Developed as the ultimate advancement in clone trooper creation, the ARC troopers were not the pinnacle of the Republic's elite fighting units. That accolade was held by the most deadly and skilled members of the clone army: the ARC trooper captains.

Even fewer in number than the limited ranks of ARC troopers, ARC captains appeared largely similar to their subordinates. The only noticable asthetic differance was in the red colouring on their facemasks and upper armour - red was also used to donate standard clone trooper captains in the Republic Army - though their ability was far more advanced. ARC captains were responsible for units of ARC troopers, though these teams were small in number, as they focused mostly on infiltration and subtle assaults. A common ARC trooper team was comprised of around ten soldiers.

The source of the clone troopers genetic data was highly apparent in the ARC trooper captains. The advanced soldiers carried twin blaster pistols on each hip, in much the same way as their genetic father, Jango Fett, had once done. Their sharp-shooting skills rivalled Jango's own, even down to Fett's trademark fingertip spin as he returned his blasters to their holsters. However, ARC captains did not rely on style alone; they were trained in many forms of combat, from long-range blaster shots to hand-to-hand duelling. They also had access to explosives, holprojectors and macrobinoculars.

An ARC trooper captain led an ARC trooper assault squad during the Battle of Muunilinst. The captain's objective was to infiltrate the enemy command centre in Harindan City - home of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. Even when his command gunship was downed by enemy fire, the ARC captain pressed on. Battling through waves of droids, tanks and snipers, the captain and his men eventually reached a massive anti-orbital cannon. Thanks to the captain's gunslinging skills, the cannons' defences were soon destroyed, and the cannon itself quickly followed them into oblivion.

The ARC team reached the command centre, and, with the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi, forced Chairman San Hill to surrender. However, the bounty hunter Durge did not go so easily, and even managed to floor the ARC captain. Luckily, Obi-Wan blasted the mercenary apart from within. Other ARC captains achieved a number of victories in the Clone Wars, including A-17 - known as Alpha - who was promoted to the ranks of the ARC captains sometime after his success in stopping the Confederacy's chemical attack against Naboo.

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Page created: 08 April 2004