First, it's worth recalling some recent events.
For example, the story concerning the now-deceased H1.
He, like his "brother" H2, are biological clones of Padawan Rahm Kota's, Falon Grey, now deceased.
These two clones were created by the Kaminoans shortly before the start of the Clone Wars, for the study of "Jedi genes."
How "shortly before" the Kaminoans working for the Dominion do not know.
But by the time of the Clone Wars, H1 and H2 had already reached maturity and were actively participating in the conflict.
However, they were produced using Kaminoan technologies, and they did not receive the original's knowledge.
Only basic clone trooper training.
They studied the "Jedi arts" independently.
At present, H1 is dead, and the search for H2 is being conducted by Dominion intelligence.
Let's record the thought.
Successful experiments in cloning Force-sensitive sentients have been conducted more than once.
Galen Marek is direct proof of that.
He was produced on Kamino in one of the city-laboratories on Kamino by order of Darth Vader.
The production was overseen by...
Orun Wa, who held the position of chief geneticist after the disappearance of Ko Sai, who created the Grand Army of the Clones.
In other words, this Kaminoan not only created the Null-class and Alpha-class Elite Republic Commandos, but also worked on cloning Galen Marek.
As did his team, which now works for me.
And then things get even more interesting.
The Kaminoans claim that the clone of Marek who currently works for the Alliance is indeed a clone.
The original's corpse was stored as a DNA source in the laboratory and used to create Marek clones.
The claim that the currently living Marek clone is the only successful and mentally stable one is untrue.
There was another.
Whose fate is unclear, but he was definitely present on Kamino during the attack by Kota's rebel group on the planet and the capture of Vader.
I suspect that this refers to the so-called "Dark Apprentice."
An intriguing moment, but he only manifested himself in the second part of the game "The Force Unleashed" in that variant of events where the protagonist intended to destroy the already defeated Darth Vader.
Where he disappeared is unknown to the Kaminoans, but he left the planet following Boba Fett, who set off after the rebels.
Likely, their paths diverged at that point, because if Fett's words and memory are to be believed, the bounty hunter did not encounter the Dark Apprentice while freeing Vader on Dantooine.
I suspect that this ambiguity is a prologue to new problems that I will have to resolve personally.
Let's record the thought.
Now, let's go backward.
Darth Vader began creating clones of Galen Marek approximately two years before the Battle of Yavin IV.
Subject 1138 (oh, that magic of the number 1138), who currently serves the Alliance, escaped from the planet in the same year.
The attack on Kamino occurred at the same time.
A logical question arises: how did the Kaminoans grow Force-sensitive clones in such a short period of time?
This wasn't even the Spaarti cloning cylinders at work.
The answer lies in the facts of cloning Force-sensitive sentients that I mentioned earlier.
The Kaminoans' experiments in rapidly creating clones were supplemented with data provided personally by Darth Vader.
What that data was, where it came from, what it contained—the current Kaminoans do not know.
One can also recall information that beneath the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine during the Galactic Civil War, cloning cylinders were discovered, and in them a clone of Darth Vader was created.
The original destroyed his copy.
However, now, thanks to the presence of 501st Legion fighters and Imperial archives, it becomes quite clear that this happened after the Battle of Yavin, since Vader went to Dantooine in search of Luke Skywalker.
And the Dark Lord of the Sith learned of the latter's existence directly before the events related to the destruction of the Death Star station.
At least, if I remember correctly the brief summary of the book "Galaxy of Fear: Clones" that I read many years ago.
What happened to the laboratory itself in the literary universe is unknown to me, but our search teams sent to Dantooine last year did not find it there.
Only Jedi artifacts of historical value, and empty chambers.
Either destroyed or evacuated.
By whom?
I suspect by Darth Vader.
Further.
The last episode is merely an exception to the rule, as it occurred later than the first two...
Stop.
Recorded the thought.
I am mistaken.
Darth Vader visited the Jedi Enclave twice.
Both before and after the Battle of Yavin.
In the first case, he left his blood in the cloning laboratory, and only on his second visit did he destroy the laboratory.
I cannot recall exact dates, if they even existed.
But considering the fact that this is an ancient Jedi cloning laboratory, in which, according to Imperial intelligence data before the Clone Wars, Zeta Magnus, the Arkanian genetic monster who later created Jedi clones in a matter of hours and has a direct connection to the "GeNod" program, was hanging around, one can draw a direct causal connection between everything that happened.
