Fox leaned against his borrowed speeder and tapped his foot, the narrow alleys and dim lights of the mid-level neighborhood setting him on edge. He knew Rex still lived at the RCMO, but for some reason he'd asked to get picked up here. Fox's gaze fell to the dingy old speeder he'd borrowed from a Senate Guard friend and the corner of his mouth turned down. He supposed they were both doing unusual things today to avoid detection.
The door to the apartment complex hissed open and Rex stepped out, followed by a slim Togruta woman. They spoke furtively for a few moments, and the fond way the woman shoved Rex in the arm jogged Fox's memory. It was the former-Jedi, former-Commander, Ahsoka Tano.
Memories of his men crumpled on the cold durasteel floor of the RCMO prison shoved their way into Fox's mind. Tano glanced at him over Rex's shoulder, but he didn't try to hide his grimace. Exoneration or no, he wasn't happy to see her.
Tano looked back at Rex and her expression turned concerned, her white brow markings peaking in the middle. She leaned forward and spoke with soft, serious words. Rex nodded, then clapped her on the shoulder and gently pressed his forehead against hers. Fox narrowed his eyes at the pair, and he hopped into the driver seat and honked the horn.
Rex said his farewells and rushed over to the speeder. Fox waited for him to buckle in, then sped away without a second look back.
The fluorescent-lit dimness whirred by them as they drove, and Fox's hand tapped nervously at the steering wheel. In only twelve hours he'd be back on duty with the Chancellor. What would he say? What would he do? It was bound to be a disaster, but now that he knew what kissing her was like, would he be able to-?
No. This was not the time to think of that.
He looked out the corner of his eye at Rex, who leaned against the side window of the speeder with a far-off look on his face.
"Was that Tano?" Fox asked.
Rex cast Fox a sidelong glance. "Yes," he said shortly. Just how they'd been trained to respond to interrogation.
"You might be the first clone I've met who's friends with a civilian."
"Aren't you friends with the Chancellor?" Rex asked.
Fox drew his mouth to a line. "No."
That was true enough. Whatever was going on between him and the Chancellor, he didn't think "friend" quite covered it.
Rex huffed and looked away. "Well, you sure had me fooled."
"We're soldiers, Captain. We don't have the time, resources, or even capacity to have relationships with civilians."
"Who said anything about relationships?" Rex said, turning back on Fox.
"Relationships cover a wide variety of things," Fox said. "And none of them are possible for us."
"Karking hell, Fox!" Rex burst out. "What's got you by the shebs today?"
The artificial light of the mid-level gradually gave way to precious natural light, and Fox maneuvered the speeder into the shaft that would take them a few levels up, to their rendezvous point. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and his shoulders inched up towards his ears. Rex regained his composure and sat perfectly upright in his seat, his jaw set as he waited for an explanation.
"I… I want to know how you do it. Even if the bill passes, it seems impossible," Fox said. He spoke quietly, like his words were somehow treasonous. And maybe they were.
Rex looked at Fox with bald-faced surprise. "...Is this about the Chan-?"
"No," Fox said sharply. "It's not about anything or anyone in particular, understand?"
Rex pressed his lips together and Fox could see the questions forming behind his eyes. Thankfully, the Captain knew when to keep his mouth shut.
"Understood," Rex said. He laced his fingers together and looked out the front windshield of the speeder, his eyes going distant. "As for your question… I don't know that I know any more than you do. Civilian life is different. Nat-born life is different. I think any clone would struggle to build friendships outside of the GAR."
"Well that's helpful," Fox said.
"Look, I can't give you some instructional handbook on dating civilians-"
"It's not about dating-"
"Sure, sure," Rex said, waving away Fox's protests. "The point is, there's no handbook. But what I can tell you is that you and me and any clone are as much a person as any nat-born. Once you realize that you deserve friendship, fulfilment, and happiness just as much as anybody else, a lot of this stuff comes naturally."
