Rampart didn't often show anger, nor any emotion for that matter. He had learnt from an early age that revealing your emotions also reveals your intentions, so he learnt to hide them. This made people weary to trust him, and so they should be, anyone that trusting will simply be walked upon for their pathetic, miserable existence. Rampart wasn't angry, no. He was bitter.
The security around Ryloths Doonium mines were still smoking days after the attack, his most valuable prisoner had escaped, his clone specialist has been sent to hunt down those responsible for this mess, leaving him defenseless. What's more, is that the captain originally in charge of operations on this planet now sits in a cell for treason. He needed to show Tarkin that he was still maintained control.
A buzz indicated someone was at the door to Orn Free Taa's office that he had made his own. "Enter." He said coldly.
The man who entered wore clone armour, decorated in dark grey details with yellow trims along the arms, the crest of the Naboo Royal Guard painted on his left shoulder. But this man was no clone, he was another one of Rampart's enlistees. Well built, shaved head, dark skin, determination in his dark brown eyes. "Sir!" The man saluted.
"Ah, Agent Alphard. My apologies if I don't stay long to debrief you, but there are urgent matters I must attend to off world. I trust you have read the reports and understand your mission?" Rampart said hastily as he grabbed what few belongings were actually his at the former senators desk.
Alphard stood to attention. "Sir! I am to coordinate with General Cody of the 212th to oversee the security of Ryloth."
Rampart respected this decorated guard enough to look him in the eye. "Yes, very good. General Cody will oversee the security of the Doonium mines while you oversee the city. I relieve command to you now, Agent Alphard. Good day." And with that, Vice Admiral Rampart left for his personal shuttle.
Alphard took the time to read over the files he was permitted to read, detailing the prisoner Howzer and several of his men, details of the recent attack by clone force ninety-nine, Orn Free Taa's health, anything he could get his hands on. With all that he had learned, he figured it would be time to pay his predecessor a visit.
Howzer never thought he'd be on this side of the ray shield, he found it funny how ironic the situation was, but for the time being, he was content. The men that were loyal to his cause were sheltered and fed, albeit in prison, Cham Syndulla and his family escaped, and he knew that more of his brothers were out there trying to do the right thing. He had doubts about the Empire, but all he had was hope that they upheld the Republics stance on the death penalty. Only time would tell.
"Captain Howzer?" A voice caught his attention as he looked to the crimson red shield to see a clone in interestingly detailed armour stood the other side.
"Can I help you?" He asked while trying to analyse the clone standing before him.
The clone held up a data pad. "I'm your successor. It says here that you and your men commuted treason against the Empire. I've fought alongside clones during the war, figured you were all loyal to the cause… I want to know what changed for you." He said with a voice unfamiliar to him.
Howzer squinted at the man. "So, you're no clone… But you wear our armour."
"As did the squad of specialists stationed here before me. I'll ask again. What changed?" Alphard asked firmly.
The clone captain smirked. "You might want to grab a chair. The answer to that question is a long one…"
The Silver Lining
Barriss, Sev, AZ and Hound all waited patiently in their seats of one of the ships escape pods as Slick stood at the entrance, briefing them on the plan.
"Barriss, I don't want Rex knowing about you just yet on account of his relationship with Ahsoka. So, you'll be on the ground with AZ and Hound running data recon as well as diverting the enemies attention from our position. Rex, Dogma and I will find a way into the detention center and free the clones. Sev, I know it's a big ask, but can you cover both teams?"
The commando simply nodded. "Please. Look who you're talking to." He said sounding cocky.
"Why're we bringin the droid?" Hound then asked.
"I am equipped with multiple survival mode features." The droid chirped.
"We're headed towards Howzer and the rest of his men. As far as we know, their chips are defective, but if you happen to come across any lone brothers along the way, AZ can take their chips out." Slick added.
"I'll keep out of sight." The young force welder then nodded. She wore a teal jumpsuit borrowed from the engineering room of the Silver Lining, choosing to abandoned her mirialan and Jedi robes, electing instead to wear a thin black breathable fabric across her face, just under her eyes, hiding her tattoos.
