When Fox woke the next morning, the artificial light of his cramped quarters had already turned on. It was the first time in his life he had ever slept in. He stared up at the durasteel ceiling, not wanting to sleep any more but not knowing what else to do. So this was what it was like, then. To have no purpose.
Something tweaked in the back of his brain, a feeling he'd had hundreds of times before and always brushed off. But maybe it wasn't nothing. Maybe this sign had been there all along—his body hinting at him about the crack in his brain's integrity. Maybe it was a reminder that he wasn't his own person. That he never would be.
Fox didn't know how long he'd been staring at the ceiling when his terminal beeped. He rolled his head over to the side to investigate, but the blinking light didn't reveal who the caller was. It looked like he'd have to move.
He hauled himself out of bed with a groan, not bothering to throw his blacks on even though he was cold in just his briefs. Eyes still bleary, he tapped the answer button on his terminal.
"Fox, it's Bacara."
"...What?" Fox said. He felt sluggish and muddy, like he was recovering from a nasty infection.
Bacara gave Fox a quick once-over through the holo, but made no comment on his state of undress. "We need to talk."
"Alright then," Fox said, his thoughts finally clearing. "Talk."
"Not over holo. Will you be with the Chancellor this afternoon? I'll meet you."
"I'm not her guard any more," Fox said, wincing at the obvious crack in his voice. He braced himself for the inevitable questions. Why? Were you demoted? Discharged? What's going on?
"Fine. Will the Chancellor still be at the Senate today?"
Fox blinked at the unexpected turn of the conversation. "...Yes. She's hosting a delegation of senators from the CIS-"
"Copy that," Bacara said, then the holo shut off.
Fox stared into the empty space where Bacara's form had hovered just moments earlier, feeling disoriented. That was strange. Not only had Bacara not asked about Fox's change in assignment, he hadn't even seemed to notice his state of undress.
Bacara had always been a hardass, but this just felt… off.
The comm he'd left under his bunk pinged, and he knelt down to pull it out from the pile of armor he'd left there the night before. It was a text transmission from an unknown contact, the message containing only a single word.
Completed.
Rex's surgery to remove the chip. That was the signal that it was done.
Fox closed his eyes and breathed in deep through his nostrils. There was still work to be done. Even if all he wanted was to curl up into a ball and rot, there was always more work to be done. He opened his eyes and pulled his blacks and armor out from under the bed.
The walk to the 501st barracks was a long one. The Coruscant Guard were garrisoned in a whole separate area of the RCMO from the battalions that went out to the front lines, and housing was a little haphazard now that almost everyone was back on Coruscant at once. The rotating bunk assignments no longer ran like a streamlined factory floor, and the RCMO was bursting at the seams.
The doors to the 501st barracks opened to Fox's security chit, giving Fox some measure of satisfaction that at least he was still a commander. A commander with no subordinates, sure, but a commander nonetheless.
Inside, the barracks teemed with organized chaos. An ARC Trooper led a cluster of men in calisthenics in the corner, another group of clones in blacks stripped bunks for cleaning, and another group sat attentively in front of a clone medic giving a lecture. In all the hustle and bustle, nobody seemed to notice him enter.
Fox grabbed the arm of a passing clone carrying a pile of laundry. "Trooper! What's going on here? Where's Captain Rex?"
"Hey!" the trooper said, then started when he noticed Fox's ranking pauldron. "Oh, Commander, sir! We're just going through our daily routine. We don't have an official assignment right now so we're trying to keep busy however we can. Captain Rex was out for some meeting for that political assignment, but he just came back."
The trooper pointed Fox towards a cluster of tiny transparisteel offices past a maze of bunks, and Fox headed off.
He found Rex at a cramped desk holding his head in his hands, Echo standing over him with his hand on his shoulder. Tech stood beside the two, staring studiously into his datapad.
None of them seemed to notice Fox standing in the doorway, so he rapped his knuckles on the frame to announce himself.
Rex looked behind him and motioned Fox inside.
"Ah, I see you got my message," Tech said. "Excellent."
"How are you feeling?" Fox asked, jerking his head at the narrow bacta patch across Rex's temple.
Rex shrugged, his hand unconsciously rubbing at the incision. "Alright, I guess. I don't feel much different, if I'm being honest. Though I'm not sure what I expected."
"Then how do we know if it worked?" Fox said.
"All of my initial diagnostics suggest success, but we won't know for certain until we actually test the protocol," Tech said.
"You mean try to trigger the order? That seems like a terrible idea," Fox said.