And as always—get a considerable number of questions.
The primary interest is the cloning related to Rahm Kota's apprentice and Galen Marek.
Both were produced by Kaminoans.
And in both cases, only two stable clones were obtained.
But there is a difference between these projects in terms of the preparation of the "products" by the Kaminoans.
If H1 and H2 received basic clone trooper training, then all clones of Galen Marek were subjected to "accelerated learning."
More precisely—to its experimental component, named in the laboratory "Memory Flashes."
Like any other clone training methods, "Memory Flashes" were used to transfer knowledge and experience from the primary clone to the subject clone.
However, a side effect of the memory imprints was that they could destabilize the clone's mental health. Receiving memories of another person's life, the clone could fall into an identity crisis, unable to distinguish his own experience from the progenitor's memories.
In the end, the confusion could drive the clone to madness.
Indeed, this is exactly what happened to all of Galen Marek's clones except two—Starkiller, who now works for the Alliance, and the Dark Apprentice, whose whereabouts and occupation are unknown.
The "Memory Flashes" technology is experimental, and thanks to Starkiller's rampage, it was destroyed.
The Kaminoans did not dare repeat their experiment with such training and abandoned the program.
But the data on accelerated clone growth, thanks to which H1, H2, Starkiller, and the Dark Apprentice were created.
Well, now let's order the events.
Using what I know from the literature of the universe, from documents, and supplementing it with logical conclusions.
First—hundreds (or even thousands) of years ago, beneath the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, a Jedi cloning laboratory appeared.
Later, Zeta Magnus, the brilliant monster, finds it and, evidently, modernizes it.
Then, Magnus flees from Dantooine.
He collaborates with Darth Sidious in exchange for help in achieving immortality, while his work is what became the "GeNod" project.
Here it is, the prelude to what happened.
Parallel to these events, Rahm Kota and his apprentice Falon Grey end up on Kamino shortly before the start of the Clone Wars, and the Kaminoans obtain a tissue sample from Grey.
They produce clones—H1 and H2, train them to be soldiers.
The Clone War begins.
H1 and H2 become soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Further.
Zeta Magnus captures the remote world of Marat V, where Jedi are sent to arrest him, suspecting him of ties to terrorist attacks and outrages on Dantooine, Jedi.
Who are Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
And one more padawan.
On Marat, they fall into Zeta Magnus's captivity, where he demonstrates to them the ability to grow clones in a matter of hours.
Let's record this thought.
The Jedi suspected Magnus of the outrages on Dantooine.
Anakin Skywalker saw him creating clones in super-short time.
Moving forward.
Order Sixty-Six, the Galactic Empire emerges from the ruins of the Old Republic.
The clone uprising on Kamino occurs, and the planet comes under full Imperial control.
Darth Vader, now the possessor of a stylish armored suit and terrifying helmet, finds the boy Galen Marek on Kashyyyk and makes him his secret apprentice.
Marek dies two years before the Battle of Yavin.
Darth Vader, well acquainted with Kamino's capabilities and possessing knowledge that a Force-sensitive sentient clone can be created, entrusts this to the Kaminoans, delivering to them the dead body of the real Galen Marek.
This happens two years before the Battle of Yavin.
Vader's first visit to Dantooine occurred on an open date, but before the Battle of Yavin.
I assume that the Dark Lord of the Sith went to Dantooine precisely to check Zeta Magnus's involvement in the outrages on Dantooine, for which he was accused nearly twenty years before the Battle of Yavin.
There, Vader enters the laboratory, where somehow his DNA is obtained and his mind is scanned.
Vader flies to Kamino.
Two stable clones emerge from an army of psychos, created incredibly quickly.
Starkiller is unable to resist the "Memory Flashes" and cannot harm the hologram of Juno Eclipse.
Vader sentences him to death, and this gives Starkiller the strength to escape from Kamino.
The Dark Lord of the Sith hires Boba Fett to track down the clone and bring him back.
At the same time, Darth Vader is preparing the second clone, the Dark Apprentice.
Starkiller returns to Kamino, breaks through for Eclipse through the entire city, destroying everything in his path, after which he does not kill Vader but captures him for trial.
The Dark Apprentice and Boba Fett fly off the planet after the rebels.
In the background, Fett learns that the Kaminoans were secretly creating his clones and destroys them.
Fett frees Vader.
