《Project Alpha: A Summary - 'Old Republic to Current Operational Era'》 1 - Prologue 1242 Days prior to the Beginning of the Clone Wars, Undisclosed Research Platform, Kamino Waves crested high off the large column that supported the platform, guarding against the sheer might of the ocean capsizing the large facility. Rain stung Kimo-Sul as she cradled in her arms the data recording module. It annoyed her to no end that she was summoned from her research to go and recover the module, even in a time of instant communications and transmission. Endless Ultrawatts of information; hard storage of records was still necessary. Especially records as old as the ones she carried in her arms. But, Lama-Suu insisted she find a proper specimen and when the Governor demanded it, you moved with a purpose. Kimo shook the rain off her shoulders as it followed her inside briefly, cascading at the entrance before the inside doors slid shut keeping it out. It echoed hard off the door, Kimo looking out at it and past the platform to the ever-swirling ocean. Kamino was the perfect planet in every way for her work. Surrounded by an ocean, nothing but platforms dedicated to every type of research from Oceanography to the subject of the hard data she carried in her arms. After getting adjusted from the torrential storm, she finally proceeded down the bleached white hallway. The ocean was the perfect soup, it not only teemed with life and was the center of the Kaminoian culture; it was, as they believed the creator of all life in the known universe. Their philosophy, their very livelihood centered on the notion that it would provide and had provided all they would ever need. Not surprisingly, the Kamino ocean also provided the base for their chief export; the bath and suspension fluid for their chief commodity: Cloning Technology. As Kimo reached the end of the hall, she craned her long neck slowly to the ceiling, speaking loudly. ¡°Lights. Activate archive computer, list known Eras starting with samples viable at seventy-five percent...¡± As Kimo sat the data-recorder, which was filled with bits of DNA samples, down she looked at her Holo-comm. It listed the last message from Lama-Suu in text only. After reading it, her tiny face frowned slightly. She and the remaining Kaminoians had a dilemma, the order Lama-Suu had accepted was gigantic. One million Clones to be delivered upon notification with another Million set aside to be trained and delivered as replacements. In the past, the Kamino cloaning facilities catered to the tastes of the rich or companies wanting to dabble in the possibility of an improved and unpaid workforce. This was an undertaking Kimo wasn¡¯t sure could be done and simply wasn¡¯t realistic without a massive outside investment. But those were issues beyond her scope. Kimo wasn''t a financier or management; she was a scientist. This was a scientific problem; for her part. Intriguing to say the least. Her mind wandered a second. The possibility of outside resources, their closely guarded facilities exposed and the truth finally known. All it was distracting. Outside personnel would have to be brought in. Flash training would simply not be enough. Even though, it too, was still being experimented with. What would have to take place would be a combination of their own training programs and live instructors. LOTS of live instructors. This was a military order. An Army. Something none of them had done before; at least of the scale being requested. Beeping from her archive computer brought Kimo back to the present as she tapped the keys absently, trying to waylay her worry. All of it wasn¡¯t her department; it was another scientist, or administrator, or logistics. Kimo shook her head, they were all going to be involved with this project. And all of the detail was hardly her concern. Her job was to find a viable match, a pure specimen. The computers soft feminine voice spoke in no uncertain terms, it was bad news, but also gave her some place to start. <¡­Eras on file¡­Hyperspace Conflict¡­76% match¡­Old Republic Era¡­92% match¡­Sith Conflict of¡­> Kimo tapped a key, speaking just as softly back to the computer, ¡°Hold, please¡­viable samples on file for Old Republic Era?¡± The computer took a moment as Kimo lifted the large Data-recorder off the white table moving it toward the input device, she already knew what she was going to hear.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. <¡­Archive record shows ELEVEN projects on file, Czerka¡­Republic¡­Sith Empire¡­INPUT required¡­> Kimo was already placing the data sampling into the input slot on the computer as she heaved the large device in place with a slight ¡®BANG¡¯ and ¡®POP¡¯ the computer fell silent a moment as it read the data. <¡­ELEVEN Projects projects present, Dr. Sul¡­beginning listing¡­Harbeck project, Czerka corporation ¨C 67% match with viable material, Project X ¨C Sith Institute of Genetic Research ¨C 57% match with viable material, Project Omega ¨C Republic Bureau of Special Projects and Sciences ¨C 45% match with viable material¡­> The frown that creased Kimo¡¯s face made her hand move to the input device to disconnect it. It would be back to the Archive to begin searching again. Given the time Kimo had been alloted it was looking bad, the percentages continued to go down as the computer droned on. Her head went up a moment as the computer spoke something that looked promising. She stopped the computer''s speech with the press of a key on the white interface. ¡°Please restate last project and viability¡­¡± The computer took a moment as the data device whirled and clicked back into place. <¡­Project Alpha, Republic Bureau of Special Projects and Sciences ¨C 99% match with viable material¡­> Kimo''s heart nearly leapt from her chest as she quickly moved to the interface pressing a series of very noisy keys. In the ether above her an image swirled and rezzed into existence of a spinning humanoid figure. Data began outlining itself next to the image as Kimo began reading the text still emerging in the blue holo-field. <¡­SPECIMEN: REPUBLIC TROOPER, SUPERCOMMANDO CLASS, DESIGNATION RT-946¡­Campaigns include: Sith Resurgence, Battle of Coruscant, Battle of Alderaan, Battle of the Twin Moons, Pirate Insurrection, Mandalorian Takeover of Bilringhi, Hutt Cartel/Makeb Insurrection¡­.> The computer droned on as Kimo continued to read, her heart still racing. She gestured for the computer to stop. Finally realizing the archaic computer only responded to tactile input. ¡°Fine¡­fine. Collate and release sample for Cloning template. Assign genome of Eighteen years¡­set template to hard and capable of withstanding One million geno samples¡­.¡± That was necessary, with this many clones on order the sample would have to be hard cast to withstand millions of individual samples. Kimo was giddy, letting out a slight squeal as she watched the computer begin casting the template. She only hoped there was enough genetic data there to record a pure template capable of so much sampling. Her mind wandered again, the bonus, she was sure to get a bonus for this. It was better than what Kimo could have hoped for given the genetic age. Carefully taking the sample and placing it in a durasteel antiseptic container, a 99% match, Kimo punched the data chart into the Clone template computer preparing to begin a replication protocol to increase the sample volume. As Kimo was beginning to punch the keys a soft tone chimed throughout the room. Kimo looked up annoyed at the interruption, she stopped her work to answer the Comm. The voice on the other end spoke up first. ¡°Kimo, this is Lama-Suu, I trust your search goes well?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, I have found a ninety-nine percent candidate from the Old Republic era that will more than--¡° ¡°Kimo, begin your search for equipment for a Clone template, we have a live donor¡­.¡± Stunned, Kimo stammered slightly. It was one of the best samples she had ever replicated. This live donor; they always preferred a live donor, could not have possibly been as good. Even with the given age the sample Kimo found was nearly perfect. So quick Lama-Suu was to dismiss her without knowing the details. ¡°But Ma¡¯am, my donor is an Alpha sample probably the purest in the system, there¨C¡° The voice in response was soft, but purposeful. ¡°Kimo,YOU WILL begin your search for equipment to outfit a series of Military Clones, we have a donor and he just arrived I will be bringing him down to the sampling computer shortly¡± This was a bad turn of events, so much for the bonus. Live donor? Who could possibly outclass this sample? Kimo reluctantly placed the container on the table next to the sampling device bringing up the schematic of armor and armaments conducive to Lama-Suu¡¯s request. It wasn¡¯t a total loss, most of the armaments from the Old Republic era would more than fill the need requested and might even save come credits. The technology had not advanced so much that anything new had to be procured. She scoffed slightly, from scientist to armorer in the span of a moment. Kimo found herself doing the work of any number of working class Kaminoans in less than a second. ¡°Computer, disregard previous sample and re-archive, recalibrate for live specimen. Bring up equipment listing for Alpha Nine-Four Five and all Sith/Republic Armaments for the period.¡± The armament listing was extensive as it should have been for that period. The Great Galactic War was massive and a lot of material was created during that time that was little changed since then. The door opened as Lama-Suu entered with a blue and silver armored figure in tow. ¡°Kimo is the template computer ready?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, re-calibrated for live specimens.¡± ¡°Good, Kimo-Sul allow me to introduce our template, this is Jango Fett; Mandalorian.¡± Fett merely nodded his head in acknowledgement. Kimo smiled at the tall armored figure reluctantly, he may be the template, but at least Kimo had access to the most extensive equipment library in the galaxy. Perhaps if she played her cards right, she could get the bonus after all. 2 - The Sell - UL-13...Wild Space... As the Terminator rose across the planet designated as UL-13 close to Wild Space, the seventeen starships making up Republic Battle Group Victor for ¡®Victory¡¯, entered the planetary void completely unaware that a passing Sith Armada had tracked them and set up close to catch them coming into the system. The Great Hyperspace War was coming to a close and Battle Group Victor represented a renewed strength and vigor the Republic did not possess at the onset of the initial invasion years prior. The pride of the Coruscanti Shipyards, the ships which made up the fleet represented the pinnacle of Republic technology and a display of the Republic having ¡®won¡¯ the war. All but vanquished, the Sith were no longer a threat. This was a training cruise, most of the ships of the fleet would be separated from the larger group after the cruise or made to sit outside the outer markers of planets which were aligned with the Republic as a reminder that the Republic was still there, that it still watched over them. And that the Republic was the reason the galaxy enjoyed the freedoms they were afforded. Due to the gravity well of a new dwarf star the fleet had to alter course and make three hyperspace jumps instead of two. They found themselves close to UL-13 a planetoid well inside the unknown regions and well outside of Republic support. This was a perfect storm of all the things that could go wrong with a new fleet: Newly appointed Fleet Officers, lack of training, new/untested ships and a region that the Republic was not used to navigating within. The Sith, having been forced off Koribban in search of weak prey and trying to survive with the last of their forces; stumbled on to the Republic fleet as they made calculations for their second jump and merely ''ghosted'' the Republic¡¯s hyperspace trail. Setting up the ambush was a matter of getting there first. Rounding the Terminator in low orbit, Battle Group Victor did not attempt to use the planet or the systems many stars and anomalous gravity eating entities to hide its location. They didn''t feel they had too. This fleet, in the Republic''s mindset, was superior in every respect. Three of the ships were Fleet Carriers capable of putting its close to 250,000 Soldiers on a battleground in a moment¡¯s notice. With its large compliment of fighter support, no one would dare challenge the larger ships to close combat and if they did get through the screen of fighters, they would need to contend with a large array of turbolaser batteries and ship to ship missile pods. Six of the Dreadnaught Class ships ran the screen in front of the larger vessels making it incredibly difficult for anyone to drop in on them. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t account for anomalies which prevented that screen from being effective. Arrogance and vanity were a trait not common to the Republic, but for the crown jewel fleet it existed in mass quantity. The first ships hit were the Escorts. The Sith annihilated them in short order leaving the Carriers to fend for themselves. As the battle progressed, it took only 20 minutes for the Sith to completely destroy Battle Group Victor. The Sith jumped from the system leaving the burning hulks of the ships to rot in orbit around UL-13. It would be a hollow victory for the Sith Empire, having been defeated by the Galactic Republic. But it was a profound victory in spirit, the loss of so many Ships and Soldiers would have lasting effects. As the Carriers made their final descent, crashing into the surface of UL-13 and carrying with them the bodies of over 250,000 Troopers, their loss plus the grievous losses incurred during the Hyperspace Conflict brought the combined military loss of the Republic close to Twenty-Two Million and that was just on the Core Worlds. Not even the greatest Republic the galaxy had ever seen could sustain that kind of loss. And something had to be done about it. -- - Coruscant, Seat of the Galactic Republic¡­.Ten Years after the UL-13 Disaster¡­. It was no coincidence that the Senate Tower on Coruscant loomed over the Jedi Temple. Or that one was in view of the other. The Senate and people of the Republic always wanted their Jedi heroes to remember their place and the shadow cast by the Tower was a constant reminder of that fact. Not that the Jedi cared or paid any attention. It had been decades since the last war. Korriban was under Republic control, the Sith leaders scattered or dead; the Jedi returned to their meditations and studies. Political standing and their place in the societal pecking order was now the furthest thing from the minds of the Jedi. On that particular day the Supreme Chancellor wished his Tower''s shadow was slightly less foreboding. He needed their support. Supreme Chancellor Pultimo, shortly on his way out of the job, had a few loose ends to tie up. As he entered the palatial office already seeing the brown robed figure sitting across from his desk, he wondered if it was meant for a Grandmaster of the Jedi Order to look so ordinary. What was he expecting? Long had he served alongside the Grandmaster. Not one for grandiose displays, a colorful robe would have fallen into that category. The Jedi weren¡¯t into fashion, looking more like Mirialan monks. Like an average Jedi, but far from it, the Grandmaster sat with his eyes closed not opening them as the Chancellor entered the room. Simply giving him a bland greeting of, ¡®Good Morning¡¯. The Jedi Master, seated across from the highly polished desk made from a Wroshyr tree on the forest world of Kashyyyk, held immense power within the Jedi Order. The Chancellor took a seat at the desk across from the simple brown-robed man smiling faintly, not sure if the Jedi Master could even see his face. Brown hood low over the recessed features of the human Grandmaster¡¯s Face, the Chancellor did not notice the eyes were closed until the blue of them peeked out from under the hood after opening them. A look of plain serenity within the dark of the hood. Opening his eyes slowly, the Grandmaster took on a pleasant expression, nodding his head slightly. "As always, Supreme Chancellor¡­.it is our continued privilege to Serve the Republic." The Chancellor didn''t have to be a Jedi to sense the man. Years in the political arena taught him how to read people. Despite the Grandmaster¡¯s expression and greeting he was getting straight to the point. Something Pultimo appreciated about the Jedi. There was no love lost between the Jedi and the hierarchy of the Republic. Politics was something the Jedi tried very hard to avoid, but the Grandmaster had to play the game from time to time. It came with the position. Ordinary Jedi never saw the intricacies of politics. Never had to deal with the day to day subterfuge that was the Galactic Senate. Those were a politician¡¯s course to navigate. But the Grandmaster was that link between the Order and the Republic. And as the face of the Jedi Order, the Grandmaster knew he wouldn¡¯t have been called to the Supreme Chancellor¡¯s office for something as simple as having tea or a friendly chat. No one summoned, much less a Jedi, needed The Force to know that the Supreme Chancellor wanted something. Having been hardened by the last War, the Grandmaster had no taste for politics and even less for politicians. Not unlike most Jedi. The two men smiled at one another, but the Grandmaster remained placid. Nervously, The Chancellor cleared his throat. "It is about serving the Republic that I....asked to see you today." The Chancellor was extremely close to using the word ''summoned'' but knew that word would presume some measure of authority over the Jedi and today he needed that they be equals. The long history of the Jedi and the Republic went back millennia. And as time went on and regimes came and went within the Republic, the Jedi became more of a tenant on Coruscant than a fixture. There were more people in the galaxy that didn¡¯t possess the mystical power of The Force than there were people that had the power. The majority always outweighed the minority and even the Guardians of Justice throughout the galaxy were sometimes viewed as more of a nuisance than a benefit. For no other reason than they lacked oversight. Raising an eyebrow, the Jedi Master was understandably curious as to why the Chancellor needed to see him on that particular day. Reaching out in The Force, the Grandmaster sensed an unusual amount of anxiety in the Supreme Chancellor. Both knew, the Chancellor¡¯s time was short. Term limits and politics dictating a need for retirement. The brown robed figure immediately felt ashamed for having used his power for such a purpose. Frowning slightly. Politics sometimes dictated the necessity of using The Force when it wasn¡¯t called for. War was one of those purposes and to many; Politics was War, ¡°You have my undivided attention.¡± Stated simply and antiseptically. To give nothing away in what could be a prolonged verbal match. "May I ask you something? This may seem like an unorthodox question, but approximately how many Jedi are in the Order right now?" The Jedi Master crinkled his brow at the question, but could sense no ulterior motive. He answered, just as placidly as the expression on his face. "Spread throughout our various Temples and counting the Padawans, Auxiliary Corps, support branches I would say close to Forty Thousand. Forgive me for being inaccurate, Chancellor. We DO have a Master on the Council assigned to the rolls." Numbers were lower than before. War decimated the Jedi Order, just as it decimated the Republic Military. It was far easier to train troops than it was to train a Jedi from near infancy to adulthood. It was matter of numbers, the galaxy had more non-force users than those possessed of the power. And the standards for recruitment and training of the Jedi were just as rigid after the war as they had been before it. Even faced with a number shortage and stretched thin across the cosmos, the Grandmaster was considered a traditionalist. Outside entities, such as the Ministry of Defense or the Galactic Senate tried and failed many times to exert some measure of influence over the Jedi and their recruitment. Leading the Order with a traditional spirit the Grandmaster stuck hard and very close to the tenets which made up the foundation of the Jedi Order. They all trusted in the Force, if the Force willed that there be more, then there would be.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Writing the number on a datapad with a very finely gilded stylus the Supreme Chancellor busied himself with some quick calculations. The Grandmaster resisted the urge to ask why the question was asked or where any of the discourse was going instead translating his unease by losing his composure slightly and shifting in his seat. Chancellor Pultimo finally looked up. "Do you have any idea of the ratio between the number of Jedi versus Republic Soldiers?", This time the Jedi Master could no longer contain himself. "No I don''t¡­excuse me Supreme Chancellor, but where is this going...", the Jedi Master said quickly. "Nearly One-hundred to One, Master Jedi...one-zero-zero to.....one. And that¡¯s a pre-war number. I didn¡¯t bother using the number you just gave me, the ratio would have been much worse¡­" The Supreme Chancellor spoke before getting up and rounding his desk to sit on the corner facing the other man. Pultimo placed his hands in his lap looking at the Master plainly, "That''s a large number to be sure...", Noticing the other man was getting agitated, the Chancellor raised his hand defensively, "...too large a number to be sacrificed so easily in the next conflict, we must plan ahead. What I want to speak to you about today is the opportunity to increase the chances of the Jedi never seeing the end of extinction." The Grandmaster raised his eyebrows. "We will never see the end of extinction; the Force is infinite. As long as there is a Force....there will always be Jedi..." Brow creasing slightly, The Grandmaster reached up and lowered his hood. ¡°Unless you know something¡­I do not, we are not planning for another conflict. The Sith are gone.¡± Laughing slightly, The Chancellor raised his hands allowing them to come down slapping both thighs loudly. ¡°Then why train? Why continue to practice the principles that make up the Jedi Order? To maintain a peace for a war that will never come?¡± A very skeptical look. The Grandmaster never expected a politician to understand what it was to be a Jedi. Most of the galaxy saw them as super-soldiers that carried amazing plasma swords. Others saw them as the Marshals, who enforced law and justice where ever they went. And yet others saw them as glorified diplomats, forcing the Republic¡¯s will at the tip of a saber. ¡°Chancellor, we have been over this many times. What it means to be a Jedi is so much more than you or anyone not of the Order could ever truly understand. Our principles were handed down by the Force itself; to study and learn¡­to listen to what the Force tells us in order to better understand ourselves and the galaxy as a whole. We serve the Force as our way of better understanding it. Service, it¡¯s our duty. Not just to the Republic, but to the Galaxy.¡± The explanation was ¡®watered down¡¯, something a Jedi spoke or told those not of the Order so the one asking the question could get a broad overview of what the Force meant to them. But the true meaning was much more complex. The Chancellor smiled at the explanation, seeing right through it for what it was. ¡°An excellent recruitment speech.¡± The Chancellor stood raising his arms mockingly. ¡°Worthy of any Senator in the halls of the Senate itself.¡± Turning sharply, he glared. ¡°Your service¡­your studies include the skills which keep the Republic safe. As a resource, it would be a shame to squander it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t consider my duty to the Order or to the Light any sort of squander. And we are NOT a resource. At least not one of the Republic¡¯s choosing.¡± After speaking, the Grandmaster crossed his legs and his arms. It did not appear he glared in return, but the sudden release of the placid muscles of his face spoke volumes of annoyance. ¡°You may not be a resource, at least not one we count within the Ministry. Jedi are not like other Republic assets. We aren¡¯t counting tanks here or soldiers in a regiment.¡± The Chancellor spoke quickly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard¡­they are forwarding a motion to disband the Republic Army. Save some credits, stop funding the military. There are, of course, a million ways to use military funding within the Republic.¡± The Chancellor referred to the Senate. Clearly, he didn¡¯t agree. The Grandmaster frowned, feeling the disagreement on another level. Jedi guarded the peace. There was no reason to fight a war if that peace was upheld. Both men were veterans of the last conflict. Both men understood the need for a strong defense, even if both of them saw it differently. A Jedi¡¯s eyes were always tainted with the peace and serenity they sought all of their lives. ¡°I¡¯ve heard¡­.¡± The Grandmaster relaxed, sitting back in the chair to release a pent-up sigh. ¡°You see this as I do. You may not be soldiers of the Republic, the Sith may be gone¡­but there will always be war, always be strife. If it¡¯s not the Sith, then it¡¯s the Hutts¡­if it¡¯s not the Hutts, then it¡¯s the corporations. War is an inevitability. In some circles, the Senate is a war. Politics is war. And in the absence of a true enemy we will even turn on one another.¡± ¡°I will admit¡­¡± Speaking reluctantly and with another sigh, the Master looked up. ¡°¡­my faith in the goodness of humanoid kind has been shaken. But that doesn¡¯t mean the Senate is wrong¡ª¡± The Chancellor started to speak, the Master raising a finger gently. ¡°¡ªnor, does it mean you or I are wrong. What it means is, change. There will always be change. As a politician, you know this. Regimes come and go. What stands the test of time are our beliefs and traditions.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m referring to!!¡± Grabbing a chair, the Chancellor broke form. Dragging the chair behind himself he plopped down next to the Master and leaned in close. ¡°Listen to me. This isn¡¯t political. I¡­.am coming to my end here. My service to the Republic in this capacity is nearly over. All I have left are my beliefs. And I believe, after the last conflict, things are only going to get worse. It was Two Million last time. Next time, what if it¡¯s twenty-two or two-hundred and twenty-two?¡± Releasing a breath after speaking fast, the Chancellor sagged and looked down. ¡°If they get what they want, we will be left with nothing between us and the rest of the galaxy when it comes calling.¡± ¡°The Republic has the Jedi.¡± The Grandmaster stated simply causing the Chancellor to look up. ¡°You can¡¯t honestly believe ¡®they¡¯ are gone?¡± Asking the question of the Master caused the brown robed figure to look away momentarily. ¡°At this point it would be my duty as a servant to the Republic and by that virtue, to you; to council you on your obsession with the Sith. But I am hardly in a position to do so.¡± Their eyes met. One burning into the other. Two veterans of the same mind. The Jedi Master finally relented. ¡°No. They are not gone. As long as there is a light, there will always be a darkness. Either from within¡­or without. We vanquished them. Had we wiped them out I would have felt it. Even you, not possessed of the Force would have felt it.¡± He paused, narrowing his eyes. ¡°And I sense THAT is where all of this is coming from. You may not be a Jedi, Chancellor, but you sense as we all do that they will return at some point. But I must caution you, these are things you should not speak of and should you choose to use this to force that resolution to be tabled¡ª¡± ¡°No, no¡­¡± Waving his arms the Chancellor smiled. ¡°¡­this is bigger than that. They want to vote, let them vote.¡± The Chancellor spoke interrupting the Master. His expression and posture clearing up as he got back on task as to why he ¡®summoned¡¯ the Grandmaster. "Let¡¯s face it Master Jedi...even you are not invulnerable. None of us are...your training makes you more survivable than the average Soldier, but even Jedi can be killed." Sadly, the Grandmaster lowered his gaze nodding to himself. In part to give a silent prayer in the Force for all of those lost in the last conflict. It was true, the Jedi were not invulnerable. But it was the Will of the Force that they die. The Grandmaster wanted to believe that. During the last war, he made himself believe it. Having to watch so many young and veteran Jedi die at the hands of the Sith. Testing his faith in the Force. War created questions of morality and faith. The Jedi were never designed to be warriors, but rather Guardians of Peace and Freedom. With a heavy heart, it was the Grandmaster who led the Jedi to war. The Grandmaster huffed a laugh to himself as he thought. ¡®As if we had a choice¡­¡¯ It was the Jedi¡¯s destiny to face the Sith. No one else could. And once the Dark Side rose, the light had to rise to meet it. That message was clear in the Force; of that, the Grandmaster had no doubts. Looking up, the Grandmaster smiled. ¡°Yes, unfortunately that is part of our lot as Jedi. As I said, Darkness must always be confronted by the light.¡± For the first time since entering the office, the Grandmaster sat back and relaxed completely. As Supreme Chancellors went, Pultimo wasn¡¯t a bad one. He had given many successions to the Jedi. The Grandmaster couldn¡¯t remember the Supreme Chancellor ever denying them anything he asked for. If the truth was known, The Grandmaster actually liked Pultimo on a personal level. Though due to his position he could never admit that. The Grandmaster needed to remain unbiased and above the fray of politics and ¡®liking¡¯ or ¡®disliking¡¯ anyone. Those types of voiced feelings could be made to serve against them. The lessons of the past Grandmasters echoed in his head. ¡°I understand the need for a strong Republic. And a standing Army. But what do numbers and calculations have to do with¡ª¡± The Grandmaster sat up. Once again, he reached out in the Force and felt something from the Supreme Chancellor. Only he wasn¡¯t ashamed for using his power in The Force once he felt the thoughts emanating from the Chancellor. "What are you driving at? The Republic has found a way to replenish those losses? I sense--¡± Not just relying on his senses, the Grandmaster took into account the looming Senate resolution and the rumors swirling around the Halls of the Senate building. Scrutinizing the Chancellor, he spoke carefully. ¡°Please tell me you are thinking about droids, because the alternative¡ªthis, doesn¡¯t have to do with the pending resolution? Does it?" The Chancellor stood, bringing himself to his full height and towering over the Jedi Master. "I asked you here to bring you in on my last great act as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. What I want to show you is much better than an army of droids.