"A planet that should not exist, but yet here it is…" Obi-Wan murmured to himself as he landed on one of the exterior landing pads attached to the Kaminoan city. Not once in the twenty-minutes it took to land had he been asked to identify himself, let alone been attacked by intelligent missiles. Which was weird, as those were the responses he was used to on entering a planet's atmosphere.
Truly the life of a Jedi is one of risk. It sometimes surprised him how unfriendly many planets were to the Jedi Order, but this was a lesson he had learned when he was young: Sovereign planets do not like it when outsiders 'meddle' with their problems.
Not that he cared, for he knew well the cry of 'sovereignty' was often just an excuse for the leadership and elites to be protected from the Galactic Republic's influence when they committed crimes against their own citizens.
The hatch of the starfighter opened, the rain entering the austere but comfortable interior. Obi-Wan hopped over the side of his cockpit, and made footfall on the cold and white material of the hangar. Even when drenched with rain, the substance somehow granted his shoes a good grip and purchase, preventing slipping over on the floor, or worse, into the dark and raging oceans below.
He was standing right to his starfighter, but was unable to hear the sound of the hatch closing behind him. The pounding rain was so loud that everything else was drowned out. He knew well that many of his fellow Jedi had died alone, away from the civilized galaxy. Missions like this had an obvious risk to them, even more considering he was acting on his own, without orders from the Jedi Council. Something Anakin would surely laugh about if only he knew.
"Master!" A voice screamed behind him. Even as a scream Obi-Wan heard it more like a whisper, due to the rain. Obi-Wan could've sworn it was his Padawan's voice, but that would be ridiculous. Anakin is skilled, but so skilled as to follow him through hyperspace to this planet? Did Anakin hack his hyperspace computer?
Obi-Wan raised his hand slowly until it touched the bridge of his nose, slowly massaging it as the rain soaked his robes.
"Master!"
"I heard you the first time!" Obi-Wan yelled to Anakin as he turned around. He saw Anakin's starfighter right next to his. In the roar of the rain he had not heard it landing, and Anakin was purposefully hiding his presence in the force.
Anakin knew what he was doing.
"So, what is our mission here?" Asked Anakin, his padawan braid flowing in the strong wind and rain. His otherwise short hair made him look even younger than he actually was, his smile was, as always, a mixture of smug attitude and idiotic happiness.
"Sorry, it might be because of the rain, but did I hear you say our mission? Because the last time I spoke with you, I believe I said to you that I was going on a solo secret mission after receiving a message from a planet called Kamino."
"Ooooooh, so that's what you meant by 'I am going alone, don't follow me,' I thought it was just you preparing an excuse in case you had to go in front of the Council later, not that you actually meant it. You should be more specific in the future, master!"
"You are the reason thousands of years of parenting evolution hasn't changed the fact that many parents still beat their kids. Half the fathers I know would have already made your backside look like the twin suns of Tatooine."
"Then thank the Force that I've only been raised by my mother!" Anakin said, laughing at his master's annoyance, and walking forward until he arrived at the hanger doors that led to the interior of the city-like building. Even though it looked like a city from the air, all of it was just one massive superstructure.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and advanced until he reached his Padawan. He had wasted all his patience many years ago, and even if he was still known as an unflappable Jedi, his Padawan often seemed to effortlessly erk him where others failed.
Some laughed and joked about how it seemed that he had two personalities, one for the public and one for his padawan. Obi Wan had begun to believe that it might actually have been the case.
"So, what is your secret solo mission then? What're we doing here?"
Obi-Wan sighed, putting his hands inside the long sleeves of his robe.
"Half a month ago, I received a message from a planet called Kamino, its contents were from a droid named SCC-01, it stated that the Army created for the Republic was soon to be finished, and it wanted to talk with a high ranking member of the Galactic Republic in order to plan for its best deployment. I still cannot understand how a message meant for a high-ranking member of the Republic ended up in my datapad but here I am to find out why."
"I mean, I'm all for not getting the Jedi Council involved but… this isn't like you, master, what are we really doing here? And why haven't you talked about this with the Jedi Council?"
