Originally subtitled The Clone Wars: The Pengalan Tradeoff, "The Pengalan Tradeoff" is a short story penned by Aaron Allston and brought to life with illustrations by Tommy Lee Edwards. It first appeared in print within the pages of Star Wars Insider 65. Subsequently, it was made available online as Hyperspace Fiction on January 27, 2006.
An accountant for the Galactic Republic, Joram Kithe, who considered himself both lazy and cowardly, received an assignment of an unusual nature. His task was to assess the effectiveness of clone troopers in actual combat, with the aim of determining whether further funding for the clone trooper program was justified. To accomplish this, he was assigned to a platoon of clone troopers during an offensive operation targeting a suspected diamond-boron missile production facility located on Pengalan IV.
The factory, however, turned out to be a cleverly designed trap, and the Republic's attacking forces suffered a significant defeat at the hands of the Separatists' strong defenses. Amidst the retreat, Kithe's gunship was struck down, leaving only himself and a group of seven troopers as survivors. Due to his temporary rank as a Republic Intelligence lieutenant, the troopers placed him in command, despite his strong reservations and complete lack of military experience.
As he began to collaborate with the clones, he found himself increasingly impressed by their bravery, proficiency, and efficiency. However, he was equally disturbed by their evident lack of individuality. He attempted to address this by assigning them nicknames and demonstrating that strictly adhering to established procedures was not always the optimal approach, and could even potentially endanger the mission's success at times.
Avoiding capture, Kithe and the troopers journeyed towards Tur Lorkin, the nearest settlement, with the intention of locating a suitable vessel for escape.
Kithe's accounting expertise led him to notice several irregularities about the village. It appeared to be a small agricultural community, yet there were no farms and no visible industrial activity, despite the presence of a disproportionately large spaceport. The numbers simply didn't reconcile, prompting him and the troopers to investigate further. They discovered that the town was merely a facade: the actual diamond-boron missile factory did indeed exist, concealed underground, directly beneath the town. The false factory they had initially attacked had been a hastily constructed decoy, set up by the Separatists after they realized that the Republic was aware of the true factory's existence.
Kithe initially resolved to escape and alert the Republic to the situation. However, the troopers disagreed with this plan, arguing that by the time they reached Republic territory, the Separatists would have discovered their escape and promptly relocated the factory. They insisted that it was necessary to destroy the factory before attempting to flee. Finding an unexpected surge of courage and a sense of duty, Kithe made the decision to join them in their mission, rather than abandoning them. Together, they successfully infiltrated and destroyed the factory, and then managed to escape.
However, their success came at a significant cost: three of the troopers, men whom Kithe had come to know and value, had perished, affecting him deeply. As he confessed this to the troopers, they, in turn, revealed a surprising truth to him: they were not simply ordinary clones. They had been created "to be a little more self-reliant than the others. To be capable of more initiative... In case they need troopers for more specialized missions." Kithe was intended to believe that they were representative of the norm and to submit a glowing report about the clone troopers, thereby encouraging further investment in their production. Kithe resolved to do exactly that, as he was unaware of the true purpose of this deception. However, he questioned why the troopers had chosen to reveal this information to him. They explained that they felt he had earned their trust and considered him to be one of them.