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Chapter Text

Fox clenched his fists spasmodically, trying to ignore what lay ahead.

He wasn't blind, thank you very much, and he could see the way the soldiers of the 212th and 501st were watching him and his Corries. When the Chancellor had decided to get rid of the Guard's clone soldiers, he had had the vicious idea of sending them to join the GAR, which hated them. As soon as he'd learned of this, Fox had ordered their shinnies new arrivals of only a few weeks to remove all paint from their armour, knowing full well that the 501st would more easily feel sorry for young little brothers just off Kamino than for old Corries. He was glad to have his brothers, it could be worse, he could be alone and isolated, but he wasn't. The Guard protected its members, and they would stand together despite the hatred of their former brothers. At least no other little brother would be sent to the Guard to be starved and mistreated by the Senate while their brothers called them lazy, paper-pushers.

No one cared about them, and apart from their loyalty to the Republic and the welfare of as many innocent people as possible, the Guard were only loyal to themselves.

Their other problem was that he didn't like General Skywalker, a good friend of the Chancellor's, and even though he treated his brothers like gentle animals, Fox wasn't going to bend the rules without good reason or a formal, direct order. He remained aware of the looks on their helmets and their resting parade posture, again, he wasn't blind.

"They're pissing me off looking at us like we're freaks," Stone growled.

"Quiet," Thorn tempered.

"Maybe I can drop Grizzer on them and make it look like an accident?"

"Oh yeah, go for it!"

"No, you don't drop a massiff during a charging, Hound, and you, Thire, don't encourage it."

"Lek, Alor!"

"Don't think that just because you're talking at the same time I don't see you fiddling with Grizzer's collar."

Thire swore softly as he straightened up innocently, the movement of the helmet suggesting he was hoping to convince him with a cute face.

"Your helmet spoils your face a bit, vod, you won't convince me with your paint."

Hound burst out laughing, followed by most of the men behind them. The cute face Thire managed to get was a trap for even the most shinnies of them, so watching him fail was always amusing.

"Commander Fox."

Fox saluted, followed by his troops, and looked General Kenobi in the eye before running through General Skywalker, Commander Tano and Captain Rex.

"Generals, Commander, Captain. Aran Company waiting for order, sirs."

One would have to be very inattentive to miss Rex's grimace or Skywalker's disinterested pout, only Kenobi remained professional, and Tano was just a curious cadet. In Fox's eyes, no matter how well he performed, a cadet was still a cadet.

"You have been assigned to the 501st with your men, Commander Fox," Kenobi reminded. "We're going on a mission to dislodge Separatists from a moon on Rhyloth where they appear to be preparing for a larger attack. The 212 is participating, so we're all going together. We'll introduce you to your barracks."

"Yes, sir."

"Padawan, may I let you accompany them? Anakin and I have one last call to make to the Council before we leave."

"Sure, let's go."

Chapter Text

Cody had the strange feeling that he recognized the small birthmark on the back of that Guard's neck, but it wasn't possible, Fox didn't look like that.

"What... Fox?" he let out.

Fox turned to Cody, one eyebrow raised in silent question.

"What?" he finally replied, to the silence of his batch mate.

"What the... what the hell happened to you?"

Fox, because it was really Fox, was frighteningly thin, like all the Corries! Why were they all so gaunt? Their cheeks were sunken, their wrists were so thin, and they were floating in their blacks. Most of them had incredibly thick, dark circles, and... Force, the scars were... so numerous. A wider look alerted him that it wasn't just him, everyone was more or less focused on the Guard and their naked faces, and their frightening eagerness to eat, as if they hoped to cure themselves of starvation in one meal.

Fox had gained more scars on his face than Cody, Rex, Bly, Ponds and Wolffe combined, and Wolffe had a huge scar over his fucking eye! Stone had a literal hole in his temple and a deep laceration running down the middle of one cheek to his neck, Thorn had an ear with a chunk ripped out and burn marks from scars just below one eye; Thire had a huge burn on the corner of his mouth down to his ear and neck; Hound had numerous thick claw scars on his face and Fox looked like he'd been the plaything of an apprentice cook who needed to test the sharpness of his knives.

Most of the others looked like this, only the shinnies seemed vastly less injured but they were still just as lean and hungry.

"You're pretty thin," he chose rather than ask a wounded man about his scars.

"The Guard was considered less essential, we're used to operating on less food."

"How much less is less?"

"A third?" Thire offered with a fatalistic shrug, unaware of the simulated heart attack he was giving Cody.

"A quarter," Thorn corrected.

"Yeah, a quarter."

"But why didn't you ask for more when it clearly wasn't enough?"

Hound let out a high-pitched, unfriendly chuckle.

"The Chancellor hasn't approved any resupply beyond the minimum he couldn't take away without alerting someone. Almost no food, almost no bacta, and what were we supposed to do?"

"Ask for help?" Cody grumbled, a weight in his stomach.

"Oh yeah, and to whom?"

"From us! To your GAR brothers!" he shouted.

His voice echoed through the complete mess hall silence, no one was going to interrupt.

"We don't have any brothers outside the Guard," Stone replied, peaceful as if what he was saying didn't upset everyone around them.

It was one thing to be annoyed by another battalion, it was one thing to be annoyed by the Coruscant Guard who were more trouble than they were worth to them, it was another to not see them as brothers when they were desperate. Cody too had been annoyed by Fox, but if he had asked him for help, he would have stepped in without hesitation! But Fox hadn't asked. Because he didn't trust him.

"A few months ago we were on patrol, and two of our newly arrived brothers wanted to meet their batch brothers at 79's for a drink and catch up," Fox began slowly and Cody already suspected he wouldn't like what happened next. "They were intercepted and insulted before they even got there. One of Stone's own batch mates pushed him without even acknowledging him when he went to defend his poor little brothers from being scared by clones. He almost bled to death as the shinnies brought him back, and he almost died. He still has a nice hole in his face to remember it by. Many of us have similar stories to tell. For the most part, those of you who sent people to the Guard should be under no illusion, after the insults, humiliation and hatred, we have repudiated all the traitors, liars and bullies in our family. Besides, if you don't like my words, there's no need to be sneaky, just hit me whenever you want, I'm used to it."

Fox put down what he had in his hands and stood up, his muscles relaxed and his face passive.

"What do you care anyway? We Coruscant assholes get what we deserve, aren't you happy?"

"No, Fox, I'm not... happy," Cody struggled to articulate.

"It doesn't matter, it's not like you care anyway."

"Now, we'd like to eat in peace, Commander. Fox, sit down."

Thorn was perfectly polite and raised an eyebrow in his direction, as if to ask him what he was still doing there, and Cody knew from the bland looks and blank faces that he wasn't going to get anything by insisting.

"Enjoy your meal," he managed before slowly walking away.

Cody couldn't ignore the fact that Fox waited until he had taken fifteen steps before sitting down again.

Fox was afraid to turn his back on him.

Because Cody had been a bad brother.

Chapter Text

"He's far away," Thorn whispered to Fox, who relaxed carefully.

"Situation?"

"Wonderful, Commander," Thorn replied sarcastically.

He hadn't earned his name for nothing, Fox might be sly, but Thorn was the most biting of them all. And his humour was dry.

Shut up.

"We've got food, it is positive, " Stone grunted before adding, as a second thought: "I hope it's not poisoned."

Everyone with something in their mouths stopped eating and they all looked at their plates warily before turning in unison to Fox who frowned.

"They wouldn't do that, eat, but save some for later."

Just in case was not said, but they all understood that. They were the hangers-on, if there was a future shortage they would be the first to be affected, and Thorn had already hidden three ration bars in his clothes.

Thire yawned loudly before settling against Fox's shoulder, who tapped him to wake him up.

"Not here," muttered the Commander, tense, and Thire seemed to wake up suddenly and assumed a straight, stiff posture again.

"My apologies, Commander, that was inappropriate."

"At ease."

Pompous dialogue that was deep-rooted in them, every little mistake had to be said and forgiven so that no one could blame them, so the blame would be on Fox and Fox alone. Fox's rule for their protection, and it had worked pretty well so far.

"Ready to move?"

Thorn blinked to see that Fox had already finished his tray and was checking their men. Unlike the soldiers in the other battalions, their group, though large, was perfectly orderly and stoic on the surface. All the trays were empty and clean, and they all waited attentively for further orders.

"We're going home," sighed Fox softly.

Thorn slipped his saved food to a Shiny out of habit, who caught it without hesitation and put it away, they had exchanged no words and no looks, they didn't need them. The Shiny would not thank him, and Thorn would not wait for him.

The best thanks his little brothers could give would be their survival.

No one tried to stop them, and by no one, Thorn meant a certain Hypocritical Pain-in-the-arse Commander with a ridiculously small scar on his face. Fox led them to their assigned space as if he ran the place, back straight and stoic, step firm and eyes cold. Out of habit, and also as a safety measure – maximum security having become a habit soon enough after their arrival on Coruscant – Fox locked the access to their dormitory and suddenly it was as if a weight had disappeared. Postures became more relaxed, faces softened and everyone began to check for microphones and cameras. When they found none, Fox demanded that they do it again, suspicious, and this time Thorn was equally surprised and suspicious. The Shinnies seemed to find this slightly excessive, but they asked no questions and did not rebel, they trusted their elders more than they trusted distant comrades they had not seen for weeks and had never even dreamed of the living nightmares the Coruscant Guards might have experienced while trying to survive.

A battalion of 500 men on what was literally the most populated planet in the Republic.

They had no chance of making it, and their bodies proved it.

When they were finally reassured and tried to relax by whispering and playing games that relied mainly on their bodies or speech, laughter drew his attention to a bed where two vod were already fast asleep while caring Shinnies fetched them blankets.

Finally, Thire had gotten his nap on Fox.

