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Chapter Text

Commander Fox watched the morning drills, ensuring that his troopers were ready for any potential threats they would face during their duty on this hellish planet. Occasionally he would move through the rows of brothers, offering words of encouragement or correcting someone’s form. But he had trained them well, and corrections were hardly necessary. 

As the drills progressed, Fox's comm link continued buzzing with reports and updates. Everything from security alerts, routine check-ups, new regulations from the senate, and the occasional disturbance. Today was a slow day, at least for Coruscant standards and for once he didn’t feel like his head was split in half by pain. Not that he would ever complain about it as that would only lead to medics needling to take a break and maybe get some more sleep.

Today was a good day and no one was frantically calling him to save their lives. He hadn’t lost anyone yet. His brothers were alive, not safe, never safe on Coruscant, but still holding on.

Luckily, Fox had mastered the ability to multitask, and could address each issue without taking his eyes off the troopers before him. It was the only reason he was even remotely able to stay on top of his paperwork with all his other responsibilities.

Another comm ping, this one making him halt in his tracks. A summoning from Chancellor Palpatine for a meeting in the other's office. Not unheard of, as the man wanted to get regular updates about the Guard and the situation on Coruscant, and had no qualms about ordering Fox away from his duty on a whim. Still, something about it set Fox on edge. Like it always did when he had to spend time alone with the chancellor.

He couldn’t say why he was so wary of the other. Unlike other senators, he never insulted the guard or got violent. Not as nice as Senator Organa, who gave them food from time to time, but also not a threat. Maybe it was the way he talked. He smiled, was polite, but Fox could tell that it was all fake and he didn’t mean any of it. It could be just a slip of the tongue, some carless wording, but sometimes the comments he made sounded as if he thought clones were beneath him. And even if that sentiment was shared by many republic citizens shouldn’t a politician be better at choosing what they said? 

And despite being their superior officer he never stepped up to help, to stop decommissioning, to clear up misunderstandings or shift away unwarranted blame. The guard was on its own. Unlike the rest of the GAR who had the Jedi protecting them.

So Fox got a bad feeling. And if he learned something during his duty it was to trust his feelings. It had saved many troopers.  

Even if he didn’t think anything would happen despite him being on edge the whole time, it would not be amiss to be prepared. He opened a commline to his second in command. “Thorn, I need you to take over observing the drills. I've got to meet the chancellor.”

“Fox, are you sure? It’s the chancellor.” Fox had mentioned his bad feeling enough that every single member of his command staff was suspicious of the chancellor now. And like little brothers tended to do, they fussed and worried about him, wanting to take on the world in his place.

“I know, Thorn, but what can I do? He is our superior officer, his orders take precedence. Just keep an eye on things for me. And if anything happens, and I don’t make it back, I leave you in charge to protect our little brothers.” 

He could hear Thorn tearing up at the other end of the call. He never dealt well with being reminded of Fox’s mortality. None of his troopers did. To them, he was this larger than life commander, strong, unshakeable, the one that would always be there.

Fox tried to let them believe it. But he was only human. He could stop a blaster shot from an assassin, only trying to move so it didn’t hit anything fatal. Faced with an angry mob and outnumbered, he could just try to survive. He couldn’t outrun an explosion, only curl up and protect his most vulnerable parts. The vibroblades of citizens dissatisfied with the war taking so long and clones in general, found their way between his armor plates.  

So far he had always been a lucky bastard and survived. Fox would do anything if it meant he could stay alive and keep protecting his brothers. But he was realistic. And he knew it was not his skill, but mostly luck which had made him survive this long. And one day that luck would run out. 

And with how things had been lately every time a trooper entered the Senate dome one never knew. Petty mission of senator which costs two guards their lives only to find out it was to acquire a local delicacy the man wanted for dinner. Some just disappeared, called away from the regular patrol route and were ever seen again. Fox did his best to keep their youngest away from the place at all cost, but his heart still broke with every incident, with every name he had to mark as MIA or KIA.

“Please don’t say that. Don't leave us.”

“I promise I will do everything in my power to make it back to you. Keep your head high.”

“You too.”

With this Fox ended the call and turned on his heels making his way to the senate dome so he would be in time for his meeting with the chancellor. It wouldn’t do any good to make the man wait and start the whole thing off on the wrong foot. 

After a crisp knock, Fox entered the office, waiting in perfect parade-rest till Palpatine had finished the document he was working on and acknowledged him. 

“Commander Fox, thank you for joining me. I trust everything is in order with your battalion?”

“Yes, Chancellor. All drills are running smoothly, and the troopers are performing at their best.”

“Excellent. Your dedication to maintaining order is commendable. Now, I've been hearing positive reports about your recent operations.”

“Thank you, Chancellor. We strive to uphold the peace and ensure the safety of the citizens.”

Fox parroted back the answer that was burned into his mind from how often he has to say it in a single day. Ever since the war started a year ago, it was the phrase he used the most as it was the only thing that seemed to get natborns off their back.

‘Commander, your troopers walked too close to me while escorting me and made me uncomfortable.’

‘I apologize for their behavior and promise they will be strictly reprimanded for their action, senator. Uphold the peace and ensure the safety of the citizens is our duty after all.”

‘Stupid meatdroid, what the kriff are you doing here?!’

‘Citizen please step aside and let the patrol pass. We just uphold the peace and ensure the safety of the citizens.

Always peace and safety. Maybe he should switch it up. Do it the other way round, just to make things different for once. 

Like always, it got Fox an approving smile. 

“I wanted to discuss potential strategies to enhance security in some troubled sectors. Your insights would be invaluable.”

Fox's heart beat faster at that with excitement. He might be the Commander, but no one ever asked him for his opinion. It was always, Commander do this, or the Guard should do things that way. All without taking their situation and abilities into account. And many of the senators had gotten some of his men killed with incompetent orders. Orders they had to follow with gritted teeth, despite the senators not being part of the military, all because the Chancellor was not stepping in to stop them. Because a clone was not a sentient being and all Fox could do was  make them pay a fine for property damage when they decommissioned a trooper.

Especially since the following conversation was productive, making Fox feel heard for the first time since he started work with the Senate. It was good, and made him question why he had ever gotten a bad feeling from the man. He should have gone to him from the start when there were concerns, when he felt the Guard would be unable to continue without too many deaths. 

The chancellor was kind, he would have listened. He would have helped. But now that Fox knew, the future would be better. Fox had a smile on his face and was excited to tell Thorn about the new ally he had found.

“And Commander, one last thing before you go. Exec-”

G̵͇̉ͅö̸̧̧̻̲̲̼̓o̸̻͔̩͆d̵̨̯͂̀̓̈́̀ͅ ̶̢̼̣̝̲̍̈́̏ͅs̶̰̟͙̞̹̄̇̓̉̔͊ȯ̵̟͔̞͔̼͑ͅl̴̪̤̫͎͐͆̉̈́͘d̶̛̝̽̐̑ï̶͎̙͇̘̺̙̔́e̸̼̗̤̊͊̈̕r̷͇͐̔͐̄͐̐s̴̨͙̤̓̒ ̷̛̥̇̔̑f̸̗̐̉ơ̶̢̫̓͂́͛l̴͔͕͈͑̈́ľ̴͇͒͊͂ơ̶̱͓͖̰̔͒͠w̶̪̳͙̒̎͆͠ ̷̠͊̆͆͑̐̇õ̷̳̠̍̂r̵̖͉̀̊̽̕͘͠d̷̢̘̯̳̿̂̓ẹ̷̉r̷̼͈̪̞̅s̸̨͚͇͆̏͐

Fox came to with a gasp, blind panic filling him. Pain, cold, darkness. Flailing around, water splashed around him. Coughing, water leaving his lungs, finally being able to breathe.

Then the cold hit, shivers wrecking his body, the wet blacks sticking to him draining the last scraps of heat. But shivering was good, meaning he was still alive and still fighting. Once the shivering stopped, that was when he was in trouble.

And Fox would not wait around till something like water killed him. He was a fighter. He had brothers waiting for him.

It was too dark to see anything. A true darkness he didn’t know from Coruscant as there was always at least some electric light no matter the time of night or the level you were on. But here there was nothing, just a void surrounding him. 

His helmet was gone, the comforting weight missing. Feeling around in the water his fingers didn’t meet the plastoid, only a few funny shaped rocks. They were rocks, nothing else. Certainly not bones or skulls. That would be absurd. 

The rest of his armor was still on his person. Not that it was much use, as all the electronics in it seemed to have died. Trying to turn on his wrist computer did nothing, as it stayed dead no matter what he tried. 

It couldn’t have been the water. Their armor was terrible, but not so bad a little water would fry the computers. Or the flashlight in the gauntlet, which was staying dark. 

So Fox was stuck somewhere, most likely underground, in complete darkness and water to his knees. 

Fantastic.  

But he couldn’t stay here. With his memories being so foggy, he couldn’t say how long he had been gone and how desperate his brothers were for his return. He could already tell from how his stomach twisted that it had been a while since he had eaten. Maybe since he had drunk as well and Fox really didn’t want to try his luck with the water he was standing in. 

No, staying here would mean death. So Fox got up and started walking, slowly, one foot in front of the other so he could react to a wall or a sudden drop of the floor. Once he had found a wall, he turned left and just continued moving. At some point, there had to be some light. 

There had to be. 

Fox couldn’t die here in the darkness without anyone knowing about his fate. Not while his brothers waited for him.

But as the hours dragged on, Fox lost hope. There was just nothing beside the sound the water made as he waded through it. And the clattering when he accidentally pushed something over, leaning against the wall. 

At this point, he couldn’t deny it anymore. They were skeletons. Just like the things crunching under his feet making him stumble and on occasion tumble into the water were bones.

So many deaths. So many stuck down here without a way out. And Fox would join their ranks soon. Would never see his brothers again, would never get to speak to Thorn again. He had promised, and now he was breaking that promise and disappointing his little brother. Thorn would cry. They would all cry, and it was Fox’s fault. 

Tears streamed down his face freely, making his throat even more parched. He was alone. There was no one down here to judge him. He could grieve for himself. 

His muscles screamed at every step he took, having to push against the water. The shivering was slowly subsiding and exhaustion slowed him down.His limbs were uncoordinated as he stumbled forward. It was just a question of time before he would fall and wouldn’t be strong enough to push himself out of the water again.

Fox was so focused on staying upright, he nearly passed his salvation without even noticing. He couldn’t believe it, could just stand there blinking stupidly at the small beam of light coming from the ceiling. 

But the light stayed and as he moved closer he could see there was a hole in the stone where the tunnel had collapsed, opening up a pathway out of this labyrinth. Using the fallen debris, Fox used the last of his strength to pull himself out. 

Collapsing on the floor, he just breathed, not even caring to see where he was. If it was even any better or if he had just exchanged one labyrinth for the next. 

No, Fox needed the break, needed the small moment of hope he had made it out alive. Only 10 minutes of rest. He didn’t allow himself more, afraid he would never find the power to move again if he slept. But 10 minutes to collect his reserves was okay. 

After exactly 10 minutes — his inner clock was perfect — he pushed himself to a sitting position and examined his surroundings. 

He was on the ground in a gigantic room. The floor was made from stone, and he shuddered thinking about what was underneath, that no one knew what horrors laid below. 

This place must have been a trash dump a long time ago. There were still some heaps of waste left in the corners, but since the smell was not making Fox throw up, there had not been anything added in quite a while. That and the amount of dust on top of everything.

Fox had never heard of a trash site being abandoned like this. Coruscant was filled with filth, and the senators were constantly searching for places to dump it away from public eyes. So if it was not worth the effort to bring it down here, he must be on a very low level. 

A level without people or regular Guard patrols. A level without help. Fox would have to make his way up by himself if he wanted to be saved. 

At least there was some light here. Even if it was just some control panels and security lights at the ladder that no one had bothered turning off when this place was abandoned. But compared to the complete darkness, this was heavenly. 

Pushing himself up, Fox stumbled to the ladder at the wall. He cursed his shaking arms but started pulling himself up.

Then everything blurred together as he started losing time again, but this time he didn’t worry as the reason for it was quite obvious. Clones were built to be sturdy, but even they had their limits.

The next thing he was aware of was stumbling out from an alley and collapsing on the street, attracting the attention of some natborns. He cursed himself. Even if he was in dire need of help being so vulnerable was more likely to result in more injuries than being saved. 

“Out of the way! Move citizens!”

Fox relaxed. The voice of a brother was unmistakable. He was safe. 

“Fox!” With a thump, a body hit the ground next to him. Fox was too tired to lift his head, but hummed appreciatively as hands touched his face. He loves his little siblings. All of them. They were the best little siblings to have. He didn’t tell them often enough how much he loved them. 

And then it hit him, they were right there. And Fox was still alive, he could always tell them. 

“Love you guys.” His voice was rough, and he let out a cough after. It had really been too long since he had drunk something. 

“OMG! Call a medic. He is delirious.”

“The Commander has lost his mind!”

“If it is serious? Are you kidding me?! He told us he loved us! Without being under duress! It is more than serious!”

Listening to his brother's bickering, Fox couldn’t help but smile as he lost consciousness. 

~*~

As he came to, he could smell bacta. Hacksaw must have really been in a good mood if he used his limited resources on Fox. Or Fox had been in worse shape than he had thought. 

He knew he was surrounded by brothers. Could feel them press against him on every free inch without putting any pressure on him. He hoped Thorn was here. He really wanted to hug Thorn. 

Opening his eyes, he met Hacksaw's disapproving gaze. Well, he had fucked up. So the medic had every right to chew him out for it. Fox just hoped the man would wait with his dressing down until their brothers had woken up. They looked exhausted.  

And then Hacksaw's lip started quivering. Fox froze in shock as thick tears started falling down the man’s cheeks. 

Hacksaw never cried! Had never cried on Coruscant no matter how many brothers they had lost, how low their resources were, how stressed he was. But now he was balling his eyes out and Fox didn’t know what to do, how to make things better. 

He doubted he could get up even if he was not surrounded by brothers. 

“Hacks?” He called out softly. His brother only cried harder as he stumbled closer, touching Fox’s face. The commotion had started waking some brothers around him, who also broke out in tears, clinging to Fox. He didn’t know what was happening, but suddenly everyone around him was crying and sad, and he didn’t know what to do. 

Especially when Thorn sprinted into the room and threw his helmet off.  His baby brother looked like hell, dark circles under his eyes, weight gone down, and his eyes were a bloody red. 

“Fox!” He sounded wrecked as he pushed through the gathering crowd and just threw his arms around Fox’s neck and sobbed. Fox patted his back, feeling his own tears at finally holding his brother again like this. He had almost lost this. Had almost left his brother to face the harsh reality of Coruscant alone. 

“I’m sorry.” And he meant it. He had never meant for this to happen, for his brothers to have to experience this. If only he knew how it had even happened, then he could make sure it would never happen again. But the memories were still blank. He was overseeing training, heading towards a meeting in the senate and then nothing.

“Don’t say that. Don’t apologize. You made it back, that is all that counts.”

Thorn was way too forgiving. But Fox would take it, better than his brother being angry. He could stand his brother’s tears way better than his anger. The moment Thorn got angry, Fox’s resolve always crumbled. 

“We thought you were dead. That you had marched on.”

“As if I could leave you to suffer the senators alone.” That got him a wet chuckle. 

“You were gone for two weeks. They declared you dead.”

Fox froze. Two weeks? Two! Weeks! How?! He had thought, maybe a day or two. Not two weeks. How?!

