Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fox scanned the skyline. The open platform of one of the senate buildings buzzed with activity. Senators came and went. Guards were at their posts or walking the grounds just as he was. A neverending tide of representatives, dignitaries, and aides flooded the central landing. Speeders and shuttles hummed over the tapping of shoes and chattering voices. 

“Look out,” someone screamed. Fox whipped his head around just in time to see the back of a speeder charging toward him.

“Ohkrif––” He flew backward from the impact, the wind knocked out of him. His HUD glitched and his vision went black for a moment. 

“Oh no, please don’t be dead.” A face, a blue face hovered over Fox. “Are you okay?”  

He groaned and pulled himself up. Out of the thousands of senators, he recognized this one. “It’s nothing.”

“I just ran you over with my speeder!” Her voice hadn’t returned to its normal pitch. Fox fought the urge to tell her to be a little quieter. 

“Please, ma’am, it’s fine. I have a lot of work to––”

“What’s your name?”

“Commander Fox.”

She winced. “Sorry, Commander. I really didn’t see you. I didn’t know it was in reverse.” By now, a few bystanders and other Coruscant Guards gathered around them. 

“I assure you, I’m alright. Please continue.” He resisted rubbing his sore chest. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes, ma’am. Please be on your way.” Keep them moving. If they are moving, they are in less danger. The back of his head throbbed. 

“But, I can’t––” she started to protest.

A Pantoran aide placed their hand on her shoulder. “Senator Chuchi, please, we have a tight schedule today. The commander already promised he’s alright.” 

The senator pressed her lips together in annoyance. “Alright, Liva.” The aide ushered her away. 

“I really am sorry!” she called before she was out of earshot. Senator Riyo Chuchi rushed off to her next destination. Fox readjusted his helmet. Senators. It wasn’t enough they had to badger him or brush him off all day every day. They were evolving. He shook his head, but that just made the aching worse. At least she had the decency to apologize. 

*

Fox pressed an ice pack against the back of his head. It still hurt from hitting the hard duracrete pavement. Under the main levels, the vacant hallways devoid of politicians kept his mood from plummeting even lower. A group of soldiers clustered around a terminal, laughing quietly among themselves.

“What are you doing?” He growled. They were supposed to be working. All of them turned around and saluted, quickly shutting off whatever was playing. 

“Sir, just reviewing security footage.”

“And what’s so funny about security footage?”

“Nothing, sir.” 

Fox pushed past them and started the recording. It was zoomed in on his location on the senate patio. A speeder to his left sputtered and flew backward, solidly colliding with him. The woman in the speeder jumped out and bent over his prone figure. The holovid looped. One of the men behind him had his knuckles in his mouth to keep himself from laughing. 

“If I see this again, I will personally make sure you’re on escort duty for the Naboo senator.” A few hopeful heads turned in surprise. “The Gungan one.”

“Yes, sir,” they muttered and trailed away. Fox shut down the terminal and repositioned the ice pack. By now, that holovid could be halfway through the garrison. He dragged himself back to his office and fell into his chair. 

The ice rested on his neck while he bent over a datapad. Hours dragged by. The pile of reports appeared the same as when he first sat down. A knocking abruptly spooked him from his daze of trudging through transcripts. Fox rose and checked the security footage. Days of clearing doorways would never be beaten out of him, no matter where he was. A bean pole of a man stood holding an envelope. The courier scratched the back of his neck while waiting for the commander. 

“Unprofessional,” he grumbled under his breath. “Come in.” The door slid open. The man curtly bowed and set the envelope on his desk. 

“A message from Senator Riyo Chuchi.”

“That’s it?” Fox snatched up the delivery and analyzed the delicate handwriting.

“That’s all,” he said. “Good day.” The door hissed closed once he left. Fox tore open the top of the letter. 

Commander Fox,

My deepest apologies for inconveniencing and/or injuring you. Please accept my offer of meeting me this afternoon at Landing Platform Eighteen, 1300 standard time. I would like the opportunity to make up for this morning. If this time is not suitable, please send a reply to my office.

Senator of Pantora,

Riyo Chuchi

Fox set the flimsi down. No one ever requested him for anything, let alone anything good. He glanced at the clock on the otherwise bare wall. 1200. His gaze returned to the mountain of paperwork in front of him. What was another late night? The letter seemed harmless. He sent a quick explanation of where he was going to Thorn. Just in case. 

*

Wind swept the small landing platform outside some of the senate apartments. 

“Senator,” Fox nodded to the Pantoran woman. Dark red skirts thrashed around her legs. Her golden eyes lit up.

“Commander Fox. I’m so glad you could join me.” She stepped into the waiting cruiser. This time, she sat in the back seat. The driver waited patiently. “Come on.” She gestured for him to follow her in. 

“Ma’am, with all due respect, I shouldn’t leave.”

“It’s my treat.” Her treat? What did that even mean? “Please, Commander, I promise we won’t be gone long. Just some time in the upper levels. It’s a lovely day for it.”

Appease them and maybe they’ll leave you to do your job. The advice from when Fox first arrived on Coruscant rattled around in his head. He begrudgingly climbed in after her. 

*

The coffee swirled in his cup. “This isn’t it’s normal color.”

“No?” Senator Chuchi took a sip from her own drink. “And what is the normal color?”

“Not this.” He took a tentative taste and nearly spit it back out. Sweet. Way too sweet.

“Commander?” The senator leaned forward. “Everything alright?”

“Just fine, ma’am.”

“This is a caf é , not a senatorial meeting, Commander Fox. You don’t have to be so formal. And I can get you something else if you don’t like it. You said caf is caf, so I didn’t really know what to get.” He did say that, didn’t he? Well, how was he supposed to know there were several hundred different ways to drink caf? It’s not like there were many options in the mess hall. 

“Here, I think I have a better idea of what you’re used to.” She slid out of the booth. Before he could follow her, she already found a place in line. Fox settled back to watch the rest of the customers. Bright clothing flashed in the sunlight streaming in through the front windows. Mostly the upper class took part in this type of leisure. A bodyguard stood outside a booth of a couple laughing over some tea. He wasn’t the only odd man out, though a clone is odd anywhere. He placed a protective hand on his helmet beside him. 

Thankfully, the line wasn’t too long and the senator returned with a fresh cup. 

“One black coffee.” She proudly placed the steaming beverage in front of him. 

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I hit you with my speeder, Commander. One cup of caf shouldn’t cut it.”

At least the color on this one was close enough to the rations they got back at the barracks. He lifted it to his mouth. 

Hot damn. Senator Chuchi giggled at his reaction. The sound rushed through him stronger than any caffeine. 

She settled into a smug smile. “Is this one to your liking?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble. To be honest, I needed this break. Things have been overwhelming in the senate.”

“You shouldn’t be out here without your guard.”

“I’ll be fine. I know this part of the city. Besides, you’re here.” A warm wave passed over Fox. Was she just oblivious, or was she really trusting him that much?

“I’m honored you think that, but I have to insist on not repeating this instance.”

“Do you get days off, Commander Fox?” 

Senators and deflecting the question. “Here and there,” he said. 

“Well then, you understand it’s important to get some time away every once and a while, hmm?” She raised her eyebrows and drank from her cup. “So what do you normally do when you have a day to yourself?”

“Make rounds. Maybe get a headstart on paperwork. ” He searched for anything interesting, but a day off only differed from his normal routine because he snatched a few extra hours of sleep.

“You just keep working?”

“I’m not exactly the kind of person to visit expensive––” He tried remembering the word she used. “Cafes in the upper levels of Coruscant.” 

“Yes, but you must have interests. You can’t just work forever.”

But ever since training, that’s what he’s done. “Well, that’s how things are.” He took another sip of the not-too-sweet roast, so much smoother and richer than whatever crap they were serving back home. 

“Well, that’s got to change.”

“It won’t.” Fox remained unphased. 

“You’re so sure?” 

“I know how politics work. Besides the fact that we are an integral part of the current social system and the senate is occupied with more pressing matters, it would take years to even get a chance to speak on the subject. Even then, you’re putting a target on your back whenever you speak about humanitarian issues. And if by some miracle, a bill is drafted, it will get shot down, because clones aren’t people,” he said matter-of-factly. 

Senator Chuchi slowly put her drink down. “You really believe that?” Her eyebrows knit together. Was that worry, concern?

“I’ve seen it. That’s enough to know what the future looks like.”

“If you had the opportunity to change things, would you?”

“How?”

“Becoming a representative. Theoretically.”

“As if they’d take a clone seriously.” He tried shutting down the conversation, but the senator kept going.

“But you’re an entire plant’s worth of people. More, even. You deserve to be represented in the senate.”

“We don’t even have citizenship.”

“Then that would be step one,” she straightened up like she was preparing to take on the whole Republic herself.

“Ma’am, hold on.” The subject was quickly getting away from him. The little control he had was slipping through his fingers. A headache started forming between his eyes. “This is theoretical, remember?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry. I get ahead of myself sometimes, Commander.” She tapped on the side of her cup. “So then you go back to work as soon as we get back?”

“As long as I’m not taken out.”

“Like a date or…?”

“An assassin.”

“Oh,” she said, visibly disturbed. 

Fox silently cursed to himself. Gallows humor ran rampant among clone ranks across the galaxy. He shouldn’t have bothered making the comment. “Excuse me, that was an inappropriate joke.”

“It’s alright. Not the type of comedy I would choose, but…” She gulped down more of her coffee. “Are you feeling better, after I hit you?”

“Just a bit sore. Don’t you have a driver?”

Senator Chuchi blushed? He wasn’t familiar with Pantorans enough to tell. “I may have insisted on driving. It was such a short trip from one platform to another. I was a little too excited and didn’t realize it was in reverse. It’s not that I can’t drive, but it’s been so long since I’ve gotten to. Again, I’m terribly sorry. I thought I hit you pretty hard, but you’re sure you aren’t hurt?”

“The armor took most of it, but I’d appreciate it if you don’t do it again.” 

“I would certainly hope nothing like that happens again, although this has been nice.” She raised her drink before draining it. A faint smile played at her lips. His stomach knotted. Fox snapped back to reality. What was he doing here? He should be back in his office, not chatting with someone who was practically a stranger, a high profile stranger in a public, unguarded location. 

“Commander,” She began. Her amusement from before melted away. “Would you be open to meeting me again like this?” His mind blanked. Not even his brothers shared their rare hours of free time with him. 

“Why?” He blurted out without thinking. 

“You know a lot about how things work in the government. If you’re willing, I’d like to help.”

Fox regained normal brain function. “Help with what?”

“As far as I know, clones aren’t paid or even recognized as anything other than property, legally speaking. I was serious earlier. I might not have seen you this morning, but I’m normally not that oblivious. I see how the Coruscant Guard is treated here. Outside the city, on other planets, it doesn’t seem to be much different. I used to know people who treated the soldiers under them like expendable toys.”

Facts. Cold hard facts that slapped him in the face every time he tried to resist them. Fox’s hand tightened on his caf. “It won’t work. I’ve tried.” His eyebrows sunk low into a frown. So many times he tried. 

“How can you be sure?”

“I’ve filed hundreds of lawsuits. My men aren’t just guards, we’re escorts, prison wardens, riot control, and so many jobs we were never created to fill. We get hurt and no one bats an eye. If they’ve ignored us for this long, then I doubt they’ll listen now.” He rattled off his argument like a rehearsed speech. 

“Do you still have proof of these files? With the right evidence and arguments, I could bring it before the senate itself. It’s a bit harder to turn a blind eye if we’re staring them in the face.”

“What makes you think you’re qualified for this.” His voice picked up a bitter edge. He didn’t intend to direct it at her, but her face fell.

“I don’t believe I am,” she said quietly. “But no one else is stepping forward. I won’t pursue it further if that’s really what you want, but you could make a better future possible.”

“Are you like this with everyone you meet? Ready to start major reform over a cup of caf?”

“Not only do I represent Pantora to the larger galaxy, but I’m an example to my own people. I can’t stand by and allow the current standard to be acceptable.” She glanced at her chrono and scrunched up her face. “I have to get back. It’s later than I thought.” Fox’s heart sank. The thought of returning to his desk never felt so depressing, but he grabbed his helmet and slid out of the booth. 

“Where would you like me to drop you off?” she said. Senator Chuchi threw away both of their empty cups before he could.

“You don’t need to do that.”

“No, please, I insist. I’m not going to strand you here.”

“I thought you were late for something?”

She waved a single blue hand. He leaned away out of reflex, even if it was just a harmless gesture. “We’ll have time,” she said, not noticing his movement. 

He stepped in front of her to open the front door. A little bell dinged. Another client of the establishment directed a sour look at him. He slipped on his bucket, a shield to civvie looks. The helmet signified more than that, it was his rank. Whenever it was on, he was working, not taking a coffee break with a senator he really shouldn’t be around. Not enjoying the warm sun on his skin.

His anxiety spiked as high as the many, many rooftops outside the caf é. 

“Stay behind me, ma’am.”

“I would’ve held the door––” she said absentmindedly.

“Where’s your driver. You need to get out of the open.”

“Oh.” She finally understood. “Waiting over there.”

He escorted her into the speeder. Fox kept his head on a swivel. For the love of the Republic, why didn’t she take her guard with her? He sat ramrod straight the entire ride back to the barracks. Fox tried convincing her that anywhere close to the senate was good enough. He vowed to never again pick such a petty battle to fight. She was a senator, after all, trained to debate for hours. 

They landed at the hanger. Fox thought to wipe the security footage of his arrival. He didn’t need any more rumors floating around the Guard today. He exited the senator’s vehicle. 

“Thank you for coming,” she said. “I know you have a lot of work, but I had to at least do something to make up for… this morning.” A smiled shyly.

Fox nodded. “If you’d like to meet again, to discuss the topic you brought up before,” he carefully constructed his words. He already started, he had to finish now. “I’m sure I can make time.”

She beamed. “I’ll start right away, Commander.”

Fox bowed slightly, a courtesy he picked up from his time on the planet, and hurried to the nearest security terminal. If those shinies got a hold of it first, Force help them. He had a nice cup of coffee and the trip out of the underbelly soothed months of overworking. Her smile broke the monotony of his job. His stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing her again. Senators: always keeping him on his feet.

“Hey! What are you looking at?” He caught the same men from before at a terminal.

“Nothing, Commander!” They scattered before he could chase after them. Headaches, each and every one of them. But lovable headaches all the same. He’d have to keep an eye on those boys. What the senator suggested should be kept from any curious parties. Fox rolled his eyes. 

“She’s going to get herself killed one of these days.”

Chapter Text

“I made a list of everyone who will theoretically be in support of this bill. It’s not very long.” Fox scrolled through a presentation Senator Chuchi asked him to make. Across the table from him, she stared intently at the hologram. Her apartment provided the perfect space for their endeavor. A drink she offered him sat untouched beside his helmet. They had work to do and no, it didn’t have anything to do with the disgusting leaf water inside the cup. The tea was probably cold anyway and his standards were low, but not that low.

Riyo Chuchi read through each name, nodding in excitement. “Sure it’s not a long list, but these are senate superpowers. Bail Organa, Padm é Amidala, and there are at least ten others besides them.”

“Compared to the thousands of other senators and political figures.”

“But it’s a start. If we can get their support, it’ll be a huge step in the right direction. Many of these people are my friends.”

Fox sighed. With every argument she made, his reservations slowly chipped away. Writing a bill, going in front of the Senate, it seemed like a dream. But he couldn’t get his hopes up. He continued his report. “I know it’s more your specialty, but I also drafted up a rough brief.”

“You did?” Riyo’s face lit up. 

“And finally the calculations on the cost of current upkeep for the GAR.” This damn page. So many hours digging through files. He almost shattered his mug by the end of it. If this was for Republic reports, he’d scratch his own eyes out before voluntarily putting together a case like this. But this wasn’t for the Republic. It was for himself and his brothers. For Senator Chuchi, the only one who’d ever reached out a helping hand. But it shouldn’t have to be someone else’s problem. He was just fine on his own.

“The way they run everything is very efficient. I doubt we’d be able to make an argument based on economics,” he said.

“No, we wouldn’t,” she agreed. “If that’s everything, I’ll look at this in more detail and we can both get started. There’s still so much to do. I wish we had more help. Normally on something this large, I’d be a part of a larger team.”

“You understand we can’t tell anyone about this?” 

“Of course, Commander. I will be careful. I trust you to be as well?”

“If this gets out, you have a very large, very bright target on your back. You have your own people to represent.”

“And you have your own men to look after.”

“I am replaceable. You are not,” he said pointedly. 

“Exactly why we need to do this.”

“Then I’ll get back to my office to start on more research, if that’s alright, ma’am.” Fox stood up and collected the holoprojector and his helmet. 

“You don’t have to go all the way back to your office.” Riyo rose from her seat. “That’s so far away. You’re welcome to stay here and work. Then I’d be right here if you have any questions, or the other way round. Besides, I don’t have any plans for this evening so none of my assistants should be bothering me.” 

“If that’s what you want, ma’am.” He squirmed around inside his armor. He didn’t belong in a senator’s apartment. Especially when said senator was alone.

“Great,” she said. “Then I’ll just be in the other room.” The bedroom door slid shut before Fox could say anything. His tense shoulders dropped. He sorted out the few things he’d brought with him and pushed the now cold beverage farther away from him. His full weight settled back into the chair. It didn’t even creak and probably had more structural integrity than the Republic. Fox opened the holonet and found the sections he’d been digging through. The quiet room resembled his office, if his office was three times larger, had several potted plants, and smelled considerably nicer.

“I guess this is happening.” Text scrolled through the holoprojector. Tired eyes scanned each line, even the ones that didn’t make sense. Being dragged into drafting up a bill on clone rights wasn’t really on the agenda for the foreseeable future. But who was he to say what the future held? 

*

The sun bathed the apartment in golden light. Lights across the skyline blinked into existence. Fox closed down the holoprojector. His eyes ached from staring at it for so long. A rumbling in his stomach reminded him about dinner. He still had time before the mess closed. The warm room invited him to lay down and take a nap. Instead, he got up to find his senator. 

He knocked on her bedroom door. 

“Come in.”

“Senator, I’m going––” 

Riyo sat hunched over on her couch. Her hands clutched tightly at her knees and deep lines crossed her forehead. Pink flushed her normally blue complexion. She tried pulling herself back from the verge of tears when she saw him.  

Fox locked onto the situation. His movements became automatic. Like muscle memory, he shifted from commander to older brother. Other officers had nothing on him when it came to dealing with new recruits and their eventual breakdowns. He grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch unceremoniously draped it over her. “What’s wrong?”

Riyo wrung the edge between her hands. “I know this is the right thing to do, but what if this fails? I don’t want to be in a republic that wouldn’t allow this to stand. I know I’m just talking ‘what ifs’ but––” She spiraled like a shiny after his first week. 

“I’m going to stop you right there. Take some breaths. I’ll be right back.” Fox backtracked into the kitchen and found a pitcher of water. Sliced fruit floated on the surface. Of course, there was fruit in the water. He filled a glass and brought it to Riyo.

“Here.” 

She cupped it with both hands and took a sip. “Thank you. But who’s going to listen to me? I’m from an outer rim moon. It’s not like I’m Bail Organa. He’d know how to handle this. But I should be able to do this. I’m a senator. I have to be able to do this. It’s just sometimes, I don’t understand how I could’ve ended up here like I don’t deserve it. Sometimes, it’s like I’m waiting for someone to admit it’s all been a lie.” She continued rambling. 

Fox leaned forward but stopped himself. He finally took a seat on the couch beside the senator. “You shouldn’t put this all on yourself. You’re just overwhelmed right now. No one is forcing you to do this.”

Her head snapped up. “No, no we can’t stop. But I shouldn’t drag you into this. It’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not ridiculous. For safety reasons, I have to advise against it, but you could bring in other senators. We could use the help. You deserve to be where you are. Your people should be proud they have a senator like you. I’m proud to have you representing us. Now that’s no reason to cry.”

A soft chuckle escaped her. Riyo wiped the corner of her eye. “I guess you’re right.” She set the glass of water on the low table in front of them. For a moment, she distracted herself by rubbing the corner of the blanket. She pursed her lips and opened her mouth, but shut it just as quickly, abandoning her first thought. The senator smoothed out some wrinkles and looked back at Fox. “Were you saying something earlier when you walked in?”

He shook his head. “It’s not important.” 

“Do you really think we should ask some others to join us?”

“I’ll take care of security. You take care of the senators.”

“I’ll make good of that list you made.” Senator Chuchi straightened up.

  Fox extracted himself from the fluffy cushions doing their best to suck him in. “I’d better go. I’ve already been here for long enough. My men will know if I miss dinner.”

“Oh yes, of course. Smart. I’ll message you.” 

He dipped his head in a quick bow and shoved his helmet on. Back on duty. “Goodbye, Senator. Have a nice evening.”

“You too,” she said, tucking her blanket a bit closer. He spun on his heels and wound through her apartment. His helmet acted like blinders. No more sun. No more colorful decorations along the walls. Back, deep down, into the belly of the city.

Fox rushed to the mess hall before the sentries could catch him. More attention than necessary made his skin itch. He mentally replayed the conversation and stopped dead. 

“Did I just throw a blanket on Senator Chuchi?” He shrugged and kept walking. What else was he supposed to do? They don’t train for what to do with crying senators. The closest thing he had to the situation was shock or comforting a kih’vod, but his skills with that were rusty. She didn’t act like she minded, at least. 

*

Fox pulled up live footage of one of the barracks. Four men, half in armor, loitered in the back corner. One spun around in an office chair that somehow ended up in the barracks.

“I can’t believe I have to do this,” he muttered and opened up a line to the loudspeaker. “Hawkshaw squad, report to Commander Fox’s office immediately.” They hastily grabbed for their armor and helmets scattered around them. It only took them an additional five minutes to reach his office.

The four shinies lined up in a neat row. One of their bracers was twisted. 

“Your squad seems a little too inquisitive for their own good,” Fox said.

“Permission to speak, Commander?” the left-most shock trooper said. 

“Yes, what’s your name, trooper?”

“Hercules, sir. And that’s Lock, Drew, and Watt.” He spoke with an unusual accent for a clone, but picking up a different way of speaking wasn’t uncommon. Hercules took off his helmet. He’d just started growing out his hair longer than regulation, or maybe someone was hiding the clippers. “Commander, being inquisitive is technically in our programming.”

“I know, but is discretion in your programming too, because I haven’t seen it.” Fox crossed his arms. “I want you to tell me everything you know about Senator Chuchi and myself.” The four exchanged nervous looks. 

“Nothing, sir.”

“Bantha. Try again.”

“Would you believe us if we said it was an accident?”

“We promise we haven’t told anyone about you two.”

“I want to know everything,” Fox said. “Start from the beginning.”

“Well, we first saw you get run over and that kinda attracted our attention, and then you started hanging out with the senator more and more. Your secret’s safe with us. We wouldn’t rat a brother out like that,” Drew said.

Oh Force, oh no. “So you think I have a relationship with Senator Chuchi?” A risk was taken in calling them here, but man was it poorly calculated. His helmet concealed his hot ears and whatever horrified expression he was currently making. 

Drew lowered his head and shuffled his feet. 

“What’s your assignment?”

“Intelligence and Anti-Terrorism. We track down assassination attempts among other things.” Hercules passed his helmet from one hand to the other. 

“Intelligence,” Fox nodded, digesting the word. “So somehow you’ve spent the past week spying on me and just assumed I had a relationship with the senator? Are your buckets on backwards?”

“I don’t think that’s a fair assessment of our abilities as a squad, sir,” Lock said. Watt elbowed him in the ribs. 

“Shut up,” the other said softly. 

“I didn’t call you here for this. I am putting your squad on a classified detail.” All four straightened up. “If this information gets into the wrong hands, you could be putting important lives at risk, understand?”

“Sir, yes, sir.”

“Senator Chuchi is working on a bill that could attract unwanted attention. The contents could put her life and the lives of everyone collaborating with her in danger. It’s your job to wipe the evidence of those meetings or any audio that gets picked up.”

“All records? We’re just supposed to erase it?”

“Even on the inside, there could be people who don’t share these opinions and take things to extremes. The recordings are all too easy to access when you’re a part of the inner workings. Will that be a problem?”

“No. In theory, it’s a simple thing to do.”