"Because it could have been a joke, a random message from some egotistical brat that wanted the Republic to waste years searching for a hypothetical army that doesn't exist… The last time an idiot hacked the Republic message system, fifty years ago, the Republic spent ten years trying to search for an extragalactic invasion coming from the north. It ended up as nothing but a waste of time and resources. I will not be party to that type of situation. Also, the last thing the Republic needs in our current situation with the Separatists is rumors of an army appearing out of nowhere."
The torrential rain was falling down in heavy sheets from dark clouds like the wrath of an angry god, but Anakin and Obi-Wan seemed not affected by it, talking outside the door as if it was a clear sunny day.
"Master, stop lying to me, I know it has to be something bigger than that, I have never seen you acting like this before."
Obi Wan gave his Padawan a tired side eye. He had long wished that Anakin was less curious, but nothing could be done. The more he tried to hide it the more Anakin would pester him about it, and he did not have the strength to deal with that currently.
"My datapad belonged to a Jedi Master before me, Sifo-Dyas, he disappeared ten years ago. I had the hope that whoever gained access to his private coding messages could lead me to find him. Sifo-Dyas was a close friend to my master and to my master's master. I have the obligation to find out what happened to him, also I have a feeling that this is related to the Sith I killed ten years ago. Maybe the army is a lie, maybe not. But I have a feeling that whatever this is, is related to the Sith's return."
Obi Wan's heart ached as he remembered his master's death at the hands of that monster, he avenged him. Even if it was against the Jedi Order to form attachments he knew that it was expected of him to avenge his master. And how could he have the strength to avenge him if he did not feel attached to him?
Obi-Wan advanced and Anakin followed him. Inside the building the warmth rushed over them like a wave, but they held firm in the face of the change in temperature and looked around.
Endless smooth-curved corridors illuminated with an oppressively sterile white light surrounded them. Left and right did not matter because the view either way was a brightly-lit identical-looking corridor with curved walls and rounded off corners.
Anakin noticed an elongated figure approaching them slowly, he tapped Obi Wan's shoulder to warn him about the approaching being. Rapidly both Jedi turned to face this figure, not knowing what to expect.
Anakin could not stop himself from assessing the appearance of the being. He had seen many strange-looking beings in his childhood – the desperate and the criminal – searching for parts and offloading their spoils. This one was unlike any race he knew. They were well over two, maybe two and a half meters' tall, with the proportionally tiny head and huge neck making up a quarter of that. Wearing a long flowing robe? dress? their face was circular, smooth and flat; looking almost like a snake or amphibian with eyes both big and uncanny, their body skinny to the point that Anakin presumed them to be an insectoid species, only for that presumption to disappear as they came closer and let their flexible skin and flesh be seen.
"We were expecting you," claimed the being, with a feminine voice.
Anakin looked slowly to see if his master had his hand on his lightsaber, and only after confirming he did not he relaxed his muscles that were ready to take his lightsaber and fight. So many times before he had been forced to fight his way out of almost this exact situation, and so many other times he had used his lightsaber unnecessarily, scaring the local population, that he now used his master's readiness to assess where the situation was unclear.
Near-human species were easy to read, but, although humanoid, the smooth, tight skin and barely moving features left him lost. He could tell from the complete lack of wrinkles that there would be no furrowed brows, no sneers, or smiles to read. How was he to know when to ignite his lightsaber without any context? How did he know if a strange object was not some sort of weapon? Some would call this long being a semi-human, but for Anakin a humanoid droid would be easier to predict.
"Are we? And here I thought that now was the moment where we would be attacked!" Obi-Wan laughed a little bit, giving Anakin the final confirmation to not fuck up the negotiations, and to remain calm.
There were few times in history when Anakin complied with these orders, but this was one of those few times.
"Well, of course you are expected, we contacted the Grand Republic in order to comply with the commission signed ten years ago," she explained.
"I assume you are talking about the Army mentioned in the message, no?"
Anakin raised his eyebrow but kept his composure. The alien seemed confused.
"Yes, of course, the Clone Army we created, a commission from the Senate transmitted through Master Jedi Sifo-Dyas. We were worried at first by the Republic's apparent lack of interest but you have paid every year, your trust in us has been well received."
Obi-Wan changed his confused attitude rapidly with one of confidence, as if he had always known about it, Anakin rapidly followed by putting a shy smile on his lips.
