"I was programmed to handle hard situations, Sir."
"Yes, but he was quite close to you, wasn't he? Did he say anything? Every piece of information he possessed could help us win the war. Isn't that what you want?" The Chancellor watches me closely...
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Day 345 SK Destination: Kamino Cloning Facility, Kamino 0900 hours
"Thanks Warthog," I say, stretching as I stand up out of the copilot's seat. He presses a button to open the door leading off the small ship. It's only the two of us today.
"No problem. I'll be waiting here for you," he replies.
I stop in the doorway to look at him. "It's gonna take all day. Den Kiri will run every test he can and some he probably can't, trust me." The sarcasm in my voice is all too clear. I was summoned back to Kamino for a yearly checkup. The Kaminoan who raised me —Den Kiri— will be performing all the tests.
"I'll be in the cafeteria then," he decides, unbuckling himself.
I laugh and follow him off the ship. We walk through the ship hangar together, and I take off my helmet, propping it under my arm. It feels wrong to wear it after all these years without one here. Not that I enjoy all the glares I get when the clones realize who I am.
Eventually Warthog and I split ways. I know the halls well, and find myself outside Den Kiri's office sooner than I'd like. My moment of hesitation before I knock is slight. It slides open automatically, and I step inside.
The tall gray Kaminoan stands on the far side of his white desk. Nala Se —another Kaminoan cloning scientist— stands across from him, closer to me. She doesn't look very happy —not that I've ever actually seen her anything other than calmly displeased— and only looks less happy as she sees me.
"We will finish this discussion later. CT-9191," she nods to me as she passes. I don't miss the hint of bitterness in it, making guilt swell in my chest. I shove it down. I'm not here to be an obedient lab rat for her today.
Just Den Kiri.
"Seargent Sniper, reporting for duty, Sir," I say, shaking the sarcasm and bitterness off as I step up to Den Kiri's desk. He blinks his large black eyes at me thoughtfully.
"Sniper? Is that what they call you now?"
"Yes, Sir." Whether I like it or not.
"Very well. While you are here, you are Beta, are we clear? You still belong to us, even when you're under someone else's orders."
I grit my teeth slightly, unable to help myself. "Yes, Sir." It takes years of self restraint to not snap back or deny his words. He'd never let me forget that I belong to him and the rest of the Republic.
He has me follow him down the pristine white halls I've grown to hate, and to his personal lab. This is where I was born. Of course I couldn't have been born with the normal clones, that would be ridiculous. Just another reason the clones don't like me. They think I get special treatment and fancy training. I do get more specific training, but that's about it as far as differences go. I'm as normal as any other clone.
