Chapter Thirty-Three: Phantom III: Soldiers

Ben loaded his pack into the Phantom III. Kaila's arms were crossed over her chest. Her brow was furrowed deeply. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"My mother asked me to do something. Something to fix a mistake I made. Something that could help the Rebellion." Ben cocked his head in question. "How could that be a bad thing?"

Kaila sighed. "It's not the mission I have a problem with. It's you and Finn going on it alone. You've hardly had a break after the mission to Coruscant. You killed one of your knights on that mission. And now you're going off without me?"

"I'm going undercover," Ben stressed. He reached into his pack and revealed his black robes. "I've got to be Kylo Ren, going to check on my clone army. Finn is going to be my personal bodyguard, FN-2187. It'll be easier with just the two of us."

"I don't like it," Kaila insisted. "Ben, we're in the middle of training..."

"The trip is only going to be two days," Ben replied. He shoved his robes back into his pack. He didn't want to look at it. He hated the idea of putting it on again, but he had to. His mother needed him. "I'm not going to fall to the Dark Side again just because I go on a mission with Finn."

"This ship can take more than two people." Kaila pulled back, clapping Ben's shoulder. "So it's going to."

"I need to be able to do things without you," Ben pointed out. He knew he still needed a master, but he didn't need a babysitter. Not every single day. "You need to trust me."

"Not me." Kaila smiled brightly. "Someone who understands cloning and will be able to give you insight into the Kaminoans."

Ben groaned. "Rex? You want Finn and I to bring a grumpy old man with us?"

"You're a grumpy young man." Kaila threw her arms around Ben's neck, surprising him. She hugged him tightly. "You know if you do turn to the Dark Side I will literally kill you, Nerra."

"I'm think there would be a line, Numa." Ben patted her awkwardly on the back, thinking about what Rey would do if he were to revert to Kylo Ren.

"About time I was allowed back on a mission," Rex grumbled as he stepped onto the ship. "Been a minute since I've been on this ship."

"Now, you were supposed to look after me, but I was supposed to look after you ." Kaila pointed at Rex. "You better be careful."

"Of course, Munchkin. I'll show these kids how to run a mission." Rex winked at her.

Finn came in, followed closely by Ben's mother. He gave Finn a brief nod before he walked to his mother. He lowered his head slightly.

"Do you understand what your mission is?" Leia asked.

"Yes." Ben nodded.

"Be careful." Leia took his hand and squeezed it. "And may the Force with you."

That was all she said before turning and leaving the ship along with Kaila. Rex got into the pilot's seat and began the take-off sequence. "Back to Kamino again... Feels like I never left."

Finn glowered at Ben. "A clone army? Really?"

Ben sighed. "You would prefer continuing to indoctrinate children taken from their parents? We could debate the ethics of cloning all the way to Kamino. But you know I have done far worse things. Perhaps we should just agree that I am a monster and leave it at that."

He sat himself down in the co-pilot's seat and just looked out of the viewport as the ship began to rise.

They were silent until they got out into space. They got into the blackness of space and Rex flicked switched, setting the hyperspace route. Once they made the jump, the clone's wrinkled face turned to Ben. "So are they going to look like me?"

"What?" Ben jumped, surprised by the sudden voice.

Rex gestured to his face. "Are they going to look like me? Do they use the same genetic template?"

Ben shook his head. "No. Jango Fett's DNA has been far too over manipulated, first by replicating it millions of times and then using it in rejuvenation of the surviving clones like yourself. I went for other specimens."

"Specimens?" Finn repeated. "As in plural?"

"There was a flaw in using one template. I thought I diversified selection of templates would be better for an army. Contributing different strengths. Not to mention other... Advantages."

"Just who did you use?" Rex demanded.

"I chose three specimens to start. If the tests were successful, I might have diversified further. I decided to be a bit experimental with my cloning. The first specimen was the most traditional. Peak physical condition, astonishing tactical know-how... The perfect stormtrooper..."

"NO!" Finn snapped. "You didn't."

Ben nodded.

Finn jumped to his feet. "Phasma? You cloned Phasma?"

"She made sense!" Ben cried. "I would have made an army of nothing but her if I didn't have other needs. Phasma's template make a bulk of my army. But there were two others..."

