Senator and Soldier

Festival of Light

    "There you are. I was waiting for you," Clay said.

    "You were?" Riyo and Mairin exchanged a look.

    "Fox asked me to accompany you tonight," he explained. "He's going to be staying close to the Chancellor."

    "Of course." Riyo tried to appear understanding, although she still felt a little disappointed.

    "What about Jairo?" Mair asked.

    "He's keeping an eye on Archer. We've been here two days and Archer has already gotten on Fox's bad side," Clay replied. He rolled his eyes and replaced his helmet.

    "How did he do that?" Riyo grinned.

    "He found a pole and was pretending it was a lightsaber. He got a little out of control and destroyed a few decorations. Fox gave him a broom and told him to sweep the courtyard for the remainder of our stay."

    Riyo arched an eyebrow. "He really is on his bad side then."

    "Fox is stressed out over all of this." Clay gestured towards the guards bustling around.

    "I see." Riyo scrunched her forehead, thinking. I'll find him later, then. I don't want him to worry about me on top of everything.

    "You still didn't tell me where Jairo is," Mairin said, elbowing Clay. "I can help him watch Archer."

    Clay tilted his head towards her. Riyo knew he likely wore a skeptical look beneath his helmet. "I doubt that."

    "Please?" Mairin clasped her hands together and batted her long eyelashes.

    Clay laughed softly. "Fine. They're on the south side of the courtyard. Make sure you don't leave this area though or you won't be able to get back in. The whole place is going to be ray shielded when the celebration starts."

    "Will you be all right without me?" Mairin turned towards Riyo.

    "I'll bother Clay for a while. Go," Riyo urged. Mairin grinned and dashed off.

    Clay watched her go, then shook his head. "They worry me."

    "Why? I thought Jairo has gotten better since Mairin came around," Riyo said.

    "He has. That's not what bothers me. What bothers me is how often they meet up and when they meet up. Archer doesn't seem to care, but I know it's putting Fox on edge too." He sighed. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to them."

    "Mairin said Fox doesn't know how serious things are."

    "He doesn't, yet. I doubt it will be long before he finds out, though. I won't tell him anything unless he asks and Archer will stay silent even if he gets court martialed. What about you?"

    "I told Mairin I would say nothing, but he'll find out on his own somehow."

    Clay nodded slowly. "I have to wonder what they'll do when he does. I don't think he'd make them stop seeing each other, but he might put restrictions down."

    "What about...for himself?" She asked hesitantly.

    "He'll either restrict himself or he'll forget the consequences entirely."

    Riyo thought back on their first kiss. He'd told her to forget the consequences. He'd try not to get caught. She wondered if Clay knew that and what exactly had gone through Fox's mind when he said it.

Naboo: 20 BBY
Theed
Commander Fox

    Fox stood in the hallway above the stage, waiting for the celebration to start. Sundown was approaching. In the distance, he spied the Chancellor's ship landing. As soon as he arrived, the ray shields would go up. From there, he could only hope that things went smoothly.

    All of the guards were on edge. They patrolled as they had been instructed. There wasn't an inch of the place that wasn't being monitored by someone. Fox glanced towards the stage again. Senator Amidala and the Naboo Queen were approaching. Behind them was the Chancellor. The whole group was surrounded by guards and Jedi.

    General Skywalker and Commander Tano, he thought with some relief. They'll be good to have around. Skywalker is friends with the Chancellor and he's a powerful Jedi. He'll make sure he's safe.

    Finally, Fox let his thoughts drift towards Riyo. He hadn't seen her yet, but he knew she was there. Clay had commed him the second he met up with her.

    "Commander, the Chancellor is on the stage now," one of the Naboo Guards reported.

    "General Skywalker should have the ray shield activated soon, then," Fox replied. He crossed his arms, waiting. Seconds later, a transparent white shield appeared over the courtyard. The Chancellor began his speech shortly.

    He spotted Riyo sitting near the Chancellor. Clay was standing close by. Fox pulled his attention away, watching for anything out of the ordinary. The Chancellor finished his speech and fireworks began outside of the ray shield.

    Suddenly, an explosion burst from the east side of the stage. The ray shield evaporated and the lights flickered off. "Get our security measures in place!" Fox shouted. The Naboo Guard nodded and raced off. Fox ran towards the nearest staircase and made his way down towards the platform.

    Chaos erupted everywhere. There was no sign of the Chancellor. He spotted Commander Tano leading Senator Amidala, the Queen, and others to safety. Clay was ushering Riyo after them. She was looking around, fear in her gaze. She spotted him, suddenly. Riyo paused and said something to Clay. His brother shook his head. She looked back towards him. Fox just nodded and she relented, letting Clay escort her after the others. Mairin joined them shortly.

    Fox pulled his attention away and searched for the Chancellor. He whipped a blaster out and made his way towards General Skywalker. "Sir, where's the Chancellor?" He called.

    "I don't know. They swapped him out with one of the bounty hunters using a shadow hologram," the General replied. "We'll handle it. You focus on getting the civilians out of here."

    Fox nodded and moved away as General Windu met up with Skywalker. Civilians ran everywhere, screaming and colliding with one another. A few of the other guards joined him. He looked them over, hoping none of them were bounty hunters in disguise.

    "We need to clear this area," he said. "Start
pushing the civilians towards the exits and make sure none of them are bounty hunters in disguise." The guards nodded and hurried to obey.

    Fox leveled his blaster and moved towards the nearest group. "Everyone, I need you to start moving this way," he gestured towards an exit." A few of the civilians listened. The others gradually began to follow. Fox continued to work his way around the platform, moving civilians away from the scene.

    His comm lit up several minutes later. He accepted the transmission quickly. "The Chancellor has been recovered and the bounty hunters were arrested," General Skywalker reported. "Secure the celebration area and then regroup with the Senators in the Lake Country. They'll lay low there until tomorrow."

    "Yes, Sir." Fox switched his comm off again and quickly finished escorting people away from the courtyard. He made his way towards a speeder and found Archer and Jairo waiting for him. "I'm going to the Lake Country to check in on the Senators. You can come with or stay here," he said.

    They looked at each other for a moment. "We'll come with," Archer replied. The three of them jumped into a speeder and were soon headed towards the Lake Country. "What happened?" Archer asked, finally.

    "I don't know, exactly. They infiltrated the area by pretending to be guards, from what I could tell," Fox said. "General Skywalker and General Windu found the Chancellor."

    "Well, at least it's over."

    Fox narrowed his eyes. It was over for them, but part of him still felt suspicious. Their victory seemed too easy. He tried to shake off his misgivings as they reached the house where the senators, the Queen, and others had been taken.