Fox absorbed Rex's words, mulling them over in his head. Fox preferred more concrete information, but he'd learned enough these past few years to understand that relationships between sentients weren't so simple. But it still felt odd, to think of himself as deserving something. He was a clone. He didn't deserve anything. He just was.
"Whatever you're thinking now, stop it," Rex said flatly. "I've been through it and it's not worth it. Just get it through your thick head that you're allowed to be happy."
"Hmm…" Fox hummed. If only it were that simple.
The speeder reached their destination level and Fox pulled onto the main street. He checked the direction and took a few more turns, eventually ending up in front of a glittering new apartment complex.
"You sure this is the right place?" he asked Rex.
Rex shrugged. "Echo only told me the address. I know as much as you."
Fox grunted, then parked the speeder in front of the building and hopped onto the curb. His pants constricted his movement more than he was used to, and he frowned at his maroon-colored civvies. If anyone was paying attentioned they'd notice that he and Rex shared the same face, but at least it was less conspicuous than wearing armor.
"Fifth floor, right?" he said, stepping through the transparisteel automatic doors.
"Yeah," Rex said.
The empty lobby lent the building an abandoned look, but the lifts dinged open when Rex called them. The doors opened on the fifth floor and Fox made his way cautiously down the hallways, with Rex bringing up the rear in a subtle defensive formation. The noxious fumes of fresh paint wafted from the walls, and buckets, tools, and other detritus of remodeling littered the hallways. The building was empty because it hadn't been opened yet, Fox realized. A smart rendezvous location, Fox had to admit.
He stopped at the door marked 501 and rolled his eyes at Rex before knocking. Rex smirked.
Karking 501st. Always making it about themselves.
The door creaked open and Echo welcomed them in, flanked on either side by men armed to the teeth and pointing their blasters right at Rex and Fox.
"You're alone?" Echo asked tensley.
"Yes," Fox said, holding his empty hands out and taking a small step inside. "Is this really necessary?"
Echo waved the two men off and inclined his head. "Can't be too careful. I don't think you two realize how big this is."
"Hunter, Wrecker," Rex said, nodding to Echo's two goonies. They returned the gesture, and Fox noticed the unique red-and-black armor covered in melodramatic skull decals. This must be the infamous Clone Force 99. It was hard to recognize them as clones at a glance, their features were so distorted.
The special ops team led Fox and Rex into the empty apartment and shut and barricaded the door behind them. Then Echo started talking.
"These chips described on the data disks—they're bad," he said.
"What do you mean?" Rex asked. "I thought they were just meant to inhibit our aggression?"
"Sure didn't work on me!" the bigger of the modified clones said—Wrecker, Fox thought.
Echo agreed, nodding indulgently to the bear of a clone, then continued. "Well it turns out that's not what it was designed to do at all. The inhibitor chip has only one, very specific purpose. It's meant to override any individual decision-making capabilities and make every clone execute a specific order."
"What?" Fox asked. "What order?"
Echo shook his head slowly. "I don't want to say it out loud. The words are the trigger, and I don't know how close I can get before setting it off."
"Setting what off?" Rex asked in alarm.
Echo leaned down and wrote large, patient letters on the dusty floor with his scomp arm.
"Order-?" Fox read.
"Don't say it!" Echo cut him off, and Fox bit his tongue.
Echo got to his feet and wiped the dirt from his scomp. "It's an order to execute the Jedi. All the Jedi."
"That's impossible!" Rex burst out. "None of us would ever do that!"
"Most of us would never do that," Fox corrected, thinking of his brothers who'd been assigned to Jedi they didn't like quite as much as Rex liked Skywalker and Tano.
"It doesn't matter who would or wouldn't, as soon as any of us hears this order, we obey," Echo said.
"Good soldiers follow orders," Rex muttered, and Fox flinched at the memory of ARC Trooper Fives' cold, dying face.
"It explains Clone Trooper Tup's execution of General Tiplar," Hunter said.
