Coruscant: 20 BBY
Senate Building
Commander Fox
Fox hesitated outside of the Chancellor's office. He drew in a steadying breath and entered. Chancellor Palpatine was standing behind his desk, staring out the large window. "Commander, come in," he called.
Fox stepped inside and crossed the room until he was standing at the Chancellor's side. "I need your help."
Chancellor Palpatine glanced at him. "Do you, now? How can I help you?"
Fox swallowed and removed his helmet, tucking it under an arm. "I've been thinking about what you've said. About the Jedi...and not letting myself aid the downfall of the Republic. I...I've come to a decision."
"What kind of a decision?" The Chancellor arched an eyebrow. "A good one, I hope."
"Of course, Sir." He bit his lip. "I don't know how you found out, but you are right. Senator Chuchi and I are close, too close. I'm going to stay away from her, for her protection and my own."
"A difficult but wise choice. However, I'm not sure what this has to do with me?"
"I don't believe Senator Chuchi would conspire against the Republic, and I hope that you're wrong about the Jedi," Fox began.
"But?" The Chancellor prompted.
"But if you're right, I have to make sure she'll be safe. Please, Chancellor, look out for her."
Chancellor Palpatine folded his hands together and raised them to his chin thoughtfully. "Senator Chuchi is a dear friend. I would hate to see something bad happen to her. Of course I'll look out for her. However, I need something from you in return."
Fox nodded. "Anything, your Excellency."
"I need you to keep an eye on the Jedi Council. If you see or hear something suspicious in any way, I must be the first to hear about it."
He wants me to essentially spy on the Jedi for him? As if sensing his hesitance, the Chancellor began tapping his fingers on his desk as he moved towards his seat. If he'll protect Riyo, I can do this. Fox swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "I'll do it."
"Then consider Senator Chuchi under my protection." The Chancellor reached across the desk and shook his hand. Fox slid his helmet on and left quickly. He couldn't stop the feeling of guilt that filled his mind.
Coruscant: 19 BBY
Senate Apartments
Riyo Chuchi
Riyo dropped her head into her hands, letting out an exasperated groan. Her office door hissed open and Mairin entered. She sat down in her usual spot, but surprisingly, didn't kick her feet up on the desk.
"What is it?" Mair asked, crossing her arms over her stomach.
"I'm reading over the reports that are results of the Republic's most recent purchase," Riyo sighed. "More and more people are losing their jobs, electricity, etcetera."
"I thought you were going to discuss that with Padmé, Bail, and Senator Mon Mothma."
"I am, shortly. I needed to do some research of my own, too."
"Of course." Mairin leaned forward and pulled one of the datapads towards her. "So I'm not supposed to think that you're sitting here hoping Fox will contact you?"
"No, you're not." Riyo snatched the datapad back.
"He really didn't say anything?" Mairin arched an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like him. Especially since it's been two months."
"It's just like I've told you. He told me what happened to Asha and when I woke up, he was gone. I haven't seen or heard from him since." Riyo scrubbed at her face angrily. "I don't understand it."
"Do you want me to kill him?"
She shook her head. "That wouldn't do anything. They'd just arrest you and Jairo might hate you if you did that."
"I doubt it. He's angry with Fox too."
"Has he seen him?"
"They all have, but he won't talk to them," Mairin shrugged.
"I'm worried, honestly."
"Well, don't be. He walked out without a word. That's unacceptable in my book. If I ever see him, I'm going to give him a piece of mind and something to remember me by."
"But why did he do that? He must've had a reason," Riyo mused.
"Riyo." Mairin grabbed her hands. "Stop. Don't try to excuse his actions. Sure, he probably had a reason of some sort, but you're not required to give him the benefit of the doubt. After everything, he just left? Who does that? You have to worry about yourself right now. If he ever comes back, you can decide if you'll forgive him or not. Until then, don't spare another thought on him."
"That's easier said than done."
"I know, but you've got bigger problems right now. You need to be going, by the way."
"Blast it!" Riyo leaped to her feet and sprinted out the door. "I'll be back soon."
"Don't rush," Mairin called. She leaned against a doorway and adjusted her poncho.
Riyo paused for a second, then continued on. Mairin never wears clothes like that, she thought. She pushed the thought away and entered a lift, selecting Padmé's floor.
When she reached Padmé's apartments, Bail and Senator Mon Mothma were already there. "Riyo! Come, sit." Padmé patted the seat beside her.
Riyo sat down. "Sorry I'm late. I got distracted."
"We were just about to begin. Don't worry," Bail said reassuringly.
"We must find a way to help our people maintain these necessities," Mon Mothma said, tapping a finger on the screen of her datapad.
"The problem is, most of the companies that provide those were funded by the Republic. Because of all the costs of the war, the Republic couldn't pay them and their funds have been cut off," Bail replied.
"Is there a way that a few of us senators could fund them?" Padmé asked.
"If we did, we'd only be able to supply funds for those on our own planets. We'd lose too much money too quickly if we all took a few planets. Then, no one would get help."
