Republic At War: the novelization???
by Trent McCrow

13:9.10 0235hrs
MON CALAMARI: Mon Calamari
Somewhere in the Western Seas of Kal

Beep beep beep beep beep beep.
WARNING: Internal Pressure Failure Imminent!
Beep beep beep beep beep beep.

The warning message continued to repeat as more and more lights started flashing on the control panel, lighting up the small cramped space with shades of red, orange, and blue. Ty took no notice as he loosened the security strap that secured him firmly within the pod. He adjusted the pack on his back, pulling down and hard to make sure it was securely in place. Ty had done this process so many times now he instinctively moved through the final stages of preparation.

Suit Integrity – Check
Oxygen Reserves – 98%
Blaster Energy – 100%
Equipment – Check
Pack – Secured
All Check. 100%

Ty checked his HUD on the inside of his helmets visor. He briefly glanced over his vital readings. He was breathing slightly slower than normal and his heart rate was slightly heightened but all this was expected and indeed natural when going into the unknown. The pod he was in was now slowly filling with the cold water he was about to immerse himself into. He couldn’t feel the icy chill which was a good sign that his pressure suit and combat armor were doing their job.

The water was just coming up to his knees when the pod announced that the internal pressure would fail imminently once more. He clenched his fist and hit the manual door release. As the door exploded from its hinges the icy water gushed into the pod and Ty was propelled out of the pod with the remaining air that quickly made its way upward like a diver desperate for air. As Ty’s body stopped spinning and found its natural gravity he was able to evaluate his condition and take in his surroundings. A quick check for any immediate danger reassured him that he was not about to be eaten by a giant sea monster and that he should continue with his mission.

Ty took note of the number of pods that were slowly sinking beneath him and noticed there was considerably less pods then their should have been.
“All Troopers Report!” he ordered over the ComLink.
As each of Scuba Troopers reported in for duty Ty checked their names and serial numbers against his mission details on his tactical HUD.
“ST-00/2372 Reporting for duty. Fish out.” A few moments passed and when no more Troopers reported in for duty Ty knew the rest of his unit was lost to deep, their lives claimed by the very war they were created to fight. Ty checked his mission documents one more time and grouped the third of his men, his brothers, that didn’t report for duty together. He went through the list and changed their operational status to MIA. It wasn’t the first time Ty had lost his brothers and it wouldn’t be the last either.

Ty continued to watch as the last of the deployment pods sank into the darkness.

Why do we fight this war? Why were we created to unflinchingly serve? Why must we die and go unnoticed? I have noticed. Farewell my brothers.

The Clone Wars is a very important part of the Star Wars history. Luke was amazed that Old Ben fought in the Clone Wars way back in 77 and today work continues on even more stories from the Clone Wars in Lucasarts newest project; Clone Wars Animated. There is a wealth of material within the confines of the Clone Wars and a lot of potential for SWTCG cards. The IDC decided to tap into the wealth of material found in the Clone War period and is currently producing their fourth expansion entitled Clone Wars: Republic At War which is based solely on the acclaimed cartoon entitled Clone Wars. The Clone Wars is an exciting period in the Star Was Saga and the IDC is doing its best to produce an expansion that will allow you to relive all the action as you Play, Love and Live the SWTCG!

I have been involved in the promotion of every IDC expansion from Fall of the Republic through Scum and Villiany and Battle of Endor and am now trying my best to promote our latest expansion Clone Wars: Republic At War! The Public Affairs Sub-Committee has really upped the ante from the humble beginnings in FOTR. FOTR saw only a few spoiler articles before its release, SAV introduced the first IDC 'You Make the Card' (YMTC) series, and BOE saw the return of the YMTC and the creation of a spoof expansion entitled Battle For Endor as an April Fools joke.

Brian and I are pulling out all the stops when it comes to promoting CW:RAW. There is no YMTC but there was a hidden surprise with the BOE release and we are currently running the RAW Mystery and a very involving Scavenger Hunt which we are very excited about. But I wanted to do something more, something BIG!

The above transcript is an excerpt from a Fan-Fiction created by members of the SWTCG community that will be published as an Ebook alongside the CW:RAW release. I am very excited about the project and the story is already under way with contributions from members of Rebelbasers.com already rolling in. If you like what you have read and/or want to add your own contributions to the fan fiction you should head over to the official STAR WARS: CLONE WARS - Republic At War Fan-Fiction thread and check out the discussion topic. You could alternatively contact us at idcadmin@skywlkr.net and submit your contribution or thoughts for this exciting endeavor.

Help make this expansion release the best ever as you contribute to STAR WARS: CLONE WARS - Republic At War!

Thoughts or comments? Visit the message board thread for this article here.