"And matches what ARC Trooper Fives said before you killed him, too," Rex said to Fox. Fox felt the emphasis to Rex's words like a punch to the gut. He'd thought Rex had forgiven him for that, but he supposed he hadn't forgiven Tano for killing his men, even after she'd been more or less proven innocent.
"Maybe that's what happened with General Tiplar, but can you be sure the same thing would happen for every single clone?" Fox asked.
A smaller modified clone emerged from another room, followed closely by a sour-faced tall clone with a sniper rifle. "I am 99.5% certain the chip would work. Neither Echo nor I are neuroscienctists or clone engineers, so it's possible we are wrong, but we both believe the inhibitor chips have a very high likelihood of working exactly as intended."
"Who's this?" Fox asked. It was an easier question to grapple with than what Echo was proposing.
"That's Tech and Crosshair," Echo said. "Other members of Clone Force 99."
"That's not important," Rex said. "What's important is this inhibitor chip. Why would anybody put something like that in us? Who was going to set it off, and when?"
"Palpatine," Fox said. "I thought it was obvious."
All eyes turned to Fox, and Tech nodded. "Yes, I agree."
"What?" the clone named Wrecker said. "Why would he do something like that?"
"Palpatine was a secret dark Force user who ultimately wanted to destroy the Jedi," Tech said. "And we were to be his chosen tool."
"If he wanted to destroy the Jedi, why didn't he do it?" Hunter asked. "You're making it sound like he could have flipped the switch at any moment."
"The Separatist invasion of Coruscant," Fox said.
"There was no Separatist invasion of Coruscant," Rex said.
"Exactly," Fox said. "Because Chancellor Chuchi discovered Palpatine before it happened. But just before his discovery Palpatine had been increasing his forces on Coruscant, was always alluding to an attack he felt was impending but couldn't prove. But we know now that he was behind the Separatist forces, too. He would have known if an invasion was coming. He would have planned it himself."
"I agree with your conclusion, but the invasion is wild speculation," Tech said.
Palpatine's reptilian smile returned to Fox's mind and he suppressed a shudder. Something had always felt off about the former Chancellor, though it had taken Fox a long time to recognize it. He hadn't interacted with enough nat-borns to know if what he sensed from Palpatine was normal or not. "You're right, it's speculation. But I was with the Chancellor all the time. He was planning something big, and I'd bet my favorite blaster it had something to do with these inhibitor chips."
"Regardless," Echo said, "We know the chips exist. We know they're in each of our heads, right now. I had a medical droid check myself and all the other members of the Batch. They're there. So what are we going to do about it?"
The room fell silent, even Wrecker pausing to think about Echo's question. Fox shook his head. As the former head of security forces on Coruscant, this was a nightmare. A vulnerability this big that was endemic among the entire GAR could bring down the entire Republic, which was probably exactly what Palpatine had planned. But just because Palpatine was gone didn't mean someone else couldn't exploit that same vulnerability.
"Is there a way to remove them?" Rex asked.
Echo nodded. "We haven't tried it yet, but in theory it should be simple. The difficult part is locating the chip, but Tech's worked out a tool that should make it easy."
"I say we test out this solution," Rex said. "You can try it on me, first, if you want. But before we know exactly what we're dealing with and how to fix it, say nothing."
Fox rounded on Rex. "That's treason!" he hissed. "We have to tell the Chancellor immediately."
"That would be an excellent way of getting every clone in the GAR decommissioned," Tech said.
"Or killed!" said Wrecker.
"It's the same thing, Wrecker," Echo said.
"Not necessarily," Hunter said.
"It means bad things for every clone in the galaxy," Rex said with finality. He turned to Fox and gripped his shoulder hard. "Brother, I understand you want to tell the Chancellor. Every instinct in my body is telling me that, too. But this bill she has coming up—can you imagine what her opponents would say if news of this got out? Even if we weren't all decommissioned immediately, there's no way in hell we'd get citizenship. We'd be slaves forever."
