Soldier (clone)

During the year 9 ABY, Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn found a collection of Spaarti cloning cylinders within Mount Tantiss, the secret storage facility of the deceased Galactic Emperor Palpatine on the planet Wayland. Around that time, the Chiss Grand Admiral established a research facility on the surface of a frozen moon orbiting a gas giant in a star system designated UR-2212-GR in the Unknown Regions. Thrawn then dispatched at least one of the cylinders and DNA samples from various Jedi and Sith to the facility, instructing the scientists there to combine the DNA to generate hybrid Jedi–Sith clones who would serve the Empire as potent Dark Jedi agents. However, the project's primary objective was to develop a groundbreaking Force user capable of effectively wielding both light side and dark side abilities. Among these samples was one from the Human male Jaden Korr, who would later become a Jedi but was then a young boy living with his adoptive parents on the galactic capital of Coruscant, unaware of his Force-sensitivity.

Following a series of DNA experiments, a scientist known as Dr. Gray successfully combined the samples into a usable form, leading to the creation of nine clones, labeled Subjects A through I. Although created from combined Jedi and Sith DNA, each clone was primarily based on a single template. The clones weren't all created simultaneously, and the initial eight suffered from an illness that physically destabilized them, driving them to madness. These clones required regular injections of metacycline to combat the disease. However, later clones were increasingly stable, with the final clone—created from Korr's sample—showing no symptoms and considered a perfect specimen, the culmination of Thrawn's vision. The One Sith organization, secretly operating from the Sith world of Korriban, heard rumors of Thrawn's project and the creation of the "Prime," seeking to acquire him for study.

Although the scientists attempted to slow the clones' accelerated aging, they matured quickly and were aware of their Force connection. Linked telepathically and empathetically, the clones formed a close Community, giving each other names in place of their Subject designations. The Korr clone was named "Soldier" by his brethren. However, because Soldier didn't exhibit the sickness affecting the others, they considered him different and often showed detachment and contempt towards him. Growing under the constant observation of the Imperial scientists, who watched them through the transparisteel ceiling of their chambers, and enduring continuous tests, the clones developed a hatred for their creators. One night, years before 41 ABY, during a moment of solitude granted by the scientists, Seer, a clone of the Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya—approached her brothers and sisters, claiming to have received a Force-based message from a being called Mother. Seer claimed Mother would provide a home and cure for their sickness, and the clones began planning their escape from the frozen moon. Soldier doubted Mother's existence but kept his thoughts to himself. However, another clone, Wry, who shared Soldier's doubts, voiced his opinion to the Community. Enraged, the other clones tore Wry apart in a collective rage, with Soldier observing. He then decided to keep his doubts to himself and follow the Community's plans.

For years, the clones plotted their escape, with Seer acting as their prophet and mastermind. They managed to acquire spare parts to construct lightsabers, with Seer smuggling lightsaber crystals into the facility. Working at night in their cubicles when the scientists couldn't see them, Soldier and the others used touch and their connection to construct crude but functional lightsabers. When Seer decided it was time to strike, she announced it to the others. Following her call, Soldier and the Community attacked their masters, slaughtering the scientists and stormtrooper guards. The murders were brutal, with the clones dismembering the staff and writing with their blood on the walls. They then filled the Spaarti cloning cylinder that had created them with the remains of their victims, turning it into an altar to Mother. Running on limited supplies of food, energy, and medicine, the clones waited decades for a ship to arrive and take them away. During that time, some clones developed romantic relationships, resulting in three children: Gift, Blessing, and Grace. Soldier grew attached to the children, developing affection for them. As years passed, the clones began to lose hope, but Seer maintained their spirits, promising that someone would eventually come to the moon and they would escape.

Indeed, in 41 ABY, someone arrived as Seer had predicted. Jaden Korr, now a Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order, arrived on the frozen moon guided by a vision from the Force. While Korr explored the facility, the clones slipped out to steal his Starhawk shuttle Flotsam, with Alpha volunteering to confront the Jedi. Korr killed Alpha, while the clones, taking the remaining medicine, found a vessel to escape—not Flotsam, but the larger CloakShape fighter Predator, belonging to the Anzat One Sith assassin Kell Douro, who had followed Korr and been killed. Soon, Korr and his companion, Khedryn Faal, emerged from the facility. Making their presence known, the clones landed the CloakShape beside them. Believing the clones wouldn't dare kill them, Korr and Faal turned their backs to the Predator and walked away, with Korr mentally warning the clones, promising to follow them if they escaped. Soldier and the Community ignored his warnings and took the CloakShape to leave the moon. As they passed through the atmosphere, they flew through the remains of Lignan crystals scattered there after the destruction of the Sith dreadnaught Harbinger, which had time-traveled from the Great Hyperspace War era five thousand years prior and been destroyed by Jedi Master Relin Druur. The Lignan crystals, capable of amplifying dark side powers, influenced the escapees. Soldier and the other clones felt their powers amplified, but the influence also accelerated their sickness, placing the clones—except for Soldier—in a trance and causing their skin to ripple.

