Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Everybody ready?” Laughter answered the question as hundreds of heads turned their attention to the giant screen broadcasting on the wall. 000 shone in bright red against a white background, with a smaller set of numbers counting down beneath it. One of the troopers snorted mockingly, gray paint brushed on his armor creating a furred looking texture on the smooth plastoid. 

“You ready for this Cody? Precious Fox finally gets his moment, kriffer just had to steal the final spot. Like, seriously, he insists on not joining the Battalion movement when it first started, but now that the public is eating it up he hops on and steals the final spot. Like anyone really cares about what happens with the Coruscant Guard,” Wolffe said with a dismissive snort, downing his shot of moonshine and smacking his lips after he finished. Cody stared at him with a frown and sighed. 

“Wolffe, don’t get on Fox’s case-”

“Why the kark shouldn’t I?!?” Wolffe snarled, slamming his cup back down on the table. “First he ices us out, completely cutting contact with the rest of the GAR unless it’s for ‘official’ purposes, and even then he barely even acknowledges us! And now, after all this time, when we finally found something that makes both the troopers and civvies happy, he just has to snipe in at the end and shut it all down! So yes, I’m pissed, but I’m still here, aren’t I? Waiting for his battalion's stupid kriffing song to stream with you.”

“ Woow… okay, someone needs some more alcohol,” Bly said, slipping into the booth with Cody. He passed a bottle to Wolffe, who immediately opened it and chugged a swig. He wrinkled his nose at it and grimaced. 

“Why is it so sweet??”  

Bly snorted. “Well, unfortunately for you, Mr. I-can’t-have-sweet-things-in-my-life, most of my battalion prefers sweeter drinks. Don’t you remember that? We even mentioned it in our battalion’s song. So, if I’m bringing alcohol -and you’re welcome, by the way- then it’s going to be sweet.”

Wolffe snorted but noticeably didn’t hand the drink back, instead swirling it around before taking another chug. Cody sighed, rubbing his hand against his forehead. 

“What do you think of this, Bly?” he asked hesitantly. Bly shrugged. 

“I think it’s fitting that the Guard is ending everything. I mean, they are literally on the Capital, so it’s fitting that if it started in the Outer Rim Battalions, then it should move into the Core. Can’t say I appreciate Fox’s general attitude towards working with us…but I figure he’s just stressed.” Wolffe snorted, throwing back his head and barking a bitter laugh. 

“ Oh yeah, he’s been ‘stressed’ for the last three karking years! I mean, honestly Bly, when was the last time he commed you? Or even bothered to send a message to you that wasn’t related to work? He’s not stressed, he’s living it up on Coruscant and just doesn’t want to go back to associating with the ‘peasants’, ” Wolffe said, mockingly saying the last word with an over exaggerated Coruscanti accent. Bly and Cody both shot him sharp looks, noticing some of the other Command batches glancing over at the raised voices, eyes curious and sharp. 

Noticing the looks, Wolffe glared back. 

“What? I’m not wrong, and you know it! The last time he sent me an informal comm was four months into the war! He didn’t even send a message when Ponds-”

“Don’t.”

Bly and Wolffe both flinched for a moment at the dark tone of voice Cody spoke with. Bly glanced away uncomfortably, fidgeting with the bottle in his hands. Wolffe clicked his tongue and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest with a sharp clack of plastoid. Cody relaxed slightly when he was sure that Wolffe wasn’t going to continue in that line of conversation.

Ponds was a touchy subject. 

Fox’s silence both before and more concerningly after Pond’s death was another sensitive topic. 

Cody blew out a breath slowly, grabbing the bottle from Wolffe and tucking it away. “You’re drunk, Wolffe. You’re saying things you don’t really mean.”

Wolffe snarled at him, baring his teeth and everything as his shoulders straightened and his hands clenched into fists on the table. “What makes you so sure of that, Cody?”

“Because Fox is your prudii. ”

Wolffe stiffened and sat back sharply in his seat, radiating furious silence as he turned to glare at the screen. Cody stared at Wolffe for a moment before shaking his head and turning his attention to the bottle in his hands. He watched the liquid swirl within as he thought about it. 

Wolffe and Fox had been Sith damned impossible to separate when they were cadets on Kamino. Where one went, the other was sure to follow. Of course Wolffe was the one most often getting caught and getting in trouble, so even though Wolffe followed Fox around just as much it was Fox who earned the title of ‘Wolffe’s shadow’. The term had been an inside joke for them when the entire batch had still been together. 

Ponds had been the one to coin the nickname. 

Alpha 17 had made it stick. 

“What do you think their song will be like?” Cody refocused when Bly spoke up, his brother's brown eyes locked on the screen. Cody turned his gaze to the sharp white and red background. He sighed, shaking his head slightly. 

“I don’t know enough about the Guard’s schedule and duties to make a guess. I know they’re involved in guarding and escorting the senators, and guarding the prisons, but other than that…” Bly shot him a confused look. 

“You didn’t look up his schedule and duties?” He asked, face contorted in a shocked, confused frown. Cody sighed. 

“I tried. But even with my authorization, it was still marked as classified. I couldn’t exactly bring it to my general and ask him to unlock it for me, that would be a breach of infosec and protocol.”

“Surprised Rex didn’t just ask Skywalker to do it for him,” Wolffe commented with a sneer. 

“I did, actually. Whatever the authorization level needed is, it’s higher than a standard General authorization,” Rex said, sliding into the booth beside Wolffe. He set down a container of bottles, pulling one out and twisting it open to take a drink. Wolffe paused, turning to stare at Rex incredulously while Cody shot him a disappointed glare. 

“Wait, even Skywalker couldn’t gain access?” Bly asked, eyes wide. Cody rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“Regardless of what anyone thinks, including Skywalker himself, he’s not a High General. Even he still has restrictions on what information he can learn or gain access to.”

“And thank the Force for that, considering his lips are looser than a flag flapping in the wind. He hides nothing from anyone,” Wolffe said with an eye roll. 

“Hey!” Rex protested, straightening with offense at the accusation against his general. Wolffe rolled his eyes and stared him down. 

“Don’t even try to defend him. You of all people should know exactly how often he meets with his ‘they’re just friends’ Senator Amidala and Chancellor Palpatine,” he said in annoyance. Rex deflated immediately, looking away sheepishly. He sighed and stared at his drink before chugging the whole thing, earning a raised eyebrow from Wolffe. Spotting the look Rex sighed and let his head drop against the tabletop. 

“…I am too sober and it is too early to be discussing my general’s ‘private life’.”

Wolffe snorted, rolling his eyes. “Not exactly private if half the GAR knows about it.”

“Only half?” Bly teased. “I thought it was closer to at least three quarters at this point, but maybe someone’s intentionally locking down the information?”

He nudged Rex with his foot, earning a pouty glare from the CT. Rex sighed, running a hand over his blonde fuzz before groaning and sinking slightly into himself. 

“Even if I do try, nothing stays quiet forever. Least of all something as juicy as my general’s love life and private life. Kark, I’m pretty sure the ones actively spreading the information are members of my own battalion and I’ve straight up tried ordering them to keep quiet about it. They just laugh at me and tell me that they ‘won’t say a word’.”

“And?” Bly asked curiously. Rex sighed explosively, resting a hand over his eyes. 

“They send text messages out to every other major gossip in the army. Frankly, it's embarrassing. Or it would be, if the general were even remotely aware, but he seems to be completely oblivious to the entire thing. The most he notices in regards to how aware we are of the situation are the pin ups of Amidala. He gets real mad about those. So mad that he typically completely misses that those pin ups are a pair . Typically Amidala and him in compromising positions or clothing.” Bly’s jaw dropped. 

“No. Are you serious?? You’re kriffing with me, aren’t you?” Rex sighed, lifting his face from his hand and staring at Bly. 

“I wish. At this point I think most of them are repeat offenders and they just have her there in the hopes that he pays attention to their other pin ups. I think they’re hopeful that maybe if they can woo him then they can have a threesome. Hell, I’ve seen him go through barrack lockers and not even bat an eye at some of the pictures or sketches that troopers have of him in…questionable states of pleasure-”

“You have to be pulling our leg at this point,” Wolffe commented, raising an eyebrow incredulously. Rex flushed but shrank in on himself again, voice taking on a whiny tone. 

“I swear I’m not. He doesn’t react at all to the pin ups of him. Pretty much just Amidala. He does also react to some of the pin ups of Kenobi though, mostly going bright red before telling them that ‘he is my teacher! Show some respect and put his clothes back on!’ ” Bly turned his attention to Cody. 

“Is he telling the truth?” Cody rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah. Kenobi just gives the troopers disappointed looks when he finds their pin ups. Most of them never pin anything up again. He has specifically issued orders that anyone found with pin ups of Ahsoka is to report to him for sparring practice…though no one has come forward about someone being in possession of Ahsoka art or having it themselves. He never specified what kind of practice other than that it would make Alpha 17 weep with joy.” A shiver ran down their spines, each shaking their heads to dispel the memory of 17 grinning down at them as they knelt before him with shaking limbs and sweat dripping like rain from their skin. 