Hunter nodded, and the other special forces clones shared looks of agreement. Fox imagined facing Riyo with this secret and not telling her. He imagined her sense of betrayal if she ever discovered his deception.
"I used to put the Republic before everything," Rex said quietly, "but I can't put it before millions of my brothers."
Fox imagined what would happen if news of the inhibitor chips got out. The few of his batchmates who'd survived to the end of the war, broken and beaten down by years of fighting only to be sent back to Kamino to die. Bugs and Spinout, newly adopted and eager for a new life, imprisoned for a piece of hardware in their head they had nothing to do with. He loved the Republic. He loved Riyo Chuchi. But Rex was right—he couldn't put them before his brothers.
"Alright," Fox said. "Until the bill is passed, we investigate on our own. Then we regroup and decide on a course of action. But that course of action cannot mean hiding this indefinitely. If any enemies of the Republic found out, the results could be catastrophic."
"Agreed," Rex said.
"That works for us," Hunter said.
A calm decisiveness settled over the room, but in its wake the reality of their situation solidified in Fox's mind. It was there, in his brain. A chip that could take away what little autonomy he had.
"Who's going to be first to get the chip removed?" Tech asked. "I suggest either Commander Fox or Captain Rex. The rest of us have been highly modified from the original template, and we cannot be certain the chip will function in the same way for us."
"I can't," Fox said immediately. "I can't protect the Chancellor when I'm compromised and we can't know what the side effects might be."
Rex sighed and raised his hand. "Well I guess it's me, then."
"Excellent," Tech said. "I'll send you info on where to go for the procedure. It should be ready as early as tomorrow."
"Let's do this as quickly as possible," Hunter said. "Every second left unresolved is more time the Republic could be attacked from the inside."
A man after my own heart, Fox thought approvingly.
Tech and Echo walked Rex through the details of his procedure, and Fox arranged a followup meeting to check on his progress. They finished up with logistics quickly, but it still didn't feel right to leave. This was such a huge, overwhelming problem, there must be more to say, more to do. But there was nothing else to be done for now.
"We should head back to the RCMO," Rex said eventually.
Fox nodded. His watch was starting soon and one of the Chancellor's first orders of business was a meeting with the Armed Services Committee—of which Rex was a part.
"Understood. Best of luck," Tech said.
They stood for a moment longer, neither Fox nor Rex making a move towards the door. Wrecker, who'd gone quiet for the latter half of the conversation, shifted awkwardly.
"After we get the chips out…" he hesitated. "...After we get the chips out, will the nightmares stop?"
Fox's eyes widened and he exchanged glances with Rex. The nightmares. Did they all have them?
Based on the haunted expression of the other clones in the room, yes.
"I don't know, Wrecker," Tech said eventually, his clipped, efficient tone slowed down. "But I certainly hope so."
Riyo's schedule was jam-packed, but she hardly noticed. Friends had told her that relationships could interfere with careers, but her current state of euphoria only gave her more energy to work. She met with senator after senator, hearing grievances and fielding requests for additions and deletions to the bill of all kinds—some contradicting each other. And she managed it all with grace and ease.
"Send a message to Trillik about that last clause Senator Gatarar requested," she told Maja as they walked through the halls to her next meeting.
"Already on it," Maja said, not even looking up from her datapad.
"Perfect. And then it's the Armed Services Committee?" she asked, though of course she knew. Maja hadn't even had a chance to answer in the affirmative before Riyo was practically racing down the hall to the meeting room. Her meeting with the Armed Services Committee started at 1400, right at the same time as Fox's shift.
She slid into the conference room, her current bodyguard jogging in after her followed by a breathless Maja. Riyo found her seat at the head of the table and frowned when she realized Fox wasn't here yet. That was odd. He was always on time for shift changes.
The door wooshed open, but Riyo's face fell as Ahsoka Tano and not Commander Fox walked through. Ahsoka shot Riyo a strange look and raised her brow markings.
"I can leave if you want, Chancellor," she said with a half-ironic smile.
Riyo's neck heated. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry Ahsoka! I was just expecting someone else!"
