CC-5052/Legends

"Get the order and execute it. Let the generals sort out the rest."

- Bly, reflecting on his experiences on Honoghr CC-5052 was a clone marshal commander who served both the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire that followed it. A clone of Jango Fett, CC-5052 was bred on Kamino, where was trained as an Advanced Recon Commando by Alpha-17. Alpha-17 also gave CC-5052 the name "Bly", which the clone commander himself adopted. Assigned to the 327th Star Corps, Bly worked with Jedi General Aayla Secura throughout the Clone Wars. Serving in campaigns on planets such as New Holstice, Bly worked with Secura to personally extract a valuable Scientific Instrument Package from Honoghr. During that mission, Bly encountered renegade Jedi Quinlan Vos, who he deeply mistrusted. Shortly after the Honoghr mission, Bly and Secura served alongside the reformed Vos in the Siege of Saleucami.

Before they could complete their mission on Saleucami, Secura, Bly and the 327th were redirected to Felucia, to save captive Jedi Barriss Offee and her apprentice Zonder. With that mission a success, Bly and his troops hunted for Shu Mai, a powerful member of the enemy Confederacy of Independent Systems. They eventually discovered that they were too late to capture Mai, and that her forces had unleashed a deadly toxin into the planet's water supply. Bly set out with Secura to stop the toxin from spreading, but in transit he received clearance to execute Order 66, which meant that all Jedi were enemies of the Republic. Gunning down Secura, Bly's men were unable to locate Zonder or the two other Jedi Padawans involved in the Felucia campaign, Ekria and Drake Lo'gaan. Several months later, Bly was given the opportunity to finally eliminate Ekria and Lo'gaan by Darth Vader. On Tepasi, Bly shot both Jedi fugitives and believed them dead, though they had in fact survived.

Early life and career
"We rest only when the mission is done, General. Our last was not complete." "Orders change, Commander Bly. You still obey orders, right?"

- CC-5052 and Aayla Secura

Bred on Kamino, CC-5052 was among the first generation of clone marshal commanders to be trained by the Advanced Recon Commando Alpha-17, who gave him the designation "Bly." A clone of Jango Fett, Bly was trained as an Advanced Recon Commando himself, giving him a more independent mindset and allowing him to think "outside the manual" in changing situations on the battlefield. As a clone commander, it was Bly's job to act as an intermediate between the Jedi Generals and the regular clone troopers, although he was bred to be loyal to the Republic above all others. Bly was assigned to the 327th Star Corps, which fell under the 2nd Sector Army.

New Holstice and Honoghr
"Know the mission, know your enemy, achieve the mission, kill the enemy. That's all I need. It's all any soldier needs."

- CC-5052

Seventeen months after the Battle of Geonosis, Bly and the 327th fought in the Battle of New Holstice, under the command of Jedi General Aayla Secura. On New Holstice, Bly and his troops battled the Mandalorian Protectors successfully, driving the warriors into full retreat. However, the Star Corps suffered heavy losses and was whittled down to sixty percent strength. The commander alerted Secura to the shortage of troops, but the Jedi resigned herself to the fact that other units across the galaxy were under just as much stress. During his time with Secura, Bly began to grow close to the Jedi, earning the two of them the ire of other Jedi such as Arligan Zey.

Continuing to work with Secura, Bly was sent to Honoghr. The Confederate Lucrehulk-class Core Ship Gahenna was believed to be carrying a new defoliant toxin TriHexalophine1138, with the intent of using it on Naboo. An Acclamator I-class assault ship under the command of Jedi General Rii'ke En had engaged the Gahenna and downed it over Honoghr, but the toxin survived the plummet to the planet surface. His ship had also sustained heavy damage and crashed on the planet as well. Investigating the incident, En tracked the Confederate Scientific Instrument Package that contained data pertinent to TriHexalophine1138 to a Rakatan temple, where it had been taken by the native Noghri. En alerted Secura's unit to the location of the package and its relevance, but was soon killed by the Noghri.

