Chapter Text
Coruscant Senate District
Fox looked at the paperwork. Elections had been allowed to continue through the crisis, the Chancellor wanting to project a 'business as usual' front to the public. Fox had to admit, there was merit in that decision, tamping down the fears of the public, and reassuring the political class that the chancellor simply had emergency powers in these times of war.
That meant 'Election season' a period where the single largest portion of the galaxies senators had been elected, had continued. Stone, who had personally been reading through any and all books of senate code, etiquette and history, told him that it was a combination of chance as well as a holdover from when the republic expanded into the mid and outer rims, either founding or attempting to establish a “republic galactic standard” on how and when senate appointments were done. The attempt fell through, though many adopted the similar time frame. Alongside this, the war breaking out had forced the resignation, expulsion or defection of many senators from sectors due to separatist sympathies, and replacements were just arriving.
This meant a large wave of new senator and representatives had arrived this week. The coruscant guard had been assigned to the senate residential areas , as well as the senate and even now floods of aides and staff were bringing in illegal and unusual items as they tried to set defensive perimeters. Fox was desperately trying to work with the senate guard, and the Senators personal security details to keep their charges safe, issuing security clearances, passes and advising them on evacuation drills and routes. Most security details simply hadn’t responded. Officially the clones were property of the republic, and through that institution, the senate, and so many thought they were beneath, them, and many were insulted they were advising them in the first place.
This highlighted came to another issue. The supposed help the Coruscant guard were supposed to rely on.
The senate guards helpfulness seemed based on a roll of the Sabaac dice. They could be professional and efficient, well meaning but less competent, or downright hostile. It depended on the officer, really. Argyrus was the worst. He’d tried starting fights with the men, and others weren’t better.
The Coruscant security forces on the upper levels were astonishingly incompetent. Their main force were droids, and the officers were worse. The chief prefect hadn’t even bothered to show up to their meeting, sending a second, L ieutenant Inspector Divo for their official meeting, and if he was anything like the others, then the entire force was populated by smug little di’kutla greaseballs.
The lower levels, “the underworld” was under the law in name only. From the reports he had read, the underworld police were solid men, loyal and incorruptible. But as per usual, they were outnumbered and under supplied, fighting what could only be called a war in the lower levels.
Yet another problem to add to the rapidly expanding list. Supply as well. They still hadn’t found enough speeders, gunships and equipment either, the medbays were critically low on Bacta as well.
Fox closed his eyes in frustration at the list of problems, and reached for the mug, sipping the recaf. It was as black as space and strong as malastare fuel, and it had pretty much kept him alive and more or less sane during this period. Fox quietly sipped the glorious beverage, and then looked at his chrono. He sighed. Better be off. He would be greeting the new arrivals today. He got up, and walked to the door.
Trooper Switch had been the one assigned to wait for the new arrivals, and while most of the group had managed to keep civil, standing in the back, he had unfortunately drawn the wrath of several of their members. The trooper struggled to address the gathered crowd, explaining with this aid of a dataslate as calmly and politely as possible that he was simply there to meet them, and no, he could not reschedule this meeting, nor was he in charge of it. A dozen well dressed arms jabbed fingers at him and many frustrated calls for his commanding officer could be heard as Fox strode up. They must be used to asking for a supervisor
Fox noted the tension in the troopers back, he’d probably been getting abused for the past few minutes. Still he was Coruscant guard. And they never wavered. In the back of the crowd, a smaller woman, pantoran, probably, turned to her head to see him coming, she beckoned to a few of her staff, and they stood ready for his arrival. At least some dignitaries were dignified.
“Good morning” the crowd turned as Fox's voice sounded loud and clear across the open hall. “I am the marshal commander of the Coruscant Guard, CC-1010. I apologise for the inconvenience of today’s orientation, but this has been implemented due to the extenuating condition of the war, and the need to keep you safe. I hope I will answer your questions through today’s security orientation. If you would follow me.”
The well dressed horde released Switch, and followed Fox asking a flurry of questions and demands about what could be so important as to interrupt their very busy schedules.
As he walked a text message flicked over the comms from Switch.
Thank you Commander
The meeting had gone well, but ‘well’ meant the snide remarks, backchat, and thinly veiled threats to his position had been kept to a limit. Fox had taken charge of sergeant Cooper's foot patrol around the senate district to clear his head. Hound had taken a secondary position, watching the streets as they moved. Many in the crowd seemed to be curious about the presence of the clone troopers, muttering and pointing. Fox had advised the troops to appear to be calm, neutral, but professional. They were supposed to be protectors, not occupiers, but fox knew the presence of heavily armed faceless soldiers, would calm the nerves of most. Eventually they arrived at a plaza, and fox found himself scanning the side of the surrounding building, with the wall a large holoscreen. On it, played the news, sports, adverts, holodramas and the like flicked through. The last made his eyes widen.
Triumphant music blared across the sound as an image of Neyo appeared on screen. Neyo, was there, bucket off, shaking the hands of a natborn settler, both looking at each other with unwavering looks. The words “HERE TO HELP” were blazoned across the top of the screen. The detailed report continued, about the ongoing war effort, propaganda reel playing.
