To start, it's worth recalling a few things from recent events.
For example, the story concerning the now‑deceased X1.
He, like his "brother" X2, are biological clones of Padawan Rahm Kota's apprentice, Falon Grey — now deceased.
These two clones were created by the Kaminoans shortly before the start of the Clone Wars, to study "Jedi genes."
How "shortly" the Kaminoans working for the Dominion do not know.
But by the time of the Clone Wars, X1 and X2 had already reached maturity and took an active part in the conflict.
However, they were produced using Kaminoan technology, and they did not receive the original's knowledge.
Only basic clone‑soldier training.
They studied "Jedi arts" on their own.
Currently, X1 is dead; Dominion Intelligence is searching for X2.
Let's lock in that thought.
Successful experiments in cloning Force‑sensitive beings have been conducted more than once.
Galen Marek is direct proof.
He was produced by order of Darth Vader on Kamino, in one of Kamino's laboratory‑cities.
Production was carried out under the supervision of…
Orun Va, who served as chief geneticist after the disappearance of Ko Sai, the creator of the Grand Army of the Clones.
In other words, this Kaminoan not only created the Advanced Recon Commandos of the "Null" and "Alpha" classes, but also handled the cloning of Galen Marek.
As did his team, which now works for me.
And then it gets even more interesting.
The Kaminoans claim that Marek's clone, currently working for the Alliance, truly is a clone.
The original's body was kept as a DNA source in the laboratory and used to create Marek's clones.
The assertion that the currently living clone of Marek is the only successful and psychiatrically stable one is false.
There was another one.
His fate is unclear, but he was definitely present on Kamino during the attack by Kota's rebel group on the planet and Vader's capture.
I suspect we're talking about the so‑called "Dark Apprentice."
An interesting point: he appeared in the second part of the game "The Force Unleashed" only in the scenario where the protagonist intended to destroy the already‑defeated Darth Vader.
Where he disappeared to is unknown to the Kaminoans, but he left the planet following Boba Fett, who had set off after the rebels.
Their paths likely diverged after that, because if Fett's words and memories are to be believed, while freeing Vader on Dantooine, the bounty hunter did not encounter the Dark Apprentice.
I suspect this omission is a prologue to new problems that I will have to resolve personally.
Let's lock in that thought.
Now let's work backward.
Darth Vader began creating clones of Galen Marek roughly two years before the Battle of Yavin IV.
Subject 1138 (oh, the magic of the number 1138), who currently serves the Alliance, escaped the planet that same year.
The attack on Kamino occurred at the same time.
A natural question arises: how did the Kaminoans grow Force‑sensitive clones in such a short time?
It's not even the Spaarti cloning cylinders that accomplished this.
The answer lies precisely in the facts about cloning Force‑sensitive beings that I cited earlier.
The Kaminoans' experiments in rapid clone creation 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.
We can also recall information that, during the Galactic Civil War, cloning cylinders were discovered under the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, and a clone of Darth Vader was created in them.
The original destroyed his copy.
But now, thanks to our having soldiers of the 501st Legion and Imperial archives, it becomes quite clear that this happened after the Battle of Yavin, since Darth Vader headed to Dantooine in search of Luke Skywalker.
And the Dark Lord of the Sith learned of the latter's existence just before the events surrounding the destruction of the "Death Star" station.
At least, if I correctly remember a brief summary of the book "Galaxy of Fear: The 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 rooms.
Either destroyed or evacuated.
By whom?
I suspect by Darth Vader.
Next.
That last episode is only an exception to the rule, because it occurred later than the first two…
Stop.
Let's lock in that thought.
I am mistaken.
Darth Vader visited the Jedi Enclave twice.
Both before and after the Battle of Yavin.
On the first occasion, he left his blood in the cloning laboratory; on his second visit, he destroyed the laboratory.
I cannot recall exact dates, if they ever existed.
But, considering the fact that this is an ancient Jedi cloning laboratory, where — according to Imperial Intelligence data — Zeta Magnus, the monstrous Arkanian geneticist who later created Jedi clones in a matter of hours and is directly linked to the "GeNod" program, lurked before the Clone Wars, then a direct cause‑and‑effect link can be drawn between everything that happened.
