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Fox clenched and unclenched his fist behind his back; it was the only thing keeping him from pacing on the platform. He was waiting for the 501st's Resolute to land. Stone and Tonic were next to him, also impatiently waiting.
Thorn and his squad were sent to Scipio with Senator Amidala and had gone radio silent after a few hours of landing on the planet. He received words that the 501st was sent to rescue the Senator, but there was no word of or from Thorn. It wasn't like his vod-ika to not update Fox on his missions. Thorn, as much of a pain in the shebs he was, was true to protocol and followed Fox's rules down to the letter.
Fox tuned out the sound of the Venators engines and focused on the ramp that was opening. His eyes snapped up to the familiar blue and white armor of Captain Rex and the black robes of General Skywalker. He scanned the troopers moving about within the Venator and frowned. Where were his men?
A sinking feeling settled in his gut, and Fox walked up to the ramp to meet Rex and General Skywalker. Stone and Tonic followed him, avoiding the tension of the GAR troops around them. Fox watched tension settle in Skywalker’s shoulders and anger flare in his eyes as the Jedi spotted the Guard troopers. Apparently, he was still mad about the Fives incident. Fox thought Jedi were supposed to 'let go." Skywalker must be an exception.
Fox fell to attention, Stone and Tonic quickly following suit as General Skywalker and Rex approached them. Out of habit when dealing with superiors, Fox allowed his eyes to fall just over the General's shoulder, and he quietly cursed himself. Skywalker was not Palpatine.
"Commander Fox." Skywalker barely kept the growl out of his voice. "What can we do for you?"
"I need to know where my Commander and Shock Troopers are." Fox jumped straight to the point. Not a single ounce of concern for Senator Amidala or any injuries the 501st may have.
"Shouldn't you be concerned about the Senator your troopers were supposed to protect?" Anakin scowled, crossing his arms.
Supposed to? Did he just imply that Thorn and his men didn't do their job? "Senator Amidala was Commander Thorn's responsibility; all of Coruscant is mine. I need to speak with my Commander. Where is he?"
Anakin rolled his eyes. "As if you care about your brothers." He muttered and looked at Rex. "Captain Rex can fill you in."
Rex looked ready to protest, but General Skywalker was already walking away, shoving past Fox and Stone. Fox blinked but didn't move. Instead, he was wondering how someone so immature could be a general in an Army. It didn't seem right. Then again, Chancellor Palpatine was practically Skywalker’s mentor. It made sense remembering that little fact.
"Rex." Fox turned his attention to the caption.
"They're dead," Rex stated bluntly, taking his helmet off. "They all died."
"Liar," Stone hissed and stepped forward.
Fox raised his hand, blocking Stone's advancements. His own mind was spinning; he didn't want to believe Rex's words. They simply couldn't be true. He observed Rex carefully; the blonde was staring at Stone in shock, probably because the Commander called him a liar. Fox sighed, his helmet picking it up as a small scratch.
"What happened?" Fox questioned, bringing Rex's attention back to him.
Rex glared at Fox, making a point to show that he no longer wanted to be near him. "You'll receive the report within the hour, Commander Fox."
"No." Fox bit his lip, holding back a snap. "I want to hear what happened to my men now."
Next to Fox, Tonic twitched as if the medic was going to remind Fox to stay calm. He didn’t need a reminder; he was calm. He was always calm.
Rex reeled back and scowled. "They were dead when we arrived to save Senator Amidala."
"So you were late?" Stone bit back, making his displeasure clear.
"Stone!" Fox snapped at his Commander. Stone growled and stepped back, allowing Fox to continue speaking. "Separatists?"
"An… invasion," Rex replied after a second, trying not to be offended by Stone’s harshness. "Wasn't no small amount of droids either. Largely super droids. Your shock troopers took out a good number of them before they were, most likely, outnumbered. Just from the quick glance we got, Commander Thorn was the last to fall; he was surrounded by downed droids."
Fox took a deep breath. There was nothing that could be done. Thorn was gone. Nodding, Fox turned away from Fox, arms clasped behind his back. "Thank you, Captain."
