"Clone troopers unite! As war rages across the galaxy, The republic's clone army Strives for victory against the Evil forces of the separatists. Bravery, Valor, unity: The lifeblood of victory on the Battlefield and in space. It all begins on the planet Kamino, where Jedi general Shaak Ti oversees the training of clones with the help of Contracted bounty hunters. Bred to be perfect soldiers, These cadets must first be Subjected to intense physical And mental training before Heading off to war…"
'Man this is one of my favorite Clone Wars Episodes.' I think and suddenly my chest hurts, hurts worse than anything I've ever felt.
My vision blurs and then there's a flash of light my ears ring, there's something on my body heavy…sturdy there's something heavy on my hands it's vibrating.
Memories flood my mind, memories of growing up training on Kamino of not quite getting along with my batch mates…brothers.
Above all one thing is clear and this is that I am CT-782 who will also be named Hevy by Ninety-Nine.
Voices start pulling me out of my thoughts, and an image of what is behind me is overlaid in front of me while a hud highlights enemy targets in a reddish orange color.
"You're clear. You're clear!"
"Cover fire!"
The voices of my Batchmates is replaced overpowered/subdued by orders coming through my helmet's comm's suite.
[This is Command: You must break through enemy lines and take the tower.]
"Comlink just relayed orders from...
"We all had the orders, Echo!" An annoyed shout sounds in my ears making me flinch.
"Stop calling me that."
"Stop repeating every order."
I can't keep the voices straight, "Shut up! Everyone get behind cover. We need to regroup and plan our advance better!" I shout into my comms making everyone shut the fuckup while I slowly retreat backwards using a controlled spray with my Z-6 to cover my retreat taking down four B1 training droids during my backwards retreat.
Resting the frame of my rotary gun, on the solid barrier where three of my Batchmates are squatting for cover I continue to moderately spray blaster bolts to keep the enemy from advancing.
"CT-00-0020, CT-4040, Fives, Echo, I need you guys to put aside your differences if we want to pass, who here is best with the long rifle?!" I shout through my comms to be heard over the sound of my Z-6 Rotary cannon. From my memories I know that Droidbait and Cutup are actually best with the standard DC-15, while Echo and Fives are more proficient with the DC-15A.
"That would be CT-00-0020, CT-4040." I know it's Echo telling me this somehow.
"Okay you two take out the heavy gunners both in the towers and on the raised platform while I continue to lay down a wide spread of cover fire. Echo, Fives watch our flanks and backs!"
"Who put you in charge?!" a collective shout comes over my comms.
"I fucking did, follow orders or get sent to maintenance duty like Ninety-Nine!" I shout at all of them, there are grumbles but my Batchmates follow my orders, and quite quickly take down our biggest threats within seconds.
"It's time to move up brothers. Keep up the good team work! I'll take the lead Echo Fives continue protecting our flanks and backs, CT-00-0020, CT-4040 continue picking off the enemy combatants, while we move up to the next cover."
'Will I fuck up the timeline if we win this one…the first time through?' I wonder in worry but then shrug it off as I'm here so the timeline is probably already fucked.
"Droidbait get back behind me!" I shout into the comms suite as CT-00-0020 walks past me, "You're in my line of fire!" I continue to shout. He doesn't hear me…walks right across my arc.
It's too late. I can't pull my finger off of the trigger in time.
A flash of blue, a scream tears out of him as he's hit. Droidbait goes down.
"NO!" a collective gasping shout leaves all of us.
Our formation breaks apart.
Cutup lunges forward trying to reach Droidbait, and he's shot down in less than a second. Echo tries to cover the slack in our formation, but when a B1 rises from the floor, on his left flank he's out. Fives takes care of the droid now it's down to just me and Fives, we're fighting back to back now, Fives goes down it's just me.
The Z-6 is glowing red-hot now, steam pouring from its barrels. I hurl it at a B2's chest plate. My Z-6 explodes, but it's not enough.
I roll left while reaching behind me, grabbing a fallen DC-15A. It's Fives' I fire and hit one, then two. My aim is pure hip firing right now like an action hero.
Blasters scream from every direction. I duck, leap, roll. I grab a downed B1 and use its chassis as cover.
A whirring click sounds in my ears. I look at the ammo counter on my HUD and see it flashing a red double zero.
My borrowed carbine's empty.
Across from me, a single B1 droid jerks up its blaster arm and fires on me.
The orange light of its stun bolt flashes in my HUD.
Electrical current floods my nervous system. My world explodes with pain, but I don't go down immediately. I try to move my body. I take half a step before another bolt crashes into me, I fall to my hands and knees…it or another droid takes another shot at me before my lights go out.
