Private War-Mantle

[Marlon Sularen]

W A R-M A N T L E

DARK EMPIRE
KAMINO, WILD SPACE

​

Kamino. A world known for it's prestigious cloning facilities, which at one point in history were a critical component in the war effort of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars before being unceremoniously discarded by the newly formed Empire who seized their cloning technology and destroyed the planet's cloning facilities. Now hundreds of years later, those facilities have been rebuilt and now open for business with the rest of the galaxy. In the wake of his liberation from captivity within the Corellian system by the terrorist group known as the Forgotten Sons, Marlon Sularen had been made aware of the Kaminoan Scientist Kama Nu and his interest to work with the Dark Empire. Well aware of Kamino's expertise in cloning and recognizing the Dark Empire's need for more manpower in order strengthen it's military for the coming Core Wars, the Imperial Warlord would move to seek out the Kaminoan in the hopes of officially bringing him into the fold of the Dark Empire.

Thus, the Warlord of the Empire would soon set out to Kamino, where Kama Nu was said to be in the process of building a new cloning facility for his future projects. Soon enough, the Warlord of the Empire would arrive at Kamino onboard one of his alternative flagships, the INV Tyuk with his shuttle soon emerging from it's ventral hangar and moving towards the surface of the planet, where it would soon come to rest within one of the many landing pads scattered throughout the cloning facility. As he emerged from the shuttle, flanked by SpecNav Commandos he would make his way inside the cloning facility where he would seek out Kama Nu, ready to begin to discuss the future of Kaminoan Engineering's relationship with the Empire.

Tags | Kama Nu ​

 

[Kama Nu]

Location: Tipoca City, Kamino
Tags: Marlon Sularen

Through the large ovular viewport in his office, Doctor Kama Nu watched the stormy Kaminoan horizon with interest. Dark clouds roiled above never-ending ocean waves, shedding perpetual rains as they swirled overhead. Through them, in the distance, the slender alien spotted the silhouette of an Imperial shuttle cutting through the storm, highlighted by jagged lightning strikes. Marlon Sularen of the Dark Empire had been given clearance well in advance and would be permitted to land freely on one of the cloning facility's private docks.

Kama blinked slowly, turning from the glassteel portal and making his way through the sterile halls toward the main elevator hub. Here, he met with a pair of agents, members of the recently minted Kaminoan Special Tasks Group - a precaution he took anytime an exchange took place between the people of Kamino and an enterprise that their benefactor, the Confederacy, might deem... inappropriate.

With the helmeted operatives on his flank, Kama proceeded to the lower levels of the facility to greet the Grand Admiral personally. He offered Sularen a respectful bow as the human entered the reception area, taking note of the man's similar approach to first-time meetings with potential partners.

"Welcome to Kamino, Grand Admiral Sularen," Kama said melodically. His voice was even and calm, slow and precise. "I trust that you did not face any hardships from the Confederacy during your travels. They are growing rather considerably as of late, and I feared they might express their grievances with the Empire should they discover you." The new Confederates had made it abundantly clear, even in their short tenure on the galactic stage, that they had no tolerance for Imperial states or fascist regimes. Their despisal of the Empire of the Lost had brought Kamino's friendly cloning program with them to a grinding halt, and fear of discovery had resulted in Dr. Nu going to great lengths to ensure today's meeting went unnoticed.

He hoped that Admiral Sularen was equally mindful of the delicate political climate in which Kamino found itself.

"We are eager to show you the facility," the Kaminoan said with a graceful nod. He waved to gesture for the admiral to walk alongside him as they toured. "I think you will be quite pleased with our operation."

 

[Marlon Sularen]

W A R-M A N T L E

DARK EMPIRE
KAMINO, WILD SPACE

As Sularen and his escort arrived at the recreational facility, they were soon greeted by Kama Nu who offered a bow as he welcomed the Grand Admiral to his laboratory. As the Kaminoan Scientist continued speaking he briefly mentioned the Confederacy and how they had some sort of "grievances" with the Empire. This was new to Sularen, whose only information regarding the Confederacy was the fact that they were based on Rothana and were opposed to the Sith Order who roamed that area of the Outer Rim in their campaign to wage war against the Galactic Alliance. Nevertheless the Grand Admiral kept a mental note of that information, especially if he were to conduct further business in this area of the galaxy in the near-future.

