"And you had no idea?"
"Unfortunately not, Master Vizsla… I knew that this Sidious character requested we indoctrinate the clones to be loyal to a fault, to follow orders no matter the situation. Though Tratus made that order rather difficult to fulfill when he chose Jango as the template. With his genetic predilection toward violence and independence, we were forced to take great lengths to raise the clone's inhibitions… We had thought Tratus had simply found an extraordinary human with the aggression of a rancor, we were unaware of what the Mandalorian subspecies of humankind was until Fett introduced us to his compatriots." Taun We said calmly as we walked through the clinically white hallways of Tipoca City. "Nor were we aware of what lengths your kind would go to in order to protect your people, master Vizsla."
"But you didn't have any clue what a Sith was?"
"No, we did not. We only knew of the Jedi from our limited experiences with the Order. We were under the assumption that the Sith were a subsect of the Order, or at worst a rival organization. I admire their ambition but detest their methods at which they grasp at power absolute. You believe this Sidious wishes to puppeteer a war?"
"It would make sense," Padme sighed, her visor removed from her helmet and clipped to her belt. "Whoever the Supreme Chancellor is holds the highest position in the Republic, but not even their power is absolute. Unfortunately? There are ways around that."
"Ah! The Senate is the key, then? Ingenious if I do say."
"Only if he can convince the Senate to completely repeal the Ruusan Reformations, but it would have to be done piecemeal."
"And what would be the easiest way to do that?"
"War," LT grunted. "I hate to admit it, but it is pretty fucking smart. If Death Watch hadn't been hunting Jango for two decades, Sidious might have even gotten his clone army. Ancestors, if it was anyone else hunting the Dar'Fett but us, he still might have gotten it on this little corner of nowhere."
"Yes, we are quite isolated here on Kamino. Our customers are fond of that privacy."
"I can't say you will be." I muttered. Taun We looked at me curiously at the remark. I sighed and pulled my helmet off so that I could pinch my nose. "If Sidious figures out that his own little personal army's been hijacked, he'll kill every Kaminoan he can - and if he's building an army, then he'll be building a navy as well. It doesn't seem like that bastard does anything by halves."
"It is as I feared, then." Taun We sagged in on herself. "My people will not leave their homes lightly, Master Vizsla, not for an outsider. Nor can we give you our clones of Jango Fett without raising Sidious' ire."
"You do realize we could send every single one of your cities to the bottom of the sea today, right?" Hotshot bit out. For once, I let her go.
"Pardon?"
"We have a Star Destroyer and fleet of fighters orbiting your planet, picketing the hyperspace lanes as we speak. Their primary job is to blockade that hyperspace lane but that can be changed with a word from the Ad'alor," LT said. Taun We looked like she wanted to hyperventilate but managed to keep her composure - though it was a close thing.
"Ah… But I fail to see how the threat of our imminent destruction is better than the chance of a future cataclysmic incursion?"
"Because we wouldn't have to destroy you, just your cloning facilities - and we'd take as many of the kids with us as we could before we made sure you and your people would never make another clone in your lives."
"If you did that, Vizsla, then you would destroy us just as surely as if you killed us. For the Kaminoan species, natural reproduction is an arduous process that carries a high mortality rate."
"But you'd be alive, and Sidious will kill you himself."
"If our fate is assured then why not simply end my kind yourself, Mandalorian?"
"Because if there's one thing the Sith have perfected over the millenia, it's torture." I snarled in an approximation of a smile as I saw the traces of fear on the Kaminoan's face deepen into terror. "Yes, you understand. Your suffering would be legendary, Kaminoan. If anyone ever heard even whispers of it, that is… You said it yourself, you're quite isolated out here. There'd be no help coming for you, not even Mandalore would intervene. So, you can work with us or face the Sith alone. It isn't a hard choice, my friend."
"You are a despicable man."
"Only the despicable survive, and I'd do anything for my people - and your clones are Mandalorians. They are my people," I snarled.
"Hm… Perhaps it is possible to do terrible acts for a noble cause… You intrigue me, Vizsla."
"And you annoy me, Kaminoan. Do we have a deal?"
"Alas, I am afraid the offer is not mine to make. I am simply a messenger and guide, the Prime Minister will judge your terms."
"Can we assume he's heard everything we've had to say and is trying to get a message to whatever other cities are on this water ball you call a world?"
"Attempting? If the Prime Minister wished to send a message, it would be transmitted."