And as always — we end up with no small number of questions.
First of all, the cloning related to Rahm Kota's apprentice and Galen Marek is of interest.
Both were produced by the Kaminoans.
And in both cases, only two stable clones were obtained.
But there is a difference between these projects in terms of how the Kaminoans trained the "products."
If X1 and X2 received basic clone‑soldier training, then all of Galen Marek's clones were subjected to "accelerated training."
More precisely — its experimental component, named "Memory Flashes" in the laboratory.
Like any other methods of clone training, "Memory Flashes" were used to transfer the knowledge and experience of the original clone to the subject clone.
However, the side effect of memory imprints was that they could destabilize the clone's mental health. Having acquired memories of another person's life, a clone might fall into an identity crisis, causing the clone to be unable to distinguish his own experience from the progenitor's memories.
Ultimately, the confusion could drive the clone into a state of madness.
That, essentially, is 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 Flash" technology is experimental, and thanks to Starkiller's rampage, it was destroyed.
The Kaminoans no longer dared to repeat their experiment with such training, and the program was abandoned.
But the data on accelerated clone growth, thanks to which X1, X2, Starkiller, and the Dark Apprentice were created, remains.
Well, now let's organize the events.
Using what I know from the literature of the universe, from documents, and supplementing it with logical conclusions.
First — many hundreds (or even thousands) of years ago, a Jedi cloning laboratory appeared under the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine.
Later, Zeta Magnus, a monstrous genius, found it and, apparently, upgraded it.
Then Magnus fled from Dantooine.
He collaborated with Darth Sidious in exchange for help in achieving immortality; at the same time, his work became what we now know as the "GeNod" project.
There we have it, the prelude to what's happening.
In parallel with these events, Rahm Kota and Falon Grey, his apprentice, ended up on Kamino shortly before the Clone Wars began, and the Kaminoans obtained a tissue sample from Grey.
They produced clones — X1 and X2 — and trained them to be soldiers.
The Clone War began.
X1 and X2 became soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Next.
Zeta Magnus captured the remote world of Marat V, to which Jedi were sent for his arrest, suspecting him of connections to terrorist attacks and atrocities on Dantooine, specifically the Jedi.
Those Jedi were Obi‑Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
As well as another Padawan.
On Marat, they were captured by Zeta Magnus, who demonstrated to them the ability to grow clones in a matter of hours.
Let's lock in that thought.
The Jedi suspected Magnus of atrocities on Dantooine.
Anakin Skywalker saw him create clones in an ultra‑short time.
Moving forward.
Order 66; 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 in possession of a stylish armored suit and a fearsome helmet, finds a boy on Kashyyyk, Galen Marek, 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 clone could be created, commissions the Kaminoans, delivering the dead body of the real Galen Marek.
This happens two years before the Battle of Yavin.
Vader's first visit to Dantooine occurred with an open date, but before the Battle of Yavin.
I assume the Dark Lord of the Sith set out for Dantooine precisely to verify Zeta Magnus's involvement in the atrocities on Dantooine, for which he had been accused almost twenty years before the Battle of Yavin.
There, Vader ends up in 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 that 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.
Simultaneously, Darth Vader prepares the second clone, the Dark Apprentice.
Starkiller returns to Kamino, breaks through the entire city toward Eclipse, destroying everything in his path, and then does not kill Vader but captures him for trial.
The Dark Apprentice and Boba Fett leave the planet following the rebels.
Somewhere 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 "radar."
Eclipse, Kota, Starkiller — dissolve among the stars with their fleet, continuing to act independently, like former Senator Bel Iblis in his time.
Outcome: the Kaminoans do possess the technology for cloning the gifted.
But it is extremely dangerous.
It is also worth noting that during Fett's pursuit of Starkiller, as well as on the planet itself, he had dozens of extremely aggressive and dangerous droids.
On the negative side — after the liberation, apparently having lost the ability to find the Dark Apprentice, Darth Vader ceased experiments on cloning the gifted.
On Dantooine, he finds his own clone, destroys it, and then his thoughts are occupied with searching for the rebels, meeting Luke Skywalker…
And he no longer has time for Galen Marek's clones.
