Gideon's Command

Needa nodded his head, understanding. He had left the Empire’s service, but that was only after they had committed to Operation: Cinder. It was something that directly went against what the they stood for, and so he felt that some time away would at least help with alleviating some of the “reformation” of the Empire. And so he had returned to Kuat and done some sector defense work. He too had served under countless leaders... all varying so different in ideology, purpose, desires and so much more. Senators, Chancellors, Moffs, Emperors, and others. There would always be another leader to take it’s place.
“I have served under many a ruler as well...”

“Rishi? Now that’s a name I haven’t heard since the Clone Wars. It all started when the Kaminoa-“

He was interrupted by a group of men who had walked into the bar, wearing swaggering grins on their faces. The fireteam wouldn’t have recognised him from the profile view that he presented while he told his story, looking straight at the Captain. Turning to face the group of men, a small moment of surprise flashed over their face as they realised who he was. Garrick looked straight at them with a smile on his face. They were swaggering, brash men, fitting the archetype of the Stormtrooper that he had seen before. It reminded him of the camaraderie shown by members of the Grand Army of the Republic. The Clones were raised to fight, and would always interact like this. He looked each of them over for a moment with his grey eyes before he spoke.

“At ease, soldiers.”

He turned back to Captain Blackwall and gestured to the soldiers, a small grin on his face. He loved these kinds of soldiers, even if they were a bit brash and aggressive, they still embodied the sort of spirit that he would hope to see among soldiers.

“Are these your men, Captain?”

The Admiral nodded and shook each of the men’s hands. Gesturing to the empty seats, he spoke in his usual crisp, clear manner, with, of course, his Core World accent.
“Of course not. Feel free to take a seat, gentlemen. And please, it’s just Garrick when we’re off duty.”
The orange-red light reflected off the table and complemented Garrick’s orange-red hair. The clear prussian blue of his eyes matched the lighting scheme as it faded from the more bold, defined orange, yellows, and red, to cooler shades of dark green and blue. The lighting in the bar was one of the best parts about it, as it could simulate any mood. Garrick was most certainly interested in hearing these men’s stories, and perhaps sharing a few of his own. Lord knows he had plenty of them.
“Best the First Order has to offer, eh? My men could probably give them a run for their money.”

The Admiral couldn’t help but chuckle. These men may have seen some action, but it was nothing compared to what his men had fought and suffered through. He countered with possibly an equally impressive feat. Having been one of the few left alive who participated in the Battle of Coruscant, he could safely say that he and his closest officers had stared down thousands of Separatist vessels in the past and had emerged victorious. He had been one of those on the home Defense Fleet to have survived the initial engagement long enough for the Republic to send reinforcements. He still remembered watching ships falling from orbit, crashing through the cityscape below. How, at the climax of the battle, the Guarlara had unleashed a hellstorm upon the Invisible Hand, nearly killing the chancellor. And he remembered watched the Separatsists flee like wounded animals following the ending of that battle. Ah, those were the days.
“Can’t day I have. But have you ever stared down thousands of Separatist battleships... and lived to tell the tale?”

"That battle... was one of the largest confrontations in the history of the galaxy. At any point, every captain aboard every ship, Republic or Separatist, could expect to be fighting against several ships at once, and have hundreds of fighters swarming them at any point. I don't think I have seen anything like it since..."

Garrick began to reminisce about his days in the Grand Army of the Republic. The clones... they were all the same, and yet that made their differences all the more apparent. For men who were all cut from the cloth of the same man, they were surprisingly individualistic. Many a clone officer became good friends with their non-clone counterparts, and the Admiral was no different. Perhaps, during that day, he was a mere captain, but he could still remember chasing down clankers and blasting their warships apart in his trusty Victory II. Following the rise of the New Order, the clones were put away to the history books. An unfortunate step, as the stormtroopers of the Empire were a downgrade in many ways. Needa was lucky; as a veteran officer, he was assigned some of the best. He couldn’t say the same for some of his younger compatriots.

“The Clones were... markedly individualistic. Their similarities are what made them so distinguishable from each other. You wouldn’t know it by looking at them, but they each had their own stories to share, of campaigns all across the galaxy. And in battle they performed admirably, and would usually always prevail, despite the fact that we were usually outnumbered ten to one. I remember this one man... Bendak, I think he was called, was an ARC trooper who had served with the Republic since the First Battle of Geonosis. Yes... but he was incinerated by an Octuptara droid in the closing days of the Muunilinst campaign. Good man, he was. It’s really a shame...”

That was the question of the century. How did they stack up? Needa was never one to mince words, and would often blatantly tell off his superiors if he believed they were following an incorrect strategy. He had even gone so far as to once denounce Palpatine as an idiot in front of his men, following the revalation of his ultimate strategy at the Battle of Endor. And he stood by that verdict to this day. In many ways, the stormtroopers were a downgrade from the clones, but in a few areas, they could be considered around equal or better. Only time would tell, however, if this new breed of stormtrooper would prove more effective than the Imperial variants.

“You’re not going to like this, but I still consider the Clones to be superior soldiers to stormtroopers. I feel as though the Stormtrooper Corps, even now, are still not on par with the old Grand Army. That, and I happen to think that the First Comissar is too inexperienced for her job.”

There was no contest, really. The clones had been engineered, birthed, and trained to be one thing only. The perfect soldiers. It was remarkable how well trained they were. The bounty hunters that the Kaminoans hired to oversee training, combined with the discipline of their Jedi generals, made them superior soldiers. The only real advantage that the more natural stormtroopers had were that they would live longer, simply due to the fact that their growth was not accelerated. This meant that veterans could continue to serve for more than just a few years, bringing combat experience to the table.

Garrick chuckled, knowing exactly where he would say. One world, that were very close to his heart, as he probably spent his best years there.
“I’ve got just one for you... Scarif.”
He decided to provide an explanation of why those worlds were great. Most of these men didn’t know much about the old world of Scarif, where the Imperial Complex used to be.
“Scarif was... I don’t think any other word besides perfect could describe it. Sparkling, Aquamarine water, undisturbed ivory-colored sand, and beautiful, verdant forests of emerald green trees and bushes. It was... peaceful. I remember taking a trip while I was on shore leave with some divers, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a variety of marine life anywhere else. It was just you, your men, and the world around you. No rebels trying to kil you, no dangerous creatures, just... peace. And, to top it all off, everyone there was involved in many a secret project, dictated by the Tarkin initiative. The Death Star was developed out of there. Massive waste of time and reasources, that, but it still made life exciting, even when you weren’t constantly trying to shoot things. And the food and drinks. Better than anywhere else in the Empire, except maybe the Imperial Palace.”