My Vengeance, My Dream

Boba was the one who had orchestrated Ponds’s death. Any relief Fox had at learning he was alive was quickly extinguished by that fact. 

Boba had also killed another trooper with a bomb, let Ponds’s body be left to forever drift in space, abandoned several cadets in an escape pod in the middle of space, and according to recordings, had declared several vode to not be his brothers. 

All in a quest to kill Windu. 

Fox didn’t mind the quest, in fact he privately encouraged it in his head. But the methods to get there and the failures were monstrously wrong. Boba was hardly a clone, he hadn’t had nearly the training Fox had and it showed in that half-construed plan that ultimately accomplished nothing. 

So, Fox took it on himself to take Boba to the prison after hearing he landed on Coruscant. He watched as Boba’s eyes widened when he realized who he was. 

CC-1010 didn’t speak on the ride over and neither did Boba. Once Boba had finally reached his cell, he couldn’t take the silence anymore. 

“I’m sorry,” Boba whispered quietly. 

“That hardly makes a difference,” CC-1010 replied coolly. 

Boba’s shoulders slumped and he couldn’t keep looking into CC-1010’s helmet. 

“I won’t lie,” CC-1010 started, “I didn’t mind the goal, only the execution.”

Boba’s head jerked up and his lips curved into a cruel smile, “He deserves to die for what he did.”

“That he does.”

“You agree with me?” Boba sounded incredulous, “Why haven’t you done anything then?”

“Look at me Boba,” CC-1010 stared him down and Boba shifted a little on the spot, uncomfortable, “Don’t act so spoiled. Even in this place you still have more freedom than the rest of us ever will. I don’t have the luxury of fucking off with a group of bounty hunters in a personal quest for revenge. Be thankful that Prime gave you that life, it’s better than anything the rest of us will ever have.”

Boba’s eyes gleamed and he nodded sadly. 

CC-1010 knelt down, it reminded him of how he had said goodbye on Kamino, but this time, he had no need for kind words. “That plan was half-made, misconstrued, sloppy, and downright pathetic Boba. If you want to survive, you have to be smarter than this. You’re not going to be in here for long, especially not with your ‘friends’ here as well. You should be thankful that this prison is all you’re going to get. Do better, or die like your buir.”

Boba’s face tightened but he nodded, not daring to speak.

CC-1010 rose and stared him down again, “I can tell you do regret what you’ve done. I truly hope you can live with yourself,” he paused for a moment, “But I also hope you never forgive yourself either.”

CC-1010 turned away and just before he stepped out of the cell he spoke again, “I was never against you Boba. None of us were. We would have helped you, if you had asked. But, if you don’t want to be brothers I won’t make you. Goodbye, aruetii.”

CC-1010 walked out of the cell. The ray shield shut behind him with a familiar twang, so different from the hiss of the doors on Kamino. He didn’t look back. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that helped someone who didn’t want it?

CC-1010 was well trained to the sound of finger snaps now. He wondered ridiculously if this was how Grizzer felt. He should apologize to her when he next saw her. 

In careful steps, CC-1010 walked forwards and placed the flask in Drellin’s hand, then returned to standing in the corner of the room. 

Small mercies, he wasn’t in Drellin’s office or apartment. This time, he had accompanied the Hosnian Prime senator to the office of Senator Organa of Alderaan. 

The office, well, CC-1010 had to admit he actually liked it. There were no blinding white walls or twisted metal art sculptures. The room was neutral, with still some hints of personality scattered around. CC-1010 couldn’t help but be drawn to a painting that hung on one of the walls. It displayed what looked like a series of snow capped mountains over a grass meadow and clear, blue lake. It looked…peaceful. If he survived to see Prime’s vercopa (and didn’t lose his mind before then), he thought…maybe he would want to go there. 

CC-1010 tried to keep his eyes away, but they seemed attracted to the painting every few seconds. He felt antsy, he could usually control himself better than this. 

The senators were still discussing Burtoni’s bill to fund more clones, which had come into shape over the past months. They both seemed to be on the same page, but for different reasons. Organa wanted more support for the citizens of the Republic who were struggling, instead of funding more war. Drellin wanted less clones in the galaxy. 

He wasn’t sure why, but he felt disappointed that Organa would work with someone like Drellin. Hypocrites or hypocrites in denial, all of them. 

“I see we have different approaches to this issue, Senator,” Organa spoke coolly, “I’m glad we both realize the need to aid the people of the Republic.”

“Of course Bail, death comes for us all but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be avoided when it can,” Drellin replied smoothly. 

CC-1010 clenched his fists and dug his fingers into his palms. The pain focused him, forced him to relax, to calm down. He had to avert his eyes so he didn’t look at Drellin, it was too easy to look at him and only see the face of Axel as he was taken away. He forced his eyes back to the painting. 

He wished he were in his own office, surrounded by his brothers. Lucky and Group B and Axel, and now…Ponds as well. He hadn’t had anything from his older brother, so he printed out the death report on a piece of flimsi and tucked it into another drawer in his desk. At least now he could talk to Ponds whenever he wanted to. Ponds and Axel got along well, they both had the same dry sense of humor and—

“Commander!” There was a clap and CC-1010 stood up straight. Drellin had stood and was striding towards the door. CC-1010 turned, and with perfect form began to follow the pale senator out. 

“Oh, Drellin,” Organa spoke up, “I was wondering if I could keep the Commander for a moment?”

CC-1010 felt the tendrils of dread began to creep up his spine. At least he would be able to keep looking at the pretty painting, maybe that would distract him. 

Drellin laughed lightly, “By all means, take your turn Bail!” 

Organa frowned as Drellin walked out of the office, still chuckling. CC-1010 stood stiffly in the center of the room. 

“Commander,” Organa said softly, “please, sit down,” he pointed at the chair on the other side of the desk. 

In tense movements, CC-1010 walked forwards and sat down, just as he was ordered. He kept his muscles tense to avoid trembling. 

“Would you like anything to drink?”

“I’m alright, thank you sir.”

Organa nodded and poured himself a glass of water, “I apologize for disrupting your schedule.”

“It’s alright, sir.”

“I was curious, how has your work been since we last spoke?”

Awful. Everything was awful. His older brother was dead, one of his brothers had been decommed and he hadn’t been able to do a thing, and the rest of the GAR had begun to hate them for the rules he had implemented when it came to that stupid bar. 

“It’s been alright sir.”

Organa didn’t seem put off by his basic answers. On the contrary, he smiled gently. CC-1010 narrowed his eyes behind his helmet, trying to judge whether the smile was genuine or a mask. 

“I wanted you to know,” Organa started slowly, “the reason I oppose this bill is not because I hold any prejudice for you or the rest of the clones.”

That was what they all said, hypocrites and hypocrites in denial alike. CC-1010’s eyes darted over to the painting again. 

“I’m sure you hear that a lot, don’t you?” Organa said as if he had read his mind, “I wanted to make it very clear though, my goal with opposing this bill is to make sure there is still a Republic standing after the war. A Republic I hope you, and your brothers, will be able to partake in should everything go right.”

“Thank you, sir,” CC-1010 responded impersonally, “but you don’t have to worry about my thoughts on your own senatorial duties. I will do my job regardless.”

“I know you can work, what I want to know is if you can live,” Organa’s voice wasn’t unkind. 

“I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that, sir,” CC-1010 glanced over at the painting. 

To his utter horror, Senator Organa turned around to see what he was looking at. Panic rose up in his mind like a wave, “Sir, I apologize—”

“It’s beautiful isn't it?” Organa said fondly, “the view from my home on Alderaan. Coruscant has its luxuries, but there is nothing like waking up to the gentle breeze over an image like that…” his voice was wistful. 

“I…wouldn’t know, sir. I apologize for—”

Organa waved him off, “It’s perfectly alright Commander. I find that I tend to get lost in the opportunities to speak of my homeworld. Why don’t you tell me of Kamino as recompense?”

“Kamino sir?”

“Your homeworld, is it not?”

“Yes sir. What do you wish to hear about Kamino?”

“I’m afraid my knowledge of it is rather limited. What is it like in comparison to Coruscant?”

“Kamino…is entirely ocean sir. The kaminiise have built platforms above it where we lived and trained,” CC-1010 wasn’t sure what else to say. 

“I apologize, the ‘kaminiise’?” Organa’s brow furrowed. 

“Kaminoans sir. We learned Mando’a from our original DNA donor and trainers,” CC-1010 replied slowly. 

“Interesting. I’m afraid my knowledge of Mando’a is sorely lacking,” he said by way of an apology. 

“That’s fine sir,” CC-1010 said and continued when Organa prompted him to go on with one hand, “some of the ocean was shallower, where we could train grappling. Coruscant…it was surprising to me that everyone could go wherever they wanted.”

“I can only imagine,” Organa said with a small smile, “tell me, what exactly is grappling training?”

No senator had ever shown such interest in his training before. CC-1010 wasn’t sure what to think but he wasn’t at liberty to refuse the senator’s request. “Shallow water grappling sir, it is a one on one exercise in which we try to make our opponent tap out, usually by holding them down and drowning them.”

Organa’s eyes widened, “I see, that sounds difficult.”

“I was rather good at it, sir,” CC-1010 replied. He internally winced when he realized how that could be taken like a threat. 

Senator Organa simply laughed lightly, “I imagine you were Commander. I’m afraid my own age makes it difficult for me to imagine doing such an exercise.”

“Some things change when your life is on the line, sir,” CC-1010 said. 

Organa nodded, “That they do.”

The two sat in an awkward silence for a moment. CC-1010 fiddled with his gloves under the desk. There was a burning sensation under his chest that he hadn’t felt since he first arrived on Coruscant. That curiosity that he thought had been stamped out of him so quickly rose again. 

CC-1010 swallowed and then ever so quietly spoke, “What is Alderaan like sir?”

Senator Organa’s lips lifted into a genuine smile. “It’s beautiful. A perfect mix of free nature and the comfort of technology. It’s surrounded by mountains and fields of soft grass, and I am proud to represent some of the kindest people I have ever known.”

“It…looks very beautiful, sir,” CC-1010 replied, still gazing at the picture. “I’ve… never seen the things you describe before.”

Organa frowned again, “What part are you unaware of Commander?”

CC-1010 tensed slightly, “Most of it sir. I’ve never seen mountains or grass.”

The look on Organa’s face almost made him laugh. He looked absolutely astounded, as if he had never heard such words spoken before. 

“You’ve never seen grass before?” Organa asked in astonishment. 

“No sir. I’ve never seen plants or trees or snow or lakes or essentially anything in your painting,” CC-1010 replied with the same neutrality. 

He didn’t think it was possible for Organa’s eyes to get wider, but they did. His mouth was hanging open slightly and his face was the picture of shock and try though CC-1010 did, he couldn’t help but giggle lightly at the senator.

CC-1010 quickly got himself under control, but he noted the way the shock bled from Organa’s face and the way his expression seemed to almost soften. 

“You seem surprised sir,” CC-1010 stated the obvious, though the humor in his voice couldn’t be entirely stamped out. 

“I-I suppose it is just such a novel concept to me, never seeing such things,” Senator Organa said, still clearly in shock. 

“I’m not sure when I would have had the chance, sir. Kamino had no such thing, neither did Geonosis, and Coruscant should be obvious.”

“Yes, yes, I’m a senator who can’t draw conclusions when someone else says something, laugh at me, why don’t you?” Organa’s words on their own might have made him wary if he had read them, but the expression on the the senator’s face was open and amused and CC-1010 couldn’t help but giggle again. 

If CC-1010 didn’t know better, he would almost say the look on Organa’s face was fond. Organa raised a hand, stood, and quickly walked into one of the side rooms of his office. When he returned, he was holding what CC-1010 recognized as a small plant in a pot. 

That spark of intense curiosity returned and without thinking, he reached out to the plant. Thankfully, common sense reached him before he could make contact and he jerked his hand back, “I apologize sir.”

Ever so gently, Senator Organa set the plant down on his desk, in front of CC-1010. “Please Commander, that’s why I brought it out.”

CC-1010 looked at the plant warily. It had long light green leaves and even longer stems that hung out of the pot. Vaguely, he heard Senator Organa begin to speak about it, describing it as a native plant to Alderaan. 

He tuned out the senator’s speech and ever so carefully, removed his right glove. With slow, gentle movements, as if Organa would get scared and suddenly grab the plant and leave, he reached forwards and touched one of the leaves. 

CC-1010’s eyes widened behind his helmet. He gently stroked one of his fingers up and down the leaf. It was a sensation he had never felt before. The leaf was soft, but seemed to have a rubbery quality and was warm from sitting out in the sun. It was so…delicate, he knew he could snap the thing easily with one hand but for some reason, he would have rather done anything else. The plant spoke to some kind of quiet strength, a wisdom CC-1010 could never understand, despite how delicate it was. 

He cupped one of the leaves in his hand and sat forward more to look at it closer. Little veins of lighter green encompassed it and the bottom was less soft than the top, but it was also smoother. The shape almost looked like a teardrop. He hardly noticed that Organa had stopped speaking. 

CC-1010 cleared his throat, “I…I like it sir,” he said shyly. 

Organa smiled, “It is beautiful isn't it? I’m afraid it’s too easy for me to take it for granted with so many other challenges and difficulties right now.”

CC-1010 nodded but didn’t take his eyes off of the plant. He looked at the long stems that hung down the edges of the pot, “It looks like it’s trying to walk away.” 

“Yes, it’s becoming a little too large for this pot. When I’m next on Alderaan, I’ll replant it into my garden so that it can grow freely,” Organa said softly. 

CC-1010 liked that. He wanted the plant to be free. It should be on Alderaan where it belonged, not far away here on Coruscant. 

He was about to say something else, when a message flashed across the screen of his HUD. Another message from the senate to Kamino caught by the firewall. He sighed before giving the leaf one last stroke, taking his hand back, and putting his glove back on. 

CC-1010 stood, “I apologize for intruding Senator Organa. I’m afraid I must take my leave.”

Senator Organa spoke clearly, “Of course Commander, I’m glad we were able to speak.”

CC-1010 was about to leave when Organa spoke up again, “Commander, I hope you believe me when I say I truly want what is best for you, and your brothers.”

Hypocrites or hypocrites in denial. 

“You deserve freedom after all you have given up to fight for the Republic.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, sir,” CC-1010 said without turning around. He marched out of the office. It didn’t matter, he knew natborns. He knew what they were like. The Jedi were supposed to be the pinnacle of them, and he already saw how hypocritical they were. Senator Organa was a hypocrite too, he worked hand in hand with Drellin. Natborns always were. That was a truth that he knew. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that doubted its own convictions?

There was a liquid pouring from his eyes. It wasn’t tears. CC-1010 had never cried before but he could tell this wasn’t it.

He could probably tell because it was hot and sticky and a bright, bright red. He brought his hands up to his face and looked down to see his gloves covered in blood. It soaked into the material, making it adhere to his skin. 

Blood gushed from his eyes and his mouth and his nose in a never ending stream. Slashes appeared in his gloves, allowing him to see the flesh beneath. His skin began to shrivel and dry up and a cracking sound filled his ears as he watched while his fingers bent backwards and snapped, one after the other. 

CC-1010 gasped as the vision faded and he had to hold onto the back of one of the chairs in the Chancellor’s office to keep from keeling over. At least there were no worms or other parasites gnawing through his skin this time. Small mercies. The Chancellor said something and CC-1010 was immediately straightening up, standing at perfect attention. 