¡± Opening his arms in a welcoming manner, the Chancellor placed a hand on the Grandmaster¡¯s shoulder as the other man stood. "Come, let me show you." 3 - Project Alpha Riding in the speeder was uneventful, the Supreme Chancellor exchanging normal pleasantries with the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. Underneath, the Jedi could feel a layer of excitement and anticipation in the politician. Something was coming. Something the Chancellor very much wanted the Jedi to see and more, approve of. The speeder landed in a very non-descript and less traveled area of Coruscant near the border of ¡®The Works¡¯ and Galactic City. The Works, the engineering and husbandry area of the ¡®City-Planet¡¯ was responsible for all of the needs of the people of Coruscant. Water, air, power; everything the planet required to maintain function passed through and was either reconditioned, recycled or recombined to provide adequate provision. Layer upon layer of complicated systems lay on top of one another. Centuries of logistical works, some of which could be placed in a museum. Most of the lower layers, though non-functional, served as the foundation for a more modern and robust system of ¡®Works¡¯ in recycling and remanufacturing. Coruscant was a ¡®planet-city¡¯. Only a small fraction of the planet was non-industrialized or covered by some form of man-made architecture. The Works itself were a marvel of technical engineering, but over time it became so complicated and convoluted that only someone with vast knowledge of the area knew exactly where they needed to go in order to maintain a system. Work that was done mostly by droids. Areas that had seen no humanoid traffic in almost a hundred years existed within ¡®The Works¡¯. The Grandmaster¡¯s eyebrow went up again as they all disembarked from the speeder. The Works, as convoluted and complicated as they were, was also the best place to hide something. Even Jedi had been known to lose themselves and others they were trying to follow in ¡®The Works¡¯. They began to talk once again as the Supreme Chancellor seemed to be leading the Grandmaster down a path that had no destination. Side maintenance streets came and went. As did the droids who maintained the area. The Grandmaster realized as soon as they passed another alleyway that they were approaching an area with no speeder traffic. Vehicle movement was impossible in that particular portion of Coruscant, the overhanging techno buildings were far too low for vehicle travel and it hid their movement from anyone who would have been watching from above. Again, reinforcing the Grandmaster¡¯s view that the Chancellor was indeed taking them somewhere that was meant to be hidden. Finally, they rounded a corner and the Chancellor came to an abrupt stop turning toward his companion. ¡°¡­I only ask that you keep an open mind. I would expect nothing less from a Jedi.¡± From seemingly out of nowhere a very inconspicuous guard in normal street clothes intercepted the Chancellor and his companion. The Grandmaster of the Jedi Order incredulously raised an eyebrow at the Chancellor; the ¡®normal¡¯ looking guard produced a portable retinal device and placed it over the Chancellor¡¯s eye. The guard then turned to the Jedi as an affirmative ¡®beep¡¯ verified the Chancellor¡¯s identity. Raising a hand, the Jedi shook his head ¡®no¡¯. It wasn¡¯t aversion to being scanned, but scanned by a very strange and non-descript person. Reaching out, the Jedi could feel there was a military attachment to the area and the Chancellor, verifying that the guard was indeed supposed to be there. Rather than argue, the Chancellor vouched for his Jedi friend. ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­he¡¯s with me. I will take responsibility for him.¡± The fact they scanned the Chancellor and then tried to scan the Grandmaster of the Order spoke volumes to the secrecy of the place. And what both of them were walking into. The entire way toward the non-descript location there was a nagging feeling in the back of the Grandmaster¡¯s mind. "Normal looking. Covered from the air. No overt show of arms? Very interesting." The Jedi Master spoke as the guard parted the way to allow the two men to proceed. Another guard in street clothes nodded at the two men, but not before opening his duster showing the Jedi Master the arsenal underneath. The guard grinned showing all teeth as he slid a key card through a hidden slot in the wall he stood next to. Even the key slot was hidden as the Grandmaster watched the card disappear and then reappear sliding back out toward the man who used the hidden terminal. Made to look like part of the wall. Looking directly at it, no one would have seen it. The normal looking guard then leaned down and breathed on a hidden sensor. The small round hole in the hidden door frame finally revealed a camera which was watching all of them and their every move. The Chancellor smiled. "We wish to remain anonymous in our little endeavor. Yes, there are many locks and checks. Even for me. What I have to show you demands it." The Politician smiled inviting the Grandmaster along once again. Parting to allow them entrance, the wall gave way to a massive vault like door that was so heavy it was made to slide across the floor on a hinge and rail in order to open. Not as much opening as sliding along the rail groove in the floor at an angle on the massive hinge it was attached to. The wall behind the two men closed leaving them alone in the vault room as the door made a series of high-pitched twitters and beeps. Massive locks on all sides noisily echoed in the background as in the distance the pins which held the door closed retracted and slid into the frame of the vault. Slowly the door moved and slid toward them across the floor and on the predesigned track. The Grandmaster shifted uneasily at all of the subterfuge, but said nothing. As if noticing the change in demeanor the Chancellor extended his arm behind the Grandmaster once the door fully opened. ¡°Trust me¡­I have never let you down. I don¡¯t intend to start now.¡± As laboratories went the first portion of this one was still meant to display an aura of the simple. Had someone managed to breach the security at the front, they would be none the wiser upon entering the area. This fact was not lost on the Jedi Master, as he again raised an eyebrow. His suspicions were confirmed as the Chancellor made his obligatory handshakes and ''hello''s'', but moved quickly through the room. Those technicians and scientists present had no idea what lie beyond the scope of their own area. It was meant that way. Colored IDs and bright lit code cylinders, coded to their stations blinked as they left to greet the Chancellor. Alerting the security station that those responsible for certain stations being monitored within the lab were moving. Knowing the Chancellor was visiting, there was no response or warnings. Ordinarily, there would have been. Finally reaching a very obvious entranceway in the form of another vault door, the Chancellor turned to give his Jedi friend a slight smile. By all appearances it was several meters thicker than the last door with a holographic terminal combination lock consisting of over a thousand spinning and swirling algorithmic pass numbers glowing in the blue holo-field. That in itself meant to deter anyone from attempting entrance. Looking at the door, minus the lock, The Jedi Master immediately estimated the man-hours necessary to breach the door. Conventional means at least ten to fifteen hours, maybe one to five by lightsaber. Standing before the door, the Chancellor folded his hands in front of himself simply. Some sort of unseen scan commencing before the holo-field turned from spinning numbers to allowing input. Placing one of his hands inside the field, the Chancellor manipulated a set of codes given to him that day. The combination rotated every twelve hours, but the Chancellor was one of the few who had a twenty-four hour code. One of the few perks of being at the top of the food chain. The large vault door clicked and clanked internally for what seemed like a decade before it finally began to open. Its weight and smooth movement assisted by a gravity lift track in the floor similar to the door they passed on the way in. The track in the floor was well worn showing its previous openings. Looking over his shoulder the Chancellor glanced at the Jedi Master who showed no emotion through all of the unscheduled fanfare. The Chancellor didn''t have to be a Jedi to know, the Master was understandably curious. But also, uneasy. Stopping and gesturing for the Grandmaster to come forward, the Chancellor led the Jedi into a vast underground cavern. The lab set-up was similar to the ruse of a lab they passed through, but different in that all of those working seemed to be cordoned off by sections. Sections that worked independently of one another. Noted by the enclosed pods and glass-like surrounding spaces which separated one from the other. The common area of it all was a series of huge vertical tanks sitting side by side one another and running in two rows down the length of the cavernous underground which trailed off into the distance and into lower light. The two exchanged a glance, both walking down the metal stairs noisily bringing curious looks from those who were close. As the Master stepped on to the overlook scaffold, he took note of the row upon row of special tanks, they were of a medical design. They both had seen hundreds of them in the last war. More lives saved by the fluid which filled those types of tanks. Kolto the known healing fluid necessary for advanced trauma recovery. There were hundreds of what the Master assumed were scientists, roaming in the various sections with their white sterile suits and coats. Each involved with different parts of some kind of huge endeavor. Something so large, he surely would have heard about it; giving the Chancellor another incredulous look. The Master turned wide eyed to a smiling Supreme Chancellor. ¡°Welcome¡­¡± He raised his arms, not really speaking to the Master anymore, but to everyone that could hear him. The cavern, home to what the Master would soon learn was called: Project Alpha. "What is all this? The tanks? The people? What have you got going in here?", There were lots of layers to the question. Not lost on the Chancellor that something so large should be under some kind of oversight and there-by in the ¡®know¡¯ of someone like the Grandmaster. Motioning again for the Jedi to follow without bothering to answer the question, they descended the scaffold to the research floor entering a very small glass enclosed room. All of the scientists in the room wore the same white protective garb and masks. The two newcomers looked grossly out of place. Extending a hand toward a large metallic bureau in the far wall of the room, the Chancellor continued to smile as the Jedi Master approached. He leaned in and saw the endless numbers stamped on endless vials and files located in the bureau. Shaking his head, the Jedi Master was about to once again display his ignorance, as the Chancellor motioned for him to forget what he was going to ask, picking a numbered vial from the bureau and using it to speak at the Jedi as if giving a lecture. "The last battle, of the last war we were down to the freshest of our newly trained troops. Not battle hardened. Trained as well as we could train them in sixteen weeks. Basically, armed Civilians with just a touch...of conditioning. Experience¡­¡± The Chancellor said the word as the capstone of his lecture. ¡°¡­that is the real classroom. Where the replusor meets the lane, so to speak.¡± He could see the Jedi lost even with the Master clearly reaching out. The look gave it away, half-closed eyes; the serene look. Pultimo sought to clear up the confusion. ¡°All of the collected knowledge of some of our greatest warriors, wiped out...with the bolt of a blaster rifle or the slash of a lightsaber." The Chancellor put the vial back in the file, moving his hand over the casing, speaking reflectively, "Not anymore...I got them back...", he looked at the Master quickly, "...most of the DNA of our greatest warriors is here in this repository. It¡¯s funny, we were the key to our own future. We used to take DNA samples for identification purposes or to track someone. Now it will serve a greater purpose." The Master''s eyes got wide. "Imagine. The ability to extract our heroes¡¯ greatest attributes, enhance them and place them in a host or...recreate them entirely." "You mean Cloning?¡± A grim expression passed over the Grandmaster¡¯s face as all of the pieces of the puzzle began to slowly fall into place. All of the secrecy, all of the subterfuge and more, the elusiveness of the Chancellor in talking about this endeavor before bringing the Grandmaster to the location finally made sense. Standing a bit straighter, the Grandmaster placed his hands on his hips and leaned into the Chancellor, it was time for the lecturer to be lectured. ¡°Chancellor....sentient beings, bound to us? To do our will? It¡¯s akin to slavery. And I will not waste time reminding you of the Duros Accords. It is against Republic law to augment or produce a being for another¡¯s singular purpose." The Jedi Master walked over to the large repository running his hand over the large assortment of vials and numbers. "How long has this been going on?" The Grandmaster asked sternly. "That''s not the question you want to ask. The question you want to ask is: Have we been successful?" Speaking excitedly, the Chancellor leapt off of the table he was sitting on and walked toward the Master. A morbid curiosity crept into the Jedi. "Chancellor, I¡¯m not sure I want the answer to that¡­.¡± ¡°You do.¡± Continuing his broad smile, Pultimo quickly led the Jedi from the glass enclosed lab into the main thoroughfare. And into the first corridor of Kolto vats. Several of the vats in the row had people in them, floating in suspension. Something that couldn¡¯t be seen from the scaffold above, as the glass enclosure of the vats was turned away. Pultimo gestured at them. "Wounded warriors, floating in suspension. They are all volunteers in case you were wondering, no slavery here. These particular vats are in stage two of the DNA injection sequence. They represent the capstone of some of our gene sequencing work." Listening to the Chancellor, the Grandmaster folded his arms placing his hand at his mouth; watching the lifeless form float in the suspension. Beside the nagging feeling of dread that was coming from the Force, the Grandmaster was morally against some of the studies on gene therapy and manipulation. Man using machines to enhance themselves was not a new technology. Soldiers used machines to do everything from load starships to fight wars. As Soldiers were wounded, microsurgery and artificial limbs replaced what was lost. Nanites circulated through disease victim¡¯s veins and even the more elicit used cybernetics to enhance abilities already keen in an individual. The possibilities were endless and were already being used. As Grandmaster, he made it his business to stay abreast of the latest technological and scientific studies. Clones, gene-manipulation; all of it would lead to the merging technology of man and machine as one. The ultimate dream of course was to create a being that could be manipulated, repaired, updated and controlled like a machine. There were lines of morality and spirituality that the Grandmaster felt were in jeopardy of being changed and erased with the technology. And that didn¡¯t even scratch the surface of the still emerging issue of Cloning. Something the beings of Duros got a firsthand lesson against from the Republic. A Duros owned corporation, cloning individuals to be sold for parts by the one who paid to have them cloned. The issues were endless. Individual rights, oppression and those were just the legalities of it. Nothing could top the moral implications of ¡®hatching¡¯ someone just to kill them off. Near war between the Mirialans and Duros was averted due to the spiritual implications involved. Mirialans, a very spiritual people were disgusted by the fact that the Duros were creating ¡®souls¡¯ within the ¡®Unity¡¯; their version of a National Faith and the The Force. The ability to create a being from scratch was still being debated, but for the moment completely outlawed. As the Jedi stood looking at the floating being in the vat; who was a volunteer, he could not help but also consider the benefit of some of the technology. But the price would far outweigh all of that. The price of a sentient being¡¯s soul, as the Mirialans were so fond of saying. "You still didn''t answer the question." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You said you weren¡¯t sure you wanted to know.¡± The Chancellor lost his smile briefly, "Not as successful as we would like. But the results are promising." Sitting down on the console of one of the vats, the Chancellor frowned. There was a lingering feeling within Pultimo that the Jedi Grandmaster already knew why he had been ¡®summoned¡¯ to the lab and why he was being shown all of it. Pultimo decided to answer the question before the Grandmaster could ask. "You¡¯re here because we want to bring the Jedi into the project. Imagine the possibility of an enhanced Jedi, one...programmed from birth to be the bravest, most knowledgeable and best warrior ever seen. Or...the possibility of cloning an endless supply of Jedi. There would be no end to the Order, no chance of ever being driven or defeated into extinction. No end to the--" An expression of horror stopped the statement; the Grandmaster moving back a step and dropping his hands. ¡°You¡¯ve used the word again. And it¡¯s completely against the law, you know this.¡± The Jedi paced away, looking back at the politician. Using all of the control and meditation techniques practiced over countless years, the Jedi tried to control the rising emotions. He smiled placidly and shook his head. ¡°Thank you, but no. I know where this leads and where this will go. The Jedi have not, nor will they ever have anything to do with a project such as this. It is not in our character to dabble in science of this caliber. We have scientist, but our technology is in using the Force to enhance things. Imbue plants with life or give nutrients to a patch of lifeless ground. Perhaps enhance objects that are already imbued with the Force, as all things are. The Force is in everything. Programmed, I just¡ªthat word, applied to Jedi? Its¡ª¡± The expression the Grandmaster gave betrayed the fact that he had much more to say, but he was trying to be as diplomatic as possible. ¡°Even this project is part of the Force!¡± The Chancellor stood sharply, remembering who he was talking to, he softened just as quick. ¡°We aren¡¯t talking about enhancing crops here, Master. This is about the survival of the Republic.¡± Returning the sour look with one of his own the Chancellor pushed off of the Kolto Vat he was leaning on and approached. ¡°Time and time again, the Sith have returned. How long until they return more powerful or in greater numbers than last time. If we do not prepare for the future based on the lessons of the past, then perhaps we don¡¯t deserve to survive.¡± Dipping his head in placation, the Grandmaster bowed slightly. ¡°If that is the Will of the Force¡­¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you see!¡± The Chancellor exclaimed excitedly. Pointing to the vat next to him, the politician made a point of his finger gesturing to the being floating inside. ¡°We can influence that outcome with one of our own.¡± Releasing a sigh, the Chancellor nodded to himself and looked back to the Master. ¡°I get it. I understand that no matter what I say, you will always return to the ¡®Will of the Force¡¯. But Grandmaster¡­¡± Approaching again, the Grandmaster felt he was being closed in on as the politician locked eyes with him. ¡°¡­not everyone believes as you do. There are far more people that lack the Force than possess it. Far less now due to the war.¡± Without warning the Chancellor turned and walked away, past the rows of Kolto vats and beings in suspension heading for the far reaches of the lab. He knew the Grandmaster was going to follow him, the Chancellor¡¯s words already spurring thought within the Jedi as he considered them. They made it to the back of the lab, much darker and more secure. A large normal sided double door stood before them, only a simple key card reader guarding the entrance as the Chancellor turned to look at his companion once again. "What if I told you the Jedi were already involved. Unofficially of course..." Again, without warning the Chancellor opened the door by sliding his personal key card through the reader. The doors unlocked and opened with a flourish and rush of stale air. The foreboding feeling the Grandmaster was having hit him hard with the release of the air as the Chancellor stepped through, the Grandmaster hesitantly following. The two men stopped at the first of another series of vats, light emanating through the clear liquid from the back of the room cast a strange pallor over the both of them as the Grandmaster looked up at the being floating in the liquid and then retched back in horror. The being in the liquid wore the braid of a Jedi Padawan. Placing his hands on the glass the Grandmaster reached out to the being in the container and grit his teeth. The Padawan was alive. Wounds from lightsaber combat as well as the scars of former blaster fire were already closing up and healing. The Padawan was in a state of perfect hibernation. Partially from a self-induced healing trance prior to death; the other part an induced coma to affect the healing process brought on by the Kolto. But the mind was blank. ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me this one is a volunteer as well. Chancellor, I have to insist that any Jedi you have here be released at once. No living Jedi may volunteer themselves for anything without the approval of the Council and¡ª¡± At the word ¡®living¡¯ the Chancellor looked away. The Grandmaster caught the escape from the politician and stopped speaking. ¡°¡ªyou mean these Jedi¡­.¡± The Grandmaster quickly spun around in the smaller room, looking at all of the vats which were aligned neatly in rows like those outside in the main lab. ¡°¡­these Jedi were dead?!?!¡± Jumping to his own conclusion he didn¡¯t wait for the Chancellor to answer before getting visibly angry. All of the calming techniques to maintain composure sudden leaving him. Already the Grandmaster was shaking his head as Pultimo raised his hands for calm. ¡°Now wait a minute, Master. You don¡¯t have to blame yourself or anyone else. These Jedi were killed on Korriban, at least most of them were. We cleaned up the dead and gave them all the proper rites before placing them in suspension.¡± ¡°ALL THE PROPER RITES!!¡± Speaking through clenched teeth, the Grandmaster calmed himself letting out a pent-up breath of air. ¡°Disregard for the moment that you know nothing of the proper rites involving a fallen Jedi, to say nothing of ¡®stealing¡¯ their remains from a battlefield. Do you have any idea how unethical or morally corrupt this is?!?! These Jedi have gone forward, they have merged with the Force. They have gone beyond the pale shadow of flesh and bone!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The Chancellor gestured at the Padawan they were both standing in front of, ¡°¡­obviously not. He¡¯s still here.¡± "Outrageous!", the Master could no longer contain himself, "This is completely unacceptable. These Jedi have already gone on to join with the Force, they have been honored...their memories and deeds enshrined in the Archives...To do this...to do this is heresy!" The Master looked around quickly, searching for the exit. The Chancellor began to speak just as quickly putting on his best politician¡¯s voice. Turning from the room the Grandmaster started to leave. Pultimo was afraid of the Jedi¡¯s reaction once he learned more of what was going on within the project. That fear was confirmed as the Grandmaster started past the doorway. ¡°Grandmaster, you may want to consider your next move. This is not going to look good for the Grandmaster who presided over the last war; to have lost the accounting of all of his Jedi. To have left some on the battlefield only to be discarded and forgotten.¡± The words stopped the Grandmaster cold. The Jedi turning slightly, a fire burning behind the eyes that Pultimo had not seen come from any Jedi he met. The question of numbers made sense. Pultimo wasn¡¯t asking so he could prove his theory or convince anyone of the validity of his plan based on Math. He was asking the Grandmaster because he actually wanted to see if the leader of the Jedi knew. This moment was planned from the beginning. ¡°Are you trying to blackmail me?¡± Slowly the Grandmaster walked back toward the politician, his shadow seemed to grow enough that Pultimo actually took a step back. Formality, gone. A little of the Southern Corellian twang in his voice returned. Corellia, the planet the Grandmaster originalted from before being taken by the Jedi as a child. Stopping the Jedi glared at the Leader of the Republic. ¡°My duty¡­is to the Republic. I got no problem marching up the steps of the Senate and telling them everything. I will not be blackmailed or extorted by this. You should have known better than to try and extort the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.¡± Already his mind was locking on to the Supreme Chancellor, not maliciously, just to see what the man was thinking. The Jedi was surprised to find calm. ¡°Not extortion¡­a partnership. You can have full oversight of everything involving these Jedi.¡± As the Supreme Chancellor spoke the Grandmaster noticed the politician look out past the door and toward another part of the lab. It was a quick look, but it betrayed that there was more to what he was offering or more that he wanted the Jedi to oversee. Shaking his head, the Grandmaster looked down again sadly. ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t hear me. This¡­the Jedi¡¯s part, is over. I want these Jedi returned to me. It¡¯s non-negotiable. And I have an obligation to report all of these activities.¡± Seeing the Chancellor look out past him the Jedi also did a quick look behind himself. ¡°You¡¯re doing more here than you¡¯ve shown me. Aren¡¯t you?¡± There was much more to the project than Pultimo had shared. What started out as a simple project to try and harden the average combat troop by manipulating the genes of the individual had morphed and splintered into many more projects; all under the umbrella of Alpha. Leading the way, the Chancellor left the room and walked a couple of meters toward a similar storage area to the very first one he¡¯d shown the Grandmaster. Another set of vials and an endless array of numbers greeted them upon entrance. The scientist was actively working on a sample as the two entered. Gesturing for the technicians to part the way, Pultimo invited the Grandmaster to take a look under the holo-magnifier the scientists were working under. It only took a moment, the Grandmaster stood back up after looking into the oculus and the image of the sample all of the Doctors were working on. Again, the Jedi shook his head; anger growing again. ¡°We¡¯ve¡­¡± Speaking softly as the Grandmaster looked down in the occulus, the Chancellor was already preparing himself for the reaction he was about to get. ¡°¡­hit a bit of a ¡®snag¡¯ concerning this particular portion of our research. This is where I believe you and the Order can help us this most.¡± ¡°Midichlorian research.¡± Still shaking his head, the Grandmaster grit his teeth again. ¡°Research that has been banned and outlawed by the Council and agreed to by the Senate.¡± Giving an incredulous look, the Grandmaster looked as if he was about to burst out laughing, but it quickly took a sad turn. ¡°They will put you under the jail for this and throw away the key. And me with you if I am party to it.¡± Rushing out, the Grandmaster¡¯s robe flourished as he passed the technicians. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Pultimo rushed out after him as the Grandmaster stopped and turned with as much flourish with which he was leaving. ¡°Do? What do you think I¡¯m going to do?¡± A calm voice did not match his demeanor; the Grandmaster took a step back toward the other man. ¡°I¡¯m going to inform the Council, who will in turn inform the Senate. What you are doing here¡ª¡± ¡°--Is necessary.¡± Pultimo said plainly. Before the Grandmaster could speak again, he continued. ¡°Listen to me, this technology will be seen to its fullest potential, if not by the Republic, then some ¡®independent¡¯ entity. Wouldn¡¯t you rather have a say in where this goes?¡± Looking down the Grandmaster slumped. It was an old argument. Advancement in the name of deterrence. If the Republic didn¡¯t do it then someone else would and it could be someone who the Republic didn¡¯t like. ¡°Even the Sith.¡± Pultimo spoke finishing the thought for the Jedi. ¡°You had better believe that if the Sith got their hands on what we were doing, they would most definitely use it against us.¡± ¡°But you started this?!?! How can you justify doing something of this magnitude in the name of deterrence?¡± Smiling thoughtfully, the Chancellor gestured for the Grandmaster to rejoin him in the laboratory. The Grandmaster shook his head. ¡°This was going to happen. One way or another. This way we get to be the designers of fate, we get to decide where this goes and we become the authors of a new destiny involving all of this technology.¡± Walking forward, the Chancellor got close. "What better way to honor the legacy of the Republic''s greatest heroes, than to ensure the greatest attributes are passed on to our next generation. These men and women volunteered for this program, selflessly giving themselves for the betterment of the entire Galactic Republic. Your role...in this endeavor would be to oversee that the Republic never oversteps its bounds. That we always honor the memories of our past Jedi in order to create a brighter tomorrow for the Order today...I am not asking for something unethical. I am asking for your support to help ensure that what happened in the last War, the near extermination of the Jedi...never happens again." The Grandmaster lowered his head, looking slightly over his shoulder, "Midichlorians can''t be replicated. Scientists have been trying for a century, to no avail. We had it banned due to the morale implications." He turned facing the Chancellor, ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re doing here! Messing with the natural order!¡± He turned, gritting his teeth again. So many emotions, so many conflicting thoughts. The Grandmasters head began to spin. Fists clenched as he tried to regain his composure. ¡°The Force is a natural phenomenon! It can''t be enhanced, or even replicated.