In only one standard day the Galactic Marines were returning to Coruscant. Then finally Bacara would be able to breathe.
He'd been avoiding General Mundi as much as he could, but he still felt the General's yellow eyes on him all the time, following, measuring, waiting. Bacara just needed to get back to Coruscant, tell his brothers what he'd discovered, and decide on their next course of action. If he could get away from General Mundi, he'd be able to sort things out.
A knock sounded at the door of his quarters and Bacara collected the reports he meant to share with Captain Peke. It was a little early for their debrief, but Peke knew that Bacara liked to get ahead of things whenever possible.
"Enter," Bacara said.
The door hissed open and Kix, the medic from the 501st, walked in. Bacara frowned and set the reports facedown, conscious of Kix's security clearance.
"Commander Bacara, sir, I need to speak with you," Kix said.
"I'm afraid you'll have to go through the normal channels-"
"I've tried, multiple times, to use the normal channels. But you refuse to hear what I have to say. Sir."
"I don't have to explain my reasons. Follow the chain of command, kid."
Kix marched up to Bacara's desk, undaunted by his intimidation tactics. "I came here as a courtesy, sir. General Mundi requested to meet with me personally on the flight back to Coruscant tomorrow. If you don't tell the General about my information before then, I'll tell him myself."
Bacara's expression hardened. "This is a matter of the stability of the entire Republic. The Jedi Council will get your information after it has been properly vetted and the possibility of Jedi insurrection has been ruled out. Until then I order you to keep your silence."
"I'm not going to lie to his face! The Jedi are our generals, our superiors. They've led us in battle and protected us throughout this war. I'm not going-"
"Don't be a di'kut!" Bacara snapped. "The Jedi are powerful but they aren't infallible. We place the security of the Republic before everything else, soldier. I'll do whatever it takes to keep that information out of the General—or any Jedi's—hands before the time is right."
Kix narrowed his eyes at Bacara but didn't back down. "Understood," he said, then turned and walked from the room.
Bacara noticed he made no promises.
Bacta was expensive but extremely effective, and no expense was spared in the Chancellor's treatment. Collapsed lung be damned, Riyo was back to her normal schedule in three days, though she thought she could have done it in two. She needed to work. She needed a distraction.
Which was how she found herself in the luxurious Organa apartments in Coruscant's diplomatic district, sitting on a velvety couch and sipping tea. Queen and Senator Organa sat opposite her, their dainty tea cups held expertly in their hands. Bugs and Spinout flanked them, each taking big gulps of tea and swallowing it down with matching grimaces.
"I was so relieved to hear that your family escaped the yearly address unharmed," Riyo said. "It was my idea to introduce the boys at the speech, and that decision ended up putting them in harm's way."
"Please, Chancellor, you can't blame yourself for what happened," Queen Breha said.
"We're fine," Bugs said. "We were trained for these kinds of situations, so really we were some of the most prepared people there."
Riyo fought to keep her expression calm. She loved talking with Bugs and Spinout, but every conversation it seemed inevitably circled back to the horrors the Republic had subjected them to. No child should have to prepare for something like an assassination attempt.
"You certainly were cool under pressure," Bail said, ruffling Spinout's hair fondly. "There I was, useless and babbling like a Kowakian monkey-lizard, and Spinout practically tackled me to the floor."
"Not practically, dear," Breha said. "It was quite literal."
Spinout flushed. "Dropping to the floor is the best defensive first response to a firefight."
"And right you were!" Bail said. "Bugs and Spinout got Breha and I out of there immediately, just like any Organa. We protect our own, after all."
The boys squirmed under their parents' praise, but a new light shone in their eyes. This, Riyo imagined they might be thinking, is what family feels like. She wanted to make sure every clone had the opportunity of feeling that sense of warmth, belonging, and protection. She understood that many of them had a strong bond with each other—something deep and true that she would likely never fully understand—but she hoped parents could provide them the unconditional love and guidance they might not otherwise receive.
"I worry that the shooting might overshadow the intent of the speech," Riyo said, lips pulling downward in a frown.
Bail nodded sadly. "Yes, I've noticed that. I've been trying to whip the votes for the bill, but all anyone wants to talk about is security and stabilizing the economy. Senator Jue asked me how we could possibly be discharging all of our armies now when we can't even protect our Chancellor."
Riyo wrinkled her nose. If she knew anything about Senator Jue, the odious woman was more concerned with her weapons manufacturer donors than she was the Republic's security. "Do we have the votes?" she asked.
Bail sighed and shook his head. "It's too close to tell. There are at least fifteen senators who are still undecided—it could easily swing either way."