“Good. You’re all smart and I trust you can prove yourselves to be more than shinies. Just don’t be di’kute.”

“What does that mean, sir?” Hercules said.

“What?”

“Di’kut-ay.” He stumbled over the pronunciation.

“Oh. It means idiots. Don’t be idiots. I don’t want to see any of that in my ranks.”

“There’s none of that in our squad, Commander,” Watt said. The image of one of them spinning in the office chair flashed through Fox’s mind. Sure they could get the job done, but the ‘how’ worried him more than he’d admit.

“Dismissed. I’ll be hearing from you soon.”

They saluted and filed out of his office. The door shut, leaving him in silence.

“I don’t, I don’t even know how they got a spinny chair into the barracks.” He leaned against the back of his desk. 

*

A light winked at him from his holoprojector. With the push of a button, Senator Chuchi’s face appeared, more alive and vibrant than anything in the dull office outfitted in varying shades of gray.

“Hello, Commander. Is it alright to speak?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. I have news. Bail Organa of Alderaan will be joining us for this bill. You know what that means, Commander?” She barely contained a smile he didn’t like the looks of. “I guess we won’t have to bail on this project.”

“Ma’am, please never do that again.” He could have taken his helmet off just to show her the pain she just caused him, but it had been a long day. 

“Come on,” she pouted.

Fox shook his head. “My request stands.”

“You’re no fun.” 

“Not in my job description.”

Chapter Text

“Fox?” 

His eyes snapped open. “What?”

“Were you listening? I asked when we’re arriving.”

He regained his usual alertness and abandoned the seat on the Republic shuttle for a handle dangling from the ceiling. “We should be arriving exactly at 1000 for the Chancellor’s brunch. I’ll check with the pilot.” Getting up sent the blood back through his body, washing away the desire to fall asleep where he stood. 

The cruiser zoomed through upper-city traffic. Outside the windows, other vehicles made their way to various senatorial buildings. Not a cloud graced the sky. Of course, it was also perfect weather for a sniper, but you couldn’t have the threat of assassination without sunshine. 

Fox lifted his comm. “Trys, how are we?”

“Just fine, Commander. We should arrive right on time.”

“Good. As you were.” 

His schedule for the day only consisted of accompanying Senator Chuchi. The order didn’t seem out of the ordinary. Occasionally, the Coruscant Guard stood in for escorts instead of the normal entourage. 

Fox glanced over at the other occupants in the back of the long Senate shuttlebus. Riyo scrolled through a datapad next to him. Two guards in red sat near the front and another stood close to the entrance of the cockpit. The guard scratched the back of his neck and slouched just a bit. Fox bit his tongue. He would have to remind them of the need to be presentable when they got back. I mean, he almost just fell asleep, but at least no one could tell. If it wasn’t for the fact that this senator wouldn’t take every chance to yell at them, he’d say something. With Senator Chuchi, he took the opportunity to let the newest men have a chance with escort duty. Start without harassment. 

With a familiar face, Riyo talked mindlessly about her upcoming meetings and speeches. He tried listening, he really did. Even with the intent of learning, the absence of an immediate threat was all it took to invite the lost hours of sleep to take their revenge. Keeping his eyelids open proved more difficult than expected, but endurance training wasn’t for nothing. 

A deafening blast tore through the ship. Heat ripped past them. Fox dove to Riyo. His stomach flipped. The shuttle tilted into a nosedive, falling out of its lane. The engines spluttered but couldn’t stop their fall. Riyo clung to her harness. Anything not bolted down flung forward. Fox strained to hold onto the seat.  

“Go up!” he shouted. He looked back. Smoke billowed out of the cockpit. Even if Trys and the other driver were still alive, it’d be impossible to get down there and make it back. The trooper stationed near the cockpit still hung on despite the hole in the side of the hull trying to suck him out. He began climbing up to them. 

One of the two brothers at the top reached a hand out to Fox. He took it. The other pulled up Senator Chuchi.

“Wait, we have to go back,” she said.

“Are you crazy!” he shouted over the roar of the falling ship. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“My things are back there.” Black smoke rolled over them. The smell of smoke, melted plastoid, and rubber wormed its way through his helmet filters. Senator Chuchi coughed.

“Leave them.”

“But––”

“Leave them.” Fox scanned the crumbling ship. The door. They had to get out. The ship’s engines wouldn’t be slowing their fall for much longer. They’d hit something, a building or another cruiser, before hitting the bottom. He tried the release, but the door refused to open. Fox braced himself, freeing up both hands. The door screeched as he forced it open. His visor blocked the blinding winds attempting to snatch him from the opening. Horns blared as they split through lanes of traffic. Fox reached down and pulled the last guard up. 

Riyo wedged herself between the wall of the shuttle and Fox. She pushed forward to look out the opening.

“There!” she pointed to a landing platform heading their way. “I’m going to jump.”

“You’re not going to jump,” he ordered. 

“I’m going to jump, Commander, or would you rather go first?” She began removing the skirts around her waist to reveal the leggings beneath. At least someone followed the protocol on the dress code.

“Senator, this isn’t the time to––Riyo!” he barked. He watched in horror as the woman jumped towards the landing stage. 

She tumbled and rolled onto the platform. The rest of the guard looked at him.

“Well, go after her!” he said. The three remaining guards followed. If he couldn’t go first, he’d make sure the rest made it out. “Karking sithspit––” If he hesitated, he’d miss his chance. Before his brain could rattle off any more explicatives, he hurled himself out of the burning shuttle. His stomach dropped from the leap. Crack. He crashed onto the floating platform. The trajectory didn’t afford a graceful landing. 

Fox shifted onto his hands and knees. The split corner of his chest plate poked his ribs, but no damage was done. He crawled to Riyo. 

“Are you alright?”

“I think so.” She patted down her arms and legs. Her wide, wild eyes scanned her body for any missed injury. 

“We have to move.” Fox dragged her to her feet. He figured whatever she might’ve suffered would be numbed by adrenaline for now. His own limbs groaned after hitting the ground. 

His heart thumped in his skull. It wouldn’t be the first time someone bombed a transport and sent someone to finish the job. His body begged him to run or to fight, but he could do neither. They were stuck. The barren platform couldn’t protect them. It was an island in the middle of the Coruscant airway. Fox sent a distress signal from his communicator and started a transmission.

“This is Commander Fox. Senator Chuchi’s shuttle’s been compromised. We’re on landing platform SR-18.” He read the lettering painted across the surface. “Requesting immediate extraction.” 

“What can I do?” she said. 

“We’re exposed. Stay close.” Fox whirled around. No options. Worst case scenario for cover. Shuttles don’t just explode, especially not ones checked daily. “Circle up,” he ordered. 

“Commander?” one of the guards said in a quiet voice. Fox couldn’t tell who it was, but he figured they must’ve been younger.

“Quiet. Just protect the Senator.” His shoulder bumped into another guard as they backed into each other to form a circle. 

Flashing lights from a police vehicle swooped down. Droid driver. Open top. Not ideal. “Once we get in, stay low,” he said to Riyo. The tight group moved to the speeder. One of the guards behind him limped awkwardly but kept formation. Fox helped the senator and the injured soldier into the speeder first. They piled into the back of the vehicle. 

“Take us to the nearest building in the Senate complex.” The speeder lurched into traffic. Fox put a hand on Riyo’s shoulder. The guard on her other side, Rise, he thought although his armor didn’t help to identify him, did the same. 

With a bright flash and a rumble, the flaming shuttlebus hit the roof of a building far below them and exploded. If anyone was left on board, they certainly weren’t surviving that. Riyo turned a shade lighter. She pressed her lips together like she was going to be sick. Her expression mirrored Fox’s insides, but he couldn’t afford the luxury of focusing on the crash. Get out first. Process later. 

“You’re alright, ma’am,” he said. She just nodded. 

Senate guards swarmed them on their arrival, but Fox didn’t break formation and neither did his men. They’d be a red sandwich, but he wouldn’t surrender Riyo that easily. The men in blue pushed at his side, trying to edge him out, but he stood his ground. Fox grabbed her hand to keep her from getting carried away. If they had a chance, he didn’t doubt they’d leave him behind without a second thought. The guard funneled into the building. Groups split off from them at every intersection. 

“Where are we going?” she said. 

“Bunker.” He marched ahead to a lift known only by the guards. They weren’t on the building schematics. He checked on Riyo. Her eyebrows knit together, but she didn’t say anything more. “It’s standard procedure. Nothing to worry about.” The doors slid open. The last of the Senate Guard departed. The doors closed, leaving them in silence. Fox held her hand tight, tight, tight.

“Don’t do that again,” he said soft enough for only her to hear. He’d never admit she made a good call in jumping, one he was about to make if she had just waited a moment. If he went first, like he planned, and didn’t make it, she’d have another chance to get off the shuttle. But what was he supposed to do with a reckless senator?

“I’m sorry.”

As long as he had her in his hand, she couldn’t disappear from him or jump into the middle of Coruscant traffic. He waited for his pulse to settle. She was here and she was safe. Or at least as close to safe as he could offer. 

“Fox, you can let go now,” she squeaked. Of all the things that could still go wrong, broken fingers wouldn’t be one of them. He let his iron grip loosen, but didn’t let go.

“Senator Chuchi, this is a safety precaution, because obviously, we can’t trust you with your own safety.”

“The shuttle was on fire. What was I supposed to do?” Thorn told stories about Senator Amidala, but those were nothing. Somehow he managed to find his own nightmare senator. At least she wasn’t starting fistfights, although he was more equipped to handle that.

“It would’ve taken at least another two minutes for the shuttle to explode. I had the situation handled.”

“That’s what you said before we started falling, Fox.” 

She was right. He had said everything was fine. Trys said everything was fine. Fox kept his mouth shut.

“I really am sorry about jumping first. At least we made it out, right?”

He sighed and shook his head “We’re almost there. I doubt you’re in danger any more, but please stay with us, Ma’am.”

“I’ll do my best.” 

*

The plastoid poked at his side. Fox would’ve shifted around or even taken the cracked armor off, but it would have to wait. After half hour, one of the Pantoran aides arrived at the bunker. The two women talked in hushed tones about rearranging plans for the rest of the day. She’d be kept here until the area was cleared for any threats and a new transport was arranged. 

CT-8215 sat in the corner with Rise who iced his foot. With any other senator in any other situation, they would stand at rigid attention. ‘15 would understand and suffer through it, but he didn’t have to. Riyo was safe in here, but so were they. She didn’t waste any time in demanding he sit down at the very least. Fox had sighed and encouraged his men to take her offer, or rather an order. 

“Please inform the Chancellor that I can’t make the brunch and send my regards,” she said. 

“Yes, Senator Chuchi.” The aide walked out of the room. 

Riyo sank into the chair behind her. She rested her elbows on her knees and cradled her face in her hands. And here came the crash. Fox braced for tears, maybe a meltdown. With so many threats and things going wrong, he had plenty of practice with unstable senators.

“Are you alright, Ma’am?”

“I’m alright, thank you.” She brushed aside a rogue strand of lavender hair. “Do you think the engine failure was an accident?” She asked the question clearly. He expected a trace of fear in her eyes, maybe a quiver in her voice. 

“I doubt it.”

“I’m afraid some of the things I’m working on,” she paused. “Might have been leaked.”

“I understand. The Coruscant Guard will take care of this.” All the recordings of their meetings were erased. It’d be almost impossible to find information on what they were drafting. It made sense someone would go after her. The contents of their latest endeavors weren’t exactly a popular opinion, but how did someone get their hands on it? Maybe he missed something.

“What was so important that you needed to go back for? You said you left something behind on the shuttle,” Fox said. 

“It wasn’t worth it.” She crossed her arms and tucked her hands against her sides. “It was my datapad. It just had some speeches I was working on that I can easily recover. I’m just frustrated.” Riyo tossed a look to the remaining guards in the safe room. She lowered her voice. “Your draft was on that file. I don’t suppose you had another saved?”

“I always save a couple of copies. I’ve seen so many senators lose their stuff, it’s a habit.” A smile pulled at the edge of her mouth. How could she be so calm after today? After throwing herself out of a burning cruiser? He followed, of course, but that’s what’s expected. And at the same time, he’d follow her for that smile too. She gave it so easily, almost like a friend. “Your guard should be here any minute. I’ll have my best team to put on this. They’ll figure out if this was an accident or not. If someone wanted to hurt you, we’ll find them.”

“Thank you, Fox.”

“It’s my job, Senator.” Just your average weekday on the Guard. 

“Riyo is shorter. You can use it if you want,” she said offhandedly.

He kept his voice light. It would be better to not make a bigger deal out of the situation when no evidence supported the presence of an assassin. “Well then, Riyo, I should’ve known we would get into a motor accident with your track record.” 

Riyo gasped indignantly and brushed off a smile that threatened to peek through. “That is a false accusation, Commander, and you know it.”

Chapter Text

Rain fell from congested Coruscant clouds mingled with smoke and exhaust. A gray haze muted the blinding lights cutting through the twilight. Metal clanged around in the garage. Fluorescent lights flooded out of the large open doors. Most of the mechanics had wiped down their tools and finished up for the night, leaving the area occupied only by four members of the Coruscant Guard.

“You’re not an engineer, Lock. How would you know it’s been tampered with?” said Drew.

“I had to read about it because someone,” he shot an annoyed glare at Hercules. “Was too stubborn to get an actual engineer.”

“Commander Fox told us to keep it all on the down-low. The more people we get involved, the more information is being spread. Almost everyone doesn’t even know why Senator Chuchi’s been targeted. It’s our job to trace it back. So how’re we looking?”

“Well,” Lock rolled back under the suspended wreck of the shuttlebus. “Someone definitely wanted this thing to malfunction. There are marks all along here where they messed with it.”

“But the Senate shuttles are checked every day. If someone tampered with them, they would’ve had to have been in the hangar within a very specific time,” Watt said. “Especially since the schedule of who’s riding in which transport isn’t solidified until, at most, the day before.”

“Then Lock and I can check who was working at the time,” Hercules said. “You two go get a vehicle. If we wanna move quickly––”

“We’ll need a speeder.” Drew had a wicked smile.

“Our commander almost died, we should at least do our job before any joyrides,” Herc said.

“Please, we can do both. We have to get there ‘with all necessary urgency’, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m driving.”

“You’re no fun, Herc.”

Lock picked himself up from examining the wreck. “You sure I shouldn’t go with Drew? Keep him out of trouble?” He nudged Hercules.

Drew scrunched up his face, hurt at the lack of faith in him. “Hey, I promise I won’t break anything on our first field assignment.”

“Including the law?” Watt said.

“I am the law,” Drew puffed out his chest.  Everyone stared at him. “Yes, yes, come on. I thought you said we were in a hurry.” He dragged Watt after him, who mouthed an overly dramatic plea for help. Lock and Herc laughed. The doors to the gridded hallways swished open as they passed through. 

“You can let go.” Watt tugged his arm away from Drew. He repositioned the bracer to its normal position. 

“So why do you think someone targeted Senator Chuchi?” Drew asked. 

Watt stared for a second before answering. “Do you not watch the tapes?”

“No, why would I watch the tapes? That’s hours worth of footage.”

“You should. They’re… interesting.” 

“Sure, I’d really love to listen to a bunch of senators talk, but I have other things to do with my time, Watt. Bills on agriculture and stuff can only be so fascinating.”

Watt checked to make sure they weren’t being watched, although he’d know better than anyone how easily conversations got picked up on security. “That’s not what they were talking about. The commander was working on something. Something definitely worth killing for.”

“What could he possibly be doing that got someone’s attention even after we took care of the recordings?”

Watt lowered his voice. “Private communication.” He slid on his helmet and switched off the speakers. Drew mirrored him. 

“They’re talking about a bill for clone citizenship. If I had to guess, someone on the inside overheard or accessed the recordings before we got to them and aren’t too happy about it. Senator Chuchi hasn’t rocked the boat in a long time. I can’t think anyone would want to be after her for anything else.”

“And you’re telling me this now?”

“I thought you knew. The others do because they actually pay attention to these things.” Watt knocked on his brother’s bucket.

“I’m wounded.” Drew placed a hand against his heart. Watt shoulder checked him. “Okay, not the time. But it makes a lot more sense why Fox chose us.”

“Yeah, now come on. I need a caf once we pick up the speeder.” The two men trekked to a garage under their barracks. General issue bikes lined the far wall. The night shift wasn’t any less active for the Coruscant Guard. 

“Can we each pick a bike?” Drew examined the one closest to him.

“Hey! Back away shiny.” A soldier yelled from one end of the room. He walked over with a datapad in hand. “What’re you two doing here?”

“Transport for Hawkshaw Squad. We’re on assignment,” Watt said. The older guard scrolled through a list of names. 

“Yep. Thought you’d be here. There’s a speeder over there.” He pointed to a scraped and dented vehicle. “You have it for the night. Don’t lose it or break it,” he droned. 

“Yes, sir,” both responded. The foreman dismissed them with a wave of his hand. 

Drew knelt beside the craft. “A bit crappy, isn’t it?” He looked up to Watt.

“Have you seen some of the ones that come back from some patrols?”

“Right now I’m just hoping it’ll start. I’m suddenly a lot more okay with the fact that Herc insisted on driving.” He jumped into the front seat and started the engines. “Get in.” 

Watt used the door like a normal person. His comm blipped. He opened up the channel. 

“Get over here. I think we have something,” Lock’s voice crackled through the speaker.

“On our way,” Watt said.

“No caf then?” Drew’s shoulders slumped. 

“No time. Let’s go.”

*

Just after their two brothers left, Hercules and Lock weren’t far behind in exiting the empty garage. Their footsteps echoed from one end of the room to the other. The city planet never slept, but in quiet corners, some spaces were best to leave for the night. The two guards located the nearest security terminal in a back room a few floors up and scanned in their access codes. 

“You take 0000 to 1200. I’ll take the rest.” Herc scrubbed to his section of the cam recording, scanning the hangar for anyone who touched the bus. 

“How come we get the nightshift?” Lock said. He squinted as he scrolled through yesterday’s footage. “My eyes always hurt when we have to look at datapads this late.”

“Commander Fox wants a report by sunrise. So stop talking. I’m going to miss something.”

“Multitask. I’m bored.”

“I’ll multitask by kicking your backside,” Herc muttered.

“That’s not what… nevermind.” Lock rolled his eyes. 

Herc played the recording. People passed throughout the afternoon. Not a soul touched the bus. He paused when someone stood near it for a few minutes, but they moved on. 

“There.” He stopped the recording and called Lock over. A figure in a mechanic’s jumpsuit briefly tinkered with the cruiser. 

“Can you scan them to see who they are?”

“No. Our guy never turns to face the camera. Hold on.” Herc accessed the log of mechanics and engineers working in that garage. “No one matches. They somehow got in the building in broad daylight.”

“It’s unlikely they were alone unless they were really talented and really hated Senator Chuchi. They kept their face hidden, which means they knew where the cams were.” Lock quickly finished his own section of the footage to not miss anything. “Do you wanna call in the boys?”

“Yeah. I’m not liking this, Lock.”

“We shouldn’t make assumptions, but I was thinking the same thing.”

 *

All four men leaned over the terminal. 

“That’s the guy who messed with the bus?” Drew pressed a finger to the screen, almost coving up the back of the figure walking down a corridor. 

“Yes.” Lock switched cams to follow their suspect through the maze of passages and alcoves under the main senate complex. “We go down this hallway and––” Lock accessed the next recording, but it only played a loop of the previous ten minutes. 

“Uh-oh,” Drew said. All eyes turned to him.

“Hey, Drew, what happened to the security recording?” Watt said.

“Those are meeting rooms. Commander Fox was talking with Senator Chuchi at the time. How was I supposed to know we needed that. I just chunked out the time it took for them to talk in that office.”

“Whatever. We’ll just have to follow the trail. What was that engineer even doing in the Senate building? No one from the hangars is supposed to be up on that level,” Watt said.

“Someone had to let him in. What if it’s an inside job? Someone in the Senate trying to kill or scare Senator Chuchi?”

“It’s happened before. We should get over there. Lock, keep looking for where our suspect went.” Hercules straightened up.

“Wait, he leaves through that door.” Lock paused the vid. In the fuzzy recording, a sliver of light fell through the open exit. 

“Which door?”

“10-02. He used a card, but a Senate Guard is always stationed outside the entrances so close to the Chancellor’s office. Maybe this one was paid off?”

“Who has access to that door?”

Keys clicked at the terminal. 

“It’s supposed to be an emergency exit. Only employees in the Office of the Supreme Chancellor are allowed to use it.” The four of them stood silent.

“Treason?” Watt asked finally.

Hercules held up a hand. “We won’t go there yet. We shouldn’t unless we have no other option.”

“Lock, you said they used a key. There must’ve been an alert on who’s card opened the door, right?” Drew said. 

“Give me a second.” Lock opened a separate page to view the admission history. He pulled up the user’s ID. “Mirwer Tunded. A Duros male. He works for Sly Moore, one of the chancellor’s assistants.”

“Should we talk to him?” Watt asked.

“We don’t know if he was even involved,” Hercules said. “His card could’ve gotten stolen or someone’s framing him. But the guard was still there. Can you get the name of the person on duty?”

“Not a problem.” Lock found the schedule for guard shifts. “Gild Theal. I’ll send you his file. He just got off his shift and should still be in the complex.”

“I think we might be due for a trip to the barracks.” Hercules crossed his arms.

Drew groaned. “I hate the Senate Guard barracks.”

*

“We have to get through the front door,” Herc said. They sat on a stairwell. The rain from before petered out, leaving the tepid night suffocatingly humid. The squad stayed out of sight from the guard watching the main entrance. Coruscant Guards avoided these routes as if the natural-born security force didn’t already deter clones from entering their quarters.  

“There’s absolutely no way they’d let us in.”

“Right, so we need a distraction. Get in. Find that guard. Get out.”

“There’s a side door a block away,” Lock said. “If someone distracts this guy by the front door, I bet you we could get in.”

“Leave it to me, boys.” Drew slid off his helmet and smoothed back his pristine haircut. 

“Drew, I don’t think that’s the––” Hercules started.

“Wait,” Lock cut him off. “I wanna see what happens. You two get in. I’ll back up this idiot.”

“Listen to your brother, Herc. Hold this for me, would you.” He threw his bucket to Watt and sauntered to the main door. 

“Oh god, we’re all going to die,” Watt mumbled, his face smushed into his free hand, but stood up with Herc to find the secondary entrance.

Drew stepped out from where his brothers were stationed. He straightened his shoulders. He’d sweet-talked his way into a few places he really shouldn’t be before. This couldn’t be much more difficult. At the very least, he’d give one hell of a distraction.

The guard ignored him until he stepped closer. Why couldn’t it have been a brother instead of this nat-born? 

“What are you doing here.”

“I’m on an investigation for an attempted assassination.”

“No clones unless you have a key code.”

“Just pull up my name in your database and we’re good to go. I’m trying to stop people from dying,” Drew said.

“No.”

“Look, I just have to talk to someone real quick. Can you help a guard out and open the door for me?”

“No.”

“I,” Drew emphasized his words. “Am a member of the Coruscant Guard. We’re on a very important mission. You’re hindering this investigation by not opening this door.” 

The guard in blue placed a warning hand on his baton. Oh Force, here we go. Maybe he should’ve kept his bucket on.

“Step away from me.”

“Rude. Okay? Real rude. Y’know, I should really write you up for this. You’ll be hearing from my superiors.” 

The man raised his comm. “I’m going to need some backup out here.” 

He forced himself to step closer. “I don’t need to listen to you. It’s illegal to stop me.”

“What’s going on?” Two more guards jogged up. 

“Oh good, you’re friend here is obstructing the law. I need to get in your barracks for an investigation.” The faces of the two newcomers distorted into scowls.

“You got the paperwork for it?”

“Well, no.”

“Then get lost.”

“Hey, we can work this out.”

The guard shoved him away from the door. “I said get lost.” Before they could react, Drew pushed him back. 

“Oh, you wanna play like that?” A fist clocked him on the jaw. Drew stumbled backward and pressed a hand to his throbbing face. He looked over his shoulder. Lock’s head peeked out from where he’d hidden. He gestured to keep stalling. Kriffing hells. Watt and Herc need to hurry up or there won’t be much of him left in a moment. 

