Chapter Text
Dyslexic: Before you are misspellings, misplaced words, and missing words. I do proofread many times. I am aware I missed many things. If you tell me about them, you are stating that water is wet, congratulations on noticing a language disability.
Summary: When Obi-Wan chooses a new Padawan from Kamino, he had no way of knowing the child was a clone of Dooku's 'failed' experiment. Palpatine accounted for everything, except a Force sensitive clone trained by the Negotiator. It will take a clone with the blood of a Sith Lord to end the Clone Wars. AU Dooku's spawn causes unmitigated chaos.
KEYnote: This is a one shot idea cannibalized after I watched the Bad Batch and fell in love with Omega.
Stronger Than You Know
You are braver than you believe,
Stronger than you seem,
Smarter than you think,
And more loved than you'll ever know
-Winnie the Pooh
Prologue - Two Years Before Qui-Gon's Death
Dooku looked down at the babe, it was so small its body fit in the palm of his hands.
As Darth Tyrannus, he was acutely aware of his age, and that Darth Sidious, an even older man, had made no overture of sharing the secrets of Sith immortality with him.
If he was perfectly honest, however, immortality wasn't even something he aspired to, the physical decay or body mutilation of almost every Sith in history didn't appeal to him.
Darth Sidious was required to remain hidden, but Dooku had no doubts about the monster beneath.
Dooku's goals were different. He needed to save his people from their own complacency. The next generation of the Order would be smaller, spread out, working for the Force, not a corrupted government.
To achieve this, he needed an apprentice, and staring at the babe in his hands, he knew he couldn't take it with him. He could kill it if he had to, but he couldn't torture a child.
His child.
Dooku shuddered. After over two thousand failed attempts to make a Force sensitive clone, he should have been detached. But the Kaminoes had never gotten this far, most of the fetuses had died in the tube, or directly after leaving it, or was left a horrific twisted form of flesh relying on a web of medical supplies to keep them on this side of death.
Even those who had, in the end, either been put down or died on their own. It wasn't actually worth numbering them, except for the cost of each failed experiment.
Until the Twenty hundredth and twenty-fourth JC unit, Jedi Clone, did the Kaminoans produce a human child with a substantially high midichlorian count.
It had not been as he wanted, yet perhaps it could still be of use to him.
He could give it to the Order.
Or…
He could raise it indirectly. Its genome had been changed like Kaminoans were set to do with Sidious's clone army, to perfect it, make its mind develop quicker to be ready for the coming war. But without the steroid treatment that the other clones had, it would age normally. As it was the mind that mattered, it would be able to keep up, at least intellectually, with the other clone troops.
They were still looking for the correct human template.
As the idea grew roots, he brought the babe to his chest. He would still rear it to be a weapon, a triple agent against Sidious, a conspiracy within a conspiracy.
When the time was right, perhaps it might make for an apprentice after all, or maybe it might just be a sleight-of-hand trick to trip Sidious up.
The world of the Sith was one of betrayal. Dooku knew he would eventually be betrayed, so he let this strange twist of fate become his reprisal.
The baby's small hands reached out to touch his thumbs. Though it wasn't what he wanted, he could not deny how the babe shone like a star in the Force. A reflection of his own power, blood of his blood.
Dooku laid the clone back in its sterile bed, and even as he thought of it as a weapon, he did not leave without giving it a true name.
Chapter 1 – One Year into the Clone Wars
General Obi-Wan Kenobi was as uncomfortable as he ever had been on Kamino. The movement of getting the clones' citizenship had been stalled nearly completely, and Obi-Wan's own push from within the Council itself to join with the neutral planets was failing.
In no small part because they feared that the Republic would turn on the Jedi Order itself. They all doubted Count Dooku would simply let them stop fighting, nor was it possible for them, being the Jedi and the clones, to fight a two-front war.
They would be slaughtered.
Cody, who wasn't particularly talkative on the best of days, was completely silent as he followed Obi-Wan a step behind. Most days, it was easy to pretend it didn't bother him, but today was harder than most. Ryloth had been difficult… more so because of the way Waxer and Boil had taken care of a youngling.
These men could be so much more than warriors, and it broke Obi-Wan's heart that this was their fate, that so many of their brothers would never make it.
Yet here they were, picking up more of Cody and Waxer's brothers.
It was the same for the Jedi, the younglings that had been trusted to them, now becoming Padawans who were becoming Commanders. All for what?
This war wasn't about keeping the Republic together anymore, they were for their lives, their freedoms.
To join Dooku would be a betrayal of everything the Jedi had stood for and they had no guarantees he wouldn't stab them in the back.
To join the neutral party was to damn themselves to a two front war and near extinction.
And to stay with the Republic meant that they would have to win the war, damned be the costs.
Obi-Wan's heart and thoughts were heavy as Waxer and Boil joined Cody and him to survey the new troops. Shinies, they were called. Bright with hope and excitement. Sparkling lights against a dark reality.
