got clear.
She somersaulted backwards to avoid the incoming bolts, and while she was in the air, pulled her lightsaber back into her hand. With her sword in hand, she landed loudly as she reflected a few bolts before everyone halted their futile blaster fire. Silence descended upon the hallway as I used the brief lull to unsheathe my vibroblade, before making a "come here" gesture with my left hand to provoke her into attacking me again.
The Sith took the bait and jumped at me. She landed a few steps in front of me before she started swinging her blade, using her reach advantage to strike at me without fear of a counter. Everytime I tried to move in, she darted backwards and fainted to the left only to strike again, to the right, favoring a high angle while leaving an obvious gap in her guard.
But something about her attacks was familiar. The way she favored attacking from the right, how she would probe my defenses. I knew where she would place her blade and where she would plant her boots. She was slippery and fast yet predictable when she honestly shouldn't be.
An uncomfortable wave of nostalgia hit me, a lifetime of sparring with Tanya, exploiting every weakness, finding every gap in her guard. The Sith moved again in a mockery of Tanya's form, faster than anyone had any right to be. But I knew where her blade would land. I intercept her thrust with my beskar vibroblade and push it to the side, leaving her wide open. A step forward put me in between her guard.
I looked into her seamless polished mask, and watched as my own helmet illuminated in red was reflected at me. Without giving her any time to respond, I threw my head forwards against her mask. My helmet and her mask collided in a loud crash. With her stunned, I grabbed her hand to lock her lightsaber in place so I could deliver a horizontal slash to her abdomen.
Before my blade could connect, her free left hand sent me flying to a wall. I quickly rolled to the side to dodge the incoming lightsaber as it sliced through the wall I had been moments before. I retaliated with my own lunge, which she parried, but she's not the only one with a dangerous left hand. I activated my flamethrower gauntlet, forcing her to abandon her attack to avoid my flames. With the fire blocking our vision, I charged forward while swiping my hand from left to right, giving her no room to evade other than backwards or upwards, hoping to close into melee while we couldn't see each other. When I saw her jump over the fire, I cut the flame, so I wouldn't burn myself, before we locked ourselves into melee once again.
If she was as good as Tanya, she would have backed away from me the moment I had parried her blade and closed into knife fighting range. I did not know why she was fighting like Tanya, I hardly had a moment to contemplate that. But somehow she fought like Tanya used to, before the many sparring bouts where I occasionally planted Tanya into the ground had refined her style as well as my own. Cementing that this Sith was an imposter in my mind.
Despite that, she maintained pressure in the battle. She was predictable, in an awful, confusing way. The thousands of hours of sparring with Tanya, precious formative memories of the time we had shared together and with no one else, allowed me to trade the Sith blow for blow.
I feinted to the right and then attacked left, throwing myself into her guard. Tanya was slippery and would always favor shifting right to avoid a clench. It was easy to grasp her midsection and throw my weight forward, throwing the Sith to the ground. It was easy and maddening, I felt teeth grind against each other as this thing dared to, somehow, steal the fighting style of my sister in all but blood.
Suddenly, I was thrown backwards. Pushed against from all sides with dark magic to crash against the far wall of the hallway with enough force to knock the wind out of me. The world vanished into darkness — I was on my hands and knees, shaking my head to speed up awareness.
The Sith was crouched on the ground, still recovering. I had been able to score strikes against her midsection, right leg, and even plant my helmet against that seamless reflective mask, causing the crack to deepen and appear down the middle during our fight. Now that I had been out of range of the heeled Sith again, the rest of the guards were holding her in place with a barrage of blaster fire. Forcing her to use her floating saber trick to prevent the many hundreds of bolts from ending her life.
With her hands free, she threw them out towards the rest of the guards, no doubt casting some spell. A moment later, its consequences were clear, as every blaster in the room ejected its power cell. Then she darted forward, moving with inhuman speed towards the closest guard, Kastel.
Kastel moved to block, dropping his blaster and using his spear to try and parry the attack, only for the Sith to target his fingers, causing him to let go of his spear before she cut through his left arm. I heard a scream as the limb went flying, and Kastel used his right arm to hold the stump that once belonged to his left arm in place.
"Kriffing Sith!" Tabi roared, coming up quickly and using his own spear to try and knock her away from Kastel. He struck swiftly, avoiding any prolonged contact between her lightsaber and his weapon. I aimed my pistols, muscles screaming at the recent exertion of going toe to toe with the rapidly moving Sith as I attempted to shoot the copycat.
