Karen Traviss - Star Wars 501st: An Imperial Commando Novel (Republic Commando: Book 5)

Among them is a small but worrying number of desertions by clone troopers from the former Republic's special forces. We consider it unlikely that they are unreported casualties because of patterns of association. They are:

1. Null-batch ARCs N-5, N-6, N-7, N-10, N-11, and N-12. Highly dangerous and volatile black ops commandos whose loyalty was always suspect due to their strong association with their training sergeant, Kal Skirata.

2. Alpha-batch ARCs A-26 and A-30. (Others are unaccounted for, but they may be genuine casualties.) Equally dangerous, andshould you need to remind the Emperortrained to be "one-man armies."

3. An unknown number of Republic commandosat least three complete and partial squads. Experts in sabotage and assassination.

4. Mandalorian mercenaries and military advisers working for Special Operations Brigade GAR, also known to have trained the missing clonesKal Skirata, Walon Vau, Mij Gilamar, and Wad'e Tay'haai.

5. Among the known fugitive Jediin other words, those not confirmed as eliminated in Order 66, or reasonably believed to beis General Bardan Jusik. Interrogation of several Padawan Jedi before execution suggests that Jusik renounced his Jedi status and joined the Mandalorians as a mercenary. I hardly need spell out the special risks of a Force-using Mandalorian.

The prisoner Dr. Ovolot Qail Uthan is also at large after being taken from Republic custody. Whether this was carried out by former Separatists, or is linked to Skirata's alleged industrial espionage for an unknown commercial clonemaster, the biologist remains a threat to the Empire because of her work on FG36, a genome-targeted biological weapon specific to Fett clones. She is a Gibadan citizen, and Gibad is still refusing to observe the cease-fire.

Recommendations:

1. That we continue to search for the missing special forces personnel.

2. That we carry out reprisal action against Gibad, both as Uthan's most likely source of technical support for bioweapon terrorism, and as a deterrent to other dissident governments.

3. That we closely examine those Imperial clone commandos who have missing squadmatessuch as the former Omega Squadand whose loyalty may be in question. If they prove reliable, we should use them to track their former comrades.

4. That we anticipate encountering former special forces clones in future military operations against rebels and malcontents, and ensure that Imperial stormtroopers are equipped to deal with the unique threat they pose.

Submitted this day by: Sector Controller J506, Officer Marigand, H. F.

Deserter, Null ARC trooper N-10now Jaing Skirata, Mandalorian mercenary

"So you know what you're doing, Kal, yeah?"

Mij Gilamar rarely gave advice outside of his two fields of professional expertisekilling or curingbut sometimes he used a certain tone that made Skirata's shoulders hunch.

It was a rebuke, a clip around the ear, however kindly put, and all the more cutting for it. No, Skirata was not sure what he was doing. He would have been the first to admit it. In fact, he was going to admit it right now. He stared up into the clear dusk in the general direction from which the freighter Cornucopia was due to make a low-level approach, and wondered if this was the moment when his talent for pulling off impulsive gambles had finally reached its limit.

But it's not just my neck, is it? It's my boys. And it's all the other unlucky shabuire who put their faith in me.

"Okay, I've risked everyone's life by letting the Jedi come here," he said. "The more folks I gather in, the greater the odds that we'll be found. But be honest, Mij'ikaif you'd had the chance of getting your hands on someone the aiwha-bait engineered to live longer, could you pass it up?"

Gilamar kept his eyes on the sky. "No, probably not.

I hear the but coming."

"It's too late to change plans. I'd just be sniping."

Skirata heard something rustle in the undergrowth. His first thought was that it was Mird, but the strill was with Vau, light-years away in the Kashyyyk sector looking for leads on Sev. After long years of hating Mird, Skirata now missed the animal, and much as it surprised him, he missed Walon Vau, too. He thought of all the times he'd drawn his knife on both of them, and bitterly regretted years spent on infighting when there were so many real enemies around.

The rustling turned out to be Mereel and Jaing strolling through the bushes. Jaing was either keeping an eye on Mereel, knowing his temper when it came to Kaminoans, or else planning to show off his distinctive gray leather gloves to Kina Ha to remind her what could happen to Kaminoans who didn't behave.

Am I sure this isn't a setup? How could a Kaminoan Jedi with those genes land in my lap? She's probably the only one of her kind. And I'm not that lucky.

Gilamar sighed. "Maybe Ny's had the sense to blindfold them. But they're Jedi. They've got that radar ability, that direction thing."

"Yes, thanks, I do realize that once they get here, they know our location." Skirata took out a strip of ruik root and chewed to calm his nerves. "They can have this location dragged out of them if they're ever caught. So once they're here" He hadn't thought that through yet. What the shab have I done? "But my priority is keeping the boys safe. So I won't hesitate to put a round through both saber-jockeys if I think that needs doing. Is that the question you really wanted to ask, Mij?"

Gilamar turned his head slowly to look at Skirata. "Kal, did you tell Ny why you were willing to hide the Jedi here?"

No, he hadn't. At least, he hadn't spelled it out; he'd just reminded Ny that he wasn't the good man she thought he was, but that he loved his boys. She knew what the stakes were, what was happening to Ordo and all the other clones. She should have put two and two together. He didn't plan to apologize for doing his duty as a father.

"I never told her I wanted Kina Ha for spare parts, no," he said.

"She's only seen the nice paternal Kal." Gilamar held out his hand for a piece of ruik. "You might want to think how to break it to her. Maybe I should do it. Doctor's bedside manner and all that osik."

"Tough. She's a fine woman, but this isn't about her."

Skirata liked Ny, so much that it scared him. He should have grown out of all that nonsense by now. And he owed her. But if A'den tried any harder to throw the two of them together, they'd break something.

A'den would have to wait to get his own way for a change. Skirata had a mission, and he would not be diverted from it. His reason for living was his adopted sons, and without themsometimes he wondered how long he would have lasted if he hadn't taken a chance on Jango's summons to Kamino. He was pretty sure that within a year, he'd have been dead in a gutter with a blaster hole through his head for pursuing one bigger, faster, younger bounty too many. He might even have ended up putting the hole there himself. He hadn't enjoyed being the old Kal Skirata.