Once Kama Nu finished speaking, Sularen offered a response speaking in a cordial and professional tone. "I do look forward to seeing the rest of the facility. I've read a lot about Kamino's quality cloning facilities and am eager to witness there true scope of Kaminoan science and engineering." Sularen said, pausing before speaking up once more. "While i am aware of this new iteration of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, i am quite unfamiliar with their stances or their policies, having only recently learned of their establishment. I was unaware of their hostility to the Empire, which might be a concern considering i have a Battlecruiser parked above this planet." he explained.

"I suppose given the circumstances of the political climate i should send the call for my flagship in orbit to be relocated elsewhere to avoid any unnecessary complications, yes?"

Tags | Kama Nu ​

 

[Kama Nu]

Location: Tipoca City, Kamino
Tags: Marlon Sularen

Kama's head moved slowly atop his elongated neck, tilting it apologetically as he realized his inaccurate verbiage. "'Hostility' is not quite what the Confederacy feels toward the Empire," he said. "It is rather a general distaste for... autocratic systems of governance." Dr. Kama was quite succinct with his wording, something he hoped the Grade Admiral would appreciate rather than take offense to. There were, after all, only so many synonyms for fascism.

"To my knowledge, their displeasure with your Empire does not preclude me from conducting business as a private citizen - this is, after all, a private cloning facility." Unlike the Dark Empire and its recent economic decree, the Confederacy had not yet made moves to nationalize Kamino's clone production. Unless he was sorely mistaken, this project with Sularen crossed no boundaries in the Confederate Parliament... assuming, of course, that the Empire did not use their clones for acts directed against the Confederacy.

That would be inexcusable.

"There is no need," Kama said kindly regarding the Admiral's offer to relocate. "I suspect that if your presence were truly offensive, I would not be standing here to show you through my laboratory." If Sularen had no further questions, Kama would lead him and their combined security teams deeper into the Kama Nu Clone Works. Undoubtedly, the Grand Admiral was aware that a portion of the funding for the facility was benefacted by the Dark Empire, among other private factions and enterprises in the galaxy. The Imperials owned no stake of the labs, of course, but Kama was always eager to back his gratitude with results.

He gestured to the right as they traveled through a tubular transparisteel corridor. Through the glass, below and beyond, was an impressive array of cloning technology. Massive circular platforms stored hundreds of embryos in various stages of development, all suspended in an icy blue liquid. Mechanical arms grabbed a few from their receptacles and transferred them between stations. Kama almost seemed to smile at the sight.

"The Imperial batch is progressing well," Dr. Nu said with pride. "This group will be ready for training simulations in less than a year."

 

[Marlon Sularen]

W A R-M A N T L E

DARK EMPIRE
KAMINO, WILD SPACE

Sularen nodded as Kama Nu spoke, reiterating that the Confederacy simply had a distaste for more authoritarian systems of governance. It was their right to be wary of the Empire, although Sularen remained concerned that the Confederacy's animosity towards the Empire might create a conflict of interest in Kamino especially if they got word of the presence of an Imperial warship in the vicinity. Even though Kama Nu was a reasonable man, and saw no need to remove his flagship from orbit, the Confederacy might not be willing to engage in open discourse and diplomacy as much as Kama Nu was which could potentially be a larger problem further down the road.

Eventually, both Sularen and Kama Nu would arrive in a tube-shaped transparisteel corridor where beyond the glass a vast array of cloning technology with massive circular platforms storing hundreds of embryos in various stages of development. A new clone army that would soon bolster the strength of the Imperial Military in it's upcoming struggles against the Galactic Alliance and the rouge megacorporations of the galaxy. Although given the situation regarding Kamino, the Grand Admiral still had alot of concerns regarding the security of this particular project.

"How much long will it take until the first batch is ready?"

Tags | Kama Nu ​

 

[Kama Nu]

Location: Tipoca City, Kamino
Tags: Marlon Sularen

"Six months," Kama stated, blinking thoughtfully. There were many advancements in the art of cloning since the days of the late Republic, but even still, it took roughly ten years to grow a specimen from tube to battlefield. Experimental batches could be accelerated even further -only five years of development time- but the biological and mental ramifications of such unnatural speeds were yet to be determined.

It was typical practice for batches of embryos to be developed in a cascade system, wherein large batches were staggered to spread out their deliveries. This created a product that could be dispersed over time, allowing for garrisons to be established and subsequently replaced should the clones fall in combat.

Kama regarded Sularen with eagerness. "Would you like to observe a combat simulation? The initial batch has just begun their first series of tests. I believe they are performing a search-and-rescue simulation today."

