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-Y.A.R.N.
Xavier shifted awkwardly as Cal silently plugged in the coordinates for Dantooine, mouth drawn into a tight frown. He looked exhausted, maybe even more so than when he had started on this trip and looked particular unhappy. Clearly, what he had discussed with Shaak Ti hadn't gone well and he probably didn't even get any advice on what he should do.
Xavier was at least given some experience on how to handle his lightsaber while sparring with Maris, who seemed unexpectedly happy to cross blades with him. The girl may have been a padawan, but she was vicious and acrobatic like nothing he had seen since his days in the war. He let her have the initiative and she spent the rest of the fight making him regret it. Xavier was under no delusions when it came to his own skills, his edge dulled over his life as a farmer and he had only recently began to really scrape off the rust on his once-razor-sharp skills. He had barely fended off her flurry of strikes only for a force tug on his leg to cause him to fall flat on his back. She stabbed downward and only a scream of warning from the force and a swift roll to the side saved him from having a two holes in his gut.
The Force whispered her bloodlust was too strong and he was inclined to agree judging by how this was supposed to be a spar, not a death match. He nearly called it off when BD-1 beeped in outrage and Maris' eyes drifted to the droid and Xavier saw her hands grip her sabertonfas tighter. He wasn't about to let Cal come and find she crushed BD-1 and rip the girl apart with the force in his anger.
Plus, he was attached to he expressive little droid and wasn't about to let Maris even try to harm him in any way.
He threw off every scrap of restraint in his next 'spar' and didn't let himself wait for her to set the pace of the battle. He dashed forwards and twirled his saber in his hand as he sliced down, causing Maris to weave to the side as his saber sizzled into the dirt. He used a trick he had seen Cere and Cal use once or twice and swiped the blade to the side while adding a touch of the force push, throwing molten dirt at Maris who hissed as some of it hit her arms which she had thrown up in defense. And while he was definitely on the back foot during the spar after that, he was able to keep her from nearly disemboweling him much better and managed to even force her back to avoid his counterstrikes. He wasn't suddenly untouchable, he got scorched several times by Maris flipping her tonfas for the orange blade to lash at him and several kicks hammered his ribs, but he didn't give her any time to call on The Force to trip him up.
Still, by the time Cal went to get him, he was happy he didn't have to deal with Maris Brood, the girl was clearly unable to keep herself in check. He didn't know what happened to her that caused her to get so mentally unstable, but given Order 66 and her ending up with Shaak Ti as a master, he could make a few decent guesses. Shaak Ti probably didn't give the emotional support that this girl needed and her thirst for vengeance had twisted her up inside and out into a near sadist.
"So I am guessing you didn't hear what you wanted?" Xavier venture cautiously, absently trying to scratch some mud off his sleeve.
"No. I didn't." Cal replied, exhausted by his disappointment, "Shaak Ti won't admit that things need to change, she's content to keep waiting for the right time, convinced that The Empire will come tumbling down on it's own and then she can reveal herself. I'd like to say that she is more deluded than Malicos was about what she needed to do, her only saving grace is that she's a Jedi and hasn't fallen to the dark side."
Xavier sighed and looked to BD-1 as the droid beeped at him before he launched a healing stim at him.
He caught it and smiled, injecting it into his shoulder before reclining in the co-pilot's chair, "Thank you BD."
The droid trilled happily and scampered over to Cal, who gave BD-1 a tired smile, "Too bad we couldn't get her to change her mind?"
BD-1 beeped.
"Yeah," Cal replied as he threw an arm over his eyes, "I tried my best and that's all I could do."
Darth Vader was quiet he listened to X-1's report on what Kamino had done from the comfort of his meditation chamber and enjoyed the freedom from his helmet.
His anger burned hot at the thought of the traitorous cloners and their intentions to create an army to fight the Empire. Creating a battalion of clones that would rise up against the Empire was treason, and treason's only punishment was death. Still, it was a relief to know that it was only a select group of Kaminoans that were creating the batches, they didn't have to destroy the entirety of the city. Of course, Vader knew that this mission would need more than simple brute force, while The 501st Legion or Vader's Fist was very capable and the very best of soldiers, the cloners would no doubt have countermeasures for attacking clones that needed to be bypassed. Vader let out an inaudible sigh as his helmet was once again lowered onto his head and exited his meditation chamber.
He began to walk away form X-1 who quickly followed, "What shall our course of action be Lord Vader? Shall I gather my battalion for the assault on Kamino?"
"No." Vader replied, "This is a matter that demands the attention and ability of The 501st, however I will sending someone else to lead the assault as they will have knowledge that will be invaluable to the success of this mission, I believe that you may have more success in another matter that has been ignored for sometime."
X-1 frowned that he wouldn't be the one to command the legendary squadron as it was a high honor to only the most trusted of commanders and admirals, but he knew better than to protest. Even though he was cloned from a jedi as he was, X-1 knew that even after years of service and training he was no chance to the armor-clad right hand of the Emperor. Vader was a storm of rage and fury in the force that he had no hope to match.