With her cowardly magic, the Sith sent Tabi flying, using her open left hand in a grasping motion to throw him behind her, opening a path between her and Captain Struc. She rushed forward, intending to use her slightly angled blade to cut him in half, by the looks of it.
But that plan seemed to have been thwarted as Kastel threw himself at the Sith, grasping at her legs, causing her to stumble, hitting face-first into the ground. The crack in her mask now widening enough to split the thing in half. The Sith then looked up, and I felt a cold fury as the Sith looked up at the rest of us. With Tanya's face.
Her blade bounced away, falling as if its strings had been cut. It fell towards Skota, who brought her boot down hard on it. The crimson blade flickered before fading with a hiss.
The Sith lifted Kastel into the air by his neck, choking him. Struc charged in, but she used her other hand to push him away far into the hallway, too far to help. Everyone else opened fire after they reloaded their battery packs or grabbed a nearby blaster on the floor, but the Sith put Kastel in the way of our shots. She glanced towards her broken lightsaber and frowned, in the same way Tanya would when frustrated, before she cast out her hands again. She repeated her little trick of ejecting power packs from our blasters, before she closed her hands and an audible crunch was heard as Kastel fell limp. After which, she jumped through the broken window, retreating away from the battle with impossible speed.
"She looked like Tanya!" I only realized I was shouting a moment later. But that was not quite right, as the rush of battle began to fade, she had been different. Her skin was chalk white, her eyes had a disconcerting color, and her ears were as long as any Arkanians. As I reflected on her closely, I realized that's what she was, an Arkanian version of Tanya.
"Kastel!" Mok shouted as he ran towards Kastel's body, with Skota right behind him. The two of them get to work administering first aid. Skota took off his helmet, while Mok took off Kastel's chest armor. Skota used her scalpel to cut a vertical line in his throat before inserting a tube into it, while Mok is using his weight to pump his chest.
"Kastel!" Tabi called out, jogging over to the prone form of Kastel. "Kastel?" With the thundering rush of battle fading, I felt my heart skip a beat as my husband's voice cracked. The reality of the situation came into clarity; the son of Harswee seemed to sway in place for a moment before kneeling next to the still form of Kastel.
We did not say anything, we can only watch numbly as the two tried to save him. Eventually, Skota let out a sigh before closing his eyes, "Time of death, 15:35. You can stop Mok."
Mok eventually slowed to a stop. "Dank farrik."
I walked forward and wrapped my arms around Tabi as my husband flinched before relaxing into my arms.
"She got him." He said simply. I pulled him away from the body of his friend as the rest of the guard put Kastel on a portable stretcher. We would not be leaving him behind.
"We still have to find Tanya." I said as Tabi held me close. He nodded and looked at the rest of the guards.
"Here." Skota pushed a roll of something into my hand. "Adhesive tape, wrap it around your blasters power pack, so the damn Sith can't try her little trick again."
"We'll secure the Princess." Captain Struc said. "Skota, Tabi, you move Kastel. We will clear the way for you." My husband seemed to want to protest, but I took his hand and gave it a squeeze.
He was not in the right mental state to fight at the moment.
"Understood." Tabi intoned, resigned.
The rest of the guard formed up with some of the few surviving clones, ready to move deeper into the facility towards Tanya's location, many of them attaching adhesive strips to their power packs.
"Here." Skota said, presenting me with the handle of her abandoned lightsaber. "It's yours now, you did the most work out of all of us." I took the lightsaber from her hand, feeling bile rise up my throat at accomplishing such a poisoned victory.
"Kastel deserves it as much as me." I muttered. Skota clasped my shoulder and gave me a shake.
"Then carry it for him too, and kill that Sith next time."
Kamino, Cadet Barracks
Barriss Offee
"Blast it, Master Fisto, where are you?" I muttered as another wave of droids came running down the hallway, unflinchingly assaulting my position with concentrated blaster fire, trying to take me down but accomplishing nothing. I was good enough with my blade that I was able to knock the bolts back at them, and when they get too close, I cut them in half.
There was chaos throughout the entire installation, pure and utter chaos. Ominous explosions followed by a deepening emptiness in the Force was my constant companion. Nothing was as it should be; instead, all there was, was the ever-present knowledge that the enemy was moving closer and closer to destroying these barracks. This wasn't the first wave of droids to come here, and I doubt it would be the last for a while.