Riyo pursed her lips. She'd always known it would be close. "Any common theme to their concerns? There's still time before the vote next week to make some adjustments."
"The budget is the biggest concern," Bail said, "but this bill is stuffed. The civilian transition program, the job training program, the Relief Corps—if you're looking for nitpicks there's a lot to pick at."
Riyo nodded grimly. "Alright. Give me a list of the undecided senators and I'll visit each of them personally. We can't afford to not pass this bill."
Bugs squirmed in his seat and Spinout gave him a light shove, spilling some of Bugs' tea.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Riyo said. "This was a social call and here I go, talking shop! I must be boring you two to death."
"No way, ma'am!" Spinout said, sitting up straight. "The bill is important for all us clones, and we should all try to learn as much as we can about it." With that he shot Bugs a meaningful look, and Bugs rolled his eyes.
"It's no problem, ma'am. Thank you for visiting us," Bugs said.
A tapping sounded at the door to the elegant sitting room, and Riyo spied Maja's stressed face through the frosted window. She looked down at her chrono. "Oh! I'm so sorry, but I really have to run. Captain Rex and I are finalizing a few details on the Relief Corps."
Queen and Senator Organa rose to their feet gracefully and walked Riyo to the door. "Of course, Chancellor. Thank you for visiting with us."
"And remember to send me the list, please!" Riyo said, barely managing to get the words out before Maja pulled her through the door.
"Riyo, we really have to stay on task," Maja said as she marched her charge towards the lifts. Fox glided after them, detaching from his post by the front door of the Organa household.
"I'm sorry, I'm trying my best," Riyo said.
"I know, but this hospital stay has really backed us up something crazy. Rescheduling three days' worth of meetings… You have no idea the lengths I had to go to…" Maja muttered darkly.
"Yes, I'm sure my getting shot was very difficult for you," Riyo said, smacking her friend lightly on the shoulder.
"It really was," Maja said. "So very insensitive of you."
Riyo laughed, though her laughter died as they entered the lift and Fox stepped in after them. With everything going on most of the time it was easy to forget his resignation. But if she accidentally looked his way in a moment of distraction, the permanent frown of his helmet stared back at her in a constant reminder of his impending departure.
She turned her head quickly away from him, but not fast enough to escape Maja's notice. Maja's smile fell, and she cleared her throat.
"Well, let's get down to Captain Rex in his office at the RCMO. Along the way we should make a few holocalls to potential donors to the clone adoption program—we're going to need some more high-profile supporters," Maja said.
Riyo nodded absently, her mind still orbiting the monolithic Commander in the corner of the cramped lift. There were old wives tales back on Pantoran about women cursed in love, usually because they'd disappointed their parents or worn skirts too short, and Riyo wondered if maybe she'd done something in her childhood to merit this. She loved Fox. At least to herself she could use those words. She loved him because of his loyalty, his bravery, his fortitude, and his integrity, and it was those very traits that had compelled him to leave her side. Riyo's eyes fell to her golden-slippered feet, and she clasped her hands tightly in front of her as the lift sped downwards. Cursed, indeed.
The rest of the day flew by in a blur of meetings, holocalls, and frantic negotiation. Some of the senators thought the bill was already a lost cause. The Senate had been gridlocked for months, with nobody willing to compromise enough to come to consensus, but Riyo was determined to work through it. She owed that to Fox, at least. The Republic owed that to all of the clones.
By the end of the day her still-healing lungs groaned with each step and her feet ached. She opened the door to her apartment and stumbled in, nearly tripping over the slippers she always kept by the door. A dark, gloved hand caught her by the elbow and helped her up.
"Thank you," she said, carefully not looking up into Fox's face. He'd still be wearing his helmet, she knew, but either way it would hurt.
"You're welcome."
Riyo had already moved further into the apartment, but his words stopped her in her tracks. Fox never said anything unnecessarily, especially not lately, and even a perfunctory "you're welcome" felt out of character. She turned back to look at him, eyebrow raised. "Can I help you with anything, Fox?"
"Yes, ma'am. I have a candidate in mind for my replacement, but I wanted your approval first before I approach him," Fox said, his voice flat and toneless even through the distortion of his helmet.
Riyo drew her mouth to a line, annoyed with herself for having hoped for anything else. "Alright. Who is it?"
"Captain Rex."
"Captain Rex?" Riyo said, furrowing her brow. "You want to take him off the Armed Services Committee?"
"Once the bill is passed, yes."
That's if the bill passes, Riyo started to say, but stopped herself. "I'm surprised to hear you recommend him," she said instead. "I thought you two didn't really get along."