Chapter Text

When he opened his eyes, Thire groaned and instinctively curled up against the heat. Warmth, comfort, 'safety'.

"Vod, please, I really need to get up."

"Fox?"

"Yes, Thire, have a drink and a ration bar please, you have to eat."

"Not hungry," he murmured softly, releasing his hold on Fox who was sighing.

Thire could just 'see' the saggy shoulders and pursed lips in a worried pout.

He was just never hungry, even though he knew it scared the others, he couldn't help it.

He dropped his head on the pillow and rolled onto his stomach.

"Get up, little marmot!"

The singing voice made him growl.

"I don't want to."

"Who cares what you feel like," Stone gently reminded him. "Come on, your armour is waiting for you."

... why had Fox sent that idiot to be Thire's second in command? He didn't have to send one of his Commanders, Thire handled his shit well.

Oh, yeah, it was because he was "sick". Bullshit.

Thire knew what he was suffering from, anorexia and bulimia, but knowing it didn't help him heal. Every bite was hard, he couldn't help but tell himself that it would serve someone else better, that he could hold on and go on without it... but he couldn't. He'd passed out many times and sometimes he wouldn't wake up in the morning, but even when he ate, he'd throw up. It was just horrible.

But he wasn't sick, he was just very busy and a bit stressed, that's all. He wasn't sick, because if he was sick, he would be replaced.

Thire couldn't bear to be replaced. He couldn't bear to lose his brothers, if he were to be the last of them standing, he would fall right after with his own hands. He could not live in a world where the Guard did not exist.

A kick in his bunk made him grunt.

"Get up!"

"No!"

"Stop being a brat!"

"Get off!"

"Commander!"

Fox's voice overtook all others.

"Lunch in three minutes, get ready!"

It was funny how they all knew when Fox spoke. It wasn't even a question of power or words, it was a natural authority that no one in the Guard had ever developed. No one had ever needed it.

Thire was on his feet before he even noticed, and Stone was already moving to assemble his armour over his body.

In a general disarray that only made sense to them, items were moved, precious supplies of food and Bacta were cleverly hidden in "their" space, and in a fluid, synchronised movement, they all took their places at the foot of their bunks, lined up and in a row, all in salute position.

They were ready to face the day, ready to face the disdainful looks and scornful pouts, ready to endure the horror and disgust that Cody had shown by looking at them like monsters.

They probably thought they deserved it, the pests of the Guard deserved no better.

And maybe Thire didn't deserve better.

"Let's go, vod'e."

Yeah, Thire had to go, you shouldn't think things like that, Thire wasn't defective.

Chapter Text

Rex was positively confused, he didn't know what to think of the Guards.

The first time he'd seen Guardsmen in his ship outside of their reception, it had been to see two Shiny Guardsmen - recognisable from his own Shinnies by two parallel red stripes on their hand guards - being reprimanded by Commander Fox for talking in the corridors while walking. The two men had fled quickly and silently, perfect automatons.

Rex's only thought was that this Fox was as cold, abrupt and sharp as he had been told. He hadn't liked his flat tone and impersonal orders, nor the fact that he'd kept his helmet on all morning while they'd all discussed their respective roles for the mission.

As the Guards were not used to battle and battlefields, they would stay back and take on a role as saboteurs to prevent enemies from fleeing, allowing them to get used to combat while not being a priority target for the enemy.

The day had then gone well, but in the "evening", for what served as an evening on a ship in space, he had joined his men before they arrived and tried to calm Torrent down. Rivalry among allies was not effective, even though most of them had been watched, reprimanded and sometimes arrested by the Coruscant Guard.

Rex's position on this was ambiguous, as he obviously didn't like to be bothered when he was off duty, but he had also understood General Koon's point of view when he had picked up a man from the 104th when he himself went to look for Fives.

"Warthog, I understand your feelings, but your actions impact the entire army and all the other clones. We are not here to scare the civilian population of the Republic, you have to protect yourself."

"I know General, sorry, I'll drink less next time."

"I know, my dear, I know."

It was something Rex wouldn't have considered by himself, but the Coruscant Guard provided security on Coruscant by all means necessary, and sometimes that meant protecting certain reckless clones from themselves.

For that reason, on this night, Rex was polite and respectful to the Guards. He'd had no more human reaction than the other times, or the next, so he'd given up, none of them were worth it.

Rex wasn't lonely enough to be desperate to be friends with morons. Ahsoka's feelings were just as mixed about them after settling in, she said they were almost completely opaque and closed off, she could barely feel their feelings. Many joked that they didn't have any but quickly calmed down when they saw how troubled and worried the Togruta was. She didn't realise how much the Lek of her Montrals reflected her emotions. They would never tell her, they liked to have physical indications of others thoughts, it was an important part of clone communication as they all looked alike. They were experts at spotting facial expressions, and they loved their expressive Jedi.

They were all in their blacks, some had taken their training clothes from Kamino, and the atmosphere was good, quiet but cheerful. Quiet talk for an evening of travel as Rex had experienced dozens and dozens of them, but this would be no ordinary evening.

The Guards had entered, in their "casual" clothes, as was the custom... And Rex's entire view of the world was shattered.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan didn't understand his Commander's frown. Cody kept glancing at Commander Fox and the men of the Coruscant Guard with him as Fox explained their function in their upcoming battle.

"Is everything all right?"

"I don't know yet, I have... something to settle with Commander Fox."

"Will it jeopardize the operation?" Obi-Wan worried immediately, his mind calculating their chances of success with an uncooperative team.

The clone shook his head slowly.

"No, I don't think so. They're professionals, they'll do their part, it's... something else."

Obi-Wan wasn't sure what Cody was worried about, he wasn't the kind of man to be so easily disturbed, and if it wasn't work related and he didn't want to elaborate on the reason for his discomfort, then...

"You mean... something personal?"

"That's it," the clone answered with relief. "I... think I could use some advice, if you'd listen to me."

"Of course, Cody, always."

The Commander nodded and walked away quickly, and Obi-Wan followed him to another room, giving Cody a moment to put into words what he was feeling.

The Jedi Master wondered about the overall change in attitude towards the troops. And it wasn't just one part of the troops, or just one Battalion, it was all of the 212th and all of the 501st that had gone from a sort of diffuse disdain and condescension for clones who had never been in combat to a particular and almost obsessive attention to every member of the Coruscant Guard in sight. The difference between the day before and the Battalion's welcome and this day was blatant, was this what Cody wanted to talk about? Had there been conflicts between these groups when the Coruscant Guard was in office? How bad was it?

"Fox's clone number was 1010, mine, as you know, was 2224."

"I remember that."

It was a sad time when the Jedi discovered that clones did not have names.

"We weren't in the same groups, we met in the infirmary, we were four years old at the time."

Four years old, so eight years old standard.

"Did you fight?"

Cody looked up from his hands in surprise before smiling slightly.

"No, we didn't. The coaches would sometimes have us compete against our peers, and I won most of the time, but sometimes I'd get injured enough that I'd have to go to the medical bay, and the same was true of Fox. He was the best in his group. We saw each other there a lot and we... hit it off?"

"You became friends," Obi-Wan understood, having long since mastered the complicated art of reading between the lines.

"I... yes? At least he was to me, and though he was never a man of many words, I thought..."

"Did he do anything to disappoint your trust?"

"No!" Cody exclaimed loudly. "No, but we've... lost touch, and I... I don't know if we'll ever be able to have that trusting relationship again that we used to have, and I'm disturbed, but don't worry, it won't affect my seriousness."

With that, Cody almost ran out of the room, leaving Obi-Wan thinking.

That was... strange.

What exactly was the problem with Commander Fox?

Chapter Text

Hound felt immensely lucky to be the unofficial leader of the Massifs. He'd had a ready-made excuse for not having to deal with the stares of others. He really didn't envy the other officers who had to brief their teams in front of the other Battalions' eyes.

They were just... scary, their stares and scrutinizing looks that seemed to want to crush them, looking for any weakness... Likewise, Stone hated being near natborn and non-Guards, so he'd gone with him even though he was still wary of animals.

Stone was suspicious of everyone, and they understood that, which gave the Massifs in particular a protective instinct towards him that was quite interesting to see.

Still, it was Hound's favourite moments to see Stone being rammed by a group of Massifs who licked his armour and lay on top of him, preventing him from getting up. Grizzer once sat on Stone's lap like a fat cat and fell asleep there. Stone, showing that his heart was much softer and warmer than his name, had not moved so as "not to wake him up". The guy had said he was "not a pet person", yes, of course...

Most of them preferred any kind of animal to natborn and even to other clones, because an animal doesn't change its loyalty to a new Master as soon as its human is out of sight. A little like them, who had been abandoned as soon as they were out of sight and sent to their deaths by a Jedi.

He opened the door with a relaxed smile on his lips, they always knew his mood even under the helmet.

"Hey, how are you darlings doing today?"

In a few seconds, the Massifs went from big, lazy, sleepy dogs to a litter of excited, cuddly puppies.

"Yes, yes, gently. Quiet!"

He untied them all and stroked them energetically before checking their water supply and serving them their food, Grizzer still against his leg.

A thud brought him out of his thoughts and out of his check of the Massifs' restraints. It was... what was that noise?

Suspicious, Hound drew a weapon – obviously set to stun – and stood listening, motioning for the Massives to be quiet. Back on Coruscant, he could identify each little sound, describe what it was and where it came from, but he wasn't on Coruscant anymore, he was on an enemy ship.

Damn. He couldn't think that, this was a Republic ship, a GAR ship, a ship of clones and Jedi...

But the GAR clones weren't protecting them. And the Jedi didn't care what happened to them.

Slowly he calmed down, there was no sound other than the silent breathing of the animals, so he waved them off, happy with their obedience’s speed, it could save them.

