FORGED BY THE MOON

not just another number

created in the laboratories of tipoca city, ct-21-5555 was an altered genetic copy of the mandalorian bounty hunter jango fett. like all his brothers, he was engineered to be the perfect soldier and raised to wage war under the banner of the galactic republic. his brief childhood was spent under a learning helmet which were enhanced with receptivity augments and created an isolated environment so that the young clone was free from distraction as ingested the immense amounts of data needed to replicate adulthood. during what was the equivalent of adolescence, ct-5555's education would start becoming more specialized as his natural predispositions would determine his role in the war effort.in 22 bby, ct-5555 -- who referred to himself as fives -- was a member of the individually gifted but struggling domino squad. fives and his fellow cadets were plagued with internal conflict going so far as to argue amongst themselves in the middle of simulations. the fate of domino squad became an ideological conflict between the bounty hunters el-les and bric. the compassionate el-les saw it as a point of pride and responsibility to see the dominos succeed while bric believed the clones were a "bad batch."while several others believed in the squad's potential, it was the janitorial clone 99 who broke through with his unconditional love for his brothers and unrequited pride in his heritage despite the abnormalities others judged him by. domino squad was given one final chance to prove their worth; not only to their handlers and the other squads but to themselves. the cadets were triumphant, overcoming not only their selfish hang-ups but bric's heinous sabotage as well. with the citadel challenge under their belts, the domino squad were fully-fledged soldiers, the ambitious among them now teasing the possibility of becoming arc troopers. while the squad was grateful for 99's devotion, it would be hevy who recognized his older brother's compassion with the gift of his graduation medal.fives would taste the bloody whim of war while stationed at a crucial listening post on the rishi moon. with the moon serving as a tactical necessity for kamino's defenses, general grievous sought to capture the outpost as part of a plot to invade tipoca city. the ensuing battle would claim all members except for two. echo and fives would be the sole surviving members of domino squad, cutting short the story of a very promising band of brothers.in the aftermath, echo and fives were inducted into the ranks of the prestigious 501st legion. fives synergized well with the future hero of anaxes, both on the battlefield and interpersonally. the natural ease of their synchronization made the pair a dangerous duo following their promotions after a successful defense of kamino. the last of domino squad achieved the dream of becoming arc troopers, but their victory came at the cost of their mentor and inspiration 99 who died fighting for his brothers.

fives was deployed to lola sayu in 20 bby to rescue jedi master even piell and captain wilhuff tarkin. both men were in possession of sensitive information concerning the nexus route; a hyperlane that went through the heart of both the galactic republic and the confederacy. the mission took fives into the gruesome innards of separatist-controlled citadel station: a jedi constructed prison used to imprison rogue members of the order. it was a blood-soaked victory. many clones accompanying the rescue party were butchered by the sick will of the prison warden. echo too was assumed kia in an explosion attempting to commandeer a shuttle leaving fives as domino's last man standing.he continued to serve in the 501st up until the battle of ringo vinda in 19 bby. with echo gone, the arc's freethinking personality nurtured a rebellious twist. most notably was during the siege on the seperatist planet of umbara where the iconoclastic fives not only stood up to jedi master pong krell but denounced the general's intent. his suspicions turned to defiance when fives disobeyed krell, taking the mission's success into his own hands.the lieutenant's mutiny saved lives and guaranteed a republic victory. but as thanks for the endeavor, fives and fellow trooper jesse were to be executed. fives implored the firing squad made up of his brothers with a fiery speech, pointing out the injustice of his punishment and the treatment clones received, especially at the hands of monsters like pong krell. his words ended up saving his life as the firing squad refused to carry out the sentence. instead, judgment was passed on to krell. lead by captain rex, the remaining clones turned on the traitorous jedi. pong krell was eventually outsmarted by the beings he considered beneath him. krell's capture incidentally led to his death when he was shot by dogma, a clone's loyalty to his duties was manipulated by the fallen jedi's machinations.fives was strong-willed and known for his divergent way of thinking. he valued individualism and put his loyalty to his brothers and friends above his devotion to the republic. it would be that unwavering dedication to the humanity of his brothers that spelled his doom.

on ringo vinda, fives witnessed his friend tup murder jedi master in the heat of battle. he vouched for his friend's character and given the unusual circumstance an investigation was opened into discovering the cause of tup's sudden aggression. the inquest was headed by the chief medical scientist nala se and considered a viral infection as a possible explanation. fives, fearing for his friend's life, undermined his superiors and conducted an investigation of his own.with the help of a medical droid known as azi-3, fives discovered that each and every clone embryo that survived past stage three development was implanted with a biochip. nala se claimed the inhibitor chip was to placate the jingoistic tendencies of their genetic template and make clones easier to control. tup's appeared corroded and fives -- who was stalwart in his convictions -- removed his with azi-3's assistance. this, nala se believed, demonstrated her point. however, fives had evidence that proved otherwise.

