The stormy, unsettled atmosphere of Kamino mirrored what Anakin Skywalker felt in his soul. He did not like this planet and all it stood for, and he did not like it when he and Padmé first discovered it years ago after detailed perusing from the late Darth Sidious's most well hidden files. But they both understood then, as now, that the cloners here and their product, as Anakin voiced the word so distastefully in his head, would hold ultimately hold the key to the triumph of the Sith order.
"So you say you've been working on this...project for the last ten years?" Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan seemed equally uneasy as his colleagues. Only the Jedi Master who had commissioned the clones all those years ago, Master Sifo-Dyas, looking perfectly unfazed by their setting, did not seem bothered by the abject scale in the reality of his creation.
"That is correct, Senator," the Kaminoan replied. Her name was Taun We, their official guide on the planet, a high ranking official who reported directly to the planet's prime minister and who displayed an entirely sterile, or rather indifferent, attitude towards the thousands of sentients she and her people had bred. "The original template, one Jango Fett formerly of Mandalore, disappeared years ago, but we have his cells on file to continue the process indefinitely if necessary."
Of course, Anakin knew exactly what had happened to the original 'template'. The bounty hunter had perished at his own hands when he and Padmé stormed Jabba the Hutt's Palace as one of his training exercises. They had visited Kamino months before their secret mission to Tatooine, secretly inspecting the project without the knowledge of the Kaminoans. Padmé had said with satisfaction that they were the first Sith to visit the clones, seeing as Sidious never got the chance before they killed him. Whether the late Sith Master had learned of Sifo-Dyas's actions by happenstance or caused it himself they were unsure of, but Padmé suspected the latter.
"He is very capable of influencing the dreams and visions of others," the then Queen had said to him when they were both so much younger. "It was how he lured me into his trap, and I have no doubt he is capable of manipulating even a more powerful Jedi."
On a subsequent visit in the last days of Padmé's reign as Naboo's monarch, they discovered a young orphaned clone whose genetics had been unaltered by his cloners. Padmé arranged for another bounty hunter to kidnap the young boy, who seemed to have revered the bounty hunter Fett as a father figure, and spirit him away to one of the more reputable orphanages somewhere on Corellia. Neither Taun We or Lama Su, the Prime Minister, made any mention of that particularly unique and very missing clone, which gave Anakin more reason to distrust the two.
"And they are programmed to follow orders," Master Dooku asked, as Taun We escorted the small group to a training room, where one of the clones led hundreds of others in an exercise regimen. Sifo-Dyas had vouched for his lone remaining friend and ally on the Jedi Council, and his presence here was unsurprising to them, as even Obi-Wan had let slip a few times how disillusioned the old Jedi Master was with the Council's continued deference to Chancellor Gunray.
"They are bred to serve the Republic," Taun We answered back.
"We represent the true Republic," Sifo-Dyas interjected strongly, "what's left of it anyhow."
"Then they will obey your commands," Taun We assured him. "As the original commissioner, Master Jedi, I will defer to your judgment on political matters pertaining to the Republic, separated we here on Kamino are from the Core Worlds."
Considering her diplomatic answer, Anakin realized the Kaminoan was not completely ignorant of galactic politics, and where her clients currently stood within that context. Still, she knew where her credits came from, and so long as the flow continued, so went the reigns of this grand army.
"How do you actually ensure they obey orders," Kara asked, the former twi'lek slave naturally suspicious of the cloners. For good reason, Anakin thought.
"Each Clone has been embedded within them an inhibitor chip," Taun We answered as they approached the leader in the room, a bald headed man who resembled his fellow clones in most of his facial features.
"That sounds very similar to a slave chip," Anakin said, interrupting the Kaminoan. He looked to Kara, who nodded voicelessly in agreement.
"I can assure you it is nothing of the sort," Taun We replied neutrally, though Anakin could sense her anxiety rise. She walked up to the clone commander. "Trooper 7567..."
"7567," Anakin asked incredulously. "They do not even deserve names from you?"
"Well," the clone looked back and forth at his breeder and her clients, unsure of who to defer to, "my brothers call me Rex...sir."
"Rex," Anakin said, swinging his full attention to the clone captain and letting the name marinate on his tongue. "How do you feel about this chip they stuck in your head?"