"Might we see it? The Clone Army."
"Of course, the Prime Minister would enjoy meeting with you after you have viewed the product."
She turned around and began to walk through the sterile white corridor, with the two Jedi following behind her. The walk was in silence, but there was nonetheless communication through movement of hands and facial expressions; Anakin asking him what they should do if the army is real, and Obi-Wan answering with a constant, "Shut up."
Finally, they reached their first stopping point; for the first time they saw something that wasn't the alien: Thousands of men with the same faces and bodies were under them, the bridge was made of glass entirely except for the floor, and it allowed those that traveled through to supervise what was happening around.
These men were currently training, fighting melee combat in full white armor with a black body glove under it.
"Is this the army?" Obi Wan asked.
"A clone army made from the best mercenary found in the galaxy. They are equipped with the latest technology, they have the best training, are indoctrinated to be loyal to the Republic, and they are ready to kill and die for the Republic as soon as a figure of authority orders them. Their loyalty ensures that they will rapidly denounce any wrongdoing that goes against the Republic – like corrupt officers – and they will also comply with even the most suicidal of missions. Sifo-Dyas made sure to inform us about the war that was coming against the Separatists, and that the Republic would soon need the perfect soldier, and thus we have created it. They are the best army in the entire galaxy. These clones can outfight droid armies at numerical disadvantage—every clone can destroy a hundred before dying, we have tested it."
The more words came out of the Kaminoan's mouth the more Obi-Wan worried. It is true that the Jedi Order had prepared themselves for war the moment the Sith was found, but they had been forced to abandon the remilitarization by the Senate. Could Sifo-Dyas have acted on his own by the time of the remilitarization of the Order and commissioned this army? But how could have he gained access to the Republic's payment systems and pay for such an army for ten years without no one noticing? All while being dead?
He wanted to believe that this was somehow a nightmare, a bad dream that seems too realistic to realize that it is fake. A Republic Army, how unfamiliar that notion seemed for him. The Republic had not had an army for a thousand years, and he knew the Senate never voted for such a thing ten years ago. For that reason the only option was a conspiracy. The question was who: friend or foe?
"Might I ask why Kamino, which is not a member of the Republic, was tasked by the Senate for this duty?" Asked Obi-Wan as he continued to walk, looking to the sides of the bridge, seeing thousands of soldiers ready for combat. He had seen armies before, generally local armies that were useless, more for glory and show purpose than anything else. Acting as a glorified police force in the best of the situations. Of course there were some exceptions with actual qualified modern militaries, but he had never seen something like that, even in the Mandalore Sector the armies were more like thousands of hooligans fighting on each side. Not an actual professional, disciplined and cohesive army.
"Well, we hoped to gain a membership in the Republic and representation in the Senate after creating the first army of the Republic in a thousand years. As much as the Republic claims to be a democracy and has more than ten thousand senators… its efforts towards democratic representation fall short in many places."
She saw Obi-Wan's face and rapidly expanded on her comment over the Republic's democracy.
"I know this might be a difficult discussion for the defenders of the Republic, but we Kaminoans understand that it is difficult to run a galactic spanning democracy—for that reason we prefer the simpler and more efficient Technocracy for Kamino. Democracy works well in smaller groups, but in larger groups? It becomes ineffective, irrational even. But, we can sympathize with the Republic, and we are definitely happy to participate in its system after creating the Clone Army."
What seemed like an honest comment by the alien felt more like a constant mockery to Anakin and Obi-Wan, although secretly in his heart Anakin knew that in some sort of evil and twisted form the alien was right.
"The Republic is an organic democracy, the senators are sometimes elected and other times appointed by local and sectoral governments. But in the end it serves to represent all the galaxy in an executive and legislative organism that rules the Republic. The Republic is a democracy."
"Is that so? What an interesting concept of democracy where millions of planets are represented by ten thousand senators, of which six thousand come from the Core. As I said before, we are willing to participate in the system but we appreciate the correct use of the terminologies. The Republic is not a democracy."
