Chapter 17: Order 66 From a Clone's Point of View
"Tell me about it," I said softly. Party because I really wanted to know (oh, who am I fooling - the less I hear about the killing in the Temple, the better) and partly because I felt he needed to get it off his chest. Too long had he been carrying the burden of the atrocities in the Temple alone.
"Sure you want to know?"
"Yes. Well, I don't really want to," I admitted, "but I think I need to know."
He drew a deep breath. The glass of beer was almost empty.
We've been too long at one spot. People will start noticing us if we don't leave soon.
I killed the thought as quickly as it had appeared. This was important. If we had to fight our way out of here, so be it. To buy some more time I ordered some caf - a very strong one.
"It was an ordinary evening in the barracks," he began, "and we were enjoying the sparse downtime before we were to be shipped out again the following morning. Some were playing sabacc, others were just sleeping or relaxing. There was no warning of as what was to happen. I myself was trying to get some sleep so at first I didn't notice that something was going on. I woke abruptly when all my brothers rose as if a signal had been given, even though I couldn't hear anything. I sat up and saw them fully occupied by getting their armours on.
'What's up?'
'Order 66 has been given. Good soldiers follow orders.'
I had no clue what Order 66 was but I surely didn't like the sound of it, and even less did I like my brothers' behaviour. Somehow they had transformed into empty clankers with no brains and glassy eyes. For a moment I saw them all staring at me and I realised that I had to behave like anyone else. Frankly it was scary. 10 minutes earlier these men had been my brothers whom I trusted with my life, and now they made me fear for my life. All my life I had been prepared to die, but surely not by being killed by my own.
I dressed quickly and followed them out. It was kind of lucky that I've been deep asleep when the order was given else I would have had to lead the way and I had no idea of where to go.
'Where are we going?' I tried.
'Good soldiers follow orders!'
At this time I had began to suspect that something really weird was going on and I decided to play along the best I could, so I just confirmed: 'Good soldiers follow orders.'
As we came out I had a chilling feeling running down my spine. From the looks of it we were moving towards the Jedi Temple and somehow I just knew that this wasn't going to be good. In their altered state of mind nobody seemed to notice that I was not in the front row where I usually would have been and for the first time in my life I decided to lay low.
The general met us at the entrance and for a moment I drew a relieved sigh. The general is here. Whatever's going on he will be able to get my brothers out of this trance or whatever it is that has happened to them.I soon learned that I was terribly mistaken.
'Rex!'
'Sir, yessir!' I answered like any good trooper would have. I was glad I had the helmet on so the general couldn't see my face. I would have recognised my general anywhere, but as he stared at me with his penetrating blue eyes I realised that they weren't blue anymore. They had turned into a yellow burning colour and it seemed like he was consumed from within by a hellish fire. My mouth snapped shut and I decided to play along until I got a grip about what was happening. This couldn't be good.
'Take your squad to the Council Tower. Ensure that nobody is hiding there and kill anyone trying to escape.'
I swallowed hard.
'Sir, yessir,' I confirmed.
Other squads were sent in other directions with same orders: 'Kill everyone you see.'
The jedi had tried to put the Temple in full lockdown but the general or whatever being that might have possessed him simply opened it with a flicker of his hands. At the same time the air support came in the form of LAATs and the bombardment started. I saw the southern spire fall even before we entered.
I had been in the temple before but that evening it turned into a horrific nightmare. I would have expected there to be screams and fear, instead it was eerily quiet. We heard the bombs falling of course and the sound of blaster bolts and here and there we heard the buzzing of a lightsaber. But no screams. No screams at all. The last I saw of the general was him leading his squad towards what I assume was the residential wing.
Well, actually, it was not the last I saw. Before we entered the tower I saw a small…what do you call them…initiate….meeting him and….the general cut him down with his own lightsaber.
That was when I decided I had to get out of this mess.
The thought of deserting had never ever struck me. I knew I had killed my fair share of beings through the clone wars and to some extent I felt sorry, but it was my duty and fortunately most of our battles were against the clankers.
I got my chance when we entered the council chamber. For a moment I noticed that my squad was busy checking every possible hideout just as a LAAT was passing by. I took the chance and leaped. It was empty except for the pilot. I managed to hit him unconscious with one strike of my blaster and shortly I was on my way towards the Works. It was the only place I could think of where I could possibly disappear. I crashed the LAAT in an abandoned building after jumping out myself and then I ran for my life. After what I had seen my life would not be worth a microcredit if my brothers found me.
I hid there for weeks, always on the move. I got new clothes and grew a beard to at least hide some of my face and eventually I managed to get enough credits to get off planet. First by a smuggler's vessel, then by more ordinary means. And here I am."
I just nodded. My throat had in a mysterious way seemed to contract and for a moment not even the strong (now cold) caf could help.
"I'm so sorry, Rex. I'm so sorry." That was all I could say. I knew the feelings I had when I saw the white armoured troopers marching towards the temple entrance. How much worse wouldn't it have been to actually be there - and see friends and brothers turn into something unrecognisable.
As on signal we asked for the bill, paid and left the cantina.
