On Kamino, in the silence of his office, Julius was reviewing the training reports of the "Ghost" units under Nova Terra's command. While their psionic abilities, protected from the Warp's corrupting influences by the System, were impressive, he felt they lacked a decisive edge in the field: a master of stealth and pure infiltration, a ghost within the ghost.
His reflection had led him to a more ambitious idea: to create a sister elite unit, specialized not in espionage and assassination, but in high-level sabotage, the neutralization of critical infrastructure, and plausible deniability operations. He would call them the "Crisis". And to train them, he needed a unique instructor, a man whose very existence was a well-kept secret.
"System," Julius announced, closing his eyes to focus on the familiar interface. "Purchase: Nomad. Lieutenant Jake Dunn."
An information window materialized in his mind.
>> Acquisition confirmed: Nomad (Lt. Jake Dunn).
>> Acquisition points deducted.
>> Transfer of unit to designated assignment zone: in progress.
A silhouette appeared in the office, materializing from a blur of light. The man standing before Julius was of average height, but his presence radiated a palpable intensity. He wore a black tactical suit with subtle sheens, seemingly absorbing the light. It was the legendary nanosuit.
Nomad blinked, a brief moment of disorientation before his training took over. His gaze settled on Julius, analyzing, assessing.
"Lieutenant Jake Dunn," Julius said with a respectful nod. "Welcome."
"Reporting in," replied Nomad, his voice calm but bearing the vigilance of an elite soldier. "Where am I? What is my mission?"
"You are on Kamino. You are now in my service. Your mission is twofold. First, you will serve as an advisor and master instructor for our 'Ghost' units, led by Nova Terra. They possess psionic powers, but your expertise in advanced stealth and infiltration will be invaluable to them."
Nomad inclined his head slightly, accepting the mission without flinching. "Understood. And the second part?"
A smile played on Julius's lips. "The second part is what you were specifically chosen for. I want you to train a new elite unit. Elite clones, into whom we will implant your memories and expertise. They will be the 'Crisis'. Their specialty: strategic sabotage, destruction of infrastructure, operations requiring superhuman strength and stealth. They will be the sword in the shadow, where the Ghosts are the dagger."
He stood and walked around his desk, stopping in front of Nomad. "Their baseline equipment will be a mass-produced, albeit perfected, version of your nanosuit. Explain its capabilities to me."
Nomad didn't need to be asked twice. He raised an arm, and the suit seemed to shimmer.
"The nanosuit has three primary modes,"he explained, his voice taking on a technical expert's tone.
· Maximum Strength: Increases fist strength for devastating blows. Also enhances the range and power of grenade launches.
· Speed Mode: Multiplies sprint speed by three. Extremely useful for lightning assaults or tactical retreats, but rapidly drains the suit's energy.
· Cloak Mode: Uses diamond crystals to create partial invisibility. Effective for infiltration, but it deactivates instantly if the user fires or throws an object. Its effectiveness is reduced against advanced countermeasures and can be neutralized by a precision laser designator."
Julius listened, impressed. It was the perfect tool. The versatility of the Crisis, able to switch from brute-force strikers to stealthy infiltrators in a nanosecond, would make them unpredictable and deadly adversaries.
"Perfect," Julius concluded. "Your first tasks are to meet Nova Terra and begin designing the Crisis training program. You will have unlimited access to cloning and R&D resources."
Nomad, Jake Dunn, met his gaze. There was no old loyalty here, only the acknowledgment of a new chain of command and a mission that perfectly matched his skills.
"Understood, Lord Commander," he said, adopting the title used by the others. "I'll make them the best operators you've ever seen."
As Nomad left the office, Julius felt a new sense of satisfaction. With Nova's Ghosts and Nomad's future Crisis, his special operations network had just leveled up. The shadow he cast over the galaxy had just grown darker.