Riven Apart (SYOC)

Prologue II

POV: Rhenn Ikes, Nautolan Padawan learner (18)

Rhenn knew they had arrived on Kamino when he heard the sudden pattering of rain on the outside of the ship. Master Ardyr and Senator Hylt were at the front of the ship, which had allowed Rhenn time to relax and prepare for their arrival.

In some ways, he was nervous. The clones would be entirely new people to meet – not that Rhenn had ever had much problem making friends – but there would be an expectation to be somehow above them and still be friendly. What if they didn't like him? Didn't respect him? He was only 18 and had never seen a battlefield before. At the very least, they would be facing droids.

He pulled his cream-colored robes around his shoulders and did up the sash at his waist, tightening it until it fit snugly across his chest. The trip from his quarters back to the cockpit wasn't far, allowing him to make it by the time they were landing.

"Just in time," Senator Hylt turned and flashed a smile. "You get to see our destination. Our rainy destination, it would seem."

They could hardly see anything out of the windows because the rain was falling so hard. It ran like a sheet, obscuring anything but darkness and some glimmering white lights. Tasu set the ship down with a dull thunk as the landing gear engaged against the hard ground outside Tipoca City.

"You may want to wear something a little heavier, Master Jedi," The senator from Kuat said, pulling a heavy coat around his broad shoulders. "The rain here isn't like on Coruscant, it seems. You'll be soaked right to the bone."

"I'll manage, but I thank you, senator," Tasu pulled up the hood on his cloth Jedi robes over his lekku. Rhenn had no need to do so as the rain wouldn't bother him like the others, but he'd always found the sight with Tasu's hood up a comedic one. It seemed almost like two points at the top of his head, then sloped down over the rest of it.

The trio walked through the halls to the exit. The ship opened up and a small ramp was lowered to the ground, immediately being covered in rain. Rhenn could see better than through the window, but it was already splashing them from inside the ship. Tasu took off first, walking down the ramp with the senator close behind. Rhenn followed in the back and immediately felt the cold spray of the water. They took a left turn and hid in the underside of the ship to try not to get as wet. It didn't matter though, because his robes were already soaked through. The coolness felt good on his face. Still, if there was much more he would be cold quickly.

Two people waited for them – Rhenn could only assume they were Kaminoans. They were tall and pale as milk, their heads incredibly small with a longer neck than most species he had seen in his life.

"Welcome, Master Jedi," One's melodious voice greeted through the throngs of rain. "Your clones are ready for you inside."

The door behind them whirred open to reveal what seemed to be very pristine hallways. They were nearly all white with bright lights along the ceilings and walls. The three walked together into the doorway. Fabian pulled his heavy coat's hood down and shook his head. Rhenn glanced at Tasu, whose dark grey robes were soaked, just like his own. They appeared nearly black in the light, and were droopy because of the rain. Rhenn's own felt squishy to the touch and he tried to wring out the bottom of the heavy fabric. Water dripped onto the floor from it.

Rhenn walked alongside his master down the hallways. Through the clear glass they could see rows and rows of people in shining white armor. They all had similar hair, similar faces. They're clones, Rhenn, he had to remind himself. Of course, they'll look like each other. The thought of cloning made him a little squeamish on the inside. They were making human people adjust to doing one task and one task alone – winning this war against the Separatists. How was that ethical?

Tasu's face was a mask as they walked together, but he knew his master well enough to know that he was having similar thoughts. There were few Jedi that Rhenn thought of as wiser than Master Tasu, something that he thought of with pride. He would know how best to proceed.

"Several detachments have already left Tipoca City," One of the Kaminoans noted to them, pausing at a small spiral staircase. "Some came back after Geonosis, others headed to Coruscant to begin preparations for the defense of the capital."

"I have noticed some in Coruscant," Senator Hylt noted as he stroked his beard. "It would make sense that the Separatists would target Coruscant if they could."

They went one by one down the staircase. Rhenn noticed his master's com link blinking on his wrist. Rhenn tapped his arm to get his attention and pointed at the light.

"Is there anywhere I can go to take this privately?" Tasu asked one of their hosts.

"In there," The Kaminoan pointed to a small, nearly imperceptible door. It was an energy room of some sort, a small compartment at best that could fit few people into, but had tubes and pipes inside.

"Rhenn," His master gestured for him to follow him into the small area while the others waited outside.

He tapped the button on his wrist and a small glowing apparition showed of another Jedi. "Ryse, what is it?" Tasu asked when he saw the young man.

A human knight from Alderaan, Alexios Ryse had become a knight a few years ago. He was proficient with a lightsaber in his hand, but was not regarded as the wisest among them. Then again, neither would Rhenn if he really had to think about it. No doubt that Alexios would be on the battlefield if prior history was anything to judge it by.

"Your first assignment from the Council," He folded his arms over his chest and looked at each of them. "You've picked up your clones, haven't you?" The projection warbled before it stabilized once more.

"We're on Kamino currently," Tasu looked over his shoulder at the now-closed hatch. "We will be ready to depart soon."

Alexios seemed to nod when he heard that. "Alright, Master Ardyr. You may want to guide your clones to Coruscant while you and your Padawan take on your task. It will require a certain amount of…discretion. A whole battalion of clones with a huge ship likely isn't going to pull this off."