"Not with the Fist on your docking platform." LT said flatly. "Not only is the ship loaded with some of the best sensors the galaxy has to offer but it also has the best holo blocker in the known galaxy thanks to Free Mandalore's Engineering Corps. Interstellar and intercontinental transmissions have been disabled for as long as the Fist is on world. Your internal comms should be fine though."
"Ah… A wise precaution, though irritating on our behalf."
"Indeed," Cyrus said, cocking his head to the side as he scrutinized the Kaminoan. "How strange it is that we are to meet the Prime Minister… Is he the leader of this city?"
"He is the Prime Minister of Kamino. Tipoca City is our capital, Master Fett."
"This isn't a small operation, then?"
"Not at all, Master Fett. Already we have produced one million unitswith plans to create upward of eight million more. We believe they will be more than a match for ten of the Trade Federation battle droids Tratus showed us plans for."
"That's all well and good but even with nine million units, the army would only be able to take on ninety million battle droids," I scrunched my eyebrows and looked at the Kaminoan who also looked surprised. "And battle droids are cheap. I'd bet my ship that your clones are definitely not. Unless there's something you aren't telling us?"
"I am afraid that is not for me to disclose... However, you are correct. Clone units are not cheap but we have been paid handsomely by Tratus and Sidious both. The fee they paid is more than enough for well over a million units."
"Quite mercenary of you," Cyrus said. "Surely Jango would not have been so generous, he never gave his services for free. What was his fee?"
"Strangely enough, he only asked for one concession in concert with housing: one unaltered clone." I felt my hackles shoot up as I glared at the Kaminoan.
"Take us to him," I demanded.
"He will be brought to the Prime Minister as well. Jango had full guardianship over the clone and now, seeing as Jango is dead, the boy is of no use to us. He has none of the alterations that make our clones the most formidable fighting force in the galaxy."
"You mean he hasn't been made into an obidient little puppet, then?" Hotshot growled. She stamped her foot once before turning to Cyrus and me. "Fett'alor, Ad'alor… If I could make a request?" I blinked at her but nodded.
"You wish to adopt the boy, don't you?" Cyrus asked softly. Hotshot hesitated for a second until Golem put his hand on her shoulder.
"Yes, Fett'alor, we do," Sam said, looking down at his wife through his visor. "You are the head of the boy's clan."
"The boy is no Fett, but I have judged the clones to be Mandalorian all the same. You have my blessing if you wish to make the child a Xophos." I set my face in stone as I met Golem's visor.
"Take your buyca off, both of you." They did as I asked. Both of them were hopeful but nervous as I had ever seen them - especially without the featureless helmets to hide their faces.
"You understand what you're asking? Taking the boy in will mean that the HOGs or ATLAS will have to find a new commander. He will be your responsibility, you will teach him to be Mandalorian. Our traditions, our language, and our ways of life."
"Elek, Ad'alor." Golem said, his eyes sharp with determination.
"'Lek, Ehn'ragir." Hotshot muttered, the normally boisterous woman occasionally glancing down at her boots.
"Then you both have my support." I grinned as both of their heads snapped up excitedly. "Golem, will you raise him?"
"I will." The big guy nodded. "The HOGs are in good hands with Matthias."
"Matthias?"
"Matthias Wren. He's my second in command and a good man. A loyal Mandalorian."
"Uh, guys?" LT had her arms folded over her chest and was tapping her foot. "Are we really going to do this right now? We're keeping the Prime Minister waiting."
"Right! Thanks, LT," I chirped while Padme just looked at me exasperatedly. "Lead the way, Taun We!"
XXX
"So you're this mysterious Prime Minister this one just won't shut about?" My arms were folded over my chest as I glared daggers into the Kaminoan's forehead.
"Indeed. Your offer is harsh, Vizsla. I consider my word my bond, you would have me betray that." The Kaminoan said calmly. "You may take the boy, he is of no use to us. Making clones of a clone is a remarkably fast way to make sure the clones are unstable." The said five-year-old shuffled his feet as he glanced between us and the Kaminoans.
"B-but where… Where's papa?" The boy asked as Tara and Sam whisked him away, quietly explaining the situation to the now crying boy.
"You were saying?" The cloner followed the trio with unblinking eyes before he turned back to me.
"My word is my bond. Tipoca City has been contracted to provide the Galactic Republic one million combat ready clones by, in terms of your calendar, 978 post Ruusan. That is not for another four years and Kamino has upheld her end of the bargain so far. What would you do with the clones should I be convinced to give them over to you?"
