Syke (clone trooper)

"These scrapes and dents and scorch marks tell a story. Your story. Where you've been. What you've done. Who you are."

- Syke

"Syke," was a male Human clone trooper of the Grand Army of the Republic. In 22 BBY, he was part of a mission to the planet Oznek under the command of Sergeant Banks and Commander Griebs Kishpaugh, where he was betrayed and killed by his fellow clone, Ghost.

Early life
"Why is it always me?"

- Syke

Syke was a male Human clone trooper, bred on Kamino for the Galactic Republic. When the Clone Wars broke out in 22 BBY, Syke was one of millions of clones who made up the Republic's Grand Army of the Republic, though he differentiated himself by painting his armor with yellow lightning bolts on the shoulders and shaving his hair into a mohawk. At some point, he received a scar across the left side of his mouth. Early in the war, he participated in a battle aboard a starship. The ship's shields were down and they were descending into a sun, as well as having been boarded by droidekas. While the rest of Syke's fellow clones fell back to the escape pods, Syke attempted to get the ship working again as his helmet filled up with sweat. Two of the droidekas rolled past him, ignoring him in their efforts to destroy the escape pods. Syke shot at them, gaining their attention, then threw a thermal detonator at the pair, catching them right before their shields activated. The droids were destroyed, showering Syke with fiery pieces, one of which melted his armor on the left side of his chest. He opted not to have the armor fixed or replaced, believing that the damage done to a clone's armor only served to tell their individual story.

Mission to Oznek
"Hey Ghost... Has anyone told you you're kind of a jerk?"

- Syke, to Ghost

Later in 22 BBY, Syke was sent on a mission to the planet of Oznek, under the direct command of Sergeant Banks and Commander Griebs Kishpaugh. By this time, he was close friends with another clone named Cutter. While flying above the planet's forest aboard a Low Altitude Assault Transport, Syke, Cutter, and Ghost mocked their new sergeant for cleaning his armor and weapons. Banks admonished Syke for his behavior, threatening him with being forced to write an in-depth report on regulation protocols. Shortly after that, their ship came under heavy fire. The area was supposed to be unoccupied by Confederate forces, but they discovered a large droid army, which blasted them out of the sky.

The LAAT crashed, killing the pilot and several other clones on impact. Syke escaped from the wreckage via a hatch, only to find hundreds of B1 and B2 battle droids bearing down on them. Wielding his blaster rifle, Syke and the other clones fought off the attacking droids while trying to protect their wounded and burying their dead. Eventually, the waves of unending droids ceased, and the remaining seven clones covered their tracks by detonating a thermal detonator. Setting up camp in the woods, Syke attempted to repair and use a communications array to no avail. After Crazy Legs asked and Syke urged him on, Banks then demonstrated the origin of his nickname&mdash; an unusual ability to calculate angles and bank his blaster bolts off of objects without losing their strength and still hitting his target. They were then contacted via holoprojector by Commander Kishpaugh after Syke managed to get the array working. Kishpaugh informed them that there was a droid command center twenty kilometers away, and that they were to destroy it despite their losses. He then ordered Syke and the rest of the clone troopers from the shelter, speaking with Banks alone.

Syke and the others moved out before sunrise, leaving Crazy Legs behind, as he'd broken one of his legs in the crash. They moved through the forest, encountering dangerous terrain and creature everywhere, and lost another clone, who was eaten by an animal. As they traveled, Syke told a war story from early in the conflict, then asked Ghost for a story of his own, but the older clone demurred. Cutter, leading the way, then brought the others' attention to an ancient city in ruins. The clones remarked that their scanners hadn't picked up any trace of the large settlement, and suddenly found themselves surrounded by Toma, the native sentient species of Oznek. With their hands bound, the clones readied themselves for death after the Toma's leader ordered their executions, but were discovered and attacked by droids once again. Banks asked the Toma to cut their binds so they could fight together, and the Toma did so. Syke and the others picked up their weapons and held back the droids, but Cutter realized that Banks had to complete their mission. He told the sergeant to take Syke and Ghost, while he and the other surviving clone trooper held off the droids. Banks said that he wouldn't leave Cutter behind, but when Cutter pointed out that the Toma couldn't be allowed to live either, Syke and the others fled.

They made their way to the facility that Kishpaugh had targeted, and once there Ghost sniped the two guards outside, allowing them to sneak inside. They made their way through the corridors, encountering little resistance, which Banks would later remark that they should have found suspicious. Once inside the main part of the facility, Banks ordered Syke and Ghost to spread out and look for signs of Separatist technology. Syke quickly noticed that something was awry, and that the facility didn't look anything like what they were told it would be. He was then shot in the back by Ghost, killing him.

The mission turned out to be a falsehood from the beginning, the circumstances and details manufactured by Kishpaugh and Ghost, both of whom were planning to defect to the Confederacy for different reasons. The price of their escape from the Republic was creating a pretense for war on Oznek&mdash:namely, blowing up a "droid command center" that was really a powerplant. Banks managed to foil the plan, killing Ghost and capturing Kishpaugh.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Enemy Within