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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐘

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Aurora and Obi-Wan soon found themselves leaving hyperspace, arriving at the lost planet Kamino. The Jinn woman was surprised by how clouded the atmosphere appeared to be, causing a wave of uncertainty to wash over her. She would be the first to admit she had never been the best when it came to landings. One time it even came to the point that they had to clear the landing zone for her. Aurora had improved over the years, but it never went as smoothly as anyone would've liked. And by the looks of Kamino's atmosphere, the brunette woman knew this time wouldn't be any different.

It wasn't long before Obi-Wan's voice came over the comms, drawing Aurora out of her train of thought. "There it is, Aurora, right where it should be. Our missing planet Kamino."

Before the Jinn woman could respond, the Kenobi man began flying toward Kamino. Aurora couldn't help but let out a long sigh and started her descent. "Nice and easy, R10. Let's try to make it to the surface without breaking anything."

To the Jinn woman's dismay, her ship began shaking as soon as they entered Kamino's atmosphere. Thunder sounded from somewhere around her as raindrops slammed against her window. The fear within Aurora did nothing but grow, especially because she lost sight of Obi-Wan's ship. What felt like an eternity passed before she finally broke through the never ending clouds, revealing the ocean covering the entire surface of Kamino. Raindrops continued to pound against her windshield as her eyes scanned the world around her. It wasn't long before she spotted the faint lights of the Kenobi man's ship, causing her to change her course.

A shaky breath passed over Aurora's lips when they arrived at a building sitting in the middle of the ocean. Her arms felt like jello as she hovered over the landing platform, wanting nothing more than to land her ship perfectly in front of Obi-Wan. To her surprise, she did. After powering down her ship, Aurora pulled her hood over her head and joined the Kenobi man on the landing platform. It didn't take long for them to get soaked from head to toe as they made their way toward the building's entrance. The door opened right away, allowing them to enter and get out of the disastrous weather.

"Welcome Jedi," a female voice called out, drawing their attention toward the source of the sound to find a very tall Kaminoan approaching them, "the Prime Minister is expecting you."

Her words instantly caused Aurora and Obi-Wan to share a confused look before their attention returned to the woman in front of them. "We're expected?"

"Of course. He is anxious to meet you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now, please, this way."

The Jedi couldn't help but exchange another look, unsure about their current situation. But despite their uncertainty, they began following the Kaminoan with both of them on very high alert. Silence surrounded them as they walked down numerous white halls that all looked the same. That only made Aurora more on edge, knowing that it would be hard to escape if they needed to. It wasn't long before they were taken to a large room with a single Kaminoan sitting in the center. He studied Aurora and Obi-Wan as they approached him before getting to his feet.

"May I present Lama Su, Prime Minister of Kamino," Taun We introduced after she and the Jedi stopped in front of the head Kaminoan. Obi-Wan and Aurora didn't hesitate to bow a greeting to the Prime Minister, a gesture he instantly returned. It wasn't long after that when Taun We continued speaking. "And this is Master Jedi..."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," the redheaded man announced before gesturing to the woman standing beside him, "and this is my associate, Aurora Jinn."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the Jinn woman said with a small smile on her face.

"I trust you're going to enjoy your stay," Lama Su responded before two chairs came down from the ceiling until they were a few feet off the floor. The Prime Minister gestured for the Jedi to have a seat, causing them to sit down in the chairs. Once Lama Su was settled in his own seat, he continued speaking. "And now to business. You will be delighted to hear that we are on schedule. 200,000 units are ready, with a million more well on the way."

A wave of confusion washed over Aurora as she glanced over at Obi-Wan, curious if he knew what Lama Su was talking about. After all, he was a higher ranking than she was and was sure to know more Jedi business than she did. But she was simply greeted by a lost look on the Kenobi Man's face.

"That's good news," Obi-Wan responded as he looked between Lama Su and Taun We.

"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that his order will be met on time," the Prime Minister said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"I'm sorry. Master-"

"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas is still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?"

"Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago," Obi-Wan announced while Aurora continued to study the Kaminoan sitting in front of them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Lama Su responded while looking down at the floor. That only lasted for a moment before he looked back up at the Jedi. "But I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've built for him."

Shocked mixed with the confusion flowing through her veins as her full attention settled on the Prime Minister. "Army?"

"Yes. A clone army, and I must say, one of the finest we've ever created," Lama Su declared, the pride returning to his voice as he spoke of their innovations.

"Tell me, Prime Minister, when my master first contacted you about the army, did he say who it was for?" Obi-Wan questioned while Aurora sat in silence, taking in all the information being given to them.