The Dark Apprentice disappears from the "radars."
Eclipse, Kota, Starkiller—dissolve among the stars with their flotilla, continuing to act independently, as former Senator Bel Iblis did in his time.
The result—the technology for cloning gifted ones exists among the Kaminoans.
But it is extremely dangerous.
It is also worth noting that Fett, in pursuit of Starkiller and on the planet itself, had dozens of extremely aggressive and dangerous droids.
From the negative—after liberation, evidently losing the ability to find the Dark Apprentice, Darth Vader ceased experiments in cloning the gifted.
On Dantooine, he finds his own clone, destroys it, and then his thoughts are occupied with searching for rebels, meeting Luke Skywalker...
And he has no time for Galen Marek's clones.
Intriguing.
The scales in the number of strong Force-sensitive sentients are tipped toward my opponents.
Luke Skywalker has disappeared, and in the current circumstances, he can only be in the hands of Darth Sidious.
Who also has the Dark Side Elite, replenished by unknown gifted ones—the latest murder of members of this organization on Bespin, carried out by Darth Maul, confirms this.
The New Republic has Starkiller, has Rahm Kota, has Kyle Katarn.
Likely and most obviously, there are other surviving Jedi or their descendants in the galaxy who, one way or another, serve anti-Imperial forces.
I suspect that H1 also serves the New Republic in a secret intelligence subdivision or something similar.
This lead is being investigated by the analytical group of the Dominion's regular fleet headquarters.
I, on the other hand, have several potentially strong Shadow Guards and jenasaari who are not yet "ripe."
From unknown variables—the missing Corran Horn and his family at Kessel.
As well as the Dark Apprentice, who is likely equal in power to Starkiller.
And the original of the latter fought Palpatine on equal terms.
It is high time to begin searches and give intelligence acceleration in searching for the Dark Apprentice, since his existence is confirmed by eyewitnesses.
One can only hope that the Dark Apprentice, due to his nature and inclination toward the Dark Side of the Force, has not gone over to Darth Sidious's side and is not his secret weapon.
I doubt he would work for any criminal organization—rather, he would lead it, for the Dark Side does not tolerate subordination.
There are also some data on him compiled from the words of the working Kaminoan group.
"No doubt. It's him. Stable where others fail, fully in control of the situation. I can barely contain myself. It seems I might be allowed to return to my family after all. I look at him as a kind of salvation. I'm not the only one. He has attracted significant attention..."
This is the quote that Captain Steuben cited during the interrogation of one Kaminoan.
This is how one of the Imperial scientists reacted to the Dark Apprentice's development shortly before the Attack on Kamino.
In which he did not survive, by the way.
So, there is not much information on the Dark Apprentice, but it should be studied for leads.
According to Kaminoan testimonies, the experiments in cloning Galen Marek took place as part of Vader's efforts to create a perfect and obedient replacement to take the place of the deceased.
Before him, there were several clones, all trained using "Memory Flashes" from the life of the original Marek.
These predecessors somehow failed to meet the Dark Lord's expectations, either due to genetic defects or succumbing to their template's emotions, and were subsequently culled.
That is, destroyed.
The Dark Apprentice was awakened by Vader after Subject 1138—Starkiller's escape.
The second stable clone confronted Marek's memories, particularly this man's feelings for his former pilot, Captain Juno Eclipse, who is currently, with the broad hand of Rahm Kota and the Alliance, called an admiral and is engaged in securing the planet Koensayr, where K-wing bombers are produced to replenish the Alliance fleet's shortage of fighters.
Eyewitnesses indicate that upon awakening, the Dark Apprentice inquired about Eclipse's whereabouts, but Darth Vader declared that she was irrelevant—everything that mattered was what the clone had to do as the continuer of the Dark Lord of the Sith's will.
At the same time, the Kaminoans indicate that such a scene was almost routine for Marek clones.
Vader's response was identical in all cases of awakening.
Usually, trials followed, which the clones failed and were destroyed.
An important component of the entire Marek cloning process is the so-called aberrant clones.
They were genetically and physically damaged clones of Galen Marek.
The very hundreds of failures that plagued the cloners in the process of creating at least physically complete copies.
Using an experimental version of the Kaminoan cloning process, thanks to which H1 and H2 were created, as well as the data delivered by the Sith Lord (as I understand—from Dantooine), Vader's scientists duplicated Marek's genetic code but encountered numerous failures in attempting to reproduce the Force-sensitive template.