"I was not aware of it before, sir..."
"Anakin," he said. "Call me Anakin."
"Very well, Anakin. I don't know much about chips, but good soldiers follow orders. I know my brothers and I live to serve..."
"Soldiers serve and follow orders," Padmé said, finally voicing in on the debate, "but no soldier ought to be a slave." She turned to Taun We. "What instructions have you programmed onto these inhibitor chips?"
"We await your instructions Senator," Taun We started. "The chips as they stand make each unit more docile and compliant with orders. Of course, any orders you would like hard coded onto the chips will..."
"There will be no orders hard coded onto the chips," Padmé instructed harshly, and even Mon Mothma seemed taken aback by her vehemence.
"Are you sure," the Chandrilian senator whispered to her colleague, though her words were audible for all to hear in the small room. "I mean, there are millions of these...clones. If they were to rebel or switch sides..."
"They are soldiers, and we will treat them as soldiers, not slaves," Padmé interrupted, and as Mon retreated back into the group, it was clear to all her authority over her colleagues. "They will serve, but we will earn their service...right, Captain Rex?"
"Beyond my paygrade, your excellency." The captain's tone was neutral, like that of his cloners, but Anakin could sense no small amount of satisfaction and gratitude emanating from the man. So they did possess emotions, regardless of what Taun We told them.
"Instruct your Prime Minister to deactivate all the chips," Padmé continued, leading the group out of the room into the hallway overlooking a massive loading dock where below, tens of thousands of troops, adorned in the armor styled after the original Mandalorian host, paraded and maneuvered in perfect discipline. She looked to Bail and Mon beside her, and to her two Jedi escorts. "We will then arrange for a rotation to permanently remove them."
"Your compassion is to be appreciated," Sifo-Dyas answered, and it pleased Anakin how everyone, including the Jedi, all found themselves naturally deferring to his wife. Even the original commissioner of the clones, whose acquaintance and subsequent friendship he and Padmé had arranged as part of their plans on Cato Neimoidia, now seemed ready to turn over the final say on his pet project to the one politician in the galaxy who had won his trust. "But these are hard times, and there will be those who would seek to take control of such a powerful weapon."
"I understand your fears, Master Jedi," Padmé replied. "But these men are sentients, not merely weapons. Their lives and their rights matter just as much as anyone's, and if we fail to pay heed to that, we will become no better than the Trade Federation." Her tone danced between deference and command towards the Jedi whose approval and trust they needed above all else. He had clearly taken a liking to the young Senator, and Anakin could not help but figure that part of it was due to her physical appearance. He did not worry though, for if the old Jedi felt any lust for his wife, it was long repressed, buried under countless layers of Jedi brainwashing from decades under the yoke of the Order and its supposed Code. But surely it did influence his judgment, even slightly, though Anakin felt that Sifo-Dyas was taken more than anything else by the force of his wife's personality and reputation. If anything, he sensed almost a grandfatherly concern and fondness from the Jedi towards Padmé and himself by association, something neither one of them expected when they set out to catch his attention and earn his trust.
"You are correct," Sifo-Dyas finally conceded after a brief moment of silence in which they all gazed at the vast army below in both awe and apprehension. "The Force flows through them as it does all beings. They deserve our respect, as we would pay to all innocent beings in the galaxy."
"Then it is decided," Bail said, his relief evident as he sensed the consensus being reached between Senator and Jedi. "They will serve freely, under their own willpower."
"Look at them," Dooku said, nothing bothering to hide his unabashed admiration for the parading clone army. "I sense, my friends, the beginning of a new era here today. A grand era of peace, and justice. May the Force be with us all in the days to come."
Padmé tossed up a prayer, thanking the Gods and her beloved Naboo once again for providing her with the perfect weather and setting on this most crucial of days. Flanking her on either side of the podium were her closest allies in the Senate: Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Kara Wipper'lom, Garm Bel Iblis, Onaconda Farr, and many others, including Fang Zar, who looked like he had aged from merely old to ancient since the occupation of his homeworld. There were more than a few Jedi who had made the trip to Theed as well, Sifo-Dyas and Dooku leading a smaller contingent that included Masters Yarael Poof and Agen Kolar. To their opposite sat Queen Jamillia, who seemed fairly uneasy at the spectacle, her eyes never really leaving the hundreds of thousands of clone troopers and ships standing in formation, forming the backdrop of the holonet conference atop what was usually tranquil grassland just outside of Naboo's capital city.
