"Base education is standardized. We find such common ground improves final unit cohesion. Advanced classes are assigned by demonstrated marginal aptitude. There are small but statistically significant variations in class distribution per stream."

"That must be complicated to manage."

"We pride ourselves on quality. Perfection is worth pursuing."

So they're all being taught things at least related enough to weapons manufacture for that to make sense as a specialization on top of base education...

...She shouldn't ask what happens to the imperfect, at least not while she needs to actively be neutral and friendly and calm. She's fairly sure she knows, anyways. She remembers being a slave.

Sifo-Dyas vanishes, twelve years ago. 'Project' begins seven years later. Sifo-Dyas, or someone claiming to be him, last interacts with project six months ago. Sifo-Dyas - or someone claiming to be him - sends message to the Jedi Order recently, asking for help.

Identical humans, older than her, based on a 'template'... Clones? Genetic engineering project? Organic-seeming droids? Some of those seem likelier than others. Five hundred thousand slaves ready in a month, a million every six months thereafter - five years to grow, growth staggered in six month batches... Probably nearly ten million or more currently alive, depending on how big later batches are supposed to be.

For what?

She remembers the Trade Federation's droids. Identical soldiers, at the cost of maneuverability and creativity. Would identical humans, raised identically, have those same problems? But her question didn't get details on the curriculum beyond what she can see, except that it's all the same - but there's no reason to make ten million identical engineers with 'unit cohesion.'

There's no reason to make ten million identical soldiers.

Or there shouldn't be. At least, not that involves the Jedi, keepers of peace, though Anakin's aware the Republic as a whole seems to be spiraling towards armed conflict.

(She keeps this calculation running in the back of her head.)

...Hm. She should try to tease out why they exist more... Not tipping her hand will be hard... What are some reasonable questions to ask, here, if she was fully informed and fully approving of whatever project?

"How do their classes balance unit cohesion and standardization with operational flexibility?" she asks, keeping her voice still idle. "After all, I don't think I've found two philosophers who agree on the ideal balance of creativity and predictability in any field, let alone this."

If Taun-We says something like 'oh, they run scenarios,' which seems likely given how little she seems inclined to elaborate, at least that gives Anakin an opening to ask what kind.

Whatever answer she's about to get is interrupted by a shout from behind. "Taun-We!" The shouter is an older version of the students, wearing grey armor with a hawk-bat sigil embossed on the left pauldron, and catches up to them quickly. "I thought I asked to be told when the Jedi got here."

Slow blink. "The Jedi are here."

"Yeah, I see that. Shoo, I wanna talk with them."

     "They are conducting an evaluation."

"I'll finish the tour." She makes a pushing motion. "Shoo."

     "Very well." The Kaminoan goes back to the elevator.

"Nice to meet you, Jedi. Kayra Fett. The original."

Well, great - they'd been getting somewhere, almost. She still manages neutrality, but she doesn't have to look happy about the interruption.

She inclines her head a bit. "I'm Anakin Skywalker, a padawan learner, and this is my teacher, Elesse Vendar. It's our pleasure. Is something urgently the matter?"

"Might be." She glances over her shoulder, and sees Taun-We getting in the elevator, door closing.

"Am I wrong or did you not know you were buying an army?"

She glances at Elesse, then, slowly, "I'm not sure we were." She refuses to - blatantly say she'd ever be involved in buying slaves even as a lie, even if she could pretend to go along with someone else's assumptions for a time.

"Were you the one who sent the distress signal?"

"Yep. The first of my girls are almost ready. Figured it was about time to let someone else know."

"How did you get Sifo-Dyas's key?"

"Man who hired me gave it to me. Called himself Tyrans."

"Has Tyrans been involved in any other part of - this?"

She shakes her head. "Not as far as I know. It's been someone else doing the inspections, and all the Kaminoans talk about is Sifo-Dyas."

Deep breath. Anakin's been maintaining - calm - so far. She needs to keep doing that.

"Do you know what this is all for?"

"To fight a war. No other reason to pick me."

She nods, expression tight, thinking of the tensions lately. This can't help. And even if war's inevitable... This isn't how to fight one.

"Thank you for - bringing our attention here."

"These girls didn't ask to be made. Someone needs to take responsibility for them. And I hear you've got a war brewing."

"People - should have choices about what they do with their lives. It's one thing if they want to fight. But - " She shakes her head. "And, yeah, someone needs to - help them, some way or another."

"They're as Mandalorian as I am. War's in their blood."

"And being a slave's in mine," she says, impulsively, then takes a deep breath.

"I'm not - technically a pacifist. It's good, if they can be Mandalorian and proud of that. But people should fundamentally have the right to get on a fast ship and fuck off if they want to."

"But I also suspect I'm not going to have much of a say in any particular decision about them."

"That's why the Jedi are worth fighting for."

She nods.

"What else do you know about what's going on - is there someone else trying to get a hold of your girls?"

"Your message mentioned something about exclusivity."