22 BBY
Kamino, Rishi Maze
The blue tunnel of hyperspace surrounded Jaika, who was sat in her blue Jedi fighter, observing the many shades of blue that flashed past her. Looking forward, her irritated droid swiveled his head around from the small hatch that he was sat in. C1-4X let out a chain of distorted beeps, shifting around in his seat as he did so, making Jaika let out a sigh. "I know you're bored, you told me two minutes ago." She replied, making the droid look away from her as he let out a low grumble.
For the past hour, C1-4X had been notifying Jaika every few minutes that he was bored, which after a while became rather irritating towards the Padawan. "We should be close though." Jaika told him, making the droid's head quickly swivel around and look at her in an excited stance. The droid let out a couple of beeps, twisting his head slightly as he analyzed his friend's expression. "No, we're not there yet." Jaika responded, earning a sigh from the droid as he turned away from her.
At that moment, the monitors in front of her started to beep as an image of a planetary system was displayed on one of the screens. The blue void of hyperspace dissipated as Jaika's fighter jumped into the system that they were in. Looking forward, Jaika noticed a large blue planet which she guessed was Kamino.
Glancing out of her cockpit, Jaika noticed Obi-Wan detach his fighter from his hyperspace ring before he started to fly towards the blue planet. Jaika did the same, by pulling up a lever and detaching from the ring, making it float forward. Flying through the ring structure, Jaika piloted the fighter as she caught up with Obi-Wan. As Jaika flew closer to the planet, she could feel the planet's atmosphere starting to pull her ship closer to its Ozone. "Well, I guess this is it, C1. Kamino." Jaika stated, receiving a low chirp from her droid.
Breaking through the planet's atmosphere, Jaika quickly noticed the excessive amounts of storms that covered the planet. The dark clouds blocked her vision, as the heavy rain plummeted down onto her fighter as thunder clouds echoed around her. Descending through the clouds, the wind grew stronger as the Skywalker girl started to feel an interference with her control over the ship. "I think I know why this planet was removed from the archives." Jaika expressed, as she observed the thunderous world outside her cockpit.
Quickly exiting the clouds, Jaika pulled a gearstick, changing the gear of her fighter so that she could gain more control over the fighter. Feeling the engines pulse, she piloted her fighter behind Obi-Wan's who was heading towards a large complex that was built on top of the water.
Obi-Wan's red Jedi fighter gently touched down onto one of the many landing platforms on the facility, before he took off his headset and prepared to get out his ship. While he did that, Jaika also descended and landed on the same platform, a couple feet behind Obi-Wan's.
Powering down the controls, Jaika took off her headset and placed it in its compartment by her seat. Jaika went to look outside the windshield, only for it to be fogged up from the intense levels of rain that poured down onto the ship. Letting out a displeased sigh, Jaika mentally prepared herself, before pressing a button and opening the hatch of the fighter before she jumped out of the ship and onto the flooded landing platform. She wasn't out of her ship for that long, but the girl could already tell that she was soaked, feeling the many layers of robes that she wore stick to her skin.
Letting out a quiet mutter, the Skywalker girl lifted her hood up to cover her face before she looked ahead and noticed that Obi-Wan had done the same, as he stood by the front of his ship, waiting for her. As Jaika went to walk towards the Jedi Master, she heard C1-4X let out a chain of beeps, making her briefly turn around and face him. "Stay there. I won't be long." Jaika instructed, before turning around and walking towards Obi-Wan; ignoring the chain of beeps that her droid shot at her.
Wrapping her arms around herself, the girl tried her best to contain as much heat as she could while she walked towards the automatic doors of the facility. Reaching the doors, the two Jedi walked into the incredibly well-lit corridors; Jaika argued that the place's lighting was kind of excessive and unnecessary.
Jaika lowered her hood, before looking around the corridor, feeling her wet hairs stick to her skin. Glancing to her side, she noticed a rather perplexed expression printed across Obi-Wan's face, before she followed his line of vision, noticing a strange being that was walking towards them. Jaika had seen many different life forms, having grown up in a place that supplied equipment for everyone. Even travelling as far as a local space port, where Jaika thought she had seen every species in the galaxy; Jaika was still astound when she laid eyes on the tall and pale being that approached them.
Their long neck added at least three feet to its height, and its dark eyes looked down at the pair, analysing them. They walked at a slow pace, but still maintained some form of grace within their movements. Whoever or whatever they were, made Jaika feel strange. "Master Jedi. The Prime Minister is expecting you." The being's gentle voice spoke.