Anyway, they would have smelled an enemy or a stranger long before he did, even clones from the 212th or 501st were not identified as "friends", as only their Masters brought them friends to mark them with their scent. The scent mark of the Massifs was unique and remained despite the grime and washing for several weeks, which is why they were able to take them along despite their new assignment.

The others soon arrived and found their Massifs, their day was always happier with their four-legged companions.

Chapter Text

The clones had made Ahsoka uncomfortable. Well, not clones in general, the young Padawan loved her friends and comrades of the 501st, but the clones of the Coruscant Guard... they scared her.

Being around them had sent a shiver of discomfort down her Montrals, she had never felt this kind of turmoil before, and it was so intense that it had made her nervous all day.

They were perfectly apathetic and so synchronized, so... automatic in their reactions. Even Master Anakin and Master Obi-Wan's droids were more emotionally expressive.

It had taken Commander Fox a full minute to give him his name and the names of his most important officers. He was clearly opposed to dialogue in every conversation she had tried to initiate. She understood that Master Obi-Wan had hoped they would be more comfortable because she was young, and she didn't mind, she hoped the clones would soon be fully integrated into the 501st, she knew from Barriss that this kind of moment of transferring Battalions to another Command could be tricky as Master Unduli had several times handled troops who had lost their Jedi or were in transition before reassignment. She knew she had to be patient, and she wasn't angry or resentful, but still, she was uncomfortable and preferred to wait a little while before being faced with a stolid helmet and emotions so perfectly discreet as to be non-existent.

So she felt the need to move away, and she had found the ideal: to move away from the people and get closer to the animals.

It was the first time there were animals here, it was great! She was so excited, she remembered that a boy had a Massif, he lived near her house back on Shili and she had loved cuddling his neighbour's huge creatures, especially the babies when the female had a litter.

The reception she received was... less than glorious, a lot of mistrust and fear, a very strong defensive instinct, much more than she expected, but luckily she had the Force to communicate. The Togruta sat quietly cross-legged away from the animals and spread good energy, her benevolence and curiosity, and gradually the creatures began to communicate with her with images and emotions. Clones of the Coruscant Guard appeared, always surrounded by halos of love and sweetness, they represented laughter and joy in these minds, it was... surprising.

Suddenly she spotted something else approaching her in the Force.

A clone, obviously a Coruscant Guard.

Kriff! She'd be seen if she came out now!

A circular look allowed her to find another exit, but too high for her, and over a Massif on top of that.

Praying that it would work, Ahsoka silently begged the Massif to help her and smiled widely at the sense of assent she felt. She gave the Massif a brief, tight hug and climbed on top of him, using the animal's momentum and height to reach an air vent and slip through it. No sooner had she replaced the metal gate than the door opened.

"Hey, how are you darlings doing today?"

The Togruta forced herself to stand still and watch curiously as the clone pampered the Massives like pets. It wasn't a distortion of memory, the clones treated their Massives as their comrades and not just commodities to be used. That was good to see.

She stepped back, smiling at the protective impulse she felt in the clone when he heard her bump. She was not as uncomfortable as she was when she woke up this morning.

Chapter Text

Fox had continued his exploration of the ship and was watching over his troops, even though it seemed that the 501st and 212th were less aggressive than expected, he didn't want to let his guard down so soon, it wouldn't be safe, and Fox was always cautious to the extreme. Even when he was reassured, he would remain more rigid and formal than necessary for a month, just in case, you never know.

Interestingly, these clones seemed to treat his men as if they were fragile little animals and not fighters like them, just because they were skinnier and had a lot of scars. Strange, Fox didn't really understand, but he would observe and gather more information.

And in the meantime, he was doing his best to draw attention to himself and distract the internal threats of his brothers, they probably wouldn't go after a Commander with the same virulence as his other brothers who weren't protected by officer ranks.

Turning down a corridor, Fox slowed down in front of the only non-clone person who had the exact same rank as him. Threat. Fox didn't rely on his eyes to identify the danger, but on his instincts, and even though the Togruta was small and thin, Fox had no doubt that she could slice him in half the way the adult Jedi did.

"Commander Tano."

"Hi there."

It sounded more like a question than a confident sentence, but Fox understood the idea, he wasn't stupid. She wanted to socialise and – brr – get to know each other. Fox wouldn't betray any of their secrets, but maybe he could learn more about their situation with her.

"Can I help you?"

"Oh, nothing, I'm... I'm fine. And you, any questions perhaps? All this change must be sudden, don't hesitate."

A question was burning in his mind, so he didn't hesitate.

"How old are you, Commander Tano?"

"I'm fifteen!" exclaimed the young Togruta with a hesitant smile.

The math was quick, fifteen was standard, so she wasn't even eight, and she was already sent to the front. Hmm...

She would have to be protected, Jedi or not, she was too young to be responsible for the mistakes of others.

"I see."

"I can fight, and I do well in combat," she declared with what was clearly a mixture of defiance and distrust.

She could almost be a Fox vod with that kind of tone.

"I don't doubt that you wouldn't be deployed if you weren't qualified, Commander Tano, it wasn't a judgement on your skills or a questioning of your status. Just curiosity."

Her Leks shook and darkened. Embarrassment, perhaps?

"Oh. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to be aggressive."

"It's all right, Commander Tano."

"You know, you can call me Ahsoka, if you want."

The name basis was... impossible, she wasn't a vod, but on the other hand he could relate more to this scrawny little girl longing for acceptance and recognition than to any of the soldiers who were different only in the colour of their armour.

A compromise was acceptable, under the circumstances.

"I hope we work well together, Commander Ahsoka," he said before walking away with a polite nod that was noticeable to her despite the helmet.

He pretended to ignore the smile and excited agitation of the non-human's Lek and Montral and walked away quickly. He had men to watch, Prime alone knew the mischief Thire could do sometimes.

Chapter Text

"Let her go now!"

Thorn didn't understand what had happened, but he took every factor into account before moving when he arrived at the scene of the shouting. He didn't want to get involved but the distinctive sound of armour hitting the ground was recognisable, and the red on the plastoid was even more so.

Thire was on his knees, someone – probably Rex – had beaten him into the ground, a Guard didn't fall so easily. Commander Tano was angrily signalling other clones to stay out of the way despite their approach, which thankfully slowed. They really trusted her.

"Rex!"

"He has no right to-"

"Enough! " He snapped, gathering his best Fox impersonation as he moved forward. "What's going on here?"

"I'm so sorry," the Togruta began immediately, grabbing Thire by the arm to help him up. "He wanted to touch my Lek and I said yes but I think Rex misunderstood and... are you alright, Thire?"

"I'm fine, Commander Tano, thank you."

Thorn had to hold back a sigh and the urge to hit the di'kut. How Thire managed to get into so much trouble, they would probably never know. Force osik, the clones would say to Jedi. On the other hand, touching a Togruta teenager's Lek in public, he was asking for trouble. Anyway... whatever. Respect for his's own had to be learned from the start and without concessions, he didn't intend to let others develop bad habits. "Formal" and "fussy" didn't even begin to describe them, as Rex was about to find out.

"Captain Rex, what do you have to say in your defence in this blatant assault of a superior officer in front of another Commander?"

The blond looked at the strange duo with concern and gave a few hands move to Tano who responded with a brief but insistent nod.

Thorn rolled his eyes under his helmet. They were still forgetting that the Guard had received the same initial training as the others.

"I'm sorry, there's been a... misunderstanding on my part."

"I'll write up an incident report to be forwarded to the Generals and filed," he announced, "unless you want to handle the administrative part of this yourself, Commander Tano?" He finished, turning to the natborn who widened her eyes and instinctively replied:

"I've never filled out any paperwork related to the military, it's always Master Anakin and Master Kenobi who do that."

"If you wish we will be happy to teach you how to deal with these matters," he continued serenely. "Depending on the severity of your actions, you will face the appropriate punishment for your actions. Unwarranted attacks are not tolerated here, Captain, do it again and it will be court martial. We're going in."

"But I barely touched her Lek!" Thire hissed in frustration, thankfully low enough not to be heard by the few guys from the 501st who were watching from afar.

"Can I come?" Tano asked.

Thorn scanned the small figure – which would probably be taller than them when fully grown – and mentally shrugged. Anyway, knowing Fox, he wasn't going to resist this girl for long, there was something about her.

"Sure, come on."

A new vod for the Guard, Thorn was just going to make sure she ate enough, she was looking rather thin now that he thought about it.

Chapter Text

The com had rung and Anakin had almost not answered in time, so he had hurried, especially when he saw who was calling.

"Hello Ani!"

"Padmé, glad to see you!"

"Same here my dear, but please telle me to what I owe the honour of such a pretty sight" the young Nubian woman asked with a smile, passing an appreciative glance over her shirtless and not quite dry husband. More precisely, Anakin was dressed only in his trousers, otherwise he was barefoot and not really presentable.

"A shower, my love."

"I'll call more often at this hour then," she joked.

Anakin blushed, a reaction he couldn't control, but he also took pleasure in knowing Padmé liked him, even though he knew Padmé wasn't the kind of woman who was only convinced by a pretty face.

"Any sooner and I'll be in the shower," he clarified with amusement as he returned to the bathroom with his com, not fearing to see a certain teenage Togruta, Ahsoka was out early. "Is everything alright?"

"Anakin Skywalker, I hope you realize that you are in far more danger than I am on a daily basis."

The young Jedi Knight raised a judgmental eyebrow at his wife's Holo. Padmé was literally EVERYTHING but far from danger, it seemed she found trouble as much as she looked for it, much like Anakin himself in fact. They really were made for each other.

"Yeah, well, you know what I mean."

"... Yeah, I guess I do."

Padmé laughed softly and yawned deeply.

"Sorry, it's the evening here."

"No problem, I'm glad to hear from you even if we don't have any news to exchange."