There were many barracks throughout the entire city. Before we lost communication, I heard that several clones in one of the major barracks were putting up a damn good fight, protecting their home from invaders. But I was not there. I had been on the edges when the attack happened. I rushed here with Master Fisto to defend their lives from the oncoming droid forces. It was that, or allow the droids to murder the children.
When we arrived, the droids were also entering through the underwater sections as well. Master Fisto recruited a large group of clones with marine armor. Their group had left, diving beneath the waves, intent on slowing down the incoming formations and keeping the forces from reaching Kaminoan City.
Which left me in charge of protecting the children behind me. Clones under my command fell one by one against the onslaught of droids until I was the only one left.
That's what was most horrible right now. I wasn't defending fully grown clones who were able to defend themselves. I was defending a bunch of toddlers from merciless droids; ready to murder anything that belonged to the Republic. I hated their ugly, brutish appearance, I hated their callous purpose here, I hated each and every single one of these droids.
As I reflected blaster fire back to the last droid of this wave, I tried to let that hate go, but it was hard, so very hard. I needed more power to defend these people, and I don't think I am capable of it. I felt a slight craving, an urge for that drug, Bota; I had come across it back on Drongar. It opened me up to the Force like never before, but I knew not to want it too deeply. It would lead me to the Dark side if I were to get my hands on it again. I needed to stay calm, collected, and in the Light, even if I were to die here fighting these droids.
For once, though, what came around the corner was not another wave of droids. Instead, a hand waved as I stood there, waiting, confused. I managed to speak, "Who's there? Friend or foe?"
"Well, that's all a matter of opinion, I would think." The voice of a clone. I lowered my sword in confusion in relief, which turned right back into dread as a Mandalorian stepped into the hallway. Not just one, but several Mandalorians with familiar armor; armor that I had last seen on Null.
"Spar." I spat out as the rogue clone approached. He acknowledged me by pulling his helmet off and showing a familiar Jango face, but one with a smile. It was a kind expression, one that attempted to show that they were not a threat. I looked past him for hidden dangers and felt out with the Force.
"Hello, Jedi Barriss. Long time no see. What has it been, three, six months?"
"A long time." I said, my mouth dry; speaking was painful. "A lot has happened."
"Yeah, sometimes when you look back at history, it feels like forever, but while it's happening, war feels real fast." One of the Mandalorians rolled his head upwards in exasperation, while another shook his head dismissively in the background. "Anyway, I would like you to step out of the way, please, Jedi Barriss."
I raised my blade again. "You would harm the younglings behind me? Kill them? I thought you were against war crimes." The blue light from my blade cast the invaders in long shadows, sparks from destroyed lights providing the only other illumination.
"I am not here to commit war crimes. I'm here to prevent a war crime being committed from both sides, if you will." Spar interjected.
"Speak plainly." I said, still holding up my lightsaber.
Spar nodded before he said, patting the shoulder of the man next to him, "This is Fenn Shysa, a good mechanical expert and a little bit of a slicer on the side. He's been helping to improve our droid forces with new coding to make them more competent than the average clanker. He has sliced into the cloners' security network and shut it down throughout this area and beyond, as well as deleted all records created before this point. This area is blacked out. Whatever happens here is just between you, me, and my brothers behind me. The Republic, the Jedi, the CIS, they'll never find out what happened here."
I nodded, understanding the implication that this was all off the record. "So, what exactly do you want? Why this attack on Kamino?"
He shrugged before saying, "An offer by the CIS. They needed more shock troops for this operation to keep the Republic busy, they unleashed some real nasty pieces of work here. Maximum mayhem and damage. The kids don't deserve what's supposed to happen here. They don't deserve what is going to happen to them. The clones are basically slaves for the cloners, products to line their own pockets for a Republic that couldn't care less about the people dying in droves for their privileged freedom. And I would rather that not be the case. So I brought my own offer. I don't give the fully grown clones much choice, since they aren't fighting for their own safety and freedom. But I would rather free them than have them end up dead before they even have the chance to understand the fight for their existence."
"Free them?" I asked, fully lowering my lightsaber at this point.
"The plan is simple. Snatch as many kids as possible. I'll use my contacts to smuggle them into the Mandalore sector and its allies. There they'll find families and clans that could use a few good hands while the kids get their freedom, a right every sentient should have. They would grow up and live as free men of Mandalore. Not as slaves to the Republic, the cloners, and the needs of the CIS." I struggled to feel his intent with the Force, but all I feel is determination and zeal.