The initial subjects were physically deformed and went mad due to innate memories of their progenitor.
The procedure was gradually perfected by the lead cloning specialist Orun Wa, who managed to create a new batch of clones that physically resembled Marek at the time of his death.
Nevertheless, they too suffered from identity crises due to the Memory Flashes intended to aid their training. In the end, the aberrant clones were kept in stasis in the cloning center of Tipoca City on the planet Kamino.
Darth Vader personally oversaw the training of clones who showed potential, discarding each failure in an attempt to find one who met his expectations.
And it was precisely from this batch that Starkiller and the Dark Apprentice eventually emerged.
Returning to the latter, the Kaminoan report indicates the second clone's curiosity about Marek's fate and Starkiller's purpose.
In answering questions, Vader repeatedly deemed it unnecessary to answer directly—rather, he stated that the clone had inherited the memories, thoughts, and dreams of a broken man, far less powerful than the Dark Apprentice.
As a side effect of the cloning process, he possessed both the skills and weaknesses of his genetic template.
Vader showed his apprentice the dead body of Galen Marek, the template for Starkiller's clones, and he showed no reaction, fully agreeing with his master that both Marek and Starkiller were no more than defective sentients.
Quite intriguing...
Vader time and again tried to restore his mighty apprentice.
Cloning, especially Kaminoan, requires considerable costs—at least on consumables.
Considering the scale of the work—this is multibillion expenses.
Which were clearly not financed from the Empire's budget.
So for what?
To the real Galen Marek, Darth Vader said he was training him ostensibly to destroy Palpatine.
But when such a chance presented itself—Vader sided with Sidious.
Twice.
Does this mean Vader wanted to destroy Sidious?
I think yes.
He tried to recruit his son for this purpose.
And one can claim as much as one wants that Darth Vader, during the battle with Luke Skywalker in Cloud City, was deceiving his son to turn him to the Dark Side—this is nothing more than speculation.
If Vader is considered a loyal servant of the Emperor, too many questions arise about the first.
He had a considerable number of secret apprentices.
And as is known, Sith acquire them only to pass on their knowledge in the future.
Such is the "Rule of Two."
If Vader wanted to destroy Skywalker as a threat to the Emperor—he would have killed him in Cloud City guaranteed and not cut off his hand.
But to recruit his son...
Yes, such a development is probable.
So Vader's betrayal is evident.
He was preparing to destroy Palpatine.
Unlikely from his very first day as a cyborg, but in the process of decades of service—definitely.
Indeed, the last film of the original trilogy, a number of additional sources, including Darth Maul's account of his service to Sidious as an instructor for the Emperor's Hand, vividly show that Sidious is no fool either.
He tested his apprentice time and again, checking his resilience.
Then, when the opportunity arose, he betrayed him, seeking to capture his son in the Dark Side's captivity and place him beside him instead of his father.
It is no wonder that Darth Vader, a man of heavy fate but not an idiot, prepared countermeasures.
The Dark Apprentice was trained in lightsaber combat against several Sith training droids.
After viewing his progress, Vader showed him the cloning platforms in the Tipoca City cloning spire, on which all his rejected brothers, locked in stasis, were displayed.
The clone was determined to surpass all the others, but he was curious to know how many there were before him. Vader ignored the question; instead, he told the Dark Apprentice that the only number that mattered was how many clones would be needed if he failed like the others. Vader warned him that if he could not overcome Marek's emotions, he would fail like his predecessors.
Over time, the lead cloning specialist noted that the Dark Apprentice was able to separate the memory imprints used for his training, thereby succeeding where all others failed—the clone was able to store Marek's memories independently of his own, freeing him from his template's emotions.
In a training match against holodroids, the Dark Apprentice was able to rise above Marek's emotions, defeating a droid resembling Captain Eclipse.
To Vader, the clone showed his disgust and hatred for his template's weaknesses and his pride in overcoming them, when those before him failed.
Satisfied, Vader replied that he was almost ready for his final trial.
After Starkiller joined the Rebel Alliance in the attack on Tipoca City's cloning centers, Darth Vader, as I understand, intended to use the battle as the final trial for the Dark Apprentice, luring Starkiller into a trap at the top of the cloning spire.
That is why Boba Fett did not kill but captured Juno Eclipse and delivered her to Kamino, to Tipoca City, the city where Galen Marek's clones were created.