Padmé smiled quietly and actually found two little bits of gossip to share with him, and hearing her love talk always helped Anakin calm down and think better.

"Oh, by the way, how are things going with the Coruscant Guard?"

"Uh, not so good," the Jedi admitted. "They're very... uptight? And they keep to themselves for the most part, they're also very... scrupulous about every point of military regulation, it's quite strange to see, my men are much more relaxed."

"I know, I've never seen the face of one of them either," Padme nodded with an annoyed roll of her eyes, "but they've always been polite and hard-working, very respectful and... well, I hope they'll be fine with you."

"I'll do my best to make it right," Anakin promised, not yet knowing how to deal with these clones, whose behavior was more bland than any droid Anakin had ever encountered.

R2D2 would look like the life and soul of the party compared to the thirty or so Coruscant Guards Anakin had passed in the corridors of the Star Destroyer. They were just so... well, with no armour to distinguish them, they seemed to be the definition of "clone", impersonal and without a life of their own, without opinion and free will.

Anakin tried very hard not to think about the fact that this kind of emotion – or rather, total lack of it – was common on Tatooine. When people crushed their own feelings, it was rarely a good sign, and Anakin hoped it was just anxiety and nothing more. He consciously tried to think of something other than the stifling sensation of relentless heat, sand-polluted water and sandstorms that had nearly killed him when he was young and didn't know when he absolutely had to run home. Not to think of whips and public punishments, not to think of bodies screaming as much as gagged mouths, at the combined sensation of sun and sand hitting open, bleeding skin...

Anakin tried to isolate these memories, tried to compartmentalise.

It partially worked.

After hanging up the phone, the Jedi Knight thought about a concrete case rather than the Guards' emotions: their situation and how to improve it. Anakin was astute and resourceful, he should be able to do this.

It was true that they were still new here, they had never been deployed in combat except perhaps the older ones on Geonosis.

He was going to reinforce their security, it was the right thing to do.

Chapter Text

Stone had arrived in medbay, but he didn't know how to get home from the medical bay. And there were always several medical bays in a ship. Finally, he entered, perhaps he would run into one of his Medic's, they had been the most supervised and were very pleased with their reception by the 501st's medics.

"Is there anyone here?"

"Coming!" shouted a voice.

Not one of his own, then, for they avoided shouting except to bark orders.

The guy who arrived was in fact completely hidden by crates of equipment far higher than his head balanced precariously on top of each other, and the clone manoeuvred them to an empty shelf.

It was going to fall.

It was going to fall and the guy was in his black. He was going to get hurt. But Stone didn't want to get involved. But Stone wasn't an asshole, no matter how disappointed he was.

When the top box went backwards to fall on the unconscious clone's head as he tried to lift everything higher, Stone was already behind him and stopped the object's movement.

The unknown clone gasped at their sudden proximity and to the arms that surrounded his sight before looking back up.

"Oh fuck, thanks, I didn't see that."

Stone said nothing, he couldn't think of anything nice or socially acceptable to say to that, so he remained silent.

"Sorry, this one goes a bit higher on the right, next to the one with the green sticker, could you put it on?"

Stone did so silently and absentmindedly watched as the other deftly put away the other three boxes he had left. Could he really have missed the Red Corrie right before his eyes?

Maybe not, at least that's what he assumed when the other's easy smile remained unabated on his face as he turned to face him.

"Do you need anything? The guys said you were hurt. Need some Bacta maybe? We've got some amazing creams for scars too, it really calms the skin, I used it myself three weeks ago, a fucking explosion... we've also got stuff like sleeping pills or painkillers, but I prefer to see the patient privately before giving it, you've got to be really careful about the dosage so you don't make things worse."

"I'm not looking for treatment," he replied out of habit before realising that 1 - he should have accepted for the others and 2 - he had to be careful: this guy was not a Guard despite his relaxed and brotherly attitude.

"Ahh? What are you doing here, then...?"

"Stone," he introduced himself.

"I'm Kix. Well? My medical bay in the middle of the afternoon?"

"I got lost."

Kix glared at him before chukling.

"Sorry, you made me think of a Shiny for a second. Wait a minute... so, on the way out you have to take the right, and then the first hall at the left, and then straight on, at the fifteenth intersection you turn..."

Stone took the instructions immediately afterwards, nodded, and was only restrained in his spontaneous violent reaction when Kix grabbed his arm because... he didn't feel unsafe. He felt safe with this guy, oddly enough.

"Hey, we're a very... loud and boisterous group, like our Jedi, but it will be fine, okay? You'll get used to it and you'll feel at home soon, so don't worry too much, okay?"

Stone removed the hand from his arm but kept it in his a little longer than was strictly necessary.

"I hope so."

Chapter Text

Cody wasn't going to hit Rex, because they were friends and mostly because Cody knew how to hold back his violent impulses, thank you very much, but he felt a little like it when he heard his brother's confession who looked sheepishly at his shoulder.

"Why on space did you hit a Corrie so hard that it's going to be officially reported?"

Even for Cody this was surprising, only officers could report in normal procedure, and Rex was Skywalker's second in command after Ahsoka.

"I may or may not have hit Commander Thire and been noticed and then taken care of by Commander Thorn."

... What the hell was that?!

"Wait, what were the circumstances? What did he do to make you hit him?"

"Nothing," Rex admitted with a grimace. "He was holding an Ahsoka Lek in his hand and I just... panicked. I mean, he was between her and the wall, so tall and imposing, leaning over her and... I didn't think. Turns out he'd asked and she'd agreed."

"Hng. She agreed to let him touch her Lek?"

"Yeah, she said so herself."

"Isn't that something... intimate?"

"I don't know, I thought it was, but maybe Togruta have a different perception of what's culturally acceptable compared to Twi'lek. Or maybe it's because she's a Jedi. Or maybe it's just Ahsoka. Either way... I screwed it up."

Cody had two instincts in him. The first was to say that no, Rex hadn't messed up, it was just a minor assault that had been quickly dealt with for something understandable, the Corries weren't going to hold a grudge for so little. But the little voice in his head reminded him of the Corries' usually unexpected behaviour, always surprising – while perfectly suited to the GAR's most obscure military protocols, it must have been quite an organisation – and clearly worried. They weren't going to forget, and probably not forgive.

He was rationalising things to stay calm, he knew Fox was like a wild Takea to be coaxed, they had to give him time and space and wait until he was ready to make the first move – which meant it would be a long time, because Fox had been a paranoid bastard ever since he'd left his Kaminoan tank even if he refused to admit it.

Except that Rex had hit one of Fox’s Commander before they'd even spent 24 hours on the ship.

"Damn."

"Yeah."

"You're gonna have to apologize."

"I already did," the blonde pointed out.

Cody offered him a look that he knew didn't need words to be fully understood.

"Consider that Fox is the condensed of Bacara, Faie and Neyo for stubbornness and resentment. Do you think apologising once is enough?"

Neyo was ultra-procedural, the kind who demanded a sincere public apology for a public affront, and the other two... well, to put it simply, they argued with their Generals a lot. Well, Faie really didn't have a chance with Vos, but still, everyone among the clones knew that it was Faie who kept things from moving forward between them. Bacara was just too much of a perfectionist for this world, but then again, an insult to his men was always taken personally.

"So... I'm going to apologize loudly to everyone at dinner tonight."

Cody hadn't thought so far, but it was a great idea.

"Oh, good. Good luck not getting chewed up."

"And thanks for the support," sighed Rex as he left. "I have a speech to practice."

Chapter Text

Hound swore low as he put on his armour and tidied up their barracks. Thorn was bringing a natborn. Thorn was bringing a Jedi, because none of them were stupid, there were other natborn but none of them cared about the Guard.

Fox, who had just returned, was putting on his own armour but his look was thoughtful and calm, not as alarmed and secretly panicked as Hound would have imagined.

Maybe he was getting used to it... maybe they were all getting used to the idea. The first day had been mentally demanding, being watched like freaks, but... there had been no aggression, no specifically insulting attitudes or other... nothing.

This wasn't Coruscant, this was the GAR, and since most of them were experiencing deployment for the first time, they just didn't know how things worked. Even those on Geonosis didn't know what it was like to live under a "friendly" General. Maybe it really was different from Coruscant, maybe they could be people here... but they were still soldiers. They were still destined to be expendable, the Jedi may have been kinder than the ruthless Kaminoan, but at the end of the day they didn't like the clones enough to keep them out of combat. They didn't love the clones as much as they loved their natborn, for whom they would cheerfully sacrifice dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of them.

They may not have been wilfully evil, but they were their owners, and Hound and his people could not feel love for those who had no regard for their lives. They had no choice but to live this life, some of them would go and fight because it made sense to them, but he didn't, he would like to be a civilian and do anything else... but he wouldn't leave his brothers behind. He would have deserted if it wasn't for his brothers.

When the door opened, they had already put everything away and were sitting in their armour and helmets.

Thorn had not asked if he could invite natborn, which was normal, he was a Commander, but he had warned them. They were ready, and calm, everything would be fine.

Thire stumbled, pushed forward mercilessly by Thorn who helped him sit down, followed by Commander Tano who looked as if getting a foothold, her legs slightly moving, looking awkward in their barracks.

"Commander Ahsoka, you may enter," Fox said, standing but in a resting position.

The not-quite-protocol posture and the "Commander Ahsoka" that made the girl smile made it clear to Hound what Fox had in mind, whether he knew it or not.

He wanted to make a vod of her. Why her? Fox was a very good judge of character, but... wasn't it a bit too quick to bring a Jedi natborn into their group?

The teenager entered fully and closed the door behind her, looking around with a slight smile before smiling even wider when Fox motioned for her to come and sit next to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shelter leaning over Thire's naked face, both of them hidden from view by Thorn who remained lazily in front of them. Fox had seen it too, of course, nothing got past Fox's eyes.

