Disclaimer: I do not own any of Star Wars, the right of ownership of Star Wars belong to Lucasfilm and I guess Disney too. The only thing I own is the characters you do not notice and the plot.
Year: 7 BBY
Chapter 36: Kamino Once Again
In the Wild Space, Kamino System, a Consular-class Cruiser drops out of Hyperspace near the orbit of the watery planet of Kamino, which is the homeworld of the Clone Troopers and the race known as Kaminoans who created the Clones, to get permission to land on the planet. Once given permission, a part of the Particle Shield that surrounds the planet drops and the ship enter to land on a landing pad where the passengers of the ship will be greeted by Taun We.
Taun We is a Kaminoan that was the Administrative Aid to the former and now dead Lama Su, which was killed during the end of the Clone Wars. Mark remembers that trip well. He thought Lama Su was just another pawn in Darth Sidious plan for taking over, but no, that Kaminoan Prime Minister willing agree to help the Sith.
Now with Lama Su dead, Taun We has taken over as Prime Minister of Kamino. Mark throws the hood of his robe over his head and walks out down the ramp where he greets Taun We with a bow.
"An honor to see you again, Master Jedi. It has been awhile." say Taun We. "Honor is all mine. Hopefully this meeting will not be as explosive as the last meeting I have on the planet." say Mark.
No ought Mark have been to Kamino countless time since the Clone Wars, he never actually been on the planet let alone the capital city of Tipoca City. During when they were building the space stations, either Taun We traveled to his ship or have meeting via hologram. So, this will actually be his third time ever being on the planet in his life.
"Promise it will not be, so who is the other visitors?" ask Taun We looking at Logan Jade and Mara Jade. "The little girl is my Padawan Mara Jade and the tall, ugly looking faced fellow is her father Logan Jade." say Mark with a smile. "I'll get you for that Zane." says Logan with a smile. Taun We notices a Lightsaber on Logan Jade.
"Why don't we get somewhere dryer." say Taun We as they begin walking toward a building and enters it. As they walks down the halls of the building, Mark notices a bunch of Clones stop and looks at him. They stop and look out of respect for a military General that is consider one of the best. Mark knows the 3rd Legion and him are well known within the Clone ranks of Kamino.
They walk into to a white room that has a long table. There were two people already there. Mark remembers during the Clone Wars the Galactic Republic have hired two bounty hunters to trained them. After the Clone Wars, there were still some Clone Troopers being made, but to replace the Bounty Hunters, the Galactic Republic allowed two highly trained but retired Bakuran Generals to take their place. Since then the troops that come through have been far greater.
The female Bakuran General eyes widen when she saw Mark. "Is that General Zane?" ask the female Bakuran General as her eyes went to her male counterpart. Among the Bakuran people, Mark is well known for his ways with his troops. They known all about his victories and even his lose. People in the Bakuran Military see him as something they want to strive to become within the military. A General that can lead his troops in some of the most dangerous mission and win without losing too many troops, that is something that comes to be very respected within the ranks of the Bakuran Military.
Mark lowers his hood as he took off his robe and drapes it over the seat. While the two former Bakuran Generals were dress in military style clothing, Mark was dressed in a white tank top with gray pants on, hardly looking like a respected General of a powerful military, through everyone knows that a Jedi General is a Jedi first and a General second.
Taun We sits down in a chair at the head of the table. Logan and Mara Jade sit down beside Mark. "Okay, we all are here for the simple reason. When we, Kaminoans, first made the Clones, we made them loyal to the person who runs the Galactic Republic. Jedi Master and General Zane here have showed us this was wrong so we took them back in and made them loyal to the Galactic Republic itself, not to the person who is loyal to it. Now we are faced with a problem, either one of are Clones have willing betrayed the Galactic Republic to the Empire or it was forced through the Force, which I am no expert on." say Taun We looking at Mark.
"The Force can be used to influence someone's mind or read it, but it can be block. One does not need to be sensitive to the Force to block it. A strong and organize mind will do great. At first that what I believed, but I do not think so. The majority of the troops under my command have great mental defense. Major Kia, my third in command, he always want me to test his mental shields with the Force." say Mark.
