Chapter 18 - Commissioning an Army

In high orbit over Kamino, a Pelta-Class frigate dropped out of hyperspace. Three Jedi starfighters departed from the frigate. As they headed out, Tyler received a call from Private Johnson. "Guild Leader, we found one of their facilities on our scanners. I'm sending over the coordinates now."

Tyler smiled. "Thank you Johnson. Let me know if anything interesting happens up there. I would rather avoid any unwanted guests."

Johnson nodded. "Will do." He hung up. A few seconds later, the coordinates were transferred to Tyler.

After a few minutes, they were approaching the facility. Kamino is a very interesting planet. It is covered with deep oceans and the cities are held up above the surface. The thunderstorms on the planet are nearly endless.

They landed on a large landing pad connected to the facility. All three of them put up the hoods on their cloaks and disembarked their fighters. Then, they walked down the walkway to enter the facility.

While they were walking towards the entrance, Tyler turned to Sifo Dyas. "Is it true that Master Windu's lightsaber has 'Bad Mothafucka' engraved on it?"

Sifo Dyas froze. "That is a council secret. How do you know?"

Tyler shrugged. "Just a lucky guess?"

Sifo Dyas rolled his eyes. "Don't tell anyone!"

The doors slid open and they stepped inside. Once they did, an attendant met them. The woman was a Kaminoan. She had a small head and a tall, skinny body. She wore sky blue and white robes. "Welcome to Kamino Master Jedi. How may we be of service?"

Sifo Dyas stepped forward. "We are here to commission an army. Would we be able to meet with the Prime Minister?"

The attendant nodded. "Of course. Right this way." She guided them through the facility to a meeting room. Sitting in a suspended chair on the far end of the room was another Kaminoan. He was wearing black and white robes with a neck piece. "I present to you, Prime Minister Lama Su."

Lama Su nodded. "It is a pŀėȧsurė to meet you Master Jedi..."

Sifo Dyas smiled. "Sifo Dyas. It is great to meet you too. My ȧssociates here are Lord Draco and his padawan, Kai." They bowed.

Lama Su smiled. "Ah, Lord Draco. I was hoping I would get the chance to meet you one of these days."

Tyler smiled. "I have heard many great things about your people. To my knowledge, you guys are unparalleled in the field of cloning."

Lama Su waved his hand. "You flatter us too much. Please, take a seat and let's get down to business." Three seats came down from the ceiling. The three Jedi sat down in them. "So what do you require of our services?"

Sifo Dyas sighed. "There is a war coming. The Republic needs an army."

Lama Su nodded. "That is what we do. What is the scale of this war?"

Sifo Dyas sighed again. "Unfortunately, we anticipate that the war will span the galaxy."

Lama Su shook his head in surprise. "That is quite the conflict."

Sifo Dyas nodded. "Indeed. I don't know too much about this so do you have any recommendations on quantity?"

Lama Su thought for a moment. "We have never done anything on this scale before. However, I would estimate that the initial order should comprise at least a million units. The only question that remains is what you would like to use as the template."

Tyler spoke up. "If I may…" Sifo Dyas nodded. "Let's place the initial order at 1.2 million units. I also have an idea for who I want to use as the template."

Sifo Dyas perked up. "Who do you have in mind?"

Tyler smiled. "There is a certain bounty hunter that I have heard of. He is a human and goes by the name of Jango Fett. This would be a good opportunity to make his acquaintance."

Sifo Dyas sighed. "I'll trust you on this. You seem to be much more experienced in this type of thing despite being so young. I can see why the council is so interested in you."

Lama Su nodded. "A human bounty hunter is an excellent choice for the template. The sooner they can arrive, the better. How will you be handling payment?"

Sifo Dyas was about to talk but Tyler cut him off. "I will handle it. I plan to meet with Supreme Chancellor Valorum regarding this matter. We will need the full support of the Senate."

Lama Su smiled. "That would be splendid. I look forward to hearing from you. The account numbers will be provided for you."

Tyler nodded. "Thank you for your time, Prime Minister."