I looked back over my shoulder towards the door, separating these kids from what awaited them. It sounded like a better fate than what awaited them if I protected them. Biting my lip, I tried to come up with a good reason to say no to what he was offering, but blast it if that was not sounding like the proper thing to do.
Finally, I flicked the switch on my lightsaber, and it extinguished, plunging us into shadow. "Make it look good."
"Knew you were a good Jedi, very rare. Sorry about this in advance." Spar said before he moved closer, judging by the sound of his boots before he stopped in front of me. I took a deep breath and braced myself. The impact of a fist to my face hurts a lot. Immediately after, I felt the bite of a stun bolt. My final thoughts are on the children behind me. Hopefully, some would enjoy a life of freedom.
Mandalore, Sundari Palace
Satine Kryze
Sipping the wine from home, I shook my head in exasperation at the interview on the holo-screen in front of me.
I'm not one for watching HoloNet News or local broadcasts, I'm often too busy and uninterested in those sorts of things. Especially the Daily Ordo, which was becoming more of a mainstay of the sector, it felt like. But Bo had dragged me from work to sit by her as we watched the "interview of the century" as the balding gentleman, Apex Jidoss, said.
Really, it wasn't that big of a deal in my mind. A story about how the actor Taylor Palatine had accidentally became a Mandalorian through too much method acting.
It was interesting in the fact that even though it was an accident, she was sticking by it. Apex waxed philosophically about how becoming a Mandalorian gave her a clearer understanding of the culture, and I would say that her understanding of the culture was not so bad. She definitely took quite heavily from the Silver Mandalorians' codexes, though she did bring a unique look to it, I guess.
Currently, Taylor Palatine and Apex were having a chat about the most recent arc in the series where they were having trouble with the 'Reds', as Taylor kept referring to them.
"So let me get this straight, these 'Reds' are creating political instability for their own gain? But they're not criminals? Sounds a bit like those Anteevy socialists!" Apex said.
"Correct." Taylor said, a confident smile, and black hair framing her face. She was wearing Mandalorian armor, a different set than the one she used in filming. It's painted white, either to show her political inclinations, or because she was taking this new start to heart. "In the show, they are trying to accumulate power, and centralize the state under their leadership."
"Sounds like the collectivism hooha from Anteevy. Whoever is writing from your show must be really on the ball with the current political climate." Apex commented.
"Well, White Silver does send notes over to the writers every once in a while, we do keep our ears open on local politics. After all, if I am going to be Mandalorian, I might as well know about Mandalorian politics.
"Hahahaha that's spirit kid. But yes, your show does good work showing the will of the individual manifest! None of that collective's 'We can all get along' that New Mandos love to shove down our throats."
"I would not say that. The Silver Codex does speak of community values, and its importance in preserving and continuing Mandalorian culture."
"Hmm, that does sound like something the White Silver would say..."
"Just a fan of her work, AJ."
As they shared a laugh, I slowly tilted my head to look at Bo and said, "The 'Reds', did Tanya decide that or what?"
Bo looked at me confused before saying, I'm not really in charge of that whole arm of Tanya's little Silver empire; that would be more of her droid's doing."
"I'm going to speak with her regarding antagonizing potential allies."
"Allies? Are we not on good speaking terms with the Communists after what they are doing on Vorpa'ya?"
"We are not on good speaking terms, but we are also not on bad speaking terms. They haven't done anything extremely antagonistic to us. Occupying a quarter of the planet seems that way when you first look at it, but all the farms they took over were actually selling food to the mining world they hold. So in essence, they were just securing their food network."
"Yeah, by moving a battalion of soldiers onto a planet that they didn't actually have authority over."
I sighed and nodded. "Even so — as long as they don't start a fight with the CNS and jointly withdraw with us after we remove the Journeyman Protectors. Hopefully, we won't need to worry too greatly about them."
"Assuming they will do even that." Bo said. "How is the whole removing the Journeyman Protectors going?"
I shook my head before saying, "Not well. As long as the Anteevians are there, they refuse to leave. All the food produced in the areas they control goes directly to Concord Dawn before going on the market. It's significant leverage over the food supply to this sector."
"So we're going to have to kick them off the world at some point, aren't we?"
I shook my head again before saying, "No, we can't do that. As much grief as this causes us, starting a civil war within the sector is not something I will allow to happen. There are diplomatic channels to try and force this undone, possibly getting the courts of the Republic involved."
"Ha, right because the CNS isn't really independent from the Republic yet; I forgot about that." Bo gave a sarcastic laugh.