Along with a small detachment of clones and General Secura, Bly made his way to the planet surface, before tracking through the Honoghr forests to the Rakatan temple. It was the commander's hope that they would be able to retrieve the SIP without detection by the Noghri, but any attempt at stealth was abandoned when the Noghri sprung a surprise attack. Retreating into the temple, Bly had one trooper stay behind and hold off the attackers, per standard procedure. When that trooper died, another would stop and take his place as rear guard. By the time they had entered the temple, Bly and Secura were the only Republic troops left. Fighting off a horde of Noghri warriors, the pair were saved when Quinlan Vos entered the engagement.

Bly immediately recognized Vos as the renegade Jedi who had defected to the Confederacy and had become an associate of Count Dooku. Secura, who had been trained by Vos, asked him as to where his allegiances lay. The general believed Vos' claim that he was still acting as a double agent for the Jedi, but Bly was not so trusting. It took a direct order from Secura to prevent him from opening fire on Vos, but he was still far from happy with the situation. Vos, as a token of his goodwill, offered to aid Secura in obtaining the SIP, an offer the general accepted.

With the information En had provided before his death, the trio knew where in the temple the SIP was being kept. More challenging was the elimination of the Noghri guards. Bly ventured out alone, drawing the enemy fire, while Secura and Vos worked as a team to stealthily dispatch the enemy guards. Reaching the chamber holding the SIP, Vos pointed out that the area was booby-trapped with poisonous darts. Although the Jedi worked as a team to extract the device, the trap was triggered. Fortunately for the trio, no one was hurt, allowing them to escape the temple unharmed. When they were safely out of range, Vos demanded that Secura relinquish the SIP. Secura, displeased, ignited her lightsaber, prompting Vos to do likewise. Realizing that Vos was truly a threat to the mission, Bly attempted to shoot the renegade Jedi, but his target swiftly rounded on him and threw the clone hard into a wall with the Force.

Bly fell into unconsciousness, and as he came to, he witnessed Secura and Vos fiercely dueling. Eventually, Vos was able to overpower his former Padawan and prepared to land a killing blow. Bly, roused into consciousness, shot Vos in the shoulder and then fired to kill. His second shot was deflected by Secura, who did not want the renegade Jedi harmed. The distraction was all Vos needed to escape on his ship, the Skorp-Ion, although Secura still possessed the SIP. Returning to their task force, Bly's wounds sustained during the Honoghr mission were treated, although he was confused as to why his general considered the mission a failure. Following the Honoghr operation, Bly and Secura served in a tour of duty on Anzat.

Saleucami
In 19 BBY, Secura, Bly and the 327th Star Corps were dispatched to Saleucami, where a prolonged siege was taking place. The Confederacy was using underground caves below the planet's capital to clone Morgukai warriors, who were subsequently trained by the Anzati. As these clones would be deadly warriors and an extremely effective tool for the Confederacy, the Republic hoped to nip the situation in the bud. The Republic's forces were commanded by Oppo Rancisis, with Quinlan Vos, who had appeared to have "defected" again, as the High General's second in command. During the siege, Bly worked closely with fellow commanders CC-8826 and Faie. Secura wished to speak with Vos following a large battle that had gained the Republic ground, so she sent Bly to make the request. Vos was displeased with the presence of the man who had recently shot him, and he brushed off Secura's request.

Secura, not to be deterred, met with Vos anyway, though she sent Bly away for some privacy. The following day, the Republic troops made their way into Saleucami's capital, with Bly once again fighting alongside his general. Dark Acolyte Tol Skorr entered the skirmish, taunting Vos and leading him away from the battle. Bly was concerned, but Secura assured him that the situation was under control. Following the battle, control of the city remained contested, leaving the Republic forces with little choice but to return to the Republic encampment. That night, the camp was beset by Morgukai clones, forcing most of the Jedi commited to the Saleucami campaign to respond. Bly also fought to defend the encampment, but the battle proved to be nothing more than a diversion.