“Anyway, back on topic, what do you think the Guard’s song is going to be like?” Rex asked curiously. Cody sighed, glancing back at the screen. There was only a bit more time before the video the Guard had recorded went live on the holonet. 

“Probably something patriotic,” Cody said, shaking his head. Rex raised an eyebrow. 

“You don’t think it’ll be anything more… interesting than that?” Wolffe laughed at his question. 

“Everyone knows the Guard are just glorified pencil pushers. Really patriotic is the best they can hope for.” His smile was bitter and tinged with teeth, earning another concerned glance from Cody and Bly, but Wolffe ignored them in favor of grabbing one of the bottles Rex had brought with him. 

“Well I think it’ll be something encouraging to the GAR. And the public, but mostly directed at the GAR. I mean, this whole thing was supposed to be something to raise morale, right? So it’s gotta be directed at us!” Wolffe snorted. 

“Yeah, because every trooper wants to hear the Guard members praising us and trying to hype us up when they’re the ones sitting safe and cozy on Coruscant going to banquets and working six hour shifts.” Cody shot Wolffe a reprimanding glare, but the other commander ignored it. Which was incredibly annoying to Cody because he could see Bacara and Neyo watching them with narrowed eyes. 

Cody never liked the way those two focused on Fox. He was always their favorite of the CC batch. Fox never seemed to reciprocate the feeling of attachment since he was always glued at the hip to Wolffe, and Ponds would never let another batch steal one of his batchmates ( possessive bastard that he was ). But if Wolffe was the one separating from Fox and Ponds was dead…Cody could see all too clearly that this would be the perfect chance for them to snipe Fox out of their batch and into the others' batch. 

A harsh screech rang out through the room from the speakers, drawing the attention of every clone in the room to the screen as it darkened, white bleeding into black and making the red 000 even more painful to read in the shaded room. 

“Is everyone ready?” Cody perked up. That was Fox’s voice, though it was more gravelly and tired than he’d ever expected his brother to be. It sounded like he hadn’t slept in days and Cody could see the CMO’s stiffening at their tables, turning their attention sharply to the screen. 

“GET ON WITH IT!” Wolffe shouted, startling Cody and earning cheers of delight from the other troopers nearby. Cody glared at him but Wolffe didn’t even bother glancing back at him. 

“Good. Enjoy the show. And always remember, ib’tuur jatne tuur ash’ad kyr’amur.”

Wolffe snorted at the words as Fox’s chuckle filled the room, quickly fading into the delighted giggles of a child. Cody frowned, confused, leaning towards the screen as the triple zeros faded away. 

A blast of sound echoed from the speakers, knocking him back a bit from shock, eyes going wide at the harsh, aggressive instruments. Wolffe rolled his eyes. 

“LOOKS LIKE HE’S GOING WITH THE DRAMATIC ROUTE!” He shouted over the music as the screen shifted, showing shots of Coruscant. Cody ignored him in favor of looking at the areas shown on the screen. A simple overhead shot of Coruscant was the first image they were shown, just like what one could see from the cockpit of a ship as they came in to land. The second was the prisons, oddly enough. The Senate building was really only to be expected with, but it glitched and showed an image of dark, twisting stone tunnels with sharp runes cut into the walls. The hairs on the back of Cody’s neck straightened at the sight but it was gone in the blink of an eye, returned to the standard view of the Senate building entrance. 

“What the hell was that?? ” Bly hissed, form tense and hands clenching and unclenching. 

“I don’t know, vod, ” Cody murmured. The camera turned away from the Senate building, instead rushing towards a door a bit away and partially hidden. Any commander or superior officer in the room would easily recognize the nondescript door as the entrance to the Guard’s HQ. The door opened and the scene cut to a trooper standing in front of them, back to the camera, in blacks. 

It wouldn’t have been odd, except for the fact that there were numerous sets of armor in front of him, including a blank shiny set of armor, what appeared to be some kind of bounty hunter get up, an unfamiliar black set of armor with a dark green visor, and what was easily recognizable as Fox’s armor on the far end. And even closer to the clone were various different uniforms, including standard Blue Guard armor, a set of naval officer’s garments, and a Senate janitor uniform. 

“Whose skin am I putting on tonight?”

Cody immediately stiffened at the line as the clone stepped forward, tracing his hand over the various clothes and armor sets laid in front of him. He paused on Fox’s, grabbing the helmet and then hurling it at the camera. The last thing the camera saw before the scene switched was Fox’s helmet staring straight at the viewer behind the camera. 

Then suddenly they were in another room, showing an older clone using a power point to teach the shinies what to do in a different situation. A video played in the background, showing a senator slap a clone and begin screaming at them, though the vocals of the video were silent, instead giving the singer another line. 

“Getting ready for the show, as I run my lines.”

The clone in the video quickly began bowing and clearly simpering and scraping to appease the irate senator. She huffed, kicking him in the shin before storming off. The clone in the video flinched when he took a step forward, but he straightened his shoulders and marched off. 

“With the role I’m cast in, I’ll play it right.”

The new scene started by staring in the visor of a standard painted Guard trooper, slowly pulling back to reveal him pressed against the wall in parade rest as Senators and Representatives injected themselves with drugs or huffed small piles of powder from the tables in front of the clone. The more the camera zoomed out the more the clone seemed to disappear into the background, easily vanishing from the official’s attention as he stood perfectly still. 

Then it switched to another scene, with another standard trooper easily slipping into what looked like an office and slicing into the computer. Cody felt his eyebrows lift to his hairline as his jaw dropped in shock. Files reflected on the black visor but moved too quickly for anyone to see what exactly had been opened. The clone looked up, nodded, and grabbed a data spike, quickly using it to pull data before leaving, marching side to side with what had to be another clone. 

“Don’t you know my mask is the place I hide.”

A decommissioning order appeared on the screen, but the requester and description of the event that would require such a severe punishment changed so quickly that no one in the audience could read it. The pieces they did catch were strange and insane, including ‘trooper cannot properly make my caff order’ and ‘trooper refused to allow me access to the guest (prepubescent) that I had paid to have brought to my private office’. Then the decommissioning orders were gone and instead Fox was standing there, arm extended outwards to display row upon row of identical troopers. 

The only uniquely painted members were officers and commanders, but even those were few and far between, making it nearly impossible to identify which clone trooper was responsible for the ‘offense’. 

Various sentients that Cody had to assume were members of the Senate paused, looking unsure and confused as they tried to pick out the exact trooper they wanted to punish. 

“Is this why they have the numbers only rule?” Bly asked incredulously. 

“Or why they insist on having their armor on at all times?” Rex asked with dawning realization. 

The Senate members stormed off, looking furious and annoyed, but all the troopers were safe. Despite that, it was clear that every trooper was glaring at the departing officials. 

“And when the curtain’s drawn, I’ll set a curse upon you.”

Fox stepped forward, hands reaching towards the viewer only for the scene to melt into another. This time it was Fox holding tightly to thin, gossamer curtains, frame shaking with fury as the camera took in the sight of a trooper, restrained painfully tight with his blacks and armor discarded on the floor. Bloody bite marks marred the skin around his shoulders and neck, eyes dull and haunted with tear streaks shining slightly in the dim light. His legs were curled up towards his body, covering his nudity, but there were various colored fluids seeping into the bed beneath him. 

“What the kriff??” Wolffe hissed furiously. Cody could only stare in shock. The scene shifted again, this time to Fox standing behind a soft shell, some kind of slicer if what Cody could read on the screen was anything to go by. 

“Turn and face the lights,” the voice sang, showing Fox bringing up the holonet on his datapad. Despite that, his helmet was off and his head wasn’t looking down at his datapad. Instead, he was looking across at a senator, who was laughing as he groped what looked like a young girl while in his Senate pod. 

The doors to his pod opened and the senator stiffened when he found two DC-17’s pointed at him. Fox tilted his head aside and the screen of his datapad became visible to the viewer. Dozens of scandals were making headlines, including but not limited to the senator assaulting multiple young girls and embezzling funds meant to aid his planet with natural disasters. 

“You’re on a stage of fright!”

The senator tried to run only to go down to four stun rounds at close range. The other senators watched in shock as Fox seemed to scan over them, the camera focusing on a few central figures, including Orn Free Taa, Mas Amedda, and Burtoni. Then suddenly it jerked to the side, locking on the Chancellor, who was staring straight at Fox with a smile that was certainly not friendly.

“Sanity is what it costs you!” The camera view staggered, painted boots coming into vision unsteadily as they wavered and eventually crashed to the floor, helmet rolling off and showing a clone clutching his head, face hidden behind his hands. His entire form was shaking, hands clawing at his head, back bowed enough that Cody felt his own spine give a twinge of sympathy pain.