Interesting.
The scales in terms of the number of strong Force‑sensitive beings tilt 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 from unknown gifted individuals — the recent killing of members of that organization on Bespin by Darth Maul confirms this.
The New Republic has Starkiller, has Rahm Kota, has Kyle Katarn.
It's likely and most obvious that there are still surviving Jedi or their descendants in the galaxy who, one way or another, serve the anti‑Imperial forces.
I suspect that X1 also serves the New Republic in a secret intelligence unit or something similar.
An analytical group at the Dominion regular fleet headquarters is working on this lead.
On my side, I have several potentially powerful Shadow Guards and the yet‑"immature" Jensaarai.
Unknown variables include Corran Horn and his family, who disappeared near Kessel.
As well as the Dark Apprentice, who is likely equal in strength to Starkiller.
And the original of the latter fought on equal terms with Palpatine.
It's high time to begin a search and give Intelligence a push to accelerate the hunt for the Dark Apprentice, since his existence has been confirmed by eyewitnesses.
All that remains is to hope that the Dark Apprentice, due to his nature and inclination toward the Dark Side of the Force, has not sided with Darth Sidious and is not his secret weapon.
I doubt he would work for some criminal organization — he would more likely lead it, because the Dark Side does not tolerate subordination.
There is also some data about him personally, compiled from the words of a Kaminoan work group.
"No doubt. This is the one. Stable where others fail, in complete control of the situation. I can barely contain myself. It seems I may be allowed to return to my family after all. I look at him as a kind of salvation. I am not alone. He has attracted significant attention…"
That was the exact quote Captain Steben cited during the interrogation of one Kaminoan.
That was the reaction to the Dark Apprentice's development from one Imperial scientist shortly before the Attack on Kamino.
In which, by the way, he did not survive.
So, there isn't much information about the Dark Apprentice, but it should be studied for clues.
According to Kaminoan testimony, the cloning experiments on Galen Marek were part of Vader's efforts to create a perfect and obedient replacement to take the deceased's place.
Before him, there were several clones, all trained using "Memory Flashes" from the life of the original Marek.
These predecessors, one way or another, failed to meet the Dark Lord of the Sith's expectations, either due to genetic defects or by succumbing to the emotions of their template, and were subsequently discarded.
That is, destroyed.
The Dark Apprentice was awakened by Vader after the escape of Subject 1138 — Starkiller.
The second stable clone confronted Marek's memories, particularly that individual's feelings for his former pilot, Captain Juno Eclipse, who is currently, by the generous hand of Rahm Kota and the Alliance, called an admiral and is busy ensuring the security of the planet Koensayr, where "K‑wing" bombers are produced to compensate for the shortage of small craft in the Alliance fleet.
Eyewitnesses indicate that after awakening, the Dark Apprentice was interested in Eclipse's whereabouts, but Darth Vader declared that she was irrelevant — all 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 point out that such a scene was practically routine for Marek's clones.
Vader's response was identical in all awakening instances.
Usually, this was followed by trials that the clones failed and were destroyed.
A significant component of the entire Marek cloning process was the existence of so‑called aberrant clones.
These were genetically and physically defective clones of Galen Marek.
The hundreds of failures that plagued the cloners in the process of creating even physically adequate copies.
Using an experimental version of the Kaminoan cloning process — thanks to which X1 and X2 were created — as well as the data delivered by the Lord of the Sith (from Dantooine, as I understand it), Vader's scientists duplicated Marek's genetic code but encountered numerous failures as a result of attempting to reproduce a Force‑sensitive template.
The initial subjects were physically deformed and driven insane by the innate memories of their progenitor.
The procedure was gradually perfected by the Lead Cloning Specialist Orun Va, who managed to create a new batch of clones that physically resembled Marek at the time of his death.
Nevertheless, they too suffered from an identity crisis due to the memory flashes that were supposed to aid their training. Ultimately, the aberrant clones were kept in stasis in the cloning center of the city of Timira on the planet Kamino.
Darth Vader personally oversaw the training of clones that showed potential, discarding each failure in an attempt to find one who met his expectations.