Rancisis was found dead in his chambers, slain by Confederate agent Sora Bulq. Nevertheless, the Republic forces continued on with their attacks, albeit without the advantage of Rancisis' Battle Meditation. Making a final assault, Secura and Vos made their way into the cloning chambers of the catacombs to sabotage the Confederate operation and confront Bulq. Meanwhile, the rest of the Jedi moved to remove the large planetary gun that was preventing the Republic fleet from moving over the city and bombarding the Confederate installation. Bly and his men were tasked with making sure that no Morgukai warriors made it out of the enemy base alive. When the planetary gun was destroyed, Bly suggested to General A'Sharad Hett that an extraction team be sent after Vos and Secura, but the Jedi refused, urging Bly to continue pursing his objectives. Hett's persistence paid off, as the Confederate base was demolished, and the enemy forces routed. Bulq and Skorr also perished in the battle, and the Siege of Saleucami was all but won. Despite the fact that some Morgukai warriors had survived, Bly and Secura were given orders to take their forces to the world of Felucia.

Endor and Felucia
"So, Commander Bly, what will you do when this war is over?" "Whatever I'm ordered, of course."

- Aayla Secura and CC-5052

On the way to Felucia, Bly and Secura were ordered to take a detour in the Endor system to investigate Endor's forest moon. Apparently, a Confederate base had been located on the moon, leading Secura to dispatch a scout squad to investigate. When they did not report back, she and Bly landed on the moon and investigated the enemy base. The base itself was deserted, although the surrounding grounds were littered with battle droids and clone trooper armor. Secura ordered Bly to fortify the position while she investigated. She returned shortly after, reporting that the troops, Republic and Confederate alike, had been killed by a local creature. Without further ado, Secura, Bly, and their unit set off towards Felucia.

En route aboard the cruiser Intrepid, Bly decided to quell his frustration over the fact that the Saleucami mission was not completed by eschewing sleep for exercise. Secura came to observe, and she informed the commander that she had now been given command of a full unit by Mace Windu. While sparring in a practice fight with Secura, Bly was informed that Barriss Offee, who had been sent to Felucia to track down Confederate Shu Mai in weeks prior, had not been heard from. Along with the new detachment of troops sent to Secura's command, a Jedi Padawan, Ekria, had been placed in the general's custody. The new recruit, a talented slicer, was able to pinpoint where Offee, who had clearly been captured, was being held. Bly was surprised, but impressed by Ekria's work.

Immediately afterwards, Secura and Ekria received a transmission from Grand Master Yoda, requesting that all Jedi within range of Coruscant return immediately, as the galactic capital was under attack from the Confederacy. Bly deduced that Dooku had lured as many Jedi as he could to the Outer Rim Territories, putting them out of range while he struck at the heart of the Republic. Secura was livid, insisting that Bly turn the Intrepid around and set a course for Coruscant, but the commander reasoned that they were too far out of range, and that the Felucia mission was still the priority. Ekria concurred and believed that the capture of Mai would still be an advantage to the Republic, while Bly simply hoped not to have another incomplete mission on his record. Secura relented and allowed the Intrepid to resume its course.

Bly, Secura, and Ekria landed on Felucia and journeyed to the Nigkoe Detention Facility, which was holding Offee and her apprentice, Zonder. While Ekria sliced into the center's shields, Bly and Secura fought their way through the guard droids and into the complex. Encountering a Gossam security guard, Secura demanded to be taken to the Jedi prisoners. The guard obliged, though it was Secura's cleavage rather than her mastery of the Force that had convinced the Gossam, to Bly's confusion. Dispatching the guards inside Offee's cell, the trio rendezvoused with their targets, although the intended escape route was blocked by a massive droid army parade. Adapting to the situation, Bly used an ascension gun to carry Secura to the top of the building, with Zonder, Ekria and Offee close behind. The commander then destroyed the center's shield generator, allowing his troops to land and rescue them.

