Chapter 7: Fen Kar'fon (CT-0099, Buzz)

Aboard the Bisectrix

Floating between the Manda Merchant Route and Kamino, outside of the Galaxy, the Bisectrix waited. With Tarkin in command, their orders were to jump to Kamino on Master Shaak-Ti's signal.

The vessel was on red alert, less than two lightyears away, a Sepratist Lucrehulk had exited hyperspace over Kamino and was now attacking the Republic's cloning facilities. In this crucial time, everyone on board was at their stations, exactly where they were supposed to be. Everyone except for Fen Kar'fon and Vasa Ro'val.

o.o.o.o.o

In Vasa Ro'val's quarters, Fen Kar'fon groaned in pain as she injected a subdermal Gank Comm Implant into the back of his neck.

This was the first non-Kaminoan implant the Spynet had dared inject into his Jango Fett Clone's body. The fact they were risking Bothan security and risking exposing Fen Kar'fon's identity only reinforced the urgency.

Ro'val's Bothese voice echoed in Fen's head, but her snout did not move. "Okey. Palkab, podo woks mo sunoya?" ["Okay. Colonel, can you hear me?"]

Fen blinked his human eyes in surprise. If he were in his own body, his fur would have certainly swirled with nervousness and suspicion. This is weird.

Directing his internal monologue, he sent a message back to Ro'val. ["Yes Director, I can hear you loud and clear. Well… Maybe not hear, definitely think you loud and clear."] This is very weird. Fen's voice was the voice of his Bothan body, as opposed to Buzz's voice. It was a voice he had not heard over a year

Ro'val's eyes narrowed. ["There is a reason we have broken protocol and—"]

["—We have broken protocol?!"] Fen's internal monologue snarled. His human Clone's body folded his arms angrily. ["YOU! NOT WE!"]

["You are not in trouble,"] Ro'val growled consolingly.

Fen rolled his eyes, a gesture he had learned from living amongst the Clones.

["Really you're not,"] Ro'val growled cautiously. ["I did not break protocol because of something you did. We have a situation—A serious situation."]

["I am all ears,"] Fen's Bothan-sounding internal monologue growled back.

["It would be better if you head back to your team as I explain,"] Ro'val replied ["These implants have a range of a few kilometres. I can communicate with you any place on the ship."]

With a stony expression, Fen stood up from her bed and went out the door, not uttering a word. ["Director, I am walking. Tell me."]

As Fen walked through the empty hallway leading to the officer's quarters. The red alert lights continued to flash. It's a red alert. Who knew?

["As you know, the Separatists are walking into an ambush. Someone in the Galactic Senate—someone in Chancellor Palpatine's inner circle, however, is planning an ambush of their own."]

["So, the Separatists are getting double-ambushed,"] Fen snorted at his own double entendre. ["How is this a situation?"]

["The second ambush is not the Separatists but the Jedi. Dozens of Jedi will be massacred. It will be their worst losses since Geonosis. The Jedi—"]

["—A traitor in the Chancellor's inner circle!"] Fen's internal monologue snarled. ["Who?"]

["Classified,"] Ro'val said curtly.

Fen frowned as he punched the turbolift button with his ARC trooper gauntlet.

["This is part of a larger plot to exterminate the Jedi and consolidate power in the Galactic Senate. We don't want too many of the Jedi to die,"] Ro'val growled cautiously. ["Do we?"]

["No Director,"] Fen answered. It would potentially eliminate decades of work—All of our inroads to the Jedi Order. All of our force projects that are about to begin.

["And we certainly don't want power to be consolidated in the Senate,"] Ro'val snorted.

["No, we don't,"] Fen said sternly. ["But, let's get to the point. It'll be nice if you finished before I got to my team. It will be difficult talking to them with my mouth, and talking to you with my… brain?"]