"What happened?"

Chapter Text

"What happened?"

"Ah, uh, it's my fault," she answered immediately. "Thire asked me if he could touch my Montrals and Lek because he was curious and Rex misunderstood when he saw him doing it and hit him! But he had his helmet on so it's okay, thank Force he had it on though, otherwise it probably would have hurt."

"Indeed," muttered the Medic leaning over the Commander. "It's alright."

Ahsoka smiled before frowning as she sensed strong emotions boiling over in Fox.

"Fox, are you alright?"

"Yes," he snaped before turning to her, "but I also know why Captain Rex would have reacted like that. It's not socially acceptable to do something like that!" He snapped at Thire, who moved perceptibly to be even more hidden behind Thorn, moving to put his helmet back on his head.

Ahsoka blushed slightly, flattered, but nevertheless tried to calm his indignant and protective feelings.

"It's all right, Fox, I assure you. It's very frowned upon to touch them without asking, or to hit them, but Thire was very polite and had no ill intentions. You can do it again if you like, by the way, Thire."

"I can? Thank you!"

And just as quickly, the other Commander sat down next to her on the other side of Fox as if to dodge his gaze – which was useless because Fox's disapproving gaze seemed to be able to cut through all material – and as earlier in the day, he tentatively touched her Lek, running his fingers along her Montrals as if to test their consistency and solidity.

"They won't break, don't worry."

The other hummed and finally took a firmer hold of one of his Lek and looked more intently at the change in colour and their subtle but easily observable movements from this distance.

"What are these?"

"It's normal, they're appendages... they are quite independent and reactive," she admitted, demonstrating as her right Lek clutched lightly at her hand. "Armour would be complicated for me because of that. But, what about you, don't you take off your armour here?"

"What for?" Fox asked casually, looking like he was wearing his armour like a second skin.

"But... you can't sleep in armour," she argued.

"Are you sure about that?" Fox asked with what was clearly defiance.

Ahsoka lived surrounded by Skyguy and Master Kenobi, she couldn't miss the subtle mocking Want to bet? of a man who knew he was going to win.

"Never mind," she grumbled before smiling as she saw that he was watching Thire and his movements very carefully. "Wanna touch too? Don't hesitate to ask, I know Togruta are quite rare."

The girl then ignored Fox's bristling cat’s fur look as he straightened up and raised an eyebrow at Thorn who visibly shrugged and moved on.

"I'm curious, I admit it."

*

When she met up with her Jedi Master to meditate – Skyguy never got upset when she wasn't really meditating, which was really awesome – she took a moment to centre herself and go over the day in her mind.

There had been all kinds of strange energy since the Coruscant Guard had arrived, but... not negative. Her men were acting strangely, but not badly per se, and the newcomers were nice.

She smiled, the memory of their hesitant, wondering fingers and hands on her Montrals and Leks. They were so... sweet and innocent, even Fox tilted his head like a curious Massif when he was relaxed and forgot his protocols to look with fascination at the non-human parts of her body.

They would get along very well, wouldn't they?

Chapter Text

"Commander Thire, please accept my apologies for the altercation this afternoon... No."

Altercation wasn't right, it was too weak. Besides, could it really be called an altercation when it was so one-sided? Commander Thire hadn't fought, he hadn't even reacted. If Commander Thorn had intervened about thirty seconds later, maybe the Corrie would have rammed him into the wall and smashed him to a pulp, but right now he just looked like a big bully who'd pushed some poor guy to the ground. A guy probably twice as skinny as him, like most of these clones he'd seen at the table. Had he seen him last night at the table? Was he the one who had politely but firmly pulled Cody away from Fox when Fox clearly wasn't expecting anything but a fight?

Kriff, it was so fucked up that he thought Cody would be merciless with him. Cody was like... an uptight, sarcastic bastard, but he was never intentionally mean. Sometimes Rex thought he was a lot like Kenobi, so busy trying to be perfect and present for everyone and help everywhere that he forgot to rely on others and just... be imperfect.

Or maybe it was Rex's standards that had been lowered with his Jedi.

Maybe.

That idea had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they had repeatedly made him fly and jump from ridiculously high places, of course.

Besides, Cody was already doing such stupid moves that he didn't need unbridled, rampaging Jedi to encourage him.

Whatever.

Assault.

"Commander Thire, please accept my apologies for assaulting you this afternoon."

Better.

"I deeply regret my actions."

It was true.

"If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, I am at your disposal."

Not bad, is it?

In any case, he didn't know if he could really make himself understood and convey his sincerity to the Guards. They were in such a state that he was still bowled over by it, and he'd only seen them, he didn't live... like this. Rex had tried to understand, but he couldn't. Seeing so many scars and wounds had literally prevented him from doing his job effectively. He probably should have avoided sitting in the mess hall to think about his apology for memories did not seem to want to go away, but he knew that sitting alone and brooding wasn't really going to help him.

"Emotionless clones, my ass," he muttered to himself.

It was at times like this, when his belly felt like it was the new centre of gravity of his body, and not in a good way, that he wished it were true.

"And your ass isn't the best on the ship."

Surprised, Rex looked up and smiled slightly.

"Hi Kix."

"Hey, Captain," the medic said collectedly as he took a seat across from him.

"The Guards?"

"Obsessive about inventorying our medical supplies and rationing care to last long despite shortages but otherwise quiet, responsive and adaptable," the other clone replied, understanding the request he hadn't put into words. "We'll be fine."

Rex nodded approvingly and with some relief. Finally some good news about these guys in red. So far he'd only heard minor incidents of Corries' violent or frightened reactions when guys from the 501st got unruly in their presence, so it was a relief to hear something reassuring.

"I am really worry about them, Kix."

"I know you are."

"You haven't seen them, you weren't there."

"True," the other agreed without taking offence, aware that they weren't the type to tell him things were ugly unless they were really deeply ugly, "but remember that they're more than their wounds, they're not just victims and they have their pride."

Rex wondered if this almost psychological thinking was in the medics' training or if it was just the experience of being subjected to insufferable vod'e who hated the med bay. Probably the latter, since the Kaminoan formations didn't see them as sentient.

"Do you hope to become a Jedi with that kind of talk, vod?" He finally chose to answer with a snide look, sneering at his friend's falsely outraged face.

"Hey, I'd make a great Jedi!"

Rex let himself be happily distracted, his mind away from evil for at least a few minutes.

There were never enough of these moments.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan wouldn't tell anyone, but Padmé's insistence that Anakin take the Coruscant Guard worried him, not to mention their attitude since they'd been there. He had hoped Master Tiin would have had a chance to cross paths with them before they arrived, his natural telepathy would surely have been useful in at least verifying that they weren't spies cleverly placed by the Chancellor to better monitor them, but...

But the Iktotchi was already terribly busy and had already been flying sleepless for eight days across the Republic to map out the positions of their enemies, risking his life every time he discovered Separatist ships where there were supposed to be none, so Obi-Wan hadn't even asked.

The only comment he'd had was probably one he didn't want to hear, because it was downright disturbing.

"They all have at least one shatter point, some more, and Commander Fox has too many for a normal person, be careful with them."

The parting words of Master Windu, who had basically become a mentor to him, were hard to keep to himself. He knew the man didn't mean to imply that they were potentially dangerous or treacherous, those who knew him less might not understand and misunderstand because of his harsh tone, impassive face and uncompromising choice of words, but the Jedi Master was worried, and that was what made him tense.

The opening of his office door made him blink, and he noticed that he'd been staring off into space instead of checking what the Admiral had sent about their Sector.

"Anakin?" He said out of habit, knowing that anyone else would have knocked on the door first to announce themselves.

"Yep!"

His Padawan really was the most familiar person with him, it was annoying sometimes but for everything else it was just reassuring.

"Hi, I was just coming to check on our plans with you, I found that... necessary, it would make me feel better I think."

"Is this because of the Coruscant Guard?" He asked, already weary from the concern Anakin could never quite hide from him. "I heard Rex hit one of their Commanders."

"Really? I didn't know, Rex did something like that?"

"Cody warned me, apparently a mix between an accident and a misunderstanding, he also said they were handling it internally."

"Oh..."

The blond man sat back, looking vaguely amused for some reason Obi-Wan couldn't understand. Nothing about this situation was funny.

"I'm not even going to try to interfere, they can be so sneaky and slippery when they want to. If they want to keep it private, it's probably best to let them."

The Jedi Master rubbed his face thoughtfully to ward off fatigue and had to admit that it was probably for the best. Clone to clone communication would probably be more clear and effective than anything they could say. As Jedi and superiors, they might unintentionally intimidate them, so it was best to avoid it.

"I'm all ears, what did you want to talk about?"

Chapter Text

Thire expected a backlash for the end of the day. He would not have it, because Fox had not let him escape his gaze and therefore his protection, but he expected something to happen.

Thorn was a little too...intense. An official report, seriously? Thire wasn't worth it.

He had slept on beds while the trainers of said animals exercised them so they would not go crazy from confinement and lack of action, always surrounded or covered by at least two protective animals, then spent the rest of his time helping to clean and cuddle them. It was incredibly relaxing, and most of all it kept him busy. The repetitive motions occupied his mind just enough to keep him from thinking and allowed him to keep some of his nervous energy busy. Normally, at this hour, he would be checking hundreds of requests to land on Coruscant, sending his brothers back to check on cargo, doing mandatory debriefs that no one was going to read, barely sleeping and eating less than that. Now he had none of that to do and yet he felt exhausted, as if all his energy had vanished without looking back.

Even getting out of bed was difficult once he lay down, and it was only because Grizzer did his adorable puppy face – which Thire had taken inspiration from because really, it was irresistible – that he had found in himself the motivation to move.

