As the hours went by, the royals were respectively doing their duties. Queen Kesis had just finished her meeting and is now at a nearby coffee shop alongside an escort of two blue guards and several clone troopers led by sergeant Ram. Symat had just finished his workout and was going to the beach for a hangout with some of his friends escorted by Jyn. Meanwhile, Ayn and Ghost on the other hand were making their way to an orphanage for community service. 

Kesis sipped on her cup of roasted black coffee while reading a datapad, scrolling through patrol reports and clone trooper files until a notification appeared on the upper right corner of the screen, she was receiving a text from the lead medical officer from the hospital the clones were being examined in. She found the latest report regarding the extensive medical scans of the clone troopers attached below his message.

     “Your Majesty, we have discovered something extremely disconcerting regarding the clones. It seems that these soldiers have a semi-organic control chip embedded within their cerebrum. From our current research, we have deduced that these chips can direct them to carry out any commands given and regulate their behaviour, suppressing thoughts and hormones to the point where they are lifeless machines. We currently do not know how the issuing of commands work, it could be that they have to follow any orders given from a certain superior or a set of codes to follow their programming or both. We are also unsure if deactivating, reprogramming, or removing these chips can be done without harming or possibly killing the host. We require your majesty's guidance before proceeding any further."

Kesis was shocked, but it explained why the clones acted like mindless machines and perhaps why they willingly gave up democracy and killed their generals. It was certainly immoral and arguably illegal to use living beings this way but it's all subject to whether Siania's judiciary defined these clones as sentient beings.

“Guards, I am needed somewhere immediately. Notify my children I will be away for the rest of the day and that they are to be back at the palace by midnight."     

Ram nodded and gestured at two troopers to escort the queen right away, with four blue guards following along as well. The clones were extra cautious since their superior caught the shocked look the Queen gave when she was scrolling through her datapad. 

While the Queen was going to the hospital, Ayn and Ghost arrived at the orphanage. The princess was there to cheer up the kids living there. To them, she was like their goddess. Having her over to play and chat with was an extreme honor. Ayn entered a classroom where a group of kids were already waiting, they all cheered at their idol. Ayn giggled and waved at the kids giving her a warm welcome, however, some of the cheering died when Ghost stood behind her. About half the class was fascinated by the clone's presence while the other half was slightly terrified. 

“WOAH, he looks so cool! Check out his weapon. He's like our military but like WAY COOLER." a wolf pup pointed out.

“So many gadgets on him, he even has two pistols! Look at that artwork on his helmet too! A roaring tiger." a fawn said. 

Ghost didn't exactly know how to respond to the children showing interest, Ayn giggled as she could imagine multiple question marks visually hovering over Ghost's head. The princess's giggling also confused the clone, what was so funny? Ayn sat on a chair as a staff member from the orphanage gave her a book to read to the children. Ghost watched the princess read a story to the children, he felt warm seeing her with children. It reminded him of the good he had seen during the clone war, like the battle on Ryloth when part of the 735th aided in the liberation of the planet. When the fighting finally stopped, the young twi'leks came out to play with their families or some of his clone brothers. His thoughts were quickly stopped when he heard crying coming from a room away. 

He directed one of the members of staff to take over as he walked out of the room to investigate the source of the commotion. Ayn noticed her bodyguard leaving the classroom, but decided to finish her story to the children, hoping that Ghost wasn't going to scare any other children in the shelter. The ARC trooper walked out of the classroom to another room that was a door away, the crying growing louder as he approached the next room's door. He twisted the doorknob slowly and entered the room, finding that it was decorated with couches and cradles along with a minimal number of paintings and posters to make the room feel more hospitable towards newborns.

The ARC Trooper noticed a vixen holding an infant wrapped in cloth, she was terrified that one of the aliens was inside the infant room. Was it going to kill the newborns? Was it going to feast on its very flesh? “Stay away!" the vixen screamed in fear as she backed herself into a corner. The baby in her arms stirred and cooed, she shushed the baby and reassured them that it was ok, shakily rocking it side to side. 