["I'll be quick,"] Ro'val's monologue said so quickly it was almost a stammer going off in Fen's head. ["Tarkin will order you and your team to deploy onto the central spire of Tipoca City. A massive Separatist attack will be happening on the structure. Instead, your LAAT will suffer a power failure as it crosses over the Sector 7—the Clone youth pilot training centre. There, you will find a Padawan named Kev Rel'skar—"]

["—An Askar?!"] Fen's Bothan voice yelped.

["Yes,"] Ro'val replied simply. ["The Jedi took him as a Thellus orphan fifteen years ago. You will save Kev Rel'skar."]

The turbolift opened. A few doors down, Fen's ARC troopers awaited. Can't report to them yet with her voice going off in my head. ["Save him?"]

["Kev is not only a Bothan, which makes him… A valuable Jedi for you to approach on our behalf, but his Master is Jazal, the—"]

["—The Jedi who kriffed Itoll!"] Fen gasped.

["Under your seat you will find four Ion Grenades. After your emergency landing, you will find them quite useful against the IG-100 Magna Guards. The plan hatched from within the Chancellor's inner circle is to take Kev Rel'skar hostage, then use him as bate to assassinate the Jedi Generals who attempt a rescue. You will disable the Magna Guards, prevent this from happening, save Kev Rel'skar."]

Huh. We really have this Palpatine-insider's plan compromised! Fen smiled. ["I understand perfectly."]

o.o.o.o.o

Thirty minutes later, the Bisectrix jumped out of hyperspace into orbit of Kamino, along with another Venator, the Accuser, and an Acclamator, the Valiant.

Within five seconds, an LAAT and three V-19 Torrent Interceptors blasted out of the Bisectrix'shangar. The LAAT only carried four passengers. Unsurprisingly, one of them was Buzz.

"This is Bisectrix Actual to all Republic forces," Tarkins voice spoke urgently into Fen's helmet comm. "The Jedi have awoken several Alpha-Class ARC troopers. These ARC troopers were trained by the terrorist Jango Fett and are the most independent and unpredictable Clones. At the first sign of treachery, I am authorising you to eliminate the Alpha-Class ARC troopers with extreme prejudice."

Fen sorted gleefully. The most independent and unpredictable? He began guffawing out of control.

Dawn turned to him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Actual is telling us we might have to kill our brothers, and you are… laughing?"

Under his helmet, Fen locked his jaw. "What the hell is wrong with you sir," he corrected.

Scorch and Isaac were now staring at him as well. Fen could not see their facial expressions under their helmets, but he imagined it was not good.

Shtak. I am losing control of the humans… "Ever notice how much of a blowhard Tarkin is?" Fen snorted, trying to resume his convincing laugh, then tried his best Tarkin accent, trilling his r-sounds. "I am authorising you to eliminate the Alpha-Class ARC troopers with extreme prejudice."

Dawn chuckled slightly.

Scorch began roaring with laughter.

"Yeah… Yes sir, he is exactly like that," Isaac scoffed. "How did you get so good with accents?"

As the LAAT entered Kamino's atmosphere, Fen began reminiscing. The first time I was in a human body… It was on Thoran. I had two months of accent reduction training and speech therapy. Prior to that, while still in my Bothan body, I had years of practice eliminating my Bothan accent and practice at mimicking dozens of the most prominent accents around the Galaxy—Especially human ones. "Ahh… Just a natural talent."

"Well, I don't have that talent, sir," Isaac muttered.

Rain began spattering on the exterior of the LAAT in a loud metallic pitter-patter. The LAAT was now zipping through the clouds.

"I'm sure you'll learn one day Isaac," Fen said in a tone of fake optimism. "If I can do it, well, it's certainly in your genes."

"Sir!" the Clone pilot yelled in a panic. "We are getting a power malfunction."

You don't say… "Is it serious?" Fen asked.

"Yes sir! If we don't set down in the next minute… I think I can get you to one of the outer rings of Tipoca City…"

The co-pilot chimed in, pointing at a map on his console. "The pilot training area. It has plenty of landing space!"