*

The two other squadmates dashed to the unoccupied door. Hercules watched his brother’s back while Watt plugged in the code. The entrance slid open. Herc spoke into his wrist communicator. “We’re in. How’s Drew?” 

“He’s… handling it. I’d hurry up.”

“Okay. Watt, I’m going to the locker rooms. If he just got off shift, he’ll head there.”

“I’ll meet you on the other side in case he bolts.”

Hercules nodded. The hallway’s bright lights gave a false sense of activity, but only the night patrol passed by every twenty minutes per protocol. With any luck, there wouldn’t be an incident. Hercules followed a few signs to where their suspect would likely be. He paused and examined the face attached to the file Lock sent on his small holoprojector. He stepped into the locker room. Benches created walkways. Three guards laughed as they suited up. Their voices quieted down when they saw the red clone armor. A guard with his back to Herc sat alone. He scrubbed at the blaster in his hands with a rag. Even from here, the haircut matched the projection.

“Are you Gild Theal?” Hercules drew himself to his full height. 

Gild turned his head but didn’t stop cleaning. “What’s a clone doing in here?”

“Answer the question.”

“Yes. What do you want?”

“Where were you yesterday at 1400?”

“I was on duty.”

“Where?”

“At the senate building.”

Herc pulled up an image of Theal at door 10-02. The figure in a mechanic jumpsuit was walking out of frame. “Is this you?”

“That doesn’t look like me,” he scoffed. Gild tried turning back to his task in hand.

“Wanna try that again? We have your records. Who did you let out of that door?”

“Just a mechanic. Get out of my face.”

Herc’s helmet tilted up just enough to see Watt in the opposite doorway. “We both know no one is supposed to leave through those doors unless they’re working in the Office of the Supreme Chancellor, so why’d you let out a mechanic?”

“I was following orders. A guy named Tunded told me to let him out. It’s none of my business if that’s what some politician wants. It helps when it makes my pocket a little heavier, too.”

No pride. No sense of honor. And these were the people who were hailed as heroes while his brothers did double the work? “A senator almost died because of you,” Hercules said. 

“Herc,” Watt called. “We’ll deal with him later.”

“Do you know where Tunded is?”

Another guard stepped beside Theal, taking his arm to hold him back if necessary. “I saw him as I was leaving the main senate entrance. You got what you want, now get out of here.” Every member of the party glared at each other for a moment. 

Watt walked over, even to his shoulder. “Come on.” 

Hercules followed his brother’s lead out of the locker room. Eyes burned at their backs as they left. Watt messed with his comm.

“What are you doing?”

“Putting out an alert for another squad to deal with Theal, what do you think I’m doing? He’s wrapped up in this, too.”

“Good.” They hurried back through the building to their speeder. Lock leaned against the front. Drew sat next to him massaging the side of his face. 

“What happened to you?” Watt asked. 

“I shouldn’t have given you my helmet, that’s what. Find anything?”

“Theal said Tunded paid him off.”

“The guy who’s card showed up?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s kinda sloppy.”

“But it’s the only thing we’ve got right now.” Hercules climbed into the front seat of the speeder and they piled in after him. The engine thrummed to life. 

“Where are we going?” Lock settled into the backseat next to Drew.

“Another guard said he was still at work,” Watt said. Herc merged into Coruscant traffic. 

“What’s the plan Herc?” Drew said.

“Go through the guard entrances. Blend in and spread out. Don’t get caught. Don’t break communication with each other.” They pulled up on an empty platform. “Let’s go.”

*

Even at night, the main Senate building bustled with Senators working late, assistants making coffee runs, or business meetings that didn’t run on Standard Time. 

Drew kept his head on a swivel. He marked every sound. A door opening. The quiet conversation between senators. Water rushing in a totally unnecessary decorative fountain. He followed the map in his head every new guard was required to memorize. With his brothers closing in on the offices and not next to him, he’d have to be more careful. Their suspect could slip by if he wasn’t paying attention. A few more turns and he’d be near Moore’s section of the Chancellor’s wing. 

The night cycle lighting created a dim atmosphere in the corridors. Ornamental candles dotted this particular section. Drew guessed the impractical decorations didn’t stop wherever he was in the Senate. A human passed him without sparring a second glance. He sighed. Clone guards moved through the Senate all day, but some sections weren’t as welcoming. A few paces ahead, a door opened. The Duros they’d been looking for crossed the hallway.

“Mirwer Tunded, the Coruscant Guard has some questions for you.” Drew kept his voice even. 

Mirwer didn’t turn around to acknowledge the words. Instead, the Duros quickened his pace. 

“Hey, stop!” Drew started after him. The aide rounded a corner. Drew ran to the intersection. Their suspect had already taken off. “Kriff. I’m in the offices. He’s running. Someone cut him off.” 

“Already there.” A blur of red armor burst from a doorway and slammed the running figure into the wall. Watt slowed to a stop in front of the tussle. Lock dragged the man’s hands behind his back into cuffs. He writhed, but couldn’t get out from under the armored guard.

“Stop. Squirming.” Lock grunted and pulled Tunded to his feet.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re a suspect of being an accessory to attempted homicide,” Herc said, appearing from the next hallway over. 

“Where’s Watt?”

“Watching our backs like usual.” He stepped to Mirwer’s other side and grabbed his arm.

“You don’t have the authority to be here. The guards are going to throw you out,” the Duros said. Flecks of spit spotted Herc’s visor.

“We’d recommend you don’t say anything for now.”

“I can talk all I want. I didn’t do anything. This isn’t going to look good for you.”

“This won’t look good for you if you’re seen dragged through the senate. So would you rather go quietly so we can clear this up?”

He stayed silent. 

“That’s what I thought.”

“Personal guard coming your way,” Watt said over the private comms in their helmets. 

“Go. We got this,” Drew pointed to a side door. Hercules nodded.

“Make a distraction,” Drew said once they were out of earshot.

“No problem,” Lock said. He walked over to a decorative candle fixture and smashed it to the ground. Delicate flames started licking up a wall tapestry. Oh, Force. “Come on, we gotta go.”

“What the kark!” 

Lock pulled on the front of his chest plate as he started to run. “You got to fight a guard earlier.”

“It’s not a competition,” Drew squawked. They both stumbled out of the hallway and took a different route from Hercules.

“Watt, follow Herc. We’re right behind you,” Lock shouted into his comm. Fire alarms and sprinklers erupted along the passageways. He slipped on the damp carpet but Drew reached out to catch him. His arm wrenched. Lock’s weight nearly dragged them both down, but he steadied himself. They found a guard stairway and descended, skipping every two steps. Watt met them at the bottom, already typing a code into an exterior door. It beeped. He threw it open.

“Herc, we’re at platform twenty-four. Come pick us up.”

“I see you.” The speeder pulled up and they clambered in.

“Why are you dripping?”

“Gone swimming. Drive.” 

Drew caught his breath after the mad dash. He looked over at Lock. His brother raised a thumbs up. Drew bonked his helmet against his. He reached over to Watt, but he backed away before he could repeat the action. “I’d say this was a successful investigation.” Alarms and terrified shouts from the Senate grew quieter the farther they drove. 

“You can’t hold me forever,” Tunded said.

“No, but we can keep you long enough to ask you some questions. Especially concerning the accident with Senator Chuchi earlier today.” There wasn’t a response. Hercules swerved into the exit for the Coruscant Guard’s main headquarters. 

Drew switched to private comms. Thank the Force for helmets, even if it deprived the world of his face. “What are we going to tell the commander?” 

“I don’t know, but we better think of something. He’s already calling us.” Lock lifted his blinking communicator. 

“Kark. He’s gonna love this.”

*

“You––” Fox pinched the bridge of his nose. He leaned against the front of his desk. The four guards he set on this assignment were a bit worse for wear. A bruise began to form on one of their faces. He didn’t even want to know how he got that. Three out of the four somehow left damp footprints behind them. “You managed to set the senate building on fire?”

“To be fair, it was meant to be a distraction, and I think we succeeded,” Watt offered.

“In almost burning down the whole kriffing thing!”

“But did anyone get hurt?”

“No, and the fire is not even on the top of the list for the mess you’ve gotten yourselves into tonight. You could get court-martialed if they knew it was you. Not only that, they’d probably call for your decommission. Does that even mean anything to you?”

Their faces fell. “Yes, sir,” Hercules said and looked back at the rest of his brothers, batchmates. Right. Of course. A squad of four. One was missing. He read their file. 

“We found your assassin,” Lock said. “Or at least one of the people involved.”

“What?”

“We got a lead, but you said to be discreet. I started the fire to protect us. If I didn’t, the investigation would’ve been compromised. At least the media’s talking about the fire instead of an employee to the senior administrative aide of the Supreme Chancellor getting arrested. If you want someone to blame for it, it was me,” Lock said.

“I’m not handing you over to the senate. You four are about as subtle as a gonk droid, but I can’t blame you for doing as I asked. I’ll handle the man you brought in. That’s a whole other thing, but it’s late. Let me know if you find any other leads. Just don’t set anything on fire. You’re walking a dangerous line messing with the Chancellor.”

“Yes, sir.” They straightened up, no longer expecting the barrage he prepared.

“Leave your report on my desk in the morning.”

The squad exchanged looks. “It’ll be there, Commander,” Hercules said.

“You’re dismissed.”

The four whispered among themselves as they left his office. He caught a fragment of their argument about who’d write the report. 

“I vote Lock. He started the fire.”

“That’s unfair. Herc, make Drew do it.” 

Fox pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. The whining alone might’ve been enough to boot them off the investigation. It didn’t help that they were sending them out younger and younger. “Should’ve at least sent them to bring me a caf.”

Chapter Text

“I still don’t understand how you got in here.” Fox sifted through one of his drawers in his office. Riyo rested her chin in her hand. She had taken a chair across from him after carving a small space to work on his desk. Walls of files blocked most of what she was doing from his view. 

“I met some of your men and they directed me here. Sometimes, asking politely makes a world of difference.”

Fox pulled out a spare stylus. “Here. I always keep extras.”

“I know. Us senators, always so careless, right?” she teased. “Is that why you canceled my plans for two days after the bus incident?” Still so salty. Fox said he didn’t make the rules, which was not entirely true. He had blamed the protocol manuals when she kept complaining, but he hoped to any gods listening that she would never pick up and read them. 

He fell back on his secondary excuse. “Someone was trying to kill you, which we still haven’t fully cleared up.”

“I’m in perfectly capable hands, Commander. I have my own personnel and wouldn’t you know, the Coruscant Guard has taken such a close concern for my safety.”

“What plans are you so worried about? I would think a break might be nice.”

“Like you know what a break is.” She twirled the stylus in one hand. “At least it’s given me time to work on this.” She lifted her datapad enough for him to see the front page to the document they’d jointly worked on. “I’m going to submit it to a committee today.”

“It’s going to die there,” Fox said before picking up his caf. What felt like years of staying up late to draft the bill could easily be wasted in a day's time.

“I don’t think it will,” She said quickly.  So I have to ask you a question. Is it alright to put your name on it? I think you deserve the credit, but if you’d rather not, I understand.”

He considered the options. While the initial idea wasn’t his, it was his responsibility. “Put it on.” 

“I was hoping you’d say that.” She wrote something on her datapad before looking up from her work. “Because there’s an upcoming gala.”

“No. I’m not going.”

“Public image is important, Fox. This is your endeavor much more than it is mine. It could really help your reputation and get more people on our side.”

“People know who I am. And do you know how many times I’ve had to suffer through senate parties?”

“Well, I’m going. You can come or not.”

“Listen,” he sighed. “I might be needed that night. And I don’t have any other clothes besides my fatigues.”

“Oh, clothes won’t be a problem. And can’t you have one of the other commanders cover just for a few hours?”

“I never push my shifts.”

“Don’t you think this might be an appropriate time for an exception?”

He ran through the schedule in his head. “Maybe, maybe I could get Thire to do it. You know I hate senators.” 

She waited for him to amend his statement with large golden eyes. They sparkled like stars, which was utterly unfair. 

“But some aren’t so bad,” he conceded. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Great. I’ll make sure to pick out a really nice outfit for you. One with really poofy sleeves and bright feathers.”

“Force, no. You’re an amazing senator. Please don’t make me wear something like that.” The thought of the gaudy outfits he’d seen since arriving at Coruscant smothered any resistance.

“I’m just kidding, Fox. I wouldn’t do that to you.” She laughed “Let’s go. You’ve been stuck in your office for too long.”

“Where?”

“Shopping.”

*

He stepped out of the dressing room sporting the fifteenth outfit handpicked by an attendant. Riyo sat on the couch outside with a snack she picked up for herself. 

She stood still and just stared. 

He cocked his head. “What?” He made sure to triple check all the buttons. 

“What do you think?”

Fox looked into the three-sided mirror beside him. He wore a black tunic and matching pants, complete with unnecessary gold stitching. The collar hugged his neck, reminiscent of his blacks. Some sort of scarf fell around his shoulders, ending mid-thigh. He especially liked the color: burgundy red, just a shade off from his normal attire. An excellent choice. Anyone with eyes could see this one suited him best. 

“Not bad.” He’d never admit how good the choice of clothing felt. He looked back at Riyo. 

“It’s perfect.” Her excitement seeped into the air. 

He picked up the edge of the scarf. “I’d probably trip and kill myself if I had to run with this.”

“It’s called style, Fox. Let’s go, we still have a lot left to do today.”

“Will you have to find a dress?” Fox tried masking his distress. His spirit sank at the thought of waiting around another two hours.

“No, I had something in mind before we came. I just needed to be sure you matched.”

“We’re matching?”

“Of course. You’re coming with me. Unless you plan on attending by yourself.”

“They wouldn’t even let me in.”

“Then it’s all the more reason to coordinate,” she said. Riyo gathered up her things. “Go change and we can check out.”

“I won’t be able to pay you back.”

“Because you don’t get paid.” She finished his thought. “Not a problem. It’s a gift.” She shooed him back into the dressing room. “Now hurry up or we’ll miss the hair appointment.” Fox groaned. No wonder senators were always grumpy. At least he could just shove a helmet on and be done with it.

*

Fox waited at the spot Riyo told him to meet her by. He checked his chrono. Ten minutes early. He stood at perfect parade rest in the parking garage beside the elevator.

Without his plastoid armor, he felt exposed. A small amount of consolation was the reaction on his way to the meeting point. Double takes, open mouths, stunned silence. Fox had to remind himself he didn’t have a helmet to hide a smug smile. Stone almost gave himself whiplash. No one actually had the audacity to comment on his appearance. 

The lift dinged and slid open. Riyo stepped out of the elevator. Fox’s breath hitched in his throat. Riyo rarely wore a full formal dress. At most, she had on skirts. More often than not she opted for pants. The dress swept the floor as she walked. Its deep shade of red matched his scarf. An aide Fox recognized as Liva adjusted one of the sleeves to the off-the-shoulder dress. Delicate golden flowers adorned the headpiece holding together in an intricate bun. She radiated elegance. None of the outfits worn by other women in the Senate could compete, even Senator Amidala and her quest to inspire the galaxy through fashion. 

Her eyes locked onto his and a broad smile spread across her face. “Hello, Commander. You’re here early.”

“Weren’t going to leave without me, were you?” he said. She laughed lightly and the handmaiden next to her stared daggers at him. Well, that was interesting. 

“If you’re here, we can leave. You look good.”

“And you.” He returned a smile at the fraction of her intensity. Fox stepped closer to join the small entourage that followed the senator from the lift. They walked through the garage to a waiting speeder. One of Riyo’s guards opened the back door. She said a quick ‘thank you’ before getting. 

“Commander, can I borrow you a moment,” Liva said. He paused.

“Yes, ma’am?”

She fixed him with a steely gaze again. “Keep her safe.”

“Of course. That’s my job.”

“Good.” She nodded once and stepped away from the speeder. He’d heard things about the handmaidens that followed their senators through every situation. Maybe she was like a vod? Fox took a seat beside Riyo. His back barely touched the seat behind him. The driver started their course to the gala. Neither spoke. Riyo’s fingertips tapped on her knee to a beat Fox couldn’t follow. 

“Have you ever been to something like this?” Riyo broke the silence after a few minutes of staring out the window. 

“I’ve organized similar events, but never attended.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just think of it as work.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“No, I’m trying to psyche myself up. You’re here, so it won’t be so bad.”

A warm sensation spread across Fox’s chest. Something akin to relief helped him settle back into his seat. “I guess it won’t be.”

*

Kamino didn’t train for this. But they did train Fox to adapt. He watched the partygoers around him. Smiles, flashing clothes, drinks already in hand. Riyo followed him out of the speeder and looped her arm around his. He’d escorted many people of power to such events, but never as an equal or for leisure. 

Most wouldn’t recognize he was a clone without the armor. He doubted they’d taken the time to actually see the men that guarded and fought for them. Still, a tall woman in bright greens sneered to her partner as he walked by. Fox lifted his chin. Carry on, soldier. 

The current of arriving guests carried them through the front door of the building. They walked into a huge room full of people. Chandeliers hung down from the high ceilings. Their lights cast a yellow-orange glow throughout the hall. Alcoves housed tables and bars. 

Fox’s eyes flitted around their surroundings. Large windows posed a threat. Someone should get sentries to those entrances over there. Who was in charge of staffing this? Fox’s head quickly turned to assess the nearest exits. If there was an emergency, the one they’d come through would easily get clogged with civvies. He skimmed over the guards visible from their location, unintentionally analyzing their competency. 

“Fox?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re on edge. Relax.” She squeezed his arm and pulled him out of the hypothetical. “We’re not walking into a minefield or a firefight. It’s a party.” She unhooked her arm from his and grabbed two drinks from a passing server. She handed one to him, but he hesitated. 

“I shouldn’t.”

“Can you at least pretend to have a good time?”

“I do that every day.”

“Even with me?”

He sighed and took the drink. “No.” 

She smiled. Her gaze flicked past him and she pulled him after her. “Be agreeable,” she whispered before approaching another guest. “Senator Nal.” She extended a hand to an old Ishi Tib. “Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora. This is my good friend, Commander Fox.”

“Ah, hello.” The elderly senator spoke slowly. “It’s good to make your acquaintance.”

“Yes, congratulations on the election.”

“Thank you. I hear many things from Pantora, as far as it is in the Outer Rim.”

“I try to keep our place in the Senate relevant,” Riyo said lightly. 

Senator Nal turned to Fox for the first time. “So how did you two meet?”

Fox flashed a smile. “I was just walking down to the landing. She ran me over with her speeder and we hit it off from there. Who could ask for a better introduction?”

“Oh.” The Ishi Tib nodded and tried to maintain her pleasant air. “What an interesting story.”

“You know what they say, ‘all great relationships start with trauma’,” Riyo chimed in. 

Senator Nal’s chin hadn’t stopped bobbing. “Well, I’ll be seeing you two.” Riyo inclined her head as she left.

“‘All great relationships start with trauma’?” he said.

“Shut up. Thank you for at least trying to be charming.”

“Call it a defense mechanism.” He frowned as if to wipe away the front. 

“Come on. I know some friends in attendance I want you to meet.” She dragged him across the room. 

The drinks were quickly finished and put away. Riyo introduced him to several other senators and representatives whose names and faces he’d committed to memory. After a few plates of hors d’oeuvres Riyo insisted he fill to his heart’s desire, the two sat at a partially occupied table. A trio of Quarren held their own conversation across from them. With a few moments reprieve from interacting with politicians, Fox returned to inspecting the people around him. 

“What are you looking at.” Riyo finished a small puffed pastry and wiped her hands. 

He didn’t want to tell her he’d been watching the couples on the dance floor. No, she’d drag him out there. That’s what people at galas did. Too many moving people not paying attention to anything else. 

“Nothing. What were you saying?”

She followed his gaze. Her head tilted to the side, weighing some sort of decision. 

“If I asked you to dance with me, would you?”

He’d been analyzing the dancers all night. His confidence wasn’t exactly soaring at the prospect, but it couldn’t be too hard? He’d memorized battle strategies in less time than he had to observe the people moving about. As far as his skills went, there was a low chance he’d make a fool of himself. He looked back to Riyo. She fixed him with a bold stare. Bold. Yes, she was bold. The dress couldn’t put a damper on the same spirit that would jump out of a burning bus or propose crazy schemes over coffee. If anything, the apparel accentuated the fire in her. How could he say no?

“If you asked, I’d dance with you, yes.”

“Do you know how?”

“We’ll see.”

“Dance with me, Fox.” 

He begrudgingly held out his hand which she promptly took. Riyo dragged him out of his chair into an open space. She placed one hand on his shoulder and lifted the other still holding his. She kept a gentle hold on him as he figured out where to place his other hand. He mirrored the stiff positions around him. 

“Just follow me,” she instructed. Her hands are warmer than he expected. He ignored the eyes that latched onto them the moment they made themselves more visible. Riyo showed the stares no attention. He began to lead, but Riyo forced him out of the role. Fox tried to retake the position, pressing against her back to guide them to another place on the dance floor farther away from view, but she pushed back until he relented. 

“I told you to follow me,” she said. An amused grin crossed her lips. 

“Is it normal to talk during this?”

“I suppose. I don’t really dance all that often.”

“What do you think they’re talking about?” He tilted his chin to the couple beside then deep in conversation.

“Probably about how much they hate each other.” Riyo sighed. “Those two have been arguing over a trade contract for a month.”

“Do you people talk about anything else?”

“It’s kind of what we do.” She shrugged and led him across the room. “What would you like to talk about?”

“How whoever organized this event clearly didn’t take the venue location into consideration in terms of security.” He forced himself to keep a straight face when she gave him a dirty look. 

“That’s not fair, Fox. Fine, you don’t want to talk, then I’ll pick something. How is the trooper who broke his foot? He said he didn’t have a name yet but his number was…” She closed her eyes to remember. 

“Tumble. The men started calling him Tumble. He’s doing fine. Still recovering.”

“Would I be able to visit him?”

“You want to visit him?”

“He got hurt while guarding me. I couldn’t properly talk to him at the time.”

“Accidents happen. It’s our job.” He stopped her before she could object. “But I can arrange something if you’d like.”

“Thank you.” 

He took the break in the conversation to twirl her. The edge of her dress flared and swished around her legs. When he repositioned his hand, he pulled her a little closer. 

“Tumble will be happy to see you. I don’t think he’s stopped telling the story of how you jumped first.” Fox rolled his eyes. For once, he appreciated not sleeping in the barracks with the rest of the men. “He’s a good man.”

“I love that about you.”

The phrase didn’t compute. “Excuse me?”

“You care about them so much,” she continued. Riyo looked off to the side. “You’ve said you’re not qualified for what we’re doing, but I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified. You have just as much of a right to be here I do, Fox.” She finally met his gaze again. “And you can dance, which puts you ahead of most of the people here.”

The praise felt like how some would cajole him into bending rules to sneak contraband in and out of Coruscant or ignore the abuse pointed at his guard. But why would she want something from him? He managed to pull together a coherent reply. “Thank you.“ He had pretended all night, he could do so a little longer, enough to ignore everything around them and focus on the woman in front of him who risked so much. She was safe. He was safe. His squared shoulders dropped. “I prefer this more than talking with your friends.”

“Me too.”

Both fell into a silence. Music and murmurs washed around them like waves. Four, maybe five songs passed, but Fox couldn’t easily tell the changes in the stringed instruments playing from the far corner. Their initial dance turned into an informal movement the longer they stayed out on the floor which steadily emptied. 

Fox discreetly checked his chrono. He wished the minutes to go back. Always moving. Never a dull moment. 

“We should go back,” Fox said. They stopped.

“I––yes, you’re probably right. You have work tomorrow and I have to be up early to meet with the Chairman.” She sighed and removed herself from his hold. “Ready to make rounds before we leave?”

“Are you really going to say goodbye to everyone here?”

“Only the ones I know. Then we can leave, I promise.” She nudged him with her elbow. “The party’s not over yet, Commander.”

Chapter Text

The door to Fox’s office slid open. A figure in full armor blocked the doorway. 

“Fox, what the hell are you doing?” What was Thorn yelling about now?

“Knock first.”

Thorn reached over his desk, but Fox batted away his attempt to rap on his head. “Hello, anyone home? You’re gonna get yourself killed,” he fumed. Thorn backed away and threw off his helmet. 

“What are you talking about?”