“I need losses on both sides, Commander. Enough to make the Republic think they’ve won a victory though, so that they stop looking too closely,” the Chancellor said with a hint of impatience. 

“Yes, my lord. May I have a moment to consider?”

“Granted.”

CC-1010 thought to the war effort. The Republic was doing decently, considering all odds were against them. Their biggest hurdle was the distribution of supplies. Clones required things like water and food while droids could keep going on until they ran out of battery. 

A supply chain issue or a cutoff of supplies to a Republic planet would surely get their attention. The easiest one would be Kashyyk, it essentially only had one hyperspace lane to it that was still in Republic territory. 

“Senator Deechi of Umbara should die, my lord.”

Lord Sidious looked up in complete astonishment, as if he couldn’t believe CC-1010 would say something so stupid. “Your own personal biases with senators are not a factor in this Commander. I would advise you to watch what you say next.”

“Yes, my lord. Senator Deechi is well regarded by his people as far as I am aware. His death will create conflict with the umbarans, and cause their trust in the Republic to falter. Umbara sits at a critical point in the hyperspace lane to many of the Republic’s more outer planets, such as Kashyyk. If Umbara seceded, the Republic and Jedi would not dare consider leaving it alone and would launch a planetary campaign, those outer worlds are too valuable and cutting off the hyperspace lane at Umbara would never allow any supplies to reach those worlds. The Republic will win with a full campaign, the clones are more than capable of it. The Jedi and Republic will look at the battle as a win, even though they will have gained absolutely nothing they didn’t have before,” CC-1010 wrapped up his plan without a care to the threat on his life. “Is there anything I should clarify, my lord?”

Lord Sidious simply stared at CC-1010, surprise in his eyes, but a calculated twist to his lips. 

“I apologize for doubting you, Commander. You would think I would know better by now,” he said casually. 

“There is nothing to forgive sir, I have not been conditioned to hold personal grudges.”

“It’s such a shame you weren’t gifted,” the Chancellor said almost wistfully, “I would have no need for my new apprentice with you as my enforcer and strategist.”

“I apologize my lord.”

The Chancellor waved a hand, “Like you said, there is nothing to forgive, my boy. Excuse the ramblings of an old man, you are a talented strategist, just like you were advertised to be.”

“I am what is required of me sir.”

“That you are Commander, that you are,” the Chancellor said something else, but CC-1010 didn’t hear it. The pain in his head came back and he wanted to slump against the chair again. He was a soldier though, and so he stood straight and tall. He had done well. He had followed orders.

There was a thought in the back of his mind that he couldn’t quite push away. A senator was going to die all because he said it was a good maneuver. And it was. But if the Chancellor was so willing to throw away the lives of senators… he wondered what else he could do with that fact. 

The Republic was going to fight a useless war on Umbara soon. Just as the Chancellor had ordered. Why had he ordered it? It didn’t make sense—

It wasn’t CC-1010’s place to question orders, just like the kaminoans had taught him. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that forgot their training?

CC-1010 stood behind Captain Tarkin in perfect parade rest. The Chancellor sat at his desk, overseeing the ensuing conflict. Several members of the Jedi were standing across from the Captain, including Kenobi, Skywalker, his apprentice Tano, Yoda, and Windu. 

The sight of all of them set CC-1010’s teeth on edge. Kenobi had his trademark smugness and Skywalker and Tano their trademark idiocy. Windu and the swamp rat just looked around the room with wide eyes and occasionally looked at each other or said something incomprehensible. 

After the mission to the Citadel to rescue the Jedi that really did look like a rat, General Piel, there was a divide in the hyperspace coordinates that the General first possessed. Half was known by Tarkin, the other half by Tano after Piel had died. Tano apparently had orders to only give the coordinates to the council, while Tarkin insisted on delivering his half to the Chancellor. 

It was a conflict reminiscent of cadets arguing. 

CC-1010 couldn’t help but find it a little ironic that the Jedi they had gone to rescue had died. And of course, it was by another half-brained ridiculous plan that he had read on the official report. Nearly every clone they had brought with them had been killed. As far as CC-1010 was concerned, Piel was recompense. 

Still, the one thing that comforted him was that on the other side of the room, Kote was standing behind the other Jedi generals. CC-1010 hadn’t seen him in so long, he wondered if Kote was happy to see him. He wondered if Kote was proud of him. A part of him wanted to run into his older brother’s arms the same way he had done after Geonosis, but luckily he had more control than that. 

The private comm buzzed to life, “Vod’ika,” came Kote’s voice and he wanted to grin, “how are you?”

CC-1010 snorted, “How do you manage to make even ‘vod’ika’ sound professional?”

Kote sighed but it sounded a little fond. At least, he was pretty sure it was. “Just answer the question.”

“I’ve been alright Kote, just busy,” he tacked on a “sorry,” just in case he had misread that sigh. 

“Busy with what?”

“Paperwork, security, requisition forms,” CC-1010 replied. 

“Oh yes, the requisition forms,” Kote said with a small huff, “I actually have a few more to send you today.”

“I can’t wait,” CC-1010 said dryly. 

“Is that sarcasm, vod’ika?”

“I would never.”

“I realized something recently,” Kote said idly while the Jedi and Tarkin began arguing even louder, “Whenever I get supplies from Coruscant, there’s always a little more of something I didn’t ask for. I talked to Rex, and he never mentioned anything like that happening for him…”

Though the mention of Rex made CC-1010 clench his teeth a little, he managed to speak calmly, “I send any extra things we have leftover to you. Is that a problem?”

“No!” Kote quickly responded, “I just… thank you Fox.”

CC-1010 swallowed, “Please don’t call me that here.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see how Kote stiffened slightly at that. He cursed himself quietly. CC-1010 could never leave well enough alone, now all he had done was alert Kote that something was wrong. 

“Why not?” Kote’s voice had an edge to it. 

“Just please don’t.”

“Don’t pull that with me, vod’ika. What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on, I just don’t like being called it here.”

“You actually expect me to believe that?” Kote said sharply, “It’s your name.”

“Well you don’t want to be called your name anymore either,” CC-1010 shot back. The name ‘Cody’ over ‘Kote’ was still something that bothered him. 

After a beat of awkward silence Kote sighed again, “I heard about you and Wolffe, and I know losing Ponds wasn’t easy, but don’t take that out on me, you should be more mature than that.”

CC-1010 felt properly scolded and he had to force himself to not do something stupid, like look at his feet, “Sorry.”

“I miss him too vod’ika.”

It was more than that. Prime had told him to take care of his brothers but he hadn’t. And now, Ponds would never get to see the vercopa. It was his fault, he should have been better. 

The arguing stopped for a moment as Kenobi stepped in to try and ease things over. CC-1010 rolled his eyes, the Chancellor didn’t listen to anyone unless it was in his best interest. Yet here Kenobi was, self declaring himself the one to smooth this conflict over. 

CC-1010 glanced over at Windu and Yoda, “They seem on edge,” he said, changing the subject. 

He could tell Kote saw what he was doing but thankfully he played along. “They’re stressed I think. General Kenobi seems to think that there’s a Sith hiding somewhere in the Republic.”

Sith. The opposite version of the Jedi that were apparently sworn to destroy them. He wondered what the Sith could do that the Jedi weren’t already doing? The Jedi were meant to die in the war and—

He nearly choked. 

The Jedi were meant to die in the war. 

The truth he had known since he was only five cycles old. 

The Jedi were meant to die in the war. 

And the Sith were their sworn enemy. 

CC-1010 ever so slowly turned his head to face the front of the room. 

The Chancellor was staring directly at him, a challenging smirk on his lips. 

All of a sudden, CC-1010 felt his body seize up as if he was rooted to the floor. He couldn’t move a muscle. Attempting to talk was futile. 

But there was one thing CC-1010 had. One thing he had always had: his mind. All he had to do was drop his shields and the most powerful Jedi that were sitting in front of him would no doubt sense it. The Chancellor couldn’t create one of those illusions without giving himself away. He was about to relax and drop them, but as always, his mind wouldn’t stop racing.

The Jedi sent 25,000 of your brothers to their deaths, a voice in his head seemed to say. 

They didn’t listen to your plan to stop them. 

The Chancellor listens to your plans. 

They didn’t stop the decomissionings even though they said they would…

The Jedi kill more of your family each day, you see it, you know that you could do better. 

What would Prime say?

The chatter around the room became quieter as Kenobi wrapped up. A more civil conversation broke out between the two parties. Kenobi walked over to Kote and said something to him that made his brother chuckle lightly. 

CC-1010 clenched his jaw tightly.

An agreement seemed to be made as Tarkin turned and snapped for CC-1010 to follow him. The tight hold around his limbs loosened, but he still couldn’t speak. He glanced over at Kenobi and Kote, the two clearly having some sort of amusing conversation. Tano and Skywalker were lost in their own little world and Windu and Yoda were staring at each other again. 

No one noticed him. No one noticed the way Tarkin snapped his fingers and expected CC-1010 to follow like a dog. Above them all, Palpatine stared down at him, with one brow arched and his lips still curled into that awful smile. 

All he had to do was release his shields. 

Kenobi laughed at something Kote had said. CC-1010 felt his jaw clench so tightly his teeth protested the treatment. Sweat broke out on the back of his neck and his HUD helpfully told him that his heart rate was increasing. 

CC-1010 HATED them. He hated how stuck up Kenobi was and how quickly he had stolen his older brother’s attention. He hated Skywalker and Tano’s ridiculous plans that got so many of his brothers killed. He hated Windu for murdering Prime and Ponds and he despised Yoda. He despised the general for not standing up to this war at all. He despised him for Geonosis. He despised him not being able to sense his supposedly greatest enemy right kriffing in front of him! 

He hated how they could all laugh and joke right after such an awful mission where so many clones had died. 

He hated how he could be standing right there, in pain and actively being hurt by the Chancellor and yet not a single one of them noticed. 

How could the Jedi serve a senate with Palpatine at the head of it? How could they serve senators like Drellin and think that they were fighting for the good of the Republic? 

His eyes caught on to Kote. He hated the Jedi, but he didn’t hate Kote. He could never hate his brothers, especially not Kote. He wanted to make him proud, he wanted Kote to talk with him, to joke around with him the way he did with Kenobi. 

CC-1010 fought, he fought the hold that kept his mouth shut. It was relentless and made his jaw burn with the effort. A white hot pain seemed to seep through his blood, boiling it inside his skin. 

“H-hel-p m-me,” he managed to get out over the private comm. It was alll he could stutter before the control on his jaw made it slam shut. 

Nothing happened. He didn’t drop his shields. He looked over his shoulder at the Chancellor who looked exceptionally pleased. It made a sick feeling rise up in his stomach. None of the Jedi turned, none of them noticed him leaving, walking behind Tarkin like an obedient dog. 

Maybe, if he had allowed himself one more second, he would have seen how Kote’s helmet abruptly turned to face him. 

He faced forwards, ready to walk to his fate yet again. After all, what good was a CC unit that needed to be rescued?

“It was a good try son,” the grizzled voice sounded over the comm, “Clones, are just clones in the end. You figure one out, you figure the rest out.”

The words weren’t directed at him, they were said to Stone and he only heard them over the open comm, but they still set his teeth on edge. Their chase around Coruscant for the bounty hunter Cad Bane had gone on for nearly an hour now. CC-1010 had managed to narrow down where he was at first, and sent Stone and a few other of his men after him. 

He had learned ever since the hostage crisis at the Senate though, that the bounty hunter was rarely ever unprepared. 

So, he had coordinated with Stone to keep chasing after him and send continuous location updates. CC-1010 then contacted the other squads on patrol to slowly corner Bane into the east sector, specifically the loading bay where it would be easy to catch a ride on a transport to give him the idea that he was winning. 

CC-1010 was down on his stomach on a supply crate, a short distance away. He watched through his HUD which informed him that the final patrol had converged. The only one Bane was able to see though, was Stone’s five man squad right in front of him. 

Bane was currently standing on the deck of a transport, leaning against the rail as it slowly lifted into the air. 

“Commander?” came Stone’s voice. 

“Easy, wait for my signal and patrol squad E move first, then Thorn.”

“Copy.”

Bane leaned his body more heavily on the guardrail, a toothpick between his teeth. CC-1010 took a little bit of pride in noticing how the bounty hunter was clearly trying to act as if he wasn’t breathing heavily. 

“Just you wait brigand,” Stone shot back to the taunt from Bane. CC-1010 wanted to facepalm at the weak retort but he managed to refrain. 

Bane laughed, “Sure son, even trained as you are, you can’t beat the real thing. Maybe next time,” the bounty hunter crossed one of his legs over the other as he leaned against the rail. 

CC-1010 raised his hand into the air and brought two fingers down. 

Immediately, a blaster shot fired from the right side of the loading bay. It soared past Bane’s hip, causing him to stumble slightly, but still begin to smirk at the near miss. However, the miss allowed him to be distracted enough so that another shot from the left, where Thorn was positioned, could fly forward and hit the bounty hunter in the ankle. 

At that moment, Stone’s patrol immediately shot the guardrail base, causing it to break and Bane, with his weight leaning on the rail and his legs crossed, was unable to recover from the sudden absence and pitched forward off the transport. 

There was a shout of surprise and anger from Bane as he quickly activated the rockets at his ankles, that had caused them so many problems in the initial chase. The second shot, however, had managed to disable one of them, causing Bane to only be held up by one when they activated. It didn’t leave nearly as much room for maneuverability and CC-1010 lined up his DC-17 and easily made the shot, taking out the second. 

Bane plummeted to the ground and rolled to his feet. CC-1010 gave another hand wave and the two patrols on the left immediately ran forward to converge on Bane’s position. 

Stone’s group walked forward casually. Bane jumped to his feet and raised his blaster, but another shot from the left with Thorn hit him in the hand and he dropped it. With another wave, Thorn and the final patrol converged to Bane. The bounty hunter stared like he couldn’t believe how the situation turned and CC-1010 felt the cold touch of victory make his lips form a smirk. 

With nowhere else to run, Bane turned and began sprinting towards the one place where there wasn’t a patrol. Exactly where CC-1010 was in wait. 

“Hold your fire,” he ordered and was glad to see that his men did, continuing to simply walk forwards at a slow, even pace. 

Come on then, Bane, he thought, show me what you can do without any of your tricks.

Slowly, CC-1010 moved his feet under him and just as Bane was running under the supply crate he was on top of, he flipped off the side, landing directly in front of him. The brief moment where Bane’s red eyes widened was all CC-1010 needed as he turned and performed a perfect roundhouse kick to the side of the bounty hunter’s face, just like Kote had taught him. 

Bane dropped to the ground and scrambled back but CC-1010 was on him in a second. He dodged under the first punch that Bane threw, moving forwards to throw his elbow into his target’s face. In quick movements, CC-1010 grabbed the bounty hunter by the shirt and threw him over his shoulder into the pavement. 

When Bane rose to his feet again, CC-1010 side stepped the clumsy attempt at a jab, his eyes were narrowed as he watched the bounty hunter quickly tap something on his wrist. Bane threw himself at CC-1010 again, all too intent to get hurt, as long as he could get the hand with the activated wrist device on CC-1010’s body. 

CC-1010 took a step back, and when Bane charged at him again, hand aloft, he darted forwards and gripped the bounty hunter’s wrist in his hand. 

