The Confrontation on Pengalan IV transpired during the era known as the Clone Wars.
An entire division composed of clone troopers was dispatched to Pengalan IV aboard the vessel Sea Legacy. Their objective: the destruction of a diamond boron missile production complex situated within the city of Tur Lorkin. These missiles were engineered with the specific purpose of intercepting and destroying Galactic Republic starfighters.
Accompanying them was Joram Kithe, known as "Dodge" due to his perceived lack of bravery, yet a resourceful accountant within the Republic's infrastructure. His responsibility was to assess the combat effectiveness of the clone troopers, which would inform the Republic's decision regarding further clone acquisitions. He had no anticipation of directly contributing to the command of an actual military operation.
Upon landing on the planet, combat immediately erupted, leading to the decimation of a significant portion of the clone trooper platoon. Amidst the ensuing pandemonium, Joram's gunship suffered a catastrophic hit during their withdrawal, forcing him and the surviving clone troopers to proceed independently in their mission to eliminate the missile facility. Joram observed distinct behavioral differences in these clones compared to others he had encountered. They demonstrated a reduced inclination to blindly follow directives. Struggling to differentiate between the clones (due to their identical appearance), Joram assigned them nicknames based on events related to each individual or their role in the mission. For instance, one trooper who had lost a tooth was dubbed "Tooth," while another, responsible for digging fortifications after the crash, was named "Digger." Additional clone monikers included Mapper, Spots, Spade, Wrench and Hash.
Following the allocation of nicknames, the platoon leader, Tooth, proposed a strategy for infiltrating the missile production complex. Under Tooth's guidance, the team successfully gained entry, acquiring disguises, identification cards, and fingerprint data from Separatist personnel. Tooth orchestrated a distraction, enabling Joram and another team of troopers to successfully demolish the facility. During the conflict, Tooth and several other clone troopers were killed by the Separatist forces. The surviving clones, along with Joram, managed to secure transportation off the planet from a spaceport located in Tur Lorkin.
During their flight, Digger revealed to Joram that his platoon of clones were 'not standard issue.' He characterized his platoon as possessing 'a greater degree of independence than the standard clones, demonstrating a higher capacity for initiative.' Digger informed Joram about the existence of similar units, which were available should the Republic require specialized troopers for unique assignments. Joram was expected to present the platoon as typical and to compose 'a highly favorable report on the clone trooper's military capabilities, in order to convince the decision-makers that all troopers perform at an elite level.'