Clone X trooper

Activated for service as assassins and clone commandos, Clone X troopers, also known as clone assassins and designated as CX troopers, were a specialized type of clone troopers. These clones originated from Royce Hemlock's deep undercover program, under the direction of Doctor Chief Scientist, which involved conditioning clones into novel warriors devoid of any remnants of their former identities. Serving as special operatives, these conditioned soldiers were organized within the classified Advanced Science Division. To maintain secrecy, only one clone assassin was activated at any given time. Should a clone assassin fail in their mission or be captured, another would be activated and assigned the task of killing their predecessor.

When deployed, Clone X troopers were outfitted with black military armor, featuring communications devices integrated into their helmets, and the potential for attaching a [rangefinder](/article/rangefinder]. Their helmets were pressurized and equipped with a mechanized visor that could extend or retract as needed. Moreover, a control panel brace could be added to facilitate direct control of their CX Dagger vessels. Clone X troopers fulfilled diverse roles, with individuals such as Clone X, CX-1, and CX-2 being trained as sharpshooters and consequently provided with a 773 Firepuncher rifle, an RK-3 blaster, and a backpack containing equipment like thermal detonators, all attached to their armor. During a raid on Mount Tantiss Hemlock deployed four Clone X troopers who had different helmets and were resistant to stun blasts, Hemlock's toxin gas, and blaster fire, with it taking several well-paced shots to kill each of the assassins. Furthermore, these troopers were trained to wield weapons such as electrospears, superheated vibroblades, electrified bolas, and double-barreled blaster pistols. To uphold their clandestine nature in case of compromise, all records of Clone X troopers' previous identities, including operating numbers, were erased from all databanks. They were also implanted with electro capsules in one of their teeth for use upon capture and imprisonment, as well as an internal homing device undetectable by scanners that remained active as long as the soldier lived.

A few months following the rise of the Empire, these clone troopers with specialized training were in operation. One such commando, Clone X, who was serving Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart, received orders to assassinate an Imperial clone trooper known as Cade. Cade had planned to expose Rampart's involvement in the destruction of Tipoca City to the Imperial Senate. Positioned on a rooftop near 79's, a cantina on Coruscant frequented by clone troopers, Clone X fatally shot Cade as he exited the cantina alongside clone stormtrooper Slip. Clone X attempted to eliminate Slip as well, but the panicked clone managed to commandeer a speeder bike and escape.

Shortly thereafter, Clone X tracked down Slip and successfully assassinated him in the streets of Coruscant after spotting the trooper speaking with Pantoran Senator Riyo Chuchi. Seeking to eliminate any potential loose ends, Clone X proceeded to attack the senator and her bodyguards, pursuing them through a nearby warehouse. After killing all of Chuchi's men, Clone X prepared to kill the Pantoran senator but was stunned by the rogue Clone Captain Rex, who showed up to extract Slip before his demise. Clone X later awoke to find that Rex and Chuchi had taken him to Trace Martez's repair shop, located on Level 1313 of the Coruscant Underworld. Refusing to answer Rex's questions, Clone X revealed his knowledge of Rex's name and told him that he was fighting the wrong battle, calling him "limited". The assassin then proclaimed himself as a "believer" before biting down on an electro capsule, resulting in his immediate death.

The following day, Clone X's corpse, displayed on a hoversled, was shown to the rogue commandos of Clone Force 99, with Rex mentioning that the assassin's identifying number had been wiped. Three months later, clone assassin CX-1 was present at Tantiss Base, briefly observing a group of clones being escorted by commandos before entering a turbolift. The genetically defective clone commando Crosshair was admitted into the undercover program, but their conditioning attempts were unsuccessful, likely due to his defective nature.