Lama Su nodded. "Of course. It will be a pŀėȧsurė doing business with you." The attendant guided the group out of the facility. Once they were outside, Tyler gave Xander a call. "Hey Draco, what can I do for ya?"

Tyler smiled. "I need you to make contact with Jango Fett. I have a job for him."

Xander was curious. "What is the job?"

Tyler chuckled. "Just tell him that the pay is good and drop my name. Bounty Hunters love to have powerful friends. I want to meet him in the guild hall as soon as possible. Have him land in the private hangar."

Xander sighed. "I guess this is just another one of your surprises."

Tyler shrugged. "All I'll say is that I'm in pretty deep."

Xander rolled his eyes. "One of these days…" He hung up.

Tyler turned to Sifo Dyas. "Let's head back to Coruscant. We need to meet with the Chancellor."

Sifo Dyas nodded before turning to Kai. "So, padawan, how is it learning under Draco?"

Kai smiled. "It is definitely more fun than what I have heard that most Jedi do."

Sifo Dyas chuckled. "That is definitely true. He is one of a kind in the order."

Several hours later, they were on Coruscant. The group boarded a LAAT and headed to the Senate Building. While they were in transit to Coruscant, Tyler contacted the Office of the Chancellor and arranged a meeting.

Valorum stood up as Tyler and his group entered the room. "Lord Draco, to what do I owe this pŀėȧsurė?"

Tyler sighed. "Chancellor Valorum, it has been a while. We have some work to do my friend."

Valorum raised his brow as he waved for them to take a seat. "What can I help you with?"

Tyler frowned. "We are going to have a lot of convincing to do. There is a war coming."

Valorum tilted his head. "What kind of war?"

Tyler shook his head. "Not just any war. This one will engulf the entire galaxy."

Valorum shook his head. "How can this be? I mean, there are some systems seceding from the Republic but I doubt that there will be a war."

Tyler sighed. "Many Jedi have seen visions of the coming conflict. We must rally the Republic and raise an army. If we don't do so, we won't have a chance."

Valorum looked distraught. "Who will the enemy be?"

Tyler frowned again. "Unfortunately, it is someone that you are quite familiar with. Recently, the Jedi Council has discovered that former Senator Palpatine is actually a Sith Lord that goes by the name, Darth Sidious."

Valorum was shocked. "I… I haven't heard of this yet. Where did they get this information."

Tyler smiled. "Your's truly. I uncovered the information from the apprentice that he sent to eliminate me. I threw a wrench in his plans for galactic domination by intervening in the Naboo affair. He probably would have become Supreme Chancellor if not for my actions."

Valorum nodded. "You are probably right. He was attempting to call a vote of no confidence before you declared war on the Trade Federation."

Tyler scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Oh boy, I forgot about that yet again."

Valorum nearly coughed up blood. "You are really something. I can never get a read on you. Back to the matter at hand, where are we supposed to raise such an army?"

Tyler smirked. "Master Sifo Dyas and I have already arranged the setup. All that is left is the necessary resources and to contract some weapons manufacturers."

Valorum raised his brow. "Please, enlighten me."

Tyler continued. "We just met with the Prime Minister of Kamino. They have agreed to produce our army. My men are currently contacting the man we plan to use for the clone template. In addition, I happen to be able to broker a deal with the Kuat Drive Yards on the Republic's behalf."

Valorum sighed. "This sounds… expensive. Do you have any sort of ballpark figure?"

Tyler shook his head. "I am sure you have seen reports on my fleets. One of them is even garrisoned on Coruscant. In fact, that is bȧrėly passable for a fleet. Including the complement and ground based hardware, each of those costs over 600 million credits. This is just the minimum acceptable expense for something like this."

"I estimate that each unit of cruisers and escorts would cost somewhere in the range of a billion credits. On top of that, we would then need ground resources. Tanks, speeders, artillery, low altitude aircraft, all of these things are needed and more. Each set of equipment for ground operations including the starship that can ferry it all across the galaxy would cost somewhere around 200 million credits."