The other commander shoved a datapad into his hands. Fox read the title of the article. Radical Bill Proposed By Clone: Revolutionary or Treasonous? He didn’t bother finishing whatever biased report followed the headline. He’d have time to dig through public opinions later.

“Ah.” Fox locked his arms in front of him.

“‘Ah’? That’s all you have to say? Your name’s on it. Why the fuck is your name on it? Where is my brother and what did you do with him?”

“Sit down.” 

Thorn glared. “You don’t get to order me around, Fox.”

“That’s enough, Thor’ika. I can’t explain if you’re going to be like this.” Fox pushed the documents he’d been signing off on out of the way. Thorn huffed and stayed standing. His tensed shoulders almost reached his ears. At least now he shut himself up, a trick Fox had been working on for months.

“Are you going to wait for me to finish?” Fox said.

Thorn continued his sullen silence, a clear sign to continue. 

“For once, someone is listening. When was the last time a senator looked you in the eye? And when was the last time one of your men got hurt on the job for no reason other than they were a clone? No matter how hard I work, how far I go, it will never mean anything to the people on the outside. For once, we have a chance to make them listen," Fox said.

“They’ll kill you. You do something like this and you’re a dead man. It’ll upset the entire GAR, the entire galaxy. Where will that leave us, huh? The Guard? Me? Are you that selfish?”

“I’m selfish? I’m selfish? ” Fox straightened up, almost getting up out of his chair to match Thorn’s height. “For what? For wanting to not make life a living hell? For wanting a break once in a while? Maybe a kriffing salary?"

The blind rage faded from Thorn’s face to be replaced with a pained look. It hurt much more than his words. He finally sank into the chair across from him. “You always said nothing changed. You shot me down whenever I hoped things were getting better.” Uncharacteristic venom laced his words. “So what happened?”

Fox dragged a hand over his tired face and hunched over, elbows resting on the desk. “Senator Chuchi. She's co-sponsoring the bill. We met a few weeks ago and she’s very adamant about pursuing this. She’ll listen. I know it.”

Thorn nodded. "I've heard about her. Good woman. And you? Is this what you want? To work with a senator and play some kind of politician?”

As much as he pushed the thought away, life would continue outside this war. When the boys on the front came home, he couldn’t let them be treated like the rest of them on Coruscant. And just the way Riyo talked when they met together, so earnest and humble in her confidence that they could get this bill passed, he could listen for hours. It was hope. Hope and maybe something else. But it was something he'd carved for himself. Something that could slip through his fingers if he stood by.

“I want to do this, Thorn."

"You sure?”

“Yes.” 

Thorn sighed and the tension in his shoulders eased. He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m worried about you, Fox.”

“I’ll be fine.” Fox reached for his stylus.

“No, you won’t be. Not when you keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Hiding in your office. I haven’t talked with you in weeks and don’t say you’ve been busy."

"I'm not hiding," he muttered.

"Yeah sure. Come’ere.” Thorn crossed the distance and opened his arms. “I’m not going to wait all day.”

Fox begrudgingly rose from his chair and frowned to hide a smile. Deny Thorn a hug and he’d be chasing after you all day. Thorn almost crushed him in his arms before he had a chance to make up an excuse.

“Hey, Fox?"

"Hmm?"

"It’s okay not to know what the kriff you’re doing.”

“I know.” Fox tucked his chin against Thorn’s shoulder. “That explains a lot about your leadership style.”

Thorn stepped back and shoved him lightly. “Shut up.” He shook his head. “Speaking of, I gotta get back.” Thorn made for the door, but his hand hovered over the button. “I hope you get what you want. It’s about time.” The door shut behind him and he was gone. Fox fell back into his chair. His chrono beeped out a reminder. No, it couldn’t be that time already. He snatched up his things and squared his shoulders. 

*

 Fox padded down the carpeted hallway of the Chancellor’s wing. A lull in senate meetings and visitors invited an unnerving silence. He nodded to the guards standing at their designated corners. His armor practically shone after being freshly cleaned and buffed. Nothing out of place. Everything a commander should be. 

Rumors about the Chancellor flew around like gnats on a summer night. Some considered him a great leader, while others saw him as a pompous puppet. Fox knew better. Too much time spent in his presence burned away the veil of civility and poise.

He reached the end of the hallway leading to the main office. A guard opened the door before he could say a word. 

The scent hit him first. Cologne. Faint, but ever-present. A staple to the man holding the most power in the Republic. The aroma followed him around like a shadow. Fox stood rigidly in place, the fragrance intimately connected with past memories of appearing week after week in a place he is not welcome. If it was up to him, Fox would have sent the file over by itself or sped through the conversation before the unnaturally sweet smell gave him a headache. The dull pain that inevitably came only increased his desire to curl up in his bunk, fall asleep, and forget the meeting. 

“Ah, Commander. Right on time like always. What is your report?” The older man tilted his chin up and smiled like greeting an old friend.  Fox buried the simmering heat inside him. It had done nothing but hurt him in the past. 

Fox held the datapad with his list, but he didn’t need it. He’d spent all morning picking over only the most important information to present to the Chancellor. His time wasn’t to be wasted with events that did not affect him, though Fox bet he read reports in his free time. It wasn’t like he didn’t have access to the information, it was about meeting the Commander of the Coruscant Guard face to face. It was about him. And that set his skin crawling. “A new shipment of guards is coming tomorrow from Kamino. A Republic contract is about to be renewed concerning the rations supplied to the GAR. The Hutt trade routes are being compromised by infighting, but our cruisers are still making it through.”

“Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“I suppose I should say congratulations.” The smile didn’t reach his eyes. Fox kept quiet. “On your budding political career.” Cold fear dripped down his spine.

The Chancellor brushed past him, the edge of his shoulder hitting Fox’s armor. He willed himself to stay still. How was he supposed to defend against that? Anyone in the Senate with sense would know about the bill by now. Fox expected this. 

“I am fulfilling my service to the Republic. I have not let this affect my work. The Coruscant Guard is as efficient as ever."

"I do not care what you do in your free time, but if it happens to interfere with your other duties, I believe I have to put a stop to it.”

“Nothing is interfering with my duty.” He kept his eyes glued ahead. 

“And yet you seem to be busy prancing off with the Pantoran senator. I hope,” the Chancellor sat behind his desk. “That your escapades decline in the coming weeks. Now, about the new guards you mentioned. I would like a number of them to be assigned to my personal guard.” His eyes flicked up in Fox’s direction. The old man stared him down. No. No shiny should guard this man. He rotated the shifts regularly to give some sort of reprieve, both from the stress and the constant dance of sweet smiles and cold calculating intentions. He couldn’t let anything happen to his brothers. Let them hurl stones at him, but never at the others. He’d never allow a world where he’d give them up to the Chancellor. 

“Something wrong, Commander?”

“More experienced personnel might better protect you, your excellency.”

“Your men are the best. I expect that to be true throughout the Guard.”

A headache already started throbbing between his eyes. “Is that all, sir?”  

“Go.”

Chapter Text

Fox’s left eye swelled shut. Lungs burned from the smoke, but breathing in corrupted air was better than nothing. He forced his muscles to move. Alone. He’s always been alone, and who did he have to rely on? Himself. No batchmates here to help, no Thorn, no Thire, or Stone, or any other vod. Because if his brothers couldn’t save him, no one else would try. He was going to pull himself out of here. Sharp pain coursed down his back. His entire body trembled before giving out. Fox’s head smacked back against the ground. 

If it didn’t hurt so bad, maybe he could just… close his eyes. But he didn’t want to die. Not here. Not surrounded by flames and with a broken body. Not alone. 

Fox woke, sweat beaded on his face. He uncurled himself on his cot and his joints popped. Aches wracked his back from the tight sleeping position. His eyes raked across the small room all to his own. The comm on the surface next to him blinked slowly. He gulped down the horror of the illusion lingering at the edges of his consciousness. 

Fox cleared his throat. “Commander Fox here.”

“Fox, it’s Thorn.”

“What’s the situation?”

“It’s your senator.” His stomach sank like a rock. Maybe it wasn’t her. 

“I need a name, Thorn.”

“The one you’ve been working with, Senator Chuchi. She’s in a safehouse right now. We were getting some threats so we moved her there for the night. It’s technically my problem, but I thought I’d comm you. It seemed like something you’d like to know.”

He thought he’d woken up from the nightmare. “Where is she?”

“Safehouse 14-b. I promise she’s alright, Fox. You should just go back to sleep, but I know you won’t. I also know you’d kill me if I didn’t wake you up.” 

Fox grunted an agreement and dragged himself out of his bunk.

“You didn’t tell me how pretty your associate is, by the way. I mean, I’ve seen her file and stuff, but never had the pleasure of meeting her in person.”

“It’s two in the morning, vod. If you have nothing else to say, leave me alone,” Fox said. He already pulled on the rest of his blacks and was halfway through kitting up. 

“Alright, alright.”

*

Fox bit the bullet and knocked on the door. He ignored the guard posted beside him. If needed, he thought up sixteen airtight excuses to be here on the way over. 

The door opened a few inches. He caught a glimpse of a dim golden eye and light cheek tattoos. “Fox?”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. What are you doing here? It’s late.” Riyo pushed the door the rest of the way open. A tight bun captured her lavender hair devoid of the usual gold trappings. She had missed a few strands.

“I heard about the threats. Commander Thorn told me you were here.”

She rubbed the tiredness from her eyes. “Oh. Yes, he said I’d have to spend tonight here. Is… is that it?”

He wanted to bang his helmet against a durasteel wall. It’s the middle of the kriffing night.  

“Yes, ma’am, I wanted to see that the situation was under control. I won’t bother you anymore.”

“Well, if you’re here you can come in.” She retreated into the safehouse and left the doorway open for him. He stepped forward. Fox couldn’t just close the door with her back to him. Okay, maybe he could with a few people, but not Senator Chuchi.

“You can sit if you want.” She motioned toward the lumpy couch in the corner. 

I didn’t intend to stay.” He locked his hands behind his back.

Riyo turned to face him. She tucked a shawl tighter around her shoulders. “No, no, please sit. The company is nice.”

He stiffly sunk into the cheap couch courtesy of Senate financing. “Did I wake you up?” 

“I wasn’t sleeping. I’m making some tea. Would you like some?”

Fox recalled the drink she’d tried to serve him before. “No thank you, ma’am.”

“I thought we moved past the ‘ma’am.’ Can I at least offer you a cookie?” She opened a tin and placed a baked good between her teeth as she started boiling water. 

“I’ll accept a cookie.”

“They’re kind of dry,” she muttered between bites. “I don’t know how long they’ve been here.” 

“Where is your staff?”

“I can survive without them for the night. Commander Thorn assured me I would be fine.”

She walked back over to the couch and offered the container of cookies. Fox removed his helmet and took one. A few sweat-coated curls stuck to his forehead. 

“Did you run here?” she asked. 

“What?” A new wave of heat crept up Fox’s neck. Why hadn’t he cleaned himself up before he came?  He didn’t think that he’d have to take off his helmet on this short trip. Just in and out. But it was never that easy with her. He wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Helmet’s hot.” 

Fox took a bite of the cookie to distract from his physical state. It was awful, even by his standards. He didn’t bother telling Riyo exactly how long this particular safehouse had last been occupied, let alone when those cookies had been bought. His lip curled at the thought.

“You’re right, I think we can ditch these.” Riyo made a face and snapped the lid of the cookie tin back on. She unceremoniously trekked back to the kitchen to throw the container down the trash chute. “There,” Riyo said, brushing the last of the crumbs off her hands. 

A creeping silence was killed by the whistle of the kettle. Fox waited patiently on the couch while Riyo shut off the stove. She stood with her hands on her hips at it as the noise died down. Her weight shifted from foot to foot. The mug she had prepared remained empty on the counter. Fox couldn’t see around her to figure out why she wasn’t making her drink.

“Riyo?” 

“Hm?” She was biting her lower lip when she turned around. Her eyebrows raised in a question. Her fixation on the task pushed aside all other concerns. She looked… at peace. He’d give almost anything to see her like this more often. In another apartment in the future, somewhere where guards didn’t have to stand outside the door. But a continued future wasn't guaranteed. He’d been reminded of that. 

Fox collected himself before she noticed something off and nodded at the kettle. “I doubt staring at that thing is going to do you much good.”

Her open features squished back into a pensive undecided expression. “I don’t feel like tea anymore. Do you want to go out somewhere?”

What were the implications to that question? Didn’t matter. They weren’t supposed to say as much, but she was on the equivalent of house arrest until the threats were cleared. Unless a guard was to go with her… "Where?"

'Where would you like to go?"

"The Sailor's Terrace should be safe to walk through." 

Riyo sighed in relief and her shoulders dipped down. She abandoned the mug and kettle immediately. “That sounds lovely. Some air would be perfect.”

*

Dim lights lit the empty plaza. A large transparisteel dome encased the terrace. Water gurgled in fountains and ran down troughs framing the main square. Their feet echoed off the cobblestone walkway.

“I love it at this hour.” Riyo closed her eyes and breathed in the crisp purified air mimicking a summer night.  

“I don’t.” Fox humored the attempt at conversation. He resisted the urge to pull her out of the open, but no one was here. Hidden enemies were unlikely in such a sealed environment. 

“What’s wrong with it? I can admit Coruscant nights are a bit different, but on my home planet, or at least where I’m from, they’re so quiet and peaceful. You can see more of the stars. We have really long winters and the sun hangs just above the horizon. Sometimes you’ll hear the cold winds whispering outside.” 

Fox stifled a shudder. “I don’t understand how people live like that.”

“The cold is a little bothersome, I suppose.”

“No, I meant the dark. It’s––” He cut off the thought. 

“You get used to it. So if you don’t enjoy this, what do you like?”

“I’m always stuck in the lower levels. I guess seeing the sun once in a while is nice.”

“Hmm,” she voiced in agreement. “Since living here, on the top level of Coruscant I mean, I take it for granted.” Their path led through the center of the grounds. Long wide slabs acted as a shallow stair way. The slight slope was enough for the water to trickle through decorative aqueducts flanking them. 

Riyo hummed fragments to a song to fill the silence of their walk. 

“Sorry. Sometimes I get carried away.”

“You don’t have to apologi––Watch the step!” Fox reached out to grab her, but was too late.

Riyo’s foot slipped on the edge of the irregular stair. A sharp squeak escaped her as she tumbled to the ground. Riyo pressed both hands to her mouth, shocked at the noise that came out. She stared up at Fox. Her hair had fallen out from it’s bun and loose strands framed her horrified face.

A laugh bubbled up from deep inside Fox before he could catch himself.

Her cheek flushed dark blue and her lips pressed together tightly. “Hey, I am a dignified senator.” Fox's small chuckled turned into a full cackle. He offered a hand and pulled Riyo back to her feet. 

“It wasn’t that funny!” She couldn’t help her own giggles.

“Nah, it was.” He smiled. 

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “I guess it was worth it. I like your laugh.”

“It’s not exactly unique.”

“Yours is special, though.” Her voice strengthened to enforce her statement.

“Oh yeah, why’s that?” This ought to be good.

“I’ve never heard you laugh before.” That can’t be right. He’s laughed before. Fox sifted through memories of the past few weeks but came up blank. She’d laughed and joked and he gave a few indications he wasn’t so grumpy. It was her who had lightened the room when they’d been together. 

Riyo took Fox’s silence as a sign to continue. “This is a historic moment. What’s the time? I’ll write it down.”

Fox answered her with a playful glare. Threats and long nights couldn’t dampen her vivacity. Streetlights spotting the terrace cast a warm glow across Riyo’s face. Warm and soft.

Nope. No, he could not keep doing this. Fox shook his head. He was here to protect her. Riyo Chuchi, the senator of an outer rim moon, wouldn't be here receiving so many threats in the first place if they hadn't started this project. An echo of his dream prowled at the back of his mind. He huffed and looked away. Even if it wasn’t real, but it could’ve been, could be. Fox snapped back into his regular gait.  

“Hey, wait.” Riyo jumped to catch up to him. “What’s wrong?”

He chewed around her question. She kept looking at him, waiting for an answer he didn’t want to give. 

“Nothing. Just tired.”

“You’re always tired. I don’t think this is a “just tired” response. Come on," she placed a hand on his arm. "I gave you a cookie, you owe me."

His voice softened. "They were horrible cookies."

"They were, weren't they? But I don't think that's what's bothering you, is it?" Fox checked his chrono. Almost three in the morning. He couldn’t muster up nearly enough will power to make her drop it. She deserved to know. Fox stopped walking and faced Riyo. Her hand still rested on his arm.

“Fine. One or both of us probably aren’t going to make it to the other side of this.” He waited for a freak out, or any sort of reasonable reaction.

“I know." 

“That’s it?”

“You told me this would be dangerous. It'll work out. We’ll be okay."

Fox pulled his arm away from her. "There are consequences. You can’t be optimistic and wish your way out of things."

“I thought you were going to fight for this?”

“I am. To the point of death. That’s… something I’m okay with. We’re not going to be an exception.” His gloved hands tightened into fists. He couldn’t do it alone. 

“Fox, I understand what you’re saying,” The warm tone in her voice shifted to one he’d heard many times while working. “But we’re both serving our people. What will happen will happen.” 

“That’s not what this is about. Listen––”

"Senator Chuchi! What a surprise seeing you here." Both of them whirled around to see Senator Organa waving from across the way.

Fox raised his eyes to the transparisteel ceiling. "Kark me," he muttered under his breath. It would be extraordinarily rude to shove his helmet on now. A few meetings with Senator Organa still didn’t render the same level of comfort or familiarity as with his own extremely stubborn senator. 

"Oh, Senator Organa, I hadn't expected anyone to be out at this time." Riyo smiled curtly. She stepped away from Fox to fully face Organa.

"Still on Alderaan time, unfortunately."

“I’m glad you made it back safely.” 

“Thank you. What are you two doing out here so late?”

“Commander Fox was escorting me on a walk. I haven’t been receiving very warm comments since the news on our current project.”

Bail nodded. “So I’ve heard. You’re making a big splash. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you. The both of you.” He looked to Fox. “And if it’s no trouble, Senator Chuchi, are you still planning on attending the Banking Clan banquet?”

“I’d be delighted to go, but I’m in a bit of a situation."

“Right.”

“Well," She turned a calculated glance to Fox. "The decision would be up to Commander Fox. I suppose he does have more experience in this area.”

“If you have to go, I’ll make sure Commander Thorn is made aware of this. I think it would be better if he is assigned to your security detail.”

“I’m honored you’d place one of your commanders there, but that’s hardly necessary for a dinner party like this.”

“As you said yourself, I have more experience knowing what's best when it comes to your security. It’s entirely necessary. That’s final.” 

“Fine. Have a nice rest of your walk, Senator Organa. I’m going back to my apartment.” Riyo swiveled and walked back the way they had come with a practiced elegance Fox suddenly found irritating.

He locked eyes with a confused Bail. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Chapter Text

Stone passed out cards. “So, you seem to be spending a lot of free time with Senator Chuchi.”

“People are trying to kill her, Stone. I legally have to,” Fox said. He picked up his hand from the pile in front of him.

“Yeah, but you don’t see me spending every free hour in her quarters.”

Fox glared. 

“Come on, you can’t be working the whole time. You sure you’re not “practicing cultural traditions”?” Stone said. He and Thire laughed together. Fox tuned out the comment to try and figure out his next move. 

“Like how I caught Senator Taa and Senator Organa’s assistants in that closet?” Thire chimed in. 

“I thought those two broke up last month,” Stone said. 

“Nope, back together.” If they weren’t alone in Stone’s command quarters, Fox would’ve told them off, but it was just them. Even commanders couldn’t resist spreading gossip from brother to brother. 

“They think they’re being smooth, but we’re not stupid.” Stone shook his head. “Disgusted, sure, but what’re we going to do? And that brings us back to the topic at hand.” He turned to Fox. “How was your walk the other night?”

Fox’s hypothetical strategies tumbled down. He stared at his cards. “What are you talking about?” 

“Yeah, how was the date? I heard you were seething after. What could you possibly do to make a walk so terrible?” Stone said.

“After I win this round, I’m going to kill Thorn,” Fox said. The man couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“I still don’t understand how you managed to mess that up. We just want you to be happy.” Thire took a card and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"You’re going to make the rumors worse. Do you know the looks I get from the shinies? Ridiculous.”

“Hilarious,” Thire corrected. “Speaking of Thorn, is he on his way here yet?”

“He’s on escort,” Fox said. He grabbed another card. His pointer finger steadily tapped an anxious rhythm on the backs. 

“Oh yeah, he’s with Miss Chuchi. Worried he’s going to steal your girl, Fox? They are a little late.” Fox kept his eyes glued to his cards. He couldn’t give them the satisfaction.

“No, hold on,” Stone said. “It’s Senator Chuchi.”

“Yeah, that’s what I––”

“With all the threats and stuff, he would’ve brought her straight back, right?” Fox stopped tapping. Riyo wasn’t one to stay out and party.

He knew it. He knew something would happen. Fox discretely slid out his comm. Slowly. Don’t let them notice. 

“Well, she’s not exactly one for protocols,” Thire said. He leaned back against the bunk behind him. “Hey! No comms during cards.”

“Relax, alright,” Fox said. He rolled his eyes, but out of everyone in the room, he could use those words the most. “I’m just checking in.”

“Yeah, so you can call him over and beat him too,” Thire said. He picked at the edge on one of his cards. Stone smacked his brother in the chest with the back of his hand. 

“Stop marking them. You’re going to pay for the new deck.”

Fox’s hand tightened around the small comm. “Fuck.”

Stone and Thire straightened up. “Fox?” 

“Channel’s dead.”

“What?”

Fox grabbed his bucket and pulled himself off the ground. His winning hand fell to the floor. “Chanel’s dead.”

*

Riyo looked herself up and down in the mirror after changing into her suit for the evening. 

The taller pantoran woman behind her brushed a piece of lint off her shoulder. “I don’t like this. You should lay low for at least another day so we can do a more thorough check.” 

“You don’t trust the guard to do their job?” Riyo said.

“Your team, including myself, have prepared for you being in danger. While I don’t doubt the Coruscant Guard’s ability to do their job well, you can only be so focused on one senator among thousands.”

“I do agree taking my own guard is more convenient, but I am going to this dinner, Liva. Everything will be fine. I’m sorry I’m leaving you behind. I know how you just love these dinners.”

Liva shook her head and finished her critical inspection. “I’m happy to stay here and work on your schedule for next week.” A firm knock came from the door. “I’ll get that.” She walked across the bedroom and opened the door. 

“Yes?”

One of her pantoran guards spoke. “Commander Thorn is here.”

“Perfect, I’ll be right out,” Riyo shouted before Liva could answer. The gold ornaments tinkled against each other as she strode out of her room. Warm glow bathed her living room as the sun threatened to sink below the skyline. The commander stood stock still just past the threshold, helmet on and hands tucked behind his back. 

"Commander Thorn, it's good to see you again under better circumstances,” Riyo greeted with a smile. Her first impression of the commander had been him rushing her to the safe house in the dead of night. Other than the few passing comments from Fox, she didn’t have much to go on about who he was.

Thorn politely nodded since she couldn’t see his face. "The same to you, ma'am. I’m sure you’re aware of the changes in your security detail. I will be joining your guard who will assist in transport and I’ll go with you to the event. We’re trying to handle this the best we can. You’re a high profile target right now.”

“Thank you, Commander Thorn. If Commander Fox trusts your judgment, then I will as well.”

“Good, because Commander Fox insists we are punctual.” Riyo could almost hear the subtle poke. She smiled. An evening with this particular commander, though not the one she would have chosen, would at least be entertaining. 

“Well, we better honor his wishes.”

*

Even if it wasn’t an order for Commander Thorn to take her home on time, Riyo would have gotten in and out as quickly as possible. The food was dry and conversation dryer. The assistant to the director of the Republic Mint hadn’t stopped talking to her about his job since the first course. 

In a precious break in conversation, she excused herself from the table and fled to the bathrooms. She didn’t have long before the desert would be served and the stage at the other end of the hall occupied by the night’s speakers. Heavy footsteps trailed behind her. Riyo swore if that annoying assistant was following her… She stopped in front of the bathrooms and whirled around at her shadow. “What are you–– Oh, Commander Thorn.” She stood face to face with the clone commander. He leaned slightly away from her. A pang of guilt shot through Riyo. She hadn’t meant to sound so irritated.