Sometimes he managed to conjure up that bubbly, lively personality he once had, but it was mostly just an act. He did it a lot for his brothers, to make them happy, so they wouldn't worry too much about him. If only they knew the thoughts going through his mind...

Nothing managed to keep his interest for more than a few minutes, and his distant passions for the sea and the discovery of other species and their cultures had faded, even the kind and open Commander Tano could not pull him away from his own head more than a few minutes.

At least if he died soon then he would have touched a Togruta Lek and Montral, in addition to Leks from a Twi'lek man he already touched back in Coruscant once. And the horns of an Iktotchi woman. The horns of a Zabrak man who was in all probability a Jedi even though he never told him his name as he helped him walk after finding him nearly passed out – only from fatigue for once – on a dark street. The soft scaly skin of a Mon Calamari, and the smooth tentacles of the Nautolan.

Fox checked that he was still there several times before returning to supervise the Massifs' training in a huge, almost completely empty hangar. It might sound paranoid, but Thire had actually spotted the grate of a vent that he was sure he could crawl through and… no, because he was too weak and tired to even get up or even open the eyes, but the fact is that the idea was there. If he thought about it, it was already too much, according to Fox.

But according to Fox, Thire was a little shit, which Thire wasn't...completely.

Then came mealtime, and Thire literally dragged his feet to show his tiredness until they ran into someone else. He wouldn't be caught alive causing trouble.

Fox installed them himself, silently manoeuvring the seats so that the Guard was along the rightest table and almost stuck to a wall and positioned Thire between Hound and himself, very attentive to a certain blond who stared more intently than any of his soldiers. Even Commander Cody was watching less, and yet they had all established that he had an almost unhealthy interest in watching them.

Eventually, when Captain Rex got up and approached, most of them tightened their grip on their cutlery, and their knives in particular. The other clone did not really seem to have noticed and his gaze wandered over them before returning to Fox. Thire felt completely disconnected from the tension. Apathetic to the world.

"Commander Fox."

"Captain."

"I wish to speak to Commander Thire."

A request for Thire to be indicated to him without armour, without a doubt. Because he didn't even know what he looked like. Would he even hit him if he saw his face? Would he have struck sooner? Stronger?

"He can hear you very well from here," Fox replied without even blinking.

A spark of amusement broke within him. Fox was such a big brother even though he denied it. Amusement and affection. Rex looked a bit taken aback and finally added, probably a second thought.

"It's to apologize."

"And what do you need to apologize for, hmm, Captain?"

"I am Thire", he finally huffed as he saw the other getting more uncomfortable with every second he was subjected to the penetrating gaze of Fox who was not going to back down.

The blond turned to him with a grateful look – which was stupid, Thire just hoped to get him away from the Guard and his precious vod as soon as possible, not help him – and opened his mouth to speak, looking far more uncomfortable and awkward than they collectively expected him to be. Were they so weak they couldn't bear to punch another clone? Another sensitive?

At the Guard, you always had to confront sensitive people, verbally or physically. They the old ones knew what it was like to take life, to watch a spark go out in the eyes of people who until then had a future. They had seen it, they had done it.

That was probably why they were considered monsters.

And monsters never get a sincere apology.

Chapter Text

What a shame the 501st has a "no armour dinner" tradition, seriously! And also, while he was thinking about it, what a shame they were part of the 501st.

And again, it was easy for him, the unpleasant looking hole on his temple was easily hidden by his hair left long for this specific purpose, and his scars were mostly under his collar, but Fox and Hound were getting special attention for their faces covered in thin grey lines. Hound, left for dead by some people, Kel Dor and especially Nikto, who had been playing with their alien biologies and fucking claws on their kriffing fingertips to hurt him. None of them understood to this day why they had spared his eyes after making such a merciless mess of his face. They'd used so much bacta for it that the scars were actually as thin and clean as Fox's – which they still didn't know where they'd come from nowadays – even though they had been less severe from the start.

He saw Captain Rex approaching from afar and briefly considered making a fuss, but Fox was in the best position to play on the GAR’s nerves. He was literally a god for it, the best of the best. Attentive, he leaned very slightly forward to hear. It wasn't like the last time, here the 501st continued to talk while eating, so there was a bit of background noise that would prevent him from hearing if the blond decided not to speak loudly.

"I'm really sorry about earlier, I'm not going to argue that what I did was wrong-"

"Then why did you do it?" Thire asked with a weary sigh.

"I don't…" he began before frowning. "You already know why I did it, but that doesn't make it any more acceptable."

Wow. Stone glanced at the vod sitting next to him who subtly raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Did I hear that right?". Rys had his own problems with the GAR although he, like Thire and the others from the Rugosa mission did, had fond memories of High General Yoda. A kind of green turtle. Or toad? Never mind, a little green thing that spoke in riddles.

In any case, for the moment he spoke well. He probably did not mean it, but it was better than nothing, right? Better than open aggression, because although Stone knows and prefers overt aggression because he knew how to respond to it, they had quite young little brothers among them, and for them the friendly facade would be easier to live with.

"I shouldn't have reacted like that or so quickly, so I apologize for attacking you. If I can do anything to-"

"Make it shorter," Fox ordered in an annoyed snap and Stone leaned forward, mentally thanking Rys for leaning back to make it easier for him.

Fox wasn't one to meddle in other people's business so why...oh shit. Thire was dissociating. He was staring at his plate so Rex could not see it, but Thire was completely out of his mind. Probably a panic attack, even if he did not know what could have triggered him, it was not the most urgent. The urgency was that it was the worst place to get noticed with this kind of situation. They had to move, and quickly.

Luckily Rex blinked in surprise but actually listened to Fox and stammered, noticeably less in control but sounding much more authentic:

"Look, I… I had made a whole speech but… I panicked when I saw you standing over her, we're all very worried about her since she was already captured and… we I really care about her, I would probably have reacted the same way with someone else."

"Someone else ?" Fox said defiantly, raising the opportunity to make him explain his thoughts.

This was one thing Fox was really brilliant at, attacking with few words, forcing the other person to defend themselves, making them uncomfortable.

"I don't-"

"Captain, here you are, let's eat together!" Kix exclaimed as he approached without them noticing, looking at Fox with a contemplative and thoughtful look. "I think you are all done here."

The blond didn't seem to agree, and if he didn't already have a ready-made view of the GAR, Stone could sympathize with his discomfort. At the moment, he did not.

"But I-"

Then Kix drew the blond closer and whispered in his ear, perhaps realizing that they were all playing with his nerves on purpose by their lack of words and encouraging reactions, especially Fox, that ultimate agitator.

He'd even managed to make a civilian crack and arrested him for assaulting an officer or some such banthashit when the arrogant prick had managed to get away with his other charges. This Captain was nothing in comparison. Besides, Fox had clearly had enough and longed for the relative safety of their dorms, one hand gripping Thire's thigh tightly under the table to ground him in the present time.

"We're going home."

Stone didn't try to stand out and stay a little longer to talk to Kix again, even though their eyes had met several times.

He probably didn't recognise him anyway and walked away with an arm around Captain Rex's shoulders.

Strangely, it hit a nerve.

Chapter Text

He had been claimed with his "second in command". The thing about it was that he didn't have one. He had several Commanders under him but no official right-hand. With some hesitation, he had finally taken Thorn along since they worked together more on a daily basis than Thire who was a bit more independent in protecting the planet. And also because while he had appreciated Rex's public apology at dinner, he didn't want to put Thire on the spot more than that, especially not in front of the Jedi.

Was Thorn's zeal to bring up the rebuke of Skywalker's favourite captain on his military record going to be a problem? Fox didn't blame him, on the contrary he had done things perfectly within the rules of the Guard, but he remained wary. Skywalker was... he was still a friend of Palpatine. And Palpatine was an asshole. Fox had far more respect for Jedi who clearly disapproved of the Supreme Chancellor, what he wouldn't have given to get High General Windu instead...

No matter, he just had to pull out all the stops.

It could also be worse. It could always be worse.

For a start, they had food, and some of his brothers had already made some rather friendly acquaintances. Like the doctor, Kix, who had brought them a supply of medical supplies after the meal. There hadn't been a single real problematic altercation outside of Thire being his silly self and indecently touching a teenage girl in public, and the GAR guys were strangely respectful of the distance they imposed on others by their silence and their... well, their unfriendly expressions.

Stone had once said that they were scarier when people could see in their eyes how ready they were to destroy them rather than seeing uniform armour. He actually tended to agree with that assessment, but he preferred the padding of the armour to the effect of his eyes au naturel. In any case, anyone who had once met his gaze felt about 80% of the desired effect even if he was wearing his helmet afterwards so... he was still a winner.

Their posture straightened a bit more if possible as the door opened and they walked as one towards the only natborn who cared about them here.

"General Skywalker, sir."

"Commander Fox, and...?"

"Commander Thorn, sir," his brother introduced himself after a few seconds.

"Thank you for coming," General Kenobi said quietly with a smile he surely hoped would be reassuring, but which only succeeded in making Fox wary.

It was too much of a politician's smile for him. That was why he liked Commander Tano, she was a natural, as were the few GAR clones who seemed to be acceptable. Besides, she came up behind them and gave them an encouraging smile as she took up a position behind her Jedi teacher. Much more reassuring. Sincere.

"We are at your disposal," he murmured softly, careful to keep his voice neutral.

The two men exchanged a glance and Fox rolled his eyes at their complete lack of subtlety, grateful when a small, high-pitched voice broke the awkward silence.

"So, what's going on? Any change in the situation?"

"No, not as far as we know, Padawan."

"We just wanted to review our plans and give the Coruscant Guard their mission."

"Why, they have a specific mission?"

"It's not that we don't think you're capable of doing what others do," Skywalker explained, frowning at the table and the holograms before looking at them. "It's just that... this is your first real deployment and we'd prefer you not to be on the front lines."