"So for someone to have good mental shields they must have a strong mind." say Taun We. "Yes, someone must be strong minded to have these shields. I am for sure the majority of the Clones within the Grand Army of the Republic has that. If this is the cause, I am willing to venture that something went wrong with the Cloning Process that lead to this. If not I think we might have a Clone that willing betrayed us." say Mark.
The Bakuran male looks at Mark. "We do have the Clone in question here in custody. The Senate wants the problem found. We have Clones leaves the military but never betray the Galactic Republic." say Mark.
"Master didn't you scan his mind when you arrested him?" ask Mara looking at Mark. Mark shakes his head. "No, I sense there was a traitor among the troops and I went and found him. After that I was to busy putting the rest of my plan together. One way to solve this is take me to him." say Mark.
"Well first let have something to eat before we do that. It is about breakfast time on this planet." say the female general. "We have a serious matter on our hand." say Taun We. "If it was so serious than why had it waited for a few months. Any Jedi could have come." say the male general as he looks at the Prime Minister of Kamino.
"Breakfast sounds good, I am hungry." say Mara holding her stomach. "I think we really should find out the problem." say Mark. "Come on Master we have days to do that. I haven't eaten anything since we left the Jedi Temple and that was couple days ago!" say Mara.
Mark sighs as he pinches his nose and agrees with it. While he went couple of days without eating, Mara has not. Some people can do, others just cannot. Rachelle was like that she could make it a two days and that is it.
While Mark was eating he is trying to think of different possibilities that could made that Clone betray one of it most basic, he hates to think of it like this, programming. He has seen Sith try to make Clones betray the Grand Army of the Republic before with the Force and that attempt did not work so well. Either it could be a malfunction of the flash-learning or that part was not made into that Clone. If it is not a malfunction and neither was because of the Force then they might have someone working on the inside.
"Tell me, Minister We, have you done any mental scans on that Clone?" ask Mark. Taun We looks at Mark. "Yes, but they all came back negative. What some of our Cloners think might have been a temporary thing, because there was no signs of anything wrong mentally." say Taun We. "Could it be Clone Madness?" ask Mara looking at Mark as the food being served.
"Clone Madness is something like insanity, Mara. I highly doubt that is the cause, because for someone to pull off a plan like that, they must have sanity. Through I am not an expert on Clones." say Mark.
Taun We looks at Mark and then to his Padawan. She knows that she is expected to come up with an answer. She agrees with Mark, the Clone was obviously not crazy to come up with a plan like that and made it work. She have seen Clones suffer from Clone Madness, yes they go against what they were program with, but they are insane.
"Padawan Jade, through that is a good guess, but I highly doubt it. Like your mentor have stated, Clone Madness is insanity. When someone or something is insane, they do not act like their normal self. It would be easy to tell if someone was mentally insane, because they will be doing crazy things and that would have showed up on our scans as a deformity of the brain." say Taun We.
"So we either have a Clone who malfunction, was influenced by the Force to betray us, or worse someone how the Clone disobey the most core beliefs that was install in it." say Mark. Mark has gotten used to consider Clones are natural beings and treat them as such. To talk as if they were machines and droids that have malfunctions or be program seems strange to them, because they are humans just as much as he is. Through basically, that is how the beliefs of Clones were made, by programming them. They are not born naturally but made.
"Great, so tell me this now we do not have to worry about droids malfunctioning, now highly intelligence human that were made that act like humans having this problem. Droids cannot disobey their programming, but if I understand right, Clones are intelligence and can think on their feet just like any being out there?" say Logan as he rubs his head when he heard the news. Mark can see where Logan is coming from, despite what he believes, that could be considered a big problem. A droid can only work from what it was reprogram to do, a Clone, just like any natural being out there, they can adapt, that what made them better than the Droids they were fighting against during the Clone Wars.
Mark also knows that the Kaminoans also see the Clones as products for profit. That is where Mark is often at odds with them. Just because they are not born naturally does not means that they are not natural beings. They have all the natural function as any living being, Mark have seen some Clones who left the military and they manage to have family. Mark also knows that Kaminoans only want this solve so it does not hurt their image and production. Mark's want to find out what caused it to protect the Clones from suffering it.