“I promise I wasn’t going to follow you in there, ma’am.”

Riyo almost laughed. “I hope not. But I’m not actually going. I just needed a break from that table. You can resume your post. I’ll be back in a moment.”

“I have to go with you at all times.”

“So there’s no way for me to take a moment by myself here, is there?”

“No, ma’am.”

She resigned herself to the circumstances. Thorn didn’t bother her. It was the principle. What was Fox thinking? She didn’t need to be babysat. It wasn’t like the banquet wasn’t already fully protected especially with such an extensive guest list. She wasn’t the only attendee with a personal guard, but at least her colleagues used their own guard instead of being overridden. It just wasn’t her night.

Riyo started walking past the bathrooms into an empty corridor with Thorn at her side. Various pieces of art that cost way too much decorated the walls on one side. Floor to ceiling windows offered an extensive view on the other. She took a couple deep breaths.

“Is there anything I can help with?” he said. 

“No thank you, I just needed a minute after getting my ear talked off. I can enjoy a good party, but the Banking Clan banquets are always so dull and I can’t not represent Pantora in these affairs.”

“If I may, I can confirm that this is one of the worst events I’ve been to. I’ve wrangled a lot of drunk senators at parties, and this ain’t that.”

“Is that what you are? A wrangler?”

“Oh, uh, no Senator Chuchi.”

“It’s okay, Commander. I promise I won’t get drunk.”

“I appreciate it, ma’am. I haven’t been on escort for a long time. It isn’t usually my norm, not like this.” 

Riyo eagerly listened. She’d never had a member of the guard so talkative and one genuine person to talk to out in the halls was better than the room full of niceties behind them. “Oh yeah?”

“I only do it when they insist or it’s a special occasion. Our protocol for threats like you received is covered initially by the guard, but after that, it’s up to your security team if there’s no present danger. To be honest, I don’t know why I’m here.”

Riyo sighed. “Me neither.”

“So, you didn’t request a commander tonight?”

“What? No, I wanted my own guard here.” 

If Thorn said anything after that, it came out of the voice modulator as a low mumble. 

“Who told you I requested a commander to accompany me?”

“That would be Commander Fox.” The annoyance came through clearly this time. 

Of course, it was. “Well, thank you for putting up with me. I know you’d rather spend your evening somewhere else. I’ll make sure this mistake doesn’t happen again.”

“You said you trusted Fox’s judgment. He’s always been a bit paranoid. I’m sure he had his… reasons for the extra protection.”

Riyo didn’t make a comment. Maybe everything was finally catching up to her. The bill, the threats, her argument with Fox. No, she didn’t want to ruin her mood more than the night already had. She stopped in front of an especially drab painting spanning several yards of the hallway’s wall. “Ugh, I think the painter would’ve had an easier time if they dipped their canvas into a mud pit. At least then they could save some time that way.”

“That’s much more polite than what I was thinking,” Thorn said.

Riyo laughed and resumed her detour. She only had a limited time to mock the Banking Clan taste in decor.

From around the bend, a trooper in standard painted armor walked toward them down the hall. Unevenly fit pieces of plastoid grated against each other. His arms swung at his sides. Something touched her shoulder. Riyo turned to look up at Thorn, but he was staring straight ahead. He wouldn’t touch her without reason. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Thorn pressed his hand against Riyo's shoulder to move her backward. “Hey, trooper,” he said with a warning in his voice. The guard didn’t stop. 

“Ma’am, go back to the hall,” he said in her ear. His light demeanor dropped in an instant. Thorn started reaching for his comm on his gauntlet. At this, the guard charged Thorn. Riyo stumbled away from the scene and started running. She passed the ugly painting and almost ran into two other people in red painted armor. A pair of hands pinned Riyo’s arms to her sides before she could even get out a word.

“No! Commander!” She thrashed around, but couldn’t loosen the grip. Something sharp stabbed her neck. The pressure on either side of her vanished and she fell to her knees. Riyo spun around to face her attackers, but she couldn’t make out the details clearly enough. The darkening room tilted violently to the side. No, she was on the floor. One of the figures watching her stooped down, filling up the rest of her narrowing vision. Riyo’s vision went black.

Chapter Text

A trashy radio crackled in the background. Watt scribbled on the margins of a document and hastily erased it. He moved on to tapping the end against the screen in an effort to distract himself from his inevitable task. Only the taping and muffled music disturbed the quiet room. The general offices in the prison sector didn’t see much activity at the end of a shift. Filing and paperwork normally finished during the daylight hours, but some clones always ended up finishing late.

“I hate processing,” he said

“Someone has to do it.” Lock dug through a pile of datapads on the desk to find the one he was looking for. 

“Yeah, but we’re made to fight clankers, not make sure prisoners end up in the right cells.”

“You catch ‘em, you take care of ‘em.”

“They’re not tookas, Lock.”

“You wish.”

“Uh, yeah I wish we were watching tookas. Hell of a lot cuter.”

Hercules walked through the door with one hand carrying an unsafe amount of mugs and the other a datapad. “Look at this you two.” Herc tossed the pad to Lock. “They’re moving the date for Tunded.”

“I can’t believe they’re delaying the trial again,” Watt said.

“They don’t want someone who worked in the Chancellor’s wing to be prosecuted for conspiracy and attempted murder.” Lock leaned back in his chair. “If anything, they’re wrapping up loose ends before having a quiet trial.”

Drew burst into the room. “Commander’s here. Get off your asses.” Watt tried organizing the mess at the table, but there wasn’t time. Fox marched into the room.

“Wrap it up. Let’s go.” The commander didn’t wait for a response, not even bothering to stop before turning around and almost running out the door. The boys scrambled after him to keep up with his mad pace. 

“I want every file you have on Riyo Chuchi. You’ve gone through them, right?” the commander said.

“Yes, sir,” Lock said.

“Then you’re on assignment with me. This is a priority. Meet in the main briefing room in twenty minutes. Understood?”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

*

“I told her. I kriffing told.” Fox slammed the button to his office door shut with more speed than he intended. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. He’d sent Thorn to prevent something like this. Where the hell were they?! He pressed his forehead against the cool durasteel. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. And that’s all he gets before it’s time to go. Fox tore his eyes open to stare at the caf in his hand he’d grabbed on his mad dash. He drained half the cup. It’s hot garbage, but the garbage will do. 

A knock came from the other side of his door. Fox quickly wiped away a few drops of his coffee that escaped over the lip of his mug. Another, louder knock followed. He reached for the door with a scowl on his face. Could they not give him more than three seconds?

“What?” he snapped.

A Pantoran woman the same height as Fox stepped into his space as soon as the entrance opened all the way. 

“Commander Fox? I’m told you’re in charge here.” This woman he recognized both as the primary advisor in the Pantoran retinue and as Riyo’s closest friend, Liva. The one who scowled at him every time he passed.

“That’s correct.”

“My senator is missing and you were in charge of organizing her escort.” Her voice stayed calm and even, but everything about her screamed that she was hell-bent at getting what she wanted.  

Fox bit back every nonregulation response threatening to spill out of his mouth. He couldn’t judge her blaming him for losing her senator. “While Senator Chuchi has her own guards, I’m in charge of supplementing my own men when the occasion requires it. That occasion was yesterday.”

“So where is she?”

“I don’t have an answer to that question at this moment. I’m about to assign teams to get to the bottom of this.”

“I understand you have procedures, but that’s not my priority. The rest of her staff are dealing with the coming political blowout while I’m here to assist you with the investigation. Where do you plan on starting?” 

“Absolutely not. I can’t allow you to help. This is a matter for the Coruscant Guard.”

“I’m in charge of Senator Chuchi’s personal safety. I’ve been trained for this. I know Riyo Chuchi better than anyone on this planet. I’ve worked with her for a very long time. If you continue, I’m afraid you would be hindering my job, Commander Fox. I can cite Pantoran Law if you’d like.” Is this what it felt like when he talked to citizens? Fox didn’t have time to think about it. He didn’t have time for anything.

“Fine. If you want to risk your neck, you can come, but I need to go.” He pushed past her. Fox didn’t bother looking back if she followed him or not. He made it all the way to the main branch of the Guard headquarters without interruption.

A guard shot past him and stopped mid-step. 

“Hey, Fox!” Thire grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

“I’m leading a mission, what do you need?”

“You can’t lead. We need you here.”

The pent up agitation spilled over. “One of our best commanders and a senator is missing. We have to assume the worst. There are 5,127 levels on Coruscant that span an entire planet if they’re even on the planet. The clock is ticking. I’m putting myself on this team.” Fox double-checked his blasters as if he didn’t do it every morning and night. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve always gone first and always will. I’ll be taking two squads.” He couldn’t see past the visor, but Thire released his arm. 

“Fine. I’ll man home base. Contact us if you find them.”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

Thire lowered his voice. “And the civvie?”

“Trust me, I tried to get rid of her. If you want to go at it, be my guest. As long as she doesn’t get in the way, not my problem. I have to leave.”

*

Something woke Riyo. Her brain scrambled to catch up. A headache banged against Riyo’s skull. Blinding lights didn’t help. She groaned and shifted in her seat, but something restricted her movements. She’d been attending a party. A banquet for the Banking Clan. Then–– she flinched away when something touched her hand.

“Who’s there?” she said.

A chair creaked and she heard a low moan.

“What the hell,” someone behind her rasped. The voice sounded eerily similar to Fox’s, but another piece from before her blackout slotted back into place.

“Thorn?”

“Is that you Miss Chuchi? Are you alright?” The interference from a voice modulator was gone. 

Riyo tested her movement. Hands cuffed, ankles secured to the chair. The room was coming back into focus. Slate gray walls left little room to move around in. The bright white lights above them bounced off the durasteel. Other than a headache, nothing was brought to her attention.

“I think so. Are you?”

“Well,” his voice strained as he tried to keep his voice light. The chair creaked again and Thorn sucked in a sharp pained breath. “I wouldn’t call it an emergency just yet.”

“What do you mean?” She pulled on the wrist restraints to try and twist around.

“Stop stop stop,” Thorn said. “Unless you want to pull me through the chair. We’re locked together.”

“Sorry!”

“It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but it’s not your fault,” he said. “Yeah, let’s not do that again.”

A pair of footsteps echoed outside the door. Riyo froze. Her eyes strained to keep watch on the door in her periphery. 

"This is where I put them," a voice said.

"What are you doing? They wanted the targets dead and dumped."

"We'd make so much more profit if they're alive."

Something banged against the door. "You don't want to mess with them," the other growled just loud enough for Riyo to hear. 

"Fine. I'll at least kill the clone. The bastard's probably bleeding out already. We should ask the boss about the girl."

"You want to ask him, be my guest." The sounds outside faded. She slowly exhaled. Riyo thanked everything above and below for the greed that bought them a few extra minutes. 

“Someone must’ve heard us before we got taken, right?” she whispered. 

“That hallway was too far from the main room and none of the guards patrol that stretch. I doubt anyone was around to hear us.”

“So no one knows we’re here?”

“No,” he said. It sounded like the snick of a lock, trapping them. “That guy attacked me before I could comm for help. Don’t panic, ma’am. We’ll get out of here.” Thorn huffed. “Step one would be getting out of these chairs. We have to move fast.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Are your legs tied?”

“They’re taped to the chair, but I might be able to break out. Will I hurt you if I move?”

“It’s my shoulder. Try not to move your hands around too much and I’ll be fine.”

Riyo gave one last look at the closed door and started tugging for her life. Her pants allowed for her to strain against the bindings without pain. Thorn started doing the same behind her. She wrangled one leg from the chair. 

A voice floated back from outside the door. Riyo’s blood went cold. “...told him the boss wants them killed, it’s not my problem––” The door hissed open. Riyo couldn't see whoever came through, but Thorn was already moving. Her stomach dropped as he dragged her out of the chair still attached at the ankle to throw himself against the newcomer. They grunted. With a spare moment of slack, Riyo regained her balance. Thorn kneed the man in the side. In a swift movement, she tore the last bit of tape from her leg. Riyo fell backward again as Thorn lunged. He twisted and any view she could get from over her shoulder became impossible. 

"Go!" he said. They bolted through the open door. Riyo rammed her elbow against the access panel. The pair ran through rows of shelves in a dark warehouse. Their feet echoed on the duracrete floor. Thorn pushed her down an aisle. They ran side by side with hands still locked behind their backs. Voices shouted behind them. A blaster bolt left a burning hole in a crate by Thorn’s head. Every muscle tense and her body threatened to lock up. She pushed herself to run faster. More bolts flew past them. A figure dove out of another aisle and slammed into Riyo. Thorn yelled in pain as he fell with her. A Quarren shoved himself off Riyo and grabbed his blaster.

“Knew we should’ve shot you first.” He said. Riyo thrust her leg up and kicked their attacker’s wrist. He didn’t drop the blaster, but it was enough. 

“Up!” Thorn ordered. They both scrambled to their feet and started sprinting. Thorn bowled over the Quarren.

“Over there!” Someone shouted behind them. Another round of blaster fire lit the dim lanes between shelves. They rounded a corner, giving temporary cover. A beam of light fell through an open garage door. Riyo and Thorn changed course to get to the exit simultaneously. 

Riyo all but stumbled through the opening, but Thorn pulled her after him. Bright lights spread too thin lit the wide street. It didn’t matter what time it was. A high ceiling blocked out any celestial light. At a certain point, every level in Coruscant looked the same. They splashed through a puddle of who knows what. The buildings on either side of them closed into where it was only wide enough for Riyo and Thorn to walk shoulder to shoulder. 

Warehouses and shipping yards fell behind them. Alleyways led into more populated streets. They crossed into one to avoid a group of workers. Neon signs shed a glow at the end of the backstreet. The sounds of an active street thrummed.

“Back back back.” Thorn pulled her away from the opening. They were both panting. Riyo planted her feet to steady herself and catch their breath. Riyo looked down the empty dark passage. No one appeared to be following them. They were alone. She shuddered. She wasn’t safe. They were going to keep chasing her. Grab her. Take her. 

“You alright?” Thorn said.

“Fine.” They didn’t have time to sit and talk about their feelings.

“Good.”  “I think we lost ‘em. I’m going to get your cuffs off first. Come here. I can’t see, but I think they’re using the standard type. There’s a pressure spot to trigger the release we're taught during Corrie orientation.” He led her to the other end of the alley. “You’re going to hit them against here as hard as you can.” Riyo twisted around to see where Thorn was talking about. 

“Okay, I got it.” She backed up to the corner of the building.

“Three, two, one.” With a crack, the cuffs hit the side of the wall. “Try again,” Thorn said. They counted down. The restraints popped off this time. They fell off Riyo’s wrists. Thorn quickly did the same. With his now free hand, he brought it up to his left shoulder. He leaned back against the wall. For the first time, she got a good look at the red rivulets running down the side of his armor. 

“That’s a lot of blood,” she said. Gore was something she could stomach, but the soaked blacks and deep gash between the chest plate and shoulder bell wasn’t something she’d ever wish to see again. 

“That would be a problem, wouldn’t it?” Thorn said out of gritted teeth. He looked up and down the alley. “We have to move.”

“We can’t move if you’re like this.”

“Ma’am, don’t worry about me. I’m not going to drop dead on you, but we do need to get to a secure location, okay?”

Riyo nodded. Thorn placed his unbloodied hand on Riyo’s shoulder to keep her in front of him. No falling behind, no getting swept away. The two, bloody and bruised, stepped out of the hidden alley. Even at whatever unholy hour it was, the lower level streets always had a steady flow of people. They easily fell in line with the flow of foot traffic. Their disheveled appearance didn’t hide the fact that a woman in an expensive suit and jewelry was traveling with a clone trooper as her guard. Riyo’s heart caught in her throat every time a passerby raised their eyes enough to meet her’s. Her only focus was the pressure on her back forcing her to walk faster.

Riyo caught something out of the corner of her eye. 

“Follow me,” she said. 

“Ma’am––” 

“This way.” She pushed open a shop door. The strong smell of dried fish assaulted her nose. Riyo moved down the isles of spices. An older man stocked the shelves. Weathered blue skin wrinkled in confusion at the appearance of his two newest customers. Riyo didn’t have to wonder why she’d never heard about this particular Pantoran shop before. The lights flickered and lit the cracks in the walls. 

“We need your help,” she said in Pantoran. 

His eyes flicked to her cheeks then behind her to Thorn. “What do you want?” he said brusquely in Pantoran.

“My friend’s hurt and we need a place to sit, just for an hour or so. And maybe buy a few things.”  She unclipped her headdress that tilted at an odd angle after everything that had happened. “I don’t have any credits on me, but this should cover everything we need.”

His jaw moved to the side as he considered her payment. Another moment passed before he set his stock down and took the offering. “You can stay, but I don’t want any stormtroopers in my shop.”

“He won’t cause you any trouble, I promise,” Riyo said. 

The man shifted his weight back and forth. “You can sit in the backroom. Don’t touch anything.” He gestured for them to follow them. They walked through the shop and past the doors into the storeroom. He pointed to an open space. 

“Stay here. What did you need to buy?” he said in Basic. 

“A first aid kit. And two cans of fish. Anything from the northern lakes if you have it.” Getting some form of food might settle her stomach still churning.

A hand brushed her shoulder and she turned. 

“I need a communicator,” Thorn said. 

“What do you need it for?” he said.

“That’s not––” 

Riyo held out a hand to stop the commander. Even on the best days, telling someone something was none of their business was annoying. “We’re lost and just need to make a call for someone to pick us up.”

With a sigh, the older Pantoran pulled a small comm off his wrist. Riyo grabbed it from his outstretched hand. 

“Let me,” Thorn said. He messed with some of the buttons and silently handed the device back. “We should be gone soon.”

The shopkeeper snatched his communicator back and started rummaging around a few crates in the back room. Thorn didn’t hesitate in settling on the floor that definitely hadn’t been swept since Mandalorians rode Mythosaurs. Riyo gingerly took a seat next to him. She kept her hands balled up on her knees. The owner set a medkit, two cans of fish, and utensils in front of them like he was handling a bomb. Without a word, he returned to the front of the store.

Riyo let out a slow breath. She uncurled her fingers and reached for the medkit. The box popped open and she grabbed the disinfectant. Thorn held out his hand.

“Let me.” She didn’t protest. He probably knew how to fix up a wound better than she did anyway. “Good call on stopping here. I doubt anyone in three hundred levels would’ve done the same.”

“Thank you. And thank you for getting us out of there.”

“I’d count being handcuffed together as a team effort.” Thorn methodically began cleaning himself up. She handed him gauze and other supplies when needed instead of letting the weight of however many hundreds of levels separating her from home crush down on her. The back room was quiet besides the hum of the air filtration unit. Thankfully, no one visited the shop. Riyo kept looking toward the door at every minor noise. She couldn't let the lull fool her into resting. If the Guard couldn’t get here in time, they’d have to run again.

Thorn finally broke the silence. “How long do you think he’ll let us stay?” He’d shed the armor protecting his left arm and secured the limb across his torso. 

“I don’t know. Hopefully long enough. I just hope Fox can find us in time.”

“Fox?” he said. Kriff, she couldn’t just say it like that. “You sure he’s the one coming for us?”

“It’s Commander Fox. I just assumed…”

“But you want him to come.” 

Riyo looked up in time to catch Thorn’s smug smile. He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t stop her from feeling like a deer in headlights. He shook his head. “Never mind. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he’s on his way. Besides, I’m like his favorite person. I mean, you’re here, so I guess he’ll get you too.” Riyo gave him a dirty look but appreciated the humor. It was better than remembering arms that snatched her away like it was nothing. Her stomach turned. She silently handed Thorn the can of fish beside her. He leaned away from the item.

“Hey, this is safe to eat right? I don’t read Pantoran.”

That drew out a smile. “I’d never poison you, not when you’re Commander Fox’s favorite person.”  Riyo brought her thoughts back to her immediate surroundings and opened her own can. The smell was off and the texture was terrible, but that’s what you get when you shop in a lower level store. And still, it was something from home, not an exotic salad or roast like she’d been served however many hours ago. Thorn’s fork scraped against the metal side. 

"Are you really working on that bill? The one about citizenship?" Was that what he really wanted to talk about? Now? Maybe it was just a distraction. The pain meds in the medkit were only suited for minor hurts. All the same, it would be nice to talk.

She weighed how much to share. Fox rarely talked about anyone, but when he did, he talked about Thorn. He trusted her to Thorn so she’d trust him too. "Yes, I am. Fox, Commander Fox, is really the only reason I believe this is going to work. I'm just here to help out. Unfortunately, I think it's also the reason we're in this situation." Riyo finished her meal and set aside the tin. She looked over to Thorn who hadn't said anything. He sat staring with his hands in his lap. Deep wrinkles creased his forehead into a contemplative look.

"Everything okay, Commander Thorn?"

"Yes, I just… thank you.” She didn’t expect the amount of soft sincerity in his voice. 

“For what?”

“I’m not on top of everything, not even close to what Fox does, but I know what’s been happening to you since starting this whole thing. No one from an outer rim moon like Pantora should be targeted like this. But you’re doing it anyway.”

“I…” she sighed. “I think I have to. It’s the right thing to do. Even if things like this happen or the bill fails, someone needs to say it. I’m sure you know, but Commander Fox is doing this because of you and your brothers. He loves you all so much." 

Thorn's face brightened. ”Yeah, that's Fox. Good man. Good brother. Real bitch about showing it though.”

Riyo pressed a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. 

“What? You’ve met him. Am I wrong?”

“No, I agree with you. It’s incredibly frustrating.”

Thorn slowly eased himself against a shelf full of crates. “But he always pulls through.” Thorn opened his mouth to say something else but closed it almost immediately. He tried again. “If I had to bet, he’s already looking for you.” 

Riyo's eyes hit the floor. Her stomach fluttered instead of being twisted up in painful knots. She turned away, not wanting him to see a small smile she couldn’t help. For a moment, the waves of terror settled. 

Chapter Text

Blurry lights streaked across Fox’s visor. His legs dangled off the edge of the speeder bike and one boot scraped the roof he parked on. 

He returned his attention to the datapad in his hand. Fox scrolled through a file with a list of troopers' names. He clicked on Thorn’s CC number. He tried patching in a signal to both wrist comm and helmet, but both channels couldn’t be reached. A headache started forming at the back of Fox’s head. 

He let out a long-suffering sigh and closed out the document. No one had seen the senator in who knows how long. Statements would take a while to get to him. The balance of the bike shifted. Liva leaned over his shoulder.

“Do you have any leads yet?” At least she focused on her job. He had to respect that. As much as he was karking up the regulations on this, her file dictated that she could handle these situations. A senator from a small outer rim moon wouldn’t have a large staff. He shouldn’t be surprised that Riyo’s only aide was more than just a flimsi pusher. Like him.

“Not yet,” he said.  

“So you’re just waiting?” But he didn’t have to like working with her. 

“This intersection leads to the most sectors on Coruscant. If I get word on where the targets are, we’ll be the closest people on site.” He looked to the woman next to him. Liva ran a knuckle over the golden tattoo on her chin.

“Is this really the best use of our time?”

“I have a plan and we’re going to follow it unless you want me to leave you behind.” 

“Fine.” Distaste played clearly across her sharp features. 

“Is there something wrong, ma’am?” His voice comes out strained. He should’ve known not to expect the same courtesy Riyo always offered. Though he had hoped. 

“I wish I didn’t have to work with you, that’s all,” she stated coldly.

A defense formed halfway on Fox’s tongue before he caught himself. “I’m sorry you don’t like clones, but you insisted on coming so we have to work together on this.”

“I couldn’t care less about clones. I dislike you,” she corrected.

“I’m sorry I make you feel that way, ma’am.” He almost retched at the textbook answer, but it wasn’t worth the argument. He tried going back to watching Coruscanti traffic. 

But she had other ideas. 

“Don’t ‘ma’am’ me, Commander. If you’re not already aware, you have captured Miss Chuchi’s attention. As her close friend among other things, you should not be surprised by my apprehension of her meeting with a strange man who has access to her security.”

Fox stopped and blinked a few times to process what she had said. Captured her attention? Sure, he spent a lot of valuable, precious free time with her, but they had a bill to research and write. She had called him her friend, but it was Riyo Chuchi. She was friends with everyone. 