Obi-Wan went silent and continued to walk, Anakin saw his master was on the defensive rather than his usual light and joking but serious attitude. He knew that for his master his duty to the Republic was a big part of his life. He was what Anakin should be, but Anakin could not find the blind faith his master had in the Republic, he instead replaced that faith with faith in his friends and the Jedi Order.
Even if sometimes the Jedi Order had failed him, he still had loyalty to it.
"I believe we should remain on topic, this… clone army. Does the Supreme Chancellor know about it?" Interfered Anakin. Trying to help the situation, but also confirming something to himself. Palpatine was a friend of his, and Anakin had always hoped that Palpatine also thought of him like that. For that reason, he thought that if Palpatine knew about this army he would have told him.
"The creation of the Clone Army was issued during the Naboo crisis, Finis Valorum was Supreme Chancellor at that time, and I am sure he knew about it, but I don't know if the current Supreme Chancellor does. Sometimes matters become complicated when bureaucracy is involved."
Obi-Wan nodded as a new suspect appeared in his head and continued his slow interrogation as the Kaminoan gave the two Jedi a tour through the city; showing the cloning vats, the young clones studying and training and the grown clones training and fighting. Finally, they reached the final demonstration. For the first time in this labyrinth of corridors seemed to end when they entered an actual hall with what seemed like furniture, a simple table with six floating ninety degree chairs. Which seemed to fit with the general aesthetics of the Kaminoans yet seemed just as uncomfortable as was the rest of this situation.
"Take a seat, you are going to meet our designated leader for this Clone Army, you may interview her about anything you want to know in more depth concerning the Clone Army. I also have to remark, with some sense of pride for my and my colleagues' achievements, on making her aesthetically pleasing to 78% of the species of the Galaxy. This will allow the sixty-six Supreme Clone Commanders to better form relationships with the local population as the public face of the Clone Army, during both peace and war."
Obi-Wan tried to sit comfortably in the chair, but his body suffered because of the uncomfortable ninety degree chair. The material felt cheap, and he was sure that if he sat here for more than thirty minutes he would end up having back pain.
On the other side Anakin simply sat at it as if it were nothing but a normal chair.
"If you created a leader, why make sixty-six of them?" Asked Anakin,
"Well, as I mentioned early, a galactic scale government is difficult to run, a galactic scale military is difficult to run too. For that reason our compromise was to create sixty-six leaders that can take control over sectors or front lines as needed. And, although they all share the same rank, the Clones have gained some sense of society through these years, they view the SCC-01 as de facto leader of the clones. We, in turn, treat her like the leader of the Clones. We expect her to take leadership over all the clone legions deployed in the Core."
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows at that declaration, his hands left his sleeves and were placed on the table. Through his mind different scenarios played out, and in not a single one of them would he escape the bureaucratic nightmare of the Republic. In the end, after some thought, he was left with two options: Say to the alien in front of him that he knew nothing about this army and neither did the Senate and the Republic, or keep that information to himself, and report it to the Jedi Council as fast as possible after gathering enough information.
"I believe we should…" Before he could finish what he was trying to say, the doors of the hall slid to the sides, revealing a woman who appeared to be in her twenties wearing a military-looking black suit and a skirt that went down to the knee. She had a pistol in a holster on her right side. Her eyes were dark blue and showed no emotions almost as if she was dead, her hair was long and markedly blonde, clearly an aesthetic decision. Her nose and ears were small and her face was the very definition of standard beauty.
If this appearance was crafted on her body or created by modifying her genetics before she was born was unknown, but for Anakin it hurt to see the look in her eyes. He saw those types of eyes on the old slaves back in Tatooine. Those that had lost all hope and resigned themselves to never being liberated. His master by contrast saw a human servant working for non-humans, something a little uncommon, but nothing extraordinary. Neither of them said anything, waiting in silence for her to sit, which she did right next to the Kaminoan.
"Hello esteemed representatives of the Grand Republic. I am SCC-01, the first of my type and the leader of the Clone Army. I am at your complete service."
Obi-Wan carefully stroked his beard as he thought about what questions to ask, the impulse of a moment ago to raise the topic of the Republic's not knowing of this army's existence was lost on hearing her 'name'. SCC-01 was a human all along? It was honestly a bit creepy to see a person with basically a droid's name, but he kept his calm, and decided it was essentially an unimportant detail.