Allowed some respite, Ekria was able to locate a way into Mai's compound, outside the city of Kway Teow. Clearing the perimiter guards, Bly and the Jedi rode BARC speeders towards the compound while being pursued by Vulture droids. The pursuers were in turn destroyed by Republic Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighters, allowing Bly and his comrades to drop off the Jedi in a nearby swamp. From there, Secura and her fellow Jedi were able to enter Mai's compound. To Secura's frustration, Mai was long gone, but Ekria was able to disable the locks on the main entrance nonetheless. Bly and his troops started to make their way into the building, but were stalled when deadly toxins were let into the air. As soon as Ekria realized that it was a trap, Secura ordered all her troops to evacuate the compound. Moments after Bly and the Jedi had escaped, Mai's base of operations exploded, resulting in a considerable loss of clone troopers.

In addition to the destruction of Mai's compound, the toxins were released into the Felucian water supply, part of a Confederate measure to make sure the world did not fall into the Republic's hands. Secura acted quickly to stop the spreading of the toxin, splitting her force into three groups that would each attack a water treatment facility. Offee led one squad to Har Gau, Ekria, Zonder, and new addition Drake Lo'gaan attacked Jiaozi, while Secura and Bly advanced on Niango. En route, Bly received a transmission from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, giving him permission to execute Order 66. Secura and all other Jedi were now considered enemies of the Republic, leaving Bly with little choice but to abandon any friendship he might have had and kill his former commanding officer by shooting her in the back. His men aided him, continuing to fire on Secura even after her body had hit the ground. Not taking any chances, Bly then had his troops inspect Secura's corpse, confirming her death. The efforts to stop the spreading of the toxin were abandoned, with the ensuing deaths blamed on the Jedi. To Bly's frustration, however, Zonder, Ekria, and Lo'gaan escaped, leaving the commander with yet another incomplete mission on his record.

In the Empire's service
"You have incomplete missions on your record, Commander. [&hellip;] Would you care to reduce that by one, trooper?"

- Darth Vader to CC-5052

Shortly after the death of Secura, the Republic became the Galactic Empire. Bly continued to serve under Palpatine's new regime and was sent to Yutusk to control a protest rally. While on Yutusk, Bly and fellow trooper CT-6734 (or "Galle") were contacted by Lord Darth Vader, Palpatine's second-in-command. Vader reminded Bly that he still had incomplete missions on his record, then offered the commander the chance to finally complete one of them. Shipped to Coruscant, Bly met with Imperial Intelligence Director Armand Isard, as well as Inquisitors Antinnis Tremayne and Lanu Pasiq, who were tracking down the rogue Jedi Padawans Ekria and Lo'gaan. Zonder had been executed by Vader in days prior. Bly recounted the events leading up to the Battle of Felucia, specifically Ekira's talent for slicing into networks. Isard insisted that no one had breached his intelligence network, but Bly pointed out that the director had never worked with Jedi before.

Isard then suggested posting access-markers on specific data nodes, which would alert Intelligence when they were breached by Ekria, allowing Tremayne to track down the location of the Padawans. Sure enough, the fugitives were located in a Coruscant apartment, but as Bly, Tremayne and Pasiq closed in on the location in a Low Altitude Assault Transport, it was torn apart by an explosion. Tremayne was not fooled, however, detecting a speeder leaving the area. The group set off in pursuit of the fugitives, chasing them though the skylanes of Corsucant. Ekria jumped off the speeder mid-pursuit, but Tremayne ordered Bly to stay on Lo'gaan's tail. The Padawan reached platform NL1922, where Vader was preparing to board a shuttle to Tepasi. Lo'gaan was subdued by Vader's Noghri guards, leaving Tremayne and Bly to track down Ekria. The commander, using Isard's access-markers, discovered that Ekria was taking the freighter Casuistic to Tepasi, presumably to save Lo'gaan.