"It is certainly not without its risks," Tech admitted. "Echo and I have been designing a series of experiments that would allow us to test the chip's functionality as safely as possible."
Fox pursed his lips. As safely as possible didn't sound very good to him. As safely as possible sounded like he might lose another brother.
Rex stood and set his hand on Fox's shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, brother. But I knew what I signed up for. This is what we have to do, to protect every clone in the GAR."
Fox locked eyes with Rex and gave him a curt nod. "You're right." He took in a deep breath. "We can't let this lie."
Rex squeezed Fox's shoulder before releasing him and easing away, giving him the space he preferred. Huh, Fox thought, a positive notion somehow slipping its way through all the gloom, Maybe when all this is over, I will have gained another brother.
"Oh, Commander Fox," Tech said, looking up from his datapad with one finger raised in the air. "I hacked into the Kaminoan's records to see if I could confirm your suspicions regarding Chancellor Palpatine's involvement in the inhibitor chip production."
"And?" Fox said.
"The details of who paid for what are murky, but I obtained records of several transmissions between Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se and a Lord Tyranus. Chancellor Chuchi's investigations last year unearthed that Lord Tyranus was in fact, Count Dooku-"
"Who was in Chancellor Palpatine's pocket the whole time," said Rex, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "It looks like your instincts may have been right on the credits, Fox."
The transparisteel walls of the small office seemed to close in on Fox, and he forced himself to take several slow, measured breaths. Palpatine. Why did it always seem to come back to that karking demon?
"Alright," Fox said, practicing the even, controlled voice he'd developed over the years managing any and all crises on Coruscant. "This doesn't change much. We already knew we needed to be cautious. Now we just need to understand that these chips were likely part of a plan aimed at taking down the entire Republic."
Echo rolled his eyes. "Great. Way to calm the troops, Commander."
Muffled shouts and the muted sounds of a scuffle came from beyond the offices—something beyond the 501st's normal chaos. Fox looked to the common area behind them where a cluster of troopers was holding back a lone clone. The clone struggled against the firm grip of his fellow soldiers, and his frantic cries grew louder the longer he fought.
Rex jumped to his feet and ran out the door, Fox on his heels.
Fox could parse out the lone trooper's urgent cries as he drew near, but the pitch and cadence of the frantic words seemed somehow off. "I need to see Captain Rex!" the clone shouted. "It's a matter of the security of the entire Republic!"
Rex reached the source of the tumult and didn't hesitate to insert himself into the fray, marching right up to the shouting clone. "Soldiers! What's going on here?" Rex asked.
One of the 501st troopers got the intruding clone into a headlock, calming the melee down somewhat. The captured clone continued to shout as if his shebs were on fire.
"We don't know, sir," one of the defending clones said. "This clone comes in screaming bloody murder and he goes right for you. We just wanted to ask him some questions first but he wouldn't let anyone stop him."
"I need to see Captain Rex!" the captured clone shouted again. His headlock kept his eyes on the floor, so he couldn't see that Rex was actually less than a foot in front of his nose.
Rex furrowed his brow as he inspected the raving trooper. "...Kix?" he said after a moment.
"I'm clone medic Kix and I need to see Captain Rex! It's urgent!"
"Kix, I'm right here," Rex said.
"I need to see Captain Rex now!"
"Let him go," Rex ordered, and the clone holding the medic down reluctantly released the headlock. Kix sprang to his feet.
"Where's Captain Re-!" He cut off when his eyes landed on Rex, right in front of him. "Rex! Thank the Force! Every clone in the GAR has been compromised by a control chip that modifies our behavior. Commander Bacara has activated that chip for the entire 21st Nova Corps."
Control chips. Activated. Commander Bacara. The clone medic's words rang in Fox's ears, eclipsing all other sound.
Rex's face went white as plastoid armor. "What?"
"Sir, I can't hear anything you're saying," Kix said. "I lanced my eardrums to avoid the chip being triggered. Can you understand me?"
Rex gripped Kix by the shoulders and pulled him close, all the while staring him straight in the eyes. He spoke slowly, enunciating carefully and precisely. "Is. This. True?"
Kix nodded. "Yes, sir," he said, this time a whisper.
"Everyone!" Rex roared to the troopers already gathered around. "Nobody leaves this barracks until I say so! Do not repeat what you heard to anyone until you hear further orders from me. Understand?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" the clones responded with one voice.
Fox, Tech, Echo, and Kix—with me," Rex said, turning on his heel and heading back to his office. "We're getting to the bottom of this."