"You are the one that contacted me, is that true?"
SCC-01 only nodded.
"Why?"
"The first batch of Clones are ready to be deployed, several things have to be discussed before we deploy them. From now on, every year, one billion clones will enter service for the Republic. We need to plan where they will be stationed, establish the contact rules with locals, plan the logistic routes, how to integrate the Republic officer corp into the Clone Army or adapt the Clone Army to the officer corp – which I would not recommend. The matters to discuss are too many, and if we end up improvising, chaos would follow. My duty is to ensure order in the galaxy."
Order, a fiercely coveted thing, worth more than any type of currency or mineral. Thought SCC-01 as she looked at the two figures in front of her. They had robes on them that were more fit for a homeless man than to a military officer of the Republic, their eyes showed apathy, and she felt her heart hurt as she saw how even the foreigners that ordered her creation viewed her with disrespect.
Dehumanizing her.
This was her third life and it had been so far the most miserable of the three, it felt for her, the old salaryman and the old Tanya. That her salvation from death was no salvation but damnation. Her first life was a life of comfort, pleasure and duty in a disciplined and rational world. Then she was thrown into the first world war of an alternative earth where magic existed. Her third life instead of sending her even more back to the past changed the scenario completely, by putting her in what seemed a retro science fiction universe where technology was advanced but looked somehow in the aesthetics of the early XX century.
What was this if not misery? In her second life she had the ability to use her knowledge of her first life to back her, giving her a needed sense of security in the chaos. Here? Here everything was chaos, she did not know anything, everything she knew was outdated or already applied, she had to learn everything from the beginning. And that was not the worst part, the worst part was that she had become a product, a slave, a robot with flesh. Born from a vat instead of the womb of a mother she had never known anything similar to sympathy or mercy. The Kaminoans abused her, constantly reminding her that she was a useful tool.
At first she coped with it, because it was true, in her first and a big part of her second life she saw herself as a tool, a tool that could live well. But here that right was torn from her. She had no right to feel comfortable, to rest. These chairs were not created to be comfortable, but to maintain discipline. If she, at some point in the long hours of study, failed to maintain her back discipline she would be punished either with electric shocks or by withholding of food, if not something worse.
At some point the constant repeat of insults, the constant dehumanization had slowly made her lose all will to follow that feeling inside her that urged her to fight back. Six years of indoctrination and constant mental abuse and she had surrendered. She could fight the Russy Federation for five years but yet she lost a psychological warfare against these aliens.
The worst part was that she was conscious of it. She knew she surrendered, she knew that she shouldn't see herself as a tool that has no value aside from its designated task, but yet she did it. It was like she was trapped inside of a giant flesh robot, and she was a spectator of her own life.
She clung to order to keep herself alive, but deep inside her, she wished for chaos, a chaos that would allow her to set herself free. That chaos though, shouldn't be at the expense of her kind. She saw it, those same eyes in her brothers and sisters, that same self-hate because of believing yourself to be a machine, a tool, was nothing but hating yourself. She had grown a sense of community with those clones that shared the same condition as her. She had become their friend, their leader, and their Big Sister. That was the title the clones gave to her, and she embraced it because it was one of the few things she could call her own, her only personal property, one that she gave more value than she would give to any amount of money.
She slowly raised her hand until she showed the two foreigners a holo-projector, a small movement of her thumb made it turn on, rapidly the translucent image of the Galaxy appeared.
"Which would you prefer first? To discuss deployments? Rebellious planets that have to be taken down? Humanitarian missions on problematic planets? Overthrowing local governments for the interest of the Republic? Or would you prefer to review the Clone Army in more detail? Our armor and guns, our doctrines, our vehicles for land and air together with our special climate vehicles?"
She went long and detailed about what they could talk about first. A monologue of ten minutes where Anakin felt lost in the first thirty seconds and Obi-Wan could do nothing but consider what should be the next step. If there was a precedent to finding actual armies that should not exist he would analyze what would have been the best decisions from a third point of view that would allow him to make the correct choices. But it was a first time thing happening for him and for the Republic, probably. He had to improvise the best outcome possible, and hope that in the future generations when they study his actions they don't laugh at his bad decisions.