He was a little surprised by just how thin it was. Maybe bounty hunting didn’t pay as much as it advertised. In any case, in quick movements he forced Bane’s hand to push back and onto his own body. 

Waves of electricity left the wrist device as soon as Bane’s hand made contact with his own body. The bounty hunter shrieked and yelled and flailed but CC-1010 kept all his strength on Bane’s wrist. He watched the torture with a strange sort of detachment. 

When Bane started convulsing, he pulled his wrist up, kicked out his legs and with all the force he could, slammed the device it into the pavement. It cracked and in quick motions, he did the same to Bane’s other wrist. 

CC-1010 got off of Bane and stood up, noting how his men had formed a circle around the fight. He kicked the bounty hunter in the stomach as hard as he could, relishing in the gasp produced, and forced him to lie on his front. CC-1010 removed the binders from his belt and quickly fit them over one of Bane’s wrists. 

Bane tried to struggle with the other one, but CC-1010 wasn’t having any of it. He gripped the wrist that hadn’t been put in the cuffs and in one motion, snapped Bane’s middle finger as if it were nothing. 

He ignored the corresponding shout of pain, and forced Bane’s other arm into the binders. Carefully, he stood up, keeping one foot on Bane’s back to keep him from moving. He assessed his own body for any injuries and found none. 

CC-1010 took a deep breath and looked at the men surrounding him. He could just tell many of them were smirking. 

He himself let out a small chuckle and looked down at Bane. “Look at that vode, we’re really done for now. The aruetii has finally figured us out!” he mocked, echoing Bane’s previous words. 

Laughs and jeers rose up and he could feel Bane tense with anger beneath him. 

“It was a good plan Commander,” said Stone, “leading him here.”

CC-1010 nodded and increased the pressure of his boot, “Outplayed strategically, physically, and emotionally,” he leaned down, “guess you’re not much without your little tools, are you?”

Bane hissed, “And you needed an entire battalion.”

CC-1010 cackled, “Oh, you know it was just us two right then. Your fighting style is sloppy by the way. I guess being the ‘real thing’ doesn’t mean you were trained.” There was more laughter. 

CC-1010 leaned down so that only Bane could hear him, “And I don’t need the backing of a Sith in order to do it either.”

Bane’s eyes widened and all at once, the fight seemed to drain out of him. CC-1010 laughed again, “The best bounty hunter in the galaxy, boys!”

The Guard began laughing again. Jeers and taunts thrown out at the natborn beneath his feet. He imagined it was Drellin beneath him instead, or Palpatine, or any of the other horrible senators (they were making a list). He imagined standing on the trembling bodies of the kaminiise, on everyone who had ever hurt him and his brothers. 

In a swift motion, CC-1010 stepped off of Bane, and kicked him across the head. The bounty hunter fell unconscious and he hauled him up. 

“All yours, Stone,” he said, passing the body off to his commander. He could tell Stone gave him a wicked grin under his helmet. 

After ordering the patrols back on route, CC-1010 began the walk back to the military base. He would no doubt have to write up a report for the capture of Bane again. 

It wasn’t Bane’s fault, he knew that and he was sure his brothers knew it as well. The man was a bounty hunter, it wasn’t his fault how CC-1010 and the rest of the Guard was treated. But they couldn’t fight the senators, all they could fight was what they were ordered to. And if he imagined he was stomping in Drellin’s face instead, no one would be able to tell. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that couldn’t fight sometimes?

The stim shot was painful as he injected it into his arm. Over the weeks he had had to start injecting it into his other arm because the skin had become too callused and firm. He had actually had a good day. 

Well, good was a relative term. Drellin was as awful as he always was, the rest of the senators were hard to bear too, but Senator Organa had given him a smile when he passed by him in the halls. For the first time in ages, there hadn't been any decommissioning forms caught by the firewall. 

Most likely what was making him happy though, was the fact that Bly had actually sent him a message asking to talk and when he was available. Bly always liked it when Fox was upbeat and happy so he first tried to put on that mask, but he found when he did, he noticed the good things easier. 

He was also excited to talk to Bly. Wolffe didn’t seem to want to talk again, Ponds he couldn’t anymore, and Kote seemed more happy with his general and Rex nowadays. But Bly had always been there to play or mess around with him when he needed. 

Fox was also in the process of looking through information about Drellin. Anything he could find to hopefully relay to the Chancellor and get him killed. Deechi had been assassinated just as the Chancellor wanted and the fate of Umbara was currently in flux. 

Drellin was from a family of aristocrats on Hosnian Prime. There was a whole circle of aristocrats that ruled on the planet, a whole circle that owed a great deal of debt to the Republic. That debt was being slowly ‘resolved’ by Drellin’s work in the Senate. It wasn’t much, but he was certain he could think of something to show to Palpatine why Drellin should die. 

His comm pinged and Fox was quick to answer. 

“Hi Bly!” he said brightly. 

There was a chuckle on the other side, “Hey Fox’ika.”

Bly’s voice seemed to have gotten deeper? Or maybe it was just more serious. Either way, Fox was happy to hear it. He knew Bly and the 327th spent a lot of time on the outer rim planets, some of their mission reports sent chills down Fox’s spine. 

“I’m glad you called, I’ve missed you,” he said happily. Bly had always liked to know that he was needed. 

Bly let out a gentle exhale, “I’ve missed you too Fox. It’s…difficult out here.”

Fox’s voice sobered slightly, “I heard. You’re doing really well though, you know that right Bly? I could never command like you.” 

“Hm, thank you vod’ika.”

Bly sounded tired, a far cry from the upbeat, adventurous brother he had known back on Kamino. Maybe opening up a little would help? Bly liked being able to take care of others. “It’s been difficult here too,” he said softly. 

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that Fox.”

Fox’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or scared. At the same time, he wanted to both say nothing was wrong and also confess to everything. Bly would never ignore him, he knew that. 

“O-oh?” he stuttered, dreading and also praying for Bly’s next words. Maybe he would come back to Coruscant. Maybe they could both go to Alderaan, where they could live Prime’s vercopa, and see grass and trees and plants and mountains. It was too good to be true, but he could still imagine it. 

“Yeah, I know you have a lot on your plate, but I was wondering if there was any chance you could get to a requisition form I sent in? I think we’re going to need it before we’re deployed to Saleucami,” Bly said, with exhaustion evident in his voice. 

Fox’s ears were ringing. Any and all imaginations he had vanished in an instant. He felt cold. Why did he feel cold?

“Fox?”

“T-that’s why you called?” he knew his voice sounded childish. He knew it sounded heart broken and sad and yet for once he couldn’t be bothered to pretend otherwise for Bly. 

“I…well I—” Bly stuttered. 

Fox couldn’t even summon the energy to be mad, he only felt resigned. “I’ll get to it. Goodbye Bly.”

“Wait Fox—”

Fox ended the call. With a mechanical like detachment he opened his datapad that held requisition requests. He searched through to find one for the 327th Star Corps that had just come in. A request for more medical supplies and ration bars. He signed it and sent it off. 

Fox walked out of his office, past the front desk where Angle was currently debating with someone on his comm, and outside. He sat down on the steps of the place he now called home. 

It was raining for once on Coruscant. Dark clouds covered the sky and light was quickly fading as the sun set in the distance. Drops of rain hit the top of his helmet and echoed inside. His HUD warned him that his body temperature was dropping. 

There were so many people on Coruscant. So many people who were running about their evenings, not worried about being decommissioned or slowly going insane. People who were arriving home to their loved ones after a long day. Others who were just starting their shifts. In any case, there was an order to their life, an order that they themselves created. 

Fox rested his elbows on his knees and looked down at the dreary colored pavement. Would Lucky have liked this color? The sad grey that was brought on by the rain? Would Group B have still wanted to go out in this weather? Would Axel take one look at him and shake his head in exasperation? Would Ponds sit down and listen to him?

He watched the small streaks of rain wash down the front of his visor. Fox couldn’t cry, but this was at least close. 

The sound of footsteps behind him still didn’t make him look up. A figure sat down next to him on the steps. The figure of a person that matched him perfectly, just as intended. 

Thorn simply sat with him for a few minutes without speaking, watching the rain fall in rivulets down their helmets and armor and pool on the ground. 

“You ever think about how miserable our existence is?” Thorn asked quietly. 

“All the time.”

“Created to serve people who couldn’t care less, and to die when they demand it, all while never being recognized as sentient.”

Fox sighed softly but didn’t answer. That was why he had to hold out. That was why he needed to keep his brothers alive to see the vercopa. He had to believe there was something more for them. 

“Is that order to desert still valid?” Thorn asked.

“Only if you go on your own, like I said.”

“Then I still say no,” Thorn replied quietly, “I’m bringing you with me.”

“I don’t think there will be much to bring at this point.”

“I don’t care, I’ll take any part of you I can get.”

“For the Republic.”

“For the Republic.”

Thorn leaned his head on Fox’s shoulder. Fox tilted his head to rest on Thorn’s. The rain dripped onto his helmet and ran down the visor, to drip down Thorn’s own. 

They didn’t move. They didn’t voice their treasonous words any further. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that wanted to desert?

Umbara was a mess, just as he knew it was going to be. Fox read through the mission report and even he couldn’t stop himself from cringing at times. 

General Krell was a bastard. Fox could readily admit that he didn’t especially like Rex, but it seemed like he was always getting the worst of what the galaxy had to offer. This time it came in the form of a general who sent them to fight and kill their own brothers. 

He wondered if maybe he should reach out to Rex. His eyes darted to the drawer that held the cartridges of colored ink for Lucky. He knew all too well what it was like to take the life of one of their brothers…

There was a guilt that settled in his stomach. It was him who had seen the reports from Krell, the demagolka, time and time again. He had even noted that it was higher than it should have been. 

Would speaking up have done anything though? Or, would it have gifted him a straight path to decommissioning? General Yoda was all too keen to shoot down his ideas and concerns before. 

No, there wasn’t anything he could have done earlier, and he had specific orders from the Chancellor to make the plans for Umbara’s fall. It had worked perfectly too, the Republic media portrayed it as a big win, when all the Republic got was what they shouldn’t have lost in the first place. He had done as he was ordered, just as the kaminiise had told him to do. 

There was one trooper though, CT-6922, ‘Dogma’, who had shot Krell and killed him. If it were up to Fox, Dogma would be awarded with the highest honors possible. 

Of course, nothing was up to Fox, so there was an order for Dogma to be court-martialed. That was code for decommissioning if he knew anything. The senators and kaminoans would never allow for a trooper that killed their commanding officer to stay in the GAR. 

The message of the court martial had been forwarded to not only Kamino, but the Chancellor’s office as well. His firewall had caught the message before it reached either though. 

Half the GAR already knew about what had happened. The kaminoans and Chancellor likely also knew and if they didn’t get this message they would become suspicious. Many Jedi, including Kenobi and Skywalker, were trying to make regulations so this kind of thing didn’t happen again. 

Fox wanted to scream. 

Couldn’t they see it was already happening? Couldn’t they see that they did practically the exact same thing with every battle they fought? When did ‘necessary sacrifices’ become too much? What was the cutoff? How many of his brothers weren’t worth anything? 

Hypocrites or hypocrites in denial, all of them. 

There was nothing he could do for Dogma, and it hurt. It really did hurt. He couldn’t do anything, if he tried it could potentially reveal his entire operation. So, he released the message from the firewall and allowed it to be sent to both the kaminoans and the Chancellor. There was nothing he could do. 

So why did it still feel like a betrayal?

But he stayed quiet, after all, what good was a CC unit that complained?

The next time CC-1010 met with the Chancellor things were suspiciously normal. Palpatine invited him in as he always did, and began requesting for an update on Coruscant security, the same as usual. 

CC-1010 supposed they were just going to ignore the fact that he knew the Chancellor’s secret now. He wasn’t keen to bring it up and it seemed Palpatine wasn’t either.

Instead, he waited with bated breath for whatever horrifying thing he was going to see now. The visions had begun to creep into his sleep, not that he got much to begin with though. What he hadn’t been expecting, was for the pain to not be an illusion this time. 

Lightning forked over his skin, burning any flesh it could come into contact with. He felt like knives as hot as blaster bolts were stabbing and twisting into his skin. 

CC-1010 looked down at his arms. The plastoid of his armor had melted and was slowly adhering to the skin underneath. It sizzled and the smell of burnt flesh and plastoid was all that filled his nostrils. It reminded him of Geonosis. 

Speaking of Geonosis, it suddenly dawned on him that he could hear screaming. Screaming that sounded just like his own voice, his brothers crying out in pain and suffering all around him. He had to help them! But the burning intensified and he watched as welts and blisters popped and bubbled up on his skin. The burning knives pressed into his fingers and he watched as the top layer of his flesh sizzled away, then the next, and the next, and the next. All the way to the fat and muscle of his hands and then that burned away too. 

The plastoid of his armor was still melting to his skin and with horror, he realized that it was beginning to melt to his face too. 

No! He would never be able to get his helmet off then. He tried to rip it off, but his hands were burned beyond comprehension. The helmet conformed to his face, making his HUD the only thing he could see. It closed in, it was hurting him, strangling him like the cold water on Kamino. He needed air, he needed—

CC-1010 gasped and shuddered as the office of the Chancellor came back into view. He was lying on his side on the carpeted floor, trembling and shaking like a wet tooka. Burns made his entire body ache but no tears were in his eyes, his armor wasn’t sizzling, and his hands were still intact. 

Lord Sidious stalked around him as he sputtered and tried to get the taste of blood out of his mouth. 

“Let that be a warning Commander, what would happen should you ever think of telling anyone what you know.”

CC-1010 was good at not telling people what he knew. 

“I know you are Commander,” Sidious purred. He then said something else and even though his body was trembling and his throat felt hoarse, CC-1010 rose to his feet. The pain faded away. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this was his chance. This was his chance to kill Drellin, he only needed to suggest it to Sidious. 

“I am finding an issue with the banking clan Commander, and require it to commence a vital part of the plan.”

Drellin, Drellin, Drellin, his mind screamed at him. 

His mouth didn’t obey though, “May I have a moment to consider, my lord?” His voice was scratchy. 

“Granted.”

He needed to kill Drellin, not whatever this nonsense was. CC-1010’s mind was already racing though. The easiest way to rid the Republic of debt was to kill Drellin  remove the source of that debt. They had no chance of paying off that debt anyway. He inwardly cried out as his mouth opened and began calmly reciting words he didn’t want to speak.

“I would recommend exposing the banking clan for not being able to support the needs of the Republic’s debt. This could be easily colluded to being a separatist plot. By framing a politician who already has ties to the Separatists for this discrepancy, it would appear as if the Separatists are in control of the banks, especially with pressure. The Senate would then vote for you, my lord, to have control over them in these unprecedented times. That would allow for you to erase any debt the Republic has.”

Sidious smiled, “That will take time to arrange, but brilliant as ever Commander.”

“I am what I am required to be sir.”

His mind was screaming at him. Drellin wasn’t going to die. This was his one chance and he wasn’t able to do it. He was going to spend more time in that room with the white walls, not knowing what was happening. 

There were going to be more decom orders, more hatred and violence against him and his brothers. More of that room…

He didn’t want that. 

He didn’t want that. 

HE DIDN’T WANT THAT.

With a strength he didn’t understand, Fox forced his plan to come to the front of his mind. He wasn’t going back there. He didn’t want to go back there. Ever. 