And here begins the most interesting part.
One of the technicians tells something most curious.
And this account is a vivid demonstration that even genetically obedient technicians and workers have eyes and ears.
No matter how their more fortunate brethren treat them as pieces of furniture.
Before leaving to confront Starkiller, Vader ordered the Dark Apprentice to wait until his help was needed.
The well-known outcome: the Sith Lord was captured by the Alliance at the end of the battle without the Dark Apprentice's intervention.
His trail is lost thereafter.
According to laboratory observations, the Dark Apprentice, created from the genetic template of Darth Vader's former apprentice, possessed the same Force abilities and potential as his progenitor.
During training on Kamino, the Dark Apprentice trained in lightsaber combat against several Sith training droids, using the two-blade combat form known to me but incomprehensible to the Kaminoans.
Jar'Kai.
Starkiller wields the same style.
As the clone's training progressed, Darth Vader told the Dark Apprentice that he had become more powerful in the Force than the original Starkiller ever was.
Curious is something else.
By the time of the rebels' attack on Kamino, the Dark Apprentice's deep immersion in the dark side of the Force led to the manifestation of its physical effects, causing his skin to pale and his irises to redden entirely.
The Kaminoans found no explanation for this, but for me it is no secret—this is direct proof that the Dark Apprentice is entirely and fully under the power of the Dark Side of the Force.
At least as of eleven years ago.
Can one hope that he has become somewhat less orthodox?
Possibly.
The fiercely Jedi-minded Ahsoka Tano feels quite well as a "gray Jedi."
As does Mara Jade.
And the jenasaari.
And the former Inquisitor Obscuro.
Well, for now, these are just hypotheses, but maximum efforts must be made to detect this clone and recruit him into my service.
How to do this?
That's a separate question.
All Force-sensitive sentients without exception whom I have recruited, I did so solely by providing them with a promise of reciprocal service or giving them what they needed.
Mara Jade— an Empire built on principles of justice, as well as the opportunity to return to the past she so desired.
And she became a Hand again.
Obscuro got the opportunity to settle scores with members of the Dark Side Elite who essentially used him and set him up for my strike after the events on Vjun.
Darth Maul came to my side after I gifted him the promise to fight Palpatine and realize his long-standing dream of destroying him.
Bre'ano Umakk fulfills his need to pass on his knowledge and forge a new generation of Jedi free from the dogmatic worldview of the Old Order.
Ahsoka Tano, in my service, continues her self-discovery, and her service ensures
Fodeum Sabre De'Luz—restored his family ties and became a jenasaari again.
I ran my eyes over the Dark Apprentice's "personal file" once more.
What can interest one who is confident that he has become better than his predecessors?
Leaning back in the chair, I allowed myself a smile after running my gaze over the holographic works of art.
Especially that part of the collection featuring fragments of once-destroyed sculptures.
Yes, I have something to offer this sentient.
For now, admittedly, purely in theory.
But I am confident that by the time we reach a personal meeting, I will already have practical developments.
I just need more specialized personnel.
Fortunately, the file sent by Astarion contained quite a bit of interesting material that our counterintelligence found in Imperial and Republic archives on cloning programs.
"How interesting," I squinted, seeing a mention of a familiar Star Destroyer.
***
"Wake up and sing," a melodic voice called to the man, pulling him from the embrace of slumber. "We're here."
Reynar Obscuro's eyelids fluttered; he blinked against the dim light gaining intensity in the cabin.
For a moment, the Shadow Guard lingered his gaze on the sight of Vex leaning over him...
"Good morning," he said.
"It's already noon local time," the girl said, straightening at the waist and removing from his view the idealistic sight of the deep cleavage of her worn T-shirt. "Wake up, come on. I've already notified the local customs that we're coming in for landing. The autopilot is taking us to the landing pad."
"That's why you need a partner," Reynar sat up on the bed, glancing toward the doorway where she lingered before exiting. "Any problems with the locals?"
"With me?" Vex was surprised. "I'm charm itself. But if you learned to pilot the shuttle, I wouldn't have to smile and flirt with the local dispatcher."
"Flights are for droids," Reynar tossed, continuing to slide his gaze over his partner.
"That even sounded rude and boorish," Vex made a face at him. "And yes, don't strain your eyes."
"Don't dress in tight clothes," Reynar advised.