Ghost, who was interested in her behavior, kept approaching after putting down his weapon at a nearby table. The vixen's breathing intensified as she thought the alien was going to kill both her and the newborn. The vixen winced in fear, she closed her eyes shut, bracing herself for what she thought was the end. She felt a warm and pleasant sensation on her head, as she opened her eyes she saw the alien with his arms out like he was preparing to receive something. The vixen hesitantly gives the newborn to the clone, watching him cautiously as he sat down at one of the few couches that lined the room.

       What surprised her was that she heard the baby laughing and raising both of his arms to try and touch Ghost's helmet. The ARC Trooper touched the baby's hand with a finger, feeling its small hands fiddle with it. The vixen slowly smiled and watched as Ghost was comforting the baby and playing with it. However, it brought him back to one painful memory. 

     We were patrolling a village near the capital of Ryloth known as Lessu, so far no attacks have been coordinated by the separatist. We scouted the settlement to make sure all citizens were safe. Jyn and I were watching over a bunch of twilek children, they played with their families around fireplaces and everything was at peace. 

     “Imagine us having children in the future." Jyn said.

     “Don't think about that yet Jyn, we have a war to finish."

     “Yeah but think about it, falling in love with a certain someone. Leaving the army to settle down, have kids to pass on your legacy, and grow old. A happy life…" Jyn pondered.

     “We might have a chance if we win this war, but what about the accelerated aging and the galaxy's view of clones?" 

     “It may not be an easy or full life, but it's a life."

     I gave Jyn a pat on the back, still a grunt at that time. His armor still shined white and new. A twi'lek girl no older than three came up to me and hugged my leg, Jyn chuckled at the girl's gesture. I smiled and gave the girl a reassuring rub on the head. She even held a wooden doll that resembled a clone trooper. The girl smiled back at me and released her grip on my leg, running back to her mother. 

     “INCOMING BOMBERS, TAKE COVER!!!!!" A clone sergeant pointed to the sky.

     The whistling of bombs was heard as the vulture droids flew over our heads. They were deliberately targeting the settlements. “TAKE COVER!" Jyn yelled as we both slipped our helmets back on. Making an attempt to retrieve the girl and her mother from earlier and bring them to safety.

     We saw them in the distance inside their home, we could still save them. Their faces were stricken with terror until they disappeared in a cloud of flames when one of the bombs hit the house. Jyn and I were thrown back by the explosion, when the dust cleared all we could find was the head of the wooden clone trooper doll the girl once had. 

     As my ears stopped ringing, the sound of screams and cries of agony entered my ears. Civilians and clones clutching severed limbs and tending to severe burns as the bodies of the dead scattered across the ruins. Fires had broken out across the village from the incendiary bombs, I picked up the wooden head of the broken doll, staring at it for a moment before I tucked it into one of my utility belt containers. We failed to save any of them.

     “Ghost! Get up! Ghost, GHOST!" Ayn's voice called to me, then I snapped out of it. The princess was once again standing before me, with a worried look on her face. 

“Are...you ok Ghost?"

Ayn had gone into the room once she was done reading the story to the children only to find that her bodyguard was passed out on the floor, unresponsive. The vixen explained how the trooper came in and fainted after holding the child. After some shaking, she was able to wake him.

"....No, I...saw…" Ghost couldn't finish his sentence as the inhibitor chip started suppressing his thoughts again, finding him to be too emotional. 

Ayn noticed the struggle again and was starting to become very concerned, something was clearly affecting his thoughts and memories.

"I think I need to take you to the hospital."  

Ghost stated that he was supposed to be protecting her until midnight, but Ayn replied with how he couldn't effectively do that if he's not feeling well and that she would stay by his side most of the time anyway. Her reasoning caused the ARC trooper to relent and accompany the princess to the hospital. 

While on their way, Ayn informed her mother of the situation through her phone. Kesis replied that she was already at the hospital and would be awaiting them. Ayn did a double take at the text. That was strange, what was she doing there? 

After getting into a sedan driven by one of the blue guards, they arrived at the hospital after twenty minutes. Ayn didn't detect any further disturbances based on Ghost's body language, but it was clear something was very wrong. As they exited the car and entered the waiting room, they turned their heads to see Kesis and a doctor coming through the hallway to meet them.

“What's wrong with him?" Queen Kesis asked her daughter.