Fox shook his head in disbelief. They’d have to had ambushed him with that. He couldn’t imagine Neyo being caught dead without his helmet on usually. He started to laugh as he took an image with his helmet cam. His brothers would see this.
His comm beeped urgently and fox was shook out of his reverie. Bad news.
Thire and a squad of troopers were arguing with a crowd of adjutants, staff and aides on the ground entrance for the senatorial apartment complex. These lavish apartments, though privately owned, were part of the senatorial splendour, and were home to many of the republics greatest and most important members. The speeder doors opened, and Fox and Coopers squad rolled out onto the landing pad. The commander walked past the crowd-queue, and stepped to Thire. "What seems to be the trouble lieutenant?"
Thire gestured. at the crowd. "It's the senators staff. The new arrivals are moving in, and their staff are trying to bring in the senators personal items. They need to be vetted, scanned and searched. They haven't been issued the correct passes yet, so we aren't letting them in yet."
"The senate guard didn't take this long!" A robed woman sniped.
“Sorry Ma'am, but nobody gets through without being scanned.” Thire said, adamantly. Fox looked back, the senate crowd outside the entrance of the senate building was starting to get rowdy, the crowd was much bigger than it should be.
"What happened to the multiple points of entry? Why are all the aides and staff coming in at one point?" Fox asked, confused. The coruscant and senate guard was supposed to work together.
"Senate guard. They've handed all our responsibility over to us." Thire said bitterly.
"Of course." He turned. "We're going to get this fixed now. Start scanning their goods and I'll authorise it later."
He turned and saw a humans and weequay in white uniforms. There were quite a few of them, nearly a whole squads worth. "Who are they?" he marked them on the hud.
Thire looked down at his slate. "Uhh, the senator of Kuat's staff. The pass holder of this group, is a Miss Viqi Noma."
An older blue skinned woman near them muttered to her younger compatriot who held a vase in a thick accent. "You'd think senator Danu would hire men with better respect for themselves." She tutted disapprovingly.
Fox looked at one of them. She was right, the uniforms, though maybe once splendid, were now crumpled. They weren't the immaculate condition of most senatorial staff members, who reviled looking scruffy or dishevelled. The suspicious part of his mind began to turn, and his mind scrambled to remember the information from the briefing cards. The Kuati were a human offshoot, matriarchal. Their staff had no women in the crowd. Kuat was important to the republic war effort, and that made Senator Danu equally important as a target. These didn't look like a rich senators staff, they looked like mercenaries in unifroms. Then, as one of them turned to look at him, and quickly look away, Fox noticed a shape under his jacket. Cold combat instinct began to creep in.
Assasins
"Cooper, I want your men with me." he ordered, "Thire keep the crowd safe, I'm going to ask some questions to Kuat's men."
He walked over. Coopers squad following. "Inspection. Security clearance pass, please, then your items."
An older weequay man raised an eyebrow. "Ain't it supposed to be the Senate Guard?" Fox narrowed his eyes underneath his helmet.
"The coruscant guard have been given command of this checkpoint. Again, clearance pass."
The group tensed. The wequay man smiled. "Right away boss, here it is." He handed it to fox. He passed it to Cooper. He scanned it.
"This is out of date by a week." Cooper reported.
The man sighed and nodded apologetically, ”it’s been so busy, what with the war and the-“ he drew a hold out pistol.
Fox was quicker, and shot him in the chest.
Another of the team aimed at fox but cooper blasted him as well. The rest of the squad leveled their blasters as the crowd screamed and scattered, some falling and tripping, bumping into them and knocking each other, in the scramble to get away. The Mercenaries were caught in a dilemma, some had reached for their hidden weapons others were frozen in place. They were surrounded, any mistake would kill them.
"Down on your knees!" Fox ordered.
They followed orders, thankfully, laying down their weapons.
"Cooper, take them." Coopers men swept them up and led them off in binders to custody, they also carried the two bodies away.
He turned around and looked back at the crowd, still reeling from the sudden violence.
"The situation is under control, remain calm." He called in extra squads of coruscant guard to secure the area. The troopers already on the ground had begun to move up Thire amongst them. As he walked his foot crunched on something. He looked down. A young Pantoran girl was trying to pick up pieces of a shattered vase dropped during the chaos, and he had stepped on one of the bigger ones. This was not his area of expertise. She looked up at him with tears welling in her eyes.
He looked down. "The Coruscant Guard apologises for the distress and damages, if you wish to apply for compensation please contact our offices." He looked to the older woman who frowned, helping the girl up.
At this point the Senate guard had finally shown up. "What happened!" one demanded.
"Attempted assassination or kidnapping. Where the hell were you!" he asked back. The blue armoured man stuttered and stammered as he turned and stormed back to the landing pad as as gunships and police speeders began to scream in.
He'd have to write a report on this.
He groaned. He needed sleep. But that was a privilege on coruscant. He'd get a caff instead.
Thank the republic for Caff.