During the course of a regrettably long and eventful military carrier I have seen my fair share of massive scale battles, sieges and invasions. A few names that spring to mind include Christophsis, Kamino and of course that most vile of planets Geonosis (not to mention any number of set piece battles during my Imperial days, many of which I only survived by the skin of my teeth). However, after becoming an ARC trooper I also, unwillingly, took part in a number of more covert operations; undercover missions, spying behind enemy lines, commando raids, that sort of thing. As I have already written of the part I played in one of the most major (and most terrifying) battles of my carrier I have decided to set down an account of an example of one of the aforementioned covert missions that I took part in (or rather was dragged kicking and screaming into).
If you have studied the historical documents and documentaries concerning the Clone Wars you may have come to the conclusion that it was a time of constant conflict, galaxy wide total war, and you'd be right, for the most part. However several times during the war hostilities all but ceased between the Republic and the Separatists, not because each side had finally realised the madness of what they were doing, but simply because of a shortage of manpower. The Republic had recently had a string of victories on several key worlds, but at a terrible cost in clone lives. We had taken so many casualties in fact that we had little choice but to stay on the defensive for a while, until the Kaminoans could cooked up a fresh batch of clones to replace those lost on the front lines. Meanwhile the rash of defeats suffered by the Seps had hit them very hard, having lost tens of thousands of droids and more importantly several key droid production centers, meaning that they too had no option but to sit back and wait for Poggle and his minions to rebuild their forces back up to full strength.
Consequently both sides were in no condition to perform any large scale operations, resulting in a lull in the conflict, due in no way to a lack of motive, but entirely to a lack means. However as you might expect with no battles or invasions occurring there was a drastic increase in terrorist attacks, special ops missions and spying and counter spying between the two sides. Therefore when I heard that General Skywalker, Commander Tano and Captain Rex were all being summoned to a meeting with the Jedi High Council I immediately came to the conclusion that the three of them were being assigned some Force forsaken mission to kidnap Wat Tambor or steel Nute Gunray's hat, or something equally idiotic. Well good luck to them was all I could say; I was due some hard earned leave and was looking forward to enjoying every blissful moment of it whilst Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex battled their way through hordes of Seps and Sith.
I hadn't been requested and the mission was nothing to do with me, so I didn't let it bother me over much. In fact I barely thought about it as the Resolute made its way back to Coruscant, and consequently did not foresee the terrible ramifications of accepting a lift down to the surface with the General, the Commander and the Captain.
"Well if it's no trouble sir?" I said saluting Skywalker.
Anakin shook his head "No trouble at all Hawk, glad we could help".
I took a seat at the rear of the transport and closed my eyes; I hate flying, at least I have ever since Geonosis, and so I generally try to sleep through flights of this nature to get them over quickly. The last thing I noticed before dropping off (I am one of those lucky individuals blessed with the ability to fall asleep and wake up at will, extremely useful during dull debriefings) was General Skywalker taking his seat behind the pilot so that he could more easily heckle him with semi-useful advice and criticism for the duration of the flight, whilst Captain Rex and Commander Tano chose to sit together a few rows in front of me.
I reckon that my subconscious is considerably smarter than I am, because during the brief flight I had an extremely odd dream; less a dream, more a premonition of things to come. I was standing in one of the huge columned halls of the Jedi Temple, in the midst of a large crowd of Jedi Knights, Masters and Padawans. I turned and swore in alarm, for towards the far left hand side of the hall stood General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku and Savage Opress, all, for some reason, wearing Galactic Cup shirts. Master Yoda was standing in front of General Skywalker, Commander Tano and Captain Rex; dressed ridiculously in a black and white striped robe, with a whistle hanging around his neck. He shook his head sadly and said "will have to forfeit the match we will; play a four-a-side game with only three players on the Republic team, we cannot".
Skywalker, Ahsoka and Rex all began to clamor over the unfairness of Referee Yoda's decision when suddenly Master Kenobi stepped forth and said "Master Yoda, we need not cancel the match, look, here is your forth player" and so saying pointed directly at me. I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach in shock and started to shout that I couldn't because I was supposed to be going on leave and besides why couldn't you play, Force damn you? Suddenly I jerked awake to find Rex and Ahsoka looking down at me, the captain's hand on my shoulder, and both of them looking concerned.
"You alright Hawk?" asked Rex, his honest face set in a worried frown.
"You were moaning in your sleep" said Ahsoka "you're not ill are you?"
I straightened up and shook my head "just a bad dream commander, nothing to worry about. Have we arrived?" I added looking out of the shuttles porthole.
Rex nodded "pretty much, we're just landing now". And so we were, the shuttle touched down gently outside the Jedi Temple and as the transport door slid back I gasped in amazement at the sheer size and magnificence of the place. One day I would see it in flames, with black smoke billowing through the high windows and its inhabitant dead or dying, but just then it seemed like the most serene and unworldly place I had ever seen (and I grew up on Kamino).
Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex walked down the shuttles access ramp, advancing to meet them were two Jedi Masters, one that I recognized and one that I didn't. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi strode forward smiling cheerfully, greeting each by name and asking how they found themselves. His companion simply nodded to each; he was a tall thin man, with dark grey hair, a great beak like nose, bright searching eyes and dressed in a grey cloak, and a white tunic and trousers. I hovered uncertainly by the shuttle door, somehow feeling obliged to remain until the Jedi knights and the clone captain had departed. The unknown Jedi nodded and then said "excellent you are all here; Master Kenobi will escort you to the council, who will enlighten you as to the details of your mission".
Anakin frowned "but Master Skouras, I thought this was your plan, your mission? Aren't you going to be the one that explains it to us?"
Master Skouras shook his head "no young Skywalker, there are some last minute details to attend to, details which I much see to personally. I have explained the mission to the council; they will be more than able to in turn explain it to you without my assistance". The old Jedi turned to Kenobi "I must be going then, may the Force be with you".
"And with you" said Master Kenobi bowing and as Skouras turned and hurried away across the plaza Obi-Wan smiled and said "well then, there's no reason to waste time standing here, follow me". Well that was my cue to leave for a few days of uninterrupted relaxation, with no fire, blasters or hellish near death experiences. I turned and began to stroll away in the direction of an excellent pub I remembered from my last visit to Coruscant when suddenly Kenobi called out "is that you Captain Hawk?"
I ground to a halt, happy visions of alcohol in large quantities and attractive barmaids evaporating before my eyes. I turned on the spot "Sir?" I answered with no little trepidation.
Obi-Wan smiled broadly and advanced on me, returning me salute "why Hawk it's been to long! When did we last meet, the invasion of Kamino wasn't it?" I shuddered, the memory of that nightmarish battle still fresh in my mind; with that mechanical demon Grievous on one hand and that banshee of a Sith Ventress on the other it was nothing short of miracle that I made it off that dratted water world in one piece (but that's a tale for another time)!
"Yes sir I believe you're right" I answered, trying to sound as if I was thinking 'ahh those were the days', rather 'I feel physically sick with terror just thinking about it'.
Obi-Wan looked at me in a thoughtful way for a long moment and then seemed to reach a conclusion "yes" he said at last "you're a fine trooper Captain Hawk, one of the best" and then went on, more to himself than to me "I can't see why not, no reason it would cause any drastic changes. An extra pair of eyes and an extra blaster, why not eh?"
I couldn't make head or tail of the Jedi's gibberish and could only reply with an even more hesitant than before "sir?"
"I think that you had better follow me to the council chamber as well Captain Hawk; all will be explained in a short time". And so saying the Jedi turned on his heel and started to walk towards the temple's main doors, calling over his shoulder "come now gentlemen, and lady, time is of the essence".
I'm sure there was something that I could have said that would have got me out of the vile situation that I found myself in, some clever excuse that in no way reflected badly on me, but I'm damn if I can think what it was. I had no choice but to follow Master Kenobi and the others into the temple. Whilst racking my brain for some way out I was once again struck by the magnificence of the place. Great pillared halls and vaulted ceilings, huge stairways as wide as a dozen AT-TEs, and everywhere an all prevailing sense of peace and stillness. Such was the effect that even I felt my fear subside, even if only a little. As we strode through the temple Skywalker bombarded Kenobi with questions about the mission but the older Jedi would not be drawn "in good time Anakin" he said, sounding as wise and irritating as usual "you must learn to have patience".
Meanwhile Captain Rex, Commander Tano and I walked together, with Ahsoka doing all the talking, as both Rex and I were too overwhelmed by the sheer grandeur of the place to say anything more than the occasional 'really' or 'you don't say'. "That's the great halls through there, and that's the door to the library. Down that corridor are the dormitories for the Younglings and the one next to it leads to the Padawan's apartments. My room's down there but I don't use it much, I'm always on the Resolute". The prattle reminded me just how young our commander really was; it was easy to forget that she was really only a teenager, admittedly one that battled Sith assassins and droid hordes on a daily basis. Although it must be remembered that she was older than we were of course, clone aging is accelerated you know. I should have died decades ago, if not from a lightsaber's blade or a blaster's bolt, then from old age. Luckily for me the Kaminoans discovered a way to slow the aging process in clones to an ordinary rate; hence why I'm still here reminiscing when so many of my brothers have gone the way of the Jedi. But I digress.
At last Kenobi led us to a set of grey lift doors made of some metal that I didn't recognize. "Here we are" he said pressing one of the buttons on a panel beside the lift to summon it "I'm afraid that it may well be something of a tight squeeze but I'm sure we'll manage". When the lift finally arrived I was inclined to doubt him. The thing was clearly designed for two people and we intended on asking it accommodate four grown men, two of whom were in full battle dress, and a young women, whose montrals were in constant danger of taking somebody's eye out. Against all the laws of physics and probability Obi-Wan somehow managed to crush us all into the lift, finally squeezing in himself. When the lift doors pinged open, after what felt like an eternity, we all almost fell out on mass into the council chamber. Well all I'll say is that either you won't find better poker faces between here and Hoth or one of the requirements of becoming a Jedi Master is having your sense of humour surgically removed, for there wasn't so much as half concealed smile or a stifled snigger.