As the sole individual immune to the affliction, Soldier took immediate action, distributing the metacycline to his ailing siblings. In their feverish state, they were hesitant to accept the medication, their animosity towards Soldier intensifying. Scar, one of the clones, met his end, while Two-Blade launched an assault on Soldier, only to be swiftly subdued. Soldier, poised to deliver the final blow to Two-Blade, sensed the man's excruciating pain caused by the sickness and chose to show mercy. Despite dwindling supplies, Soldier continued to administer the medicine, but Maker, Scar's companion, goaded him into a confrontation. Empowered by the dark side, Soldier unleashed a surge of Force lightning, resulting in Maker's demise. When Soldier attempted to provide Seer with the medicine, she initially resisted, placing her faith in Mother's ability to heal her, but eventually relented and accepted a final dose. After scrutinizing the CloakShape's computer logs, Soldier made a significant discovery: the ship's last known destination prior to the frozen moon was the planet Fhost, home to the Farpoint Medical Center located within the single city of Farpoint. With the hope of replenishing their dwindling medical resources, Soldier shared his findings with Seer, who concurred that they should set a course for Fhost.

Upon their arrival, Soldier landed the ship in a spacious clearing within a forest, situated fifty kilometers from Farpoint. By this time, Blessing and Gift had succumbed to the ravages of the illness. Soldier's attempt to revive the children with an adrenaline injection proved futile, as they had already passed away. Seer instructed Soldier to leave their bodies, along with Two-Blade, who was nearing death, aboard the ship. Accompanied by Seer and the clone Runner, Soldier transported Grace and her mother, Hunter, both of whom were unconscious, to the Farpoint Medical Center using a speeder discovered within the CloakShape's cargo bay. During their journey, Soldier expressed his disapproval of Runner's casual manipulation of the Force to cause traffic incidents.

At the medical facility, a female doctor and a male nurse greeted the clones, offering to provide care for Hunter. Instead, Soldier employed a mind trick in an attempt to coerce the two into escorting them to the facility's dispensary, where he intended to acquire the necessary supplies to synthesize more metacycline. However, the clones' suspicious actions drew the attention of the facility's security personnel, who attempted to apprehend them. Growing impatient, Runner forcefully pushed Soldier aside and unleashed the Force to create chaos within the facility, prompting the guards to open fire and forcing Soldier to defend himself, resulting in their deaths. Tragically, Runner's outburst led to the demise of six innocent individuals. Seer, through her connection to the Force, sensed the imminent arrival of a medical supply ship on the facility's rooftop. With Runner's actions rendering all lifts inoperable, the clones ascended the stairs to reach the medical center's roof.

However, as they approached the third floor, Korr, who had been relentlessly pursuing the clones since their departure from the frozen moon, descended and confronted them. Korr incapacitated Runner, and Soldier engaged him in a fierce lightsaber duel. Upon recognizing Soldier's face and realizing that he was a clone of himself, Korr momentarily lowered his guard, allowing Soldier to strike him with a Force blast. Runner regained consciousness and, together with Soldier and Seer, unleashed a combined Force assault on Korr. Overwhelmed by the attack, the Jedi weakened, and Soldier, driven by Seer's command to eliminate the Jedi, unleashed Force lightning upon him, inflicting severe injuries. Runner then attempted to deliver the final blow to Korr, but the latter managed to deflect the attack. In response, Runner kicked Korr down a flight of stairs. The Jedi, despite his injuries, managed to regain his footing, only to stumble and fall further down the stairs. Choosing not to waste any more time, the clones proceeded to the roof, where they were ambushed by Korr's companion, Faal, whom they quickly disarmed. While Runner sought to kill Faal, Soldier intervened, believing that they could extract valuable information from him regarding Korr's tracking methods.

