Star Forge - 42 (Patreon)

I stared out the viewport at the blue orb as we drew closer. The planet had some sort of energy to it that didn't feel right. Most likely it was the disturbance of making millions of clones. The Force flowed through everything and connected with sensitive individuals that gives them potential to become Force Users. Kamino was a swirling nexus of creation that confused the flow. There had to be a few Force Sensitive clones due to the sheer numbers, but the clones were too similar for the Force to find a true connection.

Ahsoka and Asajj stood beside me. They could feel it too. Ahsoka had her arms crossed tight against her chest. Asajj kept reaching toward the lightsabers on her hip only to stop herself before she could grab the hilts.

The arrival of Red Dawn broke our silent vigil.

"Hello, Captain," Carrie's voice chirped through the speakers. "Reporting for duty."

I shook my head, "Glad you could join us here. Did you prepare for our new passengers?"

"Of course, Captain," Carrie replied. "We have space for seven-hundred including the crew quarters. We can quadruple that if we use two bunk beds per room. Another seventy-six if you have to cram some in the shuttles."

I turned to look at Ahsoka, "How many brothers did you have?"

"Two-hundred," She replied.

I nodded, "Plenty of room."

"We can't leave them behind," Asajj finally spoke.

Both of us turned toward her. I smiled under my helmet. Ahsoka put an arm around her shoulder.

"We're going to need another ship," I said after a moment. "Carrie, what options do we have?"

Carrie didn't pause, "We have room for two-thousand in the Warehouse after I create a summer camp for them."

"A summer camp?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Affirmative, Captain," Carrie replied happily. "At most, they're kids. They deserve a place to relax. Do I have permission to alter the Warehouse?"

I nodded, "Yes, please ask before making any changes in the future."

"Roger, Roger, Captain," Carrie replied.

I placed a finger to the side of my helmet. It wasn't necessary, the motion was for those around me to know I was busy. I had a sneaking suspicion that room for a thousand or so clones weren't going to be enough.

"Bo," I said. "Are you there?"

A click, "Yeah, Red. I'm here."

"How are things?" I asked.

She let out a dry chuckle, "Slowing down. The commandos followed intel to the source. A couple of Hutts were holding out and had just enough capital to make it happen. They won't be a problem anymore."

"I love those guys," I said with a sigh. "How many ships do we have?"

Bo thought for a moment, "What kind? The raiders ships aren't anything special." I could almost hear her shrug. "A few shuttles, an old troop transport, and a cruiser that's older than you."

"You don't know how old I am," I chuckled.

Bo sighed, "Keep your secrets. Why did you want to know about ships?"

"We're going to have a lot of people joining us," I replied. "We're going to need space for a few thousand to sleep, eat, and all those things."

Bo thought for a second, "I could send some people from Concordia. You're going to Kamino?"

"I don't want to wait for them to get here," I grumbled. "Never mind, I'll figure something out."

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown," Bo teased.

I rolled my eyes even if she couldn't see, "Mand'alor doesn't wear a crown."

"Heavy is the head that wears the helmet doesn't sound as smooth," She countered.

"Thanks for the info, Bo," I ignored her comment. "Get the palace ready to run on its own. Prepare to meet me at Mandalore."

Bo paused, "Mandalore? Are you sure?"

"I have a plan," I replied.

She spoke, "You're the boss."

I lowered my hand to signal I was finished with whatever I was doing.

"Is something wrong?" Ahsoka asked.

I shook my head, "Prepping things."

"I'm going down there," Ahsoka said after a long, silent moment.

Asajj turned her glare to the Togruta, "You're insane."

"I need your help to find your brothers," I nodded.

"Fine," Asajj growled. "I'm going too. Someone has to keep you two from blowing up the place."

I laughed, "And that someone is you?"

"Yes," She replied seriously making me laugh harder.

I took a couple of deep breaths to get myself under control.

"I'm serious," She glared at me.

"Thank you," I replied once my voice was my own.

The comms chirped as the planet sent a request.

"How are we going to approach this?" Ahsoka asked.

I accepted the transmission rather than answer her. The familiar form of a long-neck Kaminoan flickered to life on the center of the console.

"Ah," The Kaminoan said once the connection solidified. "Honored Mandalorian. We were about to contact your people for more training staff. I am glad to see Kal Skirata has taken initiative."

Kal Skirata. That was a name I hadn't expected to hear. The Mandalorian was recruited as a trainer for the Clones. He later went on to adopt the Omega Squad as foundlings.

"Apologies," I inclined my head slightly. "I have heard good things about Skirata, but I have not met him. I am here with my own business."

The Kaminoan slowly blinked its large eyes. I didn't know enough about their body language to properly interpret the reaction. The first thing that came to mind was a cat, but I doubted it had the same meaning. I hoped it didn't. The Q-tip look wasn't my type.

"And what business is that?" The Kaminoan asked.

I shook my head, "I would prefer to discuss the potential project in person."

It wasn't a lie. The potential project to increase the numbers of the Rytt was still something I needed to arrange. Finding Ahsoka's brothers was more important, but it meant I needed to keep things civil to keep my options open. I didn't think storming the planet that was currently creating and training an army was a good idea.

"Understood," They replied. "Our attempts at communication with Red Dawn have been met with orders to speak with you. That is your ship?"

"Yes," I answered. "Red Dawn is my ship."

Let them decide what that meant on their own. Silence was an answer in its own right.

"Please follow the guide to the indicated landing pad," The Kaminoan said.

I inclined my head, "Thank you, I look forward to our discussion."