And it was precisely from this batch that, in the end, Starkiller and the Dark Apprentice emerged.
Returning to the latter, in the report, the Kaminoans note the second clone's curiosity about Marek's fate and Starkiller's purpose.
When answering questions, Vader repeatedly deemed it unnecessary to answer directly — rather, he declared 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 the weaknesses of his genetic template.
Vader showed his apprentice the dead body of Galen Marek, the template for the clones that included Starkiller, and the latter showed no reaction, fully agreeing with the lord that both Marek and Starkiller were nothing more than defective beings.
Quite an interesting turn…
Time after time, Vader tried to restore his powerful apprentice.
Cloning, especially Kaminoan cloning, requires considerable expense — at least for consumables.
Given the scale of the work, these are multi‑billion‑dollar expenditures.
Which were clearly not financed from the Empire's budget.
So for what purpose?
Darth Vader told the real Galen Marek that he was training him supposedly 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 did.
He tried to recruit his own son for that purpose.
And one can claim indefinitely that Darth Vader, during the battle with Luke Skywalker in Cloud City, was deceiving his son to turn him to the Dark Side — that is nothing more than speculation.
If we consider Vader as a loyal servant of the Emperor, too many questions arise about the former.
He had a considerable number of secret apprentices.
And as is known, Sith acquire them only to pass on their knowledge in the future.
That is the "Rule of Two."
If Vader had wanted to destroy Skywalker as a threat to the Emperor, he would have killed him in Cloud City for sure and not just cut off his hand.
But to recruit his son…
Yes, that scenario is plausible.
So Vader's betrayal is evident.
He was preparing to destroy Palpatine.
Unlikely from the very first day he became a cyborg, but over the course of decades of service — definitely.
In fact, the final film of the original trilogy, along with a number of supplementary sources, including Darth Maul's account of his service to Sidious as an instructor for the Emperor's Hands, clearly demonstrates that Sidious was far from clueless either.
He tested his apprentice time and again, testing his strength.
And then, when the opportunity presented itself, he betrayed him, seeking to capture the son in the Dark Side's grip and place him at his side in place of the father.
It's no wonder that Darth Vader, a man of admittedly tragic fate but no idiot, prepared countermeasures.
The Dark Apprentice was trained in lightsaber combat against several Sith training droids.
After reviewing his progress, Vader showed him the cloning platforms in the clone spire of Timira City, where all his rejected brothers were displayed, locked in stasis.
The clone was determined to surpass them all, but he was curious to know how many had come before him. Vader ignored the question; instead, he told the Dark Apprentice that the only number that mattered was the number of clones that would be needed if he failed like the rest. Vader warned him that if he could not overcome Marek's emotions, he would fail just as his predecessors had.
Over time, the lead cloning specialist noted that the Dark Apprentice had managed to separate the memory imprints used for his training, thereby succeeding where all others had failed — the clone could store Marek's memories independently of his own, freeing him from the emotions of his template.
In a training match against holo-droids, the Dark Apprentice managed to rise above Marek's emotions, defeating a droid bearing the likeness of Captain Eclipse.
To Vader, the clone showed his disgust and hatred for his template's weaknesses and his pride in overcoming them where those before him had failed.
Satisfied, Vader replied that he was almost ready for his final trial.
After Starkiller joined the Rebel Alliance in the attack on the cloning centers of Timira City, Darth Vader, as I understand it, intended to use the battle as a final test for the Dark Apprentice, luring Starkiller into a trap atop the cloning spire.
That's why Boba Fett didn't kill but captured Juno Eclipse and delivered her to Kamino, to Timira City, the city where Galen Marek's clones were created.
And here's where it gets interesting.
One of the technicians tells a very curious story.
And this story is a clear indicator that even genetically subservient technicians and workers have eyes and ears.
No matter how much their more fortunate brethren treat them like 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 after the battle concluded without the Dark Apprentice's intervention.
His trail is subsequently lost.
According to laboratory observations, the Dark Apprentice, created from the genetic template of Darth Vader's former apprentice, possessed the same abilities and Force potential as his progenitor.
During his training on Kamino, the Dark Apprentice trained in lightsaber combat against several Sith training droids, using a dual-blade combat form known to me but incomprehensible to the Kaminoans.
