Twenty
"Get out of my way."
"Sir."
Men parted as the red armour stormed through the building to the main Guard station in the Senate accommodation Tower Two.
"I need all flight manifests in and out over the past twelve hours," Fox barked the order so loud that Vail flinched.
The commander shoved another trooper aside as his fingers began tapping frantically at the keyboard, scrolling and flicking from one screen to the next.
"Who are you looking for Sir?"
No answer.
"Sir, it would be a help if we knew exactly what - "
"WILL YOU JUST DO AS YOU WERE ORDERED LIEUTENANT!"
Vail looked down, his face flushed from the overly harsh tone of his commanding officer.
"Nothing. Nothing!" Fox pushed the keyboard forward in disgust, " Okay, raise the alarm."
"What?"
"IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR HEARING ALL OF A SUDDEN? RAISE THE ALARM!"
Vail sat in his chair and swivelled to the other side of the desk. Waking up the computer he began to log the procedure sequence.
"Alarm designation sir."
"Code 19."
Vail's fingers stopped typing and Fox stood silent behind him.
Waiting.
This could cost him everything, but he was willing to put it all on the line.
For her.
"One of our politicians has been compromised," he said quietly, mentally running through the scenario once the code had been activated.
"I need to record which one sir," Vail was methodical.
Never before had a Code 19 been called and it was his career disappearing in vapours as well if they got it wrong.
Fox was the only one who could order a complete shut down of the Senate buildings which included the two towers of accommodation, all meeting rooms, offices and the entire Imperial Military High Command.
"Sir?"
He looked to the commander for the name that was about to wreak chaos in the centre of the core world.
Fox cleared his throat and stood straight.
"Senator Carr from Oriis."
Vail sat motionless, frozen by what Fox had just said.
He knew of their elicit relationship and knew that Fox would be hauled over the coals by the brass for putting in place an order from which there would be no going back once implemented.
He also knew the sequelae of events.
ICSU would be deployed and would conduct a full search of the facility.
All units would be assigned to barracks.
Both inbound and outbound air traffic would be halted. The Senate buildings would be inaccessible once the doors were shut. Everyone would have to be accounted for, in triplicate, before the all clear could be given.
Coruscant in effect would be closed down.
Vail stood and looked at Fox. He looked old and tired.
The past six weeks had been tedious and the mental exhaustion was beginning to show
But never once did he falter.
Not once did Fox miss a shift or meeting.
He was working long hours, keeping both sides of his command under control. The politicians were stressful enough at the best of times, and he had his hands full down in lock up with the deserting troopers.
Now Olphina, his beloved Olphina, was missing.
He had noticed it over the past week and a half – nothing extraordinary, just snippets of gossip, dignitaries holding longer than usual meetings, groups huddled and whispering in corridors.
Not that it mattered.
No one would dare voice their opinion against the newly appointed Emperor.
"Sir, please. Let me take a unit and do one last run through? You need to be 100% on this one. Sir," he stressed.
Fox turned to Vail.
"I've been everywhere," he said meeting Vail's gaze. "She had a meeting with the Emperor yesterday and I," he knew once he said it, he was verbalising all his fears, "I just can't find her."
"Do you think it has something to do with Representative Gem leaving?"
"No. Yes, I don't know!"
Fox rubbed his hand across his face. "I don't know what to think. She was frightened, that much I do know."
"There's been rumours circulating that Oriis, along a couple of other systems are required to put more credits in if they are to stay under the arm of the Empire. Let me grab some men, let me do one last check? You can't risk your career over a - ", he wanted to say 'a woman,' but stopped himself going any further.
Fox knew exactly what his 2IC meant.
Yes he was in a relationship with a woman. Yes, she could have just decided to leave Coruscant.
But she hadn't.
He knew her better than that.
She had gone to a meeting with Palpatine and never came back.
