Coruscant: 19 BBY
Senate Apartments
Riyo Chuchi
Riyo tried to keep her hands from shaking as she waited for Fox to speak. She couldn't tell if she was mad, nervous, or excited. It's probably all three, she thought.
"I owe you an explanation," Fox said, finally.
Riyo's mouth quirked into a frown. You owe me a lot more than that. Still, she said nothing.
"Before I left, I went to speak with the Chancellor," Fox began. "He told me that he was afraid the Jedi might be plotting against the Republic. Chancellor Palpatine brought up the fact that you have several Jedi friends. He told me that you could be using me as a way to help them bring down the Republic. I know you would never do that, but it gave me another thought, also encouraged by the Chancellor. The Jedi could use you."
"Use me how?"
Fox shrugged. "I don't know. They could threaten you, mind trick you into doing things for them, or even kill you to get the rest of the Senate to cooperate. If that happened, I don't know what I would do. I decided that I had to stop seeing you just in case the Chancellor was right. I couldn't let them use you against me or the rest of the Guard, should they actually turn traitor."
Riyo leaned back in her seat, unsure of what to think or feel. "So...you walked out on me because you were afraid? You were afraid that the Jedi would somehow hurt me and you would do whatever they wanted so that they wouldn't?"
Fox nodded, a hint of shame filling his gaze. "I know it sounds stupid, but that's why I left. I thought that by leaving, I would somehow be protecting you, my brothers, and the Republic."
"And what do you think now?"
"I don't know what to think anymore. My mind is all twisted up." Fox rubbed his forehead. "I talked to Clay and Archer this morning and we had an argument. We've had a lot of them lately. Clay managed to get me to talk to him some and I realized that I was wrong. My actions were wrong."
Riyo bit her lip, thinking. "Your actions were wrong, but your motives weren't. You were doing what you thought would be best for us and your brothers. I can't say I'm not mad. I'm furious, but I understand."
"You shouldn't. You should've thrown me out the door the minute I showed up." Fox dropped his head into his hands. "I'm so sorry."
Riyo furrowed her brows. She stood and walked in front of him. Gently, she took one of his hands and pulled it to her lips. "I'm still mad at you, but I forgive you. If you ever pull anything like that again, I'll find Mairin and let her have her way with you," Fox nodded and managed a weak smile, but kept his eyes closed. A muscle in his jaw twitched. "There's something else. What is it?"
"Archer is dead," Fox whispered finally. "I think he was killed in the explosion at the Temple."
"You know this for sure?"
He shook his head. "No, but he hasn't turned up yet." Fox swallowed. "It's my fault he was there. I told him to leave during our argument and he did. If I hadn't...he wouldn't have been at the Temple when the explosion happened."
Riyo hesitated a moment, then wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his chest. Fox stiffened, then hugged her back, tightly. "You don't know that. It's not your fault."
He gave no reply. A few seconds later, they stepped apart. "Now what?" Fox asked. He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand.
"Now, we try again."
His eyes lit up briefly. "Are you sure?"
Riyo nodded. "We'll take things slow."
Fox grinned broadly. "In that case, I'll see you later?"
She smiled and rolled her eyes. "And for goodness sake, next time just talk to me if you're dealing with something like that."
"Believe me, I will," Fox promised. He held her gaze a moment longer, then ducked out the door.
Riyo waited until she heard the main door hiss shut, before letting out a tiny excited laugh. She headed to her room shortly. Delaney was already there. She raised an eyebrow, spying the happy expression that Riyo wore.
"Was the session really that good? I thought you would discuss whatever happened at the Temple," Del said.
"The session was terrible. Everyone was arguing." Riyo entered her closet and changed into her nightclothes.
"Why are you in such a good mood, then?"
"Something is going right for the first time in a while." Riyo sprawled out on her bed. Delaney began to dim the lights.
"Senator, is there something that I should or should not know about?"
Riyo thought for a moment. "You should not know that there is a clone who likes to drop by these apartments at random times throughout the day."
Delaney gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. "My lady!" She giggled a second later. "I never heard that."
Riyo smiled as Del left, closing the door behind her. Sleep came quickly. It was more pleasant than it had been in a while.
Coruscant: 19 BBY
Jedi Temple
Commander Fox
Late the next afternoon, Fox and Clay stood inside the hangar that had been bombed. Just as Chancellor Palpatine had said, General Skywalker and Commander Tano were in charge of the investigation. Currently, they were interviewing the survivors.