Jar'Kai.
Starkiller also wields this 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 had ever been.
Another thing is curious.
By the time of the Rebel attack on Kamino, the Dark Apprentice's deep immersion in the dark side of the Force had caused its physical effects to manifest, his skin paling and the irises of his eyes turning red.
The Kaminoans found no explanation for this, but it's no secret to me — this is direct proof that the Dark Apprentice is entirely and completely in the grip of the Dark Side of the Force.
At least as of eleven years ago.
Can we count on him having become at least a little less orthodox?
Perhaps.
Ahsoka Tano, fierce in her Jedi worldview, feels quite comfortable as a "gray Jedi."
As does Mara Jade.
And the Jensaarai.
And the former Inquisitor, the Obscurial.
Well, for now these are no more than hypotheses, but every effort should be made to discover this clone and recruit him into service.
How to do it?
That's a separate question.
Every single Force-sensitive being I've recruited, without exception, I've won over solely by promising them a favor in return or giving them what they needed.
Mara Jade — an Empire built on principles of justice, and also the chance to return to a past she so desperately desired.
And she became a Hand again.
The Obscurial got the chance to settle scores with the members of the Dark Side Elite who had effectively used him and set him up to take my blow after the events on Vjun.
Darth Maul sided with me after I gave him the promised chance to fight Palpatine and fulfill his long-held dream of destroying him.
Bre'ano Umakk fulfills the need to pass on his knowledge and forge a new generation of Jedi, free from the dogmatic worldviews of the Old Order.
Ahsoka Tano, in my service, continues her self-discovery, and her service provides everything she needs.
Fodeum Sabre De'Luz — restored his family ties and became a Jensaarai once more.
I ran my eyes over the Dark Apprentice's "dossier" again.
What could interest someone who's convinced he's become better than his predecessors?
Leaning back in my chair, I allowed myself a smile, after my gaze swept over the holographic art objects.
Especially that part of the collection featuring fragments of once-shattered sculptures.
Yes, I have something to offer this being.
For now, admittedly, purely in theory.
But I'm confident that by the time we reach a personal meeting, I'll already have practical developments.
I just need more specialized personnel.
Lucky for me that the file sent by Astarion contained plenty of interesting things that our counter-intelligence officers managed to find in the Imperial and Republic archives regarding cloning programs.
"How interesting," I narrowed my eyes, seeing a mention of a familiar Star Destroyer.
* * *
"Wake up and sing," a melodic voice called the man, tearing him from the embrace of slumber. "We're here."
Reynar Obscuro's eyelids fluttered; he blinked against the dim light growing brighter in the cabin.
For a moment, the Shadow Guard held his gaze on the sight before him: Vex leaning over him…
"Good morning," he said.
"It's already noon by local time," the girl said, straightening her back and removing the idealistic view of her deep cleavage in her worn-out t-shirt from his eyes. "Wake up, come on. I've already notified the local customs that we're coming in to land. The autopilot is taking us to the landing pad."
"That's what a partner is for," Reynar sat up on the bed, casting a glance toward the doorway where she lingered before leaving. "Any trouble with the locals?"
"With me?" Vex seemed surprised. "I'm charm itself. But if you'd learned to pilot a shuttle, I wouldn't have had to smile and act coy with the local controller."
"Flying is for droids," Reynar shot back, his gaze still sliding over his partner.
"That sounded rude and brutish," Vex made a face at him. "And hey, don't break your eyes."
"Don't wear tight clothes," Reynar advised.
"Then you wouldn't stare at me every free second," Vex giggled, disappearing into the corridor.
What a big misconception.
However, Reynar wasn't in a hurry to reveal the secret of his attraction to his girlfr... partner.
Having freshened up, he headed to the cockpit of the "Lambda" they were using for this mission.
Looking battered and more like a wreck on the outside, the "Lambda" was something perfect on the inside.
Modified engines, reinforced deflectors, advanced electronics.
This ship had once belonged to the pirate Sol Mon, but after that individual crossed the Dominion, his property was confiscated.
How Vex managed to secure this ship for their direct use, Reynar didn't know, but he knew a trick or two for extracting that secret from his partner.
