Madness - Part 1

The room Zaiya was escorted to was one that was likely used for small briefings, there were already six men, all identical lined up in their shiny white armour. Their faces hidden beneath their helmets, but she could feel their eyes on her. Suddenly Zaiya recalled seeing an army in white in one of her visions a long long time ago. A familiar unease gripped her heart.

"These are some of our finest Clone Commanders and Captains, Lady Siren." Nala Se gestured to them with her usual slow and methodical manner. "Introduce yourselves, please."

"Sir, yes sir!" They barked in unison, the same voice overlapping from under their helms, voice modulators crackling.

"I am CC-2224." Spoke the first clone in line, "Clone Commander of the 212th Battalion." He stepped forward and saluted.

"I am CC-1138." The next one spoke, and though he had the same voice, he sounded gruffer to the ear. Already she could see ever so slight differences between them, other than the way they looked through the nexus and felt through the force. They began to recite their numbers and regiments, and she held up a hand.

"Do you not have names?" She asked curtly. There was a pause. Nala Se spoke up.

"We believe it is more efficient to use numbers rather than names-"

"Would you mind excusing us?" Zaiya looked up at the Kaminoan. "I should like to speak to them on my own if you please."

"Lady Siren, there is no need to-"

"I insist." There was a rumble in the room, the clones looking around slightly and Nala Se froze as Zaiya's eye met her own.

"Very well, I shall be right outside." She stepped back, clearly disliking this, but as she believed Zaiya was sent by Tyranus, there would be no argument. A few moments later the door closed behind her.

"At ease, gentlemen." Zaiya instructed. It took a second but the troopers relaxed… slightly. "Make yourselves comfortable." She gestured to the seats behind them and moved to the opposite side of the large table in the centre of the room. "And… take off the helmets." Slowly they began to remove their helmets, revealing the same brown skin, wide noses and dark curly hair as her ba'vodu. Except younger. Well most of them. She noted one of them had blond hair, cut shorter than the others, she wondered if this was due to a change in the genes, another had small strips of white hair at his temples, making him seem older, if not for his youthful face. They looked like fresh-faced teenagers. She looked each of them over carefully from across the table. "You have names, yes?" She asked, gesturing to them with a wave of her hand. A few of them glanced at each other. One of them held her gaze and she recognised him as the same clone from the cafeteria.

"We… sometimes have nicknames for each other." The one designated CC-2224 stated. She turned her head expectantly. "My… brothers call me Cody."

"Commander Fox." The man next to him said, the one with the white patches of hair.

"I am Captain Ponds."

"Commander Bacara." The gruff one all but grunted, he looked rather bored.

"Captain Rex." The blond one responded.

"Wolffe." The last one was almost a bark. Rather appropriate considering the name.

"Wolffe." She repeated, "You were the one in the cafeteria, yes?" He blinked.

"How… could you tell?"

"You might look the same in most aspects… but this eye sees more." She gestured to the covered one. A few of them frowned and there were a couple of glances. She smirked under the mask and decided to see their reactions. With one gloved hand she flipped up the eyepatch. There was a collective response of wide eyes and one of them gasped before she dropped the patch down again. She probably shouldn't have done that, but the look on their faces was too amusing. They seemed wary, and the one that called himself Rex spoke up.

"Are you a Jedi?" He leaned on the table.

"Do I look like one?" She replied calmly, usually that question would be upsetting, but in this case she did not feel the spark of anger for whatever reason. Perhaps her curiosity outweighed it.

"No." He replied.

"Have you seen many Jedi?" She asked, tilting her head slightly, wondering how they knew if the Jedi had not visited.

"Not in person." Cody supplied.

"Only through the training manuals." Fox added.

"You're the first outsider we've seen come through here." Wolffe looked her over with narrow eyes. "If you're not a Jedi, why are you here?"

"I have a vested interest." She replied curtly, running her fingers across the surface of the table, lost in thought she stepped over toward the clones side of the table, and gestured to the helmet closest to her as she propped her hip on the edge of the table. It happened to belong to Rex. "May I?" She asked. When he nodded she picked it up carefully, looking it over, tapping the top with one of her knuckles. "You trust in the armour they have given you?"

"Yes, ma'am." Rex replied diligently.

"You haven't really answered my question." Wolffe interjected again and she paused. She did not miss the way the other Commanders shot him a look but Zaiya let out a chuckle as she laid the helmet down again gently.

"You're rather spirited, aren't you?" She asked, a grin forming on her lips under the mask. So they did have personality behind their 'design'. "Spirit, determination, loyalty, dedication, ambition and courage…" She mused, looking from one man to the next with each word. "A fine set of soldiers and I think even finer men." She folded her arms, chuckling at their bewildered expressions. This was obviously unorthodox. "Now. Which of you gentlemen would be kind enough to show me around to the rest of the facilities?"

"With all due respect-" Cody began, standing up.

"I do so hate that phrase, because what usually follows is the opposite of respect." Cody stopped and watched her warily. "Relax, Commander, you may speak freely."

"I just meant that you already have Nala Se to guide you." Zaiya nodded. "That I do. But if I want to see a facility up close, why would I not ask the men that live amongst it?"

"As you wish, Ma'am."