“To ensure this plan holds my lord,” CC-1010 fought against the force that seemed to want to keep his mouth closed. He had to fight it, this was his one chance. “I would recommend the death of the senator of Hosnian Prime, D-drellin.”

“Oh, why is that commander?”

His body was so tense it hurt. His jaw cracked and screamed in pain as he forced it open and his tongue felt like it had turned to lead. He had to focus. He was a soldier, he was good at focusing under pain. Drelin had to die, he didn’t want to been that room ever again. He didn’t want it. 

He thought back to what he had read on Drellin, “Senator D-drellin is part of the upper class of Hosnian Prime. If he were to die s-soon and his death were to look like an accident, the debt the upper class has to the Republic would fall to the aristocrats of Hosnian Prime. This would set them in a panic, but once you relieved them of their debt, you will have gained a valuable ally and the Senate will trust that you are using your… new authority well, to solve a growing conflict.” He practically had to spit out the last words. 

Once he was finally done speaking, he let the thoughts leave his mind. The tension left his body and the pain did as well. CC-1010 relaxed into the normality of being a good soldier. 

“I see. Interesting proposition Commander, but I see the worth.”

Sidious walked behind his desk and pulled something out before reaching out and handing it to CC-1010. 

It was a vial of a dark liquid. CC-1010 tucked it into his utility belt. 

“No witnesses,” Sidious commanded. 

“Yes my lord.”

“It must look like nothing but an accident.”

“Yes my lord.”

“Dismissed Commander.”

CC-1010 didn’t have any outward reaction. He marched dutifully away and out of the office, he knew his goal. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that couldn’t complete an ordered objective?

When Fox had heard the news he had sent a quick message to Kote. All it read was ‘I’m sorry.’

Kenobi was dead. He had been shot by a bounty hunter named Rako Hardeen while on Coruscant. 

(Fox wanted to go give the bounty hunter a thank you gift).

But still, he knew Kote respected his general and he would never want to do anything to hurt his older brother. 

A tiny, insignificant part of him wanted to let Hardeen go though, when Skywalker delivered him to prison. That part of him couldn’t last long though as he was quickly informed of a prison riot that had suddenly erupted. He had been back at base, but him and Thorn had taken off immediately, his mind already raced to track down the prisoners, and he was able to shut it down quickly with his orders.  

Boba and his lizard friend had managed to escape. He decided not to go after them. 

Bane, one of his employers, Eval, and also Hardeen had apparently been seen escaping through the crematorium. Four of his officers, Orion, Cosmo, Atlas, and Elio had been shot and killed. CC-1010 gritted his teeth and forced himself to take several breaths upon finding their bodies. 

It wasn’t hard to know where the bounty hunters went, there was a trail of the dead bodies of his brothers behind them. Rain and Scope’s bodies lay in the hallway and Thorn put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Outside, Charge, Astro, and…Cloud lay unmoving. 

A CSF transport was reported missing and CC-1010 was able to quickly deduct that the bounty hunters had likely taken it, and were going to steal a ship. He sent an order to the soldiers on planetary defense to tighten their countermeasures and prepare for any unauthorized vehicles taking off from the capital. 

CC-1010’s mind raced through strategies as he ordered ships to slowly box the spaceport in. He couldn’t help but feel a little satisfaction, Bane wasn’t getting away again. There was a certain joy he derived in letting the bounty hunter taste freedom for a second, only to be thrown back in prison immediately. He was about to give the order to move in when his comm pinged. 

The Jedi generals Windu and Yoda were requesting to speak with him. CC-1010 had been monitoring the expected trajectory of the escaped prisoners from the prison when it came in. Thorn shot him a curious look and he shrugged but accepted it. 

CC-1010 gave them a report and informed them that the bounty hunters would soon be in custody. That was when General Windu gave him an order he did not expect. 

“Thank you Commander, but you can call off your search.”

CC-1010’s eyes darted over to Thorn, who wasn’t visible on the hologram. Thorn raised both his hands in confusion. 

“But sir,” CC-1010 began, “we have ships in the area.”

“That will be all, Commander,” Windu said firmly. 

CC-1010 signed off quickly so he didn’t say anything he would later regret. 

“What?” Thorn sounded genuinely frustrated, “Why don’t they want to us to continue?”

CC-1010 could only helplessly shrug. He logged onto his comm with the rest of the men he had sent to corner Bane again. “New orders everyone, return to base. Let the prisoners go.”

Immediately there were protests of ‘why?’ and ‘but we nearly have them.’

“Orders from Generals Windu and Yoda. I’m not sure why,” he said over the arguing. 

CC-1010 could swear he heard a voice say, “What is wrong with them?” before he logged off. 

“Do they not want us to catch them?” Thorn asked incredulously. 

“I guess not.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

CC-1010 didn’t answer. He watched as sure enough, an unauthorized transport left the spaceport they had been monitoring. Its trajectory took it out of the atmosphere, and there was sometime before it jumped to hyperspace. The bounty hunters were likely headed to the outer rim, judging by the time it took to calculate the hyperspace route. He was willing to wager they wouldn’t go to any world with Republic presence either, their trajectory indicated Nal Hutta.

The Coruscant Guard spent a miserable evening making sure the prison was locked down and caring for their dead. CC-1010 could tell Angle was particularly upset, as Rain was one of his batchmates. Before he headed off to his office to write up the report, he made sure to give the clone a gentle keldabe which was returned enthusiastically.

Fox threw his helmet onto his desk, quickly stuck himself with a stim shot and sat down. He glanced down at the drawer where he kept the notice of Ponds’s death. 

“Your general stopped me from arresting Bane, Ponds,” he said to it. 

Fox huffed lightly, “Yes, I know you wouldn’t stand for that Axel. But I have to follow their orders.”

“He didn’t have a reason Ponds,” he said angrily, “He just expected me to follow orders. I honestly don’t know what you liked about him—”

The comm pinged again. With a loud sigh, Fox put his helmet back on and answered it. The voice of the Chancellor greeted him. 

“Commander, I’ve heard some disturbing news?”

“Yes, my lord,” CC-1010 said, “We had a prison riot tonight but handled it as well as we could. Bane, Eval, and Hardeen escaped and we could have captured them but the Jedi called off our search.”

“That’s…odd,” for once the Chancellor sounded genuinely puzzled. 

“I agree my lord, I’m not sure why they did it. However, I believe the bounty hunters are headed for a planet like Nal Hutta, in the outer room and with no presence of the Republic.”

“Thank you Commander, I appreciate the update. I’m unsure about the Jedi’s plan at this time too. Rest assured, should this happen again, you are free to defer to me to see what you should actually do.”

“Thank you my lord. Also, I will have the planned security measures for your address on Naboo done shortly. I will send them later tonight.”

“Vigilant as ever, Commander, I appreciate it. Also, don’t forget about your other task.”

Drellin. As if he could ever forget. He was just waiting for the Senator to order him back to his apartment. 

“Yes, my lord.”

“I am sorry about the men you have lost tonight Commander, truly I am.”

“…Thank you my lord.”

“Of course, let me know should anything else arise.”

“Ever your servant, my lord.”

Fox clicked the comm shut and allowed himself a second to rub his eyes and feel how tired he was. Then, he straightened up and began finishing up the security plans for the Chancellor while he was on Naboo. 

In the end though, none of that mattered. 

Kenobi was still alive and disguised as Hardeen. All in a guise to protect the Chancellor from a kidnapping attempt. Bane and Eval were back in custody. He had sent Bane to solitary confinement and Eval had been put on trial, found guilty, and was promptly executed. 

Kenobi had sat by and watched as his brothers were gunned down. The Jedi council had orchestrated the prison riot. His men were ‘necessary sacrifices’ and would eventually become ‘nameless soldiers’ who all died so that the heroic Jedi could save the day. All so the Jedi could protect a Sith, apparently their sworn enemy. He was certain Palpatine was dying of laughter in his office. 

Fox shot a glare to the death notice of Ponds, “Still think your jetii is an honorable person ori’vod?”

There was no answer. There never was. 

Somewhere deep down he was looking forward to Kenobi’s actual death. And Windu, and Yoda, and Skywalker, Tano, Ti, and all the rest of that group of demagolkas. He could wait, he could be patient, but he would relish when Prime’s gra’tua was carried out. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that couldn’t be patient?

The Chancellor’s plan to remove the Republic of debt was taking longer to orchestrate. As such, they were currently on a far tighter budget than usual. 

Which meant that Fox looked at the requisition forms sent to him, and had to deny many of them. It was a new puzzle for him to solve, who truly needed what they were asking for? He didn’t enjoy it, but it had to be done. 

The commanders of the GAR probably hated him even more. The arresting of drunk troopers already had put the entire Guard in a bad light. Now he, who had only fought on the front lines once, was deciding whether or not they really needed what they were asking for. Fox tried not to let it bother him, but whispers traveled fast around the vode. 

One battalion that he had allowed their full requests was the marines and Bacara. Though, that was for…other reasons. 

“While you’re on Mygeeto, Bacara, the Chancellor has another job for you,” Fox said into the comm. 

“I’m listening.”

“I’ll send you the information. It’s an experimental Mygeetan power source that the Chancellor is interested in,” Fox tapped on his datapad to send the file to Bacara, at the request of Palpatine. 

There was a second of silence as Bacara skimmed it, “I see.”

“Bacara?”

“What?”

“Don’t tell Mundi about this. Keep him on the outside, he’s not to even have a hint of what you’re really there for,” Fox said firmly. 

“I understand Fox,” Bacara replied formally. 

“Good. Good luck then.”

There was a beat of silence. 

“Do you have any questions Bacara?” Fox tried to veil his agitation. 

“…No.”

“Spit it out,” Fox frowned. 

“Nothing. Take care of yourself Fox,” Bacara replied after another second of silence. 

Fox ended the call just in time to see another message pop up on his datapad. He wanted to groan. It read:

Hi Commander! Code Blue at the front desk, they want to speak with you

He sighed as he messaged back Angle:

Who?

The response came quickly:

Cody and his general

Fox let out an even longer sigh and this time he did groan loudly. With careful movements, he injected himself with two stim shots, only one wasn’t working anymore, and rose from his desk. Luckily, he had the excuse of needing to be at the Senate for guard duty soon so he couldn’t speak to them for long. 

As he purposefully stalked through the winding grey walls of the base he had to try and control his anger. There was nothing he wanted to do more than snap at Kenobi for the stunt with Hardeen. The stunt that had killed several of his brothers, that the Jedi cleared their consciousness of by claiming ‘necessary sacrifices’. 

How was it even a ‘sacrifice’ when nothing was gained? At least Revan advanced his war with the decisions he made. 

Fox stopped in his stride for a moment when he heard the sound of Angle’s voice. 

“Which marshal commander do you want to see?” Angle asked innocently. 

“Which—there’s only one here!” Kote sounded incredulous. 

“Oh, that marshal commander,” Angle began typing slowly on the screen in front of him. 

“There’s not more than one!”

“Well he has a big presence,” Angle defended. 

“That doesn’t mean there’s more than one of him!”

Angle let out a sigh, “Sometimes I think he’s still here…”

Almost instantly, Kote’s voice softened, “Did something happen to him?”

“Oh no, he’s still around. But sometimes I get the schedules confused and think he’s still here when he’s actually at the Senate dome.”

Fox had to bite his lips to avoid laughing at the silence that followed that statement. 

“Alright Commander Cody,” Angle was typing incredibly slow, “the marshal commander is pretty busy but I think I can make an appointment for you,” he stopped typing and looked up at Kote, “Can I have your name to put down?”

Fox snorted softly and he heard Angle’s voice over the private comm, “Glad you appreciate my work Commander!”

“Thank you,” he replied, “I can take it from here.” Fox deactivated the ray shielded doors and stepped out into the room. 

“We’ll have to walk and talk,” he said to Kote and Kenobi who both looked ridiculously frazzled. 

“Hey Marshal Commander!” Angle exclaimed, “I have another one for you!”

“Go ahead trooper,” he said gently. 

“What do you get when you combine a plan, a bounty hunter, and a Jedi?”

CC-1010 noted the way both Kenobi and Kote stiffened slightly. 

“I don’t know,” he replied. 

“No Rain!” Angle exclaimed and then laughed so hard he pitched to the side of the chair he was sitting in and fell to the ground, gasping.  

CC-1010 began walking out of the room, “Remember what I say about sleep trooper.”

“Yes sir, I am sir!” Angle said, pulling himself back up into view, “Bye Commander Cody! Bye General Kenobi! Please come again!”

Kote and Kenobi followed him out of the military base as he began walking quickly through the shipyard. 

“Is he…alright?” Kote asked once he caught up. 

“He will be,” Fox said shortly, “he lost one of his batchmates recently.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kenobi wince slightly. Good, he couldn’t help but think behind his shields.

“I’m sorry,” Kote said softly, “what happened?”

Under his helmet, CC-1010’s lips curled into a cruel smirk, “Let’s just say it was a combination of a plan, a Jedi, and a bounty hunter.”

Kote tensed as Kenobi spoke up, “Commander, if I could express my utmost—”

CC-1010 held up a hand and continued walking, “With all due respect General Kenobi, I’m not interested in hearing any empty platitudes at this time.”

Kenobi’s eyes widened and he looked slightly taken aback. Easy to be the ‘negotiator’ when people were already charmed by you, CC-1010 thought again. 

“Commander!” came another voice and CC-1010 turned to see Thire was hurrying after him, “Sorry, need your signature.”

CC-1010 took the datapad Thire offered, signed it quickly and handed it back. “We also have a code fire as soon as you can,” said Thire. 

CC-1010 nodded, “I’ll handle it. Also, have patrol route 4 be altered to second position, I think there might be more unrest today.” 

“Yes sir,” Thire nodded and hurried off. Patrol route 4 usually led by 79’s and CC-1010 was fairly sure the GAR wasn’t going to be happy with the new adjustments. 

“Apologies,” CC-1010 said and kept walking, “why did you need to speak with me?”

General Kenobi ran a hand through his hair that was shorter than usual. “Commander, while recent developments on the warfront, I will admit, have been slow there is still—”

“Is this about the denied requisition forms?” CC-1010 interrupted. He knew it wasn’t appropriate respect for a commanding officer, but truthfully he wasn’t sure why Kenobi deserved his respect anymore. 

“Yes,” General Kenobi straightened up, “I understand that the Coruscant Guard likely holds me in no high regard, and you are well within your rights to that, Commander. However, my men have had no control or input on my dealings as a Jedi.”

CC-1010 frowned and turned to Kote, “You think I denied your request out of a personal vendetta?”

Kote narrowed his eyes and his hand that was holding his helmet tightened, “I’m not sure what to think right now, vod’ika.”

Kenobi looked genuinely surprised at the nickname. Great, the general knew Mando’a, now they couldn’t use it in his vicinity. 

“Were you two batchmates?” Kenobi asked curiously. 

“I hardly see how that’s relevant,” CC-1010 coldly replied. “In any case, you can be pleased to know that my personal emotions will not get in the way of my duty.”

“That’s not what I meant vod—” Kote started but CC-1010 interrupted. 

“The Republic doesn’t have the budget to support the same needs of the GAR that it once did,” CC-1010 relayed, “because of the debt the Republic owes, funds and future spending have a stricter limit. You are far from the only battalion that I’ve had to cut down on supplies to.”