"Master Jade, you have nothing to worry about. I promise that if the problem was on our part, we will try to fix it right away. We make superb Clones, that is why the Galactic Republic has let us keep making Clones for their military." say Taun We as he looks at Logan.
"Do you do it for anyone else?" ask Mark as his mind went directly to Darth Vader and knowing he is a Clone. "Master Jedi you are full aware that there was a degree that prohibits anyone for making military clones and those for personal reason are tightly regulated. Military cloning such as the Clones in the Grand Army of the Republic can only be made in factories that are approved by the Republic. " say Taun We. "How do you explain Darth Vader?" ask Mark as he looks at Taun We.
"What does Vader have anything to do with us?" ask Taun We confuse. "Darth Vader is a Clone of me and Darth Sidious, who is Palpatine. Now I know there are other Cloners out in the galaxy, but your people are one of the best." say Mark. "All the templates we used are stored here and log in the computer. If a Clone is made at one of our factories on this planet, it is log into a databanks. There have never have been a template of you or Palpatine used. Plus, this is the first I heard about Darth Vader being a Clone. We have always have trouble Cloning a Force Sensitive." say Taun We.
Mark sense Taun We is telling the truth. He remembers the last time he was on the planet, him and Rachelle had senses something dark was being made and he was for sure that was Darth Vader.
"Well it is not impossible, Taun We. I know Darth Vader is a Clone and he seem not to be suffering from any problems. Also, I have killed Sidious two times already and he is still here. Through I think Cloning is involve somehow, but I do not think that is all." say Mark.
"No one ever had seen the face of Darth Vader; he hides behind a mask, that is anyone that is alive. The only people who could say they saw it most likely are in a position which they cannot, which is being dead." say Logan looks at him. Memories of Mustafar flashes through Mark's mind when he dueled Darth Vader. "I have, I was the one who put him in that suit everyone knows him in. I cut off his legs and send him skidding over lava, which burned him. I thought that would kill him, I was wrong. Besides the Sith yellow eyes and some minor details, Darth Vader looked exactly like me. The last time I was here I sensed something very dark, which seems to match Darth Vader presence being made here." say Mark looking at Logan.
Taun We looks at the two Jedi with a confuse look. "I could pull up all our records of templates and Clones we have made since we begin Cloning. The template Mark Alan Zane or Palpatine or Darth Sidious never showed up on our records. Nor does the name Darth Vader show up." say Taun We wants to put this conversation behind them.
"Could it be possible that there were a secret factory that is not hook up to the databanks?" ask Mara calmly. "It would have been hooked up to our main databanks. As Minister of Kamino, that makes me the leader of our Cloning factories. I have full access to everything." say Taun We.
"I sense you are telling the truth, but I am also telling the truth, I sense Vader being created here. I know that the Lama Su was working with Darth Sidious, so it might be a possibility that there were a secret base made, and knowing how secretive Sidious is, he most likely had it on a different databank or either that Lama Su erase the information." say Mark. Taun We put her hands together. That was a possibility she have not think of. There were things she did not know were going on and she was Lama Su advisor.
"That might be possible, why do I have this feeling you might want to go find that location?" say Taun We as she looks at Mark. "Knowing is half the battle." say Mark simply as he looks at the Minister of Kamino. Taun We is not going to try to understand what the warrior sense of that is. She does not train the Clones to be worries, that is the job of the two Bakuran Generals and the already trained Clones to do so. She is not a warrior but a scientist and a Cloner.
Logan who was sitting on the other side of Mark was looking shocked at the news he have just heard. He has just heard that Darth Vader is a Clone, but not just any Clone a Clone of Mark. He knew Darth Vader was powerful, but to think that the power came from someone so good, such as Mark, was hard to take in. Basically they are going against a mighty evil version of Mark or at least that what it seem to him. Through he did sense that Darth Vader powers are not as strong, maybe something was lost during the Cloning Process. He is still powerful but not as powerful as Anakin and Mark.
"Master you must remember, duty comes first. Our mission is to find out about the traitor." say Mara reminding Mark. "I also have a duty of bring down Vader too, any information is good to have, but you are right, young one." say Mark with a smile. He was sent to Kamino to investigate why a Clone who was made to be loyal to the Galactic Republic betray them, not for answers about Darth Vader origins. His personal mission must not get in the way. Mark claps Mara on the shoulder lightly.
