Chapter Text
Fox glared at his datapad as he typed out a report for a recent incident on one of the lower levels, deliberately punching in each letter. He’d still have to go over it two or three times after this to make sure none of the letters ended up switching themselves around as they had a habit of doing ever since he’d first learned to read and write. It would take him half the night just to get this one report finished. And he still had a virtual stack of paperwork to read through. He’d be lucky to get any sleep tonight. Stitch was going to kill him, if he didn’t kill himself first with these late nights. The medic had just chewed him out last week about it. Well, it couldn’t be helped. Not if he wanted to do his job properly. And, at the moment, that job meant paperwork.
The chime on his office door dinged, jolting him from his intense concentration. The very last thing he needed right now was a distraction. Heaving a sigh, he reached over to press the button to open the door, ready to level whatever hapless di’kut who thought it was a good idea to interrupt him with his most scathing glare and shove his datapad so far down their throat…
The door swished open to reveal Thire on the other side, helmet tucked under his arm. Fox let his glare burn down to a smolder. He would never very well hurt any of his brothers as much as they may have heard him mumble empty threats at them now and again.
Thire raised a brow in response as he stepped into the room. “Your shift ended two hours ago.”
Fox lifted the datapad he still wanted to shove down someone’s throat. One of the chakaaryc senators he was sworn to protect would be a good start. “I’ve got a report to finish.”
“The incident on Level 1132?”
Fox nodded curtly.
Thire stood just across from him now and held out his hand. “I’ll finish it.”
A command rang in his tone. This time Fox raised a brow. Thire may have just been promoted to commander, but Fox was still Marshal Commander. Thire, however, did not back down, his hand held out expectantly.
“You’re going to want to get some rest before tomorrow.”
Now Fox narrowed his eyes. This didn’t sound good. “Why?”
Thire sighed, letting his hand fall back to his side. “There’s been increased chatter about an attempt on Senator Chuchi’s life.”
Fox didn’t respond, waiting for more. There was a steady stream of chatter against just about every senator on Coruscant. The vast majority were empty threats made by big-mouthed malcontents. What made this one different?
“I checked the senator’s itinerary,” Thire continued. “Tomorrow morning she is scheduled to attend some dedication frippery at a new hospital. The Pantorans have requested a commanding officer to personally oversee her security.”
“And you think the threat is credible?”
“Considering the crowd that will be in attendance and the open surroundings, it would present the perfect opportunity for an assassination attempt.”
Fox half sighed, half growled. If the threat did turn out to be credible, it would be the second assassination plot against Riyo Chuchi he would have to thwart in under a month. At this rate, that little blue Pantoran was on track to be his biggest headache, right up there next to Senator Amidala. What was it with these senators and their apparent death wish?
Thire held out his hand once more. “Now why don’t you let me finish that report? Give that brain of yours a chance to rest before tomorrow.”
Fox sighed again, without the growl this time. Thire was one of the very few people, even among his brothers, who knew about his difficulty reading and writing. Part of him still prickled at the thought of even a single soul knowing about the defect, the voice of his old master chief always whispering at the back of his mind, threatening to send him to maintenance or worse. Yet, somehow all his clawing and scraping as a cadet had landed him here as a commander despite the odds stacked against him. And he was determined to be the best kriffing officer to come out of Kamino even if it killed him.
“Fine,” he ground out and handed the datapad over.
Thire practically snatched it from his hand. “Now get some sleep,” he all but ordered.
* * *
Fox had gotten a good three, maybe even four hours of sleep before starting his shift the next morning. It wouldn’t have satisfied Stitch or Thire, but they didn’t have to know. All that mattered was that he had slept—some—and he was ready for duty. Those extra hours he really should have been sleeping he’d used to study the layout of the new hospital site, checking the hologram of the area from every angle and plotting out every scenario he could think of for an assassination. He’d already sent orders to Thorn where he wanted men positioned and had chosen a few of the most promising recruits to personally join him in escorting the senator. It would give them good experience and him the ability to keep an eye on them and further assess their abilities. All in all, he was confident they would detect and successfully neutralize any threat regardless of how little concrete intel had come in.
Before leaving the sleeping quarters, he inspected his armor, using a rag to buff out any smudges marring the white or crimson coloring. He liked to keep his kit looking sharp unlike some of his brothers from the battlefront who seemed to think the burn marks from blaster fire were some sort of medal worth showing off. No one under his command would get away with that. The Senate District was no place for grungy-looking soldiers.
Satisfied, he strapped his armor on over his blacks with the swift efficiency that came with daily practice. Setting his helmet on his head, it hissed slightly as it sealed, and he was ready for another day as commander of the Coruscant Guard.
The men he’d chosen to accompany him were waiting at the entrance of the barracks when he arrived. He nodded to them, appreciating their punctuality. He had no time for tardiness. They fell in behind him as he left the barracks in a quick march toward one of the senatorial apartment complexes.
He kept his focus straight ahead as they marched through the Senate District past civvies and political aides who were out and about. Everyone quickly made a path for them. Some gave them nothing more than a disinterested glance while others scowled at them with enough heat to rival some of the bounty hunters he’d captured. One particularly nasty Rodian even spit in their direction.
Just another day in the Coruscant Guard.