"Oh yeah? Who's that?"
"Senator Organa," Riyo lied smoothly, though from Ahsoka's narrowed eyes she wasn't buying it.
"I'm glad you're so thrilled to see me," Senator Organa said, gliding smoothly through the door with Senators Taam and Paulness.
The heat on Riyo's neck spread to her ears. "Well, you know, Bail. It's always a pleasure," she said.
Just when she thought her embarrassment couldn't get any more profound, Fox finally entered the room, followed by Rex. All of the day's confidence vanished and Riyo found herself looking down at her notes and shuffling her stack of flimsi aimlessly, incoherent mumbling the only words escaping her lips.
Fox swapped places with Riyo's guard, and the committee members found their places, the bustle of activity thankfully hiding most of Riyo's fumbling. She managed to collect herself as Senator Organa opened the meeting, but Fox's presence still burned against the back of her skull like bright lights through closed eyelids. The memory of his hands sliding against her skin sent a shiver down her spine, and she wondered how she'd ever thought him cold and distant. What she wouldn't give for him to kiss her, right here and now. He could lay her down on the table, hold her gaze with those searing eyes, and-
"...Chancellor Chuchi, please remind me why Miss Tano is here, again?" Senator Paulness's drawl cut through Riyo's fantasy and her head jerked up from her vacant stare at the table.
"Ahsoka?" she asked. "Oh, yes, well Ahsoka's here because she has volunteered to head up a division of the Relief Corps, and I believed her input could be valuable in today's conversation."
"She's not a member of the GAR any more, though," Senator Taam said. "Or the Jedi Order, for that matter. Why should she be a part of the Relief Corps?"
"She volunteered," Rex said, his snappy tone surprising Riyo. "Do you think you're in a position to turn away help right now?"
"Rex, it's fine," Ahsoka said, her hand shifting over towards him on the table. "Senator Taam brings up a good point, but Commander Cody, who I believed you yourself selected to head the entire Relief Corps, said he was willing to make an exception for me. I may even be rejoining the GAR, if I can stipulate that I'll only be working on relief missions."
"Which division will you be heading, Miss Tano?" Senator Paulness asked.
"Infrastructure, Senator," she said. "I've already put together a mission statement for our efforts, but I wanted to talk today about our resources and what constraints we'll be working under."
Talk continued and Riyo fought to stay on task. Fox was going to remain her bodyguard for the majority of the time until the bill was passed, and she'd have to figure out a way to concentrate when he was around. It didn't help that Ahsoka and Rex were also acting strangely. Rex had taken a seat at Ahsoka's side, which by itself wasn't that strange, but combined with the subtle way Ahsoka leaned into his space and the tender looks Rex sometimes gave her when she smiled, it all seemed suspicious.
Ugh, Riyo cursed herself. One kiss and suddenly she was seeing passionate liaisons everywhere. It was disappointing, really.
The senators negotiated and whinged and by the end of the meeting, not much progress had been made. Bad meetings happened, and Riyo tried not to let them get her down, but this time she couldn't help but feel like it might be her fault. As the time wound down and Senator Organa closed the meeting, Ahsoka leaned back in her chair with pursed lips, her frustration matching Riyo's own.
The senators rushed off to an important budget meeting from which Riyo was thankfully exempt, and Riyo walked over the Ahsoka's side of the table.
"I'm sorry we weren't able to get more answers for you today," Riyo said, resting a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.
"It's alright," Ahsoka said. "It's bureaucracy. I get it. The Republic's system is fair but not always the most efficient."
Riyo frowned. "We should be able to make it efficient."
Ahsoka smiled and got to her feet. "Eh, efficiency is overrated. Although I do hope my division in the Relief Corps runs well. Rex, are you thinking of joining? My team could really use you after the bill passes."
Rex looked over at her in surprise, as if he'd never even considered the possibility. "What? In infrastructure?"