On Tepasi, Vader, with the captive Lo'gaan in tow, confronted Baron Orman Tagge in a large TaggeCo factory. Tagge had been attempting to usurp the Dark Lord's place at Palpatine's side, earning him Vader's ire. As punishment, Vader blinded Tagge with his lightsaber, rousing Ekria from her hiding spot in the Baron's facility. Unbeknownst to the fugitive Jedi, Bly and his troops had been in the upper gantries of the factory, waiting for her to reveal herself. They opened fire on her, apparently killing her in the process. Lo'gaan, driven into a rage, used the Force to throw Bly and his troops against a wall, knocking them out of commission. When Bly regained consciousness, he was met with the sight of Lo'gaan and Vader dueling. Waiting for an opening, the commander shot Lo'gaan in the shoulder, putting him at Vader's mercy. The Dark Lord took the opportunity, stabbing Lo'gaan and letting him plunge to his apparent death in the factory. Vader then congratulated Bly on finally completing his mission. Though none of the Imperials knew it, Lo'gaan and Ekria had in fact survived the encounter.

Personality and traits
"The General's good. Knows her stuff and doesn't waste time. Got to respect that."

- Bly, reflecting on Aayla Secura's expertise during the mission to Honoghr

Bly was bred to be fiercely loyal to the Republic and his superior officers. As a clone commander, he was allowed much more initiative and independence than his fellow clone troopers. Despite this, he always valued the mission as the most important thing in any situation, even over the wellbeing of his comrades. Bly felt it was better that he didn't have to concern himself with the politics or minutiae of his missions and was happy just to execute his orders.

His unswerving dedication to the Republic and his objectives would lead him to deeply mistrust Quinlan Vos, even though Secura had assured him otherwise. Bly attributed his mistrust of Vos to his instincts, which he had received from his clone template, Jango Fett. Despite his feelings towards Vos, he respected the Jedi's abilities in combat. He also advocated Vos' killing of Noghri in cold blood, considering that the enemy would not hesitate to do the same to Bly or his allies. Nevertheless, his instincts told him to open fire on Vos when the situation on Honoghr heightened, despite Secura's orders.

Bly respected General Secura's talents, namely her ability to successfully complete missions in a prompt fashion. He acknowledged that the Jedi were more suitable to command than the clones due to their natural ability with the Force, which heightened their coordination. Bly and Secura's relationship became more personal during the war, making their method of operation less and less formal in the waning months of the conflict. However, even friendship could not override Bly's ingrained loyalty to the Republic, as he unquestioningly gunned down Secura in 19 BBY.

The commander, in the late stages of the war, would be re-assigned several times before being able to complete his mission. Following the Siege of Saleucami, Bly's frustration over being reassigned prompted him to train and exercise aboard the Intrepid, even taking time to spar with Secura in a practice fight. Darth Vader would capitalize on Bly's desire to complete his missions, enlisting him to track down Ekria and Drake Lo'gaan following the rise of the New Order.

At first, Bly utilized the standard Phase I clone trooper armor, but would make the upgrade to Phase II following the Battle of New Holstice. Bly's Phase II armor sported several customizations, including a kama command skirt, an ARC pauldron, and polarized macrobinoculars. He wielded a pair of krayt dragon pearl-handled DC-17 hand blasters, in addition to the standard DC-15A blaster rifle and the DC-15S blaster.

Behind the scenes
Commander Bly made his first appearance in John Ostrander's Star Wars Republic 65: Show of Force, Part 1, where he was shown briefly conversing with Aayla Secura. He would later feature as the main character in Ostrander's Star Wars Republic 68: Armor, which is told from Bly's perspective. Originally, on the cover of Armor Bly featured no yellow markings, which were added for the final version.

Bly would once again play a supporting role in Ostrander's Star Wars Republic: The Siege of Saleucami, before appearing in Paul Ens' webstrip, Reversal of Fortune. Eventually, in 2005, Bly would appear in George Lucas' Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Originally, Bly was going to feature red markings in the film, but was changed to yellow to better fit the imagery of Felucia in the film. The "red Bly" would later become Commander Deviss. Following Revenge of the Sith, Bly made appearances in the Clone Wars Adventures story What Goes Up... and the Reversal of Fortune sequel, Evasive Action: End Game.

Appearances

 * Republic Commando: True Colors
 * Star Wars Republic 65: Show of Force, Part 1
 * Star Wars Republic 68: Armor
 * What Goes Up...
 * Star Wars Republic: The Siege of Saleucami
 * Reversal of Fortune
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith / comic
 * Evasive Action: End Game