Master Kenobi straightened his robe, cleared his throat and stepped forward "Masters, I bring before you Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and Captain Rex and Captain Hawk of the 501st Legion".
Master Yoda peered at me across his interlocked green fingers "chosen for this mission Master Skouras did young Skywalker, his apprentice and Captain Rex, but who is the forth, hmmm?"
Before I could say 'Oh right then, I'll...err...just be going then shall I?' Kenobi said quickly "Master Yoda, members of the Council, I would like to humbly suggest that Captain Hawk too should be one of those dispatched upon this mission. I can promise you that he is an exceptional trooper, truly exceptional, and I feel sure that he will be an asset to the success of the operation".
Any hopes I had that the council might decide that they didn't want me on their rotten mission was quashed when Master Luminara Unduli got to her feet "I also will vouch for Captain Hawk; on Geonosis he witnessed my capture by a horde of undead Geonosians, and wished to attempt my rescue, even though it would have meant certain death for him. He however knew what he must do and, going against his natural instincts, returned to Master Kenobi and his forces, and led them to me. He then played a pivotal part in saving me from a fate worse than death". The Mirialan Jedi smiled at me and bowed "once again captain, I thank you" (she always fancied me you know). Well it was all bilge of course, although Luminara wasn't to know it. I had seen her being dragged away by a pack of those shambling demons, but hadn't turned tail and run to go and report my sighting to Kenobi, I hadn't even know he was down in those damned tunnels! Admittedly upon meeting up with him and his sidekick Skywalker I had led them to her, but not through choice.
Of course the Jedi simply lapped it up, with Ki-Adi-Mundi nodding approvingly, Shaak Ti smiling at me as if I was a favourite nephew and Aayla Secura looking positively thrilled at my supposed heroics. Even Mace Windu unbent sufficiently to glower at me with slightly less ferocity than he had been up until this point. Well I thrive on this sort of attention, especially when some of the adoration is being directed at me by such attractive females as Aayla Secura, Luminara Unduli and Shaak Ti. I put on my modest hero routine "well it was a bad business, didn't feel right leaving you Ma'am, went against the grain, glad it all worked out for the best" and so on. I suppose you're thinking it was stupid of me to further entrench in the Jedi council's minds that I was a must have for the mission, but in truth by now I had realized that I was already as good as going. I decided that I might as well take as much credit for it as I could.
"Very well" said Mace Windu at last "Captain Hawk will also assigned to this operation". He stared at me sternly "I hope captain that you prove to be as valuable to the mission as Master Kenobi and Master Unduli have assured us you will be".
I saluted smartly "I hope I prove worthy of their faith in me sir".
"So do I" the Jedi replied, unsmilingly.
I didn't have long to wait to hear what monstrous madness the Jedi Council had cooked up for us. Master Yoda looked deadly serious as he said at last "In grave danger the Jedi temple is. Uncovered a plot to destroy our sanctuary and are Order, Master Skouras has".
"But how?" asked Skywalker appalled "how do these...these...terrorists plan to destroy the temple?"
Yoda sighed "placed at secret locations within the building, explosives will be. Discover who are the perpetrators, vital it is".
I've always found the little green masters backwards talk a little difficult to understand, so consequently I was a bit behind everyone else in realising the situation. But when I finally did work out what the doddering old Jedi was driving it at I shuddered. In a nut shell this Master Skouras had discovered a plot by insurgents (Separatists I'd bet my blaster) to blow up the Temple and every Jedi in it. The loss of the Jedi Order would have meant a crushing blow to the Republics moral (ironic really, as the Order only had less than a year left to live) and there's no doubt about it, we clones would sorely miss the Jedi on the battle field. Master Skouras's plan was to send in an undercover team of three (now four), scout out Coruscant's criminal underworld, try to discover who was behind the plot and then stop them.
Ahsoka frowned and voiced exactly the flaw which I had noticed straight off the bat "err but Master Yoda, we can't go undercover. Master Skywalker's the chosen one, everyone knows his face, and Rex and Hawk are clones, they're even more recognizable" she then added as a modest afterthought "and someone might even recognize me I suppose".
Well as far I could see our famous faces just about put the tin lid on the plan, after all, we couldn't exactly keep our cover with Anakin and Ahsoka attracting hordes of ardent fans wherever they went could we? But naturally the Council or rather Master Skouras (who I was beginning to dislike intensely) had already thought of that. "That will not be a problem" said Master Windu "you will shortly be provided with disguises that will make you unrecognizable". The last loophole of escape had been closed and I was well and truly trapped.