Fox shrugged. "I don't know if he likes me, but I trust him. I know he would keep you safe."
An image of Rex as her bodyguard came to Riyo's mind—the same build, similar armor, maybe even painted red now that he was stationed on Coruscant, the same rich, wide-voweled voice, but somehow still totally different.
"Well if you trust him, that's good enough for me," Riyo forced out as casually as possible.
Fox nodded. "Very well, ma'am." He started for the windows, where his security routine always began.
"Wait. Fox?"
He turned back to her. "Yes, ma'am?"
"What will you do? Once you've resigned?"
Riyo's face reflected back at her in the mirror of Fox's visor and she cringed at the pleading in her eyes. His silence stretched longer than usual, but she had no guesses as to the contents of his thoughts.
"I plan to rejoin the Coruscant Guard," he said eventually. "There are still messes to be cleaned up here."
"That's noble of you," Riyo said, relief easing a worry she hadn't fully realized before this moment—that he might leave the planet and never see her again.
He nodded and started to turn again.
"-And since I won't be your charge anymore, we could be… friends, right?" Riyo said, quick to catch him before he disappeared into his duties.
Fox froze, his shoulders tensing up towards his ears. The reaction was so extreme coming from someone as measured as him, Riyo might as well have kicked him in the ass.
"I mean… the rules… you know…" Riyo babbled. "If you resigned because you worried that we're too close, maybe after you resign we can be... close."
Fox turned slowly and Riyo's heart climbed into her throat. The mirror-shine of his visor still hid any sign of emotion, and Riyo felt she knew the bottom line of his response before he spoke.
"I don't think that will be possible, ma'am," he said.
Riyo didn't realize she wasn't blinking until the air started to sting at her eyes. She forced in a breath—not too deep, so he wouldn't see—then nodded her head. "Of course," she said, with all the emotion of an IG droid. "I understand." Then she turned on her heel and retreated to her bathroom.
She slammed the door behind her, grateful for the old-fashioned manual doors in her apartment, and leaned against the basin of the sink. Her arms were shaking. How stupid. She was the Chancellor. She'd faced down a Sith Lord, stopped an interplanetary war, helped broker peace throughout the galaxy. But somehow rejection still hurt.
It wasn't simple rejection, though. It was confirmation that she'd imagined everything between them. It was Fox explicitly telling her 'no' multiple times and her continuing to hope. It was pathetic.
She looked up at her reflection in the mirror. The morose lines of someone about to burst into tears scored her face, and an angry red swelled her eyes. She looked a mess. It was no wonder Fox didn't want anything to do with her.
Eyes locked on her reflection in the mirror, Riyo slowly leaned forward and brought her hand to her eyes. She wiped away her tears, then splashed water on her face. She scrubbed the sweat and makeup and wear of the day off, then opened a drawer and reached for her foundation. Carefully, painstakingly, she reapplied her makeup.
No thoughts coursed through her mind as she gingerly patted on foundation, lined her lids with kohl, and highlighted her cheeks, forehead, and nose. She paid special attention to her eyelids, using a trick of shading she'd learned when she was still in school—back when she'd still done her own makeup regularly. Once she was done she walked into her closet, the world fuzzy around her like in a dream. She picked out a dress from the back of the closet, something thin and slinky that she hadn't worn in years. It still fit.
She walked back through the bathroom, pausing at the mirror to inspect her work. She looked beautiful, and for just a moment she could imagine she was back in her school days, carefree and popular and the subject of many a classmates' adoration.
I'm still Riyo, she told herself sternly as she looked into the mirror. I can still be happy with myself, even without Fox.
Several messages pinged on her comm—updates on the vote whipping from Senator Organa—and Riyo responded to each of them. Then she stepped back out into her living area and sat down at her desk. She wrote three detailed emails—one to Maja, one to Senator Organa, and one to Captain Rex—each detailing her strategy for getting the last few votes needed to ensure the bill's success. As she wrote, the path forward clarified in her mind and she remembered who she was.
She was Riyo Chuchi of Pantora. She was one of the youngest senators ever elected to the Galactic Senate, the youngest Chancellor ever elected, the broker of peace between the Talz and the Pantorans, and she was going to get this bill passed. It was what she was born to do.
She wrote and wrote. Strategy documents, messages to allies, messages to opponents, proposals for trade agreements, updates to the bill's wording. The hours ticked by and Coruscant's sky darkened to a pale blue-grey—the darkest it ever got on the urban planet—and still she wrote. Fox was in his corner somewhere, she knew, but that knowledge remained in the back of her mind. She had work to do.