Slick smiled and nodded back to his oldest friend before hitting the emergency launch button, causing the door to close between Slick and them, propelling half the squad down to Ryloths surface close to the capital.
He then entered the bridge of the Silver Lining to meet Faun Shae sitting in the pilots chair. "Doctor, take us in nice and slow. We'll merge in with the trade freighters, then splinter off once we get closer to the planets surface. Rex has given us the coordinates." He ordered.
"I'm not a pilot, Slick… But I will do as you ask." Faun said coldly, even for a Kaminoan.
Slick could pick up on the strange tension in the room. "Something on your mind?"
Faun turned his eel like neck to face him. "I don't want him down there."
"Who? Dogma? He can take care of himself." Slick protested.
"He barely understands why we're even going to the planet, let alone why he has to hide from the other clones." The doctor retorted.
"He's not a child. You need to have more faith in him. But if you're really that worried, you have my word that I'll keep him safe." Slick spoke in an aggressive tone.
Faun squinted his eyes at the disgraced Sergeant. "That is all I can ask." He said bluntly before turning to the controls. "Our ships signature is still on Republic channels. We have permission to enter orbit."
"Good. Let's hope Rex has rolled out the red carpet for us."
Parking the Silver Lining just outside of a cavern which once served as Cham Syndulla's operation base, Slick and Dogma exited the ship, walking down the ramp to see a hooded figure emerge from begin a nearby rock. Slick drew his pistol, only for the hooded figure to drop his robes, revealing him to be none other than Captain Rex.
"Looks a little banged up." He noted while still showing a smile at the sight of his brothers. Despite what both Slick and Dogma had done in the past, they were really the few he had left.
Slick looked back at the Silver Lining, never actually seeing the damage until now. The boarding hatch was scratched beyond recognition, as well as a few other scrapes taking away the paint. "Yeah. That was Trandoshan pirates. Don't worry, we all made it out safe."
"Well, it's good to see you both in one piece… Where's Hound?" The captain asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
Slick brought out a small holo projector, revealing the layout for the capital. A small blinking red dot appeared in the chasm below the city, slowly making its way up. "I've sent him and the AZ unit ahead to shut down security systems for us. Just one person going up that way is unnoticeable, but four of us would be too much of a target. I assumed you had a plan to get in anyway, but this would make things easier."
Rex was genuinely surprised at how far Slick had thought ahead, sending a scout to infiktrait and aid in their efforts. "I- Yeah! Yeah… I do have a plan. Security is focused on protecting the Doonium mines, I've studied their patrols. There's a five minute gap between squads heading to the mines and back to the barracks. The next patrol moves out in half an hour, so we need to move."
Slick and Dogma hopped into a speeder that Rex has commandeered, it was only a two seater but Dogma made it his mission to sit up high on the back of the vehicle. Slick reminded him to be careful and to hang on tight. As the city came into view, Rex informed the duo on the rest of his plan. "Hunter put me in contact with one of Syndulla's sympathisers. They'll meet us at the checkpoint. I don't know what they look like but they'll be holding a stuffed toy to make themselves known to us, got it?"
"Got it." Slick answered. He then felt a tapping on his shoulder, he looked behind him to see Dogma pointing towards his helmet, indicating for Slick to switch his helmet radio setting to his so they could speak in private.
"Why didn't you tell him about Sev?" Dogma whispered, despite not needing to.
"The less we tell him, the less explaining we have to do. Just… keep it quiet for now. If I need to call on Sev, I'll explain it to him later. For now, we say nothing. Just get in and out, quick rescue mission, then we can go ho-… We can go back to the ship…" He explained as he caught himself from saying the one word that brings pain in his heart. All of this turmoil and stress is to find a home, he tells himself that every waking moment. It's out there somewhere.
Alphard returned to the senators office, only to be met by General Cody of the 212th in person. He immediately saluted. "General!" He addressed his superior.
"Agent." Cody addressed him back, not turning to face him, but instead looking out into the city, arms folded.