As the mumblings of the holonet reporters and the gathered crowded died down, all the politicians looked to Padmé, who stood at the center of the delegation. Clearing her throat, she began her speech.
"I speak today to all citizens and sentients in the Republic and beyond. I will not mince words, for the circumstances that brought us together here on this plain do not allow for frivolity. Ten standard years ago, the Trade Federation defied the Republic and, starting here on Naboo, began a pattern of deviant and lawless behavior that continues to this day. They flouted the laws and traditions of the Republic and stood responsible for the deaths of thousands on my beloved homeworld, but with the help of the Jedi and those who stood willing to fight for the cause of freedom, we were able to take back what was ours.
Many worlds are not so lucky today. The dark cloud which engulfed Naboo so many years ago has infiltrated the very core of our Republic, perverting the institution, turning from a shield for the helpless into a shield for the reckless and soulless. The storm intensifies, spreads, and worlds and civilizations most disposed to peace and tranquility find themselves first in line for the fire."
She looked around her, sparing an especially sympathetic look at Fang Zar.
"Most of my fellow Senators gathered here on Naboo as I speak come from the most peaceful of worlds, having never considered before the vile threat of invasion and subjugation, much less under the auspices of a Republic that has protected them for a thousand years."
She gestured around at her settings, the tranquil Naboo prairie under a brilliant yet gentle sun lovingly.
"I stand here before you supremely blessed, having enjoyed an idyllic childhood on my beloved home planet, fostered and nurtured and allowed to learn, grow, and one day lead my people the best I could through war and peace alike. Some of my allies and representatives standing beside me today come from the harshest origins, including even slavery, while others have the privilege of being born into nobility. What brings us together is not an avaricious yearning for power, but the fervent desire to do good for our world, for the galaxy, but regardless of our shared and varied histories, the continued trajectory of the Republic of today under its current leadership promises to ensure that few will ever again receive the opportunity we were blessed with, to by our best efforts, serve the innocent as best we can, with clear consciences, standing firm for freedom, democracy, and opportunity for all."
She looked down, her face as somber as her plain, black dress, as if every inch and fiber of her essence was mourning the death of the principles that she had just voiced.
"I love the Republic. I grew up venerating this holied institution which has withstood the trials of time for over thousands of years.
But the Republic as I knew it to be, as so many of us who loved and cherished what we understood it to be, no longer exists. Historians can debate the roots of our failure, whether it stretches back years or even generations before this day, but today, on this most vital day, we do not have time for such philosophical deliberations. The time has come for action."
She pivoted her body, gesturing back at the figurative bantha in the room, the endless formations of lethally armed Clone soldiers hovering above the gathered reporters, politicians, and Jedi.
"It matters not whether we credit luck or fate, whether we thank the Force or a collision of many varied forces, auspicious and capricious, but never the less we stand supremely grateful for the fact that the specter of the darkness overtaking the Galaxy did not go unnoticed. Members of the venerable Jedi Order, faithful stewards of our Republic beyond memory's reach and bestowed with the curse of foresight, envisioned years ago the trials that we, who revere the founding principles of the Republic, undergo in these dark times. A grand army was subsequently commissioned by the Jedi over a decade prior on behalf of the Republic...but not the farce on Coruscant which today deigns to wield that sacred word and institution as a weapon for their own selfish interests. We who stand here on Naboo today represent the true and pure ideals of the Republic from the days of Ruusan, and we who stand here on Naboo today will fight to our dying breath to preserve the freedoms and blessings has represented over the last thousand years.
I hate war. I have seen its horrors firsthand, having reluctantly led at blasterpoint the necessary liberation of my planet and my peoples. None who stand by me here relish or take lightly the thought of war and all this abhorrent concept entails...but when oppression knocks at the threshold of our homes and hearths, hard decisions must be made, and action must be taken. Our aim is not aggression, this army not a tool to further our collective ambitions. We seek only to protect our freedoms, our lives, and the soul of our cultures and civilizations, and we welcome under our protection all who stand for right and fear the reach and breadth of the oncoming storm.