"I'm expected?" Obi-Wan questioned, before he glanced to his side to look at Jaika who seemed to be as confused as he was. Jaika repositioned her arms around herself, as she tried to regain her warmth from earlier. Although they were inside, she was still freezing. It didn't surprise her that on a planet surrounded by rain storms, the interior buildings didn't supply any heat. "Of course. He is anxious to meet you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now please, this way." The being replied, before walking off.
Jaika glanced towards Obi-Wan and frowned slightly, not completely sure what was going on. Obi-Wan looked at her and shrugged gently, before he started to walk behind the tall being, with Jaika walking after him.
The brightness of the many corridors that they walked through was starting to make Jaika's head hurt. Walking beside Obi-Wan, they stopped behind a large door, which had multiple curved structures to it before they slowly moved away from each other as the door swooshed open, revealing yet another bright room.
They slowly walked into the room, where another being was sat on a chair that was extended from the ceiling of the room. The being stood up from their seat and walked forward, holding a lot more authority than their tour guide. "May I present Lama Su, Prime Minister of Kamino." The Kaminoan introduced, pointing towards the man in black clothing. Jaika and Obi-Wan bowed respectfully towards the man, who returned the gesture. "And this is Master Jedi--"
"Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is Jedi Padawan Jaika Skywalker." Obi-Wan introduced, motioning his hand towards Jaika who stood with her hands together in front of her. When Lama Su spared her a glance, the girl tilted her head downwards in respect. The Prime Minister acknowledged Jaika before looking back at Obi-Wan. "I trust you're going to enjoy your stay. Please." The Prime Minister spoke, before two more seats travelled down from the ceiling.
Obi-Wan walked forward and took a seat, and Jaika hesitantly followed, repositioning her robes that shifted from her movements. "And now to business. You will be delighted to hear that we are on schedule. 200,000 units are ready, with a million more on the way." Lama Su spoke, pride soaking through his voice. Jaika's eyebrows twitched slightly, growing confused as to what exactly he was talking about. Obi-Wan also wore a confused expression and briefly shared a glance with Jaika, before he looked back at Lama Su, "That's good news." He answered, hesitance apparent in his voice as he had no idea what the Prime Minister was talking about.
"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that his order will be met on time." Lama Su spoke again. Jaika frowned slightly at the mention of the Jedi Master that had been talked about so little in the Temple. Everyone knew that he was dead but a lot of mystery surrounded the Jedi. Glancing over at Obi-Wan, Jaika could tell he was equally as confused and shocked by the name drop. "I'm sorry, Master--" Obi-Wan spoke, thinking that he heard Lama Su incorrectly.
"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas is still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?" Lama Su questioned, glancing between the two Jedi for confirmation. Jaika assumed that it must have been a while since Lama Su last spoke with the Jedi as she never knew he lead the Council, or at least when she had been in the Temple. "Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago." Obi-Wan revealed, earning a shocked look from Lama Su.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've built for him." Lama Su answered. Jaika's eyes widened slightly, as she tried to process what the Prime Minister just said. A confused frown spread across her face, "The army?" Jaika questioned, confusion clear in her voice.
"Yes. A clone army, and I must say, one of the finest we've ever created." Lama Su replied, making Jaika give a slow yet unsure nod. The sound of a clone army didn't sit right with her, considering the fact that the Kaminoans had made so many. The question that flooded her mind was who was it for? "Tell me, Prime Minister, when my Master first contacted you about the army, did he say who it was for?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice gentle in case the answer he was to receive would be the answer he was worried about.
"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic. But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself." Lama Su explained, making Jaika's tense body relax a little. She was relieved that the supposedly massive army was for the Republic, but that didn't exactly mean she felt at ease from the sound of a clone army; something about it didn't sound right to her. "That's why I'm here." Obi-Wan answered with an awkward laugh, making Jaika send him a glance.
Not wasting any more time, Lama Su stood up from his seat and started to walk towards the door. Sharing a questionable glance, Jaika and Obi-Wan followed after him.
~☆~
Walking a step behind Obi-Wan, Jaika looked out of the glass panels in the walkway, observing the many levels of technology that had many incubators that held premature clones. The Skywalker girl glanced down at the thousands of pods that held different ages of babies in various structures in the room. It was safe to say that there were a lot of clones. "Very Impressive." Obi-Wan shared, as he continued to walk through the corridor. Jaika glanced over at Obi-Wan who was looking at the lifeforms with a curious gaze.