He could not have been in the labyrinth all this time, or he would have died. But what had he done before? And why couldn’t he remember?

“What happened,” he asked more to himself than his brothers, who had no idea where he had even been the whole time. 

“The Chancellor. He promoted me. Said how sorry he was for my loss, and then just promoted me.” Thorn cried out. The anguish in his voice made Fox pull him closer, wanting to comfort. Thorn shouldn't have to go through this. 

“What happened, Fox?” His brother's voice was desperate, wanting answers Fox couldn’t give. “You came back from your meeting, finished training and insisted you wanted to patrol to stretch your legs. And then you were just gone. Your comm was dead, you just vanished from security footage on level 318. The massiffs lost your scent on the transition to level 319 and that was it. You were just gone.”

“I don’t know.” Fox felt his own tears fall as he couldn’t give any explanation to what had happened. But he would get to the bottom of this and make sure nothing like this ever happened again. He would not leave them behind again. 

But before he could take any action, his excursion came back to haunt him with vengeance. Despite Hacksaw’s best attempts and all the supplies he threw at Fox, his condition continued to deteriorate. Fox fought for days, trying to force his body, weak from months of low rations and lack of sleep to just hold on. But his immune system completely broke down, and he was caught in the deep of fever, his lungs burning, as he felt like drowning, coughing out wetly. The water he had swallowed had done some damage Hacksaw was frantically trying to fix, as he couldn’t lose their Commander now that he was home. 

Holding on to consciousness was hard. He tried for his brothers, faced the pain, the head that felt like it was split in half and the death grip on his lungs. All for his brothers. But slipping into darkness was a blessing, as it was the only thing giving him some relief. 

In the short bursts of wakefulness, he was haunted by all his failures. The brother that had died at his own hand, coming to take him away now that Fox’s own life was ending.

The blaster had been set to stun.

 “Fives, I… I'm sorry. Didn't mean to… meant to set it to stun.”

To his surprise, the face leaning over him was filled with concern, the tattoo on his temple clearly visible. The hand sweeping away the sweat from Fox’s brow was careful.

“Commander, it's okay. You're not yourself right now. Save your energy.”

“It was an accident, Fives. I didn't want to… didn't want to hurt you.”

“Shh, Fox, save your strength. We'll get through this. You're not to blame.” A different voice. Looking around with panicked eyes for the source, Fox saw blonde short hair and froze. 

Pain on his cheek, hateful gaze, screaming, then silence. Fox remembered it all, the fallout of his action costing him the little brother he had grown up with. They hadn’t talked since that day. After Rex had punched him in anger, he had completely cut Fox from his life, blocked his comm and got everyone involved in running interference, so Fox didn’t see him. He only knew his brother was even still alive from mission reports.

But now he was here, wanting to witness Fox’s last moments. He had to use this chance, apologize, and try to mend things.

“No. Should've been more careful. I'm supposed to protect… not harm.”

He reached out crying in relieve when Rex didn’t pull back but leaned in for a hug.

“I'm sorry for taking your brother from you. I didn’t want to. I’m sorry. I know you will never forgive me. If it was Thorn. God. What have I done? I killed a vod’ika.”

He started sobbing, inconsolable, even as Fives and Rex crawled in bed with him and just held him. 

~*~

After his recovery, Stone and Thorn had the good grace to not bring up what Fox had said in his altered state of mind. How he had mistaken them for someone else and clung to them, crying his heart out. And despite it not having been real, Fives still dead and Rex hating him, Fox felt better. It had gotten him some closure in a way, to apologize, and explain that it had been an accident.

Despite his brief brush with death, Fox felt better than ever, no longer having the constant headache that had haunted him for nearly his whole time on Coruscant. It had crept into his life, becoming his constant companion only changing in intensity from a slight annoyance to making functioning almost impossible. But it had always been there until he had forgotten how live had been before it while Fox was still on Kamino. Only now that it was gone did he realize how much of a burden it had truly been.

It was a miracle how the pain had vanished only leaving habits of instantly closing his eyes when faced with harsh light in expectation of pain. His health was at an all time low after his illness and everyone was constantly trying to get him to put back on the weight he had lost while in bed. 

Although he had slept a lot the past weeks. Maybe Hacksaw was onto something when telling Fox he needed to rest more. 

Anyway, paperwork was way easier if you didn’t feel as if your head was going to explode any second now. The only good thing about being declared death and his brothers keeping his resurrection from everyone while he recovered. But seeing the dark rings under Thorn’s eyes Fox had put his foot down and demanded to take back the burden. As the oldest it was his to cary. He couldn’t let a vod’ika suffer.

So he had marched himself over to Palpatines office, finding the man very surprised at his survival, even though he quickly overplayed with fake joy and congratulations.

And despite being cleared for duty again his brothers insisted he still took things easy which was why he was working in his office and not outside on patrol. And he would make good progress if not for the annoyance determined to bother him today. 

Looking up, he gave the Jedi lounging on the edge of his desk a dark look. It did nothing to discourage Vos as the Jedi just smiled at him brightly. 

Fox rolled his eyes at the man. But secretly he was pleased the man still came around, no matter how much Fox snapped at him. Not even him being proclaimed dead stopped the man from coming to his office just to make sure Fox had not returned, as in his words ‘The bad penny always turns up again’. Which was true, but still insulting. Thorn had kicked him out multiple times, not able to deal with the man’s optimism in his grief, especially since not even the shadow had found a clue about Fox’s whereabouts.. 

Fox would never admit it, no matter what, but he liked having the man around. Liked the man in a way that was unlike his brothers. He wouldn’t put a label on it, but he wouldn’t mind the man sticking around till Fox’s properly untimely death. 

“Aw, Foxy, don’t be like this. I came all this way here after hearing of your miraculous resurrection, and you are giving me the cold shoulder.”

Fox threw a sharp gaze towards Quin. The kind that made shinies start crying and even the dumbest senator rethink their own actions. Vos was completely unimpressed by it, his smile only growing wider. Fox would have suspected Jedi were just so confident he had no effect on them. But just a few days ago, Skywalker had flinched and knocked over a vase when Fox gave him a death glare after he was too noisy sneaking out of Amidala’s apartment.

No, Vos was just an idiot. Fox’s idiot, though. Someone had to make sure the man stayed alive. 

“Come on, I know you love me. I even got you a present.” That got Fox’s attention. Vos always brought the best things. From delicious coffee to takeout boxes from Dex’s, to sweets he picked up while on missions on other planets.

He reached out his hand in demand towards the box Vos had pulled from behind his back. To his annoyance, Vos kept it just out of reach.

“Ah, ah, not so fast. First, tell me how great I am.”

Fox could just kick him. Jump over the desk and tackle him and wipe the smug look off the bastard’s face. But then Vos would not bring him things for quite a while. He cursed himself for how much he had started looking forward to his snacks.

“Your presence is not as infuriating as I thought,” Fox pressed out between gritted teeth. Vos looked surprised before lighting up.

“I will take that. Coming from you, that is basically a love confession.” Fox was finally able to snatch the box from Vos’ hands, opening it eagerly and staring in awe at the neatly wrapped squares inside. Opening one he was hit by the sweet smell and biting into its flavor exploded in his mouth. It was delicious, sweet, and rich. And he had a whole box of it.

Humming softly, he looked up and froze as his eyes met Vos’. The man’s face had turned soft, a smile on his face, and his eyes filled with fondness. All while he had watched Fox stuff his face like a half starved tooka. Color dusted Fox’s cheek, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Once more, he wondered if perhaps Vos always returned to his office because he felt similar to Fox.

Asking would be stupid. But then this was Vos. The man he had fished out of a dumpster on more than one occasion. If not him, who else could Fox show some vulnerability to?

“Vos, I-” He was interrupted by a priority alert at his com. He looked at it in annoyance. And just as he had gotten the courage. Was this a sign from the Force to keep his mouth shut?

Answering the call he was surprised to see it was coming from the chancellor, but the hologram showed a hooded figure. Either the old man had finally gone senile and gotten into cosplay or someone had kidnapped the chancellor, again , and was demanding ransom.

“Commander Fox, execute Order 66.”

“Order 66? What the hell is order 66?” Vos had jumped up looking wide-eyed at Fox, eyebrows knitting together in a way Fox regognized as him concentration on feeling the force.

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The weight of his gun was familiar in CC-1010’s hand. Flicking the switch to change it from stun to kill was a practiced move, it barely even registered. Get ready, aim, fire. 

Routine, drilled into him during his whole life.

He missed, his target more slippery than he had expected. Plaster exploded from the wall as the shot hit it.

Stupid mistake, he should not have underestimated the traitor. But it was alright. If he died, another unit would take his place and finish the job. They knew the traitor was here. They were already on their way. The man would not make it out of here alive.

“What the fuck, Fox?! It’s me! Quin! What has gotten into you.” The man didn’t attack. Instead, tried to talk to him, hands away from his weapon. It would be his demise.

CC-1010 looked at the Jedi with a blank face, eyes dull. “All Jedi are traitors to the Republic and will be eliminated.”

The Jedi’s face fell as he looked at Fox, full of disbelief and heartbreak. CC-1010 didn’t hesitate when pulling the trigger. This time, the traitor didn’t jump to the side in time. His body hitting the ground with a loud thud. Holstering his weapon, Fox stepped over the corpse as the door to his office swooshed open, revealing two troopers in red, weapons ready to shoot.

“The thread has been eliminated. Get ready to march on the Temple to eliminate the rest of the traitors.”

Crisp salute as they all marched out of the room and towards the speeder bay to be at the Temple on time to prevent Jedi from escaping. A single one of their kind surviving was not acceptable.

But the next Jedi to get rid of CC-1010 found way earlier than his arrival at the Temple. He had taken his own speeder, sending his men ahead, wanting to make a round around the senate building to check it was secure against Jedi attacks. 

The person was falling from the sky. He must have jumped from a window at the top of the building.

Maneuvering his speeder, CC-1010 got ready to catch the body, unwilling to risk any traffic accidents, or having a senator injured when the body hit the ground. The speeder swayed at the suddenly added weight, but CC-1010 easily got it back under control. The crunch at impact hinted at at least a few broken bones, if they were even still alive at all.

Then he saw the cream-colored robes. A traitor thinking they could survive by jumping. They were even clinging to consciousness, looking at CC-1010 through the pain.

“Commander. I need help. The Chancellor he is-”

“Traitors must be eliminated,”  CC-1010 didn’t hesitate. His shot went straight between Mace Windu’s eyes, and he sagged into himself. The Jedi were more persistent than expected. CC-1010 had to join the attack on the Temple to make sure all the traitors were dead.

Arriving at the Temple, there was chaos. Jedi trying to fight off the countless clones. For every man shot down, two more took his place. Despite the resistance, the wave of clones marched on, lead by former General Skywalker, now Darth Vader, destroying everyone in their path.

CC-1010 ignored the fighting on the stairs and in the entrance hall. The Jedi were well handled and wouldn't escape. No, CC-1010 had his own plans, something of much higher value than killing some Temple guards. He would find the heart of the Jedi and rip it out, destroying everyone’s hope and crushing any thoughts of survival. 

Finding the crèche was easy. Just follow the path with the most signs of resistance. Stepping inside, the once cozy atmosphere had vanished, the bright colors now being a mockery as CC-1010 observed the corpses littering the floor. At the front, the adults, trying to shield what was most precious to them. Further back, the corpses got smaller and smaller. Some were crushed under an adult, trying to shield them with their body. The empty eyes looking towards the ceiling made clear the Masters’ desperate attempts had been futile. 

His fellow clones had wanted to make sure there would be no future traitors standing against the chancellor. 

Which was why CC-1010 felt disappointment towards the other soldiers. How fortunate he had come here. If he had left things to them, they would have left some resistance to grow. It was obvious with a mere glance that fighting off the attackers had never been the only goal, that someone had tried to buy time. Time for others to escape.

Going to the very back of the room, CC-1010 started inspecting the wall, gloved hand getting dirty from the scotch marks as he felt for cracks. Finally, his fingers caught something. His muscles strained as he pulled, the mechanisms having never been intended to be used by something other than the Force.

Behind it, there laid darkness. Activating his helmet light, he could see the small room, not an escape route then, just a bunker for people to wait until the fighting stopped. He heard a sob. A group of 6 kids were huddled in the corner furthest from the entrance. 

It was a wild mix of species and ages, the youngest just a clothed bundle held in a teen's arms.

“Please,” the teen begged, “they are children, a baby. They are no danger to you. Kill me but spare them. They have no training, they will not get in your way.”

Looking at the teen and then over the other children, he had to agree. None of them would be any challenge, all too weak.

“They are no danger yet . This order of traitors must be destroyed at its root.”

Seeing his guns, the teen paled, just pulling the crying children close, trying to shield their eyes as he whispered reassurance. CC-1010 felt nothing. He just shot. 

6 bangs, 6 more corpses added to the count. 

Spinning on his heels, he saw a side door fling open, a man standing in there, green lightsaber lit, braid nearly falling to his waist, as he bared his fangs at Fox. A complication. Facing a Padawan shortly before his knighting without any backup was dangerous. But CC-1010 would not let any of the traitors get away. 

Taking aim, he fired, and as expected it was blocked. But CC-1010 had not wanted to hit, his shot had served to keep the Jedi on distance. They were too confident with their lightsabers, hoping for an honorable battle. CC-1010 had no such remorse as he pulled a grenade from his belt, used for prison riots and dealing with violent gang fights on the lower levels. The Jedi jumped out of explosion reach, but this little contraption was more than that, as instead of flames, gas came from it, filling up the room.

He could hear the Jedi cough as he stumbled, defenses down. CC-1010 took his chance, lined up the shot. The Jedi dropped to the ground, joining his many brothers and sisters.

After the fighting was done, it fell on CC-1010’s shoulders to report to the chancellor. 

“Chancellor Palpatine, the mission was executed,” CC-1010 stated crisply, his voice devoid of inflection. “The Jedi traitors have been eliminated, and the Temple secured. Our forces encountered minimal resistance, and the operation was completed swiftly.”

“Excellent, Commander,” the Chancellor finally spoke, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Your loyalty to the Republic is commendable. The eradication of the Jedi traitors ensures the stability and security of our great Galactic Empire.”

Fox saluted sharply, his obedience unwavering. “Thank you, Supreme Chancellor. I am at your disposal for any further orders.”

The Chancellor nodded, dismissing CC-1010 with a wave of his hand.

Chapter Text

Unit CC-1010 was patrolling the lower-levels of Coruscant on the chancellor’s orders. There were still some that questioned the Jedi's involvement in the attack on the chancellor and if after all the time fighting for the Republic they were truly traitors. Finding and detaining these sympathizers had become one of the guards main responsibility. 

The frequent patrols also helped keep down the revolts of people unhappy with the new leadership. The Guard crushed every kind of resistance with a strong hand, dragging off any protesters to be imprisoned and questioned. Afterward, they were handed over to the chancellor's improved red guard to be dealt with. 

Lately things had started to calm as fear kept people in line, everyone afraid to be dragged away to be never seen again. Which meant CC-1010 could take care of his secondary assignment. Find and eliminate any traitors that had managed to avoid detection so far. As he had feared some of the more incompetent battalions had let their targets escape. They had been harshly punished for it, but now it was on CC-1010 to clean up their mess.

He was halfway through his patrol when he passed a deteriorating building and stopped in his tracks. He knew what he would find inside, what was hidden in the shadow.