Familiar, dramatic robes appeared behind the clone, a weathered old hand grabbing the back of the clone’s neck and squeezing. The clone flinched as the Chancellor pet his head, not in the way someone might reassure another, but the way that an owner strokes the head of a pet. In the blink of an eye the Chancellor grabbed the hair of the clone and yanked them up, face grinning maliciously in the brief moment that the helmet caught sight of him. Despite that, there was no denying that it was certainly the Chancellor they were looking at. 

“Setting foot in my forgotten fortress.”

The scene melded into another, where the Chancellor wore a black cloak and approached a holo table, in the middle of a strange room. The walls seemed to writhe in the recording, the scratched runes almost appearing to move on their own the longer anyone focused on them. 

Then everyone’s attention was drawn to the holotable as it turned on and Count Kriffing Dooku appeared, kneeling in the image before the hooded Chancellor. It was clear from the video that the Chancellor was smirking, lips curled cruelly as he brought up battle plans, Republic battle plans, and shared them with the leader of the Separatist army. 

“No, karking way,” Wolffe whispered, voice horrified. He was the only one that managed to speak past the lump in his throat. Cody felt like his head was two feet to the right of his head and his chest was on fire as he stared at the familiar battle map and plans that he and Obi-wan had come up with, for a mission that had gone horribly wrong. No wonder nothing had gone right that time. 

The information was being fed straight to the enemy.

“I can fit you with a costume!”

The scene changed again, now the individual recording the entire thing staring down at a set of sleek black armor, the green visor in the helmet eerie and sickly. 

“Isn’t that the set-”

“From the start, yeah,” Rex whispered. The recorder looked up, seeing the Chancellor glaring at him and giving an annoyed gesture to hurry up. The person recording set down their helmet, neatly stacking their armor next to it before stepping back. Cody sucked in a breath at the stark, terrifying figure they cut. 

Everything about them looked wrong. Too sleek, too perfect, too alien to be a clone. They looked almost like an assassin droid, if more fleshed out and with more exposed weapons. The Chancellor nodded in approval before handing the clone a datapad. 

The video image glitched, now being overlaid through a green tinted visor. Cody stiffened and Bly gasped in shock at what they saw on the screen. There were cries of outrage from the audience as they realized what it was. 

A list of targets.

Familiar names, including many who had been fighting for a peaceful end to the war or clone rights, lined the datapad with the words Termination Targets listed at the top. Amidala was first on the list with Chuchi, Organa, and Mothma following quickly afterwards. There was an almost imperceptible tremble in the clone’s hand as they held the datapad, but they swiftly tucked it into their belt and robotically saluted the Chancellor. 

“This madhouse has no shortage.”

Suddenly the scene shifted to show Fox in his armor, directing other clones to put on disguises. Different janitorial uniforms, bounty hunter gear, and even naval officer outfits. Frankly the number of clothes and uniforms that were in that single image was terrifying. Cody had a feeling that the entire Guard could disguise themselves if they wanted. 

“It’s time to tear away,”

It was distinctly Fox singing now, his hands pointing and directing his troops smoothly as they gathered intel and credits for him. When the GAR troopers appeared at the doors of the Guard HQ it was quickly closed so they didn’t see the dozens of troopers getting dressed for jobs they definitely didn’t have. Fox shook his head when the younger troopers turned to him with pleading eyes, instead bringing up an image of Palpatine on a holotable, leaning forward the same way most clone commanders did when they were debriefing or planning an assault. 

“The weathered skin of yesterday.”

The scene changed again, now showing Palpatine as he laughed, lightning flashing from his fingers and hitting a thrashing sentient tied down to what looked eerily similar to a sacrificial altar. 

“Isn’t that…”

“General Koska,” Rex whispered. Everyone knew about the missing Jedi General. The media said she’d run away, that she’d fled her duties and disappeared into the night. Her battalion had claimed she was kidnapped and taken during a night raid, but there had been no evidence to support their claims until now. 

Gasps and shouts of rage rang out as the general jerked a few more times before going limp, eyes darkening. Palpatine swiftly moved forward, slitting their throat and letting them bleed on the altar. It glowed an eerie, familiar red. Sithly red. 

Then he turned towards the person recording, lifting a finger to his lips in a shushing motion with a cruel grin on his lips and malicious glee in his eyes. 

“Kinda like a secret.”

The image changed, now showing Fox’s commander armor standing there, Palpatine reflected on his visor as a red glow lit up the front of Fox’s armor. He was standing at parade rest and the image zoomed in on his eyes. 

Then something moved, the armor holding still as a figure leaned out from behind it. 

“I will never keep it.”

Fox shook his head and grinned as he sang his line, Taung gold eyes glowing with malicious intent. His fangs, which he’d hidden since his adult teeth had first grown in on Kamino, on full display for possibly the first time in his life. His hair was greying on the sides but still the familiar dark brown on the top, something it had started doing on Kamino just before they shipped out but now it was far more obvious. What had once been singular scattered strands of grey were now smooth highlights of silver. 

Fox looked horrible, worse than Cody had ever seen him. He was gaunt enough to give Crosshair and Echo a run for their money. His skin was still the familiar tan of the clones, but bright white scars curled up his skin. In particular, two lines of what looked like the same electrical scars Kenobi had on his body from fights with Dooku curled up the sides of Fox’s neck, branches wrapping like chains around his neck before curling over his jaw and ending in tiny branches that stretched underneath his eyes.

Fox lifted his hand, throwing his head back in a laugh before snapping his fingers and suddenly the scene changed again, now showing dozens of injured Guard members, glaring at the camera as they all sang. 

“We’ve been waiting every night and day,”  

The scene shifted, showing troopers being gunned down by rioting crowds during the middle of the day to troopers getting grabbed and pulled into alleys at night. It flipped again, revealing Senators selling state secrets with bright sunlight behind them to the ‘respected members of the Senate’ getting high and drunk in the evening galas. 

“To find a way,” the lyrics echoed through the room, almost sounding like they were coming from a distant hall somewhere behind Cody. He watched as dozens of troopers pulled out their comms and tried to send messages, tried to call, only for each of them to get a notice that the intended recipient had blocked them. He felt his heart clench when even Fox pulled out his comm, first bringing up Pond's number, then Wolffe, then Bly, then Cody. 

And not once did it go through.

They could see dozens of messages on his screen, sent with no reply. And yet when Cody pulled out his comm, there wasn’t a single message from Fox on his comm. He’d sent several, both check-ins and questions asking how Fox was doing, but there had never been a response unless he reached out through official channels. 

“To scream!”

The screen fragmented into different video clips like a broken mirror. One screen showed a clone sobbing as his clothes were ripped off and a very recognizable blue Twi’lek buried his cock in the clone’s ass. Another showed a clone being tortured and eventually lit on fire by the Black Sun Syndicate. The images flickered quickly, various individuals being replaced over and over by different faces, but either way one thing remained the same. 

Clones were always the victims. 

“With voices in the-”

The screens had an overlay of the Guard standing in parade formation, helmets gazing back at the viewer through the screen as their suffering was displayed for the galaxy to see. Cody felt sick, his stomach revolting at the scenes that were casually on display. 

Even if private parts were carefully cut from view and particularly brutal wounds were blurred slightly, that didn’t change the horror of what was being shown to them. The screens changed again, now showing members of the Guard with their armor stripped to their waists. Massive scars branched across their chests and backs, with some even having karking electro whip marks burned into their skin. Others had what looked like animal bites and claw marks slashed through their skin, easily targeting their necks and jugular. 

“Don’t you run,”  

The view changed again, now looking at the Chancellor and Fox together as the Chancellor put his hand on Fox’s shoulder. It was clear from how stiff his stance was that Fox was distinctly uncomfortable and wanted to pull away, but he couldn’t remove himself from the grinning Chancellor’s grasp. 

“Don’t even look away.” The view shifted again, now looking from Fox’s perspective as the Red Guard closed in and began mercilessly beating the trooper they’d previously been looking from. The worst part was the screen seemed to glitch and the trooper was replaced with another. 

It was a subtle shift, the different dents and scrapes on the armor barely noticeable in the context of the scene, but for a clone it was all too obvious. But it became most obvious when it finally finished the scene with Commander Stone on his knees, hands tied behind his back as Mas Amedda grinned, lifting an electro whip and slashing it down across Stone’s back. 

Stone flinched but didn’t cry out, not that Cody could see at least. He just kept his head down and lips shut as he was struck again and again. 

And again and again and again andagain andagain-

The Chancellor finally lifted his hand, a gesture Cody had seen him use a thousand times in holoclips to calm or quiet the Senate. Instead it was now showing Stone some mercy, as though the clone weren’t being beaten and whipped on his orders.

“You’re here to stay.”