"Next, we need the personnel for all of this. Pilots, maintenance, ground units, specialists, officers, all of these are things we will need. The Kaminoans can train the clones for most of these roles but we will need to come up with our high command. The clones alone will cost around a billion credits for the initial order which includes 1.2 million units."

"Lastly, we will also require resources to keep everything moving. Things like food, weapons, munitions, fuel, and medicine will be needed. Those will be a dynamic cost as the war goes on."

Valorum wanted to slam his head through a wall. "This… It will be a challenge, no doubt about it."

Tyler nodded. "This is the price of freedom and democracy my friend.���

Valorum let on a small smile. "On the bright side, it is great to have you on my side. I would hate to think about what would have happened if that treasonous bastard became Chancellor."

Tyler perked up. "That reminds me. Have you heard anything regarding Palpatine as of late?"

Valorum shook his head. "Now that I think about it, he completely disappeared after he finished his term as senator."

Tyler sighed. "This is troublesome. It seems as if this war will come sooner than expected. I thought that we would have about 10 years but he will probably make some drastic moves to speed things up. His goal is to rule over the galaxy with an iron fist."

Valorum nodded. "It would seem so. I will call for an emergency session. Would you mind speaking before everyone? With your reputation, it will be much easier to pull the vote in our favor."

Tyler shook his head. "I was hoping that this could be done without the Senate's approval. I guess it was unrealistic of me to think that such a large payment could be approved without a vote."

Valorum shook his head. "You misunderstand. I have the ability to make the payment. However, it will ease the burden on the Republic's treasury if we can garner the support of the allied systems. Would you be willing to burden the role of a broker in this matter?"

Tyler smiled and nodded. "It would be a pŀėȧsurė, Chancellor."

*Long Term Quest Triggered: Broker to the Republic*

*Rank: Legendary*

*Description: Supreme Chancellor Valorum has tasked you with brokering the commission of the Grand Army of the Republic. You will be in charge of all matters related to resource acquisition for the GAR.

*Reward: Unknown*

'The rewards for this quest should be fantastic. I never would have expected that something like this would be a quest.'

Valorum smiled. "Wonderful. With you at my side, there will be no issues protecting the Republic. I have sent out the summons for the emergency session and it will take place in a few hours. I'll see you then."

Tyler nodded as he stood up. "Sounds good Chancellor. I'll be on my way then." The group then headed out.

As they walked, Sifo Dyas turned to Tyler. "I don't think that there is a single person in the Jedi Order that can do things like you do."

Tyler shrugged. "I recently said this to Obi Wan. My morals do not align with the Council. However, we do have ideologies in common."

Sifo Dyas nodded. "I can definitely agree with that."

Suddenly, Tyler got a call. "Guild Leader, some bounty hunter named Jango Fett is here to meet with you."

Tyler smiled. "Tell him I'll be right over."

A short flight later, Tyler was sitting across from the legendary Jango Fett. "Wonderful weather we're having!"

Fett rolled his eyes. "Don't waste my time. The only reason I came is because I heard your name. I hope your reputation isn't for naught."

Tyler chuckled. "I was just trying to be friendly. Anyways, let's get down to business. I would like to hire you as the template for cloning."

Fett's eyes widened at that. "Interesting. What does this job entail?"

Tyler continued. "It is a long term ȧssignment. Essentially, the Kaminoans will need to take some genetic samples and you will oversee some of the training."

Fett thought for a moment. "This is an interesting one. Never thought that other people would wear my face. One question for you Draco. Why me? There are plenty of bounty hunters out there."

Tyler smiled. "But there are few who have your reputation, Jango Fett. Both in terms of your skills and your discretion."

"Think of it. A Grand Army of the Republic. A show of strength and power like the galaxy has never seen. All stemming from you. How many men can claim such a legacy?"

Fett sighed. "When you put it like that, it makes it hard to decline. I have a request on top of the pay."

Tyler perked up. "If it is within my power, it shall be done. Name your price."

Fett smiled. "20 million. And I want an unaltered clone for myself."

Tyler raised his brow. "Ah, that is quite interesting. Never would have pegged you as the father type."

Fett shrugged. "I've never had the time for a woman. They're too expensive. Why pass up the opportunity when it is made available?"