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Making his way inside he was careful where he stepped as one wrong move could make the stairs collapse. Intentionally set up this way to keep outsiders away. He stopped in front of a door which looked just like every other in this building. Rusted, broken and looking like it would fall off its hinges completely if you pushed against it. Placing his palm in the middle of it he waited before tapping them in a specific rhythm. There was just a whooshing sound as the wall beside the door slid away revealing the secret passage leading into the space between two modified apartments.

Even if someone were to break into the apartment to the left or to the right they would never be able to tell there was a reinforced structure hidden between. Nor would they notice the abandoned apartments were deliberately made smaller to make space for this hideout.

Inside, a dim light illuminated his prisoners, huddled together on the floor and looking up at him fearfully. The younger ones started crying the moment they spotted his armor, the grown-ups tried their best to shield them, even with the force cuffs keeping them locked to the ground. Tamper-proof, obviously. Coded to Fox’s DNA, and therefore his brothers’ as well. But the Jedi wouldn’t dare to seek them out, as his brothers would shoot them on sight. 

All together, there were nine prisoners, sitting together on the mattresses on the ground. One baby, four kids, one teenager, one adult-Padawan and two masters. One of them, the one who fell from the senate, was in rough condition. 

“Fox,” one of the Jedi spoke up. Grown up and healthy, the biggest threat. He had been singled out and was put at a  distance to the group, in extra restraints. “Please Fox. I don’t know what is going on, but this is not you. We are not traitors and you know it!”

CC-1010 looked at the Kiffar, studied him, his face, the pleading look in his eyes, the tear tracks on his cheek.

“Don’t you get tired of mentioning Fox? He will not be able to save you. It is only a matter of time until a Jedi sympathizer like him is captured.” Stunned silence as the Jedi’s face fell even further. “God Fox,” it sounded so painful, and desperate as the man broke into heavy sobs. CC-1010 approved, if the man’s will was broken there would be no attempt to escape.

Settling beside the injured man, CC-1010 changed the bandages, checked on the broken ribs and gave him an injection to fight off the infection that had set in after losing his hand. CC-1010 was no medic, but he had enough knowledge to see how bad of a shape the man was in. But he would not die, CC-1010 would not allow it. No prisoner could escape him, not even by death. 

“Why are you doing this to us? What do you want?” The grown Padawan was furious, pulling on the restraints keeping him limited to his own mattress as he showed his impressive feline teeth and claws. CC-1010 didn’t react. It was not as if the Padawan could do anything besides threatening him. 

“The children, they can’t stay here. Please set them free.” As Fox stepped close to the teen, a Besalisk, and the children that were placed close to him, the boy shrank into himself. One day he would grow strong like the rest of his species, but for now he was weak, fear showing in his eyes as he looked at Fox’s expressionless helmet. “I mean-I…they are-the cuffs…children and-”

His words became incomprehensibly in the panic. This set the children off, who in turn started crying miserable as well. 

“Peace, Padawan. Calm yourself, don’t let the emotions get the better of you.” The voice sounded strained. CC-1010 was surprised the man had woken at all with his injuries. 

“But Master Windu,” the young teenager protested. “How can you just accept this?!”

“No, he is right,” the sniffled voice of Shadow Quinlan Vos rang out. “The situation is distressing, but far from the worst that could happen. Think about it. We were named traitors, everyone is against us. There must be bounties on our capture or death. Every clone is looking for us.” It was impressive how much information he had gathered despite him being knocked out when the Jedi were named traitors and then spending all his time in here. 

CC-1010 needed to take even more precaution when handling him in the future, to make sure no more information from the outside managed to make it to him. Plus increasing his failsafes  to stop any escape attempts. Not that he seemed to want to get out right now.

“Me alone, I could properly stay hidden in the lower levels until I eventually make my way off the planet. But such a big group, including children and injured? Our time would be measured in days at most. No, in the current situation, right here is the safest place for us to be.”

Which was true, but his fellow prisoners didn’t share his opinion. “What are you talking about? Safe? We are held against our will, with all our abilities to defend ourselves taken away!” The feline Padawan hissed out. Emotional, didn’t have himself in check. CC-1010 could use this in the future.

“Don’t you know who this is?! This is Marshal Commander Fox, leader of the Coruscant Guard!”

Ah, so Vos thought he was this Fox guy. Although he was the leader of the Guard he was CC-1010, not Fox. But seeing as Vos had an emotional connection with ‘Fox’ it would be helpful to not correct him and use it to manipulate him. If he got the strongest one under his thumb, the rest would be easy to keep in check.

“He knows the planet better than anyone else! And seeing as he doesn’t want any of our countless enemies to find us, I can swear they will not. Not as long as he is still breathing.” Was that pride CC-1010 detected? Flattering. Not that it would do the traitor any good.

“We have rations, water, and medical supplies. But tell me, if we left, are you sure you could provide the same for the children?” That shut the others right up, as they came all to the same conclusion. They couldn’t. CC-1010 was their jailer, but also the only reason they were able to keep living.

Satisfied they wouldn’t try anything, CC-1010 handed out the rations and water Vos had mentioned and returned to his duty before someone noticed his absence. Not that they ever would, he was way too good to make an amateur mistake. On his way to base, he liberated some more medicine. All for the good of the Empire.

He was just following orders, after all.

~*~

CC-1010 had really hoped the traitors were smart enough to just accept their situation and not make things harder than they had to be. But only a few days after Vos’ explanation, they started getting restless. CC-1010 didn’t like it as it meant a higher chance of an escape attempt. 

He also didn’t like how they had started to question him whenever he dropped by, which was daily since Windu’s condition didn't improve. 

“You can’t keep holding us here forever! Sooner or later someone will find us.”

Had they already forgotten Vos’ words? No one was going to find them here, be it traitor or brother. CC-1010 had created this place years ago when he first noticed how bad the conditions on Coruscant were. Had taken months to make sure the paperwork was right, everyone wanting to purchase or tear down the building stuck in a never ending circle of bureaucracy. All modifications in the building were made by him, and the materials were collected individually from different sellers under false names. 

Not that he would tell them any of that.

“What if you are held up somewhere? We will starve” A valid and rational concern. The teenager was becoming CC-1010’s favorite, meaning CC-1010 was more likely to not stare menacingly at him for being nosy.

Not that he really had to worry. It was the first thing he had ensured would be taken care of. He had a certain amount of freedom right now, but under the wimps of the Senators that could always change. So he had stored a lot of non-perishable food that could be dropped from a hidden mechanism in the ceiling. He could either activate it via his comm (encrypted and signal bouncing around the planet multiple times to conceal origin and target). Or in case of him being unable to send said signal and no visitors there would be automatic drops after two days.

There were also medical supplies, instructions on how to use them, and command CC-1010 could trigger which would loosen the chains and let someone else take care of the injured in his absence. Not that he expected for something like this to happen, but one could never be prepared enough.

“Mace really needs help, he can’t survive like this. Please, bring him to a hospital.” As if CC-1010 had not already acquired a medical droid to take care of the man, which he would bring by once he had installed all security measures. Couldn’t have the droid send data to the outside or aid the traitors in an escape. No, he would be capable of treating the injured and that was it. And if that was not enough? He already had eyes on a bacta tank he could liberate with ease with no one being the wiser. 

Concern after concern was smashed down and slowly the Jedi started to accept their situation.There was truly nothing they could do, and no escape. CC-1010 was just that good when holding someone prisoner.

But they also realized that CC-1010 action were not out of malice, because he planned to torture them or use them as a bargain chip. No, he was content with keeping them here in the apartment, safe and healthy. It surprised them, CC-1010 could tell.

But it was so simple, so easy to understand. Good soldiers follow orders! And CC-1010 has always been the best. And if his orders were to imprison the Jedi, he would do the job right.

“And who gave you that order?” Vos asked, leaning back on his beanbag, an upgrade from the mattress. The best solution, as the meddroid had complained about the health disadvantages of them being on mattresses all day. It could not be used as a weapon and the stuffing would dissolve upon contact with air, so no one could choke on it.

“Emperor Palpatine,” CC.1010 puffed out his chest at the words, proud he was able to serve a man like the Emperor. 

“Emperor,” Vos whistled, impressed. “A high jump from Chancellor to an Emperor, isn’t it?” 

Seeing as CC-1010 would not answer him, Vos just continued the conversation. He seemed to find joy in it. Talking towards CC-1010. “Still, it is quite impressive. He must like you a lot, since you are the only one given different orders from everyone else.”

That made CC-1010 frown. He was quite valued, yes. But despite that, he was still a clone and no matter how good he was in his service, he was replaceable. Which was why he had so many countermeasures in place in case he had to leave to save his own life. 

“I mean, everyone else was quite content to just shoot and kill us, but not you. No, you brought us somewhere safe. Protected us. Act differently from the rest of them. Although you have always been special, different, not afraid to break the rules if it suits you.”

Vos' eyes were intense as they stared at him, and CC-1010 suddenly felt uncomfortable, a bad taste in his mouth. No, that was not true. He was a good soldier. He was following orders. The man was lying. He turned and stormed out of the apartment before Vos could needle him further. 

It was just the traitor lying to get a rise out of him, that's all, nothing more. CC-1010 was perfect, created to serve the Empire. He would not falter.

~*~

CC-1010 looked down at the datapad in his hands, a brother, one of the few still on the planet, had handed to him. It made CC-1010 uneasy to see more and more of them vanish and be replaced by natborns. The clones were not perfect, and CC-1010 had to clean up their messes more than once, but they were trained, bred for this. They had qualifications and skills. The new soldiers meant to protect the heart of the Empire and be a shining example of its strength had none of that. CC-1010 more than once had watched their training, and every shiny fresh Kamino would have done a better job hitting the target.

But it had been okay, because CC-1010 had still been here, no matter how incompetent the soldiers he would have made it work. Would have.

The words of the transfer orders stared at him from the pad in his hand, shattering everything he thought he knew. He had believed he still had some value. That his good performance, and high skill, would keep him a place in the capital, protecting the Emperor. That people saw his worth. But now he was to be transferred to a Star Destroyer, like everyone else? And he wouldn't even be in charge, just a simple cog in the machine. 

This was ridiculous. He was the Marshal Commander of the Guard, even if said Guard was shrinking with every passing day. He knew Coruscant, had spent all of the war protecting it. But they transferred him to a ship, not even a planet side outpost? When he had not stepped on a ship ever since he had been transferred to Coruscant?

It was a slap in the face. A trampling of all he had done, all he had sacrificed for the Empire. A well known resentment crawled up his throat. A feeling intertwined so deeply with the Senate, a mere look at the building brought it back. He hated them, their attitude, them thinking they knew everything better, their stupi-

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Him being ordered off the planet was for the good of the empire. That was all that mattered. In a week, there would be not a single clone left on the planet. Checking the rest of the paperwork, he made a note that he would be separated from the rest of the Corries, all of them spread out through the galaxy. He would have to give them orders to be on their best behavior then, to not bring any shame to the Guard.

But what about the prisoners, a voice in the back of his head questioned. And that made him freeze. Yes, what about the prisoners? He couldn't just leave them here. He had made preparations to sustain them in his absence, but what if his orders never allowed him to return to this planet? 

And despite him just following orders, he somehow didn't feel comfortable sharing their existence with someone else, not even the Emperor. No, he had to find a solution without getting someone else involved.

The big question was what.

He could possibly smuggle them on board the Star Destroyer. It would take a lot of planning, and was very risky, especially with the limited timeframe he had before the ship arrived. And even if everything went smoothly, and he managed, then what? A Star Destroyer was big, yes, but filled with soldiers it was way more densely populated with people than Coruscant, and didn't have abandoned and unused spaces to hide someone. It was just not practical for such a vessel.

Keeping them on a ship was not a long term solution, and even for a short period it was risky. But he was out of options and until he came up with a better solution he had to keep them close. 

There was a thought nibbling in the back of his head. Grains under a bright sun, the cool inside a building, fresh water on his throat. But before he could grasp it, it was gone, hidden so deep inside his mind no one, not even he himself, could find it. 

Preparations for the move of the prisoners were hectic as he forged documents, studied the vessel plans to find a good location where they wouldn’t be found. Better if it was somewhere noisy so no one could hear them. But given that it was a ship full of imperial soldiers he doubted they would want to draw attention to themselves. Windu was mostly healed, Fox would take the medical droid, but the man didn’t need constant medical attention anymore. 

It was deep into the night cycle when he made his way to the prisoners. They were fast asleep - the sleeping gas he had deployed had made sure of that. He gagged them, just in case they woke up screaming (a real concern with all the war trauma and losing nearly their entire cult). Then he packed them in crates and placed them in different storage units that would be loaded on the Star Destroyer. He had put trackers on them so he would be able to find them the moment he was on the ship, and transport them to their hiding place. 

He had found a hollow space behind the wall in the machine room. Not the most comfortable place,especially for the adults, but the safest. Not worse than Fox, who had to share his ‘quarters’ with every other clone on the ship, as they were just all thrown into a single big room. 

When he walked through the Guard barracks one last time the next morning, it felt final. Like saying goodbye. 

His heart beat faster as he made his way to the hanger to meet up with other clones that had been on Coruscant. No Guard, they all had left already, scattered through the galaxy. He was surrounded by brothers, but all of them were his enemy. They were a danger for his mission. And the mission always came first. Looking at an especially young shiny that was lagging behind, too weak, CC-1010 knew that he would kill him without a second thought if the prisoners were in danger. 

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Luckily for everyone else, his plan went off without a hitch and no one had to die. Once the last prisoner was stored, Windu because CC-1010 had to be careful when moving him, Vos woke up. 

“Fox?” His voice was slurred, the last dregs of sleeping gas still in his system. Still, CC-1010 had to hand it to him, his tolerance was incredible. He had not expected anyone to wake up for the rest of the day. “What’s going on? Where are we?”

“Star Destroyer. I was transferred. It is in your own interest not to be discovered, or you will be killed.” CC-1010 was clipped but found himself more willing to hand over information than before. It helped that Vos had always been the most cooperative of the prisoners.

“You took us with you?”

“Everyone else on Coruscant would have killed you.” It was the truth. 

“Ahh, Foxy, you care about us.”

CC-1010 shook his head vehemently. No, all he cared for was fulfilling his orders. Nothing more. Handing over some extra ration, water and blankets, he closed the wall panel, screwing it back into place before leaving to return to active duty before someone noticed he was missing. 

He wore his plain new armor, so it was not as if anyone could recognize him. Natborns had only been able to distinguish them by color and markings on their armor. With it gone CC-1010 could easily throw someone else under the speeder if he had to. 

His duty was boring, mostly standing at parade rest and being belittled by the natborn officers for being useless, stupid and so on. Nothing different from Coruscant. Only now he was sent to work manual labor like every other clone on the ship. Fox didn’t mind the exercise. Plus repairing machines or carrying heavy boxes gave just the right amount of chaos, he was able to sneak away and check in on his prisoners.

They were uncomfortable, clearly. But they didn’t complain, not even the children. No, they knew that it was just the wall panel that separated them from death. And CC-1010 was their only access to food and water. 

Still, CC-1010 mind races to come up with a better solution. 

Until one night it found him in his dreams. Literally. He had gone to bed early, having already taken care of the prisoners during the day, and went to the big room everyone shared. He was still one of the last inside - there were not enough cots and if you were too late you had to sleep on the floor. Well, everyone except CC-1010. Others had tried to enforce the rule on him when he had been late the first night. Now his cot was always empty no matter the time.

