Kamda

While the plan was in effect, there was much that needed to be discussed. The cloak was drawn over his large body, as he approached the camp that they had explained where he would be. His eyes narrowed as he entered. There was still nervousness. He at least could grab his weapon quickly if he needed. But something about their story had... it was causing much conflict in how he thought of them. Of everything.

"We need to talk."

Their camp was one made out of a small cave, covered by the sands and a tent set up within. Supports were set up, and as he approached one of the clones appeared from under a cloak in the sand and gave a short wave to show that he was welcome. Entering the camp the leader, dressed in his appropriate officers armor, sat at the head of a fire with some meat set over it as he spoke with his brothers about how the mission was gonna play out.

When Tranq arrived, all eyes were on him.

"Good morning," the leader said.

He grunted in response. "Good enough, I suppose. Even with how things are." He stepped into the cave, regarding the Clone. His eyes narrowed for a moment, as if assessing the situation, and if it was truly wise to have come alone. "You said something, the other day, that hasn't come away from my thoughts." He kept his tone low, questioning, though. This undid quite a bit of what he thought of them, of the Clones in general.

"That your brothers had a switch flipped. What makes you say that? How do you know?"

All of the men turned grave, but it was one of the others that he didn't quiet recognize the armor of but of course the face was the same except for his little differences he earned over the years. It was likely that he was the one in the other stormtrooper armor.

"How could we not know? We'd been sent on an Op to combat a Separatist plot to subvert the KSF in Kamda, attacking the city directly through it's subsystems. A last ditch effort by a failing army. When we returned our brothers were acting.. strange, hunting our commander. We'd served with her for years and she'd always gone out of her way to ensure our safety where she could. Yet, when we returned they informed us of new orders and some Jedi plot. We questioned it because it didn't make sense and they just.. they said we were in violation of some order, order 66 I think they called it? That we were traitors. Then they tried to kill us.. our own brothers we'd served with in some many conflicts, for so many years. We bled together. We honored deaths together. Yet.. they turned on us without a second thought.."

"Shouldn't you have had a switch flipped, too?" He asked, almost angry. How could a Clone suffer the same as him, as all the Jedi did? His lips curled to a sharp, harsh frown. "That damned war ruined everyone, destroyed the Republic. It branded the Jedi traitors!" He was angry, feeling the years of hiding, of living with fear and anger that clouded everything. "And you suffered just the same as the Jedi, when the clones turned on them! That doesn't make sense, you're all... the same, supposed to be the same!" The Karkarodon paced slightly, shaking his head.

Had he come for a fight, had he come to kill Clones and take in the Bounty for revenge? But the Empire had been the one that needed to be destroyed. These Clones... they suffered and were betrayed. "You all have the same face, all fought the same... how could you not have betrayed the Jedi and been condemned yourselves?"

"I'd like to know that as much as you, big guy," the leader of the group spoke now. "Why us? We thought long about it, talked about it, but we're certain that the Empire had to be behind it somehow. The Emperor," she shook his head. "However they did it.. some nights I wake with the terror that someday whatever happened to my brothers will just catch up with me. Go crazy, but.." he looked to his brothers, they'd all shared similar fears before, "together, always. We fight together."

"But you.." one of the other Clones said, looking to his brothers. Each exchanged a look, they understood. "Just who are you?"

The goggles were pulled up, as he contemplated rhe answer to that. How could he trust these Clones? How could he know that they wouldn't turn and Order 66, whatever it was called, would happen again.

Could this be an elaborate trap? The Empire was always hunting those who could use the Force.

What... what if it was the Force that brought him here? He swallowed hard, that nervousness there, masked by years of anger and pain.

"I was a Jedi. Barely a Padawan. When it happened." He looked to the lead Clone, sensing that same trauma.

"My name was Phroth Lissken. I was the student of Jedi Knight Scylla Kem."

"A.. A Jedi?" he said, "Now it's my turn not to believe," the leader said, chuckling. All the other clones approached closer.

"How likely is that?" one of the troopers said, on his neck there was a tattoo of a scorpion. "Clones and a Jedi on Kamda? When the whole rest of the Galaxy lays empty of any of us anymore.. at least, never seen a Clone in that trooper armor."

"What do you think Jedi? What does this mean?" another asked, his left eyebrow was scorched off.

"I never got my trials. There was no knighting ceremony. I'm hardly a Jedi. I don't even have my lightsaber. It, everything about that life, was lost on Dac." He shook his head, taking two steps back, instinct to reach for the spear at his back. Seeing so many Clones again, closing in on him, his breathing quickened. His eyes darted from each one, and then a quick glance at the exit.

Trust in the Force... Feel it... Trust It... He could almost hear Master Scylla in his ear, as he took several deep breaths. Fingers relaxed, as he stopped stepping back, trying to focus on the moment.

"I don't know what it means. All I know is... there's something happening. Fires have started, people are wanting to fight back. Not everyone wants the security of peace, with the sacrifice of freedom. But I don't even want that." He turned again, looking out to the world. "I want to hurt them. I want revenge. For what they did to the Jedi, to me... to us. And I hate it. Hate that all I want to do is make the Empire bleed. But I feel it, like I need air to breathe."