He just needed to pick the right moment.
Plunking down into the co-pilot's seat, Reynar cast a glance at the surprised Twi'lek, then reached behind his back and pulled out a paper sandwich container crushed flat by his weight.
"Good thing the caf didn't finish brewing," Vex lamented, filling the cockpit with a heavy sigh. "This is how I take care of you. Take care of a man, and he just crushes all your efforts with his juicy a..."
"Are our IDs still secure?" Reynar steered the conversation onto a different track.
"Think before you speak," Vex snorted. "Of course they're secure. I'm not some 'droid,' you know. I learned how to get around the law with my mother's milk."
Naturally, they were using fake identities, traveling on a ship that was once pirate-owned.
And this rule applied both in Dominion territory and in the space beyond it.
The Shadow Guard is a unit of the Jensaarai Order, whose purpose is to carry out the orders of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
And, for the most part, it's "dirty work" that the Order would rather not assign on moral grounds.
Therefore, the Guard's affiliation with the Jensaarai was essentially nominal.
And so the identities of those in the Guard are unknown to anyone except the Guards themselves and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
The leadership, like the Order's members, only know that the Guard exists, reports directly to Thrawn, and that there's a chance to join it.
By default, the Shadow Guard was supposed to take those Jensaarai whose aggression and penchant for destruction crossed the permissible boundaries.
Though, as practice shows, in the case of Darth Maul, with enough desire, you can drag an apprentice into the Guard.
That's a fair point, of course, since there aren't that many willing to join their team.
But, frankly, Reynar would have preferred the "default" rule to be in effect.
Maul is, without a doubt, an excellent fighter and an experienced Force user, trained in his time by the Emperor himself.
True, that's pretty much all he knows.
I should talk to the Grand Admiral at the next opportunity and discuss the initiative of strictly following this rule.
You can't entrust the training of young and promising beings to a combat animal like Darth Maul.
His mind cleared of the remnants of sleep after the first sip of caf.
He immediately recognized it as instant, not ground, but decided to hold back any comment.
"And there's our target," Vex said, gently turning the yoke and adjusting the ship's course, taking control from the autopilot. "Looks pathetic, to say the least…"
She certainly said exactly how it actually looked.
And there's something improbably concise about the way this elegant Twi'lek swears in a way that would make many blush.
But the matter at hand is something else entirely.
Their team was dispatched to the planet Cartao, once a vital economic center in the Prakla sector of the Expansion Region.
A large part of the galaxy is now embroiled in war, but the planet Cartao meticulously maintained neutrality in any conflict, carefully avoiding attracting attention.
Reynar stared intently through the side viewport at a section of Cartao's landscape.
The planet had a small spaceport called Triv, which was their destination, and they'd chosen a course to fly directly over the site where the "Spaarti Creation" had once been located.
According to intelligence data, this unique production complex had bordered a small town called Foulan City.
But that was before the Clone Wars.
Where, according to historical accounts, the complex of futuristic buildings over a kilometer in length once stood, you could now only see grass-covered ruins, twisted by a directed kinetic impact strike.
Reynar noted the traces of a ship crash smoothed over by nature — a sizable crater, whose shockwave had mixed the structures and local soil into a single ugly landscape.
All of it was now overgrown, healed over like a scar on the body.
"They really bombed the hell out of this place," Vex drawled, glancing briefly at the desolate ruins.
"Palpatine staged a spaceship crash that fell on the 'Spaarti Creation,'" Obscuro explained. "Fragments of the starship yielded evidence supposedly showing that Jedi were piloting the vessel. The Jedi Council denied the accusation, stating they hadn't sent any Jedi there. But faith in the Order was already undermined, so when Operation Knightfall happened and Sate Pestage presented supposedly proven evidence of Jedi involvement in the destruction of the 'Spaarti Creation,' the public believed him."