¡± Shaking his head repeatedly the Master began to voice his thoughts. ¡°No. No. I won''t condone this...experiment. You can''t ''create'' Jedi...they are born. And only through training and dedication to the Force can they be made into greatness. Without the proper training and nurturing, too much can go wrong. Look at the Sith!!!" The Chancellor frowned. He knew bringing the Grandmaster in would be a tough sell. Time and opportunity forced the Chancellors hand. They were on the verge of a tremendous break through. The time had come to bring the Jedi in. Not just because they were experimenting with the remains of dead Jedi. The time had come because the research required data and information collected by the Jedi¡¯s own scientists. Narrowing his eyes, the Chancellor went back to his previous veiled threat. The politician in him coming out once again. ¡°You are directly responsible for these Jedi.¡± Gesturing toward the tanks in the far room it made the Grandmaster look up sharply. ¡°Me?!?!¡± ¡°You are the moral and legal face of the Jedi Order. These men and women were ¡®left¡¯, discarded on the battlefield. If these were Republic Soldiers you would be standing in front of the courts explaining to the families of those Soldiers and justifying why you left them behind?!?!¡± It was the first time in their relationship that the Chancellor ever saw the Master near enraged. His lip twitched, brow heavy as the man slowly stood and pulled the robe he wore around himself. ¡°No Chancellor, it¡¯s you¡­¡± The Master once again made his way toward the exit. ¡°It is you who will answer for this. You will justify to the Republic and the Order why you¡¯ve done this.¡± Letting the Grandmaster get a few steps away, the Chancellor finally spoke. The words freezing the Grandmaster in place. ¡°And your time as Grandmaster will be at an end.¡± The Jedi slowly turned. ¡°The shockwaves of this will ripple through the Republic. Old wounds will reopen. Hatreds reignited. Oh, I will answer for it too, but my time is almost ended. I will drift off into the sunset, disgraced¡­unremembered. But you¡­you will face the rest of your Council and answer for the lives which float in those containers. Every single Jedi is important right? No wonder you have no families to answer too, you take them as children. You are their family. And the question of your methods regarding the taking of Force Sensitive children will once again come into question. The very Order you protect have their methods scrutinized. The pressure will be unbearable until finally¡­you and the Jedi Order crumble from the inside. Turning on one another.¡± ¡°What you describe is a scenario all too common in the halls of the Senate. That would never happen in the Jedi Order.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Are you willing to take that chance?¡± Leaping forward, Chancellor Pultimo¡¯s voice was almost pleading. ¡°Be reasonable here!! I don¡¯t want to destroy the Jedi, I want to protect it!! YOU¡­you¡¯re smarter than this. I have known you as a brilliant protagonist at times, a wise scholar and when I need it¡­a friend.¡± The Grandmaster¡¯s face softened. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have asked for a better leader to serve along side of. I know what the Order means to you¡­I want you to know it means that much to me as well.¡± A long silence ensued between the two as the scientists around them seemed to continue with their work. The area around them locked, the two men staring at one another. ¡°You¡¯re blackmailing me.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t see it that way. I¡¯m asking for your help.¡± The Chancellor took a few guarded steps. ¡°I will freely admit, that our methods were unethical. But some of the biggest breakthroughs have spawned from illicit research. What¡¯s done is done. I can¡¯t change that. I wish I could, but I can¡¯t. BUT we can change it going forward, under your guided hand.¡± Still shaking his head, the Grandmaster fought it. Conflict, the debate between right and wrong. Those lines were being blurred by the desire to protect what he loved. What he was charged with defending. ¡°This cannot remain a secret any longer.¡± At first the Chancellor thought he failed. The older man¡¯s head sagged down, looking at the floor. ¡°At least between the two of us.¡± His head snapping upward, the Chancellor¡¯s eyes got wide. The Grandmaster stood a bit straighter, pulling the robe around himself once again. ¡°I will require a sub-committee comprised of both Jedi and Senate oversight. Others will be brought in, this will all be done above board.¡± ¡°Of course, Of course¡­¡± The Chancellor spoke excitedly. The Jedi holding out a hand to stop the other man from coming any closer, as if the Chancellor was something putrid he did not want near him at the moment. ¡°What I do¡­I do to preserve the Order. To preserve civil order within the Republic. But mark my words¡­¡± The Chancellor lost the smile, the Grandmaster¡¯s voice getting low and threatening. ¡°¡­you will pay for this. And so will I.¡± Another long silence ensued between the two before the Chancellor quelled his excitement enough to speak once again. ¡°I anticipated your request, Master Jedi. I want you to know, the Senate has already appointed a special closed-door committee to oversee this project. It will be secret, but not in the way it once was. There will be oversight. ¡®Limited¡¯ oversight. You understand the need for some of this to never reach the ears of the general populace. I would expect, the Jedi Council to do the same.", the Chancellor regained his smile, he had won enough political battles before to know he had just won another. The Grandmaster folded his hands in front of himself staring back into the vat containing the dead Jedi. "Make no mistake, it''s not your words that swayed me...", he said almost reading the Chancellor''s winning expression, "¡­beside your threats to the Order...chances are, if the Republic is working on this no doubt the Sith would be or already have been as well. They are known dabblers in the fated art of Alchemy and Magic. Science is¡­.not magic, but it can be just as dangerous. I know we haven''t seen the last of them, I have foreseen this. And although they no longer have our resources, better we be the keepers of this...¡¯experiment¡¯ than any agents of the Dark Side." The Chancellor clapped his hands together standing before the Grandmaster, placing one of his hands on his shoulder. He shook the hand of the Grandmaster with his other. "Come then, Grandmaster...let me bring you up to speed and tell you what direction we are going." With that the two men began a long walk down the expansive corridor, talking over the Project and how to avoid inclusion of the Dark Side in their Jedi plans... 4 - Orphan Project - Coronet, Corellia....Jedi Orphanage #76.... Robes flapped gently in the breeze and then violently wrapped around the matron as she folded her hands in her front to watch the approaching shuttle. The wind from the reversed repulsors as well as the magnetic landing system would have made a normal person shield their eyes. But for the Matron of Jedi Orphanage, Number seventy-six, this was merely another delivery of lost souls. Something she was quite used to. The Force was her protector, it always had been just as it would be for those souls being delivered. Closing her eyes softly as the shuttle began its landing cycle, she used her power to shield herself from the debris and wind. Those in the Main Temple back on Coruscant would have chastised her for such a blatant abuse of her powers. But Corellia was a long way from the Capital of the Republic. And this was not the Main Temple, just a simple orphanage. She waited until the shuttle came to a complete stop, it bounced gently once the landing struts finally settled to Corellia¡¯s gravity. Exhaust expelled from the engine ports. The pent-up fumes from such a long space journey expelled into the atmosphere. Her view of the shuttle was momentarily obscured by the release of steam and exhaust. But the prominent symbol of the Galactic Republic still shown brilliantly in bright blue on the tail fin. Slowly she raised the datapad in her hand and waved a finger across the screen. A registered military flight, from an outlying moon of the planet Felucia. She wondered how many could have possibly been on this flight for them to make an unscheduled request for landing. Deliveries, if she had any, always came on the fourth day of the week. As the exhaust continued to expel, she heard the tell-tale whine of the landing ramp. It began to lower and the faint echo of Republic Military boots began to descend. Again, she folded her hands to her front. One holding the other as she watched and waited; for both the Soldiers to exit and for the exhaust to clear. Removing his helmet, the detachment Commander flexed his face from the confines of the pressurized helmet. A sound of escaping gas and air greeting him as well as the moisture from the Corellian atmosphere. He looked around, standing at the bottom of the ramp to get his bearings finally smiling once he saw the Jedi Matron standing stoic and watching him. He bowed slightly, placing the helmet under one arm, approaching. She smiled slightly in return, but did not bow. Her chin slightly raised to the taller man. ¡°Master Jedi¡± he began, looking back to the ramp for a moment before allowing his eyes to focus to regular atmosphere. The Matron pursed her lips. This was not routine and she hated not having a routine. Routine helped keep order and keeping order was paramount to a healthy life. The Commander knew how the Matron felt and how she operated. It was why his smile turned to a slight smirk. This was annoying to the Jedi and reveled in it even though she was giving him a cold reception. ¡°I trust you have good reason to request landing clearance off-schedule, Commander.¡± The words were clipped and short. The Matron said no more, giving the Commander a glare. The two of them turning to walk back toward the gated building the Matron came from. ¡°Our ¡®deliveries¡¯ are less and less these days¡­.I would think that you would be happy for some new arrivals.¡± That statement stopped the Matron abruptly. The look she gave the Trooper was almost anger. Had she not been a Jedi he would have interpreted it so. ¡°New ¡®arrivals¡¯ as you so aptly put it, mean only one thing¡­another family lost. Chaos in the lives of innocents. Some poor soul¡¯s world shattered¡­¡± The Commander nodded, looking down shamefully. The Matron was right of course. Though the war was over, there was still lots of galactic strife in the galaxy. Insurrection, rebellion¡­war took breaks for no one. Just because the Sith had retreated to the far corners of the galaxy didn¡¯t mean the Republic could not destroy itself. And it would. It would create more orphans, more families destroyed. If the Matron had it her way, there would be no war in the galaxy. She would actively fight to destroy anyone who thought to bring pain and destruction on another. Especially Children. This point of view was one of the reasons she was sent to the orphanage by the Council. It was, like many other Jedi run orphanages, bastions for the rebuilding of families. And in the Matron¡¯s point of view, to fight, to destroy in order to effect positive change was not shared by the Council. She had a view of the galaxy that went contrary to the Jedi. And she believed that all of the change began with the children. Not necessarily the total ''Will of the Force'' as most Jedi believed. ¡°You are right, of course¡­.my apologies Master.¡± Looking back to the ramp again, he extended his arm and waited as a Soldier emerged from the dissipating steam of the ship. In his arms he cradled two small forms. The Matron almost smiled when she saw them, her eyes going down to the two bundles the Soldier carried. But she held her composure as the Commander continued to speak. ¡°An attack on a settlement¡­.an outlying moon of Felucia. Mirialan settlers, no one was spared.¡± He smiled and looked down at the two babies. ¡°¡­except for these two angels.¡± Looking up he gave her an expectant look. The Matron was already peeling back the blanket to get a look at both children. Both babies were asleep in the arms of the Trooper who carried them. Nodding, she swallowed hard. Another family lost, these two babies left to fend for themselves against a hostile universe. Silently the Matron thanked the Force for everything she had, placing a hand to each of the children¡¯s foreheads. They were spared by the grace of the Force and now they would be cared for by her. Eyes jerked open as the Matron looked down at both children curiously. She could feel the Essence of the Force within them both. The children were special. Scooping them up and cradling them under each arm, she took them from the trooper and smiled. It wasn¡¯t lost on the Commander that she had some kind of revelation. It wasn¡¯t often that the mostly stoic Matron made any kind of expression. The men under his command called her names, ¡®Old Crow¡¯ being one of them. And when he brought children to the orphanage, the Matron would always ¡®pray¡¯ over them at their arrival. It was the first time he witnessed the Matron surprised by something. ¡°Do they have names, identification¡­.anything that would identify who their parents were or extended family?¡± She posed the question in hopes that the babies stay would not be a long one. The Jedi often tried to reunite families displaced. In that case, she was merely curious. The Matron''s mind was already extending to the future. A bright one for both babies as they grew under the umbrella and protection of the Jedi Order. As Force Sensitives, they had a place and would always have a place within the Jedi. They would be the babies family now. The Commander shook his head. ¡°Nothing on the family. As I stated everyone was dead, the village burned to the ground. We are still going through the village to find some clues¡­¡± He leaned in and whispered, ¡°¡­it looks like an attack by Sith¡­¡± As a veteran of the last conflict he knew a bit about the Sith and their ways. The Matron frowned rocking the babies in her arms as she swayed gently. ¡°We did find two personalized toys in their cribs¡­it¡¯s a wonder the Sith missed these children. Had they been found¡­¡±, he let his words trail off as he and the Matron exchanged a dreadful glance. They both knew what would have happened had the babies been found, if it was in fact the Sith who attacked the settlement. A fact which the Matron highly doubted. Gently he placed the toys he had on the blankets of each girl, right where he found them originally. The stuffed nerf toy he placed on the lighter skinned baby. The stuffed Ack Hound he placed on the darker skinned of the two. The matron glanced down and smiled. Both toys were personalized. In asking for identification, this was as close as they got and it was assumed that the individual toys, with the personalized names were the names of both girls. They were not common names in the Mirialan culture which made her raise an eyebrow. Her mind racing as to the history of the two children and the parents. If the parents were Jedi, it would be possible to find out who the children were eventually. Some cultures within the Jedi allowed for the raising of families and children. ¡°Karolin¡­¡± she spoke softly, reading the embroidered name on the Nerf. Looking over at the darker skinned baby, she smiled again. ¡°Mrysti¡­¡± Reading off the name stitched into the hide of the stuffed toy. Looking back up at the Commander she smiled, a tear rolling down her face as she turned to retreat back toward the orphanage. The Commander stood his ground and watched them leave. His task done, his mission complete, he couldn¡¯t help but think of what would become of them. They would be in good hands with the Jedi and now under the care of the Republic. The Republic always took care of its own. -- - Ill''rah''gahan, Bothawhi....Jedi Orphanage #80.... A very non-descript speeder bearing the markings of the Republic Sciences Division came to a slow stop in the front of the Orphan House on Bothawhi. As the two SiS agents stepped out the second lifted the seat for the third individual. The Scientist carried a small bag of tools and looked around expectantly as the doors to the Orphan House opened. The Master in charge, a kind looking and older Chagrin Female was in her last years of duty to the Order as an administrator within the Orphanage Division of the Jedi Order. Not an incredibly powerful Jedi, what she lacked in Force ability she more than made up for in her ability to teach and rear children. This was a prime recruitment center for Force Sensitive children who would later go on to serve the Order. Shocked that a Holo-comm message directly from the Grandmaster instructed her to allow Republic scientists in her facility, she stood on the top step. A look of concern creasing her brow. Once the three men began their ascent up the stairs, the old Master was unmoved like a statue guarding the entrance to something sacred. Standing her ground and barring their entrance with a warning look. The Matron had no idea what the arrival of scientists was all about, but she was determined to get a semblance of explanation before she allowed entrance. The two SiS men flanked her once the Scientist gave her a warm smile.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Master Jedi, it is my honor to make your acquaintance. I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the Galactic Republic for allowing us to view and¡­.select your children for this important endeavor.¡± The old Master held up a hand, the two SIS men shifting nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hasty to express gratitude just yet¡­I am not sure I want to allow this until I know exactly what ¡®it¡¯ is your supposed to be doing¡­¡± The Scientist feigned ignorance looking between the two agents and then back at her. ¡°Nothing heinous I can assure you¡­and I was told that we would receive the full support of the Jedi Council in this¡­unless I am mistaken? I assume you were told already¡­¡± The old Master backed up slightly, she had been told and the Scientist''s use of that knowledge indicated he was not a patient man. Stepping to the side, she flourished her arm opening the door using the other arm to grab the Scientist. ¡°I will not allow you to hurt them. Orders or not, this is a refuge for abandoned and lost children. Not a playground for the Republic¡¯s political scheming¡­¡± She released the man as the two agents flanking her moved past to begin their own assessment. They waited for the old Master to join up with them getting lost almost immediately and needing an explanation as to the make-up of the various groups of children. They were situated in pods, all alphanumerically encoded. Groups played together, other brown robed figures playing along with them or in some cases directing them to various other regimented activities. Taking out datapads, the agents began taking copious notes allowing the Scientist to speak. He cast his eye on the different groups of children curiously holding his bag in front of him. Looking at the Master impatiently she slowly began to explain. ¡°Right now, the children are divided in to three groups. The group over there represents the smallest number and they are the children we have found to have a semblance of Force ability. They are segregated three times a day and are instructed by our Jedi here in the Orphanage within the ways of the Force. Eventually they will make their way into the Order and further training.¡± She pointed at the center group. ¡°The larger group here are normal children, they are playing alone and with each other while the Force sensitive ones receive instruction.¡± Pointing at the last group which was highly segregated from the rest she cleared her throat before speaking. ¡°This last group is what we call our ¡®troublemakers¡¯. Either due to racial differences or innate issues with self-control, they are not allowed to play with the others. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have the ability to know what the child rearing expectations are of the various species of the Galaxy. So, we do our best to try and provide a learning environment for them and help them come to terms with their issues.¡± It was the last group that the agents were most interested in as they typed rapidly on their Pads. The assessment started; the scientist walked among the children paying special attention to the Force sensitive ones. Pointing down at several of the children, the Jedi had them removed from the groups and placed in a special play room as the Scientist and the agents continued their selection. It wasn¡¯t lost on the old Master that they were very choosy in who they picked and it seemed to be a mixed bag. Various races and mixed genders among them all. The numbers seemed to be four from each group; all of them different in some way. Turning away from the old Master he looked to the two agents who gave him a knowing nod. Speaking over his shoulder moving down the hall to the segregation room. ¡°I require complete silence and isolation to conduct my assessments¡­.I am sure you understand Master.¡± The old Master gave him a cautious eye and returned his words with a curt nod. He didn¡¯t see, the Scientist''s mind already running multiple scenarios of the assessment he would have to conduct to weed out those unsuitable for the program. The two agents withdrew along with the Scientist to the room, the kids already inside playing. One of the agents showed the scientist his results, the other agent, clearly in charge spoke to the air softly. His gaze cast toward the ceiling behind dark network linked glasses. ¡°We will encode this pod as ''Beta''. Unlike the pod on Corellia, we had to select these. Unfortunate that this one was not ready made like the one on Corellia. I like smaller groups. Perhaps we should be a bit more ''selective'' of this group and shrink the size to that of ''Alpha'' pod on Corellia. For control and contrast purposes." The lead Agent looked at the Scientist for a reaction, when he didn''t receive one he continued. Clear the Scientist was uninterested in any of the Agent''s uneducated scientific observations. "The serum is coded by type¡­are you sure we picked the right ones? We won¡¯t have another chance at this facility if we get this wrong.¡± The Scientist smiled still reviewing the other agent''s notes. ¡°Meticulously planned, Agent. There is nothing to fear. Once we get the protocol started¡­as long as the Jedi here continue to give the children their ¡®vitamins¡¯ we will be on track.¡± ¡°How do we know they will cooperate? The Jedi seemed extremely¡­..unhelpful.¡± A young Mirialan girl was curiously approaching. Both continued their conversation. Lowering their voices once she got uncomfortably close. ¡°They will have no choice¡­I added a ¡®special¡¯ ingredient to the serum. No cooperation and these children will get violently ill. They will have no choice but to continue the protocol. Trust me on this Agent, I have been doing this a very long time.¡± The skeptical Agent looked on, the Scientist beckoned for the young green skinned girl to come over. As she approached the Agent holding the pad flashed the screen at the scientist reminding him of the girl''s attributes. <¡±MIRALAN ¨C FEMALE. CLASS ¨C FORCE SENSITIVE. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE ¨C INTELLIGENCE.¡±> The Scientist knelt down in front of the girl simultaneously reaching in the bag and taking out a blue tinted Hypo. He held the Hypo slightly behind his back, smiling. ¡°And what¡¯s your name, little one?¡± The young girl smiled brightly, bobbing up and down excitedly. ¡°Kira¡±, the young girl cheered excitedly. The scientist grasped her arm gently and began to slowly roll up her sleeve. ¡°Well ¡®Kira¡¯¡­these men and I we are worried about you¡­.and the other kids. We want to make sure you never get sick. You don¡¯t want to get sick, do you?¡± The little girl swayed back and forth as she shook her head, ¡®No¡¯. Moving the hypo to the little girl''s arm he injected the Intelligence enhancer and watched her eyes. The reaction to the protocol should have been instantaneous. The Scientist''s mind calculating and counting down silently, waiting for the ''flash''. Proteins would attach to the virulent substances within her mind and begin reacting with her almost immediately. Then the ''flash''. The little Mirialan girl''s knees buckled slightly, the Scientist grabbing her to hold her up. Eyes flashing a brief light behind the retina. The little girl shook her head, rubbing her eyes. She almost looked sleepy. The blue light behind her eyes faded and she smiled. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back. Most of the DNA sequencers would take more time and many more doses, but the intelligence enhancement was taking effect almost immediately. The little girl gave him a knowing smile and smirk. ¡°Thank you, Doctor...." The voice almost sounded adult, if not for the tiny and high-pitched tone of a little girl. "...I look forward to seeing you again¡­¡± Adult sounding speech coming from the girl caught the Scientist and the two agents off guard. They all looked at each other. The Scientist pointed at himself, smiling back at the girl. ¡°How do you know I am a ¡®Doctor¡¯ little one?¡± The little girl continued her knowing smile glancing down at the black bag at his feet. She pointed gently. ¡°The bag has your title stamped on it....there and¡­logically¡­only Doctors and medical personnel are allowed to administer that grade of Hypo you''re carrying¡­¡± Giving a slight wave to all of them the little girl walked slowly and with a rather poised air about herself back toward the other children. The scientist slowly stood, watching the little Mirialan girl walk back toward her companions. Grinning from ear to ear, he looked up and over his shoulder at the Agents. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with this¡­if the others react the same as her, I am quite excited to see the outcomes.¡± In the next hour, the Agent flashed the screen at the scientist seven more times. The other children were given their own does of different serums. All within the parameters of the Alpha protocol. Data the Agents were reading and assisting the scientist with was ''dumbed'' down for their benefit. And at every flash of the datapad, the Scientist reading the data knew what the actual chemical enhancements were. Even if all the Agents saw were common and layman attributes being enhanced. The two SIS Agents had to have something to report once they returned to Coruscant. < ¡±HUMAN ¨C FEMALE. CLASS ¨C NORMAL. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE ¨C DEXTERITY/CUNNING.¡±> < ¡±ZABRAK ¨C MALE. CLASS ¨C FORCE SENSITIVE. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE ¨C STRENGTH/AGGRESSION.¡±> < ¡±TWI¡¯LEK ¨C MALE. CLASS ¨C FORCE SENSITIVE. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE ¨C HEALTH/VIGOR.¡±> < ¡±SITH PUREBLOOD ¨C FEMALE. CLASS ¨C FORCE SENSITIVE. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE ¨C WISDOM/GUILE.¡±> < ¡±CHISS ¨CMALE. CLASS ¨C NORMAL. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE ¨C DEXTERITY/CUNNING.¡±> < ¡±ZABRAK ¨C FEMALE. CLASS ¨C NORMAL. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE ¨C STRENGTH/HEALTH.¡±> < ¡±RATTATAKI ¨C MALE. CLASS-NORMAL. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES ¨C STRENGTH/WISDOM.¡±> After going through several combinations and injecting all of the children, the three of them watched the children and withdrew from the room to an observation area. The immediate changes in them were remarkable. In some ways, it made the Scientist nervous. He knew the Jedi would see the change and ask questions. Leaving the observation room, the old Master was waiting for them in the hall. A grimace and annoyed expression her only greeting. Gently taking the Master by the arm he led her back into the observation lounge and shut the door behind them. ¡°Before you say anything, Master Jedi let me assure you that what I am doing here is in the best interest of the Jedi and the Republic. I would prefer you don''t ask questions, but in my years of service to the Republic I''ve not known a single Jedi who simply took things at face value. Your expression tells me you have reservation and as administrator of this facility, you, of all people, need to be on board with this." "You''re very perceptive, Doctor." Speaking bluntly, the Jedi crossed her arms over her chest and leaned in. "I''m not sure what you''ve done here. But I''m not the only one whose seen an instant change in these children you''ve segregated. What did you do to them? They are so¡­tame, different¡­I am sensing--these ''children'' aren¡¯t children at all anymore¡­¡± Smiling the scientist handed the Datapad to the Master. ¡°Synthesize these ¡®vitamins¡¯. Ensure they get them once a day and to the proper individuals¡­failure to do so and the children will get ill and most likely fall into a coma¡­¡± Turning to leave the Master followed the Scientist from the room close at his heels, holding the datapad up. ¡°Ill? You must be--" The old Master interrupted herself and looked down at the pad in her hand. "--you''re not joking." She narrowed her eyes. "Whatever you''ve done--you won¡¯t get away with this. I will lodge my complaint immediately to the Council and once they find out--" One of the Agents stepped around the Scientist. Threats and protection of the Project was his area. Answering threats was his job. Taking off the dark cyber-linked glasses he looked the Master straight in her eyes. ¡°No¡­they won¡¯t. The Jedi fully authorized this experiment. And these ¡®kids¡¯¡­no one is going to come looking for them¡­¡± They walked toward the door, the Agent turning back to place his glasses back on, ¡°Ensure the children get their ¡®vitamins¡¯ failure to do so¡­.and you will answer to your Masters¡­¡± Getting back in the speeder the three of them settled in for the long ride back to the spaceport. One of the agents leaned forward to begin typing into a Holo-unit located in the console to report ¡®Mission Complete¡¯. Turning around he looked at the scientist. ¡°She seemed rather resistant Doctor¡­we may have to have her ''removed''.¡± There was pure venom in the agent''s voice as he said it. The Doctor smiling slightly, he leaned forward to pat the agent on his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s your job my boy¡­I don¡¯t dabble in executions¡­¡± 5 - Alpha Pod - Coronet, Corellia...Jedi Orphanage #76.... -- <"Chief Scientists Log, Dr, Vizu Hardiman...recording¡­."