Ahsoka shrugged. "Look, we're going to be taking on a lot of soldiers who don't have experience in road building or spaceport maintenance. That doesn't mean we won't do a great job. And besides, I need you! There's no one I trust more to have my back."
Given her earlier observations, Riyo thought Rex might get embarrassed or flustered at Ahsoka's open affection, but instead he blanched. Something shocking and horrible slid past his face, and he looked as if he'd seen a ghost. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the expression passed. Rex shrugged, his jaw relaxed and his posture loose.
"I don't know how long the Committee will keep me tied up, but I'll definitely look into it," he said.
"Uh, Captain Rex…" Riyo started, then Maja appeared at her elbow, datapad in hand.
"Chancellor, we really need to get going to that lunch with the Prime Minister," Maja said.
"Oh, yes of course. Ahsoka, Captain Rex, it was so nice to see you!"
Riyo made all the necessary pleasantries, then allowed herself to be dragged from the conference room and on to the next appointment. Maja guided her into the speeder that would take her to her lunch, but as she settled into the plush seats the stricken look on Captain Rex's face wouldn't leave her thoughts.
"Maja, what do you think all that with Captain Rex was about?" she asked.
From the passenger seat in front of her, Fox noticeably shifted.
"Hmm? You mean all the flirting with Tano?" Maja asked.
"Oh! So you thought that, too? But no, that's not what I meant," Riyo said. "Right before you got me to leave, Ahsoka said something about wanting him in the Relief Corps with her, and he looked like he'd just run over a tooka."
Again, Fox shifted in his seat. He knows something, Riyo thought with a smirk. Maybe she could find a fun way to tease it out of him.
Maja scrunched up her nose at the gruesome visual. "I didn't see anything like that, sorry. But Captain Rex and Ahsoka are good friends. I'm sure everything's fine."
"Hmm," Riyo said, and Maja started regaling her on their strategy for the lunch negotiation. Riyo put the matter out of her mind for now, understanding that she needed to focus on the task at hand. Besides, there would be plenty of time to interrogate Fox later.
The rest of the day passed in blissful torture for Riyo Chuchi. Her iron will focused her attention on her million different responsibilities, all while the man of her dreams stood only a few steps behind her, his presence constant and unabating. It was like fasting all day in front of a sumptuous feast.
But finally, finally, Maja left for the day and Riyo could return to her rooms. Finally she'd have Fox to herself.
Riyo walked through the front door, alone at last, and turned on Fox as soon as the door shut behind him. She threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest, not caring that the plastoid made the move exceedingly uncomfortable.
"I've been wanting to hold you all day," she said.
Fox stiffened under her touch, and for a moment an icy fear gripped Riyo's chest. No. No, not again.
Then he settled his hands awkwardly on her shoulders and pulled her a little closer to him. He cleared his throat, then tentatively rested his chin on the top of her head.
"I missed you, too," he said.
Riyo pulled back and looked up into his helmet. "Can I see your face?"
"I… I really don't think-" he started.
Riyo could see him slipping away and she pulled him closer to her. "Please, Fox," she said, staring right where she imagined his eyes to be behind his visor. She swore she could see the honey-brown of his irises through the mirrored surface. "Please."
Without a word, Fox took her hands and lifted them to the air seals on his helmet. His fingers guiding hers, she unclicked the locks and pulled his helmet away. Riyo wanted to get a good look at his face, to really drink him in, but as soon as his helmet was out of the way Fox surged forward, taking her face in his hands and pressing his mouth to hers.
Riyo's heart filled to bursting, then Fox's bare hands were on her waist and she stopped feeling anything but him. He crushed her to him but it wasn't close enough, and Riyo wove her fingers into his thick hair to close the last tiny amount of distance between them. All thoughts of moving slow and showing him what to do fled her mind and she kissed him with a heady urgency. He countered with equal passion, and recovered quickly and eagerly from a moment or two of fumbling.