Obi-Wan almost didn't notice Lama Su approaching. It was Waxer who slowed a step that had him looking up at the Long-Neck, as he had heard some of the troops call their creators.
"I hope you are pleased with this batch; they will serve you well," Lama Su stated serenely.
Obi-Wan stared at him, not knowing what to say, wanting to scream at the Prime Minister that this was all barbaric, that this was slavery and human trafficking. But to do so, however well-meant, would shame Cody, and Obi-Wan would never do that if he could help it.
Besides, it wouldn't do any good; his words wouldn't change the minds of the Senate. The kriffing Senate that was only slightly less corrupt than Dooku and his ilk.
The awkward silence had gone on too long, but before he could breach it, Lama Su said, "General Kenobi?"
Obi-Wan sighed, "May I ask you about the troopers' development?"
"Of course," Lama Su said at once.
"It has been explained to me that they all age twice as fast as a normal human, correct?"
"Yes."
"So in twenty years, they will be in what amounts to sixty?"
"Yes."
"Is there any way to slow their aging?"
Lama Su looked at him with those bulbous, almost frog-like eyes, before asking, "Why?"
"Some fear this war will stretch on longer than imagined. Some wars, as I'm sure you know, could last a hundred years," Obi-Wan said casually, feeling Waxer and Cody tense up further behind him.
Lama Su's head wavered a bit, then said, "It can be… slowed. The genome was one that could be activated and there are drugs that could counter the steroids administered through their diet."
Obi-Wan felt Cody's rage like a subdued furnace blazing to life. Apparently, his Commander hadn't known it was in their food.
"Are the drugs dangerous?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No," Lama Su said, "It is more work to keep the gene on, naturally, their advanced ageing would slow down, but if you wish for the clones who have reached maturity to have the counter drugs administered, it can be done. Though it will cost the Republic-"
"The Republic can afford it," Obi-Wan snapped. "These men aren't being paid. The least we can do is provide for their health."
A wave of affection came, flooding him, from Cody and Waxer, easing some of the pain and guilt in his heart.
It wasn't enough, not by half, but he wanted his men to know how much he valued them.
Lama Su bowed his head, "Of course."
"How long will it take to make and administer?" he asked.
Lama Su hesitated, likely running numbers in his head, before saying, "On Kamino, the drug would be easy to reproduce, perhaps a week with our facilities working overtime, another week to treat the clones on Kamino, and depending on the ration rotation and the travel time, I would estimate six months to have them all treated. It will be administered through a liquid-based vaccine."
Six months would be a year. That was acceptable and Obi-Wan bowed his head in return, "Thank you."
"May I ask a question in turn, of your own people?" Lama Su asked, and at Obi-Wan's nod, continued, "It is my understanding that your human standard younglings are chosen to become Padawans between the ages eleven and thirteen, no?"
"That is correct," Obi-Wan said a bit warily, "Though initiates stay at the Temple far longer than that now until they are chosen or choose to join one of the Corps."
"You, yourself, are without an apprentice, currently," Lama Su half asked-half stated.
Obi-Wan grew more suspicious, especially when Cody and Waxer went deathly still, a trill of fear ringing through the Force. "Where is this going?" he asked.
"We have a clone we wish to show you."
At Lama Su's statement, a streak of panic spiked from Cody and Waxer.
Curiosity peaked, Obi-Wan said, "Alright."
They followed Lama Su deeper into the city than Obi-Wan had ever ventured, Cody's anxiety rising with every step.
What is wrong? Obi-Wan wanted to ask.
But he would know soon enough.
They bypassed a series of doors that opened up to a balcony overlooking an arena.
Obi-Wan recognized the clone by his Force signature, Alpha-17, who had trained so many of his brothers. He was fighting in hand to hand combat with a young female.
She was petite but tall for an eleven or twelve-year-old. Her hair and eyes were dark brown, her skin pale, and unlike her brother, she wore no armour. Instead, she wore blacks with a tunic fashioned in a style reminiscent of the Jedi.
Obi-Wan knew how skilled the clones were in hand to hand. Their speed, like Jango Fett's, was good enough to keep up with a Jedi. The flight below was proof of that, if nothing else.
The girl was vicious as she blocked and countered and twisted to keep out of Alpha's grip. Alpha, in turn, was not gentle with her, pushing the girl hard. Alpha caught her by the collar, slammed her on the grate floor. She managed to land well, taking Alpha down with her, so he flipped over her shoulder, landing hard on his back, stunning him momentarily.
Lama Su took that moment to clap his hands twice. The girl straightened out of her crouch and looked up at them, her dark eyes catching Obi-Wan's across the room.
Alpha got to his feet, likely with less grace than intended.
The balcony they were on detached, lowering to the arena's floor.
