Triple Zero
Republic Commando Series (Book 2)
by Karen Traviss
Del-Rey (2006)

Triple Zero is the second book of Karen Traviss's Republic Commando series, which is an extension of the 2004 video game, Republic Commando. The cast of characters in this sequel is greatly expanded from the first work, Hard Contact. Not only do we return to Omega Squad and recently knighted Jedi Etain, but we also see Delta Squad first direct appearance in the novel series. Delta Squad is the set of four protaganists of the Republic Commando video game. We are also introduced to Kal Skirata and Walon Vau, two Mandalorian mercenaries who were charged with training some of the elite forces of the clone army. Another new set of characters are the Null ARC troopers, who were intially rejected by the Kaminoans as unacceptable but saved from termination.

The mission of this novel is an anti-terrorist covert operation. Kal Skirata leads the Omega and Delta Squads, the Null ARC Troopers, and two Jedi Knights in the extensive black ops mission. It is a longer, more involved story than Hard Contact with an interesting mix of personalities. It can be challenging at times keeping track of all the characters (the list of characters in the beginning of the book is useful in this regard!). There are sixteen significant characters in this story, yet Traviss does a good job keeping the story moving along smoothly without overwhelming the reader. The terrorist plot line is believable, at least for one without direct experience in covert military missions like me!

This book also does a nice job of growing the characters, both from the first book and also within the duration of the current plot. It would have been easy to have the clone troopers become caricatures: the angry one, the jokster, the serious one, etc. While certain personality traits predominate each clone trooper, you are introduced to other emotions and attitudes that add a different dimension. This can be anticipated since this is their first assignment among civilians leading a "normal" life. Like the first book, Triple Zero touches on moral questions and dilemmias that apply to the real world we live in. I loved Hard Contact, and I would rate Triple Zero as the same, if not better than the first book.