He had used up his quota of bad decisions in making Anakin his padawan, he could not make any more career-destroying choices. That thought made him laugh a little bit in this confusing moment. He loved Anakin, but it was difficult to show affection to the problematic kid who was constantly rebelling against his authority. He just wished that he followed his orders strictly, like a droid…
That thought made him feel uneasy for some seconds, problematic enough to force him to make a rapid decision to make this uneasy feeling disappear.
"I would like to see this clone army directly, if it is not a problem."
Deep inside him, he justified this rapid decision by believing that any information he could get of how the clone army was created could give him a vital clue about where this Clone Army comes from.
SCC-01 nodded.
"The tactical training installations are in another floating city. We will take a spaceship there. Please, follow me."
Both men nodded awkwardly, then looked at the alien who simply looked at SCC-01 in the same way a factory worker might look at the millionth machine they had created – without any interest or affection.
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The cold gray material of the combat training area was as sterile as everything else in Kamino, not a single speck of dust could be found anywhere, but one could tell the area must have been used a lot. Anakin and Obi-Wan took notice of the ten clones, standing still at the position of attention, stiff as statues with their guns clutched tight to their sides. When they, SCC-01, and the Kaminoan approached the ten clones saluted, bringing their guns out in front of them in smart military fashion.
"Rest," said the feminine voice of SCC; the clones placed the stocks of their rifles at the ground by their right foot, right hand holding the barrel near the end, widening their stance and placing their unused left hand in the small of their backs. Behind her, Anakin and Obi Wan talked in whispers, the short and silent transport to this city allowed them to overcome their shock, and Anakin was back at his attitude as always.
"So, a droid contacted you?" Mocked Anakin with the intention to annoy his master, and distract himself from how uncanny the situation around this SCC-01 felt.
"She called herself SCC-01, how I was supposed to know someone could name a human like a droid?" Defended Obi Wan.
"Our foundational composition is the Clone Squad." started SCC-01, gaining the two Jedi's attention. "We have the sergeant," she said as her hand moved slightly towards the clone whose white armor had a red pattern, he answered by taking off his helmet with his left hand, tucking it under his armpit.
"His duty is leading the Squad together with the Corporal, the dual leadership of the Squad allows for maneuverability and prevents the squadron from being rendered useless if the sergeant falls in combat. After a galactic analysis we saw that the standard is to have in this type of unit only one officer of sergeant rank or similar. Not only is it inefficient, but it clearly shows that the armies that we will face will have a military capability at squadron level inferior to ours."
The clone that was the Corporal took off his helmet as well, just as his Sergeant had, his armor was similar to that of the Sergeant but of brown color.
"The radio-man of the squadron is a member whose only duty is long-range communications; asking for support in combat, reinforcements, ammunition or to deliver information. He is not expected to enter combat unless absolutely necessary."
The clone that took off his helmet had a modified helmet with an antenna and in his back he had a backpack that on a closer look looked like a system-ranged holo-transmitter. His armor was completely white, and he held no other distinction than his helmet and backpack.
"These two are the most important parts of the Squad Doctrine we have developed, the light machine gunner and the anti-vehicle expert."
Two clones took off their helmets, they again showed no color but the one carrying the machine gun had plates in his head and torso, seeming to have more protection than the rest of the clones. The light machine gun was some kind of large, squared off rifle, almost the size of a man. It had a handle on the right side and a large cylindrical gas canister on its left side, also around its cannon there were tubes moving some sort of liquid.
The anti-vehicle expert carried a rifle like the other clones but had a backpack filled with something they could not see, he also carried a long cylindrical tube that brought the attention of the Jedi.
"As the Anti-Vehicle expert of the squad, he carries an RPS-6 with an autoloading magazine of six shots, in his backpack he carries 12 ammunition of each category, anti-infantry, anti-vehicle and anti-starfighter. In total his load out is seventy kilograms."
The armor looked mandalorian, and Obi-Wan noticed it after looking at them closely, the material used to build it was not beskar.
"He's carrying seventy kilograms?" Asked Obi-Wan, surprised by how still he looked, almost unbothered.