It took time, patience, and a cleverly-hacked datapad with voice-to-text functionality, but eventually Kix shared his whole story. His abduction by the Separatists, his recovery by Bacara and the 21st, Bacara's reluctance to tell any Jedi about the inhibitor chips, and Bacara's increasing paranoia culminating in his murder of General Ki-Adi-Mundi.
"Bacara killed Ki-Adi-Mundi?" Fox said, his voice barely loud enough for the hacked datapad to pick up and transcribe. "That seems impossible."
He'd been in the same CC class as Bacara. They were brothers. Sure, they may not have gelled as well as some of the other CCs, but Fox thought he knew Bacara. Something like this… Bacara was the last person Fox would have ever thought might commit treason.
"Chatter confirms that while the 21st Nova Corps docked this morning, General Mundi has not yet returned to the Jedi Temple," Tech said.
"It may seem impossible but we have to trust Kix for now," Rex said. "We confirmed the existence of the inhibitor chip independently, after all. Until we learn otherwise, we should assume that the Jedi are at extreme risk."
"How did you make it without the chip activating for you?" Echo asked.
"Commander Bacara had his helmet on when he issued the order," Kix said, "so I didn't hear it. Once I realized what had happened, I lanced my own eardrums to make sure I couldn't be compromised."
"Ah. So it is a keyword-triggered response," Tech said.
A spike of annoyance pricked at Fox's thoughts. Why did this commando have to act like everything was a science experiment? This was happening right now, in the real world. "So you remained hidden until they docked?" he asked, ignoring his frustration.
Kix read Fox's words off the hacked datapad and nodded. "I didn't hide, exactly, but I tried to blend in. Everyone assumed my chip had also been activated."
Rex stroked his chin thoughtfully, his other hand held across his stomach and clenched in a tight fist. "How do you know the chip was activated for everyone else? How was their behavior different? And what's their plan after coming to Coruscant?"
"It was… unsettling," Kix said, closing his eyes and shuddering. "Everyone was the same but… harder. More single-minded. It's like how you feel in a firefight, when you know that you have to stay completely focused on your task, and you can't let anything else in. It's like that, but all the time."
"That sounds inconclusive," Tech said. "How do you know for certain that Commander Bacara activated the chips of the entire battalion?"
Kix swallowed visibly and his golden-brown eyes grew distant. "After General Mundi was killed, Commander Bacara broadcast a message to the entire Venator," he said. "He explained that he'd had to execute General Mundi due to his treasonous actions, and that our next mission was to find any other Jedi and execute them. I was horrified, but everyone around me cheered."
The room fell silent, all eyes trained on Kix. Even Tech looked up from his datapad, the numbers and figures scrolling over his goggles left unattended.
"As soon as the broadcast ended, I went straight to medical and found a lancet to rupture my eardrums. It was the only way I could think of to prevent myself from being indoctrinated," Kix said.
Rex clapped Kix on the shoulder and squeezed hard. "You did well, Kix. If you hadn't done that, we would have had no idea what's coming."
"Speaking of which, what exactly is coming?" Echo asked. "Do you know any of Bacara's plans beyond 'execute the Jedi.'"
Kix shook his head. "He kept all of that to his most senior officers. I'm not even a part of the 21st, so I didn't hear anything."
"He'll most likely head for the Jedi Temple," Rex said. "That's where the Jedi are, and if they're as single-minded as Kix seems to think, it's the only logical option."
Fox narrowed his eyes in thought. Bacara had commed him just that morning, but Bacara hadn't tried to trigger his chip. Why was that?
"I think it might be more complicated than that," Fox said. "From what Kix said, Bacara may still be capable of executing a subtle strategy. One way or another, this isn't something we can keep from the Chancellor or the Jedi Council any longer."
Rex nodded grimly, and Tech and Echo looked at each other knowingly.
"Maybe we'll be able to pass the clone rights bill later…" Echo said, the doubt written all over his expression.
"It doesn't matter," Fox said, refusing to think of what this would mean for his brothers, refusing to think of how hard the Chancellor had worked to make it happen. "What matters right now is the Republic. I'll talk to Cody and Thorn first, then the Chancellor. In the meantime, Rex should lead a battalion to defend the Jedi Temple. Rex should be safe because his chip has been removed, and we can rig everyone else's comms to send text communications instead of audio. Keep all buckets locked on with noise cancelling. I don't want there to be any risk of more troopers' chips being activated."
"I'm on it," Rex said.
