Clever Fox part 1

A thousand regrets do not cancel one debt.

Narrator: Merely days ago, an undercover conspiracy discovered by the clone ARC trooper Fives dies with him as the war continues. But things aren't adding up in the mind of his killer, Commander Fox...

Commander Fox punches and kicks a floating punching bag with the word scum written on it in bight bold letters. He punched and kicked it til everything was past sore. A trooper walks up to him with a report in his hands. He waits for him to stop. After a minute of being ignored, and spotting Fox's bloody knuckles, he steps between the bag and him, unafraid while asking, "Is this a bad time, sir?"

Fox stops his fist a centimeter from the clone's helmet, then withdrawals with a sigh, "Alright, what is it?"

The trooper explains while Fox grabs a towel to dry off his sweat, "CT-27-5555's ashes has been sent back to the 501st. I have his autopsy report here." he holds out the data pad, "I'll understand if..."

"I don't have a choice." Fox states hanging the towel around his shoulders. He grabs the data pad and reads it, then looks up at the trooper as he leaves, then looks away from it, "Why didn't he just stand down?" he scrolls down to the tox report in hopes that he had nanite bombs in his blood stream, or something else that might ease his conscience. His pupils lock onto a single word and tears start to form in his eyes in shock. He rereads the entire thing and rubs his short orange ponytail and neck as realization struck, "Someone poisoned him?" he drops the pad and stumbles backwards, landing on his behind. He grabs onto his surgically pointed ears and stammers in shock, "I-I m-merely finished s-someone else's handy work." he sat like this for a good minute shaking, asking himself over and over, "Why? Why?" he snatches the data pad back up and shoves it in his pocket, anger in his eyes. He snags his helmet and gloves off the bench and head to the clone transports, ordering into his com, "Thire, you're in charge."

"Yes, sir." came the reply. Fox jumps on to a hover bike with a fake fox tail hanging off the back and flies off to the senate building.

Fox drifts his bike onto the platform and parks it between two senate guard bikes. A bunch of Senate guards watched him stride into the building. One mutters, "Showoff."

He makes his way to the elevator and clicks a button. The elevator stops halfway to let Senator Chuchi in. She looks up at him and half smiles. It fades when she notes that he didn't smile back. She tilts her head, "What's wrong?"

he looks down at her, posture still stiff, voice wavering, "Classified."

she looks sadly down for a moment, then reaches up and strokes his back, "Are you feeling okay?"

He sighs and his posture softens, "No, ma'am. I found evidence of foul play. The..." he takes a breath, "brother... I shot was already at death's door. He was poisoned. If I had known..." he starts shaking and sputtering, "Get on your knees... Don't do it, soldier..."

she slowly pulls him into a shaky hug and continues stroking, "Calm down, Fox. You can solve this."

his panicking slows down and he slowly straightens up, "You're right. I just need to find the traitors involved."

she nods, lets go and softly smiles, then notices his bleeding gloves, "Fox, you're bleeding!"

he looks at his hands, slowly flipping them a few times, "I forgot to bandage them before I left."

"Stop by the medical wing." she says taking his hands in hers.

He nods to her, "Yes, ma'am." and pulls his hands back with a wince.

She thinks for a moment, "After this is all over, would you like to come to my room? I'd like to discuss our future plans."

Fox nods as the door opens, "Of course, Senator." he walks out, leaving her to continue on her way.

Fox enters Palpatine's office with Bacta bandaged knuckles, "Sir? May I enter?"

"Come in, my boy, is something troubling you?" he asked upon seeing his concerned posture.

He walks in, puts his helmet in the crook of his left arm, pulls out the data pad with his right hand, and puts it on the desk, "Read this."

He picks it up and reads the report, "The rogue clone's autopsy report?" Fox nods. He sighs, "What am I supposed to see?"

He takes it back and scrolls down, then hands it back, "This, sir." Fox states as Palp reads, "Overdose on the wrong medication. He was dying before I got to him."

Palpatine thinks for a moment, "That is a pity. Fox, if it'll ease your conscience, I'll allow you to investigate this matter. But keep it between you and me. We wouldn't want the criminals to find out that you're looking into them."

"Yes, sir." he puts his helmet back on.

Before he could take the data pad, Palpatine reassures him, "I'll keep this with me, just in case."

"Yes, sir." Fox says before leaving.

Fox arrives at the storage building and stared at the spot Fives' died, "Someone wanted you dead. I want to know who." He walks up to the camera interface and clicks through it, but finds that it had already been erased. He frowns, then walks over to the spot again, "I made a mistake, but I intend to correct it..." he adds the last bit with pain in his voice and a hand on his gun, "One way, or another." he pulls his hand off, turns, and heads out onto the platform and climbs onto his hover bike. The engine purrs to life and he flies away. As he's passing a flying bus, his com beeps. He taps it, "This is Commander Fox."

Palpatine says in a friendly tone, "Did you find anything, my boy?"

"Not yet, sir." he said riding up to a driver on death sticks, tossing a small beacon in his vehicle, "I'm heading to the police information center now."

"Hoping to find something?"

The driver picks up the beacon and stared at it after he passes. "Yes. Footage of the clone and his hostages."

"I hope you find everything you're looking for."

"Me too, sir."

"Good. Keep me posted."

"Yes, sir. Fox out." he shuts off the com and takes a left.

Palpatine's face contorts into a cruel, twisted smile and comments, "Pity. I always did like him." he contacts Anakin and smiles more friendly like, "My boy, how are you?"

Anakin's hologram bows, "I'm doing good, Chancellor. Just took down another Separatist base for the Republic. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. Oh, before I forget, Commander Fox wishes to speak with you."

"Fox? What does that brother killer want?" he asks angrily.

"Answers, mostly. He is digging into a case and thinks that one of your clone officers may be behind a conspiracy. He believes it might be Commander Rex. I tried talking sense into him, but once he has a scent, he hunts it down. I couldn't stop him."

Anakin balls up a fist, "Typical Fox. How soon do you want me there?"

Palpatine holds out his hands, "Relax, my boy, we'll get this cleared up. You just stay put."

Anakin calms down, "Yes, Chancellor." they both hang up and Anakin turns to Rex, "Rex. When Commander Fox calls, I want you to leave the talking to me, understand?"

"Yes, sir. But, why?" Rex asked.

"He's lost his mind. Thinks you're in a conspiracy. Now, let's get back to the ship."

Rex nods, "Yes, sir." as Anakin walked away, Rex looks down in thought, following close behind, "What conspiracy?"