Or at least, not yet.
"What matter requires my attention?" X-1 queried instead.
"There is are some Jedi I have taken a personal interest in." Vader rumbled, "They have been evading the Empire for some time and can be... of service to the Empire if captured. And I want them alive. I believe that you are aware fo the events that happened on Nur?"
X-1 hesitated for a brief moment before replying,"Yes, Lord Vader."
The story of how two Jedi alone stormed Nur to recover a holocron and cut a swath through the multiple purge troopers, stormtroopers, and even the second sister inquisitor was heavily suppressed, but some members of the Empire were allowed to know. X-1 had wished he had been there as he believed he would have been more than enough to stop two rogue jedi from escaping. However, he had no idea and apparently whatever it was caused Darth Vader to aggressively hunt down the Jedi responsible for a short time before turning his attention to other matters the Emperor required of him.
"One of them is named Cal Kestis. He has a unique talent even among those who wield the Force. He is the true prize, do whatever you need to to catch him and bring him to Nur for reconditioning."
"Of course, Lord Vader." X-1 snapped a salute, "Where shall I begin my search?"
"That is for you to decide. Impossible as it seems, they seemed to have located a place that shields The Emperor from locating them through the force." Vader growled intimidatingly, "Do not fail me in this matter Commander. I want them alive, should I find he died from your lack of restraint, you won't have the opportunity to disappoint me again."
"Yes, Lord Vader!" X-1 said quickly before he walked off.
Vader watched X-1 leave, knowing that the soldier harbored ambitions that were above his ability to achieve at the moment, however it was better that he stay. He had his uses and was effective as a commander and carried out his missions rather professionally. Vader activated his communicator and was immediately put through to communications.
"I will require a missive to be sent." Vader commanded, "Contact the bounty hunter Boba Fett and inform him we have a job that requires his knowledge of Kamino."
Cal was in the hull of the ship, blindfolded as he BD-1 shot after shot at him, hopping form place to place as quickly as the little droid could. It was a pretty open area that Jek probably used to practice his skills and not damage any of the equipment and Cal's lightsaber swung through the air, deflecting blaster bolts to several scrap targets throughout the hull. He was working on his mastery of force sight as well as his reaction speed. He was glad he allowed BD-1 control over the intensity as the droid had already calibrated his blaster fire to sting rather than kill. Either way Cal has walked through hornet storms of laser-fire and emerged unscathed, so no matter how hard BD-1 tries, he can't score a single hit on Cal.
"Hey Cal?" Xavier calls.
"Yeah?" Cal replies, waving his hand at BD-1 in a command to stop.
"You mind taking the controls? I was thinking of getting some sleep. Maybe meditate a little."
Cal clips his lightsaber to his belt and BD-1 takes the opportunity to scamper up Cal's legs and seat itself comfortably on his shoulders as he walks out, "Of course. It's pretty much smooth sailing till Dantooine. I don't mind watching things till we get home."
Xavier nods and heads over to the bunk that Jek had installed for when he was traveling the cosmos on autopilot. When he sits on the bed he sits crossed-legged as he had seen Cal, Cere, and Merrin do and tapped into his fledging connection to the force. He tried to clear his mind as he simply tried to focus on the force flowing through him, suffusing his body with strength and energy. He could feel his body beginning to shake of the dust that the life of a farmer had slowed his reflexes with, and he took a deep breath and sank into the force. He would have to train like a demon to regain what he had lost, but that was something his time as a soldier had made him abundantly ready for.
On Kamino, the rebel cloners were scrambling about to secure the DNA samples and still maturing anti-clones that hadn't been decanted and ready for battle. It was only sheer luck that someone at the time of the raid had been spared and sent the message that Kamino was no longer free from suspicion and they had to move. It was then that the rebel Kaminoans had moved into frigates as they could into orbit in order to move. The Kaminoans moved swiftly to load as much of their cloning tech and clones into the ships, launching one frigate with as many resources and tech as possible before they thought of an issue.
And it was worth discussing.
Whether they should leave Kamino entirely or give the illusion that there was still a resemblance of a uprising? They had hidden their plans and kept the city separated as much as possible, they needed to keep the circle of Kaminoans in the uprising as small as possible. They were in the minority to be sure, the rest of Kamino was too scared to fight back, they were unhappy to be sure, but they knew any uprising would see them wiped off the map as a planet. Hiding that they were growing clones under the watchful eyes of The Empire wasn't easy, and then gathering the frigates — which they were lucky to even get one, let alone the miracle of sending it off — were making it even harder. They couldn't keep the situation contained much longer and even as they desperately tried to evacuate. All of these were bad enough without even mentioning the technology they would have to leave behind. They needed more time, and that was the one thing they just didn't have.