The silence was beginning to make Alphard uncomfortable, he had heard of the generals reputation in the war, he had also heard about his objections to Imperial enlistees when clones were designed to be perfect warriors. To break the silence, the agent spoke up. "How go the patrols?"
Cody still didn't turn to face him. "Nothing worth noting. If I'm being honest, I see this as a waste of my men's time. The attack on the mine was clearly a diversion for a rescue op. They're not coming back. The 212th aren't a security force, but good soldiers follow orders."
Being a natural problem solver, Alphard tried to give some friendly advice. "Well… If you're confident that there won't be anymore attacks, then don't look at it as an assignment. Look at it as unofficial RR. Running security must feel like sleeping in a warm bed compared to the horrors out there. You care about your men, don't you? Let them have this."
Cody merely grunted in response, but soon after, his shoulders slouched slightly. "I suppose a few more rotations patrolling would keep them from going back to the front lines for a while. But after that, I'm putting in my recommendation to leave… Thankyou. For your input, I mean."
"You're welcome." Alphard responded sincerely.
This time, it was Cody who decided to break the silence. "You served the Naboo Royal Guard. But Naboo didn't see much during the war. Why did Rampart send you?"
Alphard removed his helmet and set it on the balcony as he joined Cody in observing the city. "A guard of Naboo doesn't simply keep watch over the queen and its people, a guard is the law enforcement of the planet. We had a division dedicated to investigating and eliminating threats to the monarchy before they ever surfaced."
Cody then took off his helmet, genuinely interested in this agent's background. "I suppose most of those threats you dealt with are classified."
Alphard shrugged his shoulders. "Some are." He said bluntly.
The General didn't have much else to say to that. In a way, he respected the confidentiality of this agent. "Right. My patrol begins soon. I'm going to leave a small squad under your command, Agent Alphard. Report in if something comes up, though I doubt it will." Cody said as he shook the Naboo native's hand.
"General." Alphard nodded as Cody left the room. But just before he could walk out the door, the agent couldn't help himself. "General…"
Cody stopped in his tracks and turned. "Yes, Agent?"
"What… are your views on the situation? … With Howzer, I mean." Alphard asked with a slightly nervous tone.
Cody put his helmet back on, clearly indicating that this wasn't a conversation worth having. "He's a traitor to the Empire and will be dealt with accordingly." He said sternly as he turned to leave again.
"You weren't curious as to why he defied the Empire?" The Agent quickly followed up.
Just as quickly, Cody turned and raised a hand to point at him. "That's enough questions, Agent! We have a duty to serve the Empire. That is exactly what I'm going to do, its exactly what you're going to do, and it's exactly what he should have done! No more discussions." He shouted as he finally left the office.
Alphard thought on what Cody had said, he also thought on what Howzer had told him. In all his years of analysing threats to the Naboo royalty, he learnt to tell when people were lying. If clones could lie, he didn't see any indication of it. He wasn't sure what to think of the situation, let alone what to do, or if he had the power to do anything. He just knew he had to do something.
He left the office and addressed the lone clone trooper standing guard. His armour was mostly plain white like many of the soldiers he had seen aside from the 212th, but this trooper had his right arm coloured turquoise along with his right chest plate and a similar colour stripe along the right side of his helmet. "Trooper."
The clone stood to attention. "Sir!"
"What's your name?" Alphard asked.
The clone's shoulders slumped for the briefest second before standing to attention again. "Sir! My designation is CT 29-0722!"
"CT number? You don't have a name of your own?"
Once again, the trooper's shoulders slumped. "Y-yes, Sir. It's… Mustard."
Alphard raised an eyebrow. "Mustard? Doesn't seem like it suits you."
Mustard then lowered his weapon and used his free hand to point at a darker shade on his armour, a small splash of sickly yellow beneath the turquoise of his armour. "During a break, I spilt correlian mustard on my armour. The stain never came out and I was called Mustard from then on… I tried to cover it, but…" He then shrugged his shoulders.
Alphard planted a hand on the trooper's shoulder. "Whether you like it or not, the name is yours now. But it's up to you to own it, no one can take it away from you." He said in an attempt to sound encouraging.