He was so tall, and his broad body enveloped her in heat and friction and power. Defying her smaller size, she stepped forward and forced his back against the closed door behind him, slamming the thick plastoid against the durasteel of the door. With nowhere else to go, his defensive training kicked in and he picked her up by the waist and whirled her around, swapping their positions.
He broke off the kiss and before Riyo could protest, his mouth was on the soft skin under her jaw. Riyo's hands fell to his neck and she hung on for dear life. Picking up on what she'd done the day before, Fox kissed and sucked at her skin, one hand holding her by the waist and the other gently tilting her head for better access. His fingers dug into her hair, mussing her intricate braids and knocking loose the golden pins and clips she frequently wore.
A strangled sigh escaped her lips, and Fox's hand in her hair twitched in response. His kisses wandered from just under her neck downward and his teeth nipped gently at her clavicle. Then he ventured past it, dragging a hot path down towards the neck of her dress.
She gasped, then suddenly she was slumped against the wall, cold and alone. Across from her Fox stared at her, his eyes wild and his mouth open. A deep flush showed through his tan skin and his hair was a wild tangle above his neatly-trimmed face. He looked like he'd just snapped out of a possession.
"I can't do this," he choked out. "I'm compromised."
Riyo stared at him, uncomprehending. She breathed in, then out, letting her heart rate slow to a pace that would allow her brain to keep up. Then understanding dawned, and her heart shattered.
"Why… Why do I do this to myself?" she whispered.
Fox covered his face with his hands and shook his head. "Madam Chancellor, it was my fault-"
"It was not your fault," Riyo snapped. "It was my fault for being so stupid. I pushed you and pushed you. This is my fault."
"It's not like that, Riyo. I want this, but-"
"No!" Riyo said, her fists balling at her sides. "Stop it. Stop giving me things to latch onto. Stop giving me excuses to keep doing this. At the end of the day you don't want this the way I do. I accept that, now stop giving me reasons to question it."
Fox fell to his knees, like a serf begging clemency from his liege, and Riyo thought she might be sick all over the plush floor.
"I take full responsibility, Madam Chancellor. I will find a replacement immediately and cooperate fully with a court-martial."
"You should leave now," Riyo said, "because I think it's best for us both. But this is not your fault and I won't allow you to take responsibility for it or to be punished. Understand?"
Fox's eyebrow twitched and he set his jaw, only managing a curt nod of acknowledgment. "Understood."
"Great." This was the opposite of "great," but it was all she could think to say. "Now…" Riyo hugged her arms around herself, holding tight to calm her shaking. "There are guards posted at the doors. I'll be fine for the night. Send whoever your replacement is tomorrow morning."
"Ma'am, you can't be left alone-"
"Just do it!"
Fox snapped his mouth shut and the silence that filled the apartment was deafening. Riyo wasn't proud of raising her voice, wasn't proud of ordering Fox around like a drill sergeant. But she needed to be alone, needed to pick up the pieces of herself and reform them into the Chancellor she expected of herself. If she didn't she thought she might drown.
"Yes, ma'am," Fox said. He got to his feet, then waited patiently with his eyes on the floor.
Riyo realized she was blocking the door. Avoiding his gaze, she stepped sideways out of the way and studied the carpet with great focus as he walked past her. The door opened, then closed, and Riyo was alone.
Riyo's heartbeat pounded, then beat, then finally eased into a steady patter. The fight or flight instincts that had kept her keyed up fled and she slumped against the cold white wall of her apartment. Slowly, she slid down the wall until she sat in a heap on the plush carpet, her flowing dress arrayed in a tattered circle around her. She buried her head in her hands and cried.
The icy-blue vortex of hyperspace enveloped the bridge, but even this sure sign that they were finally headed back to Coruscant brought Bacara little comfort. He'd never really liked hyperspace, anyway. When you were in hyperspace all you could do was wait.
General Mundi stood with him on the bridge, his hands behind his back and his expression placid as he looked out on the warp of lightspeed travel. Bacara wondered what the general might be thinking, but as always Mundi's thoughts remained a mystery. There was something terribly unfair about him being able to sift through Bacara's mind as easily as a child through sand, while Bacara hardly even knew the general's most basic opinions.
