Author's Note:

I have decided to post this (for now) as post-by-post format, corresponding to how the story has been published at the JC forums, rather than combining the posts into the proper "chapters" I had originally laid out. The upside of this is that I can update more frequently.

-Tim

Also, belated thanks to Regina Hilburn, who was of immense help during the original formation of the plot.





News of the Senator's disappearance had spread like wildfire throughout the Galaxy. Reaction in the Senate itself evolved from shock, to panic, and finally to heated fury. Speculation as to the perpetrators ran wild. Rumors were everywhere, soon to multiply and take on lives of their own. The public, like their representatives, were screaming for action. All eyes were turned towards the same man, Chancellor Palpatine.

Palpatine had convened a special session of the Senate, declaring a state of emergency. The military was mobilized, investigative committees appointed, and protective measures were being taken at this very moment.

As a result, a hologram of the Supreme Chancellor now stood in the center of the Council Chambers in the Jedi Temple.

"…as you are aware, I am committed to doing everything within my power to protect the integrity of the Republic. I have instructed all of our intelligence and investigative agencies to use all available resources to track down those who committed this horrible act. I come before you because once again, the Republic requires your assistance. By the power vested in me by the Senate and the Citizens of the Republic, I hereby invoke Article 5 of the Constitution, and call upon the Jedi to help protect the members of the Senate from further attacks. I have prepared a list of Senators with similar political affiliations to Aks Moe, which I will deliver to you shortly."

"We assure you, Chancellor Palpatine, that the Jedi shall do everything in our power to protect the Senate," Mace Windu answered.

"Excellent. I beg your pardon, Masters, but I must take your leave in preparation for a press conference."

"This is a most strange development," remarked Ki-Adi-Mundi. "We must respond to the Chancellor's command, but we cannot neglect our other duties. So, I ask you, who do we send?"

*******

On the main continent of the unpopulated planet Wayland, the imposing bulk of Mount Tantiss rose above the dense forest. Near the base of the mountain on its southwest facing, the forest had been cleared in a kilometer-wide circle, making room for what appeared to be an insignificant outpost. A stout bunker occupied the circle's center, and gray-clad soldiers, in body armor and full helmets, holding blaster carbines at the ready, paced the perimeter and stood sentry duty near the bunker itself. Other squads of soldiers could be observed coming and going from the treeline, patrolling in a wider radius. The only other installation visible was a landing pad, and a small shuttlecraft of Nemoidian origin sat off to the side.

A Sith infiltrator streaked into view and came to a graceful hover over the pad. Repulsorlifts whining, it deployed its landing gear and settled gently to the ground. The ship's exit ramp lowered, and out of the billowing clouds of compressed gas stepped the shrouded figure of Darth Raptor.

An officer with a General's patch on his shoulders, his aide, and former Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray stood waiting for him.

"Lord Raptor," greeted the General, "I am Jango Fett. Welcome to Spaarti. Come with me, and I will show you our operation."

Entering the bunker, the Nemoidians and the General stepped onto a turbolift, which descended to the heart of the installation, deep within the mountain's massive bulk. Their destination was a gigantic room, capable of holding several Dreadnaught-class warships in its cavernous interior. Instead, it was packed with row upon row of cylinders.

Each cylinder was roughly two meters tall and half a meter wide. They were constructed of transparisteel, and were filled with a fluid that looked somewhat like bacta, except it was much more opaque and hid the contents of the cylinder from view. Each cylinder rested on a massive base structure, which connected to the bases of those adjacent. Banks of monitors, dials, and viewscreens completed the assembly. The room was heavily guarded, monitored by holocams, and medical officers and droids walked the mysterious rows, checking readouts.

"What we have here, gentlemen," Fett announced, "is the Galaxy's first viable cloning facility."

"Cloning technology, General?" Gunray was astonished. The Federation had looked into cloned soldiers decades ago, but the experiments all ended in horrible failure.

"This is the main production chamber, but is ,in fact, only a small part of the entire facility. In addition, we have barracks for the men, indoor training facilities, our own reactor core for power, and storage for weapons and equipment. We are capable of supporting approximately two hundred thousand soldiers. One hundred thousand cloning cylinders are in this room. The current group is in fact our second production run."

"How long does it take one of your clones to complete the maturation process?"

"A year, at the moment. But we believe we can cut it down to nine months. The current batch of clone warriors will be ready to assume full combat duties in the next month, with a next batch following. We have also taken to cloning naval officers and crewmen, as well as star pilots. Each specimen was selected for strength, endurance, and intelligence, and from all ranks, are the best of the breed. In addition, we have produced a new form of armored suit that you will have seen being used by our guards here and which I am wearing now. The armor itself is 20 percent stronger against blasters than anything currently in use. At this very moment, under the Republic's nose, we have an entire army awaiting deployment."