Work Text:
- Fuck you.
Fox hadn't gotten another answer out of the girl, and he doubted he'd get any more. She had that firm look in her eyes that determined people had, there wasn't much to get out of criminals, they always made a point of bothering the authorities as much as possible. This girl was some kind of high-class prostitute or even a gang member, she wasn't going to talk.
- You have the right to a phone call.
She blinked in surprise before slowly reaching out with one hand, the other carefully secured to the table by an electric handcuff. Fox watched her enter a contact into the com, annoyed. He would have preferred to be anywhere but here, he was the fucking Commander in Chief of the Coruscant Guard, he wasn't here to interrogate criminals! But several of Thire's officers had been infected with a Mon Calamari disease and had been in the medical bay for several days and they were short on manpower, so Fox had come in on his off-duty time to help. It wasn't like he'd get paid more for overtime than his normal hours, and he was used to work himself to death.
An anonymous hologram finally answered.
- Who is this?
- "It's me," said the woman. "We're being monitored, I was arrested by clones on Coruscant."
- Colour of the armour?
- Red.
- Probably Coruscant Guard.
Fox nodded and the woman confirmed:
- Indeed.
The male individual remained silent for a few seconds before continuing, looking impatient:
- And? What do you want me to do?
Probably call a lawyer, you big moron.
- "I don't expect anything from you," the young woman clarified with a sincere and casual air that surprised Fox, "I just didn't know who to call for the authorized call so I thought I'd give you a heads up so you wouldn't be worried about not hearing from me."
- Don't you want me to get you out?
- Our arrangement isn't official and I know your limitations, so don't worry about me, I can handle it. I may not see you again, I don't know how many years in prison they'll give me, so goodbye.
- What?! Wait a second, we-
- Goodbye.
She hung up and slid the com to Fox, who grabbed it and reflexively waved her up.
- I suppose you're not going to add anything?
- You assume correctly.
The clone took the suspect to other soldiers who would be responsible for putting her in a temporary cell and left to interrogate one of her accomplices. Fortunately for them, some were willing to do anything to save their own skins, even if this kind of betrayal left a bitter taste in Fox's mouth. He admired the courage and loyalty of the blue-haired woman who had not even given her name. Fox hated traitors.
He passed no one in the corridors and stopped a lieutenant who sighed softly when he was annoyed at the absence of the regular troops:
- Yeah, three guys collapsed on the ground, same disease, others are taking them to the medical bay, they'll be back when they're done with them.
So six absent, this unit was really understaffed. Fox was about to call it a night when shouts and sounds of fighting echoed slightly down the corridor.
'We can NEVER be quiet.'
Fox ran towards the room where the criminals were locked up and stopped for a few seconds as he took in the scene, trying to fully comprehend what he was seeing behind the force field.
Probably in a hurry, someone had put the woman with some men, and their positions left no doubt as to their intentions. One of them was holding her wrists, her already light and revealing clothes were already quite torn and others were holding her legs. A rough-looking man was undressing. She was screaming, cursing and struggling but clearly she was powerless and their eyes met through the helmet. The distress he saw underneath the anger effectively awakened the clone who deactivated the barrier. These repulsive individuals hadn't even noticed him as he watched them. A kick in the cock for the one who was undressing and he kicked the others randomly before lifting the girl by the arm and dragging her behind him to his desk. He threw her more or less gently - that is, rather roughly - onto his sofa, a gift that went with his 'prestigious' position, and retrieved one of his spare overalls and gave it to her.
- "Cover yourself," he ordered, seeing her distrust and suspicion.
He then looked out of the small window in his office that overlooked the hallway and signalled to Thorn that all was well when his friend raised an eyebrow at him, a silent, concerned question in his eyes.
Fox was careful to keep the woman in sight but only in his peripheral vision, giving her as much privacy as possible to change clothes without being able to leave her alone in a room for the moment.
- "Dressed?" he finally asked when he heard no more movement of fabric.
- Not yet.
He waited for her to confirm before turning around, his eyes immediately drawn to her breasts.
- "Yeah, I know, it's not my size," she muttered, crossing her arms.
Fox looked at her face instead and sighed.
- You can rest now, we'll see where to put you tomorrow, it was tense tonight.
She sat up very slowly and looked at him warily.
- I'm not going to do anything to you, just stay calm until tomorrow.
Fox sat behind his desk and continued to work, it would just be another sleepless night.
Five datapads later, he smiled under his helmet: she wasn't sleeping. She was very good at mimicking the muscle relaxation of sleeping people but she was always awake and attentive, Fox would have done the same in her situation.
Not just a pretty face, he had judged her well.
The moment of truth came: to leave her alone or not for a few minutes? Finally he covered her with a blanket, noticing the muscular contraction and the underlying fear, the consciousness hidden under the closed eyelids.
She was no longer pretending when he returned, sitting under the blanket, looking at him neutrally, her face already blue from the beating. He lifted the medical kit and she smiled slightly at him.
- "Thank you," she murmured as he wiped her face, looking straight into the visor of his helmet.
- It was nothing.
It was nothing, but he smiled back at her.
The smile disappeared at the loud crack of his voice and the sound of an argument starting in the hallway.
- Let me through!
- "Who's making all this noise at this time of night?" he shouted through the open door, knowing full well that he had a way of shouting that made him distinctive and guaranteed a quick response.
A dark figure loomed over him, obscuring the light.
- Is that you, Commander Fox?
- Yes, it is.
- Where is she?
Quinlan Vos was exactly as the other GAR clones described him. Tall, massively muscled and dangerous looking. Arrogant, savage and menacing. The contempt in his eyes annoyed Fox, though not as much as the fact that he couldn't answer, as it would give this racist an excuse to retaliate in any way he could.
- Where. Is. She?
- "Are you talking about me?" the woman asked with an amused laugh.
The Jedi squinted, looking even more enraged.
- What's she doing in your office?
He threw Fox backwards and entered the office, taking in the whole situation, between the fact that she had slept in the room, was tied up and in his clothes, the Jedi didn't hesitate to kick Fox who stumbled backwards and deflected the next kick.
He felt like hitting something, but the girl was tired long before him.
- Quinlan! Stop that.
- Hey, doll. Is this clone bothering you?
- He saved me from being raped, so no, he's not bothering me, on the contrary.
Vos stopped at his girlfriend's annoyed tone and raised a dark eyebrow.
- What, I come to rescue you like a fine knight and this is the welcome I get?
- Our relationship isn't like that, you know it very well, you came because you need help, not for the love of a spy.
- Even if you're not useful, I like having your beautiful eyes near me.
Fox sighed and connected to his com through the headset.
- Stay calm, old couple argument going on.
- Are they going to be a problem?
- No idea, vod, but at least Vos is under control.
- He's still a former Jedi and former Sith, don't let your guard down.
- I know, Thorn, I'm being careful.
Vos had moved towards the girl and they were talking in low voices.
- So... an informer?
- Yeah. She's valuable in her information, but very discreet. The Jedi don't know about her.
- That she exists or that you're having sex?
She laughed softly as Fox removed the handcuffs. This was out of his area of expertise, he had neither the authorisation nor the desire to interfere.
- "Thank you for helping her," Vos finally said as he led the girl out, one hand on the small of her back, having already covered her with some of his tunics.
The clone Commander wasn't stupid, Vos didn't care about anyone and yet he had come for her. They'd managed the feat of arresting Vos' secret girlfriend.
Damn it. Fox wasn't getting paid enough for this shit.