"And the evidence?" Vex asked. Her eyes swept over the forested areas north and west of the complex. "You can't just make baseless accusations…"
"There was evidence, too," Reynar nodded, having studied this issue for self-education. "But it's so one-sided that you stop believing it even after the first read. Actually, that goes for the incident with the 'Spaarti Creation' too. The results of the investigation into the reasons that supposedly motivated Palpatine to destroy the Jedi are themselves completely made up. But the public didn't care back then. The Clone War had just ended, and at the beginning of it, a significant portion of the galaxy's population was already blaming the Jedi themselves. So the public rejoiced, welcoming the Emperor and his deeds."
"How interesting, fascinating, and utterly useless," Vex yawned. "Let's just land the shuttle and start the investigation. I, for one, can't wait to find out where the 'Zann Consortium' got those Spaarti cloning cylinders."
"You're not the only one," Reynar stated, feeling a distortion in the Force. "You're not the only one, my friend…"
* * *
Well, then…
Quite an informative "read."
But let's start from the beginning.
"Arkanian Microtechnologies."
The very company Palpatine employed during the Clone Wars to create Spaarti clones on Centax-II, a moon of Coruscant.
It's a well-known and powerful manufacturing corporation in the galaxy, famous for its role in developing medical materials and technologies.
The company's headquarters is on the planet Wohai, located in the eponymous star system in the Parmel sector of the Outer Rim.
It's notable to us because that's where Mara Jade and Ahsoka Tano picked up a trail that led them to both the "Guard" and the X1 faction and Ennix Devian, which ultimately resulted in territorial gains, serious losses, and considerable conquests for the Dominion, including an inhabited sphere turned into the headquarters of the Dominion Armed Forces.
Seems like a completely unremarkable factor.
But in reality, it says a lot.
A whole lot.
Wohai is a place where corporate rules thrive.
A sort of Corporate Sector in miniature.
But, thanks to its location in the Outer Rim territories, operations and deals on Wohai also take on a semi-legal and entirely unethical character.
The corporation also has an office on its home planet, Arkania.
And, it should be noted.
Arkanians are experimental geneticists.
They had been involved in cloning before, but for therapeutic purposes (according to the official version), producing body parts for biological prosthetics for the wounded.
In reality, though…
In reality, it was the Arkanians who created the bioterrorist Zeta Magnus and many other monsters like him.
During the Clone Wars, Arkania remained untouched, thanks to the reliable protection of the Republic army.
But the extensive work was also halted due to a state ban on free cloning by the Republic.
Given Palpatine's penchant for behind-the-scenes deals, as well as his analysis of the biological prosthetics market, it's safe to say that "Arkanian Microtechnologies," through its cooperation with the Office of the Supreme Chancellor, received an indulgence and continued its experiments.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, many Arkanian scientists were recruited by Coruscant to participate in various biological weapon projects.
After Endor and the formation of the New Republic, the Arkanians were wary of democracy.
They maintain neutrality, as the triumphant democratic regime is extremely hostile to all forms of biological and, especially, genetic experiments.
And that's the bread and butter of the Arkanians.
Neutrality is maintained to this day.
And the cooperation, as I understand it, goes directly through the "Arkanian Microtechnologies" office on Wohai, where anyone with money can use the services of the most experienced geneticists.
An intriguing opportunity.
I've thought about "Arkanian Microtechnologies" before, and it seems, given our significant reserves of money, I could approach them to hire employees in the genetics field.
But there are a few caveats.
First and foremost — the Arkanians, as geneticists, are inferior to the Kaminoans when it comes to creating an army.
This is evident from the Spaarti clone project.
Second — after the theft of military equipment from its shipyards, the New Republic, even if it didn't officially clamp down on the trade of weapons and dangerous projects, flooded places like Wohai with thousands of its agents (secretly) and inspectors (openly).
Hiring Arkanian personnel would attract enormous attention and interest from my enemies.
And as soon as they learned that I and the Dominion were behind the hiring, the New Republic, in its superstitious fear, would turn the attention of all its armed forces and agents on me.
Such close scrutiny would severely damage my plans for the operation, creating additional problems.
Third — you can't hire an Arkanian "off the books."
The corporation provides the services, it keeps various records and signs agreements.
And that's a big risk for revealing the Dominion's plans for using clones.
So far, I've managed to keep the "mystery" of the cloning cylinders' use hidden from the majority of the galaxy.