"We'll all need to shut off comms with anyone but Rex. He's the only clone we know won't be compromised," Fox said. "Rex, sorry but you might have to play holo operator."
"Ahsoka Tano was my Commander, Fox. I can handle a bit of chatter," Rex said with a smirk.
"This is a sound plan," Tech said. "I can help with any comms modifications necessary for Captain Rex's troopers."
"And Echo, you come with me to talk to Cody." Fox said. "I'll need to leave to get the Chancellor right away, and you can answer whatever questions he still has."
"Got it."
A grim spirit of determination settled over the five clones, and Fox took a moment to look each one in the eye. "Today could change everything for us clones," Fox said. "Today, we fight for the Republic and for ourselves. Today we fight for our brothers."
"I see the merits of your bill, but you must understand my constituents' perspective," Huelo Sanastes said. "Kuat's manufacturing industry would suffer if the Republic were to reduce its standing military, and this bill would certainly lead to reduced troop numbers."
Riyo pushed down her anger, forcing a tight smile. "It would certainly lead to an increase in free men, who would be able to drive the economy in other ways, Senator Sanastes."
Senator Sanastes returned Riyo's false smile with a patronizing smile of his own. "Yes, and while I'm sure the people of Kuat would feel this trickle-down economic boon eventually, I'm afraid it wouldn't have the same impact as our considerable contracts with the GAR."
Riyo took a big gulp of tea before she said something she might regret. Maybe if she'd had more than three hours of sleep, she'd be able to handle Senator Sanastes with greater patience. Maybe if her heart hadn't been crushed and thrown into an incinerator the day before, she'd have more time for his sithspit.
The hot tea burned as it slid down her throat, all while pungent flower scents flooded her nostrils. It didn't matter how little sleep she'd had, it didn't matter that she'd die alone. All that mattered was the bill, and if she could get a commitment from Senator Sanastes, they'd have the votes.
"I understand the difficult position the GAR's scale back may put your constituents in," she said. "There is a vote next month on reducing tariffs on zersium. If I have your vote on the clone rights bill, I promise you I will do everything in my power to remove all tariffs on zersium. I believe the reduction in costs of raw materials will make up for the price of having to convert your factories to producing non-wartime products."
Senator Sanastes leaned back in his cavernous nerf-leather chair. His office was large, industrial, and almost overwhelmingly masculine. Riyo preferred her own offices for these kinds of meetings, but enduring the dense musk that emanated Sanastes' rooms was a small price to pay if it got him in the mood to negotiate.
"You have my interest. I'll need to talk it over with some constituents, but consider me a soft yes for now," he said.
Riyo allowed the corner of her mouth to quirk up in triumph. Don't celebrate yet, she told herself. It's still too early. Nevertheless, Riyo was cautiously optimistic. She took another sip from her cup, taking her time to savor the heady scent.
Their meeting ended and Maja led Riyo through the twisting hallways of the senator's apartment complex to the lifts. The new personal guard to the Chancellor—a clone named Wick—followed a few paces behind them, his blaster always at the ready. Once inside the lift, Riyo slumped back against the transparisteel wall.
Maja shot her a concerned look. "Are you alright, Riyo? I would have thought you'd be ecstatic with even a tentative yes from Sanastes."
"I'm fine," Riyo said. Which was true enough. This was a big win. She should be happy. She was happy.
Maja narrowed her eyes at Riyo, then flicked her gaze to Wick before quickly returning to Riyo. "Is this about our… personnel changes?"
Wick shifted his weight from one foot to another, the almost-imperceptible movement glaringly noticeable from a clone who might as well be made of stone.
"No!" Riyo said, a knee jerk reaction. Then she saw the hurt in Maja's eyes, and knew that while she couldn't tell her friend everything, she didn't want to tell her a bald-faced lie. "I… Maybe. I'm just getting used to some changes around here, that's all. I'll be fine. I'll be more than fine once this bill is finally passed."
Maja chuckled. "You can say that again. I've already scheduled a full two days off for you. And I'll have to insist that you spend the entire first day catching up on sleep."
Riyo smiled at Maja in genuine appreciation. Maybe if she could find a moment of actual privacy, she'd tell her friend everything. Maybe. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll need it."
The lift opened and Riyo's speeder was already waiting outside for her, the ever-punctual Shifter at the wheel. Riyo slid into the back seat and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Maja was nudging her to get out.
"We're back at the Senate building, ma'am."