"It's just to give you time to incorporate you into our group dynamic," Kenobi said immediately.

Fox forced himself not to shrug and stop them in their now futile justifications, because it still was a smart plan. It was what he would have proposed if he thought it was his place to propose battle plans, they weren't as competent as the others because they were less experienced, it was only rational. He had not expected such thoughtfulness.

"Of course, General. What will our task be?"

"Sabotage," the blond answered with a small, enthusiastic smile. "There are droid factories on this planet, and if you could prevent new enemies from coming while we draw attention elsewhere, that would be handy for us."

"So… you're the diversion?"

"That's right. You think you can do it?"

Was that a way of asking if he wanted to be sent back to Kamino? Was he that naive? Saying "Oh no, you know, I don't feel up to it" was not an option for Fox and his men. It never had been.

Fortunately for them, they were also very good at industrial sabotage and any type of building, Coruscant had been an excellent training ground.

"Of course, sir."

"Wonderful. Oh, and Commander Tano will be going with you," General Skywalker concluded.

Fox knew exactly what the bitterness on Thorn's face looked like under his helmet, it was the same as on his own face.

These Jedi really wanted to make their lives a misery, didn't they?

Chapter Text

Padmé wished she could hit someone, yet violence was not her first or even her last resort. Ordinarily, it wouldn't even make her top ten acceptable solutions to a problem.

There were just so many more dignified and elegant ways than physical violence: education, diplomacy, trade proposals, threats, emotional manipulation, blackmail, and many more.

But here... here violence sounded good.

"Take a deep breath," Bail whispered to her, for once standing next to her rather than in his own pod.

She did it to please him, because he was one of her most loyal supporters, allies and friends in this room, but she also knew that her temperament would not bear being contained any longer.

"This is intolerable," she raged silently.

"This is not what we signed up for in politics, but you have to adapt. You usually hide your emotions better than this," he remarked quietly. "Is there anything else?"

"I... no, overall I'm fine, my family is fine, Naboo is fine, but..."

"Onaconda's death has left its mark, hasn't it?" Bail questioned, but his tone seemed mostly thoughtful and rhetorical.

He had gotten close to the Rodian before his death, they had all been marked forever. Padmé tried not to think about it too much, but too many people close to her died before her eyes for her to do so. Cordé, dead in her arms in the explosion of her ship, and now even Onaconda, poisoned, who took his final breath in her arms.

She could concentrate better when she was busy, except she hadn't been busy for a few days now.

It was just such a frustration. She was facing a legal uncertainty that almost no one had any interest in clarifying, and she was lost. The Republic wasn't doing its job, its institutions had never been further from their original purpose, and the distance from the Jedi – and especially the fact that they were so busy all the time – meant that they couldn't devote themselves to their role as a check and balance on the political establishment as they used to at a time when they need it most.

Proving that clones were sentient beings and therefore should not be forced to serve in a military without a choice in their future or at least receiving an appropriate salary for their service was not complicated, the real problem was getting the Senate – read the Chancellor – to act on these facts. But this was not happening. They were even trying to create more clones... more slaves.

"I think my problem is that I don't know what to do anymore," she admitted in a whisper. "Getting around obstacles is easier when you have at least a vague idea of what you want to do. There's nothing there. All legal remedies have failed, the media don't care and no one supports our point of view."

"Have you thought about what I said the last time we talked about the Coruscant Guard? Well, the Aran Company, now."

Bail hoped they would have heard secrets and compromising things they could use to confound Palpatine or his allies. It was an incredibly rational and intelligent plan, especially now that they were no longer directly under the Chancellor's watchful eye and responsibility, but...

"They have just been reassigned, Anakin says they're suspicious and tense. We'll try when they're better, but for the time being it would be pointless and probably even counterproductive."

"Better not to wait too long either," Bail muttered glumly. "If the Commanders die, I doubt the others will have too much useful information for us."

Padmé forced herself to keep an even face, but deep down she knew Bail was well placed to know it, he had faced an increasing number of assassination attempts in recent weeks.

Time was running out, for all of them.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka felt a surge of nervousness and worry rising along her Montrals, so she stopped listening to her Master and focused on what she perceived around her. It came from the two clones of the Coruscant Guard, and that unease had surged when Skyguy had mentioned her presence to help the Aran Company, so she focused on the two men and ignored the rest.

They were going to arrive soon so they had to be quick about any changes to their plans, and even though the objective of them sabotaging the factories was still the same, it was planned to make massive global attacks on the droid production sites, not attack other strategic points, at least not at first. Ahsoka understood and approved of her Master for considering this solution for them and Master Obi-Wan for bringing it to life. By doing so they would fragment the security of the moon and give the impression that the factories were not their priority compared to local government installations or important economic locations. They had only discovered these factories thanks to the work of a Shadow Jedi anyway, so it was entirely credible for the Separatists to think that they were not aware that there was a production and assembly line on the planet.

Unlike Cody, both clones were in armour and had their helmets on their heads, very covered and protected compared to the relaxed Clone Commander in his grey officer's uniform. They spoke very little and only to ask for details about the mission, but, as she noticed almost by chance, they did nothing more. They expressed no opinions, no contradictions, no criticism.

There was always a criticism to be made, she herself regularly questioned orders if she found them inconsistent – not that that always changed anything because she did not have the last word and was not in any case the most informed or competent to establish military strategies, and above all she frequently ended up having to improvise. That someone like Fox who was a first generation clone – she had gotten confirmation of that from Rex – had nothing to say was ridiculous, this was a Commander who had provided military protection to Coruscant for over a year, he was bound to have ideas.

He obviously had ideas and comments... but he was not going to express them in front of others, she understood with concern. Never mind, she would get her answers differently.

"Can I go talk to Commander Fox in private?" she asked abruptly, unintentionally cutting off Master Obi-Wan who was looking at her with wide eyes, surprised at her lack of respect.

"It won't last long," she then clarified to convince him, silently begging him to trust her.

"Yes... yes, go ahead."

The Togruta quickly went out into the corridor, waiting impatiently for the Commander. As there was no one in the hallway she wasted no time looking for an unoccupied room to talk, vibrating with anxiety.

"Please be honest, would you prefer it if I didn't join you?"

The clone remained still and silent, tense but outwardly calm and impassive. He seemed to think about it, but something told Ahsoka that when he spoke, he already had an answer from the beginning but was just hesitant to give it.

"Can I speak freely?"

"Please do so."

"No offense, Commander Tano, my men are used to working together and know what they have to do. Your presence risks destabilizing the chain of command and pointlessly worrying the men."

Ahsoka nodded seriously without questioning what the Commander said. She understood and she was not offended, Rex had also questioned her abilities and experience when she arrived, and she was mature enough to know now that he had been right. She… knew nothing about them, and they knew nothing about her. Their whole behaviour spoke of distrust towards strangers, and she remained a stranger, it was very different from her arrival in the 501^st battalion...

"My Master thought that it would be better for you, because very few of you have probably been in the field or not for long, and certainly not for battles of the scale that we experience on a daily basis," she clarified, "he thinks he is doing well."

"I think Coruscant's scale is a good training module," Fox muttered under his breath before straightening up as if he had just let it slip.

"I… are you sure it will be okay if we leave you alone? We don't want you to feel left out."

"Being isolated is understandable given our circumstances, and this distance is totally in our best interest. We can fulfil our role, Commander."

She gently reached out to grab Fox's hand and squeeze it gently in hers, smiling as she looked into his eyes through the visor, trying to send a message of goodwill.

"I'm fine with that then."

If they did not feel comfortable with that, she would not come, that was the basis of respect.

Chapter Text

Anakin was just starting to worry about Ahsoka not returning when she reappeared with Commander Fox. The clone seemed extremely impassive, unlike Commander Thorn who had a more vibrant presence of energy and anger than his superior. It was... well, just another bit of information, Anakin was not sure what to do with it but he would try to remember it. They had tried with his Master to speak a little with the second Commander in the absence of the leader of the new Company of the 501^st, both in formal and informal conversations, and the least we could say was that it was a phenomenal failure.

Thorn clammed up, the second he realized what they were trying to do, everything inside him became stiff and sharp. Beware of flowers that have thorns, his mother used to say when he was a child, saying it as a family saying even though there were no flowers on Tatooine and she was actually talking about sharp metal parts and therefore dangerous. The clone clearly saw himself as protecting his people and did not intend to reveal anything, so Anakin contented himself with careful and measured observation.

Actions spoke louder than words, he would prove to them in the long run that they would be welcome... hoping that Rex had resolved the incident. He would ask him.

"Masters, if it suits you I would like not to accompany the Aran Company."

"Padawan?"

She had been rather voluntary towards them, though.

"Ahsoka?"

"The Coruscant Guard already has several officers of the rank of Commander, my presence and my ambiguous rank compared to theirs could disrupt their internal hierarchy, in particular for a first mission in the field, which it would be desirable to avoid."

So… Anakin had no doubt that Ahsoka could think about these things alone, she was not stupid after all, but he was not stupid himself and understood that she was repeating someone else's words .

He also could not help but notice that Commander Fox did not take the opportunity given several times to speak on the subject during the meeting.

He would not talk to them but he would talk to Ahsoka? Anakin wanted to test this, to see how far they had developed a bond of trust. The comparison would be useful.

"Ahsoka, I don't think-"

"They know what to do," she argued immediately, trying to hide her eagerness without however succeeding in bluffing them, "they have received the same training as the others, they are capable to do it. Just because they were on Coruscant doesn't mean they're any less capable of doing it than anyone else!"