A light on his communicator blipped. If it wasn’t important or life-threatening right now, he could ignore whatever Liva meant. Fox answered his comm and listened to the report. The soldier on the other line quickly finished the update. 

“Understood,” Fox said.

“What was that?” Liva asked.

“Three troopers dead.” He pressed on. His helmet was on and there was a job to do. But duty didn’t stop the simmering deep in his gut. “Their armor was gone. Probably how they got in in the first place. A squad’s already working on identifying the kidnappers. Now we wait.” 

Liva settled back into her seat. Fox took a breath. He was going to catch whoever did this or he was going to kill them himself.

*

Riyo knotted and unknotted the hem of her shirt. Thorn hadn’t moved except for his foot tapping against the side of a crate. It would take time for the Guard to get Thorn’s message and find them. Riyo shook out her cramping hand.

The front door chimed merely with the stomp of heavy boots. Thorn’s eyes shot to the back room entrance and his foot stilled. 

“We’re lookin’ for some people. One looks like you, short lady with golden jewelry. The other’s a clone.”

Thorn pressed a finger to his lips. His plastoid armor creaked softly as he pulled himself to his feet. Riyo followed his lead. How did they find them? Did she pick too obvious a spot to hide?  

“I don’t want any trouble here. Get out of my shop.”

“We’re gonna do what we want. Wait, what’s this thing? The woman had that.”

“No, it’s a––”

“Where are they?!”

“They’re already gone, I don’t know––” A blaster shot and a thud cut off the shopkeeper’s last words. 

Riyo didn’t have a chance to properly react. Thorn snatched her hand and bolted out the back of the shop. A dead man lay behind them and they’d end up the same if she stayed. Thorn slammed through the backdoor and into the person standing outside it. She lost her grip on his hand and stumbled to the side. 

“Door!” Thorn grunted as he wrested the man trying to cut off their escape. A rifle skittered across the back alley. She smashed the keypad and locked it from the outside. The durasteel banged loudly. 

“Go around!” The voice from inside said. Riyo wildly scanned the alley. She dodged the scuffle and snatched the discarded weapon. 

“Commander.” Riyo tossed him the rifle. Thorn twisted the blaster around and slammed the butt into the man’s face. Blood gushed down his face. Thorn repeated the action for good measure. 

“Go. I’ll catch up,” he said. 

Riyo’s feet struggled to stay under her, but she gathered herself enough to rush out of the backstreet.

She cut into the populated streets. Her feet flew across the duracrete. Her shoulders bumped into more people than she’d ever allowed in her political career. Being clumsy did not become a  politician, but neither did a premature death. A hand hooked her arm and wrenched Riyo from the street into a thoroughfare. She grabbed at the fingers holding her tightly. 

“Focus, Chuchi,” Thorn said beside her ear. Her hands fell at her sides and the python around her stomach loosened. Local shops filled every available open slot. They jogged down the road and crossed the street.

 “New plan,” Thorn said. 

A shot tore through the street. People screamed and scattered. 

“Holy kark!” Thorn ducked out of the way. “Run.” Another blaster bolt fired from the opposite end of the street. Riyo dashed into the closest shop. She pushed past shoppers picking out vegetables. 

“Sorry, sorry!" The window shattered behind them in a flash of red. Thorn knocked over a shelf to block their trail. The owner’s shouts fell on deaf ears. Riyo scrambled out the back door. A few turns landed them on a landing platform. She caught her breath and looked for a way out. There wouldn’t be a way to outrun them, not when they couldn’t identify who and how many people were after them. 

“Come on, Riyo, keep going.” Thorn pressed a hand against her back. They ran along a railing running along the main flyway. A vehicle docked at the edge of a bustling lane that no doubt funneled into the main city lanes.

“We can take that speeder,” Riyo said.  

“Ma’am, you cannot do that.”

“Do you have another plan, Commander?” She clambered into the driver's seat before he could say anything. 

"Fine. I'm not filing the paperwork for stealing someone's speeder, though." He quickly checked over his shoulder. “Can you drive?”

“Yes, I can kriffing drive.” She fumbled to get it started. 

“Really, because I’ve seen a video that––”

“Get in the speeder Thorn!”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

Riyo placed a hand on the controls and twisted around. Thorn positioned the rifle on the back seat. A bolt shot a hole through the left side of the windshield. 

Two of their pursuers rounded the corner. “Get the swoops!” 

Riyo hit the gas and the speeder dived off the platform. Her stomach dropped and she hoped to the goddess that Thorn hadn’t flown out the back. 

“Pull up!” Nope, still there. Riyo cut off a truck to squeeze into a lane. A horn blared and another blaster bolt flew past them. She pulled the wheel up and merged into the lane above them. They had to get higher. A blaster sounded behind her. She flicked her attention to the rearview mirror. Thorn took another shot at four bikes trailing behind them. 

*

Fox marched toward the lower level building. He double-checked the message Thorn relayed. The transmission came from a device somewhere in that shop. Passing citizens gave them a wide berth. A fully kitted clone, especially one with the markings of an officer was not welcome here. 

He gestured for Liva to follow him. Neither spoke the entire mad dash to get to the where the comm had been traced. Possible variables flipped through Fox’s brain. No one panicked, so no obvious threat. His eyes darted to each point of risk. The lower levels provided nooks for all sorts of snipers or hidden enemies. It didn’t help that Fox had a bright red target for them. 

His glove brushed the door and it swung open. Fox tightened his grip on his deecees. They wound through the shelves of canned fish and spices. The light flickered. His breathing remained a flat in and out, face blank beneath the helmet. They would find them or they wouldn’t. Two options. He’d deal with the next set after this. He had enough time on the way to think of the possibilities. Fox found the counter along the back wall. He moved around to see behind and stopped. A figure slumped against the back wall. A blackened mark hid any identifiable features. The pantoran’s hand clutched a golden item. Fox squatted down and nudged it with the barrel of his blaster. He leaned out of the way for Liva to see.

“That hers?”

“She wore that to the banquet. I’m checking the back.” She turned and warily pushed the doors open. Fox finished scanning the shop floor. Nothing. 

He called the local droid police force. The Guard didn’t care for the droids, but they kept their mouths shut a whole lot more than the Senate Guards. At least they could clean up a mess. 

“Commander, come here,” Liva called. He quickly found the woman in the back room. Open cans and busted crates scattered the floor with an open medkit and–– Fox sucked in a sharp breath. Pieces of Thorn’s armor had been left behind. Bloody prints marked the scuffed plastoid. 

“They stopped here. I think my Commander is hurt.”

“We must’ve just missed them before they fled,” Liva said. “Whoever took them is still chasing them.” 

Fox nodded. “Let’s go.”

*

Being kicked out of a hallway by a clean up crew wasn’t the worst thing that happened to Hawkshaw squad. It felt like death anyway, heavy and suffocating. They wouldn’t beat around the bush for something like this, so being bleeped at by droids didn’t hinder their assignment. 

 Hercules leaned against the wall and waited with Watt and Drew. All four of them had been sent to investigate the grounds but hadn’t known what to expect when the notification of three missing guardsmen went out.

“Should we say something?” Watt said. His eyes wandered around unfocused. Drew pressed his knuckles to his mouth like he was going to be sick. Every brother knew they could die the next day, but knowing and seeing were two different things. 

“We have a job to do,” Hercules said softly.  

“But they’re brothers.”

“I know,” Herc said. “They’re gone. We gotta get the commander and Senator Chuchi home now, yeah?”

Heads nodded in reluctant agreement. 

“Good.” Herc’s stomach churned. “So what do we know?”

“Someone killed ‘em. Plain and simple,” Drew said. “It’s not pretty but there’s nothing on the bodies to show who.”

Watt joined in. “The armor’s gone and hasn’t been found so it’s a fair assumption whoever killed them took it, possibly to get into the event.”

“And to wrap up?” Herc said. He had to bring it back in and get them all focused on the task at hand.

Lock walked over to their small huddle. He kept his helmet on, but Hercules figured he didn’t look much better. “The function was infiltrated, security footage wiped, and Commander Thorn and Senator Riyo Chuchi are missing with three guards dead.”

“Lock did you––”

“I already reported in to Commander Fox.”

“Good,” Herc sighed. 

Watt opened his mouth but paused and looked to him.

“What are you thinking, Watt?” Herc said. 

“Do you think the attempts are related? The one with the shuttle and now this?”

“Could be. The sabotage was done by hiring an outside party. But we already arrested Tunded.”

“So maybe he was just an underling in this whole thing,” Watt said. 

“An underling that works in the chancellor’s office is not something to mess with. Are you saying we should reopen the investigation?”

“Quietly. It’s worth double-checking,” Lock said. “We don’t appear to have any other leads. Maverick squad is handling the rest of the guests and there are already other people out searching the grounds.”

“Comm the commander.”

“I did it last time. Drew, you do it.”

“Why me?”

“Drew, talk to the commander,” Herc said. 

Drew pulled a face but started opening a direct channel. "Commander Fox?”

“Go ahead.” His voice crackled over the speaker.

“Sir, we think there might be a traitor in the Senate. It might be a good idea for the Guard to start an investigation."

"So do it." 

Drew covered his comm. "Can we do that?"

"Commander Fox said to do it and that's good enough for me."

He uncovered the speaker. “Copy that, sir.” The line went dead. “So we’re going after a possible traitor?” 

“I think the probability of finding two traitors in the chancellor's office is pretty low.”

“Herc, you know that’s not how math works,” Lock groaned. “If you actually paid attention you would know that those two events aren’t––”

“Okay, time to go investigate, eh boys?” Drew announced, pushing past Lock before he could finish. The other three trailed behind him.

A brisk walk through the district tunnels landed them in the underbelly of the main senate buildings. The few Corrie guards on patrol nodded and let them through. They sped past the lavish halls and trekked up to the sections under heavier surveillance. A quick scout couldn’t hurt.

Herc walked at the head of his squad. They passed an office blaring something from the holonet. He stumbled to a stop when he caught something from the corner of his eye. “No. Kriffing. Way.” He turned to his batchmates. “Someone comm the Commander.”

“Why?”

Herc pointed to the holoprojector streaming a news broadcast. A speeder shot across the screen. Aurebesh text scrolled along the buttom of the screen. The cam focused on two blurry figures: one in Corrie Guard armor and the other clearly a pantoran woman. 

“That’s––that’s them,” Watt said.

All four of them piled into the office.

“Hey!” The senator or assistant or whoever it was, Herc didn’t really care, almost fell out of his chair. 

“Sir, we’re borrowing your holoprojector. Official guard business,” he said. 

“Get out of my office.”

Drew shushed him and turned the volume up even louder. Herc turned around the frantically comm Fox. 

“Commander they’re on level 3,267 near the main exhaust tunnel.”

“How did you find them?”

“Turn on the news.”

“Kark. Reroute a squad to their location.”

*

“Get into the main lanes,” Thorn said.

Night winds froze Riyo’s hands clutching tightly to the wheel. “But they’re shooting! I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”  This definitely wasn’t covered in senatorial training, or Coruscant orientation, or driver’s ed for that matter if she was looking for something to blame. 

“I can’t keep them off our tail by myself.” An advertising screen exploded to the right in a shower of sparks. 

“Fine!” Riyo shouted. She jerked the wheel to cut across traffic. The speeder’s body screeched against a transport truck.

The gap between them and the swoops lengthened. Riyo sank back into the seat and aimed for the next level. She swiped the loose lavender hair out of her eyes. 

A blast tore through something under them. 

“What was that?” Thorn said. The speeder fell from Riyo’s control. 

“Hold on––!” The vehicle lurched and started falling from the lane. They started picking up speed. Riyo’s stomach twisted and pulled a scream from her lips as she clung onto the wheel for dear life. Both her and Thorn’s voices trailed through traffic. 

The wind brought tears to her eyes but she kept them forced open. A platform hurtled towards them. 

*

The broadcast fed right into Fox’s HUD. Level 3,267, then 3,268. He could cut them off. Fox swerved in front of a cruiser on the speeder bike and twisted into a different flyway. Liva’s grip tightened. He spared a moment to check where they were headed. He mentally sorted through major locations throughout Coruscant. They were headed straight for Platform 23-19, a huge transport drop-off. 

Fox took the nearest exit out. Speeders whirred by closer than he would’ve liked, but the window for catching them closed with every wasted second. They weaved through congested traffic. 

He glided down to a huge stretch of permacrete filled with shuttles and transport ships docking in the lower levels. The bike slid to a stop. A civvie yelped and got out of the way. Fox craned to catch sight of anything. His heart pounded in his helmet. There would be no telling when support would arrive and the footage didn’t look good. 

“Where?” Liva said. Fox held up a gloved hand. He waited with bated breath. 

There! The speeder zipped around the corner, heading straight toward the platform. Something trailed behind it. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

OH NO.

“Get back!” Fox yelled. He dismounted the bike and flung his arms out to signal everyone too far to hear. Fox shouted to Liva. “Get everyone out of here.” He spun around in time to watch helplessly as the speeder roared toward him. Black smoke followed close on their tails. The vehicle crashed into the platform. The bottom of the speeder shrieked against the durasteel.

Fox shielded his face with his arm. The transport rocked to a stop. Years of training took over when his mind couldn’t be rational. He moved automatically. He didn’t have time to process the people scrambling away. Fox sprinted toward the wreck. The hunk of twisted durasteel smoldered. He had to get them out of there. 

An armored arm rose over the lip of the back seat. 

“Thorn!”

“We’re in here!” Fox almost slammed into the door. Thorn was a disaster, alive, but bloodied and out of breath. 

Fox reaches out a hand. “You good?”

“So far.” Thorn took it and pulled himself up. He turned to face the front. “Chuchi?” 

“I’m alright.” Riyo grunted and moved closer to the edge of the speeder. Moving, good. No major injuries. “But maybe not for long.”

“What?” Fox grabbed her hand to help her out. A series of shots that rained down on them. Fox pulled Riyo under him. Bolts marred the ground around them. Three, maybe four swoops careened after their trail. He pushed Riyo to her feet and reached for his deecees. “Run. Liva’s waiting.”

“Fox!”

“Thorn, take her. I’ll cover you.” He fired at a bike passing too close. The driver slumped forward with a blaster bolt in his chest. The swoop went down. He laid cover fire. A couple of bolts flew past Fox and he could only hope Riyo had made it. He’d ask for a raise. A day off at the least. One of his pistols ran out of heat. He ducked back behind the speeder. His glove landed in something wet. Fox brought it up to his filter and pulled away. Fuel. Not good. 

Fox looked up. All the civilians had moved off the platform. Riyo and Thorn weren’t in sight. He took a steadying breath. If it went up in flames, there would be no casualties besides his own. He reloaded another charge and began firing again. The mercenaries kept their distance. It wouldn’t be hard to wait until he ran out of ammo or someone picked him off. 

A ship’s shadow covered him and raised up whirlwinds of trash. A LAAT/i veered over the platform. The reinforcements drew the bounty hunters’ fire. Fox let his helmet bang against the back of the door. He could make it if he left now. One breath. Two breaths. He’d rather a stray blaster bolt hit him than the fuel spilling out onto the ‘crete. 

“They better promote me again or something.” He took off. The doors to the LAAT/i rolled open. Red armor peeked out and blue bolts flew overhead. But his legs couldn’t move fast enough. A searing pain struck his calf. Fox’s knee guard cracked against the duracrete. He tucked and rolled, landing on his side and rolling to his back. The HUD zoomed on the face of the closest attacker. The barrel leveled on him but switched last minute. Red streaked towards the pool of fuel.

“No––”

A tidal wave of heat and twisted durasteel knocked him back. His entire body vibrated as he skidded across the platform. Fox’s head spun. Everything dimmed, sight, sound, hearing, like his helmet’s input quit working. He came to with the taste of metallic blood in his mouth. 

Something moved him. Fox reached out, trying to grab for anything and his hands pulled at something soft. Through his sooty visor, a blurry figure appeared. They bent over him and were screaming? Their mouth moved, but if they were saying something the ringing drowned it out. What were they doing here? He was supposed to keep everyone off the platform. 

He tried to push them away, but a sharp stabbing pain rocketed through Fox. Muscles locked up. A cry escaped Fox, but he couldn’t regain the lost air. He gasped for oxygen and his mind raced to figure out why the filters weren’t working properly. He couldn’t get air. He couldn’t breathe. The world shrunk around him. Black smoke from the wreckage enveloped the last of his foggy vision.

Chapter Text

He’s on his back and it hurts. But he has to get up. He must get up. If you can’t move, you’re as good as dead, a voice in the back of Fox’s head told him. But he’s frozen from disobedient muscles and weighed down by heavy armor. 

He tries to cry out, but he’s alone. 

No. 

Not alone. 

But everything began to fade and fall away before he could reach out. Just a dream. This time it was just a dream. Fox tried to roll over onto his side. A mix of stabbing aching pain coursed through him. A low groan slipped out from his lips. Not a dream, at least, it didn’t seem like one.

A voice broke through the fog, but he didn’t catch what was said. Something smooth and warm pressed against his hand. His ungloved hand. Fox fought to crack open his eyes. A familiar blue face peered over him. He squinted until his vision adjusted. 

“Riyo what––are you okay?” The blinding white lights of the medical ward made his eyes water. 

“I’m perfectly fine. How do you feel?”

He ignored the pain. She didn’t need to know. “Gross. They didn’t put me in the tank, did they?” His nose scrunched up. The last thing he needed was bacta stuck in his ears.

“You just got out twenty minutes ago. They said you’d take a while to wake up. You should go back to sleep.”

“No. Who––” Little gods he hated this part, but he needed to know. “Did everyone make it?”

“Everyone’s okay. Everyone’s okay, Fox.” She rubbed the back of his hand. He tried to stay still to not scare away the touch. A teardrop slipped off her nose. Fox frowned. Why would she be crying? His mind swam for an answer. 

“Don’t cry. It’s alright.” He didn’t know what he was promising. It didn’t make sense. She wouldn’t be crying for him.

"Don't you dare tell me what to cry over." She quickly wiped the tears. Was she mad?

“Sorry, just, come here? Please?” He shifted to the other side of the bed and winced.

“Fox, you shouldn’t be moving.”

“‘ll be alright. C’mon.” 

She lifted herself onto the bed. Her small frame shrunk in on itself to fit on the open strip of mattress. His chest tightened, either from suffering physical trauma or the way she buried her nose against his arm. 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered. Even lying next to her, the words barely reached him.

“Hey,” He tried propping himself up, but failed to do more than lift his head. He settled on gently tilting Riyo’s face up toward his own. “You’re supposed to be the one that says we’re gonna make it.”

“I can’t. I thought I was going to die and you almost did, and it’s stupid because I knew you weren’t lying about not making it to the other side of this, but you were right––”

“Look at me,” he said softly. He waited until her glassy eyes focused on him. She was close, much too close for a passer-by to give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe if he wasn’t hurting or he could think a bit clearer Fox could have mustered up some energy to care. “I wish I was wrong.” Every I-told-you-so died long ago. Her touch soothed the abrasive bitterness he’d let sprout since he’d spoken with her on the terrace. Fox shut his eyes and continued. 

“Stone’s been limping around for a few days,” he said. “An entire unit needed to be sent to the med bay after a riot an’ I had to stay late to give out extra training because we needed more men. It’s not just me or Thorn. I knew this would happen.” He took a breath and let it go. “I said I could handle it. I’m sticking to that, even if I have to show up like this. None of this is your fault.” He should’ve done better. He shouldn’t have blamed her before. She didn’t know any better. 

“I’m sorry.”

“I said it’s not your fault.”

“But I’ll do better, for you and your brothers.”

Warmth flooded through Fox’s chest. He wouldn’t trust anyone else outside his own family to look out for them. And yet Riyo Chuchi careened into his life. His thoughts were still too disorganized to form a proper response, so he just nodded. 

Riyo shifted around and untucked her arm from her side. Her hand hovered over his chest. “Is this okay?” She asked it as simply as requesting him to hold her bag.  Fox looked down and saw no bandages or anything she could accidentally hurt. Besides, he could feel her trembling. His arm moved before he thought anything of it. He placed a hand lightly near her elbow.

“Just be careful.”  

She sniffled and scooted close without putting too much weight against him. Her head rested against his shoulder. 

“Are you alright?” he said.

“I was really scared.”

“Me too.” 

“I saw you alone on the platform and I can’t even imagine having gone through that.”

“There wasn’t time to really think. But before…” Fox tried to reign in the fuzziness making it too easy to talk and not think. “You’re both… very important to me.” He’d be lying if he said he wouldn’t give himself for her the same way he’d do for Thorn. Well, maybe not in the same way. 

“I have something to tell you,” she finally said. 

A million outcomes ran through Fox’s head like sludge. He couldn’t think through them like he normally could, so he just looked to Riyo. She had calmed down and a small bittersweet smile rested on her lips. If something bad happened she wouldn’t act like this, but that made Fox’s heart beat faster. Bad he could fix. Dealing with the bad was his job. What was he supposed to do if––

“Fox?” she whispered.

“Riyo?” He mirrored her soft tone.

Her eyebrows twitched down in a moment of hesitation. “The committee approved the bill.”

“ Oh .” Idiot. How could he think she would say she wanted him like he did her? Like he could look at her and everything would be alright. She drew him into her own bubble of a world without a second thought, and things had changed. But why would that make a difference to her? Get a grip, Fox. He’d have to speak with the medics about not letting anyone in when he was half-conscious and pumped full of drugs that still didn’t mask all the pain he’d woken up with. 

Riyo hadn’t moved. If anything, she had sunk deeper into the mattress and against his side. Fox’s aching body screamed for rest and his eyelids drooped like they were weighted. But she was scared so he would stay awake. 

His breathing evened out.

He would try to stay awake. 

Fox’s eyes drifted shut. 

He would settle for a nap. 

*

Fox's pressed against something soft. It took a moment to remind himself where he was. He opened his eyes and the crisp white of a pillow greeted him. He untangled himself and rolled back onto his back with only minimal discomfort. Hardly an inch of his body escaped the bone-deep soreness. 

The room came into sharp focus, but this wasn't the first time he'd woken up in the med bay. Was… was Riyo here? He'd hallucinated crazier things. He remembered most of a conversation, but a fog cast a dreamlike haze over it. Maybe he had dreamed it.

A voice shouted through the recovery wing. “I got stabbed, I deserve some jello!”

“Thorn, you’re fine! Be quiet. People are trying to sleep.”

“Yeah, shut it,” another voice yelled. Fox groaned and tried pulling the pillow over his ears, but his mobility wasn’t up to standard. 

“Fine, I’m going.”

“Don’t leave until I get you those patches.”

“I know. I’m going to see Fox.”

“Don’t wake him up.”

“Yes, sir.” The curtain around Fox’s bed screeked to unveil a familiar smile, softer than Fox expected from the person who’d just been whining at the medics. For all of Thorn’s abilities, walking quietly wasn’t one he had total mastery of, but today he padded up to Fox like a timid cadet. Thorn gently patted Fox’s shoulder. “Hey vod, hanging in there?”

“I’ll live.”

Thorn’s smile faltered. “I’m sorry, it should’ve been me. I should have been the last person on the platform.”

“Don’t. Don't do this to yourself. It’s not worth it, Thor’ika. Heal up. You’ve already got too many scars.”

“I’m fine,” Thorn waved away Fox’s concern. “What do you remember? You had one hell of a time with it.” 

"I remember the platform. Reinforcements. I tried getting to cover. The speeder exploded. Now I'm here. I don't remember much in between." He hesitated on bringing her up. If she hadn’t visited him, and it was just a dream, he’d never live it down. "Was…?"  

"Riyo here? Yeah, she came by yesterday. Said you'd woken up for a bit, but were a little out of it." Fox didn't like the way he casually threw her name around. It had taken weeks for him to do the same, but this was Thorn. Official titles weren't something he bothered with if no one cared and Riyo wasn't one to write up one of his troopers for a breach in formality. 

Thorn readjusted his shoulder bell. "You know, when I stopped by I had to help her out. You got quite a death grip when you sleep. I thought giving you a pillow was a nice touch. Should’ve guessed you were a snuggler."