"Then you won't look at me every free second," Vex giggled, disappearing into the corridor.
What a great misconception.
However, Reynar was in no hurry to reveal the secret of his attractiveness to his girlfriend... partner.
Having tidied himself up, he headed to the cockpit of the Lambda they were using for this mission.
Weathered and outwardly more like a wreck, inside the Lambda was something perfect.
Modified engines, reinforced deflector shields, perfect electronics.
Previously, this ship belonged to the pirate Sol Mon, but after that subject crossed the Dominion, his property was confiscated.
How Vex managed to secure this ship for their direct use, Reynar did not know, but he knew a couple of ways to pry this secret out of his partner.
He just needed to time it right.
Plopping into the co-pilot's chair, Reynar glanced at the surprised Twi'lek, then reached behind his back and pulled out a crumpled-by-his-weight paper container with sandwiches.
"It's good the caf didn't overcook," Vex lamented, filling the cockpit with a heavy sigh. "That's how you care. You care for a man, and he crushes your efforts with his juicy rear..."
"Our identifiers aren't compromised?" Reynar shifted the conversation to another plane.
"At least think about what you say," Vex snorted. "Of course not compromised. I'm not some 'droid' to you. I absorbed instructions on how to circumvent the law with my mother's milk."
Naturally, they used fake data, traveling on a once-pirate ship.
And this rule applied both to Dominion territory and to starspace beyond its borders.
The Shadow Guard is a subdivision of the jenasaari Order whose purpose is to carry out Grand Admiral Thrawn's orders.
And for the most part, this is "dirty work" that the Order had better not be entrusted with for reasons of conscience.
Therefore, the Guard is nominally part of the jenasaari.
And thus, the identities of those in the Guard are unknown to anyone except the Guards themselves and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
The leadership, like the Order members, only know that the Guard exists, is subordinate directly to Thrawn, and that there is a chance to join it.
By default, the Shadow Guard was supposed to take jenasaari whose aggression and penchant for destruction exceeded permissible limits.
True, as practice shows, in the case of Darth Maul, with great desire, one can drag an apprentice into the Guard.
This is, of course, correct, as there are not so many who want to join their team.
But, to be honest, Reynar would have preferred the "by default" rule to apply.
Maul is undoubtedly an excellent fighter and experienced Force user, trained in his time by the Emperor himself.
True, he knows nothing beyond that.
It would be worth talking to the Grand Admiral at the first opportunity and discussing with him the initiative of strict adherence to this rule.
One cannot entrust the training of young and promising sentients to a combat animal like Darth Maul.
The mind cleared of the remnants of sleep after the first sip of caf.
That it was instant rather than ground, Obscuro understood immediately but decided to refrain from comment.
"And here is our target," Vex said, carefully turning the yoke and adjusting the ship's course, taking control from the autopilot. "It looks pathetic, to put it mildly..."
Of course, she said exactly how it looked in reality.
And there is something implausibly laconic in how this graceful Twi'lek utters profanity that would make many blush.
But the matter is far from that now.
Their team was sent to the planet Cartao, once the most important economic center of the Prackla sector in the Expansion Region.
A considerable part of the galaxy is now drawn into war, but the planet Cartao scrupulously maintained neutrality in any confrontation, carefully avoiding attention.
Reynar carefully watched through the side viewport part of Cartao's landscape.
The planet had a small cosport called Triv, where they were heading, choosing a course to fly directly over the place where the "Spaarti Creation" had previously been located.
According to intelligence data, this unique manufacturing complex bordered the small town of Foulan City.
But that was before the Clone Wars.
Where, according to historical sketches, there had previously been a complex of futuristic buildings over a kilometer long, one could now discern only grass-overgrown ruins, mangled by a directed kinetic impact strike.
Reynar noted the nature-smoothed traces of the ship's fall—a decent-sized crater whose shockwave had mixed buildings and local soil into a single ugly relief.
All this now overgrown, scarred like a wound on the body.
"They bombed here pretty hard," Vex drawled, glancing briefly at the abandoned ruins.
"Palpatine arranged for a starship disaster that crashed into the 'Spaarti Creation,'" Obscuro explained. "In the wreckage of the starship, evidence was found that allegedly Jedi were piloting the vessel. The Jedi Council rejected this accusation, stating that they had not sent Jedi there. But faith in the Order was already undermined, so when Operation: Fall of the Knights passed and Sate Pestage provided alleged proof of the Jedi's involvement in the destruction of the 'Spaarti Creation,' the crowd believed him."
