Chapter 33 - Grand Army of the Republic

(Sorry I'm a bit late today. I have been sick the past few days and woke up at 2PM. Enjoy!

Also, its my 21st birthday tomorrow :P)

Weirdly enough, there was no orbital defense stationed around Kamino. This was no coincidence. There used to be a large fleet here but for some unknown reason, there was an announcement recently that the orbits of Kamino and Geonosis were off limits for long term deployment. This must have been the game's way of preserving some integrity in the story.

Who wouldn't want to participate in the Battle of Geonosis?

In addition, the NPCs had some defenses in place against the things they should not yet know. These things include, but are not limited to, the droid factory on Geonosis, the identity of the Sith Lords, aside from Sidious, and the current home of the Sith Order, Exegol. The developers chose Exegol since it is home to a Sith Citadel and quite remote at that.

Tyler and Xander were in the pilot seats of the Scimitar. Tyler turned to his guildmate. "Dude, I just realized something."

Xander was freaked out by Tyler's expression. "Ummmm, I'm hoping that it's not as bad as your face."

Tyler facepalmed. "The Battle of Geonosis won't happen if not for Obi Wan fighting Jango Fett on Kamino… What do we do?"

Xander chuckled. "You really are an idiot, aren't you."

Tyler raised his brow. "Tell me something I don't already know."

Xander smirked. "The amount of things going on in your own guild that you don't know about is quite amusing. We have agents that are undercover in the CIS. Even with all of our Sith guildmates being forced to leave, we still have our information channels."

Tyler tilted his head. "So this helps us how?"

Xander rolled his eyes. "The last report was that some type of manufacturing facility is being built in Geonosis. This is presumably the droid factory."

Tyler sighed. "Well no shit. I guess we need to figure out how to have the Jedi Order take the bait."

Xander shrugged. "Well first, I think you mean that I need to figure it out because I'm the one that does that type of thing. Two, the intelligence committee came up with a plan already. We are probably gonna stage a series of transports going missing over Geonosis. That should foce the Jedi Council's hand."

Tyler scrunched his brows. "Hmmmm, that'd work. WAIT, WE HAVE AN INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE?"

Xander facepalmed. "Do you listen to anything I say? It's one of those things where you said to just go ahead and do it."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "How many things are there that I should know about that I don't?"

Xander nearly choked as he counted on his fingers. As he reached ten fingers, he looked at Tyler. "Ummmm, a lot. You see, the only reason this isn't a problem is because of how much money your shenanigans bring in. Aside from the things you say, we have been using guild funding at the council's discretion."

Tyler shrugged. "Oh well. Seems like it's working out so far so let's not fix what ain't broke. It's probably easier for you guys that I stay out of most of the logistical stuff anyways."

Xander laughed. "That is probably true. When we need you for something, we will let you know."

By this time, they were approaching the landing platform. As per usual, it was torrential downpour.

After the Scimitar landed, the group quickly headed inside to avoid getting soaked. Jango and Boba were waiting alongside Taun We. "Draco, it's good to see ya."

Tyler nodded. "Good to see you too."

Boba ran towards Tyler. "UNCLE DRACO!!!!"

Tyler picked up the little bullet. "How's it goin' little one?"

Boba smiled. "Good! Can we spar?"

Tyler chuckled. "Maybe later bud. I have some business to take care of with your dad."

Boba pouted. "Aww"

Jango hit Tyler with a gentle glare. "You spoil him."

Tyler scoffed as he put Boba down. "Oh come onnn, he's a kid. Let him have some fun before he becomes a full fledged Mandalorian like us."

Jango sighed. "I guess you are right. Many kids in this galaxy don't get to have a childhood so I guess I should let him enjoy himself a bit."

Tyler smiled. "My mother would be happy hearing that. You two should come visit Coruscant some time. I'm sure that even with all your downtime, you haven't taken a proper vacation."

Jango chuckled. "Maybe I'll have to take you up on that sometime. Seems like the benefits of working with you are endless though. Makes me a bit suspicious."

Tyler shrugged. "I just like to show people why they should be my friends. Once the coming war starts, people are gonna learn that it is much better to be in my corner rather than the opposing one."

Jango grimaced. "I feel bad for your enemies. Anyways, let's not keep the Prime Minister waiting."

Tyler nodded. "Indeed. See you later Boba."

Jango grinned as he turned around. "He is actually a part of today's demonstration."

Tyler raised his brow as Boba puffed out his ċhėst. "Interesting."