Tyler nodded. "That makes sense. Anyways, your conditions are acceptable. Hopefully this is the beginning of a prosperous relationship." As he said this, Tyler checked Jango Fett's stats.

*Jango Fett, 26 years, Bounty Hunter*

*Level 93*

Fet nodded. "With your status and resources, there is no doubt that our relationship will be profitable."

Tyler smiled. "I have one other request. Don't take any jobs from the Trade Federation. In exchange for this, I am willing to offer protection and the ability to operate out of this building."

Fett shrugged. "I will take it into consideration but no promises. You know how my field of work operates. Our services go to the highest bidder."

Tyler sighed. "Oh well. At least I could say I tried. Hopefully you can come around in the future. Whenever you are bored, I am confident that I can find something fun and profitable for you to do. Also, feel free to use my facilities to train the kid. As I always say, you can never have too many powerful friends in this galaxy."

Fett chuckled. "You can say that again. When can I accept the payment?"

Tyler pressed a buŧŧon on his wrist comm and the door opened. A guild member walked in with a crate and set it on the table before opening it up. "Here is the payment in cash. You can tell the Kaminoans about the other thing when you get there. Tell them I'll cover everything and to put it on my tab."

Fett laughed. "Is it your tab? Or the Republic's?"

Tyler waved his hand. "The credits for your payment and whatever it takes to pay for the kid are mine. The rest is on The Republic."

Fett was surprised. "That is quite generous of you. I will remember this."

Tyler smiled. "I hope so. Anyways, I am sure you have things to do before you are locked down on Kamino for a while so I'll let you go." He got up and reached out to shake Fett's hand.

Fett smiled. "Thank you. I look forward to doing business with you in the future." He then shook Tyler's hand.

They made some small talk as Tyler accompanied Jango Fett to his ship. They talked about how Fett was impressed with the facilities and Tyler asked a bunch of questions about the Slave I. Then he boarded his ship and took off.

Tyler then summoned Shmi and his mother. They had a senate session to attend. After just a few minutes, they joined Tyler in the hangar. Once they got the living arrangements figured out, Julia is living with Tyler in his penthouse. Shmi was given an executive suite on the 9th floor.

They boarded the Scimitar and headed to the hangar in the Senate Building. It had been a few days since he last saw Shmi and his mother so he asked how they were doing on the way over.

Julia has been adjusting to the game nicely. Most of her day is filled with meetings and events. She was actually planning to host one of such events in the near future. In her spare time, she had been training with the ELG-3A Blaster Pistol that Tyler gave her or hanging out with Shmi. They enjoyed the recreational facilities available in the guild hall.

Shmi had been having a bit of trouble adjusting. This life was very different from that of a slave. She described having people serve her instead of serving others as weird and foreign. However, her physical appearance would not tell the same story. After she was cleaned up and dressed in something other than rags, she was beautiful. She would regularly attract the eyes of guild members in passing.

Aside from themselves, they had taken on a few guild members that were interested in the politician class. Not including Shmi, there were 5 ambassadors in the guild. They would serve as representatives of Limitless and any worlds in its control.

Tyler wasn't surprised to find out that of the 5 ambassadors, there were three females other than his mom. In addition, one of them was apparently 19 years old. Julia relentlessly convinced Tyler to meet the girl since she had been talking him up to her. Tyler caved and agreed to meet her after the emergency session. The arguments she was making about how Tyler has never had a girlfriend and that she wanted grandkids are what really sent it home.

After suffering through his mother's coercion, they finally arrived at the Senate Building. Julia really was the only player in the game that he is helpless against. Kai found this quite entertaining. There was something funny about watching some woman, who has virtually no combat prowess, completely steamroll his master.

As the four of them departed the Scimitar, they saw a familiar face. "Padme, it is wonderful to see you." Tyler smiled.

Padme walked over to their group with her party. "Draco, Cynthia, Shmi, Kai, it is great to see you all too. Allow me to introduce you to the newest representative of Naboo, Jar Jar Binks.