Although, how things were going, it was only a matter of time until everyone had their place to sleep. Since they started their journey, the number of clones were steadily dwindling. Some were killed in action, expected if your superiors thought you were nothing but flesh droids, some just vanished, deserted or being disposed of by natborns. And some were transferred to places that still saw more active battle and needed meat shields.

But back to the dream he was having. It started again with grains, like the memory he had, but unlike last time it didn’t suddenly cut off, but was so much clearer than before.

He was standing in a field of golden grains, a slight breeze moving the stems as he could feel the warm sun on his bare arms and face. Looking up, he had to squeeze his eyes into slits to not be blinded. Above him the sky was covered by a slight blue glow, a barrier, protecting the surrounding land.  It let sun and the occasional rain in, but from the outside it and everything underneath would just look like the dense forest which surrounded this base. Plus, like the shields of a starship, it could take quite a few hits before it would break.

Looking at the other fields, the vegetables and fruits needed for a good diet, he felt a pleasant ache in his arms, a slight crank in his back. Did he plant these? He couldn’t remember ever doing farming, not even watering the single plant in the Guard barracks. But still he was sure he had done this, had built up the crops from scratch.

It didn’t make any sense.

Seeping away from the fields, he came to the main building. An impressive block of concrete and steel. Big, bigger than the Guard barracks. On top, he could see cannons, just in case the shield's cloaking failed, and they were discovered. Hydrofluid had strained his arms and he had cut himself on sharp edges repairing the broken weapons stolen from the scrapyard. Part of the shield generator was visible as well, marking this the very center of the dome. Fox was sure there were just as many fields on the other side of the building. Enough to feed an army. Enough to feed his battalion if it became necessary. 

Especially since he was sure what he could see to his left was a barn for animals.

The main entrance to the building was protected with the same care as the apartment on Coruscant had been. Only way more reinforced against potential attacks.

Stepping inside, he was hit by cold air, pleasantly shivering as it hit his heated skin. His feet carried him through the building on autopilot, passing by the mess hall, kitchen, training rooms and communal showers. Behind another blast door, strongly encoded, laid what made the base so special. The generators, the water purifiers, the indoor gardens where bacta plants and other medical plants grew. The chemical lab to process the plants. The shaft leading underground to a mine full of ores and minerals.

A fully self-sufficient base, on an uninhabited planet with a forest so dense no one would ever try. A safe haven for anyone that needed to disappear and never be found again.

Leaving the high security space, he walked to the living quarters, past group rooms, and private freshers till he reached a door. Pushing it open, the room behind seemed familiar. Looking at the door again, he suddenly saw his name, written on it with red paint and in his own neat hand-writing. Turning around to the door across the hall, he choked as he saw Thorn written there.

Suddenly everything came back. The fear and despair that had made him create the secure apartment, the feeling it wouldn’t be good enough. It couldn’t hold all the brothers he cared about. Him trying to come up with a way to protect everyone and knowing it wouldn’t be possible on Coruscant. That he would only lose people if he stayed. He made a plan, collected materials and did research which planets would be suitable for his needs.

That had been the easy part. Getting off the planet to check out different options and then ultimately building the thing had been a logistical nightmare. As Commander, people would take note if he disappeared. And you could only fake a medical emergency which kept you in the medbay for days so often, and then only after an incident which would explain the injury.

And he knew once he started building it would take quite some time until he was done. But he didn’t give up. Acquired a small ship for scouting and a bug transporter for materials. He repaired and built as many things as he could on Coruscant and got them ready for transportation. 

And then when reports of a clone from Jedi Master Krell’s battalion being sent for decommissioning crossed his desk he acted. Taking the brother and replacing him with a body from a guard member, who was marching on had been tricky, but no one was any wiser about the other’s surviving. 

He owned Fox for saving his life and he paid him back by taking Fox’s place until the base was built. Then he vanished, wanting a life away from the war.

But even then Fox hadn’t felt safe. Not with how everything he cared about was ripped away, how secrets were torn from him, how blackouts started spreading through the Guard. He did the only thing he could think of. Forget it. Rip the base from his own brain, hiding it from everyone until the time was right.

~*~

Fox woke with a shocked gasp, cold sweat covering his body as memories floated to him like he had never forgotten them. Memories like the planet’s coordinates and how to navigate a ship there. 

And why he had built it in the first place. For his brothers, the people he loved. Thorn, Stone, Thire, and the rest of the Corries. Where were they? How could Fox let someone take them from him?! How could he not have fought it?! And why had he not felt anything, seeing his brothers gone?

He had to go, find them, and bring them somewhere safe. He should ask Quin for help. Oh god, he had shot Quin. Just to stun but still. He had imprisoned them! They would never forgive him for it. Fox had to free them right now.

Blinding pain shot through his skull, drowning out everything else as he screamed in pain, twisting on his thin mattress trying to find relief that was not coming. The surrounding voices grew loud and panicked. He felt hands on him and screamed even louder in blind panic. There was the sensation of a needle in his neck, and everything faded to black.

~*~

Waking up was instant. One moment there was nothing, and then he was wide awake sitting on a medical cot. Looking around, he saw a natborn medic standing before him, looking at him in disgust.

“Report,” he barked out.

“CC-1010 at your service and waiting for orders!” CC-1010 got up and saluted.

“Seems like you are back in working condition for now. Return to duty, meatdroid.”

“Yes sir.” Walking out of medical CC-1010 checked his current duty roaster, seeing he was deployed close by for moving supplies. Perfect for stealing some food and water to bring to his prisoners. An hour in, he slipped away and made his way to the machine room. Unscrewing the wall panel, he came face to face with Vos ready to fight him with a sharp piece of metal in his bloody hands.

And here he was hoping there would not be an incident until he got the prisoners to the new holding facility. Jumping back, CC-1010’s drew his blaster and switched it to stun, ready to stop the uprising right now.

Only Vos didn't attack. He only looked at CC-1010 with wide eyes.

"Fox?"

"It's CC-1010, traitor."

CC-1010 snapped out, not in the mood to play the man's game after the rough night he had.

And then Vos started sobbing, the makeshift weapon dropping from his fingers. Hushed voices, the others asking if it was really him. More crying when the grown Padawan squeezed past Vos and confirmed.

"It is you. You are alive. We thought you were- I th-" Vos couldn't finish the sentence. What? CC-1010 had last seen them yesterday, maybe what, 25 hours ago? And with their hiding spot, there was no way they had heard of CC1010 collapsing.

"God to know you can't live 24 hours without my enlightening presence," sarcasm dripped from his voice before he froze, wondering where these words had come from. That was not a way to speak to one's prisoners. Too unprofessional.

"Fox?" Confusion. "You were gone for 3 days."

What? No, that was not it, he was not gone for that long. He could not have left his prisoners trapped there, not knowing if they would ever get out again. "We saw each other yesterday!" He instantly took a deep breath. Screaming was not professional.

"No, you were gone for three days, asshole. What were you even doing leaving us like this." The Padawan was angry, showing off his sharp teeth as he hissed. 

"No! I was here yesterday. I was in the medbay for a few hours, that's all."

"Commander Fox. I think your medical stay was far longer than they told you." Windu sounded so calm, so reasonable, when the situation was everything but. No, it couldn't be. He shook his head, handed over the supplies before closing the wall panel again under protests. But he just had to get some space, think things over.

But the more he checked, the more he was confronted with the reality that he had been gone for days without any memories. Which meant his prisoners were in danger. What if it was longer next time? They would starve. No, CC-1010 had to get them off the ship as fast as possible.

He didn't speak to the traitors the next time he visited them, no matter how much Vos tried to draw him into a conversation. He couldn't let them confuse him, as he needed full concentration for the task ahead.

CC-1010 was careful as he created false leads hinting at the presence of a Jedi on a planet close by. Subtle, so it wouldn’t look like a trap. Plus, it was set just right that only a small strike team would be sent there. It was far from the first mission CC-1010 had smuggled himself on. Just make a comment here, annoy a superior officer there, and bam he was set as cannon fodder on the mission. No one the wiser that his apparent death sentence was exactly what he had aimed for.

“You will be transferred to a more suitable holding.” He informed his prisoners, leaving no room for arguments.

“And how do you plan to do that, asshole? It is not as if we can just walk out there.” Really, were all felines like this, or just this one? And how did he even manage to make it as a Padawan, weren’t Jedi supposed to be all serene and calm?

“Same way of transportation as the one getting you here. But it will be easier if I don't have to carry you to crates. So be quiet, behave, follow orders and don't get spotted. If anyone can't follow that, I can always stun them and do it the previous way.”

They winced. Being stunned was not pleasant in any way, and they agreed to behave. It made getting them on the transport ship much easier and no one was any the wiser when they shipped out. Or at least not until they were far away from the ship and Fox had manipulated the computer to only register and broadcast their planned route so no one on the Destroyer would know the detour he planned.

Not once there were no longer any witnesses to speak of it. All the brave soldiers were killed mercilessly by a rough Jedi. CC-1010 the only soldier left alive, ordered to return and report. 

Eight natborns were on the ship with him. All he could think of was relief, knowing he would not have to kill a brother. It didn’t make sense. They were just clones, soldiers of the empire. If they lived or died shouldn’t matter. If CC-1010 was the last of his kind, it shouldn’t matter, as long as he succeeds in his mission. But he couldn’t help his stomach twisting when he thought about killing a brother. 

“Hey meatdroid I’m talking to you. Can’t believe we have to bring something so useless as you along. And you are not even a pretty one. The young ones, them I wouldn’t mind, to have here for some ext-”

Bam!

The shot rang out and shock painted the man’s face before he slumped over. Cries rang out as people tried to react to the unexpected ambush. 

There was nothing they could do faced with CC-1010 dual blasters. They were just no match to his training and he downed one after the other until it was just him left. Him and his prisoners. 

Upon arrival at the planet, he transported the boxes with the Jedi still inside into the base and closed the door before letting them out. They looked around the space in wonder, clearly impressed. 

“Wow, what kind of place is this? A Separatist base? A Republic facility?”

CC-1010 just shook his head at that. “This has nothing to do with any government.” 

There was no reason to lie. They would soon find out what kind of place this had been supposed to be when they poked around.

“It is self-sufficient, so you will survive on your own. Don’t try to escape. There is nothing on this planet beside certain death if you leave the security of the base. There is no other intelligent life form and all trade routes are so far off there is no one that will even come here by accident.”

“A perfect prison,” Windu said darkly. 

“A safe heaven hidden from the rest of the galaxy.” Another sting in his chest he didn’t understand. Whatever happened in medical had clearly not worked to fix him. Once he returned, he should seek out medical assistance once more.

“Fox, did you build this base?” His silence was enough for Vos. “For whom? Who were you so desperate to protect?”

CC-1010 shook his head. It didn’t matter. The facility was going to serve a better purpose now as a prison. With nothing else to say, he returned to the ship that brought them here, the Jedi trailing after him. But the moment they stepped outside, they froze. 

“Oh my. This is beautiful.” CC-1010 looked over the fields and didn’t see anything beside the food they would provide. But perhaps to the Jedi, nature in itself was a beauty.

“Fox, stay, please. You don’t need to return to an Empire that doesn’t care for you. That only sees you as a replaceable tool.”

How ridiculous this offer was. 

“Good soldiers follow orders.”

He didn’t say goodbye as he left the prisoners. But once he had returned to the main vessel and had gone through interrogation about what happened and being beaten for failure, he felt lost. He had fulfilled the order for now. There was nothing else to do, no task, just the labor assigned to him by the higher ups. It made him restless. His fellow troopers, only 25 left, were content following orders. But CC-1010 had been created to be better than the rest, and the lack of mental stimuli started taking his toll on him. His sleep became restless, he lost his appetite and he became twitchy.

It would warrant a trip to medical for sure, but something in him stopped him from going. The memories of losing time, how he felt like he lost something after. No, he couldn't go to medical. He had to figure things out on his own.

So he was pleasantly surprised when he was placed in a natborn squat and sent on missions. More as a cook, punching bag and ship cleaner than a soldier, but it was different. Especially since he saw the outside world again.

But it also meant it was only a question of time until he found another Jedi. It was obvious what she was from the way she acted, the aura she had, and the choices she made. She was a traitor and needed to be dealt with. His squad was just too stupid to realize what she was, their eyes wandering past her. No, it was CC-1010 who would have to fulfill the order and take care of this. 

All bets were off when she noticed him going in for the catch and flipped away, breaking out into a sprint. CC-1010 was right behind her, leaving his squad in the dust, chasing her all over the city. He tried to stun her, but his shots went wide as she used the Force. In the end, he just tackled her to the ground and used a hypno he had snatched from the ship's medical supplies. 

He knew he couldn’t kill his squad again, as it would bring too much attention to him. But they were lagging so far behind they had no idea he had caught the Jedi. It would be easy enough to convince them she had escaped. Who would expect a useless clone to manage to beat a Jedi after all? Getting her to the base without leaving behind a ship, escape pod, or something else the prisoners could use to escape or call for help, was the difficult part. 

The best course of action was to steal a ship and take her himself. He could return to the Star Destroyer after. He doubted his squad would search for him, thinking he must have been killed. Everyone would believe he had chased the Jedi and had been left behind by his squad and taking time to make his own way back. Hah, being underestimated was such a good tool. 

This also gave him a chance to stock up on more supplies. The base was self-sufficient, but there were some things like clothing that was only stocked in his size, and creating more clothes from the plants would take a lot of time. 

He stored the Jedi in a hotel room and wandered the market to buy necessities . The money he had liberated from the Empire, as the Jedi were the Emperor's prisoners. So they could also pay for their clothes and tableware. Passing by a stall, his eyes caught at the vibrant colors. There were dolls. Hand-made out of fabric. There was no need for them. They were prisoners. A doll was not necessary for survival. 

But they were children.

Pain shot through his head. Accompanied by an image. A dark room, whispered voices, holding a smaller brother close as he shook with tears. His own fingers stinging and sensitive, holding a soft lump, he presented it to the crying figure, who pulled it to his chest.

The image was gone in an instant, and CC-1010 shook his head. Not relevant for the mission. Still, he left with 6 of the surprisingly cheap dolls. He reasoned if the children were kept happy, they would be less likely to cause trouble.

With the ship fully stocked and the Jedi in Force cuffs and secured, he started the journey. They were much farther away from the planet than last time, and CC-1010 changed routes multiple times to throw off any pursuers. Still they made it.

The moment he dropped through the shield and could finally see the base, the Jedi had already gathered. He was glad that all his prisoners were still alive and had not killed themselves by accident. Another pleasant surprise was that it still looked like everyone was wearing the Force cuffs. He had modified them so no one could take them off, but he had still feared they would try and maybe even succeed now that they had access to tools. CC-1010 had no other choice than to give them some. He had after all not planned to return until further orders were given. And there was always the chance something needed to be repaired or taken care of. Which was why he had also added the adults into the security system to have access to the important facilities. He was not so far gone he would let children anywhere near valuable machinery.

Picking up the female Jedi, still asleep thanks to a recently administered hypo, he made his way off the ship, making sure the ramp was closed and secured behind him. He couldn’t risk a Jedi sneaking on the ship. 

Once the Jedi saw what or rather who he was carrying, they stormed towards him, only being stopped by a weapon pointed at their face.

“Madame Nu,” they cried out. Nu, another name. CC-1010 did not know the name of most of his prisoners. They were traitors, not people. They didn’t deserve names. Still, he would remember the names if he overheard them.

“Fox, can I come closer and take her?” Vos asked and CC-1010 nodded, watching him and the rest ready to stun anyone if he had to. But Vos just took her from his arms and cradled her close, tears running down his face.