They cut the connection.

"You didn't mention my brothers," Ahsoka stated.

I nodded, "I'm not going to say anything while we're still in orbit. Things would be different if we were in Red Dawn. This little ship doesn't have the same intimidation factor to give us an edge."

A flash of micro-expressions played along her face. She clearly wasn't happy, but she nodded in understanding.

"What are you talking about?" Asajj asked.

I almost turned the question back on her before I realized she didn't know about my side project.

"My people, the Rytt, number less than a hundred," I explained. "I'm searching for a cloning facility to bolster our numbers. It's not as simple as creating a few hundred copies of our current number. We need to create enough genetic variation for my people to survive beyond this generation."

"Half-breeds don't count?" Asajj asked.

"Of course they do," I replied. "We just need to make sure there is a solid foundation. It's not romantic, but we'll need to institute a breeding program for a few generations."

"Romance is just extra steps before sex," Asajj scoffed.

She looked at Ahsoka for support.

Ahsoka shrugged, "I was a Jedi for most of my life. You've got more experience than I do."

"Really?" Asajj asked as she looked between Ahsoka and I. "You two didn't?"

I shook my head, "She never showed interest."

"When have I had time?" Ahsoka snapped. "We've been fighting to stay alive since I got here. Then you and him started to…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Have sex."

I muted my helmet just in time to hide my laugh. Oh Ahsoka, my sweet summer child.

"We can talk about this later," I cut in saving one of my quasi-apprentices. "Watch the controls, I have something to do while we land."

I didn't think I would be the first person to try to threaten the Q-tips if I chose to go that method. The quality of their work would be suspect as well. Clones weren't something you could pick up from the corner store. They took years of experience to get right. Putting a blaster to their heads to get them to work would inevitably lead to issues.

With that in mind, I needed something else to catch their interest. Money was an option, but even my newly expanded coffers would fall short of the funds available to the Republic. I needed something to tip the odds in my favor. A quick trip to the Warehouse was enough to secure my secret weapon. I was back before the ship finished the landing process.

A Q-tip was there to meet once we landed. I felt bad for Ashoka and Asajj with how bright the place was. How the hell did they get this place to shine so much. If they didn't make money with clones they could sell lens flares in bulk.

"Greeting, Honored Mandalorian," The Q-tip bowed slightly.

I was worried that their neck would break if they bowed lower.

"Shall we discuss business?" They asked.

I nodded, "How many clones do you currently have?"

"I'm sorry, Honored Mandalorian," They waved their hand in a gentle motion. "We are unable to discuss other projects in production."

"You're creating a clone army for the Galactic Republic," I stated. "I'm going to take them all, you're going to give them to me, and then you're going to be very happy."

The Q-tip, they gave me their name, but I didn't pay attention, cocked their head to the side, "Please explain."

"This," I lifted a capsule slightly smaller than a lightsaber. "Is the genetic material of the Sith species. I will give it to you as payment."

The Q-tip froze. Its large eyes locked onto the capsule.

"I came across an abandoned vessel with fifty-five adult Sith in cryo-sleep," I continued. "They were dead. The tech had stopped working hundreds of years ago." I paused. "Each pod had an attached tank of clean organic material. They were going to use it to regrow lost limbs and organs if needed." I paused, longer this time. "Do you want to be a footnote in the records of another Galactic War, or do you want to be known for the rest of time as the people that brought an extinct species to life?" I wiggled the capsule. "I'll take your current stock off your hands to make room for your historic project."

The Q-tip shivered as a thrill ran along its long spine.

"An interesting offer," They replied. "We will need to examine your material for legitimacy."

I nodded, "This is a sample. Two subjects to provide proof. Where can we wait?"

"A droid will guide you to an area," The Q-tip answered. "Please allow me to inspect your sample."

I offered it to them. Their long, delicate fingers plucked the capsule from my hand. A floating oval that I had written off as a lamp hovered over to rest beside the Q-tip.

"Follow me," The droid ordered.

Ashoka and Asajj followed a step behind me in silence. The Togruta had gone silent. She was taking in every single detail of the world her brothers came from. Tendrils of the Force swirled around her as she searched for them.

I scanned the cloning area beyond the window that displayed the various training zones. My steps stuttered for a moment as I got my first look at them. They were kids, probably the same age as Boba in the movies. There were thousands of them, which further complicated the matters.

"We're going to need more ships," Ahsoka whispered.

I nodded. The droid led us to a waiting area. We had just arrived when another Mandalorian stormed into the room. His armor was sand-gold in color. There was a trio of claw marks along the side of his helmet. Multiple marks of age and wear showed that the armor was well-lived.

<You're the new Mand'alor?> The Mandalorian asked in Mando'a.

I chuckled, <That's me. Kal Skirata, I presume?>

<You are correct,> Skirata replied. <The Kaminoans say you're going to take my boys.>

I nodded, <Foundlings, all of them.>

<What about the accelerated aging?> Skirata asked.

<I'll see what they can do> I replied. <I don't know if there is a way to fix it.>

He stared at me for a long, silent moment.

<Your boys> I said. <Do you plan to take care of them?>

Skirata didn't react visibly, <How do you know about my boys?>

<I'm clever like that> I replied.

Ahsoka stepped between us, "As interesting as it is, we're here to get my brothers."

"Brothers?" Skirata asked.

"I'll tell you about it if you come with us," I offered. "It is an interesting story."

"Interesting enough to make me join you?" He asked.

"Yes," Ashoka answered for me.