"Train them." I smirked at the looks of confusion the room was giving me - especially from my men. "In fact, I'll let you and yours do that if you want to but they can't be trained here. Sidious knows where they are here and I'm in the business of denying a Sith anything he wants… Though it may raise more problems later."
"How so?"
"Well, he seems hell bent on war. If he doesn't get his little pack of Jango Juniors, who's going to fight for the Republic?"
"I had not considered that… Would this war fall on Kamino?"
"Keep making the Republic's army here and you'd be lucky if they decided to allow Kamino to keep existing. Hell, who knows? After all, Sidious is a Sith. Once he gets his way he may decide he doesn't need expensive cloned soldiers anymore and could build an army the old fashioned way." Lama Su blinked long and hard as his hands that were hanging at his side crossed over his chest as he lost himself in thought.
"What is the saying your species has, human? Damned if so, damned if not?"
"Damned if I do, damned if I don't," LT supplied. Lama Su nodded. "Or caught between a rock and a hard place."
"A most apt description of the situation I find myself in. On one hand, the money the Jedi- my apologies, the Sith in the name of the Jedi - has already paid for a product they will expect delivered. Fett's mercenaries were also not cheap."
"You wouldn't be paying mercenaries, your people would be compensated for their time if they kept training the clones, and you won't die a grisly death at the hands of a Sith Lord." I pointed out, and he nodded sagely.
"Yes… Tell me, Lord Vizsla, about these Sith. You claim they are not Jedi but they are also Force wielders, correct?"
"They are," I said calmly. "While the Jedi use the Light Side of the Force. The Sith? They use the Dark Side. The Dark Side is passion incarnate, power absolute… The Dark Side is Chaos. Entropy. Destruction. Passion. Where the light is order, the dark is death. The Sith are powerful, monstrously so, but they are few. There are only two: the Master and the Apprentice. Whoever this Tratus is, he's the Apprentice. Small fry. We've been hunting the Master, Sidious, for five or six years now. We think we have a fix on his identity and if it's who we think it is… Your clones are just going to be pawns."
"The Clones are to do with what the contract holder wishes to do."
"No wonder you liked Jango. You'd be ruthless mercenaries."
"Indeed. Our people are not combative anymore but we ruled this planet once, we ruled all under the sea and on the land. And when the land fell beneath the waves, we conquered the very waters. Remember, Mandalorian, you are not the only ruthless species in the galaxy." Lama Su chided.
"Maybe not… But they way I see it, you're in a room with four heavily armed Mandalorians - with two more just outside - who aren't incredibly happy with your business practices. Before you were growing armies what did you do?"
"We are the foremost experts on gene therapy in the known universe. Not only do we produce clones but we are able to correct genetic ailments and have not been unknown to act as a fertility treatment center."
"So you were a really expensive fertility clinic. Yeah, I can see why you'd want to grow an army." I smirked, looking at the agitated Kaminoan. "Here's my offer. Mandalorians love their kids. They may not show it like most people but we would die for our children, kill for them. But Mandalorians... Well, our planetary birth rate is low, extremely so compared to the rest of the galaxy, while our death rate is just the opposite… Would you open a contract with Free Mandalore to help us with that?"
"You realize that we do not work for free. We are well aware our prices are exorbitant but our services are, in fact, unrivaled."
"True, but we won't be paying for you to raise an entire clone army. Ancestors, I'm not even asking you to wait the nine months for the kids to be-"
"Lord Vizsla, if I may." Lama Su cut me off rather abruptly and I felt an eyebrow shoot up. "For a human, the galactic standard nine months gestation period is simply too short. However, the mother's metabolic rate cannot meet the fetus' demands after this point. The fetus' head may also be too large for the mother to safely give birth to the child if allowed to grow any larger. Our gestation period is closer to thirteen galactic standard months. Though if the parents wish for a natural birth, for whatever godsforsaken reason, we do offer in vitro fertilization. You are right that the clients would bear the burden of raising the children instead of the people. We offer you the same rate as we offered Sidious: one hundred thousand standard galactic credits per unit."
"That's not unreasonable…" I said, stroking my chin thoughtfully. "Of course, you won't be getting the eight hundred billion creds you thought you were going to get… But then again, who knows? My people may show up by the millions asking for a child of their own. They're quite fierce about them, you know."
"I gathered," Lama Su smirked. "We are in agreement then?"
"Hm, not yet. You're deadset on staying here, aren't you?"