Chancellor Chuchi had approved of Fox's recommendation for his replacement. Great. Excellent. Terrible. Devastating.
Fox's nightly security regimen was lengthy—some might say excessive—but it passed by in a flash. Too soon Fox was standing in his customary corner with nothing but unmoving security feeds and his swirling thoughts as company.
If the Chancellor had been in bed, protocol would allow Fox to retreat to a small security booth in the back of the apartment, where he could monitor the live feeds and look over updates from the alarm system in relative comfort. But she wasn't in bed. Instead she was passed out at her desk, drool dripping slowly onto her datapad.
She was also dressed up, which baffled Fox. He'd almost thought she might be going out again when she'd first stepped out of her bathroom, but instead she'd marched straight over to her desk like some sort of goddess of paperwork and started typing.
It was a struggle to maintain his focus on the security feeds. Nothing was out of place and Chancellor Chuchi was much more interesting than the same unmoving images of the front door, the windows, the living room, and the kitchen. But it didn't matter what was interesting—his job was to keep watch and ensure her safety. That would always come first.
Except… Once Rex replaced him that wouldn't be his job any more.
Maybe after you resign we can be... close.
Fox shook his head to dispel the Chancellor's haunting words. It was ridiculous. Impossible. Yes, the fact that he was her bodyguard made anything between them especially inappropriate, but even as a regular trooper the idea was completely ludicrous. She was the Chancellor, and despite the work she'd been putting into the clone rights bill, he was still technically Republic property, not worthy of her attention and not equipped for a normal relationship. It was just… wrong.
There aren't any rules explicitly forbidding it, a traitorous voice echoed in the back of his mind. Not any more.
Fox shook his head again, the plastoid of his helmet squeaking against the top of his chest plate. Some rules didn't need to be written. Everyone knew that.
Riyo's slumped-over form stirred, her movement creaking the old wood of the table, and Fox froze. Once again his mind had been drifting, distracted by nonsense and unfocused on the task at hand.
This was why Rex needed to replace him. Fox would have to bring the subject up tomorrow. They'd be meeting up with Echo to discuss what he'd pulled from the inhibitor chip data disc, and after that Fox would pull Rex aside and explain the situation to him—well, at least as the minimum amount of explanation necessary to get Rex on board. Fox was confident Rex would agree. Rex was a good soldier, he was loyal to the Republic, and he understood duty. If fate hadn't made Fox the executioner of Rex's friend, he was pretty sure he and Rex could have been friends-
The Chancellor slammed her chair backwards and fell out of it, screaming at the top of her lungs. Fox made for her, but she'd already leapt halfway across the room before he caught her. She was scrabbling at the light switch in the corner, desperate sobbs tearing from her throat as she struggled to light the room. Fox ripped his helmet off and reached for her shoulders, trying to settle her down before she hurt herself.
"Ma'am? You're safe. You're at home. Please calm down, Riyo, you're safe," Fox said. He tried his best to animate his low, monotone with something vaguely soothing, but it just came out awkward and stilted.
"Fox? I saw something," she said, panting. "There was something in the air above me. Something dark and violent." She wouldn't meet his gaze, her eyes looking every which way but his.
She was curled up on the floor against the wall now, and he sat on his knees in front of her. He imitated the comforting motions he'd seen other sentients use before, rubbing her arms up and down to alleviate the shock. "There's nothing here, ma'am. I've been watching all night. It was just a bad dream."
She shook her head, but her shaking gradually subsided. "It felt so real…"
This wasn't the first time Riyo had woken up screaming, but Fox wondered at the intensity of the episode. Were her dreams getting worse? He wanted to suggest that she see a professional, but it wasn't his place to say.
"I can promise you, there are plenty of real evils in the galaxy but none of them are in this room," Fox said, and this time the soothing tenor came more easily to his voice.
Recognition of where she was and who she was with gradually lit her face. "I see… Thank you, Fox." She sat up from where she'd lain in a heap on the carpet under the light switch, but paused when she finally looked Fox fully in the eyes. Her brow furrowed and she reached her hand out to touch his face. "You're not… wearing your helmet…"
Her eyes shone like passing comets, the wonder and grace in them almost overpowering. She'd done her makeup, and though it wasn't as neat as when her stylist did it, something about it was uniquely her. Fox swallowed. "...I didn't want to scare you."
Her hand made contact with his skin, her fingers dragging and catching on the thick stubble that lined his jaw. "You could never scare me," she said, so softly he barely heard it.
