Senator and Soldier

Deserter Ally

"Knowing how to do something is different than actually being able to do it."

"Then I guess we'll both find out if we can do this or not." She thought for a minute. "Did you tell anyone about this?"

"No, I only told Clay that you'd asked me to accompany you and Senator Amidala somewhere and that it shouldn't take more than a day or two."

"And he didn't ask for details?" She looked somewhat surprised.

"He knows I'll tell him what's important for him to know. If he's really worried, he'll just follow me and find out for himself," Fox replied.

"Is that because you're his commander or because you're his brother?"

"Both. He'll always look out for me as his brother, but he'll respect my orders and privacy as his commander."

"That must be strange for you all, wanting to do what you can for one another, yet being bound by rules and regulations."

He titled his head and watched her as they stepped out of a lift and into another hallway. "It can be strange, yes. Especially for those of us with powerful friends. There are clones who are surprisingly close with their generals, senators, or even the Chancellor."

"There's actually something I had a question about," Riyo began. He waited for her to continue, but she didn't. They reached her apartments and she headed to her room instead.

Fox waited in the sitting area, thinking. When she returned at last, he gave himself a minute to make sure her outfit was functional. She was wearing something that seemed completely unusual for her. She wore a regular shirt, pants, and boots. She even had a blaster strapped to her hip. It would indeed work for the mission. Her pastel purple hair was pulled back in a bun.

"Your question?" He said at last, realizing that he'd been watching her for far too long.

"Oh, right." Riyo crossed the room, her brows furrowed. "It's something Mairin was speaking to me about yesterday. Why are you not allowed to have relationships? Will...Mairin and Jairo get into trouble if anything happens between them?"

Fox removed his helmet and set a hand on her shoulder. "No, I promise Mairin and Jairo won't get into trouble. I'll look out for them." She smiled at him gratefully. "As to the relationship thing...it's complicated." He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of a way to word his explanation. "For clones on the front lines, there's no time for things like that. It becomes too much of a distraction and a weakness. People we care about could be used against us as leverage, or even as spies."

"Is it like the Jedi's belief?"

"A bit."

Riyo began to speak then hesitated. He gave her a prompting look. "What do you think about it?" She asked finally. "You as...Fox...not as a clone or a commander or any of those things. Just you."

Fox raised an eyebrow and bit his lip. "I've never really thought about it. It's always seemed like something that was a definite no for me. I'd never have the option so why consider it?"

"What if it was an option?"

"I'd pursue it," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

He could've sworn her face flushed and a flash of panic glinted in her golden eyes. "Oh, I was just curious." Riyo looked out a window, avoiding his gaze. "There's Padmé. Let's go." She dashed out of the room before he had a chance to respond.

Saleucami: 20 BBY
H-Type Nubian Yacht
Riyo Chuchi

    Nearly an hour later, they dropped out of hyperspace on the far side of Saleucami. Riyo checked the scanners at her side. Several Separatist dreadnoughts appeared on the monitors, but they remained unmoving. Padmé took the ship down through the atmosphere.

    Fox was in the back of the ship along with C-3PO. She wondered how he was faring by now. Padmé elbowed her, suddenly. "You've been so quiet since we left. Are you all right?"

    "Yeah, I'm fine," Riyo answered. "I just had a bit of a shock back at home."

    "A shock?" Padmé arched an eyebrow.

    "I was talking to Fox about something and he asked me a question that I was totally unprepared for. To be fair, he probably saw my questions the same."

    Padmé scrunched her forehead in confusion. "Are you going to elaborate on that or..."

    "Later," Riyo promised. "I want to keep my thoughts focused." It felt like that would be difficult, especially when Fox rejoined them. Her heartbeat quickened a brief second, before she forced it to slow again.

    Padmé set the ship down momentarily. A red dot was blinking on one of the scanners. "That's the compound," Padmé said, pointing to it. "Is this a good place to keep the ship?" Fox nodded. "Threepio, you stay here and keep the engines running," Padmé ordered.

    "Of course, Mistress Padmé," he said.

    Riyo and Padmé stepped off the ship, followed by Fox. They took off walking towards the compound. "They're bound to have perimeter sensors," Fox said. "We'll have to be careful not to trip any. Even more importantly, we can't afford to draw more Separatists to this system. That would turn it into an active war zone."

    "Maybe you should take the lead," Riyo replied. He dipped his head and moved in front of them.

    They carried on walking for a short time. Fox paused suddenly and held up a hand. Riyo and Padmé paused, exchanging wary glances. Fox whirled and shoved Padmé out of the way as someone blasted at them. He had his own blaster drawn in a second and fired. Someone had taken off running through the tall grass. He hit the ground with a small cloud of dust.

    Riyo and Fox dashed over to the man. Fox knelt down and flipped him over. Padmé appeared behind Riyo and gasped. "He's a clone!"

    The clone groaned, ever so slightly. Riyo let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't known if Fox's blaster was on stun or not. Fox holstered his blaster, but continued to watch the clone as he sat up. "You're not droids," the stranger said, finally.

    "No, we're not." Fox stood and pulled the man to his feet. "Are you one of the commandos who was being held in that compound?"

    "No?"

    Riyo glanced him over, then. He wasn't wearing armor of any kind. In fact, he was almost dressed like a farmer. She paused, realization creeping over her. Fox realized it too.

    "You're a deserter!" Fox growled.

    "I'm Cut Lawquane," the clone replied, ignoring the claim. "It's been a while since I saw another clone here."

    Riyo noticed the tension in Fox's shoulders. She stepped in front of him quickly. "We're here to rescue three clone commandos. They're being held in that compound." She pointed in the distance. "Do you think you can help us?"

    Cut stroked his chin, thinking. "Yes," he said at last. "You don't want to attempt a rescue now, though. You'll want to sneak in after nightfall. Come on. You can wait at my home until then." He turned and waved a hand over his shoulder.

    Fox seemed to relax, but only a tiny amount. They quickly followed Cut. Riyo couldn't help but wonder about this new stranger. It'd been foolish of her to trust him with their mission, but it was a risk she'd been willing to take. She didn't want Fox doing anything rash before they'd found out what the clone's story was. That was still a possibility, she realized, as Fox inched closer to her, angling his body in between hers and Cut Lawquane's.