"This is our home. Where would we go?"
"I understand… But if you want to stay here we're going to need to make a more permanent solution to your security if the Sith come knocking."
"This would be acceptable. Sidious also gave us plans for Republic warships he wished created. You said he would be building a navy? You were not wrong. He sent a transmission with a number of star ships he wished for us to build but we are not ship builders. He asked we hold them in trust but, as he is no longer a contract holder, perhaps they would interest Free Mandalore?" I felt my eyes light up at that and nodded.
"Yes they would. Do you happen to have them on hand?"
"Indeed. But you will sign our contract before I showcase them. It is, after all, only good for business." Lama Su tilted his chin and I almost sighed.
"What do you want me to sign? That I'm taking control of your clones?"
"Oh no, we've already been paid for them, you see. Sidious ordered the troops on behalf of the Jedi Order, you appear to be a Jedi, do you not?" I had a strong feeling that Lama Su was smirking.
"The Force is with me, yes, and I do use a lightsaber."
"Excellent! It appears that a Jedi has come to claim the clones and asked they be transferred to Free Mandalore. I will have my people work on the transfer papers straight away."
"Thank you, Prime Minister." I smirked at the Kaminoan who was just as amused. "Where do you need me to sign?" A datapad appeared in his hand as he passed it over to me. I blinked but took the pad and read through it quickly. It was a simple thing transferring the clones of Jango Fett to my custody and a request on the termination of any further clone batches. It was acceptable and I scrawled my name onto the bottom of the pad.
"You are welcome, my Lord. I will also need you to initial on the next page…"
XXX
For half an hour, the signatures and documentation went on and on and on for what felt like an age until the Prime Minister finally decided we were finished. Mercifully, Cyrus decided he felt it was necessary to step in and act as legal counsel as he was, in fact, a counselor when he wasn't leading Clan Fett (he hadn't practiced in years but he learned on Coruscant and was a legal force to be reckoned with. He was as feared in the courtroom as he was on the battlefield). Thankfully, we were now finished with all the signatures and paperwork any government seemed to obsess over.
"Thank you, Lord Vizsla, I believe we are done with that… Shall we move onto our other business?"
"Not quite yet." I said, spinning the proffered pen around my fingers as I looked between the Kaminoans. "Tell me how you modified the clones."
"As I am sure you are aware, Jango Fett was not the most even tempered human in the galaxy."
"Understatement…"
"Non sequitur perhaps." The Kaminoan said thoughtfully. "My apologies… Jango was an ideal bounty hunter and warrior but he was not the ideal soldier."
"Hm, I see." Cyrus said, nodding.
"So do I." I said, after all a good warrior may be worth his weight in gold when it came time to fight but not everyone could be a warrior… And a battlefield full of Jango Fetts… "You most likely made the right choice there."
"Indeed. They are less aggresive than their donor, more willing to follow orders." The Kaminoan said but there was an edge to his voice. I narrowed my eyes, placing the pen down on the table.
"And how is this done?"
"The aggression centers in their brains have been altered slightly but, at the request of Tratus, we were to insert a biochip into their brains at birth. There are one hundred fifty contingency orders they will need to carry out to the letter and the cannot afford to hesitate in these duties."
"Give me that list." I demanded. The Kaminoan nodded, sliding a datapad across the table. I tapped it, scrolling through as I read the orders. Most of them made sense with things like: In the event of the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) being incapacitated, overall GAR command shall fall to the vice chair of the Senate until a successor is appointed or alternative authority identified as outlined in Section 6 (iv), or In the event of the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) being declared unfit to issue orders, as defined in Section 6 (ii), the Chief of the Defense Staff shall assume GAR command and form a strategic cell of senior officers (see page 1173, para 4) until a successor is appointed or alternative authority identified. But orders 37 and 66, in particular, were chilling.
Order 37 read: Capture of a single wanted individual through the mass arrest and threatened execution of a civilian population. Follow-up directives include scenarios for body disposal of civilian casualties and suppression of communications.
While Order 66 was: In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established.
Oh sure, it looked as good as Order 65, which was similar to 66 but was if the Chancellor was ever deemed unfit for duty. If Palpatine made Jedi officers in whatever plot he was cooking up…
A shiver ran down my back as the implications washed over me.
You were the chosen one!
I froze, glancing from side to side to try and find where that came from - not that it was any use. It was a whisper, a shadow… Yet the Force demanded I take heed.