 

[Marlon Sularen]

W A R-M A N T L E

DARK EMPIRE
KAMINO, WILD SPACE

At least Sularen wouldn't have to wait too long for the first batch of clones to be delivered. The Imperial Warlord was well aware of the extensive process of cloning and how much time it often took just to produce a single batch of clones, and that trying to cut down the process would produce less then desirable results, which the Warlord was familiar with given his experience with the crude cloning methods of the Brotherhood of the Maw during the days of the Second Great Hyperspace War. The Maw had made use of insane clone legions known as the Moon Children which only took two weeks to develop, although they were merely half-dead zombies utilized for human wave assaults against the Maw's enemies, no were near as effective as the regular clones made by Kamino.

Then Kama Nu proceeded to invite the Warlord to a combat simulation as it would appear that the first batch of clones had just begun their first series of tests, a perfect opportunity to see how effective the clones could be in combat to determine their usefulness to the Empire. Even though Sularen could not immediately make use of them, at least he could count on them as an effective and reliable asset once they would be ready to be deployed in his future campaigns against the Galactic Alliance. "I would be most interested in observing these combat simulations. I am quite eager to witness the capabilities of the clones firsthand." the Warlord responded.

Tags | Kama Nu ​

 

[Kama Nu]

Location: Tipoca City, Kamino
Tags: Marlon Sularen

Thankfully, Admiral Sularen found the timeframe of his product's growth acceptable. With a slight smile, Kama nodded and gestured for his guest to follow him deeper into the facility. As they walked, he hoped to learn more of the Dark Empire's plans for these clones - a line of inquiry that may be registered as an infringement of Kaminoan Engineering's no-questions-asked policy, but the Prime Minister was much less interested in selling military secrets than he was in learning where his prized batch of soldiers might be serving. Kama Nu doted on his more advanced, unique products as if they were a legion of his own kin; there was great pride to learn of their successes, and even sorrow in their defeat.

"Forgive my presumptions, Grand Admiral, but I believe these clones will see combat against the Galactic Alliance, yes?" Of course, he knew the answer. "How exhilarating!"

Kama regarded his clones as some of the best in galaxy. He was eager to learn of their exploits as agents of the Empire against a nation who likewise believed their Defense Force to be unmatched. As important as tradition was to the Kaminoans, breaking the cycle of complacency was just as invigorating. "I look forward to hearing of their successes," Kama said, hoping Sularen would be amiable to sharing them with Kaminoan Engineering.

Soon, the pair arrived in the wing of the clone works where combat simulations were administered and assessed. A small team of Kaminoans were already at work in one of the control booths when Kama led the Admiral inside. Three scientists and a human male presided over the semicircular terminal. "These are my top simulation proctors," the Prime Minister said, waving gracefully as they bowed. "And this," he went on, black orbs fixed on the human now, "is Darren Vaxx. He is our lead combat instructor, and the progenitor of the Empire's clones. This is the face of your troopers."

The man took a step forward, hand extended for a shake with Sularen. "It's a pleasure, Grand Admiral," Darren said. Undoubtedly, Sularen and his Imperial compatriots were familiar with the genetic template dossier, but Kama proceeded to reaffirm the information for the sake of comprehensiveness. "Darren Vaxx is a bounty hunter from Ord Cantrell. He is quite skilled in a variety of tasks-"

"I kill Jedi," Vaxx interjected with a coy smile. Kama's face remained placid, but the Kaminoan clearly wasn't used to such brazen company. "Yes. His repertoire of abilities and combat prowess is quite impressive. More than suitable for the Dark Empire."

 

[Marlon Sularen]

W A R-M A N T L E

DARK EMPIRE
KAMINO, WILD SPACE

As Sularen and Kama Nu continued to walk through the clone works, the Kaminoan Scientist would further inquire on whether these Clones would see action against the Galactic Alliance. While anyone would simply answer and pay no attention to this inquiry, Sularen was different. It was rather a bit out of place for the Scientist to inquire on how the clones would be used, after all when conducting business most people usually cared only about the quality of the product and the profit to be made from making the product. But then again it could be a cultural thing, maybe the Kaminoans would find great pride in knowing their creation was able to give some trouble to the most powerful military in the galaxy.

"Not only the Galactic Alliance but the enemies of the Empire in general whether they be rival Imperials or defiant corporations." Sularen said. It was an honest response although he was still certain that there was a motive and intent behind that specific question. Nevertheless, the two men would continue to push forward soon arriving in the wing of the clone works where combat simulations were administered and assessed. As the Kaminoan Scientist led by the Imperial Warlord inside the wing, they would be greeted by a trio of Kaminoan scientists and a Human male with Kama Nu introducing the Scientists as his top simulation proctors and the Human as Darren Vaxx, his lead combat instructor and the genetic template for Sularen's clones.

