Chapter 16: The Chip

"It", Rex confirmed, "or the chip to be more precise."

I looked at him quizzically, knowing fully well I started to sound like a parrot: "Chip?"

I could see the emoitions, and not very good ones, floating over my friend's face as a cloud of fog before he continued,

"Yes. The chip. We all had it, but it was Fives who really discovered it. We were on a mission on Ringo Vinda when Tup suddenly snapped and killed one of the jedi participating in that mission. After the incident Tup behaved weirdly and we returned to Kamino to have him checked up. Fives stayed with him while I was sent back to the front lines. They discovered an implant in Tup's brain. The Kaminoans claimed it was planted there on purpose to suppress aggressive actions from our side. We found it weird to say the least. We all knew that we were created to fight, but in fighting we need at least some natural part of aggression. It really didn't add up and I was more than sceptical."

I nodded. Rex had always been a reasonable man and he had time and time again proven to be able to think outside the proverbial box the Kaminoans had intended the clones to be within. When Rex suspected something out of the ordinary, it probably was.

He took a deep swig of his beer and continued his story.

"I didn't know what to make of it at first. I was thinking about mentioning it for the General, but I also knew that General Skywalker could be a bit…hotheaded, so I wanted proof before I said anything. Little did I know that when the proof came, it would be too late."

I nodded again. Stating that my former Master had been a bit hotheaded was the understatement of the millennia.

"Was it this….chip, that made….everything happen?" I asked. I wasn't really sure I wanted to know the answer but I had to ask the question anyway. The clones had literally been brothers in arms to us and if their betrayal hadn't been entirely theirs, I felt it would make the whole thing the tiniest bit more bearable.

Deep brown eyes looked at me, mournfully.

"Yes," he almost whispered, "it was. At least the part of 'all' that included us clones."

"And you…?"

"As I said, I was suspicious and I really didn't want it there. So I asked Kix to remove it. He was reluctant at first but I…became insistent so at last he gave in. It cost me two days in a sick bed pretending to have the ghamorrean flu."

He almost chuckled by the thought of it.

"The second day of my 'flu' I got a room mate, Wolffe, from General Koon's wolffepack. Naturally he saw the bacta patch in the back of my head and didn't make it match up with my so called flu so I told him. And of course he didn't believe me. Not at first, but as he thought about it he came to the same conclusion as I - one thing was being bred and born to fight but having an implant that in worst case would be able to controll his mind was not something he wanted and eventually he asked Kix to remove his too."

"So there are more of you out there?" I asked eagerly. Having reliable clones on our side would mean a world of difference for the rebellion.

This time he shook his head.

"Not that I know of. I suspect Kix managed to have his own removed too, but I don't know where Kix is so I cannot be entirely sure of that."

"What happened then?" I asked, "From what you've told so far I assume that this chip had something to do with the clones turning against the jedi. Am I right?"

A new nod.

"Oh, yes. At least from what I could observe."