"Bacara, I sense your unease," General Mundi said.
Bacara's clasped hands behind his back tightened their grip. "Just eager to be home, sir."
"Ah, so you see Coruscant as home, then?"
"It's about as much a home as Kamino ever was."
General Mundi nodded pensively. "You and I are much alike, I think," he said after a moment.
Something heavy and foul sank in Bacara's stomach. "What do you mean, sir?"
"You show little partiality to Coruscant, or Kamino, or anywhere else for that matter. The same goes for your battle strategies. We both understand that we must make the best decision for the Republic, regardless of our personal interests."
Bacara's brow furrowed at the thought. On this matter, he agreed with Mundi. And now that he thought of it, he'd never disagreed with Mundi on this principle. He hadn't always agreed on which strategy was most effective, but both of them had always understood the need to sacrifice some soldiers for the sake of victory. The thought that he might have more in common with General Mundi than he'd realized made him uncomfortable.
"The Jedi believe in detachment," Mundi went on. "Attachment to the physical world can compromise one's thinking, can lead one to make decisions driven by passion and selfishness instead of the greater good."
"I… see, sir," Bacara said, not sure what the general was getting at.
"The GAR will change much in the coming months," Mundi said, "but as long as you maintain this attitude, you will do well. There is no need to be anxious."
"Of course, sir." Bacara allowed himself to relax. Yes, the rollback of the GAR—that was what he was worried about. There was nothing else on his mind.
A chrono on one of the bridge's many consoles flashed, and General Mundi turned his large head towards it. "Ah. I'd almost forgotten, I need to speak with the clone medic you recovered from that Separatist ship earlier."
And just like that, Bacara's anxiety returned. "Yes, sir. Would you mind if I came with you? I have a few questions I'd like to ask as well."
"I don't see why not."
They walked together to the guest quarters where Kix had been recovering from hibernation sickness, and as much as Bacara wanted to plan out his next steps, he forced his mind to silence. Plans were no use if your opponent could eavesdrop on them at any time.
General Mundi palmed the guest quarters open and Kix was waiting on the other side, already standing at attention.
"General Mundi, sir! Thank you for meeting with me," Kix said.
"It's long overdue. Thank you for your patience CT-6116."
Bacara glared at Kix, willing him into silence, but Kix completely ignored him.
"General Mundi, sir, there's something you need to know about the intel I intercepted."
"I thought the highlights already went to Bacara and his men," Mundi said.
"Yes, sir, but they've been keeping the most important thing from you."
Bacara's heart dropped into his stomach.
"It's why the Seppies kidnapped me in the first place," Kix continued.
"Kix-!" Bacara growled.
"Now, Now," Mundi said, raising a placating hand to Bacara. "Let's hear what the man has to say."
"Sir, every clone in the GAR has been compromised-"
Time seemed to slow as Bacara watched Kix open his mouth to utter Republic secrets that could jeopardize the security and stability of the entire galaxy. In those brief nanoseconds he considered his options. He could kill Kix—shoot him before he has a chance to say anything. It would be difficult to justify to the General but the secret would be safe. It felt like his only option.
Bacara visualized drawing his blaster and shooting Kix in the chest, watching his body fall to the floor, his eyes black and painfully still, and bile rose up in the back of his throat.
No.
No. Bacara would be damned if another clone died for the Jedi. Not one more.
General Mundi's brow furrowed and his eyes flicked to Bacara's even as Kix continued speaking.
"The clone army was built with a backdoor from the very beginning-" Kix said.
"Bacara," Mundi said, ignoring Kix. "What is-?"
Don't think. Don't give him something to sense.
Bacara opened the comms to the entire 21st Nova Corps.
"Execute Order 66."
"-the meaning of this?" General Mundi continued.
Bacara raised his blaster and shot the Jedi traitor Ki-Adi-Mundi in the chest.