“Thank you, Fox. Thank you so much for saving her.”

“She is a traitor. She had to be detained. Good soldiers follow orders.” Vos looked pained at the words, but tried to smile through them. “Still thank you so much. We could not have asked for a better warden than you.” Obviously, CC-1010 was the best at his job.

Leaving them to swarm Vos and Nu he started carrying the supplies off the ship, pointing his weapon at everyone trying to follow him to offer ‘help’. How stupid did they think he was? They were happy about the clothes, soap and shampoo, hygiene products and diapers. Then he dropped the dolls on a crate. The children instantly peaked up at that and crowded closer, laughing in joy as they picked a toy and held it to their chest. The headache he had ever since he was at the market settled seeing that. 

The teen watched the children with a smile on his face and once every child had a toy he froze, seeing as there was still one left. He clearly wanted it, CC-1010’s hunch had been right. But he didn’t go and take it. Confusing. If he wanted it, he should just take it. Windu laid his arm around the boy's shoulder, walking closer with him until the boy finally grabbed the doll, only to break out into tears. How curious.

“Excuse me Fox. Will you take off the force cuffs? There is clearly no way off the planet, so even without it, there is no danger of us escaping.” 

CC-1010 laughed, it wasn’t a pretty one. Too sarcastic to be genuine. 

“So you can drag my ship down or mess with my mind? Forget about it, traitor. Cuffs stay on.” Vos sighed but accepted the answer, still looking sadly at CC-1010.

That should have been the last of it. All surviving Jedi were in hiding. The possibility of him finding anyone else was slim to none. There was no reason for him to ever return to the secret base. Only apparently he had a knack for finding Force-sensitive beings.

Only weeks later, he stumbled over two children.

Well not him, a Stormtrooper who informed their superior in CC-1010 earshot, eagerly waiting to be praised. Which he was until CC-1010 shot them both, laying the stage and placing evidence hinting the younger one had killed his superior over a denied promotion and then killed himself when he realized what he had done. Which means no one knew CC-1010 or the children were even there. And with the mess the incident caused, no one noticed his trip to base dropping off the children. 

Again, the Jedi try to convince him to stay with them. As if it would ever desert from the Empire. They were the ones giving the orders, not the Jedi.

Still, something ached in his chest as they begged him with sad eyes to think it over and come to them when things turned sour.

Chapter Text

His decision to return to the Empire was something he questioned as the decision was made to completely retire all remaining clones and replace them with natborn soldiers. The problem was that retirement was not the peaceful settling down many brothers had imagined in their youth, but instead meant being sent to labor camps until they dropped dead. And most didn’t even complain because orders were orders.

But it rubbed CC-1010 the wrong way. He was a good soldier, he followed orders. But dying such a meaningless death? That felt off somehow. He had tried to see if anyone felt similar, but his fellow clones all had looked at him strangely. Some even reported him for questionable behavior, and CC-1010 spent a few days in the medbay — not that he remembered them. But once he got out the feeling of wrongness was gone, he was just pleasantly numb, feeling content and awaiting the chance to go and serve the Empire in any way possible. 

The delay also meant that it was just him and another clone left on the destroyer, everyone else had left already. The young one had a lost look on his face, flinched at loud voices, and whenever he heard the word order he would tremble. Seems like there had been nothing medical could do to fix him. The way he was, he would not last long at their destination, a mine on an ice planet, mining kyber crystals for fuel.

The shiny cried while their superior relayed the orders to them. But despite the cold treatment CC-1010 gave him, he stuck close to CC-1010. Rolling his eyes, CC-1010 pulled his arm out of the other's grip, as that act was a break in regulations. He marched off to the clone quarters to pack his gear for the assignment, the shiny followed him like a shadow, sticking as close as possible without touching.

Walking down the blank hallways, they crossed a group of stormtroopers transporting a prisoner. Even slumped down and looking more dead than alive, CC-1010 recognized who that was. 

Jedi Master Plo Koon, member of the Council, and Wolffe’s Jedi.

CC-1010 had his orders: pack his things and report to the hangar to be transported to his new posting. 

But his fingers twitched, and he couldn’t pull his eyes away as the Jedi was dragged past them. Good soldiers follow orders. All Jedi are traitors and need to be dealt with. Not a single one was allowed to escape him, as they all needed to be detained for the good of the Empire.

“Hey, what are you looking at?!” One of the stormtroopers screamed, taking a step towards CC-1010 and the shiny, who flinched.

“Easy man. They are defective or something. Got their brain fried. Just let them be and in a few hours they will be gone, dying in a mine like the rest of them.”

The trooper huffed but returned to his task and dragged Koon away. And the moment the Jedi was out of his view, it clicked. CC-1010 could not go to the mine! Not if there was still a traitor. But he was here already detained on the ship, there was no need to capture him. He should leave everything else to his superiors.

No, that was stupid. His superiors were stupid, incompetent fools with brains the size of a grape. If CC-1010 left the Jedi here, he would be killed by accident before he could fulfill the higher plan the Emperor had for him. No, if CC-1010 wanted things to be done right, he had to do it himself. 

He walked to the clone quarters with long, determined strides, the shiny jogging after him. Packing all his gear for his new assignment as he planned how to get the Jedi and bring him to the base.

It would be difficult, as an escaped Jedi would draw attention. CC-1010 would have to disable the weapon system and tractor beam to make sure they got away. Plus, the ship he needed to take must be able to outmaneuver everything thrown at them.

And what if they catch another Jedi after you are gone , a voice asked in the back of his mind. That was not CC-1010’s problem. They will kill them. You will fail your mission. You will be unable to follow orders.

Crack!

The comm crumpled in his hand with how powerful CC-1010’s grip was. The shiny whimpered, looking at him with wide scared eyes, but still stuck close. 

No, he truly could not leave them here to carry on making mistakes like this. They had to be dealt with. Luckily for CC-1010, no matter how hard it was to destroy a Star Destroyer from the outside, once you were inside it was a completely different matter.

He walked to the door, a gasp behind him.

“Where are we going? The general told us to wait here until we are escorted to the transporter.” CC-1010 ignored him as he strode through the ship, no one questioning him in his imperial armor and with his helm on. 

It was funny how easy it was to build a bomb if you had access to mechanical facilities. Even easier to couple it with a com he had swiped from an officer he passed on the way, so it could be activated from a distance. But when he made his way to the ship’s reactor, the shiny finally broke.

“What are you doing?! You are going to blow us all-”

CC-1010 slammed him against the wall, driving the air from his lungs. His blaster was pressed against the kid’s neck. He should shoot, eliminating the danger to the mission. The mission would be more likely to success without dragging him along. It was just a clone. He should shoot.

“I’m just following orders. If you so much as try to get in my way or report me, I will kill you without hesitation, understood?.”

The shiny nodded desperately and CC-1010 let him go after confiscating his weapons. He didn’t need any nasty surprises. He had expected the Shiny to run off, but the kid stuck even closer. This time, CC-1010 didn’t push him off when the Shiny held on to his belt. 

Placing the bomb was easy enough. Only two guards and three mechanics in the way, which he easily killed. Now for the hard part, stealing a Jedi. He knew the security would be tight, but he was still annoyed, seeing just how tight it was. Around 20 men were mingling in the corridor in front of the cell. And all for an unconscious prisoner. 

Turning, he looked at the shiny. “You wanna make it out of here alive? Then in 2 minutes run in there and inform them there has been an attack at sector B-4.”

The shiny nodded anxiously as CC-1010 slipped off to create a gas leak in that sector. Running back and hearing the explosion go off, he noted that it would make a great way to sell the story. And as expected, a bunch of soldiers passed by to take care of the attackers. 

Entering the corridor, he straightened up and made himself seem urgent but not stressed as he went to the handful of remaining guards.

“Halt, this area is off limits.”

“Grand Moff Tarkins sends me to move the prisoner. He suspects the attackers are here to free them.”

They looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. One activated his comm. CC-1010 didn’t hesitate to shoot him between the eyes. Chaos broke out as the fight erupted, but CC-1010 had underestimated them, as they were some of the few natborn fighters who had training. Good training. He found himself wrestled to the floor and pinned, no matter what he tried, a weapon pressed to his chest.

A shot rang out.

The man pinning him slumped and fell on CC-1010, who fought to get free. Looking up, he recognized the shiny standing there with a smoking blaster.

“Are you alright?”

CC-1010 just grunted as he finally freed himself and ran over to the cell and got the Jedi out, carrying him, not having to hear the hurried footsteps to know the shiny was following.

“What are we doing? Are we freeing the Jedi? But why? Your chip is still active.” CC-1010 ignored him as they ran to the hangar under fire. At some point, he put Koon in the shiny’s arm so he could shoot everyone in their way. And there it was, the transport ship meant to bring them to the ice planet. Fuelled up and ready for take off. 

“Hey, what are you doing-” he shot the mechanic, as he sprinted inside and got the vessel airborne and out of the hangar.

The communication unit came alive. “CLONE! What are you doing! Stop this foolishness at once and return to base, or you will be shot down.” CC-1010 just smiled, a feral grin, as he took out the stolen com and pressed a button.

The following explosion rattled their small craft, threw them around the cockpit and CC-1010 stumbled back to his feet with blood running down his face. Where the starship had been was just fire and destruction. Putting in the coordinates he started their first hyperspace jump.

Sitting back, he allowed himself to finally relax. He was a good soldier. He had followed his orders.

“Uhm, excuse me. Thank you for saving me. I know you didn’t have to bring me, so I’m very grateful. My name is Loper. What about you?”

“CC-1010.”

“No, not your number, your name! I know you must have one. All the older ones have one.”

No, a name was unnecessary to fulfill his mission. He was just CC-1010.

“That's my designation,” at the other’s disappointed frown he continued. “Some call me Fox.” 

…

“FOX! THE FOX?!”

“Don’t scream!”

“But Fox. You are the Fox. The Commander of the Guard. You are a legend, sir!”

Cc-1010 was pleased to know his meticulous work was acknowledged by others. “My batchmate could never stop talking about how amazing you were. How kind. How you did everything to protect them, always had time to listen. To him, you hung the stars in the sky.”

Pain. Smile, dimples. Excited chatter. 

“Chatterbox.”

Loper’s eyes shone. “You remember him! He will be so glad to hear that. Where is he? After the chips were activated, I lost contact with him.”

There it was again. Chips. This was the second time the trooper mentioned them. CC-1010 had no idea what he was talking about, and it irked him. “He was transferred when the guard was dissolved.”

Loper’s shoulders sank. “Oh, I had hoped I could find him again. I really miss him. But I guess it has to be the same for you. After all, your whole battalion is gone.” 

He just shook his head. “They are fulfilling their orders.”

“You know, I hate when people say that. Everyone isn’t like themselves anymore. But you are weird. You are not you, but you still are? Hard to explain. I mean, you talk like them, and act like them, but then you save a Jedi. And you take me with you when you don’t have to. I bet there is still some of the old Fox left.”

“They should have called you chatterbox,” he snapped as he got up to check on his prisoner, making sure the Force cuffs were on right. The Jedi was still knocked out on drugs and would hopefully continue to stay that way for the rest of their travel. Having to deal with one complication was enough.

Just to prove his point, when he was going through the Jedi’s clothes to make sure there was nothing hidden in it (yes he had so little faith in the Imperial soldiers) he heard a crash. Storming back to the small kitchen on the ship, he saw Loper on the floor surrounded by pots. 

“Sorry about that. I thought the least I could do was make some food. Didn’t want to cause trouble.”

Sighting at the fact he was now settled with the most useless trooper there was, CC-1010 sat at the small desk to supervise, before he was poisoned. Despite the annoyance, he just couldn’t get out his blaster and put the guy out of his misery. It was illogical, but he couldn’t do it.

Then Loper started humming softly under his breath. It was a melody CC-1010 recognized, that dragged at something deep inside him, made him choke up. He jumped up and stormed off into the cockpit, activating the door behind him and locked it as he curled up into the pilot chair, trying to get his breathing back under control as tears streamed down his face.

He didn’t understand why he was crying. It was just a melody. It didn’t mean anything. So why was he feeling like he couldn't breathe, and his chest was torn apart? Why couldn’t he stop thinking about a wide smile, a hearty laugh and blond hair? What was going on?

He should go to medical. He was clearly compromised and needed correction so he could fulfill his mission. But there was no longer an Imperial facility he could go back to, and he didn’t trust the Jedi on the base. He had a droid, but if he was put under, the Jedi could take advantage of him.

Loper knocked at the door and asked him if he was okay. He couldn’t answer. Looper brought him food. CC-1010 ignored it. Looper begged him to come out so the trooper knew he was okay. CC-1010 ignored him. He stayed holed into the cockpit until he brought the ship down and landed it. 

Before he left the cockpit he took out a knife and peeled off a panel taking out a vital compartment, which was needed, so the ship would start. But it was also so small and insignificant, no one would ever suspect it was vital to the ship. It was the best way to ensure no Jedi would escape, but CC-1010 would have a way off the planet in the future if it became needed.

Stepping out of the cockpit, he saw Loper next to Koon. Koon who was no longer in chains. He whirled on the trooper, snarling. “Where are his cuffs!”

“What? Oh, I took them off. Since we left the empire, I thought they were no longer necessary.”

“They are traitors. Monsters. They need to be contained!” Loper flinched in fear and dropped the cuffs as he scrambled back. CC.1010 didn’t lose any time to fasten them around Koon’s wrists again. Taking out a tool from his belt, he messed with it until it hissed, and the locking mechanism was fused together, making it impossible to take off without specific tools. Not as good as the ones the other prisoners had, not coded to Fox’s DNA, but he lacked time to make the necessary modifications they had. The one that shocked whoever tried to mess with them if they didn’t have Fox’s DNA. But right now the man was no problem, and CC-1010 could improve on the shackles with the material he had on base. Although he would have to make some improvements to lock Looper out. He was too soft hearted and an easy target to be manipulated by the traitors.

Loper was still curled into a corner when CC-1010 carried Koon outside.

“Fox, you are back.” It was one of the children smiling brightly at him. He didn’t understand, CC-1010 was their enemy. “And you brought Master Koon!” The child crowded closer, taking a better look at the unconscious Jedi Master. CC-1010 let it. A child of this size was not a threat. The other Jedi, alerted by the ship's arrival, gathered. Their clothes strained with earth. Confusing. It looked like they had done fieldwork. But the base was self-sufficient, meaning even if you didn’t do anything, food would be produced and stored. It didn’t make any sense why the Jedi should do the farming themselves. Although he guessed with nothing else to do it would be a decent way to keep away the boredom.

“Commander Fox. We are glad to see you well.” Windu smiled at him. What was it with all of them smiling today! Did they not understand that it was only because of Fox orders he let them live? If it was up to him, he would have killed them already for betraying the Empire.

“And you brought another friend. We are in your debt for saving another one of us.” They could show it by keeping the shackles on. But checking everyone over, it looked good. Seems they had yet to find a way to pry them off without getting a shock in the progress.

He saw Master Nu, standing back cautiously but with a curious gleam in her eyes. From the looks of it, she had recovered well.

Looking around, he found Vos missing, his stomach twisting at that. Only because it was an enemy not in sight and therefore a danger. No other reason.

Suddenly there were hasty steps and Vos rounded the building running full speed at him, coming to a stop only when CC-1010’s hand landed on his weapon. “Fox, you are here!” Vos sounded disbelieving but also happy. His eyes were soft as he looked at CC-1010. “With how you left last time I feared I wouldn’t get to see you again.”