She was wearing a thin, black dress. It was drapey and nearly shapeless, but the weight of it hung off her every muscle and curve. It almost looked like a nightdress, and the plunging neckline dared him to look.
"I… I…" he couldn't think of anything to say, but somehow he couldn't shut up either.
Riyo flushed and looked away, pulling her hand back and trapping it with her other hand in her lap. "I'm so sorry, I keep doing that, I-"
Without thinking he reached for her, his gloved palm landing on her cheek and turning her face back to him. Her eyes widened, confusion and hastily-smothered desire burning in them. The color deepend in her cheeks and she nervously bit at her bottom lip.
He leaned forward and closed his eyes. Maybe if he didn't let himself see what he was doing, he wouldn't stop himself.
He pushed his mouth against her. The cool, makeup-glossed texture of her lips was odd, but the heat of her skin and the thud of her heart against his chest more than made up for it. He pressed his lips together and squeezed his eyes tighter shut, wondering if his dreams and secret fantasies would all be far beyond what reality could deliver. Those physical things didn't matter, though. What mattered was Riyo.
Riyo gasped at his kiss and brought her hands up to his chest, her fingers pressing into the hard plastoid that separated them. The gasp opened her mouth against his, and her hot breath hinted at something more intense and powerful.
The vice-like tension in his mouth loosened, and she moved her lips against his. Fox's mind was already marveling at the curves of her waist before he even realized his hands had moved. The incomplete information his gloved fingers fed him about her shape wasn't enough, and he pulled away long enough to rip off his gloves. Riyo slid her hands up his chest plate and curled her fingers over the edge, only barely pressing against the fabric of his blacks. The touch startled him and he lost his balance, his center of gravity tipping over his knees and bringing him down on her. Instead of screaming, she giggled and pulled him further on top of her. His torso settled comfortably over hers and she slid her lips eagerly across his mouth, and Fox no longer wondered if reality could live up to his dreams.
He caught on to kissing fairly quickly, grasping after not too long the way he should move in response to her, when to push and when to pull. He rested on one elbow to keep most of his weight off her, but that left his other hand free to slide up and down her waist, the calluses of his fingers catching on the silky, impractical fabric. One stroke of his hand strayed too far downard, and she jerked in surprise. Fox immediately moved away from her, pushing up off the floor to give her space, but she grabbed the lip of his chest plate before he could make his escape and pulled him back down.
"I was just startled," she said, her face flushed and her eyes dark as she stared up at him. "It's alright."
"Oh… Ok," was all he could get out before she was kissing his neck, her wet lips rendering the soft skin there almost unbearably sensitive. She tugged insistently at the edge of his chestplate and Fox took the hint, guiding her to the buckles and letting her help him take it off. The thick fabric of his blacks dulled the sensation of her hands exploring his chest, but it was still far more than anyone had ever touched him before. One of her delicate hands traced the outline of his abdominal muscles, and his brain started to go fuzzy around the edges. It was heady and intoxicating, and Fox never wanted to stop. That scared him.
A light started blinking in the corner of the room, red and obnoxious. Sound soon accompanied it, a beeping that grew louder and louder over time. Fox dragged himself away from Riyo and looked up at the alarm, its meaning taking longer than it should have to register in his mind.
"What's wrong?" Riyo asked. She sat up, her hands clutched at the neckline of her dress.
"An alarm goes off if the trooper on duty doesn't check in at regular intervals," Fox said, already getting to his feet. "I… I shouldn't have let it go so long."
He shoved his bucket back on his head, but the familiar privacy of his helmet felt hot and stuffy with his blood rushing and his heart racing. He checked all the security feeds on his HUD and entered the manual override key for the security alarm. Then he stood there, unsure of what to do.
"Wick should be here soon to relieve me," he said, still not bringing himself to look at the Chancellor.
"Oh," she said, her voice unbearably small. "Alright then."
He remained frozen in indecision for a moment longer, then turned and headed for his customary corner.
"Wait! Fox?" Riyo called to him.
He turned back to her, but he didn't take his helmet off. She was standing, now, and the flush on her face extended all the way to the neckline of her slinky dress. It took every ounce of discipline hammered into him on Kamino to keep from running to her. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Is this… alright?"
That was the question, wasn't it? How was he supposed to know? Clones weren't meant to decide these kinds of things.
"I don't know," he said eventually. Her face began to fall, and a tight fist squeezed Fox's heart in his chest. "I don't know, but I know that I wanted it."
Riyo's brows lifted, and Fox risked a small smile, though she couldn't see it behind his helmet. Then he turned and fled back to his corner, his bravery spent.
