David's Review of Republic Commando: Triple Zero

4/5 Rancors - Republic Commando: Triple Zero is the follow-up to Republic Commando: Hard Contact. In my previous review of Hard Contact, I said that I couldn't wait to meet up with these guys again down the road. Well, here they are. Karen Traviss continues with further adventures of Omega Squad and introduces us to Delta Squad plus the legendary Sergeant Kal Skirata and his boys, Null ARC Troopers Ordo and Mereel. Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Mukan is also back.

Meeting Sergeant Kal is a real treat. He is a Mandalorian mercenary who was charged by Jango Fett with handling the training of the clones developed on Kamino a few years earlier. Kal is truly a unique character. His love for his troops, particularly the Null ARC Troopers who he virtually adopted on Kamino, is astonishing. He has trained these men and brought them to an early adulthood as amazing fighting machines. Now we get to watch as his guys mount an undercover operation in Coruscant to identify and eliminate Separatist infiltrators endeavoring to create chaos in the heart of the Republic. Needless to say, the efforts of the Clone Troopers are extremely interesting to watch, as they seem to be able to deal with any situation that arises.

Aside from the pure military adventures described in the book, the heart of the story raises questions that are well worth considering. What will happen to the clone troopers when the war ends? They are solely trained fighters and know no other lifestyle. Would it be possible for any of the troopers to adopt normal lifestyles with wives and families during their abbreviated life spans? Darman and Etain continue to develop their relationship, and questions of this type come front and center. Each character has a different way of dealing with the quandaries that come up.

My only reluctance in assigning five Rancors to the book was that I initially had trouble keeping everybody straight. The author obviously anticipated the problem because she includes a list of Dramatis Personae at the front of the book and a glossary at the end. I like the writing style of Karen Traviss, and I look forward to her future efforts in the Expanded Universe.