They had volunteered to help clear out the debris during their spare time. So far, there was none to clear out. It was still needed for the investigation. However, Fox had obtained permission from General Skywalker to look for any clues of Archer's whereabouts among the wreckage, provided they didn't disturb anything.
"Do you know where Archer was working?" Clay asked.
"He was doing maintenance," Fox replied. "Over here, I think." He crossed the hangar and paused near a destroyed gunship. Broken tools and shrapnel littered the ground.
Clay knelt down and began to scan the debris. "Did you go see Riyo?"
"Yes."
"How'd that go?"
"She told me that she wants to try again."
"Really?" Clay gave him a curious look and laughed a bit. "It's probably a good thing that Mairin and Jairo left. I think Mairin would've had words for you."
"She may still."
"You think she'll try to contact Riyo?"
"I'm sure she will. Besides, they won't stay gone forever. They'll turn up." Fox's expression fell as a somber thought crossed his mind. "We'll have to tell Jairo."
"Yeah." Clay straightened. "I don't see anything over here. What would Archer have done? Where would he have gone?"
"Can I help you with something?" Both of them froze as Barriss Offee walked towards them.
"She's always down here," Fox whispered to Clay.
"We're looking for our friend," Clay explained.
"I doubt you'll find him here. There's no one here but security officers now." Barriss crossed her arms. She stared at one spot in particular.
"He was here when the explosion happened." Clay crossed his arms.
"Did you know one of the victims?" Fox asked.
Barriss nodded. "Tutso Mara. I used to train with him." She perked up a bit. "Perhaps I can sense what happened to your friend."
Fox and Clay glanced at each other. "How would you do that, exactly?" Clay asked.
"I can sense where their presence was in the Force and follow the steps they took in life. Many Jedi can do that. Describe his personality to me." Barriss closed her eyes and folded her hands together.
"His name was Archer," Clay said. "He liked to tell jokes."
Fox thought for a minute. "He was close with our mute brother, Jairo."
"Archer always said that he felt a bond with Shaak Ti. She gave him a few lessons when he was cadet."
"She was a motherly figure to him," Barriss murmured, her expression shifting. Her eyes snapped open and she walked a few feet away from the gunship. "Here. I sense great pain and confusion."
Fox drew in a slow breath and joined the padawan. He looked at the floor before them. Two sets of footprints were burned into the ground, surrounded by carbon scoring and soot. Fox lifted his foot and set it in one of the prints. It matched.
"He was standing there with someone else when the explosion happened," Clay said quietly.
Barriss nodded. "From the looks of it, he was very close to whatever caused the explosion."
"Well, I guess we have our answer." Fox retreated a few paces and nodded to Barriss. "Thank you."
She dipped her head towards him and left shortly. Clay knelt down and picked up something from the floor. He held it out. It was part of Archer's armor, specifically, from one of his arm cuffs. He'd carved his name into it. Only part of his name was on this piece, though. Arch.
"I'll give it to Jairo whenever we see him again," Clay said. He tucked the piece of armor into his belt. Fox nodded and they walked out of the hangar.
"We'd better get to the prison. They'll be missing us before long." Fox took the lead and they headed up to a landing pad. Shouts reached the audio receptors of his helmet when they stepped outside.
Clay peered over the side of the platform. "There's people down there."
Fox joined him. Sure enough, a crowd of people covered the steps of the Temple. He paused, listening to what they were saying. "End the war! No more clones! Stop the war!"
Clay stiffened beside him. "They're just upset," Fox said quickly, placing a hand on Clay's shoulder.
"Our brothers die for them everyday. More are captured and tortured by the Separatists. Still, they see us as nothing more than factory made droids!" Clay growled.
"Not all of them are that way."
Clay stared down at the crowd a moment longer, then followed Fox to a speeder. They soared across the city until they reached the prison. They walked inside and were met by Admiral Tarkin.
"Ah, Commander, I was just looking for you," Admiral Tarkin said.
"Admiral. How can I help you, Sir?" Fox nodded to Clay. He walked off towards his post.
"I've just received word that General Skywalker and Commander Tano have apprehended a prime suspect in the bombing case. Chancellor Palpatine wants the prisoner brought here for interrogation. You will accompany me when I retrieve the prisoner and when we question her."
"I'm supposed to be at the front, Sir. I have to monitor who comes in and out of the prison." Admiral Tarkin arched an eyebrow. Fox straightened. "Yes, Sir."
"We will leave as soon as the Chancellor receives approval from the Senate." Admiral Tarkin turned on his heel and breezed down the hall.