Taking Faal as a hostage, Soldier and the others boarded the medical supply ship parked on the roof, which contained an ample supply of reagents necessary for Soldier to synthesize more medicine. Following a course charted by Seer, they embarked on a journey to Mother. When Faal regained consciousness, Soldier inquired about Korr's ability to track them, but Faal revealed that their encounter with the clones had been purely coincidental. Despite Seer and Runner's desire to execute their hostage, Soldier, who initially intended to release Faal aboard an escape pod, ultimately negotiated for Faal to be executed by spacing, rather than being killed by Runner's lightsaber. As Runner departed to escort Faal to the airlock for the execution, Soldier noticed that Grace had disappeared. He instructed Hunter, who had just regained consciousness, to search for her daughter. However, Soldier soon sensed a strange presence aboard the ship that attempted to sever his connection to the Force. He then heard Grace's terrified screams as she encountered an intruder. An Umbaran agent of the One Sith, Nyss Nenn, had infiltrated the ship, eliminated Runner and Hunter, and taken Faal captive near the airlock. Nenn possessed a unique ability to sever others' connection to the Force, and he swiftly incapacitated Seer. Soldier, resisting the power, put up a valiant fight, but the Umbaran stunned him with a flash-bang grenade, injured him with a vibroblade, disarmed him, and took him hostage, binding him and informing Soldier that the One Sith desired him alive.

Nenn, piloting the medical supply ship out of hyperspace in a star system featuring two gas giants, contacted Korr, who was pursuing the clones aboard the freighter known as the Junker. Nenn demanded that Korr exchange himself for Faal, threatening to kill the spacer if his demands were not met. However, Faal, having been freed by Grace, managed to sneak into the cabin. In an act of gratitude, Faal released Soldier and provided him with Hunter's lightsaber, which he had discovered. The clone instructed Faal to flee. Soldier confronted Nenn, forcing the Umbaran to retreat to an escape pod. Soldier attempted to shatter the pod's glass window with his lightsaber, but the Umbaran, utilizing his talent at the last moment, manipulated the lightsaber's crystal, deactivating the blade. Both the Umbaran and Faal escaped from the ship in separate escape pods, Faal heading towards the Junker and Nenn attempting to reach his scout flyer, which was being piloted into the area by his sister, Syll Nenn. In the ensuing skirmish in open space, Syll employed the scout ship to attack Faal's escape pod, but she was killed by Korr, who had exited the Junker in a hardsuit and deflected her shots back at her with his lightsaber. Faal was rescued by his allies, while Nyss returned to the scout flyer only to discover his sister's lifeless body. Meanwhile, Soldier located Grace, unharmed and concealed within the medical ship's cargo bay, and set a course back to Seer's coordinates.

Seer regained consciousness, and the three remaining clones soon emerged from hyperspace into a system containing a pulsar, two tidally locked planets, and an asteroid belt of artificial origin. The system was saturated with radiation emanating from the pulsar, appearing desolate and incapable of supporting life. Disheartened, Soldier questioned Seer's visions and doubted the existence of Mother, believing that she could not possibly reside in such a hostile environment. However, Seer directed him to pilot the ship to the dark side of one of the planets, specifically the one closest to the pulsar. There, they discovered an ancient Rakatan space station, organic in nature and connected to the planet below by a tether. The station radiated a strong dark side presence, and Seer declared that Mother was present. Soldier, his faith in Seer's visions restored, docked the medical supply ship with the station, and the three clones boarded. Inside, they encountered decaying corpses of those who had perished there previously.

Guided by Seer, Soldier and the others utilized organic tubes to descend through the tether to the planet-side portion of the station, where they discovered a vast oval chamber containing a large cylindrical mound at its center, adorned with filaments of various colors. As the clones marveled at the beauty of the location, a revelation struck Soldier: Mother was not an individual; she was the consciousness of the space station itself, and they were within her heart. Soldier implored Mother to heal Seer and Grace, but the filaments seized Seer's body, strangling her to death. All along, Mother had sought the clones with the sole intention of possessing one of them and escaping to the wider galaxy. Witnessing this horrific event, Soldier grabbed Grace and fled, determined to protect her at all costs. Soon, they heard sounds of a struggle, and Soldier went to investigate, discovering Marr Idi-Shael, Korr's Jedi apprentice. Korr and Idi-Shael had followed the clones to the station but had been ambushed by Nenn. Korr had slain the Umbaran but had been killed in turn by the Iteration, another clone of himself created by the One Sith. Idi-Shael had then transferred his Master's consciousness into the Iteration's body using the mindspear device and was awaiting his Master to regain consciousness.

As Soldier observed, Korr regained consciousness in his new body and stumbled around aimlessly. Soldier took Idi-Shael hostage and demanded that he summon his Master. The sound of his apprentice's voice triggered Korr's memories of past events, with the exception of his death, which Idi-Shael had concealed. Soldier spoke to Korr, assuring him that he was not responsible for the deaths of innocents at the medical center on Fhost and imploring him to help him and Grace escape, promising that they would never harm anyone. After careful consideration, Korr agreed, and the four individuals attempted to escape, only to encounter Mother inhabiting Seer's body. Mother attacked the group, and Korr managed to wound her after a fierce battle. Realizing that they could not defeat the entity, they fled.