The look in the Chancellor’s eyes was terrifying as suddenly Fox collapsed to his knees, head being tilted up by Palpatine’s hand. The helmet was trembling slightly as the Chancellor smirked, eyes narrowing cruelly. Then the visor glitched in a way that was all too familiar to those who had fought Dooku’s Magna Guard. 

Or rather, familiar to someone hit by an electro staff. 

The same kind carried by the Red Guard. 

“Are they hitting Fox?!?” Wolffe whispered in horrified shock. 

“You’ll bleed!”

Dozens of Guard troopers cringed back as light fell upon them, the floor beneath stained red from how much cumulative blood had spilled beneath them. Not a single one was uninjured, though it seemed most attacks avoided the face. Not all were unmarred, with some having split lips and black eyes or others with large cuts or claw marks slicing through their skin. 

“Little gods, that vod’s face is barely hanging on,” Bly choked, staring at one particular clone, whose cheek was flapping around freely whenever he moved before a medic approached and began doing what they could to secure the flesh. 

“With voices in the dark!”

Suddenly all the eyes of the Guard members in the video locked on the viewer, appearing to almost glow in the darkness. It was a terrifying image, with dozens of golden amber eyes staring out from the shadows. Before the scene could continue, it switched again with a new line, cutting off the last line of the chorus. 

“Whose voice am I ripping out tonight?”

The singer’s voice changed, and the camera turned, allowing the viewer to catch a glimpse of the new speaker in an elegant mirror on the wall. Red paint curled and shone in a new, but easily recognizable, pattern. 

“Thire?” Cody heard himself whisper. 

The camera turned away from the mirror, instead scanning the halls and focusing on a group of Senators herding what looked like two shinies into a private office. Immediately Thire began moving quicker, quickly approaching the group and pulling the troopers away. The senators shot glares at the youngest commander, but he ignored them in favor of directing the shinies away. 

Before Thire could move away though, a hand reached out and grabbed his arm. He paused, head tilting as he stared at the senate members, taking in the cruel grins. Then he was yanked forward into the darkened office, light disappearing as the door closed behind him. 

“Hear it echo through the halls where the truth once died!”

“Not even the commanders are safe,” Bly whispered, voice hoarse. 

Suddenly there was a group of senators and representatives standing in front of them. The central figures were easily recognizable as Organa, Chuchi, and Amidala, but the others around them directed soft smiles at the person behind the helmet camera. They seemed to glow with a warm, gentle light. Their faces were still fairly young, and…

Actually now that Cody was looking they looked far more relaxed than he’d ever seen. 

Then shadowy figures appeared behind them, leaning over and whispering to each other before slowly approaching and pulling figures from the group, causing them to flicker and vanish. Stress and exhaustion grew on the faces of those left behind as the glowing group shrank beneath the stalking shadows. 

“Every line’s a trap that I set with style.”

A dejarik board appeared on the screen, camera pulling back to show Palpatine waving and smiling on a stage. He made a saddened expression, bringing his hands up to his chest and laying them over his heart. Despite that, dozens of bills and laws appeared in the background behind him, highlighting lines as it went. 

…Supreme Chancellor has ultimate authority over the Republic’s progression…

…Wartime law delays Chancellor reelections until the conflict is dealt with…

…Supreme Chancellor is no longer subject to purview and oversight from the Jedi Order as stated in the Ruusan Reformation…

A sick feeling grew in Cody’s stomach with each highlighted line he read, eyes widening in horror as he realized exactly how much power had been placed in Palpatine’s hands. 

“Every grin I wear is a sharpened lie.”

The scene changed again, showing Palpatine reaching out and smiling pleasantly at dozens of different figures. The public, the Senate, Skywalker, Amidala-

“A thought occurs, did you guys ever consider if Palpatine…set up Skywalker and Amidala?” Bly whispered, face green and ill with the thought. Cody glanced back at the screen, watching as the people Palpatine was smiling at turned away, pleased or reassured looks on their faces. The Chancellor’s eyes opened and his smile immediately became manipulative as his eyes gleamed coldly, studying the people in front of him like they were insects or pawns in his game. 

“I don’t want to think about that, vod,” Rex whispered weakly. 

“And when the scene begins, let the horror in, and freeze beneath the lights,”

Strangely, the scene cut to-

“Kamino??” Wolffe asked in confusion. Rex sucked in a breath, eyes going wide as he stared at the figure on the screen, who was backing away from a terminal. 

“Fives?”  

The clone turned, camera catching sight of Fives’ tattoo and goatee as he fled the room. It was distant enough that it wasn’t a helmet camera, instead likely to be a security camera tracking Fives as he fled the room in horror. 

The scene cut again, instead showing Palpatine talking to Fives, smile wide and cruel as Fives watched him with wide, horrified eyes. Palpatine finished circling the 501st trooper and then put on a faux sad expression, and gestured to Fives with a smug grin. The camera jerked forward robotically, arms lifting and pointing their DCs at him. Fives’ eyes widened further, snapping between the Guard troopers before straightening and lunging forward, quickly fighting with the Guards and dodging the blaster bolts they fired at him. 

Just when Fives managed to disarm one of the Guardsmen and point the rifle at the Chancellor, the doors opened and General Ti rushed into the room, more troopers on her heels. Fives shot the Chancellor a murderous glare before jumping out the window, quickly escaping the shots fired at him. 

Then suddenly they were in the warehouse. 

“This is from Fox’s view,” Rex whispered hoarsely. Cody stiffened, shooting a worried glance at Rex before returning his eyes to the screen. Sure enough, he could see Skywalker and Rex kept in a barrier to the right of the screen, but the focus was locked on Fives. 

Fives had a panicked look on his face, pupils abnormally dilated and sweat shining on his skin. His hands were halfway up beside his head, though whether he’d been clutching his head or nearly surrendering to Fox, Cody wasn’t sure. Fives was frozen for a moment before he lunged for the blasters sitting nearby, Rex’s blasters, and the rifle in Fox’s hands discharged. 

“You’re in my script tonight!”

The instant the shot impacted Fives’ chest plate, red spread across the screen, hiding the scene from the viewers. It faded away, slightly as the viewer turned away from an incinerator to look at the Chancellor’s smug, vicious face. 

Palpatine stared at the incinerator with sharp amusement, as though Fives’ desperate struggles had been a mere momentary amusement. 

“That sick bastard! ” Rex roared, fists clenched furiously. “He told us Fives’ body had been sent to Kamino and that’s why we couldn’t properly put him to rest. Instead he watched it burn?!?”

“Now your name is what it costs you!”

The scene changed once more, now showing the back of a trooper’s head as they were offered a red and white helmet. The trooper stared for a minute before reaching out and accepting the offering. The camera tilted up slightly and Cody’s eyes widened at the sight of Thorn, tired and clearly stressed but determined, nodding sharply to the trooper. 

The trooper put the helmet on and rose to his feet, saluting Thorn as the commander nodded. 

“In the silence where the walls are shifting.”

Nausea welled in Cody as they were returned to the dark halls with strange, roiling runes covering the walls. Fox, leading the group at the front, stepped into what was obviously a throne room, with a massive black stone throne facing the entry way. He flicked his hand out in the standard search pattern ARC hand sign that clones learned. Immediately the group split up, beginning to sweep the room, sometimes testing the walls in places until a door on the side opened up. 

Heading inside the new room, they found it was mostly full of actual flimsi books, bound in an unfamiliar leather. Several appeared to be handwritten in a strange, twisting script that resembled the runes on the walls around them. 

Fox slowly turned the pages of the book he’d selected, helmet turning slightly as he looked between the pages. 

“Let me dress you in a plot too,”

A new door opened, leading them into what could only be called a trophy room. Dozens of lightsabers, big and small, were set on the walls. Cultural artifacts were set on pedestals around the room, most of them focused on figures twisted in agony. Fox paused in front of a wall decoration, turning to study it more closely. Wolffe choked on his spout. 

“Are those karking beskads?” He asked incredulously. 

Two beautiful beskar swords hung on the wall, blades crossed and gleaming in the faint light. A golden skull-like mask sat above them, but Fox only had eyes for the blades, reaching up to trace the faint inscription on the blades themselves. He stiffened, turning his head to look at a new trooper that came racing in. Whatever they said had the whole group running, racing down red lit corridors until they arrived at a hall of cells. 

“You can scream, but no one’s listening.”

As they got closer, hands reached through the bars towards them. 

Fox collapsed to his knees, reaching back through the bars to embrace the clone, looking no older than eight clone years old, as they sobbed and clutched tightly to Fox’s armor. Cody sucked in a breath as more faces, thin, scarred, and exhausted appeared, reaching for Fox and the Guardsmen desperately. 

“Have they been… tortured?” someone whispered, horrified. Some of the troopers had strange growths that ripped through their skin and clothes, others were clearly infected with diseases and were too exhausted to even get up and approach Fox. 

Fox’s fist clenched, and Cody swore that if he were there he’d be able to hear Fox’s glove creaking the same way Skywalker’s leather glove creaked and squeaked when he clenched his fist. 