Fox still found it ironic that he’d been given command of a post where everyone had to watch their tongues and manners when it was that same sharp tongue of his that had gotten him into so much trouble as a cadet. But then, he never backed down from a challenge, and he couldn’t think of a greater challenge than keeping himself in check when surrounded by di’kute.
The boys on the front thought the Guard had it easy. That they had the cushy job. Fox snorted quietly in his helmet. Those boys wouldn’t last a day dealing with the public and self-important senators who were just as bad. Even the chancellor was just as two-faced. Fox had witnessed the man put on the act of kind and benevolent ruler only to turn right around and snap at Fox or other members of the Guard as soon as the doors were closed. They were no more human to him than they were to anyone else. It was a good thing he cared more about his duty than he did about whether or not the people he served were deserving of it. In the end, protecting Coruscant was protecting the galaxy, and he liked to believe that somewhere someone appreciated it.
He simply ignored the hostility and slurs hurled their way as he had trained himself to do. He had to set the example, especially in front of shinies. One wrong word to the wrong person could get them decommissioned and shipped back to Kamino as defects. A shiver passed through him despite the warm weather and the layers of his blacks and armor. Defective clones weren’t just released from service. Defective clones disappeared. He wasn’t about to let one of his little brothers face that fate if he could help it.
They arrived at the apartment complex, and he punched in the security code for the lift. He and the four troopers stepped inside, and he pressed the button to the 70th floor. With a hum, the lift rose, and he mentally went over today’s security plans for the dozenth time.
The lift opened into an empty hall they followed to the door of Senator Chuchi’s apartment. He pressed the alert button to signal their arrival. A moment later, the door swished open. An older Pantoran woman stood on the other side. Too old to be Senator Chuchi. Not that he’d ever actually seen her up close, but he’d heard she was young.
“We’re here to escort Senator Chuchi,” he said, his voice filtering through the speakers of his helmet.
“Let them in,” a soft voice floated from deeper inside the apartment.
The woman stepped aside to grant them entrance.
“Guard the door,” Fox instructed two of his men. They immediately took up guard positions and the other two followed him inside. The main living area of the apartment offered a wide open view of the skyline of Coruscant as most senatorial apartments did. In the center of the room stood a young Pantoran woman.
Senator Chuchi was just as small as she’d appeared at a distance, standing several inches shorter than him. Her dusky blue skin highlighted not only curved yellow tattoos on her cheeks but her wide, golden eyes. Her pale lavender hair almost shined white where the light struck it. From passing glances, he knew she usually wore elaborate gold headdresses, but today her hair was pulled up loosely at the back of her head and held in place by a gold comb. Still elaborate, but not as noticeable. Even after all this time, he still found the vast variety of color between races rather striking. On Kamino, he and his brothers were about the most colorful beings around besides a few of the more interesting trainers.
“Commander Fox, is it?” Her pleasantly voiced question brought an immediate halt to his musings.
He lifted his brows, though she couldn’t see it beneath his helmet. Very few outside of the barracks bothered to learn or use names when it came to clones.
“Yes, ma’am,” he responded. Really, it didn’t matter if she used his name or some Pantoran slang he would have to look up later. His job was to keep her safe, and that’s the job he would do.
She smiled softly. Now there was a look he rarely saw directed his way.
“Thank you for accompanying me today.”
“It’s my job, ma’am.”
The smile drooped a little, striking him oddly in the gut. Why did he suddenly hate himself for saying that? He quickly tacked on, “I’m happy to do it.”
Her smile brightened once again, relieving the strange discomfort. Maybe he should have made himself sleep more if he was going to be acting like some fresh-from-Kamino shiny seeing a flesh and blood woman for the first time. Get it together, he internally snapped at himself in his most scathing Commander voice.
The senator gestured toward the door. “Shall we?”
He nodded and led the way. At the door, the senator paused to tell the other woman, “Have everything ready for Senator Amidala’s visit as soon as I return.”
Outside in the hall, Fox took up a position at Senator Chuchi’s side, signaling the two men standing guard to take the lead and the other two to assume a rear guard position. This way he’d be able to immediately reach out and shield her from harm if the need arose. He kept his right hand firmly planted on his DC-17 hand blaster as he scanned the hallway ahead. While he didn’t expect trouble until they reached the hospital, he still knew an attack could happen anywhere.
“I’m told there is a plot to kill me.”
The way she spoke sounded as if she were merely talking about the weather, not her possible assassination. Fox wasn’t one to waste empty words to coddle and reassure. He had the feeling the senator wouldn’t want that anyway. So, he did what came naturally—stark honesty.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She didn’t flinch or hesitate. If anything, she stood taller, head higher. He’d taken down criminals with less spine.
“I receive threats on a nearly daily basis,” she said, “as I’m sure you well know. But I am not concerned. I trust you and your men with my safety.”
Fox lifted his brows again. Something swelled in his chest, and he just barely stopped himself from shaking his head. Where were these odd emotions coming from? It was probably just appreciation over being appreciated for once. Yeah, that was it. Well, he wasn’t going to let that appreciation be disappointed.
“We won’t let you down, ma’am.” And somehow that promise went deeper than his dedication to his duty. Just maybe Riyo Chuchi wasn’t like most senators.