The group followed Jango to the conference room. On the way, Tyler introduced his companions to his Kamino ȧssociates.

They quickly reached the conference room. Lama Su was waiting on the other side. "Draco, it's a pŀėȧsurė. How was the trip?"

Tyler smiled. "Uneventful. Anything interesting happen since I was here last?"

Lama Su shook his head. "Fortunately not. Everything is proceeding according to plan. Who are your friends?"

Tyler smiled. "These two men are Vice Guild Leaders Xander and Napoli. Then we have Admirals Yularen, Kilian, and Coburn. I believe you already know Master Sifo Dyas."

Lama Su nodded. "Indeed I do. Please, everyone sit. We have quite the presentation in store for you all."

Everyone quickly took their seats. Lama Su stood at the front of the room. "The operation is moving along quite smoothly. We have completed several companies with millions more on the way. Two armies' worth of clones will be ready in less than two years time with millions more in the works."

The doors slid open and two fully outfitted clones entered the room. One had purple officer markings on his armor. Draco's interest peaked at this. The other was outfitted in clone pilot's armor that had yellow markings.

Lama Su stood proud as he paced back and forth in front of the two troopers. "This is what the clones will look like fully outfitted. All of the clones that are currently complete are undergoing extensive officer training. Those with exceptional reflexes and spatial awareness are receiving pilot training."

Lama Su stopped and gestured towards the clones. "Despite their specializations, they still receive extensive training in all aspects such that they become well rounded soldiers. They are designed to be superior to droids in almost every way."

He then signaled to the two troopers. They swiveled around and placed down their blasters. "We will now witness a hand to hand combat demonstration. These two clones have different specializations but one of the basics they are all taught is close quarters combat. Begin."

The two clones dropped into differing stances. The officer swung both his arms down, one after the other, checking the movement of his arms before putting up a guard. The pilot fell straight into his guard.

They immediately began circling each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. The pilot moved in, feinting a right hook before halting his punch and launching his left leg towards the officer's head.

The pilot raised his hands. "I yield."

Lama Su smiled at the display. "As you can see, different styles of CQC are taught to the clones and then they pursue the one they feel most comfortable using. The use of kicks is widely popular among pilots due to their upper body strength being lower than that of ground troopers."

"On the other hand, officers prefer to use grapples and counters. This allows them to quickly take down their opponent and also give them the opportunity to detain enemies in order to acquire intelligence."

The door slid open again. A young clone that appeared to be in the same stage of growth as Boba entered the room. The clones have accelerated growth so it would be unfair for an eight year old clone to go up against an eight year old Boba.

Lama Su gestured to Boba. "Little one, if you wouldn't mind…"

Boba nodded respectfully. "Of course." He hopped up off the seat and stood across from the clone.

Lama Su turned back to the group. "Now I would like to show you all a comparison of sorts. As you may know, Boba is an unaltered clone of Jango, a Mandalorian. Mandalorians are among the fiercest warriors in the galaxy. Some can even best a master jedi in combat."

"This display will involve a hand to hand combat demonstration between a properly trained Mandalorian Foundling and a clone of the same maturity. You may begin."

Boba immediately charged forward. He kicked off the wall and launched an aerial punch at the clone. The clone rolled forward, dodging the strike and spun around as he got back to his feet.

Boba smirked and went back in firing off a flurry of punches and kicks. Some landed and some were deflected by the clone. This was until the clone caught one of Boba's legs during a kick. He pulled Boba in and clotheslined him. The foundling was thrown to the ground.

The clone quickly moved to pin Boba but failed. Boba rolled on the ground and flipped back to his feet before kicking the clone in the stomach and then pinning him to the ground.

The clone quickly raised his hands. "I yield."

Boba stood up and wore a triumphant smile.

Lama Su was satisfied with the showing. "As you can see, a clone is no match for a properly trained Mandalorian but they can, without a doubt, put up a decent fight. Then again, most people of this galaxy with any semblance of combat training are no match for a Mandalorian."

Lama Su waved off the clones. "Now, let us inspect the facilities before the last demonstration."

Everyone stood up and followed Lama Su out of the room. Tyler walked next to the Prime Minister and they partook in some small talk as they moved towards the growth chambers.

They soon reached the growth chambers. They were walking on a catwalk that was surrounded on all sides by glass windows. Outside of the windows, countless circular discs held dozens of clones each. The clones ranged from fetuses to toddlers.

