Agent James ███████

[After extensive investigation in inter-planetary flight records leaving from Felucia, I tracked the flight to Coruscant and further tracked his meager off-duty luggage to a hotel rented out to Republic Intelligence. After pestering them enough, I managed to get a interview with Rats' handler. It seems he was recruited into RI (1) as a Intelligence Operative. Agent James ███████ was his handler. We meet at a local bar in Coruscant. James slouches in his chair and gives off a mixed vibe of relax but tense. He smiles warmly as I sit down. He has to half yell over the crowd.]

Rats was awesome, if you want my opinion. Got the job done every time. No matter what he had to do, he did it like a machine. Without falter, without any amount of failure. He was perfect for RI too, worked alone, hated working with teams, and he was an expert tor- er, "active interrogator". You could tell he liked doing it. Plus, RI couldn't possibly turn it down, it was like the holy fucking thermal detonator. It was just too good to be true.

What do you mean?

What I mean is that RI is the least known, most underfunded government department in the whole Republic. Im pretty sure the Public Holo-message office has better funding. Compared to the Republic Military Forces, the RI is about as rich as a hobo. Not only THAT but RI was the Republics eyes and ears, we had to be everywhere at all times, funding or no funding. Behind every hero, there was RI. Behind every Jedi, RI. Behind every alleyway, doorway, baby carriage, there had to be RI. A lot of people credit Obi Wan for killing Grievous. Fuck that, all he had to do was shoot the poor sod in the heart. It was US who tracked him to Utapau, US who, after moths of monitoring, found his ship. It was US who did ALL the hard parts. Obi Wan was just a means to an end... You know how many times we got the chance to recruit a Republic Commando? Not only a RC, but a RC that graduated the top of his training group? None. This was a one in a lifetime opportunity for RI, and we took it. Man, the face on the RI chief of operations was priceless. He looked like a five year old who just pissed his pants. James giggles like a schoolboy It was priceless. I don't think he even payed attention to Fesbil when he told him Rats long list of psych problems...

What about the military? I would imagine they wouldn't just hand over a top notch RC easily.

Are you kidding?! I'm pretty sure Spec Ops had a spastic fit. Oh yeah they fought for Rats alright. Hired the best lawyers in the whole fucking galaxy. But they forgot RI has access to all the government documents ever created. We pulled up multiple accounts of Rats' trainer recommending him for janitorial work and even footage of other trainers neglecting Rats as he got the sh!t kicked out of him as a kid. Poor guy, even poorer Spec Ops department. Needless to say, it didn't look good for Spec Ops.

And guess what? As soon as we got Rats, I got to be his handler! I dunno what Rogers was thinking, guess he decided to throw me a bone.

And what about the transfer process? You can't just take a RC and put him in Intelligence Operator boots.

Normally, your right. But Rats learned-... Snaps his fingers like that. I gave him the field manual and he gave it back two days later, memorized the whole god damn thing. It took him a week to pass the course, which is fast even for a RC.

Of course, that's not to say Republic Commandos and Intelligence Operators are the same thing. Intelligence Operators, for one, lose the Katarn armor (2). Instead they're given black Mk II's, but Rats decided to use an old black Mk I helmet... I don't know why (3).

Not only that, but our armor is black. Where as Commando squads vary between units (4). Also, to make up for the sh!tty armor, Intelligence Operators have a "Free choice" policy on the firearms.

"Free choice policy?..."

Mhm. Republic Commandos are given standard issue spec ops DC-17s. Attachments included. But when your a Intelligence Operator, the armorer has a "You think it, we make it" sort of policy. Meaning Intelligence Operators get whatever weapon, attachments, customizable tools, and even personal touches like engravings they want. So Rats turned in his boring DC-17 for a black DC-17 with a yellow stripe on the side, three different scopes, extended 100 round magazine, a collapsible silencer that fit into a little compartment in the gun, at the flick of a button, and even a under-barreled hand held flechette-cannon on the bottom.

Flechette canon?

Yep, little doo-dad that fires a ton of little darts at once. Rips things to shreds, and Rats' canon was the best in the business. His flechettes were heated, could rip right through steel even. At close quarters, it could vaporize the top half of someone. He even took down a gunship with a well placed shot with one of those.

Holy shit, don't you think that's a bit excessive?! Maybe a bit over the top?...

Why? You know how many RCs there are in the army? Couple hundred, I believe. But Intelligence Operators? Around twenty of them existed. And we're not even talking about how many are active today. It's not that Intelligence Operators were better, it's just that there's less of em'. In order to compensate for the pitiful membership, they got the better Deeces (5)

So... What happened?

How do you mean?

What happened next?

James looks at a Twi'lek female carefully and closely as she passes by. Sorry, what?

The Blackened Harvest incident, What happened!?

James frowns You really want to know? Because honestly, I have no idea. All I know is we sent him out with his RC team. The plan was he'd fake his death, then when the mission was over he'd be classified as KIA and he'd be ours. The "mission", which I remind you, was supposed to be fake, was a simple search and destroy mission. We told them that there was a CIS informant somewhere in Coruscant. What was SUPPOSED to happen was one of our agents would pop out with a squirt gun (6) and shoot Rats in the head with it. Rats would feign death with the help of some heart slowing meds, and the agent would be arrested but released secretly without anyone ever knowing.

But you and me both know that's not what happened.

James smiles Clearly, all you have to do is look outside your front window and see the damage.

1. Short for "Republic Intelligence"

2. Armor worn by Clone Commandos or Republic Commandos

3. Referring to the old Mk I clone armor used on Geonosis and the new Mk II armor used now.

4. For example, Delta squad was given gray armor that was painted and customized. Omega squad had Black.

5. Deece, the slang term for Republic's military weaponry, DCs.

6. A Republic Intelligence term for a laser pistol armed with blanks, no live ammunition.