One Year Earlier, Jango Fett, the Mandalorian bounty hunter, leaned against the edge of the table, helmet resting under one arm. His armor bore the marks of a man who had fought across half the galaxy. As Jack studied it light rotated slowly above the table, projecting encrypted data streams.
"So, it's real," he said.
Jango nodded once.
"Kamino is already growing them."
Jack looked up.
"Clones."
"Millions," Jango replied. "More in development."
Jack crossed his arms.
"And the Republic doesn't know?"
"Not officially."
The holocron rotated again, displaying genetic sequencing data; every single DNA strand matched the same template as Jango's.
"You're the donor," Jack said.
Jango shrugged slightly.
"They wanted the best soldier they could find."
Jack's expression didn't change.
"And you agreed."
"For the right price," Jango answered.
There was no shame in his voice.
Just honesty.
Jack studied the data again.
A whole army of identical DNA soldiers trained from birth.
"Someone's planning a war," Jack said quietly.
Jango gave a small, humorless smile.
"You think?"
Jack looked at him.
"Do you know who ordered it?"
Jango shook his head.
"Officially? A Jedi named Sifo-Dyas."
Jack's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Officially."
Jango nodded.
"But the man who actually hired me…"
He paused.
"I never saw his face."
The holocron's light flickered.
Jack already had a suspicion.
He thought of the growing tensions in the Republic, the Separatist movements, and their corporate armies.
It is a galaxy slowly sliding toward conflict.
"This army," Jack said, "will change everything."
Jango picked up his helmet.
"Yeah."
He looked toward the chamber exit.
"And when that war starts…"
His voice carried a trace of Mandalorian pride.
"…they'll all fight like me."
Jack watched the holocron slowly spin above the table.
Millions of soldiers are all copies of one man. They will march toward a war, most of the galaxy didn't even know was coming.
"Then the galaxy isn't ready," Jack said quietly.
Outside the chamber, the winds of Mandalore howled across the still-barren land.
22 BBY One Week Before the Naboo Delegation Arrives on Coruscant.
Rivers cut across land that had been lifeless glass only a year earlier, feeding wide lakes that reflected the pale sky. Terraforming towers still stood across the horizon, their reactors humming as they rebuilt the atmosphere piece by piece. From orbit, the planet looked different.
Jack stood on the command deck of the orbital ring, watching a new weather system form over the western continent.
"Atmospheric stabilization continuing ahead of projection," Cassandra said.
A holographic display appeared beside him.
Cloud formations rotated slowly across the projection of the planet.
"Hydrological coverage now exceeding twenty-two percent."
Jack nodded.
"Good."
Below them, Mandalore's surface was changing faster every month. Forests were beginning to spread beyond the original terraforming zones. Lakes that had formed naturally were now large enough to support permanent settlements. Entire districts of the old dome cities had reopened to the open sky.
For the first time in centuries, Mandalore had real seasons.
But Jack's attention wasn't on the planet. It was on the fleet. Outside the orbital ring, Mandalore's shipyards filled space. Construction frames rotated slowly around half-finished warships. Welding beams flashed across armored hulls as automated arms assembled plating and reactor cores. Freighters from Dxun arrived daily, delivering the last shipments of dismantled infrastructure from the old Mandalorian stronghold. Nothing remained there now; everything had been moved to Mandalore again.
"Fleet strength update," Cassandra said.
A new projection replaced the planetary map.
Rows of warships filled the display, cruisers, carrier platforms, and heavy frigates are designed for long-range patrols across the Outer Rim.
"Operational fleet has increased by forty percent in the last six months," Cassandra continued.
Jack studied the numbers quietly.
"Still not enough," he said.
The galaxy was changing fast political tensions inside the Republic were rising. Corporate factions were arming themselves. Separatist movements were growing louder across dozens of systems.
And soon, the Senate would face a decision that would push everything closer to war.
On Naboo, its former queen was preparing to leave her homeworld.
Padmé Amidala would soon travel to Coruscant to argue against the creation of a Republic military.
Jack already knew how that debate would end.
It wouldn't matter what she said. The war had already been planned years earlier. He had seen the proof.
Behind him, the chamber doors opened the Spartans of the Royal Guard entered silently, taking their usual positions along the walls.
Thirty-six warriors in reinforced Mjolnir-beskar armor were silent, unmoving, and watching everything.
Jack turned slightly, looking at them.
"Preparations?" he asked.
One of the Spartans stepped forward.
"Outer system patrol network is operational," the soldier reported. "Long-range sensors covering all approach vectors."
"Good."
Jack turned back toward the stars.
Beyond Mandalore's orbit, the hyperlanes of the Outer Rim stretched into darkness.
Smugglers and Republic couriers, corporate transports, and somewhere out there, the first pieces of a galactic war were already moving into place.
Jack clasped his hands behind his back.
"One week," he said quietly.
Cassandra understood immediately.
"Yes."
"One week until the Senate debate."
One week until the attempt on Padmé's life, knowing that it will be the turning point in galactic history.
Jack looked down once more at the rain-soaked world below.
Mandalore was ready galaxy was not ready for the storms to come.
And when the coming war finally arrived, Mandalore would not be hiding beneath domes anymore.