Fox lifted his hand, making an unfamiliar sign that earned sharp nods from the others in the room as they rapidly began opening the cells and scooping their brothers over their shoulders or into their arms. The figures disappeared into the dark hallways, vanishing within the twisting shadows ahead. 

“It’s time to fade away.”

Fox brought up his comm, two figures flickering into view. Thire and Stone stared back at him, nodding sharply at whatever piece of information Fox had shared with them. The comm clicked off and Fox returned down the main path into the throne room. He paused in front of the throne, staring at it, back facing the camera. 

“Your fragile mind’s the price to pay.”

The scene cut to different brothers clutching their heads, a few doubled over trash compactors throwing up whatever rations they’d eaten soon. Thire watched over them with concern written clear on his face, before shaking his head and straightening his shoulders. He shouted some kind of order, though the audio wasn’t connected to the video, gaining the attention of every Guard there. When he finished talking, several tried to lunge at him, tears shining in furious eyes. 

Thire stared back at them, letting them shout and rage for a moment before speaking. Immediately the troopers went still, eyes widening with fear before they straightened, rising full to their feet and saluting Thire, eyes hardened and dangerous as they nodded. 

“And kind of like a secret,”

Suddenly the screen changed again, showing Stone on a different planet. It was easy to recognize that he was no longer on Coruscant based on the green plant life surrounding him. He tilted his head back, looking up from a crouched position at whoever was recording. 

Behind him was a gaping hole in the dirt, like a gaping wound on the surface of the planet they were standing on. Stone tilted his head and the perspective changed again. 

“You’ll become my deepest.”

Now the viewer was looking up from the bottom of the hole at Stone, crouched over what was now obviously supposed to be a grave. He tossed in a handful of dirt as he sang the line, the specks of dirt scattering and blocking the view for a minute. 

“What are they burying?” Bly murmured worriedly. Cody stared at the screen for a moment before speaking. 

“I’m more concerned that they’re digging something up. ” 

A shiver ran through the clones at the table, Rex and Wolffe both shooting him concerned glances. 

“We’ve been waiting every night and day,” the Guard sang, helmets tracking the Chancellor as he strode through the Senate halls. They were almost unnoticeable with how the crowd of senators and politicians swirled around the Chancellor, but it was clear that the person recording from their helmet was focusing on them and showing exactly how the troopers slowly, subtly turned their heads to follow the Chancellor. 

If anyone asked, they were just doing their duty and ensuring the safety of the most important man in the Republic, after all. Nothing suspicious here at all. 

The Chancellor kept twitching though, as though someone kept jabbing him in the side. When he got a break the Chancellor shot a glare at the nearest trooper. If they were supposed to react to his attention, they didn’t, instead continuing to stare straight at him even as Palpatine’s eyes narrowed. 

“He’s acting the same way Jedi do when they can tell they’re being watched,” Bly whispered. Cody stiffened, eyes widening as he realized it was accurate. Obi-wan always twitched whenever he sensed the medics spying on him, making sure he wasn’t hiding an injury from them. He’d never really noticed it except when the medics hunted Obi-wan for sport, but now that he was thinking about it, Obi-wan typically twitched the exact same way before turning to look for enemy recon. 

“Like he can sense them watching him.” Cody murmured. 

“But that’s-he’s not a Jedi…right? He can’t do that?” Rex asked, voice raising in pitch as his face drained of blood. 

“That altar he sacrificed General Koska on was looking very karkin’ Sithy, vod, ” Wolffe murmured, keeping his eyes on Palpatine. 

“To find a way,”

They were back in Guard HQ, with Fox looking over almost a dozen different datapads with a gimlet eye. Suddenly someone burst through the door. His helmet was off but the video didn’t catch his face, zooming in on the datapad he held over his hands. Cody blinked in surprise at the familiar video shining from the screen, clones laughing and shoving each other. 

“Is that-”

“One of the karking Battalion Band Battle videos?” Wolffe finished. “Sure as hell looks like it.”

“Maroon paint, that’s the Outer Rim Garrison alright. See? You can spot Keeli right…there.” Bly pointed out the Captain in the video. “I remember because the footage they used was old, going back before Ima Gundi and Keeli were taken out by the Seppies.”

Fox’s eyes widened as he accepted the offered datapad, staring at it for a moment before his eyes widened. To their surprise, writing, script lines appeared on the screen. 

What’s the current popularity of this?

The trooper who’d brought it to Fox saluted and began speaking. 

High and rising, sir. We’ve already received several official comms from half a dozen commanders asking if we’d like to join in on the entire thing.

Fox bit his lip, tapping the datapad thoughtfully before passing it back to the trooper. 

Tell them no, for now. The troopers in the room startled, turning towards Fox in surprise. 

…Sir?

Fox grinned, teeth sharp and deadly in the light. 

If it continues rising in popularity, there’s bound to be a point where the Chancellor orders us to participate. If we display premature interest…

Then he’ll actually want to pay attention to what sort of video we make. But if we don’t show interest… Thire began, eyes wide in the video as he snapped to look at Fox, who grinned sharply. 

If we don’t show interest, there’s a higher chance he’ll leave it up to us to ‘make something up for the good of the citizen’s morale’. We’d have free reign.

The trooper who brought the datapad in the first place shifted from side to side uncomfortably. Finally he straightened and spoke again. What if it never reaches that level of popularity? This could be our chance, and we need to-

I know things are different here compared to your old battalion but remember that the Chancellor has been playing your general for years. What your general would do in order to achieve success is not something that works on Coruscant. Here, we have to play by his rules.  

Fox’s eyes were narrowed dangerously and a frustrated glare took up most of his face. The other trooper slumped slightly but nodded slowly. 

Patience is the name of the game, trooper. Don’t worry. Fox clapped a hand on the trooper’s shoulder, giving him a vicious, supportive smile. You’ll get your chance.

“To scream!”

Slicers sat in front of dozens of screens, fingers tapping away at their keys as they collected files into a single, massive document. Fox oversaw the whole thing, passing them datapads that they downloaded new data from whenever it seemed like they’d finished with one datapad. 

Across the screens what little they could see appeared to be investigation reports and crime scenes, each carefully checked to make sure they were completely legitimate and legally binding before being added to the mass document. 

“With voices in the-”

Troopers in white and red painted armor stared out from shadowy halls. Despite the eerie atmosphere, the dark red floor, and sterile walls, pieces of artwork and large windows casting a bit of light on the clones revealed that the hall they were standing in was actually a part of the Senate Rotunda rather than the creepy Sithly area that most other concerning scenes had taken place in. 

“Don’t you run,”

Palpatine looked over his shoulder, raising them slightly in discomfort as he walked through the halls of the Senate. The Red Guard marched steadily beside him, keeping the Guard at a distance as they all watched. It almost looked like they’d doubled in number, with doors being guarded by four clones instead of the standard two. 

“Don’t even look away.”

As soon as Palpatine looked away from a group of clones, switching his attention to another group watching, whoever he looked away from marched forward. Their steps were perfectly even and synchronized, just like they’d been trained. The Chancellor’s attention snapped back to the movement, giving the other clones a chance to move. 

His face contorted with rage for a moment but he was distracted by a group of Senators approaching and trying to converse with him. There was a noticeable twitch in his eye as he spoke to them, smile forced and teeth gritted. The senators slumped slightly at something he told them, only for Palpatine to jump sharply as Fox seemingly appeared out of thin air to hand him a datapad. 

Palpatine’s frame shook, though whether it was with rage or fear Cody couldn’t tell. He practically snatched the datapad from Fox’s hand, and-

“Oh, shit,” Cody whispered in surprise. Bly laughed, the sound practically dragged from his throat. 

“Well at least someone’s having fun,” he squeaked, easily reading the smug, familiar way Fox’s helmet had tilted. It was a minute change. A regular civilian, or really anyone not used to reading body language through armor, would’ve easily missed the slight movement. Or perhaps a normal person would’ve dismissed it as him being startled by the harsh manner in which the Chancellor accepted the datapad. 

But to a clone?

To a clone Fox might as well have been laughing in the Chancellor’s face. And frankly, between muting the helmet’s external speakers and Fox’s absolute precise control of his body in armor, he very well could’ve been laughing in Palpatine’s face. 

“You’re here to stay.”

The Chancellor appeared in his office, smile tense as he spoke to a group of representatives, script once more appearing on the screen to clue the viewers into what exactly he was saying. 

I think perhaps I’ve been overly stressed. I fear that my health could be at risk, if I don’t take a chance to get some form of respite. I believe a short trip to Naboo should provide some relief and allow me to properly recover.

The scene cut, showing Palpatine approaching a ship, easily a luxury ship that only the highest ranked politicians could afford. It was a beautiful thing, really. All sleek lines and perfect, minimalized frame waste. Aerodynamic both in space and in the air. 