Lama Su stopped and turned to the group. "Cloning is the pinnacle of Kaminoan engineering. Our expertise allows for us to speed up the growth rate of the clones. We pride ourselves with our product."

Admiral Yularen spoke up. "This is very impressive. Will every single one of these chambers yield a soldier?"

Lama Su shook his head. "Due to the complexity of growing live specimens, not every attempt will be a success. However, we do have a 99.8% success rate in terms of cloning."

Yularen nodded in approval. "That is quite the margin. I expected it to be much lower given that the product is biological."

Lama Su stood tall. "It is all thanks to our engineers. Almost the entirety of our species works in the cloning business. Some other factions work in weapons and armor development. We outsource the manufacturing of those things since our facilities are only outfitted to produce biological specimens."

Lama Su started walking again. "Clones can think creatively. You'll find that they are immensely superior to droids. We take great pride in our combat education and training programs."

He said this as the basic training areas came into view.

Lama Su gestured towards the young clones. "This group was created about five years ago. Growth acceleration allows us to greatly accelerate their growth. This is how we have created entire companies of ȧduŀt clones within just eight years. Otherwise it would take a lifetime to develop them. We have also modified them to be slightly less independent than the original."

Coburn spoke up. "Who is the original?"

Jango waved. "That would be me, Admiral."

Coburn nodded. "I see the significance of the comparison between the clones and a Mandalorian. You've got some good genes, son."

Jango smiled. "Thank you."

Lama Su resumed walking. "The only unmodified clone we created was young Boba here. Right up here, we can see the mess hall. In the next few years, it will be filled as the batches catch up with our production capacity."

Lama Su then frowned. "Unfortunately, this marks the end of our tour. Since further staging areas are not in full use yet, there are no other available demonstrations. This, however, is expected since a combat ready force will not be ready for another two years."

Tyler waved his hand. "That is fine. I think this was more than enough. Thank you very much, Lama Su. I look forward to seeing the finished product. From what I can see, there will be some fine men serving besides me."

Lama Su nodded. "Indeed. Might any of your ȧssociates have questions? It would be my pŀėȧsurė to answer them."

Kilian spoke up. "If I may, Prime Minister, could you give us some more insight into the specializations of the clones?"

Lama Su nodded. "Of course. As you have already seen, we have pilots and officers. There are other specializations such as engineer, rifleman, sniper, demolitionist, special ops, and tactician. I can have someone send over a more comprehensive list if you'd like."

Kilian smield. "That would be very helpful, thank you."

Lama Su gestured to the rest of the group. "Anything else? You may feel free to reach out with any questions in the future. I can also tell you that any questions pertaining to transport and heavy weaponry would be best answered by Lord Draco. He is overseeing the whole process after all."

Silence permitted for a few moments. "If there is nothing else, Taun We can walk you guys out. I am sure you all have plenty to do."

Tyler nodded. "Thank you for the hospitality."

As the group walked out, Yularen approached Tyler. "Where did you find such a fine facility?"

Tyler chuckled. "If you want to know that, you must ask Master Sifo Dyas. He is the one whose idea it was to come here. He actually foresaw this whole ordeal with the CIS through his meditation."

Yularen looked towards the Jedi Master. "It is quite unlike the Jedi Order for someone to take initiative like this."

Sifo Dyas scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "If we work together, you'll find that I'm not quite as eccentric as Draco here, but we are similar in our mindsets."

Soon after, the group was back aboard the Excelsior and in hyperspace on their way back to Coruscant.

-2 years later, 22 BBY-

Tyler was in his engineering lab. He was currently working with beskar steel to forge some light armor. He had recently recreated Darth Revan's mask from beskar. It essentially made his head bullet proof.

*Item Obtained: Draco's Helmet*

*Rank: Epic*

*Description: Designed after Darth Revan's helmet, this masterpiece is made of beskar steel and is nigh indestructible. It is equipped with a heads up display (HUD) and various other technology.*

*Stats:

Defense +50

Passive 1: This armor piece is impervious to nearly all damage. For example, it can withstand direct blaster fire and can repel the strikes of a lightsaber.

Passive 2: HUD displays various types of information such as a map and communications.*

Suddenly, a guild member busted into the room. "Guild Leader, I have news!"

Tyler turned around looking very annoyed. "Well? Get on with it. I'm busy."

The guild member was shaking with excitement. "Word just came in that Master Kenobi was just captured on Geonosis."

Tyler froze before grinning. "It's go time."