They were then contacted by Faal, whom Nenn had knocked unconscious in the upper portion of the station. Korr instructed Faal to proceed to the medical transport and set its systems to overload, causing it to explode and destroy the station. Faal complied, and the ship was set to detonate imminently. Soldier and his companions utilized the organic lifts to rendezvous with Faal at the upper level of the station. Recognizing that Grace would not survive without medicine, Soldier informed Korr that he would attempt to retrieve some from the medical ship before it exploded, after which he would escape aboard Nenn's scout flyer, which was docked nearby. Korr agreed, and the group split up, with Idi-Shael, Korr, and Faal heading towards the Junker. Soldier took Grace and rushed into the medical ship, gathering enough medicine to keep her symptom-free for years. Together, they made their way to the scout flyer, escaping from the station just as it was destroyed, taking Mother with it. Soldier then initiated a jump to hyperspace, hoping to find a planet where he and Grace could settle down, live out their lives in peace, and seek a permanent cure for her condition.

A duplicate of Jaden Korr, Soldier bore a striking resemblance to the Jedi, possessing a tall stature, sharply angled facial features, a hatchet-shaped nose, brown hair, fair complexion, and gray eyes. However, the decades spent in isolation at the facility on the frozen moon had resulted in Soldier exhibiting a more disheveled and unkempt appearance compared to his genetic template. He wore the ill-fitting, worn-out rags that had once belonged to the facility's staff. Soldier's hair was excessively long, and his facial hair had grown into a full beard. Upon their initial encounter, he recognized Korr as his progenitor, but he remained unfazed and considered himself distinct from Korr. Although he was created years after Korr's birth, his accelerated aging had resulted in him being approximately the same age as the Jedi by 41 ABY. Like all other clones, he was aware of his Force-sensitivity from his creation and shared a telepathic and empathetic connection with his siblings. However, as the only clone who did not succumb to the sickness, Soldier was viewed as an anomaly by the rest of the Community and was somewhat of an outcast. Despite the other clones' disdain, Soldier cared for them and felt a protective instinct towards them, particularly the children, who were the only ones who treated him as an equal. Although he was pained and angered by the constant reminders from his brethren that he was different, Soldier gradually developed mental defenses to ignore their words.

Soldier and Wry were the only two clones who harbored doubts about the existence of Mother, but after witnessing the other clones murder Wry for expressing those doubts, Soldier kept his beliefs to himself, although Seer sensed the truth within him. The other clones believed that the sickness was a trial imposed by Mother, and only those strong enough would survive the journey and be deemed worthy to meet her. Soldier disagreed, believing that the children, Gift and Blessing, did not deserve such a harsh test, and he was deeply saddened by their deaths. Despite his hatred for his life at the facility on the frozen moon, Soldier found himself reminiscing about the place as his home, and he even felt a sense of longing for it. Throughout his life, the clone struggled with feelings of loneliness and a lack of purpose. Yearning for certainty, he sought purpose in Seer's visions and believed that he had finally found it when the clones reached the Rakatan space station. However, his faith was shattered once again when Mother revealed her true intentions and killed Seer. Convinced that the quest for Mother had been a deception, his sole focus became protecting Grace. With a newfound purpose in life, Soldier shed his doubts and no longer felt lost.

Although Soldier was less prone to uncontrolled rage than the other clones, he still experienced it on occasion. He did not participate in Wry's murder, but he did partake in the carnage on the frozen moon, unleashing his pent-up anger towards the scientists who had subjected him to cruel experiments, including prolonged periods of isolation in a sensory deprivation tank, surgeries without anesthesia, and hypospray injections. As a result, Soldier developed a general aversion to doctors. Soldier succumbed to rage when he killed Maker, reveling in the clone's pain as he struck him with Force lightning. He refused to kill Khedryn Faal, preventing Runner from doing so on Fhost and instead taking the man captive. Later, after interrogating Faal, Soldier was willing to release him in an escape pod, but he yielded to pressure from Seer and Runner and agreed to kill him, although he did grant Faal's final wish to be given a death befitting a spacer and be ejected from the airlock instead of being cut down by a lightsaber. Later, when Faal released him from Nenn's bonds and offered to stay and help him fight the Umbaran, Soldier instructed the man to leave, stating that if Seer ordered him to kill Faal later, he would not hesitate to do so. Upon arriving in the irradiated system, Soldier believed that Seer had misled them on a false quest. He expressed his anger towards her, but the sight of the space station calmed and humbled him, and he felt ashamed for displaying his emotions in front of Grace.