"I'd hoped you would be pleased. Clones can think creatively. You will find that they are immensely superior to droids. We take great pride in our combat education and training programs. This group was created about five years ago." Lama Su explained, as he lead the Jedi towards a window which looked into a suite with many children that were analysing monitor screens. Jaika slowly walked towards the glass, taking note of the vast number of children that were being trained. The apparatus attached to their heads made Jaika's eyebrows knit together slightly, as she tried to work out what was attached to them. "You mentioned growth acceleration." Obi-Wan stated, while Jaika kept her eyes on the young clones, watching as a few walked towards beings like Lama Su with data pads before they were turned away. She guessed that they were assessing the clones.
"Oh yes, it's essential. Otherwise a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now we can do it in half the time." Lama Su explained, before walking ahead. Slowly moving her gaze away from the learning children, Jaika caught up and walked beside Obi-Wan when they walked above a section which appeared to be a cafeteria. Jaika quickly noticed how they were all wearing the same red garment as each other. "They are totally obedient, taking any order without question. We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host." Lama Su explained. Jaika concealed her frown; she could not understand why the Kaminoans would strip the clones from having any individuality. "And who was the original host?" Jaika heard Obi-Wan ask, while she kept her focus on the many clones that were socializing beneath her.
"A Bounty Hunter called Jango Fett." Lama Su answered, gaining Jaika's attention as she turned to face the Kaminoan. The mention of the Bounty Hunter brought Jaika back to the purpose of the mission, giving her hope that they might find the person who is trying to kill Padmé. "And where is this Bounty Hunter now?" Jaika asked, as they came to a stop in the middle of the corridor. The Kaminoans looked down at Jaika who stood nearly two feet below them.
"Oh, we keep him here. Apart from his pay, which is considerable; Fett demanded only one thing: an unaltered clone for himself. Curious isn't it?" Lama Su explained as they walked into a section which looked down on many clones that were collecting helmets for their armor. "Unaltered?" Obi-Wan asked with curiosity, while Jaika glanced towards Lama Su with her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile and no growth acceleration." Lama Su explained. Jaika raised her eyebrow slightly in interest as she glanced to her side where Obi-Wan was stood, staring up at Lama Su. "I should very much like to meet this Jango Fett." Obi-Wan expressed, earning a somewhat surprised glance from Lama Su.
"I would be very happy to arrange that for you." Taun We replied from behind the group. Turning her attention away from the kind Kaminoan, Jaika focused her attention on the open air balcony at the end of the corridor. Jaika could feel the light breeze from the wind outside whenever she took a step closer to their destination.
Walking through the small archway, Jaika followed Obi-Wan's lead, who walked to the very edge of the balcony before resting his arms on the railing. Jaika kept her arms by her side, until she looked down at the millions of clone troopers that marched onto various Republic cruisers in a fixed fashion.
Her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly. Jaika rested her arms on the railing as well, as she tried to make sense of the extensive size of the army below her. She could barely process that so many men were cloned from one person; as well as the fact that these men had been forced into a life and due to their programming, they had to comply.
Jaika was in complete awe from the sight of the many armored soldiers becoming one formation. Repositioning her hands on the railing of the balcony, Jaika leaned over the edge of railing to get a closer look at the Republic Cruisers that she had never seen before. "Magnificent aren't they?" Jaika heard Lama Su ask.
Obi-Wan could not think of a reply, as he too was overwhelmed by the vast numbers of clones. As he inspected the legions that marched in formation, he glanced to the side and noticed Jaika leaning over the railing to have a closer look. Reaching his arm out, he placed his hand on her shoulder before he gently pulled the girl away from the edge of the railing, putting the reckless Padawan in a much safer position.
Once she was moved, Jaika quickly looked over at Obi-Wan who wore a slightly concerned expression on his face. Before the girl could question his actions, Obi-Wan glanced behind his shoulder once he noticed that Lama Su had started to walk away from the balcony and towards another corridor, to continue the tour. Taun We waved her arm, signaling to the Jedi to follow the Prime Minister.
Turning back to Jaika, who was also observing Taun We; Obi-Wan read her slightly defensive body language. "Be careful." Obi-Wan spoke, leaning slightly closer to Jaika, who looked back at him before he removed his hand from her shoulder and took a step back. The girl simply nodded her head as a sheepish smile teased across her lips.
Obi-Wan turned on his heel and followed after Lama Su, his pace fast with authority as well as him trying to catch up with the long-legged man. Jaika turned to follow, before she leaned one of her hands on the railing again, taking one last look at the clone army; watching as they turned and stood at attention towards various different Captains and Commanders.
The Skywalker girl was beyond curious as to why the Jedi created a clone army ten years ago, as well as why the Jedi Order agreed to it; if they agreed to it. Looking down at the men in helmets, she noticed how their movements seemed almost robotic and as if they had lost all their humanity when they were on duty.
Jaika didn't even know them, but she already felt pity.
(2926 Words)