Project Boussh: From Hell's Heart
by Josh Nolan

"You there!  Droids!  Where are you taking him?"

Medical Technician Dratsab Reerac strode up to the pair of Defel droids,
glared at the Rebel draped between them, and then returned his attention
to the metal humanoids.  "I didn't hear you answer me."

There was a pause, and finally one of the droids replied, "Orders."

Reerac sighed, shook his head, then took a sample of the Rebel's arm.
"Very well, then.  Continue."  The droids obediently shuffled off,
taking the Rebel with them to who knew where.

Still, that was unimportant.  If the Rebels were going to recover their
dead and wounded, the scum were going to have at least one nasty
surprise.

Reerac strode into the small room where he kept his sole Spaarti
cylinder, and added the sample to the input hopper.  The Rebels were so
predictably sentimental.  They would go to extraordinary lengths to
recover one of their fallen - which is why Reerac liked the Admiral's
idea.  'Operation Ahab', the Chiss had called it.  Like all brilliant
plans, it was brilliantly simple - in the event of a boarding action,
clone a fallen enemy soldier.  Imprint it with the mind of a
stormtrooper.  Leave it to be recovered, and taken to the Rebel's
medical facilities.

Of course, it had been entrusted to Reerac.  With the forced-growth
research he had carried out, he was the only one on the ship such a
critical operation could be entrusted to.  Only he had the expertise to
create an adult clone in less than a minute.

Reerac activated the cylinder, and watched as the zygote virtually
exploded.  In the space of five seconds, it had gone from an invisible
bundle of cells to a fully-formed infant, and spurted in size even
faster as the infant grew towards puberty.

*Ten seconds through puberty.  I wonder if it's as unpleasant for the
clone as it was for us?*

His hands moved quickly over the controls as he tried to guide the
facial hair growth into a pattern resembling the one that he'd seen on
the Rebel.  *No point in giving our friends a bald-faced liar,* Reerac
thought to himself with a chuckle.

Finally, the process was complete.  Reerac flicked a gaze at his
chronometer, and felt a flash of disappointment.  *Seventy seconds.
Blast.*  He triggered the flash-imprinter, reshaping the clone's very
brain to mimic the memories of someone trained in the finest class of
the Carida academy.

While the clone was still in stasis, Reerac picked up a blaster.  *Now,
where had that Rebel been shot...?  I've taken this long already, I
suppose I should at least be thorough.*  He keyed the opening sequence
for the chamber, waited for the canopy to swing open, and carefully shot

the clone twice in the chest.

The clone jerked with the sudden pain, and keeled over.  Reerac grabbed
the stocky subhuman and hefted him into the medbay next door.
"Operation Ahab!" he called to the staff.  "Get this one in bacta, now!"