> <"...the children are growing by leaps and bounds. Far beyond my scope as a single scientist and I have requested additional help from the Republic Scientific Division. I¡¯m not sure these administrators knew what a personnel heavy endeavor this was going to be when they assigned me to monitor the orphanage on Bothawui and Corellia. Though the failure on Bothawui is complete, there is still some clean-up left to do there. And that will require personnel trained in wiping and scrubbing datadrives. It¡¯s truly a shame that all of the children on Bothawui died. I¡¯m not sure what went wrong. Or why the statistics of those children, who died and these children on Corellia; who are thriving can be so similar with such a radically different result. Time will tell. We are continuing our measured protocol and have some general information to report. Alpha 001 thru 005 have all exceeded our expectations. Alpha 001 ¨C The first Zabrak is already showing signs of advanced leadership and complex problem-solving skills far beyond that of his physical age. Alpha 002 ¨C The first of the two twin Mirialan girls is of such an advanced intelligence that we have had to do more to hide some of our work. She¡¯s starting to figure it out and thereby inform the others of exactly what¡¯s going on. Alpha 003 ¨C The experiment of the two Mirialan sisters is still withdrawn. She keeps to herself, but the extra protocols have affected her to such a degree that the two twin sisters, no longer look like twins. At age 10, she is already the height of an average humanoid female and of physical capability significant to warrant training droids in place of actual live specimen. Alpha 004 ¨C The next Zabrak is showing signs of deceit and guile, part of his protocol. We¡¯ve heightened his aggressive tendencies to further integrate the protocol with his racial predeterminations. Zabrak are an aggressive race. 004 is already at a level that makes him difficult to control. And the others are seeing it. Luckily, they are at a level able to control him. Especially 001. Last but not least, Alpha 005, the Ratataki, has made a remarkable breakthrough. With a combination of genetic skeletal-muscular stimulation to enhance his ability to take on stronger drugs, we have been able to simulate growth within his mind. His skill and education level are of the twelfth year of a secondary school education. Quite a change for a child who had an IQ of 10 with a severe mental handicap. I consider 005 our biggest achievement at the moment and worthy of sharing at the next scientific conference. This is Dr. Vizu Hardiman¡­end of general entry log 345¡­> -- ¡°Give that back!!!¡± Karolin screamed as she jerked the Nerf toy away from the one who snatched it from her. Mrysti was quick to come up behind her sister, but she merely stared at the offender. As per usual, all she did was glare. Mrysti took no action against the Zabrak boy who took the toy. Getting to her knees, Karolin shoved the boy away. ¡°Devil!!¡± She screamed in response. It was what she often called her pod mate. A derogatory term she used on anyone with horns, more often than not aimed at Hamner. Everyone knew Hamner was typically the bringer of disorder in their harmonious pod. The disruption drew the attention of the others as two other boys looked up from what they were doing to stare at the three crowded around one another in the center of the playing field. The pod was not small by any means. Self-contained, the orphanage often grouped children of like psychological mind together. The playing field sat in the center of their small community, it was the center of their world. Halls led to other parts of the pod from the center. There was an eating area, sleeping area, learning center and fresher cubicle. The fresher where they learned the proper hygiene techniques for their respective cultures. Another reason children of like genetics were grouped together. It was easier to teach and groom them. Getting up from the dusty ground, Trea¡¯vor dusted himself off and looked at his ¡®brother¡¯. The Ratataki, another pod mate, but one he considered his actual brother nonetheless. Marstel looked at Trea¡¯vor and together they moved toward the other group. Marstel followed Trea¡¯vor everywhere. He was slow, not incredibly bright, but loyal. He regarded Trea¡¯vor much the same way Trea¡¯vor regarded him, though he never spoke; if ever. Speech was hard for Marstel. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on?!?¡± Trea¡¯vor looked down on the group, placing his hands on his hips as he looked from Karolin to Hamner. His eyes locked on Hamner. Turmoil in the pod was traditionally his fault. Getting up in a scramble, Hamner put his face close to Trea¡¯vor, ready to plead his case. ¡°She started it. All I wanted was the Nerf¡­¡± Pursing his lips, Trea¡¯vor looked down. Also, a Zabrak, a race from the wild planet of Dathomir, that was the only commonality Trea¡¯vor and Hamner shared. The same age, they were not biological brothers. Hamner was regarded as something all of the others tolerated. ¡°It wasn¡¯t yours¡­we¡¯ve been over this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Hamner struck out. His fist swinging wildly toward Trea¡¯vor as the other boy backed up. Marstel was quick to intervene. A head taller than all of the others, Marstel moved in between Trea¡¯vor and Hamner almost immediately. He took the punch that was meant for Trea¡¯vor. It was observed by the Jedi that monitored the orphanage; that Marstel possessed uncanny resilience to pain. Diagnosed with a mental deficiency, Marstel was often the one who took the beatings and pain meant for others. Almost always throwing himself between any disputes. The punch landed hard. The strike making Marstel turn his head from the blow. But he slowly turned his eyes back toward Hamner. Not raising a fist or a hand to the other boy, Marstel only shook his head ¡®no¡¯. The look in his eye saying all he needed to in order to dissuade Hamner from trying it again. It didn¡¯t work. Hamner tried to swing again. The blaring sound from the monitor droid stopped all of the children cold. Karolin stood up suddenly at the sound of the alarm, looking at her sister. <<¡­VIOLENT confrontations are not authorized ¨C PLEASE refrain from striking one another ¨C The MATRON had been alerted to the ALTERCATION¡­>> The doors to the pod flew open as a rush of brown robes and feet entered the main hallway. All of the children lined up, one next to the other. They knew their place and what would happen next. The Matron made it very clear on previous occasions. There would be order, there must always be order. Their eyes and heads cast down in shame, all the children saw were the brown shoes of the Matron as she made her way to them. Slowly pacing from one to the other. The Matron saw it all. Alpha pod was one of the pods she allowed to sometimes police themselves. But due to the addition of Republic Scientist it was always being observed in some fashion. Trea¡¯vor had a proven record of settling disputes among the others. But any act of violence was always a cause to intervene. It was protocol, routine. And the Matron was nothing if she wasn¡¯t routine. Placing a finger under Hamner¡¯s chin, she raised his head and eyes to her. They seemed to glow with a yellow light as she looked down on him. ¡°This is becoming a habit, child¡­¡±, she spoke in no uncertain terms. Her voice always soft. The children could tell from the change in her subtlety when it had an edge and violence against one another always brought out that edge. She removed her finger and stepped back. Looking from one to the other. Eventually allowing her eyes to settle on Karolin. ¡°We all must learn to live together in harmony¡­¡± The Matron approached Karolin and placed the same finger under Karolin¡¯s chin raising her eyes and head up. ¡°That also means¡­we learn to share.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Shaking his head slightly, Trea¡¯vor knew what was coming next and the argument that would follow. It was a lecture on sharing your possessions in hopes that someday you would let them go. The Jedi were kind to the children, but their ideals didn¡¯t sit well with ten-year olds. And the few toys the children possessed, they thought of as their own. More so for Karolin and Mrysti, who only possessed those two stuffed animals. It was not only their only toy it was all they had from where they came from. Trea¡¯vor knew that, he also knew that Hamner purposely picked on Karolin because his attempts at taking her toys always elicited an emotional response. The times he took the other sister, Mrysti¡¯s toy, he got no such response. Mrysti was always happy to share, in fact she reveled in it. Any attention given to Mrysti was always given back in kind. ¡°These possessions¡­¡± The matron plucked the Nerf from Karolin¡¯s arm, to which, Karolin gave a scowl. ¡°¡­they are nothing more than material ties to a galaxy that you don¡¯t need. You must learn to let go of these things and grasp onto a larger world¡­I have tried to teach you that.¡± The Matron gestured behind her at the other two Jedi who followed her inside the pod. ¡°We all have.¡± Clutching the toy, the Matron started to pace again. Karolin was the only child with her head up, her eyes watery, but her face twisted in anger as she kept her gaze locked on the toy in the Matrons hand. ¡°As such¡­I am removing the rest of these toys from the¡ª¡° The Matron¡¯s sentence was cut off as Karolin launched out a hand and grabbed the stuffed Nerf in the Force, pulling it back to her. Karolin clutched it tightly as the Matron spun around, her face losing all expression. ¡°You will learn control¡­young one¡­¡± Approaching, the Matron reached down and took the toy back. She did not use the Force, though she eluded to it. Such a blatant display of power, it was forbidden within the confines of the pod. There were special areas for that which the Force Sensitive children were taken to daily. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t his¡­¡± Trea¡¯vor spoke under his breath. The Matron¡¯s head snapped Trea¡¯vor¡¯s direction as he spoke. ¡°Trea¡¯vor¡­¡± The Matron purred, ¡°¡­you have something to say on this matter?¡± There was a slight edge to her voice as she questioned the boy. Looking up, Trea¡¯vor met the eyes of the Matron defiantly. ¡°I said¡­it wasn¡¯t his. Karolin was just defending against¡ª¡° ¡°Defending? There is nothing to defend, have I not stated that before?¡± Nodding his head, Trea¡¯vor looked back down. ¡°Though you may not possess the Force¡­¡± The Matron was speaking to Trea¡¯vor, but her eyes soon glanced over to Marstel, ¡°¡­you can still live by its tenets. These things¡­they mean nothing. What matters, is right here.¡± She bent down at the waist and poked a bony finger in the young Trea¡¯vor¡¯s chest. ¡°This is what matters, what is in your heart.¡± Standing back up to her full height she allowed her gaze to pass from one to the other in turn. There would be punishment, more so since that Karolin used the Force to try and take back the toy and even more that Trea¡¯vor had spoken in defense of her. The Matron did not speak, letting out a sigh. Glancing behind her she nodded slightly to the two Jedi who moved forward taking Karolin and Hamner out of the line. Hamner fought back, but was quickly subdued by the Jedi who removed them both, kicking and screaming down the hall the Jedi came from. Moving out of line slightly, Marstel started to move after them. The Matron shot him a glare and Marstel stopped. She shook her head ¡®no¡¯ at him. ¡°Not this time, Marstel¡­both of them have earned time in the meditation room, so they can reflect on what they have done.¡± She looked at Mrysti who was looking directly at her. Mrysti¡¯s red irises piercing a hole through the Matron, ¡°Your sister will be fine¡­you have all spent time in there.¡± That really wasn¡¯t the point. The Matron didn¡¯t get it. Alpha pod was a tight group. An attack against one was an attack against all. And in that case, as Trea¡¯vor looked up and over at his ¡®brother¡¯ and ¡®sister¡¯, the attack was unwarranted. The Matron didn¡¯t have the inside information that the rest of them did. Hamner was just causing trouble and as much as she wished for all of them to live by the tenets of the Jedi, there were somethings that just couldn¡¯t be let go. Mrysti clutched at her own stuffed toy as the matron left. The toy that was the only link to the life that she and her twin sister had lost. -- Tears ran down Karolin¡¯s face, but not tears of sadness; tears of anger. She cried when she was angry. Next to her in the adjacent room, she knew Hamner was there. Karolin could feel his presence. For a moment, she thought of reaching out and ¡®touching¡¯ him. Doing something to try and right the wrong he inflicted on her. She shook her head and wiped her face of the tears. There was no way she was going to cry for him or for the offense against her. Lightly she heard the laughter from the next room. Karolin slapped the wall. ¡°Shut up!!!¡± The laughter increased and Karolin slapped the wall again. She began to scream. The wall seemed to vibrate with her voice. Cracks began to appear in the wall as the laughter abruptly stopped. Again, a massive display of power that was unauthorized. Hamner stopped laughing, in part, because of that; he didn¡¯t want the Matron to come back and chaste them again. But, Hamner was also afraid. On the rare occasions that he was able to push on Karolin, he was often afraid of the response he got from the Mirialan. It excited him on a level he was not familiar with. It made his blood turn, appealing to a part of himself he was not familiar with. The Zabrak genes he carried that longed for war and conflict, emotions he couldn¡¯t possibly understand at his age and under the tutelage of the Jedi. A part of him actually felt sorry for what he¡¯d done. The part that the Jedi had actually reached. Hamner looked down to the cushion he sat on and frowned. Pushing closer to the wall, he ran his hand up one of the cracks that only a moment before wasn¡¯t there. Hamner pressed the side of his face against the wall, whispering. ¡°Karolin¡­are you there?¡± There was no answer, but Hamner could feel her on the other side. The Force, as weak as it was within him, allowed that. He smiled wickedly, ¡°Karolin¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± He didn¡¯t really mean it. It was another attempt to get a response from her. Closing her eyes, Karolin wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled in. Rocking back and forth, diving deep within herself to block out Hamner. He was just going to keep teasing if she gave any kind of response. -- Entering the room, Dr. Hardiman sat the tablet down and smiled condescendingly at the Jedi Matron. He didn¡¯t ask to come in or even knock on the door, entering her office of his own accord. It annoyed the very proper Matron to no end, but she said nothing. Adding a little more Jedi calm to her day, by exhaling a calming breath. Dr. Hardiman was already having a seat on the other side of her desk. ¡°As much as I respect the tenets of the Jedi¡­¡± Dr. Hardiman began speaking in a soft and lecturing tone. ¡°¡­I must once again ask that you not run these pods under supervision of the Republic Scientific Division as if they are normal pods. They are not normal, nor are the children within them.¡± Standing up, the Doctor picked up his tablet and bowed slightly. He said what he came to say, knowing the Matron would continue to ignore him. Surprisingly, the Matron spoke up and what she said gave him pause. ¡°¡­I pray for you.¡± Dr. Hardiman turned back around at the words. ¡°¡­everyday, during my meditations. I ask the Force to give you guidance enough to go back and tell the Republic that what they are doing is not only unethical, it¡¯s morally wrong. These are children. And as much as you desire for us to simply leave them be it is my duty to remind you that this is not some ¡®half-way¡¯ house where you or anyone who passes through those doors can come and go as you please.¡± The Matron stood up, placing her hands behind her back; one clutching the other tightly. ¡°I¡¯m not a scientist, Doctor. I don¡¯t pretend to know what it is you hope to gain by torturing these children and it is beyond me why, in their infinite wisdom, the Jedi Order would agree to such things. But this¡­.I do know¡­¡± Raising a finger to make a point, the Matron¡¯s eyes shot toward the Doctor. ¡°¡­we have done better for the galaxy teaching children our tenets of good and moral thought. We have trained the lost to be good and productive citizens. And most all of them have gone on to lead very productive lives. I have been doing this a very long time, Doctor and not once have I seen anything the Republic Sciences Division produces equate to the work we do here.¡± After a long pause, the Doctor smiled. Walking back in, he shut the door and looked back to make sure no one was coming in. The Matron sat back down at her desk and made ready to look busy. Even as the Doctor resumed his seat. Clearly, the Doctor had more to say in rebuttal. ¡°Master Jedi¡­¡± The Doctor began sarcastically. ¡°¡­that was a thoughtful, intelligent and well-rehearsed response. I say well-rehearsed because I saw you practicing it last week after the other incident in the Alpha pod involving the older Mirialan girl and the Zabrak boy.¡± The Matron looked up to see the Doctor giving her a wicked smile. Her expression remained placid. ¡°I am going to share with you something I am not authorized to share. Only because you have brought my work here into question.¡± The Doctor lost the smile. ¡°We are creating weapons here, Master Jedi. One-hundred percent pure, enhanced and augmented weapons. Those children, they will be come the guardians of the Republic. You say you are rearing children to be productive citizens¡­I am giving the Republic something it will truly need.¡± After standing up once again, the Doctor snatched the door open and turned before walking away. ¡°I am no longer asking. Now that you know, understand that anything from this point forward is no longer a request, but an order. You will cease to impress upon those children in Alpha pod any of your Jedi tenets. From now on, all disciplinary matters will go through me. I hope I¡¯ve made myself clear¡­.¡± 6 - Enter Czerka Coruscant, ¡®The Works¡¯ Testing Ground, One Year after the Jedi Order agrees to enter the project¡­. Gathering at the base of the massive set of cloth draped bleachers the various Senators and high-ranking Military Officers mingled and chatted amongst themselves. Most had no idea what they were there to see, the ones that knew about Project Alpha didn¡¯t let on that they knew about the purpose of the demonstration. The only one seriously nervous was the Supreme Chancellor. All previous tests of the subjects to be demonstrated had failed and he begged and pleaded with his oversight committee to allow more time for research. Credits were running short and tempers even shorter. The Senate demanded results for their tax-payer credits and wanted to see something for their investment. To the Supreme Chancellor this had become too important to allow any more political nonsense to get in the way of progress. He was personally invested and wanted nothing more than to see the Project continue to its full potential. Biting his nail, the Supreme Chancellor stepped to the lectern. On the field behind him a large cloth covered contraption lay dormant. That particular spot was chosen on Coruscant because of the isolation in the area known as ¡®The Works¡¯ the heart and soul of the Planet-City. The engineering section that kept everything alive. Secrecy was their primary goal, but Coruscant being what it was nothing stayed quite secret for long as several members of the Czerka Corporation had managed through political connections to somehow get themselves into the demonstration. Had the demonstration been held anywhere else, Czerka would never have found out, but it was Coruscant. None of those facts were lost on the Supreme Chancellor as he began to speak. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen¡­thank you for coming here today. What you are about to see is a mere fraction of the work within a Project we call ¡®Alpha¡¯. Its primary goal, to increase the survivability of our Troops through the use of technology and biology in order to give us an edge in the next conflict. Now some of you may say, ¡®What Conflict? The War has long been over¡­¡¯ And to you I say, our society is only as strong as our military forces. In order to remain a free Republic, we must continue to build the strength that our citizens and our Galaxy deserve¡­¡± The Chancellor signaled behind himself; the the curtain covering the stage behind him was dropped. Revealed were seven armored and apparently dormant Republic Troopers. Those watching couldn¡¯t see under the helmets they wore that their eyes were closed, awaiting command. Stepping from behind the seated dignitaries a very gruff looking large armor-clad Trooper walked out toward the stage. The Trooper did nothing to hide the many battle scars on his armor as he approached the brightly armored ¡®sleeping¡¯ Troopers. ¡°Republic Troopers! Fall In!¡± The seven Troopers seemed to activate immediately, opening their eyes under their visors to look at the voice directing them. They deftly jumped from the stage standing in a row in front of the gruff looking Sergeant. Their weapons all held the same, their poise identical. Looking over at the technicians located behind the stage, the Sergeant seemed to give them a cue as the floor of the field area retracted next to the make-shift stage. A series of very dangerous looking large Combat Droids rose through the floor powering up simultaneously as the floor locked into place. The gun arms on the droids bristled with the grasping arms of the droids opening and closing with lethality. In front of the droids a series of large metallic objects appeared spinning and moving; seemingly coming to life and arming themselves. Fire leapt from the floor in spots as auto-turrets emerged from the side firing across from each other and over the metallic objects. Looking over at his Troopers the Sergeant appeared to assess the situation reaching up to turn up the volume on his external speaker. ¡°Republic Troopers! Fan out¡­Formation Omega, HUD set to assault¡­search and destroy the targets with extreme prejudice.¡± There was no reason for the Sergeant to actually voice those commands. In the ¡®Heads Up Display¡¯ or HUD systems of the Troopers he was commanding, they saw the order and received the command even before he said anything. Only speaking for the benefit of those watching. In the Sergeant¡¯s estimation the seven troopers would react as other Troopers avoiding the mines on the ground, dodging the fire and deactivating the auto ¨Cturrets. And all of that before making it far enough to deal with the battle-droids further in the field. The Sergeant, a seasoned veteran, was brought in as part of the Project to direct only. Having no knowledge who the men he was commanding were or what their background was. If the test was successful, that fact would be revealed. Anyone with a knowledge of how to command and conduct a squad would be able to command those products of Project Alpha. Too late, the Sergeant was mystified as to how wrong he was. The point man in the Trooper¡¯s ¡®V-shaped¡¯ formation met the first mine exploding into a red mist. Disintegrated instantly as he walked obliviously directly into it. The others stopped, mechanically firing on the droids who were at the far side of the obstacles. As they realized they needed better range to deal with what was identified in their HUDs as the primary targets and ignoring the obstacles, one by one they walked into the fire or got cut down by the turrets. There were no screams or attempts to run away as their comrades died in various grotesque ways. Backing up slightly, the Sergeant turned in alarm as the last of the new Troopers was consumed by fire. Targeting him the massive droids on the far side of the range fired into the Sergeant; the last of the identified targets, terminating him before finally shutting down to the frantic button pushing of the technicians behind the stage. Everyone in the bleacher area was too much in shock to react or say anything. Several of the Senators already removing themselves for destinations unknown. The Chancellor held his head in his hand the entire time, shaking it lightly. It was a disaster and worse, everyone saw how much of a disaster the Project had become. As the bleachers cleared out, the Chairman of the sub-committee snatched the Chancellor up off his chair. ¡°You call this progress?!?! A year¡­an entire year of funding?? Massive investments¡­and you bring us to a massacre?? This was supposed to be rapid-prototype and production.¡± The Chancellor snatched his arm away pushing the other man into the lectern. ¡°I told you! I told you all we weren¡¯t ready! These first-generation Clones follow orders to the letter, they have no semblance of rational thought¡­but you all wouldn¡¯t listen!¡± The chairman pushed off the lectern dusting himself off. ¡°Consider this notice¡­the sub-committee will not be voting to provide additional funding. This Project is over! Done! I was never sold on this whole thing anyway¡­¡± As the Senator removed himself quickly moving for his own luxury speeder, the Chancellor sat back down in a slump. Someone standing above him clearing their throat caused the Chancellor to raise his head. ¡°Excuse me¡­Supreme Chancellor, well that was quite a show, I must say. Not exactly what you had in mind I¡¯m betting but a show none the less¡­¡± The Supreme Chancellor stood, his nerves already frazzled, he had no intention of listening to more banter about his failures. The man dressed in green and yellow dusted off his hand before offering it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­where are my manners, I represent the Czerka Corporation¡­.and I think we can help each other¡­¡± -- - Coruscant, Government Sector¡­.Four years later¡­.. Former Supreme Chancellor Pultimo, now just Mr. Pultimo sat in his palatial office next to 1000 Republica not far from office he used to frequent as Supreme Chancellor. Trouble creased his brow. Pressure from the company he worked for, the Czerka Corporation, threatened to end not only his involvement in Project Alpha, but his livelihood as well. In not so many words, Czerka had threatened him with termination if he allowed the Jedi to leave the Project. No longer political, Pultimo had used every political favor he had to delay the Jedi¡¯s departure, but he was running out of political clout. As he browsed the morning reports from the previous night¡¯s work, Pultimo needed a break through. Something to keep the Jedi in line. Pultimo¡¯s saving grace was going to come in the form of a little known side Project simply known as ¡®Zero-one¡¯. Looking at the Project report, Pultimo sat up quickly noticing a strange notation in one of the scientist¡¯s logs. Pultimo was an administrator, but because of his time spent dealing with scientists and their language he had a keen eye for the way they spoke and the notes they made. < ¡±Log 008 Chief Scientist Log ¨CSub-Project Zero-One of Project Alpha¡±¡­¡¯It has only been two days since we injected the host tissue with the additional DNA Supplement and the results look promising¡­we are seeing additional growth of the tissue and predict that the goal of creating tissue and organs capable of transplant viable¡¯> One of the many side projects in Project Alpha, the organ replacement project was a grab by Czerka to try and synthesize organs from host tissue capable of using for transplant in patients needing organs. It was a profit venture. Project Alpha had the scientist and the equipment, it was only natural for Czerka to try and squeeze profit any way they could by doing things outside the scope. Not unusual, but that was not what caught Pultimo¡¯s eye. <¡±Log 009 Chief Scientist Log ¨C Sub-Project Zero-One of Project Alpha¡± ¡­¡¯One of our technicians dropped the sample into the refrigeration unit we use for storing our cloned tissue samples. Upon impact the container housing ¡®Zero-One¡¯ shattered and destroyed most of our cloning samples as well. Conducting a further investigation in order to try and replicate the experiment; it was discovered that the tissue from ¡®Zero-One¡¯ was that of a Jedi, but no record of the Donor Jedi could be found. The unit housing the Jedi samples had no record of the tissue in question and all attempts to find the donor tissue have been unsuccessful. The experiment would have been terminated for cause had there not been a strange reaction caused by the retrieval of ¡®Zero-One¡¯ from the refrigeration unit. Examination has revealed that the tissue in question is now showing massive cell replication. Midichlorian analysis reveals initial estimates which originally placed the count at 500 ppm are now at over 1000 ppm. Sample has been returned to a stasis chamber to await analysis by the cloning division.¡¯>The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Pultimo rose, excitedly looking around the room. ¡®Could this be it?!?!¡¯ A reason to give the Jedi to stay connected to the project? Any biological matter that could show an increase of Midichlorians in that quantity and overnight was worthy of note. And would be of keen interest to the Jedi. Moving to the Holo-comm he sent an encrypted message in text only to his Czerka superiors. Being only a consultant, he didn¡¯t have the power to call a meeting of the Project''s governing board. < ¡±PROJECT ALPHA BREAKTHROUGH ¨C MIDIS OFF THE CHART, SUGGEST WE GATHER THE BOARD FOR A REVIEW¡±> Mr. Pultimo went back to his report review. The day still held so many wonders for him, but he knew a visit to the lab would be in order before he received a response from the corporate board. The opportunity could be expanding right in front of him and he would have to jump on it quickly to capitalize. -- ¡®Zero-One¡¯ cell replication accelerated at an astounding rate. What was once a tissue sample began to form an actual organ that the tissue was sampled from. No one could explain it. What started out as a sliver of humanoid tissue took the shape of a heart. And it was definitely a human heart. Judging from the characteristics and shape more than likely male. After meeting with the board it was agreed that the sample heart should be moved immediately into one of the new maturation chambers within the clone division, but instead of simply transplanting the organ into a donor body, Czerka was interested to see what would happen if they allowed the cell matrix to grow on its own. All of it was a bit baffling to Pultimo who was convinced they would want results more quickly. Czerka was treading carefully, quality over profit for some odd reason. Which was very unlike the corporation. Using the DNA sequencers and different apparatuses attached to the chamber, the scientists watched in wonder as the heart began to be enclosed by a human form. The genome began to recreate itself and they could actually see an average size male beginning to take shape inside the chamber. In their wisdom, the governing board had taken all of the scientists and Pultimo subjecting them to a thorough examination and interrogation. The need to try and recreate the accident being the objective, no matter how strongly they probed there were no answers. Czerka even went as far as taking another sample to try and recreate the ¡®accident¡¯. It failed. Not only was the sample different, there were too many smaller variables that weren¡¯t the same. In the end, it was decided that by allowing the ¡®accident¡¯ to come to maturity they would gain samples from it thereby having a baseline to start an entirely new project. Pacing in front of the chamber Pultimo watched the sleeping clone float in the Kolto suspension. His desire to inform the Jedi and lock them back into the project beginning to grow. A hand clasped down on Pultimo¡¯s shoulder, startled he turned to see the face of one of the governing directors smiling back at him. ¡°Mr. Pultimo this is indeed a great day for science. Perhaps we have finally unlocked the secrets of the Jedi¡­¡± the Director gestured at the tank, still smiling. Pultimo ducked under his hand to remove it from his shoulder. ¡°That remains to be seen, we aren¡¯t out of the gate yet. There is still a question of Jedi acceptance¡­¡± he quirked his eyebrow at the man, ¡°I want to bring the Grandmaster in on this, let him come and have a look. We are old ¡®friends¡¯ perhaps with a look he can sway the Council in our direction and drop this foolishness.