Palpatine’s true identity as Darth Sidious was one of the Empire’s most guarded secrets. Only a few people knew what he really was, including Darth Vader and Yoda.
But in Legends, one group of clone commandos on Murkhana became involved in that secret right after Order 66.
Their story happens in James Luceno’s Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, where Ion Team’s actions after Order 66 became serious enough for Palpatine to send Vader imself.
Order 66 Did Not Go as Planned on Murkhana
In Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, the Murkhana incident begins during the final hours of the Clone Wars.
Jedi Master Roan Shryne is on Murkhana with Bol Chatak and her Padawan, Olee Starstone. Fighting beside them is Ion Team, a four-man clone commando squad led by Captain Climber, with Trace, Ras, and a comlink specialist.
Ion Team had already served with Shryne before, so when Order 66 reaches Murkhana, Climber does not immediately accept it as real. Commander Salvo prepares to kill the Jedi, but Climber believes the message could be a Separatist trick.
Instead of joining Salvo’s ambush, Ion Team disrupts it. Climber and his commandos use explosives to throw Salvo’s men into confusion, take control of the situation, and give Shryne, Chatak, and Starstone time to get away.
The Jedi survive because Ion Team hesitates at the exact moment the clone army is supposed to obey without question.
Palpatine Sent Vader to Murkhana
When Palpatine learned what happened on Murkhana, he brought it directly to Vader.
He told him that a group of clone troopers may have deliberately refused to obey Order 66. Vader had not heard about it yet, but Palpatine wanted him to handle the matter himself.
That sent Vader to Murkhana, not just to hunt the Jedi who escaped, but to question what happened with the clones stationed there.
The problem centered on Captain Climber and Ion Team. They had not fired on Roan Shryne, Bol Chatak, and Olee Starstone when the order came through. Instead, they had disrupted Commander Salvo’s attempt to execute them.
Palpatine could not leave that alone. Order 66 was supposed to prove the clones would obey the new Emperor without question, and Ion Team had already shown that Murkhana was not that simple.