SWRC: Too Soon... (Book 3)

Chapter 27 Senator Organa.

After the mysterious call from Senator Bail Organa, Neeran, Zach, Chopper and Sigrid had responded to the call, the rest of the crews having stayed aboard the ship in case something went wrong.

"Who are you?" asked Neeran. "How do you know so much about my crew and I?"
"It's been my mission to track down information on all rebel groups opposing the Empire, to help form a larger and more organised rebellion against the Empire," replied Senator Bail Organa.

"Aren't you part of the Imperial Senate?" asked Sigrid.
"It is just as corrupt as the Republic in its final days," replied Bail.
"Ah," sighed Neeran. "That pretty much describes all of politics anywhere."

Bail didn't reply to Neeran's statement about governments but continued with explaining to them about the resistance.

"We're forming this mostly from Outer Rim groups, like yourselves and another Lothal staged group, the crew of the Ghost. There are small pockets like those all across the Outer Rim and we've been trying to unite them to get this resistance going, only finding staging areas and keeping supplies up has always been a problem-"

"Organa, was it?" asked Neeran, raising an eyebrow. Bail was slightly taken aback at Neeran's interruption but nodded his head and Neeran continued.
"Why would you bring me, my team, my crew and, most importantly, my family into this?"

Bail seemed stumped with answering her question for a moment and, before he could say anything otherwise, Neeran had continued talking.
"I've noticed that that collection over there keep looking at me suspiciously," continued Neeran. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're from the Mid Rim? More specifically, close to Gorse."

The gathered members of the resistance seemed surprised that Neeran had picked exactly where they were from.

Except for the man known as Commander Sato.

He knew he'd recognised Neeran from somewhere else but couldn't quite put where.
"Did you ever go to Mykapo in the Clone Wars?" asked Commander Sato, carefully.

Neeran's gaze snapped over to Sato and said, "No."
Suspicion seeped into her mind and she cautiously asked, "Why?"

"You weren't a commander in the Clone Wars were you," started Neeran before realisation hit her and her voice slowly trailed off to the end of the statement before placing her head in her hands. "Oh no."
"Was I on Mykapo in the Clone Wars?" asked Neeran, peering at Sato through her fingers.
"There was a Jedi exactly like you with a company of clone troopers."

"Who was the captain?" asked Neeran not removing her hand.
"He said his code was C.T-4956, but said that we should call him Tye," replied Sato.
"Yep," grimaced Neeran finally raising her head. "That was me and not me at the same time."

"There was a Kaminoan initiative to recreate clones with Jedi capabilities so that if a Jedi was killed in the war they could be revived as a clone," explained Neeran. "Originally, we though that there were only 6; me, Zach, our Master Jax, his younger twin brother, younger sister and his brothers Padawan. Up until recently, we believed that only 2-3 of these clones were still alive; two having been killed in the Clone Wars and the other by myself."

Everyone seemed to relax until Neeran continued.
"However, a recent mission of ours on Gorse confirmed that there were more than those 6. There are in fact 12 now known ones. Or were as only our Masters clone is still alive."

"You're sure that they're dead?" asked Commander Sato. "It could prove a major security problem if these clones were to be mistaken as you."
"I understand your concern for security Commander Sato, but trust me, they're dead," said Neeran as she placed her hand upon the round terminal desk before them and Theta pulled up the optics from when they'd leapt off the building and the A.I implants had miscalculated the jump. The sounds and visuals of the explosions could be seen by all in the room until Neeran pulled her hand away and Theta's projection vanished.

"Even we couldn't have survived ground zero in that explosion."
"But still," started Chopper. "Why would you want us in this Rebellion? If anything, I'd say we're more likely to be harbingers of misfortune to this resistance than be of any assistance to it."

"You're captain-"
"Mother," corrected Neeran, not wanting or needing Chopper to snap back into his buried soldier mode. "I'm his mother, not his captain."
"My apologies," said Bail. "You're mother is a very experienced and talented military leader from her years in the field. I know that much to be true from the records within the Jedi Temple."
"Then you'd also know from those records as to why I refuse to take part in open conflicts," said Neeran. "Nearly 26,000 years of war does things to you."

The shocked looks on the faces of the others assembled told Neeran that not all knew the information.
"You never told them?"
Bail shook his head and Neeran addressed the assembled rebels.
"You may think that 26,000 years is a long time but I only age once ever 1,000 years so, by my time standards, I've been fighting for almost the last 26 years of my life. Hence why I can know things many people can't even dream of."

"I know about Neeran's military past, like she knows of mine," said Chopper. "I can also understand why that knowledge could and would be important to this Rebellion. I am a former soldier as well after all. I have been a soldier since I was barely 4 months old under the Black Sun Corporation until Neeran rescued me when I was around 7 years old. But why bring us in now? You've been fighting this resistance against the Empire since I was 5 years old, why seek out the Zaneshi family now after combating the Empire for almost 14 years alone?"

"Because of her knowledge of the universe," said Bail, slightly disturbed by the amount of military knowledge, combat and horrors the young boy of 19 years, almost 20, standing before him. He believed that he now understood why the boy didn't have a real name and was just referred to as Chopper.

"Neeran knows many things about this universe that no one else could ever have found."
"And I don't plan on sharing that knowledge with just anyone either."
"The fragmented cells that make up the Rebellion cannot function as they are currently," said Bail. "Aside from being almost too divided, the lack of supplies; food, weapons, ammunition, are all playing a major role in destroying this Rebellion before it even really begins."

" 'United we stand' ," began quoting Neeran. " 'Divided we fall' ."

"An ancient proverb from long ago in places forgotten by time," said Neeran. "Just like me."

"Will you consider joining us?"

"I'll need some time to think about this and consult the rest of my family," said Neeran after a pause as she turned and left with Zach, Sigrid and Chopper following after her off the ship and back to the Spectre.