¡± The foolishness Pultimo referred to was the Jedi Council¡¯s attempts to leave the project. The Czerka director returned the gaze, it wasn¡¯t lost on him that Pultimo ducked under his grasping hand. Czerka never liked Pultimo, they never quite settled with the fact of how close Pultimo was to the Project. But, he had his uses, his connection to the Jedi being only one of them. ¡°By all means¡­go to them, bring the Grandmaster here. There is not much to show however, our clone here is still in suspension, there is still some growing and maturing yet before it can be fully realized. Wouldn¡¯t it be more prudent when the clone is completely viable, that way he can talk and interact with it?¡± Pultimo smiled shaking his head slightly, Czerka types would never fully understand how the Jedi worked. ¡°Through the Force, the Grandmaster can interact with it in its Chamber. If there is something to see, he will see it through the Force. And we need to know¡­if there is anything TO see.¡± The Director¡¯s face turned pale slightly. It wouldn¡¯t do at all for their work to be stopped before it even began. If the Jedi were indeed able to see that the clone was useless it would halt this new endeavor, it may even accelerate the Jedi leaving the Project. He shook his head at Pultimo. ¡°Then no. I don¡¯t want to show them anything, at least not until the clone is viable. We are having basic functions flashed into the clone¡¯s mind in the coming days, perhaps then we can revisit your proposal.¡± The Director was referring to the use of the new Flash Memory machine. It was a device created to put basic functionality into a clone during maturation in order to speed up the learning process when they were released from suspension. Since the cloning process was still far from perfect the machine had not had much use as of late and the clones that did reach maturity and the ability to have the machine used on them didn¡¯t last very long. Most of the clones were no more than robots harkening back to the days of then, Supreme Chancellor Pultimo¡¯s, first public failure. He frowned. The Jedi were within days of going before the Senate secret sub-committee and requesting separation from the Project. Time was a factor. Pultimo nodded acceptance to the Director. ¡°As you wish Sir¡­I will wait as you requested¡­¡± In his heart he already knew what he was going to do. -- It was late and the maintenance crew had already started their normal cleaning and repairing procedures for the night inside the lab. Mr. Pultimo led the brown robed form to the secluded segregated area that had become the temporary home to ¡®Zero-One¡¯. The smile on his face electric. Removing his hood the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order carried a slight frown, although he had been in the lab numerous times, the place had become an object of distain for him. This was a place he wanted to forget and his original agreement to join this Project a stain on a rather stellar career. Pultimo flipped on the power allowing the light to cast itself over the rest of the darkened lab. The liquid inside the single container was dark almost as if it blocked out the light. Pultimo gestured to the Jedi Master. The Jedi Master¡¯s eye quirked upward, his senses telling him something was indeed amiss in the small alcove. Pultimo spoke up first. ¡°So¡­this is the Project. It¡¯s not entirely viable yet, but I wanted to see if you could sense anything in the subject¡­through the Force.¡± The Grandmaster gave him a skeptical look, although his senses and powers did not lend themselves to the arts of Force Sense and delving into the minds of others, he was still a very powerful Jedi. Placing his hand on the darkened tank he closed his eyes. For what seemed like an eternity, they stood there, the Master with his hand on the tank and Pultimo staring at him in anticipation. Opening his eyes suddenly, the Grandmaster looked directly at Pultimo, the fear in his eyes palpable. Sweat rolled down his face as he shakily attempted to remove his hand from the tank, it seemed to be held by an unseen force. He was only able to say one word to Pultimo. ¡°Run¡­!¡± Project Zero-One threw itself against the side of the tank in front of the Grandmaster, shattering the tank and throwing the Grandmaster into a series of databanks on the far side of the lab. Zero-One stepped shakily down out of the tank, the Kolto dripping from its ghastly features. Landing on a knee it looked up quickly in the direction of the Grandmaster. Pultimo watched in horror as Zero-One, still only half finished stood to its full height. The skin was missing in several places as it lurched toward the Grandmaster¡¯s position, its torso being held together by the mesentery of still forming organs. Muscles on its face twisted as it tried to make sense of it all, the skin hanging off in large slabs. Getting up the Grandmaster activated his lightsaber, charging back toward the monstrosity and jabbing forward with the blade headed for the beast¡¯s heart. It held up a hand slowly as time seemed to slow around the two of them. The Grandmaster suddenly appeared to be moving in water as his thrust slowed down to the speed of the thing¡¯s hand. Disappearing in the clone¡¯s hand, the yellow blade appeared to disappear inside of it, the Grandmaster grunting as he continued to push forward. Raising its other hand slowly it awkwardly showed the Grandmaster its palm, exploding the two of them outwardly as the slow time ended. Once again the Grandmaster was thrown against the databanks, as the clone continued its forward movement toward him. The blast from its palm seeming to wash over him as the Grandmaster picked himself up again this time much slower to get up. No longer with his lightsaber, the Grandmaster raised both his hands in his attempt to grab the creature and hold it in stasis within the Force. Zero-One arched its back slightly as the Force enveloped it causing it to levitate slightly from being held. Grunting the Grandmaster glanced over at Pultimo motioning down with his head. ¡°The¡­L-Lightsaber¡­grab it! End this thing!¡± Pultimo looked down quickly from his position on the ground. Scrambling to get the lightsaber, Pultimo awkwardly activated it standing up and moving to the rear of the held creature, but he hesitated. Lowering its head suddenly the creature let out a ghastly howl as it drew back its arms breaking the stasis. Sneering as he stumbled back bending at the waist, the Grandmaster looked up at the creature as it finally closed the distance. Grabbing the Jedi Master by the throat, Project Zero-One lifted the Master into the air tossing him toward a Durasteel bulkhead using its own Force enhanced strength. The Grandmaster seemed to sail like a rag-doll through the air until he righted himself close to the wall. Using the force of the throw as leverage he landed horizontally feet first on the wall and spring boarded himself back toward Zero-One. A strange peace seemed to settle over the monster as the Grandmaster hurled through the air toward him, the Jedi Master¡¯s fist outstretched in front of him. It seemed as if the creature smiled, raising a hand slowly and twitching its index finger. A large ventilator overhead snapped quickly as the steel bindings that held it gave way intercepting the Grandmaster in mid-flight. Both crashed down loudly inside the lab as computers, tanks and different machinery exploded in showers of sparks and liquid flooding the surrounding area in electrical discharge and light. Silence fell on the lab as Pultimo rushed to the fallen ventilator, the fear for himself gone he only wanted to see if his friend survived. The majority of his body pinned under the ventilator the Grandmaster began to fade quickly, blood running from the corners of his mouth and his eyes. Pultimo bent down placing a hand on his head. ¡°I-I am so sorry¡­how-how could I have known¡­?¡± Closing his eyes, the Grandmaster gave a last labored breath before his face relaxed, death finally taking him. Skeletal feet scrapped the Duracrete floor behind Pultimo as he turned with a start to see Project Zero-One standing over him. Reaching down, Project Zero-One took the still lit lightsaber from Pultimo¡¯s grasp moving the yellow blade in front of itself in wonder. The light from the blade casting its sinister features in an even more horrifying light. As it closed down the blade still holding the hilt in its hand, it reached out slowly with its other hand pointing a bony finger at Pultimo. Air escaped its lungs in a raspy gurgling fashion as Pultimo watched the organs move and operate under its still translucent chest. ¡°Serve¡­.me, you will¡­.¡± 7 - Bi-lateral Partner - One hour after the fatal incident in the Alpha Labs.... Much to the surprise of everyone around them, Project ¡®Zero-One¡¯ was amenable to medical treatment. As the medical personnel approached it, the monstrosity seemed to understand that the men and women meant it no harm even going as far as extending its arms to allow for blood samples and tissue samples to be taken. It wasn¡¯t hard to find the veins, they were on the surface of its still translucent skin. It looked nightmarish in its current form. As Disaster¡¯s went, this was apocalyptic by corporate standards. Everyone was trying to figure out how to deal with the incoming fallout from the death of the Jedi Order¡¯s Grandmaster. Arriving on the scene first were all of the members of the governing board for Project Alpha. They had reviewed the recording of the confrontation between ''Zero-One'' and the Jedi Master on the way to the facility. A little over an hour had passed, Mr. Pultimo was in a state of shock still unable to think or function. That didn¡¯t stop the Director who originally insisted Pultimo not inform the Jedi, from taking the man aside. ¡°This is a disaster of epic proportions Pultimo! Do you have any idea what you¡¯ve done! I specifically told you¡­.no Jedi were to review this Project, you went against my instructions. At the very least you should consider yourself terminated from our employ and at the most¡ª¡° The Director¡¯s tirade was interrupted by another man who strode into the room, his presence immediately commanding calm. Everyone seem to look at him as he walked in. Valadud Tarkin. Well known within the corporate circuit was a tall, thin man of chiseled proportion. His height and stature commanded calm, mostly because he seemed to be on some kind of walking sedative. Tarkin moved slow and deliberate. Not as much walking as he seemed to float into the room. Speaking with a voice and moving with a slickness that ran in contrast to everyone in the environment losing their minds. It was easy to chalk all of the airs Tarkin brought with him to Tarkin being from the outside. He wasn¡¯t Czerka, he had no stake in any of it. The CEO of the Czerka corporation took it upon himself to hire Tarkin; who was a governing director and CEO of several of his own corporations, as a bi-lateral partner for the Alpha Project. When he arrived, few knew that fact. Those who knew and had dealt with Tarkin also knew him as a man who got things done. A shrewd businessman with an incredibly keen mind; a brilliant tactician. Tarkin was a forward thinker. Czerka was getting not only a new business partner, but someone who could clean things up. ¡°¡­at the Most we do what Director? Kill him¡­hang him from the rafters of the Senate Tower for all to see? I think not¡­the time is for constructive thinking not blatant criticism.¡± Tarkin smiled, his words smooth and lighthearted. Looking around the room, already assessing what needed to be done. ¡°You there¡­come here, please¡­¡± Tarkin commanded one of the maintenance supervisors to join him as he approached the Director and Pultimo, who was still busy writhing in a state of self-loathing. ¡°¡­what¡¯s your name? Nevermind, it¡¯s not important. You are the maintenance supervisor for this facility, are you not?¡± ¡°Ya-yes, Sir¡­¡± ¡°Good. You are now the Maintenance Director of this facility. This clean-up crew and all of the individuals involved in this recovery effort now fall under your direct supervision. You will need to have all of them sign non-disclosure agreements. Ensure they understand the penalty for revealing anything they see or anything they recover in this endeavor. Then, you will fire half of them. Terminate their employment and pay them enough severance that all of them will never have to face employment droids ever again.¡± Tarkin waved the man away. Set on a task the new Maintenance Director waddled off. Tarkin turned his gaze to the Czerka Governing Director and Pultimo. ¡°There is a real need to close the loop on this incident. Less people, means less chance of leaks. Secrecy is paramount.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who are you?¡± Tarkin smirked as the Governing Director asked the question bluntly.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Who I am is unimportant. What I am is¡­¡± Reaching in his pocket, Tarkin produced a datapad and handed it to the Director. ¡°¡­your services here at Czerka are no longer required Director. On this datapad you will find an adequate sum that ensures you will never have to work again. Thank you, on behalf of the CEO and the corporation.¡± ¡°Yo-you can¡¯t do this.¡± Not even looking at the datapad, the Director lurched forward toward Tarkin. The tall thin man snapped his fingers. Two security agents from the corporation were on Tarkin¡¯s shoulder in an instant. ¡°Please escort the Director from the premises. Ensure his ID and access to the facility and all Czerka facilities have been revoked.¡± The guards grabbed the Director, pulling and sliding him from the room and toward the exit. Before looking around the lab again, Tarkin flashed Pultimo a smile. ¡°May I have everyone¡¯s attention. Please, stop what you¡¯re doing¡­listen, listen please¡­¡± When he was sure all eyes were on him, Tarkin spoke again. ¡°My name is Valadud Tarkin¡­I am taking charge of this situation. All decisions concerning the clean-up and recovery will now go directly through me. Thank you, you may all carry on with your work.¡± Pultimo was looking up at Tarkin. Releasing a sigh, Tarkin sat down next to him. A period of silence passed. The former Supreme Chancellor was still looking at the fallen ventilator and the body located under it. Tarkin followed his eyes back to where Pultimo sat, finally laying a hand on the other man¡¯s knee. ¡°Chancellor, I cannot begin to express my sincere condolences on the loss of your friend. You must understand that my interest, while sympathetic to how you must feel at the moment, do not allow for me to take any of that into consideration. The Jedi will come, in fact, they have already been informed. What you and I must do now is for the best interest of everyone concerned. More importantly, to preserve the integrity of the Project and¡­the Czerka Corporation.¡± Pultimo knew Tarkin, had dealt with him many times as Supreme Chancellor. He looked up slowly, red rimmed eyes gazing at the thin man who held the fake smile, trying to convince him of what needed to be done. The diatribe was a long way of saying something. Pultimo should have clued in by the way the recovery team was cleaning up the lab. They were staying well away from the actual impact site where the Grandmaster¡¯s body lay dormant. ¡°You mean¡­we have to lie.¡± Pultimo spoke softly. ¡°Did I say that?¡± Tarkin gave a faux look of surprise. Placing a hand to his chest and lurching away from Pultimo. After placing an arm around the former Supreme Chancellor, Tarkin pulled the other man into him slightly. ¡°How can you lie about something that is simply omitted? It isn¡¯t a lie if it¡¯s not asked about. And the Jedi will not be interested in anything but¡­a very tragic corporate accident. Their ability to see things we cannot won¡¯t allow them sight beyond what lies before them.¡± Tarkin gestured toward the fallen ventilator. Standing up, Tarkin buttoned his coat wiping the sleeves to straighten himself. ¡°And what of Zero-One?¡± Both men looked back toward the medtechs and scientists who were busy recovering the horrific looking monstrosity that seemed totally different from the creature that attacked and killed the Grandmaster. Tarkin stood a little straighter, clearing his throat. ¡°Zero-One?¡± Tarkin questioned obliviously. When he looked down at the seated Pultimo, his eyes got wide. Deep set eye sockets piercing into the former Chancellor. ¡°There is NO Zero-One¡­as I stated, this has been a tragic corporate accident. All that is required is your cooperation.¡± Tarkin started to walk away. Pultimo stood sharply, calling after the man. ¡°The Jedi will never believe it. You may be able to buy off everyone¡­but the Jedi, they will find out.¡± ¡°On the contrary, my dear Supreme Chancellor¡­they will believe whatever we tell them to believe. The death of one of their greatest leaders, a Master skilled in the art of their mystical power killed by an experiment?!?!¡± Tarkin laughed. ¡°It¡¯s ludicrous on it¡¯s face. No Jedi in their right minds would possibly believe that something out of a Kolto tank could take down a leader of the Jedi Order.¡± ¡°I believe it. I was there.¡± Pultimo said defiantly. The words made Tarkin drift back toward him. A dark shadow coming back to seal the fate of the former leader of the Galactic Republic. ¡°Yes, you were¡­¡± Tarkin¡¯s voice grew dark. He spoke lowly, with an even lower gaze. Looking down on Pultimo, the former Chancellor felt small. ¡°¡­and your cooperation is paramount if we are to safeguard the future of the Czerka Corporation.¡± ¡°And if I refuse?¡± Tarkin narrowed his eyes. The piercing stare dissolved into a wicked smile. Standing back up straight, Tarkin grabbed both hands behind his back and turned to march away. ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid Czerka can no longer ensure your safety in the workplace¡­.don¡¯t be a liability ¡®Chancellor¡¯. We are being reasonable; we only ask that you do what is in the best interest of everyone involved. Including your friend¡­¡± 8 - The Cover-Up Luxury shuttles carrying the governing board of directors for Project Alpha landed at the pad leading to the Project Alpha labs within twelve hours of the incident. It still hadn¡¯t become public knowledge that the Jedi Grandmaster had been killed. But, the Jedi knew. Through their connection to the Force most if not all of the Jedi Council knew that their leader had been slain. Czerka had to move fast. Lacking the knowledge to deal with the Jedi, they called in a specialist more adept in dealing with special issues. Having already been to the labs, Tarkin was pretending to arrive at the same time the rest of the governing board and the Jedi were arriving. Primary recovery and clean-up as Tarkin ordered had already been accomplished. His plan was in motion. The Project, moved. And with it any traces of what actually happened. Tarkin stepped off the speeder and looked around. Jedi were already beginning to arrive at the Lab and no doubt members of the Jedi Council were already inside. The Jedi Council being the only ones with full knowledge of Project Alpha. Immediately a Czerka underling approached Tarkin beginning to give him a full rundown of key events. Even those on the inside of Czerka didn¡¯t have full knowledge of Tarkin¡¯s complete involvement. And it was planned that way. Waving a dismissive hand Tarkin stopped the report in mid stride. "I am well aware of the situation, that won''t be necessary. See to my team, ensure they have full access to the lab and all necessary materials." Tarkin¡¯s plan was already in motion. There was a need to see the area to ensure everything he ordered had been accomplished to his satisfaction. Entering the lab, Tarkin could see the massive damage caused by the battle between the Grandmaster and ''Zero-One'', the lab was a complete loss. It would take months to get the Project back on track. A project he already ensured would simply disappear. Tarkin had no intention of allowing so important a weapon to simply vanish. Looking at the scene, Tarkin could see several Jedi Masters pouring over the scene and conducting their own investigation. He had to get their assessment in order to ensure his plan would work. Approaching them, Tarkin was intercepted by another member of Czerka¡¯s governing board. They both stepped aside, both keeping their eyes on the brown robed figures who milled around and walked from one point of the lab to the other. The Director was nervous, whispering in a harsh and heated tone. "This is an absolute disaster Tarkin! The Jedi are investigating on their own, rumors are flying around about ''outing'' the Project in order to shine a light on the death of the Grandmaster. It''s madness!" Tarkin held his former smile placing a hand on the smaller man''s shoulder. "Forget what you''ve heard. The Jedi are not foolish, they will conduct their own investigation and if I''m correct they will come to the conclusion we want them to. Speaking of which, I need you to authorize the release of Sample A-23, have the complete specimen on stand-by....I may need it very soon." ¡°You fired the Director who oversaw the lab?!? Elevated the maintenance man?!?! Tarkin, I understand you are operating with the full authority of the CEO, but this¡­¡± The Director gestured to the scene. ¡°You believe I have no vested interest in Czerka. Which is precisely why the CEO has brought me in. Your fears are duly noted, but let me assure you that I have no intention of seeing Czerka dissected and torn apart by a corporate scandal. That does no one in the corporate world any good. It¡¯s in all of our best interest to ensure Czerka¡¯s survival. Please ensure the releases I have requested. I think all of us will rest easier once the project in question simply disappears. And that means we must satisfy the Jedi¡¯s curiosity.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The Director released a sigh and smiled. ¡°Thank you¡­Tarkin, I don¡¯t think any of us were equipped to deal with this.¡± ¡°Your thanks are unnecessary.¡± Tarkin walked away without being dismissed by his employer, again part of his plan. One of his key mantras, ¡®If you¡¯re going to look like you¡¯re in charge, be in charge.¡¯ Making himself available to the Jedi he began a calculated hovering technique entering the area of the fallen ventilator and appearing to take notes. Soon, one of the Jedi Masters noticed his presence. "Mr. Tarkin, your reputation precedes you Sir." The Jedi bowed slightly as Tarkin did the same. "Master Jedi, allow me to express my deepest condolences on this tragic Accident. The Grandmaster was an ardent patriot, skilled warrior and a....friend. He shall be missed...." Using the word ''accident'' was not a mistake. And as expected, sensing no subterfuge in Tarkin, the Jedi played right into his hands. "We are convinced this was NOT an accident. All of our investigative efforts leads to the involvement of another....Force User." Tarkin could tell by the Jedi Master''s hesitation that the man wanted to use another word instead of Force User. Tarkin hoped that word started with an ''S'' in the basic tongue. In a matter of a microsecond Tarkin''s plan had come full circle. He struggled to keep a straight face. "Yes. Our analysis indicates that as well, excuse me a moment..." Smiling, Tarkin slowly made his way back to the lead director¡¯s area doing everything he could to stop from running up to him. Leaning slightly to the side and keeping his face impassive, Tarkin spoke quickly. "Have A-23 thawed, place it in the far side of the impact zone. My team is already standing by and will do the rest. Then...wait for my instructions." Raising his wrist Tarkin spoke to his own team of specialists. Getting them moving in the directions he needed them to go. He had limited time with the Jedi crawling all over the place. Mentally reviewing the tape of the incident, he watched on his way to the lab, he remembered that the Jedi had not yet searched the entire lab. Tarkin was thanking his stars that the destruction literally encompassed everything, it would take days for the Jedi to go through it all. After about thirty minutes, Tarkin received a signal that all was in readiness. Without reviewing his people''s work, Tarkin once again approached the Jedi Council members. "Masters, if you please...we have discovered something you may find interesting." The collected Masters all turned either getting up from kneeling or moving close to Tarkin, they all gave him curious looks. Without further explanation Tarkin led them through the maze-like rubble in the lab finally stopping at what appeared to be another impact area, the impression of a body clearly pressed into one of the wall data banks. At the foot lay the black clothed, black armored and mangled figure of a long dead Sith Lord. The Sith''s face was covered in a ghastly mask, the Masters all looked at each other exchanging glances.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Thank you, Mr. Tarkin...We will take it from here." Bowing reverently, Tarkin backed up facing them. Finally, turning on his heels to disappear from their sight. As he walked away a slight smile formed on his lips. The ruse was too good for them not to believe and it would free him up to focus on the reason he was there. Tarkin had appropriately estimated the Jedi¡¯s need to not only investigate, but come to a conclusion that made sense. Also taking into account the arrogance of the Jedi. What Tarkin interpreted as arrogance was in reality a confidence that years of being within the Order had instilled in them. Having spent years studying the various denizens of the galaxy, the Jedi were a conundrum that required first hand knowledge to understand. He hired specialists, contractors, bounty-hunters; even a Jedi or two to help him understand how they thought, what they looked for and what their motivations would be. The CEO of Czerka knew what he was getting when he hired Tarkin. A man who prided himself on knowing everything there was to know about any given situation. To include those involved. And as predicted, the Jedi arrogance, the confidence of those in the Order would not allow the Jedi to see past their own noses. As Tarkin was dismissed, he knew the explanation he provided would be the only one they would ever need. The focus could turn to the true objective and the reason Tarkin took the job in the first place. Project ''Zero-One'' and the development of the weapon. -- - Galactic City, Coruscant - 5000 Republica, Apartment of the Former Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.... Activating on its own, Pultimo turned to the holo-unit and stared at the system. Slamming a half-full bottle of Corellian Brandy down next to the unit, Pultimo leaned in closing one eye against the emerging blue holo-field. Rezzing into full resolution, only Tarkin¡¯s head and shoulders appeared. From his end of the conversation, he saw Pultimo¡¯s one eye the still sloshing bottle of brandy. Tarkin¡¯s face broadened into a charismatic smile. <¡±Good Chancellor¡­you deserve a drink after the events of the past few days¡­¡±> ¡°Whatdaya Want¡­TARKIN!!¡± Pultimo staggered, holding himself up by the lip of the hjolo-unit¡¯s table. Squeezing the other eye closed, he leaned in closer to Tarkin¡¯s image. <¡±Well¡­I thought you might like to know. The Jedi have conducted their investigation. Their final conclusions look promising. All that is needed now is to ensure their interviews go well. There is really only one interview they need to conduct¡­the one individual that was present at the incident.¡±> ¡°Me!!!¡± Pultimo backed up snatching the bottle off the table, nodding to himself as he scowled. ¡°Fergit it!! I ain¡¯t sellin¡¯ you ¡®er Czerka out¡­but I ain¡¯t gonna lie either!!!¡± Even in the scattered blue of the holo-protection Pultimo could see the muscles of Tarkin¡¯s jaw tighten and begin to flex in time with me man gritting his teeth. Taking a moment, Tarkin looked down off screen, checking on something before looking back up. When he was satisfied, he looked back up to the former Supreme Chancellor and grimaced. <¡±Forgive me¡­¡±> Tarkin began slowly. <¡±¡­I had to take a moment to ensure the encryption field was active.¡±> Tarkin leaned closer to the projection. Pultimo still stared looking at the man on the other end. <¡±I was under the impression you were an educated man, Chancellor. That my explanation of how things needed to be at our first meeting would be enough for you to get a clear picture. It¡¯s disheartening that the message wasn¡¯t received. That¡¯s either my fault, in not explaining more clearly what needs to be done. Our yours due to ignorance. In either case, I am prepared to remedy that.¡±> ¡°Kriff you, Tarkin¡­¡± Pultimo took a swig of the bottle and backed up, nearly falling down. <¡±Ah¡­at least I know I have your attention. A response, crass¡­not what I would have expected from a man who once held the reigns of the entire Republic. But a response nonetheless. Allow me to give one, just as crass. You¡­are nothing in the greater scheme Pultimo. Brought on by Czerka because of your attachment to the Project and because you were once its Chief Architect. But that time and the power your name once held have passed. You are now, expendable¡­¡±> ¡°You¡¯re threatenin¡¯ me?!?!¡± Pultimo slammed the bottle down. ¡°You think that job¡­Czerka¡­means anything to me?!?! You can hold poo in one hand and this job and the other and you know what you have?!?! Two hands full ¡®a poo!!!¡± Pultimo smiled wickedly, taking another draw of the bottle. ¡°I quit¡­I don¡¯ care!!! I ain¡¯t gonna lie to the Jedi. I killed my friend, you got no idea what that feels like. I had tha¡¯ chance to save him and I was more worried about my Project than my own friend¡¯s life!!! So KRIFF YOU and Czerka, Tarkin!! Kriff it!!!¡± Pultimo finished the bottle and tossed it out behind him. Swaying, looking down at the image with the smile still plastered on his face. Tarkin stared back, not saying anything for a moment. <¡±Then, I guess we will consider your tenure at Czerka at an end. Unfortunate.