"Yet?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I sipped my wine.
"I mean, you've got your own diplomacy, you've got your own banking system, all you need is your own courts, and you're unofficially separated from the Republic." Bo-Katan tilted her head as she looked at me with her own raised eyebrow.
"There are a lot more steps than that, although having our court system wouldn't be the worst idea, at least for situations out here that we can handle ourselves." I agreed with a slow nod.
"Attagirl." Bo said, slapping my shoulder. "Continue on the Crossroads of Independence through slow movements; you'll get us there eventually." This was pretty typical; Bo's delusions of grandeur. I sighed before she asked, "Anyway, what do you think about the Coruscanti girl turned Mandalorian?"
"Think? I don't know. The process of having outsiders join our culture has never really been something I've thought too deeply about. The only thing I know for sure is Almec is rather annoyed White Silver was on the planet, and he missed the chance to catch her."
"He still hates the Silvers I see." Bo grinned at the thought.
I shrugged. "He's been somewhat blaming them for the rise of Death Watch and all the other militant groups that have started popping up as criminals in the search."
"Oh," she shook her head, saying, "the first to appear gets all the blame, I guess." Bo-Katan took another sip of her drink, before setting it down and sprawling further on the couch. "But I think the whole Coruscanti girl is a good thing myself since it'll mean more people can be drawn in 'cause they wouldn't feel as intimidated. More people means more tourists or permanent residence that could help fill up the sector, which means more people would be exposed and absorb our culture. At least that's how Tanya explained it. To add to it, she's more New Mando than Old Mando, while she can put up a good fight, she doesn't have a killer instinct. So definitely New Mando."
I raised an eyebrow and looked at her lazy posture. "How do you know that?"
Bo managed to reach over and grab her drink before looking at me. "Well, they were filming on Gargon, and they needed someone to train her how to fight to make it look realistic. I had some free time and I needed more of your fancy neutral credits, so I joined in on a few sessions."
"Oh, how incorrigible. I let you train Tanya, and now you're just out there training everyone when my back is turned."
"I don't need your permission to train anyone. I'll train anyone who's willing to be trained. I'll train Korkie as well if he finally gets the urge to learn how to defend himself properly."
"I don't think you need to worry about that. The Royal Guard I sent along to keep an eye on him has already convinced him that learning a little bit more self-defense would be good for him."
"Damn, I won't get a companion album to go with Tanya's then." Bo pouted with a smirk.
"I wouldn't worry, I asked her friend to take holopics in my stead." I said with a smirk.
"Oh you sly Strill." Bo's reply got both chuckling at that.
Our laughter was interrupted by the news anchor on the screen saying, "What!"
I turned towards the holoscreen as he turned back to face the audience. "Sorry folks, I just got a word from one of my sources that Kamino is currently under attack by a CIS invasion force."
"Ms. Palatine, what do you think about this recent development?" He said, turning to the Mandalorian actress.
"Oh, that doesn't — I'm not very familiar with what's going on over there. I know some of the people who helped train me mention that Mandalorians are on that planet helping to train the army. I hope they all are okay; some of those people were pretty nice."
"Don't we all, but they're Mandalorians there; that means the planet's got a better chance of surviving than anywhere else in this damn war.
Granted, my sources also say that there are also Mandalorians on the other side of the invasion force, so it's going to be a real brawl down there. If we get any more news, we'll make sure to bring it on as quickly as possible." Then he turned, and he yelled off-screen, though my focus was quickly drawn away from it as Bo put her hand on my shoulder.
"Isn't Tanya on Kamino for some sort of Republic thing?" She asked worriedly.
"Yes, she is." I said, taking the glass and downing it before putting it down on the counter next to me, before I started pacing back and forth in worry. The last time she was on a planet that was being invaded, she almost died.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." She got up and moved over to the door separating this little apartment area from the main household and yelled, "We're going to need a lot more wine in here, some of the good stuff, maybe some Concordian whiskey as well."
"Yes ma'am." Came the voice of one of the many maids in the complex as I sighed, putting my hands on both sides of my face.
Bo came back and rested her hand on my shoulder, saying, "Tanya will be fine. She's a fighter."
I nodded. "I'm not really worried about her that much when it comes to her being in a fight. I'm just worried that every time she goes off Coruscant, she ends up in a fight..."
"Ha, well, she is probably chosen by the Manda with the amount of luck she has."
I sighed even deeper at that thought. I hoped everything was all right and she would come back safe.