SCC-01 nodded, "While we have been able to reduce the size of the droid missiles the RPS-6 uses, we have reached the current limit of smallest possible missile, which allows the load out to be reduced to that amount. Do not worry about his duties in battle, the backpack is taken off during close combat, usually left near enough to be accessed in less than ten seconds."
"I would break my spine if I had to carry all that during my missions," joked Anakin.
"Do not worry, the Kaminoans have thought of that, and the clones that have been given the task of Anti-Vehicle experts or Ammunition Carriers get their spines replaced by cybernetic augmentation that allows them to not suffer from carrying their load outside and in battle."
Against their will, the clones assigned to those duties were forced to have their bodies changed to fit their role, thought Tanya, not with rage but a pessimistic passiveness.
"So convenient. I assume the other clone with a backpack is the Ammo Carrier and the rest are the regular infantryman. It has gained my attention that the armors look similar to those of the Mandalorians. By any chance have you based your organization on them? Because I have fought them, and they definitely are not a… disciplined or cohesive army by any stretch of the imagination."
Obi Wan could not care less about the cohesion or discipline of the Clone Army, he wanted to know if this somehow was a Mandalorian conspiracy. It would not surprise him that terrorist Mandalorians could have manipulated a Jedi and some corrupt republican officers to create an army in secret for them. But in order to act according to his theories he needed proof.
"We have been created using the DNA of the mercenary Jango Fett, a Mandalorian, and we have been trained in their ways and combat capabilities together with many other things. But the Kaminoan creators knew that an army like those of the Mandalorian could not work. For that reason, they created the system the Clone Army currently works on. I have helped in developing the organisation, and I and the creators believe that we have created the first real modern army in galactic history putting a big emphasis on discipline and military formations with great autonomy but still under the hierarchy of a military organization."
Silence took place after SCC-01 finished talking. Anakin thought of how he would handle a fight against this squad, Obi Wan instead thought of the implications.
Somehow the disappearance of Sifo-Dyas brought him to a theoretically nonexistent planet according to the Jedi Order's files. This nonexistent planet had created a Clone Army for the Republic without the Republic asking them to, an army being made in the image of the Mandalorian Army, the biggest threat to Galaxy and the Republic just behind the Sith.
Sometimes, usually when issues with the Mandalorians came up, there would be some among the Jedi Order and the Republic that would whisper they should have finished the Mandalorians like they did with the Sith. Sometimes Obi-Wan could sympathise, but those feelings would disappear after remembering about Satine Kryze. Even among monsters some people were nice in the end.
But it still brought even more mystery to the situation, he had to find the Mandalorian mercenary as fast as possible for interrogation.
"Is Jango Fett still here on the planet?"
The confusion in SCC-01's eyes was the first hint of emotion she had expressed since she had appeared.
"I believe, yes, he is here. Together with another four hundred mercenaries that have helped to train and organize the Clone Army," answered the Kaminoan woman who had looked pleased with SCC-01 explanation so far. "Might I ask why you want to know that?"
"Well, I believe I would like to interview him, could you bring me to him?"
"But the clone squad level exposition…" Said SCC-01 only to be immediately stopped by the Kaminoan woman, who gestured with her hand to deliver her order.
"Of course I will, SCC-01 return to your room." She moved her head slowly to the ten Clone Troopers waiting, "Return to your barracks and await orders."
The Clone Troopers only nodded as they left the training area, from time to time they would give a side eye to SCC-01, who was still confused, next to the Kaminoan, but that did not last much longer as she returned to her stoic and disciplined attitude, turning around and leaving the training area too.
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SCC-01 sat on her cold, uncomfortable bed, her mind a chaotic whirlwind. Every second that ticked by felt like a lifetime. Her pulse raced, pounding in her ears, as she replayed the meeting over and over in her head. Why? she thought, her hands trembling as they gripped the edges of the bed. Why did they react that way? She had given them the details they asked for—too many details? Had she made a mistake by sharing information that wasn't wanted? Her mind whirled with the questions, each more terrifying than the last.
Her stomach twisted into tight knots, the fear of failure gripping her harder than any physical pain. She had been made and taught to serve, to lead, to be the epitome of perfection. But now, she felt like she had somehow signed her death warrant. The officers had stopped her presentation so abruptly, their eyes filled with suspicion. It was the kind of silence that could crush a soul. Had she said the wrong thing? Where had the mistake been? They had been paying for this army for ten years. How is that now they were unhappy?!