Kote and Kenobi both stared at him for a moment before Kote spoke again, “Bacara didn’t get the same cuts according to the forms.”

Was that an accusation? CC-1010 clenched his hands into fists and tightened his shields, “Bacara is launching a campaign on Mygeeto. As far as I am aware, the 212th will be not be partaking in any planetary campaigns while General Kenobi ‘recovers.’ Is my intel incorrect?”

“So you get to decide what we need and what we don’t?” Kote said with a hint of bitterness. 

CC-1010 scoffed, “Raise your concerns with the commanders of the GAR, they’ll at least agree  with your accusations. I’ve been doing this the entire war, you just didn’t care because it benefitted you.”

“Alright,” General Kenobi stepped in between them, “I think it would be beneficial if you both took a step back here. I’m sure we can come to a compromise—”

“I don’t see what compromise is needed when I don’t have anything more to give,” CC-1010 interrupted again, “the only thing that’s necessary is both of you accept the reality here.”

“Watch your tone,” Kote said firmly. 

“If you really think that’s still going to work on me you’ve lost your mind, ori’vod,” CC-1010 snapped back. 

“I expect you to understand your conditioning. I expect you to understand the appropriate way to talk to your superior.”

CC-1010 could help the short, incredulous laugh he let out, “The last time a superior saw us as necessary sacrifices to throw away when the time was right, he was apprehended and killed on Umbara. In fact, it was your general who was putting together a plan to make sure we didn’t get killed needlessly by the whims of the Jedi again.” He turned to face Kenobi, “What happened to that, General?”

Both the general and his older brother were silent. 

“Hypocrite,” he hissed, “I am doing what I’ve been conditioned to do, and I’ll continue to do it, even if I think you deserve a lot less.”

He was about to walk away when a hand reached out, grabbed his arm and pulled him to face Kote again. 

“What’s happened to you, vod’ika?” Kote demanded. 

CC-1010 sagged a little in Kote’s grip. He remembered when he once sprinted across a hangar and threw himself into the same arms that held him now, too excited to see his older brother again. He gazed into brown eyes that were the exact same as his own. 

“Too much,” he said softly and then turned away. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that mourned the past?

For once, when fingers snapped in front of his face, he didn’t feel an immediate sense of dread. For once, he felt slightly giddy. 

Drellin snarked about one thing or another and CC-1010 had long since learned when to nod and when to shake his head. He followed behind Drellin obediently, as he always did, until they reached the apartment again. 

CC-1010 had to try and calm his breathing at the sight of the white walls and twisted metal. His whole body shook with anxiety and trembled with anticipation. 

He had one chance. 

Drellin groaned as he collapsed onto a couch he set up in one of the rooms. Like everything else, it was a blinding white color. CC-1010 walked over carefully and, like always, removed the rings from Drellin’s hand. He placed them carefully on the table next to the couch. Those same rings that had gripped his face or slapped across it. 

“War, death, and profit,” Drellin sighed, “couldn’t name a better trio if you tried.”

“Yes sir.”

“Not like you could even recognize what I’m talking about,” the senator snapped, “You hardly have the brain to know how to move right.”

“Yes sir.”

Drellin snapped three times and CC-1010 rose and walked over to the counter with the drinks on it. Three snaps meant Corellian ale, he had learned. Carefully, he poured the alcohol into a glass and then, keeping his back to Drellin, palmed the vial in his utility belt. 

In one movement, he uncorked the vial, poured it into the drink and pocketed it again. It was so  quick he was certain even if someone was looking they would have had a hard time catching it. 

His heart was thundering so loud in his chest he wouldn’t be surprised if Drellin could hear it. The lights on his HUD warned him of his increased heart rate and he thanked it again for such helpful information. 

With trembling fingers, he passed the glass over to Drellin. His HUD informed him of lowering oxygen levels as he held his breath. 

Time seemed to slow around him. The only things he was aware of was the sweat trickling down the back of his neck, the tremble in his fingertips, and the rapid pace of his heart. CC-1010 wet his lips under his helmet. It felt too heavy for his head all of a sudden, his armor felt too tight, his blacks felt rough and scratchy even though it was all he had ever known. 

He couldn’t swallow, he couldn’t even speak. There was a ringing in his ears. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t form one thought to save his life—

Drellin tipped his head back and swallowed the drink in one swig. 

The senator sighed, “Better already.”

CC-1010’s breathing didn’t return and his heart didn’t slow down. All he could do was stare. Was that…it? A sense of utter horror rose up in his mind. Had the Chancellor given him something that didn’t work?

“Sometimes I wonder about the fruitlessness of it all,” Drellin gazed out the window as the sun was beginning to set. “So many people depend on me, an entire planet actually, and yet all I am is but one man.”

CC-1010 was frozen. 

The light shone brightly on Drellin’s blond hair, “What can one man accomplish on his own? I’m hardly different from any on my planet, even those that would pretend otherwise…”

Drellin turned to look at CC-1010, “That’s why I’m glad I have you Commander. I look at you and know that I’m something more. I know that there is a difference between you and me.”

The look on Drellin's face could almost be described as fond. The senator sat up on the couch, “Down,” he commanded and pointed to the floor. 

CC-1010 clenched his fists and his mind told him to obey, told him that it would be better if he did. What was even the point of fighting? Nothing ever changed. With a hopelessness in his heart he was about to bend down when he heard a voice. 

“Don’t.”

His eyes darted around the room, but there was no one besides him and the senator. 

“Don’t, Fox.”

The voice was familiar, in fact it sounded exactly like his own. 

The fond look on Drellin’s face fell, “I said down, product.”

Fox squared his shoulders and stared straight at Drellin. No, he didn’t want to go ‘down.’ He didn’t want to ever again. He didn’t care if what Palpatine gave him was real or not, he was never going to do it again. 

“No.”

Drellin’s eyes widened, “Excuse me? I gave you an order.”

“No.”

For once, he felt calm surrounded by these white walls and strange art. He was in control. 

Red creeped into Drellin’s face, “I’ll give you one last chance clone, get down before I make you.”

“No. And my name is Fox, sir,” Fox shot back angrily. 

“You and your names,” Drellin mocked, “Need I remind you what happened to your beloved Anvil after he failed?”

Fox clenched his fists and focused his gaze, “His name was Axel.”

Drellin stood from the couch and marched straight up to Fox’s face. The senator was slightly taller than Fox himself, but he didn’t feel intimidated in the slightest. 

“You think I care? He was faulty, just like all the others,” Drellin snarled. 

Fox reached up and took off his helmet. His curls fell into his eyes as he glared at Drellin. “He was innocent, you’re just insane.”

“Insane?” Drellin laughed, “I use you all as you’re meant to be used. You are property, my property and if you fail then I have the right to replace you. It’s in your very nature, Burtoni told me.”

“No,” Fox growled back, “we are men, just like you. Only we have trained the entirety of our lives to protect people like you, people who couldn’t care about us less. I have trained to drown a grown man in water that’s less than a meter high. I have trained to be able to fire a blaster perfectly even if I can’t see. I have trained to be able to strategize and create tactics as easy as breathing. What have you trained to do that makes you worth more than me?”

Drellin opened his mouth to no doubt yell or scream, but no sound came out. His eyes bulged out and his hand shot to his throat. 

Fox stepped out of the way as the senator fell to the ground, writhing. Drellin gasped and coughed in a way that was so uncharacteristic of his usual grace. 

“You—you bastard, you’ve done this, haven’t you?” Drellin choked out, “You filthy, traitorous, slave. You’ll never be anything more than a slave, than a filthy whore—”

Fox raised an eyebrow as Drellin’s words were cut off by more choking. Spit flew from his mouth and pooled on the ground and his lips looked slightly blue. 

“H-help me, I order you to help me,” the senator gasped. 

“No.”

Drellin dragged himself forward, more saliva flew from his mouth as he wheezed and snot began dripping down his nose. His body convulsed and gagged. He reached out with one hand and grasped Fox’s ankle. 

Fox stared down at the pathetic sight as Drellin forced himself to speak again. 

“Help me, please,” Drellin begged. 

Fox leaned down slightly and locked eyes with the senator. 

“Death comes for us all,” he said emotionlessly. 

Drellin’s eyes widened, not just in surprise but also in fear. It was that look that would forever be plastered on his face as in that moment, he slumped over, unmoving. Fox knew what a dead body looked like. 

He pulled his ankle away from Drellin’s grip and put his helmet on again. What an absolute pathetic excuse of life. With perfect form, he turned on the spot and marched out of the horrible apartment. 

CC-1010 commed his men on senate patrol and told them a body needed collecting. The official reason for Drellin’s death would be written as choking after drinking too much. There was no evidence to propose any other cause. If his brothers noticed how the body was still warm, they didn’t say anything, but he already knew they wouldn’t. 

CC-1010 walked out of the Senate with his back straight and his head held up high. He wondered if Axel was watching. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that couldn’t kill?

Fox stumbled into headquarters, the pride from earlier gone and a headache already forming. The death, while a temporary luxury, was only going to make things worse for them in the long run. Even though it was listed as a pure accident, it was still the Guard who would be blamed, who would take all fault, and who would be punished for it. 

He was about to head into his office to even begin to fill out the reports of the incident when he heard voices. 

They were loud voices, coming from the mess hall. And they sounded almost happy? It sounded like shouts and cheers. 

Cautiously, Fox approached the hall. The voices and shouts only grew louder as he walked closer. Another sound joined the cacophony that sounded almost like music?

Nothing in all of his extensive training could have prepared him for the sight that greeted his eyes when he turned the corner. 

The lights of the mess hall were dimmed, leaving the entire space in a faint, atmospheric lighting. Pop music that he had heard sometimes on night patrols to the lower levels blasted so  loud the walls seemed to vibrate. 

But what surprised him most were his brothers. 

Not a single one had their helmets on. Their weapons had been thrown to the side without a care. A large poster hung on the wall that had been hastily and messily painted on with the words:

GOOD RIDDANCE UGLY SHABUIR

Some of his brothers were laughing, others were tearfully throwing themselves into each others’ arms. Some were cheering, several were dancing horribly to the music. 

Fox’s eyes widened and they scoured the area before landing on a certain two commanders in the corner. 

As if they sensed his gaze, both Thorn and Stone turned at the same time to face him. They stared at each other for a moment before walking over tomorrow him, slowly. 

Fox crossed his arms and stared them down, “Do I even want to know?” he asked.

Thorn at least had the decency to look sheepish, Stone just raised an eyebrow. 

“They just wanted to celebrate a little Fox,” Thorn tried to explain. 

“And you approved this?” Fox said with a little bite in his tone. 

“Yes! I think—” Thorn started. 

“Wasn’t asking you,” Fox interrupted and stared at Stone. 

Stone just stared back at him, as impassive as his namesake, “I did.” 

“Why? You know how this could make us look if it got out. And you know that his death is only going to make things worse for us in the long run,” Fox kept his voice even but anyone could tell it was brimming with tension. 

He stared down Stone for a moment longer before finally, the commander broke. Stone sighed, “I know that Fox,” he turned to gesture at the rest of the Guard, “Realistically, they know that too. They just wanted one night. One night to celebrate what is a win for us, even if it’s only a win in these few hours.

“They just want to let it all go, even if it’s only for one night. They want to be happy, even if it’s only for one night.” Stone’s eyes became sad and he looked back up at Fox, “I couldn’t deny them that Fox. Could you?”

Fox looked back over the rest of the Guard. The usual tension and tiredness that hovered around them like a dark cloud seemed to clear. His brothers were smiling, laughing. When was the last time they had looked so free? Had they ever?

He felt his order to shut it down die on his lips. He turned back to his commanders who were watching him expectantly. Fox sighed and pressed his hand into the helmet covering his face, “One night.”

Thorn let out a loud cheer and Stone’s lips twitched up into an actual grin. Any lingering hesitation he had over his choice melted away at the sight of their excited expressions. 

Fox let out another sigh before beginning to turn and head back to his office. Or he would have, if Thorn hadn’t reached out and snatched his arm. 

“Where are you going Fox? You’re part of this now too!” he exclaimed. 

Fox let out a groan, “I have work to do.”

“Not tonight,” Stone said with a crooked grin, “Tonight we’re not anything. We’re just celebrating.”

Fox narrowed his eyes behind his helmet, “You’re celebrating the death of a superior.”

Thorn clutched his chest, “And what a poetic death it was. I couldn’t think of any better way for that shabuir to go.”

“Come on Fox,” Stone insisted, “one night.”

Fox let out another long sigh. Thorn let out a cry of victory, “That’s the ‘I hate this but fine I’ll go along with it for now,’ Fox sigh,” he claimed triumphantly. 

“You have my sighs memorized?” Fox asked incredulously. 

“Yeah, it’s a necessity!”

Fox was about to sigh again when suddenly, the seal around his helmet broke and it was removed from his head. He turned to see Thire standing behind him with a grin. In one motion, Thire threw his helmet into the corner of the room. 

“Come on Fox!” Thire yelled out and grabbed his other wrist. Together, Thorn and Thire pulled him into the center of the hall. 

“I hate you all,” Fox said emotionlessly. 

“Well, I find it very offensive that you thought I would just be alright with this and Stone had to be the responsible one,” Thorn snarked back. 

Fox raised an eyebrow, “Is that not what happened?”

“It is,” said Stone with a smile. 

Thorn pouted, “It is, but that doesn’t mean you have to say it out loud.”

Unwillingly, Fox felt his lips twitch up. He was thankful when his brothers didn’t point it out. 

Another loud cheer rose up in the room when Fox was pulled in. He fought the urge to duck his head. While he knew that everything he did was for his brothers, it was nice to know that they appreciated it sometimes. 

A shot glass was thrust into his hand. Fox looked up to see a circle of his brothers surround him. 

He raised an eyebrow at Thire, “Where did you get this?” he gestured at the glass. 

Thire’s eyes became very round, “Why would you assume I had it?”

Fox was about to answer before a chant started up around him. “Drink! Drink! Drink!” his brothers shouted. The music and chant flooded his ears and seemed to make his whole body shake.

Thorn grinned at him, “It’s alright if you can’t do it Fox. I mean, you’ve probably never—”

Fox titled his head back and downed the shot. An absurdly loud cheer went up from the brothers surrounding him. He couldn’t help the smirk he shot at a gaping Thorn. 

Fox turned to face Thire with a thoughtful look, “Thought you would have had something stronger, Thire.”

Thire’s eyes bugged out, “That’s the strongest I had.”

Fox’s grin was sly, “Weak.”

Thire began to sputter as another glass was shoved into Fox’s hands. He downed it again, this time without all the additional fanfare. He heard Thorn let out a delighted laugh. 

The circle of bodies around him dispersed and the music seemed to become even louder. Fox turned to see many of them had taken up badly dancing again. He caught sight of Hound who was holding up Grizzer’s front paws and swaying with her to the beat. The image made him smile lightly. 

Fox barely got a second before Thorn was pulling him away again. Arms wrapped around him in a crushing grip. 

“Dance with me, Fox!” Thorn yelled from where he had his arms wrapped around Fox. 

“Absolutely not,” he shot back and tried to pry himself from Thorn’s grip, though admittedly with not all the force he could have. Fingers jabbed into his sides from behind and he started, before turning over his shoulder to see a grinning Stone. 

“Come on, Fox,” Stone had to yell over the music. Any more of his protests were lost to the booming sound. Stone encased him from opposite Thorn and he pushed against both of them. 