¡±> Pultimo nodded at Tarkin, still smiling. The smile began to fade as Tarkin finished up his transmission. <¡±If I may, I would like to impart a bit of advice to you. I find myself hesitatant in doing so. After all, you were the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. A man of power and vision, who surely sees farther than any of us could possibly understand. When the Jedi come to you, which they will¡­I would like to you to keep in mind; ¡®The Republic¡¯. It is why you stared the Project. To safeguard the Republic. Understand¡­¡¯I¡¯ have the Republic¡¯s best interest at heart. However, my employers do not see as I do. This incident will cost millions to recover from. They are going to want to recover that loss any way they can and that may include this project. The entirety of it. Selling it off, piece by piece by piece¡­your grand plan. All of the advancements. Things never meant to fall into the hands of those who would do the Republic harm. Neither you or I wishes that¡­but then, neither you or I hold power in that decision. Do we?¡±> ¡°You son of a¡ª¡± <¡±Ah¡­the time for crass responses have passed, Chancellor. Since you seem to have a problem understanding me, allow me to be blunt. Czerka will tear Alpha apart and sell every bit of it to anyone who has the credits. The Hutts, The Exchange¡­Every pirate, every terrorist¡­anyone and everyone who will use it to advance their own agenda and I can guarantee it will not be in the Galactic Republic¡¯s best interest.¡±> Pultimo sobered up quickly while Tarkin spoke. Looking down and listening as the other man detailed what would happen if Pultimo didn¡¯t agree to keep quiet. Pultimo didn¡¯t bother to ask what assurances he had that Tarkin would keep his word. He didn¡¯t need to. <¡±I see I have your FULL attention now and that finally your superior education is paying dividends. The Jedi will be contacting you soon, please ensure you keep in mind what the two of us have spoken about. I don¡¯t think I need to mention that besides safeguarding the future of Project Alpha, you are also securing your own future. It would be a shame to have you meet an untimely end, Pultimo. But¡­your life is the least of your worries, isn¡¯t it?¡±> 9 - Transition - Alpha Labs, Coruscant....''The Works'' industrial Area.... They all sat in order, talking; jabbing one another as the all too familiar voice droned on with its preparatory propaganda before initiating the questions. It was a scenario they were all to used to. <¡±Your Duty is to your Republic¡±> They didn¡¯t play or razz one another like normal children. Even when they whispered or talked among themselves, something that developed among them in the past few years. They still sat at their desks and held their composures as well-disciplined young men and women. It was a tight group. Even Hamner, who had grown out of the aggressiveness toward his pod mates. <¡±There is no higher calling than service, to the Republic¡±> Karolin had the top of her holo-screen flipped upright, using it as a reflective device. Moving her hands through her hair and tilting her head left then right as she adjusted her raven black hair. Mrysti pursed her lips and scoffed at her sister. Causing the other, smaller Mirialan to turn slightly and make a face the other direction. ¡°Just because you don¡¯t care doesn¡¯t mean I have to. I like the way I look. I want others to like it too.¡± Managing to get her hands on some make-up from one of the psychological interns, Karolin poked out her lips and applied some gloss with the tip of her pinky. Moving her lips in a wave afterward to spread the applied gloss evenly afterward. Trea¡¯vor was turned in his seat watching her, after she finished; setting down the screen back on the surface of the desk, she smiled at him. Trea¡¯vor shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need that stuff. You¡¯re beautiful without it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Trea¡¯vor¡­¡± Karolin shot an annoyed glance at her sister. ¡°That¡¯s very sweet.¡± Not to leave out Mrysti, who sat just as high in her desk and was as large if not larger than Trea¡¯vor; he looked over at the red-haired Mirialan and quickly added. ¡°So are you Mrysti, you don¡¯t need that stuff.¡± ¡°See¡­I told you Karolin.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up¡­both of you¡­¡± <¡±Service to the Republic, is its own reward.¡±> ¡°Hey.¡± Hamner leaned down turning around in his desk to look back at Marstel. The only person who sat behind him. ¡°Check this out.¡± In his hand he held a datapad, something he snuck into the class room after slipping it off the desk of one of the Scientists. ¡°You ever seen the restricted Holo-net?¡± Hamner cut the device on and typed in a few codes to access the area of the holo-net reserved for adults. Images played out. Men and women dancing. Advertisements for something called ¡®Escorts¡¯. Marstel¡¯s eyes got wide. ¡°Pretty neat, huh?¡± Reaching forward, Marstel took the datapad from Hamner. The Zabrak started to say something, Marstel looked up sharply and making Hamner change his mind. ¡°Pretty neat¡­¡± Marstel repeated. His eyes glued to the images playing in front of him. The soft tone of three bells made all of the children stop talking and turn around in their seats. Blue holo-fields emerged from the projection plates in their desk and all of them placed their hands in the field like they had so many times before. The computerized voice was always of feminine design. The voice was soft and warm as it asked the children, who were not really children anymore, technical questions concerning the many subjects they learned. Some of the subjects being things a ¡®child¡¯ should have no knowledge of. <¡±A phased battle line of armored carriers and dismounted troops have come under attack before reaching the designated target area. What would be the appropriate formation for these forces to take before proceeding on to their objective?¡±> Trea¡¯vor hit the button almost before the voice stopped speaking. The move got a rebuke from Karolin who hissed his direction. Trea¡¯vor smiled as he typed his answer turning to look at Karolin from his desk and giving her a slight wink. <¡±Correct-001 All troop formations would spread into individual travel patterns and continue on to the objective.¡±> <¡±What is the maximum effective range of the DC-5 Blaster Rifle¡­¡±> Trea¡¯vor typed in his answer before the others once again and pressed the button. ¡°That¡¯s two for two¡± Trea¡¯vor announced, looking over his shoulder at the others. Trea¡¯vor was at the head of the class. Not because he was smarter, but because the children sat in their numerical orders. Karolin hissed again, leaning forward to hit him on his shoulder. ¡°Let some of us answer some!!¡± <¡±Correct ¨C 001 The Maximum effective range is 1000 meters¡±> <¡±The wave sign of this hyperdrive field is imbalanced."> The computer projected from its platform in the ceiling an advanced formula that was unsolved. It floated in the blue ions above them, spinning slowly as all of them looked up at it. <"Using the terminal in front of you; solve the wave sign and balance the hyperdrive field before it destabilizes¡­.¡±> Karolin was already typing. A smile on her face as her hands moved quickly under the blue field of the holo terminal. She slapped the submit button loudly, laughing at the others. It got a collective grumble from the other four in the room. <¡±Correct-002 The hyperdrive field has been stabilized¡±> <¡±Calculate the equation given with the following planetary variables: ¡±> Again the computer projected another formula. The second one was longer and had many levels. Some of them two and three dimentional. Caluclating the gravity and wind sheer of a planet on approach within a starship was something computers onboard a starship did without the input of operators. Somethign far advanced for a humanoid mind to calculate as a starship hurled toward a planet at speed. ¡°Oh, one of THOSE questions¡­¡± Mrysti exclaimed, looking over at her sister with a sinister grin. Both of their hands primed; awaiting the variables for the planet in question. <¡±Planetary wind shear: 27 Gravimetric Shear: 18 Fluidic: 10 Speed: 255¡±> They all typed fast. Karolin, Mrysti, Trea¡¯vor and Hamner all looked up as the buzzer sounded. All eyes turning toward one another. None of the four having answered it, they turned their heads to look at Marstel. The big Ratataki looked down shyly, refusing to look at any of them. ¡°Marstelllll¡­¡± Karolin spoke excitedly turning around with the others to look at the last desk in the classroom. The words almost a question, a bit of surprise as she said his name. Karolin flashed him a lazy wink, smiling as she turned back around in her desk. Marstel continued to look down and away. Embarrassed by the fact that he was able to solve the equation. <¡±Palgos Theory of Humanoid Versus Environment states: Humanoids as well as all life are all products of their environment, evidenced by the many different races which exist throughout the galaxy. But remove a being from their born environment placing them in a radically changed one and they adapt according to their individual gifts. Answer aloud and either refute or support the theory giving one example.¡±>The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Hamner hit his buzzer first, standing as he looked up at the glowing half globe like apparatus which was monitoring them all in the room. ¡°Humanoids and life in general will always struggle to survive in an environment which is not suited to their individual needs. But if life survives in an environment they were not originally designed to operate within; over time their genetic make-up will adapt so their progeny can survive and flourish in said hostile environment. I give the Horn snail of Duros as my example. Stowaways on a transport a thousand years ago from an unknown world, they now flourish on Duros. Scientists determined that the Horn Snail originated on a world whose atmosphere was comprised of mostly poisonous poly-carbons.¡± <¡±Correct 004 ¨C Excellent Example¡±> The horn sounded, all five of them sitting up to look toward the door located in the corner of the room. Smiling, as the Jedi Matron entered. The Matron looked somber, her hands folded within the folds of her robe. ¡°That will be all for today.¡± Looking at each one of them in turn, The Matron forced a smile and turned to allow all of them to get out of the desks and walk toward the door. As Trea¡¯vor passed, being the last one out, the Matron placed a hand on his shoulder holding him back. He looked over at her expectantly. ¡°Karolin¡­Mrysti¡­¡± The two Mirialan sisters stopped and turned back. They noticed the Matron holding Trea¡¯vor back, figuring he done something to raise the Matron¡¯s hackles in some way. They quickly re-entered the room and stood before the Jedi. ¡°¡­I have some exciting news for the both of you. ¡®They¡¯ have arranged for you both to be sent to the Temple here on Coruscant. We will speak more about it later, but I wanted you both to get prepared.¡± Mrysti, already three heads taller than Karolin looked down at her sister and smiled shyly. Everyone knew the ¡®they¡¯ the Matron spoke of. The scientists and administrators that oversaw everything they did. The news got a frown from Trea¡¯vor; Karolin reaching out to squeeze his arm. ¡°Run along now, I need to speak to Trea¡¯vor.¡± Already a very large young man, Trea¡¯vor towered over the diminutive Matron. She smiled warmly, forcing back tears; trying to bring herself to tell him what he needed to know. He could tell something was wrong, placing a hand over hers that was squeezing his arm. ¡°They are breaking us up?¡± Trea¡¯vor asked the question before looking at the Matron, following his two sisters with his eyes as they disappeared down the hall. ¡°Mother Jedi, what¡¯s wrong¡­¡± It had been several years since they all started calling the old Matron ¡®Mother Jedi¡¯. She looked down and composed herself, forcing a look upward. Steeling herself against the words. ¡°Trea¡¯vor¡­you have all been such bright spots on an otherwise dull Jedi¡¯s life.¡± ¡°We all feel the same way, Mother.¡± ¡°I tried, I did everything I could¡­for all of you. When they moved you from Corellia, I insisted that I accompany all of you here. To safeguard you, watch over and ensure¡ª¡± The Jedi choked up, Trea¡¯vor closed his hand tightly around the Matron¡¯s ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I want you to know¡­we are coming to the end of our journey together. I am being recalled to the Temple, my health¡ª¡± The Jedi froze and looked down. ¡°¡ªI am not in the best of health Trea¡¯vor. But there is something you need to know.¡± ¡°Is it you?!? You¡¯re sick¡­they have Doctors here, lots of them. We can¡ª¡± ¡°No, no¡­this isn¡¯t about me.¡± She forced a warm smile, clearly in some sort of pain as she continued to speak. ¡°It¡¯s just my time, love. The Force has a plan for us all. In you, I found my own. But now the Force has another plan for me and it is calling me back. I told you I was leaving because I will no longer be able to protect any of you. But this¡­this last thing is for you and you alone.¡± The Matron stood a bit taller patting the hand which was holding her. ¡°You are their leader, Trea¡¯vor. They all look up to you and what you do, they will follow.¡± The Matron stifled a cough. Trea¡¯vor pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to lead her from the room. She stopped them before they got to far down the hall. ¡°Trea¡¯vor¡­.these men, they have plans for all of you. You¡¯re not just normal¡ªwell children are the wrong words now. You are all so much bigger¡­¡± Reaching up she touched his cheek and smiled. ¡°¡­but you¡¯re not like others. You were designed, nurtured since we found you all; to be something else. I don¡¯t know exactly what dark plan awaits all of you, but I do know that what¡¯s in here¡ª¡± The Matron poked his chest. ¡°¡ªthis they can never and will ever be able to touch. I did the best I could for all of you. Raised you in the best way I knew how. Tried to instill in all of you to do what¡¯s right, be honest always and defend those who need your help. I want you to remember that. No matter what they ask you to do, what they ¡®force¡¯ you to do¡­YOU will always know what¡¯s right because of that heart. Don¡¯t forget that.¡± She let him go, staggering away. Having to stop to hold herself up by leaning on the wall before she made it further. Trea¡¯vor tried to go to her, but the Matron waved him off. He watched as she disappeared down the hall. The sound of boots coming from the other direction made him turn. ¡°Alpha Zero-Zero-One ¨C Trea¡¯vor Alpha¡­¡± The young Zabrak turned and nodded toward the two men in uniform. ¡°There is a situation on the main bridge connecting the commercial and residential districts. The rest of your team is already aboard and awaiting your arrival. This is a live field test.¡± ¡°Team? You mean my brothers and sisters?¡± The two men looked at one another as Trea¡¯vor made the correction. ¡°Never mind, take me to them. I¡¯m ready¡­¡± -- Tarkin moved from the observation window after the children left the room. ¡°Remarkable¡± he said to himself, though his aides who were loitering nearby looked up at his words. ¡°They are¡­far beyond the scope of what the project originally intended.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir¡­¡± One of the aides spoke handing Tarkin a datapad over his shoulder. ¡°We are weeks away from phase three. Separating them and sending them on to their respective trainings programs.¡± Turning sharply, Tarkin narrowed his eyes. He hadn¡¯t bothered to look at the datapad which was handed to him. ¡°The potential for exposure concerning this portion of the project would be at an all time high. "Are we sure the Alpha Labs can¡¯t provide the proper level of instruction to complete the remainder of the project?¡± Another person spoke up. A scientist that was sitting in the dark watching not only the children, but Tarkin as well. He spoke with the disdain he had for Tarkin as well as most administrators. ¡°Mr. Tarkin¡­I¡¯m Dr. Vizu Hardiman¡­¡± The Doctor stood, nodding Tarkin¡¯s direction. He noticed the Doctor was a Chagrian, the large soft looking horns which protruded from his head and tails down both shoulders causing Tarkin to back up a step. Tarkin was well known in his dislike for alien races. ¡°¡­I have been with the project since the beginning. So, I can answer that question most assuredly with, ¡®No¡¯. There is no way to further advance their ¡®education¡¯. At least not without great expense to Czerka and the Republic. That¡¯s to say nothing of the three force using specimens. We would have to reconstruct literally thousands of years of tradition and regimented instruction that the Jedi have made common place within their Temples.¡± ¡°And are we sure¡­¡± Tarkin began, taking his time to frame the question right. ¡°¡­we have done everything in our power to ensure no other ¡®treatments¡¯ are necessary on our end?¡± ¡°You refer to the protocol.¡± Hardiman smiled. ¡°Infusion is at one-hundred percent. ¡®Killswitch¡¯ has been installed according to design. There are literally no other portions of the project left to experiment with or apply to these specimens. They are ready. And only advanced knowledge and experience of the lessons we¡¯ve already been teaching them can further expand their effectiveness. As a matter of fact, they are heading for a live field test as we speak.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Tarkin raised a finger after he spoke. ¡°But I don¡¯t want our specimens damaged. If the test begins to go astray, pull them out. Far too much has been invested in them to simply throw it all away on a catastrophic accident. Innocents die all the time. No need to have our prized weapon systems be part of the loss.¡± They all filed out. As the Doctor passed, Tarkin called for him. ¡°Doctor¡­if you would, remain a moment.¡± They both waited until the door slid shut and knew they were alone. Tarkin turned with a smile and offered the other man a seat before he sat down. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about me, no doubt some of it exaggerated and grossly unpleasant. I¡¯ve only just come on board this portion of the project to give my input, at the ¡®tail end¡¯ it would seem. This appears to be the end for you as well, I would imagine.¡± ¡°I have other projects I¡¯ve been assigned to, but yes¡­as far as Alpha Pod and the children go; once they ship out for training, my work here is complete.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Tarkin gave a toothy grin. ¡°As you may or may not know, I have been involved with another portion of the project. I¡¯ve seen your name come up in some of the literature regarding the genetic predisposition involving Jedi and Midichlorians. Some of your work has been used in the fashioning and replication of that portion of the project. And I was wondering¡­¡± Tarkin leaned in slightly. ¡°¡­how would you like to ¡®advise¡¯ me on some of the more ¡®elusive¡¯ aspects concerning my own portion of the project?¡± ¡°Some of my work may have been used, none of it producing any results.¡± Hardiman searched Tarkin a moment. ¡°If you¡¯re offering me a job, I would have to accept. Especially if it keeps me involved with some aspect of these children.¡± ¡°In a round-about sort of way, yes.¡± Tarkin stood and paced to the window, clasping his hands behind his back he looked through the double-sided glass into the empty classroom. ¡°Are you familiar with the incident involving the death of the Jedi Grandmaster?¡± 10 - The Calling For all of their humble demeanors the Jedi never shirked in the construction of their Temples. As a facility, Jedi Temples often displayed outwardly in opulence. Often decorated or constructed with the finest stones and materials. Jedi Temples were made to cast an aura of power to the surrounding area, be it in a city or slapped down in a wilderness somewhere. This was the case on Coruscant, the Main Temple and seat of power for the Jedi throughout the galaxy. The shape and the general layout of the Temple was constructed in a square of exacting dimensions. With four spires and a central fifth which were on all four axises of the square and mathematically exact in height and dimension. Total height has exactly the same as the total depth of the complete structure. The last part, a little-known fact to common everyday citizens and even some Jedi. The Jedi Temple was constructed on top of a former Sith shrine. Part of the reason for the perfection in dimensions and the emanations of power; both light¡­.and the dark. It was constraucted as much to channel the Force as it served as a lock. Sealing in the power of the Dark Side located in the shrine it was constructed over. There was a reason, some of those being complex and ancient, the Jedi operated the way the did. Even the construction of their buildings had hidden meanings with seals and guards against unseen forces. And some of that knowledge was reserved for the very highest levels of the Jedi Order. Knowledge one would receive when either they were ready; or the Force guided them to the knowledge on its own. Project Zero-One now known as the ¡®Self-Exiled¡¯ Jedi Master ¨¦lan Harbeck, slowly made his way up the marble stairs to the main entrance of the Jedi Temple. At the top of the large endless looking stairs were three Jedi, who of course were aware of the exiled Master''s return. The two flanking the center Jedi were merely Guardians, there to ensure the peace was kept. The man in the center was a Jedi Master and leader of the Scientific Division Of the Jedi Order. Although they tried to temper their joy, Master Harbeck could sense a feeling of unease at his return. The message sent alerting them to his arrival was extremely vague, only relaying the pertinent information. Master Harbeck''s self-imposed sabbatical was over and he was returning home. As he approached the smiling center man, Master Harbeck could sense the excitement in him. Apparently, they were acquaintances in his previous life and his excitement was at seeing his old friend. This was no coincidence. The Jedi wanted to put a face out front that knew and could recognize the exiled Master at first glance to prevent any subterfuge. Harbeck could sense the elder Jedi searching his aura looking deeply into their shared connection in the Force. Harbeck had no worries. For in his aura, was a great void of nothingness. Smiling politely as the elder Jedi searched his mind, the Jedi''s face suddenly giving away the fact that he had discovered nothing in Harbeck¡¯s Force Aura; Master Harbeck stuck out his hand gently, grabbing the other man''s. One of the lessons learned, patience. The Jedi had an abundance of it. They prided themselves on patience. All things would come in good time: Patience. Perhaps you haven''t learned it because it is not your time: Patience. Those are not meant for you now, but perhaps someday: Patience. What they saw as a strength was actually a deadly weakness. It was because of patience the Jedi second guessed and doubted some answers right in front of their faces. Patience in ¡®waiting¡¯ on the Force to give its answers. In Harbeck¡¯s view, the Force was omnipotent. All knowing, all seeing. If a God had the answer and placed it in front of someone¡¯s face, would they then go beyond providing the answer by walking the person they were answering directly to it? Handholding, coddling those who were either too blind or too stupid to realize, the answers they sought were right in front of them the whole time. Obvious, forthright. No hidden meanings, no riddles or mysteries. Asked and answered. The Force gave it. It was because of patience and the Jedi¡¯s lack of understanding that they sometimes missed the most obvious answers the Force gave them. Arrogant in their power, strong in their knowledge. They missed the most obvious things the Force simply handed to them. Patience was a failing. Not a strength. "We are pleased you have decided to return Master Harbeck, there are many among us...friends; that thought you would never come back." Again, the elder Jedi was testing him. Master Harbeck decided to put an end to the ''testing'' getting straight to the heart of the matter. He took on a stern look as he continued to shake the man''s hand firmly. "Your attempts to elicit a familiar response from me will be unsuccessful I''m afraid...I do not remember why I left the Temple...", he purposely smiled shyly, "....Nor do I remember you, my friend. They cannot tell me how I ended up on that planetoid...wounded, my mind wiped..." He allowed his voice to trail off thoughtfully as he slowly released the elder Jedi''s hand looking up at the Temple in front of them. It ebbed power. Harbeck could feel it. The Force, moving through and around him. Stronger than he ever felt it in his short life. Master Harbeck''s slightly emotional display was meant to cloud the elder Jedi''s force sensitivity and it worked as the man placed his arm around Master Harbeck''s shoulder positioning and pushing him toward the entrance to the Temple. "It is of no consequence, Master. You have returned, you are home. We must all be patient. The Force will revel those reasons in good time. To you and to all of us. There is a reason you left.¡± The elder smiled kindly. ¡°And now, there is a reason you have come back to us. Come, the council wishes to greet you. They are waiting in the council chambers." Patience. The Jedi had an abundance of it. And the Force had no patience for those who didn¡¯t wish to heed its warnings. Crossing the threshold at the entrance, Project Zero-One made a conscious decision to leave all of its laboratory life behind. Entering the Temple, ¡®Zero-One¡¯ made a significant first step and up that point clung to the part of him that had been genetically engineered. He WAS Master ¨¦lan Harbeck now, he had to be. His mission, to unite the Force, demanded it. That was his drive. The reason he was created. It was the only thing in the universe worth his and everyone else''s existence. Already he was seeing the failing of the Jedi who greeted him. The Force was screaming, dropping more than blatant clues as to who and what Harbeck was. But the face, the demeanor of the man had them all fooled. Who, but a Jedi Master would walk up the steps and proclaim he come ¡®Home¡¯? How could there be subterfuge when the face was right in front of them? In his mind, he felt a slight flash and an audible pop as the memories of the lab, the Grandmaster''s death, his training at the cave and his journey to get to that point simply fizzled and disappeared. ¡®Zero-One¡¯ was brain-washing himself. Becoming the ruse to perfection. He, the only one among the four who walked toward the council chambers heard the Force and its blatant call. A deliberate statement. That all was not as it seemed with him. The defense mechanisms genetically encoded into his being did the only thing it could to perfect the disguise. Erase the last vestiges of who it was. Ensuring no one could detect the ruse. Or hear the Force cry out. It would stop, it had to. Once the Project was gone and only the man reminded in its own mind. He was ¨¦lan Harbeck. Now and Forever. Making the turn in the large grand foyer, his flash memory telling him exactly which lift he needed to get in to travel up to the council chambers; he entered the lift with his Elder Jedi friend in tow. Looking at him he smiled kindly as the other Jedi hit the control to begin their ascent. There were no words as the two ascended. Harbeck could still feel the gentle probing. The fingertips of the others mind, softly peeling back layer upon layer of psyche. It wasn¡¯t out of curiosity now. But concern. To help Harbeck regain the parts of himself he lost. Harbeck didn¡¯t resist, turning slightly to smile at his ¡®friend¡¯. Reassurance that the gentle probe was welcomed, secure in the fact that there was nothing there to find. Stepping off the lift, the other Jedi Master signaled him gently to remain behind while he entered through the large vaulted door. They were in the center spire. The seat and apex of the awesome power contained within the Temple. Master Harbeck clasped his hands behind his back holding them tightly as he closed his eyes. His mind racing, there was so much to do. So many Jedi and Sith to reach out to. To find and bring into the fold. The Force was still screaming, only the screams were no longer there for all to see and feel. The words were only for him. It was not a matter of convincing. These Jedi and the Sith he was yet to find, they would concede to his wishes. They would do so, or find themselves on the wrong side of the Force. His Force, he owned it. That voice, speaking to him. Only for him. The door slid open as the elder Jedi from before gestured him forward to the center of the room. There was no table as the Masters all sat in a circle, eyeing him cautiously as he walked in. Others smiling a knowing smile. Harbeck looked at them all, the knowing smiles were from those that were his former friends and colleagues. Bowing rather formally, Harbeck smiled warmly opening his hands to the seated Masters.