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Republic Commando: True Colors

Republic Commando: True Colors is the third novel in the Republic Commando series. Karen Traviss penned this installment, which unfolds approximately two years after the events of the First Battle of Geonosis. The release date was October 30, 2007. Included within its pages are the short story Odds and an excerpt from Death Star, a novel by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. The cover art, created by Greg Knight, draws inspiration from his concept artwork for the Star Wars: Republic Commando video game.

Synopsis from the Publisher

As the Clone Wars escalate without restraint, the Republic's most formidable warriors confront a harsh reality: the Separatists are not their only adversary, nor are they the most dangerous.

In the Grand Army's critical struggle to subdue the Separatists, the clandestine special operations undertaken by its elite clone soldiers are more vital—and perilous—than ever. A growing threat endangers the Republic's chances of victory, leading Omega Squad to a startling discovery that tests their allegiance.

As the boundary between ally and enemy becomes increasingly indistinct, individuals—from ordinary citizens and non-commissioned officers to Jedi Knights and commanding officers—find themselves battling a new enemy: the uncertainty within their own minds and hearts. The truth is a delicate, ever-changing illusion, and only the impending catastrophe will reveal the true nature of both sides.

Plot Summary

This narrative begins with Sergeant Walon Vau, now a civilian, alongside Delta Squad on the frigid and desolate world of Mygeeto. Vau's purpose is to "recover" funds from the bank vaults beneath Mygeeto's glaciers, seizing over 55 million credits and other valuables from his family's vault. However, their departure encounters complications, leaving Vau stranded and isolated under tons of ice, slowly succumbing to the cold, while Delta Squad is compelled to leave without him.

Simultaneously, Omega Squad, including Darman, is deployed to Gaftikar, a Separatist-controlled planet, to aid A'den, a Null ARC, in training local rebels—a lizard-humanoid species—to overthrow the human-Separatist government. Skirata negotiates with a Rodian for a submersible craft capable of flight, hoping to locate Ko Sai, the leading rogue Kaminoan geneticist. It is revealed that Ko Sai defected from the Republic to the Separatists, eventually betraying them as well, "Doing a runner with the creds" in Skirata's words. Delta informs him of Vau's situation, reported as Missing In Action and presumed dead beneath tons of ice and snow. Skirata, accompanied by the Null ARC Ordo, journeys to Mygeeto and commences the arduous search for Vau. In a deep snowdrift, they discover Mird, Vau's devoted strill, desperately attempting to dig down to where it last saw its master. Skirata takes the submersible craft (named Aay'han, signifying a time for Mandos to remember the dead while with living loved ones) and drives it deep into the glacier. After extensive scraping and laser blasting at the ice, they finally locate Vau's body, frozen but alive, and successfully thaw him without incident. Skirata, both angered and relieved that Vau is alive, is astonished when Vau produces the invaluable treasures he pilfered from his family's vaults, offering them all to Skirata for the "Clone Retirement Fund."

Concurrently, Darman and Atin infiltrate a city on Gaftikar disguised as civilians. There, they are surprised to encounter Sull, an ARC trooper who had been Missing In Action on the planet for weeks and presumed dead. He is alive and well, having become a citizen and abandoned the army. The duo ambushes him and forcibly returns him to base, despite his resistance. Back at base, they learn from Sull's interrogation that the ARC had uncovered the truth behind Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's scheme - or at least the general idea of it. Sull, no longer willing to be a pawn in a war with no end in sight, decided to go AWOL and live out his remaining days peacefully. Sull agrees to leave Gaftikar after providing A'den and Omega with information about the Gaftikari capital city and the location of Sull's discarded armor, which Darman retrieves. After Sull departs the planet, Darman returns to Sull's home to look for any evidence that the ARC had been there, when two Clone Covert Ops Troopers rush in, believing him to be Sull. Darman manages to kill them both, but is shocked and wonders why clones would be sent to kill clones.

During the assault on the capital city of Gaftikar, Fi sustains a severe head injury, rendering him virtually brain-dead. He is transported to a medical facility on Coruscant, but they are unable to awaken him from his coma. Besany Wennen discovers that any clone trooper who requires too much effort or supplies to be saved is simply allowed to die. Only troops who can be made fit to fight again receive medical care. Since Fi is too far gone to be saved, he is scheduled to be terminated, but Besany Wennen and Captain Jaller Obrim of Coruscant Security Force kidnap him from the medcenter just in time. They take him to Obrim's home, where Bardan Jusik uses the Force to heal the tissue in Fi's brain and he lives. Even so, the healing is not complete, and Fi is nowhere near his old self.

On Qiilura, Etain Tur-Mukan is assigned the task of "evacuating," by force if necessary, the human farmers who acted as a resistance movement against the Separatists. The Republic promised the planet to the native Gurlanins, who want all humans gone forever. However, the farmers do not go quietly. Etain begins to hemorrhage after one of the fights and fears she is miscarrying her baby. Skirata sends Ordo with a medical droid to take care of her. After her recovery, Ordo takes her with him to Dorumaa, where Skirata, Mereel, and Vau have been successful in capturing Ko Sai. Skirata takes the whole group to Mandalore and imprisons Ko Sai in his home. He wants to find out how to stop the accelerated aging in the clone troopers so that his "boys" can have a normal lifespan. However, Mereel and Vau are unable to get any information out of her until Etain offers Ko Sai a sample of her tissue and some tissue from the umbilical cord when her son is born. Eager to play around with a Jedi genome, Ko Sai accepts and gives Etain some of the data needed to reverse the rapid aging. However, Ko Sai grows more and more dejected as time passes since she is no longer known as the best geneticist in the galaxy. This loss of her reputation leads her to eventually hang herself from a beam in Skirata's house, using Etain's umbilical cord after her son, Venku, is born.

Etain's son, Venku, is born on Mandalore (Venku is derived from the Mando'a word for future). Skirata subtly asks Darman what he would name a boy if he had one, and Darman says he likes "Kad." Skirata and Jusik decide to nickname the boy Kad'ika and agree to let him stay at Besany Wennen's apartment while Etain is in the field. Etain is torn apart that Darman is still unaware that he is the baby's father.

Delta Squad present General Zey with Ko Sai's head, pretending they found it on Dorumaa to fool General Zey and the Chancellor as to her real fate and the information discovered through her.

The novel concludes with a friendly limmie game involving Niner, Atin, Corr, Ordo, Mereel, Skirata, and Vau.

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