Fox looked from his prison to see Thire grinning as he jumped up and down to the music. Stone pushed him lightly and he stumbled forwards against Thorn, not quite biting down the short laugh that escaped his throat. 

Thorn stepped back and gripped his wrist with one hand. He lifted Fox’s wrist and then tried to turn under his raised arm. Fox actually did laugh at the action and Thorn’s brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how to do it properly. 

Fox couldn’t help it. He turned on the spot at the same time Thorn tried again, and misjudged the distance as the two of their skulls cracked together. He heard the sound of Stone’s hysterical laughter even over the music. 

He could hardly feel the pain. In fact, the headache from before was gone as well. Fox grinned at Thorn, mischief dancing in his eyes that hadn’t been there since he had been a cadet. 

Stone yelped as Fox sprung forward and grabbed his arm. In one fluid movement, he yanked Stone forward, twisted his arm around, stepped to the side and stuck out his foot. Stone tripped and was about to fall face first into the floor but Fox caught him just before he could. 

“Damn, you’re a natural, Stone,” Fox said mischievously, before unceremoniously dropping him. Stone collapsed to the floor with a small thump. Thorn cackled wildly. 

All of his brothers seemed to form into a circle without instruction. They took turns running through and around the space, sometimes attempting to break out into some dance move that was so awful the rest of them began laughing wildly. 

Fox’s body, which had been specifically molded and designed to be the perfect solider, his mind which had been formed into a strategic computer, his psyche which had been conditioned into following and obeying…

It was all lost as he moved for the first time in his life like this. It was awful, uncoordinated, and probably looked absolutely ridiculous. 

He couldn’t care. 

He couldn’t care when Thorn was smiling so wide and dancing just as ridiculously. He couldn’t care when Angle was spinning in circles with an enormous grin on his face. He couldn’t care when Thire had his head tipped back in laughter and unbridled joy. He couldn’t care when Stone kept trying all methods to get him back after he had dropped the other man on the floor, each failing one after the other. He couldn’t care when Thorn told him to “Watch this!” and proceeded to immediately slip and fall to the floor in a tangle of limbs with a look of such earnest confusion on his face it made Fox laugh until he couldn’t breathe. When was the last time he had felt so free?

“MARCH STRAIGHT TO HELL DEMAGOLKA!” a voice yelled out. The answering shouts were just as enthusiastic. 

“FOR AXEL!” Someone else screamed and Axel’s name was chanted even louder than the music.

The past held demons for all of them. Tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed in the slightest. The future beyond that no doubt held worse. 

But Fox couldn’t care, tonight was theirs. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that couldn’t keep morale up?

CC-1010 shoved Offee into the cell none too gently. It made sense that she was the one behind the bombing, he remembered how incapable she was of handling war back on Geonosis. 

He hated her and he wasn’t afraid to say it. Not only was she responsible for the death of Group B, but she had also murdered Inferno, Coil, and Gael. 

Of course, the Jedi only saw the issue with her framing Tano. He hoped Tarkin would show the same level of vitriol for Offee that he did to Tano, hopefully she would be executed. 

“I remember you,” she said softly from the cell, “You were the commander on Geonosis.”

“I was,” he replied coldly. 

“I’m sorry,” she said miserably, “I never got the chance to apologize for that day.”

“What makes you think I want an apology from you?”

She sat down on the bench and looked at her feet, “I’m sorry for what I did here too, I just had to show why the Jedi were wrong. You understand that don’t you?”

He hated that he did understand. However, he would have gone about it far differently. Even being a rogue Jedi couldn’t separate you from their horrible strategic skills apparently. 

“You’re a hypocrite, just like the Jedi you try to claim you’re better than. How does performing an act of violence and murdering innocent people prove that you hate how the Jedi have adopted violence into their way of being? You’ve accomplished nothing, and I promise that one day you’ll regret it.”

CC-1010 walked out of her cell and the door shut behind him with a hiss. “Keep her on minimal water and less food,” he ordered Hex who was standing guard outside, “never take the Force inhibition binders off of her and no one is to ever visit her, I don’t care who they are.”

“With pleasure, sir,” Hex replied. 

Fox walked out of the prison area and to the shipyard. Not long ago, his men were chasing down Tano for what Offee had actually done. Through his commands they had managed to converge and box her in, but of course, Skywalker had given orders to stun and contain her, rather than treat her like an actual threat. He had followed those orders, because he was a good soldier, even if he grit his teeth at the thought of working alongside Rex. 

Truthfully, he knew that it wasn’t Tano who was behind the Jedi temple bombing. She was too earnest, couldn’t lie for the life of her. Not to mention she wasn’t even on planet when it happened so she couldn’t have even coordinated it properly. He had orders though, so he would follow them. 

Of course, the Senate wasn’t looking for who was guilty, they were looking for an easy target to blame. And Tano had, almost impressively, managed to incriminate herself further with every move she made. 

Jedi, he huffed. They still couldn’t imagine what to do and how to act when they weren’t the ones in power. Their immediate instinct was always to fight back, whether that was through actions or words. When you had no power though, you learned quickly that fighting directly only made things worse. You had to be clever about every move you made. 

Tano wasn’t clever, not like that at least. She was strong and athletic and capable, but she was reckless and never thought things through. She was too used to being strong, she didn’t know what it was like to act when everyone was against you. She had all the subtlety of her mentor, like a bantha trying to hide in the Senate. 

The sky was dark when CC-1010 stepped out into the shipyard. Thire and Thorn fell in step behind him. Several of the Jedi were waiting for him, having sent a message wishing to discuss further developments. 

General Koon greeted him but Generals Windu, Tiin, and Mundi did not. General Yoda tried to greet Thire, but his brother only stared back. CC-1010 tried to ignore Wolffe, who was standing behind his general. 

“Generals, prisoner 432 has been secured,” he reported diligently to them. 

They collectively winced a little at his referral to Offee with a number. He wasn’t sure what they expected though, numbers were how he had grown up. 

“Thank you Commander…,” General Koon prompted him. Had the Jedi forgotten that they had met before?

“Commander CC-1010 sir,” he replied. He noticed how Wolffe’s helmet twisted to look at him. 

“Do you have a name Commander?” Mundi asked with a forced calm to his voice.  

“Not that I am at liberty to share General,” he said. 

CC-1010 noticed how some of their eyes narrowed but he paid them no mind. General Koon didn’t push it, instead saying, “We appreciate you speaking with us at such odd hours Commander. There were a few questions we had if that is alright?”

He was so tired of these natborns pretending like he had a choice. “Fine sir,” he said. 

“You were the first to arrest Padawan Tano,” Windu followed up. 

“I was sir. From my perspective, Tano appeared to be harming the prisoner she was with. Having no further suspects at the time, we made the arrest. After Tano escaped, we believed she killed three clones and pursued as according to clause 5(a) of Regulation Manual—”

“You were shooting to kill,” Tiin chimed in. 

“Sirs,” Thorn spoke up, “We believed that Commander Tano had killed three of our men.”

“But she hadn’t,” Windu said, “You fired on a possible, but not known, suspect who was a Jedi. Forgive us if we are slightly concerned, Commander.”

You murdered a man with a child and orchestrated the deaths of several of the Guard, he wanted to spit back at Windu. He clenched his fists, holding his shields tight and exhaled gently. 

“Again General, we believed her to have killed three of my men. I’m not sure what your line of questioning seeks to prove. If you wish to accuse me of having a vendetta against the Jedi then you may bring it up with Admiral Tarkin or the Chancellor. As it was, I saw a threat and pursued as was directed by my orders,” he spoke calmly. 

They would never bring it up with Tarkin or Palpatine. Neither clearly held the Jedi in very high regard. As it was, they would never be able to prove CC-1010 or his brothers of any wrong doing. If they were going to pitch a fit, well that didn’t seem very characteristic of the Jedi. 

“In the future,” General Yoda began, “different approaches required hmm? Discussion, before action, there always should be.” His voice was almost teasing towards the end to try and lighten the words.

Tell that to Tano. Even if she hadn’t bombed the temple, she still allied herself with Ventress and hurt many of his brothers and Wolffe. She was willing to align herself with Ventress, right in front of Wolffe. 

It had been General Koon’s idea to send Wolffe and Rex to look for Tano since she knew them better. A squad of his men had accompanied them to make sure they didn’t get lost in the lower levels. And what a great idea that was! Wolffe hesitated when he found Tano for the first time because of their connection, and had nearly been hurt by Ventress again. They were lucky CC-1010 was able to deduce where Tano was headed, the warehouse, otherwise they would have truly lost her. 

CC-1010 stared down the swamp rat. The same one who had shot down his plan for Geonosis and gotten 25,000 of his brothers killed. Their names lined the memorial next to him. Lucky and Group B were up there. He hadn’t had the strength to speak up back then. But now…

“No,” he said firmly, “I will take absolutely no chances if I believe my brothers to be in danger.”

He felt Thire and Thorn take subtle steps closer to him. His heart was pounding, but he was glad that he had their support. 

“That is a noble resolve Commander,” General Koon said, “one that I commend you for. I believe what Master Yoda is asking for is to simply be certain of the final outcome.”

CC-1010 studied them. He noticed the way Windu looked at him with narrowed eyes. He noticed how Tiin had one hand on the hilt of his lightsaber. He noticed the tension in Mundi’s stance. 

Why had the generals asked him to introduce himself again? Had they forgotten who he was…or was there something else? 

The Jedi should have been familiar with him, he had never left Coruscant. So why would they ask for his name? Not for their own sakes…but maybe for his own?

They were trying to lure him into a false sense of security. Though, admittedly only General Koon was any good at it. Most clones liked it when they were referred to by their names, when their individuality was acknowledged. Luckily, CC-1010 was smarter than that. The only reason for that kind of manipulation was because you needed to know something. What information would they need from him? He thought back to the tension in their stances. 

They were suspicious of him. CC-1010 kept a tight hold on his shields to make sure that nothing would be able to reach the Jedi. To make sure that they would never be able to take what they were not given, just as Prime warned. 

Jedi generals, be suspicious of him? A clone? 

No, that wasn’t it. They had shown how little they regarded the lives of his brothers. He had seen it every day in the mission reports. One clone was never a danger to the likes of them. They were suspicious of something around him. Of…

Palpatine. They were suspicious of Palpatine and they knew that he worked hand in hand with the Chancellor. He cursed his prior need to bring up the Chancellor in the conversation. Did they finally sense the nature of their enemy right in front of them? Did the finally understand that they were meant to die in this conflict, the same way he had figured out when he was only five?

What would happen if they found out? Would he and his brothers be hurt because he hid such a secret? Would they be punished for having any association with the Chancellor?

Despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to argue with General Koon, he needed to get the Jedi away from here. He was doing nothing to assuage their suspicions by being argumentative. 

“My apologies for the misunderstanding Generals,” his voice was professional, “The concern I have for my men has been heightened these past few days.”

“Thank you for understanding,” General Koon gave him a shallow bow. 

“If that will be all?” CC-1010 prompted. They wouldn’t dare come out and say their suspicions out loud, after all, that would be treason. 

“Thank you for your time Commander,” General Koon said. The Kel Dor shot a glance over at Wolffe which had CC-1010 narrowing his eyes. The Jedi began to leave, though General Yoda looked up at Thire before he did. 

He was proud to see Thire stare down the General and not say a word. General Yoda’s ears drooped slightly and he too turned and began to hobble off. 

Immediately, CC-1010 was on his private comm with Thire and Thorn. “No one is to speak with any Jedi at all. If they’re approached tell them to relay them to me. I don’t want any Jedi entering this base ever.”

“Got it,” Thorn said and jogged back to the base. 

“You did well Thire,” he said softly to his brother. 

Thire looked away, “I just…I can’t help but think about everything he told me, all that time ago. General Yoda…he acted like he cared, like he understood. But how can he say those things, and then serve the Senators? And the decom orders…”

CC-1010 put a hand on Thire’s shoulder, “He’s a hypocrite.”

Thire sighed, “I know. It’s just not…easy to accept.”

“Believe me,” CC-1010 said softly, “I understand.”

He could tell Thire gave him a small smile before hurrying off after Thorn. With a sigh, he turned to face the new problem. 

Wolffe emerged from where he was standing in the shadows. The rest of the Jedi had boarded a gunship but General Koon had seen fit to leave his commander here. 

“Wolffe,” he acknowledged awkwardly. Their interactions as they hunted down Tano were all business. Now, the weight of everything they had said in their last talk hung between them. 

“Fox.”

“Did you need something else?” he asked his older brother curtly. 

“I…wanted to see you.”

Fox softened ever so slightly, “I—thanks.”

“I’m sorry, for what I said before,” Wolffe looked away. 

It had been so long ago now. Fox really hadn’t spoken to Wolffe in over a year and thought he could just be fine. He missed his brother. He missed all of his brothers…

“I’m sorry too,” Fox whispered. “It was so long ago now…”

“Yeah,” Wolfed huffed, “it really was.”

They stood in silence for a moment. It was difficult for Fox to believe this was the same Wolffe he knew back on Kamino. The same loud, boisterous, older brother who was constantly teasing and messing with him. 

Then again, Wolffe was probably thinking the same thing. He was probably wondering how his bright, mischievous little brother who gave as good as he got had become so closed off and serious. 

The war had changed them, and they were never going to be what they once were ever again. 

The thought made Fox sad. Even once Prime’s vercopa came true, they could never go back to the easy relationship that they once had. 

Maybe they could build something new though. 

“How’s working with the Chancellor?” Wolffe asked to break the silence. 

Why was he asking that now? He had been working with the Chancellor the entirety of the war, Fox opened his mouth to answer when suddenly he remembered something from their last conversation. 

“Since when do you think your general, a kriffing natborn, understands you more than me?” 

“Since he became the one by my side all the time, and not just when he conveniently remembered!”

The Jedi were suspicious of the Chancellor. The glance General Koon shot Wolffe just now played in his mind. He remembered back to when he impersonated Wolffe in the evaluation so long ago. Wolffe liked a style of strategy that involved attacking directly, but there was usually some diversion to distract from that main attack. 

Was that all this was? Fox felt something within him break. Sadness turned to rage and from rage to hate. 

“Did the Jedi put you up to this?” Fox snarled. 

“W-what? What do you mean?” 

Wolffe never stuttered. He was a terrible liar too. 

“Don’t you dare lie to me, shabuir,” Fox spat out, “They asked you to get information from me, didn’t they? They asked you to spy on me?”

Wolffe stared at the ground, “I told them I didn’t want to. Even told them it wouldn’t work. You’ve always been smarter than me,” he let out a humorless chuckle. 

Fox brought his hands to his helmet, as if that could keep him from facing the truth. 

“I…I really am sorry though Fox,” Wolffe whispered. 

“It doesn’t matter if you’re sorry or not, you brought it up now. You were trying to distract me,” the words were muffled as Fox kept his hands over his helmet. 

Wolffe said nothing. 

“Why do none of you want to talk to me anymore?” Fox despised how childish he sounded. “I have no choice with the requisition forms, I started the drunk arrests to keep you all safe because the citizens of Coruscant hate us, and I never asked to be stationed here.” He sounded pathetic and young, just like that stupid little cadet from Kamino. 

“You’re my older brothers, I love you…What have I done to make you all hate me so much?” he asked miserably. 