A few days later, CX-1 was dispatched to assassinate Separatist Senator Avi Singh, who had gone into hiding with his droid GS-8 after the occupation of his homeplanet by the Empire after the end of the Clone Wars after getting saved by Clone Force 99. He was meeting with Senator Chuchi on her homeworld Pantora, to discuss forming a galaxy wide rebellion against Emperor Palpatine, and were guarded by Captain Rex and several members of his Clone Underground rebel cell. CX-1 infiltrated the tea parlor where the meeting took place and prepared to assassinate Singh, but was compromised at the last moment by Rex. CX-1 tossed a thermal detonator into the room to cover his escape, but was pursed to the top of a maintenance tower, where he was stunned by Captain Howzer. Not wanting a repeat when he questioned Clone X, Rex had Howzer remove CX-1's electro capsule and he recovered a highly encrypted data puck from his gear which was a target register. CX-1's capture and inability to kill himself resulted in Clone Commander Scorch activating another assassin, CX-2, to kill him. CX-2 traveled on his CX Dagger vessel to the Clone Underground's hideout on the planet Teth and infiltrated it. After killing several guards, CX-2 eliminated CX-1 and continued to engage the Clone Underground, killing multiple members of Rex’s rebel cell and causing the base to collapse from detonators he planted earlier. Concurrently, Commander Scorch dispatched a recovery strike team to reinforce CX-2, led by Commander Wolffe, to recover Omega, who was Doctor Hemlock’s prime target and discovered with Clone Force 99 and the Clone Underground.

Upon the arrival of reinforcements, CX-2 disregarded Wolffe's order to use stun blasts and continued to operate separately from the recovery strike team, and kept his blaster set to kill. Despite the animosity between the two clones, CX-2 claimed that his efforts had prevented the target from escaping. CX-2 later engaged in hand-to-hand combat with rogue sharpshooter Crosshair, angered at his inability to become a clone assassin due to his defective nature. Crosshair ultimately defeated CX-2, though he survived the fight.

Eventually, after a successful raid on Pabu conducted by CX-2, Omega was recaptured and brought back to Tantiss Base on Wayland and placed in Imperial confinement. Desperate to recover their older sister, Clone Force 99 raided Tantiss Base. When a Zillo Beast containment breach sent Imperial forces stationed at the base in disarray, Hemlock decided to activate the remainder of his clone assassins whom he was getting ready in the training room, Sniper CloneX3, Sniper CloneX4, Sniper CloneX5, and another trooper. Arriving in the the training room, Hemlock opened the doors of the assassins' stasis chambers, releasing the troopers, who were subsequently dispatched to Tantiss base' hangar to deal with Clone Force 99. After neutralizing the rogue clones in a brief brutal firefight, the assassins brought the Clone Force 99 back into the training room, where Hemlock began torturing them in an attempt to recondition them into more operatives. Concurrently, Omega and Corporal Echo freed the clone prisoners and led them to the training room to rescue Clone Force 99. As CX-2 and one assassin remained in the reconditioning room to guard Clone Force 99, the other assassins entered the training room just below to neutralize the freed prisoners. Soon after, Omega snuck into the reconditioning room and was caught, but not before managing to free one of Wrecker's restraints. Meanwhile, the other assassins continued to battle Echo and the freed clone prisoners, inflicting heavy casualties.

As Wrecker awoke, he freed himself and knocked out Scorch, CX-2, a clone assassin, and Hemlock. The clone assassin attempted to neutralize him, but Wrecker managed to overpower him and knocked him into a recovering CX-2. As Scorch and Hemlock escaped with Omega, Wrecker pushed the assassin through the window down into the training room. Hunter grabbed the electrospear and tried to find CX-2, but his sight was blurred due to previous torture. CX-2 attempted to sneak up behind Hunter and tried to shoot him. As he approached Crosshair's restraining chamber, he pulled the trigger but missed as Crosshair kicked him at the side. This caused Hunter to able to locate CX-2 using his heightened senses and threw the spear at CX-2, impaling his chest and killing him.

Meanwhile, as Wrecker and one assassin fell into the training room, Echo knocked out one of the assassin by grabbing the other assassin's hand with the blaster and shot him. The assassin got up but sustained more shots from Wrecker, therefore killing him. Echo returned the favor, killing the assassin behind Wrecker with a flurry of lasers. As the two fought the two remaining clone assassins, Wrecker was shot in the leg. He managed to get up and kill an assassin who had managed to sneak up behind Echo by slamming his head into a wall. As the final assassin attempted to attack Echo, Vik killed the assassin.