“The situation has changed. Staying on the destroyer wasn’t suitable anymore.” With that, he stepped forward and dropped Koon into the other's arms before he could do something stupid like try to hug CC-1010.

“Changed? What do you mean?”

“Their orders conflicted with my mission. So I left.”

There was disbelief from the grown padawan and teenager alike. “And they just let you do that?!” “They didn’t deserve you in the first place.”

“They didn’t just let us leave,” the voice behind him still sounded shaken, and Loper winced as suddenly everyone was looking at him. 

“Oh, who might you be? You are not one of Fox’s Guards, right? At least I don’t recognize you.” Vos seemed sure of the fact. It stung that he was right.

Loper blushed at that. “Oh you knew all of his troopers, that's amazing sir. I’m Loper from the 501st.”

“Welcome, trooper. Always happy to see a friendly face in these trying times,” Windu’s smile eased some tension in the young trooper, and he came down the ramp and stepped closer. His fear after CC-1010’s outburst was clearly forgotten, since he stayed behind CC-1010 and waved at the kids shyly. 

“So whatcha mean they didn’t just let you leave?”

“Well we kinda. How do I say it? Stole Master Koon?”

“You stole Master Koon?” Disbelief, and then a chuckle.

“Well yeah. I mean, our orders were to report to be transported to the labor camp,” That brought a frown on all adults faces and CC-1010 caught them checking him over as best as they could through the armor for injuries. 

“But then CC-1010, I mean Fox saw Koon being transported to the holding cells, and he decided to steal him? I mean, he didn’t say it, but he made preparations, and then we fought the guards and got him out and stole the transport ship to come here.”

Nu spoke for the first time during the conversation. Her voice is melodic and completely different from what CC-1010 had expected. “And they didn’t stop you? Send fighters after you? Follow you here?” CC-1010 scoffed at being insulted like this. Loper on the other hand winced, clearly nervous as he wrung his hands, mouth opening and closing. CC-1010 took pity on him. “They were otherwise occupied at that moment.”

“FOX BLEW UP THE DESTROYER!” Loper suddenly burst out, only to duck his head and completely vanish behind CC-1010 after. 

“YOU BLEW UP A STAR DESTROYER!”

The felineoid couldn’t help himself as he stepped closer. Loper whimpered at the raised voice and sank to the ground, holding his head between his hands. Before he could think, CC-1010 had the Jedi wrestled into the mud and pinned, pistol pressed against the other's neck.

Trooper down. Danger. Must protect! 

Traitor. Keep alive!

The two impulses fought inside him, clashing. His head felt like it was split apart. His vision was swimming. He stumbled back to his feet, holding his own head as he tried to clear his thoughts, make sense of the situation and be able to think.  The two voices inside him screamed commands and punished him with pain for not following orders.

Soft hands prayed the weapon from his fingers and he whined. Fingers spasming trying to hold on, but the soft body he was leaning against and the strong arm holding him close made it impossible, as his body suddenly started relaxing without his input. 

“That's it, Foxy. Just breathe for me, okay. Breath. In and out. It’s okay. No one is in danger. You and your troopers are safe. I promise. Have I ever broken a promise like that?”

F̵̣͈̼̃̇ǫ̴͙̓͝ͅx̴͇̘̾͋͠ shock his head because no, Quinlan had never broken a promise like that. When F̵̣͈̼̃̇ǫ̴͙̓͝ͅx̴͇̘̾͋͠ had cried because a trooper was sent for decommissioning, Quinlan had stepped in and changed the senator's mind. When Thire had not come back from a patrol, Quinlan had gone and had found him in the lower levels and had brought him to medical. No matter what, Quinlan had always kept his promise to keep his troopers safe when F̵̣͈̼̃̇ǫ̴͙̓͝ͅx̴͇̘̾͋͠ asked.

“See! You can trust me. It is okay.” A soft hiss and fresh air hit his face and he eagerly took a big breath. Quinlan’s locks brushed his face as the man leaned his forehead against F̵̣͈̼̃̇ǫ̴͙̓͝ͅx̴͇̘̾͋͠’s. The voice screaming to protect became smaller and smaller until it vanished, leaving nothing behind but a headache. Blinking open his eyes, he looked in Quinlan’s deep brown eyes, which were filled with love. The Jedi never having a problem showing his emotions when it came to F̵̣͈̼̃̇ǫ̴͙̓͝ͅx̴͇̘̾͋͠

Jedi. 

Traitor.

He pushed Vos away, hissing as he noticed his lack of helmet. He had become vulnerable in front of a traitor, and had let his guard down. 

His hand flew to his second holster finding it empty as well and he froze. He was unarmed and his own weapons were in the hands of the traitors. His vibroblade stood no chance, but still CC-1010 pulled it out, not wanting to give up without a fight. 

His own gun was now in the hand of Master Windu. CC-1010 knew it was over, that he had failed. The only consolation was that the Jedi would not be able to get off the planet and would continue to be stuck in this prison. With his own demise, Loper would have to step up and take on the duty to make sure it stayed that way.

A blinding light and then nothing.

~*~

Blinking open his eyes, the first thought that crossed his mind was, huh, why am I still alive? The next was, wait, why shouldn’t I be?

He tried to remember what happened, how he ended up in what must clearly be a medical bay, but there was only a stabbing pain in his head where memories should be. Looking around, his first realization was that this was not the barrack medbay, and instantly he was on edge, since he was not safe with his younger brothers. Then he recognized it. The secret base he had built for his brothers in case they had to flee. How had he ended up here? Had something happened, and his brothers had brought him here? But no, no one should know about this place. Not even Fox until it became necessary in order to prevent anyone, Jedi and Sith included, from compromising the place. And since he was clearly still alive, his failsafe to inform his troopers about this place after his death was also not triggered.

So how did he end up here?

Sitting up, everything swam a bit and reaching up he felt a bacta patch on the side of his head. His hair was cut, his locks gone. All his locks. Not only the ones where the patch was, but all his hair had been cut short in a regulation haircut. What the kriff. 

Why would anyone do that to him while he was unconscious?

They were compromised. Whoever did this had not been one of his troopers. Someone else had a go at his hair. Was this why they ran here? Someone had taken the last comforts away the guards still had?

Pulling out the nutrition drip in his arm, he stumbled to his feet, swaying forward and to the fresher, activating the light and freezing as he saw himself in the mirror.

That was not him. He didn’t recognize the face looking back. It was his scars, the one over his nose and the one going through his lip and down his chin. But that was it. His hair was short and dyed black, there was a new small scar on his temple. His cheeks were sunken in, as were his eyes, and despite the sharp gleam in them, he looked more like a corpse than anything else. What the hell had happened to him? Where were his brothers? They would never leave him in the medbay on his own.

Then he saw it. Saw the hard set of his lips, the snarl as he pointed his gun at Quinlan. The way he didn’t hesitate. The way he pulled the trigger.

He was a spectator, unable to do anything but scream on the inside, begging this to stop, for Quinlan to duck away to flee. But he couldn’t stop his hands. Couldn’t do anything but beg for Quinlan to cut him down before he could shoot him. Before he could destroy what he treasured. But Quinlan didn’t hear. Fox pulled the trigger.

He dove forward. His knees collided with the floor painfully as he wretched into the toilet. 

Oh god, what had he done? HOW COULD HE?! Quinlan. He had shot Quinlan. Had killed him. Sobs escaped him as he trembled, his whole world falling apart. 

How could he have killed the man he loved? It had been too easy to fall for him. Quinlan had wormed his way in Fox’s life, and before he knew it, Fox could no longer imagine a world without him. And then he killed him. Had shot him in cold blood without hesitation. 

He threw up again.

“Fox.” A voice in the other room, familiar. But it couldn’t be. It was his mind playing tricks on him, being cruel because that was what he deserved for what he had done. He knew he would never be able to forgive himself for what he had done.

“FOX!” The door behind him opened, hurried footsteps came close, warm arms went around him, held him, protected him. 

He didn’t deserve it!

He wailed and trashed and begged. Hoping for all of this to be a nightmare, for him to wake up and everything be as it should be. He knew hopes like this would only lead to disappointment.

“Fox. Fox. Darling It’s okay. I got you. I have you. It is okay.”

“I killed you. I did it. I shot you. I didn’t even hesitate. I killed you.”

“No, no, you didn’t, I’m here, I’m alive. Everything is okay. See.” A hand went around him and dragged his fingers to the other’s neck, the pulse racing under his fingers. 

Fox shook his head at the sweet lie. “I shot you!”

“You did, but it was set to stun. You saved me. Saved everyone else on this base from being killed. The chip had control over you and despite that you still protected me, brought me where I would be safe. You did good, Fox.”

Shaking his head, he denied this. He was not good. He was a terrible person. He had shot Quinlan and Windu and oh god the children. He dove forward, dry heaving, his stomach long empty.

“It’s okay. You did nothing wrong. It was the Sith. He is the one responsible. You are just another of his victims. No one is blaming you for anything.”

More and more memories came back. Months worth of them. All the bad things he had done, all the orders he had followed without questions. All the brothers he had let out of his grasp without a fight.

“My brothers,” he pressed out between sobs. Quinlan only shook his head sadly. “I don’t know. After you stunned me, you kept me from every kind of information. Loper is here, a clone you picked up, but he is from the 501th. But as far as he knows, the clones are being retired to work camps.”

Fuck! Work camps! More like deathtraps. No clones were meant to get out of there alive. And his brothers were there. Suffering and Fox had done nothing to protect them. He had failed them.

“Sorry. I wished we could do something, but the ship you came with will not start, and no one has any idea what to do about it.”

“I broke it. There is this small screw in the cockpit in the control panel. If it is missing the ship will not start. A quirk of this specific model.”

That was it. That was the information Quin needed. Any moment now he would jump up and tell the others so they could get off the planet. And Fox would be left behind. He couldn’t blame them. After all he had done. All his brothers had done. Why would they not hate him? He was surprised they even bothered to stun him and didn’t just kill him right away. God, he had been such a terrible person. They way he had spoken to them. The way he had acted. Even towards the children. 

“Peace, your thoughts are a mess, but I can tell you whatever you are thinking right now, you're wrong.” Fox blinked at Quin in confusion, his eyes flickered down to Quin’s blank, but rubbed raw wrist. The binders were off.

“You got it off.” 

“Yeah, it was pretty hard, you did a very good job. Had to do Plo’s first and wait for him to wake up so he could use the Force to help with the rest.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. Like I said, it is not your fault. It was all the chip in your head controlling you. No one is blaming you. I promise you. Everyone on the base is just extremely worried about you. When you had the fit, you startled us. When you woke up I was just throwing out Kuna and Javaris to give you some peace.”

“Who?”

“Oh, two of the children.”

“I don’t even know their names. I made them believe I would kill them. I shot them. Imprisoned them, and I don’t even know who they are.” More sobs broke loose at the reality of what he had done.

“It’s okay. They forgave you. Yes, at first they were frightened, but ever since you brought us here things have changed. When you left to return to the Empire, I felt so helpless. I could do nothing to stop you, while I knew they were just using you. It drove me mad. And then you came back, but you were still not you. I thought I had lost you.”

Tears streamed down Quin’s face as he held Fox close, reassuring himself that he was still here and okay. 

“When Loper told us what caused you to act like that, I didn’t want to believe it. Didn’t want to believe everyone missed it. The Jedi were meant to have your backs and all the time you had slave chips in your head and no one knew. We have failed you and your brothers. I’m so sorry.”

Fox shook his head because no, it was not Vos’ fault. The man had never been anything but kind to them. He hadn’t known.

“Well well well what pity party is this? Master Vos you were meant to inform everyone the moment he woke up.”

Turning in Quin’s grip, Fox looked up at the Padawan leaning in the doorway. Or not a Padawan anymore. Now that he looked, the long braid was gone, and his hair had started growing out. Hard to say if it was because he had been knighted or because with his Master's death he saw no reason to keep it anymore. A Master his brothers had killed.

Fox’s stomach twisted as he braced himself for what was about to happen. Quin may forgive him given their shared history, and kids were kind. But a grown man? Especially one with this man’s temper? He would explode any moment. But Fox would accept everything coming his way, as that was what he deserved.

He felt Quin react to his dark thoughts, pulling him closer and angling him away from the door. Fox flinched trying to raise his shields, but his once strong walls were flimsi thin now. Whatever the chip had done to him, it had destroyed all defenses.

“Relax. I can feel you twisting yourself in a knot. Whatever you think is going on, it is not. So let Master Vos take you back to bed so you can rest while I tell the others you are awake.”

With that, the young man was gone, and Fox was pulled into Quin’s arm as he stood and carried back to bed.

“What’s his name?” he asked softly. The smile Quin gave him was breathtaking. “His name is Gavenk. He is still rough around the edges, but a good man.”

Fox nodded as the door opened and Master Windu stepped in, followed by Madam Nu and Master Koon. Despite Quin’s reassurance, Fox’s stomach twisted at seeing the Jedi. He knew they were not enemies, were in fact never his enemies, but he couldn’t help but feel defenseless without his armor and weapons.

“Commander Fox, it is good to see you awake. You gave us quite the scare. We are happy to hear you have returned to your old self.”

“Thank you.” The words tasted like ash in his mouth, as nerves were starting to eat him alive. Feeling his fear, the Jedi smiled softly at him before sitting down at some chairs, giving their best to look as non-threatening as possible. 

“We have to thank you for everything you did for us. You saved us and gave us a place to recover. But with the galaxy in chaos, we have to get out there and do something. Save as many lives as possible.”

Fox nodded. He could understand. He wished it wouldn’t be this way, but he himself could feel the urge to get out of here and save as many of his brothers as he could.

But still.

“I completely understand, General. And I will hand over the details of how to fix the ship. Just one condition. Leave the kids here. They have seen enough already.”

Windu looked at him as if he had lost his mind, and Fox bit his lip, fearing he had overstepped. Of course, they wouldn’t want the kids to stay here on a base he had built. They wanted them somewhere more suited for a Jedi, a Ttemple with their own kind. He had no leverage here. Quin already knew how to fix the ship. If they wanted, they could just pack and leave the moment they wanted to.

“Of course the kids are staying here! We would not bring them into an active war zone. Master Nu has agreed to stay here with them and make sure they are alright. Korin is doing a good job with them, but he is still young himself and needs some guidance. I myself will stay for now, as I’m more of a liability with my arm like this.”

“I, Plo, and Gavenk will go. Loper offered to come as support, but he has been through a lot, and it is obvious he is not in an emotional state for more fighting. I was hoping that perhaps you would be coming with us once you have recovered?” Quin’s words trailed off as he rubbed his neck, looking lost. What? They wanted Fox to come? “Only if you want to, obviously. You have been through a lot too and if you would rather stay here and recover we would completely understand. There is no reason to force yourself to do something you are not ready for.”

Fox surged up at the backpedaling and grabbed Quin’s hand. “No, I want to come with you!”

“Then that's settled,” Plo said cheerfully. “We will go once you have recovered fully.”

Fox wanted to protest that he was fine, and they could go right now, but a stern look from Madam Nu shut him up and he nodded. But after only three days she let him go under protest. Physically he had recovered just fine, even if he was still severely underweight, but he had destroyed a Star Destroyer in a worse shape. And with everyone trying to fatten him up, and constantly offering food, he would be at a healthy weight again in no time.