"Just Siren is fine, Commander." She smirked and he nodded. Though he was expressionless, she saw Bacara smirk. She could feel their thoughts through the force, nothing clear, more just emotions. Concern, unease, curiosity and suspicion. "However, I will not force the matter." She added, "If you feel… uncomfortable, I will understand." She shifted off the table and waved a hand to them. "I will let you discuss among yourselves." She turned away, moving across the room and standing near the viewport, looking out into the storm. The way the lightning flashed among the dark clouds, the rain pelted the buildings and glass before her. Her mind wandered as she watched, a low hum beginning in her throat, a soft tune coming to her mind as she watched the droplets race down to the bottom of the pane. She was not aware the clones could hear her little tune, or that they stilled to listen for a moment.

After a minute or two, Cody stepped over to her. "Is that why they call you Siren?"

"Hm?" She turned to look at him and let out a chuckle, "Ah, I see I have let my little habit get the better of me again." She gestured to the oceans outside. "Does it always rain here or was I lucky to arrive during a storm?"

"It rains and storms quite often, ma-uh, Siren." Cody supplied.

"You actually like this downpour?" Bacara grunted with a curled lip. Zaiya smiled under her mask at his sneer.

"I do. I do not come from a place that has such weather. I find it… relaxing, I suppose." She lowered her hands from where they were folded and reached out one to touch the clear pane before her. "Sirens, according to ancient lore, live in oceans, before the travel to the stars, they would supposedly live in the seas, and look like beautiful women with enchanting voices to lure sailors travelling across the seas… they supposedly would drag the men to their deaths in the seas below to drown them… or eat them." She mused, before pulling herself from her reverie and turning back to face the clones. "Now, you have chosen, yes?"

"Depends, do we have to worry you'll drown or eat us?"

"Only if you're good." She retorted without missing a beat. A soft laugh bubbled up in her throat and she shook her head. "No, I think you will be quite safe, Commander Wolffe." She nodded in his direction. "Real Sirens are only ugly on the inside." He gave her a look she could not discern, but looked to Cody for his answer.

"Myself, Captain Rex and Commander Wolffe have volunteered to escort you, Lady Siren." The Nightsister nodded.

"Excellent." She moved toward the others that had elected to stay behind and held out a hand. "A pleasure to meet you gentlemen." She offered, and shook each of their hands in turn. The door opened as Commander Cody stepped over to it. Zaiya moved to join the other three clones and out into the hallway to see more of the facility and deal with a nervous Nala Se.


It seemed that the Kaminoan scientist was keen to introduce her to the Prime Minister, having informed him - of course - when Zaiya had left her alone. She'd managed to convince him she was sent by whoever this Tyranus was and intimidated them into just accepting her presence here. It seemed to work, though it just reminded her that she should wrap things up. As fascinated as she was, she was looking for her master, not a clone army. Surely there was another reason she was guided here?

It was then that the Chief Scientist offered to take her to the cloning facilities. Now this was something.

A huge room with columns reaching stories high, with pod upon pod of humans. Clones in various stages of growth from cells to fetuses to babies ready to be 'born'. This was something that intrigued her. Replicating cells, creating a living breathing being from just some strands of DNA. Her mind began ticking over as they explained more about the cloning process, she was careful to phrase her questions about the equipment carefully, learning how they took the cells and replicated them without even the need for an ovum or any secondary DNA at all.

"In theory…" Zaiya began, "If one of your soldiers were injured, and needed to say, have a limb amputated… you could create another as a replacement?"

"Well, yes, in theory, though it is far more cost effective to either decommission the clone or replace the lost part with a cybernetic enhancement." Nala Se replied, seemingly pleased with Zaiya's interest. Zaiya herself suddenly felt sick. Cost effective? Talking about them like they were objects or droids. It was too familiar a sentiment. Sickening. While the answer was helpful, it was still unnerving. The clones behind her didn't react, whether they saw her fist clench behind her back, she didn't know.

Luckily they moved on and Zaiya was shown a few of the training facilities; one being for schooling of cadets, so many children looking just like Boba in a standard uniform, each looking the same. The same face over and over and yet, behind it… she could see the flickers of their life forces, each just a little different in the force than the one next to them. There were a few of them being led down the hall, about half a dozen clone 'cadets' as they were called. She didn't miss the way their heads turned looking up at her as she walked beside Nala Se. These cadets seemed a little older than Boba, and while not at the same age of the Commanders and Captain behind her, they looked nearly ready to don their armour.

"Tell me, Commander Cody." She began, "Did I interrupt your training drills?"

"How… did you know we were training?" She turned, a grin under her cloth mask as she tapped his chestplate with the first knuckle of her forefinger.

"I don't imagine you boys have to suit up all day when not on active duty yet?"

"Could have been just for you." Wolffe countered, eliciting a sharp laugh from the Nightsister.

"Somehow I doubt it, Commander." She fell in step with the clones, her eye glittering with mischief. "Though… I should very much like to see what a Clone Commander can do beyond having a smart mouth." She smirked on seeing his reaction, only the slightest falter. Apparently she was never what anyone quite expected. Good.


Notes:

Can you believe it?! Tomorrow will be FIFTY Chapters! FIFTY! This is pretty big... so in honour of that, I want you to send me any questions you have, about characters, the writing process, my thoughts on things, and I will so a special Q&A next week if I get enough questions! I won't spoil the story to come of course, but let me know if you have any questions! We saw some familiar faces today! I figured that Rex's hair is so short that it's unlikely dyed, so I had the hair as a genetic anomaly. Anyway! Tomorrow we will see what Maul has been up to... as well as some more clones... As always, thank you for comments and your feedback! I love you all! See you soon!