When I spoke to the Senate on the eve of the last election, I said there will be a reckoning.
Those words hold true.
By the actions and consequences of a small majority of the Senate, they have passed the burden of decision from themselves to the galaxy as a whole. My fellow citizens and sentients of all worlds and species, we all each must reckon with the forces which comprise the deepest recesses of our hearts. Do we yield, or do we fight? Do we sleep, or do we act? Shall we surrender our fortunes to the stars, or reach to take control of our own fates? The wheel of oppression, having been set along its course, finds its victims without prejudice. For many such as the brave insurgents on the embattled world of Sern Prime, the choice is bitter, immediate, and final.
I seek not to manipulate, but I cannot hide this critical message behind flowery prose. The choice, the reckoning we all must make, every sentient being in this galaxy, boils down to nothing less than good against evil, and it grieves me beyond words to say that at this late hour, there can be no middle ground between the two, for indifference will hurt only the weak and help only those who prey upon them.
Violence is the last resort, and not all may choose to fight, nor should they. But each and every one of us must decide in our hearts where we stand. Even if our choice remains silent, hidden within the deepest chambers of our souls, it must be made, for left unfettered, the darkness will unquestionably overwhelm us all. When might overcomes right, when the light of integrity and selflessness find themselves overwhelmed by the shadow of greed and ambition, we who stand here today will never accede to the death of dignity and liberty. Our hands are forced, and to all who witness this moment, the hour of our collective reckoning has arrived. The future course of the galaxy, of the lives and fates of every one of us, from Senators to monarchs to slaves, depends on what truths lie within your soul and define the very essences of your beings."
She nodded her head reverently and silently, the words spoken and the moment passed. With the gathered reporters too encapsulated in shock to speak or ask any further questions, the now former Senator turned to leave the stage, followed wordlessly one by one by her followers.
"...and absolutely outrergeous that the Jedi Council themselves would stoop to commit treason..."
Obi-Wan sighed, knowing he and the Council had no choice but to let the Supreme Chancellor finish his ravings.
"...a traitor army built under your kriffing noses damn you all to seven hells..."
He exchanged a look at Masters Yoda and Windu, who avoided his gaze despite the fact of their masks of Jedi serenity were clearly wearing thin.
"...and I swear you Jedi, you cursed bastardatazations of the Republic, each and every one of you will pay dearly for every credit the Trade Federation loses..."
Before he even realized what was happening, Obi-Wan Kenobi heard his own voice speaking out against the Supreme Chancellor of the now very splintered Republic.
"With all due respect, Chancellor Gunray, you are the Chancellor of the Republic, not the Trade Federation. Shouldn't you be more concerned about the bottom line and the survival of the Republic?"
Each Jedi in the room felt the palpable rage emanating from the Supreme Chancellor as he stared at them through the holo in incredulous shock, and as the vile string of indescribable profanities followed, Obi-Wan thanked himself for never having taken a class in Neimoidian when he was a Padawan.
"Well," he commented after the Chancellor abruptly ended the transmission, "we can be sure that the Chancellor himself is not a Sith Lord, else he would have Force choked all of us right here and now."
Mace shook his head, still in disbelief at their current predicament. "The Chancellor does make a good point. Somehow the Jedi Order has become invariably entangled with Amidala and her Clone Army, even though most of us had no clue of its existence until her Proclamation, seeing that it was commissioned by a former Council member."
"And present, there were, three current members of the Council at the Naboo Proclamation," Yoda added, referring to the name that the holonets, and thus the galaxy, had already bequeathed to Amidala's speech. "Gives the impression, it does, of the Jedi Order's support."
"Rumors that may not be wholly untrue," Obi-Wan added. "I have heard many a whisper from Masters and Padawans alike regarding their sympathies towards the plight of Amidala and her allies, especially towards Sern Prime and other occupied worlds. Many, I believe, have given voice to their hesitation to take arms against those whom they would feel to be...on the right side of this brewing conflict."
"An inevitable conflict," Mace groaned, "and the Jedi Order is already vastly divided from the Council on down. I'd say the Sith have already succeeded."
"And yet the Force is still clouded by the Dark Side," Adi Gallia commented, "and we still don't know which side of this conflict is under the influence of the Sith."