Mentally, it was a completely different matter. He had nightmares every night, waking up screaming and needing to be held by Quin to calm down. His shields were still in tatters, despite Windu meditating with him and starting to fix things. Once they were with people, there would always need to be a Jedi with him to shield him in case there was someone trying to invade his mind.

But the worse was the guilt of having let his brothers down. No matter how often he was told it was not his fault, he couldn’t stop blaming himself. He just hoped they were still alive, and he could beg for forgiveness.

Once their small party left, their first stop was a planet a few systems away. Wandering the market, they tried to gather information about the situation in the galaxy as a whole. It was a total shitshow, with the empire taking control and getting rid of everyone trying to stand against them. Finding a lead on any Jedi still out there would be hard, as they were all in hiding. They would have to rely on the Force users in their group to feel them. And rumors. But Fox already knew that most of these would be false or even a trap. It would take quite a while until they found someone. Time his brothers didn’t have.

He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to save them. But he knew he alone was not strong enough to do it, and he couldn’t take any of his companions away from their tasks. Plus, he owed it to them to help. After all, it had been him and his brothers who had hunted down the Jedi. The least he could do was try to save some now that he was back in control. Still, he couldn’t help feeling restless.

“Oh, look over there,” Koon pointed at a mechanic shop. A bit confused about what they would need from it, as they had most tools on the base, Fox followed him. Inside, the shop was filled with machinery and cybernetics. Fox’s fingers twitched wanting to get a closer look, to touch, inspect the craftsmanship. But he kept himself in check, staying close to Koon, looking menacing. 

Just like a good bodyguard should. That was their cover at least. With his armor painted and modified he looked like muscle for hire. Quin had gotten a new less recognizable look covering his tattoos and now sported an undercut and short curls. Fox had insisted he wore armor which made for quite an imposing figure. Koon on the other hand was wearing colorful robes going with ‘ the best way to not draw attention was to act like there was nothing to hide’ . Gavenk had drawn the short stick and was acting as a servant, a fact he complained about every chance he got. But even as he was in his twenties he just couldn’t pull off the look of hired muscles with his dancer-like frame and fine features, which are in stark contrast to his rude attitude.

“Hello dear sir,” Koon addressed the owner of the store, who perked up smelling money. “Yes, how can I help you today?”

“We are looking for a cybernetic arm. A friend of mine has been involved in an accident in the chaos of the republic's fall.” Fox froze, feeling bad for not having thought of it himself. Naturally Windu would want a new arm. He couldn’t expect him to just stay at base forever and do nothing.

The shopkeeper's face fell. “Sorry, I'm afraid I will not be able to help you with that. No one on this planet will. The Empire came and took everything. The only thing they left for us are the most basic models. But they are more for looks than having any use.” Fox knew the ones the man talked about just too well. It was what a clone was given if they were lucky and not just decommissioned right away. They were just cosmetic. If you were lucky the stump could move and the rest of the hand could bend, for all the good that did you. You couldn’t even pick up a glass with how badly it was calibrated.

“Is there nothing you can do? I promise money is not an issue.” And it really wasn’t. Fox had weaseled away quite a large sum from the Empire. Combined with all the funds he had stolen from the senators that pissed him off during his guard duty they had more credits than they knew what to do with.

“I understand, but there is really nothing I can do.”

“Can’t you just build a new one?” Gavenk asked, pointing at all the parts laying around here.

“Can’t. I’m completely booked out, and the Empire won’t take no for an answer.” Everyone's shoulders slumped as they left the shop. “I guess we have to forget about that errand for now. Let’s go look for a ship then, and hope the Empire has not taken all of those yet.”

Fox nodded. They had a functioning ship now, even an Imperial one that brought some benefits, but he could also see the advantage of having something not branded by the Empire.

Following them through the relatively empty shipyard he gave some input here and there but left the decision up to the rest of the party. In the end they settled on a old Republic cruiser, big enough to fit 6 people easily. Not the prettiest and would need some work, but it was a good choice.

Returning to their hotel for the night he excused himself saying he wanted to get something from the market.

“I will come with you,” Quin offered.

“No, go and rest, you look exhausted. I will be fine.” 

“But what about your mental shields?”

“It will be fine. We walked around all day and no one of you noticed something off in this city. I can run a simple errand on my own.”

Quin didn’t look convinced, but let the others drag him away so Fox could have some alone time, as Koon put it. Returning to the market he marched back to the cybernetic store.

“We are about to close so you better make it fast. Wait, you are the one from this afternoon.” The shopkeeper looked a bit annoyed at him. “Look man there is really nothing I can do, so you can look as intimidating as you want. I can’t help you. So go run back to your master.”

“I need a Cybernetic Framework, lightweight but durable made from durasteel or transparisteel, preferably the Model-4X or H-34 if you have it. CoreTech Servomotors, Series-7 all sizes you have. SynthFlex Actuator Module Mk-II or something similar to it. A NeuroSense Tactile Feedback Array. MindLink Neural Interface Implants. FusionCore Energy Cell Model-9, if that is not available I will take the PlasmaCore Power Cell Series-7. Plus the necessary tools.”

“Wait wait hold on. What are you talking about? These parts are needed to build a prosthetic. A good one. I have most of them, but look. Just because you did some research doesn't mean you can build one of these babies. They are fickle, and done wrong they can cause permanent nerve damage. I understand wanting to help but that is nothing you can just pick up.”

“I know how to build one.” The shopkeeper looked shocked. It was an unusual skill for hired muscles to have, especially since you could make a lot more money building cybernetics on the black market than being a bodyguard. But Fox didn’t care that it didn’t fit his cover story. There was something he could do to help, make amends.

“Your sure?”

“Very!” And wasn’t he sure. He had built a lot of cybernetics in his time on Coruscant. Like he said, clones didn’t get cybernetics, or none that were of any use, and if a clone’s performance dropped that meant certain death. So Fox had learned, had tried and failed over and over again until he succeeded. He had caused nerve damage, had felt with his brothers as they twitched and screamed in agony losing complete feeling in their shoulder. But they still thanked him for trying. They would die either way. To them it was an honor to at least help provide a chance for future brothers to survive. Fox still apologized over and over again and wept as botched operations or infections took their life.

Until he had finally gotten good enough, until he could replace fingers, arms, and legs with ease. When despite his struggles he could give someone their vision back. Too many senators had liked throwing boiling liquid or acid into clone's faces.

“Damn, aren’t you a talented one? Sure I can get you those parts, but it will not be cheap, demand being high.”

Walking through the store and into the back he began stacking everything Fox had asked for on the counter. Pulling out his calculator, he started adding up numbers until he turned it to Fox.

60,000 credits. Similar price to the starship they had bought today. 

Fox didn’t even try to bargain as he handed over the credits. It was worth it if he could help Windu. The shopkeeper grinned as he picked up the money and packed everything up for Fox in a crate. 

“Thanks for doing business with me.”

Returning to the hotel Fox realized he had taken longer than he had expected as Quin was walking circles in the room and crowded him to make sure he was alright the moment he stepped through the door.

“I’m alright.”

“Are you sure, nothing happened?” A brush of the other’s mind against his was soft as he made sure Fox was really okay. 

“Yes. Shopping just took longer than expected.”

“Mh what did you get?” Gavenk asked curiously. Fox didn’t know if he should tell them. He was pretty confident in his ability. But then he feared he was overstepping. He had planned to work on it in secret and tell them he had found a shop selling them in a month or two once he was done.

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,” Koon chimed in soothingly. And Fox decided. They were his comrades. How should they trust each other to have each other’s back against the Empire if he couldn’t even show it to him. Settling the crate down he lifted the top.

“Oh, those are parts.”

“Fox, that's sweet, but without a mechanic we can’t use that.”

“Oh Force, this is so cool. You know how to build an arm?”

Fox nodded. “I do. I did it for my brothers.” Before he could say anything else he was in Quin’s arms. “Every time I’m with you I learn something new about you and it never fails to amaze me.” That made Fox blush and he buried his face in Quin’s chest. He liked doing this. Surprising Quin. Being special to him.

“Yes yes, keep it in your pants until we are gone, will you. Don’t need to see that,”ame the snippish comment and then an ow as Koon poked Gavenk in his side for the comment.

“Gone?” Fox was confused. They shared the room so he doubted Quin and he would get any more privacy than this.

“Ah, we talked while you were away and decided to split up. Plo and Gavenk will continue their search for other Jedi and I thought we could go and look to see if we could find the rest of the Guard? I really miss them. Maybe rescue some other clones on the way?” Fox could only stare at Quin in disbelief. Was he really giving up the chance to look for fellow survivors just to come with Fox and rescue his brothers? Tears streamed down his face as emotions overwhelmed him.

“Oh shit. Don’t cry please. I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Quin said, panicked. Fox looked up, staring into his eyes before saying what had burned in his soul for such a long time. “I love you Quin.” 

Quin let out a surprised gasp. Fox didn’t care about his answer. Didn’t mind being rejected. He just loved Quin and he had to say it now before once more he lost the chance to say it. 

“I love you too.” The answer only sent more tears down Fox’s face. But this time they were happy tears.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure that is a good idea? There is so much that could go wrong.”

“Do you have a better idea? If yes, I’m all ears, but otherwise as I see it it is the only chance we have!”

“I just can’t see you being in danger. If something happens to you...” Quin’s voice shuttered, eyes wet with unshed tears. Fox reached out his hand and laid it on Quin’s, squeezing it.

“I know. And I hate that I have to put you through it. But there is no other choice. I can’t leave them there.” No, if he turned his back now he would never forgive himself for leaving his brothers behind. Especially since there was a paper trail, hinting there were former members of the Guard held in this specific labor camp.

But without the exact layout, number of prisoners, and guards, they couldn’t do anything. Attacking blindly would get them killed. The only chance they had was to get information from inside. And the best way to do that was to have someone inside. And who was better suited for that than Fox? All he had to do was be captured and he would be transported there. 

But he also could understand Quin’s worries, as once he was captured he would be at the Empire's mercy.

“I have to do this.” 

“I know.”

Fox pressed a soft kiss to Quin’s lips before stepping outside the shadows. His run down appearance instantly drew attention from the market goers, and they did their best to avoid the obvious deserter. It helped that he had his helmet off and still looked like a half starved tooka; Quin’s words.

He was just inspecting some bread at a stall, the shopkeeper sweating, clearly not wanting him here but also intimidated by the weapon on his hip.

“HEY YOU THERE! HANDS UP!”

And there were the stormtroopers, faster than expected. They would have to warn Plo that the patrol routes were better organized than they thought. 

Turning, he started sprinting, throwing over crates to block the way of his swearing pursuers. It looked like a high speed chase. Really, Fox could have lost them any time he wanted, but he made sure they were able to keep up, not going at his full speed. Before he knew it he was tackled to the ground and binders snapped around his wrist.

Despite this being part of the plan, he stiffened up, bad memories bubbling to the surface. But he grit his teeth, looking around and spotting Quin on a roof looking worriedly down at the scene.

It was okay. He was not alone. Quin was there. If anything went wrong he would not stop for anything trying to break Fox out. He had to endure. The sudden kick to his stomach, and punch to his face was expected but still hurt. But he was dragged away to join the others. He had succeeded.

He was put in a transporter and chained to the bench.

There were two fellow clones in here with him. None Fox recognized, which was good as this way no one could recognize him as well. He had overwritten the identification chip in his arm to downgrade himself to a regular soldier who had run away when clones were retired. He didn’t want to risk drawing unnecessary attention by being a Marshal Commander.

“Hello.” The shaking voice belonged to a young trooper with a burn scar on his cheek. “I’m Sweeper. And the one next to me is Weni. What about you.”

It was obvious he put on a brave face and tried to make Fox feel welcome despite the situation they were in.

“I’m Blitz. Nice meeting you.” He smiled at the trooper trying to ease his mind. Especially since the other, Weni, was just looking ahead blankly, not reacting to anything, his will broken. What had they done to him? Anger burned inside Fox and he wished for nothing more than to burn the whole empire down.

“It is nice to meet another brother who is not, you know…”

“Blindly following orders without a single thought?” Sweeper nodded at that. Fox was lucky that ever since he had been free of the chip's influence he had not met anyone with one still active. But he knew that once inside he would and it would be hard.

When they landed Fox got up first, wanting to keep as much attention off the little brother behind him as possible. They were searched and had to change their clothes. Everything that could be used as a weapon or to communicate was taken away. Not that they found the communicator hidden under a patch of synthskin. Now he only had to find a spot to contact Quin and give him information to get everyone out.

Wini was separated from them, but Sweeper stayed with him as they were put into the holding cell to join their shift-mates. Eight other clones, standing at attention as they were pushed in. No guard member so far, but brothers nonetheless.

Sweeper attempted to make conversation but was instantly shut down.  Fox observed their behavior. Their movements were mechanical, their expressions vacant. They were like ghosts of the soldiers they once were.

Sweeper watched with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "They're all the same," he remarked quietly, his voice tinged with sadness.

Fox nodded grimly. "Yeah, it's like they're just going through the motions, following orders without question. Keep your head down and comply no matter what. If they find out you are different from them it will end badly."

Sweeper nodded tears in his eyes. “They shot Ginger. We were set to detain civilians and kill everyone who resisted including women and children. He protested. They shot him. After that, I took the first chance and ran.”

He wished he could pull the kid close, offer comfort but he also knew that he couldn’t not without drawing unwanted attention. “It will be okay. We will get them out and make them better.”

“Wouldn't that be nice,” Sweeper said wishfully, showing that he had already given up. He knew he would die here and he had accepted that fate. Fox would do anything in his power to make sure he was alright.

The labor was hard, outside under the burning sun digging holes. Fox could clearly see the strain it had left on his fellow clones, the hunched backs, the burned skin, the leathered face. But despite that they just kept digging, not showing any emotions on their face. Not even when their brothers collapsed in the heat, unable to get up and were kicked by the overseer for being lazy.

On the second day they were working beside another group. Looking over the sun kissed faces Fox froze, and he started trembling. Sweeper who was still staying close looked at him concerned as the action was so unlike Fox.

“Thire,” the word left his mouth like a prayer, and tears gathered in his eyes. His little brother was still alive. Was here in arms reach. Despite all his failures he had not yet lost everyone he cared about.

Then Thire looked up, their eyes meet. 

And nothing.

No recognition, no feelings, just emptiness. 

It shattered something inside Fox as he would have preferred accusations, blame, anything beside this nothingness. He stood there frozen as Thire turned away and returned to his work.

Sweeper tried pulled him away, but Fox couldn't turn, feeling as if he would lose Thire again, if he dared to look away. But the trooper was getting desperate as Fox’s behavior would raise the overseer's attention any moment now and then there would be hell to pay. 

A swear and Fox was tackled from the side landing in the ditch their group had worked on. The impact drove the air from his lungs and instincts took over as he threw the attacker off himself only to come face to face with a brother, making him freeze. 

“Are you back with us, soldier?“ the clone asked with concern on his face. Fox could only nod as Sweeper jumped down into the ditch to him, staying by his side protectively. 

„Listen, you want to  survive? Then forget about him. He is no longer the brother you know. None of them are. So move on. “

With a huff he heaved himself from the hole and returned to his group continuing work. Fox did dig when Sweeper put a shovel in his hands but his thoughts were far away. 

Thire was here. Still under the chip's influence, but if he got him out and brought him back to the medbay on base they could fix that. He would have his brother back. It would be hard, but nothing would be able to stop Fox from trying. 

That night he pulled away from the rest of the group in the cell and huddled in the corner, then contacted Quin to tell him about the situation. Fox whispered and held the comm close to his ear to not draw any attention. Quin was doing his best to help Fox. 

