Republic Commando: Phi Squad

Part Five: A New Threat

"I have often wondered, since that di'kutla mission toFelucia, if blind loyalty is expected of us. When I heard what hadhappened to General Krell on Umbara, I can't say I was sorry. But theepisode did make me wonder about our loyalty to the Republic. Are wereally expected to follow our Jedi Generals without question? Thatjust doesn't feel right to me. I want to be able to question myorders. I do not want to feel like a slave. I'm not. I am asoldier, a human being, a Mando'ad."

Ajax, in the debriefing from Phi Squad's month-long deployment onDrongar, Felucia, and Umbara

1325 Hours, 732 Days ABG, Arca Company Barracks, Coruscant

Bardan Jusik walked down the corridor to Phi Squad's quarters togive them new orders. He knew his arrival wouldn't be acceptedwarmly. They had just gotten back from another month-long deploymenton various missions in the Outer Rim the last day. Nonetheless, HQthought it was a good idea to send them out again. He reached for thedoor controls, but hesitated a moment. The Jedi wanted to make a noteof the squad's emotions before he broke the news. He reached outwith the Force. The quarters were a kind of calm Jusik had felt oncebefore, in the Temple. Before the war. He was amazed by the feeling,that four men bred to kill could feel this way. That anyonecould be at peace in this time of trial for the Republic. He supposedit was the temporary relief from combat, the fact that these cloneswere finally resting after a month of deployment. He could also sensetheir weariness. The long days of battle had taken their toll. In afew different ways. This squad had lost a brother, the Jedi remindedhimself. That feeling was present in a smaller quantity. Tracker wasworking as a good fourth man, despite the squad's previous loss.

Jusik shook the thoughts out of his head and tapped the door control.The door slid away, into the wall, and Jusik walked in, lightsaber onhis belt, datapad under his arm, and his robes flowing behind him.

Ajax was sitting on his bunk cleaning his DC-17m and all itsattachments, wearing nothing but his black bodysuit. "Afternoon,General. Anything you need?"

Even in this one sentence, Jusik could sense the anxiety andanticipation increase in the room. He was the bringer of missions, ofbad news, of new tasks. "HQ is asking you to go on anothermission."

Ka'rta groaned audibly. "Not again. We just got backyesterday. What could they need so soon?"

"I trust you heard about Omega Squad's mission to Qiilura tosabotage the FG36 virus project?"

The four commandos nodded an affirmative. Tracker was a bit hesitantin his nod, however.

"Is that the mongrel night ops squad?" the sniper wondered."Wasn't that their first mission as a squad?"

"Yes to both," Jusik confirmed. "They were separated, but foundGeneral Tur-Mukan, found each other, and completed the mission,capturing the scientist behind the weapon."

"We've heard the story," Ajax said. "What's that got to dowith our next mission?"

"Well, it would seem that an early prototype of the virus was keptby CIS command and is now in the hands of a Kaminoan geneticist, HaliKe. She was captured during the Battle of Kamino last year, and wastaken to Onderon. That's where we believe the Sep research facilityis.

"In its current form, the virus will kill anyone it comesinto contact with, even nonclones. We must not let it get into theenvironment, and we must prevent the genetic targeting of the virusto affect clones only. I shouldn't have to tell you how importantyour mission to destroy the virus and all related research is."

"You don't," Ajax confirmed. "We know how critical this missionis. If the Seps get a virus that kills only clones, our war effortwill be crippled. We'll get the job done, General. You can count onus."