Although, it should be understood that Palpatine and his advisors clearly know (or at least suspect) that I'm using Wayland's resources.
I'm doing my best to keep this aspect secret — which is why the collectible artifacts and art objects from Palpatine's personal treasury are still in highly secure vaults, not sold off across the galaxy to collectors for huge sums.
And initially, something quite different was planned…
But I found a way to make money differently, keeping the mystery intact.
Returning to "Arkanian Microtechnologies," it's worth noting that publicly it was a major supplier of health products and technological equipment in the galaxy.
Nevertheless, the firm mainly specialized in researching and developing methods of genetic engineering, from direct genome manipulation to mutations through excessive exposure of the research subject to massive amounts of radiation.
All of this is known either from official sources or through the actions of Dominion agents on the ground.
But the Imperial archives revealed far more interesting "dirt" on "Arkanian Microtechnologies."
After its establishment, the Galactic Empire did not abandon the corporation's services.
During the reign of Emperor Palpatine, the New Order significantly bolstered its armed forces with a large number of clone soldiers, all created by Kaminoan and Arkanian genetic engineers controlled by the Empire.
Thus, it can be concluded that the Arkanians controlled the production of Spaarti clones for a long time.
Most likely — using the same installations that produced clones for the Grand Army of the Republic.
Yet again 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, following a massive scandal (within the upper echelons of power).
The Emperor and Darth Vader commissioned "Arkanian Microtechnologies" to create Force-sensitive clones.
A task long considered impossible.
And it was assigned several years after the Emperor adopted that title.
Oh, how much interest and undying enthusiasm the Sith had for the issue of cloning Force-sensitive beings.
Using the genetic material of the Emperor's Hand, Arkanian genetic scientists developed Force-sensitive stormtroopers.
Both Palpatine and Vader were impressed by them, and although they initially asked the company for additional Force-wielding clones, the project was ultimately shut down after the experimental stormtroopers rebelled against their Sith creators due to the machinations of their instructor, a dark Jedi.
The instructor wasn't Joruus C'Baoth, as one might assume.
This data was collected by the Isard family, which tells us that neither father nor daughter was spared the sin of curiosity and stuck their noses into the affairs of the Emperor and his right hand.
Well… One could also assume that Vader turned to the Kaminoans because of the failure of the Arkanians, whose clones rebelled.
That's why Galen Marek's cloning took place on Kamino.
However, this doesn't rule out the fact that Vader might have sent Imperial geneticists to the planet who had previously been involved in the project to create Force-sensitive stormtroopers.
Make a mental note.
And now we turn to another part of Colonel Astarion's reports.
Specifically, the one connected to a very specific Star Destroyer, data from the "Wanted by Cracken" list, and the bounty promised for the head of an Imperial serviceman.
This report caught my attention first, and while studying it, I came across the surname of a scientist who once worked for the "Morabian Corporation" and was personally recruited by Palpatine to work on the stormtrooper cloning projects.
According to Imperial archives, this scientist collaborated with the Arkanians on Arkanian Microtechnologies projects directly related to replenishing Stormtrooper Corps losses using Spaarti clones.
And he's dead — Imperial intelligence confirmed this fact when they began digging into data leaks from the cloning laboratories.
Those leaks were organized by a very specific scientist, who died during apprehension.
Presumably, he was the source of the information losses, and with his death, the flow of intelligence about the Empire's clones ceased.
Everything seems to add up, but there's something interesting in all of this.
Specifically — in the explanations for the bounty on a high-ranking Imperial soldier.
A Stormtrooper Corps officer.
And, it seems, what could have interested General Cracken himself, may he rest in peace, in an unremarkable executive stormtrooper?
Even if he is an officer with the rank of colonel.
Astarion had practically tied together all the threads of the convoluted process, but arrived at the wrong conclusions.
And it's easy to get tangled up in them if you fail to notice one seemingly minor detail.
"Captain Tschel," I activated the comlink. "Contact Vice Admiral I-Gor and order him to report to the Chimaera's location with a division of Victory-class Star Destroyers. I've sent you the ship names."
Considering the Chimaera's position near the Victory base, it will take I-Gor and his ships no more than a day to reach us.