"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic," Lama Su stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "but you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself."

The Jinn woman couldn't help but glance over at the man next to her, only to find him already staring back at her with uncertainty in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when Aurora turned her attention back to the Kaminoan Prime Minister and opened her mouth to speak. "That is why we're here."

Neither of the Jedi said a word as they followed the Kaminoans out of the room. A million thoughts bounced around in Aurora's head as they were led down yet another white hallway. Everything looked the same to her, which made her feel on edge. It wasn't long before they came to a glass door that led to a very different-looking hallway. Instead of the countless white walls, this hallway was made almost entirely out of glass. The only exception was the floor, which was made of steel. 

They barely made it into the glass hallway when a wave of shock washed over Aurora. She knew that Lama Su told them that they were building a clone army, but she didn't expect what she saw. The room around them seemed endless. On either side of them were thousands of glass domes that contained what appeared to be humans in different stages of life.

"Very impressive," Obi-Wan announced, snapping Aurora out of her trance.

"I'd hoped you would be pleased. Clones can think creatively. You will find that they are immensely superior to droids," Lama Su responded while looking around at his creations with pride in his eyes. They continued walking down the hall until the number of containers began to decrease. It wasn't long before they arrived at the next section of the room, which housed the learning centers for the clones. "We take great pride in our combat education and training programs. This group was created about five years ago."

"You mentioned growth acceleration," the Jinn woman said while keeping her eyes glued to the hundreds of children sitting at the computers below.

"Oh, yes, it's essential. Otherwise a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now we can do it in half the time," the Kaminoan Prime Minister told them. They watched the young clone for another moment before continuing down the hallway, where they found older clones sitting down for a meal. "They are totally obedient, taking any order without question. We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host."

"And who was the original host?" the Kenobi man asked as he and Aurora continued to observe the clones below them.

"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett," Lama Su answered, causing Obi-Wan to exchange a concerned glance with the Jinn woman.

They soon looked back over at the Kaminoan Prime Minister before Obi-Wan asked the question bouncing around in both of their heads. "And where is this bounty hunter now?"

"Oh, we keep him here," Lama Su told them after glancing down at the Jedi duo as they continued down the hallway.

It wasn't long before they arrived at a section that housed fully grown clones dressed in their armor. Aurora couldn't take her eyes off the window as hundreds of clones stood in a line, waiting for their turn to grab what they needed. To say that she was impressed was an understatement, but the Jinn woman was also nervous. There was something about how this was kept a secret from the Jedi that she didn't like. It felt like there was something else going on. After all, why would one person from the Jedi Council be the only one to know about this?

But Aurora's thoughts were soon put on hold when the Kaminoan Prime Minister began speaking once again. "Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing: an unaltered clone for himself. Curious, isn't it? Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile and no growth acceleration."

"If it's alright with you, we would like to meet Jango Fett," the Jinn woman told the Kaminoans while Obi-Wan stopped to observe the clones standing below them.

"I would be very happy to arrange it for you," Taun We responded with a smile and the same pride in her voice as Lama Su.

It wasn't long before they reached the end of the hallway. Not even a second after that passed when another set of doors slid open, revealing a small balcony on the other side. Aurora's uncertainty soon returned after they stepped out onto the platform. Below them were clones marching together in formation as they loaded themselves onto ships. Thousands of them were preparing for what came next, no matter what that would be. And even though the clones were created to help them, there was a small part of Aurora that knew this was much more than what the Jedi expected.

They stood on that balcony for what felt like an eternity, no one saying a word as they continued to watch the clone army. That was until the two Kaminoans stepped back inside, giving Aurora and Obi-Wan their first moment alone since they arrived. And the Jinn woman wasn't going to let that moment go to waste.

"I don't like this," Aurora whispered just loud enough for the Kenobi man to hear.

"Let's wait and meet Jango Fett before jumping to any conclusions," Obi-Wan responded without taking his eyes off the clones below them, "this may just be something known by those with a higher ranking than you and I."

"Master Yoda didn't seem to know anything and he would've told us something if he knew, even if it wasn't everything," the Jinn woman retaliated, only to be greeted by silence from the man standing next to her. But by the look on his face, Aurora knew Obi-Wan was already thinking that even if he didn't make it known to her.

Before their conversation could continue, Lama Su and Taun We rejoined them on the balcony and announced they were to meet Jango Fett. But even though they couldn't finish their conversation, Aurora knew she and Obi-Wan were thinking the same thing by the look on his face.

Something was definitely wrong.

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