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "It is my pleasure to be back among you..." Holding his smile for a moment longer than necessary the members of the Jedi Council tried to hide their sidelong glances at each other. It was the new Jedi Grandmaster that broke the momentary silence. "For us as well Master Harbeck, we were beginning to think you would not return. We hope you found what it was you were seeking..." Harbeck maintained his false veneer gesturing to the elder Jedi who met him. "As my esteemed colleague has no doubt informed you all...I have no idea if I found what I sought, or if in fact...it found me." The Grandmaster leaned forward in his seat at the statement, steepling his hands in front of him. "Ominous...do you think that you were attacked, by that which you sought?" The Grandmaster skipped all of the small talk. The entire Council had been briefed on Master Harbeck''s recovery. Harbeck took on a stern look glancing at each Council member in turn, as he spoke. "What I am sure of is this...whatever I was after, I believe it found me and left me with something...." All of the Masters again tried to hide their glances at one another, "...I have had a vision, given to me by the essence of the Force itself...from the very Midichlorians that run through our veins and bind our connection to the Force..." Harbeck again extended his arms out to encompass the room. "...the end to almost three centuries of unmitigated hostility between us and the Sith. I believe that it is my duty to unite the Force...it is time to bring the light and the dark....together." There was a visible rumble among the assembled Masters, to include a couple of very loud scoffs to Master Harbeck''s statement. It was the Jedi Grandmaster who stayed deadly serious as the others on the Council talked among themselves. In the confusion of considering Master Harbeck''s statement and the possibility that what he was saying was even possible, most of the Jedi lost their focus on Harbeck; who still stood center stage. His arms spread wide in an inviting manner, looking at the assembled Masters. "What you state is...quite outrageous, Master Harbeck. And you say that...the Force itself gave you this vision?" As the assembled quieted down, Master Harbeck lowered his arms at the Grandmaster''s statement. "Before you departed, your work was mostly in the Geographical Division...it seems unlikely that one not tuned to the intricacies of the Force, not tuned to see and interpret visions would be inclined to have such a vision." It wasn''t that the Grandmaster was suspicious. He knew that Master Harbeck was having a memory issue. More to the point the Grandmaster wanted to re-enforce to the others just where the man''s background truly lay. But, Master Harbeck had an answer for that, smiling falsely at the Gramdmaster''s statement. "It would seem...and while I am sure my work in the Geographical Division was important, there can be no doubt that this was the reason I was called away. Part of the reason I left the Order in the first place had to have been a calling, from somewhere beyond. I am sure I was called by the Force to encounter something out there, to receive my vision and bring it home...for the good of us all. No one can determine when they are called. And we do not pick who it is among us who could have such a vision. Such is the Will of the Force." Harbeck again turned looking at them all one at a time. "My Friends, my esteemed colleagues...it was with great reluctance that I returned here today. For weeks I debated on whether I should even bring up the fact that while I was in a self-imposed exile I had this vision. And I know...with most if not all of you, having served in some capacity in the last war you may find this revelation of mine hard to accept. But, I assure you all that this is legitimate. I have spent many hours in personal meditation pondering over the meaning and purpose behind it. It is the only thing on my mind because it is the only thing IN my mind. The Force having stripped me of who and what I am or allowing to be so. Now, being here with you today has only re-enforced my resolve." Some of the faces in the room changed as they considered the words. The others maintained their skeptical glances, but the more important fact was some of them were changing their minds or considering it. Those facts weren¡¯t lost on the Grandmaster as he sat back in his seat comfortably anxious to break the trance caused by Master Harbeck''s speech. Reaching out in the Force he felt no malice in Harbeck''s words, no hint of the Dark side. More troubling to him was that he felt nothing in Master Harbeck. It was like looking into a great dark void of nothing. "Thank you for sharing that with us, Master Harbeck. I am sure that we on the Council will consider your words and we are anxious to hear more...however, you have only just returned. Allow us to meditate on this. Besides, you must be tired from your journey. Please go to the infirmary with the others and have yourself checked out. Perhaps after a thorough evaluation we may be able to discover a way to recover your lost memory. Maybe even discover the source of your vision." Harbeck pursed his lips, the Grandmaster was stalling. Harbeck''s speech had reached a few of the Jedi Masters and that was troubling to the Grandmaster. The fact that he wanted him in the infirmary was more proof that the Jedi still distrusted him. No doubt, they would give him a DNA scan just to see if he was who he said he was. Harbeck bowed slightly glancing at each one of them again. "As you wish...Masters. I shall do as you request." Moving toward the large vaulted door, Harbeck could hear the Grandmaster adjourn the Council as several other Masters began to leave their seats. Harbeck slowed his pace to the lift outside the door, curious to see who would approach him. It wasn''t long until he got his answer. Several of the Council members approached as he stepped on to the lift, they did not enter; merely standing at the entryway. One of the three spoke first. "Your vision has given us pause, Master Harbeck. It is not unheard of for a Master outside the Circle of Sages to have a defining vision that changes the course of destiny. We believe your vision...perhaps it may even be ¡®The One¡¯." Harbeck smiled genuinely at the Masters. "You honor me....Masters. I cannot help, but be touched to hear that." Harbeck moved to the side to allow the Masters to enter. They did so as the one who spoke before continued. "We would like to know more. Would you be so kind as to share some of the details with us...perhaps on your way to the infirmary?" Punching the button to take him back to the main levels Harbeck nodded reverently. "Of course, my visions are for us all..." Watching the Council members board the lift with Master Harbeck the Grandmaster stood alone in the Council chamber. There was something more to Harbeck and his arrival. The Force was strong with him. Stronger than he was purported to have been with it before his departure. Something elusive about Master Harbeck was troubling and The Grandmaster was sure that the man was hiding something. The Grandmaster didn¡¯t rely on the Force to tell him any of it. Harbeck''s statement was grandiose, outlandish. And so over the top that it was believable. Punching a button on his seat in the Council chamber the Grandmaster answered the voice that echoed to him through the speaker. "Have all of the relevant data and personnel records on Master ¨¦lan Harbeck send to my datapad...and send me the reports of his recovery. I would also like to talk to the personnel on that planetoid. Who owns that facility he was recovered from?" -- In the infirmary a team of Jedi and medical personnel poured over him as they administered tests and analyzed results all disguising their true motives...to test and see if he was truly ¨¦lan Harbeck. His face relatively impassive, Master Harbeck allowed them all to test whatever they wanted. Harbeck''s trust in Tarkin was absolute, he knew Tarkin and the Czerka corporation would not have allowed him to be implanted in that identity if they had not covered all their bases. During the identity surgery, Tarkin used a bit of the original Harbeck''s DNA in his personnel file to implant itself in Project Zero-One''s own code. Thanks to the advancements within Project Alpha, genetic replication at a cellular level was absolute. But, it was still a risky procedure. In most clones only a partial DNA implant could be attempted as the body would almost always reject the procedure, reverting back to the DNA of the host. But Zero-One was unique. His sequence was like a painter''s canvas morphing and changing to suit whatever design and environment it saw itself in. Not only did it make the identity surgery successful, it made it flawless. For all intents and purposes Project Zero-One was ¨¦lan Harbeck. Unfortunately for Tarkin his goal of trying to replicate the experiment was far out of reach. Harbeck''s goals and Tarkin''s goal were now no longer aligned. And Harbeck had a mission. The procedure so exacting, that as the part of ¡®Zero-One¡¯ continued to disappear and Harbeck continued to take over, it was creating its own new and unique path. Interpreting the Force from an uneducated and unskilled mind. What Harbeck heard as the screaming of unity from the Force, was anything but if heard by another Jedi. And it wasn¡¯t. Harbeck was clouding the reception. Holding the words and the Force at bay. His strength increasing every second, he continued to assume the identity and the last vestiges of the Project were swept away. All that mattered, the singular most important and overriding thought coursing through the clone was, the mission. And eventually, that mission would remove Tarkin and Czerka from the equation. For now, they had their uses. Tarkin and Czerka were a resource and resources were to be exploited until they were no longer useful. Rolling down the sleeve of his robe after the scanner was removed, Harbeck stood up much to the chagrin of the Jedi and the medics standing by. "I believe we are done here. If you will allow me to return to my duties..." Harbeck gestured for the door as one of the elder Jedi uploaded the results to the Grandmaster''s datapad. He had asked to receive the results as soon as it was available. Now Master Harbeck was cleared. Clear to pursue his goal, but first there were obstacles to overcome and people to win over. He had to create a following. And the next meeting with the Council was a chance to do that. Things started moving faster. Harbeck could feel it. The calling. The time to make his move was coming.... 11- Puzzle Pieces Dathomir¡­. Walking through the jungle, the Grandmaster moved unabated. The Force as his ally. Unusual for any creature to traverse the dangerous wilds. Like a protective bubble around him, even the most aggressive animal and plant life seemed to ¡®bend¡¯ to his will, parting the way for him as he walked. Jumping down a gulley, the Grandmaster climbed back up, checking his wrist mounted display to check his direction. It was the correct area. Dense, well-hidden. All of it was starting to make sense. This was a location that no one would dare walk or even attempt to find due to the dangerousness of the planet and the isolation of the area itself. Thinking back on what brought him there. The many nights of meditation and investigation. The Force was clear, but he could not only rely on the Force as evidence that something was amiss. Those Jedi in the Order who fell under Master¡¯s Harbeck¡¯s spell were clouded. Just as a veil of darkness and fogginess descended on his arrival, anyone who listen to Harbeck¡¯s message and accepted it soon fell under the same dense cloud of confusion. No longer able to hear the Force themselves, they heard what Harbeck wished them to hear. The Grandmaster was placed in a position to do the most good. Able to check on the validity of the holo-tape sent to him by anonymous sources due to his own clearance within the Republic. Checking on the shipping documents that had ¡®things¡¯ sent away the morning of the previous Grandmaster¡¯s death. Things that made no sense. Damaged cooling systems. Biological samples. An entire project division¡¯s worth of material and resources. All of it ¡®before¡¯ the Jedi arrived to investigate. Czerka went to great lengths to hide the fact that all of it was sent before the investigation started. Changing times and dates; relisting the classifications of some of the items. But the Grandmaster dug deeper. Everything changed on the holo-net or in a financial system always left a trace, it just took a higher class ¡®Slicer¡¯ to find it. And a bit of the Force to lead them. The Jedi had both. Back on ground level after climbing out of the depression, the Grandmaster looked down at the wrist unit again. He arrived. A cave, long since sealed and collapsed stood in stark contrast to the dense jungle around it. Evidence of the area having been cleared previously, swallowed up by the ever present encroaching jungle. He looked around turning away from the cave for the moment. A fire pit covered by plant life, rocks; smoothed out by time stacked neatly one on top of the other. Water buckets, far too heavy to carry. The Grandmaster squinted. All of it looked like makeshift tools in the training of a Padawan. Rudimentary, but reminding himself of where he was; the Grandmaster turned back toward the cave. Raising his hands. The Grandmaster started to move the rocks blocking the entrance with his own power. Lifting them in the Force and setting them aside gently. The Force leading him as to which would move and which would further collapse the cave. He carved an entrance, crawling under the small entrance he made for myself and entered the cave. Coughing as the dust began to settle once again. Immediately sensing something and touching the wrist unit once again. A light came on, he extended his arm. Jumping back slightly as the light passed right below his feet. A Skeleton. He bent down, touching the bones. Searching the Force, he felt it. A violent death, the essence of the Force all over the bones. The attachment to himself told him the bones belonged to a Jedi at some point, but he had no idea who it was. The Force told him enough that after standing back up, he took holos. Snapping images of the entire skeleton and sending it back to the database on his ship. It was too soon to bring anyone else in. The entire affair was far too dangerous to let anyone else in on what he suspected. Continuing on, the feelings within the Force intensified. The cave was small, two sleeping areas. Some assorted living items. The Grandmaster searched it all. Stopping as he hands passed over the second sleeping area. Kneeling, he looked down shining the light down and moving the bed. Under it he found the clothing. An old green and yellow jumpsuit. Standing and extending it in his hands, he looked it over. Fairly standard for a Czerka worker. Strange that it was in the cave. Looking at the left breast pocket, he saw the writing; stenciled after the fact. ¡®Zero-Zero-One¡¯ -- - Coruscant, ¡®The Works¡¯¡­. All of it was sent from the same location. It took many slicers and investigators to triangulate the antenna array from which the information was originally transmitted. Deep in the unmanned area of the ¡®The Works¡¯. An automated area. All of the information passed through a multitude of arrays and was sent off planet to hide the fact that it originated on Coruscant, before coming back and being sent from the main holo-transmitter in Galactic City. Combined with the information he already found, the visit to Dathonir, the shipping documents, the holo-tape of the Grandmaster¡¯s death. All of it pieces of a larger puzzle. One, Czerka was in on. One, Harbeck was somehow involved with. He carried a satchel over his shoulder. The Grandmaster looking down at it as his speeder came to a stop and he hopped out. The jumpsuit from Dathomir gave off a very different energy in the Force. It was connected to Harbeck, but read ¡®Zero-Zero-One¡¯. Matching the shipped items the morning of the previous Grandmaster¡¯s death. What didn¡¯t fit was the holo-tape of the death. Why? How did the documents and the cave connect to it? Harbeck knew, Czerka knew. Most importantly the one who sent all of it knew.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Confusing, still seeking answers. The Grandmaster needed to speak to the one who sent all of it. Who went to great pains to hide their location and identity. Checking the datapad for the correct address again, the Grandmaster hesitated outside the door of the rather secluded dilapidated Townhouse. It was hard to believe that this could be the residence of the former Supreme Chancellor. It was the only dwelling in the area. And it emanated in the Force. That one living being was inside. Either he, or someone else went to great pains to ensure he couldn''t be found easily. Located on the ground level of the area called ''The Works'' the Townhouse rested in the heart of the water filtration section of the planet-city''s heart. No one lived out there. The once great Supreme Chancellor, the heart of the Republic now chose to reside in the Heart of the planet. Raising his hand to ring the chime, he hesitated. There was no chime. Just as well. A ring was too impersonal, he chose to physically knock instead of trying to locate a knocker. The reply came almost at once. A shiny protocol droid answered the entry. It was surprising that the droid didn''t answer the door like a typical servant. "Yes?" It stated questioningly, its photoreceptors seeming to glare at the Grandmaster. "I am--" The droid rudely interrupted before the Jedi could finish. "We know who you are. My Master does not take visitors, Jedi or otherwise. Please respect his wishes and depart this area..." It started to close the entry as the Master pushed back, a little of the Force behind him. "He will see me...inform him I wish to speak to him about the death of the former Grandmaster, his friend...and a Project called ''Zero-One''..." As the droid once again started to voice his protect at the elicit entry by the Master. There was a murmur from within the passage way toward the droid. "It''s fine...AR-V...I will see him..." The droid stepped aside revealing a darkened passage beyond the entry light, the voice having come from a darkened room beyond. Reaching out in the Force, the Grandmaster felt the presence of the Former Supreme Chancellor. There was apprehension, fear and nervousness in the room beyond. Carefully and very slowly the Grandmaster moved as if he was approaching a wounded animal. That was the feeling in the Force. A man who was hunkering down. Licking wounds and aware of predators who would come to pick his carcass. It was likely that the encounter would not go as planned. Entering the room, the Jedi Master saw a figure covered in blankets huddling in the corner. The smell of Alderaanian pine nuts hung in the air and even though the Grandmaster couldn''t see the interior, he could tell it did not match the exterior. If the exterior was meant to hide and discourage visitors, the inside was designed to at least make them feel at home. Coming to a stop in the center of the room, the Grandmaster bowed slightly at the huddled figure. "Thank you for seeing me Supreme Chancellor Pultimo. As you have no doubt guessed I am the Jedi Grandmaster..." Before he could finish Pultimo spoke from under the blankets. "You mentioned my Friend and Project Zero...I advise you to use that reference sparingly. If you are not being watched in speaking about that, you soon will...." The huddled figure uncovered its head, looking around the room quickly. "They are watching me you see...it was part of my agreement with them..." Pultimo gestured with his arms taking in the room, "...you have nothing to fear in this room, I have it swept daily. It''s the only room I stay in now." The Grandmaster scrunched his nose disapprovingly. It explained the pine nut smell. If he never left the room it meant he rarely used the fresher and by virtue the room stank of sweat and natural untidiness. Gesturing with his hand toward a chair to his front, Pultimo waited until the Jedi was seated. His eyes wide, he watched. Looking around quickly, nervously. ¡°Chancellor, I have a great many questions. It WAS you who sent the information to me. I know this. I just need to know why. And how its connected to Harbeck?¡± Leaning forward, Pultimo placed his elbows on his knees remaining seated. Pultimo ignored the main question for the moment. His eyes glassy as he asked. "You mentioned my friend? You have discovered then?" The Grandmaster looked oblivious. His mission was merely to confirm some suspicions, not solve anything. "Discovered? No, I need to ask you--" Pultimo raised his palm toward the Grandmaster reaching beside his chair to grab a cane in order to stand. "Then we have nothing to discuss...my agreement was not to speak about that incident. However, if you ¡®surmise¡¯ the truth, I can tell you by a shake of my head. I will ¡®voice¡¯ nothing¡­" Pultimo glared impassively clearly waiting for the Master. "I knew someone would come, eventually...I was positive it would be a Jedi. No matter how many resources Czerka spends, the truth is a power that cannot be denied forever." The Former Chancellor confirmed nothing. Nodding once after the Grandmaster mentioned he knew the information was sent by Pultimo. He continued his glare. The Grandmaster decided to go for broke. Not wanting to reveal how he knew Project Zero-One and the late Grandmaster''s death were related. Or that the Force had led him there, to that moment. "Project Zero-One? Somehow...that Project and the Grandmaster''s death are related?" Pultimo silently nodded. As the Grandmaster pondered, he asked his next question. "And because of this Project, Czerka sought to hide the Grandmaster''s death?" Again, Pultimo nodded. Something wasn''t adding up. There was some factor the Grandmaster was missing. After many moments of silence, Pultimo gestured for the Grandmaster to come closer. "For a Jedi...you are not very smart." He stepped away from the Master reaching in a bureau and turned opening the Master''s palm depositing a dusty data chip in it. He looked at it curiously before looking back at Pultimo. The Chancellor smiled weakly. "It was my insurance policy, in case Czerka ever came calling." Using his hand to close the Jedi Master''s palm around it, he patted the hand lightly. Becoming slight worried, the Grandmaster sought to console the aging Chancellor. "You could come back with me....keep this chip and come back to the Temple. We can protect you." Slowly Pultimo turned in the darkened room heightening his shadowy features. "Master, you can''t even protect yourself. You don''t get it...Project Zero has been weaponized. And that weapon...is already in your Temple. Even now, it spreads its ¡®influence¡¯. What you have there in your palm...even that may not be enough to stop it. We...and the rest of the galaxy may already be too late." 12 - Elimination It had been three days since the Grandmaster announced that he was leaving for ''personal'' reasons and would return. As Harbeck stood in the foyer outside the Temple chamber he considered the Jedi Leader''s absence only briefly. His primary concern being the announcement he had to make and the event he would have the entire Order taking part in. As the large vaulted door slid open, Harbeck stepped inside. Looking demure and subjective. Sharing smiles in return to the faces of his supporters on the Council. Thoroughly brainwashed, his followers viewed him as a messenger for the Force. His mission, to share his vision of a United Force with the galaxy. Harbeck¡¯s followers were fanatical, willing to have him share that message by whatever means necessary. Those that opposed him in the beginning only strengthened the other''s resolve. The Force in its own way trying to keep the balance. Harbeck stepped into the center of the circular chamber bowing slightly and meeting the eyes of every single Council member in turn. Glancing passively at the empty Grandmaster''s seat he opened his arms in a welcoming gesture once again to steady the room. "My Friends, I bring news of yet another vision....further clarification that what I spoke of is true. The time is coming, the Light and the Dark must unite. We must set aside our hatreds, seek out the worshippers of the Dark and bring them into the fold. And for this, the Force....shall reward us. At least those who choose to listen to its infinite wisdom..." The members of the Council already under the spell of Master Harbeck looked at him lovingly, casting sidelong glances at the disbelievers among them. Nodding heads and smiles all around. Those skeptical Council members maintained their serene poise as Harbeck continued. "Tonight, in the General Assembly Hall....I ask that all among us who disbelieve the truth of my vision, prepare for the truth of the Force. Tonight, I show proof of my vision. As the Force Wills it." There was a low murmur in the room as one of the human Council members leaned forward steepling his hands toward Harbeck. "Proof, Master Harbeck? What sort of proof?" Harbeck smiled fakely at the questioning Master before turning his mesmerizing gaze to the other non-believers. "That...shall be revealed tonight. I ask only that the General Call be sounded to assemble the Jedi in the hall." Harbeck looked down at the tile floor. Emblazoned with the symbol of the Republic and the Jedi in unison. Dotted around and in inside of the light blue symbol, stars and planets; a galactic map. Shining lights of every planet the Jedi existed on or had touched in some way. Raising his hands, he looked up. "From all across the galaxy...all of the Jedi, our entire Order. Those who are unable to attend, must be asked to watch. So that they too can see the truth of my visions. And....decide for themselves." Smiling reverently, Harbeck bowed his head. They didn''t see the smile turn up into a smirk as the hood hid the true nature of his face. It was a show of subjugation to the Members of the Council. They had to believe; they were in control of the situation. Or at least, Harbeck needed them to believe they were. After a few tense moments, the members of the Council nodded agreement as the Human Jedi answered for them all. "It shall be done Master. We look forward to this proof. And trusting in the Will of the Force, we shall all be there to see it." Inside his mind, Harbeck was laughing wickedly while outwardly he kept his head bowed in acknowledgement of the Council''s wisdom. -- Using the back-underground Maintenance entrance, the Jedi Grandmaster slipped stealthfully back into the Temple. It saddened him that the former Supreme Chancellor refused to come with him. It was tempting for the Grandmaster to stay by his side and await the outcome of the Supreme Chancellor¡¯s betrayal. But the Chancellor sent him away. The feeling possessed entering the Chancellor¡¯s home was no longer present in the man. A sense of peace had come over Pultimo. Resolute in the knowledge that he was going to be taken care of. Time was a factor, Pultimo told him. And in his words to the Master, ¡®This is my destiny, I know what I¡¯m doing and what I did...the fate of the Jedi Order and your destiny await you.¡¯ Sadly, the Grandmaster left him behind and as he looked at his beeping Holo-comm he realized that he arrived back at the Temple just in time. The Council had ordered a general assembly in his absence. He was sure Harbeck was behind it. After reviewing the data on the chip given to him by Chancellor Pultimo, the Grandmaster was sure Harbeck was going to use the General Assembly to make his move. The footage provided by the former Supreme Chancellor answering the last remaining questions of connection concerning Harbeck. Entering and closing the maintenance hatch behind him, the Grandmaster used his Force enhanced speed to descend the winding access way. Even with the information, the Grandmaster knew he couldn''t go it alone. The infection that was Elan Harbeck was spread almost completely through the Order. He needed some help. Stopping in front of an information terminal, the Grandmaster plugged his data pad into it accessing the Jedi systems by using his own back door security code. No one could know he was inside the Temple or that he was trying to get more information about what was happening. No one could know until the moment arrived. -- -- Sounds of struggle permeated the entryway to Supreme Chancellor Pultimo''s townhouse, followed by the smell of burnt and fused wiring. Pultimo sat back in his easy chair still huddled under his blankets, knowing that his protocol unit had been destroyed. The room grew darker as shadows from the hall pressed into the room. At the head, the all too familiar toothy grin of one Valdud Tarkin. Tarkin entered the room, pulling a chair from a darkened corner and flipping it backwards toward the Chancellor. Tarkin leaned his arms crossed on the back of the chair bowing his head slightly in acknowledgement of the Chancellor as he spoke. "You never appeared to me to be the sort of man who would break a deal....Pultimo. It is most unfortunate that it has come to this." Pultimo laughed, sitting further back in his easy chair. The blaster he clutched under the blanket raised slightly. "No need for words, Tarkin. Just do what you came here to do." Getting up from the seat, Tarkin acknowledged the Chancellor with a slight nod, smiling slightly. "As you wish...this brings me no joy. You were once a valued asset--" In a rush of movement, Pultimo threw the blanket off. Raising the pistol to Tarkin''s face. The shock of it all caught Tarkin completely by surprise, but the small force that came with Tarkin was prepared. The barrage of blaster bolts from behind Tarkin lit up the room''s dim features. Bolts sizzled through the air past Tarkin, each one hitting its target until the body of Supreme Chancellor Pultimo relaxed in death. Dropping the pistol lazily to the floor as his body fell back against the seat he formerly occupied, Pultimo''s face was not one of shock or sadness. A smile permeated his features. A smile for all time, permanent in death. Fountains of smoke rose from the myriad of gaping holes in the Chancellor''s body. Tarkin once again stood upright. The smile causing Tarkin to raise an eyebrow. Pultimo, even in death had somehow outplayed Tarkin. There was no other reason to smile. There was never a need to question him. Tarkin already knew that Pultimo had taken in a visitor. It was precaution that told him Pultimo told his ''visitor'' the truth about Project Alpha. Killing Pultimo was always going to happen. It was the reason for the visit. But it was not a personal execution, it was business. As his assembled assassination squad began the process of searching the dwelling for evidence of Pultimo''s treachery; Tarkin already knew they weren''t going to find anything. Tarkin''s datapad beeped, bringing it up to his face he looked on the image and frowned. The Jedi Grandmaster could be seen clearly exiting the townhouse on the satellite image captured only hours before Tarkin was alerted. It would complicate things. Tarkin pondered what his next move should be. But not before taking one last look of the permanent look of satisfaction on Pultimo''s face. Pultimo may have went to his death safe in the knowledge that there was nothing Tarkin could do to stop what he set in motion. But Tarkin was a man who prided himself on seizing... ....''Opportunities'', he thought, ''Opportunities, always found a way to present themselves...'' -- -- Droves of brown and off brown robes poured into the General Assembly hall as Master Harbeck looked on. Smiling warmly on the outside, inside he laughed hysterically. They looked like a line of Nerfs...Nerfs already resigned to the slaughter. What made the moment even sweeter was his instructions to his followers that this meeting be only for the ''non-believers'', his followers were told to stay away. In one flail swoop, he would rid himself of the opposition, leaving his power base intact. It was the perfect set-up. Months of planning, of clouding the minds of the Jedi was about to pay off. Then he could turn his attention to the next important matter. Locating the elusive Sith Remnant and ''convincing'' them of the truth of his vision. Project Zero-One was long gone...in its place Master ¨¦lan Harbeck. And he believed he was Harbeck, he believed it so blindly that even he began to believe the truth of his own lies. The ''vision'' was real to him now, his just cause. The Force must be unified to make it and himself, whole. The need for power, the need to rule over that power and the Jedi was only a small part. He would get the Sith and rule them both. There could be no dissention. Failure at that juncture meant the sure and certain destruction of both factions. Watching the line of Jedi move into the hall, Harbeck knew his next move was the right choice. Glancing at the wall Chrono high over the vaulted archway entrance he joined the procession into the hall. -- --Stolen novel; please