Suddenly the Chancellor was thrown back, narrowly getting caught by Commander Fox as the ship exploded, shrapnel flying everywhere as Fox practically dragged Palpatine back towards the Senate. For all that Palpatine put on a frightened act, face paling and clutching to Fox, his grip was cracking Fox’s armor and murderous rage filled his eyes. 

“I remember hearing about this!” Rex said suddenly, eyes wide. “It was written off as a Separatist assassination attempt, one that got really close, too. Thankfully Fox managed to get the Chancellor out of the line of fire…or so the reports said.”

“Looking like it was someone else who set up the whole thing,” Wolffe murmured with a weak grin. His eyes were glued to the screen, concern and fear flickering through his gaze as he watched his brother. 

“You’ll bleed!”

The scene cut back to that strange rune covered place, this time focusing on the trophy room that they’d seen earlier. Thire and Stone stepped through it, Fox standing further ahead next to the beskads on the wall. 

Thire reached up, pulling a weapon off the wall. The main area was a staff with a long, curved blade at the end. Additionally the opposite end had a strange hollow circle feeding up into the pole, making the base a bit thicker than usual. Another clone, unidentifiable with the standard trooper armor on, grabbed two lightsabers and swung them at Thire.

Immediately the commander blocked with the staff. Cody stiffened, seeing his brothers do the same, but the lightsabers flickered and shut off when the blades hit the staff. 

“Cortosis??” Bly breathed in shock, the metal now recognizable. “That bladed staff must’ve cost a fortune to make.” Thire nodded with satisfaction before spinning the staff in his hand, even lifting it higher off the ground and pressing a button almost perfectly hidden within the intricate detailing on the staff. 

Cody jolted as the bottom section of the bladed staff lit up, the familiar glow of a lightsaber lighting the room in a brilliant yellow glow as Thire spun and whipped the staff around fluidly, as if he’d been training with it for years. 

“Is that a fucking woldo with a lightsaber on the bottom??” Wolffe hissed incredulously. But the clip hadn’t finished yet as Stone hadn’t picked his weapon from the wall. 

The taciturn commander pulled two crescent shaped scythes off the wall, noting that they were connected to a long chain from handle to handle. He slashed them through the air for a moment before nodding to the unidentified trooper. Again, the other slashed a pair of lightsabers at them. 

Immediately Stone slashed with the scythes, the blades lighting up with a white glow as he blocked the swift slashes. He wrapped the chain around his opponent, yanking on it and forcing them to release their hold on the lightsaber before throwing his second blade, only narrowly missing the trooper’s helmet as the blade buried itself in the wall behind him, Sithly red runes lighting up furiously as the blade partially melted through them. 

Before they could see what Fox grabbed, the scene cut again. 

“With voices in the dark!”

Troopers slipped into the throne room, several taking sniper positions on the ceiling as the person recording on the helmet watched. The large banquet tables to the side of the room were lifted and moved, carried from the room into the trophy room, freeing a large area of space. 

Before they could see any more though, the screen seemed to glitch and suddenly they were on Kamino. 

“All we wanted was your heart.”

Dozens of young clones looked up at whoever was recording, eyes wide and hopeful. Several were clearly fighting back smiles and failing miserably. Others shifted in place, almost hopping from foot to foot as they waited for something.  

Then a fist lashed out and the cadets jolted, recoiling from the person recording. Cody stiffened when he recognized the gauntlet, old memories rising swiftly to the surface. 

“Is this a recording from fucking Dred Priest’s helmet???” Bly hissed in shock. Sure enough, the clones retreated away from the clenched fists and grasping hands that wore horribly familiar gauntlets on them. Cody remembered hearing Priest brag that he’d had the knuckles of his gauntlets customized to raise like spikes whenever he clenched his fist. 

“Better for ensuring my opponent doesn’t get up twice,” he’d cheered viciously as he brutally beat a cadet to death. That had been one of the few times when Prime had actually gotten mad and interfered with what Priest was doing. 

Otherwise?

The clones were on their own. 

“Come break it open, make it art!”

“Holy… shit!” Rex breathed as the sight of the Guard barracks came into view. Not a single GAR trooper had ever managed to get inside the barracks. Perhaps that was a good thing considering the massive heart painted on the walls, looking like a living beating thing as it took up most of the wall above the bunks. 

Blood dripped down the wall from it and Cody couldn’t tell if the blood was real, painted, or just done for the video, but it led down to several familiar nondescript buckets. The same type of buckets that every battalion got their paint in. 

With the way the video was set up, it genuinely looked like the paint was blood. 

“Every beat a brand new start.”

The scene switched back to Kamino, showing hundreds of troopers standing at parade rest, waiting for their assignments. The screen pulsed in time with the music and new rows of troopers appeared each time it did. They saluted in time with the pulsing screen and Cody shivered at the sight. 

With the line being sung and the visual it was a strange, eerie reminder of exactly how many clones had been produced. Cody had never really thought of how it would look to an outsider when they first saw the rows upon rows of identical faces, but now that he was the one on the other end…

It was unsettling. 

The screen zoomed in on a single trooper in the front row, the clones around him fading into the background as he didn’t so much as twitch. His armor was still perfectly white and shiny, not a single dent or scrape to be seen. Yet his visor was terrifyingly empty as the camera got closer to him. 

“Come become ours and play your PART!”

The screen flickered and suddenly the trooper was staring back at the camera, armor now painted in a red that dripped like blood. Nausea swelled in Cody as the camera panned out to show senators laughing as they did drugs, ate exotic delicacies, and generally wasted the credits that their constituents paid them. 

Once again, just like the earlier banquet scene the trooper was firmly a background character, almost disappearing against the wall as he watched the entire scene play out before him. The screen cut again, now showing Fox standing in a fresher, hands pressed against the counter as he glared at the mirror. 

“Who am I?”

Records flashed on the screen, dozens of commendations, test scores, medals, and reports came into view before falling down, scattering across the floor around Fox’s feet as he shoved everything on the counter to the floor. 

He lifted his hands, clutching his head with a pained expression. Cody watched worriedly as Fox let out a silent frustrated yell as the song continued on. 

“Who are you?”

Cody shivered at the image of Fox in his reflection. It was still Fox, but it was staring down at him with cold, distant eyes. Every movement the reflection made was stilted and mechanical, like a droid pretending to be a human. 

Subtitles appeared on the screen, bright bold letters in red with a black outline. 

GOOD SOLDIERS FOLLOW ORDERS

The words caused Fox to straighten up, glaring at the mirror as he sang the next line. 

“Mirror lies!”

The mirror cut through dozens of different reflections. Fox in his armor, the black and green set they’d seen earlier, shiny white new armor, a janitor’s uniform. It kept flashing between dozens of outfits as Fox lifted his fist, the reflection moving with him. 

He smashed his fist into the mirror and it shattered, shards falling around him. 

“Mimic truth!”

Suddenly Fives was shown on screen. Rex’s breath hitched as he stared at the body, armor plate still glowing, before his eyes widened as Fives stiffened. The ARC trooper jerked upright with a clear gasp, hands shaking as he quickly pressed them along his chest, patting at the armor in confusion. Another clone’s body was brought out, revealing an identical clone. To be fair, all clones were identical but it was the minute details that gave them away. The faintest of wrinkles or slightly different tans from time exposed without a helmet. Subtle scars that could only be seen up close. The only difference between the new trooper and Fives was the lack of an Aurebesh 5 on their temple. 

It was mildly terrifying to look at, even with the knowledge that they were all collectively clones and there had to be at least one doppelganger for every trooper somewhere out there. 

Fives turned, looking at Fox in confusion as the Commander extended a Coruscant Guard helmet to him. Fox said something and understanding dawned on Five’s face. Movement drew Cody’s attention to Stone, half out of view from behind Fives with his helmet covering his face and Cody’s eyes widened. 

“We saw this scene earlier,” he whispered in shock. 

“Hide your face,”

Fives accepted the helmet, staring at it in his hands for a moment before lifting it and putting it on his head. Thire stepped forward with the rest of a Coruscant Guard’s armor, Stone reaching forward and swiftly unlocking Fives’ armor. Once his armor was off Stone swiftly began putting the armor on the other clone as Fives donned the Guard set.

“No way…” Rex whispered, hope budding in his eyes. 

“Change the view!”

Suddenly the screen shifted to the inside of a helmet visor, tainting everything blue as the scenes inside the visor changed over and over. From criminal senators to a sadistic chancellor, to GAR troopers glaring and spitting at the Guard. Scene after scene flashed across it before the person inside the helmet-

Before Fives-

Looked down at his hands. He clenched them into fists and straightened, the visor now only showing Fox, Thire, and Stone standing in front of him, each with a bacta patch on their temple. Fives snapped into a crisp salute, earning a nod from the three commanders. 

“Become a voice inside the-”

Suddenly they were back inside the trophy room, now staring at the walls upon walls of weapons, armor, and hideous art. 