Several things. First, Fox was subtly leaning towards Ahsoka and probably listening intently, his emotions more serene than they had been in a while, growing progressively softer with each insistence from Ahsoka. Second, the young girl's perseverance and her tenacity in arguing with them had broken the absolute immobility of Thorn who had turned his head to look at her, also undergoing a strong emotional fluctuation. He did not calm down like Fox but one thing was for sure, he seemed more... structured? In any case, he was more controlled in the Force, as if he had mastered his emotions again and no longer felt himself in the heart of a battle of wills.

And it was all thanks to her. She had read the room and acted accordingly. She would be a wonderful Jedi Knight one day, Anakin could not be more proud of her.

"Is this what you want, Commander Fox?" He asked, not needing to ask to know that Obi-Wan was going to follow.

They wanted to bring Ahsoka to help them, if they preferred to be alone they would do so.

"I wouldn't-"

"That's what I want," Ahsoka intervened. "Please."

"Commander, do you accept this modification?" Obi-Wan then asked, changing his wording so that Fox would just have to agree.

He seemed reluctant to refuse anything from a superior, of course the redhead had noticed that.

"Yes sir."

"Good. Commander Thorn has all the useful information and can pass it on to you. Padawan, some more training seems appropriate."

"Of course, see you later!"

Silent nods and calm smiles later, Anakin was in a deserted corridor with a little Togruta who was growing so fast and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Well done Snips."

"Thank you, Master."

Chapter Text

Thorn was on Fox's heels until they could isolate themselves and when Fox said heels, he meant his heels.

"What the hell was that?!" His second-in-command snapped the second the door closed behind them, removing his helmet to reveal the indignant face Fox knew was hiding underneath."

"It was nothing."

"Nothing? Nothing?! Fox, I know that girl wrapped you around her little finger, very platonically of course, but don't you think you're getting too comfortable with her?"

"They seem to want to make us comfortable," he replied as he removed his own helmet, tapping his fingertips on the meeting table to occupy his hand. "We might as well make the most of it when it's to our advantage."

"So that's what it's all about, you asked her to back off."

"More or less. I defended our competence more than I actually requested a change of strategy," he clarified when he was subjected to the murderous gaze of his brother who let out an amused laugh.

"Yeah, fine, that's more like you."

And in fact, from a purely strategic point of view, if there was anyone to try and influence to their advantage, it would be her, as she was young, less experienced and more vulnerable than the Generals whose attentive ear she had nevertheless gained. Thorn could understand this for himself and agree, even though he was naturally distrustful – herm, paranoid – and more uncompromising than he was on many points... all those where he felt Fox was not firm enough in fact. It made them a perfectly complementary team, and a living hell for their poor, naive Shinnies who had just landed from Kamino with no idea of what a dangerous place the world could be for them.

"Don't do that again."

Secrets? He couldn't promise such a thing.

"Hmm."

"I mean it, don't leave me alone with those two again."

"What were they like?" He asked, quickly checking him again as he swept his eyes over him from top to bottom.

He had not been very worried, they seemed too procedural to do anything drastic, but he could never really be sincerely not worried. There was a permanent anxiety in him that he would take with him to the grave.

"Horrible," Thorn replied simply with a poker face. "They tried to chat, Fox. I'm serious, it was atrocious!"

Fox could not repress his laughter and laughed until he was so out of breath he had to hold on to the table to keep from falling out of his chair. Thorn... Thorn was horrible at small talk! Really, he was a wonderful brother but apart from being as defensive as an porcupine, he was just incapable of feigning interest in most conversations that did not have a clear purpose or at least interested him when it was strictly personal. They would have had a much better chance of success with Thire.

"Yes, horrible, I don't doubt it," he finally said with a sly smile. "For them."

"Bastard."

"Hmm. I'll call Stone and Thire and then you can tell us the information they gave you."

"Sir, yes sir."

They relaxed into the silence as they waited for their two men to enter shyly before relaxing when they saw them comfortable.

"Is this an official mission meeting?"

"Of course it is, what did you think it would be?"

Thire handed something to Stone.

"Somebody wasn't giving up on his idea that we were going to plot."

"Nonsense!"

"He would have liked a plan for a revolution and a coup to take over the Republic."

At this precise phrase, Thire looked at Stone with suspicion while he and Thorn watched the entertaining show.

"I know for a fact I didn't say that part out loud."

"A confession of conspiracy fantasies, no?" Thorn whispered with an amused smile.

"Shhh," he replied immediately. "Guys, plotting is not allowed during working hours."

"Too bad," they replied together as they sat down.

"So, Thorn, what's the General's plan?"

The summary was brief but flawless, and their task relatively simple: get in, blow up the heavily guarded weapons factories, get out. The main complications would of course be the structuring of the area, which was unknown apart from aerial shots and slightly alarming production figures for the daily production coming out of the foundries. Nothing was impossible, they had carte blanche here, they would succeed.

For almost two hours they reviewed different strategies so to speak. This would be the first time they had all been in combat at the same time, the campaign would be brutal and deadly in a very short time, with many casualties, they were not used to that.

When they felt they had done all they could do to prepare their offensive, they went back to their men. Time flew by and very quickly they found themselves, for the first time for many of them, on natural ground that was very different from the cities of Kamino and the streets of Coruscant.

His men, his brothers, his precious brothers, looked at him for a final encouragement and Fox spoke with the certainty that they saw his face beyond the helmet and knew his feelings beyond the professional tone:

"We won't all make it, some will walk ahead, maybe I'll be one of them. If I don't come back, I'm counting on you to stand firm and stay united."

I love you all, I won't forget those who fall, and if I fall, honour me.

Chapter Text

Fox realised just how much of a disadvantage the strengths of the Guard could be to their new "Company" – which really was not one – when he and his men crossed the forest and the massif that had grown up on it to get to their target without attracting attention with big space ships.

Really, they all could have done without the hike even if no one had complained: the point was for the Separatists to think they had come for the outposts but had not noticed the newly developed secret production.

"Shit, I don't like complimenting these guys but damn it, if they're doing this every time I'm starting to respect them a bit more," Thire declared, dropping down next to him to take a bite for once with no reluctance to take his calorie intake.

"We can't help it, Thire, it's the land that's crappy."

"This is forest, Stone, there's dirt, mud, leaves, you slip and slide, there's roots and holes, you trip and fall, that's the beauty of nature."

"Fuck the beautiful nature."

They laughed and tried to cheer themselves up by thinking of the worst places they could be.

"Volcanic terrain," Thire insisted several times when Fox remained unwavering about his complete and utter hatred of the cold and his joy at not being a snowtrooper.

"Forests and swamps!" Stone snapped.

"Aquatic," Thorn said quietly, quickly interrupted.

"Vol-ca-nic, I say!"

"Guys, I'll get everybody to agree."

"Oh, really?" Fox said with a smirk.

"Sure."

"Yeah, sure, by all means."

"The worst terrain is the one where you're accompanying Representative Jar Jar Binks."

After a few seconds, without needing to look at each other, they all admitted Stone's point: he was right.

"We'll attack in the morning," he decided as he watched the sun set and assessed the physical and mental state of his men.

There was no point in having the disadvantage of the night against us when they already knew that there are hardly any sentients in there and probably only scientists.

"Rest after you've made sure you've sent out scouts and chose sentries."

Sal, the original Captain of the Company that Fox would be leading into battle with him from tomorrow, nodded and he and their other NCOs began to spread the news.

It was a decision that annoyed Fox greatly, they had not been given a deadline for destroying this mega factory but he supposed they would want it done quickly... but it would not be wise to attack tonight, never mind that on the other side of those mountains other clones were dying as they advanced and covered their presence with their own much more visible one.

He had to adapt, he knew his men and their strengths as a group, from then on he had to make sure that he was the adaptable person so that their usual ways of doing things did not become a handicap for them. They were all very good at saving resources and saving their energy to last a long time, here, now, for this kind of campaign, it was a question of being able to mobilise a lot of energy in a very short time. They were not very good at it, and their bodies would burn out too quickly due to the lack of weight and muscle mass from their prolonged rationing.

They were tired, it would be unwise to have troops who could still be of use die en masse, so they were just going to sleep, ignore the guilt of not living up to the expectations placed on them and do what they had to do so as not to jeopardise their chances of completing the mission.

"Our men have been informed, Aaray and Neral also spread the word, " Sal announced, saluting for a second. "Permission to retire for the night?"

"Granted."

Sal withdrew with the other two Captains of their Companies and Fox looked for a moment at the three men who shared something of the same bond as their Commanders.

There were four Commanders for the equivalent of three Companies, and because each of them had been in the field, their Captains had immediately handed over leadership of their men with complete confidence when they realised there would be tension over who to listen to in battle.

A Company was made up of fewer men and led by one Captain, not four Commanders, so they would had to get used to it: Fox, Stone and Thorn would each have around 140 men under their command and Thire had got his usual Shocktroopers to go and create chaos.

The Commander was very enthusiastic about the idea of being able to do whatever he wanted without having to worry about being held accountable for the damage caused.

Fox yawned deeply, put on his helmet again and settled as comfortably as possible on the floor to rest.

Today really had not been the day he had imagined but tomorrow would be a dangerous day.

The next day, they were able to access the secure compound by performing an original manoeuvre, for which Thire had to be thanked.

They had to get over the thick wall, they were on a mountain, the solution was obvious: causing a landslide by triggering underground detonations in cracks in the rock.

Fox laughed as he saw the breakthrough achieved without any mechanical effort.

"Vod, if I ever doubted you, I never will again."

"Well, since I couldn't sleep my way to the top and the rank of Commander, I built myself a brain."

"And what a brain."

"His brain is really his only asset," Stone laughed softly. "Ready to go?"

"Ready. Thorn, your turn."

The explosives placed by their vode on the other side of their target while the rockslide was in progress detonated, attracting droids to the other side, and as soon as they got the go-ahead from their eyes high up in strategically placed trees, they jumped into action.