“Well, he was holding a newborn at the orphanage. Then after a few moments he passed out on the floor. The newborn is fine because its caretaker caught it just in time."

“Bring him in for inspection, there's something both of you should know." The doctor swiftly told the royals and guided everybody to an X-ray room. 

Ram was waiting there along with the rest of the queen's escort, he could see his good friend with the royals heading to the room. Something serious must be up, he approached Ghost and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Brother, you feeling alright?"

“Yeah, don't worry about it." 

The trooper knew his friend all these years, usually Ghost is always honest with him if he has problems. The way he brushed him off like that was obvious that he was hiding something. The doctor gave a copy of the report to Ayn as she instructed Ghost to lay down on the table. The ARC trooper removed his helmet and placed it on a side table, he then observed everybody in the room while he laid down, from the doctor to the queen and Ayn. She had a worried look on her face, her beautiful aqua eyes gazing at him. He then heard a whirring mechanical sound over his head come to life, a bio scanner passed over his head changing angles so it passed over every inch of his head. It continued for a minute or so until stopping and retracting back towards the ceiling. 

“What are we looking at, doctor?" Ayn asked.

"As you can see in the right temple, there is some sort of programmed biochip implanted into his brain. We've come up with a hypothesis from the hints of its incomprehensible genetic code and effect on neural patterns and hormone levels. It also links to the amygdala, which is a nerve that controls behaviour, emotions and motivation." The doctor explains. 

“So, what exactly are you theorizing doctor? In simple terms that is." Kesis said.

“Well in simple terms, we believe that these organic chips are controlling their behaviour. The reason why they act so lifelessly and carry out orders without question."

Ayn was shocked to learn that every single clone was in fact emotionally restricted. That explains why Ghost acted cold to her and had little reaction to her teases. In fact, she felt angry. How could such loyal soldiers be treated in such an inhumane way? 

"The question is what do we do now that we have this knowledge?" Kesis stated

"That is the uncertain part, we're not sure what will happen if we were to remove or deactivate these chips. Nothing could happen other than the clones gaining free will, it could also drive them insane or cause heightened aggression, or even death."

The doctor's words made Ayn breathe a little faster. While she was only with Ghost for a day, she didn't wish to see harm come to him or his brothers.

The doctor continued, "Whatever we decide, I think it would be best if we test what happens if the chip is removed as it is the only way to find out if it would really kill them. Though we have to find a clone willing to undergo the procedure"

The group thought of the plan for a moment, having a clone to sacrifice for the sake of proving the chips could be safely removed seemed wrong, but it was the only chance of seeing if they could regain their free will and there would likely be at least one clone willing to volunteer. 

As the room continuingly grew anxious, all terribly lost in thought, Ram loudly coughed into his hand. Quickly perking everyone's eyes towards him, he smirked, "Well, since none of you sons of bitches want to volunteer. It seems to me that Papa Ram's gotta be the guinea pig of this operation." While his intention was to relieve some tension, Ram's situation was more accurately related to poking at a wookiee in regards to Ghost; teasing it to bear it's fangs at him. 

Ram, not bothering to even glance at Ghost, didn't notice as the ARC trooper's eyes stared daggers into his own; obviously in disagreement with his comrade.

 "Ram, I know you're a fucking idiot, but dammit! You can't be serious!" 

"Ouch. You know, it wouldn't kill you to not call me a dumbass everytime I try to do something, Ghost~." Seemingly unfazed by his cold hearted friends outburst, Ram had every intention of going through with the operation to spare his brothers the risk.

"Ram if you-".

As the two continued to bicker, the anxious aura around the room started to fade. It was like watching an old couple argue; it was almost adorable, and quite comedic. Particularly, Ayn noticed how Ghost's coldness completely warmed when speaking to Ram. In short, one could say the chemistry between the two was stronger than the chips implanted in their skulls, perhaps the chips were a little lax in interactions between clones to promote unity. Ayn seemed to agree with that thought. 

"Alright!", the room quieted. All eyes on Kesis now as she spoke, "Ram, are you certain that you want to volunteer?" Ghost was about to answer her on behalf of Ram, but Ram beat him to the punchline, "As I said, guinea pig CT-1572-46 at your command ma'am". However, for Ghost, this was not a centimeter close to being somewhat funny. He grabbed Ram by the shoulder, his hand trembling and his eyes close to wavering. It was as if he was fighting back against his own emotions; or rather, it was as if something wasn't letting his emotions fully expose themselves. 