"Remove the chips." I whispered. "From every single clone you have, I want them out."
"Very well." Lama Si said as he took a datapad from another Kaminoan who bowed and left the room. Lama Su flicked through the datapad as a holo emitter rose from the floor. "Onto other business?" I nodded as a Starfighter appeared from the holoprojector. "I shall go from the simplest to the most complex designs. First, we have the Z-95 Headhunter Starfighter. It is not the smallest design nor the most appealing but it has strong laser cannons, shielding, a hyperdrive, an ion cannon, and missile tubes."
"It's a good Strike fighter then… I don't think our Talons have this many features."
"They don't." Oak cut in examining the hologram of the ship that was spinning off the floor. "But the Talons are much more compact than this. It's a few meters longer and - even when the Talon's wings are open - a few meters wider. But it's a good fighter from the looks of it."
"I will take that analysis to mean you wish to save this design. Very well. The next is the economy fighter, if you would. It's meant to save resources and be mass manufactured, however it is rather… barebones." He said and as a holo of a pod attached to two massive heat dispersal wings came to life on the screen. "The TIE/LN Space Superiority fighter, named for the Twin Ion Engines. It is equipped with twin cannons that are powerful for the barebones fighter. Republic estimates claim it can be created for sixty thousand credits per unit."
"That's pretty cheap for a fighter. No shields?"
"No."
"Save it, we'll hand it over to our engineering department and let them have some fun with modifying it."
"As you wish." He flicked his finger over the pad and a much larger fighter sprang to life on the holo. It twirled once before its wings folded out, then it looked like a Z-95 with six wings and bigger guns, engines, and cockpit. "This is the Aggressive ReConnaissance Space Superiority Fighter Craft, model 170 - or, more simply, the ARC-170 fighter. The ship is designed to be more of a Close Air Support Attack Craft than a true dogfighter."
"It's massive but well armed… Well, we can turn it over to the engineers too. It could give us a good idea of how to arrange the weapons for our fighters at least."
"Very well. I am afraid Sidious had no interest in things like Frigates, Corvettes, Fast Attack Craft, or (strangely enough) Interceptors. The next ship is a bomber: the BTL-B Y-wing Starfighter."
"Add it." I said, instantly recognizing the telltale shape of the bomber. "It's a good, strong ship. Pretty fast for what it is too."
"Indeed. There are no more ships on this list capable of being piloted by a single sentient. This," Lama Su swiped his finger and a wedge-shaped vessel not too dissimilar to the Acheron appeared on the holo, "is an Acclamator class Heavy Cruiser. It is an endo/exoatmospheric capable vessel designed for troop and walker transport."
"Hm… Armaments?"
"Minimal. Twelve quad turbolaser batteries, twenty four light laser cannon emplacements, and four missile/torpedo tubes. It is only equiped with the standard Republic shielding according to the design specifications."
"If we're using it, Tri, it'll have to be upgraded." Oak pointed out. I crossed my arms and nodded.
"I agree. Next?"
"The Venator class Carrier. The ship is a Carrier capable of performing in a battleship role, being as it is equiped with eight heavy turbolasers, two medium dual turbolasers, fifty two light laser cannon emplacements, and four torpedo tubes."
"Hm… The lack of weapons can be excused because it's a carrier. How many ships can it hold?"
"It's basic complement is one hundred and ninety two Alpha-3 Nimbus Class bombers (for which Kamino does not have plans), thirty six ARC-170 Fighters, and a further two hundred interceptors… The conservative estimations are that the ship could carry well over a thousand TIE/LN fighters without splitting the main hangar into two decks."
"I like it."
"I do too, Oak. It's a good ship but I'm not sure how often we'll need a full carrier. And that double bridge will have to go, the side by side cannons should overlap, and there's just a ton of flaws. It's a shit design."
"Indeed… Perhaps you would be interested in this, then?" Lama Su's fingers danced over his pad even as he spoke with us. "This project was marked prohibitive due to labor intensity and resources necessary to create the ship." He said as another wedge ship appeared on the holo. I had to give it to Sidious, or to whoever designed the ship, it was an intimidating thing to look at but there were definitely improvements to be made. The ship tapered to a dagger-like point from a prominent bridge towering over the stern superstructure.
"What is this?"
"It has been designated as the Imperator Class 'Star Destroyer,' type Battleship. It may interest you to know the Venator and Aclamators are also considered Star Destroyer type ships. It is sixteen hundred meters long and the most well-armed capital ship I have ever heard tell of. The Republic could not possibly find a way to justify its creation. The Acclamator could be used to ferry troops and walkers but this vessel could be used to annihilate planets entirely."