Alpha, Cody, and Waxer's fear was palpable, though none of them gave that away with any outward sign.
Were they afraid of the girl?
Lama Su gestured, "You have met Alpha-17, this is JC-2224, our only successful Force Sensitive clone. We gave the units the designation JC for Jedi Clone."
Obi-Wan's breath caught, understanding now why the girl wore no armour. Handshakes were not his way, but he offered the girl a hand, unable as yet to gauge her Force presence. It was there but melded, so she almost felt less tied to the Force than her brothers.
For a second, as his hand was held out in an uncompleted gesture, and the girl's brown eyes widened as she realized what he was offering. She aborted a bow and reached out her hand to take his. Her fingers were long and cool in his grasp, but it was like watching a star being born.
Powerful, she was so terribly powerful. Stronger than Obi-Wan himself, but not as much potential as Anakin. Still, it was staggering, and if not for her shielding, he would have sensed her from the moment he entered Kamino's orbit.
Her shielding came from one of two things, either training or abuse. Given the general treatment of clones, and as Lama Su had just referred to her as 'unit', Obi-Wan would have put his credits on the latter.
"Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," he introduced himself, "It is a pleasure to meet you-"
"Jenna," she said, "My name is Jenna."
Her accent was the same as Qui-Gon's, which caught him off guard.
"Jenna," he repeated, "It is an honour."
She half-smiled at him, though her gaze was calculating his every movement.
"The clones were made for the Jedi. This unit was created to serve the Jedi in any way you might it to."
"Jenna, how old are you?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Twelve, Master Kenobi," she answered, again the lilt of her words a stark reminder of Qui-Gon.
"That would make you older than your brothers?" Obi-Wan asked, giving Lama Su a look.
Lama Su nodded, "We were in discussions with Master Sifo-Dyas before we were given the contract for the Republic Army. The JC-units were our own project, as it proved to be most interesting."
Obi-Wan narrowed his gaze, he didn't buy that, nor was he even certain that he believed the timeline of events.
It hadn't escaped his notice that Jango Fett had been in league somehow with the Separatists. Sifo-Dyas went missing before Qui-Gon's death, and Master Dooku had, in Obi-Wan's belief, fallen to the Dark Side long before Qui-Gon's death.
It was likely, however, that Qui-Gon's death sealed Dooku's intention to destroy the Order.
Jenna's answer was surprising, "In years only," she stated, "my brothers have outgrown me."
"If you wish to take her as your Padawan, General Kenobi," Lama Su said, "she will serve you well."
Obi-Wan knew his surprise was shown on his face. That wasn't how this worked, "According to the Council, she would be too old."
Jenna's gaze did not falter while her brothers' anxiety rose ever higher.
"We had her study ancient lore as we raised her," Lama Su said, "Master Sifo-Dyas provided holograms for her, though he never returned to watch over her training, I assure you that she is aware of your culture, your code. She is not trained with a lightsaber but she is among our most skilled units with weapons, such as knives and staves."
Force save them, Obi-Wan could only imagine the horrors this child underwent. However, her lack of fear was encouraging. Anakin's fear had disinterested the Council, and now, as Obi-Wan was a part of the Council, he could take any Padawan he wanted to, whether or not they were a part of the Order beforehand.
He half wanted to take her with him, just to get her away from Lama Su and the other Kaminoans.
"Do you wish to join the Jedi Order, Jenna?" Obi-Wan asked.
Jenna bowed her head and said politely, "Yes, Master Kenobi."
Cody took off his helmet and leaned down to whisper in Obi-Wan's ear, "If you leave her here, they will decommission her."
Obi-Wan tensed, understanding their fear now, not of her but for her. But in that one statement, so close to Lama Su, Obi-Wan knew that she was beloved by her brothers, or at least by the men in this room.
That should have been reason enough for him to not choose her. But for however much Anakin said he was rule-abiding, Obi-Wan had never been 'reasonable' when it came to his Padawans.
He wasn't sure if it was the fear he felt from his men, or just the fact that he felt as if he owed them. Owed them so much more than he could ever give. He knew without asking that Cody, Alpha, and Waxer loved her. So despite knowing nothing about her other than her bright Force signature, he would take her away from this place.
"Then welcome to the 212th Battalion, Padawan Jenna," Obi-Wan said, he would get answers later. Obi-Wan had to wonder what in the worlds he had just got himself into. For a moment, he could have sworn the Force itself chortled.
Jenna's smile was transformative, and the shields that had kept her hidden from him faded away as she radiated joy, echoed by Alpha, Cody, and Waxer's relief. Their relief was proof of his suspicions. He couldn't save their brothers, but just maybe he could save their sister.
AN: I wrote this before I watched the Bad Batch which isn't Sith female clone but still Force Sensitive Clone and pretty close to the character I had planned, sooooooo, I've decided to write a time travel for Omega instead :D