He had spent the night looking, ducking in and out of her apartment; walking the route to the Emperors office over and again, checking every room along the way. He even went so far as to check every amenity, male and female.
He had thought the worse.
"You don't get it do you?"
Fox looked intimidating. He hadn't shaved and a beard was creeping through. Vail could see that he was genuine in his concern over the Senator, irrespective of his relationship with her. He could tell that Fox would have thought through every possible scenario before he got to this point.
This wasn't an emotional decision.
He wasn't that kind of officer.
"Sir?"
"I know what you're thinking. She's not just a woman Vail. She is an elected representative of her people that we are charged with keeping safe. The laws that these people put in place govern us. Without them, there would be no democracy, only a dictatorship. It's our job to look after them so they can look after us, no matter what."
Vail didn't say anything but turned and depressed the relevant alarm code.
The acoustic claxon sounded and doors began sliding and locking into place.
"Come what may sir, I'm with you."
"You might regret saying that," Fox said as he watched the computer work through the lock down sequence.
.
"What in the Nine Corellian Hells is going on over there?"
Niner saw the alarm flash on the board in alpha barracks. The commandos were privy to all top level security breeches.
The were in the rec room.
No deployment since O66, they were getting restless with constant meetings and rumours about their position within the Empire.
They had kept their old armour; the dents now a symbol of elitism. Not that they fraternised with the meat cans.
They kept to themselves, they knew better than to antagonise a brother about the past.
"Some fancy pants Senator probably got locked in the refresher." Scorch said as he continued playing solitaire, flipping the colourful cards over one at a time.
Niner laughed as he swilled the remnants of his caf. He been given the green light to return to active service, his spine now fully recovered after a gruelling regime of physiotherapy. Swimming every day twice a day, walking for hours in the infamous tunnel and pushing the weights. He was glad of something to occupy his time, his determination to regain his fitness paramount; he simply had to get back.
There was someone he needed to be there for.
Darman.
He sat quietly on his own and said nothing as the alarm continued to flash.
"ICSU, you're up," the quartermaster stated as he did a walk through the common room.
Fixer popped his head around behind the QM. "Pollie patrol boys."
"Better than frying one of our own," Scotch said as he stacked the cards back into a neat pile and stood from the table, "let's get this over and done with. You two in?"
"Yeah," Niner said, glad that he had something to do other than watch the controlled propaganda on the holonet.
.
"What we got?"
Vail swung around and stood as the four commandos lumbered into view.
"Sir, ICSU are here."
Fox nodded and stood forward.
"Code 19."
"Which one?"
"Oriis."
Niner suddenly became interested.
"Senator Olphina Carr. Missing since 0800 yesterday."
"Why didn't someone raise the alarm earlier?" Niner flicked through an image of the woman they were now charged with finding.
"Protocol. We have to wait approximately 12 hours before we can call it."
"Last known whereabouts?"
"Emperor Palpatine's office."
No one said a word.
Niner took charge of the group, "Dar you start over there. Scorch T1, Fixer here, usual drill."
"Copy that sarge."
Niner watched as the men went off in different directions. They would do a sweep of each apartment and continue on, floor by floor until it was done.
It was just another job for them. Either they would find her.
Or not.
.
"Sir, could you direct me to her apartment?"
Niner followed Commander Fox in silence.
He was instantly struck with how familiar the commander was at opening the apartment and switching on the lights.
It didn't take him long to put two and two together.
The next two standard hours, the commando squad diligently went about searching the Senate building, fielding angry questions from disgruntled politicians.
Then the call everyone was waiting for.
"Sarge, I've got her. Repeat, I've got her."
Fox found it hard to stand aside while the commandos finished what he started.
It would be hours before he would know of her injuries. Ordered to High Command to sit in on the lengthy process of interviews with the heads of the military, all the time itching to get to her.
And when he did, she would be closed off and emotionally numb. It was her front line defence against her overwhelming reality.
The one she could never tell him.
The truth.
.