"Really?"
"He's not lying, Tri…" Oak muttered as he read the specs. "I'll admit, you could probably put more weapons on it but they're not really needed. It has seventy-five turbolaser emplacements and almost as many ion cannons. It's a floating fleet killer."
"It's a hammer." I shrugged. "It looks like it was meant to kill everything, not just fleets. But why does the Republic need something like this?" I frowned. "Does it have missile silos? Proton torpedos? Anything besides energy weapons?"
"Doesn't look like it…"
"And are those the shield generators on the bridge?"
"Elek."
"Hm... Send this to Engineering. Immediately. I want that bridge gone and the shield generators recessed into the superstructure if not replaced with our own generators. And that ventral hangar has to go, so does the one on the Venator. The Venator especially, it looks like the spip'll break in half if you hit it too hard. What the hell do they need a hangar that big for under a Star Destroyer anyway?" I asked, shaking my head as I examined the ship.
"I have sent all plans to your ship already, Lord Vizsla."
"Excellent, thank you."
"Indeed. Though, there is one more ship I believe you would be interested in."
"Okay… You've lost me. What is it?" I asked as I looked at the ship in front of me, trying to figure out what the Hell I was looking at. It was (surprise, surprise) another wedge-shaped ship with four prominent domes on the stern of the ship and a bridge that spanned the entire beam of the ship.
"This is the conceptual Interdictor class Heavy Cruiser. If the Imperator Class was cost-prohibitive, the gravity well projectors it has been slated to be equipped with have not began the development process yet and are little more than a… Pipedream? I believe that is the galactic slang."
"The engineering corps are going to work for a living after this trip, aren't they?"
"Yeah they are." Oak laughed. "But I don't think they'll mind too much."
"Not at all. Is that all the ships you have on file, Prime Minister?"
"I am afraid so."
"Alright. Oak, transmit those plans to the Fist and get them to both the Engineering Corps and Morellians. Redundancy is our ally here. We'll need to discuss your planetary defenses next."
"Of course, Lord Vizsla. As I understand it, your resources are quite lacking. How can you be sure of our protection?"
"Skytroopers are rather formidable."
"Skytroopers?" The Kaminoan blinked as he cocked his head to the side. "I am afraid I have not heard the term."
"That's because they were the battledroids favored by the Eternal Empire."
"Zakuul? I had thought the planet lost… Interesting. Perhaps you can defend this world then."
"More than likely." I grinned as I tapped my helmet. "Xio, you there?"
"Yes, Lord Vizsla." The Battledroid's voice crackled through my comms. "What do you require of this unit?"
"You mentioned a Star Fortress back on Zakuul. What happened to them?"
"I am unsure. Records indicate the closest planets that had Star Fortresses stationed over them are Tatooine, Ryloth, and Excarga." I nodded and tapped my helmet thoughtfully.
"Could they be piloted by a handful of Skytroopers?"
"Indeed. Assuming they are capable of flight."
"They'd have just been sitting in space for a few thousand years. They shouldn't be too damaged considering there's no atmosphere and I'm sure they're heavily armored…"
"They were indeed."
"Okay… One second, Xio."
"Standing by." The droid acknowledged as I sighed.
"Prime Minister, where are the ships Jango's little group of mercenaries used to get onworld?" Lama Su blinked as he wiped at his datapad.
"The Slave I is on the Western docks with Bralor's UT-60D U-Wing."
"Excellent. Xio, there's a U-Wing on the Western docks. Send twenty of your boys to secure it and start hunting those Star Fortresses. If you find one, get it to this system as fast as you can. Tell the HAVOCs to secure the Slave I. She's a Firespray-31 Class Attack and Transport. Once they secure it, get it to the Acheron for transport."
"Orders Acknowledged, Lord Vizsla. Two squads are being dispatched now."
"Good work, Xio. And get a Regiment here, stat. I'll go find a place for them."
"Yes, Lord Vizsla," Xio said, and I heard the line click closed.
"Well, that settles it. There should be a Star Fortress in Kamino's exosphere soon enough and you'll have a garrison of Skytroopers even sooner. If you'll excuse me, Prime Minister, I'm afraid I need to find a landing space for your garrison."
"As you say. It was a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Vizsla."
"Likewise, Prime Minister. Oak here will go over the little things with you."
"As you wish."