Mustard thought on it for a moment, then slightly nodded before standing to attention once more. "Was there something you need, sir?"
"Yes, I'd like you to ask you about the events leading up to Captain Howzer's arrest."
The three clones dismounted from the speeder hidden in a cave system and made their way to the small village on the other side of the bridge, what was once an empty checkpoint is now an extension of the city itself while still serving its original purpose. Rex kept an eye out for his contact, he knew their name and what they would be holding to identify themselves, but that was it. He wasn't knowledgeable of Twi'lek culture, what bakes were considered masculine or feminine, he didn't even know their age.
Slick and Dogma stuck close, their robes covering their armour. Slick kept an eye out for any civilian with a stuffed toy, Dogma on the other hand was taking in the scenery. "Slick?"
"Yeah? What's up, buddy?" He replied quickly, trying not to distract himself.
"Why are these people scared of us? Of clones, I mean." He asked as he looked down almost in shame.
Slick almost groaned in discomfort. Dogma hadn't been present for order sixty six, he hadn't seen the atrocities commuted by their brothers. "Uh… How do I explain this?" He asked himself aloud before continuing. "Dogma. The clones served the Republic, you remember that, right?"
The young clone brought his hand up to his head as he struggled to think. "I- I try to, but… no. No, not really."
Slick then slowed down so he was walking next to his brother. "Well, the Republic saved these people from the droids. But now that the Republic has turned into the empire, the clones have become something similar to droids. They don't really think for themselves." He tried to explain.
"But… not us, right? We're special. At least, that's what Torma told me." Dogma followed up with a slight hint of relief in his voice.
"Y-yeah! That's it, Dogma. We're special because we don't have those chips in our heads that make us like the droids. These people shouldn't be scared of us, but they are because we're clones, we're supposed to look alike." Slick elaborated.
"Well, what if we can change their minds?" Dogma asked curiously before turning a sharp ninety degrees and began approaching a small group of children, they couldn't be more than twelve or thirteen years old.
"Dogma, wait!" Slick hissed as he started to chase after him, only to have Rex gently grab him by his shoulder.
"Just wait a minute." Rex said calmly as he nodded to one of the children. A teal blue Twi'lek girl with an orange stuffed toy tucked into her belt.
Dogma walked up to a local vendor directly next to the children and held up a couple of Republic Credit tokens. The male Twi'lek crossed his arms and shook his head. "Republic credits no good anymore. Imperial credits only."
Dogma lifted his head in confusion, he didn't understand the difference. Upon seeing the customer lift his head to reveal clone armour beneath the helmet, the vendor almost froze with fear, but quickly composed himself. "B-but I suppose I can make an exception this once." He almost stuttered as he took the worthless credits and gave the clone a small carton of imported Mantell mix.
Dogma slowly approached the children as they all began to freeze upon noticing his armour beneath his cloak. He then slowly knelt down and held up the carton of Mantell mix, offering it to the children, who cautiously approached and took singular snacks each. After consuming their first bites and realising that this clone was no threat, they began to take slightly bigger handfuls and began to smile at him. Dogma then gave the carton to one of the children so that they could divide it amongst themselves, he then stood up and turned to Slick and held out his arms with shrugged shoulders, as if to say "I told you so."
Rex lightly chuckled and began making his way over to the blue skinned girl standing close to Dogma. "I take it you're Numa?" He asked as he knelt down to meet her eyes.
Numa simply nodded and smiled. Slick then walked up next to him. "Wait, Numa's just a kid? Rex, we can't be letting her take us into that deathtrap." He protested.
"Do you have a better idea?" Rex then asked rhetorically while Numa gave him an irritated look.
Slick sighed in frustration, he hated everything about this plan. "No."
Rex then stood up. "Then lead the way, Numa." He said to the Twi'lek girl as he, Dogma and Slick followed her to the bridge entrance.
"Slick?" The youngest clone began.
"Yeah, Dogma?"
"Yeah, I uh… I don't feel so good about this. Like a bad feeling."
Slick sighed. "Me too, bud. Me too…"