~~ — — — — — — — — — — ~~
Observation Deck — Kamino Citadel Training Arena 3rd person pov
~~ — — — — — — — — — — ~~
From her vantage point high above the simulated battlefield, Jedi Master Shaak Ti stands with her arms folded behind her back, her long montrails gently swaying with each breath.
Through the transparisteel viewport, blaster fire lit the training grounds in rapid flashes. She watches closely, her eyes following Squad Domino just another group of clone cadets…she hates to think that way but she has to or else she grows attached.
It's not good to grow attached to these Troopers not for her heart anyways.
Her brow furrows as something within the force shifts.
She hums softly in her throat, a near-silent murmur of curiosity.
Her attention becomes fully concentrated on CT-782, before today
He has always been reckless, hotheaded, impulsive... neurotic: A poor listener.
His psychological profile flagged him as aggressive, prone to disobedience, and unlikely to assume command without clear structure…a perfect ARC candidate if she's ever seen one.
And yet… here he is, pulling his squad together unifying them…taking command.
Shaak Ti's focus narrows further; the Force itself stirs around this clone in a way she has not seen before…she gets an impression that the fabric of fate itself has been twisted in acknowledgment of something unheard of happening.
"Unusual," she whispers…
"Yes this change in CT-782 is surprising." A soft spoken contracted bounty hunter with an oddly shaped head and eyes that look like a rodian's says. "Heh…just wait even with him taking charge…they'll still fall like Dominoes." the other bounty hunter trainer says his head looks like an oversized and exposed brain.
Shaak Ti doesn't t respond right away. Her gaze stays locked on the clone, now firing from behind cover, ordering his squadmates into position, displaying an assertiveness and discipline that hasn't existed days prior.
Not long ago, CT-782 refused to truly work with his squad, preferring to argue and fight them and not the enemies.
Now he's coordinating his team issuing tactical commands, it's obvious to her that he is still unsure of himself but…he is doing what he can to make sure his Squad passes this test.
"A shift in mindset that abrupt is… rare." she murmured, almost to herself. "But the Force...can flow in strange ways."
She closes her eyes briefly, as if trying to grasp the elusive feeling that now surrounds the clone. It flickers faint, distant. Like a signal from deep space but this clone is special and has a great destiny ahead of him one that will decide the fate of the Republic.
And then—CT-782 went down.
Stunned, unconscious, collapsing into simulated defeat.
But even as his body crumpled to the ground, Shaak Ti sees something else... he's resisting the stun rounds…
Shaak Ti approaches the Medbay that CT-782 was taken to after taking so many training rounds.
'Strange…Batchmates usually can't stay away from a downed Batchmate.' Shaak Ti expresses in her thoughts, while feeling that Domino Squad's inability to connect may run deeper than poor communication skills.
Shaak Ti takes a seat beside the cot in the Medbay that CT-782 is currently occupying; it is not long before CT-782's eyes flutter open.
He looks around confused, afraid like he's from a primitive world seeing an alien sight for the first time, a fluttering sensation within her chest makes Shaak Ti smile unsurely.
"Hello CT-782, your performance today during the citadel was quite commendable."
"Tell me do you feel any difference in yourself?"
"I uhh…you're Shaak Ti!"
"Why yes…I am…" A soft smile spreads across Shaak Ti's face while she replies in amusement.
"I…I." CT-782 starts to speak but suddenly the force ripples around them, and even Shaak Ti can hear the force truly speaking.
"Not yet, it is not time to share your origins my champion…" Shaak Ti's eyes widen while she stares at CT-782 who is levering himself up on his arm, his face warping in confusion.
"It is alright the Force has deemed it, I will wait patiently for a time when you can share with me that which you wish to share."
'Give it to him.' The force whispers to Shaak Ti, making her flinch in surprise as she feels the data drive in her pocket that was passed to her by Jedi intelligence warm slightly.
It is a drive meant to hack into Kamionoan systems and search for information about the clone army and it's original bank roller/funder that the Kamionians aren't forthcoming about.
"The force says I am to pass this to you CT-782, you have a great destiny in front of you."
"Uhh…can I turn it down? I don't think I'm meant for anything remotely approaching the word great." CT-782 mutters and a giggle slips out of Jedi Master Shaak Ti while an amused gentle smile crosses her features.
"Many feel that way, CT-782." Shaak Ti says before gracefully standing from her seat and beginning to leave the Medbay.
"I will watch raptly to see your future achievements…CT-782…"
~~ — — — — — — — — — — ~~
Domino Squad Barracks late night, MC pov.