On the surface, Tyler put on a welcoming face. But internally it was anything but. 'That thing, oh no. The force screams warnings just being on the same planet as him. Aside from that, there is nothing that can convince me that Jar Jar was not supposed to be a Sith Lord until they introduced Dooku.'

(This is actually a conspiracy theory. I think it's pretty funny. Look up Darth Jar Jar and read away. It low-key makes sense.)

Julia took the initiative. "It is a pŀėȧsurė to meet you, Representative Binks. Any friend of Padme's is a friend of mine." She smiled.

Tyler just smiled and made sure to keep his distance from the walking catastrophe known as Darth Jar Jar.

After a short walk, they split up to enter their respective pods. As they were walking, he got a call from Master Windu. "What can I do for you Master? I only have a few minutes before the senate will be in session."

Windu nodded. "I am aware of that. The Jedi Council has caught wind of what is to be discussed today in the senate. I would like you to also represent the Jedi Council in today's session. Due to our limited numbers, we are not capable of keeping the peace in the galaxy on our own. Thus, we are in support of raising an army."

Tyler was shocked. Did he just hear that correctly? The Jedi Council approves of the GAR? Whatever they're smoking, Tyler definitely has to get some! "It is good to know that the Chancellor and I have the support of the order. If we combine all of our reputations, it should not be a problem to convince the senate to pass a bill."

Windu smiled. "May the force be with you, Draco." He hung up. This should make for a pleasant surprise for Valorum.

A few minutes later, Valorum stood up in the center of the chamber. "I declare this emergency ȧssembly of the Galactic Senate in session." Everyone quieted down upon hearing those words. "I am sure that many of you are wondering why you were called here today. It is my duty as Supreme Chancellor to dedicate all of my efforts to maintaining the freedom and democracy of the Galactic Republic."

"Keeping this in mind, it pains me greatly to have to stand before you at this time. I have been informed that there is a new threat to our ways of life. To explain this further, I would like to give the floor to Lord Draco of Kessel."

Kessel's pod floated over to the center of the room. Tyler stood up. "I stand before you in all my capacities. I speak on behalf of Kessel, Limitless, and the Jedi Order. I shall start at the beginning. In recent times, the Jedi Order has been struggling. The dark side of the force has clouded our foresight."

"I am sure that many of you are not the most knowledgeable on the force so I shall give a brief explanation. The force is what connects everything in the universe, both organic and inorganic. As with everything in life, the force has two sides. The light side of the force is what the Jedi Order prides themselves in using. It can heal injuries and save lives. On the other hand, the dark side of the force is a powerful weapon that is used for manipulation and harm."

"Recently, we have discovered the source of these dark energies. Chancellor Valorum, may I?"

Valorum nodded. "You may continue, Lord Draco."

Tyler smiled. "Through an encounter with one of his followers, we have discovered that former Senator Sheev Palpatine was the source of these dark energies. He is a Sith Lord that goes by the name of Darth Sidious."

Everyone was shocked. Tyler just dropped quite the bomb on the senate. There had been a Sith right under their noses for a long time!

Tyler shrugged. "There is no use in fretting about the past. What is done, is done. We should, however, count ourselves fortunate that he did not gain the opportunity to become Supreme Chancellor. If everyone would recall, he attempted to call a vote of no confidence. It turns out that the entire Naboo Affair was orchestrated by him to gain power."

"Following the end of his term as a senator, he has disappeared. I have no doubts that he has joined forces with the Separatists. This is the source of our current dilemma. The Sith Order will stop at nothing to achieve their goals of ruling the galaxy with an iron fist. They will be cooperating with the CIS to raise an army and wage war on our Republic."

"Before I move on, I want to ingrain a fact into everyone's minds. There is a high price for freedom and democracy. Keeping our freedom and our worlds in the hands of our people does not come for free. If we sit here and do nothing while the Separatists raise an army and attack our homes, there will be no more freedom to speak of."

"With this, I would like to present the Military Creation Act. This act will enable the Supreme Chancellor to organize a military force to defend the Republic. I can promise you, this army will not be used to expand the Republic's influence. It is solely for the express purpose of defending our freedom!"