"Look," the leader said, stepping forward calmly, slowly, "I'm not Jedi but.. I've served with some of the finest beings I've ever met under our Jedi. They would have never stood for this Empire either so maybe.." he thought, picked for the right words, "Maybe that need to hurt the Empire isn't so bad? I mean.. it's just the Empire, right? It's not really a person, a people, or even like.. alive. It's just a construction, like a machine with no other focus than to use people, and at the top some rather dark and insidious beings."

"Empire used us all, you.. my brothers, us.. and even innocents across the galaxy.. so, maybe it's not so bad that you're feeling the need to make the Empire hurt? Don't think any Jedi would.. not from my experience."

"A Jedi would care about justice, about easing suffering. That's not what motivates me." He shook his head. "I want to see stormtroopers bleed, I want to see the Emperor suffer before meeting his final fate. I want fire to sweep over the Galaxy and burn away everything the Empire stands for, and everyone who supports it to burn with it." The anger raised in his voice, as his fists clenched. "I want revenge. That's not the Jedi way... their way died with the order and the temple and my childhood in a war that shouldn't have happened. The Dark Side clouded... clouds... everything."

His teeth bared, too sharp, too numerous for most being. "So much for our noble order."

They all looked rather grim, again it was the leader who spoke first, "I, for one, still believe in the Jedi."

"Everything else considered.. I don't think it's wrong to feel the way you do but I still believe in the good you, and those like you, are capable of. Some of the finest warriors I know we're Jedi, but they were compassionate too. Without our Jedi.. I wouldn't know who we would be. We were changed by their presence. For the better. So, I wouldn't lose sight of that, that ability to hold compassion for things."

"Dangerous thing to believe in. But then again, it's dangerous times to just exist. Dark and terrible times." He responded, shoulders slumping for a moment, then standing taller, looking to the leader. "What are your names? Not your numbers, what did you call each other? I can't just call you Clones a, b, and c now, can I?" He chuckled somewhat trying to bring some levity into the mood.

"It's been awhile since I've thought I am capable of compassion."

Captain Tux nodded, "I'm Cap to this lot, Captain or Commander Tux.. though, I suppose it's just Tux now though. Next up," he indicated the trooper with the scorpion tattoo done in blue ink, "This here is Stinger, helluva soldier. Close quarters specialist and a nightmare for the clankers back in the day."

"Next up is a man you've met before personally, though you didn't realize you were hunting us, this here is Lucky," he indicated the trooper in the Arc Clone Armor. "Can always count on him when the going gets tough. Tomorrow, when you bring me in with your team, he'll be the one calling the shots out here."

"We trust him," one of the others spoke up. Tux took over, "That there is Rox. Heavy weapons specialist. Ever get a door stuck? He's your man," he said with a grin, the other troopers chuckled.

"Finally, we got Lady Killer, we all call him Lad or Lad-ee for short," he said, smiling he looked to Lad, "Wanna tell him why, trooper?"

"I'd really rather not, sir," Lad replied.

"Trooper," he said, teasing, "report," he said.

"CT-6969, reporting for duty, sir," he said, drawn out and fed up with it.

All the others got a nice little chuckle.

Even as battle hardened, as trauma inflicted as Tranq was... he had to laugh. "That's rough, buddy." He clapped Lad on the shoulder, still chuckling slightly. "Lad. Rox. Lucky. Captain Tux." He looked over each of the Clones for a long while, committing their slight differences to memory. "I'm... glad I took this job. To come to this, to learn. That maybe... others might be like you."

And not like the ones that attacked Master Scylla and I. The Karkarodon hesitated for a moment, then extended a hand to Tux, offering it. "I'm sorry for... being distrustful."

Stinger punched, lightly, Tranq's shoulder, "Hey! Don't forget about me big guy!" he laughed.

Tux clapped his hand into Tranq's, "No need, I.. I understand more than I would like. We've both experienced a nightmare we never thought we'd wake from. Still in it, far as I'm concerned but.. it does bring me back a bit of hope to see a Jedi again. If I'm to be honest," he said, a smile.

Tranq grinned, and clapped Stinger on the back. "Absolutely couldn't, Stinger." There was a grim smile as he looked back to Tux. "I don't know if I can even say I'm a Jedi. My own journey on that path was cut short. And now with so few of us, it's hard to even say what a Jedi is." He nodded, pondering for a moment. "Hope... seems like such a hard thing to find in these times. Barely an ember of it."

"Guess it's all a matter of what you and yours choose to define it as, even if that's just you now," he said, before shifting, looking to all his brothers. "When we fought with Master Allusis her padawan asked something like that once. How could we find hope in a war like the one we'd found ourselves in. Don't think the answer is much different now than it was then. Find it in the people around you. The every day. Every smile and every laugh," he smiled, looking at his brothers. "We've kept ours alive in each-other, maybe it's not bright, but it burns. Every day we fight for ourselves for a little more, a little better."

"Master Allusis was a hell of a woman. Good Jedi, good commander, greatest teacher I've ever known. Not sure we'd have pulled through some of our darkest times without the lessons she taught us while serving her," he said, honest and true.