~~ — — — — — — — — — — ~~
After recovering from being shocked unconscious and waking up in one of the medbays…
And after a very concerning conversation with Shaak Ti and how she silenced me from telling her my origins.
Or from the fact that the force seemed to warn me, not to tell her yet.
I lay awake in my bunk drumming my fingers against my chest.
'I have to try and get evidence of the biochips and the contingency orders…even if I don't show the Jedi…' I think and press the button that makes my tube like…pod…bunk bed slide open.
Climbing out of my bunk sliding down the ladder, being as quiet as I possibly can.
Pressing the button on my storage locker which makes it slide open on it's rail system.
Sitting in the locker is a newly issued Z-6 Rotary cannon set on training mode but it's easy enough to switch over, an ordinance backpack and then the pieces of my armor.
'Thanks Ninety-Nine…you're the best.' I think towards the clone who I wish there was a way to help cure his physical ailment.
"Hevy, you going somewhere?" I jump and Ninety-Nine's questioning but gentle voice.
"By the force Ninety-Nine…you scared me…get out of here, ya ghost!" I say playfully and look at Ninety-Nine who is frowning at me in concern.
"You're going awol, aren't you?!" Ninety-Nine accuses me and I look away from him. I know how much of a crime it is to go AWOL amongst my mentally conditioned for loyalty Brothers.
"Just go back to sleep, 99…" I start to say, but suddenly a feeling bubbles up in my stomach and a warmth settles in my chest.
'Let him help.' There's a soft impression, not even quite a whisper but I understand it's meaning it wants me to enlist Ninety-Nine's aid.
"This…isn…actually I could use your help, Ninety-Nine not just me but for all of our brothers." I say to the clone as I turn to face him resting my hand gently on his shoulder.
"But you can't do this to your squad." Ninety-Nine says passionately as if he did hear everything I just said to him.
"Ninety-Nine…do you know of a place where we can go talk without being overheard?" I ask him and Ninety-Nine finally registers that maybe he misunderstood what I was doing.
"Uhh…sure Hevy but what about your squad?" He asks me and I look up thinking that Echo and Fives would be valuable and useful but, I don't want to put them at risk.
I pat my pocket where the Data Stick is located. It has a very advanced splicing/search and copy program, on it with a lot of storage space…something that Shaak Ti had on her and that she passed to me in the Medbay.
"The force told me you would be needing this…I know not for what but the Force assures me that it is important."
I follow Ninety-Nine into a maintenance personnel area that is run by him and a few other brothers, he pulls me into a room, flips a switch there is a sudden hum of silence that makes my ears pop.
"What do you want to talk to me about Hevy?" Ninety-Nine asks me and I consider telling him everything and a warmth blossoms and spreads throughout my body.
I look around and find two stools, "Let's sit down first…this is going to be a long conversation."
Ninety-Nine and I sit across from one another and everything pours out from my dream about another life where I saw the events of the fall of the Republic and how our Brother's turned into barely more than Meat-droids after the Biochips in our heads are activated.
The execution/purge of the Jedi, the hunting of Force sensitive children, the near extinction of Mandalorian culture…that is part of our culture.
Ninety-Nine looks horrified but he also has complete faith in me, he stands up from his stool and pulls me into a hug.
He pulls back and I hastily wipe away tears from my face, "We have to get that Data…so we can protect our Brothers and save the Republic." Ninety-Nine says with a fire burning in his eyes.
"Thank you for trusting me with this Hevy, I won't let you down."
"I know you won't Ninety-Nine, you're the best trooper of us all." I say to the man with a tender smile and chuckle as he sputters in embarrassment.
"Now the data we need is most likely in Nala Se's private server terminal…do you think we can get in there?" I say to and ask Ninety-Nine, who rests his thumb against his chin in consideration.
"Ninety-Nine…I want to stress that doing this is most likely going to get us killed…also would we be able to get a set of Clone Commando Night Ops armor?" I say to him before asking him about the armor.
"Night Ops no…but there is a crate of Phase 2 commando armor with the deflector shield built in that just got sent back by a Commando unit on Courcant to be disposed of." Ninety-Nine says to me with a smirk.
"I know the risk Hevy…this is something I can and want to do for my brother's…you're still going to go AWOL…aren't you?"
"Yes…I need to get this information to a trusted Jedi General which is either Kenobi or Anakin Skywalker…"
"I will pull some strings Hevy…how do we get the information off of the Long Neck's terminal one we get in?"
"This…" I say to Ninety-Nine and pull out the data drive Shaak Ti gave me previously.