fives argued that the chip were what caused tup's murderous outburst and that the implants were part of a plot of unknown origin that would turn the clones against not only the jedi but the republic itself. nala se decried fives' theory as outrageous but master shaak ti granted fives a chance to plead his case before chancellor palpatine.shaak ti and nala se would accompany fives -- who was drugged by the latter -- to his interview but would part ways at palpatine's request so the young arc trooper could divulge his discovery without pressure from neither scientist nor jedi.in an act of unrepentant sadism, palpatine revealed the truth to fives. that the trooper was right; the chips were part of a plot, one that palpatine himself was orchestrating. the revelation triggered an altercation between the chancellor and fives. the arc trooper overwhelmed palpatine's personal guard and came close to shooting him but was stopped by shaak ti.the arc trooper evaded capture and sought out fellow members of the 501st. he cornered the medic kix at a clone cantina, giving him coordinates to a warehouse. kix was to pass the information to general anakin skywalker and captain rex as they were the only ones who would give him a chance to speak.rex and anakin followed the coordinates and reunited with an unnerved and drug-addled fives. suffering from physical and mental exhaustion, he struggled to speak cohesively. words turned in on themselves as fives begged his comrades to believe him even going so far as to imprison them behind a ray shield in a desperate attempt to make them listen.a contingent of coruscant guards led by commander fox intercepted fives in the middle of his plea. knowing his fate if he's captured, fives armed himself with one of rex's blasters and was subsequently shot in the chest by fox. fives' final words were apologetic and full of despair. he died in the arms of a grief-stricken rex.the last of the dominos had fallen.

although he did not survive the war, fives' sacrifice saved the lives of ahsoka tano, captain rex, and countless other who were either spared from the wrath of the biochips. and his memory perseveres, carried not only by rex but in echo who -- in a vicious twist of fate -- lived through ceaseless torture at the hands of wat tambor.branded by his pain, echo turned the tides against tambor's operations, claiming victory over his tormentors and proving that even in death, domino squad will always outwit the odds.

are your scopes jedi issue,sir?

DUAL DC-17S: hand blasters manufactured by blastech industries were commissioned by the galactic republic for elite troopers. there were a hallmark of the advanced recon commandos. a heavy class pistol, the dc-17s were designed to sustain active fire for much longer periods than similar compact weaponry. it balanced a high rate of fire with low recoil.DC-15A: the heavy blaster rifle engineered by blastech industries served as a standard-issue weapon for all clone cadets. it had a capacity of 300 - 500 shots and could reach a max range of 10 kilometers with extra equipment.

this is about more than just following orders

PHASE I ARC ARMOR: following his promotion, fives received an experimental armor set that would serve as the basis for the standard phase ii trooper armor. as with all clone armor, it was fashioned from plastoid and made to be worn over a black formfitting bodysuit. it was designed in part by jango fett and, like all sets used by the army, retained a mandalorian flair. while not as protective as the heavier katarn-class used by republic commandos, its arc cousin was more comfortable than standard issue fare and offered better protection in the thighs, forearms, and chest. it had a built-in harness and was topped off with helmet pre-equipped with a long-range comlink and rangefinder reminiscent of its mandalorian predecessors.PHASE II ARC ARMOR: after the gar standardized the field-tested phase i armor worn by the arcs for all troopers, specialized units received a new set of their own. while it retained the unique accessories utilized by the recon commandos, the new line's native enhancements made it difficult for individual modifications. however, its battle and elemental protection was improved and came with a comm scrambler.

SURVIVAL PACK: every arc survival pack came with a water filtration system, an emergency supply of rations, a distress beacon, and a cord made from a microfiber material. although personal additions were not encouraged, but neither were they prohibited.KAMA: originally from the thyrsian sun guard, the kama became synonymous with mandalorian warriors. the latter's influence on clone armor design lead to its inclusion in certain variants, specifically the arcs who were jango fett's personal project. it was intended to provide further protection for the legs and groin. and while it's functionality could be questioned, it became a signature of the recon commandos.INDIVIDUALITY: all clones found ways to distinguish themselves as individuals. nicknames, tattoos, grooming, personal styles. on the field, it came down to the armor. fives distinguished himself with a rishi eel, its mouth facing downward towards his visor and wore a chevron-patterned kama. like all arcs, fives sported a double pauldron, one of which displayed his rank.

that's why he's the arc trooper

ADVANCED RECON COMMANDO TRAINING: the arcs were an elite variation of clone trooper created by jango fett and the cuy'val dar during the initial stages of the army's development. having fought in the mandalorian civil wars as a military leader, fett recognized the need for operatives that could work alone or in small groups to complete highly specialized tasks. the first hundred clones were genetically modified for this purpose; eighty-eight of them passed inspection and became the template for future generations. the second attempt by the kaminoans produced the alpha-class arcs who were almost perfect replicas of fett, almost as perfect as the bounty hunter's son. after basic training, the alpha-class were mentored by jango. each commando operated as a one-man army and were considered some of the fiercest warriors in galactic history, able to go toe-to-toe with their mandalorian forerunners. after jango's death and the clone's rapid aging, the gar refilled with arc ranks with genetically standard clones. however, even though the new generations weren't the products of selective breeding, only the best could hope for a chance to join the exclusive branch.