FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade

"10,000 of these illegal grenades in the hands of BX droid commandos and there won't be a clone left breathing!"

- Marrt

The FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade was an infantry hand grenade that contained the deadly FEX-M3 nerve gas. Production of such grenades was banned by the Galactic Senate around the start of the Clone Wars; however, one Galactic Republic factory on the planet Belgaroth secretly produced a large shipment of grenades for the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the conflict. When intelligence of the factory's possible ties to their enemy reached the Republic, a four-man clone trooper team was dispatched to investigate. During the course of the mission, three clone troopers were killed by a native droidbreaker creature, but the remaining clone, Sergeant Marrt, was able to complete the mission. He destroyed the shipment, burned the factory, captured its head, Tarin, and retrieved important data records that helped expose two traitorous senators in the Republic's midst.

Description
"The FEX-M3 nerve gas did its w-work. The creature was dead before it h-hit the ground."

- Marrt

The FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade was a small infantry hand gas grenade filled with the deadly FEX-M3 nerve gas. The grenade had rounded curves and consisted of a top cylindrical section and a protruded conical handle, separated by a somewhat recessed middle section. A circular cavity was located at the very top of the grenade, and rectangular protrusions were visible at the sides. The top section and the handle were light gray in color, while the middle section was slightly darker. When thrown, the weapon was held by its handle. The FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade could be detonated by a blaster shot directed at it. When detonated, the grenade released a cloud of the FEX-M3 nerve gas, powerful enough to kill a droidbreaker creature in an instant and deadly to Humans as well.

History
"FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade! The Senate banned production of these last year!"

- Marrt

The FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade was developed at some point before the Clone Wars. Due to its deadly effects, it was banned by the Galactic Senate around the start of the conflict. Around 21 BBY, however, a Galactic Republic–affiliated factory owned by the Czerka Arms corporation and located on the planet Belgaroth made a deal with the InterGalactic Banking Clan, a member of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The head of the factory, Tarin, promised Reep Tonith, the Clan's representative, to produce 100,000 FEX-M3 nerve gas grenades for the Confederacy in exchange for a large monetary reward.

When the Republic received intelligence of Tarin's secret dealings with the Confederacy, it dispatched a scout team of four clone troopers led by Sergeant Marrt to investigate. The team made their way to the factory; once they reached it, Marrt ordered his men to remain in hiding nearby while he went inside alone. Meanwhile, Tonith arrived to pick up the cargo, but found that Tarin had not yet completed the order. Tarin asked for a twelve-hour delay to allow him to produce the required number of grenades, and Tonith grudgingly agreed. Their conversation was overheard by Marrt, who then inspected the completed part of the cargo and found the grenades. Taking one FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade as evidence, Marrt tried to return to his squad unnoticed, but was spotted by Tonith's battle droid escort. As battle droids opened fire, Marrt and his men retreated to a swamp. Tarin let them escape, believing that they would certainly be killed by the droidbreaker creatures native to the swamps.

Certain that the FEX-M3 nerve gas grenades would give the Confederacy an upper hand in the war and would spell doom on the Republic's clone army, the four clone troopers tried to contact the Republic, but were unable to do so because of a dense fog surrounding the swamp. At that moment, they were attacked by a droidbreaker that started killing the clone troopers one by one. Eventually only Sergeant Marrt remained alive, and in a last desperate attempt to defeat the droidbreaker, he climbed a nearby tree and threw the FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade he had taken from the factory at the creature. The droidbreaker caught the grenade in its mouth, and Marrt opened fire with his blaster pistol. One shot hit the grenade, which detonated and released its FEX-M3 nerve gas, instantly killing the creature.

Determined to avenge the deaths of his comrades, Marrt returned to the factory, destroyed Tonith's droids, burned the facility, and destroyed the entire shipment of grenades, but not before retrieving Czerka's data records. Marrt received heavy injuries, but was able to capture Tarin, although Tonith escaped. The data records Marrt had retrieved exposed two Republic senators who had been profiting on deals with the Confederacy.

Behind the scenes
The FEX-M3 nerve gas grenade first appeared in A Trooper's Tale, a short comic strip published in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic UK 6.8 in May of 2010. A Trooper's Tale was written by Robin Etherington and illustrated by Andres Ponce.