“Fox—”

Fox turned away and slowly walked back to the military base, his home. But was it home? He had spent three years here, but so much longer in that small room on Kamino with the rest of his brothers. They had spent nine years building up their brotherhood, only for three to tear it all down. 

Wolffe didn’t chase after him. He stepped inside and was greeted by Angle, without his helmet,  giving him a sad look. Thorn leaned against the wall. 

“I thought that wasn’t going to go well,” Thorn said, “glad I stayed.”

Fox opened his mouth to ask about his orders but Thorn beat him to it, “Everyone knows about your orders on the Jedi. Thire and I made sure of it.”

“Thank you Thorn,” he said softly. 

“Why don’t we get some rest?” Thorn asked, and took his arm. 

“Feel better Commander!” Angle cried out. 

Thorn walked him down the long hallways to the room that they shared with Stone. The other commander was on an escort mission right now so it was just the two of them. 

Fox walked over to his cot and sat down. It had been a long time since he had even been in this room, preferring to sleep in his office to get as much work done as possible. He pulled off his helmet and set it on the ground. Thorn removed his own and sat next to him on the cot. 

After a second Fox spoke up, “How are your batchmates Thorn?”

“Hopefully all in a better place,” Thorn replied mournfully. 

Fox turned to look at him, surprised, “I’m sorry. You didn’t tell me?”

Thorn sighed, “I didn’t want to burden you with it, I know you deal with a lot more than any of us could imagine…and I’m guessing that’s why you’ve never shared any of your own issues too?”

Fox nodded. 

“But you know Fox,” Thorn said softly, “we’ve all known since Kamino that we’re stronger when we’re together. I think somewhere I lost that but I realize it now. We’re stronger together, we’re brothers.”

Thorn inhaled deeply and Fox could see the beginnings of tears in the corner of his eyes, “One of my batchmates died on Ryloth, he was trying to buy time for the supplies ships to land. They were only a few seconds too late to save him. Another died on Geonosis, he was shot down on a gunship. One died at the battle of Kamino, was stabbed by Ventress and the last was shot and killed at Cato Neimodia.”

“I’m so sorry, Thorn,” Fox whispered. 

“It was all so sudden,” Thorn muttered, “Just one second I knew them and the next they were gone. It’s…kind of messed me up I think.”

Fox wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t good at this kind of thing. “One of mine was killed by Boba, Prime’s kid,” Thorn’s eyes widened. “Wolffe, well you saw… another one of mine hadn’t commed me privately the entire war, set up a time to talk and turned out it was about requisition forms. One thought that I had a personal vendetta against him when I rejected his requisition request. The rest of the GAR hates me for that to be honest. That and the drunk arrests,” Fox trailed off. 

“The Guard doesn’t hate you though,” Thorn replied and at Fox’s skeptical look he continued, “they really don’t! They appreciate what you do, they know what you sacrifice for their safety. Who cares what the GAR thinks, they would never be able to imagine what it’s like in our position.”

Fox was quiet for a moment, “I really miss Axel.”

“I do too.”

Fox turned to look at Thorn. His hands trembled as he said, “D-Drellin, you know—”

“I know Fox. I’ve known since you came back from his place that day. Axel knew too,” Thorn sighed, “He made me promise to look after you.”

Fox huffed, “He made me promise to forgive myself.”

Thorn laughed lightly, “He was pretty smart, wasn't he?”

Fox smiled slightly. 

“Well, we may not have batchmates, but you know, we have each other,” Thorn turned to look at him and Fox stared into his eyes. They still glittered with tears, but there was a hint of that wisdom he had seen in General Ti’s once. 

“I’m glad I was assigned to you that day on Geonosis Fox,” Thorn smiled. 

“Me too,” Fox replied. 

Fox rested his head on Thorn’s shoulder. Thorn brought his arm up and wrapped it around Fox’s back. He felt his eyes begin to slide shut. 

Thorn began to hum quietly and Fox felt his limbs become heavy and his eyelids close. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that couldn’t recover?

Fox hurled the datapad into the wall. It hit with a loud crack and the screen splintered and broke into a million pieces. Thire was sobbing behind him, Stone also had tears streaming down his face as he tried to comfort Thire. 

He hated everything. He hated the galaxy, he hated the kaminoans for ever bringing him into it. 

Thorn was dead. 

It was an escort mission to Scipio with Senator Amidala. It had happened because of his plan to give Palpatine control of the banks. In all honesty, he didn’t care how it happened. He hated Amidala, and he hated…

Himself. He hated himself. 

Fox buried his fingers in his hair and yanked on it until pieces ripped out. Why couldn’t he cry like Thire and Stone could? Why couldn’t he say anything? 

WHY COULD HE NEVER SAVE ANYONE?

Was he cursed? Cursed to forever lose the people he cared about in one way or another? He never believed in the Jedi’s idea of the Force, but now he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe it was real and simply hated him. Maybe it hated him for keeping what he knew a secret. 

Fox sank to the floor, his face buried in his hands. Thire’s cries became muffled. All around him, he could hear the sound of his brothers weeping and sobbing. They hadn’t just lost Thorn, they had lost so many on that trip to Scipio. 

He begged his mind to let it go but as always, it couldn’t. Why hadn’t Thorn stayed on his ship when he realized the Separatist invasion force had come? Why had he tried to run on foot? It would have been much more tactically sound to order all the troopers into the ships and to get off the ground and possibly behind the city gates, possibly to destroy the landing platform or even get off the planet, anywhere besides staying and fighting. 

It was as if…as if in the moment Thorn had panicked and wasn’t able to think straight…

Was it his fault? Should he have had Thorn run more missions? Allowed him to take the lead more often? Now it didn’t matter, nothing mattered. 

What dream of Prime’s could possibly be worth living without Thorn? 

Fox had to consider for a moment. Did he really ever expect himself to live to see that dream? The best dream now would be going to sleep and waking up and having Lucky, and Group B, and Axel, and Ponds, and Thorn and all the brothers he had lost next to him. Was that a dream Prime could guarantee?

Ever so slowly, Fox shuffled over to Stone and Thire. Thire…he was going to need a promotion now…

Thorn said they were stronger together. 

Fox knelt down and Thire immediately pulled him into his arms. He wrapped his arms around his brother and Stone encased them from the side. 

He felt like he couldn’t breathe. There was a weight on his chest that wouldn’t go away, a pressure behind his eyes that only built, and a tremor in his hands that grew with each passing second. 

What was the point of this worthless life he had been given? He wanted the kaminoans to take it back, he never asked to be created and he was fairly sure it would have been better to never exist at all than to live this miserable existence. 

But no, he thought about that moment on Kamino all those years ago when he was just a cadet. The first time he had ever beaten Kote in a sparring match…when he had been so happy, even for only a moment. He remembered touching and admiring the little plant in Organa’s office, and the beautiful painting on the wall where he wanted to go someday. He remembered just a few months ago, laughing and dancing with his brothers in the mess hall, uncaring of the weight on their shoulders for only a moment. 

Fox wouldn’t trade those memories, few as they were, for anything. He wouldn’t trade the galaxy for them. Those were his, they would forever be his. Proof that something in his miserable existence still had meaning. 

Why didn’t you run Thorn? Not just on Scipio, but when Fox gave him that order to desert and find a better life when they had just arrived on Coruscant. Why hadn’t Thorn left?

Because he cared for you. He wasn’t going without you. 

And Fox still cared for him. He cared for all of his brothers. He couldn’t give up now. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that gave up?

It wasn’t hard to find the ARC trooper. All he had to do was follow Rex and Skywalker, two of the least subtle people in the entire GAR. 

The Chancellor’s orders had been clear. Eliminate the ARC. 

In fact, he had never heard Palpatine’s voice be so panicked before. The Chancellor had failed to kill Rex’s ARC, Fives, and couldn’t find him, even with all of his abilities. Natborns, even Sith apparently, still had trouble telling them apart. 

That was why the Chancellor had commed CC-1010. Because Palpatine may not know the vode, but CC-1010 knew them better than anyone. 

He did try to get the ARC to stand down. He really did try. When it didn't work though, he did as he was ordered. Just as the kaminoans taught him to do. He had good aim, Kote had helped him with it himself. 

CC-1010 didn’t begrudge his brothers when they took off their helmets and walked towards Rex and Fives. He actually motioned for a few that were unsure to go forwards. He sent a message to the Chancellor while they did so. 

Target eliminated.

His brothers were sad, a part of him was too. But Fives wasn’t the first brother he had put out of their misery. Lucky’s name still sat on that memorial. 

CC-1010 was a good soldier, he had been trained to be. He didn’t bother giving Rex any empty platitudes or apologies. They would have been hollow, he knew from experience. 

Instead, he sent a comm for a ship to meet them to take Rex and Fives and Skywalker away. He was sure they would want to mourn in private. 

He wasn’t sure what to feel when Rex lifted the ARC’s body. No, he was probably supposed to feel sad. Truthfully, he hadn’t felt much since Thorn had died. 

ARC Fives had apparently tried to bring evidence of the kaminoan’s treachery in creating the vode, to the Chancellor when Fives snapped and tried to assassinate him— according to Thunder and Rys, the two men who had been guarding the Chancellor at the time. 

CC-1010 knew that wasn’t true. Thunder and Rys also knew it wasn’t true either. But, this was Coruscant, no one ever cared for the truth. 

Fives’ second mistake was going to the Chancellor for help. The one person in the GAR who would never even entertain the idea. 

His first mistake, was treating Coruscant like one of his frontline battles, like a battle that could be won. No clone ever won anything on Coruscant. The most you could ask for was a painless death. CC-1010 had given Fives that much, at least. 

Rex didn’t look at CC-1010 as he marched past, carrying Fives’s body. CC-1010 didn’t look at him either. He gave a signal to his men to put their helmets back on, which they obeyed without question. They all nodded at him, recognizing that had he not followed those orders, they wouldn’t be alive right now. CC-1010 nodded back. 

Skywalker and Rex boarded the ship he called in without complaint. He and his men headed back to base, he ordered them to take the rest of the night off. Once they returned, Fox headed straight to his office, wrote up the report, sent it off to Palpatine and slumped forward in his chair. 

Fox opened the drawer with Axel’s helmet and took it out. All he had the energy for was to stare at it. He wondered if Fives would join the voices he spoke to. Maybe Lucky was mad at him for what he did again. 

He wasn’t sure how much time passed, all he could do was stare at Axel’s helmet. It was similar to Thorn’s, they both had the visor and red and white color scheme. Thorn had painted those wings on the side of his, though. Fox’s lips curled as he remembered how proud Thorn was of their design. 

“Sir!” Angle’s voice sounded over his comm, “Commander Cody is here again for you!” 

In the background of the comm he could hear Kote’s muffled voice say, “I know you know who I’m talking about!”

Fox felt his throat tighten. Maybe it was selfish, but he didn’t want to hear how upset Kote no doubt was at him. He didn’t want to hear about how much the GAR despised him, even more now because of Fives. He never wanted to see any of his batchmates ever again. 

But Kote would never let things go and the last thing Fox wanted was Angle, or any of the Guard, having to deal with his brother. 

“You can send him in. Thank you Angle,” Fox said emotionlessly. 

“…Alright sir,” Angle said softly. 

Fox turned off his comm and set Axel’s helmet down on his desk. It wasn’t long before there was a knock at his door. He wondered how Kote was able to find his office so easily. 

“Enter,” he said. 

The door slid open and there was his brother. He looked older, tired, more weary, and with a heaviness in his limbs. His helmet was clipped to his belt and it hit against his armor as he stepped in and shut the door behind him. 

“If the Jedi sent you here, it’s only going to be a waste of time,” Fox spoke. 

Kote’s brow furrowed, “Why would they send me here?”

“They asked Wolffe to try and spy on me.”

“Why?”

“They’re suspicious,” he left it at that. 

“Well they didn’t send me,” Kote replied, “I came on my own.”

“Why? Are you here to hate me too? Tell me how I’m a horrible person?” Fox couldn’t bring himself to care. He almost wished Kote was yelling at him, it would have been easier than this. 

Kote sighed, “I heard about Fives. That’s why I came here, I wanted to talk to you.”

“I killed him. He was raving mad and I had orders to, it’s that simple.”

“Is it? I find it hard to believe you would ever do something like that.”

Fox huffed and his eyes darted to the cabinet with Lucky’s ink cartridges, “You don’t know me at all anymore.” 

Kote sat down in the chair opposite the desk, “You’re not wrong. I don’t think I’ve known you for a long time.”

Fox was silent, but he slowly removed his helmet and stared at his brother. They had the same eyes, but Kote had a scar that twirled along his temple. They had the same hair, but Fox’s was longer and fell in curls around his eyes. They had the same mind, but Fox’s was damaged beyond repair. 

“I can tell things haven’t been easy for you,” Kote started slowly, “You’ve never been able to hide much from me.”

“You’d be surprised,” Fox replied. 

“You asked me for help, that day in the Chancellor’s office.”

Fox stiffened, “No I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. I heard you,” Kote refused to break eye contact, “I thought I had just imagined it at the time, but I can tell now.”

“What are you going to do?” Fox raised an eyebrow, “Tell your precious jetii?”

Kote sighed, “The Jedi aren’t what you think they are Fox. You can trust them.”

“You don’t even trust yours with your real name,” Fox spat viciously. 

Finally, there was a crack in Kote’s tough exterior. “What is it with you and that name? Why do you care so much?” 

“It was given to you,” Fox narrowed his eyes, “The rest of us had to fight for an identity, but yours was just handed over. It was a gift and you just threw it away!”

Kote pursed his lips and finally looked away. The silence was heavy between them before he spoke again, “Do you remember how I got that name Fox?”

“Prime gave it to you,” Fox said easily, “after you beat almost all of us in succession on the sparring mat.”

“Yes,” Kote nodded, “Prime gave it to me then. But I could see in his eyes in that moment, he wasn’t giving me a gift. He was mocking me.”

“No he wasn’t,” Fox said quickly. 

Kote shrugged, “I read the reports at Geonosis. I read just how many died there. And I saw you, all of you, changed after that battle and that was when I realized,” he met Fox’s eyes again, “There is no glory in what we do Fox.”

Fox had to look away this time. He recognized the truth in those words all too well. But Prime hadn’t meant it like that! He wanted the vode to live, to see his dream one day. He cared unlike the jetiise. In spite of all of his musings, in spite of his carefully crafted strategic mind, nothing could have prepared him for what Kote said next. 

“But you realized that long before I did, didn’t you vod’ika?” Kote said softly. 

Fox couldn’t speak. All at once, words left his lips and the thoughts that raged constantly through his mind fell silent. He couldn’t look at his older brother, he turned his head to face the floor. A steady trembling started up in his body and it took all his effort to nod miserably. 

Kote huffed, “I could never make sense of it, when we were on Kamino. It was like one day you were effortlessly yourself, my annoying, sweet, brave, and mischievous little brother, and the next you were forcing yourself to be those things. I saw how you changed, how you acted differently depending on who was around, you tried to mold yourself to what they wanted you to be.”

Fox felt like his soul was being ripped open and barred for anyone to see. 

It wasn’t just anyone though. It was Kote, his older brother who he had always looked up to. Who was more clever than he gave credit to. 

“…It never worked with you though,” Fox whispered. 

A small smile broke out on Kote's face, “That’s just it Fox. I never wanted you to change yourself for me. I wanted you to be protected, and safe, but what I really wanted was for you to be yourself.”