"And the evidence?" Vex asked. Her eyes scanned the forest-overgrown areas north and west of the complex. "You can't just accuse someone baselessly..."
"There was evidence," Reynar nodded, having studied this question for self-education. "But it is so one-sided that you stop believing it even after the first reading. Actually, this concerns not only the 'Spaarti Creation' incident. The results of the investigation into the reasons that allegedly prompted Palpatine to destroy the Jedi are themselves sucked from a thumb. But the crowd didn't care then. The Clone War had just ended, at the beginning of which a considerable part of the galaxy's population reproached the Jedi themselves. So the crowd rejoiced, welcoming the Emperor and his deeds."
"How interesting, engaging, but utterly useless," Vex yawned. "Let's land the shuttle already and start the investigation. I'm just dying to find out where the Zann Consortium got the Spaarti cloning cylinders from."
"Not just you," Reynar stated, sensing a distortion in the Force. "Not just you, partner..."
***
Well...
A most enlightening "read."
But first things first.
"Arkanian Microtechnologies."
The very company that Palpatine involved during the Clone Wars to create Spaarti clones on Coruscant's moon Centax-2.
In the galaxy, it is a well-known and powerful manufacturing corporation, known for its role in developing medical materials and technologies.
The company's headquarters is located on the planet Vohai, situated in the eponymous star system in the Parmel sector of the Outer Rim.
For us, it is noteworthy because it was from there that Mara Jade and Ahsoka Tano picked up the trail that led them to the "Guard," as well as the factions of H1 and Ennix Devian, which ultimately resulted in territorial gains for the Dominion, serious losses, and considerable conquests, including a habitable sphere turned into the headquarters of the Dominion's Armed Forces.
Seemingly a completely unremarkable factor.
But in reality, it says a lot.
A great deal.
Vohai is a place where corporate rules thrive.
A kind of Corporate Sector in miniature.
But thanks to its location in the Outer Rim Territories, operations and deals on Vohai acquire a semi-legal and utterly unethical character.
On their home planet, Arkania, the corporation also has an office.
And a caveat should be made.
Arkanians are experimental geneticists.
They engaged in cloning even before, but for therapeutic (official version) purposes, producing body parts for biological prosthetics for the wounded.
In reality...
In reality, it was the Arkanians who created the bioterrorist Zeta Magnus and many other such monsters like him.
During the Clone Wars, Arkania did not suffer, thanks to reliable protection by the Republic army.
But they ceased extensive work due to the Republic's state ban on free cloning.
Considering Palpatine's penchant for backroom deals, as well as an analysis of the biological prosthetics market, it can be directly stated that "Arkanian Microtechnologies" received an indulgence through cooperation with the Supreme Chancellor's office and continued their experiments.
During the Galactic Empire's supremacy, many Arkanian scientists were attracted to Coruscant for participation in various biological weapons projects.
After Endor and the formation of the New Republic, the Arkanians showed wariness toward democracy.
They maintain neutrality, as the victorious democracy regime is extremely negative toward all kinds of biological and especially genetic experiments.
And this is the bread and salt of the Arkanians.
Neutrality is maintained to the present day.
And cooperation, I assume, goes directly through the "Arkanian Microtechnologies" office on Vohai, where the services of the most experienced geneticists can be used by anyone with money.
A curious opportunity.
I have pondered "Arkanian Microtechnologies" before, and seemingly, given significant cash reserves, I could approach them to hire staff in genetics.
But there are several caveats.
The first and main one—Arkanians as geneticists are inferior to Kaminoans in creating an army.
This is evident from the Spaarti clone project.
The second—after the situation with the theft of military equipment from their shipyards, the New Republic, though officially not clamping down on arms trade and dangerous projects, flooded places like Vohai with thousands of its agents (secretly) and inspectors (openly).
Hiring Arkanian employees would attract enormous attention and interest from my enemies.
And as soon as they learned that I and the Dominion stood behind the hiring, in their superstitious fear, the New Republic would turn all its armed forces and agents' attention to me.
Such close attention would greatly spoil my plans for the operation, creating additional problems.
The third—to hire an Arkanian "in the dark" won't work.
The corporation provides services, it keeps various records and concludes agreements.
And this is a big risk for revealing the Dominion's plans for using clones.