Perceiving Grace as extremely vulnerable and fragile, Soldier constantly sought to shield her from danger, succumbing to an uncontrolled frenzy at the thought of Nyss Nenn possibly harming her, and that anger amplified his powers. He desired for the girl to be free from the sickness and hoped that Mother would cure her. While that did not happen, Soldier managed to acquire enough medicine from the supply ship to allow Grace to live comfortably for several years. Soldier hoped that he would eventually discover a cure that would completely heal her and enable her to live a better life than he had. Soldier was often irritated by Runner's arrogance and his inclination towards unprovoked violence and destruction, and he often struggled to restrain himself from harming Runner in response. He felt no remorse for abandoning Two-Blade on the Predator after the man had nearly killed him. Soldier harbored romantic feelings towards Seer, finding her features captivating and experiencing intense sensations whenever she touched him. He found the planet Fhost beautiful from space and envied the freedom of the creatures he observed on the way to Farpoint. Having never encountered so many people in one place, Soldier desired to explore the city and wondered what it would be like to settle there.

Like all members of the Community, Soldier was created with a profound innate connection to the Force. He possessed a high midi-chlorian count and was proficient in many basic and moderately advanced applications of the Force. The clones exhibited a particularly strong affinity for Force powers traditionally associated with the dark side of the Force, but Soldier rejected such labels, viewing those talents simply as powers to be utilized and not considering himself and the clones as Sith. Throughout the clones' years of planning their escape from the facility on the frozen moon, Soldier honed his abilities and constructed a functional lightsaber, working solely by touch within the confines of his cabin.

After the CloakShape fighter passed through the remnants of the Lignan crystals as the clones departed the frozen moon, Soldier experienced a surge of power that permeated him and amplified his dark side abilities. The feeling was intensified by the clones' empathetic connection, causing Soldier to feel the pain and ecstasy of every member of the Community as they experienced the power coursing through them. The power caused Soldier to involuntarily discharge Force lightning for a brief period before he managed to regain control. When he later employed that lightning to kill Maker, Soldier realized that he had never been able to generate such a potent variation of it, and he attempted to contain the newfound power within himself after that incident. However, he later utilized it again during the confrontation with Jaden Korr on Fhost. He could also channel Force blasts at his opponents and employ the Force to enhance his hand-to-hand combat skills, utilizing Force-augmented punches and kicks when fighting Maker and Nyss Nenn. He could perform mind tricks, attempting to do so on the doctor and the nurse at the Farpoint Medical Center, and he could sense the dark side presence of Mother.

Soldier was skilled with his lightsaber, capable of deflecting blaster shots aimed directly at the chests of the medical center's guards, killing them in self-defense, and he was a worthy opponent for Korr in lightsaber combat during their duel on Fhost. Like all the clones' weapons, Soldier's lightsaber was crudely designed, featuring an unstable, sizzling red blade. After being disarmed by Nenn, Soldier received Hunter's lightsaber from Khedryn Faal, and he wielded her weapon from that point onward. To a certain extent, he resisted Nenn's ability to sever one's connection to the Force. Soldier was an accomplished pilot, having undergone training in flight simulators at the cloning facility. He had learned that prolonged exposure to the swirling patterns of hyperspace could lead to madness, and he found the experience nauseating. He was a proficient chemist, capable of recreating metacycline from raw components: a genetic coherence sequencer, an antipsychotic, and a blood thinner.

Soldier was conceived by author Paul S. Kemp, initially mentioned in the 2010 novel Crosscurrent as one of the nine clones created at the facility on the frozen moon. He later became a pivotal character in Kemp's sequel to Crosscurrent, the 2011 novel Riptide. In the novels, Soldier's character served as a vehicle to explore philosophical inquiries regarding the meaning of identity and the pursuit of one's purpose in life.

Crosscurrent established that the nine clones were originally designated Subjects A through I, but Riptide did not specify which letter corresponded to Soldier. As the last of the clones created, Soldier would logically be Subject I, while Seer, as the second-to-last clone produced, would seemingly be Subject H. However, according to the novels, Subject H was Wry's designation, leaving the other clones' designations ambiguous. At the conclusion of Riptide, Soldier reflects that he has encountered "a clone of himself" when referring to Jaden Korr. It remains unclear whether this is simply a terminological error by Kemp, intended to be interpreted as Soldier having met his genetic template, or if it implies that Soldier is aware that Korr is a clone, a possibility hinted at throughout the novel.