Fox could've died on the spot. He tried sinking into the mattress to be swallowed up before Thorn could say anything else. There were exactly three people in the galaxy that knew that fact and he wanted to keep it that way. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen. 

“You know, you just have to ask if you want to get all cuddly with the rest of us. Oh, that’s right, you don’t sleep,” Thorn said. 

Fox threw Thorn a look. “Help me sit up and hand me a datapad. I’ve already missed a day and however long I was in the bacta tank.”

Thorn rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Go on and take a deep breath for me.”

Fox glared, but complied. He only got halfway before what felt like a knife twisted in his side. Coughs rattled his chest to alleviate the sudden sensation. 

“So let’s see,” Thorn started counting on one hand. “Not only did you get shot in the leg, yeah don’t forget about that one, you have a collapsed lung, shrapnel from the blast, and burns and bruising. A night in the bacta tank is only gonna do so much for you, vod. You couldn’t pay me to bring you work.”

“You know that if I don’t work––”

“Trust me, it’s been taken care of. Eat something, go back to sleep.”

“I’m not tired.”

“Fox, I don’t think there’s been a day since you’ve been decanted that you haven’t been tired. Do you want me to get you another pillow?”

Fox settled with the fact that he’d lose this fight. “I might take a nap if you don’t tell another living soul what you saw.”

“Deal. But I’d be more worried about all the medics that were watching.”

“If I had more energy, I’d threaten to demote you or something, but I don’t, so just use your imagination.”

“Not a problem. At least you get jello.”

“I hate jello.”

“Cool, hold onto yours for me then.”

Fox settled back in bed and closed his eyes. Thorn would leave eventually. Heavy footsteps and the sound of the curtain closing confirmed Fox’s theory. The other commander’s departure created a stretch of blessed quiet. Fox didn’t fall asleep, not yet. Something tickled at the back of his mind. He tried following the rabbit trail of memories from earlier. His eyes flew open.

“Kark! The bill.”

Chapter Text

The lift door shut with two troopers inside. One pressed a floor button. 

“Did you contact the boys in Diplomatic Services for the others on the list?” Drew turned to Watt.

“I got the comm right when we finished interviewing the last secretary. Nothing.” A distorted yawn broke through his helmet’s speakers. “I need a nap,” he groaned.

“Do you think we’ll be done after this?”

“We could go a little longer and work a double shift.”

Drew nodded. He prepared for another few hours on his feet. Working harder, pushing harder. It’s what was expected. Still, it didn’t stop Drew from leaning into Watt’s shoulder. “Maybe when we get back, Judge will have that mural behind his bunk done. He’s almost finished.”

“I hope so. If he drops one more paint can while I’m trying to sleep I’m going to report him.”

The lift doors opened. Lock and Hercules stepped in. 

“Are floors eight and nine done?” Herc tucked a datapad under his arm and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“We can’t do much of a search, but initially we found nothing. No one recognized the intruder and everything’s still quiet with the guard and Tunded. I don’t think this might be as connected as you think.” Drew pressed the button to go back down through the Senate building. The lift slowly glided down to the service hallways.

Herc took out the pad again and flipped through a folder of holos. “I don’t know about that. One of the cleanup crews sent in the files of the thugs chasing after Senator Chuchi and Commander Thorn. Does he look familiar?” The holo showed a supine body in civilian clothes. A blaster burn marked the center of his chest. 

“The mechanic?” Drew said. 

“We just got that info,” Lock added. 

“So it’s an organization? A hired gun?”

“Seems like it. The report attached describes the warehouse the commander and senator were kept in. When they got there, it was empty. I would bet the kidnappers might still be trying to hurt her.” Herc tucked his tablet back under his arm. 

“But Senator Chuchi’s detail has already been made aware,” Lock said.

The lift door dinged open, but Hercules held out his arm to stop his brothers from spilling out. 

“What are you doing?” Drew said. 

“We didn’t check all the rooms.” Herc pressed the key panel, lighting up the button for the top floor. 

“Of course we did. You’re the one with the list. Is your bucket on backward?” Okay, maybe a double shift wasn’t such a good idea. Not without some caf first.

“Yeah, but interviewing everyone means going to the Chancellor. We need to talk about this as a group.” The lift began climbing up. 

Drew’s stomach dropped. Had his helmet been removed, his brothers would have seen his mouth slip open before exploding. “Are you crazy? Commander Fox doesn’t let anyone go near him. Not unless they’re assigned.”

“I’m just doing my job, Drew,” Hercules sighed.

“What are you expecting to find? If anyone that high found out why we were asking questions, I don’t think we’d be around very long.”

“I agree,” Watt said. “We shouldn’t even be here without direct orders. Herc, you’ve been toeing the line ever since we got asked to help out.” 

Hercules’ helmet tilted sharply. “I’m helping out. I’m doing exactly what my commanding officer asked of me.” Herc straightened up to reach for any extra height. 

“We’re being di’kut, right? That’s what Commander Fox said not to be. Our commander .” Drew flexed each syllable. 

“He asked us to do a job. You’re Corrie Guard, aren’t you?” Herc said.

“We all are,” Drew bit back. “Lock, back me up.”

Lock remained silent for a moment. His weight shifted from one foot to the other. “They act like it, but the Chancellor’s Office isn’t above the law. We serve the Republic, right?”

The lift filled with palpable silence. Drew hung his head. Couldn’t job requirements just be good training scores and maybe making a great cup of caf? No, it had to be risking your life for people who wouldn’t even look you in the eye. Eventually, the quiet drained out with mutters of agreement. 

Watt cleared his throat and tapped his comm. “I’m checking in with Mav first so someone knows where we’re at in case… you know. If you go, Herc, we’ll come with you, but we better do it quick before someone orders us not to.” 

The lift opened to the luxuriously carpeted upper level. Watt and Lock filed out but Drew caught Herc’s shoulder. “He’ll kill us if he finds out what we’re doing,” he whispered.

“Then we’ll make sure it’s worth it.” Hercules shook off Watt’s hand. 

The four guards padded down the halls. Corrie guards on duty hardly acknowledged the newcomers. Drew’s skin crawled. Defying a direct order came with a price. He could handle bruises or words, but if one of his brothers disappeared, none of it would be worth it. Drew shook his head. He’d need a clear mind for this. 

The hallway ended with the doors into the office Hawkshaw squad only heard stories and warnings of. A trooper stood outside standing with perfect posture. Although clean, scrapes and scratches marred his plastoid, far more telling of rank than any paint. 

“We’re here to see the Chancellor,” Hercules said. 

“Do you have an appointment?” 

“We’re here on behalf of Commander Fox.”

The guard spun around and knocked. Another sentry opened the door from the inside. 

“Commander Fox sent some men to see the Chancellor,” the first guard said. 

The one in the office nodded. “Wait here.” The door snicked shut. 

Drew forced his hands to stay rooted at his side. Just a few questions, force permitting, and then they could get to the mess and be back in the barracks before lights out.

“The Chancellor will see you now.”

*

Riyo curled up on the couch. She promised herself not to work tonight. The novel downloaded on her datapad dimmed from inactivity. With a tap, the screen brightened and she tried focusing back on the story. 

“I thought you weren’t working?” Liva passed by with a steaming cup of tea. 

“I’m not.”

“You look like you’re thinking of something important, not about the book I recommended.” She took the armchair across from her. 

“I’d read it if I could concentrate, but,” She set the tablet on the end table. “I think I’m going to go out.”

“Would you like me to call an escort?”

“No, I’m going alone.”

“No, you’re not, Riyo.”

“I need to leave. Just a few hours to myself.” Riyo squeezed her hands together to ease the urgency at the back of her mind. None of her thoughts would let her rest. 

“Unfortunately, you don’t have that luxury.”

“Liva,” Riyo begged.

“You’re going to see Commander Fox again, aren’t you?” 

Riyo paused. She pursed her lips before answering. “It’s important for people to visit their friends when they are in the hospital.”

Liva’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s hardly a friendship on your end, my dear.” Riyo’s cheeks flushed, accompanied by the regret of sharing her thoughts. “I don’t know what you see in him. You deserve better.”

“Well first, I didn’t take you for a matchmaker and I think you’re very bad at it. Second, he’s one of the most decorated soldiers in the Republic army. I don’t know how you can get much better than that. You’d like him if you actually got to know him. I think you have more in common than you think.”

“I know him enough. And we do have things in common. We both have to look after the Pantoran senator who runs off into trouble.” Liva took a sip from her mug. Riyo knew she was trying to make a joke, she really did but tonight wasn’t the night. Liva continued on with her piece. “Why couldn’t you have liked a nice Pantoran nobleman? Instead, you’ve chosen a clone who doesn’t even seem to look at you as more than a “target.” His words, not mine. I’m sorry, but from how he reacted...” Liva trailed off. 

A knot twisted in Riyo’s gut. “What did you say to him?”

“I barely said anything. All I did was ask him a question and he didn’t even respond. Riyo, I’d love to help you pursue this, but It’s my job to see you seated as a senator for as long and successfully as possible.” 

“So it’s the reputation you’re worried about. Well, it’d be easier if people weren’t sticking their noses into other people’s business.”

Liva sighed and swirled the liquid left in her cup. “It would. Even if this wasn’t about reputation, I don’t think you’re going to find what you’re looking for in him.”

“You don’t know that. You spent less than a day in his company. How is that enough to make an assumption?” Riyo tried to keep the hurt out of her voice.

“I’m not above admitting I’m wrong, but you’re going to break your heart if you’re not careful.”

“Then you’ll just have to trust my judgment, Liva,” Riyo straightened up. Losing her temper at a friend trying to look out for her hadn’t been on her schedule tonight. And it wouldn’t be. She’d fix this in the morning when she could focus on something other than the events of the past few days and the new workload of preparing for the bill. 

Riyo rose from her seat and grabbed her shawl draped on the back of her chair. “I’ll be heading off to bed then.”

“One moment.” Liva set down her drink. “Chairman Papenoida requested a meeting with you as soon as possible. He settled for speaking with you in the morning.”

“What do you mean he settled?”

“You deserve to have one nice evening after what happened. Apparently, it could wait until tomorrow.”

It certainly didn’t seem like a nice evening to Riyo, but she nodded all the same. “Thank you. Goodnight.”

*

“Sir, take it slow.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Fox grunted. With one hand, he steadied himself on the medbay cot and waved away the medic hovering at his side with the other. He easily conquered sitting upright, but the amount of effort to get from sitting to standing seemed about as feasible as growing wings and flying out of the medbay. Fox turned back to the medic, staring him down, unimpressed. 

“...Do you need help, sir?” 

“A little,” Fox bit out. He counted down from five instead of wiping off the smug look on his vod’s face. Fox grabbed the gloved hand offered. He pushed off the bed and rested his weight on his left leg. Fox squeezed his eyes shut to appease the sudden headrush. 

“Whatcha doing?” Stone and Thire stepped into the view. 

“Shit,” Fox spat under his breath. He fell back onto the bed. “What’re you two doing here?”

“Uh, visiting you, di’kut. He wasn’t trying to escape was he?” Stone said to the medic, Quart. 

“No sir, just has ants in his blacks.”

“We can take him from here, thank you.” Thire placed a hand on Fox’s shoulder and nodded to Quart. Fox resisted the urge to buck it off. Quart left the sectioned off room if it could be called that. 

“I don’t need to be babysat,” he grumbled. 

“We’re not here to babysit you,” Thire said.

“Actually, we’re here to give you this.” Stone extended a datapad but pulled it back before Fox could take it. “Don’t make us come back and take this away from you tonight. Sleep.”

“Gimme that.” Fox snatched the tablet out of his hand. 

Thire crossed his arms. “Didn’t Thorn tell you we had everything covered?”

“Yes, but I hate this. You would too,” Fox said. 

“No shit, vod, but if you don’t take a break, you’re gonna get yourself killed. You almost did.”

“That,” Fox pointed at Thire. “Was not my fault and you know it.”

“I’m sure you can find time for a break between mindlessly signing paperwork and wooing Senator Chuchi.” Stone said.

Fox refused to react to Stone’s prodding. “How about once this is over I’ll take a really long nap, huh?” He settled onto the cot. With these two, he wouldn’t be going anywhere now. 

“So when are you going to crack and tell your woman how you really feel?” Thire gushed. He pulled himself onto the bed next to Fox. 

Fox rolled his eyes and leaned back. Of course, they didn’t come here just to give him the datapad. “That’s not what we’re talking about.”

“Unless he already has? I mean you’ve already gone on like 20 dates. You must’ve made a move sometime?” 

“Not dates. Those were meetings. Boring meetings because unlike some people, I’m doing my job.”

“No wonder you’re so cranky. You need some lovin’ Fox’ika,” Stone nudged Fox’s arm. 

“Call me that again and I’ll personally throw you out the window.”

“Good luck in the state you’re in. Although that would also disqualify you from spending a night with your senator in another boring meeting.” Stone took a half step back before Fox could prove him wrong. Fox prepared to strangle him anyway. “Oh, and we did come here for work.  to clear some things up with you. Shouldn’t take long.”

“What do you need?”

“I was looking over some reports and some things didn’t add up. What is the assignment Hawkshaw squad’s on? No CO has been assigned for whatever they’re doing.”

“That would be me. I authorized the investigation, and it’s better if I don’t know what they get up to.” Fox refrained from sharing the report he received last time they’d been sent into the wild. Shinies, the lot of them. He really should deal with this problem, but the results looked promising. First, he needed to deal with the men in front of him now. “Did Thorn speak with you?” 

“About what?”

If Thorn really had told Thire and Stone about his nap with Riyo, they’d never let him rest again. He would have to see what Thorn’s demands were to keep his mouth shut. “Nothing.”

“Was he supposed to tell us anything?”

“No, just don’t let him take the initiative on the investigation. I don’t want to add more fuel to whatever fire Hawkshaw squad started this time.”

Thire chuckled. “Got it. I’ll make sure to keep him away.” His comm beeped angrily. Thire groaned and pressed the mute function. “Do you need anything?”

“A drink? You’re all gonna kill me before any blaster bolt.”

“Just doing our duty,” Stone said. 

“Of course,” Thire said. “Rest up and maybe we’ll break out the good stock when you're out of here.”

“That scavenged shit is disgusting.” Fox’s nose wrinkled. If his brother’s possessed an ounce more of self-preservation, there wouldn’t be half the stuff they brought back into the barracks.  

“Y’know, I bet senators have some good taste. You could ask Miss––”

“Thire, that message looks urgent. You better take it.” 

The two commanders chuckled and waved goodbye. Fox shook his head but a discreet smile tugged at his lips. He settled with the fact that he’d end up drinking whatever Stone found. 

Fox tugged the paper-thin blanket over himself. The course material slid over freshly healed skin. Bacta took care of the burns. Another dip in the tank could heal up the remaining injuries, but between the bed and the bacta tank, the bed was the cheaper option. A commander could order an opening. Fox rejected the choice.

He reached for the datapad and braced for a few hours of work. He propped the tablet up but didn’t turn it on. His reflection stared back at him from the blank screen. Brotherly teasing normally didn’t phase him, but part of their chatter nagged at him. No, he didn’t go on dates with Senator Chuchi. Absolutely not. Her outings with him were strictly to better their campaign or to do his job like a karking commander should. 

But not last night. 

What if she came back to visit him? He could send a message. No. If she wanted to see him, then she’d be here. 

Fox tossed the datapad to the side. Better to put it away then tempt the selfish desire to see a different face. One with soft features and sharp intelligent eyes. A face with blue cheeks and nose that turned a rosy color whenever she laughed or cried. He attempted to ward off the delusion of kissing her pink. Fox finally turned the tablet on and groaned at the hundreds of notifications. He began working through the pile of work, but thoughts of Riyo in his arms crept in the back of his mind. 

Tomorrow. He could go back to not thinking about Riyo tomorrow. The lie would at least help him sleep better.

Chapter Text

Riyo slumped over the table and let the rigid tension seep out of her. Out of all the ways she’d expected her morning to go, laying in defeat wasn’t one of them. She would have to tell him. Oh goddess, she couldn’t face him after all this. Riyo turned her head so it rested on her arm. She stared listlessly out the window. Crisp Pantoran air could unmuddle this whole mess. Riyo bit back a bitter laugh. Oh, she’d get that Pantoran air sooner than later.

She set her jaw and rose from the only chair placed at the conference table. She slipped the small holoprojector into her bag. Any other day she’d be practically skipping to her next destination, but her feet remained firmly planted on the drab hallways webbing the Senate meeting rooms. A group of nautolans filed into the now empty room to take up that time slot. 

Riyo adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder. She had time for a quick stop before the next draining meeting. A trail of disgruntled politicians and office workers funneled into the cafeteria. Her stomach growled. The morning hadn’t left enough time for a proper breakfast. Food could wait. Caf could not. 

A taller figure dressed in dark clothing walked past her in the opposite direction.

 Riyo stopped. “Senator Organa, just the person I wanted to speak with. Do you have a moment?”

“Hello, Senator Chuchi. Yes, I do have a moment, and I heard your bill has a date on the Senate floor. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I didn’t expect this all to go so quickly or the…” Riyo searched for a politically correct term for being kidnapped and left shaking and terrified and a thousand other things equally as miserable. “Complications.”

“Yes, I heard about that too.” Bail’s gaze fell to the floor but immediately settled back on her. “Let me know what I can do. I want to see this through.” Bail took a step forward.

Riyo took a step back. “Actually, would you be available for a lunch meeting?”

“I don’t believe I have any other engagements.” Bail nodded with a small smile twisting his mouth. 

“I will see you then.” 

At least she had this when everything else failed. 

*

Riyo knocked against Fox’s office door with her elbow. She steadied the cups of caf she picked up from one of the stalls in the Senate cafeteria. No answer. Riyo frowned and knocked again. 

She spun around to catch any clues as to why she’d gotten no response. A few guards walked down the hallway but one with scruffy hair and his helmet clipped to his belt caught her eye. 

“Excuse me, Commander Thorn?” Riyo stepped over to him before he could round the corner. 

“Senator Chuchi, nice to see you again. Did you need something?”

“Yes, I have a meeting with Commander Fox, but he doesn’t seem to be in his office. Do you know where he might be?”

Thorn’s eyes squinted and his head tilted to the side. “Hold on.” He stepped over to the door and entered in a code. It swished open and Thorn ducked inside the dark room. “Sorry, ma’am, no Fox. He was there at the start of the early shift, so if he tried to leave he couldn’t have gotten far.” 

“Gotten far?” 

“The Commander’s mobility isn’t exactly at full capacity. Really, he should be in the medbay for another week, but he probably convinced one of my brothers to take him to his office. I’ll keep an eye out, but if you find him, could you maybe corral him back there?”

The thought of corralling a belligerent Fox back home broke through some of her frustrations from earlier. The edge of her lips quirked up. “Yes, I believe persuading people is one of my many talents.” 

“Good, you’ll need all the help you can get. If he gets grumpy, just give me a call.” Thorn smiled, so utterly different from Fox’s own. “Or just do what you have to do.”

“Understood.  Thank you, Thorn. I’m afraid I really do have to go find our wayward commander for my meeting, but it’s good to see you again.” Riyo shifted the bag on her shoulder as best as she could with both hands full. 

“My pleasure, ma’am. Don’t let him give you any trouble.” Thorn bobbed his head and went on his way. Riyo took off in the opposite direction. Where the kark had he gone? She searched through the closest hallways. For the number of times she’d been in the Coruscant Guard Headquarters unless it was the main corridors clearly marked or the way to Fox’s office, the building remained a mystery. The troopers she passed merely ignored her.

By the time she’d searched the wider, more well-traveled sectors, her poor spirits returned. As she walked, Riyo opened up her communication link and call him. No answer. Riyo quickened her steps. Thorn suggested he wouldn’t leave the building. But Fox didn’t miss meetings either. 

She poked her head down another passage. At the end of the hall stood two guards talking quietly with their backs to her. The inverted colors of the one leaning against the wall gave away his identity immediately. Riyo sighed from relief. And her hands were beginning to cramp. 

“Look, you have to put in these orders first. Click here, and everything sorts itself out automatically. Both you and the senator get the order confirmation.” Fox handed the datapad back to the guard.

“Thank you, Commander.” He quickly saluted. 

Riyo smiled softly. The opportunity to watch Fox without the close to crushing pressure of the more active parts of his job didn’t present itself often. The trooper slipped past her, leaving Riyo alone with her commander. He popped off his helmet and ran a gloved hand through his curls. She took a step closer and Fox whipped around. 

“Who’s–– oh.” His expression rose in recognition and fell after getting a good look at her. Riyo doubled her smile to wash away the unsure expression coming from Fox. She extended the cup in her right hand. 

“What’s this?” he said.

“Your caf. It was on the way and I thought you’d appreciate it.” 

“Thank you. If I don’t want a cup of caf, assume I’ve died and you’re talking to Thire.” Fox accepted the steaming drink. She wished a cup of caf could soothe away the dark, ever present circles under his eyes and the strain in his voice. “Is there a reason you’re alone? They told me you weren’t allowed to go anywhere without an armed escort.”

“I’m not alone. I’m with you.” She brushed the issue aside. Liva already stuck to her side all morning in place of the guards she demanded not follow her all through the Senate dome. All she craved was a quiet moment. Just Riyo and Fox. The rest of their problems could stay locked out for a short while. She brought her attention fully on the man in front of her, looking a bit more put together and coherent than the last time she’d seen him. “How are you feeling?”

“Not dead yet.” The corner of his mouth lifted. Fox subtly shifted against the wall to keep himself from slipping. She’d hardly seen him in such a relaxed stance. He always stood with a purpose. Fox cupped both hands around the warm disposable drink. “And you?” he said.

Riyo cleared her throat and adjusted her hold on her own cup to buy herself some time. Fox’s dark eyes tracked each small movement. Her lips quirked up. 

“I’m fine, thank you. Busy, actually, but that’s not really news.” 

“Sorry about the meeting. Work.” He gestured vaguely in the direction the trooper left.

“I understand.” Riyo stamped down on the anticipation pooling in her stomach. “I need to tell you something.”

“What?”

“I’m returning to Pantora.” Fox’s face remained still and calm, so she continued. “The chairman demanded I attend. My people need me there.”

Fox’s head tilted a fraction to the side. “How long will be gone?”

“I’m scheduled to return in time to vote for our bill, so I will be there, but that means I won’t make it in time to present it. Duty to my people supersedes my other duties here. I’m not going to be able to speak in front of the Senate.” Regret seeped through her teeth. 

Fox squared his shoulders. "It has to be delayed. It can't be presented if you're not there," he said matter of factly. 

"Well, not exactly."

"What is it?"

"You're not going to like it.” Riyo took a breath and straightened her headpiece. “You're in a unique position. Since we're co-sponsoring it, you are able to present the bill."

"Absolutely not. What about Senator Organa? He’s supporting this too.”

“I will be speaking with him about the change in plans, but lending his support and sponsoring are two different things. I wish he could, but we can work with this. You’re a commander. Surely you’ve spoken to a large group of people before?”

“Briefing my men and speaking in front of the full Galactic Senate is not the same thing.”

“Can there really be that much of a difference?”

“I can’t yell at them, otherwise I would’ve tried becoming a politician a long time ago. This is not the same.”

“I was unsure my first time speaking, too. I’ll help you through it.”

A deep frown settled over Fox’s features.

“Alright,” Riyo amended. “I did have years of schooling and many internships before I ever became a senator, but we’ll just have to make do with a crash course. This can work. You’re quick on your feet and steadfast in your convictions. People know who you are.”

“People know who I am because they can assign their hate to someone they recognize.” He took a sip of his drink. “They won’t listen. You’re the senator, Riyo.”

“You can demand to be heard. I can help you even if I’m away.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

A moment of silence floated by. Riyo bit back a convicting speech. She didn’t trust the surface objections. She wouldn’t be the one to change his answer now. “You don’t have to decide at this moment, Fox, but I do need an answer. Please think it over.”

“When do you leave?”

“First thing tomorrow morning. I was given the day to set things in order.” Fox’s lips pressed tightly together. His chin tilted down so he no longer met her eyes. She could’ve sworn extra years he hadn’t yet lived fell on his shoulders. “We’ll talk before I go, just don’t make your choice before then.”

"I just hoped we’d have more time.”

“I know,” she said softly. “I’ll walk you back to your office.”

