The Clone Assassin: A Star Wars Story

Birth of the Impossible

He stopped briefly by a storage room and grabbed a backpack from the shelf, then continued following the cloner with the baby. Some of his younger brothers in armor saw him, gave him questioning looks, and continued on their own way. Very, very few questioned where the Kaminoan was taking the infant cadet. 

Good soldiers rarely questioned their superiors.

99 continued his pursuit, ducking behind crates and walls when he thought it necessary. The Kaminoan still seemed unaware of his presence—a feeling 99 was not unfamiliar with. His limp slowed him down, but he managed to keep pace. Soon, the Kaminoan entered a room the old clone vaguely recognized, then reappeared in the hall without the child. 99 waited until the cloner was out of sight before entering the chamber, remembering its function upon seeing the interior. 

It was a garbage disposal. All manner of waste filled the room from floor to domed ceiling, falling in from the trash chutes that dotted the curved walls.  When the trash exceeded a certain weight, the contents of the room were incinerated. After that, the floor was programmed to open and slide away, allowing the ash and char to fall into the tremulous ocean that made up Kamino's surface. This, 99 realized, was how the cloner had decided to dispose of the clone they'd called defective.

99 limped to the cradle and took the now-sleeping infant. "They shouldn't be doing this," he whispered. "You have every right to live, same as the rest of us." He then placed and secured the infant inside the backpack, which he then placed on his back.

The child remained asleep as the elderly clone left the garbage disposal and headed down the hall. He limped through the facility, passing cadets, graduates and cloners, eventually arriving at the hanger bay. Various docked airships were under maintenance, but a few were ready to fly and waiting for units to carry. 99 looked around, hoping to find a brother he could entrust with the secret on his back. He saw no one.

Just as he was about to try another dock, he bumped into a Clone Trooper in specialized black armor. The soldier held his helmet beneath one arm, revealing his stern expression and shaven head. The soldier looked at the older clone in confusion.

"99," he said, his voice gruff, "what are you doing here?"

"Blinder!" the old clone huffed, relieved. "I'm so glad I found you."

"What's this about?"

The elder looked around cautiously before speaking again. "We don't have much time." He then removed his backpack and held it out to his brother. "I need you to look after this for me."

Blinder narrowed his eyes, skeptical. "What's in the pack?"

"I can't tell you out here. Just take it and go. Promise to keep it safe."

Still skeptical, the soldier studied 99. "This better not be a prank."

"I wouldn't do that to one of my brothers." 99 tried again. "Please, Blinder. "

Seeing the old clone's resolution and desperation, the soldier took the backpack with his free hand and slung it onto his shoulder. "You'll owe me for this."

"I know. Thank you, brother."

Blinder grunted and walked away. 99 stayed in the hanger long enough to watch the soldier enter one of the ships to join his unit, then left once the ship had taken off.

***

At takeoff and after, none in Blinder's unit questioned him about his exchange with 99. He was, after all, their squad leader. While in hyperspace, conversation erupted between the soldiers as a means to pass the time. Halfway to their destination, Blinder felt the backpack move.

"What the?" Setting his helmet down on a crate, he removed the backpack and opened the lid, his confusion increasing at the sight of the pack's contents. "Damn you, 99."

"What's in the pack, Sergeant?" asked one of Blinder's men.

"Looks like one of the new cadets."

Another soldier asked, "Why would 99 steal one of them from the nursery?"

"Not sure." The baby woke up and began to wail as Blinder removed it from the bag. He held it up in both hands, his eyes widening in realization and disbelief. "Oh."

"What is it, sir?"

"See for yourself." The sergeant turned the baby to show his fellow men. The others made various sounds and gestures of shock and alarm.

"A girl?!" one of them shouted.

"There's never been a female clone before," said another.

"Exactly," Blinder told them, shifting the baby in his hold so they'd both be more comfortable. "There's only one reason 99 would ask us to look after her: The Kaminoans want to cover it up. Meaning they want her dead."

The other soldiers fell silent.

"Now," Blinder continued, "I want you all to listen up. We're taking the cadet with us to base. We're a Stealth Ops unit—we're the best there is at staying hidden. We'll teach her to hide from Kamino, and anyone else. No one can know about this but us. Understood?"

The Troopers shouted collectively, "Yes, sir!"

The infant cadet went back to sleep, as if knowing she was in safe hands.