report. The small team of remaining Council members and other loyal Jedi made it to the bowels of the Temple in record time. With all activity at the ground level it was easy to move, easier still not to be noticed. No one had their eye on the ''believers'' of Master Harbeck, they all looked like normal Jedi roaming the halls. There was no special signal or insignia a ''follower'' wore. Just their word of truth that they believed in the ''vision''. What gathered in the maintenance room was anything but normal; the last of the Defenders of the Order. The Grandmaster frowned at the small group, they were a mere handful. The Grandmaster looked around at them, having no clue that so many of the Jedi Order had fallen under Harbeck''s spell. "This is it? There are no more coming?" The sadness in the Grandmaster''s question filled the small space. The air was heavy with anticipation and regret. Regret from those among the Grandmaster that punished themselves for not seeing any of it coming. That Harbeck was able to mesmerize so many in so short an amount of time. Taking on a stern look, the Grandmaster locked eyes with each of the ten Jedi in turn. "This is a crisis...most likely one of the biggest we have faced in the history of the Jedi Order..." The assembled Jedi all nodded reverently. "Our mission...and there is no option to NOT accept it...we must stop Harbeck before he does whatever it is he''s planning. Let¡¯s just hope he doesn''t have someone keeping count. We can''t afford anyone who is supposed to be there to be missed." One of the Jedi Masters smiled coyly at the Grandmaster. "I had an idea about that Grandmaster..." -- -- The last few Jedi slipped in. One of the sentinels at the door taking note that they came in a group. Of eleven. As Harbeck climbed the stairs into the rounded stage he stopped short of the angled lectern in the corner of the raised floor; looking out at the many inquisitive, curious faces that glanced his way. Seeing him up on the stage the general murmur of noise began to die down as all of the assembled turned their eyes toward him. Harbeck smiled in his normal way, extending his arms in his usual welcoming manner, to encompass them all. "Greetings Fellow Jedi...it is good to see all of you. Good to see so many of you willing to listen to my words so that you¡­can determine the truth of my visions. But before we do that..." He gestured with his hand, using the Force to close and lock all of the doors leading into the Hall, "...we must have absolute privacy." Jedi were still getting seated. All eyes turned to the doors as they locked on Harbeck''s command. The last group dispursing among their fellow Jedi. Some of them took a more direct route disappearing in and around the stage. Several more scotting in among the others. -- Moving below the stage, several of the Grandmaster''s team came upon the first of several Barium charges rigged to blow-up on a signal-initiated switch. The Jedi Knight leading the team looked at the others with him frantically. "Masters! I have experience with this...go locate the other charges. I will deactivate each in turn." The others moved off under the Assembly Hall to begin the search quickly, not knowing how much time any of them had left. Harbeck installed charges throughout the hall. One of the notes taken by the Grandmaster''s sensor sweep upon his return to the Temple. Harbeck may have thought he knew who he was dealing with and to some extent he did. But he didn''t know the Temple like the Grandmaster did. But, what the Jedi aligned with the Grandmaster found of the explosives laid by Harbeck was a fraction of what lay in wait for those listening to Harbeck. "Master!!" The Jedi Knight leading the team under trhe stage whispered harshly into a wrist mounted comm-unit. "...we may need you to make your move sooner, rather than later. I''m not sure how many of these things there are!!!" -- Continuing to smile, Harbeck cleared his throat looking toward the rear of the Hall, a familiar figure standing and walking toward him using the center aisle. Master Harbeck closed his mouth cocking an eyebrow inquisitively as the eyes of some of the assembled began to turn and look at the person interrupting. They all watched the Grandmaster come to the center of the Assembly Hall, his hands on his hips glaring up at Master Harbeck. "Excuse the interruption, ''Master''...but why do we need absolute privacy if it¡¯s your wish to share the truth of your vision? Why lock everyone in?" Harbeck opened and closed his mouth several times in an attempt to assuage his growing anger. With all of his concentration on clouding the minds of the other Jedi he did not feel the Grandmaster''s return, did not feel his presence in the Hall. Or how he and the others got in to the private meeting. Harbeck was unsure how long the Grandmaster had been back or what he knew. A ping in the back of Harbeck¡¯s mind turned into a painful buzz in the Force. Something was amiss. But unskilled on how to listen to the Force, Harbeck glared angrily at the sudden appearance. He smiled strangely lowering his hands in a defeatist maneuver, slowly lowering his head. "You are correct Grandmaster, why indeed? But I''m afraid that your attempt to further hide the truth from the rest of us is not going to work this time...." Harbeck was trying to turn around the sudden shock back on the Grandmaster. As well as buy himself some time. He glanced at the transmitter attached to his wrist. Taking everyone in the hall, along with the Grandmaster would soon seal the fate of the Jedi. The Grandmaster folded his arms over himself taking on his own crooked smile. "Oh? And what truth would that be ''Master''?" All at once Harbeck came out of his submissive slump standing up ramrod straight and pointing a crooked finger at the Grandmaster. "That the entire fate of the Jedi rests in my vision! That it is our destiny to lead the Galaxy; possessing the knowledge of the one true ''Unified'' Force!" Harbeck remained pointing, moving his finger and his arm over the crowd to emphasize his point, "He, and others like him, wish to hide the truth from you...wish you ALL to remain in the dark!!" The Grandmaster had enough. Lowering his arms and opening his cloak he held a palm out opposite his lightsaber. It launched off his belt and into his open palm as he scowled at Harbeck, but did not ignite the blade. "They will see the truth. Just not from you....I ask again, what truth is it you wish us all to see?" Harbeck looked around quickly, he could see the confusion growing in the room. Harbeck had run out of time and under estimated the Grandmaster. Still looking at Harbeck, the Grandmaster gestured with his free hand. Several of the audience members standing and moving up behind the Grandmaster. "It''s over Harbeck..." The Holo-screen flipped on abruptly over the head of Harbeck hovering like a monolith over the stage, he looked up at it. The scene of his former visage...Project Zero-One tossing and throwing the previous Grandmaster around a darkened laboratory. The audience let out a collective gasp as Harbeck remained mesmerized by the images above him. Slowly he turned to look at the Grandmaster and his small band in the center aisle, a silver device appearing in his hand as he did so. The recording was the same one in the holo-record of the Jedi Archives. A recording that showed only a flailing Grandmaster being thrown around by an unknown force. Until that moment, it was assumed the attacker was a Sith. The chip given to the Grandmaster by the Former Chancellor adding a last part that had been stricken from the record. A kneeling and pleading Chancellor looks up in the holo as ¡®Zero-Zero-One¡¯ looks down at him. ¡®Serve me¡­.you will¡­.¡¯ "The truth Grandmaster? The truth I wish all of you to see? If you will not accept that there is only one true Force, a Unified Force...then you are of no use to me. And if you are no use to me or the Force...then you are an obstacle to the plan..." Harbeck pressed the button fully expecting the bombs underneath the Hall to consume them all. Harbeck projected a Force intensive shield as he closed his eyes tightly. Finally opening a closed eye and looking out at the smiling Grandmaster. The Master lit his saber pointing it at Harbeck. "How about this truth? We are taking you into Custody. That''s where you¡¯re going...until we can decide if you need to be sent to a ''lab'' or a ''cell''..." The images above Harbeck continued to play the death of the former Grandmaster on a loop. Harbeck glanced up at it smiling wickedly. Pulling the hood from his brown robe up and over his head, he slowly extended his arms out to his side. For a minute they all thought Harbeck was going to surrender. Purple lightning arched between his fingers. "I destroyed one Grandmaster...I have no reservations about destroying a second..." Launching his arms forward he unleashed a brilliant burst of lightning that snatched everyone in the center of the room up and into the air. The Grandmaster launched his body over the onslaught landing next to Harbeck on the stage as the Assembly Hall began to clear of non-essential personnel. The sound of other lightsabers ignited in the background. Those members who came in under the hall with the Grandmaster as well as the other Jedi present activating to apprehend Harbeck. Holding his Lightsaber at the ready, the Grandmaster let the light from it cascade over the both of them. "The last Grandmaster didn''t know what kind of Monster he faced...I do...Master Harbeck...or should I say, ''Project Zero-One''..." The smile from under Project Zero''s hood darkened his features further as he lowered his hands, residual lightning arced from one hand to the other as he lowered his voice slightly, inhumanly. "You asked for the beast...now you may have it...." Raising his hands up above his head, Harbeck closed his eyes. The top of the cathedral like ceiling in the Grand Hall cracked, split off and fell behind the Grandmaster''s Jedi Strike Team; blocking their only escape. "Move!!! Move!!!" "Not only do you have nowhere to run, there is no one to rescue you..." Harbeck sneered as he spoke, his hand raising toward the group; fingers outstretched and curled in strange angles. The Grandmaster leaped to a sidewall running along its length before leaping to the opposite wall, then back again. His objective to keep Harbeck focused on him while his Jedi Assaulters got into position for attack. Lightning shot behind the Grandmaster harmlessly and again on the opposite wall, Harbeck continuing to sneer as he shot the bolts chasing the Master around the room. "You can''t run forever..." The first two Assaulters leapt to the stage flanking Harbeck, the second a bit slower than the first as Harbeck turned his palm toward him, a Force Wave of tremendous power emanating from his hand. The second Jedi assaulter was gone. The wave coursing over and through him, turning his body to ash. The wall behind him cast a picture of his shadow as it was burned into the paint, the last terrifying moments of a Jedi who never saw the attack coming. Bouncing back to the opposite wall, the Grandmaster let out a roar at seeing his fellow Jedi Comsumed in the Force, leaping down to land the lead foot atop Harbeck''s head. Falling to the stage from the blow, the other Jedi used the moment to leap from the seats to the stage. Harbeck half-conscious raised his palm toward the group. The ensuing Force Wave consuming them, burning their own leaping shadows into the long row of seats. Stepping over the sprawled body, the Grandmaster lifted Harbeck''s head toward his own; back handing him across the jaw. Rage took over the Grandmaster as his Force aura took the fall, his eye burning brightly red. Harbeck slid further down the stage from the strike, weakened from the blow to the head, the use of his power to consume the remainder of the Grandmaster''s team suddenly sapped from him. Stooping down over him the Grandmaster began striking him repeatedly across the face, his rage knowing no bounds. Blood launched to both sides of the men splattering the stage in a macabre spider web of gore. Tired finally, the Grandmaster stood lighting his lightsaber, holding it above his head to launch down and end what lay at his feet. Harbeck, turned laying flat on his back, his hands outstretched to his sides, blood gurgled from his mouth as he spoke. "Good...it''s better this way. In what Universe could I exist that the Grandmaster would be so willing to end a life..." The Grandmaster hesitated, looking down. His eyes burning with fury. He searched himself and knew he had fallen. Deactivating the saber he tiredly tossed it out to his side. "You are not a life...you are an abomination of the Force, a freak...a mishap. But, it is not my place to judge you..." Stepping over him the Grandmaster dropped off the stage. "The Council shall decide your fate." Moving his hand in front of the debris at the exit, he opened a path. Looking back, he spoke to the air as he addressed an empty Hall. "You have no power here...not anymore." 13 - Finale and New Beginning - Jedi Temple - Coruscant.... Standing in front of his own Council, the Grandmaster removed his lightsaber handing it to one of the members in the room. "I am....compromised. I can no longer lead this Council with a pure heart. Rage has taken my soul..." Murmurs began to erupt in the circular room as the Grandmaster smiled and raised a hand slowly to quiet them. "My friends...I will always be with you. Always, I shall answer the call of the Order and fulfill my duties as a Jedi Master. But, for now...I must take my leave. I depart the Temple tonight to go into seclusion. Self-study and to rid myself of the rage and fear that has infiltrated my heart." Turning to walk purposefully toward the door he continued to smile, losing it as he turned to face them. "This has been a test for all of us. A False Prophet of the Force was able to lure some of you away from your calling, your duty as Masters of the Jedi. That, I cannot abide. I may have realized my own darkness too late, but some of you have had doubts the entire time. Perhaps some soul searching is in order for all of us." -- In the labyrinth beneath the Temple, two Sentinels stood silent guard in front of the cell which housed Master Harbeck. It didn''t take long for the assembled Masters to leave the Council chambers and make their way down to the lower levels. In the wake of the Grandmaster''s departure there was no clear leader, but the consensus was clear. This was a matter that had to be dealt with immediately. All ten members of the Council entered the cell with grave looks on their faces. All of the looks cast at Harbeck who smiled at them all from the bed he sat on. "My Friends...I suppose you have come to exile me, send me away?" The Council members all exchanged glances until one of the members decided to speak up. "Exile would be a welcome penance, would it not? To be honest, we haven''t decided what we are going to do..." One of the Council members spoke up angrily, his face red and turned in Harbeck''s direction. "This...¡¯thing¡¯ has already cost us two Grandmasters! I say we see it destroyed! We have rules against death to Jedi who have committed atrocities. But we have no rule against death to...abominations! Things!!" Eyebrows turned upwards as some considered the words. Finally, the Council member who Tarkin so easily twisted and who Tarkin had been so kind to tell Harbeck all about stepped to the forefront. He turned his back to Harbeck looking at those assembled in front of him, his hands outstretched in an all too familiar fashion. "This creature...abomination or not, has reason. Reason enough to use the Force in a manner none of us have ever seen. The ability to utilize both the Light and the Dark is a power that someday, we may have to consider. To destroy it now would not only be inhumane, it may also be cutting our noses off to spite our own faces..." The speaker glanced over his shoulder at Harbeck, "...it is for that reason and that reason alone that we should consider placing it in ¡®The Prism¡¯....stasis, until we have gotten ourselves in order. Until we can truly know what it is we want to do." Heads nodded at the logic. All beginning to come to an agreement. Harbeck sat back feinting disappointment, but on the inside he smiled wickedly. -- Stepping into the stasis chamber in the isolated Prism facility. Harbeck took one last look around, the Council members all gathered in a semi-circle to watch the procedure. Laying his back against the inside of the chamber, Harbeck watched as the technicians began the series of operations which would place him in a state of indefinite suspension. Coming off the back of the chamber Harbeck felt compelled to say something, pointing at them all. "I will be back..." He placed his back against the chamber again continuing his gaze at the assembled, the cascade of suspension mists and gases entering the sealed chamber. In less than a minute it was over, Harbeck was safely tucked away in the Prism. The last of the Council members stopping to affix a tag to the outside of the chamber. < Master ¨¦lan Harbeck - NOT TO BE OPENED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE JEDI COUNCIL> -- - Coruscant, Alpha labs¡­.Five Years after the Harbeck incident¡­.. One by one the children of various ages were led into the white walled room. All were lined against the wall facing a large one-way mirror. Personnel on the other side watched them all file in looking at their datapads to check off that each one of the test subjects were accounted for. Nodding to the others, the lead scientist gestured at the children behind the mirrored window. "This is Alpha Pod; the last of our test collectives. And as it turns out, the only one that was completely viable. Two Zabraks, one Rattataki, two Mirialans...the females are both Mirialan." One of the others in the darkened room looked up at the gesturing man, glancing at the children. "We can¡¯t return them to the orphanage. Or, release them into the ¡®wild¡¯, so to speak. Our choices are limited.¡± ¡°Liquidation?¡± Another scientist spoke up, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I haven¡¯t received that order. But¡­prudence suggests that we should prepare for that possibility. In the meantime, they will remain isolated. All program training ceases, no more protocol infusions. For all intents and purposes, this project is cancelled¡ª¡± They all turned as the door to the observation lounge opened. A large thin man accompanied by two rather dark looking guards entered. Looking out at the assembled children through the two-way glass before looking back to the scientists. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡± The lead scientist asked in annoying tone. ¡°¡ªthis is a restricted area. Who are you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important Doctor¡ª¡± The thin man spoke without looking at him. Gesturing to his side, one of the guards handed the Doctor a datapad. Which the Doctor looked over quickly. ¡°¡ªwhat is important. You have new orders. The Republic looks at this project as vital to galactic security. All of these ''weapons'' are viable.¡± Looking at the assembled scientist, the thin man removed his holo-glasses and smiled. ¡°You are back in business, Gentlemen¡­start the training protocols. We move into phase three in four weeks.¡± Turning, the thin man and his guards began to leave. The Doctor lowered the datapad after reading it, calling out to the one who gave it to him. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Stone.¡± The thin man turned back and gave a cheeky smile. ¡°General Stone. We are all¡­¡¯General Stone¡¯. Your Republic benefactors and that''s all you need to know¡­get to work gentlemen. We have a galaxy to defend¡­¡± -- Jedi Matrons were not strong in the Force. That was not their calling. Nurturing and child rearing was. And the Jedi Matrons assigned to the Jedi Orphanage on Corellia were particularly adept at what they did. So much, that they blamed themselves for their facility being selected by the Republic as the test bed for one of its projects. Had they done a less adequate job, perhaps their children would have been spared. Having spent most of their childhoods under the watchful gaze of both the Matrons and the various scientists that choose to grace the halls of the orphanage, it was not surprising to see new faces. Even with the disdainful gazes of the Jedi behind every scientist. Many complaints were lodged. Especially when the protocols started taking effect. None of the complaints were answered. The Jedi Temple was part of the project and accepting as to what was going on. In their view, it was a chance to give a group of children something extraordinary, in an otherwise hopeless situation.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Numbered one thru five, the children were all endowed with special gifts. Each one having a particular portion of their DNA enhanced beyond the scope of the others. All were possessed of extra ordinary strength, agility, intelligence and a near holo-graphic memory. But one set of specific attributes were enhanced in the each one to fill a role within their pod. The numbers corresponding to their ages, Zero-Zero-One; Zabrak Boy number one also known as ¡®Trea¡¯vor¡¯ was naturally the leader and not just because of his age. Trea¡¯vor, or Alpha Zero-Zero-One, was not just a natural leader; he was programmed to be the perfect one. Fear and emotion were erased in him when the protocol was active. And only during those times of extreme duress. Combat situations and drill proved the validity of the protocol¡¯s effects on him. He was brave, loyal and fearless. Possessed of an enhanced strength that provided him the ability to overcome obstacles any normal humanoid would have found difficult if not impossible. Trea¡¯vor could run further, push himself harder and last longer than any normal Soldier. Designed to be the first of a new breed, he was the only one of his type. All other test subjects around the galaxy having failed to produce any results. Karolin, Zero-Zero-Two and Mrysti, Zero-Zero-Three; were the special case for the test group. Originally Force Sensitive twins, Karolin was designated as the control; while Mrysti the test. Special enhancements were given to Mrysti to see what effect they would have on a twin set. What occurred baffled the scientists in charge of the project. Mrysti grew to an enormous size. Her strength almost equivalent to that of Trea¡¯vor; the nerve centers of her brain were dampened so she would feel no pain and reprogrammed to interpret any sensation of pain to almost enjoy it. She was given the same intelligence and wisdom enhancements as Karolin; but for some reason the other attributes seemed to swallow all of them up. No one knew of the twin¡¯s background. Only that they were found on in a deserted settlement after a tragic ¡®accident¡¯. Something else bound them together other than being sisters. Something dark and unscientific. And would cause greater problems for the project later on. Alpha Zero-Zero-Four; Hamner. A second Zabrak boy was unrelated to Trea¡¯vor. But because Trea¡¯vor was given genetic programming to make him unfailingly loyal to the Republic, the scientist explored the possibility of free-will within Hamner. Enhancing the attributes of cunning and guile in the young man. Also, unlike Trea¡¯vor and more like Karolin and Mrysti; Hamner was Force Sensitive. The last special case, Alpha-Zero-Zero-Five was a Ratataki Male named Marstel. Mentally retarded from birth due to a defect, he was given all of the enhancements the others were given with one special addition. The ability to control the protocol¡¯s infusion on his own. The scientists wanted to measure the boy¡¯s ability to learn on his own. After the first few infusions, Marstel; already a huge child, grew to enormous proportions. Enhancing his own strength and agility. Still a quiet and shy child, he bonded only with those within his pod and became the anchor for them all. Enforcer, protector and guardian for all things Alpha Pod related. The scientists expected Marstel to leave the protocol active all the time due to its ability to rid the boy of his retardation. They found that Marstel self-deactivated in the presence of the others in order to better fit in. Only activating when necessary to understand or learn something. At some point, Marstel could possibly no longer need the protocol at all, due to its complete infusion into his DNA. -- With the revamping of the project came new scientists. New Ideas. All of the children being given a specific scientist to lead the charge on their individual programs. Dr. Ze¡¯llamane; a Sith Pureblood was a leading authority on biological pathogens and also a defector from his own people. Dabbling in genetic manipulation, things the Republic once frowned upon, found a home with Project Alpha. And men like Dr. Ze¡¯llamane found work in an otherwise hostile environment. Smiling as he toured the pod, looking the children over with his entourage of lower ranking scientist. Looking down at his datastream, he reviewed the information on his assignment. One of the Mirialan girls. Her designation: Alpha Zero-Zero-Two; or better known as ¡®Karolin¡¯. ¡°Have the supplements I¡¯ve requested been given to them? They have been in the protocol for how long?¡± Turning around and speaking lowly, Dr. Ze questioned the others. They all exchanged glances before one of them answered. "This is the tenth protocol, Doctor Ze¡¯llamane. Results at the other facilities have been random and sporadic. But, these children had a bond before the protocols began. And our results for this group have been outstanding and we believe it¡¯s due to that bond. It has surpassed anything physical and drifted into the realm of chemical.¡± Dr. Ze gave the scientist speaking a remarkable look. Surprised to hear something so astounding. ¡°This is the reason we are moving to phase three." They all looked out at the children behind the glass. From the back of the small observation room a man none were familiar with, but carried an air of command arched his hands on the chairs of two of the scientists to peer over them. "¡­¡¯General Stone¡¯ wishes us to segregate them from their Jedi Matrons. The influence of the ¡®babysitters¡¯ will no longer be required. This is a military project now. And ensure the children understand what''s going on. Increase the dosage of the DNA enhancers and the stimulants as appropriate to their individual designations." The man nodded to Dr. Ze, who gave the military designee a harsh look. He didn¡¯t like being controlled by those who had no idea of the science behind what it was they were doing. "General Stone..." Dr. Ze knew that was not the man''s real name, but it didn''t matter. Turning around as the rest exited, the military liaison looked the Doctor up and down. "...just a clarification. I realize you give us only the orders you''ve been instructed to give, but...inform whomever is pulling your strings that this is a delicate procedure. It is not as simple as ''increase the dosage'' or ''execute training program--whatever''. This is going to take time. All of us assigned individually to our prospective charges have a particular program in mind to enhance what they''ve been given." Releasing a sigh, the advisor smiled. Laying a hand that was just as quickly knocked off by the Sith Doctor, the advisor spoke. "Doctor...you''re right. I don''t understand the complexities of what it is you do. BUT, what I do understand is this. These ''weapons'' are needed elsewhere. You do your job. I will do mine of keeping us all on schedule." Gesturing to the others, Dr. Ze left the observation room with all of the rest in tow. A sour look after the exchange. Entering the main quad with the children. "Hello children. Do you know why your here?" Most of them shuffled nervously, both Zabrak boys folding their arms over their chests to glare at the aide. The Rattataki boy merely put his head down remaining silent as the two little Mirialan girls smiled brightly shaking their heads. Dr. Ze continued to smile. "Well, you are all very special. You all have a special bond that we think deserves special treatment." One of the Mirialan girls, the one Dr. Ze knew as Mrysti, bounced as she wrung her hands together. "You mean like toys!?!? We love toys!!!" The other little girl pushed the speaker slightly. "Speak for yourself...I like Boys..." That caused the others to all look at Karolin as she put her head down slightly, smiling to herself. Kneeling down, Dr. Ze brushed a lock of the raven black hair out of Karolin¡¯s eyes to look at her. The Sith Pureblood spent an uncomfortable moment staring at Karolin before turning back to the others. Mrysti brushed her own red hair out of her face as she looked up at the Doctor expectantly. "No, not toys...or in your case, boys. But you are going to be given a home. Your very own Home. There you will stay together, like you always have..." The Zabrak with the paler face, clearly the oldest of them leaned forward slightly. "So, we never have a chance to be adopted?" They all looked at their eldest with sadness at his revelation. Dr. Ze stood up looking down at them, his smile even broader as he raised his voice opening his arms to them. "There''s no need, you HAVE been adopted. From now on, you are your own family. You are all each other''s brothers and sisters. I''m here to take care of you, from now until forever..." The children all grasped his leg clutching tightly, except for the Rattataki boy who merely looked up and smiled at them all. "Now, children you never have to be apart. But there will be some training...now, run along to the other room and play. I will be along shortly..." As the children started to file out, Dr. Ze grabbed the paler of the Zabrak boys pulling him gently aside. "Stay a second. What''s your name?" The boy inherently suspicious looked at the man cautiously. "Trea¡¯vor." Dr. Ze already knew the name, he was testing responsiveness. Smiling, Dr. Ze reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of something sweet, offering it to Trea¡¯vor. "And your how old?" Treavor answered shaking his head ¡®no¡¯ at the candy. "I''m Ten." Dr. Ze glanced again at the others behind the glass as Trea¡¯vor answered. "Treavor, this is going to be hard to understand, but as the oldest it''s your responsibility to look after the others." For moment, Treavor studied the man. The genetically enhanced intellect selecting the keenest response. "No Sir, I understand quite well actually. In fact, between my Brother Marstel and I we have been pretty much looking after everyone the entire time." Inside the room the scientists and advisors all turned to one another. Smiles and nodding to each other all around. In the dark, at the back of the room the man no one really knew spoke up again gesturing to his aide to make a notation. "Give the boy a designation. Administer the tests and begin sequence one of Advanced Combat Training." His aide nodding tapped a few keys on his datapad...the designation highlighted at the top of a new entry. : Experimental Unit; Supercommando