A shaky hand reached towards a strange orb sitting on a plush velvet pillow before the scene cut out again. 

“We’ve been waiting every night and day,”

They were back in the throne room, and Cody felt his jaw drop as he stared at Fox. His brother was lounging in the throne, helmet tilted to the side as he rested his head on his fist. He looked like some kind of bored emperor, only lifting his head when there was movement at the door. 

A furious Palpatine stepped into the room, snarling at Fox as the clone commander stared imperiously down at the old man. Palpatine pointed a shaking finger at Fox, mouth moving soundlessly and spittle flying as his face turned a horrifically bright shade of red. 

“Is he having a stroke?” Bly murmured hesitantly. 

“To find a way,”

Fox rose to his feet, head tilting as he swayed slightly, frame loose and relaxed. The movement drew attention to the two sheaths attached to his hips, sitting just under the kama and above the thigh holsters for Fox’s dual blaster set. 

Palpatine continued into the room, and he was about halfway to the throne before someone else moved on the screen. Thire and Stone stepped forward from beside the throne, visors glowing slightly as they faced down the furious Chancellor. 

“To scream!”

Both drew their weapons, Stone keeping his hold steady and unmoving as Thire spun his in a display of skill. The Chancellor paused, glaring hatefully at the two clones that dared to stand in his way and wield weapons that his lineage had collected over the centuries against him. 

Meanwhile Fox simply stared down at Palpatine from where he stood in front of the throne.

“What are they doing?” Rex whispered. 

“With voices in the-”

More clones filed into the room, lining against the walls with rifles in their hands. Even more confusing, what looked like a torture droid joined them and stood behind the throne, optics scanning over the area in front. Palpatine seemed even more irate at the droid’s presence, barely paying any attention to the other clones filling the room and keeping their eyes on him. 

“Don’t you run,”

The door that Palpatine had entered through shut sharply behind him, causing the Chancellor to twist, turning to look at it. His eyes widened as the runes on the wall began to glow red and pulse harshly, washing the entire room red. 

The Guards looked like they’d been completely dipped in blood and had then painted their armor with ink rather than paint. In contrast the Chancellor looked sickly and monstrous as the light cast his furious snarl in unflattering angles. 

He turned and pointed a finger at Fox, clearly attempting to order the Commander around, but Fox simply pulled off his helmet and tapped his temple, where a thin silver line was faintly visible in the red light. Palpatine’s eyes widened and he took a single step back, causing the entire crowd of troopers to tense, rifles lifting slightly. 

How is this possible?? How are you doing this?

The lines appeared as Palpatine’s mouth moved. Then a single standard trooper stepped forward and removed his helmet. 

“Don’t even look away.”

A faint whimper escaped Rex at the sight of Fives once more facing the Chancellor down, eyes narrowed with fury. Despite that, it was Fox who spoke, answering the Chancellor’s question. 

You gave us orders that Fives was not to survive our encounter. You additionally told us that Fives was never to leave Coruscant. 

A sly grin curled over Fox’s face as he bared his fangs. 

You never told us how long he had to stay dead. And as a Guardsman, I could assign him wherever I wanted so he would never leave Coruscant as long as we still had those damn chips in.

“Chips?” Bly asked. 

“It was what Fives was raving about,” Rex answered, face pale. “He claimed the Kaminoans put chips in our heads that could override our free will if the correct order was given. He kept claiming that the conspiracy went all the way up, that the Chancellor was involved. At the time it sounded like he’d truly lost his mind, but now…”

“Now it’s looking a lot more accurate,” Wolffe murmured. Fox spoke again, grin still clear on his face as he spoke. 

And once our chips were out, we remembered. This place. What you’ve done. Who you really are. What your real goals are. You thought we were still completely oblivious. You laughed at us while you tortured our brothers below our feet. But we remembered. And now we had everything we needed to finally set you up and finish you. 

Palpatine scoffed. 

Finish me?

“You’re here to stay.”

Fox spread his arms wide, gesturing to the entire room. 

Take it all in, Sidious. It’s the last place you’ll ever see. 

Palpatine sneered. 

“You’ll bleed!”

We’ll see about that.

He reached for something in his robe pockets, pulling out two horribly familiar cylinders. Cody’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. 

“With voices in the dark!”

Fox drew the blades at his hip, two beskads gleaming in the red light. He pointed one of them at Palpatine, as the other ignited the two lightsabers in his hand. Two red plasma blades joined the runes in lighting the room as Fox and Fives put their helmets back on. 

“We’ve been waiting every night and day,”

Stone and Thire rushed forward, moving in tandem with each other, forcing Palpatine back and slowing him down as he whirled his blades around like a glowing red tornado of dismembered limbs and death. 

Blaster fire lit up the room as the troopers standing against the wall sporadically took their chance to shoot the Chancellor whenever they saw it. The furious snarl on Palpatine’s face only grew as he was forced to deflect blaster bolts with lightsabers still glitching and flickering from contact with cortosis. Additionally Stone was doing everything he could to yank the sabers out of Palpatine’s hands or trip him up, pulling him off balance whenever he could. 

“To find a way,”

Fox moved forward, rushing to join his brothers in the fight as Palpatine seemed to curl up on himself, back bowing like a furious, hissing loth cat. There was a moment where everything seemed to be going well before Palpatine curled his hands into claws and thrust them out and away from him. 

“To scream!”

A shockwave flashed out from the Chancellor, Stone and Thire going flying, barely landing on their feet as several troopers were lifted off their feet and tossed against the wall. As soon as he was given a minute to breath, lightning flashed from Palpatine’s fingers, lashing out and striking every trooper within range. Several dropped to their knees, bodies shaking and spasming helplessly. 

Fox, who had skidded back when the original shockwave- no, Force push Cody realized- went off, straightened and lunged forward. Palpatine snarled at him, raising a hand and lifting Fox off the floor before throwing him back into the throne. 

Fox curled in the air, just like when they’d first been trained in zero gravity maneuvers and positioned himself to land on his feet as Stone threw one of his scythes, slashing through Palpatine’s arm on the way past the old man and nearly taking off his arm on the way back if Palpatine hadn’t yanked it back, releasing whatever hold on Fox he’d had in the Force. 

“With voices in the-”

Fives rushed forward, tossing the orb they’d seen earlier towards the Chancellor. Palpatine sneered and slashed it with his lightsaber, causing a bright flash before something inside expanded, a wall of membrane filling the area. Cody tensed, but relaxed when he realized it didn’t seem to keep anyone from breathing inside the area. Palpatine lifted his hand towards Fives, curling his fingers as though he were holding a cup. 

His eyes widened and he shrieked furiously when nothing happened, eyes flicking around the walls in search of an exit. 

“What just happened?” Wolffe asked. 

“I think that was some kind of anti-Force grenade,” Bly whispered, voice awed. “Aayla’s talked about them a few times when her Jedi Master told her about finding some. They create an area where no one can use the Force. They can’t enhance their strength, their speed, or use the Force as a weapon.”

“An anti-Jedi or anti-Sith area!” Rex whispered, eyes wide. 

“Don’t you run,”

Palpatine attempted to back away, to find an area where he could use the Force, but Fox took the chance and pressed the attack. He lunged forward, beskad flashing as he forced Palpatine to circle the room. 

Now it was clear to see that between the two of them, Fox was in a better physical state. Between the genetic enhancements and the lack of Force strengthening, Fox was pushing Palpatine on the defensive. 

“Don’t even look away.”

Palpatine took a swing at Fox while the commander slightly over extended himself, the beskar blades likely heavier than he was originally intended. The blade never hit as a cortosis blade swung through the red laser before a yellow lightsaber blade slashed through Palpatine’s emitter. 

The Chancellor cursed furiously as he was forced to drop his saber, the blade vanishing as it sparked uselessly on the floor. Thire pressed the attack, stepping closer and forcing Palpatine to focus on keeping the bladed staff from slicing across his body. 

Palpatine screamed as a scythe curled around his leg, yanking it out from under him and splattering his blood along the floor as he was dragged partially. He tilted his blade, letting Thire’s attack slide off as he was pulled, but then Fox was back, blades slashing furiously as Palpatine attempted to fend him off. 

The Chancellor backed towards the throne, pushed back as Fox moved in. He lifted his red blade to slash at Fox, only for his hand to come clean off, a silvery blur slicing through flesh and bone as Stone finally got a good hit off on the elderly man. 

“You’re here to stay.”

Palpatine screamed, his last remaining hand lifting to grasp his hand for a moment before he snatched his saber out of the air. He was too late though, as with a swing of one of the swords in his hands, Fox cut the saber in half. Palpatine hurled it away from himself and the camera shuddered as the hilt exploded in midair. 

He backed away from Fox and Thire, so clearly about to lose without any weapon in hand or the Force to assist him. 

And then

He stumbled.

“You’ll bleed!”