Fox walked away, trying to ignore the hole that formed in his heart. He barely registered Tonic had stayed behind and focused on getting back to his office. There was work to be done. He needed to spread the work Thorn left behind equally among himself, Stone, and Thire. Losing a Commander left a hole that needed to be filled urgently.
Stone was walking at a brisk pace, trying to keep up with Fox. The commander grabbed Fox's arm, trying to stop him. Fox yanked his arm out of Stone’s grip and kept walking. Keep moving, don't think about it. Don't feel.
"Fox!" Stone hissed as the two slipped into the Guard headquarters. "Wait a second."
"I can't," Fox muttered, walking past confused shock troopers. "There's work to be done."
"The work can wait." Stone tried snatching Fox's arm again, only for the Commander to slip down the corridor.
"No, it can't." Fox walked up to his office door and quickly punched in the code.
The door hissed open, and Fox sat down at his desk. He stared at the piles of datapads stacked neatly. At the edge of his desk was a cold cup of caff and a ration bar. Fox's breath stuttered, and he forced himself to grab the first datapad.
"Don't forget to eat and sleep, Fox. I'd hate to come back and discover that my favorite Ori'vod worked himself to death."
Fox blinked and shook his head. Clear the mind. Don't think about it. Don't feel. He has work to do. Fox stared at the datapad and was about to grab a stylus when the device was snatched out of his hand. Fox looked up at Stone and reached for another datapad, only for his vod to snatch the stack of work away.
“Stone.” Fox looked down at his desk. Don’t lose your temper. Stay calm. “What do you want.”
“You can’t just jump back into working.” Stone crossed his arms. “You didn’t even take off your helmet. Allow yourself to grieve.”
Fox shook his head and tried reaching for a datapad. “Can’t; I have work to do.”
“Work can wait an hour or two.”
“No, it can’t. I need to split Thorn’s work and find a way to fill his spot.” Fox stood up and growled when Stone stepped back. “Stone, you are acting like a cadet; give me my work back.”
“No, I won’t allow you to work like this. It isn’t healthy.” Stone shook his head. “Thorn wouldn’t want you to ignore your feelings.
Fox clenched his jaw and looked away from Stone. Thorn was dead. Who cared about what he would want? A bubbling pool of rage began to fill the hole Thorn’s absence left. Stone shouldn’t be concerned about Fox or a dead’s man’s wishes; work had to be done.
“Get out, Stone,” Fox ordered, a warning lacing his tone.
Stubbornly, Stone stayed put. “I won’t let you ignore whatever it is you are feeling.”
“I said. Get. out.” Fox slammed his hand into his desk and ripped his helmet off. “Now, Stone.”
Stone hesitated but eventually gave in. Fox watched as Stone tossed the datapad on the desk and scoffed. “You need to learn that you aren’t alone in this shitshow, Fox,” Stone growled as he opened the door. “Until then, feel free to suffer on your own. I can’t help someone who doesn’t want it.”
Fox watched Stone leave the room and stood up to grab his stuff to do. Fox slipped back into his chair and eyes the ration bar on the desk. He could still hear Thorn’s voice, reminding him to eat or sleep. He could still see Thorn sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on Fox’s desk. He could see Thorn’s stupid smile as he tried to distract Fox from whatever was plaguing his mind.
Fox’s anger bubbled up, and he clenched his fist. He saw red as if the lava fields on Mustafar were consuming his vision. He couldn’t act on his anger, though. He couldn’t simmer in it. Fox was the Marshall Commander of the Coruscant Guard. He was busy; work had to be done, and holes had to be filled.
The sound of plastoid slamming against metal startled Fox out of his thoughts. He looked up to see his helmet laying next to the wall, a crack in the visor. He was standing up with his hands clenched tightly and his breathing heavy. When did he… It didn’t matter. Fox needed to regain control. He slumped back into the chair and grabbed a datapad.
Work had to be done; holes had to be filled. Don’t think about it, don’t feel.