As Darren Vaxx introduced himself to Sularen he extended his hand for a handshake which Sularen obliged, extending his hand to shake Vaxx's hand as Kama Nu further explained Darren Vaxx's specialty in killing Jedi and spoke highly of his abilities and combat prowess. "Most impressive. Mr. Nu" Sularen remarked. "Although i'm a firm believer that actions speak louder then words. I'd like to see how effective these clones are in these combat simulations first before coming to conclusions." Even though Vaxx claimed he specialized in killing Jedi, Sularen had seen Jedi easily dispatch Imperial Special Forces in combat before. Whether these clones could even fare well against the Jedi had yet to be seen and could only be tested first hand in combat against the Jedi in future battles, although hopefully this combat simulation could give Sularen some insight on how effective the clones could be against Jedi.

Tags | Kama Nu ​

 

[Kama Nu]

Location: Tipoca City, Kamino
Tags: Marlon Sularen

Kama expected that centuries of Kaminoan genetics programs would speak for themselves, but he accepted the Grand Admiral's skepticism. A special breed of clone commandos that not only could field the Dark Empire's special forces but also stand toe-to-toe with the Jedi Order was a tall order and a tougher sell.

"Very well," Kama said respectfully. There was an eagerness in the Kaminoan's voice. He turned to the trio of test administrators and nodded. "Run simulation 44-B." Kama's directive made Vaxx smirk. The scientists tapped a variety of buttons on the command console, and within moments, the beginnings of an advanced combat scenario began to unfold below them. Kama invited Sularen to approach the raise viewing deck near the front of the room to get a clear view at his future commandos.

The simulation chamber had been transformed into a geometric, sterile course inspired by what appeared to be the Coruscant Jedi temple. If asked, Kama Nu would confirm such an observation. Kamino's proximity to the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars had yielded a great many liberties and insights that would serve the Kaminoans well all these centuries later.

Below, in the corridors, a team of six identical troopers were moving swiftly in a tactical formation. Already, two training droids lay lifeless in their wake. A flurry of blue stun lasers from their training rifles dropped another two as they pushed deeper inside. "Their goal is to locate the archives," Kama explained. "They've nearly perfected simulation 44-A. This permutation has been created to give them an unexpected obstacle: a pair of Jedi." As he said it, two identical PROXY droids stepped from the shadows into the central chamber. Their gaunt metal frames shimmered as a shroud of colored enveloped them, changing their appearance -and weaponry- into the likeness of a Zabrak Master and Twi'lek Padawan.

"To complete their mission directive, the team must extract a holocron from the central chamber and exfil without suffering casualties. They will be forced to eliminate the Jedi to complete their mission." The Prime Minister turned his head slowly to face Admiral Sularen. "This will be a first for both of us," he said. The clones had completed this mission before, only facing a team of Alliance Senate guards in lieu of Jedi. Kama hoped, for both their sakes, that the team would excel against such a powerful duo.

 

[Marlon Sularen]

W A R-M A N T L E

DARK EMPIRE
KAMINO, WILD SPACE

In response to his skepticism, Kama Nu instructed his scientists to immediately run a new combat simulation most likely to prove the combat efficiency of the clones. As the simulation chamber began to transform with Kama Nu moving forth to invite the Imperial Warlord to join him on the observation deck. As Sularen observed the chamber, he would come to notice at how it began to transform into a replica of the Coruscant Jedi Temple which he recognized considering at how the Empire had built it's own replica of the Jedi Temple during it's preparations for their Invasion of Coruscant which had ultimately ended in failure.

With his bands now clasped behind his back, the Warlord of the Empire watched as a team of six identical troopers came in view moving into tactical formation already engaging tactical droids and moving further within the structure. As Sularen observed the combat simulation, Kama Nu gave a further explanation of the scenario, in which the team of clones needed to locate the archives, extract a holocron from the central chambers and withdraw all without suffering any casualties while also facing a pair of Jedi.

As Kama Nu spoke, two PROXY Droids came into view and changed their appearance and weapons to the likeness of a Zabrak Jedi Master and a Twi'lek Padawan with the clones preparing to engage them. While observing the situation unfold Sularen looked at Kama Nu and asked him a simple question regarding the PROXY Droids. "Are those Droids able to fully replicate the Jedi's Force Abilities?" A simple inquiry really, but if these Clones were to be considered as an effective Anti-Jedi fighting force, then they would need to be able to overcome whatever the Jedi threw at them which included any force-based attacks.

Tags | Kama Nu ​