Master Shaak Ti stood at the edge of a grave she had made with the force for the remains of Aayla Secura, staring into the sky where the jedi heretic and his apparent padawan/companion had left. She absently traced her hand in the motions she had used to carve stone as she inscribed the name into with her lightsaber as a reminder of who had lay in the ground. She mulled over the argument that she had had with Cal Kestis, wondering for the first time in years whether what she was doing was the correct action. His words had shaken her faith in the plan that she had laid out for herself in the years since the purge. She had escaped death and vowed to keep the teachings of the jedi alive, but what had she done to do that?
Train Maris Brood for the inevitable battle she would have to face?
She knew the dark side had hooked itself deeply into Maris' psyche, the girl burned with anger and hate. A desire for revenge and violence against the Empire dominated any other reason she had to train and become stronger. Shaak Ti had hoped that her tutelage had been enough to keep the girl in the light, but everyday she made little to no progress in helping Maris let go because the girl refused to let her anger and hate evaporate. She had often wished for a new apprentice and only now did she see that her wishes had been within reach and she rejected it because of her stubbornness.
"I can't give up on Maris, Master Secura." Shaak Ti sighed, "But what if Kestis is right? What if this is because I know that showing myself to the galaxy is a bad idea, but maybe it is the only way to bring about change. What would you do? What counsel could you give me?"
The grave gave no answers and Shaak Ti expression morphed into one of resignation and calm.
"I hope you found peace in the force." She whispered as she knelt down and pressed her hand briefly against the cool stone.
She straightened and turned towards the great pit, calling for Maris through the force, she felt a spar would do her good in ridding the feelings of indecision that now welled up inside her.
The insurgent group salvaged the components from the labs that had been left behind when the cloners made a desperate run for the lowest levels and escape pods. It hadn't been a long fight but taken more precision than usual, but they had managed to pull it off. The station had been completely taken over by the insurgents and the Empire was none the wiser that the cloning frigate was being taken by insurgents. They gathered all the data that they could, making sure that their codes and transmissions were as authentic as possible. They were getting in position while their general took care of the last of the opposition. It was a good thing they manage to catch the transmission before the last of their forces in the station had been cut down.
They beamed the message to Kamino and waited for the Kaminoans to make a panicked escape and hopefully slip up; which they did.
The one frigate that had been launched was quickly intecepted and boarded, just as planned; they had a few anti-troopers as a defense force and security, but it didn't matter. They had quickly blasted the escape pod that had been in the schematics sent to them by Kamino so no one could leave the ship. Then they flew in and began tagged the frigate with several claws that had been repurposed from salvage ships. Once they latched on, their general ripped holes in the hull that didn't allow air to be lost to space and the militia dropped in and began shooting. Their general was the first one in and had no issue in fighting the clones as they tried to kill the invading forces. In a matter of minutes, the bridge was their and all that was left was mopping up the rest of the original crew, which their general saw to personally.
"Shoot him down!" One anti-trooper shouted before a wave of the force sent him flying into the wall and killing him.
A figure wielding a green saber stalked through the lower levels of the ship where the last of the original crew had been driven to. Deflecting blaster bolts, the figure sliced cleanly though several of the anti-troopers, occasionally sending debris flying at them to pierce their bodies. As the last anti-trooper tried to make a break for it, he was grabbed by the ankle and dragged back before being impaled through the chest. The cloners tried to shoot him themselves, but the figure ripped a panel of the wall to block some blaster fire before sending it towards them and crushing them.
The Jedi general felt no joy in the actions he was taking, the people he had just killed were just as angry and resentful of the Empire as most, maybe even more so. Even so, everyone had heard of Kamino's xenophobia, their genocide of clones that were even a bit off from their desired result. It was news that was 'leaked; so that the Empire became the only patrons to the cloners and no one else even wanted to deal with them. It was just another sign of the corruption and oppression since the fall of the Republic, another consequence since the eradication of the Jedi. Either way, the jedi surveyed the room with experienced eyes and sighed as there were no sound of groaning or shallow breaths. He had no love for hurting beings more than necessary and made sure the kills had been quick and painless.
"Never did approve of the clones that were being used in the army." General Rahm Kota grumbled as he deactivated his lightsaber, "This just proves that I was right. Either way, I can't say this won't be useful..."
He strolled forward and made his way to the end of the ship, letting the force assure him of that all that was left was his garrison. He hadn't been happy with the circumstances that brought him to this point, but beggars couldn't be choosers and he knew his forces were simply not enough to even pose a threat. He needed more troops, hell any rebellion would need more troops, small insurgencies here and there were not enough to stop the imperial war machine that oppressed the galaxy. Alone his militia didn't have the might to challenge the Empire, but maybe if he could get a handle on these cloning techniques...
He raised his commlink to his mouth, "Get the scientists and splicers down here, and make the jump to hyperspace, I need us gone and on our way to Yavin before the Empire even begins to plan an assault on Kamino."
"Right away general." Came the reply from the soldiers managing the bridge.
Rahm Kota place a hand on one of the tubes carrying the still-maturing clones, "Let's see if I will be wrong about a clone army being effective this time around..."