Jangotat

Nate, a clone originating from the planet of Kamino, was one boy among countless identical beings. As a genetically engineered soldier, his purpose was singular: to serve in the Grand Army of the Republic. Following the completion of his training on Kamino, Nate was deployed to Geonosis for his inaugural mission, joining his clone brothers to assist in the rescue of Mace Windu and his fellow Jedi. During this engagement, he and the five members of his squad faced near-death when a Separatist Hailfire droid entered an unexpected reflux pattern, threatening a violent explosion that would have eliminated everyone nearby. Nate, possessing knowledge of power-cell recharge cycles, recognized the Hailfire droid's condition. He immediately alerted his squad to the impending danger, enabling them to seek cover while he destroyed the droid before it could endanger them. In recognition of his actions in destroying the Hailfire droid and saving his comrades, he was promoted to the rank of captain after the Battle of Geonosis.

Later in the war, Nate participated in the obscure Battle of Altair 9, where a native broca inflicted a near-fatal hip injury. This severe wound necessitated evacuation to a Republic medical station, where he underwent three weeks of treatment. Following his recovery, he was eventually stationed on Vandor-3, a training ground for troopers. Along with fifty thousand other clone troopers, Nate participated in a grueling training exercise under the supervision of Admiral Arikakon Baraka.

The training exercise on Vandor-3 was recognized as one of the most challenging within the Grand Army of the Republic. Nate's experience began similarly to others, with an orbital insertion into Vandor-3's oceans. Among thousands of capsules launched that day, Nate's experienced a hull breach due to a hardware malfunction, forcing him to eject to avoid drowning. After escaping his capsule, Nate used his rebreather and joined the other troopers assembling beneath the ocean surface. As the troopers advanced towards their objective, they were attacked by a massive selenome, an aquatic creature with countless tentacles covered in toothed suckers. During the exercise, many troopers fell victim to the selenome, and Nate was attacked by one of its tentacles. To counteract the constricting force, Nate inhaled sharply to protect his ribs. Holding his breath, Nate used his blaster rifle to destroy the tentacle holding him captive.

Following their encounter with the selenome, Nate and the surviving troopers regrouped on the beach, re-establishing their fighting formation. Nate then led them in a frontal assault against an "enemy" position defended by reprogrammed enemy battle droids. Despite a combined strength reduction of fifty percent due to genuine and simulated casualties, Nate maintained his troopers' speed and efficiency. Leading with the skill expected of an ARC commando, Nate ensured his troopers successfully secured the right flank of the mission's objective.

Upon returning to base, Nate was summoned to Major Apted Squelsh's office for a review. She informed him that his leadership and efficiency during the Vandor-3 mission had earned him a position in a covert operation on Ord Cestus, led by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Nate viewed this as an opportunity to demonstrate his capabilities and advance his career.

Nate commanded a commando group on Ord Cestus, under the command of Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto. Their objective was to disable a droid factory producing JK-13 security droids, or "Jedi Killers," which had proven formidable against the Jedi, prompting the Republic and Jedi Council to address the threat.

The commandos, under Nate's leadership, trained new recruits for the Desert Wind rebel group, assisting them in conducting guerrilla attacks against the Five Families' installations. During this period, Nate developed a relationship with Sheeka Tull, a former love interest of Jango Fett. Sheeka, frustrated by his lack of humanity, sought to reveal a life beyond his duty to the Republic. Influenced by Sheeka, he adopted the name Jangotat, meaning "Jango's brother" in the Concord Dawn dialect. Through Sheeka's friendship and eventual love, Nate gained a new perspective and morality, altering his predetermined life as a soldier.

Kenobi and Fisto embarked on a sabotage mission to the droid factory to resolve the conflict on Ord Cestus and prevent a devastating orbital strike by Republic space forces. The Republic informed Kenobi that if surgical strike coordinates were not received by a specific time, the fleet was authorized to initiate a blanket bombardment to ensure the JK-13 factory's destruction. During the attack, Jangotat's squad was ordered to remain in place until further instructions from the Jedi.

While Kenobi and Fisto were away, Jangotat discovered the Five Families' hideout, recognizing an opportunity to end the hostilities without unnecessary civilian casualties. This created an internal conflict, forcing him to choose between obeying orders and upholding their spirit. Despite knowing his decision could end his military career, Jangotat chose to follow the spirit of his orders. Escaping his squad mates, who believed he should remain in place, Jangotat set out to eliminate the Five Families alone.

He infiltrated their facility but was unable to breach a blast door without the necessary equipment. However, an encounter with a JK-13 revealed the model's weakness: an inability to attack with lethal intent. Jangotat recorded this information along with a farewell message before calling down an orbital strike on his own position, preventing the planned blanket bombardment. His sacrifice saved millions of lives and embodied the essence of an ARC trooper. After his death, it was revealed that Sheeka was pregnant with his child.

Alpha-98 possessed the qualities expected of an ARC trooper: dedication, bravery, and charisma. As a clone of Jango Fett, Nate naturally embodied the ideal soldier. Early in his military career, he demonstrated this by studying his enemy, saving his squad from a Hailfire droid during the Battle of Geonosis. His soldierly qualities were further evident during the challenging training exercise on Vandor-3, where he overcame a hardware malfunction that threatened to drown him and calmly destroyed a selenome's tentacle that threatened to crush him.

His leadership skills were equally impressive. During the Vandor-3 training mission, Alpha-98 successfully led his unit to complete their objective. Despite a fifty percent casualty rate of both real and simulated casualties, he maintained the mission's speed and efficiency. His leadership on Vandor-3 earned him the leading position on the covert mission to Ord Cestus, where he organized a highly trained militia to undermine the Five Families.

Near the end of the Mission to Ord Cestus, Alpha-98 demonstrated his commitment to completing his mission, regardless of the consequences. Choosing to obey the spirit of his orders, he embarked on a solo mission to neutralize the Five Families, sacrificing his life to save millions of innocents by calling down a bombardment on his own position.

Author Steven Barnes created and wrote the character of Alpha-98 for the novel The Cestus Deception. He was later referenced in the 2005 The New Essential Chronology and featured in the 2008 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

The Cestus Deception states that A-98's height, like all clone troopers, is 1.78 meters. Although Jango Fett's official height is 1.83 meters, the actor who portrayed him in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones is noticeably shorter, evident in scenes with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan's official height is 1.79 meters, and Jango's shorter height is reflected in The Cestus Deception, which lists his clones as 1.78 meters tall.

Alpha-98's activation for the Battle of Geonosis contradicts the established timeline that ARC troopers were first activated two months after this battle, during the First Battle of Kamino. There has been no official explanation for Alpha-98's participation in the Battle of Geonosis.

In The Cestus Deception, ARC troopers are genetically standard clones, contradicting the established fact that ARC troopers were genetically engineered differently and raised earlier than other clones. Also, ARC troopers didn't have Clone-trooper(CT) designation, but this book is different.