Aleph-class clone assassin

The Aleph-class clone assassins were the initial company-sized unit of clone assassins commissioned by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in 22 BBY and trained by Republic Military contractor Draiko Ziratai in assassination and Teräs Käsi. These clone assassins, the first such soldiers specifically trained to handle Grand Army contingency orders addressing Jedi uprisings against the Republic, most notably participated in the Great Jedi Purge and Operation: Knightfall. Those few who survived the Purge either furtively defected from the service of the Empire with the help of Ziratai or remained behind to train the next generation of Daleth-class clone assassins during the early Imperial Period.

Organization
In accordance with established Grand Army OrBat regulations regarding Special Operations Brigade units, the Aleph-class clone assassins company constituted one hundred clone assassins in total rather than the usual one hundred and forty-four commonly evidenced in most other GAR infantry companies. Likewise, unlike larger SOB units, the company was commanded by a clone commander rather than a Jedi General or Commander. The unit's commanding officer, CC-8053, speculated some time after the Great Jedi Purge that Palpatine had specifically requested the initial unit be company-sized so as to sidestep the possibility of Jedi oversight and interference in its training and anti-Jedi indoctrination.

The Aleph-class clone assassins were trained and barracked at an annex of Arca Company Barracks on Coruscant colloquially known as "the Dojo." Here, far from Special Operations Brigade's Jedi leadership, the clone assassins were trained in the subtleties of assassination and espionage, indoctrinated in anti-Jedi sentiments, and instructed in Teräs Käsi, a martial art developed by the Followers of Palawa to combat the Jedi. They remained in residence at the Dojo for the duration of the Clone Wars, and apart from a few early training missions abroad, were only first mobilized as a unit in 19 BBY upon the execution of Order 66 and the commencement of the Great Jedi Purge.