Rhenn's interest was piqued, wondering what their first assignment could even be. He had expected grinding battles against Separatists and jetting from one system to the next hoping to catch them off guard and get closer to victory.

"The Separatists have established their new Parliament on Raxus. The old senator there was killed, a new one was appointed shortly thereafter. They hadn't had the chance to leave the planet by the time that their home system decided to leave the Republic. We've learned that she has since been taken into custody while attempting to leave the planet. The Chancellor himself wishes for her to be retrieved. Any threat to a Republic senator, former or current, is to be taken seriously – were along the lines of the words that he said."

"Thank you for letting us know, Ryse," Tasu said. "You may transfer the information to the ship that we have here on Kamino and we will use the information to get to Raxus."

He ended the call and pulled the hatch again. The Kaminoan and Senator Hylt were waiting for them to continue their short journey to meet the clones – specifically the ones that would be leading alongside Rhenn and Tasu.

Rhenn had never thought much about the senators from worlds who had left the Republic. Many, he assumed, would go on to stay loyal to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Padawan also assumed that it was rare that they held greater allegiance to the Republic than their home world. He felt differently, though he assumed that was a byproduct of being a Jedi and having no real home outside the Jedi Temple.

"Many of these clones will end up under your supervision," The Kaminoan explained as they looked down at where the identical men were milling. "You will get to know many of them in time, but today you will get to know two. Your commander and lieutenant."

The group filed together silently to a small chamber-like room with two plain gray long tables. A mess hall of some sort, but a smaller one. Rhenn couldn't guess at the exact purpose of the room, but two men were waiting for them inside. The only big difference between the two men was their armor. While both wore scarlet and ivory colors, one's had more plating over the shoulder. Though, as Rhenn approached, he could see a second difference.

"This is CC-5902," The Kaminoan introduced the man on the right, who had come to attention when the Jedi approached. "Your commander, General."

Tasu nodded and held out his hand to introduce himself. "Tasu Ardyr, it's nice to meet you, sir."

"And you, sir," The clone replied.

"And this is CT-7108."

The second man stepped forward, having short cropped hair like his commander, but it seemed to be a tad lighter than the pure black of the clone commander. It was a dark brown, hardly perceptible if you were farther away than standing across from them.

"Sir," CT-7108 came to attention and inclined his head to the Jedi.

"Would you mind if we had time alone with the commander and the lieutenant?" Tasu requested of the Kaminoan.

The tall creature gave an inclination of the head. Rhenn couldn't detect any frustration or emotion from them, who took their leave into the hall once more. He was surprised that the senator made no move to leave and that Tasu made no request to him.

Tasu gestured for the rest of them to take their seats on one of the long-running tables. "I hope I am not overstepping or seem rude…but is there another name you may prefer over your numbers? I fear I may forget if I have so many in my head."

The commander smiled briefly when he heard that, almost to himself. "You're right, sir. It's common for clones to give themselves, or others, names. I'm Roc, rock without a C. This is Lion, sir."

Lion gave a brief smile and rubbed the back of his head. "When I was younger, I wanted to look like a lion so I hid out during the haircuts and the inspections so my hair would grow out and I found some blonde hair dye someone had smuggled in. You wouldn't believe how long I had to convince the others that one thing from when I was young would affect my position in the army. And Roc is…well, he's sturdy. Like a rock."

A smile crossed Rhenn's lips when he heard that, his tendrils shifting as a small chuckle escaped. "But removed the K?"

"It made more sense, sir," Roc explained.

The group sat together while Tasu began to explain what the next steps would be. Roc, Lion and the other clones would head back to Coruscant to prepare for their first deployment while Tasu and Rhenn would head to Raxus for their rescue of the senator who had never taken her position in the Republic.

"Are you sure you don't want any backup, General?" Roc's voice conveyed some skepticism within it.

"What do you think would be wisest?"

Tasu hadn't been to war before - not that the other clones had, but they had trained for it. The Togruta had gone on missions, like other Jedi, but they weren't his favorite. Rhenn had found that out from the hours of studying that he was expected to do back on Coruscant.

"You should take Lion," Roc nodded to his compatriot. "Another shooter to protect your way if you need and to look for traps they may have set. He's prepared for it."

"Thank you, Commander," Tasu inclined his head toward Roc. "That will be the plan then. To Raxus."

Author's Note: Hello there! Thank you for reading. This chapter was a bit harder for me to write and didn't come out exactly as I wished - but I am really looking forward to the next one to get into some more diverse environments. I really wanted to get an update out before the 31st - potentially two - so I wanted to get this out quickly.

Submission Note: Submissions are coming in nicely - I am going to update the trackers for clones I've received as well as species I've received for Jedi so far. This doesn't guarantee that they will be accepted, but it allows you to see which ones you may want to focus on rather than double up on. I've received multiple knights now, so I am not really in need of them. I am most in need of female characters in general, Padawans (have slightly less than masters, but it isn't a huge discrepancy) and I have received no Senators thus far. Senators aren't in dire need since they stay open longer, but if you're thinking about having a non-Jedi, maybe consider them. Jedi should be your first priority until the 31st passes, if you're interested in them.