"This isn't like going into a battle with the odds against you, Ram. There you at least have your skill and your brothers to count on. But here, the risks are completely unknown." says Ghost, in a worrying tone. 

 “Look, this is for the whole entire legion's benefit. Let me do this, please. If these chips endanger our existence, we have to find out one way or the other." says Ram.

Ghost knew he couldn't argue with that logic, but he didn't want to lose another brother again after so many of them died in front of his eyes during the war. But, someone had to be the test subject to ensure the safety and free will of the entire legion. All the ARC could do was give his close friend a pat of good luck. He stepped back as he watched Ram begin to slip his armor plating off his black bodysuit and lie flat on the operating table. 

Everyone besides the doctor left the operation room to watch behind the glass while two nurses entered to assist with the surgery. The doctor powered up the many medical machines and operating droids needed for the procedure, the bioscanner returning and passing over Ram's head. After a while the scan's results appeared on one of the monitors detailing a cross section of Ram's head with the chip highlighted a concerning red. After the nurses pulled up the sleeves of the body suit to set up the IVs and put Ram to sleep with a sedative, one of the operating droids moved up and began the process of removing the chip. There was no going back now.    

------------------------------------------------------------

While not like the large cruisers she normally worked on, ARA was no stranger to Vikna's personal shuttle. Managing the ship's communications as usual and doing more calculations then conceivable for an organic being, she made sure everything ran smoothly. 

                                                         *CRASH* 

                                                          *THUD*

Well…technical wise, she had no control over the ship's occupants. But she always found them fun to watch and hang out with at times, even if Nytro attempts to tease her. Unfortunately, his teases didn't go over well with Vikna who had just slapped him for making a lewd comment about her, resulting in him ending up on the floor. Despite the fact that they could get aggressive at times, they still both enjoyed it and never took things too far.

     Rubbing his cheek and showing signs of disorientation, Nytro commented on Vikna's clear lack of restraint, ignoring the snickers of the two pilots in the cockpit.

 “OW! Fuck me Vikna, did you really have to put that much force behind it?" 

“I wouldn't if you tried to flirt with everyone you can seven times a day you…" 

“Okay, okay, I'll turn it down for a while. After all, you're the only one on here worth my time." Nytro says, with a seductive smile.

Blushing red, Vikna looked like she was going to smack that playboy smile off Nytro again before ARA intervened. 

“Ms Ramenskaya, I know officer Sykran can be very insufferable at times. But I think it's best for you to save your grievances for each other when you two are alone in your personal quarters." 

ARA's comment earned a bright red blush from both of her friends as the two pilots stopped themselves from laughing out loud at the quirky naivety android ARA had become well known for. Pulling Nytro up, Vikna found her tongue again after getting over the embarrassment. 

“Yes, you're absolutely right ARA. This mission is too important for distractions after all. We can be less serious after our investigation is completed." 

“We will be exiting space warp in two minutes" A pilot informs the crew.

"Good, prepare the ship to register with the security system and bring her into the landing pad they assign us." Vikna responded.

After hearing about the crash landing of a ship from an unknown fleet on Siania, the emperor of Katric had assigned Vikna to investigate along with Nytro and ARA. Since they were already planning on visiting their princess friend for a fundraiser the royals had planned. While the Sianians had stated they were fine and that the crew of the unknown fleet was friendly, the emperor was still curious to see what the fuss was about. He wouldn't have to wait long as the shuttle exited space warp. The assigned crew were also very curious to see what had happened. 

While Ayn informed them she was alright it would still be comforting to see her in person and to hang out for a bit. After making it past the system's security and registering their ship, they raced towards Siania spotting the unknown fleet around one of the massive orbital repair docks near the planet. Despite the many stations in the system it was easy to spot given the fleet surrounding it. The crew noted just how damaged most of the unknown ships were, feeling a sense of dread at the force that inflicted it. They had little time to ponder as the shuttle began to close in on Siania. Waiting to see what was in store for them on the surface.