*

Fox stared at the ceiling in his room from his bed. Five hours until he had to give Riyo a decision. His body shouted for him to rest louder than any of his brothers could. He still needed to heal, but here he lay, alone, in the dark, and painfully awake. 

Her file might've said Riyo Chuchi will be gone for eight days, but something ached in Fox's chest that made it feel like much longer. She was leaving. Was she leaving him? Was all this her excuse to bail? Fox grit his teeth and pulled himself up to sit on the edge of his bunk. No, she was better than that.

It still didn't change what he'd have to tell her in the morning. No one could make this decision for him. It was his job to look out for his brothers under him. But maybe he could solve one piece of the puzzle keeping him up. He just had to fix something and ignoring the particular problem that came to mind was doing more harm than good.

Fox snatched up his comm resting on the floor within arm's reach. His heart thundered in his chest. He could do this. The comm-link sat lifeless in his hands. He opened a channel.

“Thorn?”

“Yeah?”

“I need your help.”

“Is it an emergency? I’m on duty right now.”

“No, no. Is this line secure?”

“Always. What’s wrong?”

“I… need––” he grimaced at the next words. “Relationship advice.” The comm-link remained silent for a long moment. This was a mistake. Fox almost cut the channel but Thorn spoke. 

“Finally.”

“Thorn, I need you to listen to me carefully. You can’t tell anyone about this. I’m trusting you. I just need to know what to do.”

“Well first of all, you have to be nice. They won’t like it if you’re your grumpy self,” Thorn said. “No one does for that matter,” he added under his breath.

“Thorn.”

“Right, right. I’m going to need some details, Fox.”

“Like?”

“Are they cute?” 

Fox hung up on Thorn. “I don’t need this right now,” he muttered. “It can’t be that hard to figure this out.”

His comm blinked. “What?”

“I’m trying to help you out!” Thorn said. “So answer the question.”

“Yes, she’s cute. That’s not relevant.”

“No, but I wanted to hear you say it.”

“Advice. Now.” Every minute spent talking with Thorn was a minute he could be sleeping. 

“So you have to show you like her. Make a move. Maybe flowers, although I don’t know where you’d get flowers. Some type of gift?” 

“We don’t own anything. I don’t have anything to give.”

“You have flimsiwork. Maybe fold some of those up into a swan or something. I once saw a street vendor folding some flimsi into a goat, it was really fascinating. You should try––”

“Can you box up the bullshit for three seconds?”

“So just ask her out. Everyone knows the most valuable thing you have is your time. That and your mugs. So com her for a walk or dinner or something sappy.” The comm crackled for a moment. “You like her, right?”

Fox rubbed his eyes. “Yeah I like her. She’s kind and smart and beautiful. Gods, she’s gorgeous. She brought me coffee this morning. You don't even bring me coffee."

"Hey!"

"Now she’s leaving. Tomorrow."

“Oh. She's coming back though?”

“She is.”

“Fox, you found something good. Don’t screw this up by overthinking.”

“I’m the one that’s going to screw this up?”

“Yeah, if you’re interested in her, you can wait a week, can’t you?”

“Fine, fine, fine.” He was not overthinking this. Not in the slightest. A commander was always prepared, that’s what he was, prepared. “Just tell me what this is gonna cost me. What are your demands for keeping everything between us?” Fox squeezed the commlink between his fingers. The guard did share one thing with the politicians they served: one could be bought with information. 

Thorn stayed painfully silent for another moment. “Nothing.”

“Thorn,” Fox warned. 

“I mean it. Why would I want to expose you to anyone, even if it’s just Stone and Thire? They’ll figure it out with no help from me. I’m ride or die for this relationship.”

“My relationship?”

“Yes, of course, are you not listening? You need anything, any advice, I’m there. And don’t worry you don’t need to thank me.”

“I wasn’t going to. I know you’re going to make my life hell as soon as no one’s listening.”

“I don’t even need blackmail for that,” Thorn snickered. 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

“I’ll see you in the morning, vod.”

*

Fox walked next to Riyo down to the landing platform. Her two pantoran guards walked in front and behind them. He couldn’t prove anything, but Riyo walked slower to force him to take it easy instead of letting him follow his habit of charging ahead. 

The small group traveled up to the beginning of one of the Senate’s transport docks. A gray sheet rolled across the Coruscant sky poking out between towering buildings. Fox’s HUD automatically called up departure and arrival information. 

Riyo paused before stepping out into the open. “Please leave us for a moment,” she said to the guards. “I need to speak with the commander about an important matter.” 

The guards bowed their heads and gave them enough space to hold a private conversation. Fox steeled himself. Nothing he could say would keep her here. Her ties to her people were too strong. He couldn’t blame her. He would do the same for his brothers. He was doing the same for his brothers.

“I hope you slept well?” 

“About normal, I’d guess.” 

“Oh, so not well?”

“Kinda had some things to think over.”

“Right.” She bit her lip. He waited patiently for her to get to the point. Riyo didn’t need to play polite around him but her tendencies didn’t change over time.

“Fox, you don’t need my permission to or to not agree to this. If you think the risk is too great, I understand.”

“No,” he said without hesitation. Fox looked into her eyes. She needs his voice. His brothers need his voice. He cleared his throat. “No. I’m going to do it. You better be one hell of a teacher.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” he confirmed.

Her smile stretched the tattoos across her cheeks. Riyo snatched his hand from his side. “You’re going to be amazing.”

A knot caught in his throat. He would be. He had to be, but her faith made it easier. 

“Be safe,” he whispered. She held his hand tighter.

“I will try. Promise me you will, too?” 

His heart ached. Even the commander of the Coruscant Guard couldn’t guarantee his own safety. It didn’t stop him from nodding. 

“You’ll be alright?” she said.

“Yes.”

“And you can call me at any time. Don’t even worry about the time changes.”

“Yes, Riyo.”

“Please do take care of yourself, Fox.”

“Riyo.”

“I know, I know.” A smile ghosted her lips. 

He chuckled softly. “Go, they’ll miss you.”  

Riyo squeezed his hand a few times before letting go. Riyo walked out onto the landing platform where the rest of her entourage waited at a respectful distance. 

Winds kicked up the edges of her clothes. The engines whined and the transport rose into the skylanes. Fox stayed until her ship faded into the distance. She’s coming back. He knows she’s coming back. He cleared his throat and marched up the stairway. 

Thorn stepped out from where he had hidden behind a pillar watching his back. 

“Come on, Fox. She’ll be fine.” Thorn clapped a hand on his shoulder. 

“Get off me, Thorn.” 

“She held your hand.”

“Stop.”

“You love her.”

“Shut up.”

Chapter Text

Fox ripped a strip of tape from the roll and placed it over his armor. To the untrained eye, the floor was a mess, but he navigated his maze to reach the paints. The brush glided over the armor. It took over an hour to buff out the scuffs left behind. Some pieces were too damaged to repair so he had to request new ones, but this was his kit and he wasn’t about to order a full shiny set. 

He applied an even coat of the Guard’s red paint. The monotonous task calmed his anxious hands. Fox contented himself on perfectly clean lines and a design different enough to stand out as a commander. He hated seeing artists transferred to the guard if only for the reason that protocol required uniformity. Every time he walked past the barracks and caught a shiny painting on the inside of his shoulder bell or chest plate, he never said a thing. He didn’t have the heart to tell them off. 

A knock came from the door.

“Who is it?” he called.   

The door swished open. Wolffe walked in. “Thought I’d find you here.” He popped off his helmet and tucked it under one arm. 

Fox set down his tools. “Wolffe.” 

“Fox.”

“You’re back from the front.”

“Had to happen sometime.”

“They couldn’t kill you yet, huh?”

“I could say the same for you.”

“How long are you here for?”

“Two days.”

“Not long enough.”

“You look like you could use the break more than me.”

“I don’t need it.”

“We’re worried for you, vod’ika.”

He cringed at the name, but Wolffe was on shore leave and it wasn’t worth fighting over. It was too early to pick his battles. “I’m not the one getting shot at by seppies all day.”

“When’s the last time you got a decent meal?” Riyo had asked him the same question the day before leaving and proceeded to promptly order something from her favorite restaurant.

“I’m eating. Stop fussing over me. Is this all you talk about when I’m not with the rest of you?”

Wolffe subtly shifted from one foot to the other. “So you gonna invite me in?”

Fox grunted. “Don’t step on anything.”

Wolffe took a seat in the guest chair pushed to the corner. “How did you manage to scuff up your kit enough to repaint and buff?” 

“I already had to replace most of it.”

“How did that happen?”

“Some explosion. I’m fine if you were gonna ask.”

“Was this a “get knocked on your ass and get up” explosion or a “spent two days in a bacta tank” explosion?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Fox laid down another strip of tape. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I already had enough reports to file.”

“Stop doing that.”

“What?”

“We always check-in.”

“You know I hate that.”

“The rest of us do it. Sending a quick ‘here’ once in a while would be nice. You didn’t check in when that giant worm wrecked half the Senate. You don’t have a general to tell the rest of us if you died.”

Fox bit the inside of his cheek. These words weren’t Wolffe’s. They both knew it.

“Are you gonna try and mother me like Ponds now? Is that your angle here?” he snapped. 

“What the hell is your problem? I’m trying to be nice––”

“Yeah, you’re not helping.”

“Let me fucking finish,” Wolffe growled. The guest chair creaked under his weight. He shifted like he was going to pounce. Fox swore if he messed up the paint––

“Get out of your head and talk to me, di’kut. I’m not… I know I’m not Ponds.”

Fox lifted his hand to pinch his nose but stopped before he smeared a blob of red paint across his face. “I’m not gonna talk about it.”

“I only got two more days to sit here. Hurry up.” Wolffe settled back into the chair. “What was it this time? Obviously, nothing that made multiple-system news.”

Fox rubbed out a smudge of paint with the pad of his thumb. “Recovering two kidnapped targets. Everyone made it out fine. No casualties or major injuries. It actually was one of the best case scenarios I’ve had.”

“Everyone made it out fine, except you.”

“As long as they made it out, it was worth it,” he said gruffly. He reached for the brush to keep painting. 

Fox looked up when Wolffe hadn’t said anything. “What?”

“So they weren’t just some lazy senators or something?”

“Oh gods here we go,” he muttered under his breath. “No.”

“Again, Fox, I’m not going to be here long enough for you to finish if you’re gonna be this slow.”

“One was Thorn.”

“The loud CC?”

“He was assigned here. Gave me a heart attack after he left behind bloody armor when we were tracking ‘em down. Just a light stabbing.” 

Wolffe let out a breath of laughter, but wisely shut up. 

“The other was the tiny blue senator. Chuchi. She was on a mission with Rex a while ago.”

“You know I don’t care about other people’s missions, let alone whoever tagged along. So why’s she so special? You hate the people here.”

“She’s nice.”

“That’s it? ‘She’s nice’?” 

Fox huffed and tilted his head. 

Wolffe’s mouth fell open. A slow, evil smile crossed his face. “Oh.” 

“It’s complicated.”

“No, you found someone. Okay, getting blown to shit, that’s water under the bridge. When you find someone you have to tell us. Batch rules.”

“We never made those rules.” 

“Tell that to Bly.”

“That’s Bly. He could talk for three days straight about his love life.”

“If you’re not going to tell them, I will.” He reached for his comm the same moment Fox grabbed the can of paint. Wolffe hesitated over the button. “Fox, put the can down. I just cleaned my armor.”

“Try me, bitch.”

“Alright, easy.” Wolffe let his hand fall into his lap. “So how’d you end up liking a senator?”

Fox set the paint down. His shoulders dropped. “I said it’s complicated.”

“Complicated how? Did she rope you into something? What's wrong?”

“We wrote a bill.” 

Wolffe stared at him blankly.

“We’re trying to get citizenship. It already passed the committee’s approval and will be presented in front of the Senate in a week.”

“That’s… “ Wolffe exhaled a long, slow breath. “That’s something.” 

Fox drummed his fingers against his chest plate in front of him. “Yeah.”

“What would that mean if it passed?”

“We could choose. It would start the talk about salary, sentient rights. There wouldn’t be anymore recommissioning or decommissioning. I don’t know what we’d do after the war, but we would be able to do it.”

Wolffe scanned the far wall. “Why’s she doing it? Is it a sick joke? That’ll never pass and you know it.”

“If anyone can change people’s minds, it’s Riyo. She changed mine. It’s too late to turn back now. You’d do it for your men too if you had the chance.”

“You’ve been working on this bill and didn’t bother telling us about it?”

“I didn’t think I’d even get this far,” Fox answered honestly. The past few weeks quickly evolved from a pipe dream into a stomach-churning reality. “And I thought you’d stop me.”

“Why would we stop you?”

“I’d be pretty pissed if someone was going around speaking on my behalf.”

“I do understand about you looking after your men. Trust me, I do. I’d do anything, but Fox’ika, I wouldn’t have thought of this. Even if I had, I don’t think I’d get half as far. I’ve seen your boys here and they’re some of the best, but…” Wolffe swiped a hand over his face. “Gods Fox, ‘lightly stabbed’ isn’t usually a term for ‘everything is normal’.” 

“I’m aware,” Fox said. 

“So shut it about the rest of us not understanding. You’re the best for the job.”

“You’re not much of a flatterer Wolffe’ika.”

“You’re the ‘ika here, and I mean it. Have you seen my paperwork?”

“Yes, I have. At least your general can file accurately.”Fox took a deep, settling breath and pointed to a piece of plastoid. “Can you hand me that? I have to get this done and dried in a few hours.”

Wolffe reached down and tossed it to Fox. “All I gotta be is accurate with a blaster. Now if passing this bill meant hand to hand combat, then I could help.”

“Excuse you, I still got you beat there.” 

Wolffe rolled his eyes and leaned back into the chair to sulk. “Do I at least get to meet this “nice” woman you’re writing this thing with?”

“She’s off-planet.” Fox set a piece of his armor off to the side to dry. “And she won’t be back until after the bill’s been presented.”

“Wait, she’s a senator, right? They’re usually the ones who talk about that kind of stuff in front of people.”

“Yeah,” Fox said bitterly.

“Then who’s gonna do it?”

“Me.”

“Can you do that?”

“I doubt the Republic anticipated something like this happening so there aren’t any rules against it.”

Wolffe rested his jaw against his knuckles. “So a week, huh?”

“Yeah.” Fox sighed. He corrected a stray stroke of red and set the finished plate down.

“Okay,” Wolffe cleared his throat. “I trust you.”

Chapter Text

All things considered, Fox’s day was going great. No one had died (that he knew of), the demands of the Senate had fallen into blessed quiet for a few hours, not a single person had barged into his office all day, and he’d just finished the last impromptu manual Riyo had sent him on senate procedure. The sheer amount of information drilled into his brain created an overwhelming wave reminiscent of flash training as a cadet. But he had to memorize it all because he’d be presenting tomorrow. 

And then his stomach dropped like it had been doing all day. It got worse as the hours dropped into single digits until he had to leave. 

Fox leaned back in his office chair. He ran a hand down his face and took a moment to breathe. Simple tasks like reading and signing official documents helped keep his mind off the inevitable, but after completing each one, that inevitable stared him in the face. 

The chair squeaked when Fox got up. He stretched and snatched up his bucket. Sitting around would only make his anxiety worse. 

Below the offices, barracks, and training rooms, the Guard facility was outfitted with a blaster range. Fox found an empty lane and began selecting target settings. A loud group of shinies did the same three booths down. A number of off-duty shock troopers watched, critiquing posture, stance, grip, anything to keep themselves busy. A shiny left the booth after his turn and set his blaster aside.

“Check your safety, trooper.” Their heads snapped up at his voice.

“Yes, Commander.” The man scrambled to fix his blunder. 

“Anything I can do for you, sir?” Their sergeant crossed the range to greet him. A limp slowed him down. Grit, Fox guessed. His report stated he had been injured in the lower-level riots. 

“Nothing from me, Grit. Just make sure your boys don’t blow their own heads off.”

“Will do. And, Sir,” he lowered his voice. “Since you’re here, I wanted to say thank you.”

Fox stopped messing with the range terminal. “What for?”

“Everyone might not agree with what you’re trying to do, but we’re grateful you’re going in front of the Senate for us.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m hardly the one you should be thanking. I don’t represent our men.”

“You’re our commander,” Grit said. In his words were a sincerity most troopers under him rarely used with him. A wave of warmth flooded through Fox's chest. Of course, he was their commander.  Nothing could pull him from that duty. Screaming crowds and cruel politicians be damned. Protect Coruscant. Protect his men. 

He nodded. “Yes, I––” He looked over Grit’s shoulder. One of the off-duty troopers threw a ration bar wrapper at a vod taking his turn firing.

“Hey!” His sharp voice cut through the room. A sudden quiet followed. “Enough. If you’re not here to shoot, get out.” They filed out past Fox. “I see that again and you’ll be cleaning the barracks for a month. You’re the Coruscant Guard, not cadets.”

“Yes, sir,” they responded. 

“Sergeant Grit,” Fox said. “I should let you get back to your squad.”

“Thank you, commander.”

“Stay safe out there. I have a feeling it’s going to get worse.”

Grit saluted and returned to his squad. A small smile tilted the corner of his lips. Inside the Guard Headquarters, goofing off didn’t have the tragic consequences the rest of Coruscant did. They still had time to learn all about that. 

Fox finished setting up. The methodical aim and squeeze of the blaster in a familiar target pattern calmed his thoughts. Over the next half hour, his body settled into an easy rhythm. 

When he turned to change out the heat charge, another trooper stepped into the booth.

“When was the last time you slept?” Thorn leaned against the divider, arms crossed. 

“I have to go in front of the Senate in six hours.”

“So what are you doing here? You’re not on shift and we've got everything taken care of for tomorrow. Put the blaster down and go to bed.”

Fox threw his brother a glare. “Stay out of my business.” He holstered his DC’s anyway and reset the system. 

“You actually get a night to sleep and you’re down here at the range?”

“I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway.” Fox pushed past Thorn. His brother followed him all the way to Fox’s office. He’d kept a cot in there for nights like this. Thorn popped the seal in his helmet. He had been up as long as Fox. Their shifts started at the same time and at this time, he should be asleep in the command bunks. Instead, he tossed his helmet on the floor and began stripping off his armor.

“What are you doing?” Fox said.

“I’m bunking with you tonight,” Thorn grunted, crawling onto the cot and grabbing the blanket. Thorn’s eyes closed and he threw the blanket at Fox. “Get over here.”

Fox snatched the cloth and whipped it back at Thorn before falling into the bed after him. “You fucker.”

“Promise to not touch a datapad or stylus until you wake up?” 

“Go to sleep, Thorn.” 

He got an elbow in the side for that. Thorn turned into a heater against his side. Fox waited until his breathing deepened. Moving slowly so he didn’t disturb Thorn, Fox pulled out a datapad he kept under the cot. The pad lit up with an editable version of tomorrow’s speech. Stress flooded back into his body that the range had temporarily dispelled.

He started reading but with each line and paragraph, he shook his head. These were Riyo’s words, not his. Fox grabbed a stylus and began making revisions. He crossed out and replaced a word here, changed the greeting, and put his name as the speaker instead of her’s. 

Satisfied, he carefully placed the datapad back where it had been and leaned into Thorn. He listened to his soft snores until he drifted off, too. Riyo was a senator. He could talk to her and she’d listen. Now to talk to the rest of them. And if they didn’t listen, he’d make them.

*

“Commander Fox. Are you ready?” Bail Organa said as he walked Fox to the spare pod they’d managed to secure. Fox almost laughed. He couldn’t just say that he’d never been more unprepared in his life. No, he’d have to power through, though he approved Riyo’s choice in who to accompany him into the chamber. In addition to being a political powerhouse, Organa always spared a moment to ask Fox how he was. He never let him fall behind in the conversation. 

“Fine, sir. Thank you for asking.”

“Just don’t faint.” He laughed at his joke and Fox tried to do the same, but it wasn’t an unlikely possibility. He’d never fainted in his life. Beaten into unconsciousness, yes. But he wouldn’t allow it. He’d rather throw himself over the pod’s railing than pass out. 

They turned through the halls of the Senate until they reached the correct entrance. Voices floated through the opening as senators and representatives waited for the Senate to assemble. 

Fox ran through the agenda just like Riyo explained it. He’d present the bill then there would be an opportunity to ask questions, but that gave the other senators a chance to hurt their argument so he would shut that down before it began.

Senator Organa wished him luck and left for the Alderaan pod. Fox’s own detached and floated out into the chamber, leaving him alone. The Guard patrolled the Senate halls and kept watch over the room, but Fox decided against pulling any commanders away from their duty today to sit beside him. They’d be needed to deal with the aftermath depending on how this went. So Fox stood tall. He set his helmet in the seat behind him. Brothers wouldn't care, but most people liked seeing faces. 

The Senate buzzed. Most, if not all, had heard about the upcoming clone rights bill. It would change the structure of the GAR, it would change all the underhand dealings built on war profiteering. There would be outrage from companies and corporations and it could only be outweighed by the outrage from the people who put the Senators in their seats. Like that had worked in Fox’s experience. 

He squeezed his eyes shut. Getting through the next fifteen minutes required him to empty his mind of everything Coruscant had taught him since he’d taken up command of the Guard. How did Riyo do this? She always stood so tall, carved like a statue, unmoving, uncompromising in her beliefs. She never once doubted him even when she doubted herself. No one had that faith in him. No one ever made him indispensable like she did. Because he was indispensable. He had to do this, for himself, for his brothers. 

The second passed. Fox leveled his gaze at the rows and rows of people surrounding him. The floor quieted. Chancellor Palpatine’s pod rose up through the crowd right on schedule. Riyo explained beforehand the process of getting the attention of the Galactic Senate. The majority would work together to get the controversial bills over as quickly as possible, so it wasn’t long until Fox found himself speaking, now too late to back out. 

"Under Republic law, the clones in the Grand Army of the Republic are not classified under any state of sentience.” His voice rose, commanding the crowd. “Neither are they under any benefits from any governing system as other sentients are.

"For an organism to qualify as sentient––” Fox recited the speech, flowing easily from hours of practice. He’s not much of a storyteller. Riyo’s words come into use here. She carefully transcribed the stories he’d written in reports, ones blank and cold with hard facts, but she’d taken them and shed light on the stories that settled deep in the hearts of every clone. Some of the stories he’d never heard or struggles he’d never faced. 

Fox laid out the horrors of apathy towards men dying in the thousands every day, not only on the battlefield but in neighborhoods and at peaceful gatherings. They were forced into fighting for a galaxy that will never know their name because they weren’t given one. 

For a moment Fox wavered. His gaze flicked to the droid recording the session. He steeled himself before addressing the crowd one last time. His chin tilted up defiantly. 

“I will not do nothing.” His voice echoed in the near-silent chamber. “I hope you won’t either.” As his words faded, another spoke.

“The floor is now open for debate,” Palpatine addressed the senate. 

The moment he stopped speaking, Fox jumped on his chance before the rest of the senators in attendance. “Chancellor!” But a thousand voices had the same idea. 

“The floor recognizes Senator Organa.”

“Thank you, Chancellor. I yield the floor to Commander Fox.”

“The floor recognizes…” The man deliberately paused. “CC-1010.”

“I move to call for the previous question,” Fox said, unfazed. In an official capacity, the chancellor wasn’t in the wrong. Palpatine gave a thin-lipped smile. From where he stood, Fox dared to stare into Palpatine's eyes. Neither moved as a chorus of supporters in the chamber shouted to second Fox’s statement.

 “The motion has been made and seconded. The bill will be marked as unfinished business and the chamber will vote tomorrow morning. The floor is now open for new business.” 

Another bill quickly snatched up the floor and Fox turned his back on the rest of the room. He pressed the controls to dock his pod. The floor shuddered as it reattached to the chamber’s wall. 

Bail entered after a minute and clapped a hand on Fox’s back, a smile on his face.

“Well done, Representative.” He would’ve responded to either the touch or the title, but the shock of speaking still shuddered through his system. Fox managed a quick nod. He scooped up his helmet and took a seat. 

Fox waited a minute to breathe again and fall back into step as a commander, not a politician. 

“Command, check-in.”

Stone’s voice crackled to life. “All’s running smoothly.”

“Same here,” Thire said. 

“You looked fucking great on the big screen, vod.”

“...Thanks, Thorn.”