Hostage crisis

Two Coruscant guards are walking side by side, lightly swinging their shields and batons. Their eyes wandered the top streets for anything unusual. They stop when they see a child screaming his head off and the mom trying her best to find something. They walk up and a clone asks, "You alright, ma'am?"

she looks at them with minor relief, "Saphery lost his pacifier. Could you help me find it?"

He answers, "Sorry, unless you're un..."

the second holds his riot shield to his helmet, "Kit, rule thirty-three."

Kit thinks about it, then nods in shame, "Apologies, ma'am."

he asks her, "What does it look like?"

"It has a Tooka face printed..." she's interrupted by the sound of a rifle being fired in the distance. The toddler cries louder.

The two clones jump and plant themselves between the mother and the noise, looking wildly for the source. They spot small red beams several buildings away hitting the senate building. One turns to the lady as the Kit runs towards it, "Just retrace your steps." then bolts towards the buildings.

She bounces him and strokes his hair, "Shh, shh, you're fine. You're fine."

Fox sat at his desk skimming and signing data pads with one pen while another pen hung from his mouth, having been forgotten. His com goes off and he drops everything, startled. "Commander, there's a sniper shooting at the Senate building! I can't see who it is. The Kit and I are heading over now."

he jumps up and taps it, "Alright, investigate. Let me know what you find, but be careful."

"Yes, sir." the com shuts off.

Fox quickly leaves the room and heads towards the hanger bay, ordering on his com, "Shooting at the senate building! I want four ships ready to move out now!"

The two clones make it near the senate building and head over to a bike someone just set down. The man looks at them, "Yes, officers?"

One clone huffs breathlessly, "We need your bike."

the second states less breathlessly, "We'll bring it back."

the man nods and heads into a building.

Two senate guards carry a dead guard and toss the corpse into a fancy ship on the senate landing platform. Inside it where ten dead guards, two without their armor. One shuts it and speaks in a commando droid voice, "That was the last one."

"Roger, roger. Let's just hope no one shows up."

they hear a hover bike land on the edge of the platform and the first comments, "You were saying?"

They walk up to the two clones. The first changes his voice and asks, "Is something the matter?"

Kit states, "We saw shooting. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine. We just shot down some insurgents."

Clone two looks around, then at the blue guards, "What happened to your men?"

"They got wounded so they're in the infirmary." the second guard states motioning them to leave, "Everything is under control."

He looks at the blaster hole on the second guard and grows suspicious. He thinks for moment, then asks in a childish way, "Hey, isn't that the new 57C?"

the two guards look at their weapons in confusion.

Kit gets the hint and asks just as childishly, "Yeah, they look so cool. Can we hold them?"

the blue guards think about it, then hand it to them, "Just a few seconds."

They hook their batons on their belts before grabbing the weapons, making comments as they "played" with them, "It's so shiny."

"So lightweight."

"This one's scuffed."

"I wonder how well they aim." then aim at the guards and fire. The guards go down and Clone two pulls off the helmets to reveal droids.

The Kit smiles, "Code 57C. If you suspect foul play, reveal yourself. Only a real guard would know that one."

He stands and shoves a helmet into his chest, "And yet, you forgot rule Thirty-three. When we get back, you're going over the rules again."

Kit tosses the helmet, stating, "So I forgot one rule. It's not the end..."

The massive doors start closing and the pair turn in time to watch it shut. Little red lights flash on above the doors.

"of... the... world... Fox isn't going to like this."

The second taps his com, "Commander, code orange. I repeat, code orange!"

Fox answers back, "Understood." he shuts off his com and motions all the clones in the hanger bay to stop, then comes out of the transport and kicks it's side in frustration.

His men poke their heads out of the transport and one asks, "What do we do now, Commander?"

he takes a calming breath and looks at them, "Stay here. I want everyone ready at a moment's notice. We leave on my signal."

"Yes, sir."

Fox turns and heads to the communication's room.

Another clone turns to the clone beside him, "I don't think all the Jedi leaving for two weeks was a good idea."

"Where's a Jedi when you need one?"

Ziro sits in his cell and notes the guards talking quietly. He asks one, "What's going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you." he answers.

"Well, one thing that concerns me is when you're going to feed me. I'm dying of hunger in here!" he says melodramatically, "I don't think I'll survive another night."

the guard rolls his eyes, then states, "You already ate an hour ago."

"That measly salad!? I've had frog stew bigger than you!"

the clone smirks, "Probably why you're on a diet."

"This is torture! I will not be treated like this! I demand to see your Warden! I will not be treated like a criminal!"

the clone rolls his eyes and ignores him, letting him complain to his heart's discontent. Until he hears, "Soon I'll be out of here and you'll regret..."

he turns to face him, "What did you say?"

Ziro realizes what he just said, "Oh, don't mind my ramblings. I'm just hangry, is all."

"What do you mean you'll be out soon?"

Fox paces the communication's room, only stopping to look up at the clock.

Ziro's guard comes in and stands to attention, "Sir, Ziro the Hutt hired the bounty hunters attacking the senate."

Fox looks at him, "He told you?"

"Yes, sir."

Fox looks down in thought, then brings up the prisoner call logs. He find's Ziro's last call and plays it. Ziro's hologram shows up and he's taking in Huttese to a shadowy figure. The shadow never spoke, but nodded a few times. Then the call ended. Fox growls, "I need to buy some protocol droids." then turns to the clone, "I think Ziro needs his medication."

"Medication, sir? But he's not sick."

Fox walks over to the other end of the room, opens a small drawer, and pulls out a small device, "Doesn't need to be." He walks over and puts it in the guard's hand, "Give this to Arms and tell him that it's for Ziro. He'll tell you the rest."

The guard looks at it, "A micro tracer? Sweet."

Fox nods and the guard leaves. He turns back to the com-table and waits. After twenty minutes, Cad Bane's hologram lights up and Fox looks up and crosses his arms, "What do you want?"

Bane smiles, "Just Ziro the Hutt. I made the Chancellor make a pardon disk that your ugly blue senator will be delivering. If you refuse to cooperate, I will kill a senator. Starting with the pretty one." he says waving his pistol.

Padme orders in the distance, "Don't do it, Commander!"

"Quiet!"

Fox pretends to think about it, then asks, "When will Orm Free Taa arrive?"

He lowers his weapon and answers smugly, "Ten minutes from now." he shuts off the com before Fox could ask anything else.

He coms his men guarding Ziro, "Is it done?"

"Yes, sir."

He quickly heads to the hanger bay, "Release Ziro."

"Yes, Sir."

Bane pockets the holo-com and muses to himself, "He was a bit too calm. Must be implementing his 'clever' plan."

Padme asks him, "Why aren't you worried that he'll try to stop you?"

He turns to her and smiles, "Simple. If he cares about your hides, as he should, he'll go down with the rest of you. It'll only take, oh, six minutes, or so. What's a few less clones to a senator, anyway?"

Most of the senators lower their heads in worry.