A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Far Away…
A lone being slowly comes into consciousness; the singular feeling around it is that of weightlessness. Darkness enshrouds it and it simply floats without stimulus for an indeterminable amount of time. At some point it becomes vaguely aware of a faint buzzing feeling in the back of its skull and a voice cuts through the darkness, loud and echoing.
"Welcome to the light young one. You have been created to defend the republic, to fight and die so they may live free. You and your brothers are the very best soldiers in the galaxy, and you are all one and the same. But I sense something greater in you… Perhaps with time you shall grow to be more than just a designation."
As the voice fades the clone opens its eyes and sees the bright lights and sterile white metal of the Kamino cloning facilities staring back at it. Kaminoans mill around and check equipment while ignoring him. His vision begins to fade as he slips back into the floating unconsciousness of the tube.
Months and years pass as though he is in a haze, flashes of life within a rigid system go by without anything real linking them. Bright flashes of knowledge are imprinted directly on his brain at regular intervals giving him the brilliant sensation of a lifetime's worth of education in seconds. Within the accelerated period of his adolescence he gains an intimate knowledge of weapons, vehicles, tactics, and environments. Finally after those long years the haze seems to lift as he is instructed by the Kaminoans to enter the simulation room. For the first time he truly looks left and right to see his brothers standing beside him. Instantly he recognizes each of them as the members of his squad, CT-4826, CT-9347 CT-1252 and CT-3883. He realizes as the haze lifts that he just knows them intimately despite having never actually spoken to any of them, he would have found it unnerving if he had ever known anything else. Suddenly the voice of one of the Kaminoans comes loud over the speakers in the simulated battlefield.
"Attention Squad Number 0982, henceforth known as Sabacc Squadron. This is your first combat test as a group. You shall be faced with a multitude of enemies that you must overcome, fear failure here as much as you would on the true battlefield and you shall prevail."
The newly christened Sabacc Squadron looks around without fear, taking in the environment presented to them. It is a simple pitch battle scenario, the not yet active training droids stand lifelessly behind covered positions at regular spacings each ten feet apart, up to around fifty feet away from them. The lone clone, CT-7330, knows already that he is meant to lead the squadron and glances at the viewing platform. The cold impartial face of himself stares back down at him and he resolves himself to the task at hand.
CT-7330 looks at each of the identical clones around him and nods towards a weapons rack rising slowly from the floor. Upon it rests five identical sets of armor, clearly made to fit them perfectly, and training blasters for each of them. In perfect unison they silently walk over to the rack and affix every article of armor with pinpoint precision. They fix vambraces and chest pieces as though they had been doing it every day of their lives. CT-7330 glances back up at the viewing platform as he reaches for his training blaster and once again sees his own face staring back at him, however this time a long-necked kaminoan stands next to him and glares at CT-7330 who immediately flinches back to his duties and picks up the blaster.
As soon as Sabacc Squadron has fully armed and armored themselves the weapons rack lowers back into the gray flooring and the droids spring to life. Despite being caught off guard all of Sabacc Squadron manages to dive behind the low wall providing them with cover. They begin laying down some basic fire on the training droids but it mostly goes wide as none of them have held a blaster outside the range before. CT-7330 begins using the basic tactics listed in the manual flash imprinted on his brain to try and take the nearest position of cover. He raises his hands in a complex gesture towards CT-4826 and CT-3883, and then turns to signal CT-1252 and CT-9347 to lay down covering fire.
The three of them open up with their blasters towards the nearest droid position as CT-4826 and CT-3883 rush around the low wall towards it. Training blaster bolts fly around them in a storm of light which doesn't faze the squadron at all. Without the real experience of battle how is one supposed to fear the real effects of a blaster?
CT-4826 makes it to the wall as he slides into a low crouch behind it. CT-3883 on the other hand is struck by a blaster bolt about halfway to it. His armor locks up instantly when the bolt hits it and the clone falls to the ground frozen. None of the other clones react even slightly with the exception of CT-7330 who feels the very first emotion he's ever felt well up inside of himself. Panic. For some reason seeing his brother fall to the ground like that had started something within CT-7330, something emotional which he hadn't experienced before.
Pushing past the well of new feelings CT-7330 pops his head and weapon over the wall and takes aim at one of the training droids behind the wall CT-4826 made it to. CT-7330 suddenly becomes hyper aware of his own breath, he lets it out and squeezes the trigger, watching in awe as the blaster bolt exits the muzzle of the training rifle and hits a training droid in the center of its chest, deactivating it instantly. CT-4826 doesn't even react, instead the clone pops up from his covered position and lays scattered fire into the other droid defending the position, deactivating it. Just as quickly CT-4826 ducks behind the wall again and looks at CT-7330 without emotion, waiting for orders. CT-7330 gives a quick hand signal and CT-4826 nods before beginning to lay covering fire down across the next covered position.
CT-7330 waves his hand towards the two clones next to him and as one they vault over the low wall and rush towards CT-4826's position. However the covering fire he lays is sloppy, CT-4826 almost appears more concerned with staying behind cover instead of giving them cover and as a result CT-1252 gets hit in the leg as they run. He falls to the ground stiff as the armor locks around him.
When CT-7330 finally feels the comfort of the wall behind his back he feels another new emotion, anger. He looks at CT-4826 and feels this new sensation twanging deep in his mind, but he ignores it, he is a good soldier. He hastily makes a series of hand gestures to the remaining two men he has with him and they both nod to him. Seconds later the three of them vault over the low cover and begin a sprint towards the next wall while firing their blasters. CT-9347 gets a shot off completely by chance as the recoil from one of the training droids blasters pushes it into the way of his bolt. Unfortunately CT-9347 takes this as a chance to pump his fist in the air resulting in his hand getting hit by a bolt, sending him tumbling to the ground with locked armor.
CT-7330 watches CT-9347 fall with another new emotion, horror. He realizes that he is horrified of his brother being taken down in such a manner and due to the momentary distraction he nearly runs face first into the low cover they were sprinting towards. CT-7330 and CT-4826 immediately let blaster rounds fly into the droid remaining behind the wall. It deactivates and CT-7330 feels yet another emotion, confidence. He feels as though it is possible he and CT-4826 could make it to the next wall, and maybe the next. However it simply wasn't to be.
CT-7330 feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he and CT-4826 pop up to deliver fire to the droids. Less than a second later a blaster bolt strikes CT-4826 on the shoulder and he instantly goes rigid, falling backwards. CT-7330 traces an invisible line from CT-4826 to a training droid about 20 feet away and feels his earlier anger well up into something far bigger, rage.
CT-7330 lets his rage control him as he releases a battle cry before jumping over the wall alone and charging the next one. He makes it to the next wall without getting hit by the hail of blasterfire and after quickly dispatching both droids defending it he jumps over it to charge the next one. This time he isn't so lucky. His foot catches on the wall as he vaults it to begin his next charge. He falls forward and his face collides with the gray metal flooring of the simulation room. CT-7330 feels something hit his back and his visor goes black while his entire body goes completely stiff as the armor locks.
After what feels like hours, but in reality couldn't have been more than a few minutes CT-7330 hears footsteps nearby and feels his armor unlock. Something rolls him over onto his back and he stares up at the high ceiling of the facility, bright lights filling his vision. Suddenly his own face comes into view above him and says a few simple words which will change CT-7330's life forever.
"Good job kid, it's not easy getting thrust into a combat situation without any experience like that. Just remember one thing, these men you are leading, your brothers, your vod, are counting on you every second to keep them alive. Don't fail them."