About half of the chamber erupted in applause. 'It would seem that the vote is split. I guess I have to pull out the big guns.'

Tyler continued. "Currently, this bill is backed by the Office of the Supreme Chancellor, Kessel, Limitless, and the Jedi Order. In addition, the Jedi Order has agreed to offer their services in commanding the army. If anyone would like to read the bill, a draft has been sent to each of your pods. In addition, I will be taking questions."

Everyone gasped in surprise. They would never have thought in a million years that the Jedi Order would endorse the creation of an army and then even take part in the fighting. Many factions that were on the fence now firmly supported the bill and some who were opposed were opening their minds up to be changed.

As expected, Naboo's pod floated off the wall. Padme seemed a bit flustered. "Why are we not exploring a peaceful resolution to this? The fact that a war has not started still stands."

The chamber was in uproar. Many senators agreed with this ȧssertion. Some had a better grip on the current situation so they were opposing it. "ORDER! THERE WILL BE ORDER IN THIS CHAMBER!" Everyone quieted down following Valorum's demand.

Tyler nodded. "Thank you Chancellor. To answer that question, I must impart some knowledge onto you all. Are any of you familiar with The Sith Code?" Silence purveyed the room.

Tyler continued. "I didn't think so. The Sith Order has a code that they live by. It is what drives them to commit atrocities. It goes like this: Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The force shall free me."

"The Sith Order will not stand for peace. They thrive in war. In fact, they even seek it out. The emotions created through violence feed them. It is like a drug that gives them power and fuels their insanity. Since the Sith are behind the CIS, I see no path that doesn't lead to war."

Padme couldn't accept this answer. "What will raising an army accomplish? This is not some kind of game where we are trying to prove that we have a bigger stick! Just because the CIS is raising an army, that does not mean that we must as well. If anything, us doing so would be no different than an open provocation of the Separatists."

Tyler shook his head. "You are not taking into account the most important things. The Trade Federation set up a blockade of and occupied Naboo. They used your people as hostages. They threatened your very existence! If I did not intervene, your people would have been used as bargaining chips. Are you willing to concede to these tyrants each and every time they invade a world?"

"If they came anywhere near Kessel, I would do everything in my power to erase them from the galaxy. I do not negotiate with terrorists and neither should any of you. Your job is to protect your people and their freedom. If we allow the CIS to trample over us, how could we ever stand before our people as their representative?"

Padme was completely and utterly defeated. How could a former queen possibly lose in the game of politics to a mere 18 year old? She decided to take one more shot before backing down. "I will concede to those points. However, I have one question. How can you guarantee to us that you are not making a similar move to Palpatine? It is not that I doubt your loyalty to the Republic. It is more so that I want to be confident that there are no ulterior motives."

Tyler smiled. "It would be outrageous to even consider that I wish to take power for myself. I am a leader because I am strong and provide for my people. However, I despise the political portion of the role. You can look at anything I do. For running Limitless, I defer to my fantastic Vice Guild Leaders. When it comes to the Senate and other representative activities, I have my mother and several ambassadors to rely on. Lastly, when it comes to governing Kessel, I found someone to do that too!"

"I don't want political power or influence. All I want is to be free to explore and improve myself! In doing this, I dedicate my life to providing for and protecting the people that have helped me get where I am today. Anyone who knows me will understand that this is the truth. Those who help me, I help in return."

As he finished speaking, the chamber exploded in applause. It would seem that he accomplished what he needed to. "I will now turn it back over to Supreme Chancellor Valorum."

Valorum nodded and stood up. "Thank you for your inspiring words Lord Draco. Before we put this to a vote, I would like for everyone to be aware that Lord Draco has volunteered to broker the commission of this army. Without further adieu, I will now open the polls."

Several minutes passed. It seemed that this vote would take longer than the last one Tyler was present for.

It took almost 20 minutes for the vote to be completed. Valorum stood up. "I will now announce the results of the vote. With an 80% approval, the Military Creation Act will be enacted as law from this point forward. If you are interested in joining the Military Oversight Committee, please contact my office by the end of the week. I declare this session adjourned."