So this was an idea that has been running around in my head for a while now, ever since season 7 of Clone Wars started actually. I know I may be slacking on my other stories and that is mainly due to life stuff and procrastination along with the fact that I'm trying to get my show and comic ideas out into the world. So since I know my main followers love my stories, I decided to make this new one. This will help me get the creative juices flowing as well as provide me motivation for my other fanfics on this site. Anyway with that out of the way, allow me to introduce Star Wars What If...?
A man stands in a void of the Star Wars galaxy. This man looked young, in his early twenties with a black robe covering his body as he looked over a single line horizontal line. Rubbing his fingers on it, he saw events unfold in the universe. The Old Republic, the destruction of the Sith, the thousand years of peace, the beginning and end of the Clone Wars, the Rise and Fall of the Empire, the First Order, and all the stories in-between. It was then that he noticed he was being watched. He smiled before he looked at the audience and spoke. "I was wondering when you would show up. No need to go to the reviews and complain about my presence, I'm here to stay and serve as the Watcher of this universe. I will only serve as the narrator of these tales. I am Eclipse, and I have been brought into existence for the sole purpose of showing what could have been." He turned over and looked at the line again before he grabbed it and lifted a piece of it up. "I just made a new timeline. Shall we see what changed and how this will affect this timeline going forward?"
Eclipse enters, bringing the audience with him, and found himself on the water planet Kamino where the Separatists launched an attack, specifically in the barracks where Clone Captain Rex and others were holding off the Battle Droids. The defective clone 99 took a backpack and handed some grenades over to his brothers before realizing there were no more left. "I'll get some more." 99 said to his brothers before he took the pack and went towards the armory. Rex and Cody both looked at him before Rex called out.
"99, you can't!" Rex pleaded before the defective Clone looked over and smiled.
"I'm a soldier, like you!" He called out before he continued to run with his limp. He whispered under his breath to himself. "This is what I was bred for."
As he ran, Eclipse looked over at the defective Clone, his presence unnoticed by anyone in the room. "The Clone known as 99 was a defective Clone, due to how many defects he had, he was never given any training or even a chance to become a soldier like his brothers. However, when the Separatists launched their attack on the Clone home planet, every Clone from the guards, cadets, and 99 wanted to help defend their home by any means. In the main timeline, when 99 went to get more grenades so he could aid his brothers, he was promptly shot multiple times by Battle Droids before succumbing to his wounds. Truly a sad death."
99 kept running as he noticed blaster bolts flying all around him. He looked briefly and saw the Droids were trying to shoot at him. The cadets above noticed this and started raining down even more fire on the droids, even hitting a blaster causing it to malfunction. 99 smiled as he kept running and made it out of the room, Eclipse following him with a warm smile on his face. "However, this is not the case here." He stated as 99 ran through the corridors before he reached the armory. He smiled as he started filling up the pack with more grenades before he saw a lone pistol. Then he heard a noise and poked his head out slowly to see three Battle Droids heading in his direction. 99 looked over at the pistol before reaching towards it and taking it in his hand. 99 felt the weight of the blaster in his hands. It felt heavier for some reason. He wondered why for a moment before he realized why it was like that. It was because he was about to do what he wanted most ever since he was bred, become a soldier.
Eclipse watched on as 99 slowly took out a grenade and activated it. The sound of the timer alerted the droids and they saw the Clone. "Hey is that a Clone?" One of them asked.
"I don't know, seems too short to be a Clone." The lead one stated before the final droid pointed at 99.
"Of course he's a Clone, just look at his face!"
"Oh yeah, he does look like a Clone...Blast Him!" The lead droid ordered. However, before they opened fire, they heard the timer of the grenade in 99's hand go faster, meaning it was about to explode and saw the defective Clone roll it at their feet. The lead Battle Droid could only look at it before lowering his head. "Not again." With that, the droid was caught in the explosion as the two other droids looked at their fallen comrade before being shot themselves by 99, who was breathing heavily as the adrenaline kicked in.
"That was too close." He said to himself as he started running back to the barracks. When he arrived, he saw the droids were all destroyed and the cadets were climbing down.
"We did it, we won!" One of them exclaimed.
"Told ya you had it in you." Fives said to the cadets before seeing a Battle Droid get out of cover and ready to open fire on Echo. "Echo!" He called out as he raised his blaster only for the droid to get shot in the head.
All the Clones looked over in the direction where the blaster bolt came from to see 99 holding a smoking pistol. "Nobody kills my brothers on my watch." He spoke before collapsing on the ground, prompting all the Clones to rush towards him.
"99!" Fives cried out as he reached the Clone and managed to hold him, worried about his wellbeing before 99 started chuckling.
"Now I know exactly what it's like being a soldier. I gotta tell ya, it's a bit overwhelming." He said getting a few chuckles from Fives and Echo. Rex walked up to 99 and knelt down to his level.
"You alright 99?" The Clone Captain asked before 99 raised his hand in a dismissing way.
"I'm fine Rex, I just need to slow down a bit." He stated getting a nod from the captain. Eclipse looked over at them all before speaking.
"The Clone known as 99 would get rewarded for his bravery on the battle of Kamino and would gain an even greater respect from all of his brothers and throughout the rest of the war. When Arc Trooper Fives would go through his ordeal with the Inhibitor Chips, 99 would aid him with evidence of said chips. However, he would not have been able to leave Kamino to help see his brother through his own journey. So, when captain Rex told 99 news of what happened with Fives, he made sure his sacrifice was not in vain. Given how he helped Fives by discovering the inhibitor chips, and everything Rex told 99 about the chips, he started trying to learn more about the chips to no avail. But when Order 66 was given, he pieced it all together and got the Jedi in charge of Kamino at the time away from the planet."
Eclipse stood at his void once again as he looked at the line. "Due to 99's multiple defects, the inhibitor chip within his head degraded completely and thus he was immune to the Order. However, it is not all good. 99 would be executed after the war was over for helping Clone Force 99, otherwise known as the Bad Batch, escape Kamino before the Empire could get Crosshair to join their ranks. The Clones making the execution were glad to be wearing their helmets on that day, because they couldn't bear to look him in the eyes and so nobody would see the tears that were shed afterwards." Eclipse finished with a single tear going down his face. "Because of his good heart, 99 would die no matter what happened, and I believe he would rather die for his brothers, than live knowing he could have done something. That is the end of this tale. Perhaps the next one won't be so heartbreaking." He said wiping the tear away.
And that is the end of this chapter. I know it's short but I hope you enjoyed it. Perhaps if enough people request it, I'll come back to this chapter and actually show everything happening with 99. this story isn't one that's going to be my main focus, it just provides me a way to give you all something while I try to overcome the writers block for my other two Star Wars stories. Also yes, I'll be going through all canon events and characters. With that I'll see you all in the next chapter.