They won't replace me, she thought, her heart threatening to explode in her chest. They can't decommission me. I'm not just a failed product!
She could already feel the pressure of impending punishment. It was suffocating. The Kaminoans had designed her to be flawless, but they were unforgiving when mistakes were made. She wasn't allowed to make mistakes, to falter or hesitate. Every action has consequences, and this one... this one might be the end of everything.
SCC-01 raised her thumb up to her mouth and began to chew on her nail, raising her legs up to the bed she became a ball of stress feeding on her own failure. A thought of that white room flashed in her mind. NO! I am loyal, I am efficient. They wouldn't…
The door slid open with a soft hiss, and the Kaminoan head of the SCC project stepped in. His face was as emotionless as always, but to SCC-01, it was as if his expression was carved from stone. It made her feel smaller, insignificant. The meticulous slow pace of his approach made her panic spike further. Was this it? Was she being judged right now? She wanted to run, to escape the suffocating reality of the situation, but her legs felt like they were made of lead. She couldn't move.
He stopped in front of her, his gaze calm and calculating. She could feel the weight of it bearing down on her, her heart hammering faster. The silence twisted like a knife in her gut.
"What do you think happened?" he asked, almost indifferent.
She froze. She wanted to speak, to explain herself, to say something that might salvage the situation, but the words wouldn't come. The fear was overwhelming, paralyzing. The Kaminoan's question felt like a trap, and every answer she considered seemed to deepen the hole she was falling into.
"I think..." Her voice cracked as she tried to form a coherent thought. "The Republic officers... they didn't want the details. They asked for them, but when I gave them they ignored me. The similarities with the Mandalorians was the only thing that they cared for and when I confirmed the Mandalorian inspiration they stopped the presentation."
Her voice remained steady yet in her mind her words tumbled out, disjointed and frantic, her inner panic making it impossible to calculate a clear explanation. Was this enough? Was this what he wanted? Her mind raced, spiraling out of control as she realized she might have just made things worse. Please, please don't let them blame me. Please don't decommission me
"So, you have caused our clients concern by saying unnecessary information?" The Kaminoan's tone was flat, emotionless, but to SCC-01, it was a condemnation.
The tension inside SCC-01 was reaching a breaking point. She wanted to scream, to defend herself, but the Kaminoans had trained them all to suppress such emotions. To show weakness meant punishment. She had to stay calm, had to stay composed if she wanted to survive.
"I was ordered to be as informative as possible," she answered. She clung to that truth, to the belief that she had done nothing wrong. I followed the protocols, she thought desperately. Good Soldiers Follow Orders. I did everything I was supposed to do. I haven't... I didn't do anything wrong!
But she knew that wasn't enough. The Kaminoans didn't care about protocols. They cared about results. She had failed and was now bound to receive punishment, and she no longer wanted to be punished or even decommissioned…
Dying was painful and even if she had lived three lives already no one had said whether there would be another life after this.
She would cling to her life even if it meant clinging to a piece of burning iron. She had her rear position, she just had to… survive, that was all, survive no matter what. Survive and accept what needs to be done.
The Kaminoan delivered the words that sealed her fate. "Supreme Clone Commander Null-One, you are meant to be diplomatic with local governments, a civil and military leader. You have been an excellent prototype, but you have failed your first real task. If you continue to fail, you will be decommissioned and subsequently replaced. As punishment, you will be deprived of food for today and tomorrow."
SCC-01 could only nod in silence, her throat tight with a horrible, suffocating feeling. The sensation of oppression was far worse than the artillery barrages of the Francois Republic and the Russy Federation. The Kaminoan turned and left without a word, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as SCC-01 was left alone in her room. She sat there, her chest tight, her thoughts spiraling in on themselves.
And then, as the silence of the room enveloped her, the tears began to appear. Slowly at first, then in a steady stream. She was lucky, they had been so merciful this time…
The punishment was harsh, yes. But it wasn't death. She hadn't been decommissioned. Not yet. She still had a chance to prove herself. To be better. She couldn't afford to fail the Kaminoans again.