He is hoping that it was just Darth Vader using the Force to manipulate the Clone either that a malfunction. If it is neither of those things, then there is a traitor and they will have to find them on the planet.
"General Zane, you were saying something about you might think someone might be making them not loyal to the Galactic Republic?" ask the male general looking at Mark. Mark gives a short nod to him. "If that is the case, could it be possible that this person create a small army for themselves?" ask the female general as she looks from Mark to Taun We. "Let's hope that is not the problem we are facing here today." say Taun We as she looks at the people gather around the table.
Through Mark respects many Clones, but there are a few that he trusts with his life that are not part of the 3rd Legion. Out of all the Clones he trusts, Major Kia is most likely the one Clone that he trust the most. If there is traitor Cloner than most likely, they have created a small army for themselves. Then that means he will need to take command to bring down the traitor and their army. Through he knows that most of the Clones that defend Kamino are most likely highly trained, but he does not know them that well.
Through he suspects that some members of the 3rd Legion could easily take down some of the highly trained Clones that were station to be at Kamino. He knows Major Kia could beat some of the ARC Troopers in some of the special training that ARC Troopers get.
"Well, we could get started as soon as we are done eating." says Mara; she really does not want to start any mission on an empty stomach, because she tends to lose focus when she is hungry. Mark laughs when he hears Mara states that. He knows how she gets when she goes a couple days without eating, she becomes unbearable sometimes. Therefore, Mark had no choice to agree.
Logan on the other hand was just shaking his head at his daughter's statement. He could go a majority of a week without food if he have to and he knows Mark is the exactly the same way. He is guessing Mara did not take that after him, through he remembers when he was her age he could not do the same thing, it is something one must get used to doing.
"I tend to agree with you, Mara. It is easier to think when you have a full stomach. Sometimes having an empty stomach could be such a distraction and at a time like this, we do not need such a distraction." say Mark. Agreeing to Mara's statement brings a big smile to the young Padawan's face.
Okay as you know, I am working and when I get home, I tend to be tired. This week was a bit slow for this chapter. I type a little everyday and some days I did not type any. Unlike the last week, which I type much less, I like this week, through I wish I got more than this chapter type. Like I stated, I think the weekends are the key to this problem.
In this chapter, we have Mark, Mara and Logan arriving to Kamino, which if I remember correctly it is the first time since the first story of the series that a chapter or a set of chapters take place on Kamino. As it stated at the beginning of the Chapter, Mark have been to the planet, but he never really have been on it. During the time when he was building stations, which was stated in one of the other stories which I think it is the 3rd story titled Return to the Order.
Also everyone who reads my author notes know that I do bunch of research for this story. I have found an law passed by the Galactic Senate that forbids anyone for making a Clone military or non military way without permission. That law is called Decree E49D139.41 and it states (word for word):
"All nonmilitary cloning of sentients is prohibited, and military cloning is to be confined to Republic-licensed facilities, such as those of the government of Kamino and any others designated by the Republic now or at any time during the duration of the hostilities. This prohibition encompasses the supply of cloning equipment; the hiring or contracting of cloning technologists and genetic engineers for the purpose of carrying out cloning techniques; and the procurement of sentient cloned organisms. Exemptions: Khomm, Lur, Columus, and Arkania may continue therapeutic medical cloning with appropriate license on a case-by-case basis"
Before I have found this law, I thought maybe the Kaminoans was making Clones for other race, so when I found this I had to change the chapter around a bit. This law was passed during the Clone Wars so I decide to keep it.
As we know, Mark has this thing with Darth Vader, he always try to bring him down. So you have to image that the idea of finding out more information will have an effect on the Jedi Master. So I thought I put that in there so I could have something that Mara could remind Mark of. Through their might be something appear in chapters later.
Oh I know I keep on putting the saying Knowing if half the battle. That saying is not something I made up, it was something that I got from the movie GI Joe: Rise of Cobra, but I like that saying and it make sense to me greatly. Knowledge is half of the battle, because without it, you could hardly make plans. So there you have it.
Until next time, enjoy.