26.120
Kamino, New Tipoca City, Clone District
Crowds started to line the streets of New Tipoca City long before sunrise on Day 120 to get a good spot to watch the parade. The excitement was palpable. By the time a trio of V-19 Torrents flew over the crowds to start the parade, thousands had lined the entire route. The celebration marked the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Kamino, a pivotal engagement that changed the course of the First Galactic Civil War.
On that day, Separatist forces, disguised as falling debris, struck the Grand Army of the Republic at its heart; a location so crucial and so secretive that it had previously been thought untouchable. Brave clone soldiers, many of them still in training, fought not just to defend the Republic they were born to protect but to defend their very home. While the invading forces were eventually repulsed, the victory came at a cost. Over 5,000 of clones were killed, and the shockwave of fear that spread throughout the senate led to dramatic increases in military spending and vested more power in supreme chancellor Drayson. The shadow of these decisions shrouds much of the galaxy to this day.
But the mood today is celebratory. Clone units from the Reformed Grand Army march in tight formations alongside war-era vehicles and artillery, and colorful patriotic floats from local businesses and schools. Z-95, V-19, and Eta-class starfighters zip overhead to the delight of the crowds. But the real focus of the day is a hover platform where the three surviving veterans from the battle wave to the gathered crowds. Major “Guts”, Captain “Apex”, and Sergeant “Screwball”, all now approaching 110 years of age, sat surrounded by their families. Though now well into their twilight years, 50 years ago these three were little more than children whose training was put to the test, defending their dormitories from the advancing droves of battle droids.
Sergeant 'Screwball' and Major 'Guts' at a press event after the museum's opening
Following the parade, the three veterans joined dignitaries from the Protectorate of Kamino, Ternion Corps, Kamino Medical Laboratories, the Resistance, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems on a balcony of the newly-opened Museum of the First Galactic Civil War. Though now surrounded by churning seas, the museum sits over the sunken wreckage of what was once the largest cloning facility on Kamino where the majority of the former Grand Army was born. After a tour of the museum, the dignitaries and veterans joined in dropping several wreaths into the waters below to honor not only the fallen of this battle, but all the lives the war had claimed.
“At times it feels like it was all several lifetimes ago” remarked Sergeant “Screwball”, “And at times it feels like I’m still in it, like I could be redeployed tomorrow on the other side of the galaxy. War is never really over. The galaxy just moves on, it forgets. But I still fight my battles every day.”
Major “Guts” added, “I am proud of my record. I’m proud of my brothers and all we accomplished together. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the whole galaxy. But it is also hard to celebrate, knowing the oppression we helped to cement. I don’t celebrate the war, not anymore. I celebrate my brothers, and my children, and their children. I celebrate the lives we have built together since, and the good we have been able to do along the way. We will continue to fight evil and defend freedom, but my hope is for the galaxy to learn from our battles that there are things that blasters and turbolasers cannot kill, and cannot defend. And those might be the most precious things of all.”
Chaf Ocal Pimi, representing the CIS at the ceremony had this to say. "Today, we gather not as former enemies, nor as political factions, but as witnesses to history. The Battle of Kamino was a defining moment, not just for those who fought here, but for the generations that followed. It was a battle of necessity, a battle of survival, one that left scars on those who endured it and shaped the galaxy in ways we still feel today."
Her gaze turned towards the old veterans as she continued to speak
"It is not my place to judge the past, nor to weigh the choices made by those who came before us. War is not simple, and history is not kind to those who lived through its worst moments. What I do know is that the soldiers who fought here, those who stood their ground in the rain and the storm. Those men deserve to be remembered not as instruments of war, but as individuals, as people. They had names, they had lives, they had hopes beyond the battlefield. And today, we honor them."
After a moment of silence, General Rex Republica of the Reformed Grand Army of the Republic, signed an order renaming three Arquitens-class cruisers in honor of the veterans. While ceremonies and parades will continue to mark the dates of battles and victories, the number of veteran clone soldiers is quickly dwindling. Many believe that this may be the last such event that these three brave soldiers will be able to attend. If you care about the treatment of veterans such as these and their families, or are passionate about the preservation of clone war history and education, consider making a donation to the Ternion Corps’ Office of Clone Advocacy today.
The newly built Museum of the First Galactic Civil War