At present, I manage to maintain the "intrigue" of using cloning cylinders from most of the galaxy.
Although, one must understand, that Palpatine and his advisors clearly know (or at least suspect) that Wayland's resources are being used by me.
I conceal this aspect as best I can—therefore, collectible artifacts and works of art from Palpatine's personal treasury are still in specially guarded vaults, not sold across the galaxy to collectors for big money.
Although initially, quite the opposite was planned...
But a way was found to earn money otherwise, preserving the intrigue.
Returning to "Arkanian Microtechnologies," it is worth noting that publicly, it was a major supplier of health products and technological equipment in the galaxy.
Nevertheless, the firm mainly specialized in research and development of genetic engineering methods, from direct genome manipulations to mutations using excessive exposure of huge amounts of radiation on the research subject.
All this is known either from official sources or thanks to the Dominion's agency actions on site.
But the Imperial archives revealed far more interesting "underbelly" of "Arkanian Microtechnologies."
The Galactic Empire, after its formation, did not refuse the corporation's services.
During Emperor Palpatine's reign, the New Order significantly replenished its armed forces with a large number of clone troopers, all created by Kaminoan and Arkanian genetic engineers controlled by the Empire.
Thus, it can be concluded that the Arkanians long controlled the production of Spaarti clones.
Most likely—on the same installations thanks to which clones were produced for the Grand Army of the Republic.
For the umpteenth time, the question arises: "What are these installations and what is their origin?"
The Arkanians lost the Emperor's favor a year before the Battle of Yavin after a grandiose (in the upper echelons of power) scandal.
The Emperor and Darth Vader tasked "Arkanian Microtechnologies" with creating Force-sensitive clones.
A task long considered impossible.
And it was set several years after the Emperor became so called.
Oh, how much interest and unfading enthusiasm the Sith had in cloning Force-sensitive sentients.
Using genetic material from the Emperor's Hand, Arkanian geneticist scientists developed Force-sensitive stormtroopers.
Both Palpatine and Vader were impressed by them, and although they initially approached the company with a request for additional Force-possessing clones, the project was ultimately closed after the experimental stormtroopers rebelled against their Sith creators due to machinations by their instructor, a dark Jedi.
The instructor was not Joruus C'baoth, as one might assume.
These data were collected by the Isard family, which gives understanding of the fact that neither father nor daughter were spared the sin of curiosity and poked their noses into the affairs of the Emperor and his right hand.
Well... One can also assume that Vader turned to the Kaminoans due to the Arkanians' failure, whose clones rebelled.
Therefore, Galen Marek's cloning took place on Kamino.
However, this does not preclude Vader from sending Imperial geneticists involved earlier in the project to create Force-sensitive stormtroopers to the planet.
Recorded the thought.
And we turn to another part of Colonel Astarion's reports.
Specifically, to the one related to a very specific Star Destroyer, data from the "wanted by Kraken" list, and the reward promised for the head of one Imperial serviceman.
This report caught my attention first, and studying it, I stumbled upon the surname of a scientist who once worked at "Moraabian Corporation" and was personally attracted by Palpatine for work on stormtrooper cloning projects.
According to Imperial archives, this scientist collaborated with the Arkanians in "Arkanian Microtechnologies" projects directly related to replenishing Stormtrooper Corps losses using Spaarti clones.
And he is dead—Imperial special services confirmed this fact when they began excavating data leaks from cloning laboratories.
These leaks were organized by a very specific scientist who died during detention.
Presumably, he was the source of information losses about the Empire's clones, and with his death, the flow of intelligence data on clones ceased.
And seemingly everything adds up, but there is something interesting in all this happening.
In particular—in the explanations for the reward for the head of a high-ranking Imperial military serviceman.
A Stormtrooper Corps officer.
And it seems, what could interest General Kraken himself, peace be upon him, in an unremarkable executive stormtrooper?
Even if he is an officer with the rank of colonel.
Astarion practically tied together all the threads of the tangled process but came to incorrect conclusions.
And it is easy to get confused in them if one does not pay attention to one seemingly minor detail.
"Captain Tschel," I activated the commlink. "Contact Counter-Admiral I-Gor and demand that he appear at the location of the Chimaera with a division of Victory-class Star Destroyers. I will send you the ship names."
Considering the Chimaera's deployment near the Victory base, I-Gor and his ships will need no more than a day to reach us.