Riyo raised a hand to her chin. "I don't think the people would accept help if they knew it was coming from senators, anyway. With all of the attacks that have happened lately, it's apparent that they no longer respect us or believe we're looking out for them."
"What do you propose?" Mon Mothma asked.
"We could organize fundraisers," Padmé replied.
"Riyo's right. The people will never accept help from someone within the Senate," Bail said.
"No, but they'll accept help from their own people," Riyo interrupted. "We could each find a few people who trust us and help them establish fundraisers. They could be in charge of distributing the earned funds where they are needed. No one but those few people would know about our involvement."
"That could work," Mon Mothma agreed.
"Are there any other senators interested in helping with this cause?" Riyo asked. Her three friends shook their heads.
"Not at this point," Padmé said.
Mon Mothma nodded slowly. "Then we'll have to try it on ourselves. We'll start with our own home planets and if other senators want to get involved, we'll help them out."
"We should get started as soon as possible," Bail replied. "There are no Senate Sessions for the next two days. I say we all return to our home planets and begin at once. We'll need keep in touch about our progress."
Mon Mothma stood. They all followed her lead. "Then it's settled."
They quickly established a meeting time before leaving. Riyo headed back up to her own apartments as soon as she left Padmé's. Mairin was asleep on a sofa, when she arrived. Riyo shook her awake, gently.
"Mair, come on. We're returning to Pantora," she said softly.
Mairin sat up after a moment. "Good. I've been needing to talk to my mother."
"Couldn't you have commed her?" Riyo arched an eyebrow.
"In person," Mairin clarified. She stood stiffly and headed towards Riyo's rooms. Riyo watched her go, somewhat concerned. She shook off her misgivings and headed out to find Captain Tere.
Coruscant: 19 BBY
79's
Commander Fox
Clay handed Fox a drink and scooted into the booth beside him. Archer and Jairo sat across from them. For the first time in months, they'd had some free time and had decided to spend the afternoon at 79's.
Fox swirled the liquid in his cup absentmindedly. "It's nice of you to come with us," Clay said. The words dripped with sarcasm.
"Don't start it," Archer replied, rolling his eyes.
"I'm just saying, Fox never has time for us anymore." Clay shrugged. "Anyway, it feels that way."
"I've been busy," Fox said quietly.
"Busy doing what? You haven't been at the prison as much."
"I've been helping the Chancellor with something." Fox drained his cup and set it down, crossing his arms.
It was mostly true. Ever since they'd struck their deal, Fox had been keeping a careful eye on the Jedi. He'd been patrolling the Temple grounds more often and monitoring all of the reports that came his way. He hadn't found anything to report to the Chancellor, though. He hoped he never would.
But the other half of the truth was he'd been avoiding his brothers. They already knew what he'd done. Mairin would have told Jairo and he would've let the others know somehow. That partially explained why Clay was so angry at him.
"Hey," Archer's voice broke through his thoughts. Fox glanced up, but Archer hadn't been talking to him. He elbowed Jairo, who seemed lost in thought. Surprisingly, Jairo wasn't wearing his helmet. He'd been wearing it less and less around his brothers ever since Junalli.
Jairo glanced up and raised his eyebrows. "You're a million parsecs away," Clay said. Jairo simply shrugged.
"He hasn't revealed a single thing to me," Archer explained. "He's acted this way since you two got back from Kamino."
Kamino? Fox furrowed his brows, confused. Oh, right. We told them we went to Kamino when we went to Junalli.
"Have you talked any since then?" Clay asked.
Jairo nodded shortly. "Only to Mairin," Archer translated with a laugh. "I'm amazed the two of you haven't disappeared yet." Jairo swallowed, but his expression stayed neutral.
Fox narrowed his eyes and watched his brother. Jairo's gaze slid to his. He looked away after a moment. Fox couldn't shake the thought that Jairo looked guilty, somehow.
"Fox, come on." Clay stood and motioned for him to follow.
Fox sighed but complied. They headed outside of the cantina and stood beneath the neon signs. "What is it?"
"What's really going on? Why did you stop seeing Riyo?" Clay asked.
"I told you why."
"No, you didn't. You told me that someone had given you a new perspective and that you had to. That's not an answer."
"I can't tell you anymore than that."
"Why?" Clay crossed his arms and glared.
"I just...can't."
"Fine, then. I was going to give Riyo the explanation she deserved if I could get it out of you, but I guess not."
"I would tell both of you if I could," Fox protested.
"I don't know if I believe you."
"You're the one who wanted me to do this anyway!"
"No, I never wanted you to walk out on her. I wanted you to be careful." Clay shook his head angrily and brushed some silver hair away from his face. "Blast it, Fox, you never listen to me. You never listen to anyone."
"That's not true."
"Sure." Clay started walking away.
"I only did this to protect her," Fox shouted. "I had to."
Clay paused. "To protect her from what?" Fox hesitated. "That's what I thought." He turned and walked back into 79's.
Fox scrubbed at his face. His gaze lifted towards the Upper levels of Coruscant. He glanced at his comm for a second. Fox shook his head and clapped a hand over it, forcing the temptation away. "It's for the best," he whispered to himself.