Seo Wat scanned the datasheet quickly. It gave specific instructions to recondition clone batch three-one-eight. Seo Wat felt a pang of guilt as she calculated the age of the clones and realised that they were only eight years old. She read farther down the page, looking for the specific reason for their reconditioning. She found the information she was looking for at the bottom of the page in small print, off to the side as if it weren't important to have reason to kill one hundred eight-year-old boys. Seo Wat was taken aback when she read the reason that reconditioning had been ordered.
All of the clones had brown hair.
Seo Wat caught the attention of Taun We and held up the datasheet. "I think there's a mistake," she pointed out.
Taun We looked up from her station and glided over. Mistakes could not be tolerated. "What is the problem?" she asked.
"Batch three one eight has been ordered for reconditioning."
Taun We nodded. "There was an error in their genetic code."
"But the error was purely cosmetic," Seo Wat protested timidly. "Must they be recontitioned because of appearance? It won't hamper their ability in battle--"
"We don't know that," Taun We said, returning to her station. "If there was one error in their coding, we don't know if there are any more. They are too unpredictable."
"Have there been any problems with any of the clones?"
Taun We slapped her datapad down on the desk in front of her. "None that we've observed," she said condescendingly, "but we can't risk them going rogue in the middle of a battle. Now let that be the end of it."
Seo Wat lowered her head and took the hint to drop the matter, for now, at least.
Lama Su sat up as Seo Wat burst into the room. The Prime Minister fixed her with a look that said he did not approve her haste. Taun We rushed in behind Seo Wat, looking as if she'd been chasing the younger scientist across Kamino.
"What is the meaning of this?" Lama Su demanded.
"I came to petition for the lives of batch three-one-eight," Seo Wat said quickly, panting.
Lama Su blinked in surprise and looked questioningly at Taun We.
"Three-one-eight is damaged," Taun We explained. "They are to be reconditioned tomorrow. Seo Wat thinks the error is excusable."
"The error is purely cosmetic," Seo Wat said. "They meet the standard on everything else, except that their hair is a different color. If we recondition this batch, we waste a hundred good clones, and that's a waste of resources."
That caught Lama Su's attention. He wouldn't tolerate anything less than perfect efficiency. Taun We opened her mouth to speak, but Lama Su raised one hand and cut her off. "Alright, cancel the reconditioning. But I want proof that they will function as well as the other units. Set up a live fire trainning scenario."
Taun We squeaked. "I don't think we should be devoting time and resources to this," she said. "We can't waste our time testing an already faulty batch of clones. We should just grow another that we know will be up to specifications."
Lama Su seemed to be swayed by Taun We's statement. "What would you recommend, then?"
"They should be reconditioned. They are flawed, and should be disposed of."
Seo Wat cut in. "What if we sent them off to battle? If we just dropped them on a hostile planet and let them fight. We wouldn't have to spend our own time testing them, and we'd know that the survivors would do well in the upcoming war."
Lama Su let out a hissing sound, warning Seo Wat not to talk about the war. But what she said made sense to him. "Prep three-one-eight for deployment. I will contact Sifo Dyas and have him send a company of battle droids out to a nearby location. Taun We, I'll contact you when I have the information. In the mean time, find weapons and armour for the units. Do not inform them of the battle. Let them be ambushed. We'll pick up the survivors at the end of the day."
Taun We grudgingly nodded and left to make the arrangements.
Seo Wat stood silent for a moment, thinking about what had been decided. She was beginning to wonder if reconditioning would have been a better fate.