"Huh?" Riyo asked, still bleary-eyed. She thought she'd been lying in bed, a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around her. Then the blue-green glow of the Senate building emerged from the haze, and she came back to reality. "Oh, yes. Got it."
They got out and took Riyo's private lift up to the Chancellor's Office—not her own, more humble office, though it was what she preferred. She'd be meeting with a representative from the CIS Senate, and Maja had insisted that the more formal setting was necessary.
The lift doors opened on the Chancellor's Office and Riyo checked her chrono. She still had fifteen minutes to prepare, which was good because if she was going to make the first overtures of reunification with the Separatist systems, she needed to be on her A-game.
"...Fox?" Maja said.
Riyo's head shot up. A familiar figure in white-and-red plastoid paced up and down the marble corridor. He turned at the sound of Maja's voice, his face unmasked. Riyo's heart froze hard as ice.
"Chancellor Chuchi!"
Riyo's icy heart shattered. "Fox. What are you doing here?"
"I need to speak with you immediately-"
"I thought you forfeited that right when you resigned?" Riyo asked.
"I'm serious, Riyo!" Fox barked, and Riyo jumped. "The integrity of the entire GAR is at stake."
Riyo raised her brows. Wick approached and tapped Riyo on the shoulder. "Ma'am? I can see him out if you need."
Fox chuckled darkly. "I'd like to see you try."
"No, it's alright. I'll… I'll hear what he has to say," Riyo said. "Maja? Wick?"
Maja and Wick backed into the lift lobby, though Maja's doubtful look told Riyo she'd jump right in if Riyo asked. That support, small as it may have been, gave Riyo the strength she needed to step forward into the office with Fox and shut the door behind her.
"What's this about?" she asked, rounding on him and forcing herself to look him right in his golden-brown eyes.
"Every clone in the GAR was created with an inhibitor chip in our brains that, when activated, will force us to execute the Jedi," Fox said, not missing a beat.
Riyo stared blankly at him. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but it definitely hadn't been that. "What-? Inhibitor-? What?"
"They're a behavioral modification tool that can override our independent thinking and force us to act on certain orders. We have reason to believe the chip has been activated by Commander Bacara and the entire 21st Nova Corps is under its influence."
"Why would he do that? Does… does this mean the Jedi are in danger?" Riyo asked.
"Yes, ma'am. The Order has been informed and Commander Thorn has already ordered troops to the Temple to defend them if need be. We need to find a way to contain the Nova Corps and ensure that activation of the inhibitor chip doesn't spread further."
"Wait, wait…" Riyo said, her head spinning. "Slow down. What does this chip actually do? Why was it put in the clones in the first place? And how is it activated? This all seems very far-fetched."
"We believe the chips were inserted on Chancellor Palpatine's orders. Ostensibly they were a failsafe to ensure that the Republic could deal with the Jedi if they were to ever turn against the Republic, but given Palpatine's schemes…"
"That was to be his weapon to take down the Jedi…" Riyo said. She walked over to her desk in front of the wide window overlooking Coruscant and sank down into the chair, feeling faint. No, she thought. Not my desk. Chancellor Palpatine's desk.
"Exactly. The chip is activated via a spoken passphrase. For reasons not entirely clear, Commander Bacara spoke the passphrase over the comms to his entire battalion, and they are now on Coruscant. They left the RCMO early this morning, and we believe they are likely headed to the Jedi Temple now."
Riyo looked up at Fox, her brows furrowing. "Who is this 'we' you keep mentioning? How do you know about all of this now?"
Fox pursed his lips and had the decency to look ashamed. "Captain Rex and I heard rumors of the chips a while ago, and we've been investigating these past few months."
Riyo's jaw turned slack. Fox was so many things: dedicated, disciplined, unyielding, maddeningly stubborn, devastatingly handsome, tragically humorless… but she'd always thought he was truthful above all else.
"And you didn't tell me?" she said.
Fox stepped towards the desk with his back ramrod straight, like a man marching to his execution. "I should have informed the proper channels when we confirmed the chip's existence and purpose. I elected not to in order to protect my brothers and the clone rights bill. I take full responsibility for my actions and am willing to face judgment."
Hot tears stung at Riyo's eyes. Fox didn't care about his own wants and needs. Even if the Republic didn't own him, he belonged to his brothers. He belonged to his duty. Only now did she fully understand why they could never be together.
She got to her feet and waved his formal admission of guilt away. "We don't have time for this right now. You must have a plan. What do you need from me?"
"Ma'am, are you sure-?"