"Neither, or both," Mace said. "Anything is possible at this point, though I still find it hard to believe that strong minded Senators such as Amidala or Organa could be manipulated by anyone, much less a Sith Lord."
"And yet the evidence shows otherwise," Ki-Adi-Mundi countered. "Their actions more than anyone else's have served to divide the Republic and the Jedi Order. They may be the unwitting faces of this insurrection, but surely the Sith are manipulating their actions for their own ends behind the scenes."
"I would say it is improbable, but not impossible," Obi-Wan said, remembering his ill-thought out premise voiced months ago before the Council that Amidala herself could be the sith lord. Such ungenerous thoughts passed when she lost the election and became the victim of almost daily assassination attempts, but the young Senator had certainly found a new way of protecting herself. "Masters, I would counter with the most respect that Chancellor Gunray has been as responsible for dividing the Republic as anyone. Perhaps the most culpable, even."
"But rebellion is not the answer," Ki-Adi-Mundi argued back. "The Republic must be healed from within! Any other option would be anarchy!"
Yoda sighed sadly, seeing the beginning of yet another unwinnable debate. He put one small hand forward, silencing the others. "Clouded, the Force indeed is. An unsolvable puzzle, the state of the Republic has become. Move, Senators Amidala and Zar will, to liberate Sern Prime and Mimban, and begin it will, the war between the clone and droid armies."
"And what role does the Jedi Order have within this war," Mace asked, and Obi-Wan swore he had never seen the senior Jedi look so uncertain.
"Force action against their own consciences, the Council cannot ask of our knights. Neutral, the Council will remain, until the truth of the matter is revealed to us. Free to act for good, Masters and Knights will be, so long as the Code is followed and members seek to act for the assistance of others, rather than their own personal gain."
"The decision is...nothing? Besides a further division of the Order and further chaos within the Republic?" Ki-Adi-Mundi looked as incredulous and indignant as Gunray minutes before.
"Made a decision, I have not. The decision made for us already, it was." Shaking his head sadly, the diminutive Grandmaster strode down and moved to leave the chambers. "To Dagobah, I will go. A leave, I will take, from this Council, to meditate on the state of the galaxy and the Force. Pray for, I do, that whatever comes, that the Jedi, the Republic, and those who lead the Clones stay within the light."
"They choose nothing," Quinlan Vos said over the comm later that day from whatever unidentified planet he was on, once the Council had communicated Master Yoda's vague directive to Jedi scattered across the galaxy.
"And yet by allowing each member to follow their own conscience," Obi-Wan said, "they have chosen everything, every possibility. Only the Force can guide us now."
"I have my doubts," Quinlan said thoughtfully, "but there could be more logic to the decision than meets the eye."
"Me too. It may very well be that the Jedi can do more good serving both sides of the conflict than just one."
"I don't know when this mission will end," Quinlan said. "I just hope there's still an Order for me to come back to when it's over."
Sorry for the short hiatus. Been super busy, and writing an entire freaking speech took a bit of time, but hope you enjoyed. Updates in the near future will hopefully be a bit more regular.
Guest1: You nailed it! Thus begins the bizarro Clone Wars.
1saaa: You make some very valid points. I left vague the political developments between last story and this, but the main clue is that the margin of Gunray's latest victory was 20 votes, whereas he only won the election by one. Thus, he has gained support. It must be assumed that some who were blackmailed still voted their consciences for Padmé, but having been on the losing side, seeing their attempt to sacrifice their careers for the good of the Republic come to naught, they figure that they might as well go with the winning team. Many see personal gain or profit from going with Gunray, others follow him out of fear: fear of retribution from going against an increasingly belligerent and powerful Chancellor, and also fear that if Gunray were to ever lose power, they would be the target of retribution for their complicity with him.
Nightshade's sydneylover150: Yup...the complicated relationship between Anakin and Obi seems written in the stars.
ichigo urahara Shihoin: As the canon Jedi ignorance of Dooku's true nature in AOTC makes clear, the Order has a blind spot towards their own, and will often unconsciously give them the benefit of the doubt.
Guest2: Thanks...let's hope the reckoning for Gunray will come, that he won't end up the winner of this story as he did the last :(