"Who?" Finn demanded.

Ben scowled. Neither Finn nor Rex was going to like the revelation. "I wanted to see if Force Potential could be passed through cloning..."

Rex cringed. "You didn't clone yourself, did you?"

"No." Ben could hardly stand to look at himself, let alone a hundred clones of himself. "Unless you're aware enough to avoid it, the Kaminoans will often extract DNA from their visitors without their knowledge. They did so during the Clone Wars to a Jedi who visited them. They've never had the opportunity to... Experiment with it... But they seemed very interested."

"Which Jedi?" Rex asked, his voice darker. The hair on the back of Ben's neck stood up. As a clone trooper, Rex had tremendous respect for the Jedi.

Ben swallowed hard. "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"You cloned General Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Rex seethed.

"I only had two dozen clones of General Kenobi made." Ben knew it wasn't justification. "If they did have Force powers..."

"You didn't want too many of them," Finn finished. "Outnumber you too much. Who was the last one?"

"You are going to really dislike this..." Ben stroked his beard.

"I don't think I've liked a single thing that has come out of your mouth ever . Who was it?"

Ben took a deep breath. "I thought cloning wasn't being utilized properly. That the obvious application of infiltration has always been ignored. So I took the DNA from one of our prisoners. He would have made a very good soldier anyway. Again, peak physical condition... Piloting skills... I had planned to kill the prisoner and once one of the clones was ready sending it to the Rebellion. However, the prisoner escaped... With you."

"YOU CLONED POE? "

"Stop with the outrage!" Ben snapped. "Both of you! I was a Commander in the First Order!" He pointed at Rex. "If you were in my position, what I did would have made perfect tactical sense!"

"I would've never been in your position," Rex grumbled. "You betrayed the Republic and your family. But for a traitor... Not a bad plan. I'm assuming you didn't tell your mother your clone templates?"

"Not yet. I thought it would be a surprise." Ben looked back at Finn. "If it makes you feel any better, you can only create a certain number of clones with one sample."

"Ten thousand per sample," Rex chimed in. "At least back in my day. They might've improved their tech now."

"Seeing as both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Phasma are dead, there are a finite number of their clones. I also doubt Dameron will provide more. If the Rebellion decides to use more clones, I'm sure command will pick templates you'll like better."

"Poe's going to want to kill you," Finn replied.

Ben scowled. "Like I haven't gotten used to that."

Rex had seen a lot of things in his sixty-plus years in the galaxy. He'd seen empires rise and fall. He'd seen more combat than anyone else he'd ever known. But the kid sitting next to him... That he found interesting.

Ben had gone into the back of the ship. Pouting most likely. He'd always thought Ben was a bit of a sulking brat. He'd hoped he would've grown out of that.

But now that he was sitting alone with Finn, he wanted to get to know the kid. He'd heard the stories, of course.

"FN-2187," Rex said, glancing over at the kid. "You really didn't get a name until Commander Dameron gave you one?"

"How did you get Rex?"

"General Skywalker," Rex replied. "I served under him during the Clone Wars. Good man..." He sighed, looking out into hyperspace. "At least he was when I knew him."

"You were really one of the first stormtroopers?" Finn asked, slightly in awe.

"Clone trooper," Rex stressed. "Very different. Stormtroopers were dumb kids who couldn't hit the broadside of a star destroyer..." He paused. "I didn't mean that."

"No, you did." Finn leaned back in his chair. "But you... Never knew anything but being a clone trooper. That's what you were taught to do."

"Born to do," Rex corrected him. "I served the New Republic. I fought to protect the galaxy from the Separatists."

Finn leaned in. "But what I mean is... You didn't have a choice."

"There's always a choice," Rex replied. He eyed Finn. "You made a choice. You had almost as much condition as I did. Maybe more. You still went against what you were ordered to do."

Finn stayed quiet for a long time.

Rex clapped him on the shoulder. "That takes a lot. Being able to refuse orders for what's right. You're a good soldier, kid." He pulled back. "And the General told me about the Star Destroyer. With the other stormtroopers on it. You've got to give them time. You can't just bust in there and expect them to join the Rebellion. They need to come to it in their own time. They know we're out there. Let them find out what they want to do."