Hearing the other’s warm words and encouragement, his joy of having found one of the troopers, made Fox wonder how he could be so blessed with a man like Quin at his side. Which was why he had to be extra careful with the clones under the chip. He wouldn’t risk one person he loved for another. 

“Who were you talking to?” Sweeper asked and Fox cursed internally. He had thought everyone else was asleep, and that he had been silent enough. 

"Nobody." Sweeper sat beside him and Fox could see the frown on his face. “Alright. A friend who is trying to save us. If you try to get in the way I will-“

“Us? You mean, I would be allowed to come with you?” Now it was Fox's turn to frown. Wasn’t that obvious? He would try to save everyone if he could but if he had to prioritize he would choose Thire and Sweeper, since one was his little brother and the other was someone becoming a friend. The clone from today too as Fox had to admit he saved him. 

“Obviously. But it is just us. And even with me sending him information, taking over a whole prison is impossible. Especially with the troopers under the chip’s influence not wanting to disobey orders. “

Sweeper noted at that. “You said chip. What do you mean?”

Pulling the other one into his arms Fox held him as he told him about the chips and what it had done to them and the Jedi. Sweeper had seen the result of it but knowing the cause now and how meaningless their existence had been he cried until he fell asleep.

Kissing his forehead softly Fox swore he would do anything to give the kid a better life. 

The com he had no time to turn off thanks to Sweepers interruption crackled to life. 

“You know you can’t adopt eery trooper you come across just because they cry, right?”

Gritting his teeth he wanted to protest but looking at the peaceful face of Sweeper he couldn’t help feeling warm. 

“Watch me.”

A heavy sight came through the comm. 

“You have been out of the chip's influence for a month and we already have two sons. We will have to enlarge the base if this goes on.”

“I don’t have kids yet.”

A shocked gasp. “Don’t talk about our son like this. Loper will cry if he hears you.” Fox couldn’t help the soft laugh at Quinn’s over the top performance. The man really knew how to lighten the mood after Fox had a bad day. 

Once more he was reminded just how much he loved Quin. He saw Fox’s attachments, accepted them, and even considered the clones his own just because Fox did. 

He was glad both of them survived. 

“I love you.” Fox whispered

“I love you too Foxy. Stay safe. “

~*~

“If your friend can’t really help from the outside then we have to change things from the inside.”

Fox stopped, shovel hovering over the hard earth, blinking the sweat out of his eyes he looked over at Sweeper. 

“What?”

“I mean if we can help from the inside then we can get out. “

“Remember the chips? We can try but I can promise every chipped clone will stand against us and from the look of it they are in the majority. “

There was a sheepish grin on Sweepers face making him look more his age. 

“Well then we just have to make them think they are ordered to revolt.”

The shovel dropped from Fox fingers. Why hadn’t he thought about this? Damn. That could work. Fox had just been too blind to see it, as he had thought of his chipped brothers as nothing other than obstacles or someone in need of saving.

“Kid, you are a genius.” The words had an immediate effect on Sweeper as he started blushing like crazy. Fox would have to make a point of making sure he praised him often.

With new energy he jumped out of the hole and made a run for the one next to them when the overseer was busy scolding a clone a few holes away. Sliding in, he looked around until he spotted who he had searched for.

“What the hell,” The trooper who had saved him yesterday looked at him with shock, clearly not having expected Fox to just appear like that. “What are you doing? You will get in trouble.”

Fox couldn’t help the wolfish smile on his face. “I will, won’t I?” Looking at the other troopers, his eyes stopped at Thire, before announcing with authority. “New orders from Commander Tulis. This one has to help with cleanup after an incident.”

The troopers looked at him for a moment, two, then they returned to their work, no longer paying any attention to them. Fox’s little test was a success, troopers under the influence of the chip could be manipulated.

Snatching the hand of the other unchipped trooper he pulled him along and back into the ditch where Sweeper was waiting for them, ignoring the others' protests.

“What is even going on? Explain yourself!”

Spinning them, Fox crowded the other against the earth wall, excitement bubbling under his skin.

“Don’t you wanna get out of here? Well, we have a plan,” Sweeper chimed in, before remembering his manners. “Oh thank you for your help yesterday. I’m Sweeper and that is Blitz. And you are?”

“Boil. And what are you talking about? There is no way out. Most people don’t even want to get out at all. What do you think you can do.”

“Well lets just say we let them blindly follow our orders for a change.”

Boils eyes widened at that.

~*~

They had grown their circle since then, recruiting everyone not under the influence of the chip, informing them about what was happening with their brothers and how they planned to get out of this.

They had also managed to meet up for secret meetings during food, since their overseers couldn’t tell them apart; it was easy enough to switch places leaving all unchipped clones in a single group. The guards could prevent that by scanning their identification chips regularly, but they didn’t bother.

“Okay I get it, but it would still need someone with enough authority to overrule the newborns and newsflash, there is no one here. There is no way they will listen to a captain.”

“Wait, isn't there a commander? He is not under the chip's influence.” Fox perked up at that, as the likelihood of him knowing this commander was pretty high.

A sneer, “As if he would be of any use. All he does is mope around, cry and wait for death. If he regretted it so much he should not have killed his Jedi in the first place. So many good people died for nothing.”

Fox could understand Kicks' anger, but he could also understand the Commander. If it hadn’t been for Quin and the other Jedi, the truth of his actions would have broken him. And finding yourself in this hellhole without any support, it broke a man.

“What's his name?”

“Wolffe, I believe. But give it up Blitz. I heard the same amazing stories about him as you probably did and he is nothing like it. He will not help us.”

Wolffe a name he hadn’t heard in a long time. His batchmate. The one he had always been closest with, until many even joked they were twins. The one he had cried for and missed when Wolffe cut contact after losing most of his battalion. He was alive and here. And also in a really bad space.

“We could try?” He asked softly just wanting to see his brother,

“Good luck with that. After all his disobedience he has been thrown in solitary. No one has seen him for weeks. Chances are he is already dead.”

Fox hummed with new urgency floating his system. If they took over the facility he could free Wolffe.

“Alright, So we do it without him. First of all we need to come up with a way to escape from this hell hole otherwise any other planning will be useless. I have a contact on the outside with a ship but we can fit 10 people on it at most and then only short term.'' He paused, thinking about if he should risk it. But he needed their help for the plan to work. “And even then it can only be dechipped clones.”

“Why would- ohhh. You are working with a Jedi.”  Fox nodded as everyone else looked at him in awe and amazement. Despite what had happened to them, the Jedi were still larger than life beings. If they ever found out Fox was dating said Jedi they would have a stroke.

“So we need some way for the rest of us to get away. There are some ships stored here. If they survive the fight. But then where would we go.” Sweeper asked.

“Nowhere, as long as they still have their chips inside their heads.”

“How about a Venetor? There is this one that crashed, but the medical facility on it should still be good.” Boil threw in.

“Good idea, but way too many people for that.”

“What about an underground hospital? I have some connections, but it would still be expensive.”

“Oh believe me, money will not be an issue. So if we get the chipped troopers there they will help?”

“Absolutely. You can contact the Jedi?” Fox nodded. “Then I could give him some names. People who would be willing to help. They are no fighters but they can fly a ship here.”

Fox nodded at Kicks thankfully.

“Yeah. Only that is no use at all since we still have no one who can take over command,” Boil snorted annoyed. 

“I can help with that.” Fox said in a measured manner before winking at Sweeper and grinning. “Marshal Commander Fox of the Coruscant guard at your service. Also I was never recorded as deserted but MIA.”

People looked at him laughing and patting his shoulder for his good joke. Only Fox didn’t laugh but sat up straight and put on his command face. 

“Oh shit, you are telling the truth.”

“Cody was right. You are an absolute bastard! ”

~*~

Standing in the control room, a carnage left behind him, Sweeper at his back, keeping an eye on the door, Fox took a deep breath.

Then chaos erupted all over the camp.

Fighting started everywhere, as clones turned against the natborn traitors, accused of working to help the Jedi. Fox started running, gunning down any natborn in his path, feeling more secure now that he had a weapon again. 

Reaching the part of this base that held the solitary cells, Fox opened the one in the very back, heart beating in his chest as he looked at the form slumped in the corner. Please, Force, don’t let him be dead. Don’t let Fox be too late.

Sinking down to his knees he let out a relieved breath, seeing the other’s chest move.

“Wolffe.”

His brother blinked open his eyes and looked at Fox, face empty and confused. “Ahh, a dream.”

And Fox being the bastard he was, leaned forward and bit Wolfe’s arm. Hard. Wolffe jolted, letting out a pained scream, and squirmed to get him off. When Fox pulled back his teeth were bloody.

“What the fuck, Fox!”

“Feeling more like yourself again? Then get up, we are leaving.”

But Wolffe didn’t move, just shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. Go on without me.”

Like hell Fox would. His family was strewn all over the galaxy and he had properly lost a lot of brothers without even knowing. No way he would let one of the few he had in his grasp now slip away.

“Like hell I will. Stop moping and get up your sheps.”

“I can’t! You don’t know what I did! I killed him! I shot buir .” Not that he did a good job of it, since Fox had heard from Vos that Plo was still searching for survivors.

“It is okay. He is still alive.” 

“You are lying. You just want me to go with you. I killed him! I know I did.”

Losing his patience Fox decked Wolffe across the face, and pulled the stunned man up into a firearm carry.

“Did you just-” Sweeper couldn’t finish the sentence, shocked by what he had just witnessed.

“Yeah, he will get over it. Now come on. We have to get to the extraction point.”

The fighting was calming down. The natborns had no chance against the army of clones who had suddenly turned against them. Everyone they passed saluted Fox. In the cold desert night, upon the sand, sat multiple ships all being boarded by clones before going their separate ways. Most of them would go to different planets where they had allies to get the clones dechipped. And then there was the ship with Quin. 

Fox had forbidden him from showing himself, and he let out a relieved breath, seeing as he must have kept his promise. Inside there were a few dechipped clones that were not tasked with overseeing the dechipping progress, as they would make their way directly to the secret base to talk with the Jedi there. Fox knew it was their best chance, but the Jedi should have a say in the matter after losing so much. Fox didn’t want to take their safe space away. 

Fox knew the Jedi must know what he and Quin were up to thanks to Plo, but he still didn’t want to shock them by arriving with a huge number of clones. To his surprise once he stepped inside and dropped Wolffe to the ground he saw Thire bound to a bench.

“Quin?”

“Not my fault. One of your new guys. Boil, I think his name was, dropped him off here before taking off with the first ship.”

Knowing Thire was here and would be dechipped soon meant a lot to Fox . He would have a little brother back. As their group had been the last one, Quin punched in the starting sequence and the ship came alive under their feet and ascended into hyperspace.

Their travel was uneventful beside Thire screaming bloody murder at them and saying they had brought shame over their kind by disobeying orders. Fox tried to not care, knowing it was not his brother but his chip talking but when Thire called him a failure he still started crying. Quin was there in an instant, holding him.

Breaking the atmosphere, the endless green of the planet laid before them.

“Wow, fantastic. So your safe place is the jungle. Perfect. Let's escape the camp just to be killed by a gigantic spider.” Fox kicked Wolffe but was secretly pleased that the man was finding his way back to his old self.

“Oh shut up and watch.” The ship dropped, troopers started screaming as the trees got closer and closer. And then they dropped through and before them laid the base. 

The mud field for the ships was filled with 6 vessels of all kinds of sizes. Plo Koon and Gavenk must have done a good job gathering people. The moment they dropped down he could already see people gather to welcome them. 

Walking to the ramp he nodded gratefully to Quin, who was carrying Thire so Fox could keep an eye on Wolffe. The Ex-Commander was humming with nerves, not trusting himself around Jedi. He hadn’t carried a weapon when coming on board and he had refused to take one. 

“It will be okay.”

“But what if I lose control again? What if I attack them”

“Then they will kick your ass. But believe me. You will be fine.”

Wolffe didn’t believe him, but he still followed down the ramp, looking with wide eyes at the gathered Jedi. Fox was in shock. He recognized Windu and the rest he had rescued. But he could see Yoda perching on a Wookie's shoulder, the blue-white lekkus he was pretty sure belonged to Tano and he hoped the girl was not angry at Fox for hunting her down anymore. Cody’s pet CT was standing next to her. And children. So many children were running around the fields, or waving in excitement.

“Fox. It is good to have you back.” Windu smiled brightly at him. Fox couldn’t help but smile back.

“Brought some friends. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Please, this is the space you have created for your people. I should rather thank you for offering it to us.” Fox waved him off.

“Are these all?” Korin asked, a bit disappointed. Fox chuckled. “No, there are a lot more coming, but they are getting their heads set straight before I let them anywhere near here. Well everyone except Thire over there.” Quin shifted the clone's weight and waved.

“Nice. I can't wait to meet them all.”

“Ahh Fox. I see you have been successful.” Hearing the voice Wolffe went stiff beside him, turning, eyes wide in disbelief. “ Buir ?” His voice shook as tears ran down his cheeks, face to face with the man he thought he had killed. Fox pushed him forward and into the others waiting arms. “Told you, you are a terrible shot Wolffe.”

The man was too preoccupied clinging to his father’s chest to rise to Fox’s needling. Fox left him to his happy reunion, following Quin to the medbay for his own. He paced the hallway as he waited for news and the moment he heard the operation was a success and Thire would wake up soon he was inside the room, waiting next to his baby brother’s bed.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing Thire did was reach out, tears in his eyes and apologizing for what he had said to Fox. Cradling him in his arms, Fox forgave him easily. It had not been his fault. Fox was just happy to have his brother back.

He left once Thire and Quin were asleep, curled together in bed. He pressed a kiss to each of their forehead before leaving to get some air. Stepping outside he could see a fire going and Jedi milling around it, chatting and smiling with the new arrivals. Fox could spot Wolffe sleeping, leaning against Plo.

He couldn’t help his own smile, seeing the happiness this place was offering. That was what he had always wanted for it. Being a safe haven for those who had nowhere else to go. 

Hearing footsteps beside himself he turned, seeing Mace Windu come to a stop next to him. 

“It is hard to believe, how much happiness we have found here.”

Fox nodded. “There is darkness, but there is some light in the galaxy that can’t be extinguished.”

“Thank you again. For giving us a home.”

Fox could feel himself tear up and had to turn away, not wanting to be seen crying again. He had done that enough recently. “It wouldn’t be much of a home without you all here. I’m the one who has to thank you for not holding my and my brother's actions against us.”

Windu looked like he wanted to protest but Fox interrupted him. 

“Will you wait for me for a few minutes? I have something on the ship I want to show you.”

Windu nodded a little bemused as Fox rushed to the ship and returned with a bundle wrapped in cloth. Holding it out to Windu the man took it carefully and pushed back the cloth, gasping in shock at the cybernetic arm. 

“What— Fox? I— I thought the Empire took them all.”

Fox shrugged helplessly. “They did, so I had to build this one. It should work okay, but if not I can make some adjustments.”

“Thank you for this. Truly. “

“No trouble. You will need both hands to rebuild the Order.”

Chuckling, Mace looked at the people gathered at the fire. “Yes, I guess we are rebuilding. Better and stronger than before. And together with all of you at our side. There are a lot of people who have already demanded we let them go and search for their troops. We are still coordinating, but I must ask you to please help us increase the base and add a second building. We will need it soon enough.”

Fox smiled, the future looking brighter now. He was all too happy to make space for more people.