"If what you're saying is true, the entire GAR could go rogue at any moment!" she said. "What is the plan!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Fox outlined the strategy he had pulled together with Commanders Cody and Thorn only a few hours earlier. Captain Rex would defend the Jedi Temple with a battalion of troopers whose comms had been partially disabled to remove any possibility of hearing the inhibitor chip's activation words. The rest of the clones stationed on Coruscant were being removed to a dead zone where they couldn't receive any comms and nobody would be allowed in or out for 48 hours. Commander Cody had issued the same orders to any battalions not currently on-planet: all comms off for 48 hours, sit tight and don't go anywhere.
"That makes sense for stopping the spread of the order," Riyo said, "but what are you going to do about the 21st? Captain Rex's battalion might not be able to hold them back."
"That's where we were hoping for your help, ma'am," Fox said. "Order all non-clone security forces on-planet to the Temple. The Senate Guard, the Coruscant Police Force, anything you can think of."
"And have them wipe out the 21st Nova Corps?" Riyo said. She rose from behind her desk and paced back and forth, her mind racing.
Fox set his jaw. "If necessary. The inhibitor chips can be removed. If possible, I'd recommend stunning clones when necessary and keeping them sedated until the inhibitor chips can be safely removed."
Riyo remembered the way the clone troopers had fought on Orto Plutonia. "That might be a tall order, Commander."
A heavy silence fell between them. They both knew what today would likely bring. Dead clones, either way. But hopefully an intact Republic at the end of it all.
"I understand," Fox said, his voice heavy with emotion. "Cody and Thorn have already initiated their part of the plan, but they want your formal approval."
"They have it," Riyo said. "And I will contact the Senate Guard and Coruscant Police Force immediately. The Senate will also be put on lockdown, just in case."
"I'll evacuate the building of any clone troopers. We'll go to the blackout zone together."
Something coiled in Riyo's gut. "I understand. We'll make do with a skeleton crew of the Senate Guard for now. You're dismissed."
Fox saluted sharply, but only half turned before rounding back on Riyo. "I'll key Captain Rex's comm signature into your commlink," he said. "The clones are all going radio silent but him. You'll be able to keep in touch with Cody, Thorn, and… me. Through Rex."
Riyo nodded, and Fox took her gingerly by the arm, tapping a few passwords and keys into her comm before letting her go. His hand slid loosely down to her palm as he pulled away, and he squeezed her fingers briefly before letting go.
"Be safe, Riyo."
She held his molten gaze for as long as she could stand, though it burned. It didn't feel right to be separating like this, right when the galaxy might fall into chaos. But it was for the best.
"Be safe, Fox."
He turned and left her office.
Riyo walked back to her large, mirror-polished desk and sat back down, her heart pumping with adrenaline. She was transported back to that night, less than two years ago, when she'd snuck in here to try and foil Palpatine's plot. Now she was back at it again, and this still didn't feel like her office.
She pulled out the hidden drawer that held the Chancellor's direct lines to various military and political leaders and rang up the head of Senate Security, then the commissioner of the Coruscant Police Force. They seemed confused but didn't question her orders.
Maja stepped into the office, her datapad clutched tight to her chest and her dark brows knit together. "Riyo, what's going on? Wick left with Fox, and the Senate Guard are started moving, too."
"We have a security issue," Riyo said, not even sure where to start.
"Is everything going to be alright? If all the clones leave, will we have enough protection?" Maja said.
Riyo opened her mouth to reassure Maja that they would be fine—that the Senate wasn't the likely target, anyway. Then her eyes caught on one of the direct lines in the drawer of comms in old Chancellor Palpatine's desk.
Ah, yes, former Chancellor Valorum had told her when he'd first given her a tour of her new office, That wasn't here when I was still Chancellor. I believe Sheev had it installed during the Clone Wars. It's a direct link to every clone trooper comm in the GAR. I thought it was a bit excessive, but then again we never had much of a military presence to speak of when I was Chancellor.
Riyo's eyes grew wide.
"Riyo? Ma'am?" Maja asked in growing alarm.
Riyo typed the code Fox had just programmed into her comm. "Captain Rex? This is Chancellor Chuchi. Are you there?"
"Chancellor Chuchi! Yes, this is Captain Rex. We're holding our position at the Jedi Temple."
"Have you engaged any of Commander Bacara's troops?"
There was a slight pause over the line. "No, ma'am. We haven't seen any hint of them at all yet."
Dread sank in her gut just as bile rose in her throat. "Captain Rex, I believe that's because they'll be coming here."