His knees crashed into the seat of the throne, sending him stumbling back. He landed on the throne, sitting in it for a moment before his remaining hand curled into claws on the armrest. He moved to pick himself up, but a scythe slammed into the back of his hand, pinning it to the throne. The twin flashed past on the chain, whipping around Palpatine’s neck before impaling itself into the back of the throne, keeping Palpatine upright against the throne, chin high and lifted.

Fox lunged forward, blades crossing as he stabbed them through Palpatine’s chest. The Chancellor’s eyes went wide and he coughed, blood spilling out of his mouth as his remaining arm batted weakly at Fox as the Commander leaned in close, pushing the blades just a bit deeper into Palpatine. The old man choked for a minute, body twitching desperately before he finally slumped, head falling limp. Fox waited for another minute, remaining pressed almost face to face with Palpatine, until the runes on the walls darkened and returned to their inert state before he pulled the blades out. 

Palpatine’s body only remained where it was because of the chain holding his neck against the throne, but his chest jerked towards Fox as the blades slid out of him. Fox spun the blades, flicking them about a bit before putting them back in their sheathes. He turned on his heel and marched back to the door, which had opened when the runes on the walls went dark. 

“With voices in the dark!”

The last scene in the song showed someone looking back at Palpatine’s body, sitting on the throne in a dark, empty room, bloodied and defeated. Then they turned away into a dark tunnel and the video went dark. 

The projector screen clicked off and the lights in the room brightened to their norm again, feeling almost too bright as everyone stared at where the screen had been. Cody swallowed thickly, pulling out his datapad. 

Immediately it was flooded with reports from every major news station in the galaxy, with several only talking about a massive report dumped onto the holonet, revealing thousands of crimes committed by the sitting members of the Senate. 

Apparently someone found out Amidala traded Grievous for Skywalker, Cody distantly processed, ignoring that the mental voice he used was high and tight, reminding himself of when the cadets go through puberty with their shaky, squeaky voices. It sounded just like one of them, if a bit more hysterical and manic. 

However, besides just the reports of the massive breach of information security (oh…that must’ve been the massive dump file they were collecting in the video…) there were also videos and photos of the Coruscant Guard. 

One particularly notable one had Fox, beskads on his hip, stalking towards the Senate Rotunda while covered in blood. Thire and Stone followed just behind him, with Thire still holding onto the massive woldo he’d used against Palpatine. Considering that they’d apparently just watched the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic get murdered through a karking music video, Cody had to say that he felt it was reasonable that the galaxy was freaking out. 

There were even reports coming in from the Separatist Council that insisted they put the war on hold until further information about this could be revealed. Apparently Dooku was in trouble because now it looked like the entire karking war was just a plot between Dooku and Palpatine, and the rest of the galaxy just got dragged along. 

Cody absently noticed his comm beeping at him, the flashing light drawing his attention. Wolffe looked over at him worriedly, eyes flicking between Cody’s face, his datapad, and his comm. 

“You uh…you gonna answer that?” he asked hesitantly. 

“It’s probably just the General,” Cody heard himself say. 

“Are you okay, vod?” 

He was pretty sure that was Bly speaking, but everything felt like it was happening through a dimly lit tunnel. His vod, his brother, had just killed the sitting Supreme Chancellor of the Republic and had publicly broadcast it for the galaxy to see. Something had to have gone horribly wrong for Fox to think that was a viable strategy. Frankly he was worried that his vod might’ve actually lost his marbles at some point. 

“Cody! Answer your kriffing comm before I do it for you!” Rex snapped, clearly annoyed at the- oh, it was still beeping. Bly took the datapad, bringing up a live feed from Coruscant News Network. Cody pressed the button, expecting the gentle, concerned tones of his general along with worried blue eyes. 

“Sorry General, I don’t think I’m able to talk right now,” Cody said as soon as the call connected, eyes staring at where the big screen had once shown. There was a snort from the other end of the call. 

“Didn’t realize I got promoted, what a hell of a way to find out, Kote.”

Cody’s eyes immediately snapped to the comm. Fox grinned up at him, face bright and youthful in a way Cody didn’t think he’d ever seen before. 

“I mean, I was under the impression that I’m about to be court-martialed, but I’m glad I apparently don’t have to deal with that since the Coruscant Justice division is frankly corrupt as osik and kark at their jobs in general.”

“FOX?!??” Cody shouted, voice loud in the room. Immediately the room went silent and Cody realized he’d slipped into his CC voice. The one where he projected his voice with his entire diaphragm so he could be heard throughout the entire hangar bay of a venator. The one that ensured every trooper turned their attention to him. 

And the comm in his hands. 

“That’s my name, vod. Don’t wear it out,” Fox said with a cheery grin. Cody stared at him and suddenly Wolffe yelped as Rex shoved him further into the booth, reaching over to grab Cody’s comm and yanking it towards him. 

“Fox. Where is Fives?” he demanded. Fox raised an eyebrow before turning his head to the side. A second figure popped into frame, easily pulling his helmet off and grinning at Rex with that Domino Twin Gleeful Menace look that he and Echo had perfected even before becoming ARCs. 

“Hey Captain! You miss me?”

Cody was pretty sure that he blacked out for a moment there, his brain automatically censoring the swears and threats Rex made towards his (totally NOT) favorite trooper. Fives paled as he realized exactly how badly he fucked up, Rex glaring murderously at the miraculously alive trooper while Fox just raised an eyebrow and smirked. Cody could distantly hear Stone and Thire laughing in the background. 

“Do I make myself clear Fives?!!” Rex finished, and Cody’s brain finally tuned back in. Fives nodded rapidly, looking like a bobble head as he stared fearfully at his Captain. 

“Y-yes sir!” Rex relaxed, allowing Wolffe to shove him back off him as Cody returned his attention to Fox. 

“Fox…what…why-I don’t even have words-”

“That’s a first,” Stone snorted. Cody ignored him, staring at his brother. Fox just shrugged at him. 

“I did what needed to be done. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Uh…Cody?” Bly nudged him. 

“What is it, Bly?” Cody asked absently, eyes flicking over to Bly for a second before returning to Fox. 

“There’s a news speeder there.” Cody’s attention snapped to the datapad, where a reporter had finally arrived at the scene and approached Fox, who was very clearly on a comm call with Cody.

“Commander Fox, what do you have to say about the accusations of criminals in the senate?”

“Or the accusations against you for committing treason against the Republic??” Another voice chimed in. 

“Are you talking with a conspirator or perhaps a lover?”

Cody’s jaw dropped as Fox laughed, turning his comm so that Cody could be clearly seen by the cameras. 

“Smile for the camera, Kote. The whole galaxy’s watching!”

Cody just stared for a moment before reaching over and yanking Rex’s drink of his hand, quickly chugging the bottle. He could hear the stammered shock and gasps from the reporters as his holo mimicked his actions on Coruscant. He slammed the glass down on the table and pointed forwards, away from Fox ( the smug bastard ), and towards the reporters. 

“I am too sober to be dealing with this. Fox, if you want to contact me, then you can reach out during my office hours. Like a normal person.”  

And he ended the call. 

Wolffe burst out laughing, doubled over as Fox did the same on the stream. The two both wiped their eyes, grins wide and teeth sharp as they straightened. 

“Very well, Marshal Commander. I’ll reach out soon,” Fox said, staring straight into one of the cameras. Then he turned and walked off, putting his helmet back on and completely ignoring the crowd of reporters following him. Cody reached out and turned off the datapad, earning a surprised blink from Bly. Obediently, Bly set the datapad on the table. 

Cody stared into thin air for a moment before groaning and leaning forward, letting his head slam against the table loudly. Bly and Rex winced at the sound his head made on impact, but Cody was a bit busier with the slightly more pressing issue of thinking about all the problems that were about to explode in his face. 

“Why couldn’t Fox NOT be an overachiever for once?” he whined. He shut his eyes for a moment. “I need more alcohol to deal with this…”

“Cody, your comm’s beeping again.”

This time Cody checked the number, easily recognizing Obi-wan’s number. He opened it and immediately spoke. 

“No, I don’t know anything about what the kark Fox has done, will do, or was doing. I am not involved in any way. If you want to talk to anyone, talk to Rex since it’s his trooper that was involved,” Cody said before tossing the comm at Rex. The blonde yelped as he caught it and the sputtering image of Kenobi as Cody got to his feet and karking climbed over the table to get past Bly. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me in eight hours or so, or whenever the dream wears off and I wake up naturally. Goodbye.”

With that the famous 7th Sky Corps Marshal Commander, 212th’s leading officer, Commander Cody himself, marched out of the room and straight to his bunk, collapsing face first on it and falling asleep while the galaxy imploded around him. But he wouldn’t know that for the next eight hours. After all,

Not his circus, not his monkey lizards.

Ignoring the fact that Fox was his brother and therefore was his monkey lizard.

That was a problem for another day.