Kote’s face turned sad, “But you were never really safe ever.”

No, he wasn’t safe. He hadn’t been safe since he opened that Foreword in the edited copy of The Tactics of the Mandalorian Wars: A Complete Study of the Revanchist’s Revolutionary Strategies. Ever since that unlucky day. 

Fox turned his head down, Axel’s helmet stared back at him. “No,” he whispered and then, “I know too much, I always have.”

“I’m not surprised,” Kote said fondly, “you were always cleverer than any of us.”

Fox twisted his hands together, “I hate the Jedi.”

“I know.”

That familiar anger rose up in the back of his mind, “You know I proposed a plan for Geonosis? General Yoda rejected it though because he didn’t think it wasn’t ‘ethical’ enough and his plan caused 25,000 of us to die, and that was only the beginning. I hate them Kote, I have to see the senators that they serve every day. They’re horrible Kote, they’ve hurt us so much…

“They’ve hurt me so much…” Fox trailed off. 

Kote stood from his chair and walked around to the other side of the desk. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around Fox. 

This…this wasn’t Kote. Kote was professional, was cool headed even in the face of danger. Was strong, strong enough to be noticed by Prime. He didn’t like Fox, not anymore. It was the way things were. 

Why was his older brother acting so different then?

In that moment, Fox couldn’t bring himself to care. He leaned in and rested his head underneath his older brother’s chin. 

“I just wanted you to be proud of me,” Fox whispered so softly he wasn’t sure if Kote heard. 

Kote’s arms rubbed his back and cupped the back of his head, “Tell me what’s happening, Fox’ika. Let me take care of you again.”

Fox felt something swell in his eyes. His throat tightened uncomfortably to the point of pain. He trembled in his big brother’s arms. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, but he had fought off far worse before. 

The weight of everything he had kept secret since he was only five cycles old felt heavy. It felt heavier than anything he could have ever lifted before. 

But, he wasn’t lifting it alone. Kote was there, his ori’vod was there. His brother that had always been strict and by the books, but made sure that Fox was able to defend himself. He had forgotten how good it felt to have his older brothers at his side. 

Fox opened his mouth, “The Chancellor is—”

Kote’s comm pinged. Fox tried to ignore it and continue speaking, but it pinged again. He pulled himself away from his brother’s arms. 

Kote’s wrist comm was lit up. The name ‘Rex’ flashed across the interface. They both stared at it for a moment. Then, a message popped up:

Please ori’vod, I need you

Fox felt like the ice cold waters of Kamino were drowning him again. He needed Kote, had needed him before and needed him now. That bitter feeling that was so common when he was a cadet on Kamino suddenly made its presence known again. 

Cody’s face was twisted as he looked down at the comm, conflicted. Of course, this was Rex, Cody’s perfect CT that served as Fox’s replacement when Cody got too tired of him. Of course Rex needed Cody right now, he almost wanted to laugh at how nothing ever changed. 

“Go,” he ordered Cody. 

“Fox—” Cody began. 

“Just go, Cody,” he interrupted. 

Cody winced a little at the name. Why though? He was the one who insisted on it. 

“I’ll be back,” Cody said as he stood up. 

“No, you won’t.” 

“I will,” Cody said firmly

“Go Cody,” Fox said emotionlessly, “your brother needs you.”

He didn’t look up to see Cody’s reaction, instead putting his helmet back on and picking up a datapad. He had work to do, just like he always did. 

After all, what good was a CC unit that couldn’t work?

CC-1010 didn’t bother fighting it anymore. What was the point? The Chancellor’s lips moved and he was answering all of his questions anyway. 

“I have reason for concern, my lord.”

“Oh? Why is that Commander?” Sidious asked calmly. 

“I believe the Jedi have grown suspicious of your actions. They questioned me recently and sent another clone commander to try and spy on me and get information,” he relayed. 

Sidious’s brow furrowed and for once he did look slightly concerned, “That is alarming…This war needs to come to an end before they begin uncovering more. Commander?”

“Yes, my lord,” he hardly needed any time to consider a strategy, “I would recommend staging battles along the outer rim, drawing the Jedi away from Coruscant and keeping them isolated. Then, a targeted attack on Coruscant will distract the Jedi who have remained here. They will believe themselves to be in the worse position in the war, and will likely make hasty decisions. I can relay to you how to get through the planetary security measures I have set up?” 

CC-1010 had spent so long on those measures, sleepless nights and longer days. He had ensured that they were as perfect as possible, but creating something meant that he also knew all of its weaknesses as well. 

The war was ending. Prime’s vercopa would be here soon. That was the only thought that was keeping him going. He and Thire and Stone and the rest of the Guard could have a chance at a new life. A life like the one on Organa’s planet. A good life. A good existence. 

“Yes Commander, please send me the file as soon as possible. We are working on limited time here,” Sidious said urgently. 

“Yes, my lord.”

“And, just in case you were getting any thoughts about speaking to the Jedi again…”

CC-1010 braced himself for the pain that was going to follow. 

When it didn’t come though, he looked up at his master, confused. Sidious began to cackle, “Oh Commander,” he teased, “Now I see it. You torture yourself more than what I could ever do.” He continued to laugh as he waved CC-1010 away. 

“You’re a good soldier Commander,” the Chancellor said to his back, “you should be very proud.”

CC-1010 walked out of the room. Proud? He didn’t feel very proud. Pride was what he felt when one of his older brothers praised him. 

Also torture? Is that what he did to himself? Is that what the Chancellor did to him?

Prime had selected him to interact and serve Palpatine, specifically. He wouldn’t have wanted CC-1010 to be tortured. It was just…discipline.

Right?

After all, what good was a CC unit that couldn’t handle discipline? 

…Right?

For once, the Chancellor’s voice and orders were clear and easy for him to hear. 

“The time has come, Commander. Execute Order 66.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The Jedi were traitors, just as CC-1010 always knew they were. The Coruscant Guard mobilized faster than it ever had. They marched to the Jedi temple, in step perfectly with each other. 

He coordinated with the 501st, as they were handling the interior of the temple, the Guard would concentrate on any Jedi traitors who tried to escape. Somehow, he knew where all the exits in the temple were located. He knew the secret and hidden ones too. 

CC-1010 was a strategist, he split up one section of his men to encircle the entirety of the temple, and the other to take to the skies and destroy any vessel that tried to leave. 

“Draw them towards us, CT-3920,” he ordered one of the 501st troopers and was met with an affirmative. Based on the temple’s structure, he was able to deduct where one of the air vents let out, close to a landing pad. He stationed his men to surround the exit, but out of sight. 

There was loud screaming coming from the temple. It echoed through the air vent. It wasn’t the sound of his brothers screaming though, he was all too familiar with that sound. 

When the grate inevitably moved, he gave a signal to his men to stay still. 

Several small Jedi pulled themselves out, and one adult did as well. With one hand motion, he told the soldier on the left to fire. 

The blaster bolt flew through the night, casting a blue tint of light on the soldier’s visor. The shot went wide, just as it was intended though. 

The Jedi turned and activate their green saber. The traitor faced the trooper who had fired, leaving her back completely open for CC-1010 to fire from the other side, right into her head. 

She collapsed with a gasp as he gave another hand signal to his men. They began firing on the rest of the Jedi traitors, the night a strange constellation of blue projectiles, harbingers of death. 

Once all the Jedi had fallen, he ordered his men to stop firing with a quick signal. He sent them on ahead to the next escape exit he had been able to see while he checked for survivors. 

None of the Jedi were breathing. None, except for the desperate gasps of one of the little ones who had barely made it out of the vent to begin with. 

CC-1010 marched towards her, reloading and aiming his DC-17 right to her forehead. She was…so small, nothing but a tubie really. Her little body was smeared with blood and burns. It looked familiar. 

Her eyes glazed with pain as she managed to meet his eyes. “W-Was I a good Jedi?”

Was I a good Jedi?

Was I a good Jedi?

Those words…seemed familiar to him…

Was I a good Jedi?

Was I a good soldier?

Was I a good soldier F-?

Was I a good solider Fox?

I’ve never seen so many colors before…

Fox blinked, his mind was screaming with pain, but that wasn’t anything new to him. He grit his teeth and shook his head back and forth. 

“You will be at the heart of it.”

“You’re a good soldier Commander, you should be very proud.”

“Take care of yourself, my brother.”

“Down.”

“You torture yourself more than what I could ever do”

“We’re stronger together, we’re brothers.”

Lying with his brothers around him, happy for existence. Dancing and laughing, at least for one night…

“But you were never really safe ever…”

“Ner Gra’tua, Ner Vercopa.”

Fox clenched his DC-17 and forced himself to think clearly. Forced himself to break to the surface of the cold water he was drowning in. 

The little Jedi girl smiled softly and then all tension left her body. Fox looked around. 

Blood and grime and other substances all surrounded the platform he was standing on. The body of a Jedi, and several other little Jedi cadets littered the space. He choked slightly on the smoke from the temple, and loud screaming and crying filled the air. Screaming, just like that day on Geonosis...

Fox watched as several of his brothers ran past, their blasters focused only on the Jedi trying to escape. A sick feeling rose up in his throat. The Jedi…they were incompetent, they were awful…but the little ones…the babies, they hadn’t done anything wrong. He looked back at the little girl’s body. She was so fragile… Her light colored robes stood out against the dark pavement that would be her grave. Her body was twisted at an unnatural angle...

Just like Geonosis...

The Jedi were not meant to survive this war. That was a truth he knew, he had known since he was five cycles old and read the edited copy of The Tactics of the Mandalorian Wars: A Complete Study of the Revanchist’s Revolutionary Strategies. They were to die, it was Prime’s gra’tua.

But…he never thought that this was how it would come about. The Jedi were meant to die in the war! His brothers weren’t supposed to do it! His brothers weren’t Prime’s vengeance…he wouldn’t do that to them. 

What vengeance was worth the death of that little girl though? 

How many of his brothers were dying to the Jedi right now? How many had killed the little Jedi cadets like he had done? Fox didn’t want to do it, why was he doing it? 

He was a good soldier, like the kaminoans had—

NO

He hadn’t wanted to tell Palpatine how to help the Separatists and weaken the Republic. He hadn’t want Drellin to do what he did. He hadn’t wanted to ever be a part of this war. 

And he didn’t want to murder that little girl. 

He had been forced to, through whatever was controlling his brothers right now…His brothers were fierce, but they would never do something like this. He knew them. 

Prime had known… he had told Fox about Palpatine. He had known this was going to happen. He had used Fox and all of his brothers as if they were nothing.

Prime didn’t choose him to be ‘at the heart of it’ because he was strong. No, Prime specifically picked him for this position because he was weak. Because Prime saw that day when he hit and hurt him and Fox refused to break…

He saw that Fox was a coward.

He was too much of a coward to ever stand up for himself. He was too much of a coward to open up his older brothers. He was too much of a coward to try and use his skills and what he had learned for good. He was too much of a coward to ever come out and say what was bothering him, instead resorting to underhanded manipulation to get what he wanted. 

He…he was what he was required to be. What others required him to be. Never what he wanted to be…

It struck Fox then. It wasn’t as he feared. He wasn’t one of the nameless soldiers in ‘The Tactics of the Mandalorian Wars: A Complete Study of the Revanchist’s Revolutionary Strategies’ 

He never was. 

His name wouldn’t be forgotten. 

His name would forever be remembered as the one who could have stopped everything, but chose not to. 

Prime was right. He was at the center of everything. Everything depended on his compliance, on his duty.

The revelation hit him with all the strength of one of the rushing waves that used to crash on the window outside his quarters on Kamino. The smoke from the Jedi temple seemed to taunt him, as if the sounds of the jetii children were still echoing in his ears. 

Oh. 

This was his fault. 

The destruction, the horror, the fact that his brothers were walking around like mindless droids. 

It was his fault. 

But that wasn’t how it was supposed to be! Fox was the one who could read people. Fox was the one who could manipulate people into doing what he wanted! He was smart, smarter than his brothers! Prime knew that and… so did the kaminiise… and so did the Chancellor…

They knew and they also knew he was too clever to actually say anything. 

Fox stumbled against the wall of the temple. 

How could he ever look at his brothers in the eyes again? How could he meet eyes with Kote  and tell him that he was the reason for the little children crying as they were gunned down? That he was the reason their brothers were trapped in their own minds, inwardly screaming just as loud as the little children, forced to follow orders they didn’t want to?

All he wanted was for Kote to be proud of him… All he wanted was for his brothers to be safe on the frontlines… 

All he wanted was that dream…

He wasn’t one of the nameless soldiers, they were far braver than he ever was. 

There was no dream. No vercopa. No wish that Prime had wanted for him and his brothers. They had only ever been tools. 

Fox huffed to himself (mostly to try and keep back the tears that were threatening the corners of his eyes). All natborns were one of two things when it came to the vode: hypocrites or hypocrites in denial. Why exactly had he excluded Prime from that line of thinking?

He had been played into being the focal point in Prime’s revenge. Prime had groomed him for exactly this. 

There was no care in his words. No meaning when he had held Fox close and called him ad’ika a lifetime ago…

Fox fell to his knees. His brothers continued past him as if he wasn’t there. 

There was no chance of stopping the tears now. 

And oh, weren’t they such a strange thing? They didn’t feel like he was expecting them to, like the cool drops of rain that trailed down his face all those years ago. 

They were hot, they stuck to his face and adhered to the inside of his helmet. They blurred the screen of his HUD. They made him gasp and stutter and shake as they spilled from the corners of his eyes and down his cheeks. 

A weight was on his chest, and yet his body trembled. The weight of millions of lives, of the suffering of hundreds of beings, and his brothers.

All of their fates, sealed the moment Fox opened the Foreword on that unlucky day. Sealed the moment he said goodbye to Prime, the moment he was desperate enough for just a scrap of attention… 

But that wasn’t it was it? Their fates weren’t sealed in that moment. They were never sealed, not until right now. Not until Fox refused to act on his knowledge every single time an opportunity had presented itself. 

He had sealed their fates. 

Guilt, crushing horrible guilt seemed to push the air out of his lungs. He couldn’t breathe…

Group B

Lucky…

Axel…

The ARC, Fives…

Ponds…

THORN

And all the others he had condemned on this very day. 

CC-1010 was different from his brothers. 

It should be paradoxical, they have the same face, the same body, they grew up in the same conditions, had known only the truths they’ve been told. 

Any yet, he is different. 

Though, he can’t help but wonder, maybe it’s not the fact that he is different that is paradoxical, after all no one needs to explain to him that each of his brothers are their own unique selves. Perhaps the paradoxical aspect is not that he thinks, but how he thinks. 

Or rather, what he knows. 

They have the same face, the same body, they grew up in the same conditions, but he knows…

He knows his brothers grew up to be heroes. They grew up to be strong, to be smart, to know when to act, to use their judgement. 

They knew that they were strong, they knew that they were smart, they trusted their judgement…

And… they learned.

CC-1010 knows he had never grown up. He had never learned to be strong and smart and he had never learned to act…

He had learned to let others walk over him and not say a word. He had learned to crave affection and attention and yet never have the nerve to ask for it. He had learned to be what everyone else needed him to be, but never what was right.

He had learned to be the perfect vessel for a vengeance that was not his, for a dream that was never actually imagined, for a war that had no purpose.

And he had never fought it. 

He was no brother. 

After all, what good was a brother who wouldn’t stand up for his own?